Now, That's Humbling

Life passes in a flurry of activity.

I've learned to appreciate the liturgical year. It gives rhythm to life, focuses prayer when I might otherwise not know where to turn my mind, and allows me to "feel" with the Church.

The liturgy of the hours, for example, puts psalms of sorrow and whoa on my lips. I know that I am praying for the persecuted throughout the world, for those whose hearts are crying out, ". I might not have sentiments of sorrow, but with the psalms I can pray for those much closer to Christ in his moment of agony, "My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?"

This morning, the Church prayed, "O God, you are my God, for you I long; for you my soul is thirsting." I recalled the many, many souls who are dying of thirst while trying to quench it with toxins. I think of those who have already tasted the sweetness of Christ, and now long to be totally immersed in this goodness. My own soul longs for God. Thanks to the Church, I prayed for all of these this morning, and so much more.

The liturgy is a humbling thing because it makes you an instrument for the prayer of the Church and simultaneously draws you more intimately into the Church, that is, Christ.

That's nothing new. Being humbled I mean. Today, I also thought of my vocation. As a Father Kolbe Missionary of the Immaculata, totally consecrated to God, my vocation is to consistently turn to God to satiate my thirst. My vocation is to bring others to this same everlasting source of water. My vocation is to pray without ceasing so that I can be a presence of Christ and Mary for thirsting souls.

Now, that's humbling.

How to Pray. Five simple tips.

By Jillian Cooke, MAPM, MTh
Fr. Kolbe Missionary of the Immaculata


Prayer is such an intimate thing that it is difficult to teach others how to pray. I, for one, don't think it is really possible. We can really only teach them about prayer and set a good example. There are so many things that we mere human beings can't teach, and so we praise God for sending us the Holy Spirit!

First: Invoke the Holy Spirit. Trust the Holy Spirit.

Second: Take advantage of the quiet. All the kids asleep? Long commute? Laying awake at night? Pray. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead your prayer, your thoughts, your emotions.

Third: Be consistent and constant. The greatest prayer in the world is the surrender of our will to the will of the Lord. We wear the miraculous medal, and thus pray 24/7 for Our Lady's intercession. Prayer does not require a lot of time, only intention. Come up with something that will trigger your memory - whenever you wash your hands, whenever you turn on the stove or oven, whenever you get in the car, before meals, when a kid cries, when you arrive somewhere, etc. Before you know it your day is full of invocations... prayer. In addition, you are consistently brought back to the presence of the Spirit in your life and the comfort and power He brings.

Fourth: Be confident as talking to your dearest friend and perfect spouse. Be confident that he is closer to you than you are to yourself (paraphrasing St. Teresa), and that He will guide and protect you. Don't waste energy and time wondering if you are "praying right!" When these thoughts begin to plague you, remember that you never wonder if you and your best friend are "doing friendship" right.

Fifth: Immerse yourself in the sacraments. There is no higher form of prayer. Ask for the grace of a rich interior life, trust in the abundant graces that pour into your soul in confession and at the Holy Mass.  

Thoughts and Questions always appreciated! 
Know someone who would be interested, please share. 

Living (and finding) our Vocation 101

by Jillian Cooke, MTh, MAPM

Fr. Kolbe Missionary of the Immaculata

From the moment we come into existence we are called by God. We are then sealed in Baptism with the vocation to holiness and our call to live this vocation out in a particular way - unique as every soul. In Reconciliation we renew the bond God has made between us and the Church - a bond that only our sin can destroy - and we are thus strengthened against that which might draw us from God and our vocation. In Holy Communion we are united intimately with Christ who calls us and we are nourished for the arduous road of discernment and response. When the host is held before us we ought to have the courage to say with Samuel, Here I Am! And with our Mother Mary, your will be done! Then, in Confirmation we are once again sealed by the Spirit, whose gifts are further enflamed specifically for the carrying out of our vocation - univerally to holiness and specifically. 

Therefore, my challenge to you today - on this first Thursday - is to participate in the sacraments as much as possible! Call upon the graces of your baptism and confirmation and trust the Spirit. If you are having trouble discerning your vocation or LIVING OUT your vocation - this is the first place to look! 

