Saint John Leonardi

Mother Teresa's Secret Fire

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Dr. Marie Meaney

author of

"Embracing the Cross of Infertility"

come listen:

The Cross of Infertility

Our Lady of Hope

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Our Lady of Hope

Today's readings from Holy Mass

October 8, 2009

Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1
Mal 3:13-20b

You have defied me in word, says the LORD,
yet you ask, “What have we spoken against you?”
You have said, “It is vain to serve God,
and what do we profit by keeping his command,
And going about in penitential dress
in awe of the LORD of hosts?
Rather must we call the proud blessed;
for indeed evildoers prosper,
and even tempt God with impunity.”
Then they who fear the LORD spoke with one another,
and the LORD listened attentively;
And a record book was written before him
of those who fear the LORD and trust in his name.
And they shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts,
my own special possession, on the day I take action.
And I will have compassion on them,
as a man has compassion on his son who serves him.
Then you will again see the distinction
between the just and the wicked;
Between the one who serves God,
and the one who does not serve him.
For lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven,
when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble,
And the day that is coming will set them on fire,
leaving them neither root nor branch,
says the LORD of hosts.
But for you who fear my name, there will arise
the sun of justice with its healing rays.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6

R. (Ps 40:5a) Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.

R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.

R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.

R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

Gospel
Lk 11:5-13

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,’
and he says in reply from within,
‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.’
I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.

“And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?

An Act of Spiritual Communion

My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen

Our Lady of the Rosary

Our Lady of the Rosary also known as Our Lady of Victory because she untangles the knots in our lives. She is a great treasure.... Saint Pio, the Spiritual Father of the Blue Army, said: "The Rosary is the weapon," and how right he was!

Mary Undoer of Knots

Litany of Loreto

The Sacrament of Matrimony

The grace of the sacrament of Matrimony

1641 "By reason of their state in life and of their order, [Christian spouses] have their own special gifts in the People of God."¹⁴⁷ This grace proper to the sacrament of Matrimony is intended to perfect the couple's love and to strengthen their indissoluble unity. By this grace they "help one another to attain holiness in their married life and in welcoming and educating their children."¹⁴⁸

1642 Christ is the source of this grace. "Just as of old God encountered his people with a covenant of love and fidelity, so our Savior, the spouse of the Church, now encounters Christian spouses through the sacrament of Matrimony."¹⁴⁹ Christ dwells with them, gives them the strength to take up their crosses and so follow him, to rise again after they have fallen, to forgive one another, to bear one another's burdens, to "be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ,"¹⁵⁰ and to love one another with supernatural, tender, and fruitful love. In the joys of their love and family life he gives them here on earth a foretaste of the wedding feast of the Lamb:

How can I ever express the happiness of a marriage joined by the Church, strengthened by an offering, sealed by a blessing, announced by angels, and ratified by the Father? . . . How wonderful the bond between two believers, now one in hope, one in desire, one in discipline, one in the same service! They are both children of one Father and servants of the same Master, undivided in spirit and flesh, truly two in one flesh. Where the flesh is one, one also is the spirit.¹⁵¹

October 4 Liturgy Reflection

Sunday, October 4, 2009: Liturgy Reflection from JP Catholic University on Vimeo.

Saints Clare and Francis, pray for us!

Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me a channel of thy peace,

that where there is hatred, I may bring love;

that where there is wrong,

I may bring the spirit of forgiveness;

that where there is discord, I may bring harmony;

that where there is error, I may bring truth;

that where there is doubt, I may bring faith;

that where there is despair, I may bring hope;

that where there are shadows, I may bring light;

that where there is sadness, I may bring joy.

Lord, grant that I may seek rather to

comfort than to be comforted;

to understand, than to be understood;

to love, than to be loved.

For it is by self-forgetting that one finds.

It is by forgiving that one is forgiven.

It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life.

Feast of St. Clare of Assisi

Litany of St. Clare

Lord, have mercy

Christ, have mercy

Lord, have mercy

Christ, hear us;

Christ, graciously hear us.

God, the Father of Heaven;

have mercy on us!

God, the son, Redeemer of the world,

have mercy on us!

God, the Holy Spirit,

have mercy on us!

Holy Trinity, one God,

have mercy on us!

Holy Mary, Queen of Virgins, R:..pray for us

St. Clare chosen of Christ...R..

St. Clare, lover of chastity...R

St. Clare, vessel of holiness...R

St. Clare, prayerful daughter ofSt. Francis...R

St. Clare, morning light...R

St. Clare, Mother and Foundress of the

Poor Clares…R

St. Clare, humble follower of Christ…R

St. Clare, faithful imitator of St. Francis…R

St. Clare, humble servant of the servants of Christ…R

St. Clare, brilliant light of holiness…R

St. Clare, wonderful helper in need...R

St. Clare, full of joy…R

St. Clare, poor with the poor…R

St. Clare rich in merit and grace…R

St. Clare, loving spouse of the Crucified…R

St. Clare, seraphic adorer of the Blessed Sacrament…R

St. Clare, mighty protector of Assisi…R

St. Clare, mirror of patience in suffering…R

St. Clare, comforter of the ill and infirm…R

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world....have mercy on us

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world....graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world.....have mercy on us

Pray for us , St. Clare....that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

LET US PRAY

O God, who inspired St. Clare of Assisi to shine her light on the Gospel and live a life of uncompromising fidelity, grant that through her merits and intercession, we may walk in the path of righteousness in this life so as to enjoy the life that will never end.

