The Feast of the Archangels



 JMJ

 

 



Today we celebrate the Feast of the Archangels.  Until recently  Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael were the only ones I truly knew of.    Michael is usually depicted with a large lance stabbing the devil. My grandsons always wanted me to tell the story of Michael.  Catholics know the traditional
St. Michael's prayer that was recited after each Mass until 1970.  Today you can hear it once again prayed in many churches and Richard and I say it every morning at the end of our rosary.   Gabriel, of course, was the Archangel of the Annunciation to Mary and asked for her fiat (yes)to be the mother of God. Raphael, the healer, is mentioned in the book of Tobit in the Old Testament, where he journeyed with Tobit and Sarah and expelled the demon who kept her husbands dying. He also healed Tobit's father Tobias from blindness. Great deeds and mighty feats every one. 

We also know of Lucifer, the brightest and purest angel who turned on God when he realized a human would give birth to the Savior.  His words ..... I WILL NOT SERVE

But have you met the rest? 

 

"And I saw seven angels standing in the sight of God..." Rev. 8:2

 

Seven angels from the second lowest choir were so outraged by this terrible offence from Lucifer to the dignity of the Most High that, though inferior to Lucifer and his legions, positioned themselves between the Throne of God and the offenders, prepared to defend the honor and dignity of God.  On seeing this God was so moved by their heroic love that he elevated them to the position of highest heaven standing eternally before the throne of God to carry out God's Will. God granted them new gifts and graces.  And we all know what happened to Lucifer. 

 

In the year 1040, St Celias made an exhaustive study of the approved writings of the Early Church Fathers up the 4th Century. Through his studies we have come to know seven of the names of the Archangels, the meaning of their names and the sacrament each is the patron of. 

 

Pope Pius V said in his Bull to the Spanish clergy, permitting and encouraging prayers to the seven archangels. "One cannot exalt too much these seven rectors of the world.

In the 16th Century, Michelangelo was ordered to adorn the church of St. Maria Degli, dedicated to Mary and the Seven Archangels with a fresco of the seven Archangels on the altar.

Liturgy to Seven Archangels has been confirmed and was still in practiced around the year 1800.  It has not been abolished, just not in practice. 

 

Meet the Archangels

 

Michael

 

His name means
"WHO is like unto God?"

 

Patron of the Holy Eucharist

 

 "He is the leader of the Armies of Heaven. He defends our souls against the infernal enemy when
we call on him, but he also defends Our Lord Who is helpless in the Blessed Sacrament."

 



 Oh holy St. Michael come to our aid with all the holy angels!

Teach us to keep the faith in these times of darkness!

Inspire us to fight for our souls and the souls of others!

Teach us to win in silence and obedience to God.

          Teach us to love and be faithful to Mary, Queen of the Angels!   Amen

 

 

Gabriel                                           



 Whose name means

"God's Conquers"

 

Patron of the Sacrament of

Baptism

and communications workers

 

St. Gabriel is the archangel of the Annunciation and the Incarnation's triumph over sin and death.

He appears with lilies that represent the new purity of the soul through Baptism.  His banner is a declaration of Our Lady's universal motherhood.

 

Oh Holy St. Gabriel come to our aid with your legion of angels!

Help us to become good servants of Our Lord!

Help us to regain and preserve our Baptismal purity

that we may become His worthy servants.

When we fall, guide us to repentance and confession that we may restore it!

 

 

Raphael

                                                                        

 

Whose name means "God Heals"
He has the power to expel demons

Patron of the Sacrament of Penance

 Raphael is usually depicted holding a jar of oil for anointing, or a fish which represents the soul and the oil of healing of it's ailments through the sacrament of confession.

St. Raphael the Archangel You are Raphael the Healer,

You are Raphael the Guide,

You are Raphael the companion ever at human sorrow's side.

