Prayer for Grace for our Country

Dear Father united to Jesus in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Sacrifice of Calvary sacramentally made present, celebrated around the world, in the Holy Spirit. We offer up all we do united to the Mass. We unite in one mind and one heart as members of the mystical body of Christ, with Christ our head in the pure and holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary, through the powerful intercession of Mary with all the angels and saints and souls in purgatory, and we beg for the saving grace, for our country, the United States. Please help us. We further pray for unity to always do the will of God in love. We spread the Blood of Jesus on the leaders and people of the United States and cast the devil into hell. We consecrate our country to the Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart and all our dioceses, and beg for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. God help us. We pray for our families, the priests, the Church and the world. In the Name of Jesus please hear us, we pray. We pray for our president and leaders. We pray that we are united as one nation under God to work together in love as God wants.  

November 27, 2019

 

 

 

                The Agony in the Garden

                (1) Sacrifice – we can get bitter or better –
                    When we do something lovingly for others
                    we can do it to help others –
                    even though we may have to sacrifice
                    and it costs us to do it.

                (2) Sacrifice – We can give into being bitter –
                    give into woundedness and think
                    of how we did so much and
                    nobody did anything for us –
                    be bitter about our sacrifice.

                (3) Sacrifice – Jesus suffered, He sacrificed
                    Himself for our sins –

                (4) We go to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
                    and we pray united begging for
                    grace for us and the world.

                (5) The fountains open up and the heavenly
                    Father can outpour grace from
                    the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass –

                (6) Sacrifice becomes better, not bitter –
                    our giving can help others –

                (7) Parents sacrifice for children – to help
                    them be born, grow, go to school –

                (8) It is love – love gives for the good
                    of the others –

                (9) Sacrifice or Selfishness.

                (10) Christ gives us Himself in love
                    in the Mass –
                    Eucharist – Thanksgiving.

                The Scourging at the Pillar

                (1) We are wounded and we learn to not
                    let that woundednss rule our
                    lives.

                (2) A person can give and give and give
                    in love for others –
                    Look at Jesus at the pillar –

                (3) Jesus was whipped for our offenses
                    against God and others –

                (4) Jesus paid a precious price for our
                    sins.

                (5) Jesus loves us so very much, today –

                (6) We can become bitter or better –
                    We can grow more and more in the image
                    of God. God is love – Love gives
                    for the good of the other.

                (7) We are called to do God's will – If
                    someone has hurt us, wounded
                    us – it is poison in us to hold
                    a pity-party and hatred toward
                    them –

                (8) Forgiveness helps us to be free – not
                    be trapped in anger and
                    controlled by hatred, unloving ways
                    toward others –

                (9) Jesus showed us how He wants to
                    forgive us. We must tell Him we
                    are sorry for offending God in
                    unloving hateful ways and
                    move on to forgiveness and love.

                (10) God is merciful – God loves us –
                    God wants us to let go of
                    unloving, hateful ways and love!

                The Crowning with Thorns

                (1) God calls us to love –
                    Love God and love others as ourselves.

                (2) We spend time with ourselves all day –
                    talking, thinking, reflecting with
                    ourselves.
                    Do we like ourselves? Do we love
                    ourselves?

                (3) God created us for a purpose to
                    love Him – to love others –
                    to love ourselves.

                (4) What is our attitude about ourselves?
                    God created us – God doesn't make
                    junk! We are wounded, we make
                    mistakes – God loves us – We need
                    to ask for forgiveness and mercy – 

                (5) Get better not bitter.

                (6) God wants us to be loving –
                    Loving begins in loving the
                    beautiful person God created –
                    being sorry for unloving
                    sinful ways – telling the truth
                    about ourselves - to ourselves and God!

