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Friday, November 8, 2013

MARY MODEL OF HUMILITY AND AVAILABILITY

The promise made to our 1st parents Adam and Even about the coming of the Saviour of the world was echoing in the hearts of many generations, even the young, rich and prestigious women of Judea. It was a fact, many young women of Mary’s time dreamed of becoming the mother of the Messaiah. As we all know, Mary lived a very humble life in the company of her God fearing parents Anna and Joackim. She did not have any ambitions as the other young women except to abide by the will of God. When God the Father wanted to send a Messenger to her she was available in prayer. There comes the messenger Angel Gabriel – with the profound salutation ‘Hail Mary Full of Grace! The Lord is with you! Blessed are you among women! Blessed is the fruit of your womb – Jesus. Mary’s availability is remarkable. Let us reflect a while our availability to the people – whom we profess to be available. It is at times even reproachable to note that we are drifting away from availability to our customers – more and more, instead of becoming available more and more. For example, Mary went in haste to Elizabeth residence to assist her – and lived with her for 3 months. What about us? We find it even difficult to be present in our work place even during our duty hours. We are comfortable inside our Convent walls – safe and secure – a clear evidence of our selfishness. Do we use our time for the service of the people or for our own comfort – doing our personal work? Availability is well appreciated by all of us – in theory. Problems are experienced only in practical life. Mary was already a pregnant woman when she went in haste to assist Elizabeth. Yes – she was pregnant and carrying the God made man Jesus! She was full of Jesus! Her son within her was Jesus! - Her God. She was fully preoccupied by Jesus! Her Lord and Master. This very Jesus is within us and around us. Are we aware? If so why do we find it difficult to practice this most admired virtue of availability? Mary was available at the Wedding feast of Cana. It was Mary who noticed that the wine failed during the celebration and the embarrassment of the family was great. This episode will teach us to be available and sensitive to the needs of others without being asked for. During her lifetime Mary kept pondering in her heart everything – thus we have the following events in the Bible. During the presentation of Jesus in the temple – Simon’s words to Mary – “A sword shall pierce your heart” – she kept pondering in the heart. When Jesus was lost in the temple and found - Mary’s words to Jesus – “Your Father and were searching for you! Woman don’t you know that I am busy with my Father’s business? At the Wedding feast of Cana – ‘woman my time has not yet come’. Mary knows what it meant – but kept pondering in her heart. Last on the cross – “woman behold your son!” – where Mary became the mother of the whole human race. Willingly took up on her the entire human race and made herself available to us, her children. She was a woman who did not hesitate to proclaim that God vindicates the humble and oppressed, and removes the powerful people this world from their privileged position. Mary was a woman with intuitive intelligence, the instinctive compassion, the refinement of justice and sensitivity to the human suffering. Many times Mary plays a prophetic role in human affairs. Mary who stands out among the poor and humble of the Lord, a woman of strength who experienced poverty and suffering, flight and exile. From the beginning, her presence has given dignity to the downtrodden, hope to the exploited, and motivation to all liberation movements. Mary will appear not as a Mother exclusively concerned with her own divine son but rather as a woman who’s action helped to strengthen the apostolic community’s faith in Christ. She was one who did not seek favours for her, but rather was concerned with others for their personal and collective liberation for all manner of evil. Every life has its share of pain, struggle and hard times. Mary’s life was no different. While going through the life of transitions (joys and sorrows) which opened her heart that drew her into a being a woman of kindness, that kept calling her to go deeper in love and to trust the divine presence who was always with her. Her apparitions at various part of the Globe like Fatima, Lourdes, Velankanni etc. and may other apparitions that are taking place speaks volumes about the availability and concern of Mary over us. Hence it is a bounden duty and responsibility for us her consecrated children to imitate her virtues specially the “availability” of Mary in our day-to-day life, as Nurses at the service of the sick We are provided with ample opportunity to practice this virtue of availability in our day-to-day life, 24 hours of the day. Let us pray to our Mother to bless us with all the necessary graces to be faithful in our calling as nurses in the service of sick, where much demand is made on the virtue of availability. Availability and humility goes together because when we are humble, we will be available for the service of God and our brethren. Availability considered as a virtue, stands optional for many. But people engaged in medical and Nursing Profession availability is not only a virtue, but also a way of life, and its violation may cost the loss of precious lives. Hence we need to remind ourselves of the seriousness of this virtue in our lives as consecrated religious who have vowed our lives ceremoniously and publicly to fulfill our calling by being effective instruments in the hands of God as Mary was.

God's Voicemail

God's Voicemail > We have all learned to live with "voice mail" as a necessary part of modern life. But have you wondered, what if God decided to install voice mail?" Imagine praying and hearing this: Thank you for calling My Father's House. Please select one of the following options: > Press 1 for Requests > Press 2 for Thanksgiving > Press 3 for Complaints > Press 4 for All Other Inquiries. > What if God used the familiar excuse... "I'm sorry, all of our angels are busy helping other sinners right now. However, your prayer is important to us and will be answered in the order it was received, so please stay on the line" Can you imagine getting these kinds of responses as you call God in Prayer: If you would like to speak to: Gabriel, Press 1, For Michael, Press 2 For a directory of other Angels, Press 3 If you would like to hear King David sing a Psalm while you are holding please press 4. To find out if a loved one has been assigned to Heaven, Press 5, enter his or her Social Security number, then press the pound key. For reservations at "My Father's House" please enter J-O-H-N followed by 3-1-6. For answers to nagging questions about dinosaurs, the age of the earth and where Noah's Ark is, please wait until you arrive here. Our computers show that you have already prayed once today. Please hang up and try again tomorrow. This office is closed for the weekend to observe a religious holiday. Please pray again Monday after 9:30 AM. If you need emergency assistance when this office is closed, contact your local pastor. > > THANK GOD, HE DOESN'T HAVE VOICE MAIL AND HE LISTENS WHEN WE >PRAY!!!!!

