If you would like to adopt a troop in prayer, please visit The Presidential Prayer Team's Adopt a Troop page
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Adopt a Troop in Prayer
If you would like to adopt a troop in prayer, please visit The Presidential Prayer Team's Adopt a Troop page
Invitation From Rome to the Children of the World
The following is an email I received from Connie Schneider, Children of the Eucharist.
HI Esther,
Hope you are well! I was overjoyed to hear from Father M. Here is the video announcement from Father Patrick Byrne, General Secretary from Rome, for the
Worldwide Children’s Eucharistic Holy Hour. Please forward to your address book and everywhere in the world.
God Bless you Esther
Connie
Africa Americas Europe Oceania Asia,
Catholic School Children to unite globally in Eucharistic Adoration, following in the footsteps of the three little shepherds of Fatima!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
World Apostolate of Fatima USA
Holy Childhood Association
Children of the Eucharist ~ Friends of the Hidden Jesus
Invites you to join in and help gather the:
Catholic school children to unite globally in Eucharistic Adoration,
following in the footsteps of the three shepherds at Fatima!
Fr. Byrne’s Invitation from ROME!
Video:
Fr. Patrick Byrne, General Secretary from Rome, invites the Children of the World
to the 6th Annual Worldwide Children’s Holy Hour.
Click here
For more information please visit us @ Children of the Eucharist .
May God reward you for helping spread the word!
Connie Schneider
World Apostolate of Fatima
connieschneider@earthlink.net
Please forward to all in your address books!
We need volunteers to translate text below and send to Diocesan Offices around the world!
Children of the world!
Greetings from Rome!
My name is Father Patrick Byrne and I am the General Secretary of the Holy Childhood Association, and I am very happy to announce to you, that I will be joining you for the Sixth Annual “Worldwide Children’s Eucharistic Holy Hour.
This is also the 100th anniversary of Blessed Francisco; he was one of the three children from Fatima, of the little shepherds, who always wanted to pray before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
I‘m inviting you to join with me and with Blessed Francisco’s and the prayers of the schoolchildren who will be gathered at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC on First Friday, October 3rd.
We will have a lovely procession crown a lovely statue of Our Lady of Fatima, and pray before the Blessed Sacrament and join in the World Mission Rosary.
EWTN will broadcast this event to over 40 different nations, spiritually uniting the prayers of our world’s children.
I am encouraging all parishes all the schools to gather children and families before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, giving them the unique opportunity to participate in this Worldwide Eucharistic Holy Hour, to pray for peace in our families and in our world.
The Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI counts on the prayers of the children he knows that you are part of the mission of the church, so please join in!
To keep us all united please visit us @ Children of the Eucharist
May God Bless you , Guide you and Keep you safe!
Thank you and May God bless you.
Is the Rosary Mindless Babbling?
Thanks Sue
The purpose of the different beads on the rosary is to count the various prayers as they are said. The prayers of the rosary are meant to occupy our whole being, body and soul, while meditating on the truths of the Faith. Any prayer is vain, however, if said mechanically without devotion.
Simply to repeat prayers is not the vain repetition condemned by Christ (Mt 6:7), since He Himself repeats His prayer in the Garden three times (Mt 26:39, 42, 44) and the Psalms (inspired by the Holy Spirit) are often very repetitive (Ps 119 has 176 verses and Ps. 136 repeats the same phrase 26 times).
Matthew 6:7 In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Psalm 136:1-26
Praise the LORD, who is so good;
God's love endures forever;
Praise the God of gods;
God's love endures forever;
. . . Praise the God of heaven,
God's love endures forever.
Matthew 26:39 He advanced a little and fell prostrate in prayer, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will."
Matthew 26:42 Withdrawing a second time, he prayed again, "My Father, if it is not possible that this cup pass without my drinking it, your will be done!"
Matthew 26:44 He left them and withdrew again and prayed a third time, saying the same thing again.
The Church believes that it is necessary for a Christian to meditate (prayerfully think about) the will of God, the life and teachings of Jesus, the price He paid for our salvation, and so on. Unless we do this we will begin to take these great gifts for granted and ultimately fall away from the Lord. Every Christian must meditate in some way in order to preserve the gift of salvation (James 1:22-25).
Many Catholic and non-Catholic Christians prayerfully read and apply Scripture to their lives, that is, meditate on them.
