Prayer After Receiving Communion

Jesus, Creator of the universe, we believe You are truly present among us under the appearance of bread and wine;

We acknowledge, that through the grace You offer us in this Eucharist, we grow closer to You, are healed of sin, and preserved from future sin;

Thank You for loving us so much!

We are Yours; we long to become the instruments through which others may come to know, love, and desire You;

Lord, please use us as You will to lead others to the grace You offer;

and may the sanctifying grace conferred upon us in this Eucharist today be shared with all those who will not, or cannot partake in this precious gift You offer! Amen!

Life Is The Only Choice!

Read David MacDonald's personal testimony about how he made his journey home to the loving, merciful and healing embrace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Mr. MacDonald performs the song he wrote in the video below concerning his own personal experience with abortion. David is a great Catholic Christian artist whose music glorifies our Lord and His Church!

Pray and Fast NOW!

Brothers and sisters, we need to pray and fast NOW! Watch the video below. WARNING and CAUTION! It is extremely graphic!

No to President Obama at Notre Dame!

The Cardinal Newman Society is dedicated to renewing and strengthening Catholic identity at America's 224 Catholic colleges and universities.
By clicking on the picture in this post, or by following the link below, you will be directed to The Cardinal Newman Society’s website. There you will have the opportunity to sign a petition addressed to Father John I. Jenkins, president of Notre Dame University, imploring him to address the obviously poor choice of inviting President Obama to be this year’s commencement speaker. You can read the beginning of the petition below.
Dear Father Jenkins:

It has come to our attention that the University of Notre Dame will honor President Barack Obama as its commencement speaker on May 17.
It is an outrage and a scandal that “Our Lady’s University,” one of the premier Catholic universities in the United States, would bestow such an honor on President Obama given his clear support for policies and laws that directly contradict fundamental Catholic teachings on life and marriage.

This nation has many thousands of accomplished leaders in the Catholic Church, in business, in law, in education, in politics, in medicine, in social services, and in many other fields who would be far more appropriate choices to receive such an honor from the University of Notre Dame. . . read more and sign the petition

Worth a Few Minutes of Your Time

Worth a Few Minutes of Your Time

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We Are Being Deceived!

To my Catholic brothers and sisters,

We live in a time in which many misconceptions and beliefs have arisen about the truth of our Catholic faith, especially here in the United States.

Concerning SIN and HELL, rest assured these are both still very real!

We don’t seem to hear much about them anymore because they have become unpopular and uncomfortable topics for today’s believers. The Church can only refrain from incorporating teachings on sin and punishment and the remedy for such, as it is found in the sacraments, at the risk of placing many in peril concerning their salvation from eternal damnation!

Jesus has much to say about SIN and HELL in the gospels, all of which has been included in the Magisterial teachings of the Church. All we have to do is take some time away from our televisions, or any one of the many other trivial distractions we engage in, and break out the Catechism of the Catholic Church to learn more about what Christ offers us through His Church!

The bottom line is that you are not free to pick and choose what to believe as truth concerning the teachings of the Church. This is why we as Catholics enjoy one teaching authority, The Magisterium! It is the truth which has endured for the past 2000 years!

We tend to choose to believe and practice only what suits our lifestyles and the rest we discard. Take the Sacrament of Reconciliation for example! Today 75 percent of American Catholics say they don't see the importance of formal confession. That is not what the Catholic Church teaches!

The Church teaches that intentionally missing Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation is a mortal sin, as is sexual relations outside of marriage, as is also the use of artificial means of contraception, yet so many of us commit the sacrilege of receiving Christ in the Eucharist each week in the state of mortal sin rather than confessing and repenting of these sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation!

Please, brothers and sisters, let’s not fall victim to the deceptions concerning our Catholic faith, which Satan continues to so easily and effectively propagate!

I urge you to take some time to learn of the healing and nourishing grace filled power of the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist and to practice the faith in accordance with its true teachings!

Peace!

There's No Place Like Home!

Karla Wilkinson was a "lukewarm" Catholic until events in her life caused her to come home to the richness of her faith. Karla went on to write a book entitled Holy Habits.

