prayer

Remembering the True Gift of Christmas

I would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas! All through human existence people have been searching for meaning; to make sense of everything in this world. In other words, we have been searching for God and trying to know His ways. On Christmas, God answered that eternal question through the birth of Jesus Christ. He became flesh so that we could try to comprehend His incomprehensible nature. And we find that God is not distant, petty, or power-hungry like the false gods people worshiped in ages past, but is as innocent and humble as a newborn baby. May we embrace this great gift from God by increasing our faith and love for Jesus.

On the practical side, let us remember to take advantage of Christmas Mass whether that be on Christmas eve, midnight, or Christmas day. I know all too often Christmas Mass is seen as something to “get out of the way” if we even go at all. And often we spend our time at Mass thinking, “I wonder what is in that big box under the tree?” Or, “I need to get home and start on that turkey!” I know sometimes I just “zone out” and start scanning the congregation for friends I have not seen in a long time. I just want to remind you that the Mass is the high point of this holiday. As I mentioned in my Third Joyful Mystery Meditation, let us not be consumed by the “trappings” of Christmas even if it can only be for that one hour during Mass (hey, it’s a start). Really take in the Mass and the Blessed Sacrament and reflect on the greatest gift humanity has ever received — a personal and loving relationship with God.

Merry Christmas!

The innkeeper: Still no room at the inn (thestar.com)
Waiting for Christmas (slideshare.net)
Commentary: Christmas with Congress, A Seat for Aborted Souls (deaconforlife.blogspot.com)

Advent — 60 Things to Remember

This year Advent feels like it is one week longer. In the past week I’ve gone to a 50th wedding anniversary, a wedding, and had a great time with my wife’s family for Thanksgiving. I’ve spent a lot of time talking to friends and family at the various events. At the anniversary, my cousin and I talked about prayer and the rosary. We touched on many ideas and I can’t go into detail on all of them in this post (but I will probably bring them up in the future). However, there was one rosary prayer of her’s that I found particularly interesting that seemed relevant to Advent and preparing our souls for the Lord.

Advent wreath, Frist Advent Sunday — Image via Wikipedia

Welcome to the wonderful season of Advent! My wife and I were so happy about the start of this blessed season that we tore into our closet, took out all our Christmas supplies, and got busy decorating. I hope that everyone feels energized and excited about the best four weeks of the year.

The prayer is simple. On each bead of the rosary you remember someone who needs prayers, something you are thankful for, something you are sorry for, or any other situation that you feel needs remembering. You don’t need to say a long prayer on each bead. Just saying someone’s name will suffice. So that is sixty thoughts total (counting the small beads at the start and the crucifix). The point is to just think about people and situations so that they go to the front of your mind, heart, and hopefully your actions. I think this helps prevent us from making our prayers too general. When we say someone’s name, we attach a face and a real soul to our prayers. It gives our prayers, sacrifices, and offerings a real, human dimension that we sometimes miss when we just pray generally.

What do you think is more effective? Saying, “Lord please help those in need” or, “Lord, please look over my aunt during her surgery?” Now, God knows everyone’s needs whether we voice them our not. But we don’t need to be specific for God’s sake, but for ours. Suppose you really do have a family member going in for surgery. Perhaps actually thinking and voicing his/her name will remind you to give that person a phone call or visit in the hospital. Or maybe you can fast specifically for that person. In other words, by thinking of specific people you focus your prayers and spiritual energy towards their specific needs.

Sounds easy? That’s what I thought until I gave it a try. Sure, the first twenty or thirty beads are simple enough since I can rattle off friends and family members. However, I found it quite challenging to think of sixty people and circumstances that are in need of prayer. That is a little disappointing considering the millions of things to be thankful for, people to pray for, and sins to feel genuine remorse for. So that will be my challenge for this Advent — to say my sixty small prayers after praying the rosary so that I may remember the needs of those for whom I haven’t prayed enough. In doing so, in making room for others in my prayers, I will also be making room for Jesus when Christmas arrives.

Give this a try and let me know what you think. Have a great Advent!

Thanks (thecatholicthing.org)
Christ is King of Heaven and Earth! (deaconforlife.blogspot.com)

Souls Need Our Prayers More than Once a Year

The Catholic Church celebrated All Souls Day on November 2. On that day we prayed for the souls in Purgatory who are undergoing their final purification before entering Heaven. However, I want to remind everyone that these souls are in constant need of our prayers. Praying for them should not be something we do once a year after we come down from our Halloween sugar high. We should remember the deceased every day throughout the year in all our prayers.

