There are No Coincidences with God

The State of Hawaii was shut down on Friday in expectation of two hurricanes threatening the islands.  For the first time since I can recall, Holy Mass was also cancelled at most churches throughout the island chain. However, in the late afternoon a friend text-ed me that there would be a Holy hour of adoration as well as mass that evening, at nearby Star of the Sea Church.

For those who attend daily mass, it was a very strange feeling not being able to go to Mass.  A friend quoted Saint Padre Pio to remind us that it is a privilege to be able to attend Holy Mass: "It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do so without the Holy Mass."

So off another friend and I went to adoration and Holy Mass.  We wanted to give thanks to God for once again sparing Hawaii from any devastation and to pray for the Iraqi Christians persecuted relentlessly for their faith.  Apparently, we were not the only ones as the small chapel was filled to capacity.

The reason I referred to no coincidences with God is because as I picked up a book to recite prayers the following prayers were what I found.

Come Lord Jesus

Come, Lord Jesus, into our hearts,

souls, and homes.

We love, welcome and need You.

So come, King of Kings,

Prince of Peace, 

and bring with You Your wonderful Mother, 

Mediatrix of Peace.  

In Your Mercy, please 

hold back, 

lessen the severity and shorten the duration of Your divine

Chastisement already in effect with

storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, fires and earthquakes.

Hear and answer our prayers 

so Your Sacred and Her immaculate Hearts may reign supreme, granting us and the World True Peace.  

Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.  Amen.

A Prayer to the Blessed Virgin

(Never Found to Fail)

O Most beautiful Flower of Mount Carmel,

Fruitful Vine, Splendour of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin,

assist me in this my necessity.  

O Star of the Sea, help me and show me herein you are my Mother.

Oh Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth,

I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart,

to succour me in this necessity; there are none that can withstand your power.

O, show me herein you are my Mother, O Mary, 

conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. (3 times)

Sweet Mother, I place this cause in your hands. (3 times)

Then as I continue to pray for the suffering Iraqi Christians, I was reading about how to really pray the Our Father in the same little book and read the following:

"Thy Kingdom Come."  Actually, what could be better for the world than that the Kingdom, which Christ came on earth to establish, should be founded everywhere and should flourish wherever it would exist.  That by His peace, love and law it may reign supreme all over the world, especially in our own native land which is naturally so dear to all of us.

We must remember too, in our prayers those countries where religion is so cruelly persecuted by the enemies of God what prayer is the mightiest arm we can use against them.  If all the millions who would each send up to the Throne of God this burning petition "Thy Kingdom Come" what help would not all countries each receive that are now so cruelly treated!

By saying these words with devotion, we are actively spreading the Gospel in all nations, carrying on the every work of the Apostles.  By prayer and preaching, we can be apostles.  In fact by preaching without prayer, it is of no avail...

Thank you Lord.


Excerpts from Read Me or Rue it. by Father Paul O'Sullivan, O.P.

Aspirations - Before the Blessed Sacrament

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love you, save souls.

Thy will be done!

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You.

Most Precious Blood of Jesus, have mercy on me.

Jesus, I love you.

Jesus, truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament, guide my life.

Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine.

My Lord and my God!

I am drawn to You my Jesus, like a moth to the flame.

Jesus, may I never offend Thee on purpose.

My soul is in peace, in Your presence, O Lord.

You dear Lord, are the source of all my happiness.

May all the honor and glory be Yours!

O my glorious and magnificent Lord!

My sweet Jesus, teach me to love.

O, that I may gaze on the loveliness of the Lord all the days of my life!

Lord, in Your I have my being.

I truly want to love you, my most sweet Jesus.

What do You want from me Lord?

Dear God, help me to be holy.

May I accept everything in my day for love of You.

Jesus, may I see through Your eyes, may I hear through Your ears, may I love through Your heart.

O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine, O praise and all thanksgiving, be every moment Thine.

My Lord, You are as radiant as the sun!

Forgive me, Jesus, forgive me!

May I overcome myself in order to love you completely.

May I embrace my littleness, my nothingness.

You must increase; I must decrease.

What joy it is to be in Your presence, O Lord!

May my love for You bring me peace.

God is love.

Lord, You called me and I came.

Thank you Lord!

