The Need for Confession

Recently I was informed that at a pilgrimage site in Ireland, a Priest was heard to say that there was no need to confess one's sins when going to confession...no just go for a chat and get a blessing, he said.  It is very sad to hear that a Priest actually said this in a place where people go for penance and prayer.  It was also a lost opportunity for many if they did what he had said. 

Confession is a beautiful and very necessary Sacrament that restores us to Christ and rebuilds and breathes new life into a soul that is dead in sin.  It restores us to grace, refreshes and cleanses us again and brings healing to our souls and also to the whole body of Christ.    For someone to say we don't need to confess our sins when we go to Confession is an absolute lie, it is false and leads many down a dangerous path.  What is the Sacrament of Confession for but to confess our sins and be sorry for them ?  May the Lord have mercy on us and let us pray for our Priests. 

Here below is what our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI said on a reflection of the Gospel of Mark in 2009.  Sin is what puts distance between the believer and God, and it's the sacrament of confession that brings the two back together, says Benedict XVI.

The Pope said this in a Gospel reflection on Mark's account of the healed leper, which he delivered before praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in St. Peter's Square. 

In the Gospel account, recalls the Pontiff, the leper "gets on his knees and says: 'If you wish, you can make me clean!' Jesus, moved, stretches out his hand, touches him and says: 'I do wish it. Be made clean!'"

"According to the ancient Jewish law," the Holy Father explained, "leprosy was not only considered a sickness but the gravest form of 'impurity.'"  He continued: "Leprosy thus constituted a kind of religious and civil death, and its healing was a kind of resurrection. We might see in leprosy a symbol of sin, which is the true impurity of heart, distancing us from God. "It is not, in effect, physical malady that distances us from him, as the ancient norms supposed, but sin, the spiritual and moral evil."

Benedict XVI reflected: "The sins we commit distance us from God, and, if they are not humbly confessed, trusting in the divine mercy, they will finally bring about the death of the soul. This miracle thus has powerful symbolic value.  "In the Sacrament of Penance Christ crucified and risen, through his ministers, purifies us with his infinite mercy, restores us to communion with the heavenly Father and our brothers, and makes a gift of his love, joy and peace to us."

"Dear brothers and sisters," he concluded, "let us invoke the Virgin Mary, whom God preserved from every stain of sin, that she help us to avoid sin and to have frequent recourse to the sacrament of confession, the sacrament of forgiveness, whose value and importance for our Christian life needs to be rediscovered today."

And From the Diary of St. Faustina, Jesus said
 

Come with faith to the feet of My representative...I myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest... I Myself act in your soul... Make your confession before Me. The person of the priest is, for Me, only a screen. Never analyse what sort of a priest it is that I am making use of; open your soul in confession as you would to Me, and I will fill it with My light...

Were a soul like a decaying corpse, so that from a human standpoint, there would be no hope of restoration and everything would already be lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full... From this fount of mercy souls draw graces solely with the vessel of trust. If their trust is great, there is no limit to My generosity.

Our Lady of Confidence

Today in my work, I found a beautiful little prayer card of Our Lady of Confidence, which I have never heard of before.  So I decided to find out more about this image and where it came from...

Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title Our Lady of Confidence can be traced back to Sr. Chiara Isabella Fornari who was a Poor Clare in Todi, Italy. The image is especially noteworthy in that Christ points to his mother, and Mary's intercession is typically invoked through the short prayer "Mater Mea, Fiducia Mea" (My Mother, My Confidence).   That Abbess, today Venerable Sister Clara Isabel Fornari, embraced a severe life of penance and was favored with many mystical graces; she even received the Sacred Stigmata of Our Lord’s Passion. Sister Clara Isabel had a great devotion to the Blessed Mother, like all the saints, and a very special attachment to this maternal image of Our Lady with the Divine Infant. For Our Lady had made a remarkable promise to Sister Clara Isabel that would win special graces for herself, her sisters and all those through the ages who would venerate this image.

