O Come Emmanuel and Saint John of Kanty

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Lord have mercy.
Lord have mercy.

Christ have mercy.
Christ have mercy.

Lord have mercy.
Lord have mercy.

Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.

God, the Father of heaven,
have mercy on us.

God, the Son, Redeemer of the world,
have mercy on us.

God, the Holy Spirit,
have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, One God,
have mercy on us.

Holy Mary,
pray for us.

St. John Cantius,
pray for us.

Faithful servant of Jesus Christ,
pray for us.

Fervent disciple and advocate of the Gospel of Christ,
pray for us.

Venerator of the Lord’s Passion,
pray for us.

Exemplary shepherd of Jesus Christ’s flock,
pray for us.

Venerator of the Most Holy Mother of God,
pray for us.

Venerator of St. Anne,
pray for us.

Zealous imitator of the saints,
pray for us.

Lover of souls redeemed with Christ’s Blood,
pray for us.

Pride and patron of the priesthood,
pray for us.

Father of the poor,
pray for us.

Exemplar of Christian kindness,
pray for us.

Teacher and model of evangelical mercy,
pray for us.

Defender of those suffering injustice,
pray for us.

Refuge of the afflicted,
pray for us.

Protector of prisoners,
pray for us.

Patron and guardian of pilgrims,
pray for us.

Great worker of miracles,
pray for us.

Healer of the sick,
pray for us.

Restorer of sight to the blind,
pray for us.

Refuge for those drowning,
pray for us.

Consolation and deliverance of the dying,
pray for us.

Advocate of God’s justice,
pray for us.

Intercessor for sinners before God,
pray for us.

Patron of his Polish homeland,
pray for us.

Patron of the city of Kraków,
pray for us.

Pride of the Krakovian Academy,
pray for us.

Luminous model of the academic profession,
pray for us.

Patron of teachers,
pray for us.

Guardian of those engaged in academic work,
pray for us.

Teacher of truth,
pray for us.

Refuge in all our needs,
pray for us.

Joyful with the chosen ones in heaven,
pray for us.

Have mercy on us,
spare us, O Lord.

Have mercy on us,
graciously hear us, O Lord.

That the ever merciful God would deign to impart upon us the gift of Christian wisdom,
St. John Cantius, intercede for us,

That He would deign to renew in us the spirit of devoted love toward our brothers,
St. John Cantius, intercede for us,

That He would deign to fill our souls with the grace of sanctification,
St. John Cantius, intercede for us,

That He would deign to preserve us from spiritual perils,
St. John Cantius, intercede for us,

That He would deign to extend His hand to help us in adversities and temporal hardships,
St. John Cantius, intercede for us,

That He would deign to strengthen and increase the spirit of brotherly love and unity in the Holy Church,
St. John Cantius, intercede for us,

That He would deign to preserve our Homeland in peace and bless her,
St. John Cantius, intercede for us,

That He would deign to strengthen our families in mutual fidelity and love,
St. John Cantius, intercede for us,

That He would deign to surround our children and youth with special care,
St. John Cantius, intercede for us,

That He would deign to strengthen college students in a faithfulness to the Gospel and a Christian outlook,
St. John Cantius, intercede for us,

That He would deign to give them the spirit of wisdom and fidelity to the truth,
St. John Cantius, intercede for us,

That the Almighty God would deign to endow all the faithful with the grace of perseverance, and those that have strayed from Him with the grace of conversion and penance,
St. John Cantius, intercede for us,

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.

Pray for us, O Saint John Cantius,
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray. Grant, we beseech Thee, O God, our merciful Father, through the intercession of St. John Cantius, priest, to answer our prayers and deign to endow with Thy grace and blessing all who turn to Thee in confidence. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Please take a look at “The Christmas Miracle”

We would like to share with you, Mark Mallett’s message about

“The Christmas Miracle”.

Please check out his messages of HOPE at

M A R K M A L L E T T

–––S P I R I T U A L F O O D F O R T H O U G H T–––

The Christmas Miracle

st-joseph-with-the-baby-jesus.jpg

IT’S not just at Christmas, but every day that the “Christmas Miracle” can take place. St. Joseph shows the way in Mark’s Christmas message, and last episode of 2009 of Embracing Hope. This webcast is free for everyone to see in the video below, and is also available at EmbracingHope.tv You’ll want to watch this one to the very end..



