MikeLigalig.com

Have you ever heard someone use the phrase “offer it up” about a problem? Offering up our troubles to God is a great way to remember that, in our faith, suffering is never wasted or meaningless when it’s united with Christ’s suffering on the Cross, for atonement for sins.

Many people find it helpful to start the day with a morning offering. These prayers we present here for offering up suffering can help you and others as well.

We start first with this well-known prayer Our Lady taught the three Fatima visionaries, the children Lucia Dos Santos, and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto, in 1917, to be said when offering up sufferings, sacrifices, or penances:

Oh my Jesus, I offer this for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

“Dear Lord I pray that today you would give me courage to do the right thing. Give me the courage to break off this relationship. I feel that it is best for me and all those involved that I get out of this situation. Give me wisdom in my decision. Grant me the power to go forward with my life, to face reality, to face my future and to trust in you. Lord, I need you to surround me with your love, power and grace. Help me to not fear leaving this relationship. Help me to trust you for my provision and my protection. Open the eyes of my understanding to see all truth.

I can do more than I think I can do. Lord help me to believe in myself, in You and in the strength you are now giving me to follow through with my decision. Help me to keep my heart and my mind pure. Reveal any area of my life that would be displeasing to you. In Jesus name I now command all fear to leave â€" I now choose to trust in the Lord with all my heart. Lord, I now leave the results in your hand. Your Word says that you honor those who honor you. As I do what is honorable and right I know that you will bless my decisions, you will provide for all my needs and in your time your will bring about blessings into my life. ”

In Jesus name I pray.  amen

Amen! Yes He is, and He will provide a way out of the pain and suffering. For God is good and compassionate...from everlasting to everlasting. He is so Good! And so loving...

44. It Must Have Been Love


https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=np2LElnBlmY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkL84gbrm4Y#

     O Lord, give thy Holy Spirit into our hearts,
    and lighten our understanding,
    that we may dwell in the fear of thy Name,
    all the days of our life,
    that we may know thee, the only true God,
    and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.

Y que así sea entre nosotros.... Così sia per noi.


That is, "let it be so" for us. Amen.

Pope Benedict XVI

Homily at Nationals Park

Washington

17 April 2008




-------------------------------

     â€œIn the exercise of my ministry as the Successor of Peter, I have come to America to confirm you, my brothers and sisters, in the faith of the Apostles. I have come to proclaim anew, as Peter proclaimed on the day of Pentecost, that Jesus Christ is Lord and Messiah, risen from the dead, seated in glory at the right hand of the Father, and established as judge of the living and the dead. I have come to repeat the Apostle’s urgent call to conversion and the forgiveness of sins, and to implore from the Lord a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church in this country. As we have heard throughout this Easter season, the Church was born of the Spirit’s gift of repentance and faith in the risen Lord. In every age she is impelled by the same Spirit to bring to men and women of every race, language and people the good news of our reconciliation with God in Christ.

    The readings of today’s Mass invite us to consider the growth of the Church in America as one chapter in the greater story of the Church’s expansion following the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. In those readings we see the inseparable link between the risen Lord, the gift of the Spirit for the forgiveness of sins, and the mystery of the Church. Christ established his Church on the foundation of the Apostles as a visible, structured community which is at the same time a spiritual communion, a mystical body enlivened by the Spirit’s manifold gifts, and the sacrament of salvation for all humanity. In every time and place, the Church is called to grow in unity through constant conversion to Christ, whose saving work is proclaimed by the Successors of the Apostles and celebrated in the sacraments. This unity, in turn, gives rise to an unceasing missionary outreach, as the Spirit spurs believers to proclaim “the great works of God” and to invite all people to enter the community of those saved by the blood of Christ and granted new life in his Spirit.

    I pray, then, that this significant [moment] in the life of the Church in the United States, and the presence of the Successor of Peter in your midst, will be an occasion for all Catholics to reaffirm their unity in the apostolic faith, to offer their contemporaries a convincing account of the hope which inspires them, and to be renewed in missionary zeal for the extension of God’s Kingdom.

    The world needs this witness! Who can deny that the present moment is a crossroads, not only for the Church in America but also for society as a whole? It is a time of great promise, as we see the human family in many ways drawing closer together and becoming ever more interdependent. Yet at the same time we see clear signs of a disturbing breakdown in the very foundations of society: signs of alienation, anger and polarization on the part of many of our contemporaries; increased violence; a weakening of the moral sense; a coarsening of social relations; and a growing forgetfulness of Christ and God. The Church, too, sees signs of immense promise in her many strong parishes and vital movements, in the enthusiasm for the faith shown by so many young people, in the number of those who each year embrace the Catholic faith, and in a greater interest in prayer and catechesis. At the same time she senses, often painfully, the presence of division and polarization in her midst, as well as the troubling realization that many of the baptized, rather than acting as a spiritual leaven in the world, are inclined to embrace attitudes contrary to the truth of the Gospel.

    “Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth!” The words of today’s Responsorial Psalm are a prayer which rises up from the heart of the Church in every time and place. They remind us that the Holy Spirit has been poured out as the first fruits of a new creation, “new heavens and a new earth,” in which God’s peace will reign and the human family will be reconciled in justice and love. We have heard Saint Paul tell us that all creation is even now “groaning” in expectation of that true freedom which is God’s gift to his children, a freedom which enables us to live in conformity to his will. Today let us pray fervently that the Church in America will be renewed in that same Spirit, and sustained in her mission of proclaiming the Gospel to a world that longs for genuine freedom, authentic happiness, and the fulfillment of its deepest aspirations!”

Fittingly in the spirit of these days, the Vatican's preliminary English translation of this morning's Francis-talk at the Wednesday Audience:

    Dear brothers and sisters, buongiorno!

    Today, I want to focus on the action that the Holy Spirit accomplishes in guiding the Church and each one of us to the Truth. Jesus says to his disciples: the Holy Spirit, “he will guide you to all truth" (Jn 16:13), he himself being "the Spirit of truth" (cf. Jn 14:17; 15:26; 16:13).

    We live in an age rather skeptical of truth. Benedict XVI has spoken many times of relativism, that is, the tendency to believe that nothing is definitive, and think that the truth is given by consent or by what we want. The question arises: does "the" truth really exist? What is "the" truth? Can we know it? Can we find it? Here I am reminded of the question of the Roman procurator Pontius Pilate when Jesus reveals the profound meaning of his mission: "What is truth?" (Jn 18,37.38). Pilate does not understand that "the" Truth is in front of him, he cannot see in Jesus the face of the truth, which is the face of God yet, Jesus is just that: the Truth, which, in the fullness of time, "became flesh" (Jn 1,1.14), came among us so that we may know it. You cannot grab the truth as if it were an object, you encounter it. It is not a possession, is an encounter with a Person.

