Good Friday Novena Prayer

Photograph by Loci B. Lenar

Good Friday Novena Prayer - CatholicDoors.com

Jesus Christ, 

Son of God made Man,
crowned with thorns,
bearing a scepter of a reed,
wearing a royal cloak purpled
with Your Precious Blood,
I venerate You as the Man of Sorrows
and acknowledge You as my Lord and King!

Jesus crucified,
I firmly renounce the devil
and detest all sin
that has torn me from Your loving friendship.
I pledge my loyalty to You,
my Saviour,
and beg You to make me Your own in sincerest love.
I promise to be faithful in service to You,
and to strive to become more pleasing to you
by avoiding every sin and its occasions,
by carrying out my duties
perfectly as a good Catholic,
and by practicing virtue.

Jesus crucified,
accept the homage I wish to render You
during this novena,
as a token of my sincerest appreciation
for the sorrows and sufferings
You have willingly borne to atone for my many sins
and to prove how much You love me.

I adore You as my very God,
Who willed to become Man
in order to save me from eternal death.

I thank You as my best Friend,
Who laid down Your life
as proof of the greatest love possible.

I ask pardon for having so little thought of You,
Jesus crucified,
and for having caused Your sorrows
and sufferings by the many sins I have committed.

I pray to You,
dearest Jesus,
for all the graces I need to know You,
to love You and serve You faithfully unto death,
and to save my soul.
Give me a tender and fervent devotion
to Your Sacred Passion by which I was redeemed,
venerating You especially in Holy Mass.
Teach me how to unite sorrows and sufferings
of my life with Your own.
Finally, through all Your sorrows and pains,
through Your Sacred Heart
glowing with love for me,
broken because of my want of love for You,
through the sorrows of Mary,
your Sorrowful Mother,
I ask for this special favour:

[Mention your request here...]

With childlike trust
I abandon myself to Your holy Will
concerning my request.

***

The statue of Jesus and and cross are on the grounds of The National Blue Army Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Washington Township, New Jersey. The shrine is part of the World Apostolate of Fatima, USA.

A bleeding host in Argentina? Bishop investigates alleged Eucharistic miracle

Credit: AICA photo agency

Catholic News Agency (CNA): 'via Blog this'

Buenos Aires, Argentina, April 13, 2017 / 12:43 am (CNA/EWTN News)

A bishop in the Argentine province in Santa Fe is investigating a Eucharistic host that appeared to bleed during adoration at a drug rehabilitation home.

Bishop Luis Fernandez of the Rafaela diocese announced that an investigation will be carried out to examine what took place earlier this week, when a group of young people were in Eucharistic adoration and saw a substance in the consecrated host that appeared to be blood.

On April 11, Tuesday of Holy Week, a group of young people were praying before the Blessed Sacrament at the San Miguel drug rehabilitation home in the Guemes neighborhood, when they noticed a change in the Eucharist.

Read more: Catholic News Agency

Cross of Light Appears on Palm Sunday

Signs, Wonders, and Miracles

Palm Sunday 2017

By Loci B. Lenar

On Palm Sunday, a Cross of Light outlined with a shield appeared in the morning on my backyard fence in Mine Hill, NJ. 

Scripture says, “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” Psalm 84:11

Palm Sunday is the start of Holy Week, and it's a time to reflect on the passion of Christ in preparation for Good Friday and the Resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday.

The first time this Cross of Light appeared in 2017 was on the fifth Sunday of Lent, April 2. 

For many centuries the fifth Sunday of Lent was known as Passion Sunday and the beginning of Passiontide by the Catholic Church.

Furthermore, this sun phenomena has occurred every year on my residence since 2005 during different occasions, including Lent, Holy Week, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. It also appeared in September 2015 while Pope Francis was visiting the USA.

I spoke to my Spiritual director, Fr. Richard Tartaglia on Monday, April 10, and shared the news about the Cross of Light appearing at my residence. 