THE LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Christ, here us, chist, Graciously here us. God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer the world, Have mercy on us. God the Holy Spirit, Have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, One God, Have mercy on us. Holy Mary, pray for us. Holy Mother of God, Holy Virgin of virgins, Mother of Christ, Mother of the Church, Mother of divine grace, Mother most pure, Mother most chaste, Mother inviolate, Mother undefiled, Mother most lovable, Mother most admirable, Mother of good counsel, Mother of our creator, Mother of our Saviour, Virgin most prudent, Virgin most venerable, Virgin most renowned, Virgin most powerful, Virgin most merciful, Virgin most faithful, Queen of Peace, Mirror of justice, Seat of wisdom, Cause of our joy, Spiritual vessel, Vessel of honour, Singular vessel of devotion, Mystical rose, Tower of David, Tower of ivory, House of gold, Ark of the covenant, Gate of the heaven, Morning star, Health of the sick, Refuge of sinners, Comfort of the afflicted, Help of Christians, Queen of Angels, Queen of Patriarchs, Queen of Prophets, Queen of Apostles, Queen of Martyrs, Queen of Confessors, Queen of Virgin, Queen of all Saints, Queen of conceived without original sin, Queen Assumed into heaven, Queen of the most Holy Rosary, Queen of the Family,

ST ISABEL - INTRODUCTION TO CELEBRATE THE EUCHARIST

St. Elizabeth was the daughter of King Peter III and Constance of Aragon, Spain. Named after her great – aunt St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Elizabeth was brought up in a spirit of strict piety and self – denial. She was generally known under the Spanish form of her name Isabel, since she was born in Spain. At the age of 12, she was married to King Denis of Portugal. Through fasting, prayer, penance and extraordinary kindness and forbearance queen Isabel tried continually, to win the affections of her jealous and immoral husband. At the 40th year of their marriage, her unfailing prayers won the king to repentance and a complete reform of his life. Twelve years later, King Denis died and the Queen – widow entered the convent of Poor Clares, where she became a Franciscan Tertiary and devoted herself to the care of the poor and the sick. Throughout her life, St. Isabel was outstanding in almsgiving and charity. She visited the sick, not merely to give them alms and womanly sympathy, but even to dress their wounds. It is said that every day in her own palace she fed and waited on thirteen lepers. Once victorious over her own feelings, she kissed a loathsome sore on the limb of a poor woman. It was a miracle of charity which was followed by a miracle of divine power. Yes, the poor leper woman was completely healed. She was moved with pity and compassion for the sick and the poor. That is why we have her as the patroness of our Institution. Once she was carrying bread loaves in her mantle, for the poor, hiding them from her husband who did not approve of her charity. However, King Denis heard about it and demanded that she should show him, what she had in her mantle. Without saying anything, St.Isabel opened her mantle and her husband was astonished to see, her mantle was filled with roses, at that severe winter. St. Isabel used to say, “Let us commit our ways to Providence; let us trust in God alone. He will know how to show our innocence”. Above all, St. Isabel was known as “peace maker”. In 1323, when her son Alphonso rebelled and took up arms against his own father, because he was outraged by the favours being bestowed on his illegitimate brothers, it was Queen Isabel, who rode out between the two armies drawn up for battle, and succeeded in bringing about a reconciliation. 13 years later, she had a similar opportunity; she left the convent, to travel to Spain where the same son, now Alfonso IV, was at war with his Son – in – law, for having neglected and maltreated his daughter Maria. Again St. Isabel succeeded in stopping the fight and bringing about a peaceful settlement. When she was sick on dying bed, she made her last confession and when the Body of her Lord was brought to her, she rose from the bed and for the last time she bowed down to the ground in adoration of Jesus Christ, who had bowed down to earth for love of her. Later on, in the day she told her daughter – in – law, queen Beatrice to bring a chair for the Lady. Queen Beatrice could see no one around but St. Isabel said, “She who is drawing near smiling and in garments of white.” Saying this the dying saint Isabel raised herself as if in welcome. Her smiling lips were heard to utter: “Mary, Mother of grace, Mother of Mercy From the foe shield us In the hour of death take us.” These were her last words, on the 4th of July 1336. Although physically, St. Isabel died long ago, spiritually, she is very much present to all who have recourse to her. Through many youth have found their marriage partner, many childless couples have received the gift of children. Many diseases are cured and numberless lives are saved. We personally experience her constant protection over us. During this Eucharist, we thank God for giving us such a wonderful patroness and ask her intercession that we too may take care of the sick with tenderness and compassion.