    But who helps us recognize that Jesus is "the" Word of truth, the only begotten Son of God the Father? St. Paul teaches that "no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the holy Spirit" (1 Cor 12:3). It is the Holy Spirit, the gift of the Risen Christ, that helps us recognize the Truth. Jesus calls him the "Paraclete", meaning "the one who comes to our aid," who is by our side to support us in this journey of knowledge, and at the Last Supper, Jesus assures his disciples that the Holy Spirit will teach them all things , reminding them of his words (cf. Jn 14:26).

    What is then the action of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in the life of the Church to guide us to the truth? First of all, remind and imprint on the hearts of believers the words that Jesus said, and precisely through these words, God’s law - as the prophets of the Old Testament had announced - is inscribed in our hearts and becomes within us a principle of evaluation in our choices and of guidance in our daily actions, it becomes a principle of life. Ezekiel’s great prophecy is realized: "I will sprinkle clean water over you to make you clean; from all your impurities and from all your idols I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. …I will put my spirit within you so that you walk in my statutes, observe my ordinances, and keep them"(36:25-27). Indeed, our actions are born from deep within: it is the heart that needs to be converted to God, and the Holy Spirit transforms it if we open ourselves to Him

    The Holy Spirit, then, as Jesus promises, guides us "into all truth" (Jn 16:13) he leads us not only to an encounter with Jesus, the fullness of Truth, but guides us "into" the Truth, that is, he helps us enter into a deeper communion with Jesus himself, gifting us knowledge of the things of God. We cannot achieve this on our own strengths. If God does not enlightens us interiorly, our being Christians will be superficial. The Tradition of the Church affirms that the Spirit of truth acts in our hearts, provoking that "sense of faith" (sensus fidei), through which, as the Second Vatican Council affirms, the People of God, under the guidance of the Magisterium, adheres unwaveringly to the faith given once and for all to the saints,(113) penetrates it more deeply with right thinking, and applies it more fully in its life (cf. Dogmatic Constitution. Lumen gentium, 12). Let's ask ourselves: are we open to the Holy Spirit, do I pray to him to enlighten me, to make me more sensitive to the things of God? And this is a prayer we need to pray every day, every day: Holy Spirit may my heart be open to the Word of God, may my heart be open to good, may my heart be open to the beauty of God, every day. But I would like to ask a question to all of you: How many of you pray every day to the Holy Spirit? Eh, a few of you I bet, eh! Well, a few, few, a few, but we realise this wish of Jesus, pray every day for the Holy Spirit to open our hearts to Jesus

    We think of Mary who "kept all these things and pondered them in her heart" (Lk 2,19.51). The reception of the words and the truths of faith so that they become life, is realized and grows under the action of the Holy Spirit. In this sense, we must learn from Mary, reliving her "yes", her total availability to receive the Son of God in her life, and who from that moment was transformed. Through the Holy Spirit, the Father and the Son come to dwell in us: do we live in God and of God, is our life really animated by God? How many things do I put before God?

    Dear brothers and sisters, we need to let ourselves be imbued with the light of the Holy Spirit, so that He introduces us into the Truth of God, who is the only Lord of our lives. In this Year of Faith let us ask ourselves if we have actually taken a few steps to get to know Christ and the truths of faith more, by reading and meditating on the Scriptures, studying the Catechism, steadily approaching the Sacraments. But at the same time let us ask ourselves what steps we are taking so that the faith directs our whole existence.

    Do not be a ‘part-time” Christian, at certain moments, in certain circumstances, in certain choices â€" be Christian at all times! The truth of Christ, that the Holy Spirit teaches us and gives us, always and forever involves our daily lives. Let us invoke him more often, to guide us on the path of Christ's disciples.

     Dear Ambassadors, there is a need for financial reform along ethical lines that would produce in its turn an economic reform to benefit everyone. This would nevertheless require a courageous change of attitude on the part of political leaders. I urge them to face this challenge with determination and farsightedness, taking account, naturally, of their particular situations. Money has to serve, not to rule! The Pope loves everyone, rich and poor alike, but the Pope has the duty, in Christ’s name, to remind the rich to help the poor, to respect them, to promote them. The Pope appeals for disinterested solidarity and for a return to person-centred ethics in the world of finance and economics.

    For her part, the Church always works for the integral development of every person. In this sense, she reiterates that the common good should not be simply an extra, simply a conceptual scheme of inferior quality tacked onto political programmes. The Church encourages those in power to be truly at the service of the common good of their peoples. She urges financial leaders to take account of ethics and solidarity. And why should they not turn to God to draw inspiration from his designs? In this way, a new political and economic mindset would arise that would help to transform the absolute dichotomy between the economic and social spheres into a healthy symbiosis.

Packing a punch â€" and unusually for Francis, referring to himself as "the Pope" (as opposed to his normally-preferred "bishop of Rome") to add full weight to some of his statements â€" here's the bulk of the address' English translation:

     Ladies and Gentlemen, our human family is presently experiencing something of a turning point in its own history, if we consider the advances made in various areas. We can only praise the positive achievements which contribute to the authentic welfare of mankind, in fields such as those of health, education and communications. At the same time, we must also acknowledge that the majority of the men and women of our time continue to live daily in situations of insecurity, with dire consequences. Certain pathologies are increasing, with their psychological consequences; fear and desperation grip the hearts of many people, even in the so-called rich countries; the joy of life is diminishing; indecency and violence are on the rise; poverty is becoming more and more evident. People have to struggle to live and, frequently, to live in an undignified way. One cause of this situation, in my opinion, is in the our relationship with money, and our acceptance of its power over ourselves and our society. Consequently the financial crisis which we are experiencing makes us forget that its ultimate origin is to be found in a profound human crisis. In the denial of the primacy of human beings! We have created new idols. The worship of the golden calf of old (cf. Ex 32:15-34) has found a new and heartless image in the cult of money and the dictatorship of an economy which is faceless and lacking any truly humane goal.

    The worldwide financial and economic crisis seems to highlight their distortions and above all the gravely deficient human perspective, which reduces man to one of his needs alone, namely, consumption. Worse yet, human beings themselves are nowadays considered as consumer goods which can be used and thrown away. We have begun a throw away culture. This tendency is seen on the level of individuals and whole societies; and it is being promoted! In circumstances like these, solidarity, which is the treasure of the poor, is often considered counterproductive, opposed to the logic of finance and the economy. While the income of a minority is increasing exponentially, that of the majority is crumbling. This imbalance results from ideologies which uphold the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation, and thus deny the right of control to States, which are themselves charged with providing for the common good. A new, invisible and at times virtual, tyranny is established, one which unilaterally and irremediably imposes its own laws and rules. Moreover, indebtedness and credit distance countries from their real economy and citizens from their real buying power. Added to this, as if it were needed, is widespread corruption and selfish fiscal evasion which have taken on worldwide dimensions. The will to power and of possession has become limitless.

