I started a few years ago to collect spiritual text. What I mean by this is gathering things the Holy Spirit would guide me to for to contemplate and gather truth into my very being to have as defence against the many falsehoods present in the world and in our society.

The Sacraments are very simplistic but boy, how many people do not understand each one, so I did not inturn understand each one correctly. Also the variances in description laid out all over by any person, group or some other rite within the Catholic community. So in my native tongue I say this: "so bara bara." yakunitatanai.

this is what I ask for daily:

Oh, Lord Jesus grant to me your servant these gifts, but first
prepare my heart to be enflamed with love for You by way of virtues.

7 Virtues from God

~1 CORINTIANS 13
Faith
Hope
Charity

~Wisdom Book 8
Temperance
Prudence
Justice
Fortitude

7 Sacraments Gifts from Jesus

Baptism
Confirmation
Reconcilation -
Holy Eucharist
Anointing of the Sick/ Last Rites
Holy Orders
Matrimony

Consecration from Holy Love:

Consecration to Divine Love

My Jesus, Divine Love Itself, I consecrate myself completely to You. In and through this consecration I unite my soul to Divine Love, understanding that in so doing I will be a martyr of love. I choose to seek only Your good pleasure in the present moment, Jesus. Thus, I surrender to You my health, my appearance, and even my own comforts.

Through this surrender I pray that Divine Love will be victorious in every heart. Enfolded within this consecration to Your Divine Love, sweet Jesus, find my 'yes' to the Divine Will of God in every moment and with every breath. I seek nothing that You would not have me seek. I love no person, place, or thing beyond Your Will for me. I embrace every cross You permit and cherish every grace You provide. Amen.

Prayer for Assistance to Live the Consecration of Divine Love

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit of God, I come before You as I have consecrated my body and soul to Divine Love. I ask Your assistance in living out this consecration in every present moment. Help me to surrender to every cross, and to recognize and respond to every precious grace You place in my life. Through my consecration to Divine Love, I beg Your assistance in annihilating my own will and living in Your Divine Will.Amen


(Recite daily with the Consecration prayer and you will receive an angel by your side to assist you in faithfulness to the Consecration.)

"Lord, you have endured me all these years with my sins, but nonetheless You pitied me"


"Sacred Heart of Jesus Have Mercy on Us - United Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Guide and Protect Us"

"Realize the power of My Name—indeed, the power of calling on your Jesus in times of temptation and trial. When you say My Name, all of Heaven comes to attention. The power of My Precious Blood covers you and evil is made to vanish. When you say even more—'Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us'—evil will be revealed, for Satan cannot remain hidden when I am thus invoked. When you pray—'United Hearts of Jesus and Mary, guide and protect us'—Satan not only flees but the path you must follow in righteousness is laid bare."

Luke 1:46-55

And Mary said:

"My soul doth magnify the Lord.
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid;
for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name.
And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him.
He hath showed might in his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He hath received Israel his servant, being mindful of his mercy:
As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever."
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

The Angelus:

[ Put here ]

From my angel:

'Teach me to do your Will. Teach me to live; teach me to suffer; teach me to obey; teach me to die. First to myself, and then to all that could seduce me and resurrect the human ego. Teach me, so that "the precepts of your mouth which I have repeated for everyone" may burst into flower, first of all in the pure field of my heart, and prosper and bear fruit of eternal life without birds, thorns, darnel, couch grass, and passers-by destroying what You have sown in me.'

Let us pray: 'We ask you, O Almighty God, to look upon your family, that it may be governed in body and preserved in soul by your grace. Through the merits of your Blessed Word, who became flesh and died for men.'

"Make the words of the sublime Tempted One your own and reply to Satan, his servants, the world, and men, who would like to frighten you, mortify you, and separate you from your mission with threats or offers of immediate, tangible honors and benefits:

'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from God. Begone, O Satan! I serve the Lord God and no other.'

