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.

Prayer Request - in Reparation and for Conversion of Heart

Please pray and fast for the conversion of a particular person and for reparation of sacrileges against Our Lord the Holy Eucharist.  Specifically, I am asking you to say the Fatima Angel prayer for the conversion of this soul.  Here is the prayer:

Oh Most Holy Trinity,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
I adore Thee profoundly.
I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity
of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world,
in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and
indifferences by which He is offended.
By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
and the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I beg the conversion of this poor sinner.
Amen.

Thank you so much.

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.

A.M.D.G.

Here is a good response to the video Why I love Jesus, but hate religion.  I actually haven't watched that video, but this one is good!  And considering my daughter, who is 10, just encountered some anticatholicism yesterday, it is timely for us. 

What happened  in a nutshell:  One of her friends told her, "A lot of people think Catholicism is messed up."  and "Why do Catholics add books to the Bible?"  and "I believe you only need to confess your sins directly to God."  All in the middle of an art class!  I'm proud of my daughter's response to this and that she held her ground and also told me about it even though she knew it probably meant she was not going to get to go on a playdate with her yesterday afternoon.  Although she did not have enough knowledge to talk about the ins and outs of the history of the Septuagint and the Canon of Scripture in the Catholic Church with her friend, she did have a great response about confession.  She told her friend that when she goes to confession she actually" is confessing directly to God, and that the priest acts in the person of Christ."  Pretty good for a 10 year old defending her faith to another 10 year old.   

I was torn about whether to let her go play with her friend anyway yesterday afternoon, but decided to have one-on-one time with her instead, so we went to our local coffee shop and had a wonderful talk! She is still friends with her, and I had a wonderful discussion with her friend's mother which made me realize how many misunderstandings and inaccuracies there are out there about our Catholic faith.  There are definite differences, but how will people know what we REALLY believe and where it came from if we are not willing to share it?  I am glad that her friend asked her questions and for my daughter's courage.... this is where her strong will is beneficial.  May we as parents help guide her to follow Christ and His Truth and to help her to grow in courage to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ with love and generosity.

Her mom apologized and was very gracious.  It was something that could have ended badly but ended up being a wonderful place to begin a dialogue.

Here's the video I was talking about before:



HT GNW_Paul on Plurk for the video

Zeal for the Mission

See the New Evangelization in action.  This video was made by a FOCUS missionary who touched so many people with his kindness and love for Christ while living here.  You can learn more about FOCUS here.  And FOCUS missions here.  Curtis Martin, President and Founder of FOCUS, has been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to the Pontifical Council on Promoting the New Evangelization.  He is one of 6 lay Catholics and one of 2 Americans appointed to the 15-member council.




Thanks Jenn for sending this video!

"Our task is to keep doing what we do and to trust that the battle belongs to God."

If you read anything this week, read this LifeSiteNews article by Michael O'Brien: A Battle to the Death against Moral Relativism.

Joy and Hope in the Midst of Persecution

Fantastic post by Johnnette Benkovic at Women of Grace. H/t Janet.

Facing the Challenge

by J Benkovic

There is no question that as Catholics living in the culture of our day, we are facing unprecedented challenges. I could write a whole series of blogs about those challenges, but my guess is you know many of them already. Recently, for example, our apostolate was unable to lease space because of a usage clause that prohibited religious purposes.

Not long ago we featured on our program, Father Joseph Esper, author of the book, Spiritual Dangers of the 21st Century . In this book, he identified the stages of persecution as follows:

Stage 1 The group is stereotyped.

Stage 2 The group is marginalized

Stage 3 The group is villified.

Stage 4 The group is criminalized.

Stage 5 Outright persecution ensues.

Father Esper stated that researchers tell us Christians are hovering between Stage 3 and Stage 4. Some would argue, however, that Catholics are hovering between Stages 4 and 5. With the demise of the federal government’s “Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell” policy on September 20, 2011, the continued legislative push for gay marriages to be recognized across state lines, the Obama administration’s hammering to overturn the conscience clause, Catholics are in the cross-hairs.

So much so, that Francis Cardinal George (Archdiocese of Chicago) stated, “I expect to die in my bed, my successor will die in prison, and his successor will die a martyr.” Some wonder if his statement is more prophesy than prediction.

The question, therefore, ought not to be, “Are we facing challenges?” but rather, “How do we meet the challenges we are facing?” I think the answer to this question can be summed up as follows:

1. Admit where we are. George Weigel in an address at St. Patrick’s Church, London, entitled “Benedict XVI and the Future of the West,” said this: “A decisive moment has been reached in the history of the Catholic Church; the catechetical-devotional Catholicism of the counter-reformation is giving way to what may be called Evangelical Catholicism.” He reminded listeners that the Church itself is mission and always about the business of pointing to Jesus Christ as the answer. We must realize that, as laity, we are called to mission activity.

