Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory Nazianzen

SAINTS OF THE DAY 

January 2

Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church 

Today the Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Basil the Great (329-379) and St. Gregory Nazianzen (330-390), bishops and doctors of the Church.

• St. BASIL THE GREAT 

St. Basil was born about 330, the oldest of four sons; three of his brothers became bishops, one of whom was St. Gregory of Nyssa. His pious grandmother Macrina exercised a great influence upon his religious education: "Never shall I forget the deep impression that the words and example of this venerable woman made upon my soul." Between St. Basil and St. Gregory of Nazianzen an intimate friendship existed from youth to old age. Of Western monasticism St. Benedict was the father and founder, of Eastern monasticism, St. Basil.

As bishop, Basil was a courageous and heroic champion of the Catholic faith against the Arian heresy. In 372 Emperor Valens sent Modestus, the prefect, to Cappadocia to introduce Arianism as the state religion. Modestus approached the holy bishop, upbraided him for his teaching, and threatened despoliation, exile, martyrdom, and death. To these words of the Byzantine despot, Basil replied with the peace of divine faith: "Is that all? Nothing of what you mentioned touches me. We possess nothing, we can be robbed of nothing. Exile will be impossible, since everywhere on God's earth I am at home. Torments cannot afflict me, for I have no body. And death is welcome, for it will bring me more quickly to God. To a great extent I am already dead; for a long time I have been hastening to the grave." Astonished, the prefect remarked: "Till today no one has ever spoken to me so courageously." "Perhaps," rejoined Basil, "you have never before met a bishop." Modestus hastened back to Valens. "Emperor," he said, "we are bested by this leader of the Church. He is too strong for threats, too firm for words, too clever for persuasion."

Basil was a strong character, a burning lamp during his time. But as the fire from this lamp illumined and warmed the world, it consumed itself; as the saint's spiritual stature grew, his body wasted away, and at the early age of forty-nine his appearance was that of an old man. In every phase of ecclesiastical activity he showed superior talent and zeal. He was a great theologian, a powerful preacher, a gifted writer, the author of two rules for monastic life, a reformer of the Oriental liturgy. He died in 379, hardly forty-nine years old, yet so emaciated that only skin and bones remained, as though he had stayed alive in soul alone.

• St. GREGORY NAZIANZEN

Gregory, surnamed the "Theologian" by the Greeks, was born at Nazianz in Cappadocia in 339. He was one of the "Three Lights of the Church from Cappadocia." To his mother, St. Nonna, is due the foundation for his saintly life as an adult. He was educated at the most famous schools of his time - Caesarea, Alexandria, Athens. At Athens he formed that storied bond of friendship with St. Basil which was still flaming with all the fervor of youthful enthusiasm when he delivered the funeral oration at the grave of his friend in 381.

Gregory was baptized in 360, and for a while lived the quiet life of a hermit. In 372 he was consecrated bishop by St. Basil. At the urgent wish of Gregory, his father and bishop of Nazianz, he assisted him in the care of souls. In 381 he accepted the see of Constantinople, but grieved by the constant controversies retired again to the quiet life he cherished so highly and dedicated himself entirely to contemplation.

During his life span the pendulum was continually swinging back and forth between contemplation and the active ministry. He longed for solitude, but the exigencies of the times called him repeatedly to do pastoral work and to participate in the ecclesiastical movements of the day. He was unquestionably one of the greatest orators of Christian antiquity; his many and great accomplishments were due in great measure to his exceptional eloquence. His writings have merited for him the title of "Doctor of the Church."

St. Gregory’s relics, along with those of St. John Chrysostom, were returned to Constantinople (Istanbul) by Pope St. John Paul II on November 27, 2004 and kept in the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George.

NEW YEAR PRAYER FOR PROTECTION

 

NEW YEAR PRAYER FOR PROTECTION

+ In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ, as we begin the new year, we humbly implore Your powerful help to protect us against all kinds of harm, sickness, tragedies, calamities, and other similar unfortunate events. Please keep us always under the shadow of Your protection and do not allow the enemy to harass us. Thank You, Lord, for always being there for us. Amen.

#HappyNewYear2023 #HappyNewYear

Prayer for the New Year

 

A Christian Prayer for the New Year

Our Father and our God, as we stand at the beginning of this new year we confess our need of Your presence and Your guidance as we face the future.

We each have our hopes and expectations for the year that is ahead of us-but You alone know what it holds for us, and only You can give us the strength and the wisdom we will need to meet its challenges. So help us to humbly put our hands into Your hand, and to trust You and to seek Your will for our lives during this coming year.

