Our Beautiful Catholic Faith: ASH WEDNESDAY, The Beginning of Our Lenten Journey

2.17.2010

ASH WEDNESDAY, The Beginning of Our Lenten Journey

Today Catholics and many other Christians embark on the Lenten season when we go within ourselves to do penance and engage in activities that promote our spiritual transformation in order to draw closer to our Lord and prepare for Easter. It is time to purify ourselves through sacrifice and good works. During Lent, I try harder to keep Christ stronger in my mind and heart, by remembering what He sacrificed so unselfishly, so lovingly for my redemption, salvation, and eternal life in Heaven. I keep in mind the time that Jesus went into the desert Himself and that I need to experience my own desert and grow closer to Him through what I do during this 40-day journey.

Catholics receive ashes on our foreheads while the priest repeats the words that remind us that we will ultimately return to dust (Genesis 3:19). We are simply nothing without God!

Ways for Catholics to Live a Holy Lenten Season Life

• Fast from judging others; Feast on the Christ dwelling in them.
• Fast from emphasis on differences; Feast on the unity of life.
• Fast from apparent darkness; Feast on the reality of light.
• Fast from thoughts of illness; Feast on the healing power of God.
• Fast from words that pollute; Feast on phrases that purify.
• Fast from discontent; Feast on gratitude.
• Fast from anger; Feast on patience.
• Fast from pessimism; Feast on optimism.
• Fast from worry; Feast on divine order.
• Fast from complaining; Feast on appreciation.
• Fast from negatives; Feast on affirmatives.
• Fast from unrelenting pressures; Feast on unceasing prayer.
• Fast from hostility; Feast on non-resistance.
• Fast from bitterness; Feast on forgiveness.
• Fast from self-concern; Feast on compassion for others.
• Fast from personal anxiety; Feast on eternal truth.
• Fast from discouragement; Feast on hope.
• Fast from facts that depress; Feast on verities that uplift.
• Fast from lethargy; Feast on enthusiasm.
• Fast from thoughts that weaken; Feast on promises that inspire.
• Fast from shadows of sorrow; Feast on the sunlight of serenity.
• Fast from idle gossip; Feast on purposeful silence.
• Fast from problems that overwhelm; Feast on prayer that strengthens.

-William Arthur Ward (American author, teacher and pastor, 1921-1994.)

1 comment:

Claudia Medeiros said...: I wish you a so blessed journey, dear Roz :); February 17, 2010 at 7:36 PM

Welcome to Our Beautiful Catholic Faith

In this blog I hope to contemplate on the beautiful Catholic faith and to share and chat about it with other like-hearted souls. In particular, my desire for this space is to be a place of prayer, discussion about Sacred Scripture, dialogue about Catholic writers and their works . . . and how all of these apply to our everyday lives while we are on our Faith journey.

Both of my blogs are about all of the things that I consider beautiful in my life and that I love to share and chat about with other like-minded and like-hearted souls. Too often we are in such a hurry "doing" things in life, that we fail to stop and actually "see" and "experience" the awesome beauty of God around us, where we can see Him and listen to Him in quiet contemplation. Sometimes this beauty can be grand and magnificent, while at other times, beauty is something of pure simplicity.

Holy Mother Church is a beautiful blessing from Christ Himself and we learn and enjoy Her through the beauty of our churches, artwork, images, the Church's sacred treasures and more.

Please know that my comments are solely my own, however I will respectfully reference and cite sources wherever necessary. These spaces are places for me to retreat my mind, heart, and soul in order to reflect on God's Holy Catholic Church and on God's goodness in the things He has blessed me with and has given me a passion for in my life.

I hope that you feel welcome and spiritually refreshed.

