HOW CAN WE BE SAINTS -BY SAINT JOSEMARIA ESCRIVA

 To Become a Saint

"If we struggle daily to become Saints, each of us in his own situation in the world... I assure you that God will make us into instruments that can work miracles.."

---Saint Josemaria Escriva 

Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Albás was a Spanish Roman Catholic priest. He founded Opus Dei, an organization of laypeople and priests dedicated to the teaching that everyone is called to holiness by God and that ordinary life can result in sanctity. Wikipedia

Born: January 9, 1902, Barbastro, Spain

Died: June 26, 1975, Rome, Italy

Patronage: Opus Dei; People with diabetes

Feast: 26 June

Siblings: Santiago Escriva

Parents: María de los Dolores Albás y Blanc, José Escrivá y Corzán

 

Prayer for the Intercession of St. Josemaria Escriva

O God, through the mediation of Mary our Mother,

you granted your priest Saint Josemaria countless graces,

choosing him as a most faithful instrument to found Opus Dei,

a way of sanctification in daily work and in the fulfillment

of the Christian’s ordinary duties.

Grant that I too may learn to turn all the circumstances

and events of my life into occasions of loving you

and serving the Church, the Pope and all souls

with joy and simplicity, lighting up the pathways

of this earth with faith and love.

Deign to grant me, through the intercession of Saint Josemaria,

the favor of … (make your request). Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.

SAINT OF THE DAY St. Frances of Rome Feast Day: March 9

SAINT OF THE DAY

St. Frances of Rome

Feast Day: March 9

Pray for us!

Frances of Rome, Obl.S.B., is an Italian saint who was a wife, mother, mystic, organizer of charitable services and a Benedictine oblate who founded a religious community of oblates, who share a common life without religious vows. Wikipedia

Born: 1384, Rome, Italy

Died: March 9, 1440, Rome, Italy

Patronage: Benedictine oblates; automobile drivers; widows

Feast: March 9

Canonized: March 15 1608, Rome, Papal States, by Pope Paul V

Beatified: September 15 1607

Parents: Iacobella dei Roffredeschi, Paolo Bussa de' Leoni

Saint Frances of Rome’s Story

Frances’ life combines aspects of secular and religious life. A devoted and loving wife, she longed for a lifestyle of prayer and service, so she organized a group of women to minister to the needs of Rome’s poor.

Born of wealthy parents, Frances found herself attracted to the religious life during her youth. But her parents objected and a young nobleman was selected to be her husband.

As she became acquainted with her new relatives, Frances soon discovered that the wife of her husband’s brother also wished to live a life of service and prayer. So the two, Frances and Vannozza, set out together—with their husbands’ blessings—to help the poor.

Frances fell ill for a time, but this apparently only deepened her commitment to the suffering people she met. The years passed, and Frances gave birth to two sons and a daughter. With the new responsibilities of family life, the young mother turned her attention more to the needs of her own household.

The family flourished under Frances’ care, but within a few years a great plague began to sweep across Italy. It struck Rome with devastating cruelty and left Frances’ second son dead. In an effort to help alleviate some of the suffering, Frances used all her money and sold her possessions to buy whatever the sick might possibly need. When all the resources had been exhausted, Frances and Vannozza went door to door begging. Later, Frances’ daughter died, and the saint opened a section of her house as a hospital.

Frances became more and more convinced that this way of life was so necessary for the world, and it was not long before she requested and was given permission to found a society of women bound by no vows. They simply offered themselves to God and to the service of the poor. Once the society was established, Frances chose not to live at the community residence, but rather at home with her husband. She did this for seven years, until her husband passed away, and then came to live the remainder of her life with the society—serving the poorest of the poor.

"A married woman must, when called upon, quit her devotions to God at the altar to find Him in her household affairs." 

-St. Frances of Rome

PRAYER :

Lord, I long to spend time with You in prayer. I also know that you have given me work to do in this world. May I find You, Lord, in every moment of my day, whether before the tabernacle or in front of a pile of laundry. St. Frances of Rome, pray for me. Amen.

