Our Lady holding Jesus as He accepts flowers from the shepherd child

Our Lady holding Jesus as He accepts flowers from the shepherd child

Welcome to our intercessory prayer ministry for families, babies, little ones and those who love them.

In our prayers for families, we pray for the sanctity of all life and for vocations to marriage, the priesthood and consecrated life, which are born and nurtured in families.

The
Prayer of Entrustment to Mary was prayed for this ministry at the icon of the Madonna Salus Populi Romani (Salvation of the Roman People, Our Lady of Good Health) in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore (Basilica of Mary Major) in Rome, Italy, in Nossa Senhora do Rosario da Fatima (Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary) in Fatima, Portugal, in Eglise du Sacre-Coeur (Sacred Heart Parish Church), the site of St. Bernadette's baptismal font, in Lourdes, France and at The National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts at the Shrine of the Holy Innocents before Our Lady of Guadalupe and at Basilica Papale de San Pietro in Vaticano (St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City) at the Tomb of St. John Paul II in Rome, Italy and at the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Basilica of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe) in Mexico City, Mexico.

This ministry is consecrated to Jesus Christ, Wisdom Incarnate, through the hands of Mary and dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary. In our prayers to Mary, we honor and worship her Son Jesus. When He was on the Cross, He gave His Mother to John and she became our Mother as well. "Behold, your Mother." John 19:27

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
For the greater glory of God

October 29, 2010

Blessed Chiara Luce Badano

Blessed Chiara Luce Badano was born in Italy on this day in 1971. She died of bone cancer just before her 19th birthday. She witnessed to the world the fact that God's love is stronger than suffering and death. She was a daughter of the Focolare Movement. She had a great love of Jesus Christ, especially by accepting proudly her cross. She is an example of every young person who works for Jesus.

Chiara Badano was an only child, conceived after 11 years of marriage. Her arrival was considered a blessing from Our Lady of the Rocche, to whom her father had pleaded with humble and faithful prayer. Chiara seemed to have everything going for her as a teen. She had a loving, holy family and a solid faith. She was popular among her friends and was liked by boys. She loved nature and was great at tennis, swimming and mountain climbing and had an outgoing personality and adventurous spirit. Chiara had a bright life ahead of her. She was beautiful, and from the beginning, she stood out for her love for Jesus and the Blessed Mary. She was particularly attracted to them and filled her attention and good deeds, often giving up her free time.

One day while playing tennis, Chiara experienced excruciating pain in her shoulder. Shortly afterwards she was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma. She watched her bright future slip away. The real story of her life begins, the story of heroic virtue. Chiara’s joy was explosive and it only increased with her suffering. After one very pain-filled night she said, “I suffered a lot, but my soul was singing.” Pictures of her on her death bed show her eyes look like pools reflecting the glory of heaven. One of her doctors remarked, “Through her smile, and through her eyes full of light, she showed us that death doesn’t exist; only life exists.” Cardinal Saldarini heard of this amazing teen and visited her in the hospital. Awestruck, he said, “The light in your eyes is splendid. Where does it come from?” Chiara’s reply was simple: “I try to love Jesus as much as I can.”

Chiara had a profound sense of redemptive suffering. She often repeated the phrase, “If this is what you want, Jesus, so do I.” Like any teenage girl, she loved her hair, but with each lock that fell out she’d pray, “For you, Jesus.” She frequently refused morphine, saying, “I want to share as much as possible in His suffering on the cross.” Chiara showed love to her family, her friends and the members of the Focolare movement. At Rome's Shrine of Divine Love Sept. 25, Archbishop Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints' Causes, presided over the beatification of the young Italian who died in 1990.

"Only Love with a capital L gives true happiness. Young people can find in Blessed Badano an example of Christian consistency, because she was certain of God's love and trusted in that love even as she was dying." Pope Benedict XVI

At the beatification Mass, Archbishop Amato called Blessed Badano a missionary of Jesus, "who invites us to rediscover the freshness and enthusiasm of the faith." Even as she lost the use of her legs and was dying, she shared her faith and God's love with the dozens of people who would visit her each day, he said. "Her last gift was her corneas, the only organs that were still transplantable" because they were not damaged by the cancer that had spread throughout her body, the archbishop said. "They were given to two young people who can see today thanks to her."

Blessed Badano's parents, Teresa and Ruggero, attended the beatification Mass. Her mother said that Chiara's religiousness grew gradually and normally. When Chiara got sick, she said, "She taught us how to do God's will, like she did, because you don't just say 'yes' when everything is going well."

After the beatification, about 8,000 young members of the Focolare movement gathered in the Vatican audience hall for a nighttime celebration of Blessed Badano's life with readings and singing. Blessed Badano's parents were joined by 600 of the young people from 42 countries at Pope Benedict's weekly general audience Sept. 29 in Saint Peter's Square. The Italian teen's parents went to thank the pope, but it was Pope Benedict XVI who thanked them for making Blessed Badano's life and witness possible. The Badanos gave the Pope a note their daughter had written in which she entrusted herself to Mary, asking for "the necessary strength to never give up."

"We give praise to God because his love is stronger than evil and death; and we give thanks to the Virgin Mary who leads young people, even in the midst of difficulty and suffering, to fall in love with Jesus and discover the beauty of life." Pope Benedict XVI

October 23, 2010

God's tapestries

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.