St. Raphael, Angel of health, of true conjugal love,

of joy and Divine light, pray for us!   AMEN

Uriel

 

Whose name means

"Fire of God"

"Flame of God"

"Light of God"

or even "Sun of God"

 

Patron of the Sacrament of

Confirmation

 

 



He carries the Sword of Truth for the Soldiers of Christ, which we become through this Sacrament.

He enlightens the minds and the hearts of the faithful with the light of divine truths and the fire of divine love. The fire represents the Holy Spirit and the flames are the gifts of the Holy Spirit. 

He may also be shown carrying the scales by which we are to weigh our actions.  It is a reminder of the Scales of Perfect Justice by which our lives are weighed at our judgement.

 

Saint Uriel spirit who stood at the gate of the lost Eden with the fiery sword,

light up our mind with the sword of truth so that our hearts are filled

with the burning desire of love for the Holy Spirit.

Protect us with your flaming sword against all evil.  AMEN

 

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us

St. Uriel

Angel of Illumination

pray for us!



Jehudiel

 

 

Whose name means

"Praise of God"

 

Patron of the

Sacrament of the Sick

(Old term- Extreme Unction,

the anointing of the sick and dying)

 

 

St. Jehudiel carries the flaming sword of salvation, a symbol of God's mercy and the crown of the victory of grace which awaits the saints in the next life.  It is also a reminder of the crown of sufferings to be endured in this life.

 

Oh holy St. Jehudiel, you are the powerful and formidable adversary of

Beelzebub. Come to our aid with your legion of angels!

Accompany us in the combat against the terrible attacks of hell which

threaten to annihilate our Holy Mother the Church. Safeguard us

 at the hour of death and console us with your powerful presence. Intercede for us

 that we might not perish without the last sacraments and may properly prepare

 to stand before the terrible seat of judgement.   Remove all jealousy from our hearts

so that each one of us, through conformity to the Divine Will, become, like you

 a living praise to the glory of God in this life and in the next. AMEN

 

Selaphiel

 

Whose name means

"Prayer of God"

 

Patron of the Sacrament of Holy Orders

 

St. Selaphiel carries an incenser which is the symbol of the prayers and offerings of the Divine Sacrifice of the Mass, only through the actions through the ordained.

 

        "And another Angel approached, and he stood before the altar, holding a golden censer.  And much incense was given to him, so that he might offer upon the golden altar, which is before the throne of God, the prayers of all the saints, And the smoke of the incense of the prayers of the saints ascended in the presence of God, from the hand of the angel." Revelation 8:3-4



 

O pure and holy Archangel St. Selaphiel, you bow to the almighty Lord offering

 angelic salutations of praise and thanksgiving.  Guide us in our prayer. 

 Like you, we would like to unceasingly pray and worship God the right way.

May our lives be like incense pleasing to God.  While awaiting for the

inevitable time of separation from this material world, may we praise

the Holy Trinity in the spirit of true love and humility throughout the days of

our life. Obtain for us these favors_________________ and

present these petitions through Jesus Christ our Lord together with the Holy Spirit

forever and ever.  AMEN

 

 

Barachiel

 

Whose name means "Blessings of God"

Patron of the Sacrament of Matrimony

Barachiel carries an abundant basket of bread, the staff of life, symbolizing Christian parenthood and it's grave responsibilities both spiritual and temporal, to protect and provide for the children  God desires of married couples. 
He is also a powerful intercessor for the barren as well as for troubled marriages. 
He is also pictured with roses representing God's blessings which he wishes to share with families.
He was assigned by God to keep watch over His adopted children along with the Guardian Angels

O powerful Archangel Barachiel filled with heaven's glory and spender, you are

rightly called God's benediction.  We are God's children placed under

your protection and care. Listen to our supplications.  Grant that

 through your loving intercession we may reach our heavenly

home one day.  Sustain us and protect us from all harm-- that we may

possess for all eternity the peace and happiness that Jesus has

prepared for us in heaven.

