Saint Andrew Christmas Novena

Today is the Feast Day of Saint Andrew the Apostle. As Mary, our Blessed Mother, 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. 

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 the piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.

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

Reflection: Advent, the time of waiting, begins...

Prepare the way of the Lord!

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. The best way to prepare for Advent is to spend it with Mary, reflecting on how she pondered God's Word. Mary was still. Gaze at the image of the Madonna with Child awaiting the birth of Jesus and ponder like Mary...watch...listen...pray...

Mary invites you to be still. to listen and ponder as God speaks to you during this beautiful season of Advent, as you wait and prepare your heart for the birth of Jesus. 

Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:11

How can you prepare your heart for the coming of the Baby Jesus on Christmas Day? Ask Our Lady to accompany you. She is your most loving Mother and she will always lead you to her Beloved Son. 

Be still like Mary. Spend time with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration. It is there, in the silence, that Jesus will speak to your heart. The message of Advent is to bring light into a world of darkness. The Advent candles symbolize Jesus Christ, the Light of the world. It is He who dispels the darkness and brings hope. The Lord is always coming to those who seek Him. Let us seek Him through the eyes and heart of Mary. 

The silent soul is capable of attaining the closest union with God. It lives almost always under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. God works in a silent soul without hindrance. In order to hear the voice of God, one has to have silence in one's soul and to keep silence; not a gloomy silence but an interior silence; that is to say, recollection in God. Diary of Saint Faustina 198, 477, 118

No ear has ever heard, no eye ever seen, any God but You doing such deeds for those who wait for Him. Isaiah 64:3 

In the wilderness, John the Baptist proclaimed the saving Presence of God. After the Baptism of the Lord, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit rested upon Him in the form of a dove. The voice of the Father was heard: This is My Beloved Son, listen to Him. God came to a deserted place. He calls you into a deserted place, into the silence, where you can hear Him. 

Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and lead her into the wilderness, and speak persuasively to her. Hosea 2:16

Open the door of your heart to Jesus and Mary, be still and rest awhile...

Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and Saint Catherine Labouré

Today is the Feast Day of Saint Catherine Labouré. In 1830, on the Saturday before the first Sunday of Advent, Sister Catherine and her community were gathered in the chapel for afternoon prayers. Suddenly, Our Lady appeared to Catherine and entrusted her with the mission of making and distributing the Medal of the Immaculate Conception, now known as the Miraculous Medal.

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 thee."

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" and beneath the "M" were the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, both surmounted by flames of love, one having a crown of thorns, and the 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, the cause for sainthood was introduced in Rome and 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. She was canonized a Saint on July 27, 1947.

Saint Catherine Labouré, pray for us!  

Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, pray for us and for all the intentions we receive through this prayer ministry! 

A Mass in thanksgiving for you...

In thanksgiving, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is offered monthly for the John 10:10 prayer partners and prayer intentions. 

On this Thanksgiving Day, we give thanks for you and all your prayers. The Lord receives all our prayers and little offerings and places them where they are needed. Prayer is a spiritual work of mercy.

There is so much to be thankful for: God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, our Blessed Mother Mary, the Gift of Life, God's Loving Providence, Family, Special Friends, the Beauty of God's Creation, our Crosses (which draw us close to Jesus and Mary), the Sacraments and our Beloved Priests.

Catechism of the Catholic Church #1330  The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father, a blessing by which the Church expresses her gratitude to God for all His benefits, for all He has accomplished through creation, redemption, and sanctification. Eucharist means, first of all, "thanksgiving."

The Lord is good to all, compassionate toward all Your works. All Your works give You thanks, Lord and Your faithful bless You. Psalm 145:9-10

Our Blessed Virgin Mary is Mother of the Eucharist. She offered her life and gave her Fiat through 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

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

Let us give thanks to the Lord and ponder all He has done for us, especially in giving Himself to us in the Eucharist and giving His Mother Mary as our Mother.