October 20, 2010

Saint Paul of the Cross

Devotion to Our Blessed Mother Mary
Today is the feast day of Saint Paul of the Cross. The Passion of Jesus was a the source and center of devotion in the life of St Paul of the Cross. The only devotion that could equal the devotion he had to the Passion was the tender devotion that he had towards our Blessed Lady. He began everything with her blessing. Nearly all his greatest favors were received on her feasts, and he was blessed with many beautiful visions of her glory. The part of her life that had the greatest attraction for him was her sufferings at the foot of the Cross.

Paul knew that his devotion to the Passion of Jesus would not be complete without its counterpart: devotion to the sorrows of the Blessed Virgin. His thoughts nearly always brought him to Mount Calvary; and who can ascend this mountain of bitterness without giving a thought to Her who stands transfixed with grief at the foot of the Cross? At times he would say, "Whoever goes to our crucified Lord will find His Mother with Him...where the Son is, there is the Mother." And in explaining the words of Jeremiah, "Great as the sea is thy sorrow."

He used to say:
"The sorrow of Mary is like the Mediterranean Sea, from which one passes into the boundless ocean of the Passion of our Lord."

He would often add:
"The soul can always become rich by fishing for the pearls of the virtues of Jesus and Mary."

October 18, 2010

Our Lady of Czestochowa

Today is the feast day of Saint Luke the Evangelist. He is well known as the writer of one of the four books of the Gospels. It is less known that he was a painter. Legend attributes the painting of Our Lady of Czestochowa to St. Luke, the Evangelist. He painted a portrait Our Lady of Czestochowa on the cedar wood table at which she had taken her meals. Saint Helena, the Queen-Mother of Emperor Constantine was said to have located the portrait during her visit to the Holy Land and to have brought it to Constantinople in the fourth century. After remaining there for five centuries, it was transferred in royal dowries until it made its way to Poland, and the possession of Saint Ladislaus in the fifteenth century.

The legend continues: During Ladislaus' time, the image was damaged during a siege, by a Tartar arrow, "inflicting a scar on the throat of the Blessed Virgin." In 1430, Hussites stole and vandalized the precious image, breaking it into three pieces. Adding insult to injury, one of the robbers drew his sword, struck the image and inflicted two deep gashes. While preparing to inflict a third gash, he fell to the ground and writhed in agony until his death. The two slashes on the cheek of the Blessed Virgin, together with the previous injury to the throat, have always reappeared, despite repeated attempts to repair them. Many miracles were worked by Our Lady of Czestochowa. In more recent times, the Czestochowa Madonna has also been acknowledged for her protection of and cooperation with the Polish nation. Pope John Paul II of Poland had a personal devotion and prayed often before her.

Saint Luke and Our Lady of Czestochowa, pray for us.

October 17, 2010

Saints Mary MacKillop and André Bessette

Today Pope Benedict XVI celebrated a Mass of Canonization for Blessed Mary of the Cross MacKillop (1842-1909) and Blessed André Bessette (1845-1937).

At the age of 24, Blessed Mother Mary MacKillop, along with Father Julian Tenison Woods, founded the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart. In his 1995 beatification homily, Venerable John Paul II preached: "In the vastness of the Australian continent, Blessed Mary MacKillop was not daunted by the great desert, the immense expanses of the outback, nor by the spiritual 'wilderness' which affected so many of her fellow citizens. Rather she boldly prepared the way of the Lord in the most trying situations. With gentleness, courage and compassion, she was a herald of the Good News among the isolated 'battlers' and the urban slum-dwellers. Mother Mary of the Cross knew that behind the ignorance, misery and suffering which she encountered there were people, men and women, young and old, yearning for God and his righteousness. She knew, because she was a true child of her time and place: the daughter of Catholic immigrants from Scotland who had to struggle at all times to build a life for themselves in their new surroundings. Her story reminds us of the need to welcome people, to reach out to the lonely, the bereft, the disadvantaged."
In 1866, she opened a school in a stable and started teaching more than fifty children. In the same year, at age 25, she adopted the religious name Sister Mary of the Cross. In 1867, she became the first sister and mother superior of the newly formed order of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart. Dedicated to the education of the children of the poor, it was the first religious order to be founded by an Australian. She had complete confidence in Divine Providence.

Born Alfred Bessette Aug. 9, 1845, in Saint-Gregoire d'Iberville, Quebec, he suffered from a chronic stomach ailment that kept him out of school and often without work. At 25, Blessed Andre could not read and his health was so fragile, he entered the Holy Cross brothers. He was assigned as a Holy Cross brother to be the doorman at Montreal's College of Notre Dame, where the congregation had just opened its novitiate. He once commented, "When I joined this community, the superiors showed me the door." For decades, he served as the doorman. He fulfilled this service with great humility. During his lifetime, numerous cures were attributed to his prayers. His great confidence in Saint Joseph inspired him to recommend this saint's devotion to all those who were afflicted in various ways. On his many visits to the sick in their homes, he would recommend them in prayer to St. Joseph, and would anoint them lightly with oil from the lamp in the college chapel which always burned before the St. Joseph altar. People claimed that they had been cured through the prayers of the good Brother and Saint Joseph, and they were grateful their prayers had been heard. Brother André steadfastly refused to take any credit for these cures. Because he wanted St. Joseph to be honored, in 1904 Bessette began the campaign to erect a chapel to honor the saint. He raised funds for the construction of Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal, a shrine that would in time become Canada’s largest church. Deeply devoted to Saint Joseph, Blessed Bessette founded Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal in Montreal and was known for his intense piety, famed for miraculous cures and praised for his dedication to building the shrine to honor St. Joseph. He died Jan. 6, 1937, at the age of 91.

