Prayer Before Doing Legion Work

Holy Mother of God, Mother of us all,
Help me as I go to the front today as a soldier in your legion.
Keep my attitude towards people as one of infinite sweetness and patience.
Remind me always that I stand before people in your place, doing your work.
Remind me how much you love each of your children.
Let me disappear, and let my voice, my attitude and my thoughts be yours.
In this way, the will of God, who is your Son and my Lord, will be done.
I pray will all my heart for the conversion of the souls that I am about to meet.
Dear Mother, Queen of Peace, Queen of All Graces,
__________________________________( name of praesidium)
I am in your service, and I thank you in advance for having listened to my prayer.
Amen

From  the Senatus of Ontario

I ask simply to be used.

By Cardinal Newman, from his Meditations on Christian Doctrine, Part III

God was all-complete, all-blessed in Himself; but it was His will to create a world for His glory. He is Almighty, and might have done all things Himself, but it has been His will to bring about His purposes by the beings He has created. We are all created to His glory—we are created to do His will. I am created to do something or to be something for which no one else is created; I have a place in God's counsels, in God's world, which no one else has; whether I be rich or poor, despised or esteemed by man, God knows me and calls me by my name.

God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission—I never may know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. Somehow I am necessary for His purposes, as necessary in my place as an Archangel in his—if, indeed, I fail, He can raise another, as He could make the stones children of Abraham. Yet I have a part in this great work; I am a link in a chain, a bond of connexion between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good, I shall do His work; I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it, if I do but keep His commandments and serve Him in my calling.

Therefore I will trust Him. Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. My sickness, or perplexity, or sorrow may be necessary causes of some great end, which is quite beyond us. He does nothing in vain; He may prolong my life, He may shorten it; He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends, He may throw me among strangers, He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide the future from me—still He knows what He is about.

O Adonai, O Ruler of Israel, Thou that guidest Joseph like a flock, O Emmanuel, O Sapientia, I give myself to Thee. I trust Thee wholly. Thou art wiser than I—more loving to me than I myself. Deign to fulfil Thy high purposes in me whatever they be—work in and through me. I am born to serve Thee, to be Thine, to be Thy instrument. Let me be Thy blind instrument. I ask not to see—I ask not to know—I ask simply to be used.

Sub Tuum Praesidium

An ancient prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the oldest known version of which is found on an Egyptian papyrus from the 3rd century. This prayer is used in Litanies to the Blessed Mother and as a concluding prayer to Compline. A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who recite it.

SUB tuum praesidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genetrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus1, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

WE fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen.

Still Gregorian chant:


The earliest text of this hymn was found in a Coptic Orthodox Christmas liturgy of the third century. It is written in Greek and dates to approximately 250. It is used in the Coptic liturgy to this day, as well as in the Byzantine, Ambrosian, and Roman liturgies.

Two more versions:



(Mozart)


Bl. Herman Joseph (boy holding apples), St. Stephen of Hungary (King),
St. Charles Borromeo (Kneeling Cardinal), St. Dominic (holding lily),
St. Anselm (Standing Bishop), St. Nothburga (Sickle over her head).

Picture from Holy Cards

Beautiful Stations of the Cross

A puppet version



Via Fr Joe

Angelus Domini

A stunning rendition by University of North Carolina's Clef Hangers.



H/T Prashanthi

V		Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariae;
R		Et concepit de Spiritu Sancto.
All		Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.
V		Ecce ancilla Domini.
R		Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.
All		Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.
V		Et Verbum caro factum est.
R		Et habitavit in nobis.
All		Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.
V		Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genetrix.
R		Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.
V		Oremus.Gratiam tuam, quaesumus, Domine, mentibus nostris infunde; ut qui, Angelo nuntiante, Christi Filii tui incarnationem cognovimus, per passionem eius et crucem, ad resurrectionis gloriam perducamur. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum.
All		Amen.

A Prayer for the Immaculate Conception

I know, it's still too early, but Jeffry post this prayer to our yahoogroups and I cant wait not to post it.. so.... :)

Tota pulchra es, Mariaet macula originalis non est in te.
Vestimentum tuum candidum quasi nix, et facies tua sicut sol.
Tota pulchra es, Maria,et macula originalis non est in te.
Tu gloria Jerusalem, tu laetitia Israel, tu honorificentia populi nostri.
Tota pulchra es, Maria.