The Fifth Luminous Mystery: The Institution of the Eucharist

Reflection: The Lost Sheep

Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing them thus, "Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town, Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation, 'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" Matthew 10:5-7

Jesus told the disciples to go to the lost sheep. Jesus then said to the disciples: cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.

In the Parable of the Lost Sheep, Jesus spoke of a hundred sheep and one of them strayed. The Good Shepherd left the ninety-nine sheep and went out in search of the one who was lost.

And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, "Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep."
Luke 15:4-6

Jesus placed the lost sheep on His shoulders. Safe from harm, He took him home rejoicing.

I Myself will pasture My sheep; I Myself will give them rest. The lost I will search out, the strays I will bring back, the injured, I will bind up and the sick, I will heal. Ezekiel 34:15-16

Do you know any lost sheep, someone who has strayed off or walked away from the Lord and their faith? How can you find them and bring them home?

Pray, pray, pray for them.
Ask Our Lady to intercede for them.
Trust in God's love for them.
Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you.
Listen to why they walked away.
Invite them to Eucharistic adoration.
Gently share your faith with them.
Share a personal witness/testimony.
Invite them to go to Mass with you.
Give them a good Catholic book or CD.
Never give up praying for them to return.

For the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost.  Luke 19:10

The Solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. It is the last day of the liturgical year. The new Church Year begins next Sunday on the first Sunday of Advent, a time of waiting in hope and expectation, a time of longing for the coming of the Kingdom of God.

Pope Pius XI began this feast day to honor the authority of Jesus Christ, the King of the world, to overcome the rise of evil and so that we will place Jesus in the center of our hearts and lives.

“King” was one of the earliest titles given to the Son of God. The title does not refer to a status of an earthly king, which many of the Jews had been expecting; someone to overthrow the Roman rule and be an earthly king of the Israel. Rather He came to be the spiritual king; His kingdom is in heaven, not confined to the earth alone. It is an eternal Kingdom of light and truth, of holiness and grace, of justice, love and peace.

“In that first ‘fusion’ with Jesus in Holy Communion, it was my Heavenly Mother again who accompanied me to the altar for it was she herself who placed her Jesus into my soul.” Saint Therese of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church

"The Virgin Mary, being obedient to His Word, received from an angel the glad tidings that she would bear God."  Saint Irenaeus, Father of the Church

"I am not only the Queen of Heaven, but also the Mother of Mercy."  Our Lady to Saint Faustina

And this will be made manifest at the proper time by the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.  1 Timothy 6:15

The good thief, hanging next to Jesus on the cross said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into Your Kingdom." Jesus replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." Luke 23:42-43

Jesus Christ, King of Divine Majesty, have mercy on us. Remember us when You come into Your Kingdom. Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth, pray for us.

The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

In accordance with Jewish custom, Mary's parents, Saint Anne and Saint Joachim, brought her to the Temple and presented her to the Lord. They were inspired by the Holy Spirit to call their daughter Mary.

The meanings of Mary's name by the early Christian writers and perpetuated by the Greek Fathers. "Bitter Sea," "Myrrh of the Sea," "The Light Giver," "The Enlightened One," "Lady," "Seal of the Lord," and "Mother of the Lord" are the principal interpretations. From the time of Saint Jerome until the 16th century, preferred interpretations of Mary's name in the West were "Lady," "Bitter Sea," "The Light Giver," and especially "Star of the Sea." Stella Maris was by far the favored interpretation. The Hebrew name of Mary, Miryãm, (in Latin Domina) means lady or sovereign; this Mary is in virtue of her Son's sovereign authority as Lord of the World.

Let us pray the words of Saint Bernard who invites us to become a trusting child before Mary, even as the Son of God did:

Look to the star of the sea, call upon Mary. In danger, in distress, in doubt, think of Mary, call upon Mary. May her name never be far from your lips, or far from your heart. If you follow her, you will not stray; if you pray to her, you will not despair; if you turn your thoughts to her, you will not err. If she holds you, you will not fall; if she protects you, you need not fear; if she is your guide, you will not tire; if she is gracious to you, you will surely reach your destination.

