Distractions During Prayer

Distractions During Prayer

Brother John Raymond - Community of the Monks of Adoration 12/12/93: "Many people complain of distractions during prayer. One must not think that this is only a problem for people of today. Shakespeare writes the following for one of the characters in his plays: My words rise up, My thoughts remain below. Words without thoughts seldom to Heaven go.

What is a distraction? Let me describe some. I start praying perhaps by meditating on a Mystery of the Rosary. I am thinking about the Presentation in the Temple while praying the Hail Mary when all of a sudden I am thinking about a baseball game, what's for lunch or what I'm going to do the next day. Now if I did not mean to think these distracting thoughts then my prayer has not been in vain. Remember that prayer is not an intellectual exercise but a conversation or a desire for a relationship with God. Still, many people would like to have less distractions during prayer. Here are some suggestions that might help.

When you realize during prayer that you are no longer in the Presence of God but have wandered somewhere else then throw the distraction out. But one must do this gently and not with violence. A violent return to prayer can be a bigger distraction than what one is trying to throw out. The spiritual writers of old used to advise that one simply brushed distractions away as if they were annoying flies. This is a good analogy for the problem. I know that when I am talking to someone and a fly takes a great interest in me I am only momentarily distracted from the conversation. But let a bee instead of a fly landed on me and we have a totally different story. The conversation with the other person would be abruptly stopped while I tried to avoid being stung. My total concentration would be on the bee and not on the person I was talking to for some time. So treat distractions lightly and don't worry about them.

Another technique to overcome annoying distractions is to make them part of one's prayer. For instance I remember once while praying the Rosary being distracted by thoughts of my sick cousin. Instead of throwing this out I began to pray for my cousin. Even a distraction as unrelated as a baseball game still involves people who could use one's prayers. Mention these people to Jesus and ask Him to help them. Jesus told Sister Mary of the Holy Trinity, a Poor Clare, concerning distractions to "use them by praying for what is presented to you."

Health and environment do effect the number of distractions one has during prayer. Being sleepy or tired causes the mind to wander much more easily. Other factors such as not eating properly, tension, worries, etc. can lead to a very distracting time. I remember being told once to pray now while one is healthy because it is almost impossible to do so when you are sick. A bad headache can make just thinking, let alone praying, a very challenging task. If possible try to minimize these problems. If you can't then pray about them or pray for the grace to pray with them.

In passing I must say that our present world environment is not conducive to prayer. Our minds are overwhelmed with images from the television, sounds from the radio, horror stories from the newspapers, etc. The media feeds our minds with many thoughts for distraction during prayer. These things whether we like it or not become impressed upon our minds. They make it difficult for one to raise one's mind to God."

St. Therese of Avila, a Doctor of the Church called the Doctor of prayer, taught that most of the problem one has during prayer is related to what one does when one begins to pray. She really emphasizes the importance of beginning prayer by placing oneself in the Presence of God. Another term for this recollection. This fancy term means nothing more than collecting your thoughts. Give yourself time to settle down to prayer. Breathe deeply, find the best position, forget about what you were doing a few minutes before, etc. Don't begin your prayer already distracted. In whatever way is best for you, maybe a picture of Jesus, imagining Him before you or by another method place Him before you.

There is a Saint to pray to for help in this area. The French Carmelite nun Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity said before she died that when she was in Heaven she would help people to be recollected.

Finally, consider praying out loud when distractions are really bad - if you are alone. This technique is especially helpful while doing what is called "conversational prayer," that is talking to God. By praying out loud at least if you get so distracted - and stop praying - you'll notice it!"

Image Source: Altar Boy Society at St. Anthony of Padua

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European Union - Embyronic Stem Cell Research

There has been a lot of talk during the past few weeks concerning the European Union forcing its member states to fund embryonic stem cell research. Remember, that this research destroys embryos and has proven useless.

Well, Monday, July 24, 2006, the European Union made a compromise that the Catholic Church is upset about still. Now, "The Monday vote would make sure that the EU does not directly pay for embryonic stem cell research but member nations would be free to use EU science funds they receive to pay for it in their own countries."

