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.
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, devotion to you spread among the people in the valley of Pompeii after Bartolo Longo began to spread devotion to the Rosary. The veneration of your image and the people’s recourse to your powerful intercession brought many graces and so much good to the Church in Pompeii.
Please bring all of our petitions before the throne of your Son, and we particularly ask today that you pray for the Church!
Pray for us, that we may grow in devotion to God and in willingness to serve His Church. Pray that we may advance in holiness and virtue each day of our lives.
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: The 15 Promises Our Lady gave for the Rosary. The Sixth Promise
6. Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life. This promise is special because it shows that the person dedicated to the Rosary and has a good grasp of the Gospel message will be strong in faith. Romans 8:37-39 states, "No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
We are going to be challenged, that is for sure, we are all in a spiritual war for the battle of souls. 1 Peter 5:8-9 states, "Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for [someone] to devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your fellow believers throughout the world undergo the same sufferings." Jesus established the Catholic Faith to win souls for Heaven. We are victorious when we follow the teachings of the Catholic faith, the true Word of God.
The faithful Catholic will apply themselves to the sacred Mysteries. The Sacraments is the way of life without compromise. Ephesians 3:1-6 states, "Because of this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ* [Jesus] for you Gentiles—if, as I suppose, you have heard of the stewardship* of God’s grace that was given to me for your benefit,
[namely, that] the mystery* was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly earlier. When you read this you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to human beings in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel."
This is why Catholics place much loyalty to the Catholic clergy. St. Paul was made an Apostle by Christ for the people of God. He was made an Apostle for our benefit. Every ordained Catholic clergy, bishop, priest, deacon are anointed through the power given them in their ordinations. 1 Timothy 4:12-16 states, 'Let no one have contempt for your youth, but set an example for those who believe, in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. Until I arrive, attend to the reading, exhortation, and teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was conferred on you through the prophetic word* with the imposition of hands of the presbyterate. Be diligent in these matters, be absorbed in them, so that your progress may be evident to everyone. Attend to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in both tasks, for by doing so you will save both yourself and those who listen to you."
Notice St. Paul's word to St. Timothy, that persevering in his preaching and teaching he would save himself and his listeners. This is a major reason we pray for our priests because of their obligation to serve the people. How horrible and scandalous it is when a priest abuses his people. A heavy judgement awaits such a person. The Lord is clear about our need to have His clergy that He has made priests for His Kingdom.
Revelation 5:9-10 states, “Worthy are you to receive the scroll and to break open its seals, for you were slain and with your blood you purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue, people and nation. You made them a kingdom and priests for our God, and they will reign on earth." Elsewhere, Jesus states even much more clearly about His clergy, "Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”
The Rosary is a powerful weapon to fight the battle of life, our personal devotion and commitment to growing in our Catholic faith. As our society is becoming more secular, our government more hostile to Religion, more Paganist, we are being challenged like never before. We cannot separate our faith from the Church Jesus personally founded for our benefit. To be a conqueror in Christ we must be faithful to Him and His holy Church. By our faithfulness to Jesus, we will receive our Just reward and escape His divine justice. We will be prepared as on a pilgrimage in a strange land for death and through God's grace will be made worthy of eternal life.
Act of Faith
O my God, I firmly believe that you are one God in three divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I believe that your divine Son became man and died for our sins and that he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the Holy Catholic Church teaches because you have revealed them who are eternal truth and wisdom, who can neither deceive nor be deceived. In this faith I intend to live and die. Amen.
In the spring of 1916, Lucia and her two cousins, Jacinta and Francisco, were tending their sheepand had just finished their shortened version of the Rosary.
A figure approached them through the sky coming from the east — a transparent, luminous figure of a youth of perhaps fourteen or fifteen years.
The children were amazed and overwhelmed by what Lucia would describe as the “supernatural atmosphere” that penetrated and surrounded them. As she recounts in her memoir, the angel spoke to them words of reassurance and authority:
The Angel of Portugal Eucharistic Miracle
“Do not be afraid! I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me.”
