Deepertruth: Novena To The Holy Spirit through Pentecost

The Mass is the source of the Purpose, the Passion, and the Power:

God the Father is the Purpose, God the Son is the Passion, God the Holy Spirit is the Power. The God of Heaven comes to us in His Eucharistic Presence. Jesus is truly Present Body, Blood, Soul, Divinity.

Holy Spirit! Lord of Light! From Your clear celestial height, Your pure beaming radiance give!

The Holy Spirit

Only one thing is important -- eternal salvation. Only one thing, therefore, is to be feared--sin! Sin is the result of ignorance, weakness, and indifference. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Light, of Strength, and of Love. With His sevenfold gifts He enlightens the mind, strengthens the will, and inflames the heart with love of God. To ensure our salvation we ought to invoke the Divine Spirit daily, for 'The Spirit helpeth our infirmity. We know not what we should pray for as we ought. But the Spirit Himself asketh for us.'

Prayer

Almighty and eternal God, Who hast vouchsafed to regenerate us by water and the Holy Spirit, and hast given us forgiveness of all sins, vouchsafe to send forth from heaven upon us your sevenfold Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and Fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of Holy Fear. Amen.

Our Father and Hail Mary once Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

On my knees before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses,

I offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God.

I adore the brightness of Your purity, the unerring keenness of Your justice, and the might of Your love.

You are the Strength and Light of my soul. In You I live and move and am.

I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against You. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Your light, and listen to Your voice, and follow Your gracious inspirations.

I cling to You and give myself to You and ask You, by Your compassion to watch over me in my weakness.

Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and looking at His Five Wounds, and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in Your grace that I may never sin against You. Give me grace,

O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to You always and everywhere, 'Speak Lord for Your servant heareth.' Amen.

PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, before ascending into heaven, did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love. Grant me the

Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal,

the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth,

the Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven,

the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation,

the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints,

the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the

Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of Your true disciples and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.

St. Leopoldo Mandic Novena

God, Almighty Father, you made Saint Leopoldo a rich source of Your grace for all who had recourse to him. Through his intercession, may we live our lives in love, relying entirely on Your will, and strong in the hope of Your promises.

Glory be to the Father …

God, You show Your almighty power most clearly when You grant mercy and forgiveness to sinners. You made Saint Leopold an outstanding witness through his ministry in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Grant us the grace to celebrate the Sacrament joyfully, and so experience Your great love.

Glory be to the Father …

God our Father, through Christ Your Son Who died and rose to life, You redeemed us, and You gave us Saint Leopoldo as a fatherly presence to comfort and guide us in our trials. Pour into our hearts the certainty of Your presence and help.

Glory be to the Father …

God, source of communion for all Your sons and daughters, You wanted Christ to be the only Shepherd of Your Church. Through the prayers of Saint Leopoldo, that silent prophet of spiritual ecumenism, infuse Your Spirit into us, so that we may pray and give our lives for the unity of all who believe in You.

Glory be to the Father …

God, You wanted Mary to be Mother of Christ and Mother of the Church, and You gave Saint Leopoldo a tender devotion to our Lady. May we know in our own lives the joy of her motherly protection and love.

Hail Mary …

God, glorious Lord and Father of life, we entrust to Your love all our hopes and prayers. Through the intercession of Saint Leopoldo look kindly upon Your sons and daughters, and hear the prayers You have inspired in us. Through Christ our Lord.

Amen

We pray for America, for our constitution, for those suffering addictions and those in bondage. For those who need Deliverence. We Pray for the Catholic Church, for Pope Francis and all the Clergy.

Eucharistic Miracle of Seefeld, Austria

The little city of Seefeld is the goal of many pilgrimages because of the Eucharistic miracle that took place there in 1384.

During the Holy Thursday Mass a nobleman by the name of Oswald Milser expected that the priest would give him Communion with the large Host.

At the moment he was about to receive Communion, the pavement began to tremble under him, and Oswald felt as if he was being sucked into it.

As the priest was returning the Host to the altar, live Blood began to flow from the Sacred Species.

In the little city of Seefeld, Oswald Milser, Lord of Schlosberg, expected, at the Holy Thursday Mass to receive the large Host like that of the celebrating priest.