Daily Mass whenever possible. Can't find a Mass? www.masstimes.org shows mass and adoration times for whatever city you type in - as well as its surrounding areas as far as you wish to go. I've discovered that from my house (I'm particularly blessed) I can get to a 6:30, 7:00, 8:00, 8:15, 8:30, 12:00, 5:30, or 7:00 within 10 miles - most days of the week! 

Frequent confession. Aim for at least every other week, that way if you end up missing you are going at least monthly. Remember that confession (or reconciliation) not only absolves us of our sins but strengthens us against further temptations. When your fuse is low - go to confession! It doesn't need to be long either, check out this short clip of our POPE FRANCIS going to confession before hearing those of his flock. 

Stop Tweeting when God is Speaking

By Jillian Cooke, MTh, MAPM
Fr. Kolbe Missionary 

It is all too common.

You are talking to someone and they keep looking at their phone. You are in the car with someone and they have wires dangling from their ears. You are telling a story, and the other person is staring at the TV. You are annoyed and frustrated, because you want their attention, you want to BE WITH THEM --- not a connected corpse. People of every age and generation can be so rude. Honestly, you'd like to throw their phone out the window.

Not so fast.

You may be no better. The Lord is with us 100% of the time. Chances are, we are not really WITH HIM. We are more like those "connected corpse" we so disdain. We might not have an ipod in our pocket or a iphone in our hand, but our minds and hearts are elsewhere. We give him lipservice, go through the motions (like a teen sweeping in front of the TV), but we're only there 75%, 85%, 90% of the time. Distractions abound, worries multiply, stuff gets in the way, and next thing we know, we might as well be tweeting when the Lord is talking to us.

When the Good Shepherd had 99%, he did not settle, but he went after the lost 1%.  He is truly a jealous God, not out of some sort of mythical greed, but out of undying love. Out of this same love, he will pursue us, but only we can turn over our lives. Only we, by His grace and with the help of the Immaculata, can "unplug" and give him our full attention. As when a phone beeps, or blinks, or buzzes - we may have distractions or lapses of attention - but we just keep right on moving and address those things in their proper time, we will find that God really is talking to us ---- we just weren't listening.

Don't settle. Life is not just about passing, even with 99%, but about loving and living 100% of the time.

Praying for the Dead

THE TEACHING

When asked why Catholics do something as a part of the practice of their Christian faith, often the simplest, true response is “because Jesus did it and/or commanded us to do it.”  When it comes to praying for the peaceful repose of the dead, however, there is no account in the Gospels of Jesus explicitly commanding such prayer.* The Church teaching on the prayers for the dead is intrinsically bound up with the teaching on purgatory. Prayer for the dead necessarily infers the existence of purgatory.  If there were only heaven and hell after death, praying for the dead would be pointless: praying for those in the glory of heaven (think: praying for Bill Gates to win the lottery) and for those in in hell (think: praying for the Cubs to win the pennant).

SCRIPTURAL BASIS

The scriptural basis for the practice of praying for the dead is first found in 2 Maccabees 12:38-46. After a battle, Judas and his company returned to the battlefield to collect and bury the fallen. When it was discovered that the fallen had worn pagan amulets during the battle. "They all therefore praised the ways of the Lord, the just judge who brings to light the things that are hidden... Turning to supplication, they prayed that the sinful deed might be fully blotted out."  This an explicit reference to the faithful praying for the forgiveness of those already dead. Further, it is presented by the author as a normal course of events, without any language in the text seeming to imply that this was out of the norm. It is reasonable to  expect Judas to perform deeds inside the law or common practice.

In 2 Timothy 1, Paul prays for his apparently deceased friend, Onesiphorus. (It is implied but not explicitly stated that Onesiphorus is actually dead.) In 1 Corinthian 3, Paul states:

If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, the work of each will come to light, for the Day will disclose it. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire [itself] will test the quality of each one’s work. If the work stands that someone built upon the foundation, that person will receive a wage. But if someone’s work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved, but only as through fire.

