Today's Gospel Reading

Gospel from Luke, 6:39-45

Jesus told his disciples a parable,
“Can a blind person guide a blind person?
Will not both fall into a pit?
No disciple is superior to the teacher;
but when fully trained,
every disciple will be like his teacher.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?
How can you say to your brother,
‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’
when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye?
You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.

“A good tree does not bear rotten fruit,
nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit.
For every tree is known by its own fruit.
For people do not pick figs from thornbushes,
nor do they gather grapes from brambles.
A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good,
but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil;
for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.” 

Blessed Are They Who Hope in the Lord

From today's Sunday Mass readings

Reading I, Jeremiah 17:5-8

Thus says the LORD:
Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings,
who seeks his 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 one 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.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6

R (40:5a) Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked,
nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
but delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.

R Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

He is like a tree
planted near running water,
that yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.

R Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.

R Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

Reparation Prayer for the First Saturday in February 2022

O Most Holy Virgin and our Mother, we listen with grief to the complaints of your Immaculate Heart surrounded with the thorns which ungrateful men place therein at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. 

Moved by the ardent desire of loving you as Our Mother and of promoting a true devotion to your Immaculate Heart, we prostrate ourselves at your feet to prove the sorrow we feel for the grievance that men cause you, and to atone, by means of our prayers and sacrifices, for the offenses with which men return your tender love.

Obtain for them and for us the pardon of so many sins. A word from you will obtain grace and amendment for us all.

Hasten, O Lady, the conversion of sinners, that they may love Jesus and cease to offend the Lord, already so much offended, and will not fall into hell. Turn your eyes of mercy toward us, that henceforth we may love God with all our heart while on earth and enjoy Him forever in heaven. 

Amen.  

The Divine Praises

Unite yourself to the Most Blessed Sacrament, the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Holy Spirit of God by praying the Divine Praises.

Blessed be God.

Blessed be His Holy Name.

Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.

Blessed be the Name of Jesus.

Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart.

Blessed be His Most Precious Blood.

Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.

Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.

Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most Holy.

Blessed be her Holy and Immaculate Conception.

Blessed be her Glorious Assumption.

Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.

Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse.

Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints. 

Amen.

In God I Trust; I Shall Not Fear

Today's Responsorial Psalm, 56:2-3, 9-10a, 10b-11, 12-13

R. In God I trust; I shall not fear.

Have mercy on me, O God, for men trample upon me;
all the day they press their attack against me.
My adversaries trample upon me all the day;
yes, many fight against me.

R. In God I trust; I shall not fear.

My wanderings you have counted;
my tears are stored in your flask;
are they not recorded in your book?
Then do my enemies turn back,
when I call upon you.

R. In God I trust; I shall not fear.

Now I know that God is with me.
In God, in whose promise I glory,
in God I trust without fear;
what can flesh do against me?

R. In God I trust; I shall not fear.

I am bound, O God, by vows to you;
your thank offerings I will fulfill.
For you have rescued me from death,
my feet, too, from stumbling;
that I may walk before God in the light of the living.

R. In God I trust; I shall not fear.

Saint John Neumann, Pray for Us

Prayer from the National Shrine of Saint John Neumann in Philadelphia.

Saint John Neumann, acknowledging our dependence upon Almighty God and recognizing the power of your intercession, we come to you because many prayers have been answered through your intercession. You were an inspiration to all who knew you. You went wherever the care of souls required your presence. You were always an example of charity and sacrifice. It was your life of virtue which merited a place in heaven. As we submit to the will of God in heaven, we pray that our petitions be granted for His honor and glory and for the salvation of souls.

Saint John Neumann, pray for us.

Saint John Neumann, manifest yourself to all who seek your help. Teach us to prefer God in everything we do. Protect us from spiritual and temporal harm. Alleviate the sufferings of the poor, the aged, and the infirm. Many times you experienced the sorrows of life, and yet you overcame those trials. Show us how to overcome our trials and tribulations. We want to grow in faith, hope, and love. Never let us forget that we are temples of the Holy Spirit. May we always be worthy of that honor.

