tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76047919205324819632024-03-08T01:11:45.955-05:00Grateful for Purgatory"Pray unceasingly. We must empty Purgatory." ~ St. Padre Pio ~one grateful hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451863159393669066noreply@blogger.comBlogger448125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604791920532481963.post-52516834935968890642013-04-11T09:34:00.000-04:002013-04-11T09:34:13.558-04:00Hell Exists Even For Those Who Don't Believe In It Until They Get There<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>"Jesus came to tell us everyone is
wanted in paradise, and that hell, about which little gets said today, exists and is eternal
for those who shut their hearts to His love.”</strong>
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<strong>~ Pope Benedict XVI ~</strong></div>
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one grateful hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451863159393669066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604791920532481963.post-51095658367379565392012-04-20T09:25:00.000-04:002012-04-20T18:04:40.067-04:00Gloria Polo Testimony: How She Was Shown The Reality of Hell and Demons<div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong><em>Gloria Polo died after being terribly burned by a lightning bolt on May 5, 1995
in Bogotá, Colombia; she was judged, and then came back to life. This is her
testimony.</em></strong><br />
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<strong><em></em></strong><strong>But first I must tell you something, brothers: I was a “dietetic (cafeteria) Catholic”, I was for my whole life, because my relationship with God was taken care of in a 25 minute Sunday Mass, and that’s all. I went to the Mass where the priest spoke less, because I got tired! What anguish I felt, with those priests who spoke a lot! This was my relationship with God! For this all the worldly currents drug me along: I lacked the protection of prayer well done with faith, even in the Mass! One day, when I was studying for the specialization, I heard a priest affirm that hell does not exist, and not even the demons! It was precisely what I wanted to hear! I immediately thought to myself: if the demons do not exist, and there is no hell, then we all go to Heaven! And thus, what is there to fear?!
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<strong>What makes me most sad now, and I confess to you with great shame, is that the only tie that still held me in the Church, was the fear of the devil. When I heard that hell does not exist, I immediately said: very good, if we all go to Heaven, it is not important what we are or what we do!
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<strong>This determined my total moving away from the Lord. I distanced myself from the Church and I began to speak badly, with cusswords, etc. I no longer had any fear of sin, and I began to ruin my relationship</strong> <strong>with God. I began to say to everyone that the demons do not exist, that they are the inventions of the priests, that they are the manipulations on the part of the Church, and finally… I arrived to the point of saying to my colleagues at the University that God does not exist, that we were products of evolution, etc. etc., succeeding in influencing many people.
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<strong>Let us return now to the operating room: when I saw myself in that situation, what terrible fright! I finally saw that the demons existed, and how, and they came to seek precisely me! They came to present to me the bill, one could say, since I had accepted their offers of sin! And these offers are not free! One pays!! My sins had their consequences...
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<strong>In that moment, then, I began to see come out, of the wall of the operating room, so many persons, apparently common, normal, but with a look full of hate, diabolic, frightening, who made my soul tremble: I immediately perceived that we were dealing with demons. I had in myself a special awareness: I understood in fact that to each one of these I owed something, that sin is not gratuitous, and that the principle lie of the devil is to say that he does not exist: this is his best strategy in order to work as he pleases with us. I realized that yes, he exists, and that he came to surround me, to seek me! Just imagine the fright, the terror!!</strong>
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<strong>~ Gloria Polo; excerpt from <a href="http://testimony-polo.blogspot.com/">here</a> ~</strong></div>one grateful hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451863159393669066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604791920532481963.post-62657571793797062722011-12-28T10:29:00.000-05:002011-12-28T10:29:14.704-05:00Blessed Teresa of Calcutta: Using Everything for the Glory of God<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>" I can't bear being photographed, </strong></div>
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<strong>but I make use of everything for the glory of God.</strong></div>
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<strong>When I allow a person to take a photograph, </strong></div>
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<strong>I tell Jesus to take one soul to Heaven out of Purgatory."</strong><br />
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<strong>~ Blessed Teresa of Calcutta ~</strong></div>
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<strong>excerpt from <em>The Joy in Loving </em>by Mother Teresa</strong><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ <a href="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2011/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20111102_en.html">Pope Benedict XVI</a> ~</strong></div><strong></strong>one grateful hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451863159393669066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604791920532481963.post-38240661235408457512011-10-07T09:54:00.000-04:002011-10-07T09:54:33.264-04:00Rosary Promises From Our Blessed Mother<strong></strong><div style="text-align: justify;">
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<strong>6. Whoever shall recite the rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life.
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<strong>7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.
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<strong>8. Those who are faithful to recite the rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise.</strong></div>
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<strong>9. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the rosary.
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<strong>10. The faithful children of the rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in heaven.