Many persons, especially converts, would like to increase their devotion to Our Lady, and wonder how to go about it. In this promise lies a simple solution: simply go to Our Lady of Confidence and ask her. Let me transcribe in Sister Clara Isabel’s own words the special promise Our Lady made her with regard to this image: “My Heavenly Lady, with the love of a true Mother, assured me that She would give a special tenderness and devotion toward Her to everyone who contemplated this image.” (This promise applies, of course, not only to the original picture, but also to all the copies of it that circulate). Due to numerous cures and conversions worked through the intercession of Our Lady of Confidence, copies of the portrait were made and circulated. One of these copies was placed in the small chapel of St. Mary’s Seminary at the Lateran Basilica in Rome. The seminarians soon realized that their prayers and needs were always attended to by the Madonna della Fiducia.

The Patroness of Rome's Major Seminary is the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title Madonna della Fiducia. A miraculous copy of Our Lady of Confidence resides at the Roman Major Seminary located in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran complex. Pope John Paul II started the papal tradition of venerating this miraculous image each year, subsequently Pope Benedict XVI has carried on the tradition. During his visit on the feast day of Our Lady of Confidence on February 9, 2002, Pope John Paul II ended his time at the seminary commenting on the devotion his predecessors had to Mary under the title Madonna della Fiducia saying,

We heard how Our Lady of Confidence guided the steps of Pope John XXIII on a path that brought him from this Seminary to the Second Vatican Council, which was also a great seminary, the seminary of the bishops of the world. Let us thank Our Lady of Confidence for all that she did to assist Pope John XXIII in the preparation for and in the adventure of the Second Vatican Council. I wish all of you the grace to find her guidance in your lives: from the image of Our Lady of Confidence to the goals that Providence foresees for you and even asks of you to be accomplished through you

Prayer

O Mary Immaculate, the precious name of Mother of Confidence, with which we honor you, fills our hearts to overflowing with the sweetest consolation and moves us to hope for every blessing from you. If such a title has been given to you, it is a sure sign that no one has recourse to you in vain. Accept, therefore, with a mother's love our devout homage, as we earnestly beseech you to be gracious unto us in our every need. We pray that you will make us live in constant union with you and your divine Son, Jesus. With you as our guide, we are certain that we shall walk in the right way and that it will be our happy lot to hear you say on the last day of our life those words of comfort: "Come then, my good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord." Amen.



References from http://www.traditioninaction.org/religious/a005rp.htm  & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Confidence

Praying the Divine Office

Praying the Divine Office is a beautiful way of prayer and not just for religious. Not always easy to do, but extremely worthwhile when we make the effort. We are praying in union with the whole Church and for the whole Church. Perhaps it is something to think about starting, or something we should renew.......

“From ancient times the Church has had the custom of celebrating each day the liturgy of the hours. In this way the Church fulfills the Lord’s precept to pray without ceasing, at once offering its praise to God the Father and interceding for the salvation of the world.” – Office of the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship.
The Liturgy of the Hours is the prayer of the whole People of God. In it, Christ himself “continues his priestly work through his Church.” His members participate according to their own place in the Church and the circumstances of their lives. The laity, too, are encouraged to recite the divine office either with the priests, among themselves, or individually.

The celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours demands not only harmonizing the voice with the praying heart, but also a deeper “understanding of the liturgy and of the Bible, especially of the Psalms.”

The hymns and litanies of the Liturgy of the Hours integrate the prayer of the psalms into the age of the Church, expressing the symbolism of the time of day, the liturgical season, or the feast being celebrated. Moreover, the reading from the Word of God at each Hour with the subsequent responses or troparia and readings from the Fathers and spiritual masters at certain Hours, reveal the deeper meanings of the mystery being celebrated, assist in understanding the psalms, and help one prepare for silent prayer. The lectio divina, where the Word of God is so read and meditated that it becomes prayer, is thus rooted in the liturgical celebration.

The Liturgy of the Hours, which is like an extension of the Eucharistic celebration, does not exclude but rather (in a complementary way) calls forth the various devotions of the People of God, especially adoration and worship of the Blessed Sacrament.

The worship “in Spirit and in truth” of the New Covenant is not tied exclusively to any one place. The whole earth is sacred and entrusted to the children of men. What matters above all is that, when the faithful assemble in the same place, they are the “living stones,” gathered to be “built into a spiritual house.” The Body of the risen Christ is the spiritual temple from which the source of living water emanates. Incorporated into Christ by the Holy Spirit, “we are the temple of the living God.”

Source: Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part Two, Section One, Chapter Two.

http://divineoffice.org/

Our Lady Queen of Heaven

Yesterday we celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of Knock 21st August.

