Archive for Prayers
Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary
Posted by: | CommentsJust a quick reminder that the next “start date” for going through the process of total consecration is this Thursday, New Year’s Eve. It’s not necessary to start on any of the designated start days…but if you do, you will finish on a feast day of Mary.
Rather than explaining it in detail on this blog, please go HERE where it’s explained beautifully (why reinvent the wheel?). If you do a search for “consecration” on the site, you will even find a podcast in which Jennifer & Greg talk about consecration. And they have each day’s prayers in audio form! Very cool. 
I hope you and your families had a wonderful Christmas and that you find blessings and joy in the new year!
Manya
A Patron Saint For Divorced, Catholic Fathers & Children of Divorce
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My apologies. I just realized that when I originally published this post, I got the story wrong. I thought that St. Eugene was the father but, it turns out, he was the son. I still believe, though, that he should be the patron saint of divorced fathers because he witnessed what his father went through. He should ALSO be the patron saint of children of divorce!
If you’re a Catholic dad whose wife left him and, also, left you with financial problems, AND left your children, too…..well, this scenario is not new. St. Eugene De Mazenod knows something of what you’re going through.
Back in 18th century France, the family had to flee the country due to the French Revolution (they were aristocrats and had reason to believe that death by guillotine awaited them). Once the danger passed, his mother left him and his father in Venice and returned to France, then divorced his father, reclaimed her dowry (which her family made sure remained in her name…hmm, one of the first prenuptial agreements?) and sent his father a note saying, “You now have nothing.” (Which goes to show what kind of a mother she was if she considered money to have value but not their son….)
So, there he was in a foreign country with his father and no money. (You see, even though his father was from an aristocratic family, he entered the marriage a poor man.) I’m sure there are many divorced, Catholic men who can understand how he must have felt and the pain and troubles he had to endure.
My point here, though, is that this man…this saint…understands what YOU’RE going through! He’s there for you – talk to him, ask his prayers, guidance and support.
I wish each of you a very Happy Fathers’ Day.
May God bless you & your children and bring you peace.
Manya
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Praying Through Divorce – Divine Mercy Novena Day 9!
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Day 9 Intention: Souls who have become lukewarm.
Today bring to Me the souls who have become lukewarm* and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. These souls wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out: ‘Father, take this cup away from Me, if it be Your will.’ For them the last hope of salvation is to run to My mercy.
“Most compassionate Jesus, You are Compassion Itself. I bring lukewarm souls into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart. In this fire of Your pure love let these tepid souls, who, like corpses, filled You with such deep loathing, be once again set aflame. O Most Compassionate Jesus, exercie the omnipotence of Your mercy and draw them into the very ardor of Your love, and bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond Your power.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon lukewarm souls who are nonetheless enfolded in the Most Compassionate Hear of Jesus. Father of Mercy, I beg You by the bitter Passion of Your Son and by His theree-hour agony on the Cross: Let them, too, glorify the abyss of Your mercy. Amen.”
This is a chaplet, which means there’s a series of prayers to be said and you can use a rosary to help keep track:
Recite the following:
The Our Father
The Hail Mary
The Apostles’ Creed
On the large beads (Our Father beads):
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 those of the whole world.
On the small beads (Hail Mary beads):
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Continue those prayers around the entire rosary, always meditating on the intention for today. Then say the following three times:
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Done! I hope this has been helpful to you.
*By the way, here’s the definition of “lukewarm souls” directly from Jesus to St. Faustina: “There are souls who thwart My efforts…souls without love or devotion, souls full of egoism and selfishness, proud and arrogant souls full of deceit and hypocrisy, lukewarm souls who have hardly enough warmth to keep themselves alive. My Heart cannot bear it. All my graces that I pour down on them daily flow off them as off rock. I cannot bear them because they are neither good nor bad.”
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Praying Through Divorce – Divine Mercy Novena Day 8
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Day 8 Intention: The souls who are detained in Purgatory.
