catholic blog

Our Social Networks Facebook Youtube Telegram Twitter Centercode Telegram-plane Comment MOTHER & REFUGE OF THE END TIMES IN THE END MY IMMACULATE HEART WILL TRIUMPH! HOME ABOUT M&R MYSTICS ON M & R Privacy Policy ARTICLES BOOKS DONATE FREE DOWNLOADS CONTACT US PRAYER REQUESTS LIVE PRAYERS HOME ABOUT M&R MYSTICS ON M & R Privacy Policy ARTICLES BOOKS DONATE FREE DOWNLOADS CONTACT US PRAYER REQUESTS LIVE PRAYERS WATCH ONLINE The Spiritual Meditations of St. Francis de Sales – EIGHTH MEDITATION from the book, ‘Introduction to the Devout Life’first written for St. Jane Frances de Chantal and now offered to all EIGHTH MEDITATION On Paradise Preparation 1. PLACE yourself in the Presence of God. 2. Invoke His Aid. Considerations 1. Represent to yourself a lovely calm night, when the heavens are bright with innumerable stars: add to the beauty of such a night the utmost beauty of a glorious summer’s day, the sun’s brightness not hindering the clear shining of moon or stars, and then be sure that it all falls immeasurably short of the glory of Paradise. O bright and blessed country, O sweet and precious place! 2. Consider the beauty and perfection of the countless inhabitants of that blessed country; the millions and millions of angels, Cherubim and Seraphim; the glorious company of Apostles, martyrs, confessors, virgins, and saints. O blessed company, any one single member of which surpasses all the glory of this world, what will it be to behold them all, to sing with them the sweet Song of the Lamb? They rejoice with a perpetual joy, they share a bliss unspeakable, and unchangeable delights. 3. Consider how they enjoy the Presence of God, Who fills them with the richness of His Vision, which is a perfect ocean of delight; the joy of being for ever united to their Head. They are like happy birds, hovering and singing for ever within the atmosphere of divinity, which fills them with inconceivable pleasures. There each one vies without jealousy in singing the praises of the Creator. Blessed art Thou for ever, O Dear and Precious Lord and Redeemer, Who dost so freely give us of Thine Own Glory, they cry; and He in His turn pours out His ceaseless Blessing on His Saints. Blessed are ye, Mine own for ever, who have served Me faithfully, and with a good courage. Affections and Resolutions 1. Admire and rejoice in the Heavenly Country; the glorious and blessed New Jerusalem. 2. Reprove the coldness of your own heart for having hitherto so little sought after that glorious abode. Why have I so long lingered indifferent to the eternal happiness set before me? Woe is me that, for the sake of poor savourless earthly things, I have so often forgotten those heavenly delights. How could I neglect such real treasures for mere vain and contemptible earthly matters? 3. Aspire earnestly after that blessed abode. Forasmuch, O Dear Lord, as Thou hast been pleased to turn my feet into Thy ways, never will I again look back. Go forth, my soul, towards thy promised rest, journey unweariedly to that hoped-for land; wherefore shouldest thou tarry in Egypt? 4. Resolve to give up such and such things, which hinder you on the way, and to do such others as will help you thitherwards. Give thanks, offer, pray. Subscribe for our FREE Newsletter Submit You have been successfully Subscribed! Ops! Something went wrong, please try again. More on Mother of Refuge of the End Times The Spiritual Meditations of St. Francis de Sales – TENTH MEDITATION Viral Video! Pentecost, 2021: Holy Spirit Forms Halo & Doves Above Pope Francis’ Head – A Sign of God’s Presence! Viral Video! Incredible Viral Photo of Our Lady Taken In Canoinhas, Brazil! Taken on Vigil of Our Lady of Fatima! Load More Go to Mother and Refuge Homepage Pieta of the Apocalypse: Essential End Time Prayers and Promises BUY NOW! Happiness and the Path of Spiritual Abundance (A Living Spring Book) BUY NOW! Live Prayers with Mother and Refuge:    Join us on Youtube and Telegram.