Knock Shrine is the National Marian Shrine of Ireland

The Story of Knock began on the 21st August 1879 when Our Lady, St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist appeared at the south gable of Knock Parish Church. The apparition was witnessed by fifteen people, young and old. From this miraculous Apparition Knock has grown to the status of an internationally recognised Marian Shrine. http://www.knock-shrine.ie/

Today we celebrate the Queenship of Our Lady.

This special Liturgical Feast was proclaimed by Pope Pius XII on October 11, 1954 through his Encyclical Letter "Ad Caeli Reginam."

The Holy Catholic Church made this proclamation in view of the fact that throughout its history, whether in time of peace or in time of war, the faithful have continuously addressed prayers of petition and hymns of praise and veneration to the Queen of Heaven. Following the tremendous destruction that occurred during World War II and considering the reality that the threat of a similar catastrophe filled the faithful with a great anguish, the Church turned its eyes towards Mary, the Heavenly Queen, in the hope of her protection.

Next Thursday 26th August is the Feast of Our Lady of Częstochowa

This Painting of Our Lady has been intimately associated with Poland for the past six hundred years. Its history prior to its arrival in Poland is shrouded in numerous legends which trace the icon's origin to St. Luke who painted it on a cypress table top from the house of the Holy Family.

The original panel, which was believed to be holy because of its legendary origin as a table top from the home of the Holy Family. The painting displays a traditional composition well-known in the icons of Eastern Orthodoxy. The Virgin Mary is shown as the "Hodegetria" ("One Who Shows the Way"). In it the Virgin directs attention away from herself, gesturing with her right hand toward Jesus as the source of salvation. In turn, the child extends his right hand toward the viewer in blessing while holding a book of gospels in his left hand

Pope Benedicts Pastoral Visit to the UK September 2010

Pope Benedict XVI will visit England and Scotland on a four-day Papal visit from 16-19 September 2010.

The Holy Father will fly to Scotland where he will be received at the Palace of Holyroodhouse by Her Majesty The Queen. He will also celebrate a public Mass at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow. In England, amongst other things, His Holiness will make a speech to British civil society at Westminster Hall, meet with the leaders of other Christian traditions, take part in a service of Evening Prayer with the Archbishop of Canterbury, lead a prayer vigil. meet with leaders and people of other faiths and beatify the nineteenth century theologian and educationalist Cardinal John Henry Newman.
http://www.thepapalvisit.org.uk/

Official Preparation Prayer

God of truth and love, your Son, Jesus Christ,

stands as the light to all who seek you with a sincere heart.

As we strive with your grace to be faithful in word and deed, may we reflect the kindly light of Christ and offer a witness of hope and peace to all.

We pray for Pope Benedict and look forward with joy to

his forthcoming visit to our countries. (to the UK)

May he be a witness to the unity and hope which is

your will for all people.

We make our prayer through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Our Lady, Mother of the Church — pray for us.
St Andrew — pray for us.
St George — pray for us.
St David — pray for us.

As part of the Body of Christ we are all called to pray for one another and most especially for the Holy Father.   We support our brothers and sisters in the UK with prayer and I have featured links to the Dioceses in the UK as well as some of their many vibrant Parishes to keep up to date with the news and views of the people on this most eagerly awaited wonderful and blessed occasion.  

Bóthar - Helping People to Help Themselves...

Bothar is a fantastic charity because it helps those in poorer circumstances to become self sufficient especially those in Africa and third world countries. By sending cows, goats, camels, pigs, trees and providing education and veterinary back up, Bóthar helps tackle poverty and support sustainable development.

From their website...www.bothar.ie/ 
Bóthar had its origins in 1989 in the city of Limerick on the Shannon Estuary in Ireland. It began as an enterprise with the aim of sending as many dairy cows to Africa as possible in the year 1991, in conjunction with the civic celebrations to mark the tercentenary of the signing of the Treaty of Limerick, an important milestone in Irish history. However, as the months passed and as more people were informed about the project, a great enthusiasm began to surround the organising committee. It became apparent that this endeavour had far more potential than a local and temporary programme. It was decided to invite prominent national figures to form a Board of Directors of a new Third World Development Agency, which would specialise in the use of livestock in developing countries.

