His Mercy Shall Not Depart From Thee

      Life's piercing storms cry out for attention, especially at times of personal vulnerability. We are free to rest in the comfort of quiet solitude with Jesus.  Assured of  the intercession of Mary, we never need fear abandonment.  Misfortune may come our way, but Our Lady is always true to her promise, that those who pray the Rosary faithfully shall not be overcome.

"For the mountains shall be moved 

and the hills shall tremble, 

but my mercy shall not depart from thee..."

From Isaiah 54

Douay Rheims Roman Catholic Bible

Prayer of Saint Bonaventure~Meditation III

"May my soul ever compass Thee, seek Thee, find thee, run to Thee

attain Thee, meditate upon Thee, speak of Thee,

and do all things to the praise and glory of Thy Name,

with humility and discretion, with love and delight, 

with ease and affection 

and with perserverence unto the end.
May Thou alone be ever my hope, my entire assurance!

 Jesus~my riches my delight my pleasure my joy

Jesus~my rest and tranquility

Jesus~my peace my sweetness

Jesus~my fragrance my sweet savor

Jesus~my food my refreshment

Jesus~my refuge my help

Jesus~my wisdom my portion

Jesus~my posession, my treasure

Jesus~in Whom my mind and my heart may ever be fixed

and firmly rooted immovably henceforth and forever."
Amen.

 Saint Bonaventure said, 

"He who wishes to go on advancing 

from virtue to virtue, from grace to grace, 

should constantly meditate upon 
the passion of Jesus Christ."

Prayer of Saint Bonaventure ~Meditation II

"...Let my heart ever hunger after Thee,

upon Whom the angels desire to Look.

And my my inmost soul be filled

with the sweetness of Thy savor.

May my soul ever thirst after Thee, the fountain of life,

the fountain of wisdom and knowledge,

the fountain of eternal light, the torrent of pleasure,
the richness of the house of our Blessed Lord."

 
 Saint Bonaventure said, 

"He who wishes to go on advancing 

from virtue to virtue, from grace to grace, 

should constantly meditate upon 
the passion of Jesus Christ."

Prayer of Saint Bonaventure~Meditation I

"Pierce O most sweet Lord Jesus, my inmost soul

with the most joyous and healthful wound of Thy love,

with true, serene, and most holy apostolic charity,

that my soul may ever languish and melt with love and longing for Thee,

that my soul may ever long for Thee and faint for Thy courts,

and long to be dissolved and to be with Thee.

(St. Kateri Shrine, NY)

Grant that my soul may ever hunger after Thee, the Bread of Angels,

the refreshment of holy souls, our daily and Supersubstantial Bread,

having all sweetness and savor and every delight of taste..."

Saint Bonaventure said, 
"He who wishes to go on advancing 

from virtue to virtue, from grace to grace, 

should constantly meditate upon 
the passion of Jesus Christ."

O give thanks

O give thanks to the Lord

For He is good

His mercy endureth

Forever and ever.

Daniel 3:89

Douay Rheims Roman Catholic Bible

Morning Prayers of Jesus

"And rising very early
He went into a desert place
and there He prayed."

Mark 1:35
Douay Rheims Roman Catholic Bible

Imitating God's Love

     Our Heavenly Father's love for us infinitely surpasses any human comprehension. As parents, loving our children is and always will be our unifying priority. Our children are a singular Divine gift. In this role, we are blessed with the sublime obligation to imitate His love for us.

     Awaiting the results of our daughter's medical procedure zapped everything into perspective. The monumental significance of our being with her, united, and peacefully caring for her, undeniably radiated from her countenance. Our God given responsibility to love and protect our children can only be measured in Heavenly terms. Whatever pursuits have captured our attention during this life's journey, we are first and foremost our children's parents. This will never change. 

         God's love letter to us commands us to forgive, love and pray for one another. We are assured by our Almighty Father of the power of intercessory prayer and angelic protection. As Christians, we firmly believe in the eternity of our souls. 

       As events unfolded, beloved and "mommy"  prayer warriors were contacted. Holy men and women of God, deceased family members included, were implored for their intercession. 

        Atheists and nay sayers be cautioned: the supernatural presence of Jesus, Mary and all the angels and saints was intensely tangible throughout this familial crisis. At each moment, no minute detail was untouched by the indefatigable direction of the Holy Spirit as he supernaturally orchestrated every thought, word and action. Catastrophic imaginings and hours of waiting mystically dissolved into gentle seas of grace filled, trusting, gratitude, as hearts were lifted up in tranquil, obedient worship and prayer. Blessed be the Holy Name of Jesus forever!

