Saturday, July 7th 2018, is the first day for the Novena to our Lady of Mount Carmel.
If you would like to pray along, please go to the Carmelite Website HERE
Tag: Holy Mother
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Pondering: Vatican II (inside the church) not being the reason souls left the pews, but the temptation of the ‘sexual revolution” (on the outside), being the “apple” many “fell for” that lead souls astray and out of the pews. Therefore our Lord was already prepared to address the needs of a society of souls far off, and the Father meeting them on the road to welcome them back home.
If souls were “obedient” and in love with our Lord, there wouldn’t have been a mass exodus. It’s as if a fear of something other than of our Lord gripped the souls in the pews rather than “trust” and “obedience” to our Lord, which holds all souls in love.. Just as a temptation that “original sin” is a thing of the past grips souls today and holds them in that same lack of “obedience” to God.
BUT “patience obtains all things” and “all things work for the greater glory of God”.
Just pondering….
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Saturday July 4th, I will be dedicating to our Holy Mother Mary and first Saturday. I ask you to join me as we celebrate her, our Catholic Faith and TRUE Independence from our sinfulness. I have my flag out already. I will be bringing my children to Holy Mass after we all receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Just an idea I feel needs to be shared.
“In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph.” – Our Lady of Fatima
FREEDOM!
All praise, honor and glory to our Lord, Jesus Christ.
EDIT to add:
Its not a call to abandon hope, nor to hide inside this day, but to celebrate LIFE in Christ. To still enjoy our Lords creation. TO STILL live the life our Lord has given to us and to appreciate Holiness in the Light. Its not that we are NOT still sinners, but rather we know we are and we are TRYING with the grace of God to get back home to our Lord, in TRUE Love. Agape!
“Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!
Amen!”EDIT:
The original photo has been changed at the top of this post. WITHOUT KNOWING, I was flying my Vatican Flag upside down for many many WEEKS. I didn’t know it. Today, I fixed it. Keep in mind ANY flag flown upside down is a sign of “distress” and NOT disrespect. Pray for this nation and the ENTIRE Church.
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Mary, Mother of God my mother, Queen of Peace, ask your Son Jesus to
give me the gift of peace. Pray for me for peace; peace in my heart, peace
of mind and of soul, peace in my family, peace with all whom I meet, the
peace of Jesus.Jesus, my Lord and Savior, my Brother, King of Peace, I come to you
with Mary, Queen of Peace, to ask you humbly for a new outpouring of the
gift of peace. Pour out on me your Holy Spirit of Peace.
Give me peace, Jesus, peace within myself, peace in my family, peace in
my everyday life. Give peace to my nation, and to all nations, peace among
all peoples, peace in the world.Jesus, my mediator with the Father, take me to the Father to pray for
peace.Father, Father of Jesus, our Father, my Father, I come to you with your
Son Jesus. In Him and with Him and through Him I pray for peace.Amen
Taken from Mary Pages
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Becoming a priest or a man or woman religious is not primarily our own decision…. Rather it is the response to a call and to a call of love.
—Pope Francis, Address to Seminarians and Novices, July 6, 2013Gracious God,
You have called me to life
and gifted me in many ways.
Through Baptism You have sent me
to continue the mission of Jesus
by sharing my love with others.
Strengthen me to respond to
Your call each day.
Help me to become all You desire of me.
Inspire me to make a difference in
others’ lives.
Lead me to choose the way of life
You have planned for me.
Open the hearts of all to listen
to Your call.
Fill all with Your Holy Spirit that
we may have listening hearts and
the courage to respond to You.
Enkindle in my heart
and the hearts of others the desire
to make the world a better place
by serving as
Lay Minister, Sister, Priest,
Brother or Deacon.
Amen. -
Litany of Humility.
O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved…
From the desire of being extolled …
From the desire of being honored …
From the desire of being praised …
From the desire of being preferred to others…
From the desire of being consulted …
From the desire of being approved …
From the fear of being humiliated …
From the fear of being despised…
From the fear of suffering rebukes …
From the fear of being calumniated …
From the fear of being forgotten …
From the fear of being ridiculed …
From the fear of being wronged …
From the fear of being suspected …That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.That others may be esteemed more than I …
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease …
That others may be chosen and I set aside …
That others may be praised and I unnoticed …
That others may be preferred to me in everything…
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…Amen
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Call to prayer for the Church in China
Virgin Most Holy, Mother of the Incarnate Word and our Mother,
venerated in the Shrine of Sheshan under the title “Help of Christians”,
the entire Church in China looks to you with devout affection.