For instance...Bóthar’s dairy cows have become life saving heroes in many parts of the world. Irish dairy cows will produce up to 20 times as much nutritious milk every day as the average local cow in Uganda, Malawi, and Cameroon.
Milk & cheese from the living gift of a cow instantly improves the diet of an impoverished family and also produces enough milk for them to sell and earn an income. Suddenly mothers and fathers are in a position to purchase food and medicine for their families. Over time they can even send their children to school. 
Check out their great website for more information...http://www.bothar.ie/

Events in Ireland

Large crowds came to Knock Shrine for the annual novena this year and especially last Sunday on the Feast of Our Lady of the Assumption there were 20,000 people present on that special day.  Knock Shrine is a very special place of peace and prayer.  So many Masses are celebrated there each day and so many heartfelt prayers prayed.  It is indeed a place of prayer for all nations.  The Novena ends on Saturday the 21st August which is the Feast of Our Lady of Knock.

And 1,000 young people from all over Ireland participated at the annual Clonmacnois youth festival, a festival of prayer and joy from the 12th to the 15th of August.  On the Saturday 43 Priests attended and heard many Confessions.  This is a wonderful experience for many young people to be exposed to the faith and to come to know that true joy exists only in a life with God. 


Numbers rose too this year to the Island of Penance and Prayer at Lough Derg.  It is also known as St. Patricks Purgatory.  St. Patrick’s Purgatory, Lough Derg, is among the oldest centres of Christian Pilgrimage in Western Europe, supposedly dating back to the sixth century. Lough Derg lies about four miles north of the village of Pettigo in County Donegal.  This is a place where people go barefoot for three days, pray, have no sleep for the first night (sleep on the 2nd) and also fast over the three days. 
Information from:  http://www.loughderg.org/

Frank Duff and Works of Mercy

Frank Duff an Irish man founded the Legion of Mary on 7th September 1921.  Initially the movement was called The Association of Our Lady of Mercy.  After a year, there were five (Praesidia) which had formed, and the first Curia met in Dublin at Myra House, and a Novena was held for the purpose of finding a name for the organization.  The name of the Legion of Mary came and stayed with this great apostolate to this very day. 

It is a movement of mercy because it practices the corporal and spiritual works of mercy that Our Lord asks of us.  One of those works was the founding of the hostels in Dublin for the homeless and poor at the time.  The Morning Star Hostel for homeless men was opened in 1927 and the  Regina Coeli Hostel for mothers and their children and homeless women was opened the following year.  Today both of those hostels are still up and running.  Legionaries volunteer to work in these hostels serving the poorest of those in Dublin.  Though the poverty of the homeless today is often due to alcoholism, drug addiction, mental illness, or family problems.  Even though their problems are often so immense the residents of these hostels are often the ones who will show great compassion for others who are suffering.

There is nothing that will ground you more in your spiritual life than working with those in great need.  Many people of all ages and backgrounds have worked there and some give their lives for a year or two or more to work as indoor sisters (as they are called) or indoor brothers. It is a challenge but one that is worthwhile. Many vocations to the religious life have been born out of the Legion of Mary but especially from those who have worked with those in greatest need.  Both hostels are places where the cross is evident in the lives of these women and men and  it is a privilege to work there with them as you are working closely with Christ in those who are the rejected of society.

Both hostels contain beautiful Oratories, where Holy Mass is celebrated every day.  Above you can see the picture of the Servant of God Frank Duff in prayer in the Reginal Coeli Oratory. 

Anyone who wishes to work there (all work is voluntary), and join in the Legion of Mary can contact the hostels by phoning
01-8723142 for the Regina Coeli (women's hostel staffed by women only) or
01-8723401 for the Morning Star hostel for men only.

An excellent article by Finola Kennedy on Frank Duff and his work at the following link...
http://www.studiesirishreview.ie/j/page370

Pray for the Church and our Priests

We can see around us a great spiritual battle going on in the world...the forces of evil seem very strong but God is greater than all this.  The world is in a pretty awful state and the Church has been shaken to its foundations.  But we are called to pray and remember that Christ is victorious.  Through the Cross, Our Lord Jesus broke the chains of death.  He has given us the Church, the Sacraments, the Holy Eucharist and has called men out to minister to His people.  These men are human, are open to many temptations, they need our assistance and our prayers.

