Stations Of The Cross, 5 & 6

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Martha

422px-Ecce_Homo_(Joan_de_Joanes)_-_0507“A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.”  Mark 15:21

This post contains the Fifth and Sixth Stations (Taken from a prayerbook entitled “Blessed Be God”)…

Fifth Station: The Cyrenian Helps Jesus to Carry His Cross.

 Pray:  We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.  Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Consider that the Jews seeing that at each step Jesus, from weakness, was on the point of expiring, and fearing that He would die on the way when they wished Him to die the ignominious death of the cross, constrained Simon the Cyrenian to carry the cross, behind Our Lord.

My most sweet Jesus, I will not refuse the cross as the Cyrenian did; I accept it, I embrace it.  I accept in particular the death that Thou hast desinted for me with all the pains which may accompany it; I unite it to Thy death, I offer it to Thee.  Thou hast died for love of me, I will die for love of Thee, and to please Thee.  Help me by Thy grace.  I love Thee, Jesus, my love; I repent of having offended Thee.  Never permit me to offend Thee again.  Grant that I may love Thee always, and then do with me what Thou wilt.

“A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him.”  Luke 23:27

Sixth Station: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus.

 Pray:  We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.  Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Consider that the holy woman named Veronica, seeing Jesus so afflicted, and His face bathed in sweat and blood, presented Him with a towel with which He wiped His adorable face, leaving on it the impression of His holy countenance.

My most beloved Jesus, Thy face was beautiful before, but in this journey it has lost all its beauty, and wounds and blood have disfigured it.  Alas! my soul also was once beautiful, when it received Thy grace in baptism; but I have disfigured it since by my sins.  Thou alone, my Redeemer, canst restore it to its former beauty.  Do this by Thy Passion, and then do with me what Thou wilt.

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One God In Three Persons

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Martha

520px-Shield-Trinity-Scutum-Fidei-English-001_svgToday I am sharing a devotional prayer to the Holy Trinity.  Read and pray it slowly, thoughtfully.  Let its beauty penetrate your soul…

Prayer To The Holy Trinity

I ADORE Thee, O my God, one God in three Persons;  I humble myself before Thy Majesty.  Thou alone art being, life, truth, beauty, and goodness.

I glorify Thee, I praise Thee, I thank Thee, and I love Thee, all incapable and unworthy as I am, in union with the dear Son, Jesus Christ, our Saviour and our Father, in the mercifulness of His Heart and through His infinite merits.

I wish to serve Thee, to please Thee, to obey Thee, and to love Thee always, in union with Mary immaculate, Mother of God and our Mother, loving also and serving my neighbor for Thy sake.

Therefore, give me the Holy Spirit to enlighten , correct, and guide me in the way of thy Commandments, and in all perfection, until I come to the happiness of heaven, where I shall glorify Thee forever.  Amen.

(From “Blessed Be God”, A Complete Catholic Prayer Book – mine since I was a yound child.)

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Soul Of Christ

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Martha

442px-Crucifixion_026There are a few prayers that move me beyond words.  The Anima Christi (Soul of Christ) is one such prayer.  I pray it after receiving the Holy Eucharist.  Enjoy.

Anima Christi (Soul of Christ)

Sout of Christ, sanctify me. 

Body of Christ, save me. 

Blood of Christ, inebriate me. 

Water from the side of Christ, wash me. 

Passion of Christ, strengthen me. 

O Good Jesus, hear me. 

Within Your wounds hide me. 

Separated from You let me never be. 

From the evil one protect me. 

At the hour of my death, call me;  and close to You bid me.  

That with Your saints and angels, I may be praising You forever and ever.

Amen.

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Lord, You Are Sovereign

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Martha

140px-Christ_the_Alpha_and_Omega_001Lord, You are Sovereign.

Forgive me, Lord, when I give authority over myself to the things and people of this world.  Forgive me when I allow circumstances to control me rather than Your Divine Providence.

