Immaculate Heart of Mary

O Mary, Virgin and most powerful Mother of Mercy, Queen of heaven and Refuge of sinners, we consecrate ouselves today to your Immaculate Heart. We consecrate to you our very being and our whole life, all that we have, all that we love, all that we are. To you we give our bodies, our hearts and souls, to you we give our homes, our families and our country.

Mindful of this consecration we now promise to imitate you by the practice of Christian virtues without regard for human respect. We resolve to receive Holy Communion on the first Saturday of every month when possible, and to offer daily five decades of the Rosary with all our sacrifices, in the spirit of penance and reparation. Amen.

Learn more about total consecration to Mary

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, ocds

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Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Lord Jesus Christ, I want to give myself to you completely. When I see your Sacred Heart, I reflect upon your love. You came from theFather taking a human body with a human heart. You taught us to love God with all our hearts. You suffered and died to save us from sin and death. As you hung on the cross, your Heart was pierced by a lance. Out of it poured blood and water to signify the birth of your Church.

You rose from the dead, Jesus, to live forever with your Father in Heaven. But your Heart is still full of love for us. You still feel pain when people reject or ignore your love. You want us all to live forever with God.

I now consecrate myself to your Sacred Heart, Jesus. You are the Son of God whom I love with all my heart. I offer you my body, my soul, my mind, and my heart. Receive me, make me holy, make my heart like your Heart, and guide me in the way of perfect love today and every day of my life. Amen.

The Sacre Cour in Paris (Basilica of the Sacred Heart)

Fr. Angelus Shaughnessy on the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie
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Tabernacle of the Week

St. Rita Parish

Solon, Ohio

Pastor: Rev. Richard Burchell

Parish Website

National Shrine to St. Rita in Philadelphia

PRAYER TO ST. RITA

St. Rita, come to my aid!

Faithful, loving wife and mother,

Humble, prayerful widow and nun,

Because of my need, answer my call.

St. Rita, come to my aid!

Beautiful rose born

from the Savior's thorns,

Lead me far from anger and hate;

Guide my heart on peaceful paths with charity to all.

St. Rita, come to my aid!

Helper, healer, holy friend

Hear my petition (make request).

To Christ take this prayer,

For He is my Lord, my God, my All,

My hope in despair,

My strength when afraid.

St. Rita, come to my aid!

St. Rita, answer my call. Amen.

Read more about St. Rita

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie
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Carmelite Saint of the Day

Blessed Anne of St. Bartholomew


From the Carmelite Proper:


Ana Garcia was born at Almendral, Castille, in 1549. In 1572 she made her profession as a Carmelite in the hands of St. Teresa, at St. Joseph's, Avila. The saint later chose her as her companion and nurse, and she subsequently brought the Teresian spirit to France and Belgium, where she proved herself, like Teresa, a daughter of the Church in her great zeal for the salvation of souls. She died at Antwerp in 1626.

Carmelite Proper for today's feast

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie
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Sunday in the Year for Priests

 As all the Cure's clients had become accustomed to the permanent miracle of his life, no one even dreamed that the end was approaching. But he had no illusions about it. There can be no doubt that he had presentiments of death. When he was given a beautiful ribbon to be used in the procession of Corpus Christi in 1858, he expressed his thanks and added: "I shall not use it twice." As it happened, in June 1859, he did not have the strength to carry the monstrance. And when he sent Catherine to the chateau of Cibeins to collect his small annuity, he said to her: "This will be the last time!"

On Friday, July 29, Father Vianney carried on his "ordinary" activities. He spent sixteen or seventeen hours in the confessional, taught his catechism class, said the evening prayers. When he returned to the rectory in a state of total exhaustion he collapsed on a chair saying: "I cannot go on any more!"


...at one o'clock the next morning when Father Vianney tried to get up to go to the church, he found he was unable to move...I think this is the end of my poor life, " he said in a whisper.
From The Remarkable Cure of Ars, by Michele de Saint Pierre

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie
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Spiritual Life Dictionary

 
Today's Term: Spiritual Gluttony

In one sentence, spiritual gluttony can be defined as an excessive craving for consolations.

From Fr. Tanquerey in his classic work,  The Spiritual Life:

a)One seeks them (consolations) even in the practice of austerities, in the discipline for instance, and one importunes one's director for permission to practice mortifications with the hope of thus obtaining consolations.

b)For the same reason, some persons make forced efforts during meditation or at the time of communion, in order to procure a feeling of devotion, or they wish to go frequently to confession with a view of finding some comfort in this exercise. Often these efforts and longing remain sterile, and then discouragement takes hold of these souls, who are more attached to consolations than to God Himself.
 (SL, #1265)

We can learn many things from Fr. Tanquerey who bases his writings on the teachings of St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Jesus.

Spiritual Gluttony is just one of the capital sins of the spiritual life.  I hope to cover the others in future posts.  This sin is very easy to succumb to because spiritual consolations can be so deeply enjoyable. However, we must strive to love God for himself and not the spiritual sweetness he sends. As we learn in the writings of our Carmelite doctors of the church, we must go beyond the consolations and embrace the cross, where there is no consolation, only the dying to self.

We can look to the saints, especially the Carmelite saints, who found a type of joy in suffering that is hard for us to understand. A type of joy given in the interior of the soul that helped them suffer with love for Christ.

We can ask ourselves, what is our response when God withdraws consolations? Do we become like spoiled little children who sulk and grow irritable? Do we think we deserve consolations?  Is there a certain pride or vanity attached to them-thinking that we have become holy and that is why we enjoy them?

God's mercy rescues us when he sends us the experience of the night of the senses, for this is when he begins his real work in us, by purifying us of attachments to sensible consolations. Do not lose heart, but be very grateful, for if the Lord is purifying us, it is because he desires a greater union with us. Purification leads to holiness!



Peace be with you!
Rosemarie
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Tabernacle of the Week

Holy Angels Church

Chagrin Falls, Ohio

Parish Website

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie

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