THE LITANY OF LORETO

by Brother John M. Samaha, S.M.

What is a litany?

        A litany is a type of prayer in the form of a responsive petition.  This prayer form became popular in the Middle Ages.  A prayer leader proclaimed a series of invocations and the congregation alternated with responses.

        The litany form of supplication comes from the Litany of Saints, which was used in Europe as early as the seventh century.  In that litany Mary heads the list of saints and is invoked three times; these invocations are retained in her own litany. Over the centuries a number of litanies became popular prayers to honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Name of Jesus, St. Joseph, and several directed to the Blessed Virgin Mary.  These are still used today and are found in official prayer books.

        Several different Marian litanies appeared in the twelfth century and became popular devotional practices over the following centuries.  Their origins are often uncertain, and from time to time additions and improvements were made. Besides being recited prayers, many litanies are also sung or chanted.  And today new litanies are still being composed.

        The alternation of admiring tribute and confident supplication makes the litany a prayer both simple and replete.

Litany of Loreto

        Many Marian litanies are in use, but the best known Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary is more commonly known as the Litany of Loreto.  Because this litany was adopted by the famous Marian Shrine of the Holy House in Loreto, Italy, as indicated by a 1558 shrine record, the pilgrims who visited the shrine took to their home countries around the world this popular name for the prayer.

        The origins of the Litany of Loreto are uncertain.  It may date from the fifth century, but more likely it was composed in its present form between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries and first printed in a prayer book influenced by St. Peter Canisius in 1551.  The original approval was granted in 1587 by Pope Sixtus V. 

        The list of praises to Mary owes much to the Akathist Hymn of the Byzantine Churches.  As circumstances changed, invocations were added or dropped, and the litany is still being revised in our lifetime.

Newest invocations: Mother of the Church and Queen of Families

        In 1980 “Mother of the Church” was inserted into the Litany of Loreto after “Mother of Christ” and before “Mother of Divine Grace.”  At the close of the third session of the Second Vatican Council in 1964 Pope Paul VI officially declared this new Marian title: “For the glory of the Blessed Virgin and our consolation, we proclaim Mary most holy as ‘Mother of the Church,’ that is, of the whole People of God, both of the faithful and of the pastors who all call her their most loving Mother.”  Pope John Paul II explained that this “stresses the complete motherhood of Mary toward Christ and toward the Church, as Mother of the Head and Mother of the members of the Mystical Body.”

        Saint John Paul II authorized in 1995 the use of “Queen of Families” to be inserted after “Queen of the Most Holy Rosary” and before “Queen of Peace.”  This flows naturally from the fact that Mary is Mother of the Church, including the Domestic Church – the family.  The pope pointed out that “Mary called herself the ‘handmaid of the Lord’ (Lk 1:38).  Through obedience to the Word of God she accepted her lofty, yet not easy vocation as wife and mother in the family of Nazareth.  Putting herself at God’s service, she also put herself at the service of others: a service of love….  We invoke her as ‘Queen.’ For her to reign is to serve.  Her service is to reign.”

        Holy Mary, pray for us!

Portiuncula Indulgence - Feast of Our Lady of the Angels

Reminder: Requirements for plenary indulgence.

Bishop of Honolulu on Saint Mother Marianne Cope

Nice coverage by Father Daren.

From These Stone Walls - On the Fatherhood of Bishops With Disposable Priests

“Has Catholic culture in America become so comfortable with the notion of the last two decades that its priests should be little more than expendable targets with no ability or right for self-defense?” 

I recommend you read this post written by "Father Jim" on Father Gordon MacRae's blog and then share it with others.

 On the Fatherhood of Bishops With Disposable Priests

Saint Mother Marianne Cope Comes Home to Hawaii

Today was a festive day in Hawaii as Bishop Silva enshrined the earthly remains of our beloved mother of the outcasts in the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace.

Father Daren Z.

Our beloved bishop Larry Silva

Hawaiian Royal Societies 

Saint Marianne's remains enters the Cathedral Basilica

Procession of priests

Procession into the Cathedral Basilica for midday prayer

Media coverage as the faithful approached St. Mother Marianne's relic for veneration

List of Ways We Can Avoid Purgatory

Picture source

The Catholic doctrine on Purgatory has always held a source of fascination for me. On the one hand, it is very scary to think about when our earthly life is over, we need to purify ourselves in a very painful way (both body and soul) and on the other hand, we are guaranteed salvation and once our time is up, we will go to Heaven to be with God forever and ever!

