Vote For the 2011 Bloggers Choice Awards

The time is right to vote for the 2011 Bloggers Choice Awards. Once again, I was nominated by some kind soul and I do appreciate it!

However, I would like to ask all of the readers to the Faith of the Fathers Blogs, to vote for my favorite Catholic blog, "What Does The Prayer Really Say?" by Father John Zuhlsdorf, known as Father Z to those who regularly read his blog. 

I never miss a day reading his blog, and in fact, I use a service to tweet his posts to my twitter account so those who follow me on twitter can read his posts, and I use the same service to share his blog posts on Facebook, too. His blog is also listed on the right hand sidebar of Faith of the Fathers Blogs under the heading "My Favorite Catholic Blogs" (they are in alphabetical order so scroll down to find WDTPRS).

To vote for Father Z's blog you can click here to vote. You will have to sign up to cast your vote, but don't worry. They don't share your email and do not send you any kind of spam or unwanted emails. So go vote for Father Z now!

And if you don't read his blog, then you are missing out my friends!

If by some chance you'd also like to vote for me (you CAN vote for more than one blog, it would be nice to see THREE Catholic blogs take the top three spots) you can vote for me by clicking here. I'd be happy to get more than the 4 or 5 votes I got last year!

Regardless of who else you vote for, please do cast a vote for Father Z's blog first. He has a strong start at the moment, and I for one would like to see him finish strong because to be honest, the man truly deserves it for all of his hard work!!

A Couple of Reading Suggestions From Our Blogs

Here are two reading suggestions for those of you new to our blogs. Some are buried way deep in the archives, and only get read by accident now and then.

The first is by Marie, posted on April of 2006. It is called "Spiritual Priorities". Here is a snippet: "To help us visualize what we have placed as all important let us do this test......If you were told that you had only 48 hours to live, what would you be impelled to do? Go out and buy the latest scandal sheet in order that you know who is divorcing who or what star is squabbling with another? Would you go to your local blockbuster video and DVD store and order reruns of your favourite soap opera's then sit glued to your sofa as you spend the remaining hours of your life in front of the telly?" This is on the "Spirituality and Mysticism" blog.

The second is by me, Steve. It is called "Too Smart For The Church?" It was posted on February of 2006. Here is a snippet: "We have all seen those individuals or groups of individuals, who think that there is nothing more for them to learn about our faith, that they have grown spiritually as far as it is humanly possible for them to grow. These self-assured people think nothing more can be acquired by them from the study of Holy Scripture, the writings of the Saints, nor from the instruction and guidance of the Church. We have even seen some proclaim themselves the only “true Christians”, the only “true Catholics”." And this one is on the "Spiritual Warfare" blog.

I seem to be stuck in 2006 on these two suggestions, but I encourage you to explore the archives. There are some good posts there, especially those by Marie.

Ask What They Mean By "Choice"

From Jill Stanek comes the following:

When NARAL announced a “Blog for Choice Day,” to be held this Friday, January 21, my blood boiled.

How dare they celebrate the upcoming 38th anniversary of the infamous Roe v.Wade decision with their ambiguous claptrap.

Over 50 million babies have been killed in America since that terrible day, most certainly nothing to cheer about, unless you’re in Rome at the Colosseum perhaps.

So pro-life bloggers are banding together to sponsor a counter “Ask Them What They Mean When They Say ‘Choice’ Blog Day” on the same day, January 21.

We’re also encouraging all pro-lifers on Twitter and Facebook to participate.

The idea is simple. Any time any of us reads pro-aborts spouting their obscure “choice” rhetoric on a blog, website, Facebook, or Twitter, we call them out on it. We ask them to explain what the “choice” is.

Is it to eat carrots rather than broccoli? To wear red instead of blue? No, of course “choice” is code for killing babies. What’s their problem with the A-word?

Yes, this is a shameless scheme to suck oxygen out of the pro-aborts’ social media universe, to deny them any time whatsoever to support abortion without defending it.

