The Ritual Prayer of a Local Catholic

6AM

1.       Pater  Noster.

[Yes, Latin. Maybe the devil does hate prayer in Latin, but regardless, herewith is the divine prayer given to man and prayed in the language used by nearly every saint.]

PATER NOSTER, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie, et dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen.

2.       Our Father

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.

3.       Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.  Amen.

4.       Glory Be

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

5.       O My Jesus

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell and lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of Your mercy!

6.       General Prayer Intentions

a.       God, help and protect our Pope, Pope Francis. Grant to him eyes to see and courage to act. Give him grace to rule over and manage the Church of Christ as our Lord Jesus Christ Himself would do.

b.      God, help Bishops and Priests everywhere to live up to their high calling in Christ Jesus and to cleanse your Church of error and confusion. Teach them to be faithful to Christ and to His Church. May they prove to be good Shepherds to their flock.

c.       Lord, as you have done in days past, save sinners today, as you have saved me and grow Your Church. Help me to assist in that goal, witnessing for Christ to all those that cross my path today.

d.      God, put an end to abortion today. Guide me in all my efforts to achieve that goal and especially give me wisdom for all my local undertakings. Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen intercede for me and help me to obtain heavenly assistance to hold Bishops and Priests accountable, in all charity and perseverance, for their actions or lack thereof in the spiritual battle to end abortion and to defend the teachings of Mother Church. God shape all my efforts into a great spear, the tip of which will soon pierce the heart of the demons of abortion and unbelief.

e.      God, move in the hearts of rulers and kings everywhere so that each might seek out your wisdom, justice and mercy in order to bring peace and prosperity to their nation. Help them to realize that to whom much is given, much is required. May your Holy Spirit convince them of sin, righteousness and judgment, and make them favourable to receive and protect the work of missionaries. Especially convert the heart of the President of the USA, [here insert name], to Christ, for God’s greater glory throughout all nations.

f.        O Lord, raise up prophets throughout our land, especially Bishops, who, in sackcloth and ashes will warn and call back to God His people, that the judgment of God on this nation be averted.

g.       God, help, defend and rescue your people in all lands who suffer persecution because of their faith in Christ. Some suffer acutely and some perish. Put compassion into the hearts of their persecutors and move upon their countrymen to intercede on their behalf. Yet through the sufferings of Your people, grow Your Church.

h.      God, bless all good and holy priests everywhere, such as ___________________ [herein insert names of priests prayed for daily]. Expand their understanding, increase their capacities and vision, enlarge their borders that they may reach many more souls for Christ and pastor well the flock of God. Grant to each a warrior's spirit and a martyr's heart. Help them to fully live up to the light that you have given them. [Herein include any special requests for these Priests.]

7.       Prayer Intentions for Family & Friends

Blessed Virgin Mary, intercede on my behalf and on behalf of all my family today. Help us as you would your own family. Send holy men, women, angels and saints into the lives of each one mentioned to help them on the path to salvation and to guide, protect and defend from Satan.

a.       For immediate family. [Herein name each and pray for specific needs, especially spiritual concerns.] A special prayer for those affected by the torment of injustice of family breakup. May God help each one today in their struggles to overcome the pain, distress and rejection experienced by such.

b.      For family near and far, known and unknown, that they may all be brought into the family of God and that all who have strayed may be drawn back to God.

c.       For all Catholic friends and associates, that God might strengthen them in their faith and witness. And for our Latin Mass community that we might, as a community of faith, come to truly reflect the Body of Christ. Help us to contribute to the spiritual needs of one another and the building up of the Church.

d.      For all those who have requested or are known to be in need of physical healing. [Herein name each and pray for specific needs known or expressed.]

8.       Prayer for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

God, have mercy upon all Holy Souls and aid them in their progress toward the beatific vision. Help them to deal with their sins and offenses such that their lives might be cleansed and purified. Refresh and relieve them on their journey to full salvation and purity of heart. May they one day, in Heaven, pray for me likewise.

9.       God, grant me today the means and opportunity to earn a steady income that I might support my family, fulfil all my earthly obligations honorably and contribute to the work of the Kingdom. Teach me to sow the rights seeds in order to accomplish these goals.

10.   My Lord and my God, above all today, teach me to love You supremely and to discern Your will for my life so that I do not fail in my heavenly calling.

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And now begins the DivineOffice for today. 

Pray the Liturgy of the Hours on Your iPhone

Are you looking for a more meaningful and sufficient prayer life?

Consider participating in the Liturgy of the Hours. I’ve recently discovered this wonderful Church resource and an amazing app for my iPhone that really helps me implement this into my prayer life.

I encourage you to get this app, or at least take advantage of the website daily, in order to upgrade—possibly revitalize—your prayer life. The streaming audio is very effective.

Here’s where to go…

Get the iPhone app…

More details from the website…

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What is Divine Office?

“From ancient times the Church has had the custom of celebrating each day the liturgy of the hours. In this way the Church fulfills the Lord’s precept to pray without ceasing, at once offering its praise to God the Father and interceding for the salvation of the world.”  – Office of the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship.

The Ministry of Divine Office has a mission to gather assets beneficial to our community in praying the Liturgy of the Hours.  We appreciate contributions from you.  Please leave your suggestions or links as a comment and we will incorporate the most useful materials into this site.

So what is the Liturgy of the Hours?

The Liturgy of the Hours is the prayer of the whole People of God. In it, Christ himself “continues his priestly work through his Church.” His members participate according to their own place in the Church and the circumstances of their lives. The laity, too, are encouraged to recite the divine office either with the priests, among themselves, or individually.

The celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours demands not only harmonizing the voice with the praying heart, but also a deeper “understanding of the liturgy and of the Bible, especially of the Psalms.”

