Food for Thought from St. John Bosco

Blessed Charles de Foucauld’s Prayer of Abandonment

St. Andrew Christmas Novena Prayer to Obtain Favors

Rather than rewriting this, I just copied it from previous years.  I am not sure why I included book reviews along with this prayer last year, though.

St. Andrew Christmas Novena Prayer to Obtain Favors

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.

(It is piously believed that whoever recites the above prayer fifteen times a day from the feast of St. Andrew (30th November) until Christmas will obtain what is asked.)

Imprimatur

+MICHAEL AUGUSTINE, Archbishop of New York
New York, February 6, 1897

Riding Shotgun V

I was off last week, so I did not change the prayer cards in the car.

This week, I have two prayer cards along for the ride. One is a prayer before surgery, another is a prayer card for one of the sisters at the Carmelite convent in Irving who died in March.

First, let us look at the prayer before surgery:


I like this picture because it reminds me of places where the Crucifix is placed along a path, inviting the pilgrim to pause for a moment's prayer or reflection. I can think of a garden in San Antonio,or the Grotto in Emmittsburg, Maryland, where one can pray the Stations of the Cross while enjoying the great outdoors. It is a bit more difficult with little children, though.

On the back, there is a prayer for those about to have surgery:


I love the fact that it includes an act of contrition, because God knows that people do die in surgery. It is my strong desire that I would be able to receive the Anointing of the Sick and be able to make a good confession before any operation I might need.

In my profession, there have been times where I have anticipated the death of a patient - especially in the case of trauma patients. At that point, when general anesthesia is more resuscitation than anesthesia, I have actually leaned close to the head of the patient and said prayers for them. I tell them that they are in danger of dying, that God loves them, and then say an act of contrition for them. If there is any chance that they have any awareness of what is happening to them, I hope to help them prepare for the end of their life.

It has been years since I have had to do this, and it saddens me to think of those who have died in the operating room after some act of violence or imprudence.

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The prayer card for Mother Jeanne Marie Ange of the Infant Jesus, OCD, I think also has a medical connection. I have to check with my sources, but I believe that Mother was a nurse and then a CRNA before entering Carmel.


I don't recall meeting Mother, because most of our contact was with the porter - and even that was through a screen. I suspect she was not the one to run and answer the door whenever we dropped something off there. We did see the sisters around All Saints Day, when the children would dress up as saints and the sisters would have to guess their names.

One year, I was a prop for one of my daughters who was dressed up as St. Therese of Liseaux. I just had to stand next to her with a handkerchief over my face; that is what Louis Martin did a lot of around the end of his life. The sisters figured it out, though.



In totally unrelated news, the 'Big Blue' got new shocks and tires. Now it is a smoother and safer ride for the whole family.

Memorial Day Prayer

Prayer of a Soldier in France

by Alfred Joyce Kilmer (1918)

My shoulders ache beneath my pack
(Lie easier, Cross, upon His back).
I march with feet that burn and smart
(Tread, Holy Feet, upon my heart).

Men shout at me who may not speak
(They scourged Thy back and smote Thy cheek).

I may not lift a hand to clear
My eyes of salty drops that sear.

(Then shall my fickle soul forget
Thy Agony of Bloody Sweat?)

My rifle hand is stiff and numb
(From Thy pierced palm red rivers come).

Lord, Thou didst suffer more for me
Than all the hosts of land and sea.

So let me render back again
This millionth of Thy gift. Amen.

Please remember in your prayers those who died for our country.

Eternal rest grant them, Oh Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon them.

May the souls of the Faithful Departed, through the Mercy of God, rest in peace.

Relevant Quotes for Today

LibraryThing likes to tell me things on the sideboard of my Home Page I have with them. Today, July 25, they told me that it is the anniversary of the death of Thomas á Kempis. He died today in 1471.

It is nice to be reminded of this, as I am in the process of doing St. Louis de Monfort's 33-day preparation for consecration to Jesus through Mary. St. Louis quotes a lot from Thomas a Kempis' excellent book Imitation of Christ. Here is the excerpt for the 11th day:

Imitation of Christ, by Thomas á Kempis: Book 1, Chapter 25
On the Fervent Amendment of our Whole Life

When a certain anxious person, who often times wavered between hope and fear, once overcome with sadness, threw himself upon the ground in prayer, before one of the altars in the Church and thinking these things in his mind, said "Oh, if I only knew how to persevere," that very instant he heard within him, this heavenly answer: "And if thou didst know this, what would thou do? Do now what you would do, and thou shall be perfectly secure."

