Mary Queen of Apostles

 

Mary Queen of the Apostles

~From the Voice of the Founder (July-September 2020)

  

There are many prayers composed by the Founder to honor Mary, Queen of Apostles. Among these is the Chaplet to the Queen of the Apostles, centered around five moments brimming with love and apostolic sensitivity, which suggest the mysteries of a rosary and is also called:

                                 “the Queen of the Apostles Rosary”

 1^st mystery:-- The annunciation and Jesus’ birth: Most loving Queen of heaven and of earth…, I honor and praise you for your unique privilege. You pleased God in your humility, faith, and virginity, and He granted you the privilege of becoming the great Mother of the Divine Savior, our Master, true Light of the world, infinite Wisdom, Source of all truth and first Apostle of truth.

 2^nd mystery:-- Jesus’ Passion and Death: Mary, Queen of all the angels…, remember that painful and solemn moment in which the dying Jesus from the cross gave you John as your son, and in him, all humanity and especially all the apostles.

 3^rd mystery:-- The coming of the Holy Spirit at the Cenacle: Virgin most pure…, rejoice for the days in which you were Teacher, Comforter and Mother of the apostles in the Cenacle to invoke and receive the Divine Paraclete, the Spirit with the seven gifts, Love of the Father and of the Son, Transformer of the apostles.

 4^th mystery:-- Mary’s Assumption: Our tender Mother Mary…, I recall the blessed moment in which you left the earth to fly to the loving embrace of Jesus. It was the omnipotent favor of God which assumed and glorified you in body and soul.

 5^th mystery:--Crowning of the Virgin Mary: Mary, Star of the Sea, our life and Queen of peace…, how great and how wonderful was the day on which the august Trinity crowned you Queen of heaven and earth, dispenser of all graces, our most lovable Mother.

Mary, Queen of the Apostles…Pray for us.

HAIL HOLY QUEEN

 

HAIL HOLY QUEEN

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy,
hail, our life, our sweetness, and our hope.
To you we cry, the children of Eve;
to you we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this land of exile.
Turn, then, most gracious advocate,
your eyes of mercy toward us;
lead us home at last
and show us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus:
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN

 

SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN

© Marlicia Fernandez  8-13-20

 

“Then Peter came up and said to Him, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.’”

                                                                                                         ~Matthew 18: 21-22 (RSV-CE)

 

 Not seven times, but seventy times seven times!  Seventy times seven represents infinity, so Jesus is telling Peter, and us, that we must forgive our brother, or sister,  an infinite number of times—as often as they request it.  That’s a tall order. Can it be possible?

Forgiveness is hard. Asking for forgiveness can be even harder.  It is hard, but not impossible.  Each requires openness and humility of heart.  Each requires understanding and acceptance of our own brokenness, and of our, “there, if not for the grace of God, go I” truth. Still we make excuses and play the blame game.  No one likes to be in the wrong and no one likes to have their efforts at reconciliation rebuffed.  Protective barriers are easier, and less risky to erect than opening oneself up to possible ridicule, rejection, or worse yet, outright dismissal.   The thing is, the same barriers that protect, also divide and isolate; both from each other, and in some cases, even from God.  Humility and the willingness to admit our need, either to forgive or be forgiven is necessary to heal the wounds and mend the fences damaged by intentional or unintentional slights.  Wounded pride has no place here. Humility is key.  God is merciful, so should we be.

Okay, fine, but it isn’t always easy.  

True. I’d be willing to bet that for the majority of people, it’s rarely, if ever, easy.  There are some who would rather pretend that nothing ever happened, even as resentment and frustration fill them or, at the extreme, relationships fall apart.  It’s frightening to see how easily a grudge, held onto, can ruin a life.  Then there are those who are afraid to ask for forgiveness because, for whatever reason, they believe they will be denied their request, or made to feel foolish.  They venture nothing and so they receive nothing. And the damage remains. 

I think most people have fallen into one camp or the other at some time in their lives, and yet, despite our common experiences, we still find it hard to open ourselves up, to be vulnerable and humble…to trust and believe that our vulnerability will be protected and our trust will be validated.  So we pull in on ourselves.  That’s not what Jesus wants us to do.  When he taught us how to pray, he made forgiveness ‘conditional’.   

“Conditional.”  Yikes! 

Yeah. That sounds a little intimidating, maybe even a little frightening, but upon closer examination it’s not as scary as it might seem.  All it means is: if we want to be forgiven, we must also forgive, and forgive from the heart. 

