BarbTherese Posted March 31, 2023 Author Share Posted March 31, 2023 (edited) By Jodi M. Kucera The Lord Is With Us In The Valley I'm frightened by the enormity of the mountains that surround me, Blinded by the darkness of troubles of which the end I cannot see. I'm drowning in worry and my soul is weary, These burdens I can no longer carry. This is known as "The Valley," a place of deep despair, With no hope in sight, I fall to my knees in prayer. "Lord, this journey is too hard, and I feel so alone, And I'm so afraid of all the unknowns." The Lord took me by the hand, And in that moment, he helped me to understand. He said, "My child, though the valley can be painful, it is a place of beauty, For it's in these moments you experience me fully. It's here where I hear your cries, And where faithlessness dies. It's a place of low-lying rivers where your thirst can be quenched, And green pastures that offer you a place to reflect. It's a place where I'll carry you when you can't take another step, And I'll tell you about the tears I collected as you wept. It's a place where you'll learn perseverance, And one where you'll discover your purpose. It's a journey where testimonies are made, And one where when you look back, you will sing my praise. So, no matter how painful, look for the beauty; just open your eyes, For it is then that you'll see me walking by your side." Edited March 31, 2023 by BarbTherese Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted March 31, 2023 Author Share Posted March 31, 2023 Personally, I think that SOLVE is not my preferred word, I prefer FULLY UNDERSTAND. Evil can only be solved with the Second Coming of Jesus. My brother (my carer)*** and I have an appointment on Monday 3rd April next week (we have just been informed) with the multi disciplinary clinic. It means that my numerous health problems are addressed in the Pain Clinic's Multi Disciplinary Clinic of about 5 or 6 specialist-types present. I don't think they could have the MRI result as yet. ***My son is my other carer, but he has now returned to his home state. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted March 31, 2023 Author Share Posted March 31, 2023 (edited) From Divine Office (General Calendar) Saturday 1st April 2023 - 5th Week LENT Morning Prayer https://universalis.com/20230401/lauds.htm Evening Prayer https://universalis.com/20230401/vespers.htm Night Prayer https://universalis.com/20230401/compline.htm Second Reading - OFFICE OF READINGS Saturday 1st April 2023 https://universalis.com/20230401/readings.htm From a sermon by Saint Gregory Nazianzen We are soon going to share in the Passover We are soon going to share in the Passover, and although we still do so only in a symbolic way, the symbolism already has more clarity than it possessed in former times because, under the law, the Passover was, if I may dare to say so, only a symbol of a symbol. Before long, however, when the Word drinks the new wine with us in the kingdom of his Father, we shall be keeping the Passover in a yet more perfect way, and with deeper understanding. He will then reveal to us and make clear what he has so far only partially disclosed. For this wine, so familiar to us now, is eternally new. It is for us to learn what this drinking is, and for him to teach us. He has to communicate this knowledge to his disciples, because teaching is food, even for the teacher. So let us take our part in the Passover prescribed by the law, not in a literal way, but according to the teaching of the Gospel; not in an imperfect way, but perfectly; not only for a time, but eternally. Let us regard as our home the heavenly Jerusalem, not the earthly one; the city glorified by angels, not the one laid waste by armies. We are not required to sacrifice young bulls or rams, beasts with horns and hoofs that are more dead than alive and devoid of feeling; but instead, let us join the choirs of angels in offering God upon his heavenly altar a sacrifice of praise. We must now pass through the first veil and approach the second, turning our eyes towards the Holy of Holies. I will say more: we must sacrifice ourselves to God, each day and in everything we do, accepting all that happens to us for the sake of the Word, imitating his passion by our sufferings, and honouring his blood by shedding our own. We must be ready to be crucified. If you are a Simon of Cyrene, take up your cross and follow Christ. If you are crucified beside him like one of the thieves, now, like the good thief, acknowledge your God. For your sake, and because of your sin, Christ himself was regarded as a sinner; for his sake, therefore, you must cease to sin. Worship him who was hung on the cross because of you, even if you are hanging there yourself. Derive some benefit from the very shame; purchase salvation with your death. Enter paradise with Jesus, and discover how far you have fallen. Contemplate the glories there, and leave the other scoffing thief to die outside in his blasphemy. If you are a Joseph of Arimathea, go to the one who ordered his crucifixion, and ask for Christ’s body. Make your own the expiation for the sins of the whole world. If you are a Nicodemus, like the man who worshipped God by night, bring