Beate Fultone Ioannes Sheen, ora pro nobis

Encouragement

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen ✝

Brothers and sisters, God has chosen us to be His beloved sons and daughters that by baptism we have been engrafted into Christ and been made members of His body which is the Church of the living God. Behold the heavens and the earth are nothing compared to a soul in the state of grace, for it was to bring you into friendship with God that our Lord Jesus Christ suffered and died upon the cross. He chose you above many others and the Father has drawn you to His Son so that you too may have eternal life. And Christ, not content to just to die for you, gave you His Mother, the Immaculate Virgin Mary, to be your own mother and protectress. Christ suffered and bled for you. He rose from the dead and conquered hell for you. He desires to crown you with mercy and compassion and to array you in glory everlasting all because He loves you above the moon and the stars! For Christ gives His very flesh and blood to you! Be grateful o Christian soul! For the living God was born for you, labored for you, established the Church for you and established the Sacraments for you! He prophesied by Isaiah “Though your sins be as scarlet I will wash you white as snow.” “Your iniquities have divided between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you that he should not hear.” “I have blotted out thy iniquities as a cloud, and thy sins as a mist: return to me, for I have redeemed thee.” This is the God of Mercy and Compassion, who loves justice and truth and who has chosen you before the foundation of the earth to inherit eternal life in His Son Jesus Christ.

Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen ✝

Gregorian Chants for Advent

Caedmon's Hymn

Now let us praise Heaven-Kingdom's Guardian,
the Maker's might and His mind's thoughts,
the work of the glory-Father—of every wonder,
eternal Lord. He established a beginning.
He first shaped for men's sons
Heaven as a roof, the holy Creator;
then middle-earth mankind's Guardian,
eternal Lord, afterwards prepared
the earth for men, the Lord almighty.

Nu scilun herga hefenricæs uard
metudæs mehti and his modgithanc
uerc uuldurfadur sue he uundra gihuæs
eci dryctin or astelidæ.
he ærist scop ældu barnum
hefen to hrofæ halig sceppend
tha middingard moncynnæs uard
eci dryctin æfter tiadæ
firum foldu frea allmehtig

(source)

This hymn was composed by Caedman, a monk or cow-herder working at the monastery of Streonæshalch in Yorkshire some time between its founding in 657 and Anno Domini 684. It has the oldest known complete song lyrics in the English language. Whatever melody it was likely sung to has not survived. The second set of lines above is the original Old English verse (with modernized spelling).

Prayer of Padre Pio after Holy Communion

Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You. You know how easily I abandon You.

Stay with me Lord, because I am weak, and I need Your strength, so that I may not fall so often.

Stay with me Lord, for You are my life, and without You, I am without fervor.

Stay with me Lord, for You are my light, and without you, I am in darkness.

Stay with me Lord, to show me Your will.

Stay with me Lord, so that I hear Your voice and follow You.

Stay with me Lord, for I desire to love you very much, and always be in Your Company.

Stay with me Lord, if You wish me to be faithful to You.

Stay with me Lord, for as poor as my soul is, I want it to be a place of consolation for You, a nest of Love.

Stay with me, Jesus, for it is getting late, and the day is coming to a close, and life passes, death, judgment, eternity approach. It is necessary to renew my strength, so that I will not stop along the way and for that, I need You. It is getting late and death approaches. I fear the darkness, the temptations, the dryness, the cross, the sorrows. O how I need You, my Jesus, in this night of exile.

Stay with me tonight, Jesus, in life with all its dangers, I need You.

Let me recognize You as Your disciples did at the breaking of bread, so that the Eucharistic Communion be the light which disperses the darkness, the force which sustains me, the unique joy of my heart.

Stay with me Lord, because at the hour of my death, I want to remain united to you, if not by Communion, at least by grace and love.

Stay with me Jesus, I do not ask for divine consolation because I do not merit it, but the gift of Your presence, oh yes, I ask this of You.

Stay with me Lord, for it is You alone I look for, Your Love, Your Grace, Your Will, Your Heart, Your Spirit, because I love You and ask no other reward but to love You more and more.

With a firm love, I will love You with all my heart while on earth and continue to love You perfectly during all eternity.

Amen

(found here)

Let Charity Dwell Within You

If you are angry against your neighbor, you are angry against God; and if you bear anger in your heart, against your Lord is your boldness uplifted. If in envy you rebuke, wicked is all your reproof. But if charity dwell in you, you have on earth no enemy. And if you are a true son of peace, you will stir up wrath in no man. If you are just and upright, you will not do wrong to your fellow. And if you love to be angry, be angry with the wicked and it will become you; if to wage war you seek, lo! Satan is your adversary; if you desire to revile, against the demons display your curses. If you should insult the King’s image, you shall pay the penalty of murder; and if you revile a man, you revile the image of God. Do honor to your neighbor, and lo! you have honored God. But if you would dishonor Him, in wrath assail your neighbor !

You have a spiritual nature; the soul is the image of the Creator; honor the image of God, by being in agreement with all men. Remember death, and be not angry, that your peace be not of constraint. As long as your life remains to you, cleanse your soul from wrath; for if it should go to Sheol with you, your road will be straight to Gehenna. Keep not anger in your heart; hold not fury in your soul; you have not power over your soul, save to do that which is good. You are bought with the blood of God; you are redeemed by the passion of Christ; for your sake He suffered death, that you might die to your sins. His face endured spitting, that you might not shrink from scorn. Vinegar and gall did He drink, that you might be set apart from wrath. He received stripes on His body, that you might not fear suffering. If you are in truth His servant, fear your holy Lord; if you are His true disciple, walk in your Master’s footsteps. Endure scorn from your brother, that you may be the companion of Christ. Display not anger against man, that you be not set apart from your Redeemer.

- Saint Ephrem the Syrian

Addiction

Take pity on our lonely, struggling brothers and sisters.

The Golden Arrow

May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable, most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored and glorified, in Heaven, on earth, and under the earth, by all the creatures of God, and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Amen.

O Lord Jesus Christ, in presenting ourselves before Thine adorable Face to ask of Thee the graces of which we stand in greatest need, we beseech Thee, above all, to grant us that interior disposition of never refusing at any time to do what Thou requirest of us by Thy holy commandments and divine inspirations. Amen.

O Good Jesus, Who hast said, “Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you,” grant us, O Lord, that faith which obtains all, or supply in us what may be deficient; grant us, by the pure effect of Thy charity, and for Thine eternal glory, the graces which we need and which we look for from Thine infinite mercy. Amen.

Be merciful to us, O my God, and reject not our prayers, when amid our afflictions, we call upon Thy Holy Name and seek with love and confidence Thine adorable Face. Amen.

O Almighty and Eternal God, look upon the Face of Thy Son Jesus. We present It to Thee with confidence, to implore Thy pardon. The All Merciful Advocate opens His mouth to plead our cause; hearken to His cries, behold His tears, O God, and through His infinite merits, hearken to Him when He intercedes for us poor miserable sinners. Amen.

Adorable Face of my Jesus, my only love, my light and my life, grant that I may know Thee, love Thee and serve Thee alone, that I may live with Thee, of Thee, by Thee and for Thee. Amen.

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the adorable Face of Thy Beloved Son, for the honor and glory of Thy Name, for the conversion of sinners and for the salvation of the dying.

O Divine Jesus, through Thy Face and Name, save us. Our hope is in the virtue of Thy Holy Name!

Amen

- Sister Marie of St. Peter