Today bring to Me the souls who are detained in Purgatory and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are making retribution fo My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice.
“Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said that You desire mercy; so I bring into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls in Purgatory, souls who are very dear to You, and yet, who must make retribution to Your justice. May the streams of Blood and Water which gushed forth from Your Heart put out the flames of Purgatory, that there, too, the power of Your mercy may be celebrated.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in Purgatory, who are enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. I beg You, by the sorrowful Passion of Jesus Your Son, and by all the bitterness with which His most sacred Soul was flooded: Manifest Your mercy to the souls who are under Your just scrutiny. Look upon them in no other way but only through the Wounds of Jesus, Your dearly beloved Son; for we firmly believe that there is no limit to Your goodness and compassion. Amen.”
This is a chaplet, which means there’s a series of prayers to be said and you can use a rosary to help keep track:
Recite the following:
The Our Father
The Hail Mary
The Apostles’ Creed
On the large beads (Our Father beads):
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 those of the whole world.
On the small beads (Hail Mary beads):
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Continue those prayers around the entire rosary, always meditating on the intention for today. Then say the following three times:
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Done…til tomorrow.
Praying Through Divorce – Divine Mercy Novena Day 7
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Day 7 Intention: The souls who especially venerate and glorify My mercy.
Today bring to Me the souls who especially venerate and glorify My mercy and immerse them in My mercy. These souls sorrowed most over My passion and entered most deeply into My spirit. They are living images of My Compassionate Heart. These souls will shine with a special brightness in the next life. Not one of them will go into the fire of hell. I shall particularly defend each one of them at the hour of death.
“Most Merciful Jesus, whose Heart is Love Itself, receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who particularly extol and venerate the greatness of Your mercy. These souls are mighty with the very power of God Himself. in the midst of all afflictions and adverstities they go forward, confident of Your mercy; and united to You, O Jesus, they carry all mankind on their shoulders. These souls will not be judges severely, but Your mercy will embrace them as they depart from this life.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls who glorify and venerate Your greatest attribute, that of Your fathomless mercy, and who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls are a living Gospel; their hands are full of deeds of mercy, and their hearts, overflowing with joy, sing a canticle of mercy to You, O Most High! I beg You O God: Show them Your mercy according to the hope and trust they have placed in You. Let there be accomplished in them the promise of Jesus, who said to them that during their life, but especially at the hour of death, the souls who will venerate this fathomless mercy of His, He, Himself, will defend as His glory. Amen.”
This is a chaplet, which means there’s a series of prayers to be said and you can use a rosary to help keep track:
Recite the following:
The Our Father
The Hail Mary
The Apostles’ Creed
On the large beads (Our Father beads):
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 those of the whole world.
On the small beads (Hail Mary beads):
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Continue those prayers around the entire rosary, always meditating on the intention for today. Then say the following three times:
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Done…til tomorrow.
The Feast of Divine Mercy – An Explanation
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If you haven’t had a chance to read up on the story behind The Divine Mercy Novena and the blessings/promises attached to it and, also, (more importantly) the celebration of the Feast of Mercy, let me tell you some important things…
First of all, the following (and so much more) was revealed to Sister Faustina Kowalska, who is now St. Faustina. Click on that link to learn more about her, the novena and Mercy Sunday.
The Feast of Mercy is the Sunday after Easter (this coming Sunday). Christ instituted this feast in order to offer each of us a fresh start…and what He has promised is truly stunning. The following are the words He spoke to St. Faustina:
I want to grant a complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My mercy.
Whoever approaches the Fountain of Life on this day will be granted complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.
If that didn’t fully sink in, read it again. COMPLETE forgiveness of sins AND punishment. That is huge! (Of course, a complete and sincere confession needs to be made.)
It is not necessary to go to confession on the feast day itself. Actually we’re encouraged to go before this Sunday…even before Holy Week…so that there will not be an overwhelmingly
large number of people seeking confession on one day.