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<strong>13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death.</strong></div>
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<strong>All 15 Promises of Our Lady for those who faithfully recite the Rosary:</strong></div>
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<strong>Quotes about the Rosary:</strong></div>
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~ <strong><a href="http://www.how-to-pray-the-rosary.com/How-To-Pray-The-Rosary.html">How to Pray the Rosary</a> ~</strong></div>
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one grateful hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451863159393669066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604791920532481963.post-13164515413688387872011-10-05T17:41:00.000-04:002011-10-05T17:41:30.071-04:00Msgr Charles Pope: The Trivializing of God's Judgment Following Death<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Too many make light of judgment today. Too many announce the immediate arrival of the deceased into heaven. They usher Jesus away from the Judgment Seat, take the seat themselves, and pronounce that, “Joe is in heaven!” They usually follow this “canonization” with some triviality such as “He’s probably playing poker with Jesus and Noah right now!” (For presumably “Joe” liked poker here, and thus heaven must include poker (of all things)).</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>The complete ignoring of the judgement that follows death is emblematic of our age which answers to no one. Even among Christians, there is a widespread trivializing of the notion of judgment. Yet Jesus in ways too countless to set forth here, commands a sobriety about judgment and says, <em>But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken</em> (Matt 12:36). If even our words will be judged, how much more so our deeds which many make light of.</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Further God is Truth Himself and he will not simply call good in us what is defective or sinful. Judgement is a moment of truth where the divine physician makes a true diagnosis, not a flattering one. And whatever remains unfinished he, by his grace and power will bring it to completion. This too is part of his mercy as well as his justice. Some purgation is surely a likely reality for most adults who die. St. Paul speaks of us as unfinished works when he says, <em>And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ </em>(Phil 1:6). Do we really think that “Joe” is just going to walk into heaven just as he died, with a pack of cards in his hands, no less? Perhaps some saints have been fully perfected by their death, but it seems more likely most of us will need purgation and to pass through purifying fire as St. Paul describes.</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>So, we are back to fire.</strong> <strong>And fire must be respected. Back-slapping at funerals ought to be replaced with a little more knee-bending and confident but sober prayer for our beloved who have died. They would probably appreciate a little more prayer from us, for they have encountered Truth, unlike a lot of us who still like to entertain fanciful notions, contrary to Scripture that judgment is either non-existent or “no big deal.”</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<strong>~ Msgr. Charles Pope; excerpts from <a href="http://blog.adw.org/2011/08/the-fire-next-time-a-meditation-on-the-need-to-respect-the-judgment-we-will-face/">here</a> ~</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="360" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VRdiYanbVR0?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VRdiYanbVR0?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="360" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>one grateful hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451863159393669066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604791920532481963.post-8092073134277393032011-09-17T12:49:00.009-04:002011-09-17T12:58:57.105-04:00Fr. Mark Bozada: Purgatory Is God's Merciful Gift to Us<strong></strong><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>My Dear People,</strong><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>It has been the glorious tradition of the Catholic Church to pray for the dead, particularly our own family members. We know that we all sin. We lack perfect contrition for our sin. And so, when we die, everyone with the exception of Our Blessed Mother, carries the stain of sin into eternity. There are no shadows in Heaven, because we are immersed in the Light and Beauty of God. God the Father is merciful. We have the opportunity to have “burned”from our souls any remaining stain of sin. Purgatory is God’s merciful gift to us.</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Poor souls found there cannot sin nor pray for themselves. That’s where</strong> <strong>we come into the picture. Our prayers, masses, rosaries, novenas, indulgences, and sacrifices are what “lift up”the poor souls in Purgatory. PLEASE, please remember to pray and sacrifice daily for the deceased members of your family. Your “prayer relief” is the greatest treasure they can receive in their state of being purified. We pray each month at the poor souls mass, for all of your prayer intentions. Please make praying for the dead a daily habit in your life. When you and I find ourselves in Purgatory, after our own death ,it is then that we will thank God for all the prayers we will receive on our behalf.</strong></div><br />
<strong>Entrusting you to the care of Our Lady,</strong><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Fr. Mark Bozada</strong></div><strong></strong><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>May we always be eager to pray for the repose of the poor souls in purgatory.</strong><br />
<strong>(<a href="http://www.courageouspriest.com/fr-bozada-purgatory-is-gods-merciful-gift-to-us">Source</a>)</strong></div>one grateful hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451863159393669066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604791920532481963.post-1523914936490656782011-08-29T17:13:00.000-04:002011-08-29T17:13:13.459-04:00Jesus Tells Sr. Consolata Betrone How to Console His Suffering Parental Heart<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>"A true mother will not consider her child ugly, no matter how much it may be so; to her it is always lovely, and so it will always remain in her innermost heart. That is precisely the way My Heart feels toward souls: though they be ugly, soiled, filthy, My Love considers them always beautiful. I suffer when their ugliness is confirmed to Me; on the other hand, I rejoice when, in conformity with my parental sentiments, someone dissuades Me about their ugliness and tells Me that it is not true and that they are still beautiful. The souls are Mine; for them I have given all My Blood!</strong></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>"Now do you understand how much My parental Heart is wounded by every severe judgment, reprimand, or condemnation, even though based on truth, and how much comfort, on the other hand is afforded Me by every act of compassion, indulgence and mercy? You must never judge anyone; never say a harsh word against anyone; instead, console My Heart, distract Me from My sorrow; with eager charity make me see only the good side of a guilty soul. I will believe you, and then I will hear your prayer in her favor and will grant it. If you only knew how I suffer when I must dispense justice! You see, My Heart needs to be comforted; It wishes to dispense mercy, not justice!"</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<strong>~ Jesus to <a href="http://www.consolatabetrone-monasterosacrocuore.it/page/ar1_ing/una_vita_per_lamore.htm">Sr. Consolata Betrone</a>; </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>excerpt from <em><a href="http://www.albahouse.org/JesusAppeals.htm">Jesus Appeals to theWorld</a> </em>by Fr. Lorenzo Sales, I.M.C. ~</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="300" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ae6aSZr7lnU?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ae6aSZr7lnU?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="300" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Reflection by Fr. Francis Martin of the Archdiocese of Washington </strong><br />
