December 27, 2024

Devotions

This is what pleases Jesus best, according to St. Faustina

Mother & Refuge03 mins

hose who do not pray to Jesus in his Passion,” wrote the poet priest Gerard Manley Hopkins, “pray to God, but scarcely to Christ.” We pray with passion when we meditate on the Lord’s Passion.  How crucial to keep the cross at the center of our prayer. St. Leo the Great assures us that “through the cross the faithful receive strength from weakness, glory from dishonor, life from death.” In her Diary, St. Faustina relates:  Jesus told me that I please him best by meditating on his sorrowful Passion, and by such meditation much light falls upon my soul. He who wants to learn true humility should reflect upon the Passion of Jesus. When I meditate upon the Passion of Jesus, I get a clear understanding of many things I could not comprehend before. We can approach Christ’s Passion in prayer with hope and great peace. In the words of Joseph Ratzinger, “What looks down at us from the cross is a goodness that enables a new beginning in the midst of life’s horror.” And St. John Paul II adds, “The cross is like a touch of eternal love upon the most painful wounds of man’s earthly existence.” One practical way to meditate on the Lord’s Passion is to pray before a crucifix, for “the human heart is converted by looking upon him whom our sins have pierced” (CCC 1432). The Imitation of Christ tells us, “If you do not know how to meditate on heavenly things, direct your thoughts to Christ’s Passion and willingly behold his sacred wounds.” Also, of course, is prayerfully meditating on the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary.   Read more…

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The Blessed Ulma family Bible had 3 verses underlined

Mother & Refuge04 mins

By Aleteia While the universal Church is just now getting to know the Ulma family — and finding ourselves in awe at their testimony and what this family means for the Church everywhere — in their hometown of Markowa, they’ve been well known for decades. They were known and loved by their neighbors even before their tragic deaths, and have since become known further. Locals call them the Good Samaritans of Markowa. In an extensive interview at Our Sunday Visitor with the postulator of their beatification cause, we learn that the family Bible of the Ulmas had just a few verses underlined. Father Witold Burda explained to OSV: There are two [two sections; technically three verses, editor’s note] underlined verses in the Bible found in their home, and they’re under the title of the parable of the Good Samaritan. It is necessary to speak out about it and even more so about the fact that there is the word “yes” added in pencil next to it. We want to live this way. “Yes”   What are those verses, underlined by either the father, Jozef, or the mother, Wiktoria, of the family?   [Update: Aleteia has been made aware of some slight variance in the reports about what is underlined in the family Bible. In the preface to the book Martyred and Blessed Together: The Extraordinary Story of the Ulma Family, the postulator reports: First, “For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?” from chapter 5 of Matthew’s Gospel, the famous Sermon on the Mount, which states the duties of a Christian. Second, the title of chapter 10 of the Gospel of Luke is underlined in red:“The Good Samaritan.” And next to it is a note with a single word: “Yes.”  A previous report was that the following verses are underlined:] “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Lk 10:27, quoting Deuteronomy 6) and “A Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion when he saw him: He went up to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He then lifted him onto his own mount and took him to an inn and looked after him” (Lk 10:33-34). Read more…

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A smiling Argentine nun on her way to canonization

Mother & Refuge02 mins

By Aleteia In 2016 social media was ablaze with the pictures of a smiling nun, with the caption that the nun was near the moment of death. While the picture was not taken at the moment of her death, it was a picture of a joyous and smiling nun who embraced her suffering. Sister Cecilia, a Carmelite of Santa Fe in Argentina, was suffering from lung cancer in 2016 and died on June 23 at the age of 43. At the time Aleteia was able to obtain an interview with the Carmelites and related more information about Sister Cecilia. Despite her illness, she did not lose her joy, which was sustained by the support of her numerous family members, who remained close by. Joyful nieces and nephews congregated in the gardens outside the hospital where she was admitted for some weeks, sending her messages and helium balloons to distract and entertain her from the window. Those who saw her spoke of her face as showing peace and joy — as someone awaiting the encounter with the One to whom she had given her life, Our Lord Jesus Christ. On the road to canonization According to the Catholic News Agency, “The archbishop of Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz in Argentina, Sergio Fenoy, signed the edict that begins the process prior to the opening of the cause of canonization of Sister Cecilia María of the Holy Face.” Read more…

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15 Secret Tortures of Our Lord|With Meditative Images

Mother & Refuge44 mins

15 Secret Tortures of Our Lord  (Each torture pray 1 Our Father,1 Hail Mary,1 Glory be) The consequent revelation was presented to Pope Clement II (1730-1740), who gave his imprimatur for public release. There are two official translations into English:”My tormentors considered Me as the most wretched man living on earth, that is why:”(1) They fastened My legs with rope and dragged Me over the stepping stones of the staircase, down into the filthy, nauseating cellar;  “(2) They took off My clothing and stung My body with iron joints; “(3) They attached a rope around My body and dragged Me on the floor, and then threw Me from wall to wall; “(4) They hung Me on a wooden beam with a loose knot from which I slipped and fell to the ground. Overwhelmed by this torture, I wept tears of blood. “(4) They hung Me on a wooden beam with a loose knot from which I slipped and fell to the ground. Overwhelmed by this torture, I wept tears of blood. “(5) They tied Me to a post and pierced My body with various tools and weapons; “(6) They struck Me with stones and burnt Me with blazing embers and torches; “(7) They pierced Me with awls; sharp spears tore My skin, flesh and arteries out of My body; “(8) They tied Me to a post and made Me stand barefoot on a heated metal sheet; “(9) They crowned Me with an iron crown and wrapped My eyes with the dirtiest possible rags; “(10) They sat Me on a chair with pointed nails, causing deep wounds in My body; “(11) They poured on My wounds molten lead and tar, and after this torture pressed Me again on the nailed chair, so that the nails went deeper and deeper into My flesh; “(12) To shame and torment Me, they drove needles into the holes of My uprooted beard; “(13) They threw on Me a cross and tied Me so tightly that I could hardly breathe; “(14) When I fell to the ground, they stomped on My head. One of them stepped on My chest, then took a thorn from My crown and drove it into My tongue; “(15) They poured into My mouth the most immodest excretions, as they uttered the most infamous expressions about Me. Then they tied My hands behind My back and led Me out of jail with strikes and blows.”

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Prayer to Our Lady of Knock for children in the womb

Mother & Refuge02 mins

Lord Jesus, you are the source and lover of life.Reawaken in us respect for every human life. Help us to see in each child the marvelous work of our Creator.Open our hearts to welcome every childas a unique and wonderful gift. Guide the work of doctors, nurses and midwives.May the life of a mother and her baby in the wombbe equally cherished and respected. Help those who make our laws to upholdthe uniqueness and sacredness of every human life,from the first moment of conception to natural death. Give us wisdom and generosity to build a society that cares for all.  Together with Mary, your Mother, in whose womb you took on our human nature,Help us to choose life in every decision we take. We ask this in the joyful hope of eternal life with you,and in the communion of the Blessed Trinity. Amen. Our Lady of Knock, pray for us.All the Saints of Ireland, pray for us.

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