And immediately being consoled, and comforted, he committed himself to the Divine Will, and his anxious thoughts ceased. He no longer wished for curious things; searching to find out what would happen to him, but studied rather to learn what was the acceptable and perfect will of God for the beginning and the perfection of every good work.

A great quote, which gives a solution to St. Augustine's problem with conversion - he knew what he had to do, but he just couldn't do it.

The next quote is not from someone known for his holiness, but it bears repeating:

"I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book."

Groucho Marx

Prayer Request on the Eve of Christmas

In your charity of prayers, please pray for the father of a friend of mine, who is very sick in an intensive care unit(ICU).

My friend has always been there for me and for our family, and he is also devoted to his father. Please pray for a quick recovery, and for strength for my friend and his family as they deal with this very difficult situation.

Thank you, God bless you, and Merry Christmas.

Contemplative Diversion

Sometimes Rick Astley just doesn't cut it, and the musical soul yearns for something a bit more substantial:



Latin text:

Dominus dixit ad me:
Filius meus es tu,
ego hodie genui te.

Ps. Quare fremuerunt gentes:
et populi meditati sunt inania?

v/ Gloria Patri.



English translation:

The Lord hath said to me:
Thou art My Son,
this day have I begotten Thee.

Ps. Why have the Gentiles raged,
and the people devised vain things?

v/ Glory be to the Father.

Weekend Thoughts

I took the Armadillo for a shakedown cruise this afternoon. It had been running a bit rough lately, and I had some work done on it in anticipation of the drive to Mass in Greenville on Sunday. It was still acting up, so we would have to attend Mass closer to home.

The Big Blue, our 15-passenger van, is in the shop getting a fender replaced. THAT is a story I can't really tell, for Carolyn asked me to stop publishing vehicle strikes. That is too bad, because it is kind of fun describing how various creatures have a tendency to collide with our vehicles. Why, just last weekend, the same weekend the van got hit in a parking spot at Cha-Cho's, a bird struck the Armadillo at 65 miles per hour. There is nothing like the sound of a bird colliding with a car at high speed….

Back to the shakedown cruise. There I was, driving along with two of my daughters – the middle ones – listening to Paul Anka singing that that old Billy Idol song, “Eyes Without a Face.” It was just bizarre, yet it seemed to make sense, seeing as how Billy Idol recently made an album of Christmas favorites. Still, I can’t imagine old Billy singing ‘Ave Maria,’ complete with his permanent sneer. The song also seemed to fit in with a lot of the strange goings on from the past few days in North Texas.

To begin with, we got an interesting prayer card this week from the American Life League. At first I wanted to toss it, but then I got to thinking. Impeachment is highly unlikely - recall the last time we tried to impeach the president, and wishing ill of someone is not charitable. So it makes a lot of sense to pray for our president's conversion. Another reason to pray for the conversion of our president is because real charity is willing the ultimate good for another, and the ultimate good is to go to heaven. Consider that the executioner of St. Charles Lwanga(above, with companions) later converted to the Faith. Consider how St. Paul goes from being a hunter of Christians to being one of the greatest Saints. Also contemplate this quote from St. Thomas More, where he expresses a desire to see his persecutors in Heaven with him one day:

"More have I not to say but like as the blessed Apostle St. Paul, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles, was present, and consented to the death of St. Stephen, and kept their clothes that stoned him to death, and yet be they now both twain holy saints in heaven, and shall continue there friends for ever, so I verily trust and shall therefore right heartily pray, that though your Lordships have now in earth been judges to my condemnation, we may yet hereafter in heaven merrily all meet together to our everlasting salvation."

St. Thomas More

I wish I could pray this same prayer. Some day, I hope, but not today.

So pray for our president's conversion. Pray if only for yourselves, for I think he is going to put the hurt on the things I care about the most: Pro-Life issues, family, freedom of conscience for physicians, home schooling, just to name a few in no particular order. Now, if I can get my scanner to work, here are both sides of the prayer card, courtesy of the American Life League:







Here is someone else praying for this....

