A PRAYER FOR A CURE

This prayer for a cure below makes reference to our Lord’s healing power. Our Divine Physician did indeed work wonders in his Earthly ministry, such as in curing the blind man near Jericho (Mark 10:46-52, depicted in this picture above), the centurion’s servant (Matt 8:5-13), and a leper (Luke 5:12-13), among other miracles.

But, as this prayer rightly points out, we have to have the grace and strength from Jesus not to become embittered if He doesn’t cure our afflictions right away, (or even at all)!

Gentle Jesus, who cured the sick and laid a healing hand upon the lame, the blind and the handicapped, look with compassion upon me in my suffering. If it is not your Will to cure me, then give me strength to bear my burden and offer it up to You. You suffered so much for me. Give me grace to offer my sufferings in union with Your own, in reparation for my sins and those of others, for the needs of this troubled world, and for the release of the souls in purgatory. Mary, compassionate Mother, pray for your weary child. Health of the Sick, Comforter of the Afflicted, pray for me. Amen.

Just as Christ suffered for us on the Cross so also He asks us to suffer for Him, that is to say, to unite our sufferings with His in reparation for sins and for the salvation of souls. As St. Augustine once said, “let us understand that God is a Physician, and that suffering is a medicine for salvation, not a punishment for damnation.”

Keep in mind that if we trust in God to do what is good for us, and reinforce this trust through prayers such as this one, we can achieve that wonderful state of grace where we can be content in sickness or in health, knowing that God is in charge and wishes to bring about our good for His glory, no matter what may happen.

As John Henry Cardinal Newman wrote in one of his well-known prayers “God has created me to do Him some definite service….therefore I will trust Him…if I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him….He knows what He is about.”

This prayer for a cure is good also in that it brings our Blessed Mother into the picture. When our Lord said to St. John from the cross “Behold, thy Mother”, he made her our Mother as well, as noted by St. Bernadine of Siena. As such she is more than ready to pray for us to her Divine Son. St. Basil once said that “such is the Divine Will that she should help in every kind of in every kind of necessity.”

Don’t be afraid to ask for her assistance as well as that of Jesus! As we read in the wonderful prayer the Memorare, “Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided.”

A PRAYER FOR GRACE IN SICKNESS

It has been said that Christ is closest to us in our suffering. This prayer for grace in sickness can help you cope during those times when you need to feel our Lord’s presence most!

Dear Lord, by allowing me to experience this affliction, so that I may share in your suffering on the cross for sin, you take a sublime chance that I might either draw closer to you for comfort, or turn away from you in my misery. O my Savior, grant me that precious grace to offer up my pain, as you did in Your Passion, to atone for sin. Help me to imitate your patience and to turn my complaints into offerings for my sins or for those of others, as you see fit. In this time of distress and pain, I ask, I seek, and I knock, for the grace of endurance, perseverance, and above all, trustful submission to Your Divine will, for my good and your glory.

This might seem like a tall order, particularly when you are undergoing a great deal of pain. We might admire those who carry their crosses gracefully. We might even feel grateful for a particular cross if we emerge stronger after bearing it, once the ordeal is over!

But how often do we embrace our crosses during sickness? You might have heard it said that God will only send us the crosses we can bear. Yet, especially during a serious illness, that cross seems to be made of lead, not wood, as it crushes down on us.

When we turn away from God then, we risk turning fragile moments into brittle ones. We lose the opportunity to bear our pain with love for Him as He bore His suffering out of love for us on the Cross. We lose the grace of trusting in Him to see us through our ordeal and to help us get to Heaven.

What we need to pray for most, as implied in this prayer above, is a patient, persevering trust in God to do the right thing for us if we seek to follow His will, no matter what the circumstances.

The degree to which we are receptive to God’s graces is the degree to which we will be given more! You might have heard the popular expression “Let Go and Let God.” Let Jesus help you carry your crosses in prayer!

A PRAYER FOR HUMILITY

Is having too much pride giving you grief? The prayer for humility printed below can help give you a proper sense of perspective. Humility has long been “regarded by the Saints as the basis and guardian of all virtues,” according to St. Alphonsus Liguori.

