Lena {JOYfilledfamily}

St. Gabriel the Archangel

March 24, 2011 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: 03 March, 03 March Saints, 09 September, 09 September Saints, Archangels, St. Gabriel

SAINT GABRIEL
Archangel

"Man of God" or "God Has Shown Himself Mightily."

Traditional Calendar – March 24 ~ New Calendar – September 29

GREATER DOUBLE / WHITE
Gabriel the Archangel announced to Daniel the time of the coming of the Messias (Dan. 9:21), and to Zachary the future birth of the Precursor of the Word Incarnate (Luke 1:10). Then came the sublime message to Mary at Nazareth and the God-inspired salutation, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women" (Luke 1:28).
In the "Hail Mary," the words of the Angel of the Annunciation have been repeated through the centuries by countless millions of human beings. Thrice daily the church bells ring the "Angelus" to recall through the ages how the strong angel who stands before God bowed in reverence to a humble Jewish virgin, soon to become the Mother of Christ and the Queen of heaven and earth.

~~~

Novena for the Annunciation

O most holy Virgin Mary, to whom God sent the Angel Gabriel to announce that you should be the mother of His Only-Begotten Son, pray for us who have recourse to you. Holy, lovely Mary We give our all to you What is past and present, And the future, too. Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the most blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God.

300 days. Plenary, under usual conditions, if said daily for a month. S. Pen., Nov. 8, 1934.

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HYMN I
Let us all exult with joyous hearts,
and strike the tuneful lyre;
’tis the great Gabriel that comes
in all his brightness from the high heavens.
This is the feast of the glorious Virgin’s messenger,
and with him comes the whole host of Angels,
singing in varied hymns
the praise of Christ.
Let our choir, therefore,
sing the praises of Gabriel the prince,
for he is one of the seven that stand
before the Lord and do His biddings.
Gabriel cheerfully descends whithersoever God wills,
for he is the messenger of Heaven,
nay the mediator that reveals to the world
the secret decrees of the omnipotent God.
Be thou, O Gabriel, we beseech thee,
messenger to us of the special gift of eternal peace,
wherewith we may finally reach Heaven,
and everlastingly rejoice.
May the Godhead ever blessed of
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Whose glory is proclaimed through the whole world,
grant us this our prayer. Amen.

~~~

RESOURCES:

St. Gabriel the Archangel – EWTN
St. Gabriel Coloring Page – Waltzing Matilda
Angelus Prayer

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Pray, O Gabriel, for the Church militant, and defend her against the attacks of hell. The times are evil; the spirits of malice are let loose, nor can we make stand against them, unless with God’s help. It is by His holy angels that He gives victory to His bride. Be thou, O strength of God! foremost in the ranks. Drive heresy back, keep schism down, foil the false wisdom of men, frustrate the policy of the world, arouse the well-minded from apathy; that over the earth He has redeemed, and that we may sing together with thee and the whole angelic choir: ‘Glory be to God, peace to men!’

~ Dom Prosper Gueranger

The Way of the Cross

March 23, 2011 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: Lent, Picture Recap, Stations of the Cross 2 Comments

We adore Thee O Christ and we praise Thee ~ Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