Present to God the Father all these petitions through Jesus Christ

our Lord together with the Holy Spirit forever and ever. AMEN

 

 

 

Information obtained from the following 

 

www.catholicfaithwarrior.BlogSpot.com



















JMJ

 

This is St. Therese, a young Carmelite nun, who died at the age of 24 yet was named a Saint and later a Doctor of the church. What did she do to be granted these two titles?  She was known for her "little ways", often called the little flower.  She offered everything to God for the salvation of souls.  Every annoyance, every pain, every action she gave to God in love.  Hers was a remarkable life yet to those around her she seemed to live a simple life with much suffering.  I first read her book, The Story of a Soul, in my 20s and I'm ashamed to say that I wasn't ready to relate.  I tried again in my 50s and God allowed me to realize what a jewel this book is to the soul.  Not that I could ever imitate her life and her ways but now I could better understand the beauty of her little ways. I've  said before that I went to school with the sister of Mt. Carmel and my mother was a third order Carmelite so I've read and truly love the Carmelite ways.  I have been lead more to St. Theresa of Jesus and John of the Cross, both of the Carmelite Order.  Although a Doctor of the church herself, St. Theresa of Avila was strong willed, reformed the Convents and rules of life for the sisters and I loved her lively relationship with her "Master" as she often called Jesus.  She once said to Him, "If you treat your friends like this, it's no wonder you have so many enemies". She suffered hardships and pain all of her life.  I could relate to that!!!!   She wrote many books on the interior life.  I love her writings....that's another story. So back to Therese

St. Therese of Lisieux is so often pictured with a red rose or bouquet of red roses.  If the Lord permitted, she would say, that she would spend her time in heaven helping all those who called on her.  She would send a rose as a token of her love for that soul.  Her feast day is October 1st and I was sent by email, a Novena to pray for 9 days in preparation for her feast and you may  make a request if we wish for a special favor.  I certainly believe in Novenas and I often read and am told that it doesn't hurt to be direct with what you want.  I love the Lord so much and believe and trust that He would do whatever is best for my life as long as I stay faithful to Him, even the pain and suffering and broken heartaches.  This time I was feeling overwhelmed.  I just kept seeing family members fall away from their Catholic faith which is so deep rooted in our heritage.  I couldn't help but feel I had neglected them in some way.  I had been praying for so long and nothing seemed to be happening.... in fact all was getting worse.  I prayed harder.  I begged, I pleaded, I cried but I just wasn't feeling like I was being heard.  I doubted that my  prayers were even being considered.  So when I read the notice for the Novena to St. Therese I thought to do it faithfully and with so much love and this time, yes, this time I ASKED FOR A ROSE.  Somehow I needed a sign to help me understand what the "hold up" was.  I've never asked for a sign before and since I was a new petitioner to the Little Flower I wasn't sure I had the right.  As I was pleading my case, I assured her and my Jesus that after all I wasn't asking for worldly things or an end to my pain....God knows I could use that. Hahaha 

So on October the first I was walking to the chapel to place flowers because Father Bani was coming the next day to bless the chapel, the feast day of the Guardian Angels.  Now, next to the chapel we made a little flower bed.  We planted a rose bush that we had dug up from the front of the house when we built the arbor over the porch. I kept watching for any sign of life on those sticks.  It was a very old plant and it did make beautiful roses.   I had been to the chapel a couple of times that week and certainly nothing caught my eye to let me know it was alive. But on that day October 1st, I walked in "Mary's Garden" and this is what greeted me.
                                                                                 



.  I started to cry because the joy in my heart was a joy I couldn't explain.  I seem to hear these words, "I'm working on it".  That's all I needed to hear!!!! One green sprout and one red rose.  Nothing since. Thank you St. Therese for pleading my case. Thank you all you saints of heaven, I will try to be patient.