In the midst of life's uncertainties in the days ahead, assure us of the certainty of Your unchanging love.

In the midst of life's inevitable disappointments and heartaches, help us to turn to You for the stability and comfort we will need.

In the midst of life's temptations and the pull of our stubborn self-will, help us not to lose our way but to have the courage to do what is right in Your sight, regardless of the cost.

And in the midst of our daily preoccupations and pursuits, open our eyes to the sorrows and injustices of our hurting world, and help us to respond with compassion and sacrifice to those who are friendless and in need. May our constant prayer be that of the ancient Psalmist: "Teach me, O Lord, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end" (Psalm 119:33).

We pray for our nation and its leaders during these difficult times, and for all those who are seeking to bring peace and justice to our dangerous and troubled world. We pray especially for Your protection on all those who serve in our armed forces, and we thank You for their commitment to defend our freedoms, even at the cost of their own lives. Be with their families also, and assure them of Your love and concern for them.

Bring our divided nation together, and give us a greater vision of what You would have us to be. Your Word reminds us that "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord" (Psalm 33:12).

As we look back over this past year we thank You for Your goodness to us-far beyond what we have deserved. May we never presume on Your past goodness or forget all Your mercies to us, but may they instead lead us to repentance, and to a new commitment to make You the foundation and center of our lives this year.

And so, our Father, we thank You for the promise and hope of this new year, and we look forward to it with expectancy and faith. This I ask in the name of our Lord and Savior, who by His death and resurrection has given us hope both for this world and the world to come.

- Billy Graham

PRAYER FOR THE NEW YEAR

 

Drenched in Holiness Prayer: Prayer for a New Year

Dear God,

On this day I ask You to grant this request,

May I know who I am and what I am,

Every moment of every day.

May I be a catalyst for light and love,

And bring inspiration to those whose eyes I meet.

May I have the strength to stand tall in the face of conflict,

And the courage to speak my voice, even when I'm scared.

May I have the humility to follow my heart,

And the passion to live my soul's desires.

May I seek to know the highest truth

And dismiss the gravitational pull of my lower self.

May I embrace and love the totality of myself,

My darkness as well as my light.

May I be brave enough to hear my heart,

To let it soften so that I may gracefully

Choose faith over fear.

Today is my day to surrender anything that stands

Between the sacredness of my humanity and my divinity.

May I be drenched in my Holiness

And engulfed by Your love.

May all else melt away.

And so it is.

- Debbie Ford

Prayer To Help Us Enter The New Year

 

Help Us Enter the New Year

God of all time, help us enter the New Year quietly,

thoughtful of who we are to ourselves and to others,

mindful that our steps make an impact

and our words carry power.

May we walk gently.

May we speak only after we have listened well.

Creator of all life,

help us enter the New Year reverently,

aware that you have endowed

every creature and plant, every person and habitat

with beauty and purpose.

May we regard the world with tenderness.

May we honor rather than destroy.

Lower of all souls,

help us enter the New Year joyfully,

willing to laugh and dance and dream,

remembering our many gifts with thanks

and looking forward to blessings yet to come.

May we welcome your lavish love.

In this new year, may the grace and peace of Christ bless us now and in the days ahead.

- Vinita Hampton Wright; Offered by Douglas Ruschman

The Work of Christmas Begins - by Michael Dougherty

 

The Work of Christmas Begins

When the carols have been stilled,

When the star-topped tree is taken down,

When family and friends are gone home,

When we are back to our schedules

The work of Christmas begins:

   To welcome the refugee,

   To heal a broken planet,

   To feed the hungry,

   To build bridges of trust, not walls of fear,

   To share our gifts,

   To seek justice and peace for all people,

   To bring Christ’s light to the world.

- by Michael Dougherty, a variation on Howard Thurman’s ‘When the Song of the Angels is Stilled’

Prayer to Mother Mary: Ask and Pray for a Miracle… Mother Mary will make it happen for you

 

MOST holy Mary, Queen of heaven, I who was once the slave of the Evil One now dedicate myself to thy service forever; and I offer myself to honor and to serve thee as long as I live. Accept me for thy servant, and cast me not away from thee, as I deserve. In thee, O my Mother, I place all my hope. All blessing and thanksgiving be to God, who in His mercy gave me this trust in thee.

