Christmas Love, Joy and

Merry Christmas

Christmas Eve - Joyfully Waiting

Let us then joyfully celebrate

the coming of our salvation

and redemption. 

Let us celebrate the festive day

on which he who is the great

and eternal day

came from the great and

endless day of eternity

into our own short day of time.

Peace

Even during times of war, there's also time of peace, peace that comes from believing in God and knowing He is always with us. Peace that comes from trusting in the One whose birthday we will celebrate on December 25th.  Peace which is always in our souls waiting to blossom forth and fill the world with a fragrance and surety that all is well ... God is in Heaven and He truly sends peace to all who believe in him. -Fr. J.J.V

3rd Week of Advent

 Anticipation

Expectation

Rejoice Always in the Lord



2nd Sunday in Advent

The light of Christ
illuminates our life.

Just for today ...

Today let the promise

of God's kingdom

fill you with hope. 

And let that promise

send you out into the world

 to make a difference.

Take Time

Escape from your everyday business
for a short while,

hide for a moment
from your restless thoughts. 

Break off from your cares and troubles

 and be less concerned about

your tasks and labors. 

Make a little time for God

and rest a while in him.
-Saint Anselm, bishop

The Advent Season - Mary's Season

This is really Mary's season, that time when she carried God within her womb.  The Advent Season is a time to turn to our Blessed Mother and invoke her prayers for all of our needs.  No one is closer to God then Mary, no one has a greater ability to intercede for us then Mary.

Hail Mary, full of Grace.

Advent

A season of grace and anticipation.

The journey begins that will
bring us closer to Jesus. 

Teach me, Lord, to make
the most of this season of grace.

Thy Will

Lord, increase our eagerness

to do your will and help us

to know the saving power

of your love.

Give us your eternal wisdom

 to be with us today and to guide us.

God, our creator,

you gave us the earth to cultivate

and the sun to serve our needs. 

Help us to spend this day for your glory

and our neighbor's good.

All Souls Day

Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May the souls of the faithful departed,

through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Amen. -

All Saints Day

The Saints will shine like the sun

in the kingdom of their Father,

alleluia.

Seeing the Gifts of Our Father

Let us fix our gaze on the Father and Creator of the whole world, and let us hold on to his peace and blessings, his splendid and surpassing gifts. Let us contemplate him in our thoughts and with our mnd's eye reflect upon the peaceful and restrained unfolding of his plan; let us consider the care with which he provides for the whole creation.

-Saint Clement, pope

Feast of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled

as to console; to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Feast of St. Therese, Little Flower

O glorious Saint Therese,

whom Almighty God has raised up to aid

and counsel mankind, I implore your

Miraculous Intercession. So powerful are you

in obtaining every need of body and soul our

Holy Mother Church proclaims you a

"Prodigy of Miracles...the Greatest Saint

of Modern Times."

Now I fervently beseech you

to answer my petition

(mention specifics here) and to carry out

your promises of spending Heaven

doing good upon the earth...

of letting fall from Heaven

a Shower of Roses.

Henceforth, dear Little Flower,

I will fulfill your plea

"to be made known everywhere"

and I will never cease

to lead others to Jesus through you.

Amen.

September 29th - Feast of The Arch Angels

St. Michael

St. Gabriel

St. Raphael

In the house of God there is never-ending festival; the angel choir makes eternal holiday; the presence of God's face gives joy that never fails. -St. Augustine

Service to others ...

Each one of you have received a special grace,

so like good stewards responsible for

all these different graces of God,

put yourselves at the service of others.

1 Peter 4:10

Ask and You Shall Receive

... Prayer ...

We do not pray to change divine decree,

but only to obtain what God has decided

will be obtained through prayer.

In other words, as St. Gregory says,

"by asking, men deserve to receive what

the all-powerful God has decreed

from all eternity to give them."

St. Thomas Aquinas

September 14th

To you.

Triumph of The Cross - September 14th

We worship your cross, O Lord,

and we praise and glorify

your holy resurrection,

for the wood of the cross

has brought joy to the world.

Keep burning continually

the sweet smelling incense of prayer.

Nativity of The Blessed Virgin Mother

Happy Birthday Mother

Where

God writes the gospel

not in the bible alone,

but on the trees

and flowers

and clouds

and stars.

*

Martin Luther

German Protestant

reformer and scholor

16th centruy

Joy

Joy does not depend on sunny circumstances,

good news, or happy endings.

It comes from knowing that whatever happens,

God loves me; that whatever happens,

He is preparing a better place for those who love Him.

Memorial of St. Gregory the Great

Lord God, you have given us

the great day of rejoicing:

Jesus Christ, the stone rejected by the builders,

has become the cornerstone

of the Church, our spiritual home.

Shed upon your Church the rays of your glory,

that it may be seen as the gate of salvation

open to all nations.

Let cries of joy and exultation ring out from its tents,

to celebrate the wonder of Christ's resurrection.

Thank You

You are the Good Shepheerd

who has given

life and light

today.

Help us to see and

be grateful for these gifts.

August 15th

The Feast of The Assumption

Mary

Queen of Heaven

What you are called to do.

All of you should be like-minded, sympathetic, loving

toward one another, kindly disposed, and humble.

Do not return evil for evil or insult for insult.

Return a blessing instead.

This you have been called to do,

that you may receive a blessing as your inheritance.

