St. Philip Neri, Light of Holy Joy, pray for us

One of my favorite spiritual writers, Philip Kosloski, has a great prayer to Saint Philip Neri here: 

Want to Be More Joyful? Pray this Prayer to St. Philip Neri

Check out Philip's website! 

Jesús, Maestro Divino

Found this beautiful prayer on a holy card I received at a retreat this past spring.  Love the intimacy of this prayer:

Jesús, Maestro Divino,

que descendiste del cielo

para darnos gracia, en abundancia

auméntala dentro de nosotros y conviértala

en río que fluya hacia la vida eterna.

 

Te ofreciste a sufrir

la agonía de tu pasión y muerte; y

te entregas en la Eucaristía

como, alimento para todos.

Ayúdanos a comprender

la grandeza de tal ejemplo.

 

Haz que el fuego de tu amor queme

las impurezas de nuestra debilidad humana

y dadnos la fuerza para seguir tu invitación

a la perfección infinita del Padre.

 

Por Fé, dadnos firmeza,

Por Caridad, dadnos fervor,

Por Esperenza, confianza infalible.

 

Dadnos la fuerza de ser héroes en cada virtud

y la confianza de alcanzar la santidad

con la ayuda de María,

tu Madre y nuestra Madre. Amen.

 

+Siervo de Dios, Obispo Guglielmo Giaquinta

St. John of the Cross - from The Spiritual Canticle

VI
THE BRIDE

Oh! who can heal me?
Give me at once Yourself,
Send me no more
A messenger
Who cannot tell me what I wish.

VII
All they who serve are telling me
Of Your unnumbered graces;
And all wound me more and more,
And something leaves me dying,
I know not what, of which they are darkly speaking.

VIII
But how you persevere, O life,
Not living where you live;
The arrows bring death
Which you receive
From your conceptions of the Beloved.

IX
Why, after wounding
This heart, have You not healed it?
And why, after stealing it,
Have You thus abandoned it,
And not carried away the stolen prey?

X
Quench my troubles,
For no one else can soothe them;
And let my eyes behold You,
For You are their light,
And I will keep them for You alone.

XI
Reveal Your presence,
And let the vision and Your beauty kill me,
Behold the malady
Of love is incurable
Except in Your presence and before Your face.

XII
O crystal well!
Oh that on Your silvered surface
You would mirror forth at once
Those eyes desired
Which are outlined in my heart!

XIII
Turn them away, O my Beloved!
I am on the wing:

St. John of the Cross, from The Spiritual Canticle

"There are certain things in life too beautiful to be forgotten."

From Venerable Fulton Sheen's Wartime Prayer Book (originally published 1943 as Armor of God):

"There are certain things in life too beautiful to be forgotten. That is why we revere the sacrifice of our soldiers on Memorial Day. The most beautiful thing about the life of our Lord was His death. Everyone else came into the world to live; He came into it to die; 'to give His life as a ransom for many' (Matt. 20:28)

"His death was the one thing He wished to have remembered.  He did not ask that men should write down His words in books. He did not ask that His deeds be recorded in history.  But He did ask that men remember his death."

 

Also from Wartime Prayer Book:
A prayer from a Soldier in France, Joyce Kilmer (1886 - 1918)

My shoulders ache beneath my pack
(Lie easier, Cross, upon His back).

I march with feet that burn and smart

(Tread, Holy Feet, upon my heart).

Men shout at me who may not speak
(They scourged Thy back and smote Thy cheek).

I may not lift a hand to clear
My eyes of salty drops that sear.

(Then shall my fickle soul forget
Thy agony of Bloody Sweat?)

My rifle hand is stiff and numb
(From Thy pierced palm red rivers come).

Lord, Thou didst suffer more for me
Than all the hosts of land and sea.

So let me render back again
This millionth of Thy gift. Amen.

I love You, O my God

"I love You, O my God, and my only desire is to love You until the last breath of my life. I love You, O my infinitely lovable God, and I would rather die loving You, than live without loving You. I love You, Lord and the only grace I ask is to love You eternally....My God, if my tongue cannot say in every moment that I love You, I want my heart to repeat it to You as often as I draw breath."
- Saint John Vianney

Prayer to St. Joseph for the Church Militant

 

O GLORIOUS St. Joseph, chosen by God to be the foster father of Jesus, the chaste spouse of Mary ever Virgin and the head of the Holy Family, and then appointed by the Vicar of Christ to be the Heavenly patron and defender of the Church founded by Jesus, most confidently do I implore at this moment thy powerful aid for all the Church Militant on earth. Do thou shield with thy truly paternal love especially the Supreme Pontiff and all the bishops and priests who are in union with the Holy See of Peter. Be the defender of all who labor for souls amidst the trials and tribulations of this life, and cause all the peoples of the earth to submit themselves in a docile spirit to that Church which is the ark of salvation for all men.

