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 28, 2018

Reflection: Jesus asked Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, "What do you want Me to do for you?"

As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging, and hearing a crowd going by. He inquired what was happening. They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." He shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me." Luke 18:35-38

Then the crowd rebuked the blind man and tried to silence him, but he persisted in calling out to Jesus. When Jesus heard him cry out, He stopped and asked that the man be brought to Him.

And when he came near, Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" He replied, "Lord, please let me see." Jesus told him, "Have sight; your faith has saved you." He immediately received his sight and followed Him, giving glory to God. When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God." Luke 18:40-43

Meditation:

Imagine you are in the crowd and you witness this scene. A blind man hears that Jesus is coming and he calls out to Him, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me." Jesus stops and says to Bartimaeus, "What do you want Me to do for you?" 

Then Jesus turns and speaks to YOU the same words, "What do you want Me to do for you?"

Call out to Jesus now, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me." Jesus is waiting for you. 

Are you blinded by the things of the world? Are you afraid? Do your fears blind your vision? Do you want to see?

Tell Jesus what you want Him to do for you. Pour out your heart to Him.

Jesus is speaking to YOU"What do you want Me to do for you?"  Listen in the silence and hear His voice.

When you have a personal encounter with Jesus, you are changed forever. Sometimes, people will try to silence you or stop you from turning to Jesus. Do not listen to their rebukes. Cry out to Jesus. Turn to Him and tell Him what you want Him to do for you.

Jesus is calling YOU to an intimate encounter.  Visit a church or chapel and sit in His Presence in Eucharistic Adoration or before the tabernacle. Jesus is waiting for you there. He will open your eyes so you can see and He will enter your heart. Come away and be still...

Jesus performs many miracles in order to increase faith. Jesus wants each one of us to have a personal encounter with Him. He wants to touch your heart in an intimate way, to meet you personally. When He comes to you, He will increase your faith and He will heal you in ways you could never imagine. Thank and praise Him for what He has done for you.

"Come away by yourself to a secluded place and rest awhile." Mark 6:31

October 22, 2018

Reflection: Pope Saint John Paul II, we love you!

Today we celebrate the Feast Day of Pope Saint John Paul II. Let us pray to him and ponder our Blessed Mother Mary as he did that we may say to her, Totus Tuus (Latin Totally yours).

"Immaculate Conception, Mary, my Mother. Live in me. Act in me. Speak in and through me. Think your thoughts in my mind. Love, through my heart. Give me your dispositions and feelings. Teach, lead and guide me to Jesus. Correct, enlighten and expand my thoughts and behavior. Possess my soul. Take over my entire personality and life. Replace it with yourself. Incline me to constant adoration and thanksgiving. Pray in me and through me. Let me live in you and keep me in this union always."  Saint Pope John Paul II

On October 22, 1978, Pope John Paul II began his pontificate with these words:

“Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ.” 

The witness of his life and the words he spoke in his many homilies, speeches, and encyclicals are more relevant today than ever. John Paul II had a powerful influence on the Church and on the world. Today let us pray to Saint John Paul II for all families and for our priests, who were so dear to his heart. So many vocations to the priesthood came through the powerful witness of Pope John Paul II. Let us pray to him for all families and that an abundance of vocations will be nurtured and born in our families. Let us ask him to help us be unafraid and to "Open wide the doors for Christ" for our families and for all those for whom we pray.

I was blessed to attend his Canonization on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 27, 2014. It was a grace more than I could have ever imagined. From the time he became Pope, I always felt a closeness to him. I have come to know him as a personal intercessor for my family. The unexpected way it unfolded for me to go to Rome, I believe that he invited me to his Canonization.

When I was in Saint Peter's Square, I took this photo of the image of Mary holding Jesus titled Mater Ecclestae (Latin Mary, Mother of the Church). After the attempt was made on John Paul's life, he looked around Saint Peter's Square and saw there was no image of Mary. He had this image painted there. Totus Tuus, Totally yours, was the way he lived his life, totally for Mary.

Mary always leads us to her Beloved Son Jesus. I think about John Paul and how much I love him. I know he is with me. I love his writings on the Gospel of Life, Love, Theology of the Body, Suffering, the Rosary and the Dignity and Vocation of Women because they draw me into the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

We entrust all the names we have received and all the names we will receive to Mary, Mother of the Church. We thank Jesus for giving His Mother to us.  Jesus we trust in You.

October 21, 2018

Reflection: For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:45

Jesus summoned the Twelve together to teach them that they must not lord it over others. He told them not to seek to be the greatest, but rather seek to serve others.

When Jesus said He came to give His life for many, He was teaching them to do the same. Jesus teaches us to die to self, pick up our cross and carry it daily.

"It is part of the discipline of God to make His loved ones perfect through trial and suffering. Only by carrying the Cross can one reach the Resurrection." Venerable Fulton Sheen

How do we carry our cross?