Saint Mary of the Cross and Saint André Bessette, pray for us.

October 16, 2010

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

Today is the feast day of Saint Margaret Mary, who was chosen by Christ to arouse the Church to a realization of the love of God symbolized by the heart of Jesus. Her early years were marked by sickness and a painful home situation. "The heaviest of my crosses was that I could do nothing to lighten the cross my mother was suffering." After considering marriage for some time, Margaret entered the Order of Visitation nuns at the age of 24. A Visitation nun was "not to be extraordinary except by being ordinary," but the young nun was not to enjoy this anonymity. A fellow novice termed Margaret humble, simple and frank, but above all kind and patient under sharp criticism and correction. She could not meditate in the formal way expected, though she tried her best to give up her "prayer of simplicity."

After being a nun for three years, she received the first of her revelations from Jesus. She felt "invested" with the presence of God, though always afraid of deceiving herself in such matters. The request of Christ was that his love for humankind be made evident through her. During the next 13 months he appeared to her at intervals. His human heart was to be the symbol of his divine-human love. By her own love she was to make up for the coldness and ingratitude of the world by frequent and loving Holy Communion, especially on the first Friday of each month, and by an hour's vigil of prayer every Thursday night in memory of his agony and isolation in Gethsemane. He also asked that a feast of reparation be instituted.

Like all saints, Margaret had to pay for her gift of holiness. Some of her own sisters were hostile. Theologians who were called in declared her visions delusions. Later, parents of children she taught called her an impostor, an unorthodox innovator. A new confessor, Blessed Claude de la Colombiere, a Jesuit, recognized her genuineness and supported her. Against her great resistance, Christ called her to be a sacrificial victim for the shortcomings of her own sisters, and to make this known. After serving as novice mistress and assistant superior, she died when she was 43 years old while being anointed. She said,

"I need nothing but God, and to lose myself in the heart of Jesus."

Christ spoke to Saint Margaret Mary: "Behold this Heart which has so loved men that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming itself, in order to testify its love. In return, I receive from the greater part only ingratitude, by their irreverence and sacrileges, and by the coldness and contempt they have for me in this sacrament of love.... I come into the heart I have given you in order that through your fervor you may atone for the offenses which I have received from lukewarm and slothful hearts that dishonor me in the Blessed Sacrament." (Third apparition)

Around the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a crown of thorns. There is a wound, from the soldier's spear, showing that our sins hurt Him in the Heart. The flames coming from His Heart show the intensity of His Love. Above the flames is a cross showing that His Love for us was so great that He died for us. These are the symbols of His passion. We were redeemed by the cross and we will be saved by it.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

October 15, 2010

Saint Teresa of Avila

Saint Teresa of Jesus was born in Avila, Spain in 1515. She was a mystic, contemplative, writer, Carmelite nun and Doctor of the Church. Today we celebrate her feast day. Teresa saw prayer as a garden made for God. She said we are the gardeners and we must tend the plants and water them. God’s job is to pull the weeds so the good seed can grow. She believed there are four ways to water the plants, or four stages of praying. With each stage, we do less and less of the work until we reach a place of perfect union with God where He becomes the Gardener.

Drawing from a Well
The first stage of prayer is like drawing the water from a well because it requires the most effort. Here, those who are just learning how to pray must consciously remove themselves from distractions and engage the mind in meditation. At this stage we are trying to communicate with God with words from our hearts. The goal should be to stay close to God, ask Him to meet our needs, rejoice with Him, and tell Him our troubles. Teresa believed, “This practice of carrying Christ in our consciousness is beneficial at all phases of the spiritual path, especially in the first degrees of prayer.” She encouraged people not to worry if they didn’t “experience” anything during their prayer time, but just to trust in God’s perfect timing. She also warned not to attempt to shut down the mind while praying, but rather yield it completely to God. During this stage it is important to be confident in prayer and not hold back the desires of your heart. It is also helpful to have a spiritual director to offer counsel, although Teresa advised to be very careful whom you choose, as bad counsel can cause much harm.

The Waterwheel
This stage of prayer is also called the Prayer of Quiet. Here, communion with God is not attained through the efforts of the person praying. Only the person’s will is engaged; all other faculties are suspended. At this place, the desire for the mundane things of the world falls away because we realize that nothing can compare to God’s joy while in this state. It’s imperative that we see ourselves as nothing, totally dependent on God. We must allow Him to prune whatever He wants so our gardens can be fully cultivated. The Prayer of Quiet produces contentment, calmness, and joy. To reap its full benefits, the mind must be kept quiet and free of distractions. Intelligence is irrelevant during this contemplative praying; in fact, theological concepts may actually hinder God’s love reaching into the soul. God is the one who begins and ends this state of prayer. It is not of our own will. When He induces it, the soul has no need for producing feelings of unworthiness. God offers true humility, which gives us the sudden awareness that we are nothing. This humility brings about a freedom from self-interest as well as a hunger for spiritual transformation.