spices and prepare Christ’s body for burial. If you are one of the Marys, or Salome, or Joanna, weep in the early morning. Be the first to see the stone rolled back, and even the angels perhaps, and Jesus himself. EUCHARISTIC ADORATION - LIVE ONLINE Edited March 31, 2023 by BarbTherese Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted March 31, 2023 Author Share Posted March 31, 2023 May 1st - Feast ST JOSEPH THE WORKER lst May - Feast St Joseph the Worker - and - International Workers' Day Great Saint Joseph! Son of David, Foster father of our Lord, Spouse of Mary ever virgin, Keeping o'er them watch and ward! In the stable thou didst guard them With a father's loving care; Thou by God's command didst save them From the cruel Herod's snare. Three long days in grief and anguish With His Mother sweet and mild, Mary Virgin, didst thou wander Seeking the beloved Child. In the temple thou didst find Him: Oh! What joy then filled thy heart! In thy sorrows, in thy gladness Grant us, Joseph, to have a part. Clasped in Jesus' arms and Mary's, When death gently came at last, Thy pure spirit sweetly sighing From its earthly dwelling passed. Dear Saint Joseph! By that passing May our death be like to thine; And with Jesus, Mary, Joseph, May our souls forever shine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted April 1, 2023 Author Share Posted April 1, 2023 (edited) A HOLY HOUR Saturday 1st May 2023 If one takes what appears below slowly, pausing reflectively where something might strike one, with pauses for silent prayer, this entire Post will take up far more than an hour. Simply take out of this post what one considers will cover one hour. What one gives emphasis to will continue; hence, with distractions don't try to fight them or ignore them, don't give any attention/focus to them at all and they just pass. Virtual Sorrowful Mysteries of The Rosary (One can pray the prayers with the video, simply listen quietly contemplating or meditating on the particular mystery........or simply attend or listen in Peaceful Quiet.) OFFICE OF READINGS 1ST MAY 2023 SIGN OF THE CROSS:............. O God, come to our aid. O Lord, make haste to help us. 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. Hymn Lord, who throughout these forty days for us didst fast and pray, teach us with thee to mourn our sins, and close by thee to stay. As thou with Satan didst contend and didst the victory win, O give us strength in thee to fight, in thee to conquer sin. As thou didst hunger bear, and thirst, so teach us, gracious Lord, to die to self, and chiefly live by thy most holy word. And through these days of penitence, and through thy Passiontide, yea, evermore in life and death, Jesus, with us abide. Abide with us, that so, this life of suffering overpast, an Easter of unending joy we may attain at last. Psalm 104 (105) The Lord is faithful to his promises Sing to the Lord; tell all his wonderful works. Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his name; proclaim his works among the peoples. Sing and make music to him and reflect on all the wonders he has performed. Glory in his holy name, let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Seek the Lord in his power, always seek his face. Remember the wonders he performed, his miracles and the judgements he has uttered. Seed of Abraham, his servants, children of Jacob, his chosen ones. The Lord himself is our God, his rule extends over the whole earth. He has always remembered his covenant, that he made to last a thousand generations, the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac. He made it a decree for Jacob, an eternal covenant for Israel, saying “I will give you Canaan and measure it out as your inheritance.” Although they were few in number, a handful of wanderers, although they were travelling from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another, he let no harm come to them, he rebuked kings in their defence: “do not touch my anointed ones, do no harm to my prophets.” 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. Sing to the Lord; tell all his wonderful works. Psalm 104 (105) The Lord did not forget the just man who was sold as a slave: he released him from the power of sinful men. The Lord called down famine upon the land, he ground away every stick of bread. He had sent a man to them, Joseph, and he was sold as a slave. They confined his feet in fetters and put a ring around his neck – until the Lord’s word came, the Lord spoke and justified him. The king sent for him and released him – the ruler of the peoples set him free. He set him to rule over his house, made him lord of all his possessions, so that he could make the princes as wise as himself and teach wisdom to the elders. 