Fr. Richard Tartaglia - 2012

In addition, this sun phenomena has been verified by my spiritual director, Fr. Richard Tartaglia of St. Mary's Catholic Church, Denville, New Jersey. 

Fr. Richard photographed the Cross of Light on Good Friday, April 6, 2012. Moreover, Fr. Richard spoke about the Cross of Light during his homily at St. Mary's Evening Prayer Service held on April 19, 2012. 

Here's a link to view the video of Fr. Richard's homily which also includes information regarding other people that have witnessed a Cross of Light in other areas: Cross of Light Appears in New Jersey

Jesus said,"I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness." John 12:46

I attributes this sign sent from Our Heavenly Father as result of prayers to Jesus, Our Blessed Mother, and Saint Michael the Archangel for assistance, and with times of spiritual renewal of my Christian faith, such as Lent, as well as praying for God's protection. 

Cross of Light - 2017

Additional facts can be read on these links: Cross of Light Appears During Lent and Holy Week  and Signs from Heaven

In 2008, the Gloucester County Times reported a similar story of a cross photographed by 9 year old Gwynna Crawford on Easter Sunday in Pitman, New Jersey. The cross appeared on a neighbor's house. The article indicated that Gwyanna's mother and the neighbor were unable to find the source of the sun reflection.

More information about the Gloucester County Times story with a photograph can be seen on this link: Cross Appears on Easter Sunday in Pitman, NJ

I believe the Cross of Light is a sign from God to those that have left the church: Return to the sacraments, especially reconciliation during Holy Week and to celebrate Easter.

Prayer for Holy Week

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)

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

Good Friday Prayer

O Jesus, Who by reason of Thy burning love for us hast willed to be crucified and to shed Thy Most Precious Blood for the redemption and salvation of our souls, look down upon us here gathered together in remembrance of Thy most sorrowful Passion and Death, fully trusting in Thy mercy; cleanse us from sin by Thy grace, sanctify our toil, give unto us and unto all those who are dear to us our daily bread, sweeten our sufferings, bless our families, and to the nations so sorely afflicted, grant Thy peace, which is the only true peace, so that by obeying Thy commandments we may come at last to the glory of heaven. Amen.  (Prayer from Catholic Online)

More Catholic Devotional Prayers

Arriving early for church services during Holy Week, this image was photographed inside St. Mary's Catholic Church, Myers Avenue, Denville, NJ, USA.

Photograph Copyright 2015 Loci B. Lenar
www.Christian-Miracles.com

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)

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

Crucifixion of Jesus Christ

Photograph by Loci B. Lenar

Flickr - Photo Sharing!

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son (Jesus) into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16-17)

The stained glass window was photographed in Saint Mary's Church, Myers Avenue and Route 46, Denville, NJ.

Photograph Copyright Loci B. Lenar
www.christian-miracles.com

Pope Francis washes feet of 12 jailed minors, including two girls, at detention center

News from RomeReports.com

On Thursday evening, Pope Francis celebrated the Mass of the Last Supper at the Casal del Marmo Juvenile Detention Center, outside Rome. He also washed the feet of 12 jailed teens. According to the Vatican, not all of them are Catholic. Some of the teens were of other religions.

Among the people who had their feet washed, were two teenage girls, one Italian and another from Serbia.

By washing their feet, the Pope evoked the time Jesus washed the feet of his twelve apostles during the Last Supper.

Cross Appears on Holy Thursday

Cross Appears on April 5, 2012

Miracles of Faith - Signs, Wonders, and Miracles

By Loci B. Lenar

On the morning of Holy Thursday, I photographed a cross which appears annually on my property and backyard fence. Rays of sunlight is creating an image of a cross that is surrounded by a shield. This phenomenon first began in 2005 at my residence in Mine Hill, NJ, USA.

It usually happens during Lent and sometimes on other occasions. I believe it's a sign from Our Lord to share with others in order to help lead people back to God and their Christian faith.

