Solemnity of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Apostles

Reading 1 Acts 3:1-10

Peter and John were going up to the temple area for the three o'clock hour of prayer.

   And a man crippled from birth was carried and placed at the gate of the temple called "the Beautiful Gate" every day to beg for alms from the people who entered the temple.

  When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked for alms. But Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, "Look at us."

   He paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them. Peter said, "I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk."

   Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong. He leaped up, stood, and walked around, and went into the temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God.

   When all the people saw the man walking and praising God, they recognized him as the one who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with amazement and astonishment at what had happened to him.


Responsorial Psalm Ps 19:2-3, 4-5

R. (5) Their message goes out through all the earth.

The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day;
and night to night imparts knowledge.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth.

Not a word nor a discourse
whose voice is not heard;
through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth.


Reading 2 Gal 1:11-20

I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the Gospel preached by me is not of human origin. For I did not receive it from a human being, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

   For you heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I persecuted the Church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it, and progressed in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my race, since I was even more a zealot for my ancestral traditions.

   But when God, who from my mother's womb had set me apart and called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him to the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were Apostles before me; rather, I went into Arabia and then returned to Damascus.

   Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas and remained with him for fifteen days.

   But I did not see any other of the Apostles, only James the brother of the Lord. --As to what I am writing to you, behold, before God, I am not lying.


Gospel Jn 21:15-19

Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and, when they had finished breakfast, said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" Simon Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."

   Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." He then said to Simon Peter a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Simon Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."

   He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you."

   Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go."

   He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, "Follow me."

Points the Way to Jesus

"We have a heavenly mother
who helps us
and she is most beautiful and spiritual:
she leads us to Jesus! "

(author unknown)

Preach Christ Crucified

O God,
this day is sacred because of the martyrdom
of your apostles Peter and Paul.
May your Church follow the
teachings of these two saints
in every respect, for from them she received
the faith in the beginning.
Through our Lord.

Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

Reading 1
Is 49:1-6
Hear me, O coastlands,
listen, O distant peoples.
The LORD called me from birth,
from my mother's womb he gave me my name.
He made of me a sharp-edged sword
and concealed me in the shadow of his arm.
He made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me.
You are my servant, he said to me,
Israel, through whom I show my glory.

Though I thought I had toiled in vain,
and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength,
yet my reward is with the LORD,
my recompense is with my God.
For now the LORD has spoken
who formed me as his servant from the womb,
that Jacob may be brought back to him
and Israel gathered to him;
and I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD,
and my God is now my strength!
It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and restore the survivors of Israel;
I will make you a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 139:1b-3, 13-14ab, 14c-15
R. (14) I praise you, for I am wonderfully made.
O LORD, you have probed me, you know me:
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,
with all my ways you are familiar.
R. I praise you, for I am wonderfully made.
Truly you have formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother's womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works.
R. I praise you, for I am wonderfully made.
My soul also you knew full well;
nor was my frame unknown to you
When I was made in secret,
when I was fashioned in the depths of the earth.
R. I praise you, for I am wonderfully made.

Reading 2
Acts 13:22-26
In those days, Paul said:
"God raised up David as king;
of him God testified,
I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart;
he will carry out my every wish.
From this man's descendants God, according to his promise,
has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.
John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance
to all the people of Israel;
and as John was completing his course, he would say,
'What do you suppose that I am' I am not he.
Behold, one is coming after me;
I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet."

"My brothers, sons of the family of Abraham,
and those others among you who are God-fearing,
to us this word of salvation has been sent."

Gospel
Lk 1:57-66, 80
When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child
she gave birth to a son.
Her neighbors and relatives heard
that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her,
and they rejoiced with her.
When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child,
they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,
but his mother said in reply,
"No. He will be called John."
But they answered her,
"There is no one among your relatives who has this name."
So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.
He asked for a tablet and wrote, "John is his name,"
and all were amazed.
Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,
and he spoke blessing God.
Then fear came upon all their neighbors,
and all these matters were discussed
throughout the hill country of Judea.
All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,
"What, then, will this child be?"
For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.
The child grew and became strong in spirit,
and he was in the desert until the day
of his manifestation to Israel.

A Prayer for Today

Jesus, fill us, we pray,
with your light and life
that we may show forth
your wonderful glory.
Grant that your love
may so fill our lives
that we may count
nothing too small to do for you,
nothing too much to give
and nothing too hard to bear. Amen.