PRAY PRAY PRAY

                                                                     JMJ


As I've said before, Richard and I start each morning with a rosary to our Blessed Mother asking that she bring our prayer requests along with thanksgiving to God the Father in the name of her Son Jesus along with the power of the Holy Spirit for all the help and blessings we receive. 

Look how much Jesus loves His Mother; how could we not?

 Each morning the list of requests have grown. Richard looks my way each time a new prayer thought comes to mind.  I assume all of you are the same.  Pray, Pray, Pray!!!  It's coming from all directions.  We are all asked to pray for our families, our friends, our country, our world. Each one under attack from the evil one.  Please don't be fooled that he doesn't exist because then you'll really be the fool.  In my circle of believers, we feel his time is growing short and he's getting more aggressive in stealing souls.  So we continue in prayer, knowing that the small pebble we add to the victory over sin is so little but together we believe we can make a difference and so we pray.  As Catholics we believe that in reciting the rosary we are meditating on the life of Jesus and His Mother Mary which brings strength and hope to all Christians. As we meditate on the  Mysteries of the Rosary, (Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious) we acknowledge and give praise and glory to Our God as we pray to imitate what the words contain and obtain what they promise.  

Recently I was made aware of 2 icons and a heartbreaking painting of Mary, Mother of God, which I find to be so important at this time. 
                                          
                                 Our Lady of Soufanieh

This Icon resides in Damascus.  It's veneration began in a small house of a young married girl of 19 who has a small framed picture of Our Lady of Soufanieh.  On November 28th 1989 it began to produce 100% olive oil.  Daily the crowds grew of people wanting to see this miracle.  The doors of the home never closed as the crowds grew larger.  Many people were instantly healed from the oil. Our Lady expressed the importance and need for the churches to unite.  I think the most interesting thing about finding this icon is the timing.   Our Lady told Myrna, the young girl, to Pray, Pray, Pray and Pray some more.  How important now and right in the middle of the wars going on in the Middle East. She gave this short prayer.
          God saves me, Jesus enlightens me, Holy Spirit is my life, thus I fear nothing
                                                  PRAY     FORGIVE      LOVE


A few days after finding and praying to Our Lady of Soufanieh, a friend sent this picture. I call her Our Lady of Tears 

How sad and alone she looks.  People have forgotten about her son and what He did for our salvation.  The price He paid and is paying is unbearable.  And she weeps for us, her lost children.  As we meditate on the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrow, let us pray, pray, pray and pray again for the salvation of souls which causes her and Our Lord, Jesus, such pain and sorrow. 

 

 

 This icon of the Mother of God, is kept at St. Mary Major in Rome and was used by Pope Frances at the Prayer Vigil on Sept. 7th, praying for peace in Syria and the world.  Tradition maintains that it is a copy, painted by the evangelist Luke, of an image of Mary with Child that miraculously appeared in Lydda in a church built by the apostles Peter and John.  It was brought to St. Mary Major at an end to a procession to invoke the end of one of the worst plagues in the city's history.  On that occasion the archangel Michael was seen above putting his sword back into its sheath.  The plague ended.  Another plague ended in the 18th century thanks to the intercession of the Madonna when St. Pius V carried it in procession to St. Peter's.  Pius XII paid homage to it when he proclaimed the dogma of the Assumption in 1950 and again he crowned it in St. Peter's in 1954, at the centenary of the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.

John Paul II invoked it in World Youth Day in 2000. Benedict XVI did so in 2005 and Pope Francis also in Rio de Janeiro last July.  After he was elected Pope, his first outing was to the Basilica of St. Mary Major to kneel in prayer in front of this icon. 