Thank you, Lord, for Your sovereign rule, Your control over my live and all that love.  Bend me to Your will, Oh Lord, and let me ever rejoice in the grace of Your salvation!

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Pray For The Faith

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Martha

sun-rise_21324306 - Send forth Your Spirit“As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.  And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith.    But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.  We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command.    May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.”                                           2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

In the above letter from Saint Paul to the Thessalonians, he is asking a people of faith who have already received God’s message of salvation to pray for that same message to spread rapidly and to be honored.  As people of faith, we too must pray continually for the spread of the Gospel, and for the safety, strength and courage of those who carry that message of salvation.  He encourages them by saying that the Lord is ever faithful, and that because of their faith He will protect them from the evil one.

Down through the ages true faith in Jesus Christ has always been under attack.  Evil comes in many forms and often disguises itself or promotes itself as something good and desirable.  Only true faith can stand against real evil.  A weakened faith is completely vulnerable.  Today is no different.  Our faith and practices are under heavy attack and must be defended by the faithful.

When people of faith do not lift each other up in prayers of support the Gospel may lay dormant in the hearts of many.  Salvation is for all who will believe and live in Jesus Christ, but first they must know Him.  Pray as Paul did that the message spreads rapidly and is honored.  Pray especially for those who have never heard and those who have heard yet ignore.  Faith is alive in our hearts.  When we persevere in prayer, Christ perseveres in even more hearts.

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Stations Of The Cross, 3 & 4

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Martha

431px-Memling,_The_Virgin_Showing_the_Man_of_Sorrows,_melbourne “So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha).”  John 19:17

This post contains the Third and Fourth Stations Of The Cross, (Taken from a prayerbook entitled “Blessed Be God”)…

This passage from Mark 15 can help center your thoughts before beginning:  “The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers.  They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him.  And they began to call out to him, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’  Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him.  Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him.  And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him.  Then they led him out to crucify him.”  Mark 15:16-20

Third Station: Jesus Falls The First Time under His Cross.

 Pray:  We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.  Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Reflect:  Consider, my soul, this first fall of Jesus under His cross.  His flesh was torn by the scourges, His head crowned with thorns, and He had lost a great quantity of blood.  He was so weakened that He could scarcely walk, and yet He had to carry this great load upon His shoulders.  The soldiers struck Him rudely, and thus He fell several times in His journey.

My beloved Jesus, it is not the weight of the cross, but of my sins, which has made Thee suffer so much pain.  Ah, by the merits of this first fall, deliver me from the misfortune of falling into mortal sin.  I love Thee, O my Jesus, with my whole heart; I repent of having offended Thee.  Never permit me to offend Thee again.  Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.

 

Fourth Station: Jesus Meets His Afflicted Mother.

Pray:  We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.  Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Reflect:  Consider the meeting of the Son and the Mother, which took place on this journey.  Jesus and Mary looked at each other, and their looks became as so many arrows to wound those hearts which loved each other so tenderly.

My most loving Jesus, by the sorrow Thou didst experience in this meeting, grant me the grace of a truly devoted love for Thy most holy Mother.  And thou, my Queen, who wast overwhelmed with sorrow, obtain for me by thy intercession a continual and tender remembrance of the Passion of thy Son.  I love Thee, Jesus, my love;  I repent of ever having offended Thee.  Never permit me to offend Thee again.  Grant that I may love Thee always, and then do with me what Thou wilt.

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Serve The Lord

Posted on March 13, 2014 by Martha

616px-Fra_Angelico_Adoration“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”   Joshua 24:14-15

Joshua had assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem and explained to them all the things the Lord had done for them.  He then told them what the Lord expected from them, which was faithful service.  As for Joshua, whether or not the others chose to, he and his household would serve the Lord.