In its Wednesday issue, the L'Osservatore Romano condemned the effort to find a compromise between funding the research, which involves the destruction of days-old unborn children, and pro-life concerns about taking human life. The paper said the EU is condoning "a macabre illicit trade." Expanding on the Vatican's response to the vote, Bishop Elio Sgreccia, head of the Pontifical Academy for Life, told Vatican Radio that the vote violated a "primordial right" to life and authorized "the use of a human being on the basis of 'I kill you in order to gain benefits for others.'" "To not be opposed to research that is destructive and inherently violent" is "an act of serious inconsistency," he said.

Source: LifeNews

Concerning the Compromise:

The compromise means that some money from the EU's $65 billion science budget will fund some embryonic stem cell research over the 2007-2013 period that it covers. But it also includes consessions to nations oppose to embryonic stem cell research that the funding would not go to pay for destroying human embryos but rather for research on existing embryonic stem cells or on research conducted after the destruction of human life has taken place. A coalition of nations, led by Germany, had been working to block any funding for embryonic stem cell research and appeared to be on the verge of winning the debate. However, Finland, which holds the EU presidency this year, proposed the compromise and Slovenia, one of the members of the coalition, reversed its position and supported it.

Source: LifeNews

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A Prayer for a Deceased Priest

O God, Thou didst raise Thy servant, N., to the sacred priesthood of Jesus Christ, according to the Order of Melchisedech, giving him the sublime power to offer the Eternal Sacrifice, to bring the Body and Blood of Thy Son Jesus Christ down upon the altar, and to absolve the sins of men in Thine own Holy Name. We beseech Thee to reward his faithfulness and to forget his faults, admitting him speedily into Thy Holy Presence, there to enjoy forever the recompense of his labors. This we ask through Jesus Christ Thy Son, our Lord. Amen.

Please pray for...

I ask you to please pray for Monsignor DeBlanc, who recently died at the age of 91. Please also pray for these priests who have died: Fr. Andrea Santore (murdered in 2006), Fr. McKenna, Fr. Reitmeyer, Fr. Eusebio Ferrao (murdered in 2006), and Bishop Luigi Locati (murdered in 2005).

Image Source: Unknown, Believed to be in the Public Domain

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St. Joachim and St. Anne

Memorial of Sts. Joachim and Anne (1969 Calendar): July 26
St. Anne: Double of the II Class (1955 Calendar): July 26
St. Joachim: Double (1955 Calendar): August 16

Sts. Joachim and Anne are the parents of Mary, the Mother of Our Savior, Jesus Christ. They were privileged to be the grandparents of Jesus Christ.

What we know about the Blessed Virgin Mary's parents, Joachim and Anne, comes from Protoevangelium Jacobi (The Gospel of James). It is not part of the Bible, but the document, which was written c. 170 AD gives insight into the life of Mary and her parents. Joachim was a prominent and respected man, however, he had no children, and he viewed this as a punishment from God. In an answer to his prayers, he and Anne, his wife, were given the daughter Mary, who was conceived without sin. She remained sinless, ever-virgin, and was the Mother of God. Their prayers were answered greater than they could have ever imagined!

There is a great Shrine to St. Anne in Canada - Ste. Anne de Beaupre. It is a site of constant miracles. Cripples have entered the Shrine on crutches and left by walking through the door because they were completely healed. Another Shrine is Ste. Anne d'Auray in Britanny, France. There is also a church of St. Anne in Jerusalem, and the church is believed to have been built on the location where Sts. Joachim and Anne lived.

The feast of St. Anne was made a holy day of obligation under Pope Gregory XV who reigned from 1621 to 1623 as Dom Gueranger relates: "Gregory XV, after having been cured of a serious illness by St. Anne, had ranked her feast among those of precept, with the obligation of resting from servile work." The Feast of St. Anne was listed as a Holy Day in Pope Urban VIII's 1642 Universa Per Orbem, and it remained as such in some places like Quebec for some time.