The hymns and litanies of the Liturgy of the Hours integrate the prayer of the psalms into the age of the Church, expressing the symbolism of the time of day, the liturgical season, or the feast being celebrated. Moreover, the reading from the Word of God at each Hour with the subsequent responses or troparia and readings from the Fathers and spiritual masters at certain Hours, reveal the deeper meanings of the mystery being celebrated, assist in understanding the psalms, and help one prepare for silent prayer. The lectio divina, where the Word of God is so read and meditated that it becomes prayer, is thus rooted in the liturgical celebration.

The Liturgy of the Hours, which is like an extension of the Eucharistic celebration, does not exclude but rather (in a complementary way) calls forth the various devotions of the People of God, especially adoration and worship of the Blessed Sacrament.

The worship “in Spirit and in truth” of the New Covenant is not tied exclusively to any one place. The whole earth is sacred and entrusted to the children of men. What matters above all is that, when the faithful assemble in the same place, they are the “living stones,” gathered to be “built into a spiritual house.” The Body of the risen Christ is the spiritual temple from which the source of living water emanates. Incorporated into Christ by the Holy Spirit, “we are the temple of the living God.”

Source: Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part Two, Section One, Chapter Two.

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Penitential Pilgrimage 2006 Flatrock

On Saturday September 9, 2006, I participated in the second historic penitential pilgrimage to the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Flatrock, Newfoundland. One of the stated goals of this pilgrimage is “…giving God a chance to break through to us amid the distractions of daily life.”

As I reported in my previous post, September 2005 was the first such visionary pilgrimage.

Approximately 60 pilgrims joined in the four kilometre procession but nearly 100 souls were in attendance at the 4PM Mass. This represented a wonderful increase in attendance of about 50%, and, through eyes of faith, we pilgrims believe that it represents a similar fruitfulness in the spiritual realm.

Once again, the procession included three stages and stops, each of which was characterized by song and prayer. The last kilometer of the procession was completed in silence.

Upon arrival at the Grotto, pilgrims enjoyed a half hour or so of refreshments and fellowship at the parish hall followed by about an hour of quiet time at the Grotto. There was sufficient time to pray, to complete the Stations of the Cross and then to move into the Church for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. At 4PM Mass was celebrated by His Excellency Archbishop William Aquin Carew, followed by Benediction.

Although pilgrims sought to inwardly observe the serious spiritual demands of the day, all appeared enthusiastic and happy throughout the pilgrimage.

Weather was generally overcast and breezy but reasonably warm, with a couple very slight sprinklings during the course of the walk.

Quoting from the pilgrimage website, I bring the following to the reader’s attention:

WHAT'S A ' PILGRIMAGE ‘?
A pilgrimage is a journey to a sacred place, undertaken for the purpose of worship, thanksgiving, petition or penance.

WHY IS IT ' PENITENTIAL ' ?
Because being 'penitent' is an absolute requirement if we wish our sins to be forgiven, so that we might restore ('reconcile') our relationship with God, our Creator, our loving Father whom we have offended by our sins. And to be 'penitent' requires the virtue of Humility ... the antidote to the cardinal sin of Pride.

That restoration or reconciliation requires a correct understanding of the relationship: He is the Creator, we are the creatures (the word 'reconciliation' is, in some ways, unfortunate, because it may suggest a relationship between equals).

One pre-requisite for the forgiveness of our sins is that we should have a genuine sense of sorrow (contrition) for those sins, a firm intention to amend our lives and avoid sin in the future ... and a willingness to do the penance necessary, as a matter of Justice, to restore our relationship with God our Father. It is spiritually healthy to cultivate such a sense of contrition ... it leads to a positive desire to DO penance, so that we can be 'reconciled' with the Father whom we have offended.

If our great country of Canada is to experience the forgiveness of God for it’s great sacrileges and to receive the subsequent spiritual healing, a series of sweeping spiritual exercises akin to those that accompany this pilgrimage must take place throughout Canada.

The grace of God permitting, let affliction of spirit, penance, and supplication begin here in Newfoundland!

“Then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins and will heal their land.”

A photo gallery of this year’s event can be viewed here.

2nd Annual Flatrock Penitential Pilgrimage

On Saturday September 9, 2006, the second historic penitential pilgrimage to the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Flatrock, Newfoundland, will take place. This holy site was personally visited and blessed by Pope John Paul II during his 1984 visit to Canada.

Last September, the first such pilgrimage was a bold, visionary event, and served as a lighting rod to animate further acts of penance in order “to beseech the divine assistance in season of deep affliction” by invoking God’s promise: “then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins and will heal their land.”

The following is a report I wrote last year regarding the first pilgrimage:

About 40 or more contrite souls showed up just before noon hour on Saturday for the four kilometer procession to the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes. The procession got off to a start shortly after noon and included three stages and stops, each of which was characterized by song and prayer. The last kilometer of the procession was completed in silence. The weather was cool, overcast and breezy, but pilgrims were nonetheless thankful.

After arriving at the Church and Grotto, pilgrims enjoyed a half hour or so of refreshments and fellowship at the parish hall, after which time each pilgrim moved to the Church for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and/or Grotto for Stations of the Cross. This was followed by Mass and Benediction officiated by His Excellency Archbishop William Aquin Carew, who graciously agreed to be the chaplain for the pilgrimage. At about 5:15 pm each pilgrim headed home.

Enthusiasm and gratitude ran high from everyone who attended the event and many expressed the hope that such pilgrimages could be an annual or even semi-annual event.

A photo gallery of last year’s event can be viewed here.

(A local Newfoundlander, Vicki TH, has a very nice photoset and slideshow of Flatrock and the grotto.)

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An Historic Statement of Contrition

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You; I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend You, my God, Who is all good and deserving of my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.