While there is nothing wrong with being proud of a job well done, vanity has no place in our spiritual lives. Our Lord famously illustrated this in his parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (captured by the French Artist James Tissot in the painting above) in which the contrite tax collector is justified before God rather than the smug Pharisee boasting about his religious achievements (Luke 18:9-14).

This prayer for humility starts out with a memorable quote from scripture:

O God, who resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble: grant us the virtue of true humility, where of Your Only-begotten son showed in Himself a pattern for Your faithful; that we may never by our pride provoke Your anger, but rather by our meekness receive the riches of Your grace.

The first line (about God resisting the proud and giving grace to the humble) is quoted approvingly by the apostles St. Peter (1 Pet. 5:5) and St. James (Jas. 4:6) in their New Testament letters. God’s favoring the humble is also mentioned numerous times in Scripture (such as in Job 22:29, Sirach 3:18, Psalm 18:28, and Matt. 23:12)

Humility is also an important element of the Blessed Mother’s prayer the Magnificat, in which she proclaims that God “has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart” and “has exalted the lowly” (Luke 1:51-52).

Why approach God with humble hearts? Because he can work with (and through) us then, when we’re not all full of our own egos and puffed-up pride, treating our Lord as if we’re doing Him a favor by being devout.

Note also that this prayer for humility makes reference to God’s grace. God gives us the inclination with His grace to do good things and to avoid evil. (To do good for God, as it were!) Yet we must be truly open to receiving God’s grace for it to be effective in our lives.

Perhaps you’ve seen a picture of Christ knocking at our door (such as the one shown at right). We can’t let Him in if we’re too full of ourselves. There’s no room for Him in our souls if they’re cluttered with our own smug self-importance.

In terms of meekness, remember also our Lord’s famous line from the Sermon on the Mount “Blessed are the meek because they will inherit the earth” (Matt 5:5).

(Matthew quotes another of His most famous sayings later on in his Gospel: “He who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Matt 23:12).

Note, however, that showing meekness doesn’t mean being a doormat or not standing up for what is right, in our faith and in society in general. Christ showed great humility in his earthly ministry, from being born in a manger to dying on a cross!

Yet He also showed unwavering devotion to His Heavenly Father in setting the example of humble love and service to God and to Humanity he wished us to follow. As the Word made flesh dwelling among us (John 1:14), Christ always displayed a firmness of purpose in carrying out His Father’s will for our good and His glory.

As St. Paul put it so movingly in his letter to the Philippians Christ “humbled Himself…even to death on a cross..therefore God has also exalted Him and has bestowed upon Him the name that is above every name” (Phil. 2:8-9). In His Passion, our Lord conquered death so that we might have Eternal Life with Him in heaven.

We all have times when we feel frustrated by other people’s conceit or by our own feelings of inadequacy. We hope this prayer for humility can help you turn these gloomy thoughts over to God for His grace in dealing with them!

Why Jesus?

God's Love for You: The Gospel of Jesus the Messiah

The World Around Us

Every person longs for happiness and love. This is the most basic desire present deep within every human heart - including yours.

Sometimes, the stunning beauty of the world around us awakens or increases within us this deep yearning for “more.” At other times we may be struck by the beauty and goodness of the people around us whom we know and love. We are fascinated by the mystery of humanity which often reflects so much truth, beauty and goodness.

Yet at the same time we also know that there is something terribly wrong with the world, so often marred by ugliness, evil and suffering. Everywhere we hear of poverty, illness, injustice, selfishness, anger, crime, violence, cruelty, and war, to the point that life can easily become filled with fear, loneliness, pain, hopelessness and despair. Many people try to temporary escape from this harsh reality through the elusive and artificial paradises of drugs, alcohol, or temporary relationships, but these in the end only increase our pain and alienation from the world. Sometimes we find comfort in genuinely good things, such as music, entertainment, sport, hobbies, work, friends, and family - yet deep down inside we know that these things cannot fully satisfy our restless heart.