This was only one of many strange things which happened this weekend. Right after receiving Our Lord in Holy Communion, while trying to kneel and pray on the floor of a cramped and sweltering chapel, my three year old daughter came up to me and asked if I could 'do this.' She then proceeded to twist her tongue and stick it out at me. "After Mass," I assured her.

Last night I watched the movie Persuasion, based on a story by Jane Austen. Simply put, a woman is advised to dump a suitor against her wishes, meets him years later, and they marry at that time. The movie was quite good, but like all Jane Austen movies, the main characters looked as if they had just ingested a bolus of helicobacter pylori shortly before the filming began. Every woman in the movie needed a bit of Maalox.

Apparently, in the time period when Persuasion takes place, military folks were not thought of well, because the military was thought of as a way for ordinary folks to rise up in society. I don't know about status or royalty, but my time in the Air Force was a tremendous blessing in terms of helping me realize my dream of becoming a doctor without taking on a prohibitively large debt. Although we are not part of the elite of North Texas, we do have a roof over our head, clothes on our backs, food in the fridge, and only TWO junked lawn tractors in the driveway!

While waiting for the Armadillo in the shop, we learned about Triple Combo Cooking Power and what it will mean to the busy homemaker. We watched a T-bone steak, salmon fillet, a 10-pound turkey, and much MUCH MORE! get cooked in minutes rather than hours.

I ordered three.

Two things struck me at the local Albertson's. One, when did camouflage pattern become fashionable? The same color scheme I thought I would be wearing when I died for my country is now covering people of all ages and sexes.

The second thing is that a lot of music from the 70' and 80's consisted of the lead singer yelling at us. In the few minutes I was in the store, I heard Michael McDonald(formerly of the Doobie Brothers) yelling at me about 'real love,' followed by the Electric Light Orchestra(E.L.O.) screaming about something being a 'living thing.'

I have no answer to these questions, but I do have pictures of little birdies learning to fly. These two were sitting on our front porch checking out the big wild world:

First Week of Advent, Wednesday

"Nothing can make you such an imitator of Christ as your concern for others. Although you sleep on the floor, even though, I dare to say, you kill yourself, if you are not attentive to your neighbour, you have done very little; you are very far from being an image of Christ."

St. John Chrysostom

From the series of books In Conversation with God: Volume One: Advent and Christmastide, by Francis Fernandez

Now for the video. This is a sing-along, for those who speak Japanese. The rest of us can just hum, or stare in confusion.

Advent Day #3 - Meditation and Mortification

Day Three of Advent brings to mind a quote found elsewhere on this blog, one from the Maxims of St. Ignatius of Loyola:

“If God gives you an abundant harvest of trials, it is a sign of the great holiness to which He desires you to attain.

Do you want to become a great saint?

Ask God to send you many sufferings. The flame of divine love never rises higher than when fed with the wood of the cross, which the infinite charity of the Savior uses to finish His sacrifice.

All the pleasures of the world are nothing compared with the sweetness found in the gall and vinegar offered to Jesus Christ; that is, hard and painful things endured for Jesus Christ and with Jesus Christ.”


Advent is a time of

PRAYER


FASTING


ALMSGIVING

Permit me to add three more words to the above list:

KATHY


LEE


GIFFORD

Click on this link (for you Facebookers) or watch the video below:

Advent Day #2: Penance, Prayer, Meditation

Today's Musical Hairshirt requires you to follow the link to YouTube because embedding has been disabled.

Make the journey.

Before you go there, consider praying this prayer for a Latin Mass Community which has outgrown the small chapel they are permitted to use:

"O God, who did restore to the Jews, returning from exile, their beloved temple, hear our prayer.

Grant that we may have a house dedicated to your worship, a church in which You will be glorified.

May it be the house of God, the gate of heaven.

In it may your Divine Life be given in Baptism, Your grace restored in penance, Your Body be received in the Blessed Eucharist, Your strength shared in confirmation, Your family be perpetuated in holy matrimony, the sick healed by the oil of extreme unction.

In it may the words of Your revealed truth be preached.

