November 24, 2024

ourlady

Powerful Novena to Our Lady of Good Remedy

Mother & Refuge05 mins

O QUEEN OF HEAVEN AND EARTH, Most Holy Virgin, we venerate thee. Thou art the beloved Daughter of the Most High God, the chosen Mother of the Incarnate Word, the Immaculate Spouse of the Holy Spirit, the Sacred Vessel of the Most Holy Trinity. O Mother of the Divine Redeemer, who under the title of Our Lady of Good Remedy comes to the aid of all who call upon thee, extend thy maternal protection to us. We depend on thee, Dear Mother, as helpless and needy children depend on a tender and caring mother. Hail, Mary… . O LADY OF GOOD REMEDY, source of unfailing help, grant that we may draw from thy treasury of graces in our time of need. Touch the hearts of sinners, that they may seek reconciliation and forgiveness. Bring comfort to the afflicted and the lonely; help the poor and the hopeless; aid the sick and the suffering. May they be healed in body and strengthened in spirit to endure their sufferings with patient resignation and Christian fortitude. Hail, Mary… . DEAR LADY OF GOOD REMEDY, source of unfailing help, thy compassionate heart knows a remedy for every affliction and misery we encounter in life. Help me with thy prayers and intercession to find a remedy for my problems and needs, especially for… (Indicate your special intentions here). On my part, O loving Mother, I pledge myself to a more intensely Christian lifestyle, to a more careful observance of the laws of God, to be more conscientious in fulfilling the obligations of my state in life, and to strive to be a source of healing in this broken world of ours. Dear Lady of Good Remedy, be ever present to me, and through thy intercession, may I enjoy health of body and peace of mind, and grow stronger in the faith and in the love of thy Son, Jesus. Hail, Mary… . . V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of Good Remedy, R. That we may deepen our dedication to thy Son, and make the world alive with His Spirit. 800 years ago Christians were being captured and sold into slavery by the thousands, and nobody knew what to do about it. Then, in the year 1198, a man had an idea. St. John of Matha founded the Trinitarians to go to the slave markets, buy the Christian slaves and set them free. To carry out this plan, the Trinitarians needed large amounts of money. So, they placed their fund-raising efforts under the patronage of Mary. They were so successful at that, over the centuries, the Trinitarians were able to free thousands and thousands of people and to return them safely home. In gratitude for her miraculous assistance, St. John of Matha honored Mary with the title of ‘Our Lady of Good Remedy. ‘ Devotion to Mary under this ancient title is widely known in Europe and Latin America, and the Church celebrates her feast day on October 8. Our Lady of Good Remedy is often depicted as the Virgin Mary handing a bag of money to St. John of Matha. When in need – for whatever reason, but especially where you have had difficulty obtaining help – invoke the aid of Our Lady of Good Remedy, and you will surely experience the power of her intercession.

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Devotion to the Dolors of Mary with Promises Attached