We come before you today to implore your protection.
Look upon the People of God and, with a mother’s care, guide them
along the paths of truth and love, so that they may always be
a leaven of harmonious coexistence among all citizens.
When you obediently said “yes” in the house of Nazareth,
you allowed God’s eternal Son to take flesh in your virginal womb
and thus to begin in history the work of our redemption.
You willingly and generously cooperated in that work,
allowing the sword of pain to pierce your soul,
until the supreme hour of the Cross, when you kept watch on Calvary,
standing beside your Son, who died that we might live.
From that moment, you became, in a new way,
the Mother of all those who receive your Son Jesus in faith
and choose to follow in his footsteps by taking up his Cross.
Mother of hope, in the darkness of Holy Saturday you journeyed
with unfailing trust towards the dawn of Easter.
Grant that your children may discern at all times,
even those that are darkest, the signs of God’s loving presence.
Our Lady of Sheshan, sustain all those in China,
who, amid their daily trials, continue to believe, to hope, to love.
May they never be afraid to speak of Jesus to the world,
and of the world to Jesus.
In the statue overlooking the Shrine you lift your Son on high,
offering him to the world with open arms in a gesture of love.
Help Catholics always to be credible witnesses to this love,
ever clinging to the rock of Peter on which the Church is built.
Mother of China and all Asia, pray for us, now and for ever. Amen!Text from page http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/22/pope_francis:_call_to_prayer_for_the_church_in_china/en1-694330
of the Vatican Radio website -
I recently started reading Saint Louis Marie de Montfort’s book, God Alone. Its funny really, because I have been putting it off for a while. I have been afraid to read it, because of my fear of my attention being taken away from our Lord and placed on our Holy Mother Mary. I’m not that far into the book, only a few pages really, and have to admit, I found it amazing that I share the same fear that our Holy Father, Blessed John Paul II had.
“the reading of the treatise of the True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin was a turning point in my life (at a time when he was secretly studying for the priesthood). Whereas I had initially been afraid lest devotion to Mary might detract from that due to Jesus instead of giving Him his rightful place, I realized, when reading the treatise of Grignion de Montfort, that such was not the case. Our interior relationship with the Mother of God is a result of our association with the mystery of Christ.” Blessed John Paul II
Funny really, as I am a member of the Legion of Mary and have spent the past year doing our Mothers work, be it in Nursing Homes or with the elderly, the dying and sick. Also, in the past few days, I have started the daily consecration to the Immaculate Hart of Mary. I have seen my devotion to her blossom and my understanding of her grow. I can’t help but protect her when she is put down by others who don’t know her and yet I fear her. This truly humble woman who totally gave up her life and will to God. I have pondered deeply Mama Mary’s devotion to her true Spouse, the Holy Spirit along with her devotion and love to her Son, our Lord in so many ways learning more and more about the humility she had and how it made way for God to entire fully into her life. Simply by saying yes, she shared in the divine plan of my redemption and the redemption of all mankind. I don’t know what I am doing or how I am doing it, in my faith, but there is a constant reminder that Mama Mary is the model for me to follow.
Yesterday, I was given a day to spend with my children and husband at the fair. It was a long day of carnival rides, eating good junk food but also, spent in deep solitude, in prayer. Although we spent the day at the fair as a family, my husband barely said any words to me. At times I feel as if I am an empty shell to him, and serve him no purpose to even be a part of this family. Every suggestion to do something, fell on deaf ears with little response from him. While standing in line with the girls for rides or shows, he would walk away and not even tell me to come with to wait with him for the girls to get off rides. I pondered deeply Mama Mary and what would she do? I didn’t argue. I didn’t lose my temper. I just said yes. Yes to being ignored, and my husband and children being placed first. The day that was set aside for the family, became the day of understanding for me, that my faith and hope will rest in God, no matter what tries to upset me. With this faith comes great suffering in this life but my hope is not in this world but rather in the next. Amazing reality is and quite ironic that the theme for the fair this year is “Out Of This World“. I have never in my life felt more out of this world. More out of communion with the world and IN communion with God.
