Today is Ash Wednesday

The time has now come in the Church year for the solemn observance of the great central act of history, the redemption of the human race by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In the Roman Rite, the beginning of the forty days of penance is marked with the austere symbol of ashes which is used in today’s liturgy. The use of ashes is a survival from an ancient rite according to which converted sinners submitted themselves to canonical penance. The Alleluia and the Gloria are suppressed until Easter.

Abstinence from eating meat is to be observed on all Fridays during Lent. This applies to all persons 14 and older. The law of fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday applies to all Catholics from age 18 through age 59.

Historically today is the feast of St. Catherine de Ricci a native of Florence, Italy, who became a Dominican tertiary in 1535 and eventually filled the offices of novice-mistress and prioress. She was famous for her ecstasies in which she beheld and enacted the scenes of our Lord’s passion. It is said that she met St. Philip Neri, in a vision who was still alive in Rome. Three future popes were among the thousands who flocked to her convent to ask her prayers.

The act of putting on ashes symbolizes fragility and mortality, and the need to be redeemed by the mercy of God. Far from being a merely external act, the Church has retained the use of ashes to symbolize that attitude of internal penance to which all the baptized are called during Lent. —Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy.

From the very early times the commemoration of the approach of Christ’s passion and death was observed by a period of self-denial. St. Athanasius in the year 339 enjoined upon the people of Alexandria the 40 days’ fast he saw practiced in Rome and elsewhere, “to the end that while all the world is fasting, we who are in Egypt should not become a laughing stock as the only people who do not fast but take our pleasure in those days.” On Ash Wednesday in the early days, the Pope went barefoot to St. Sabina’s in Rome “to begin with holy fasts the exercises of Christian warfare, that as we do battle with the spirits of evil, we may be protected by the help of self-denial.” — Daily Missal of the Mystical Body

PRAYER FOR ASH WEDNESDAY. Grant, O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting this campaign of Christian service, so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils, we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

NIGHT PRAYER. This prayer is designed to be said within the family before a Crucifix from Ash Wednesday to Saturday at the beginning of Lent.

Mother or a child: From the words of St. John the Evangelist (14:1-6).

Let not your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many mansions. Were it not so, I would have told you, because I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again, and I will take you to myself, that where I am, there you also may be. And where I go, you know, and the way you know.

Father: We ought to glory in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ

Family: in whom is our salvation, life and resurrection.

Father: Let us pray. Grant to your faithful, Lord, a spirit generous enough to begin these solemn fasts with proper fervor and to pursue them with steadfast devotion. This we ask of you through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son.

Family: Amen. Favor this dwelling, Lord, with your presence. Far from it repulse all the wiles of Satan. Your holy angels—let them live here, to keep us in peace. And may your blessing remain always upon us. This we ask of you through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son.

Father: Let us bless the Lord.

Family: Thanks be to God.

Father: May the almighty and merciful Lord, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bless and keep us.

Family: Amen.

 Prayer Source: Holy Lent by Eileen O’Callaghan, The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota, 1975

 

20 October 2013 Mass Readings

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

Reading 1                                      EX 17:8-13

In those days, Amalek came and waged war against Israel.
Moses, therefore, said to Joshua,
“Pick out certain men,
and tomorrow go out and engage Amalek in battle. 
I will be standing on top of the hill
with the staff of God in my hand.” 
So Joshua did as Moses told him:
he engaged Amalek in battle
after Moses had climbed to the top of the hill with Aaron and Hur.
As long as Moses kept his hands raised up,
Israel had the better of the fight,
but when he let his hands rest,
Amalek had the better of the fight.
Moses’hands, however, grew tired;
so they put a rock in place for him to sit on. 
Meanwhile Aaron and Hur supported his hands,
one on one side and one on the other,
so that his hands remained steady till sunset.
And Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people
with the edge of the sword.

