Thursday, July 31, 2008

St. Ignatius of Loyola..........July 31











Patron of Retreats
Founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits)

Prayer of St. Ignatius

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding and my entire will, all that I have and possess. Thou hast given all to me. To Thee, O Lord, I return it. All is Thine, dispose of it wholly according to Thy will. Give me Thy love and Thy grace, for this is sufficient for me.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Hummel, Angel..........July 30






"When tempted, invoke your angel.
He is more eager to help you
than you are to be helped!
Ignore the devil and do not be afraid of him:
He trembles and flees at the sight of your guardian angel."



St. John Bosco

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Three Persons-One God..........July 29









"Holy, holy holy!
Lord God almighty!
Early in the morning
Our song shall rise to Thee:
Holy, holy, holy!
Merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons,
Blessed Trinity!

Reginald Heber

Monday, July 28, 2008

Working With Mary..........July 28





Virgin Mother of God and mine,
Let me be completely thine,
Thine in joy, thine in grief,
Thine for time and eternity!



(words taken from another holy card)

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Breaking Bread..........July 27





"He was the Word that spoke it,
He took the bread and broke it,
And what the Word did make it,
I do believe and take it."


John Donne - "On the Sacrament"

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Holy Family..........July 26


"Father, help us to live
as the Holy Family,
united in respect and love.
Bring us to the joy and peace
of Your eternal home."


Rev. Walter Van de Putte, C.S.SP

Friday, July 25, 2008

Walk With God..........July 25


I'll walk with God from this day on.
His helping hand I'll lean upon.
This is my prayer, my humble plea,
May the Lord be ever with me.

There is no death, tho' eyes grow dim.
There is no fear when I'm near to Him.
I'll lean on Him forever
And He'll forsake me never.

He will not fail me
As long as my faith is strong,
Whatever road I may walk along.

Words by Paul Francis Webster

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Shipreck of Sin..........July 24


"Noah's ark was a type of Mary. As, by its means, human beings were preserved from the Flood, so are we all saved by Mary from the shipwreck of sin. There is this difference, however. In the ark few were saved, but through Mary the whole human race was rescued from death.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux


All for Mary, through Jesus, for world peace, Queen of Peace, pray for us.

Translation of the French words on the card:
At the top:"The Fruits of Devotion to Mary"
At the bottom:"Escape from the world. We will rest in solitude ... and I will cause you to enjoy a presently unknown peace."

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Hearts of Jesus and Mary..........July 23




"By blood I am Albanian.
My citizenship is Indian.
I am a Catholic nun.
As to my calling,
I belong to the world.
As to my heart,
I belong entirely to the heart of Jesus."

Mother Teresa of Calcutta


French translationn:
"Persecutions fortify our souls and merit us Heaven"
Thanks S.B.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Offer Yourself to God..........July 22


Cast me not off in my old age; as my strength fails, forsake me not.
Psalm 71-9


"Do not wait for old age to offer yourself to God.
Offer Him the flower of your youth,
which will be pleasing to Him
and which He will accept with the greatest of love."

St. Catherine of Siena

Monday, July 21, 2008

Ask for Graces..........July 21




"Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament
has His hands full of graces,
and He is ready to
bestow them on anyone
who ask for them."

St. Peter of Alcantara

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Hands and Heart..........July 20






"Show me your hands.
Do they have scars from giving?
Show me your feet.
Are they wounded in service?
Show me your heart.
Have you left a place for divine love?"


Fulton J. Sheen

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Our Example..........July 19




"Words call us but examples draw us."

Author Unknown



What an example we have in Jesus!



In Latin, at the top:"In the Cross, salvation"
In German, at the bottom:"My pain is ever before my face."

Friday, July 18, 2008

Madlener (artist) He Is..........July 18

He is Light,
Longevity,
and Lord.

He is Goodness,
Kindness,
Gentleness,
and God.

His is Holy,
Righteous,
Mighty,
Powerful,
and Pure.

Author Unknown

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Our Lady of Treille, France..........July 17



Our Lady of Treille, France
Patron of Lille, France

"Hold Him fast,
O sweet Lady::
hold Him Whom thou lovest,
............"
St. Aefred of Rievaulx




Let us always look for Jesus...
He will be in Mary's arms.


"Lille had been known for the miraculous statue of the Virgin protected by an iron trellis (hence the name 'Notre-Dame de la Treille' – Our Lady of the Trellis) since the Middle Ages."

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Our Lady of Mount Carmel..........July 16




O God,

the order of Carmel was singularly honored

when the title of the most blessed ever-virgin Mary, your mother, was given to it.

Grant that we who commemorate this solemn feast today may be shielded by her protection

and attain everlasting happiness; who lives and rules with God the Father.



To read more about Our Lady of Mount Carmel
click here.







