Detachment Reflection

Think about this...  You are a custodian of a garden.  And the Owner is God.  You were given the garden to take care with.  But the garden was already filled with flowering weeds, and some wild plants.  And you thought that it was the plants that you must take care with.  You water them, trim them, and you said to yourself you are doing your job.  The Owner comes now to fullfill his plan to landscape the garden.  And so he hired some person to uproot the weeds, and the wild plants.  And as the day ends the whole garden is now a barren field of soil.

You in your sentiments will be sad, for you were already attached to what you think are your plants.  You do not know the plan of the Owner, and in your loneliness you miss the plants that were uprooted.  But as the new day begins, the worker now fills the Garden with plants and herbs.  The worker now sowed some flowering plants, and planted new trees.  They put some stones for decoration and arranged it according to the plan of the Owner.  And so now you are care taker of an English Garden, a garden beautiful than ever.

In our life sometimes we see some things or person taken away from us.  Person and things which we thought we need, but in reality we are only fixated upon them.  We only think that we need them, because we are already accustomed in being with them.  But it is in this attachment, this crowdedness, and these preoccupations that we are becoming unaware or ignorant on what is God's plan for our life, the plan of God to the Garden of our existense. 

The kindness and mercy of God over our lives will always insist, because of his great love for each and every one of us.  There will be an opportunity in our lives wherein these persons,  these things, and these preoccupations will be taken away from us.  As the course of life takes away from us, our attachment it will be natural us to feel temporary emptiness, the barreness, and what we believe unfruitfullness.  But it is in this, that when we let go, and we let God take.  That God can only re-nourish our life.  It is in the barren soil of our loneliness there can only God plant His seeds. 

What we can do is only to trust, and believe that there will be more goodness to come.  And most of all there we must believe that the seed that God has planted is the best to bear fruit with.  Better than the former, and the best of all.  For as the new seeds of experience grows, it will be for the fullness of our life.  Yes, we may sometimes feel sad, and so be it.  Do not fight your emotions of helplessness, and sadness.  Cry if you must, for the tears will water the seeds the God has planted. And you will see as days passes by, you will become more stronger, you will  become more wiser, and you will  become the person that you are intended to be.  God wills our life to be the best, and his plans is more than the goodness we imagine.  Let us not just be merely content on what we believe the goodness of life according to our own preference.  But may we let God bring the best in us,  no matter what the price it must cost..

We are sometimes content on the weeds of life, weeds that when it grows are really good for nothing.  May we let God uproot the weeds in our life so that he can accomplish the fruitfullness in us, the flower of our existence and the beauty and significance of our life.

Prayer to St. Catherine of Bologna

 Prayer  to St. Catherine

Oh Holy St Catherine of Bologna,/ you who in wisdom and humility./  Was dedicated to prayer/ but was always ready to serve;/ generous in sacrifice but full of joy/ in welcoming Christ with the Cross.  Help us by your prayers always to be careful and diligent in striving to do good./   Help us to believe that,  alone we will never be able to do something truly good/ but  we must strive to always trust in God and, for love of him./ May we never fear in the battle against evil,/ either in the world or within ourselves./  May we never shrink with fear, but in the Holy Name of Christ and in Faith be brave to defeat the evils  the surrounds us./ Help us to meditate often on the events and words of the life of Jesus,/ and especially on his Passion and his death./  And to always be grateful for this wonderful and immense goodness of God/  in order to save our very self./ Pray for us always to remember that we must die;/ to focus our minds firmly on memory of the goods of Heaven./  Help us to be familiar with Sacred Scripture,/ always cherishing it in our hearts/ so that it may give direction to all our thoughts and all our actions. / Thus, establishing God’s reign  in our hearts and in the hearts of others.

St. Catherine, may we always use our youthful days as you did,/ in the service of God./  May we never grow weary on consecrating our life for his glory/ and for the good of our souls./  Oh holy abbess of bologna, Sweet St. Catherine, / as you became an instrument of charity in your earthly life./  We do believe that your Love is now more strong than ever./  That you can not resist the prayers of us who still journey in this earthly life./  Along with all the grace, and weapons we are asking,/ may you grant us this request. (Mention your request).  Present this prayer to the throne of your Divine Spouse,/ may he answer these necessities according to what will give glory to Him,/ and to what will benefit us the most. Amen

(Let us pray seven Our Fathers and seven Hail Mary that St. Catherine may ask the Father to send the holy spirit to grant us the grace we ask and most of all the grace to overcome the evil in us and in our society)

Devotion and Novena to the Holy Angels

Make the sign of the Cross....