Continue reading about this here. 

My blog will be participating.

New Faith of the Fathers Poll

Who has had the most influence on your faith?
	Mother
	Father
	Both Parents
	Grandparent(s)
	Sibling(s)
	Other Relative or Friend
	Priest
	Religious (Sister, Friar, etc.)
	Saint
	The Holy Father
pollcode.com free polls

Saint of the Day for January 8

Today, while making my rounds around the internet, I happened across 3 different Catholic sites (I won't say what sites) that have incorrectly identified today's saint as being Saint Apollinaris, bishop of Ravenna. His feast or memorial day is actually on July 23.

The saint for today is Saint Apollinaris of Hierapolis. His feast day is January 8. His short biography appears on “Saints of the Faith”.

For an accurate calendar of memorial and feast days of the saints, there are two reliable online sources with which I am familiar. The first is from the late Father John Hardon's “Modern Catholic Dictionary”, and the second is at “The Patron Saints Index”.

Saint Quote of the Day Poll!

Two days are left to vote on the Saint Quote of the Day poll "Who are your favorite saint quotations from?" The choices to vote for are:

Saint Francis of Assisi
Saint Augustine of Hippo
Saint Francis de Sales
Saint John Vianney
Saint Teresa of Avila
Saint Therese of Lisieux
Saint Catherine of Siena
Saint Thomas Acquinas
My patron saint (Name in the poll comments)
I like them all

Click the link below to vote in the poll located on the right sidebar.

Saint Quote of the Day Poll!

You Might Want To Take This Quiz Just For Fun

So, here I was, just minding my own business. Making sure that all the blogs listed under "My Favorite Catholic Blogs" are working properly.

I clicked the link for "The Way of the Fathers" and patiently waited for the page to load. I noticed something at the top of their sidebar that I had somehow missed before. It is a link for a quiz on their blog. The quiz is "Which Church Father Are You?"

Now I am someone who loves the Church Fathers and I read quite a bit of their writings when I can. I could not resist taking this quiz, and got the following result:

You’re St. Melito of Sardis! You have a great love of history and liturgy. You’re attached to the traditions of the ancients, yet you recognize that the old world — great as it was — is passing away. You are loyal to the customs of your family, though you do not hesitate to call family members to account for their sins. Find out which Church Father you are at The Way of the Fathers!

I am not going to tell you what my answers were except for the first one. The question was "When you hear the co-worker in the next cubicle utter heresy, you instinctively…" I chose "b"..."hit him with a mallet and then question his masculinity".

I suppose I chose that because of something a former contributor...Marie in fact... once said to me. She said "Steve, when you believe strongly in something, you don't try to whitewash it, or beat around the bush. You hit them right between the eyes with a hammer, and more or less say, 'this is the way it is, take it or leave it'." Which is true when it comes to the Church. You either follow the Magisterium and teachings of the Church and the Holy Father or you don't. In my opinion there is no "middle road". 

The middle road is for CINO's.

If you'd like some information on Saint Melito of Sardis, just click on his name for a post I wrote about him on "The Early Church Fathers" back in December of 2005.

Warning: The Advent Virus

The Advent Virus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anonymous via email

WARNING……WARNING: ADVENT VIRUS

Be on the alert for symptoms of inner Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. The hearts of a great many have already been exposed to this virus and it is possible that people everywhere could come down with it in epidemic proportions. This could pose a serious threat to what has, up to now, been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world.

Some signs and symptoms of The Advent Virus:

• A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.
• An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
• A loss of interest in judging other people.
• A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
• A loss of interest in conflict.
• A loss of the ability to worry. (This is a very serious symptom.)
• Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
• Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
• Frequent attacks of smiling.
• An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.
• An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.
  

Please send this warning out to all your friends. This virus can and has affected many systems. Some systems have been completely cleaned out because of it.

