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CATHOLIC
SPIRITUAL
DIRECTION
"Holy Communion is
the shortest and safest way to Heaven."
Saint Pope Pius X
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 ST. FELIX OF VALOIS.
NOVEMBER 20th
ST. FELIX was son of the Count of Valois. Ilis
mother throughout his youth did all she could to cultivate in him a spirit of
charity. The unjust divorce between his parents matured a long-formed resolution
of leaving the world; and confiding his mother to her pious brother, Thibault,
Count of Champagne, he took the Cistercian habit at Clairvaux. His rare virtues
drew on him such admiration that, with St. Bernard's consent, he fled to Italy,
where he led an austere Iife with an aged hermit. At this time he,was ordained
priest, and his old counsellor having died, he returned to France, and for many
years lived a solitary at Cerfroid, Here God inspired him with the desire of
founding an Order for the redemption of Christian captives, and moved St. John
of Maths., then a youth, to conceive a similar wish. Together they drew up the
rules of the Order of the Holy Trinity. Many disciples gathered round them ; and
seeing that the time had come for further action, the two Saints made a
pilgrimage to Rome to obtain the confirmation of the Order from Innocent III.
Their prayer was granted, and the last fifteen years of Felix's long life were
spent in organizing and developing his rapidly increasing foundations. He died
A.D. 1213.
REFLECTION.—" Think how much,' says St. John Chrysostom, " and how often thy mouth has sinned, and thou wilt devote thy-self
entirely to the conversion of sinners. For by this one means thou wilt blot out
all thy sins, in that thy mouth will be-come the mouth of God."
INTERCESSORY PRAYER:
Ask Saint Felix to pray for your needs today.
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REMEMBER THE POOR SOULS IN PURGATORY DURING THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER; HAVE
MASSES SAID FOR THEM AT THIS LINK:
http://www.holysouls.com
PLEASE PRAY FOR THE SOULS IN
PURGATORY
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Prayer of
St. Gertrude the Great
Our Lord dictated the following prayer to St.
Gertrude the Great to release 1,000 Souls from Purgatory each time it is
said.
"Eternal Father,
I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union
with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls
in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal
church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen."
St. Gertrude's life was the mystic life of the
Cloister –
a Benedictine nun. She meditated on the Passion of Christ, which many
times brought a flood of tears to her eyes. She did many penances and
Our Lord appeared to her many times. She had a tender love for the
Blessed Virgin and was very devoted to the suffering souls in Purgatory.
She died in 1334. Her feast day is November 16th.
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Approval and recommendation (sgd.) M.
Cardinal Pahiarca at Lisbon, Portugal, on March 4, 1936.
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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.]
THE LIFE OF
SAINT TERESA OF JESUS
(Saint Teresa of Avila,
Doctor of the Catholic Church)
Chapter
36
Continues the subject already
begun and describes the completion of the foundation of this convent of the glorious Saint
Joseph, and the great opposition and numerous persecutions which the nuns had to endure
after taking the habit, and the great trials and temptations which she suffered, and how
the Lord delivered her from everything victoriously, to His glory and praise.
After leaving that city I went
on my way very happily, resolved to suffer with the greatest willingness whatever it might
please the Lord to send me. On the very night of my arrival in these parts there arrived
our patent for the convent and the Brief from Rome.[306] I was astonished at this, and so
were those who knew how the Lord had hastened my coming here, when they found how
necessary it had proved to be and how the Lord had brought me here just in the nick of
time. For here I found the Bishop and the saintly Fray Peter of Alcantara, and another
gentleman,[307] a great servant of God, in whose house this saintly man was staying -- he
was one with whom God's servants could always find hospitality.
Between them, these two
persuaded the Bishop to sanction the foundation of the convent. This was by no means
easy,[308] as it was to be founded in poverty, but he was so much drawn to people whom he
saw determined to serve the Lord that he at once inclined to the idea of helping it. The
whole thing was due to the approval of this saintly old man and the way he urged first one
person and then another to come to our aid. If, as I have already said, I had not arrived
at this particular moment, I cannot see how it could have been done, for this saintly man
was here only for a few days -- not more than a week, I believe -- and during that time he
was very ill: not long afterwards the Lord took him to Himself. It seems as if His Majesty
had prolonged his life until this business was settled, for he had for some time been in
very poor health -- I fancy for over two years.
Everything was done with great
secrecy: had it been otherwise, nothing could have been done at all, for, as appeared
later, the people were opposed to the plan. The Lord had ordained that a brother-in-law of
mine[309] should fall ill, and, his wife not being with him, should be in such need of me
that I was given leave to go and stay with him. This prevented anything from being
discovered, and, though a few people must have been rather suspicious, they did not think
there was anything in it. The remarkable thing was that his illness lasted only for just
the time we needed for our negotiations, and, when it was necessary for him to be better
so that I could be free again and he could go away and leave the house, the Lord at once
restored him to health, and he was amazed at it.
What with one person and what
with another, I had a great deal of trouble in getting the foundation sanctioned. Then
there was my patient, and there were the workmen -- for the house had to be got ready very
quickly, so that it would be suitable for a convent, and there was a great deal which had
to be done to it. My companion[310] was not here, for we thought it advisable that she
should be away so that the secret might be the better kept. I saw that speed was of the
first importance, and this for many reasons, one of them being that I was in hourly fear
of being sent back to my own convent. So many were the trials I had to suffer that I began
to wonder if this was my cross, though I thought it very much lighter than the heavy one
which I had understood the Lord to say I should have to bear.
