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Friday, December 29, 2017

Pope sends message of encouragement to young people at Taizé Meeting





https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2017-12/pope-taize-meeting-young-people.html

Pope Francis has sent a message to young people from across Europe who are attending the annual Taizé Community Meeting for Young Adults taking place in Basel. He focussed on the need to promote a culture of encounter and to pursue the path of Christian unity.

By Linda Bordoni


Pope Francis has sent a message of blessing and encouragement to the thousands of young people gathered in the Swiss city of Basel for the Taizé Community’s annual European Meeting of Young Adults.
In the message, signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro , the Pope exhorts participants to spread the joy of the gospel and to stay connected to the Lord by praying and listening to his Word so that he may help them develop their talents in order to promote a culture of encounter.
The Pope also recalled the marking, in 2017, of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation and invited the young people to continue to be enriched by the diversity of the gifts given to all disciples of Christ and to show the world that the Gospel unites all Christians beyond the wounds of their divisions.      
Please find below the working translation of the Pope’s message:
Dear young people,
You have come from all over Europe to Basel which is at the crossroads of Switzerland, France and Germany, to participate in the 40th European Meeting organized and animated by the Community of Taizé.


Theme of Meeting
You are driven by the desire to deepen, together, the true sources of joy. And ‘joy’ is the theme that will guide your reflections and enlighten your prayer.
In this perspective, Pope Francis wants to assure you of his great spiritual closeness. Indeed, as he wrote in the Apostolic Exhortation ‘Evangelii Gaudium’:  “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of those who meet Jesus. Those who let themselves be saved by him are free from sin, sadness, inner emptiness, isolation. With Jesus Christ joy is born and reborn forever”.
The Holy Father is delighted to know that you have chosen to participate in this meeting to welcome and deepen the message of Jesus which is a source of joy for all those who open their hearts to him. And he thanks you for responding to the call of the Lord who brings you together in the joy of his love.


Culture of mercy
The Pope encourages you to live in this joy that comes from your friendship with Jesus that never closes us to others or to the suffering of this world. And he invites you to stay connected with the Lord, by praying and listening to his Word, so that he may help you develop your talents in order to “promote a culture of mercy based on the rediscovery of encounter with others, a culture in which no one looks at another with indifference or turns away from the suffering of our brothers and sisters.”(Apostolic Letter Misericordia et misera, n.20).


Culture of encounter
The 500th anniversary of the Reformation was marked during the course of the just-ended year, and the Pope asks the Holy Spirit to help you, young Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox, to rejoice and to enrich each other with the diversity of the gifts given to all disciples of Christ, and to show that the joy of the Gospel unites us beyond the wounds of our divisions. He also encourages you not to be afraid to walk the paths of brotherhood so that your meeting in Basel will make visible the joyful communion that springs from the source of the overflowing heart of the Lord.
By entrusting yourselves to the Lord, so that you can sing with the Virgin Mary the marvels of his love which is the source of joy, the Holy Father bestows his heartfelt blessing upon you, young people participating in this meeting, upon  the Brothers of Taizé as well as upon all those in Switzerland, France and Germany who welcome you.


The Taizè Community
The Taizé Community is an ecumenical Christian monastic order founded in 1940 by Brother Roger Schutz, a Reformed Protestant, who wrote the guidelines for the community’s life. The community has become one of the world's most important sites of Christian  pilgrimage, with a focus on youth. Owing to the founder's commitment, since its inception the community has evolved into an important site for Catholic-Lutheran ecumenism. Brother Alois succeeded as prior after his predecessor's death in 2005.












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Tuesday, December 26, 2017

LITANY OF TRUST - by Sr. Faustina Maria Pia, SV --- & --- The Sisters of Life Community




This beautifully written prayer by a Sister of Life will cast away so many anxieties. 

 







https://aleteia.org/2017/07/13/praying-this-litany-will-give-you-peace-about-the-past-and-future/