Look at Jesus on the Cross. He is the human Face of suffering. Gazing at our Lord Jesus crucified on the Cross, we find meaning to our own sufferings.

Intense suffering, physical, emotional, spiritual, either draws us close to Jesus on the Cross by looking within ourselves or causes us to rebel and turn away from His Presence.

Saint Teresa of Calcutta said, "Suffering is a sign that we have come so close to Jesus on the Cross that He can kiss us..."  Jesus loves us so much. He wants us, not only to carry our cross, but to embrace it. When we do this, we share in His Passion.

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. Chaplet of Divine Mercy

Accept your cross, embrace it, carry it willingly and with patience and love. By dying to self, you will draw close to Jesus on the Cross. Your cross is a means of your sanctification and salvation. Do not run away from your cross. Unite your sufferings with Jesus on the Cross. In this way, your suffering has power and Jesus can use your sufferings to help you or someone else. Run to Jesus. He is waiting for you with open arms. Jump into His arms and rest. It is Jesus who helps you carry your cross for without Him, you and I can do nothing.

If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself and take us his cross daily and follow Me. Luke 9:23

"There is no evil to be faced that Christ does not face with us. There is no enemy that Christ has not already conquered. There is no cross to bear that Christ has not already born for us, and does not now bear with us." Saint John Paul II

October 18, 2018

Our Lady of Czestochowa and Saint Luke

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 Saint Luke, the Evangelist.

It is thought that the original and first Black Madonna to be made into an icon came after Saint Luke the Evangelist experienced an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary and painted her. While painting the image, it is said that the Holy Virgin related to Saint Luke the life of Jesus which he later incorporated into the Gospel of Saint Luke in the New Testament.

He painted a portrait of 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. Saint Pope John Paul II of Poland had a personal devotion and prayed often before her. He called the writings of Saint Luke the Gospel of Mercy.

Our Lady of Czestochowa, Saint Luke and Saint Pope John Paul II, pray for us and all those for whom we pray through this ministry.

October 14, 2018

Litany of Humilty

Jesus said, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and humble of Heart, for My yoke is easy and My burden light." Matthew 11:28-30

A virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do the good.

Humility is a virtue that a person recognizes his or her total dependence on God. It restrains the unruly desire for personal greatness and leads a person to an orderly love and appreciation of self with respect to God and neighbor.

Saint Bernard wrote, "Humility 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."

Mary, the Mother of God, was the first and perfect disciple of Jesus. From her childhood, she practiced the virtue of humility. By imitating her, we can learn how to practice humility and how to follow her Beloved Son Jesus.

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.  "Learn from Me, because I am meek and humble of heart."



October 13, 2018

Our Lady of Fatima and the Miracle of the Sun

On this day, we celebrate the 101st anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima's last apparition to the shepherd children.

Our Lady appeared from May to October, 1917. News of Fatima spread more and more when people learned through the children that a miracle 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.

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

"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 to Our Lady: "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 the children now believed.

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

Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of the Rosary, this prayer ministry is consecrated and entrusted to Jesus through you. Pray for us and all those for whom we pray.

October 07, 2018

Our Lady of the Rosary

This prayer ministry is dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, entrusted and consecrated to her.  Today is her Feast Day.  The month of October is dedicated to the "Most Holy Rosary."

"O Blessed Rosary of Mary, sweet chain that unites us to God, bond of love which unites us to the angels, tower of salvation against the assaults of Hell, safe port in our universal shipwreck, we will never abandon you.  You will be out comfort in the hour of death: yours our final kiss as life ebbs away.  And the last word from out lips will be your sweet name, O Queen of the Rosary of Pompei, O Dearest Mother, O Refuge of Sinners, O Sovereign Consoler of the Afflicted, may you be everywhere blessed, today and always, on heaven and on earth." 
Apostolic Letter on the Rosary, Saint Pope John Paul II 

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 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

"With the rosary, the Christian people sits at the school of Mary and is led to contemplate the beauty on the Face of Christ and to experience the depth of His Love." Saint John Paul II

"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 magnificent 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.
 

Our Lady of the Rosary, we entrust to you all the names we receive through this prayer ministry. Keep them under your protective mantle and always in your loving care.

October 05, 2018

St. Faustina, apostle of Divine Mercy, pray for us!

Today is the Feast Day of Saint Faustina. The writings in her Diary help us to pray and draw us closer to Jesus and His Divine Mercy. She is closely connected to this ministry of intercessory prayer offering hope and healing

Sister Maria Faustina died of tuberculosis in Krakow, Poland, on October 5, 1938. Saint Pope John Paul II beatified her in 1993 and canonized her in the year 2000. He called her the "first saint of the new millennium." Speaking of her and the importance of the messages in her Diary, the Pope called her "the great apostle of Divine Mercy in our time."

Her name will always be 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.

