CATHOLIC SPIRITUAL DIRECTION

CATHOLIC SPIRITUAL DIRECTIONCATHOLIC SPIRITUAL DIRECTION

CATHOLIC SPIRITUAL DIRECTION Jesus, the Healer
"Holy Communion is the shortest and safest way to Heaven." ----Saint Pope Pius X




INDEX: Mass Readings Saint for Today or Feast Day MARCH FOR LIFE ABORTION Pope Leo's monthly intentions Our Lady of the Rosary Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary Graces Derived from going to the Mass Novena to St. Faustina Kowalska Immaculate Heart of Mary Prayer Warsaw, Poland was destroyed in 1944 for sin of Abortion Charlie Kirk on abortion Masses said for the souls in Purgatory Litany Prayer to Saint Anthony Saint Rita Novena New Pope, Pope Leo XIV, EWTN Stations of the Cross Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montford: True Devotion *Our Lady of Sorrows* *Magnificent Prayers* *of Saint Bridget* The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ Crowds flock to newest Catholic saint Litany of Saint Joseph Litany of Victory of the Virgin Mary Spiritual Direction Litany prayer to Saint Jude How God punishes a nation for the sin of abortion. Homosexual marriage banned in Russia Teaching young children about the immoral homosexual lifestyle in schools or through propaganda is banned in Russia Estimated Number of Abortions in United States in 2023: 1,033,600 babies SAINT ANTHONY NINE DAY NOVENA Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet for healing at 4pm Eastern Time Prayers of the Mass Saint Teresa of Avila Recommends praying to Saint Joseph and Saint Peter of Alcantara for answers to prayer Is the Divine Mercy Chaplet Meant to End Abortion? Abortions increased in abortion states in the U.S. 2023, CNN How God views abortions of mankind-Saint Faustina God was going to destroy Warsaw, Poland for sin of abortion in 1935, but the prayers of Saint Faustina restrained the punishment St. Alphonsus de Liguori-Glories of Mary How to say Divine Mercy Chaplet Today's Mass 8am,12 Noon, 7pm--EWTN Promises of the Divine Mercy Chaplet Texas federal judge issues ruling on abortion pill How Our Lady Saved the World from a Nuclear War Vote Prolife to prevent a nuclear war North Dakota bans most abortions Oklahoma governor signs the nation's strictest abortion ban Voting Pro Choice is a Mortal Sin CALENDAR OF SAINTS Abortion laws for each state Abortion banned in Missouri Prochoice Catholics responsible for election losses Abortion and Breast Cancer Saint Faustina Suffered for Victims of Abortion Jesus suffered as an unborn child 14 Amazing Promises Jesus Made to Those Who Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet PRAYERS FOR TODAY NEED A MIRACLE 10 Commandments.[Relevant Radio] "What must I do, to have eternal life?" Jesus: "If you would enter into life, keep the commandments." Litany Prayer, Mary, Mother of God Satan Loves to Take Over Politicians, Says Roman Exorcist 5 Saints Who Had Terrifying Visions of Hell Pray for U.S. Senators and Congressmen Chaplet of Saint Michael the Archangel Abortion illegal in Arizona now Abortion remains banned in Texas Oklahoma Senate advances six bills to ban most abortions Judge blocks Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments in classroom St. Andrew Christmas Novena Read more at: https://www.praymorenovenas.com/st-andrew-christmas-novena St. Andrew Christmas Novena Read more at: https://www.praymorenovenas.com/st-andrew-christmas-novena St. Andrew Christmas Novena Read more at: https://www.praymorenovenas.com/st-andrew-christmas-novena St. Andrew Christmas Novena Read more at: https://www.praymorenovenas.com/st-andrew-christmas-novena Saint Lucy Novena to heal the eyes Story of Saint Lucy RECEIVING HOLY COMMUNION IN THE STATE OF GRACE Masses for Souls in Purgatory 25 Masses a Day Guardian Angels Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary Mortal Sins Litany of the Blood of Jesus Divine Mercy Buy My Pillow World-wide Repentance Necessary for the sin of Abortion Praying for the Sick Prayer to Heal Sick Blessings of Daily Mass Stations of the Cross Prayer to Our Lady Untier of Knots Litany of Saint Joseph Prayers for Today Prayers at Mass


MASS READINGS FOR TODAY Monday, February 9, 2025 Monday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Reading I 1 Kings 8:1-7, 9-13 The elders of Israel and all the leaders of the tribes, the princes in the ancestral houses of the children of Israel, came to King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the LORD’s covenant from the City of David, which is Zion. All the people of Israel assembled before King Solomon during the festival in the month of Ethanim (the seventh month). When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests took up the ark; they carried the ark of the LORD and the meeting tent with all the sacred vessels that were in the tent. (The priests and Levites carried them.) King Solomon and the entire community of Israel present for the occasion sacrificed before the ark sheep and oxen too many to number or count. The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place beneath the wings of the cherubim in the sanctuary, the holy of holies of the temple. The cherubim had their wings spread out over the place of the ark, sheltering the ark and its poles from above. There was nothing in the ark but the two stone tablets which Moses had put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel at their departure from the land of Egypt. When the priests left the holy place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD so that the priests could no longer minister because of the cloud, since the LORD’s glory had filled the temple of the LORD. Then Solomon said, “The LORD intends to dwell in the dark cloud; I have truly built you a princely house, a dwelling where you may abide forever.” Responsorial Psalm Psalm 132:6-7, 8-10 R. (8a) Lord, go up to the place of your rest! Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar. Let us enter into his dwelling, let us worship at his footstool. *R. Lord, go up to the place of your rest!* Advance, O LORD, to your resting place, you and the ark of your majesty. May your priests be clothed with justice; let your faithful ones shout merrily for joy. For the sake of David your servant, reject not the plea of your anointed. *R. Lord, go up to the place of your rest!* Alleluia See Matthew 4:23 R. Alleluia, alleluia. Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom and cured every disease among the people. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mark 6:53-56 After making the crossing to the other side of the sea, Jesus and his disciples came to land at Gennesaret and tied up there. As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him. They scurried about the surrounding country and began to bring in the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings https://levangileauquotidien.org/main.php https://dailygospel.org/AM/gospel https://vangelodelgiorno.org/main.php