Be pleased also, dear St. Joseph, to accept this dedication of myself which I now make unto thee. I dedicate myself wholly to thee, that thou mayest ever be my father, my patron and my guide in the way of salvation. Obtain for me great purity of heart and a fervent devotion to the interior life. Grant that, following thine example, I may direct all my actions to the greater glory of God, in union with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary and in union with thee. Finally, pray for me that I may be a partaker in the peace and joy which were thine at the hour of thy holy death. Amen.

Daniel's Prayer

Daniel pouring out his heart to God for himself and his people in exile (exile- to be placed physically where your heart is spiritually: far away from God):

Daniel 9: 3-19

I turned to the Lord God, pleading in earnest prayer, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.  I prayed to the Lord, my God, and confessed, "Ah, Lord, great and awesome God, you who keep your merciful covenant toward those who love you and observe your commandments! We have sinned, been wicked and done evil; we have rebelled and departed from your commandments and your laws.  We have not obeyed your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers, and all the people of the land.  Justice, O Lord, is on your side; we are shamefaced even to this day: the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem and all Israel, near and far, in all the countries to which you have scattered them because of their treachery toward you.  O Lord, we are shamefaced, like our kings, our princes, and our fathers, for having sinned against you.  BUt yours, O Lord, our God, are compassion and forgiveness!  Yet, we rebelled against you and paid no heed to your command, O Lord, our God, to live by the law you gave us through your servants and prophets.  Because all Israel transgressed your law and went astray, not heeding your voice, the sworn malediction, recorded in the law of Moses, the servant of God, was poured out over us for our sins.  You carried out the threats you spoke against us and against those who governed us, by bringing upon us in Jerusalem the greatest calamity that has ever occurred under heaven.  As it is written, in the law of Moses, this calamity came full upon us.  As we did not appease the Lord, our God, by turning back from our wickedness and recognizing his constancy, so the Lord kept watch over the calamity and brought it upon us.  You, O Lord, our God, are just in all that you have done, for we did not listen to your voice.

Now, O Lord, our God, who led your people out of the land of Egypt with a strong hand, and made a name for yourself even to this day, we have sinned, we are guilty.  O Lord, in keeping with all your just deeds, let your anger and your wrath be turned away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain.  On account of our sins and the crimes of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become the reproach of all our neighbors.  Hear, therefore, O God, the prayer and petition of your servant; and for your own sake, O Lord, let your face shine upon your desolate sanctuary.  Give ear, O my God, and listen; open your eyes and see our ruins and the city which bears your name.  When we present our petition before you, we rely not on our just deeds, but on your great mercy.  O Lord, hear! O Lord, pardon! O Lord, be attentive and act without delay, for your own sake, O my God, because this city and your people bear your name!

Amen!


Draw our hearts to You O Lord.  Keep us safe in the shadow of Your wings.  Let Your mercy be on us O Lord, as we place our trust in You. In Your Holy Name, Amen.

Word on Fire: Prayer for the New Evangelization

I really like this prayer from Word on Fire, Fr. Barron's ministry, a prayer for the new evangelization:

Lord Jesus Christ, You have given Your Chruch the mission to proclaim the Gospel to all the nations.

May our efforts to fulfill this mission be guided by the Holy Spirit so that we might be a leaven of new life, salt of the earth and a light of the world - worthy missionaries and faithful to You.

Make us valiant witnesses to the Faith of the Church, and inspire us to speak the truth with love.

Help us to communicate to others the joy that we have recieved.

Permit us to be united, but not closed; humble, but not fearful; simple, but not naive, thoughtful, but not overbearing; contemporary, but not superficial; respectful of others, but boldly Your disciples.

May we bear into the world the hope of God, Who is Christ the Lord, Who rose from the dead and lives and reigns with Father and Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!
St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, pray for us!
St. Peter and St. Paul, pray for us!
St. Therese, Patroness of Missionairies, pray for us!
St. Thomas Aquinas, pray for us!