What is striking about this icon is the intense gaze of Mary, which invites the viewer to travel the road indicated by the Son.  She is looking into the distance, in the direction in which he is pointing.  Her right hand, which is holding the Child, repeats the gesture of Jesus and amplifies it. Jesus is pointing to the journey of the cross where Mary will be and all those who follow Him will have to go there also.  Pope Francis placed the icon, not a copy but the original, at the center of the Vigil to pray for grace and peace from heaven, knowing " that which is impossible for men is possible for God". Now days after the world wide prayer vigil our leaders are talking peace for the time being....praise be to God. (Cardinal Cesare Baronio and Father Gargano, a Camaldolese monk, shared the history of this icon.) 
 

This is a picture of the 4th Station, Jesus meets His sorrowful Mother, that I have on one of the trees in "Cottage Point".  I was on the porch the other day and out of nowhere this loud bolt of lightening seemed to strike so close to me that it created a sun like ball of intense light right before my eyes. Neighbors called if we were ok because the boom was so loud it shook the ground but none of us could find any damage...... until the next day when Becky and I found this.

The lightening bolt just knocked the plaque off the tree and blasted it and the wood exploded like a clay pigeon.  Look at the hole it blew at the bottom right side.  It didn't damage the tree just this one plaque of the Sorrowful Mother. Ok I'm just saying, it's near the Feast day of Our Lady of Sorrow which is September 15. Father Bani is coming on October 2, feast of the Guardian Angels, to bless Trinity Acres.  I've been putting it off for a couple of years because I wanted everything built so it could all be blessed.  I'm thinking my God agrees.  And you know I've shared with you about Mark Mallet.  Well he sent me his blog a few days later and if you can believe this he said in prayer he received strongly the sound of an explosion. OK  I hear you!  As Mark always says, nothing of this is supposed to scare people but to call people to prayer.

  Pray like your life depends on it!

Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

                                                                       July 16, 2013
                                                           Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

I've always had a devotion to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.  I've loved her since I was a little girl in elementary school with the Sisters of Mt. Carmel at the Academy in Thibodaux.  Everyone 's heard stories of nuns in Catholic Schools and the knuckle slapping or the ear pulling, but I've certainly never known anything like that happening with the dear Carmelite nuns.  Now I would of course know best of all because I'm not proud to say that I was one to do the most testing.  I pretty much did anything for a laugh.  So of course I received what I deserved.  Yes I wrote lines, (many lines), had to make humbling apologies for ridiculous statements, put my head down, missed recesses, etc.  It was an all girls school so at least I didn't get totally humiliated.  We sometimes would hang on to the fence and yell that we were imprisoned or shout at passer -byers to get us out but I for one know I was blessed for being there.

 Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is the patroness of the Carmelite Order.  Christian hermits lived on Mt. Carmel in the Holy Land beginning in the 12th and 13th Century.  She is also associated with the Brown Scapular which she presented to St. Simon Stock and said that whoever dies wearing it will be saved.  Now this wasn't or isn't a magic cloth but special to one who wears it with reverence and devotion to a life of prayer.  The brown cloth is a part of the garment of the Carmelite Order.  My mother made Scapulars for the Order.  I can remember sitting on the floor near the peddle of her sewing machine and moving the peddle up and down as she sewed on these brown cloths after which Father would bless them and the 3rd Order Carmelites would speak to people and groups and children at school about the Scapular to enroll them.  My mother must have made hundreds or thousands of Scapulars.   We were taught to kiss the small brown cloths held together with white or brown small banded rope and put it over our head and let it fell over our shoulders and lay close to our hearts. We went through many in the summer time with all the sweat.   My mother, who was a 3rd Order Carmelite (a lay person who followed and lived the rules of the Order but did not take the vow of chastity or live in the community)  spent her free time helping out the church and those in need.  My parents really couldn't afford the tuition to send us to Catholic School.  One day the Monsignor asked if her children were in Catholic School and when he found out she couldn't afford the tuition, allowed her to use her time spent with helping others through works of the church  count for part tuition and so she put all four of us in Catholic School.  There was a small lovely chapel on the school grounds and we were encouraged to visit and makes acts of love to Jesus for strength and guidance.   We were introduced to retreats, lives of the saints, Missionary work, modesty and chastity.  It seemed sometimes that we were being scared into thinking how to act.  Over the years I've thank God over and over for all my years with the dear Sister of Mt. Carmel.  Wow, I'm thinking now, who's teaching this generation.  Their idols seem to be movie stars, rock stars, athletes.  So few  sisters in Catholic schools if any and no more prayers in any school.  These so called idols are telling this generation how to dress, act, and think.   Many parents are so busy having a life of their own and allowing the children to parent themselves. Their lives are all about cell phones and social media.  In our day we were allowed to be children with such innocence and then gain more leeway as we were able to make better decisions for ourselves.  Oh yes, time came when we fought the establishment also but I know our parents were praying for us and working those rosary beads?  I mean, I know my mother wore them out and I certainly did the same, still do.  I call on all the help I can get from the Saints, the wonderful Christ filled people who died so in love with God and their fellowman, the souls in Purgatory who now know the truth, and my fellow Christian prayer warriors.  We are all in this together: The Saints in heaven are rejoicing with the Trinity and blessing us;  the church suffering are the souls in Purgatory who must pay for un-repented or un-forgiven sins but they know they will see God one day and they need our prayers to help them get there.... they cannot help themselves; and we, the church Militant who are working and struggling for peace and justice and truth must never give up.  We must keep the faith while realizing that we are never alone in this battle.  Mary is a good mother who wants only to help save all her children and bring them to Jesus, her Son.  She doesn't want even one lost.  Please parents, work those rosary beads.

