Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

 

 

 

The Litany of the Sacred Heart

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven,
Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit,
Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God,
Have mercy on us.

Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Formed by the Holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin Mother,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Substantially united to the Word of God,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Of Infinite Majesty,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Holy Temple of God,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Tabernacle of the Most High,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, House of God and Gate of Heaven,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Burning Furnace of charity,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Vessel of Justice and love,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Full of goodness and love,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Abyss of all virtues,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Most worthy of all praises,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, King and center of all hearts,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, In Whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, In Whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Divinity,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, in Whom the Father is well pleased,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Of Whose fullness we have all received,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Desire of the everlasting hills,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Patient and abounding in mercy,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Rich unto all who call upon Thee,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Fountain of life and holiness,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Atonement for our sins,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Filled with reproaches,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Bruised for our offenses,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Made obedient unto death,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Pierced with a lance,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Source of all consolation,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Our Life and Resurrection,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Our Peace and Reconciliation,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Victim for our sins,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Salvation of those who hope in Thee,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Hope of those who die in Thee,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Delight of all the Saints,
Have mercy on us.

 Lamb of God Who takest away the sins of the world,
Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God Who takest away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God Who takest away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
Make our hearts like unto Thine.

Let us pray.

Almighty and eternal God, look upon the Heart of Thine most-beloved Son, and upon the praises and satisfaction He offers Thee in the name of sinners; and appeased by worthy homage, pardon those who implore Thy mercy, in Thy Great Goodness in the name of the same Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen.


Filed under: Catholic

Thunderstorm Season

Here in South Georgia, we have Thunderstorm Season. The time of the year when all of our outdoor activities are done in the morning, not only because it is cooler then, but also because storms tend to pop up in the afternoon.  Some days it will storm at Joshua’s office (1/2 hour away) and won’t even sprinkle here. Heck, sometimes it will rain in town but won’t do anything here. (We live five miles from town.)

Today, this is what the weather looks like down here, from the Weather Channel:

 

(click on it, it will be clearer)

See the red dot, that is where we go to Mass, see the mouse point, that is sorta where we live. We are going to Mass this evening, this should be fun. I do love thunderstorms. I love thunderstorms during Mass too.

Oh, yeah, these storms, they don’t move quickly. I’d say we will get about a half inch of rain tonight, if not more.

(Do you see all those tabs I have open? You do!? Those are tabs with information to help promote vocations to the priesthood and religious life. I help out with Joshua’s company a few hours a week and am very blessed to be able to help out!)

 

Filed under: Catholic, General Stuff

Godhead Here in Hiding

Godhead here in hiding, whom I do adore,
Masked by these bare shadows, shape and nothing more,
See, Lord, at thy service low lies here a heart
Lost, all lost in wonder at the God thou art.

Seeing, touching, tasting are in thee deceived:
How says trusty hearing? that shall be believed;
What God’s Son has told me, take for truth I do;
Truth himself speaks truly or there’s nothing true.

On the cross thy godhead made no sign to men,
Here thy very manhood steals from human ken:
Both are my confession, both are my belief,
And I pray the prayer of the dying thief.

I am not like Thomas, wounds I cannot see,
But can plainly call thee Lord and God as he;
Let me to a deeper faith daily nearer move,
Daily make me harder hope and dearer love.

O thou our reminder of Christ crucified,
Living Bread, the life of us for whom he died,
Lend this life to me then: feed and feast my mind,
There be thou the sweetness man was meant to find.

Bring the tender tale true of the Pelican;
Bathe me, Jesu Lord, in what thy bosom ran—
Blood whereof a single drop has power to win
All the world forgiveness of its world of sin.

Jesu, whom I look at shrouded here below,
I beseech thee send me what I thirst for so,
Some day to gaze on thee face to face in light
And be blest for ever with thy glory’s sight.

Filed under: Catholic

Corpus Christi

The Virgin with the Eucharist -1866 Ingres Jean Auguste Dominique
The Virgin with the Eucharist           Ingres Jean Auguste Dominique 1866

 

 

Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inebriate me
Water from Christ’ s side, wash me
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
O good Jesus, hear me
Within Thy wounds hide me
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee
From the malicious enemy defend me
In the hour of my death call me
And bid me come unto Thee
That I may praise Thee with Thy saints
and with Thy angels
Forever and ever. Amen.

Filed under: Catholic

The Necessity for Truth – A Guest Post

The Necessity for Truth 

Stephen Smith

Greek Philosopher, Aristotle states that we, as rational human beings, are oriented toward the truth. In our modern day and age, it can be difficult at times to discern what this truth is. Our senses are being pulled in various ways, causing us to second-guess what we already know, the truth.

I recall one particular time when I had the opportunity to visit New York City. I was baffled and amazed at the motion that never seemed to stop. In my three days there, I do not think there was a moment when I didn’t hear someone scream, talk loudly, hear the sound of sirens or car horns. Being from a small town, this was quite the noisy experience. I don’t think I slept at all. My distinct memory as we boarded the bus and drove out of this city was heavenly: silence. Not a word was spoken. The hum of the engine was soothing, and the snoring passengers played a melody. I sat there, eyes closed, and thought.

