The Catholic Defender: Novena to the Holy Spirit to Pentecost May 28

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.

Our Lady of Pompeii Novena

Our Lady of Pompeii is a title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Devotion to Our Lady of Pompeii began in Pompeii, Italy, in the late 1800s.

This devotion is closely involved with devotion to the Rosary.

Our Lady of Pompeii’s intercession has brought about many miracles. You can use this novena to seek intercession from Our Lady of Pompeii in any aspect of your life!

In the late 1800s, there were very few people living in the valley of Pompeii in Italy. Most of the small population had fallen away from the Catholic faith that their ancestors had once practiced. Most of the population was very superstitious and ignorant of the faith.

In 1872, a nobleman named Bartolo Longo arrived in Pompeii. Bartolo was a Catholic but did not seem to be very devout. He had traveled to Pompeii to look at property his wife owned there, and he wanted to see what condition the property was in.

Shortly after arriving in Pompeii, Bartolo had a supernatural experience. He was walking in a deserted area when he heard a voice. The voice told him that he should spread devotion to the Rosary if he wished to be saved. The voice also told him that the Blessed Virgin Mary had promised that this was the way to find salvation.

The church of Our Lady of Pompeii was built between 1876 and 1891. Between 1934 and 1939, the Basilica of Our Lady of Pompeii was built.

Dear Lord, we thank You for the gift of Your mother. Help us to always turn to her as a mother in all of our needs!

Our Lady of Pompeii, you look out for the good of all people in your motherly love. You want all of us to turn to you with our needs so that you may bring our needs before your Son. Through our devotion to the prayer of the holy Rosary, you can help us in all that we seek.

Please bring all of our petitions before the throne of your Son, and we particularly ask today that you pray that we and all people may grow in devotion to the holy Rosary!

Pray for us, that we may grow in love of God each day. Pray that we may be eager to make use of every help God gives us on our journey to heaven.

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.

Our Lady of Pompeii, pray for us!

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

The Catholic Defender: 3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell,

The Catholic Defender: 3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies. What a great sign of predestination for those who are devoted to the Rosary. A promise coming from the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus offering the Rosary as a "powerful armor against hell".

St. Padre Pio, the stigmata priest, exclaimed that the Rosary is the "Weapon". At Fatima Portugal, Our Lady encouraged the three children of Fatima to pray the Rosary for the conversion of sinners. Consider what St. Paul writes to the Ephesians:

"Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all [the] flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Ephesians 6:10-17

I used to work at a warehouse that I would make a whole day of meditating on the Rosary. I would travel several miles a day gathering pallets with a hand jack to take back to the Receiving department so semi-trucks could be off loaded and forklift drivers could place them in the warehouse. I would largely be on my own as the warehouse was about the size of three football fields.

My work day would begin at 7:00 A.M. and would go until 3:00 P.M. Monday through Friday. I would pray and meditate the 1st mystery from 7:00 until 9:00 break. After a ten minute break, I would pray the 2nd and third mystery until lunch time at 11:30. After lunch I would begin the 4th mystery of the Rosary until the next break at 2:00 P.M. I would finish the 5th mystery of the Rosary continuing until the work day was completed. I felt as if I was praying on the Bible every day and this had a great impact on me ever since.

I cherish the memory of when I was able to make a day of prayer like that and it truly did help me grow in my Catholic faith. I would see myself in the lives of Our Blessed Lord and His holy Mother especially the Sorrowful mysteries. I recognized myself because of my sin to have increased the suffering of the Lord because of my pride, my ignorance, and my weaknesses. Those were powerful meditations as through the day I would keep the Receiving full of pallets. The bad part of that is I was so good after 5 years I could never advance in the company and the opportunity to join the military offered me much more. Another blessing was that I was in tremendous shape and I benefited greatly there as well. I was always an athlete and when I joined the United States Army, I never looked back. God had other plans for me.

1 Timothy 4:7-9 states, "Avoid profane and silly myths. Train yourself for devotion, for, while physical training is of limited value, devotion is valuable in every respect, since it holds a promise of life both for the present and for the future. This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance." The Rosary is a powerful devotion, the queen of devotions and what a promise Our Lady gives to those who have made such a commitment to devotional prayer.

During those early days beginning with my senior year in college and the time I pulled a hand jack gathering pallets, I was challenged many times by many different people. I had Protestant ministers attempt to challenge me on the Catholic faith. Sometimes they would come knocking on my door wanting to debate and offer their bible studies to get me to see the "error" of my ways. Through this time, we witnessed several conversions to the Catholic faith as I never turned down an opportunity. The Rosary, if you are dedicated to praying it, our Lady promises to defeat heresies. I believe that to be true, at least for me it is. The truth of the Catholic faith becomes crystal clear as you build yourself on the solid rock of Jesus Christ.

Against vice and sin the Rosary has been a life savor for me. St. Paul warns, "Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." (Galatians 5:19-23) If you are dedicated to the Rosary, it is like a shield that the Lord uses to help you grow and the Holy Spirit will ultimately help kill off the temptations and the lure of sin. The Rosary can be a weapon against evil and can help families grow together.

The gates of Hell shall not prevail against the faithful Catholic who is following the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are living in a time when apostasy is rampant. In the United States 1 out of 10 Americans statistically is a fallen away Catholic. The vast majority of those who have fallen away were never devoted to the Rosary. The battle lines are being drawn between good and evil, the Rosary is Heaven's peace plan to save many if we are willing to pick up our cross and follow Jesus.

3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies. What a great sign of predestination for those who are devoted to the Rosary. A promise coming from the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus offering the Rosary as a "powerful armor against hell".