A Procession in the Catacomb of Callistus — Image via Wikipedia

The Church’s tradition is that the souls in Purgatory need our prayers to complete their purification. They no longer have the ability to pray for themselves so they are completely dependent on God’s mercy and our prayers. The Catechism of the Catholic Church recommends “almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead” (CCC #1032).

To think of it another way, one day you will be completely dependent on others’ prayers just as the dead are dependent on your prayers today. So don’t just pray alone for the deceased, but ask other people to pray for souls as well. As more people pray, the more souls will enter into God’s kingdom for all eternity. And one day, the people who you teach to remember the deceased in their prayers will be helping you enter into Heaven.

Purgatory must be a crowded place. Our Lord dictated the following prayer to St. Gertrude the Great to release 1,000 Souls from Purgatory each time it is said. Imagine how great it would be if we all prayed this every day so that millions of souls could enter into eternal rest?

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.

PS: Sorry for the long delay between postings. I’m trying to finish up some rosary meditations but I’m having problems finding the right message.

The Rosary: Heavenly Medicine

If you notice, the tag line for my website is, “A rosary a day keeps the devil away.” As clever as that sounds, there is a great deal of truth in that statement. The rosary is not a piece of fashion or some sort of magical talisman. It is more like medicine or a vitamin that helps fight off the devil who is as real as any disease but many orders of magnitude deadlier. It is extremely important to use the rosary and pray to Mary for She is incredibly powerful and will keep you safe.

In Christianity, Satan is considered the being... — Image via Wikipedia

If you notice, the tag line for my website is, “A rosary a day keeps the devil away.” As clever as that sounds, there is a great deal of truth in that statement. The rosary is not a piece of fashion or some sort of magical talisman. It is more like medicine or a vitamin that helps fight off the devil who is as real as any disease but many orders of magnitude deadlier. It is extremely important to use the rosary and pray for Mary’s intercession for She is incredibly powerful against evil and will keep you safe.

Why is the devil deadlier than any physical disease? He is such a grave threat because he can kill something far more precious than your body and that is your eternal soul. Keep in mind that your physical body only exists for an instant when compared to the eternity of the afterlife. Any physical pain and suffering endured in this world is minuscule compared to the joy or torment in the afterlife. But in that instant you are in this world, the devil is actively trying to claim your soul for all eternity. It is an ongoing battle and you must be prepared to fight and resist sin.

But like many diseases, there is a very effective, preventative medicine to prevent ESD (eternal soul death). In case you didn’t guess, it’s the rosary. It may be made of simple rope or a chain, but it is your life line to keep your soul healthy and resistant to the devil. Praying it will build up your immunity to evil and prevent you from falling into mortal sin. When you focus on the rosary, you focus on God and doing His will, not indulging in sinful activity. By praying routinely the temptation to fall into sin will diminish. However, even the best medicine is useless if you never take it. For the rosary to be effective, you need to take it off your rear view mirror of your car or out of your desk drawer and pray it. And you have to match that prayer with a spiritually healthy lifestyle with the intent to do God’s will.

Prayer is an effective antidote to sin because it was given to us from the Mother of God. The Virgin Mary gave us the rosary like a good mother gives medicine to a child. She intends for us to use it so that we may live in a state of grace. The Archbishop of Mexico City, Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, had this to say about appealing for Mary’s intercessions to fight the devil:

She brings us to Jesus, she protects us and cares for us in this difficult ministry … Mary also participates in exorcisms. She herself is an exorcist and expels the devil through her sanctity.

Mary is our heavenly mother and one tough opponent for the devil. With Her, our Lord Jesus Christ, the saints, and the angels in Heaven, you are well protected from the devil and anything he may throw at you. So let’s take advantage of this great, heavenly medicine and pray regularly because our immortal souls depends on it.

Medjugorje Message: July 25, 2009

Our Lady’s message from Medjugorje on July 26, 2009. Mary calls us all to a life of prayer. Sometimes the simplest message is often the hardest to carry out. After all, how much time do you spend in prayer every day? Or better yet, do you make your entire life a living prayer where you put God first above all other things?

Medjugorje Mary Statue

Our Lady‘s message on July 25, 2009 is short and simple:

Dear children! May this time be a time of prayer for you. Thank you for having responded to my call.

