November 14, 2024

Meditations

St. Michael’s Lent: A Guide to Prayer and Devotion During St. Michael’s Lent

Mother & Refuge09 mins

Introduction St. Michael’s Lent is a lesser-known but deeply spiritual tradition within the Catholic Church, observed from August 15th (the Feast of the Assumption) to September 29th (the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel). This 40-day period of prayer, fasting, and penance is modeled after the more widely known Lenten season leading up to Easter. It provides an opportunity for Catholics to deepen their spiritual lives, seek the intercession of St. Michael the Archangel, and prepare themselves for the spiritual battles they may face. Origins of St. Michael’s Lent St. Michael’s Lent is believed to have originated with St. Francis of Assisi, who had a profound devotion to St. Michael the Archangel. St. Francis would retreat to Mount La Verna during this time, fasting and praying in solitude. He sought to imitate Christ and prepare himself for greater spiritual challenges. This tradition gradually spread and became a way for the faithful to honor St. Michael and seek his protection. How to Participate in St. Michael’s Lent Participating in St. Michael’s Lent is a powerful way to grow in faith, resist temptation, and draw closer to God. Here’s how you can observe this holy season: 1. Prayer Prayer is the cornerstone of St. Michael’s Lent. Begin each day with a prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, asking for his protection and guidance. You can use the traditional prayer or one of the following: Traditional Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen. Morning Offering for St. Michael’s Lent Heavenly Father, as I begin this day of St. Michael’s Lent, I offer You my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings. I ask for the intercession of St. Michael the Archangel, that he may protect me from all evil and guide me on the path of righteousness. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Prayer of Protection St. Michael, mighty warrior of God, protect me this day. Shield me from the temptations of the enemy, and strengthen my resolve to follow Christ faithfully. In your powerful name, I pray. Amen. 2. Fasting and Abstinence Like the Lenten season before Easter, St. Michael’s Lent encourages fasting and abstinence as a means of penance and spiritual discipline. You may choose to fast from certain foods, such as meat or sweets, or abstain from particular activities that distract you from your spiritual goals. The key is to make a sacrifice that is meaningful and challenging for you. Example of a Fasting Resolution “During St. Michael’s Lent, I will fast from [specific food or activity] on Wednesdays and Fridays, offering my sacrifice for the purification of my soul and the protection of the Church.” 3. Penance and Almsgiving Use this period to perform acts of penance and charity. Confession is an important part of this, allowing you to cleanse your soul and receive God’s grace. Additionally, consider giving to the poor or supporting a charity that aligns with your faith. Prayer Before Confession Lord, grant me the grace to see my sins clearly and the courage to confess them sincerely. Through the intercession of St. Michael, may I be cleansed of all unrighteousness and made worthy to stand in Your presence. Amen. 4. Spiritual Reading and Reflection Enhance your spiritual life by reading the Scriptures, the lives of the saints, or other Catholic spiritual works. Reflect on the themes of spiritual warfare, the power of angels, and the role of St. Michael in defending the Church. Suggested Reading: “The Life of St. Michael the Archangel” by Anne Catherine Emmerich “The Screwtape Letters” by C.S. Lewis (focuses on spiritual warfare) Daily Bible reading, especially passages related to angels and spiritual battle 5. Daily Examination of Conscience Each evening, take a few moments to reflect on your day. Consider your thoughts, words, and actions. Have you been faithful to your Lenten commitments? Where have you succeeded, and where have you fallen short? End with an Act of Contrition. Act of Contrition O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You. I detest all my sins because of Your just punishments, but most of all because they offend You, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin. Amen. 6. Attend Mass Regularly If possible, attend daily Mass during St. Michael’s Lent. The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith, and receiving Christ’s Body and Blood strengthens us in our spiritual battles. Conclusion St. Michael’s Lent is a beautiful opportunity to renew your commitment to God, strengthen your spiritual life, and seek the powerful intercession of St. Michael the Archangel. By dedicating yourself to prayer, fasting, penance, and spiritual reflection, you can prepare your soul for the challenges ahead and grow in holiness. May St. Michael defend you in battle and lead you ever closer to Christ. Amen.

