December 19, 2024

catholic

Navigating Life’s Storms: Finding Peace in Catholic Faith Amidst Turbulent Seas

Mother & Refuge05 mins

Welcome, dear friends, to this journey through the stormy seas of life. Just as sailors face turbulent waters, so too do we encounter trials that test our mettle. But fear not, for in the Catholic faith, we find an anchor amidst the waves, a guiding light to lead us through the darkness. Join me as we explore how to navigate life’s storms with grace and courage. Navigating the Waves: Riding Life’s Challenges with FaithPicture yourself on a boat with the apostles, the winds howling and the waves crashing around you (Matthew 8:23-27). It’s a vivid reminder that life’s storms are inevitable. Yet, in these moments, we turn to our faith as our compass. Just as Christ calmed the storm, so too does He calm our fears and doubts. Through prayer and trust in God’s providence, we find the courage to face each wave with unwavering resolve. Anchoring in Faith: Cultivating Inner Peace Through Catholic SpiritualityImagine your soul as a ship seeking refuge amidst the storm. The sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation, are like safe harbors where we find solace and strength. Our devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints becomes our guiding star, leading us to the calm waters of inner peace. By immersing ourselves in Catholic traditions and deepening our prayer life, we anchor our souls in faith, finding serenity amidst life’s chaos. Navigating with Purpose: Finding Meaning in Catholic Wisdom Amidst Life’s ChaosIn the Catholic tradition, suffering takes on a deeper meaning when united with Christ’s passion (Colossians 1:24). Like navigators charting a course, we discern the purpose behind life’s trials. Through the wisdom of spiritual directors and the teachings of the Church, we find meaning in the midst of chaos. The Cross becomes our compass, guiding us towards a deeper understanding of God’s love and mercy. Embracing the Journey: Thriving in Catholic Faith Amidst Life’s TurmoilAs we journey through life’s storms, let us embrace the virtues of faith, hope, and charity (1 Corinthians 13:13). Like a crew working together on a ship, we find strength in community and support. The communion of saints surrounds us with love and encouragement, reminding us that we are never alone on our voyage. With Christ as our captain and the Church as our vessel, we navigate the seas of life with confidence and hope. Inspirations from Catholic Saints:– St. Therese of Lisieux, in her autobiography “The Story of a Soul,” teaches us to find joy in the little things and to trust in God’s providence, even amidst life’s trials.– St. Francis de Sales, in his work “Introduction to the Devout Life,” encourages us to cultivate a deep interior life through prayer and meditation, finding peace in God’s presence.– St. Teresa of Avila, in her classic “The Interior Castle,” invites us to journey inward, exploring the depths of our souls where God’s peace resides. Dear friends, as we navigate life’s storms together, may we find comfort in the arms of our loving God. Let us hold fast to our faith, trusting in His providence and mercy. With hearts full of prayer and souls anchored in Christ, we sail forth with courage and hope, knowing that calmer waters lie ahead. Fair winds and following seas, dear friends, as we journey onward together.

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Urgent Message from Manuela Strack

Mother & Refuge06 mins

“Behold, in the love of God I come to you to strengthen you. Have courage, have no fear. Remain faithful to the Holy Church! Know that you live in the time of tribulation. But you are marked and protected by the Precious Blood of my Lord Jesus Christ. Deus Semper Vincit” words of Saint Archangel Michael from September 19, 2023The King of Mercy always says it. The Mother of God, Mary the Immaculate, told me so many times. TheHoly Archangel Michael says it. The angels and saints say so. They always say the same thing. Do you know what heaven tells us?Stay loyal to the church!!!!Did we listen correctly? Can this be the case at this time? Yes!!!! We are in the time of trouble and our beloved church has also fallen into the time of trouble. This time should be endured with prayer and sacrifice. It is the time of the passion of our beloved Church, following her Lord. Our church is purified through suffering. Unfortunately, this means that the entire decay becomes apparent to the outside world. This is the turn towards the spirit of the times that has so far remained dormant in the church. We, on the other hand, are called to steadfastness in our faith in the unadulterated Catholic teaching, the teaching of our fathers of faith. Let’s not listen to all the agitators in the media. Let us look at our own soul, not at the soul of other people. Let us see our mistakes, not those of other people. We are not allowed to accept a false teaching or a wrong path and can reject any sin. Because making a sin a commandment is not Catholic teaching. Here the Holy Scripture is always our standard. With the Holy Scripture our soul can grow because the Holy Scripture is the Word of God.The other day I said to a young man who was complaining about the Pope:”Oh, please tell me if everything you have told me about the Pope prevents you personally from repentance and living a holy life yourself? Please tell me how the Pope in Rome prevents you from doing that? You will one day Stand alone before God and give an account, then there is no one else there. It is your life.Sure, we complain sometimes. It’s human. But is it really holy and Christian? Forget all YouTubers! Walk the path of your holiness!” A recommendation for us: Away with all ideological things. Pray! Live in the sacraments and love God! Padre Pio did that before you. He gave himself away to God. Oh, he loved the church. But What did she do to him? He initially received bans and conditions. He could have rebelled, gone public, made a fuss about injustice and so on. What did he do, our padre? He humbly followed his instructions Holy Church. This is the way of holiness! This is the way of grace! Well, this way is the way of the Lord. No rebellion. Prayer, penance, sacrifice, these are the paving stones that lead us to the sacraments of our beloved church. We are not a remnant church. There is no church of the pure and self-righteous. The Cathars spread this heresy even back then. We are called to repent because we are all sinners. Without exception. It’s about saving souls for the Lord. Let’s stay loyal! Serviam!