A Prayer for our Priests

We thank You, God our Father, for those who have responded to Your call to priestly ministry.  Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf:  Fill Your priests with the sure knowledge of Your Love.  Open their hearts to the power and consolation of the Holy Spirit.  Lead them to new depths of union with Your Son.  Increase in them profound faith in the Sacraments they celebrate as they nourish, strengthen and heal us.

Lord Jesus Christ, grant that these, Your priests, may inspire us to strive for holiness by the power of their example, as men of prayer who ponder Your Word and follow Your Will.

O Mary, Mother of Christ and our Mother, guard with your maternal care these chosen ones, so dear to the Heart of your Son.  Intercede for our priests that, offering the Sacrifice of your Son, they may be conformed more each day to the image of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

St. John Vianney, pray for us and for our priests.



So thankful for our priests!

Spiritual Warfare Prayer

A friend shared this on facebook:

Spiritual Warfare Prayer

Lord Jesus, I ask You today to cover me and my family, the whole world, especially our military and our priest, with Your Precious Blood and protection.  Uncover any hidden plot of the enemy before it has a chance to take root or effect or do any harm.  Alert us to any hidden plots against us and provide in advance a peaceful solution to any damage the enemy tries to do.  Bind and make mute any evil spirits that try to manifest or attach themselves to us in any way.  We ask You to please hide from the enemy the personal plans and ministries You have for us, so he has no access or knowledge of them.  Let no weapon formed against us be able to prosper.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I rebuke any curses, hexes or spells sent against us.  I bind all interplay, interaction and communication of evil spirits, and I claim the protection of the shed blood of Jesus Christ on  _________.  I ask You, Lord, to please send St. Michael, the Archangel, to drive out all the evil spirits who roam the earth and give St. Michael the authority to send all evil spirits straight to the recesses of hell, where they will remain forever.

Lord Jesus, I also ask You to please let the waters of our baptism flow back through our bloodlines to cleanse us of any evil or unwanted tendencies or traits that we may have inherited from our ancestors.  And lastly, Lord, I ask You to please bless my enemies by sending Your Holy Spirit to lead them to repentance and conversion.

We thank You, Lord, and we praise You, Lord, for Your boundless Mercy and protection.  Amen.

Emptying

Only God can receive all of me.  Lord, I lay all of my life down before You.  Lord, I lay all of myself at Your feet.  I offer all of my desires, joys, weaknesses, gratitude, sorrows, burdens, sadness, gifts, successes, failings, fears, sins, all of it to You, my Lord.  Lord, take all of me and empty my life for You. No one else can receive all of this, only You can.  I come to Your feet and give it all to You.  Empty my heart, my soul, my body, my mind.  Create me anew, Lord.  Make me Yours and Yours alone.  Keep me close always to Your Loving Heart and to the most pure Heart of Your Mother.  Blessed Virgin Mary, my Mother, show me the way to receive the new life of Your Son, Our Lord.  Saint Joseph, help me to be a good daughter, a good wife, a good mother, and a good friend.  In the Most Holy Name of Jesus, Amen.   

Lord, Make Your Will My Will

Our mission in this life is to know, love, and serve our God.  This is His Will for us.  We are all called to the front lines of both the spiritual battle and the physical battle, although in different ways.  As a wife and mother, I am called, with the blessing of my husband, to prepare my children for the battle ahead and to live my life in the way that God asks of me, without distraction, and in the Love of Christ.  I am ready to know, love, and serve Him and those people He places directly in our lives.   

We are not called only to know, or only to serve or only to know and serve God.  His Will for us is that we know, love, and serve our God.  It takes courage to truly Love.  It takes Saintly courage, Godly courage.  Love is a choice we make, and this freedom God gives us is the freedom to choose to do the right thing, and to do the right thing is always an act of Love.  I reclaim love in my heart for Christ, not a squishy, feel good, responsibility-shirking love, but Love as God, Who sent His Only Son to die on the Cross for us that we might have life.

Let us stand in unity with each other and be ready to go where Christ goes, without reservation.  Christ, our Mother Mary, Saint Joseph, and all of God's Angels and Saints have our back.

Prayer of Attachment, from Clarence Enzler in My Other Self:

Dear Lord,

I offer You my very life, and I willingly accept all the joys and sorrows it may contain.

I offer You my worldly goods; if it be Your will that I should lose my possessions, this is also my will.

I offer You my family and friends, accepting here and now the hour and circumstances of my parting from them.

I offer You my death with all the pains that may surround it.  I desire neither to lengthen nor to shorten my life by a single moment.

I offer You the sufferings of those I love, sufferings often harder for me to bear than my own.

