Armour of God Prayer

Dear God, today we put on the full armor to guard our lives against attack. We put on the belt of truth to protect against lies and deception. We put on the breastplate of righteousness to protect our hearts from the temptations we battle. We put the gospel of peace on our feet, so we’re ready to take your light wherever you send us this day. We choose to walk in the peace and freedom of your Spirit and not be overcome with fear and anxious thoughts. We take up your shield of faith that will extinguish all the darts and threats hurled our way by the enemy. We believe in your power to protect us and choose to trust in you. We put on the helmet of salvation, which covers our minds and thoughts, reminding us we are children of the day, forgiven, set free, saved by the grace of Christ Jesus. We take up the sword of the Spirit, your very Word, the one offensive weapon given to us for battle, which has the power to demolish strongholds, alive, active, and sharper than any double-edged sword.

We ask for your help in remembering to put on your full armor every day, for you give us all that we need to stand firm in this world. Forgive us God for the times we’ve been unprepared, too busy to care, or trying to fight and wrestle in our own strength.

Thank you that we never fight alone, for you are constantly at work on our behalf, shielding, protecting, strengthening, exposing deeds of darkness, bringing to light what needs to be known, covering us from the cruel attacks we face even when we’re unaware. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

by Debbie McDaniel, All rights reserved.

In Ephesians 6:14-17, God lays out His armor.

1. Belt of Truth — to protect us against Satan, the deceiver and liar.
2. Breastplate of Righteousness — to represent our positional righteousness before God.
3. Shoes of the Gospel of Peace — to ensure we are at peace with everyone and ready to go wherever God calls.
4. Shield of Faith — to quench all of Satan’s fiery darts.
5. Helmet of Salvation — to ensure we know we are a saved child of God, covered by Jesus’ blood, possessing the mind of Christ.
6. Sword of the Spirit — the Word of God and our only offensive weapon.

Saint Michael the Archangel

War broke out in heaven;

Michael and his angels battled against the dragon.

The dragon and its angels fought back,

but they did not prevail

and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.

(Rev 12:7-12)

Jesus, King of MERCY

Share the Lord's Word

"He puts it on a lampstand 

so that whoever comes in can see it."

Luke 8:16

The Lord commands us to put the light of God's Word on the lampstand of our lives so as to give light to all. "Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ". For God's sake and for love's sake, share His Word.

Nothing is hidden from the eyes of God

“For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, 

nor is anything secret that will not become known 

and come to light.”

Luke 8:17

Stop the sinful things you are doing today and seek God’s mercy and forgiveness through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Come out of that confessional with a fresh start and a new freedom, the freedom to live without fear that your sins will be revealed. Make peace with God. And then begin to reshape your life and your habits. Take control of your passions and inclinations to sin.

Recovery, it's not easy

It's a scary prospect, requiring total faith and a willingness to trust strangers and leave behind everything familiar. It takes courage. Too often the men and women who come to us don't see themselves as courageous, but any time someone recognizes his or her problems and does something to change, that's courage in action.

Obtain an indulgence during the 100th Anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima

Gain Plenary Indulgence during the Jubilee Year For the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal, Pope Francis has decided to grant a plenary indulgence opportunity throughout the entire anniversary year, which began 27 Nov, 2016, and will end 26 Nov, 2017.

There are three ways of obtaining the indulgence:

1. Make a pilgrimage to the shrine

The first way is for “the faithful to make a pilgrimage to the Fatima Shrine in Portugal and participate in a celebration or prayer dedicated to the Virgin.” In addition, the faithful must pray the Our Father, recite the Creed and invoke the Mother of God.

2. Pray before any statue of Our Lady of Fatima

The second way applies to “the pious faithful who visit with devotion a statue of Our Lady of Fatima solemnly exposed for public veneration in any church, oratory or proper place during the days of the anniversary of the apparitions, the 13th of each month from May to October (2017), and there devoutly participate in some celebration or prayer

in honor of the Virgin Mary.”

Regarding this second way, the rector of the Fatima Shrine told that the visit to the statue of the Virgin “does not necessarily have to be only at Fatima or exclusively in Portugal,” but can be done anywhere in the world.

Those seeking an indulgence must also pray an Our Father, recite the Creed and invoke Our Lady of Fatima.

3. Application for the elderly and infirm

The third way to obtain a plenary indulgence applies to people who, because of age, illness or other serious cause, are unable to get around well.

These individuals can pray in front of a statue of Our Lady of Fatima and must spiritually unite themselves to the jubilee celebrations on the days of the apparitions, each month, between May and October 2017.

