Prayer for Tough Times: Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Source:  Pixabay

It’s been more than a year since I last blogged.

2021 was a tough year for me. I know it’s been challenging for a lot of others too, especially those who got sick and those who lost loved ones along the way. 

Though we know challenges and problems are a part of life, when something huge comes unexpectedly, or they come one after another, that's when it becomes difficult.

If you're having a tough time now, or have friends and loved ones who are, here's a prayer you can say.  This novena prayer was recited every day by Padre Pio for all those who asked for prayers from him.  May your prayers be answered too. 🙏🙏  If you don't have time to pray the novena,  just pray to Him persistently.  

Important reminder - sometimes the answer doesn't come right away, or it's not in the form we are expecting, but just trust.  Because once you reflect and look back, you'll be able to connect the dots, and realize why things had to happen. 

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Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus 

O my Jesus, You have said: “Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.” Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of <insert petition>.

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be … 

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You. 

O my Jesus, You have said: “Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in My name, He will give it to you.” Behold, in Your name, I ask the Father for the grace of <insert petition>.

Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be… 

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You. 

O my Jesus, You have said: “Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but My words will not pass away.” Encouraged by Your infallible words I now ask for the grace of <insert petition>.

Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be… 

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You. 

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of You, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, Your tender Mother and ours. 

Say the Hail, Holy Queen. 

St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.

A Beautiful Prayer after Holy Communion (by St. Pio)

Usually after Holy Communion, my prayer is in free form - in short, anything goes whatever comes to mind which I want to tell God or ask from Him. 😅  But I discovered this beautiful prayer after Holy Communion by St. Pio.  It beautifully captures what we want to tell and ask from God, but which we are unable to articulate on our own.   Now, I try to pray it first before I start my free form prayer. 🙏🙏

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Image by Tep Ro from Pixabay

Prayer of St. Pio of Pietrelcina after Holy Communion

Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You. You know how easily I abandon You.

Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak and I need Your strength, that I may not fall so often.

Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life, and without You, I am without fervor.

Stay with me, Lord, for You are my light, and without You, I am in darkness.

Stay with me, Lord, to show me Your will.

Stay with me, Lord, so that I hear Your voice and follow You.

Stay with me, Lord, for I desire to love You very much, and always be in Your company.

Stay with me, Lord, if You wish me to be faithful to You.

Stay with me, Lord, for as poor as my soul is, I want it to be a place of consolation for You, a nest of love. 

Stay with me, Jesus, for it is getting late and the day is coming to a close, and life passes; death, judgment, eternity approaches. It is necessary to renew my strength, so that I will not stop along the way and for that, I need You. It is getting late and death approaches, I fear the darkness, the temptations, the dryness, the cross, the sorrows. O how I need You, my Jesus, in this night of exile! 

Stay with me tonight, Jesus, in life with all it’s dangers. I need You. Let me recognize You as Your disciples did at the breaking of the bread, so that the Eucharistic Communion be the Light which disperses the darkness, the force which sustains me, the unique joy of my heart. 

Stay with me, Lord, because at the hour of my death, I want to remain united to You, if not by communion, at least by grace and love. 

Stay with me, Jesus, I do not ask for divine consolation, because I do not merit it, but the gift of Your Presence, oh yes, I ask this of You!

Stay with me, Lord, for it is You alone I look for, Your Love, Your Grace, Your Will, Your Heart, Your Spirit, because I love You and ask no other reward but to love You more and more. With a firm love, I will love You with all my heart while on earth and continue to love You perfectly during all eternity. 

Amen.

Prayer for the Most Neglected Souls

Source

November 1 is All Saints' Day and November 2 is All Souls' Day.  And although we pray for our dearly departed all year-round, let us also find time to pray for those souls who have long been forgotten. 🙏

Here's a short prayer I once found in a prayer book which I saved on my mobile phone and printed out too and keep by the altar for easy access.  It just takes a few seconds to pray but the small deed goes a long way. 

Prayer for the Most Neglected Souls
Jesus, for the sake of the agony that you endured,
during your fear of death,
at the Garden of Gethsamane,
at the Scourging,
at the Crowning with thorns,
on the way to Calvary,
at your Crucifixion and death,
have mercy on the souls in Purgatory,
especially on the souls who are completely forgotten.
Deliver them from their bitter pains,
call them finally to yourself
and embrace them in your arms in Heaven.
Amen.