Responsorial Psalm                                  PS 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
I lift up my eyes toward the mountains;
whence shall help come to me?
My help is from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
May he not suffer your foot to slip;
may he slumber not who guards you:
indeed he neither slumbers nor sleeps,
the guardian of Israel.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The LORD is your guardian; the LORD is your shade;
he is beside you at your right hand.
The sun shall not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The LORD will guard you from all evil;
he will guard your life.
The LORD will guard your coming and your going,
both now and forever.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Reading 2                                             2 TM 3:14-4:2

Beloved:
Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed,
because you know from whom you learned it,
and that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures,
which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation
through faith in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is inspired by God
and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction,
and for training in righteousness,
so that one who belongs to God may be competent,
equipped for every good work.

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus,
who will judge the living and the dead,
and by his appearing and his kingly power:
proclaim the word;
be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient;
convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.

Gospel                                                        LK 18:1-8

Jesus told his disciples a parable
about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. 
He said, “There was a judge in a certain town
who neither feared God nor respected any human being. 
And a widow in that town used to come to him and say,
‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’
For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought,
‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, 
because this widow keeps bothering me
I shall deliver a just decision for her
lest she finally come and strike me.'” 
The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. 
Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones
who call out to him day and night? 
Will he be slow to answer them? 
I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. 
But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

 

13 October 2013 Mass Readings

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1                                     2 KGS 5:14-17  

Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times
at the word of Elisha, the man of God. 
His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child,
and he was clean of his leprosy.Naaman returned with his whole retinue to the man of God. 
On his arrival he stood before Elisha and said,
“Now I know that there is no God in all the earth,
except in Israel.
Please accept a gift from your servant.”

Elisha replied, “As the LORD lives whom I serve, I will not take it;”
and despite Naaman’s urging, he still refused. 
Naaman said: “If you will not accept,
please let me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth,
for I will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice
to any other god except to the LORD.”

Responsorial Psalm                                  PS 98:1, 2-3, 3-4

R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
his right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands:
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

Reading 2                                       2 TM 2:8-13

Beloved:
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David:
such is my gospel, for which I am suffering,
even to the point of chains, like a criminal.
But the word of God is not chained.
Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen,
so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, 
together with eternal glory.
This saying is trustworthy:
If we have died with him
we shall also live with him;
if we persevere
we shall also reign with him.
But if we deny him
he will deny us.
If we are unfaithful
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself.

Gospel                                  LK 17:11-19

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying,
“Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”
And when he saw them, he said,
“Go show yourselves to the priests.”
As they were going they were cleansed. 
And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. 
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
“Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine? 
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” 
Then he said to him, “Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you.”

 

16 June 2013: Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1                                           2 SM 12:7-10, 13

Nathan said to David:
“Thus says the LORD God of Israel:
‘I anointed you king of Israel.
I rescued you from the hand of Saul.
I gave you your lord’s house and your lord’s wives for your own.
I gave you the house of Israel and of Judah.
And if this were not enough, I could count up for you still more.
Why have you spurned the Lord and done evil in his sight?
You have cut down Uriah the Hittite with the sword;
you took his wife as your own,
and him you killed with the sword of the Ammonites.
Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house,
because you have despised me
and have taken the wife of Uriah to be your wife.’
Then David said to Nathan,
“I have sinned against the LORD.”
Nathan answered David:
“The LORD on his part has forgiven your sin:
you shall not die.”

Responsorial Psalm                                  PS 32:1-2, 5, 7, 11

R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
Blessed is the one whose fault is taken away,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,
in whose spirit there is no guile.
R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
I acknowledged my sin to you,
my guilt I covered not.
I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,”
and you took away the guilt of my sin.
R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;
with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.
R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you just;
exult, all you upright of heart.
R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

Reading 2                                        GAL 2:16, 19-21

Brothers and sisters:
We who know that a person is not justified by works of the law
but through faith in Jesus Christ,
even we have believed in Christ Jesus
that we may be justified by faith in Christ
and not by works of the law,
because by works of the law no one will be justified.
For through the law I died to the law,
that I might live for God.
I have been crucified with Christ;
yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me;
insofar as I now live in the flesh,
I live by faith in the Son of God
who has loved me and given himself up for me.
I do not nullify the grace of God;
for if justification comes through the law,
then Christ died for nothing.