In the past few months I have been reading and listening to all I can on how to not only help the poor souls in Purgatory, who of course, cannot help themselves, but also what we can do to avoid going to this place of purgation or alternatively, if we cannot avoid it, at least to minimize our time there.

The saints who have had visions of Purgatory emphasize that the time there is different than the time we experience on earth.   One minute in Purgatory may just feel like ten years on earth.

Of course, we will want to go through the purifying fires of Purgatory.  We will feel the need to cleanse ourselves before appearing before the pureness of God.  It will be a very painful experience it seems yet we will also be very happy.  As with all things of God, it is a mystery and a paradox.

I have made list of ways we can avoid going to Purgatory in our daily lives.  The most important thing is to make this resolution.  We need to realize that our time on earth is very limited.   We may be young, but that does not necessarily guarantee that we will not die soon.  We must be prepared.

It is our crosses and sufferings that God has permitted to burden us that will ultimately help in our salvation if we embrace them in a redemptive way.  If we complain, even a little bit, about our crosses, we have lost the redemptive value that we could have earned.

The following is the list:

1.  "...by accepting everything from God's hands.  By Offering everything up to Him with love and Thanksgiving so as to enable us to pass from our deathbed to Paradise."*

2.  Padre Pio emphasized repeatedly the importance of the sacrifice of the Mass for the release of the soul from Purgatory.  It is important to remember, that Masses offered while we are alive are more efficacious than those of the Masses offered after we are dead.  Request Masses for yourself, your family members, your friends, etc. on occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries.  This type of gift is much more valuable than spending money on frivolous presents that will not last or may not be even appreciated by the recipient.
3.  It is important that we resign ourselves to God's will on the death of a loved one because this is extremely efficacious for the release of their soul.*  The tears we shed at the death of a loved one, especially at their funeral will not help their souls in the least.  It will be our prayers, masses offered our sacrifices for them that will release them from Purgatory.

4.  It is our duty to pray for those who are in Purgatory owing to error on our own part.  I don't know about you but this one troubles me very much.  How many souls are in Purgatory are there due to what I have erroneously said or taught them?  May God have Mercy!

5.  We must have an assiduous and constant flight from sin, especially venial sins.*

6.  We have to answer to God for everything, even for useless words..."For every idle word they shall given an account." (Mt. 12:36)*

7.  Do penance on earth and resign our daily tribulations and sufferings to God's will.

8.  Have a devotion to our blessed Mother. "she constantly assists at the extreme moment of death those who have been especially devoted to her.*

9.  Have a special devotion to the Holy Eucharist.*

10.  Be charitable towards the Holy Souls.  Remember to pray for them daily, request Masses for their intentions, make sacrifices for them.  There are countless ways we can help the Holy Souls.

11.  Help our neighbor.  Love them as Christ loves them.  See Christ in them.

12.  "In every prayer you say, every Mass you hear, every Communion you receive, every good work you perform have the express intention of imploring God to grant you a holy and happy death and no Purgatory..."**

13.  Always wish to do God's will.  It is in every sense the best for you.  When you do or seek anything that is not God's will you are sure to suffer.  Say fervently every time you pray the Our Father "Your will be done."**

14.  "Accept all the sufferings, sorrows, pains and disappointments of life, be they great or small, ill health, loss of goods, the death of your dear ones, heart or cold, rain or sunshine as coming from God. Bear them calmly and patiently for love of Him and in penance for your sins.  Of course one may use all his efforts to ward off trouble and pain, but when one cannot avoid it let him bear it manfully."**

Remember:  "Impatience and revolt make sufferings vastly greater and more difficult to bear."**

15.  "...Let us do our work, accept is disappointments and hardships and bear our pains in union with the Passion of Christ.  We gain more merit by a little pain than by years of pleasure."**

16. "Forgive all injuries and offenses for in proportion as we forgive others God forgives us."**

17. " Avoid mortal sins, deliberate venial sins and break off bad habits.  Then it will be relatively easy to satisfy God's justice for sins of frailty.  Above all avoid sins against charity and chastity in thought, word and deed for these sins are the reason why many souls are detained in Purgatory for long years."**