They also must “offer to merciful God with confidence, through Mary, their prayers and sufferings or the sacrifices they make in their own lives.”

To obtain the plenary indulgence, the faithful must also fulfill the ordinary conditions: go to Confession and Communion, be interiorly detached from sin, and pray for the intentions of the Holy Father.

Pope Francis' prayer for Fatima's 100th Anniversary

The pope composed a special prayer for for Fatima's 100th Anniversary, which he recited at the Little Chapel of the Apparitions on 12 May, 2017 during his visit to Portugal for the 100th anniversary of the Fatima apparitions. Below is the prayer.

Prayer

Hail Queen,

Blessed Virgin of Fatima,

lady of the Immaculate Heart,

refuge and path that leads to God!

Pilgrim of the Light that radiates from your hands,

I give thanks to God the Father who,

at all times and in all places,

acts within human history;

pilgrim of the peace that you announce in this place,

I praise Christ, our peace,

and I pray for harmony

among all peoples in this world;

pilgrim of the hope that the Spirit encourages,

I want to be a prophet and messenger to wash the feet of all,

at the same table that unites us.

Hail o clement, hail o loving! 

Hail Queen of the Rosary of Fatima. 

Hail o clement, o loving, o sweet Virgin Mary.

Hail Mother of Mercy,

lady dressed in white!

In this place where, 100 years ago,

you showed us all

the plans of mercy of our God,

I look at your garment of light

and, as a bishop dressed in white,

I remember all those who,

dressed in their white baptismal robes,

want to live in God

and pray the mysteries of Christ

to achieve peace.

Hail o clement, hail o loving! 

Hail Queen of the Rosary of Fatima. 

Hail o clement, o loving, o sweet Virgin Mary.

Hail, our life and sweetness,

Hail, our hope,

o pilgrim Virgin, o universal Queen!

From the depths of your being,

in your immaculate heart,

you see the joys of human beings

when they journey toward the heavenly homeland.

From the depths of your being,

in your immaculate heart,

you see the sorrow of the human family

that mourns and weeps in this valley of tears.

From the depths of your being,

in your immaculate heart,

adorn us with the radiance

of all the jewels in your crown and make us pilgrims as you were a pilgrim.

With your virginal smile,

strengthen the joy of Christ's church.

With your sweet gaze,

strengthen the hope of God's children.

With your prayerful hands that you raise to the Lord,

unite us all into one human family.

Hail o clement, hail o loving! 

Hail Queen of the Rosary of Fatima. 

Hail o clement, o loving, o sweet Virgin Mary.

O clement, o loving,

o sweet Virgin Mary,

Queen of the Rosary of Fatima!

Help us follow the example of

Blessed Francisco and Blessed Jacinta,

and all those who give themselves

for the Gospel message.

Thus, we will travel all the roads,

we will be pilgrims on all paths,

we will tear down all walls

and overcome all boundaries,

going to all peripheries,

there revealing God's justice and peace.

We will be, in the joy of the Gospel,

a church dressed in white,

in whitened robes washed in the blood of the Lamb

still pouring out in all the wars

that destroy the world in which we live.

And thus, we will be like you,

the image of the luminous pillar

that lights the paths of the world,

showing to all that God exists,

that God is here,

that God dwells in the midst of the poor

yesterday, today and for all eternity.

Hail o clement, hail o loving! 

Hail Queen of the Rosary of Fatima. 

Hail o clement, o loving, o sweet Virgin Mary.

Hail, Mother of the Lord,

Virgin Mary, Queen of the Rosary of Fatima!

Blessed among all women,

you are the image of the church dressed in the Easter light,

you are the honor of our people,

you are the triumph over the mark of evil.

Prophecy of the Father's merciful love,

teacher of the son's Good News,

sign of the Holy Spirit's burning fire,

teach us, in this valley of joys and sorrows,

the eternal truths

that the Father revealed to the little ones.

Show us the strength of your protective mantle.

In your immaculate heart,

be the refuge of sinners

and the path that leads to God.

United with my brothers and sisters

in faith, hope and love,

I give myself to you.

United with my brothers and sisters,

I consecrate myself to God,

O Virgin of the Rosary of Fatima.

And finally, wrapped in the light

that comes from your hands,

I will give glory to the Lord

for ever and ever.

Amen.

Hail o clement, hail o loving! 

Hail Queen of the Rosary of Fatima. 

Hail o clement, o loving, o sweet Virgin Mary.

100 Year Anniversary of Our Lady at Fatima, 1917 ~ 2017

Catholic Church celebrates the 100-year anniversary of the Marian apparitions near the Cova da Iria in Fatima, Portugal. The apparitions of Mary at Fatima, witnessed by three shepherd children, began on 13 May, 1917 and then again on the 13th day of five subsequent months, the final sixth apparition being on 13 October, 1917.

