Prayer to Follow the Good Shepherd

My God and Father, give me new strength from the courage of Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. He is our Good Shepherd. Let me hear the sound of His voice, lead my steps in the path He has shown, that I may receive His help and enjoy the light of Your presence forever. Strengthened by the Eucharist, may I feel its saving power in my daily life till I reach eternal life with You. Lead me to join the Saints in heaven. Amen

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Eucharistic Miracle of Betania, Venezula

I found and was utterly amazed at this video! In this Eucharistic miracle, the Sacred Host is literally beating like a human heart and it is engulfed with flames! It is a living representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus! Praised be to God!

If you doubt the Eucharist is truly the Real Presence of Jesus, watch this video! Pass this along so others might see the Truth!

Here is information from the Monks of Adoration:

As if one miracle wasn't enough, the same Sacred Host that bled on December 8, 1991 during the celebration of midnight Mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception now is captured on video seemingly engulfed in fire, bleeding and beating like a human heart!

The miraculous bleeding Sacred Host is reserved in the Augustinian Nuns Chapel, Los Teques for all to see. Dan Sanford was with a pilgrim group on November 13, 1998 when he captured this footage. Due to the limitations of showing video on the Internet, you will not be able to see very well the Sacred Host beating nor the surrounding flames of fire as in the original.

Bishop Emeritus of Los Teques Pio Bello S.J. had this to say to Dan, "Continue evangelizing about the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist with the help of this impressive tape."

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Portiuncula Indulgence is Today!

Today the chapel of Portiuncula is situated inside the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels, roughly 5 km from Assisi, Italy.

What is Portiuncula? The following is an excerpt from Major Life of St. Francis by St. Bonaventure.

" The Portiuncula was an old church dedicated to the Virgin Mother of God which was abandoned . Francis had great devotion to the Queen of the world and when he saw that the church was deserted, he began to live there constantly in order to repair it. He heard that the Angels often visited it, so that it was called Saint Mary of the Angels, and he decided to stay there permanently out of reverence for the angels and love for the Mother of Christ.

He loved this spot more than any other in the world. It was here he began his religious life in a very small way; it is here he came to a happy end. When he was dying, he commended this spot above all others to the friars, because it was most dear to the Blessed Virgin.

This was the place where Saint Francis founded his Order by divine inspiration and it was divine providence which led him to repair three churches before he founded the Order and began to preach the Gospel.

This meant that he progressed from material things to more spiritual achievements, from lesser to greater, in due order, and it gave a prophetic indication of what he would accomplish later.

As he was living there by the church of Our Lady, Francis prayed to her who had conceived the Word, full of grace and truth, begging her insistently and with tears to become his advocate. Then he was granted the true spirit of the Gospel by the intercession of the Mother of mercy and he brought it to fruition.

He embraced the Mother of Our Lord Jesus with indescribable love because, as he said, it was she who made the Lord of majesty our brother, and through her we found mercy. After Christ, he put all his trust in her and took her as his patroness for himself and his friars.

The Indulgence:

"The Portiuncula indulgence is the first plenary indulgence that was ever granted in the Church. There were indeed indulgences at all times, but they were only partial, and only a partial remission of the temporal punishments could be obtained by them. But, as already remarked, he who gains the Portiuncula indulgence is freed from all temporal punishments and becomes as pure as after holy baptism. This was also the reason why Pope Honorius was astonished when St. Francis petitioned for the confirmation of this indulgence, for such an indulgence, up to that time, had been entirely unknown. It was only after he had come to the conviction that Jesus Christ himself wished it, that he granted the petition of the saint and confirmed the indulgence" (Source)

Please tell every Catholic person you know that remission of the punishment for all sins committed from the day of baptism to the reception of the indulgence is available.

May the Merciful Jesus fill your heart with His gentle peace!

The Specified Works to Gain this Indulgence:

1. Receive sacramental confession (8 days before or after)
2. Receive the Holy Eucharist at Holy Mass on August 2nd
3. Enter a parish church on August 2nd and, with a contrite heart, pray the Our Father, Apostles Creed, as well as a prayer for the intentions of the Pope.

Plenary Indulgence Requirement: You must also meet all the general requirements for a plenary indulgence or the indulgence gained would be partial. Plenary indulgences require that one is free from all attachments to sin as well.

And you must meet the general requirements that apply to all indulgences of any kind: The person must be in the state of grace at the time of the completion of the indulged work and the person must also want to gain the indulgence.

Allowance for the Work to Be Performed on the Sunday following August 2nd:

Per the Catholic Encyclopedia: On 9 July, 1910, Pius X (only, however, for that year) granted the privilege that bishops could appoint any public churches whatsoever for the gaining of the Portiuncula Indulgence, whether on 2 Aug. or the Sunday following (Acta Apostolicae Sedis, II, 1910, 443 sq.; Acta Ord. Frat. Min., XXIX, 1910, 226). This privilege has been renewed for an indefinite time by a decree of the S. Cong. of Indul., 26 March, 1911 (Acta Apostolicae Sedis, III, 1911, 233-4). The Indulgence is toties-quoties, that is, it may be gained as often as one wishes (i.e. visits the church); it is also applicable to the souls in purgatory.