<strong>and the Mother of God Community.</strong><br />
<strong></strong></div>one grateful hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451863159393669066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604791920532481963.post-24995381287423153202011-08-26T14:10:00.013-04:002011-08-26T14:34:15.005-04:00St. Louis IX: Advice From a Wise and Holy King and Father<br />
<strong><div style="text-align: justify;">3. Therefore, dear son, the first thing I advise is that you fix your whole heart upon God, and love Him with all your strength, for without this no one can be saved or be of any worth. </div></strong><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>20. If you have anything belonging to another, either of yourself or through your predecessors, if the matter is certain, give it up without delay, however great it may be, either in land or money or otherwise. If the matter is doubtful, have it inquired into by wise men, promptly and diligently. And if the affair is so obscure that you cannot know the truth, make such a settlement, by the counsel of s of upright men, that your soul, and the soul your predecessors, may be wholly freed from the affair. And even if you hear some one say that your predecessors made restitution, make diligent inquiry to learn if anything remains to be restored; and if you find that such is the case, cause it to be delivered over at once, for the liberation of your soul and the souls of your predecessors. </strong><br />
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35. Finally, most sweet son, I conjure and require you that, if it please our Lord that I should die before you, you have my soul succored with masses and orisons, and that you send through the congregations of the kingdom of France, and demand their prayers for my soul, and that you grant me a special and full part in all the good deeds which you perform. </strong><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>36. In conclusion, dear son, I give you all the blessings which a good and tender father can give to a son, and I pray our Lord Jesus Christ, by His mercy, by the prayers and merits of His blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary, and of angels and archangels and of all the saints, to guard and protect you from doing anything contrary to His will, and to give you grace to do it always, so that He may be honored and served by you. And this may He do to me as to you, by His great bounty, so that after this mortal life we may be able to be together with Him in the eternal life, and see Him, love Him, and praise Him without end. Amen. And glory, honor, and praise be to Him who is one God with the Father and the Holy Spirit; without beginning and without end. Amen. </strong><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ St. Louis IX: excerpts from <em><a href="http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/stlouis1.html">Saint Louis' Advice to His Son</a> ~</em></strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="390" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YDt0Lt5jDIc?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YDt0Lt5jDIc?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="390" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: center;">Reflection for 8/25/11</div>one grateful hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451863159393669066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604791920532481963.post-38320509944685202952011-08-11T20:53:00.000-04:002011-08-11T20:53:33.326-04:00Meditation on the Pains of Hell<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>CHAPTER 20</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>The Pains of Hell </strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>CHRIST:</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>MY CHILD, I have proved My goodness by My numberless gifts to men. They cannot mention a single good thing in their daily life which does not belong to Me. My love for them was proved by My earthly life of labor, work, suffering and prayer to obtain forgiveness for their sins. Anyone who takes time to think of what I deserve, cannot deny that he owes Me more than he can ever repay. Yet, in spite of My goodness and love, some people choose to walk away from Me. They refuse to follow My directions. As a result they fall into sin. Though I made them for Heaven, they shall never see it because they are refusing to do what it takes to get there.</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>2. Hell was made for the devil and his rebel angels. Man was made for Heaven. In refusing to live for Heaven, a man chooses to exist without Me. He shall have his wish--he shall join the rebel angels in hell. In refusing to follow My law, a man actually turns his back on Me as the fallen angels did. If he dies in this condition, he condemns himself to hell. The jury which convicts him is his own sinful life. I merely pronounce sentence on what he himself has chosen.</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>3. There is nothing on earth which can compare with hell. It is beyond all description. One must see it to know it. Though I may try to give you some small idea of it in this chapter, remember, this is a tiny and very imperfect idea of the real thing. Words fall far short of the reality which is hell. I make no threats here. I simply want you to face this fact: Unless you live for Heaven, you shall one day be in hell.</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>4. All the sufferings known to man are as nothing in comparison with the sufferings of hell. The wise man would rather bear any trial on earth than place himself in danger of hell. One single hour of hell will be harder than a hundred years of suffering on earth. In this earthly life people have some rest from their labors and trials. They get some measure of consolation from their friends. In hell, however, there is no rest, no consolation, and no friends.</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>5. The fires of hell will never die. There will be no end to suffering. One will find no comfort in knowing that he has been there a thousand years. He can never hope for an end to his tortures. All the other sufferings would be bearable if only the damned could hope for relief. Despair is hell's bitterest pain.</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>6. In hell a man will be punished through the same faults by which he sinned on earth. Each sin will have its own particular torment. The lazy will be forced to work continuously. The gluttonous will be tormented with extreme hunger and thirst. The proud will be filled with confusion, and the greedy will feel the pinch of miserable want.