Dom Gueranger also adds: "It was not until 1584 that Gregory XIII ordered the celebration of this feast of July 26 throughout the whole Church, with the rite of a double. Leo XIII in recent times (1879), raised it, together with that of St. Joachim, to the dignity of a solemnity of the second class. But before that, Gregory XV, after having been cured of a serious illness by St. Anne, had ranked her feast among those of precept, with the obligation of resting from servile work."

While no longer a holy day of obligation, the Feast of St. Anne is a day we should honor by assisting at Holy Mass, if possible, and honoring our grandparents with our visits (if they are alive) or our prayers (whether they have passed on to the next world or not).

Patronage of St. Anne: against poverty; barren; broommakers; cabinetmakers; carpenters; childless couples; equestrians; grandmothers; grandparents; homemakers; housewives; lace makers; lace workers; lost articles; miners; mothers; old-clothes dealers; poverty; pregnancy; pregnant women; horse riders; seamstresses; stablemen; sterility; turners; women in labour; Brittany; Canada; France; Quebec; archdiocese of Detroit, Michigan; diocese of Norwich, Connecticut; Santa Ana Indian Pueblo; Taos, New Mexico.

Collect:

O God, Who didst vouchsafe to bestow upon blessed Anne such grace, that she was found worthy to become the mother of her who brought forth Thine only-begotten Son: mercifully grant that we who celebrate her festival, may be helped by her intercession with Thee. Through our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

In the Protoevangelium of James, St. Joachim is described as a rich and pious man of the house of David who regularly gave to the poor and to the temple.  However, as his wife was barren, the high priest rejected Joachim and his sacrifice, as his wife's childlessness was interpreted as a sign of divine displeasure. Joachim consequently withdrew to the desert where he fasted and did penance for forty days. Angels then appeared to both Joachim and Anne to promise them a child. Joachim later returned to Jerusalem and embraced Anne at the city gate. The cycle of legends concerning Joachim and Anne were included in the Golden Legend and remained popular in Christian art until the Council of Trent restricted the depiction of apocryphal events.

No liturgical celebration of Saint Joachim was included in the Tridentine Calendar. It was added to the General Roman Calendar in 1584, for celebration on March 20, the day after the feast day of Saint Joseph. In 1738, it was transferred to the Sunday after the Octave of the Assumption of Mary. As part of his effort to allow the liturgy of Sundays to be celebrated, Pope Pius X transferred it to August 16, the day after the Assumption, so that Joachim may be remembered in the celebration of Mary's triumph.  It was then celebrated as a Double of the 2nd Class, a rank that was changed in 1960 to that of 2nd Class Feast.

Dom Guaranger on the Feast of St. Joachim:

From time immemorial the Greeks have celebrated the feast of St. Joachim on the day following our Lady's birthday. The Maronites kept it on the day after the Presentation in November, and the Armenians on the Tuesday after the Octave of the Assumption of the Mother of God. The Latins at first did not keep his feast. Later on it was admitted and celebrated sometimes on the day after the Octave of the Nativity, September 16, sometimes on the day following the Conception of the Blessed Virgin, December 9. Thus both East and West agreed in associating St. Joachim with his illustrious daughter when they wished to do him honour.

About the year 1510, Julius II placed the feast of the grandfather of the Messias upon the Roman Calendar with the rank of double major; and remembering that family, in which the ties of nature and of grace were in such perfect harmony, he fixed the solemnity on March 20, the day after that of his son-in-law, St. Joseph. The life of the glorious patriarch resembled those of the first fathers of the Hebrew people; and it seemed as though he were destined to imitate their wanderings also, by continually changing his place upon the sacred cycle.

Hardly fifty years after the Pontificate of Julius II the critical spirit of the day cast doubts upon the history of St. Joachim, and his name was erased from the Roman breviary. Gregory XV, however, re-established his feast in 1622 as a double, and the Church has since continued to celebrate it. Devotion to our Lady’s father continuing to increase very much, the Holy See was petitioned to make his feast a holiday of obligation, as it had already made that of his spouse, St. Anne. In order to satisfy the devotion of the people without increasing the number of days of obligation, Clement XII in 1738 transferred the feast of St. Joachim to the Sunday after the Assumption of his daughter, the Blessed Virgin, and restored to it the rank of double major.

