Our Lady of Lourdes Prayers

Picture source

First Prayer

Blessed, Immaculate Virgin, by your

appearance in the Grotto of Lourdes,

many have been cured of their

infirmities, both spiritual and physical.

Mother of Mercy, healer of the sick,

comforter of the afflicted, you know my

needs and my sufferings.  

Look upon me with compassion.  

I come to you with confidence in your maternal intercession.

Obtain for me, from your Divine Son,

O loving Mother, this special request...

(Mention your needs here)

Our Lady of Lourdes, prayer for me.

Amen.

Oblate Missions

Second Prayer

O glorious Mother of God,

so powerful under your special title of

Our Lady of Lourdes,

to you we raise our hearts and hands 

to implore your powerful intercession

in obtaining from the gracious Heart of Jesus all the helps and graces

necessary for our spiritual and temporal welfare 

and for the special favor we so earnestly seek.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

Association of the Miraculous Medal

An Examination of Conscience that really hits home

I found a copied booklet of an old Examination of Conscience in the things I save for later use.  If anyone can identify the author, please let me know.  The help given to examine one's conscience with regards to loving our neighbor is invaluable, as you can see:

- Have I been unkind towards others?

- Have I hurt others by my flare-ups of anger or impatience?

- Have I made cutting, sarcastic remarks to others?

- Have I permitted uncharitable talk to go on in my presence without an effort to change the subject?

- Have I insisted upon my own opinion, to the offense of others?

- Was I bent on "getting even" and taking petty revenge?

- Have I been inclined to throw the blame on others?

- Have I told my friends the unkind remarks others made about the, thus fomenting ill-will?

- Have I allowed myself to give in to uncharitable thoughts and suggestions?

- Have I attributed bad motives to others when I could not be certain of their intentions?

- Have I harbored suspicions of others for a long time?

- Have I nursed resentment against others, even though I did make an effort at forgiveness?

- Have I allowed my sensitive towards to others around me?

- Have I failed to try to make others happy and comfortable by giving in to morose, gloomy, selfish moods?

- Have I contributed to the venial sins of others by unreasonably teasing or annoying them?

- Have I lessened the fear of sin in others by thoughtlessly making light of some sin?

- Have I always shielded the good name of others?

- Have I led others into venial sin by suggestion or bad example?

- Because I did not like others, did I refuse to cooperate with them in work we were given to do?

Sufficient matter for mortal sin:

- Have I persistently refused in my heart to forgive a person who has injured me?

- Have I, over a considerable period of time, refused to talk to or acknowledge someone who has wronged me?

- Do I live in enmity and hatred of someone?

- Have I grievously slandered others, i.e., attributed serious sins to them which they did not commit, or of which I had no evidence?

Meekness:

- Have I taken part in petty quarrels and bitter arguments?

- Have I given in to sudden spurts of anger by harsh words, by calling names, by abusive language?

- Have I shown dislike or antipathy for others by snubbing them, by being sarcastic toward them, or by unkindness?

- Have I given in to moods of sullenness and moroseness towards others?

- Have I shown sensitiveness and hurt feelings over trifling matters?

- Have I talked back peevishly when justly corrected?

- Have I teased others until I made them angry?

- Have I, through jealousy of others, deliberately tried to destroy a good work that they were doing or to hamper it seriously?

Humility:

- Have I been guilty of the form of pride called vanity, by considering myself more intelligent, more learned, more handsome, even more charitable than others?  Have I thought highly of my own "humility"?

- Have I bragged about my accomplishments, my virtues, my abilities?

- Have I given in to anger against others because I thought myself better than they and that they should show better than to cross me?

- Have I shown my pride in the form of sensitiveness, resentment, pouting, peevishness?  Have I been envious of others?

- Have I shown my pride in constant disobedience in small things or by stubbornness and disrespectful language to those who had a right to my obedience?

Spiritual Guidance - Self-Love

The Sacrament of Confession

Picture source

First, I hope God blesses abundantly all the priests who hear confessions day in and day out. Even though it is their duty, they bring so much peace into the heart of the penitent and for this we are eternally grateful.

The Confessional is a place where people let God’s love win.  The Confessional is the most joyful, humbling, and inspiring place in the world. - Father Mike Schmitz

Please read the following article by Father Mike Schmitz. It is a powerful statement for the sacrament of reconciliation. Inside the Confessional: What it is like for a Priest .  I would also ask that you take the time to pray the following prayer from the heart.  Surprisingly, it was written by Saint John Neumann, whose feast day we celebrated the other day.

"My Lord, Jesus, behold me defiled by sin.  Again I have stained the holy garment of grace in my soul that Your blood has cleansed so often.  O , Father of mercy, hear my prayer.  Give me a true spirit of penance that through the humble supplication of a contrite heart I may again receive pardon.

Since my last confession I have fallen more frequently than usual.  My Jesus, I have gone back.  But do not forsake me, though I richly deserve to be rejected as obstinate and incorrigible.  Behold me prostrate before You, O my God.  My sinfulness weighs me down.  Alas, Jesus my God and Savior, I dare not raise my eyes to You.  How can I who have so often violated my past resolves presume to ask pardon again?

O my soul, crushed by the load of sin, take courage; your Redeemer will console you in your desolation.  Reject me not, though I have miserably broken my promises of amendment.  Cast not off your wretched child or I shall be forever lost.  From my heart I grieve for having offended You.  O holy Mother of God, my guardian angel, my holy patrons, intercede for me with my judge and obtain for me the pardon of my sins.  O Jesus, grant me a true spirit of penance.  My Jesus, have mercy on me.

From the January 5, 2015 Magnificat

The Most Holy Name of Jesus - Prayer of Petition

"Whatever you ask in my name, I will do." 

