Pray for the Priest!

I know I missed the boat on this year devoted entirely to the Priesthood, but I feel that now that the year for the priest has ended, we are all asking, well where do we go now? I encourage everyone to continue to pray for priest, support your priest, and encourage those young men who wish to join their ranks (pray for my vocation!). in theses recent years we have forgotten to pray for priest (especially when they're in error) Priest struggle so much especially today with the modern attacks on the faith, and the recent troubles in the Church, Priest have much to suffer. Saint John Marie Vianney the patron of priest said

"Without the priest, the passion and death of our Lord would be of no avail. It is the priest who continues the work of redemption here on earth...What use would be a house filled with gold, were there no one to open its door? The priest holds the key to the treasures of heaven: it is he who opens the door: he is the steward of the good Lord; the administrator of His goods...Leave a parish for twenty years without a priest and they will end by worshiping the beasts there..The priest is not a priest for himself, he is a priest for you."

This is why we need priest more than anything! Pray for Priest! Pray for an increase in Vocations Continually!! May no one go with out the keeper of the keys to the doors of all the treasures that God has gifted us!

The Rosary My first Chatechism

Today is the feast of Saint Germain Cousin, I was reading her story and something struck me while I was reading, and that was the line that said "The Rosary was her only book". This brought me back to the days before my conversion, before I The Catholic Faith. it wasn't until recently that I realized how much the Rosary played a part in my conversion. I remember, I was just a kid (maybe about 12) with really very little interest in religion, God, and the whole gig (I was that kid that tried to sleep on my mothers lap during Sunday service). I recall that God, Jesus were people that the preachers spoke (shouted) about on Sundays and the rest of the week well they kinda just disappeared (except for prayer before bed). and than came my entrance into Catholic school in 6th grade, And so the grueling introductory to Catholic prayer, etiquette, Mass, gestures etc. began and to be completely honest, I hated it. Interestingly enough learning the Rosary was my biggest obstacle. the constant repetition, learning prayers that were foreign to me and the whole nine yards. And than that's when it all changed, My Religion Teacher at the time in an attempt to keep us all interested in what she was teaching showed us the movie The Miracle of Fatima, and I was deeply affected by the Fatima Message, and The Love of Our Lady! (for those who do not know the Fatima Story please follow this link http://www.ewtn.com/fatima/index.htm) and from that point forward my life was changed! I grew in Love for Our Lady and her Holy Rosary, and eventually the Led me to Christ and his Holy Church. so here I sit 9 years later as a member of that Church, and discerning a vocation the the priesthood (this is a very sparknoted version of my conversion story)

I say all this because, not only did I grow in Love for Our Lord and Our Lady, I grew in Understanding and knowledge of the truth! The Rosary in itself (if prayed with the right intention, and form) is theology without books, It is scripture without a Bible. through meditation of the Mysteries of our salvation we go on a mystical pilgrimage with Our Lady through the fundamental mysteries of our salvation. Our Lady gently teaches us the faith, and inspires in us a intimate loving knowing of Our Lord and herself. through the Rosary Our Lady draws us into her heart where she kept all things "And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them. And his mother kept all these words in her heart" Luke 2:51

SAY THE ROSARY

My Private Prayer to The infant of Prague for the protection of Children

Dearest Infant Jesus, Holy Child of Prague!
You, The God of the whole universe, who in your great love for us
Came down from heaven to save us from the evil and corruption of sin!
you who in your ministry said "If you do not become like little Children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven". Dearest Child Jesus in your great love protect the lives and souls and dignity of all Children! These little ones who are so precious to your most Sacred and Adorable Heart, protect them oh infant Lord, From all that would do them harm physically, From all that will take them from you spiritually, for all that would harm them mentally. I pray for the healing of those Children who have been harmed dearest Jesus, Let them know you love them sweetest Jesus and draw them ever closer to your heart, and heal them of all their wounds, Physically, Mentally, Spiritually. Keep them ever in your Love dearest Jesus, this I ask. Amen

