St. Andrew Christmas Novena

 

Please join me in praying the Saint Andrew Novena.

It is piously believed that whoever recites the St. Andrew Christmas novena prayer FIFTEEN times each day from the feast of St. Andrew (November 30th) until Christmas Eve will obtain the favor requested.
(From ASCENSIONPRESS.COM)

St. Andrew Christmas Novena
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born Of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother.

Amen

November 30 is the Feast of Saint Andrew. He is the patron saint of fisherman, singers, Scotland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine and Patras. Also known as Saint Andrew the Apostle, he was the older brother of Saint Simon Peter, the first Pope of the Catholic Church. In the Gospel of Matthew,  Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee when He  saw Andrew and Simon Peter fishing. It was in that moment that Jesus famously asked them to leave their occupations as fishermen to become disciples and “fishers of men.”
(From catholic.org)

 

 

Novena for Conversion – Day One

 

 

Beginning today and in honor of All Saints Day please join me in praying the Novena for Conversion!

God wants all of us to be happy with Him in Heaven at the end of our lives. But in our fallen world, many of us stray far from Him and fall into sin. All of us are in need of conversion at some level during our lives. We must continually repent of our sin and resolve to begin again as we strive for holiness.

But sometimes, some of us fall into a deeper pattern of sin and are in need of a more radical conversion to return back to friendship with God. True conversion can only come about through God’s grace. Those who are far from God’s friendship are in great need of our prayers.

Let’s offer our prayers in the Novena for Conversion, that all people who are far from God’s friendship may be given the grace of true conversion in their lives!

Read more at: https://www.praymorenovenas.com/novena-for-conversion

Novena for Conversion – Day 1
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Lord God, we thank You and praise You for the many ways You have blessed us and brought us close to You in our lives. We humbly ask that You grant the grace of conversion to all who are in need of it.

You created us all to ultimately live with You in Heaven. But because sin entered the world, many of us have strayed far from You. Some people even live their whole lives far from Christianity and do not know You at all.

We ask You to grant the grace of conversion to all who are far from Your friendship, and we particularly ask today that You bring all those who have never known You to conversion!

Help us to grow to a more intimate relationship with You each day. Help us to grow in holiness at every opportunity.

And I especially ask in this novena (mention your intentions here).

Lord, hear our prayers!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Prayer to Your Guardian Angel

 

It is true. Angels are real and part of God’s creation.  One of the best things about angels is each of us is blessed to have  one especially  entrusted with guarding and protecting us on earth from the day we are born until the day we die. These are Guardian Angels.  To learn more about Guardian Angels read Don’t Name (Or Try to Discover the Name) of Your Guardian Angel  

What’s the best way to have a relationship with your Guardian Angel?
WATCH

 

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church; 336

‘From infancy to death human life is surrounded by their (the angels) watchful care and intercession. Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life. Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united to God. ‘

 

Prayer to Your Guardian Angel
Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
To whom God’s love
commits me here,
Ever this day,
be at my side,
To light and guard,
Rule and guide.

Amen.

 

 

 

What is a Novena?

 

What is a novena?
A novena is a set of prayers and devotions to God recited over nine consecutive days, hence the name “novena” which is derived from the Latin “novem” meaning “nine.” Novenas are prayed for specific purposes, requests or petitions and often are how we ask patron saints to pray and intercede for us when we have specific needs.

This pattern of prayer has biblical roots. It  is a tradition that is traced back to the Apostles, specifically to when Jesus  instructed the Apostles to pray together in anticipation of the Holy Spirit as he ascended to Heaven.

“But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.” Acts 1:8-9.

You may remember that upon receiving these instructions from Jesus, the Apostles returned to Jerusalem which was a full day’s journey, found an upper room in a house and together with the blessed Virgin Mary, they prayed constantly for the next nine days (Acts1:12-14) until the Holy Spirit descended on them like “tongues of fire.”  (Acts 2: 1-4).

So you see, the novenas we pray today are not randomly concocted rituals. On the contrary. The tradition of praying novenas evolved from the Apostles obedience to the Lord’s command, when they prayed for nine days in anticipation of the coming of the Holy Spirit.  Novenas are a wonderful way to remain faithful and persistent in prayer, something Jesus reminds us to do, time and time again, in the Gospel. Praying novenas is yet another simple way to live the faith everyday.