It is in these moments of silence God comes to us. Although God is with us at all times, it is difficult to hear his whisper over the sounds of society. This is not to mean that we must extract ourselves from society in order to hear God’s call, rather we must find a place within society that we can see and hear God. My place, at that time, was on that bus.

I remember sitting in quite prayer, spending time with Our Lord. As in nature, we grow in silence. The sound of the trees growing, or the flowers blooming is not heard. For it is in peaceful silence they grown into the fullness of life. So it is with us, in silence, we are able to connect with our Lord, hearing His voice. It is in this that we grow. As the philosopher Aristotle states, we are indeed oriented to the truth. It is in silence, our conversations with God, that we come to know this truth. For it is God who is Truth.

We as Catholics are called to grow in this Truth. How then do we do that? Saint Jerome gives us great advice when he says: “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” It is in our knowledge of God, given through the Church, that we come to know and love God. It is Holy Mother Church that brings us from the darkness into the Light of Christ. The truths the Church teaches, and has always taught are what gives us the ammo which we are called to use against the works of the devil. Knowledge of sin should make us desire to be sinless. Knowledge of faith should make us desire to be faithful. Knowledge of truth should make us desire the Truth. It is for this reason that we as Catholics cannot stand by and refuse to know. Ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance can, and will lead us to the fires of Hell. Ignorance of God draws us away from God. Knowledge brings happiness, ignorance brings hurt.

So what then shall we do? The simple answer is to strive to learn the truth. The best and surest way to attain this truth is through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Our relationship with God has its foundation in prayer. Why then would we avoid the greatest and surest prayer? The Mass is God’s sacrifice of Himself for us. It is He who has opened the gates of Heaven. It is He who teaches us the Truth.

God has ordained the Church to to be the gateway for truth. It is through the Church that we come to know God. It is through the Church that the perfect prayer is prayed. It is through the Church that we are given the truth, leading our souls to heaven. It is for this reason that we must adhere to the teachings of the Church, for it is through the Church, that we come to know the Truth. Overseen by the power of the Holy Spirit, founded by Christ himself, we on earth are given a great gift in the Church. We must take advantage of it! It is through our obedience to the Church that we are obedient to God. It is through our love of the Church, that we love God. It is through our defense of the Church, that we defend God. It is through our work in the Church, that we become soldiers for Christ. Such a wonderful gift!

It is easy to say this, but unfortunately, as we well know, it can be more difficult to live. As stated previously, our senses are pulled in every direction. Society tells us that our wills are what determine our happiness. Although we have the gift of freewill, it is a gift given, in order to chose the Truth. It is a freedom for Truth, not a freedom from Truth.

It is for this reason that the Church asks us to look into our conscience when we make decisions, or support those who make decisions for us. Supporting something or someone who is, or teaches something contrary to the truth, makes us just as culpable. When the Church asks us to look into our conscience, we are to look into our conscience, oriented toward the truth, our Catholic conscience, not the conscience we think we have, which is oriented by society.

We know that through the sins of Adam and Eve that we are a fallen society. We have created a chasm between God and ourselves. It was through our desire to be free from God, that this has been done. Christ builds the bridge over the chasm, allowing us to return to the Light of God, the Light of Truth. It is in this truth that we see clearly. False truth is what leads us away from God. As we walk across this bridge, we are held back by a rope, tied around our waist. The other end of this rope is being pulled by the Fires of Hell. It is our decision whether or not to use the scissors of truth to cut the rope, allowing us to fall into the arms of our loving Savior.

We are called to be soldiers of Christ, to fight for this truth. The mark we receive at our Confirmation gives us the graces, and the power of the Holy Spirit needed. Our decision, our love of the Truth, our obedience to God through the Church is what will determine the fate of our souls. We must, therefore, be diligent in our actions, be faithful in our thoughts, and be truthful in our works.

Filed under: Catholic, Guest

World Day of Prayer for Vocations

I hope that you all had a homily today about vocations to the priesthood and religious life. We also have a brand spanking new bulletin board in our parish vestibule with information about religious orders and the vocations poster for our diocese.

In his homily, Father mentioned the lack of support for those discerning a vocation to the priesthood or religious life. When we are told by a young man or woman that he or she are discerning a vocation, we need to offer our prayers and support. Entry to the seminary is not a life long commitment, it is a time of discernment, as is the entry to the convent. We mustn’t discourage those who are called to labor for the harvest.

Pray, pray with all your might for laborers!

“The discernment of a vocation is above all the fruit of an intimate dialogue between the Lord and his disciples. Young people, if they know how to pray, can be trusted to know what to do with God’s call.”

—Pope Benedict XVI, Response to questions by the bishops of the United States in Washington, D.C., April 16, 2008

Filed under: Catholic

Bread of Life

“I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
(John 6:35)

If you ask me why I am Catholic, I will tell you it is because of John Six. How could He mean anything other than what is written there?