The Greatest Miracle of all..... though greatly forgetten

So Today I was praying before Our Lord in the most Blessed Sacrament after Mass today, and a thought that I haven't had since maybe senior year of High school crossed my mind. "Jesus must be very lonely for most of the time" I remember having this thought while in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament in the schools chapel, as kids roamed through the hall laughing carrying on, not the slightest recognition that Jesus was truly present in there midst! so many kids walked by that chapel, and I always wondered if Jesus was a little sad, lonely etc. that no one nodded there head in acknowledgement, stopped in to say a quick hello. Thats all Jesus ever really asks for (only a second of our time, especially in that most special gift of the Blessed Sacrament). Well today there were more worshippers than there were back in those good old high school , but at the same time i still asked "Jesus are you lonely?". In todays world many are looking for hope, looking for a miracle' looking for something to believe in! so I must ask "do we really know of the miracle that we have before us?" Many of us (myself included) sometimes when we think of miracle we think of something big, flashy and dramatic, And usually the more Dramatic the better. we want to see the sun dance (as in Fatima and Medjugorje), people healed instantly, troubles that seem to melt away out of thin air. not saying that these things are not from God, but they serve a deeper purpose, and that purpose is to point us to the greater miracle which is Christ's love and grace in the Sacraments. We go chasing after such miracles, looking for God looking for his presence. we forget that we do not have to go far, to find God to find Jesus. He waits in the Tabernacle a prisoner of Love! The God of all Creation Jesus the Christ comes down from heaven at the words of a priest (his servant) and hides himself in a small piece of bread for our Salvation. sadly enough we sometimes pass this right up for something more flashy and dramatic (when true miracles lead us to the sacraments). Jesus truly present in the Blessed Sacrament teaches us some things, he teaches us that holiness is simple, that what is truly miraculous happens in day to day things (like bread and wine). so the next time your in the area of a Church/ Adoration chapel, stop in! say hello! spend some time with him for he is our greatest gift!

All for his Love!

In the Christian life we all struggle with the problems of our day to day life, Struggle with our Crosses, struggle with temptation. we ask ourselves "what is the point of putting up with all this?" "why Me?". These are the Questions we all ask ourselves over and over again. It is important to remember that God has infinite unending Love for us! and it is this Love that gives us endless strength and comfort . We must live Our lives in the Truth that God loves us, and do everything because God loves us. This in turn leads us closer to Holiness because we are living our life not in our own Human love, but in Divine Love (which is perfect Charity). Many people say that they do many things in the pursuit of holiness because they love God. but I challenge to say that, shouldn't we try to lead Holy lives because God loves us? Our love is finite, and at times can be superficial, selfish,etc. but God's love is all giving and seeks the Salvation of all! By Living our life in response to Divine love, we become conduits of that love, and become a source of Divine love ( a witness of sorts) to the all giving love of God!

The inner Cloister, Gods meeting place in the soul

have you ever had times when you feel run down? have you ever felt that you need a break but have nowhere to go to get away from your current surroundings, noise, confusion of the day? Well it might be time to take a retreat to the inner cloister! the inner cloister (that's what i call it) is a place where we can go deep into prayer and contemplation. it is a quite paradise in which the soul and God meet, it is a place where we can have an intimate rendezvous with the Lord. Saint Teresa of Avila speaks of this place in her book the inner castle, where she explains the development of contemplative prayer. in Teresa's book she tells us that at the soul is a grand castle with many mansions( or rooms) and the biggest room in the center of this castle is occupied by the King ( Who is Christ Jesus) who is the shinning light of each soul! it takes a lot of time and progression in the spiritual life to enter into a long meeting with Jesus, but even so we can still reach brief moments of intimacy with the Lord, which gives so much refreshment to the soul and to our day to day life. so when you down and out retreat to Jesus in the inner cloister!
I recommend that everyone read Saint Teresa of avilas book The Inner Castle, it will do wonders for your spirtual life!