“You always leave the Rosary for later, and you end up not saying it at all because you are sleepy. If there is no other time, say it in the street without letting anybody notice it. It will, moreover, help you to have presence of God.” St. Josemaria Escriva

“The greatest method of praying is to pray the Rosary.” St. Francis de Sales

“Go to the Madonna. Love her! Always say the Rosary. Say it well. Say it as often as you can! Be souls of prayer. Never tire of praying, it is what is essential. Prayer shakes the Heart of God, it obtains necessary graces!” St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

Calendar of Novenas (not all inclusive)

January: Our Lady of Good Success, St. John Bosco, St. Francis De Sales
February: Holy Family, Our Lady of Lourdes
March: St. Joseph, Annunciation, St. Francis Xavier
April: Divine Mercy
May: Holy Spirit, Our Lady of Fatima, Pentecost, Corpus Christi
June: Sacred Heart of Jesus, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, St. Anthony of Padua
July: Precious Blood of Jesus, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, St. Benedict
August: Assumption of Mary, Immaculate Heart of Mary
September: St. Michael the Archangel, St. Theresa the Little Flower
October: Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, St. Francis of Assisi, St Jude
November: Holy Souls in Purgatory
December: Immaculate Conception, Christmas
January: Our Lady of Good Success, St. John Bosco, St. Francis De Sales
February: Holy Family, Our Lady of Lourdes
March: St. Joseph, Annunciation, St. Francis Xavier
April: Divine Mercy
May: Holy Spirit, Our Lady of Fatima, Pentecost, Corpus Christi
June: Sacred Heart of Jesus, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, St. Anthony of Padua
July: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, St. Benedict
August: Assumption of Mary, Immaculate Heart of Mary
September: St. Michael the Archangel, St. Theresa the Little Flower
October: Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, St. Francis of Assisi, St Jude
November: Holy Souls in Purgatory
December: Immaculate Conception, Christmas

Novena to St. Joseph

Oh, St. Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires.
.
Oh St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession, and obtain for me from your divine Son all spiritual blessings, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
.
So that, having engaged here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of Fathers.
.
Oh, St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you, and Jesus asleep in your arms; I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart.
.
Press Him in my name and kiss His fine head for me and ask Him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath.
.
St. Joseph, Patron of departing souls, Pray for us.

Amen

Prayers to Our Blessed Mother Mary

Consecration to Mary

O Mary, Virgin most powerful and Mother of mercy, Queen of Heaven and Refuge of sinners, we consecrate ourselves to thine Immaculate Heart.
.
We consecrate to thee our very being and our whole life; all that we have, all that we love, all that we are.

To thee we give our bodies, our hearts and our souls; to thee we give our homes, our families, our country.
.
We desire that all that is in us and around us may belong to thee, and may share in the benefits of thy motherly benediction.

And that this act of consecration may be truly efficacious and lasting, we renew this day at thy feet the promises of our Baptism and our first Holy Communion.

We pledge ourselves to profess COURAGEOUSLY and at all times the truths of our holy Faith, and to live as befits Catholics who are duly submissive to all the directions of the Pope and the Bishops in communion with him.

We pledge ourselves to keep the commandments of God and His Church, in particular to keep holy the Lord's Day.

We likewise pledge ourselves to make the consoling practices of the Christian religion, and above all, Holy Communion, an integral part of our lives, in so far as we shall be able so to do.

Finally, we promise thee, O glorious Mother of God and loving Mother of men, to devote ourselves whole-heartedly to the service of thy blessed cult,
in order to hasten and assure, through the sovereignty of thine Immaculate Heart, the coming of the kingdom of the Sacred Heart of thine adorable Son, in our own hearts and in those of all men, in our country and in all the world, as in heaven, so on earth.

Amen

The Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known
that anyone who fled to thy protection, i
mplored thy help,
or sought thine intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence,
I fly unto thee,
O Virgin of virgins,
my mother;
to thee do I come,
before thee I stand,
sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate,
despise not my petitions,
but in thy mercy hear and answer me.

Amen

The Hail Holy Queen (Salve Regina)

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy.

Hail, our life, our sweetness, and our hope!

To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve,

To thee do we send our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.

Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us.

And after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of they womb, Jesus.

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Amen

Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes

Hail Mary, poor and humble Woman, Blessed by the Most High!

Virgin of hope, dawn of a new era, we join in your song of praise, to celebrate the Lord’s mercy, to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom and the full liberation of humanity.

Hail Mary, lowly handmaid of the Lord, Glorious Mother of Christ!