In Autumn 1916, The Angel of Portugal appeared to the seers for the third time while they tended their sheep. He was holding a chalice in his left hand, with the Host suspended above it, from which drops of Blood fell from the host into the Chalice.
Leaving the Chalice and the Host suspended in the air, he prostrated himself down on the ground beside the children and made them repeat three times this prayer:
“Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly, and I offer You the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences with which He, Himself is offended. And through the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg you for the conversion of poor sinners.”
Then, rising, the Angel took the Chalice and Host, and he gave Lucia the Eucharistic Host in communion. Then he gave the Precious Blood from the Chalice to Francisco and Jacinta, and he said: "Take and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, horribly outraged by ungrateful men! Make reparation for their crimes and console your God."
Once again, prostrating himself on the ground he repeated with the children three times the same prayer:
Most Holy Trinity… and disappeared. The Angel shows us that the simplest yet most impactful thing we can do for the conversion of others is to go and offer the Mass for them. Let us seek to go often, and to offer our intentions with the offering of Christ.
The miracle reminds us that God cannot be limited in his generosity and how he can be present in our midst, even in the most difficult circumstances. Similar to how the resurrected Jesus appeared to his apostles when they locked themselves in a room, Jesus came to these children even though they did not have access to the sacraments.
Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Reading 1 Acts 16:1-10 Paul reached also Derbe and Lystra where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. The brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him, and Paul wanted him to come along with him. On account of the Jews of that region, Paul had him circumcised, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they traveled from city to city, they handed on to the people for observance the decisions reached by the Apostles and presbyters in Jerusalem. Day after day the churches grew stronger in faith and increased in number. They traveled through the Phrygian and Galatian territory because they had been prevented by the Holy Spirit from preaching the message in the province of Asia. When they came to Mysia, they tried to go on into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them, so they crossed through Mysia and came down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision. A Macedonian stood before him and implored him with these words, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." When he had seen the vision, we sought passage to Macedonia at once, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the Good News to them.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 100:1b-2, 3, 5 R. (2a) Let all the earth cry out to God with joy. or: R. Alleluia. Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; serve the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful song. R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy. or: R. Alleluia. Know that the LORD is God; he made us, his we are; his people, the flock he tends. R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy. or: R. Alleluia. The LORD is good: his kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness, to all generations. R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy. or: R. Alleluia.
Alleluia Col 3:1 R. Alleluia, alleluia. If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Jn 15:18-21 Jesus said to his disciples: "If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you, 'No slave is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. And they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me."
Saint of the Day: Our Lady of Fatima
Our Lady of Fatima is a title for the Blessed Virgin Mary due to her apparitions to three shepherd Children at Fatima, Portugal on the 13th day of six consecutive months in 1917, beginning on May 13th. The three children were Lucia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto.
Between May 13 and October 13, 1917, three Portuguese children–Francisco and Jacinta Marto and their cousin Lucia dos Santos–received apparitions of Our Lady at Cova da Iria near Fatima, a city 110 miles north of Lisbon. Mary asked the children to pray the rosary for world peace, for the end of World War I, for sinners, and for the conversion of Russia.
Mary gave the children three secrets. Following the deaths of Francisco and Jacinta in 1919 and 1920 respectively, Lucia revealed the first secret in 1927. It concerned devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The second secret was a vision of hell. When Lucia grew up she became a Carmelite nun and died in 2005 at the age of 97.
Pope John Paul II directed the Holy See’s Secretary of State to reveal the third secret in 2000; it spoke of a “bishop in white” who was shot by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows into him. Many people linked this vision to the assassination attempt against Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square on May 13, 1981.
The feast of Our Lady of Fatima was approved by the local bishop in 1930; it was added to the Church’s worldwide calendar in 2002.