For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.  Psalm 84:11

Scripture tells us that the day before Jesus was crucified he shared his Last Supper with his disciples on a Thursday, celebrating Passover.

Holy Week is an important time to reflect and renew our spiritual life through the gospels of Jesus Christ and the Eucharist (Communion). Easter and the resurrection is a testament to God's love because we share in the redemptive power of the cross through Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  John 8:12

Cross Appears on Holy Thursday in 2012

It's interesting to note that the cross first appeared in 2012 on St. Patrick’s Day which by the way is celebrated on March 17th. The above photos are from Holy Thursday.

From Last Year: Brooke Kayal examines Cross which appeared on March 27, 2011

On Wednesday, April 4th, I went to St. Mary's Rectory and sat down with my spiritual advisor, Fr. Richard Tartaglia and shared the photographs from St. Patrick’s Day and discussed spiritual matters as well. St. Mary's Catholic Church is located on Myers Avenue, Denville, New Jersey.

Further details regarding the cross and my testimony can be read in the article, ‘Cross Appears during Lent and Holy Week as Sign of God’s Love,’ or by visiting the website of http://www.christian-miracles.com/.

Copyright 2012 Loci B. Lenar

Apparition of Cross Appears in Window

Photograph by Tarmo Hannula

The following excerpt and photo is from Pajaronian.com

By Todd Guild

Hundreds of people have been flocking to a small house in downtown Watsonville, CA, to get a glimpse of what the owners say is a miracle.

Since the phenomenon was discovered two weeks ago, residents say visitors hoping to see the cross — which changes color and shape depending on the type of light behind it — have been coming around the clock.

On Thursday afternoon, about two dozen people were gathered in the garage, sitting on benches and chairs, silently praying and placing flowers on a table just under the window.

Parents carried their young children, while men stood near the back of the garage, their hats clenched in their hands.

“I live next door so I had to come and see for myself,” Jaime Saavedora said. “I’ve been seeing all these people come here. I’m a believer, so this is really important to me. I’m glad to see so many people come out for this. It’s really incredible; it’s a miracle.”

Sophia Marr of Aptos came to the apparition after she heard about the phenomenon at a church rosary group.

“The amazing thing is that this is happening during Holy Week,” she said. “I’m Roman Catholic, and to me this is beautiful.”

“I think it strengthens peoples’ faith when they see something that’s out of the ordinary,” she added.

At one point, a woman walked up to the window, leaned close and began to cry.

“I see Jesus’ face on the cross,” she said, before collapsing to the ground, where she was caught by her companions.

Esmerelda Segura, 13, said she took the three-hour drive from Sonoma with her family after hearing about the window from her aunt.

“I think it’s amazing,” she said. “At first I thought it was just a reflection from the light, but not anymore.”

God's Call for the World to Pray for Peace as We Celebrate Easter

Cross of 2010 - Photograph by Loci B. Lenar

By Loci B. Lenar

Lent prepares us through sacrifice and prayer for a spiritual renewal of the soul. However, Easter rejuvenates our lives as God the Father calls us to live by the gospels of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by transforming us into the resurrected image of His divine son.

Through prayerful contemplation and preparation for Easter, I made an appointment with my spiritual advisor, Father Richard Tartaglia of Saint Mary’s Church. My visit on Wednesday, March 31, to Saint Mary’s, included the sacrament of reconciliation and a conversation with Fr. Richard about the spiritual presence of God as our Lord manifests His love through signs and wonders throughout the world.

For anyone that's interested in visiting Saint Mary's Church, it is located on the corner of Myers Avenue and Route 46 in Denville, New Jersey.

Since 2005 and each year following, God the Father has blessed me through His divine son, Jesus Christ, with a miraculous sign of a cross which appears annually on my residence in Mine Hill, NJ. Once again, on Saturday morning, March 27, 2010, a cross surrounded by a shield appeared on my backyard fence. The spiritual presence of God and His angels coincided with the start of Holy Week.