Litany of Trust

From the belief that I have to earn Your love
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear that I am unlovable
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the false security that I have what it takes
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear that trusting You will leave me more destitute
Deliver me, Jesus.
From all suspicion of Your words and promises
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the rebellion against childlike dependency on You
Deliver me, Jesus.
From refusals and reluctances in accepting Your will
Deliver me, Jesus.
From anxiety about the future
Deliver me, Jesus.
From resentment or excessive preoccupation with the past
Deliver me, Jesus.
From restless self-seeking in the present moment
Deliver me, Jesus.
From disbelief in Your love and presence
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being asked to give more than I have
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the belief that my life has no meaning or worth
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of what love demands
Deliver me, Jesus.
From discouragement
Deliver me, Jesus.
That You are continually holding me, sustaining me, loving me
Jesus, I trust in you.
That Your love goes deeper than my sins and failings, and transforms me
Jesus, I trust in you.
That not knowing what tomorrow brings is an invitation to lean on You
Jesus, I trust in you.
That you are with me in my suffering
Jesus, I trust in you.
That my suffering, united to Your own, will bear fruit in this life and the next
Jesus, I trust in you.
That You will not leave me orphan, that You are present in Your Church
Jesus, I trust in you.
That Your plan is better than anything else
Jesus, I trust in you.
That You always hear me and in Your goodness always respond to me
Jesus, I trust in you.
That You give me the grace to accept forgiveness and to forgive others
Jesus, I trust in you.
That You give me all the strength I need for what is asked
Jesus, I trust in you.
That my life is a gift
Jesus, I trust in you.
That You will teach me to trust You
Jesus, I trust in you.
That You are my Lord and my God
Jesus, I trust in you.
That I am Your beloved one
Jesus, I trust in you.


[Provided by the Sisters of Life.]
 
Read more: 3 pages ---  
 
 
Litany of Trust featuring author of the prayer Sr. Faustina Maria Pia, SV.


Redeemed Online in YouTube
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http://redeemedonline.com/




... Going above and beyond the three traditional vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, the Sisters of Life take a fourth vow: to protect and embrace the sacredness of human life. The sisters assist women in crisis pregnancies by inviting them to live with the community in their convents, and they also provide healing retreats for those suffering from post-abortion grief. In the past 25 years, they have witnessed many “miracles of courage and love, miracles of healing,” said Mother Agnes Mary Donovan, the superior general of the order, in her remarks at the end of the anniversary Mass ...







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Friday, December 08, 2017

ALETEIA - Jesús Colina | Dec 07, 2017 --- Official pilgrimages to Medjugorje are being authorized, confirms Pope Francis’ envoy


https://aleteia.org/2017/12/07/official-pilgrimages-to-medjugorje-are-being-authorized-confirms-pope-francis-envoy/



Archbishop Henryk Hoser tells Aleteia that it still falls to the pope to make final decision on commission's report about veracity of reported apparitions.

The devotion of Medjugorje is allowed. It’s not prohibited, and need not be done in secret,” confirmed Archbishop Henryk Hoser of Warsaw-Praga, Poland, now some months after being sent to Medjugorje by Pope Francis to evaluate not the veracity of the apparitions, but the state of the pastoral care being provided to the thousands of pilgrims who flock to the site every year.
Formerly, pilgrimages to the site were not to be organized by official Church groups, though the faithful could make them privately or through other organizations. Now, the stance on officially-organized pilgrimages will open.
“My mission is precisely to analyze the pastoral situation and propose improvements,” the archbishop told Aleteia, about his assignment at the shrine in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which has attracted millions of people since Marian apparitions reportedly began there in 1981.
“Today, dioceses and other institutions can organize official pilgrimages. It’s no longer a problem,” explained the archbishop, speaking to us from his residence in a Warsaw neighborhood. “Pope Francis recently asked an Albanian cardinal to give his blessing to the faithful present in Medjugorje,” he added.
“I am full of admiration for the work the Franciscans are doing there,” the Polish prelate reported. “With a relatively small team—there is only a dozen of them—they do a huge job of welcoming pilgrims. Every summer they organize a youth festival. This year, there were 50,000 young people from around the world, with more than 700 priests.”
“There is a massive number of confessions. They have about 50 confessionals, which are not enough. These are very deep confessions,” he said.
“This is a phenomenon. And what confirms the authenticity of the place is the large amount of charitable institutions that exist around the sanctuary. And another aspect as well: the great effort that is being made at the level of Christian formation. Each year, they organize conferences at different levels, for various audiences (priests, doctors, parents, young people, couples …)”
“The decree of the former episcopal conference of what used to be Yugoslavia, which, before the Balkan war, advised against pilgrimages in Medjugorje organized by bishops, is no longer relevant,” he said.
There are other cases of locations of apparitions, like Kibeho, in Rwanda, where the diocesan bishop agreed to allow the devotion, and then continued the analysis for the recognition of the apparitions.
The archbishop revealed that the conclusion of the Commission for the analysis of the apparitions of Medjugorje, which Benedict XVI had entrusted to Cardinal Camillo Ruini, appears to be favorable.
“What I find touching is that all the seers have turned to family life,” Archbishop Hoser reflected. “In our day and age, the family is of enormous importance. All of them have a family. Those who were teenagers at the time, are already grandmothers; 37 years have passed!”
“But this decision will have to be made by the pope. The file is now at the Secretariat of State. I believe the final decision will be made,” concluded Archbishop Hoser.


