More St. Padre Pio Wisdom

"Do not halt in seeking the truth, in discovering God. Be docile to the influence of grace, following its inspiration and attraction. Do not be ashamed of Christ and His doctrine."

"From the time of His birth Jesus points out our mission, which is to despise what the world loves and seeks."

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And Now For a Short Intermission...

These next few days are very busy for me, so please forgive me for my sporadic posting. I will again continue the major posting on Monday.

Thank you. God Bless

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Required Contraception Classes

"Once the diocese has enough trained teachers, [Bishop] Olmsted will become one of only three bishops in the country to require a full course of natural family planning for anyone who wants a church wedding, joining his counterparts in Denver and Fargo, N.D. Natural family planning is the only church-approved method of birth control." (Source)

I'm all for the idea. I've met too many Catholics that either don't know the truth with the Church's position on contraception or either don't follow it. I think classes for married couples would be infinitely beneficial to the Church's mission - to sanctify the world.

Remember, artificial contraception is always a mortal sin. First, if you are not married then you shouldn't have sex - that's a sin. So, if you don't put yourself in that position you won't even be tempted to use artificial contraception. Second, married couples should always be open to the creation of life. If God's wills a child, then a child will be conceived. (For more info, see a past post of mine on this topic)

The article claims, "... Nine out of 10 Catholic women have used it and that 65 percent of Catholics and 40 percent of priests do not believe use of contraception is always a sin. " I pray that is the wrong and will be just the opposite.

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Our Lady of Perpetual Help

First off, thank you all so much that commented on my De-lurking post. It's so wonderful to hear that people love my blog. Thank you, all of you.

My parish has devotions each weekday after the Tuesday morning Mass to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. So, I plan to post those prayers here each Tuesday. May we all grow in deeper holiness to Our Lord through His mother.

The Novena prayer:

Behold at thy feet, 0 Mother of Perpetual Help, a wretched sinner who has recourse to thee and confides in thee. 0 Mother of mercy, have pity on me.

I hear thee called by all the refuge and the hope of sinners: be then, my refuge and my hope. Assist me, for the love of Jesus Christ; stretch forth thy hand to a miserable fallen creature who recommends himself to thee, and who devotes himself to thy service for ever.

I bless and thank Almighty God, who in His mercy has given me this confidence in thee, which I hold to be a pledge of my eternal salvation.

It is true that in the past I have miserably fallen into sin, because I had not recourse to thee. I know that, with thy help, I shall conquer.

I know. too, that thou wilt assist me, if I recommend myself to thee; but I fear that, in time of danger, I may neglect to call on thee, and thus lose my soul.

This grace, then, I ask of thee, and this I beg, with all the fervor of my soul, that in all the attacks of hell I may ever have recourse to thee. 0 Mary, help me. 0 Mother of Perpetual Help, never suffer me to lose my God.-----3 Hail Marys.

More prayers to Our Lady of Perpetual Help

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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The Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Baptism of Christ by Guido Reni, 1622

Second Class (1962 Calendar): January 13

"Our Lord was baptized because He wished, not to be cleansed, but to cleanse the waters, that, being purified by the flesh of Christ that knew no sin, they might have the virtue of baptism" (St. Ambrose).

Baptism is such a beautiful gift since it is through baptism that we receive sanctifying grace and are literally part of the Body of Christ. Baptism is the first step to eternal life. Why do Catholics baptize their children quickly after their birth? Because Baptism is the start of eternal life. Those that reject baptism will reject eternal life. We become members of the Church, and the stains of all sins are washed away through the Sacrament of Baptism. To read much more on Baptism, see my post: The Sacrament of Baptism. 

In the pre-1955 calendar, January 13th was known as the Octave Day of the Epiphany. Many of the Rites in the Church had special antiphons and prayers today in the Office regarding our Lord's Baptism, since the Baptism of Christ is one of the three manifestations included in our Lord's epiphany (i.e. His manifestation to the world). But the Octave Day was never liturgically known as the "Commemoration of the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ." That change in name occurred after the 1955 changes that saw the Octave of the Epiphany abolished.

Meditation on the Baptism of Christ from Christ in His Mysteries by Dom Columba Marmion

And Jesus being baptized, forth with came out of the water; and lo, the heavens were opened to Him and He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him. And behold a voice from heaven saying, "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased."

Jesus stoops so low as to mingle with the multitude of sinners, and forthwith the heavens are opened to magnify Him — He acknowledges Himself worthy of the strokes of divine justice, and behold, the Father declares that He takes all His delight in Him: Humiliavit semetipsom... propter quod et Deus exaltavit illum.

It is at this moment that the mission of Jesus, as One sent by God, is declared authentic. The Father's testimony accredits, so to speak, His Son before the world, and hence this testimony relates to one of the characters of Christ's work as regards ourselves.

The mission of Jesus has a double aspect: it bears at the same time the character of redemption and of sanctification. It is to redeem souls, and, this done, to infuse life into them. That is the whole work of the Savior.

