Thursday, June 30, 2011

Anniversary of Dedication


On June 29, 2002, we dedicated our Cor Jesu Monastic Chapel.  While we did shed some tears as our former was razed, today it is hard to imagine not having such a wonderful space in which to sing the praises of God. 

The simple clean lines and lance windows lift heart, mind and soul up to God as we sing The Liturgy of the Hours placing upon our lips the psalms -- those prayers that Jesus himself prayed -- that take into account every human emotion:  praise, joy, sorrow, anger, fear, and so many more.

Join us in thanking God today for the gift of this wonderful place of prayer -- and it you find yourself in the Greensburg area, know that you are always welcome to stop in a pray...

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Novena to St. Peter and St. Paul




O holy apostles, Peter and Paul,
I choose you this day forever
to be my special patrons and advocates.
I choose you St. Peter, prince of the apostles,
because you are the rock upon which Jesus built his Church.
I choose you St. Paul,
because you are a vessel of election
and preacher of truth to the whole world.

Obtain for me, I pray, a lively faith, firm hope and burning love.
I ask you for patience in adversity and humility in prosperity.
Make me attentive in prayer, pure of heart and motives,
diligent in fulfilling the duties of my state of life
and content in my resolutions.
Help me to be docile to the will of God
and to persevere in the grace of God until death.

Through your intercession and glorious merits,
holy apostles,
may I be able to overcome the temptations of the devil.
Make me worthy to appear before the chief and eternal shepherd of souls,
Jesus Christ, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit
lives and reigns for endless ages,
so that I may enjoy his presence and love forever.
Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory to the Father
V. You shall make them princes over all the earth.
R. They shall be mindful of your name, O Lord.

Let us pray
O God, you raised up blessed Peter,
when he began to sink after walking on the water,
and three times delivered the apostle Paul
from the depths of the sea when he shipwrecked.
By the merits of St. Peter and St. Paul,
graciously hear us
and grant that we also may attain to everlasting glory.
You who live and reign, world without end.
Amen.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Time Is Not Measured



Time is not measured
by the years that you live
But by the deeds that you do
and the joy that you give.

And each day as it comes
brings a chance to each one
To love to the fullest,
leaving nothing undone.

That would brighten the life
or lighten the load
Of some weary traveler
lost on life's road.

So what does it matter
how long we may live
If as long as we live
we unselfishly give.
From Daily Stepping Stones
by Helen Steiner Rice

Monday, June 27, 2011

St. Cyril of Alexandria, June 27

 
That anyone could doubt the right of the holy Virgin to be called the Mother of God fills with astonishment.  Surely she must be the Mother of God if our Lord Jesus Christ is God, and she gave birth to him!  Our Lord's disciples may not have used those exact words, but they delivered to us the belief those words enshrine, and this has also been taught us by the holy fathers.
 
The divinely inspired Scriptures affirm that the Word of God was made flesh, that is to say, he was united to a human body endowed with a rational soul.  He undertook to help the descendants of Abraham, fashioning a body for himself from a woman and sharing our flesh and blood, to enable us to see in him not only God, but also, by reason of this union, a man like ourselves.
 
It is held, therefore, that there is in Emmanuel two entities, divinity and humanity.  Yet our Lord Jesus Christ is nonetheless one, the one true Son, both God and man; not a defied man on the same footing as those who share the divine nature by grace, but true God who for our sake appeared in human form.  We are assured of this by Saint Paul's declaration:  "When the fullness of time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law and to enable us to be adopted as sons.
 
-from a letter by Saint Cyril of Alexandria

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Lauda Sion

Here the new law’s new oblation, When the sacrament is broken,

By the new king’s revelation,
Ends the form of ancient rite:

Now the new the old effaces,
Truth away the shadow chases,
Light dispels the gloom of night.

What he did at supper seated,
Christ ordained to be repeated,
His memorial ne’er to cease:

And his rule for guidance taking,
Bread and wine we hallow, making
Thus our sacrifice of peace.

This the truth each Christian learns,
Bread into his flesh he turns,
To his precious blood the wine:

Sight has fail’d, nor thought conceives,
But a dauntless faith believes,
Resting on a pow’r divine.

Here beneath these signs are hidden
Priceless things to sense forbidden;
Sign, not things are all we see:

Blood is poured and flesh is broken,
Yet in either wondrous token
Christ entire we know to be.

