Fundamental Catholic Prayers

LET'S PRAY TOGETHER 

 

Sign of the Cross:   In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
 

Our Father:  Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary:  Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory Be:  Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Apostles’ Creed:  I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father; from thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

 Prayers to Our Lady

The Rosary:  The six fundamental prayers listed above are also part of the Catholic rosary, a devotion dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, the Mother of God. (CCC 971) The rosary consists of fifteen decades. Each decade focuses upon a particular mystery in the life of Christ and his Blessed Mother. It is customary to say five decades at a time, while meditating upon one set of mysteries.

Bead by Bead

Our Father

10 Hail Marys

Glory Be

My Jesus

 

Joyful Mysteries (Monday and Saturday)

I.    The Annunciation
II.   The Visitation
III. The Birth of our Lord
IV. The Presentation of our Lord
V.  The Finding of our Lord in the Temple

Sorrowful Mysteries (Tuesday and Friday)

I.    The Agony in the Garden
II.   The Scourging at the Pillar
III. The Crowning with Thorns
IV. The Carrying of the Cross
V.  The Crucifixion and Death of our Lord

Glorious Mysteries (Sunday & Wednesday)
I.    The Resurrection
II.   The Ascension
III. The Descent of the Holy Spirit
IV. The Assumption of our Blessed Mother into Heaven
V.  The Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth

Light or Luminous Mysteries (Thursday)

I.    The Baptism of Jesus 
II.   The Wedding of Cana
III.  The Proclamation of the Kingdom
IV.  The Transfiguration
V.   The Institution of the Eucharist
 

Hail Holy Queen:  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 vale 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. V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

 

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 with this confidence, we turn to thee, O Virgin of virgins, our Mother. To thee we come, before thee we stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, do not despise our petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer us. Amen.

The Angelus:  The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary. R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. (Hail Mary ...) Behold the handmaid of the Lord. R. Be it done unto me according to thy word. (Hail Mary ...) And the Word was made flesh. R. And dwelt among us. (Hail Mary ...) Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us pray: Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts; that, we to whom the incarnation of Christ, thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by his passion and cross, be brought to the glory of his resurrection, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

 Daily Prayers

Prayer Before Meals:  Bless us O Lord, and these thy gifts, which we are about to receive, from thy bounty, through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Prayer to Our Guardian Angel:  Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this day be at my side to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

Morning Offering:  O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world. I offer them for all the intentions of your sacred heart: the salvation of souls, reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians. I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all the apostles of prayer, and in particular for those recommended by our Holy Father this month.

Evening prayer:  O my God, at the end of this day I thank you most heartily for all the graces I have received from you. I am sorry that I have not made a better use of them. I am sorry for all the sins I have committed against you. Forgive me, O my God, and graciously protect me this night. Blessed Virgin Mary, my dear heavenly mother, take me under your protection. St. Joseph, my dear guardian angel, and all you saints of God, pray for me. Sweet Jesus, have pity on all poor sinners, and save them from hell. Have mercy on the suffering souls in purgatory.

Generally, this evening prayer is followed by an act of contrition, which is usually said in conjunction with an examination of conscience. A daily examination of conscience consists of a brief recounting of our actions during the day. What sins did we commit? Where did we fail? In what areas of our lives can we strive to make virtuous progress? Having determined our failures and sins, we make an act of contrition.

Act of Contrition:  O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended thee and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend thee, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life.

Prayer after Mass,   Anima Christi:  Soul of Christ, make me holy. Body of Christ, save me. Blood of Christ, fill me with love. Water from Christ’s side, wash me. Passion of Christ, strengthen me. Good Jesus, hear me. Within your wounds, hide me. Never let me be parted from you. From the evil enemy, protect me. At the hour of my death, call me, and tell me to come to you that with your saints I may praise you through all eternity. Amen.

Prayers to the Holy Spirit

Prayer to the Holy Spirit:  Breathe into me Holy Spirit, that all my thoughts may be holy. Move in me, Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Attract my heart, Holy Spirit, that I may love only what is holy. Strengthen me, Holy Spirit, that I may defend all that is holy. Protect me, Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy.

Come, Holy Spirit:  Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray:  O God, who has taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that by the gift of the same Spirit we may be always truly wise and ever rejoice in his consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayers to the Angels and Saints

Prayer to Saint Joseph:  O glorious Saint Joseph, you were chosen by God to be the foster father of Jesus, the most pure spouse of Mary, ever virgin, and the head of the Holy Family. You have been chosen by Christ’s vicar as the heavenly patron and protector of the Church founded by Christ.

Protect the Holy Father, our sovereign pontiff, and all bishops and priests united with him. Be the protector of all who labor for souls amid the trials and tribulations of this life, and grant that all peoples of the world may follow Christ and the Church he founded.

