The Morning Offering – Mp3 audio download and text

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The Morning Offering

O Jesus,
through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I offer You my prayers, works,
joys and sufferings
of this day for all the intentions
of Your Sacred Heart,
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
throughout the world,
in reparation for my sins,
for the intentions of all my relatives and friends,
and in particular
for the intentions of the Holy Father.

Amen.

The “Benedictus” – Luke 1:68-79 – Audio Mp3 prayer and text

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The Song of Zechariah

Benedictus – Luke 1: 68-79

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; *
he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *
born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
that he would save us from our enemies, *
from the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers *
and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, *
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

Free to worship him without fear, *
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, *
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

To give his people knowledge of salvation *
by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God *
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, *
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The “Magnificat” – Luke 1:46-55 – Audio Mp3 prayer and text

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The Song of Mary

The “Magnificat” – Luke 1:46-55
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
Amen.

SH-V1 – “Introduction to the Enthronement” – with Msgr. John Esseff – Video Podcast

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Be sure to visit Msgr. Esseff’s website “Building a Kingdom of Love” for Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus materials

Msgr. John A. Esseff is a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Scranton. He was ordained on May 30th 1953, by the late Bishop William J. Hafey, D.D. at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Scranton, PA. Msgr. Esseff served a retreat director and confessor to Blessed Mother Teresa. He continues to offer direction and retreats for the sisters of the missionaries of charity around the world. Msgr. Esseff encountered St. Padre Pio, who would become a spiritual father to him. He has lived in areas around the world, serving in the Pontifical missions, a Catholic organization established by St.. Pope John Paul II to bring the Good News to the world especially to the poor. Msgr. Esseff assisted the founders of the Institute for Priestly Formation and continues to serve as a spiritual director for the Institute. He continues to serve as a retreat leader and director to bishops, priests and sisters and seminarians and other religious leaders around the world.

To obtain a copy of Msgr. Esseff’s book by visiting here

ST-V2 – “Overview Of Acts And Letters” – Seeking Truth with Sharon Doran – Video Podcast

“Overview of Acts and Letters” – Seeking Truth Catholic Bible Study from Discerning Hearts on Vimeo.

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Sharon Doran serves as the teaching director of “Seeking Truth.” An experienced Bible Study teacher, Sharon has a passion for scripture that will motivate and challenge you to immerse yourself in God’s Word and apply His message to your every day life.

“Seeking Truth” is an in depth Catholic Bible Study, commissioned by the Archdiocese of Omaha in response to John Paul II’s call to the New Evangelization as well as Pope Benedict XVI’s exhortation for all Catholics to study scripture. To learn more go to:www.seekingtruth.net

Chap 7 – The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus – Mp3 audio

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The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus,
of the Order of Our Lady of Carmel

For the pdf containing the complete text and footnotes click here

Chapter 7

Lukewarmness—The Loss of Grace—Inconvenience of Laxity in Religious Houses.

For other chapters of the audio book visit: The Life of Teresa of Avila (autobiography) audio page

The Life
St. Teresa of Jesus,
of the Order of Our Lady of Carmel.
Written by Herself.
Translated from the Spanish by
David Lewis.
Third Edition Enlarged

IP#229 Dr. Mitchell A. Kalpakgian – The Virtues We Need Again on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

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“The Virtues We Need Again: 21 Life Lessons from the Great Books of the West” is a gem! I love a good book on the virtues. I love a good book on great books. And when a work comes along which contains both elements and is written with joy and enthusiasm for the subject…well, I can’t help but find myself in a reader’s paradise. What a delight to talk with Dr. Kalpakgian about some of the topics found in this work. Engaging the heart and the mind, this is a must have book for the discerning reader.

You can find the book here

“[Mitchell Kalpakgian] always delights the reader with a luminous wisdom and a literary flourish that enlightens even as it entertains.” —Joseph Pearce, author, Tolkien: Man, Myth and Literary Life
“Reading Dr. Kalpakgian is like being served an exquisite new wine made from grapes in your own backyard or uncovering an ancient and mysterious map that happens to be of your own country. It is a discovery, a delight, and an adventure among things that are right in front of you. It is the excitement of tradition, the love of family, the joy of literature, and the realization that this vale of tears has been touched by a good and beautiful God who loves us.” —John M. DeJak, Dean and Latin Teacher, Saint Agnes School, St. Paul MN & Director, The Wanderer Forum Foundation

ST-V1 – “Why Study the Bible” – Seeking Truth with Sharon Doran – Video Podcast

Chap 6 – The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus – Mp3 audio

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The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus,
of the Order of Our Lady of Carmel

Chapter 6

Of the great debt she owes God for giving her conformity of her will (with His) in her trials, and how she turned towards the glorious St. Joseph as her helper and advocate, and how much she profited thereby.

For the pdf containing the complete text and footnotes click here

For other chapters of the audio book visit: The Life of Teresa of Avila (autobiography) audio page

The Life
St. Teresa of Jesus,
of the Order of Our Lady of Carmel.
Written by Herself.
Translated from the Spanish by
David Lewis.
Third Edition Enlarged

St. Bridget of Sweden with Teresa Monaghen

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Once again, Teresa Monaghen brings a saint, who lived over 600 years ago, to vivid life and connects them into our modern day circumstances. St. Bridget of Sweden was an ordinary woman who was open to receiving extraordinary grace because of her great love for Christ. Teresa tells the remarkable story with joy and enthusiasm.

For the 15 prayers of St. Bridget click here

For more on her life and teachings, check out this teaching from Pope Benedict XVI

From the teachings of Blessed Pope John Paul II:

4. The first of these three great figures, Bridget, was born of an aristocratic family in 1303 at Finsta, in the Swedish region of Uppland. She is known above all as a mystic and the foundress of the Order of the Most Holy Saviour. Yet it must not be forgotten that the first part of her life was that of a lay woman happily married to a devout Christian man to whom she bore eight children. In naming her a Co-Patroness of Europe, I would hope that not only those who have received a vocation to the consecrated life but also those called to the ordinary occupations of the life of the laity in the world, and especially to the high and demanding vocation of forming a Christian family, will feel that she is close to them. Without abandoning the comfortable condition of her social status, she and her husband Ulf enjoyed a married life in which conjugal love was joined to intense prayer, the study of Sacred Scripture, mortification and charitable works. Together they founded a small hospital, where they often attended the sick. Bridget was in the habit of serving the poor personally. At the same time, she was appreciated for her gifts as a teacher, which she was able to use when she was required to serve at Court in Stockholm. This experience was the basis of the counsel which she would later give from time to time to princes and rulers concerning the proper fulfilment of their duties. But obviously the first to benefit from these counsels were her children, and it is not by chance that one of her daughters, Catherine, is venerated as a Saint.

But this period of family life was only a first step. The pilgrimage which she made with her husband Ulf to Santiago de Compostela in 1341 symbolically brought this time to a close and prepared her for the new life which began a few years later at the death of her husband. It was then that Bridget recognized the voice of Christ entrusting her with a new mission and guiding her step by step by a series of extraordinary mystical graces.

Read more