Looking For A Good Catholic Paper

If you are looking for a good Catholic paper which is informative, may I suggest the National Catholic Register. 

http://www.ncregister.com/

Some Food For Thought

I just read this little article and think it captures well what "crazy things" are happening in our so-called "enlightened" world. G. K. Chesterton was an outstanding thinking. I would highly suggest reading some of his works. You might we familiar with the "Father Brown" mysteries. A good read on an overcast day.

https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2018/05/01/murdered-by-a-machine/

May 3: Feast of the Apostles Philip and James

Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles

Philip and James “the Lesser” have shared this day since ancient times, just as they shared the patronage of an ancient Roman basilica, now the Church of the Twelve Apostles, in central Rome. James was one of the main pillars of the Church of Jerusalem, mentioned by Saint Paul in his Letter to the Galatians, 2:9). At the Council of Jerusalem (the first Council in the Church), James followed Peter’s lead, summarizing the Council’s decision (Acts 15:6 - 29). Saint James was martyred in Jerusalem in 61 AD.

Let us pray.

O God, who gladden us each year
with the feast day of the Apostles Philip and James,
grant us, through their prayers,
a share in the Passion and Resurrection
of Your only-begotten Son,
so that we may merit to behold You for eternity.
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.

May 2. Feast of Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Feast of Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

St. Athanasius (297 - 373), Bishop of Alexandria, Egypt, was a great champion of the against the Arian heresy at the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea. He suffered persecution, including seventeen years of intermittent exile, for resisting to compromise in the essentials of the Faith. He wrote many outstanding apologetical works.

Let us pray.

Almighty ever-living God,
who raised up the Bishop Saint Athanasius
as an outstanding champion of Your Son’s divinity,
mercifully grant,
that, rejoicing in his teaching and his protection,
we may never cease to grow in knowledge and love of You.
Through our Lord Jesus, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

Time to Storm Heaven for Ireland

Time to Storm Heaven for Ireland’s Unborn

On May 25, 2018 Irish citizens will vote in a referendum on whether to repeal the Eighth Amendment to the country’s Constitution. This amendment protects the equal right to life of the unborn child and its mother and effectively outlaws almost all abortions. A repeal would open the floodgates to great evil.

Prayers for Ireland to choose life are earnestly sought. Polls show the vote could be close.
One idea is a Novena to Ireland’s patron, St. Patrick. See the following prayer. It is suggested the Novena begin on May 5 and conclude on May 13 (Mother’s Day). On May 13 Irish pro-lifers will hold a special Day of Prayer: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/irish-pro-lifers-plan-day-of-prayer-and-penance-to-avert-the-major-abortion

After the Novena prayer, other prayer suggestions follow.

A NOVENA TO SAINT PATRICK

Apostle of Ireland Blessed saint Patrick, glorious Apostle of Ireland, who didst become a friend and father to Irish people for ages before their birth, hear my prayer and accept, for God, the sentiments of gratitude and veneration with which my heart is filled. Through thee many have inherited that faith which is dearer than life. I now make thee the representative of my thanks, and the mediator of my homage to Almighty God. Most holy Father and patron of Ireland, despise not my weakness; remember that the cries of little children were the sounds that rose, like a mysterious voice from heaven, and invited thee to come amongst the Irish. Listen, then, to my humble supplication; may my prayer ascend to the throne of God, with the praises and blessings which shall ever sanctify thy name and thy memory. May my hope be animated by the patronage and intercession of Irish forefathers, who now enjoy eternal bliss and owe their salvation, under God, to thy courage and charity. Obtain for me grace to love God with my whole heart, to serve him with my whole strength, and to persevere in good purposes to the end, o faithful shepherd of the Irish flock, who wouldst have laid down a thousand lives to save one soul, take my soul, and the souls of the Irish, under thy special care.
Be a father to the Church of Ireland and her faithful people. Grant that all hearts may share the blessed fruits of that Gospel thou didst plant and water. Grant that, as Irish ancestors of old had learned, under thy guidance, to unite science with virtue, we too, may learn, under thy patronage, to consecrate all Christian duty to the glory of God. I commend to thee this land, which was so dear to thee while on earth. Protect it still, and, above all, direct its chief pastors, particularly those who teach the faithful. Give them grace to walk in thy footsteps, to nurture the flock with the word of life and the bread of salvation, and to lead the heirs of the Saints thou hast formed to the possession of that glory which they, with Thee, enjoy in the kingdom of the Blessed: through Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Amen.

V. Pray for us, O glorious saint Patrick.
R. And obtain for us the intention of this Novena – the protection of Ireland’s precious
unborn and their dear mothers.