The Lord also insists that we be merciful ourselves! Again, His words to St. Faustina:
Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy…I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this
or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it.
This may be the hardest part of this novena for those of us who have experienced or are experiencing divorce and the pains brought upon us and our children by our spouses! It is NOT easy to forgive the one who vowed to love and remain faithful to you forever. The one who is supposed to be your shelter from pain and troubles in your life. The one who may have betrayed and hurt you in a way that NO other in this world is capable of. Believe me, I know this. It takes time and practice to be able to forgive your spouse for such things…and to be able to forgive the other person, IF there was another person involved in the destruction of your relationship.
God is asking, demanding actually, that we show mercy in exchange for His showing mercy to us. That makes sense. However, I think God will understand if you’re not able to completely forgive your spouse
just yet. Simply start working on it with a genuine desire to be able to forgive him/her. And, of course, show mercy in other areas of your life, too. AND, please don’t forget to show mercy to yourself! Yes…sometimes we need to be able to forgive ourselves, too….sometimes more often than we’d care to admit. Actually, in my experience, it wasn’t until I was able to fully acknowledge my part in the death of our relationship that I was able to really start forgiving my ex-husband – and myself.
So, here are all the steps to properly observing the Feast of Mercy: (taken from The Divine Mercy Message and Devotion)
1. Celebrate the Feast on the Sunday after Easter
2. Sincerely repent of all our sins;
3. Place our complete trust in Jesus;
4. Go to Confession, preferably before that Sunday;
5. Receive Holy Communion on the day of the Feast;
6. Venerate* the Image of The Divine Mercy;
7. Be merciful to others, through our actions, words, and prayers on their behalf.
*To venerate a sacred image or statue simply means to perform some act or make some gesture of deep religious respect toward it because of the person whom it represents.
Notice that in order to obtain the promises of Christ attached to celebrating The Feast of Mercy, it is NOT necessary to have participated in the novena. So if you have not been praying the novena, please don’t let that stop you from celebrating this feast this coming Sunday. Some parishes focus on this feast on Mercy Sunday…others (sadly) don’t even acknowledge it. It’s not necessary for your parish to hold special celebrations in order for YOU to celebrate the feast. Simply follow the 7 steps above on your own, individually.
God bless us all and bring us peace (and mercy!).
Manya
Praying Through Divorce – Divine Mercy Novena Day 6
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Today is the 6th day of the Divine Mercy Novena. Many amazing promises are attached to this novena. I encourage you to go to a Catholic bookstore to pick up a Divine Mercy pamphlet that tells you the story behind it, too, so you can keep the prayers with you and not be tied to the computer while reciting them.
Day 6 Intention: The meek and humble souls and the souls of little children
Today bring to Me the meek and humble souls and the souls of little children and immerse them in My mercy. These souls most closely resemble My Heart. They strengthened Me during My bitter agony. I saw them as earthly Angels, who will keep vigil at My altars. I pour out upon them whole torrents of grace. Only the humble soul is capable of receiving My grace. I favor humble souls with My confidence.
“Most Merciful Jesus, You yourself have said, ‘Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart.’ Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart all meek and humble souls and the souls of little children. These souls send all heaven into ecstasy and they are the heavenly Father’s favorites. They are a sweet-smelling bouquet before the throne of God; God himself take delight in their fragrance. These souls have a permanent abode in Your Most Compassionate Heart, O Jesus, and they undeasingly sing out a hymn of love and mercy.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon meek souls, upon humble souls, and upon little children who are enfolded in the abode which is the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls bear the closest resemblance to Your Son. Their fragrance rises from the eathe and raches Your very throne. Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg You by the love You bear these souls and by the delight You take in them: Bless the whole world, that all souls together may sing out the praises of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.”
This is a chaplet, which means there’s a series of prayers to be said and you can use a rosary to help keep track:
Recite the following:
The Our Father
The Hail Mary
The Apostles’ Creed
On the large beads (Our Father beads):
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 those of the whole world.