SAINT FOR TODAY February 8 [Not part of Today's Mass, for private reading] SAINT JEROME EMILIANI (1481-1537) Jerome Emiliani was born in Venice. In his early career he had been part of the military in Italy. While he was governor of a new castle in Tarviso, he was captured and loaded with chains and thrown into a dungeon. He was delivered from prison by the Virgin Mary and returned to Tarviso where he began a life of prayer and penance. He returned to Venice. During a famine, he came to the rescue of orphans and poor families. He was ordained in 1518 and he was the founder of the order called the Clerks Regular of Somascha. He and his order established hospitals and orphanages for the poor and sick in northern Italy. He died of an disease he caught while helping the sick in 1537. Pope Clement XIII canonized Jerome in 1767. In 1928, Pope Pius XI named him patron saint of orphanages and abandoned children. INTERCESSORY PRAYER: Ask Saint Jerome to intercede for the spiritual and material welfare of young children. THE VERY OWN PRAYER OF ST. JEROME EMILIANI which he left to us, his children, to be our guide in following the Lord and for loving the Holy Mother Church: Lord Jesus, sweet Father of us all, in your infinite goodness, restore the whole Church into the holiness of life that was witnessed during the time of the Apostles. [* cf. note below] Hear us O Lord, because You are kind and merciful; and in the greatness of your compassion look upon us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on us. The Might of God the Father, The Wisdom of the Son, and the Grace of the Holy Spirit, guide us into the road to peace, love and prosperity. The glorious Virgin Mary also be our guide. The angel Raphael, who was Tobias guide, wherever we stay and travel be always at our side. O Blessed Jesus, O Blessed Jesus, O Blessed Jesus, Our Love and our God, we put our trust in You, We shall never regret it. Let us have confidence in our Lord, who is very merciful and have true hope in Him alone. Because those who hope in Him shall never be disenchanted. On the contrary they shall be firmly established upon a solid rock. In order to obtain such a divine blessing let us invoke the Mother of Grace by saying: Hail Mary... ____________ Saint Josephine Bakhita From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Josephine Margaret Bakhita, F.D.C.C. Religious sister Born: c. 1869 Olgossa, Sultanate of Darfur Died 8 February 1947 (aged 77–78) Schio, Veneto, Italy Venerated in Catholic Church Beatified 17 May 1992, St Peter's Basilica, Vatican City by Pope John Paul II Canonized 1 October 2000, St Peter's Basilica, Vatican City by Pope John Paul II Feast 8 February Patronage Sudan, South Sudan, and human-trafficking survivors Josephine Margaret Bakhita, F.D.C.C. (ca. 1869 – 8 February 1947), was a Sudanese-Italian Canossian religious sister who lived in Italy for 45 years, after having been a slave in Sudan. In 2000 she was declared a saint by the Catholic Church. Contents 1 Early life2 Life as a slave3 Conversion to Catholicism and freedom4 Canossian Sister5 Legacy and canonization6 Citations7 Bibliography8 External links Early life She was born around 1869 in Darfur (now in western Sudan) in the village of Olgossa, west of Nyala and close to Mount Agilerei.[1] She was of the Daju people;[2][3] her respected and reasonably prosperous father was brother of the village chief. She was surrounded by a loving family of three brothers and three sisters; as she says in her autobiography: "I lived a very happy and carefree life, without knowing what suffering was".[4] In 1877, when she was 7–8 years old, she was seized by Arab slave traders, who had abducted her elder sister two years earlier. She was forced to walk barefoot about 960 kilometres (600 mi) to El-Obeid and was sold and bought twice before she arrived there. Over the course of twelve years (1877–1889) she was sold three more times and then given away. Bakhita was not the name she received from her parents at birth. It is said that the trauma of her abduction caused her to forget her own name; she took one given to her by the slavers, bakhita, Arabic for 'lucky' or 'fortunate'.[5][6][7] She was also forcibly converted to Islam.[8] Life as a slave In El-Obeid, Bakhita was bought by a rich Arab who used her as a maid for his two daughters. They liked her and treated her well. But after offending one of her owner's sons, possibly by breaking a vase, the son lashed and kicked her so severely that she spent more than a month unable to move from her straw bed. Her fourth owner was a Turkish general, and she had to serve his mother-in-law and his wife, who were cruel to their slaves. Bakhita says: "During all the years I stayed in that house, I do not recall a day that passed without some wound or other. When a wound from the whip began to heal, other blows would pour down on me."[9] She says that the most terrifying of all of her memories there was when she (along with other slaves) was marked by a process resembling both scarification and tattooing, which was a traditional practice throughout Sudan.[10][11] As her mistress was watching her with a whip in her hand, a dish of white flour, a dish of salt and a razor were brought by a woman. She used the flour to draw patterns on her skin and then she cut deeply along the lines before filling the wounds with salt to ensure permanent scarring. A total of 114 intricate patterns were cut into her breasts, belly and into her right arm.[12][13] By the end of 1882, El-Obeid came under the threat of an attack of Mahdist revolutionaries.[14] The Turkish general began making preparations to return to his homeland and sold his slaves. In 1883 Bakhita was bought in Khartoum by the Italian Vice Consul Callisto Legnani, who treated her kindly and did not beat or punish her.[15] Two years later, when Legnani himself had to return to Italy, Bakhita begged to go with him. At the end of 1884 they escaped from besieged Khartoum with a friend, Augusto Michieli. They travelled a risky 650-kilometre (400 mi) trip on camel back to Suakin, which was the largest port of Sudan. In March 1885 they left Suakin for Italy and arrived at the port of Genoa in April. They were met there by Augusto Michieli's wife Signora Maria Turina Michieli. Callisto Legnani gave ownership of Bakhita to Turina Michieli. Bakhita's new owners took her to their family villa at Zianigo, near Mirano, Veneto, about 25 km (16 mi) west of Venice.[10] She lived there for three years and became nanny to the Michieli's daughter Alice, known as Mimmina, born in February 1886. The Michielis brought Bakhita with them to the Sudan where they stayed for nine months before returning to Italy. Conversion to Catholicism and freedom Suakin on the Red Sea was besieged but remained in Anglo-Egyptian hands. Augusto Michieli acquired a large hotel there and decided to sell his property in Italy and to move his family to Sudan permanently. Selling his house and lands took longer than expected. By the end of 1888, Signora Turina Michieli wanted to see her husband in Sudan even though land transactions were not finished. Since the villa in Zianigo was already sold, Bakhita and Mimmina needed a temporary place to stay while Turina went to Sudan without them. On the advice of their business agent Illuminato Cecchini, on 29 November 1888, Turina Michieli left them in the care of the Canossian Sisters in Venice. There, cared for and instructed by the Sisters, Bakhita encountered Christianity for the first time. Grateful to her teachers, she recalled, "Those holy mothers instructed me with heroic patience and introduced me to that God who from childhood I had felt in my heart without knowing who He was."[16] When Mrs. Michieli returned to take her daughter and maid back to Suakin, Bakhita firmly refused to leave. For three days Mrs. Michieli tried to force the issue, finally appealing to the king's attorney general; while the superior of the Institute for baptismal candidates (catechumenate) that Bakhita attended contacted the cardinal of Venice about her protegée's problem. On 29 November 1889 an Italian court ruled that because the British had outlawed slavery in Sudan before Bakhita's birth and because Italian law had never recognized slavery as legal, Bakhita had never legally been a slave.[17] For the first time in her life, Bakhita found herself in control of her own destiny. She chose to remain with the Canossians.[18] On 9 January 1890 Bakhita was baptized with the names of Josephine Margaret and Fortunata (which is the Latin translation for the Arabic Bakhita). On the same day she was also confirmed and received Holy Communion from Archbishop Giuseppe Sarto, the Cardinal Patriarch of Venice, the future Pope Pius X.[19] Canossian Sister On 7 December 1893 Josephine Bakhita entered the novitiate of the Canossian Sisters and on 8 December 1896 she took her vows, welcomed by Cardinal Sarto. In 1902 she was assigned to the Canossian convent at Schio, in the northern Italian province of Vicenza, where she spent the rest of her life. Her only extended time away was between 1935 and 1939, when she stayed at the Missionary Novitiate in Vimercate (Milan); mostly visiting other Canossian communities in Italy, talking about her experiences and helping to prepare young sisters for work in Africa.[19] A strong missionary drive animated her throughout her entire life - "her mind was always on God, and her heart in Africa".[20] During her 42 years in Schio, Bakhita was employed as the cook, sacristan and portress (door keeper) and was in frequent contact with the local community. Her gentleness, calming voice, and ever-present smile became well known and Vicenzans still refer to her as Sor Moretta ("little brown sister") or Madre Moretta ("black mother"). Her special charisma and reputation for sanctity were noticed by her order; the first publication of her story (Storia Meravigliosa by Ida Zanolini) in 1931, made her famous throughout Italy.[2][21] During the Second World War (1939–1945) she shared the fears and hopes of the town people, who considered her a saint and felt protected by her mere presence. Bombs did not spare Schio, but the war passed without a single casualty. Her last years were marked by pain and sickness. She used a wheelchair but she retained her cheerfulness, and if asked how she was, she would always smile and answer: "As the Master desires." In the extremity of her last hours her mind was driven back to the years of her slavery and she cried out: "The chains are too tight, loosen them a little, please!" After a while she came round again. Someone asked her, "How are you? Today is Saturday," probably hoping that this would cheer her because Saturday is the day of the week dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus. Bakhita replied, "Yes, I am so happy: Our Lady ... Our Lady!" These were her last audible words.[22] Bakhita died at 8:10 PM on 8 February 1947. For three days her body lay on display while thousands of people arrived to pay their respects. Her remains were transferred to the Church of the Holy Family of the Canossian convent of Schio in 1969. Legacy and canonization A young student once asked Bakhita: "What would you do, if you were to meet your captors?" Without hesitation she responded: "If I were to meet those who kidnapped me, and even those who tortured me, I would kneel and kiss their hands. For, if these things had not happened, I would not have been a Christian and a religious today".[23] The petitions for her canonization began immediately, and the process officially commenced by Pope John XXIII in 1959, only twelve years after her death. On 1 December 1978, Pope John Paul II declared Josephine Venerable, the first step towards canonization. On 17 May 1992, she was declared Blessed and given February 8 as her feast day. On 1 October 2000, she was canonized as Saint Josephine Bakhita. She is venerated as a modern African saint, and as a statement against the brutal history of slavery. She has been adopted as the patron saint of Sudan and human trafficking survivors. Bakhita's legacy is that transformation is possible through suffering. Her story of deliverance from physical slavery also symbolises all those who find meaning and inspiration in her life for their own deliverance from spiritual slavery.[13] In May 1992 news of her beatification was banned by Khartoum which Pope John Paul II then personally visited only nine months later.[24] On 10 February 1993, he solemnly honoured Bakhita on her own soil. "Rejoice, all of Africa! Bakhita has come back to you. The daughter of Sudan sold into slavery as a living piece of merchandise and yet still free. Free with the freedom of the saints."[25] SAINT JOSEPHINE, PRAY FOR US.



Our Lady of the Rosary Our Lady of the Rosary, also known as Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary in relation to the Rosary. The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is on October 7, the anniversary of the decisive victory of the combined Christian fleet in 1571 at the Battle of Lepanto, defeating an Ottoman fleet off western Greece. It was formerly sometimes known as the Feast of Our Lady of Victory. FROM CATHOLIC ENCYLOPEDIA: Apart from the signal defeat of the Albigensian heretics at the battle of Muret in 1213 which legend has attributed to the recitation of the Rosary by St. Dominic, it is believed that Heaven has on many occasions rewarded the faith of those who had recourse to this devotion in times of special danger. More particularly, the naval victory of Lepanto gained by Don John of Austria over the Turkish fleet on the first Sunday of October in 1571 responded wonderfully to the processions made at Rome on that same day by the members of the Rosary confraternity. St. Pius V thereupon ordered that a commemoration of the Rosary should be made upon that day, and at the request of the Dominican Order Gregory XIII in 1573 allowed this feast to be kept in all churches which possessed an altar dedicated to the Holy Rosary. In 1671 the observance of this festival was extended by Clement X to the whole of Spain, and somewhat later Clement XI after the important victory over the Turks gained by Prince Eugene on 6 August, 1716 (the feast of our Lady of the Snows), at Peterwardein in Hungary, commanded the feast of the Rosary to be celebrated by the universal Church. A set of "proper" lessons in the second nocturn were conceded by Benedict XIII. Leo XIII has since raised the feast to the rank of a double of the second class and has added to the Litany of Loreto the invocation "Queen of the Most Holy Rosary". On this feast, in every church in which the Rosary confraternity has been duly erected, a plenary indulgence toties quoties is granted upon certain conditions to all who visit therein the Rosary chapel or statue of Our Lady. This has been called the "Portiuncula" of the Rosary. THE FIFTEEN PROMISES OF MARY TO CHRISTIANS WHO RECITE THE ROSARY These promises were given by the Blessed Mother to Saint Dominic and Blessed Alan. 1. Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the rosary, shall receive signal graces. 2. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the rosary. 3. The rosary shall be a powerful armour against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies. 4. It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means. 5. The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the rosary, shall not perish. 6. Whoever shall recite the rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life. 7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church. 8. Those who are faithful to recite the rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plentitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise. 9. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the rosary. 10. The faithful children of the rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in heaven. 11. You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the rosary. 12. All those who propagate the holy rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities. 13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death. 14. All who recite the rosary are my sons, and brothers of my only Son Jesus Christ. 15. Devotion of my rosary is a great sign of predestination. HOW TO SAY THE ROSARY LIVE ROSARY, RELEVANT RADIO AT 7 pm, Central Time, with Father Rocky