</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>7. And yet, the worst pain of hell is none of these. The people in hell would gladly bear all of this and much more if only they could hope for My friendship and love, no matter how long it might take, be it even a billion years from now. Their keenest torment is that they have forever lost Me, the Source of all true joy and perfect happiness. This suffering makes hell the home of despair and undying hatred.</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>8. My child, follow My Will in your daily life, and you need never fear hell. In fact you have every reason to be joyful and merry if you are following My commandments and using My sacraments. Do not condemn yourself to hell by refusing to obey My directions. I love you dearly. Do not prevent Me from taking you to Heaven.</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>THINK:</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Hell is a fact. Christ, Our Lord, pointed this out time and again during His earthly life. Whoever rejects this fact is simply denying the word of Christ. He is God. He proved His divine power many times during and after His earthly life. His word is truth. He preached the truth of hell and continues to preach it today through His Church and Holy Scripture.</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>PRAY:</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>My Jesus, many find too hard a command in the words: "Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me." Yet a much harder command will be: "Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire." If I become so impatient with a little suffering now, how can I ever stand hell? I cannot expect to have unrestricted enjoyment on earth and still rejoice with You in Heaven. Therefore, dear Lord, that I may be safe from eternal punishment, let me do my best in bearing the burdens of this earthly life. Let me prefer to suffer on earth or even die now rather than commit a mortal sin. Amen.</strong></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>~ Excerpt from <a href="http://www.archive.org/details/MyDailyBread-Meditations">MY DAILY BREAD</a> b</em></strong><strong>y</strong><strong>Anthony J. Paone, S.J., </strong><strong>1954 ~</strong></div>one grateful hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451863159393669066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604791920532481963.post-67565466856805496112011-08-02T16:15:00.002-04:002011-08-02T16:25:35.953-04:00Archbishop Charles Chaput: "Our choices shape our eternity."<strong>"None of us lives forever. Or rather, all of us live forever, but only for a very short time in this world. If we lose our money, we can often earn it back. But if we misuse our time, we can never get it back. Where we put our time shows the world what we really value and believe. What we really believe shapes our choices. And our choices shape our eternity.</strong><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>"...If we took just one hour of the time we waste on television every day and used it to study and pray over the Gospels, we’d be fundamentally different people, and our country and our world would be transformed."</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><strong>"We were made for better things than silver and gold. We’re more than what we own or think we want. We’re children of God bought back from slavery by the blood of God’s son. Somebody infinitely good, willingly died to make us free. That’s how precious we are in the eyes of God. God loves us infinitely. That’s the source of our faith and hope. </strong><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>"God’s love is not something anyone can buy. It’s a free gift. But it comes with consequences. If we really believe that God raised his son from the dead in order to raise us along with him, then we need to act like it. We need to submit our time and our actions to what we claim to believe. A meaningful life is a life conformed to imperishable things. And a futile life is a life that puts its time in the wrong places—into things that perish; things that lead us away from conforming our lives to Jesus Christ.</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><strong>"Those are the two options. We get to choose."</strong><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ Archbishop Charles Chaput; excerpt from <a href="http://www.archden.org/index.cfm/ID/6404?CFID=3917572&CFTOKEN=26381233">here</a> ~</strong></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="390" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2g7rX3H9ufA?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2g7rX3H9ufA?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="390" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>one grateful hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451863159393669066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604791920532481963.post-82491803946335639972011-08-01T17:02:00.000-04:002011-08-01T17:02:57.308-04:00Cardinal Arinze Explains Mortal Sin<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="390" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uQ8CDmXYugw?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uQ8CDmXYugw?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="390" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>one grateful hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451863159393669066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604791920532481963.post-63646769126975425912011-07-22T11:24:00.000-04:002011-07-22T11:24:13.141-04:00Cry of a Lost Soul: Society of the Damned<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>"We died with willful resolve to be separated from God. Do you now understand why hell lasts forever? It is because our wills were fixed for eternity at the moment of death. We had made our final choice. Our obstinacy will never leave us.</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><br />
"Under compulsion, I must add that God is merciful even towards us. I affirm many things against my will and must choke the torrent of abuses I should like to vomit out.</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><br />
“God was merciful to us by not allowing our wicked wills to exhaust themselves on earth as we should have been prepared to do. This would have increased our faults and our pains. He caused us to die before our time, as in my case, or had other mitigating circumstances intervene. Now He shows Himself merciful towards us by not compelling a closer approach than that afforded in this remote inferno. Every step bringing us closer to God would cause us a greater pain than that which a step closer to a burning furnace would cause you." </strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><br />
"I tell you, the fire of which the Bible speaks does not mean the torment of the conscience. Fire is fire! What He said: ‘Away from Me, you accursed ones, into eternal fire’, is to be understood literally. Literally! How can the spirit be touched by material fire, you will ask? How can your soul suffer on earth when you put your finger on the flame? In fact the soul does not burn; and yet what torture all the individual feels! </strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><br />