The month of October is just around the corner .....

The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on 7 October celebrates the protection of Christians through the intercession of the Mother of God. The entire month of October is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God under the title of Our Lady of the Rosary (Queen of the Most Holy Rosary) and the Holy Rosary. The Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of great devotion of all Catholic devotions. October also marks the final apparition of Our Lady of Fatima, on October 13, 1917, in Cova de Iria outside of Fatima, Portugal, the last of six monthly Marian apparitions to three shepherd children is said to have taken place.

We are called to pray the Rosary not only in the month of May and October or Saturdays but every day with a greater knowledge and appreciation of this prayer, and its power to transform our modern world like the transformation in the falling of communism in Russia into a religious freedom country. Our lady herself in her messages in apparitions in Lourdes and Fatima emphasizes the need to pray the rosary. Pope Benedict XVI quoted, “the rosary in fact provide a like for us with this primitive knowledge that repetition is a part of prayer, of meditation, that repetition is a way of settling oneself into the rhythm of tranquillity. It’s a matter of allowing myself to be carried away by the calm of repetition and of steady rhythm”. We are encourage to pray without ceasing, The church has encouraged the rosary prayer through many papal teachings. In praying the rosary, we remember the life of Jesus through the Rosary, and the role of his mother, Mary as first disciple in this plan of God, from Jesus’ conception via the Holy Spirit in her womb, to the agony and yet triumph of the cross, to the glory of Christ’s resurrection and ascension, and to the birth of the Church at Pentecost.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Our Lady’s 15 Promises to Those Who Pray Her Rosary

source: www.catholiccompany.com

1. Whosoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary shall receive signal graces.

[A signal grace may be a simple sign in daily life that answers a question made in prayer or points towards God’s will. For example, seeing a rose after finishing a novena to St. Therese of Lisieux could be considered a signal grace. Signal graces are often subtle or seemingly coincidental.]

2. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.

3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin and defeat heresies.

4. It will cause good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire for Eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means!

5. The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not perish.

[In other words, anyone who faithfully prays the Rosary and asks for Mary’s intercession will be saved from hell.]

6. Whosoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its Sacred Mysteries, shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of Eternal Life.

[An unprovided death means dying while not in a state of grace. The Blessed Mother promises that anyone who regularly prays the Rosary, and earnestly tries to live according to God’s will, will be spiritually prepared when their time of death comes.]

7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church.

8. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the Light of God and the plenitude of His Graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the Merits of the Saints in Paradise.

9. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.

10. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of Glory in Heaven.

11. You shall obtain all you ask of me by recitation of the Rosary.

12. All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.

13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire Celestial Court during their life and at the hour of death.

14. All who recite the Rosary are my Sons, and brothers of my Only Son Jesus Christ.

15. Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.

[By this the Blessed Mother means that a devotion to the Rosary is a good indication that the devotee is on the path to Heaven.]

Prayer for the Faithful Departed

Merciful Father, 

hear our prayers and console us. 

As we renew our faith in Your Son, 

whom you raised from the dead, 

strengthen our hope 

that all our departed brothers and sisters 

will share in His resurrection, 

who lives and reigns with You 

and the Holy Spirit, one God, 

forever and ever. 

Amen. 

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, 

and let perpetual light shine upon them. 

May they rest in peace.

God will provide the answer, just pray no matter what the situation is

Happy Birthday Mother Mary, Our dearest Divine Mother ~ 8 September 2017

The Catholic Church celebrates today the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

May Our Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, 

mother of Our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ 

intercede for us today and always!

Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated on 8 September nine months after the feast of her Immaculate Conception on 8 December. She was born to be the mother of the Savior of the world, the spiritual mother of all men, and the holiest of God's creatures. Mary was conceived and born immaculate and full of grace. She is the Mother of God and our Mother, too. Let us often call upon the Blessed Virgin as "Cause of our joy", one of the most beautiful titles in her litany. Only three birthdays is celebrated by Church, that is the birth of Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint John the Baptist. All three born without original sin, Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, Mary, because she was kept free from the stain of Original Sin by the action of God, and Saint John, because he was blessed in the womb by the presence of his Savior when Mary, pregnant with Jesus, came to aid her cousin Elizabeth in the final months of Elizabeth's pregnancy (the visitation).

Impart to your servants, we pray, O Lord, the gift of heavenly grace, that the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin may bring deeper peace to those for whom the birth of her Son was the dawning of salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.