Water Flowing through a Stream
In this third stage of prayer, the soul simply wants to rejoice in God’s greatness and glory. It wants only to praise God and have others share in the rejoicing. This is a place of near death to all earthly things. The soul’s faculties are almost completely united with God, yet they are still functioning. Their only power, however, is to completely surrender to God’s will. Words cannot express the joy felt in this state. The person praying reaches a realization that the soul no longer belongs to itself. In this place God can accomplish more in a moment’s time than what could be accomplished after years of intellectual efforts. Teresa expressed to God what she felt in this place of prayer: “This servant of yours can no longer bear the trial of seeing herself without you. All she wants is to be free. She no longer desires to live in herself but only to live in you.” The third stage of prayer is different from the second in that here the soul is more like Mary’s, wanting to be totally still before the Lord. Here, it is like Martha’s, leading an active and contemplative life simultaneously. The person praying can continue with normal tasks but is no longer in charge of himself. In this state of prayer, the soul’s appetite is completely satisfied and doesn’t desire anything else. It is not interested in anything the world has to offer.

Water from the Rain
This fourth state of prayer is also known as the Prayer of Union. In the previous stage, although the soul has died to the things of the world, it is not completely dead because it still has its senses. But in this place of prayer, the senses are so occupied with joy, they are not free to express anything else. The joy found here is much greater than in any of the others stages, yet it is much harder for the soul to express the magnitude of it. Here, the entire soul is drawn into a place of union with God, and all faculties are suspended. God Himself becomes the Gardener in this stage of prayer. Before, the soul was still laboring for the water. But now, God provides all the water for the garden abundantly, and there is no labor on the part of the one who prays. This fourth water is so abundant, it saturates the entire garden. Teresa believed, “This water from heaven often comes when the gardener least expects it. Yet… in the beginning stages of the spiritual path the heavenly rain almost always falls after a long period of contemplative prayer.” From Teresa’s experiences, even though it sometimes seems the soul can remain in this state of union for a long time during the Prayer of Union, it is actually a very short period. In asking God to explain to her what exactly her soul was going through during these times, she believed God told her the following: “The soul utterly dissolves...so that it can fully unite with me...It is no longer the soul that lives, but I.”

Blessings of the Fourth Water
Even after the experience of the Prayer of Union has ended, its effects linger. Teresa noted several blessings that come as a result of being in this state with God. For one, the soul becomes courageous and its boldness initiates many resolutions and promises for God. The person praying also gains a new depth of humility as he realizes he had nothing to do with God uniting him to Himself in this way. Additional blessings include a strong contempt for the things of the world and a clear revelation of God’s great glory. These blessings can be lost, however, if the person praying does not maintain a heart of gratefulness for God’s gifts, thereby allowing her garden to get choked with thorns. The important thing is to not get discouraged and become careless in tending the garden. The person praying should never trust herself to not fall from the heights she has attained in God.

Excerpt from one of her writings, The Interior Castle:
"When once you have learned how to enjoy this Castle, you will always find rest, however painful your trials may be, in the hope of returning to your Lord, which no one can prevent. Although I have only mentioned seven mansions, yet each one contains many more rooms, above, below, and around it, with fair gardens, fountains, and labyrinths, besides other things so delightful that you will wish to consume yourself in praising the great God for them, Who has created the soul in His own image and likeness. If you find anything in the plan of this treatise which helps you to know Him better, be certain that it is sent by His Majesty to encourage you, and whatever you find amiss in it is my own."

In the Interior Castle, she unveils a profound spiritual vision in which the soul is a castle made of a single diamond. The diamond is surrounded by six mansions that the soul must pass through on its journey to the center of the castle and union with God. The six mansions represent Humility, Prayer, Meditation, Quiet, Illumination, and the Dark Night. In each of the mansions readers will experience a deepening desire to know God more intimately by conforming their wills to His will.

Saint Teresa of Avila, pray for us.

October 13, 2010

Our Lady of Fatima - Miracle of the Sun

The Blessed Mother appeared to the children in Fatima from May to October, 1917. The news of Fatima spread more, and people learned that a miracle was to happen. The children began to speak of the miracle which was to happen. On October 13, 1917, seventy to one hundred thousand pilgrims came to the Cova da Iria. It was pouring down rain and everything was very muddy. The children's families were very uncertain and feared that if the miracle did not take place, the people would want to kill the three children.

Once there, moved by an interior impulse, one of the children, Lucia, asked the people to shut their umbrellas and pray a Rosary. Soon after that there was a flash of light, and Our Lady appeared above the oak tree.

Lucia asked: "What do you want of me?"

"I want to tell you that a chapel is to be built here in my honor. I am the Lady of the Rosary. Continue always to pray the Rosary every day. The war is going to end, and the soldiers will soon return to their homes."

Lucia said: "I have many things to ask you: the cure of some sick persons, the conversion of sinners, and other things . . . "

"Some yes, but not others. They must amend their lives and ask forgiveness for their sins." Looking very sad, Our Lady said: "Do not offend the Lord our God any more, because He is already so much offended."

Then, opening her hands, she made them reflect onto the sun, and as she ascended, the reflection of her own light continued to be projected on the sun itself.

