Thirty Pieces of Silver

Lately I've had a hard time finding the right words to express how strongly I feel our country is on the express train to someplace bleak and sad. I can't shake the feeling that the voting public sold the soul of the United States of America.

And today we have the news that the political party which has embraced socialism and the culture of death now has a filibuster-proof majority.

Jesus did not suffer so horribly and die on the cross so that millions of babies could be slaughtered each year. He did not die so that we could ration health care and let our infirm and elderly die in the name of progress. He did not die so that we might turn our back on the teachings of the Church because they are 'out of touch' or not particularly convenient.

Judas sold Him out for thirty pieces of silver. The United States of America sold Him out for the promise of 'hope' and 'change'.

Interesting how the price of Faustian bargains is always freedom.

Americans are about to lose so many of our precious freedoms, and we'll be crippled economically to boot.

Someone, somewhere is laughing.

It is not Our Lord.

Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us.

The Sacred Heart and the Year of the Priest

Today is a VERY BIG DAY in the Catholic Church
First, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Secondly, today marks the beginning of the Year of the Priest for the Catholic Church!

On the Sacred Heart...
Our beloved Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, has wonderful insight into the Sacred Heart of Jesus. For three brilliant reflections, plus a wonderful history of devotion to the Sacred Heart please visit this site

On the Year of the Priest...

Please consider 'adopting' a priest this year. There are formal 'adoption' programs organized by local dioceses; where others are selecting a priest and 'adopting' them privately.

What does 'adoption' entail?

• Including them in your daily prayers


• Offering small penances for the priest throughout the year


• Offering a Holy Hour for the priest


• Offering Mass for the priest

You may also wish to consider contacting your local diocese or an Order, such as the Marians of the Immaculate Conception, Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, Norbertines, Jesuits, etc. and asking for the name of a priest for whom you might be able to offer prayers.

Masses and other celebrations are taking place around the world. It is great to be part of such a positive, spectacular effort to renew the soldiers on the front lines of the fight for Truth.

More thoughts on the Year of the Priest here

God Bless!

Prayers for The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Tomorrow, June 19th, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Please consider attending Mass with the intent of making reparation for the offenses against His Most Sacred Heart; making a Holy Hour to adore His Sacred Heart and finally, consecrating yourself and your loved ones to His Sacred Heart.

It is also a splendid day to approach Our Lord’s magnificent, merciful, ever loving Sacred Heart with great trust. Tell Him your troubles, your fears, your hopes and dreams. He waits so patiently for us, is ignored and endures so many insults from men. Please beg God to expand your heart, that you might love Him more.

A Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

O LORD JESUS CHRIST,
To your most Sacred Heart,
I confide this intention
(mention your request)

Only look upon me, and then do
What your Sacred Heart inspires.

Let your Sacred Heart decide
I count on it, I trust in it
I throw myself on Your mercy,
Lord Jesus! You will not fail me.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in You.
Sacred Heart of Jesus,
I believe in Your love for me.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Your Kingdom come.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus,
I have asked you for many favors,
But I earnestly implore this one. Take it. Place it in Your open, broken Heart;
And, when the Eternal Father looks upon It,
Covered with Your Precious Blood,
He will not refuse it.

It will be no longer my prayer,
But Yours, O Jesus.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus,
I place all my trust in You.

Let me not be disappointed.
Amen.

With appreciation to mycatholictradition.com

Consecration of Families to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is just two days away – here is an extraordinary prayer for families who wish to grow closer to Our Lord.

Consecration of Families to the Sacred Heart

O most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Thou didst reveal to the blessed Margaret Mary Thy desire to rule over Christian families; behold, in order to please Thee, we stand before Thee this day, to proclaim Thy full sovereignty over our family. We desire henceforth to live Thy life, we desire that the virtues, to which Thou hast promised peace on earth, may flower in the bosom of our family; we desire to keep far from us the spirit of the world, which Thou hast condemned. Thou art King of our hearts by our love of Thee alone, with which our hearts are on fire and whose flame we shall nourish by frequent reception of the Holy Eucharist.

