Mary

AngelusFrom A Catholic Prayer Book

V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R. Be it done unto me according to thy word.

Hail Mary.

V. And the Word was made flesh.
R. And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary.

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray. Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His resurrection. Through the same Christ, our Lord. Amen.

"Late have I loved you, O beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I love you!  You were within me, but I was outside, and It was there that I searched for you.  In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things you created.  You were with me, but I was not with you.  Created thinks kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would have not been at all.  You called, you shouted, you broke through my defenses.  You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness.  You breathed your fragrance on me;  I drew in breath and now I pant for you.  I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more.  You touched me, and I burned for your peace."

~from The Confessions of Saint Augustine

Gospel JOHN 20:19-31

Divine Mercy

My Lord,
I have nothing to do in this world,
but to seek and serve you.
I have nothing to do
with a heart and its affections,
but to breathe after you.
I have nothing to do
with my tongue and my pen,
but to speak to you,
and for you,
and to publish your glory and your will.

- Richard Baxter
 www.livingwithchrist.us

EWTN Devotionals

O Sons and Daughters

We thank you, Lord Jesus,
because the Gospel of the Father's love,
with which you came to save the world,
has been proclaimed far and wide in America
as a gift of the Holy Spirit
that fills us with gladness.

We thank you for the gift of your Life,
which you have given us by loving us to the end:
your Life makes us children of God,
brothers and sisters to each other.
Increase, O Lord, our faith and our love for you,
present in all the tabernacles of the continent.

Grant us to be faithful witnesses
to your Resurrection
for the younger generation of Americans,
so that, in knowing you, they may follow you
and find in you their peace and joy.
Only then will they know that they
are brothers and sisters
of all God's children scattered
ùthroughout the world.

You who, in becoming man,
chose to belong to a human family,
teach families the virtues which filled with light
the family home of Nazareth.

May families always be united,
as you and the Father are one,
and may they be living witnesses
to love, justice and solidarity;
make them schools of respect,
forgiveness and mutual help,
so that the world may believe;
help them to be the source of vocations
to the priesthood and the consecrated life,
and all the other forms
of firm Christian commitment.

Protect your Church and the Successor of Peter,
to whom you, Good Shepherd, have entrusted
the task of feeding your flock.
Grant that the Church in America may flourish
and grow richer in the fruits of holiness.
Teach us to love your Mother, Mary,
as you loved her.

Give us strength to proclaim
your word with courage
in the work of the new evangelization,
so that the world may know new hope.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of America,
pray for us!

Pope John Paul II

ECCLESIA IN AMERICA

Given at Mexico City, January 22, in the year 1999, the twenty-first of my Pontificate.

What Are We Looking For?

"Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?”
(John 20:15)