PRAYING FOR PREGNANT WOMEN AND THE UNBORN From the Book: DIARY: Divine Mercy in My Soul, the writings of Saint Maria Faustina Jesus on one occasion asked Saint Faustina to suffer for "the souls murdered in the wombs of wicked mothers." NOTEBOOK IV: Section 1276: September 16, 1937. I wanted very much to make a Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament today, but God's will was otherwise. At eight o'clock I was seized with such violent pains that (31) I had to go to bed at once. I was convulsed with pain for three hours; that is, until eleven o'clock at night. No medicine had any effect on me, and whatever I swallowed I threw up. At times, the pains caused me to lose consciousness. Jesus had me realize that in this way I took part in His Agony in the Garden, and that He himself allowed these sufferings in order to offer reparation to God for the souls murdered in the wombs of wicked mothers. I have gone through these sufferings three times now. They always start at eight o'clock in the evening and last until eleven. No medicine can lessen these sufferings. When eleven o'clock comes, they cease by themselves, and I fall asleep at that moment. The following day, I feel very weak. This happened to me for the first time when I was at the sanatorium. The doctors couldn't get to the bottom of it, and no injection or medicine helped me at all (32) nor did I myself have any idea of what the sufferings were about. I told the doctor that never before in my life had I experienced such sufferings, and he declared he did not know what sort of pains they are. But now I understand the nature of these pains, because the Lord himself as made this known to me... Yet when I think that I may perhaps suffer in this way again, I tremble. But I don't know whether I'll ever again suffer in this way; I leave that to God. What it pleases God to send, I will accept with submission and love. If only I could save even one soul from murder by means of these sufferings! Section 1277: On the day after these sufferings, I can sense the condition of souls and their disposition towards God; I am pervaded with true knowledge. **************** LITANY OF DIVINE MERCY (SAY THIS PRAYER FOR UNBORN CHILDREN) Divine Mercy, gushing forth from the bosom of the Father, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, greatest attribute of GOD, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, incomprehensible mystery, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, fountain gushing forth from the mystery of the Most Blessed Trinity, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, unfathomed by any intellect, human or angelic, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, from which wells forth all life and happiness, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, better than the heavens, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, source of miracles and wonders, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, encompassing the whole universe, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, descending to earth in the Person of the Incarnate Word, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, which flowed out from the open wound of the Heart of JESUS, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, enclosed in the Heart of JESUS for us, and especially for sinners, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, unfathomed in the institution of the Sacred Host, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, in the founding of Holy Church, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, in our justification through JESUS CHRIST, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, accompanying us through our whole life, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, embracing us especially at the hour of death, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, endowing us with immortal life, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, accompanying us every moment of our life, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, shielding us from the fire of hell, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, in the conversion of hardened sinners, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, astonishment for Angels, incomprehensible to Saints, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, unfathomed in all the mysteries of GOD, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, lifting us out of every misery, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, source of our happiness and joy, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, in calling us forth from nothingness to existence, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, embracing all the works of His hands, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, crown of all of god's handiwork, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, in which we are all immersed, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, sweet relief for anguished hearts, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, only hope of despairing souls, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, repose of hearts, peace amidst fear, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, delight and ecstasy of holy souls, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, inspiring hope against all hope, I trust in You. Eternal GOD, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself. Amen.





FIFTH COMMANDMENT: "Thou shalt not kill." When people vote for a prochoice candidate because they want women to be to obtain abortions whenever they choose, they violate the fifth commandment and become accessories to the crime of murder. Part of obeying the Fifth Commandment means to protect innocent life. What is considered an accessory to murder? A person who aids a murder offender before or after the crime is referred to as an accessory to murder. They are never at the scene of the crime itself. Article from National Catholic Register Joseph Pronechen Joseph Pronechen is staff writer with the National Catholic Register-October 13, 2019 Sr. Lucia of Fatima revealed that Our Lady told her if the consecration had not been made by John Paul II, there would have been a nuclear war. (photo: Alexander Antropov/Pixabay/CC0) Joseph Pronechen Blogs October 13, 2019 On Sept. 1, 1983, flying from Anchorage to Seoul, a Korean Air Lines Boeing 747 with 269 people on board strayed off its planned route and flew over an island that violated Soviet air space. Quickly, a Russian fighter plane shot down. The outrageous action prompted five Western European countries including Great Britain and Germany to okay accepting United States medium-range missiles beginning in November of that year. With their military advantage rapidly shrinking, the Soviets were readying for war. Then 205 days later, On March 25, 1984, St. John Paul II consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He invited all the bishops in the world to join him for this ceremony closing the Holy Year of Redemption. He did the consecration at St. Peter’s in Rome as he knelt before the statue of Our Lady of Fatima brought there from Fatima. Less than two months later in 1984, on May 13, the 67th anniversary of the first apparition of Fatima, catastrophe hit the Russia fleet at the Severomorsk naval base located near Finland on the Barents Sea. A fire, believed caused by a cigarette, turned catastrophic. Like a spark in a huge fireworks factory, it triggered the explosion of a huge stockpile of missiles. Of 900 anti-aircraft missiles, 580 were destroyed. Of 400 surface-to-surface missiles able to carry nuclear warheads, 320 were obliterated. Upwards of 300 military personnel died. It devastated the Soviet Union’s Northern Fleet. Years later, Sr. Lucia wrote: “Everyone knows perfectly well that we went through one of the most critical moments in human history, when the great, mutually hostile powers planned a nuclear war that would have destroyed the world, if not the whole world, then the greater part of it. And what would have remained? What chances of survival? And who could have dissuaded those arrogant people, surrounded by their war plans…? Who, if not God.” Grzegorz Gorny and Janusz Rosikon record this in Fatima Mysteries. The following year, 1985, during an apparition in her convent, Sr. Lucia would reveal that Our Lady told her if that consecration had not been made by John Paul II, there would have been a nuclear war. Because of the consecration this didn’t happen. There was an undeniable link between it and the m Sr. Lucia would later tell this to Cardinals Antony Padiyara of India and Ricardo Vidal of the Philippines when they visited her in her convent. A Preview in 1983? A year earlier, there was also a major near-miss of nuclear war between Russia and the United States. Surely Our Lady of Fatima must have had a hand in preventing this horrendous possibility in 1983 because the year before, on May 13, 1982, in Fatima, John Paul II also made that Act of Entrustment of the world but it didn’t completely fulfill the requests of Our Lady because it wasn’t done in union with all the bishops in the world. He intended to do it that way, but the letters informing the bishops were sent too late. They result? They were unable to join him that time. This event appeared to reflect what happened in 1942 during World War II. On Oct. 31 that year, Venerable Pius XII consecrated the world and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as Our Lady of Fatima had requested. But the consecration wasn’t done in union with all the bishops of the world either. It was a critical time in the war as the enemy was making major advances. Yet Sr. Lucia would say Our Lord showed his “delight” even though the consecration was incomplete and promised an end soon to the war. Shortly after, the tide turned as the Allies began to win key battles. Similarly, John Paul II’s 1982 entrustment, even without all the bishops of the world, must have had the same effect when we consider what could have happened during that 1983 event to follow. A year earlier, there was also a major near-miss of nuclear war between Russia and the United States. Surely Our Lady of Fatima must have had a hand in preventing this horrendous possibility in 1983 because the year before, on May 13, 1982, in Fatima, John Paul II also made that Act of Entrustment of the world but it didn’t completely fulfill the requests of Our Lady because it wasn’t done in union with all the bishops in the world. He intended to do it that way, but the letters informing the bishops were sent too late. They result? They were unable to join him that time. This event appeared to reflect what happened in 196 he was brought to New York for an award from the Association of World Citizens and in 2013 given the Dresden peace prize. But on May 19, 2017 when he died at age 77 from pneumonia in his small town, nobody knew until four months later when a foreign journalist started inquiring about him. There is one piece of the story that has rarely been mentioned. And it surely seems to reflect indirectly on what Sr. Lucia said she was told in 1985. We know the Soviets were atheists. Of course that included the military. But we have to wonder if that applied to Stanislav Petrov when we look at what he said in 2004 during an interview with Christian Science Monitor. He affirmed, “I wish I could say there is no chance of [an accidental nuclear launch today]. But when we deal with space — when we [play] God — who knows what will be the next surprise?” Our Lady of Fatima had the answer and directions. It’s up to mankind to stop playing God and follow them.


