One of Our Favorite Marian Prayers.

I opened the window to the gentle rain and said my prayers there.

LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us. 
Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, Pray for us.
Holy Mother of God, Pray for us.
Holy Virgin of virgins, Pray for us.
Mother of Christ, Pray for us.
Mother of divine grace, Pray for us.
Mother most pure, Pray for us.
Mother most chaste, Pray for us.
Mother inviolate, Pray for us.
Mother undefiled, Pray for us.
Mother most amiable, Pray for us.
Mother most admirable, Pray for us.
Mother of good counsel, Pray for us.
Mother of our Creator, Pray for us.
Mother of our Saviour, Pray for us.
Virgin most prudent, Pray for us.
Virgin most venerable, Pray for us.
Virgin most renowned, Pray for us.
Virgin most powerful, Pray for us.
Virgin most merciful, Pray for us.
Virgin most faithful, Pray for us.
Mirror of justice, Pray for us
Seat of wisdom, Pray for us.
Cause of our joy, Pray for us.
Spiritual vessel, Pray for us.
Vessel of honor, Pray for us.
Vessel of singular devotion, Pray for us.
Mystical rose, Pray for us.
Tower of David, Pray for us.
Tower of ivory, Pray for us.
House of gold, Pray for us.
Ark of the covenant, Pray for us.
Gate of heaven, Pray for us.
Morning star, Pray for us.
Health of the weak, Pray for us.
Refuge of sinners, Pray for us.
Comforter of the afflicted, Pray for us.
Help of Christians, Pray for us.
Queen of angels, Pray for us.
Queen of patriarchs, Pray for us.
Queen of prophets, Pray for us.
Queen of apostles, Pray for us.
Queen of martyrs, Pray for us.
Queen of confessors, Pray for us.
Queen of virgins, Pray for us.
Queen of all saints, Pray for us.
Queen conceived without original sin, Pray for us.
Queen of the most holy Rosary, Pray for us.
Queen of peace, Pray for us.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord!
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord!
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.     
     V.  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.

(Ind. of 300 days, each time.―Pius VII. Sept. 30, 1817.)

Ejaculations to the Blessed Virgin

Mary. 
(Ind. of 25 days, each time.―Clement XIII. Sept. 5, 1750.)

Mary, Virgin Mother of God, pray to Jesus for me. 
(Ind. of 50 days, once each day.―Leo XIII. March  29, 1894.)

Mary our hope, have pity on us. 
(Ind. of 300 days, each time.―Pius X. Jan 8, 1906.) 

My Mother, my trust. 
(Ind. of 300 days, each time.―Benedict XV. Sept. 6, 1915.)

Our Lady of the most Holy Sacrament, pray for us. 
(Ind. of 300 days, each time, before the Blessed Sacrament exposed.―Pius X.  Jan 10, 1906.)

The Man of God

Fr.  Callan & McHugh
Authors of "Blessed Be God."

P. J. Kennedy & Sons, 1928

On The Way Back Home - Chapter 15

How Should I Go About It

If I wish to investigate the claims of the Catholic Church with a view to entering it, providing I discover it to be the one true Church Christ founded, how shall I go about it?  What steps shall I take?  Well, the first step you must take in this matter is to pray.  As a humble seeker after truth, ask God for light to know His holy Will.  Like the beggar in the Gospel, cry out with the loud voice of your soul:  "Lord, that I may see."  For faith is a gift of God, that God gives to those who ask for it.  Christ has promised that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in His Name, you shall recieve."  "Ask and you shall receive;  seek and you shall find;  knock and it shall be opened unto you."  

The great Cardinal Newman, one of the keenest minds of all time, took over twenty years to find his way back into the Church of his fathers.  He had been a member of the Anglican Church, and he wished to remain a member of that Church if such were the will of God.  Amid the doubts and perplexities that tormented him, he wrote the beautiful lines of the hymn 'Lead Kindly Light.'  We too can repeat his words in prayer:  

Lead kindly light, amid the encircling gloom,

Lead thou me on.