STAY AWAKE- 1 ST WEEK OF ADVENT

A man was being chased by a lion and began to run as fast as his legs would carry him, but he realized that the lion was gaining ground. He decided to change course and veered to the right, but as he turned, there was a tiger coming towards him. He was at his wits’ end and did know what to do and so in his desperation he turned left to escape the tiger and soon found himself nearing the edge of a precipice. He was now perspiring not only from the strain of his effort but also because of fear that had gripped him. Then he woke up. Are you awake or if you have been asleep have you woken up yet? “Stay awake!” is the rallying call of the Gospel Text of today and sets the theme for the whole season of Advent. To stay awake – what does it mean for us today? What does it mean to stay awake when churches and other places of worship are being burned to the ground? What does it mean to wake up when women are being raped and dehumanized? What does it mean to stay awake when human beings are being tortured and killed mercilessly? What does it mean when our words and motives are being misunderstood? It means very clearly that disciples of Jesus need not concern themselves with apocalyptic speculation or predictions of the future. They must remember that doing God’s will has no relationship to the timing of divine judgment. Neither should the disciples concern themselves with the fate of those who persecute them or who reject the message of unconditional love. The only question the master will ask is whether the servants have been faithful to their call as disciples, whether despite all odds they have been instruments of that love. Which he showed when he hung from the cross. Being a disciples of Jesus does not just happen suddenly. It is a commitment that must be made constantly and decision that must be renewed at every moment of everyday. The “watching” and “staying awake” that Jesus demands in this Advent is far deeper than watching staying awake like children who wait for their Christmas gifts or birthday gifts. The watching of Advent demands introspection as well as awareness of the surroundings. We look for the coming of the Lord within us as he calls us closer to Him. At the same time, we watch for the signs of his presence around us. We take a step of humility and recognize God’s presence working in those around us, particularly members of our family. It is easy to see the Lord’s presence in a stranger. It is the more difficult to see his presence in someone whose human limitations and whose idiosyncrasies are part of our daily lives. It is easy to see the Lord in the priest who speaks from the pulpit but may not be easy to see the Lord in Him when we meet him in the parish, it is harder to see the Lord in the person who finds fault with us, spreads false rumours about us and who hampers our growth. Husbands and wives, parents and children can make God’s presence real in their families. The other members of the family need to have humility to see God working through them. In this advent, we should consider the gifts of our lives and have a greater awareness of God’s hand in our own personal histories. Why did God lead us here? How did we get to this stage of our lives? Do we really have any regrets when we realize that God continues to write a straight line using the crooked paths of our lives? God is continually present in each of us, guiding us. We need to be aware of this presence. The staying awake that Advent demands is the readiness we must have to respond to God’s presence. The Symbolism of Advent is the symbolism of preparing ourselves for the imminent arrival of God: not only his entry into human history, commemorated at Christmas, but also the impact he would have on our lives now, if we made ready to welcome him or indeed, in the case of many of us, reawakened our desire for God which we have managed to bury under a pile of other preoccupations. As Jesus says in the Gospel when God comes, he must not find us asleep!

ADVENT WITH MOTHER CLARA

At times, there are hidden lives, which mark an epoch and leave a trail light behind them, of such intensity that it projects forever the luminosity of Goodness and beauty. They become a sure way for all those who discover the firmness of their steps in the footsteps of the Gospel. It is fitting to highlight here a name and a life: Sr. Maria Clara do Menino Jesus. To spread her extra – ordinary humanity, her unlimited love for the poor, the children and the abandoned, her heroic virtues, her humility, prayer, sacrifice… is to set up the light of this exceptional life on the candle stand of our time. Sr. Maria Clara, better known as Mother Clara, is one of these lights that cannot remain “under a bushel.” We intend to sketch the profile of this life, which becomes Hospitality in the service of the Gospel, opens paths of life in the fulfilment of God’s will. Her decisive steps on her journey to sanctity tell us that it is possible to make the Word alive; so that it does not remain a dead letter. Hope emerged from the soil Mother Maria Clara trod upon. She sowed it and made it bloom. She welcomed life, grace and the Gospel and made of the footsteps of Jesus, the firm ground for her steps. By denying herself the earthly splendour, she climbed the high mountain of the Beatitudes and followed the path that projects hope; she made is her onward journey. By choosing to live in poverty and hoping for everything from God, she points out to a future of imperishable riches. By crying over the ills, alleviating them, suppressing hunger and misery and by healing their wounds, she restores human dignity destined to an incorruptible heritage. By remaining silent over offences and calumnies, she becomes a luminous sign of the Goodness of God, who is always ready to forgive. This advent waiting for Jesus to be born in our lives , she revealed the hope of eternal peace… by suffering persecution that was inflicted on her, she lifts high the banner of fidelity. Hope dictated by faith, cemented the self – giving love;  The promise of a better world was present, in the formation of the Sisters for a mission;  There was hope for a more humane society, that is sympathetic and believes in eternal values, by assuming the care and education of the children and the formation of the youth;  She has the zeal to harmonise spirit and matter, in order to restore the redeeming meaning of suffering; by healing the wounds and alleviating pain.  She respected the dignity of the person, reserved for final resurrection; by sheltering the elderly.