How to pray a novena.
It is traditional to begin praying certain novenas on specific days of the year, but you may choose to pray any novena any time you wish. All it takes is a sincere heart and a willingness to commit to the process, but if you a miss a day, don’t panic.  And don’t give up. You can skip the day you miss. You can recite two daily prayers to catch up for the one you missed. Or, you can resume without catching up and take longer to complete the novena.  Remember, God is forgiving and merciful!

It is also important to remember that God is in control of all things and praying a novena does not guarantee a desired outcome. Regardless of our petitions, God knows what is best for us. When we pray in faith we must accept that God’s will may not be what we want, but it is always what we need to fulfill his plan for our lives and for the lives of those for whom we pray.

For answers to answers to frequently asked questions about praying novenas, visit Pray More Novenas.

 

Why Live the Faith?

 

“God did not tell us to follow Him because He needed our help, but because He knew that loving Him would make us whole.” –Saint Irenaeus

Saint Irenaeus
Bishop and Martyr
c. 125–c. 200
Patron Saint of apologists and catechists

From My Catholic Life:

The iconic opening words of Julius Caesar’s Gallic War are “All Gaul is divided into three parts.” The chieftains of these three regions of Roman Gaul (France) met yearly in the southern city of Lugdunum, known today as Lyon. These rough noblemen and their large retinues trekked to Lyon in 12 B.C. for the dedication of the Sanctuary of the Three Gauls on the slope of Lyon’s hill of the Croix Rousse. The inauguration ceremony was an elaborate reinforcement of Rome’s military, religious, and commercial dominance. Pagan priests performed pagan rites on pagan altars to pagan gods, asking those gods to favor the new sanctuary, the tribes present, and the city. This important sanctuary remained a focal point of Lyon’s civic and religious life for centuries. And in the sand and dirt of this Sanctuary of the Three Gauls, in 177 A.D., the blood of the first Christian martyrs of Gaul was spilled. Here they were abused, tortured, and executed. Killed for their faith were about fifty Christians, including the Bishop of Lyon, Pothinus, and a slave woman named Blandine. While they were imprisoned and awaiting their fate, these future martyrs wrote a letter to the Pope and gave it to a priest of Lyon to carry to Rome. That priest was today’s saint, Irenaeus.

With the dead bishop Pothinus’ mutilated remains tossed into the river, Irenaeus was chosen as his replacement. He would remain the Bishop of Lyon until his death. It was in this way that the tragic end of some raised others to prominence. As the first generation of Christians in Gaul retreated from history, the great Saint Irenaeus, the most important theologian of the late second century, emerged. Copies of Saint Irenaeus’ most important works survived through the ages, likely due to their fame and importance, and are now irreplaceable texts for understanding the mind of an early Church thinker on a number of matters.

Irenaeus was from Asia Minor and a disciple of Saint Polycarp, a martyr-bishop of Smyrna, who was himself a disciple of Saint John the Evangelist. The voice of Saint Irenaeus is, then, the very last, remote echo of the age of the Apostles. Similar to those of Saint Justin Martyr, Irenaeus’ writings astonish in proving just how early the Church developed a fully Catholic theology.

In keeping with other theologians of the patristic era, Irenaeus focused more on the mystery of the Incarnation, and Christ as the “New Adam,” than on a theology of the Cross. He also called Mary the “New Eve” whose obedience undoes Eve’s disobedience. Irenaeus’ writings primarily critique Gnosticism, which held that Christianity’s truths were a form of secret knowledge confined to a select few. The only true knowledge is knowledge of Christ, Irenaeus argued, and this knowledge is accessible, public, and communicated by the broader Church, not secret societies. Irenaeus fought schismatics and heretics, showing just how early the connection between correct theology and Church unity was understood. His main work is even entitled “Against Heresies.”