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Thanks to Father Brian Cavanaugh, TOR, of the Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio for his kind permission to use "The Advent Virus" which appears on his website "Apple Seeds"®.

Pay For Prayer ? Not On My Blogs!

Today, I shared a post from Father Zuhlsdorf's blog, "What Does The Prayer Really Say?" I received a comment on the shared post from a man who asked that I look at a "prayer exchange website", and here is what the comment said:

Hey Steve, my name is John. I read a lot of blogs on religion and prayer and I've i feel like I've ended up here once before. I'd love to hear your thoughts about this prayer exchange website, (I removed the website name). I thought it was an interesting idea and would be curious to hear what you (or other Christians) think about it

I'll check back here in the next day or two, thanks & God bless

John W.

So I went to the website, primarily because I thought a "prayer exchange website" an interesting idea. It was an interesting idea that is, until I went to the website. When I went there, I found something that is rather disturbing to me.

Now when you first go to the website underneath the title at top you read:

“Exchange Prayers With the World”. Then, as you read on down you see that you earn “tokens” for reading prayers. You can “buy” tokens or “earn” tokens when you pray for others. The website even tells you that you can earn money praying for others. The site says that you can have members video record readings of your prayers for $1 each.

What? Pay to pray? You have got to be kidding me!

This reminds me of a particular scandal some years back. It seems that a certain televangelist was offering viewers a “prayer cloth” he had prayed over for their particular needs. All they had to do was send in a letter with their prayer needs, and their donation, and he would send them the “prayer cloth”. The trouble is, no prayer requests were read, let alone prayed over. The checks were taken out, the letters discarded, and a “prayer cloth” that the televangelist never even saw, looked at, or touched was sent back to the donor.

I suppose that the creators of this “Pray for Pay” site think that as long as they can be checked up on by using videos, people can be assured that their prayers are “read”.

If someone is hurting, if they are suffering, if they are in need, how could anyone ever ask to be paid to pray for them?

Anyway, here is the response I intended to put back (but decided to post on this instead) into my comments section:

John,

I looked at this website, and thought a prayer exchange website among Christians an interesting idea. That is, until I saw one of the boxes there entitled "Get Paid to Pray". So, prayer is now "for sale"? I find this unconscionable and I am amazed at the concept of "pay for prayer". My blogs have had prayer requests posted for many people from around the world, and at no time have these blogs asked for payment for prayer, nor would we ask anyone to pray for any reason other than to pray from the heart for someone in need of prayer. Our "payment" is when those whom we have prayed for contacts us, and let's us know that God answered their prayers, their needs. Prayer that was freely offered up through the intercessory prayers of the Blessed Virgin, the saints, the angels, and the prayers of these blogs creators and readers. At no time would I ever promote or condone any prayer for pay website.

This in fact reminds me of Saint Luke's account in the Acts of the Apostles regarding a certain man offering to pay for the gift of the Holy Spirit:

Acts 8: 9 - 24 .... Now there was a certain man named Simon, who before had been a magician in that city, seducing the people of Samaria, giving out that he was some great one: To whom they all gave ear, from the least to the greatest, saying: This man is the power of God, which is called great. And they were attentive to him, because, for a long time, he had bewitched them with his magical practices. But when they had believed Philip preaching of the kingdom of God, in the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also; and being baptized, he adhered to Philip. And being astonished, wondered to see the signs and exceeding great miracles which were done. Now when the apostles, who were in Jerusalem, had heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John. Who, when they were come, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost. For he was not as yet come upon any of them; but they were only baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands upon them, and they received the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw, that by the imposition of the hands of the apostles, the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying: Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I shall lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said to him: Keep thy money to thyself, to perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast no part nor lot in this matter. For thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Do penance therefore for this thy wickedness; and pray to God, that perhaps this thought of thy heart may be forgiven thee. For I see thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bonds of iniquity. Then Simon answering, said: Pray you for me to the Lord, that none of these things which you have spoken may come upon me.