“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us…”

                                                                                       ~The Lord’s Prayer 

I wonder how many times those words just roll off our tongues as we pray, with no real thought behind them. I’m ashamed to say that for me, more times than I can count.  They’re just part of the prayer, but it’s important that I pay attention to what the Lord is teaching us, because He takes us at our word.   

“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us…” 

  It sounds easy when Our Blessed Lord says it. That’s deceptive, but the “condition” remains clear none-the-less.  If I don’t forgive others when they ask, I won’t be pardoned, not only by the person I’ve offended, but by God whom I have offended multiple times and upon Whose mercy and love I trust and depend upon. 

It doesn’t help that at present there is a disturbing trend to communicate without thinking, or worse yet to speak, or act, in a way calculated to hurt others for whatever reason. In this climate it can be difficult to determine if the slight received was accidental or intentional, which can make it hard to forgive and forget. If a person does gather up the courage to apologize, or ask forgiveness in this climate, they are just as likely to be refused as they are to be acknowledged or forgiven.  The hurt remains and festers and the bonds are still broken.  Everybody suffers. Nobody wins. 

I wish I could say that I always forgive from the heart and that I do not hesitate to ask for forgiveness when I’ve injured another.  Unfortunately, I have discovered I’m not as good at forgiving as I like to think. Over sensitivity and lack of true humility on my part are the culprits.  I can say the words with the will to mean them, even if they are accompanied by the occasional grimace, and things will seem to get back to normal.  Life goes on without issue, that is until an argument or disagreement occurs, or I feel unappreciated or sorry for myself.  Grudges I don’t even realize I’ve carried surface.  I thought I’d forgive from the heart and forgotten…at least that was my intent, but…there they are, mocking me, stirring up resentment and annoyance all over again! I can only offer a prayer for the one I thought I’d forgiven and for myself and hope that God sees the intention and recognizes my effort and my weakness.   I hope He will forgive based on my intent, not my success.  

I have hope for that whenever I look at the crucifix.  There he hangs, where he allowed me to nail him with my sins, for love of me.  He forgave me, even though he knew my weakness.  He forgave me even before I knew I needed forgiving. He forgave me even before I existed.  That is a comforting thought.

While my desire to receive God’s mercy and forgiveness so that I can spend eternity in Heaven with Him is a very important reason to forgive others, it is not the only one.  Being at odds with our brothers and sisters, with our spouses, neighbors, friends and coworkers is detrimental to our physical, mental and emotional health and well-being, here and now, in our present life.  Everything becomes more difficult when done under stress.  Learning to forgive and ask for forgiveness heals wounds, mends fences and reestablishes peace, trust, mutual respect and joy in our day to day living.  Who doesn’t want that? 

“…Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.’”                                                                                                        

Can I get and “Amen”?

The Way to Sanctity

My way to sanctity is different from anyone else’s way to sanctity.  The only commonality is that I do the will of God for me-which is most likely not the will of God for someone else.

What do You want of me, Lord?  Show me my path to sanctity and help me to follow it.

A Prayer...

A Prayer

Jesus Master, I humble myself for my many personal faults and for those which others have committed because of my bad example and negligence in my duties.

My Jesus, grant me the grace to keep others from sinning, as much as I am able, with actions, example, word, and prayer.

~Blessed James Alberione (St Paul for Every Day of the year-July 20)

A

If God is With Me...

Oh, Lord, if You are with me, who can be against me? If You help me, I will not fear what men can do to me.  Grant me the grace to preserve the peace and tranquility of spirit in the midst of tribulations, contradictions and calumnies. I place all my trust in You, O Lord. Infuse the virtue of patience in my heart.

~Imitation of Christ.

A Prayer for a Closer Union With Jesus

Prayer for a Closer Union With Jesus

Jesus, reveal Your Sacred Heart to me and show me its attractions. Unite me to it forever. Grant that all my desires and every beat of my heart, which does not cease even while I sleep, may be a witness to You of my love for You and tell You: Yes Lord, I am Yours!  The pledge of my loyalty to You rests ever in my heart and shall never cease to be there. Accept the little good that I do and be pleased to make up for all my wrongdoing so that I may e able to praise You in time and in eternity. Amen

~Voice of the Founder April – June 2020

A Prayer...

Prayer

God of peace, preserve in the hearts of men of good will Your gift of peace. Heal the wounds of hatred in the hearts of those who have lost this peace, and grant that reconciliation replace strife.