- St. Ignatius Loyola

A Prayer for Today

Almighty and ever-living God,
I approach the sacrament
of your only-begotten Son
Our Lord Jesus Christ,
I come sick to the doctor of life,
unclean to the fountain of mercy,
blind to the radiance of eternal light,
and poor and needy to the Lord
of heaven and earth.
Lord, in your great generosity,
heal my sickness,
wash away my defilement,
enlighten my blindness, enrich my poverty,
and clothe my nakedness.
May I receive the bread of angels,
the King of kings and Lord of lords,
with humble reverence,
with the purity and faith,
the repentance and love,
and the determined purpose
that will help to bring me to salvation.
May I receive the sacrament
of the Lord's body and blood,
and its reality and power.

- St. Thomas Aquinas

Irish Blessing

May flowers always line your path 

and sunshine light your day.

May songbirds serenade you

every step along the way.

May a rainbow run beside you

in a sky that's always blue.

And may happiness fill your heart

each day your whole life through.

Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary

O Mary, mother of Jesus and mother of his Church,
we are mindful of the role you play
in the evangelization of souls who do not yet know him.
We are mindful of how missionaries
came with the power of Christ's gospel
and committed the success of their work to you.
As the mother of divine grace
you were with the missionaries in all their efforts.
And as mother of the Church
you presided over all the activities of evangelization
and over the implantation of the gospel
in the hearts of the faithful.
You sustained the missionaries in hope
and you gave joy to every new community
that was born of the Church's evangelizing activity.
You were there with your intercession and your prayers,
as the first grace of baptism developed,
and as those who had new life in Christ your Son
came to a full appreciation of their Christian calling.
We ask you, Mary,
to help us to fulfill this mission of evangelization
which your Son has given to his Church
and which falls to us.
Mindful of your role as help of Christians,
we entrust ourselves to you
in the work of carrying the gospel
ever deeper into the hearts
and lives of all the people.
We entrust to you our missionary mandate
and commit our cause totally to your prayers.
To Jesus Christ your Son, with the Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit
be praise and thanksgiving forever and ever. Amen.

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Ez 17:22-24

Thus says the Lord GOD: I, too, will take from the crest of the cedar, from its topmost branches tear off a tender shoot, and plant it on a high and lofty mountain; on the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it.

 It shall put forth branches and bear fruit, and become a majestic cedar. Birds of every kind shall dwell beneath it, every winged thing in the shade of its boughs.

 And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the LORD, bring low the high tree, lift high the lowly tree, wither up the green tree, and make the withered tree bloom. As I, the LORD, have spoken, so will I do.


Responsorial Psalm Ps 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16

R. (cf. 2a) Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing praise to your name, Most High,
To proclaim your kindness at dawn
and your faithfulness throughout the night.
R. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.

The just one shall flourish like the palm tree,
like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow.
They that are planted in the house of the LORD
shall flourish in the courts of our God.
R. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.

They shall bear fruit even in old age;
vigorous and sturdy shall they be,
Declaring how just is the LORD,
my rock, in whom there is no wrong.
R. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.


Reading 2 2 Cor 5:6-10

Brothers and sisters: We are always courageous, although we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.

 Yet we are courageous, and we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord. Therefore, we aspire to please him, whether we are at home or away.

 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil.


Gospel Mk 4:26-34

Jesus said to the crowds: "This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and through it all the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how.

 Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come."

 He said, "To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it?
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.

 But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade." With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.

 Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

Do We Really Know Him?

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." Jn 14:6 —

Ps 73:26

Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Reading 1
Hos 11:1, 3-4, 8c-9

Thus says the LORD: When Israel was a child I loved him, out of Egypt I called my son. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, who took them in my arms; I drew them with human cords, with bands of love; I fostered them like one who raises an infant to his cheeks; Yet, though I stooped to feed my child, they did not know that I was their healer.

 My heart is overwhelmed, my pity is stirred. I will not give vent to my blazing anger, I will not destroy Ephraim again; For I am God and not a man, the Holy One present among you; I will not let the flames consume you.


Psalm
Is 12:2-3, 4, 5-6.

 You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
 God indeed is my savior;
 I am confident and unafraid.

 My strength and my courage is the LORD,
 and he has been my savior.
 With joy you will draw water
 at the fountain of salvation.

 R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
 Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
 among the nations make known his deeds,
 proclaim how exalted is his name.

 R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
 Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
 let this be known throughout all the earth.

 Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
 for great in your midst
 is the Holy One of Israel!
 R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.


Reading 2 Eph 3:8-12, 14-19

Brothers and sisters: To me, the very least of all the holy ones, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the inscrutable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for all what is the plan of the mystery hidden from ages past in God who created all things, so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the principalities and authorities in the heavens.

 This was according to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness of speech and confidence of access through faith in him.

 For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.


Gospel
Jn 19:31-37

Since it was preparation day, in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and they be taken down.