CONTINUED
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LIFE
OF SAINT TERESA, TABLE OF CONTENTS
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SAINT TERESA RECOMMENDS HOLY
WATER
From the Autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila , Chapter 31. 1562 A.D.
 "From long
experience I have learned that there is nothing like holy water to put
devils to flight and prevent them from coming back again. They also flee
from the Cross, but return; so holy water must have great virtue. For my
own part, whenever I take it, my soul feels a particular and most notable
consolation. In fact, it is quite usual for me to be conscious of a
refreshment which I cannot possibly describe, resembling an inward joy
which comforts my whole soul. This is not fancy, or something which has
happened to me only once it has happened again and again and I have
observed it most attentively. It is let us say, as if someone very hot and
thirsty were to drink from a jug of cold water: he would feel the
refreshment throughout his body. I often reflect on the great importance
of everything ordained by the Church and it makes me very happy to find
that those words of the Church are so powerful that they impart their
power to the water and make it so very different from water which has not
been blessed."
The Catholic Church
around the world uses Holy Water in every church to make the church a
fortress against the demons which assault men and women. The Holy
Water is
usually situated near every entrance to the church for people to use to
anoint themselves with the Sign of the Cross. When an individual
puts on Holy Water any demons present will flee. Catholics should
put Holy Water in containers and place them in their homes and their
offices; by doing so they make their homes and offices fortresses against
the demons which are always lurking about. Catholics should also
consider carrying the Holy Water in small containers in their pockets to
ward off demonic attacks during each day.
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GRACE POURED OUT FROM HOLY WATER
"because they include a movement of reverence for
God and Divine
things; and in this way a
bishop's
blessing, the
sprinkling of
holy
water, any sacramental
anointing, a
prayer said in a
dedicated church, and anything
else of the kind, conduce to the remission of venial
sins."
Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica
ORDER HOLY WATER BOTTLES:
http://totallycatholic.com/subcat.php?cid=61&id=190
ALSO SEE:
http://www.discountcatholicproducts.com/catholic-store/Holy-Water/Holy-Water-Holy-Water-Bottles.aspx |
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PRAYER TO THE PASSION AND WOUNDS OF JESUS
A Very
powerful Prayer To Obtain A Favor:
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.
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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."
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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."
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 PRAY
FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA AND VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN
We must pray for President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle.
Scripture says "with
God all things are possible." We must pray for Vice-President ,
Joe Biden and his wife, Jill.
Say the
prayer on the left for President 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. See :
Abortion Decisions of President Obama and his Administration
Also See:
ABORTION DECISIONS OF PRESIDENT OBAMA:
FROM
LIFE NEWS:
http://www.lifenews.com/obamaabortionrecord.html
ABORTION IS
THE WORST FORM OF DISCRIMINATION MAN HAS EVER KNOWN!
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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.
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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 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 God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy
Spirit through the promotion of prayer and Christian teaching which will
enable Christians to adhere to the straight and narrow path Jesus speaks
of in the Gospels. Included in these web pages are the
Douay-Rheims Bible and the works of Saint John of the Cross, Thomas à
Kempis and Saint Louis de Montfort, and the works of other saints of the
Catholic faith, all of whose teachings on spiritual
direction have been followed by priests, ministers, clergymen, Popes and
Saints. These teachings adhere to the teachings of the Catholic Church.
This site is dedicated to
Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich
(Biography) (1774-1824) Mystic, Stigmatist,
Prophet, and Great Visionary, a saintly Augustinian nun from
Flamske, Germany. Her highly descriptive visions of the
crucifixion of Jesus Christ,
The Sorrowful Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
are presented here. In time more works from the Saints of
the Catholic Church will be added to these pages.
INTERCESSORY
PRAYER AND PRAYER CHAPLET TO BLESSED ANNE CATHERINE EMMERICH |
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 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 U.S. 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 |
SEXUALLY IMMORAL PEOPLE WILL NOT
ENTER INTO HEAVEN UNLESS THEY REPENT AND TURN AWAY FROM SIN. (THIS INCLUDES:
FORNICATORS (PEOPLE WHO LIVE TOGETHER BEFORE MARRIAGE), ADULTERERS AND
HOMOSEXUALS).
"Do you not know that the
unrighteous and the wrongdoers will not inherit or have any share in the
kingdom of God? Do not be deceived (misled): neither the impure and immoral,
nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor those who participate in homosexuality,
Nor cheats (swindlers and thieves), nor greedy graspers, nor drunkards, nor
foulmouthed revilers and slanderers, nor extortioners and robbers will
inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God."
--- Saint Paul, 1 Corinthians
6:9-10
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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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  PRAYER
FOR PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL HEALING
THE CONSTANT PRAYER OF SAINT CATHERINE OF SIENA
PRECIOUS BLOOD, ocean of divine mercy:
Flow upon us!
Precious Blood, most pure offering: Procure us every
grace!
Precious Blood, hope and refuge of sinners: Atone for us!
Precious Blood, delight of holy souls: Draw us! Amen. |
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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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