SAINT OF THE DAY -St John of God- Feast Day: March 8

 SAINT OF THE DAY

 St  John of God 

Feast Day: March 8

Pray for us! 

Patron: Hospitals, the Sick, Nurses, Booksellers, Printers, those with Heart Disease

HEALING PRAYER TO SAINT JOHN OF GOD


Saint John of God, I honor thee as the Patron of the Sick, especially of those who are afflicted by heart disease. I choose thee to be my patron and protector in my present illness. To thee I entrust my soul, my body, all my spiritual and temporal interests, as well as those of the sick throughout the world. To thee I consecrate my mind, that in all things it may be enlightened by faith above all in accepting my cross as a blessing from God; my heart, that thou doth keep it pure and fill it with the love for Jesus and Mary that burned in thy heart; my will, that like thine, it may always be one with the Will of God.




Good Saint John, I honor thee as the model of penitents, for thou didst receive the grace to give up a sinful life and to atone for thy sins by untiring labors in behalf of the poor and sick. Obtain for me the grace from God to be truly sorry for my sins, to make atonement for them and never again offend God. Aid me in mastering my evil inclinations and temptations, and in avoiding all occasions of sin. Through thine intercession may I obtain the grace from Jesus and Mary to fulfill faithfully all the duties of my state of life and to practice those virtues which are needful for my salvation. Help me to belong to God and Our Lady in life and in death through perfect love. May my life, like thine, be spent in the untiring service of God and my neighbor.




Since Holy Mother Church also invokes thee in her prayers for the dying, I beg thee to be with me in my last hour and pray for me. As thou didst die kneeling before a crucifix, may I find strength, consolation and salvation in the Cross of my Redeemer, and through His tender mercy and the prayers of Our Lady, and through thine intercession, attain to eternal life.

Amen.

THE LIFE OF SAINT JOHN OF GOD

Religious

(1495-1550)

         Nothing in John's early life foreshadowed his future sanctity. He ran away as a boy from his home in Portugal, tended sheep and cattle in Spain, and served as a soldier against the French, and afterwards against the Turks.

        When about forty years of age, feeling remorse for his wild life, he resolved to devote himself to the ransom of the Christian slaves in Africa, and went thither with the family of an exiled noble, which he maintained by his labor. On his return to Spain he sought to do good by selling holy pictures and books at low prices.

        At length the hour of grace struck. At Granada a sermon by the celebrated John of Avila shook his soul to its depths, and his expressions of self-abhorrence were so extraordinary that he was taken to the asylum as one mad. There he employed himself in ministering to the sick.

        On leaving he began to collect homeless poor, and to support them by his work and by begging. One night St. John found in the streets a poor man who seemed near death, and, as was his wont, he carried him to the hospital, laid him on a bed, and went to fetch water to wash his feet. When he had washed them, he knelt to kiss them, and started with awe: the feet were pierced, and the print of the nails bright with an unearthly radiance. He raised his eyes to look, and heard the words, "John, to Me thou doest all that thou doest to the poor in My name: I reach forth My hand for the alms thou givest; Me dost thou clothe, Mine are the feet thou dost wash." And then the gracious vision disappeared, leaving St. John filled at once with confusion and consolation.

        The bishop became the Saint's patron, and gave him the name of John of God. When his hospital was on fire, John was seen rushing about uninjured amidst the flames until he had rescued all his poor.

        After ten years spent in the service of the suffering, the Saint's life was fitly closed. He plunged into the river Xenil to save a drowning boy, and died, 1550, of an illness brought on by the attempt, at the age of fifty-five.

PRAYER FOR LENTEN SIMPLICITY

 

✝️Prayer for Lenten Simplicity:

Free me, Lord Jesus, from anything that obstructs my way to you. Clear away the clutter of petty grudges.

Remove smudges of resentment and bitterness. Cleanse me of thoughts filled with anger, envy, or self-pity.