 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.

 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out.

 An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows that he is speaking the truth, so that you also may come to believe.

 For this happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled: Not a bone of it will be broken.

 And again another passage says: They will look upon him whom they have pierced.

Sacred Heart of Jesus

FEAST OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS


"Let us rest our hearts in God alone.......He is our peace, our consolation and our glory."

St. Padre Pio

A Prayer for Today

Father of love, source of all blessings, you have led me throughout my life, and you lead me still. Thank you for your paternal care. Jesus, Son of God, you died for me on the cross to pay for my sins and manifest your unconditional love for me. Thank you for showing me the way home to the Father. Holy Spirit, sweet guest of the soul, you heal me and strengthen me and set me on fire from the most intimate depths of my soul. Thank you for your loving presence within me.

NOVENA TO THE HOLY GHOST FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS

FOREWORD
The novena in honor of the Holy Ghost is the oldest of all
novenas since it was first made at the direction of Our Lord
Himself when He sent His apostles back to Jerusalem to await the
coming of the Holy Ghost on the first Pentecost. It is still the
only novena officially prescribed by the Church. Addressed to the
Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, it is a powerful plea for
the light and strength and love so sorely needed by every
Christian.


MANNER OF PRAYING THE NOVENA
Each day the meditation and prayer for the particular day is
said, followed by one (1) Our Father, one (1) Hail Mary and seven
(7) Glory be to the Fathers, the Act of Consecration and the
Prayer for the Seven Gifts.


ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY GHOST
On my knees before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses I
offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God. / I
adore the brightness of Your purity the unerring keenness of Your
justice and the might of Your love. You are the Strength / and
Light of my soul. In You I live and move and am. I desire never
to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my
heart! To be kept from the smallest sin against You. Mercifully
guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Your
light: and listen to Your voice and follow Your gracious
inspirations. I cling to You and give myself to You and ask You /
by Your compassion to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the
pierced Feet of Jesus and looking at His Five Wounds / and
trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and
stricken Heart / I implore You / Adorable Spirit I Helper of my
infirmity, so to keep me in Your grace that I may never sin
against You. Give me grace O Holy Ghost, Spirit of the Father and
the Son to say to You always and everywhere / "Speak Lord for
Your servant heareth." Amen.


PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY GHOST
O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise
to send the Holy Ghost to finish Your work in the souls of Your
Apostles and Disciples deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me
that He may perfect in my soul / the work of Your grace and Your
love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the
perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things
that are eternal the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind
with the light of Your divine truth / the Spirit on Counsel that
I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining
heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude, that I may bear my cross with
You I and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that
oppose my salvation the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God
find know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints
the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and
amiable / the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving
reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him.
Mark me, dear Lord with the sign of Your true disciples / and
animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.


FIRST DAY OF THE NOVENA
Holy Spirit! Lord of Light!
From Your clear celestial height,
Your pure beaming radiance give!


The Holy Ghost
Only one thing is important -- eternal salvation. Only one thing,
therefore, is to be feared -- sin. Sin is the result of
ignorance, weakness, and indifference The Holy Ghost is the
Spirit of Light, of Strength, and of Love. With His sevenfold
gifts He enlightens the mind, strengthens the will, and inflames
the heart with love of God. To ensure our salvation we ought to
invoke the Divine Spirit daily, for "The Spirit helpeth our
infirmity. We know not what we should pray for as we ought. But
the Spirit Himself asketh for us."


Prayer
Almighty and eternal God, Who hast vouchsafed to regenerate us by
water and the Holy Ghost, and hast given us forgiveness all sins,
vouchsafe to send forth from Heaven upon us your sevenfold
Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of
Counsel and Fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and Piety, and
fill us with the Spirit of Holy Fear. Amen.


[Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father 7 TIMES.
Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts]


SECOND DAY OF THE NOVENA
Come. Father of the poor.
Come treasures which endure
Come, Light of all that live!


The Gift of Holy Fear
The gift of Holy Fear fills us with a sovereign respect for God,
and makes us dread nothing so much as to offend Him by sin. It is
a fear that arises, not from the thought of Hell, but from
sentiments of reverence and filial submission to our heavenly
Father. It is the fear that is the beginning of wisdom, detaching
us from worldly pleasures that could in any way separate us from
God. "They that fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and in
His sight will sanctify their souls."


Prayer
Come, O blessed Spirit of Holy Fear, penetrate my inmost heart,
that I may set you, my Lord and God, before my face forever, help
me to shun all things that can offend You, and make me worthy to
appear before the pure eyes of Your Divine Majesty in Heaven,
where You live and reign in the unity of the ever Blessed
Trinity, God world without end. Amen.


(Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father 7 TIMES.
Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts)


THIRD DAY OF THE NOVENA
Thou, of all consolers best,
Visiting the troubled breast,
Dost refreshing peace bestow.


The Gift of Piety
The gift of Piety begets in our hearts a filial affection for God
as our most loving Father. It inspires us to love and respect for
His sake persons and things consecrated to Him, as well as those
who are vested with His authority, His Blessed Mother and the
Saints, the Church and its visible Head, our parents and
superiors, our country and its rulers. He who is filled with the
gift of Piety finds the practice of his religion, not a
burdensome duty, but a delightful service. Where there is love,
there is no labor.


Prayer
Come, O Blessed Spirit of Piety, possess my heart. Enkindle
therein such a love for God, that I may find satisfaction only in
His service, and for His sake lovingly submit to all legitimate
authority. Amen.


[Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father 7 TIMES.
Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts]


FOURTH DAY OF THE NOVENA
Thou in toil art comfort sweet,
Pleasant coolness in the heat,
solace in the midst of woe.


The Gift of Fortitude


By the gift of Fortitude the soul is strengthened against natural
fear, and supported to the end in the performance of duty.
Fortitude imparts to the will an impulse and energy which move it
to under take without hesitancy the most arduous tasks, to face
dangers, to trample under foot human respect, and to endure
without complaint the slow martyrdom of even lifelong
tribulation. "He that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be
saved."


Prayer
Come, O Blessed Spirit of Fortitude, uphold my soul in time of
trouble and adversity, sustain my efforts after holiness,
strengthen my weakness, give me courage against all the assaults
of my enemies, that I may never be overcome and separated from
Thee, my God and greatest Good. Amen.


[Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN
TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts]


FIFTH DAY OF THE NOVENA
Light immortal! Light Divine!
Visit Thou these hearts of Thine,
And our inmost being fill!


The Gift of Knowledge
The gift of Knowledge enables the soul to evaluate created things
at their true worth--in their relation to God. Knowledge unmasks
the pretense of creatures, reveals their emptiness, and points
out their only true purpose as instruments in the service of God.
It shows us the loving care of God even in adversity, and directs
us to glorify Him in every circumstance of life. Guided by its
light, we put first things first, and prize the friendship of God
beyond all else. "Knowledge is a fountain of life to him that
possesseth it."


Prayer
Come, O Blessed Spirit of Knowledge, and grant that I may
perceive the will of the Father; show me the nothingness of
earthly things, that I may realize their vanity and use them only
for Thy glory and my own salvation, looking ever beyond them to
Thee, and Thy eternal rewards. Amen.


[Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN
TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts]


SIXTH DAY
If Thou take Thy grace away,
nothing pure in man will stay,
All his good is turn'd to ill.


The Gift of Understanding
Understanding, as a gift of the Holy Ghost, helps us to grasp the
meaning of the truths of our holy religion BY faith we know them,
but by Understanding we learn to appreciate and relish them. It
enables us to penetrate the inner meaning of revealed truths and
through them to be quickened to newness of life. Our faith ceases
to be sterile and inactive, but inspires a mode of life that
bears eloquent testimony to the faith that is in us; we begin to
"walk worthy of God in all things pleasing, and increasing in the
knowledge of God."


Prayer
Come, O Spirit of Understanding, and enlighten our minds, that we
may know and believe all the mysteries of salvation; and may
merit at last to see the eternal light in Thy Light; and in the
light of glory to have a clear vision of Thee and the Father and
the Son. Amen.


[Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN
TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts]


SEVENTH DAY OF THE NOVENA
Heal our wounds--our strength renew;
On our dryness pour Thy dew,
Wash the stains of guilt away.


The Gift of Counsel
The gift of Counsel endows the soul with supernatural prudence,
enabling it to judge promptly and rightly what must done,
especially in difficult circumstances. Counsel applies the
principles furnished by Knowledge and Understanding to the
innumerable concrete cases that confront us in the course of our
daily duty as parents, teachers, public servants, and Christian
citizens. Counsel is supernatural common sense, a priceless
treasure in the quest of salvation. "Above all these things, pray
to the Most High, that He may direct thy way in truth."


Prayer
Come, O Spirit of Counsel, help and guide me in all my ways, that
I may always do Thy holy will. Incline my heart to that which is
good; turn it away from all that is evil, and direct me by the
straight path of Thy commandments to that goal of eternal life
for which I long.


[Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN
TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts]


EIGHTH DAY OF THE NOVENA
Bend the stubborn heart and will,
melt the frozen warm the chill.
Guide the steps that go astray!


