A Prayer of St Therese of Lisieux with audio

Prayer of St Therese of Lisieux audio

My life is but an instant, a passing hour.

My life is but a day that escapes and flies away.

O my God! You know that to love you on earth I only have today.

Lord, what does it matter if the future is gloomy?

To pray for tomorrow, oh no, I cannot!

Keep my heart pure, cover me with your shadow Just for today.

O divine Pilot! whose hand guides me.

I’m soon to see you on the eternal shore.

Guide my little boat over the stormy waves in peace.

Just for today.

An Evening Prayer of Saint Augustine with audio

An Evening Prayer of Saint Augustine audio

Watch, O Lord, with those who wake,
or watch, or weep tonight,
and give Your Angels and Saints charge over those who
sleep.
Tend Your sick ones, O Lord Christ.
Rest Your weary ones,
Bless Your dying ones,
Soothe Your suffering ones,
Pity Your afflicted ones,
Shield Your joyous ones,
And all for Your love's sake.


Amen.

Morning Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi with audio

Morning Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi audio

Lord, help me to live this day, quietly, easily;

to lean on Your great strength, trustfully, restfully;

to wait for the unfolding of Your will, patiently, serenely;

to meet others, peacefully, joyfully;

to face tomorrow, confidently, courageously.

Today is the Memorial of St. Polycarp of Smyrna, Bishop and Martyr

A quote by St. Polycarp which goes well with this time of Lent: 

"Keep looking forward in prayer, and persevering in fasting; beseeching in supplications the all-seeing God to lead us away from temptation."

Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas with audio

Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas

Prayer St. Thomas Aquinas audio

Grant me, 
O Lord my God,
a mind to know you,
a heart to seek you,
wisdom to find you,
conduct pleasing to you,
faithful perseverance in waiting for you,
and a hope of finally embracing you.

Amen.

Holy Door part 3

This is the Holy Door at St. Mary's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception which is the center of the Archdiocese of Portland led by Archbishop Most Rev. Alexander King Sample.

Today is the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter the Apostle

Matthew 16:13-19

13 And Jesus came into the quarters of Caesarea Philippi: and he asked his disciples, saying: Whom do men say that the Son of man is?
14 But they said: Some John the Baptist, and other some Elijah, and others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.
15 Jesus saith to them: But whom do you say that I am?
16 Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven.
18 And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.

All verses in the public domain

Readings for Second Sunday of Lent 2/21/2016

Reading 1  Genesis 15:5-12,17-18

5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said to him: Look up to heaven and number the stars, if thou canst. And he said to him: So shall thy seed be.
6 Abram believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice.
7 And he said to him: I am the Lord who brought thee out from Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land, and that thou mightest possess it.
8 But he said: Lord God, whereby may I know that I shall possess it?
9 And the Lord answered, and said: Take me a cow of three years old, and a she goat of three years, and a ram of three years, a turtle also, and a pigeon.
10 And he took all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid the two pieces of each one against the other; but the birds he divided not.
11 And the fowls came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
12 And when the sun was setting, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a great and darksome horror seized upon him.

17 And when the sun was set, there arose a dark mist, and there appeared a smoking furnace and a lamp of fire passing between those divisions.
18 That day God made a covenant with Abram, saying: To thy seed will I give this land, from the river of Egypt even to the great river Euphrates.

Reading 2  Philippians 3:17-4:1

17 Be ye followers of me, brethren, and observe them who walk so as you have our model.
18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often (and now tell you weeping), that they are enemies of the cross of Christ;
19 Whose end is destruction; whose God is their belly; and whose glory is in their shame; who mind earthly things.
20 But our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ,
21 Who will reform the body of our lowness, made like to the body of his glory, according to the operation whereby also he is able to subdue all things unto himself.
4:1 Therefore, my dearly beloved brethren, and most desired, my joy and my crown; so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.

Or

Philippians 3:20-4:1

20 But our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ,
21 Who will reform the body of our lowness, made like to the body of his glory, according to the operation whereby also he is able to subdue all things unto himself.
4:1 Therefore, my dearly beloved brethren, and most desired, my joy and my crown; so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.

Gospel  Luke 9:28B-36

28 Jesus took Peter, and James, and John, and went up into a mountain to pray.
29 And whilst he prayed, the shape of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became white and glittering.
30 And behold two men were talking with him. And they were Moses and Elias,
31 Appearing in majesty. And they spoke of his decease that he should accomplish in Jerusalem.
32 But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep. And waking, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him.
33 And it came to pass, that as they were departing from him, Peter saith to Jesus: Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias; not knowing what he said.
34 And as he spoke these things, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them; and they were afraid, when they entered into the cloud.
35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying: This is my beloved Son; hear him.
36 And whilst the voice was uttered, Jesus was found alone. And they held their peace, and told no man in those days any of these things which they had seen.

All readings in the public domain

Prayer to Our Lady of Mercy with audio

Prayer to Our Lady of Mercy - St. Augustine of Hippo

Our Lady of Mercy audio

Blessed Virgin Mary,
who can worthily repay you with praise
and thanks for having rescued a fallen world
by your generous consent!
Receive our gratitude,
and by your prayers obtain the pardon of our sins.
Take our prayers into the sanctuary of heaven
and enable them to make our peace with God.