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. The Lord did not forget the just man who was sold as a slave: he released him from the power of sinful men. Psalm 104 (105) The Lord remembered his holy word, and he brought out his people with joy. And so Israel passed into Egypt and Jacob lived in the country of Ham. The Lord made his people grow enormously and strengthened them against their enemies. Then he turned the hearts of men against his chosen people, so that they hated them and made plots against them. He sent Moses, his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen. He made them prophesy the signs and prodigies he would work in the land of Ham. He sent shadows and darkness, but they would not listen to his words. He turned their rivers into blood, killing all the fish. Frogs ate up the earth, even in the secret gardens of the palaces. He summoned flies and insects throughout the land. He sent stones of hail and fire to devastate their land. He struck their vines and their fig-trees, broke down the trees of their country. He spoke, and locusts came, and worms without number: they ate all the grain of the land, consumed all of the fruit. He struck down the first-born of their land, the flower of all their strength. He led his people out with silver and gold; not a single one of them stumbled. Egypt rejoiced to see them go, to see the last of the people they feared. He sent a cloud to protect them, and fire to light up their nights. When they asked for food, he sent them quails and bread from heaven, to quench their hunger. He split the rock, and water flowed: in the dry places, rivers ran. For he remembered his holy word, given to Abraham his servant. He led out his people in exultation, his chosen ones in gladness. He gave them the territory of the nations, the fruits of the labours of the peoples. All this he did so that they would keep his decrees and follow his laws. 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. The Lord remembered his holy word, and he brought out his people with joy. ℣. The man who lives by the truth comes into the light. ℟. So that his good works may be seen. First ReadingHebrews 8:1-13 © Christ’s priesthood in the New Covenant The great point of all that we have said is that we have a high priest of exactly this kind. He has his place at the right of the throne of divine Majesty in the heavens, and he is the minister of the sanctuary and of the true Tent of Meeting which the Lord, and not any man, set up. It is the duty of every high priest to offer gifts and sacrifices, and so this one too must have something to offer. In fact, if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are others who make the offerings laid down by the Law and these only maintain the service of a model or a reflection of the heavenly realities. For Moses, when he had the Tent to build, was warned by God who said: See that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain. We have seen that he has been given a ministry of a far higher order, and to the same degree it is a better covenant of which he is the mediator, founded on better promises. If that first covenant had been without a fault, there would have been no need for a second one to replace it. And in fact God does find fault with them; he says: See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks – when I will establish a new covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah, but not a covenant like the one I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. They abandoned that covenant of mine, and so I on my side deserted them. It is the Lord who speaks. No, this is the covenant I will make with the House of Israel when those days arrive – it is the Lord who speaks. I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. Then I will be their God and they shall be my people. There will be no further need for neighbour to try to teach neighbour, or brother to say to brother, ‘Learn to know the Lord.’ No, they will all know me, the least no less than the greatest, since I will forgive their iniquities and never call their sins to mind. By speaking of a new covenant, he implies that the first one is already old. Now anything old only gets more antiquated until in the end it disappears. ResponsoryHeb 8:1-2, 9:24 ℟. We have a high priest whose place is at the right of the throne of divine Majesty in the heavens; and he is the minister of the sanctuary and of the true Tent of Meeting,* so that he may appear in the actual presence of God on our behalf. ℣. Christ has entered not a man-made sanctuary which was only modelled on a real one, but heaven itself,* so that he may appear in the actual presence of God on our behalf. Second Reading From a sermon by Saint Gregory Nazianzen We are soon going to share in the Passover We are soon going to share in the Passover, and although we still do so only in a symbolic way, the symbolism already has more clarity than it possessed in former times because, under the law, the Passover was, if I may dare to say so, only a symbol of a symbol. Before long, however, when the Word drinks the new wine with us in the kingdom of his Father, we shall be keeping the Passover in a yet more perfect way, and with deeper understanding. He will then reveal to us and make clear what he has so far only partially disclosed. For this wine, so familiar to us now, is eternally new. It is for us to learn what this drinking is, and for him to teach us. He has to communicate this knowledge to his disciples, because teaching is food, even for the teacher. So let us take our part in the Passover prescribed by the law, not in a literal way, but according to the teaching of the