The night is dark and I am far from home,

Lead thou me on.

God finally answered his humble prayer, giving him not only the light of mind that he begged for, but adding also the strength of soul that would enable him to follow the inspiration of God.  From that time forward  no sacrifice that he would be called upon to make could deter him from answering Christ's call to return to the Church of Christ.

"Without faith," Scripture tells us, it is impossible to please God."  (Heb. 11, 31)  But without God's grace, we cannot possess faith.  That is why there are many men in the world today who are convinced that the Catholic Church is the one, true Church founded by Jesus Christ, yet who have not entered it because God did not give them the gift of faith.  Such a man was Cobbett, author of a history of the Protestant Reformation in England.  Though Cobbett was not a Catholic, in his history he gave irrefutable proofs that there was no need of any such reformation in England, that the Catholic faith was literally stolen from the people, that they did not willingly give it up.  On one occasion Cobbett was asked by a Catholic:  "Why, then, do you not embrace the Catholic faith?  You seem to defend it in everything."  Cobbett replied: "I am surprised that you, a Catholic, should ask me that question.  You certainly should know that there is a great difference between conviction and conversion."  In other words Cobbett was intellectually convinced that the Catholic Church was the true Church of Christ, and yet he lacked the grace of God to live up to his convictions.  To merit the grace of embracing the Catholic faith means more than just making an intellectual study of it.  It means in addition humble prayer that God will give you not only the light of mind that you may see your way but also strength of soul, that you may have the courage to walk therein.

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The Sunday Homily

BY BISHOP ROBERT BARRON

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I would like to focus my attention this week on the magnificent first reading, taken from the pivotal ninth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. I say pivotal because this is the chapter in which the conversion of Saul is recounted. Hans Urs von Balthasar refers to Paul as one of the great archetypes in the life of the Church, and so we can benefit from a close study of the spiritual lessons from his life and his manner of discipleship.

Mass Readings

Reading 1 - Acts 9:26-31
Psalm - Psalm 22:26-32
Reading 2 - 1 John 3:18-24
Gospel - John 15:1-8

Take a Prayer

BEFORE HOLY COMMUNION

Prayer for Help

O my God help me to make a good Communion. Mary, my dearest Mother, pray to Jesus for me. My dear Angel Guardian, lead me to the Altar of God.

Act of Faith

O God, because Thou hast said it, I believe that I shall receive the Sacred Body of Jesus to eat, and His precious Blood to drink. My God, I believe that with all my heart.

Act of Humility

My God, I confess that I am a poor sinner; I am not worthy to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus on account of my sins. Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldest enter under my roof; say but the word, and my soul shall be healed.

Act of Sorrow

My God, I detest all the sins of my life. I am sorry for them, because they have offended Thee, my God who art so good. I resolve never to commit sin any more. My good God, pity me, have mercy on me, forgive me. Amen.

Act of Adoration

O Jesus great God, present on the Altar, I bow down before Thee, I adore Thee.

Act of Love and Desire

Sweet Jesus, I love Thee. I desire with all my heart to receive Thee. Most sweet Jesus, come into my poor soul, and give me Thy Flesh to eat and Thy Blood to drink. Give me Thy whole self, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, that I may live forever with Thee.

O most sweet Virgin Mary, Mother of God and my Mother, lend me, I beseech thee, thy Immaculate Heart to receive my Jesus: that so I may receive Him by thee, by  whom the world received Him.

O Jesus, I offer Thee Thy sinless Mother's Heart, with its perfect dispositions at the moment of Thy Incarnation and all her communions. Come to me now by her, as I came to Thee by her. With her heart let me receive Thee.

AFTER HOLY COMMUNION

O my Queen, thou hast given me Jesus in thy heart, therefore, now, with the same true heart, entertain Him for me. Adore Him, thank Him, and implore Him for the graces thou knows me to need-in particular . . . . .