To the Holy Archangels St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael.

 Most Holy Trinity, I give thanks for having created Thy angels in such a sublime manner and ingiving such strength to their leader.  May Thou be adored and loved in the beauty and splendor of Thy ambassador; praise unto Thee in their glorious songs of honor and thanksgiving forever and ever. Amen.

Most Holy Princes of Heaven, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, we honor you for the love that the Most High lavishes on you and for His placing you in the seats nearest His own.  Remember my needs. Chief of the Angels. remember those who place themselves under your patronage so that they may triumph over Satan forever.

Grant that the kingdom of light and of grace, of justice and of love of God may increase in all its splendor and beauty in every soul and become known to all.  Amen

Oh St. Michael intercede with the Holy Ghost in my behalf, He who is king og Glory and Dispenser of all graces. Amen

Prayer to the Holy Angels
Second Prayer

Oh God, who in dividing Thy Kingdom Thou most wonderfully ordained the respective duties of angels and of men, mercifully grant that the Holy Angels Who are ministering in thy presence in Heaven may also be defenders of our lives here on earth, through Christ our Lord Amen.

Holy Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominations, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels, and Angels; we join you all in praising and loving God, the True and Everlasting God in Three Divine Persons. Amen

Holy Angels, lend your assistance to the Church in combating the powers of darkness and sin and fiathlessness, so that when She has spread over the whole earth the Kingdom of God may guide men to life everlasting.

Holy Gurardian Angels, guide and defend us.

111. ANGELICAL CROWN IN HONOUR OF ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL.

(From the Raccolta Book of Indulgences)

It is a pious tradition, that the Archangel Michael revealed to a holy person that he would he well pleased by his bringing into use the following prayers in his honour and in honour of all the angelic host; and that he would repay those who practised this devotion with signal favours, particularly in such times as the Catholic Church should experience some special trial.  In this belief, a holy Carmelite nun, of the convent of Vetralla, in the diocese of Viterbo, who died with the reputation of sanctity in the year 1751, made it her delight to practise this method of prayer, commonly called the "Angelic Chaplet;" and it was at the instigation of the nuns of her convent that his Holiness Pins IX., by a decree of the S. Congr. of Rites, dated August 8, 1851, granted the following Indulgences -
i. An indulgence of seven years and seven quarantines every time the Chaplet is said.
ii. An indulgence of 100 days daily to any one who carries this Chaplet about him, or kisses the medal with the representation of the holy angels appended to the said Chaplet.
iii. A plenary indulgence once a month to every one who says daily this Chaplet, on any one day when, after Confession and Communion, he shall pray for the exaltation of our holy Mother the Church and the safety of the Sovereign Pontiff.
iv. A plenary indulgence, with the conditions above named, on -
1. The Feast of the Apparition of St. Michael. May 18.
2. The Dedication of St. Michael. September 29.
3. St. Gabriel the Archangel. March 18.
4. St. Raphael the Archangel. October 24.
5. Holy Angel Guardians. October 2.
To gain these Indulgences, a Chaplet must be used consisting of nine Pater noster’s, and three Ave Maria's after each Pater noster, with four Pater noster’s at the end; the following corresponding salutations being said at the same time in their proper order, with the antiphon and prayer at the end us given below. These Chaplets must be blessed by the actual father confessor of the convent of Vetralla, or some other priest who has obtained faculties for this purpose.
METHOD OF PRACTISING THIS DEVOTION.
Let every one, according to his ability, begin with an act of sincere contrition, kneeling before a representation of the holy Archangel; then let him say with devotion the following salutations:
V. Deus in adjutorium meum intende.
R. Dontine ad adjuvandum me festina.

Gloria Patri, &c.
FIRST SALUTATION.

One Pater noster and three Ave Maria’s, to the First Angelic Choir.

At the intercession of St. Michael and the heavenly choir of the Seraphim, may it please God to make us worthy to receive into our hearts the fire of His perfect charity. Amen.

SECOND SALUTATION.

One Pater noster and three Ave Maria’s, to the Second Angelic Choir.

At the intercession of St. Michael and the heavenly choir of the Cherubim, may God grant us grace to abandon the ways of sin, and run the race of Christian perfection. Amen.
THIRD SALUTATION.
One Pater noster and three Ave Maria’s, to the Third Angelic Choir.

At the intercession of St. Michael and the sacred choir of the Thrones, may it please God to infuse into our hearts a true and earnest spirit of humility. Amen.