2. Prepare ourselves for the struggle. Many would read this as a call to stockpile food, create safety bunkers, and head for the hills. While such strategies may have value, we must remember that ultimately the battle is not with “flesh and blood,” but with “powers and principalities” (Eph 6:12). As St. Paul instructs in Ephesians, we need to equip ourselves with the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of justice, the belt of truth, the shield of faith, the sword of the Word of God, and the boots of zeal to propagate the Gospel. We do this through our time of personal prayer, attending the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, receiving the Sacraments, and striving to live a virtuous life. Maintaining holy friendships and participating in activities that fortify and strengthen our resolve increase our ability to meet the challenges that confront us.

3. Do not give in to fear, discouragement, or anxiety. These three tactics are the most frequently tried strategies of the evil one. He seeks to disarm us, paralyze us, and overtake us through them. When they tempt you, see them for what they are and call upon the name of Jesus. Quoting Scripture is invaluable in these moments. Of course, this presupposes that you have several good passages committed to memory (Tip: Start with “one-liners” and then move on to more complex passages. A good beginning are these words of Jesus, “Get thee behind me, Satan;” and St. John’s words,”Stronger is he who is in me than he who is in the world.”).

4. Read the lives of the saints, especially the martyr saints. These holy men and women show us that “nothing is impossible with God,” even giving the ultimate witness. Ask them to intercede for you as you seek to live your life as a witness of the truth in this our day and time. Their lives also give us keen insight and inspiration regarding the realities of trial, persecution, and travail.

5. Know that God is with you. Jesus tells us He will never abandon us. And He won’t . The Holy Spirit dwells with the soul that is in the state of grace and provides every spiritual blessing in the heavens we need to live out our call and mission. In addition, the peace that surpasses understanding wraps us in the certainty of God’s presence and love. He never calls us to a task or a mission without giving us the grace we need to meet it. He is our Father and our provider.

6. Be joyful. There is a certain joy that accompanies struggle and challenge. It is the joy in knowing that when our sufferings are united to the Cross of Jesus, we share in the merit accomplished through that Cross. Such is the Father’s will and pleasure. We find something else in that Cross as well: power. The Cross of Christ is the very Power of God (1 Cor.1:18). So, when the cross is presented to you, rejoice! God’s own power can be yours!

These words of St. Pio of Pietrelcina give us good advice:

Being subjected to a trial is not under a soul’s control at all, and no one can directly do anything to be subjected to a trial; it depends exclusively on God’s will. I advise you to remain peaceful and not to be the least bit concerned about what will happen. Everything will be resolved to the glory of God and the sanctification of your soul.

…Give infinite freedom to the action of divine grace in you, and let it always serve to be for his glory and for the salvation of your soul and the souls of others. Never forget that heavenly favors are granted not only for your sanctification but also for the sanctification of others. (To Raffaelina Cerase, Feb. 23, 1915, taken from Padre Pio’s Spiritual Direction for Every Day)

Faithful Lay Catholics in El Paso

I am originally from El Paso, TX, so this is of great interest to me. Please pray for my family living in El Paso.

He Knows What He is About

I have not posted on politics in awhile, mainly because I haven't been following it much, but I read something Ed Morissey said this morning that makes a lot of sense regarding the fiscal mess our country is in:

There is a lot of anger at the moment in the US over the embarrassment of the downgrade, as well as shock. I’m most amused by the shock, to tell the truth. S&P didn’t say anything yesterday that was not common knowledge and common sense. If you had to rate a potential investment that had an income of, say, $22,000 a year but had costs of $37,000 per year, a standing debt of $143,000, and contracted future debt that exceeded $1 million, would you give that investment a gold-plated AAA rating and buy their bonds at the lowest interest rate possible, or at all? Of course not, but that’s exactly the fiscal situation of the US, at a 100,000,000:1 scale.

The anger is mainly misdirected. The media wants to blame the Tea Party, but the Tea Party wants to solve the actual problem — overspending and overcommitment to entitlement programs. The Tea Party wants to blame the Obama administration, and it deserves some blame for refusing to address the real structural problems of the US fiscal condition. But that fiscal structure far predates Barack Obama, both as President and as human being, and Congresses and White Houses of both parties have done little to address the real problems in Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.

Why? Because as soon as people try to do so, demagogues accuse them of wanting to push Grandma over a cliff. Voters respond by punishing the reformers and rewarding the demagogues. If we collectively want to blame someone, we collectively should be looking in a mirror.