Gospel                                                 LK 7:36—8:3

A Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him,
and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table.
Now there was a sinful woman in the city
who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee.
Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,
she stood behind him at his feet weeping
and began to bathe his feet with her tears.
Then she wiped them with her hair,
kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment.
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself,
“If this man were a prophet,
he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him,
that she is a sinner.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“Simon, I have something to say to you.”
“Tell me, teacher, ” he said.
“Two people were in debt to a certain creditor;
one owed five hundred days’ wages and the other owed fifty.
Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both.
Which of them will love him more?”
Simon said in reply,
“The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.”
He said to him, “You have judged rightly.”

Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon,
“Do you see this woman?
When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet,
but she has bathed them with her tears
and wiped them with her hair.
You did not give me a kiss,
but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered.
You did not anoint my head with oil,
but she anointed my feet with ointment.
So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven
because she has shown great love.
But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”
He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
The others at table said to themselves,
“Who is this who even forgives sins?”
But he said to the woman,
“Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Afterward he journeyed from one town and village to another,
preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.
Accompanying him were the Twelve
and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities,
Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,
Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza,
Susanna, and many others who provided for them
out of their resources.

Or                                                         LK 7:36-50

A Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him,
and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table.
Now there was a sinful woman in the city
who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee.
Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,
she stood behind him at his feet weeping
and began to bathe his feet with her tears.
Then she wiped them with her hair,
kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment.
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself,
“If this man were a prophet,
he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him,
that she is a sinner.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“Simon, I have something to say to you.”
“Tell me, teacher, ” he said.
“Two people were in debt to a certain creditor;
one owed five hundred day’s wages and the other owed fifty.
Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both.
Which of them will love him more?”
Simon said in reply,
“The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.”
He said to him, “You have judged rightly.”

Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon,
“Do you see this woman?
When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet,
but she has bathed them with her tears
and wiped them with her hair.
You did not give me a kiss,
but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered.
You did not anoint my head with oil,
but she anointed my feet with ointment.
So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven
because she has shown great love.
But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”
He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
The others at table said to themselves,
“Who is this who even forgives sins?”
But he said to the woman,
“Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

 

Our Lady of Good Health

Our Lady of Good Health (Feastday every Sept.8) also known as Our Lady of Vailankanni is a celebrated Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary believed to have appeared in the town of Velankanni, Tamil Nadu, India. Traditional beliefs surrounding the Marian apparition is held to have occurred to a young boy delivering milk goods to the neighborhood when the Virgin Mary, carrying a child Jesus, is said to have appeared and asked him for some milk.

A Basilica was erected by Portuguese and Indians presently standing in the site of the miraculous event. The iconic depiction of the Madonna is also unique since it is one of two only icons where Mary is portrayed wearing an Indian Sari costume, while the other statue is said to have been buried with Emperor Aurangzeb. The basilica is known for its pilgrims from all over India and its assembly of multilingual prayers every Christmas.^[3]

Many Indian Catholics have great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary under this title, dubbing the Marian apparition as “Lourdes of the Orient” due to the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who flock its sanctuary on the Feast of the Nativity of Mary (8 September).

As part of the Indian tradition, believers customarily throw flower petals to the image, light incense, while others bring occasional goods and offerings to the church as a donation for one’s personal petitions.

Reputed miraculous events

The first of the apparitions in Vailankanni is claimed to be to a Hindu boy in the mid 16th century. It is said that while he rested under a native banyan tree near a pond, a woman appeared to him and requested milk for her son. The boy readily agreed. On reaching the customer’s home, the boy apologized for his lateness and the reduced amount of milk and related the incident that occurred on his way. However, upon inspection of his order, the man found the milk pot to be full and was convinced that something miraculous should have happened. Together the man, also a Hindu, and the boy returned to the place where the apparition had occurred. When they reached the pond, the woman appeared once again. On learning that it was Mary, mother of Jesus, who appeared to the boy, the residents of the local Catholic community became ecstatic and promptly renamed the pond Matha Kulam (“Our Lady’s Pond”).