Lucia cried out to the people to look at the sun. Her aim was not to call their attention to the sun, because she was not even aware of their presence. She was moved to do so under the guidance of an interior impulse.

After Our Lady had disappeared into the distance, Saint Joseph appeared with the Child Jesus and Our Lady was robed in white with a blue mantle, beside the sun. Saint Joseph and the Child Jesus appeared to bless the world, for they traced the Sign of the Cross with their hands. When this apparition disappeared, Our Lord and Our Lady appeared; it seemed that it was Our Lady of Sorrows. Our Lord appeared to bless the world in the same manner as Saint Joseph had done. This apparition also vanished, and Our Lady appeared once more, this time resembling Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, holding the child Jesus in one hand and the brown scapular in the other hand.

The rain stopped and a thick mass of clouds broke. The sun looked like a disc of dull silver, and began dancing wildly. The people shouted out: "MIRACLE!" It seems that the majority of the people saw the sun trembling and dancing, whirling around; it descended almost low enough to burn the earth with its rays. It shone with an intensity never before seen, but was not blinding. This lasted only an instant. Then the immense ball began to "dance". The sun began to spin rapidly like a gigantic circle of fire. Then it stopped momentarily, only to begin spinning again. Its rim became scarlet; whirling, it scattered red flames across the sky. Their light was reflected on the ground, on the trees, on the bushes, and on the very faces and clothing of the people, which took on brilliant hues and changing colors.

After performing a zigzag bizarre pattern three times, the globe of fire seemed to tremble, shake, and then plunge in a zigzag toward the terrified crowd. All this lasted about ten minutes. Finally, the sun zigzagged back to its original place and once again became still and brilliant, shining with its everyday brightness. The cycle of the apparitions had ended. Many people noticed that their clothes, soaking wet from the rain, had suddenly dried. The miracle of the sun was also seen by numerous witnesses up to twenty-five miles away from the place of the apparition. Many thought the end of the world had come, as the sun seemed to fall upon them. People reported color changes in objects on earth, caused by the rays of the sun. Some expressed sorrow for their sins aloud. Some who had come to ridicule now believed.

This was the great miracle of the Sun which Our Lady had performed
"so that all may believe."

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.

October 12, 2010

"Let the children come to me."

Matthew 19:13-15
Children were brought to Jesus that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” After he placed his hands on them, he went away.

REFLECTION by Carmen Pate, 40 Days for Life
I am confounded to see how the battle over the issue of life is perceived more often in churches today as political rather than spiritual. Ironically, the enemy has used this twisted perception to silence many in the body of Christ.

We must see the battle for what it is and if we are to be prepared to face the spiritual enemy on the issue of abortion, we must daily "put on" the armor God has given us, Ephesians 6.

Gird your waist with Truth (verse 14) Commit your emotions to believe truth and to speak truth, regardless of the repercussions.

Put on the breastplate of Righteousness (verse 14) It will protect our hearts, the innermost springs of our beings from all unrighteousness so evident in this fallen world.

Shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace. (verse 15) Preparation is vital if we are to be effective in God's work.

Taking the shield of faith (verse 16) The Accuser will instill doubt, fear, and guilt. Faith acts as an invisible shield that deflects such false accusations.

Taking the Helmet of salvation (verse 17) A helmet protects the head, the brain and in turn our mind and thoughts. Satan hopes we will set aside divine revelation for human reasoning.

Taking the sword of the Spirit (verse 17) The Word of God, the only offensive weapon in this armor, was used by the Lord Jesus against Satan. The living Word is powerful and effective.

Our armor is complete. We are ready to wage war, and the next verse tells us how, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit." (verse 18)

Dear Lord, as you lead us into the spiritual battle of abortion may we be reminded that the battle is truly Yours. We thank you for equipping us with Your armor. Lead us daily to put it on! Thank you for allowing us to serve under your command, and for hearing our requests for direction and protection. In a special way, protect all the names on the John 10:10 baby prayer ministry who have been affected by abortion. Thank you for the victory that is ours because of Your Son, Jesus. Amen.

October 07, 2010

Feast Day of Our Lady of the Rosary



Miracle of the rosary
On Sunday, October 7, 1571, the Christian and Turkish fleets met in Lepanto Gulf, off the coast of Greece. The bitter battle finished with a brilliant victory of the Christians who where vastly outnumbered. That very evening Pope Saint Pius V had at Rome a clear knowledge of this success. The same afternoon, the Confraternities of the Rosary, particularly in Rome, had marched through the streets in procession reciting the Rosary. This victory put an end to the naval power of the Turks and saved Christian Europe. To this day this victory has been attributed to the praying of the Rosary. The feast of “The Most Holy Rosary” is celebrated today, October 7th. The month of October is dedicated to the "Most Holy Rosary."

