Today’s Blessing Prayer: Sunday greetings and blessings to all and welcome to the Feast of the Holy Family. I hope and pray you are continuing to navigate through these Christmas Season days with faith and a hopefulness for the future.
Once again, I offer you Pope Francis’ Prayer… O Mary, you shine continuously on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope. We entrust ourselves to you, and the Health of the Sick. At the foot of the Cross you participated in Jesus’ pain, with steadfast faith. You, Salvation of All People, know what we need. We are certain that you will provide, so that, as you did at Cana of Galilee, joy and feasting might return after this moment of trial. Help us, Mother of Divine Love, to conform ourselves to the Father’s will and to do what Jesus tells us: He who took our sufferings upon Himself, and bore our sorrows to bring us, through the Cross, to the joy of the Resurrection. Amen. We seek refuge under your protection, O Holy Mother of God. Do not despise our pleas – we who are put to the test – and deliver us from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin. (Prayer Composed by Pope Francis) I hope you had a nice celebration of Christmas these last two days and perhaps that celebration is continuing today. As we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family and I hope you are with family in some way today and will take the time to enjoy the gift of their presence even if it is just with Zoom or Facetime. I ran across a Prayer of Thanksgiving a few years ago and it seems like a good prayer to use today for our Daily Blessing. So, for all families and for all of you I ask God’s blessing today as I pray… God of all blessings, source of all life, giver of all grace: We thank you for the gift of life: for the breath that sustains life, for the food of this earth that nurtures life, for the love of family and friends without which there would be no life. We thank you for the mystery of creation: for the beauty that the eye can see, for the joy that the ear may hear, for the unknown that we cannot behold filling the universe with wonder, for the expanse of space that draws us beyond the definitions of our selves. We thank you for setting us in communities: for families who nurture our becoming, for friends who love us by choice, for companions at work, who share our burdens and daily tasks, for strangers who welcome us into their midst, for people from other lands who call us to grow in understanding, for children who lighten our moments with delight, for the unborn, who offer us hope for the future. We thank you for this day: for life and one more day to love, for opportunity and one more day to work for justice and peace, for neighbors and one more person to love and by whom be loved, for your grace and one more experience of your presence, for your promise: to be with us, to be our God, and to give salvation. For these and all blessings, we give you thanks, eternal, loving God, through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen. Blessings upon all families today and may we all have a blessed and holy Sunday and for you and your family may it be a special one. Peace in the Holy Family...Fr. Paul
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Today’s Prayer: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, in you we contemplate the splendor of true love, to you we turn with trust.
Holy Family of Nazareth grant that our families too may be places of communion and prayer, authentic schools of the Gospel, and small domestic Churches. Holy Family of Nazareth may families never again experience violence, rejection, and division: may all who have been hurt or scandalized find ready comfort and healing. Holy Family of Nazareth make us mindful of the sacredness and inviolability of the family, and its beauty in God’s plan. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, graciously hear our prayer. Amen. (Prayer by Pope Francis to the Holy Family) Today’s Blessing Prayer: Christmas greetings and blessings to all! Later this morning I will head out to St. John and St. Mary Parish to celebrate the 10:00 am and noon Christmas Masses. Then after a little break I will head to the Wartburg Home for the a 4 pm mass in anticipation of Sunday’s Feast of the Holy Family. A busy day! I hope your Christmas morning and day will be one blessed by the gift of love in your life. I hope in the midst of this day with all its celebrating, eating and laughter with family you will not forget to give God a little time!
Once again, I offer you Pope Francis’ Prayer… O Mary, you shine continuously on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope. We entrust ourselves to you, and the Health of the Sick. At the foot of the Cross you participated in Jesus’ pain, with steadfast faith. You, Salvation of All People, know what we need. We are certain that you will provide, so that, as you did at Cana of Galilee, joy and feasting might return after this moment of trial. Help us, Mother of Divine Love, to conform ourselves to the Father’s will and to do what Jesus tells us: He who took our sufferings upon Himself, and bore our sorrows to bring us, through the Cross, to the joy of the Resurrection. Amen. We seek refuge under your protection, O Holy Mother of God. Do not despise our pleas – we who are put to the test – and deliver us from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin. (Prayer Composed by Pope Francis) In the spirit of this day of joy, love and gathering here is my prayer of blessing for all… May there be harmony in all your relationships. May sharp words, envious thoughts, and hostile feelings be dissolved. May you give and receive love generously. May this love echo in your heart like the joy of church bells on a clear December day. May each person who comes into your life be greeted as another Christ. May the honor given the Babe of Bethlehem be that which you extend to every guest who enters your presence. May the Hope of this sacred season settle in your soul. May it be a foundation of courage for you when times of distress occupy your inner land. May the wonder and awe that fills the eyes of children be awakened within you. May it lead you to renewed awareness and appreciation of whatever you too easily take for granted. May the bonds of love for one another be strengthened as you gather with family, community and friends around the table of festivity and nourishment. May you daily open the gift of your life and be grateful for the hidden treasures it contains. May the coming year be one of good health for you and those you love. May you have energy and vitality. May you care well for your body, mind and spirit. May you keep your eye on the Star within you and trust this Luminescent Presence to guide and direct you each day. May you go often to the Bethlehem of your heart and visit the One who offers you peace. And may you bring this peace into the world… (From Out of the Ordinary – “a Christmas Blessing” by Joyce Rupp) I will remember all of you as I celebrate the Eucharist during this Christmas Season – Christmas blessings to all. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul PS I also remember my father in a special way today as it was 39 years ago this day that he was born to eternal life. Dad, continue to watch over us and may you and Mom bless us with your spirits of love this day and always! Today’s Prayer: Loving Jesus, Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace, the Light of the World, as we celebrate your birth may we begin to see the world in the light of your gift of understanding with which you grace us. As you chose the lowly, the outcasts, and the poor to receive the greatest news the world had ever known, so may we celebrate you in meekness of heart, wonderment of love and joyful hope. May we bring your hope and love to all we meet today and always. Amen.