ACT OF FAITH

O Jesus, I believe that I have received Thy Flesh to eat and Thy Blood to drink, because Thou hast said it, and Thy word is true.

ACT OF ADORATION

O Jesus, my God, my Creator, I adore Thee, because from Thy Hands I came and with Thee I am to be happy forever.

ACT OF HUMILITY

O Jesus, I am but dust and ashes, and yet Thou hast come to me, and my poor heart may speak to Thee.

ACT OF LOVE

Sweet Jesus, I love Thee; I love Thee with all my heart. Thou knows that I love Thee, and wish to love Thee daily more and more.

ACT OF THANKSGIVING

My good Jesus, I thank Thee with all my heart. How good, how kind Thou art to me, sweet Jesus. Blessed be Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.

ACT OF OFFERING

O Jesus, receive my poor offering. Jesus Thou hast given Thyself to me, and let me give myself to Thee:

I give Thee my body, that it may be chaste and pure.

I give Thee my soul, that it may be free from sin.

I give Thee my heart, that it may always love Thee.

I give Thee every breath that I shall breathe. and especially my last; I give Thee myself in life and in death, that I may be Thine for ever and ever.

O Jesus, wash away my sins with Thy precious Blood.

O Jesus, the struggle against temptation is not yet finished. My Jesus, when temptation comes near me, make me strong against it. In the moment of temptation may I always say, "Jesus, mercy! Mary, help!"

O Jesus, may I lead a good life; may I die a happy death. May I receive Thee before I die. May I say when I am dying, "Jesus, Mary, Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul."

Listen now for a moment to Jesus Christ; perhaps He has something to say to you. There may be some promise you have made and broken, which He wishes you to make again and keep. Answer Jesus in your heart, and tell Him all your troubles. Then pray for others.

O Jesus, have mercy on Thy Holy Church; take care of it.

O Jesus, have pity on poor sinners, and save them from hell.

O Jesus, bless my father, my mother, my brothers and sisters, and all I ought to pray for, as Thy Heart knows how to bless them.

O Jesus, have pity on the poor souls in Purgatory, and give them eternal rest.

Sweet Jesus, I am going away for a time, but trust not without Thee. Thou are with me by Thy grace. I will never leave Thee by mortal sin. I do not fear to do so, though I am so weak, because I have such hope in Thee. Give me grace to persevere. Amen.

    

On The Way Back Home - Chapter 14

Drive In Church - St. Petersburg, Florida - 1946

The true Church then is One; it is Holy; it is Catholic; it is Apostolic. These are the four great marks Christ has imprinted upon His Church in order that it may be distinguished from imitations of the true Church even in this day of multiplication of sects. In this day of widespread doubt and confusion, you need truth and security as you seek the salvation of your soul; you want to feel sure you are on the right path. If you do, you will honestly and sincerely investigate the claims of the Catholic Church.

Holy Scripture warns us: "It is a terrible thing to fall in the hands of the living God." It is not comforting then to consider the state of those who live their lives indifferent to the claims of God. Such people bother little whether the church in which they worship is the church Christ established. As the lady remarked to me on a certain occasion: "Oh! any Church is good enough for me, except the Catholic Church." Yet this lady knew little or nothing about the Catholic Church. Her eyes were closed to the truth. She did not want to investigate. She preferred to listen to the gross calumnies against the Catholic Church, and to be content with the misrepresentations by which it doctrines are depicted.

This attitude of being indifferent to the truth, leads in the end to indifference to all religion, which is the great sin of America today. How many people will tell you frankly "I don't go to any Church. My children sometimes go but neither I nor my wife go. We have got out of the habit of going." Or they will say: "When I do go, I go to the Church that has the best preacher. I like to hear a good sermon."

