Devotion for today: Pray the Office for the Dead (Liturgy of the Hours)

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Office of the Dead - Evening Prayer

(Make Sign of the Cross) God, come to my assistance.
–Lord make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia

HYMN
O radiant light, O Sun divine
Of God the Father’s deathless face,
O image of the light sublime
That fills the heav’nly dwelling place.

Lord Jesus Christ, as daylight fades,
As shine the lights of eventide,
We praise the Father with the Son,
The Spirit blest and with them one.

O Son of God, the source of life,
Praise is your due by night and day,
Unsullied lips must raise the strain
Of your proclaimed and splendid name.

PSALMODY
Antiphon 1: The Lord will keep you from all evil. He will guard your soul.

Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the mountains:
from where shall come my help?
My help shall come from the Lord
who made heaven and earth.

May he never allow you to stumble!
Let him sleep not, your guard.
No, he sleeps not nor slumbers,
Israel’s guard.

The Lord is your guard and your shade;
at your right hand he stands.
By day the sun shall not smite you
nor the moon in the night.

The Lord will guard you from evil,
he will guard your soul.
The Lord will guard your going and coming
both now and forever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Antiphon 1: The Lord will keep you from all evil. He will guard your soul.

Antiphon 2: If you kept a record of our sins, Lord, who could escape condemnation?

Psalm 130

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord,
Lord hear my voice!
O let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleading.

If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt,
Lord, who would survive?
But with you is found forgiveness:
for this we revere you.

My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word.
My soul is longing for the Lord
more than watchman for daybreak.

Let the watchman count on daybreak
and Israel on the Lord.
Because with the Lord there is mercy
and fullness of redemption,
Israel indeed he will redeem
from all its iniquity.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Antiphon 2: If you kept a record of our sins, Lord, who could escape condemnation?

(continued tomorrow)

Devotion for today: Pray for the dead, and the dead will pray for you

Today, Nov. 2, is All Souls Day. Let's see where the practice of praying for the dead has its roots.

Scripture for meditation2 Maccabees Chapter 12:40-46
But under the tunic of each of the dead they found amulets sacred to the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbids the Jews to wear. So it was clear to all that this was why these men had fallen. They all therefore praised the ways of the Lord, the just judge who brings to light the things that are hidden. Turning to supplication, they prayed that the sinful deed might be fully blotted out. The noble Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves free from sin, for they had seen with their own eyes what had happened because of the sin of those who had fallen. He then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection in mind; for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought.Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from their sin.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us: III. THE FINAL PURIFICATION, OR PURGATORY

1030 All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.
1031 The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire: As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come.
1032 This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture: "Therefore [Judas Maccabeus] made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin." From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God. The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead: Let us help and commemorate them. If Job's sons were purified by their father's sacrifice, why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them.

This excerpt is taken from the website "Our Catholic Prayers":Have you lost a loved one who passed away, or know someone who has? Prayers for souls in purgatory can help them! While we can derive great comfort from the hope that our loved ones are enjoying Eternal Life with God, it never hurts to pray for their souls in any case. In purgatory, the souls of many of those who have died in God’s grace undergo purification so that they may enter heaven. November is traditionally an especially important month to pray for those in purgatory, and many visit the graves of the departed on All Souls' Day While the sacrament of penance (confession) is essential for the forgiveness of sins, purgatory may still be necessary for many of us to satisfy the temporal punishment still due for venial and forgiven mortal sins. To get a better handle on what this means, think of a kid who breaks a window while playing ball. He can, and should, apologize to the person whose window has been broken, but either he or his parents, (or both!) still have to pay to fix it! While the souls in purgatory can do nothing for themselves, their purification "pays for the damages" of their sins. It makes whatever restitution remains for these sins to God. However, our prayers for these souls can help alleviate their sufferings and help them reach heaven more quickly. Although they can no longer pray for themselves, they can and do pray for us as well out of gratitude! In addition to saying prayers for souls in purgatory such as these, we can help them by having masses said for the departed and by engaging in works of charity and sacrifice on their behalf. Also, as Patrick Madrid, the well known author and lecturer, has noted, the degree of grace with which we bear our own misfortunes, offering them up to God for the forgiveness of sins, can shorten whatever time in purgatory we ourselves might face. Keep in mind, however, that for the souls in purgatory there is great joy as well as pain. They know for certain they are bound for heaven! St. Catherine of Genoa wrote of the “flame of love” in purgatory removing what she called “the rust and stain of sins” and filling souls there with an intense longing for God’s eternal embrace. Talk about a burning desire! Remember that our prayers for souls in purgatory, along with our sacrifices and sufferings bared with grace, can shorten their time there (and perhaps ours as well). Christmas is known to be one of the biggest days of the year for the release of souls from purgatory to heaven. What better gift can we give them than our prayers?
http://www.ourcatholicprayers.com/prayers-for-souls-in-purgatory.html

Prayer:

St. Gertrude the Great is invoked for souls in purgatory and for living sinners. Our Lord told St. Getrude that the following prayer would release 1000 souls from purgatory each time it is said. The prayer was extended to include living sinners as well.
"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen."