Our Social Networks Facebook Youtube Telegram Twitter Centercode Telegram-plane Comment MOTHER & REFUGE OF THE END TIMES IN THE END MY IMMACULATE HEART WILL TRIUMPH! HOME ABOUT M&R MYSTICS ON M & R Privacy Policy ARTICLES BOOKS DONATE CONTACT US PRAYER REQUESTS LIVE PRAYERS HOME ABOUT M&R MYSTICS ON M & R Privacy Policy ARTICLES BOOKS DONATE CONTACT US PRAYER REQUESTS LIVE PRAYERS WATCH ONLINE Dealing with Temptations, Reflection 3: Sex Is Created By God And Is Good In his novel “The World, the Flesh, and Father Smith” Bruce Marshall wrote a very intriguing sentence: “The young man who rings the bell at the brothel is unconsciously looking for God.”  At first glance this claim may seem absurd, as it seems that the young man who goes to the brothel is looking for anything but God.  So what did Bruce Marshall mean?  The author was trying to point out something unique and mystical about the sexual act.  In the sexual act, the human person somehow reaches out beyond their own self and transcends to know another person in very intimate way, in the most intimate way.  The uniting of a man and woman in the sexual act is a truly personal act in which they are united and come to know each other through the body, and in which they give the gift of themselves to the other person.  And so, even the young man who seeks to have sex with a woman at the brothel is, in a way, seeking to go outside of himself and encounter another.   The sexual act within marriage is something created by God and it is good.  For it to be as God intended, the sexual act must be an act of mutual giving.  Human beings try to separate the pleasure of the sexual act from procreation.  However, God never intended for the sexual act to be intentionally closed to life.  Is interesting to note how we human beings want to believe that somehow we know more about sex than God.  We seem to think we have empowered ourselves through the invention of birth control.  Archbishop Fulton Sheen with great wisdom once made the following comments about the Birth Control: “the words are not very proper because those who believe in it actually believe neither in birth nor Control.”What a beautiful creation the sexual act is.  The human heart desires by nature communion with another person.  Ultimately, the human person is restless until it is fully united with the One Who can completely fulfill it’s desires and yearnings.  In the book, “Sex and the Supremacy of Christ” John Piper suggests two points that we should really take some time to consider.  The first is that sexuality is designed as a way to know God in Christ more fully.  And so, sex is an incredible good because it is Holy and designed as a way to know God.  Secondly, he presents that through sex we are able to acknowledge the Supremacy of Christ in the gift of sexuality and the sexual act.  This is true for both the man and the woman.  God is truly pleased when we are able to enjoy sex in the way he intended us to enjoy this incredible gift, and He desires us to enjoy the gift of mutual self-giving and knowing. Subscribe for our FREE Newsletter Submit You have been successfully Subscribed! Ops! Something went wrong, please try again. More on Mother of Refuge of the End Times Dealing With Temptations, Reflection 3: Sex Is Created By God And Is Good Dealing With Temptations, Reflection 2: Sex Is For Marriage Viral Video! Miracle: Trained Search Dog Detects Presence of Life in a Church Sanctuary Prior To Papal Visit! Load More Go to Mother and Refuge Homepage Pieta of the Apocalypse: Essential End Time Prayers and Promises BUY NOW! Happiness and the Path of Spiritual Abundance (A Living Spring Book) BUY NOW! Live Prayers with Mother and Refuge:    Join us on Youtube and Telegram.