He promoted apostolic authority as the only true guide to the correct interpretation of Scripture and, in a classic statement of theology, Irenaeus explicitly cited the Bishop of Rome as the primary example of unbroken Church authority. Like Saint Cyprian fifty years after him, Irenaeus described the Church as the mother of all Christians: “…one must cling to the Church, be brought up within her womb and feed there on the Lord’s Scripture.” This theology notes a beautiful paradox. While in the physical order a child leaves his mother’s womb and grows ever more apart from her as he matures, the Church’s motherhood exercises an opposite pull on her children. Once she gives us new life through baptism, our bonds with Mother Church grow ever stronger and tighter as we mature. We become more dependent on her sacraments, more intimate with her life and knowledge, as we grow into adulthood. The Church becomes more our mother, not less, as we age.

On Pope Saint John Paul II’s third pastoral visit to France, in October 1986, his very first stop was the Sanctuary of the Three Gauls in Lyon. Excavated and opened to the public in the mid-twentieth century, it rests largely unknown, a ruin, in a residential neighborhood. Before dignitaries and a large crowd, the Pope prostrated himself and kissed the site where the many martyrs of Lyon died so many centuries before. Saint Irenaeus may have been looking on from the stone benches that fateful day in 177 A.D. when his co-religionists were murdered. The blood of those forgotten martyrs watered the seed that later flowered into the great saint we commemorate today.

 

Acts of Kindness

 

Simple acts of kindness can brighten your day, they are contagious and make the world a better place. Need ideas? Check out this list from signupgenius.com.

For Strangers

  1. Give an unexpected compliment.
  2. Plant a tree.
  3. Let someone cut in front of you in line.
  4. Pay the toll for the car behind you.
  5. Slow down so someone can merge in front of you in traffic.
  6. Let someone else take that primo parking spot.
  7. Give someone your seat on a crowded bus or subway.
  8. Put coins in an expired parking meter.
  9. Give up your seat on a plane so other travelers can sit together.
  10. Buy a warm meal for someone in need.
  11. Help someone struggling to carry their grocery bags.
  12. Stop to assist someone who looks lost.
  13. Say something encouraging to a parent who’s struggling with rambunctious kids in a restaurant or grocery store.
  14. Offer to return a stranger’s grocery cart to the front of the store.
  15. Keep plastic bags filled with snacks and sample-size toiletries in your car to give to the homeless.
  16. Donate flowers to a nursing home.
  17. Hand out disposable water bottles to people working outside on a hot day.
  18. Buy a gift card to hand to someone on your way out of the coffee shop.
  19. Leave a great coupon next to that item in the grocery store.
  20. Pick up a piece of litter on the street and throw it out.
  21. Pass along a compliment to a service worker’s boss.
  22. Take the time to write a great online review for a restaurant you love.
  23. Pay for the meal of the people at the next table. (Leave before they realize what you’ve done.)
  24. Leave a positive comment on a news article or blog post.
  25. Learn CPR.
  26. Give an extra tip and write an encouraging note along with it.
  27. Keep an extra umbrella in your car to give to someone stuck in the rain.
  28. Buy lemonade from a child’s lemonade stand.
  29. Visit a nursing home — read books to or play board games with residents.
  30. Send a care package to a service member.
  31. Bring treats to your local fire station.
  32. Write a thank you note to your mail carrier.
  33. Talk to a stranger at a party who looks like they don’t know anyone.
  34. Smile at someone who looks sad.

For Nonprofit Groups

    1. Give blood.
    2. Donate your old cell phone or other electronics to charity.
    3. Sign up for a bone marrow registry.
    4. Become an organ donor.
    5. Donate gently used clothes to a charitable thrift shop.
    6. Give old blankets, sheets and towels to an animal shelter.
    7. Donate your unused frequent flyer miles to a charity partner of your airline.
    8. Sign up for a shift at your local soup kitchen.
    9. Play with animals at a local shelter.
    10. Donate your old glasses.
    11. Contribute used books to the library or school media center.
    12. Organize a donation drive for coloring books, toys and art supplies for a hospital pediatric ward.