~St Paul for EVERY DAY of the year: June 23, pg 269

Consecration of the Family to Mary

CONSECRATION OF THE FAMILY TO MARY

Come, O Mary, enter and dwell in this house, which we offer and consecrate to you. You are welcome: we receive you with joy as your children. We are unworthy, but you are so good that you willingly establish your dwelling among your weakest children. We receive you with the love with which John took you into his home after the death of your Son, Jesus, Distribute to each of us the spiritual graces that are most needed, as you brought them to the house of Zechariah.

Grant the material graces, just as you obtained for the bride and groom at Cana the transformation of the water into wine. Keep us far from sin. Be light, joy, and sanctification, as you were in the family of Nazareth. Be our Mother, Teacher and Queen. Increase in us faith, hope and charity. Infuse in us the spirit of prayer.

May Jesus, Way, Truth and Life always dwell here! Raise up vocations among our loved ones. Grant that all the members of this family may one day be reunited in heaven. Amen

~Blessed James Alberione

A Mother's Day Note for Mother Mary

A Daughter’s Note to Mother Mary on Mother’s Day


Happy Mother’s Day, My Dear Mother Mary,

Thank you for accepting me into your heart as your child.  I am sorry for all the times I have neglected you. Forgive my lack of appreciation and my ingratitude, as well as my inconstant, no, maybe inconsistent is the better word, love. You are my Mother, my teacher, my queen.  You are “Mom”, “Mama”, “Mommy”. There is none better.  I thank you for all your love, your intercession and your protection; for all you are to me and for all you help me to be, and for leading me to your Divine Son.  In all things you are my role model.

For all that you do and for all that you give; for all that you are and for so much more, Mother Mary, I thank you and I love you.

Always.

I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life

Today's Gospel is such a wonderful passage.  It is such a Pauline Bible verse. Jesus reveals His all inclusive name, stating that He Is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  Blessed James Alberione chose this title to be specially honored in our Pauline family because it is the one Christ gives Himself and it covers everything that He is, not just one aspect.  I love that and I always get a little chill when this reading comes up. 

John 14:1-6

1 Do not let your hearts be troubled. You trust in God, trust also in me.
2 In my Father's house there are many places to live in; otherwise I would have told you. I am going now to prepare a place for you,
3 and after I have gone and prepared you a place, I shall return to take you to myself, so that you may be with me where I am.
4 You know the way to the place where I am going.
5 Thomas said, 'Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?'
6 Jesus said: I am the Way; I am Truth and Life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

Few External Mortifications...

Pauline life actually has few external mortifications, but it requires a whole continuity of sacrifices: the apostolates are actually a serious effort. It requires habit of sacrifice and generous dedication (AD.38)

~ Voice of the Founder April, May and June 2020

We Are Called to be Saints...

During my morning meditation I came across some inspiring words from the founder of the Pauline family.  Easier said than done, for sure, but definitely something to aspire to, and none of us lack the opportunities.  We may not be called to do great things for God, but we are all called to be saints.

“Great means for attaining common sanctity are: the daily fulfillment of our duties according to our state in life, the avoidance of voluntary defects, the work of corresponding to our own vocation, assiduous prayer and the frequent reception of the sacraments.”

~Blessed James Alberione (Daily Meditations: The Great Truths p. 178)

Casting Stones....

I receive daily emails from Blessed is She, and occasionally I like to share one that truly touched a chord for me. This is one such.  I hope you get as much out of it as I did.

By: Tricia Tembreull (from Blessed is She)

Like the people in today’s Gospel (John 10:31-42), we pick up rocks every time we see the “good works” Jesus does in our lives, yet we cannot recognize that He is God.

We pick up a jagged rock when we neglect to thank God for answered prayers, which we forgot we brought to Him in the first place. We skip stones over the water Christ recently walked on and pulled us out of when we began to drown. We do this when we no longer are in awe in His presence, or we don’t feel what we once felt in prayer. We see, but don’t believe.

Okay, so maybe you haven’t warmed up your arm lately to thrown a stone, but you’ve probably tried to arrest Jesus; and by arrest, I mean you tried to stop, restrain, or limit Him.

We arrest Jesus every time we listen to the voice of the evil one over His voice of truth.

We arrest Jesus every time we gossip or tear someone down versus notice Christ’s presence in them.

We arrest Jesus when we fail to accept help because our stubbornness gives way to pride instead of humility and compassion.

We arrest Jesus when we judge others and feel superior to them rather than see our brothers and sisters as equals made in the image and likeness of God.