Holy Mary, help the miserable,
strengthen the discouraged,
comfort the sorrowful,
pray for your people,
plead for the clergy,
intercede for all women consecrated to God.
May all who venerate you
feel now your help and protection.
Be ready to help us when we pray,
and bring back to us the answers to our prayers.
Make it your continual concern
to pray for the people of God,
for you were blessed by God
and were made worthy to bear the Redeemer of the world,
who lives and reigns forever.

Amen.

Prayer of Peace with audio

The Prayer of Peace of St. Francis of Assisi

   Prayer of Peace audio

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is error, the truth;

Where there is doubt, the faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

Grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled, as to console;

To be understood, as to understand;

To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

A prayer during Easter with audio

The Regina Coeli Prayer

Regina Coeli audio

Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia.
For he, whom you did merit to bear, alleluia.
Has risen as he said, alleluia.
Pray for us to God, alleluia.

V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia.
R. For the Lord is truly risen, alleluia.

Let us pray:

O God, who gave joy to the world through the resurrection of thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, grant we beseech thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, his Mother, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. 

Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Today is the Memorial of the Seven Founders of the Order of Servites

Today's Memorial of the Seven Founders of the Order of Servites is one that is close to my family. We attend Mass at The Grotto which is the National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother, a Ministry of the Servite Friars, Order of Friars Servants of Mary.

The Grotto is also one of the Holy Doors for this Year of Mercy.

Here is a link if you would like to learn more about the Servites and the Grotto:

The Servites

For Pope Francis in Mexico, a prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe with audio

Pope Saint Pius X’s Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe

Prayer audio

Our Lady of Guadalupe, 
Mystical Rose, 
make intercession for the holy Church, 
protect the Sovereign Pontiff, 
help all those who invoke thee in their necessities,
and since thou art the ever Virgin Mary
and Mother of the true God, 
obtain for us from thy most holy Son
the grace of keeping our faith,
sweet hope in the midst of the bitterness of life, 
burning charity 
and the precious gift of final perseverance. 
Amen.

Prayer with audio: The Nicene Creed

The Nicene Creed sums up what we Catholics believe and is the profession of our faith.

The Nicene Creed

Audio of Nicene Creed

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
[All Bow]:and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Holy Door part 2

A Holy Door at The Proto-Cathedral of St. James the Greater in Vancouver, WA.

The third picture is from the inside.

Always remember....

Always remember that you ARE Wonderfully Made and Wonderful are His Works!

From Psalm 139

11 If I say, “Surely darkness shall hide me,
and night shall be my light”

12 Darkness is not dark for you,
and night shines as the day.
Darkness and light are but one.

13 You formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother’s womb.

14 I praise you, because I am wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works!
My very self you know.

Ideas for meals during Lent

Lent provides us a wonderful time to explore meal ideas that we may not have thought of before.

Below is a link to the Lent recipes page on Allrecipes.  I have found over the years when in need for a food idea or recipe they have been a good resource.

http://allrecipes.com/recipes/16098/holidays-and-events/lent/?page=2

Holy Door

What is a Holy Door?

A holy Door has been used since the 15th century as a ritual expression of conversion.  Pilgrims and penitents pass through it as gesture of leaving the past behind and crossing the threshold from sin to grace, from darkness to light  Often these rituals are associated with prayer, pilgrimage, sacrifice, confession and indulgences.

But a holy door finds meaning only when the believer associates the door with Christ.  Jesus is the Door!  In the words of Pope Francis, “There is only one way that opens wide the entrance into the life of communion with God: this is Jesus, the one and absolute way to salvation.  To him alone can the words of the Psalmist be applied in full truth: ‘This is the door of the Lord where the just may enter’ (Ps 118:20)

For this Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis has allowed local bishops to designate Holy Doors in their diocese.

The photos above are of the Holy Door at The Grotto (The National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother). The first two are from the outside and the third from the inside.

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday (this year on Feb 10) begins Lent, a season of fasting and prayer.

Ash Wednesday comes from the ancient Jewish tradition of penance and fasting.

The practice includes the wearing of ashes on the head.

The ashes symbolize the dust from which God made us.

Ashes also symbolize grief, in this case, grief that we have sinned and caused division from God

Other writings refer to the wearing of ashes as a sign of penance.

Lent Season Begins

Lent is from Feb 10 - Mar 24

Feb 10 is the start of lent and is Ash Wednesday.

During Lent, Catholics abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and on all the Fridays of Lent. 

They fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

To abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and all the Fridays of Lent means to not eat meat on those days.  It does not intend the omission of eggs or dairy products.

The required fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday involves eating only one full meal on those days. One or two smaller meals may be taken on those days, but may not total one full meal.  The required fast does not allow eating anything between meals.

- Code of Canon Law, #1250 - 1253

Can.  1250 The penitential days and times in the universal Church are every Friday of the whole year and the season of Lent.

Can.  1251 Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

Can.  1252 The law of abstinence binds those who have completed their fourteenth year. The law of fasting binds those who have attained their majority, until the beginning of their sixtieth year. Pastors of souls and parents are to ensure that even those who by reason of their age are not bound by the law of fasting and abstinence, are taught the true meaning of penance.

Can.  1253 The conference of bishops can determine more precisely the observance of fast and abstinence as well as substitute other forms of penance, especially works of charity and exercises of piety, in whole or in part, for abstinence and fast.