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

We call Mary our Lady as we call Jesus our Lord, and when we pronounce her name we affirm her power, implore her aid and place ourselves under her protection.

Saint Ephrem said, "that the name of Mary is the key of the gates of heaven," in the hands of those who devoutly invoke it.

O Mary, on this Memorial of your Presentation in the Temple, we call upon you and entrust our prayers to you, our most loving Mother.

Reflection: Jesus wept

Jesus is our hope, our refuge and our shield. He wants to give us His peace. When we turn away from Him, we lose our peace.

"As Jesus drew near Jerusalem, He saw the city and He wept over it, saying 'If this day, you only knew what makes for peace, but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days are coming upon you, when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your children within you and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.'" Luke 19:41-44

Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My Mercy. Diary of Saint Faustina 300

When we turn away by sinning, Jesus weeps...When we turn back to Him, all heaven rejoices...

In the midst of the trials and tribulations of this world, Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart. Open the door and invite Him in.

Come to the Throne of Mercy where Jesus is waiting for you.  He longs for you. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Jesus, forgives, heals and pours out sanctifying grace upon you. Turn to Him and you will know His peace.

Our Lady of Fatima appeared to the shepherd children and told them to pray the rosary daily for peace. Let us pray for peace in the world, in our families and in our hearts. Let us entrust our lives and our families to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

This is the time of great Mercy. Come...

In honor of our veterans...

Today we remember all military, men and women, who have served our country, past and present. Almighty Father, through the powerful intercession of Mary, the Immaculate Conception, we give You thanks for all the veterans who have served and all who have given their lives for our country.

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. John 15:13

Heavenly Father, we pray for military men and women who have sacrificed their time and strength and even their lives for us and our freedom.  O Lord, we honor them for all they have done and we ask You to bless and protect them and their families.

Prayer for safety of soldiers
Almighty and Eternal God, those who take refuge in You will be glad and forever will shout for joy. Protect soldiers as they discharge their duties. Protect them with the shield of Your strength and keep them safe from all evil and harm. May the power of Your love enable them to return home safely that they may ever praise You for Your loving care. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

What can you do for our military?
Pray for the physical protection of our military and for their families. Have Masses offered for them and their families, including for the souls of those who died. Pray a daily rosary for wisdom and strength for them and their families. Offer up your sacrifices and sufferings for those who protect our freedoms. Thank them for their service.

Blessed Mother Mary, protect our veterans and their families, especially their children. Bring comfort and peace to those who have lost loved ones defending our country. O Mary, Queen of Peace and Patroness of America, you are our most powerful intercessor..

Our Lady, Mediatrix of All Graces

Today is the Feast Day of Our Lady, Mediatrix of All Graces. Mary is the Mother of all favors we receive from God. The Lord listens to every prayer offered to Him through the intercession of Mary, the Mother of God, 

True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis de Montfort

"Only Mary found grace before God (Luke 1:30) without the help of any other creature. And after her, all those who found grace before God found it only through her. Mary was full of grace when the Archangel Gabriel saluted her (Luke 1:28) and was filled with grace when the Holy Ghost so mysteriously overshadowed her (Luke 1:35).

From  day to day, from moment to moment, she increased so much this twofold plenitude that she attained and immense and inconceivable degree of grace, so that the Almighty made of her the sole custodian of His treasures and the sole dispenser of all His graces, so that she might enoble, exalt and enrich all she chooses. She can lead them along the narrow path to Heaven and guide them through the narrow gate to life. She can give a royal throne, scepter and crown to whomever she wishes. Jesus is always and everywhere the Fruit and Son of Mary, and Mary is everywhere the true tree that bears the Fruit of life, the true Mother who bears that Son."

In pondering the graces Our Lady bestows on us, consider the Miraculous Medal. Our Lady appeared to Catherine Labouré and entrusted her with the mission of making and distributing the Medal of the Immaculate Conception, now known as the Miraculous Medal.