WAY OF THE CROSS

Opening Prayer: O Sorrowful Mother, in these times wherein the immense majority of men flee from the sacrifice inherent to the perfect fulfillment of all the commandments and counsels of thy Divine Son, obtain for all those who meditate on this Way of the Cross the necessary strength for each to carry his cross to the heights of Calvary. ________________________________________ First Station Jesus is Condemned to Death V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee. R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world. The judge who committed the most monstrous professional crime in all history was not impelled to do so by the excitement of any burning passion. Nor was he blinded by ideological hatred, by craving for new riches or by the desire to please some great potentate. He was moved to condemn the Just One by fear—fear of losing his position for apparent lack of zeal for the prerogatives of Caesar; fear of causing himself political complications by having displeased the Jewish mob; and the instinctive fear of saying “no," of doing the opposite of what has been asked of one, of facing the crowd with attitudes and opinions different from those that prevail there. For a long time, O Lord, Thou didst fix him with that look which in one instant worked the salvation of Peter. It was a look through which one could see Thy supreme moral perfection, Thine infinite innocence. But he condemned Thee anyway. O Lord, how many times have I imitated Pilate! How many times, out of ambition for personal advancement, have I permitted orthodoxy to be persecuted in my presence without saying a word. How many times have I stood by with my arms crossed at the fight and martyrdom of those who defend the Church! I did not have the courage to give them even a word of support because of an abominable slothfulness to face those who surrounded me, to say “no" to those around me, for fear of being “different from the others." As if Thou hadst created me, Lord, not to imitate Thee, but to slavishly imitate my companions. In that painful moment of condemnation, Thou didst suffer for all cowards, for all weaklings, for all the lukewarm . . . for me, Lord. My Jesus, pardon and mercy. By the fortitude Thou didst show me in braving unpopularity and facing the sentence of the Roman magistrate, cure the weakness of my soul. Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be. V. Have mercy on us, Lord. R. Have mercy on us. V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. R. Amen. ________________________________________ Second Station Jesus Carries the Cross V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee. R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world. Thus began, my adorable Lord, Thy walk to the place of immolation. It was not the wish of the Heavenly Father that Thou shouldst die by one fulminating blow. In Thy Passion, Thou hadst to teach us not only to die, but to face death. Facing it with serenity, with neither hesitation nor weakness, walking toward it, even with the resolute pace of a warrior advancing to combat—behold the admirable lesson Thou givest me. In the face of pain, my God, how great is my cowardice. Sometimes I hesitate before taking up my cross; sometimes I shrink back, neglecting an obligation. Finally I accept it, but so irksomely, so halfheartedly, that I seem to hate the burden that Thy will hast placed on my shoulders. How often, on other occasions, do I close my eyes in order not to see the pain. I voluntarily blind myself with stupid optimism because I have not the courage to face the trial. And so I lie to myself: It is not true that the renunciation of a certain pleasure is an obligation for me in order not to fall into sin; it is not true that I must overcome a certain habit that favors my most deep-rooted passions; it is not true that I must abandon a certain group, a friendship that undermines and ruins my whole spiritual life. No, none of this is not true at all . . . I close my eyes, and I cast aside my cross. My Jesus, pardon me so much sloth. By the wound that the Cross opened in Thy shoulder, cure, O Father of Mercies, the horrible wound I have opened in my soul through entire years lived in interior dissipation and self-indulgence! Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be. V. Have mercy on us, Lord. R. Have mercy on us. V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. R. Amen. ________________________________________ Third Station Jesus Falls the First Time V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee. R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world. What then, Lord? Was it not justifiable for Thee to abandon Thy cross? By carrying it until all Thy strength was exhausted, until the insupportable weight of the wood hurled Thee to the ground, hadst Thou not clearly proved that it was impossible for Thee to continue? Thine obligation was fulfilled. Let the angels of heaven carry Thy cross for Thee now. Thou hast suffered in full measure all that was possible. What more wouldst Thou have to give? Nevertheless, by acting in another way, Thou didst give my cowardice a sublime lesson. With Thy strength exhausted, Thou didst not renounce the burden but askest for yet more strength to carry the Cross once again. And Thou didst obtain it. The life of a Christian is difficult today. To be obligated to struggle unremittingly against oneself in order to keep the Commandments seems to be an extravagant exception in a world that flaunts the joy of life in licentiousness and opulence. Heavy on our shoulders weighs the cross of fidelity to Thy Law, O Lord. At times, we seem to be out of breath. In these moments of trial, we rationalize. We have already done all that we can. After all, a man's strength is so limited! God will take this into account. Come, let us drop the cross here by the roadside and sink cozily into a life of pleasure. Ah, many are the crosses abandoned alongside our ways, perhaps along my tracks! Grant me, Jesus, the grace to continue to embrace my cross, even when I collapse under its weight. Grant me the grace to rise up again whenever I grow faint. Grant me, Lord, the supreme grace of never departing from the way by which I must reach the height of my own Calvary. Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be. V. Have mercy on us, Lord. R. Have mercy on us. V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. R. Amen. ________________________________________ Fourth Station Jesus Meets His Mother V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee. R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world. Who, my Lady, seeing thee shed such tears would dare to ask thee why thou weepest? Neither the Earth, nor the sea, nor all the heavens can serve as a term of comparison to thy sorrow. Grant me, my Mother, at least a little of that sorrow. Grant me the grace to weep for Jesus with tears of sincere and profound compunction. Thou didst suffer in union with Jesus. Grant me the grace to suffer as He and thou didst suffer. Thy greatest sorrow arose not from contemplating the inexpressible bodily sufferings of thy Divine Son. What are bodily evils in comparison with those of the spirit? If Jesus had suffered all of those torments while having at His side compassionate hearts! If His Sacred Heart had not been wounded enormously more by the most senseless, unjust, and blatant hatred