All Mark’s writings can be found at: Spiritual Food For Thought

Listen to Mark’s music on his official website: www.markmallett.com

A commentary on Luke by the Venerable St. Bede

May the homily by St. Bede enrich your heart today and bring you peace, as you choose to accept God’s holy will in your life today.

Many blessings to you during this holy season,
Hannah’s Tears Ministry


Picture of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her cousin Elizabeth in the Visitation by Philippe de Champagne courtesy of Wikipedia

The Magnificat

And Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.

The Lord has exalted me by a gift so great, so unheard of, that language is useless to describe it; and the depths of love in my heart can scarcely grasp it. I offer then all the powers of my soul in praise and thanksgiving. As I contemplate his greatness, which knows no limits, I joyfully surrender my whole life, my senses, my judgement, for my spirit rejoices in the eternal Godhead of that Jesus, that Saviour, whom I have conceived in this world of time.

The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.


Mary looks back to the beginning of her song, where she said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord. Only that soul for whom the Lord in his love does great things can proclaim his greatness with fitting praise and encourage those who share her desire and purpose, saying: Join with me in proclaiming the greatness of the Lord; let us extol his name together.

Those who know the Lord, yet refuse to proclaim his greatness and sanctify his name to the limit of their power, will be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven. His name is called holy because in the sublimity of his unique power he surpasses every creature and is far removed from all that he has made.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy.

In a beautiful phrase Mary calls Israel the servant of the Lord. The Lord came to his aid to save him. Israel is an obedient and humble servant, in the words of Hosea: Israel was a servant, and I loved him.

Those who refuse to be humble cannot be saved. They cannot say with the prophet: See, God comes to my aid; the Lord is the helper of my soul. But anyone who makes himself humble like a little child is greater in the kingdom of heaven. The promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever.

This does not refer to the physical descendants of Abraham, but to his spiritual children. These are his descendants, sprung not from the flesh only, but who, whether circumcised or not, have followed him in faith. Circumcised as he was, Abraham believed, and this was credited to him as an act of righteousness.

The coming of the Saviour was promised to Abraham and to his descendants for ever. These are the children of promise, to whom it is said: If you belong to Christ, then you are descendants of Abraham, heirs in accordance with the promise.

But it is right that before the birth of the Lord or of John, their mothers should utter prophecies; for just as sin began with a woman, so too does redemption. Through the deceit of one woman, grace perished; the prophecies of two women announce its return to life.

Today’s Gospel Mt 1:18-25

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,which means “God is with us.”

When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.
He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus.


File:The Dream of Saint Joseph.jpg
Words to ponder in our hearts today, as this was not something Joseph had planned…



Saint José Manyanet y Vives

[José Manyanet y Vives]

Born to a large and pious family.
Dedicated to Our Lady at age 5 by his mother.


“The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” (John 14: 26)

From the beginning, the Holy Spirit has brought forth men and women who have remembered and spread the truth revealed by Jesus. One of these was Saint José Manyanet, a true apostle of the family. Inspired by the school of Nazareth, he carried out his plan of personal sanctity and heroically devoted himself to the mission that the Spirit entrusted to him. He founded two religious congregations. A visible symbol of his apostolic zeal is also the temple of the Holy Family of Barcelona.

May Saint José Manyanet bless all families and help them follow the example of the Holy Family in their homes!




Blessed Mary Fontanella

[Blessed Mary Fontanella]
One of twelve children. At age twelve she joined the Cistercians at Saluzza. Unfortunately, Mary’s father died soon after, and Mary had to return home to help with the family. Four years later, over the protests of her family, she joined the Carmelites in Turin, Italy. Visionary and mystic, she was the victim of numerous diabolical attacks. Novice mistress in 1691 at age 33. Prioress in 1694. Found a Carmelite monastery at Moncaglieri. Noted for her strong devotion to Saint Joseph.


To St. Joseph for Protection
“Gracious St. Joseph, protect me and my family from all evil as you did the Holy Family. Kindly keep us ever united in the love of Christ, ever fervent in the imitation of the virtue of our Blessed Lady, your sinless spouse, and always faithful in devotion to you. Amen” ~ From the Franciscan Mission Associates