Prayer Devotion

CATHOLIC REFRESHER

All Saints' Day

Opening Prayer Come, Holy Spirit Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Your love. V. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created. R. And You shall renew the face of the earth. Let us pray. O God, by the light of the Holy Spirit, You have taught the hearts of Your faithful. In the same Spirit help us to know what is truly right and always to rejoice in Your consolation. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

First Joyful Mystery The Annunciation

The Third Sorrowful Mystery—The Crowning with Thorns And stripping him, they put a scarlet cloak about him. And platting a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand. And bowing the knee before him, they mocked him, saying: Hail, king of the Jews. And spitting upon him, they took the reed, and struck his head. Matthew 27:28-30

Another Drink out of a Fire Hose

Where Did They Go?

Prayer, Devotion, Devotionals

Prayer “For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.” Kneeling before the tabernacle, I can think of only one thing to say to our Lord: “My God, you know that I love You.” And I feel that my prayer does not weary Jesus; knowing my weakness, He is satisfied with my good will. St Therese of Liseux "Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God." St. John Damascene The wonder of prayer is revealed beside the well where we come seeking water: there, Christ comes to meet every human being. It is He who first seeks us and asks us for a drink. Jesus thirsts; His asking arises from the depths of God's desire for us. Whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God's thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for him. St. Augustine

How to Pray Begin with and learn from memorized prayer Pray the Psalms Pray with the Scriptures—Lectio Divina Learn to pray as Jesus taught Urgent prayer—Knock and it will be opened Pray without ceasing—Will the Son of Man find faith when He returns Pray with humility of heart—God be merciful to me a sinner

A Plan of Prayer for the Day Morning Offering Come Holy Spirit Prayer to St Michael Decade of Rosary during commute Pray before and after meals Angelus at noon Decade of Rosary during commute Family Rosary&Chaplet Examination of Conscience Act of Contrition

Pray Like a Monk Liturgy of the Hours

Lectio Divina

Sacramentals These are sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments. They signify effects, particularly of a spiritual nature, which are obtained through the intercession of the Church. By them men are disposed to receive the chief effect of the sacraments, and various occasions in life are rendered holy." CCC 1667 They always include a prayer, often accompanied by a specific sign, such as the laying on of hands, the sign of the cross, or the sprinkling of holy water (which recalls Baptism). CCC 1668 Certain blessings have a lasting importance because they consecrate persons to God, or reserve objects and places for liturgical use. CCC 1672

Popular Devotions The religious sense of the Christian people has always found expression in various forms of piety surrounding the Church's sacramental life, such as the veneration of relics, visits to sanctuaries, pilgrimages, processions, the stations of the cross, the rosary, medals These expressions of piety extend the liturgical life of the Church, but do not replace it. CCC 1674-1675

Popular Devotions

The New Evangelization

October 11, 1962 “…The greatest concern of the Council is two-fold: that the sacred deposit of Christian doctrine should be both guarded and taught more efficaciously. … The substance of the ancient doctrine of the deposit of the faith is one thing, and the way in which it is presented is another.” - Bl. Pope John XXIII, Opening Address

What went right? What went wrong?

So What Happened?

What happened to the promised New Pentecost?

Dual Interpretations • Hermeneutic of Discontinuity or Rupture • Sees the Church in terms of pre-conciliar and post-conciliar, as if the Council gave rise to a new Church • Relies not so much on the conciliar documents, but on a so-called “spirit” of the Council • Saw any change in Catholic practice as a license to change everything • Hermeneutic of Continuity or Reform • Wants to reform the Church within tradition in an organic way • Looks to the actual text of the conciliar documents to understand the Council’s intent • Advocated updating only those things called for by the Council and retaining those things which the Council said to retain

Example: Active Participation “Mother Church earnestly desires that all the faithful should be led to that full, conscious and active participation in liturgical celebrations…to which the Christian people…have a right and obligation by reason of their baptism.” Sacrosanctum Concilium, #14

True Participatio Actuosa “Unfortunately, the word was very quickly misunderstood to mean something external, entailing a need for general activity, as if as many people as possible, as often as possible, should be visibly engaged in action. However, the word participation refers to a principal action in which everyone has a “part”. And so if we want to discover the kind of doing that active participation involves, we need, first of all, to determine what this central actio is in which all the members of the community are supposed to participate.” (emphasis added) Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger The Spirit of the Liturgy, p. 171 (2000)

Offering Our Lives “The Second Vatican Council rightly emphasized the active, full and fruitful participation of the entire People of God in the Eucharistic celebration… yet we must not overlook the fact that some misunderstanding has occasionally arisen concerning the precise meaning of this participation. It should be make clear that the word “participation” does not refer to mere external activity during the celebration. … The Church’s great liturgical tradition teaches us that fruitful participation in the liturgy requires that one be personally conformed to the mystery being celebrated, offering one’s life to God in unity with the sacrifice of Christ for the salvation of the whole world.” - Sacramentum Caritatis, #52 & #64

Reclaiming Our Faith

Archbishop Malcom Ranjith Archdiocese of Columbo, Sri Lanka

Bishop John M. D’Arcy Diocese of Ft. Wayne-South Bend, Ind.

Reclaiming Our Faith In the last forty years, “we have sometimes lost sight of who we are and what we believe, and therefore we have little to offer the world that so desperately needs the Gospel… Sometimes we set out to convert the world, but were instead converted by it… We must have a distinctive identity and culture as Catholics, if we would effectively communicate the Gospel to the people of this day.” Bishop Walker Nickless, Sioux City Ecclesia Semper Reformanda (2009)

Devotion to the Eucharist & Mary

Renewed Catechesis “We must strengthen catechesis on every level, beginning with and focusing on adults. If we, who are supposed to be mature in faith, do not know the Catholic Faith well, how can we live it and impart it to our children?” “The more the Church…gives catechesis priority over other works and undertakings, the results of which would be more spectacular, the more she finds in catechesis a strengthening of her internal life as a community of believers and of her external activity as a missionary Church.” - John Paul II, Catechesi Tradendae, #15

Foster Faithful Families “The first two priorities…will foster faithful families that are the foundation of the Church and the society. We are called to protect, build up and foster holy families in our midst, without whom the Church and the world perish.”

Encourage Vocations “If we renew the Eucharistic, catechetical, and family life, we will simultaneously foster a culture where young people can more readily respond to the radical calls of ministerial priesthood and the consecrated life.”

Become Apostles “We must acknowledge and embrace the missionary character of the Catholic Faith and the vocation of all Catholics to be, not only disciples, but also apostles.”