Gospel; not in an imperfect way, but perfectly; not only for a time, but eternally. Let us regard as our home the heavenly Jerusalem, not the earthly one; the city glorified by angels, not the one laid waste by armies. We are not required to sacrifice young bulls or rams, beasts with horns and hoofs that are more dead than alive and devoid of feeling; but instead, let us join the choirs of angels in offering God upon his heavenly altar a sacrifice of praise. We must now pass through the first veil and approach the second, turning our eyes towards the Holy of Holies. I will say more: we must sacrifice ourselves to God, each day and in everything we do, accepting all that happens to us for the sake of the Word, imitating his passion by our sufferings, and honouring his blood by shedding our own. We must be ready to be crucified. If you are a Simon of Cyrene, take up your cross and follow Christ. If you are crucified beside him like one of the thieves, now, like the good thief, acknowledge your God. For your sake, and because of your sin, Christ himself was regarded as a sinner; for his sake, therefore, you must cease to sin. Worship him who was hung on the cross because of you, even if you are hanging there yourself. Derive some benefit from the very shame; purchase salvation with your death. Enter paradise with Jesus, and discover how far you have fallen. Contemplate the glories there, and leave the other scoffing thief to die outside in his blasphemy. If you are a Joseph of Arimathea, go to the one who ordered his crucifixion, and ask for Christ’s body. Make your own the expiation for the sins of the whole world. If you are a Nicodemus, like the man who worshipped God by night, bring spices and prepare Christ’s body for burial. If you are one of the Marys, or Salome, or Joanna, weep in the early morning. Be the first to see the stone rolled back, and even the angels perhaps, and Jesus himself. Responsory ℟. Jesus suffered outside the gate to sanctify the people with his own blood.* Let us go to him, then, outside the camp, and share his degradation. ℣. In the fight against sin, you have not yet had to know fighting to the point of death.* Let us go to him, then, outside the camp, and share his degradation. Let us pray. Lord God, at all times you are working out the salvation of man, but now more especially you enrich your people with grace. Look kindly on this people: keep the seal of baptism inviolate in those who have received it and in those who still await their rebirth in the Spirit. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen. Let us praise the Lord. – Thanks be to God. SIGN OF THE CROSS Edited April 1, 2023 by BarbTherese Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted April 1, 2023 Author Share Posted April 1, 2023 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted April 1, 2023 Author Share Posted April 1, 2023 A few minutes ago, I stumbled over a video by Dr Taylor Marshall about problems within the Vatican. It shocked me. A sentence popped up in my mind i.e. "We get the politicians we deserve"...............well, maybe we get the Church leadership we deserve too. If things are amiss where Church leadership and The Vatican are concerned, then I am a contributor. From Divine Office (General Calendar) Sunday 2nd April 2023 - PALM SUNDAY - HOLY WEEK commences Morning Prayer https://universalis.com/20230402/lauds.htm Evening Prayer https://universalis.com/20230402/vespers.htm Night Prayer https://universalis.com/20230402/compline.htm Second Reading - OFFICE OF READINGS Sunday 2nd April 2023 - Palm Sunday - Holy Week commences https://universalis.com/20230402/readings.htm From the discourse "On the Palm Branches" by Saint Andrew of Crete Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; blessed is the King of Israel. Let us go together to meet Christ on the Mount of Olives. Today he returns from Bethany and proceeds of his own free will towards his holy and blessed passion, to consummate the mystery of our salvation. He who came down from heaven to raise us from the depths of sin, to raise us with himself, we are told in Scripture, above every sovereignty, authority and power, and every other name that can be named, now comes of his own free will to make his journey to Jerusalem. He comes without pomp or ostentation. As the psalmist says: He will not dispute or raise his voice to make it heard in the streets. He will be meek and humble, and he will make his entry in simplicity. Let us run to accompany him as he hastens towards his passion, and imitate those who met him then, not by covering his path with garments, olive branches or palms, but by doing all we can to prostrate ourselves before him by being humble and by trying to live as he would wish. Then we shall be able to receive the Word at his coming, and God, whom no limits can contain, will be within us. In his humility Christ entered the dark regions of our fallen world and he is glad that he became so humble for our sake, glad that he came and lived among us and shared in our nature in order to raise us up again to himself. And even though we are told that he has now ascended above the highest heavens – the proof, surely, of his power and godhead – his