NEW FORGOT TO MENTIONS THIS: As I was a convert and left for a while because I did not understand the Sacraments well enough and I was stubborn, rebellious and obstiante in my
own views, the devil enjoys beating me up to reducing me to nothing: So I had to start
asking for help from my angel and I say the "Angel Of God" prior to the Rosary;
then after reading many other prayers about asking for assistance from Angels,
I modified for myself the St. Michael prayer by this method:

St.Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael archangels, defend us in the battle, be our defense shield
against the malice of the devil; My God rebuke him we humble pray and do thou oh princes of the Heavenly host, by the Divine Power cast into hell satan and all the evil spirits who are in the world for the injury and ruin of souls. Amen.

Since we are in the time of the Vision of Pope Leo(He put together the original prayer) I realized they have been loosed on the earth. Revelations 12, and thus I had to modify for my own sake, calling upon the Angels assistance. Also I say the St. Pio prayer the short verison asking for his assistance.


Then I recite the Holy Rosary praying all four Mysteries in one sitting:

Then I recite Divine Mercy and 9 Day Novena:

Then I recite Holy Wounds Rosary given to Sr Mary Martha

Then I recite the Litany of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Then I recite the 9 day Novena to Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament

Then I pray from several prayer bookets: Pieta, Morning Night,

Then I venerate the Holy Face of Jesus.

This takes well over two hours of each day. Should start before dawn.

Then as the Holy Spirit leads I pray other prayers throughtout the day.

This is just what I do at home.

I hope this is help for others and may you find the Blessed Jesus to be of full comfort.

Peace in Christ
stu

Good afternoon, poem. May the Lord bless you.

I was reflecting on the prayers the Lord put on your heart... They are so holy...

The greatest Sacrament and blessing of happiness is receiving the Body, the Blood, the Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Eucharist..

I was also thinking about the Sacraments you mentioned, most esp. this afternoon, as my daughter and I were at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

The responsorial Psalm for today is "Lord this is the people that long to see your face."
And the sacred scripture that reminds me of how the God is drawing you near Him was the reflection:

He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.

We are living in times where we have traveled a long road and some of us are discouraged, Fr. Joel tenderly reminded us today. Sometimes we need to be careful what we hear and what we respond to. We need to discern are these the words of Almighty God?

Sometimes we need to hear words of a little bit of encouragement. Words that grant courage. Sometimes we need to exhort one another to keep an unswerving faith and trust in Almighty God alone.

Here is the Gospel reading. The words in bold were compassionately emphasized by Fr. Joel.


Dear brothers and sisters

Since through the Blood of Jesus

we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary

by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil,

that is, his flesh,

and since we have “a great priest over the house of God,”

let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust,

with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience

and our bodies washed in pure water.

Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope,

for he who made the promise is trustworthy.

We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works.

We should not stay away from our assembly,

as is the custom of some, but encourage one another,

and this all the more as you see the day drawing near.

--
May the Lord bless you. My soul has been encouraged by receiving the Holy Eucharist and the words Almighty God invited you to share. The post centers + points to Christ our Lord. May He always be magnified and glorified.

Jesus says to Maria: Prepare your day for the Eucharist; everything in your life should center on the Eucharist. The Gospel reveals Christ in the Eucharist. Today it seems for the masses that it is not because the spiritual senses are dulled by all the world has, lures, attackes the fleshly senses. Occupied by the lower nature. The spiritual nature of man is not in control of the body and senses. The opposite. Thus "fallen" nature.

But what about those who are not able for one reason that hinders or another? God has extraordinary means to provide. Nothing is beyond God for He has already thought of them
and provides. I am not saying to neglect your spiritual well being for some excuse. But for those who are not able, God provides. I cannot say how nor do I know what. Just God is our Father and a father takes care of his children.