GRACES DERIVED FROM GOING TO MASS Note: In the Catholic Church, "assisting at Mass" means actively participating in and worshipping at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, rather than just passively attending. It involves being spiritually, emotionally, and physically present, and engaging with the liturgy through attentive listening, responses, singing, and offering oneself to God through Christ. 1. The Mass is Calvary continued. 2. Every Mass is worth as much as the sacrifice of our Lord's life, sufferings and death. 3. Holy Mass is the most powerful atonement for your sins. 4. At the hour of death the Masses you have heard will be your greatest consolation. 5. Every Mass will go with you to judgment and plead for pardon. 6. At Mass you can diminish more or less temporal punishment due to your sins, according to your fervor. 7. Assisting devoutly at Holy Mass you render to the sacred humanity of Our Lord the greatest homage. 8. He supplies for many of your negligences and omissions. 9. He forgives the venial sins which you have not confessed. The power of Satan over you is diminished. 10. You afford the souls in Purgatory the greatest possible relief. 11. One Mass heard during life will be of more benefit to you than many heard for you after your death. 12. You are preserved from dangers and misfortunes which otherwise might have befallen you. You shorten your Purgatory. 13. Every Mass wins for you a higher degree of glory in Heaven. 14. You receive the priest's blessing which Our Lord ratifies in Heaven. 15. You kneel amidst a multitude of holy angels, who are present at the adorable Sacrifice with reverential awe. 16. You are blessed in your temporal goods and affairs. In eternity, we shall fully realize that it was certainly worthwhile to have assisted at Holy Mass daily. PRAY FOR PRIESTS THAT THEY MAY OFFER THE MASS WITH HOLY LOVE AND REVERENCE. "WHY Should I Go To Mass Every Day?" "The Mass is the most perfect form of prayer!" For each Mass we hear with devotion, Our Lord sends a saint to comfort us at death. (revelation of Christ to St. Gertrude the great). Padre Pio, the stigmatic priest, said, the world could exist more easily without the sun than without the Mass. The Cure'd' Ars, St. Jean Vianney said, if we knew the value of the Mass we would die of joy. A great doctor of the Church, St. Anselm, declares that a single Mass offered for oneself during life may be worth more than a thousand celebrated for the same intention after death. St. Leonard of Port Maurice supports this statement by saying that one Mass before death may be more profitable than many after it. "The Holy Mass would be of greater profit if people had it offered in their lifetime, rather than having it celebrated for the relief of their souls after death." (Pope Benedict XV). Once, St. Teresa was overwhelmed with God's Goodness and asked Our Lord, "How can I thank you?" Our Lord replied, "ATTEND ONE MASS".

Litany of Our Lady of Victory Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. 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 Ghost, Have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, one God, Have mercy on us. Our Lady of Victory, Pray for us. Triumphant Daughter of the Father, Pray for us. Triumphant Mother of the Son, Pray for us. Triumphant Spouse of the Holy Ghost, Pray for us. Triumphant Choice of the Most Holy Trinity, Pray for us. Triumphant in Thy Immaculate Conception, Pray for us. Triumphant in Crushing the Head of the Serpent, Pray for us. Triumphant Over All the Children of Adam, Pray for us. Triumphant Over All Our Enemies, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Embassy of the Angel Gabriel, Pray for us. Triumphant in Thy Espousal to St. Joseph, Pray for us. Triumphant at the Scene of Bethlehem, Pray for us. Triumphant in Thy Flight Into Egypt, Pray for us. Triumphant in Thy Exile, Pray for us. Triumphant in Thy Humble Dwelling at Nazareth, Pray for us. Triumphant in Finding Thy Divine Child in the Temple, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Earthly Life of Our Lord, Pray for us. Triumphant in His Passion and Death, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Resurrection, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Ascension, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Descent of the Holy Ghost, Pray for us. Triumphant in Thy Sorrows, Pray for us. Triumphant in Thy Joys, Pray for us. Triumphant in Thy Entrance into the Heavenly Jerusalem, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Angels Who Remained Faithful, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Felicity of the Blessed, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Graces of the Just, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Announcement of the Prophets, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Desires of the Patriarchs, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Zeal of the Apostles, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Light of the Evangelists, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Wisdom of the Doctors, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Crowns of the Confessors, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Purity of the Numerous Bands of Virgins, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Triumph of the Martyrs, Pray for us. Triumphant in Thy All-Powerful Intercession, Pray for us. Triumphant under Thy Many Titles, Pray for us. Triumphant at the Hour of Our Death, Pray for us. Lamb of God, Who taketh away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord. Lamb of God, Who taketh away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord. Lamb of God, Who taketh away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us, Lord. V. Pray for us, O Blessed Lady of Victory! R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let Us Pray. O Victorious Lady! Thou who has ever such powerful influence with Thy Divine Son, in conquering the hardest of hearts, intercede for those for whom we pray, that their hearts being softened by the rays of Divine Grace, they may return to the unity of the true Faith, through Christ, our Lord. Amen Memorare Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who, fled to Thy protection, implored Thy help, and sought Thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto Thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To Thee I come; before Thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate! despise not my petitions, but in Thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.


NEED A PRAYER ANSWERED, NEED A MIRACLE, PRAY THE DIVINE MERCY CHAPLET From the DIARY, DIVINE MERCY IN MY SOUL, BY Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska. NOTEBOOK III, Section 1128: "May 22, 1937. The heat is so intense today that it is difficult to bear. We are all thirsting for rain, and still it does not come. For several days the sky has been overcast, but there is not rain. When I looked at (35) the plants, thirsting for the rain, I was moved with pity, and I decided to say the chaplet until the Lord would send us rain. Before supper, the sky covered over with clouds, and a heavy rain fell on the earth. I had been saying this prayer without interruption for three hours. And the Lord let me know that everything can be obtained by means of this prayer." How to say the Divine Mercy Chaplet



