Rosary Vs the Gates of hell, watch this video if you are not praying 15-decade Rosary!
The Rosary is the weapon that the devil cannot overcome. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em8sL4HM38A&t=322s
Hungarian Cardinal Péter Erdő – Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest – may be emerging as a front-runner to succeed Pope Francis. The canon law expert is fast becoming a contender to succeed the Holy Father as rumours mount about the latter’s health, even with a potential candidate from Asia emerging as a frontrunner as well. Filipino Cardinal Tagle would certainly align with the more liberal position taken by the current Pope. His appointment would also point to the changing demographics of the Church. A Hungarian Pope however would be enormously significant given the cultural Iron Curtain dividing a de-Christianised western Europe from a re-Christianising east. As John Gizzi – Chief Political Correspondent for Newsmax – recently pointed out, “talk of Erdő as a future Pope is nothing new.” Indeed, Cardinal Erdő was being talked about as early as 2013. But, as Gizzi wrote, one Vatican insider told Newsmax the current Pope “is not going to be around for long”, adding that “at the most, he will be there until December.” Meanwhile the source told Newsmax to closely “watch Cardinal Erdő … he is the one who [the College of Cardinals, who will elect the next Pope] are beginning to talk about.” So, who exactly is Cardinal Erdő? Cardinal Erdő is considered a traditionalist who respects the celebration of the Latin Mass. But Cardinal Erdő is also respected by liberals like the Holy Father, suggesting he could be a unifying force within the Church. Pope Francis has already appointed Cardinal Erdő as the “relator general” of the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. The Hungarian cardinal has also been vocal in his support for outreach to Orthodox Christians which may be significant given the huge numbers of Ukrainians currently in Hungary. But what Cardinal Erdő has said is perhaps less important than what his appointment would represent. Pope St. John Paul II was considered instrumental in the collapse of communism in central and eastern Europe. The Polish Pope’s election helped spark the peaceful end of communism in his native country, with his visit in 1979 being a major turning point. While it would be wrong to characterise Cardinal Erdő as aligned directly with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a man at the forefront of the culture clash within the EU, his past statements suggest some sympathies, while he is the leading Catholic in a country which is now 80 per cent Christian and very much on the conservative nationalist side of the great European cultural divide. Read More at Catholic Herald
During the early 15th century, there lived a holy Franciscan hermit named St. Francis of Paola who sought to live in prayer and solitude for the course of his life. He was inspired by the life of St. Francis and established a new branch of the Franciscan order called the Hermits of Saint Francis of Assisi. They were later renamed to the Minim Friars, representing their desire to be the smallest and least of the Franciscan family. Francis developed a deep contemplative life as a hermit and sought humility above all things. Yet, even though he did not want the attention of others, his holiness attracted a following, including Pope Sixtus IV, King Louis XI, and King Charles VIII. He was quickly known as a miracle-worker and was even credited with raising people (and animals) from the dead. One of the most popular stories from his life involves a time when he wanted to cross the Straits of Messina. The ferryman refused to take him when St. Francis declared that he had no money to pay him for his services. Francis then knelt down and prayed a blessing over the sea. After rising from prayer he began to walk over the sea as if he were on dry land. Read More with Aleteia
Say this prayer faithfully, no matter how you feel. When you come to the point where you sincerely mean each word with all your heart, Jesus will change your whole life in a very special way. You will see. Lord Jesus, I come before you, just as I am, I am sorry for my sins, I repent of my sins, please forgive me. In your Name, I forgive all others for what they have done against me. I renounce Satan, the evil spirits and all their works. I give you my entire self, Lord Jesus, now and forever. I invite you into my life, Jesus. I accept you as my Lord, God and Savior. Heal me, change me, strengthen me in body, soul, and spirit. Come Lord Jesus, cover me with your Precious Blood, and fill me with your Holy Spirit. I love you Lord Jesus. I praise you Jesus. I thank you Jesus. I shall follow you every day of my life. Amen. Mary, My Mother, Queen of Peace, St. Peregrine, the cancer saint, all the Angels and Saints, please help me. Amen. Prayer © 1993 Peter M. Rookey and Servite Fathers, O.S.M.