The Gift of Wisdom
Embodying all the other gifts, as charity embraces all the other
virtues, Wisdom is the most perfect of the gifts. Of wisdom it is
written "all good things came to me with her, and innumerable
riches through her hands." It is the gift of Wisdom that
strengthens our faith, fortifies hope, perfects charity, and
promotes the practice of virtue in the highest degree. Wisdom
enlightens the mind to discern and relish things divine, in the
appreciation of which earthly joys lose their savor, whilst the
Cross of Christ yields a divine sweetness according to the words
of the Savior: "Take up thy cross and follow me, for my yoke is
sweet and my burden light.


Prayer
Come, O Spirit of Wisdom, and reveal to my soul the mysteries of
heavenly things, their exceeding greatness, power and beauty.
Teach me to love them above and beyond all the passing joys and
satisfactions of Earth. Help me to attain them and possess them
for ever. Amen.


[Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN
TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts]


NINTH DAY OF THE NOVENA
Thou, on those who evermore
Thee confess and Thee Adore,
in Thy sevenfold gift, Descend;
Give Them Comfort when they die;
Give them Life with Thee on high;
Give them joys which never end. Amen


The Fruits of the Holy Ghost
The gifts of the Holy Ghost perfect the supernatural virtues by
enabling us to practice them with greater docility to divine
inspiration. As we grow in the knowledge and love of God under
the direction of the Holy Ghost, our service becomes more sincere
and generous, the practice of virtue more perfect. Such acts of
virtue leave the heart filled with joy and consolation and are
known as Fruits of the Holy Ghost. These Fruits in turn render
the practice of virtue more attractive and become a powerful
incentive for still greater efforts in the service of God, to
serve Whom is to reign.


Prayer
Come, O Divine Spirit, fill my heart with Thy heavenly fruits,
Thy charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, faith,
mildness, and temperance, that I may never weary in the service
of God, but by continued faithful submission to Thy inspiration
may merit to be united eternally with Thee in the love of the
Father and the Son. Amen.

[Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN
TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts]


© 1912 Holy Ghost Fathers

Prayers for Today

Father of love, source of all blessings, you have led me throughout my life, and you lead me still. Thank you for your paternal care. Jesus, Son of God, you died for me on the cross to pay for my sins and manifest your unconditional love for me. Thank you for showing me the way home to the Father. Holy Spirit, sweet guest of the soul, you heal me and strengthen me and set me on fire from the most intimate depths of my soul. Thank you for your loving presence within me.
Jesus, help me to love your beatitudes and adopt them as my standard for life.


O Good Shepherd, True Bread,
O Jesus, have mercy on us:
feed us and protect us:
make us see good things
in the land of the living.

You who know all things
and can do all things
who feed us mortals here,
make us to be your guests there-
co-heirs and companions
of the heavenly citizens. Amen.

- Bone Pastor (from Lauda Sion, St. Thomas Aquinas

Papal Wisdom

When the Lord says, "Unless ye have eaten the flesh of the Son of Man, and drunk His blood, ye will not have life in you," you ought so to be partakers at the Holy Table, as to have no doubt whatever concerning the reality of Christ's Body and Blood.'
St. Leo I the Great, Sermon 91, A.D.461

'Among the weapons against the prince of this world, the most potent is... a frequent partaking of the Lord's Body.'
St. Gregory VII, Letter to Matilda of Uscany, Feb. 16, 1074

'The effect of this sacrament [the Eucharist] which He operates in the soul for him who takes it worthily is the union of man with Christ.'
Eugenius IV, Exultate Deo, Nov. 22, 1439

'In the most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist the body and blood together with the soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ are truly, really, and substantially present.'
Pius IV, Injunctum Nobis, Nov 13, 1564

'There is a difference between the food of the body and that of the soul, that whereas the form is changed into our substance, the latter changes us into its own.'
Leo XIII, Mira Caritatis, May 28, 1902

'By this Sacrament faith is fed, in it the mind finds its nourishment, the objections of the rationalists are brought to naught, and abundant light is thrown on the supernatural order.'
Leo XIII, Mira Caritatis, May 28, 1902

'The faithful, being united to God by means of the Sacrament, may thence derive strength to resist their sensual passions, to cleanse themselves from the stains of daily faults, and to avoid those grave sins to which human frailty is liable.
St. Pius X, Sacra Tridentina Synodus, Dec. 20, 1905

'In the profound vision which he had fo the Church as a society, Pope Pius X recognized that it was the Blessed Sacrament which had the power to nourish her initimate life substantially, and to elevate her high above all other human societies.'
Pius XIII, Quest' ore di fulgente, May 29, 1954

Corpus Christi Prayer

Corpus Christi, nourish me
For your body is food indeed
Bread of life.
Corpus Christi, flood my soul
Cleanse me of all sin,
In streams of mercy and love
Engulf me.
Corpus Christi,
Direct my steps
For Your way leads to truth -
There is no other.
Corpus Christi, live in me,
Animate me
That I might live always in You.

