Prayer to the Holy Family

 

THE HOLY FAMILY PRAYER 

JESUS, Son of God and Son of Mary, bless our family. Graciously inspire in us the unity, peace, and mutual love that you found in your own family in the little town of Nazareth.

MARY, Mother of Jesus and Our Mother, nourish our family with your faith and your love. Keep us close to your Son, Jesus, in all our sorrows and joys.

JOSEPH, Foster-father to Jesus, guardian and spouse of Mary, keep our family safe from harm. Help us in all times of discouragement or anxiety.

HOLY FAMILY OF NAZARETH, make our family one with you. Help us to be instruments of peace. Grant that love, strengthened by grace, may prove mightier than all the weaknesses and trials through which our families sometimes pass. May we always have God at the center of our hearts and homes until we are all one family, happy and at peace in our true home with you. Amen.

PRAYER FOR THE CONVERSION OF YOUR FAMILY

 PRAYER FOR THE CONVERSION OF YOUR FAMILY

“In the name of the Father, and of the Son,

and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

Eternal Father,

I offer You the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Son Jesus, in atonement for my sins and the sins of my family. May the Blood and Water from the pierced Heart of Jesus cleanse my family line of every stain of sin, and remove every evil influence. Amen.

Immaculate Mother Mary,

Please crush the head of the serpent in the life of each member of my family, and work your miracles of grace in each soul. Please hold each member of my family (and me) in your Immaculate Heart. Amen.

Precious Blood of Jesus, wash over us. Precious Blood of Jesus, wash over my family. Precious Blood of Jesus, wash over me.

Eternal Father,

In the Name of Jesus, please create an opening in the soul of each member of my family. And please give each member of my family the graces of True Repentance and Conversion to Your Son Jesus. Please give each member of my family the grace to experience Your Love, and be transformed by It. Amen.

Eternal Father,

In the Name of Your Son Jesus, please send an honor guard of angels to surround, protect, defend, guide, guard, assist and minister to each member of my family (and me) today, and every day. Amen.

Angels from heaven, direct my path.

Saints in heaven, pray for us.

“In the Name of the Father, and of the Son,

and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

The Value of Praying the Stations of the Cross

Merits of Praying the Stations of the Cross

1. It gives us a way to make a spiritual pilgrimage.


In 1686, the Franciscans began displaying the Stations of the Cross in their churches. It made it easier for the faithful to pray this devotion. In 1726, Pope Benedict XIII granted it the same indulgence as visiting Jerusalem. Our hearts walk along with Jesus on His final steps as we pray.


2. We can gain a plenary indulgence to shorten our time in Purgatory.


There are a few conditions to receive this indulgence. First, we must receive the sacrament of Confession and be in a state of grace (detached from sin). It must be within 20 days (before or after) praying the devotion. We must also receive the Eucharist within that timeline. Next, we pray for the Pope’s intentions. An extra requirement is that we (or a leader) move from station to station as we pray. We can still gain a partial indulgence if we cannot meet every condition.




3. Praying the Stations of the Cross helps inspire deep prayer.


God gives us the grace to contemplate the suffering of Jesus and feel deep empathy and love for Him. As we meditate on the events, they become more vivid and take root in our hearts.


4. We can look at suffering from a different perspective.


Our Lord understands our struggles and gives us the grace we need to bear them well. We can learn how to do this from His example. He endured His suffering with patience, dignity, and humility. Jesus never stopped loving, forgiving, and praying for his persecutors. Even though the situation was so intense, He obeyed God’s Will. His response to such an extreme situation was one of love. He endured it for our salvation. From His example, we can learn to love with humility and patience despite our broken world.




5. Praying this devotion helps us grow in our love for God.


We can express our love for Him as we pray the stations. It reminds us that we are not alone in our struggles. Jesus chose to embrace every aspect of human life, including suffering and death. He embraced human suffering on the Cross in a way no one else ever had before Him or ever will again. He made it redemptive by conquering evil with good. Through grace and our union with His suffering, we can learn to offer up our struggles out of love for others.


6. Praying the stations helps us to become holy.


We learn to have more compassion for those who suffer. It pulls us out of our selfishness and teaches us to sacrifice for others. We can learn to be patient in situations of unavoidable suffering. It helps us to examine our conscience. We can think about how we have sinned, how it makes our Lord suffer, and then have remorse.