Prayer for Physical and Spiritual Healing

We're at a time when prayers for healing - whether for physical, spiritual or emotional - are most needed.

Below is one of the most beautiful prayers on healing a friend shared with me.  I tried to research who wrote it but sources online don't have any attribution.

The original prayer was written from the first person point of view - for one's own healing - but it's also a beautiful prayer to say for someone else's healing.  However, every time I pray it for someone else's healing, it's distracting to substitute the pronouns as you're mentally reciting the words. It ruins the solemnity of praying.  😅  And so, I made a version 2 which is meant for someone's healing.

Below are the 2 versions of the prayer.  Just copy and paste the prayers on your phone so you can easily say these short prayers for yourself and for others.

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Source

Prayer for Healing (Physical and Spiritual Healing) for One's Self

Heavenly Father,
I call on you right now in a special way.
It is through your power that I was created.
Every breath I take, every morning I wake,
and every moment of every hour, I live under your power.

Father, I ask you now to touch me with that same power.
For if you created me from nothing,
you can certainly recreate me. 

Fill me with the healing power of your spirit.
Cast out anything that should not be in me.

Mend what is broken.
Root out any unproductive cells.
Open any blocked arteries or veins and rebuild any damaged areas.
Remove all inflammation and cleanse any infection.
Let the warmth of Your healing love pass through my body
to make new any unhealthy areas
so that my body will function the way You created it to function.

And Father, restore me to full health in mind and body
so that I may serve You the rest of my life.
I ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Prayer for Healing (Physical and Spiritual Healing) for Someone

Heavenly Father,
I call on you right now in a special way.
It is through your power that <name of person> was created.
Every breath he/she takes, every morning he/she wakes,
and every moment of every hour, he/she lives under your power.

Father, I ask you now to touch him/her with that same power.
For if you created him/her from nothing,
you can certainly recreate him/her. 

Fill him/her with the healing power of your spirit.
Cast out anything that should not be in him/her.

Mend what is broken.
Root out any unproductive cells.
Open any blocked arteries or veins and rebuild any damaged areas.
Remove all inflammation and cleanse any infection.
Let the warmth of Your healing love pass through his/her body
to make new any unhealthy areas 

so that his/her body will function the way You created it to function.

And Father, restore him/her to full health in mind and body
so that he/she may serve You the rest of his/her life.
I ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lenten Prayer for Spiritual Renewal

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Beyond fasting and abstinence, Lent is about repentance and renewing our faith in preparation for Easter.  Sharing with you a beautiful Lenten prayer I found online. 🙏 

Lenten Prayer for Spiritual Renewal

God, heavenly Father, look upon me and hear my prayer during this holy Season of Lent.

By the good works You inspire, help me to discipline my body and to be renewed in spirit.  Without You, I can do nothing. 

By Your Spirit, help me to know what is right and to be eager in doing Your will.  Teach me to find new life through penance. Keep me from sin, and help me live by Your commandment of love. 

God of love, bring me back to You. Send Your Spirit to make me strong in faith and active in good  works. May my acts of penance bring me Your forgiveness, open my heart to Your love, and prepare me for the coming feast of the Resurrection of Jesus. 

Lord, during this Lenten Season, nourish me with Your Word of life and make me one with You in love and prayer.  Fill my heart with Your love and keep me faithful to the Gospel of Christ.   Give me the grace to rise above my human weakness. Give me new life by Your Sacraments, especially the Mass.

Father, our source of life, I reach out with joy to grasp Your hand; let me walk more readily in Your ways.  Guide me in Your gentle mercy, for left to myself I cannot do Your Will.

Father of love, source of all blessings, help me to pass from my old life of sin to the new life of grace. Prepare me for the glory of Your Kingdom. 

I ask this through our Lord JesusChrist, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever.

Amen.

A friend's answered prayer + Prayer to Sleeping St. Joseph

The first time I heard about Sleeping St Joseph was during Pope Francis' visit to Manila in 2015.  In one of his speeches, he shared that he has a devotion to St Joseph because he is a man of silence and strength.  Pope Francis said that someone gave him this statue of a Sleeping St Joseph and whenever he has any problems or petitions, he would put notes under the statue so that St Joseph would dream about them on his sleep.