                (7) We are sinners, a work in progress –
                    we hurt others – We are to grow
                    in forgiveness and love –

                (8) Jesus was crowned for the sins of pride.
                    Pride is a deadly sin –
                    The First Commandment says –
                    I put God first –

                (9) Matthew 22: 36-40 

                  (10) Jesus wants to come to our hearts –
                    In Baptism He gives us a sharing
                        in His life.
                    He opens up the supernatural life
                        to us.
                    If we remain in the state of grace –
                        The Father, Son and Holy Spirit dwell
                            in the graced, baptized
                            soul.
                            Life is in Him!

                The Carrying of the Cross

                (1) Jesus carried the cross – the heavy
                    cross laden with our sins –

                (2) Jesus was the innocent Lamb
                    led to the slaughter.

                (3) Isaiah 52: 13- 53: 12

Fourth song of the servant

Look, my servant will prosper,
will grow great, will rise to great heights.

As many people were aghast at him
—he was so inhumanly disfigured
that he no longer looked like a man—
so many nations will be astonished
and kings will stay tight–lipped
    before him,
seeing what had never been told them,
learning what they had not heard before.
Who has given credence
    to what we have heard?
And who has seen in it
    a revelation of Yahweh’s arm?
Like a sapling he grew up before him,
like a root in arid ground.
He had no form or charm to attract us,
no beauty to win our hearts; 
he was despised, the lowest of men,
a man of sorrows, familiar with suffering,
one from whom, as it were,
   we averted our gaze,
despised, for whom we had no regard.
Yet ours were the sufferings
   he was bearing,
ours the sorrows he was carrying,
while we thought of him
   as someone being punished
and struck with affliction by God;
whereas he was being wounded
   for our rebellions,
crushed because of our guilt;
the punishment reconciling us fell on him,
and we have been healed by his bruises.
We had all gone astray like sheep,
each taking his own way,
and Yahweh brought the acts of rebellion
of all of us to bear on him.
Ill-treated and afflicted,
he never opened his mouth,
like a lamb led to the slaughter-house,
like a sheep dumb before its shearers
he never opened his mouth.

Forcibly, after sentence, he was taken.
Which of his contemporaries
   was concerned
at his having been cut off
   from the land of the living,
at his having been struck dead
   for his people’s rebellion?
He was given a grave with the wicked,
and his tomb is with the rich,
although he had done no violence,
had spoken no deceit.

It was Yahweh’s good pleasure
   to crush him with pain;
if he gives his life as a sin offering,
he will see his offspring
   and prolong his life,
and through him
   Yahweh’s good pleasure will be done.

After the ordeal he has endured,
he will see the light and be content.
By his knowledge, the upright one,
   my servant will justify many
by taking their guilt on himself.

Hence I shall give him a portion
    with the many,
and he will share the booty
    with the mighty,
for having exposed himself to death
and for being counted
    as one of the rebellious,
whereas he was bearing the sin of many
and interceding for the rebellious.

                (4) Jesus fell under the weight of the cross,
                    He got up and He went on.
                    We can't stay under the weight
                    of the cross and throw a
                    pity-party for ourselves –

                (5) Jesus fell 3 times –
                    Jesus got up 3 times –

                (6) Isaiah 50: 4-7

Third song of the servant

Lord Yahweh has given me 
    a disciple’s tongue, 
for me to know how to give 
    a word of comfort to the weary. 
Morning by morning 
    he makes my ear alert 
to listen like a disciple. 
Lord Yahweh has opened my ear 
and I have not resisted, 
I have not turned away. 
I have offered my back 
    to those who struck me, 
my cheeks to those 
    who plucked my beard; 
I have not turned my face away 
from insult and spitting. 
Lord Yahweh comes to my help, 
this is why insult has not touched me, 
this is why I have set my face like flint 
and know that I shall not 
    be put to shame. 
 

                (7) And the voice of the Father was heard
                    "You are my beloved Son, with you
                    I am well please."

                (8) Jesus came – He taught us about love.