    Concealed behind this attitude is a rejection of ethics, a rejection of God. Ethics, like solidarity, is a nuisance! It is regarded as counterproductive: as something too human, because it relativizes money and power; as a threat, because it rejects manipulation and subjection of people: because ethics leads to God, who is situated outside the categories of the market. These financiers, economists and politicians consider God to be unmanageable, unmanageable even dangerous, because he calls man to his full realization and to independence from any kind of slavery. Ethics â€" naturally, not the ethics of ideology â€" makes it possible, in my view, to create a balanced social order that is more humane. In this sense, I encourage the financial experts and the political leaders of your countries to consider the words of Saint John Chrysostom: “Not to share one’s goods with the poor is to rob them and to deprive them of life. It is not our goods that we possess, but theirs” (Homily on Lazarus, 1:6 â€" PG 48, 992D).

Earlier today, the Pope received a group of four new ambassadors to the Holy See for the presentation of their credentials.

Per custom for the pontiffs, Francis gave an address on issues of geopolitical concern. Yet while his predecessors would tailor their remarks to issues in the home-countries of the diplomat(s) being welcomed, the new Pope targeted what's long been one of his key focus-areas â€" the poor, and their treatment in the economic system.

By: Stephanie Filer


Behind your closed door you lay,
Your emotions locked up inside of you.
No one seems to understand the problem at bay.
You fight like a raging bull to stay sane,
But you get pulled down by the gray shadow of fear.
You cry out loud as you feel the stinging pain,
Running through your cold shallow vanes.
You clench your pale hand around a picture
The only thing you have left to remind you of the friendship you once had.
Your tears run down your sickened face
As they splash on the bodies of the beloved.
You wonder if you will ever escape this place
To join a new fate.

Then one day behind that closed door,
A hand reaches to you for comfort.
It rests on your shoulder,
To help you remove fears boulder.
That hand gave you light in your sea of darkness.
You realize that life must go on,
And that there are others who care deeply about you.
You place that tear soaked picture in a small box,
To say your final goodbye to your oldest friend.
As you open that closed door.



http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/finding-hope-in-darkness

By: Melanie S.


Do you know what it feels like to be left behind?
Losing everyone around you in such little time.

I try not to worry since they're left in the past
but it's hard going through life knowing nothing ever lasts.

It's hard to hide behind this frown,
When on the inside you're on the verge of a breakdown.

I've lost everyone that meant the world to me.
All I have left of them are these memories.

You have no idea how badly I want them back.
But they've left me in the past which was their plan of attack.

The pain of losing them will never go away.
I'm tired of feeling like this everyday.

I feel like I no longer belong.
I fake my happiness to show nothing's wrong.

http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/death-of-friendship

bwahahaha! cute !

kini siya...si Sergei Dogmaninoff

Quote from: jorgeanna on June 11, 2013, 12:10:53 PM
3 days holiday diri in celebration of the Dragon Boat Festival pero ang forecast pud kay 3 days of non-stop rain. useless holiday and tinood gyud kay ika-2nd day na karon sa holiday unya uwan pa gihapon

I feel you! It was raining all weekend long when I was back in New Jersey. Mura lagi naa mi sa Bohol hehehe! Uwan uwan go away! Please come back another month!

Quote from: hubag bohol on June 11, 2013, 07:04:57 PM
Hmm, you mean "Panagatan"?

It could be! I just remember an old friend who told me that the world Panangatan came from the world  "sang-at". To be honest, I'm not so sure, so perhaps it is Panagatan instead of Panangatan.

Isles, lets pray pod for your sister during the rosary prayer on the 13th. I'll place a special intention for her as well.

Thanks for the reminder, Hubag and Bugsay. Sige, let's all set aside this day for a special prayer day. God Bless all of us!

The feeling of being home...is indescribable. I thank you Lord Jesus Christ for the grace and blessing of being around my beloved mother, father, sister, and my younger brothers. Thank You, Lord...

Quote from: balong on June 10, 2013, 04:37:38 AM
if we compare the average mormon and the average catholic, mormons win hands down. ang ilang youth maoy nag spread sa ilang religion. they knock door to door and spread their gospel. gi interview naho. they told me that they work and save money so that they can travel. dili sila tagaan ug hinabang sa ilang simbahan. ila mismong kwarta ang ilang gi gamit for expenses. i do not find this practiced by catholics. wala koy na dunggan nga mga batan-on sa catholics nga nag door to door to preach our beliefs

Holy Mother Church welcomes all people, be they protestants, non-christians in knowing more about the celebration of the mass and the real presence of the Eucharist. We invite others to find out more about the sacred truth espoused through sacred tradition and sacred scripture.

Activity within Holy Mother Church by lay people are extensive and ranges from Marian devotion groups, Sacristy volunteers, Eucharistic ministry, Lectors, Knights of Columbus, Singles for Christ, Couples for Christ, Permanent Diaconates; these are but some examples of activities. The community-based activities of Holy Mother Church is effective in sharing the true Gospel of Christ through generations. And in doing so, upholds its sacred salvific mission. And necessarily so as it is essential for the spiritual sustenance of the over 1.2 billion Christians who belong to the One, Holy, Apostolic, Roman Catholic Church.

God Bless!

Quote from: Votives on June 10, 2013, 08:09:16 AM
kasuway ko ani diri sa ofis, nitagam ko kay kadlawn nako nakatulog... ga siga akong mata past 12 na sa gabie.... gawas sa ga siga akong mata ga baga pa gyud ang akoa.... wa ra ba intawn ka pahungawan... hehehe

hehehe, aww, pawerpul diay kaajo ning klasehang kape. maajo ni i-mnun og busy ta sa kagabi.

Quote from: islander on June 09, 2013, 11:02:16 PM
it's famous, lorenz, though i don't like it much as it makes me dizzy.

hehehe, mao ba? i wonder if president obama knows of this coffee...

Quote from: hubag bohol on June 09, 2013, 07:30:50 AM
Ancestral abode, yes...

sa unang panahon bitaw, when Valencia was not yet known as Valencia, but as baranggay Panangatan...

It feels good to be home. Arriving in New Jersey was memorable, my beloved mother picked my sister, Lorraine, and I at the Atlantic City Airport on the 6th of June. Been home for the past 2 days now.

Today I bought a dozen blue shelled crabs and boiled a dozen corn for lunch. Ning luto pod ko gamay for my brothers and sister.

Tonight, I plan on visiting my Uncle Steve and Ante Beth. I surprison nako sila. hehehe.

Spanish gravesite sa Dimiao..

Quote from: hubag bohol on June 07, 2013, 05:33:00 PM
Or better, kini kaha...

hehehe, wa pa ko katilaw ani gajud. sige, gusto ko mo tisting ba.