On August 1, 1879, the Sovereign Pontiff, Leo XIII, who received the name of Joachim in baptism, raised both the feast of his glorious patron and that of St. Anne to the rank of doubles of the second class.

Patronage of St. Joachim: fathers, grandfathers, grandparents

Collect:

O God, Who of all Thy Saints didst choose the blessed Joachim to be father to the Mother of Thy Son: grant, we beseech Thee that we who honor his festival, may evermore experience his patronage. Through the same our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

Note: No commemoration is made of the octave of the Assumption under the 1954 rubrics (common octaves are not commemorated on doubles of the I or II class).

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Visit to Conception Seminary College

Hello, everyone! Blessings and peace in the Name of Jesus Christ, the Risen Lord!

Last week I returned from visiting Conception College Seminary in Missouri, USA. I enjoyed spending time with the Benedictine monks and visiting the minor basilica. Overall, during my visit I've realize how important prayer truly is, even though I am not completely supportive of some of the aspects of the seminary there.

While there, I purchased a copy of Christian Prayer, which contains the complete Liturgy of the Hours. I have been praying the Liturgy of the Hours at Lauds (morning), Vespers (evening), and Compline (night) ever since I left the monastery. While at the monastery, I prayed with the monks at Lauds, daytime prayer, Mass, Vespers, and Compline. It was so beautiful to hear them chanting the Liturgy, equating to the best part of my experience there. And, it was so wonderful to see men in full habit walking around and bearing witness to the Faith of the Universal Church.

Grace and peace!

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St. James the Greater, Apostle

Apostle Saint James the Greater" by El Greco, 1606, oil on canvas, Museo del Greco, Toledo, Spain

Feast (1969 Calendar): July 25

Double of the II Class (1955 Calendar): July 25

Today we celebrate the Feastday of St. James. He is called St. James the Greater in order to distinguish him from the other St. James, who was the author of the Epistle of St. James and another disciple of Our Lord. He is called "the Greater" simply because he became a disciple before the other James. According to some historians and legends, St. James the Greater may have been a cousin to Jesus. However, it is certain that St. James the Greater, who we remember today, was the brother of John and son of Zebedee.

James, John, Peter, and Andrew were all fishermen in Bethsaida, on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. Our Lord called to Simon Peter and Andrew and said, "Come after Me and I will make you fishers of men" (Mt. 4:19). And, then Our Lord turned to James the Greater and his brother John, and both of them instantly left their nets and followed Our Lord.

St. James the Greater, along with Peter and John, was one of the few that witnessed Our Lord's Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor, the raising of the daughter of Jairus, and Our Lord’s suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane before His passion.

And while St. James abandoned Our Lord during His Passion along with the other disciples, he repented and returned to the faith. And, not only that, but he went out and proclaimed the Gospel. According to legend St. James went to Spain and evangelized there for seven years. St. James and St. John asked Our Lord to be at His right hand in Heaven, and Our Lord said they would be with Him in a far more different and wonderful way than they could have expected.

St. James the Greater died a martyr for Jesus. He was killed by the sword by the order of King Herod Agrippa in c. 44 AD, and his martyrdom is the only one of the apostles that are recorded in the Bible (Acts 12:2). He was the first apostle to be murdered for the faith.

Each year on July 24, many people make a pilgrimage to St. James of Compostela in Spain, the 3rd largest shrine in all of Christendom. According to legend, his body was taken by angels when he was murdered, and it was sailed in an unattended boat to Spain where a massive rock closed around it. In the ninth century, a star in the sky revealed the location of the tomb of St. James, and that was were the Shrine was built. Below the altar rests the remains of St. James the Greater. Some people do not believe the remains are truly his; however, Pope Leo XIII in 1884 in Omnipotens Deus accepted the authenticity of the relics at Compostela. As the feast of all of the other apostles, the Feast of St. James was in times past a holy day of obligation.