So where do we go from here? I do not know, I'm just a woman trying to be a loving wife, mother, and friend, knowing that I am a daughter of God. We try as a family to be responsible with our finances and to give our first fruits to God. While I do not know the solution (besides more responsibility in our own lives as well as that of our government), I do know that the only true answer is to trust God and follow His ways, He knows what He is about.

In Case You Missed It....

Archbishop Chaput: "Renewal begins not in vilifying others...."

H/T- or as she says, "veil tip" :) Diane at te Deum laudamus!

From Salt and Light TV, Archbishop's homily at the Knights of Columbus convention opening Mass in Denver, Colorado:

The dynamic in Family of Moses is not so different from the dynamic in the family of today’s Church. God has chosen to lead his people. Miriam and Aaron, the sister and brother of Moses, resent his taking a Cushite wife. But the disputed marriage is merely a pretext for the siblings. What they really resent is Moses’ elevation above themselves, his special relationship with God. Moses if very much a flawed human being. By this point in scripture he may be “meek,” but he is not without sin. Nonetheless he is chosen by God. Therefore, Miriam’s and Aaron’s criticism – which flows out of their own rebellious pride – is really a criticism of God himself. Miriam, as the instigator, is struck with leprosy, but at least there is a kind of negative dignity to her own willfulness. Aaron is almost worse: a portrait of male spinelessness. This is the man who went along with the Golden Calf. Now he goes along with Miriam, and when Miriam is punished, he becomes obsequious with Moses.

Something similar can be said about conflicts in the modern church. Bishops, priests, and deacons are too often weak and sinful. They need to be held to high standards. Some deserve to be chastised. The clergy’s leadership in the Church should always be marked by humility and service, and never by a sense of entitlement. But men and women didn’t found the Church, they don’t own her; and they have no license to reinvent her. The Church belongs to Jesus Christ, and the different roles with the Christian community – clergy, laity, and religious life – have equal dignity but different purposes. Sin and failure, including by the clergy, need to be named. But when people deride their bishops and priests out of pride and resentment or some perverse desire for they perceive as “power,” they undermine the Church herself, and they set themselves against the God whose vessel she is. And that, as Scripture suggests, leads in a painful direction.

All real reform in the Church requires two things. Today’s Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 51 – gives us the first thing. We find it in the lines “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow;” and “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.” Renewal begins not in vilifying others, but in examining ourselves honestly, repenting of our sins and changing ourselves. This applies to every baptized person, from the Pope to the average man or woman earning a wage. We are all sinners. We are all in need of repentance and God’s mercy. When we really understand that, we can speak to each other with both honesty and love, and restoring the mission of the Church can begin.

Today’s Gospel gives us the second thing needed for any lasting reform: faith. Not faith as theology, or faith as a collection of doctrines and practices; but faith as a single-minded confidence in God; faith as the humility – and in a sense, the imprudence, the passion, the recklessness – to give ourselves entirely to Jesus Christ. That kind of faith changes people. That kind of faith shifts the world on its axis, because nothing can stand against it. As long as Peter keeps his eyes and his heart fixed on Jesus Christ, he can do the impossible – he can walk on the water. The moment he gives in to doubt and fear, he begins to sink. So it is with our personal faith, and so it is with life and the health of the Church.

In light of our Gospel reading, it’s fitting that our Mass today commemorates the French priests and saint from the 19th century, Peter Eymand. Eymand was a friend of Sts. Peter Chanel and Jean-Mare Vianney, and the founder of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament. He was an intriguing man. The great French sculptor, Auguste Rodin, once entered Eymand’s congregation as a lay brother, having given up art after the death of his sister. Eymand served as Rodin’s spiritual spiritual counsellor, and eventually sent him back to his work in the world as a sculptor, because he believed that Rodin glorified God more truly through the beauty of his art. The focus of Eymand’s life was an intense love of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. He was tireless in preaching a deep devotion to the Eucharist as a key to re-igniting the vocation of Christians in the world. The Church honours him as “the Apostle of the Eucharist,” and his most famous line is worth remembering. When he decided to leave the diocesan clergy to become a religious priest, his sisters begged him to wait and reflect just a little longer before he acted – even just one more day. He answered, “God calls me now. Tomorrow will be too late.” God is calling each of us here today – clergy, lay, and religious – to love him with all our hearts and to renew the life of his Church. God is calling us now. Tomorrow will be too late. So let’s pray for each other, and support each other – and begin.