On one occasion I asked a young man where he had been baptized. "Father," he said, "I really do not know, but it was in the church that was nearest to the house in which we were living at that time. There are four boys in our family. None of us go to Church any more, nor do my parents, but we were all baptized, and as it so happens, in different churches." This is undoubtedly the wrong attitude to take regarding one's religion.  To attend a Church because its pastor is the most popular preacher or because it is the most convenient to reach would seem to imply that God's truth rests upon popularity or convenience. This attitude of the mind is the cause of what is present in the United States today, a woeful indifference to religion in any form, indifference to the extent that some sixty to seventy million of our citizens admit that they worship God in no Church whatsoever.

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On The Way Back Home - Chapter 13

Not only must the Church Christ established be Catholic but, as the Nicene creed  professes, she must be Holy too.  In other words Holiness must be a distinguishing mark of Christ's Church.  The Catholic Church has that mark for she is Holy in her founder Jesus Christ, who was holy with the holiness of God.  The Church is also holy in her doctrines.  The entire world testifies to this.  It recognizes the Catholic Church as a tremendous force for good in the world precisely because of the doctrine she teaches.  This is the very objection that some of those outside her fold hold against her, that she expects too much of frail human nature and holds her children to the practice of too high a morality.  Such people do not want a church that will refuse them divorce as the Catholic Church does.  They don't want a church that will stress the awful malice of sin, and the great punishment God has in store for unrepentant sinners.  They don't want the Church as Christ made it, but they want a church of their own making, a church that will not bother them too much with thoughts of the next life.  And they refuse to acknowledge that if the morality of the Catholic Church is high, it is because Christ made it so, as He declared:  "Be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Nor is the Church Holy only in her founder and her doctrine.  She is holy also in the remarkable holiness of so many of her children, the Apostles who gave their lives to the spreading of Christ's kingdom upon earth, the early martyrs who likewise gave their lives to testify to their faith, and after the Apostles and Martyrs hundreds of thousands of Confessors and Virgins, men and women who in every age through the grace of God rose to sanctity in the Church He founded.  Of course there are Catholics in the past and in the present who have not led and who do not lead holy lives.  But this is because they do not live up to the teaching of the Church of which they are members.  Christ's Church was made not only for the salvation of the just but for the salvation of sinners as well.  Granted, then, that there are Catholics whose lives are not what they should be, this is but a small part of a large picture;  of the Church of Christ coming down through the ages as an inspiration and a help for millions of common men and women to lead holier lives in Christ.  

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On The Way Back Home - Chapter 12

Catholicity is the third mark by which the true Church can be known.  The Church Christ founded should be Catholic, that is universal.  It should embrace all nations and all men of all races and colors.  "Go forth and teach all nations," said Christ, and the Apostles and their successors in the Catholic Church have gone forth to all nations and men of all nations have embraced the faith.  This is the Church that is as much at home in England as it is in Italy, in France as well as in China, in Japan, in Germany, in the United States, in the most remote regions of Africa and Alaska.  The hearts of all men, savage and civilized, throb to the beauty of its worship as their minds submit to the truth of its doctrine.  The beauty of the Catholic faith has been compared to the beauty of the rainbow.  In the rainbow all the colors of the spectrum blend perfectly.  In the Catholic faith men of all races and colors and conditions in life kneel as one before the altar of God and find the inner-most yearnings of their soul satisfied.  The Catholic Church is humanity caught up and made one in Christ.

I remember the colored porter on a train on a certain occasion telling me of his religious experience.  He said he had been a Baptist once, but later on had changed his religion and had become a Presbyterian.  I asked him to recite the Nicene Creed.  Now the Nicene creed is that profession of faith drawn up by the Bishops of the Catholic Church far back in the fourth century of the Christian era.  When the porter recited it for me, he came to the words:  'I believe in the Catholic Church.'  "So," I said, "you are a Catholic."
   "Oh, no," he hastened to reply.  "I'm a Presbyterian."
   "But," I pointed out, "you said, 'I believe in the Holy Catholic Church'. "
   "Yes, I did," he admitted.  "It is queer how that never occured to me before."