The only "wage" or reward Paul could be speaking of as a return for labor must be an eternal one, for the Apostle would not preach the benefit of any earthly reward. When a man’s work is tried, it is not pass/fail, with the passes leading to heaven and the failure leading to hell. The Apostle tells us that those whose work is insufficient may still be saved “yet so as by fire.” Therefore the faithful may be assured that there is a place short of heaven for the imperfect faithfully departed to be perfected in order that they may be with God.

THE BODY OF CHRIST

We are alive spiritually as we partake in the grace of God’s love. It is in his love that we are united to each other as one Body in Christ (1 Cor. 12). “Neither death, nor life...shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus Our Lord.” (Rom. 8:38-39) Since death cannot separate the faithful from the love of Christ, neither can it separate them spiritually from each other, as this love is what binds them together. Therefore, the glorified in heaven, the holy souls in purgatory, and those baptized and faithful on earth make up one Body and one Communion of Saints. It is only natural and fitting that we pray for those who need our prayers, and ask prayers from those who may help us.

-JOHN NEAL W. COOKE

MI Member, Graduate of Franciscan University at Steubenville, Southern California resident

*Quick Thought: John 11 recounts the raising of Lazarus from the dead. It is affirmed that Lazarus is not merely asleep, but is truly dead. Jesus tells the apostles this before they return. Upon returning and seeing where Lazarus lay, “Jesus wept”. If Lazarus was truly dead, his soul must have been separated from his body. Why would Jesus weep if He knew what he was about to do, which the texts make clear He certainly did? Could He have wept because He knew that the soul of his dear friend was suffering in a place not of this world but short of heaven?

Man of the House

If you know the Fr. Kolbe Missionaries, you can probably guess who I mean by “the man of the house.”  We live with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, present in our chapel, the heart of our home. He is quite literally the man of the house. 

                I discovered this particular role of Jesus in the missionaries’ lives before I began formation.  The more I visited the missionaries’ home, the more I understood that their lives center around the head of their consecrated family.  My experience of this truth has increased since moving into the community.

Today we celebrate 27 years of Jesus’ presence in our chapel.  This is an immense blessing and also a challenge!  We can sometimes take the great gift of the Eucharistic presence for granted, it is similar to taking for granted the gift of our families when living together day after day.  What a challenging but worthy work to value and treasure every day the gift of our families, and especially the gift of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.

As human beings (I’m pretty sure he calls the weakest to himself), we don’t always act and think as we should, but one thing is for sure: we strive to be worthy of the grace of being his and living with him. Jesus is the unseen guest of honor at every meal, and the underlying subject of every conversation in the House of the Immaculata.  His laughter is heard when all in the house enjoy quality time together.  His sacred heartbeat provides the rhythm for communal and personal prayer.  When we fall in sin or give in to weakness, we can approach him and make amends, be strengthened, and move on. And, perhaps best of all, we can be company for his sacred, thirsting heart.

As a good husband and father, he provides for the needs of ALL in our spiritual family. The gift of his presence in our chapel is a gift not only for our consecrated family, but for all families and people, because from there we pray for all and are strengthened to continue our mission of “bringing the strength of the faith and the love of Mary to youth and families.” You are invited to unite with us in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and… Behold the gift. 

Julie Dinise

member in formation with the Father Kolbe Missionaries

If you are unable to visit the Blessed Sacrament in a church, you can always make a spiritual visit. This link leads to a live camera in Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, belonging to the Conventual Franciscan Friars at Marytown, Illinois. http://www.justin.tv/marytown#/w/7236673168/82    

* Editor's Note: Can’t put aside an hour of silent prayer, because you’ve got your hands full of chores, toddlers, school books, and 12 hour shifts? Give an hour of your labor of love to Our Lord through Mary. Sign up here: http://www.kolbemission.org/en

Day 2: Boys Program

Unfortunately, I missed yesterday due to no battery power. We're back in action..... action.... something rarely missing during the day.