Wood carving of Saint Kateri, 

Saint Anne Shrine, VT

      I recently met an amazingly holy woman. She told me that she was so grateful to God that her children's needs continually drew her heart more intimately into the Sacred Heart of Jesus through adoration and prayer. 

May our most ardent prayer be 

to peacefully and entirely accept and conform ourselves 

to the Will of our Almighty God. 

May all that Our Father sends us, draw our souls safely 

into His eternal embrace! 

The outcome of all spiritual tests belongs to God. 

God is love.

"multiple choice test"

Accepting God's Will

May I resist the inclination

To present Him with

A "multiple choice test"

Of my own feeble design

It is He who tests me

When unbearable trials

And frightening helplessness

Engulf my tranquility

Flooding my eyes with tears

The question is raised

"Will you pick up your cross?"
Holy Spirit please give me the courage,

Jesus please strengthen me 
To Imitate Our Blessed Mother
Responding in the way 
Most pleasing to God
May my only answer be

"Yes"

Multiplication

A multiplication of graces is a gift from Jesus 

whenever we trust in Him.

"Then Jesus said, Make the men sit down". Now there was much grass in the place. The men therefore sat down in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves and when He had given thanks, He distributed to them that were set down. In like manner also of the fishes, as much as they would. And when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain lest they be lost." They gathered up therefore and filled twelve baskets wit the fragments of the five barley loaves which remained over and above to them that had eaten.

The Gospel of John 6:10-13

Douay Rheims Roman Catholic Bible

Fifteen Promises of the Rosary~The Seventh Promise

     The Seventh promise of the Rosary is that those who are faithful to this devotional prayer shall not die without the Sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church. There is nothing material that we can bring with us as we depart from this existence and pass into the afterlife. We can only carry into the eternity that which resides within our hearts. Love is of greater value than all of the wealth and fame attained during the years of our mortal days. The ubiquitous temptation, despair, is most perilous at death, amid our deepest  physical and emotional vulnerability.

      A secure relationship with Jesus, as experienced through a lifetime of devotion to Him, combined with frequent reception of the Holy Sacraments, will, without fail, lead us back to Him. The Sacraments are "outward signs instituted by Christ to give grace."  Our Hearts are made increasingly receptive to the Holy Spirit's direction by ardent devotion to praying the Rosary. Mary teaches us how to love Jesus and experience His love for us. Our desire to receive the gifts of His Sacraments is vastly augmented by daily reverent oration of the Holy Rosary. There is nothing of greater value with which to leave this temporal life than a heart filled with the love and graces of Jesus.

their first courageous step

 For all the saints, 

their first courageous step 

was to daily and continually 

turn away from all things worldly 

in favor of Jesus Christ.

In this way

every thought word and action,

every intention, success and failure,

every labor and sacrifice

was miraculously transformed into

a sweet step to climb 

into the loving arms of Jesus

for all eternity.

Mother's Lessons

Our Blessed Mother

 Earnestly cradled

Within her young heart

 God's love and promises

Mother's lessons

Inspired by the Holy Spirit 

Sculpted Mary's life~and ours

To Jesus through Mary!

 Painting of Saint Anne and the Blessed Virgin Mary, 
Saint Anne Shrine, Isle La Motte, VT

Eucharistic Procession

     Our Parish Priest has re established the tradition of a yearly Eucharistic Procession on the Solemnity of the feast of Corpus Christi.I especially remember a procession which took place a few years ago.

     Carrying the Blessed Sacrament in a Monstrance, Father was accompanied by a small group of parishioners and a faithful altar server bearing holy incense. We walked through our town, praying the  Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary, reading Scripture passages and singing hymns. At the edge of town, we crossed a bridge where we greeted some people fishing on this warm resplendent afternoon. 

     A couple passing through town got out of their truck and reverently genuflected while making the sign of the Cross.

     At the conclusion of our procession, before we convened inside the Church for Benediction, a Knight of Columbus graced us with beautiful bagpipe music.

Prayer Before a Crucifix:

"Behold, o good and most sweet Jesus, 

I fall upon my knees before Thee 

and with most fervent desire beg and beseech Thee 

that Thou would impress upon my heart 

a lively sense of faith, hope and charity, 

true repentance for my sins, 

and a firm resolve to make amends. 

And with deep affection and grief, 

I reflect upon Thy five wounds, 

having before my eyes 

that which Thy prophet David spoke about Thee, 

Oh good Jesus. 

"They have pierced my hands and feet, 

they have counted all my bones." 