Be pleased, O Sacred Heart, to preside over our gathering together, to bless our spiritual and temporal affairs, to ward off all annoyance from us, to bless our joys and comfort our sorrows. If any of us has ever been so unhappy as to fall into the misery of displeasing Thee, grant that he may remember, O Heart of Jesus, that Thou art full of goodness and mercy toward the repentant sinner. And when the hour of separation strikes and death enters our family circle, whether we go or whether we stay, we shall all bow meekly before Thine eternal decrees. This shall be our consolation, to remember that the day will come, when our entire family, once more united in heaven, shall be able to sing of Thy glory and Thy goodness forever. May the immaculate Heart of Mary and the glorious Patriarch Saint Joseph vouchsafe to offer Thee this our act of consecration, and to keep the memory thereof alive in us all the days of our lives.

Glory to the Heart of Jesus, our King and our Father!

Amen.

Bill O'Reilly vs. Joan Walsh

Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly has been at the center of controversy following the murder of notorious late-term abortionist Dr. George Tiller. O’Reilly has reported numerous times on Tiller’s grisly Kansas abortion mill, where a reported 60,000 babies have been aborted – some as late as the day before they were due. Pro-abortion activists have asserted that by calling attention to Tiller’s practices, O’Reilly may have encouraged violence against Tiller.

Joan Walsh, editor of Salon.com, defended the pro-partial birth abortion position on a recent edition of The O'Reilly Factor. The exchange quickly becomes contentious, but what caught my attention was a moment about midway through Part 2 of the interview.

Joan Walsh indignantly justifies her position by adamantly calling herself a “pro- choice Catholic who believes in abortion, reduction and working with young girls...” She then goes on to call Tiller a ‘hero’.

Here’s a newsflash for you, Joan: YOU CANNOT BE PRO-CHOICE AND BE CATHOLIC.

Don’t believe me?

Please call the Vatican for clarification.

Or are you, like Nancy Pelosi, going to try and claim that you know the Catholic faith better than the Pope does?

Preparing for the Feast of The Sacred Heart of Jesus

Here's a brief but beautiful prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Friday, June 19th

PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS

O most holy heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing, I adore you, I love you, and with lively sorrow for my sins I offer you this poor heart of mine. Make me humble, patient, pure and wholly obedient to your will. Grant, Good Jesus, that I may live in You and for You. Protect me in the midst of danger. Comfort me in my afflictions. Give me health of body, assistance in my temporal needs, your blessing on all that I do, and the grace of a holy death.

Amen.

A Week of Prayers to the Scared Heart

In honor of the approaching feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ( Friday, June 19th), I will post a different prayer to the Scared Herat of Our Lord, along with other hopefully helpful information, every day this week.

God Bless!

Traditional Irish Prayer of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on me.

O God, forgive me for all the sins of my life;

The sins of my youth and the sins of my age,

The sins of my body and the sins of my soul,

The sins I have confessed and the sins I have forgotten,

The sins against others in thought, word, and deed,

My sins of omission.

O, my God, I am sorry for all my sins, because you are so good;

And I will not sin again with the help of God.God be merciful to me, a sinner.

Divine Heart of Jesus, convert sinners, save the dying, Deliver the holy souls in purgatory.

Amen.

The Traveling Catholic : Mass on the Road

Weekend travel can present a dilemma for Catholics, who often scramble to find Mass on the road. Worry no more! One Sunday morning my husband had to take an early flight across the country. Saturday evening we were invited to attend an event hosted by a good friend who we hadn’t seen in some time. The event was scheduled from 3 p.m. – 7 p.m. Given my husband’s scheduled flight the following day, we debated whether or not we should arrive early, stay a short while and then head to Mass or go to Mass first and catch the last hour or so of the gathering.

Then I found http://www.parishesonline.com/ , and in a few clicks located an evening Mass within walking distance of my husband’s hotel. It was win- win. We enjoyed great quality time with our friends, and my husband loved the Mass, held in a beautiful cathedral that he might never have had the occasion to visit.