The boys huddle around a chalkboard, playing I don't know what version of hang man, and all I can hear is arguing. No, you said it was this way. Yeah, but I meant it was this way. Who said that you made the rules? No, it has to go like this. .... Then, out on the field, ten minutes is spent arguing again about the rules. It isn't about feelings, or preferences as is so often the case at the girls' program. It is about principle and what is "best."

Strangely, from this chaos, you can easily step in with enough conviction and respect and get everyone's attention. You appoint the ruler, and everyone follows. That's it, no confusion. Trust seems to come in the face of confidence and claimed authority. That's enough. The problem is only have the guts to step in between 20 talking teens and pick out the guy who will make decisions with the same confidence.

Then, you fade into the not too far distance and watch as chaos turns to organized chaos.

When it is time to eat, there are no cup games, no yelling, no picking through to take out the olives. There is blessed silence except for an occasional shout "Can I get seconds yet?" If you say yes, move out from between the hungry and the food. Quickly.

As the day ends and we are in the chapel for adoration, I'm always struck by the more expressive posture of the boys. The girls are pious, to be sure, read, write, pray the rosary, silent, reflective, calm. The guys are in deep bows, on their knees, prostrate in the back of the chapel, hands out with palms up, no writing, few rosaries, only a couple sitting with their back against the wall and their heads cradled in the heads - "not sleeping." No mention afterwards - no show - just adoration "as usual." They even pray intensely.

Life must be very intense for these young men, as they pray, play, eat, and even work intensely (if you can assure them that it is a competition anyway)... so maybe just pray, play, and eat intensely. The questions are intense, and the two weapons they have to break the intensity: ridiculous humor and ignoring you completely. Adoration is the only time you see the guard fall down.

Thanks be to God there is more humor than anything this week, and next time I go to the chapel with them I'll bring the kleenex - since the "incense gives them allergies."

All Rights Reserved. Fr. Kolbe Missionaries.

Light in Dark Depression

A man in Italy recounts:

"Some years ago, I went to recover in a psychiatric clinic. I was overcome by a strong, growing nervousness that made it impossible to work and made family life unpleasant. The suffering was atrocious and the remedy, rather than help, beat further into confusion and desperation.

I always loved the Madonna. In those moments I clung to her with all my poor strength. I prayed to her, even getting out of bed to kneel and pray the Rosary. Sometimes I rose in the middle of the night and prayed in a loud voice; the doctors thought such behavior was due to my illness. Still, the certainty that the Madonna never abandoned me, that she could help to cure me, gave me the strength to escape the tunnel of depression.

I expressed my surrender through short invocations or sometimes just by looking at the medal that I wore around my neck.

The doctors marveled at my progress, and attributed it to their science. Instead, I was sure that 90% of it was due to the "Health of the Sick." I didn't hesitate to suggest also to the other patients to have recourse to the Madonna.

I was discharged from the clinic sooner than expected. Now, with only the minimum medicine, I am well. In all these years, I have never had a serious relapse."

The Prayer of a Child

My husband was a carpenter, but when there were clients they didn't always pay. Often it was hard for us to find money to feed our six children. 

I usually went to a nearby store to buy on credit. But, because it sometimes created problems, I was careful to take as little as possible. One day, however, we were really in need. I sent my eight year old to buy something. He went and came back with the few items, but right behind him was the store clerk - visibly angry.

I welcomed him into the house, but immediately he demanded that I no longer send anyone to buy food, because he could no longer give me credit. "Go somewhere else! I have to pay for the stuff!" He made sense, to be sure. So, I wouldn't take credit anymore, and I would pay the debt. He left.

When I began to cry, my little one who was in the next room heard my tears. He came next to me, and said, "Mamma, I know why you are crying. I heard everything. But, don't worry mamma, I'll take care of it." He went immediately to the image of the Madonna. Knelt down, and began to pray with fervor.

He had just gotten on his feet, when we heard a knock at the door: it was the clerk. His attitude was totally different. He told me that he was sorry for what he said, and that I could go and buy whatever I needed without worrying about paying. After all, I always paid when I could....