Devotion for today: For all the saints

Today is the Feast of All Saints. In the Creed we state that we believe in the “Communion of Saints.” What does that mean?

Scripture for meditation: Revelation 7:9

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,

The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us: 960 The Church is a "communion of saints": this expression refers first to the "holy things" (sancta), above all the Eucharist, by which "the unity of believers, who form one body in Christ, is both represented and brought about" (LG3).

961 The term "communion of saints" refers also to the communion of "holy persons" (sancti) in Christ who "died for all," so that what each one does or suffers in and for Christ bears fruit for all.

962 "We believe in the communion of all the faithful of Christ, those who are pilgrims on earth, the dead who are being purified, and the blessed in heaven, all together forming one Church; and we believe that in this communion, the merciful love of God and his saints is always [attentive] to our prayers" (Paul VI, CPG § 30).

Marcellino D’Ambrosio, Ph.D tells us: All Saints Day Means Holiness for All

…Holiness is not about what you do but with how much love you do it.  Holiness is really the perfection of faith, hope, and sharing in God’s very nature, which is love (I John 4:8). We are talking about a special kind of love here, the love that gives freely of itself to another, that even lays down its own priorities, interests, and very life, for another. So is holiness difficult to attain?  No.  It is impossible, at least on our own steam.  But that’s the thrill of it all.  God invites us into an intimate relationship with Him through Jesus.  He takes up residence within us and makes it possible to love with His love. Grace is the love of God that comes into our hearts as a free, undeserved gift and enables us to be like God. So that means spending all our time in chapel?  No it means doing daily, ordinary things with extraordinary love.  The Virgin Mary, our greatest example of holiness, was a housewife and a mother.  Jesus and his foster father, St. Joseph, apparently spend most of their lives doing manual labor.  But when Mary did the wash, she did it for love When Joseph made a table, he did it for love.  When hardship and danger threatened, they met it with faith, hope, and love. So holiness is for every baptized person, regardless of personality type, career, age, race, or marital status.  In baptism, we are all reborn with the spiritual muscles necessary to get us across the finish line.  Yet these muscles must be nourished and exercised if they are ever to develop and carry us the full distance.  God provides the necessary nourishment in the Word of God and the Eucharist.  And he sends us ample opportunities to exercise. But there’s the rub–many of us don’t want to exert ourselves.  It can be uncomfortable.  We stretch a bit to finish school, to excel at sports, to win the heart of the love of our lives.  But when it comes to the things of the Spirit, we often settle with being couch potatoes. Leon Bloy, a French Catholic writer, once said “the only tragedy in life is not to become a saint.”  Holiness is about realizing our deepest, greatest potential, becoming who we were truly destined to be.  What a shame it would be to miss it.

 http://www.crossroadsinitiative.com

My thoughts: “Holiness is not about what you do but with how much love you do it.” Have we ever really thought about that statement? We should, because it is the difference between being a good person, and being a saint. A saint only does what he does because he loves God. He sees God in every child he feeds, in every senior citizen he visits, in every driver he lets cut in front of himJ. Really. A saint does not do anything to get “credit” in heaven or to get recognition on earth. A saint doesn’t look for the easy way in life, but the road less traveled in order to bring the love of Christ to others. I think if we constantly nourish ourselves with the Eucharist, spend time in devotion before the Blessed Sacrament, and pray every day, we will find ourselves avoiding “the only tragedy in life” and instead, spend our lives becoming saints. How joyful we will be!!

Prayer: Almighty and Everlasting God,
who enkindles the flame of Thy love in the hearts of the saints,
grant to us the same faith and power of love;
that, as we rejoice in their triumphs
we may profit by their examples, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Gothic Missal

Devotion for today: Jesus, Mary and Joseph, teach me the wisdom of true humility

Oh my Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love you,

Teach me the wisdom of true Humility,

Give me the courage to accept from the Holy Spirit

Just what was, is, to be.

Let my thoughts be always Charitable

And help me to be Obedient

and give a Good Example to others.

Oh, my beloved, thou also My God,

Make my heart a flame of pure love for you.

Give me this virtue of Humility

To Know, Understand and live my life

In order to become like Jesus

At the hour and moment

at midnight in Bethlehem in piercing cold.

Forgive me Jesus, for all my weaknesses and temptations,

And help me to renounce the world, the flesh and the devil,

in order to live in a closer unity with my heavenly Father,

so that I may unite myself with you.

Amen.

P.S. This prayer was compiled as the Old Year merged into the New Millennium by Thomas McCormack, the producer/ director of film- documentary “The Call to Fatima” (http://www.alwayscatholic.com/?page_id=1866)