Saturday, April 02, 2011

Peruvian Tenor Juan Diego Flórez Singing Ave Maria

This is a real treat!

Father Peter Rookey - The Healing Priest " Pilgrimage of Love "



Thank you Ed for sharing this very moving tribute to Father Rookey. I hope everyone orders this touching DVD.
Watch a clip from the beautiful new DVD

"Pilgrimage of Love: The Story of a Priest". Follow Fr. Peter Rookey as he makes one last journey to the Holy Land, a walk of faith that parallels his remarkable life story, including his own healing of blindness as a child and his 60+ years as a Catholic priest.

Praise God for this holy, humble worker in the vineyard, and for the many healing miracles that Jesus Christ has worked through him.

The full DVD can be ordered from Our Sorrowful Mother's Ministry.

6th Anniversary of Our Holy Father's Passing - Novena

A big mahalo to Father Martin Fox and Mary Jane for the reminder. As you know, Our Holy Father, Venerable John Paul II died on the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday.

From Mary Jane:

Pray as a novena or all month before the beatification on May 1

Litany to Pope John Paul II

Lord, have mercy on us.

Christ, have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy on us.

Christ, hear us.

Christ, graciously hear us.

God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.

God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, pray for us.

John Paul, lover of God and man, pray for us.

John Paul, Supreme Pontiff, pray for us.

John Paul, Servant of the Servants of God, pray for us.

John Paul, Vicar of Christ, pray for us.

John Paul, Bishop of Rome, pray for us.

John Paul, son of Mary, pray for us.

John Paul, follower of Christ, pray for us.

John Paul, world wide apostle of the Good News, pray for us.

John Paul, devoted adorer of the Blessed Sacrament, pray for us.

John Paul, lover of the Rosary, pray for us.

John Paul, lover of the sick and poor, pray for us.

John Paul, head of Christ's Church, pray for us.

John Paul, moral beacon, pray for us.

John Paul, bishop of bishops, pray for us.

John Paul, fighter of tyranny, pray for us.

John Paul, Pope of the New Advent, pray for us.

O Lord, in your mercy and love, you granted to the Church a truly remarkable shepherd in Pope John Paul. We now call him "Great" because of his true devotion to you through the Blessed Virgin Mary. May he be our leader on the march to your Eternal Kingdom from his heavenly throne. Amen

Novena Prayer for the Canonization of Pope John Paul II



O Blessed Trinity We thank You for having graced the Church with Pope John Paul II and for allowing the tenderness of your Fatherly care, the glory of the cross of Christ, and the splendor of the Holy Spirit, to shine through him. Trusting fully in Your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession of Mary, he has given us a living image of Jesus the Good Shepherd, and has shown us that holiness is the necessary measure of ordinary Christian life and is the way of achieving eternal communion with you. Grant us, by his intercession, and according to Your will, the graces we implore, hoping that he will soon be numbered among your saints. Amen.

Mother Angelica Live Classics - How Do You Love - Mother Angelica - 03-2...

First Saturday Devotion

Picture source

On June 13, 1917, when she appeared to three shepherd children at Fatima, Portugal, the Most Holy Mother of God told Lucia dos Santos, " Jesus wishes to make use of you to make me known and loved. He wants to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. I promise salvation to those who embrace it, and these souls will be loved by God like flowers placed by me to adorn His throne."

The next month, on July 13, the Blessed Virgin Mary showed the children a terrifying vision of hell. Then she said, "You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save the, God wishes to establish int he world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace...I shall come to ask for...the Communion of reparation on the first Saturdays..."

Our Lady came to Lucia again as she promised, on December 10, 1925, with the Child Jesus in the Dorothean convent at Pontevedra, Spain. She revealed a heart encircled by thorns. The Child Jesus said: "Have compassion on the heart of your most holy Mother, covered with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, and there is no one to make an act of reparation."

Picture source: Catholic Seeking

Conditions:

Our Lady spoke next, saying: "Look, my daughter, at my heart, surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You at least try to console me and say that I promise to assist at the hour of death, with all the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary and keep me company for fifteen minutes while mediating on fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me."
Picture source
Why Five Saturdays:

Christians have always honored the Blessed Virgin on Saturday because of her constant faith in Jesus on that first Holy Saturday before the Resurrection.

According to Sister Lucia, five first Saturdays of reparation were requested to atone for the ways people offend the Immaculate Heart of Mary:

1. attacks upon Mary's Immaculate Conception;
2. attacks against her Perpetual Virginity;
3. attacks upon her Divine Maternity and the refusal to accept her as the Mother of all mankind;
4. for those who try to publicly implant children's hearts indifference, contempt and even hatred of this Immaculate Mother and
5. for those who insult her directly in her sacred images.

