Come with us and put God’s light and grace into our darkened world tonight.

Colettine Night Litany

Lord Jesus, we hold before you all those who are in special need of your
mercy and our prayers.

On those who cannot sleep tonight.
R/ Lord have mercy.
On the sick and those terminally ill.
On those tempted to suicide.
On the homeless with nowhere to go.
On the mentally sick.
On those who live in fear and anxiety.
On victims of addiction of any kind.
On those who sell themselves.
On women seeking an abortion.
On those who suffer domestic violence of mind or body.
On those tempted to do evil.
On those imprisoned in lies and wrong choices.
On those who cannot forgive and carry the burden of
resentment towards others.
On those who are dying tonight.

For those who have accepted terrorism as their creed.
R/ Lord, enlighten and change their hearts.
For those who promote war.
For those who profit by war.
For those who commit acts of violence in God's name.
For those in the grip of hatred.
For those who commit acts of violent abuse against children.

For those in situations of violence and war.
R/Lord, be their strength and protection.
For refugees driven from their homelands.
For children separated from their parents by war.
For child soldiers.
For vulnerable children.
For the victims of abuse or trafficking.
For hostages who wait in fear.
For illegal immigrants.
For those suffering from epidemic diseases.
For those without recourse to adequate medical help.
For doctors and nurses on duty.
For all who will give birth tonight.
For all those who will go to the help of others tonight.
For all who witness to the Gospel in alien or hostile
surroundings.

For all the children of God.
R/Lord, we give you thanks and praise.
For all who live the covenant of marriage in joy.
For all new life conceived tonight.
For all who keep vigil in your presence this night.
For those who support us [Poor Clare Colettines] in our [their] life of prayer.
For all those who have responded to the call of your love.
For your Holy Church spread throughout the world.
For your holy angels whom you send to protect us.
For the prayers of your saints in heaven.
For Mary our Mother.
For those who this night will come before your throne.
For those waking to a new day on other shores.
For the gift of your love which can never be defeated.

Let us pray.
Heavenly Father,
we hold before you those for whom we have prayed,
have mercy on those who suffer,
protect the helpless,
convert to your love all who do evil.
and may your sun rise on a new world.
Through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

* * * * * *  

Source:  Ty Mam Duw [House of the Mother of God] Poor Clare Colettine Community, Wales, UK.  http://www.poorclarestmd.org/

The Little Sisters of Ty Mam Duw use the following format for their night prayer:  (1) Chaplet of Divine Mercy (2) Matins of the Divine Office (Office of the Readings) and (3) The Poor Clare Colettine Night Litany.

St. Colette is the patron saint of expectant mothers,
of those who long to conceive a child and of sick children.
 She is a healer of the sick.

This Moment Changes Everything

The moment of Profession is a specific moment. It doesn’t just happen. It is prepared for and is joyfully anticipated. It is specific, so that we know exactly what is happening and why. It is a moment not to be forgotten, whose impact is transformational and dictates all we do and say from the moment of profession on. Fr. Felice [Fr. Felice Cangelosi OFM Cap in Profession in the SFO: Gift and Commitment] says that it is the “foundational moment in the identity of the Professed.” This moment changes everything.

Source:  Fr. Richard Trezza, O.F.M., “Profession and the Secular Franciscan: Theological and Liturgical Foundations”  (FUN Manual)  

Terrorism and Just War Doctrine

From the United States to North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Maldives, Pakistan, Iran, Yemen and throughout the world, let us "strive to create conditions of life worthy of people redeemed by Christ."

Let us as a country increase humanitarian aid throughout the world and protect the persecuted from murder and brutality such as that going on in Iraq today. Let us respond militarily if the situation meets the standard of the Catholic just-war doctrine. Pope Francis and the Vatican have made it clear that the mass murder being committed by Islamic State terrorists meets that standard.

The brutality and murder by the evil terrorists in Iraq upon the people is one that plainly demands full action by the United Nations and the United States. By refraining to act we condone the acts of the terrorist. For our government to refrain from standing between Evil and the people of Iraq and other countries while stopping to consider the political impact upon the Democrat or Republican party or winning the next election or waiting to have meetings to consider whether or not to act reduce us as a country to sins of omission which are as great as the terrorist. If our failure to act results in the murder of one person in Iraq, are we not also guilty of murder?

My Christian brothers and sisters, we have much to pray about. Look to Pope Francis for direction during these troubling times.

