Begin St. Therese Novena Sept. 22 September 19, 2011
Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Basics, Dallas Diocese, General Catholic, Interior Life, religious, Saints.comments closed
Many, me included, have a particular devotion to St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy
Face. A novena is being offered – an effort involving thousands of Catholics – beginning Sept. 22, for St. Therese’s intercession. There are two versions of the novena I’ve found – a shorter one here, and a somewhat longer one at EWTN.
I’ll post some of the version from EWTN below:
Little Flower Novena
Prayers to be said each day:
Come Holy Spirit and fill the hearts of the faithful, and kindle in them the fire of divine love.
V. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created.
R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray: O God, who have instructed the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit; grant that by the gift of the same Spirit, we may be ever truly wise and rejoice in His consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Acts of Faith, Hope, and Love: O my God! I believe in Thee: strengthen my faith. All my hopes are in Thee: do Thou secure them. I love Thee: teach me to love Thee daily more and more.
The Act of Contrition: O my God! I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend You, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance , and to amend my life. Amen.
Concluding Prayer Prayed Each Day:
O Lord, You have said: Unless you become as little children you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven; grant us, we beg You, so to follow, in humility and simplicity of heart, the footsteps of the Virgin blessed Thérèse, that we may attain to an everlasting reward. Amen.
First Day
St. Thérèse, privileged Little Flower of Jesus and Mary, I approach you with childlike confidence and deep humility. I lay before you my desires, and beg that through your intercession they may be realized. Did you not promise to spend your heaven doing good upon earth? Grant me according to this promise the favors I am asking from you.
Intercede for us all the days of our life, but specially during this Novena and obtain for us from God the graces and favors we ask through your intercession. Amen.
Thought for the day: Confidence in God. We can never have too much confidence in the good God who is so powerful and so merciful. We obtain from Him as much as we hope for.
If you are nothing, do you forget that Jesus is everything? You have only to lose your nothingness in His Infinity and think only of loving Him.
Texas Right to Life endorsement for Rick Perry September 19, 2011
Posted by Tantumblogo in Abortion, awesomeness, Basics, Dallas Diocese, episcopate, General Catholic, North Deanery, sadness, sickness, Society.comments closed
From Bishop Rene Gracida’s blog, Texas Right to Life has a piece proclaiming Rick Perry’s pro-life views, which TRL claims trump all other Repubnikan candidates:
Texas Right to Life has enjoyed a fruitful relationship with our Pro-Life Governor, Rick Perry, since before he was elected Lieutenant Governor in 1998; therefore, we are quite pleased that this Pro-Life champion has entered the race for President of the United States. While the Republican candidates who have already declared their candidacy also espouse Pro-Life views, Governor Perry’s record is unmatched.
Governor Perry enthusiastically signed the Pro-Life pledge put forth by our colleagues at the Susan B. Anthony List. He has been an outspoken and unapologetic advocate for protecting the sanctity of human life from fertilization until natural death, and he has effectively put his advocacy into action during his tenure as Texas’ top official.
No state in recent years has passed more Pro-Life legislation or removed more tax dollars from Planned Parenthood, the nation’s leading abortion committer, than Texas. In fact, Governor Perry partnered with Texas Right to Life to cut revenue to the abortion industry in the state’s budget in the recent 2011 Legislative Session. As a direct result, seven Planned Parenthood affiliated clinics are closing in North Texas.
When Texas Right to Life personally verified the clinic closings, the staff at these agencies confirmed that the loss of public funds [that’s my money and your money] was the sole reason for the closures. And Governor Perry helped Texas Right to Life take it away from Planned Parenthood, America’s largest abortion provider…………
……..
…….Texas Right to Life also engineered efforts to take $64 million dollars away from the abortion industry through cuts to the state’s family planning budget. After eight amendments passed overwhelmingly in the State House, we had to remain vigilant to ensure that this funding was not restored. Governor Perry and his staff sent a clear message to the legislators who were writing the final version of the state’s budget bill: “Not one cent was to be moved back to the abortion industry.” And not one penny was. The result: Seven Planned Parenthood affiliates are closing in North Texas.
During the Special Session of the 82nd Legislature, a bill was passed to reorganize health care services delivered through Medicaid and Medicare. As passed by both chambers, the bill was innocuous enough so that Texas Right to Life was not involved. However, a version of the bill, Senate Bill 7, emerged from the conference committee that included a horrific provision: “Local [county] tax dollars could pay for the abortion of children with fetal abnormalities.”
Texas Right to Life indeed protested, and we did not relent. Although all in leadership wanted the bill to pass because of the health care savings in the bill, many House and Senate members were appalled at this provision on fetal abnormalities. When Governor Perry’s office called us to inquire, they understood the problem and bought us time to close the loophole. His top aides took part in the negotiations to ensure that all the stakeholders, legislators, and Texas Right to Life agreed to the final language. Had Governor Perry and his advisors not slowed the process or responded to Texas Right to Life’s concerns, disabled, unborn babies would be endangered in the womb in Texas.
Governor Perry’s commitment to restoring the sanctity of innocent human life manifests in his words, but more importantly, in his actions and his list of achievements for the Pro-Life cause. He has spoken at numerous Pro-Life events across the state, freely mentions the Life Issues in his public speeches, and privately walks the walk of a true Pro-Life statesman and servant.
There is more at the link. Texas Right to Life loves them some Perry. I think he’s just about the default nominee, at this point.
