MONDAY- Joyful Mysteries of Rosary
Joyful Mysteries
Test! DISCERN THE SPIRIT!
Fair use: 17 U.S.C. for those in the African Diaspora who would otherwise not be exposed to such!
[Fr. Doucette: 429] Mon, Feb 15, 2010: "Become My friends
The Rev. Fr. Melvin Doucette, M.Afr
Monday, February 15, 2010
"Become My friends"
Dear Friends,
The Commissioning of the Twelve
Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing them thus, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received, without cost you are to give.
Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick. The laborer deserves his keep. Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it, and stay there until you leave. As you enter a house, wish it peace. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to you.
Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words—go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet. Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.” (Matthew 10:5–15)
Here below is the message of Our Lord and Savior given to Joseph. Jesus spoke to him these words,
“After I taught the Apostles, I sent them out to the villages and towns of the Jewish people. It was not yet time for them to go to the pagan places or to the Samaritan towns.
I sent them to proclaim that the Kingdom of heaven was near. I gave them power to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers and drive out demons. If they were welcomed in the village or town they visited, then they were to stay there and do their work. If they were not welcomed, they were to go outside the place and shake the dust from their feet. I will bring judgment upon that place.
As I sent out the Apostles, I also send you out to the various roads and villages and towns where you live. I want you to visit them and announce to them that I am their Savior and all should believe in Me. If they believe, encourage them to pray every day and to go to church regularly and to live as followers of mine. If they do not believe, pray with them that they may receive the gift of faith and invite them to go to Church on Sunday. In this way you will win many people who will become My friends and My followers. If you work like the Apostles, you will win a great reward in heaven. I bless you.”
Father Melvin
[Fr. Doucette: 428] Sun, Feb 14, 2010: "If you love Me, you will love My Church
The Rev. Fr. Melvin Doucette, M.Afr
Sunday, February 14, 2010
"If you love Me, you will love My Church"
Dear Friends,
The Mission of the Twelve
Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him. (Matthew 10:1–4)
Below you will find the message of Our Lord and Savior given to Joseph. Jesus spoke to him these words,
“Soon after I started My public life, I selected My twelve Apostles. These twelve men were to play an important role in establishing My Church. At the beginning I gave them authority to drive out the evil spirits and to cure the sick. As the Son of God, I had the power to do these things and I passed it on to the twelve I called to be Apostles.
These lived with Me during the three years of My public life. They listened to My teachings, they saw the miracles I performed such as raising Lazarus to life and how I chased evil spirits from the people and how I cured the sick.
It was at Pentecost that the Church was born when Peter went out and preached to the people who had gathered in front of the building where the Holy Spirit came down on the Apostles and those gathered with them. That day about three thousand people were baptized and became My followers. My chosen ones worked very well to begin My Church and many people joined it.
So My Church is the one built upon the Apostles with Peter as the head. Peter will remain the head of the Church until the end of the world through his successor, the Bishop of Rome. The successors of the other Apostles are the Bishops who are in union with the Bishop of Rome. The priests are also successors of the Apostles.
All the Apostles except John are martyrs who died for their faith. They are to be honored in My Church for they are great examples of holiness and dedication. One Apostle, Judas Iscariot, betrayed Me and it would have been better if he had not been born. If you love Me, you will love My Church and be an active member. I love you.”
Father Melvin
[Fr. Doucette: 427] Sat, Feb 13, 2010: "The Church nourishes the Life of God in you"
The Rev. Fr. Melvin Doucette, M.Afr
Saturday, February 13, 2010
"The Church nourishes the Life of God in you"
Dear Friends,
The Compassion of Jesus
Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few, so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” (Matthew 9:35–38)
Below is the message of Our Lady given to Joseph. Our Blessed Mother spoke to him these words,
“During His public life, My Son Jesus worked very hard going through every village or town throughout the country proclaiming the Kingdom of God. He had come to inaugurate the Kingdom and He wants that all the peoples of the world enter His Kingdom.