The second happened in the later end of the 16th century, it is believed that Mary appeared to a crippled boy (and also a son of a widow) in a place called Nadu Thittu, once again in the same town of Velankanni. The boy is claimed to have offered her buttermilk and then cured of his illness. The boy was commanded by Mary to inform a Catholic gentleman in the nearby town of Nagapattinam. The first thatched shrine was built by this Catholic gentleman.

The third event happened in the 17th century, a Portuguese merchant vessel, sailing from Macau in China to Colombo in Sri Lanka was caught in a tempest in the Bay of Bengal. The sailors at the point of desolation vowed to build a chapel in her name wherever they could reach safe. The legends claim that stormy sea became quiet and their ship reached the shore of Vailankanni on 8 September, the Birthday of Mary. In fulfillment of their vow, the Portuguese sailors put up a chapel at Vailankanni by transforming the earlier thatched chapel.

Novena Prayers

O Most Holy Virgin! You were chosen by the most adorable Trinity from all eternity to be the most pure Mother of Jesus. O Tender Mother of the afflicted, grant me under my present necessities a special protection. Relying upon the infinite mercies of your Divine Son, and penetrated with confidence in your powerful prayers, I humbly entreat you to intercede for me. I beg you to obtain for me the favors, which I petition for in this novena.

(Here specify your requests) 

O Mother of God, accept my salutations in union with the respect with which the angel Gabriel first hailed you “Full of grace”. I beseech you, O comfortress of the afflicted, to obtain for me the favors and graces, which I have now implored through your powerful intercession. For this end I offer you the good works I do and sufferings I endure. I humbly entreat you for the love of the amiable heart of Jesus with which yours was ever so inflamed to hear prayers and obtain my requests. Amen.

Recite the Hail Mary (Recite 3 times)

“Our Lady of Good Health……………… Pray for us.” (Repeat 3 times)

 

Daily Prayers for the devoted

as requested by a reader

Most Common Prayers for Daily Living

SIGN OF THE CROSS
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

The Sign of the Cross is made by the right hand touching the forehead at the word “Father,” touching the chest at the word “Son,” and touching the left and right shoulders at the words “Holy Spirit.”

 

 

 

 

GLORIA
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen

 

OUR FATHER
Our Father, who art in Heaven,
hallowed be Thy name,
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done
on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen

ACT OF FAITH
O my God, I firmly believe that you are one God in three divine Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I believe that your divine Son became flesh, died for our sins, and that he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths that the Holy Catholic Church teaches because you have revealed them, Who can neither deceive nor be deceived. Amen.

ACT OF HOPE
O my God, relying on your almighty power, infinite mercy and promises, I hope to obtain pardon for my sins, the help of your grace, and life everlasting through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer. Amen

ACT OF LOVE
O my God, I love you above all things, with my  whole heart and soul, because you are all good and worthy of all love. I love my neighbor as myself for the love of you. I forgive all who have injured me and ask pardon of all who I have injured. Amen

ACT OF CONTRITION
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you, and I detest all my sins, because of your just punishments, but most of all, because they offend you, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to sin nor more, and to avoid the near occasions of sin. Amen

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
Almighty Father, you are lavish in bestowing all your gifts, and we give you thanks for the favors you have given to us. In your goodness you have favored us and kept us safe in the past. We ask that you continue to protect us and to shelter us in the shadow of your wings. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

PRAYER FOR THE SICK
O God, your Son accepted our sufferings to teach us the virtue of patience in human illness. Hear the prayers we offer for our sick brothers and sisters. May all who suffer pain, illness or disease realize that they are chosen to be saints, and know that they are joined to Christ in his suffering for the salvation of the world, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

PRAYER FOR ALL THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED
God, Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant to the souls of your servants and handmaids the forgiveness of all their sins. Through our devout prayers may they obtain the pardon which they have always desired. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Lord, hear our prayers; in your mercy, bring us to your place of peace and light the soul (s) of your servant (s) [Name (s)], whom you have summoned from this world. Call [Name (s)] to be numbered in the fellowship of your saints. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

PRAYER TO ST. JUDE, PATRON SAINT OF HOPELESS CAUSES
Most holy apostle, Saint Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally, as the patron of hopeless cases, of things almost despaired of. Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone. Make use I implore you, of that particular privilege given to you, to bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly – (Here make your request) and that I may praise God with you and all the elect forever. I promise, O blessed Saint Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor, to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen.

