Friday, October 18, 2019

St. Philomena

THE WONDER WORKER ST. PHILOMENA

Feeling the ravages of world war II in china.american born Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Our lady of Sorrows ,Sr.Mary Dulcissima and Sr.Mary Agatha,arrive in California in May 1949.Upon findind new apostolic work in this new west coast mission field,orignally founded by Bishop Raphael Agelo Palazzi to provide missionariesfor china,they recognized that it depended on very life of their little community .For a short time thet served as catechist in then Dioces of Montery Freson,USA but our lord soon made known to the newly arrived sisters the real apostolic ministry to which they were being called.
                   At that time the Franciscan Fr.Owen de Silva ,OFM was a retreat master,giving retreats for men at St. Francis retreat centre in San Juan Bautista,when he realized the need for a similar retreat house for women,However this would require an order of sisters to look after domestic need of the women but where to find such sisters?

                   Deciding  to invoke the intercession of the Wonder Worker St.Philomena, the Franciscan friars began a novena to this virgin Saint of the catacombs,begging God to somehow work this out and make his known,one day the Franciscan Fathers consultef with HIs Excellency Bishop Aloysius Willinger C.Ss.R of the Monterey Frescon dioces about the matter of establishing anew retreat house tobe solely at the service of women.the bishop thinkingit a fine idea metioned the possibility that sisters who had arrived from china might be interested in this ambitious and much needed project.Travelling to the old missiion in San Miguel ,Fr.Owen wasted notime meeting with the sisteres to present the proposal.Durring the course of discussion  Fr. Owen was suprised to learn that the sister too,had been begging St.Philomena to find them a new missionary apostolatewhich would assure their becoming solidly established in the diocese....to be continued

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

PLEA TO OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR

Jesus, enter into our contemplative space as we offer you our life as our lord and Saviour.
 we wholly surrender to you,Our Lord and Our God.
-->
we surrender our health ,family resource,work,skills,friendships,time,our success and failures;we let go of everything.
we surrender our understanding ,the decisions you may make regarding our lives ,our commitments and our will.
we surrender all that we are and wish to be according to your Holy Will.
We are yours ,all our present ,past and future.
Take our existance ,Lord it is yours by Law.Pardon our weaknesses so we may lead a new life.
Take us.Lord and enlighten our flame of love.
Thank you,Lord .Amen.

Monday, October 14, 2019

PRAYER IS A WEAPON

Pope Francis has asked all Catholics to pray the Rosary daily during this month of October,asking  Mary and St.Micheal the Archangel to intercede for the protection of the church in a moment of spiritual turbulence. -->


-->

The Holly Father did not specify the Spiritual turbulence  to which he referred ,but did say that prayer could help the church to become more aware of the faults ,the errors and the abuses committed in the present  and in the past , and committed to combating without any hesitation so that evil may not prevail .
-->
The Pope also encouraged that Catholics end the Rosary with recitation of the prayer of St.Micheal Archangel defend us  in battle ,be our our protection against the wickedness  and snares of the devil:may God rebuke him,we humbly pray;an thou,O prince of heavenly host,by the power of God,cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl thru the world seeking the ruin of souls.Amen

MEDJUGORJE MESSAGES

Latest Medjugorje Message, October 2, 2019 - Apparitions to Mirjana

Mirjana during an apparition


“Dear children, the will and the love of the Heavenly Father make it so that I am among you, that I, with a motherly love, may help the growth of faith in your heart, for you to be able to truly comprehend the purpose of earthly life and the greatness of the heavenly one.

My children, the earthly life is the way to eternity, to truth, and to life-to my Son. I desire to lead you on that way. You, my children-you who always thirst for more love, truth, and faith-need to know that there is only one spring from which you can drink. It is trust in the Heavenly Father; it is trust in His love.

Abandon yourselves completely to His will and do not be afraid. Everything that is best for you, everything that leads you to eternal life, will be given to you. You will comprehend that the purpose of life is not always to want and take, but to love and give. You will have true peace and true love. You will be apostles of love.

By your example, you will make it so that my children who do not know my Son and His love may desire to come to know Him. My children, apostles of my love, adore my Son with me and love Him above all. Always strive to live in His truth. Thank you. ”




The message of Medjugorje is a call to Conversion, conversion back to God. Our Lady gives us five Stones or Weapons, which we can use to overcome the power and influence of evil and sin in our lives. This is the "Message of Medjugorje". Our Lady's purpose for coming to earth is to guide each one of us back to her Son Jesus. She does this by leading us step by step toward a life of holiness through the hundreds of messages she has given to the world through the visionaries in Medjugorje. The time for decision is NOW!!. Our Lady's call is URGENT!!. We must open our hearts and begin to change our lives starting today, starting now.