With the rosary this can be done virtually anywhere and anytime.
Feast Day of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
The above photo is from the book Edith Stein Her Life in Photos and Documents by Maria Amata Neyer, O.C.D., ICS Publications, Washington, D.C.
A couple of earlier posts on her feast day:
2007 Photos and quotes
2006 Biography
Friday, August 08, 2008
Our Lady of Silence
There are many words one could use to describe our Lady...beautiful, loving, sweet...well, just think of the Litany of Loreto and you can get a list of descriptive words. How about silent?
A few years ago one of my dear sisters gave me a very lovely book as a gift. The title of this little treasure is A Woman Wrapped in Silence by John W. Lynch. This narrative poem was written in 1941 and is considered a classic.I would like to share a touching part of the book here. It is at the Crucifixion and our Blessed Lord had just spoken one of the seven last words:
"Behold thy mother..."
"The sounding of His wordsOh there is so much more beauty in the words that are contained in that book...so much pain suffered by our Lady!
Repeated and returned within her when
He'd done with speaking, and His parched lips closed.
Returned. Returned within her. Over. Over.
"Son. They mother." He was saying..."Woman.
Son. They mother." A And His meaning bent
And dark, and poised above the pain, descended
On her in demand so huge, so weighed,
She found her instant summoning of answer
Could not be, save in the whole bequeathing
Of her heart to void, and in complete
Oblation that should leave no more of her.
He'd asked He be to her no longer son!..."
It is a book you will read and read over again. Its words and imagery will stay with you a long time. It will be invaluable aid when meditating on the Holy Rosary of our Lady.
This brings me to the following:
On a previous post I shared the following:
Silence is a very important part of the spiritual life. It fosters prayer and holiness. It fosters listening to God and hearing God’s will for us. It also helps our emotional life for it helps us to be calm, ordered and still. "Be still and know that I am God," we are told in the Bible. It is interesting and significant that we are told—not to read, or learn or study—but to be still to know God. God speaks in the silence of our heart. God speaks to us, mostly, when we are still and silent.
Our Lady can help us to be or to become silent. If we turn to Our Blessed Mother in prayer and ask for the grace to be silent, to have silence in our life, then we shall be enriched by the blessing of silence. Each day we should set aside at least a few moments for a time of silence with Mary, placing ourselves in Our Lady’s presence and being quiet, still and silent. During this prayer time we will be renewed and refreshed by graces of silence and stillness given to us by Our Lady. Here’s a little verse that might help:
Mary, Mother of God teach me to be still.
Then listening I'll understand to do God’s Holy Will.
These graces must be cherished throughout the rest of the day. Turn off the T.V., the radio; turn off the noise. Seek silence. Be still and prayerfully quiet. Our world is filled with noise. Break the noise habit. Another encroachment upon silence is the "noise of news." By learning the news even from the newspaper, our hearts can be disturbed and our minds filled with worries. A dose of the world’s tragedies can be unsettling and unsilencing. Strive to be more peace-filled. It does take effort, it does take prayer and it takes giving up things—like noise.
Ask Our Lady to help you to increase the silence in your life. Spend time each day cultivating silence. Tell your loved ones what you are doing so they'll understand. And when you have cultivated a more silent and calm mind and heart return thanks to Our Blessed Mother for this precious, priceless gift.
Then there is another form of silence. It is more difficult. To be silent when hurt, or insulted. To be silent when angry. To refrain from uttering hurting, cutting words. To be silent when opposed or contradicted. This isn't easy. Ask Our Lady for help. Ask to be a little like Her Son, who was silent before His accusers.
Let’s have a special devotion to Our Lady of Silence. Fr. Abram Ryan, the priest-poet, referred to walking "down the valley of silence." Let’s make an effort to visit that valley. Let’s give silence a place in our life, our minds and our hearts. It will help us to be holier, calmer and healthier. Let’s start today. But we need help. Let’s turn to Our Lady of Silence, to Mary Our Mother.
Fine Art Friday - Fra Angelico
A famous painter of the Florentine school, born near Castello di Vicchio in the province of Mugello, Tuscany, 1387; died at Rome, 1455. He was christened Guido, and his father's name being Pietro he was known as Guido, or Guidolino, di Pietro, but his full appellation today is that of "Blessed Fra Angelico Giovanni da Fiesole"...New Advent's Fra Angelico
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
The Poor Clares
Mahalo to Catholiques for sharing this video. I usually post on priests but have neglected to post on religious nuns and sisters. This is a very good video to learn more about the Poor Clares.