The Power of the Rosary
The most holy Virgin in these last times in which we live has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Rosary to such an extent that there is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or, above all, spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families, of the families of the world, or of the religious communities, or even of the life of peoples and nations, that cannot be solved by the Rosary. There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the holy Rosary. With the holy Rosary, we will save ourselves; we will sanctify ourselves; we will console our Lord, and obtain the salvation of many souls. Conversation between Sr. Lucy of Fatima and Fr. Fuentes, Dec. 26, 1957

"The Rosary is a powerful weapon to put the demons to flight and to keep oneself from sin…If you desire peace in your hearts, in your homes, and in your country, assemble each evening to recite the Rosary. Let not even one day pass without saying it, no matter how burdened you may be with many cares and labors." Pope Pius XI

"Among all the devotions approved by the Church, none has been so favored by so many miracles as the Rosary devotion." Pope Pius IX

"The Rosary is the most excellent form of prayer and the most efficacious means of attaining eternal life. It is the remedy for all our evils, the root of all our blessings. There is no more excellent way of praying." Pope Leo XIII

"The rosary is a magnificant gift of God to humanity because through this prayer, we attain extraordinary graces. With the rosary in your hand, you will not be discouraged and you will have clarity of mind and extraordinary freedom in your heart." Mother Elvira Petrozzi, Foundress of the Cenacolo Community in Medjugorje, with fifty-six houses in fifteen countries, welcoming the lost and desperate.

Saint Dominic prayed to Our Lady that she would force the devils who possessed a man to reveal the truth about devotion to her. The devils were forced by Our Lady to reveal: "Now that we are forced to speak we must also tell you this: Nobody who perseveres in saying the Rosary will be damned, because she obtains for her servants the grace of true contrition for their sins and by means of this they obtain God's forgiveness and mercy."

The development of the rosary has a long history. First, a practice developed of praying 150 Our Fathers in imitation of the 150 Psalms. Then there was a parallel practice of praying 150 Hail Marys. Soon a mystery of Jesus' life was attached to each Hail Mary. Though Mary's giving the rosary to Sant Dominic is recognized as a legend, the development of this prayer form owes much to the followers of Saint Dominic. One of them, Alan de la Roche, was known as "the apostle of the rosary." He founded the first Confraternity of the Rosary in the 15th century. In the 16th century, the rosary was developed to its present form, with the 15 mysteries: joyful, sorrowful and glorious. In 2002, Pope John Paul II added the Mysteries of Light to this devotion.

The purpose of the rosary is to help us meditate on the great mysteries of our salvation. Pius XII called it a compendium of the Gospel. The main focus is on Jesus, his birth, life, death and resurrection. The Our Fathers remind us that Jesus' Father is the initiator of salvation. The Hail Marys remind us to join with Mary in contemplating these mysteries. They also make us aware that Mary was and is intimately joined with her Son in all the mysteries of his earthly and heavenly existence. The Glorys remind us that the purpose of all life is the glory of the Trinity. The rosary appeals to many. It is simple. The constant repetition of words helps create an atmosphere in which to contemplate the mysteries of God. We sense that Jesus and Mary are with us in the joys and sorrows of life. We grow in hope that God will bring us to share in the glory of Jesus and Mary.



Our Lady of the Rosary, we entrust to you all the babies and names we receive on this baby prayer ministry, John 10:10. Keep them under your protective mantel and always in your loving care.

October 05, 2010

Chaplet of Divine Mercy



Jesus, we trust in You. Saint Faustina, pray for us.

Saint Maria Faustina

Today is the feast day of Saint Maria Faustina. Born in Poland, which was part of Germany before World War I, she was the third of 10 children. She worked as a housekeeper in three cities before joining the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in 1925. She worked as a cook, gardener and porter in three of their houses. In addition to carrying out her work faithfully, she generously served the needs of the sisters and the local people.

n the 1930's, Sister Faustina received from the Lord a message of mercy that she was told to spread throughout the world. She was asked to become the apostle of God's mercy, a model of how to be merciful to others, and an instrument for God's plan of mercy for the world. Her entire life, in imitation of Christ's, was to be a sacrifice, a life lived for others. At the Lord's request, she willingly offered her personal sufferings in union with Him to atone for the sins of others; in her daily life she was to become a doer of mercy, bringing joy and peace to others, and by writing about God's mercy, she was to encourage others to trust in Him and thus prepare the world for His coming again. Her special devotion to Mary Immaculate and to the sacraments of Eucharist and Reconciliation gave her the strength to bear all her sufferings as an offering to God on behalf of the Church and those in special need, especially great sinners and the dying.

She wrote and suffered in secret, with only her spiritual director and some of her superiors aware that anything special was taking place in her life. After her death from tuberculosis in 1938, even her closest associates were amazed as they began to discover what great sufferings and deep mystical experiences had been given to this Sister of theirs, who had always been so cheerful and humble. She had taken deeply into her heart, God's gospel command to "be merciful even as your heavenly Father is merciful" as well as her confessor's directive that she should act in such a way that everyone who came in contact with her would go away joyful. The message of mercy that Sister Faustina received is now being spread throughout the world; her diary, Divine Mercy in my Soul, has become the handbook for devotion to the Divine Mercy.

She had a deep interior life and had a great devotion to the Blessed Mother. She received revelations from the Lord Jesus, messages that she recorded in her diary at the request of Christ and of her confessors. Jesus told her to have the image of Divine Mercy painted. The two rays emanating from Christ's heart, represent the blood and water poured out after Jesus' death.

Because Sister Maria Faustina knew that the revelations she had already received did not constitute holiness itself, she wrote in her diary: “Neither graces, nor revelations, nor raptures, nor gifts granted to a soul make it perfect, but rather the intimate union of the soul with God. These gifts are merely ornaments of the soul, but constitute neither its essence nor its perfection. My sanctity and perfection consist in the close union of my will with the will of God.” (Diary 1107).

