With Grateful Hearts

With Grateful Hearts

With grateful hearts

we contemplate

the beauty of the world.

The sunsets, mountains and beaches,

its flowers and its wildlife.

The mysteries of creation are too great to understand.

With Grateful hearts we thank you Lord for each and every day.

With grateful hearts we thank you Lord

for our family and our friends.

They bring us both joy and companionship.

For all who are near and dear to us, whether near or far,

With grateful hearts, 

We thank you Lord for the priceless gift of Love.

With grateful hearts we thank you Lord

for the journey we call life.

The twists and turns, the ups and downs

both victories and defeat.

With grateful hearts we thank you Lord

for walking at our side,

always present, always loving,

showing us the way.

With grateful hearts we thank you Lord

for your mercy and your love.

Always kind and forgiving

planting seeds of love and wisdom

Helping us to grow.

With Grateful Hearts, We Thank you Lord.

Feast Days and Saint of the Day; DECEMBER CALENDAR

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Dec. 1…Bl. Charles de Foucould...France…Martyr…Patron Saint of diocesan priests

Dec. 2...St. Bibiana...Rome…Martyr

Dec. 3…St. Francis Xavier...Spain…Co-Founder of the Jesuits…Patron Saint of foreign missions…Incorrupt

Dec. 4…St. John Damascene...Demascus…Doctor of the Church              St. Barbara…Patron against sudden death

Dec. 5…St.Sabas...Cappadocia….priest and monk

Dec. 6…St. Nicholas...Bishop of Myra…Patron Saint of children, sailors, and bakers.

Dec. 7…St. Ambrose…Bishop of Milan…Doctor and Father of the Church.,.Patron Saint of bee keepers

Dec. 8…Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary…Patron Saint of Brazil and the United States.

Dec. 9…St. Juan Diego…Mexico City…Visionary

Dec. 10…St. Gregory III...Syria…Bishop of Rome…

Dec. 11…St. Damasus I…Bishop of Rome

Dec. 12…Our Lady of Guadalupe...Mexico City…Patron Saint of the Americas.

Dec. 13…St. Lucy…Sicily…Patron Saint of the blind and visually impaired…Martyr

Dec. 14…St. John of the Cross...Spain…Mystic…Carmelite…Patron of mystics…Doctor of the Church

Dec. 15…St. Maria Di Rosa...Italy…Servants of Charity

Dec. 16…St. Adelaide...Burgundy…Patron Saint of abuse victims and brides.

Dec. 17…St. Olympias...Constantinople…widow and deaconess

Dec. 18…Bl. Anthony Grassi...Italy…Oratorian Father…

Dec. 19…St. Thomas De & Companions…Vietnam…Dominican…Martyr

Dec. 20...St. Dominic of Silos…Spain…Benedictine…Patron Saint of pregnant women, shepherds and prisoners

Dec. 21…St. Peter Canisius...Holland. and Germany..Jesuit priest…Doctor of the Church…Patron Saint of the Catholic Press,

Dec. 22…St. Flavian...Patriarch of Constantinople…Martyr

Dec. 23…St. John Cantius...Poland…Priest

Dec. 24…St. Emiliana & Tarsila..Italy…Sisters

Dec. 25…Feast of the Nativity…Birth of Jesus…Christmas

Dec. 26...St. Stephen…Disciple of Jesus…First Martyr

Dec. 27…St. John the Evangelist...Apostle…Patron of writers, editors, and publishers

Dec. 28…The Holy Innocents...Bethlehem…Martyrs

Dec. 29…St. Thomas Becket…Normandy…Archbishop of Canterbury…Martry

Dec. 30…St. John Alcober …Granada…China…Dominican Priest…Martyr

Dec. 31…St. Sylvester I...Bishop of Rome

 

Nativity

Feast Days and Saint of the Day; NOVEMBER CALENDAR

1   All Saints Day

2.  All Soul’s Day

3.   St. Martin de Porres…Peru…Dominican…Incorrupt

4.   St. Charles Borromeo…Bishop of Milan…Oblates of St. Ambrose

5.   St. Elizabeth...  relative of Virgin Mary

6.   St. Theophane Venard...France…Vietnam…Missionary…Martyr

7.  St. Carina and her companions...Martyr

8.    St.  Elizabeth of the Trinity…France…Carmelite…Patron Saint of the sick and the loss of parents

9.    Dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome…Pope’s cathedral

10.   St. Leo the Great...Bishop of Rome…Doctor of the church

11.   St. Martin of Tours...Bishop…Patron Saint of soldiers and beggars.

12.  St. Josephat…Poland…Martyr…Bishop…Incorrupt

13…St. Frances Cabrini...Italy…U.S…Patron Saint of immigrants, orphans and against malaria…Incorrupt..Sisters of the Sacred Heart

14,  St. Laurence O’Toole…Ireland…Bishop

15.  St. Albert the Great...Germany…patron saint of scientists and philosophers…Dominican…Bishop…Doctor of the Church

16.  St. Gertrude the Great...Germany…Patron Saint of West Indies, Nuns and travelers…Benedictine…Mystic

17,  St. Elizabeth of Hungary...Third Order Franciscan…Patron Saint of widows, charities, bakers and young brides.