I offer You all the disappointment, injustices, heartaches, that will come to my dear ones, in union with Mary offering Your sufferings on the cross.

Help me, dear Christ, to put off self.  Fill me with Your virtues.  Make Your Will my will.

You ask of me the greatest gift I can give: myself.  But You return to me the greatest gift God can give:  Yourself.

Help me, dear Master, to be generous, unselfish, persevering.

Transform me into Yourself.  As the priest changes bread and wine into Your Body and Blood, change me into an extension of Yourself, another Christ, Your other self.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.  Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.  St. Joseph, Head of the Holy Family, pray for us.  Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

Through Christ, Our Lord, Amen.

Love Him in Them

A prayer from My Other Self, by Clarence Enzler:

Dear Lord, may I always remember:  Whatever I do to them, I do also to You.

May I never forsake Your command, "Love one another as I have loved you."

May my thoughts of others be no longer my thoughts, but Your thoughts.

May my love of others be no longer my love, but Yours.

In my speech with others may my words be no longer my words, but Your words.

May I serve others as You served all men, seeking not to receive but to give.

May I see others no longer, but You in them.

May Your thoughts dwell in my mind, Your love in my heart, Your words on my lips- that I may learn to love all men even as You, dear Lord, love me.

Ave Maris Stella

Fr. Barron: The Key to Joy

Enter into Life

I'll be honest with you.  Things are falling apart over here.  Big time.  And after staying up all night with my sick baby, it may not be the best time to make a big decision, or it may be the best time to make this decision.  In the early hours of the morning when I could do nothing but take care of Michael and think without a screen in front of my face, I spent some time pondering about how I spend my time during the day.  In some ways, it seems as though I'm really living out my vocation, but in reality, I am avoiding it every chance I get with needless distractions and a desire to "fit in".  But the problem is that I will never fit in anywhere but the Heart of God.  As St. Augustine says, "Our hearts are restless O Lord, until they rest in You."  He is out there in each one of you and I have had the privilege of meeting some wonderful people online.  For that I am so thankful and trust that God put certain people in my life for a reason.

Yesterday, I read a post at Vultus Christi, where Father Kirby wrote a letter to a novice Oblate (married with children) about how she, as a wife and mother, can enter into the their charism of Adoration and Reparation.  Here is how Father Kirby began his letter:

My dear daughter in Christ,


Praying at Home
Recently, you asked me how you, as wife and mother, with children to look after from morning 'til night seven days a week, can enter into our monastery's charism of adoration and reparation. It will be many years, I think, before you will have the freedom to spend any significant amount of time in adoration before the Tabernacle, or before the Most Blessed Sacrament exposed in the monstrance.


Your Divine Office
Your duty now, and the expression of your love for God, is to be fully present to your family. Your "Divine Office" is to cook, and clean, and change dirty diapers, and run errands, and keep the littlest ones amused, and find time to listen to the older children, and to bandage cuts, and look after bruises, and welcome guests -- and every now and then -- to steal a moment or two alone with your husband. Is this incompatible with your desire as an Oblate of our monastery to offer yourself to Our Lord in adoration, in reparation, and in supplication for the holiness of priests?

... Read more here.

This letter makes me weep in both joy and sadness.  I know God is calling me to enter fully into the life He has given me, and I trust that the relationships which God wants me to nurture are right here around me in my own living room, those with my husband and my children.  God has blessed me with a few really close friends and many acquaintances to encourage me and hopefully in some small ways I can encourage them as well.

This morning in my email inbox was an article from Matthew Warner at Fallible Blogma, "What's Your Idle?"  Well, my idle has been checking email, checking in on social media, reading blogs, writing blog posts and reading political news.  My husband is very generous in giving me the time I need to go to weekly Adoration of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, to attend daily Mass at least once or twice a week, and to go out with friends just for some down time.  But it is the daily idle time that has me falling apart.  And, like Matthew, I am going to change what I do with that idle time.  Here is a 40 second prayer that Father Kirby included in his letter to his daughter in Christ:

A 40 Second Prayer
Here is a prayer that I wrote for this purpose. It takes exactly 40 seconds to say. Over time, it can be memorized. Use it to mark the beginning of your hour of adoration and reparation and, then, go about your business, trusting that Our Lord has heard your prayer and received it into His Heart.

Lord Jesus Christ, although I cannot, during this hour, approach Thee physically in the Sacrament of Thy Love, I would approach Thee by desire and by faith.