The more we understand what the Eucharist is the more we benefit and grow in admonition, love, goodness towards the Eucharist. Jesus reveals Himself in the Eucharist in ways unbeknown to our human senses. At first I had vision of Christ while I was thanking Him for this Great Gift and then because I was expecting this vision all the time, and didn't receive it in the successive meals, I was depressed and shrunk. And then Jesus began to teach me through progressive instructions, what the Eucharist really is. I had learned them one step at a time. First
I would say this is Jesus, then I would say it is mystical, then I would say I don't know what it really is, and then when I said: I do not know really what it is, that is when He began to really open my spirit to what it really it is. To get past my human senses to reach my soul and intellect to really Know it is Him and not just saying so, but having the surety of what It is.
What is God. Denying myself to see Him.

So, I take with seriousness the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. I cannot go in unworthily I must receive Him in love. No other way. I know myself well enough now to know when I should not receive Christ. Building up to it the greatest Mass I look forward to. THe day when I truly understand with my whole being in one thought. The Revelation of Jesus Christ.

Preparation is everything, preparing our Hearts so He can reveal Himself to us and have that Union.

Peace
Stu

Bless the Lord Dear sister for He is "Good".

Thank you for putting up with my spotty verbage. To avoid long descriptions I am not used to, because I do not want to loose the depth of my understanding. As time progesses, they become summaries, but when talking in public have to be more descriptive, and in forums have to cut short. So this is difficult for long winded people like myself. If you have some questions because there's a few gray areas or shadows, please feel free to ask away.

In the Name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit.

May the Lord bless you. Thank you for sharing.

The words ''prepare, prepare your soul to receive the most Holy Eucharist'' comes to my mind in prayer with Almighty God. It helps to have Blessed Mother assist me and to be consecrated to her throughout the day. God wants me to start my day with prayer, slow down my activities and increase my time and listen, listen to Almighty God. God is very kind.

It's always what Heaven directs, it is always what one needs for that time and period.

Whatever we lack, God knows and directs through His instruments, His followers, His faithful,
those who Love God. We have a great cloud of witnesses is what the Good Book says. So knowing and counting on this we exercise our faith in such firmness to endure our exile. And then we enter the Blessed Abode of the Father.

I have been slowly contemplating Jesus' Death. Reading accounts in Poem it is a most cruel death. Not for the weak minded I tell you.

We should daily thank and bless Jesus for this as much as possible. Kiss the Crucifx daily and as much as possible. He feels them. Console His wounds.

Peace in Christ
Stu

.
I am going to admit something here, and that is that the more I study the Passion of Jesus, the more difficult it is for me to pray the sorrowful mysteries...I avoid them...
I know that I should not pass over them, but sometimes it seems too intense and I do not want to hurry through the rosary....

Maybe I should do as you suggest and kiss the cross and contemplate instead..??

The other mysteries do not seem to pose a problem.

Nike wrote:.
I am going to admit something here, and that is that the more I study the Passion of Jesus, the more difficult it is for me to pray the sorrowful mysteries...I avoid them...
I know that I should not pass over them, but sometimes it seems too intense and I do not want to hurry through the rosary....

Maybe I should do as you suggest and kiss the cross and contemplate instead..??

The other mysteries do not seem to pose a problem.

Nike,

thank you for sharing your sincerity. This is honest examination.

I add some litte guys to further express.

Ask to enter into His Passion. This is the only way.

After careful consideration, there might be something that keeps you from reciting them?
If so give that over to Mary. And then ask to enter into His Passion.
Trust dear sister that it is a good thing to enter His Passion whatever reasons
you may have consider them straw for your ownself so you can have this beautiful
coccoon become, a beautiful butterfly.

From Padre Pio, now, St. Pio
Padre Pio's prayer to Jesus

Oh my Jesus, give me Your strength when my weak nature rebels against the distress and suffering of this life of exile, and enable me to accept everything with serenity and peace. With my whole strength I cling to Your merits, Your sufferings, Your expiation, and Your tears, so that I may be able to cooperate with You in the work of salvation. Give me strength to fly from sin, the only cause of Your agony, Your sweat of blood, and Your death.

