The Sign of the Cross ( meditative prayer )

As I bless myself with the sign of the cross, I clothe my soul with the Holy Wounds of Jesus Christ who died for my sins.The image of my soul which has been destroyed by sin receives restoration and protection from my Lord and Saviour.
Lord Jesus Christ imprint upon my soul Your most Holy Wounds, so that I may be purified from all my sinfulness, deliver me Lord from all evil.

In the name of the Father,
I bless my soul with the Holy Wounds of the Sacred Head of Jesus and the sufferings of His Holy Mind, so that I may always keep my soul in the Presence of God.

In the name of the Son,
I bless my soul with the Wounds of His Sacred Feet, so that I may always walk in the path of Salvation and proclaim the Word of God to others.

In the name of the Holy Spirit,
I bless my soul with the Wounds of His Sacred Hands, that I may always do the work of God.

Amen

Meditative prayer

(Read this narrative first,
then sit quiet, close your eyes and …)
Picture yourself
in a boat on the stormy waters.

Picture Jesus coming across
the wind tossed waves to you.

Picture yourself getting out
of the boat. "Do not be afraid".

Picture yourself
going out to meet Jesus.

Reach out for Jesus,
don’t sink as Peter did.

Trust Him. Hold on tight.
Don't let Him go.

Let Him take you back to the boat.

Then, Let Him take you to the Shore

And when you get to the shore…
Ask Jesus to take you somewhere.

Follow Him.

Go where He goes,
Wherever He leads. Amen

Twenty-First Week of Ordinary Time

On the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, we continue with John's Gospel and the Bread of Life discussion, with many of the disciples finding Jesus' call to be nourished on his body and blood as tough to swallow. And they leave him. Peter speaks for the others: "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."
This week, we can go from hearing these wonderful readings to listening to Jesus with our hearts. It is great to begin this week asking for the grace to reflect throughout the day on how we will enter "the narrow gate", by how we go about our day, interact with people, or return home from work. Then we can reflect on how we can humble ourselves and what that means for our day to day choices.
Today (Monday) is the Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle, with its own special readings, from Revelation and John's Gospel. Thursday is the Memorial of Saint Monica. On Friday we remember Monica's son Saint Augustine, bishop and doctor of the Church. Saturday is the Memorial of the Martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist, with the story of John's beheading, from Mark's Gospel.
We could ask for the grace to go deeper than the externals and rules and get to the heart of our faith - loving others with the same compassion and love that Jesus shows us.
We can begin each day praying

"Lord, help me humble myself today, put myself last in caring for my family, in doing my job with a more selfless sense of service.

Help me forgive people who aren't performing well or behaving well.

Help me see the way You give me life in this surrender, in this freedom to spend brief moments today in talking with You, friend-to-Friend, in heart-felt connection with You, for others."

Amen

Novena for the Feast of Saint Monica ( August 27 )

Join me in prayers for the Feast of Saint Monica , blessed and faithful mother of Saint Augustine .
Like all God's Saints Saint Monica is a christian mother "for all seasons."
Her advice and her powerful example as a mother and wife can be an inspiration , a true model for domestic peace and stability.
St.Monica's eighteen years of caring and crying, coupled with continual prayer, speak eloquently of her perseverance and trust in God's providence.
St. Monica did not plead for a miracle; she prayed and sacrificed for the conversion of her son.
Her prayers, disappointments, and tears were all means of drawing her closer to God. In her heroic efforts for her son's conversion, she herself became a saint.
St. Monica is honored as a model for virtuous Christian mothers. She is the patron saint of ecclesiastical societies of mothers, of women, and of all mothers. Since 1430 her relics have been venerated in the Arrouaise Augustine monastery in the city of Rome, in the Church of San Agostino. Her feast day is celebrated universally on 27 August.
Novena prayer for Saint Monica's Feast :

Exemplary Mother of the Great Augustine,You perserveringly pursued your wayward sonNot with wild threats But with prayerful cries to heaven.
Intercede for all mothers in our day So that they may learn To draw their children to God.
Teach them how to remain Close to their children, Even the prodigal sons and daughters Who have sadly gone astray.
Dear St Monica, troubled wife and mother, Many sorrows pierced your heartDuring your lifetime. Yet you never despaired or lost faith. With confidence, persistence and profound faith, You prayed daily for the conversionOf your beloved husband, Patricius And your beloved son, Augustine.
Grant me that same fortitude, Patience and trust in the Lord. Intercede for me, dear St. Monica, That God may favorably hear my plea For
(mention your petition here)
And grant me the grace To accept his will in all things, Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, In the unity of the Holy Spirit, One God forever and ever. Amen.