Sister Maria Faustina died of tuberculosis in Krakow, Poland, on October 5, 1938. Pope John Paul II beatified her in 1993and canonized her seven years later. Saint Faustina's name is forever linked to the feast of the Divine Mercy, celebrated on the Second Sunday of Easter, the Divine Mercy chaplet and the Divine Mercy prayer recited each day by so many people at 3 o'clock, Mercy Hour.

October 04, 2010

Saint Francis of Assisi

Praises of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Saint Francis of Assisi

Hail Lady, Holy Queen, Holy Mary Mother of God,
who art the Virgin made Church
and the One elect by the Most Holy Father of Heaven,
whom He consecrated with His Most Holy beloved Son
and with the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete;
Thou in whom was and is all fullness of grace and every good.

Hail His Palace;
Hail His Tabernacle;
Hail His Home.

Hail His Vestment;
Hail His Handmaid;
Hail His Mother

And hail all you holy virtues, which through the grace and illumination of the Holy Spirit are infused into the hearts of the faithful, so that from those unfaithful you make them faithful to God.



Today is the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi. He was a poor little man who inspired the Church by taking the Gospel literally, not in a narrow sense, but by actually following all that Jesus said and did, joyfully, without limit.

Serious illness brought the young Francis to see the emptiness of his life. Prayer, lengthy and difficult, led him to a self-emptying, like that of Christ. He met a leper on the road. It symbolized his complete obedience to what he had heard in prayer: "Francis! Everything you have loved and desired in the flesh, it is your duty to despise and hate, if you wish to know my will. And when you have begun this, all that now seems sweet and lovely to you will become intolerable and bitter, but all that you used to avoid will turn itself to great sweetness and exceeding joy."

From the cross in the neglected field-chapel of San Damiano, Christ told him, "Francis, go out and build up my house, for it is nearly falling down." Francis became the totally poor and humble workman. He must have suspected a deeper meaning to "build up my house" but he would have been content to be for the rest of his life the poor "nothing" man actually putting brick on brick in abandoned chapels. He gave up every material thing he had, piling even his clothes before his earthly father, who was demanding restitution for Francis' "gifts" to the poor, so that he would be totally free to say, "Our Father in heaven." He really believed what Jesus said: "Announce the kingdom! Possess no gold or silver or copper in your purses, no traveling bag, no sandals, no staff." Luke 9:1-3

During the last years of his short life, he was half blind and seriously ill. Two years before his death, he received the stigmata, the real and painful wounds of Christ in his hands, feet and side. How did Francis respond to blindness and suffering? That was when he wrote his beautiful Canticle of the Sun that expresses his brotherhood with creation in praising God. Francis never recovered from this illness. He died at the age of 45. Francis is considered the founder of all Franciscan orders and the patron saint of ecologists and merchants. On his deathbed, he said over and over again the last addition to his Canticle of the Sun, "Be praised, O Lord, for our Sister Death."

The Canticle of the Sun
Saint Francis of Assisi
Most high, all powerful, all good Lord! All praise is yours, all glory, all honor, and all blessing. To you, alone, Most High, do they belong. No mortal lips are worthy to pronounce your name.

Be praised, my Lord, through all your creatures, especially through my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day; and you give light through him. And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor! Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.

Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars; in the heavens you have made them, precious and beautiful.

Be praised, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air, and clouds and storms, and all the weather, through which you give your creatures sustenance.

Be praised, My Lord, through Sister Water; she is very useful, and humble, and precious, and pure.

Be praised, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom you brighten the night. He is beautiful and cheerful, and powerful and strong.

Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Mother Earth, who feeds us and rules us, and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.

Be praised, my Lord, through those who forgive for love of you; through those who endure sickness and trial. Happy those who endure in peace, for by you, Most High, they will be crowned.

Be praised, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death, from whose embrace no living person can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin! Happy those she finds doing your most holy will. The second death can do no harm to them.

Praise and bless my Lord, and give thanks, and serve him with great humility.

Saint Francis was a witness of a life of faithfulness, of poverty, of humility and of simplicity. May we follow in his footsteps and develop these virtues so that we may grow in our knowledge and love of Jesus and Mary.

October 02, 2010

Guardian Angels

Today is the feast day of The Guardian Angels. Every person on earth has a guardian angel who watches over him and helps him to attain his salvation beginning at the moment of birth. Prior to this, the child is protected by the mother's guardian angel. It continues throughout our whole life and ceases at the moment of death. Our guardian angel accompanies the soul to purgatory or heaven, and becomes our coheir in the heavenly kingdom.

Guardian Angels are servants and messengers from God. "Angel" in Greek means messenger. In unseen ways, the angels help us on our earthly pilgrimage by assisting us in work and study, helping us in temptation and protecting us from physical danger.

See, I am sending an angel before you, to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared. Be attentive to him and heed his voice. Do not rebel against him, for he will not forgive your sin. My authority resides in him. If you heed his voice and carry out all I tell you, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes. My angel will go before you. Exodus 23:20-23

The idea that each soul has assigned to it a personal guardian angel has been long accepted by the Church and is a truth of our faith. From the Gospel of today's liturgy we read: See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father. Matthew 18:10 The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that "the existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls 'angels' is a truth of faith (328)." From our birth until our death, man is surrounded by the protection and intercession of angels, particularly our guardian angel. Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life.