Read more: Pope’s investigator in Medjugorje: First 7 apparitions might be recognized

Wednesday, December 06, 2017

LENT RETREAT in the YEAR OF MERCY - 2016 --- Fr. Paul Nicholson --- "OCEANS OF MERCY"


Lent in 2016 started on Ash Wednesday, 10th February 




Fr. Paul Nicholson - St. Rose of Lima Church, Simi Valley on Day 1 of 4
On February 28, 2016, during Lent 2016, Fr. Paul Nicholson came to St. Rose of Lima Church in Simi Valley, CA. He spoke for 4 nights to a full church. He teaches the truth of the Church with clarity and joy. Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fwn9TWd-N6s 





Fr Paul Nicholson - St. Rose of Lima, Simi Valley Day 2 of 4
On February 29, 2016 - Day 2 of St. Rose of Lima LENT RETREAT Fr. Paul spoke of Oceans of Mercy. He speaks about a topic seldom spoken about in the Church. Judas Iscariot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MWEiyEDdkY




Fr Paul Nicholson - St. Rose of Lima, Simi Valley Day 3 of 4
On March 1st, 2016 - Day 3 of the LENT RETREAT, "Oceans of Mercy"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOH-1IPA1Tk




Fr Paul Nicholson - St. Rose of Lima, Simi Valley Day 4 of 4
On March 2nd, 2016 - The last talk from Fr. Paul Nicholson for our LENT RETEAT. The event was wonderful and insightful as he shared his message of faith, hope and mercy to the people of God.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhD0HFE5xAU













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Friday, November 24, 2017

"You give freely and GOD will provide what is lacking" - Pope Mass: Our churches should be for service, not supermarkets


Pope Francis on Friday suggested watchfulness, service and gratuitousness as three attitudes that can help us keep clean the temple of the Holy Spirit



http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/11/24/pope_francis_santa_marta_mass/1350945


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Holy Mass Readings from UNIVERSALIS on Friday, November 24th, 2017


First reading
1 Maccabees 4:36-37,52-59
Judas and his brothers said, ‘Now that our enemies have been defeated, let us go up to purify the sanctuary and dedicate it.’ So they marshalled the whole army, and went up to Mount Zion.
  On the twenty-fifth of the ninth month, Chislev, in the year one hundred and forty-eight, they rose at dawn and offered a lawful sacrifice on the new altar of holocausts which they had made. The altar was dedicated, to the sound of zithers, harps and cymbals, at the same time of year and on the same day on which the pagans had originally profaned it. The whole people fell prostrate in adoration, praising to the skies him who had made them so successful. For eight days they celebrated the dedication of the altar, joyfully offering holocausts, communion sacrifices and thanksgivings. They ornamented the front of the Temple with crowns and bosses of gold, repaired the gates and the storerooms and fitted them with doors. There was no end to the rejoicing among the people, and the reproach of the pagans was lifted from them. Judas, with his brothers and the whole assembly of Israel, made it a law that the days of the dedication of the altar should be celebrated yearly at the proper season, for eight days beginning on the twenty-fifth of the month Chislev, with rejoicing and gladness.

Responsorial Psalm
1 Chronicles 29:10-12
We praise your glorious name, O Lord.
Blessed are you, O Lord,
  the God of Israel our father,
  for ever, for ages unending.
We praise your glorious name, O Lord.
Yours, Lord, are greatness and power,
  and splendour and triumph and glory.
  All is yours, in heaven and on earth.
We praise your glorious name, O Lord.
Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom,
  you are supreme over all.
  Both honour and riches come from you.
We praise your glorious name, O Lord.
You are the ruler of all,
  from your hand come strength and power,
  from your hand come greatness and might.
We praise your glorious name, O Lord.

Gospel Acclamationcf.2Tim1:10
Alleluia, alleluia!
Our Saviour Jesus Christ abolished death
and he has proclaimed life through the Good News.
Alleluia!
OrJn10:27
Alleluia, alleluia!
The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me.
Alleluia!

