November 19, 2024

Devotions

Novena of Confidence to the Sacred Heart

Mother & Refuge02 mins

O Lord Jesus Christ, To your most Sacred Heart, I confide this/these intention: (mention your intention) Only look upon me, And then do What your Sacred Heart inspires. Let your Sacred Heart decide I count on it, I trust in it I throw myself on Your mercy, Lord Jesus! You will not fail me. Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in You. Sacred Heart of Jesus, I believe in Your love for me. Sacred Heart of Jesus, Your Kingdom come. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I have asked you for many favors, But I earnestly implore this one. Take it. Place it in Your open, broken Heart; And, when the Eternal Father looks upon It, Covered with Your Precious Blood, He will not refuse it. It will be no longer my prayer, But Yours, O Jesus. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You. Let me not be disappointed. Amen.

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Couldn’t you watch with me one hour? How to Pray a Holy Hour, a Minute-by-Minute Guide

Mother & Refuge07 mins

To pray a holy hour, all you need is a tabernacle with a lit sanctuary lamp, a Bible, and perhaps a Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (available online). Three Rules 1.  Be Silent. Don’t rattle prayers or silently review stresses. Be still exteriorly and interiorly. 2.  Be Attentive. It’s not simply a reading hour — reading should be an entry-point to prayer. 3.  Be Alert. Sit, stand, or kneel respectfully. Quick tip: If you get sleepy, stand up! Minute-by-Minute There is no one way to pray a holy hour. The following might help if you get lost in the hour, but feel free to reconfigure it to suit your needs. :00-:05 – Begin First 5 Minutes: Ask the Holy Spirit to help you, then make acts of faith, hope and charity. Tell God how you believe, trust and love him. Ask for more faith, hope and love. Quick tip: There are great prayers to the Holy Spirit and Acts of Faith, Hope and Love in the Compendium. :05-:15 – Adoration Next 10 Minutes: Adore God. He holds the universe like a seed in the palm of his hand. He is all powerful, all good, more beautiful than we can imagine, and more real than the small things that we grasp so easily. Imagine Christ sitting with you. Tell him: “Oh my God, I adore your divine greatness from the depths of my littleness; you are so great, and I am so small.” or “Glory be …” Repeat as long as necessary. Quick Tip: Try the Te Deum in the Compendium. Scriptural helps for adoration—Exodus 33:18-23; Song of Songs 2:8-17;  Matthew 2:1-11; John 1:1-18;  Colossians 1:15-20; Philippians, 2:6-11. :15-:25 – Contrition Next 10 Minutes: Offer reparation. It’s not your love for God, but his for you that saves. Examine your conscience. Offer reparation for the sins of the world. Pray: “Oh my Jesus, I am so sorry. Forgive me.” (Imagine Jesus on the cross; kiss each wound.) Quick tip: Scriptures for contrition—1Corinthians 13:4-7; Colossians 3:5-10; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; James 3:2-12; 1 John 1:5-2:6; Penitential Psalms: 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 142. :25-:40 – Meditation Next 15 Minutes: Contemplate God’s action. You may wish to meditatively pray the Stations of the Cross or a Rosary. Or: Scriptural meditation. Read a brief Gospel passage. Imagine the scene. Notice Christ’s reactions. Think of three ways the passage applies to your own life. Meditate on each line. Doctrinal meditation. Read Scripture or Catechism passages that apply to a doctrine of the Church. Appreciate God’s plan and find ways it applies to you. (Perhaps: Sun, Resurrection; Mon, Incarnation; Tues, Mercy/con­fession; Wed, Holy Spirit; Thurs, Eucharist; Fri, Passion; Sat., Mary). Life meditation. Or, deepening your examination of conscience, look at your own life. Which kind of pride do you most fall into? Selfishness (valuing yourself most), Vanity (valuing others opinions most), Sensuality (valuing comforts most). Pray for the opposite virtues: Charity (serving others first), Fidelity (putting Christ’s opinion first), Discipline (accepting your crosses). :40-:50 – Thanksgiving Next 10 Minutes: Express gratitude for all God’s gifts. He didn’t just create you, he sustains your existence out of love in every moment. Thank him for literally everything, and be specific: food, shelter, clothing, health, family, friends, teachers, coworkers, home, and most of all spiritual gifts — faith, hope, love, this time of prayer, the Catholic faith, the disciples who reached you. Thank God for answers to prayer. Thank him for crosses. Thank him for creating you and caring so much for you that he died for you. Quick tip: Scriptures for thanksgiving – Genesis 1; Genesis 8:15-22; Job 1:13-22; Daniel 3:46 ff.; Matthew 6:25-34; Luke 17:11-19; Psalms: 8, 65, 66, 100, 111. :50-:55 – Petition God Next 5 Minutes: Ask God for what you and others need. He is the king of the universe. He’s in control, even when it isn’t obvious. Pray for: The Church, the pope’s intentions, for those who are suffering, for priests and bishops, for religious, for vocations, for your country, your family, for what you need most in the spiritual life. Pray for peace and the protection of the institution of the family. Pray for those who have asked for prayers. :55-1:00 Final 5 Minutes: Make a resolution to act on a light of the Holy Spirit you received: something doable and checkable. Read more…

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St. Thérèse’s prophetic words to St. Faustina in a dream?

