The body of actor Andrew Koenig was found in Vancouver’s Stanley Park yesterday. His father, Walter Koenig, said that his son “took his own life, and was in a lot of pain.” Like most of my generation, I grew up with Walter Koenig as Chekhov on Star Trek, and he played a superb villain much later, on Babylon 5. Until his press conference yesterday, I didn’t realize he was a man of such incredible strength and dignity. He asked for his family to be left in peace to mourn their loss. I hope he won’t mind if I take this sad occasion to address others who might be following the road that ended in Stanley Park for Andrew. No matter how far you have gone down that road, there is always a path that leads away. I could offer no greater tribute to Andrew and his family than trying to help you take it, or at least see it.
You won’t find the beginning of that path in your house, or your room, or any other private place where you torment yourself, and wonder why a world you’re hiding from can no longer see you. You’ll have to step outside, and take a walk through your town. You’ll pass hospitals where the gift of life is unwrapped and presented to the universe. In another wing, life is held as precious treasure by families gathered around quiet beds, surrounded by tireless machines and their tired, but determined, keepers. Perhaps you’ll find a hospice, where the dying embrace their last opportunity to share their lives with all who receive the blessing of a seat beside them. You’ll pass churches and temples, filled with the sworn enemies of despair.
You may find yourself wishing you could give the unwanted years of your future to the clients of those hospitals and hospices. I did, years ago, when I stood where you are standing now. I was on my knees at the time, offering that trade with all my heart. It doesn’t work that way. Those who tend the hospices can tell you why, and the people in the churches and temples can explain why it shouldn’t.
Stroll past your local police station, where the noble calling to risk your life in the service of others is answered… and the worship of death as a solution to problems meets its humiliating end. Maybe you’ll spot a recruiting station, where men and women who love their friends and families accept a duty that could take them away forever… because they know others love their families too, and there is no safe way to build and protect the future for them.
If your walk takes you past sunset, watch the cars rolling into the driveways of apartments and houses. If you walk from night into morning, watch the people reluctantly leaving their homes, to provide for their families. Those people are not wasting their lives, but fulfilling them. They return home to enjoy their reward, and renew their inspiration. Every day, they write new pages in the human story. None of us will see the end of that tale… but I know you share my appetite to read another chapter, and then one more after that. You may have convinced yourself to ignore it, but it’s still there.
Step into a convenience store for a cup of coffee or chocolate, and take a look at the newspapers. They are filled with pleas for help that you could answer. From the inner cities of America, to the broken streets of Haiti, and around the world, there are places where the clocks are filled with nothing but desperate hours. Another pair of hands, or another few dollars of support, are always needed. The years ahead, which you regard as a painful burden, can be given to them. It will take effort, and courage… but along the way, I can promise that your life would stop feeling like a burden.
You may view suicide as your last chance to shake the pillars of a world that has turned its back on you. The world doesn’t need any more shaking. If you’ve been telling yourself that no one will miss you when you’re gone, you are wrong. Your suicide would tear a hole through the future, and nothing could ever fill the space where you used to be. You might think you’re alone, but you don’t have to walk more than a couple of miles from your house to see a building full of people who would be delighted to meet you. There are places like Suicide Hotlines, staffed by men and women who have spent their entire lives preparing to hear the sound of your voice, and greet every day hoping to learn your name.
You may be afraid to face the years ahead. You’re not the only one, and if you extinguish the light of your faith and wisdom, you consign others to darkness. You might see death by your own hand as the end of unbearable pain… but I ask you to think about Walter Koenig, facing a wall of cameras with quiet grace in the hours after finding his son’s body, and understand that it’s only the beginning of agony.
You might have decided your fellow men are rotten to the core, and you’re weary of their company. Listen to the music of Mozart, or look upon the work of Michelangelo, and consider the argument of those who profoundly disagree. Maybe part of your problem is that you’ve been listening to the wrong music, or looking at the wrong pictures. Dark waters are easy to drown in. The judgment of the human race will not lack witnesses for the defense, and they will make their case to you, if you give them a chance.
Now, take the last few steps back to your home, and set aside one sorrow or terror with every footfall, until your mind is clear. If you’re thinking of incinerating the remaining years of your life, surely you can spare a few minutes for quiet reflection, and hear this prayer from the living world:
Please don’t leave us. We need you.
It is a quiet prayer, spoken in a soft voice, but it’s never too late to listen.
Alright. I'm going to deviate from my schedule (inspired by my beautiful sister Bea, of course) to write about last night's Chill-Out Session with Fr. Timothy Radcliffe.
Chill-Out what? Well, that was exactly my question when I received this invitation a few months ago. I mean, first of all, I've never heard of him. Second, how exactly do you chill out with a priest? So I googled him to gather some info about him. Not much, but what I found made me curious enough to sign up for the event. Although it's right smack in reading week, my exam schedule is not so tightly-packed this semester so I could afford to slack off for one night. Besides, it was free. Now I'm glad I signed up early because the response was overwhelming and they had to turn away people who registered late.