Amen.

Corpus Christi

A Little history in regards to Corpus Christi;


The Solemnity of Corpus Christi commemorates the institution of the  Holy Eucharist, paralleling Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday) commemorating Our Lord's institution of the Eucharist. Corpus Christ was introduced in the late 13th century to encourage the faithful  give special honor to the institution of the Holy Eucharist to the Blessed Sacrament.  The official title of this Solemnity was changed in 1970 to The Body and Blood of Christ (Latin: Sollemnitas Sanctissimi Corporis et Sanguinis Christi); and it is still on the Roman Missal’s official Calendar for the universal Church on Thursday after Trinity Sunday; however, where it is not a day of obligation (as in the United States) it is usually celebrated on the Sunday following Trinity Sunday.

Corpus Christi became a mandatory feast in the Roman Church in 1312. But nearly a century earlier, Saint Juliana of Mont Cornillon, promoted a feast to honor the Blessed Sacrament. From early age Juliana, who became an Augustinian nun in Liége, France, in 1206, had a great veneration for the Blessed Sacrament, and longed for a special feast in its honor. She had a vision of the Church under the appearance of the full moon having one dark spot, which signified the absence of such a solemnity. She made known her ideas to the Bishop of Liége, Robert de Thorete, to the Dominican Hugh who later became cardinal legate in the Netherlands, and to Jacques Panaléon, at the time Archdeacon of Liége and who later became Pope Urban IV. Bishop Robert de Thorete ordered that the feast be celebrated in his diocese.

Pope Urban IV later published the Bull Transiturus (September 8, 1264), in which, after having extolled the love of Our Savior as expressed in the Holy Eucharist, ordered the annual celebration of Corpus Christi on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday. More than four decades later, Pope Clement V published a new decree which embodied Urban IV's decree and ordered the adoption of the feast at the General Council of Vienna (1311). Pope John XXII, successor of Clement V, urged this observance.

The processions on Corpus Christi to honor the Holy Eucharist were not mentioned in the decrees, but had become a principal feature of the feast's celebration by the faithfl, and became a tradition throughout Europe. These processions were endowed with indulgences by Popes Martin V and Eugene IV.

(Principal source - Catholic Encyclopedia - 1913 edition, )

Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Reading 1
Ex 24:3-8

When Moses came to the people and related all the words and ordinances of the LORD, they all answered with one voice, "We will do everything that the LORD has told us."

  Moses then wrote down all the words of the LORD and, rising early the next day, he erected at the foot of the mountain an altar and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.

  Then, having sent certain young men of the Israelites to offer holocausts and sacrifice young bulls as peace offerings to the LORD, Moses took half of the blood and put it in large bowls;
the other half he splashed on the altar.

 Taking the book of the covenant, he read it aloud to the people, who answered, "All that the LORD has said, we will heed and do."

  Then he took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, saying, "This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words of his."


Psalm
Ps 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18

R. (13) I will take the cup of salvation,
and call on the name of the Lord.
 or:R. Alleluia.

How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.

R. I will take the cup of salvation,
and call on the name of the Lord.
or:R. Alleluia.

Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.

 R. I will take the cup of salvation,
and call on the name of the Lord.
or: R. Alleluia.

To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.

R. I will take the cup of salvation,
and call on the name of the Lord.
or:R. Alleluia.


Reading 2
Heb 9:11-15

Brothers and sisters: When Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come to be, passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation, he entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.

  For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of a heifer's ashes can sanctify those who are defiled so that their flesh is cleansed,how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God,cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God.

For this reason he is mediator of a new covenant: since a death has taken place for deliverance from transgressions under the first covenant, those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.


Gospel
Mk 14:12-16, 22-26

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,when they sacrificed the Passover lamb,Jesus' disciples said to him,"Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?"

  He sent two of his disciples and said to them,"Go into the city and a man will meet you, carrying a jar of water.

  Follow him. Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house,'The Teacher says, "Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?"'

  Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there."

 The disciples then went off, entered the city, and found it just as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

  While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said, "Take it; this is my body." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them,
and they all drank from it.