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I thanked him with all my heart, and particularly thanked the Madonna. I continue to thank her to this day. My children are married, have good work, and above all have persevered in the faith. My husband still works as a carpenter, but he does so freely, teaching the skill in a center of for drug-rehabilitation. We live in peace, full of gratitude for all that Mary has done and continues to do for us.

I stopped at the first station.

Its Good Friday, the Lord invites me to the cross. But, I just don't want to go there - to the cross. I can
go through the motions, say the prayers, whatever - but no one can make me go there - to the cross. I can think about my own cross(es) and splinters (mostly splinters), and I can feel sorry for other people, I can even THINK about the cross - a lot. But, I don't have to go there. I don't have to be stripped down, and vulnerable to his pain, his love.

Emotional. Spiritual. Intellectual. Breathtaking.

The Lord says, why? If I don't wash your feet, you can't be part of my Kingdom. If you don't let me love you, you won't know what love is. Oh. OK. I begin the walk.

He begins, love is:

1. accepting even death, but also ridicule, scorn, hatred, apparent failure, and condemnation.

Then, I tripped. The Lord may have wanted to go all fourteen, but I realize that I couldn't get past this first station. Am I ready to be considered a failure? Am I ready to be ridiculed, always truthful, but never defensive? Am I ready to be condemned, avoided, and scorned? I need go no further. I am not ready to fail - in the eyes of the world, in the eyes of those I love, in my own self-esteem. I'm not ready to succeed in the eyes of God.

This is why I haven't made it along the way of the cross. This is why I can't bare the sight of love on the Cross, because I am not ready to be that kind of success.

Jesus smiles. My ridiculous child, you don't have to be - that's the whole point - I am that success. You just have to follow. Together, we walked Calvary, for you were my reason. Now, I ask that you allow Me to be YOUR reason.

Come. Let's go.

Unnoticed Loss in the Decline of Imagination

Wow. This title is full of generalizations, which I do not at all condone. But, sometimes generalizations are very near the truth. I'm convinced this is the case. After all, how many people really notice the decline in the USE of imagination among young people (and therefore grown up kids)? Who knows. But how many of these people notice the effect this has on prayer? I venture to guess: not too many. Furthermore, I dare to suggest that this effect is a negative one. That's right. The misuse, abuse, and lack of use of the imagination negatively impacts our prayer life.

First off, what is imagination? It is, basically, our ability to form mental images and concepts about something that is not present to us. It takes all sorts of things we have experienced, and combines them in to fantastic images.  From there new ideas can be formed, and brought into reality through expression and creative arts.  Without imagination we find ourselves confusing reality with fantasy, and the experience of the unseen is - well - unimaginable.

One beautiful and essential form of prayer is meditation. According to Father Hardon's Catholic Dictionary meditation is "that form of mental prayer in which the mind, in God's presence, thinks about God and divine things." Thinking about God and divine things requires imagination: the piecing together of all we hear and experience about God. Meditation is principally concerned with the mysteries of the faith. Again, imagination is essential. 

I wonder what would happen if young children, in addition to (or at times even instead of) memorized vocal prayer were encouraged to write a story about Jesus as prayer? Or listen to a story and share what they felt, what they saw, what they think... Begin and end with the sign of the cross and a prayer to the Holy Spirit.  Nourish their imagination at all levels, and a vital aspect of prayer will be strengthened. 

Then, it is only left for us big kids ....  

Christ is Still in Gethsemane

Sleeping on the job. 

and he repeats:

"Father, if you will, remove this chalice from me!" Prey to the terror and sadness of death, weighed down by sin, Jesus sweat blood.
(cf. Luke 22)

He suffers, also today,  in the members of his body: in sinners, in the persecuted, marginalized and those far from truth. Will you leave him - alone? He has taken you with him, to be a prayerful, vigilant support.  He asks, as he did to Peter, James, and John: "My soul is said unto death. Wait here and be vigilant." (cf. Mt 26).

You fall asleep like the other three, and repeat his greatest disappointment: "Are you not able to stay awake one hour with me? Wake up and pray not to fall into tempation: the spirit is willing, but hte flesh is weak."