18,  St. Rose Philippine Duchasne…France…U.S.A….Patron Saint of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Missouri

19,  Bl. Raphael Kalnowski…Poland…Carmelite

20,  St. Edmund...King of East Angles…Martyr…Patron Saint of kings and against plaque and torture

21,  Presentation of the Virgin Mary...Jerusalem

22,  St. Cecelia...Rome…Patron Saint of musicians…Martyr

23.  St. Clement of Rome...Bishop of Rome…Martyr

24.  St. Andrew Dung and companions...Vietnam…Martyr

25.  St. Catherine of Alexandria…Egypt…Martyr…Patron Saint of Christian philosophers, teachers and librarians

26.  St. John Berchomans...Belgium…Patron Saint of altar boys.

27.  Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal...Vision in France

28.  St. Catherine Laboure’...France….Visionary…Incorrupt

29.  Bl. Denis of the Nativity...France…Carmelite Priest…Martyr

30.  St. Andrew...Apostle…Brother of Simon Peter…Patron Saint of Fishermen, Russia, Scotland, and Greece

Crucifixion of St. Andrew the Apostle by Mattia Petri

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Juan Diego, Feast Day December 9




 St. Juan Diego

 

The feast day of St. Juan Diego is celebrated on December 9. Juan was born in a ward of Tlayacac in Cuauhtitlan. His birth name was Cuauhtlatzin, which means “The talking eagle”. He was a farmer and a weaver. He is the first indigenous American Saint.

After the arrival of the Franciscans, Juan and his wife, Maria Lucia, converted to the Catholic faith in 1524-1525. Juan was baptized by Father Peter da Gand at the age of 50. He and his wife moved closer to Mexico City to be closer to the Franciscan Catholic Mission.

Juan had a special devotion to the Eucharist. In 1529, several years after his conversion, Maria Lucia died. As a widower, he walked 15 miles three times a week to attend Mass and receive the Eucharist.

One Saturday, on Dec. 9, as he was walking to Mass, a woman’s voice called out to him as he passed Tepeyac Hill. He heard music and saw a cloud encircled by a rainbow. Our Lady appeared to him dressed as an Aztec princess. She told him she was The Virgin Mary and asked him to tell the bishop to build a church on that site. She said to him;

“I vividly desire that a church be built on this site, so that in it I can be present and give my love, compassion, help and defense, for I am your most devoted mother….to hear your laments and to remedy all your miseries, pains, and sufferings.”

When he told the bishop what had happened, the bishop was kind, but skeptical. He requested proof. Before Juan could return to the site, he learned his uncle was dying. On his way to see his uncle, Our Lady appeared to him again, telling him his uncle had been cured. She told Juan to climb to the top of the hill where she had first appeared. When he did this he was shocked to find flowers growing in the frozen earth. He gathered them in his cloak and took them to the bishop. When he opened his cloak, the flowers that fell to the ground were Castilian roses (not native to Mexico). The bishop saw a glowing image of Our Lady imprinted inside Juan’s cloak. This is referred to as The Miracle of the Roses.

Soon after, a church was built at the site. In the seven years following the building of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, six million people converted to the church because of the apparition. Twenty million pilgrims visit the Basilica yearly, second only to St. Peters Basilica in Rome.

An investigation by the Vatican (which included thirty researchers) confirmed that Juan Diego was not a mythical character.

Pope John Paul II praised St. Juan Diego for his simple faith who said to the Virgin Mary,

“I am a nobody, I am a small rope, a tiny ladder, the tail end, a leaf”

Pope John Paul II called him a model of humility.

Our Lady of Guadalupe has been declared the patroness of the Americas.

St. Juan Diego lived the rest of his life as a hermit in a hut near the church, caring for both the church and the first pilgrims.

St. Juan Diego died on May 30, 1548.

The Cloak of Juan Diego was framed and is on display at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It is still intact, showing no signs of decay after nearly five hundred years.

The feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated on Dec. 12th.

 

God calls and chooses us in the way we will be most pleasing to Him.

Quote of St. Catherine of Sienna;  Feast Day April 29

 

December is the Month of the Divine Infancy

 

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Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Immaculate Conception of Mary, Feast Day December 8




 

The Immaculate Conception
by Padre Manuel

 

The Feast day of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated on Dec. 8 during the season of Advent.  The feast day celebrates the belief that Mary was conceived without the stain of original sin. It is often misunderstood as the celebration of the conception of Jesus.

Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception is the Patron Saint of Brazil and the United States.

 

The feast day became a celebration for the universal church in the 18th century. Pope Pius IX declare;

“The most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin.”

Mary herself confirmed her title to St. Bernadette saying to her;

” I am the Immaculate Conception.”

The largest Marian shrine in the U S. is the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception located in Washington D.C.

Just as Eve was conceived without sin, Mary also was conceived without sin. Mary is considered, ‘the new Eve’.

Rather than disobeying God, Mary said,  “Let it be.”

 

Purer than heaven’s purest angels, brighter than its brightest seraph:

Mary, after her Creator, God, made her and gave her all,

the most perfect of beings, the masterpiece of Infinite Wisdom,

Almighty Power and Eternal Love.

To such a being we cannot reasonably suppose that

a perfection was denied her which had been already

gratuitously bestowed on inferior creatures;

on the angelic spirits.

Quote of St. John N. Newmann; Feast day January 5

The Immaculate Conception in Art

 

December is the Month of the Divine Infancy

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Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Feast Day Nov. 27


The feast day of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal is celebrated on November 27.

 

The miraculous medal was the result of visions which occurred to St. Catherine Laboure’. She was born in 1806 in Paris, France. After having a dream about St. Vincent de Paul, she joined the Daughters of Charity which was founded by him. She is known as a Marian visionary because of the apparitions which she reported appearing to her.

On July 18, the first apparition occurred. Catherine saw a lady seated in the sanctuary. She approached her and was instructed how she was to act during times of trial, pointing to the altar for consolation. Mary told her,

“Sorrows will come upon France; the throne will be overthrown.”

A week later the French revolution began in Paris.

On Nov. 27, the lady showed St. Catherine the Medal of the Immaculate Conception, now known as the “Miraculous Medal” .  She gave Catherine the mission of having the medal made and to spread devotion to it.

Catherine reported the visions to her spiritual director, Father Aladal.   Forty five years later, she spoke fully to her supervisors about the apparitions.

The miraculous medal which Mary showed to Catherine was oval showing Mary standing on a globe crushing the head of the serpent. (the devil). Around the image of Mary were the words

“O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.”

Mary’s hands were showering a cascade of brilliant rays upon the world.

On the reverse side of the medal was a cross, the symbol of Christ’s redeeming Sacrifice on Mount Calvary for the salvation of the world. The cross was intertwined with the letter “M”.

The “M” stands for both Mary and for Mother and was to be surrounded by twelve stars. The two hearts are the Sacred Heart of Jesus encircled by a crown of thorns and the Immaculate  Heart of Mary, pierced by a sword. The Flames symbolize the burning love of Jesus and Mother Mary.

Mary told Catherine,

“All who wear them will receive great graces.”

After two years of investigation Father Aladal went to the archbishop with the request. The request was approved.

At Catherine’s death, on December 31, 1876, at the age of 70, few people knew of her visions. She preferred a silent life, spending her time caring for the aged and sick.

The first two-thousand medals were delivered on June 30, 1832. The spread of the Medal was almost like a miracle in itself. The first supply disappeared quickly. Pope Gregory XVI put one of them at the foot of the crucifix on his desk. By 1836 several million medals had been made. The stories of the cures and wonders of the medal helped to spread its use far and wide.

The Miraculous Medal is considered a sacramental.  Sacramentals lead a person to prayer which opens the person to the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Sacramentals can be material things such as blessed objects, such as scapulars, rosaries, crucifixes, medals, or Holy Water.  It can also be actions such as the Sign of the Cross, genuflection, and prayer.

The following explanation of sacramentals is from the Catholic Catechism.