On its altar may You, the High Priest, again make present Your saving sacrifice.

May its tabernacle be the throne from which you rule.

This we humbly ask through Christ our Lord.

Amen."

While I am at it, please remember to pray for the repose of the souls of three of my friends and colleagues who died in Ann Arbor, Michigan on this day in 1994. I previously posted commentary on this subject here and here.

Litany of Humility

After months of neglect, it is time to return to a recurring theme. No, not the Mosh Pit. Instead, consider this prayer which was written by Cardinal Merry del Val(1865-1930).

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed, deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being loved,

From the desire of being extolled,

From the desire of being honored,

From the desire of being praised,

From the desire of being preferred to others,

From the desire of being consulted,

From the desire of being approved,

From the fear of being humiliated,

From the fear of being despised,

From the fear of suffering rebukes,

From the fear of being calumniated,

From the fear of being forgotten,

From the fear of being ridiculed,

From the fear of being wronged,

From the fear of being suspected,

That others may be loved more than I, O Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I,

That, in the opinion of the world, others may, increase and I may decrease,

That others may be chosen and I set aside,

That others may be praised and I unnoticed,

That others may be preferred to me in everything,

That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, O Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

Prayer Request, Birthday, The Empty Sky Revisited, and Noisykid #15 Pictures

Prayers

First, pray for the repose of the soul of this man who died trying to save the life of his son. I never met him, but I knew several of his sons, one of whom is a priest in the Arlington, VA diocese(that is where my brother, Father Uncleofnoisykids has his parish). This is what he sent me:

"Dadwithnoisykids, you also may have met Mr. Vander Woude when you were in college. 

He was a model of Christian manhood - a Navy and airline pilot; then,
when he had to retire from that because of age, he became athletic
director and coach. I could tell you much, much more.
Suffice it to say he died the way he lived - truly a man for others.
May he rest in peace, and may God have mercy on his family who are now grieving his loss.




Please take some time to say a Rosary today for the Vander Woude family. If
you don't know them - they are Holy Trinity parishioners with seven sons,
one a priest, one a teacher at Seton School, another a coach at Seton, and
the youngest Joseph(in his teens) has down syndrome. Today he fell into a
well on their property and his dad heroically jumped in to save him.

He treaded water holding his son up until rescue workers could get there. It
only took 17 min to arrive from the phone call but Mr Vander Woude senior
did not survive. Please take a minute to pray for the repose of his soul and
give all your children a big hug. Thank you."

May his soul, and all the souls of the Faithful Departed, rest in peace.

Birthday

Yesterday was the 7th birthday of Noisykid #10, sometimes referred to as the 'Ritalin poster child' and one of those who inspired the concept of the 'Ritalin dart.' We are blessed to have such an enthusiastic child living in our midst, for he is always making us laugh with his antics. He was named after a pope and a priest, both of whom we think will intercede for him in Heaven.




We brought Noisykid #10 home on September 11, 2001, which brings me to the next part of this post:

The Empty Sky

Two years ago on September 11, I wrote this post about 9/11. I think it is worth bringing up again because it is good for us to remember what happened on that fateful day in 2001. I render my own opinion as to why 9/11 happened....here is a picture of a priest I know praying for those outside of the Pentagon:





Noisykid #15 Captured on Film!


Alright, enough melancholia and navel-gazing! Let's look at ultrasound pictures of the 2009 Model Noisykid!!!!

Noisykid #15 kept waving his arms in front of his face, so the pictures are not the best quality. Still, it was great for me to see a moving body - and a four-chambered heart beating merrily away.
Here is a foot.
Another shot of the face gives a little better view of the eye sockets.
Here Noisykid #15 shows off his fingers. But here below is the MONEY SHOT, the one we were waiting for. The sonographer asked us if we saw what we saw, and sure enough, it looks like outdoor plumbing.

By nightfall, Noisykid #13's old crib was stripped of any evidence of pink, and large crates of 'boy' baby clothes were opened. The baby dresser was emptied of all girl stuff, and every shade of blue material was put in its stead. Of course, deficiencies in the inventory were duly noted, and shopping expeditions were planned.

Meanwhile, a little baby danced in his mother's womb, waiting for the day that he would join the ranks of the Noisykids.