PRAYER OF ST. TERESA OF AVILA
“Let nothing disturb thee; Let nothing dismay thee; All thing pass; God never changes. Patience attains all that it strives for. He who has God Finds he lacks nothing: God alone suffices.”

PRAYER OF ST. TERESA OF LISIEUX

O glorious Saint Therese, whom Almighty God has raised up to aid and counsel mankind, I implore your Miraculous Intercession. So powerful are you in obtaining every need of body and soul our Holy Mother Church proclaims you a “Prodigy of Miracles . . . the Greatest Saint of Modern Times.” Now I fervently beseech you to answer my petition [describe your petition here] and to carry out your promises of spending Heaven doing good on earth . . . of letting fall from Heaven a Shower of Roses. Henceforth, dear Little Flower, I will fulfill your plea “to be made known everywhere” and I will never cease to lead others to Jesus through you. Amen.

PRAYER OF ST. FRANCIS
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, 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

PRAYERS OF ST. IGNATIUS LOYOLA
Suscipe
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding and my entire will, All I have and call my own. You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace. That is enough for me. Amen

ANIMA CHRISTI
Soul of Christ, sanctify me; Body of Christ, save me; Water from the side of Christ, wash me; Passion of Christ, strengthen me; Good Jesus, hear me; Within the wounds, shelter me; From turning away, keep me; From the evil one, protect me; At the hour of my death, call me; Into your presence lead me; to praise you with all your saints Forever and ever. Amen

PRAYER FOR GENEROSITY
Lord, teach me to be generous. Teach me to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for reward, save that of knowing that I do your will. Amen

PRAYER TO ST. LUCY, PATRON SAINT OF EYESIGHT
Relying on Your goodness, O God, we humbly ask you, by the intercession of your servant, Saint Lucy, to give perfect vision to our eyes, that we may serve for your greater honor and glory. And we pray for the salvation of our souls in this world, that we may come to the enjoyment of the unfailing light of the Lamb of God in heaven. St. Lucy, virgin and martyr, hear our prayers and answer our petitions. Amen.

ST. PATRICK’S SHIELD
As I arise today, may the strength of God pilot me, the power of God uphold me, the wisdom of God guide me. May the eye of God look before me, the ear of God hear me, the word of God speak for me. May the hand of God protect me, the way of God lie before me, the shield of God defend me, the host of God save me. May Christ shield me today…Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit, Christ when I stand, Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me. Amen.

PRAYER TO ST. GERARD, PATRON SAINT OF MOTHERHOOD
O good St. Gerard, powerful intercessor before the throne of God, wonder-worker of our day, I call upon you and seek your help. While on earth, you always fulfilled God’s designs; help me, too, always do God’s holy will. Beseech the master of life, from whom all parenthood proceeds, to bless me with offspring, that I may raise up children to God in this life and heirs to the kingdom of God’s glory in the life to come. Amen.

PRAYER BEFORE A CRUCIFIX
Behold, O kind and most sweet Jesus, I cast myself upon my knees in your sight, and with the most fervent desire of my soul I pray and beseech that you would impress upon my heart lively sentiments of Faith, Hope and Charity, true repentance for my sins and a firm purpose of amendment, while with deep affection and grief of soul I ponder within myself and mentally contemplate your five most precious wounds, having before my eyes that which David spoke in prophecy of you, O good Jesus: “They have pierced my hands and feet, they have numbered all my bones.” Amen

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
O sacred banquet, in which Christ is consumed, the memory of his passion is recalled, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.