I was part of His Kingdom from the beginning and I pray always for all the members that they will grow in holiness every day. I also pray for those who are not yet part of the Kingdom that they will come to believe in their Savior and be baptized and so be part of the Kingdom.
All those who are in the Kingdom and follow what Jesus, My Son, has taught them will receive eternal life and be in heaven one day. You are all called to pray with great love and with the heart and you will receive the graces and strength you need.
Prayer is essential for you as a member of the Kingdom for it waters the life of God in you. Be an active member of the Church founded by My Son for the Church is the door of the Kingdom. The Church nourishes the Life of God in you and brings you great gifts. I love you all.”
Father Melvin
[Fr. Doucette: 426] Fri, Feb 12, 2010: "Have faith in Me today and every day
The Rev. Fr. Melvin Doucette, M.Afr
Friday, February 12, 2010
"Have faith in Me today and every day"
Dear Friends,
The Healing of a Paralytic
Jesus entered a boat, made the crossing, and came into his own town. And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.” At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.”
Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, “Why do you harbor evil thoughts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Yours sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic, “Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”
He rose and went home. When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe and glorified God who has given such authority to human beings. (Matthew 9:1–8)
Below you will find the message of Our Lord and Redeemer given to Joseph. Jesus spoke to him these words,
“At times I used certain healings to teach the people a certain truth. The words I said to the paralytic man were these, ‘Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.’ This shows that I have the power to forgive sins. The scribes knew that only God has the power to do such a thing. If I forgive people, then I must have divine power.
To show them that I had this power, I then told the paralytic, ‘Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.’ Immediately he got up, took his stretcher and went home. Through this miracle the people believed that indeed I had power greater than any human being.
This power of healing I can give to any person. I gave this power to the Apostles whom I sent out two by two to visit the villages and heal the sick. Indeed many sick were healed through this power. Today there are many in every country who are channels of My healing power.
This shows that I continue My healing ministry although nobody sees Me. Through these healings, you can come to believe that I am the Son of God with all the power of God. Indeed I am truly human but I am also divine. Have faith in Me today and every day.”
Father Melvin
Medjugorje Day By Day Feb 13 - DEVOTE YOUR PRAYERS TO ME
"Lent this year, according to the Holy Father's invitation, emphasizes our essential rapport with the Eucharist. ... I would like to summarize in three points our Lenten commitment:
1.The liturgy of the Church ... is the first instrument of authentic evangelization;
2. On Sundays we rediscover the Eucharist; and
3. With the Eucharist we rediscover the rapport between liturgy and life" [which demands] "resolute witnessing to true values: the family, personal honesty, commitments deriving from marriage, priestly celibacy and religious life ... without which there is no true spirit of poverty" (Cardinal James Francis Stafford, Feb. 9, 2005).
Mother Teresa -
The humbler the work, the greater should be your love and efficiency.
Meditations by Padre Pio -
Prayer must be insistent since insistence denotes faith.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen -
Embracing the etimology of kindness
"The word `kindness' is derived from kindred or kin, and therefore implies an affection which we bear naturally to those who are our flesh and blood. The original and archetypal kindness is that of a parent for a child and a child for a parent, an idea which is preserved in the German language where Kind means `child.' Gradually the word gained in extension until it embraced anyone whom we are to treat as a
St. Faustina's diary
Jesus, my Love, today gave me to understand how much He loves me, although there is such an enormous gap between us, the Creator and the creature; and yet, in a way, there is something like equality: love fills up the gap. He Himself descends to me and makes me capable of communing with Him.
I immerse myself in Him, losing myself as it were; and yet, under His loving gaze, my soul gains strength and power and an awareness that it loves and is especially loved. It knows that the Mighty One protects it. Such prayer, though short, benefits the soul greatly, and whole hours of ordinary prayer do not give the soul that light which is given by a brief moment of this higher form of prayer. (815)
I have come to understand today that even if I did not accomplish any of the things the Lord is demanding of me, I know that I shall be rewarded as if I had fulfilled everything, because He sees the intention with which I begin, and even if He called me to himself today, the work would not suffer at all by that, because He himself is the Lord of both the work and the worker.