7. We learn to hope in the promise of salvation.


Christ’s promise of salvation far outweighed the horrors he had to endure. HIs suffering was redemptive not because it was full of pain but because He endured it with great love. When we unite our struggles with our wounded Saviour, we can learn to bear them well. We can find courage and strength in times of difficulty because of His merciful love. We can trust in Him.

The key to praying the Stations of the Cross well is with sincerity of heart.

Merits of Praying the Stations of the Cross

PRAYER FOR AN END TO ABORTION :Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer For The Unborn

 Let us pray for an end to abortion - the willful murder of preborn children, all in the name of "choice."

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer For The Unborn:

Lord Jesus, 

You who faithfully visit and fulfill with your Presence the Church and the history of men; You who in the miraculous Sacrament of your Body and Blood render us participants in divine Life and allow us a foretaste of the joy of eternal Life; We adore and bless you.

Prostrated before You, source and lover of Life, truly present and alive among us, we beg you.

Reawaken in us respect for every unborn life, make us capable of seeing in the fruit of the maternal womb the miraculous work of the Creator, open our hearts to generously welcoming every child that comes into life.

Bless all families, sanctify the union of spouses, render fruitful their love.

Accompany the choices of legislative assemblies with the light of your Spirit, so that peoples and nations may recognize and respect the sacred nature of life, of every human life.

Guide the work of scientists and doctors, so that all progress contributes to the integral well-being of the person, and no one endures suppression or injustice.

Give creative charity to administrators and economists, so they may realize and promote sufficient conditions so that young families can serenely embrace the birth of new children.

Console the married couples who suffer because they are unable to have children and in Your goodness provide for them.

Teach us all to care for orphaned or abandoned children, so they may experience the warmth of your Charity, the consolation of your divine Heart.

Together with Mary, Your Mother, the great believer, in whose womb you took on our human nature, we wait to receive from You, our Only True Good and Savior, the strength to love and serve life, in anticipation of living forever in You, in communion with the Blessed Trinity.

https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/pope-benedict-xvis-prayer-for-the-unborn-355

The Way of the Cross for the Holy Souls

The way of the cross (the way of self-denial), is the way of life, for “If anyone desires to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Luke 9:23.The way of the cross is a way of life itself, and so this call of Jesus to deny ourselves, to take up our crosses, and follow him is his statement to us that in this life there will be suffering. In following him, there will be difficulty and there will be pain, but there is a glory that awaits. It is the cross that can fix your past, your present and your future. The cross of Jesus remains forever the place where the power over sicknesses and diseases can be secured. Everything Jesus died for belongs to you now. The cross of Jesus is more than a sign; it is the proof of your redemption and adoption.

The Way of the Cross, also known as the Stations of the Cross, are a way to pray and meditate on Christ's sacrifice for us. It is divided into fourteen stations from the time He was condemned to his burial. This devotion has been long encouraged by the church, and is especially useful during Lent and Good Friday.

The Stations of the Cross are commonly prayed during the Lenten season. Tradition holds that Christ died on a Friday at 3 p.m. Because of this, many parishes offer Stations of the Cross services at this time on Fridays during Lent. 

In the Station of the Cross, is one way we should be praying for the souls in purgatory out of love for them. But even if we have no dead relatives that we know of, the souls in purgatory are still our spiritual brothers and sisters. We are related by baptism into Christ, and this familial relationship should spur us to act on their behalf. 

“It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.” - 2 Mach. 12:46. 

The Way of the Cross represents the sorrowful journey that Jesus Christ made with the cross to die on Calvary. The church teaches that the Souls in Purgatory undergo a process of purification that must include suffering. By praying and making sacrifices for the Holy Souls, you have the marvelous power and privilege to relieve their pain. In return, their gratitude will bring you countless blessings. May a stream of mercy flow from you to the Holy Souls in Purgatory.


AN ACT OF CONTRITION

 My Jesus! I love you above all things. I hate and detest all my sins, because by them I have offended you. The holy indulgences, the fruits and merits of this devotion I intend to gain for the souls in Purgatory, in particular for those who in life were near and dear to me, and also for those for whom I am, in a special way, obliged to pray. O Mary, my merciful Mother and the Mother of the poor souls in Purgatory accompany me, by your intercession, on this journey. 

BEFORE EVERY STATION: 

V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. 

R. Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.