I forgot to mention that another factor that I considered, albeit not a very significant one, was that the venue is Love the World Soul Rock Bistro & Bar at the Singapore Flyer. I've never been there before but I was rather curious when Bro. Jude mentioned a few months back about this Christian-run pub at the flyer where they also play P&W songs.
Anyway...
I went with Dom and Matilda. It was a rather dreary day yesterday. Poor Fr. Radcliffe, who was probably looking for a break from bleak and damp London, has had to experience bleak and damp Singapore for the past week. We arrived there a few minutes before 7pm, just in time for the dinner provided. The food was pretty good. We ordered a rather expensive cup of hot-but-actually-tepid chocolate.
A little after we arrived, Fr. Radcliffe arrived wearing a simple polo shirt and pants. At first glance, he's not that striking, really. He was very tall but there was nothing else that demanded people's attention. I was a bit disappointed that neither he nor Fr. David was wearing the Dominican habit.
Soon, more people started arriving. Br. Jude, Gian, Steph, Justin, and many other people that I didn't really know. It was nice having dinner with Justin, Dom, and Matilda and not worrying about my FYP or exams even for just a night. Around 7:30, the event started with Franciscan Friar Derrick claiming that he would be assuming the role of Oprah that night. Soon, he invited Fr. Timothy to join him on the small stage. It really did look like a setting for talk shows.haha. But not a normal talk show. Both friars had changed into their respective habits. Pretty cool, huh?
The two men started off with some friendly banter about Franciscans and Dominicans. The two orders, after all, are very close to each other. Friar Derrick started the Q&A with his own questions. I can't really remember all of them, but I think he and Fr. Timothy make for a good interview. After awhile, Friar Derrick opened the floor to the audience. In true Singaporean fashion, nobody wanted to ask questions at first. Eventually, one did come up. After that, more and more questions came in. In the second half, I wanted to ask him one, but by that time, so many questions had been submitted and they ran out of time.
Anyway, here are some of the notes I took down from the Q&A. They're not word-for-word transcriptions of Fr. Timothy's answers. Some are, but others are only paraphrased, summarized versions of the ideas he presented. My sincere apologies to him if I misrepresent anything that he said last night.
Friar Derrick: Who here has read the book?
Fr. Timothy: More importantly, who has bought the book? We've got to keep the sales going.
***
Rene Descartes said “Cogito ergo sum.” Now they say “Tesco ergo sum.” I shop therefore I am. But these days in England, not a day passes by without the papers saying something about the Catholic Church. The content is often aggressive, critical about the Church. But it is also always with interest. It seems that people are getting sick of shopping.
***
People sometimes think that we Christians are an odd people. We are a question mark. There’s something that is a little peculiar about Christian joy. Our capability to be joyful is very much attached to our capability of experiencing suffering, of being touched by the sufferings of the world. Instead of a heart of stone, we have a heart of flesh. That allows us to be truly joyful, but at the same time, it makes us vulnerable. And the odd thing about being a Christian is that you have to let yourself be vulnerable if you want to be joyful.
***
Love and God is close.
***
The very fact that we exist means that God loves us. If God didn’t love you, Derrick, you’ll be gone in a poof and I will be here sitting all alone drinking your gin and tonic.
***
Spontaneity is not about doing the first thing that comes to mind. It is acting from the very core of our being and doing what is right immediately.
***
Sometimes, we have this false notion of freedom. That to be free I must get away from people and be alone with myself. But Freedom doesn’t mean freedom from people. That is meaningless, empty freedom. Freedom means the freedom to belong.
***
Jesus invites us to belong to His community. That community is the community of the friends of Jesus. Any human community requires structures. You can never have the Body of Christ without structure. All human activities do require institutions that will help sustain the members of that community.
***
Many of the great theologians that have influenced me have been Protestants. So I thank God for these Christian brethren. However, Christ called us into close, visible unity, because that unity is the sign of the Kingdom of God. And He wasn’t talking about a vague unity. That is why Catholics are always hoping for this communion. Jesus talked about being one, being visibly united. As for me, I can’t be anything but Catholic. Christ says we must be one and I do long for the day when all divisions will fall and Christians will be united as one body.
***
Christian discipleship is a long process. It also means that you have to go through everything including the doubts and dark moments. All the great Christians, the saints, faced their doubts and grappled with the puzzles.
***
If you are firm in your faith, you can go and befriend anybody.
***
God commanded us: Honor your father and mother. Part of this is caring for your own body. Because that is the gift that your parents have given you. To care for your body is to show gratitude to your parents.
***
Sometimes, we are so concerned about converting someone. We forget that Christ is always there before we arrive on the scene.
***
We must grab the moment that is given to us. Carpe diem!
***
There are two things you can do to handle gossip. First, never transmit nasty words. If somebody says something bad about somebody else, don’t go and share it to another person. Because that’s how gossip spreads. Second, try to say something positive about the person being gossiped about. The difference between God and Satan is that God always speaks words that give life, while Satan always whispers nasty, hurtful, and mean words.
***
Catholics must think and reason.
***
Cardinal Newman said there are three authorities of the Church: Tradition, Reason, and Experience.