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NOVENA TO THE HOLY SPIRIT FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS

Mother & Refuge024 mins

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he commanded his apostles to “wait for the promise of the Father” in Jerusalem. Nine days later the apostles celebrated the Jewish feast of Pentecost, and God fulfilled his promise by sending the Holy Spirit. It was the first “novena.” In a unique way, we can imitate their example and join them in the Upper Room, waiting for the Advocate to come. We can prepare our hearts for the coming of the Holy Spirit and kindle a fire within us that God can set ablaze. How can we do that? The most basic action we can do to prepare for Pentecost is pray the “Novena to the Holy Spirit,” meditating on the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit each day. It is a beautiful practice that puts us there with the apostles and Mary, experiencing the graces of Pentecost as if it was our first. Here are the prayers to pray each day: ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRITTo be recited daily during the Novena On my knees I before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses I offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Your purity, the unerring keenness of Your justice, and the might of Your love. You are the Strength and Light of my soul. In You I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against You. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Your light, and listen to Your voice and follow Your gracious inspirations. I cling to You and give myself to You and ask You, by Your compassion, to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and looking at His Five Wounds, and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in Your grace that I may never sin against You. Give me grace O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to You always and everywhere, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant heareth.” Amen. PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT To be recited daily during the Novena O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth, the Spirit on Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You  and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence toward God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord with the sign of Your true disciples, and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen. The Novena begins on the day after the Solemnity of the Ascension, Friday of the 6th Week of Easter, even if the Solemnity of the Ascension is transferred to the 7th Sunday. FIRST DAY (Friday after Ascension or Friday of 6th Week of Easter) Holy Spirit! Lord of Light! From Your clear celestial height, Your pure beaming radiance give! The Holy Spirit Only one thing is important — eternal salvation. Only one thing, therefore, is to be feared — sin? Sin is the result of ignorance, weakness and indifference. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Light, of Strength, and of Love. With His sevenfold gifts He enlightens the mind, strengthens the will, and inflames the heart with love of God. To ensure our salvation we ought to invoke the Divine Spirit daily, for “The Spirit helpeth our infirmity. We know not what we should pray for as we ought. But the Spirit Himself asketh for us.” Prayer Almighty and eternal God, Who hast vouchsafed to regenerate us by water and the Holy Spirit, and hast given us forgiveness all sins, vouchsafe to send forth from heaven upon us your sevenfold Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of Holy Fear. Amen. Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.  SECOND DAY (Saturday of 6th Week of Easter) Come. Father of the poor. Come, treasures which endure; Come, Light of all that live! The Gift of Fear The gift of Fear fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread nothing so much as to offend Him by sin. It is a fear that arises, not from the thought of hell, but from sentiments of reverence and filial submission to our heavenly Father. It is the fear that is the beginning of wisdom, detaching us from worldly pleasures that could in any way separate us from God. “They that fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and in His sight will sanctify their souls.” Prayer Come, O blessed Spirit of Holy Fear, penetrate my inmost heart, that I may set you, my Lord and God, before my face forever, help me to shun all things that can offend You, and make me worthy to…

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Photos | Incorrupt hand of St Theresa of Avila