GospelLuke 19:45-48
Jesus went into the Temple and began driving out those who were selling. ‘According to scripture,’ he said ‘my house will be a house of prayer. But you have turned it into a robbers’ den.’
  He taught in the Temple every day. The chief priests and the scribes, with the support of the leading citizens, tried to do away with him, but they did not see how they could carry this out because the people as a whole hung on his words.

 

FRIDAY GOSPEL OF WEEK 33 IN ORDINARY TIME
Evanġelju
Id-dar tiegħi għamiltuha għar tal-ħallelin.
Lq 19, 45-48

Qari mill-Evanġelju skont San Luqa

F’dak iż-żmien, Ġesù [Lq:19:45] daħal fit-tempju, u qabad ikeċċi 'l barra l-bejjiegħa [Lq:19:46] u jgħidilhom: "Hemm miktub, 'Id-dar tiegħi tkun dar it-talb.' Iżda intom għamiltuha għar tal-ħallelin!

[Lq:19:47] U kien jgħallem kuljum fit-tempju. Il-qassisin il-kbar u l-kittieba u l-kbarat tal-poplu kienu jfittxu li jeqirduh; [Lq:19:48] iżda ma kinux jafu x'jaqbdu jagħmlu, għax il-poplu kollu kien imqabbad miegħu biex jisimgħu.


Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
R/. Tifħir lilek Kristu

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/11/24/pope_francis_santa_marta_mass/1350945
Pope Francis on Friday suggested watchfulness, service and gratuitousness as three attitudes that can help us keep clean the temple of the Holy Spirit.  He made the exhortation in his homily at the morning Mass in the chapel of the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta residence.
Listen to our report: 
The Pope was reflecting on the first reading from the Book of the Maccabees where Judas and his brothers were re-consacrating the temple desecrated by the pagans, and the Gospel reading where Jesus was driving out merchants from the temple, that was transformed into a den of thieves. 
Temple of God - our heart
The Pope pointed out that the most important temple of God is our heart, where the Holy Spirit dwells. 
The Holy Father asked whether we keep watch over this interior temple, and are careful about what happens in the heart, who comes in and who goes out, the feelings, the ideas...  “Do we talk to the Holy Spirit and listen to Him?” the Pope asked and urged all to keep watch over what happens within.
The Pope then explained how this temple can be safeguarded and cared for through service.  The Pope urged Christians to examine their conscience, whether they come forward to help, to clothe and console those in need.  In this regard, he recalled St. John Chrysostom reprimanding those who were making many offerings to decorate the church but were not caring for the needy saying, “This is not good.  First service, then decoration.”  “Purifying the temple means caring for others, the Pope said, adding, “ when we come forward to serve, to help, we resemble Jesus who is inside us.”
The Pope then spoke about how gratuitousness, the third attitude, helps in keeping the temple clean. He wondered, “How many times we sadly enter a temple – a parish, a bishop’s house and so on, not knowing whether were are in the house of God or in a supermarket.”  “There we have business, including the price list for the sacraments – nothing is free!”  But the Pope argued that God saved us freely, without making us pay.
God's providence
In this regard, he asked whether money is needed to maintain building, priests and so on...  And the Pope answered, “You give freely and God will do the rest.”  “God will provide what is lacking,” the Pope said wishing our churches be “churches of service, free churches.”







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GOD IS WITH US --- GHIMMANU-EL --- ALLA MAGHNA - ħmistax-il għanja reliġjuża fis-Sena tal-Fidi - PATRI GORG ZAMMIT OFMConv. U L-“GREYFRIARS’’

 
 
 
PATRI ĠORĠ ŻAMMIT OFMConv.  U  L-“GREYFRIARS’’

00:00 --- 01 - Il-Mixja
 
05:12 --- 02 - Tbissima mis-sema
 
09:18 --- 03 - Kantaw Miegħi
 
12:17 --- 04 - It-Triq
 
16:37 --- 05 - Qaddis ,Qaddis, Qaddis
 
18:26 --- 06 - Salib it-Toroq
 
22:30 --- 07 - Nies il-Qawmien
 
26:10 --- 08 - Ejja, Mulej
 
31:36 --- 09 - Għimmanu-El
 
34:36 --- 10 - Mexjin Warajk
 
38:50 --- 11 - L-allat
 
43:04 --- 12 - Mulej, Ħniena
 
44:51 --- 13 - Ġesù Ejja Żurna
 
49:04 --- 14 - Il-Ġrajja tal-Milied
 
53:18 --- 15 - Il-Kewkba tal-Milied
 












IL-ĠRAJJA TAL-MILIED - Patri Ġorġ Żammit OFM Conv. u l-"Greyfriars"
Kitba: P.Albert Sammut OFM Conv.
Muzika: P.Gorg Zammit OFM Conv.