Our Social Networks Facebook Youtube Telegram Twitter Centercode Telegram-plane Comment MOTHER & REFUGE OF THE END TIMES IN THE END MY IMMACULATE HEART WILL TRIUMPH! HOME ABOUT M&R MYSTICS ON M & R Privacy Policy ARTICLES BOOKS DONATE FREE DOWNLOADS CONTACT US PRAYER REQUESTS LIVE PRAYERS HOME ABOUT M&R MYSTICS ON M & R Privacy Policy ARTICLES BOOKS DONATE FREE DOWNLOADS CONTACT US PRAYER REQUESTS LIVE PRAYERS WATCH ONLINE The Spiritual Meditations of St. Francis de Sales – SEVENTH MEDITATION from the book, ‘Introduction to the Devout Life’first written for St. Jane Frances de Chantal and now offered to all SEVENTH MEDITATION Of Hell Preparation 1. PLACE yourself in God’s Presence. 2. Humble yourself, and ask His Aid. 3. Picture to yourself a dark city, reeking with the flames of sulphur and brimstone, inhabited by citizens who cannot get forth. Considerations 1. Even so the lost are plunged in their infernal abyss; suffering indescribable torture in every sense and every member; and that because having used their members and senses for sin, it is just that through them they should suffer now. Those eyes which delighted in impure vicious sights, now behold devils; the ears which took pleasure in unholy words, now are deafened with yells of despair; and so on with the other senses. 2. Beyond all these sufferings, there is one greater still, the privation and pain of loss of God’s Glory, which is for ever denied to their vision. If Absalom cared not to be released from exile, if he might not see his father’s face, how much sorer will it be to be deprived for ever of the blessed vision of God? 3. Consider how insupportable the pains of Hell will be by reason of their eternal duration. If the irritating bite of an insect, or the restlessness of fever, makes an ordinary night seem so long and tedious, how terrible will the endless night of eternity be, where nought will be found save despair, blasphemy and fury! Affections and Resolutions 1. Read the Prophet’s descriptions of the terrors of the Lord, and ask your soul whether it can face them, whether you can bear to lose your God for ever? 2. Confess that you have repeatedly deserved to do so. Resolve henceforth to act differently, and to rescue yourself from this abyss. Resolve on distinct definite acts by which you may avoid sin, and thereby eternal death. Give thanks, offer yourself, pray. Subscribe for our FREE Newsletter Submit You have been successfully Subscribed! Ops! Something went wrong, please try again. More on Mother of Refuge of the End Times The Spiritual Meditations of St. Francis de Sales – TENTH MEDITATION Viral Video! Pentecost, 2021: Holy Spirit Forms Halo & Doves Above Pope Francis’ Head – A Sign of God’s Presence! Viral Video! Incredible Viral Photo of Our Lady Taken In Canoinhas, Brazil! Taken on Vigil of Our Lady of Fatima! Load More Go to Mother and Refuge Homepage Pieta of the Apocalypse: Essential End Time Prayers and Promises BUY NOW! Happiness and the Path of Spiritual Abundance (A Living Spring Book) BUY NOW! Live Prayers with Mother and Refuge:    Join us on Youtube and Telegram.

Our Social Networks Facebook Youtube Telegram Twitter Centercode Telegram-plane Comment MOTHER & REFUGE OF THE END TIMES IN THE END MY IMMACULATE HEART WILL TRIUMPH! HOME ABOUT M&R MYSTICS ON M & R Privacy Policy ARTICLES BOOKS DONATE FREE DOWNLOADS CONTACT US PRAYER REQUESTS LIVE PRAYERS HOME ABOUT M&R MYSTICS ON M & R Privacy Policy ARTICLES BOOKS DONATE FREE DOWNLOADS CONTACT US PRAYER REQUESTS LIVE PRAYERS WATCH ONLINE The Spiritual Meditations of St. Francis de Sales – SIXTH MEDITATION from the book, ‘Introduction to the Devout Life’first written for St. Jane Frances de Chantal and now offered to all SIXTH MEDITATION On Judgment Preparation 1. PLACE yourself in the Presence of God. 2. Intreat Him to inspire you. Considerations 1. When the time comes which God has appointed for the end of this world, and after many terrible signs and warnings, which will overwhelm men with fear, the whole earth will be destroyed, and nothing then left. 2. Afterwards, all men, save those already risen, shall rise from the dead, and at the voice of the Archangel appear in the valley of Jehoshaphat. But alas, with what divers aspects! for some will be glorious and shining, others horrible and ghastly. 