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50 Messages of the Little Mexican Girl! The Servant of the Sacred Hearts

Mother & Refuge0105 mins

Powered By EmbedPress 1- 10 2016 1) The way the lord is going to speak to us on the day of the warninggiven on July 29, 2016 at 8:30 pm.The Lord is going to speak to us through the light of heaven.Referring to lightning in the sky when it rains,when the sky lights up He is going to tell us our sinsthe little girl said, this is the way it has to be so that we realize how much He loves us2) How we should prepare ourselves in our actionsSunday August 14, 2016 three o’clock in the afternoonwe have to live in the truth, and leave the lies behind to obtain the love of God invite mother Mary to praise Jesus, that way we can activate true love3) What it is to live in the divine will?saturday, september 3, 2016 at a catholic retreat in the northern side of mexicoWho wants to live the divine will?on earth as it is in heaven? it is the our father say it this way our father who art in heaven the little girl prayed it with much love and at the end she said take refuge in the heart of Jesus.4) The deception of the enemy to prevent us from preparing for the warning given on Thursday, September 8, 2016 during Holy Mass at 6 o’clock pmThe little one says… I am angry with the serpent because it is a liar.A liar. It says that Jesus is not coming. We have to step on it’s head, like mama Mary because we are her children. The light is coming, there we will see our sins, in our mind and we have togo and confess them, in order to have God’s forgiveness.5) How to be filled with divine Love given on Wednesday, September 14, 2016 at 11:00 pm while praying the Holy RosaryAt night praying the Holy Rosary the girl said… you must let Jesus touch your heart, that wayHe will come in, He will come in and resurrect in you, so that you can have the love of God.6) Those who will believe and those who will not believe in the warningOctober 6th, 2016the little girl says… The time is almost here, when we will see the light of heaven. We will ALL see our sins, we will see it in our hearts but not all will believe, many will make fun of Jesus on the cross and others will believe and love Jesus even more, and we will be able to go toheaven. Jesus told me so and mother Mary7) How to save familiesgiven on Thursday, October 13, 2016The girl affirms that many fathers and mothers are going to die with their children.We must pray the Holy Rosary with our families for the forgiveness of sins.This causes me much pain8) What will happen after the warninggiven on tuesday, november 8th, 2016 at 2:30 in the afternoonThe little girl said… I drew the planet. There are the good guys and there are bad guys.The bad ones are going to make fun of us and tell us that we have no sins.Because of the Virgin everyone will humble themselves9) The angels who will guide the soulsgiven to the little girl on Tuesday, November 15, 2016she said not to be afraid of the guardian angels when they come10) Jesus speaks in heaven received on Thursday, December 22, 2016 at six o’clock in the evening the little girl is looking up to heaven and says…Little by little the crown of Jesus is forming. When you are able to see Him, He will have his crown of thorns and His Mother Mary will be right next to HimJesus speaks to me in heaven 11- 24 2017message number 11 what is going to happen when the planet comesgiven on the first of January, 2017 at 3 in the afternoonThe girl says “The time is getting closer, the planet will come, there will be a time when we won’t be able to go outside, we will just have to stay inside. We are going to see the sins, our sins.It was raining, the Water falls, it was like holy water from God,, the time is approaching.message number 12– Jesus will arrive as king of kings, He will take away our sins given on Sunday, March 26, 2017 God created life on earth so that we would always be united, and this, what God has given us isforever. God is always with us. He will arrive as king of kings, that is why it is necessary that we see our sins. There are sooo many sins. Sons and daughters who hit their mothers and mothers who hit their children and dads who beat the moms and moms who beat the dads… brothers against brothers The priests fight with each other, But even so, they continue confessing because Jesus is there in them. Babies are not born, men kill the babies in the moms tummies, babies that were goingto be born. What a grave sin! Jesus and mother Mary cry for them, for those who do not have God in their heart. Man’s sin is that he allows himself to be deceived by the enemymessage number 13-This is how the cities will lookThursday, March 30, 2017The girl says “Jesus came and took me to a city where there was no one. It was like a big desert, the houses were messy, destroyed,He told me, my little girl, don’t be afraid,And then He said I will take you to Heaven where Mother Mary is at, together with all the saints I cried with joy when I saw her, I hugged her and I was no longer afraid, I did not want to come back home, I wanted to stay there because it is very beautiful, there is so much peace and lots of lovemessage number 14-God knows the timeGiven on Sunday April second, 2017 God knows the time, there is one, two, three, four, five, six, seven eight, left the lord knows…