***
On the future of the Church
First of all, I really don’t know. And I don’t particularly worry about it. In Western culture, people are very concerned about progress. Things are only okay if they are progressive. But progress is not talked about in the Bible. So perhaps if we go by our own meaning of progress, then the next few years for the Church may not be as progressive. But the Church cannot disappear; it cannot be defeated. That is why I do not worry. The more we worry about our own survival, the worse things get. Survival isn’t a great Christian virtue. Death and resurrection is.
During the intermission, Matilda bought a copy of What is the point of being a Christian? after I suggested that she can get it autographed. Poor me, I didn't bring enough cash.hehe. We asked him to autograph the book before we returned to our chairs for the second half. After the event, we were able to take a picture with him after bumping into opportunistic Keenan (not my words!). We didn't have a camera with us and Keenan didn't have one either, but his friend had and was kind enough to take a picture of us with Fr. Radcliffe. He was really very tall.
Anyway, the event really lived up to its name and more. I had fun and I learned a lot. If there's one thing about Fr. Timorthy that left a lasting impression on me, it was that sense of peace and joy that he has about him. As I said, he's not that striking at first glance. But hearing him speak and just seeing how he relates to people was just wonderful. Here was this man, former Master of the Order of Preachers, who had a noble's nobility but none of his airs. Simple man, unpretentious, with a wicked sense of humor--he strikes me as someone who is completely sure that he loves God and that God loves him.
Waitrose has released its 'new' Christmas advert with Camilla Kerslake singing 'How Can I Keep from Singing?" I say 'new' because most of it is just a rehash from last year's advert. Even the song is the same. It's still pretty nice though, although it doesn't give me the same warm feelings as last year's advert did. Kerslake's voice is nice but the song seems a little hurried at some parts. Maybe they should have used a different song this time.
My biased take is that I still prefer last year's advert because it's more relaxing and a little easier on the ears, amongst other reasons. But anyway, here are the past two adverts for comparison's sake.
Manu just announced on Facebook that his wife Marianela is pregnant. And in true Ginobili style, they're having twins! That's an and-1 three-point play.haha.
Finally. Now all we need is for Tony and Eva to have kids and the 2030 Spurs lineup will be all set! Assuming they are boys...haha.
Anyway, there's this funny pic going around the web related to Manu's bat incident.
"For instance, working men have a tradition that if one is talking about a vile thing it is better to talk of it in coarse language; one is the less likely to be seduced into excusing it. But mankind had this tradition also, until the Puritans and their children, the Ibsenites, started the opposite idea, that it does not matter what you say so long as you say it with long words and a long face." - G.K. Chesterton, What's Wrong with the World?
More Chesterton aphorisms:
"Nine times out of ten, the coarse word is the word that condemns an evil and the refined word
the word that excuses it."
"Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies even if they become fashionable."
"Freedom of speech means practically [i.e., in practice] in our modern civilisation that we must
only talk about unimportant things."
"Wit is a sword; it is meant to make people feel the point as well as see it."
"Men do not differ much about what things they will call evils; they differ enormously about
what evils they will call excusable." - Illustrated London News (1909-10-23)
"Compromise used to mean that half a loaf was better than no bread. Among modern statesmen it really seems to mean that half a loaf is better than a whole loaf."
"Not facts first; truth first."
"Truth is sacred, and if you tell the truth too often nobody will believe it."
Died 360. Antony was the child of Melasippus and Carina. All three were martyred at Ancyra (Ankara, Turkey), under Julian the Apostate. The parents died under torture, and their child was beheaded (Benedictines).
Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1966). The book of saints: A dictionary of persons canonized or beatified by the Catholic Church. NY: Thomas Y. Crowell. Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1947). The book of saints: A dictionary of servants of God canonized by the Catholic Church extracted from the Roman and other martyrologies. NY: Macmillan.
While the Fifth Edition is more accurate and is based on more current hagiographic research, this edition contains a very useful calendar and an excellent introduction on sainthood in general.
She is also mentioned in the US Catholic blog (albeit without a reference):
CARINA AND HER COMPANIONS
Martyrs
Nothing is known about this saint (also called Cassina) apart from the Acts of her martyrdom. In the year 360, at the time of Emperor Julian the Apostate in the city of Ankara, she and her husband Antonius as well as her thirteen-year-old son Melasippus were arrested on account of their Christian Faith.
The local autorities, as was the custom in such matters, endeavored to sway them from their devotion to the true God by means of cruel and inhuman tortures. But, aided by grace from on high, the three Christians remmained unswerving in their allegiance and steadfast in their Faith. they thus attained the crown of martyrdom and went on to receive their heavenly reward from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ whom they had so closely followed on earth.
PRAYER
God, You surround and protect us by the glorious confession of St. Carina and her Companions. Help us to profit from their example and be supported by their prayers. Amen.
***
Today is also the 29th Death Anniversary of Frank Duff, Founder of the Legion of Mary. I pray that he will be canonized soon. When he is, his feast day will be on the day of his death, essentially his birthday into everlasting life. How cool would it be to share a feast day with him. :)
Prayer for the Beatification of the Servant of God Frank Duff
God our Father,You inspired your servant Frank Duff with a profound insight into the mystery of Your Church, the Body of Christ, and of the place of Mary the Mother of Jesus in this mystery.