So, in essence, this is the first time, that I will pray for a site to fail. No one should be asking to receive money for prayer, or seek to be paid for praying.

No one!

Your thoughts?

Archdiocese of Atlanta and Diocese of Savannah Undertake New Initiative

The Archdiocese of Atlanta and the Diocese of Savannah are partnering in a new undertaking called "Catholics Come Home". The campaign which will run from December 16 through January 29 will be using television commercials, the Internet, and social media among other efforts to bring the once-faithful back into the fold. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a story on this effort available online which you can read by clicking here.

One item in the story gives this information : "According to a recent study by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, those who have left Catholicism outnumber those who have joined the Catholic church by a nearly 4-1 margin" ( source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution).

So here are some experiences, statements, and opinion from yours truly in regard to this effort (an effort which falls in line with  Pope John Paul II's call for a new evangelization). An effort in which I hope and pray for great success.

I think this effort by the Archdiocese of Atlanta is a great idea, and one that is long overdue. Some of those fallen away Catholics sadly enough are "new" converts.

As a convert myself, I know that some of the folks whom I went to RCIA with are no longer seen at Mass. A good friend of mine, who converted several years before I did noticed the same thing. She decided to go see one couple whom she knew that had converted and then stopped going to Mass, and ask them why.

The husband told her that when they were in RCIA, attending Mass regularly, and participating in the rites, people were "making a fuss" over them, always offering suggestions and encouragement. Then after coming into full communion with the Church, all the friendliness, suggestions, and encouragement stopped. People would gather in their own little groups (as happens at all parishes, and I am sure without any intent to slight anyone), and this couple was not included. The priest and the parish seemed to have little time for them after they entered into the Church. The husband even said, "they seemed to forget all about us once we entered the Church. Since we stopped going to Mass, we haven't heard anything from them, except the letters we get that ask for donations for various reasons. When they want or need money, they always remember us then."

I have to admit, that I also stopped going to Mass for quite awhile myself. And it wasn't because I became "just another face" in a pew. I ended up being very disappointed in the whole parish.

Just shortly before my 51st birthday, I had a heart attack. I was fortunate that it wasn't a "major" heart attack, but was what the doctors call a "light" (they call it light because they weren't the one who had it) heart attack. Upon my first day in a regular hospital room, I called the parish to inform them myself of my situation. I was there in the hospital for 4 days, and then was recuperating at home for the next 6 weeks.

In that whole time, I never saw or heard from anyone at the parish. Now granted, our priest had been chosen by the bishop to head the planning for the Eucharistic Congress that was taking place in Asheville at the time, but I was never contacted by anyone. Even my doctor (who is Catholic) couldn't understand why no one came by or called.

For a long time after I didn't attend Mass. Then I realized I was only hurting myself by not going to Mass. So, I began going again when I could. I don't get to go every Sunday, usually just one Sunday a month because of the job I have (in retail), and I really would like to find employment that would allow me to go every Sunday. That is a problem though. When you only have a high school education those Monday through Friday jobs are hard to come by.

I will say this, and it pains me to say it.

There is one area where Protestant churches have "one up" on the Catholic parishes. If one goes to a Protestant church, and then doesn't go as much, or stops going altogether, the Protestant churches will come knocking on your door. They want to know why you aren't in church. They come to encourage you to return to church, and to let you know that you are wanted, and are missed. They will come to your home.... whether it is the minister, a deacon, or someone from the membership of that church... they will come.

I think that the Catholic parishes tend to think, that once one has converted, been confirmed, and/or baptised, that is that, and it all ends. Not so. One must never forget, that conversion is not a one time event. One's conversion, like all of one's salvation, is a lifetime process that never ends until we draw our last breath. We must always be learning, always be converting, always be working out our salvation "with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2,12) as Saint Paul said.