We choose what God we serve everyday of our lives.  It might be the God of money or greed, of power, of clothes and looks, of cars and possessions, or any number of the evils of this world.  Our household can refer not only to our family, but our interior self, our friends, our community, and even the world.

Each day we must make ourselves right with God by choosing to faithfully serve His will in our lives, to seek out what is ours to do in relation to all areas of our lives.  Only then, like Joshua, can we say, “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

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Seek My Face

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Martha

charles-bosseron-chambers-sacred-heart-of-jesus“You have said, ‘Seek my face.’  My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.  ‘Hide not your face from me.” …Psalm 27:8-9

      We often long to see the face of Christ.  We often look for but do not find His face.  Looking at a beautifully rendered image of Christ’s face we see what someone else believes Him to look like.  It can be very moving, and even draw us closer in our relationship to Christ by securing our thoughts on Him, however, it is not the same as seeing the real face of Christ.

Until we meet Him face to face on the Day of Judgement, or live with Him in Life Eternal, we cannot truly know the face of Christ.  However, if we believe that we are truly created in His image and likeness, that His image is stamped on the soul of every individual, then we should be looking for the face of Christ in every person we meet.

And, while it may be easier to look for and see His face in the downtrodden, the homeless, the needy, the abused, and the helpless, we must also seek His face in those we meet in our own homes, places of work, and throughout our daily environments.  The closer we are to someone, the harder it may be to see Christ’s face in them.  After all, we know and see all of their faults and shortcomings.  These are the people who have power to hurt us, to make us feel less than worthy or even invisible at times.  Here is where we must seek His face through prayer.  Here is where we must pray:  “Lord, I seek your face, but I am having trouble doing so.  Please, Lord, hide not your face from me; and please, Lord, let others see your face in Me.  Amen.”

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Lord, You Are Omniscient

Posted on March 11, 2014 by Martha

Holy_Sacrifice_of_the_Mass_001Lord, You are Omniscient.

Forgive me, Lord, when I treat others through my narrow vision and not through your all-seeing, all-knowing eyes.

Thank you. Lord, for knowing my limitations, my faults, and wretchedness, and loving me just the same.  Help me to look through your eyes, to see You in others, to know You in myself and love all as You do, including myself.

     God knows everything there is to know, sees everything there is to see, and not just in the present, but in the past and future also.  God is omniscient.  Do we think we can escape His knowing, His seeing?  I think not!  But, oh how wonderful it is that He sees, He knows, and He LOVES us anyway.  Let us love Him with our whole being and let us love ourselves and others through Him.

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A Body of Prayer

Posted on March 10, 2014 by Martha
Midieval Art in Vatican Museum, taken 2012 by Martha Wiggins

Midieval Art in Vatican Museum, taken 2012 by Martha Wiggins

In March we celebrate the birth of Saint Teresa of Avila.  Living in the 1500’s she often struggled with prayer distractions and attractions to the world with its flattery and gossip.  She later overcame her struggles and through her prayers gained many consolations from God.  She left us many writings on the subject of prayer and has been given the title ‘Doctor of The Church.”

One of the most beautiful prayers given to us by St. Teresa of Avila is the following:

Christ has no body on earth now but ours:  no hands but ours, no feet but ours. 

Ours are the eyes through which Christ’s compassion is to look upon the world. 

Ours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good.

Ours are the hands with which he is to bless others now.

Below is a prayer known as The Grail Prayer.  It is not written by St. Teresa of Avila but beautifully complements it.  It is a great prayer for Lent when we are stretching beyond ourselves to be of service to others.

Lord Jesus, 

I give you my hands- to do your work.

I give you my feet- to go your way.

I give you my eyes- to see as you do.

I give you my tongue- to speak your words.

I give you my mind- that you may think in me.

I give you my spirit- that you may pray in me.

Above all, I give you my heart that you may love, in me,

your Father and all mankind.

I give you my whole self that you may grow in me,

so that it is you, Lord Jesus, who live and work and pray in me.

Amen.

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