Every time we fail to see, recognize, and accept Jesus as God, we are like the people in John’s Gospel. Jesus isn’t performing miracles so He will be seen; He works miracles in our lives so we will see and know Him.

I invite all of us to put down our stones and stop trying to find a way to arrest God. He performs good works, “so we may realize and understand that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father” (John 10:38).

Take some time in quiet prayer today and examine your heart, bringing it to Him.


Tricia Tembreull is a California girl with a boundless passion for life. After two decades of ministering to teens and youth ministers as a trainer, ministry mentor, and speaker in Catholic youth ministry, Tricia now serves as Campus Minister at USC Caruso Catholic Center. She loves adventure and seeks it everywhere she goes. As an avid foodie, she enjoys testing new recipes out on friends and family, gathering them around the table to encounter Christ in one another and be drawn to the satisfying unity we crave in the Eucharist.

Happy Solemnity of St. Jospeh

Happy Solemnity of St. Joseph, everyone. Now, on this special day, let us invoke his special aid and protection.

St. Joseph, patron of the Universal Church, of the dying, of workers and families, pray for us.

Chaplet of St. Joseph

1. St. Joseph, faithful cooperator in our redemption, have pity on poor humanity, still wrapped in so much error and so many evils. You were a docile instrument in the hands of the heavenly Father, in arranging everything for the birth and childhood of Jesus, for the preparation of the Victim, of the Priest, and of the Divine Master of the world. St. most docile to the will of God, obtain for us zeal for vocations and for their formation. For ourselves, we ask you for generous and constant correspondence to the precious gift of God’s call.

~St. Joseph, pray for us.

2. St. Joseph, model of every virtue, obtain for us your interior spirit. In loving and active silence, in the practice of all religious and civil laws, in docility to everything God willed, you arrived at a high degree of sanctity and heavenly glory. Obtain for us an increase of faith, hope and charity, an ample infusion of the cardinal virtues, an abundance of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

~St. Joseph, pray for us.

3. St. Joseph, we venerate you as the model of laborers, the friend of the poor, the consoler of the afflicted and those forced to leave their own land, the saint of Divine Providence. On earth you represented the universal goodness and concern of the heavenly Father. You were the carpenter of Nazareth and work- teacher to the Son of God, who became a humble laborer for us. Assist with your prayers all who labor in intellectual, moral and material work. For the nations obtain legislation inspired by the Gospel, the spirit of Christian charity, a way of governing in accord with justice and peace.

~St. Joseph, pray for us.

4. St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, we bless the Lord for your intimate communication with him during his infancy and youth at Bethlehem, in Egypt, and at Nazareth. You loved him with a father’s love and he loved you with the love of a son. Your faith made you adore in him the incarnate Son of God, while he obeyed you, served you, listened to you. You held pleasant conversations with him, shared work, great sufferings and most tender consolations. Obtain for us the grace never to offend Jesus by sin. Pray for us that we may always receive the sacraments of the Holy Eucharist and Reconciliation fittingly, attain to a great intimacy with and a tender and strong love for Jesus while on earth, and possess him forever in heaven.

~St. Joseph, pray for us.

5. St. Joseph, pure spouse of Mary, we humbly ask you to obtain for us a true devotion to our tender Mother, Teacher, and Queen. By divine will, your mission was associated to Mary’s. With Mary you shared sufferings and joys; with her there was a holy rivalry in virtue, work and merits; union of mind and of heart. St. Joseph, pray for fathers and mothers. Obtain for us the grace to know the Blessed Virgin Mary, to imitate her, to love her, to pray to her always. Draw many souls to her maternal heart.

~St. Joseph, pray for us.

6. St. Joseph, protector of the dying, we supplicate you for all the dying, and beg your assistance in the hour of our own death. You merited a happy passing by a holy life, and in your last hours you had the ineffable consolation of being assisted by Jesus and Mary. Deliver us from sudden death; obtain for us the grace to imitate you in life, to detach our heart from everything worldly and daily gather treasures for the moment of our death. Obtain for us the grace to receive the sacraments of the sick well, and with Mary, inspire us with sentiments of faith, hope, love and sorrow for sins, so that we may breathe forth our soul in peace.

~St. Joseph, pray for us.