Sleeping St Joseph

Over the holidays, a friend was visiting from the US and we caught up.  She told me of this amazing story of how St. Joseph interceded for them.  Her husband was looking for a job coz his current employer is streamlining.  He was specifically eyeing job posts in 3 companies (all tech companies I adore.😍).  The first company's offer was below their target.  In as much as the husband liked the job and company, they had kids to raise and a mortgage to pay.  The opportunity in the second company didn't materialize.  So it was down to the last company - it had to be it and hopefully, it meets their target.  

My friend asked her husband what is the figure that the family needed.  She wrote the figure down on a piece of paper and put it under their Sleeping St. Joseph statue and prayed the prayer to the Sleeping St. Joseph.🙏

The day arrived when the husband was called in by the company to present the offer sheet.  Guess what? The figure in the offer sheet was exactly the same figure which my friend put under the Sleeping St Joseph - yes, down to the last dollar!!!😮 Amazing, right!? 

I have a Sleeping St Joseph statue since 2015 but I've never put any note under it yet coz St. Joseph might end up having a bed as high as the bed in The Princess and the Pea. Haha... 😂

Anyway, if you don't have a statue yet, no worries, it's the prayer that counts. Here you go:

Prayer to Sleeping St. Joseph

O Saint Joseph, you are a man greatly favored by the Most High. The angel of the Lord appeared to you in dreams, while you slept, to warn you and guide you as you cared for the Holy Family. You were both silent and strong, a loyal and courageous protector.

Dear Saint Joseph, as you rest in the Lord, confident of His absolute power and goodness, look upon me. Please take my need into your heart, dream of it, and present it to your Son.

(Mention your request.)

Help me then, good Saint Joseph, to hear the voice of God, to arise, and act with love. I praise and thank God with joy.

Saint Joseph, I love you. Amen.

Prayer for our departed loved ones & the poor souls

It's All Souls' Day.  

What's more important than visiting our departed loved ones in the cemetery is saying a prayer for their eternal rest, as well as praying for all the poor souls especially those who have long been forgotten.  Our prayers can help them reach heaven more quickly.  And even if we think our loved ones are in heaven already, our prayers are never wasted since they benefit other souls in need.   

My daily prayer for departed loved ones and poor souls is just short -

1 Lord’s Prayer,  1 Hail Mary, 1 Glory Be
Eternal rest grant unto them,  O Lord.  And let perpetual light shine upon them.  May they rest in peace. Amen.

But since it's All Souls' Day, I googled for special prayers for the Poor Souls and found a couple of beautiful prayers.

The first one is a Prayer by St. Gertrude, a Benedictine nun and mystic who lived in the 13th century. According to the article I read, God promised her that 1,000 souls would be released from purgatory each time it is said devoutly.  

Prayer of St. Gertrude for the Poor Souls

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.

The second one is a Prayer to Our Lady of Mt Carmel.  

Prayer to Our Lady of Mt Carmel for the Poor Souls
O Most holy Virgin, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, you are the joy of the Church Triumphant, and help of the Church Militant, and the comfort of the Church Suffering. Therefore, extend, we pray to you, your merciful glance on those numerous souls who suffer in the fires of Purgatory and free them, that they may be admitted to the beatific vision of God as soon as possible.

Remember, O Holy Virgin, to help especially those of my relatives, and those who are most abandoned and devoid of help. O most merciful Virgin, pour the merits of the precious blood of Jesus on the elect brides of Jesus Christ until they are comforted in the Heavenly glories.

And you, Holy Souls, O elect souls, who can do so much through your prayers to God for us, intercede, therefore, for us and free us from the dangers of body and soul. Protect our families until we have all been granted admission to eternal happiness. Amen.

Hope you can spend some time to pray for the poor souls in purgatory. Though they cannot pray for themselves, they can intercede for us. And hopefully, when it's time we need prayers, someone will say these prayers for us too. :)

Sta. Rita de Cascia: Saint of the Impossible

Sta. Rita of Cascia is one of the earliest saints I came to know because she is the patron saint of my parents' hometown.  As a kid, I only know she's the Saint of the Impossible and know little about her because she's not commonly included in books of saints.  Also, there wasn't google at that time! Haha...

But I remember as a young adult, I chanced upon a movie about St. Rita's life on TV during Holy Week.  I really think there's merit to having a few tv channels  and a limited selection of shows during Holy Week since it forces you to watch shows you wouldn't normally watch.  Sadly, in this day and age wherein you have hundreds of cable channels, and you can watch anything you want at a click of a button, there's a slim chance for this kind of shows to make it to mainstream.

