Categoría: reflections

May is the month of Mary

Hi folks! I hope this finds you well.

May — the month of Mary!

I just wanted to share with you the link to a beautiful transcript and podcast that includes some of the private revelations, including those given to St Bridget of Sweden and Ven. Mary of Agreda, all compiled in Raphael Brown’s book (2014), entitled ‘The Life of Mary as Seen by the Mystics’.

The link comes from Our Catholic Prayers website (first established in 2006 by Christopher Castagnoli, the author of the material and a lay volunteer at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City).

It is a beautiful site that I discovered some time back, and it has a great wealth of prayers: prayers for all moments and occasions, reflections, daily readings, meditations, novenas, litanies, as well as podcasts and valuable links, blogs and a prayer request page too. I think there is something for everyone in this very rich site.

Below is an extract from Brown’s book, The Life of Mary as Seen by the Mystics, taken from the Our Catholic Prayers site:

“Later, when Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in turn began to write the Gospels, the Blessed Virgin not only prayed for them, but also appeared to each and requested him not to mention her except when absolutely necessary (emphasis added). Only St. Luke received her permission to write somewhat more freely about her, and he drew much of his information from her direct inspiration. Even when St. John wrote his Gospel some years after Mary’s death, she appeared to him and told him that it was still not opportune for him to reveal the mysteries which he knew concerning her part in the plan of the Redemption, in order that many of the new Christians who had been idolaters should not make a goddess of the Holy Mother of their God (emphasis added).”…

“She also prayed regularly with the Apostles and disciples and gave them helpful instruction on mental prayer. Gradually they all realized that their departed Master had left them an ideal guide in His modest and holy Mother, and more and more they came to look upon Mary as their Mediatrix with Him and as the Consoler and Mother of His spiritual family, the Church.»

The page finishes with Mary’s assumption into heaven, when she pronounces:

«My Son and my Lord, Thou didst suffer death without being obliged to do so. It is proper therefore that as I have tried to follow Thee in life, so I follow Thee also in death» before she finally uttered AS SHE DIED OF LOVE, “Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.”

This is just part of the article written on The Hidden Mary — and I strongly recommend the Our Catholic Prayers website for true nourishment of the soul.

But before I go, I just wanted to include the hymn we used to sing at school and church in England during May. It’s called Bring flowers of the Rarest. (I also remember dear old Sister Carmela who used to nod off during our history class as she steadily munched her way through her McVitie’s digestives!).

Thank you for visiting. As usual, your comments are always welcome!

Take care, bye for now xxx

Week of Christian Unity, the World Council of Churches and the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle 

Hi folks! I hope you’re well.

This week has been the annual Week of Christian Unity. We have been asked to pray for this cause. I must admit that I found it a bit difficult at first, because the term ‘Christian Unity’ was rather abstract for me, and to pray properly, in a focused way, I needed more understanding and structure.

I prayed for guidance, and sure enough, the next day an answer was presented to me! It was in the form of day-to-day prayers, readings, reflections, questions and go-and-dos. I found this link when looking for something else in the newsletter of my former church, Our Lady Queen of Peace RC, where I used to attend when living in London (I have since been living in Cordova for the last 33 years). So I would just like to share the link of this day-to-day prayer pamphlet with you which you can access here — it really is worth a browse!

Another site mentioned in the text is the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle. This is also interesting and eye-opening — one which “takes us through every region of the world over the course of a year.

Praying for each place on earth and its people at least once a year, we affirm our solidarity with Christians all over the world, brothers and sisters living in diverse situations, experiencing diverse problems and sharing diverse gifts. Pray with us!”— World Council of Churches.

Every week, prayer is dedicated to different countries in the world. This week (starting on the 23rd of January) the prayers are for Cyprus, Greece and Turkey. See here for the following weeks and countries. (Last week it was the turn of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.)

Below I have copied and pasted part of the prayers and intercessions for this week’s Cyprus, Greece and Turkey. The page and photos can be viewed here.

(As I am not using this blog for commercial purposes, I am not infringing any copyrights, but I did want to provide an example of the important and interesting work that the World Council of Churches are doing.)

Cyprus, Greece and Turkey (23-29 January) Intercessions (From World Council of Churches)

We are thankful for:

  • the 2,000-year presence and witness of the church in Asia Minor (now Turkey, Cyprus, and Greece) – the region in which St Paul and other apostles first planted the seeds of the Christian faith – and for how Greek culture influenced the early church
  • the Church Fathers who came from this area, along with many men and women who were Christian martyrs, and where seven ecumenical councils were convened
  • the pioneering work of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in quest of Christian unity and for protection of the environment
  • those who have reached out to assist people who have fled to, and through, these lands.

We pray for:

  • the healing of memories and wounds inflicted by early 20th century genocides of Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian communities, and for current tensions in these lands
  • enhanced respect for all minority groups and their claims,
  • those who work for justice and reconciliation
  • the people who struggle because of economic and political crises in these countries
  • more stable democratic governments that further the good of all.

Prayers

A morning prayer

Our spirit seeks you in the early dawn, O God,
for your commandments are light.
Teach us, O Master, your righteousness
and make us worthy to follow your commandments
with all our strength.
Take away from our hearts every darkness.
Grant to us the Sun of righteousness
and protect our lives from any bad influence
with the seal of your most Holy Spirit.
Direct our steps to the way of peace
and grant to us that this present morning may be peaceful
so that we may send up the morning hymns
to you the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
the only God,
who is more than without beginning  
and creator of all. Amen.

(Excerpt from a morning prayer to the Holy Trinity, St. Basil the Great, 4th century, from Let us pray to the Lord, p. 58, WCC Publications)

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 Here is the Facebook page of the World Council of Churches. https://www.facebook.com/WorldCouncilofChurches. They also have a blog: https://www.oikoumene.org/blog, as well as Twitter and other social media. You can also subscribe to receive their newsletters.

Well, I think that’s all from me for now! Thank you once again for visiting me! Comments and questions are always welcome!

Bye for now and take care! xxx