Note: An indulgence is the remission of the temporal punishment due to sin. More information can be found at Indulgences.

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Watch a Latin Mass video!

This is a full-length Tridentine (Latin) Mass video. It was filmed on Easter Sunday in 1941 at Our Lady of Sorrows church in Chicago. The film presents the ceremonies of the Solemn High Mass in full detail with narration by Monsignor Fulton J. Sheen. Sheen explains everything that happens!

More information and other videos can found found on my category post: Traditional Latin Mass.

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God or the Girl Update

Remember the A&E special for April called God or the Girl? It followed 4 men around, who were thinking about whether or not to enter the priesthood. Well at the end of the show, only one of them apparently chose the priesthood. But did he...no

According to Catholic News, after reading the questions "What do you think a Catholic priest should be?" and "What is calling me to the Catholic priesthood?", he chose not to pursue the priesthood.

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Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Yesterday was the last day of July and the Month of the Precious Blood has ended. August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Through the Sacred Heart Devotion, we remember Jesus's love for us. In the Immaculate Heart, we unite our hearts with Mary in loving God.

May she guide and guard us while bringing us closer to the Heart of her Son. The image of the Immaculate Heart goes back to Luke 2:35, as we recall the sword of sorrow that pierced Mary's heart. It was our sins that crucified Our Savior and which tore a sword of sorrow through his dear Mother Mary.

As Mary revealed at Fatima in 1917, the thorns surrounding her heart are a symbol for sins. Each time we offend our Lord and crucify Him, we further increase the pain His Mother felt beneath the Cross. At Fatima Mary said: "Jesus wishes to establish devotion to my Immaculate Heart in the world. I promise salvation to those who embrace it. Tell everybody that God grants graces through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and that they must ask them from her. Tell them that the Heart of Jesus wishes that by His side should be venerated the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Tell them to ask peace through the Immaculate Heart of Mary; God has placed it in her hands."

EXALTATION OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY by Pope Pius XII

Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, in this tragic hour of the world's history, we entrust and consecrate ourselves to your Immaculate Heart, our only refuge, our hope, our salvation. Have pity on this world, torn by the most terrible conflicts, burning with the fires of hate, victim of its own sins. May your Heart be moved at the sight of so much ruin, pain and sorrow.

We consecrate to your maternal heart our persons, our families, our country--the whole of humanity. Protect and save us!

O Heart of Mary, source of true love, fill our selfish hearts with divine charity and with that true brotherly love without which there can never be peace. Grant that men and nations may understand and fulfill the precept of your Divine Son to love one another, in order that true peace may be firmly established in the Justice and Truth of Christ.

DAILY OFFERING TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and suffering of this day in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.I offer them for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart: the salvation of souls, reparation for sins, the reunion of all Christians;I offer them for the intentions of our Bishops and of all Apostles of Prayer and in particular for those recommended by our Holy Father this month.

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St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

Memorial (1969 Calendar): August 1

III Class (1962 Calendar): August 2
Double (1955 Calendar): August 2

Note: Today is also the day to gain the Portinuncula Indulgence.

Today is the feastday of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop, and Doctor of the Church. He was born in 1696 to an ancient Neapolitan family; his father was an officer in the royal navy. He was a child prodigy, and at the young age of 16, St. Alphonsus received his doctorate in both canon and civil law from the University of Naples. St. Alphonsus would never go to court without first attending Mass. He practiced for nearly 10 years until he realized that one of the legal cases he was defending was not based on justice but on a political scheme. He then gave up his career as a lawyer to serve God.

Declining an arranged married, he was ordained a priest in 1726. St. Alphonsus joined a group of secular priests dedicated to missionary activities. He would give missions, organize workers, and he even had a part in founding an order of contemplative nuns. He is remembered for his gentle understanding in the Confessional and his direct, clear style of preaching.

In 1732, St. Alphonsus Liguori founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (the Redemptorists) in Scala, Italy. It was a congregation of priests and brothers. The congregation worked among country people, most in Italy, who lacked the opportunity for missions and religious instruction. While his first companions deserted him, many vocations came, and the congregation rapidly grew.

In 1749, the Redemptorists were officially approved by Pope Benedict XIV in 1749, and Alphonsus was elected as the congregation's superior general. St. Alphonsus continued to work for Christ when he was made a bishop of Sant' Agata dei God in 1762 by Pope Clement XIII. As bishop, he reformed seminaries, restored churches, and promoted missions. His charity was especially noted during the famine of 1763-64. During one event in his time as bishop, St. Alphonsus summoned a priest to him that refused to leave his worldly life. When the priest arrived, he found a large crucifix on the threshold of the bishop's study. And St. Alphonsus said to the priest, "Come along and be sure to trample it underfoot. It would not be the first time you have placed Our Lord beneath your feet."