When we arrived home last night, it was rather late and I laid down to say my prayers. I began to fall asleep while reciting the Rosary and someplace between sleep and wake, I heard a distinct woman’s voice call my name. Not just once, but twice. I had never heard this voice before and truly thought it was Mama Mary waking me up to finish my prayers. I awoke and finished to the sound of water rushing. For some reason, at 11:15 PM, our sprinklers turned on and refused to shut off. I can only hope it is the flood gate of grace that has broken wide open, that Mama Mary is now sharing with me.
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When I think of our Holy Mother Mary, setting out alone on the journey to her cousin Elizabeth’s house, to help her in her time of need, I am awe struck at the Blessed Virgins own humility. Elizabeth’s home is about eighty miles or four or five days travel. Not only was the trip long and treacherous, but she herself was expecting. Setting out on a journey to help Elizabeth deliver John the Baptist, she would need supply’s not only for the journey to her home, but also for the time spent with her blessed cousin.
As I am praying the Rosary, I often ponder the “Unseen Army of God” that accompanied her on her journey. What she ate and how she kept warm and how tiring the trip must have been for her seeing as she was carrying with her the most precious cargo known to man. She never worried on the trip as her own pregnancy kept her spirits high and she knew God was with her. For she had been told. “Hail Mary full of grace, the LORD is with thee”.
Upon arriving at Elizabeth’s, she was greeted with jubilation and the sentiment was returned! Even after a grueling four to five day trip on a pack animal, with no water for bathing, but what she had packed or what God had given her on the road for this trip. The trip back home, our Holy Mother was three months further along in her pregnancy with Our Lord and that trip was just as hard if not harder due to the uncomfortable situations. But she did it anyway! Through her humility we can see how she loved not only her cousin, but God and all of mankind.
Luke 1:39-56
Mary set out at that time and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’
And Mary said:
‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit exults in God my saviour;
because he has looked upon his lowly handmaid.
Yes, from this day forward all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty has done great things for me.
Holy is his name,
and his mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him.
He has shown the power of his arm,
he has routed the proud of heart.
He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away.
He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his mercy
– according to the promise he made to our ancestors –
of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back home.
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When I was very young, about the age of 3 or 4, I remember my mother had this holy card. I used to ask her all the time if it was her because the resemblance is stunning of my mother.My mother Violet, passed away on June 24, 2002. I became an orphan. My father had passed away in 1996 and it was the end of my family as I knew it. It wasn’t until recently, that I came to understand that our Holy Mother Mary has taken my hand and has become my mother now. Funny really, because she has always been there but I never knew it. It is through her guidance, that I can understand the meaning of motherhood. Motherhood is sacrifice of self for the love of others. Through the greatest gift of LIFE from God.
Happy Mothers Day.
I miss you mom 🙂 Thank you for everything! I love you!
My Mom on her 60’s birthday.
My mom when I was 3 years old… -
What is God’s will? I think the only what to answer this question would be to look at His spouse, our Holy Mother Mary. Once she accepted to do the will of God “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it to me according to your word.” not only was she giving in to God 100% but also giving up her life to sere Him. She no longer had Free Will, but God’s Will. Meaning, no matter what she did, it was pleasing to Him. Mary, is then, God’s will in the physical being. She was also “Full of Grace” meaning she was unable to offend God, because she was sinless.
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I am overwhelmed by the thought of our Holy Mother, not only at the foot of her Son’s cross, but knowing about the scourging taking place. Seeing Him carry that heavy cross. Knowing He was on the route to death, before the revelation of the Glory.
My God, did I do this to my son, simply by saying yes.
I assume she could not know of the events, even being asked beforehand by the Archangel Gabriel, until seconds after they were taking place. As she kept everything in her heart. I can only see the burden of her yes, resting so heavenly on her Immaculate heart, that it could only want to break.
Sister Lisa has a WONDERFUL post over at her blog, that should be read and pondered. Passion of Christ and Mary’s Role
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Imagine your a 14 year old girl. An angel appears and you agree to do something you don’t understand, because it was asked of you from God… Your entire life has been plotted out from that moment on. Day after day. Second after second, because you were told everything that was going to happen to you in advance. Although at times, you can not recall the events, until they are happening, or have passed. As it is happening, you can only keep your composure, and work through the pain and agonize, because it is for God’s glory. Thank you most Holy Mother Mary…for saying yes.