In his immense desire to share this insight with others and in filial dependence on Mary he formed her Legion to be a sign of her maternal love for the world and a means of enlisting all her children in the Church's evangelizing work.
We thank you Father for the graces conferred on him and for the benefits accruing to the Church from his courageous and shining faith.
With confidence we beg You that through his intercession you grant the petition we lay before You. ...............
We ask too that if it be in accordance with Your will, the holiness of his life may be acknowledged by the Church for the glory of your Name, through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
Ah, the memories that find me now my hair is turning gray, Drifting in like painted butterflies from paddocks far away; Dripping dainty wings in fancy – and the pictures, fading fast, Stand again in rose and purple in the album of the past. There’s the old slab dwelling dreaming by the wistful, watchful trees, Where the coolabahs are listening to the stories of the breeze; There’s a homely welcome beaming from its big, bright friendly eyes, With The Sugarloaf behind it blackened in against the skies; There’s the same dear happy circle round the boree’s cheery blaze With a little Irish mother telling tales of other days. She had one sweet, holy custom which I never can forget, And a gentle benediction crowns her memory for it yet; I can see that little mother still and hear her as she pleads, "Now it’s getting on to bed-time; all you childer get your beads." There were no steel-bound conventions in that old slab dwelling free; Only this – each night she lined us up to say the Rosary; E’en the stranger there, who stayed the night upon his journey, knew He must join the little circle, ay, and take his decade too. I believe she darkly plotted, when a sinner hove in sight Who was known to say no prayer at all, to make him stay the night. Then we’d softly gather round her, and we’d speak in accents low, And pray like Sainted Dominic so many years ago; And the little Irish mother’s face was radiant, for she knew That "where two or three are gathered" He is gathered with them too. O’er the paters and the aves how her reverent head would bend! How she’d kiss the cross devoutly when she counted to the end! And the visitor would rise at once, and brush his knees – and then He’d look very, very foolish as he took the boards again. She had other prayers to keep him. They were long, long prayers in truth; And we used to call them "Trimmin’s" in my disrespectful youth. She would pray for kith and kin, and all the friends she’d ever known, Yes, and everyone of us could boast a "trimmin"’ all his own. She would pray for all our little needs, and every shade of care That might darken o’er The Sugarloaf, she’d meet it with a prayer. She would pray for this one’s "sore complaint," or that one’s "hurted hand," Or that someone else might make a deal and get "that bit of land"; Or that Dad might sell the cattle well, and seasons good might rule, So that little John, the weakly one, might go away to school. There were trimmin’s, too, that came and went; but ne’er she closed without Adding one for something special "none of you must speak about." Gentle was that little mother, and her wit would sparkle free, But she’d murder him who looked around while at the Rosary: And if perchance you lost your beads, disaster waited you, For the only one she’d pardon was "himself" – because she knew He was hopeless, and ‘twas sinful what excuses he’d invent, So she let him have his fingers, and he cracked them as he went, And, bedad, he wasn’t certain if he’d counted five or ten, Yet he’d face the crisis bravely, and would start around again; But she tallied all the decades, and she’d block him on the spot, With a "Glory, Daddah, Glory!" and he’d "Glory" like a shot. She would portion out the decades to the company at large; But when she reached the trimmin’s she would put herself in charge; And it oft was cause for wonder how she never once forgot, But could keep them in their order till she went right through the lot. For that little Irish mother’s prayers embraced the country wide; If a neighbour met with trouble, or was taken ill, or died, We could count upon a trimmin’ – till, in fact, it got that way That the Rosary was but trimmin’s to the trimmin’s we would say. Then "himself" would start keownrawning – for the public good, we thought - "Sure you’ll have us here till mornin’. Yerra, cut them trimmin’s short!" But she’d take him very gently, till he softened by degrees - "Well, then, let us get it over. Come now, all hands to their knees." So the little Irish mother kept her trimmin’s to the last, Every growing as the shadows o’er the old selection passed; And she lit our drab existence with her simple faith and love, And I know the angels lingered near to bear her prayers above, For her children trod the path she trod, nor did they later spurn To impress her wholesome maxims on their children in their turn. Ay, and every "sore complaint" came right, and every "hurted hand"; And we made a deal from time to time, and got "that bit of land"; And Dad did sell the cattle well; and little John, her pride, Was he who said the Mass in black the morning that she died; So her gentle spirit triumphed – for ‘twas this, without a doubt, Was the very special trimmin’ that she kept so dark about.
. . . . .
But the years have crowded past us, and the fledglings all have flown, And the nest beneath The Sugarloaf no longer is their own; For a hand has written "finis" and the book is closed for good - Here’s a stately red-tiled mansion where the old slab dwelling stood; There the stranger has her "evenings," and the formal supper’s spread, But I wonder has she "trimmin’s" now, or is the Rosary said? Ah, those little Irish mothers passing from us one by one! Who will write the noble story of the good that they have done? All their children may be scattered, and their fortunes windwards hurled, But the Trimmin’s on the Rosary will bless them round the world.