The following article by Karla Wilkinson, which appeared in the May/June 2002 Issue of Lay Witness Magazine briefly describes what caused her to completely embrace her Catholic faith. I am sure you will find it informative and inspiring, and something that all of us Catholics keep in mind!

A Recovering Lukewarm Catholic Discovers Holy Habits

Karla Wilkinson

From the May/Jun 2002 Issue of Lay Witness Magazine

I always thought it was enough to be a halfhearted Catholic. After all, I was a nice person who seldom hurt anyone, with a little religion thrown in for good measure. Then something deeply painful happened- and I learned that "nice" was not enough and "lukewarmness" was no match for tragedy.

Five years ago, suddenly and without warning, my infant son died. Two weeks later my mother died. My heart was crushed. After the funerals, when things grew quiet . . . read more

Lenten Parish Mission

Click on the title of this post and you will be able to hear Father William Casey, C.P.M., in his Lenten Parish Mission presentation seen on EWTN this month, present the truth about the Catholic Church as it undergoes an onslaught of attacks brought on by Satan's longstanding desire to destroy it!

Remember, the Church has come under attack many times during its past 2000 year history, but still remains and will remain until the end of the age!

Why?

Because Jesus said these words to Peter, "And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it." (Matt 16:18)

Fr. Casey's message is timely for all Catholics, especially for those who have drifted away! So please take a few minutes to seek the truth!

Beauty of the Liturgy of the Mass

Brothers and sisters,

Have you ever really listened to the Liturgy of the Mass or taken the time to read these beautiful prayers? I urge you to do so!

A simple reading of these prayers and petitions by anyone who claims that the Roman Catholic faith is a cult, or that Catholics aren't "saved" should serve to convince them otherwise!

Please, click on the title of this post to link to a place where you'll be able to read and meditate on the Liturgy of the Mass!

Catholic Liturgy and Biblical Texts

Don't believe those who try to tell you there is nothing biblical about the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass!

Click on the title of this post to go to a place where you can find the evidence that what goes on at Mass is biblical!

Let Us Fall Facedown

Do we take Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist for granted? I for one have certainly been guilty of this at times as indicated by my posture and dress while in His presence at Mass.

How do we prepare to enter into the presence of our Savior, the Creator of the universe, who humbled Himself and gave His life out of love for us?

What is our demeanor? How are we dressed? How much reverence do we display as we enter into the presence of Jesus?

Is our lack of reverence an indication of a lack of faith that Christ is really present in the Eucharist?

When we enter our churches; when we are at Mass; or when we are at Eucharistic adoration, let us never forget that we are in the presence of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Let us give Jesus the respect, adoration, and reverence He so rightly deserves!

My evangelical friends once introduced me to a great Christian musician and songwriter from England by the name of Matt Redman.

Whenever I think of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist, I think of a song by Matt Redman called Facedown. The words are so appropriate in describing how all of us should act in the presence of our Savior!

View the video and listen to the song and let me know what you think.

Jesus Is With Us Always!

Learn all there is to know about the Sacrifice of the Mass and teach it to your children! It is far from boring! It is the source of our very life!

Faith Formation – Thank You, Felician Sisters!

I consider myself fortunate to have been educated by the Felician Sisters in grades K-8. I will remain forever grateful to those dedicated servants of God.

My prayer is that every parent be afforded the opportunity to send their children to Catholic schools.

The faith foundation the Felician Sisters helped establish in me has stood the test of time. There have been times when I have neglected the practice of my Catholic faith and placed God on hold as I raced through life. But I’m here to tell you that God never let me go, as He patiently waits for every one of us! His hand was always upon me and I will forever remain amazed and awestruck at His mercy and love!

God’s grace, mercy, love, and patience have ignited in me a burning desire to do for others what those wonderful Felician Sisters did for me, which is to share the teachings of our Catholic faith and encourage believers to proclaim those truths to others with the love and gentleness of Christ!

Look, Here is the Messiah! No, There He Is!

