Saint Andrew, Apostle and Martyr

Today is the feast day of Saint Andrew the Apostle. As Our Blessed Mother Mary always leads us to Jesus, Saint Andrew brought others to Jesus.

Andrew told his brother Simon: We have found the Messiah, the Christ; and he brought him to Jesus. John 1:41-42

When Jesus called Andrew and his brother Simon Peter, he said to them, Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Matthew 4:19 They immediately dropped their fishing nets and followed him. Let us say Yes to Jesus the way Andrew, Simon and Our Blessed Mother Mary did. Let us call on their intercession in our need.

A novena is normally a nine day prayer, the term is sometimes used for any prayer that is repeated over a series of days. This prayer is often called the "Christmas Novena" or the "Christmas Anticipation Prayer," because it is prayed 15 times every day from the Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle until Christmas. The first Sunday of Advent is the Sunday closest to the Feast of Saint Andrew.

The novena is not actually addressed to Saint Andrew but to God Himself, asking Him to grant our request in the honor of the birth of His Son at Christmas. You can say the prayer all 15 times, all at once; or divide up the recitation as necessary, perhaps five times at each meal. Prayed as a family, the Saint Andrew Christmas Novena is a very good way to help focus the attention of your children on the Advent season.

Saint Andrew Christmas Novena
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.

Saint Andrew, you gave your life for Jesus. Help us offer our lives to Him in all we do and in all we say.

Litany of Humility

"Humility," says Saint Bernard, "is the foundation and guardian of virtues" for without it no other virtue can exist in a soul. Should she possess all virtues, all will depart when humility is gone. Saint Francis de Sales wrote to Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, "God so loves humility, that whenever He sees it, He is immediately drawn thither." This beautiful and so necessary virtue was unknown in the world; but the Son of God Himself came on earth to teach it by His Own example that we would imitate Him. Learn from Me, because I am meek and humble of heart. Mary, being the first and most perfect disciple of Jesus Christ in the practice of all virtues, was the first also in that of humility, and by it merited to be exalted above all creatures. The first virtue in which the Blessed Mother particularly exercised herself, from her very childhood, was that of humility.



Litany of Humility
Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val (1865-1930)
Secretary of State for Pope Saint Pius X

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,

Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved...
From the desire of being extolled ...
From the desire of being honored ...
From the desire of being praised ...
From the desire of being preferred to others...
From the desire of being consulted ...
From the desire of being approved ...
From the fear of being humiliated ...
From the fear of being despised...
From the fear of suffering rebukes ...
From the fear of being calumniated ...
From the fear of being forgotten ...
From the fear of being ridiculed ...
From the fear of being wronged ...
From the fear of being suspected ...

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I ...
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease ...
That others may be chosen and I set aside ...
That others may be praised and I unnoticed ...
That others may be preferred to me in everything...
That others may become holier than I, provided
that I may become as holy as I should…

O Mary, Mother of Mercy, help us to imitate Jesus, your Beloved Son who taught us, "Learn from Me, because I am meek and humble of heart."

The Miraculous Medal

The mission that God wanted to entrust to Catherine was made manifest to her on November 27, 1830. It was the mission of making and distributing the Medal of the Immaculate Conception, now known as the Miraculous Medal. That day was the Saturday before the first Sunday of Advent. The Sisters were gathered in the chapel as usual for prayers at five-thirty in the afternoon. Suddenly Our Lady appeared to Catherine.

At first Mary appeared standing on a globe and dressed in white having with a long white veil which fell to her feet. The Virgin held in her hands, at the height of her shoulders, a golden ball which she seemed to be offering to God as she raised her eyes to heaven. Her fingers were covered with rings whose precious jewels sparkled brilliantly and showered down innumerable rays of light on the globe beneath her feet, almost obscuring the view of her feet. Mary lowered her eyes and looked directly at Catherine. Mary said nothing, but Catherine heard this message, "The ball which you see represents the world, especially France, and each person in particular. These rays symbolize the graces I shed upon those who ask for them. The jewels which give no rays symbolize the graces that are not given because they are not asked for." Then the apparition changed.

 

Our Lady appeared with a white dress, a blue mantle, and a white veil which draped back over her shoulders. She was still standing on the globe, and had one foot on the head of a serpent which lay at her feet. The 1830 was marked on the globe. The Virgin had her arms and hands pointed downwards, and a cascade of rays was falling down from both hands onto the globe. An oval frame formed around the Blessed Virgin, and written around within it, in letters of gold, was the beautiful prayer, "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you." This was the front side of the medal that was to be made.

Then the vision revolved to show the reverse side of the medal. Catherine saw a Cross with a bar at its feet with which was intertwined an "M." Beneath the "M" were the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, both surmounted by flames of love, one having a crown of thorns, and other pierced with a sword. Encircling all of this were twelve stars around the oval frame.