AMEN

Communion Prayer

My Lord Jesus Christ, 

I firmly believe that I am about to receive, in Communion,

Your Body, Your Blood, Your Soul and Your Divinity.

I believe it because You have said it

and I am ready to give my life to maintain this truth. 

Amen

Catholic, Even If...

     It is interesting to me that I am "not understood" when I explain why I am Catholic.  A revert to the faith, I was brought back into the Church through the powerful intercession of Our Lady.

  So close to me during my sojourn away from Catholicism, she gracefully brought me back to the Blessed Sacrament, the Holy Eucharist. I am not following Christ for social acceptance. I am Catholic because my soul is drawn to the True Presence of Christ. The road is narrow.  Jesus said:    
     "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give, is my flesh, for the life of the world."
     "Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say unto you. Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you.  He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed: and my blood is drink indeed.  He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth in me, and I in him.  As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father; so he that eateth me, the same also shall live by me.  This is the bread that came down from heaven. Not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead. He that eateth this bread, shall live for ever."

      Many therefore of his disciples, hearing it, said, "This saying is hard, and who can hear it?" But Jesus, knowing in himself, that his disciples murmured at this, said to them: "Doth this scandalize you?  If then you shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I have spoken to you, are spirit and life. But there are some of you that believe not." For Jesus knew from the beginning, who they were that did not believe, and who he was, that would betray him.

     And He said: "Therefore did I say to you, that no man can come to me, unless it be given him by my Father." After this many of his disciples went back; and walked no more with him. Then Jesus said to the twelve: Will you also go away?  And Simon Peter answered him: Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we have believed and have known, that thou art the Christ, the Son of God."From the Gospel of John Chapter 6.

  

     So, even if "everybody else" walks away, I prefer to follow the example of our courageous Parish Priest who is never afraid to proclaim the truth of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.

Prayers and Love

     A dear friend, who has been a Religious Sister since early in her life, shared with us her experience of prayer. She said that her prayers cause her to fall in love with Jesus over and over again. She explained that during her busy days, each time she chooses to take a moment to pray, she is drawn more closely into her loving union with Christ.

     Her countenance was graced with a joyful, golden, peaceful beauty as she described her life of prayer and love!

A Very Special Novena

A very special Novena

St. Therese's life of humble sacrifice

her devotion to Jesus

her passion for His Mission 

 gentle reminders

of her prayerful intercession

Saint of "the little way"

at all times

I will bless the Lord at all times

His praise shall be always in my mouth
In the Lord shall my soul be praised  

Let the meek hear and rejoice

O magnify the Lord with me

And let us extol His name forever.

I sought the Lord and He heard me

He deliered me from al my troubles. 

(The words of King David)

Douay-Reims  Roman Catholic Bible 

Psalm 33(34):2-5

About Wisdom...

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

 and the knowledge of the holy is prudence."

Proverbs 9:10

Douay Rheims Roman Catholic Bible

      "And all such things are hid and not forseen, I have learned: for wisdom, which is the worker of all things taught me. For in her is the spirit of understanding, holy, one, manifold, subtile, eloquent, active, undefiled, sure sweet, loving that which is good, quick, which nothing hindereth, beneficient, gentle, kind, steadfast, assured, secure, having all power, overseeing all thingsm and containing all spirits, intelligible, pure, subtile. For wisdom is more active than all active things, and reacheth everywhere by reason of her purity. For she is a vapour of the poser of God and a certain pure emanation of the glory of the almighty God, and therefore no defiled thing cometh into her. For she is the brightness of eternal light and the unspotted mirror of God's Majesty, and the image of His goodness. And being but onem she can do all things, and remaining in herself the same she reneweth all things and through nations conveyeth herselfo into holy souls, she maketh the friends of God and prophets. For God loveth none but him that dwelleth with wisdom. For she is more beautiful than the sun and above all the order of the stars, being compared with the light, she is found before it. For after this cometh light, but no evil can overcome wisdom."

Wisdom  7: 21-29

Douay Rheims Roman Catholic Bible

these little ones

     The month of December is dedicated to the Divine Infancy of Jesus. Our Almighty Father Our timely developmental stages, as we grow intellectually, physically, emotionally and spiritually, are precious gifts designed by our Creator. The family is a beautiful foundation in which parents teach, protect and nourish their children, as God does for all of us. God has blessed us with a world rich in a variety of beautiful cultures and traditions, for us to harmoniously celebrate and enjoy. Our Holy Father urges us to join him in prayer for an End to Child-Soldiers (general prayer intention). We are also asked to pray for Europe (mission prayer intention) and the people there. 

     "But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea."

Matthew 18:6

Douay Rheims Roman Catholic Bible