True it is, that in time past I have fallen miserably into sin; but by the merits of Jesus Christ, and by thy prayers, I hope that God has pardoned me. But this is not enough, my Mother. One thought distresses me; it is that I may yet lose the grace of God. Danger is ever near; the devil sleeps not; fresh temptations assail me.

Protect me, then, my Queen; help me against the assaults of my spiritual enemy. Never let me sin again, or offend Jesus thy Son. Let me not by sin lose my soul, Heaven, and my God. This one grace, Mary, I ask of thee; this is my desire, this may your prayers obtain for me. Such is my hope. Amen.

(3 Hail Marys in reparation for blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin

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 Savior, pray for us.

Mother of the Church, 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.

Singular vessel of 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.

Morningstar, pray for us.

Health of the sick, 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 assumed into Heaven, 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.

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,

That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let Us Pray

Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, that we Thy

servants may enjoy perpetual health of mind and

body, and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed

Mary, ever Virgin, be delivered from present sorrow

and enjoy everlasting happiness. Through Christ Our

Lord.

Amen

ANGELS : THE 12 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THEM

ANGELS

The Twelve Most Important Things to Know About Them

- by Dr. Peter Kreeft

1.They really exist. Not just in our minds, or our myths, or our symbols, or our culture. They are as real as your dog, or your sister, or electricity.

2.They’re present, right here, right now, right next to you, reading these words with you.

3.They’re not cute, cuddly, comfortable, chummy, or “cool”. They are fearsome and formidable. They are huge. They are warriors.

4.They are the real “extra-terrestrials”, the real “Super-men”, the ultimate aliens. Their powers are far beyond those of all fictional creatures.

5.They are more brilliant minds than Einstein.

6.They can literally move the heavens and the earth if God permits them.

7.There are also evil angels, fallen angels, demons, or devils. These too are not myths. Demon possessions, and exorcisms, are real.

8.Angels are aware of you, even though you can’t usually see or hear them. But you can communicate with them. You can talk to them without even speaking.

9.You really do have your very own “guardian angel”. Everybody does.

10.Angels often come disguised. “Do not neglect hospitality, for some have entertained angels unawares” — that’s a warning from life’s oldest and best instruction manual.

11.We are on a protected part of a great battlefield between angels and devils, extending to eternity.

12.Angels are sentinels standing at the crossroads where life meets death. They work especially at moments of crisis, at the brink of disaster — for bodies, for souls, and for nations.

The Guardian Angel Prayer should be prayed every day:

Angel of God,

my Guardian dear,

To whom God's love

commits me here;

Ever this day, be at my side

To light and guard

To rule and guide.

Amen. ❤

SAINT CATHERINE LABOURE

*​SAINT OF THE DAY​*

Feast Day: November 28

*St. Catherine Laboure*

(1806-1876)

Zoe Laboure, born in 1806, was the daughter of a French farmer. She was the only one of her large family who did not go to school. She could not read or write. Her mother died while she was still very young. Zoe had to run the house when her older sister became a nun.

Zoe, too, would have liked to enter the convent when she was in her early teens. However, because she was needed at home, she waited until she was twenty-four. Zoe became a Sister of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. She took the name of Catherine.

Shortly after she finished her training as a postulant, Sister Catherine received a special privilege. She began to see the Blessed Mother. One night, she was awakened from sleep. A "shining child" led her to chapel. There Our Lady came to talk to her. The Blessed Mother, in another vision, showed herself standing on a globe with streams of light coming from her hands. Underneath were the words: "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who turn to thee!" Sister Catherine was told that a medal was to be made of this picture of Our Lady. She was also told that all who wore it would receive many graces from Jesus through his mother's prayers.

Sister Catherine told her confessor and he later told the bishop. So it was that the medal which we call the miraculous medal was made. Soon many, many people all over the world were wearing it. Yet no one in the convent knew that humble Sister Catherine was the one to whom Our Lady had appeared. She spent the remaining forty-five years of her life doing ordinary convent tasks. She answered the door. She looked after the hens that provided the nuns with eggs. She also took care of elderly and sick people. She was happy to keep her special privilege hidden, and was only interested in serving God as best she could. Catherine died in 1876. She was proclaimed a saint by Pope Pius XII in 1947.

Happy feast day of St. Catherine Labouré!💕

(Saint of Humility or Holy Silence)

“GOD always speaks to you when you approach Him plainly and simply.”

“I have only been an instrument. The Blessed Virgin did not appear on my behalf...If she chose me, it was so that no one could doubt her.”