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, pray for us!

ARE YOU BORED?

                                                                 JMJ

Do you feel like the days are flying by and before you know it the weeks turn into months.  I do hear many people thinking and feeling the same thing.  Well believe it or not it is another sign of the times.  Of course we do feel it somewhat because we are so busy and find ourselves going in so many places with so much to do.  That's of course the way i felt before moving here on the farm.  The days still seem to fly by.  I had to laugh the other day when i was filling my pill case.  I say case which makes it sound like i take a whole bunch but i take a blood pressure pill, which i felt i was "pressured" into taking.  I also take a multi vitamin and an extra vitamin C.  Anyway I was saying to Richard, "it seems like I'm always filling this case".  I mean really i can't believe how the weeks go.  I recently spent some time with an elderly relative (90yrs old) who is very forgetful.  It is difficult to see her this way but she has had a good life with a lot of fun.  When i was first introduced to Richard's family, she was one of the most striking....very attractive and full of life.  She and I were probably the loudest and we respected and enjoyed one another.  She always liked to visit us in all the places we lived...just wanted to know what we were up to.  She always approved of the way Richard and i worked together in getting our house made into a home for the family.  Well anyway i recently sat with her for about 30 minutes trying to share with her a little bit of our new life on the farm.  Bless her heart, she must have asked me 30 times if i was bored on the farm.  And 30 times i told her absolutely not.  With 40 acres, one can always find something to keep occupied.  And I myself began to wonder, what exactly is boredom. I never liked to hear my children or the grandchildren say that word, especially around me.  I would always say, "Look at the Crucifix", would you like to trade places?" 

Boy that would quiet them down immediately.  The definition of boredom is an emotional state experienced when there is nothing to do or lack of interest in one's surroundings.  How in the world could i be bored with 40 acres of creation? There are hundreds of trees around me and each one is different.  The animals from largest to smallest to the tiniest nat that flits around my face.  The beauty, the colors, the sky, the water in the pond that changes everyday from ripple to stillness.  I could go on and on.  If i get a little antsy I jump in the golf cart and ride through the back pasture and the wild irises go on and on in the back of the pond.  I search out the blackberry bushes and am in awe of each one.  I've spoken about the sunrises and sunsets here and how I've never seen them before or even made an effort to watch for.  Bored, Aunt Ta, no I truly never get bored here on Trinity Acres where I'm brought face to face with the glory of creation.  Everyday brings me closer to God and His everlasting joy.  My celebration of Holy Mass is clearer. 