Again I cannot empahise more the need to pray for our Priests.  It is too easy to criticise them for their shortcomings but we must pray for them instead.  They are very special to Jesus and Our Lady and we need to encourage them, love and respect them and their ministry.  Perhaps you can pray this prayer below for your own Priests in your Parish.  Or maybe you could start praying for your Priests with someone else.

As I said before, my friend and I started a small Divine Mercy meeting where we pray the Rosary, Chaplet of Mercy, read some of the Diary of St. Faustina and we pray this prayer for Priests and we also include the Holy Souls in Purgatory and those who need prayer very much.  But our Rosary and Chaplet are offered for Priests specifically.  We also have a book where we have put the names of all the Priests we know of, who we pray especially for. This little meeting only takes an hour.  It is not too much to ask considering that our Priests have given their whole lives to the Church for us to have the privilege of the Sacraments that we too often take for granted. 

St. Faustina's Prayer for Priests

"O my Jesus, I beg You on behalf of the whole Church: Grant it love and the light of Your Spirit, and give power to the words of Priests so that hardened hearts might be brought to repentance and return to You, O Lord. Lord, give us holy Priests; You yourself maintain them in holiness. O Divine and Great High Priest, may the power of Your mercy accompany them everywhere and protect them from the devil's traps and snares which are continually being set for the soul of Priests.

May the power of Your mercy, O Lord, shatter and bring to naught all that might tarnish the sanctity of Priests, for You can do all things."  -  St. Faustina's Diary  1052

Our Lady's Assumption into Heaven

Happy Feast Day...

Ave Maria, gratia plena,

Ave Maria, piena di grazia,

Dios te salve, María, llena eres de gracia

Je vous salue, Marie, pleine de grâce,

Avé Maria, cheia de graça,

Sé do bheatha, a Mhuire, atá lán de ghrásta

Gegrüßet seist du, Maria, voll der Gnade,

Raduisya, Mariya, Blagodatniya!

Hell dig Maria, full av nåd.

Wees gegroet, Maria, vol van genade.

Aba Ginoong Maria, napupuno ka ng grasiya,

Zdrava Marija, milosti polna,

Zdrowaś Maryjo, laski pełna

Hail Mary, full of Grace

St. Maximilian Kolbe

Today is the Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe priest and martyr who devoted his life to Our Lady and Jesus and gave his life for the sake of another in Auschwitz concentration camp.  He died on the eve of Our Lady's great Feast of the Assumption. 

Below is the performance of Gorecki Symphony No. 3 "Sorrowful Songs" - Lento e Largo.  A Music Memorial Film from Auschwitz". For the first time since its liberation, permission was granted for music to be heard in Auschwitz and a number of leading musicians were brought there to perform music for the film.

Let the little children come to Me....

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14

Children can be taught to love Jesus very easily.  They are more often likely to accept the mysteries of God easier than we adults.  But do we really realise this...the following is from an article which can be found at..http://www.childrenofhope.org/aboutus/brinkart.htm

Father Antoine Thomas, of the Congregation of St. John and a native of France, has an answer that will give us cause to pause.

“Do we adults understand the mystery of the Eucharist? We believe in it, but do we understand it? We think we understand it better than children but my experience after 10 years of leading children’s holy hours is that children understand it much more than adults in many, many respects.”

Father Antoine began leading Children of Hope holy hours for young people with remarkable success in France in 1994 and continued the practice after he came to the United States to found a new priory in Peoria, Illinois. Since then, he has given many YOUTH 2000 retreats throughout the United States, has made numerous appearances on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) and has spoken at dozens of parishes across the country. St. Joseph’s Communications recently invited him to all of their conferences to conduct holy hours for the children whose numbers range anywhere from 800 to 1,600.
“Children — 4-, 5-, and 6-years-old — can be moved by the Holy Spirit much more with their innocent hearts than adults with their rational way of thinking. The children can lead us in prayer!”

Father Antoine says. “Once you teach them, they can lead adults in prayer, by their really genuine attitude toward Jesus. They don‘t begin to rationalize and argue about it. I have tons of stories to tell those adults who think that children should not be admitted to adoration. I think their opinion is not the truth.”

He tells of one little girl who he was preparing for reception of her first Communion. “I was playing the devil’s advocate and I said to her, ‘You don’t really believe that Jesus, who is God, the God who made the heaven and earth, can be present in a piece of bread, do you? It’s crazy! How can you believe that?’”