INSIST now on the evangelization of YOURSELF, in the continuous conversion and repentance, with vigilance over your weaknesses, natural obstacles, human comforts. Acquire the mentality of God and fight the mentality of sin in all its expressions, in yourself and towards yourself.  Be purified.

Fr. Luigi Faccenda; Verso il Duemila, volume four, page 26. (House of the Immaculata, Bologna, Italy 1979)

Intercession is Powerful.

Copyright. Immaculata Press.

Let us not forget that we, the Mystical Body of Christ, must also seek healing for one another. To do this is to emulate Christ Himself who interceded for us as High Priest on the Cross, but also in every miracle of healing.  Let us look today at the healing of a deaf man with a speech impediment, a healing that will make clearer this aspect of “approaching” the Lord.

            Jesus was in Galilee, and “people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him.”  Note here that it is not only an isolated person seeking intercession, perhaps a desperate mother or a frantic friend. Rather, it is a group of people with no evident relation to the man.  These people were perseverant in their request.  Unlike the woman with the hemorrhage who needed only to touch the Lord, these needed to beg.  But, it was not without value, to be sure, Jesus “took him off by himself away from the crowd.” 

             Again, the crowd is always a problem. Yet, it can always be gotten around. Here Jesus removes the man from the crowd in order to have a personal encounter. He “put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue.”  The broken man, the deaf man is removed from the common confusion and encounters Christ in an intimate way. (Note again the use of the sense of touch and the very personal actions performed by Christ.)  Beautifully, in this account, we also see very clearly Christ in his intercessory role.  “Then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, ‘Ephphatha!’” 

            Already in this miracle we have one group of people who beg, then we have here Christ himself groaning, as if to beg the Father for the healing of this deaf man. Then, in only one word, “Be opened”, the man can hear and speak without any impediment at all.

            This man did not say anything up until this point, and it is not even noted what he said, because it is not important for us here.  What is important to know is that all words passed between the people and the Lord, and between the Lord and the Father. Nor had the deaf man performed any action, the people brought him and Christ “took” him, “touched” him, and “groaned”.  And the man was healed.

Intercession is powerful. 

He already knows, so why pray?

In today's Gospel we hear Jesus encouraging us with the words, "Your Father already knows what you need before you ask him." Well, that's great, but then why do I have to ask? And, if he knows, why doesn't he do something about it? We'll leave this second question for another day. Today, let's just take a quick look at the simple question: Why pray?

As a teenager I remember "giving up" praying. I stopped altogether, because I knew that God knew what I wanted, so why bother? After a rude wake-up, I considered a simple fact. The Lord wills our participation in his saving work. He wants us to be a part of his miracles, his compassion, his creation. Prayer lets us be one with God.

One with God, that is the second catch. As the Our Father says, we pray "Thy will be done." Jesus gave us the example in Gethsemane, and Our Lady at the Annunciation. Prayer gives us the opportunity to consciously align our will with the Will of God. Since it is creative, as a union with God, it also helps transform us and conform us to that Will.

However, we don't need to "babble."  A priest recently suggested a 90/10 split. No less than 90% listening and no more than 10% talking. When we pray, we ask, but we don't need to talk the whole time. We let the Lord know where we are, what we want, etc... and then silence.

What do you think? Can you do this exercise? Do you already? Concretely speaking this means 1 minute of vocal/speaking prayer and 9 minutes of listening/silent prayer. If you can't find nine minutes, how about a small ejaculation and 60 seconds of silence?

As my dad has often said, "Be quiet and listen."

and "Help them before they cry."

I guess he and the heavenly Father have more in common than I thought!

Novena to the Immaculate Conception - Day 9

Our Lady of the Pillar, Zaragoza

O Immaculata, Queen of heaven and earth,

             

                   I know I am not worthy to approach you, to fall on my knees before you with my face to the ground, but since I love you so much, I dare to ask you to be so good as to tell me who you are.

                The truth is that I desire to know you every day better,

              

                  unlimitedly better, and love you ever more ardently, with a boundless passion. Moreover, I desire to reveal to other souls who you are, so that a growing number of people may know you ever more perfectly and love yo ever more passionately, so that you may become the Queen of all hearts, both present and future, and this as soon as possible!