Whenever I think of how much Christianity has divided since the time of the Great Schism in the year 1054 to the present time, in which there are now literally thousands of Christian denominations and movements throughout the world, I think of the following words Jesus spoke to the apostles in the Olivet Discourse (Matt 24:23-28 NAB)

23 If anyone says to you then, 'Look, here is the Messiah!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it.
24 False messiahs and false prophets will arise, and they will perform signs and wonders so great as to deceive, if that were possible, even the elect.
25 Behold, I have told it to you beforehand.
26 So if they say to you, 'He is in the desert,' do not go out there; if they say, 'He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it.
27 For just as lightning comes from the east and is seen as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

I think of these words also whenever well-meaning Christians, who I'm sure were genuinely concerned about my salvation, have said things to me like, 'why are you still remaining in the Catholic Church, it's a cult based on pagan practices,' or there is no biblical basis concerning the practices and doctrine of the Catholic Church, I immediately focus on the Jesus' words, 'Look, here is the Messiah!' or, 'There he is! do not believe it.'

Christ warned in verse 24 of this passage, that false prophets and false messiahs would be able to deceive even the elect. You have to ask yourself the question, how is one so easily deceived? The answer is a lack of genuine knowledge about our faith!

I am not being judgmental here because I have certainly been guilty for many years of not taking the time and putting the effort into learning about my Catholic faith, but how many of us spend tremendous amounts of time to engage in meaningless activities, yet can never find the time or the energy to learn about our faith.

Please! Take the time to learn about your faith and put it into practice. It's been Christ's gift to us for the past 2000 years! When you sincerely seek the truth about it, you'll find it to be a beautiful source of spiritual strength and nourishment that is intended to sustain us until our Savior's return!

Peace!

How Do I Serve You Lord?

Please click the title of this post to be re-directed to a very enlightening post by Pillar Novice.

I'm sure you'll be blessed!

The Beauty of the Sacraments!

Part of the beauty of the sacraments is the manner in which they confer God’s grace upon us.

In his divine wisdom, Jesus knew that as corporeal beings we would best be led to things of a spiritual nature through our five senses.

St. Thomas Aquinas refers to the matter (water, oil, etc.) and form (words) of each sacrament as proper and fitting for the purpose intended.

He also informs us of the role sacraments play in our salvation to which he says the following:

I answer that, Sacraments are necessary unto man's salvation for three reasons. The first is taken from the condition of human nature which is such that it has to be led by things corporeal and sensible to things spiritual and intelligible. Now it belongs to Divine providence to provide for each one according as its condition requires. Divine wisdom, therefore, fittingly provides man with means of salvation, in the shape of corporeal and sensible signs that are called sacraments.

The second reason is taken from the state of man who in sinning subjected himself by his affections to corporeal things. Now the healing remedy should be given to a man so as to reach the part affected by disease. Consequently it was fitting that God should provide man with a spiritual medicine by means of certain corporeal signs; for if man were offered spiritual things without a veil, his mind being taken up with the material world would be unable to apply itself to them.

The third reason is taken from the fact that man is prone to direct his activity chiefly towards material things. Lest, therefore, it should be too hard for man to be drawn away entirely from bodily actions, bodily exercise was offered to him in the sacraments, by which he might be trained to avoid superstitious practices, consisting in the worship of demons, and all manner of harmful action, consisting in sinful deeds.

It follows, therefore, that through the institution of the sacraments man, consistently with his nature, is instructed through sensible things; he is humbled, through confessing that he is subject to corporeal things, seeing that he receives assistance through them: and he is even preserved from bodily hurt, by the healthy exercise of the sacraments.

Taken from St. Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica: TREATISE ON THE SACRAMENTS Part III, Q. 61, A. 1, Whether Sacraments are Necessary for Man's Salvation?

When We Become Angry at God

When tragedy strikes, when things don’t go the way we planned; when children suffer, when we lose those close to us, especially parents who endure the death of a child, through all the atrocities mankind inflicts upon one another, the one question that always arises is – God, why do you allow this to happen?

Most people upon asking this question will quickly and mistakenly answer it the following ways: God does not exist; If He exists, He does not care, otherwise He would put an end to human suffering or prevented it.

Answered in this way, most people become angry at God and fall away from the faith. As followers of Christ, it is our duty gently lead these hurt souls back to the healing power of God’s grace. For their anger toward God is born only out of a lack of understanding and not true contempt toward God. No human can understand the ways of God.