Whoso of this food partakes,
Does not rend the Lord nor breaks;
Christ is whole to all that taste:

Thousands are, as one, receivers,
One, as thousands of believers,
Eats of him who cannot waste.

Bad and good the feast are sharing,
Of what divers dooms preparing,
Endless death, or endless life.

Life to these, to those damnation,
See how like participation
Is with unlike issues rife.

Doubt not, but believe ‘tis spoken,
That each sever’d outward token
Doth the very whole contain.

Nought the precious gift divides,
Breaking but the sign betides
Jesus still the same abides,
Still unbroken does remain.


Lo! the angel’s food is given
To the pilgrim who has striven;
See the children’s bread from heaven,
Which on dogs may not be spent.

Truth the ancient types fulfilling,
Isaac bound, a victim willing,
Paschal lamb, its lifeblood spilling,
Manna to the fathers sent.

Very bread, good shepherd, tend us,
Jesu, of your love befriend us,
You refresh us, you defend us,
Your eternal goodness send us
In the land of life to see.

You who all things can and know,
Who on earth such food bestow,
Grant us with your saints, though lowest,
Where the heav’nly feast you show,
Fellow heirs and guests to be.  Amen.  Alleluia.



Laud, O Zion, your salvation,
Laud with hymns of exultation,
Christ, your king and shepherd true:

Bring him all the praise you know,
He is more than you bestow.
Never can you reach his due.

Special theme for glad thanksgiving
Is the quick’ning and the living
Bread today before you set:

From his hands of old partaken,
As we know, by faith unshaken,
Where the Twelve at supper met.

Full and clear ring out your chanting,
Joy nor sweetest grace be wanting,
From your heart let praises burst:

For today the feast is holden,
When the institution olden
Of that supper was rehearsed.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Litany of the Precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ


Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy
Christ, have mercy
Christ, have mercy
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy

Christ, hear us
Christ, hear us
Christ, graciously 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

Blood of Christ, only-begotten Son of the eternal Father, save us
Blood of Christ, Incarnate Word or God, save us
Blood of Christ, of the New and Eternal Testament, save us
Blood of Christ, falling upon the earth in Agony, save us
Blood of Christ, shed profusely in the Scourging, save us
Blood of Christ, flowing forth in the Crowning with Thorns, save us
Blood of Christ, poured out on the Cross, save us
Blood of Christ, price of our salvation, save us
Blood of Christ, without which there is no forgiveness, save us
Blood of Christ, Eucharistic drink and refreshment of souls, save us
Blood of Christ, stream of mercy, save us
Blood of Christ, victor over demons, save us
Blood of Christ, courage of Martyrs, save us
Blood of Christ, strength of Confessors, save us
Blood of Christ, bringing forth Virgins, save us
Blood of Christ, help of those in peril, save us
Blood of Christ, relief of the burdened, save us
Blood of Christ, solace in sorrow, save us
Blood of Christ, hope of the penitent, save us
Blood of Christ, consolation of the dying, save us
Blood of Christ, peace and tenderness of hearts, save us
Blood of Christ, pledge of eternal life, save us
Blood of Christ, freeing souls from purgatory, save us
Blood of Christ, most worthy of all glory and honor, save us

Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord
Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world,
     graciously hear us, O Lord
Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world,
     have mercy on us, O Lord

V. Thou hast redeemed us, O Lord, in Thy Blood.
R. And made us, for our God, a kingdom.

Almighty and eternal God,
Thou hast appointed Thine only-begotten Son
the Redeemer of the world and willed to be appeased by his blood.
Grant, we beg of Thee,
that we may worthily adore this price of our salvation
and through its power
be safeguarded from the evils of the present life
so that we may rejoice in its fruits forever in heaven.
Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Prayer Before a Crucifix


O Jesus, so good and gentle,
see how I kneel
before your image on the cross
and beg of you most earnestly
that you would give me in my heart
the living imprint of faith, hope and charity
with true repentance for my sins
and a strong will to reform my life
according to your will.
As I ask you to grant me this
I have the image of your five wounds
before my eyes.
I think of those wounds
and reflect in my mind on their meaning
and I am deeply moved to grief and sympathy
for your great suffering;
I remember the words of the Psalmist
attributed to you:
They have torn holes
in my hands and my feet
and have numbered all my bones.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Just P.U.S.H.