Prayer for Holy Church and Priests

From Joy at O Qaum Gloriosum:

St. Faustina's Prayer for Holy Church and Priests

O my Jesus, I beg You on behalf of the whole Church: Grant it love and the light of Your Spirit and give power to the words of priests so that hardened hearts might be brought to repentance and return to You, O Lord.

Lord, give us holy priests; You Yourself maintain them in holiness. O Divine and Great High Priest, may the power of Your mercy accompany them everywhere and protect them from the devil's traps and snares which are continually being set for the souls of priests. May the power of Your mercy, O Lord, shatter and bring to naught all that might tarnish the sanctity of priests, for You can do all things. I ask You, Jesus, for a special blessing and for light for the priests before whom I will make my confessions throughout my lifetime. Amen.


Source: Posted on the Franciscan_Spirit mailing list on May 12, 2003 by Nadine Mansour; also as prayer # 7 in: Chalice of Strength, pages 17-18. Crusade for Priests, Detroit, Michigan, 1996. (www.opusangelorum.org).

http://www.paxetbonum.net/pfp2.html#40


Thanks Joy for posting this.

Pray for Our Military Chaplains

From Before and After D Day In Color: An American Army chaplin kneels next to a wounded soldier in order to administer the Eucharist and Last Rites.

Photo: Frank Scherschel/TIME & LIFE Pictures
Aug 01, 1944




HT HotAir

Near Occasions of Sin

All of us are vulnerable to sin, especially when we place ourselves in situations that are near occasions of sin, and those situations can be different for different people.

I love the books by Susie Lloyd, Bless Me Father, For I Have Kids! and Please Don't Drink the Holy Water! Susie puts a humorous spin on some of the "near occasions of sin" that we may find ourselves in as mothers. I love how the subtitle of one of these books is "Homeschool Days, Rosary Nights and other Near Occasions of Sin." I laughed, and cried, my way through both of those books and am so appreciative of her humorous and heartfelt insight to the challenges of mothering during these times. It is so nice to know we are not alone on this journey and other people have the same crazy thoughts as us.

On the more serious side of this is that sometimes, because of my struggle with a bad temper, I feel as though my whole day can be considered a "near occasion of sin." But the truth is that God's grace makes me stronger and He will always help me when I am living and working within my vocation and calling from God. He presents us with opportunities through these struggles to make conscious acts of the will to overcome our weaknesses, and when we fail, to come to Him in repentance and seek His forgiveness. We receive more graces as we turn to Christ in the Sacraments, particularly in Confession and in the Eucharist. I also believe that Mary, our Blessed Mother, is right there with us to help us overcome temptation and to provide us with a role model in looking to Her Son for all we need.

Then there are the more serious near occasions of sin that are outside of our vocation and call from God. These are the near occasions of sin that we must avoid by conscious acts of the will, lest we place ourselves in an extremely vulnerable position. We are all susceptible to falling into grave sin, and to think otherwise is spiritually dangerous. All of us are in the crosshairs of the evil one, and he will find every opportunity to bring us down. Sure, we will fail on an everyday basis due to our own concupiscence; we are human, and we will sin. But to put ourselves in situations that are outside of God's calling for us and open ourselves up to attack is something that we need to be vigilant about avoiding, particularly when it comes to addictions or relationships that present a danger to our vocations. Speaking as a married person, sometimes there are subtleties to these relationships in that they seem like a good thing, but then our hearts are given more and more to another person who is not our spouse. And the same thing can apply to priests or religious sisters and brothers.

Thinking about near occasions of sin has been on my heart a lot in pondering about what has happened with both Fr. Euteneuer and Fr. Corapi. In one instance, wrongdoing was found and Fr. Euteneuer admitted to his sins and in the other, Fr. Corapi has denied the allegations and an investigation is still underway. Both of these beloved priests and many others have been so strong in their battle against evil and in providing guidance to us as we fight our own spiritual battles. And yet, they are human and can fall. We must love them for who they are, God's creation, and in a special way, for their sacrifices to bring us the Sacraments. We must pray for them and not abandon them or the Holy Church even when they fall. There is great scandal caused by these sins, but we must remember that God's Mercy is greater than all of this, and we must pray urgently for the protection of priests, religious, family, friends and our own souls. We must do our own part by making conscious acts of our will to avoid serious occasions of sin and to turn to God immediately when we fall. He is there for us in our darkest moments. Let us be honest with Him and with ourselves and seek His Mercy always.

St. Joseph, terror of demons, pray for us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us. Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have Mercy on us. Through Your Holy Name, Amen.

Never Despair of the Mercy of God

Many of you already read Fr. Z, but for those of you who do not, go read his post

Priests, holiness, and avoiding a spiritual peril

Here are some excerpts, but really you should read the entire post here.

