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"Holy Communion is the shortest and safest way to Heaven." Saint Pope Pius X |
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FEAST DAY: JANUARY 5TH He was born in the village of Prachatitz in Bohemia (now Czechoslovakia) on March 28, 1811 and was named John Nepomucene after a patron saint of his country. He studied at the University of Prague and was well known for his scholarly abilities. He decided to enter the religious life and entered the seminary at Budweis, Bohemia. After two years he transferred to the University of Prague and continued his religious studies. He knew several languages including German, Bohemian, Italian, Spanish, Greek and Latin. After his studies he immigrated to the United States in 1836. He was ordained in New York City by Bishop John DuBois of the Diocese of New York. He spent four years in missionary work in the German community around Niagara Falls. In 1842 he joined the Redemptorists and ten years later was consecrated bishop of Philadelphia. In the Philadelphia area he founded fifty churches and established close to 100 Catholic schools. He was beatified by Pope Paul VI in 1963 and later canonized in 1977. INTERCESSORY PRAYER: Ask Saint John Neumann to pray for your family and to pray for all Catholic Schools.
FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE STORY OF SAINT JOHN NEUMANN SEE: www.stjohnneumann.org/life.html
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SPIRITUAL DIRECTION FOR TODAY [The works of a well known Catholic Spiritual Director will be featured in this space each week.] SPIRITUAL DIRECTION FROM: SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES, DOCTOR OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH INTRODUCTION TO A DEVOUT LIFE
PART IV. CONTAINING NEEDFUL COUNSELS CONCERNING SOME ORDINARY TEMPTATIONS. How to resist Minor Temptations. WHILE it is right to resist great temptations with invincible courage, and all such victories will be most valuable, still there is perhaps more absolute profit to our souls in resisting little ones. For although the greater temptations exceed in power, there are so infinitely more in number of little temptations, that a victory over them is fully as important as over the greater but rarer ones. No one will question but that wolves and bears are more dangerous than flies, but they do not worry and annoy us, or try our patience as these do. While is not a hard thing to abstain from murder, but it is very difficult to avoid all passing fits of anger, which assail us at every moment. A man or woman can easily keep from adultery, but it is less easy to abstain from all words and glances which are disloyal. While is easy to keep from stealing another man's goods, but often difficult to resist coveting them; easy to avoid bearing false witness in direct judgment, difficult to be perfectly truthful in conversation; easy to refrain from getting drunk, difficult to be absolutely sober; easy not to wish for a neighbour's death, difficult not to (311) wish anything contrary to his interests; easy to keep from slander, difficult to avoid all contempt. In short, all these minor temptations to anger, suspicion, jealousy, envy, levity, vanity, duplicity, affectation, foolish thoughts, and the like, are a perpetual trial even to those who are most devout and most resolute; and therefore, my daughter, we ought carefully and diligently to prepare for this warfare. Be assured that every victory won over these little foes is as a precious stone in the crown of glory which God prepares for us in Paradise. So, while awaiting and making ready for a stedfast and brave resistance to great temptations should they come, let us not fail diligently to fight against these meaner, weaker foes. __________ TO SEE THE WHOLE BOOK: INTRODUCTION TO A DEVOUT LIFE
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Since 1973 Christians have prayed for the conversion of politicians to change their minds and hearts on the matter of abortion. There have been many successes. This would include Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. The former Governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney has also changed his mind on abortion. Doctor Bernard Nathanson worked at one of the largest abortion clinics in New York and said in his book, Aborting America, that he was personally responsible for performing thousands of abortions. He also changed his mind and became pro-life and produced the film, The Silent Scream, which shows by ultrasound what a unborn child suffers when aborted. Jane Roe whose real name was Norma_McCorvey (her video commercial) of Roe vs Wade became prolife several years ago. She has a prolife web site on the internet. She never had an abortion. She was the woman who was seeking an abortion before 1973 and was denied --- this led to the matter being taken up by the Supreme Court which erroneously ruled in favor of abortion which led to millions of women having abortions in our country. We read of Saint Paul's conversion (Acts 9) while he was riding his horse towards Damascus where he was going to arrest and persecute Christians. God had other plans for Saint Paul and knocked him off of his horse and took his vision away from him for a few days. He became a great apostle for Christ and for His Church.
We now must pray for President-Elect, Barack Obama and his wife Michelle who will shortly be entering the White House. Scripture says "with God all things are possible." We must pray for Vice-President Elect, Joe Biden and his wife, Jill. Please say the following prayer for President-Elect Barack Obama's converson to be prolife; that God would show him that he must vote and legislate to always protect the lives of unborn children.
