What You Need to Know About Contemplative Prayer

There is vocal prayer and meditation, but what exactly is contemplative prayer? Ask a Carmelite Sister.…here. Sr. Laus Gloriae, O.C. D.  explains what contemplation is and even gives the three signs of transition into contemplative prayer that St. John of Cross writes about in his work The Dark Night.

To read more…click here.

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

O Lord Jesus Christ Who,

Before ascending into heaven

Promised to send the Holy Spirit

To finish Your work

In the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples.

Grant that same Holy Spirit to me,

That He may perfect in my soul

The work of Your grace and Your love

Grant me:

The Spirit of Wisdom

That I may despise

The perishable things of this world

And aspire only after

The things that are eternal.

The Spirit of Understanding

To enlighten my mind

With the light of Your divine truth,

The Spirit of Counsel

That I may ever choose

The surest way of pleasing God

And gaining heaven,

The Spirit of Fortitude

That I may bear my cross with You

And that I may overcome with courage

All the obstacles

That oppose my salvation,

The Spirit of Knowledge

That I may know God

And know myself and

Grow perfect in the science of the Saints,

The Spirit of Piety

That I may find

The service of God sweet and amiable,

The Spirit of Fear

That I may be filled

With a loving reverence towards God

And may dread in any way to displease Him.

Mark me, dear Lord,

With the sign of Your true disciples and

Animate me in all things with Your Spirit.

Amen.

How to Pray the Rosary

Praying the rosary can be considered a daily “pause for prayer”. Yet, praying it is not always easy, and our praying the rosary is in constant need of renewal in order to keep it from becoming dry and performed out of routine and losing its spiritual fruitfulness.

Perhaps a look at Pope John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter on the Rosary can help us to renew our efforts to pray this beautiful prayer better. Rosarium Virginis Marie was written in October 2002. In it the Holy Father added the new Luminous Mysteries to the rosary and presented a catechesis on this devotion.

Read more here at Suscipio.

Our Lady’s Month

The month of May is dedicated to Mary. Our devotion to her should consist in imitation of her life and virtues. For Carmelites, she is our teacher and model of the interior life, which is our apostolate. Not to discount or underestimate the exterior apostolate, the interior apostolate consists of prayer, love and sacrifice. The fruitfulness of all exterior activity rests on this interior apostolate.

According to Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D, Mary’s apostolate “was a quiet one, free from ostentation; it was accomplished in the most humble, hidden and silent way.” (Divine Intimacy #184)

Mary shared in the whole life of Jesus, her Son: the daily life of a family, performing household duties, living with difficulties, making sacrifices, enduring trying situations, even sharing in His Passion. In all these ways she shared in the redemptive work of Jesus. His work of redemption still continues, and, like Mary, we can share in that work.

During those times when we feel the pressure of the urgency of our works and become tempted to make these exterior activities the net worth of our apostolate, let’s turn to Mary who shows us how to love, pray and make hidden sacrifices – known only to God and are of infinite value – redemptive value.

Praying with Scripture…more on lectio divina

I have been using the Gospel readings for the day for my lectio divina. The readings of late have been from the Gospel of John chapter 6. The Bread of Life discourse has been a beautiful time of prayer for me.

I also came across a nice little book that I though I would share. It is called WRAP Yourself in Scripture. This little book, by Karen and Lawrence Dwyer,  is a guide for reading, praying and reflecting on Scripture with journaling. I do find that I like to write things down, so the journaling aspect was attractive for me.

The book follows the traditional steps of lectio divina with the added twist of journaling. The advantage to journaling is that you can go back and review what God had inspired and admire what He is doing in your life. The review also helps to impress His inspiration on your soul. I also have found that journaling can help keep me focused. Besides, I seem to need to have something to do with my hands.

The title “WRAP” is an acronym for ‘write’, ‘reflect’, ‘apply’, and ‘pray’. Easy to remember! The book can be found here or here and is reasonably priced.

Fourteen Days of Prayer

Fourteen days – two weeks and we know who is KING!

The following is taken from the United States Bishops website:

“We suggest that the fourteen days from June 21—the vigil of the Feasts of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More—to July 4, Independence Day, be dedicated to this “fortnight for freedom”—a great hymn of prayer for our country. Our liturgical calendar celebrates a series of great martyrs who remained faithful in the face of persecution by political power—St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More, St. John the Baptist, SS. Peter and Paul, and the First Martyrs of the Church of Rome. Culminating on Independence Day, this special period of prayer, study, catechesis, and public action would emphasize both our Christian and American heritage of liberty. Dioceses and parishes around the country could choose a date in that period for special events that would constitute a great national campaign of teaching and witness for religious liberty.

In addition to this summer’s observance, we also urge that the Solemnity of Christ the King—a feast born out of resistance to totalitarian incursions against religious liberty—be a day specifically employed by bishops and priests to preach about religious liberty, both here and abroad.

To all our fellow Catholics, we urge an intensification of your prayers and fasting for a new birth of freedom in our beloved country. We invite you to join us in an urgent prayer for religious liberty.”

Almighty God, Father of all nations,
For freedom you have set us free in Christ Jesus (Gal 5:1).
We praise and bless you for the gift of religious liberty,
the foundation of human rights, justice, and the common good.
Grant to our leaders the wisdom to protect and promote our liberties;
By your grace may we have the courage to defend them, for ourselves and for all those who live in this blessed land.
We ask this through the intercession of Mary Immaculate, our patroness,
and in the name of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
with whom you live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Read more from the US Bishops website here.

Moments of Grace

~the toothless grin of a blonde-haired seven year old who loves his grandma

~the cat tickling my face with her whiskers in the middle of the night

~seeds sprouting

~listening to someone emotionally under duress

~the clear view of a half moon in the early morning sky

~green grass

~the virtue of hope as I cast my nets on the other side