1667 “Holy Mother Church has, moreover, instituted sacramentals. These are sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments. They signify effects, particularly of a spiritual nature, which are obtained through the intercession of the Church. By them men are disposed to receive the chief effect of the sacraments, and various occasions in life are rendered holy.”17

1670 Sacramentals do not confer the grace of the Holy Spirit in the way that the sacraments do, but by the Church’s prayer, they prepare us to receive grace and dispose us to cooperate with it. “For well-disposed members of the faithful, the liturgy of the sacraments and sacramentals sanctifies almost every event of their lives with the divine grace which flows from the Paschal mystery of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ. From this source all sacraments and sacramentals draw their power. There is scarcely any proper use of material things which cannot be thus directed toward the sanctification of men and the praise of God.”176

Most Holy Virgin Mary…

Sanctuary of the Holy Spirit,

Lily of purity, Rose of patience,

Paradise of delight, Mirror of chastity,

Model of innocence…intercede

for this poor banished pilgrim.

Quote of St. Peter of Alcantara; Feast day October 19

Miraculous Medal FrontMiraculous Medal Back

our-lady-of-the-miraculous-medal-paper-prayer-card-with-verse55649lg

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

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Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Cecelia, Feast Day November 22




The feast day of St. Cecelia is celebrated on November 22.  She is a martyr and the patron saint of musicians.

 

St. Cecelia by Guarino
St. Cecelia
by Guarino

 

 

St. Cecelia was born in Rome to an esteemed family late in the first century. She lived a life of prayer. She was given in marriage to a young pagan named Valerian. Cecelia shared her promise of celibacy and consecration to God with her husband. During the wedding, it is said that she sat apart, singing to God in her heart with thanksgiving.

Valerian converted to Christianity and he honored her desire to remain a virgin. He helped Cecilia in her charity toward the poor. Because of this, he was arrested and put to death.

Almachius, the Prefect of Rome, feared her nobility and charity to the poor. He had her imprisoned in the steam bath of her own home, trying to suffocate her. After a full day and night in stifling steam, Cecilia survived without harm. This resulted in Almachius sending an executioner to behead her. She was struck three times, but she was not beheaded. She fell to the floor. After several days of bleeding in her own bath, Christians rushed in to help her. On the third morning the venerable Bishop Urban visited Cecilia. As she lay dying, she requested that her palace be made into a church for the poor. She died praying, after receiving the Eucharist. Her body was buried in the Catacomb of Saint Callistus.  The year of her death is unknown bu it is believed  her martyrdom took place during  the pontificate of Urban I (222-230).

In 817, her tomb was discovered by Pope Paschal I. Her body was one of the first of over a hundred saints whose bodies were discovered to be incorrupt. Her body remained as it was when she died. Her relics were put into the crypt in the Church of Santa Cecilia in Trasrevere. When her tomb was opened in 1599, her body was perfectly incorrupt. Her neck still had marks of being struck with a sword.

St. Cecelia is the patron saint of musicians, because of the zeal with which she sang the divine praises of thanksgiving. Her spirituality included a love of music. St. Cecilia is often venerated in poetry and music.

 

“To sing is to pray twice.”

St. Augustine; Feast day August 28

St. Cecelia in Art

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

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Messages of Hope from the Saints

Messages of Hope from the Saints

The following quotes are messages from the saints to encourage during times of trouble.

St. Faustina
Public Domain Image
Hope is the lifeline that connects us to God’s mercy and grace.

St. Faustina

St. Augustine
There is no love without hope, no hope without love, and neither hope nor love without faith.

St. Augustine

Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names are Anger and Courage.  Anger at the way things are,  and courage to see that they do.

St. Augustine

He who loves the coming of the Lord is not he who affirms it is far off nor is it he who says it is near, but rather he who, who whether it be far off or near, awaits with sincere faith, steadfast hope and fervent love.

St. Augustine

For in our Hope we are saved.

St. Augustine

Hope is the dream of a waking man.

St. Augustine

St. Bernard of Clairvaux
Public Domain Image
Hope is the gift that God bestows on those who seek Him with a sincere heart.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux

St. Padre Pio
Public Domain Image
Pray, hope and don’t worry!  Worry is useless.  God is merciful and will hear your prayer.

St. Padre Pio

I feel a great desire to abandon myself with greater trust to the Divine Mercy and to place my hope in God alone.

St. Padre Pio

St. Francis of Assisi
Public Domain Image
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love.  where there is injury, pardon. where there is doubt, faith, where there is despair, hope, where there is darkness, light. and where there is sadness, joy.

St. Francis of Assisi

Hope is the key that unlocks the door of possibilities.

St. Francis of Assisi

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Faith lifts the soul.  Hope supports it.  Experience says it must and Love says, “Let it be?”

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

St. Ignatius Loyola
Public Domain Image
Hope is the sign of a soul that trusts in God’s promises.

St. Ignatius of Loyola

St. Leo the Great

The cross of Christ is the true ground and chief cause of Christian hope.