than by the weight of the Cross and the brutalities that wounded His Body! Rather, He was assailed by the tumultuous manifestations of hatred and ingratitude of those whom He had loved: Two steps away was a leper whom He had healed; a little farther, a blind man whom He had restored sight; farther along, a tormented soul whom He had restored peace. All of them called for His death; all of them hated Him; all of them insulted Him. These caused Jesus immensely more suffering than did the inexpressible pains that weighed upon His Body. Yet, there was worse. There was the worst of evils. There was sin: avowed sin, obtrusive sin, atrocious sin. If all those acts of ingratitude had been committed against the best of men but by some absurdity had not offended God . . . but they were committed against the God made man, and thus they constituted a supreme sin against all three Persons of the Blessed Trinity. This was the greatest evil of the injustice and the ingratitude. This evil lies not so much in the offense against the rights of a benefactor but in the offense against God. Amidst so many and such great causes of sorrow, what caused Thee the most suffering, my Divine Redeemer, and thee, Blessed Mother, was certainly sin. And I? Am I mindful of my sins? Do I remember, for example, my first sin, or my most recent sin? What of the hour when I committed it, of the place, of the persons who surrounded me, the motives which led me to sin? If I had thought of the magnitude of the offense that a sin causes Thee, would I have dared to disobey Thee, my Lord? O my Mother, by the sorrow of that holy meeting, obtain for me the grace to have always before my eyes Jesus suffering and wounded, exactly as thou seest Him in this step of the Passion. Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be. V. Have mercy on us, Lord. R. Have mercy on us. V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. R. Amen. ________________________________________ Fifth Station Jesus is Helped by the Cyrenean to Carry the Cross V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee. R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world. Who was Simon? What is known of him, except that he was of Cyrene? And what do most men know of Cyrene other than it was the land of Simon? Both the city and the man emerged from obscurity and entered into glory, the most exalted glory, sacred glory, at a moment when the thoughts of the Cyrenean were far from all this. He was walking carelessly along the road. He was thinking only about those petty problems and petty interests that make up the trivial lives of the majority of men. But Thou, Lord, didst cross his path with Thy wounds, Thy Cross, Thy immense sorrow. Simon had to take a position in regard to Thee. The soldiers forced him to carry the Cross with Thee. He could carry it with bad humor, indifferent to Thee, trying to please the people by means of some new way of increasing the torments Thou didst suffer in soul and body; or he could carry it with love, with compassion, scorning the mob, trying to relieve Thy suffering, taking some of it on himself so that Thou wouldst suffer a little less. The Cyrenean preferred to suffer with Thee. For this reason his name has been repeated with love, with gratitude, with holy envy, for two thousand years, by all men of faith, all over the face of the earth, and so it will continue until the end of time. Thou hast passed also along my path, my Jesus. Thou didst pass when Thou called me out of the darkness of paganism and into the bosom of Thy Church through Holy Baptism, Thou didst pass also when my parents taught me to pray. Thou didst pass again when in the Catechism class I began to open my soul to the true doctrine, Catholic and orthodox. Thou didst pass in my first Confession, in my First Communion, in all of the moments when I vacillated and Thou didst help me, in all of the moments when I fell and Thou didst pick me up, in all the moments when I asked and Thou didst hear me. And I, Lord? Even now Thou passest by me in this exercise of the Way of the Cross. And what do I do when Thou passest by me? Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be. V. Have mercy on us, Lord. R. Have mercy on us. V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. R. Amen. ________________________________________ Sixth Station Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee. R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world. One would say at first glance that never was there a greater reward in all of history. Indeed, what king ever held in his hands a cloth more precious than that veil? What general, a more august banner? What gesture of courage and dedication was rewarded with a more extraordinary favor? But there is a grace that is more valuable than having the Holy Face of the Savior stamped on a veil. The representation of the Divine Face was made on the veil as in a painting. In the Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church, His Face is reflected as in a mirror. In her institutions, in her doctrine, in her laws, in her unity, in her universality, in her unsurpassable catholicity, the Church is a true mirror in which our Divine Savior is reflected. And we, all of us, have the grace of belonging to the Church, of being living stones of the Church! How we ought to give thanks for this favor! Let us not forget, however, that noblesse oblige. Belonging to the Church is a very great and very demanding thing. We must think as the Church thinks, have the mind of the Church, proceed as the Church wishes in all the circumstances of our lives. This supposes a real Catholic sense, an authentic and complete purity of customs, and a profound and sincere piety. In other words it supposes the sacrifice of an entire lifetime. And what is the reward? Christianus alter Christus. I will be in an eminent way a reproduction of Christ Himself. The likeness of Christ, vivid and sacred, will be imprinted on my own soul. Ah, Lord, if the grace granted to Veronica is great, how much greater is the favor that Thou dost promise me! I ask of Thee strength and resoluteness so that I may obtain this favor by being faithful in every trial. Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be. V. Have mercy on us, Lord. R. Have mercy on us. V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. R. Amen. ________________________________________ Seventh Station Jesus Falls the Second Time V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee. R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world. To fall, to be stretched out flat on the ground, to be at the feet of all in order to publicly manifest that now Thou hast no more strength; to these humiliations Thou didst choose to subject Thyself, Lord, as a lesson for me. No one felt sorrow for Thee. Rather, they redoubled their insults and abuses. All the while, Thy grace sought in vain in the interior of those hardened hearts for a movement of pity. Even at that moment, Thou didst desire to continue Thy Passion for the salvation of men. What men? All men, including those who were doing everything possible to increase Thy suffering. And so, Lord, I must continue my apostolate, even when all my works have tumbled to the ground, even when all have joined together to attack me, even when the ingratitude and perversity of those to whom I have wished to do good have turned against me. I will not be so weak as to change my path to please them. My ways can be only Thy ways, the ways of orthodoxy, of purity, of austerity. Following Thy ways I shall suffer for them. With my imperfect sorrows united to Thy perfect sorrow, Thine infinitely precious sorrow, I shall continue to do good for them so that they may save themselves, or so that the rejected graces may accumulate over them like burning coals clamoring for punishment. Thus Thou didst with the nation that committed the deicide and so also wilt Thou do with those who will reject Thee until the end of time. Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be. V. Have mercy on us, Lord. R. Have mercy on us. V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. R. Amen. ________________________________________ Eighth Station Jesus Consoles the Daughters of Jerusalem V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee. R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world. There were at that time good souls, who, realizing the enormity of the sin being committed, feared the divine justice. Am I not witness to a certain sin like that? Is it not true that today Our Lord Jesus Christ and His Holy Church are disobeyed, abandoned, betrayed? Is it not true that the laws, institutions, morals, and ways of the people are more and more hostile to Jesus Christ? Is it not true that Our Lady spoke at Fatima, pointing out all of these sins and asking for penance? But where is that penance? How many are there who really see these sins and who try to point them out, denounce them, fight them, dispute every inch of their progress, raise up against them a whole crusade of ideas, of acts, of force if it be necessary? And how many are capable of unfurling the standard of absolute and flawless orthodoxy in the very places where impiety or false piety struts? How many are they who live in union with the Church during this moment that is tragic as the Passion was tragic, this crucial moment of history when all mankind is choosing to be for Christ or against Christ? Oh, my God, how many myopic ones there are who prefer neither to see nor to foresee the reality that lies plainly before their eyes! How much false peacefulness, how much trifling well-being, how many petty routine pleasures! How many tasty dishes of pottage to be eaten! Grant us, Jesus, the grace not to be of that number. Grant us the grace to follow Thy counsel, that is, to weep for ourselves and for our own. Give us not just a few sterile tears, but grant us a flood of tears, which, poured out at Thy feet and made fertile by Thee, may become for us forgiveness, strength for the apostolate, for the fight and for acts of intrepidity. Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be. V. Have mercy on us, Lord. R. Have mercy on us. V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. R. Amen. ________________________________________ Ninth Station Jesus Falls the Third Time V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee. R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world. Thou art now, my Lord, more tired, more drained, more wounded, more bloodless than ever. What awaits Thee? Hast Thou reached the end? No. Precisely the worst is yet to come. The most atrocious crime is still to be perpetrated. The worst sorrows still must be suffered. Thou art on the ground a third time but, nonetheless, all that is behind Thee is no more than a preface. And, behold, Thou once again movest that Body that is but one wound. The seemingly impossible is being achieved, once more Thou slowly riseth to Thy feet, even though every movement increases Thy pain. There Thou art, Lord, standing once again . . . with Thy Cross. Thou didst know how to find new strength, new energy, and Thou didst continue. Three falls, three equal lessons in perseverance, each more poignant and more expressive than the last. Why so much insistence? Because our cowardice is insistent. We resolve to take up our crosses, but cowardice always comes charging back. So that cowardice might find no pretext in our weakness, Thou didst desire to repeat the lesson three times Thyself. Yes, it is true: our weakness cannot serve us as a pretext. Grace, which God never refuses, can do that which mere natural strength would never be able to do. God wishes to be served to the last breath, to the exhaustion of the last drop of strength, and He multiplies our capacities for suffering and doing so that our dedication may reach the extreme limit of the unforeseeable, the improbable, the miraculous. “The measure of the love of God is to love Him without measure," said Saint Francis de Sales. The measure of fighting for God consists in fighting without measure, it may be said. But, I, how quickly I tire! In my works of apostolate the least sacrifice holds me back, the least effort terrifies me, the slightest combat puts me to flight. I like the apostolate, it is true. The apostolate I like is one entirely in accordance with my likings and fancies, to which I give myself when I wish, as I wish, and because I wish. After that I consider I have done a great almsdeed for God. But God is not satisfied with this. For the Church He wants my whole life, He wants organization, He wants sagacity, He wants intrepidity, He wants the innocence of the dove and the cunning of the serpent, the sweetness of the sheep and the irresistible and overwhelming wrath of the lion. If it be necessary to sacrifice my career, friendship, family ties, petty vanities and inveterate habits, to serve Our Lord, I must do so. For this step of the Passion teaches me that we must give everything to God, absolutely everything, and after having given everything we ought to give our very lives as well. Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be. V. Have mercy on us, Lord. R. Have mercy on us. V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. R. Amen. ________________________________________ Tenth Station Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee. R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world. Everything, yes absolutely everything. We must suffer even shame for the love of God and for the Salvation of souls. The proof of this: He who is Purity par excellence was stripped, and the impure mocked Him in His purity. Our Lord endured these jests of impurity. Does it not appear insignificant for Him—having already endured so many torments—to endure these jests as well? But this lesson, like the others, was necessary for us. Because of the scorn of a maidservant, Saint Peter denied Our Lord. How many men have forsaken Our Lord for fear of ridicule! If men go to war and face gunfire and death to avoid being mocked as cowards, is it not perfectly true that certain men fear laughter more than anything? The Divine Master faced ridicule. He taught us that nothing is ridiculous when it is in the line of virtue and goodness. Teach me, Lord, to reflect in myself the majesty of Thy countenance and the strength of Thy perseverance when the wicked wish to use the arm of ridicule against me. Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be. V. Have mercy on us, Lord. R. Have mercy on us. V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. R. Amen. ________________________________________ Eleventh Station Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee. R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world. For Thee, my Lord, impiety chose the worst of final torments. The worst, yes, because it is that which causes one to die slowly, that which produces the greatest sufferings, and that which, being reserved for the most abject criminals, was the most infamous. Everything was prepared by hell to make Thee suffer in body and soul. Does this immense hatred not have some lesson for me? Woe betide me—who never will understand it sufficiently—if I do not become holy. Between Thee and the devil, between good and evil, between truth and error, there is a profound, irreconcilable, eternal hatred. Darkness hates the light, the children of darkness hate the children of light; the fight between the two sides will endure until the consummation of the ages, and there will never be peace between the race of the Woman and the race of the Serpent. In order to understand the immeasurable extension and immensity of this hatred, it is necessary to contemplate all that it dared to do. There is the Son of God, transformed, in the words of Scripture, into a leper in whom nothing is sound; a being who writhes like a worm under the effect of the pain; detested, abandoned, nailed to a cross between two common thieves. The Son of God: what grandeur—infinite, unimaginable, absolute—is contained in those words! Behold, in spite of all, what hatred has dared to do against the Son of God! The whole history of the world, the whole history of the Church is nothing but this inexorable struggle between those who are of God and those who are of the devil, between those who are of the Virgin and those who are of the Serpent. It is a struggle in which there are not merely mistakes of the intellect nor only weakness in the angelic and human hosts that follow Satan, but also malice—deliberate, culpable, sinful malice. Behold that which needs to be said, commented on, remembered, emphasized, proclaimed, and once more remembered at the foot of the Cross. For we are such, and liberalism has disfigured us to such a point that we are always inclined to forget this truth absolutely inseparable from the contemplation of the Passion. Well did the Virgin of Virgins, the Mother of Sorrows, know this, she who participated in the Passion along with her Son. Well did the Virgin Apostle know this, he who at the foot of the Cross received Mary as his Mother, thus receiving the greatest legacy ever given a man to receive because there are certain truths which God has reserved for the pure and which He denies to the impure. My Mother, in the moment in which even the good thief merited forgiveness, I ask that Jesus forgive me for all the blindness with which I have considered all the works of darkness being plotted around me. Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be. V. Have mercy on us, Lord. R. Have mercy on us. V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. R. Amen. ________________________________________ Twelfth Station Jesus Dies on the Cross V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee. R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world. Finally the apex of all pains is reached. It is a summit so high that it is lost in the clouds of mystery. The physical pains having reached their limits, the moral sufferings having attained their zenith, a mysterious torment must be the climax of such an inexpressible pain, “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?" In a certain mysterious way, the Word Incarnate Himself was afflicted by that spiritual torture of abandonment in which the soul receives no consolations from God. Such was this torment that He of Whom the Evangelists record not a single word of pain uttered that piercing cry, “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?" Yes, why? Why did this happen if He was Innocence itself? This terrible abandonment was followed by death and the perturbation of all of nature. The sun was darkened. The sky lost its splendor. The earth quaked. The veil of the temple was rent in two. Desolation covered the whole universe. Why? To redeem man. To destroy sin. To open the gates of heaven. The height of suffering was the height of victory. Death was put to death. The purified earth was like a great field that had been cleared so that the Church might be built on it. All of this, then, was to save, to save men, to save this man who I am. My salvation was purchased at such a price. I will spare myself no sacrifice to secure that precious salvation. By the Water and the Blood that came forth from Thy Divine Side, by the Wound of Thy Heart, by the sorrows of Mary Most Holy, grant me O Jesus, the strength to detach myself from the persons and things that can separate me from Thee. Today they die, nailed to the Cross, all the friendships, all the affections, all the ambitions, all the delights that have separated me from Thee. Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be. V. Have mercy on us, Lord. R. Have mercy on us. V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. R. Amen. ________________________________________ Thirteenth Station Jesus Is Taken Down from the Cross V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee. R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world. The repose of the sepulcher awaits Thee, Lord. In the shadows of death, Thou dost open heaven to the just in limbo, while on earth around Thy Mother, a few faithful ones gather to give Thee funeral honors. In the silence of those moments, there is the first glimmer of an aborning hope. Those first acts of homage being offered to Thee mark the inauguration of a series of acts of love by redeemed mankind that will continue until the end of time. It is a scene of sorrow and desolation, yet of great peace as well. It is a scene wherein something of the triumph is presaged in the ineffable cares with which Thy Divine Body is treated. Yes, those pious souls condole with one another, but there is something about them that makes one foresee in Thee the glorious Victor. May I also, Lord, in the great desolations of the Church, be always faithful; may I be present in the saddest hours, unshakably preserving the certainty that Thy Spouse will triumph by the fidelity of the good because Thy protection assists Her. Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be. V. Have mercy on us, Lord. R. Have mercy on us. V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. R. Amen. ________________________________________ Fourteenth Station Jesus Is Laid in the Sepulcher V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee. R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world. The stone is rolled into place. Everything seems to have ended. But, it is the moment when everything begins. It is the regrouping of the Apostles. It is the rebirth of dedication, of hope. Easter draws near. At the same time, the hatred of Thine enemies surrounds the sepulcher, Mary Most Holy and the Apostles. But they do not fear. In a little while the dawn of the Resurrection will break. Let me not fear either, Lord Jesus, not fear when everything seems irremediably lost, not fear when all the power on earth appears to be in the hands of Thine enemies. Let me not fear because I am at the feet of Our Lady where the true followers of Thy Church always regroup, for new victories. Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be. V. Have mercy on us, Lord. R. Have mercy on us. V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. R. Amen

