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Friday, September 29, 2006

PRAYER FOR INNER PEACE


Father of love, hear my prayer.
Help me to know Your Will
and to do it with courage and faith.
Accept my offering of myself,
all my thoughts, words, deeds, and sufferings.
May my life be spent giving You glory.
Give me the strength to follow Your call,
so that Your Truth may live in my heart
and bring peace to me and to those I meet,
for I believe in Your Love.

Monday, September 25, 2006

Proverbs-Chapter 3:1-6



My son, forget not my teaching, keep in mind my commands; For many days, and years of life, and peace, will they bring you. Let not kindness and fidelity leave you; bind them around your neck; Then will you win favor and good esteem before God and man. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, on your own intelligence rely not; In all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Feast of Saint Matthew the Apostle



September 21

MATTHEW, also called Levi, a son of Alpheus, and brother of the holy apostle James the Less, was a receiver in the Roman custom-house on Lake Tiberias. Such officers were hated by the Jews for their injustice, and were called publicans, or public sinners. While he was sitting at the receipt of custom he was called by Christ to be one of His disciples, and immediately leaving his lucrative office and all that he had, followed Him. On account of his distinguished zeal he was afterwards received into the number of the apostles. After the descent of the Holy Ghost he remained in Judea, preached the Gospel, wrote the passion of Our Lord as coutained in his gospel, and lived strictly in the fear of God. At a later day he travelled through Persia, Ethiopia, and other countries. At last he was killed at the altar, by command of King Hutacus, for opposing his marriage with the Princess Iphigenia, who, by Saint Matthew's direction, had vowed to God perpetual virginity. His holy remains were brought to Salermo in the tenth century. Thus may great sinners become great saints by following faithfully, like Saint Matthew, the voice of God.

At the Introit of the Mass the Church sings:
"The mouth of the just shall meditate wisdom, and his tongue shall speak judgment; the law of God is in his heart."
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Prayer

May we be assisted, O Lord, by the prayers of the blessed apostle Matthew, that what of ourselves we are unable to obtain may be given to us by his intercession. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.




Epistle: Ezechiel 1:10-14

The likeness of the face of the four living creatures: the face of a man, and the face of a lion on the right side of all the four, and the face of an ox on the left side of all the four, and the face of an eagle over all the four. And their faces, and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of everyone were joined, and two covered their bodies, and everyone of them went straight forward; whither the impulse of the spirit was to go, thither they went, and they turned not when they went. And as for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like that of burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps. This was the vision running to and fro in the midst of the living creatures, a bright fire, and lightning going forth from the fire. And the living creatures ran and returned like flashes of lightning.

Gospel: Matthew 9:9-13

At that time Jesus saw a man sitting in the custom-house, named Matthew; and He saith to him: Follow Me. And he rose up and followed Him. And it came to pass as He was sitting at meat in the house, behold many publicans and sinners came, and sat down with Jesus and His disciples. And the Pharisees seeing it, said to His disciples: Why doth your master eat with publicans and sinners? But Jesus hearing it, said: They that are in health need not a physician, but they that are ill. Go then and learn what this meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice. For I am not come to call the just, but sinners.

Explanation

This gospel teaches us:
  1. That when God calls we should obey at once, lest, by not giving heed to His voice, He should cease to call us, or withdraw from us His grace.
  2. To forsake the occasions of sin; as Saint Matthew not only left the place where he sinned, but abandoned entirely the very house and office which had led him into sin.
  3. That we should not only cease to sin, but, like Saint Matthew, should follow Christ in poverty, humility; meekness, patience, if we would enter the kingdom of God.
Prayer

O holy apostle, who hast made ready for us a glorious feast in thy gospel, pray for me that thy gospel may be in truth food for my soul; pray that in it I may devoutly consider the life, virtues, passion and death of Jesus Christ, that I may faithfully follow, in all things, thy words, written by inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and by the operation of the same Spirit may be able to exclaim: "How sweet are thy words to my palate I more than honey to my month."
Goffine's Devout Instructions











Monday, September 18, 2006

Prayer For Understanding


Oh Heavenly Father,
We beseech You to aid us in understanding

In These perilous times in which we live

Let there be understanding amongst all men.

Help us to understand that You alone are the Eternal Father.
Help us to understand that You have created all men in Your Image.
Help us to understand that hatred in Your Name, is false faith.

Help us to understand that killing in Your Name, is false faith.

Help us to understand that any violence done in Your Name is false faith.

Help us to understand, that You alone are all Good and Merciful.
Help us to understand, that You are worthy of all Praise, Worship, and Glory. Help us to understand, that none of us are worthy of standing before You,
You who are Holy, Love, Mercy, and Justice to all men.

We pray for all this through Christ, Our Lord, Who Lives and Reigns,
in Unity, with You and the Holy Spirit,
One God,
now and Forever.

Amen

Copyright © 2006 Steve Smith. All Rights Reserved.

PRAYER FOR PEACE




Lord, God of peace,
who has created man,
the object of your kindness,
to be close to you in glory,
we bless you and we thank you
because you have sent us your beloved son, Jesus,
making him the mystery of the pasch,
the architect of all salvation,
the source of all peace,
the bond of true brotherhood.
We thank you for the desire,
the efforts, the realizations
which your spirit of peace
has roused in our day:
to replace hatred with love,
diffidence with udnerstanding,
unconcern with care.
Open yet more our hearts
to the needs of all our brothers and sisters,
so that we may be better able
to build a true peace.
Remember, Father of mercy,
all who are in pain,
who suffer and die
in the cause of a more brotherly world.
For the men of every race,
of every tongue - may your kingdom come:
your kingdom of justice,
of peace, of love;
and may the earth be filled with your glory.