3.18 – We pray the Stations of the Cross in front of our home altar when we are unable to make it to mass. We use The Way of the Cross for Children and these wonderful candles.

~~~

Stabat Mater

At the cross her station keeping,
Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to Jesus to the last:
Through her heart, His sorrow sharing,
All His bitter anguish bearing,
Lo! the piercing sword had passed!

O how sad, and sore distressed,
Now was she, that Mother Blessed
Of the Sole-begotten One;
Woe-begone, with heart’s prostration,
Mother meek, the bitter Passion
Saw she of her glorious son

Who could mark, from tears refraining,
Christ’s dear Mother uncomplaining,
In so great a sorrow bowed?
Who, unmoved, behold her languish
Underneath His Cross of anguish,
‘Mid the fierce, unpitying crowd?

For His people’s sins rejected,
She her Jesus, unprotected,
Saw with thorns, with scourges rent;
Saw her Son from judgment taken,
Her beloved in death forsaken,
Till His Spirit forth He sent.

Fount of love and holy sorrow,
Mother! may my spirit borrow
Somewhat of thy woe profound;
Unto Christ, with pure emotion,
Raise my contrite heart’s devotion,
Love to read in every Wound.

Those five Wounds on Jesus smitten,
Mother! in my heart be written,
Deep as in thine won they be:
Thou, my Savior’s cross who bearest,
Thou, thy Son’s rebuke who sharest,
Let me share them both with thee!

In the Passion of my Maker
Be my sinful soul partaker,
Weep till death, and weep with thee;
Mine with thee be that sad station,
There to watch the great Salvation
Wrought upon the atoning Tree.

Virgin thou of virgins fairest,
May the bitter woe thou sharest
Make on me impression deep:
Thus Christ’s dying may I carry,
With Him in His Passion tarry,
And His wounds in memory keep.

May His Wounds transfix me wholly,
May His Cross and Life Blood holy
Ebriate my heart and mind;
Thus inflamed with pure affection,
In the Virgin’s Son protection
May I at the judgment find.

When in death my limbs are failing,
Let Thy Mother’s prayer prevailing
Lift me, Jesus! to Thy throne;
To my parting soul be given
Entrance through the gate of Heaven,
There confess me for Thine own.
Amen.

How to Attend Mass

March 21, 2011 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: Holy Mass, Meditation

My dear love sent me a love note (email) this morning. He attached a beautiful reflection/letter from Fr. Padre Pio.

Below is a snippet of the letter. The letter is from St. Padre Pio to Annita Rodote – Pietrelcina, July 25, 1915. The full letter is taken from Volume III of Padre Pio’s Letters, "Correspondence with his Spiritual Daughters (1915-1923)" and can be found here.

~~~

Comportment at Holy Mass and Afterwards

…Enter the church in silence and with great respect, considering yourself unworthy to appear before the Lord’s Majesty. Amongst other pious considerations, remember that our soul is the temple of God and, as such, we must keep it pure and spotless before God and his angels. Let us blush for having given access to the devil and his snares many times (with his enticements to the world, his pomp, his calling to the flesh) by not being able to keep our hearts pure and our bodies chaste; for having allowed our enemies to insinuate themselves into our hearts, thus desecrating the temple of God which we became through holy Baptism.

Then take holy water and make the sign of the cross carefully and slowly.

As soon as you are before God in the Blessed Sacrament, devoutly genuflect. Once you have found your place, kneel down and render the tribute of your presence and devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Confide all your needs to him along with those of others. Speak to him with filial abandonment, give free rein to your heart and give him complete freedom to work in you as he thinks best.

When assisting at Holy Mass and the sacred functions, be very composed when standing up, kneeling down, and sitting, and carry out every religious act with the greatest devotion. Be modest in your glances; don’t turn your head here and there to see who enters and leaves. Don’t laugh, out of reverence for this holy place and also out of respect for those who are near you. Try not to speak to anybody, except when charity or strict necessity requests this.

If you pray with others, say the words of the prayer distinctly, observe the pauses well and never hurry.

In short, behave in such a way that all present are edified by it and, through you, are urged to glorify and love the heavenly Father.

On leaving the church, you should be recollected and calm. Firstly take your leave of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament; ask his forgiveness for the shortcomings committed in his divine presence and do not leave him without asking for and having received his paternal blessing.

Once you are outside the church, be as every follower of the Nazarene should be. Above all, be extremely modest in everything, as this is the virtue which, more than any other, reveals the affections of the heart. Nothing represents an object more faithfully or clearly than a mirror. In the same way, nothing more widely represents the good or bad qualities of a soul than the greater or lesser regulation of the exterior, as when one appears more or less modest. You must be modest in speech, modest in laughter, modest in your bearing, modest in walking. All this must be practiced, not out of vanity in order to display one’s self, nor out of hypocrisy in order to appear to be good to the eyes of others, but rather, for the internal virtue of modesty, which regulates the external workings of the body.

Therefore, be humble of heart, circumspect in words, prudent in your resolutions. Always be sparing in your speech, assiduous in good reading, attentive in your work, modest in your conversation. Don’t be disgusting to anybody but be benevolent towards all and respectful towards your elders. May any sinister glance be far from you, may no daring word escape your lips, may you never carry out any immodest or somewhat free action; never a rather free action or a petulant tone of voice.

In short let your whole exterior be a vivid image of the composure of your soul…

~ Fra Pio, Capuchin

Viva San Giuseppe

March 20, 2011 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: 03 March, 03 March Saints, Dad, Patron Saint, St. Joseph

On March 19th, the Festa San Giuseppe takes place. Although traditionally it began in Sicily, the Feast of San Giuseppe (St. Joseph) is now celebrated throughout most of Italy. According to legend, during the Middle Ages a terrible drought and famine plagued the people of Sicily. It virtually destroyed most of their crops and many people in the western part of Sicily died of starvation. The people began praying to St. Joseph and begged for his intercession to their plight. In return they promised to celebrate his feast day by having special altars abundant in food that would be shared with all people rich and poor as their thanksgiving to him.