3. Consider the majesty with which the Sovereign Judge will appear surrounded by all His Saints and Angels; His Cross, the Sign of Grace to the good and of terror to the evil, shining brighter than the sun. 4. This Sovereign Judge will with His awful word, instantly fulfilled, separate the evil and the good, setting the one on His Right Hand, the other on His Left, an eternal separation, for they will never meet again. 5. This separation made, the books of conscience will be opened, and all men will behold the malice of the wicked, and how they have contemned God; as also the penitence of the good, and the results of the grace they received. Nothing will be hid. O my God, what confusion to the one, what rejoicing to the other! Consider the final sentence of the wicked. Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Dwell upon these awful words. Go, He says, for ever discarding these wretched sinners, banishing them for ever from His Presence. He calls them cursed: O my soul, what a curse: a curse involving all other maledictions, all possible evil, an irrevocable curse, including all time and eternity; condemning them to everlasting fire. Think what that eternity of suffering implies. 6. Then consider the sentence of the good. Come, the Judge says, O blessed loving word with which God draws us to Himself and receives us in His Bosom. Blessed of My Father, O blessing above all blessings! inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. O my God, and that Kingdom will know no end! Affections and Resolutions 1. Tremble, my soul, at the thought. O God, who will be my stay in that hour when the pillars of the earth are shaken? 2. Abhor your sins, which alone can cause you to be lost when that fearful day comes. Surely I will judge myself now, that I be not judged;悠 will examine my conscience, accuse, condemn, punish myself, that the Judge may not condemn me then. I will confess my faults, and follow the counsels given me. Conclusion Thank God for having given you means of safety in that terrible Day, and time for repentance. Offer Him your heart, and ask for grace to use it well. OUR FATHER, etc. Gather your bouquet. Subscribe for our FREE Newsletter Submit You have been successfully Subscribed! Ops! Something went wrong, please try again. More on Mother of Refuge of the End Times The Spiritual Meditations of St. Francis de Sales – TENTH MEDITATION Viral Video! Pentecost, 2021: Holy Spirit Forms Halo & Doves Above Pope Francis’ Head – A Sign of God’s Presence! Viral Video! Incredible Viral Photo of Our Lady Taken In Canoinhas, Brazil! Taken on Vigil of Our Lady of Fatima! Load More Go to Mother and Refuge Homepage Pieta of the Apocalypse: Essential End Time Prayers and Promises BUY NOW! Happiness and the Path of Spiritual Abundance (A Living Spring Book) BUY NOW! Live Prayers with Mother and Refuge:    Join us on Youtube and Telegram.

Our Social Networks Facebook Youtube Telegram Twitter Centercode Telegram-plane Comment MOTHER & REFUGE OF THE END TIMES IN THE END MY IMMACULATE HEART WILL TRIUMPH! HOME ABOUT M&R MYSTICS ON M & R Privacy Policy ARTICLES BOOKS DONATE FREE DOWNLOADS CONTACT US PRAYER REQUESTS LIVE PRAYERS HOME ABOUT M&R MYSTICS ON M & R Privacy Policy ARTICLES BOOKS DONATE FREE DOWNLOADS CONTACT US PRAYER REQUESTS LIVE PRAYERS WATCH ONLINE The Spiritual Meditations of St. Francis de Sales – FIFTH MEDITATION from the book, ‘Introduction to the Devout Life’first written for St. Jane Frances de Chantal and now offered to all FIFTH MEDITATION Of Death Preparation 1. PLACE yourself in the Presence of God. 2. Ask His Grace. 