Sweet Sacrament

Filed under: Catholic

Long Live the Pope!

Today, in honor of Pope Benedict’s 85th birthday, I am posting this song:

 

Long live the Pope!
His praises sound
Again and yet again:
His rule is over space and time:
His throne the heart of men:
All hail! The Shepherd Pope of Rome,
The theme of loving song:
Let all the earth his glory sing
And heav’n the strain prolong.

Then raise the chant,
With heart and voice,
In Church & school & home:
“Long live the Shepherd of the Flock!
Long live the Pope of Rome!”
Almighty Father bless his work,
Protect him in his ways,
Receive his prayer, fulfill his hopes,
And grant him length of days!


Filed under: Catholic

When Pro-Life just mean Anti-Abortion.

This showed up on my facebook feed this morning and I thought it was very relevant. Many of you still have primary elections coming up. Many of my friends have said they will vote for Romney now that Santorum is out of the race. To that I ask, what the heck is wrong with you? Just because a candidate says he is pro-life (usually meaning, at best, anti-abortion) doesn’t mean he really is.  

OPPOSITION TO ABORTION DOES NOT TAKE AWAY THE SINS OF

THE WORLD

Posted by  on Apr 13, 2012 in Featured, Justice, People | 0 comments

We welcome guest blogger Mark P. Shea, author of the new book The Work of Mercy: Being the Hands and Heart of Christ from Servant Books.

Let’s get something out of the way right off the bat. Abortion is the single most serious moral issue of our time. Nothing in our civilization equals the gravity of a society that can look straight at a newborn baby, made by God, helpless, innocent and beautiful—and stick a pair of scissors in her brain while declaring that a sacred right which must be guarded and extended to all the world, by imperial force if necessary. Such repellent worship of Moloch is biblical in its epic, almost theatrical, level of evil. It is a mark of how deeply corrupted our culture has become that so many people can not only fight to protect this evil as though it were a sacrament, but even joke about it and spit on those who seek to protect the unborn with utter contempt. No issue is of graver import.

That said, however, it is not the case that opposition to abortion exhausts the moral obligations of the Christian in the world and it is *emphatically* not the case that opposition to abortion takes away the sins of the world.

What do I mean? I mean that many serious, believing Christians have begun to embrace a false soteriology when it comes to abortion. What’s “soteriology”? It’s a three dollar word referring to that branch of salvation pertaining to salvation. We humans are always looking for someone or something to save us—besides Jesus. And there are lots of candidates out there. Some people look to correct liturgical practices to save them. The Pharisees thought that attention to religious niceties would do the trick. Lots of people look to money, sex, and/or power to do it. Others hope that the correct tribal affiliation in politics will do it. Still others have a lively faith that the correct views on, say, global warming, or recycling, or Obama, or Romney, or those damn libruls, or those Neanderthal conservatives are salvific. Conversely, a taste for Justin Bieber, Manga, disco, country music, disposable diapers, SUVs, or tobacco are thought by various tribal groupings to definitively consign people to the ranks of the damned—or whatever stands in for damnation among those who do not believe in heaven or hell.

Now, among conservative Christians (my own tribe) abortion has rightly been seen as the most appalling social evil of our time. But as the years have rolled on, many of my tribe have slowly evolved from treating it as the most important issue to treating as the only issue. And in doing so, many of us have concurrently moved to hitching our wagons to any politician who promises to “do something” about abortion—even when that same politician demands our vote so that we will support his plans to launch an unjust war, or torture people, or vote to force you to pay for contraceptives which are (irony of ironies) abortifacients. We buy into agendas which totally ignore or treat as completely disposable virtually the whole corpus of Catholic moral teaching—and then declare that it’s okay because Our Guy says something about being against abortion.

That’s a very dubious theory of salvation. Opposition to abortion is a *necessary* condition of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. But it is not a sufficient one. Opposition to abortion does not take away the sins of the world: Jesus does. And Jesus commands far more of us than mere opposition to abortion. How much more?

That is summarized in the Church’s teaching on the 14 corporal and spiritual works of mercy. These are:

Feed the Hungry

Give Drink to the Thirsty

Clothe the Naked

Harbor the Harborless

Visit the Sick

Ransom the Captive

Bury the Dead

Instruct the Ignorant

Counsel the Doubtful

Admonish Sinners

Bear Wrongs Patiently

Forgive Offenses Willingly

Comfort the Afflicted

Pray for the Living and the Dead

Any theory of salvation which imagines it is possible to ignore or minimize these is doomed. So it is vital that we return to the embrace of the Church’s *whole* teaching and not continue to allow it to be whittled down, even for the very good cause of saving the unborn. We must teach our political tribes that they are to be the servants of the least of these, whether they are babies *or* unwed mothers, poor children before they are born or after, babies born here or abroad in some country where we are planning our next adventure in nation building at gunpoint. And we must continue to care for those babies even when they become poor men and women, or deeply sinful, or hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, or in prison. The whole world, not just the unborn, is the least of these.

Filed under: American Liberties, Catholic