My Daily way of the cross

1 PILATE CONDEMNS JESUS TO DIE MEDITATION: Jesus has been scourged and crowned with thorns. Now, Pilate unjustly condemns him to die upon a cross. 2 JESUS ACCEPTS HIS CROSS MEDITATION: Jesus is given a cross to carry on his bleeding and bruised shoulders. He takes this cross upon himself as he takes upon himself all of our sins. 3 JESUS FALLS THE FIRST TIME MEDITATION: Jesus, weakened by all His suffering stumbles and falls on the way to Calvary. He struggles and rises, despite his pain to go onwards towards His death. 4 JESUS MEETS HIS MOTHER MEDITATION: Jesus, on his way to Calvary, sees His Mother. Both are stricken with grief. Her love for Him is surpassed only by His love and concern for her. 5 SIMON HELPS CARRY THE CROSS MEDITATION: Jesus is growing weaker. Fearing that He may not be able to go on, His executioners force Simon of Cyrene to help Him carry His cross. 6 VERONICA WIPES THE FACE OF JESUS MEDITATION: Jesus face is bathed in sweat and blood. Veronica moved by pity, wipes His face with her veil and the image of His holy face is imprinted on the cloth. 7 JESUS FALLS THE SECOND TIME MEDITATION: Jesus falls again under the weight of the cross. His executioners drag Him to His feet and force Him to go onwards to Calvary. 8 JESUS SPEAKS TO THE WOMEN MEDITATION: Jesus is so bruised and bleeding that the women of Jerusalem weep when they see Him. He tells them, “weep not for me, but rather for your children” 9 JESUS FALLS THE THIRED TIME MEDITATION: Jesus, weak and exhausted, falls for the third time. Though He hardly has strength to move, they try to make Him walk faster. 10 JESUS IS STRIPED OF HIS GARMENTS MEDITATION: Jesus has reached the summit of Calvary the place of His execution. As they strip Him of His garments, they reopen His bleeding wounds. 11 JESUS IS NAILED TO THE CROSS MEDITATION: Jesus is now thrown down upon the cross. His executioners violently stretch His limbs and fasten them with crude nails to the wood. 12 JESUS DIES UPON CROSS MEDITATION: Jesus is crucified. After three hours of agony and pain. He comments His spirits to His to his Father, bows His head an dies. 13 JESUS IS TAKEN FROM THE CROSS MEDITATION: Jesus lifeless body is taken from the cross by his disciples Joseph and Nicodemus. Tenderly, they place Him in the arms of His sorrowing Mother. 14 JESUS IS LAID IN THE TOMB MEDITATION: Jesus body is wrapped in a shroud and placed in nearby sepulcher of a friend. Then a large stone is rolled against the entrance and they depart.

Begining the novena to Blessed Maria Clara

Today we have gathered here for a special purpose we are beginning the 9 days of Spiritual preparation to celebrate the feast of our foundress .Mother Clara on 1st of December.  You may wonder who this saintly person is? She is our foundress, who founded our congregation .In the year 1871, 3rd May in Lisbon Portugal. She is on the way to become saint. The Vatican church as declared her, venerable, which means human and spiritual values, which she practiced, are recognized by the church as holy and everyone can pray to her for favors and graces. Through her intercession, we obtain them.  Let us question our hearts and minds and the express to the Holy Presence of our triumphant God by singing the bajan. I request to each one of you to repeat the bajan. Bajan: Abba my Father, come and dwell in me. Silence ( 1 – 2 minutes) Let us now prayerfully follow her life on the screen.  Mother Clara was born in 1843. She was baptized as “Libania”  In 1846 she lost the tender love of her parents and become orphaned.  She was adapted by her Ant.Marquises of Valada, came to live in a palace. She had an independent spirit. She was accepted, admired, and loved. Very early, she understood the human sufferings and vein glory of material things. Being an independent person, it was a struggle to make the decision. She listens, interiorizes and prayers. Her doubts:- will she succeed than she realizes when the efforts is great and the grace of God acts dreams becomes life.  She led to conclude that is everything in the world is fragile, accidental, and illusory an energetic character of 26 years of age. She leaves all she possesses knowing that another mission awaits her and gives up all her luxurious dresses and takes up the religious Habits.  She changed her name to Maria Clara.  She was Spiritually profound and strong even as a young woman.  She was meek, understanding and tender every virtue was firmly penetrating her soul.  “She was a sister to the poor” o “Where there is good to be done do it” was her motto. o She attended the poor . o Took care of Children. o Looked after the orphaned. o Sheltered the aged. o Treated the sick. o With all compassion she sympathized with the weaknesses and misery of another in all charity to help.  One could say “her hearts was in touch with the heart of Christ” o She follows the gospel to serve the little one’s. o She satisfied the hunger of 10,000/- of poor people by giving soup daily. o She educated 100’s of children. o And looked after the elderly with love and compassion. o With out show, going almost unperceived she leaves the perfume of her good works. o To all she dedicates her time, care, good will and saving. o Extra – ordinary love for children. o She sees so many children orphaned in the street, but does not questioned the egoism, exploitation (or) over whelming injustice. She has but one objective.  To welcome  Teach  Direct  Give Bread  Love  Dignity  God was winning a place in her soul at every steps of her life. • She draw strength from God the Father, her Spouse, Jesus Christ and the Spirit.  As respond to God for our great Founders let us sing Hymn No.D:89 • Now we Pray the Novena with great devotion.

PRAYER ON WOMEN'S DAY AND FR BEIRAO'S DAY

Lord Jesus, as we offer to you, our dear founder Fr Raimundo Dos Anjos Beirão we give to you the roots of this tree you planted many years ago. This seed died to itself to become a stem in the under currents of the Holy Spirit to be the life giving sapling to the CONFHIC and to grow to do good where there is good to be done. His ardent, universal and supernatural charity motivated the sisters to go to the four continents of the world to give shelter to the rootless and roofless. in the mission of education, health, social work and pastoral care Fr Beirão has inspired us to be the beatitudes of life to show God’s mercy and compassion through our gestures and words. Today as we also celebrate women’s day, let us thank God for all the women in our life who have been like this plant giving us life and beauty to know that in growth there is change. We also offer the intention of all women we associate and relate with through this plant that is a symbol of a fertile life. As they move forward in this year may they live to fullest in the joy of belonging to you.