We must be ever vigilant and mindful of our souls and our salvation, and not just our salvation and our souls, but we must also be vigilant and mindful of the souls and the salvation of all of our brothers and sisters. We must all help to feed and nourish those hungry souls with caring, with encouragement, and with love. Caring, encouragement and love not for just a day, but for all days.

© Copyright 2010 Steve Smith. All rights reserved.

About "Goffine's Devout Instructions"

As many readers of Faith of the Fathers blogs know, I try to incorporate "Goffine's Devout Instructions" whenever possible for  a Feast, Solemnity or Memorial of the Church. Some have asked who Goffine is, or rather was, and so I did a little research, and found this information primarily from the Catholic Encyclopedia.

I condensed the article down somewhat, but if you want to read it in it's entirety just click  the link above.

Here is what I have:

Leonard Goffiné was German Catholic priest born December 6, 1648 in Cologne (some sources say Broich).

At the age of 19 he entered the Norbertine Abbey of Steinfield. and he began his two year novitiate in July 1667. He was then sent to the Norbertine College in Cologne for his courses of philosophy and theology. He was ordained a priest on Ember Saturday before Christmas in 1667.

He was sent to Dunwald to assist the priests who were in charge of the direction of the parishand the convent of the Norbetine canonesses. Afterwards, in the same duty, he was sent to Ellen where there was also a convent od Norbertine nuns. He was in each of these places for 4 years until he was recalled by the abbott to fill the office of novitiate master on February 26, 1680. He was later given charge of the parish of Clairholz.

Goffine remained at Clarholz five years (1680–85), and was sent to Niederehe, a priory which the Abbey of Steinfeld possessed in the Archdiocese of Trier. He remained in Niederehe only a  short time, being sent in 1685 to assist the clergy of St. Lambert's at Coesfield, in the Diocese of Munster. He left Coesfeld in 1691, where he undertook the charge of the parishes, first of Wehr, then of Rheinböllen, and afterwards of Idar-Oberstein, from December, 1696, until his death on August 11, 1719.

While he was at Coesfeld he wrote his best-known work, Handpostille oder Christkatholische Unterrichtungen auf alle Sonn und Feyer-tagen des ganzen Jahrs (brief commentaries in the form of question and answer on the Proper of the mass, principally on the Epistle and gospel of the day). This book (which is primarily known in english as "Goffine's Devout Instructions") was ready in 1687, and in 1688 it received the imprimatur of the Vicar-General of Münster, and in 1690 the approbation of Rev. William Heimbach, Norbertine prior of Meer, and of Rev. John Dirking, Rector of the Jesuit college of Hildesheim. The first edition, printed in 1690, was soon exhausted, and a second edition was printed in Cologne in 1692. Translations have been made into Moravian, Bohemian, Hungarian, English, French, Italian, and Flemish.

If you'd like, you can download a free version of "Goffines Devout Instructions" by clicking here.

From The Vatican Information Service

 

 

"At the same time, States have the right to regulate migration flows and to defend their own frontiers, always guaranteeing the respect due to the dignity of each and every human person. Immigrants, moreover, have the duty to integrate into the host country, respecting its laws and its national identity".

Read more from the Vatican Information Service on Pope Benedict XVI.

Just To Let You Know

I have been busy making a few needed changes on the Faith of the Fathers blogs.

Primarily the changes are to both of the sidebars of all the blogs. No longer will the first things a visitor sees be the advertisments and promotions on these blogs. They are still there, just located at the bottom of each sidebar. That way it's not so "in your face" with those items anymore. They have never been of the primary importance to these blogs in the first place.

On top of the left sidebar of each blog is a link to the Welcome page, and a link to our Privacy Policy. I instituted a Privacy Policy as the Google Ads program required one, and so I complied. Below that are some links to some important sites, such as Priests for Life, and 2 Catholic Charitable organizations.