But at the moment he was about to receive Communion, the pavement began to tremble and broke apart. Oswald grasped the altar so as not to fall, and the priest immediately took back the Host from the man’s mouth.

The trembling stopped, and live Blood began to flow from the Host. There were many witnesses who saw the miracle, and very soon the news spread throughout the whole nation. The Emperor Maximilian I himself was very devoted to the miracle. Today one can visit the Church of St. Oswald where the precious relic of the Host, stained with Blood, is exposed, and also view many paintings depicting the miracle.

I myself, Donald Hartley known as the Catholic Defender made a pilgrimage at this Church and you can still see the actual Altar where this incident took place.

You can see the indent of the hand print (I saw this, incredible) where Oswald Milser grabbed for dear life as the floor began to buckle beneath him. The following video is an inspired song sung Baba Yetu (The Lord's Prayer sung in Swahili) by the Stellenbosch University Choir native from East Africa.

I want to honor our friends from Catholic Seminaries in Kenya who regularly corresponded with me many of whom are now, today, Catholic priests. May the Lord bless their Ministry as they lift up the faith despite the continued threat of terrorist Muslims. I have been graced to serve with some of these priests who served in the United States Army as Chaplains coming to America making this a mission field.

Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles

Reading 1 1 Cor 15:1-8 I am reminding you, brothers and sisters, of the Gospel I preached to you, which you indeed received and in which you also stand. Through it you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures; that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. After that he appeared to James, then to all the Apostles. Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 19:2-3, 4-5 R. (5) Their message goes out through all the earth. or: R. Alleluia. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day pours out the word to day; and night to night imparts knowledge. R. Their message goes out through all the earth. or: R. Alleluia. Not a word nor a discourse whose voice is not heard; Through all the earth their voice resounds, and to the ends of the world, their message. R. Their message goes out through all the earth. or: R. Alleluia.

Alleluia Jn 14:6b, 9c R. Alleluia, alleluia. I am the way, the truth, and the life, says the Lord; Philip, whoever has seen me has seen the Father. R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Jn 14:6-14 Jesus said to Thomas, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him." Philip said to him, "Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it."

Saint of the Day: St. Philip, St. James

St. Philip was one of the original twelve Apostles who grew up in Bethsaida on the Lake Genesareth (John 1:44). He was raised around the fishing industry and he was very close to the brothers Simon and Andrew the sons of Bar-Jona (House of Bar-Jona) and James and John who were the sons of Zebedee (Matthew 4:21). St. Philip as a boy learned the trade of a fisherman who spent most his early life fishing on the boats constructed for heavy catches. He was strong in his Jewish up-bringing as was common to the environment. He was very familiar with the local Synagogue and family life.

Through his preparation as a child, St. Philip was ready to follow the King of the Jews as Jesus would give him the call to follow him (John 1:43). It is from tradition that St. Philip was an early follower of St. John the Baptist and was present when Jesus came walking by. St. John the Baptist recognized his cousin saying, "Behold, the Lamb of God"! This had a great impact on St. Philip.

St. Philip would be responsible for introducing Jesus to St. Bartholomew (Nathaniel) and St. Thomas who were companions. Bringing people to Jesus would become the way of life as Jesus would make them fishers of men and founders of the Catholic Faith. Jesus would be their teacher for three years during Jesus public Ministry. In the Synoptic Gospels, St. Philip is named with the the Twelve (Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:14-19, and Luke 6:13-16).

St. John speaks of St. Philip in some of the major events of Jesus preaching to the people. St. Philip was at the Wedding feast of Cana when Jesus performed His first public miracle changing the water into wine (John 2:1-12) Before a great multitude, John 6:5-7 States, "Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a multitude was coming to him, Jesus said to Philip, "How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?" This he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, "Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little."

St. Philip here clearly was being the realist, but he was not expecting what Jesus would do before this massive crowd with two fish and five loaves of bread. Who would have known what Jesus was prepared to do? The feeding of five thousand would lead to Jesus Bread of Life discourse in John 6. Also St. Philip witnessed Jesus walking on the water on lake Capernaum. It was dark, a strong wind was developing when Jesus just suddenly came upon them about 3-4 miles out into the lake. St. John writes how they were frightened! That is an amazing scene and it is not surprising they thought Jesus was a ghost (Matthew 14:26).