Anyway, St. Rita's feastday is celebrated on May 22, the day of her passing away in 1457.  Our house help who experienced the town fiesta celebration this year (for the first time) mentioned that while tuned in to the radio, a listener asked why is Sta. Rita holding a skull. Good question. I never thought of looking that up ever. And since there's google now, there's no excuse not to find out. Haha...

To some of you who aren't familiar with Sta. Rita, here's probably the most popular depiction of her in a stampita.

For the statues, there are some which depict Sta. Rita holding a cross (sometimes with roses).  One may mistaken her for St.Therese but the difference is Sta. Rita has a wound on her forehead.  Some Sta Rita statues also hold a skull like this -

During a trip to Italy (St. Rita's home country) a few years ago, we were able buy a small Sta. Rita statue that is holding a cross.  We we were asking the Italian vendors if they had the version with the skull but they weren't familiar with it so I'm not sure if the skull version is just in the Philippines.  Anyway, after our house help raised the question, I just had to google and research about the skull! Haha...

I read several articles but I haven't found a direct answer on what the skull symbolizes but I found an aspect of Sta. Rita's life that has some connection to the skull. 

There was a Franciscan friar named Blessed James of Mount Brandone who came to Cascia and preached about the sufferings of Jesus and he centered on the excessive sufferings of Christ caused by the crown of thorns.  The words deeply moved St. Rita and overflowing with sadness and tears, she later prostrated herself at the foot of the crucifix and began to medidate on the pains of Jesus suffering from the crown of thorns which penetrated deeply into His sacred temples.  With the desire to suffer some of the pain Jesus suffered, St. Rita asked Jesus to give her at least one of the 72 thorns of His crown of thorns.  A thorn was thrust into Sta. Rita's forehead penetrating his flesh and skull, and leaving a wound that lasted for the rest of her life. 

St. Rita was in her 60s when she got the stigmata and she bore it until she died in her mid-70s.

Another account states:

"... in some manner a huge thorn was thrust into her forehead so hard that it pierced the skull and remained there even beyond the rest of her mortal life. It was a most unusual form of stigmata .... It should be noted that St Rita is partially mummified, and her skeleton remains in tact after 550 years... in the sanctuary of the Basilica Di Santa Rita da Cascia. An examination of her skeleton with modern tools has verified that her forehead does indeed bear the marks of a deep thorn-like wound." 

So perhaps the skull is a reminder of her suffering - the thorn which penetrated her skull. But I am just guessing.  In the photo of the antique statue above, it does look like that there's some kind of of mark at the middle of the skull's forehead. Although I've also seen statues where the skull didn't have any mark.  Anyway, I will update this post if ever I come across an official answer. :) 

For those who don't know St. Rita, here's a gist of her life:

Margherita, nicknamed Rita, was born in 1381 in a village called Roccaporena near Cascia, Italy.  In their dialect, Rita means "Pearl".  

As a kid, Rita frequently visited the Augustinian nuns in Cascia, Italy and dreamt of joining them one day.  However,  she was betrothed (a custom during that time) to a man name Paolo Mancini.  She obeyed her parents' will and married Mancini instead.  They had twin boys.  

Mancini was a watchman of their town.  At that time, rivalries existed between 2 political factions and Mancini was often drawn into conflicts. His husband brought the tension to their home, his violent temper developed into brutality and he would kick,  struck and abuse St. Rita.  

One day, his husband was ambushed and killed.  Rita feared that his teenage sons would avenge their father's death and in fact, overheard them talking about it.  She prayed that her sons be spared from committing a grave sin and eventually, her sons died from natural causes (but they were able to repent and receive the sacraments before passing away).  

Rita then tried to apply at the Augustinian convent to be a nun but was rejected several times.  But instead of feeling bad, she persevered.  Accounts say that one night, her favorite saints called her and accompanied her to the Augustanian convent.  Even if all the doors of the convent were shut closed, she miraculously was able to enter the convent. When the nuns found her inside the convent the next day and Rita told them about the story, they were astonished and asked for forgiveness. She was 36 when she entered the convent.