For more on the lives of all the Apostles, pick up a copy of "The Twelve: Lives and Legends of the Apostles" on paperback or as part of the online course on the Apostles, which includes a Certificate of Completion.

Excerpt from Dom Gueranger's Liturgical Year:

LET us, today, hail the bright star which once made Compostella so resplendent with its rays that the obscure town became, like Jerusalem and Rome, a centre of attraction to the piety of the whole world. As long as the Christian empire lasted, the sepulchre of St. James the Great rivalled in glory that of St. Peter himself.

Among the saints of God, there is not one who manifested more evidently how the elect keep up after death an interest in the works confided to them by our Lord. The life of St. James after his call to the apostolate was but short; and the result of his labours in Spain, his allotted portion, appeared to be a failure. Scarcely had he, in his rapid course, taken possession of the land of Iberia, when, impatient to drink the chalice which would satisfy his continual desire to be close to his Lord, he opened by martyrdom the heavenward procession of the twelve, which was to be closed by the other son of Zebedee. O Salome, who didst give them both to the world, and didst present to Jesus their ambitious prayer, rejoice with a double joy: thou art not repulsed; He who made the hearts of mothers is thine abettor. Did He not, to the exclusion of all others except Simon His Vicar, choose thy two sons as witnesses of the greatest works of His power, admit them to the contemplation of His glory on Thabor, and confide to them His sorrow unto death in the garden of His agony? And to-day thy eldest-born becomes the first-born in heaven of the sacred college; the protomartyr of the apostles repays, as far as in him lies, the special love of Christ our Lord.

But how was he a messenger of the faith, since the sword of Herod Agrippa put such a speedy end to his mission! And how did he justify his name of son of thunder, since his voice was heard by a mere handful of disciples in a desert of infidelity?

This new name, another special prerogative of the two brothers, was realized by John in his sublime writings, wherein as by lightning flashes he revealed to the world the deep things of God; it was the same in his case as in that of Simon, who having been called Peter by Christ, was also made by Him the foundation of the Church; the name given by the Man-God was a prophecy, not an empty title. With regard to James, too, then, eternal Wisdom cannot have been mistaken. Let it not be thought that the sword of any Herod could frustrate the designs of the most High upon the men of His choice. The life of the saints is never cut short; their death, ever precious, is still more so when in the cause of God it seems to come before the time. It is then that with double reason we may say their works follow them; God Himself being bound in honour, both for His own sake and for theirs, to see that nothing is wanting to their plenitude. As a victim of a holocaust, He hath received them, says the Holy Ghost, and in time there shall be respect had to them. The just shall shine, and shall run to and fro like sparks among the reeds. They shall judge nations, and rule over peoples; and their Lord shall reign for ever.[1] How literally was this divine oracle to be fulfilled with regard to our saint!

Nearly eight centuries, which to the heavenly citizens are but as a day, had passed over that tomb in the north of Spain, where two disciples had secretly laid the apostle's body. During that time the land of his inheritance, which he had so rapidly traversed had been overrun first by Roman idolaters, then by Arian barbarians, and when the day of hope seemed about to dawn, a deeper night was ushered in by the Crescent. One day lights were seen glimmering over the briars that covered the neglected monument; attention was drawn to the spot, which henceforth went by the name of the field of stars. But what are those sudden shouts coming down from the mountains, and echoing through the valleys? Who is this unknown chief rallying against an immense army the little worn-out troop whose heroic valour could not yesterday save it from defeat? Swift as lightning, and bearing in one hand a white standard with a red cross, he rushes with drawn sword upon the panic-stricken foe, and dyes the feet of his charger in the blood of 70,000 slain. Hail to the chief of the holy war, of which this Liturgical Year has so often made mention! Saint James! Saint James! Forward, Spain! It is the reappearance of the Galilean fisherman, whom the Man-God once called from the bark where he was mending his nets; of the elder son of thunder, now free to hurl the thunderbolt upon these new Samaritans, who pretend to honour the unity of God by making Christ no more than a prophet.[2] Henceforth James shall be to Christian Spain the firebrand which the Prophet saw, devouring all the people round about, to the right hand and to the left, until Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place in Jerusalem.[3]