Mother & Refuge012 mins

Devotion to the Dolors of Mary Many are the promises given to those who show devotion to the Mother of God in the light of her sorrows. It is clearly revealed of the Lord that He has an especial love for the honor given to His Mother’s sorrows, and throughout history He has promised to those who show this love special graces. The Seven Dolors of Mary The dolors of Mary have often been honored under the title of the Seven Dolors, these particular seven occasions of great sorrow are: I. The circumcision of Our Lord, when she saw His blood shed for the first time and heard the Prophecy of Simeon.II. The Holy Family’s flight into Egypt to save the life of the little Infant Jesus when Herod was seeking to kill Him.III. The three days the Holy Family lost the Christ Child in Jerusalem.IV. When she saw Christ carrying His Cross.V. The death of Christ on the cross.VI. When Christ was taken down from the Cross.VII. When Christ was laid in the sepulchre. The Promises of Grace to those who are Devoted to the Dolors of Mary St. Alphonsus Liguori, writes that Our Lord revealed to St. Elizabeth of Hungary four special graces that are given to those who are devoted to the dolors of Mary: That those who before death invoke the Blessed Mother in the name of her sorrows, should obtain true repentance of all their sins.That He would protect in their tribulations all who remember this devotion, and that He would protect them especially at the hour of death.That He would impress upon their minds the remembrance of His Passion, and that they should have their reward for it in Heaven.That He would commit such devout clients to the hands of Mary, so that she might obtain for these souls all the graces she wanted to lavish upon them. St. Bridget of Sweden has related that the Blessed Virgin Mary grants these graces to the souls who honor her daily by saying seven Hail Marys and meditate on her tears and dolors: I will grant peace to their families.They will be enlightened about the divine mysteries.I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work.I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.I will visibly help them at the moment of their death, they will see the face of their Mother.I have obtained from my divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors, will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son and I will be their eternal consolation and joy. Prayers in Honor of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Maryapproved by Pope Pius VII V. O God, come to my assistance.R. O Lord, make haste to help me. V. Glory be to the Father. . .R. As it was in the beginning. . . I. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the affliction of your tender heart at the prophecy of the holy and aged Simeon. Dear Mother, by your heart so afflicted, obtain for me the virtue of humility and the gift of the holy fear of God. Hail Mary. . . II. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the anguish of your most affectionate heart during the flight into Egypt and your sojourn there. Dear Mother, by your heart so troubled, obtain for me the virtue of generosity, especially toward the poor, and the gift of piety. Hail Mary. . . III. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in those anxieties which tried your troubled heart at the loss of your dear Jesus. Dear Mother, by your heart so full of anguish, obtain for me the virtue of chastity and the gift of knowledge. Hail Mary. . . IV. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the consternation of your heart at meeting Jesus as He carried His Cross. Dear Mother, by your heart so troubled, obtain for me the virtue of patience and the gift of fortitude. Hail Mary. . . V. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the martyrdom which your generous heart endured in standing near Jesus in His agony. Dear Mother, by your afflicted heart obtain for me the virtue of temperance and the gift of counsel. Hail Mary. . . VI. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the wounding of your compassionate heart, when the side of Jesus was struck by the lance before His Body was removed from the Cross. Dear Mother, by your heart thus transfixed, obtain for me the virtue of fraternal charity and the gift of understanding. Hail Mary. . . VII. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, for the pangs that wrenched your most loving heart at the burial of Jesus. Dear Mother, by your heart sunk in the bitterness of desolation, obtain for me the virtue of diligence and the gift of wisdom. Hail Mary. . . Let us pray Let intercession be made for us, we beseech You, O Lord Jesus Christ, now and at the hour of our death, before the throne of Your mercy, by the Blessed Virgin Mary, Your Mother, whose most holy soul was pierced by a sword of sorrow in the hour of Your bitter Passion. Through You, O Jesus Christ, Savior of the world, Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns forever and ever. Consecration to Our Lady of Sorrows Most holy Virgin and Queen of Martyrs, Mary, would that I could be in Heaven, there to contemplate the honors rendered to thee by the…

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Unfailing Thirty Days’ Prayer to St. Joseph | For Any Special Intention

Mother & Refuge06 mins

In honor of the years he spent with Jesus and Mary Ever blessed and glorious Joseph, kind and loving father, and helpful friend of all in sorrow! You are the good father and protector of orphans, the defender of the defenseless, the patron of those in need and sorrow. Look kindly on my request. My sins have drawn down on me the just displeasure of my God, and so I am surrounded with unhappiness. To you, loving guardian of the Family of Nazareth, do I go for help and protection. Listen, then, I beg you, with fatherly concern, to my earnest prayers, and obtain for me the favor I ask. I ask it by the infinite mercy of the eternal Son of God, which moved Him to take our nature and to be born into this world of sorrow. I ask it by the weariness and suffering you endured when you found no shelter at the inn of Bethlehem for the holy Virgin, nor a place where the Son of God could be born. Then, being everywhere refused, you had to allow the Queen of Heaven to give birth to the world’s Redeemer in a cave. I ask it by the loveliness and power of that sacred Name, Jesus, which you conferred on the adorable Infant. I ask it by that painful torture you felt at the prophecy of holy Simeon, which declared the Child Jesus and his holy Mother future victims of our sins and of their great love for us. I ask it through your sorrow and pain of soul when the angel declared to you that the life of the Child Jesus was sought by His enemies. From their evil plan you had to flee with Him and His Blessed Mother into Egypt. I ask it by all the suffering, weariness, and labors of that long and dangerous journey. I ask it by all your care to protect the Sacred Child and His immaculate Mother during your second journey, when you were ordered to return to your own country. I ask it by your peaceful life in Nazareth where you met with so many joys and sorrows. I ask it by your great distress when the adorable Child was lost to you and His Mother for three days. I ask it by your joy at finding Him in the Temple, and by the comfort you found at Nazareth, while living in the company of the Child Jesus. I ask it by the wonderful submission He showed in His obedience to you. I ask it by the perfect love and conformity you showed in accepting the Divine order to depart from this life, and from the company of Jesus and Mary. I ask it by the joy which filled your soul, when the Redeemer of the world, triumphant over death and hell, entered into the possession of His kingdom and led you into it with special honors. I ask it through Mary’s glorious Assumption, and through that endless happiness you have with her in the presence of God. O good father! I beg you, by all your sufferings, sorrows, and joys, to hear me and obtain for me what I ask. (Here name your petitions or think of them.) Obtain for all those who have asked my prayers everything that is useful to them in the plan of God. Finally, my dear patron and father, be with me and all who are dear to me in our last moments, that we may eternally sing the praises of JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH “a blameless life,St. Josephmay we lead,by your kind patronagefrom danger freed.”