love for man will never rest until he has raised our earthbound nature from glory to glory, and made it one with his own in heaven. So let us spread before his feet, not garments or soulless olive branches, which delight the eye for a few hours and then wither, but ourselves, clothed in his grace, or rather, clothed completely in him. We who have been baptized into Christ must ourselves be the garments that we spread before him. Now that the crimson stains of our sins have been washed away in the saving waters of baptism and we have become white as pure wool, let us present the conqueror of death, not with mere branches of palms but with the real rewards of his victory. Let our souls take the place of the welcoming branches as we join today in the children’s holy song: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the king of Israel. EUCHARISTIC ADORATION - LIVE ONLINE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted April 1, 2023 Author Share Posted April 1, 2023 The Interior Castle - book St Teresa of Avila - has the full text FREE online HERE The following video is orientated towards religious life, but Prayer (mental and/or contemplation) is a Gift of God gifted also outside of religious life to a person who strives to be a person of prayer. Moreover, one cannot desire to pray, to seek God, unless The Lord has gifted the Grace to do so. I didn't particularly like the video for a Post, but it just might lead to a reader of this thread to do his or her own research and so I am leaving it in. Come Holy Spirit, come. Many of the videos I post can be listened to while also on the Live Eucharistic Adoration site. The actual discussion on The Dark Night of St John commences at 17.42 mins. Personally, I do not think that God's Ardent Desire to draw us to Himself in Intimacy is a sort of 'selfish' desire as it were of His. He desires it because He has created us for Himself and He knows Intimacy with Him is the only way we can experience real lasting Peace and complete Fulfillment, Happiness, in this, our earthly journey here. Sure, I can race off and search for peace and even find it. It aint gonna last. Just as I can race off and search for fulfillment and even find it. It aint gonna last. I know this, speaking from my own journey. Our very being, of every single person, has been created by God for Himself from the beginning of our creation, at the beginning of human history. The Dark Night of The Soul, could equally be titled, The Dark Night of Faith. We can do nothing of ourselves without Grace, without God. He is in every single moment of our journey. Trust Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted April 2, 2023 Author Share Posted April 2, 2023 From Divine Office (General Calendar) Monday 3rd April 2023 - HOLY WEEK Morning Prayer https://universalis.com/20230403/lauds.htm Evening Prayer https://universalis.com/20230403/vespers.htm Night Prayer https://universalis.com/20230403/compline.htm Second Reading - OFFICE OF READINGS Second Reading - Holy Week From a sermon by Saint Augustine Let us too glory in the cross of the Lord The passion of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is the hope of glory and a lesson in patience. What may not the hearts of believers promise themselves as the gift of God’s grace, when for their sake God’s only Son, co-eternal with the Father, was not content only to be born as man from human stock but even died at the hands of the men he had created? It is a great thing that we are promised by the Lord, but far greater is what has already been done for us, and which we now commemorate. Where were the sinners, what were they, when Christ died for them? When Christ has already given us the gift of his death, who is to doubt that he will give the saints the gift of his own life? Why does our human frailty hesitate to believe that mankind will one day live with God? Who is Christ if not the Word of God: in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God? This Word of God was made flesh and dwelt among us. He had no power of himself to die for us: he had to take from us our mortal flesh. This was the way in which, though immortal, he was able to die; the way in which he chose to give life to mortal men: he would first share with us, and then enable us to share with him. Of ourselves we had no power to live, nor did he of himself have the power to die. In other words, he performed the most wonderful exchange with us. Through us, he died; through him, we shall live. The death of the Lord our God should not be a cause of shame for us; rather, it should be our greatest hope, our greatest glory. In taking upon himself the death that he found in us, he has most faithfully promised to give us life in him, such as we cannot have of ourselves. He loved us so much that, sinless himself, he suffered for us sinners the punishment we deserved for our sins. How then can he fail to give us the reward we deserve for our righteousness, for he is the source of righteousness? How can he, whose promises are true, fail to reward the saints when he bore the punishment of sinners, though without sin himself? Brethren, let us then fearlessly acknowledge, and even openly proclaim, that Christ was crucified for us; let us confess it, not in fear but in joy, not in shame but in glory. The apostle Paul saw Christ, and extolled his claim to glory. He had many great and inspired things to say about Christ, but he did not say that he boasted in Christ’s wonderful works: in creating the world, since he was God with the Father, or in ruling the world, though he was also a man like us. Rather, he said: Let me not boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Responsory ℟. Lord, we venerate your cross as we recall your blessed passion.