You are completely pure, Mary,
and the stain of original sin is not within you.
Your clothing is white like snow, and your face is like the sun.
You are completely pure, Mary,and the stain of original sin is not within you.
You are the glory of Jerusalem, you are the joy of Israel,
you are the honoured of our people.
You are completely pure, Mary

to our Lady

Prayer of St Gertrude the Great

A Prayer which would release 1000 Souls from Purgatory each time it is said.

Our Lord told Saint Gertrude the Great that the folliwng prayer would release 1000 souls from Purgatory each time it is said. The prayer was extended to include living sinners we well:

"Eternal Father, I offer You the most precious blood of Your Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and my family. Amen."

Video: Pope John Paul the Great celebrating the Tridentine Mass

Beautiful man, beautiful soul, beautiful voice, beautiful song, beautiful mass,

most beautiful Savior.

I do miss him...Santo Subito!

I can do all things in Him who strengthen me

For us Legionaries in NUS, many times we encountered problems with our time management. We must struggled with many many things at the same times. Test, projects, assignments, CCAs, contact work, etc. It's true that things sometimes can be very tiring, very demanding.. And at that point of time, sometimes we are thinking to run away from some of our responsibilities because we feel that we cannot cope with it anymore.

And then, at times, we feel disappointed with ourselves. I failed to do this, and I failed to do that. Specific example for legionaries.. I failed to invite my friend for Mass, for a talk, or for Legion meeting.

In fact, a few days/weeks ago, I did experience that. However, that time, when I was praying using St Josemaria’s book, The Way, I bump into these 2 quotes and they strike me a lot,

When you want to do things well, really well, it's then you do them worse. Humble yourself before Jesus, saying to him: Don't you see how I do everything wrong? Well, if you don't help me very much, I'll do it all even worse! Take pity on your child: You see, I want to write a big page each day in the book of my life. But I'm so clumsy, that if the Master doesn't guide my hand, instead of graceful strokes my pen leaves behind blots and scratches, that can't be shown to anyone. From now on, Jesus, the writing will always be done by both of us together.

You are full of weaknesses. Every day you see them more clearly. But don't let them frighten you. He well knows you can't yield more fruit. Your involuntary falls-those of a child-show your Father God that he must take more care, and your Mother Mary that she must never let you go from her loving hand. Each day, as our Lord picks you up from the ground, take advantage of it, embrace him with all your strength and lay your wearied head on his open breast so that you'll be carried away by the beating of his most loving heart.

Now that I think about it again, these two quotes are quite related to basic duties of legionaries which is listed in chapter 33 of our handbook. To tell you the truth, I’m quite surprised to see the basic duties listed there when I was preparing this allo since I never opened that chapter before. But anyway, there are two things that are listed there that I think quite important for us legionaries to fulfilled, “The Legionary must pray as well as work”, and “The interior life of Legionaries”, which consist of prayer, mortification and sacraments.

From these duties, I can see that our founder has realized how important it is for us to really abandon ourselves to our Father God and to Our Mother Mary; that we, in doing apostolate, must really depend on the divine power, not just on mere human power. This apostolic work, this contact work, is not our work. Through our prayer and interior life, through constant discernment, we should keep asking again and again, what is the Lord’s will in my life? Day by day asking our Lord, “What apostolic work do You want me to do today Lord?” So that we can always be very much united with His Holy will. And then, of course we can always turn to Our Lady, to ask for her intercession for our work.

However, even though we might have practiced that prayer, mortification and sacraments, we might still encountered failings in our apostolate. It’s very normal for us to encountered failings; when we encountered that, keep in mind again, that this work we did, is not our work, it’s God’s work. None of us can change our contact’s hearts. It is only God who can change the heart of a person. Don’t worry and don’t get discouraged when we encounter failings. Like what St Josemaria said, if we really humble ourselves and admit our failings as a child.. And just humbly ask for His help to begin again, again and again. Because He never asked us to success; He just wants us to be faithful and to persevere.