My part is to love Him to folly; all works are nothing more than a tiny drop before Him. It is love that has meaning and power and merit. He has opened up great horizons in my soul-love compensates for the chasms. (822)
MEDJUGORJE DAY BY DAY
These thoughts for a day are taken from a daily meditation book based on the Messages of Our Lady of Medjugorje by Father Richard J. Beyer, Ave Maria Press.
Feb 13 - DEVOTE YOUR PRAYERS TO ME
From a monthly message in 1988:
Dear children, again I call you to prayer and complete surrender to God. You know that I love you, and have come here out of love so that I could show you the way to peace -- and to salvation for your souls. Do not let Satan corrupt you -- obey me in this. Satan is very strong and therefore I ask you to devote your prayers to me, so that those who are under his influence may be saved. Witness by your lives.
Sacrifice your lives for the salvation of the world. Know that I am with you and am grateful to you' in heaven you will receive the Father's reward, as he has promised. And so, dear children, do not be afraid. If you pray, Satan cannot harm you in the least, for you are God's children and he watches over you. Pray, and let the rosary always be in your hands as a sign to Satan that you belong to me (Monthly Message 3-25-88).
In Matthew's gospel, Jesus also calls us to prayer. Note that the Our Father contains a prayer against Satan as well: "and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." In Matthew, this petition is expressed in these words: "And do not bring us to the time of trial, but deliver us from the evil one" (Matthew 6:13).
Reflection:
At times we may notice that our prayer has become too self-centered. This is an opportunity to again focus on others, on "we" rather than "I", which is the spirit of the Lord's Prayer. In this vein, Charles Thompson writes:
You can not pray the Lord's Prayer and even once say "I."
You can not pray the Lord's Prayer and even once say "My." Nor can you pray the Lord's Prayer, and not pray for another; for when you ask for daily bread, you must include your brother.
For others are included in each and every plea: from the beginning to the end of it, it does not once say "Me."
Application:
Review the focus of your prayer today. Is it weighted more to yourself or to others? How can you correct the imbalance?
Medjugorje Day By Day Feb 15 - A YEAR FOR YOUTH - Sr Lucia dies at 97
"The prayer of the Rosary, or five decades of it, after the Sacred Liturgy of the Eucharist, is what most unites us to God by the richness of the prayers . . . we see that it is indeed a Trinitarian and a Eucharistic prayer, even more than a Marian one. I do not know if we can find prayers more sublime or more appropriate to recite before the Blessed Sacrament" (Sr. Lucia of Fatima).
"It is from this fruit that other generation of this Immaculate Heart is to be fed, as Jesus said: 'I am the bread of life. He who eats my flesh and
drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As [...] I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me' (Jn 6:48, 56-57). And to live thus because of Christ is also to live because of Mary, since Jesus had received his body and blood from Mary.
It was in this Heart that the Father placed his Son, as if in the first Tabernacle. Mary was the first pyx that held him, and it was the blood of her Immaculate Heart which communicated to the Son of God his life and his human nature from which we all, in turn, receive 'grace upon grace'" (Jn 1:16). (Sister Lucia of Fatima)
Meditations by Padre Pio
Jesus and your soul must cultivate the vineyard together. It is for you to pick up and carry away the stones, to pull out the thorn bushes. It is the task of Jesus to sow, plant, cultivate, to water.
Mother Teresa -
Jesus, you have given everything, life, blood, all.
Now it is my turn.
I put everything into the field also.
The common soldier fights in the ordinary lines, but the devoted one tries to be near the captain to share his fate.
This is the spirit of Christ.
