Pray for Persecuted Christians

Link Youtube: Pray for Persecuted Christians in the Middle East

O Blood and Water which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a Fount of Mercy for us, I Trust in You.

Agnus Dei - Pastoral Work of our Papal Nuncio and Irish Bishops: Jesus Speaks To the Church Leaders - Gospel of th...

Agnus Dei - Pastoral Work of our Papal Nuncio and Irish Bishops: Jesus Speaks To the Church Leaders - Gospel of th...: Gospel Reading of the Day from:  Matthew 23:23-26 Jesus said, ‘Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who pay your...

Office of Readings 16th August (Feast of St. Stephen of Hungary)

SECOND READING

From admonitions to his son by Saint Stephen
(Cap. 1, 2, 10; PL 151, 1236-1237, 1242-1244)

Son, listen to your father's instruction

My dearest son, if you desire to honor the royal crown, I advise, I counsel, I urge you above all things to maintain the Catholic and apostolic faith with such diligence and care that you may be an example for all those placed under you by God and that all the clergy may rightly call you a man of true Christian profession.  Failing to do this, you may be sure that you will not be called a Christian or a son of the Church. Indeed, in the royal palace after the faith itself, the Church holds second place, first propagated as she was by our head, Christ; then transplanted, firmly constituted and spread through the whole world by his members, the apostles and holy fathers. And though she always produced fresh offspring, nevertheless in certain places she is regarded as ancient.

However, dearest son, even now in our kingdom the Church is proclaimed as young and newly planted; and for that reason she needs more prudent and trustworthy guardians lest a benefit which the divine mercy bestowed on us undeservedly should be destroyed and annihilated through your idleness, indolence or neglect.

My beloved son, delight of my heart, hope of your posterity, I pray, I command, that at every time and in everything, strengthened by your devotion to me, you may show favor not only to relations and kin, or to the most eminent, be they leaders or rich men or neighbors or fellow-countrymen, but also to foreigners and to all who come to you. By fulfilling your duty in this way you will reach the highest state of happiness. Be merciful to all who are suffering violence, keeping always in your heart the example of the Lord who said: I desire mercy and not sacrifice.  Be patient with everyone, not only with the powerful, but also with the weak.

Finally be strong lest prosperity lift you up too much or adversity cast you down. 

Be humble in this life, that God may raise you up in the next. Be truly moderate and do not punish or condemn anyone immoderately. Be gentle so that you may never oppose justice. Be honorable so that you may never voluntarily bring disgrace upon anyone. Be chaste so that you may avoid all the foulness of lust like the pangs of death.

All these virtues I have noted above make up the royal crown and without them no one is fit to rule here on earth or attain the heavenly kingdom.

Deception of anonymous visionaries

False visionaries abound everywhere.  And many people even good and holy people can be taken in by them.  Two visionaries in Ireland who come to mind are women who wish to remain anonymous, 'Maria divine mercy' and 'Anne the lay apostle'.  Their desire to remain anonymous is a problem in the first instance.  They both claim that this is the way God has wished it for the sake of their families etc.  But 'Anne the lay apostle' who originally remained quite hidden has since appeared in public many times and at many Catholic Conferences and even at Retreats for Priests.  But still she never disclosed her real name.  Maria Divine Mercy remains hidden for now but she did participate in a radio interview in the United States.  She also has a website called 'warning second coming' and has also like anne the lay apostle published various books.

One of the things I also find disconcerting is the fact that they both associate themselves with the Divine Mercy in some way and even say that they are continuing on the mission of St. Faustina. From the website 'Direction for our Times' from anne the lay apostle, it states the following

In September 2005, the first issue of the Direction for our Times was released.  This newsletter has continued to bring news of the apostolate to lay apostles around the world four times a year.  That month Anne received a series of locutions from St. Faustina.  These messages can be found in Climbing the Mountain .  She told her that Anne’s mission and St. Faustina’s mission were destined to be joined. 

St. Faustina told Anne that the image of Jesus Christ the Returning King would be spread throughout the world and promised that those who venerate this image would be blessed.

Above statement from: Direction for our times - Image of Returning King

The above statement makes no sense to me.  Why would St. Faustina wish to promote another image when Jesus already asked her to have His own Image of Divine Mercy painted and asked that it be venerated throughout the world and that it would be a vessel of grace.  I would say that this is a very subtle deception of the evil one who wishes to try to imitate what he cannot destroy and also to sow confusion.  The evil one is the author of lies and deception and he doesn't expose himself too much as evil but rather he operates like this (under the guise of good) and of course he hates the Divine Mercy because of its power to save souls.  So he does his best to take away from it by introducing a new image.  