The message of Fatima is simple: Pray. Unfortunately, some people—not Sister Lucia—have distorted these revelations, making them into an apocalyptic event for which they are now the only reliable interpreters. They have, for example, claimed that Mary’s request that the world be consecrated to her has been ignored. Sister Lucia agreed that Pope John Paul II’s public consecration in St. Peter’s Square on March 25, 1984, fulfilled Mary’s request. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith prepared a June 26, 2000, document explaining the “third secret.”
Mary is perfectly honored when people generously imitate her response “Let it be done to me as you say” (Luke 1:38). Mary can never be seen as a rival to Jesus or to the Church’s teaching authority, as exercised by the college of bishops united with the bishop of Rome.
Prayer, Peace, and Penance: The Message of Our Lady of Fatima.
Monday, May 13th is celebrated by the Catholic Church as the Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima. It marks the first day in 1917 on which the Blessed Mother appeared to the three shepherd children of Fatima in Portugal.
A crowd, estimated at about 70,000, gathered at Fátima, Portugal, on that day and witnessed what has been described as a miraculous solar phenomenon, in which the Sun appeared to fall toward Earth—sometimes called the Miracle of the Sun—immediately after her final appearance to the children.
In the second, she warned that World War I would be followed by a far worse conflict unless people stopped "offending God." She called for the "consecration of Russia to my immaculate heart"; otherwise, Russia would "spread her errors throughout the world."Oct 11, 2017
The three secrets of Fatima are: A vision of the souls in Hell. Prediction of the end of WWI and a prediction of the beginning of WWII as well as a request to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. A vision of the Pope, along with other bishops, priests, religious and lay people, being killed by soldiers.May 10, 2017
As Mary had predicted, Jacinta and Francisco died during the Spanish flu epidemic. Francisco died in April 1919 and Jacinta, in February 1920. They were both beatified by Pope John Paul II on May 13 of the year 2000. A few years after their death, Lucia joined the Sisters of St.
Often the "Fatima Hand" is decorated with an eye. It represents the eye that sees everything. The eye watches out for the person in possession of the "Fatima Hand" and warns about and protects against evil encounters. The "Fatima Hand" also represents femininity, as it is shown as the woman's holyhand.Oct 20, 2017
The prayer of the rosary marks the prayerful rhythm of the Shrine of Fatima since its beginning and continues to give voice to the prayers of the pilgrims who, through the meditation of the mysteries of the life of Christ, are configured to him, in the company of the Virgin Mother.
On that day, Oct. 13, 1917, the crowd of believers had swelled to 70,000. About 2 p.m., some began to see what later became known in the Catholic Church as “the Miracle of the Sun.” The rains that had plagued the day ceased, and the sun emerged from behind clouds to spin and tremble for 10 minutes.Oct 13, 2017
1- Fatima has a population of 10.369 inhabitants. 2 – Fatima, a city in Portugal, owes its name to a Moorish princess from the 12th century. 3 – Fatima has been a famous Marian Shrine since 1917 after the Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children: Lúcia dos Santos and Jacinta and Francisco Marto.
The Third Secret of Fatima was finally disclosed in 2000, on the day of the beatification of Francisco and Jacinta Marto. The third secret was a vision of the persecution of Christians and, in particular, the attack on 'a Bishop dressed in white'.
The Immaculate Heart of Mary signifies, first of all, the great purity and love of the heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary for God.
The pope solemnly canonized the children on 13 May 2017 during the centennial of the first apparition. They are the Catholic Church's youngest saints who did not die as martyrs, with Jacinta the youngest.
The apparitions of the Blessed Virgin, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, at Fatima in 1917 are not only one of the most important events in the Church in the twentieth century, but also one of the greatest Mariophanies in the life of the Church.
Praying the Rosary allows us to encounter Mary and to enter the mysteries of Jesus Christ. From his Incarnation, to the Cross, to the Resurrection, we come to understand that God has revealed himself and saved us. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary, continue to inspire us to a life of discipleship.
Oh Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech Thee from the bottom of my heart to secure me in my necessity. There are none that can withstand your power. O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee. Holy Mary, I place this cause in Your hands.
