First Friday – in which we express devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Re-Consecration of the US (and Canada) to Mary
The Feast of St. Joseph the Worker
…“When will souls breathe Mary as the
body breathes air?”
happen on earth. The Holy Spirit, finding his dear Spouse present again in
souls, will come down into them with great power. He will fill them with his
gifts, especially wisdom, by which they will produce wonders of grace. My dear
friend, when will that happy time come, that age of Mary, when many souls,
chosen by Mary and given her by the most High God, will hide themselves
completely in the depths of her soul, becoming living copies of her, loving and
glorifying Jesus? That day will dawn only when the devotion I teach is
understood and put into practice:
“Lord, that your kingdom may come,
may the reign of Mary come!”
Louis de Montfort
ONLY IN IMITATING THE HOLY FAMILY WILL WE FIND PEACE:
“…[If
you are faithful in practicing the virtues of the Holy Family] Then,
you also, my children, you also will become another paradise. God will
then walk among you and you will have peace.
The imitation of
the Holy Family, my child, of the virtues we practiced in our little
home at Nazareth is the way for all souls to [find] that peace which
comes from God alone and which none other can give.”
God wishes me to be honored in union with Jesus and Mary to obtain peace among men and nations.
I need your help to bring peace into the world. Do not disappoint me.”
Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
By St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, to Thee I consecrate and offer up my person
and my life, my actions, trials, and sufferings, that my entire being
may henceforth only be employed in loving, honoring and glorifying Thee.
This is my irrevocable will, to belong entirely to Thee, and to do all
for Thy love, renouncing with my whole heart all that can displease
Thee.
I take Thee, O Sacred Heart, for the sole object of my love, the
protection of my life, the pledge of my salvation, the remedy of my
frailty and inconstancy, the reparation for all the defects of my life,
and my secure refuge at the hour of my death. Be Thou, O Most Merciful
Heart, my justification before God Thy Father, and screen me from His
anger which I have so justly merited. I fear all from my own weakness
and malice, but placing my entire confidence in Thee, O Heart of Love, I
hope all from Thine infinite Goodness. Annihilate in me all that can
displease or resist Thee. Imprint Thy pure love so deeply in my heart
that I may never forget Thee or be separated from Thee.
I beseech Thee, through Thine infinite Goodness, grant that my name be
engraved upon Thy Heart, for in this I place all my happiness and all my
glory, to live and to die as one of Thy devoted servants.
Amen.
Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
By St. Maximilian Kolbe
O Immaculata, Queen of heaven and earth, refuge of sinners and our
most loving Mother, God has willed to entrust the entire order of mercy
to you. I, N…, a repentant sinner, cast myself at your feet humbly
imploring you to take me with all that I am and have, wholly to yourself
as your possession and property. Please make of me, of all my powers of
soul and body, of my whole life, death and eternity, whatever most
pleases you. If it pleases you, use all that I am and have without
reserve, wholly to accomplish what was said of you: “She will crush your
head,” and, “You alone have destroyed all heresies in the world.” Let
me be a fit instrument in your immaculate and merciful hands for
introducing and increasing your glory to the maximum in all the many
strayed and indifferent souls, and thus help extend as far as possible
the blessed kingdom of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. For wherever you
enter you obtain the grace of conversion and growth in holiness, since
it is through your hands that all graces come to us from the most Sacred
Heart of Jesus.
V. Allow me to praise you, O sacred Virgin.
R. Give me strength against your enemies.
Act of Consecration to the Chaste Heart of St. Joseph
O Glorious Patriarch and Patron of the Catholic Church! O Virgin
Spouse of God, and guardian and foster father of the Incarnate Word! In
the presence of Jesus and Mary, I choose thee this day to be my guardian
and father.
O thou whom God has constituted Head of the Holy Family, accept me, I
beseech thee, though utterly unworthy, to be a poor little servant in
thy holy house. Present me to thy Immaculate Spouse, ask her also to
accept me as a servant and to adopt me as a child. With her, teach me,
thou who art a master of the interior life, how to converse constantly
with Jesus and how to serve Him faithfully in all things to the end of
my life.