Dear St. Joseph, accept the offering I make to you. Be my father, protector, and guide in the way of salvation. Obtain for me purity of heart and a love for the spiritual life. After your example, let all my actions be directed to the greater glory of God, in union with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and your own paternal heart. Finally, pray for me that I may share in the peace and joy of your holy death. Amen.

Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel:  St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all the other evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

 

PEACE AND BLESSINGS!

 

 

Mother's Day Homily 2014 - A Mother's Act of Love

Just the saying the word Mother releases a torrent of memories…the times when we were young and came racing home with a scrape to have it kissed and made better…sitting beside and listening in fascination  to her stories…the times when we misbehaved and had to face the music.

 

Whatever the memories, I think in our heart of hearts we all know that we fell short when it came to returning our mother’s love. We knew she’d always be there in good times or bad. Those of us who are fortunate enough to still have them with us can continue to chip away at that deficit. But no matter how hard we try, we’ll always owe our mothers a debt that can never be fully repaid.

It’s no accident that Catholics speak of their Holy Mother Church with awe and reverence. Our earthly mothers cared for us as we grew and guided us to maturity. In much the same way, the Church nurtures and feeds our faith with her sacraments and grace. And, like a mother, she disciplines her children, protecting them from the onslaughts of evil that could destroy them.

Not all mothers give birth to their children. For a variety of reasons some take them into their heart through adoption, though they love them no less. Likewise, some members of the Church are born into it. They’re the so-called cradle Catholics. Others, many others, come to her bereft and needy, searching for the love that only she can give. She wraps her mantle around them, heals their hurts and brings them into the fold, making them her sons and daughters.

Mothers are, of course, women and we’ve been trained to think of God as our Father. While a father can love just as deeply as a mother, it’s a different type of love because fathers have a different role to play in the lives of their children. Yet the Bible does not shrink back from comparing God’s love to that of a mother.

In one of the most familiar passages, Isaiah 49:15, God asks, “Can a woman forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.”

Hosea 13:8 again compares God’s care to the protective love of a mother: “I will attack them like a bear robbed of its young.”

In Matthew 23:37 as Jesus weeps over Jerusalem we hear him say, “…how many times I yearned to gather your children together as a hen gathers her young under her wings, but you were unwilling!”

Anyone who has ever known the mother of a wayward child — either son or daughter — can tell you they wake up each morning hoping that today is the day her child comes back. While the details of the parable of the Prodigal Son are few and far between, we can be certain of one thing. The father must have been a widower. Were he not, the boy’s mother would have surely shoved him aside saying, “Look out! My little boy’s come home.”

Unfortunately, Holy Mother Church also has her wayward children. Some push aside her protective arms and wander in that distant country. She, like all mothers, waits in constant desire for their return. That is one of the unique attributes of Catholicism. Simply come back and all will be forgiven. Only death can truly separate you from your mother, the Church.

Mother’s Day is an appropriate time to offer a prayer of thanksgiving for our Mothers and all they did for us. This Mother’s Day, why not offer a second prayer for your Mother the Church.  - Edward G. Lewis

Happy Mother's Day

PEACE & BLESSINGS.

 

The Special Indulgence of Divine Mercy Sunday - April 27, 2014

 

 

 

In his appearances to Sister Faustina our Lord requested that souls prepare for Divine Mercy Sunday with a novena and daily recitation of the chaplet of Divine Mercy.

 

This special plenary indulgence is a once-a-year blessing. Divine Mercy Sunday is April 27, 2014 this year. We can have the remission of all temporal punishment due to sin simply by saying the Novena prayers and the chaplet beginning on Good Friday and continuing through the following week.

 

A concise explanation along with all of the prayers and process can be downloaded and printed at the link below. Don't overlook this great opportunity.

 

Click HERE

 

 

PEACE & BLESSINGS!



THE VALUE OF CHARITY or A MESSAGE FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT

As I empty the ice trays into the bin, I lament the fact that our ice maker does not work. How many minutes, adding up the hours, have been wasted unnecessarily in emptying and refilling ice trays? Or in efforts to not forget so we don't run out of ice? I think I could use those wasted minutes on so many more important endeavors, if only the ice maker worked.

Then a thought popped into my head. I believe the Holy Spirit takes moments like this to remind me of my blessings. At church last weekend there was a plea for a clean water project in Tanzania. So, we donated something. My belief at the time was that the African women who had to walk far for clean water were keeping fit and probably had little else of value to spend their time on. Wrong! It also didn't occur to me then that they never have ice.