18.  "If afraid of doing much do many little things, acts of kindness and charity, give the alms you can, cultivate regularity, method, punctuality i the performance of duty; don't grumble or complain when things are not as you please; don't censure and complain of others; never refuse to do a favor to others when it is possible"**

19.  "Do all in your power for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.  Pray for them constantly, get others to do so.."**

20.  "There is no more powerful way of obtaining from God a most holy and happy death than by weekly Confession, daily mass and daily communion."**

21. "A daily visit to the Blessed sacrament--it need only be three of four minutes--is an easy way of obtaining the same grace.  Kneeling in the presence of Jesus with eyes fixed on the Tabernacle, sure that He is looking at us, let us for a few minutes repeat some little prayer like these:
My Jesus mercy.
My Jesus have pity on me a sinner.
My Jesus I love you.
My Jesus give me a happy death."**

22.  Be invested and wear the Brown Scapular.  Our Lady will personally go down to Purgatory on the First Saturday after our death and she will accompany us to Heaven.

There are many more ways to we can avoid Purgatory. The foregoing is just a partial list.  You can read more about these ways with the books listed below and also How to Avoid Purgatory by Father Paul O'Sullivan, O.P."

I also recommend the interview Sister Emmanuel did of Maria Simma.  You can read the transcript HERE
Although, if you can obtain the tape or CD of the interview it will be much nicer. Sister has such an enchanting voice!

*The Holy Souls "Viva Padre Pio" - by Father Alessio Parente O.F.M. Cap.

**Read Me or Rue it...How to Avoid Purgatory by Father Paul O'Sullivan O.P. Online book.

Honolulu Bishop Announces Cathedral's Designation as Minor Basilica

According to the Hawaii Catholic Herald, Bishop Larry Silva announced this weekend that the Cathedral of Our Lady Queen of Peace, has been designated as a minor basilica.

July 18, 2014

To the Clergy, Religious, and Faithful of the Diocese of Honolulu Dear Brothers and Sisters,

It is with great joy that I announce to you that the mother church and seat of the Diocese of  Honolulu, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace, has been designated a Minor Basilica! 

You can read the rest of Bishop Silva's letter HERE.

Devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Help for the Holy Souls

Banner from Blessed Sacrament Church, Paterson, NJ

The brown woolen scapular that Catholics wear is the habit of Our Lady that we are clothed with to show that we have consecrated ourselves to her.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel made a promise that she would personally go down to Purgatory to bring us up to heaven, the first Saturday after our death, if we have faithfully worn her brown scapular as a symbol of our devotion to her.

... the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. It is adapted from the scapular of the Carmelite Order and represents a special Consecration to Our Lady under the title of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Those who wear it practice it a special devotion to Mary. In the past this was the Little Office of Our Lady, but today this can be commuted by any priest to the rosary. In addition, the person has a special entrustment of themselves to Mary for their salvation. This, in fact, has been promised to those who faithfully wear the scapular:  "Those who die wearing this scapular shall not suffer eternal fire." This must not be understood superstitiously or magically, but in light of  Catholic teaching that perseverance in faith, hope and love are required for salvation. The scapular is a powerful reminder of this Christian obligation and of Mary's promise to help those consecrated to her obtain the grace of final perseverance.

Source: EWTN

Our blessed mother also goes into purgatory to free many souls on special days we honor her, such as all Saturdays and all the Marian feast days.  Just imagine how many souls will be freed from the pains of purgatory today!

For those of you who still do not wear the brown scapular, perhaps today is the day you begin.  It is important that you have a priest enroll you or confer you in our Lady's brown scapular.  Any priest is able to do this.  The EWTN link above has more details regarding investiture in the brown scapular.

The Sisters of Carmel in Colorado Springs make beautiful woolen brown scapular by hand.  You can get them for 5.00 each by contacting the sisters at Sisters of Carmel.

Catholic Free Shipping also sells good quality brown scapulars. These brown scapulars have the St. Benedict medal and a crucifix attached. You can get them for 6.95 each.

Please remember those who are very sick or may be in danger of death, by giving them a brown scapular to wear.

Happy Feast Day!