 

 

Sister Catherine died on December 31, 1876. In 1895 her cause for Beatification was introduced in Rome. She was beatified on May 28, 1933. When her body was exhumed, after fifty-seven years of burial,, it was found to be completely incorrupt and supple. Catherine was canonized a Saint on July 27, 1947. This approval by God and the Church was like a seal on the apparitions of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.

Saint Catherine of Laboure, pray for us and all the intentions we receive. 

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. 

In Thanksgiving to Jesus and Mary

On this Thanksgiving Day, Mass is offered for YOU, prayer partners
of this ministry. We give thanks for all your prayers for the babies,
little ones and families. We never know how our prayers are used.
The Lord takes our prayers and little offerings and places them
where they are needed.

O give thanks to the Lord for He is good;
His love endures forever. Psalm 136:1



Our Blessed Virgin Mary offered her life and gave her Fiat through
her obedience and humble service. This is true worship of God,
surrendering to His Will. In heaven, she leads a song of eternal
praise, like incense raising up to God.

Listen, my faithful children: open up your petals,
like roses planted near running waters;
send up the sweet odor of incense,
break forth in blossoms like the lily.
Send up the sweet odor of your hymn of praise;
bless the Lord for all He has done!
Sirach 39:13-14

The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Magnificat
The Canticle of Mary

And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and Holy is his Name. Luke 1:46-49



Chosen Lady: Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son in truth and love. I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth just as we were commanded by the Father. But now, Lady, I ask you, not as though I were writing a new commandment but the one we have had from the beginning: let us love one another. For this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, as you heard from the beginning, in which you should walk. 2 John 4-6

Blessed Virgin Mary, on this day we celebrate the Feast of your Presentation in the Temple, we ask you to intercede for all these little ones and families for whom we pray. We thank you for being Our Loving Mother.

The Eucharist The Real Presence

Blessed John Paul II identified the Eucharist as the Presence Sacrament. Christ is on earth. He wants to perform miracles of His grace, especially miracles of conversion in what is becoming a Christ-less age. The key to tapping the resources of His grace is our deep faith in Christ's living presence among us in the Blessed Sacrament.



Today is the Feast Day of Saint Rose Philippine Duschene, a religious of the Society of the Sacred Heart. She began missionary work with the Native Americans. She was called the ”Woman Who Prays Always.” She was born in 1769, died in 1852 and was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1988.

She was the Foundress of the first Catholic school for girls west of the Mississippi. She said, "As soon as we could, we taught our Indians the prayers of the Church, and especially the Litany of the Blessed Virgin, as it is sung on Sundays after Vespers."

The Sisters suffered during the severe winters. Sr. Rose had many infirmities which became worse. She visited the sick and helped the Indian girls but was not able to do much else. She lived a life of prayer and sacrifice. The Indians called her “Woman Who Prays Always” because she spent so much time in the church praying. She knelt motionless in prayer for long periods in the Church before the Blessed Sacrament. If she could not work at the mission, she would forward the success of the mission by her prayers. She would spend the last ten years of her life there praying for long hours before the Blessed Sacrament.

May we have the great love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament as Saint Rose did. May we spend time in Eucharistic Adoration praying for all the intentions we receive through this baby prayer ministry. Jesus, we love and adore You.

Let the little children come to Me

The Chaplet of The Divine Mercy Novena
Sixth Day of the novena

Today bring to Me THE MEEK AND HUMBLE SOULS AND THE SOULS OF LITTLE CHILDREN, and immerse them in My mercy. These souls most closely resemble My Heart. They strengthened Me during My bitter agony. I saw them as earthly Angels, who will keep vigil at My altars. I pour out upon them whole torrents of grace. Only the humble soul is capable of receiving My grace. I favor humble souls with My confidence.

Most Merciful Jesus, You yourself have said, "Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart." Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart all meek and humble souls and the souls of little children. These souls send all heaven into ecstasy and they are the heavenly Father's favorites. They are a sweet-smelling bouquet before the throne of God; God Himself takes delight in their fragrance. These souls have a permanent abode in Your Most Compassionate Heart, O Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out a hymn of love and mercy.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon meek souls, upon humble souls, and upon little children who are enfolded in the abode which is the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls bear the closest resemblance to Your Son. Their fragrance rises from the earth and reaches Your very throne. Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg You by the love You bear these souls and by the delight You take in them: Bless the whole world, that all souls together may sing out the praises of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.



Jesus said "Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."  Matthew 19:14  We entrust all the names we have received through this ministry to Our Lady and ask her to bring them to Jesus.

All for Jesus through Mary

On the Cross, Jesus gave us Mary as our Mother.

Behold, your Mother. John 19:27

The way to be close to Jesus and Mary is by praying and meditating on the mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary.

I will espouse you to me forever: I will espouse you in right and justice, in love and mercy; I will espouse you in fidelity, and you shall know the Lord.
Hosea 2:21-22

We will know the Lord by drawing close to Mary in prayer through the rosary.