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Have you heard of “Our Lady of Old Silverware”?

Mother & Refuge03 mins

By Aleteia Aplaster statue of Our Lady is on display in Thérèse’s bedroom at Les Buissonnets, the Martin family home in Lisieux. Today, this representation of the Mother of God is known as “Our Lady of the Smile.” However, it’s merely a reproduction of the statue to which the young woman from Lisieux attributed her recovery on May 13, 1883. Thérèse, whose mother had already died, had been sick since her older sister Pauline entered the Carmelite convent. The 10-year-old child was lying in bed when she saw the statue smiling beside her, and her illness went away. The original statueFor a long time now, the “real” statue of the miracle has been located in a niche on the wall behind Thérèse’s casket at the Carmelite convent and shrine in Lisieux. Also made of plaster, an elderly woman from Alençon had given it to the still-bachelor Louis Martin. The family kept it for many years. Eventually it accompanied the ailing Carmelite nun to the infirmary of her convent, where she died on October 1, 1897. But that statue too is, in fact, a reproduction. We have to go back more than a century before these events to Paris to find the original (now lost) model of the famous statue. In the mid-1700s, the parish priest of St. Sulpice wanted to adorn the axial chapel (behind the main altar) with a beautiful representation of the Mother of God, worthy of the still unfinished but monumental edifice. Having called on the sculptor Edme Bouchardon, who was to create much of the church’s statuary, he also needed to find a material worthy of the Virgin Mary. Read more…

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Add to Your Bookmarks| Daily Prayer to the Sacred Heart

Mother & Refuge04 mins

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, mercifully accept the prayer which I now make to You for help in the moment of my death, when at its approach all my senses shall fail me. When, therefore, O kind and merciful Jesus, my weary and downcast eyes can no longer look up to You, be mindful of the loving gaze which I now turn to You, and have mercy on me, a sinner. When my parched lips can no longer kiss Your most sacred wounds, remember that hour those kisses which I now imprint on You, and have mercy on me, a sinner. When my cold hands can no longer embrace Your cross, forget not the affection with which I embrace it now, and have mercy upon me, a sinner. When my swollen and lifeless tongue can no longer speak, remember that I called upon You now, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, to you I commend my soul. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, filled with infinite love, broken by my ingratitude and pierced by my many sins and yet loving you still, accept this act of consecration that I make to You of all that I am and all that I have. Take every faculty of my soul and body, draw me day by day near and nearer to Your Sacred Heart, and there, as I can bear the lesson, teach me Your blessed way. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, Incarnate Son of God, Who for our salvation did vouchsafe to be born in a stable, to pass Your life in poverty, trials, and misery, and to die amid the sufferings of the cross, I entreat You, in the hour of my death to say to Your divine Father, “Father forgive him”; Say to my soul, “This day you to shall be with Me in Paradise.” My God, my God forsake me not in that hour. “I thirst” — truly, my God, my soul thirsts after You, Who are the fountain of living waters. My life passes like a shadow; yet a little while and all will be consummated. Wherefore, my adorable Saviour, from this moment, and for all eternity, “into Your hands I commend my spirit.” Lord Jesus, receive my soul. O Queen of the Holy Rosary and most kind and loving Mother of Perpetual Help, in memory of your Seven Sorrows, intercede for us with your divine Son and beg Him, in honor of His Precious Blood and sacred passion and death upon the cross, to forgive our sins and grant us the grace of a holy and happy death. Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be

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‘We lack food and medicine’| Catholics in Gaza take refuge in only parish church