Create space in my life for more kindness and less spitefulness, greater generosity and few self-centered needs, stronger compassion and weakened judgement of others.

Enlarge my heart with a spirit of gratitude this Lent, so that I recognize the simple gifts that lay in abundance all around me.

In your sacred name, I pray.

Amen

St.Therese of Lisieux's Daily Offering Prayer

Thérèse of Lisieux, born Marie Françoise-Thérèse Martin, also known as Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, was a French Catholic Discalced Carmelite nun who is widely venerated in modern times. Wikipedia

Born: January 2, 1873, Alençon, France

Died: September 30, 1897, Lisieux, France

Full name: Marie Françoise-Thérèse Martin

Canonized: 17 May 1925 by Pope Pius XI

Siblings: Sister Geneviève of the Holy Face, Léonie Martin, Joseph Jean-Baptiste, More

Parents: Marie-Azélie Guérin Martin, Louis Martin

Therese of Lisieux, also known as the Little Flower lived her life in childlike simplicity… By surrendering herself completely to the everlasting love of God, she learned to do all things – no matter if big or small, with great love.

St.Therese of Lisieux's 

Daily Offering Prayer

Oh my God! I offer You all my actions of this day for the intentions and for the glory of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I desire to sanctify every beat of my heart, my every thought, my simplest works, by uniting them to His infinite merits; and I wish to make reparation for my sins by casting them in the furnace of His merciful love.

Oh my God! I ask of You for myself and for those dear to me the grace to fulfil perfectly Your holy will, to accept for love of You the joys and sorrows of this passing life, so that we may one day be united together in Heaven for all eternity.

Amen.

Lesson from the Gospel today March 6,2022

Verse Before the Gospel

Mt 4:4b

One does not live on bread alone,

but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.




Gospel

Lk 4:1-13

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan

and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days,

to be tempted by the devil.

He ate nothing during those days,

and when they were over he was hungry.

The devil said to him,

“If you are the Son of God,

command this stone to become bread.”

Jesus answered him,

“It is written, One does not live on bread alone.”

Then he took him up and showed him

all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.

The devil said to him,

“I shall give to you all this power and glory;

for it has been handed over to me,

and I may give it to whomever I wish.

All this will be yours, if you worship me.”

Jesus said to him in reply,

“It is written

You shall worship the Lord, your God,

and him alone shall you serve.”

Then he led him to Jerusalem,

made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him,

“If you are the Son of God,

throw yourself down from here, for it is written:

He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,

and:

With their hands they will support you,

lest you dash your foot against a stone.”

Jesus said to him in reply,

“It also says,

You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”

When the devil had finished every temptation,

he departed from him for a time.

THE SIX FATIMA PRAYERS WE ALL CAN PRAY DAILY

 

Our Lady of Fátima, is a Catholic title of Mary, mother of Jesus based on the Marian apparitions reported in 1917 by three shepherd children at the Cova da Iria, in Fátima, Portugal. The three children were Lúcia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto. Wikipedia

Dates: May 13, 1917 – Sep 13, 1917

Feast day: 13 May

Shrine: Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima, Cova da Iria, Fátima, Portugal

Witness: Lúcia dos Santos; Francisco and Jacinta Marto

Patronage: Roman Catholic Diocese of Leiria-Fátima; East Timor

1) The Rosary Decade Prayer :

" Oh My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy. Amen. "

2) The Pardon Prayer :

“ My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love Thee. I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love Thee. Amen. ”

3) The Angel’s Prayer :

“ Most Holy Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifferences whereby He is offended. And through the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners. Amen. ”

4) The Eucharistic Prayer :

“ Most Holy Trinity, I adore Thee! My God, my God, I love Thee in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Amen. ”

5) The Sacrifice Prayer :

" Oh my Jesus, I offer this for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Amen. "

6) O Most Holy Virgin Mary, 

Queen of the most holy Rosary, you were pleased to appear to the children of Fatima and reveal a glorious message. We implore you, inspire in our hearts a fervent love for the recitation of the Rosary. By meditating on the mysteries of the redemption that are recalled therein may we obtain the graces and virtues that we ask, through the merits of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Redeemer.