That’s it. Of course, the simplest message is often the hardest to carry out. After all, how much time do you spend in prayer every day? Do you think you could stand before God and honestly tell Him that you spent enough of your life in prayer? Or better yet, do you make your entire life a living prayer where you put God first above all other things? I know that I have a tendency to isolate my faith where I set aside some time for God but then go about my day focused (or obsessed over) other things.

So ask yourself, do you make your entire life about loving God and having His love shine forth through you in all that you do? Or is there a disconnect between your prayers and how you live your life? Let us remember that prayer is more than just reciting an “Our Father” or “Hail Mary.” It is a time for us to talk to God and learn how we can incorporate His will into our lives. May our prayers bare fruit by living as God calls us to live.

Rosary Meditation: The Second Joyful Mystery

Today’s rosary meditation is the Second Joyful Mystery — The Visitation. After accepting God’s will in the Annunciation, Mary visited her cousin, Elizabeth who was pregnant with John the Baptist. This mystery is one of the best examples of using God’s grace to help others. As the Mother of God, Mary chose to use God’s grace to serve others and not to be served. This is a theme seen in Jesus’ ministry as well as the lives of the saints.

: Image via Wikipedia

Today’s rosary meditation is the Second Joyful Mystery — The Visitation. After accepting God’s will in the Annunciation, Mary visited her cousin, Elizabeth who was pregnant with John the Baptist. Mary came with this message, “My being proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit finds joy in God my savior. For He has looked upon His servant in her lowliness; all ages to come shall call me blessed” (Lk 1:46-48, emphasis mine). She stayed with Elizabeth for three months presumably offering a helping hand whenever needed.

This mystery is one of the best examples of using God’s grace to help others. Keep in mind that traveling to see relatives in the time of the Roman Empire was no easy task. It would take weeks, if not months, to travel between villages. Traveling was a challenge and dangerous for the very strong let alone a pregnant teenager. Despite the hardship, Mary made the journey in order to share the good news with her cousin and help in any way she could. As the Mother of God she chose to use God’s grace to serve others and not to be served. As she said in Luke’s Gospel, God’s greatness is found in His lowly servants doing His will, not those who try to be masters. We see this same theme through Jesus who is King of Heaven and yet came into this world as a humble servant.

When I meditate on this mystery I’m often reminded about the difference between acquiring God’s grace and using it. I know that prayer, fasting, and receiving the Sacraments (particularly washing away sin during Confession) all help me achieve God’s grace. However, I often fail in using grace to help others in need. I could help others more whether it be donating some of my time for charitable causes to just making myself available when friends or family need me. I’m sure I miss great opportunities to actually put my faith into practice all the time. Ask yourself, are you using all of your God-given gifts to their full potential? Are you choosing to serve others as Mary did or are you expecting to be served?

The lesson behind The Visitation is that God calls on us all to put our faith into action. Yes, our faith is something that is deeply personal. But it is also something that should be very public. God gives us grace not only for our own sake, but to also help others in their conversion towards God’s love and their ultimate salvation. I’m reminded of the saying, “actions speak louder than words.” Let us remember that about prayer. Let us not just pay lip service to God, but actually put into action what we believe. Prayer is good and necessary, but it is the foundation for good works and not an end in itself.

ONE MILLION ROSARIES FOR UNBORN BABIES prayer event(update) (deaconforlife.blogspot.com)

Rosary Meditation: The Third Luminous Mystery

Today’s rosary meditation focuses on the Third Luminous Mystery — Jesus’ proclamation of the kingdom of God with a call to conversion. We should remember that Jesus is the Word made Flesh who brought the power and glory of Heaven into this world. However, in order to celebrate in God’s graces we must first approach Jesus with a humble heart open to conversion. By conversion, Jesus asks us to put away our worldly and sinful ways and truly embrace His teachings of goodness and mercy.

: Image via Wikipedia

Today’s rosary meditation focuses on the Third Luminous Mystery — Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom of God with a call to conversion. We should remember that Jesus is the Word made Flesh who brought the power and glory of Heaven into this world. However, in order to celebrate in God’s graces we must first approach Jesus with a humble heart open to conversion. By conversion, Jesus asks us to put away our worldly and sinful ways and truly embrace His teachings of goodness and mercy.