Seeing that the Church militant in these our times is tossed this way and that...

Who is She that comes forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as the army set in battle array?
She is the Queen of the Rosary, Our Lady of Victory
and may She aid Her Church in our battles today too, for we are living in times of war.

Pope Pius V's encyclical urging the praying of the Rosary during the wars that culminated in the Battle of Lepanto. It speaks very beautifully about finding recourse in the Rosary in times of trial :

Consueverunt Romani

Pope St. Pius V - 17 September 1569

The Roman Pontiffs, and the other Holy Fathers, our predecessors, when they were pressed in upon by temporal or spiritual wars, or troubled by other trials, in order that they might more easily escape from these, and having achieved tranquillity, might quietly and fervently be free to devote themselves to God, were wont to implore the divine assistance, through supplications or Litanies to call forth the support of the saints, and with David to lift up their eyes unto the Mountains, trusting with firm hope that thence would they receive aid.

1. Prompted by their example, and, as is piously believed, by the Holy Ghost, the inspired Blessed founder of the Order of Friars Preachers, (whose institutes and rule we ourselves expressly professed when we were in minor orders), in circumstances similar to those in which we now find ourselves, when parts of France and of Italy were unhappily troubled by the heresy of the Albegenses, which blinded so many of the worldly that they were raging most savagely against the priests of the Lord and the clergy, raised his eyes up unto heaven, unto that mountain of the Glorious Virgin Mary, loving Mother of God. For she by her seed has crushed the head of the twisted serpent, and has alone destroyed all heresies, and by the blessed fruit of her womb has saved a world condemned by the fall of our first parent. From her, without human hand, was that stone cut, which, struck by wood, poured forth the abundantly flowing waters of graces. And so Dominic looked to that simple way of praying and beseeching God, accessible to all and wholly pious, which is called the Rosary, or Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in which the same most Blessed Virgin is venerated by the angelic greeting repeated one hundred and fifty times, that is, according to the number of the Davidic Psalter, and by the Lord's Prayer with each decade. Interposed with these prayers are certain meditations showing forth the entire life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, thus completing the method of prayer devised by the by the Fathers of the Holy Roman Church. This same method St. Dominic propagated, and it was, spread by the Friars of Blessed Dominic, namely, of the aforementioned Order, and accepted by not a few of the people. Christ's faithful, inflamed by these prayers, began immediately to be changed into new men. The darkness of heresy began to be dispelled, and the light of the Catholic Faith to be revealed. Sodalities for this form of prayer began to be instituted in many places by the Friars of the same Order, legitimately deputed to this work by their Superiors, and confreres began to be enrolled together.

2. Following the example of our predecessors, seeing that the Church militant, which God has placed in our hands, in these our times is tossed this way and that by so many heresies, and is grievously troubled troubled and afflicted by so many wars, and by the deprave morals of men, we also raise our eyes, weeping but full of hope, unto that same mountain, whence every aid comes forth, and we encourage and admonish each member of Christ's faithful to do likewise in the Lord.

[Pius goes on to confirm the indults, indulgences, etc., which his predecessors had granted to those who pray the Rosary, and to explicitate several of these indulgences.]

Given at Rome at St. Peter's, under the Fisherman's ring, 17 September 1569, in the fourth year of our Pontificate.

Why pray the Rosary?

From EWTN

Why pray the Rosary today? Certainly, to grow in holiness and in one's prayer life. The following are a few others reasons why the rosary should be prayed often, even daily:

• "Among all the devotions approved by the Church none has been so favored by so many miracles as the devotion of the Most Holy Rosary" (Pope Pius IX).

• "Say the Rosary every day to obtain peace for the world" (Our Lady of Fátima).

• "There is no surer means of calling down God's blessings upon the family . . . than the daily recitation of the Rosary" (Pope Pius XII).

• "We do not hesitate to affirm again publicly that we put great confidence in the Holy Rosary for the healing of evils of our times" (Pope Pius XII).

• "No one can live continually in sin and continue to say the Rosary: either they will give up sin or they will give up the Rosary" (Bishop Hugh Doyle).

• "The Rosary is a magnificent and universal prayer for the needs of the Church, the nations and the entire world" (Pope John XXIII).

