Day 8 – A Novena for the Annunciation – Mp3 audio and text podcast


Day 8: Mary, handmaid of the Lord

Then Mary said “I am the Handmaid of the Lord” (Luke I:38)

Let us pray:
 O God, our loving Father, You infused into our hearts the gifts of service, charity and vocation. We come to You in humility. Grant us the spirit of divine love so that that we may imitate the Blessed Virgin Mary. Teach us how to genuinely serve, unconditionally respond to, and lovingly care for our family and brethren. Help us to respond to Your call so that we may become worthy instruments of Your divine work. Father God, we know that even before we heed Your call, You have already planned all things for us. Help us to understand that You must be first in our lives, Give us a heart that always desires to love, care, and serve. All these we pray through the mighty name of Jesus Christ our Lord and through the intercession of Our lady of the Annunciation.

Jesus, for our salvation You willingly humbled Yourself, becoming Man in the womb of the Virgin Mother, grant me through the mystery of Your holy Incarnation the virtue of humility that I may ever please God as Your Mother did, by meekness and lowliness in this world, and be exalted by You in eternity.

Mary, dear Mother of my Savior, I greet you and I thank you for having received the message of the Archangel Gabriel: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee” (Luke I:28) and for having answered with your assent, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word.” (Luke 1:38) Intercede for me that God the Father, who accepted you as His Daughter and the Mother of His Son because of your humility at the Annunciation, may accept me as humble child. Amen

 

Chapter 33: The Sacrament of the Present Moment – How to Pray with David Torkington – Discerning Hearts Podcast


Episode 33 – The Sacrament of the Present Moment

The present moment is always full of infinite treasures. It contains far more than you have the capacity to hold.” Jean-Pierre De Caussade, SJ

God cannot be encountered in the past or in the future, but only in what de Caussade called the ‘sacrament of the present moment’. This is the only moment when time touches eternity and the human and the divine meet.


You can find the book here.

This little book How to Pray – A Practical Guide to the Spiritual life by David Torkington, was published by Our Sunday Visitor. It was written for those prepared to restructure their daily lives to make time for the prayer where they can be transformed by the love that only God can give.

In the foreword to this new book from OSV, “How to Pray: A Practical Guide to the Spiritual Life,” Sister Wendy Beckett wrote,

“There are no hideaways here, no excuses, but no alarming demands, either. Instead, Torkington seeks only to show us the truth, that truth that sets us free and convinces us that the yoke of Jesus is easy and his burden light. All we need is to understand and to choose. This book offers us the help we need to understand, and then the choice is ours.”⁠

This is not your standard “prayer book” – it is not a compilation of Catholic prayers for you to just read. Rather, this is a series of 40 reflections on prayer intended to open you up to the transformation that is possible through prayer, through the love that God can give us through prayer.⁠


Endorsement

“From here to eternity! For those drawn to contemplative prayer, David Torkington offers compelling clarity and common sense. Gentle kindness guides his practical counsel, and he is careful to help us see the solid principles in which he roots his insights. An authentic and reliable guard against counterfeits, his wisdom points to the heights and grounded-ness of the Catholic mystical tradition at a time when it is most needed.”

Dr. Anthony Lilles, STD: Associate Professor and Academic Dean of St John’s Seminary in Camarillo, as well as the academic advisor for Juan Diego House of Priestly Formation for the diocese of Los Angeles. For over twenty years, he served the Church in Northern Colorado, where he joined and eventually served as dean of the founding faculty of Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver.


Visit his website:  www.davidtorkington.com.

The author of the popular Peter Calvay series, his books include Wisdom from the Western Isles, Wisdom from Franciscan Italy, Wisdom from the Christian Mystics, Prayer Made Simple (CTS), and How to Pray by Our Sunday Visitor. His books have been translated into 13 different languages.

 

Day 7 – A Novena for the Annunciation – Mp3 audio and text podcast


Day 7: Mary, Help of Christians

Even your relative Elizabeth is expecting a son in her old age, although she was unable to have a child, and she is now in her sixth month. With God, nothing is impossible” (Luke I:36-37)

Let us pray: God, our Father, we come to You with confidence that You will enlighten us with Your grace and love. Today as we worry about the world’s miseries, where love is disappearing among families and neighbors, where we find disunity everywhere, where love and respect for Your Son Jesus Christ are no longer seen, we implore the intercession of our Blessed Mother so that we may find light and power in You. Loving God, we ask You to enlighten the abandoned, the handicapped, and those deprived of true love from a father and a mother. With Your mercy, may they find peace, hope, and unity. We ask You to help us to be like Mary who does not forget her children, always caring, helping and watching over us. We hope to be relieved from our burdens and sufferings. Please help us Your children to experience the love and unity You want in every home. May we also be a model of kindness by showing us the way to establish good relationship with our neighbor, which is an excellent way of promoting unity in oneness of heart. O Eternal Father, we praise and thank You for the graces You bestowed upon us, especially the Blessed Virgin Mother. Trusting in Your love and mercy, we hope to obtain the favor we earnestly ask through her, the grace to love and die in Your love.