John 12:20-23 states, "Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip, who was from Beth-saida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew went with Philip and they told Jesus. And Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified."

The reality of Jesus purpose is coming to fulfillment. For St. Philip this would be crushing to have witnessed all the things Jesus said and did, the miracles and signs given, he loved Jesus as did the Apostles. Jesus told the Apostles of his going to Jerusalem to be handed over by the Jews to the Romans for crucifixion, but they really did not want Jesus to go there (Matthew 16:21-23).

At the "Last Supper", St. Philip asked Jesus, "Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me; or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves. "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father."

After the establishment of the Eucharist and the new and everlasting Covenant that the Apostles were made priests to continue the work for the cup of Salvation, Jesus endured his bloody sweat, his passion and death which for a short time caused the disciples to scatter in hiding. St. Philip also went through this tragic event and finally, he is with the Apostles gathered together when Jesus appears before them (John 20:19-23)

St. Philip is present at the Ascension of Jesus and present to replace Judas choosing Matthias (Acts 1:13). He was present with the Virgin Mary and the other Apostles in Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles on Pentecost, and was present at the Council of Jerusalem in 49 A.D.

St. Luke gives the story of St. Philip baptizing the Ethiopian Eunuch, "But an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is a desert road. And he rose and went. And behold, an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a minister of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of all her treasure, had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot." So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" And he said, "How can I, unless some one guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the scripture which he was reading was this: "As a sheep led to the slaughter or a lamb before its shearer is dumb, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken up from the earth." And the eunuch said to Philip, "About whom, pray, does the prophet say this, about himself or about some one else?" Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this scripture he told him the good news of Jesus. And as they went along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "See, here is water! What is to prevent my being baptized?" * Other ancient authorities add all or most of: And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught up Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus, and passing on he preached the gospel to all the towns till he came to Caesarea. Acts 8:26-40

According to tradition, St. Philip along with his sister, Mariamne and St. Batholomew traveled to Greece, Phrygia, and Syria. At the city of Azotus, Nikoklides, a local resident was cured of an eye affliction was then baptized along with her whole family.

Because of the acts of St. Philip, many were receiving baptism as he traveled with Mariamne to Syria, Asia Minor, Lydia, and Emessa undergoing many sufferings. They had been pelted with stones, placed in jail, tossed out of villages, the life of the Apostle Philip was hard but he endured it for love of Jesus

Upon arriving in the city of Phrygian Hieropolis, St. Philip walked among a city of pagan temples, there were snake worshipers one of which held a live snake noted for being huge, it was being worshiped as a god and St. Philip killed the serpent and healed many bitten by snakes. A young child had died and St. Philip was begged to come and see the child, the child was raised from the dead.

In the city of Hierapolis after a miraculous healing and the preaching of St. Philip, the wife of the proconsul (Amphipatos) of the city was converted to the infant Catholic Faith. The Proconsul took a dim view of that and with the urging of the pagan priests of the serpent, Amphipatos ordered the holy Apostles Philip and Bartholomew to be crucified.

St. Philip was crucified head down began preaching from the cross when an earthquake struck havoc among the pagans as St. Philip prayed for those who crucified him and interceded for those in danger of the quake. The people were converted to Christ and demanded the Apostles be taken down, but St. Philip was near death. St. Bartholomew was taken down from the cross and actually served a short time as Bishop but at Armenia, he was skinned alive, crucified, and beheaded. Miriamne would also continue to preach until her death at Lykaonia.

It was reported on Turkish news (Anadolu) on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 that archaeologists discovered the "Tomb of St. Philip" through excavations close to the Turkish city of Denizli. Writings on the wall of the tomb identified the person was the martyred Apostle of Jesus. The Italian archaeologist, Professor Francesco D'Andria discovered an ancient church where the tomb is located.

In pictures of St. Philip, you will see the symbols of the Latin cross, two loaves of bread, a basket full of bread, a spear with patriarchal cross and a carpenter's square that depicts his building the infant Catholic Faith.

St. Philip is the patron Saint of hatters and his Feast day is May 3

St. James

St. James the Less is noted as "Less" to distinguish him from James, the brother of St. John and the son of Zebedee who is called James the "Greater". The reason being that James the Less was a younger man and age has it's rank and privilege.