Prayers to Other Irish Saints

St. Columcille, pray for us.
St. Brendan, pray for us.
St. Brigid, pray for us.
St. Malachy, pray for us.
St. Finnian, pray for us.
St. Ita, pray for us.
St. Columban, pray for us.
St. Molaise, pray for us.
St. Colman, pray for us.
St. Lawrence O’Toole, pray for us.
St. Oliver Plunkett, pray for us.
All you Irish saints, pray for us.

ST. PATRICK'S BREASTPLATE

St. Patrick's Breastplate is a popular prayer attributed to one of Ireland’s most beloved patron
saints. According to tradition, St. Patrick wrote it in 433 A.D. for divine protection before
successfully converting the Irish King Leoghaire and his subjects from paganism to Christianity.
(The term breastplate refers to a piece of armor worn in battle.)

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation.
I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion with His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection with His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.
I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In the predictions of prophets,
In the preaching of apostles,
In the faith of confessors,
In the innocence of holy virgins,
In the deeds of righteous men.
I arise today, through
The strength of heaven,
The light of the sun,
The radiance of the moon,
The splendor of fire,
The speed of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of the sea,
The stability of the earth,
The firmness of rock.
I arise today, through
God's strength to pilot me,
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptation of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and near.
I summon today
All these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel and merciless power
that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul;
Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me an abundance of reward.
Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation.

May: The Month of Mary

The Month of May, the Month of Mary
(The following is taken from Catholic Culture.org)

The month of May is the "month which the piety of the faithful has especially dedicated to Our Blessed Lady," and it is the occasion for a "moving tribute of faith and love which Catholics in every part of the world [pay] to the Queen of Heaven. During this month Christians, both in church and in the privacy of the home, offer up to Mary from their hearts an especially fervent and loving homage of prayer and veneration. In this month, too, the benefits of God's mercy come down to us from her throne in greater abundance" (Paul VI: Encyclical on the Month of May, no. 1).

This Christian custom of dedicating the month of May to the Blessed Virgin arose at the end of the 13th century. In this way, the Church was able to Christianize the secular feasts which were wont to take place at that time. In the 16th century, books appeared and fostered this devotion.
The practice became especially popular among the members of the Jesuit Order — by 1700 it took hold among their students at the Roman College and a bit later it was publicly practiced in the Gesu Church in Rome. From there it spread to the whole Church.

The Month of Mary and the Popes

The pious practice of honouring Mary during the month of May has been especially recommended by the Popes. Pius XII made frequent reference to it and in his great Encyclical on the Sacred Liturgy (Mediator Dei) characterized it as one of "other exercises of piety which although not strictly belonging to the Sacred Liturgy, are nevertheless of special import and dignity, and may be considered in a certain way to be an addition to the liturgical cult: they have been approved and praised over and over again by the Apostolic See and by the Bishops" (no. 182).   Paul VI wrote a short encyclical in 1965 using the Month of Mary devotion as a means of obtaining prayers for peace. He urged the faithful to make use of this practice which is "gladdening and consoling" and by which the Blessed Virgin Mary is honored and the Christian people are enriched with spiritual gifts" (no. 2).
In May of 2002 Pope John Paul II said, "Today we begin the month dedicated to Our Lady a favourite of popular devotion. In accord with a long-standing tradition of devotion, parishes and families continue to make the month of May a 'Marian' month, celebrating it with many devout liturgical, catechetical and pastoral initiatives!"

Devotion to Mary

The Blessed Virgin Mary is the Mother of the Church and therefore the example, as well as the guide and inspiration, of everyone who, in and through the Church, seeks to be the servant of God and man and the obedient agent of the promptings of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, as Pope Leo XIII reminded us, is the soul of the Church: All the activity and service of the members of the Church, beginning with the supreme participation of the Blessed Mother in the work of the Church, is vivified by the Holy Spirit as the body, in all its activities, is vivified by its soul. The Holy Spirit is the Paraclete, Advocate, and Comforter which Christ Himself sent to be our consolation in the sorrowful mysteries of life, our source of moderation in the joyful mysteries of life, our added principle of exaltation in the glorious mysteries of life.  So He was for the Blessed Mother; so also He is for the least of us; so also He is for the rest of the Church, even for those who are its unconscious but conscientious members. Wherever there is faith there is the example of Mary, because she lived by faith as the Scriptures remind us....  If, then, piety is the virtue which binds us to the sources of all life, to God, to our parents, to the Church, to Christ, certainly Christian piety binds us, in grateful love, to Mary — or our acceptance of Christ and of the mystery of our kinship with Him is imperfect, partial, and unfulfilled.