To thy custody was committed the Living Bread of Heaven, to be
dispensed to thy starving brethren. O, with Mary help me to prepare the
poor stable of my heart to receive, worthily and often, the Bread of my
salvation. Let me receive it from thy hands and from those of Mary, as
often as I approach the Holy Table.
O my tender and watchful father, I hereby consecrate myself to thee;
and I firmly purpose and resolve never to leave thee, and never to say
or do anything, nor to suffer anyone under my charge to say or do
anything, against thy honor! O thou head of the house of God upon earth,
in faithful imitation of Jesus and Mary, I place myself and all my
concerns under thy care and protection. To thee, after Jesus and Mary, I
consecrate my body and soul with all their faculties, my spiritual
progress, my home, and all my affairs and undertakings.
Forsake me not, but adopt me as a servant and a child of the Holy
Family. Watch over me at all times, but especially in the last awful
hour of my life on earth: then visit, console, and strengthen me with
Jesus and Mary, that with them and thee I may sing the praises of the
adorable Trinity for all eternity. Amen.
NOVENA PRAYERS:
The Novena prayers are simple, but they are rooted in the messages Our
Lady has reiterated and given to us again and again in all of her
apparitions to try to save us.
Let us always strive to live them ever more fully.
They are:
Pray the full Rosary
Read Scripture together as a family each day –
We are taught and learn so much from reading and meditating on the Mass readings of each day. Here are today’s readings.
Take time to pray through them and notice which words jump out at you
and take some time in prayer with these words to understand more deeply
what God is saying to you in these Scriptures:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/043020.cfm
Friday of the Third Week of Easter
Lectionary: 277Reading 1 Acts 9:1-20
Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord,
went to the high priest and asked him
for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that,
if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way,
he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.
On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus,
a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him,
“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
He said, “Who are you, sir?”
The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.”
The men who were traveling with him stood speechless,
for they heard the voice but could see no one.
Saul got up from the ground,
but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing;
so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus.
For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.
There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias,
and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.”
He answered, “Here I am, Lord.”
The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight
and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul.
He is there praying,
and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias
come in and lay his hands on him,
that he may regain his sight.”
But Ananias replied,
“Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man,
what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem.
And here he has authority from the chief priests
to imprison all who call upon your name.”
But the Lord said to him,
“Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine
to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel,
and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name.”
So Ananias went and entered the house;
laying his hands on him, he said,
“Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me,
Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came,
that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes
and he regained his sight.
He got up and was baptized,
and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength.
He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus,
and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues,
that he is the Son of God.Responsorial Psalm 117:1bc, 2
R. (Mark 16:15) Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD, all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For steadfast is his kindness toward us,
and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.Alleluia Jn 6:56
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood,
remains in me and I in him, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.Gospel Jn 6:52-59
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
“How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?”
Jesus said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood,
you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my Flesh is true food,
and my Blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever.”
These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Make the Eucharist the center of your life
we can still do this interiorly if not physically during this time of
quarantine through our Spiritual Communions, and visits to Church to
pray in front of the tabernacle if they are open, etc.
Fast twice a week on Wednesdays and Friday on bread and water for Mary has told us in Medjugorje:
“Pray and fast, because with prayer and fasting you can stop wars and natural disasters”.
Go to Confession at least monthly (again, if you are unable make frequent heartfelt acts of contrition)…
And each day of this novena, pray especially during the 3 O’clock hour (if possible):
• an act of contrition
(in place of or in addition to confession)
• an act of spiritual communion
(in place of or in addition to going to Mass and receiving communion;
• the Divine Mercy Chaplet
• the Rosary
Besides consecrating ourselves and our loved ones,
our nation(s) and leaders, our Church and the world each day – let us
also remember to consecrate Russia and China and all those who are
perpetrating such great evil upon the world and our Church.
For the great enemies of our Church can end up being its greatest saints, such as St. Paul which we read about above, and so we pray:
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love you! Save Souls!
Entrusting all of us into the hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
©Janet Moore 2020. All Rights Reserved.
Liturgy of the Re-Consecration of our Nation
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. R. Amen.
INTRODUCTION
When our Risen Lord appeared to his disciples on Easter Sunday he said: “Peace
be with you.” We can be confident that he desires this same peace for all the
members of his body, the Church, and for the people of the entire world.