Meditations by Padre Pio -
I will never tire of praying to Jesus. It is true that my prayers deserve punishment rather than reward, for I have offended Jesus only too often by my innumerable sins; but in the end He will be moved to pity.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen -
The golden rule of love!
"Since God finds us lovable because He put some of His love into us, so we can find others lovable because we put some of our love into them. But to do this implies a basic kindness which is always prepared to be pleasant with other people."
St. Faustina's diary -
I am reliving these moments with Our Lady. With great longing, I am waiting for the Lord's coming. Great are my desires. I desire that all humankind come to know the Lord. I would like to prepare all nations for the coming of the Word Incarnate. O Jesus, make the fount of Your mercy gush forth more abundantly, for humankind is seriously ill and thus has more need than ever of Your compassion. You are a bottomless sea of mercy for us sinners; and the greater the misery, the more right we have to Your mercy. You are a fount which makes all creatures happy by Your infinite mercy. (793)
During Holy Mass, the little Infant Jesus brings joy to my soul. Often, distance does not exist-I see a certain priest who brings Him down. I am awaiting Christmas with great yearning; I am living in expectation together with the Most Holy Mother. (829)
December 23, 1936. I am spending this time with the Mother of God and preparing myself for the solemn moment of the coming of the Lord Jesus. The Mother of God is instructing me in the interior life of the soul with Jesus, especially in Holy Communion. It is only in eternity that we shall know the great mystery effected in us by Holy Communion. O most precious moments of my life! (840)
MEDJUGORJE DAY BY DAY
These thoughts for a day are taken from a daily meditation book based on the Messages of Our Lady of Medjugorje by Father Richard J. Beyer, Ave Maria Press.
Feb 15 - A YEAR FOR YOUTH
The Blessed Mother speaks of youth today:
Dear children, from today I would like you to begin a special "year for youth." Pray for young people during this year; talk with them. Today our young people find themselves in a very difficult situation, and so I ask you to help each other....Pray, dear children (Visionary Prayer Group 8-15-88).
In his first letter to Timothy, St. Paul encourages his young friend:
Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity (Tim 4:12).
Reflection:
Both Our Lady and St. Paul emphasize the special role of young people in the church. Paul's friend Timothy was a young leader in the early church at Ephesus, of whom the apostle wrote: "I have no one like him who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. All of them are seeking their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ."
In Timothy's assignment at Ephesus, Paul knew that it would be easy for older Christians to question his leadership because of his youth, but he earned their respect by setting an example in his teaching, life, love and faith. Regardless of age, the Lord uses us in his great plan of salvation. Clearly the zeal and enthusiasm of youth are not only treasures of the church, but also its bright future.
Application:
Let us simply heed the Madonna's advice today: "Pray for young people, talk with them."
Medjugorje Day By Day Feb 14 - ST. VALENTINES DAY
"Our Lord finished His work, but we have not finished ours. He pointed the way we must follow. He laid down the Cross at the finish, but we must take it up. He finished Redemption in His physical Body, but we have not finished it in His Mystical Body. He has finished salvation, we have not yet applied it to our souls. He has finished the Temple, but we must live in it. He has finished the model Cross, we must fashion ours to its pattern.
He has finished sowing the seed, we must reap the harvest. He has finished filling the chalice, but we have not finished drinking its refreshing draughts. He has planted the wheat field; we must gather it into our barns. He has finished the sacrifice of Calvary; we must finish the Mass.
The Crucifixion was not meant to be an inspirational drama, but a pattern act on which to model our lives. We are not meant to sit and watch the Cross as something done and ended . . . What was done on Calvary avails for us only in the degree that we repeat it in our own lives" (Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, Calvary and the Mass).
"I have a burning thirst
to be honored by men
in the Blessed Sacrament,
and I find hardly anyone
who strives, according to my desire,
to allay this thirst by making
me some return of love."
(Words of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary)
Mother Teresa -
Be not afraid of the life of sacrifice.