She is known as the saint of the Impossible because there are several accounts in her life which manifested impossibility and also instances when she prayed for impossible requests that were granted.  Here are some: 

• When she was a baby, it is said that white bees swarmed around Rita while sleeping in her crib.  The bees entered and exited her mouth but not stinging or harming her in any way.  When she entered the convent, these stingless bees followed her.  Up until this day, it is said that the bees (though no longer white) leave the convent during holy week every year and return on May 22, the feast of St. Rita.

• It is also said that once, a prioress asked her to pick up a dead stick, plant it and water it daily to test her patience. She obeyed and planted the dead stick and watered it every day for a year. Then leaves sprouted from the stick and became a bountiful grape vine in the convent garden. Today, almost 600 years later, it is said that the same grape vine remains bountiful. Every year some of these grapes are made into wine and sent to the pope, cardinals and various people across the state. The leaves are also dried and powdered and sent all over the world as relics to people who are suffering. There have been many cures reported due to use of the grape leaves.

• A few months before her death, a cousin visited St. Rita and asked her if she had any special requests.  St. Rita requested for a rose from her parents' garden.  The thing was, it was January then, it was winter and it was impossible for a rose to bloom!  Nevertheless, her cousin went to the home of St. Rita's parents and found a beautiful red rose in full bloom in a leafless rose bush.  

• On another visit and also during winter, she asked that figs be brought to her from a frozen fig tree located in a certain garden in Roccaporena.  And just as she had described the fig tree, her cousin found 2 ripe and luscious figs that winter!  

Today, St. Rita's incorrupt body lies at the Basilica of St. Rita in Cascia, Italy.  Haven't been there yet but I do hope I will be able to visit someday. :)

Photo source: National Geographic

St. Rita is also known as the patroness of abuse victims, desperate causes, difficult marriages, forgotten and lost causes, impossible causes, infertility, parenthood, sick people and widows.  If you wish to ask for her intercession, here's a prayer to St. Rita. 

Oration To The Saint Of The Impossible

O excellent St. Rita, worker of miracles, from thy sanctuary in Cascia, where in all thy beauty thou sleepest in peace, where thy relics exhale breaths of paradise, turn thy merciful eyes on me who suffer and weep! Thou seest my poor bleeding heart surrounded by thorns Thou seest, O dear Saint, that my eyes have no more tears to shed, so much have I wept! Weary and discouraged as I am, I feel the very prayers dying on my lips. Must I thus despair in this crisis of my life? O come, St. Rita, come to my aid and help me. Art thou not called the Saint of the Impossible, Advocate to those in despair? Then honor thy name, procuring for me from God the favor that I ask. (Here ask the favor you wish to obtain.) 

Everyone praises thy glories, everyone tells of the most amazing miracles performed through thee, must I alone be disappointed because thou hast not heard me? Ah no! Pray then pray for me to thy sweet Lord Jesus that He be moved to pity by my troubles and that, through thee, O good St. Rita, I may obtain what my heart so fervently desires. 

(Pray the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father, three times.)

BTW, if you want to pay homage to the relic of Sta. Rita in the Philippines (yes, there's a relic here), you may visit the Sta. Rita Church in Pampanga.  Sharing with you photos of the relic.

Every August 17, the anniversary when the relic arrived at the Sta. Rita Church, special masses throughout the day are celebrated and the relic is brought out to be kissed by devotees. But at any given day, you should be able to view the glass-encased statue of Sta. Rita bearing the relic inside the church.
 
To go to Sta. Rita Church, just take the Olongapo-Gapan Road (Subic-bound if you're coming from Manila). When you reach the intersection in Pampanga where there is a Caltex Station (on your left), Mary the Queen School (on your left) and the Provincial Hospital (on your right), turn right right after the Provincial Hospital. Go straight about 2 kms and when you reach the public market, turn right (this is the first street on your right). Go straight and after about 200 meters, you should see the Church on your left. Sunday masses at the Sta. Rita Church are at 5am, 630am and 830am.

Simple prayer technique for busy people

While reading "A Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality in Real Life" by Fr. James Martin, SJ, there was something about what he said on praying which jolted me.  He shared that when he was a young boy, he used to think God as the Great Problem Solver who would fix all his problems if he just prayed hard enough.  His prayers went like "Let me get an A on my social studies test...  Let me do well in math... Let tomorrow be a snowy day." 

That reminded me about my prayers as a child too - praying to get a good grade but not really studying hard enough... Praying for a sunny weather on weekends when it's time play .... and secretly praying that there will be a typhoon so there won't be classes (but during those times, signal # 2 typhoons didn't cause much flooding as they do now!).  