A man was sleeping one night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light, and God appeared.  The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin.  The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might...  So, this man did, day after day.  For many years he toiled from sunup to sundown, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might!

Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain.  Since the man was showing discouragement, the Adversary (Satan) decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man's weary mind.  (He will do it every time!)

"You have been pushing against that rock for a long time and it hasn't moved."  Thus, he gave the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure.  These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man.

Satan said, "Why kill yourself over this?  Just put in your time, giving just the minimum effort, and that will be good enough."

That's what the weary man planned to do, but he decided to make it a matter of prayer and to take his troubled thoughts to the Lord.

"Lord," he said," I have labored long and hard in Your Service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked.  Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter.  What is wrong?  Why am I failing?

The Lord responded compassionately, "My child, when I asked you to serve Me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength, which you have done.  Never once did I mentioned to you that I expected you to move it.  Your task was to push.  And now you come to Me with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed!

But, is that really so?  Look at yourself.  Your arms are strong and muscled, your back shiny and brown; your hands are callused from constant pressure, your legs have become massive and hard!

Through opposition you have grown much, and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have.  True, you haven't moved the rock.  But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom.  That you have done.  "Now I, my child, will move the rock."

At times, when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He wants, when actually what God wants is just simple obedience and faith in Him.

By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains, but know that it is still God Who moves the mountains.

When everything seems to go wrong.....Just P.U.S.H.
When the job gets you down.....Just P.U.S.H.
When people don't do as you think they should.....Just P.U.S.H.
When your money is "gone" and bills are due.....Just P.U.S.H.
When people just don't understand you.....Just P.U.S.H.

P = Pray
U = Until
S = Something
H = Happens

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Thoughts from St. Thomas More


"If I am distracted, Holy Communion helps me to become recollected.  If opportunities are offered by each day to offend my God, I arm myself anew each day for the combat by the reception of the Eucharist.  If I am in special need of light and prudence in order to discharge my burdensome duties, I draw nigh to my Saviour and seek counsel and light from him." "What does it avail to know that there is a God, which you not only believe by Faith, but also know by reason:  what does it avail that you know Him if you think little of Him?"


"Nothing can come except what God wills.  And I make me very sure that whatsoever that be, even if nothing has ever appeared so bad, it shall indeed be the best...  I never intend, God being my good Lord, to pin my soul to another man's back, not even the best man that I know this day living; for I know not where he may hap to carry it."

"I die the king's good servant, and God's first."

 

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Spirituality from Below


St. Benedict describes this spirituality from below in the chapter of his Rule on humilitas.  He takes Jacob's ladder (Genesis 28) as an image for our way to God.  The paradox of our spiritual path consists in the fact that we ascend to God by descending into our own reality.  That is how Benedict understands Jesus' saying, "He who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 14:11, 18:14).

By descending into our earth-boundedness (humility is derived from humus, or soil) we come into contact with heaven, with God.  When we find the courage to climb down into our own passions, they lead us up to God.  This sort of humility was prized by the monastic fathers becasue it is the lower path to God, the path that leads through one's own reality to the true God.  The heaven-stormers encounter only their own images of God, their own projections...

We have to plunge through sin into our deepest foundation.  Then we'll be able to climb up to God from all the way down.  The ascent to God corresponds to a primordial longing of humanity.  Plato's philosophy revolves precisely around this human ascent to God in the spirit...

Only the humble, who are prepared to accept their humus, their earth-bound condition, their humanity, their shadow, will experience the real God.  Thus we keep hearing the monks praise humility.  Humility is the path to God, and it is the clearest sign that we have gotten in line with God.

from Heaven Begins Within You, Wisdom from the Desert Fathers
by Anselm Gruen

Monday, June 20, 2011

Finding a Way to Humility

A first approach to understanding humility is to see it as that total self-acceptance typical of untarnished humanity.  Those who are humble experience no shame.  They do not need lies and evasions to inflate their importance in the eyes of their associates, or to buttress their self-esteem.  They have overcome the tendency to regard others as competitors or rivals, and so they work with whatever they have, and waste no time envying those who possess different qualities.  The humble are equally content with both the gifts and the limitations that come from their nature or their personal history.  Humility brings with it a fundamental happiness that is able to cope with external difficulties and sorrows. 