                 Even today, some do not know even your name.

                   

                  Others, immersed in the gutter of immorality, do not dare to look up at you. Still, there are also those who believe they do not need you to reach their purpose in life; but there are  also those whom Satan — the angel that was transformed into a demon for not                recognizing you as his Queen — does not allow to pay you homage.

Many are those who love you, but only few are prepared to do anything you ask of them, like toiling, suffering, and even offering their lives in sacrifice!

                   

                   O Queen of heaven and earth, I pray that you may soon reign in every single heart and that all men may recognize you as their Mother and God as their heavenly Father, thus loving one another as brothers and sisters. Amen

Reading from the Writings of St. Maximilian Kolbe

“Let us take care to prepare as best we can for the special feast of December 8, to rejuvenate ourselves in the Immaculata. Would that on the occasion of the feast of the Immaculate Conception we become increasingly and more quickly her own, her property, her possession, and so on —in a word hers; hers in the strictest acceptation of the word; most perfectly hers in life, death and eternity!”

Closing Prayer

                  

                   Father, you prepared the Virgin Mary to be the worthy mother of your Son. You let her share beforehand in the salvation Christ would bring by his death, and kept her sinless from the first moment of her conception. Help us by her prayers to live in your presence without sin.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.   Amen.

O Mary, conceived without sin,

                   Pray for us who have recourse to you, and for those who do not have recourse to you, especially the enemies of the Holy Church and those who are recommended to you.

Hymn to Our Lady

Novena to the Immaculate Conception - Day 8

Our Lady of Guadalupe, the "Crusher"

              O Immaculata, Queen of heaven and earth,

             

                   I know I am not worthy to approach you, to fall on my knees before you with my face to the ground, but since I love you so much, I dare to ask you to be so good as to tell me who you are.

                The truth is that I desire to know you every day better,

              

                  unlimitedly better, and love you ever more ardently, with a boundless passion. Moreover, I desire to reveal to other souls who you are, so that a growing number of people may know you ever more perfectly and love yo ever more passionately, so that you may become the Queen of all hearts, both present and future, and this as soon as possible!

                 Even today, some do not know even your name.

                   

                  Others, immersed in the gutter of immorality, do not dare to look up at you. Still, there are also those who believe they do not need you to reach their purpose in life; but there are  also those whom Satan — the angel that was transformed into a demon for not                recognizing you as his Queen — does not allow to pay you homage.

Many are those who love you, but only few are prepared to do anything you ask of them, like toiling, suffering, and even offering their lives in sacrifice!

                   

                   O Queen of heaven and earth, I pray that you may soon reign in every single heart and that all men may recognize you as their Mother and God as their heavenly Father, thus loving one another as brothers and sisters. Amen

Reading from the Writings of St. Maximilian Kolbe

“Let us remember that the essence of our dedication to the Immaculata and our perfection of dedication does not consist in a continual feeling or remembrance of it, but in our will. If then someone would not sense the sweetness of intimacy with her at all, nor be continually mindful of her, nor think much of her for some reason or another, but if his will sticks by her and does not retract its surrender, and still renews it according to its ability, then let him be at peace, because she reigns in his heart.”

Closing Prayer

                  

                   Father, you prepared the Virgin Mary to be the worthy mother of your Son. You let her share beforehand in the salvation Christ would bring by his death, and kept her sinless from the first moment of her conception. Help us by her prayers to live in your presence without sin.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.   Amen.

O Mary, conceived without sin,

                   Pray for us who have recourse to you, and for those who do not have recourse to you, especially the enemies of the Holy Church and those who are recommended to you.

Hymn to Our Lady

Novena to the Immaculate Conception - Day 3

House of the Immaculata, USA
All Rights Reserved

Opening Prayer to the Immaculata

O Immaculata, Queen of heaven and earth,

             

                   I know I am not worthy to approach you, to fall on my knees before you with my face to the ground, but since I love you so much, I dare to ask you to be so good as to tell me who you are.

