Daily Prayer for Priest O my Jesus, I beg You on behalf of the whole Church ... give us holy priests. You yourself maintain them in holiness.
O Divine and Great High Priest, may the power of Your mercy accompany them everywhere and protect them from the devil's traps and snares, which are continually being set for the souls of priests.
May the power of Your Mercy, O Lord, shatter and bring the naught all that might tarnish the sanctity of priest, for You can do all things. - St. Faustina (Diary, 1052)
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There is still the Light of Christ
“In the night when all sound, all activity of men shall be silent, when the voices of all men and of all nations are still, may my soul, through its good works, shine out in you, O Jesus, light of the just. In that hour when darkness like a cloak shall be spread over all things, may your grace, O Lord, shine on us in place of the earthly sun. In that night which brings to an end the course of this world and all its activities, may our souls behold your wonders in that quiet which is more than silence. In that hour, refreshing the weary through the sleep that lies on all men, may our minds be inebriated with your delights, O delight of all the Saints! In that time of dark night, may a new sun arise for us. Then let us take wing in that hope which was laid up for us in your resurrection.”
~ Saint Ephrem the Syrian, deacon and hermi
Even in our present time of increasing darkness we should take care not to focus so much on it, because if we focus too much on the darkness we run the risk of being overcome by it. Instead let us focus on the saving power of Christ. The Light who Shines in the darkness.
Blogged by: Jeffrey David
My Dear People,
St. Michael Shines In Times of Distress
 In our reading from the book of Daniel, St. Michael, the great Heavenly Prince, is guarding God’s holy people. “There shall be a time unsurpassed in distress, since nations began. At that time your people shall escape, everyone who is found written in the Book of Life.” He goes on to describe how the “wise” shall brightly shine like the stars. Pope Leo the Xlll, at the turn of the 19th century, was told that the Church had entered this time.
Pope Leo wrote the St. Michael Prayer we pray after each mass, so that the faithful might invoke this Holy Protecting Angel’s shield over all of us. This prayer was to be prayed after all masses until the end of this age of trial and tribulation. We benefit from St. Michael’s intercession each time we pray His prayer with faith. Don’t forget to pray this prayer throughout the course of your day, and in the evening. Make sure you call upon St. Michael upon preparing for bedtime. Ask for his protection over all of your family members. You cannot evoke this powerful angel too many times during the course of the day. Pray, Pray, Pray.
Entrusting you to the care of Our Lady,
Fr. Mark
May we give generously, so that when we meet Our Lord face to face, we can stand before Him and say, “Lord, I have given all that you asked of me.”
Priest’s new book challenges men to learn ‘true manhood’ by following Christ.
“Read This Book”
Pennsylvania Catholic priest Fr. Larry Richards, aiming to clear up “gender confusion” and to challenge men to pursue holiness, has released a new book titled “Be A Man: Become the Man God Created You to Be.”
In the book, Fr. Richards recounts his own efforts to learn “true manhood” and shares inspiring stories from men he has counseled and served in his decades as a priest, a press release from Ignatius Press says.
He encourages men to appreciate the differences between men and women, to set the right goals in life, to acknowledge personal faults and limitations, and to be masculine without being “macho.”
“Would you take a bullet if someone was raping your wife?” is one of his provocative questions to men.
Be A Man looks at King David, St. Paul, and Jesus as role models for men.
“Jesus Christ Himself reveals to us what it is to be a man,” Fr. Richards said. “It is about taking the one life that God has given us and give it away. When men are invited to die for others, they put others’ needs above their own. To be like Christ, and like all great men, will cost men their very lives.”
“There is a difference in the way men and women were created,” he remarked. “Men are not called to be women and vice versa. We are different – not better, but different – and men are called to be fully men. This needs to be dealt with up front because it’s a problem – in the Catholic Church and in the world itself.”
Fr. Richards said he encourages men to become men of “true love and wisdom” and to pursue holiness and find strength in faith and love. Each chapter of his book ends with a list of tasks that must be accomplished and questions for discussion and reflection.
“Read the book. Accomplish the tasks at the end of each chapter, no matter how hard or how “hokey” you may think them to be,” Fr. Richards urged. “I guarantee that if a man commits himself to each task and challenge, in the end his life will be changed forever!”
Be A Man is published by the San Francisco-based Ignatius Press.
San Francisco, Calif., Nov 6, 2009 (CNA).-
My Dear People,
The feast of All Saints is a continual reminder that everyone is called to “holiness;” not just canonized saints. By our Baptism and Confirmation, we are endowed with all of the spiritual and practical gifts necessary for our sanctification. Each way is unique. Because we have been created in the image and likeness of Almighty God, the path by which we mature is special and in keeping with our nature. This is why there are no two saints that look, talk, or act in the same manner.
Like facets of a diamond, every soul was created to reflect the glory of Our Lord. As life polishes us, we shine that much more brilliantly. What a treasure we are in God’s eyes. He longs to have each of us at the table in His Kingdom. SO, we have our work cut out for us! It is a work that ultimately will make holy our souls. Preparing our hearts to become a temple of the Holy Spirit must be our first concern. During Holy Mass this Mass this weekend, call upon your saint namesake. Ask them to intercede for you before God’s holy throne, in order that you might become a saint like them; in each and everyway God’s so ordained. Pray for all those souls who have lost their way to God. Your prayers may be the ones that save them from eternal death. Pray, Pray, Pray.
Entrusting you to the care of Our Lady,
Fr. Mark Bozada
May we hold our gifts in an open hand, recognizing that everything belongs to God and that without God’s blessing we would be among the very poor in this world.
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