A Prayer for Healing

O Sovereign Lord of every creature, look upon my friend R- with eyes of mercy. In Thy loving-kindness, rest Thy healing hand upon her and strengthen her. Blesséd Lord, please send Thy life-giving virtue into every cell of R's body and into the depths of her soul, cleansing, purifying and restoring her to wholeness and strength for service in Thy Kingdom. We ask this with faith and hope in Thy holy Name, O Lord, Who reign with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God in every age. Amen.

Holy angels, pray for her!

Today's Communion verse:

I was sick and you visited Me: Amen, amen I say to you as long as you did it to one of these My least brethren you did it to Me.

Matthew 25:36,40

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

A Glimpse at Calvary through the Mass

How can an all-powerful, all-loving God allow innocent suffering? "Reverend Know-it-all" answers this perennial question here. His comments are worth reading in their entirety, and thinking about. They include an account of what I am sure is one of the pivotal moments of his life:

When I was much younger I had been assigned to a very poor parish. The windows were in very bad repair. Summer and winter the wind whistled through the cracks. We might just as well have held services outside.

One summer morning I was saying Mass and the fruit flies were hovering around the chalice. In my mind I said to the Lord, “I believe that this is no longer bread and wine, but has become Your body and blood, but couldn’t You convince the fruit flies of this great miracle for just a moment?”

A little long-suffering (and, I hope, affectionate) complaint from a priest to his Master, I suppose. Certainly, he was not expecting any sort of a reply. To his lasting surprise and edification, however, the young priest received an answer anyway.

Prayer for Two Weak Men

Most pure Spirit of the Father and of the Son, Holy Paraclete, save us, O merciful God, from malice towards others, from envy, from avarice, from self-serving compromises with evil. Grant us the grace, O Lord, to live always in Thy light. Make us true sons of the Father, shunning deceitful ways and all the works of the devil.

We ask this in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who reigns with Thee in the glory of the Father, one God, forever and always. Amen.

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And he said to them: Take heed and beware of all covetousness; for a man's life doth not consist in the abundance of things which he possesseth.

And he spoke a similitude to them, saying: The land of a certain rich man brought forth plenty of fruits. And he thought within himself, saying: What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said: This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and will build greater; and into them will I gather all things that are grown to me, and my goods. And I will say to my soul: Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years take thy rest; eat, drink, make good cheer. But God said to him: Thou fool, this night do they require thy soul of thee: and whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?

Luke 12:15-20

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You have heard that it was said to them of old: Thou shalt not kill. And whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. But I say to you, that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council. And whosoever shall say, Thou Fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. If therefore thou offer thy gift at the altar, and there thou remember that thy brother hath any thing against thee; Leave there thy offering before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother: and then coming thou shalt offer thy gift. Be at agreement with thy adversary betimes, whilst thou art in the way with him: lest perhaps the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

Matthew 5:21-25

Sacred Heart of Jesus

A Novena to the Sacred Heart of our Lord and Savior (Day Nine)

Cor ad cor loquitur

Today is the last day of our novena. It is the Feast of the Sacred Heart. The Sacred Heart represents the essential truth of our Lord, that "God is love" (1 John 4:8). It represents His inner life, especially the perfect love of our Lord within the Blessed Trinity, and also the abundant, unceasing love, both Divine and human, which He directs towards you and towards all men. (If you are interested, you can read Pope Pius XII's comments on devotion to the Sacred Heart here).

Jesus, in the purity and simplicity of His love, desires to raise you up and make you more than you are now. To make you holy, to make you joyful, to make you wise, to make you strong, to fill you to overflowing with the Divine life. He is filled with goodwill towards you and towards all persons, but it is all too easy to be distracted from this fact.

So for one more time, please set aside all distractions great and small, and in the quiet of your heart speak to His heart:

O most holy Heart of Jesus,
fountain of every blessing,
I adore Thee, I love Thee
and with a lively sorrow for my sins,
I offer Thee this poor heart of mine.
Make me humble, patient, pure
and wholly obedient to Thy will.
Grant, good Jesus,
that I may live in Thee and for Thee.
Protect me in the midst of danger;
comfort me in my afflictions;
give me health of body,
assistance in my temporal needs,
Thy blessing on all that I do,
and the grace of a holy death.
Within Thy Heart I place my every care.
In every need let me come to Thee
with humble trust saying,
Heart of Jesus help me.