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."

Ask Our Lady for all the graces she wants to give you. Wear the miraculous medal and share the medals with others. Open your heart to receive all these graces. Draw close to Mary and she will always bring you to Jesus.

Our Lady, Mediatrix of All Graces, pray for us and for all the intentions we pray for!

Reflection: The Good Shepherd and the Lost Sheep

In the Parable of the Lost Sheep, Jesus spoke of a hundred sheep and one of them strayed. The Good Shepherd left the ninety-nine sheep and went out in search of the one who was lost.

So Jesus addressed this parable to them, "What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, 'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.'"  Luke 15:3-6

Jesus is continually looking for you, always searching for you. He desires to find you, heal your wounds and love you.

I Myself will pasture My sheep; I Myself will give them rest. The lost I will search out, the strays I will bring back, the injured, I will bind up and the sick, I will heal. Ezekiel 34:15-16

Has it been a while since you have been to Confession?

When you walk away or stray away from Jesus and from the Sacrament of Reconciliation, you are that lost sheep. When you turn to Him and receive His forgiveness at the Throne of Mercy, all the angels rejoice because you have repented, you have been found.

And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy.  Luke 15:5

Jesus placed the lost sheep on His shoulders. Safe from harm, He took him home rejoicing.

Do not be afraid to go to Confession even if it has been a long time. Ask Our Lady to accompany you. Jesus is waiting for you to come. He wants to forgive you, heal you and pour out His Love and Mercy upon you. Then He will embrace you tenderly and carry you home.

For the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost.  Luke 19:10

Reflection: Shine like lights in the world, as you hold onto the word of life

In his homily this morning, my pastor spoke about the Papacy in 15th century. There were uncertainties about who the Pope was, with Popes in Rome, Avignon and Pisa.

Today we see the uncertainties of the election. We think of the next President whoever he may be. However there are certainties we can hold onto, certainties that will never change and will never waver:

1. God loves us and He created us as His children, His sons and daughters. This Divine affiliation never wavers. That we can be certain of.

2.  God sent His Son into the world so that we could have could have life to reestablish that connection between heaven and earth that was lost by our first parents, Adam and Eve. Christ died for our sins. That we are certain.

3. God sent the Holy Spirit to dwell among us to give us that life  This is certain.

And as we go forward today, as we celebrate the Memorial of St. Charles Borromeo, in his final homily, he said that the gift of faith is precious. It is like a little spark in the furnace. When the furnace first comes on and that little spark is there, you don't expose it to the wind, you shelter it, you close it up in the stove so it has time to generate the heat, the same is with us. 

That spark of faith is given to us. Don't expose it to the distractions. Don't expose it to darkness. Don't expose it to the winds of fears or anxieties. Through the grace of God, hold it up in your heart and as it grows and generates the heat, let it give you strength to go forward this and every day. 

The uncertainties will abound around us but we have far more certainties that motivate us. Today we hold onto those certainties. We thank God for His Presence in our life. We continue to pray for our nation and we ask God to keep us always one in faith and to keep our minds and our hearts focused on the Cross.

"...shine like lights in the world as you hold onto the word of life." Philippians 2:15-16

Do not be distracted by darkness.

Do not be afraid or anxious.

Hold onto the grace of God for strength.

Go forward in prayer every day.

Remain one in faith with God.

Keep your mind and heart on the Cross.

"With all vigilance. guard your heart for in it are the sources of life." Proverbs 4:23

"Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7

Prayer to the Guardian Angel of the USA

 For Peace in the United States of America and God's Blessings upon this Election

O glorious Guardian Angel of the United States, to whom God has entrusted the care of our beloved country, we honor you and thank you for the care and protection you have given to this great nation from the first moment of its inception.

O powerful Angel Guardian, whose watchful glance, encompasses this vast land from shore to shore, we know that our sins have grieved our Lord and God and marred the beauty of our heritage.  Lead us to a deep conversion, so that we may return to the embrace of His merciful love!