"Our greatest torture consists in the certain knowledge that we shall never see God. How can this torture us so much, since on earth we are so indifferent? As long as the knife lies on the table it leaves you cold. You see how keen it is, but you do not feel it. Plunge the knife into the flesh and you will start screaming in pain. Now we feel the loss of God; before we only thought of it. </strong><br />
<br />
<strong>"Not all the souls suffer to the same degree. With how greater wickedness and how more systematically one has sinned, the more weighs on him the loss of God and the more the creature he abused is choking him. The lost Catholics suffer more than those of other religions, because they, mostly, received and despised more graces and more light. He who knew more suffers more cruelly than he who knew less. He who sinned out of malice suffers more keenly than he who sinned out of weakness. But nobody suffers more than he deserves. Oh, if that were not true, I should have a motive to hate!"</strong> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
~ <strong>Revelation of a Soul from Hell; excerpt from <a href="http://www.pornnomore.com/CryofalostSoul.htm">here</a> ~</strong></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="390" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4WPXfp5IU_4?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4WPXfp5IU_4?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="390" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>one grateful hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451863159393669066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604791920532481963.post-88945849470617751472011-07-13T22:38:00.000-04:002011-07-13T22:38:03.905-04:00Jesus Reveals to Sr. Consolata Betrone How Free Will Sends Souls to Hell<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>"Believe Me, Consolata, into hell go only those who really wish to go there; for though no one can snatch a soul from Me, the soul may , through the free will granted her, flee from Me, may betray Me, deny Me, and so go to Satan of her own volition."</strong></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>"You see, final impenitence is found only in a soul who purposely wishes to go to hell and therefore obstinately refuses My mercy, for I never refuse to pardon anyone! I offer the gift of My immense compassion to all, for My Blood was shed for all, for all! No, it is not the multiplicity of sins which condemns a soul, for I forgive everything if she repents, but it is the obstinacy of not wishing to be pardoned, of wishing to be damned. Dismas on the cross had only one single act of faith in Me, but many, many sins; he was pardoned in an instant, however, and on the very day of his repentance he entered into My kingdom and is a saint! Behold the triumph of My mercy and of faith in Me!"</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ Jesus to <a href="http://www.consolatabetrone-monasterosacrocuore.it/page/ar1_ing/una_vita_per_lamore.htm">Sr. Consolata Betrone</a>; </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>excerpts from <em>Jesus Appeals to the World</em> by Fr. Lorenzo Sales, I.M.C.~</strong></div>one grateful hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451863159393669066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604791920532481963.post-51625866791215651542011-07-12T21:44:00.000-04:002011-07-12T21:44:48.619-04:00Fr. William Doyle: Hell--Motivation for Living Each Moment Perfectly<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>I can imagine I am a soul in hell, </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>and God in </strong><strong>His mercy is saying to me, </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>" Return to the world </strong><strong>for this year </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>and on your manner of life during </strong><strong>the year </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>will depend your returning to hell or </strong><strong>not." </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>What a life I should lead ! </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>How little I </strong><strong>should think of suffering, of mortification ! </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>How </strong><strong>I would rejoice in suffering ! </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>How perfectly each </strong><strong>moment would be spent ! </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>If God treated me as </strong><strong>I deserved, I should be in hell now. </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Shall I ever </strong><strong>again have cause for grumbling or complaining, </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>no matter what may happen ? </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>My habit of </strong><strong>constantly speaking uncharitably of others, </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>and, </strong><strong>in general, faults of the tongue, </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>seem to me the</strong> <strong>chief reason why I derive so little fruit from my </strong><strong>Mass and spiritual duties. <br />
Nothing dries up the </strong><strong>fountains of grace so much as an affection </strong><strong>for sin.</strong> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ Fr. William Doyle ~</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="http://fatherdoyle.com/">Source</a></strong></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="390" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ydTDIPkClwg?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ydTDIPkClwg?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="390" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>one grateful hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451863159393669066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604791920532481963.post-13818002252737680672011-06-29T18:05:00.000-04:002011-06-29T18:05:30.803-04:00Our Lady of Good Success Messages: The Divine Infant's Revelation on Purgatory<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>"Mother Francisca of the Angels, my faithful spouse who secretly bears my wounds...will end her earthly life to enter eternity on the fourth day of October at five o'clock in the evening. Only eight months of her pilgrimage remain, and then, Heaven. She will not even see Purgatory.</strong></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>"But in order to cleanse her from the dust of the road, for three months...she will suffer indescribable torments of soul and temptations of every kind against all the virtues, the most difficult being those against Faith...</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>"During this period of great affliction for My beloved spouse, I will enrich her soul with great merits. For when I give some souls who are beloved of My Heart their purgatory while they yet live in mortal life, it is so that this purification may be accompanied by merits, which cannot be accrued in the place of expiation outside of mortal life, where souls make amends for the faults they committed without acquiring the least personal merit. They suffer, like indigent beggars, awaiting the charity of the intercessory prayers of the Church Militant.