  He said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many.
Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."  Then, after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Morning Prayer

Father, grant that I may be
a bearer of Christ Jesus, your Son.
Allow me to warm
the often cold, impersonal scene
of modern life with your burning love.
Strengthen me by your Holy Spirit
to carry out my mission of changing the world
or some definite part of it for the better.
Despite my lamentable failures,
bring home to me that my advantages
are your blessings to be shared with others.
Make me more energetic in setting right
what I find wrong with the world
instead of complaining about it.
Nourish in me a practical desire
to build up rather than tear down,
to reconcile instead of polarize,
to go out on a limb rather than crave security.
Never let me forget
that it is far better to light one candle
than to curse the darkness,
and to join my light,
one day, with yours. Amen.

- Prayer of the Christophers

A Prayer for Today

Lord Jesus, I believe in you. I believe you have called me to the faith and to share that faith. I trust that you will fill me with your spirit of courage and truth, so that I might faithfully assimilate and transmit the faith. I love you. I want to love you more with my prayer and with my life, and so grow in the unity of the love you share with your Father and the Holy Spirit.

Lord Jesus, help me to understand better and adore this great mystery of the Holy Trinity.

The Most Holy Trinity

Book of Deuteronomy 4:32-34.39-40.

"Ask now of the days of old, before your time, ever since God created man upon the earth; ask from one end of the sky to the other: Did anything so great ever happen before? Was it ever heard of?

  Did a people ever hear the voice of God speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live?
Or did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, with his strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terrors, all of which the LORD, your God, did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?

  This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart, that the LORD is God in the heavens above and on earth below, and that there is no other.

  You must keep his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you today, that you and your children after you may prosper, and that you may have long life on the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you forever."


Psalms 33(32):4-5.6.9.18-19.20.22.

Upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made;
by the breath of his mouth all their host.
For he spoke, and it was made;
he commanded, and it stood forth.

But see, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.

Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield,
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.


Letter to the Romans 8:14-17.

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, "Abba, Father!"

  The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 28:16-20.

The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.

  Then Jesus approached and said to them, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

  Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."

June, the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

(This is taken from a Yahoo group I belong to)


The feast of the Sacred Heart is June 15 this year)

J.M.J.

DEVOTION TO THE SACRED HEART

This is a chapter from the book: The Prophets And Our Times by Fr. P.
Gerald Culleton; the first edition appeared in 1941.

CHAPTER IV
There is evidence that it was the will of Our Divine Lord that
Devotion to the Sacred Heart be reserved for the last ages of the
world, so that, in the last great struggle between Himself and Satan,
the souls that He loves so dearly may be drawn to Him with renewed
warmth, and thus strengthened against the final desperate attacks of
the enemy.

In the times preceding the end of the world, Satan and his cohorts
were to be loosed upon the earth in a mighty effort to draw as many
souls as possible away from God, before the power of Hell would be
remarkably restricted, if not completely broken. Satan's mission is
one of hate. God wins souls through love. Our Blessed Savior knew
that the hatred which would be rampant in those evil days could be
best conquered by a devotion which would inspire love and charity in
the hearts of men. It was to serve, as it were, as a magnet and a
bulwark of strength by giving men a clearer knowledge of God's deep
and abiding love and mercy. It would provide a harbor of peace and
security in those days of confusion and anguish, when men's souls
would be tried almost beyond endurance.

In all times of great distress or danger, God has provided men with
the means of conquering evil, as evidenced by the history of the
world, both before the time of Christ, but especially since the
Redemption. To mention just one of the instances of Divine
intervention when a special devotion was given to the world at a
crucial period, let us consider the Rosary. In the 13th century when
the Albigenses were preaching their vicious doctrines against
marriage, and the spread of this heresy seriously endangered the
morals of the people, St. Dominic began preaching against them. He
had but little success until Our Blessed Lady appeared to him and
told him to encourage devotion to the Rosary. This was done and the
heresy quickly disappeared.

St. Gertrude, in the 14th century, who often conversed with the
Beloved Disciple St. John, on one occasion asked him why he, who
loved our Blessed Lord so fervently, had never written anything about
the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He explained to her his mission
was to expound the Doctrine of the Incarnation and that as for the
Love of the Incarnate Word as exemplified by His Divine Heart, it was
reserved for the last ages to make it known, "so that the world,
carried away by follies, may regain a little of the warmth of early
Christian charity by learning of the love of the Sacred Heart."

It was on the feast of St. John the Evangelist, three centuries later
in 1647, that Our Lord appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and made
certain promises to those who had a special devotion to His Sacred
Heart, which promises were destined to become the means of salvation
to so many countless Christians. Regarding this vision, the Saint
explained, "I understand that this devotion to the Sacred Heart was a
last effort of His love towards Christians of these latter times, by
proposing to them an object and a means so calculated to persuade
them to love Him."