We ask this through Christ our Lord....AMEN

See Johnnette's Free On-line Study about Angels

Dear Hannah's Tears,

This week, Johnnette has dedicated her entire blog to a short study on the angels.

This study began on September 28th with "Who Are the Angels". From there Johnnette moved through the week with reflections on "The Characteristics of the Angels", "The Angelic Function and Mission", "St. Therese of Lisieux and Her Guardian Angel".

The study concludes today (Friday Oct 2) with an amazing poem written by J. Corson Miller, an American poet who was born in 1883.

Check it out here.

Sincerely,

Johnnette Benkovic

LHLA and Women of Grace

Feast of the Guardian Angels

Guardian Angels

Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God´s love commits me here; ever this day (or noght) be at my side, to light, to guard, to rule and to guide. Amen.

O most Holy Angel of God, appointed by Him to be my guardian, I give you thanks for all the benefits which you have bestowed on me in body and in soul. I praise and glorify you that you did condescend to assist me with such patient fidelity, and to defend me against all the assaults of my enemies. Blessed be the hour in which you were assigned to me as my guardian, my defender, and my patron. In acknowledgement and return of all your loving ministries to me since my youth, I offer you the infinitely precious and noble Heart of Jesus, and firmly resolve to obey you henceforth, and most faithfully to serve my God. Amen.

(St Gertrude)

O thou who speedest through all space

More swiftly than the lightnings fly,

Go very often in my place

To those I love most tenderly.

With thy soft touch, Oh, dry their tears,

Tell them the Cross is sweet to bear,

Speak my name softly in their ears,

And Jesus' Name supremely fair!

(St Therese of Lisieux)

DEMOCRATS ON COLLISION COURSE WITH CATHOLICS

If you haven't seen this news, please check it out:

DEMOCRATS ON COLLISION COURSE

WITH CATHOLICS

10/01/09

Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights

(www.catholicleague.org/)

Please continue to pray for our health care workers...

Prayer for the healthcare worker

Good and gracious God,
you share your ministry of healing
with physicians and nurses, and with all
those professionals who commit their talents
to heal and strengthen patients and their families.
 

Through the companionship
of the great physician Luke,
bless us with your gifts of wisdom and hope.
Give us patience when we are tired,
strength when we are weak,
and the grace of hospitality for everyone we meet.
 

Loving God,
lay your healing hands upon us now.
May we walk always in your love.
May every action of our lives give glory
and praise to you, our loving God.   Amen!

http://www.luhs.org/depts/ministry/prayers.htm

http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/online.html

A Story of Faith, Hope and Love

You may be carrying a much different cross than

the woman in this video, but I do believe that she

is a great witness to all of us. God bless you!

Hannahs.Tears.Prayer@gmail.com

Our Little Flower

Saint Therese of Lisieux

"For one pain endured with joy, we shall love the good God more forever."

St. Therese of Lisieux

Chaplet of Divine Mercy

Meditation on Our Lady

Remain with Mary as she leads you to her son Jesus Christ.

Feast of the Archangels

The Chaplet of St. Michael

O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, etc.

[Say one Our Father and three Hail Marys after each of the following nine salutations in honor of the nine Choirs of Angels]

1. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Seraphim may the Lord make us worthy to burn with the fire of perfect charity.

Amen.

2. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Cherubim may the Lord grant us the grace to leave the ways of sin and run in the paths of Christian perfection.

Amen.

3. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Thrones may the Lord infuse into our hearts a true and sincere spirit of humility.

Amen.

4. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Dominations may the Lord give us grace to govern our senses and overcome any unruly passions.

Amen.

5. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Virtues may the Lord preserve us from evil and falling into temptation. Amen.

6. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Powers may the Lord protect our souls against the snares and temptations of the devil.

Amen.

7. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Principalities may God fill our souls with a true spirit of obedience. Amen.

8. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Archangels may the Lord give us perseverance in faith and in all good works in order that we may attain the glory of Heaven.

Amen.

9. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Angels may the Lord grant us to be protected by them in this mortal life and conducted in the life to come to Heaven.

Amen.

Say one Our Father in honor of each of the following leading Angels: St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael and our Guardian Angel.

Concluding prayers:

O glorious prince St. Michael, chief and commander of the heavenly hosts, guardian of souls, vanquisher of rebel spirits, servant in the house of the Divine King and our admirable conductor, you who shine with excellence and superhuman virtue deliver us from all evil, who turn to you with confidence and enable us by your gracious protection to serve God more and more faithfully every day.

Pray for us, O glorious St. Michael, Prince of the Church of Jesus Christ, that we may be made worthy of His promises.

Almighty and Everlasting God, Who, by a prodigy of goodness and a merciful desire for the salvation of all men, has appointed the most glorious Archangel St. Michael Prince of Your Church, make us worthy, we ask You, to be delivered from all our enemies, that none of them may harass us at the hour of death, but that we may be conducted by him into Your Presence.This we ask through the merits of

Jesus Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

Article ~ Priests for Life website

The title of the article is:

"Abortion, Contraception, Natural Family Planning, and Church Teaching"

You can read the article at:

http://www.priestsforlife.org/contraception/index.htm

Note: This address is also listed as a resource on the Hannah's Tears Infertility blog site.

Thank you Priests for Life!!!