• "The Rosary is the compendium of the entire Gospel" (Pope Paul VI quoting Pope Pius XII).

• "Meditation on the mysteries of the Rosary . . . can be an excellent preparation for the celebration of those same mysteries in the liturgical actions [i.e. the Mass] and can also become a continuing echo thereof" (Pope Paul VI).

• "My impression is that the Rosary is of the greatest value not only according to the words of Our Lady at Fátima, but according to the effects of the Rosary one sees throughout history. My impression is that Our Lady wanted to give ordinary people, who might not know how to pray, this simple method of getting closer to God" (Sister Lucia, one of the seers of Fátima).

• "How beautiful is the family that recites the Rosary every evening" (Pope John Paul II).

• Pope John Paul II has called the Rosary his "favorite prayer," after the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours.

• St. Louis de Montfort warns us against both the ignorant and scholars who regard the Rosary as something of little importance..."the Rosary is a priceless treasure inspired by God."

Defende nos in proelio!

I'd urge you to say this prayer after each Mass you attend. It's a beautiful practice and shouldn't have been discontinued.

Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -
by the Divine Power of God -
cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

"I'll pray for you" :)

Actually I've been inspired to write this post since yesterday. But I don't have time yesterday to write because I'm busy. lol. Anyway, yesterday I attended the Science CG, and apparently the topic for CG that day was Praying with The Community.

When I was sharing with them about the topic in CG, actually what really is inspiring me (to write this especially) is not really the bible passage. But more about my own reflection, my own experiences which I can appreciate more after the CG, after listening to others' sharing as well.

Well, yesterday's CG really reminded me of how lucky am I to have you all, in the CSS, ICy, Legion; to be in a community who is always supporting me anytime. I can really feel how people are really care about one another, how they love each other. And I guess that's how people get attracted to Catholic community like us :)

And also, especially from Legion.. I have learned about this pray with the community thing. Starting from the exam prayer I experienced in the beginning of my journey with this community. And actually, from the sharing yesterday.. I found that not a lot of people are used to pray for each other like how we did in Legion. and how they are really feel very special when they heard someone say, "I'll pray for you.", which is not very often for them.

So, the point is.. this post is actually more like a 'thanksgiving post' from me for having you all, who are always saying "I'll pray pray for you" to me. And, maybe.. we need to say that, "I'll pray for you." more often to others. Cause.. i guess, prayer is always and always the best gift from God right? And, how beautiful it is if we can share that gift to others as well :)

For anyone who's stressed or worried :)

IF MY DAYS WERE UNTROUBLED

If my days were Untroubled and my heart always light,
Would I seek that fair Land where there is no night?

If I never grew weary with the weight of my load,
Would I search for God's peace at the end of the road?

If I never knew sickness and never felt pain,
Would I search for a Hand to help and sustain?

If I walked without sorrow and lived without loss,
Would my soul seek solace at the foot of the cross?

If all I desired was mine in a day,
Would I kneel before God and earnestly pray?

If God sent no winter to freeze me with fear,
Would I yearn for the warmth of spring every year?

I ask myself these and the answer is plain,
If my life were pleasure and I never knew pain,

I'd seek God less often and need Him much less,
For God is sought more often in times of distress.

And no one knows more or sees Him as plain
As those who have met Him on the "Pathway of Pain".

Author Unknown

From "My Heart Will Go On Singing" :)

Prayer of Thomas Merton

I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you....

I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Salve!

This is really heavenly!




Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiae,
vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.
ad te clamamus
exsules filii Hevae,
ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
in hac lacrimarum valle.

Eia, ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos
misericordes oculos ad nos converte;
et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,
nobis post hoc exilium ostende.
O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.

O God, thy sea is so great, and my boat is so small

The above was a plaque that US President John F Kennedy had on his desk in the White House.

Here's the entire poem, by an unknown author:

Thy sea, O God, so great,
My boat so small,
It cannot be that any happy fate,
Will me befall,
Save as Thy goodness opens paths for me,
Through the consuming vastness of the sea.

Thy winds, O God, so strong,
So slight my sail.
How could I cub and bit them on the long
and salty trail,
Unless Thy love were mightier than the wrath
Of all the tempests that beset my path?