NINE DAY NOVENA IN HONOR OF SAINT JOSEPH PRAYER BEFORE THE NOVENA GREAT Saint Joseph, prostrate at thy feet with feelings of unlimited confidence we beg thee to bless the Novena that I began in thy honor. I will meditate upon thy virtues; grant that I may learn fully to appreciate them. The knowledge of them will be the source of great confusion for me because of the poverty and destitution of my soul. Great dispenser of the heavenly treasures, assist me in my poverty, help me to display thy virtues in my own soul. "Thou art never invoked in vain," says the seraphic Theresa of Jesus; be thou to me what thou hast been to that Spouse of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; graciously hearken to me as thou didst hearken to her. Amen. (MAKE YOUR PRAYER REQUEST) PRAYERS TO BE SAID OVER THE NINE DAYS FIRST DAY SECOND DAY THIRD DAY FOURTH DAY FIFTH DAY SIXTH DAY SEVENTH DAY EIGHTH DAY NINTH DAY FIRST DAY SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF THE LIFE OF FAITH THE words of the great Apostle: "The just man liveth by faith," may be applied particularly to Saint Joseph who was the most just of men and whose life was ever guided by faith. Joseph submitted his intelligence to the holy truths of religion. He applied his heart from his tenderest infancy to the observance of the divine precepts. p;In the trials and sorrows of life, Joseph was sustained by faith. He shaped his whole conduct by the desire to please God and he attained the great aim of man upon earth, which is to adore God, to serve Him, and hence to deserve the everlasting Truth. Let us glorify this great Servant of God who possessed faith so universal, so simple, so enlightened, so firm, so constant, and, above all, so fruitful in good works. Let us examine ourselves with regard to this great virtue and see how we resemble him. Is my faith firm, unshaken? Is my conduct animated by faith! Is the predominant thought that directs my acts to please God, and to obtain merit for everlasting life? Have I tried to derive consolation and strength from the thought of faith in time of trial? PRAYER GREAT Saint, † model of the just living by faith, revive that virtue in our souls. † May it be principle, † the motive, † the aim of all my actions; consolation and my strength in the trials of this life, the source of abundant merit for everlasting life. † Amen SAY THE LITANY OF SAINT JOSEPH **** SECOND DAY SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF HOPE JOSEPH, abandoning himself entirely to the care of Divine Providence, glorified God by his life. Among all the virtues, hope is the most pleasing to God, because its infinite goodness. In the sufferings of this life it is the source of the greatest consolation and encouragement. Joseph hoped in the Lord. He hoped for His grace in the accomplishment of His adorable will; for His help in time of trial; for His light in the difficulties of life. By hope he detached his heart from the perishable goods and the deceitful affections of this world. In the hour of trial he sustained his courage by hope, and fortified his heart with a peace that nothing could alter. Let us imitate Saint Joseph. Let us elevate our hopes towards the only veritable and imperishable treasures. Let us trust in the wisdom and solicitude of Divine Providence. Let us rely upon the grace of the Lord; upon His goodness, and upon His power. Let us renew our confidence in the hour of trial. Let us avoid discouragement, which outrages the wisdom and goodness of God. PRAYER JOSEPH, † do thou cause the gift of Christian hope to descend into my heart. † May it enlighten me, † console me, † defend me. † May it detach me from the earth † so as to elevate my thoughts and my affections towards Heaven. † May it henceforward inspire my whole conduct † and give me the right to die like thee, † saying: "Lord, I have hoped in Thee; † I shall not be confounded." SAY THE LITANY OF SAINT JOSEPH ** THIRD DAY SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF CHARITY JOSEPH loved God from his earliest youth and loved Him during his whole life. Joseph loved God with his whole heart, with his whole soul, with his whole strength. Joseph loved God with a love of preference, giving Him his first affections, and cutting off his heart from all that could hinder or alter his love for his Lord and Sovereign Master. Joseph loved God with a love of union, keeping himself; constantly united to God by prayer, meditation, the thought of His holy presence, and the most perfect conformity to the will of God. Joseph loved God with a love of immolation which prompted him to perfect devotedness, enabling him to perform with joy the greatest and most numerous sacrifices. Joseph loved God with a love of perseverance that experienced neither decrease nor alteration. He always loved God with all his power to love, and constantly endeavored to love Him more and more. PRAYER BLESSED Saint, † enkindle in my cold heart a spark of thy charity. † May God be always the first and only object of my affections. † Keep my soul always, in sanctifying peace, † and, if I should be so unhappy as to lose it, † give me the strength to recover it immediately by a sincere repentance. Grant me such a love of my God † as will always keep me united to Him, † and will be the principle and motive of all my actions. † Grant me a generous love that will make me overcome all obstacles, † and accept the greatest sacrifices rather than separate myself from the charity of my God. † Amen. SAY THE LITANY OF SAINT JOSEPH ** FOURTH DAY SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF PURITY "How beautiful is the chaste generation!" (Wisdom iv) "The whole weight of gold is as nothing in comparison with a pure soul." (Eccles. xxv) SAINT Joseph was preeminent in purity because he feared God and faithfully observed His holy law; because he safeguarded his virtue by fear of the Sovereign Good and by prudence; because he sheltered it under the virginity of Mary, and felt the influence of Jesus, the divine Son of all sanctity. How pure must he have been who was to become the worthy spouse of the Immaculate Virgin! How holy must he have been whose relations with the thrice holy God were so intimate. PRAYER JOSEPH, † help me to understand the excellence of purity † and how dear it is to the heart of God. Teach me to preserve carefully this delicate virtue † and the shadow of the fear of God; † to safeguard it by prayer, by vigilance, † by shunning the world, † by careful watch over my heart and my senses. † Grant that I may hence forward close my heart to all disorderly affections; † that I may deserve to enjoy like thee upon earth † the friends and intimacy of Jesus, † and that it may be given to me one day to sing in Heaven the canticle reserved for Virgins. SAY THE LITANY OF SAINT JOSEPH ** FIFTH DAY SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF HUMILITY JOSEPH excelled in humility because he realized that glory is due to God alone, and that, of himself, man is but misery and nothingness. By reason of his humility Joseph was accorded the most glorious privileges and entrusted with the most sublime mission. To accomplish His designs, God employs only the humble who do not claim for themselves the glory. As Foster Father of Jesus and Spouse of the Queen Heaven and earth, Joseph was more highly honored than any king in this world. What pretexts, furnished by zeal for the glory of God, might have prompted him to speak, to put himself forward, to attribute to himself the greatness of the precursor of the Messiah, and the glories of the apostles! He rather conceals the astonishing prodigies which have been revealed to him, and the sublimity of the functions he exercises. Under an impenetrable veil he hides all that can draw upon him the esteem of men. PRAYER O JOSEPH, † what a lesson for me † ever so eager to appear, † so anxious to display before the eyes of men † the graces that I owe entirely to the liberality of God. † Obtain that I may attribute to God the glory of all things; † that I may love the humble and hidden life; † that I may not desire any other position than the one given by Providence; † and that I may always be a docile instrument in the hands of God. SAY THE LITANY OF SAINT JOSEPH ** SIXTH DAY SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF PATIENCE CONSIDER how Joseph suffered in his life time. He tasted, indeed, ineffable consolations, but he also endured much suffering. In contrast with the glories of his fallen family, his was a life of labor and self denial. What did he not have to suffer, especially after the Incarnation of the Son of God? It is verily Joseph who experienced that wherever Jesus enters, He comes with His Cross and His Crown of Thorns. He suffers in perfect conformity with the Divine Will. Joseph renews his courage in the hope of eternal joys and treasures, in the examples of patience which are given him by Jesus and Mary. Thus, whatever may be his trials they cannot trouble the peace of his soul. PRAYER JOSEPH, model of patience, † teach me this virtue; which is so necessary † in the midst of the sufferings and trials of this sorrowful life. Grant that your example and that of Mary, † as well as the hope of celestial joys, † may ever renew my courage. Amen. SAY THE LITANY OF SAINT JOSEPH ** SEVENTH DAY SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF PRUDENCE LET US honor in Saint Joseph the faithful and prudent servant to whom Almighty God entrusted the care of His family. Prudence inspired Saint Joseph to adopt as the foundation and rule of his conduct, the great principles of faith; God, the end of man in this world; God, the reward of man in eternity. Remembering that life is short and uncertain, that upon a moment may depend our eternity, Saint Joseph wisely employs his time. He is careful to make a holy use of his senses and his other faculties in order to give to his Lord and Master a faithful account of the talents entrusted to him; he watches over the world around him, yielding to the world in the measure willed by God, but not giving himself up to it. He makes within himself a retreat accessible to God alone and impenetrable to creatures. PRAYER FAITHFUL and prudent servant, † watch over my weakness and my inexperience; † obtain for me that prudence which reminds me of my end, † which directs my paths, † and which protects me from every danger. Amen. SAY THE LITANY OF SAINT JOSEPH ** EIGHTH DAY SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF OBEDIENCE JOSEPH regarded obedience as rendering man particularly pleasing to God. What esteem Joseph had particularly for obedience, when he heard Mary answering the Angel: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to thy word!" When he saw Jesus submit to his orders, anticipate his wishes, execute them faithfully and promptly! When he considered that the Incarnate Word would be obedient until death, even the death of the Cross. PRAYER JOSEPH, so faithful to display in thy conduct the obedience of Jesus and Mary, † obtain for me this important virtue. † Obtain for me a perfect docility of heart † to accomplish the will of God, † and that of those who replace Him. † Inspire me by your example, † to obey with promptness and generosity; † obtain for me above all, † the grace to obey without murmuring, † without reasoning † upon the orders given me, † in spite of every pretext, † and with an entire immolation of my own will. SAY THE LITANY OF SAINT JOSEPH ** NINTH DAY SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF DETACHMENT SAINT Joseph loved poverty because it detaches man from all passing and perishable goods, delivers the soul from dangerous obstacles, and from a thousand evils and cares, and permits him to keep his eyes raised toward Heaven, instead of stooping, like a slave, toward the earth. Saint Joseph loved poverty, because he saw it practised in the highest degree by Jesus Christ. Did he not regard it as a hidden and priceless treasure, when he contemplated Jesus in His abnegation, when he saw Him stretch out His divine hands to ask for the most necessary needs of life? Saint Joseph suffered the privations of life with patience, without murmur of complaint, using his poverty to detach himself more and more from worldly goods, and to seek the goods of Heaven. PRAYER () JOSEPH, make me understand the excellence of poverty. † Grant that I may enter into the interior dispositions † which animated thee in regard to that virtue. † Disclose to me the snares of riches, † the dangers which are attached to them, † the solicitude which they engender. Make me understand how much God favors us, † when he refuses us riches, † since he furnishes us a precious occasion to detach us from ourselves † and from creatures, † and to increase our merit for Heaven. Amen. SAY THE LITANY OF SAINT JOSEPH Litany of Saint Joseph Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. 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 Ghost, Have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, one God, Have mercy on us. Holy Mary, Pray for us. Saint Joseph, Pray for us. Renowned offspring of David, Pray for us. Light of patriarchs, Pray for us. Spouse of the Mother of God, Pray for us. Chaste guardian of the Virgin, Pray for us. Foster Father of the Son of God, Pray for us. Diligent protector of Christ, Pray for us. Head of the Holy Family, Pray for us. Joseph, most just, Pray for us. Joseph, most chaste, Pray for us. Joseph, most prudent, Pray for us. Joseph, most strong, Pray for us. Joseph, most obedient, Pray for us. Joseph, most faithful, Pray for us. Mirror of patience, Pray for us. Glory of home life, Pray for us. Guardian of virgins, Pray for us. Pillar of families, Pray for us. Saint Joseph, Lover of poverty, Pray for us. Model of laborers, Pray for us. Solace of the wretched, Pray for us. Hope of the sick, Pray for us. Patron of the dying, Pray for us. Terror of demons, Pray for us. Protector of Holy Church, Pray for us. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, 0 Lord, Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, 0 Lord, Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us. V. He made him the lord of His household. R. And prince over all his possessions. Let Us Pray GOD, WHO in Thy ineffable providence didst vouchsafe to choose blessed Joseph to be the spouse; of Thy most holy Mother; grant, we beseech Thee, that we may have for our advocate in heaven him whom we venerate as our protector on earth: Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen. SAINT TERESA OF AVILA HIGHLY RECOMMENDS PRAYING TO SAINT JOSEPH TO OBTAIN FAVORS FROM GOD FROM: THE LIFE OF SAINT TERESA, Chapter 6, The following are the words of Saint Teresa of Avila: "I took for my advocate and lord the glorious Saint Joseph and commended myself earnestly to him; and I found that this my father and lord delivered me both from this trouble and also from other and greater troubles concerning my honour[91] and the loss of my soul, and that he gave me greater blessings than I could ask of him. I do not remember even now that I have ever asked anything of him which he has failed to grant. I am astonished at the great favours which God has bestowed on me through this blessed saint, and at the perils from which He has freed me, both in body and in soul. To other saints the Lord seems to have given grace to succour us in some of our necessities but of this glorious saint my experience is that he succours us in them all and that the Lord wishes to teach us that as He was Himself subject to him on earth (for, being His guardian and being called His father, he could command Him) just so in Heaven He still does all that he asks. This has also been the experience of other persons whom I have advised to commend themselves to him; and even to-day there are many who have great devotion to him through having newly experienced this truth. I used to try to keep his feast with the greatest possible solemnity[92]; but, though my intentions were good, I would observe it with more vanity than spirituality, for I always wanted things to be done very meticulously and well. I had this unfortunate characteristic that, if the Lord gave me grace to do anything good, the way I did it was full of imperfections and extremely faulty. I was very assiduous and skilful in wrongdoing and in my meticulousness and vanity. May the Lord forgive me. I wish I could persuade everyone to be devoted to this glorious saint, for I have great experience of the blessings which he can obtain from God. I have never known anyone to be truly devoted to him and render him particular services who did not notably advance in virtue, for he gives very real help to souls who commend themselves to him. For some years now, I think, I have made some request of him every year on his festival and I have always had it granted. If my petition is in any way ill directed, he directs it aright for my greater good. If I were a person writing with authority, I would gladly describe, at greater length and in the minutest detail, the favours which this glorious saint has granted to me and to others. But in order not to do more than I have been commanded I shall have to write about many things briefly, much more so than I should wish, and at unnecessarily great length about others: in short, I must act like one who has little discretion in all that is good. I only beg, for the love of God, that anyone who does not believe me will put what I say to the test, and he will see by experience what great advantages come from his commending himself to this glorious patriarch and having devotion to him. Those who practise prayer should have a special affection for him always. I do not know how anyone can think of the Queen of the Angels, during the time that she suffered so much with the Child Jesus, without giving thanks to Saint Joseph for the way he helped them. If anyone cannot find a master to teach him how to pray, let him take this glorious saint as his master and he will not go astray. May the Lord grant that I have not erred in venturing to speak of him; for though I make public acknowledgment of my devotion to him, in serving and imitating him I have always failed. He was true to his own nature when he cured my paralysis and gave me the power to rise and walk; and I am following my own nature in using this favour so ill." ********