In 1815 Mother Maria Rafols wrote concerning her own visions at the
urgent insistence of Our Blessed Lord, in the hope that many, after
reading what He told her, would turn from their evil ways, and have
recourse to His Merciful Heart.

Much of what she has written is prophetic, and concerns itself, in
part, with the destiny of Spain. Referring to her own Mother House at
Saragoza, Spain, Mother Rafols wrote that the Sacred Heart would
perform such wonders there as to win many sinners away from their
corrupted lives. It is worthy of note that although the Communists
laid siege to the city of Saragoza, it was never captured, as
foretold by Mother Rafols.

Our Lord promised her that no matter what means men might invent to
destroy the faith in Spain, they would be unsuccessful and that He
would reign there until the end of time, because of the love of the
just and chaste souls who would always live in Spain. This prophecy,
only recently unearthed, must have been of great comfort to the good
Christians during the trying days of the Civil War.

So forgotten would be the Word of God in the days to come, that men
would even scandalize and pervert innocent children, and endeavor to
obliterate His Blessed Name from their memory. This was true in
Spain, and is true in many other countries today.

There would be such moral corruption, not only in Spain, but in the
entire world, that God would be forced to destroy entire cities,
should they fail to reform, after His call. This is already being
fulfilled and no doubt vastly greater destruction will befall the
world before God is appeased.

It was written that these things would be taking place when the
documents would be found. They were found in 1931. Our Lord further
told Mother Rafols that there is one thing that hurts His Sacred
Heart still more, and that is to be forgotten, offended and despised
by souls consecrated to Him. They sometimes forget how dearly He
loves His chosen ones, how eagerly He waits in the Tabernacle for
them to come to Him for inspiration and assistance in the great
mission of saving souls. He wants them to be humble and chaste, and
to practice true charity towards one another, and thus, avoid giving
scandal. He desires that His priests be living models of Himself and
that they propagate devotion to His Sacred Heart.

He wishes that all men have greater love for one another so that
there can be peace on earth, and greater love for Him. The Sacred
Heart was very sad because of the sacrileges men would commit on
account of their coldness toward Him. He said that many would not
only not heed the commands of Holy Mother Church, but would actually
persecute Her and seek to destroy Her.
Priests and religious would be treated with great disrespect.

He desires that men perform acts of satisfaction to forestall the
wrath of Divine Justice, and that the Feast of the Sacred Heart be
made a Holy Day of Obligation and that all the Faithful receive Holy
Communion on that day. (It is a Holy Day of Obligation in Spain.)

To those who devoutly wear the image of His Sacred Heart (i.e. a
Sacred Heart Badge ), He promised great graces and special protection
at the hour of their death . He said that in times to come, many souls
would propagate the devotion to His Sacred Heart.

Since these three holy women connect this devotion with the latter
days it seems significant that its spread is quite modern. It was not
extended to the entire world until 1856 by Blessed Pope Pius IX; the
whole human race was commended to the Sacred Heart by Leo XIII only
in 1899; and a special act of consecration was prescribed by Pope
Pius XI in 1929 to be recited throughout the entire world on the
Feast of Christ the King.

In conclusion we may note that the prayers ordered by Pope Leo XIII
to be said after Low Mass to "restrain" Satan are followed by the
threefold repetition of the ejaculation invoking the aid of the
Sacred Heart for this
purpose: "Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!"

PRAYER TO ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL
St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in the day of battle;
Be our safeguard against the
wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him,
we humble pray,
And do thou,
O prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God,
Cast into hell,
Satan and all the other evil spirits,
who prowl through the world,
seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.

Mary, Queen of All Saints,
pray for us!

(This powerful prayer of exorcism was composed by Pope Leo XIII; in a
vision, he had been shown the fearful battle to be waged between Satan
and St. Michael, over the Church of the future. Now, as never before,
the Church needs the intercession of St. Michael! Please say this
prayer every day.)


1)  Beautiful site on Sacred Heart devotion, the Eucharist, and selected prayers (Adore Christ for Peace)
http://acfp2000.com/Sacred_Heart/Sacred%20Heart.html

2)  Sacred Heart prayers (Sacred Heart Devotion)
www.sacredheartdevotion.com/shprayerpage.htm


3)  Enthronement of the Sacred Heart

www.catholictradition.org/Two-Hearts/enthronement.htm

A Prayer for Today

Jesus, joy of loving hearts,
Font of life and light of all,
From the best bliss that earth imparts,
we turn unfulfilled to you again.
Jesus, ever with us stay;
Make all our moments calm and bright;
Chase the dark night of sin away;
Shed over the world your holy light. Amen.

- Eleventh century Latin hymn