Quote from: hubag bohol on June 06, 2013, 10:22:13 AM
Agoi, madato og dali ang Indonesia anang kalakiha...

he he he, sabagay. ku an na lang, san migs 3 in 1.

Sus Maria y Hosep! Intawon...

Quote from: hubag bohol on June 02, 2013, 02:24:05 PM

super like gyud ko ani.

pwede mo add lang ko usa?

...pray more...

Quote from: hubag bohol on June 05, 2013, 04:49:25 PM
Hugasan ni sa kape, isawsaw aron humok na...

hehehe, pwede kopiko brand?

ah, one of life's simple sweet pleasures...

Ostensorium at Holy Name Cathedral

Ostensorium means, in accordance with its etymology, a vessel designed for the more convenient exhibition of some object of piety. Both the name ostensorium and the kindred word monstrance (monstrancia, from monstrare) were originally applied to all kinds of vessels of goldsmith's or silversmith's work in which glass, crystal, etc. were so employed as to allow the contents to be readily distinguished, whether the object thus honoured were the Sacred Host itself or only the relic of some saint. Modern usage, at any rate so far as the English language is concerned, has limited both terms to vessels intended for the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, and it is in this sense only that we use ostensorium here.

It is plain that the introduction of ostensoria must have been posterior to the period at which the practice of exposing the Blessed Sacrament or carrying it in procession first became familiar in the Church. This (as may be seen from the articles BENEDICTION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT, CORPUS CHRISTI, and EXPOSITION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT) cannot be assigned to an earlier date than the thirteenth century. At the same time, Lanfranc's constitutions for the monks of Christ Church, Canterbury (c. 1070), direct that in the Palm Sunday procession two priests vested in albs should carry a portable shrine (feretrum) "in which also the Body of the Lord ought to be deposited". Although there is here no suggestion that the Host should be exposed to view but rather the contrary, still we find that this English custom led, in at least one instance, to the construction of an elaborately decorated shrine for the carrying of the Blessed Sacrament on this special occasion. Simon, Abbot of St. Albans (1166-83), presented to the abbey a costly ark-shaped vessel adorned with enamels representing scenes of the Passion, which was to be used on Palm Sunday "that the faithful might see with what honour the most holy Body of Christ should be treated which at this season offered itself to be scourged, crucified and buried" ("Gesta Abbatum", Rolls Series, I, 191-92). That this, however, was in any proper sense an ostensorium in which the Host was exposed to view is not stated and cannot be assumed. At the same time it is highly probable that such ostensoria in the strict sense began to be constructed in the thirteenth century, and there are some vessels still in existence â€" for example, an octagonal monstrance at Bari, bearing: the words "Hic Corpus Domini" â€" which may very well belong to that date.

Reference:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11344a.htm

Another beautiful rendition of the song, "I Am the Bread of Life"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=eI4ESwPb5D4

So beautiful !

Verse 1
I am the Bread of life,
You who come to me
shall not hunger;
and who believe in me shall not thirst.
No one can come to me
unless the Father beckons.

Verse 2
The bread that I will give
is my flesh for the life of the world,
and if you eat of this bread,
you shall live for ever,
you shall live for ever.

Verse 3
Unless you eat of the
flesh of the Son of Man
and drink of his blood,
and drink of his blood,
you shall not have life
within you.

Verse 4
I am the Resurrection,
I am the life.
If you believe in me,
even though you die,
you shall live forever.

Verse 5
Yes, Lord, I believe that
you are the Christ,
the Son of God,
Who have come
into the world.

Chorus
And I will raise you up,
And I will raise you up,
And I will raise you up
on the last day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=DHF7jjcwSm4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=DArOKcgq-Zs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=4jUICUbKZoI

Note that in addition to saying a prayer to St. Jude, we can invoke his aid by offering Holy Masses and Communions in his honor. We can also engage in charitable works in his name.

As St. Leo once said “Prayer has the greatest efficacy to obtain favors from God when it is supported by works of mercy.” Don’t forget to help someone in need as part of your prayer to St. Jude.

O Holy St Jude!
Apostle and Martyr,
great in virtue and rich in miracles,
near kinsman of Jesus Christ,
faithful intercessor for all who invoke you,
special patron in time of need;
to you I have recourse from the depth of my heart,
and humbly beg you,
to whom God has given such great power,
to come to my assistance;
help me now in my urgent need and grant my earnest petition.
I will never forget thy graces and favors you obtain for me
and I will do my utmost to spread devotion to you. Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us and all who honor thee and invoke thy aid.
(Say 3 Our Father's, 3 Hail Mary’s, and 3 Glory Be’s after this.)

Friends,

I encourage a special devotion to the miraculous and constant intercession of St. Jude Thaddeus. His intercession is strong and never known to fail. May God be glorified !

Requiem In Pacem!! May his soul rest in peace and be saved from the fires of hell! May his soul be given the chance to be purified in Purgatory....Mother Mary, Mother of Perpetual Help, pray for the soul of the deceased and all men who died in mortal and venial sin. May the be saved from the fires of hell. We ask this in the Name of Jesus Our Lord. Amen.

The time is 1:52 AM. I just got home from a long duty at work. Getting ready for my evening prayers...and tonight, I send a special prayer request for my dear brother Andre Nicholas.

Dear Lord, Mighty Lord Jesus Christ, Sovereign God and Protector of your children here on Earth, may you guide, protect and uplift my young brother Andre Nicholas. I pray dear Lord, that you empower Andre with the Love of you, Love of Family, Wisdom to know right from wrong, Compassion to help those whom cannot help themselves, the sincerity to work hard, and the dedication to Truth, your Truth, which you send forth to your Children on Earth. Dear Lord, I pray that you guide my beloved Ondoy Andre on all his studies, ambitions in life. Grant him your graces, pour forth your support to him, Lord. May you always protect him in mind, body, and spirit. From the crown of his head, to the soles of his feet. May the Heart of Divine Mercy, Fountain of Truth, grant me this special prayer request. In Jesus Christ' Name. Amen.

Quote from: hubag bohol on June 02, 2013, 10:20:23 AM



Kaon tag binangkal!

ma sakit atong ngipon ani, hubag. pwede naa poy kape sa side? hehehe!

May the Blessed Mother Mary, Mother of Perpetual Help guide men who are spiritually discerning a life of Holy Order.

May these men be encouraged by the Holy Spirit, prayers of support, and the Divine Graces from the Eternal Living God.

How light it is, to accept the calling towards priesthood. The moment of acceptance must, I presume, be liken to the falling of a feather.

And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, "How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!"

Romans 10:15

More than 10 years ago, Karren Tarrillion had become part of a weekly ritual.

Each week, Tarrillion and several other adults would come to the National Shrine of the Miraculous Medal, located in Perryville, to pray for something that would help teens in southeast Missouri to further grow in their faith.