St. Padre Pio, the stigmata priest, exclaimed that the Rosary is the "Weapon". At Fatima Portugal, Our Lady encouraged the three children of Fatima to pray the Rosary for the conversion of sinners. Consider what St. Paul writes to the Ephesians:

The Eucharistic Miracle of Raxendorf Australia 1411

In the parish church of Weiten, a thief broke into the sacristy and got hold of a consecrated Host that he slipped into one of his gloves. According to reports from the village of Weiten, the theft occurred in 1411.

The thief then mounted his horse intending to make for the nearby village of Spitz.

Instead of taking the main road, he chose a side road that passes through the valley of Mühldorf.

When he arrived at the spot (that today is marked by a chapel in honor of the miracle) his horse halted and would not move, no matter how much the man beat him.

Some laborers working in the surrounding fields came to help.

But there was no way to make the horse move; it stood still as a statue.

Then without warning, the animal leaped to a gallop, and the Sacred Host hidden in the rider's glove dropped to the ground without anyone noticing.

A few days later, a Mrs. Scheck from Mannersdorf passed by the spot and saw the Host encircled in a strong light.

In great wonder, she picked up the Holy Eucharist and noticed that the consecrated Host was broken in two Parts but remained joined together by threads of Bleeding Flesh.

Greatly moved and at her own expense, in thanksgiving, she built a small chapel on the spot. As news of the miracle spread, many pilgrims came to the place. Later, it was necessary to build a bigger church to honor the precious reliquary in order to contain the great crowds that came every year on pilgrimage.

Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter

Reading 1 Acts 15:1-6 Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice, you cannot be saved." Because there arose no little dissension and debate by Paul and Barnabas with them, it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others should go up to Jerusalem to the Apostles and presbyters about this question. They were sent on their journey by the Church, and passed through Phoenicia and Samaria telling of the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brethren. When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the Church, as well as by the Apostles and the presbyters, and they reported what God had done with them. But some from the party of the Pharisees who had become believers stood up and said, "It is necessary to circumcise them and direct them to observe the Mosaic law." The Apostles and the presbyters met together to see about this matter.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 122:1-2, 3-4ab, 4cd-5 R.(see 1) Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord. or: R. Alleluia. I rejoiced because they said to me, "We will go up to the house of the LORD." And now we have set foot within your gates, O Jerusalem. R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord. or: R. Alleluia. Jerusalem, built as a city with compact unity. To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD. R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord. or: R. Alleluia. According to the decree for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD. In it are set up judgment seats, seats for the house of David. R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord. or: R. Alleluia.

Alleluia Jn 15:4a, 5b R. Alleluia, alleluia. Remain in me, as I remain in you, says the Lord; whoever remains in me will bear much fruit. R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Jn 15:1-8 Jesus said to his disciples: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."

Saint of the Day: Saint Damien de Veuster of Moloka

When Joseph de Veuster was born in Tremelo, Belgium, in 1840, few people in Europe had any firsthand knowledge of leprosy, Hansen’s disease. By the time he died at the age of 49, people all over the world knew about this disease because of him.

They knew that human compassion could soften the ravages of this disease.

Forced to quit school at age 13 to work on the family farm, Joseph entered the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary six years later, taking the name of a fourth-century physician and martyr.

When his brother Pamphile, a priest in the same congregation, fell ill and was unable to go to the Hawaiian Islands as assigned, Damien quickly volunteered in his place. In May 1864, two months after arriving in his new mission, Damien was ordained a priest in Honolulu and assigned to the island of Hawaii.

In 1873, he went to the Hawaiian government’s leper colony on the island of Moloka’i, set up seven years earlier. Part of a team of four chaplains taking that assignment for three months each year, Damien soon volunteered to remain permanently, caring for the people’s physical, medical, and spiritual needs. In time, he became their most effective advocate to obtain promised government support.

Soon the settlement had new houses and a new church, school and orphanage. Morale improved considerably. A few years later, he succeeded in getting the Franciscan Sisters of Syracuse, led by Mother Marianne Cope, to help staff this colony in Kalaupapa.

Father Damien died on April 15, 1889, having served sixteen years among the patients with leprosy. His mortal remains were transferred to Belgium in 1936, where he was interred in the crypt of Saint Anthony's Chapel, the Church of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary at Louvain.

Damien contracted Hansen’s disease and died of its complications. As requested, he was buried in Kalaupapa, but in 1936 the Belgian government succeeded in having his body moved to Belgium. Part of Damien’s body was returned to his beloved Hawaiian brothers and sisters after his beatification in 1995.

When Hawaii became a state in 1959, it selected Damien as one of its two representatives in the Statuary Hall at the US Capitol. Damien was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 11, 2009.

Saint Damien is the patron saint of people suffering from leprosy. During this time, he taught the Catholic faith to the people of Hawaii. Father Damien also cared for the patients himself and established leadership within the community to build houses, schools, roads, hospitals, and churches.

He improved water and food supplies and housing and founded two orphanages, receiving help from other priests for only 6 of his 16 years on Molokai. In 1884 he contracted leprosy and refused to leave for treatment. He succumbed to the painful, deforming disease five years later.

Father Damien is famous throughout the world for his dedication and devotion to caring for the spiritual and physical needs of victims of leprosy (now referred to as Hansen's disease) in Hawai`i that were separated from their families from 1866 to 1969 on the remote Kalaupapa peninsula on the island of Moloka`i.

Dear St Damien, you suffered terrible loneliness and turned to the Blessed Sacrament for comfort. We pray for all who are lonely.Help us to give time to anyone we know who is lonely, and to give time to Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.We pray especially for (mention your request

In 1995, Pope John Paul II beatified Damien, declared him “Blessed,” after church authorities were satisfied that Damien's intercession cured a nun of intestinal illness in 1895. The beatification step requires one attested miracle; canonization requires two.