Tag Archives: prayer

To Have, To Hold, To Honor

14 Sunday Feb 2021

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World Marriage Sunday 2021

To bear witness to the inestimable value of the indissolubility and fidelity of marriage is one of the most precious and most urgent tasks of Christian couples in our time.[1]

Today the Church celebrates World Marriage Sunday. Fittingly, this year it coincides with the Feast of St. Valentine, patron saint of happy marriages. “To Have, To Hold, To Honor” is the theme designated by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. According to the Bishops, it is a time to reflect on the gift marriage is to our Church and our country, as well as an opportunity for couples to build up their own marriages.

Indeed, marriage is a gift to the Church and our country. St. John Paul II said, “The future of humanity passes by way of the family.”[2] The family is the bedrock of society. The health of our culture and nation depends on the health of families. We are living in troubling times and many of our social ills are related to the breakup of the family.

What does a healthy family look like? It is a family that fulfills its mission. St. John Paul II, in his Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio (The Family in the Modern World), said…

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God Renews His Promise

25 Friday Dec 2020

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Adoration of the sheperds_Matthias Stomer_c1632

Adoration of the Shepherds
Matthias Stom, c. 1632

Do not fear…do not be discouraged! The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior, Who will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love… Zephaniah 3:16-17

This has been a very difficult year. We have been attacked by a virus that has much of the United States on lockdown. Many have been infected, some to the point of losing their lives. Many major cities in our country have been under assault by rioting and looting. People are out of work due to forced lockdowns and many businesses are failing. Our country is divided on what direction we should be taking in the future. So many individuals are angry, hopeless, and in despair.

Christmas has come in spite of all that we have faced this year. We have a mighty savior in our midst and we need not be afraid. He has come to renew us and save us from sin and death. God came to earth in human form to be close to us and He did it out of pure love. We are safe in the loving arms of Jesus.

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Remedy for Fear and Anxiety During the Lockdown

08 Sunday Nov 2020

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st-dymphnaLast week we discussed finding peace in the midst of the pandemic lockdown. Are you feeling anxious and overwhelmed? Are your days filled with fear and worry? In prison, Paul wrote to the young church at Philippi, exhorting them to follow his remedy for anxiety, fear, and worry.

Philippians 4:4-7 (RSV)

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.

5 Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand.

6 Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

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Call for a National Day of Prayer and Fasting

09 Sunday Aug 2020

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National Day of Prayer and Fasting

President Abraham Lincoln called our nation to fast and pray for peace and unity on three separate occasions. His first proclamation was three months after the start on the Civil War, on August 12, 1861. In this proclamation, he set the fourth Thursday in September as a “day of public humiliation, prayer, and fasting” for the welfare of the nation.

Sensing the need for all citizens to pray and fast for the welfare of our country, Fr. John Riccardo and the ACTS XXIX team (Mary Guilfoyle, Nick Jorgenson, and Dcn. Steve Mitchell) have taken the lead to encourage a day of prayer and fasting for our nation on September 24th, the fourth Thursday in September. This also happens to be the Feast Day of Our Lady of Ransom. Oh, how our nation needs to be ransomed from the slavery of sin, divisiveness and violence that plagues our land!

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Making Room for Jesus

22 Sunday Dec 2019

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Slide4

And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Luke 2:7

Christmas is only a few days away. During these weeks of Advent, we have been emphasizing the importance of slowing down to spend time with Jesus instead of getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of the secular holiday season. Have you made time in your schedule to spend time with Jesus, contemplating His love, mercy, and forgiveness?

Thankfully, it is not too late. During the next couple of days, block out some time to quiet your heart and fix your eyes on Jesus, so that you can experience the wonder and awe of Christmas like never before.

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Building Our Life on Christ

15 Sunday Dec 2019

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Slide3

During Advent, we have been emphasizing the importance of slowing down to spend time with Jesus instead of getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of the secular holiday season. The world has lost sight of what we are celebrating: the coming of the Christ child into the world for our salvation.

There are three ways to spend time with Jesus: The Sacraments, Scripture, and prayer. The foundation of our lives needs to be built on the solid rock of Jesus Christ.

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We Give Thanks

22 Thursday Nov 2018

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Freedom-from-Want_Norman Rockwell

Freedom from Want by Norman Rockwell

Published in the March 6, 1943 issue of The Saturday Evening Post

The fourth Thursday of November in the United States is a day set aside to thank God for His many blessings on our nation. The first National Day of Thanksgiving was in 1789. Here is a portion of the text of the declaration signed by George Washington:

NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country.

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The Rosary: A Powerful Weapon to Protect Families

14 Sunday Oct 2018

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Two of the Three Fatima Children, Jacinta Marto and Lúcia dos Santos

The Church dedicates the entire month of October to Our Lady of the Rosary. It was during October, 1917 that the last of six apparitions of Our Blessed Mother to three shepherd children occurred at Fátima, Portugal. In her appearances to the children – Lúcia, Francisco, and Jacinta – the Virgin Mary requested conversion, prayer, particularly the recitation of the Rosary, and sacrifices on behalf of sinners.

Ralph Martin, president of Renewal Ministries discussed the urgent message of Fatima during a recent episode of the EWTN TV series The Choices We Face. The TV series began in 1985 and is currently the longest running Catholic television program in the world. We highly recommend that you watch this important message:

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O Sorrowful Mother, Pray for Our Families

15 Saturday Sep 2018

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Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

William Adolphe Bouguereau, Pieta, 1876

Today the Church celebrates the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. This title was given to the Virgin Mary to reflect the sorrows in her life, especially her intense suffering and grief during the passion and death of her son and our Lord, Jesus Christ.

In addition to suffering at the foot of the cross, Mary endured many sorrowful events in her life, collectively known as the Seven Sorrows (or Dolors):

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The Mass: A Life-Changing Encounter with Jesus – Part III

18 Sunday Mar 2018

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eucharist

In response to Archbishop Allen Vigneron’s request in his recent pastoral letter Unleash the Gospel, to provide “opportunities for families to encounter Jesus anew, grow daily as His disciples, and give witness to the power of His mercy,” we have undertaken a study of what happens in the Mass.

Pope Benedict XVI at his January 11, 2012 general audience explained that the Eucharist is “the apex” of all Christian prayers. He stressed the need for proper preparation for receiving the Eucharist, especially the Sacrament of Penance. Pope Benedict called the Eucharist “the food of pilgrims” and “a source of strength” for those who are “tired, weary and disoriented.”

With this in mind, we offer the third in our series based on the Parish Mission at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Plymouth, Michigan given by Abbot Jeremy Driscoll, OSB, “The Mass: Supreme Encounter with God in Jesus.”

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