"We were just wanting a youth ministry, something -- with the support of a priest and the laity -- just to help the kids in the area," said the member of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Perryville. It was a time when youth groups were just starting to take off in the parishes and the Catholic schools. They were looking for something that would help youth ministry to become more embraced and supported by the Church.

By the fall of 2003, the group's prayers were answered. Vincentian Marian Youth -- an international youth association founded by the Vincentians in the 19th century -- was introduced as a way to provide outreach to youth groups in southeast Missouri. The goal wasn't simply to provide activities for the teens, but to assist existing youth groups and empower teens with leadership skills through a life of service to others through Christ.

Vincentian Father Ron Hoye, who was associate pastor at St. Vincent at the time, was the one who suggested Vincentian Marian Youth, which was founded in France in 1830. The ministry originally was called the Association of the Children of Mary, after the Blessed Mother appeared to St. Catherine Laboure and asked her to bring together young people in her name. The ministry eventually became known as Vincentian Marian Youth. Ten years later, the group in southeast Missouri is clearly thriving. In the past decade, more than 1,000 teens have gone on VMY-sponsored mission trips, and each year draws about 50 to 75 actively participating high school teens for monthly Masses at the Perryville shrine and other activities.

The ministry also has received national attention. In January 2011, the U.S. headquarters for Vincentian Marian Youth was moved to Perryville and now shares space with the Association of the Miraculous Medal. That designation happened primarily because Perryville was the first Vincentian settlement in the United States -- back in 1816.

Shirley Klump, who with friend Cathy Peirick were the original co-directors of the regional ministry, was named national director. "What caught the fire was that this was a time when youth ministry was really getting started," Klump said at an anniversary celebration last weekend. "But the fire hadn't spread quite yet. We were coming out here every week praying. The Church needs her young people, so we needed to do something for them. People tell us, 'The programs VMY offers have given me some opportunities I never would have had.'"

Community minded

Samantha Kertz was a sophomore when Shirley Klump first introduced her to VMY. The shy teenager was hesitant at first, self-conscious that she wouldn't know anybody outside of her parish, Ste. Genevieve in Ste. Genevieve. Her boyfriend, now husband, Eric, convinced her to come along to one of the monthly Masses at the shrine church.

Beyond the sacraments, VMY teens take part in mission trips and retreats throughout the year. They've helped post-Hurricane Katrina victims in New Orleans, the poor and indigent communities in West Virginia and those in need in urban Chicago. Many teens are first introduced to VMY through a Confirmation retreat the organization sponsors for eighth-graders -- but just like Kertz, they can join at any time in high school and come from any community.

That's what makes the ministry unique, said Kertz, 24, who now serves as VMY's South Central regional director, which includes Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. The ministry draws teens from all over southeast Missouri, and not necessarily all Catholic, either.

"We are very family oriented," said Shirley Klump. "Last year we had a (conversion and) baptism. We've had kids who have pulled their parents into this and vice versa." Kids will bring their non-Catholic, Christian friends along on service projects or trips. All of that is a common thread that is considered a normal part of life in the area.

The ministry also has fostered religious vocations. Klump estimates that there are about a dozen young people from VMY currently in the process of religious formation or have recently been ordained or made vows. Several years ago, the group did a rough survey of parishes in the southeast Missouri area and found that there were more than 100 priestly and religious vocations.

"Bishop (Robert) Hermann once said that this is God's country," Klump noted. "But I thought it was just because he thought the scenery was pretty."

VMY also plays a part in helping the local community, too. Besides service projects, the ministry opened a resale shop last March called Laboure Exchange, with proceeds from the shop going back to VMY programming. Former VMY member Alina Seib, 21, was hired to manage the shop, located on Highway 61 in Ste. Genevieve. The majority of the store's volunteers are teens. "This Christmas, we really saw what it was doing for the community," said Seib, a member of St. Joseph Parish in Apple Creek, who joined VMY when she was 14. "We had a lady who came in that had found out she was going to be fostering three girls. We helped her pick out stuff for them -- and she got a great deal. She was so appreciative. She was doing the right thing, but she just needed a little help."

Youth empowerment

Rachael Naeger is considered a "graduate" of VMY, but she still maintains ties with the group, to share with other teens how her involvement helped her to grow in her faith.

The 22-year-old, who graduated last month from Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Mo., said VMY helped her to stay active in her faith well into college -- a time when faith can fall flat for many young adults.

It was the service projects that were the real "eye-opener," including a trip to West Virginia to help the poor, rural communities. "It not only made me realize how much I had, but I was also able to share my faith with the people we were working with," said the parishioner of Sacred Heart in Ozora.

Service went on to became a big part of what she did in college, too. She joined Gamma Alpha Lambda, a Christian sorority, and became involved in campus ministry at the Catholic Newman Center. On her weekend trips home, Naeger would make time to come to Mass with teens at the shrine and connect with them in other ways to show the importance of serving others.

"I noticed on my first mission trip there were so many things I took for granted," she said. "What was important was the love we showed them."

Vincentian Marian Youth places college students like Naeger into leadership roles as a way to not only keep them involved, but also to empower then with further leadership skills. Young adults serve as core team members and help plan service trips and other activities.

Samantha Kertz said she wants to instill in teens exactly what she received as a teen herself. "I want to pass on to other kids a love for their faith and the knowledge," she said. "I see what a difference it makes in the teens. They learn to love one another more and establish these great friendships -- relationships you never would have guessed could happen in the high school setting."

Building trust

Morgan Mueller, a 16-year-old junior at Valle Catholic High School in Ste Genevieve, joined VMY in high school after learning about the group at her grade school Confirmation retreat. One of the highlights of her involvement has been learning more about her faith through topics like Theology of the Body -- which explains God's plan for human beings and sexuality -- during retreats and other activities.

"I never realized faith could be so much fun," she said.

Her friend, Katie Grither, a 17-year-old junior also at Valle Catholic, said VMY has helped her to connect with other teens in ways she never could have imagined.

"I have found trusted friends -- and adults -- I can talk to," she said."It's taught me to stay true to myself and to not be embarrassed about your faith."


http://stlouisreview.com/article/2013-01-09/vincentian-marian

Natalie Villmer of the Rural Parish Workers of Christ the King understands well the virtue of serving others, which her mother instilled in her as a child.

"I'm from the St. Joachim in Old Mines area, and she used to say there's a lot of people around here that need assistance," Villmer said. "We would get appeals from other parts of the country, from people who needed help, and she would say, 'I wish there was someone here who could help those in need here.' So I think my vocation stemmed from that."

For Natalie Villmer and the Rural Parish Workers, serving others through works of mercy is second nature. The community of laywomen, bound by religious vows, has been serving the poor in Washington County since 1949. The Rural Parish Workers are among those who receive funding from the Annual Catholic Appeal.