The Promises of the Divine Mercy Chaplet Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy – Jesus Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet with thousands of Catholics at Relevant Radio, the Drew Mariani Show, at 4pm Eastern Time, for Spiritual help and healing of sickness and the end of abortion: https://relevantradio.com/listen/ The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is a prayer of intercession prayed on ordinary rosary beads in as little as ten minutes, yet its prayerful recitation comes with a plethora of graces and promises. Jesus instructed Saint Faustina, My daughter, encourage souls to say the chaplet which I have given you. It pleases Me to grant everything they ask of Me by saying the chaplet. (Diary, 1541) If the Lord is saying “It pleases Me to grant everything they ask of Me by saying the chaplet,” shouldn’t we take every opportunity to recite this prayer with intentions for our country, our neighbors, our world? As are many of us today, St. Faustina was greatly concerned for all mankind. Her lamentations then sound remarkably familiar to what one might hear today. She records in Diary passage 929: When I had rested near His sweetest Heart, I told Him, “Jesus, I have so much to tell You.” And the Lord said to me with great love, “Speak, My daughter.” And I started to enumerate the pains of my heart; that is, how greatly concerned I am for all mankind, that “they all do not know You, and those who do know You do not love You as You deserve to be loved. I also see how terribly sinners offend You; and then again, I see how severely the faithful, especially Your servants, are oppressed and persecuted. And then, too, I see many souls rushing headlong into the terrible abyss of hell. You see, Jesus, this is the pain that gnaws at my heart and bones. And, although You show me special love and inundate my heart with streams of Your joys, nevertheless, this does not appease the sufferings I have just mentioned, but rather they penetrate my poor heart all the more acutely. Oh, how ardently I desire that all mankind turn with trust to Your mercy. Then, seeing the glory of Your name, my heart will be comforted.” How kindly and tenderly Jesus deals with her outpourings. What a consolation for us who share St. Faustina’s heart. St. Faustina continues: Jesus listened to these outpourings of my heart with gravity and interest, as if He had known nothing about them, and this seemed to make it easier for me to talk. And the Lord said to me, My daughter, those words of your heart are pleasing to Me, and by saying the chaplet you are bringing humankind closer to Me. After these words, I found myself alone, but the presence of God is always in my soul. The Lord asked St. Faustina to pray the chaplet for many causes as outlined below. Let us pray the Chaplet of Mercy as often as possible for all the things St. Faustina prayed for and more. Seek her intercession. Ask her to pray each chaplet with you thankful for the goodness and generosity of the Lord. Promises of the Chaplet for all Things I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy. (687) My daughter, encourage souls to say the chaplet which I have given to you. It pleases Me to grant everything they ask of Me by saying the chaplet. (1541) Promises of the Chaplet to Appease God’s Anger This prayer will serve to appease My wrath. (476) When this chaplet is said by the bedside of a dying person, God’s anger is placated. (811) This chaplet mitigates God’s anger, as He Himself told me. (1036) It [the chaplet] appeases the anger of God. (1565) Promises of the Chaplet for Sinners Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy. (687) When hardened sinners say it, I will fill their souls with peace, and the hour of their death will be a happy one. (1541) Promises of the Chaplet for Storms Today I was awakened by a great storm. The wind was raging, and it was raining in torrents, thunderbolts striking again and again. I began to pray that the storm would do no harm, when I heard the words: Say the chaplet I have taught you, and the storm will cease. I began immediately to say the chaplet and hadn’t even finished it when the storm suddenly ceased, and I heard the words: Through the chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will. (1731) When a great storm was approaching, I began to say the chaplet. Suddenly I heard the voice of an angel: “I cannot approach in this storm, because the light which comes from her mouth drives back both me and the storm.” Such was the angel’s complaint to God. I then recognized how much havoc he was to have made through this storm; but I also recognized that this prayer was pleasing to God, and that this chaplet was most powerful. (1791) Promises of the Chaplet for the Faithful The souls that say this chaplet will be embraced by My mercy during their lifetime and especially at the hour of their death. (754) While I was saying the chaplet, I heard a voice which said, Oh, what great graces I will grant to souls who say this chaplet; the very depths of My tender mercy are stirred for the sake of those who say the chaplet. O what a great multitude of souls I see! They worshiped the Divine Mercy and will be singing the hymn of praise for all eternity. (848) Promises of the Chaplet for the Dying I realize more and more how much every soul needs God’s mercy throughout life and particularly at the hour of death. This chaplet mitigates God’s anger, as He Himself told me. (1036) At the hour of their death, I defend as My own glory every soul that will say this chaplet; or when others say it for a dying person, the pardon is the same. When this chaplet is said by the bedside of a dying person, God’s anger is placated, unfathomable mercy envelops the soul, and the very depths of My tender mercy are moved for the sake of the sorrowful Passion of My Son. (811) Source: https://divinemercyforamerica.org/action-plan/utilize-the-promises/promises-of-the-chaplet/ OUR LORD’S PROMISES ATTACHED TO THE PRAYING OF THE CHAPLET OF DIVINE MERCY AS REVEALED TO ST. FAUSTINA KOWALSKA “I promise that the soul that will venerate this image (of Divine Mercy) will not perish. I also promise victory over (its) enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I Myself will defend it as My own glory.” (Diary, 48) “The souls that say this chaplet will be embraced by My mercy during their lifetime and especially at the hour of their death.” (Diary, 754) “When hardened sinners say it, I will fill their souls with peace, and the hour of their death will be a happy one.” (Diary, 1541) “When they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as a just Judge but as a merciful Savior.” (Diary, 1541) “Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death.” (Diary, 687) “Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy…I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy.” (Diary, 687) “To priests who proclaim and extol My mercy, I will give wondrous power; I will anoint their words and touch the hearts of those to whom they will speak.” (Diary, 1521) “The prayer most pleasing to Me is prayer for the conversion for sinners. Know, my daughter, that this prayer is always heard and answered.” (Diary, 1397) “At three o’clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony…I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion.” (Diary, 1320; also, cf. Diary, 1572) “Souls who spread the honor of My mercy…at the hour of death I will not be a Judge for them, but the Merciful Savior.” (Diary, 1075) “The two rays denote Blood and Water…These two rays issued from the very depths of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross. These rays shield souls from the wrath of My Father…I desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the Feast of Mercy…whoever approaches the Fount of Life on this day will be granted complete remission of sins and punishment. Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy.” (Diary, 299-300) “I desire that the Feast of Mercy…be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter…The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion (in a state of grace on this day) shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.” (Diary, 699) “Through this chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will.” (Diary, 1731) “My mercy is greater than your sins and those of the entire world.” (Diary, 1485) Note: Excerpts taken from the Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska, titled Divine Mercy in My Soul, ©1987, Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception, Stockbridge, MA 01263.





Stations of the Cross, Promises THE PROMISES MADE BY OUR LORD TO THOSE WHO HAVE DEVOTION TO THE WAY OF THE CROSS.~Jesus to Brother Estanislao I promise eternal life to those who pray, from time to time, the Way of the Cross. I promise them my greatest graces. I will deliver the faithful from purgatory on the first Tuesday or Friday after their death. I promise them a special glory in Heaven. I will grant them everything they ask through praying the Way of the Cross with faith. I will grant them the remission of all their sins, even if they be as scarlet; if they be more than the grains of sand on the seashore and the stars in the heavens, all of them will be erased by the Way of the Cross. I will preserve them from sudden death. I promise them my special protection; my hands will always be open to protect them. I will bless them at each Way of the Cross and my blessing will follow them everywhere on earth, and after their death, in Heaven for all eternity. They will be assured of being joined to the Supreme Choir Of Angels. I will give them the grace never again to commit a mortal sin for I will give them the grace never again to separate themselves from me. I will lift all power from the devil at the hour of death that they may repose tranquilly in my arms I will make of each one of them a living ciborium in which it will please me to pour my graces I will give them a special drought from the fountain of My Deity. As I am nailed to the cross, so also will I always be with those who honour me in making the Way Of The Cross frequently. BROTHER ESTANISLOA Brother Estanisloa was born in 1903. At an early age, he entered the Christian schools of charity in Bugedo, Spain. Here he took vows of regularity, perfection and pure love. In October 1926 he offered himself to Jesus through Mary. Soon after this heroic donation he fell ill and was obliged to rest. He died in the odor of sanctity in March, 1927 of tuberculosis. According to the master of novices he was a privileged soul who received messages from heaven. Confessors and theologians recognize these supernatural facts. His spiritual director asked him to write down the promises made by Our Lord to those who have devotion to the Way of the Cross as written here. Best Time to Pray the Stations is on Friday at 3pm if possible as Jesus told St. Faustina, At three o'clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of great mercy. ... In this hour I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion (Diary,1320). As often as you hear the clock strike the third hour, immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it; invoke its omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners; for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul. In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking; it was the hour of grace for the whole world — mercy triumphed over justice. ... My daughter, try your best to make the Stations of the Cross in this hour, provided that your duties permit it; and if you are not able to make the Stations of the Cross, then at least step into the chapel for a moment and adore, in the Most Blessed Sacrament, My Heart, which is full of mercy; and should you be unable to step into chapel, immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant (1572). STATIONS OF THE CROSS, written by Saint Francis of Assisi



Prayer to Mary, Undoer of Knots Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of a child in need, Mother whose hands never cease to serve your beloved children because they are moved by the divine love and immense mercy that exists in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exist in my life. You know very well how desperate I am, my pain, and how I am bound by these knots. Mary, Mother to whom God entrusted the undoing of the knots in the lives of his children, I entrust into your hands the ribbon of my life. No one, not even the Evil One himself, can take it away from your precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone. Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with Your Son and My Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot. [Mention your request here] I beg you to undo it for the glory of God, once for all. You are my hope. O my Lady, you are the only consolation God gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution, and, with Christ, the freedom from my chains. Hear my plea. Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge! Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.