2010 Cross - Photograph by Loci B. Lenar

The cross started appearing at the top of the fence as a result of sunlight and then slowly moved downward until it came in contact with the ground. At that point it turned into a round circle of light and then afterward it disappeared. The most recent cross was seen by my wife, Teresa, including my son, Ryan and his friend Nicole.

In Psalm 84:11, we read that “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” Through discernment and prayer, it’s the Shield of Archangel Michael, protector of God’s church and people.

In my previous testimony which is posted on this blog from March 23, 2007, I stated that nothing is visible in the house windows that might create a reflection of a cross. As before, I stand by that statement.

In my heart, I know it’s a reflection of God’s light coming from the gates of Heaven. As Jesus said in John 12:46, “I have come into the world as light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.”

The photographs and testimony were shared with my spiritual advisor, Father Richard Tartaglia during my recent visit.

Father Richard Tartaglia - Photo by Loci B. Lenar

As you walk into the front door of Father Richard Tartaglia's office, the first object you notice is a poster hanging on the rear door with a caption of ‘Men in Black’ with two priests.  The poster has Fr. Jones holding a bible, while Fr. Smith holds a cross, both protecting the church from malevolent forces of evil. Ironically, the poster is based on the sci-fi movie staring Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith who are both protecting earth from galactic destruction.

With that in mind, we are indeed living in a world which is following the road to perdition if we do not embrace positive change and follow the gospels of Jesus Christ. In scripture we are reminded to love one another and to strive for world peace.

God the Father is calling for everyone to pray for Divine Mercy and to make use of church sacraments by attending and celebrating Mass.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is calling for us to pray that violence be mitigated and extinguished throughout the world.

Our Lord is calling for us to cherish and respect human life especially the unborn and elderly.

Our Lord is calling for us to live in peace with our brothers and sisters of other religious denominations.

Our Lord is calling for us to help evangelize the world and to pray for Christian unity.

Our Lord is calling for us to pray for peace in our families and for the world.

Our Lord is calling for us to pray for divine protection and to pray for assistance in our lives through the intercession of Our Lady of Fatima and Archangel Michael.

Cross Appears on My Fence in 2005

Cross of 2005 - Photo by Loci B. Lenar 

As I stated before, the cross first began to appear on my property in 2005.  For additional information on my testimony pertaining to the 2005 cross, please visit the following link: Miraculous Signs: Angels from Heaven.

March 25, 2008 front page clipping of Gloucester County Times 

Incidentally, in 2008, by coincidence or perhaps I should say by providence, the Gloucester County Times reported a similar story of a cross photographed on Easter Sunday in Pitman, New Jersey. To read the story, please visit the following links: NJ.com or Cross Appears on House During Easter.

Please join in prayer for God’s divine intervention in order to change our world and usher in an era of peace as foretold by Our Lady of Fatima and prophesied in Revelation 20: A Thousand Year Reign of God’s Peace.

As Jesus said in Luke 18:27, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

Copyright 2010 Loci B. Lenar
Christian-Miracles.com

Why is this Week Called Holy?

The Garden of Gethsemane

Photograph by Loci B. Lenar

The following article by Deacon Keith Fournier appeared on Catholic Online:

Catholic Online - Lent Story

Why is this Week Called Holy?
Take This Cup

By Deacon Keith Fournier

We all experience "Gethsemanes" in our own lives; times of difficulty, deep sorrow, loss, distress, fear and anguish.

CHESAPEAKE, VA. (Catholic Online) - "Then going out he went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. When he arrived at the place he said to them, "Pray that you may not undergo the test." After withdrawing about a stone's throw from them and kneeling, he prayed, saying, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done."