The truth is that I desire to know you every day better,

              

                  unlimitedly better, and love you ever more ardently, with a boundless passion. Moreover, I desire to reveal to other souls who you are, so that a growing number of people may know you ever more perfectly and love you ever more passionately, so that you may become the 

                   Queen of all hearts, both present and future, and this as soon as possible!

Even today, some do not know even your name.

                   

                  Others, immersed in the gutter of immorality, do not dare to look up at you. Still, there are also those who believe they do not need you to reach their purpose in life; but there are  also those whom Satan — the angel that was transformed into a demon for not recognizing you as his Queen — does not allow to pay you homage.

Many are those who love you, but only few are prepared to do anything you ask of them, like toiling, suffering, and even offering their lives in sacrifice!

                   

                   O Queen of heaven and earth, I pray that you may soon reign in every single heart and that all men may recognize you as their Mother and God as their heavenly Father, thus loving one another as brothers and sisters. Amen

Reading from the Writings of St. Maximilian Kolbe

“The Immaculata is the work of God and like every other such work is without comparison and entirely dependent upon her Creator. She is simultaneously the most perfect and most holy work of God for, as St. Bonaventure maintains: ‘God can create a greater and more perfect world, but he cannot exalt a creature to higher dignity than that to which he exalted Mary.’ The Immaculata is the final ‘line of demarcation’ between God and creation. She is a faithful image of divine perfection and holiness.” 

Closing Prayer

                  

                   Father, you prepared the Virgin Mary to be the worthy mother of your Son. You let her share beforehand in the salvation Christ would bring by his death, and kept her sinless from the first moment of her conception. Help us by her prayers to live in your presence without sin.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.   Amen.

O Mary, conceived without sin,

                   Pray for us who have recourse to you, and for those who do not have recourse to you, especially the enemies of the Holy Church and those who are recommended to you.

Hymn to Our Lady

Novena to the Immaculate Conception - Day 2

St. Andrews, Pasadena
All Rights Reserved.

Opening Prayer to the Immaculata

O Immaculata, Queen of heaven and earth,

             

                   I know I am not worthy to approach you, to fall on my knees before you with my face to the ground, but since I love you so much, I dare to ask you to be so good as to tell me who you are.

The truth is that I desire to know you every day better,

              

                  unlimitedly better, and love you ever more ardently, with a boundless passion. Moreover, I desire to reveal to other souls who you are, so that a growing number of people may know you ever more perfectly and love you ever more passionately, so that you may become the 

                   Queen of all hearts, both present and future, and this as soon as possible!

Even today, some do not know even your name.

                   

                  Others, immersed in the gutter of immorality, do not dare to look up at you. Still, there are also those who believe they do not need you to reach their purpose in life; but there are  also those whom Satan — the angel that was transformed into a demon for not recognizing you as his Queen — does not allow to pay you homage.

Many are those who love you, but only few are prepared to do anything you ask of them, like toiling, suffering, and even offering their lives in sacrifice!

                   

                   O Queen of heaven and earth, I pray that you may soon reign in every single heart and that all men may recognize you as their Mother and God as their heavenly Father, thus loving one another as brothers and sisters. Amen

Reading from the Writings of St. Maximilian Kolbe

“Immaculata: the summit of perfection of a creature, Mother of God, the most godlike of creatures. The purpose of the creature, the purpose of man, is the progressive growth in likeness to the Creator, a constantly more perfect godliness. We imitate good, virtuous, holy people, but none of these is without imperfection. Only she, immaculate from the first moment of her existence, knows no fault, not the least. It is she whom one should imitate and come close to. We should become hers, become her. Behold the peak of perfection in man.”

Closing Prayer

                  

                   Father, you prepared the Virgin Mary to be the worthy mother of your Son. You let her share beforehand in the salvation Christ would bring by his death, and kept her sinless from the first moment of her conception. Help us by her prayers to live in your presence without sin.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.   Amen.

O Mary, conceived without sin,

                   Pray for us who have recourse to you, and for those who do not have recourse to you, especially the enemies of the Holy Church and those who are recommended to you.

Hymn to Our Lady