Novena for the Feast Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary ( August 22 )

According with the old Calendar: Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary .
August 22 is the Feast of The Immaculate Heart of Mary, Traditional Calendar and the Queenship of Mary, the New Calendar.
"The purpose of the Feast is that all may recognize more clearly and venerate more devoutly the merciful and motherly sovereignty of her who bore God in her womb" (Ven. Pius XII, Ad. Coeli Reginam).
On the day of her Assumption, Mary our Mother was solemnly crowned by Christ and received by the whole court of Heaven as Queen.
What Christ has done in Heaven and the Church has done on our behalf we should now do individually, that is, we should recognize Mary's Queenship, enthrone her in our homes, consecrate ourselves to her and, by this means, establish in our lives the reign of Mary Immaculate Queen of the Universe.
Let us faithfully pray
Novena to Mary, Queen of All Hearts

O Mary, Queen of All Hearts, Advocate of the most hopeless cases; Mother most pure, most compassionate; Mother of Divine Love, full of divine Light, we confide to your care the petitions which we humbly ask of you today.

Consider our misery, our tears, our interior trials and sufferings. We know that you can help us through the merits of your Divine Son, Jesus. We promise, if our prayers are heard, to spread your glory by making you known under the title of "Mary, Queen of All Hearts, Queen of the Universe."

Grant, we beseech you, hear our prayers, for every day you give us so many proofs of your love and intercession to heal both body and soul. We hope against all hope; ask Jesus to cure us, pardon us, and grant us final perseverance.

O Mary, Queen of All Hearts, help us; we have confidence in you.
O Mary, Queen of All Hearts, help us; we have confidence in you.
O Mary, Queen of All Hearts, help us; we have confidence in you.

~~ prayer taken from "Queen of All Hearts" May-June, 2005 magazine; published by Montfort Missionaries

Novena for the Assumption into Heaven of the Blessed Virgin Mary ( August 15 )

This wonderful summer feast is one of the oldest in Church history. The Feast of the Assumption, honouring Our Lady, was first celbrated in Palestine in the year 529. It was such a strong tradition in the Church, needing no confirmation, that it wasn't until November 1 1950 that Pope Pius XII declared the Assumption of Mary to be a dogma of the faith. From her place in heaven, she still watches over us, as she watched over Jesus as he grew. As our mother, she is always our refuge, our comfort and our hope. Through the communion of Saints, of which she is the Queen, we share the joy and glory of her Assumption.
Before Novena , we can pray a Prayer of Consecration :
In union with all mankind, in communion with the entire Church, and with our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, we address to you Heavenly Father, this supplication especially for everyone's country, through the heart and the hands of the Virgin Mary.
Father, send your Holy Spirit, so that each one of us might become an instrument of your peace,
From hunger and war, deliver us! From nuclear war, from incalculable self destruction, from every kind of war, deliver us!
From the sins against the life of man from its very beginning, deliver us!
From discouragement, from hatred and from the degradation of the dignity of the children of God, deliver us!
From every kind of injustice in the life of society, both national and international, deliver us!
From the readiness to trample on the Commandments of God, deliver us!
From the attempt to extinguish the very truth of God in human hearts, deliver us!
From the loss of consciousness of good and evil, deliver us!
From the sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us!

Now let us faithfully pray Novena before the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, Mother of God

Mary, Queen Assumed into Heaven, I rejoice that after years of heroic martyrdom on earth, you have at last been taken to the throne prepared for you in heaven by the Holy Trinity.
Lift my heart with you in the glory of your Assumption above the dreadful touch of sin and impurity.
Teach me how small Earth becomes when viewed from Heaven.
Make me realize that death is the triumphant Gate through which I shall pass to your Son, and that someday my body shall rejoin my soul in the unending bliss of Heaven.
From this Earth, over which I tread as a pilgrim, I look to you for help and I humbly ask for this prayer request : (Mention your request ).
When my hour of death has come, lead me safely to the presence of Jesus to enjoy the vision of my God for all eternity together with you. Amen