In 1768 he resigned as bishop because he was greatly sickened by rheumatism. In 1777, the royal government sought to disband the Redemptorists because they claimed they were doing the work of the Jesuits, who were suppressed in 1773. Using his skills as a lawyer, St. Alphonsus defended his Congregation and obtained the king's approval.

By this time, St. Alphonsus was nearly blind. Trying to take advantage of him, he was tricked into approving revised a Rule for the Congregation, one that suited the king and the anti-clerical government. When Pope Pius VI saw the changes, he condemned it and removed St. Alphonsus Liguori from the order's leader. This caused the saint a great crisis in confidence that lasted for many years.

St. Alphonsus Liguori died on August 1, 1787. When he died, the Redemptorists were a divided society - something that greatly saddened him, but he regained his confidence and peace. He was beatified in 1816 and then canonized in 1839 by Pope Gregory XVI. Pope Pius IX declared a Doctor of the Church in 1871, and Pope Pius XII appointed him the heavenly patron of all confessors and moralists.

Adapted from the Bibliography: The One Year Book of Saints by Rev. Clifford Stevens

Collect:

O God, Who didst kindle in blessed Alphonsus Mary, Thy Confessor and Bishop, burning zeal for the salvation of souls, and through him didst enrich Thy Church with a new offspring: grant, we beseech Thee, that imbued with his saving doctrine and strengthened by his example, we may be able happily to come to Thee. Through our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

Audio Sermons:

Save Thy Soul (Traditional Catholic Sermons)

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Blessed Martyrs of Nowogrodek

On this date, August 1, 1943, eleven nuns exchanged their lives for 120 citizens of Nowogrodek. These eleven nuns were then murdered by the Nazis:

• Maria Stella, Superior (Adelaide Mardosiewicz) (1888-1943)
• Mary Imelda (Jadwiga Zak) (1892-1943)
• Mary Rajmunda (Anna Kukulowicz) (1892-1943)
• Maria Daniela (Eleanor Juzwik) (1895-1943)
• Maria Kanuta (Jozefa Chrobot) (1896-1943)
• Maria Gwidona (Helena Cierpka) (1900-1943)
• Maria Sergia (Julia Rapieg) (1900-1943)
• Maria Kanizja (Eugenia Mackiewicz) (1904-1943)
• Maria Felicyta (Paulina Borowik) (1905-1943)
• Maria Heliodora (Leokadia Matustzewska) (1906-1943)
• Maria Boromea (Veronika Narmuntowicz) (1916-1943)

They were beatified on March 5, 2000, by Pope John Paul ll. They are also known as the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. More information concerning their canonization and lives can be found at the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, Images of Heaven, and through Father Vincent A Lapomarda, SJ.

Photo Source: Adam Styka (1890-1959), Painting is from 1948

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August 2006 Rosary Intentions

I have posted the August Rosary Intentions for the Catholic Community Forum. Please view the list, print it out, and pray for the intentions on the list this month. Here are Pope Benedict XVI's Intentions for the month of August:

General: That orphans may not lack the care necessary for their human and Christian formation.

Missionary: That the Christian faithful may be aware of their own missionary vocation in every environment and circumstance.

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Child Custody Protection Act Passes Senate

Update (October 1, 2006): The bill has died.


Update: Contact Senator Durbin! Ask him to allow the Child Custody Protection Act to go to Conference. If you are an Illinois citizen like me, I especially ask you to contact him. But, I ask all of my readers, if they can, to contact Sen. Durbin.

Original message: On Wednesday, July 26, 2006, the United States Senate voted 65-34 to approve a measure that would help uphold state's parental notification and consent laws (1). The Child Custody Protection Act makes it a crime for anyone other than a teenage girl's parents to take her out of state for an abortion. Thankfully the Senate passed this bill and President Bush has vowed to sign it (2).

The Senate rejected all amendments that would have weakened the bill. Here is one of them:

Members of the Senate voted 51-48 against an amendment to a bill that would uphold parental involvement laws on abortion. Opposed by pro-life groups and lawmakers, the amendment would promote teaching teenagers about birth control in an attempt to lower the number of teen pregnancies. Sponsored by pro-abortion Sen. Frank Lautenberg, a New Jersey Democrat, the amendment would force taxpayers to fund sexual education programs. Pro-life lawmakers regarded it as an attempt to weaken support for the bill and said it would counter abstinence education efforts that are helping teenagers.

Source: LifeNews

However, Senator Dick Durbin (D- IL) has used a proceural motion to prevent the bill from going to a conference committee after the vote (3). A conference committee is required to work out the slight differences between the Senate's passed version and that of the House of Representatives.

Let us hope that Senator Durbin stops worrying about abortion advocates and starts to support families and tries to get something done in the Senate. You can be certain that I will not vote for Senator Durbin when he runs for re-election.

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