From A Guide to Living in the Truth,
St. Benedict's Teaching on Humility
by Michael Casey

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Lectio Helps - Faithfulness


One more essential ingredient for the true experience of lectio is a disposition of faithfulness to the practice...  To attain a total open listening for the Divine we need to dip again and again into the divine reading of lectio divina

For our lectio to reach its full receptivity is a thing of love.  It is the sensitivity of lovers that enables us to intuit more fully what he Divine Lover is seeking to convey to us through his Words of Love.  Again, so obviously, we are here in a wondrous spiral.  The more our love receives the intuitions of love, the more we get to know the Lover through our lectio, the more we love.  This is why fidelity to lectio makes it ever more delightful -- a lover exploring ever more intimately the Beloved.  And we not only get to know the love and the Lover more, we get to know ourselves more as we come to see ourselves, as it were, in the eyes of the Beloved.

As powerful as all this is, there is still another whole dimension that takes us far beyond this place, infinitely so.  This is the action of the Holy Spirit through the gifts.  As our spirit enters into a unity of spirit with the Divine Spirit of Love, we are brought into that experience of God that no eye has seen, no ear has heard -- an experience that has not even entered into the loftiest concept of the human mind.  Ultimately this word lectio describes a communication of love -- a contemplative experience.

This is certainly much more than "reading."  It is lectio divina -- divine reading:  reading the way the Father "reads" the Word within the embrace that is Holy Spirit.

From Lectio Divina, Renewing the Ancient Practice of Praying the Scriptures
by M. Basis Pennington

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Lectio Helps - Openness


While an insensitivity to this need will make it difficult for us to be faithful in our regular practice of lectio, one of the things that can most undermine our actual practice of lectio is a subtle or not-so-subtle boredom that seems to say:  "I've heard all this before."  It is precisely the alert listening for a Real Presence -- our openness to all that is possible in this moment -- that forestalls this.  I am not simply reading a book I have read so often before.  I am meeting a Person, a Divine Person, the God who loves me and who has a wondrous plan for me.

Our familiarity does tend to take away the shock that the Bible, especially the Hebrew Bible, should be for Christians.  Coming to know the God and Father of infinite love and compassion, patience, and mercy, the Prodigal Father revealed by Jesus Christ, the revelation of God that we find in the early unfolding of salvation history is certainly not what we would expect.  At least not at first thought.  It takes a bit of insight to see the God of Love lovingly adapting himself to a very primitive people, meeting them where they are and leading them to take the next small step in faith and trust that can lead to the high moments of friendship and love that do constantly break through.  One of the lessons for us to learn here is this way of Divine Love.  God made us.  We know the greatest thing he has given us is our freedom, because herein lies our power to love, the source of our merit and our potential to enter into the communion of Divine Life.  He does not want to overwhelm or impair this freedom.  So he gently leads us, bit by bit, into the intuitions of Divine Love.  No matter what the words are that we read as communications of his love, or how many times we have encountered them before, there is an opportunity for the love to expand and at the same time fill our listening for the Divine each and every time we meet our God of love in our lectio.

From Lectio Divina, Renewing the Ancient Practice of Praying the Scriptures
by M. Basil Pennington

Friday, June 17, 2011

Lectio Helps - Humility


An important disposition for the operation of living faith within us is humility, the full acceptance of reality.  And the reality is that we very much need and want the divine communication.  Humility is the acceptance of our profound ignorance with regard to God as well as to so many other things.  We know what we know, and it is not very much.  We know what we do not know, and that is a lot more.  And we accept the fact that beyond this there is an infinity that we do not even know we do not know.  We know that our mind and our heart, our feeling and emotions, our body and our soul are all a listening, given to us by God, and that this listening can only be filled by the Giver.  We come to our listening hungry and thirsty, filled with longing and need.  And God who is mighty does great things for us.  He fills the hungry with good things.

From Lectio Divina, Renewing the Ancient Practice of Praying the Scriptures
by M. Basil Pennington

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Lectio Helps - Faith


First and foremost is the disposition of faith, a firm belief that the Word of God is the Word of God.  For the full and effective reception of the communication, we believe not only that the Word who is God speaks to us through this inspired Word, but that the Word is truly present in his inspired Word and present to us as he communicates with us through the Word.