"At three o’clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of great mercy. In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion."  Diary of Saint Faustina 1320

At the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, this prayer is included at the 3 o'clock hour:

Saint Faustina, you told us that your mission would continue after your death and that you would not forget us. Our Lord also granted you a great privilege, telling you to "distribute graces as you will, to who you will, and when you will." Relying on this, we ask your intercession for the graces we need, especially for the intentions received through this ministry. Help us, above all, to trust in Jesus as you did and thus to glorify His mercy every moment of our lives.  Amen.

O Blood and Water which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a Fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You. From the Opening Prayer of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy

Saint Maria Faustina, pray for us and for all those we pray for through this ministry.

October 04, 2018

Saint Francis of Assisi

Today we celebrate the life of Saint Francis of Assisi who inspired the Church by following all that Jesus said and did, with humility, joy and obedience. Serious illness and prayer led him to a complete self surrender like that of Christ. In prayer, he heard Jesus speak to him:

"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, Jesus told him,

"Francis, go out and build up my house, for it is nearly falling down."

Francis gave up every material thing he had, even his clothes, to give to the poor. His own earthly father demanded restitution for Francis' "gifts" to the poor. Francis desired to be totally free. He believed and lived 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 and two years before his death, he received the stigmata, the painful wounds of Christ in his hands, feet and side. How did Francis respond to blindness and suffering? It was during his suffering that he wrote the beautiful Canticle of the Sun praising God for creation. He never recovered from this illness and died at the age of 45. He founded all the Franciscan orders and is 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

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, 2018

Reflection: The Holy Guardian Angels

Today we celebrate the feast of the Holy Guardian Angels. Every person on earth has a guardian angel who watches over him at the moment of birth. Prior to birth, the child is protected by the mother's guardian angel. The protection of our guardian angel continues throughout our whole life until 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. The role of the guardian angel is to guide us to good thoughts, works and words, and to preserve us from evil.

Sacred Scripture and Church's tradition tells us that the Angel is a creature who stands before God, oriented to God with his whole being. They exist in Him and for Him. Angels connect God to man. Angels are "pure spirits" and do not possess anything that is material.

"The angels have five duties. The first is to continually sing hymns and praises to their Creator. The second duty is to present the prayers of mortals to God and commend them with their petitions. The third duty consists in their being sent as messengers to declare what God wants to declare. The fourth duty is protecting men whether as individuals or groups. The last duty is to serve as soldiers and armed leaders. Let good men love their fellow citizens, the angels." Saint Robert Bellarmine

See, I am sending an angel before you, to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared.  Exodus 23:20

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)."

There have been many times in my life when I have felt the presence of my guardian angel's protection, as well as 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 needed heart surgery as an infant, I sensed Our Blessed Mother's presence, that she was standing over her in the operating room, surrounded by angels. It brought me great comfort knowing her guardian angel and Mother Mary and her angels had Lily Grace under her loving protection.

Talk to your guardian angel. When you are facing a challenge with a person or a situation, send your guardian angel ahead of you to the other person's guardian angel and ask your guardian angel to be with you guiding you and the others in the situation. Call upon the help of your guardian angel who is always with you to guard, protect and guide you wherever you go and whatever you do.

Holy Guardian Angels, protect our families and all those for whom we pray.

October 01, 2018

St. Thérèse of Lisieux, please pick for me a rose...

Today we celebrate the feast day of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, the Little Flower. She is the Patroness of the John 10:10 Prayer Ministry.

Saint Thérèse had deep devotion to Mary and turned to her in prayer as a Mother when her own mother died when she was four years old. During a devastating illness when she was ten years old, she experienced a cure through Mary's intercession when she saw that the statue of Mary in her bedroom smiled at her. From that moment, she no longer suffered with anxiety and perhaps depression. She understood she had to abandon herself to God's Will, like a little child who sleeps without fear in the Father's arms.

When she was fifteen, she entered the religious life in a Carmelite cloister. She loved the Scriptures, memorizing favorite passages or lines, recalling them during the day, they strengthened her love for Jesus. Saint Thérèse prayed during her holy hours and throughout the day as she did her daily work. Her spirituality is known as the little way, doing small things with great love, doing great things for God, by remaining little, like a child. She discovered her vocation was Love.

Prayer, for Saint Thérèse, was a way of walking with God in her daily duties. She prayed with confident trust in God. She is known as the little flower and she said she would send a shower of roses and intercede for us from heaven. Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1997.

Novena Rose Prayer
O Little Thérèse of the Child Jesus, please pick for me a rose from the heavenly gardens and send it as a message of love. O Little Flower of Jesus, ask God to grant the favors I now place with confidence in your hands. Saint Thérèse, help me to always believe as you did in God's great love for me so that I may follow your Little Way each day. Amen.

Through the intercession of Saint Thérèse, we pray with gratitude and we ask You to teach us your little way and "shower your roses" upon us and those for whom we pray.