Jesus, for our salvation You willingly humbled Yourself, becoming Man in the womb of the Virgin Mother, grant me through the mystery of Your holy Incarnation the virtue of humility that I may ever please God as Your Mother did, by meekness and lowliness in this world, and be exalted by You in eternity.

Mary, dear Mother of my Savior, I greet you and I thank you for having received the message of the Archangel Gabriel: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee” (Luke I:28) and for having answered with your assent, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word.” (Luke 1:38) Intercede for me that God the Father, who accepted you as His Daughter and the Mother of His Son because of your humility at the Annunciation, may accept me as humble child. Amen

 

WM26 – Vatican II – Gaudium et Spes part 3 – Why it Matters: An Exploration of Faith with Archbishop George Lucas Podcast

Catholic Spiritual Formation - Catholic Spiritual Direction 3

Episode 26  Vatican II – Gaudium et Spes pt. 3 – Why it Matters: An Exploration of Faith with Archbishop George Lucas

In this episode with Archbishop Lucas, we continue our conversation on the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World

Gaudium et spes (Ecclesiastical Latin[ˈɡau̯di.um et ˈspes], “Joy and Hope”), the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, is one of the four constitutions resulting from the Second Vatican Council in 1965. It was the last and longest published document from the council and is the first constitution published by an ecumenical council to address the entire world.

Approved by a vote of 2,307 to 75 of the bishops assembled at the council, it was promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 7 December 1965, the day the council ended.

An excerpt from Gaudium et Spes:

47. The well-being of the individual person and of human and Christian society is intimately linked with the healthy condition of that community produced by marriage and family. Hence Christians and all men who hold this community in high esteem sincerely rejoice in the various ways by which men today find help in fostering this community of love and perfecting its life, and by which parents are assisted in their lofty calling. Those who rejoice in such aids look for additional benefits from them and labor to bring them about.

Yet the excellence of this institution is not everywhere reflected with equal brilliance, since polygamy, the plague of divorce, so-called free love and other disfigurements have an obscuring effect. In addition, married love is too often profaned by excessive self-love, the worship of pleasure and illicit practices against human generation. Moreover, serious disturbances are caused in families by modern economic conditions, by influences at once social and psychological, and by the demands of civil society. Finally, in certain parts of the world problems resulting from population growth are generating concern.

All these situations have produced anxiety of consciences. Yet, the power and strength of the institution of marriage and family can also be seen in the fact that time and again, despite the difficulties produced, the profound changes in modern society reveal the true character of this institution in one way or another.

Therefore, by presenting certain key points of Church doctrine in a clearer light, this sacred synod wishes to offer guidance and support to those Christians and other men who are trying to preserve the holiness and to foster the natural dignity of the married state and its superlative value.

 

Vatican II at St. Peter’s in Rome

For the documents of Vatican II visit here

For more episodes in this series visit the

Why it Matters: An Exploration of Faith with Archbishop George Lucas Podcast page

For more teachings and information about Archbishop George J. Lucas of the Archdiocese of Omaha, visit:   archomaha.org

Day 6 – A Novena for the Annunciation – Mp3 audio and text podcast


Day 6: Mary, Mother of Light

The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. (Luke 1:35)

Let us pray:

Father, true to Your promise, You sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and to call us out of darkness into Your wonderful Light. Help us to remember this whenever we are beset with life’s perils and miseries. Fill us with hope and faith in Your providence. As we journey through life, give us the strength to courageously encounter suffering. Send us Your love and mercy when we are on the verge of quitting.  Help us to know that Your Kingdom will come and bring an end to our ills. Anoint us with Your Spirit so that we may become credible bearers of the Good News to our brothers and sisters who are lonely and brokenhearted. We ask this through Christ our Lord, and the intercession of Our Lady of the Annunciation, the Mother of Light.