He explained that it was because of five kinds of offenses and blasphemies against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, namely: blasphemies against her Immaculate Conception, against her perpetual virginity, against the divine and spiritual maternity of Mary, blasphemies involving the rejection and dishonoring of her images
The sacred heart is one of the most revered symbols in Roman Catholicism, and it specifically represents Christ's love for mankind through his sacrifice on the cross for human sin. Christ's suffering is portrayed in the sacred heart with a knife going through it and a crown of thorns surrounding it.
After the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Holy Rosary is the prayer most pleasing to Our Lady. Why is it so pleasing to her? Because it brings us closer to Jesus. That is the single most important reason we should pray the Holy Rosary: through it, we grow closer to Our Lord.
Oh Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings, all that this day may bring, be they good or bad: for the love of God, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for all the sins committed against the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
While the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the source of Christ's burning love for humanity, and is largely spurned by the indifference of mankind towards Him, the Immaculate Heart of Mary is the source of Our Lady's burning love for God and her desire to bring souls to her Son.
White rosary beads are a symbol of purity, holiness, and virtue. It also relates to respect and reverence for Our Lord. White beads are often used for baptism and wedding rosaries. Another popular design is to combine white beads with other colors.
A sterling silver or hematite bead or glass bead in a grey color is associated with mourning and mortality. This is a very important aspect of the rosary as we reflect on the life of Jesus and Mary.
Many confirmation rosaries use a red colored bead and this is because red is the color for Pentecost. Red beads symbolize blood and fire and are associated with the life and death of the saints. A red rosary is also often paired with the Divine Mercy centerpiece to match the red rays beaming from the Lord's heart.
An ideal color for a woman or girl to choose as a prayer devotional. The pink colored beads are associated with happiness, grace, gentility, and admiration.
The yellow beads represent the resurrection of Christ, joy, hope, and renewal. Other special symbolism of a yellow rosary is its reminder of the warmth of the sun, God's bounty, Divine light, marriage, and unity.
The black rosary bead symbolizes grounding and protection. When black beads are used in combination with prayer (including the rosary) it calls for the feelings of self-control and resilience. Although considered to many to be a formal or elegant color it is used in a variety of rosaries from elaborate to simple.
In the Catholic Church, the color blue symbolically represents purity and truth. The blue rosary bead is also associated with fidelity, honesty, and consistency of character.
Turquoise Rosary Bracelet – The Turquoise stone promotes wholeness, peace of mind, loyalty, self expression and creativity. This stone brings good luck and enables spiritual grounding.
The green rosary has had a long tradition as a symbol of hope and renewal and the promise of a new life! Many green rosaries will include an Irish or Celtic theme to them as Ireland is referred to as The Emerald Isle.
The most famous three types of rosaries are necklaces, bracelets, and finger rosaries.
yellow, green, white (or clear), red and blue. This rosary was created by Archbishop Fulton Sheen when he was national director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.Oct 18, 2019
The word rosary itself comes from the Latin “rosarium,” meaning a garden or garland of roses. During the Middle Ages, agriculture metaphor was common. Writing often drew comparisons to plowing a field, and collecting prayers was seen as growing a garden or arranging a bouquet.
Our Lady of the Rosary, also known as Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, is a Marian title.
A brown rosary is very popular for a men's rosary as it has rustic tones that combine with simplicity and quality. The color brown is associated with the earth and when combined with the powers of the rosary symbolizes responsibility, stability, and protection as well as that of belonging and of strong family ties.
Roses and lilies have been symbols of Mary since earliest times. The rose, emblematic of her purity, glory and sorrow, was her attribute as Queen of Heaven and a symbol of her love for God and for Christ, her son. The lily represented her immaculate purity, her innocence and virginity.
In paintings, Mary is traditionally portrayed in blue. This tradition can trace its origin to the Byzantine Empire, from circa 500 AD, where blue was "the color of an empress".
While the blue represents the Virgin's purity, and connotes her royal status, the red garment signifies traits connected with motherhood, including love, passion, and devotion.