Prayer | Fasting | Reading the Bible | Confession | Eucharist


Prayer
Prayer is the center of Our Lady's plan and is the most frequent message in Medjugorje.

"Today also I am calling you to prayer. You know, dear children, that God grants special graces in prayer... I call you, dear children, to prayer with the heart." (April 25, 1987)

To pray with the heart is to pray with love, trust, abandonment, and concentration. Prayer heals human souls. Prayer heals the history of sin. Without prayer, we cannot have an experience of God.

"Without unceasing prayer, you cannot experience the beauty and greatness of the grace which God is offering you." (February 25, 1989)

Our Lady's recommended prayers:

In the beginning, following an old Croatian tradition, Our Lady asked for the daily praying of: The Creed, followed by Seven Our Fathers, Hail Mary's, and Glory Be's.
Later, Our Lady recommended praying the Rosary. First Our Lady asked us to pray 5 decades, then 10, and finally Our Lady wishes us to pray daily, together or individually, the entire 15 Mysteries of the Rosary (Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries).
See How to Pray the Rosary .
Everybody should pray. Our Lady says: "May prayer reign in the whole world." (August 25, 1989) Through prayer, we will defeat satan's power, and obtain peace and salvation for our souls.

"You know that I love you and am coming here out of love, so I could show you the path of peace and salvation for your souls. I want you to listen to me and not permit Satan to seduce you. Dear children, Satan is strong enough! Therefore, I ask you to dedicate your prayers so that those who are under his influence may be saved. Give witness by your life, sacrifice your lives for the salvation of the world... Therefore, little children, do not be afraid. If you pray, Satan cannot injure you, not even a little, because you are God's children and He is watching over you. Pray, and let the Rosary always be in your hands as a sign to Satan that you belong to me." (February 25, 1989)

The power of satan is destroyed by prayer and he cannot harm us if we pray. No Christian should be afraid of the future unless he does not pray. If he does not pray, is he a Christian? If we do not pray, we are naturally blind to many things and cannot tell right from wrong. We lose our center and our balance.

Fasting

In the Old Testament and in the New Testament, there are many examples of fasting. Jesus fasted frequently. According to Tradition, fasting is encouraged especially in times of great temptation or severe trials. Certain devils, "can be cast out in no other way except by prayer and fasting", said Jesus. (Mark 9:29)

Fasting is essential in order to achieve spiritual freedom. Through fasting, one is better able to listen to God and man and to perceive them more clearly. If, through fasting, we achieve that freedom, we will be more aware of many things. Once we are aware that we can enjoy the necessities of life without struggle, then many fears and worries fade away. We become more open to our families and to the people with whom we live and work. Our Lady recommends fasting twice a week: "Fast strictly on Wednesdays and Fridays." (August 14, 1984)

She asks us to accept this difficult message "....with a firm will." She asks us to "Persevere in ... fasting." (June 25, 1982)

"The best fast is on bread and water. Through fasting and prayer one can stop wars, one can suspend the natural laws of nature. Works of charity cannot replace fasting... Everyone except the sick, has to fast." (July 21, 1982)

We have to realize the power of fasting. Fasting means to make a sacrifice to God, to offer not only our prayers, but also to make our whole being participate in sacrifice. We should fast with love, for a special intention, and to purify ourselves and the world. We should fast because we love God and want to be soldiers that offer our bodies in the battle against evil.

Daily Reading of the Bible


Usually Our Lady comes to the visionaries happy and joyful. On one occasion, while talking about the Bible, She was crying. Our Lady said: "You have forgotten the Bible."

The Bible is a book different from any other book on earth. Vatican II says that all the canonical books of the Bible were, "..written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author." (Dogmatic Constitution on Devine Revelation) This means that no other book can be compared to this book. That is why Our Lady asks us to separate THE BOOK from the other human books on the shelves. There is no writing even from a saint or inspired that can be compared to the Bible. That is why we are asked to place the Bible in a visible place in our homes.

"Dear children, today I call you to read the Bible everyday in your homes and let it be in a visible place so as always to encourage you to read it and pray." (October 18, 1984)

It is very rare to hear Our Lady say, "you must". She "desires", "calls", etc., but on one occasion, She used a very strong Croatian verb that means "must".