Fr. Martin shared that as he grew older, the model of God as the Great Problem Solver collapsed because he realized God didn't seem interested in solving all his problems as he prayed and prayed and prayed but all his problems weren't still solved.  And eventually, he saw and experienced God in many different lights.

This really struck me because I still view God as the Great Problem Solver.  I've never progressed!  Waaaa...... I still say petitionary prayers and hope they get answered - the only difference between now and when I was a kid is I'm more patient now (and don't pray for a signal #3 typhoon so work will be called off!). And if my prayers don't get answered immediately, I know and hope they will eventually!

Fr. Martin cautions people who say petitionary prayers (asking God for something) of its pitfalls. He says it can remove from our spiritual lives an awareness of God's freedom and may move into the realm of superstition and even magic.  You might feel that if you pray a certain prayer, or in a certain way, or use a fixed number of repetitions, you might just be able to cajole God into doing something, to force God to respond.  He underlines that prayers are not spells or incantations designed to make something happen.  Ouch! Because sometimes I think God will answer my prayers out of kakulitan (persistence)! Haha... 

I seriously have to work on re-learning how to pray.  But the great news is "No form of prayer is better than another" as the book mentions.  So maybe I'm not doing that bad either. (Ok, I'm just trying to justify and feel good. Haha...)

Moreover, being busy is not an excuse for not praying. Here's another excerpt from the book which really struck me:

Be careful when saying my work is my prayer.  This may mean our work leads to God. Or it is an excuse for not praying.  Or it may mean we're doing neither wholeheartedly.  
Uh-oh....

Anyway, St Ignatius popularized a prayer structure called "examen" in Spanish which is a daily examination of conscience.  It is a 5-step process which goes like this:

1. Give thanks for all the good things that happened during the day
2. Ask for grace to know your sins
3. Review your day and examine your learnings. Think of it like a movie playing in your head as the book suggests.  What's important about reviewing your day is to notice what made you happy, or stressed, or confused, or more loving.  And to also recall the sights, sounds, tastes, textures and conversations because each moment offers a window where God has been in our day. 
4. Ask for forgiveness.
5. Ask for God's grace to help you the next day.
Then Close with a prayer like Our Father.

What's great about praying the examen regularly is it will also help us answer the question "Why doesn't God answer our prayer?" because as Fr Martin puts it - most of the time, we fail to recognize when God answers our prayers when they are not in the way we expect them to be.  :) 

Prayer for the New Year

Here's a beautiful prayer which my Mom and I annually say on the last day of the year.  It's from her prayer book called "My Travel Companion".

O God, our Father, today we are looking back across the year which is now passing from us.  

There is so much for which we need forgiveness.
 For the time we have wasted; for the opportunities we have neglected; for the stress we have given to the wrong things; for all the mistakes we have made.

There is so much for which we ought to give You thanks.
For health and for strength; for protection in the time of danger; for healing in the time of illness; for consolation in the day of sorrow; for daily light and daily encouragement.

Bless those for whom this has been a happy year, make them give thanks to You.  Bless those for whom this has been a sad year, and help them still to face the future with steady eyes.  And help us in the year to come so to live that at the end of it, we shall not only be one year older, but that we shall also be one year nearer You.  Amen.

To a greater year ahead!  Happy New Year!:)

Photo source: publicdomainpictures.net

A Rosary (Chaplet) with 12 beads

Two years ago, we visited Prague, Czech Republic, and had the chance to visit the church where the Holy Infant Jesus of Prague (the European version of the Sto. Nino) was housed.

During the visit to the Church of Our Lady of Victorious where the statue is housed, we only had limited time to get souvenirs so I bought this one decade rosary in a rush.

When we got home and we were organizing our purchases, my mom noticed that the rosary had 12 beads + 3 beads, not 10 beads + 3 beads! I thought it was almost impossible for the church to have sold rosaries that were erroneously made. So I tried googling for “12-bead rosary”, “rosary with 12 beads” and other iterations but never got any results related to the Infant Jesus. So for almost 2 years, I never figured out what it was for! Haha…

Finally, during Holy Week, my mom mentioned about using the “Chaplet of Our Lady of Sorrows”. It’s a rosary with 7 sets of 7 beads each. Chaplet! <Lightbulb moment>  So these prayer beads are called chaplets, not rosaries.