FOURTH SALUTATION.
One Pater noster and three Ave Maria’s, to the Fourth Angelic Choir.
At the intercession of St. Michael and the heavenly choir of the Dominations, may it please God to grant us grace to have dominion over our senses, and to correct our depraved passions. Amen.
FIFTH SALUTATION.
One Pater noster and three Ave Maria’s, to the Fifth Angelic Choir.
At the intercession of St. Michael and the heavenly choir of the Powers, may God vouchsafe to keep our souls from the wiles and temptations of the devil. Amen.

SIXTH SALUTATION.
One Pater noster and three Ave Maria’s, to the Sixth Angelic Choir.
At the intercession of St. Michael and the choir of the admirable celestial Virtues, may our Lord keep us from falling into temptation, and deliver us from evil. Amen.

SEVENTH SALUTATION.
One Pater noster and three Ave Maria’s, to the Seventh Angelic Choir.

At the intercession of St. Michael and the heavenly choir of the Principalities, may it please God to fill our souls with the spirit of true and hearty obedience. Amen.

EIGHTH SALUTATION.
One Pater noster and three Ave Maria’s, to the Eighth Angelic Choir.
At the intercession of St. Michael and the heavenly choir of Archangels, may it please God to grant its the gift of perseverance in the faith and in all good works, that we may thereby be enabled to attain unto the glory of Paradise. Amen.
NINTH SALUTATION.
One Pater noster and three Ave Maria’s, to the Ninth Angelic Choir.
At the intercession of St. Michael and the Heavenly choir of Angels, may God vouchsafe to grant us the safe-conduct of the holy Angels through life, and after death a happy entrance into the everlasting glory of heaven. Amen.
Then say four Pater noster's in conclusion; the first to St. Michael, the second to St. Gabriel, the third to St. Raphael, the  fourth to your Angel Guardian.
This exercise then ends with the following Antiphon.
ANTIPHON.
Michael, glorious Prince, chief and champion of the heavenly host, guardian of the souls of men, conqueror of the rebel angels, minister in the house of God, our worthy captain under Jesus Christ, endowed with superhuman excellence and virtue; vouchsafe to free us all from every evil, who with full confidence have recourse to thee; and by thy powerful protection enable us to make progress every day in the faithful service of our God.
V. Pray for us, most blessed Michael, prince of the Church of Jesus Christ.
R. That we may be made worthy of His promises.
PRAYER.

Almighty and eternal God, who in thine own marvellous goodness and pity didst, for the common salvation of man, choose the glorious Archangel Michael to be the prince of Thy Church; make us worthy, we pray Thee, to be delivered by his beneficent protection from all our enemies, that at the hour of our death no one of them may approach to harm us, and that by the same Archangel Michael we may be introduced into the presence of Thy high and heavenly Majesty. Through the merits of the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Our community distributes the Angelic Crown for free.  For request you may write your address to the Comment section or send your letter via e-mail to bro.josegerardl@gmail.com or you can mail you letters to 1052 Julio Nakpil St. Malate, Manila.  Philippines.. For out of the country request we will try our very best to send you one.  We only give one chaplet per request.. Thank you very much! God bless you! And may His HolyAnels guide you!

This was my life before....

I have my children though not of my own. I was a surrogate father of four kids. Three boys and a girl.
I have my means to support them, I have a continuous job.
I enjoyed being called "Dad"
I have a family of my own.
I enjoy being worried with my kids,
I enjoy their company and love
I enjoy their courtesy.
I also enjoy scolding them....
My dream and ambition is that one day I can bring them with me in a vacation to Rome, and to Spain.  I strongly wish that one day this might happen.  That in every Meteor Shower, I go up to our rooftop and to wait for a falling star , to wish that this ambition, this inspiration of mine may be blessed by nature and may come true..

I remember in one of our vacation in a Beach Resort in Batangas.  I brought my children with me.  One night, we went to the seashore.  We sat on the sand and gaze towards the dark and starry sky.  And as a star fell, I embraced them tightly and wished that one day I may bring them with me to Rome, and to Spain.  But eventually that superstition did not help. After they have grown they choose their own paths in life.

My daughter left me for a boyfriend.  My eldest son and my second son left me to pursue the whims of their freedom.  And my youngest son left me to follow his own passion.

For my job I am having a hard time to find one.  I always face myself daily and ask myself what happened to me?  Why am I so unlucky in life.........  Yes, I pitied myself.  With this, I always turn to God to pray and beg him to have mercy over my life...

In my powerlessness, in my inability to do something, in my helplessness.  I turn to him and I try to listen. I am trying to reflect.