3. Suppose yourself to be on your deathbed, in the last extremity, without the smallest hope of recovery. Considerations 1. Consider the uncertainty as to the day of your death. One day your soul will quit this body: will it be in summer or winter? in town or country? by day or by night? will it be suddenly or with warning? will it be owing to sickness or an accident? will you have time to make your last confession or not? will your confessor or spiritual father be at hand or will he not? Alas, of all these things we know absolutely nothing: all that we do know is that die we shall, and for the most part sooner than we expect. 2. Consider that then the world is at end as far as you are concerned, there will be no more of it for you, it will be altogether overthrown for you, since all pleasures, vanities, worldly joys, empty delights will be as a mere fantastic vision to you. Woe is me, for what mere trifles and unrealities I have ventured to offend my God? Then you will see that what we preferred to Him was nought. But, on the other hand, all devotion and good works will then seem so precious and so sweet: Why did I not tread that pleasant path? Then what you thought to be little sins will look like huge mountains, and your devotion will seem but a very little thing. 3. Consider the universal farewell which your soul will take of this world. It will say farewell to riches, pleasures, and idle companions; to amusements and pastimes, to friends and neighbours, to husband, wife and child, in short to all creation. And lastly it will say farewell to its own body, which it will leave pale and cold, to become repulsive in decay. 4. Consider how the survivors will hasten to put that body away, and hide it beneath the earth and then the world will scarce give you another thought, or remember you, any more than you have done to those already gone. ‘God rest his soul!’ men will say, and that is all. O death, how pitiless, how hard thou art! 5. Consider that when it quits the body the soul must go at once to the right hand or the left. To which will your soul go? what side will it take? none other, be sure, than that to which it had voluntarily drawn while yet in this world. Affections and Resolutions 1. Pray to God, and throw yourself into His Arms. O Lord, be Thou my stay in that day of anguish! May that hour be blessed and favourable to me, if all the rest of my life be full of sadness and trial. 2. Despise the world. Forasmuch as I know not the hour in which I must quit the world, I will not grow fond of it. O dear friends, beloved ones of my heart, be content that I cleave to you only with a holy friendship which may last for ever; why should I cling to you with a tie which must needs be broken? I will prepare for the hour of death and take every precaution for its peaceful arrival; I will thoroughly examine into the state of my conscience, and put in order whatever is wanting. Conclusion Thank God for inspiring you with these resolutions: offer them to His Majesty: intreat Him anew to grant you a happy death by the Merits of His Dear Son’s Death. Ask the prayers of the Blessed Virgin and the Saints. OUR FATHER, etc. Gather a bouquet of myrrh. Subscribe for our FREE Newsletter Submit You have been successfully Subscribed! Ops! Something went wrong, please try again. More on Mother of Refuge of the End Times The Spiritual Meditations of St. Francis de Sales – TENTH MEDITATION Viral Video! Pentecost, 2021: Holy Spirit Forms Halo & Doves Above Pope Francis’ Head – A Sign of God’s Presence! Viral Video! Incredible Viral Photo of Our Lady Taken In Canoinhas, Brazil! Taken on Vigil of Our Lady of Fatima! Load More Go to Mother and Refuge Homepage Pieta of the Apocalypse: Essential End Time Prayers and Promises BUY NOW! Happiness and the Path of Spiritual Abundance (A Living Spring Book) BUY NOW! Live Prayers with Mother and Refuge:    Join us on Youtube and Telegram.

