Friday, September 02, 2011

First Friday - Sacred Heart of Jesus


Picture source

"Those heavenly blessings which devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus pours into the souls of the faithful, purifying them, refreshing them with heavenly consolation and urging them to acquire all virtues, are too numerous to be counted..."
- Saint Margaret Mary - Leon Cristiani

Thursday, September 01, 2011

Message from Father Gordon MacRae


Friends: Just to show you how much your participation in the Novena means to Father Gordon, I am sharing his recent email he sent to me.  I may have had the inspiration from the Holy Spirit to start the novena, but it was really special having all of you join in.  Wow!  So, even though Father thanks me in the email, know he is very grateful to all of you too.  I do have his permission to post it here.

Please continue to pray for Father and also for his good friends Porchai and Donald. Mahalo!

Dear Esther,

I have had so many people contact me with comments that they are joining your Novena that it has been overwhelming and I thank you. At Mass on Sunday night, I told Pornchai and our convert friend Donald about the Novena and they were both very grateful to you. So am I. It was a wonderful gesture, and I think it worked! Bill Donohue's comments on EWTN were evidence of its power, and yesterday there was a minor miracle. I was interviewed for 2 1/2 hrs. by an independent filmmaker doing a documentary on falsely accused priests. To my great shock, and his, the prison officials allowed him to bring in a camera crew. It was unheard of here, but it went very well. Charlene helped to orchestrate it, and she too had joined your Novena. She nagged me to grow some hair for the filming, but that was just impossible. I lost all my hair in prison, and now I look like Kojak.

With thanks and blessings,
Fr. Gordon

--
Sent on behalf of
These Stone Walls

Monday, August 29, 2011

Novena to Maria Bambina - begins 30th August


Picture source Holy Card Heaven

The following was shared by Madalena:

Dear Friends,

On the 8th of September we celebrate the birthday of our Blessed Mother the Virgin Mary, Queen of heaven and earth. It was because of her "Yes" that Jesus came into the world, 'the Word made flesh Who dwelt among us'.

In preparation for this great day, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary let us thank our Blessed Mother for the gift of Jesus to each one of us. Let us also thank her for keeping her Mantle of Blue around us always, as she leads us to her Son our Saviour. Most importantly, let us imitate her every virtue as she is the perfect model to follow, conceived without stain of sin.

Attached is the Novena to Maria Bambina (the Infant Virgin Mary) which begins on the 30th of August. Please make it a point to pray this novena with your families as you place them under the Mantle of our Blessed Mother.

O Mary conceived without original sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee!!!

God bless U,
Elaine


NOVENA TO MARIA BAMBINA

Holy Child Mary of the royal house of David, Queen of the angels, Mother of grace and love, I greet you with all my heart. Obtain for me the grace to love the Lord faithfully during all the days of my life. Obtain for me, too, a great devotion to you, who are the first creature of God's love.
Pray the "Hail Mary..."

O heavenly Child Mary, who like a pure dove was born immaculate and beautiful, true prodigy of the wisdom of God, my soul rejoices in you. Oh! Do help me to preserve the angelic virtue of purity at the cost of any sacrifice.
Pray the "Hail Mary..."

Hail, lovely and holy Child, spiritual garden of delight, where, on the day of the Incarnation, the tree of life was planted, assist me to avoid the poisonous fruit of vanity and pleasures of the world. Help me to engraft into my soul the thoughts, feelings, and virtues of your divine Son.
Pray the "Hail Mary..."

Hail, admirable Child Mary, Mystical Rose, closed garden, open only to the heavenly Spouse. O Lily of paradise, make me love the humble and hidden life; let the heavenly Spouse find the gate of my heart always open to the loving calls of His graces and inspiration.
Pray the "Hail Mary..."

Holy Child Mary, mystical dawn, happy gate of heaven, you are my trust and hope. O powerful advocate, from your little cradle stretch out your hand, support me on the path of life. Make me serve God with ardor and constancy until death and so reach an eternal crown.
Pray the "Hail Mary..."

Prayer
Blessed Child Mary, destined to be the Mother of God and our sovereign and loving Mother, by the heavenly graces you lavish upon us, mercifully listen to my humble supplications. In the needs which press upon me from every side and especially in my present tribulation, I place all my trust in you.

O holy Child, by the privileges granted to you alone and by the merits which you have acquired, be merciful to me this day. Show that the source of spiritual favours and the continuous benefits which you dispense are inexhaustible, because your power with the Heart of God is unlimited.

Deign through the immense profusion of graces with which the Most High has enriched you from the first moment of your Immaculate Conception, grant me, O Celestial Child, my petition, and I shall eternally praise the goodness of your Immaculate Heart. Amen.

Taking Up Our Real Crosses

There was a very good meditation in yesterday's Magnificat.  I think it is worth sharing.

"...Often it is much more difficult to recognize the cross Jesus intends for us personally than to accept it once we have recognized it.  We are inclined to think...that our crosses would not be so painful if we could immediately see them.  There lies the rub which usually disturbs those who have opted for a life of detachment.  Their temptation consists in imaging that they already know beforehand what their cross or time of testing will be.  Unfortunately, a cross one knows in advance, even if it is fairly heavy, is no longer the cross of Jesus.  Our real cross is always to some degree unanticipated and always seems to far surpass our strength.  As a rule, we would never have chosen it. Passionately to cling to a cross of our own choosing and perhaps unconsciously but equally passionately to reject the cross that Jesus intends for us is perhaps the heaviest and most discouraging cross. I t could keep us forever from taking up our real cross if Jesus did not at some time intervene.

For what is our cross other than Jesus himself? To accept this cross is to accept him. It is simultaneously 'to take u our cross' and to follow him. Undoubtedly, if we could know God's gift, if we could see and recognize it, we would not have an easier time of it.

- Father Andre Louf, O.C.S.O., Magnificat August 28, 2011