</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>"...you have, before your eyes this city of fire, suffering, and pain, filled with countless number of souls of every age, sex, condition, and state of life, suffering what is incomprehensible to mortals. But since they are souls already confirmed in grace, they possess an admirable peace, resignation, and patience, and give glory to God. Their greatest suffering results from their supernatural love for their God and Lord and their great desire to contemplate Him in Heaven, but they must remain far from His company."</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Raising her eyes, the holy Spanish religious saw this city inhabited by a multitude of souls afflicted by indescribable torments. With loud voices, they implored her prayers, penances, and intercession. Her compassionate heart felt great pity for these suffering souls, and she promised them that in the little time that still remained to her on earth, she would do all that she could to alleviate their pains and help as many as possible to enter Heaven.</strong> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ The Divine Infant Speaks to Mother Mariana and shows her a vision of Purgatory ~</strong> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Excerpts from</strong> <strong><em>The Admirable Life of Madre Mariana de Jesus Torres, Volume II </em> </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>by Fr. Manuel Sousa Pereira</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Related Posts:</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ <em><a href="http://eucharisticadorationforpriests.blogspot.com/search?q=pallium">Our Lady of Good Success: Prophecies for Our Times</a> ~</em></strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>~ <a href="http://eucharisticadorationforpriests.blogspot.com/2011/06/our-lady-of-good-success-prophecies.html">Our Lady of Good Success: Persecution of Priests; St. John Vianney</a> ~</em></strong></div>one grateful hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451863159393669066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604791920532481963.post-9400283690045869852011-06-22T18:22:00.001-04:002011-06-29T18:07:14.261-04:00Our Lady of Good Success: Prophecies for Our Times<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong> "Oh, if only human beings and religious knew what Heaven is and what it is to possess God, how differently they would live, sparing no sacrifice in order to enter more fully into possession of it! But some let themselves be dazzled by the false glamour of honors and human greatness while others are blinded by self-love, not realizing that they are falling into lukewarmness, that immense evil which in religious houses destroys their fervor, humility, self-renunciation and the ceaseless practice of religious virtues and fraternal charity and that child-like simplicity which makes souls so dear to my Divine Son and to me, their Mother."</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><br />
"O, if mortals only understood how to appreciate the time given to them, and would take advantage of each moment of their lives, how different the world would be! And a considerable number of souls would not fall to their eternal perdition! But this contempt is the fundamental cause for their</strong> <strong>downfall!"</strong> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><strong> <br />
~ Our Lady of Good Success to Venerable Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres; excerpt from </strong><a href="http://www.catholic-sacredart.com/ologs.htm"><strong>here ~</strong></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ Excellent DVD, <em>Our Lady of Good Success - History, Miracles & Prophecies</em>; <a href="http://www.promultismedia.net/OLGS.html">order here</a> ~</strong><br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ <em>Our Lady of Good Success, Prophecies for Our Times</em> by Marian Therese Horvat, Ph.D.</strong><a href="http://www.communityofhopeinc.org/Our%20Lady%20of%20Good%20Success.html"><strong> here</strong></a><strong> ~</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>~ Much more on Our Lady of Good Success from <a href="http://www.traditioninaction.org/OLGS/olgshome.htm">Tradition in Action</a> ~</strong></div><strong></strong>one grateful hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451863159393669066noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604791920532481963.post-52090591987203965902011-06-17T11:19:00.000-04:002011-06-17T11:19:24.053-04:00If We Were to Die Today...<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>"On earth you simply do not know what God is. There, each one of you has an idea of what you think God is, according to your very limited knowledge, but when we leave our covering of clay and when nothing impedes the liberty of our souls, we at last begin to know God, His goodness, His mercy, His love. After this clearer view and the thirst for union, our souls yearn for God. This is our very life and we are forever repulsed because we are not sufficiently pure. This, in a word, is our worst suffering, the hardest, the most bitter. Oh, if only we were allowed to come back to earth, after knowing what God really is, what a different life we would lead! But what useless regrets, and yet on earth you do not think of these things and live as if you were blind. Eternity is of no account to you. The earth, which is only a journey and receives only the body which in itself turns to dust, is the sole object to which almost all of your desires tend and you do not even think of Heaven while Jesus and His love are entirely forgotten."</strong></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ Sr. M.G., a soul from Purgatory; excerpt from <em><a href="http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=6253">An Unpublished Manuscript on Purgatory</a> </em>~</strong> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="390" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PdCWhMUjIok?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PdCWhMUjIok?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="390" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object><br />
Reflection for 5/2/11</div>one grateful hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451863159393669066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604791920532481963.post-19639229912761301862011-06-15T12:01:00.000-04:002011-06-15T12:01:50.928-04:00Purgatory for Negligence in Preparing for and Receiving Holy Communion<div style="text-align: justify;"><b>In the year 1589, in the monastery of St. Mary of the Angels, in Florence, died a Religious who was much esteemed by her sisters in religion, but who soon appeared to St. Magdalen de Pazzi to implore her assistance in the rigorous Purgatory to which she was condemned. The saint was in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament when she perceived the deceased kneeling in the middle of the church in an attitude of profound adoration. She had around her a mantle of flames that seemed to consume her, but a white robe that covered her body protected her in part from the action of the fire. Greatly astonished, Magdalen desired to know what this signified, and she was answered that this soul suffered thus for having had little devotion toward the August Sacrament of the Altar. Not withstanding the rules and holy customs of her Order, she had communicated but rarely, and then with indifference. It was for this reason Divine Justice had condemned her to come every day to adore the Blessed Sacrament, and to submit to the torture of fire at the feet of Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, in reward for her virginal purity, represented <br />