"Every family must pray family prayers and read the Bible." (February 14, 1985)

Confession
Our Lady asks for monthly confession. From the very first days of the apparitions, Our Lady spoke about confession:

"Make your peace with God and among yourselves. For that, it is necessary to believe, to pray, to fast, and to go to confession." (June 26, 1981)

"Pray, pray! It is necessary to believe firmly, to go to confession regularly, and, likewise, to receive Holy Communion. It is the only salvation." (February 10, 1982)

"Whoever has done very much evil during his life can go straight to Heaven if he confesses, is sorry for what he has done, and receives Communion at the end of his life." (July 24, 1982)

The Western Church (United States) has disregarded confession and its importance. Our Lady said:

"Monthly confession will be a remedy for the Church in the West. One must convey this message to the West." (August 6, 1982)

Pilgrims who come to Medjugorje are always impressed by the number of people waiting for confession and the number of priests hearing confession. Many priests have had extraordinary experiences during confessions in Medjugorje. About a particular feast day, Our Lady said:

"The priests who will hear confessions will have great joy on that day! (August, 1984)

Confession should not be a habit that would "make sinning easy". Vicka says to every group of pilgrims, "Confession is something that has to make a new human being out of you. Our Lady does not want you to think that confession will free you from sin and allow you to continue the same life after that. No, confession is a call to transformation. You must become a new person!" Our Lady explained the same idea to Jelena:

"Do not go to confession through habit, to remain the same after that. No, it is not good. Confession should give an impulse to your faith. It should stimulate you and bring you closer to Jesus. If confession does not mean anything for you, really, you will be converted with great difficulty." (November 7, 1983)

The Eucharist


Our Lady recommends Sunday Mass, and when possible, daily Mass. It has been reported by the visionaries that Our Lady has cried when speaking of the Eucharist and the Mass. She said:

"You do not celebrate the Eucharist as you should. If you would know what grace and what gifts you receive, you would prepare yourselves for it each day for an hour at least." (1985)

The evening Mass in Medjugorje is the most important moment of the day because Our Lady is present and She gives us Her Son in a special way. The Mass is more important than any of Our Lady's apparitions. Marija said that if she had to choose between the Eucharist and the apparition, she would choose the Eucharist. Our Lady said:

"The evening Mass must be kept permanently." (October 6, 1981)

She also asked that the prayer to the Holy Spirit always be said before Mass. Our Lady wants to see the Holy Mass as "the highest form of prayer" and "the center of our lives" (according to Marija). Vicka also says that the Blessed Mother sees the Mass as "the most important and the most holy moment in our lives. We have to be prepared and pure to receive Jesus with a great respect. The Mass should be the center of our lives" Our Lady is crying because people do not have enough respect toward the Eucharist. The Mother of God wants us to realize the extreme beauty of the mystery of the Mass. She has said:

"There are many of you who have sensed the beauty of the Holy Mass... Jesus gives you His graces in the Mass." (April 3, 1986)

"Let the Holy Mass be your life." (April 25, 1988)


This means that the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ must become our life, together with the hope of His second coming. During Mass, we receive the Living Christ and in Him we receive the whole mystery of our salvation that must transform and transfigure us. The Holy Mass is the perfect expression of the mystery of Christ in which we can fully participate in His life. Our Lady has said:

"Mass is the greatest prayer of God. You will never be able to understand its greatness. That is why you must be perfect and humble at Mass, and you should prepare yoursleves for it." (1983)

Our Lady wants us to be full of joy and hope during Mass and to make an effort so that this moment will "be an experience of God". Surrender to Jesus and the Holy Spirit is a very important part of the messages because it is the only path to holiness. To be open to the Holy Spirit in the Sacraments is the way we are going to be sanctified. In this way, Our Lady will obtain for us, the grace to become Her witnesses in the world to fulfill the plan of God and Her plan. Our Lady has said:

"Open your hearts to the Holy Spirit. Especially during these days the Holy Spirit is working through you. Open your hearts and surrender your life to Jesus so that He works through your hearts." (May 23, 1985)

CONFESSIONS

CONFESSIONS IN BRIEF

-->  On the evenning of that day ,the first day of the week,Jesus himself to the apostles .He breathed on them and said to them "Receivethe Holy.If you forgive the sins of any,they are forgiven;if you retain the sins of any ,they are retained "(Jn 20:19,22-23)

Individual and integral confesson of grave sins followed by absolution remains only ordinary means of reconciliation with God and with the church.
Through indulgences the faithful can obtain the remission of temporal punishment  resulting from sin for themselves and also forthe souls in purgatory.

READINGS TODAY

Monday, October 14, 2019 ROMANS 1:1-7
1Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God 2which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 3the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4and designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ; 7To all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
PSALMS 98:1-4 1O sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory. 2The LORD has made known his victory, he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations. 3He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. 4Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
LUKE 11:29-32 29When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30For as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nin'eveh, so will the Son of man be to this generation. 31The queen of the South will arise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32The men of Nin'eveh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

THE AGELS

THERE ARE THREEE ANGELS:MICHELA,GABRIEL AND RAPHAEL.
Their names refer to God.Michael means"who is like God" Raphael means "God heals" and
Gabriel means"the streght of God".God is always in the middle
  and this is the crucial difference between the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church and the view of Agels by the new age movement .We say "focus on Jesus"  where as they say "focus on agels"  that why angels are invisible,they do not want to draw our attention to themselves.
  (REv 22:8-9)
Fr Peter P..