Hold Back Nothing

by , posted in Inspiration

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“Hold back nothing of yourselves for yourselves, that He who gives Himself totally to you, may receive you totally!” ~ St. Francis of Assisi

 

Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi

by , posted in Feast Days, Prayers

Saint Francis wrote:
An Act of Love to the Blessed Sacrament

I believe Thou art present in the Blessed Sacrament, O Jesus. I love Thee and desire Thee. Come into my heart. I embrace Thee, O never leave me. I beseech Thee, O Lord Jesus, may the burning and most sweet power of Thy love absorb my mind, that I may die through love of Thy love, Who wast graciously pleased to die through love of my love.

Note:
An act of spiritual communion expresses our belief in Christ’s Real Presence in the Eucharist and asks Him to come into our heart even when we cannot receive Him physically.

Facing East: Meet the Day

by , posted in Inspiration

Facing East is a song by Thievery Corporation. When I hear this song I think of waking up, meeting the day, meeting the sunrise before its dawn, seeing life from its still point before the day has hatched. The same point the universe goes to to create time and space, a place where every moment blossoms into its infinite variety. Everything is possible.

Sorrowful Mother Novena Asks For 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit

by , posted in Novena, Prayers

This traditional Sorrowful Mother Novena is both a meditation on the role that Mary played in our salvation and a plea for her intercession so that we may follow her example in following Christ her Son. Each verse of the novena recalls one event of sorrow in Mary’s life and asks for her intercession so that we may develop a particular virtue. Each verse asks for a particular gift of the Holy Spirit; the seven verses cover all seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

V. O God, hasten to my aid.
R. O Lord, make haste to help me.
V. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost.
R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

1. I grieve for thee, O Mary most sorrowful, in the affliction of thy tender heart at the prophecy of the holy and aged Simeon. Dear Mother, by thy heart so afflicted, obtain for me the virtue of humility and the Gift of the holy Fear of God.

Hail Mary

2. I grieve for thee, O Mary most sorrowful, in the anguish of thy most affectionate heart during the flight into Egypt and thy sojourn there. Dear Mother, by thy heart so full of anguish, obtain for me the virtue of generosity, especially toward the poor, and the Gift of Piety.

Hail Mary

3. I grieve for thee, O Mary most sorrowful, in those anxieties which tried thy troubled heart at the loss of thy dear Jesus in the Temple. Dear Mother, by thy heart so full of anguish, obtain for me the virtue of chastity and the Gift of Knowledge.

Hail Mary

4. I grieve for thee, O Mary most sorrowful, in the consternation of thy heart at meeting Jesus as He carried His Cross. Dear Mother, by thy heart so troubled, obtain for me the virtue of patience and the Gift of Fortitude.

Hail Mary

5. I grieve for thee, O Mary most sorrowful, in the martyrdom which thy generous heart endured in standing near Jesus in His agony on the Cross. Dear Mother, by thy afflicted heart, obtain for me the virtue of temperance and the Gift of Counsel.

Hail Mary

6. I grieve for thee, O Mary most sorrowful, in the wounding of thy compassionate heart, when the side of Jesus was pierced by a lance before His Body was removed from the Cross. Dear Mother, by thy heart thus transfixed, obtain for me the virtue of fraternal charity and the Gift of Understanding.

Hail Mary

7. I grieve for thee, O Mary most sorrowful, for the pangs that wrenched thy most loving heart at the burial of Jesus. Dear Mother, by thy heart sunk in the bitterness of desolation, obtain for me the virtue of diligence and the Gift of Wisdom.

Hail Mary

Let us pray.

Let intercession be made for us, we beseech Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, now and at the hour of our death, by the throne of Thy mercy, by the Blessed Virgin Mary, Thy Mother, whose most holy soul was pierced by a sword of sorrow in the hour of Thy bitter Passion, through Thee, O Jesus Christ, Savior of the world, Who with the Father and the Holy Ghost lives and reigns world without end. Amen.