Jesus, for our salvation You willingly humbled Yourself, becoming Man in the womb of the Virgin Mother, grant me through the mystery of Your holy Incarnation the virtue of humility that I may ever please God as Your Mother did, by meekness and lowliness in this world, and be exalted by You in eternity.

Mary, dear Mother of my Savior, I greet you and I thank you for having received the message of the Archangel Gabriel: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee” (Luke I:28) and for having answered with your assent, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word.” (Luke 1:38) Intercede for me that God the Father, who accepted you as His Daughter and the Mother of His Son because of your humility at the Annunciation, may accept me as humble child. Amen

 

Day 5 – A Novena for the Annunciation – Mp3 audio and text podcast

Day 5: Mary, Mother of Justice

You shall conceive and bear a son and you shall call him Jesus. He will be great and shall rightly be called Son of the Most High. (Luke I:31-32)

Let us pray:

Almighty Father You gave us Mary, the mother of our Savior to be our model. She inspires us to constantly reach out to one another. We are called to anticipate the needs of those around us, perceive the cry of their heart, share their fears and their brokenness and give hope to the hopeless and forsaken. Teach us Lord how, when and where we must reach out to those in want and in pain. May our hearts be filled with Your love, ever yearning to serve You through others – without counting the cost. This we ask in Jesus name through the intercession of the Our Lady of the Annunciation.

Jesus, for our salvation You willingly humbled Yourself, becoming Man in the womb of the Virgin Mother, grant me through the mystery of Your holy Incarnation the virtue of humility that I may ever please God as Your Mother did, by meekness and lowliness in this world, and be exalted by You in eternity.

Mary, dear Mother of my Savior, I greet you and I thank you for having received the message of the Archangel Gabriel: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee” (Luke I:28) and for having answered with your assent, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word.” (Luke 1:38) Intercede for me that God the Father, who accepted you as His Daughter and the Mother of His Son because of your humility at the Annunciation, may accept me as humble child. Amen

 

3rd Sunday of Lent – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast


3rd Sunday of Lent – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.  For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel of Luke 13:1-9

Some people arrived and told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with that of their sacrifices. At this he said to them, ‘Do you suppose these Galileans who suffered like that were greater sinners than any other Galileans? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen on whom the tower at Siloam fell and killed them? Do you suppose that they were more guilty than all the other people living in Jerusalem? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did.’

He told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it but found none. He said to the man who looked after the vineyard, “Look here, for three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it down: why should it be taking up the ground?” “Sir,” the man replied “leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down.”’

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

Some people arrived and told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with that of their sacrifices. At this he said to them, ‘Do you suppose these Galileans who suffered like that were greater sinners than any other Galileans? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen on whom the tower at Siloam fell and killed them? Do you suppose that they were more guilty than all the other people living in Jerusalem? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did.’

He told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it but found none. He said to the man who looked after the vineyard, “Look here, for three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it down: why should it be taking up the ground?” “Sir,” the man replied “leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down.”’

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

Some people arrived and told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with that of their sacrifices. At this he said to them, ‘Do you suppose these Galileans who suffered like that were greater sinners than any other Galileans? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen on whom the tower at Siloam fell and killed them? Do you suppose that they were more guilty than all the other people living in Jerusalem? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did.’

He told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it but found none. He said to the man who looked after the vineyard, “Look here, for three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it down: why should it be taking up the ground?” “Sir,” the man replied “leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down.”’

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?


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

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

Day 4 – A Novena for the Annunciation – Mp3 audio and text podcast

Day 4: Mary, Queen of Peace

But the Angel said, “Do not fear, Mary, for God has looked kindly on you (Luke I:30)

Let us pray:

Loving Father, through our Mother, the Lady of the Annunciation, teach us how to be calm and serene so as to feel Your presence here today as we pray for our needs and desires. Teach us how to ask for them. Almighty Father, through the intercession of Mary, the Queen of Peace, may You grant us the tranquility in our hearts You granted to her at the Annunciation. Father, may the Blessed Virgin assist us especially in this Novena so that we may pray with faith, and that, if it is Your will, we may obtain through her the favor that we desire.

Jesus, for our salvation You willingly humbled Yourself, becoming Man in the womb of the Virgin Mother, grant me through the mystery of Your holy Incarnation the virtue of humility that I may ever please God as Your Mother did, by meekness and lowliness in this world, and be exalted by You in eternity.