7. St. Joseph, protector of the universal Church, look kindly upon the Pope, the episcopate, the clergy, the religious and laity. Pray for the sanctification of all. The Church is the fruit of the blood of Jesus, your foster Son. We entrust to you our supplications for the extension, liberty and exaltation of the Church. Defend her from errors, from evil and from the powers of hell, as you once saved the threatened life of Jesus from the hands of Herod. May the desire of Jesus come true: “That there be one fold under one shepherd.”

~St. Joseph, pray for us.

God Chips Away...

 “When we live a life of holiness, we allow God to chip away at our imperfections, until the work of art He created begins to shine through.”

                                             ~Remember Your Death-Memento Mori  (p.55)

Seek, Ask, Knock...

“Lord, please give me exactly what I need today. All of that and nothing else.”

~Karen Schultz (Blessed is She)

The focus of today’s Gospel (Matthew 7: 7-12) is on seeking, asking and knocking. Our Lord tells us that if we seek we will find. If we knock, it will be opened to us, and if we ask, we will receive.  So why does it often seem like that is not the case? I seek and I don’t find, I ask and I don’t receive, I knock but it is not opened to me?  Maybe it’s because I don’t ask properly, or I ask for the wrong things.  Maybe I don’t even know what I should be looking or asking for?  I’m sure that many times it’s because I want God to give me whatever I want the way I want it, when I want it, but He, He has other plans for me, and they are a thousand times better than any plans I might have for myself.  I know this. He has said as much.  So why is it so hard for me to remember? What am I afraid of?  Why is it so hard to trust?

I think it’s because I’m afraid of what I might have to give up.  I want what I want and cling to a lesser good and passing satisfaction, rather than allow Him to give me what my heart truly desires.  All this dawned on me during my daily meditation and the reflection I received from Blessed is She writer Karen Schultz.  I’ve made her final quote my thought to carry with me throughout today and all of Lent (and beyond).  I’m quite certain I will forget and try to hold on to my will, but it is my intention to return to it always.  I may not truly know what I want or need, but God does. I will do my best to trust in Him.

“Lord, please give me exactly what I need today. All of that and nothing else.”

Compassion...

Compassion presupposes habitual kindly thoughts.

Commit to the Lord

Psalm 37: 5-9  NSRV

5 Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will make your vindication shine like the light,
    and the justice of your cause like the noonday.

7 Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
    do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
    over those who carry out evil devices.

8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.
    Do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For the wicked shall be cut off,
    but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

January 13, 2020 With Blessed Father Alberione

MONDAY JANUARY 13, 2020

ORDINARY WEEKDAY

ST HILARY, BISHOP, DOCTOR

1 Sm 1: 1-8

Psalms 116: 12-19

Mk 1: 14-20

For negative poverty everything is enough for us; positive poverty never says enough for the works of God. Let the use of the means in the congregation be diligent; let the sheet of paper also be taken care of; if we used diligence we would have much more diffusion; let the accounts and the works be good, God is served! (VCG, p. 202)

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR DECEASED: Sr Bernardetta Ferraris FSP (2002)—Br Vincent Alemcheril SSP (2016)—Sr M Paola Casadei PD (2017)

January 12, 2020 With Blessed Father James Alberione

SUNDAY JANUARY 12, 2020

BAPTISM OF THE LORD-FEAST

Isaiah 42: 1-4, 6-7

Psalms 29: 1-4, 9-10

Acts 10: 34-38

Matthew 3: 13-17

The religious is distinguished by a complete reproduction of the life of Jesus Christ in Himself. He will have a purer, more heartfelt, more practical faith; he will imitate Jesus Christ not only in what He commands, but he will still follow Him in the evangelical counsels (dalla Introduzione a Gesú Maestro, Via, Veritá e Vita, pp. 17-18)

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR DECEASED: Novice Antonietta Arduino FSP (1981)—Fr Agide Pasotti IP (1995)—Sr M Teresa Castro PD (2011)—Sr Adele Cordero PD (2016)—Fr Antonio Recanatini IJP (2016)—Sr M Veronica Kloster FSP (2017)—Sr Virginia Mazzucato PD (2018)—Sr M AlbaScellato (2019)—Dr Frieda Quintos, Kapoor (2007)

In the Image and Likeness of God...

"We are created to the Image and likeness of God: triune, with intelligence, will and sentiment."
 ~Daily Meditations: The Great Truths (Blessed James Alberione.

Strive to submit the entire will to the Heavenly Father, as the Divine Master did.  Love God above ALL!!!

RESOLUTION:

"I want to live today in great love in order to imitate the life of the Blessed Trinity." 
       ~Daily Meditations: The Great Truths (Blessed James Alberione.