June 13 - Day 3 of Novena to the Sacred Heart through Mary

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today is also the optional Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua. Many of us, perhaps, pray to St. Anthony to “find things” - often praying the childhood prayer: “St. Anthony, St. Anthony, please look around. Something is lost and needs to be found!”. Some may not know how great a preacher, St. Anthony was and how earnestly He sought to find and save “lost souls”.

Let us ask him to pray with us as we have asked Mary our Mother (especially today on Saturday, a day on which we honor her Great Faith especially. She continued to believe after seeing Jesus die on Good Friday, that He would rise from the dead as He promised.)

So let us again pray our Novena Prayer, preparing for the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 19, followed by the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, June 20:

O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, You said: “Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find; knock and and it shall be opened for you” With confidence in Your loving, compassionate Heart, I come to You as the Fountain of every Blessing. I ask You to make my heart humble and holy like Yours.

Grant me to live a holy life and to die a happy death. During this Novena, I humbly ask for certain spiritual and temporal favors: (insert your petitions here).

Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us! Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray with us and for us.

Hopefully, many of us are including in our petitions, prayers for the whole Church all over the world that priests and laity will together bear witness to God’s Truth and Love. There are many injustices in our day as there have been in the world since the Original Sin in the Garden of Eden. The evil one tempted oir first parents, Adam and Eve, and the world has inherited their weaknesses, but Jesus and Mary are for us the New Adam and the New Eve bringing to us New Life in Christ.

As we continue to pray the Novena Prayer let us pray with attention and devotion, confident in our faith as Mary was on the First Holy Saturday after the Death of her Son. Let us not forget to pray also the daily Rosary Mary has asked us all to pray, including the prayer after each decade which she taught the three shepherd children at Fatima:

“O my Jesus, forgive us our sins; save us from the fires of hell. Draw ALL souls to heaven, especially those in most need of God’s Mercy.”

Come, Holy Spirit fill the hearts of Your Faithful. Kindle in us the Fire of Your Love. Jesus Meek and Humble of Heart, make our hearts like Yours. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray with us and for us. St. Anthony of Padual pray for us and for all in need.

Today’s Mass Readings can be found at: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/0613-memorial-anthony-padua.cfm

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Stephie,

Thanks again for your Faith-Full and loving “heart”! Sorry I wasn’t able to include some of the Scripture from today’s Mass but the word count on CAF is not “unlimited”

I was especially blessed by the Responsorial Psalm and several verses from the Gospel:

Responsorial Psalm [Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 21-22, 25 AND 27]

R. (2) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
The favors of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim Your faithfulness.
For You have said, “My kindness is established forever”;
in heaven You have confirmed Your faithfulness.
R. Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
“I have made a covenant with My chosen one,
I have sworn to David My servant:
Forever will I confirm your posterity
and establish your throne for all generations.”
R. Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
“I have found David, My servant;
with My holy oil I have anointed him,
That My hand may be always with him,
and that My arm may make him strong.”
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
“My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him,
and through My name shall his horn be exalted.
He shall say of me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, the Rock, my Savior.’”
R. Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

How can we ever thank the Lord enough? How can we ever love Him enough? We can’t without Jesus and Mary to help us.

And from the Gospel (Luke 10: 1-9):

The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples
whom He sent ahead of Him in pairs
to every town and place He intended to visit.
He said to them,
"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the Master of the harvest
to send out laborers for His harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter, first say,
’Peace to this household.'
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you…

The Word of God is more precious than gold as the Lord tells us in Psalm 19:10 and Psalm 119:127. He reveals Himself to us, if only we will listen and ponder all He says and does, in our hearts as Our Mother Mary pondered the Scriptures in the Old Testament as well as all Jesus said and did during His time on earth.