A License to Dream...

Here's a great story about a man, a dream, license plates, and a great use for ten million dollars.

Enjoy!

The Unforgivable Sin

During the 2008 primary election cycle, an employee of one of the Democrat presidential candidates wrote something horribly offensive about the Holy Spirit on her blog. (Adding insult to injury she also insulted Our Lady) There was much discussion among political pundits as to whether or not this woman had committed the 'Unforgivable Sin'.

As I recall, the woman soon resigned or was terminated and commentators were still going round and round as to whether or not her soul was in peril.

A simple consultation with this handy page from the Diocese of Lincoln would have reassured those concerned that our good, loving and infinitely merciful God would likely open his arms wide if she approached Him with sincere contrition.

What is the sin against the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:29) which can never be forgiven, but is an eternal sin?

No sin is unpardonable, speaking objectively, since God wills all men to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4). However, God cannot and will not pardon anyone unless there is repentance and an acceptance of His mercy. It is precisely the lack of repentance and the refusal of God's mercy which cannot ever be forgiven. Usually the "sins of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit" are listed as six in number:

1. Presumption of saving oneself without Christ or His Church or else without personal effort and cooperation with grace

2. despair of God's mercy

3. deliberately resisting the truths of the Catholic Faith

4. envy of another's spiritual good

5. final impenitence.

The Gender Test Kit

I saw this article on the 'Gender Test Kit' and a comment Fr. John Corapi once made about cloning came to mind.

"Not everything we are able to do, is something that we should do."

The developers and manufacturers of the Gender Test Kit must have all sorts of reasons why it was a good idea for expectant parents to be able to determine the sex of their baby in the convenience of their own homes as early as two months into the pregnancy.

I assume the logic went something like this...

Decorating the nursery and planning baby showers would be so much easier.

It's still a surprise...they're just surprised seven months earlier.

Of course this is capitalizing on the impatience of a generation accustomed to instant gratification. Microwave cooking, music downloads, and movies-on-demand are often 'too slow' for folks today.

How can people reasonably be expected to wait nine months to find out the sex of their children?

So...did the thought that a family, say saddled with two girls and desperately longing for a boy, might purchase this kit to determine whether or not to have their child or abort it, enter into the discussion?

I suspect so. Maybe they said

What they do with our kit is their choice. We're just providing a service.

or , they might have been indignant at the thought...

Honestly! China aside, if parents care enough to buy this kit, they are not going to murder their own child over something as silly as the sex of the baby.

Oh yes they would.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us.

First Saturday

Today, June 6, is the first Saturday of the month. A great day to start the First Saturday devotion. God bless you!

June, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

June is the month dedicated by the Church to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This extraordinary devotion is said to draw souls close to the heart of Our Lord, and the promises for those devoted to His Sacred heart are extraordinary.

Padre Pio recited the following ‘ Efficacious Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus’ every day for those who requested his prayers.

I. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of...... (here name your request)

Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father....Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

II. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of.......(here name your request) Our Father...Hail Mary....Glory Be To the Father....Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

III. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away." Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of.....(here name your request)

Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father...Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender Mother and ours.

Say the Hail, Holy Queen and add: St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.

-- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

with appreciattion to ewtn.com

First Friday Devotion

Just a reminder that Friday June 5th is the first Friday of the month of June - a great day to start the First Friday Devotion if you're not already participating!

This devotion consists in attending Holy Mass and receiving Holy Communion in reparation for those who do not receive Our Lord, who do not love Him and who wound Him by their sinful lives.

"I promise you, in the excessive mercy of My Heart, that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday of nine consecutive months, the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in my disgrace, nor without receiving their Sacraments, My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment."

-----Our Lord to St. Margaret Mary

THE GREAT PROMISE
This promise is contained in a letter written in May, 1688, by St. Margaret Mary to Mother Saumaise:

"On a Friday during Holy Communion, He said these words to His unworthy slave, if I mistake not:

I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that Its all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on nine first Fridays of the month consecutively, the grace of final repentance; they will not die under My displeasure or without receiving their Sacraments, My Divine Heart making Itself their assured refuge at the last moment."

