St. Catherine of Siena's Constant Prayer to the Precious Blood of Jesus

                                                              

 A short, but beautiful prayer that would be wonderful to make into a daily recitation especially during the month of July would be the following prayer, "Constant Prayer of St. Catherine of Siena to the Precious Blood of Jesus." During this month may we remember the awesome power of the Precious Blood of our Lord to obtain for us forgiveness of our sins and relief of the Poor Souls in Purgatory. May we implore Jesus daily to offer His Most Precious Blood to our Heavenly Father, sending down mercy and divine Love upon us, our families, and the world. May we always remember the necessity of daily prayer and sacrifice for reparation of sin and conversion of the world; no matter our vocation it is our duty to pray and do penance for these intentions.

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Constant Prayer of St. Catherine of Siena to the Precious Blood of Jesus 

Precious Blood, 

ocean of divine mercy: 

Flow upon us! 

Precious Blood, 

most pure offering: 

Procure us every grace! 

Precious Blood, 

hope and refuge of sinners: 

Atone for us! 

Precious Blood, 

delight of holy souls: 

Draw us! Amen. 

 - St. Catherine of Siena

God bless!

+JMJ+

Prayer for our Priests

 The second Sunday after Easter is called Good Shepherd Sunday, since it is on this Sunday that we hear in the Gospel Jesus telling the Pharisees, “I am the Good Shepherd: and I know mine, and mine know me. As the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father: and I lay down my life for my sheep.” Dom Gueranger writes, “Divine Shepherd of our souls! How great is Thy love for Thy Sheep! Thou givest even Thy life to save them. The fury of wolves does not make Thee flee from us; Thou becomes their prey, that we may escape, Thou diedst in our stead, because Thou wast our Shepherd.” In the upcoming days the Gospels will tell us of Jesus establishing His Church, giving St. Peter care of His Lambs and Sheep and of making Peter the Shepherd of His whole Church, from whom Christ’s authority would be continued through St. Peter’s successors.

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St. Catherine of Siena, whose feast day is celebrated on April 30, dedicated her life to prayer, penance, and works of charity, especially for the Roman Pontiff and priests. On her deathbed she prayed to God, saying, “O eternal God, receive the sacrifice of my life on behalf of the Mystical Body of the Holy Church. I have nothing else to give, except what You have given me." May we imitate St. Catherine, remembering to pray and sacrifice for Holy Mother Church, especially for our priests and the Pope.

Our priests are so important in our spiritual lives, providing us with numerous opportunities for sanctifying grace through the sacraments and guiding us on our path to sanctification. In return we need to pray daily for them, asking our Lord to shower them with His abundant graces and mercy. We should also pray to our Lady that she may keep them steadfast in all things pleasing to God and safe from the snares of the devil. This following prayer is a fitting and most beautiful one with which to accomplish this.

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The People's Prayer for their Priests

O loving Heart of Jesus! deign to listen to the pleading supplication of Thy people for the sanctification of their pastors. O Heart of Love! teach them to love Thee as Thou desire; make them holy, make them pure, make them prudent, make them wise, make them “be all things to all men” after Thy divine example.

They are the guardians of Thy sacred Flesh and Blood: Oh! make them faithful to this holy trust. Give them excessive reverence for Thy pure Body and a longing thirst for Thy precious Blood, so that having tasted of Its sweetness they may be sanctified, strengthened and purified in the consuming flame of divine love.

O dearest Jesus! do not refuse our humble prayer. Look down with love on Thy priests; fill them with burning zeal for the conversion of sinners; keep unstained their anointed hands which daily touch Thy Immaculate Body; keep unsullied their lips purpled with Thy Precious Blood; keep pure and unearthly a heart sealed with the sublime marks of Thy glorious Priesthood; bless their labors with abundant fruit, and may those to whom they have ministered on earth be one day their joy and consolation in Heaven. O Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, model of the priestly heart, give us holy priests. Amen.