by the white robe, her Divine Spouse had greatly mitigated her sufferings. <br />
<br />
Such was the revelation which God made to His servant. She was deeply touched, and made every effort to assist the poor soul by all the suffrages in her power. She often related this apparition, and made use of it to exhort her spiritual daughters to zeal for Holy Communion. </b></div><b><div style="text-align: justify;"></div></b><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>To tepidity is allied negligence in the preparation for the </strong><strong>Eucharistic Banquet. If the Church unceasingly calls her </strong><strong>children to the Holy Table, if she desires that they com</strong><strong>municate frequently, she always intends that they should </strong><strong>do so with that fervour and piety which so great a mystery </strong><strong>demands. All voluntary neglect in so holy an action is an </strong><strong>offence to the Sanctity of Jesus Christ, an offence which </strong><strong>must be repaired by a just expiation. Venerable Louis</strong> <strong>of Blois, in his Miroir Spirituel, speaks of a great ser</strong><strong>vant of God who learned in a supernatural manner how </strong><strong>severely these faults are punished in the other life. He </strong><strong>received a visit from a soul in Purgatory imploring his </strong><strong>aid in name of the friendship by which they had formerly </strong><strong>been united. She endured, she said, horrible torments, for </strong><strong>the negligence with which she had prepared for Holy </strong><strong>Communion during the days of her earthly pilgrimage. </strong><strong>She could not be delivered but by a fervent Communion </strong><strong>which would compensate for her former tepidity. </strong></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Her friend hastened to gratify her desire, received Holy </strong><strong>Communion with great purity of conscience, with all the </strong><strong>faith and devotion possible; and then she saw the holy </strong><strong>soul appear, brilliant with an incomparable splendour, and </strong><strong>rise towards heaven. </strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ Excerpts from <em>Purgatory: Illustrated by the Lives and Legends of the Saints ~</em></strong></div>one grateful hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451863159393669066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604791920532481963.post-40550339794474287932011-06-14T20:13:00.000-04:002011-06-14T20:13:40.286-04:00St. John Bosco: Harmful Conversations<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>"No matter how good food is,</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong> if poison is mixed with it, it may cause the death of him who eats it. </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><br />
So it is with conversation. </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>A single bad word, an evil action, an unbecoming joke, </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>is often enough to harm one or more young listeners, </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>and may later cause them to lose God's grace."</strong></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ St. John Bosco ~</strong></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="390" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6gl8KEkC8Kk?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6gl8KEkC8Kk?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="390" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>one grateful hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451863159393669066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604791920532481963.post-55760264292499584302011-06-10T12:51:00.000-04:002011-06-10T12:51:28.606-04:00Prayer to the Holy Spirit for Time and Grace to Make an Act of Perfect Contrition<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Prayer for the Afflicted </strong></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>O HOLY SPIRIT, Who art God together with the Father and the Son, </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>deliver us this day from sadness and discouragement; </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>preserve all Christians from despair and its fatal results. </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>To all, even to those who destroy their own lives, </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>or who may be overtaken by a sudden or violent death, </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>mercifully grant both time and grace to make an act of perfect contrition. </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Amen. </strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ From <em>Devotion to the Holy Spirit</em> , Tan Books ~</strong></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>1451 Among the penitent's acts contrition occupies first place. Contrition is "sorrow of the soul and detestation for the sin committed, together with the resolution not to sin again."</strong></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>1452 </strong><strong>When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else, contrition is called "perfect" (contrition of charity). Such contrition remits venial sins; it also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it includes the firm resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon as possible.</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<strong>1453 </strong><strong>The contrition called "imperfect" (or "attrition") is also a gift of God, a prompting of the Holy Spirit. It is born of the consideration of sin's ugliness or the fear of eternal damnation and the other penalties threatening the sinner (contrition of fear). Such a stirring of conscience can initiate an interior process which, under the prompting of grace, will be brought to completion by sacramental absolution. By itself however, imperfect contrition cannot obtain the forgiveness of grave sins, but it disposes one to obtain forgiveness in the sacrament of Penance.</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<strong>1457 According to the Church's command, "after having attained the age of discretion, each of the faithful is bound by an obligation faithfully to confess serious sins at least once a year."56 Anyone who is aware of having committed a mortal sin must not receive Holy Communion, even if he experiences deep contrition, without having first received sacramental absolution, unless he has a grave reason for receiving Communion and there is no possibility of going to confession.57 Children</strong> <strong>must go to the sacrament of Penance before receiving Holy Communion for the first time.</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ Excerpts from <em><a href="http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt2sect2chpt2.shtml#1441">Catechism of the Catholic Church</a> ~</em></strong></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Act Of Contrition</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>O my God, I am heartily sorry </strong><strong>for having offended Thee. </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong> </strong><strong>I detest all my sins </strong><strong>because </strong><strong>I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell;</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>but most of all because I have offended Thee, My God,</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Who art all-good and deserving of all my love.