On the small beads (Hail Mary beads):
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Continue those prayers around the entire rosary, always meditating on the intention for today. Then say the following three times:
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Done…til tomorrow.
Praying Through Divorce – Divine Mercy Novena Day 5
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Day 5 Intention: The souls of those who have separated themselves from my church.
Today bring to Me the souls of those who have separated themselves from My church and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. During My bitter Passion they tore at My Body and Heart, that is, My Church. As they return to unity with the Church My wounds heal and in this way they alleviate My Passion.
“Most Merciful Jesus, Goodness Itself, You do not refuse light to those who seek it of You. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate heart the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Church. Draw them by Your light into the unity of the Church and do not let them escape from the abode of your Most Compassionate Heart; but bring it about that they, too, come to glorify the generosity of Your mercy.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Son’s Church, who have squandered Your blessings and misused Your graces by obstinately persisting in their errors. Do not look upon their errors, but upon the love of Your own Son and upon His bitter Passion, which He underwent for their sake, since they, too, are enclosed in His Most Compassionate Heart. Bring it about that they also may glorify Your great mercy for endless ages. Amen.”
This is a chaplet, which means there’s a series of prayers to be said and you can use a rosary to help keep track:
Recite the following:
The Our Father
The Hail Mary
The Apostles’ Creed
On the large beads (Our Father beads):
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 those of the whole world.
On the small beads (Hail Mary beads):
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Continue those prayers around the entire rosary, always meditating on the intention for today. Then say the following three times:
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Done…til tomorrow.
Praying Through Divorce – Divine Mercy Novena Day 4
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Day 4 Intention: Those who do not believe in God and those who do not yet know me.
I was thinking also of them during My bitter Passion, and their future zeal comforted My Heart. Immerse them in the ocean of My mercy.
“Most compassionate Jesus, You are the Light of the whole world. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who do not believe in God and of those who as yet do not know You. Let the rays of Your grace enlighten them that they, too, together with us, may extol Your wonderful mercy; and do not let them escape from the abode which is Your Most Compassionate Heart.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who do not believe in You, and of those who as yet do not know You, but who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Draw them to the light of the Gospel. These souls do not know what great happiness it is to love You. Grant that they, too, may extol the generosity of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.”
This is a chaplet, which means there’s a series of prayers to be said and you can use a rosary to help keep track:
Recite the following:
The Our Father
The Hail Mary
The Apostles’ Creed
On the large beads (Our Father beads):
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 those of the whole world.
On the small beads (Hail Mary beads):
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Continue those prayers around the entire rosary, always meditating on the intention for today. Then say the following three times:
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Done…til tomorrow.
Praying Through Divorce – Divine Mercy Novena Day 2
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Day 2 Intention: The Souls of Priests and Religious
Today bring to Me the souls of priests and religious and immerse them in My unfathomable mercy. It was they who gave Me strength to endure My bitter Passion. Through them as through channels My mercy flows out upon mankind
“Most Merciful Jesus, from whom comes all that is good, increase Your grace in men and women consecrated to Your service, that they may perform worthy works of mercy; and that all who see them may glorify the Father of Mercy who is in heaven.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the company of chosen ones in Your vineyard – upon the souls of priests and religious; and endow them with the strength of Your blessing. For the love of the Heart of Your Son in which they are enfolded, impart to them Your power and light, that they may be able to guide others in the way of salvation and with one voice sing praise to Your boundless mercy for ages without end. Amen”
This is a chaplet, which means there’s a series of prayers to be said and you can use a rosary to help keep track:
Recite the following:
The Our Father
The Hail Mary
The Apostles’ Creed
On the large beads (Our Father beads):
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 those of the whole world.
On the small beads (Hail Mary beads):
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Continue those prayers around the entire rosary, always meditating on the intention for today. Then say the following three times:
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Done…til tomorrow.
