Prayer for Mother Angelica

We pray for Mother Angelica of EWTN who has done so much to spread the Gospel around the globe via television, radio and internet.  

If it is your will to keep her with us longer, we ask that you give her continued strength and health so that she can continue to serve you and your Church as a Poor Clare Franciscan Sister.  

Do not forsake your daughter Angelica who has never tired to teach of your Son Christ in season and out of season.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.                                                                                                  Amen     


Mother has passed on on Easter Sunday, March 27, 2016.  May she rest in peace.

Prayer For Paris & The World

Almighty God, we ask you to bring peace to our world which is full of so much discord, violence, distrust and hate.  

We ask you to bring solace to all those suffering from the recent attacks in Beirut and Paris. So many have suffered undered the threat and acts of terrorism which has been committed in your name. 

Bring to justice and conversion those who pervert religion in order to harm others. Protect cities, towns and countries from violence and acts of war. We are your children; we are brothers and sisters with you as our one Father. Teach us to love one another; cherish one another and protect one another. 

Bring peace to the hearts of those terrorists who believe that you justify division and violence. 

Bring peace to those who think Christianity and Islam are supposed to be opposing forces at war.  Protect the world from the wickedness and snares of the devil who has deceived many.

We ask you Our Lady to pray for us. Our Lady who is dear to the French and who holds many titles in France; Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of La Salette, Our Lady of Laus, Our Lady of Rue du Bac, and Our Lady of Pontmain.  

Please pray for your French children as well as your children suffering in Beirut and elsewhere. 

We ask you Our Lady to pray for the followers of Islam. The people of Portugal know you as Our Lady of Fatima; Fatima was the name of Mohammed's daughter. Only you can penetrate the hearts of your children, especially those few who use religion to cause harm.  Pray for them and lead them to your Son Christ and His Catholic Church.  

We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen     

Mea Maxima Culpa

Since this is my first post on Catholic Faith Sharing, I thought I'd write a little about my conversion process.

It would be great to be able to say that I went from unbeliever to fervent Catholic in an instant conversion, like that of St. Paul, but sadly, in many ways, I've been more like St. Augustine.

Born into a nominal Catholic family, I fell into sinful ways and lost my faith around the age of 15. I went on to become a 'Christmas and Easter' communicant a few years later, and strayed further and further from any semblance of a Christian lifestyle. It was only when I fell pregnant at the age of 20, that I began to think about practising again. In fact, I came back into the Church because I wanted my  little child baptised. (You can read more about this here.)

Now, since my story isn't your story, I'll save you from the chronological minutiae of my errors, and instead list my regrets to help those new to the Faith, or struggling to stay faithful.

• I spent too much time reading private revelation: If you know more about some End Times prophecy than you do about the  Holy Eucharist, then put down the locutions and pick up your Catechism! Less 'permanent sign', more 'marks of the Church'! Please don't use your precious, God-given time on something that may not be true, when there is a lifetime of knowledge in the approved Magisterium waiting for you to digest.

• I didn't attend Adoration regularly:  Making a Holy Hour my priority is the best thing I've ever done for my soul. I have it pencilled in every week, but with some flexibility built in, in case something unavoidable crops up. If it's in our calendars, we're much more likely to follow through. And there is no substitute for spending time with the Lord. 

• I didn't try to truly love people: This is how I've learned to love others more: really, really listen to them speak. Talk less, listen more. People really appreciate it when we listen to them. We don't have to have all the answers, we don't always have to give advice. We may not be able to help in any other way, except to listen to them. People first need to know they are loved by God before they can face their sinful ways. Just pray to the Holy Spirit (Simply 'Come, Holy Spirit', if you are short on time) to know how much and what to say. Less is usually more with a first-time encounter. 

• I didn't trust in God with all my heart: How I wish I'd learnt this earlier! In many ways this is the biggest thing, but the other points all lead to it, and they cultivate the trust we need to have in our wonderful Father, Son and Holy Ghost. If only we could learn to trust - there would be so much less anxiety and fear in our lives. (This inexpensive little ebook helped me greatly to learn to trust.)  

• In being afraid of 'judging', I failed to exercise good judgement: Judgment is such a misused term these days, but of course, everyone makes judgements all day long about a multitude of practical things. Christians are routinely accused of judging people, when we are in fact, simply making a judgement about a sinful action. And 'right judgement' is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Let's pray for an increase in this gift.

So there you have my 5 points for a fruitful conversion. 

(I've not included availing oneself of the Sacraments, reciting the Rosary often, wearing the Scapular - these go without saying.)

If you have any more ideas, leave them in the comments below.

Yours in Christ,

Kathy.

Prayer to Our Lady of Mount Carmel

A Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Our Lady of Mount Carmel

O most beautiful Flower of Mount Carmel, Fruitful Vine, Splendour of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me this my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me and show me herein you are my Mother.

O Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart, to succour me in this necessity; there are none that can withstand your power.

O, show me herein you are my Mother, O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. (3 times)

Sweet Mother, I place this cause in your hands. (3 times)

Prayer to St. Anthony of Padua

"Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints"
O Holy St. Anthony, gentlest of Saints, your love for God and Charity for His creatures, made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers. Encouraged by this thought, I implore you to obtain for me (request). O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms; and the gratitude of my heartwill ever be yours. Amen.

Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

O most holy heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing, I adore you, I love you, and with lively sorrow for my sins I offer you this poor heart of mine. Make me humble, patient, pure and wholly obedient to your will. Grant, Good Jesus, that I may live in you and for you. Protect me in the midst of danger. Comfort me in my afflictions. Give me health of body, assistance in my temporal needs, your blessing on all that I do, and the grace of a holy death. Amen.

A Chaplet of St Patrick

Prayer on the Medal: The Apostle's Creed

On Each of the 12 Green Beads: Say 1 Glory Be, then: 
Through the intercession of St. Patrick, may God Almighty strenghen my faith, and grant the grace of faith for others. Amen.

Concluding Prayer: The Breastplate of St. Patrick
Christ as a light,
Illumine and guide me!
Christ as a shield, o'ershadow and cover me!
Christ be under me! Christ be over me!
Christ be beside me, On the left hand and right!
Christ be before me, behind me, about me;
Christ this day be within and without me!

Christmas & New Year's Meditation

We celebrate Christmas on December 25 and then New Year's day on January 1.  This may not seem like a big deal, but if we think about it then it is.  The birth of Christ is celebrated at the end of the year since December is the last month of the year. This celebration runs into the New Year with the commemoration of Mary the Mother of God,  the Holy Family, the Epiphany and then the Baptism of the Lord.  I have always meditated on this and Revelation 1:8 comes to mind.  In Revelation 1:8, Jesus tells John, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”  Do you see the connection?

We celebrate Jesus' birth at the end of the year; He is the Omega or the End.  This celebration continues into the New Year beginning with the one who gave birth to Him, Mary.  This continuation of the celebration of Christmas into the New Year shows us that Christ is also the Alpha, or the Beginning.  Mary as usual is in the middle of this temporal manifestation of the Divine. This is why she is appropriately called the "Theotokos" or God-bearer.  Christ is the Lord of space and time.  This is why we use AD (Anno Domini - Year of Our Lord) to designate time.  Jesus is the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega.