First Monday of Advent......November 30

The candle represents Christ

who came to scatter the darkness of evil

and show us the way of righteousness.

"Be as blind as possible

to the faults of your neighbors,

trying at least

to attribute a good intention to their actions."

Venerable Father Solanus Casey

First Sunday of Advent..........November 29

Advent comes from the Latin adventus,
meaning "coming."

A season for prayer and reformation of our hearts.

A time to examine ourselves for sins. Then reconciliation and

a joyful anticipation of the Bethlehem event.

A second and final coming of the Lord is

also on our minds.

Mother's Blessing.....November 28

Of all the rights of women,

the greatest is to be a mother.

Author Unknown

The loveliest masterpiece of the heart of God is the heart of a mother.

—Therese of Lisieux

Icon Mary................November 27

"Mother dear,

lend me your heart,

I look for it every day

to pour my troubles into.

St. Gemma Galgani

Thanksgiving Day 2009..........November 26

"The greater the gifts, the greater our debt, and the more we need to have a carefully tallied receipt."

St. Gregory

"Let us be thankful for the very fact that we are chosen: chosen to exist, chosen to be baptized, chosen to know Christ in our lives. Why should God have chosen us? The less able we are to answer that question the more able we are to live a profoundly joyful thanksgiving."

Father Richard Veras,

(contributor to MAGNIFICAT)

The Cicely Mary Barker Collection
43911

Jesus Teaches.......November 25

"If you want God to hear your prayers, hear the voice of the poor.

If you wish God to anticipate your wants, provide those of the needy without waiting for them to ask you.

Especially anticipate the needs of those who are ashamed to beg.

To make them ask for alms is to make them buy it."

-- St. Thomas of Villanova

Today is the feast of St. Catherine of Alexandria. I don't always use a holy card of the "saint of the day" but you can see a beautiful picture of St. Catherine and read about her life by by clicking here.




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Run to Mary..............November 24

"Let us run to Mary,

and, as her little children,

cast ourselves into her arms

with a perfect confidence."

Saint Francis de Sales

St. Joseph and Jesus in Snow..........November 23

The Litany to St. Joseph ends with the words

"He made him the lord of His household and prince over all His possessions."

It is believed that the same way that Jesus

was obedient to His parents during life,

and denied them nothing,

Jesus does in Heaven.

Therefore, do not ever be reluctant

to ask St. Joseph

for his patronage in any need.

Christ the King..........November 22

"The Lord is our King," says Isaiah."It is He who will save us."
At the feet of Jesus, the Latin words mean "KING OF KINGS"
Under the papal tiara and keys, it appears to say "THROUGH THE ROCK"Michael on the right has a banner that says "WHO (IS) AS/LIKE GOD"
Angel on left has "GABRIEL" in his halo. His book appears to say "THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS LIKE..."
His banner freely translated, "whose reign will have no end."

CLICK PICTURE TO ENLARGE

Presentation of Mary in the Temple.....November 21

O Mary,

your Heart was a burning vessel

of God's love.

Fill my heart with love

for God and let me

thank Him every day for
His great love in sending

His only Son

to obtain my salvation.

Sepia toned Child Jesus..........November 20

"God had one son on earth without sin,

but never one without suffering."

Saint Augustine

Beuron Good Shepherd.........November 19

If you can't sleep, don't count sheep.

Talk to the Shepherd.

Feast of St. Philippine Duchesne...November 18

"Humility is the virtue that requires the greatest amount of effort."

St. Philippine Duchesne

Read about
St. Philippine Duchesne

Grant Me O Lord................November 17

"Grant me, O Lord my God,

a mind to know you,

a heart to seek you,

wisdom to find you,

conduct pleasing to you,

faithful perseverance in waiting for you,

and a hope of finally embracing you."

St. Thomas Aquinas

Feast of St. Gertrude the Great.....November 16

Prayer of St. Gertrude to release souls in Purgatory.
"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen."


Read about St. Gertrude.

Beautiful Communion...........November 15

"O My children,

how beautiful will that soul be in eternity,

who makes frequent and good Communions!"

The Cure' of Ars,
St. Jean Vianney

Love Him......................November 14

"It is not hard to obey

when we love the one whom we obey."

Saint Ignatius

In Love With Blessed Mary...........November 13

"Someone truly in love with Mary

finds time to turn to her as often as possible,

to stay as long as possible at her feet.

We would entrust our troubles and worries,

and our whole life to her."

St. Maximilian Kolbe

Love God..................November 12

"To love God

is something greater

than to know Him."

St. Thomas Aquinas

Helping Others............November 11

"Our greatest duty and our main responsibility is to help others. But please, if you can't help them, would you please not hurt them. "

Dalai Lama

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We Are The Sheep..........November 10

The lamb of God
takes away the sins of the world.
I believe that you are my Shepherd
and
I shall not want.

Precious Blood of Christ..........November 9

"Jesus Lord, kind Pelican,

Cleanse my filth with Thy blood,

One drop of which can save

The whole world from all its sin,"

- St. Thomas Aquinas

In case you are wondering what a "Pelican" has to do with our Lord, please
click for one of my earlier posts here:
click here

The Port of Heaven................November 8

"To reach the port of heaven,

we must sail sometimes with the wind

and sometimes against it,

but we must sail,

and not drift,

nor lie at anchor."

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Prayer ........November 7

Prayer doesn't need proof,

it needs practice.

Grandparents of Jesus..........November 6

St. Anne (St. Ann) and St. Joachim,
parents of Mary,

Grandparents of Jesus,

pray for all parents

that they may provide the loving home

and faithful teaching

that you provided your daughter.

Amen

Mary w/ Jesus..........November 5

"Christ saved men not with thunder and lightning,

but as a wailing babe in the manger

and as a silent sufferer upon the cross."

St. Jerome

Walk With God........... November 4

"I would rather walk with God in the dark

than go alone in the light."

Mary Gardner Brainard

Eucharist................ November 3

"Any time spent before the Eucharistic presence,

be it long or short,

is the best-spent time of our lives."

St. Catherine of Genoa

Feast of ALL SOULS DAY.......November 2

"On the Feast of Corpus Christi

a person enveloped in fire suddenly stood before me.

From the pitiable state the soul was in

I knew it was in Purgatory

and I wept bitterly."

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Feast of ALL SAINTS DAY.............November 1

The Saints are the sinners who keep on trying.

The picture to the right is from the dust jacket of a book by my very good friend, Fr. Eugene Carrella. The book is titled PATRON SAINTS by Barbara Calamari and Sandra Dipasqua.

Fr. Gene's holy cards are
the source of all the saints pictured in the book.

There is another new book out featuring Fr. Gene's holy cards. It is by Thomas Craughwell and it titled "THIS SAINT'S FOR YOU."

Doves of Peace..........October 31

"...he overturned the tables of the money changers

and the seats of those who sold doves."

(Matthew 21:12"

Christ, the dove is a sign of peace, a sign of the Spirit of peace. And you Jesus are the Prince of Peace.

Virgin of Louanges..........October 30

We are all God's children

so it is important to share His gifts.

Do not worry about why problems

exist in the world-

just respond to people's needs.

Author Unknown

Trust........................October 29

"Trust the past to God's mercy, the present to God's love and the future to God's providence."

St. Augustine

Dwelling place of the Holy Trinity.........October 28

"Mary is the glory of Virgins,

the joy of Mothers,

the bulwark of the Faithful,

and the crown of the Church.

She is the model of the true Faith,

the seat of Piety,

the robe of Virtue,

and the dwelling place of the Holy Trinity."

St. Proclus

God Speaks...........October 27

"Read some chapter of a devout book.....

It is very easy and most necessary,

for just as you speak to God when at prayer,

God speaks to you when you read."

St. Vincent de Paul

The Latin sentence means,

"Go and teach all the people".

The Rosary..........October 26

"The word 'Rosary' means 'Crown of Roses,'

that is to say

that every time someone says the

Rosary devoutly,

they place a crown of one hundred fifty-three

red roses and sixteen white roses

upon the heads of Jesus and Mary.

Being heavenly roses they will never fade or lose their exquisite beauty."

Saint Louis Marie de Montfort

My Trust..........October 25

"My trust remains in Christ

whose plan for each of us is always perfect,

even when it may seem

unclear to us."

St. Elizabeth A. Seton

Plant kindness..........October 24

"A tree is known by its fruit;

a man by his deeds.

A good deed is never lost;

he who sows courtesy reaps friendship,

and he who plants kindness gathers love."

St. Basil

King of Glory...........October 23

"O King of glory,

though you hide your beauty,

yet the eye of my soul rends the veil.

I see the angelic choirs

giving you honor without cease."

St. Faustina Kowalska

Holy Spirit and Mary..........October 22

"In an instant the Holy Spirit

overshadows her,

making her a living ciborium

privileged to bear within herself

for nine months

the Guest who is the Host of the

world."

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Here is the meaning of the Latin words ...
[At the top:]
"O Virgin of virgins"
[At the bottom:]
"Behold the handmaid of the Lord."

Live and Pray..........October 21

"Work as if you were to live a hundred years,

pray as if you were to die tomorrow."

Benjamin Franklin

Heart of Mary..........October 20

"If you put all the love of all the mothers

into one heart

it still would not equal the love of the Heart of Mary

for her children."

Saint Louis Marie de Montfort

What, Who and Have Been.............October 19

"God sees me for what I will become.

God accepts me for who I am today.

God forgives for what I have been in the past."

Victor M. Parachin

The French words mean,
"Following the example of Jesus,

let us carry our cross."

Mary's Tender Love..........October 18

"If we really want to love
we must learn how to forgive."

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Feast of St. Ignatius of Antioch........October 17

WHAT WOULD I DO WITHOUT MY WONDERFUL COMMENTERS? LOOKS LIKE I'VE CONFUSED THE TWO ST. IGNATIUS'. I'VE PICTURED IGNATIUS OF
LOYOLA AND TODAYS'S FEAST DAY IS FOR ST. IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH. TOO LATE TO FIND A HOLY CARD FOR DEAR ONE WHO WAS MARTYRED.

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.

Feast of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque....October 16

Chosen by God

to reveal to the Christian World

the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

"What a weakness it is to love Jesus Christ

only when He caresses us,

and to be cold immediately once He afflicts us.

This is not true love.

Those who love thus, love themselves too much to love God with all their heart."

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Read about St. Margaret Mary

Translation of French words.

At the top: The Revelation of the Sacred Heart

At the bottom: The apparition of Our Lord to the blessed Margaret Mary [Alacoque], religious sister of the Order of the Visitation of St. Mary [the BVM] at the Monastery of Paray-le-Monial.

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Feast of St. Theresa of Avila.....October 15

"Desire to see God,

be fearful of losing Him,

and find joy in everything

that can lead to Him.

If you act in this way,

you will always live in great

peace."

St. Theresa of Avila

The words at the bottom of the card are Italian for "Doctor of the Church."

The Latin words on her manuscript, "Aut pati aut mori," mean "Either to suffer or to die," reflective of her devotion to the passion of Jesus.

Showing Love...............October 14

"The first commandment is that we love the Lord our God.
We can only show our love
for God
by our love for our fellows."

Dorothy Day

The meaning of the French verse:

"Upon you I had sweet dreams,
My delightful little pillow.
Far from this land of lies,
I imagined that I was in the skies!"

Mother of our Creator.........October 13

"Sometimes

when I find myself spiritually in dryness so great

that I cannot produce a single good thought,

I recite very slowly an Our Father

or a Hail Mary.

These prayers alone console me.

They nourish my soul."

St. Therese of Lisieux