THE FIRST STATION

Jesus is Condemned to Death 

O my innocent Jesus, to free me from eternal death, you allowed yourself to be condemned by a pagan judge to the death of the cross. Give me a hatred for sin and the grace to live that I may one day obtain from you a merciful sentence. The poor souls in Purgatory have already been judged. Through your mercy they have escaped hell, yet on account of their sins your justice has condemned them to the fire of Purgatory. O most merciful Jesus have pity on them. Revoke the sentence of their exile and open to them the gates of heaven. 

My Jesus, mercy!

AT THE END OF EVERY STATION: 

Our Father. Hail Mary. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord – and let perpetual light shine upon them. 

THE SECOND STATION 

Jesus is Made to Bear His Cross

O holy cross, You are the tree of life, the gate of heaven, our salvation, and our only hope. Be my salvation at the hour of death. O Jesus, be mindful of Your servants who have departed this life with this sign of faith. Free them by the victorious power of Your cross, by which You have conquered death. Lead them into eternal life and happiness.

THE THIRD STATION 

Jesus Falls for the First Time Under His Cross 

Through your weakness under the cross and the merits of this first fall, grant me perseverance in my good resolutions that I may always walk faithfully in your holy ways. The souls in Purgatory now suffer because they neglected and abused your graces in this life. They now realize that no sin-stained soul can see God. Have mercy, therefore, on them and cleanse them from all sin. Through the intercession of your sorrowful Mother, deliver them from Purgatory. 

THE FOURTH STATION 

Jesus Meets His Afflicted Mother

O Heart of Mary! O Heart of Jesus! I offer my life for my sins. May the sweet names of Jesus and Mary be on my lips and in my heart at the hour of my death. O sweetest Heart of Jesus, I implore that I may love You more and more. Sweet Heart of Mary, be our salvation. Mother most sorrowful, merciful Queen of the Holy Souls, into your hands I place my few merits and implore you to unite them with the infinite merits of your Son. Offer them to the eternal Father for those souls who are bound to me by ties of relationship

THE FIFTH STATION 

The Cyrenian Helps Jesus to Carry His Cross

O my Jesus, I accept the cross. I embrace it. Let me help You to carry Your cross, by being patient in all trials that may assail me. How many souls in Purgatory now regret their past impatience! But You, O Lord, be generous with them and remit all that still remains to be expiated.

 

THE SIXTH STATION 

Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus 

O Lord, Jesus Christ, You who have left on Veronica’s veil the image of your bloodstained countenance, grant that the memory of Your bitter passion and death may ever remain impressed on my soul. Have pity on the poor souls, made to your image and likeness and redeemed by Your Most Precious Blood. Free them from all sin that they may enter heaven, to see You face-to-face forever and ever.

THE SEVENTH STATION 

Jesus Falls the Second Time 

My sins have made Your cross heavy, O Jesus. I detest them and firmly propose to amend my life. Never permit me to separate myself from You again. Have mercy, O Jesus, on those souls who now suffer the pains of Purgatory for mortal sins committed in this life. O clement Heart of Jesus, have compassion on them.

THE EIGHTH STATION 

Jesus Comforts the Women of Jerusalem

Most compassionate Heart of Jesus! My Jesus, who said to the holy women: “Do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children,” make me weep for the ingratitude that I have returned for Your love. I wish to make amends in this life for my sins, that I may obtain pardon for them in the next. Grant me a tender love for the souls in Purgatory, especially for the souls of my relatives. For the future, I promise to do what I have neglected through my forgetfulness and hardness of heart.

 

THE NINTH STATION 

Jesus Falls the Third Time 

Through this most painful fall, O Jesus, I ask You to deliver me from an unhappy death, which would plunge me into hell. From the power of the enemy deliver my immortal soul, and make me live and die in Your grace. Look with mercy upon the poor souls doing penance in Purgatory. With tears and prayers they seek Your help and mercy. Hear their prayers and lead them out of that place of purification into the blessed peace of heaven, there to enjoy forever the splendor of Your glory.

THE TENTH STATION 

Jesus is Stripped of His Garments

My most blessed Redeemer, stripped of Your garments for love of me, grant me holy modesty and purity. Deliver me from all dangerous inclinations to created thing. Make me die to everything of this world, that at death separation from all earthly things may be easy. Of what benefit now are wealth and the pleasures of this world to the souls in Purgatory? Their bodies they had to leave to decay and dust of death, and their wealth to heirs. Only their works have followed them: the good to be rewarded, and the evil to be punished. O Lord, put an end to their suffering. Do not keep them any longer from the inheritance of the saints, but pardon them and admit them into the realm of eternal bliss and happiness.