Transport me, I beseech Thee, by the lifting up of my mind and heart, to that tabernacle in the world where Thou art, at this hour, most forsaken, utterly forgotten, and without human company.

Let the radiance of Thy Eucharistic Face so penetrate my soul that by offering Thee adoration and reparation, even as I am busy doing ordinary things in an ordinary way, I may obtain from Thy Sacred Heart the return of at least one priest to the Tabernacle where Thou waitest for him today. Amen.

I offer all of this to Your Sacred Heart, my Lord and my Love, through the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, my Mother.

Daily Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Family Daily Prayer to the Sacred Heart

Dear Sacred Heart of Jesus, we renew our pledge of love and loyalty to You.  Keep us always close to Your loving Heart and to the most pure Heart of Your Mother.

May we love one another more and more each day, forgiving each other's faults as You forgive us our sins.  Teach us to see You in the members of our family and those we meet outside our home, and to love them, especially the poor and oppressed, that we may be instrumental in bringing about justice and peace.

Please help us to carry our cross daily out of love for You, and to strengthen this love by frequent Mass and Holy Communion.

Thank You, dear Jesus, King and Friend of our family, for all the blessings of this day.  Protect us and all families during this night.  Help us to live so that we may all get to Heaven.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!
St. Joseph, pray for us!
Our Guardian Angels, pray for us!
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

From The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus 

edited and published under the direction of 

His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke 

For Our Lady of Sorrows

Litany for Our Lady of Seven Sorrows:

Lord, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
Holy Virgin of virgins, pray for us.
Mother of the Crucified, pray for us.
Sorrowful Mother, pray for us.
Mournful Mother, pray for us.
Sighing Mother, pray for us.
Afflicted Mother, pray for us.
Foresaken Mother, pray for us.
Desolate Mother, pray for us.
Mother most sad, pray for us.
Mother set around with anguish, pray for us.
Mother overwhelmed by grief, pray for us.
Mother transfixed by a sword, pray for us.
Mother crucified in thy heart, pray for us.
Mother bereaved of thy Son, pray for us.
Sighing Dove, pray for us.
Mother of Dolors, pray for us.
Fount of tears, pray for us.
Sea of bitterness, pray for us.
Field of tribulation, pray for us.
Mass of suffering, pray for us.
Mirror of patience, pray for us.
Rock of constancy, pray for us.
Remedy in perplexity, pray for us.
Joy of the afflicted, pray for us.
Ark of the desolate, pray for us.
Refuge of the abandoned, pray for us.
Shiled of the oppressed, pray for us.
Conqueror of the incredulous, pray for us.
Solace of the wretched, pray for us.
Medicine of the sick, pray for us.
Help of the faint, pray for us.
Strength of the weak, pray for us.
Protectress of those who fight, pray for us.
Haven of the shipwrecked, pray for us.
Calmer of tempests, pray for us.
Companion of the sorrowful, pray for us.
Retreat of those who groan, pray for us.
Terror of the treacherous, pray for us.
Standard-bearer of the Martyrs, pray for us.
Treasure of the Faithful, pray for us.
Light of Confessors, pray for us.
Pearl of Virgins, pray for us.
Comfort of Widows, pray for us.
Joy of all Saints, pray for us.
Queen of thy Servants, pray for us.
Holy Mary, who alone art unexampled, pray for us.

Pray for us, most Sorrowful Virgin, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray, --- O God, in whose Passion, according to the prophecy of Simeon, a sword of grief pierced through the most sweet soul of Thy glorious Blessed Virgin Mother Mary: grant that we, who celebrate the memory of her Seven Sorrows, may obtain the happy effect of Thy Passion, Who lives and reigns world without end,
Amen.


The Seven Sorrows of Our Lady

1. The Prophecy of Simeon
2. The Flight into Egypt
3. The Loss of Jesus in the Temple
4. Mary meets Jesus Carrying the Cross
5. The Crucifixion
6. Mary Receives the Dead Body of Her Son
7. The Burial of Her Son and Closing of the Tomb.

Consecration to Our Lady of Sorrows

Most holy Virgin and Queen of Martyrs, Mary, would that I could be in Heaven, there to contemplate the honors rendered to thee by the Most Holy Trinity and by the whole Heavenly Court! But since I am still a pilgrim in this vale of tears, receive from me, thy unworthy servant and a poor sinner, the most sincere homage and the most perfect act of vassalage a human creature can offer thee.

In thy Immaculate Heart, pierced with so many swords of sorrow, I place today my poor soul forever; receive me as a partaker in thy dolors, and never suffer that I should depart from that Cross on which thy only begotten Son expired for me.