As you scroll on down the left sidebar I have added an area called "Faith of the Fathers Blogs Recent Posts". These link to the most popular Faith of the Fathers blogs, and give the title of the most recent post on each blog. The most recently updated blog will be listed first in that section. Just below that is "More Faith of the Fathers Blogs" with text links to all of our blogs, and then below that are links to (in my opinion) "Some Great Catholic Blogs".

On the right hand sidebar, I kept the language translation tool, BabelFish at the top of the sidebar, with the profile block just below that. There now is a section called "My Blog List" which is a list of the blogs I visit most often. The blogs are listed alphabetically. Below that is a section called "Some Great Catholic Sites" that all Catholics might be interested in.

Speaking of sites, there are two that I want to call your attention to. The first actually only appears on two of the blogs, "Favorite Prayers and Scripture" and "Prayer Requests". The site linked to there is called "Virtual Rosary". Virtual Rosary calls itself "The Original Free Multimedia Rosary and Prayer Network". The program there is free, and it is a big help to anyone wanting to learn to pray the rosary . It also will give you the option of a daily reminder to pray the rosary on the startup of your computer. There are different modules you can add (also free) that you can use such as Saint Louis de Montfort Meditations, a scriptural rosary from Workers of Our Lady of Moint Carmel among others, and modules available for different languages such as Spanish, Chinese, German and Hungarian.

The second site I want to direct your attention to, especially the women readers of these blogs, is a site called "Women for Faith and Family". After all the talk (once again) of the ordination of women, it is wonderful  to find a site for orthodox Catholic women who follow the teachings, Traditions and the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, and who are loyal to the Pope. Their about page says in part:

• To assist orthodox Catholic women in their effort to provide witness to their faith, both to their families and to the world.
• To aid women in their efforts to deepen their understanding of the Catholic Faith.
• To aid faithful Catholic women in their desire for fellowship with others who share their faith and commitment.
• To serve as a channel through which questions from Catholic women seeking guidance or information can be directed.

I hope these changes are helpful, and I hope you do visit all the sites and blogs that we link to on Faith of the Fathers blogs.

Our Five Year Anniversary

August 1, 2010 marks an important date for “Faith of the Fathers” blogs. That is the day these blogs will be 5 years old.

I would not have guessed that we would still be “blogging” about Catholicism five years later when we began on August 1, 2005.

If I had known we were going to last this long, I would have taken better care of myself.

Seriously, we would not have made it this long without our regular readers, and especially without the good writing and insights of Marie, Ginny, and Emmy. They, and our regular readers and subscribers are what have kept this blog going.

I also want to thank Matthew at A Catholic Life, Andrea at Catholic Blog Directory, and John at Saint Blogs Parish for being the first pages to link to us. Their following and reputation brought us readers, and I dare say friends in the Catholic blogging community. We will always be grateful.

We have undergone a few changes since these blogs began. We began with 14 blogs, and later added some additional blogs, including the “Kids Corner” blogs for the younger set of Catholics, that swelled our number to 24 blogs. Of our four original contributors to these blogs, I am the last left. The look of the blogs may have changed but the essential message of the truth that is the Catholic Church is unchanged, and never will change.

In the five years of these blogs existence there have been (as of today’s date) 457,124 page loads, and 304,299 visitors. These blogs have had visitors from around the world. They have come from the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Lebanon, the Russian Federation, Poland, the Holy See, and more places than I can list here.

From the beginning, we obtained permission from the Vatican Information Service to reproduce their news in its entirety on the blog “Pope Benedict XVI”. I always found it amusing that when these blogs were visited by The Holy See, that was the only blog they ever went to.

Once again, thank you to our readers, our subscribers, our contributors and all who have helped to keep these blogs going.

I hope we can last another five years!

May God Bless you and Our Lady keep you in her care.

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The Holy Fathers Prayer Intentions For August 2010

Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for August is: "That those who are without work or homes or who are otherwise in serious need may find understanding and welcome, as well as concrete help in overcoming their difficulties".