Now in the sixth month, the archangel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28Having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, you highly favored one! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women!” But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered what kind of salutation this might be. The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and will call his name ‘Jesus.’ He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. There will be no end to his Kingdom.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, seeing I am a virgin?” The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God. Behold, Elizabeth, your relative, also has conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For everything spoken by God is possible.” Mary said, “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it to me according to your word.” The angel departed from her.
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“Some people are so foolish that they think they can go through life without the help of the Blessed Mother. Love the Madonna and pray the rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today. All graces given by God pass through the Blessed Mother.”
-St. Padre Pio
The Rosary – So many ways to let my pondering go in beautiful directions that never cease…So many things to focus on…
After my mother passed away in 2002, I moved here to San Diego. When her estate (LOL at Estate- We were very lucky to have a roof over our heads and it was no estate) was settled, I received a package of some belongings that I had “Won” of hers in the family lottery for personal items. Funny really, I received not only her rosary that I got in a lot of trouble for playing with as a child, but also my grandmothers. Keep in mind, I have 7 other brother and sisters, whom they could have easily gone to.
I also received a medallion. Leather on one side with the photo to the right, on the other side, sewn together with ribbon. I often looked at it intently as a child. I knew it was our Holy Mother and Infant Savior, but I could never figure out who the second child was, until recently. But, that is a story for another time. If your wondering, it is Saint John The Baptist.Unfortunately, for a long time, praying the rosary for me, is a difficult task. Not because I don’t like it. I believe it is filled with so much beauty, wonder and spiritual bliss, but rather I find my concentration on our Lord and our Holy Mother difficult to keep during the prayer. I struggle constantly, with placing MY everyday life, with theirs, and seeing things from their perspective, in my life. I don’t try to do it, it just happens that way. I feel a deeper need to toss aside MY life events, and focus intently on what our Holy Family, must have endured. What I have learned to do, is have my bible in hand, reading the corresponding scripture, as I am praying. It tends to hold my attention better, then without.
I never prayed the rosary as a child. Actually, I believe I was taught how to pay it in Catholic grade school, but never prayed it at home or on my own. It wasn’t until last year that I started praying the rosary. With of course, my mother & grandmothers rosary’s. I have to say, it took me a while to learn it. LOL I also thought in the beginning if I didn’t pray it correctly, mixing up the Mysteries, or forgetting a Glory Be, it wouldn’t count. HA! What nonsense! Even in the times I was learning, so much in regards to our Lords passion became apparent to me. So much beauty of the LOVE and bond our Holy Mother had for her infant son and through His Life, Death and Resurrection. In between my failings to concentrate, I have shed many tears. For a long time, wailing out loud, tears streaming down my face was common, on Friday nights, during the Sorrowful Mysteries.
Every time I pray it, its as if a tiny glimpse of our Lords life, is revealed. Just a split second flash, that makes me feel as if I am there. There for the birth of our Lord. There in the garden before His death. There as the post He was tide to for scourging. There as the Roman guards are twisting the thorns together making the crown. I can see the robe they placed on Him and feel the pain in His back and chest as they place it on, sticking to the blood all over his body. Knowing any contact from even a breeze would be painful. I can see as the Romans ripped it off His body and thus pulling off more flesh, where His blood became coagulated and began to heal into the threads of the material. I can see Him covered in a mixture of dirt, blood and sand from falling, moving me to tears as Veronica wipes His face. Wishing I could do the same, just to bring Him that simple coolness, simple mercy from the cloth, while he burned in pain.
I could get carried away in this post. In the first week I started praying the Rosary, there was another glimpse of “Something” I visioned. Two faces of smoke. They were not happy faces. They were in agony. They were just gray, smoke, round faces. I could see them, like a smoke ring from a cigarette, close up at first but vanishing quickly into the darkness of the vision, holding their form but being overtaken in the dark. As if they were falling quickly, out of site and disappeared into it. They didn’t lose form or dissipate, they just went away. I never seen that again, in any vision since.
The best place to start to pray, I have found, is EWTN. Not only do they have the website to teach you, but also recite it ON TV throughout the day. Here is the link on HOW TO PRAY THE ROSARY. Learn it, pray it, ponder it 🙂
Peg Pondering Again 