Catholics
Comments
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Kay from Philly.
Hello neighbor. What parish are you from?0 -
St. Mary Magdalene. How about you? I grew up in St. Joe's in Collingdale though.
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Welcome Frank and Liz! I'm sorry you are in the same boat that we're in, but we are here to support each other by the grace of God! :-)
Liz, all I can say about your discernment regarding coming back to the church is:
1. Remember that the priests accused are a minority of all the priests in the world and they are the ones that get the media attention. There is NO excuse for their behavior but we need to pray for our enemies and pray for the good priests who have to deal with the shame of their brothers.
2. We go to church and belong to the Catholic church not because of the priests, bishops or Pope, but because it is the church founded by Christ and He gave us the sacraments to bring us the grace we need to carry on and get closer to Him. No matter how bad the priest is, when he consecrates the Host and the Wine, it STILL becomes the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Not a symbol. The real thing. "This *is* my body." "This *is* my blood." as our Lord said. He did not say "like" or "a symbol of" as he said in many of his parables. It's a holy and sacred honor to receive His sacraments.
So ... we are in the middle of a Novena to Our Lady of Fatima and you are most welcome to join us. We have a Catholic Intentions page where you can post if you'd like and a Catholic Prayers page. Kay is so kind to post our daily Novena prayer. We end it Saturday, the 21st ... I think. :-) We also meet at 10pm Eastern time for community prayer here.
Laura (Estepp) has a great devotion to St. Peregrine and is our founder! St. Peregrine is my daughter's confirmation name, since so many in my family has had cancer. Frank, I know you don't have breast cancer, but one of my male cousins had breast cancer and died from it. You and Liz are part of our prayers!
I hope everyone has a blessed and restful evening! I'd like to post the Reading today from St. Hilary.
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Reading From the treatise on the Trinity by Saint Hilary of Poitiers
The unity of the faithful in God through the incarnation of the Word and the sacrament of the Eucharist
If the Word has truly been made flesh and we in very truth receive the Word made flesh as food from the Lord, are we not bound to believe that he abides in us naturally? Born as a man, he assumed the nature of our flesh so that now it is inseparable from himself, and conjoined the nature of his own flesh to the nature of the eternal Godhead in the sacrament by which his flesh is communicated to us. Accordingly we are all one, because the Father is in Christ and Christ in us. He himself is in us through the flesh and we in him, and because we are united with him, our own being is in God.
He himself testifies that we are in him through the sacrament of the flesh and blood bestowed upon us: In a short time the world will no longer see me; but you will see me, because I live and you will live. On that day you will understand that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you. If he wanted to indicate a mere unity of will, why did He set forth a kind of gradation and sequence in the completion of that unity? It can only be that, since he was in the Father through the nature of Deity, and we on the contrary in him through his birth in the body, he wishes us to believe that he is in us through the mystery of the sacraments. From this we can learn the perfect unity through a Mediator; for we abide in him and he abides in the Father, and while abiding in the Father he abides in us as well - so that we attain unity with the Father. For while Christ is in the Father naturally according to his birth, we too are in Christ naturally, since he abides in us naturally.
He himself has told us how natural this unity is: He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him. No-one can be in Christ unless Christ is in him, because the only flesh which he has taken to himself is the flesh of those who have taken his.
He had earlier revealed to us the sacrament of this perfect unity: As I, who am sent by the living Father, myself draw life from the Father, so whoever eats me will draw life from me. He lives because of the Father, and as he lives because of the Father so we live because of his flesh.
Every comparison is chosen to shape our understanding, so that we may grasp the subject concerned by help of the analogy set before us. To summarise, this is what gives us life: that we have Christ dwelling within our carnal selves through the flesh, and we shall live because of him in the same manner as he lives because of the Father.
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Day 7
Mary, through the power of God you performed a miracle at Fatima and made the sun dance. Jesus told us that, even with faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains. This is hard to believe - yet every day, we all have opportunities to make a great difference in the world. We can open closed hearts with our love. This may seem a small and undramatic kind of miracle, but it is the kind most needed today.