SPIRITUAL DIRECTION FOR TODAY Introduction to the Devout Life Saint Francis of Sales Bishop and Prince of Geneva SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES Feast Day: January 24th (1567-1622) Bishop of Geneva, Switzerland and a Doctor of the Church FRANCIS was born of noble and pious parents, near Annecy, A.D. 1567, and studied with brilliant success at Paris and Padua. On his return from Italy he gave up the grand Career which his father had marked out for him in the service of the State, and became a priest. He studied at Annecy, Paris, France and Padua, Italy. He received a doctorate in law at the age of twenty-four. He was ordained a priest in 1593. When the Duke of Savoy had resolved to restore the Church in the Chablais, Francis offered himself for the work, and set out on foot with his Bible and breviary and one companion, his cousin Louis of Sales. It was a work of toil, privation, and danger. Every door and every heart were closed against him. He was rejected with insult and threatened with death. But nothing could daunt or resist him, and ere long the Church burst forth into a second spring. It is stated that he converted 72,000 Calvinists. He was then compelled by the Pope to become Coadjutor Bishop of Geneva, and succeeded the see A.D. 1602. At times the exceeding gentleness with which he received heretics and sinners almost scandalized his ends, and one of them said to him, " Francis of Sales will go to Paradise, of course; but I am not so sure of the Bishop of Geneva: I am almost afraid his gentleness will play him a shrewd turn." "Ah," said the saint, " I would rather account to God for too great gentleness than for too great severity. Is not God all love? God the Father is the Father of mercy; God the Son is a Lamb; God the Holy Ghost is a Dove, that is, gentleness itself. And are you wiser than God ?" He became an outstanding confessor and spiritual director and spiritually guided Blessed Marie Acarie and St. Jane Francis de Chantal. He founded several schools. He was gifted in spiritual writing and wrote the spiritual classics: Introduction to the Devout Life and the Treatise on the Love of God. In union with St: Jane Frances of Chantal he founded at Annecy the Order of the Visitation, which soon spread over Europe. Though poor, he refused provisions and dignities, and even the great see of Paris. He died at Avignon, A.D. 1622. He was canonized in 1653 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1877. REFLECTION.-"You will catch more flies," St. Francis used to say, " with a spoonful of honey than with a hundred barrels of vinegar. Were there any thing better or fairer on earth than gentleness, Jesus Christ would have taught it us ; and yet he has given us only two lessons to learn of him—meekness and humility of heart." Excerpt from Saint Francis de Sales' book, Introduction to the Devout Life: CHAPTER XVII. NINTH MEDITATION. On the Choice upon to you between Heaven and Hell. Preparation. 1. PLACE yourself in the Presence of God. 2. Humble yourself before Him, and ask His inspiration. Considerations. 1. Imagine yourself alone with your good angel (46) in an open plain, as was Tobit on his way to Rages. Suppose the Angel to set before you Paradise, full of delights and joys; and on the other hand Hell, with all its torments. Contemplate both, kneeling in imagination before your guardian Angel. Consider that you are most truly standing between Hell and Paradise, and that both the one and the other are open to receive you, according to your own choice. 2. Consider that the choice you make in this life will last for ever in the next. 3. Consider too, that while both are open to receive you according to your choice, yet God, Who is prepared to give the one by reason of His Justice, the other by reason of His Mercy, all the while desires unspeakably that you should select Paradise; and your good Angel is urging you with all his might to do so, offering you countless graces on God's part, countless helps to attain to it. 4. Consider that Jesus Christ, enthroned in Heaven, looks down upon you in loving invitation: "O beloved one, come unto Me, and joy for ever in the eternal blessedness of My Love!" Behold His mother yearning over you with maternal tenderness--" Courage, my child, do not despise the Goodness of my Son, or my earnest prayers for thy salvation." Behold the Saints, who have left you their example, the (47) millions of holy souls who long after you, desiring earnestly that you may one day be for ever joined to them in their song of praise, urging upon you that the road to Heaven is not so hard to find as the world would have you think. "Press on boldly, dear friend,"--they cry. "Whoso will ponder well the path by which we came hither, will discover that we attained to these present delights by sweeter joys than any this world can give." The Choice. 1. O Hell, I abhor thee now and for ever; I abhor thy griefs and torments, thine endless misery, the unceasing blasphemies and maledictions which thou pourest out upon my God;--and turning to thee, O blessed Paradise, eternal glory, unfading happiness, I choose thee for ever as my abode, thy glorious mansions, thy precious and abiding tabernacles. O my God, I bless Thy Mercy which gives me the power to choose--O Jesus, Saviour, I accept Thine Eternal Love, and praise Thee for the promise Thou hast given me of a place prepared for me in that blessed New Jerusalem, where I shall love and bless Thee for ever. 2. Dwell lovingly upon the example set before you by the Blessed Virgin and the Saints, and strive to follow where they point you. Give (48) yourself up to your guardian Angel, that he may be your guide, and gird up your courage anew to make this choice. **** MORE ON SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES FROM BUTLER'S LIVES OF THE SAINTS Introduction to the Devout Life Preface by the Author PART I. COUNSELS AND PRACTICES SUITABLE FOR THE SOUL'S GUIDANCE FROM THE FIRST ASPIRATION AFTER A DEVOUT LIFE TO THE POINT WHEN IT ATTAINS A CONFIRMED RESOLUTION TO FOLLOW THE SAME. I. What True Devotion is . . . 1 II. The Nature and Excellence of Devotion . . . 5 III. Devotion is suitable to every Vocation and Profession . . . 8 IV. The Need of a Guide for those Who Would enter upon and advance in the Devout Life ...11 V. The First Step must be Purifying the Soul . . . 15 VI. The First Purification, namely, from Mortal Sin . . . 18 VII. The Second Purification, from all Sinful Affections . . . 20 VIII. How to effect this Second Purification . . . 22 IX. First Meditation--Of Creation . . . 24 X. Second Meditation--Of the End for which we were Created . . . 27 XI. Third Meditation--Of the Gifts of God . . . 30 XII. Fourth Meditation--On Sin . . . 32 XIII. Fifth Meditation--On Death . . . 35 XIV. Sixth Meditation--On Judgment . . . 38 XV. Seventh Meditation--Of Hell . . . 41 XVI. Eighth Meditation--On Paradise . . . 43 XVII. Ninth Meditation On the Choice open to you between Heaven and Hell . . . 45 XVIII. Tenth Meditation--How the Soul chooses the Devout Life . . . 48 XIX. How to make a General Confession . . . 51 XX. A hearty Protest made with the object of confirming the Soul's resolution to serve God, as a conclusion to its Acts of Penitence . . . 53 XXI. Conclusion of this First Purification . . . 56 XXII. The Necessity of Purging away all tendency to Venial Sins . . . 57 XXIII. It is needful to put away all Inclination for Useless and Dangerous Things . . . 60 XXIV. All Evil Inclinations must be purged away . . . 62 PART II.** CONTAINING SUNDRY COUNSELS AS TO UPLIFTING THE SOUL TO GOD IN PRAYER AND THE USE OF THE SACRAMENTS. I. The Necessity of Prayer . . . 64 II. A short Method of Meditation. And first, the Presence of God, the First Point of Preparation . . . 68 III. Invocation, the Second Point of Preparation . . . 72 IV. The Third Point of Preparation, representing the Mystery to be meditated to your Imagination . . . 73 V. Considerations, the Second Part of Meditation . . . 74 VI. The Third Part of Meditation, Affections and Resolutions . . . 75 VII. The Conclusion and Spiritual Bouquet . . . 77 VIII. Some Useful Hints as to Meditation . . . 78 IX. Concerning Dryness in Meditation . . . 81 X. Morning Prayer . . . 83 XI. Evening Prayer and Examination of Conscience . . . 85 XII. On Spiritual Retirement . . . 87 XIII. Aspirations, Ejaculatory Prayer and Holy Thoughts . . . 90 XIV. Of Holy Communion, and how to join in it . . . 98 XV. Of the other Public Offices of the Church . . . 101 XVI. How the Saints are united to us . . . 103 XVII. How to Hear and Read God's Word . . . 105 XVIII. How to receive Inspirations . . . 107 XIX. On Confession . . . 111 XX. Of Frequent Communion . . . 116 XXI. How to Communicate . . . 120 PART III. CONTAINING COUNSELS CONCERNING THE PRACTICE OF VIRTUE. I. How to select that which we should chiefly Practise . . . 124 II. The same Subject continued . . . 131 III. On Patience . . . 136 IV. On Exterior Humility . . . 142 V. On Interior Humility . . . 147 VI. Humility makes us rejoice in our own Abjection . . . 153 VII. How to combine due care for a Good Reputation with Humility . . . 158 VIII. Gentleness towards others and Remedies against Anger . . . 163 IX. On Gentleness towards Ourselves . . . 169 X. We must attend to the Business of Life carefully, but without Eagerness or Over-anxiety . . . 173 XI. On Obedience . . . 176 XII. On Purity . . . 180 XIII. How to maintain Purity . . . 182 XIV. On Poverty of Spirit amid Riches . . . 185 XV. How to exercise real Poverty, although actually Rich . . . 188 XVI. How to possess a rich Spirit amid real Poverty . . . 193 XVII. On Friendship: Evil and Frivolous Friendship . . . 196 XVIII. On Frivolous Attachments . . . 198 XIX. Of Real Friendship . . . 201 XX. Of the Difference between True and False Friendship . . . 205 XXI. Remedies against Evil Friendships . . . 208 XXII. Further Advice concerning Intimacies . . . 212 XXIII. On the Practice of Bodily Mortification . . . 215 XXIV. Of Society and Solitude . . . 223 XXV. On Modesty in Dress . . . 227 XXVI. Of Conversation; and, first, how to Speak of God . . . 229 XXVII. Of Unseemly Words, and the Respect due to Others . . . 231 XXVIII. Of Hasty Judgments . . . 234 XXIX. On Slander . . . 241 XXX. Further Counsels as to Conversation . . . 249 XXXI. Of Amusements and Recreations: what are allowable . . . 252 XXXII. Of Forbidden Amusements . . . 254 XXXIII. Of Balls, and other Lawful but Dangerous Amusements . . . 255 XXXIV. When to use such Amusements rightly . . . 259 XXXV. We must be Faithful in Things Great and Small . . . 260 XXXVI. Of a Well-balanced, Reasonable Mind . . . 264 XXXVII. Of Wishes . . . 267 XXXVIII. Counsels to Married People . . . 270 XXXIX. The Sanctity of the Marriage Bed . . . 280 XL. Counsels to Widows . . . 281 XLI. One Word to Maidens . . . 289 PART IV. CONTAINING NEEDFUL COUNSELS CONCERNING SOME ORDINARY TEMPTATIONS. I. We must not trifle with the Words of worldly Wisdom . . . 290 II. The need of a Good Courage . . . 294 III. Of Temptations, and the difference between experiencing them and consenting to them . . . 296 IV. Two striking illustrations of the same . . . 300 V. Encouragement for the Tempted Soul . . . 302 VI. When Temptation and Delectation are Sin . . . 304 VII. Remedies for Great Occasions . . . 307 VIII. How to resist Minor Temptations . . . 310 IX. How to remedy Minor Temptations . . . 311 X. How to strengthen the Heart against Temptation . . . 313 XI. Anxiety of Mind . . . 315 XII. Of Sadness and Sorrow . . . 319 XIII. Of Spiritual and Sensible Consolations, and how to receive them . . . 323 XIV. Of Dryness and Spiritual Barrenness . . . 333 XV. In Illustration . . . 340 PART V. CONTAINING COUNSELS AND PRACTICES FOR RENEWING AND CONFIRMING THE SOUL IN DEVOTION. I. It is well yearly to renew Good Resolutions by means of the following Exercises . . . 346 II. Meditation on the Benefit conferred on us by God in calling us to His Service . . . 348 III. Examination of the Soul as to its Progress in the Devout Life . . . 351 IV. Examination of the Soul's Condition as regards God . . . 354 V. Examination of your Condition as regards yourself . . . 357 VI. Examination of the Soul's Condition as regards our Neighbour . . . 358 VII. Examination as to the Affections of the Soul . . . 359 VIII. The Affections to be excited after such Examination . . . 361 IX. Reflections suitable to the renewal of Good Resolutions . . . 362 X. First Consideration--Of the Worth of Souls . . . 363 XI. Second Consideration--On the Excellence of Virtue . . . 364 XII. The Example of the Saints . . . 366 XIII. The Love which Jesus Christ bears to us . . . 367 XIV. The Eternal Love of God for us . . . 369 XV. General Affections which should result from these Considerations, and Conclusion of the Exercise . . . 370 XVI. The Impressions which should remain after this Exercise . . . 372 XVII. An Answer to Two Objections which may be made to this Book . . . 373 XVIII. Three Important and Final Counsels . . . 375