With thee, O Mary, I will endure all the sufferings, contradictions, infirmities, with which it will please thy Divine Son to visit me in this life. All of them I offer to thee, in memory of the Dolors which thou didst suffer during thy life, that every thought of my mind, every beating of my heart may henceforward be an act of compassion to thy Sorrows, and of complacency for the glory thou now enjoyest in Heaven.

Since then, O Dear Mother, I now compassionate thy Dolors, and rejoice in seeing thee glorified, do thou also have compassion on me, and reconcile me to thy Son Jesus, that I may become thy true and loyal son (daughter); come on my last day and assist me in my last agony, even as thou wert present at the Agony of thy Divine Son Jesus, that from this painful exile I may go to Heaven, there to be made partaker of thy glory.
Amen.

A Prayer for the Dying and a Special Soul

A PRAYER FOR THE DYING AND A SPECIAL SOUL

O MOST MERCIFUL JESUS, lover of souls,
I beseech Thee, by the agony of Thy most Sacred Heart,
and by the sorrows of Thine Immaculate Mother,
wash clean in the Thy Blood the sinners of the whole world
who are to die this day.

Remember most especially the soul I spiritually adopt
with the intention of entrusting him or her to Thy Shepherd's care:
I beseech Thee for the grace to move this sinner, who is in
danger of going to Hell, to repent. I ask this because of my
trust in Thy great mercy.

If it should please Thy Majesty to send me a suffering this day
in exchange for the grace I ask for this soul, then, it, too,
shall please me very much, and I thank Thee, Most Sweet Jesus,
Shepherd and Lover of Souls; I thank Thee for this
opportunity to give mercy in thanksgiving for all the mercies
Thou hast shown me. Amen.

Heart of Jesus, once in agony, have mercy on the dying.

A Noble Purpose

What a wonderful and joyous occasion to witness the beginning of a sacramental marriage! While on vacation, we went to a cousin's wedding at St. Patrick Cathedral in Ft. Worth, Texas. It was a true blessing to witness the bride and groom offer their sacramental vows to one another in such a holy and beautiful cathedral. Everything about their wedding drew my heart to worshiping God through His Son, our Lord, in the Eucharist. It was such a joy to be in the presence of Christ in such a beautiful and holy place.

As the father of the bride offered his daughter to be given in marriage, I could sense the presence of the bride's mother who had died nearly five years ago due to early onset Alzheimer's disease. The bride's mother, my husband's aunt, was a devout Catholic woman who dedicated her life to her Lord and to her family. The bride's mother and my husband's mother are the oldest two girls of thirteen children. They grew up in a small village in Wisconsin with several houses, a bar, and a beautiful old Catholic Church! Oh, how wonderful to grow up so close to Jesus in the tabernacle.

The Old Testament reading was from the book of Tobit. In Tobit is the beautiful account of the Archangel St. Raphael sent to aid in the healing of Tobit's blindness and to heal Sarah's grief on losing seven husbands, each dying before consummation of their marriage. Unbeknownst to each other, both Tobit and Sarah had cried out in anguish to God at the same time, and in God's great Mercy He answered their prayers of grief and sorrow with blessing.

In the prayers of Tobit and Sarah, they praised God and cried out with faith in His Mercy despite being deeply grieved in spirit. The Archangel St. Raphael led Tobiah, Tobit's son, to Sarah and they became husband and wife. Then they returned to Tobit and God healed his blindness.

Before consummating their marriage, Tobiah and Sarah prayed together, begging for God's mercy and deliverance. I have always loved this prayer since the first time I heard it. What a humble and wise way to begin a marriage:

Blessed are you, O God of our fathers,
praised be your name forever and ever.
Let the heavens and all your creation
praise you forever.
You made Adam and You gave him his
wife Eve
to be his help and support;
and from these two the human race
descended.
You said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone;
let us make him a partner like himself.'
Now, Lord, you know that I take this wife of mine
not because of lust,
but for a noble purpose.
Call down your mercy on me and on her,
and allow us to live together to a
happy old age.

They said together, "Amen, amen," and
went to bed for the night.

~Tobit 8:5-8

Last year, a friend gave me a book about St. Raphael by Angela Carol. In the book, it is mentioned that St. Raphael is, among other things, the patron of happy and holy marriages. May St. Raphael guide us along in our journey, encourage us in our faith and in our marriage, and aid us in opening our hearts to God's healing power. St. Raphael, pray for us!