For Co-Workers

  1. Donate a vacation or sick day to a colleague who’s struggling with an illness or caring for a sick loved one.
  2. Tell your boss one thing you love about him/her.
  3. Bring in a favorite treat and leave it in the break room. (It’s extra fun if you do it anonymously.)
  4. Compliment a colleague to your boss.
  5. Deliver coffee to an office assistant.
  6. Post sticky notes with uplifting messages on the bathroom mirrors.
  7. Stay late for a co-worker who needs to get home.
  8. Invite a co-worker who is alone over the holidays to your home to celebrate.
  9. Share your knowledge freely.
  10. Mentor someone.
  11. Write a thank you note to someone who has helped your career.
  12. Make friends with someone new to the company.
  13. Add a positive comment to the conversation if office chatter becomes negative.
  14. Tell a joke to lighten the mood when a co-worker is handling a tough assignment.

    For Neighbors

    1. Introduce yourself, even if — especially if — you’ve lived near each other for a while but haven’t met.
    2. Compliment a neighbor on a feature of their home.
    3. Scrape the ice off a neighbor’s windshield after you’ve finished doing yours.
    4. Mow their lawn, rake their leaves or sweep their sidewalk as a surprise.
    5. Make a double batch of the cookies you’re baking and bring some next door.
    6. Plan a neighborhood block party so everyone can get to know each other better.
    7. Walk your neighbor’s dog when he has to stay late at the office.
    8. Offer to babysit a neighbor’s child for free.
    9. Build a “little free library” box in your yard. Put books in it for your neighbors to borrow, and invite them to donate their books.
    10. Make dinner for a neighbor who has just had a baby or surgery.

      For Teachers

      1. Write a thank you note to a teacher who made a difference in your life.
      2. Tell the principal how much you love your child’s teacher.
      3. Offer to read to your child’s class during story time.
      4. Offer to make copies or do other chores for your child’s teacher.
      5. Create a new bulletin board for a teacher.
      6. Send in glue sticks, pencils, sticky notes and paper towels for your child’s classroom in the middle of the school year as supplies dwindle.
      7. Plan a surprise gift or lunch for a teacher during Teacher Appreciation Week.
      8. Raise money for a project on your teacher’s classroom wish list.
      9. Send in hand sanitizer and tissues during flu season.
      10. Send in tissues for spring allergy season.

    For Friends and Loved Ones

    1. Be on time.
    2. Call your mom or dad just to say I love you.
    3. Research your family tree and share what you learned with other family members.
    4. Tell a friend what you love about their children.
    5. Attend an event, such as a dance recital or sporting event, of a friend’s child.
    6. Send a message to a friend, letting them know you appreciate them.
    7. Reconnect with an old friend you’ve lost touch with over the years. Share a memory you carry with you.
    8. Forgive someone who has wronged you.
    9. Make amends with someone you have wronged.
    10. Do chores for a family member who could use some extra free time.
    11. Let your spouse sleep in when it’s his/her turn to get up early with the kids.
    12. Donate to a friend’s favorite charity in their name.
    13. Give a friend a book you think they would like.
    14. Send a print of a photo you took of a friend or their child.
    15. Write a letter of encouragement to a child you know is having a hard time.
    16. Send a friend a helpful or inspiring article that made you think of them.
    17. Figure out a friend or family member’s half birthday (six months from their full birthday) and surprise them with a little treat on that day.
    18. Write a sweet, encouraging note and put it in your child’s lunch box or under their pillow.
    19. Don’t forget yourself! Schedule a pedicure or massage, spend a few hours reading a great book or make time for another activity you love. Being kind to yourself will give you the energy and strength to be kind to others!

Divine Mercy Sunday

 

A beautiful devotion for Divine Mercy Sunday written by Bella Rol for Blessed Is She daily devotional.

Saint Maria Faustina Kowlasksa was a young Polish nun who received revelations from Jesus Christ in the 1930’s. Jesus asked Sister Faustina to record His loving messages of divine mercy.  She compiled many notebooks which are known as The Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska. One of the many things the Lord Jesus said to Sr. Faustina:

“Secretary of My most profound mystery, know that your task is to write down everything that I make known to you about My mercy, for the benefit of those who by reading these things will be comforted in their souls and will have the courage to approach Me.” (Diary pg. 1693)

To learn more about the life of the amazing Saint Faustina and how God used her to reveal His loving message of Divine Mercy to the world, click HERE.