O My God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance and amend my life.
Amen.
December is the darkest month of the year. The days are shorter, and the dark hours take over the night. Waiting for the dawn of morning, we feel the renewal of a new hope.
Every year, my wife and I have an advent wreath. There are many symbols and rituals around the lighting of the candles. Four candles represent the weeks leading up to Christmas day and the lighting of the fifth candle for the Birth of Jesus Christ.
"The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and to the anniversary of Our Lord’s birth on Christmas." What is Advent? | USCCB
Waiting for the light of Christ gives us hope just as we wait for the dawn of a new day. And beyond Advent and Christmas, this hope will continue throughout the year as we are in constant preparation for the second coming of Christ.
What is preparation?
We must have our souls ready. We are both body and soul and when Christ comes again, He will be here to judge the depths of our souls to determine our worthiness to meet the Father in Heaven.
In the next few weeks, take the time to reflect in prayer and prepare for Christ's coming.
Photo - pixabay - fincayra0204
Morning Offering Prayer
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day
for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world,
for the salvation of souls, the reparation of sins, the reunion of all Christians,
and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father this month.
Amen.
1
Of David.
I
Bless the LORD, my soul;
all my being, bless his holy name!
2
Bless the LORD, my soul;
and do not forget all his gifts,
3
Who pardons all your sins,
and heals all your ills,
4
Who redeems your life from the pit,
and crowns you with mercy and compassion,
5
Who fills your days with good things,
so your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
II
6
The LORD does righteous deeds,
brings justice to all the oppressed.
7
He made known his ways to Moses,
to the Israelites his deeds.
8
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger, abounding in mercy.
9
He will not always accuse,
and nurses no lasting anger;
10
He has not dealt with us as our sins merit,
nor requited us as our wrongs deserve.
III
11
For as the heavens tower over the earth,
so his mercy towers over those who fear him.
12
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our sins from us.
13
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.
14
For he knows how we are formed,
remembers that we are dust.
15
As for man, his days are like the grass;
he blossoms like a flower in the field.
16
A wind sweeps over it and it is gone;
its place knows it no more.
17
But the LORD’s mercy is from age to age,
toward those who fear him.
His salvation is for the children’s children
18
of those who keep his covenant,
and remember to carry out his precepts.
IV
19
The LORD has set his throne in heaven;
his dominion extends over all.
20
Bless the LORD, all you his angels,
mighty in strength, acting at his behest,
obedient to his command.
21
Bless the LORD, all you his hosts,
his ministers who carry out his will.
22
Bless the LORD, all his creatures,
everywhere in his domain.
Bless the LORD, my soul!
I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
Glory Be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
Good comes from something bad.
This a simple statement that almost always holds true.
The Nashville school shooting and all the evil that took place on that day have caused a city and nation to unite in the after moments. And that one uniting thing is prayer.
In the last few days of watching and reading the latest updates, usually, someone will say, please continue praying for the victims of this tragic event. We have seen this so many times in the past how people are united in prayer.
If you are new to daily prayer, take this time to start, especially now, but continue to pray daily because there is always something to pray for.
Photo - pixabay - Godsgirl_madi
Top news concerns in no particular order:
These are just a few troubling news stories we should all be looking at.
I realize there will always be bad news every day, but it's usually just a couple of reports. Today is more than usual, and most of these have been ongoing.
Throughout history, events like these have occurred and have always come to an end, but not without a cost. We are at the point where the need for prayer is of the utmost importance.
Prayer is the most powerful act we can do, and when the world prays, change happens. Some might believe it has no effect, and those have little or no faith at all. Well, you cannot pray if you don't have faith and hope; they go together.
So, if you are concerned about some world news, maybe it's time to start your conversation with God and have a little faith.
Matthew 17:20
He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
Photo - pixabay - geralt
The latest report of fatalities from the earthquake is over 11,000.