Mary, I pray that I might follow your example, and allow myself to be one through whom God works in the world. Though the work may be so small and simple as to seem insignificant, help me to trust in God's greater plan. May I be always, like you, willing to answer God's call.
Recite the prayers
Fatima Prayer: Most Holy Virgin, who has deigned to come to Fatima to reveal to the three little shepherds the treasures of graces hidden in the recitation of the Rosary, inspire our hearts with a sincere love of this devotion, so that by meditating on the mysteries of our redemption that are recalled in it, we may gather the fruits and obtain the conversion of sinners, the conversion of Russia, and this favor that I so earnestly seek (state your prayer intention here) which I ask of you in this novena, for the greater glory of God, for your own honor, and for the good of all people. Amen
Next Recite
3 Our Father...
3 Hail Marys...
3 Glory Be...
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Kay from Philly
Thanks for the novena posting. I appreciate the formal prayer. Also parish St Anastasia
Theresap60. Thanks for the perspective. I am a little confused about the 10 pm prayers. I was on last might but not sure if I was to be on this thread or another can you please clarify how the 10 prayer group works
Thanks
Liz0 -
Hi Liz - the community prayers are at 10pm Eastern time on Friday nights.
Kay - I LOVE these novena prayers - they really speak to me.
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Hello my warrior sisters thank you all for your welcomes.
Sagina thank you but I am not the original author of the quote in my signature line I read it somewhere.
Theresa it is extremely rare for a man to get breast cancer but it is not impossible as unfortunately your male cousin experienced.
I receive Herceptin which as you probably all know was developed (mainly) by a Dr Slamon, Oncologist from UCLA specifically for breast cancer. However in certain very limited circumstances it can be used in the fight against cancer of the oesophagus and gastric cancer which mine is/was albiet metastised into my liver. My Onc said I ticked all the boxes so he recommended it. As I said above we had to fight for 5 months to get it. You can bet the Health Trust's decision to initially refuse was based on cost. According to my Onc I am the first person in N Ireland to receive Herceptin who has not had breast cancer and by implication the first male.
I have 2 daughters - my 2 princesses. Could I ask that in your prayers you might remember Number 1 princess who has just transferred to a new location within the same firm and that she settles in OK and Number 2 princess who is finishing Uni as a Dietitian and is now job seking. She has an interview on Tuesday 23rd May and is filling out another application for another post. If you could stretch your prayers to saying one for my wife who is recovering from a replecement hip operation it would be much appreciated.
Take care all.
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Frankh
Prayers going up all around for the princesses and the queen and a special one for the king for complete and speedy recovery, or at the very least the strength to deal with everything
Liz0 -
Yes, prayers for the king and his royal family! :-) Frank, I'm sorry you had to go through so much to get Herceptin! It always amazes me how many different cancer "cocktails" there are to treat each one of us individually. It seems like no two of us is treated the same way, from surgery to radiation to chemo.
I have a friend whose husband is fighting melanoma that has spread (he and his wife are in the intentions). She said he's going for the brain scan tomorrow and has to start Interferon treatments. So sad. Half the battle of fighting cancer is a positive attitude, and she told me today that he does not have a fighting attitude... he's giving up. So I pray extra hard for Tom and Lyn, his wife.
Liz, that's the correct form of prayer -- for the strength to deal with everything -- every one of us has trials and tribulations and we're all given the strength we need to overcome, if we ask. :-)
Janet is right... prayers are Friday night at 10:00 Eastern Time.
Here is one of my favorite prayers, Magnificat. "The Magnificat [Latin: magnifies], also called the Canticle of Mary, is recorded in the Gospel of Luke (1:46-55). It is the Virgin Mary's joyous prayer in response to her cousin Elizabeth's greeting (Luke 1: 41-45). This great hymn forms part of the Church's prayer in the Divine Office (Liturgy of the Hours). When it is recited as part of the Divine Office, it is followed by the Gloria Patri ("Glory be")." We say it during Evening Prayer. I can just hear Mary saying it!