PRAYER TO THE PASSION AND WOUNDS OF JESUS
PRAY THE FOLLOWING: O
great passion! O deep Wounds! O Blood shed in abundance! O
meekness! O God of meekness, O cruel death, have mercy on me and grant my request if
it be for my salvation. --------- Promises Of Our Lord"I will grant all that shall be asked of Me through the invocation of my Holy Wounds." "With my Wounds and my Divine Heart you can obtain all." --------- (We pray for President-Elect Barack Obama and his wife Michelle. we pray for Vice-President elect Joe Biden and his wife Jill. That they would obey god's commandment to protect the lives of unborn children.)PRAY THE FOLLOWING: "Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ to heal those of our souls." "My Jesus, pardon and mercy, by the merits of Thy Holy Wounds." __________ PRAYER INVOKING THE BLOOD OF JESUS: Eternal Father, we plead
the Blood of Jesus for
President-Elect Barak Obama. We beg you Gracious Father to turn their hearts away from promoting abortion in our country.
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PRAYER TO SAVE THE LIVES OF UNBORN CHILDREN Christian prolifers who have spent time counseling in front of abortion clinics have often observed the power of prayer to save the lives of unborn children. God pours out special graces to save the lives of unborn children when His followers petition Heaven to redirect women away from having abortions. Your prayers today can save a life. Prayers said to the Virgin Mary can prevent abortion from taking place. According to a recent news story from the Associated Press a record number of babies were born in the United States in 2007. A total of 4,315,000 children were born in 2007. That's about 15,000 more births than the peak time of the baby boom in 1957. These figures were recorded by the National Center for Health Statistics which compiled the data from provisional birth certificate registrations at state health departments. But there were 1,287,000 abortions done in the United States in 2007. This means the people of United States in 2007 aborted approximately 1 out of every 5 babies.
Mother Teresa said that "the fruits of abortion are nuclear war." When Mother Teresa said this she was indicating that the complete disrespect for life, especially the lives of the unborn, would bring about a nuclear war.
During each day, offer up three Hail Mary's several times each day asking the Blessed Mother to redirect women throughout the world away from the abortion clinics and toward giving birth to their children. If you want to say rosaries each day to save unborn children; this is also recommended. Say Three Hail Mary's now to protect the lives of unborn children: Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou amongst women and Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen! Then ask the Blessed Mother, "Please save today, the lives of unborn children." |
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THE CONSTANT PRAYER OF SAINT CATHERINE OF SIENA |
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PURPOSE OF WEB SITE:
Welcome to this Catholic Spiritual Direction Web Site. It is
the intention of this page to help Catholics develop a closer
relationship with INTERCESSORY PRAYER AND PRAYER CHAPLET TO BLESSED ANNE CATHERINE EMMERICH |
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PRAYER TO SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL Glorious St. Michael,  Prince of the heavenly hosts, who standest always ready to give assistance to the people of God; who didst fight with the dragon, the old serpent, and didst cast him out of heaven, and now valiantly defendest the Church of God that the gates of hell may never prevail against her, I earnestly entreat thee to assist me also, in the painful and dangerous conflict which I have to sustain against the same formidible foe. Be with me, O mighty Prince! that I may courageously fight and wholly vanquish that proud spirit, whom thou hast by the Divine Power, so gloriously overthrown, and whom our powerful King, Jesus Christ, has, in our nature, so completely overcome; to the end that having triumphed over the enemy of my salvation, I may with thee and the holy angels, praise the clemency of God who, having refused mercy to the rebellious angels after their fall, has granted repentance and forgiveness to fallen man. Amen _____________ U.S. FATALITIES IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN
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EVENING PRAYER: Jesus gave us the very essence of spiritual direction in the Bible: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment." Matthew 22:37-38 Each evening we should reflect on the good things and on the bad things we did during the day and ask God to help us to improve in the future. It is good if we say an Act of Contrition each evening to help us acknowledge our imperfections and to ask God to give us the graces to improve. ACT OF CONTRITION O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin. |
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"At the evening of life, you will be examined in love. Learn to love as God desires to be loved and abandon your own ways of acting." Saint John of the Cross |
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CATHOLIC
SPIRITUAL
DIRECTION
SAINT
JOHN NEUMANN 
PRAY
FOR THE CONVERSION OF 
PRAYER
FOR PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL HEALING
PRAYER
TO PROTECT ALL MILITARY TROOPS FIGHTING FOR PEACE