If you have any Questions, and topic request plaese send me an email at usagiloveangel22@gmail.com

Praised be Jesus My Dear Children! (a reflection on my pilgrimage to Medjugorje)

Words cannot describe the many and Amazing graces which God sheds on the small Bosnian Town of Medjugorje. as I look back on the last week in Medjugorje I see the week as an intimate conversation between my soul and heart with mom, our mom, the mom of the whole human race, the Mother of the Eternal and living God the Blessed Virgin Mary. words cannot not describe the emotions, the graces, the peace, and most importantly, her Motherly Love which she imparts most generously to each of her children, please bear with me as i try to describe. In this past week I truly understand and see how much Mary loves each and every one of us, how much she truly loves me as an individual, as her own beloved Child,we are all Marys Children, how she wishes to see you and me in heavenly glory with our Brother Christ Jesus. What Mary communicated to my heart was that message of Love, love conquers all things, and achieves all things. It is by Marys motherly love that we truly come to know Christ, and by her love she leads us to Christ. As I climbed the hill of apparitions barefoot Mary touched my heart to know her role in my life and the Christian life. On the Road to eternal Salvation we walk barefoot, vulnerable, without shelter, we are exposed to all elements, all dangerous insects, sharp rocks and pit falls. you could avoid all these things by standing still, but by standing still we make no progress we do not go forward we do not make an effort for the goal which is Christ who is pure and true love, in truth standing still is a worse sin than going forward and falling, being cut by the rocks, and being bitten by poisonous insects. As humans we are pron to try and stay still we don't want to go against the hardships of this life, we say "It is comfortable here, becoming holy is to hard, I am good enough" this is the beginnings of spiritual death. But the Blessed Mother in her Love like any good mother gives her Child a little push and says "Go ahead, I'm here, don't worry, I'll catch you if you fall. I'm right behind you". Through her Love Mary becomes our safety net on the road to salvation. She is who cheers us on to her son our brother Jesus. Through prayer, and trust in her motherly intercession she will give us the strength to carry our crosses, she will follow us on our way of the Cross as we follow Christ, and she will pick us up and console us if we ever fall on the way. Mary never leads to herself she always points us to Christ Jesus she gives us her love so that we may love Jesus more perfectly each day. She wants us to be like her, ever shining mirrors who reflect Jesus the eternal and true sun in all things. And by being this mirror we love as she loves which is with the perfect love and that is the Love of God. we become like her who is "Beautiful because I love"(Our Lady of Medjugorje).

Mary Teaches us the way to true peace at Medjugorje, She comes to us her Children as the Queen of peace. She Teaches us that the way to true peace is through the Mass and the Sacraments ,Holy Scripture, fasting, and prayer especially the Rosary. The Reason the these things lead us to peace is because they are the ways that Love is increased in us, they are the ways in which Christ lives in us. Through the Reception of Jesus in the most Blessed Sacrament we become his living Tabernacles and allow his love to flow through us to others. When we read Holy Scripture we know Christ, we learn him, we get to know him, we begin to love him. through fasting we realize that only Christ can fill our hunger for Love, that hunger which we fill with so many other things. Through the Rosary we Meditate on the Life of Christ and his most Blessed Mother, through the Rosary we walk with Jesus and Mary, we go on a pilgrimage so to speak in which we live in spirit the important events of the lives of Jesus and Mary, it is by this intimate living that the Rosary communicates graces and virtues through the heart, giving one the strength of eternal love!

There is so much more that could be said!! but for now I'll stop here. know that mom loves You all!!! and that she wants you to come to her to lead you ever closer to her son our brother Jesus!!

To the vocations group i traveled to Medjugorje with, I thank you all so much!! you don't know how much you all mean to me!! you all are always in my prayers! Thank you for being such inspirations, and helping me on my journey to Christ!!

Say the Rosary every Day

+JMJ+

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Usagiloveangel22@gmail.com