"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





ST. PETER OF ALCANTARA. FEAST DAY: OCTOBER 19TH PETER, while still a youth, left his home at Alcantara in Spain, and entered a convent of Discalced Franciscans. He rose quickly to high posts in the Order, but his thirst for penance was still unappeased, and in 1539, being then forty years old, he founded the first convent of the "Strict Observance." The cells of the friars resembled graves rather than dwelling-places. That of St. Peter himself was four feet and a half in length, so that he could never lie down ; he ate but once in three days; his sackcloth habit and a cloak were his only garments, and he never covered his head or feet. In the bitter winter he would open the door and window of his cell that, by closing them again, he might experience some sensation of warmth. Amongst those whom he trained to perfection was St. Teresa. He read her soul, approved of her spirit of prayer, and strengthened her to carry out her reforms. St. Peter died, with great joy, kneeling in prayer, October 18th, 1562, at the age of sixty-three. REFLECTION.-If men do not go about barefoot now, nor under-go sharp penances, as St. Peter did, there are many ways of trampling on the world; and our Lord teaches them when He finds the necessary courage. MORE ON SAINT PETER FROM BUTLER'S LIVES OF THE SAINTS INTERCESSORY PRAYER: Saint Teresa of Avila said concerning Saint Peter of Alcantara that, "The Lord once told me that no one should ask Him for anything in his name and not be heard." Saint Peter of Alcantara, please pray for us today [state your prayer request.]


POPE LEO PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR 2026 THE HOLY FATHER’S PRAYER INTENTIONS JANUARY 2026 For prayer with the Word of God. Let us pray that praying with the Word of God be nourishment for our lives and a source of hope in our communities, helping us to build a more fraternal and missionary Church. FEBRUARY 2026 For children with incurable diseases. Let us pray that children suffering from incurable diseases and their families receive the necessary medical care and support, never losing strength and hope. MARCH 2026 For disarmament and peace. Let us pray that nations move toward effective disarmament, particularly nuclear disarmament, and that world leaders choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy instead of violence. APRIL 2026 For priests in crisis. Let us pray for priests going through moments of crisis in their vocation, that they may find the accompaniment they need and that communities may support them with understanding and prayer. MAY 2026 That everyone might have food. Let us pray that everyone, from large producers to small consumers, be committed to avoid wasting food, and to ensure that everyone has access to quality food. JUNE 2026 For the values of sports. Let us pray that sports be an instrument of peace, encounter, and dialogue among cultures and nations, and that they promote values such as respect, solidarity, and personal growth. JULY 2026 For respect for human life. Let us pray for the respect and protection of human life in all its stages, recognizing it as a gift from God. AUGUST 2026 For evangelization in the city. Let us pray that in large cities often marked by anonymity and loneliness we find new ways to proclaim the Gospel, discovering creative paths to build community. SEPTEMBER 2026 For the care of water. Let us pray for a just and sustainable management of water, a vital resource, so that everyone may have equal access to it. OCTOBER 2026 For mental health ministry. Let us pray that the mental health ministry be established throughout the Church, helping to overcome the stigma and discrimination of persons with mental illnesses. NOVEMBER 2026 For the proper use of wealth. Let us pray for the proper use of wealth, that not succumbing to the temptation of selfishness, it may always be put at the service the common good and solidarity of those who have less. DECEMBER 2026 For single-parent families. Let us pray for families experiencing the absence of a mother or father, that they may find support and accompaniment in the Church, and help and strength in the Faith during difficult times.


OUR LADY OF GOOD REMEDY PRAYER Queen of Heaven and earth, most Holy Virgin, we venerate thee. Thou art the beloved daughter of the Most High God, the chosen mother of the Incarnate Word, the immaculate spouse of the Holy Spirit, the sacred vessel of the Most Holy Trinity. O Mother of the Divine Redeemer, who under the title of Our Lady of Good Remedy comes to the aid of all who call upon thee, extend thy maternal protection to us. We depend on thee, dear Mother, as helpless and needy children depend on a tender and caring mother. Pray the Hail Mary... O Lady of Good Remedy, source of unfailing help, grant that we may draw from thy treasury of graces in our time of need. Touch the hearts of sinners, that they may seek reconciliation and forgiveness. Bring comfort to the afflicted and the lonely; help the poor and the hopeless; aid the sick and the suffering. May they be healed in body and strengthened in spirit to endure their sufferings with patient resignation and Christian fortitude. Pray the Hail Mary... Dear Lady of Good Remedy, source of unfailing help, thy compassionate heart knows a remedy for every affliction and misery we encounter in life. Help me with thy prayers and intercession to find a remedy for my problems and needs, especially for... (Mention your personal intention) On my part, O loving Mother, I pledge myself to a more intensely Christian lifestyle, to a more careful observance of the laws of God, to be more conscientious in fulfilling the obligations of my state in life, and to strive to be a source of healing in this broken world of ours. Dear Lady of Good Remedy, be ever present to me, and through thy intercession, may I enjoy health of body and peace of mind, and grow stronger in the faith and in the love of thy Son, Jesus. Pray the Hail Mary... V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of Good Remedy, R. That we may deepen our dedication to thy Son, and make the world alive with His Spirit.


Unfailing Novena To The Virgin Mary Untier of Knots Prayer to Mary, Undoer of Knots Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of a child in need, Mother whose hands never cease to serve your beloved children because they are moved by the divine love and immense mercy that exists in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exist in my life. You know very well how desperate I am, my pain, and how I am bound by these knots. Mary, Mother to whom God entrusted the undoing of the knots in the lives of his children, I entrust into your hands the ribbon of my life. No one, not even the Evil One himself, can take it away from your precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone. Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with Your Son and My Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot. [Mention your request here] I beg you to undo it for the glory of God, once for all. You are my hope. O my Lady, you are the only consolation God gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution, and, with Christ, the freedom from my chains. Hear my plea. Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge! Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

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Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy – Jesus

Promises of the Chaplet for all Things

Promises of the Chaplet to Appease God’s Anger

Promises of the Chaplet for Sinners

Promises of the Chaplet for Storms

Promises of the Chaplet for the Faithful

Promises of the Chaplet for the Dying

OUR LORD’S PROMISES ATTACHED TO THEPRAYING OF THECHAPLET OF DIVINE MERCYAS REVEALED TO ST. FAUSTINA KOWALSKA

Prayer to Mary, Undoer of Knots

Prayer to Mary, Undoer of Knots

OUR LORD’S PROMISES ATTACHED TO THE
PRAYING OF THE
CHAPLET OF DIVINE MERCY
AS REVEALED TO ST. FAUSTINA KOWALSKA