Translation:
The Latin words on the card mean (literally),
"Queen, Ornament of Carmel."

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Prayer..........July 15








"When we pray,
the voice of the heart must be heard
more than the proceedings from the mouth."



St. Bonaventure



Translation:
"Jesus, Jesus, come to me. Oh, how I myself long for Thee!"

Monday, July 14, 2008

Feast of Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha..........July 14


From the Litany of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha



Kateri, lily of purity, pray for us.
Kateri, bright light for all Indians, pray for us.
Kateri, lover of the cross of Jesus, pray for us.
Kateri, leader of many Indians to the true faith through your love for Mary, pray for us.
Kateri, who loved Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, pray for us.
Kateri, who traveled many miles to learn the faith, pray for us.
Kateri, who loved to pray the rosary for all people, pray for us.
Kateri, humble servant to the sick, pray for us.
Kateri, whose scarred face in life became beautiful after death, pray for us.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Heart of a Mother..........July 13













"The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you always find forgiveness."





Honore De Balzac

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Looking Down to Heaven..........July 12





"Every mother, when she picks up the young life
that has been born to her, looks up to the heavens
to thank GOD for the gift which made the world young again.
But here was a Mother,
a Madonna,
who did not look up.
She looked down to Heaven
for this was Heaven in her arms.


Bishop Fulton J. Sheen

Friday, July 11, 2008

Disease..........July 11




"The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis,
but rather the feeling of being
unwanted, uncared for and deserted
by everybody."

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta




Painting by Edward Ostendorf

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Borrowed Time..........July 10





"When God gave you to me
He never said that you were mine,
that I could keep you always--only borrowed for a time. Now, He's called you home,
I'm sad and I shed tears.
Yet, I'm glad He loaned you to me and we had
these many years."



(words on the back of a memorial death card)

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Hands of a Priest..........July 9





Meditation of St. Francis of Assisi


Let everyone be struck with fear,
the whole world tremble,
and the heavens exult
when Christ, the Son of the living God,
is present on the altar in the hands of a priest!
O wonderful loftiness
and stupendous dignity!
O sublime humility

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

The Way To Go..........July 8






"If then,
you are looking for the way
by which you should go,
take Christ,
because He Himself
is the way."


St.Thomas Aquinas

Monday, July 7, 2008

Earthly Possessions..........July 7



"Live in the world as if only God and your soul were in it; then your heart will never be made captive by any earthly thing."

Saint John of the Cross



Translation:
At the top: "Dreams of Youth" In the beam of light:"
And then afterwards ..."At the bottom:
"O God, divert my heart from vanity!
... Show me your truth, that sun shining past everything which slips away."

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Feast of St. Maria Goretti..........July 6



St. Maria Goretti
Patroness of Youth

"...raised to sainthood by Pope Pius XII, with her mother, brothers, and sisters present, a unique event in the history of the Church. By that time her prayers for her murderer had long since been heard and answered. After eight years of unrepentant imprisonment, Alexander had a complete change of heart; released for good behavior after twenty-seven years, he hastened to beg forgiveness of the Saint's mother and then became a Capuchin laybrother, who gave evidence at the canonical inquiry about Blessed Maria and lived to see her canonized."

"Lives of the Saints for every day of the year"

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Angel..........July 5







"Make yourself familiar with the angels,
and behold them frequently in spirit,
for without being seen, they are present with you."

St. Francis De Sales

Friday, July 4, 2008

God Bless America.........July 4





"If My people, which are called by My name,
shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face,
and turn from their wicked ways;
then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin,
and will heal their land."




II CHRONICLES 7:14

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Feast of St. Thomas Apostle..........July 3



Unfortunately always thought of as "Doubting Thomas."
Yet because of that doubt he proclaimed words that
we use today to give our utmost praise to God.


"My Lord and My God"


Thank you St. Thomas for those words of love and praise.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Prayer..........July 2



"Do not turn to prayer hoping to enjoy spiritual delights;
rather come to prayer totally content to receive nothing
or to receive great blessings from God's hand,
whichever should be your heavenly Father's will
for you at that time."

Madame Jeanne Guyon




The German words at the bottom of the card are from
verse 10 of Psalm 143 (numbered 142 in older Catholic bibles).
They mean:"Teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God."

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Jesus Fishing..........July 1, 2008



Fisher of Men


"...............the call which Peter and his brother Andrew heard from Jesus continues to resound in the world: 'Put out into the deep and lower your nets for a catch.' And after the miracle of a huge catch of fish, the Lord revealed to Peter that he would become 'a fisher of men'
(Lk 5:4 and 10)."--- .....From "Doctrinal Note on Some Aspects of Evangelization" -- Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith -- December 3, 2007

Translation of
Latin at bottom of card
With a lifegiving sweetness,
You draw in those who are saved,
the innocent fish from the hostile waves of a wicked sea