Spanish: “¡Oh sagrado banquete, en el cual Cristo se nos da co-mo alimento, se hace un recuerdo de su pasión, el alma se llena de gracia y se nos da una prenda de la vida eterna!”

APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, Our Lord, who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. On the third day, he rose again. He ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

GRACE BEFORE MEALS
Bless us, O Lord, and these your gifts which we are about to receive from your bounty through Christ our Lord. Amen

GRACE AFTER MEALS
We give you thanks, O Almighty God, for these your benefits, Who lives and reigns, world without end. Amen.

CONSECRATION OF FAMILY
We consecrate to Thee, O Jesus of Love, the trials, the joys, and all the happiness of our family life. We beseech Thee to pour out Thy blessings upon all its members, absent and present, living and dead. And when one after the other we have fallen asleep in Thy Blessed Bosom, O Jesus, may all of us, in Paradise, find again our family in Thy Sacred Heart. May the Divine Assistance remain always with us, and may the Souls of the Faithful Departed, through the Mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. Charles E. Olson

PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
Breathe into me, Spirit of God, that I may think what is holy.
Drive me, Spirit of God, that I may do what is holy.
Draw me, Spirit of God, that I may love what is holy.
Strengthen me, Spirit of God, that I may preserve what is holy.
Guide me, Spirit of God, that I may never lose what is holy.
St. Augustine

COME, HOLY SPIRIT
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created and you shall renew the face of the earth. O God, who has instructed the hearts of your faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may have a right judgment in all things and evermore rejoice in his consolations. Through Christ Our Lord, Amen

MORNING PRAYER
My God, I thank you for protecting me through the night. I praise you and give you thanks for all the blessings you have bestowed on me. In union with Jesus, I consecrate to you all my thoughts, words, actions, joys, and sufferings of this day. Mary my mother, bless me this day and protect me from dangers. My Guardian Angel and all my patrons, pray for me. Amen

NIGHT PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, you have given your followers an example of gentleness and humility, a task that is easy, a burden that is light. Accept the prayers and work of this day, and give us the rest that will strengthen us to render more faithful service to you who live and reign forever and ever. Amen

THE ANGELUS 
To be recited three times a day at 6am, noon and 6pm daily, except during the Easter season:

DAWN — At 6:00 am., around dawn, we give thanks to God as our Creator and praise the masterpiece of His Creation, Mary, the Beloved Daughter of God the Father, the First Person of the Blessed Trinity.MIDDAY —  At noon, when the sun reaches its zenith, we give thanks to God as our Redeemer, and praise the first one to be redeemed, Mary, the Admirable Mother of God the Son, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.EVENING — At 6:00 pm, when the sun is at its twilight, we give thanks to God as our Savior, and praise the greatest one to be saved, who is already body and soul in heaven: Mary, the Faithful Spouse of God the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Blessed Trinity.

Let us pray the Angelus daily and benefit from the immense graces that Jesus bestows through His Immaculate Mother to all those who honor the Incarnation of the Word of God, the greatest intervention of God in history as reflected in the beautiful verses of the Angeles:

V. The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. Hail Mary…
V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord
R. Let it be done unto me according to your word. Hail Mary…
V. And the Word was made flesh
R. And dwelt among us. Hail Mary…
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us pray:
Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord, your grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ your Son was made known by the message of an angel, may, by his Passion and Cross, be brought to the glory of his Resurrection through the same Christ, our Lord. Amen.

THE REGINA CAELI
(Said instead of the Angelus during the Easter Season)
Rejoice, O Queen of Heaven, 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 has risen indeed, Alleluia!
Let us pray: O God, who has given joy to the whole world through the Resurrection of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ; grant that through the prayers of his Virgin Mother Mary, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ, our Lord. Amen.

GUARDIAN ANGEL PRAYER

Angel of God, my guardian dear
To whom God’s love commits me here
Ever this day (night) be at my side
To light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen

PRAYER TO ST. MICHAEL
Saint Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into Hell Satan and the other evil spirits who prowl about the world for the ruin of souls. Amen  (Pope Leo XIII -1878-1903)

THE SERENITY PRAYER
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next. Amen.