To me, anything that has beads strung together with a religious medal is called a rosary! Haha… Apparently, a rosary is strictly the 5 decade rosary as we know it, and a chaplet is a form of Catholic prayer which also uses prayer beads but not necessarily related to the Virgin Mary. A chaplet can focus on Jesus or saints.

So I googled “Chaplet of the Infant Jesus of Prague” and finally found the relevant results.

Here's how to use the Chaplet of the Infant Jesus of Prague:

When holding the medal, say the ff prayer:

"Divine Infant Jesus,
I adore Thy Cross
and I accept all the cross
Thou wilt be pleased to send me.
Adorable Trinity,
I offer Thee
for the glory of Thy Holy Name of God,
all the adorations of the Sacred Heart
of the Holy Infant Jesus."
Before each of the beads, pray -
"And the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us."

On each bead of the 3 beads after the medal, say Our Lord's Prayer.  These are said in honor of the Holy Family.

On each bead of the 12 beads, say a Hail Mary.  These are in memory of the 12 years of the Sacred Infancy of Jesus.

At the end of the Chaplet, pray:
"Holy Infant Jesus, bless and protect us."

So the next time you see prayer beads which have 3 beads, 4 beads, 8 beads, 12 beads, 6 decades, or a rosary which has different bead colors, don’t worry, that’s not something an absent-minded rosary-maker erroneously did. It’s called a chaplet. :)

For a list of popular chaplets, you can visit wikipedia's page on Chaplet (prayers).

Why we need to pray for the Souls in Purgatory

I grew up developing a devotion for the poor souls in purgatory because ever since I was a kid, praying for them was part of our regular family prayers.  When my dad passed away more than 10 years ago, I started adding a special prayer for him so there’s not a single day that I don’t think about him.  In fact, I also visit the cemetery frequently  - let me see … during New Year, my parents’ wedding anniv, Valentine’s, Father’s day, his bday, his death anniv, All Saint’s Day, my bday, Christmas and sometimes in between special occasions.  Nine times a year at the least ! More frequent than my movie trips. Haha…

Anyway, last year, when I accompanied my mom to Libreria de San Pablo, I bought a booklet entitled “Devotion to the Holy Souls in Purgatory”.   Other than prayers, it also contained excerpts from an interview with Maria Simma, a simple peasant from Sonntag, Austria who has been visited by poor souls in purgatory starting in 1940 when she was 40 yrs old.  (She passed away in 2004 at the age of 89.)

Here are some enlightening truths about death, purgatory and the poor souls from the interview with Maria Simma:

• “The souls in Purgatory see very well the day of their funeral.  They know those who are praying for them and those who don’t.  Tears of their loved ones do not help them.  What helps them is prayer.  They complain that many of those who attend their burial do not pray for them.”
• “The souls in Purgatory cannot do anything for themselves.  If the living do not pray for them, they are altogether helpless.  That is why it is important to utilize the immense, unbelievable power that we have in our hands to help set free the suffering souls… This is one of the most beautiful ways to exercise our charity.” 
• “To light a candle for the souls is an act of love that gives moral  help to the souls; candles are blest and they cast aside darkness where the souls are.”
• “The souls we have helped will in turn be grateful to us.  May we be aware that the souls help us, know our needs, and obtain graces for us.”

Sharing with you the daily prayer I say for them.  It only takes a few minutes.
1 Lord’s Prayer,  1 Hail Mary, 1 Glory Be
Eternal rest grant unto them,  O Lord.  And let perpetual light shine upon them.  May they rest in peace. Amen.

And here’s a nice prayer for the Most Neglected Souls which I got from the “Devotions to the Holy Souls in Purgatory” booklet:

Jesus, for the sake of the agony that you endured during your fear of death at the Garden of Gethsemane, at the Scourging, at the Crowning with thorns, on the way to the Calvary, at your crucifixion and death, have mercy on the souls in Purgatory, especially on the souls who are completely forgotten.  Deliver them from their bitter pains, call them finally to yourself and embrace them in your arms in Heaven. Amen.

I was so engrossed by the excerpts of Maria Simma’s interview that I searched for the book containing the full interview entitled “Get us out of Here”.  It isn’t available locally but you can order it via Amazon.com.      I gave a copy to my mom as a gift but of course, I’m borrowing it. Haha… Will share more next time. :)