Advent 2015

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

Pray, Hope and Don't Worry

"I have often raised my hand in the silence of the night and in my solitary cell, blessing you all and presenting you to Jesus and to our father, St. Francis of Assisi.

In all the events of life, you must recognize the Divine will. Adore and bless it, especially in the things which are the hardest for you.

In my greatest sufferings, it seems to me that I no longer have a mother on this earth, but a very compassionate one in Heaven.

Remember that God is within us when we are in a state of grace and outside of us when we are in a state of sin; but His angel never abandons us. . . He is our most sincere and faithful friend even when we sadden him with our bad behavior.

Prayer is the best weapon we possess. It is the key that opens the heart of God.

You must always humble yourself lovingly before God and before men, because God speaks only to those who are truly humble and He enriches them with His gifts.

Humility and purity are the wings which carry us to God and make us almost divine.

Let us always keep before our eyes the fact that here on earth we are on a battlefield and that in paradise we shall receive the crown of victory; that this is a testing-ground and the prize will be awarded up above; that we are now in a land of exile while our true homeland is Heaven to which we must continually aspire.

Jesus will assist you and give you the grace to live a heavenly life and nothing whatever will be able to separate you from His love.

I remind you that I belong with great ardor to everyone and for this reason I am suffering immensely for all.

Hold on tightly to the Rosary. Be very grateful to the Madonna because it was she who gave us Jesus." - St. Pio

“Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?"

Jesus Heals Ten Men With Leprosy

Luke 17:11-19

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten persons with leprosy met him.  
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying,
“Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”
And when he saw them, he said,
“Go show yourselves to the priests.”
As they were going they were cleansed. 
And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.  He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
“Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine? 
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” 
Then he said to him, “Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you.”

"See Mother, I make all things new."

Christ, in "The Passion of the Christ", explaining to His mother the purpose of His passion.  The fulfillment of His mission; to restore humanity to Himself, forgive the sins of the repentant, and making everything new.

Why did you doubt?

Matthew 14:30-31 

30 But when he saw how [strong] the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith,* why did you doubt?”

Remember that the Lord said an evil generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given.  Trust that God is working things out for you, even though you can't see it or understand how.  That's not your concern. Only be assured that He is working, and He is.  

"Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!"

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 18:35-43. 

As Jesus approached Jericho a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging, and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening. They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." 
He shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!"
The people walking in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent, but he kept calling out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me!" 
Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him; and when he came near, Jesus asked him, 
What do you want me to do for you? He replied, "Lord, please let me see." 
Jesus told him, "Have sight; your faith has saved you." 
He immediately received his sight and followed him, giving glory to God. When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God.

Another example of faith, persistence in asking and prayer, and recognizing God in our midst. The man refused to be silent when calling out to Jesus.  He was persistent.  He kept asking. Then the Lord so tenderly asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?"

We need to keep asking also, to keep believing, and to keep trusting.

Mary, Undoer of Knots

Meditation for the Third Day of the Novena to Mary, Undoer of Knots

Meditating Mother, Queen of heaven, in whose hands the treasures of the King are found, turn your merciful eyes upon me today. I entrust into your holy hands this knot in my life [mention your request here] and all the rancor and resentment it has caused in me. I ask Your forgiveness, God the Father, for my sin. Help me now to forgive all the persons who consciously or unconsciously provoked this knot. Give me, also, the grace to forgive myself for having provoked this knot. Only in this way can You undo it. Before You, dearest Mother, and in the name of Your Son Jesus, my Savior, who has suffered so many offenses, having been granted forgiveness, I now forgive these persons [mention their names here] and myself, forever. Thank you, Mary, Undoer of Knots for undoing the knot of rancor in my heart and the knot which I now present to you.  Amen.