Deo Gratias!

Thank you, Theodore, for interceding for us!

Another Musical Presentation

Oldest Daughter Noisykid sings 'There is a Reason' while someone operates the 'Vomit-Cam.'

Psalm 142 from today's Night Prayer:

A Prayer in Time of Trouble

Lord, listen to my prayer:
in your faithfulness turn your ear to my pleading;
in your justice, hear me.
Do not judge your servant:
nothing that lives can justify itself before you.

The enemy has hounded my spirit,
he has crushed my life to the ground,
he has shut me in darkness, like the dead of long ago.
So my spirit trembles within me,
my heart turns to stone.
I remind myself of the days of old,
I reflect on all your works,
I meditate once more on the work of your hands.
I stretch out my arms to you,
I stretch out my soul, like a land without water.

Come quickly and hear me, O Lord,
for my spirit is weakening.
Do not hide your face from me,
do not let me be like the dead,
who go down to the underworld.
Show me your mercy at daybreak,
because of my trust in you.
Tell me the way I should follow,
for I lift up my soul towards you.
Rescue me from my enemies:
Lord, I flee to you for refuge.
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.

Your good spirit will lead me to the land of justice;
for your name’s sake, Lord, you will give me life.
In your righteousness you will lead my soul
away from all tribulation.

Jesus, Love of My Soul

"Jesus, love of my Soul, center of my heart! Why am I not more eager to endure pains and tribulations for love of You, when You, my God, have suffered so many for me?

Come, then, every sort of trial in the world, for this is my delight, to suffer for Jesus.

This is my joy, to follow my Savior, and to find my consolation with my consoler on the cross.

This is my happiness, this my pleasure, to live with Jesus, to walk with Jesus, to converse with Jesus; to suffer with and for Him, this is my treasure."

- by St. Alphonsus Rodriguez

For the shorter version of this prayer, just say:

Bring it on, Lord!

Such serious posts must be touched with a bit of levity. Here is an upbeat video, guaranteed to stick in your mind:

1001 Prayers You Should Pray Before You Die - Number 1

(This is the first of a series of prayers you should say before you die)

Prayer to God the Father

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Jesus says in Saint John's Gospel: "Whatever you ask the Father in My Name, it will be granted to you."(Jn 16:23). With full confidence in the Truth of Jesus, I turn in Prayer to You, God my Father.
God the Father, in the Name of Jesus, send me the Holy Spirit.
Holy Spirit, come into my Life - from the tips of my toes to the top of my head.
Holy Spirit come into my very being. Holy Spirit come into every part of me.

Holy Spirit I ask You to come into my thoughts, my mind, my will, and my imagination.
Holy Spirit I ask You to come into my emotions, my feelings, my senses, and my appetites.
Holy Spirit I ask You to come into my desires, my inclinations, my actions, and my reflexes.

Holy Spirit I ask You to come into every part of my memory.

Holy Spirit I ask You to come into my habits, my attractions, my tendencies, and my convictions.
Holy Spirit I ask You to come into my impulses, my dispositions, my moods, & my outlook on life.
Holy Spirit I ask You to come into every part of me and "whatever" You find in me that is not in complete accord with Your Divine Plan for me, then I totally surrender it all to You, Holy Spirit.
Holy Spirit, please take it all away and in its place, fill me with Your Divine Presence.

AREAS OF PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Holy Spirit, come into ALL of the areas concerning my personal development.
Holy Spirit, come into my physical development.
Holy Spirit, come into my spiritual development.
Holy Spirit, come into my emotional development.
Holy Spirit, come into my social development.
Holy Spirit, come into my intellectual development.
Holy Spirit, come into my moral development.
Holy Spirit come into every aspect of my personal development and should You find me in any of these areas at a level of development "lower" than where it is proper that I should be, then
Holy Spirit, in Your Great Charity, by tomorrow, please raise me up to the next level.