With regard to this promise it may be remarked:

1) that Our Lord required Communion to be received on a particular day chosen by Him

2) that the nine Fridays must be consecutive

3) that they must be made in honor of His Sacred Heart, which means that those who make the nine Fridays must practice the devotion and must have a great love for Our Lord

4) that Our Lord does not say that those who make the nine Fridays will be dispensed from any of their obligations or from exercising the vigilance necessary to lead a good life and overcome temptation, rather He implicitly promises abundant graces to those who make the Nine Fridays to help them to carry out these obligations and persevere to the end

5) that perseverance in receiving Holy Communion for nine consecutive First Fridays helps the faithful to acquire the habit of frequent Communion, which Our Lord eagerly desires

6) finally, that the practice of the Nine Fridays is very pleasing to Our Lord since He promises such a great reward, and that all Catholics should endeavor to make the Nine Fridays.

PROTECTION PROMISED BY OUR LORD AT THE MOMENT OF DEATH.
"The Divine Heart of Jesus again gave me to understand and assured me," writes St. Margaret Mary, "that the pleasure which He takes in being known, loved and honored by His creatures is so great that He promised me that none of those who practice this amiable devotion and are devoted to His adorable Heart will ever perish."

with appreciation to catholictradition.org

Nothing is Impossible with God!

I came across a great novena for the stickiest of situations, thought I would share:

NOVENA for IMPOSSIBLE REQUESTS

(This Novena honours the nine months during which Our Lady carried Our Blessed Lord in her womb)

"Hail, Holy Queen,
Mother of Mercy,
our life, our sweetness and our hope!
To thee do we cry,
poor banished children of Eve;
to thee do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate,
thine eyes of mercy towards us;
and after this our exile,
show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb Jesus.
O clement, O loving,
O sweet Virgin Mary. Amen."

V - Pray for us, most holy mother of God.
R - That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

"Virgin of the Incarnation,
a thousand times we greet thee,
a thousand times we praise thee
for thy joy when God was incarnated in thee.
Because thou art so powerful
a Virgin and Mother of God,
grant what we ask of thee for the love of God."

Here state your first intention.

Repeat all of above and then state your second intention.

Repeat all of above and then state your third intention.

CONCLUSION:
After the above prayers and intentions, say the Memorare.

Remember, O most Gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known
that anyone who fled to thy protection,
implored thy help
or sought thy intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence,
I fly unto thee,
O Virgin of Virgins,
my mother.
To thee do I cry,
before thee I stand,
sinful and sorrowful.
Mother of the Word Incarnate,
despise not my petitions,
but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.

Hail Mary...

Blessed and praised be
the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar,
in Heaven, on earth and everywhere.

AMEN.

And when all seems lost, don't forget we have a nuclear weapon in our prayer arsenals...

The Murder of Dr. Tiller

A few months ago I saw a biopic entitled Padre Pio: Miracle Man. In one scene, Padre Pio sternly reprimands a man who justified vengeful acts against another because their sinful behavior merited such treatment.

Padre Pio angrily shouted “You can’t fight Satan with Satan’s tactics.”
This came to mind last night when I learned of the murder of notorious late-term abortionist Dr. George Tiller.

Did another man have the right to take Dr. Tiller’s life? No. Even if it means that the lives of many innocent babies may be saved because of this action?

No.

Only God has the right to decide when Dr. Tiller was to die. Just as only God has the right to decide whether or not an unborn baby lives or dies.

It is possible that one day Dr. Tiller could have repented. Consider the case of Dr. Stojan Adasevic, a Serbian former abortionist who murdered a reported 48,000 babies. His powerful conversion story shows how God can touch any heart, at any time.


Finally, it is important to note that the man who murdered Dr. Tiller was definitely not 'pro-life' . Murder, be it of a full grown man or an unborn baby, is against everything the pro-life movement stands for.

Please pray for Dr. Tiller and his family, pray for the person who shot him and pray with all of your heart for the conversion of every other abortionist on this planet.