Yesterday, I attended the All Saints Day mass in Holy Cross. Fr. Cary celebrated the mass and Fr. Richards gave the homily. While there were a few things that made you want to shake your head, Fr. Richards' homily more than made up for it. Today, I went for All Souls Day evening mass in Holy Cross and Fr. Richards celebrated the mass and gave the homily. Now THAT is a touchdown.haha.
Yesterday, he talked about the saints and how their greatest distinctive characteristic was that they all died to themselves and to the world to follow the will of God. Fr. Richards reminded us that the will of God is for us to become the perfect version of ourselves, to attain to the specifications of the masterplan of the Creator. Our GOD had us in mind, each one of us. Fr. Richards talked about how many people always complain that they don't know what God wants for them. The truth is that we already know what God wants--for us to follow His will and attain perfection.
He also said that we are capable of holiness, it is within our reach. But for this, we need the spirit of recollection. "If I give you a candle, and I ask you to walk with it and make sure that the light doesn't go out, you will walk carefully. Each step will be deliberated. That is the same thing you have to do to be holy. To think carefully through your actions. To act slowly but carefully, deliberately. You have the light of faith in you! Protect it!" He also talked about how holiness ultimately attracts people. He pinpointed Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, Servant of God Pope John Paul II, and St. Thomas More. Rich and poor alike were drawn to these people. They had such magnetic personalities, magnetic lives. By their goodness, people were inspired.
Today, Father was on fire again. He talked about our faithful departed. He talked about the symbolism of the three things that are traditionally placed inside the coffin of a dead person: the crucifix, the pall, and the bible. The pall is a symbol of the person's baptism, the crucifix of his choice to follow Christ, and the bible of his living out the Word of God. Father also talked about the last four things that all Christians agree upon: Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell. Purgatory isn't there because a)it's really under Heaven and b) non-Catholic Christians don't believe in the existence of Purgatory.
Father said that Protestants reject Purgatory because it is not in the bible. But although it is not explicitly mentioned, Revelations 21 clearly says that nothing unclean can enter heaven. Father said that Protestants are right in saying that the word Purgatory never appears in the bible. But then, the word Trinity (which all Christians believe and understand to be the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit) also doesn't appear in the bible. He said that although Protestants officially do not believe in Purgatory, they unofficially have a notion of an interim state. Even protestants pray for the dead. In any Christian funeral, you will hear the words "May his soul rest in peace." Now if the soul is in hell, why would you bother praying for it? No good can come out of praying for those in hell. If the soul is in heaven, it still doesn't need your prayers because it is already in heaven. And prayers for those in heaven are unnecessary! The only way it would make sense to pray for the dead is if we believe that they are deemed worthy to enter heaven but are still unclean, if they are still in that interim state where they need to be cleansed fully.
To understand why the Church commemorates these souls, we must understand the three dimensions of the Church. The Church Triumphant, the victorious church that is in heaven. The Church Militant, us who compose the pilgrim church on earth. And the Church Suffering, the expectant church of our faithful departed who are still on their way back to the Father. These are all part of the church. Not only us who are living, but all those who are in heaven, and those in Purgatory. And that is why we continue praying for the faithful departed.
Father then said that praying for the dead must be part of our gameplan. Because they will remember our prayers for them. And when we, too, die, by that time they will be hopefully in heaven and will also intercede for us. "This is just a stopover. We are here on this earth because we are going to die. And in this, we have no choice." This was followed by snickers from the crowd, because Father usually ends his homily with "the choice is yours." So he said, "See? You're rejoicing! You're all smiling."
O holy Saint Jude, apostle and martyr, grant that we may so dispose our lives that we may always be pleasing to God. In working out our salvation in this life we have many needs and necessities. Today we turn to you, asking you to intercede for us and obtain for us the favors we ask of God. Especially do we petition for.(mention your request) May we not so much seek temporal good but rather what will avail our souls, knowing that it will profit us nothing if we gain the whole world yet suffer the loss of our soul. Therefore, may we incline ourselves toward the divine will, seeing God's good and gracious purpose in all our trials. Amen.
St. Jude, pray for us.
My Jesus, mercy.
Holy Saint Jude, Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke thy special patronage in time of need. To thee I have recourse from the depths of my heart and humbly beg to whom God has given such great power to come to my assistance. Help me in my present and urgent petition, in return I promise to make thy name known and cause thee to be invoked. Saint Jude pray for us and all who invoke thy aid. Amen.
Recite an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be three times. Keep your promise to St. Jude and make his name known.
O holy Saint Jude, apostle of Christ, pray that we may ever imitate the Divine Master and live according to His will. May we cooperate with the grace of God and ever remain pleasing in His sight. Especially do we ask you to plead for us and obtain whatsoever is necessary for our salvation. Forget not our special petitions.(mention your request) May we always be thankful to God for the blessings we have received in the past. Whatsoever we ask for the present or future, we submit to the divine will, realizing that God knows best what is good for us. We know He will respond to our prayers and petitions in one way or another. Amen.
St. Jude, pray for us.
My Jesus, mercy.