Destroy in me all that displeases You and fill my heart with the fire of Your holy love and all Your sufferings. Clasp me tenderly, firmly, close to You that I many never leave You alone in Your cruel Passion.

I ask only for a place of rest in Your Heart. My desire is to share in Your agony and be beside You in the Garden. May my soul be inebriated by Your love and fed with the bread of Your sorrow. Amen.

Peace dear sister,
Stu

Nike,

Also, in Poem the last book, after the Resurrection Jesus makes some comments about to know Christ is to share in His Passion. Suffering Christ how much Love He had to endure to the end. Even after being abandoned by His Father; abandoned by the Apostles except St.John, and the Marys and few Gentiles, Romans and very very few others; the rest of the world were drunk with torturing the Christ. How much evil there was being poured upon the Lord? He truly is the Man. Any other man would have died way before reaching the Praetorium. He lost all His blood in Gethsemane, had a fever, did not eat, did not sleep, His Divinity had become lost because He was no longer united to the Father, He was stoned, beaten, dragged, they threw animal fecies at Him, old food, dirt, hit him clubs and stakes, spat, endless. Beat Him for no reason. Mocked Him.

Dropped the cross twice while raising it, then when they had it proped up the cross swung around in circles;

After he was scourged, they kicked his garments around, hit him in the face with a club, spat on him, put the hawthrones on him three times, placed a purple cloak around his shoulders, and retrieved a cane from the sewer beat him with it and then gave it to him. sat him on an old bath tub turned upside down. this passage is loaded with cruelty.

The scourging alone would have killed many a men. Jesus had already lost all his blood, and a fever to boot!
No food, no rest, just pure strength of Love. Love is the greatest power nothing else comes close.

This is why we must enter His Passion to gain this supernatural power of Love. Who is the Love?
God is Love. We gain God when we enter His Passion. When you look at the Pierced Side of Jesus
you see the Heart of God.

Peace dear sister
With much Love
stu

I admit I struggle with watching the sufferings of Christ too, Mary. I close my eyes tight. Many times I avoid it, too. When I have the courage to open my eyes, I can't help but note Christ's willingness to persevere in suffering out of this great love. His love is so different. He is so gentle - like a lamb that was slain, He opened not His mouth.

If you want to kiss the crucifix, kiss it. Perhaps this is God's path of sanctity for you? and you are simply responding to Him. God knows you. Did you know that Padre Pio stated that many people read holy books, but many of the Saints would behold the crucifix and pray and reach great levels of holiness!

I think the replies Stu gave to you were astonishing. Every thought centers on Christ alone.

God asks us to make little Sacrifices and He brings us many Crosses. The Sacrifice and the Cross are not the same. But they are similiar and work together like a two cord intertwined strand.

An example of a little Sacrifice is our willingness to surrender to God a good convenience or good pleasure for God's holy will. For example, giving up a little time to pray. A Cross is any suffering God brings in our lives: mental, physical, social in order to do His Will. "Not my will but thy will be done.''

Remember we can always ask God to strengthen our will. This prayer pleases Almighty God and He will answer us, and bless us with His character, His holiness.

The imperishable value of accepting all the little sufferings of Sacrifices and the Crosses (and doing our penances) is that this is the only way souls are converted and saved. Uniting The Cross and The Sacrifice and our penances affects the entire Universe. Every soul is affected by His Redeeming Power.

So when God asks us, ''Are you willing to suffer, make a little sacrifice and accept the Cross? Let us open our arms as wide as possible on the Cross and say Yes. May Almighty God always be glorified.

Nike,

Do not worry nor be afraid. Remember those who fled, because they could not stand the horror!
Jesus even instructed the many to stay away because of the eminent evil about to take place.
He knows all souls, He reads hearts the thoughts in them. He knows who is tender, how it will affect. God knows all things past, present and future. He knows who will be sitting at the Table in Heaven. He already knows. Jesus keeps saying over and over, How He will defeat Satan and his followers. By saying this from the past in time, He says it from the Eternal Now. Which is beyond time. Thus in Heaven things have been accomplished. But on earth it is being played out.