Mary, dear Mother of my Savior, I greet you and I thank you for having received the message of the Archangel Gabriel: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee” (Luke I:28) and for having answered with your assent, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word.” (Luke 1:38) Intercede for me that God the Father, who accepted you as His Daughter and the Mother of His Son because of your humility at the Annunciation, may accept me as His humble child. Amen

 

BWPM 9 – Jesus’ Heart – A Biblical Way of Praying the Mass w/ Fr. Timothy Gallagher, O.M.V. Podcast

Episode 9 – Jesus’ Heart – A Biblical Way of Praying the Mass with Fr. Timothy Gallagher O.M.V.

BA6 - "Refuse to Accept Discouragement" - Begin Again: The Spiritual Legacy of Ven. Bruno Lanteri with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

We continue our conversation with Fr. Gallagher discussing the encouragements given by Venerable Bruno Lanteri in regards to a biblical way of praying the Mass.  In this episode, Fr. Gallagher reflects on the Consecration.

Take a moment and pray:

“This is my body. . . . This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt. 26:26–28): a Heart that offers everything, even his Body, even his Blood — all that he is — that our sins may be forgiven and the door to eternal life opened.

“I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11): again, a Heart that offers itself without limit, laying down his life for his sheep — for us.

“He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end” (John 13:1): a Heart that loves without measure, to the end — that is, to the last moment of his life and to the utmost bounds of love.

“He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave” (Phil. 2:7): a Heart that gives its whole being, totally available to the Father in our service and for our liberation.

“Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will” (Matt. 26:39): a Heart in agony, a human Heart that struggles to say yes to the Father and that offers itself without reserve.

Gallagher, Timothy M.. A Biblical Way of Praying the Mass: The Eucharistic Wisdom of Venerable Bruno Lanteri (p. 63). EWTN Publishing Inc.. Kindle Edition.

On the day before he was to suffer (Holy Thursday evening, in the upper room),

he took bread in his holy and venerable hands (in your mind’s eye, contemplate Jesus as he does this and the following actions),

and with eyes raised to heaven, to you, O God, his almighty Father, giving you thanks, he said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to his disciples, saying:

Take this, all of you, and eat of it (“take,” “eat”: the Law of the Gift),

for this is my Body, which will be given up for you (“my Body,” “given up for you”).

In a similar way, when supper was ended, he took this precious chalice in his holy and venerable hands (again, contemplate Jesus as he does this and the following actions),

and once more giving you thanks, he said the blessing and gave the chalice to his disciples, saying: Take this, all of you, and drink from it,

for this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many (“my Blood,” “poured out for you”: the Law of the Gift)

for the forgiveness of sins.

Do this in memory of me (in the Consecration of the Mass, the Church fulfills this blessed command; in it we find the model and the grace to live by it).

Gallagher, Timothy M.. A Biblical Way of Praying the Mass: The Eucharistic Wisdom of Venerable Bruno Lanteri (pp. 67-68). EWTN Publishing Inc.. Kindle Edition.

 


 

For more episodes in the A Biblical Way of Praying the Mass with Fr. Timothy Gallagher podcast series, visit here

 



You can find A Biblical Way of Praying the Mass here

Father Timothy M. Gallagher, O.M.V., was ordained in 1979 as a member of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, a religious community dedicated to retreats and spiritual formation according to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.  Fr. Gallagher is featured on the EWTN series “Living the Discerning Life:  The Spiritual Teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola.” For more information on how to obtain copies of Fr. Gallaghers’s various books and audio, which are available for purchase, please visit  his  website:   frtimothygallagher.org

For other Discerning Hearts Fr. Timothy Gallagher Podcasts visit here

SC-3 – The 6th, 7th, and 8th Stations – Stations of the Cross with Deacon James Keating

Episode 3 -Stations of the Cross: Reflections with Deacon James Keating – The Stations of the Cross – one of the most powerful devotionals alive in the heart of the Church. Reflecting and deeply meditating on the Passion of the Christ, Deacon Keating guides us through the 6th station (Veronica wipes the face of Jesus), the 7th station (Jesus falls a 2nd time), and the 8th station (Jesus encounters the women of Jerusalem) along the Way of the Cross.

Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., is a professor of Spiritual Theology and serves as a spiritual director at Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, MO. 

More episodes of Stations of the Cross with Deacon James Keating Ph.D.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

Deacon Keating is also the author of:


You can find the book here.

From the book description:

Deacon James Keating’s book Abiding in Christ: Staying with God in a Busy World is a how-to-pray resource. This book helps readers to find a quiet space wherein they can be present to God and offers suggestions of how they can be more open to God s movement within them.