DOUBLES
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my hunger and thirst for Holiness.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my hunger and thirst for Prayer.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my Faith, Hope and Charity.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my patience.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my confidence and trust in Divine Providence.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my love and appreciation for the Blessed Virgin Mary and for
her beautiful Prayer which is the Most Holy Rosary.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my desire to live the 10 Commandments
and renew this desire in me with every beat of my heart.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my spirit of generosity and self-sacrifice
so that I may more perfectly imitate Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my ability to look at other people O-N-L-Y as you see them.
Allow lust to have no part of me.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my desire and my ability to forgive my enemies and persecutors.
Each day urge me to pray that these people will be blessed abundantly by being led to the Truth.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, allow me to pray this Prayer twice as well tomorrow as I am praying it today.

Holy Spirit, come into my Prayer Life and by tomorrow, double my sensitivity to Your
Divine Guidance.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my love for Jesus' Presence in the 7 Sacraments.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my desire to know You and to love You and to serve You until I draw
my last breath.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my ability to examine my conscience so that I may always recognize my own, personal sins. Each day double my ability to forgive others out of love for You.
Holy Spirit, give me the desire to receive often the Divine Mercy of Jesus. Help me and my family
to go to the Sacrament of Confession regularly – every week or two weeks or three weeks or as often as necessary.
Holy Spirit, guard me from ever displeasing You through mortal sin. Each day double my
distaste even for venial sin.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my ability to center my life on Jesus Christ.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my love for our Lord in the Eucharist - in Holy Communion.
Holy Spirit, grant me daily progress in meditation on the Life, Death and Resurrection of Christ
In order to prepare the spiritual foundation for the Prayer of contemplation.
Holy Spirit, come into my Prayer life and by tomorrow, double my desire for the Prayer "at the
Feet of Jesus"- which is the Prayer of Contemplation.
Holy Spirit, come into my many distractions in personal Prayer. Give me the confidence and self-assurance to know that You will always guide me through every distraction in Prayer back to You and back to my Prayer. Do not allow me to give in to the many distractions in Prayer
but allow me to see them now as opportunities for a deeper Faith in You.
Holy Spirit, strengthen my resolve. Each day double my resolve to do Your Will - ALWAYS above my own will.

Add personal intentions

And finally, Holy Spirit, I ask You to be a guard for me - a sentinel to watch over me today while I am awake or semi-conscious, even when I am asleep.
Holy Spirit I know with Faith that these requests have already been granted because Jesus has
said: "Whatever you ask the Father in My Name it will be granted to you."
I have asked all of these things of You, God my Father, in the Name of Jesus, through the intercession of the Holy Spirit.+In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Rev. Paul L. Weinberger, Pastor, St. William Church/Our Lady of Fatima
Greenville, TX 75401, May 13, 2004, Feast of Our Lady of Fatima

Teach Me, O Lord

Teach me, my Lord, to be kind and gentle in all the events of life;

in disappointments,

in the thoughtlessness of others,

in the insincerity of those I trusted,

in the unfaithfulness of those on whom I relied.

Let me put myself aside,

to think of the happiness of others,

to hide my pains and heartaches,

so that I may be the only one to suffer from them.

Teach me to profit by the suffering that comes across my path.

Let me so use it that it may mellow me,

not harden or embitter me;

that it may make me patient, not irritable;

that it may make me broad in my forgiveness,

not narrow, proud and overbearing.

May no one be less good for having come within my influence.

No one less pure, less true, less kind, less noble for having been

a fellow traveler in our journey toward eternal life.

As I go my rounds from one task to another,

let me say, from time to time, a word of love to You.

May my life be lived in the supernatural,

full of power for good,

and strong in its purpose of sanctity. Amen.

- from Father Hardon's Catholic Prayer Book, by Father John A. Hardon, S.J.

Prayer to Our Lady

This is a prayer to Our Lady of the Mysterious Decapitation, featured in a blog entry way back when. Read about it HERE.

My confessor told me about how Mexican men always kissed the hand or hands of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It suddenly occurred to him one day that they were showing respect to Our Lady and asking her to take them by the hand.

My confessor recommended that I pray to Our Lady at the beginning of each day, asking her to lead me, to do what she has for me on her 'honey-do' list. This statue is conveniently located outside our front door, so I have started praying this prayer that I wrote below.

Mary my mother, take my hand today, and all days.

Lead me away from all occasions of sin.

Guide me in fulfilling your last words in the Gospel,

"Do whatever He tells you."

Amen.