"My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' says the Lord.'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways,And My thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

We need only look to the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Mary, full of grace, chosen by God to bear and give birth to our Savior, was not spared from the anguish of having to watch her son be tortured, brutalized, and put to an agonizing death on the cross.

It is easier said than done, but as we endure the storms of life, rather than becoming upset with God, we must follow our Blessed Mother’s example and never lose faith even in the midst of the most painful experiences. God’s grace will suffice to lead us safely through the storm!

And remember, God does not bring evil upon us, sin or disobedience is the cause of all evil; God delivers us from it!

The following youtube video clip from Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion of the Christ, gives the audience a sense of the anguish our Blessed Mother must have endured as she watched her son suffer on his way to the cross.

Prayer of St. Ignatius Loyola

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my

understanding and my entire will, All I have and call my own.

You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything

is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and

your grace. That is enough for me. Amen

Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen

Prayer To The Holy Spirit

Breathe into me, Spirit of God, that I may think what is holy. Drive me, Spirit of God, that I may do what is holy.

Draw me, Spirit of God, that I may love what is holy.

Strengthen me, Spirit of God, that I may preserve what is holy.

Guide me, Spirit of God, that I may never lose what is holy. St. Augustine

What If I Give All?

I learned of a song called What If I Give All by Ray Boltz from a friend of mine who grew up in a refugee camp in Ghana where he and his family sought refuge from the civil unrest that ravaged their native country of Liberia.

This video features that song. It's sure to touch your heart! Let us all remember those in need during this Lenten season. Peace!

Christians Unite In Prayer and Fasting!

A co-worker and I were talking about the state of the world the today. We spoke of the many concerns over the world economy, genocide, hunger, homelessness, and the ever growing lack of respect for human life, which has dramatically increased ever since we legalized the torturing and murdering of babies while they are in what should be the safest place in the world, their mother’s wombs.

While we standby and watch all that is happening, the enemy sits back and laughs over the lack of Christian unity. He gloats over this sin and its devastating effects!

With God’s grace let’s mount up a defense and defeat this attack!

Now is the time for Christians to unite and become the one body in Christ that we were meant to be, to pray for the renewal of faith, and to ask God to use us as instruments through which others will come to know of the salvation Christ obtained for us through his passion, death, and resurrection!

During this Lenten season, let us become united in prayer and fasting for the many who need to hear God’s call to come home with repentant hearts, seeking to restore their relationship with Him!

We ask this through Christ our Lord! Amen!

On Devotion To Our Blessed Mother

True devotion to Mary leads us closer to Jesus

The following is a letter Pope John Paul II wrote on St. Louis de Montfort's “Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin”

On December 8, 2003, Pope John Paul II wrote a letter to the Montfort religious family, on the occasion of the 160th Anniversary of the publication of the Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, written by St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort. Here are large excerpts from this letter:

A work destined to become a classic of Marian spirituality was published 160 years ago. St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort wrote the Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin at the beginning of the 1700s, but the manuscript remained practically unknown for more than a century. When, almost by chance, it was at last discovered in 1842 and published in 1843, the work was an instant success, proving extraordinarily effective in spreading the “true devotion” to the Most Holy Virgin.

I myself, in the years of my youth, found reading this book a great help. “There I found the answers to my questions”, for at one point I had feared that if my devotion to Mary “became too great, it might end up compromising the supremacy of the worship owed to Christ” (Gift and Mystery). Under the wise guidance of St. Louis Marie, I realized that if one lives the mystery of Mary in Christ, this risk does not exist. In fact, this Saint's Mariological thought “is rooted in the mystery of the Trinity and in the truth of the Incarnation of the Word of God” (ibid.).

Since she came into being, and especially in her most difficult moments, the Church has contemplated with special intensity an event of the Passion of Jesus Christ that St. John mentions: “Standing by the Cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary, the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing near, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold, Your son!’. Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold, Your mother!’ And from that hour the disciple took Her to his own home” (Jn 19: 25-27). . . Read More @ http://www.michaeljournal.org/montfort.htm