                (9) Jesus suffered for our sins –
                    God is love –

                (10) Isaiah 49: 1-6

Second song of the servant

Coasts and islands, listen to me,
pay attention, distant peoples.
Yahweh called me when I was in the womb,
before my birth
    he had pronounced my name. 
He made my mouth like a sharp sword, 
he hid me in the shadow of his hand. 
He made me into a sharpened arrow 
and concealed me in his quiver. 
He said to me, ‘Israel, you are my servant, 
through whom I shall manifest my glory.’ 
But I said, ‘My toil has been futile, 
I have exhausted myself for nothing, 
    to no purpose.’ 
Yet all the while 
    my cause was with Yahweh 
and my reward with my God. 
And now Yahweh has spoken, 
who formed me in the womb 
    to be his servant, 
to bring Jacob back to him 
and to re–unite Israel to him;
—I shall be honoured in Yahweh’s eyes, 
and my God has been my strength.— 
He said, ‘It is not enough for you 
    to be my servant, 
to restore the tribes of Jacob 
    and bring back the survivors of Israel; 
I shall make you a light to the nations 
so that my salvation may reach 
    the remotest parts of earth.    

From China

                Jesus Died on the Cross

                (1) Isaiah 42: 1-4, 6-7

First song of the servant

Here is my servant whom I uphold, 
my chosen one 
    in whom my soul delights. 
I have sent my spirit upon him, 
he will bring fair judgement to the nations. 
He does not cry out or raise his voice, 
his voice is not heard in the street; 
he does not break the crushed reed 
or snuff the faltering wick. 
Faithfully he presents fair judgement; 
he will not grow faint, 
    he will not be crushed 
until he has established 
    fair judgement on earth, 
and the coasts and islands 
    are waiting for his instruction.  

I, Yahweh, have called you 
    in saving justice, 
I have grasped you by the hand 
    and shaped you; 
I have made you a covenant of the people 
and light to the nations, 
to open the eyes of the blind, 
to free captives from prison, 
and those who live in darkness 
    from the dungeon. 
 

                (2) November 23, 1998

                    Jesus: I went through My bitter Passion.
                    I sweat the saving Blood for those I loved.
                    I was wounded and beaten.
                    I was spat on and crowned with thorns.
                    My beloved men, it is love I come to give
                    you, yet your hearts are filled with
                    hatred and worldly desires.

                (3) November 23, 1998

                    Jesus: My way is the same to you this day. I walked
                    the earth to teach you My way.

                (4) Jesus: Almost 2000 years later have you changed
                    your hearts, My beloved earth?

                    After I have been on this earth for
                        almost 2000 years in the Holy
                        Eucharist, have you changed
                        your ways?

                (5) Sing: A Song from Jesus

                (6) How tenderly He loves us, that God
                    came to this earth and gave
                    Himself for love of us.

                (7) Lamb of God

                (8) From Tell My People by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J.

Jesus: "My beloved priest-companion, tell My people that they must keep the lesson of the cross fresh in their consciousness. Remind them that I am the Christ of the Cross as well as the Christ of the Resurrection. I suffered tremendously on My way to death on the cross. My sacred flesh was so cruelly lacerated by the scourging. My sacred head was so cruelly and mockingly crowned with thorns. I was spat upon and made fun of. Exhausted by terrible suffering, I still had to carry the heavy cross to Calvary. There My sacred hands and feet were mercilessly pierced with nails. Oh, what pain this caused Me!

"I suffered all this most willingly--out of love for My Father and for all My people! Through My cross, through My suffering, I obtained new life for My people. Through My cruel and brutal death, I achieved Resurrection for Myself and all My people. My suffering was not an end in itself. It was a necessary passageway to obtain the life I came to give.

"My people must share in My cross, so that they may share more and more in My life. Remind My people, My dear friend, that suffering, when embraced according to My Father's will, leads to greater life here and hereafter. The cross, properly carried, always leads to a greater share in My Resurrection.

"Tell My people that the more they are united with Me in love, the easier is the carrying of the cross. The more one dwells in Me, the more I help that person to carry the cross. In this way, even the heaviest cross becomes relatively light.