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The Beautiful Hands of a Priest

We need them in life's early morning,

We need them again at its close;

We feel their warm clasp of true friendship,

We seek them when tasting life's woes.

At the altar each day we behold them,

And the hands of a king on his throne

Are not equal to them in their greatness;

Their dignity stands all alone;

And when we are tempted and wander,

To pathways of shame and of sin,

It's the hand of a priest that will absolve us--

Not once, but again and again.

And when we are taking life's partner,

Other hands may prepare us a feast,

But the hand that will bless and unite us--

Is the beautiful hand of a priest.

God bless them and keep them all holy,

For the Host which their fingers caress;

When can a poor sinner do better,

Than to ask Him to guide thee and bless?

When the hour of death comes upon us,

May our courage and strength be increased,

By seeing raised over us in blessing--

The beautiful hands of a priest.

--Author unknown from an old prayer card

God bless!

+JMJ+

Prayers for July, Month of the Precious Blood

A short, but beautiful prayer that would be wonderful to make into a daily recitation during the month of July would be the following prayer, "Constant Prayer of St. Catherine of Siena to the Precious Blood of Jesus."  During this month may we remember the awesome power of the Precious Blood of our Lord to obtain for us forgiveness of our sins and relief of the Poor Souls in Purgatory.  May we implore Jesus daily to offer His Most Precious Blood to our Heavenly Father, sending down mercy and divine Love upon us, our families, and the world.  May we always remember the necessity of daily prayer and sacrifice for reparation of sin and conversion of the world; no matter our vocation it is our duty to pray and do penance for these intentions.

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Constant Prayer of St. Catherine of Siena to the Precious Blood of Jesus

Precious Blood,
ocean of divine mercy:
Flow upon us!

Precious Blood,
most pure offering:
Procure us every grace!

Precious Blood,
hope and refuge of sinners:
Atone for us!

Precious Blood,
delight of holy souls:
Draw us! Amen.

- St. Catherine of Siena

Please note that I will be taking off the remainder of the summer in order to complete my necessary preparations for our new school year this autumn.  I hope, however, you will continue to visit and find many prayers that aid you in your spiritual life.  I pray these prayers will help you grow closer to our Lord and Lady.  Be assured of my prayers for you.

God bless!

+JMJ+

For the Feast of St. Catherine of Siena

 The Feast of St. Catherine of Siena traditionally is celebrated on April 30.  St. Catherine, who in 1970 was declared a Doctor of the Church, became a Third Order Dominican when she was sixteen years old. She lived a life in close union with Jesus, receiving visions of Him and conversing with Him; she also received the stigmata from our Lord. Although St. Catherine died at the young age of thirty-three, she converted many souls through her love of God and her love of neighbor. She joyfully dedicated her life to prayer, penance, and works of charity, especially for the Roman Pontiff  and priests.  You can read one of her prayers for this intention at St. Catherine's Prayer for the Church and Priests.

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St. Catherine is a wonderful example of living to serve God.  On her deathbed she prayed to God, saying, "  O eternal God, receive the sacrifice of my life on behalf of the Mystical Body of the Holy Church.  I have nothing else to give, except what You have given me."
May we pray to her especially on her feast day, asking her intercession to help us also live each day for God, loving Him ever more and bringing others to love Him more as well, as she did.  May we remember to pray and sacrifice for Holy Mother Church, especially for priests and the Pope, but also for the entire Church Militant and the Church Suffering.

Prayer to St. Catherine of Siena

St. Catherine, most blessed and favored patron saint, thou who sought the truth with perseverance, loved the truth in humility, taught the truth in charity, and defended the truth with courage, pray for us. Obtain for us the grace to persevere in truth, to be a light in the darkness of the times in which we live, and to convey to others, both in our written words and in our actions, the responsibility, wisdom, and knowledge to proclaim the truths of our holy Faith as proclaimed by the Church. O holy virgin and bride of Christ, whose letters inspired, guided, and led the Church to renewal and transformation, obtain too for us the grace to live the truth, the patience to endure the trials and hardships, to carry our Cross in the spirit of prayer and self denial, and to defend the Church in its hour of crucifixion. We ask these in Christ's name. Amen.