Faith enables us to find and hear the Word, one with the Father and the Spirit, in his Word.  But as St. Paul told us, faith comes through hearing.  Even as we faithfully hear the Word, the Word renews and strengthens our fiath.  This is brought about not just by hearing again of the words and deeds of God in salvation history and in the Person of Jesus and in the witness of those who saw and believed.  At the deeper level, this actual experience of the Word brings us to that point where we can say with Paul:  "I know in whom I believe."

From Lectio Divina, Renewing the Ancient Practice of Praying the Scriptures
by M. Basil Pennington

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Lectio Divina


Lectio divina or sacred reading is an ancient form of praying with sacred scripture.  Although many believe it to be a practice reserved for monks and nuns in monasteries, lectio divina is in fact a treasure for all seeking a deeper relationship with God.  

In September, 2005 our current Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI stated:  "I would like in particular to recall and recommend the ancient tradition of lectio divina:  the diligent reading of Sacred Scripture accompanied by prayer brings about that intimate dialogue in which the person reading hears God who is speaking, and in praying, responds to him with trusting openness of heart (cf. Dei Verbum, n. 25).  If it is effectively promoted, this practice will bring to the Church -- I am convinced of it -- a new spiritual springtime."

When beginning lectio divina, it is important to find a place that is somewhat quiet and allow yourself time, at least 20 minutes.  Place yourself in a comfortable position – but not one that will lend to restful slumber – and take a few moments to quiet you mind and enter into silence. 

The first step is called lectio or slowly and prayerfully reading a small section of Scripture, savoring the text and turning the words over in your mind, attentive for a word or phrase that may speak powerfully to you. 

This is followed by meditatio or ruminating on the word or phrase that had spoken powerfully to you.  Allow this inner pondering to invite you into dialog with God.

Then speak to God (oratio) using words or ideas or images.  Interact with Him as one who loves, cherishes and accepts you.  Share with Him what you have discovered in your heart.

Finally, simply rest in God’s embrace (contemplatio).  As your conversation with God dies away, simply rest in His loving presence. 

To read more about the practice of lectio divina, refer to Father Luke Dysinger, OSB’s article, Accepting the Embrace of God:  The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Prayer of Self Offering to God



My Lord and my God,
remove far from me
whatever keeps me from You.
My Lord and my God,
confer upon me
whatever enables me to reach You.
My Lord and my God,
free me from self
and make me wholly Yours.

- St.Nicholas of Flue (1447-1487)

Monday, June 13, 2011

Belief


For I do not seek to understand that I may believe,
but I believe in order to understand.
For this I believe --
that unless I believe,
I should not understand.

- St. Anselm

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Litany to the Holy Spirit

 
 
(For private use only.)
Lord, have mercy on us, Christ have mercy on us.Lord, have mercy on us.
Father all powerful, Have mercy on us.

Jesus, Eternal Son of the Father, Redeemer of the world, Save us.
Spirit of the Father and the Son, boundless Life of both, Sanctify us.
Holy Trinity, Hear us.

Holy Spirit, Who proceedest from the Father and the Son, Enter our hearts. Holy Spirit, Who art equal to the Father and the Son, Enter our hearts.

Promise of God the Father, Have mercy on us.
Ray of heavenly light, Have mercy on us.
Author of all good, Have mercy on us.Source of heavenly water, Have mercy on us.Consuming Fire, Have mercy on us.Ardent Charity, Have mercy on us.Spiritual Unction, Have mercy on us.Spirit of love and truth, Have mercy on us.Spirit of wisdom and understanding, Have mercy on us.Spirit of counsel and fortitude, Have mercy on us.Spirit of knowledge and piety, Have mercy on us.Spirit of the fear of the Lord, Have mercy on us.Spirit of grace and prayer, Have mercy on us.Spirit of peace and meekness, Have mercy on us.Spirit of modesty and innocence, Have mercy on us.Holy Spirit, the Comforter, Have mercy on us.Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, Have mercy on us.Holy Spirit, Who governest the Church, Have mercy on us.Gift of God the Most High, Have mercy on us.Spirit Who fillest the universe, Have mercy on us.Spirit of the adoption of the children of God, Have mercy on us.