For more on Anne the Lay Apostle you can go to:  Catholic Lane - Deception for our Times

And also Sr. Briege McKenna and Fr. Kevin Scallon no longer associate themselves with Anne the lay anonymous apostle. Her statement can be read on her website: Sister Briege

As for 'Maria divine mercy' who also associates with Divine Mercy by including it in her name is another deceptive tactic.  She does not reveal her identity, so therefore we don't know what authority she is under, we have no idea of who her spiritual director is or who her Bishop is.  So therefore one must avoid this message completely.  You can read more on this lady from Jimmy Akins blog at:  Jimmy Akins blog - 9 things you need to know about maria divine mercy

*Avoid all Anonymous Visionaries.  No visionary in the past protected themselves like this. They have to be transparent.

*They must be under a competent spiritual director and under the authority of a good Bishop.  I know 'anne the lay apostle' is under her Bishop but she still does not reveal her identity which is a problem.

*Always ask questions and never accept someone immediately who states that they are receiving messages from God.  They must submit themselves to ecclesial authority and be transparent as to who they are. And also never give them money unless you know exactly who you are dealing with and where your money is going. 

There are no genuine visionaries who seek to remain anonymous and who at the same time publicise themselves through websites etc. If the Lord wished for someone to remain anonymous why would He give them messages in the first place ? Why should any Christian especially those who receive messages from God themselves seek to avoid suffering when so many Saints desired to suffer or/and who accepted the sufferings God gave them in union with Christ who suffered for us.

I don't wish to judge these women but simply to point out the facts that are out there about their messages. They themselves need prayers as they are being deceived and are deceiving others as well.  All visionaries are supposed to submit themselves to rigorous psychological and theological tests and one needs to ask also have both of these women undergone such tests and if so where is the evidence ?  If a supposed visionary asks for money and wishes to go public, I think the public have a right to know who they are and also if they have undergone all the tests required by the Church.

Unfortunately many people are being deceived and are giving money to these organisations and I would say it would be far better to give your money to your local charity than to these groups who are not transparent.  We have already seen what has happened with the House of Prayer in Achill in that regard.

Always remember God never duplicates Himself either.  But the evil one does and he also deceives and often does not reveals himself fully.  He hates the Divine Mercy with a vengeance and will stop at nothing to destroy it. So he tries to imitate it but he will not win.  The Divine Mercy is built on truth because it is all about Jesus and we must always stay close to Jesus who is the Truth and to all that which is already approved within our Church.  Then you will never go wrong.  God bless you. 

The Priest, minister of Divine Mercy - An aid for Confessors and Spiritual Directors

Rome Reports - Priest minister of Divine mercy

Interview with Fr. Michael Gaitley MIC (Marians of the Immaculate Conception)

1. Why is Divine Mercy so relevant right now in our culture?

Because our culture is going to pot. Literally! I just finished giving a talk in Colorado, and my host reminded me that the state, along with others, had recently legalized pot. That, for me, was yet another sign of the downward slide of our culture. People may say, "Oh, it's just pot." But that's the thing: We already live in a culture of addiction and bondage to substances and sin. The last thing we need is more drugs!

So many of us are stressed out, anxious, frightened, and depressed. The suicide rate is higher than ever. In some ways, we're living in a time of unprecedented evil. The good news is that God is not outdone by evil, and that in a time of extraordinary evil, God offers extraordinary grace. (See Rom 5:20.) This good news is the message of Divine Mercy. It's a prophetic message for our time whereby God wants to tell us, "Be not afraid! My mercy is more powerful than evil. Turn to me. Trust in me. I long to give you a peace that the world cannot give."

For the rest of this interview go to:  St. Luke Productions - Interview with Fr. Michael Gaitley MIC

For Christ and the Church Part 1 of 3

Sermon by Fr. John Hollowell - On Judging and Speaking the Truths of the Gospel Message

BBC News - The second miracle behind Pope John Paul II's sainthood

Divine Mercy for Life - In atonement for the sins of abortion and our sins against the Culture of Life

Please Pray 5 Chaplets of Divine Mercy daily in honour of the five wounds of Jesus in atonement for the sins of abortion throughout the world and in atonement for our sins against the Culture of Life.

Pray for 33 Days starting today up until 15th August, the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady.