My times of adoration bring joy. My Confessions are more tearful. My meditations are longer. My love is greater. My need is always.  Oh my God, may I never stop gaining and growing closer to Your Kingdom.  Help me with patience and humility....2 virtues I'll be fighting for the rest of my life.  Perhaps on my death bed you'll grant them to me. Amen.

I feel that's what God is asking of us and that is to make room for quiet time to talk to Him to be with Him and to share with Him.  He is so very interested in our lives even to the smallest details.  The more we share with Him the more he shares with us.  Isn't that the way with friends.  We just arent' friends by sight.  We make friends with talking, sharing, being, loving.  So it is with God..... Be not afraid......He is waiting for You.  I am afraid our new technology and social medias were designed to steal us from our God and make us each smaller gods.  Maybe I'm wrong, but then again maybe I'm right.  Can you leave your iPhone at home and spend an hour with God on Sundays at least? What will you lose? What will you gain?  We should all think seriously about it.

WE HAVE A POPE!!!

So on March 13th, my little Leila's 1st birthday, the Cardinals elected a Pope who chose the name Francis.  He was a surprise to all of us, this Cardinal from Argentina.  My sister, Sybil, and I spent time on the phone between the announcement that a pope was elected and the time he came out on the balcony. I had remembered how i felt when i first saw Pope Benedict and how the tears began to flow as i saw his smiling face.  I felt my heart fill with love.  He just reminded me of a dear grandfather. I was so anxious to see our new Pope's face.  We waited and waited what seemed forever.  Since the media knew in minutes how long it took from the time the smoke left the chimney until the time the pope came to the balcony, we anticipated any moment but then the time lapsed and no pope.  We kept calling each other back and forth until we saw the curtain move and then we hung up.  Bless his heart, when he finally came out I didn't know what to think.  He looked like a deer caught in the headlights.  I waited for a smile but it took time in coming, but then it did and he waved and began to speak and then he asked for prayers for himself and my heart melted.  Viva il PaPa!!!!!!

What a job!  What a man! What a humble, peaceful man! Pope Francis from Argentina

They say he didn't want the job.......that's a sign that he's the right man for the job.

I thank the workings of the Holy Spirit for giving us Pope Francis.  There is so much to fix in the church brought on for so many years and so many problems and scandals and factions. Human beings are never perfect and certainly there have been imperfection in the Church because of their failings, but never will the Catholic Church be crushed by Satan. Jesus promised that and I believe it!  

I'm sure we are all praying for this new Pope to clean house, just as Jesus did in the temple with the whip. 

In 1969, Pope Benedict XVI, then Cardinal Ratzinger, spoke about the future of the Church.  He prophesied," It will become small and will have to start pretty much all over again. It will no longer have use of the structures it built in its years of prosperity.  The reduction in the number of faithful will lead to it losing an important part of its social privileges.  It will be a more spiritual Church, and will not claim a political mandate flirting with the Right one minute and the Left the next. It will be poor and will become the Church of the destitute.  He prophesied that "when all the suffering is past, a great power will emerge from a more spiritual and simple Church and that this renewed Church will be a sign of hope for those who have not come to know the love of God. "
Did he believe in the "end times" leading to the "era of peace"? Wow 44 years ago.

Pope Paul VI spoke of "the smoke of Satan entering the Vatican". This was in the '60s. They said Pope John Paul I was interested in doing something with the "bank" of the Vatican, but, bless his heart, he didn't live very long as Pope. I think maybe 85 days.  There was John Paul II who worked tirelessly in service to the Church and so did Benedict.  I believe that what needs to be done will take two mighty powerful and spiritually filled men to accomplish the task at hand.  One in constant prayer and one in a constant battle. 