And when, after six centuries and a half of struggle, his standard bearers, the Catholic kings, had succeeded in driving the infidel hordes beyond the seas, the valiant leader of the Spanish armies laid aside his bright armour, and the slayer of Moors became once more a messenger of the faith. As fisher of men, he entered his bark, and gathering around it the gallant fleets of Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Albuquerque, he led them over unknown seas to lands that had never yet heard the name of the Lord. For his contribution to the labours of the twelve, James drew ashore his wellfilled nets from west and east and south, from new worlds, renewing Peter’s astonishment at the sight of such captures. He, whose apostolate seemed at the time of Herod III to have been crushed in the bud before bearing any fruit, may say with St. Paul: I have no way come short of them that are above measure apostles, for by the grace of God I have laboured more abundantly than all they.[4]

[1] Wild. iii. 6-8.
[2] Battle of Clavijo, under Ramiro I, about 845.
[3] Zach. zii. 6.
[4] 2 Cor. xii. 11, and 1 Cor. xv. 10.

Prayer:

Be Thou, O Lord, the Sanctifier and Protector of Thy people: so that defended by the aid of Thine Apostle James, they may please Thee in their manner of life, and serve Thee in peace of soul. Through our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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Words of Inspiration: July 25, 2006

Blessed Mother Teresa: "We too must be: the Light of Charity, the Truth of Humility, the Life of Sanctity"

Image Source: Images in the Public Domain. If you are interested in obtaining all of the images of this series in high resolution, please click here to visit my post to obtain them.

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Prayer to Jesus in the Tabernacle

O Divine Savior!

I thank Thee for having perpetuated Thy humble, obedient, self-sacrificing and recollected silence of Nazareth in the tabernacle. How Thy example puts me to shame! Forgive me for my bold, self-seeking, and superficial talkativeness.
Teach me to understand the words: "In silence and in hope shall your strength be." (Is. 30, 15)

Prayer Source: Unknown

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A Prayer of Supplication to the Poor Souls in Purgatory

Purgatory is real! Please pray this Prayer of Supplication to the Poor Souls in Purgatory.

O holy souls, as one truly devoted to you, I promise never to forget you and continually to pray to the Most High for your release. I beseech you to respond to this offering which I make to you, and to obtain for me, from God, with Whom you are so powerful on behalf of the living, that I may be free from all dangers of souls and body.

I beg both for myself and for my relations and benefactors, friends and enemies, pardon for our sins, and the grace of perseverance in good, whereby we may save our souls. Obtain for us peace of heart; assist us in all our actions; succor us promptly in all our spiritual and temporal needs; console and defend us in our dangers.

Pray for our Holy Father, the Pope; for the exaltation of Holy Church; for peace between nations; for Christian rulers; and for tranquility among peoples; and grant that we may one day all rejoice together in Paradise. Amen.

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St. Bridget of Sweden

Optional Memorial (1969 Calendar): July 23
III Class (1962 Calendar): October 8
Double (1954 Calendar): October 8

St. Bridget of Sweden was a member of the Franciscan Third Order for laypeople and was born 1303 and died July 23, 1373. Her mother was Birger Persson, governor and provincial judge (Lagman) of Uppland, and of Ingeborg Bengtsdotter, and her father was extremely affluent too. While St. Bridget was still unborn, her mother was saved from shipwreck for Bridget's sake.

St. Bridget received careful religious education and while seven years old, she displayed remarkable illuminations. At the age of 10, St. Brigid listened to a homily on Our Lord's passion. The next night she saw Jesus on the Cross covered with blood, and He spoke to her. This is one of her first visions from Jesus that she was privileged to receive throughout her life. St. Bridget could never speak of the Passion of Our Lord without tears.