* You who suffered for our sake, have compassion on us. ℣. Come to the help of your servants, whom you redeemed with your precious blood.* You who suffered for our sake, have compassion on us. Let us pray. Almighty God, grant that we who are constantly betrayed by our own weakness may draw the breath of new life from the passion and death of your Only-Begotten Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen. Let us praise the Lord. – Thanks be to God. EUCHARISTIC ADORAION - LIVE ONLINE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted April 3, 2023 Author Share Posted April 3, 2023 From Divine Office (General Calendar) Tuesday 4th April 2023 - HOLY WEEK Morning Prayer https://universalis.com/20230404/lauds.htm Evening Prayer https://universalis.com/20230404/vespers.htm Night Prayer https://universalis.com/20230404/compline.htm OFFICE OF READINGS Second Reading From the book On the Holy Spirit by Saint Basil the Great, bishop By one death and resurrection the world was saved When mankind was estranged from him by disobedience, God our Saviour made a plan for raising us from our fall and restoring us to friendship with himself. According to this plan Christ came in the flesh, he showed us the gospel way of life, he suffered, died on the cross, was buried and rose from the dead. He did this so that we could be saved by imitation of him, and recover our original status as sons of God by adoption. To attain holiness, then, we must not only pattern our lives on Christ’s by being gentle, humble and patient, we must also imitate him in his death. Taking Christ for his model, Paul said that he wanted to become like him in his death in the hope that he too would be raised from death to life. We imitate Christ’s death by being buried with him in baptism. If we ask what this kind of burial means and what benefit we may hope to derive from it, it means first of all making a complete break with our former way of life, and our Lord himself said that this cannot be done unless a man is born again. In other words, we have to begin a new life, and we cannot do so until our previous life has been brought to an end. When runners reach the turning point on a racecourse, they have to pause briefly before they can go back in the opposite direction. So also when we wish to reverse the direction of our lives there must be a pause, or a death, to mark the end of one life and the beginning of another. Our descent into hell takes place when we imitate the burial of Christ by our baptism. The bodies of the baptized are in a sense buried in the water as a symbol of their renunciation of the sins of their unregenerate nature. As the Apostle says: The circumcision you have undergone is not an operation performed by human hands, but the complete stripping away of your unregenerate nature. This is the circumcision that Christ gave us, and it is accomplished by our burial with him in baptism. Baptism cleanses the soul from the pollution of worldly thoughts and inclinations: You will wash me, says the psalmist, and I shall be whiter than snow. We receive this saving baptism only once because there was only one death and one resurrection for the salvation of the world, and baptism is its symbol. Responsory ℟. When we were baptized in Christ Jesus we were baptized in his death;* if in union with him we have imitated his death, we shall also imitate him in his resurrection. ℣. When we were baptized we went into the tomb with him and joined him in death;* if in union with him we have imitated his death, we shall also imitate him in his resurrection. Let us pray. All-powerful, ever-living God, may our sacramental celebration of the Lord’s passion bring us your forgiveness. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen. Let us praise the Lord. – Thanks be to God. Quote EUCHARISTIC ADORATION - Live Online A HOLY HOUR Tuesday 4th April 2023 If one takes what appears below slowly, pausing reflectively where something might strike one, with pauses for silent prayer, this entire Post will take up far more than an hour. Simply take out of this post what one considers will cover one hour. What one gives emphasis to will continue; hence, with distractions don't try to fight them or ignore them, don't give any attention/focus to them at all and they just pass. Virtual Sorrowful Mysteries of The Rosary (One can pray the prayers with the video, simply listen quietly contemplating or meditating on the particular mystery........or simply attend or listen in Peaceful Quiet.) Quote Office of Readings Tuesday 4th April HOLY WEEK https://universalis.com/20230404/readings.