PRAY FOR SYRIA.....

Pray for Syria at this time of great great suffering.

Our Lady of Mercy pray for us and for all peoples in Syria.  Jesus Divine Mercy have mercy on us and on the whole world. 

A Smile From Bl. Pope John Paul II

Prayer was vital to Bl. Pope John Paul II because he saw that closeness to Christ as the source of any good he could accomplish.

One night, the nuns that cared for him could not find the Pope. After searching the house, they rushed panicking into the chapel, where they found him on his knees in prayer.

Noticing their worry, the Pope asked, “Sisters, is anything the matter?”

“We were worried for Your Holiness,” they replied. The soon-to-be-blessed John Paul II smiled, “I too, was worried for my holiness.” He answered.

Diary of St. Faustina....on The Importance of Prayer in all circumstances

"By prayer a soul arms itself for all kinds of combat. In whatever state the soul may be, it ought to pray. A soul which is pure and beautiful must pray, or else it will lose its beauty; a soul which is striving after this purity must pray, or else it will never attain it; a soul which is newly converted must pray, or else it will fall again; a sinful soul, plunged in sins, must pray so that it might rise again. There is no soul which is not bound to pray, for every single grace comes to the soul through prayer" (Diary 146).

"...a soul should be faithful to prayer despite torments, dryness and temptations; because oftentimes the realization of God’s great plans depends mainly on such prayer. If we do not persevere in such prayer, we frustrate what the Lord wanted to do through us or within us. Let every soul remember these words: And being in anguish, He prayed longer" (Diary 872).

"Patience, prayer and silence - these are what give strength to the soul. There are moments when one should be silent, and when it would be inappropriate to talk with creatures; these are the moments when one is dissatisfied with oneself (...). At such times, I live solely by faith..." (Diary 944).

Silence and Intimate Prayer ....Bl.Pope John Paul II

For a stalk to grow or a flower to open there must be time that cannot be forced; nine months must go by for the birth of a human child; to write a book or compose music often years must be dedicated to patient research ...To find the mystery there must be patience, interior purification, silence, waiting....

The most generous choices, especially the persevering, are the fruit of profound and prolonged union with God in prayerful silence.

It is pleasant to spend time with Him, to lie close to His breast like the Beloved Disciple and to feel the infinite love present in His Heart....how can we not feel a renewed need to spend time in spiritual converse, in silent adoration, in heartfelt love before Christ present in the Most Holy Sacrament?


-  Bl. Pope John Paul II

Prayer for Gods Mercy - St. Claude de la Columbiere

Despair Prayer (Prayer for God's Mercy and Pardon for Sin)

Lord, I am in this world to show Your mercy to others. Other people will glorify You by making visible the power of Your grace by their fidelity and constancy to You. For my part I will glorify You by making known how good You are to sinners, that Your mercy is boundless and that no sinner no matter how great his offences should have reason to despair of pardon. If I have grievously offended You, My Redeemer, let me not offend You even more by thinking that You are not kind enough to pardon Me. Amen.

~Saint Claude de la Colombiere

15th February - Feast of Bl. Fr. Michael Sopocko

The Power of Prayer  -  "Ask and You Shall Receive"
by Blessed Michael Sopocko

Our Lord showed the need for prayer when He said, "Without me, you can do nothing".(John 15:5) Then He assured us of the power of prayer, "Ask and it will be givento you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened" (Matt 7:7-8). "And if you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer". (Matt. 21: 22)

To emphasise the effectiveness of prayer still more strongly, He made use of a comparison: "What man is there among you, if his son asked for bread, would give him a stone?  Or if he asked for a fish, would give him a snake? If you then being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father, who is in Heaven, give good things to them that ask Him?" (Matt. 7:9-11)

Prayer, which is a conversation with God, should have certain characteristics. It should be trusting, humble and persistent. Above all, we must prepare ourselves for prayer: "But when you pray, enter into your room, and having shut the door pray to your Father in secret and then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you". (Matt. 6:6)

He often urged us to trust, but especially in prayer: "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours". (Mark 11:24)

He highlighted humility in the parable of the prayer of the Pharisee and the Publican, on whom He passed judgment. "I tell you that this man (Publican), rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted". (Luke 18: 14)

In order to teach perseverance in prayer, He told the parable of the Unjust Judge, who refused for a long time to defend a certain widow against her adversary. “And will not God”, said Jesus, at the end of the parable, “bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night?". “Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He will see that they get justice and quickly”. (Luke 18:1-8). And to the Apostles before His Passion, He said: "Watch ye, and pray that you enter not into temptation". (Mark 14: 38)