Early in His ministry, Jesus proclaimed the Word had been fulfilled through Him. In a synagogue, Jesus read from the prophet Isaiah how “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me.” He followed up the reading saying how that passage was now fulfilled. As Christians who already believe in the Jesus’ divinity, this passage reads more as a statement of fact rather than a radical proclamation. However, this would have been difficult to hear for those gathered in the synagogue at that time. Instead of accepting Jesus as the Word made Flesh, they chased Him out of town. This reminds me of the times when God calls me to follow His ways, but instead of accepting God’s call, I reject it. Often we tell ourselves that what God asks of us doesn’t make any sense, is difficult, or impossible. It is always easier to find excuses and justifications rather than accept God’s Word. After all, the people who chased Jesus out of the temple reasoned that He was just the son of Joseph the carpenter and couldn’t possibly be the Messiah. We must ask ourselves, how often do we try to reason away God’s Word, transform it, or revise it in order to suit our notions of how to live?

Jesus’ ministry of healing and miracles showed the power and glory of God’s kingdom. He gave sight to the blind, healed the sick, and restored movement to the paralyzed. Through his acts people came to believe and follow Him. Jesus did indeed bring the kingdom of Heaven to the world for wherever He traveled people felt the true presence of God. But I find it amazing how quickly the people who followed Jesus abandoned Him. They praised Him one day only to call for His crucifixion the next. For many, Jesus was just a man who made their lives easier through physical healing. But when confronted with the difficult reality of following a man who was condemned by the ruling Roman authorities and Jewish leaders, people quickly, as they say in politics, “threw Him under the bus.” Unfortunately, today we carry on that legacy of human weakness of praising God when life is good and abandoning Him when life becomes difficult. How often have we become angry with God because something bad happened to us or we didn’t receive an outcome that we expected? Life is not always easy or fair but those with strong faith know that God is present when we need Him the most. Those other moments when we abandon God amongst hardship should serve as a reminder on just how much more work we need to do in order to prepare our souls to receive God’s kingdom in our lives.

How do we prepare ourselves to fully receive God’s graces? Jesus asks us to convert. There are two aspects to conversion. First, we need to have a humble spirit. Too often, we let our pride get in the way of really living as God asks us. We naively say that God needs to change since we cannot possibly change our lives. We proclaim that the Church and Her rules need to “get with the times” and be more progressive. Our pride leads us to believe that our ways are perfect and God’s ways need reformation. However, it is not God who needs conversion, but us. As I wrote previously, God’s laws are not subject to a straw poll. We are the ones who needs to show humility, take a hard look at ourselves, and find those aspects of our lives that need to change.

The other aspect of conversion is reconciliation. If we really want to receive God’s kingdom we need to wash away our sins through the Sacrament of Confession. I like the term “washing away” because it implies cleaning something that is dirty. That “dirt” is sin and by the power of the Holy Spirit we cleanse our souls of all those things that prevent us from fully embracing God. Very few of us like to live in dirtiness. We spend huge amounts of time, money, and energy cleaning our clothes, homes, cars, and bodies. And yet, we do not take the time to clean what is most important — our eternal souls. The Sacrament of Confession is free and requires very little time and energy. All it takes is an open heart to truly examine our conscience to make a good confession. After all, we want to make sure we clean every nook and cranny.

I want to end with a challenge. Every day ask yourself, “How can I be a better person today than I was yesterday?” Find those aspects of your life that prevent you from truly embracing God’s kingdom and change them. Conversion is not a one-shot deal. It takes time and patience through small steps. The road of conversion is one of triumphs as well as defeats. But we’ll never make any progress if our pride prevents us from admitting that we can do better. The kingdom of God is here with us now and the doors are wide open. God invites all of us to celebrate in His grace. The obligation is on us to prepare ourselves in order to fully embrace the power and glory that can only come through God.

Random Thought: Call Your Mother

Remember to call your mother today. But do not forget Mary, our heavenly mother. Honor her by praying the rosary and moving closer to her son, Jesus Christ. That would make her so proud.

In honor of Mother’s Day:

Remember to call your mother today. But do not forget Mary, our heavenly mother. Honor her by praying the rosary and moving closer to her son, Jesus Christ. That would make her so proud.

Medjugorje Message: April 25, 2009

Our Mother Mary asks us to make God’s peace our highest priority and through prayer she can help us obtain that lofty goal. I interpret the peace that Mary talks about as being a little different than the conventional notion of peace. Mary’s peace is where we try to obtain a heart centered around God’s truth. Often, I feel like the greatest war is an internal and personal one waged inside our minds and souls.