Mother & Refuge02 mins

By CNA Suhail Lawand As the fighting between Hamas and the Israeli army continues in the Holy Land, the Catholic Church in Gaza is doing everything in its power to alleviate the burden of war on its affected members. The bloodshed and displacement have not spared the civilians in Gaza, who have borne the brunt of the raging war in a region that has not known safety and stability for about 75 years. In an exclusive conversation with ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, Nisreen Antoun, Holy Family parish’s project manager, revealed that there are 20 homes of Christian civilians that were completely destroyed as a result of Israeli bombing as well as homes that were partially damaged. Holy Family Church is the only Roman Catholic parish in the Gaza Strip and is located in the northern part of Gaza City. Israel’s military had ordered the Palestinian civilians to evacuate south last week, but the church today still has several hundred people taking refuge in its buildings. Antoun said the number of Christian refugees coming to the church to date is estimated to be approximately 500 people in addition to others residing in the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Porphyrius. Antoun described what the church is providing for the displaced families. “We opened the halls and rooms in the church and school,” he said. “We supplied the displaced with mattresses, pillows, and covers. We also provide them water, food, and personal hygiene items.” Read more…

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Hail, Holy Lady |Powerful Prayer by St. Francis of Assisi

Mother & Refuge01 mins

Hail, holy Lady, most holy Queen,Mary, Mother of God, ever Virgin.You were chosen by the Most High Father in heaven,consecrated by Him, with His most Holy Beloved Sonand the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.On you descended and still remains all the fullness of grace and every good.Hail, His Palace.Hail, His Tabernacle.Hail, His Robe.Hail, His Handmaid.Hail, His Mother.and Hail, all holy Virtues, who, by grace and inspiration of the Holy Spirit,are poured into the hearts of the faithfulso that from their faithless state,they may be made faithful servants of God through you. Amen

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How to deal with distractions during prayer, according to St. Therese of Lisieux

Mother & Refuge02 mins

By Aleteia For many of us, when we sit down to pray, we are bombarded by constant distractions. It could be anything from the ticking of the clock on the wall, the honking of a horn outside, or even a barrage of thoughts about various people or relationships in our lives. It can be difficult to focus our attention on God and remain in a conversation with him. However, sometimes these distractions aren’t “distractions” at all, they are thoughts introduced by God that are aimed at our spiritual benefit. For example, here is what St. Thérèse of Lisieux wrote about being distracted during prayer. I also have many [distractions] but as soon as I am aware of them, I pray for those people the thought of whom is diverting my attention, and in this way they reap benefit from my distractions. Sometimes God wants to divert our attention and shed light on a struggling friend or family member. They may need our prayers or our charity. This way the distraction is turned in the right way and instead of taking us away from God, it brings us closer to him and his divine plan.   The key is to be attentive when that happens and notice when you being thinking about someone in your life, or even something you saw on Facebook. In some instances God may want you to be praying for that individual or extending a helpful hand to them. Read more…

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Prayer to Our Lady of China, the Great Mother (Nostra Domina de Sina)

Mother & Refuge13 mins

Prayer Hail, Holy Mary, Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Mother of all nations and all people. You are the special heavenly Mother of the Chinese people. Teach us your way of total obedience to God’s will. Help us to live our lives true to our faith. Fill our hearts with burning love for God and each other. Stir up in our youth an unconditional giving of self to the service of God. We call on your powerful intercession for peace, reconciliation and unity among believers and the conversion of the unbelievers in China and throughout the world, for God’s mercy is our only hope. Our Lady of China, Mother of Jesus, hear our petitions and pray for us. Amen. Imprimatur: Bishop William E. Lori, Bishop of Bridgeport Connecticut Description of the Virgin The Virgin Mary appeared as a beautiful lady in white in the sky surrounded by light. The resulting paiting using a painting of Emperess Dowager CiXi as a backdrop, features the image of the Blessed Virgin in the royal robes of the pagan Empress, with the Christ Child on her knees, is vivid expression of Chinese tradition. It is a shrine of the Mother and her Son. Though her robes be pagan, she belongs to every age, to all people and to every race. Miracles, Cures, and Signs When the Boxer Rebellion broke out, nearly 10,000 hostile soldiers attacked the small impoverished village of Dong Lu, home of approximately 1,000 Christians. The Virgin Mary appeared as a beautiful lady in the sky surrounded by light. A fiery horsemen – perhaps St. Michael – chased the attackers out of the village. Read more…

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