Padre Pio -
The prayers of the saints in Heaven and of just souls on earth are perfume which will never be wasted.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen -
A kind person is one of a kind!
"Because kindness is related to love, it follows that the kind person loves another not for the pleasure the other person gives, nor because the other person can do us a kindness in return, but because the other person is loveable in himself. The basic reason why everyone is lovable is because God made him."
St. Faustina's diary -
In the evening, a great longing took possession of my soul. I took the pamphlet with the Image of the Merciful Jesus on it and pressed it to my heart, and the following words burst forth from my soul: "Jesus, Eternal Love, I live for You, I die for You, and I want to become united with You."
Suddenly I saw the Lord in His inexpressible beauty. He looked at me graciously and said, My daughter, I too came down from heaven out of love for you; I lived for you, I died for you, and I created the heavens for you.
And Jesus pressed me to His Heart and said to me, Very soon now; be at peace, My daughter. When I was alone, my soul was set afire with the desire to suffer until the moment when the Lord would say, "Enough." And even if I were to live for thousands of years, I see in the light of God that is but one moment. Souls...[unfinished thought]. (853)
During the morning meditation, I felt an aversion and a repugnance for all created things. Everything pales before my eyes; my spirit is detached from all things. I desire only God himself, and yet I must live. This is a martyrdom beyond description. God imparts himself to the soul in a loving way and draws it into the infinite depths of His divinity, but at the same time He leaves it here on earth for the sole purpose that it might suffer and die of longing for Him.
And this strong love is so pure that God himself finds pleasure in it; and self-love has no access to its deeds, for here everything is totally saturated with bitterness, and thus is totally pure.
Life is a continuous dying, painful and terrible, and at the same time it is the depth of true life and of inconceivable happiness and the strength of the soul; and because of this, [the soul] is capable of great deeds for the sake of God. (856)
MEDJUGORJE DAY BY DAY
These thoughts for a day are taken from a daily meditation book based on the Messages of Our Lady of Medjugorje by Father Richard J. Beyer, Ave Maria Press.
Feb 14 - ST. VALENTINE'S DAY
On this Valentine's Day, the Blessed Mother asks for our hearts:
Dear children, today I invite you to offer me your hearts so that I can change them to be like my own. You ask yourselves why you are not able to satisfy my requests? You are not able to because you have not entrusted your hearts to me, so that I can change them. You give me words, but you do not act. So then, do all that I tell you. Only in that way can I be with you (Weekly Message 5-15-86).
Reflection:
On this feast of St. Valentine, Our Lady asks for our hearts, "so I can change them to be like my own." Once we give them, they are filled with God's own life and love; indeed, they are made eternal:
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is (1 Jn 3:1-2).
This is the great inheritance of love, a gift beyond imagining -- to share in the very life of God.
This is also the reason Our Lady asks for our hearts today, that she can begin to transform them into the image of her Son's. We can then begin to live the life of heaven while on earth, embracing others with the divine love that has been given to us. As St. Teresa of Avila wrote:
O soul in God hidden from sin,
What more desires for thee remain,
Save but to love, and love again,
And all on flame with love within,
Love on, and turn to love again?
Application:
In prayer today, simply ask the Lord to deepen his love within your heart.
Holy Love Messages: February 12, 2010
February 12, 2010
Friday Service - For all those falsely accused within society, governments and within Church circles; that all calumnies are exposed by truth.
Jesus is here with His Heart exposed. He says: "I am your Jesus, born Incarnate."
"My brothers and sisters, I desire that all people and all nations take up their rest in Our United Hearts; for it is through Holy and Divine Love you will arrive at peace in your hearts and in the world. Without this union you will have only temporary peace, temporary respites from war and terrorism, but nothing lasting. Pray for those who do not respond to My call."
"Tonight I'm imparting to you My Blessing of Divine Love."
See: http://www.holylove .org/messages_ printer.php? msg_id=6360
No comments:
Post a Comment