History lesson – how can the muslims take over Europe? September 19, 2011
Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Basics, Dallas Diocese, General Catholic, Interior Life, Latin Mass, sadness, scandals, sickness, Society.comments closed
I know it can be a drag to listen to an audio-only sermon – at least for me, I have a hard time staying focused. But, it’s far better than having NO great sermon to listen to. Why is Europe falling apart? There is one truly core reason – they have walked away from the practice of the Faith:
http://www.audiosancto.org/auweb/20110911-Why-Can-the-Muslims-Take-Over-Europe.mp3
I pray for a miracle of Grace to revive the Church in Europe.
What happened there can just as well happen here. In Europe, socialism is the religion of the masses.
The sublime dignity of the priest September 19, 2011
Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Basics, Dallas Diocese, episcopate, Eucharist, General Catholic, Glory, Liturgy, priests.comments closed
I have the highest respect for priests. Even though at times I may be critical of actions taken by specific priests, as a vocation I have the utmost respect for priests, and pray my little
prattling here does not cloud that great respect and love I have for the men called to this sacred office. A good, holy priest is an inestimable gift from God. The power and greatness of that office is beyond our imagining.
But don’t take my word for it. From that handy little booklet The Wonders of the Mass, Chapter 6, some quotes from Church Fathers and Doctors of the Church regarding the priesthood:
Cassian says that the priest of God is exalted above all earthly sovereignties and above all celestial heights.
St. Ephrem says that the gift of the sacerdotal dignity surpasses all understanding.
St. Thomas Aquinas claims that the dignity of the priesthood suprasses even that of the the angels (for, angels cannot turn ordinary bread and wine into the Body and Blood of our Divine Savior, nor can angels, through the power and agency of Christ, forgive sins)
St. Gregory Nazianzen has said that the angels themselves venerate the priesthood. All the angels in Heaven cannot absolve a single sin. The angel guardians procure for the souls committed to their care grace to have recourse to a priest, that he may absolve them.
St. Francis of Assisi used to say: “If I saw an angel and a priest, I would bend my knee first to the priest and then to the angel.”
St. Augustine sas that to pardon a sinner is a greater work than to create Heaven and earth. To pardon a single sin requires all the omnipotence of God. This great action of God is only available through priests, in their sacerdotal priesthood.
St. Alphonsus Ligouri: The entire Church cannot give God as much honor, or obtain so many Graces as a single priest by celebrating a single Mass. [particularly when celebrated well, according to the rubrics, and with great reverence and love] Thus by the celebration of a single Mass, in which he offers Jesus Christ in sacrifice, a priest gives greater honor to the Lord than if all men, by dying for God, offered Him the sacrifice of their lives.
St. Ambrose says that the dignity of the priesthood transcends all the dignities of kings, of emperors, and of angels. The dignity of the priest as far exceeds that of kings as the value of gold surpasses that of lead.
We hear, in our modern times, of the dread dangers of ‘clericalism,’ of elevating priests above others and what a great injustice this is. There are many more quotes in this book, and in numerous others, that make plain that priests are ‘set apart’ like Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:2), that, if they remain faithful to Jesus Christ and His Church, they are given very special graces and faculties that the laity simply do not have. There has been a movement, if you will, in the Church in the past several decades, to try to ‘raze the bastions’ between the priesthood and the laity, to have lay people perform tasks that were once the domain of priests. This is seen by many as empowering and good, a fulfillment of the universal call to holiness of Vatican 
II. There are even movements that try to transfer virtually all the office of the priest to lay people, and hold that the priest is not a uniquely consecrated and ‘set apart’ individual but just a ‘presider’ or a sort of leader. Some even demand that priests and bishops be elected. This sort of congregationalism is counter to Doctrine and Tradition. Priests, from the earliest Church, have always been seen as having a very special, unique role to play. That does not mean they should be put on such a pedastal that they are viewed as unapproachable demi-gods whose every act is by definition good and holy – I think I have made that clear on this blog – but it does mean the distinctions do exist between the laity and the priesthood and that the priesthood has many roles for which it alone was created.
And more than anything else, pray for your priests. They are often under terrible attack from all corners (ahem……), especially in the spiritual realm. A good and holy priest is an incredibly precious gift, a man who merits much prayer and even sacrifice for. Pray for all priests, that they may emulate the true High Priest in all ways and be a worthy successor of those Church Fathers quoted above.
Here is a great reading on the dignity of the priesthood by St. Alphonse Ligouri.
For those of you who don’t work 8-5….. September 19, 2011
Posted by Tantumblogo in Abortion, awesomeness, Dallas Diocese, General Catholic, North Deanery, sadness, scandals, sickness, Society.comments closed
…..there will be a screening of the documentary ‘Changing Sides’, regarding Abby Johnson’s conversion from pro-abort Planned Parenthood manager to a dedicated pro-lifer. The screening will be at St. Mark in Plano on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 9:15 am, after the 8:30 am Mass. Details below:
I would like to invite you to come to a showing of Changing Sides. This film tells the powerful conversion story of a dedicated Planned Parenthood director and how she became a leading pro-life activist. Abby Johnson believed she was helping women while she worked at a Planned Parenthood in Texas. She was quickly promoted and became the director of the abortion facility and even received the “Employee of the Year” award. One fall morning everything changed when she faced the truth about abortion. In her time of crisis she had to figure out where to turn.
It was at her abortion facility that the first 40 Days for Life campaign began. This film shows what can happen when people pray, fast, sacrifice, love their enemies and take a stand on abortion. Hearts can change and the evil of abortion can be exposed and defeated. Changing Sides includes exclusive interviews with those Abby encountered, including the pro-life activists who prayed for her daily, the secular media who broke the big story of her conversion, and the attorney who won the huge lawsuit from Planned Parenthood who tried to silence her.
We will be showing this important film in the Upper Room of the Parish Center on Wednesday, September 21st, at 9:15 AM. To sign up or reserve childcare, please call Family Adult Ministry at (972) 424-5794.
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