The better translation would be James the younger.

Today's story is about James the Less who was the son of Cleopus (John 19:25) also known as Alphaeus, and Mary, a close relative of the Virgin Mary. James was a cousin of Jesus who was often times referred to as a brother of the Lord. Close relatives were regarded as brothers in those times and in that culture (Matthew 13:55, Mark 4:6, Galatians 1:19).

Interestingly, St. Luke never calls James the Less as the brother of the Lord, but the son of Alphaeus. St. Luke was a Greek Gentile and convert.

According to tradition, St. James and his brother Jude Joined Jesus in his second year of public Ministry, he is mentioned as one of the Disciples (Matthew 10:3, Mark 3:18, Luke 6:15).

According to St. Paul, James was a witness to the Resurrection of Jesus and that James was a pillar of the Catholic Church.

He was with the Apostles in the Upper Room when Jesus appeared to them that first Easter Sunday.

James is mentioned along with the other Apostles (Acts 1:13) choosing Matthias to replace Judas Iscariot.

According to St. Jerome, Jesus called for St. James to be the first Bishop of Jerusalem before ascending up to heaven. That would be a divine installment.

St. James is noted being the first Bishop of Jerusalem and hosted the Council of Jerusalem in 49 A.D. and gave the concluding remarks: "Brethren, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, as it is written, 'After this I will return, and I will rebuild the dwelling of David, which has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up, that the rest of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who has made these things known from of old.' Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the pollutions of idols and from unchastity and from what is strangled and from blood. For from early generations Moses has had in every city those who preach him, for he is read every sabbath in the synagogues." (Act's 15:13-21)

It is important to note here that St. Peter has the final authority being the leader of the Apostles. Catholic convert and Scholar, Scott Hahn states, “He (Peter) formulates a doctrinal judgment about the means of salvation, whereas James takes the floor after him to suggest a pastoral plan for inculturating the gospel in mixed communities where Jewish and Gentile believers live side by side." In other words, James concurs with Peters words and then addresses how to implement them.

During those early years, St. James governed the Church in Jerusalem during a time of persecution. Yet, St. James never lost his integrity, he maintained a high degree of sanctity. As a Jew, he was trained to be a "Nazarite", one consecrated to God just like Sampson and St. John the Baptist. He never shaved nor cut his hair nor took strong drink.

When St. James prayed, he often obtain instant results such as calling for rain.

In the Spring of 62 A.D. (April 10), according to St. Eusebuis and Jerome, the Jewish High Priest Herod Agrippa II decided to arrest St. James and force him to deny Jesus. St. James was taken to the high wall to stand on the Temple wall facing the crowd below who had gathered for Passover.

Herod threatened James calling for a denial, but James gave a great testimony before the people telling them of Jesus. James proclaimed that Jesus is the Son of Man, was seated at the right hand of the Sovereign Majesty, and would come in the clouds of heaven to judge the world. St. James was basically repeating what Jesus had said during the mock trial (Matthew 26:64).

The Pharisees in anger threw James off the Temple wall, despite the terrible fall, James was able to struggle to his knees lifting his eyes to heaven begging God to forgive those who attacked him. He was following what Jesus had said as well as St. Stephen. The Temple police were ready with rocks and pelted James with rocks, yet he did not die.

Finally, James fell due to a blow on his head from a man with a club used for beating out rugs and cloths. His last words were for his forgiveness to those who attacked him. At age 66 James served as Bishop of Jerusalem for nearly 30 years.

The Epistle of St. James in the New Testament was written not long before his death in 62 A.D. to encourage the Church scattered out into the world.

Saint Jerome wrote of St. James sanctity: "He was always a virgin, and was a Nazarite, or one consecrated to God. In consequence of which he was never shaved, never cut his hair, never drank any wine or other strong liquor; moreover, he never used any bath, or oil to anoint his limbs, and never ate of any living creature except when of precept, as the paschal lamb: he never wore sandals, never used any other clothes than one single linen garment. He prostrated so much in prayer, that the skin of his knees and forehead was hardened like to camels' hoofs."

One of my favorite passages from the book of James is James 1:19-25, "Know this, my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rank growth of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who observes his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But he who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer that forgets but a doer that acts, he shall be blessed in his doing."