“After a few minutes of silence, the little girl said, ‘Well, nothing is impossible for God!’”

“And we say children don’t understand,” Father Antoine chuckled. “I just smile.”
 
More information on Children of Hope can be found at their website...http://www.childrenofhope.org/

The Lords Prayer in Aramaic - the language of Jesus

Also this link takes you to an interesting short documentary on a small town in Syria where the ancient language of Aramaic is still spoken..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy38UQ9EQ6o

Modern Art

When I was visiting a friend in hospital recently I noticed a very large painting of something but I could not really make out what it was.  It was quite a large painting and was made up of great blobs of different shades of red and that was it.  It certainly wouldn't do anything for me.  I am not a fan of modern art (as you probably guessed) but I find that some hospitals have found a fascination with some of the ugliest and most depressing paintings which are alot more dark and depressing than this one to the right. 

I don't really understand why anyone would put up ugly and dark images in a place that is meant to help people recover from sickness. 

Some simple landscape pictures or some holy images would be nice to see again.  Thankfully a few hospitals have retained statues and some nice pictures on their walls.  There is so much beauty around us in our landscapes, in the animal kingdom and so much more...why people go out of their way to find something ugly to put up in a public hospital is very strange indeed.....here are some images that are beautiful because they reflect the amazing beauty and gentleness of Gods creation.

From Psalm 104

Bless the LORD, my soul! LORD, my God, you are great indeed!

You are clothed with majesty and glory,

robed in light as with a cloak. You spread out the heavens like a tent; 

you raised your palace upon the waters.

You make the clouds your chariot; you travel on the wings of the wind.

You make the winds your messengers; flaming fire, your ministers. 

You fixed the earth on its foundation, never to be moved.

The ocean covered it like a garment; above the mountains stood the waters.

At your roar they took flight; at the sound of your thunder they fled.

They rushed up the mountains, down the valleys to the place you had fixed for them.

You set a limit they cannot pass; never again will they cover the earth.

You made springs flow into channels that wind among the mountains.

They give drink to every beast of the field; here wild asses quench their thirst.

Beside them the birds of heaven nest; among the branches they sing.

St Jane Frances de Chantal

Born to the nobility, the daughter of the president of the Parliament of Burgundy who raised her alone after the death of her mother when Jeanne was 18 months old. She was married in 1592 at age twenty to Baron de Chantal. Mother of four. At 28 years of age Jane was widowed, when the Baron was killed in a hunting accident and died in her arms. Taking a personal vow of chastity, she was forced to live with her father-in-law, which was a period of misery for her. She spent her free time in prayer, and received a vision of the man who would become her spiritual director.

In Lent, 1604, she met Saint Francis de Sales, and recognized him as the man in her vision. She became a spiritual student and close friend of Saint Francis, and the two carried on a lengthy correspondence for years. On Trinity Sunday, 6 June 1610 she founded the Order of the Visitation of Our Lady at Annecy, France. The Order was designed for widows and laywomen who did not wish the full life of the orders, and oversaw the founding of 69 convents. Jeanne spent the rest of her days overseeing the Order, and acting as spiritual advisor to any who desired her wisdom. Visitationist nuns today live a contemplative life, work for women with poor health and widows, and sometimes run schools.

We could certainly do with new religious orders like that especially in Ireland...

Joy and Hope.....

Joy is definitely a hallmark of a Christian. We are not meant to be prophets of doom and gloom. We do believe in the Resurrection and in Christ. Or do we ?

There are quite a number of people who are more than ready to tell us about the new world order, or the latest catastrophe that is looming on the horizon. But God calls us to be a people of hope and of life.

To be able to smile, to give joy to others is a great gift...lets treasure our faith...it gives light to the eyes and joy to the heart..

Man cannot live without joy; therefore when he is deprived of true spiritual joys it is necessary that he become addicted to carnal pleasures. - Saint Thomas Aquinas

Turn to Jesus, trust Him with our future.