"Carrying the cross does not mean to be in misery. Carrying one's cross in union with Me always allows a person to remain in peace. The cross does not take away peace and joy. Despite the pain involved, the cross gives increased peace and joy. I am Lord and Master. I eagerly desire that all listen to My words and live them!

"My people, come each day to My Heart and I will give you the light and strength to carry your cross according to Father's will! I love My people with an overwhelming love, and in this great love I give them this message."

Reflection: One does not have to reflect on the human condition for very long to be reminded of how much suffering exists in all parts of the world. And yet, the great tragedy concerning human suffering is not that there is so much of it, but rather that so much of it is apparently wasted. In God's plan, suffering is meant to lead to greater life, a greater share in Christ's Resurrection here and hereafter. Suffering does just that, if we relate to it according to God's will. To the extent we don't relate to the cross as God's will would have us, we miss the opportunity for suffering to be growth-promoting.

Jesus tells us about the cross and its linkage to life in the Gospel: "Then to all he said: 'If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross everyday and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, that man will save it'" (Luke 9:23-24).

And St. Paul tells us: "We are in difficulties on all sides, but never cornered; we see no answer to our problems, but never despair; we have been persecuted, but never deserted; knocked down, but never killed; always, wherever we may be, we carry with us in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus, too, may always be seen in our body" (2 Corinthians 4:8-10).

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we ask for the light and strength to cope with suffering according to Your will. Give us a great love for Christ crucified! Allow us to carry our cross with an ever greater love for God and neighbor! We make this petition in union with Jesus and Mary and in the Holy Spirit.

                (9) 2 Corinthians 4: 8-10

                (10) From the Priestly Newsletter - July/August 1994 Issue               

Chief Shepherd of the Flock

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd is one who lays down his life for his sheep. The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and the sheep do not belong to him, abandons the sheep and runs away as soon as he sees a wolf coming, and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep; this is because he is only a hired man and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep. (Jn 10:11-15¹)

He hung upon a cross on a hill called Calvary. Death was near. How much Jesus had already suffered! He had been brutally scourged. Much of His sacred body was a bloody, open wound. He had been derisively crowned with thorns. In a terribly weakened condition, He carried the heavy cross to the hill of Golgotha. There He was stripped of His garments and mercilessly nailed to the cross. After all this brutal and agonizing suffering, Jesus finally died.

Truly, the Good Shepherd had laid down His life for His sheep. That magnificent Heart, overflowing with love for His Father and all of us, had beat Its last:

“It was Preparation Day, and to prevent the bodies remaining on the cross during the sabbath—since that sabbath was a day of special solemnity—the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken away. Consequently the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with him and then of the other. When they came to Jesus, they found He was already dead, and so instead of breaking His legs one of the soldiers pierced His side with a lance. And immediately there came out blood and water.” (Jn 19: 31-34).

Indeed, from the pierced Heart of Christ the Church with her sacraments was born. Two of these sacraments, the Eucharist and Baptism, are symbolized by the blood and water flowing from Christ’s side. The sacrament of Orders was, of course, also born from the pierced Heart of Christ. We who are priests can never adequately thank Jesus for allowing us to receive this great and most special sacrament. The best way we can try to thank Him, though, is to utilize our priesthood to the fullest. We priests have the great privilege and the great responsibility of being special companions of the Chief Shepherd of the flock, Jesus Himself.

Jesus laid down His life for His sheep. Being shepherds of the Chief Shepherd we, too, are called to lay down our lives for the flock. Relatively few priests in the course of the Church’s history have been called to lay down their lives in physical martyrdom. All, though, have been and are called to lay down their lives for the flock by giving themselves in loving service according to the Father’s will.

We are effective shepherds to the extent we are united with Christ. Let’s resolve each day of our priestly existence to utilize all the means available to deepen our union with Jesus, Chief Shepherd of the flock.