</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace,</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>to confess my sins, to do penance, </strong><strong>and to amend my life. </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Amen.</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>one grateful hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451863159393669066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604791920532481963.post-26662976410300638582011-06-03T10:13:00.000-04:002011-06-03T10:13:27.960-04:00Wise Counsel of Blessed Pope John XXIII: "Only for Today..."<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>"Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do." </strong></div><strong></strong><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>~Blessed John XXIII~</strong></div><strong></strong><strong><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
THE DAILY DECALOGUE OF POPE JOHN XXIII </div><div style="text-align: center;"></div></strong><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>1) Only for today, I will seek to live the livelong day positively without wishing to solve the problems of my life all at once. </strong></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>2) Only for today, I will take the greatest care of my appearance: I will dress modestly; I will not raise my voice; I will be courteous in my behaviour; I will not criticize anyone; I will not claim to improve or to discipline anyone except myself. </strong></div><strong></strong><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>3) Only for today, I will be happy in the certainty that I was created to be happy, not only in the other world but also in this one. </strong></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>4) Only for today, I will adapt to circumstances, without requiring all circumstances to be adapted to my own wishes. </strong></div><br />
<strong>5) Only for today, I will devote 10 minutes of my time to some good reading, remembering that just as food is necessary to the life of the body, so good reading is necessary to the life of the soul. </strong><br />
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<strong>6) Only for today, I will do one good deed and not tell anyone about it. </strong><br />
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<strong>7) Only for today, I will do at least one thing I do not like doing; and if my feelings are hurt, I will make sure that no one notices. </strong><br />
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<strong>8) Only for today, I will make a plan for myself: I may not follow it to the letter, but I will make it. And I will be on guard against two evils: hastiness and indecision. </strong><br />
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<strong>9) Only for today, I will firmly believe, despite appearances, that the good Providence of God cares for me as no one else who exists in this world. </strong><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>10) Only for today, I will have no fears. In particular, I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful and to believe in goodness. Indeed, for 12 hours I can certainly do what might cause me consternation were I to believe I had to do it all my life. </strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><br />
~ Blessed John XXIII, excerpt from <a href="http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/secretariat_state/card-bertone/2006/documents/rc_seg-st_20061011_john-xxiii_en.html">Homily of Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone</a> </strong><br />
<strong>at the Eucharistic Concelebration Commemorating Pope John XXIII on his Memorial ~</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Thanks to Valerie)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><br />
~ Related post: <a href="http://gratefulforpurgatory.blogspot.com/2010/06/prayer-for-todays-needs-just-for-today.html">Prayer for Today's Needs: "Just For Today"</a></strong></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="390" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TkmohsPPt1Q?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TkmohsPPt1Q?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="390" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>one grateful hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451863159393669066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604791920532481963.post-31698061041605803082011-06-01T18:32:00.016-04:002011-06-01T18:39:24.842-04:00Archbishop Fulton Sheen: Building Our Heavenly Home<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>"Believe me,you will never lose your soul if you use your blessings to spread the faith."</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><br />
~ Servant of God Fulton J. Sheen ~</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><br />
Insights from the Bible and Servant of God Fulton Sheen on building our true home in heaven:</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="390" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bi0oCdWkcJA?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bi0oCdWkcJA?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="390" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>one grateful hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451863159393669066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604791920532481963.post-91136149429495453642011-05-26T22:59:00.000-04:002011-05-26T22:59:08.561-04:00Saint Philip Neri: Practical Advice<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>"The true way to advance in holy virtues, is to persevere in a holy cheerfulness."</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ St. Philip Neri ~</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<strong>~ Previous post on <a href="http://gratefulforpurgatory.blogspot.com/2010/05/st-philip-neri-and-poor-souls-in.html">St. Philip Neri and the Poor Souls in Purgatory</a> ~</strong></div>one grateful hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451863159393669066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7604791920532481963.post-23634690701008684422011-05-21T10:56:00.000-04:002011-05-21T10:56:58.980-04:00St. John Eudes: Renouncing Ourselves so Jesus Can Live and Reign in Us<strong>"Our wish, our object, our chief preoccupation must be to form Jesus in ourselves, to make his spirit, his devotion, his affections, his desire, and his disposition live and reign there."</strong><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>"Finally, you are one with Jesus as the body is one with the head. You must, then, have one breath with him, one soul, one life, one will, one mind, one heart. And he must be your breath, heart, love, life, your all."</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>~ Saint John Eudes ~</strong><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="300" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/c1uPo684htg?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/c1uPo684htg?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="300"></embed></object></div>one grateful hearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451863159393669066noreply@blogger.com0