Its in His hands....

taken from my other blog..Simply This...http://simplythis-anne.blogspot.com/

Called to be Children of Light

As Christians we are called to follow Christ and the Gospel.  To put our faith, our hope and our trust in Jesus who is all powerful.  In some circles there is a strange fascination with praying against evil spirits, binding evil spirits and deliverance prayers.   But I have never read anything in the Saints writings about deliverance ministries or about binding evil spirits except of course in relation to the ministry of exorcism which is for Priests alone.  St. Jean Vianney and St. Padre Pio for instance endured many direct attacks from the evil one.  But they simply concentrated their lives on Christ, the celebration of the Holy Sacraments, and praying to Our Lady and the Saints.  The evil one hated them because they were saving many souls through their lives of prayer and sanctity.

Jesus, Mary, the Saints and the Angels will protect us and fight for us on our behalf when we turn to them in prayer.  We have the Sacraments of Confession and the Holy Eucharist, the Rosary and Sacramentals (holy water, scapulars, relics etc).  We have great treasures in our Church.  I think we have to be very careful and wary of praying directly against evil spirits and using deliverance prayers.  This should be left to a Priest who is trained in this area if someone needs help.    When we think of the Saints such as St. Jean Vianney, St. Padre Pio, St. Faustina, St. Therese, St. John of the Cross and so many more, none of them mention deliverance ministries or how to bind evil spirits.   Their lives were centred on Christ and the Gospel, and that is all they needed.  The Holy Mass, regular Confession, Eucharistic Adoration, the Rosary, devotion to Our Lady, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Prayers to St. Michael and the Angels, living a life of honesty and simplicity, doing the works of mercy, reading the Bible and the lives of the Saints and staying away from sin - these are our remedies against evil...

John 8:12 “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Praying for those who are dying......

Jesus asks us to pray for the dying, particularly the Chaplet of Mercy...I think we can remember especially those whom we know as well as those who are in the limelight, who are famous as they too have souls.  How many are praying for them ?   In our prayer meeting we include all those that we have heard about or have read about in the papers or have seen on the news, who are terminally ill.  We did pray for Alex Higgins the snooker player who had been very ill with cancer and who died last week.  It is not for us to judge a person's life but to have hope and trust in Gods mercy. 

In the Diary of St. Faustina Jesus said  "Pray as much as you can for the dying. By your entreaties [that is, insistent prayers] obtain for them trust in My mercy, because they have most need of trust, and have it the least. Be assured that the grace of eternal salvation for certain souls in their final moment depends on your prayer. You know the whole abyss of My mercy, so draw upon it for yourself and especially for poor sinners. Sooner would heaven and earth turn into nothingness than would My mercy not embrace a trusting soul." (Diary, 1777).

My Sister Mary..

My own sister Mary died this year after losing her life to cancer on March 16th.  Mary endured a great deal throughout her life, and I am sure that when she died she went straight to her reward in Heaven as she was a pure and good soul who loved God and suffered very much.  While with her on that last day in hospital, I prayed the Chaplet of Mercy as she went through her final agony.  She died at 2.55pm just before the 3pm hour of Mercy in St. Joseph's Hospital and she was buried on the Feast of St. Joseph.  Jesus promised that those who resemble Him in His suffering, will resemble Him also in His glory.  Mary suffered greatly from her childhood to adulthood on this earth, but she is now enjoying the peace and joy of Heaven with Jesus, Our Lady and all the Saints and Angels. 

Here is Mary in happier times in her youth at home and I know that she is now interceding for me, for our family and she will intercede for all those who suffer grievously...

From the Diary of St. Faustina,  St. Faustina relates :  I saw a multitude of souls crucified like Him. Then I saw a second multitude of souls, and a third. The second multitude were not nailed to [their] crosses, but were holding them firmly in their hands

Jesus said to her: 'Do you see these souls? Those who are like Me in the pain and contempt they suffer will be like Me also in glory.'   Diary 446

August - The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

August is traditionally the month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Our Lady's Feast Days in this month are as follows..

August 2
Our Lady of the Angels

August 5
Our Lady of the Snows 
(Dedication of the Basilica of 
St. Mary Major in Rome)

August 15
Solemnity of the Assumption of the                      Blessed Virgin Mary

August 21
Our Lady of Knock

August 22
Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

August 24
Our Lady, Health of the Sick

August 26
Our Lady of Czestochowa

August 27
Seven Joys of the Blessed Virgin Mary


Perhaps this month we can renew our Consecration to Mary and live a life closer to her and she in turn will bring us closer to Jesus...


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