JUST WAR DOCTRINE

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the just war doctrine:

2309. The strict conditions for legitimate defense by military force require rigorous consideration. The gravity of such a decision makes it subject to rigorous conditions of moral legitimacy. At one and the same time:

- the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain;

- all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective;

- there must be serious prospects of success;

- the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. The power of modern means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition.

These are the traditional elements enumerated in what is called the "just war" doctrine.

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a5.htm

Let Us Walk Among Them With Works of Mercy

On this August morning, let us who call ourselves Christian, with a gentle and courteous spirit, "accept all people as a gift of the Lord and an image of Christ." Church, if you are seeking to help the poor, let us individually and as churches begin in our own towns and neighborhoods. The poor - the needy - the suffering are among us and they need us every day. They need for us "to love our neighbor as ourselves." They need for us to walk among them, distributing loaves and fishes.

Let us show charity to our neighbors with corporal works of mercy:

Feed the hungry

Give drink to the thirsty

Clothe the naked

Shelter the homeless

Visit the sick

Visit the imprisoned

Bury the dead

Let us show charity to our neighbors with spiritual works of mercy:

Admonish the sinner

Instruct the ignorant

Counsel the doubtful

Comfort the sorrowful

Bear wrongs patiently

Forgive all injuries

Pray for the living and the dead

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church on works of mercy:

2447 The works of mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities. Instructing, advising, consoling, comforting are spiritual works of mercy, as are forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently. The corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead. Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God:

"He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none and he who has food must do likewise." [Luke 3:11] "But give for alms those things which are within; and behold, everything is clean for you." [Luke 11:41] "If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit?" [James 2:15-16]

Comment on U. S. News Article: The Catholic Supreme Court’s War on Women

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/Jamie-Stiehm/2014/01/07/the-catholic-supreme-courts-war-on-women

 

Per Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, this is perhaps the most bigoted attack on Catholicism that has appeared in decades by any mainstream media outlet. What set Jamie Stiehm off was Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor's decision to stay the Health and Human Services mandate from taking effect January 1.

As usual for this type of article, the author does not know up from down as to how the Supreme Court of US functions and how decisions are made, the meaning of the Reglion Clause of First Amendment to USC nor what faithful and devout Catholics believe and are required to follow. She seems to admire Catholic Pelosi who is very much out of step with the teachings of the Catholic Church as well as being grossly ignorant about the faith, morals, dogma, doctrine and the Magesterium of the Catholic Church. Actually, I thought Sonia was just another liberal Catholic like Pelosi. Perhaps she made her decision based on the Constitution and not on her Catholicism, no matter how weak.

I Want to Wish You a Merry Christmas

St. Francis (full movie)

St. Teresa of Avila - The Prayer of Recollection

Much to Mourn For

Although my heart goes out to all involved, the tragedy of Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman dwarfs alongside the deaths in bigger and more heartbreaking tragedies present in Black America.  There is a very high death rate among the Black population, especially the young, because of abortion, drugs, aids, and Black on Black murders.  Search pbs.org for aids in Black America and watch online "The House I Live In," for a start.  Please pray – there is much to mourn for. 

Pope Benedict XVI's Last Angelus

TEXT

Conception to Birth

The Lord Hears the Cry of the Poor

By John Foley, SJ

The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

Blessed be the Lord.

I will bless the Lord at all times,

his praise ever in my mouth.

Let my soul glory in the Lord,

who will hear the cry of the poor.

Let the lowly hear and be glad,

the Lord listens to their pleas;

and to hearts broken God is near,

who will hear the cry of the poor.

Ev’ry spirit crushed, God will save;

will be ransom for their lives;

will be safe shelter for their fears,

and will hear the cry of the poor.

We proclaim your greatness, oh God,

your praise ever in our mouth;

every face brightened in your light,

for you hear the cry of the poor.

(Source)

Most Holy Name of Jesus

“Glorious name, gracious name, name of love and of power! Through you sins are forgiven, through you enemies are vanquished, through you the sick are freed from their illness, through you those suffering in trials are made strong and cheerful. You bring honor to those who believe, you teach those who preach, you give strength to the toiler, you sustain the weary” (St. Bernardine of Siena).

Mary's Magnificat

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he who is mighty has done great things for me
and Holy is His name.

A Christmas Prayer

A Christmas Prayer

from Max Lucado

Dear Jesus,

It’s a good thing you were born at night. This world sure seems dark. I have a good eye for silver linings. But they seem dimmer lately.