IL-KEWKBA TAL-MILIED - Patri Ġorġ Żammit OFM Conv. u l-"Greyfriars"
Kitba: Gorg Pisani  
Muzika: P.Gorg Zammit OFM Conv.














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Thursday, November 23, 2017

TOWARD RESURRECTION --- LEJN IL-QAWMIEN – ħmistax-il għanja reliġjuża - PATRI GORG ZAMMIT OFM Conv. “GREYFRIARS’’ U “ECCLESIA SISTERS’’

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LEJN IL-QAWMIEN – ħmistax-il għanja reliġjuża - PATRI ĠORĠ ŻAMMIT OFM Conv. “GREYFRIARS’’ U “ECCLESIA SISTERS’’

00:00 --- 1 - Papa Franġisku

03:44 --- 2 - Grazzi

07:40 --- 3 - Haw’f’riġlejk

12:32 --- 4 - Ħobb lil ħuk

16:16 --- 5 - Il-Bennej (Salm 126)

20:02 --- 6 - Il-Familja Nisranija

24:24 --- 7 - It-Tixbiha taż-żerriegħa

27:48 --- 8 - Is-Sejħa għall-Qdusija

31:48 --- 9 - Lejn il-Qawmien

35:54 ---10 - L-Għajnuna tiegħi

40:00 ---11 - Marija

44:11 ---12 - Missieri sejjaħli

48:09 ---13 - Radju Marija

51:44 ---14 - Rajtek fih

55:35 ---15 - Strument tal-Paċi
 





















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Wednesday, November 22, 2017

PRIEST: " WHY HOLY WATER COMES WITH ME WHENEVER I TRAVEL"

  







https://www.facebook.com/FrEdwardLooney/




Fr. Edward Looney explains why he brings holy water with him into every hotel room, and shares the prayers he prays.


Every now and again, I have the opportunity to travel and speak at conferences, sharing about Mary’s importance in the spiritual life. When I do so, I usually have to spend the night in a hotel room. One of the essentials I pack (or because I’m a priest, can make) is a small bottle of holy water.
Why? Three words: Evil is real. The presence of evil can remain in a room long after whatever might have taken place within it. You don’t know who was the previous occupant of your hotel room and what kind of baggage they brought with them. You don’t know what has occurred in your room. Holy water is a powerful tool in protecting against evil and can help dispel any remnant of evil.
The next time you travel, might I suggest packing a small bottle of holy water? When you arrive at your room, sprinkle the room with holy water. If you don’t have holy water, your local Catholic parish should have a holy water dispenser.
After sprinkling the room, say a prayer, asking God to send his protection upon your room and asking also to forgive whatever evil that may have taken place. Pray for the conversion of those who have been previous guests, and pray for those who will come after you.
Here’s a prayer that I wrote for such an occasion:
Almighty God, I ask you to send your angels to be with me in this place, and protect me from all assaults of the Evil One. Please forgive any wrong that has been perpetuated in this room, and grant those who offend you the grace of conversion. Dispel the powers of darkness which may be in this room and protect me this night, and those who will sleep here in the forthcoming nights. Jesus I trust in You!
It’s not a bad idea to pray, also, for the hotel workers moving from one room to another, exposed to supernatural who-knows-what.
Another beautiful and powerful prayer you could say comes from Night Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours on special solemnities. It is a prayer I often pray in these situations:
Lord, we [or I] beg you to visit this house [room] and banish from it all the deadly power of the enemy. May your holy angels dwell here to keep us in peace, and may your blessings be upon us always.  We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. 
Additionally, you may wish to invoke the intercession of St Michael the Archangel or your guardian angel. With prayer and holy water, you will be protected from the remnants of evil and prepared should a spiritual battle arise.
 

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Saint Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into Hell, Satan and all the other evil spirits, who prowl throughout the world, seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
 
 
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“From long experience I have learned that there is nothing like holy water to put devils to flight and prevent them from coming back again. They also flee from the Cross, but return; so holy water must have great virtue. For my own part, whenever I take it, my soul feels a particular and most notable consolation.” – St. Teresa of Avila






HOLY WATER
BY REV. HERM. FISCHER, S.V.D.
http://www.catholicpamphlets.net/pamphlets/HOLY%20WATER.pdf





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