Reverence Revival Where has Catholic reverence gone? Those born after 1970 may find this question puzzling. Do we not use holy water when we enter church? During Mass we sit, kneel, and stand when required. Everyone is very friendly to one another. It seems perfectly fine. For others from an earlier era, though, something is wanting: a standard lost over fifty years ago, leaving in its place a void. This standard inspired one to ponder to whom this house really belonged when in church. It compelled one to focus on the presence of Jesus Christ in the tabernacle. It allowed one’s heart, mind, and soul to prepare for the great mystery in which we were to participate: the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. What is this standard that used to be taken for granted, but is rarely observed today? It is Catholic reverence. Reverence Defined What is reverence? Merriam-Webster defines reverence as: “Honor or respect felt or shown: DEFERENCE especially profound adoring, awed respect.” Catholic reverence was well known because it was unique among faiths. Why did Catholics demonstrate such respect not just during Mass but in an empty church? The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection; a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet “in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.” (CCC 1323) Reverence is based on Catholic belief in the Eucharist. The Catechism continues: The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch.” (CCC 1324) We were reverent because we believed in the perennial truth that the Eucharist is the real presence of Jesus Christ-body, blood, soul, and divinity-present in the tabernacle. The sanctuary lamp signifies His presence, as explained in the Roman Missal: “In accordance with traditional custom, near the tabernacle a special lamp, fueled by oil or wax, should be kept alight to indicate and honor the presence of Christ.” (Roman Missal 316) The late Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR, related that years ago there were many conversions because of the consistent reverence demonstrated by Catholics while in church. Only a conviction that one is in the presence of The Lord of the Universe could explain such unwavering respect. Our behavior and posture are clearly acts of faith, and signal to all the depths of our beliefs. Fading Devotion, Vanishing Reverence When did reverence vanish? It was incremental. As modernist ideas crept into the celebration of Mass during the last fifty years, reverence was chiseled away, one chip at a time. Changes beginning with the Mass of Paul VI (Novus Ordo Missae) were, at first, in accord with the documents of Vatican II. As time passed, various unauthorized liturgical abuses occurred, communicating to the faithful that reverence was passé. This is not a criticism of the Novus Ordo. When properly celebrated, it is beautiful and uplifting. One need only view EWTN’s daily Mass with its attention to the sacred, the devotion of the celebrants, the use of the vernacular and Latin as authorized by Vatican II, and the outstanding choir and sacred music to see reverence on display. Modernist Masses, however, were irreverent at best, illicit at worst: clown Masses, rock Masses, mime Masses, all against the rubrics that trivialized the Sacred Mass. Such deviations have all but disappeared by now. The current Roman Missal (Missale Romanum) promulgated by Pope Saint John Paul II in 2002, with the 2008 minor revisions of Pope Benedict XVI, incorporated numerous additional prayers, including those for recently canonized saints, plus the extended Vigil for Pentecost. (2023 LinkRM).1 Officially, the cleanup has been accomplished. In reality, reverence vanished, and the vacuum created by the course of experimentation was filled with irreverence and indifference; carelessness and comradery; disregard and disbelief. The sad reality is that baptized Catholics have lost faith: A Pew Research Center survey in 20192 reported that only one-third of U.S. Catholics believe in the Real Presence. Russell Shaw reported in The Catholic Thing3 that Sunday Mass attendance by American Catholics dropped from 54.9% in 1970 to 21.1% pre-pandemic, with the projection that it will bottom out soon to 12%. This and other shocking data contributed to the USCCB’s three-year Eucharistic Revival which began in 2022. While an inspired and necessary campaign, is it enough? Certainly, the Bishops gave great thought as to the reasons for the decline in belief and practice. Was the disappearance of reverence among them? Actions demonstrate our thoughts. Has there been an honest analysis of observable behavior during Mass today? Have current acceptable practices contributed to the decline of the Catholic Church in America today? In a civilized society, we treat those in authority respectfully: we are polite, dress appropriately, and are not rude by speaking out of turn. Why isn’t this observed in God’s house? In fact, we should approach the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with a profound awe. For more than fifty years, good manners, respect, and common sense in church have vanished. Some behaviors can be ignored as minor annoyances, but others directly strike at the heart of Catholic teaching about the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Restoring Reverence How do we restore the reverence that we so deeply desire? What follows is a critical evaluation of several areas where we have lost our sense of the reverent. There are specific areas to address directly, and evaluation…
“I opened my eyes and I could see perfectly,” said Jimena, a 16-year-old Spanish World Youth Day pilgrim who said she miraculously recovered her sight after receiving the Eucharist at Fátima, Portugal, during a Mass there. This possible miracle has moved hearts and filled with hope all those who have been following the events at WYD, which brought together more than a million young people in the Portuguese capital last week. Jimena traveled to Lisbon from Madrid with a group from Opus Dei. During the days prior, relatives and acquaintances of the young woman organized a novena to pray to Our Lady of the Snows, whose feast day is commemorated Aug. 5, the same day she recovered her sight. For two and a half years, Jimena has suffered a loss of sight due to a myopia problem that left her with a 95% vision loss. On the morning of Aug. 5, when the Holy Father was also praying the rosary at the Fátima shrine, Jimena received what she herself describes as a “great gift” from the Virgin Mary. Not long after having recovered her sight, Jimena told the Spanish radio station COPE that she woke up that morning “as I have been getting up for two and a half years, seeing super blurry, very badly.” She explained that she had gone to Mass with her friends “because we are at WYD and after receiving Communion I began to cry a lot, because it was the last day of the novena and I wanted to be cured and I had very much asked God please [cure me].” “When I opened my eyes, I could see perfectly,” the young woman continued, “it was overwhelming; very many thanks must be given for the miracle, because I saw the altar, the tabernacle, my girlfriends were there, and I could see them perfectly.” In addition, she said that she was able to read the novena prayer that she was praying and that she still reads “quite well” — she hadn’t forgotten at all how to read. The young woman said she is “super happy” and thanked all those who were part of the prayer group. “This has been a test of faith; the Virgin has given me a great gift that I will not forget,” she said. In an Aug. 6 statement to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, Cardinal Juan José Omella, the archbishop of Barcelona and president of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, referred to the possible miracle as “a grace from God” during the press conference at the end of WYD held at Eduardo VII park in Lisbon. The cardinal said he was able to speak with Jimena on a video call and that she explained what happened in a natural and unaffected manner. “The girl was very excited; she had been blind for a while and she had been learning the Braille method for two or three years,” he said. The prelate also noted that Jimena “had to read the prayer of thanksgiving at Mass that day with the Madrid group” and that, after receiving Communion, she was able to read it without any problem. The young woman also told the cardinal that they had been praying for “nine days asking the Virgin for her healing.” Read more…