Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Happy Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels!


Happy Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels!


Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle;
be our protection against
the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray:
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan
and all the evil spirits
who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
Read More at:
EWTN's Saints and other Holy People
The Sacred Scriptures have revealed the proper names

Monday, September 28, 2009

My body's falling apart...Thank God!

Yes, I really mean it. And, no, I'm not being sarcastic. Thank God my body's falling apart. It is finally giving out meaningful clues as to why I am in pain. But deeper than that, I am profoundly thankful for the struggle. In the fight for my health and the quest towards diagnosis, I am finding more meaning and clarity in God's will for me. He has blessed me with innumerable life challenges and this one is no different. Each medical mystery bestowed upon me has me running towards His embrace. It is much easier to remember that I need God for EVERYTHING when I can do very little for myself these days. When my brain has a problem remembering humility, the frailty of my body reminds me. There is no room for "woe is me," no time for "what if?" no patience for "why me?" when the Lord's joyful grace has invaded my mind, heart and soul. He truly is my "all in all." So, I say to life, "bring it on!" and I will offer all that I have, happiness and pain, to God in supplication and in gratitude for all He gives me.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Oremus pro invicem!

Let us pray for one another!

Imagine the world. Imagine it if all of God's children prayed for one another in all charity and truth. It is easy to pray for those we love. It is a more difficult task to pray for those we despise.

If we, in true love, pray for our enemies, however, our hearts are changed. It may take a while or it may happen the instant of your first prayer; at any rate, we begin to see our malefactors as God sees them...His children. When we allow grace to infiltrate our intentions, our Heavenly Father softens our hearts of stone. Our own righteous indignation drains from our souls and light reaches to every dark corner, illuminating our call; the call to love one another as the Father has loved us.

When we pray for those we find difficult, aware of the change or not, we become awash with the virtues of patience, kindness, charity, mercy and peace. Those who annoy us may continue to do so but our perspective is revolutionized and we no longer see them as enemies before us.

Oremus pro invicem!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

So, what does God do for us anyway?

Ever been asked that question? Ever wondered that yourself? Psalm 146, the responsorial psalm for this week (23rd Sunday Ordinary Time, Year B) explains it so nicely, I thought I'd quote it here (in responsory form):

A: Praise the Lord, my soul!
R: Praise the Lord, my soul!

The God of Jacob keeps faith forever,

secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets captives free.

The Lord gives sight to the blind;
the Lord raises up those who were bowed down.
The Lord loves the just;

The Lord protects strangers.

The fatherless and the widow the Lord sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The Lord shall reign forever;

your God, O Zion, through all generations, Alleluia.

R: Praise the Lord, my soul!

Ain't He wonderful? All this for us sinners who don't deserve his mercy!