A Prayer of Divine Protection: Psalm 91

An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. - Luke 22:43

Psalm 91

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

They say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust."

 Surely he will save you

from the fowler's snare

and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

You will not fear the terror of night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

nor the plague that destroys at midday.

A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

You will only observe with your eyes

and see the punishment of the wicked.

If you say, "The LORD is my refuge,"

and you make the Most High your dwelling,

 no harm will overtake you,

no disaster will come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways;

they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;

you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

"Because they love me," says the LORD, "I will rescue them;

I will protect them, for they acknowledge my name.

They will call on me, and I will answer them;

I will be with them in trouble,

I will deliver them and honor them.

With long life I will satisfy them

and show them my salvation."

Visit the following link for a selection of Devotional Prayers.

If you examine the photograph closely, sunlight is creating a beautiful and interesting reflection of Jesus on the right side of the window.

The stained glass window was photographed inside Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church. The Catholic church is located in Boonton, NJ, USA.

Photograph Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar
Christian-Miracles.com

Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Efficacious Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Prayer of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

(Pray for nine days)

O my Jesus, you have said:

"Truly I say to you,

ask and you will receive,

seek and you will find,

knock and it will be opened to you."

Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of...

(State your intention here.)

Recite the following prayers...

Our Father...

Hail Mary...

Glory Be to the Father...

Sacred Heart of Jesus,

I place all my trust in you.

--

O my Jesus, you have said:

"Truly I say to you,

if you ask anything of the Father in my name,

he will give it to you."

Behold, in your name,

I ask the Father for the grace of...

(State your intention here.)

Recite the following prayers...

Our Father...

Hail Mary...

Glory Be to the Father...

Sacred Heart of Jesus,

I place all my trust in you.

--

O my Jesus, you have said:

"Truly I say to you,

heaven and earth will pass away

but my words will not pass away."

Encouraged by your infallible words

I now ask for the grace of...

(State your intention here.)

Recite the following prayers...

Our Father...

Hail Mary...

Glory Be to the Father...

Sacred Heart of Jesus,

I place all my trust in you.

--

O Sacred Heart of Jesus,

for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted,

have pity on us miserable sinners

and grant us the grace which we ask of you,

through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary,

your tender Mother and ours.

Recite the following prayers...

Hail, Holy Queen...

St. Joseph,

foster father of Jesus,

pray for us.

--

Visit the following link for other Devotional Prayers

The statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was photographed inside St. Cecilia's Church. The Catholic church is located in Rockaway, NJ, USA.

Photograph Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar
Christian-Miracles.com

Virgin Mary Appearing in Egypt

Numerous reports in various articles throughout the internet have claimed that the Virgin Mary is appearing at the Coptic Orthodox Church in El-Warraq, Cairo, Egypt. Is it a sign from God that Christians and Muslims should work together for a common cause? Is the claims of an apparition of the Virgin Mary a call for Christians and Muslims to live together in peace?

The Daily Star - Arts & Culture - Late nights in Egypt with the 'Virgin Mary'

The following excerpt is written by Agence France Presse from The Daily Star:

CAIRO: Every night in the run-up to Christmas, thousands of Egypt’s Coptic Christians have been gathering in a Cairo suburb eager for a glimpse of a vision that has given hope to their marginalized community.

It is three hours past midnight in Al-Warraq, a poor working class neighborhood, and a 10,000-strong crowd is silently staring at the sky. Then the appearance of a mysterious light over the church’s bell tower jolts the gathering into a frenzy of cries and ululations. They imagine it is an apparition of the Virgin Mary.

Thousands have been coming nightly since the first sighting of the Virgin Mary on December 10, in the hope of being blessed by her light. The prospect of benediction is being depicted as a much-needed morale boost for the Christian minority, which complains of systematic discrimination and marginalization.

Tea vendors and sweet sellers snake through the crowd where thousands of families have gathered with young children and babies.

“The first person to spot … the Virgin Mary was a Muslim neighbor,” said Father Fishay, a priest at the Warraq church. “He took a video and pictures and distributed them to everyone.”