So Francis has his work cut out for him and it seems he's the man to do it and he needs all prayer warriors.  I believe he needs to change the attitudes of certain religious...Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, Nuns and also the laity who seem to have forgotten why Jesus came to earth.  From Mark Mallet's  blog....."Jesus did not say "blessed are the politically correct" but "blessed are the peacemakers".  And yet, perhaps no other age has confused the two as much as ours.  Christians all around the world have been duped by the spirit of this age into believing that compromise, accommodation, tolerance and "keeping the peace" is our role in the modern world.  This, of course, is false.  Our role, our mission, is to assist Christ in saving souls; Jesus did not enter the world to make people feel nice, but to save them from the fires of Hell, which is a real and everlasting state of eternal separation from God."

When Jesus came to earth curing the sick and healing the lame and sinners, people ran to seek him out but soon there came a time when he began to set things right and promote truth and offered the Eucharist and as it got what seemed difficult to accept He was abandoned, and finally put to death and so it is with the Church today.  What she speaks is difficult to hear, but it is TRUTH.  It goes against the modern world's thinking and many in the Church say they are Catholic but walk and talk a different "truth".  So I believe, as many, that it is time to clean out what is not of God so that a new evangelization may come upon the Church, the world, and the people and we will be a smaller Church but a church filled with true believers.

I believe this is the role of Francis.  Now i can understand his look on the balcony. How long will this take? I don't know, but look around for the signs.  They are there if you want to see. 

God bless Pope Francis

                                                

Holy cow!!! Just saw the Pope resigned...Feb. 11, 2013. 7:00am

                                                                       JMJ

Holy cow!!! Just saw the Pope resigned..... Feb 11, 2013. 7:00am

A text from my son Jason....that's how i found out about this most "shocking" news.  I won't get into a discussion on this topic just yet.  There is so much to consider and pray over.  I've loved this Pope from the moment he stepped out on the balcony at the Vatican in 2005.  I remember being away from the TV when i heard they had elected a new Pope and i ran to the living room to see.  As soon as i saw him i was filled with such joy and overwhelmed with emotion that the tears just flowed.  Again when i heard the "shocking" news, like so many that loved him, my heart was stirred to tears once again.  God bless you, dear Benedict

Looking over the writings of my spiritual journey I'm reminded that God is indeed in control of my life and that it goes so much smoother if i remember that. So often i forget. It was Pope Benedict's request that we share our journey of faith when he proclaimed this Year of Faith in hopes that it may draw many back to the church and remind us of our Baptismal promise to reject Satan and all his empty promises. It's not easy to put yourself out there but i believe we will need strength and courage in the days ahead.   I have fought the other side more than once but i prefer not to give notice or spotlight to the "evil one".  Just know that the precious name of JESUS was what released me in that moment.  I say this because in today's society evil is made to look good but let me tell you, it's scary as HELL.  Only Jesus can pull you away and He can only pull you away if you ask or if you're lucky enough to have someone who loves you and prays for you everyday. 

We will all need the strength to make it through these turbulent time ahead not just in personal faith but the ultimate collapse of our country and a true passion walk for our beloved Catholic Church.  Remember Jesus promised that the gates of Hell will not destroy it.  It will seem like all is lost but the "remnant" church will survive.  Jesus said it, so I believe.  Always remember that with prayer and preparation there is no need to fear and by sharing we will be OK emotionally as well.  Please feel free to share your journey with me or others.  It's always an inspiration to hear how God is working in people's lives.  He doesn't just work in exceptional people like the Saints we read about but in ordinary people like you and me.  It's not big things but the "little" things that stirs us and makes us realize something just happened and it was "bigger" than me.  I know everyone of you has had that experience, you just have to claim it.  Believe that God works in each one of us and loves each one of us like we are His only child. 

How  AWESOME is that? I know, that word is so overused but doesn't it just say it all.

Definition of awesome-   So impressive or overwhelming as to inspire a strong feeling of admiration or fear..... breathtaking, splendid, humbling