The thought that rolled around in my head this morning was a simple story. Here it is:

Abiria sat the heavy water jug on the ground and lifted her foot. How had she managed to step on a rock so sharp that it caused pain through her heavy callouses? She rubbed at the indentation in the heel of her foot before setting her foot back on the ground. She needed to hurry. No time to sit and rest. Dust from the road blew around her bare feet covering her black skin and making it look gray to her knees. The blowing dust also obscured her view of the roadbed. That's how she must have missed seeing the rock that caused her problem.
 
She hefted the water jug back up to her shoulder and onto her head. Looking straight ahead she kept it carefully balanced as she picked up her pace. She was tired, but her garden was at risk whenever she was away. Her elderly mother watched the smallest of her children while the older ones tended their small goat herd. No one tended the garden except Abiria.

It was two miles from her Tanzanian village to a source of fresh water. The trip there was easy, it was the trip back that was difficult. The water jug was heavy, but she carried as much as she could. It needed to last her family for an entire day. The the trip would be repeated tomorrow morning and every morning thereafter...all before the sun grew too hot.

As she topped the rise and looked down on her hut, she screamed. Yelling and hollering, she tried to run, but her weary legs rebelled. A neighbor's cow had broken through her brush fence and was eating the meager things she'd managed to grow. As she yelled, a neighbor looked up from her own patch of greens and ran to Abiria's garden. She struggled to chase the cow from the garden, but was unsuccessful until Abiria arrived. Placing her water jug on the ground, she picked up a switch and began beating the cow until it finally ran away.

She turned to inspect the damage when her neighbor, began to yell, "Abiria! Oh no, Abiria!"

Turning toward the neighbor she saw her precious water seeping into the ground. The cow had knocked over the vessel. The neighbor grabbed and righted it, but too late. The tall jug was cracked and would no longer hold water.

Abiria sat down and began to cry. She'd have to make another trip for water in the hot sun, and how would she carry the water?

This story simply leaped into my mind this morning. Could it be true? The Holy Spirit knows, I don't. But, I do realize that mothers in Tanzania do have better things to do with their time than walk miles for water.

If this thought touches you too, contributions for wells to provide villages with clean water on site can be made to:

 St. Maurus Hanga Abbey,

c/o St. Pius X Church,

4880 Bristol Ave, Klamath Falls, OR  97603. 

541-591-5977. 

cleanwater@piusxkf.com,

www.hangaabbey.org

Blog:  http://hanganews.blogspot.com

 

Peace and Blessings,

Gail

 

Pray for an End to Abortion

My husband and I are praying and fasting daily over the next 40 days for an end to abortion. Please visit the site below if you haven't already. Watch all of David Bereit's video. He has some wonderful things to say and an excellent story to tell.

 http://www.40daysforlife.com/

For those who are not familiar with fasting... In our case, we eat two small meals and one normal meal a day. No in between snacks. Hubby has also given up coffee, which I don't drink. I've given up my daily glass of sweet iced tea. We say our normal prayer before dinner, but after dinner we pray the Rosary for an end to abortion before turning on the TV or doing anything else.

 

I hope to begin more posts on this site as soon as the editing and revising of my novel, Cast Me Not Away, is published. Hopefully before Christmas! I will announce the publication of this pro-life novel as soon as publisher, Cape Arago Press, releases it. It's my first publication as author, Zara Heritage.
 

Peace and Blessings to you. Pray daily for an end to abortion. Babies deserve a choice and their choice is to live.

Love,
Gail

FOR GREATER GLORY: The True Story of Cristeros

Just saw this review and want to see the movie as soon as it comes to our city. Thought I'd share this with others who may not have heard about it. Mexico's struggle for freedom of faith.

Click > MOVIE REVIEW < Click.

Peace & Blessings.

SACRAMENTALS: SCAPULARS

Image of Mary with a brown scapular
and rosary appearing to St. Simon Stock.

A few weeks ago my husband began to tell me about scapulars. For some reason they were not covered in my RCIA class (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults). He was raised Catholic, and left the church in his 20’s returning when I joined in 2010. Until he started discussing scapulars with me, and we investigated them further, I knew nothing about them.

Like so many Catholic acts of faith, many Protestants consider them a superstition. Scott Hahn addresses this much better than I can in his book, “Signs of Life.” As a former successful Presbyterian minister, now Catholic, he has this to say about things considered sacramental by the Catholic Church. “It is any object set apart and blessed by the Church to lead us to good thoughts and increase our devotion. A sacramental is like a sacrament in that it is a means of grace and an outward sign of an invisible mystery of faith. It is also unlike a sacrament in many ways. Sacraments were instituted by Christ, while sacramentals are established by the Church. Sacraments convey grace directly in our souls, while sacramentals do so indirectly, by leading us to devotion and providing us an occasion when we may respond to God’s grace.”