Mary and Our Spiritual Life

In our observance of the Marian month we should take into account the season of the Liturgical Year which largely corresponds with the fifty days of Easter. Our pious exercises could emphasize Our Lady's participation in the Paschal mystery and in Pentecost with which the Church begins. The pious exercises connected with the month of May can easily highlight the earthly role played by the glorified Queen of Heaven, here and now, in the celebration of the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist.

The following practices which are recommended by the Magisterium are offered as suggestions for honoring Our Lady during Her month.

The Regina Coeli

The ecclesial community addresses this antiphon to Mary for the Resurrection of her Son. It adverts to, and depends on, the invitation to joy addressed by Gabriel to the Lord's humble servant who was called to become the Mother of the saving Messiah.

The Rosary
Also called the Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Rosary is one of the most excellent prayers to the Mother of God. Thus, "the Roman Pontiffs have repeatedly exhorted the faithful to the frequent recitation of this biblically inspired prayer which is centered on contemplation of the salvific events of Christ's life, and their close association with the Virgin Mother."

Litanies of the Blessed Virgin Mary

These consist of a long series of invocations to Our Lady, which follow in a uniform rhythm, thereby creating a stream of prayer characterized by insistent praise and supplication.

Consecration and Entrustment to Mary

The Roman Pontiffs have frequently expressed appreciation for the pious practice of "consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary" and the formulas publicly used by them are well known.  Saint Louis Grignon de Montfort is one of the great masters of the spirituality underlying the act of "consecration to Mary". He "proposed to the faithful consecration to Jesus through Mary, as an effective way of living out their baptismal commitment."

The Brown Scapular and other Scapulars

The scapular is an external sign of the filial relationship established between the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother and Queen of Mount Carmel, and the faithful who entrust themselves totally to her protection, who have recourse to her maternal intercession, who are mindful of the primacy of the spiritual life and the need for prayer.

Medals

These are witnesses of faith and a sign of veneration of the Holy Mother of God, as well as of trust in her maternal protection.  The Church blesses such objects of Marian devotion in the belief that "they help to remind the faithful of the love of God, and to increase trust in the Blessed Virgin Mary."

The Litany of Loretto

The Litany of the Blessed Virgin–also called the Litany of Loretto–is one of the many Marian litanies, or praises of Mary, composed during the Middle Ages. The place of honour it now holds, in the life of the Church, is due its faithful use at the shrine of the Holy House at Loretto, which, according to tradition, was the small cottage-like home where the Holy Family had lived and which was miraculously transported by angels, in 1291, from the Holy Land to its present location in Loretto. It was definitely recommended by Pope Clement VII and approved by Sixtus V in 1587, and all other Marian litanies were suppressed, at least for public use.
Its forty-nine titles (fifty, or fifty-one, or even more, in some versions: with "Mother of the Church" and "Mother of Mercy" and being the 'official' 'newcomers' in recent times and which are included on the Vatican website version) and invocations set before us Mary's exalted privileges, her holiness of life, her amiability and power, her motherly spirit and queenly majesty. Reflection on the titles of the litany, therefore, will unfold before us a magnificent picture of our heavenly Mother, even though we know little about her life.  In form, the Litany of Loretto is composed on a fixed plan common to several Marian litanies already in existence during the second half of the fifteenth century, which in turn are connected with a notable series of Marian litanies that began to appear in the twelfth century and became numerous in the thirteenth and fourteenth. The Loreto text had, however, the good fortune to be adopted in the famous shrine, and in this way to become known, more than any other, to the many pilgrims who flocked there during the sixteenth century. The text was brought home to the various countries of Christendom, and finally it received for all time the supreme ecclesiastical sanction. Pope Sixtus V, who had entertained a singular devotion for Loretto, by the Bull "Reddituri" of 11 July, 1587, gave formal approval to it, as to the litany of the Holy Name of Jesus, and recommended preachers everywhere to propagate its use among the faithful.

May 1: Saint Joseph the Worker

May 1
Saint Joseph the Worker

Pope Pius XII instituted this feast in the Roman Calendar in 1955. May Dy was chosen for this particular feast due to the fact that this is Labour Day in many countries. Saint Joseph is invoked by workers and all those who seek justice for workers. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states this about work: “In work, the person exercises and fulfills in part the potential inscribed in his nature. The primordial value of labour stems from man himself... Work is for man, not man for work.”
(CCC 2428).

Let us pray.

O God Creator of all things,
who laid down for the human race the law of work,
graciously grant that by the example of Saint Joseph
and under his patronage
we may continue the works You set us to do
and attain the rewards You promise.
Through our Lord Jesus, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

For a substantial teaching on "Human Work," I recommend reading chapter 6 of The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.