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The Lord Our God is HOLY

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This morning while praying the Liturgy of the Hours, I came upon the third Psalm and thought I would share it with you, as the holiness of God’s presence struck me to the core of my heart. Something that I find very compelling is that we all seem to seek answers to prayer and God’s blessing but some of us are not willing to make the great sacrifice of obedience according to the laws of the Church. Some of us seem determined to walk our own path, isn’t this how the angel of light was thrown out of Heaven? Don’t we want and yearn to be with God in Heaven someday? Let us pray for one another that we may remain strong as we follow the teachings of the Church and the Laws of God, for He is HOLY and we also want to be holy.

Those of us that hold the laws of the Church in our hearts weep for those who will not follow the path of blessing and truth. Our Lord told Peter (our first Pope, in Matthew 16:18), “And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”. It’s not an easy undertaking to always be obedient but this is where GRACE will flow if you follow this path of TRUTH, this is why Our Lord gave us the Universal (Catholic) Church, why is it so difficult for some to understand? This is a great mercy that God gives us, HE is holy and don’t we also want to be holy in HIS everlasting presence? Let us walk together in this TRUTH, let us walk with HIM and the CHURCH we have been given! For He is HOLY….



Psalm 99
Holy is the Lord our God
Christ, higher than the Cherubim, when
you took our lowly nature you transformed
our sinful world (Saint Athanasius).

The Lord is king; the peoples tremble.
He is throned on the cherubim; the earth quakes.
The Lord is great in Zion.

He is supreme over all the peoples.
Let them praise his name, so terrible and great,
he is holy, full of power.

You are a king who loves what is right;
you have established equity, justice and right;
you have established them in Jacob.

Exalt the Lord our God;
bow down before Zion, his footstool.
He the Lord is holy.

Among his priests were Aaron and Moses,
among those who invoked his name was Samuel.
They invoked the Lord and he answered.

To them he spoke in the pillar of cloud.
They did his will; they kept the law,
which he, the Lord, had given.

O Lord our God, you answered them.
For them you were a God who forgives;
yet you punished their offenses.

Exalt the Lord our God;
bow down before his holy mountain
for the Lord our God is holy.

Candlemas Day – The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple

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Today’s first reading gives us an important insight to understand profoundly the mystery of the Lord’s Presentation in the Temple by Mary and Joseph, in accordance with the cannons of Mosaic Law. The text, taken from the Prophet Malachi says, ‘I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me; and suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord who you seek’ (Mal 3:1). From all the Gospels, we know that it is the Precursor, St John the Baptist who was born 6 months before Jesus, that God sent to prepare His way. Putting these evangelical facts together, we can comprehend the words of the Prophet Malachi. The Lord God promised that He would send a Precursor to prepare His way. Since there is only 6 months between the birth of St John the Baptist and Jesus it is clear that the prophecy meant that suddenly after the Precursor, the Lord Himself will come. So, soon after the Baptist’s birth, God entered His temple. Jesus’ presentation signifies God’s entrance to His temple. God made man entered His temple, presenting Himself to those who were really searching for Him.

Today’s Gospel introduces us to different people and events that in themselves provide numerous lessons and themes for further reflection. First of all, Mary and Joseph respect the Mosaic Law by offering the sacrifice prescribed for the poor: a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

Simeon and Anna were two venerable elderly people dedicated to prayer and fasting and so their strong religious spirit rendered them able to recognize the Messiah. In this sense we can see in the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple an extension of the ‘Pro OrantibusDay’ (For those who pray) that is celebrated on the feast of the Presentation of Mary (21 November). On this day, the Church demonstrates its gratitude to all those in the community that dedicate themselves in a privileged way to prayer, to those who have a particular religious vocation to the contemplative life. In the figure of the venerable Simeon, Jesus’ presentation in the temple, also reminds us that prayer and contemplation are not just a waste of time or an obstacle to charity. On the contrary, time could not be better spent than in prayer as true Christian charity is a consequence of a solid interior life. Only those who pray and offer penance, like Simeon and Anna, are open to the breath of the Spirit. They know how to recognize the Lord in the circumstances in which He manifests Himself because they possess an ample interior vision, and they have learned how to love with the heart of the One whose very name is Charity.