This year's ACA campaign, which is taking place from April 20 to May 5, focuses on the seven corporal works of mercy -- feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, visiting the sick, sheltering the homeless, visiting the imprisoned and burying the dead.

These seven works tend to the physical needs of others and frequently occur through the generosity of those who support the ACA. The appeal supports numerous ministries, including Catholic education, helping the homeless and others in need, defending life, marriage and religious liberty and supporting vocations. This year's goal is $12.5 million.

This year's campaign also ties into the Year of Faith, which Pope Benedict XVI commissioned as an opportunity for the worldwide Church to reflect and act on what it means to be Catholic. The theme of the ACA's campaign, "The Door of Faith is Always Open," shows that giving can serve as a way of opening a door of faith -- not only for self, but others.

"The ACA provides us with the opportunity to open the door of faith for ourselves and many others, who lead us to Christ," said Russ Isaak, chair of the 2013 Appeal Council. "Through this door of faith, we can see all of the doors that the ACA opens up for us to participate in."

An act of love

The Rural Parish Workers estimate that they serve about 3,000 people a year, said Villmer. "At Christmas time, we have a big distribution program. We help about 270 families, and if you estimate at least four people in a family, that's over 1,000 alone."

"That's what we do every day, feed the hungry, drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, bury the dead," said Villmer. "We correspond with men from our area and women who are in prison. We have our food pantry. We also assist with clothing -- we have rummage sales a couple of times a year."

Villmer said the work is more than just providing for the physical needs of people, but also in looking at their spiritual well-being.

"We're giving people encouragement and helping them find jobs, praying with them," she said. "We're encouraging people to go to church and we've giving rides to church on Sunday morning. Without that presence of God in your heart, it's hard to stay on the right track. We work on making people aware of that. We also learn many things from the people who come to the door -- they're very spiritual, too. We share Christ with them whenever we get that opportunity."

Brian Niebrugge, archdiocesan executive director of Stewardship and the Annual Catholic Appeal, noted that it can be challenging to see that giving to a charitable campaign is more than just providing material support, but in so many ways, those who contribute to the appeal can become part of a spiritual experience that draws them closer to Christ.

"When someone chooses to make a gift, it is first an act of love, which always involves the whole person, body and soul," he said. "In the appeal, these individual acts of love unite us all in a clear and direct way, obvious even to those who do not believe. The fruits of this unity, the ministries of the Church, make the mystical body of Christ visible to a world that sometimes has a hard time seeing the face of Christ or believing in His love for the world. It can be a light for someone, when all other lights have gone out."

Assistance without boundaries

The Annual Catholic Appeal has five major areas where funding is designated, but its impact is even more far-reaching.

Pat and Kathy O'Donnell have been ACA parish co-chairs at St. Matthias Parish in Lemay for eight years. But the couple was personally impacted by the fruits of the appeal long before they became involved as volunteers.

In 1992, the couple's 16-year-old daughter, Bridget, a student at Notre Dame High School, died in a car accident. Shortly after her death, their pastor had reached out and offered to contact Catholic Charities to see if the agency, which receives ACA funding, could provide counseling for the family and friends of their daughter. After the funeral, two counselors stayed at the rectory and visited with family and friends.

"I asked (the priest), 'How much do we owe?' He told us, 'You don't owe anything. That's part of what the money from the appeal goes to at Catholic Charities.' Boy, we really benefitted there. I couldn't have done something like that on my own with these kids. And that was because of the appeal."

Pat O'Donnell said the parish takes a simple approach when asking parishioners to give to the appeal. The amount collected each week of the campaign is published in the bulletin, he said. "I think when people can see how they're being generous, it helps people to become more generous."

O'Donnell also recalled a recent homily by St. Matthias' pastor, Father Dennis Port, on Peter's healing nature through the passing of his shadow, as seen in Acts 5:12-16. "He said what it really means is that when God and man can work together ... great things can take place," said O'Donnell.

No donation is too small

Russ Isaak, ACA chairman, explained that no donation to the appeal is "too small." That's especially true for young families who are considering a donation, but think that a small contribution will make no difference.

"The idea is to get people thinking about making donations to the ACA now, no matter what amount they are," said Isaak. "I don't care if it's $5, $10 or $100. I believe that it's every Catholic's responsibility to help others who are in need. Obviously, we must consider our own financial situation when making this decision. But different people go through different stages of their life. They should know there is an opportunity to participate in the ACA at any stage of their life."

http://stlouisreview.com/article/2013-04-17/annual-catholic

Letting go of angry feelings isn't easy.

The Cornerstone Catholic Scripture Study branch at Annunziata Parish recently reflected on anger through a story out of Genesis in which Joseph, a son of Jacob, managed his anger after spending 13 years as a slave and prisoner after being sold by his brothers.

A member of the study group referred to a homilist's story about a boy who had his hand stuck in a vase with a narrow center. After the vase was broken to free the boy's hand, it was noticed that he was making a fist in order to hold onto a quarter. If he had let go, he could have slipped out of the vase with ease.

The homilist's point -- letting go of bad feelings brings freedom -- led the speaker to realize that she had to let go of a situation and replace anger with forgiveness.

Cornerstone seeks to foster a love of God through familiarity with Scripture, to develop or enhance prayer life and provide an experience with others on a journey of faith.

Participants in the Scripture study note how it has brought them peace and joy and has made a difference in how they relate to God, family and friends.

Pat Leahy of Immacolata Parish, who meets with the Mary Queen of Peace branch, said she found it difficult talking with God one on one, but since attending Cornerstone realized "He is our friend. Jesus walks by our side. I am growing more comfortable in that shared prayer and talking to God one on one."

In this Year of Faith, Cornerstone is seen as a way to evangelize. It strives to be authentically Catholic in all its material, often citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Cornerstone members are given a common set of study questions focusing on a Scripture passage. Typically they complete each day's lesson of study, prayer and reflection in about 15-20 minutes. At gatherings each week they come together for prayer, a song and informal talk, then break off in small groups to share their answers to the questions. They then gather in one group for a spiritual reflection.

Afterward, members are given a commentary that includes historical and theological background on the passage. The commentary authors have included Father Paul Niemann, pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in St. Ann; Msgr. Greg Mikesch, vice-rector for formation and director of pre-theology at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary; and Father Alfred McBride, author and expert on the catechism. This year the commentaries were written by Lawrence DiPaolo, associate dean of the University of St. Thomas School of Theology at St. Mary's Seminary in Houston.

The commentary provides background and knowledge about Scripture. "Our goal is to get people to fall in love with the Word of God," said Sharon Hartman of St. Peter Parish in Kirkwood. She meets with the group at Mary Queen of Peace Parish in Webster Groves.

Kay Sullivan, who meets with the Annunziata group and is a member of Mary Queen of Peace Parish, noted that in the small groups "people pray for each other and get to know each other in a really deep level" -- from the inside out or "at the heart level."