St. Leo the Great

St. Bonaventure
Public Domain Image
Hope is the beacon that shines in the darkness reminding us of God’s love.

St. Bonaventure

St. Thomas Aquinas
Public Domain Image
Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you.

St. Thomas Aquinas  

Hope is the anchor of the soul.

St. Thomas Aquinas

St. Maria Goretti
Public Domain Image
He loves, he hopes, he waits.  Our Lord prefers to wait for the sinner for years rather than keep us waiting for an instant.

St. Maria Goretti

St. John of the Cross
Live in faith and hope, though it be in darkness, for in this darkness God protects the soul.  Cast your care upon God for you are His and He will not forget you.  Do not think that He is leaving you alone, for that would be to wrong Him.

St. John of the Cross

St. Therese of Lisieux
Public Domain Image
God would never inspire me with dreams which cannot be realized!  So in spite of my littleness, I can Hope to be a saint.

St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Teresa of Avila
Public Domain Image
Hope is the virtue that sustains us in times of trial.

St. Teresa of Avila

St. Jane Frances de Chantal
Public Domain Image
Hope is the seed that grows into a flourishing garden of faith and love.

St. Jane Frances de Chantel

St. Jerome and the Angel
by Simon Vouet
Public Domain Image
Hope is the courage to trust in God’s plan, even when it seems uncertain.

St. Jerome

St. John Paul II
Public Domain Image
Although I have lived through much darkness, I have seen enough evidence to be unshakably convinced that no difficulty, no fear is so great that it can completely suffocate the hope that springs eternal in the hearts of the young…Do not let that hope die!  Stake your lives on it!  We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures, we are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of His Son.

St. John Paul II

The cross means there is no shipwreck without hope.  There is no dark without dawn, no storm without haven.

St. John Paul II

Apart from the mercy of God, there is no other source of hope for mankind.

St. John Paul II

To humanity, which sometimes seems to be lost and dominated by the power of evil, selfishness and fear, the risen Lord gives the gift of His love which forgives, reconciles and reopens the soul to hope.

St. John Paul II

Believers know that the presence of evil is always accompanied by the presence of good… by grace…Where evil grows, there the hope for good also grows…In the love that pours forth from the heart of Christ, we find hope for the future of the world.  Christ has redeemed the world.  By His wounds we are healed.  Isaiah 53:5

St. John Paul II

I plead with you…never ever give up on hope, never doubt, never tire, and never become discouraged.  Be not afraid.

St. John Paul II

 

Praying with Psalm 23 Trust in God

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.

Lost and confused?   Seek God…TRUST God

Fear no evil……God Protects

God servesYou set the table before me.

My cup overflows.

Goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life.

I am not alone…God is with me.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
    He makes me lie down in green pastures.
he leads me beside still waters;[a]
    he restores my soul.[b]
He leads me in right paths[c]
    for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,[d]
    I fear no evil,
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely[e] goodness and mercy[f] shall follow me
all the days of my life,

Music recommended:

Shepherd me o God

Marty Haugen

 

 

New Year Blessing

 

May peace fall like snowflakes on our wounded world.

May the New Year bring rest and healing for all those who suffer.

Wash me… make me whiter than snow.

May joy and happiness once again fill our hearts.

May the lost be found and serenity reign.

May we all say goodbye to the pain of the past.

The New Year is here…finally…at last!

The road is long and sometimes filled with pain.

May we learn from mistakes and begin again.

Out with the old and in with the new!

May our journey be upward …may all be renewed!

Blessings to all…may our faith only grow.

May the Peace of Our Lord be with us this year!

Help Me to Forgive

 

 

God of Love, God of Mercy,

Help me to forgive.

 

I have been wronged; I have been hurt.

I feel angry and bitter.

Help me to forgive.

 

God of Love, God of Mercy

Help me to forgive.

Not only are you the God of Love and the God of Mercy;

You are also the God of Truth and the God of Justice.

Help me to forgive.

 

God of Truth, God of Justice

I put this matter into Your hands.

Only YOU can see into people’s hearts.

Only YOU know the entire Truth.

Help me to forgive.

 

God of Love, God of Mercy

lift my anger, lift my bitterness.

Replace it with compassion.

Replace it with trust in YOU.

Help me to forgive.

 

God of Truth, God of Justice

lead all souls to repentance.

Help me to forgive.

 

as I ask to be forgiven by You

for all I have done wrong.

 

Grant all who seek YOU with a sincere heart…

Forgiveness, Peace, Love, Mercy and Trust in YOU.

AMEN

Discovering the Spirituality of Catholicism