Source: World Apostolate of Fatima, USA

Printed with ecclesiastical permission 6/05

The World Apostolate of Fatima Spiritual Guide for the Salvation of Souls and World Peace
Washing, NJ 07882-0976

Source: World Apostolate of Fatima: Honolulu Division

Thursday, March 31, 2011

St. Teresa on the Devil Hindering Her from Mental Prayer

The Pacific Ocean yesterday evening

"I do not understand the fears of those who are afraid to begin mental prayers: I do know know what they are afraid of. The devil does well to instill fear into us so that he may do us real harm. By making me afraid he stops me from thinking of the ways in which I have offended God and of all I owe Him and of the reality of hell and of glory and of the great trials and griefs which He suffered for me..." - The Autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila
In another earlier section she writes how she was only able to pray when she had a good spiritual book to read.  Sometimes, in order to pray, she just needed to have the book by her; not necessarily reading it.  Her prayer life certainly went through many steps.  What insight this saint has on prayer!

I am very certain the devil does all in his power to keep us from prayer. I read that prayer is talking to God and reading Holy Scripture is God talking to us.  Although, I am also sure that if we listen carefully...and not talk, God will speak to us in the quiet of our hearts.

It is in these quiet moments, like in adoration before the Blessed Sacraments, that serious sins I have long forgotten and I am sure never confessed, were recently brought to mind.  God in His infinite goodness and mercy reminded me so that I could have a chance to confess these long forgotten sins.

The devil on the other hand, will make so much noise and put fear into our hearts, that we will be afraid just like Saint Teresa was.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

ST. ALPHONSUS, PATRON SAINT OF CONFESSORS AND MORALISTS


VATICAN CITY, 30 MAR 2011 (VIS) - In this Wednesday's general audience, celebrated in St Peter's Square, the Pope spoke about St. Alphonsus Maria of Liguori, bishop, Doctor of the Church and "outstanding moral theologian and master of spiritual life".
Read the rest here.

See also:

Vatican City, Mar 30, 2011 / 12:33 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Church owes a debt of gratitude to the towering figure of St. Alphonsus Maria of Liguori, Pope Benedict XVI said at his weekly Wednesday audience, March 30.

Pope proposes St. Alphonsus Liguori as model for new evangelization

A Gift for Our Holy Father: 84,000 Novenas for the Pope's 84th Birthday!

I received an email requesting that we spread the word on a special novena to celebrate our Holy Father's 84th birthday. What a great idea!


Will you join me in giving the Pope a huge gift for his birthday? Pope Benedict XVI is celebrating his birthday on April 16th and I'm joining up with praymorenovenas.com to get 84,000 people to pray a novena for the Pope's 84th birthday. 

On April 8th, we will begin praying for nine days leading up to and ending on the Papa Benedict's birthday. The Pope prays for us everyday so it's time to return the gift to him on the anniversary of his birth. 

84,000 Novenas is a lot! So, I'm going to need your help. I want everyone who reads this blog to do the following to help with this birthday gift!

  + Sign up here: http://bit.ly/h0052O
  + Join the facebook event and invite your friends herehttp://on.fb.me/eE2Xs7
  + If you have a website, post about it there!
  + Email your friends and family and get them praying too!

I'm sure the Pope will love that we are all praying for him! Please help us reach our goal of 84,000 novenas for the Pope!

Remember to sign up to pray here: http://bit.ly/h0052O

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Jesus Exhorts His Most Blessed Mother Before His Passion

Picture source

The following is from The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Anne Catherine Emmerich.

"When our Lord announced to his Blessed Mother what was going to take place, she besought him, in the most touching terms, to let her die with him. But he exhorted her to show more calmness in her sorrow than the other women, told her that he should rise again, and named the very spot where he should appear to her. She did not weep much, but her grief was indescribable, and there was something almost awful in her look of deep recollection. Our Divine Lord returned thanks, as a loving Son, for all the love she had borne him, and pressed her to his heart. He also told her that he would make the Last Supper with her, spiritually, and named the hour at which she would receive his precious Body and Blood. Then once more he in touching language, bade farewell to all, and gave them different instructions..."
Picture source

Can the human heart refrain
from partaking in her pain,
in that Mother's pain untold?

- from the Stabat Mater

I Want To Walk As A Child Of The Light

Monday, March 28, 2011

St. Josemaria Escrivá on Lenten Conversion


Picture source

Lent should suggest to us these basic questions: Am I advancing in my faithfulness to Christ, in my desire for holiness, in a generous apostolate in my daily life, in my ordinary work among my colleagues?

Read the rest over at Jean's blog Catholic Fire

Innocent Priests, Bishops, Cardinals...

St. Maximilian M. Kolbe

There are two articles worth reading today.

1. Archbishop Dolan's An Airport Encounter

H/T Catholic Vote

2. Les Femmes - The Truth's Many Abuse Allegations Against Priests are Completely False She writes about our friend Father Gordon MacRae of These Stone Walls

Adoration and the Lenten Prayer Campaign for the Renewal of Catholic Colleges!



Ca you commit to offer a holy hour for the renewal of Catholic colleges?

If so please visit The Cardinal Newman Society's Adoration U

I would also suggest you checking out Daughter of the King's An Hour in Paradise. It is a beautiful meditation on spending an hour with our Lord in adoration.