At the end of the Gospel Simeon’s prophecy of Mary’s sufferings is emphasized. Pope John Paul II taught that, ‘Simeon’s words seem like a second Annunciation to Mary, for they tell her of the actual historical situation in which the Son is to accomplish his mission, namely, in misunderstanding and sorrow.’ (Redemptoris Mater, n16) The archangel’s announcement was a fount of incredible joy because it pertained to Jesus’ messianic royalty and the supernatural character of His virginal conception. The announcement of the elderly in the temple instead spoke of the Lord’s work of redemption that He would complete associating Himself through suffering to His Mother. Therefore, there is a strong Marian dimension to this feast and so in the Liturgical Calendar of the Extraordinary Form it is called the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This refers to the other aspect of the presentation that consists of the ritual purification of Jewish women after they had given birth. In Mary’s case this purification was not necessary, but it indicates the renewal of her total offering of herself to God for the accomplishment of His Divine Plan.

Simeon’s prophecy also announces that Christ will be ‘a sign of contradiction’. St Cyril of Alexandria, in one of his homilies, interpreted the words ‘sign of contradiction’ like a noble cross, as St Paul wrote to the Corinthians ‘a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles’ (1 Cor 1:23) […] It is a sign of contradiction in the sense that those who loose appear as foolish while in those who recognise its power [the cross] reveals salvation and life’ (c.f PG 77, 1044-1049).

— Excerpted from Congregation for the Clergy

 

 

Things to Do:

  • Ask your parish priest to bless the candles that you will be using on your home altar this year.
  • Have a family Candlemas procession, found in the prayer links.    (see links below)
  • Read Luke 2:22-35, the account of the presentation including the Canticle of Simeon.
  • Meditate on the constant fiat of Our Lady of Sorrows, who embraced the will of God even as Simeon predicted that a sword would pierce her heart.
  • The Seven Sorrows Devotion

http://www.themostholyrosary.com/appendix1.htm

 

Daily Readings for:  February 02, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Almighty ever-living God, we humbly implore your majesty that, just as your Only Begotten Son was presented on this day in the Temple in the substance of our flesh, so, by your grace, we may be presented to you with minds made pure. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

ACTIVITIES

PRAYERS

LIBRARY

 

Resources:  

http://www.catholicculture.org

http://www.themostholy rosary.com

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Happy Feast of Saint Hannah & Saint Juan Diego

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Today is the day we celebrate the gifts of 2 holy souls, St. Hannah and St. Juan Diego.  They are truly the main patrons of this ministry as they suffered infertility.  We learn in the Old Testament that we as Christians need to come to the foot of the altar where the sacrifice is made and where graces will flow. Do you recognize the gift that we have been given in that their feast day is the day after the Immaculate Conception?  What is God telling you today?  What does this mean to you?  I think it is something to truly meditate upon on this feast.  Let us open our hearts to this that graces may enter the depths of our saddened minds and hearts to find Jesus and Mary guiding us where we are to go in our time of sorrow let us find the path to Him who knows what He is asking of us.  Pray to accept the call Our Lord has placed in you, as you have not been forgotten but recognized as an individual with purpose.

1 Samuel 2

Hannah’s Song of Thanksgiving
 1 Then Hannah AN)”>prayed and said,
   “My heart exults in the LORD; 

AO)”>

My horn is exalted in the LORD, 


My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, 
Because AP)”>I rejoice in Your salvation. 

2 “AQ)”>There is no one holy like the LORD, 


Indeed, AR)”>there is no one besides You, 

AS)”>

Nor is there any rock like our God. 