Holy Spirit, Inspire us with horror of sin.
Holy Spirit, Come and renew the face of the earth.
Holy Spirit, Shed Thy Light into our souls.
Holy Spirit, Engrave Thy law in our hearts. Holy Spirit, Inflame us with the flame of Thy love.
Holy Spirit, Open to us the treasures of Thy graces. Holy Spirit, Teach us to pray well. Holy Spirit, Enlighten us with Thy heavenly inspirations.
Holy Spirit, Lead us in the way of salvation. Holy Spirit, Grant us the only necessary knowledge.
Holy Spirit, Inspire in us the practice of good. Holy Spirit, Grant us the merits of all virtues. Holy Spirit, Make us persevere in justice. Holy Spirit, Be our everlasting reward.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
     Send us Thy Holy Spirit.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
     Pour down into our souls the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
     Grant us the Spirit of wisdom and piety.
Come, Holy Spirit! Fill the hearts of Thy faithful,
     And enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.

Let Us Pray
Grant, O merciful Father,
that Thy Divine Spirit may enlighten, inflame and purify us,
that He may penetrate us with His heavenly dew
and make us fruitful in good works,
through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son,
Who with Thee, in the unity of the same Spirit,
liveth and reigneth forever and ever.
Amen.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Veni Sancte Spiritus

Meditating on the sequence from tomorrow's Mass is a wonderful way to prepare for the Feast of Pentecost.  We pray that you find it as fruitful for your prayer as we do...


Come, Holy Spirit,
send forth the heavenly
radiance of your light.

Come, father of the poor,
come giver of gifts,
come, light of the heart.

Greatest comforter,
sweet guest of the soul,
sweet consolation.
In labor, rest,
in heat, temperance,
in tears, solace.

O most blessed light,
fill the inmost heart
of your faithful.
Without your divine will,
there is nothing in man,
nothing is harmless.

Wash that which is unclean,
water that which is dry,
heal that which is wounded.
Bend that which is inflexible,
warm that which is chilled,
make right that which is wrong.

Give to your faithful,
who rely on you,
the sevenfold gifts.
Give reward to virtue,
give salvation at our passing on,
give eternal joy.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Novena to the Holy Spirit, Day 9


Come, Holy Spirit,
and grant me the gift of longsuffering,
so that I may have extraordinary patience
under provocation or trial,
as well as forbearance so that I may exercise restraint
in expressing my feelings or in demanding punishment or my due.
May I be toleratant, moved by love and the desire for peace,
when something painful deserves to be rejected or opposed.
Give me a spirit of mildness
so that I may be gentle in disposition and behavior.
Perfect my love so that I may temper justice
by avoiding any unnecessary action
that might provoke anger or resentment.
Strengthen my faith,
so that I may truly believe in God
and believe all that He has said and revealed
so that I may commit myself entirely to God
and to know his will.
Grant me the virtue of modesty
in all my internal and external movements and appearances.
May I exercise humility so that it curbs
any inordinate desire I may have for personal excellence
and incline me to recognize my own worth in its true light.
May I exercise studiousness so as to moderate
my desire and pursuit of truth
in accordance with faith and right reason.
May I have the spirit of continence
so that I may control the unruly movements of sexual desire
or other bodily emotions.
And finally, grant me the virtue of chastity,
so that I may moderate my desire for sexual pleasure
according to the principles of faith and right reason,
and exercise restraint and an avoidance
of anything that might defile or make my soul unclean.

Come, Holy Spirit
Come!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Novena to the Holy Spirit, Day 8


Come, Holy Spirit,
and grant me a tremendous outpouring of charity
so that I may truly love God for his own sake
and my neighbor as myself.
Fill me with your joy
so that I may delight in God's presence,
appreciate the beauty of all God's creations
and to have the sparkle of enthusiastic zeal in my life.
Fill my soul with your peace so that I may believe and trust God.
May I be at peace my fellow man
by not allowing strife to be a part of my relationships with other people,
and may I maintain peace with myself
by refusing to live in guilt or condemnation
and recognize that God is greater than all of my sins.
Grant me an abundance of patience

so that I may endure hardship caused by another person
in conformity with God’s will,
without sadness or resentment.
Grant me the virtue of kindness,
so that I may have an
understanding sympathy
and concern for persons in need.Come, Holy Spirit, come!
May it be expressed in affable speech, generous conduct,
and forgiveness for injuries sustained.
Pour out in me a generous spirit of goodness
so that I may be generous to give to another what is not deserved
and be open-hearted and open-handed with those whom I encounter.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Novena to the Holy Spirit, Day 7