The questions have no wrong answers, Sullivan noted, and whatever is shared stays confidential.

In an example of a small group discussion on the Genesis story of Joseph, participants discussed how it related to the challenge of having absolute trust; the need to be grateful to God; humility, patience and postponing personal gain; the mystery of God's ways; and more.

Studying the Bible has not always been a common Catholic experience, so Cornerstone fills a need.

Cornerstone strives to create warmth and community, said Mary Ellen Voss of Holy Infant Parish in Ballwin, who meets at Mary Queen of Peace. "We're not coming in as robots but are acting as brothers and sisters to each other," Voss said, pointing out the support system that exists and the spiritual enrichment that occurs.

Typical comments about Cornerstone range from "It enables me to achieve a balance in my life in the midst of my busy-ness" to "It has changed my life."

Marilou Wilson, who attends the branch at Annunziata, said "I have been attending Cornerstone for about 10 years and have grown to love studying Scripture and think that in this Year of Faith more people may appreciate this type of Bible study format."

While there is a serious side with prayer and sharing of joys and struggles, there's always laughter as well, Wilson noted.

Cornerstone started in the early 1980s with a small group in the St. Louis area who had attended a nondenominational Protestant Bible study but missed their Catholic traditions and theology. With spiritual guidance from a local priest, they began a small group that now has 16 branches in six states and more than 1,000 participants.

http://stlouisreview.com/article/2013-05-08/scripture-study-helps

43. Your love never fails

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=PXsWAAhnGhc

Quote from: hubag bohol on June 03, 2013, 01:02:53 PM

Looks like a young Bruce Lee with Master Ip Man.

Rosy-cheeked Han Chinese woman...

The beauty of a Han Chinese woman.

So very light skinned...

The apple of grandmother's eyes...

Grandmother knitting clothes for baby grandson.

hehehe, beautiful !

Elder sister and younger brother napping.

Elder sister tutoring younger brother. Education is a core aspect in Chinese Confucian philosophy.

Sister's love for young brother.

The devotion of elder sister to young brother. The manifestation of Chinese Confucian Filial Piety.

Preparing the bountiful harvest.

Grandfather dreaming of a bright future...

A young Chinese farmer toiling the land with his carabao.

Grandmother and her grandchild.

The beautiful images of the traditions and the people of China....

Quote from: hubag bohol on June 02, 2013, 02:30:21 PM
Hmm, I wonder what's hiding behind that verdant canopy yonder...

A new friend of yours or an old enemy?

Interesting read.

Just got home from a wonderful dinner date with my very good friend. Hehehe, 'twas a good night.

Afterwards, we went to a very nice dessert place in downtown Chicago called "George's". I ordered 1 scoop of taro ice cream, she ordered 2 scoops of pistachio ice cream.

Kusug mo kaon ning bajeha da. hahahaha!  

I went to a delicious sushi bar today. My friend and I ordered:

For appetizer: 1) seaweed salad; 2) sweet calamari

For main dish: 4 orders of blue fin tuna nigiri, 4 orders of onagi nigiri, 1 order of california roll, 1 order of soft shell crab roll, 1 order of spicy octopus roll.

For drinks: undistilled japanese saki, japanese chrysanthemum tea.

It was exquisite. All those for just $121.00. Not bad. hehehehe!

Quote from: hubag bohol on June 02, 2013, 09:06:45 AM

bwahahaha. lami ni sija i-kalderetahon nato.

ka namit gid bla...

cool bitaw. maybe isles is preparing langka for us over there yonder past those trees...

Quote from: fdaray on June 01, 2013, 12:25:45 PM
yes.., ol ol is also a good exercise.

he he he, maayo diay ni para sa neuromuscular function kon maohon.

Quote from: balong on June 01, 2013, 10:31:42 AM
mag ol ol

kuyawa pod, di ba kaha ma suko imong asawa og mo ol ol ka, nong? ma kujapan ka? wa nay energy para nija ba.

abaw linti gid bla....

Second Point
The second is to do the same -- that is, to bring the Three
Powers -- on the sin of Adam and Eve, bringing to memory how on account of that
sin they did penance for so long a time, and how much corruption came on the
human race, so many people going the way to Hell.
I say to bring to memory the Second Sin, that of our First Parents; how after
Adam was created in the field of Damascus and placed in the Terrestrial Paradise,
and Eve was created from his rib, being forbidden to eat of the Tree of Knowledge,
they ate and so sinned, and afterwards clothed in tunics of skins and cast from
Paradise, they lived, all their life, without the original justice which they had lost,
and in many labors and much penance. And then to discuss with the understanding
more in detail; and to use the will as has been said.

Third Point
The third is likewise to do the same on the Third particular Sin
of any one who for one mortal sin is gone to Hell -- and many others without
number, for fewer sins than I have committed.
I say to do the same on the Third particular Sin, bringing to memory the
gravity and malice of the sin against one’s Creator and Lord; to discuss with the
understanding how in sinning and acting against the Infinite Goodness, he has been
justly condemned forever; and to finish with the will as has been said.

Colloquy
Imagining Christ our Lord present and placed on the Cross, let me
make a Colloquy, how from Creator He is come to making Himself man, and from
life eternal is come to temporal death, and so to die for my sins.
Likewise, looking at myself, what I have done for Christ, what I am doing for
Christ, what I ought to do for Christ.
And so, seeing Him such, and so nailed on the Cross, to go over that which
will present itself.

The Colloquy is made, properly speaking, as one friend speaks to another, or
as a servant to his master; now asking some grace, now blaming oneself for some
misdeed, now communicating one’s affairs, and asking advice in them.
And let me say an OUR FATHER.

FIRST EXERCISE

IT IS A MEDITATION WITH THE THREE POWERS ON THE FIRST, THE SECOND AND THE THIRD SIN

It contains in it, after one Preparatory Prayer and two Preludes, three chief
Points and one Colloquy


Prayer
The Preparatory Prayer is to ask grace of God our Lord that all my
intentions, actions and operations may be directed purely to the service and praise
of His Divine Majesty.

First Prelude

The First Prelude is a composition, seeing the place.
Here it is to be noted that, in a visible contemplation or meditation -- as, for
instance, when one contemplates Christ our Lord, Who is visible -- the composition
will be to see with the sight of the imagination the corporeal place where the thing
is found which I want to contemplate. I say the corporeal place, as for instance, a
Temple or Mountain where Jesus Christ or Our Lady is found, according to what I
want to contemplate. In an invisible contemplation or meditation -- as here on the
Sins -- the composition will be to see with the sight of the imagination and consider
that my soul is imprisoned in this corruptible body, and all the compound in this
valley, as exiled among brute beasts: I say all the compound of soul and body.