O Holy Angel, obtain for us through the intercession of the Queen of Heaven before the throne of God the graces we need to overcome the forces of evil so rampant in our beloved land.  Help us, our God-given protector and friend, to respond wholeheartedly to the urgent pleas of the Mother of God at Fatima.  Assist us to offer prayers and sacrifices necessary to bring peace and goodness to our nation.

We want to make you known and loved throughout our land, so that docile to your inspirations we may know, love and serve our Lord more faithfully and so become once more "one nation under God"! Amen.  Opus Sanctorum Angelorum

Reflection: All Souls Day

Today we celebrate All Souls Day. The Holy Souls in purgatory are those who die in God's grace but are still imperfectly purified. In purgatory, they undergo purification so they may attain the holiness they need to enter heaven, to see the Face of God. 

Our Blessed Mother Mary consoles the souls in purgatory who long to see God. The grace for souls to be cleansed in purgatory comes from God. Purgatory is the place where small sins and attachments are cut. As Pope Francis speaks of the Church as a hospital for the wounded, purgatory is a place where the infection of sin and attachments is removed.

What can you do to help the souls in purgatory?  

One of the spiritual works of mercy is praying for the Holy Souls in purgatory. They need our help. Our prayers can release them into Heaven. May all the Holy Souls through the Mercy of God rest in peace. They may be our mothers and fathers, our relatives and friends. When they are finally released, they become our friends in heaven and they never cease to pray for those who helped them. Their prayers shield and protect us from evil. Pray for the souls in purgatory daily. 

Jesus dictated the Message of Divine Mercy to Saint Faustina. Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, the Divine Mercy Novena, meditate on the Passion of Jesus and pray the Prayer of Saint Gertrude for souls to be released from purgatory.

Diary of Saint Faustina 1738 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. 

From the Chaplet of Divine Mercy:
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and the sins of the whole world.

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.

What can you do to prepare your soul for eternal life?  
We can prepare ourselves for eternal life by going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation often. During confession, Jesus purifies, forgives, heals and pours out His grace so that we will have the strength to sin no more. Isn't it better to be purified on earth than have to spend time being purified in purgatory! Think of the confessional as the hospital and the priest as the Divine Physician, our Savior Jesus. Run to confession. Go often and you will receive Divine Mercy which will help you remain in the state of grace. 

O Mary, Mother of God, we offer you our prayers, works, sorrows and sufferings to release the Holy Souls in Purgatory though the intercession of Saint Gertrude and Saint Faustina.  May you carry these prayers to Jesus, your Beloved Son, and help us prepare for eternal life.

Reflection: All Saints Day

Today we honor all the saints. A saint is a model and example for us to follow. A saint reflects the holiness of God by living with heroic virtue, boundless love and total faith in God.

The Communion of Saints continually intercede for us to the Father. In order to honor the memory of all the unnamed saints, we recall their example on a special Feast Day Mass, All Saints Day, to celebrate the lives and witness of those who have died and gone before us into the Presence of the Lord.

"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." Hebrews 12:1-2 

You may feel close to a number of saints, "a great a cloud of witnesses." Call upon your friends in heaven. Ask them to help you pray and grow in virtue. Desire to become a saint by staying close to Jesus and the Sacraments, especially through the Mass, the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation and through devotion to our Blessed Mother Mary. She always leads us to Jesus.

The saints are our friends. If you are named after a saint, that saint is your patron, who you can call upon in your need, just as a special friend. If you do not have the name of a saint, choose a saint whose life inspires you and ask that saint to be your patron. Read the lives of the saints. Many had great sufferings but they endured them with faith, hope and love. They kept their eyes fixed on Jesus. They teach us how to do the same. Saints help us carry our crosses. They walk with us on our life's journey and they are ready to intercede for us when we ask.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, all the Angels and the Communion of Saints, we call upon you as a great cloud of witnesses to help us each day and to pray for us and all those we pray for.

Litany of the Saints + Matt Mahar