Come, Spirit of Fear


Come, Holy Spirit,
give me the grace to trust in God's will
and to anchor my life on Him.
When my earthly journey comes to an end,
may I be joined with God forever in Heaven.
Perfect in me the virtue of temperance,
so that I use all things wisely and in moderation,
not to the excess, especially those sensible pleasures.
Help me to be aware and respect the sanctity of God
and to give glory to Him always by my actions and desires.
Come, Holy Spirit, come!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Novena to the Holy Spirit, Day 6

Come, Spirit of Piety

Come, Holy Spirit,
and help me see and worship God
as my loving Father
and to relate to all those I encounter as
his beloved children.
Work through me so that I may fulfill
the great commandment of Love of God
as well as the commandment
to love my neighbor as myself.
Come, Holy Spirit, come!

Monday, June 6, 2011

Novena to the Holy Spirit, Day 5

Come, Spirit of Knowledge


Come, Holy Spirit,
and help me to judge rightly the truths of faith.
Guide my intellect to make correct judgments
regarding earthly things
and how they are related to eternal life and Christian perfection.
Help me to realize the emptiness of created things
so that they do not become roadblocks my to union with God
yet help me to see through beauty of created things,
the Maker who created them
Give me a deep sense of faith so that
I may see the state of my soul,
experience detachment from material things,
and experience a sincere repentance
for the misuse of material things
or for when I have allowed them
to become obstacles to my union with God.
Come, Holy Spirit, come!

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Novena to the Holy Spirit, Day 4

Come, Spirit of Fortitude


Come, Holy Spirit,
grant me a dauntless spirit of resolution,
firmness of mind,
and an indomitable will
so that I may persevere with a quiet faith in God’s providence
so as to overcome all obstacles.
Grant me the courage to persist in the practice of virtue
despite trials, illness, persecution or external failure.
May I become fervent in God’s service,
and by your gift of fortitude
sustain me as I walk toward the Cross
Come, Holy Spirit, come!

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Novena to the Holy Spirit, Day 3

Come, Spirit of Counsel


Come, Holy Spirit,
perfect in me the virtue of prudence
so that I may have knowledge
of things to be done or avoided.
Assist me to judge
my words and actions promptly and rightly,
especially in difficult situations.
Speak to my heart,
and tell me what to do.
Come, Holy Spirit, come!

Friday, June 3, 2011

Novena to the Holy Spirit, Day 2

Come, Spirit of Understanding



Come, Holy Spirit,
give me a deeper insight and penetration
of divine truths held by faith.
Illumine my mind to truth
so that I may grasp truths of faith easily and intimately,
and so penetrate the depths of those truths.
Open my mind to the meaning of the Word,
reveal the hand of God working in my life
and bring the virtue of faith to perfection in my life.

Come, Holy Spirit, come!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Novena to the Holy Spirit, Day 1

Come, Spirit of Wisdom


Come, Holy Spirit,
fill me with the gift of your Wisdom.
Grant me the knowledge
to understand the differences
between right and wrong
and to act justly
as a result of this understanding.

Come, Holy Spirit,
Come!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Lord Grant Me an Intellect Enlighted by Faith


I often ask the Lord Jesus for an intellect enlightened by faith.  I express this to the Lord in these words:  "Jesus, give me an intellect, a great intellect, for this only, that I may understand You better; because the better I get to know You, the more ardently will I love You.  Jesus, I ask You for a powerful intellect, that I may understand divine and lofty matters.  Jesus, give me a keen intellect with which I will get to know Your Divine Essence and Your indwelling, Triune life.  Give my intellect these capacities and aptitudes by means of Your special grace.  Although I know that there is a capability through grace which the Church gives me, there is still a treasure of graces which You give us, O Lord, when we ask You for them..."
Diary, Divine Mercy in My Soul
by St. M. Faustina Kowalska
Notebook V, No. 1474

Pope Benedict XVI's Intentions for June

Photo:  Pressestelle Erzbischöfliches Ordinariat MĂĽnchen

June's Intentions:

Priests:  That priests, united tothe Heart of Christ, may always be true witnesses to the caringand merciful love of God.

Missionary Vocations:  That the Holy Spirit may bring forth from our communities many missionaries who are ready to be fully consecrated to sprading the Kingdom of God.

For more information about the Apostlship of Prayer, visit:  http://www.apostleshipofprayer.org/.