THE ELEVENTH STATION 

Jesus is Nailed to the Cross 

My most innocent Jesus, nailed to the cross for my sins, I beseech You, through the merits of Your horrible suffering, to come to my aid in my last sickness and agony. Grant me the grace to receive in time Your most holy Sacraments. Come to me then, O Most Holy Viaticum, and pour into my soul the patience of Your Most Sacred Heart! And you, O Mary my Mother, console me in that hour and make sweet my sufferings, through the sorrow that pierced your heart at the crucifixion. Lamb of God, have mercy on the souls in Purgatory, whose sufferings are greater than the sick and dying. Spare them this agony, and through the merits of Your passion admit them into eternal dwellings.

THE TWELFTH STATION 

Jesus Dies On the Cross 

Through your three hours’ agony on the cross, grant me, O Jesus, a happy death. Take me when I am best prepared. In that hour fill my soul with holy sentiments of faith, hope and charity. Grant me true and perfect contrition for my sins and the grace to accept with Christian resignation my death with all its pains and sufferings. May I leave this world invoking your most Holy Name. 

Mary Mother of Sorrows, refuge of the dying, be near me in my last agony. Remember, O most loving Jesus, the poor souls with that love with which you did give comfort to the good thief: “This day you shall be with me in Paradise.” Call these souls into the kingdom of your glory, that they may praise you together with all the angels and saints forever and ever. 

THE THIRTEENTH STATION 

Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross 

O Jesus, You whose soul descended to the dead to announce peace to the just of the Old Testament, descend now among the poor souls who yearn for You. Free them from the chains of their slavery, and grant them the liberty of true children of God! O Mary, my Mother, may I, like Jesus, be placed in your arms at my departure from this world. Be with me at the tribunal of the Divine Judge, that through your intercession, I may obtain a favorable judgment. Sweet Heart of Mary be my salvation!

THE FOURTEENTH STATION 

Jesus is Laid in the Tomb 

O Jesus, through the merits of Your bitter passion and death, and through Your glorious Resurrection, I beseech You to have compassion on the poor souls, and grant them a happy and glorious admission into heaven. Let them enter into that peace so long desired. Let them contemplate the splendor of the Beatific Vision. Let them bless eternally Your mercy. Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation, that I may not be condemned to that place of agony, when my body will be in the cold earth. Let my soul flee the fires of Purgatory. Most loving Mother, on that day save your child. Bring me quick relief and through your merits deliver me from the flames, that I may thank you in heaven and, with you and all the saints, adore and love Jesus, your beloved Son, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, true God, forever and ever. Amen.

CLOSING PRAYER 

My crucified Redeemer, I offer you this devout exercise, which by your grace, I have just finished. Grant that the precious fruits of your death on the cross be not lost either for me or for the souls in Purgatory. Mary, Mother of Sorrows, place my petitions in the Heart of your beloved Son, so that I may be admitted into the kingdom of grace, there together with my dear ones, both living and dead, to be blessed eternally. O Gentlest Heart of Jesus, ever present in the Blessed Sacrament, ever consumed with burning love for the poor captive souls in Purgatory, have mercy on them. Be not severe in your judgments, but let some drops of your Precious Blood fall upon the devouring flames, and do you O merciful Savior, send your angels to conduct them to a place of refreshment, light and peace. Amen. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them. Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on them.

Blessing of the Home and Household on Epiphany

The traditional date of Epiphany is January 6, but in the United States it is celebrated on the Sunday between January 2 and January 8.

Traditionally, Catholics bless their home and those who live in their household on the Feast of the Epiphany each year.

It’s not difficult to do and we highly recommend you give it a try! Here’s how:

What You’ll Need To Bless Your Home On The Epiphany

Prayers
Chalk
A doorway
A ladder or chair

Meaning of the Blessing 20 + C + M + B + 23
The letters C, M, B have two meanings. They are the initials of the traditional names of the three magi: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. They also represent the Latin words “Christus mansionem benedicat” which means “May Christ bless the house.” The “+” signs symbolize the cross and the 20 and the 23 represent the year, 2023.

Prayers for the Epiphany Home Blessing 

(Simple Way)

Lord God of heaven and earth, you revealed your only-begotten Son to every nation by the guidance of a star. Bless this house

and all who inhabit it. Fill them (us) with the light of Christ, that their (our) concern for others may reflect your love. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

R/. Amen.

The leader concludes the rite by signing himself or herself with the sign of the cross and saying:

May Christ Jesus dwell with us, keep us from all harm, and make us one in mind and heart, now and forever.