Promises of Jesus to us for Praying the Chaplet

"Oh, what great graces I will grant to souls who say this Chaplet. Write down these words, my daughter. Speak to the world about My mercy; let all mankind recognize my unfathomable mercy. It is a sign for the end times; after it will come the day of justice. While there is still time, let them have recourse to the fount of my mercy; let them profit from the blood and water 
which gushed forth for them" 

(Diary, 848) .

"Say unceasingly the Chaplet that I have taught you. Whoever will recite it, they will receive great mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy" (Diary, 687).

If you cannot manage five, pray it three times or at least once daily because abortion is a cruel and barbaric act against a baby in the womb, which also hurts the mother and hurts the whole of society and we will all be held to account by the Lord for what we did or did not do to stop it and we must also make atonement for own sins against the Culture of Life and for not witnessing to 
the Gospel of Life. 

We also give Thanks and Praise to God, the Lord of all Life
for the Gift of Life and all His Creation

Adoration, Contrition,Thanksgiving and Supplication 

GOD'S MERCY A Universal Hope - Part I

Please reach out to others in your Parish.  Set up a Divine Mercy prayer group even with just one other person.  Do not allow  your own weaknesses or inadequacies to stop you.  The Lord will do the work when you step out in faith.  Pray for your Parish and for your Priests. 

Any Divine Mercy prayer group or apostolate belongs to Jesus not to the individuals involved.  It is His work. We should always rejoice when others try to spread the Divine Mercy of Jesus and remember where we stand before God.    If we know about the Divine Mercy we have a responsibility to spread it to others and to help Jesus save souls. God bless you.

Prayer to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament - St. Faustina

I adore You, Lord and Creator, hidden in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I adore You for all the works of Your hands, that reveal to me so much wisdom, goodness and mercy, O Lord. You have spread so much beauty over the earth and it tells me about Your beauty, even though these beautiful things are but a faint reflection of You, incomprehensible Beauty. And although You have hidden Yourself and concealed Your beauty, my eye, enlightened by faith, reaches You and my soul recognizes its Creator, its Highest Good, and my heart is completely immersed in prayer of adoration.

My Lord and Creator, Your goodness encourages me to converse with You. Your mercy abolishes the chasm which separates the Creator from the creature. To converse with You, O Lord, is the delight of my heart. In You I find everything that my heart could desire. Here You light illumines my mind, enabling it to know You more and more deeply. Here streams of graces flow down upon my heart. Here my soul draws eternal life. O my Lord and Creator, You alone, beyond all these gifts, give Your own self to me and unite Yourself intimately with Your miserable creature.

O Christ, let my greatest delight be to see You loved and Your praise and glory proclaimed, especially the honor of Your mercy. O Christ, let me glorify Your goodness and mercy to the last moment of my life, with every drop of my blood and every beat of my heart. Would that I be transformed into a hymn of adoration of You. When I find myself on my deathbed, may the last beat of my heart be a loving hymn glorifying Your unfathomable mercy. Amen.

Today is the Great Feast of Corpus Christi 2nd June  

A Worldwide Day of Adoration takes place at 5pm (Italian Time) in Union with Pope Francis and Catholics throughout the world.  

Pray for Those who are suffering and those who died in Oklahoma

We pray for all those who are suffering and for those who died as a result of 

the devastation caused by the tornado in Oklahoma.  

O Blood and Water which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus

as a Fount of Mercy for us, I Trust in You.

Our Catholic Faith and the Works of Mercy

Praying for the Protection of Life in Ireland

Day 5 of the 

40 Days Prayer and Fasting 

for the Protection of the Unborn 

against abortion legislation in Ireland

Please continue to 

Pray with an attitude of 

Trust, Faith and Hope

in God who can do the impossible. 

Scripture Reflections:

Matthew 18: 6-7 

If any of you should cause one of these

little ones who believe in me to stumble and fall,

it would be better for you to be thrown into 

the sea with a great millstone around your neck.

Matthew 18: 10 

See that you do not despise any of these little ones,

for I tell you: their angels in Heaven continually

see the face of my Heavenly Father. 

Jesus told St. Faustina, "I desire that you know more profoundly the love that burns in My Heart for souls, and you will understand this when you meditate upon My Passion. Call upon My mercy on behalf of sinners; I desire their salvation. When you say this prayer, with a contrite heart and with faith on behalf of some sinner, I will give him the grace of conversion. This is the prayer: “O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You.” (Diary 186-187)