Holy Saint Jude, Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke thy special patronage in time of need. To thee I have recourse from the depths of my heart and humbly beg to whom God has given such great power to come to my assistance. Help me in my present and urgent petition, in return I promise to make thy name known and cause thee to be invoked. Saint Jude pray for us and all who invoke thy aid. Amen.
Recite an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be three times. Keep your promise to St. Jude and make his name known.
O holy apostle Saint Jude, in whose honor we are gathered today, may we never forget that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ chose you to be one of twelve apostles. Because of this and of the martyrdom you suffered for the Faith, we know you are a close friend of Almighty God. Therefore we do not hesitate to petition you in our necessities, especially. (mention your request) We humbly submit ourselves to the will of God, knowing full well that no sincere prayer is ever left unanswered. May we see god's good and gracious purpose working in all our trials. Amen.
St. Jude, pray for us.
My Jesus, mercy.
Holy Saint Jude, Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke thy special patronage in time of need. To thee I have recourse from the depths of my heart and humbly beg to whom God has given such great power to come to my assistance. Help me in my present and urgent petition, in return I promise to make thy name known and cause thee to be invoked. Saint Jude pray for us and all who invoke thy aid. Amen.
Recite an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be three times. Keep your promise to St. Jude and make his name known.
St. Jude, apostle of Christ and helper in despairing cases, hear the prayers and petitions of those who are gathered together in your honor. In all our needs and desires may we only seek what is pleasing to God and what is best for our salvation. These, our petitions (mention your request) we submit to you, asking you to obtain them for us, if they are for the good of out souls. We are resigned to God's holy will in all things, knowing that he will leave no sincere prayer unanswered in some way though it may be in a way unexpected by us. Amen.
St. Jude, pray for us.
My Jesus, mercy.
Holy Saint Jude, Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke thy special patronage in time of need. To thee I have recourse from the depths of my heart and humbly beg to whom God has given such great power to come to my assistance. Help me in my present and urgent petition, in return I promise to make thy name known and cause thee to be invoked. Saint Jude pray for us and all who invoke thy aid. Amen.
Recite an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be three times. Keep your promise to St. Jude and make his name known.
O holy St. Jude, apostle and companion of Christ Jesus, you have shown us by example how to leas a life of zeal and devotion. We humbly entreat you today to hear our prayers and petitions. Especially do we ask you to obtain for us the following favor. (mention your request) Grant that in praying for present and future favors we may not forget the innumerable ones granted in the past but often return to give thanks. Humbly we resign ourselves to God's holy will, knowing that he alone knows what is best for us especially in our present needs and necessities. Amen.
St. Jude, pray for us.
My Jesus, mercy.
Holy Saint Jude, Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke thy special patronage in time of need. To thee I have recourse from the depths of my heart and humbly beg to whom God has given such great power to come to my assistance. Help me in my present and urgent petition, in return I promise to make thy name known and cause thee to be invoked. Saint Jude pray for us and all who invoke thy aid. Amen.
Recite an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be three times. Keep your promise to St. Jude and make his name known.
Saint blessed Jude, you were called to be one of Christ's chosen apostles and labored to bring men to a knowledge and love of God; listen with compassion to those gathered together to honor you and ask your intercession. In this troubled world of ours we have many trials, difficulties, and temptations. Plead for us in the heavenly court, asking that our petitions may be answered, especially the particular one we have in mind at this moment. (mention your request) May it please God to answer our prayers in the way that he knows best, giving us grace to see his purpose in all things. Amen.
St. Jude, pray for us.
My Jesus, mercy.
Holy Saint Jude, Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke thy special patronage in time of need. To thee I have recourse from the depths of my heart and humbly beg to whom God has given such great power to come to my assistance. Help me in my present and urgent petition, in return I promise to make thy name known and cause thee to be invoked. Saint Jude pray for us and all who invoke thy aid. Amen.
Recite an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be three times. Keep your promise to St. Jude and make his name known.
O holy St. Jude, apostle of Jesus Christ, you who have so faithfully and devotedly helped to spread his Gospel of Light, we who are gathered together today in your honor, ask and petition you to remember us and our needs. Especially do we pray for. (mention your request) May it also please our Lord to lend an ear to your supplications in our behalf. Grant that we may ever pray with fervor and devotion, resigning ourselves humbly to the divine will, seeing God's purpose in all our trials and knowing that he will leave no sincere prayer unanswered in some way. Amen.
St. Jude, pray for us.
My Jesus, mercy.
Holy Saint Jude, Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke thy special patronage in time of need. To thee I have recourse from the depths of my heart and humbly beg to whom God has given such great power to come to my assistance. Help me in my present and urgent petition, in return I promise to make thy name known and cause thee to be invoked. Saint Jude pray for us and all who invoke thy aid. Amen.
Recite an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be three times. Keep your promise to St. Jude and make his name known.
With all the news and commentaries lately about the recent move by the Vatican to open wide the doors to Anglicans who wish to be in full communion with Rome while retaining their liturgical practices in line with the Catholic faith, it is good to remember what Pope Benedict said during his first General Audience at St. Peter's Square on April 27, 2005 (emphasis mine).