3 “Boast no more so very proudly, 

AT)”>

Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth; 

AU)”>

For the LORD is a God of knowledge, 

AV)”>

And with Him actions are weighed. 

4 “AW)”>The bows of the mighty are shattered, 

AX)”>

But the feeble gird on strength. 

5 “Those who were full hire themselves out for bread, 

But those who were hungry cease to hunger. 

AY)”>

Even the barren gives birth to seven, 


But AZ)”>she who has many children languishes. 

6 “BA)”>The LORD kills and makes alive; 

BB)”>

He brings down to Sheol and raises up. 

7 “BC)”>The LORD makes poor and rich; 

BD)”>

He brings low, He also exalts. 

8 “BE)”>He raises the poor from the dust, 

BF)”>

He lifts the needy from the ash heap 

BG)”>

To make them sit with nobles, 

And inherit a seat of honor; 

BH)”>

For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S, 


And He set the world on them. 

9 “BI)”>He keeps the feet of His godly ones, 

BJ)”>

But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness; 

BK)”>

For not by might shall a man prevail. 

10 “BL)”>Those who contend with the LORD will be shattered; 

BM)”>

Against them He will thunder in the heavens, 

BN)”>

The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; 

BO)”>

And He will give strength to His king, 

BP)”>

And will exalt the horn of His anointed.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saint Juan Diego, infertile, holy and devoted to serving Our Lord as he was called.  I would like to share with you today the post that “Martha Trying to be Mary” has shared with us today concerning St. Juan  and infertility, God did not let his life become fruitless.  This is what our focus should be as we make our journey in this life.  Nothing is empty when we live our lives for Christ, He has something special prepared for us we need to see this with His eyes.

Prayer to St. Juan Diego 

You who were chosen by Our Lady of Guadalupe as an instrument to show your people and the world that the way of Christianity is one of love, compassion, understanding, values, sacrifices, repentance of our sins, appreciation and respect for God’s creation, and most of all one of humility and obedience; You whom we know is now in the Kingdom of the Lord and close to our Mother; Be our angel and protect us, stay with us as we struggle in this modern life often not knowing where to set our priorities; Help us to pray to our God to obtain the gifts of the Holy Spirit and use them for the good of humanity and the good of our Church, through the Heart of Our Lady of Guadalupe to the Heart of Jesus. Amen.

Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa

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“Lay woman from the diocese of Braga. At age 14 Alexandrina jumped from a window to escape a rapist; she was injured in the fall, paralyzed, and was bed-ridden for the rest of her life. Member of the Salesian Cooperators. Mystic and visionary. The last 13 years of her life she had the gift of inedia, living solely off daily Communion. http://saints.sqpn.com“
[Alexandrina Maria da Costa]
Feast Day:  October 13
4th Seer of Fatima
Uniting our sufferings to Christ Jesus on the Cross is so important in our lives today, don’t forget that this is a prayer that will do much more then you know.  Pray the Chaplet of Hannah’s Tears uniting your sufferings to Jesus Christ Crucified.  All at the foot of the altar where graces flow.

Prayer:

Blessed Alexandrina da Costa
        My Protectress
By Alexandrina Society Founder – Francis Reynolds
Alexandrina, as an unworthy sinner I ask you
To place me on a path of salvation,
To save my soul and help with your mission
Of saving other souls for God.
I implore you to plead for me
As I beg the grace to be holy,
To be pure, to be kind and to do
Only what is pleasing to God.
Then God will dwell in me and His blood
Will flow in my veins with my blood
And His Flesh will be with my flesh
And I will be with Jesus forever.
Oh, sweet and gentle Alexandrina, God gave
You power equal to that of the all-powerful and
Appointed you protectress of mankind. I ask you
To intercede for me in my time of need and protect
Me spiritually, physically and mentally through this
day/night through Jesus Christ Our Lord.  Amen

Read more: 
Blessed Alexandrina                           official site

Alexandrina Society

Purchase:  Booklet
Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa  Vatican.va
Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa  article .pdf