R/. Amen.

Blessing of the Home and Household on Epiphany
(Complete Version)

When all have gathered, a suitable song may be sung. The leader makes the sign of the cross, and all reply, “Amen.”

The leader greets those present in the following words:

Let us praise God, who fills our hearts and homes with peace.
Blessed be God forever.
R/. Blessed be God forever.

In the following or similar words, the leader prepares those present for the blessing:

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling place among us. It is Christ who enlightens our hearts and homes with his love. May all who enter this home find Christ’s light and love.

One of those present or the leader reads a text of sacred Scripture, for example, Luke 19:1-9:

Listen to the words of the holy Gospel according to Luke:
Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way.> When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.”

The intercessions are then said:

Leader: The Son of God made his home among us. With thanks and praise let us call upon him.
R/. Stay with us, Lord.
Leader: Lord Jesus Christ, with Mary and Joseph you formed the Holy Family: remain in our home, that we may know you as our guest and honor you as our Head.
We pray:
R/. Stay with us, Lord.
Leader: Lord Jesus Christ, you had no place to lay your head, but in the spirit of poverty accepted the hospitality of your friends: grant that through our help the homeless may obtain proper
housing.
We pray:
R/. Stay with us, Lord.
Leader:Lord Jesus Christ, the three kings presented their gifts to you in praise and adoration: grant that those living in this house may use their talents and abilities to your greater glory.
We pray:
R/. Stay with us, Lord.

After the intercessions the leader invites all present to say the Lord’s Prayer.
The leader says the prayer of blessing with hands joined:

Lord God of heaven and earth,
you revealed your only-begotten Son to every nation
by the guidance of a star.
Bless this house
and all who inhabit it.
Fill them (us) with the light of Christ,
that their (our) concern for others may reflect your love.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen.

The leader concludes the rite by signing himself or herself with the sign of the cross and saying:

May Christ Jesus dwell with us,
keep us from all harm,
and make us one in mind and heart,
now and forever.
R/. Amen.

It is preferable to end the celebration with a suitable song, for example, “O Come, All Ye Faithful” or “We Three Kings.”


Source: Catechism of the Catholic Church 

Prayer of Thanksgiving to the Trinity

 

Prayer of Thanksgiving to the Trinity
O Eternal God! O Eternal Trinity! Through the union of Thy divine nature Thou hast made so precious the Blood of Thine only-begotten Son! O eternal Trinity, Thou art as deep a mystery as the sea, in whom the more I seek, the more I find; and the more I find, the more I seek. For even immersed in the depths of Thee, my soul is never satisfied, always famished and hungering for Thee, eternal Trinity, wishing and desiring to see Thee, the True Light.

O eternal Trinity, with the light of understanding I have tasted and seen the depths of Thy mystery and the beauty of Thy creation. In seeing myself in Thee, I have seen that I will become like Thee. O eternal Father, from Thy power and Thy wisdom clearly Thou hast given to me a share of that wisdom which belongs to Thine Only-begotten Son. And truly hast the Holy Spirit, who procedeth from Thee, Father and Son, given to me the desire to love Thee.
O eternal Trinity, Thou art my maker and I am Thy creation. Illuminated by Thee, I have learned that Thou hast made me a new creation through the Blood of Thine Only-begotten Son because Thou art captivated by love at the beauty of Thy creation.

O eternal Trinity, O Divinity, O unfathomable abyss, O deepest sea, what greater gift could Thou givest me then Thy very Self? Thou art a fire that burns eternally yet never consumed, a fire that consumes with Thy heat my self-love. Again and again Thou art the fire who taketh away all cold heartedness and illuminateth the mind by Thy light, the light with which Thou hast made me to know Thy truth.
By this mirrored light I know Thou are the highest good, a good above all good, a fortunate good, an incomprehensible good, an unmeasurable good, a beauty above all beauty, a wisdom above all wisdom, for Thou art wisdom itself, the food of angels, the fire of love that Thou givest to man.

Thou art the garment covering our nakedness. Thou feedest our family with Thy sweetness, a sweetness Thou art from which there is no trace of bitterness. O Eternal Trinity! Amen.
Act of Thanksgiving to the Trinity, 

by St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380), Doctor of the Church
from her Dialogue on Divine Providence

A Trinity Prayer
Love of Jesus Fill us. 
Holy Spirit Guide us. 
Will of the Father be done.

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