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted April 3, 2023 Author Share Posted April 3, 2023 The reason I do not have a spiritual director to date is because to date they want so much per hour. I can always plead poor, but I think that is bit of an insult when one should not have to pay for something spiritual at all. St Teresa of Avila said that if one cannot find a spiritual director for some reason, one can confidently put oneself in God's Hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted April 3, 2023 Author Share Posted April 3, 2023 (edited) Quote Litany of Humility Contemporary Version Lord Jesus. Meek and humble of heart, Hear me. From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being loved, Deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being honored, Deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being praised, Deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being preferred to others, Deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being consulted, Deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being approved, Deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being humiliated, Deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being despised, Deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of suffering rebukes, Deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being calumniated, Deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being forgotten, Deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being ridiculed, Deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being wronged, Deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being suspected, Deliver me, Jesus. That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be praised and I unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. Quote Take Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess. Thou hast given all to me. To Thee, O lord, I return it. All is Thine, dispose of it wholly according to Thy will. Give me Thy love and thy grace, for this is sufficient for me. Ignatius Loyola A priest told me this little story. A young seminarian was having a dreadful time in the seminary. It was one difficult, one suffering, after another. He was in the Chapel alone one day when finally it all got too much for him and he spoke to God quite openly about where he was at - and that was if things did not ease up on him, he would drop out of the seminary. He had had enough, fed up..........and then he just exploded even with swear words sharing with The Lord his state of anger and frustration, despair. Suddenly, the young man realized where he was before The Blessed Sacrament and he began to cry. Not only had he been too honest, he had been being too honest with swear words. He raced off to his spiritual director with very real grief and told him his story. "Father, if things do not improve, I am out of this joint." telling Father his whole experience in the Chapel. Father replied "Congratulations, my son, you have truly prayed probably for the first time in your life". That young man went on to be ordained and became a good and holy diocesan priest. Things did not ease up on him in the seminary, it was a constant battle with misery and struggle. But somehow he stayed the journey always praying from his heart, not what he thought God wanted to hear, which happened to be mainly rote prayers, while there is a place for rote prayers too. ______________ The above is/was not a recommendation to be angry and swearing at prayer. But it is a recommendation to talk quite honestly with Jesus who is God and also still human in Heaven. But if you do happen to be angry and drop some swear words at prayer..........it is not the end of the world. It just might/could/perhaps be a beginning. Apologize in your own words and simply move on. Mention it in Confession if you wish. Edited April 3, 2023 by BarbTherese Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted April 4, 2023 Author Share Posted April 4, 2023 From Divine Office (General Calendar) Wednesday 5th April 2023 - HOLY WEEK Tomorrow is Holy Thursday ( The summit of the Liturgical Year is the Easter Triduum—from the evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday. Though chronologically three days, they are liturgically one day unfolding for us the unity of Christ's Paschal Mystery. USCCB HERE ) Morning Prayer https://universalis.com/20230405/lauds.htm Evening Prayer https://universalis.com/20230405/vespers.htm Night Prayer https://universalis.com/20230405/compline.htm OFFICE OF READINGS Second Reading From a treatise on John by St Augustine The perfection of love Dear brethren, the Lord has marked out for us the fullness of love that we ought to have for each other. He tells us: No one has greater love than the man who lays down his life for his friends. In these words, the Lord tells us what the perfect love we should have for one another involves. John, the evangelist who recorded them, draws the conclusion in one of his letters: As Christ laid down his life for us, so we too ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. We should indeed love one another as he loved us, he who laid down his life for us. This is surely what we read in the Proverbs of Solomon: If you sit down to eat at