Thy world, O God, so fierce,
And I so frail.
Yet, though its arrows threaten oft to pierce
My fragile mail,
Cities of refuge rise where dangers cease,
Sweet silences abound, and all is peace.

"Storm at the Sea of Galilee"- Rembrandt

When Children Learn How to Pray...

Children are special of their simplicity.. I came across this site of 'Children Learn to Pray' (inspired by Krizia's post :) .. It has a really easy to be chewed understanding about Hail Mary when children learn it.. Maybe it also good for us to once rediscover our faith, in a simple way like a child... Isn't this prayer like saying " Hi, Mommy.........!" :)

The Hail Mary
by Victor Hoagland, C.P.

In heaven God said, "One day I will send my Son to help all people and show them how to live. And I choose Mary to be the mother of Jesus, my Son. So God sent his angel Gabriel to Mary and the angel said:

Hail Mary,

The angel Gabriel visited Mary in Nazareth, in Galilee. The angel said to Mary that God loved her. She was

full of grace,

The angel Gabriel told Mary that God, who was in heaven so far away, had come to be close to her. She was to be the mother of Jesus. The angel said,

the Lord is with you.

After the angel left her, Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth. her cousin knew how good God was to Mary. Elizabeth said,

Blessed are you among women

Mary's cousin Elizabeth knew that Mary was going to be the Mother of Jesus Christ. Elizabeth said,

and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.

We pray to Mary because she is so close to God, and because she is so close to her Son, Jesus Christ. And so we say,

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners

Like a good mother, Mary always hears us when we call to her. She hears us now, at this very moment; and when we come to the last moment of our life. And so we pray,

Now and at the hour of our death.Amen.

Here is the link http://www.cptryon.org/prayer/child/mary.html

And it has some deeper reflection for those consider themselves adults too :)

God bless!

The Angelus

I opened the blog meaning to post this video which I had just used to pray the Angelus. Was surprised at the coincidence that Krizia was talking abt the Angelus too. The pace of the prayers is a bit slow but that's good since I sometimes rush my Angelus and that's not good.

I also really like the explanation provided:

We rightly admire Muslim neighbors and co-workers who put everything on hold five times a day in answer to the "call to prayer." But Christians have a "call to prayer," too! It is the Angelus. Three times a day (at 6:00 a.m., noon and 6:00 p.m), we pause to reaffirm our faith in the Incarnation: that "God so loved the world he sent his only Son" (Jn 3:16), who "worked with human hands, thought with a human mind and loved with a human heart." God knows what life on earth is like: he lived on this very planet of ours! And so "it is right to give him thanks and praise" for "having not spared his Son, but delivering him up for us."

This video was prepared to help you learn and pray the Angelus. Once you have made this practice part of your daily prayer life, you can use the video to invite others to renew their faith in this "pivot point" of the Christian creed, in which the mysteries of the Trinity and of our Redemption in Christ come together. If we are Christians, we need to "know him whom we have believed"! The Angelus can help."

Domine Iesu, noverim me. Lord Jesus, Let me Know Myself

St Augustine is one of the Saints that I admire the most... He and his mother, St Monica, really have a deep love for God..
Here is one of the prayer he wrote.

Domine Iesu, noverim me
Lord Jesus, Let me Know Myself


LORD Jesus, let me know myself and know Thee,
And desire nothing save only Thee.
Let me hate myself and love Thee.
Let me do everything for the sake of Thee.

Let me humble myself and exalt Thee.
Let me think of nothing except Thee.
Let me die to myself and live in Thee.
Let me accept whatever happens as from Thee.

Let me banish self and follow Thee,
And ever desire to follow Thee.
Let me fly from myself and take refuge in Thee,
That I may deserve to be defended by Thee.

Let me fear for myself,
let me fear Thee,
And let me be among those who are chosen by Thee.
Let me distrust myself and put my trust in Thee.

Let me be willing to obey for the sake of Thee.
Let me cling to nothing save only to Thee,
And let me be poor because of Thee.
Look upon me, that I may love Thee.
Call me that I may see Thee,
And for ever enjoy Thee.
Amen.

http://www.preces-latinae.org/preces.html