It is a great concern today that many people are deeply shaken in their faith because of the sins of a very small number of priests and bishops. It is right and proper to be angry about their crimes when they are proven to have committed them. It could be that an idealization of priests and bishops leads to a disproportionate disillusionment when they are revealed not to be perfect, especially when they are shown to be sinners of the gravest sort.

We have to be reminded constantly what Augustine stressed in that controversy with the Donatists: Christians who left the Church because they were disillusioned with its outward appearances of perfection and holiness. Priests and bishops are sinners in need of a savior. Augustine said to his flock, “I am a bishop for you, I am a christian with you.”

Turning priests or bishops into idealized icons of holiness is fraught with spiritual peril. Admire the admirable, of course. But we need a necessary corrective in our admiration, namely, that the sole Holy One of God is Jesus Christ, the only perfect High Priest and actual minister of all graces which Holy Church’s ministers have the honor to mediate.

An accusation leveled at a priest is a horrible thing, because it is nearly impossible today for a priest to have a fair hearing. There is no perfect justice or charity in this world, but these days falsely-accused priests don’t get anything like even the world’s “justice”. But even when priests are guilty of that by which they are accused, it doesn’t surprise me that priests are sinners or in the worst cases commit bad crimes. Yes, priests and bishops should be held to high standards. After all, even the devil holds them to high standards. The devil hates priests and works tirelessly to trip them. Holy Orders doesn’t make a man less human. Should I be surprised that priests are sinners? I am a sinner.

The bottom line is that you cannot depend on the personal holiness of priests or bishops for your own personal holiness. The only true Holy One is the Lord.

Thanks Fr. Z for this post, clarity is what is needed and you have provided it with this post. Here are some good prayers for our beloved priests at Vultus Christi.

+JMJ+

"Those who commit these types of scandals are guility of the spiritual equivalent of murder, but I', here among you to prevent something far worst for you. While those who give scandal are guilty of the spiritual equivalent of murder, those who take scandal- who allow scandals to destroy faith- are guilty of spiritual suicide." -- St. Francis de Sales

"Confession heals, confession justifies, confession grants pardon of sin. All hope consists in confession. In confession there is a chance for mercy. Believe it firmly. Do not doubt, do not hesitate, never despair of the mercy of God. Hope and have confidence in confession." --St. Isidore of Seville

St. Francis de Sales and St. Isidore of Seville quotes from Defend the Faith Catholic Quotes

True Wisdom - Dependence on God

Thus says the Lord:

Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings,
who seeks strength in flesh,
whose heart turns away from the Lord.
He is like a barren bush in the desert that
enjoys no change of season,
But stands in a lava waste,
a salt and empty earth.

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose hope is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted beside the waters
that stretches out its roots to the stream:
It fears not the heat when it comes,
its leaves stay green;
In the year of drought it shows no distress,
but still bears fruit.

More tortuous than all else is the human heart,
beyond remedy; who can understand it?
I, the Lord, alone probe the mind and test the heart,
To reward everyone according to his ways,
according to the merit of his deeds.

~Jeremiah 17: 5-10

~~~

O Lord, plant me in the rich soil where Your Love abides. Let me not be thrown onto the shallow path to be devoured by the evil one. Let me not fall on the rocky ground where my roots do not reach You and I whither and am scorched for lack of roots. Let me not be sown among thorns of worldly anxiety and lure of world riches which choke Your Word in my soul and keep me from bearing Your fruit.

Let me be as the tree planted beside the waters, that I may stretch out my roots deep in Your Abiding Love to reach You, the Everlasting Stream of Water, the Source of all Life. Lord, let me fear not the heat when it comes and give me no distress during the drought that I may still have green leaves and bear Your fruit.

Thank You for life and Love and Grace and all that comes our way. All is Grace. All is You. I abandon myself to Your Will. I Love You.

In Your Most Holy Name, Amen.

~~~

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the filed, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will He not much more provide for you, O you of little faith. So do not worry and say, 'What are we to eat?' or 'What are we to drink?' or 'What are we to wear?' All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.

~Matthew 7: 25 - 34


Prayer adapted from Matthew 13:1-23

Spiritual Warfare

I like to share things I find that are helpful in my journey. Here is a 4 part series by Father John Bartunek that I have found at Catholic Spiritual Direction on Spiritual Warfare. It is very informative:

Introduction to Spiritual Warfare - Part I

Introduction to Spiritual Warfare - Part II

identifying the enemy

Introduction to Spiritual Warfare - Part III

what is the devil up to?

Introduction to Spiritual Warfare - Part IV

getting down to action