My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden,
For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm:
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and exalted those of low degree.
He has filled the hungry with good things;
and the rich He has sent empty away.
He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy;
As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to His posterity forever. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen0 -
Welcome Frank and Liz , Add your intentions to the intentions page. That way we will comtinue with those intentions for a long time . If you just leave them here on the discussion page with all our chemo brains we would soon forget once the pages move on.
So many of us have rosaries blessed by PJP2nd. Well maybe our next novena could be to him . Theresa is that allowable?
Janet-------I agree entirely, I feel my focus can be held for 9 days and I don't feel consumed by it ,just really comfortable. It's a very nice feeling.
Theresa strep can be sneaky.
Kay so happy your tx is better
mnmom we love you just as you are. However you ever want to say anything just do it.
Had a computer virus for 2-3 days. So, I need to catch up
Namaste sheila
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Hello Jesus, just your humble servants here, joined together to lift and glorify Your name. We ask that you send Your healing spirit, touch us with Your healing hands, that we may all remember that Your love and Your grace are enough for us. Even as we battle cancer, we do so in Your name, Amen.
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Day 8
Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta were all normal children living ordinary lives. As they show us, we do not need to be important or powerful in the eyes of the world to do God's work. When we feel too small and helpless to change things, we remember that all we need are faith, trust, humility, and wisdom, to make of ourselves God's instruments.
God, I am an ordinary person. But like the children of Fatima, I want to bring Your Word to the world. Give me the strength to overcome my fears and my doubts, so that I might be a messenger of Your love.
Recite the prayers
Fatima Prayer: Most Holy Virgin, who has deigned to come to Fatima to reveal to the three little shepherds the treasures of graces hidden in the recitation of the Rosary, inspire our hearts with a sincere love of this devotion, so that by meditating on the mysteries of our redemption that are recalled in it, we may gather the fruits and obtain the conversion of sinners, the conversion of Russia, and this favor that I so earnestly seek (state your prayer intention here) which I ask of you in this novena, for the greater glory of God, for your own honor, and for the good of all people. Amen
Next Recite
3 Our Father...
3 Hail Marys...
3 Glory Be...
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Good Morning Sisters and Brothers,
My Love to All, life is coming into balance. I am still busy, but gardening, and finally back in the pool, both of which have provided deep healing.
I may not be able to pop in tonight, but will be back on Sunday to see how everyone is doing.
God Bless.
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So great to hear from you Traci! Love to you too.
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Traci,
Great to hear from you for we have missed you! There is something soothing and healing in the soil and water and I am happy you are finding strength there. Hope to see you again soon!
I pray Our Lord grants you a peaceful and glorious day!
Sandy
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Love you Squid Namaste-----sheila
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Sheila - sorry about your computer virus. We've been down that road before. Your "allowable" question tickled me. :-) Prayer in any form is good. Wasn't it Janet who was praying to JPII for a miracle to cure a Stage 4 BC sister? Maybe we can invent our own novena for that intention (for JPII to intercede for us for the cure of a Stage 4 BC sister) ... say the rosary for 9 days (novena) and if you have a JPII-blessed rosary, you can use that.
Gina - that was a lovely prayer.
Traci (squid) - Hi!!! Swim a lap for me. Becky and I walked the track 3 times!
Paula - are you there? How are you doing?
Prayers tonight? Anyone leading?
Becky and I are going to watch an episode of Lark Rise to Candleford, then I'll be back with y'all.
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Tonight why don't we each just post a simple prayer or thoughts. That way no one has to lead (I'd offer to lead but can never think of what to do!)
Here's my exciting news. Actually 2. First, I FOUND THE ROSARY!!! Second, my intentions were heard in one or both of our novenas!!!!! I had added personal intentions which was for a thyroid nodule they found in an ultrasound on my daughter to be benign. As some of you know, I had thyroid cancer when I was 19. My mother had it and the endocrinologist and geneticist both told me it frequently passes down mother to daughter. I rarely even let the dentist Xray my kids' teeth based on what they told me at Johns Hopkins many years ago and then with a thyroid guard. Anyway - the needle biopsy was yesterday and I went with her. Thank you God, Blessed Mother & St. Theresa - it is benign! The pathologist read the slides while we waited. It's something she'll always have to watch but I'll take benign any day! And thank YOU ALL for praying for all the intentions - I am certain our prayers are heard.