Nor does it occur to most Protestants.  And yet every time they say the Nicene creed, they are uttering the very profession of faith the Catholics formulated in the fourth century.  The words, "I believe in the Holy Catholic Church" meant then just what they mean now, the universal Church founded by Jesus Christ, which is the Church that still glories in the name Catholic. 

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Daily Prayers

MARY'S LITTLE OFFICE

6 AM - AT MATINS
7 AM - AT PRIME
9 AM - AT TERCE
12 NOON - AT SEXT
3 PM - AT NONE
6 PM - AT VESPERS
10 PM - AT COMPLINE

Mary's Little Office Explained

MARY'S OTHER LITTLE PRAYERS

1. MORNING PRAYER - Traditional
2. EVENING PRAYER - Traditional
3. GIRL SCOUTS MORNING PRAYER
4. GIRL SCOUTS EVENING PRAYER
5. LITANY OF THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS
6. LITTLE VISITS TO JESUS AND MARY
7. MY MOTHER'S ROSARY
8. LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
9. THE ANGELUS
10. THE DIVINE MERCY CHAPLET
11. THIRTEENTH STATION DEVOTIONS

On The Way Back Home - Chapter 11

Christ intended that the Church He founded should remain one and undivided until the end of time.  Unity then must be a mark of the one, true Church.  "And there shall be," says Christ, "but one Fold and one Shepherd."  Nowhere but in the Catholic Church do we find the perfect example of such unity, all Catholics the world over believing the same doctrines, offering up the same sacrifice, and governed by the one visible head, the Pope, the Vicar of Christ upon earth.  This is the unity Christ Himself prayed for the night before He died.  "And not for them only do I pray, but for them also who through their word shall believe in Me;  that they all may be one, as Thou Father in me, and I in Thee;  that they also may be one of us, that the world may believe that Thou has sent Me."  (John 17; 20, 21) 

The night before He died Christ not only prayed that His Apostles would remain united and all those with them who through the preaching of the Apostles should believe in Christ but He also adds the prayer that the world witnessing the perfect unity existing in His Church, may be drawn to believe in Christ Himself.  Unity then must be an outstanding mark of the true Church.

Some non-Catholics like to talk of the Catholic Church as the Mother Church, as though it were a matter of merit to have sprung from the Mother Church.  But in reality it is of little merit to have sprung from the Mother Church when to have sprung or descended from the Catholic Church means that that you are now split away, divided from and cut asunder from the Church Christ founded.  Christ never meant that the Church He founded should give birth to a dozen others.  And in the back of the mind of many non-Catholics this feeling ever persists, as is exemplified in the story of the following conversion.  

Norway today is not the Catholic country it once was, and yet Norway too witnesses its conversions to the faith of its fathers.  One such was the conversion of Mrs. Marie Elizabeth Brataas.  She was the daughter of Peter Overn and Maren Flannum, both strict Lutheran Norwegians.  One Sunday, coming home from the Lutheran Church, she asked her husband also a Lutheran, what the minister meant when he preached about the one Fold and the one Shepherd.  She told him that she had always thought that the Lutheran religion was the one Fold but, to her amazement, she heard him say:  "No!  not the Lutheran but the Catholic is the one Fold and the One True Religion."  Her sister Petrea, in the meantime, had become a Catholic and a Carmelite nun.  When she asked her Pastor, Krogh Tonning, for permission to have her name taken off the church registers, as she was becoming a Catholic, he answered:  "You are taking the right path."  Later on he followed her into the Catholic Church.  