Here is a new message from Our Lady at Medjugorje on April 25, 2009:

Dear children! Today I call you all to pray for peace and to witness it in your families so that peace may become the highest treasure on this peaceless earth. I am your Queen of Peace and your mother. I desire to lead you on the way of peace, which comes only from God. Therefore, pray, pray, pray. Thank you for having responded to my call.

The message this time is clear — pray for peace. Our Mother Mary asks us to make God’s peace our highest priority and through prayer she can help us obtain that lofty goal. However, I know a lot of people probably think that they are too small to bring about peace in this world. After all, we are not leaders of nations or political groups. We cannot attend international summits and converse with the world’s presidents. So what can we do to create peace?

I interpret the peace that Mary talks about as being a little different than the conventional notion of peace. It is more than just the absence of war and hatred. Mary’s peace is where we try to obtain a heart centered around God’s truth. I feel that the greatest war is an internal and personal one waged inside our minds and souls. Often we live for all the wrong reasons — money, power, sinful desire, and other pleasures of the flesh. Living for these goals creates disunity within ourselves because we replace God’s permanent and real love with shallow imitations. We often hear stories about people who have all the money in the world and yet are not happy. This is because they do not have the peace that only comes from following God’s will. As Mary says, real peace can only come from God.

I’m reminded of a story involving Saint Francis. One day a fellow monk asked him what he could do to bring about peace in this world. Saint Francis replied that he could start by closing the door quietly. Saint Francis was cleverly teaching that peace begins with the individual and the conscious effort to live peacefully. How can there be peace around the world if we are not at peace with ourselves? The first order in building a lasting peace is to “clean house” spiritually. Mary’s last message was all about making room for the Lord. Where do we start? Mary’s answer is simple — in prayer. Peace starts with praying and being connected to God. Without that connection we can never achieve the true peace of God.

Let us pray that we find God in our prayers in order to bring real peace to our hearts and souls. May we have the courage to find peace, especially with those closest to us like our parents, family members, and friends. As the song says, “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.”

It’s always a good time to visit and shop in the RosaryMeds Store.

Medjugorje Message: March 25, 2009

A message from the Virgin Mary from Medjugorje. She asks us to awaken our souls for Easter and be open to the truth of Jesus Christ.

Here is another message from Our Lady at Medjugorje. Like the earlier message, I ask that you read it with an open mind even if you are highly skeptical of the events surrounding Medjugorje. If you don’t think that these messages come from Mary then please think of them as coming from a priest or prayer book. It does not make the message any less truthful.

Dear children! In this time of spring, when everything is awakening from the winter sleep, you also awaken your souls with prayer so that they may be ready to receive the light of the risen Jesus. Little children, may He draw you closer to His Heart so that you may become open to eternal life. I pray for you and intercede before the Most High for your sincere conversion. Thank you for having responded to my call.

I like Mary’s call for a renewed effort or “awakening” of prayer. I have to admit, lately it has been difficult for me to pray earnestly. For some reason I feel distracted and my prayer time has felt more burdensome than meditative. This message is a great relief that I’m not alone in feeling weary on my spiritual journey. Jesus knows that for many of us prayer does not come naturally and easily. But he urges us, through His Mother, to dig deep down and make that extra effort to pray and do His will because ultimately it is good for us.

This message reminds me of a doctor telling the patient that, although the recovery from an injury or illness may be difficult, he has to persevere and stay on his regiment to be healed. Similarly, we are prescribed a spiritual regiment of prayer and fasting to bring us into God’s grace. Many of us (myself included) sometimes don’t want to take our spiritual medicine. Maybe we refuse to take it because we do not see immediate results and get discouraged. Or maybe we make our own “adjustments” to our prayer life instead of following the doctor’s orders. I know I skimp on prayers all the time telling myself, “I’ll be extra good about it tomorrow.” Only, tomorrow comes and I fall into the same pattern of putting off prayer, fasting, or acts of charity for another day.

In the remaining days of Lent, let us make an earnest effort to listen to God and what He asks of us. Mary tells us that it is time to wake up from our “winter sleep.” As we all know, waking up in the morning can be difficult but we also know that we can’t stay in bed all day because we have obligations to our family, friends, and jobs. Mary asks us to wake up spiritually because everyone ultimately has an obligation to God. So now is the time to stop hitting that spiritual “snooze” button, wake up, and live our lives for God. Let me be the first to say, “Good morning and have a great day!”

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It’s always a good time to visit and shop in the RosaryMeds Store.