- (John 14:13)

Prayer of Petition

O Divine Jesus,

Thou hast promised that anything we ask of the eternal Father in Thy name shall be granted.

O Eternal Father.  

In the name of Jesus, for the love of Jesus,

in fulfillment of this promise, 

and because Jesus has said it,

grant us our petitions for the sake of Jesus,

Thy Divine Son.

Amen.

The Prayer Book, The Catholic Press, Inc.

Epiphany Blessing for the Home - 2015

by Henry Siddons Mowbray

This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany.  Traditionally, the Church celebrated it on January 6th.

The following is the blessing for the home.

Epiphany Blessing of the Home & Household - 2015

The traditional date of Epiphany is January 6, but in the United States it is celebrated on the Sunday
after Christmas, between January 2 and January 8. The whole of the Christmas season, especially on
the feast of the Epiphany, is a traditional time to bless homes, including passageways and doorways.

Often related to these blessings is a ritual of “chalking” the doors of the home with the numbers of the year separated by the initials, CMB. The letters traditionally refer to the legendary names of the three kings: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar (Scripture neither names them nor says there were three of them). Another tradition refers to it as the abbreviation of the Latin phrase, Christus mansionem
benedicat, translated as “May Christ bless this house.”

Here is one form of an Epiphany House Blessing:
V. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
A. Amen
V. Peace be to this house and: to all who dwell here, in the name of the Lord.
A. Blessed be God forever.

V. A reading from the holy gospel according to St. John
A. Glory to You, O Lord.
In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the
beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be….. And
the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only
Son, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-3.14)
A. Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ

After the prayers of the blessing are recited, each room of the home is sprinkled with holy water. The
year and initials of the Magi are inscribed above the doors with the blessed chalk (Casper, Melchior
and Balthasar with the first two numerals of the year preceding the C and the last two numerals of the
year placed after the B).

20 + C + M + B + 15

As you inscribe the initials say: “Christus Mansionem Benedicat” which means “May Christ bless this house”.)

V. Lord God of heaven and earth, you revealed your only begotten Son to every nation by the guidance of a star. Bless this house and all who inhabit it. May we be blessed with health, goodness of heart, gentleness and the keeping of your law. Fill us with the light of Christ, that our love for each other may go out to all. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

A. Amen.

 Source

On Falling Again into Sin

"Now, we ought never be troubled; but when we see ourselves on the ground, we must raise ourselves up again quietly.  At once we must turn to God with love and humility and ask His pardon; and then we must never think about the fault again, until the time comes to accuse ourselves of it in confession.  And even if in confession we forget it, there is no occasion to be uneasy on that account."  

- page 90

"What will it matter, after all, how many times you have fallen on the way if you reach your journey's end safely at last?  God will not reproach you."

- page 91

The Spiritual Life by Father Jean Nicholas Grou

The Infant of Prague Novena will not fail us

My mom recently flew back to Hawaii.  No sooner did she arrive at baggage claim when she started thanking the Infant of Prague for answering all her requests.  I believe one of them was for a safe and uneventful flight.

To my utter surprise, the Christmas novena to the Infant of Prague started the day after my mom's arrival!  I should have learned by now that there are no coincidences.  My mom is very confident that the Divine Infant will not let us down.  He will answer our prayers...at least the way God wills it.

INFANT OF PRAGUE NOVENA PRAYER 

O Jesus, Who has said, "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you 
shall find, knock and it shall be opened," through the 
intercession of Mary, Your Most Holy Mother, I knock, I seek, I 
ask that my prayer be granted. 

(Make your request) 

O Jesus, Who has said, "All that you ask of the Father in My Name, 
He will grant you," through the intercession of Mary Your Most 
Holy Mother, I humbly and urgently ask your Father in your name 
that my prayer will be granted. 

(Make your request) 

O Jesus, Who has said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away but My 
word shall not pass away," through the intercession of Mary Your 
Most Holy Mother, I feel confident that my prayer will be granted. 

(Make your request) 


PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING 

Divine Infant Jesus, I know You love me and would never leave me. 
I thank You for Your close Presence in my life. 

Miraculous Infant, I believe in Your promise of peace, blessings, 
and freedom from want. I place every need and care in Your hands. 

Lord Jesus, may I always trust in Your generous mercy and love. I 
want to honor and praise You, now and forever. Amen. 

INFANT OF PRAGUE NOVENA - EWTN

Advent Moment - O Wisdom!

O Sapientia (December 17) O Wisdom (Eccl 24: 5), you came forth from the mouth of the Most High (Sir 24: 30), and reaching from beginning to end, you ordered all things mightily and sweetly (Wis 8: 1). Come, and teach us the way of prudence (Isa 40: 14).

Catholic Culture


We have a week left before Christmas Eve is here.  Let us take a moment to collect ourselves:

Are we ready for the Baby Jesus' arrival? Or, have we lost sight of Him in the hustle and bustle in our preparation for Christmas?  If the second one is our answer, then we should really consider pausing what we are doing.

We still have time to do the following:

1.  Attend an Advent penance service or go to a priest for confession.

2.  Learn more about the Church's ancient tradition of the O Antiphons.  You can start by clicking the link to Catholic Culture above.

3.  Light the Advent candles and do spiritual reading with your family or just sit still, and listen for God's gentle whisper.

Christmas Novenas December 17th to December 25th

Some of you may be praying the. Andrew Christmas Novena.  Here are two more novenas for those of you who aren't.

1.  Thanks to TRIREGNUM sensus catholicus  for sharing about the novena to the Divine Infant King. More information can be found by clicking the link above.

2.   EWTN's Christmas Novena can be found here.

Wishing you and your family a good Advent journey to Christmas.