Soul of Christ, Sanctify Me!

The Anima Christi is a beautiful prayer! The following four prayers develop the richness of the prayer even further. I discovered these prayers in a publication entitled The Catholic Devotional published in 2006 by the Apostolic Publishing Company, 7010 6th Street North, Oakdale, MN 55128.

Soul of Christ, Sanctify Me!

Make a saint of me. Show me how to rid myself
Of traits of character that annoy others;
that make the lives of those about me miserable.
Help me to break the hardened shell within which selfishness hides, and which renders me insensible to the needs of others.
May I become great enough to be the servant of both rich and poor.
May I grow strong in virtue, so as to sustain the weak and encourage the weary.
May my heart increase its power to love, so as to be able to minister kindness to the timid and mercy to the wayward.
May I have the honor to bring cheer to all my fellow men on the long and sometimes rugged road of life.

Body of Christ, Save Me!

Save me from my great archenemy, my weak and faltering self.
Save me from all greed of money, of power, and of praise.
Save me from the thirst for pleasure, worldly show, and midnight revelry.
Save me from betraying You, Dear Lord, in thought, or in word, or in deed.

Blood of Christ, Strengthen Me!

Inebriate me with Your Love, that I may be absorbed in Your Will. Absorbed so as to be unmindful of my ills and petty cares.
Unmindful of weariness and pain, heartache, and disappointment.
Heedless of the lash of cruel words, and patient under wrongs.

Passion of Christ, Strengthen Me!

Strengthen me under the pressure of temptation.
Strengthen me when principle is at stake.
Strengthen me to do Your Will, My God.
Strengthen me in moments of suffering, in times of loneliness, in periods of depression.
Strengthen me that I may never swerve from You, Dear Christ, nor weaken through a desire to be popular, through hope of social distinction.
Strengthen me to accept my cross and carry it generously to the end.
On the battlefield of life, stand by me that I may never prove a traitor in the ranks.
Stand by me that I may not be dazzled by the glitter and glow of the enemy camp.

All Saints Day

Halloween is in 2 days; a time when many children and some adults have fun dressing up, going to parties, or trick or treating, but more importantly is the day that follows, which is All Saints Day.

Saints are special because they showed God how much they loved Him by the way they lived their lives. Saints are important to us because they set the example of how we are to live our lives doing God’s will! Learn more about this special day here. You will also find a collection of great prayers fitting for this day in the Church year.

Blessed Brother Andre - Thank you, Phil!

Recently, a co-worker took his family on a trip to Montreal, Canada. Prior to leaving for the trip, Phil informed me that he intended to visit both Notre Dame and St. Joseph’s Oratory. He began to tell me about a visit to St. Joseph’s with his family as a youth, and how he learned then of the miraculous healings that occurred there over the years. It was refreshing to see that this man was excited about taking his family on a vacation that would both educate his children, as well as potentially impact their faith formation.

Upon his return from Notre Dame and St. Joseph’s Oratory, Phil presented me with a booklet about the man responsible for the establishment of St. Joseph’s, Blessed Brother Andre. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the life of such a great man of God, but what truly impressed me was my co-worker's thoughtfulness! When Phil gave me the booklet, I couldn’t help but think, here is a man that took the time to pick up a booklet that he knew I would enjoy reading, all while vacationing and spending time with his family. Thank you, Phil! May God always give you the grace necessary to continue to love and care for your family the way St. Joseph cared for Jesus and Our Blessed Mother!

Phil also told me that he prayed and lit candles at St. Joseph’s for one of our co-workers and the wife of a retired friend and co-worker, both of whom are seriously ill! Let us all keep Doreen and Linda in our prayers!

I love reading about the saints and also about those whose cause for beatification and canonization is in progress!

As Catholics, we look to the saints as role models. Saints, as well as those being considered for canonization, are ordinary people whose love for God and gratitude toward Him, manifests itself in what the Church refers to as living lives of heroic virtue. Heroic virtue is extraordinary and supernatural in nature because it is made possible only by the grace of God.

As Christians, we look to Christ as our number one Role Model. In his infinite wisdom, Christ, through his Church, also gives us the saints as role models.

The saints exemplify the extent to which we should all attempt to imitate Christ, and so it is useful to examine their lives to see what caused their transformation from ordinary to extraorinary.

For most it was a recognition of God’s love and mercy. Saints are not perfect people. St. Paul zealously pursued and persecuted Christians before his conversion. St. Peter, the rock upon which our Lord built his Church, publicly denied knowing Christ out of fear for his own life three times. St. Monica prayed for her son, St. Augustine for seventeen years before his conversion. There is hope for all of us through the grace of God!

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

What’s The Big Deal About Saints?

As Catholics, why do we give so much attention to the saints?
I recently came across a brief reflection that appeared in the publication, One Bread, One Body, Volume 24, Issue 6, entitled The Imitation of Christ. The author is very effective in explaining how the saints assist us in our quest to imitate Christ. In fact, it was the following sentence that caught my attention and reminded of something St. Thomas Aquinas said concerning the sacraments.

The author writes, “. . . However, we are human beings, created with human senses, and we relate most readily to other humans. This is why God sent His only Son, Jesus, to take on human flesh (Jn 3:16).

In his treatise on the sacraments, St. Thomas Aquinas tells us that it is because of our human nature that we must be led by things corporeal and sensible to things spiritual and intelligible. (Summa Theologica, Part III, Q.61)

Read the entire reflection below:

“The Imitation of Christ”

Here on earth, we do not see Jesus as He is. "Now we see [Him] indistinctly" (1 Cor 13:12). We get glimpses of Jesus through the splendors of His creation. We can see Him in His eucharistic splendor. However, we are human beings, created with human senses, and we relate most readily to other humans. This is why God sent His only Son, Jesus, to take on human flesh (Jn 3:16).

God is so generous in creating ways for us to relate to Him that He has also created other human beings who point us to Himself. He has sent us saints — holy people who have allowed the light of Christ to shine through their lives so that all may see the goodness in their acts and give praise to God (Mt 5:16). God has given saints for what seems like every imaginable state in life. There are saints for doctors, homemakers, priests, religious sisters, accountants, teachers, lawyers, sinners striving to reform, disciples striving to grow in holiness, etc. Each of these saints is a gift from God sent to help us "see" Jesus in a new and deeper way.

Jesus gave His disciples an example to follow (Jn 13:15; 1 Pt 2:21). In the same way, the saints are examples for us. Heed the call of the saints as they tell us: "Imitate me as I imitate Christ" (1 Cor 11:1).

You can access this great reflection and many others by logging on to http://www.presentationministries.com/home/home.asp.

This is a great website and a valuable resource for those looking to grow in their faith!