Mother of Christ and Mother of all peoples, we ask for your protection and your intercession.
Pray to your Son for us, to send the Holy Spirit in abundance, the Spirit of Truth who is the source of Life. Welcome the Spirit for us and with us as you did on the feast of Pentecost with the first disciples.
Mother you know and share our sufferings and hopes.
Today we entrust the whole world to you.
We pray for you to accompany us on our path.
Like John the Apostle, we wish to accept you into our homes, to learn from you how to resemble Jesus.
We entrust all our people to you, starting with those who are the weakest and who suffer the most: the unborn children, those whose life is menaced, those born in poverty, the young people searching for a sense to their life, the refugees, the unemployed, those tried by sickness, the families who are divided, elderly persons deprived of assistance and all those who are alone and without hope.
May the infinite saving power of Redemption rise up once more in the history of the world, the power of the Merciful Love of the Father!
May the Holy Spirit transform consciences!
May He heal our memories and purify our hearts. May the Lord always reign among us, He who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen

Novena for the Feast of Saint Maximillian Kolbe ( August 14 )

I'm starting the novena for the Feast of Saint Maximilian Kolbe , a true Martyr of Charity and blessed founder of Militia of the Immaculata .
The miracles in his life, his love for the Blessed Mother, and his militant love for Catholicism. His mission was to win the world for the Immaculata as quickly as possible. Life in Christ, the life of every Catholic, is found modeled in St. Max. A man who gave everything for our Lord, including his life. Faithful priest, apostle of the media, and martyr of charity, St. Max leads us into the coming times with the light and the passion of Jesus .
On 17 October 1971, Maximilian Kolbe was beatified. Like his master Jesus Christ he had loved his fellow-men to the point of sacrificing his life for them. "Greater love hath no man than this ..." and these were the opening words of the papal decree introducing the process of beatification. Fr Kolbe's canonisation was not long delayed. It was the Pope from Poland, John Paul II, who had the joy of declaring his compatriot a saint on 10 October 1982.St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us!
Let us pray :

O Lord Jesus Christ, who said, "greater love than this no man has that a man lay down his life for his friends," through the intercession of St. Maximilian Kolbe whose life illustrated such Love, we beseech you to grant us our petitions . . .
(here mention humbly the prayer request).
Through the Militia Immaculata movement, which Maximilian founded, he spread a fervent devotion to Our Lady throughout the world.
He gave up his life for a total stranger and loved his persecutors, giving us an example of unselfish love for all men - a Love that was inspired by true devotion to Mary.
Grant, O Lord Jesus, that we too may give ourselves entirely without reserve to the Love and service of our Heavenly Queen in order to better love and serve our fellowman in imitation of your humble servant, Saint Maximilian Kolbe .
Amen.

(In the end of Novena pray 3 Hail Marys and 3 Glory Be)

Prayer to Our Lady of Snows:



Mary, Mother of God, it is our Christian belief that all who fashion their lives in imitation of your Son, Jesus Christ, and have placed their hope in Him are gathered together in a communion of saints. Those who have gone before us live in intimate communion with Christ. You are the most eminent of them, for you were drawn into His life and being as no other. You who gave Him human life followed Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Mary, look at us. Look at all who are centered on your Son. At the present time some of his disciples are pilgrims on earth. Others have died and are being purified, while still others are in glory, contemplating 'in full light, God Himself Triune and One, exactly as He is. All of God's people hunger to be intimately one with Him.

Mary, we are the wayfarers and we hunger for this exchange of spiritual goods with you who were so intimately close to Jesus Christ. Your image, as protectress of the Roman people, reminds us that you invite us to center on Christ. Your arms embrace Jesus fully, effortlessly. Jesus, whose burden is light and yoke is easy, wishes to be as close to every individual as He is to you. You are both wayfarer and guide to us wayfarers on our pilgrimage of faith.

Teach us, Mary, to embrace Christ fully, to make Him our Way, our Truth, our Life. Teach us, Mary, to carry Christ to the world, and, each in our own way, to give Him birth in the hearts of many. Protect your people, Mary; protect your Church.
Through Jesus Christ Our Lord, Amen.

The 12 Year Prayers in the glory of 7 Times our Lord's Blood Sheeding

The 12 Year Prayers:
O Jesus, now I wish to pray the Lord's Prayer seven times in unity with the love with which You sanctified this prayer in Your Heart. Take it from my lips into Your Divine Sacred Heart. Improve and complete it so much that it brings as much honor and joy to the Trinity as You granted it on earth with this prayer. May these pour upon Your Holy Humanity in Glorification to Your Painful Wounds and the Precious Blood that You spilled from them.