His mission intention is: "That the Church may be a 'home' for all people, ready to open her doors to any who are suffering from racial or religious discrimination, hunger or wars forcing them to emigrate to other countries".

Read more on Pope Benedict XVI.

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Join Us In Prayer

The current economic situation has found many people struggling to meet their needs and obligations. They struggle to feed their families, to keep their homes, and to pay their bills. Many have seen their jobs disappear, not just for a time, but gone for good.

The politicians in this country, and around the world have shown repeatedly that they do not know how to handle this economic mess they have gotten us in to. They have done more to create it, than they have to alleviate it. They seem only capable of digging us into a deeper hole. A hole in which we are in danger of not being able to climb out of for a long time.

The politicans for all their bravado and endlessly empty rhetoric (how they love to talk, especially in front of the television cameras and all those microphones) are either incapable or unwilling to fix the problems they have created.

They may not be able to do anything, but you and I know someone who can.

God.

God alone is in charge, and everything is under His control, and His control alone. No president, no earthly king, no earthly prince, no chairman, no bank, no one of this world can help us, can save us, can give us true salvation, and true freedom in these times and for all eternity, like God can. Our so-called leaders may think they are in charge, may believe they are in charge, and no doubt have people who have faith in them, when we all know that the only One we should have faith in, and believe in, to do all things is God.

Therefore, I ask the readers of "Faith of the Fathers" blogs, and the readers and owners of other Catholic blogs, to join us in praying to God for the spiritual and economic salvation of our country and for the whole world.

Let us begin this period of prayers to our most merciful and loving Heavenly Father, with a Novena to Saint Jude the Apostle, the patron saint of desperate situations. I ask all of you, to include your prayer intentions in this novena.

For non-catholics who visit these blogs, a novena is defined as follows : "Nine days of public or private prayer for some special occasion or intention. Its origin goes back to the nine days that the Disciples and Mary spent together in prayer between Ascension and Pentecost Sunday. Over the centuries many novenas have been highly indulgenced by the Church. In modern times the one before Pentecost was prescribed for parochial churches." (Etym. Latin novem, nine.) (From The Pocket Catholic Dictionary, by Father John A. Hardon, S.J., page 287)

The novena is below.

Your brother in Christ,

Steve Smith

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Novena to Saint Jude

Come to my aid, O God.

O Lord, make haste to help me.

Almighty God, Father of mercies

and giver of all good gifts,

I come before you to honor you in your saints,

and ask their help in my many needs.

You promised that those who ask, would receive,

those who seek, would find, those who knock,

would have doors opened to them.

Hear the prayers of your church, grant my requests,

and pardon my sins.

Amen

Good St. Jude, chose by Jesus as a messenger of His kingdom,

and bearer of God's power,

I entrust myself to your care

and place in your hands this request of mine (make your request)

You are a witness that nothing is impossible with God and

that all will be well by God's grace.

Pray that I may have a simple faith

and strong hope to believe and trust in God,

my Master, who makes all things possible

and brings all things to good.

Amen

Day 1

Lord Jesus Christ,

you promised that mountains would move for someone with faith

the size of a mustard seed. Plant the seed of faith in my

heart and help me believe in the power of your promises.

Amen

Day 2

Lord Jesus Christ,

You taught that God who cares for the lilies of the field

and the birds of the air, also cares for those of little faith.

Lord, come and care for me.

Amen

Day 3

Lord Jesus Christ,

In the storm at sea you told your disciples not to fear

but to believe in your power to calm the winds and the sea.

Speak to my troubled spirit, and calm my fears.

Amen

Day 4

Lord Jesus Christ,

no one comes to you, even those desperate and poor,

whom you do not welcome and refresh,

I come tired and burdened, make my spirit light.

Amen

Day 5

Lord Jesus Christ,

you listen to our prayers, and grant what we ask.

Hear my prayers and listen to my voice,

for I am in need.

Amen

Day 6

Lord Jesus Christ,

in the Garden of Gethsemane you prayed in fear and sorrow.

