|
 SPIRITUAL
DIRECTION FOR TODAY
[The works of a well known Catholic Spiritual Director will
be featured in this space each week.]
SERMONS OF SAINT JOHN
VIANNEY
GREAT CONFESSOR OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
(1786-1859)
Life Summary of Saint
John Vianney
THE TONGUE OF THE SCANDAL-MONGER
Anyone who is unfortunate enough to come under the tongue of the
scandalmonger is like a grain of corn under the grinding stone in a mill: he is
torn, crushed, entirely destroyed. People like these will fasten onto you
intentions that you never had; they will poison all your actions and your
movements. If you have enough piety to wish to fulfil your religious duties, you
are only a hypocrite, an angel in the church and a demon in the house. If you do
any good or charitable works, they will think that this is just through pride
and so that you may gain notice. If you are not worldly and not interested in
worldly affairs, you are said to be odd and singular and to have no spirit. If
you look after your own affairs carefully, you are nothing but a miser. Let me
go further, my dear brethren, and say that the tongue of the scandalmonger is
like the worm which gnaws at the good fruit -- that is, the best actions that
people do -- and tries to turn all to bad account.
The tongue of the scandalmonger is a grub which taints the most beautiful of
the flowers and upon them leaves behind it the disgusting trace of is own slime.
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SERMONS OF SAINT JOHN VIANNEY, THE CURE
OF ARS
|
 MARIAN PRAYER
[Make a prayer request.]
PRAYER OF
ACCLAMATIONS TO MARY
O gracious and beautiful Heaven,
more vast than the heavens themselves,
for they cannot contain God,
Who is immense, but He concealed
Himself in thy womb;
O richest of all treasures,
in which was deposited the
treasure of our redemption;
O Mother of sinners,
under whose mantle we are defended;
O consolation of the world,
in which all who are afflicted, infirm, and disconsolate,
find consolation;
O beautiful eyes, which steal hearts;
O coral lips, which imprison souls;
O generous hands, filled with lilies,
and which always distribute graces;
O pure creature. who appearest a God,
and whom I should have taken for a God,
had not faith taught me that thou art not so,
although thou hast a splendor,
and I know not what of Divine sovereignty;
O great Lady, empress of Heaven,
enjoy for a thousand eternities the greatness of thy state,
the immensity of thy greatness,
and the happiness of thy glory,
We only beseech thee,
O compassionate Mother, not to forget us,
who glory in being thy servants and children,
And since in thee are deposited all graces,
and the best and most privileged of all created things,
grant, O Lady, that we,
thy devout children,
may be favored more beyond comparison
than are all other men on earth,
The whole world should know that the dear children of Mary
are the best of Heaven and earth:
they are the spoilt children,
who enjoy all the choicest possessions of their Mother;
they are the beloved Benjamins,
who, being caressed in the bosom of the Queen of Heaven,
are doubly favored
and doubly caressed by the Majesty of God,
This I hope, O most beautiful Rachel;
and this I am confident that thou wilt do,
O sovereign Princess,
in the name of what thou art, do it;
for all Heaven prostrate at thy feet beseeches thee,
and with importunity asks it of thee.
Say only yes, pronounce only a loving consent;
be it done, be it done, fiat, fiat!
O men, of what are you thinking?
How can you love earthly, deceitful, and lying creatures,
which betray you and cause you to lose your souls,
your bodies, Paradise, and God!
And why do you not love the most loving,
the most amiable,
the most faithful Mary, who,
after having enriched you with consolations and graces in this life,
will obtain you from her Divine beloved Son
the eternal glory of Paradise?
O Mary, Mary more beautiful than all creatures,
lovely after Jesus above all loves,
more dear than all created things,
gracious above every grace,
pity this miserable heart of mine;
miserable because it does not love thee;
and it ought to love thee.
Thou canst inflame it with thy holy love.
Turn, O Mary, thy loving eyes upon me;
look at me, and draw me to thee;
and grant that after God I may love no other but thee,
most gracious, most amiable Mary,
Mother of Jesus,
and my Mother.
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|
 THREE
HAIL MARY'S
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. |
|
 PRAYER
TO PROTECT ALL MILITARY TROOPS FIGHTING FOR PEACE
Oh, Lord God, we ask
in the name of your precious Son,
JESUS, for the protection of all
military troops fighting against terrorism. Secondly, in the name of
JESUS, we ask for the
apprehension of all hostile terrorist leaders and their followers.
"Whatever you ask in my name I will do, so that the Fathe glorified in the
Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it." John 14:
13-14
PRAYER TO SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL
(Ask Saint Michael to protect International troops in harm's way around the
world.)
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
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U.S.
FATALITIES IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN
HAVE MASSES SAID
FOR SOLDIERS THAT HAVE DIED |
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. |
CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES
PRAY
FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA AND VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN 
PRAYER
FOR PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL HEALING