1 Peter 3:-9

In God alone be at rest, my soul;

for my hope comes from him.

He alone is my rock, my stronghold,

my fortress: I stand firm.

In God is my safety and glory,
the rock of my strength.
Take refuge in God, all you people.
Trust him at all times.
Pour out your hearts before him
for God is our refuge.

God is taking care.

*

Always.

I hold onto this, tightly.

You shall love the Lord, your God,

with all your heart,

with all your being,

with all your strength,

and with all your mind,

and your neighbor as yourself."

Happy July 4th - Let Freedom Ring

When I think about the sacrifices our earliest patriots made for a dream--a new nation conceived in liberty--I am moved more than I can say. We owe them so much.Once the colonies declared their independence on what would become our great national holiday, the sacrifices only intensified. But the legacy of 1776 is one we celebrate today and every July 4th. The freedoms we gained--especially our freedom to assemble and worship--are sacred and envied by many. We worship freely and encourage others to join us without a second thought. A blessing indeed.

So as we begin our July 4th celebrations, I pray that you will find a way to honor the spirit of freedom... by attending Mass, by laying a wreath of remembrance in your city or town... whatever moves you as a patriot and citizen. I will certainly pray for our nation, in thanksgiving for our Founding Fathers and Mothers, and all those who have contributed in their own way with total devotion. I will pray, too, for my fellow Fathers and Brothers in mission. They make sacrifices each day and know how important dreams are for those who struggle against poverty and injustice.

Happy July 4th. Let freedom ring!

Father Edward Dougherty, M.M.

Maryknoll

True Light

Christ is the sun that never sets,

the true light that shines on every man.

Father, Creator of unfailing light,

give that same light to those who call to you.

May our lips praise you; our lives proclaim

your goodness; our work give you honor,

and our voices celebrate you for ever.

For This Morning

For this morning and its light.

For rest and shelter of the night.

For health and food, for love and friends,

For every gift His goodness sends.

We thank Thee, gracious Lord.

Amen.

Your Glory

To enlighten the world, Father,

you sent to us your Word

as the sun of truth and justice

shining upon mankind.

Illumine our eyes that we may discern

your glory in the many works of your hand.

Lord, to whom shall we go?

You have the words of eternal life.
Your word is a lantern which guides

my steps, a light for the pathway

before me.

Pentecost

Come Holy Spirt

and renew

the face of the earth.

If you say that often enough

If you say that loud enough

If you say that sincerely enough

It will happen.

The Ascension

Grant, we beseech Thee,

almighty God,

that we who believe

Thine only-begotten Son

our Redeemer,

to have ascended

this day into heaven,

may ourselves dwell

in spirit amid heavenly things.

God With You

Do not care much who is with you

and who is against you;

but make it your greatest care

that God is with you in

everything you do.

The Imitation of Christ

on Humility and Peace

Alleluia

He is risen!

Easter Blessings

Holy Saturday

They buried the Lord and sealed the tomb. They stationed soldiers to guard it.

*

There is great silence

on earth today,

a great silence and stillness.

Walk with Jesus to Calvary

are you there?

Holy Thursday

With Jesus,

walk to the upper room.

Now begins

the holiest week of the year

With Jesus walk to the upper room
With Jesus walk to Calvary
With Jesus walk to heaven.

Blessings to you this week as you

recall the love and mercy of God.

Feast of St. Joseph

Patron Saint of Fathers
Pope Benedict XVI on St. Joseph, The Just Man “I would like today to turn my attention to the figure of St Joseph. In today’s gospel pages, St Luke presents the Virgin Mary as “engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David” (Lk 1:27). However it is the evangelist Matthew who gives the greatest prominence to the putative father of Jesus, pointing out that, through him, the Child was legally inserted in David’s line and thus he realized the Scriptures, in which the Messiah was prophesied as the “son of David”.

*

“But Joseph’s role certainly cannot be reduced to this aspect. He is the model of the “just” man (Mt 1:19), who in perfect sympathy with his spouse, welcomes the Son of God made man and guards over his human growth. For this reason, the days leading up to Christmas are as good a time as ever to establish a sort of spiritual conversation with St Joseph, because he helps us to live to the full this great mystery of faith.

*

“The beloved Pope John Paul II, who was very devoted to St Joseph, left us an awesome meditation dedicated to him in the Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris Custos, “Guardian of the Redeemer”. Among the many aspects it highlights, particular emphasis is placed on the silence of St Joseph. His is a silence permeated by contemplation of the mystery of God, in an attitude of total availability to his divine wishes. In other words, the silence of St Joseph was not the sign of an inner void, but on the contrary, of the fullness of faith he carried in his heart, and which guided each and every one of his thoughts and actions.

*

A silence thanks to which Joseph, in unison with Mary, could be the guardian of the Word of God, known through the Sacred Scriptures, coming face to face with it continuously in the events of the life of Jesus; a silence interwoven with constant prayer, prayer of the blessing of the Lord, of adoration of his holy will and of unreserved trust in his providence. It is no exaggeration to say that it was from his ‘father’ Joseph that Jesus acquired – on the human level – that robust interiority which presupposes authentic justice, the “superior justice” which He would one day teach to his disciples (cfr Mt 5:20).

*

Let us allow ourselves to be “infected” by the silence of St Joseph! We have much need of it in a world which is often too noisy, which does not encourage reflection and listening to the voice of God.”