In 1315 her mother died, so St. Bridget was cared for by her aunt. At the age of 13, she married Ulfo Gudmarsson, a prince of Nericia, and they had eight children, one of whom was St. Catherine of Sweden. Her husband was a very pious man. Over the years St. Bridget continued to grow in holiness and was soon well known far and wide. She educated children and cared for the poor and sick. St. Bridget even set apart a house for their reception. In an act of humility that we all can learn from, St. Bridget would wash their feet and even kiss them. Her humility recalls the humility of Jesus in washing the disciples feet.

In the early 1340's, Ulfo and Bridget journeyed to Compostella to visit the tomb of the apostle St. James, but during the journey her husband became gravely ill. St. Dionysius appeared to St. Bridget at night and foretold his recovery and other future events. Ulfo became a Cistercian monk. However, Ulfo soon became ill and died in 1344 in the Cistercian monastery of Alvastrâ.

After this, St. Bridget heard Christ calling her in a dream to live more austere life, so she devoted herself entirely to Christ. She founded the Order of the Most Holy Savior; she erected a double monastery for monks and nuns at Vadstena. Nearly the rest of her life was lived in Rome where she worked for the return of the Popes from Avignon. Upon her return from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, St. Bridget was struck by a fever and suffered from illness for a whole year. She died on July 23, 1373. Our Lord revealed the date of her death to her in a previous vision.

St. Bridget received many visions from Our Lord during her life. In one of these appearances, He revealed a set of prayers that would honor His injuries during the Crucifixion. The Lord said to her: "I received 5480 blows on My Body. If you wish to honor them in some way, say 15 Our Fathers and 15 Hail Marys with the following Prayers (which He taught her) for a whole year. When the year is up, you will have honored each one of My Wounds."

Promises

According to a publication that was published about the prayers, Our Lord made 21 promises to St. Bridget that He said apply to the one who recites the 15 prayer for a whole year. However, some of them may be against Church teachings. So, please don't say these prayers just for the promises. Say them to honor Our Lord's sufferings.

1. I will deliver 15 souls of his lineage from Purgatory.

2. 15 souls of his lineage will be confirmed and preserved in grace.

3. 15 sinners of his lineage will be converted.

4. Whoever recites these Prayers will attain the first degree of perfection.

5. 15 days before his death I will give him My Precious Body in order that he may escape eternal starvation; I will give him My Precious Blood to drink lest he thirst eternally.

6.15 days before his death he will feel a deep contrition for all his sins and will have a perfect knowledge of them.

7.I will place before him the sign of MY Victorious Cross for his help and defense against the attack!

8. Before his death I shall come with My Dearest Beloved Mother.

9. I shall graciously receive his soul, and will lead it into eternal joys.

10. And having led it there I shall give him a special draught from the fountain of My Deity, something I will not for those who have not recited My Prayers.

11. Let it be known that whoever may have been living in a state of mortal sin for 30 years, but who will recite devoutly, or have the intention to recite these Prayers, the Lord will forgive him all his sins.

12. I shall protect him from strong temptations.

13. I shall preserve and guard his 5 senses.

14. I shall preserve him from a sudden death.

15. His soul will be delivered from eternal death.

16. He will obtain all he asks for from God and the Blessed Virgin.

17. If he has lived all his life doing his own will and he is to die the next day, his life will be prolonged.

18. Every time one recites these Prayers he gains 100 days indulgence.

19. He is assured of being joined to the supreme Choir of Angels.

20. Whoever teaches these Prayers to another, will have continuous joy and merit which will endure eternally.

21. There where these Prayers are being said or will be said in the future God is present with His grace.

Private Revelation

Like all private revelation since the death of the Last of the Apsotles, these visions and promises do not have to be believed by anyone. The Church, in her authority, declares them worthy of belief, but a Catholic does not have to believe them in order to remain a Catholic.

Pope Benedict XV said:

"The approbation of such revelations implies nothing more than, after mature examination, it is permissible to publish them for the unit of the faithful. Though they don't merit the same credence as the truths of religion, one can, however, believe them out of human faith, conforming to the rules of prudence by which they are probable, and supported by sufficient motives that one might believe in them piously."

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