Saint John Neumann, intercede for us.

Saint John Neumann, you had great devotion to our Eucharistic Lord. Pray that we may know and love the Eucharist as you did. Give strength and courage to the Vicar of Christ. Protect our bishops, priests, and religious. May all people be zealous for the kingdom of God. Enlighten the minds of people who seek truth. Lead them to the path of justice. How good it is to know that you will never forget our families, relatives, and friends. Protect our loved ones away from home. May your prayers comfort the souls of our departed brethren. St. John Neumann, pray that we may live and die in the state of grace.

Look upon us with favor, Saint  John Neumann. We claim you as our very own. You are familiar with the places where we live, work, and pray. As a priest, you lived here among our forefathers. You taught them. You blessed them. You prayed for them. How often they gathered to pray with you. You did this so that they might enjoy the glories of heaven. Just as our predecessors came to you, so now we come to you. We are confident you will not disappoint us. Pray for our intentions.

(Pause and reflect on your intentions)

Whatever God grants through your intercession, we accept with a deep sense of gratitude. We thank Him. We praise Him. We want to be with Him forever.

Let us pray:

Almighty God, you placed the holy confessor Saint John Neumann among the elect of Your sanctuary. May his life be an inspiration to all who seek eternal glory. May our prayers be answered through his intercession. May they be answered not only through his intercession but most especially through the merits of Jesus Christ, Who lives forever and ever. Amen.

Surrender Novena Day 1

Jesus, in this novena prayer, allows us to abandon ourselves to God. 

It is written as Our Lord's conversation with a soul who is experiencing suffering and worrying, as revealed to Don Delindo Ruotolo. Father Ruotolo was an Italian priest and at one time the spiritual director of Saint Padre Pio. Both men knew suffering very well and it guided their holiness. 

They, like Jesus, were so intimate with suffering that they understand our pain now in the Earthly life.

How to endure suffering? Surrendering ourselves to God. We invite Him to work within us. He provides the grace we desire if we give our pain, fear and worries to Him.

***

Why do you confuse yourselves by worrying? Leave the care of your affairs to me and everything will be peaceful. I say to you in truth that every act of true, blind, complete surrender to me produces the effect that you desire and resolves all difficult situations.

O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything. (Say 10 times.)

Reparation Prayer for the First Saturday in January 2022

O Most Holy Virgin and our Mother, we listen with grief to the complaints of your Immaculate Heart surrounded with the thorns which ungrateful men place therein at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. 

Moved by the ardent desire of loving you as our Mother and of promoting a true devotion to your Immaculate Heart, we prostrate ourselves at your feet to prove the sorrow we feel for the grievance that men cause you, and to atone, by means of our prayers and sacrifices, for the offenses with which men return your tender love.

Obtain for them and for us the pardon of so many sins. A word from you will obtain grace and amendment for us all.

Hasten, O Lady, the conversion of sinners, that they may love Jesus and cease to offend the Lord, already so much offended, and will not fall into hell. Turn your eyes of mercy toward us, that henceforth we may love God with all our heart while on earth and enjoy Him forever in heaven. 

Amen.  

Save Souls for the New Year

The Lord's Promise: The souls that say this chaplet will be embraced by My mercy during their lifetime and especially at the hour of their death. (Diary entry 754)

Learn how to pray the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy.

I promise that the soul that will venerate this image (of Divine Mercy) will not perish. I also promise victory over (its) enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I Myself will defend it as My own glory. (Diary entry 48)

Original Divine Mercy Image

Watch a live stream from the Divine Mercy Sanctuary at the Holy Trinity Church in Vilnius, Lithuania. 

The shrine is dedicated to the Divine Mercy and holds the original image of Divine Mercy. 

Eugeniusz Kazimirowski painted the image according to Sister Faustina as she saw Him in her visits with Christ. It was completed in 1934. The right hand of Jesus is raised to bless us and two rays representing His blood and water emanate from His Sacred Heart.  

Many miracles happen in veneration of the image and through Eucharistic adoration. Pray for Holy Souls and those on Earth using the Divine Mercy Chaplet.