"Filled with sentiments of awe and thanksgiving, I wish to speak of why I chose the name Benedict. Firstly, I remember Pope Benedict XV, that courageous prophet of peace, who guided the Church through turbulent times of war. In his footsteps I place my ministry in the service of reconciliation and harmony between peoples."
O blessed apostle Jude, who has been instrumental in gathering us here together this day, grant that we may always serve Jesus Christ as he deserves to be served, giving of our best efforts in living as he wishes us to live. May we dispose our hearts and minds that god will always be inclined to listen to our prayers and petitions, especially those petitions which we entrust to your care and for which we as you to plead for us. (mention your request) Grant that we may be enlightened as to what is best for us, in the present and future, not forgetting the blessings we have received in the past. Amen.
St. Jude, pray for us.
My Jesus, mercy.
Holy Saint Jude, Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke thy special patronage in time of need. To thee I have recourse from the depths of my heart and humbly beg to whom God has given such great power to come to my assistance. Help me in my present and urgent petition, in return I promise to make thy name known and cause thee to be invoked. Saint Jude pray for us and all who invoke thy aid. Amen.
Recite an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be three times. Keep your promise to St. Jude and make his name known.
I have just started the Novena to St. Jude and I am actually one day late. Traditionally, novenas in anticipation of feast days are done 10 days before the feast day. This apostle is, needless to say, one of, if not my most favorite saint--except the Virgin Mary, of course. I have a great many favorites.haha. But St. Jude is very close to my heart because he has interceded for me many times, possibly more times than I am aware of.
I want to do something special for his feast day, but I can't think of anything just yet. For now, this is my simple way of honoring this beloved apostle who was very close to Jesus Christ. He gets a rather bad rap though, probably because of the similarity of his name to the traitor Judas. But this, my friend, is the good Jude. :)
I know some people, especially non-Catholics and even some Catholics, balk at the notion of novenas and see it as superstition. It's far from that. Yes, you ask for special graces when you do a novena, but the process of doing it, of faithfully praying the prayers everyday, draw you ever closer to God. It reminds you of how little you have, and how you have nothing on your own. Praying a novena to a saint also opens the opportunity for you to know more about the saint, and to follow his or her act of faithfulness to God. It's not merely about demanding favors from God. Nor is it true that a novena can guarantee you a favorable answer from God.
It is important that when the Novena is said, it is done with utmost faith, devotion and reverence for graces to be obtained. Also sometimes graces take time to manifest themselves and may not be exactly what was requested. In some cases, God, in his infinte wisdom may instead choose to grant the person graces in the form of inner peace and strength to overcome adversity. It is advisable to continue praying for wisdom and understanding of God's plan and what his expectations of you are.
So if you want,join me in this novena to St. Jude. He is the Patron Saint of Desperate Causes. There are many variations of the Prayer to St. Jude. Here is the traditional Novena:
Holy Saint Jude, Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke thy special patronage in time of need. To thee I have recourse from the depths of my heart and humbly beg to whom God has given such great power to come to my assistance. Help me in my present and urgent petition, in return I promise to make thy name known and cause thee to be invoked. Saint Jude pray for us and all who invoke thy aid. Amen.
Recite an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be three times. Keep your promise to St. Jude and make his name known.
There is another version with different prayers for each day. I will try to update everyday with the daily novena prayers.
Day 1
O blessed apostle St. Jude, who labored zealously among the Gentiles in many lands, and performed numerous miracles in needy and despairing cases, we invoke you to take special interest in us and our needs. We feel that you understand us in a particular way. Hear our prayers and our petitions and plead for us in all our necessities especially. (mention your request) May we be patient in learning God's holy will and courageous in carrying it out. Amen.
St. Jude, pray for us. My Jesus, mercy.
St. Jude, glorious apostle, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the name of the traitor has caused you to be forgotten by many. But the Church honors and invokes you universally as the patron of hopeless cases, and of things despaired of. Pray for me who am so distressed. Make use, I implore you, of that particular privilege accorded you to bring visible and speedy help where help was almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and succor of Heaven in all my necessities, tribulations and sufferings, particularly, (mention your request) and that I may bless God with you and all the elect throughout eternity. St. Jude, apostle, martyr, and relative of our Lord Jesus Christ, of Mary, and of Joseph, intercede for us!
Lastly, here's a variation of the prayer that I also like. And if anyone needs prayers, tell me so I can offer it as a petition.
Fr. Z has an awesome quote, "The doors to the Church are always open to those wishing to enter. Now there is not only a door open to Anglicans, but also a house full of furniture."
And what in the world is he talking about? Big news, big news.
From Rorate Coeli:
NOTE OF THE CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
ABOUT PERSONAL ORDINARIATES FOR ANGLICANS
ENTERING THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
With the preparation of an Apostolic Constitution, the Catholic Church is responding to the many requests that have been submitted to the Holy See from groups of Anglican clergy and faithful in different parts of the world who wish to enter into full visible communion.