Faithful Virgin, holy dwelling-place of the Word,teach us to persevere in listening to the Word, and to be docile to the voice of the Spirit, attentive to his promptings in the depths of our conscience and to his manifestations in the events of history.

Hail Mary, Woman of sorrows, Mother of the living!

Virgin spouse beneath the Cross, the new Eve, be our guide along the paths of the world.

Teach us to experience and to spread the love of Christ, to stand with you before the innumerable crosses on which your Son is still crucified.

Hail Mary, woman of faith, First of the disciples! Virgin Mother of the Church, help us always to account for the hope that is in us, with trust in human goodness and the Father’s love.

Teach us to build up the world beginning from within: in the depths of silence and prayer, in the joy of fraternal love, in the unique fruitfulness of the Cross.

Holy Mary, Mother of believers, Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Amen.

Prayer to Our Lady of Perpetual Help

O Mother of Perpetual Help,

grant that I may ever invoke thy most powerful name, which is the safeguard of the living and the salvation of the dying.

O Purest Mary, O Sweetest Mary, let thy name henceforth be ever on my lips.

Delay not, O Blessed Lady, to help me whenever I call on thee, for, in all my needs, in all my temptations I shall never cease to call on thee, ever repeating thy sacred name, Mary, Mary.

O what consolation, what sweetness, what confidence, that emotion fill my soul when I pronounce thy sacred name, or even only think of thee.

I thank God for having given thee, for my good, so sweet, so powerful, so lovely a name.

But I will not be content with merely pronouncing thy name: let my love for thee prompt me ever to hail thee, Mother of Perpetual Help.

Amen

Prayer for Mary's Protection of Home

O Holy Virgin Mary, conceived without sin, I choose thee this day, to be the Lady and Mistress of our home, and I pray thee, in the name of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, the Divine Son, and of thy Immaculate Conception, to preserve it from fire and lightning, from tempests and thieves, from cholera, influenza, diptheria, malaria, and all other contagious and pestilential diseases.

Bless and protect every member of our family, preserve us from sin, from sudden and unprovided death, and from all evils and accidents, in the name and through the merits of the most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen

The Seven Deadly Sins

Actual sin is any willful thought, desire, word, action or ommission forbidden by the law of God.

PRIDE: Unrestrained appreciation of our own worth.

GREED: Immoderate desire for earthly goods.

LUST: Hankering for impure pleasures.

ANGER: Inordinate desire for revenge.

GLUTTONY: Unrestrained use of food and drink.

ENVY: Sorrow over another's good fortune.

SLOTH: Laxity in keeping the Faith and the practice of virtue, due to the effort involved.

The Four Sins Crying to Heaven For Vengeance

Willful murder (including abortion)

The sin of Sodom.

Oppression of the poor.

Defrauding laborers of their wages.

The Six Sins Against The Holy Spirit

Presumption of God's mercy.

Despair.

Impugning the known truth.

Envy at another's spiritual good.

Obstinacy in sin.

Final impenitence.

Nine Ways of Being Accessory To Another's Sin

By counsel.

By command.

By consent.

By provocation.

By praise or flattery.

By concealment.

By partaking.

By silence.

By defense of the ill done

My Beautiful Favorite Saints

St. Rose of Lima, Peru
(my namesake saint)
St. Cecilia
(Catholic school I attended)
Sts. Gueneviere & Genevieve
(my Confirmation saints)
St. Thomas Aquinas
(my parish in Iowa)
St. Richard
(my parish in Missouri)
St. Angela Merici
(my parish in California)
St. Maria Goretti
(my parish in Arizona)
St. Andrew
(my parish in the Carolinas)

also . . .

St. Joseph
St. Francis of Assisi
St. Anthony
St. Jude
St. Teresa of Avila
St. Michael the Archangel
St. John Cantius

and:

Our Lady of Perpetual Help
(my childrens' Catholic school in Arizona)
Our Lady of Lourdes
(my current parish)

Our Beautiful Catholic Faith

2.17.2010

ASH WEDNESDAY, The Beginning of Our Lenten Journey

1 comment:

Inspirational Images

Disclaimer and Rules for My Blog:

Disclaimer About The Images