Our Social Networks Facebook Youtube Telegram Twitter Centercode Telegram-plane Comment MOTHER & REFUGE OF THE END TIMES IN THE END MY IMMACULATE HEART WILL TRIUMPH! HOME ABOUT M&R MYSTICS ON M & R Privacy Policy ARTICLES BOOKS DONATE CONTACT US PRAYER REQUESTS LIVE PRAYERS HOME ABOUT M&R MYSTICS ON M & R Privacy Policy ARTICLES BOOKS DONATE CONTACT US PRAYER REQUESTS LIVE PRAYERS WATCH ONLINE Dealing With Temptations, Reflection 1: Chasing Away Temptations Against Purity “You cannot chase away an evil thought as you can drive away a dog with a stick.”   In his book “How to Resist Temptation” Fr. Francis Remler recommends that we do not argue with the temptation or give it any undue attention, but rather to remove ourselves from the temptation and to immediately occupy ourselves with some other thing. He tells us that we should not attempt to face the temptation head on. It is suggested that we do not try to face the temptation head on, but rather refuse it any space in our mind and go to battle with it indirectly.   We should first get in a habit of finding a short prayer that we find encouraging and helpful for fighting our temptation. Perhaps we can find a role model from a Saint who has faced similar temptations and invoke their help. Fr. Francis Remler says this prayer should be a short phrase or sentence. Afterwards we should go and do something else. Yes, instead of trying to battle it directly we should go and occupy ourselves with some other activity. We cannot fight temptations such as evil thoughts as we can “drive away a dog with a stick.” Go and talk with someone, read a book, go for a walk, go swimming, or watch a good TV show. The point is to make the effort to remove oneself from being drawn in by the thoughts that are tempting us.   While we might be tempted to feel bad about ourselves because how strong the temptation is, but we should not allow this feeling to grab hold of us and convince us to give into the temptation. Temptations to sins that we have committed in the past can have a particular stronghold over our emotion and memory. Try not to recall or give thought to sins of the past against purity. Do not give much thought to the sin against purity in terms of deciding if it was a venial or mortal sin. The less thought given to it, the more the mind is free from the temptation and occasion of sin. The fight against evil is real, and the fight against temptation is a battle. St. Michael help us be strong against the evil one who wants to defeat us.  Devotion Prayers for The Virtues Of Purity And Chastity Opening Prayer Dear Jesus, I know that every perfect gift, and especially that of chastity, depends on the power of Your providence. Without You a mere creature can do nothing. Therefore, I beg You to defend by Your grace the chastity and purity of my body and soul. And if I have ever imagined or sensed anything that could stain my chastity and purity, blot it out, Supreme Lord of my powers, that I may advance with a pure heart in Your love and service, offering myself on the most pure altar of Your divinity all the days of my life. Amen. 1. Dear Jesus, bless our social and cultural climate. Grant that our society may be purified of everything contrary to chastity, and that we may have the strength to resist the pressures of prevailing distortions of human sexuality. “In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33). “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Rom 8:37). Hail Mary… 2. Dear Jesus, bless our relationships. Grant that they will be holy, healthy, and honorable at all times. “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere love of the brethren, love one another earnestly from the heart” (1 Pet 1:22). Hail Mary… 3. Dear Jesus, bless our efforts at modesty. Grant that how we dress and carry ourselves may veil what should be veiled, and give us the strength to resist evil fashions and the glamour of sin. “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Rom 12:2). Hail Mary… 4. Dear Jesus, bless our five senses. Grant that the things we see, the music and jokes we hear, our food and drink, and the encounters we have through touch may all be pure and holy. “Seek the things that are above” (Col 3:1). Hail Mary… 5. Dear Jesus, bless our sensuality. Grant that our impulses may not go after base pleasures, but will be freed by Your wisdom and inflamed for what is good. “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood” (Heb 12:4). Hail Mary… 6. Dear Jesus, bless our imagination. Grant that we may be preserved from the fantasies and daydreams that defile us, that all impure images may vanish, and that we may be protected from all the assaults of demons. “Be renewed in the spirit of your minds” (Eph 4:23). Hail Mary… 7. Dear Jesus, bless our memory. Grant that no dark memories from our past may haunt us, but let Your light shine within us to fill us with a healing hope in You. “And every one who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as He is pure” (1 Jn 3:3). Hail Mary… 8. Dear Jesus, bless our power of estimation. Grant that we may quickly sense dangers to chastity, instinctively flee from them, and that we may never turn away from higher and more difficult goods for the sake of sinful self-indulgence. “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” (Mk 8:36). Hail Mary… [Note: estimation ~ ability to make judgments] 9. Dear Jesus,…