There have been times in my life when I have felt the presence of my guardian angel's protection. There have been times when I have felt the presence of the guardian angels of my loved ones. This prayer ministry began through prayers for a precious little baby, Lily Grace. When she was three months old, she needed heart surgery. During the surgery, we were praying the rosary in the hospital chapel and I saw the operating room. Lily Grace was on the operating table. Standing above her was Our Blessed Mother, surrounded by angels. I believe Mary gave me this beautiful vision to comfort me and to show me that she had Lily Grace under her loving protection.

"Brethren, we will love God's angels with a most affectionate love; for they will be our heavenly co-heirs some day, these spirits who now are sent by the Father to be our protectors and our guides. With such bodyguards, what are we to fear? They can neither be subdued nor deceived; nor is there any possibility at all that they should go astray who are to guard us in all our ways. They are trustworthy, they are intelligent, they are strong — why, then, do we tremble? We need only to follow them, remain close to them, and we will dwell in the protection of the Most High God. So as often as you sense the approach of any grave temptation or some crushing sorrow hangs over you, invoke your protector, your leader, your helper in every situation. Call out to him and say: Lord, save us, we are perishing." Saint Bernard

October 01, 2010

Do small things with great love.

Saint Therese of Lisieux’s holiness is based on doing “little things with great love.” It is difficult to see the life of Therese Martin as common because she is now known as Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face, Doctor of the Church. A young cloistered nun who lived in the late 1800's, she entered a Carmelite monastery at the young age of 15. Therese wrote the Story of a Soul while in the convent, an autobiography suggested by her mother superior. It has been translated into more than 50 languages. When she was canonized at Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, more than 500,000 people were present. Therese is now the Patroness of Universal Missions, one of three women Doctor’s of the Church, and Patroness of France together with Saint Joan of Arc.

She is known for her doctrine of the “little way” to reach the heights of holiness, doing small things with great love for God and others. Love was her key to sanctity. She saw herself as weak and little. Unable to climb the rough stairway of perfection, consisting of heroic deeds and great mortifications, she wanted a quick route, or an elevator to take her to Heaven. This elevator, she said, would be the tender arms of Jesus.

Saint Therese, the Little Flower

"Draw me, we will run..."
To ask to be drawn is to will intimate union with the object which holds the heart captive. If fire and iron were gifted with reason, and that the latter said to the fire: "Draw me," would not this prove that it desired to become identified with the fire even so far as to share its substance? Well, that is exactly my prayer. I beg of Jesus to draw me into the flames of His Love, to unite me so closely to Himself that He may live and act in me. I feel that the more the fire of love inflames my heart, the more I shall say: "Draw me," the more also will the souls who draw near to mine run swiftly in the fragrant odors of the Well-Beloved.
Words of Saint Therese, Story of A Soul, Chapter XI

He whose Heart ever watcheth, taught me, that while for a soul whose faith equals but a tiny grain of mustard seed, He works miracles, in order that this faith which is so weak may be fortified; yet for His intimate friends, for His Mother, He did not work miracles until He had put their faith to test. Did He not let Lazarus die though Martha and Mary had sent to tell Him that he was sick? At the marriage at Cana, the Blessed Virgin, having asked Him to come to the assistance of the master of the house, did He not reply that His hour was not yet come? But after the trial, what a recompense! Water changed to wine, Lazarus restored to life...
Words of Saint Therese, Story of A Soul, Chapter VI

Song of Solomon 1:1-4
Let him kiss me with kisses of his mouth!
More delightful is your love than wine!
Your name spoken is a spreading perfume.
That is why the maidens love you.
Draw me! We will follow you eagerly!
Bring me, O king, to your chambers.
With you we rejoice and exult,
we extol your love; it is beyond wine:
how rightly you are loved!

One way of prayer was especially attractive to Saint Therese. She loved to draw close to Scripture and to learn about Jesus Christ from the Gospels. In fact, Saint Therese wrote that when she was having a particularly arid period in prayer, the Gospels always nurtured her. She found that the world of God was a lamp for her feet as Scripture says. She would love to retain favorite passages or lines from Scripture so that they came back to her during the day and energized her own commitment to Jesus Christ. In fact, Saint Therese wrote that often enough a word from God, an insight, a sense of direction, a response to a situation came to her not during the hour of prayer but when she was about her daily work.

Saint Therese had devotion to Mary and turned to her in prayer as her mother. In fact, it was during a devastating illness when she was but ten years of age that she experienced a cure through Mary's intercession. Saint Therese saw that the statue of Mary in her bedroom smiled at her. From that moment she no longer experienced the troubles caused by anxiety and perhaps depression.

Prayer, for Saint Therese, was a way of walking with God. Whether it was a period of meditative prayer, communal prayer in the chapel with the other nuns in the community or the aspirative prayer of lifting her heart to God in short prayers of intercession or praise, she realized that God was with her. Her deep trust in God and in God's love for her paved a way of joy and happiness. She is now known as the "little flower," and what brought her to Heaven was love.

Through the intercession of Saint Therese, the lives of many people have been permanently changed. Her love for souls is immeasurable. We celebrate her feast day today. With gratitude for her intervention, we pray: Through your intercession, Saint Therese, teach us to be willing to become like little children. We ask you to "shower your roses" upon us.