There is a passage in Poem where Jesus explains what Heaven is in terms of the Perfect, the things that are Perfected regarding our souls. He sees them. Remember when Jesus reviewd St.Stephen the first martyr? He said: "Early Fruit, A crown with a Jewel is on your forehead". But He did not say, you will be my first martyr. Interesting. So, what I have said is true. It is not what I say but what Christ has revealed to us. Prophecied for us laymen. Not to mix words up. Just using some tactics here to explain a bit in detail.

So God already knows your heart and your future destiny. It is for you to take it and rely totally on your Savior Jesus Christ. Be free as God made you free! Ah, Maria, Ave Maria!

Blessed Mother of God, Holy Queen of the Universe, Queen of Angels, Queen of Apostles, grant to your servant, many blessings to open her heart to Thee in all mysteries, through Christ and His Sacred Heart. Amen.

Blessed be God,
Blessed be His Angels and Saints
Blessed be Jesus Christ, Only Son of the Father,
Blessed be His servants who serve Thee in time.
Blessed be the Church, Thy mystical Body
Blessed be the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

.

Thank you Poem and OLOV.

These posts are very helpful. I really have felt guilty about picking up the rosary to pray and thinking ...'good, it isn't Friday, I don't have to pray the sorrowful mysteries". Seriously, how selfish is that...Jesus suffered so tremendously and I do not want to feel the discomfort of meditating on what little I know about that suffering..???
I am wondering if we will ever, even in eternity, know what Christ went through to unite us again with the Father. Our Blessed Mother knew and shared in that same suffering....She did not asked to be spared for the sake of her comfort..
I am thinking that my problem stems from a real and true lack of love for God on my part. Saints wanted a share in His passion, if only a tiny bit of it....love wants to be united to the Lover in all aspects...therefore I will ask for that increase in His love..(in my heart)...

Thank you both. You have helped me much today...

God Bless you
Mary

well, good for you!

I am wondering if we will ever, even in eternity, know what Christ went through to unite us again with the Father. Our Blessed Mother knew and shared in that same suffering....She did not asked to be spared for the sake of her comfort..

You are right, Mary. No, Blessed Mother didn't ask God to spare Her this suffering for the sake of comfort. Mary, you've been given such great insight by the Holy Spirit! Her willingness to not be spared from comfort is part of Her participation in the Sacrifice (her surrender of comfort) of the Cross.

Oh Mary, because She did not ask to be spared, God crowned her as Queen of Heaven and Earth. So you see, as you are hearing the Holy Spirit invite you and ask you to imitate Blessed Mother's example, (to share in His Sacrifice) God will reward you too. Souls are only converted and saved this way Mary. It's His promise in Sacred Scriptures. God makes us worthy to receive Him. You are the blessed fruit of Her womb, in Jesus.

We have so much to be grateful about. And I think we will appreciate His Sacrifice and His Cross in Heaven. Is this not why - all the angels and saints constantly Praise Him who sits on the throne, repeatedly saying: Holy, Holy, Holy


Mary I still struggle so much, when it comes to praying the Sorrowful Mysteries of the most holy rosary. It helps me, to go to God in prayer, through Blessed Mother. God helps me overcome it, by asking Him to increase my gratitude to Him, in little ways, for all the little sorrows He brings in my life (including accepting the sorrows of my weaknesses with the Hope in God alone Christ will be my very strength.)

I am just so grateful that I kept asking Christ to increase my appreciation for His Suffering, Sacrifice and the Cross. God is faithful and He always answers this prayer b/c it is very pleasing to Him. He increased His perspective, for me, which I find it all quite exciting. So as I struggle, I just keep asking Him to help me see and keep thanking Him, b/c this is God's will. Christ brings me so much joy.

http://www.rosary-center.org/sorrow.htm

O GOD, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech Thee, that meditating upon these mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.

You all bless me so much..