Caryll Houselander, British mystic, poet and spiritual teacher
"Mary never resisted the Holy Spirit by whom she had conceived Jesus because she was passionately devoted to the Will of God and because she loved the world. Her values were his values. Their own miracle went on, and it went on as mysteriously as a pure, bright stream running underground. Just as Christ received God's love from Mary in his infancy, He did God's Will in the little acts of obedience that filled the loveliness of their lives in the loss in the Temple and the temptation in the wilderness. That which had been the secret of her strength from the beginning is the secret of the communion between them."

Blessed Mother Mary, hear our prayers and petitions for these babies, little ones and families. We entrust them to you and ask that you intercede and bring their needs to Jesus. We offer our rosaries and Memorares in His Holy Name.

A Father's Love Letter

Words of Saint Padre Pio
"Listen carefully. There is a mother who is embroidering. Her son sitting on a low stool sees her work, but upside down. He sees the knots of the embroidery, the tangled threads and says, "Mother, what are you doing? Your work is not at all clear." Then the mother lowers the embroidery frame and shows the good part of her work. Each color is in its place and the variety of threads form a harmonious design. We are seeing the reverse side of the embroidery; we are sitting on the low stool."

Human beings are God's tapestries. Psalm 139 is a psalm that reveals God and His Divine attributes. The psalmist did not use God's creation of mountains, seas, or the galaxies. He expressed the wonder of God's unparalleled creative power in the fashioning of the human in the womb.

The Hebrew word used to express God's forming of us in the womb, raqam, is the same term for needlework or embroidery. In other words, we are a tapestry that displays God's artistic mastery. Like the artist who knows his creation down to the last detail, God intimately knows us. This reality provokes the writer to awe and wonder. He proclaims, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." What is true for this psalmist is true for each human being. Each is fashioned by God and known by Him and we can proclaim on behalf of each, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made."



May the Mother of Jesus, and our Mother, obtain for us from her Son the grace to live a life according to the heart of God, a life that is entirely interior and hidden in Him. May God help us to appreciate the wonder and beauty of His creation. May the knowledge that we are intimately known by God shape our lives and actions.

All Souls Day



Today we celebrate All Souls Day. Our Lord dictated the following prayer to Saint Gertrude the Great to release 1,000 Souls from Purgatory each time it is said.

Prayer of Saint Gertrude the Great
"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen."

Saint Gertrude's life was the mystic life of the cloister, a Benedictine nun. She meditated on the Passion of Christ, which many times brought a flood of tears to her eyes. She did many penances and Our Lord appeared to her many times. She had a tender love for the Blessed Virgin and was very devoted to the suffering souls in Purgatory. She died in 1334. Her feast day is November 16th.

The Holy Souls Will Repay Us A Thousand Times Over
Now who can be in more urgent need of our charity than the souls in Purgatory? What hunger, or thirst, or dire sufferings on Earth can compare to their dreadful torments? Neither the poor, nor the sick, nor the suffering, we see around us, have such an urgent need of our help, yet we find many good-hearted people who interest themselves in every other type of suffering, but few who works for the Holy Souls. Who can have more claim on us? Among them, there may be our mothers and fathers, our friends and near of kin. When they are finally released from their pains and enjoy the beatitude of Heaven, far from forgetting their friends on earth, their gratitude knows no bounds. Prostrate before the Throne of God, they never cease to pray for those who helped them. By their prayers they shield their friends from many dangers and protect them from the evils that threaten them.

The Holy Souls are those who die in God's grace but are still imperfectly purified. By undergoing purification after death in purgatory, they achieve the holiness necessary to enter heaven. May all the Holy Souls through the mercy of God rest in peace.

The Lord said to me, Enter into Purgatory often, because they need you there. O my Jesus, I understand the meaning of these words which You are speaking to me, but first let me enter the treasury of Your mercy. Diary of Saint Faustina 1738

All Saints Day

Today we honor all the saints. They continually intercede with The Father for us. A saint is a person who reflects the holiness of God by living the virtues in a heroic way and showing boundless charity and total faith in God. The early history of the Church is filled with stories of the heroic faith of these of witnesses to Christ's truth. The stories of these saints, of all ages and all states in life, whose fidelity and courage led to their sanctity or holiness, have provided models for us throughout history.

Many of those especially holy people whose names and stories were known, the Church later canonized or formally recognized that the life of that person was holy, or sanctified. A saint is an example for us. The Church's calendar contains many saint's days, which Catholics observe at Mass, some with special festivities, but there were thousands and thousands of early Christian martyrs, the majority of whose names are known only to God. Throughout the history of the Church, there have been countless others who are saints, who are with God in heaven, even if their names are not on the list of canonized saints.

In order to honor the memory of these unnamed saints and to recall their example, the Church dedicated a special feast day Mass so that we can celebrate the lives and witness of those who have died and gone before us into the presence of the Lord.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Holy Mary, all the angels and the communion of saints, we call on you as a cloud of witnesses to help us each day and to pray for us and for all the names we receive through this ministry.