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The Road to Easter | Guide From Benedictine Daughters of Divine Will

Mother & Refuge02 mins

  We’ve heard it said that the forty days of fasting during Lent are meant to prepare us for the fifty days of feasting during the Easter season.  At the surface, this seems to simply imply that we deprive ourselves so that we can eventually indulge.  But the exact opposite is actually true.  We deprive ourselves, we enter into a greater acknowledgement of our littleness, and we open ourselves to a deeper conversion of heart not to fall back into our old ways, but to enjoy the glorious freedom of the children of God.  We are called to live the redemption Christ won for us to the fullest!  As St. Paul says, it is “for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Gal 5:1).  This is not a freedom to indulge ourselves, but a freedom to choose the good and to love.  It is a freedom to become a gift to God and our neighbor.  It is the freedom we need to give the Divine Will free reign in our lives.  Powered By EmbedPress

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The Prophecy of St. Nilus about Our Days

Mother & Refuge06 mins

Realizing that St. Nilus is scarcely known to a large part of the Church, a brief sketch of his life, taken from the Catholic Encyclopedia (1911 copyright edition), is related below: St. Nilus was one of the many disciples and fervent defenders of St. John Chrysostom. He was an officer at the Court of Constantinople, married, with two sons. While St. John Chrysostom was patriarch, before his exile (398-403), he directed Nilus in the study of Scripture and in works of piety. St. Nilus left his wife and one son and took the other, Theodulos, with him to Mount Sinai to be a monk. The Bishop of Eleusa ordained both St. Nilus and his son to the priesthood. The mother and other son also embraced the religious life in Egypt. From his monastery at Sinai, St. Nilus was a well-known person throughout the Eastern Church. Through his writings and correspondence, he played an important part in the history of his time. He was known as a theologian, Biblical scholar and ascetic writer, so people of all kinds, from the Emperor down wrote to consult him. His numerous works, including a multitude of letters, consist of denunciations of heresy, paganism, abuses of discipline and crimes. He also wrote about rules and principles of asceticism, especially maxims on the religious life. He warns and threatens people in high places, Abbots and Bishops, Governors and Princes, even the Emperor himself, without fear. He kept up a correspondence with Gaina, a leader of the Goths, endeavoring to convert him from Arianism. He denounced vigorously the persecution of St. John Chrysostom both to the Emperor Arcadius and to his courtiers. St. Nilus must be counted as one of the leading ascetic writers of the 5th century. His feast is kept on November 12th in the Byzantine Calendar; he is commemorated also in the Roman Martyrology on the same date. St. Nilus probably died around the year 430, as there is no evidence of his life after that. The Prophecy of St. Nilus After the year 1900, toward the middle of the 20th century, the people of that time will become unrecognizable. When the time for the Advent of the Antichrist approaches, people’s minds will grow cloudy from carnal passions, and dishonor and lawlessness will grow stronger. Then the world will become unrecognizable. People’s appearances will change, and it will be impossible to distinguish men from women due to their shamelessness in dress and style of hair. These people will be cruel and will be like wild animals because of the temptations of the Antichrist. There will be no respect for parents and elders, love will disappear, and Christian pastors, Bishops and priests will become vain men, completely failing to distinguish the right-hand way from the left. At that time, the morals and traditions of Christians and of the Church will change. People will abandon modesty, and dissipation will reign. Falsehood and greed will attain great proportions, and woe to those who pile up treasures. Lust, adultery, homosexuality, secret deeds and murder will rule in society. Apostasy At that future time, due to the power of such great crimes and licentiousness, people will be deprived of the grace of the Holy Spirit, which they received in Holy Baptism and equally of remorse. The Churches of God will be deprived of God-fearing and pious pastors, and woe to the Christians remaining in the world at that time; they will completely lose their faith because they will lack the opportunity of seeing the light of knowledge from anyone at all. Then they will separate themselves out of the world in holy refuges in search of lightening their spiritual sufferings, but everywhere they will meet obstacles and constraints. And all this will result from the fact that the Antichrist wants to be Lord over everything and become the ruler of the whole universe, and he will produce miracles and fantastic signs. Read more…

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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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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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