Can we make any sense of this world, so beautiful yet wounded by so much evil and suffering?

THE SEED - 12 YEARS AFTER...



THE SEED

Composed by Tito Gene Alvarado
Music by C2CD

Chords: D9 A9 Bm G

A SEED WAS PLANTED IN THIS LAND OF NEW

OF DIFFERENT MINDS AND DIFFERENT VIEW

A FOREIGN SEED NO ONE EVER KNEW

WILL MULTIPLY, FLOURISH AND IT GREW

PRE-CHORUS:

A SEED OF LOVE BESTOWED TO ALL

LIKE MUSTARD SEED IT STARTED SMALL

CHORUS 1:

LORD JESUS CHRIST YOU ARE THE SEED

FROM GOD THE FATHER THE WORLD RECEIVED (2x)

A SEED WAS PLANTED A SEED HAS GROWN

IN EVERY HEART THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN

GREATER THAN SILVER PRECIOUS THAN GOLD

LORD YOUR WORDS YIELD A THOUSAND FOLD

CHORUS 2

REJOICE, REJOICE THE HARVEST IS NEAR

THE AIR IS CRISP AND THE SUN IS CLEAR

REJOICE, REJOICE LET’S SING TOGETHER

LORD JESUS CHRIST IS GOD FOREVER

BRIDGE: G A D Bm

THE HARVEST IS GREAT, THE WORKERS ARE FEW

THEY’LL DO IT LORD FOR THE LOVE YOU

THE HARVEST IS GREAT YET WE ARE FEW

WE’LL DO IT LORD FOR THE LOVE YOU

D9 A9 Bm G

12 YEARS AGO A SEED WAS SOWN

LIKE MUSTARD SEED IT STARTED SMALL

LORD JESUS CHRIST YOU ARE THE SEED

FROM GOD THE FATHER THE WORLD RECEIVED (2X)



Through the years... 12 fruitful years!

We are celebrating our 12th Anniversary...Super LIKE!

ROSARY PRAYERS

The Rosary is often misunderstood. This devotion is not about Mary, but is a meditation on the life of Christ; Our Lady is simply our teacher and chaperone. The fruit of this prayer is to enter deeper into the life of Christ.

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MYSTERIES of the ROSARY

The Joyful Mysteries (prayed Mondays & Saturdays) | fruit of the Mystery

1. The Annunciation | humility
2. The Visitation | love of neighbor
3. The Birth of Jesus | poverty
4. The Presentation | obedience
5. Finding the Child Jesus in the Temple | joy in finding Jesus

The Luminous Mysteries (Thursdays)

1. The Baptism of Jesus | openness to the Holy Spirit
2. The Wedding at Cana | to Jesus through Mary
3. Proclaiming the Kingdom | repentance and trust in God
4. The Transfiguration | desire for holiness
5. The Institution of the Eucharist | Adoration

The Sorrowful Mysteries (Tuesdays and Fridays)

1. The Agony in the Garden | sorrow for sin
2. The Scourging at the Pillar | purity
3. The Crowning with Thorns | courage
4. The Carrying of the Cross | patience
5. The Crucifixion | perseverance

The Glorious Mysteries (Wednesdays and Sundays)

1. The Resurrection | faith
2. The Ascension | hope
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit | love
4. The Assumption | grace of a happy death
5. The Coronation | trust in Mary’s intercession

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PRAYERS of the ROSARY

(Prayer title in bold. Leader’s spoken words. Responses are in italics.)

Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Apostles’ Creed. I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day He rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sin, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Our Father. Our Father, who art in Heaven; hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come; They will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed are thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory Be. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Fatima Prayer. Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy. Amen.

Hail, Holy Queen. Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, or life, our sweetness and our hope, to thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee to we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears; turn, then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us, and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of they womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!

V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.

R. That we may be worthy of the promises of life.

V. Let us pray.

R. O God, by the life, death and resurrection of Your only begotten Son, You have purchased for us the rewards of eternal life; grant, we beseech Thee, that while meditating on these mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

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