Collect:
  
O God, Whose only-begotten Son hath appeared in the substance of our flesh: grant, we beseech Thee, that by Him, in Whom outwardly we recognize our likeness, we may deserve to be inwardly created anew: Who with Thee liveth and reignth.

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Prayer for the Departed

Let us not forget to pray for those who have gone before us to Our Father's House in Glory. May they rest in peace.

Prayer For The Departed
By Saint Alphonsus Mary de Liguori

MY GOD! I recommend to Thee the souls of my relations, my benefactors, my friends and my enemies, and of those who are in Purgatory on my account. I recommend to Thee the souls of evangelical labourers, of Religious and priests, and especially of those who had charge of my soul. I recommend to Thee the souls of those who were most devout to the passion of Our Lord, to the Blessed Sacrament, to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the souls who are most abandoned, those who suffer most, and those who are nearest to the entrance into paradise. Amen

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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Pope's Assailant to be Freed

Pope John Paul ll's Assailant will soon be set free, as early as tomorrow! The Turkish courts ruled he had completed his sentenced.

Updated: His assailant has been re-arrested and will remain in prison until January 18, 2010.

The Holy See's response: “The Holy See has learned only from news agencies of the news of the possible freedom of Ali Agca,” [A Vatican Spokesman] said in a brief statement. “The Holy See, before a problem of a judicial nature, submits to the decisions of the tribunals involved in this matter.” (Read MSNBC for more information)

Opinion: I certainly hope he is a changed man. But, as John Paul ll showed us, we all must forgive. As pope, he forgave this man for his offense, and I say that we should also forgive. May God forgive Him and lead Him to perfect unity in Christ.

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The Epiphany Lesson - Who Didn't Show Up To Adore Him?

Today we celebrate the arrival of wisemen bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The gold for the King of Kings, Frankincense symbolic of the divinity of Christ, and myrrh, a perfume used in burial. For Jesus Christ came for one thing - to die for us.

But, who didn't show up in Bethlehem? That's the question we should ask ourselves. For a star even appeared in the sky. And, what is a star? It's a symbol, a symbol not owned by any one nation but set above the world. It symbols Jesus Christ "The Light of the Whole World".

1) While thinking about the star we realize the first people to have Christ's Incarnation pass them by were the astrologers. These people use horoscopes and the stars to judge who they are and their "destiny". They claim to "master" the skies, but when the sign of the whole world appeared they did not know Him. They were oblivious to Christ; let us not be so involved with false gods of money or fame that we forget the only Truth. Remember, it was those astrologers, believers in the occult, that fell for the devil's temptations. They did not know Christ. Let us not be as they were.

2) King Herod. We read in scripture that he called the Magi to him so they could find Christ, so that he too might adore Christ. But, behold, we have a liar! King Herod did nothing of the such. He felt competition from Christ; He was scared of the Child. For Christ Our Lord was competition to His sinfulness and His kingdom.

But don't think King Herod's likeness is dead! Remember, that after the Wisemen left Bethlehem they didn't return to Herod. King Herod knew he was betrayed so he sent out an order - all male children under 2 were to be murdered. And, what did the people do? They followed his order. He claimed to be in charge, doing the right thing and he murdered the children. But, did most of the people stand against him and his sinfulness? No, just as today few stand up against Planned Parenthood and abortion industry. For those that practice, support, or advise abortions are not with Christ. Those people are as King Herod who refuse to humble themselves; they are lost sheep. They are not next to the crib in Bethlehem for they do not know Him. Let us remember that our mission is to convert them so that they might see the Glory of Christ.

3) And, finally, it was the people of Judea who didn't come to adore Our Lord. Why? O, they could always be with Him spiritually in their homes, right? They don't have to go anywhere, God is with them.

But, while God is certainly with us everywhere, He was truly present in Bethlehem. He was truly there (Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity). That is a far different presence than He would have had in their homes. But, they didn't come. And today we see so many people that believe they can stay at home and believe. They can just pray at home; they don't have to actually go and worship His true presence. But, what a deception. In our world today, Jesus Christ is truly present in the Holy Eucharist. He is really there like He was in Bethlehem. In this world there is no closer moment to Christ than adoring the Holy Eucharist. For the Eucharist is our joy and hope. Let us not be as the people of Judea and keep going on with our lives. For He is Risen! We know that He is truly there! Let us follow in praise and adoration and thanksgiving.

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Prayer for the Epiphany of the Lord

O God, Who on this day didst manifest Thine only-begotten Son to the Gentiles by the guidance of a star: graciously grant, that we, who know Thee now by faith, may be led even to contemplate the beauty of Thy Majesty. Through the same our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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Thank You For Prayers for My Speeches

Thank you everyone that prayed for me today. My speeches went excellent. My first speech was on embryonic stem cell research, where I defended the Church's position. My second speech today was something I made recently on the Avian Bird Flu. I talked about means to prevent a possible outbreak and how we can help.

I hope to post some of my research on this blog soon for others to read, but right now it is all just hand-written. I'll have to wait for extra time to get around to that.

Thanks for all the prayers. They truly helped.

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