Amen.
By Pope Paul VI.
Peace of Christ to ALL

Saturday, September 16, 2006

PRAYER FOR THE POPE



All praise and glory are Yours, Lord Jesus:

You have made us Your body, Your Church,

And help us to bear fruit for our heavenly Father.

You chose St. Peter as the rock,

And sent him to feed Your flock

And to strengthen his brothers and sisters,

Continue to help Your Church

Through the guidance of our Pope,

And keep us faithful in Your service.

Jesus, our brother,

You are Lord for ever and ever.

Amen.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross



September 14

This feast is a yearly commemoration of the erection, at Jerusalem, by Constantine the Great, and his mother, Saint Helena, of the cross on which Christ died. This took place under the Emperor Heraclius, by whom the holy cross, which Khosroo, King of Persia, had carried into his own country, was, after fourteen years, recovered, brought back to Jerusalem, and borne by the emperor himself to the hill of Calvary, whither it had been borne by the Saviour. Upon this occasion a miracle occurred. As Heraclins was about to carry the cross to the proper place on his shoulders, out of veneration for it, he found that while wearing the imperial dress he could not move it, until, by the advice of the patriarch Zachary, he laid aside his royal ornaments, dressed himself plainly, took off his shoes, and in such manner made himself like the humble Saviour.

Introit of the Mass:
"But it behooves us to glory in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, in Whom is our salvation, life, , and resurrection."
Prayer

O God, Who on this day givest us joy by the annual solemnity of the exaltation of the holy cross, grant, we beseech Thee, that we may deserve the reward of His redemption in heaven Whose mystery we have known upon earth. through the same Lord Jesus Christ, etc. Amen.

Epistle: Philemon 2:5-11

Brethren: Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but emptied, Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and in habit found as a man. He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross. For which cause God also hath exalted Him, and hath given Him a name which is above all names, that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.

Gospel: John 12:31-36

At that time Jesus said to the multitudes of the Jews: Now is the judgment of the world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to Myself. (Now this He said, signifying what death He should die.) The multitude answered Him: We have heard out of the law, that Christ abideth forever; and how sayest Thou: The Son of man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of man? Jesus therefore said to them: Yet a little while the light is among you. Walk whilst you have the light, that the darkness overtake you not. And he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. Whilst you have the light, believe in the light that you may be the children of light.

Instruction on the Devotion of the Way of the Cross
What is the Holy Way of the Cross?
It is a devotional exercise by which we meditate upon the passion and death of Jesus, and particularly upon His last way of sorrows, from the house of Pilate to Mount Calvary. Tradition testifies that after Christ's ascension the Christians living in Jerusalem were accustomed particularly to venerate the holy places which had been sanctified by the passion of the divine Redeemer. But after Jerusalem fell into the hands of the infidels, so that it became dangerous, and often impossible, to pass over the ground which Our Lord had trod, the children of Saint Francis of Assisi began to erect in their churches the fourteen stations of the Way of the Cross, by meditating on which the faithful might, in spirit, accompany the pilgrims to Jerusalem on the way to Calvary, dwelling in thought on what Christ had suffered for men. Station here means a place to pause, a resting-point for meditation. This devotion has been examined and approved by many Popes, enriched with indulgences, and earnestly recommended to Christians. It may be found in any prayer-book. No exercise is more profitable to our souls than this. What can bring before us the love of God and the abominableness and frightfulness of sin in a more vivid manner than the sufferings of the God-man? How can we any longer indulge in hate when we hear Jesus pray for His enemies? How can we give ourselves up to sensuality and lust when we see the divine Saviour scourged, crowned with thorns, and hanging on the cross? How can we murmur at our trials when we think that Jesus innocent takes up the cross for us guilty? In truth, we should see our coldness and indifference disappear, as ice melts in the heat, we should grow more and more zealous in the way of virtue, if we would but rightly meditate upon the passion of Christ.
How are visits to the Stations of the Cross to be made?
Rightly to visit the Stations of the Cross, and to draw therefrom real benefit, we should at each station consider with attention, with devotion and sorrow, what Jesus has done and suffered for us. We should not content ourselves with merely reciting at each station the proper prayers and meditations, but should pause, to impress upon our hearts what is there represented, that we may be moved and quickened to wholesome resolutions.

In order to gain the indulgences we must endeavor to be in the state of grace, and therefore at least, by way of beginning we must have perfect contrition for our sins.
--Goffine's Devout Instructions











Thursday, September 07, 2006

A Prayer for Knowledge



Absolute and all knowing God,

Nothing is hidden from Your sight.

In the prescience since the beginning,

All knowledge existed within You.

Kindly share Your knowledge with me,

Making me aware of what is meant to be,

Permitting my soul to understand it,

And wisdom to agree with its outcome.

Provide me with the gift of discretion,

To prudently apply received knowledge,

To ensure the fulfillment of Your Will.

Your knowledge shines forth forever!
Peace of Christ to ALL

Monday, September 04, 2006

Proverbs Chapter 1:1-7


The Proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel: That men may appreciate wisdom and discipline, may understand words of intelligence; May receive training in wise conduct, in what is right, just and honest; That resourcefulness may be imparted to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. A wise man by hearing them will advance in learning, an intelligent man will gain sound guidance, That he may comprehend proverb and parable, the words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; wisdom and instruction fools despise.
Peace of Christ to ALL
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