Mother & Refuge02 mins

St. Faustina had a difficult time when she was a novice, experiencing both interior and exterior forms of suffering. She prayed to a variety of saints for help, but did not receive any consolation. Then she prayed to St. Thérèse of Lisieux and her novena was very successful. The dream St. Faustina was a novice in the 1920s, and St. Thérèse was canonized in 1925, but St. Faustina knew of her and her autobiography even before she entered the convent. She also likely heard many of the favors that St. Thérèse was known for and decided to pray a novena to the Little Flower in hopes that she would intercede for her before God. St. Faustina writes about the dream in her Diary, explaining how she saw St. Thérèse on the fifth day of her novena: On the fifth day of the novena, I dreamed of St. Thérèse, but it was as if she were stillliving on earth. She hid from me the fact that she was a saint and began to comfort me,saying that I should not be worried about this matter, but should trust more in God. Shesaid, “I suffered greatly, too,” but I did not quite believe her and said, “It seems to me thatyou have not suffered at all.” Read more…

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PRAYER FOR THE POOR SOULS

Mother & Refuge02 mins

By, St. Alphonsus Marie Liguori O most sweet Jesus, through the bloody sweat which Thou didst suffer in the Garden of Gethsemane, have mercy on these Blessed Souls. Have mercy on them.R. Have mercy on them, O Lord. O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer during Thy most cruel scourging, have mercy on them.R. Have mercy on them, O Lord. O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy most painful crowning with thorns, have mercy on them.R. Have mercy on them, O Lord. O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in carrying Thy cross to Calvary, have mercy on them.R. Have mercy on them, O Lord. O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer during Thy most cruel Crucifixion, have mercy on them.R. Have mercy on them, O Lord. O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy most bitter agony on the Cross, have mercy on them.R. Have mercy on them, O Lord. O most sweet Jesus, through the immense pain which Thou didst suffer in breathing forth Thy Blessed Soul, have mercy on them.R. Have mercy on them, O Lord. Amen.  

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Powerful Prayer to St Peregrine for Cancer Patients

Mother & Refuge05 mins

Are you suffering from cancer? Or do you know someone who is? These prayers to St. Peregrine can give you hope! This first one is for those afflicted with this deadly disease: St. Peregrine, whom Holy Mother Church has declared Patron of those suffering from Cancer, I confidently turn to you for help in my present sickness. I beg your kind intercession. Ask God to relieve me of this sickness, if it be his Holy Will. Plead with the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Sorrows, whom you loved so tenderly and in union with whom you have suffered the pains of Cancer, that she may help me with her powerful prayers and loving consolation. But if it should be God’s Holy Will that I bear this sickness, obtain for me courage and strength to accept these trials from the loving hand of God with patience and resignation, because he knows what is best for the salvation of my soul. St. Peregrine, be my friend and patron. Help me to imitate you in accepting suffering, and to unite myself with Jesus Crucified and the Mother of Sorrows, as you did. I offer my pains to God with all the love of my heart, for his glory and the salvation of souls, especially my own. Amen. The second of these prayers to St. Peregrine is for others’ intentions. O great St. Peregrine, you have been called “The Mighty,” “The Wonder-Worker,” because of the numerous miracles which you have obtained from God for those who have had recourse to you. For so many years you bore in your own flesh this cancerous disease that destroys the very fiber of our being, and who had recourse to the source of all grace when the power of man could do no more. You were favored with the vision of Jesus coming down from His Cross to heal your affliction. Ask of God and Our Lady, the cure of the sick whom we entrust to you. (Pause here and silently recall the names of the sick for whom you are praying) Aided in this way by your powerful intercession, we shall sing to God, now and for all eternity, a song of gratitude for His great goodness and mercy. Amen. St. Peregrine is known as the patron saint of cancer patients, AIDS victims and others suffering from serious illnesses. These two prayers give us an intriguing glimpse into his life’s story. Peregrine Laziosi was born in 1260 in Forli, Italy to a wealthy family. Although he was a member of an anti-papal party as a young man, he experienced a profound change of heart, much like St. Paul’s conversion in its intensity. He and some companions showed up one day to heckle and otherwise abuse St. Philip Benizi, the Prior General of the Servants of Mary, who was preaching in Forli. Peregrine went so far as to strike him in the face! St. Philip, seemingly following our Lord’s advice in scripture (Matt 5:39, Luke 6:29), offered his other cheek in response. Read more…

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