the table of a ruler, observe carefully what is set before you; then stretch out your hand, knowing that you must provide the same kind of meal yourself. What is this ruler’s table if not the one at which we receive the body and blood of him who laid down his life for us? What does it mean to sit at this table if not to approach it with humility? What does it mean to observe carefully what is set before you if not to meditate devoutly on so great a gift? What does it mean to stretch out one’s hand, knowing that one must provide the same kind of meal oneself, if not what I have just said: as Christ laid down his life for us, so we in our turn ought to lay down our lives for our brothers? This is what the apostle Paul said: Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we might follow in his footsteps. This is what is meant by providing “the same kind of meal.” This is what the blessed martyrs did with such burning love. If we are to give true meaning to our celebration of their memorials, to our approaching the Lord’s table in the very banquet at which they were fed, we must, like them, provide “the same kind of meal.” At this table of the Lord we do not commemorate the martyrs in the same way as we commemorate others who rest in peace. We do not pray for the martyrs as we pray for those others, rather, they pray for us, that we may follow in his footsteps. They practised the perfect love of which the Lord said there could be none greater. They provided “the same kind of meal” as they had themselves received at the Lord’s table. This must not be understood as saying that we can be the Lord’s equals by bearing witness to him to the extent of shedding our blood. He had the power of laying down his life; we by contrast cannot choose the length of our lives, and we die even if it is against our will. He, by dying, destroyed death in himself; we are freed from death only in his death. His body did not see corruption; our body will see corruption and only then be clothed through him in incorruption at the end of the world. He needed no help from us in saving us; without him we can do nothing. He gave himself to us as the vine to the branches; apart from him we cannot have life. Finally, even if brothers die for brothers, yet no martyr by shedding his blood brings forgiveness for the sins of his brothers, as Christ brought forgiveness to us. In this he gave us, not an example to imitate but a reason for rejoicing. Inasmuch, then, as they shed their blood for their brothers, the martyrs provided “the same kind of meal” as they had received at the Lord’s table. Let us then love one another as Christ also loved us and gave himself up for us. Responsory ℟. God’s love for us was revealed when he sent into the world his only Son so that we could have life through him.* Since God loved us so much, we too should love one another. ℣. God first loved us and sent his Son to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away.* Since God loved us so much, we too should love one another. Let us pray. By your will, Lord God, your Son underwent the agony of the cross to break the power of Satan over man. Give your people grace to rise again with Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen. Let us praise the Lord. – Thanks be to God. Quote EUCHARISTIC ADORATION - Live Online A HOLY HOUR Wednesday 5th April 2023 If one takes what appears below slowly, pausing reflectively where something might strike one, with pauses for silent prayer, this entire Post will take up far more than an hour. Simply take out of this post what attracts and one considers will cover one hour. Leave room for Silent Prayer. What one gives emphasis to will continue; hence, with distractions don't try to fight them or ignore them, don't give any attention/focus to them at all and they just pass. Virtual Sorrowful Mysteries of The Rosary (One can pray the prayers with the video, simply listen quietly contemplating or meditating on the particular mystery........or simply attend or listen in Peaceful Quiet.) Quote Entire Office of Readings Wednesday 5th April HOLY WEEK https://universalis.com/20230405/readings.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted April 4, 2023 Author Share Posted April 4, 2023 THE MASTER HAS NEED OF IT Initially, I was getting a bit annoyed with the following video, thinking to myself that "The Master has need of it" applies to every single baptized person not only priests or religious.........just working myself up to a bit of a dither, when Bishop Barron begins to address my subject I think that Love opens one up to vulnerability and need. The Lord in His stunning Love for us has CHOSEN to be vulnerable and needy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted April 4, 2023 Author Share Posted April 4, 2023 (edited) The Startling and Stunning Reality of The Blessed Eucharist Father Schmitz speaks too quickly for me to follow rather often and so I switch on captions When I go to Holy Communion, I raise my hands as if a beggar begging for food in my complete poverty, because that is what I am. Edited April 4, 2023 by BarbTherese Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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