PRAYER:

Saint Catherine Labouré, you were the chosen confidant of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She revealed to you her desire that her children wear the Miraculous Medal as a mark of their love for her and in honor of her Immaculate Conception. Intercede for us, that we may follow our heavenly mother's desires. Ask that we may receive those special graces which flow from her motherly hands like rays of light. Amen.

St. Catherine Labouré, pray for us!🙏🏼

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL

Immaculate Virgin of the Miraculous Medal that you manifested to Saint Catherine Labouré, as mediator of all graces, attend to my prayer. In your maternal hands I leave all my spiritual and temporal interests and I entrust to you in particular the grace that I dare to implore from your goodness, so that you entrust it to your Divine Son and ask him to grant it to me if it is in accordance with his Will and it has to be for good of my soul.

Raise your hands to the Lord and then turn them towards my Powerful Virgin. Wrap me in the rays of your graces so that in the light and warmth of those rays, I may detach myself from earthly things and may joyfully follow you, until the day you welcome me at the gates of Heaven.

AMEN

Miraculous Medal Novena

Intro Prayer

V. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.

R. Amen.

V. Come, O Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, and kindle in them the fire of Thy love. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created.

R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

V. Let us pray: O God, who didst instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise and ever to rejoice in His consolation, through Jesus Christ Our Lord.

R. Amen.

V. O Mary, conceived without sin,

R. Pray for us who have recourse to thee. (3 times)

Lord Jesus Christ who hast vouchsafed to glorify by numberless miracles the Blessed Virgin Mary Immaculate from the first moment of her Conception, grant that all who devoutly implore her protection on earth may eternally enjoy Thy presence in heaven who, with the Father and Holy Ghost livest and reignest, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

O Lord Jesus Christ who for the accomplishment of Thy greatest works hast chosen the weak things of the world that no flesh may glory in Thy sight and who for a better and more widely diffused belief in the Immaculate Conception of Thy Mother hast wished that the Miraculous Medal be manifested to Saint Catherine Laboure grant, we beseech Thee that filled with like humility we may glorify this mystery by word and work. Amen.

MEMORARE

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided, Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother!

To thee 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.

NOVENA PRAYER

O Immaculate Virgin Mary Mother of Our Lord Jesus and our Mother penetrated with the most lively confidence in thy all powerful and never-failing intercession, manifested so often through the Miraculous Medal, we thy loving and trustful children implore thee to obtain for us the graces and favors we ask during this Novena, if they be beneficial to our immortal souls, and the souls for whom we pray.

(Here mention your intentions)

Thou knowest, O Mary, how often our souls have been the sanctuaries of thy Son who hates iniquity.

Obtain for us then a deep hatred of sin and that purity of heart which will attach us to God alone so that our every thought, word and deed may tend to His greater glory. Obtain for us also a spirit of prayer and self-denial that we may recover by penance what we have lost by sin and at length attain to that blessed abode where thou art the Queen of angels and of men. Amen.

Concluding Prayer

AN ACT OF CONSECRATION TO OUR LADY OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL

Virgin Mother of God, Mary Immaculate, we dedicate and consecrate ourselves to thee under the title of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.

May this Medal be for each one of us a sure sign of thy affection for us and a constant reminder of our duties toward thee. Ever while wearing it, may we be blessed by thy loving protection and preserved in the grace of thy Son.

O most powerful Virgin, Mother of our Savior, keep us close to thee every moment of our lives. Obtain for us, thy children, the grace of a happy death; so that, in union with thee, we may enjoy the bliss of heaven forever. Amen.

V. O Mary, conceived without sin,

R. Pray for us who have recourse to thee. (3 times)

Prayer of Supplication for the Poor Souls in Purgatory

Prayer of Supplication for the Poor Souls in Purgatory

O Holy Souls, as one truly devoted to you, I promise never to forget you and continually to pray to the Most High for your release.

I beseech you to respond to this offering which I make to you, and to obtain for me, from God, with Whom you are so powerful on behalf of the living, that I may be free from all dangers of souls and body.

I beg both for myself and for my relations and benefactors, friends and enemies, pardon for our sins, and the grace of perseverance in good, whereby we may save our souls.

Obtain for us peace of heart; assist us in all our actions; succor us promptly in all our spiritual and temporal needs; console and defend us in our dangers.

Pray for our Holy Father, the Pope; for the exaltation of Holy Church; for peace between nations; for Christian rulers; and for tranquility among peoples; and grant that we may one day all rejoice together in Paradise.

Amen.