This unity of faith is not only one of the glories of the Catholic Church, a mark to show that she has been divinely instituted but it is a thing that Christ Himelf earnestly prayed for.  Holy Scripture is the revealed word of God.  Through it God speaks to us clearly and plainly.  And in the strongest words possible Christ makes it plain in Holy Scripture that His followers should persevere in the unity of faith, should admit no doctrines contrary to those He Himself had taught the Apostles.  St. Paul gives us a striking warning in this matter.  Speaking to the Galatians he says:  "But though we or an angel from heaven preach a gospel to you besides that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema.  As we said before, so now I say again:  if anyone preach to you a gospel, besides that which you have received, let him be anathema."  
(Gal. 1. 8-9)

To preach a doctrine then, other than that Christ taught the Apostles, is not to preach the Christianity of Christ.  To set up a division in Christianity to do this, that is to establish a sect, is directly contrary to the command of Christ.  For this reason the establishing of sects, divisions of Christian believers, is listed as one of the greatest of sins.  In his letter to the Galatians St. Paul says:  "Now the works of the flesh are manifest which are fornication, uncleanness, immodesty, luxury, idolatries, witchcrafts, enmities, emulations, wraths, quarrels, dissentions, etc., of which I foretell you, as I have foretold you, that they who do such things shall not obtain the kingdom of God.  (Gal. 5. 19-21)  Hence though millions of men have embraced this sect or that in the course of time, and particularly since the Protestant Reformation, it was neither the wish nor the intention of Christ, that they should save their souls anywhere else but in the bosom of the One True Church He Himself founded.  

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Getting St. Peter's Sermon Right!

Bishop Robert Barron  April 22, 2018

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Our first reading for today proposes a very serious challenge to the inclusiveness and non-judgmentalism that is taken for granted in our culture today. The chief of the Apostles says, “He is the stone rejected by you the builders, which has become the cornerstone. There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.” Stay with how uncomfortable this is—because in a way, that’s the point.

Mass Readings

Reading 1 - Acts 4:8-12
Psalm - Psalm 118:1-29
Reading 2 - 1 John 3:1-2
Gospel - John 10:11-18

Holy Communion Prayers

  Good Shepherd Sunday
or 
The Fourth Sunday after Easter

 

Prayer for Help

O my God help me to make a good Communion. Mary, my dearest Mother, pray to Jesus for me. My dear Angel Guardian, lead me to the Altar of God.

Act of Faith

O God, because Thou hast said it, I believe that I shall receive the Sacred Body of Jesus to eat, and His precious Blood to drink. My God, I believe that with all my heart.

Act of Humility

My God, I confess that I am a poor sinner; I am not worthy to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus on account of my sins. Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldest enter under my roof; say but the word, and my soul shall be healed.

Act of Sorrow

My God, I detest all the sins of my life. I am sorry for them, because they have offended Thee, my God who art so good. I resolve never to commit sin any more. My good God, pity me, have mercy on me, forgive me. Amen.

Act of Adoration

O Jesus great God, present on the Altar, I bow down before Thee, I adore Thee.

Act of Love and Desire

Sweet Jesus, I love Thee. I desire with all my heart to receive Thee. Most sweet Jesus, come into my poor soul, and give me Thy Flesh to eat and Thy Blood to drink. Give me Thy whole self, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, that I may live forever with Thee.

O most sweet Virgin Mary, Mother of God and my Mother, lend me, I beseech thee, thy Immaculate Heart to receive my Jesus: that so I may receive Him by thee, by  whom the world received Him.

O Jesus, I offer Thee Thy sinless Mother's Heart, with its perfect dispositions at the moment of Thy Incarnation and all her communions. Come to me now by her, as I came to Thee by her. With her heart let me receive Thee.

AFTER HOLY COMMUNION

O my Queen, thou hast given me Jesus in thy heart, therefore, now, with the same true heart, entertain Him for me. Adore Him, thank Him, and implore Him for the graces thou knows me to need-in particular . . . . .

ACT OF FAITH

O Jesus, I believe that I have received Thy Flesh to eat and Thy Blood to drink, because Thou hast said it, and Thy word is true.

