Mother of those who place their hope in Solidarity, pray for us.
Mother of those who are deceived, pray for us.
Mother of those who are betrayed, pray for us.
Mother of those who are arrested in the night, pray for us.
Mother of those who are imprisoned, pray for us.
Mother of those who suffer from the cold, pray for us.
Mother of those who have been frightened, pray for us.
Mother of those who were subjected to interrogations, pray for us.
Mother of those innocents who have been condemned, pray for us.
Mother of those who speak the truth, pray for us.
Mother of those who cannot be corrupted, pray for us.
Mother of those who resist, pray for us.
Mother of orphans, pray for us.
Mother of those who have been molested because they wore your image, pray for us.
Mother of those who are forced to sign declarations contrary to their conscience, pray for us.
Mother of mothers who weep, pray for us.
Mother of fathers who have been so deeply saddened, pray for us.
Mother of suffering Poland, pray for us.
Mother of always faithful Poland, pray for us.
We beg you, O mother in whom resides the hope of millions of people, grant us to live in liberty and in truth, in fidelity to you and to your Son. Amen.
Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko pray for us.
Late have I loved you, Beauty so ancient and so new, late have I loved you
Lo, you were within,
but I outside, seeking there for you,
and upon the shapely things you have made
I rushed headlong – I, misshapen.
You were with me, but I was not with you.
They held me back far from you,
those things which would have no being,
were they not in you.
You called, shouted, broke through my deafness;
you flared, blazed, banished my blindness;
you lavished your fragrance, I gasped; and now I pant for you;
I tasted you, and now I hunger and thirst;
you touched me, and I burned for your peace.
St. Augustine
Blessed Alphonsa is soon to be the first saint of India
She was noted for her suffering, and suffering in silence. Incidents of her intervention began almost immediately upon her death, and often involved the children in the convent school. Hundreds of miraculous cures are claimed for her intervention, many of involving straightening of clubbed-feet, possibly because of her having lived with deformed feet herself; two of these were submitted to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints as proof of her miraculous intervention. The continuing cures are chronicled in the magazine PassionFlower. Thousands converge on the small town of Bharananganam when they celebrate the feast of Blessed Alphonsa from 19 to 28 July each year.
From: Patron Saint Index
No-one can fight properly and boldly for the faith, if he clings to a fear of being stripped of earthly possessions.
St Peter Damian
Today is a commemoration of St Peter Damian who is also Doctor of the Church. He lived in between 1007 - 1072.
He was a great reformer and was never afraid to speak his mind. He spoke out against scandals happening at the time in the Italian church.
He wrote about sexual misconduct amongst the clergy especially homosexuality.
St Peter Damian pray for us!
This week my wife bought me two wonderful DVD's. Mother Teresa and Mother Teresa The Legacy. I watched them both. I really liked them and recommend them to everyone. It is amazing to see this tiny woman accomplish so much with God's help. It is an incredible witness to God's power, and how one person filled with God's love can change the world.
We live in a very interesting time in the history of the Church. We can now not only read about saints, but we can also see them and hear their own words. These DVD's (or what ever format we will have in the future) will be with us until the end of times. Just like in the past we treasured the spiritual classics of great saints, we will gather around our TV's to watch saints speak to us. I can't wait for my baby to see these DVD's (she is only six months so it may be a while!).
There is a terrible hunger for love.
We all experience that in our lives - the pain, the loneliness.
We must have the courage to recognize it.
The poor you may have right in your own family.
Find them.
Love them.
Bl. Mother Teresa
It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish.
Bl. Mother Teresa
I found these neat videos on YouTube