This is dad’s family crest from his maternal grandfather.

~~~

We had a simple celebration for the feast of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Virgin Mary. We honored our earthly father (husband) and St. Joseph.

Sparkles coordinated a surprise for dad. She led her siblings in a St. Joseph procession around the house. Then she presented dad with his treat, a yummy peanut butter, and chocolate, caramel ice-cream sundae.

We had not planned to create a St. Joseph’s Altar but we decided to improvise while dad went out for an errand. Our St. Joseph Altar was simple and non-traditional.

We placed some of dad’s favorites on the altar. It was our first official break in our Lenten fast. Dad was elated to see what we worked on for him in honor of St. Joseph. All, including Papa & Nana, enjoyed it.

Sparkles invented a sweet game for the feast of St. Joseph. She hid St. Joseph’s heart (chocolate heart candies) in the sawdust (breadcrumbs). Everyone took turns finding his heart in the sawdust. Papi (3) loved this game and insisted he needed more hearts.

May St. Joseph Always Smile Upon Us.

~~~

“Day after day, at home in the carpenter’s shop, his eyes rested on Jesus: he protected Him against the dangers of childhood; he guided His advancing years, and by hard work and with religious devotedness he provided for the increasing needs of the Mother and the Son… And there was Joseph, modest, self effacing, yet exercising authority over the family. How holy he must have been! Under his fatherly protection and ceaseless tireless care the young Boy grew into manhood…Don’t you think that now in heaven he is the same loving father and guardian of the whole Church, of all its members, as he was of its Head on earth? We hear your answer; Yes. And does he not know that oh so many of its children are terribly in need of help? They need help for their souls – grace of repentance, the grace of humble, unstinted surrender to the holy will of God; and Joseph turns to Jesus, of old his Boy of Nazareth and at once graces flow abundantly for the souls of men.” ~ Fr. Gilsdorf, Go to Joseph

~~~

Lenten Resolution Renewal

March 20, 2011 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: Lent, Meditation

I am finding it necessary for me to renew my Lenten resolutions on a regular basis. My spirit is willing but my flesh is weak. Matthew 26:41
Below is an excerpt from a sermon on Audio Sancto. It has helped me stay firm in my resolve.

+AMDG+

~~~

Lent: Our Spiritual Tithe – ~~Audio Sancto Sermon~~ Romans10seventeen.org

It is urgent that we return to the pristine spirit of the great fast, which is so badly needed, in our materialistic world.

Corporal: (external practices)

Take less of what you like today and more of what you dislike at meals today.
Take nothing to drink between meals.
Do not use seasoning on your food today.
Do not use any sweeteners with your food or drinks today.
Avoid listening to the radio at all today.
Take nothing to eat between meals today.
Avoid any TV or videos, instead, read the passion of the Christ in your bible or missal.
Take only one helping of each item at meals today.
Say an extra rosary.

Spiritual: (internal practices)

Don’t do any unnecessary talking instead say little prayers, aspiration throughout the day – My Jesus Mercy.
Exercise your patience today in all things.
Don’t make any complaints today.
Restrain any anger and go out of your way to be kind to the person who caused you anger.
Don’t be distracted with someone else’s business.
Avoid any gossip today. Instead, say an extra rosary to overcome this great fall.
When asked to do something extra, do it with a joyful and pleasant attitude today.
Speak in a pleasant tone to everyone today.
Avoid using the phone today.
Tell the truth in all your dealings today.
Avoid any vanity or self-seeking today.

Practices to Grow in Virtue & Good Works:

Practice humility today in all your actions.
Be generous today. Help someone in need.
Look for ways to be helpful throughout the day.
Do a job that needs to be done without being asked.
Be courageous, walk away from any impure situations today.
Don’t be idle at all today, always be doing something for others or for your spiritual growth.
Go out of your way today to help or talk to someone who is usually difficult.
Volunteer for an extra job today.
Say an extra rosary today for the conversion of a sinner.
Visit someone who is sick or lonesome today and offer to say the rosary with them

Pray & Sacrifice

I resolve to have the holiest Lent that I’ve ever had.

~~~

Catholic Icing ~ Lenten Link-Up

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