ACT OF ADORATION

O Jesus, my God, my Creator, I adore Thee, because from Thy Hands I came and with Thee I am to be happy forever.

ACT OF HUMILITY

O Jesus, I am but dust and ashes, and yet Thou hast come to me, and my poor heart may speak to Thee.

ACT OF LOVE

Sweet Jesus, I love Thee; I love Thee with all my heart. Thou knows that I love Thee, and wish to love Thee daily more and more.

ACT OF THANKSGIVING

My good Jesus, I thank Thee with all my heart. How good, how kind Thou art to me, sweet Jesus. Blessed be Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.

ACT OF OFFERING

O Jesus, receive my poor offering. Jesus Thou hast given Thyself to me, and let me give myself to Thee:

I give Thee my body, that it may be chaste and pure.

I give Thee my soul, that it may be free from sin.

I give Thee my heart, that it may always love Thee.

I give Thee every breath that I shall breathe. and especially my last; I give Thee myself in life and in death, that I may be Thine for ever and ever.

O Jesus, wash away my sins with Thy precious Blood.

O Jesus, the struggle against temptation is not yet finished. My Jesus, when temptation comes near me, make me strong against it. In the moment of temptation may I always say, "Jesus, mercy! Mary, help!"

O Jesus, may I lead a good life; may I die a happy death. May I receive Thee before I die. May I say when I am dying, "Jesus, Mary, Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul."

Listen now for a moment to Jesus Christ; perhaps He has something to say to you. There may be some promise you have made and broken, which He wishes you to make again and keep. Answer Jesus in your heart, and tell Him all your troubles. Then pray for others.

O Jesus, have mercy on Thy Holy Church; take care of it.

O Jesus, have pity on poor sinners, and save them from hell.

O Jesus, bless my father, my mother, my brothers and sisters, and all I ought to pray for, as Thy Heart knows how to bless them.

O Jesus, have pity on the poor souls in Purgatory, and give them eternal rest.

Sweet Jesus, I am going away for a time, but trust not without Thee. Thou are with me by Thy grace. I will never leave Thee by mortal sin. I do not fear to do so, though I am so weak, because I have such hope in Thee. Give me grace to persevere. Amen.

Back to Home.

    

On The Way Back Home - Chapter 10

By the Apostolicity of the Church is meant that the true Church must go back in an unbroken succession to the Apostles.  It must teach all the doctrines and only the doctrines that the Apostles taught, that they themselves received from Christ.  It must have the same authority to teach that they possessed.  It must administer the same sacraments they administered.  It must exercise the same authority to govern the faithful they administered. This in itself is a striking proof that the Catholic Church is the only true Church for the Catholic Church is the only Church that does go back in an unbroken line to Christ.  It was to the Apostle Peter alone and to his successors that Christ said:  "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."  Through Peter then and his successors, the Bishops of Rome, Christ's Church comes down to you.

This was the Church Christ commanded all men to listen to.  To the Apostles under Peter, He gave the direct command to teach;  to the faithful He gave the equally direct command to listen and accept their teachings.  "And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, going forth out of that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.  Amen I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment than for that city." (Matt. 10; 14, 15) And in the Gospel of St. Luke we read:  "And He said to them, go into the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature.  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not, shall be condemned." (Luke 16; 15, 16)

What is it then that Christ commands us to accept?  It is to receive Baptism at the hands of the Apostles and their successors and to believe the doctrines they would teach the faithful, the very same doctrines Christ taught His Apostles, the same doctrines the Catholic Church teaches today. "Going therefore," He said, "teach ye all nations, teaching them to observe whatsoever I have commanded thee."  (Matt. 28; 20)  The Catholic Church alone goes back directly to Jesus Christ in doctrine, in sacrament, in authority.  The Catholic Church alone then can be the true Church of Christ.  

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