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Squid,
Missed you glad you are better
Thanks everyone
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I am here ladies... sorry i havent been around much but i think of you all the time and keep you all in my prayers!!!!
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Oh Janet, what wonderful, wonderful news!!! Praised be to God! :-)
That is a very good idea about everyone posting a simple prayer. I'm pretty pooped and Lark Rise was a very long episode!
I will look and be back in a flash.
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Hi Tink!
Here is my prayer for tonight.
Thank you, Father, for having created us and given us to each other in the human family. Thank you for being with us in all our joys and sorrows, for your comfort in our sadness, your companionship in our loneliness. Thank you for yesterday, today, tomorrow and for the whole of our lives. Thank you for friends, for health and for grace. May we live this and every day conscious of all that has been given to us.
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Dear Lord
Thank you for giving us the strenght to fight and for all those around us you have given to help us in that fight. Thank you for your grace and love. Help me and all my sisiters and brothers continue to grow in faith love and wisdom so we may all grow closer to you and know you the way you want us to.
Thank for helping me through a very dark period in my life and showing me that with you there is a light at the end og the dark tunnels but while we walk through the dark tunnels you are holding our hands.
Amen
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I'm here - posting a prayer in a minute
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O God, send forth your Holy Spirit into my heart that I may perceive, into my mind that I may remember, and into my soul that I may meditate. Inspire me to speak with piety, holiness, tenderness and mercy. Teach, guide and direct my thoughts and senses from beginning to end. May your grace ever help and correct me, and may I be strengthened now with wisdom from on high, for the sake of your infinite mercy. Amen.0
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For the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit...
O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, before ascending into heaven, didst promise to send the Holy Ghost to finish Thy work in the souls of Thy Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me, that He may perfect in my soul the work of Thy grace and Thy love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Thy divine truth, the Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining Heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with Thee, and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God, and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of Thy true disciples and animate me in all things with Thy Spirit.
Amen sisters & God bless.
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May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May He show His face to you and have mercy.
May He turn His countenance to you and give you peace.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. AmenGood night brother and sisters. Sleep with the angels watching over you. Beautiful prayers Tink and Janet.
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Day 9
Mary, your apparition at Fatima was an extraordinary event. Most of us will never experience an apparition. But we know that Christ lives in our hearts and comes to us in the Eucharist. How wonderful it is that we can receive the body and blood of your Son and be nourished by it.
Thank you, Mary, for appearing to Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta and delivering a message that is as relevant today as it was then. Thank You, God my Creator, for giving me life and so many blessings. Thank You, Jesus, for giving me Your body and blood in the Eucharist. And thank You, Holy Spirit, for dwelling in me and giving me courage. Most of all, thank You, God, for Your love.
Recite the prayers
Fatima Prayer: Most Holy Virgin, who has deigned to come to Fatima to reveal to the three little shepherds the treasures of graces hidden in the recitation of the Rosary, inspire our hearts with a sincere love of this devotion, so that by meditating on the mysteries of our redemption that are recalled in it, we may gather the fruits and obtain the conversion of sinners, the conversion of Russia, and this favor that I so earnestly seek (state your prayer intention here) which I ask of you in this novena, for the greater glory of God, for your own honor, and for the good of all people. Amen
Next Recite
3 Our Father...
3 Hail Marys...
3 Glory Be...
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Wonderful news Janet! The power of prayer is just amazing! I am sorry I wasn't here last night. Fell asleep. The first day after the new Taxol/Herceptin treatments I felt so good, I thought it was going to be a walk in the park. Not so, got the bone pain and the tingling in the fingers and feet they were talking about and was in bed most of the last couple days, but have been saying the Novena for all intentions.
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