Saturday, March 28, 2015

Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday




Prayer for Holy Week

Jesus my Lord, let me strengthen my courage by taking on the courage of all those people who have been "centurions" for me. Many have faced disasters and hard times with great constancy. The upper hand of evil never turned them against you. They kept going. Let me be like them, Lord. No matter what the cross, let me never stop declaring you to be "truly the Son of God, the source of my hope, the reason why... I will never quit on life. (Prayer from Catholic Online)

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Miracle: Blood of Saint Januarius liquifies during Francis’s visit to Naples




News excerpt and photo from CatholicHerald.co.uk

The blood of St Januarius liquified in the presence of a pope for the first time since 1848 on Saturday.

The blood of the patron saint of Naples, which is normally solid, partially liquified after Pope Francis kissed the relic during his day trip to the southern Italian city.

According to AFP, Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe of Naples showed the vial to the congregation in the city’s cathedral, saying: “The blood has half liquified, which shows that St Januarius loves our Pope and Naples.”

Pope Francis responded: “The bishop just announced that the blood half-liquified. We can see the saint only half loves us. We must all spread the word, so that he loves us more!”

The blood last liquified for a pope in the presence of Pius IX. The phenomenon did not occur when St John Paul II visited Naples in 1979 and Benedict XVI visited the city in 2007.

Read more: Saint Januarius Miracle


Saturday, March 14, 2015

Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel for Protection




Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle,
be our protection against the malice and snares
of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray;
and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host,  
by the power of God,  
thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world
seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.

Saint Michael the Archangel is recognized in Christianity for being the guardian and protector of God's church and people. 

With those words in mind, the following biblical prophecy is connected to our current time: "At that time there shall arise Michael, the great prince, guardian of your people; It shall be a time unsurpassed in distress since nations began until that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. But the wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament, And those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever. As for you Daniel, keep secret the message and seal the book until the end time; many shall fall away and evil shall increase."  Daniel 12:1, 3-4


***

Regarding St. Michael the Archangel, the following excerpt is from Wikipedia Encyclopedia:

The Prayer to Saint Michael is a prayer, used mainly by Catholics, which is addressed to Michael the Archangel.  (However, anyone can recite the prayer).

Pope Leo XIII added it in 1886 to the Leonine Prayers, which he had directed to be said after Low Mass two years earlier. The practice of reciting these prayers after Mass was suppressed in 1964.

However, Pope John Paul II referred to the St Michael prayer in his Regina Coeli address of 24 April 1994 as follows: "May prayer strengthen us for the spiritual battle that the Letter to the Ephesians speaks of: 'Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might' (Ephesians 6:10). The Book of Revelation refers to this same battle, recalling before our eyes the image of St Michael the Archangel (cf. Revelation 12:7). Pope Leo XIII certainly had this picture in mind when, at the end of the last century, he brought in, throughout the Church, a special prayer to St Michael: 'Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil...' Although this prayer is no longer recited at the end of Mass, I ask everyone not to forget it and to recite it to obtain help in the battle against the forces of darkness and against the spirit of this world."

Regarding intercessory prayers to angels and saints, scripture says the following: And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.  Revelation 8:3-4 (KJV)

Therefore, angels and saints both intercede before the throne of God on behalf of all who pray for the Lord's assistance.

Please visit the following link to view a miraculous Cross of Light photographed by Loci B. Lenar which he believes is connected to Saint Michael the Archangel's protection.

More Catholic Devotional Prayers: http://www.christian-miracles.com/devotionalprayers.htm

The stained glass window of Archangel Michael can be seen inside the entrance way of Saint Michael's Catholic Church, Netcong, New Jersey, USA.

Photograph by Loci B. Lenar - Flickr Photo Sharing!