Sacramental scapulars originated with the Benedictines and were later adopted by other religious communities to be worn over their habits. They began as a chest-wide piece of cloth worn shoulder to shoulder, draping down the front and back of a person with an opening for the head. Thought to have first been intended as aprons when working, they are now accepted as a dedication to works. Some Catholic orders, such as the Trappists, still make the full scapular part of their habit.

There is more to scapular history than I’m going to include here. You can search it out if you wish. Eventually, lay persons adopted a smaller version of the scapular like the ones available to us today. They are two small pieces of cloth, often wool, joined by two strings that pass over the shoulders. A scapular is worn under the clothing as a mark of membership in a confraternity of others who accept certain rules and regulations for that group. There are 18 scapulars approved by the Catholic Church.

Since becoming Catholic I’ve found myself blessed with a special love for our Savior’s mother, given to us as our mother too. Perhaps it’s this joy that influenced my husband to suggest we join the confraternity of the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. It is also one of the most popular. According to tradition, Our Blessed Mother Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock in Cambridge, England on July 16, 1251. She told him, "Take, beloved son, this scapular of thy order as a badge of my confraternity and for thee and all Carmelites a special sign of grace; whoever dies in this garment, will not suffer everlasting fire. It is the sign of salvation, a safeguard in dangers, a pledge of peace and of the covenant."

A scapular is an ever-present reminder to keep our lives holy. My brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and my husband's, were invested by our priest with the following prayers.

Procedure for the Blessing and Investiture

Of the Scapular of

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Priest - Show us, O Lord, Thy mercy.

Respondent- And grant us Thy salvation.
Priest - Lord, hear my prayer.
Respondent - And let my cry come unto Thee.
Priest - The Lord be with you.
Respondent - And also with you.

Priest - Lord Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, sanctify by Thy power these scapulars, which for love of Thee and for love of Our lady of Mount Carmel, Thy servants will wear devoutly, so that through the intercession of the same Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and protected against the evil spirit, they persevere until death in Thy grace. Thou who lives and reigns world without end.  Amen.

THE PRIEST SPRINKLES HOLY WATER AND INVESTS PERSON(S) WHILE SAYING:

Receive this blessed Scapular and beseech the Blessed Virgin that through Her merits, you may  wear it without stain. May it defend you against all adversity and accompany you to eternal life. Amen.

AFTER THE INVESTITURE THE PRIEST CONTINUES WITH THE PRAYERS:

I, by the power vested in me, admit you to participate in all the spiritual benefits obtained through the mercy of Jesus Christ by the Religious Order of Mount Carmel.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
 

May God Almighty, the Creator of Heaven and earth, bless you, He who has deigned to join you to the confraternity of the Blessed Virgin Of Mount Carmel; we beseech Her to crush the head of the ancient serpent so that you my enter into possession of your eternal heritage, through Christ our Lord.

Respondent - Amen.

My own Brown Scapular

The Catholic Church doesn’t teach that wearing a scapular is a sure ticket to Heaven. We must strive for a state of grace, implore our Lord's forgiveness and trust in the maternal aid of our Blessed Mother. These are all positive acts to be employed by anyone who wears a scapular in sincerity.

Here is a quote taken from fisheaters.com : “Some falsely believe that wearing the Brown Scapular offers some sort of guarantee of salvation because of the legendary words attributed to Our Lady. This is against Church teaching, is superstitious and a grave error. Sacramentals are not magical ways to manipulate God; they are Church-instituted rituals/objects that remind us of what we are supposed to be doing/thinking of, that depend on the faith, hope and love of the user, and which help prepare us to receive God's saving grace. One must do more than ‘wear the scapular’; one must wear it worthily.”

The Catholic Encyclopedia lists 18 small scapulars approved by the Church and distinguished by color, symbolism and devotion. They are:

1.  The White Scapular of the Most Blessed Trinity (1193)

2.  The White Scapular of Our Lady of Ransom (1218)

3.  The Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (1251)

4.  The Black Scapular of the Seven Dolours of Mary (1255)

5.  The Blue Scapular of the Immaculate Conception

6.  The Red Scapular of the Most Precious Blood

7.  The Black Scapular of the Passion (1720)

8.  The Red Scapular of the Passion (1846)

9.  The Black Scapular of Help of the Sick (1860)

10. The White Scapular of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (1877)

11. The Blue and Black Scapular of St. Michael the Archangel (1880)

12. The Scapular of St. Benedict (1882)

13. The Scapular of the Holy Face (1885)

14. The White Scapular of Our Lady of Good Counsel (1893)

15. The White Scapular of St. Joseph (1898)

16. The White Scapular of The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (1900)

17. The Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (1901)

18. The White Scapular of St. Dominic (1903)

Other Resources:

CatholicCulture.org

Free Brown Scapular
Fish Eaters

 

Peace & Blessings.