Second Prelude

The second is to ask God our Lord for what I want and desire.
The petition has to be according to the subject matter; that is, if the
contemplation is on the Resurrection, one is to ask for joy with Christ in joy; if it is
on the Passion, he is to ask for pain, tears and torment with Christ in torment.
Here it will be to ask shame and confusion at myself, seeing how many have
been damned for only one mortal sin, and how many times I deserved to be
condemned forever for my so many sins.

Note
Before all Contemplations or Meditations, there ought always to be
made the Preparatory Prayer, which is not changed, and the two Preludes already
mentioned, which are sometimes changed, according to the subject matter.

First Point
The first Point will be to bring the memory on the First Sin,
which was that of the Angels, and then to bring the intellect on the same,
discussing it; then the will, wanting to recall and understand all this in order to
make me more ashamed and confound me more, bringing into comparison with the
one sin of the Angels my so many sins, and reflecting, while they for one sin were
cast into Hell, how often I have deserved it for so many.
I say to bring to memory the sin of the Angels, how they, being created in
grace, not wanting to help themselves with their liberty to reverence and obey their
Creator and Lord, coming to pride, were changed from grace to malice, and hurled
from Heaven to Hell; and so then to discuss more in detail with the intellect: and
then to move the feelings more with the will.

Fourth Annotation:

The fourth: The following Exercises are divided into
four parts:

First, the consideration and contemplation on the sins;

Second, the life of Christ our Lord up to Palm Sunday inclusively;

Third, the Passion of Christ our Lord;

Fourth, the Resurrection and Ascension, with the three Methods of Prayer.
Though four weeks, to correspond to this division, are spent in the Exercises,
it is not to be understood that each Week has, of necessity, seven or eight days. For,
as it happens that in the First Week some are slower to find what they seek --
namely, contrition, sorrow and tears for their sins -- and in the same way some are
more diligent than others, and more acted on or tried by different spirits; it is
necessary sometimes to shorten the Week, and at other times to lengthen it. The
same is true of all the other subsequent Weeks, seeking out the things according to
the subject matter. However, the Exercises will be finished in thirty days, a little
more or less.

hehehe, akong ninong naa diri sa New Jersey.

Third Annotation:

The third: As in all the following Spiritual Exercises, we
use acts of the intellect in reasoning, and acts of the will in movements of the
feelings: let us remark that, in the acts of the will, when we are speaking vocally or
mentally with God our Lord, or with His Saints, greater reverence is required on
our part than when we are using the intellect in understanding.

Second Annotation:

The second is that the person who gives to another
the way and order in which to meditate or contemplate, ought to relate faithfully
the events of such Contemplation or Meditation, going over the Points with only a
short or summary development. For, if the person who is making the
Contemplation, takes the true groundwork of the narrative, and, discussing and
considering for himself, finds something which makes the events a little clearer or
brings them a little more home to him -- whether this comes through his own
reasoning, or because his intellect is enlightened by the Divine power -- he will get
more spiritual relish and fruit, than if he who is giving the Exercises had much
explained and amplified the meaning of the events. For it is not knowing much, but
realising and relishing things interiorly, that contents and satisfies the soul.

First Annotation:

The first Annotation is that by this name of Spiritual
Exercises is meant every way of examining one’s conscience, of meditating, of
contemplating, of praying vocally and mentally, and of performing other spiritual
actions, as will be said later. For as strolling, walking and running are bodily
exercises, so every way of preparing and disposing the soul to rid itself of all the
disordered tendencies, and, after it is rid, to seek and find the Divine Will as to the
management of one’s life for the salvation of the soul, is called a Spiritual Exercise.

ANNOTATIONS

TO GIVE SOME UNDERSTANDING OF THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES WHICH FOLLOW, AND TO ENABLE HIM WHO IS TO GIVE AND HIM WHO IS TO RECEIVE THEM TO HELP THEMSELVES.

PRAYER OF FATHER DIERTINS

ROUSE up, O Lord, and foster the spirit of the Exercises which Blessed Ignatius
labored to spread abroad, that we, too, may be filled with it and be zealous to love
what he loved and do what he taught! Through Christ our Lord.

AMEN

The Spiritual Exercises were to form the basis of many retreats given to priests, religious, and lay people. They are offered in closed sessions of a weekend, five, eight or the full thirty days at retreat houses as well as retreats in everyday life made at home over the course of about nine months (technically referred to as a 19th Annotation retreat).

The book of the Spiritual Exercises is not a text to be read as a work of non-fiction, but exercises to be prayed usually under the guidance of a trained spiritual director. The original Spanish text of the Exercises was translated into two Latin versions (the Versio Prima and the Vulgate) which were approved by Pope Paul III in 1548.

http://www.jesuit.org/jesuits/wp-content/uploads/The-Spiritual-Exercises-.pdf

Ignatian Spirituality



Before he was to be founder of the Jesuits, St. Ignatius of Loyola was a war-wounded soldier. The year 1521 found him recovering at his home in northern Spain from grave injuries suffered during the battle of Pamplona. Those many months of convalescence proved to be a journey of healing not just for his body but also his soul. Ignatius documented his conversion experience in letters, an autobiography and the Spiritual Exercises. They would become the foundations of Ignatian spirituality.



This spirituality is deeply rooted in becoming more aware of what is happening in your daily experience â€" finding God in all things. You can then begin to discern where the spirits of light or darkness may be trying to lead you. We become more aware of God’s presence in our lives and more attentive to His desire’s rather than our own.

St. Ignatius had mystical experiences that gave him an understanding of the importance of the Trinity â€" Three Persons in One God â€" Father, Son and Spirit. He was also committed to laboring with Jesus Christ carrying the Cross. Ignatius understood that God is an active God, ever at work in people’s lives. We are called to be attentive to this active God and promptly respond.

These are some of the hallmarks of Ignatian Spirituality. It is expressed in the arts, forms of prayer, Interreligious dialogue, the Spiritual Exercises and the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus written by St. Ignatius and approved by Pope Paul IV in 1558. The Spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola animates all the works of the Society of Jesus â€" schools, parishes, centers of social justice, mission work, and spirituality centers â€" AMDG â€" to the Greater Glory of God.

Jesuit Assistancies Worldwide

In the same way that the United States Assistancy is comprised of individual provinces, so too is the rest of the world, with other Assistancies and Jesuit Conferences representing each region. For more information about the provinces and Assistancies throughout the world, please visit the Jesuit Curia, the global headquarters of the Society of Jesus, located in Rome.

The Jesuit Provinces in the United States

In the United States, the Society of Jesus is organized into nine provinces or geographic regions, each headed by a provincial superior appointed by the Superior General in Rome. Province Offices are organized as follows:

What is AMDG?

AMDG is the abbreviation of the Latin phrase: “Ad maiorem Dei gloriam.” In English this translates to “For the greater glory of God.”