Syria and Turkey were hit with a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. Aid coming into the country has been difficult because of the political borders. It seems the world reacts and wants to help, but politics is getting in the way. Disasters like this always unite the world because of the humanitarian effort to save lives, and time is of the essence. Every minute that goes by, someone is dying under the debris.
The amount of technology, structural engineers, and First Responders worldwide could quickly speed up the whole process.
Please pray for the folks in this region.
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy 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.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to be console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with Thee;
Blessed art thou among women,
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now and at the hour of our death. Amen
V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R. Be it done unto me according to thy word.
Hail Mary, etc.
V. And the Word was made Flesh.
R. And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary, etc.
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
LET US PRAY
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.
I believe in God the Father Almighty Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, And sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from hence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.
Prayer is essential; we should all be on our knees every day. We have become accustomed to physical actions, with activities and decisions made to get things done. We put a lot of time and money into changing things we cannot. We often forget God is the ultimate one who can change what we often struggle with in our human efforts. Prayer is easy. It doesn't require any education and can be done by anyone. Most people believe that God needs prayer, but this is not true. God does not need our prayers. God needs us to pray for our benefit, not his. He is the creator of the universe, and he knows exactly what our needs are. The world needs prayer now as evil prowls about seeking the ruin of souls. Prayer is our sword and shield.
The world seems to be going crazy. All the recent tragic events have been the root cause of evil. Everyone is trying to analyze the true causes and blame, but the real presence of demons is the real cause.
God did not create us to be evil. We are born into this world as good as God intended, but evil does exist and influences the world.
We must pray every day to guard against evil.
St. Michael Prayer
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, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits, who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
I'm looking forward to the Spring and Summer months. It is a time for renewal, like most folks will do in January with resolutions. The outdoors is being renewed daily; something new is growing and thriving, and the critters are multiplying.
I try to renew myself every morning - the start of a new day because yesterday was history. I will admit it has been difficult with all the bad news, and I have expressed much of that here. And too much bad news makes it challenging to have a positive outlook daily. Most of the information we get is fed to us - not much of choice. I realize some folks only get their news once daily, and the odds of getting some good news are slim. So, you must try searching for good news and renewing yourself in several ways.
First, try to find some good sources online for the good news content that works for you, social media pages, hashtags, blogs, or websites, and go there every day.
The second is to establish a prayer life. Connect with your Creator, read the Bible, reciting your prayers at a minimum in the morning and evening. Re-connect/Renew your relationship with God daily.
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"
- Charles Dickens -
Does anyone feel like we are going through both good and bad times?
I try to have those days of hopefulness; some days are really good and then the next day it seems to vanish and the reality of the worst of times settles in for the remainder of day. And I go back to 2019/2020 it was like someone flip a switch and everything drastically changed overnight.
At this moment, news reports of mask mandates possibility being lifted, some local governments are working on cutting taxes to ease the cost of inflation. People are getting out more going to sporting or music events. But then you hear the reports of doom and gloom of war, food shortages, and mass migrations of illegal immigrants crossing the US border.
I think we are at the point of just taking one day at a time, to enjoy those brief moments where all seems right with the world. And for those bad times, just pray to God and hope for the best.
photo - Alexas_Fotos - pixabay
Sunday Thoughts
I share my thoughts here often about political opinions, and how our country is going in the wrong direction. But, I need to share few good opinions about the spiritual life and Sunday is an appropriate day to share in my faith.
The Bible is our best compass to guild us in the right direction in matters of faith. We can always reference the various books in this ancient collection of God's Word to apply its principles and values in todays world. Another source, are writings from the Saints these are the inspirations of ordinary people who became extraordinary followers of Jesus Christ.
And, one of the more important practices of living a life with God is prayer. We have our day to day routines whether its going to school, work, or living the retired life. Prayer life is our connection to God and without it makes us vulnerable to the evil that exist in world, it is our battle shield.
The Bible, Saints, and regular daily prayer are just a small part of living the spiritual life. Faith in Jesus Christ is the single most important practice we should do everyday.