Mysteries of the Rosary - Luminous Mysteries

The Rosary helps us to pray to Jesus through Mary. When we pray the Rosary, we think about the special events, or mysteries, in the lives of Jesus and Mary.  The Church has used three sets of mysteries for many centuries. In 2002 Pope John Paul II proposed a fourth set of mysteries—the Mysteries of Light, or Luminous Mysteries. According to his suggestion, the four sets of mysteries might be prayed on the following days":

• Joyful Mysteries -  Monday and Saturday
• Sorrowful Mysteries - Tuesday and Friday
• Glorious Mysteries - Wednesday and Sunday
• Luminous Mysteries - Thursday

The Loyola Press is the source for this post, and guide to praying the rosary.   You can also search the site for other common prayers. 
 

The Luminous Mysteries are:  

1. The Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan
   God proclaims that Jesus is his beloved Son.
2. The Wedding Feast at Cana
   At Mary’s request, Jesus performs his first miracle.
3. The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God
   Jesus calls all to conversion and service to the Kingdom.
4. The Transfiguration of Jesus
   Jesus is revealed in glory to Peter, James, and John.
5. The Institution of the Eucharist
   Jesus offers his Body and Blood at the Last Supper.

 

Ascension Thursday is May 14, 2015.

May is World Red Cross Month & National Nurses Day (May 6, 2015)

Dear God, help those who are suffering from cancer and other terminal diseases. Please strengthen them and comfort them as they battle their diseases.  Please bless their doctors, nurses, families, and caregivers and please give them guidance as they care for the sick.  Dear Jesus hear this prayer and please help us sinners to strive to be more like you. Amen.

          Anna 

Our fervent prayers are with the Jarczyk Family and the Harding Family.

Despite her own personal losses of husband and two daughters, Saint Elizabeth Anne Seton devoted herself to the spiritual development and healing of others.  During this Easter Season, Elizabeth Seton serves as a reminder to have faith-- especially those of us who are confronted with mortality. We can endure great loss knowing that Jesus died for us and Ascended up to Heaven. Because of His acute suffering during the Passion and upon His Resurrection, He has made a special place for all who choose to believe in and follow the Word of the Lord, particularly for those whose suffering strengthens their faith in God.    

 

Saint George of England (April 23)




Image source: St George Parish

Dear St. George, Patron Saint of England, please protect all countries on this earth from all types of wickedness and harm. Please help us stand up for what we believe in, just the way you did against Diocletian. Please help us be victorious over pride, anger, laziness, greediness, or anything evil. Please help us conquer terrorism which is causing so much harm to people. We ask all of this of you St. George, Amen.  
                                    

  Joe

 

About Relics

The word relics comes from the Latin reliquiae (the counterpart of the Greek leipsana ) which already before the propagation of Christianity was used in its modern sense, viz., of some object, notably part of the body or clothes, remaining as a memorial of a departed saint. The veneration of relics, in fact, is to some extent a primitive instinct, and it is associated with many other religious systems besides that of Christianity. At Athens the supposed remains of Oedipus and Theseus enjoyed an honour which it is very difficult to distinguish from a religious cult ..., while Plutarch gives an account of the translation of the bodies of Demetrius (Demetr. iii) and Phocion (Phoc. xxxvii) which in many details anticipates the Christian practice of the Middle Ages. The bones or ashes of Aesculapius at Epidaurus, of Perdiccas I at Macedon, ....were treated with the deepest veneration. As for the Far East, the famous story of the distribution of the relics of Buddha, an incident which is believed to have taken place immediately after his death, seems to have found remarkable confirmation in certain modern archaeological discoveries.... In any case the extreme development of relic-worship amongst the Buddhists of every sect is a fact beyond dispute.   (Continue reading source:  Catholic Online) 

St. Francis, Protector of the Environment

Source: Franciscan Vocation Ministry

Dear St. Francis,


Please help us to be more like you in our daily lives, and to always try to make the right decision. Help us to also be more loving and caring to our families, friends, and homeless. I ask this in your name, Amen.

                                                         Daniel


Earth Day is April 22.  On this day, it is fitting that we remember St. Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Ecology, who loved and cared for nature and all of the earthly wonders that God gave us.


"The current situation of our planet threatens the well-being and survival not just of ourselves, but of all future generations on the planet. As such, it is the premier moral issue of our time and one that needs to be taken up by all people, in the United States and around the world, while there is still time to prevent total disaster. We ignore this issue at our own peril and at the world’s, for God will judge us on how we act now in the crucial coming years."   --Br. Steve DeWitt, OFM