Thursday, September 25, 2014

Thank God For St. Therese



"Scarcely three minutes pass by without a loving thought of God."

For the rest of us, maybe not.  Maybe it's more like three hours, or worse, days.

Whenever I fall short of loving Jesus as I should, I thank Him for creating St. Therese.  I don't think that aside from the Blessed Virgin Mary I could find a heart more on fire with love for Him.

I don't call on my saintly little friend as much as I did at one time. These days,  I spread the petitions out a little more.  St. Joseph for this, St. Nicholas for that, the Blessed Mother for more than I can say.  I know St. Therese  does not feel neglected because, after all, she does what she does for love of Him.  Even her last words said as much.

"My God, I love You."





Saturday, September 20, 2014

Meditations on the Glorious Mysteries

The following meditations are taken from St. Louis de Montfort and other traditions.  I apologize for not getting these up sooner but life is busy as ever.  It's more important that I pray than post but I will say this:  When I don't use these meditations I don't feel like I've prayed the Rosary at all.  To those of you who have written to say you have found this helpful, please know that is the reason I decided to post these in the first place, in the hope that it might help someone pray a more spiritually fruitful Rosary.

Also, to those who participated in our little Rosary Crusade last Sunday for persecuted Christians and hostages, thank you.  The point in praying at a specific time for a specific intention goes to St. Louis de Montfort's belief that when we pray the Rosary as a group, the spiritual benefit of each is multiplied and even if someone prays badly, they benefit from the prayers offered by the others.   Solidarity was lacking where I thought I might count on it, yet showed up in surprising places.  I continue to pray for this cause and know that many others do as well.

THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES of THE HOLY ROSARY

The Resurrection

We offer Thee Lord Jesus this decade in honor of Thy Glorious Resurrection, and through this mystery and the intercession of Thy Most Holy Mother, we beg of Thee an ardent faith and hope in Heaven.

1.To recall His Glorious victory over sin and death
2 To honor the four glorious qualities of His Resurrected Body
3. To honor the power with which the stone was removed from the sepulcher
4.To honor the reunion of His Soul with His Resurrected Body
5. To honor His descent into Limbo to free the souls of the just
6. To honor the joy of the departed upon being lead into Heaven by Jesus
7. To honor His apparitions to His Mother and His disciples
8. To honor the meal He shared with His disciples
9. To recall the burial cloths rolled up in the tomb and what they signified to the disciples
10. To recall the joy of Mary Magdalene and the disciples to whom He appeared

May the grace of the Mystery of the Resurrection come down into our souls

The Ascension Into Heaven

We offer Thee Lord Jesus this decade in honor of Thy Glorious Ascension into Heaven, and through this mystery and the intercession of Thy Most Holy Mother, we beg of Thee an ardent desire for Heaven

1. To honor the reunion of His disciples on the Mount of Olives
2. To honor the promise that He would send the Advocate
3. To recall the power with which He ascended into Heaven
4. To honor the joy of the celestial court in receiving the Son of God
5. To honor the reunion of the Father and the Son
6. To honor the love between them, The Holy Spirit
7. To honor Jesus for taking His place at His Father's right hand
8. To honor His Second Coming in  Glory
9. To honor the Final Judgment, when He will recompense the Good and punish the Wicked
10.To honor the power given to Him by His Eternal Father

May the grace of the Mystery of the Ascension come down into our souls

The Descent of the Holy Spirit

1. To honor the cenacle of prayer kept by our Holy Mother and His disciples
2. To honor the great noise that heralded the arrival of the Holy Spirit
3. To honor the tongues of fire imparted to the disciples
4. To honor the gift of language bestowed on the disciples
5. To recall the Great Commission to preach the Gospel, heal the sick and feed the poor
6. To honor the gifts of the Holy Spirit
7. To honor the fruits of the Holy Spirit
8. To honor His Beloved Spouse, the Blessed Virgin Mary
9. To honor His Victory over the three evils: the devil, the flesh and the world
10.To honor the Holy Trinity and the graces with which They endowed the Blessed Virgin Mary

May the grace of the Mystery of the Descent of the Holy Spirit come down into our souls.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

We offer Thee Lord Jesus this decade in honor of the glorious Assumption of Thy Most Holy Mother into Heaven and through this mystery and her intercession, we beg of thee an ardent devotion to her.

1. To honor her peaceful dormition
2. To honor the reunion of the disciples at her side
3. To honor her glorious Assumption into Heaven
4. To honor the joy with which the Holy Trinity received her into Heaven
5. To honor Mary's joy at being reunited with Jesus
6. To honor her Immaculate Conception
7. To honor her Fruitful Virginity
8. To honor her Divine Maternity
9. To honor her painless childbirth and delivery
10.To honor her profound humility and uncompromising fidelity to God's Will

May the grace of the Mystery of the Assumption of the BVM come down into our souls

The Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth

We offer Thee Lord Jesus this decade in honor of the Coronation of Thy Most Holy Mother as Queen of Heaven and Earth and through her intercession we beg of Thee the grace of perseverance,

1. To honor her coronation as Queen of Heaven and Earth
2. To honor the Queen of the Angels
3. To honor the Queen of Peace
4. To honor Our Lady of Mt Carmel
5. To honor Our Lady of Lourdes
6. To honor Our Lady Help of Christians
7. To honor Our Mother of Good Counsel
8. To honor Our Lady of Perpetual Help
9. To honor the Mediatrix of all graces
10. To honor Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, whose spotless womb was the first tabernacle

May the grace of the Mystery of the Coronation of the BVM come down into our souls