Turn to me when I am afraid, and give me strength to bear

my cross.

Amen

Day 7

Lord Jesus Christ,

when you died on the cross, all seemed lost and gone,

yet you came to life again.

When all seems lost for me, bring me life again,

O Lord.

Amen

Day 8

Lord Jesus Christ,

you rose from the dead and brought life to all creation.

I hope in your promise of life.

Bring me the joy of your resurrection.

Amen

Day 9

Lord Jesus Christ,

you prepare a place for us in your heavenly kingdom.

Grant me a place at your side and bring us all safely home.

Amen

To conclude this novena, say one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be.

Our Father

Our Father

Who art in Heaven

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done.

On earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive us our trespasses

As we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

Amen

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of Grace

The Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou amongst women

And Blessed is the Fruit of thy Womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

Pray for us sinners,

Now, and at the hour of our death

Amen

Glory Be

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now,

And ever shall be.

World without end.

Amen

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From Pope Benedict XVI

'It is inconceivable', as Benedict XVI remarked, 'that believers should have to suppress a part of themselves - their faith - in order to be active citizens. It should never be necessary to deny God in order to enjoy one's rights. The rights associated with religion are all the more in need of protection if they are considered to clash with a prevailing secular ideology or with majority religious positions of an exclusive nature'".


Read more here

Posts For Your Consideration

 

 

There are a few items on “Faith of the Fathers” blogs I’d like to call to your attention if you haven’t seen them  yet.

First, on Favorite Prayers and Scriptures there is “Feast of the Ascension of the Lord” from Father Leonard Goffine’s Devout Instructions.

There is several days’ coverage by the Vatican Information Service on Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic trip to Portugal, including his pilgrimage to Fatima.

Speaking of Fatima, in May of 2006 Marie wrote a good piece on Approved Apparitions about Our Lady of Fatima.

The Daily Mass Readings for Friday, May 14, Saturday, May 15, and Sunday, May 17 are all posted and ready for reading and reflection.

Saint Quote of the Day has some quotations from Saint John Vianney, Saint Epiphanius of Salamis (an Early Church Father), Saint Leopold Mandic, Saint Ignatius of  Laconi, and many more.

Current Posts

We have a few posts that you might want to take a look at, if you haven't already.

First, on Daily Mass Readings, the Mass Readings for Saturday, April 24 are posted, and the Mass Readings for Sunday, April 25 as well.

While we are talking about Mass Readings, go to Spiritual Warfare, and click the link post there for this article:  "Predestination, Free Will, Faith and Grace: Do You Hear My Voice?" by Marcellino D'Ambrosio. It goes with Sunday's Mass Readings, but I felt belonged in a post for Spiritual Warfare as well.

Let's not forget Saint Quote of the Day, where there is a quote from Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen, who's Feast Day is Saturday.

Finally, go to the Pope Benedict XVI blog, and read the news from the Vatican Information Service. Particularly note the "Declaration of U.S. Lawyer Concerning Sex Abuse Case".

New from Faith of the Fathers

 My Daily Saints Quotations

The author of this blog has put together a little ebook of about 30 pages. This "book" contains a different saint quotation for each day of the year. On those days where it is the feast or memorial of the saint being quoted, the saints name appears in bold type.

I spent a good deal of time on this little project, and I am offering it to our blog readers for $1.99. Unlike this blog however, there are no illustrations of the various saints.

I know with the economy as it is right now, everyone is having to struggle, including yours truly. This is just a way of my attempting to earn a little extra for myself, and give you, our readers something in return.

So if you would like to help this blogger out,  you can order it by clicking the "PDF Booklet" icon :

Your ebook will be sent to you by email as an attachment in PDF format (sorry only english is available) within 24-48 hours of the processing of your payment. You will need Adobe Reader or another PDF reader to view it. You may download Adobe Reader by clicking here:

  .