In this difficult time we turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
and Queen of Peace, to ask that she intercede with her Son for all those who
are affected in any way by this pandemic. As we renew the consecration of our
country and of ourselves to the Mother of the God, we implore her maternal care
for her children.
OPENING PRAYER
Let us pray.
O God, Father of mercies,
whose Only Begotten Son, as he hung upon the Cross,
chose the Blessed Virgin Mary, his Mother,
to be our Mother also,
grant, we pray, that with her loving help
your Church may be more fruitful day by day
and, exulting in the holiness of her children,
may draw to her embrace all the families of the peoples.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
R. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READING John 19:25-27
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the
wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple
there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he
said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took
her into his home.
The Gospel of the Lord. R. Thanks be to God.
[REFLECTION]
DECADE OF THE ROSARY
Recalling Jesus’ words as he hung on the cross – “Behold, your mother” – we
meditate on the fifth sorrowful mystery of the Rosary,
The Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord.
Our Father
10 Hail Marys
Glory Be
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell,
and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy.
PRAYER OF RENEWAL OF OUR
CONSECRATION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Let us now entrust our country and ourselves once again to the
Virgin Mary’s care:
Most Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church,
you are the fairest fruit of God’s redeeming love;
you sing of the Father’s mercy
and accompany us with a mother’s love.
In this time of pandemic we come to you,
our sign of sure hope and comfort.
Today we renew the act of consecration and entrustment carried out by those who
have gone before us.
Archbishop Gomez:
With the love of a Mother and Handmaid,
embrace our nation which we entrust and consecrate once again to you,
together with ourselves and our families.
A Bishop for his diocese:
With the love of a Mother and Handmaid,
embrace this diocese which we entrust and consecrate once again to you,
together with ourselves and our families.
A Pastor for his parish:
With the love of a Mother and Handmaid,
embrace this parish which we entrust and consecrate once again to you,
together with ourselves and our families.
Families, groups, or individuals:
With the love of a Mother and Handmaid,
embrace us as we renew our consecration to you,
together with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
In a special way we commend to you
those particularly in need of your maternal care.
Mary, Health of the Sick,
sign of health, of healing, and of divine hope for the sick,
we entrust to you all who are infected with the coronavirus.
Mary, Mother of Consolation,
who console with a mother’s love all who turn to you,
we entrust to you all those who have lost loved ones in the pandemic.
Mary, Help of Christians,
who come to our rescue in every trial,
we entrust to your loving protection all caregivers.
Mary, Queen and Mother of Mercy,
who embrace all those who call upon your help in their distress,
we entrust to you all who are suffering in any way from the pandemic.
Mary, Seat of Wisdom,
who were so wonderfully filled with the light of truth,
we entrust to you all who are working to find a cure to this pandemic.
Mary, Mother of Good Counsel,
who gave yourself wholeheartedly to God’s plan for the renewing of all things in Christ,
we entrust to you all leaders and policymakers.
Accept with the benevolence of a Mother
the act of consecration that we make today with confidence,
and help us to be your Son’s instruments
for the healing and salvation of our country and the world.
Mary, Mother of the Church,
you are enthroned as queen at your Son’s right hand:
we ask your intercession for the needs of our country,
that every desire for good may be blessed and strengthened,
that faith may be revived and nourished,
hope sustained and enlightened,
charity awakened and animated;
guide us, we pray, along the path of holiness.
Mary our Mother,
bring everyone under your protection
and entrust everyone to your beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
As we conclude this consecration, we ask the blessing of Almighty God:
Let us pray.
Bestow the grace of your kindness
upon your supplicant people, O Lord,
that, formed by you, their creator,
and restored by you, their sustainer,
through your constant action they may be saved.
R. Amen.
[Bishop or priest:
And may the blessing of almighty God,
the Father, and the Son, ✠ and the Holy Spirit,
come down on you and remain with you for ever. R. Amen.]
[Others:
May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life. R. Amen.]
REGINA CAELI
As is customary, we conclude our prayer with a Marian hymn:
Regina caeli, laetare, alleluia.
Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia.
Resurrexit sicut dixit, alleluia.
Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.
Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia.
The Son whom you merited to bear, alleluia,
has risen as he said, alleluia.
Pray for us to God, alleluia.