(And to strengthen him an angel from heaven appeared to him. He was in such agony and he prayed so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground.) When he rose from prayer -and returned to his disciples- he found them sleeping from grief. He said to them, "Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not undergo the test." (Luke 22: 39-42)

This Sunday we enter into Holy Week. Christians will gather in sanctuaries throughout the world and wave Palm branches in imitation of those who lined the streets at Jesus´ triumphal entry. We will follow the path of His struggle, the way of His rejection and we will be invited to climb the mountain of His great saving act of unmerited selfless Divine love.

During this week we are invited to enter into His pattern of surrendered love; to walk this way with Jesus, who, in His Sacred humanity, teaches us the path to our own transformation. The agony in that garden called Gethsemane shows us a very human Jesus.

Yes, He was Divine and, because of that, He alone could do for us what we could not do for ourselves, restoring through His passion and death the broken relationship between God and the people whom He fashioned for love and communion. With His outstretched arms, He bridged the gap between heaven and earth. In His triumph over death he defeated the last enemy and began the new creation.

In His Sacred humanity this man Jesus shows each of us how to live differently. We are invited to greet and embrace even that which we do not want as the very means of transformation. We have been given the grace to accept difficulties, which, when embraced in love, can actually become a path to our redemption.

The author of the letter to the Hebrews wrote "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin." (Hebrews 14:15)

The Christian tradition insists that even undeserved and unmerited suffering, when joined in love to the sufferings of Jesus Christ, can produce extraordinary fruit within us and around us. This is the mystery of suffering in the Christian life.

Saint Jose Maria Escriva once wrote "The great Christian revolution has been to convert pain into fruitful suffering and to turn a bad thing into something good. We have deprived the devil of this weapon; and with it we can conquer eternity."

How do we treat those circumstances that cause us to struggle? How do we deal with what we find unpleasant? Do we practice an "adult" form of avoidance and run, acting as if it will all just go away like when children cover their eyes? Or do we believe that even unpleasant things and "difficult" people can actually be gifts from the hands of a loving God who invites us to walk in the way of His Son?

How do we deal with unresolved conflicts or troubling relationships? Do we work toward resolution, making "love our aim" (1 Cor. 14:7), or do we avoid them, thinking they will just go away if we "pretend" they don´t exist?

Now is the time, during this week we call "Holy", to join the revolution of which this great saint writes. After all, why do we call this week "Holy"? I suggest two among many reasons.

First, the story of this week is the story of an all Holy God who showed the depth of His love through the complete emptying of Himself, in and through the Passion of His Son. Second, it is holy because we are invited into that life and way of holiness that Jesus demonstrated during all of the events that we will soon commemorate.

In the Old Testament the word often translated as "holy" literally meant- to be set aside, consecrated, for God. In Jesus Christ it now means even more. We who are baptized into Him are invited to live our lives now, in Him. To love as He loves; to pray as He prays, to walk as He walks, to suffer as He suffers; to confront evil the way He does.

All of us inevitably experience "Gethsemanes" in our own lives, times of difficulty, deep sorrow, loss, distress, fear and anguish. Friends may have betrayed us, or those whom we love may have rejected us. Maybe things about our lives are being exposed, brought into the light, and it is "uncomfortable".

It is often those times and circumstances that become the very path to holiness if we learn to love as He loves. Our Christian vocation is to live as He lives, to love as He loves and to thereby become "holy" as He is holy. We are invited to embrace the way of surrendered love.

"Take this cup". It is a very human request. What is the cup we are being asked to drink? Let us decide today to make the choice and drink, saying as we do "not my will but yours be done" When we live and love this way, the very people and circumstances that once seemed to be so difficult can become the path to freedom and we learn to walk the way of forgiving love with Him as His redemptive mission continues through time.

***

Deacon Keith Fournier asks that you join and help in this vital mission by sending this article to your family, friends, and neighbors and adding the link (www.catholic.org) to your own website, blog or social network. Let us broadcast, we are PROUD TO BE CATHOLIC!