🙏 The Litany of Humility 🙏

 

THE LITANY OF HUMILITY

O Jesus! Meek and humble of heart, Hear me.


From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, Jesus.


From the desire of being loved, Deliver me, Jesus.


From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me, Jesus.


From the desire of being honored, Deliver me, Jesus.


From the desire of being praised, Deliver me, Jesus.


From the desire of being preferred to others, Deliver me, Jesus.


From the desire of being consulted, Deliver me, Jesus.


From the desire of being approved, Deliver me, Jesus.


From the fear of being humiliated, Deliver me, Jesus.


From the fear of being despised, Deliver me, Jesus.


From the fear of suffering rebukes, Deliver me, Jesus.


From the fear of being calumniated, Deliver me, Jesus.


From the fear of being forgotten, Deliver me, Jesus.


From the fear of being ridiculed, Deliver me, Jesus.


From the fear of being wronged, Deliver me, Jesus.


From the fear of being suspected, Deliver me, Jesus.


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


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


That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.


That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.


That others may be praised and I unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.


That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.


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

First Friday Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

FIRST FRIDAY DEVOTION

O SACRED HEART OF JESUS, mercifully accept the prayer which I now make to You for help in the moment of my death, when at its approach all my senses shall fail me.

- When, therefore, O kind and merciful Jesus, my weary and downcast eyes can no longer look up to you, be mindful of the loving gaze which I now turn to You, and have mercy on me, a sinner.

- When my parched lips can no longer kiss Your most sacred Wounds, remember that hour those kisses which I now imprint on You, and have mercy on me, a sinner.

- When my cold hands can no longer embrace Your Cross, forget not the affection with which I embrace it now, and have mercy upon me, a sinner.  

- When my swollen and lifeless tongue can no longer speak, remember that I called upon You now, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, to You I commend my soul.

O DIVINE HEART OF JESUS, filled with infinite love, broken by my ingratitude and pierced by my many sins and yet loving You still, accept this Act of Consecration that I make to You of all that I am and all that I have.  Take every faculty of my soul and body, draw me day by day near and nearer to Your Sacred Heart, and there, as I can bear the lesson, teach me Your blessed way.

O MERCIFUL HEART OF JESUS, Incarnate Son of God, Who for our salvation did vouchsafe to be born in a stable, to pass Your life in poverty, trials, and misery, and to die amid the sufferings of the cross, I entreat You, in the hour of my death to say to Your Father in Heaven, "FATHER FORGIVE HIM"; Say to my soul, "THIS DAY, YOU SHALL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE." My God, my God forsake me not in that hour.  "I THIRST"--truly, my God, my soul thirsts after You, Who are the Fountain of living Waters.  My life passes like a shadow; yet a little while and all will be consummated. Wherefore, my adorable Savior, from this moment, and for all eternity, "INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMEND MY SPIRIT."  Lord Jesus, receive my soul.

O MOST HOLY VIRGIN MARY, Queen of the Holy Rosary and Our Mother of Perpetual Help, in memory of your Seven Sorrows, intercede for us with your divine Son and beg Him, in honor of His Precious Blood and Sacred Passion and Death upon the cross, to forgive our sins and grant us the grace of a holy and happy death. Amen.

OUR FATHER, HAIL MARY, GLORY BE!

Credits https://www.facebook.com/156281763705/posts/10160305975328706/

Prayer to Saint Joseph for all the Priests and Religious

" 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 Sovereign Pontiff and all bishops and priests united with him. Be the protector of all who labour for souls amid the trials and tribulations of this life; and grant that all peoples of the world may be docile to the Church without which there is no salvation.

Dear Saint 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. "

credits : https://www.facebook.com/DailyRosary/photos/a.10152905218748706/10160290409053706/