In this Apostolic Constitution the Holy Father has introduced a canonical structure that provides for such corporate reunion by establishing Personal Ordinariates, which will allow former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony. Under the terms of the Apostolic Constitution, pastoral oversight and guidance will be provided for groups of former Anglicans through a Personal Ordinariate, whose Ordinary will usually be appointed from among former Anglican clergy.
...
According to Levada: "It is the hope of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, that the Anglican clergy and faithful who desire union with the Catholic Church will find in this canonical structure the opportunity to preserve those Anglican traditions precious to them and consistent with the Catholic faith. Insofar as these traditions express in a distinctive way the faith that is held in common, they are a gift to be shared in the wider Church. The unity of the Church does not require a uniformity that ignores cultural diversity, as the history of Christianity shows. Moreover, the many diverse traditions present in the Catholic Church today are all rooted in the principle articulated by St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians: ‘There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism’ (4:5). Our communion is therefore strengthened by such legitimate diversity, and so we are happy that these men and women bring with them their particular contributions to our common life of faith."
Lots of updates from CMR. There's lots more at AmP.
I have spent this evening speaking to bishops, priests and lay people of the Traditional Anglican Communion in England, Africa, Australia, India, Canada, the United States and South America.
We are profoundly moved by the generosity of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI. He offers in this Apostolic Constitution the means for "former Anglicans to enter into the fullness of communion with the Catholic Church". He hopes that we can "find in this canonical structure the opportunity to preserve those Anglican traditions precious to us and consistent with the Catholic faith". He then warmly states "we are happy that these men and women bring with them their particular contributions to our common life of faith".
May I firstly state that this is an act of great goodness on the part of the Holy Father. He has dedicated his pontificate to the cause of unity. It more than matches the dreams we dared to include in our petition of two years ago. It more than matches our prayers. In those two years, we have become very conscious of the prayers of our friends in the Catholic Church. Perhaps their prayers dared to ask even more than ours.
While we await the full text of the Apostolic Constitution, we are also moved by the pastoral nature of the Notes issued today by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. My fellow bishops have indeed signed the Catechism of the Catholic Church and made a statement about the ministry of the Bishop of Rome, reflecting the words of Pope John Paul II in his letter "Ut Unum Sint".
Other Anglican groups have indicated to the Holy See a similar desire and a similar acceptance of Catholic faith. As Cardinal Levada has indicated, this response to Anglican petitions is to be of a global character. It will now be for these groups to forge a close cooperation, even where they transcend the existing boundaries of the Anglican Communion.
Fortunately, the Statement issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury reflects the understanding that we have gained from him that he does not stand in our way, and understands the decisions that we have reached. Both his reaction and our petition are fruits of a century of prayer for Christian unity, a cause that many times must have seemed forlorn. We now express our gratitude to Archbishop Williams, and have regularly assured him of our prayers. The See of Augustine remains a focus of our pilgrim way, as it was in ages of faith in the past.
I have made a commitment to the Traditional Anglican Communion that the response of the Holy See will be taken to each of our National Synods. They have already endorsed our pathway. Now the Holy See challenges us to seek in the specific structures that are now available the "full, visible unity, especially Eucharistic communion", for which we have long prayed and about which we have long dreamed. That process will begin at once.
In the Anglican Office of Morning Prayer, the great Hymn of Thanksgiving, the Te Deum, is part of the daily Order. It is with heartfelt thanks to Almighty God, the Lord and Source of all peace and unity, that the hymn is on our lips today. This is a moment of grace, perhaps even a moment of history, not because the past is undone, but because the past is transformed.
----Archbishop John Hepworth is Primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion
Give me thy grace, good Lord: To set the world at nought; To set my mind fast upon thee, And not to hang upon the blast of men’s mouths; To be content to be solitary, Not to long for worldly company; Little and little utterly to cast off the world, And rid my mind of all the business thereof; Not to long to hear of any worldly things, But that the hearing of worldly phantasies may be to me displeasant; Gladly to be thinking of God, Piteously to call for his help; To lean unto the comfort of God, Busily to labor to love him; To know mine own vility and wretchedness, To humble and meeken myself under the mighty hand of God; To bewail my sins passed, For the purging of them patiently to suffer adversity; Gladly to bear my purgatory here, To be joyful of tribulations; To walk the narrow way that leadeth to life, To bear the cross with Christ; To have the last thing in remembrance, To have ever afore mine eye my death that is ever at hand; To make death no stranger to me, To foresee and consider the everlasting fire of hell; To pray for pardon before the judge come, To have continually in mind the passion that Christ suffered for me; For his benefits uncessantly to give him thanks, To buy the time again that I before have lost; To abstain from vain confabulations, To eschew light foolish mirth and gladness; Recreations not necessary — to cut off; Of worldly substance, friends, liberty, life and all, to set the loss at right nought for the winning of Christ; To think my most enemies my best friends, For the brethren of Joseph could never have done him so much good with their love and favor as they did him with their malice and hatred.
These minds are more to be desired of every man than all the treasure of all the princes and kings, Christian and heathen, were it gathered and laid together all upon one heap .
~ St. Thomas More, Written while imprisoned in the Tower of London, 1534
But anyway, here are the past two adverts for comparison's sake.