Mother & Refuge02 mins

Catholic tradition has long venerated the remains of saints. Don’t confuse veneration, which is honoring a saint; with worship, which is given to God alone. After the death of a particularly saintly person, the physical remains and personal effects are preserved (relics). The vessel which holds such relics is called a reliquary. The ornate metal encasement which contains the hand (relic) of St. Teresa of Avila is a reliquary. When this particular reliquary is rotated, palm side towards the viewer, it is possible to see her actual hand through some of the transparent areas. In the palm you see the mark of the wounds of Christ, referred to as stigmata. When St. Teresa of Avila died the sisters in her convent buried her, hoping to preserve her within their order. Nine months later, when her coffin was opened, her body was found to be incorruptible (intact and undecayed). Before it was re-interred, her hand was removed. That is the source of the relic referred to in this story. Relatively recently, 1939-1976, following the end of the Spanish Civil War, this relic of St Teresa was removed from the convent by General Franco, a devout Catholic. Rumor is he kept it in his sleeping quarters while he was ruler of Spain. It is said, that at the time of his death, he had it beside him on his pillow. After his death in 1976, the Discalced Carmelites of Ronda requested and were granted the return of the relic.

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Exclusive! Latest Update on Fr. MICHEL RODRIGUE with Xavier Ayral

Mother & Refuge04 mins

“My dear children, The time you live now is a gift to allow all those of good will to celebrate the birth of my Son Jesus. I have opened this space for you in order to give comfort to your hearts and to allow you to respond, through your faith, to the Love of Jesus who took flesh to save you. On this day of the Holy Family, may all the families of the earth be blessed who welcome my beloved Son in hope. Take the Holy Family into your home, It alone will protect you in these coming times. Remember, I already told you: “the punishment will stop for the houses where the Holy Family is exposed and prayed with respect. » Yes, the Love of my Son who suffered for you, born from the virginal purity of my daughter Mary and protected by the very pure and powerful love of the just and loyal Joseph, is your protection. Hold your heart ready and awaken! Have what you need to nourish your body and treat it with the remedies that I have already given to many of my saints to protect you. Use holy water regularly to chase away the bad angels who lurk near your homes. It is not a coincidence that the last day of this year falls on the feast of the Holy Family. She is the sign to remind you of everything I told you. It is the sign of your protection. It is not in vain that the Church celebrates the motherhood of Mary, Mother of my Son Jesus on the first of the year. Because, in this time of yours, her Immaculate Heart will triumph. This year, which begins tomorrow, is a year of pure faith. All the signs have been given. John, the apostle, lifted the veil. Blinded are those who do not believe, deaf are those who do not hear, and dumb are the lukewarm. The spirit of a spiritual amaurosis invades humanity: there is no longer any vision, no understanding, no sense. Humanity does not see what is coming. My children will not be affected by this darkness. Events will speak. Blessed are those who hear the Word of God! Yes, dedicate yourself to my Most Holy Family; to Jesus my Son, to Mary his Mother and my Daughter, to Joseph my son whom Jesus called father on earth. Consecrate yourself for the fidelity of my Church. Everything will be accomplished and not one iota of what my Son Jesus taught and which the Church has solemnly declared will be lost. Amen! Your heavenly Father who loves you!“.

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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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How long is Jesus present in the Eucharist after we’ve received communion?

Mother & Refuge04 mins

he great treasure of the Catholic Church is the Eucharist — Jesus himself hidden under the appearances of bread and wine. We believe, as the Catechism states, that “In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist ‘the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained’” (CCC 1374). Additionally, this Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist does not end immediately when we receive him at Communion time. The Catechism goes on to explain how, “The Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the moment of the consecration and endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist” (CCC 1377). What does that mean when we receive him into our mouths? How long does Jesus’ Real Presence remain in our bodies? There is a famous story from the life ofSt. Philip Neri that helps answer that question. One day while he was celebrating Mass, a man received Holy Communion and left the church early. The man appeared to have no regard for the Presence within him and so Philip Neri decided to use this opportunity as a teaching moment. He sent two altar boys with lighted candles to follow the man outside of the church. After a while walking through the streets of Rome, the man turned around to see the altar boys still following him. Confused, the man returned to the church and asked Philip Neri why he sent the altar boys. Saint Philip Neri responded by saying, “We have to pay proper respect to Our Lord, Whom you are carrying away with you. Since you neglect to adore Him, I sent two acolytes to take your place.” The man was stunned by the response and resolved to be more aware of God’s presence in the future. It is generally assumed that the Eucharistic species of bread remains for about 15 minutes after reception. This is based on simple biology and reflects the Catechism’s statement that the presence of Christ “endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist.”    This is why many saints have recommended offering 15 minutes of prayer after receiving the Eucharist as a thanksgiving to God. This allows the soul to savor the presence of God and have a true “heart-to-heart” with Jesus. Read more…

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