Hassan, the Muslim neighbor in question, was sitting at his coffee shop at around 8:30 p.m. when he saw a strong light coming from the church. Others began to notice the light and saw a bird circling overhead. At around 2 a.m., Fishay said, a vision of the Virgin Mary appeared.

News of the apparition prompted hundreds to rush out with mobile phones to capture the momentous event. “It’s her, with her blue-and-white clothes,” enthused Rami, 36. “There is no doubt about it. It cannot be an illusion.”

“The church closes its doors in the evening,” said Fishay in his measured manner. “We were not there when the image appeared the first time, so we decided to come back the second night.”

Nabil, 32, his wife Mariam, 28, and their three children came from Shubra al-Kheima, some 20 kilometers away, to receive the Virgin’s blessings. “Her appearance means she approves of us and if she blesses us,” Mariam opined. “We will stay ’til morning.”

Her husband said the sighting proves that Christianity is still alive. He is angry over the recent publication of an article in a periodical of Cairo’s Al-Azhar University, Sunni Islam’s highest seat of learning, questioning the foundations of Christianity. “The apparition of the Virgin Mary,” he said, “means that Christianity is real and the Bible is real.”

Around 10 percent of the 80 million population, Egypt’s Christians complain they are kept out of jobs in the army, judiciary and universities.

“It is not possible to know the reason for the Virgin’s appearance,” Fishay said.

“Maybe it will end the state of tension between Muslims and Christians and an end to extremism. Maybe it’ll bring back forgiveness like there once used to be in Egypt.”

The Birth of Jesus

Merry Christmas!

The Birth of Jesus - Luke 2:1-20

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

The upper stained glass window detail was photographed inside St. Rose of Lima Church. The Catholic Church is located in East Hanover, NJ.  The lower stained glass window was photographed inside St. Virgil Church, Morris Plains, NJ, USA.

Photograph Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar
Christian-Miracles.com

Weeping Icon of St. Nicholas, Hempstead, New York

Courtesy of John Sanidopoulos

The following report regarding the St. Nicholas Icon and video is found on the website of the Saint Nicholas Center:

The video was taken by Bishop Savas while he was chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America in June 2008.

He wrote:

Long story short: I took this video in the sanctuary of the Cathedral of St Paul in Hempstead, New York, around 3:15 p.m. on June 22, 2008, Sunday of All Saints. This icon of St Nicholas the Wonderworker began to stream a clear, sweet-smelling liquid during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy in the morning. I don't know what to make of it. It smells of myrrh. I don't know if I would have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, handled it with my own hands, inhaled the aroma for myself. Take a look and see for yourselves. +S

Apparently it began gushing myrrh on Pentecost Sunday and it was examined by the Greek Archdiocese a week later on the Sunday of All Saints when this video was taken. The weeping stopped within about a month of when it began.

MacKillop to become Australia's First Saint

MacKillop to become Australia's first saint - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

The following excerpt is from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation:

Australia will have its first Roman Catholic saint after Pope Benedict approved a decree recognising a second miracle attributed to the intercession of Mother Mary MacKillop.

The approval means Blessed Mary is likely to be formally declared a saint at a canonisation ceremony next year.

Blessed Mary (1842-1909), who founded the Sisters of Saint Joseph, is revered by Catholics for her work, especially with needy children, former female prisoners and prostitutes.

She was beatified by pope John Paul II in 1995.

The miracle approved on Saturday involved the healing of a person who had cancer and was cured after praying to Blessed Mary.

Sister Anne Derwin from the Sisters of Saint Joseph says many have been inspired by Blessed Mary's work in education and with the poor.

"It's not only the sisters, but many other people, men and women, who love the way Mary MacKillop lived her life," she said.

"They try and live in that spirit too, and do great things for people."

Sister Derwin says the Pope's decision is a significant event for the church in Australia.

"Mary herself wouldn't have expected this sort of limelight, but it makes us feel excited that the gift she was given for the church, for the world, is being recognised as valuable," Sister Derwin said.

"And that was a gift to focus on those most in need in our society."

Mary MacKillop was born in Melbourne, worked throughout South Australia and died in North Sydney.

She co-founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart in 1866 but was excommunicated from the Church at one stage for allegedly disobeying authorities.

However she continued to spend her life caring for those less fortunate.