These killings, Lord. These children, Lord. Innocence violated. Raw evil demonstrated.

The whole world seems on edge. Trigger-happy. Ticked off. We hear threats of chemical weapons and nuclear bombs. Are we one button-push away from annihilation?

Your world seems a bit darker this Christmas. But you were born in the dark, right? You came at night. The shepherds were nightshift workers. The Wise Men followed a star. Your first cries were heard in the shadows. To see your face, Mary and Joseph needed a candle flame. It was dark. Dark with Herod’s jealousy. Dark with Roman oppression. Dark with poverty. Dark with violence.

Herod went on a rampage, killing babies. Joseph took you and your mom into Egypt. You were an immigrant before you were a Nazarene.

Oh, Lord Jesus, you entered the dark world of your day. Won’t you enter ours? We are weary of bloodshed. We, like the wise men, are looking for a star. We, like the shepherds, are kneeling at a manger.

This Christmas, we ask you, heal us, help us, be born anew in us.

Hopefully,

Your Children

SAMUEL BARBER - Adagio for Strings, Op. 11

For Greater Glory: The True Story of the Cristeros

The Hole In Our Gospel

I am reading:  The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns, President of World Vision U.S.  Passages like Isaiah 58, Matthew 25, John 3:16-20, Job 29:11-17, Isaiah 61, 2 Corinthians 9:6-15, the Beatitudes, and so many others are jumping off the page, causing me to realize that there is a hole in our Gospel and I am strongly convicted.

Jesus had an expectation that we – his followers – not the government - should feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, care for the sick, clothe the naked and give shelter to the homeless.  That’s what he said.  I assume he meant it.

“ . . . I could see that all across the world people were crying out in desperation to God for help, for comfort; widows, orphans, the sick, the disabled, the poor and the exploited.  These millions of prayers were being lifted up to God, and we, each of us who claim to be His followers, were to be His answer.  We were the ones who would bring the “good news” of Christ to the poor in their suffering.  God has sent us.  This was the good news of the gospel – good news indeed for the poor.”  Stearns.

I WAS HUNGRY:  25,000 people die each day of hunger or its related causes – about 9 million people per year.

I WAS THIRSTY:  As many as five million people die every year of water-related illnesses.

I WAS SICK:  Three diseases alone – malaria, TB and AIDS – result in more than five million deaths per year and half a billion new infections, virtually all in the world’s poorest countries.  AIDS has left 15 million children orphans.

Almost ten million children will be dead in a year, before they reach the age of five, caused by birth complication, pneumonia, diarrheal diseases, neonatal (infant) illnesses, malaria, measles, AIDS, injuries, and other.

(Statistics from Hole in Our Gospel)

My concern is more for the poor in other countries where they are starving to death every day, where there is no clean water and they walk hours every day to haul water that is contaminated and is killing them, where little children have no clothes at all and others have only what they are wearing, where they live in unsanitary conditions on dirt floors or maybe with no shelter at all, where a tooth infection or wounds mean death and there is little to no medicine or medical help available, no food stamps, and no government support such as in the U.S.  These people in poor countries are beyond desperate – they are a living tragedy, making some of our poor look rich.  That being said, through World Vision, one may make contributions to help kids in U.S.

Litany for Liberty

Litany for Liberty

For use during the Fortnight for Freedom

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

This prayer may be prayed in a group setting led by a leader of prayer, who begins the

litany with the introduction and the announcement of each invocation, or if it is prayed

individually, the individual prays the entire prayer.

INTRODUCTION

Christ the Lord has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Let us turn to him in humble but fervent petition,

seeking the grace to root out from our hearts all trace of darkness,

and all that holds us back

from walking in the full freedom of the children of God.

As Christ is our great model for that inner freedom,

which enables us to do the right,

let us turn to him with confidence

that we, too, may follow him to the fullness of spiritual freedom.

(Litany for Liberty continued here:  Litany for Liberty)

Religious Freedom

"The challenge facing you, dear friends, is to increase people's awareness of the importance for society of religious freedom; to defend that freedom against those who would take religion out of the public domain and establish secularism as America's official faith. And it is vitally necessary for the very survival of the American experience, to transmit to the next generation the precious legacy of religious freedom and the convictions which sustain it."— Blessed John Paul II, 1995 Baltimore, Basilica of the Assumption