The Transfiguration
Good homily by Fr. Ignatius who offers a contrast of Mount Tabor and Mount Calvary.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
The Importance of Manners
I found an interesting blog post regarding "Thank You" and the Chinese culture.
Importance of Manners
The writer claims that in the Chinese culture, there is no "please" or "Thank you".
Now, I find this assertion interesting because I am not sure if he is right or not. I may have to ask my Chinese relatives about that one. It seems to me that the Chinese side of my family has always had manners. They are very courteous people.
Then again, it may be an interpretation based on different cultures. For example, when our son first came to live with us, he refused to look us in the eyes when we were talking to him. In Western cultures, this could be perceived as rude. Which in fact is how my husband and I interpreted it. However, a Japanese friend taught us that in Japanese culture, it is considered very rude for a younger person to look into the eyes of an older person.
Now, I know we all encounter people who do not say "please" or "thank you" Wonder what their excuse is?
18 Tips on How To Be a Great Dad
Mahalo to Tito.
#1 Cherish your time with them. One thing that will amaze you is how quickly the years will fly. My oldest daughter is 15, which means I have three short years with her before she leaves the nest. That’s not enough time! The time you have with them is short and precious — make the most of it. Spend as much time as you can with them, and make it quality, loving time. Try to be present as much as possible while you’re with them too — don’t let your mind drift away, as they can sense that.You can read the rest at:
#2 It gets easier. Others may have different experiences, but I’ve always found the first couple of months the most difficult, when the baby is brand new and wants to feed at all hours of the night and you often have sleepless nights and walk around all day like zombies. It gets easier, as they get a regular sleeping pattern. The first couple of years are also a lot more demanding than later years, and as they hit middle school they become almost functioning, independent adults. It gets easier, trust me.
#3 Don’t look at anything as “mom” duties — share responsibilities. While there are a lot of good things from our grandparents’ day that we should bring back, the traditional dad/mom split of parenting duties isn’t one of them. Some men still look at certain duties as “mom” duties, but don’t be one of those dads. Get involved in everything, and share the load with your baby mama. Changing diapers, giving baths, getting them dressed, even feeding them (you can give them breast milk in a bottle).
The Art of Manliness' The Awesome Dad Cheat Sheet: 18 Fatherhood Tips They Should’ve Handed Out at the Delivery Room
Monday, August 04, 2008
10 Misconceptions About the Catholic Church
This is a very good video that goes down the list of erroneous beliefs regarding the Roman Catholic Church.
Feast of St. Jean Marie Vianney
"If we could comprehend all the good things contained in Holy Communion, nothing more would be wanting to content the heart of man. The miser would run no more after his treasures, or the ambitious after glory; each would shake off the dust of the earth, leave the world, and fly away towards heaven."- St. John Vianney, Patron Saint of Parish Priests.
"When we go before the Blessed Sacrament, let us open our heart; our good God will open His. We shall go to Him; He will come to us; the one to ask, the other to receive. It will be like a breath from one to the other;"
"Jesus Christ, after having given us all he could give, that is to say, the merit of his toils, his sufferings, and bitter death; after having given us his adorable body and blood to be the food of our souls, willed also to give us the most precious thing he had let, which was his holy Mother."
"I throw myself at the foot of the Tabernacle like a dog at the foot of his Master."
"All the good works in the world are not equal to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass because they are the works of men; but the Mass is the work of God. Martyrdom is nothing in comparison for it is but the sacrifice of man to God; but the Mass is the sacrifice of God for man."
"Prayer is the inner bath of love into which the soul plunges itself".
"My little children, your hearts are small, but prayer stretches them and makes them capable of loving God. Through prayer we receive a foretaste of Heaven and something of paradise comes down upon us. Prayer never leaves us without sweetness. It is honey that flows into the souls and makes all things sweet. When we pray properly, sorrows disappear like snow before the sun".
Feast of St. Jean Marie Vianney
Today, when I feel like giving up, I will make an extra effort to be resilient.
Regnum Christi Daily Meditation
Sunday, August 03, 2008
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