First Prayer: The Circumcision
Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:

Eternal Father, through Mary's unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You the first wounds, the first pains, and the first Bloodshed as atonement for my and all of humanity's sins of Youth, as protection against the first mortal sin, especially for me and among my relatives.

Second Prayer: The Suffering on the Mount of Olives
Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:

Eternal Father, through Mary's unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You the terrifying suffering of Jesus' Heart on the Mount of Olives and every drop of His Bloody Sweat as atonement for my and all of humanity's sins of the Heart, as protection against such sins and for the spreading of Divine and brotherly Love.

Third Prayer: The Flogging
Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:

Eternal Father, through Mary's unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You the many thousands of Wounds, the gruesome Pains, and the Precious Blood of the Flogging as atonement for my and all of humanity's sins of the Flesh, as protection against such sins and the preservation of innocence, especially for me and among my relatives.

Fourth Prayer: The Crowning of Thorns
Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:

Eternal Father, through Mary's unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You the Wounds, the Pains, and the Precious Blood of Jesus' Holy Head from the Crowning with Thorns as atonement for my and all of humanity's sins of the Spirit, as protection against such sins and the spreading of Christ's kingdom here on earth.

Fifth Prayer: The Carrying of the Cross
Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:

Eternal Father, through Mary's unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You the Sufferings on the way of the Cross, especially His Holy Wound on His Shoulder and its Precious Blood as atonement for my and all of humanity's rebellion against the Cross, every grumbling against Your Holy Arrangements and all other sins of the Tongue, as protection against such sins and for true love of the Cross.

Sixth Prayer: The Crucifixion
Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:

Eternal Father, through Mary's unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You Your Son on the Cross, His Nailing and Raising, His Wounds on the Hands and Feet and the three streams of His Precious Blood that poured forth from these for us, His extreme tortures of the Body and Soul, His precious Death and its non-bleeding Renewal in all Holy Masses on earth as atonement for all wounds against vows and regulations within the Orders, as reparation for my and all of the world's sins, for the sick and the dying, for all holy priests and laymen, for the Holy Father's intentions toward the restoration of Christian families, for the strengthening of Faith, for our country and unity among all nations in Christ and His Church, as well as for the Diaspora.

Seventh Prayer: The Piercing of Jesus' Side
Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:

Eternal Father, accept as worthy, for the needs of the Holy Church and as atonement for the sins of all Mankind, the Precious Blood and Water which poured forth from the Wound of Jesus' Divine Heart. Be gracious and merciful toward us. Blood of Christ, the last precious content of His Holy Heart, wash me of all my and others' guilt of sin! Water from the Side of Christ, wash me clean of all punishments for sin and extinguish the flames of Purgatory for me and for all the Poor Souls. Amen.

Our Lord made these promises to anyone who recited/prayed these Prayers for 12 entire years:

1. The soul who prays them will suffer no Purgatory.
2. The soul who prays them will be accepted among the Martyrs as though he had spilled his blood for his faith.
3. The soul who prays them can choose three others whom Jesus will then keep in a state of grace sufficient to become holy.
4. No one in the four successive generations of the soul who prays them will be lost.
5. The soul who prays them will be made conscious of his death one month in advance.
** If the soul praying these prayers dies before the entire 12 years of prayers have been completed, the Lord will accept them as having been prayed in their entirety, because the intention of the soul was to complete them as directed.

If a day or a few days are missed due to a valid reason, they can be made up for later, at the soul's earliest opportunity

God Bless us today and forever , may He grant us the Real Presence in our lives

Prayers of the day

O My God, I beg of Thee in union with the Immaculate Heart of Mary, through the merits of the Precious Blood offered Thee in every Mass throughout the world, to grant that this day one mortal sin may be averted, one soul in doubt may be converted to the truth, one soul about to die in sin may receive the grace of repentance and a happy death, and the deliverance of that soul in Purgatory which is nearest Heaven. I wish by this offering to console the Heart of Jesus in agony for the souls lost through the teaching of error against the true Church of Christ, Jesus, Our Lord. Amen.

Heart of Jesus, once in agony, have mercy on the dying. Heart of Jesus, ever consumed with burning love for the poor captive souls in Purgatory, be not severe in Thy judgments, but let some drops of Thy Precious Blood fall upon them and send, O Merciful Savior, Thy Angels to conduct them to a place of light, refreshment, and peace. Amen.

Mother of Sorrows! Mother of Christ! Thou hadst influence with thy Divine Son when on earth, thou doth have the same influence now in Heaven, pray for me, obtain from thy Divine Son my request, if it be His Holy Will. Amen