My Nature is Fire

In Your nature, eternal Godhead,

I shall come to know my nature.

And what is my nature, boundless Love?

It is fire, because You are nothing but a fire of love.

And You have given humankind

a share in this nature,

for by the fire of love You created us.

And so with all other people

and every created thing;

You made them out of love.

O ungrateful people!

What nature has Your God given you?

His very own nature!

Are you not ashamed to cut yourself off from such a noble thing

through the guilt of deadly sin?

O eternal Trinity, my sweet love!

You, Light, give us light.

You, Wisdom, give us wisdom.

You, Supreme Strength, strengthen us.

Today, eternal God,

let our cloud be dissipated

so that we may perfectly know and follow Your Truth in truth,

with a free and simple heart.

God, come to our assistance!

Lord, make haste to help us!  Amen.

--by St. Catherine of Siena

God bless!

+JMJ+

St. Catherine's Prayer for the Church and Priests

 On April 30 (new calendar is April 29) Holy Mother Church honors St. Catherine of Siena. From a very young age St. Catherine experienced heavenly visions which helped develop her intense love for God. She vowed never to marry, but instead give herself totally to her Lord. Through a life of penance, service, and prayer, St. Catherine led many souls to Christ, helping them in the spiritual and physical needs out of love of Christ. She spent much of her thirty-three years traveling to advise political and spiritual leaders, even guiding the decisions of two popes to help strengthen the Church against attacks from Satan.

St. Catherine of Siena had a great love for the Holy Catholic Church, the Bride of Christ. Because of this deep love and the desire for all men to follow God's will, Catherine endured intense suffering; Christ gave her His Wounds, the stigmata, which she willingly accepted to offer for the Church. At other times, she endured beatings from demons, again offered for Holy Mother Church. St. Catherine spoke, “Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire.”

On St. Catherine's feast day and throughout our lives, may we strive to know and fulfill God's will for us, praying and sacrificing for love of Him and His holy Church, just as St. Catherine of Siena worked unceasingly to accomplish.

Prayer for the Church and Priests

My Lord, do not look upon my sins, but hear Thy servant through the clemency of Thine inestimable charity. When Thou left us Thou didst not leave us orphans, but Thou left us Thy vicar and Thy ministers who give us the baptism of the Holy Ghost; and not only once, but always, through Thy holy power they wash our souls from sin.

O eternal Piety, may Thy vicar and all ministers be hungry for souls, may they burn with holy desires for Thy honour, may they remain with thee always, because Thou are the almighty and the eternal goodness.  Once again, eternal God, sanctify these Thy servants so that, with simplicity of heart and a perfect will they may follow Thee and Thee alone. Do not look upon my misery, but place them in the garden of Thy will.

I  know, eternal God, that Thy arm is so strong as to be able to free the Church and Thy  people, to pull them out of the devil's hands, and to cease all persecutions against the Church. I know that the wisdom of Thy Son, which is one with thine, can illuminate the eye of my intellect, that of Thy people and lift the darkness from Thy spouse the Church.

I thus supplicate Thy almighty power, O eternal Father, the wisdom of Thine Only-begotten Son, the clemency of the Holy Ghost, fire and abyss of charity, so that Thy mercy may be given to the world and that there may be the warmth of charity with peace and union in the holy Church. I pray that Thine infinite goodness will lead Thee not to close the eye of Thy mercy upon Thy holy spouse. Sweet Jesus, loving Jesus.  Amen.

--by St. Catherine of Siena

St. Catherine of Siena receiving the Stigmata from our Lord

God bless!

+JMJ+