Today’s Blessing Prayer: Friday and Christmas Eve greetings and blessings to all! Later today Advent will be over, and we will begin our celebration of Christmas. I hope and pray you are continuing to navigate through these December days with faith and a hopefulness for the future.
Once again, I offer you Pope Francis’ Prayer… O Mary, you shine continuously on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope. We entrust ourselves to you, and the Health of the Sick. At the foot of the Cross you participated in Jesus’ pain, with steadfast faith. You, Salvation of All People, know what we need. We are certain that you will provide, so that, as you did at Cana of Galilee, joy and feasting might return after this moment of trial. Help us, Mother of Divine Love, to conform ourselves to the Father’s will and to do what Jesus tells us: He who took our sufferings upon Himself, and bore our sorrows to bring us, through the Cross, to the joy of the Resurrection. Amen. We seek refuge under your protection, O Holy Mother of God. Do not despise our pleas – we who are put to the test – and deliver us from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin. (Prayer Composed by Pope Francis) As we enter this final half day of Advent that will lead us to celebrate the Feast of Christmas later today and tomorrow let us use the closing words of Zechariah in today’s Gospel as our blessing – Loving God, in your tender compassion and mercy let the dawn from on high shall break upon us. Let it shine on us and on a world that sometimes find itself in the darkness of struggle and the shadow of death. May your presence today guide our feet into the way of peace. May we begin our celebration of Christmas not focused what we will get but on what we already have your love in our life. May our celebration of this day be truly blessed with the gift of family, friends and God's love! Remember to give a little time to God today and tomorrow. Peace in the Christ Child...Fr. Paul Today’s Prayer: Before I offer you a prayer today just a short little thought to remind us just what prayer is…"Prayer is freedom and affirmation growing out of nothingness into love. Prayer is the flowering of our inmost freedom, in response to the Word of God. Prayer is not only dialogue with God: it is the communion of our freedom with his ultimate freedom, his infinite spirit." (Thomas Merton)
May this be our prayer today! Loving God may the dawn from on high break upon us today and enlighten the journey of Christmas in our hearts. May it help us to proclaim your love to all we meet, and may that love be the source of all our gatherings this day and always. May our celebration of Christmas truly find us walking on the way to your peace. Amen. Today’s Blessing Prayer: Thursday greetings and blessings to all. I hope and pray you are continuing to navigate through these final days before Christmas with faith and a hopefulness for the future.
Once again, I offer you Pope Francis’ Prayer… O Mary, you shine continuously on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope. We entrust ourselves to you, and the Health of the Sick. At the foot of the Cross you participated in Jesus’ pain, with steadfast faith. You, Salvation of All People, know what we need. We are certain that you will provide, so that, as you did at Cana of Galilee, joy and feasting might return after this moment of trial. Help us, Mother of Divine Love, to conform ourselves to the Father’s will and to do what Jesus tells us: He who took our sufferings upon Himself, and bore our sorrows to bring us, through the Cross, to the joy of the Resurrection. Amen. We seek refuge under your protection, O Holy Mother of God. Do not despise our pleas – we who are put to the test – and deliver us from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin. (Prayer Composed by Pope Francis) With just a little over a day left until the Christmas celebrations begin let us pray that these next hours of our life will be blessed and graced by God so we will be ready to welcome the gift of the Christmas spirit into our lives. Loving God bless us this day by reminding us that we have come into this world from your hands and that your loving hands are always at work in our life. You have created us in your image and likeness and gifted us to the world. May we live that gift today and every day. May we make present your presence, your love, and your hope in all that we do and say today. And may we be ready to celebrate the gift of Christmas surrounded, if possible, by the people most important to us, even if it is by Zoom or Facetime. Loving God come to life within us today and always! Christmas blessings to all and Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul Today’s Prayer: O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Savior of all people, come, and set us free. Come because to know you is life. To serve you is freedom. To praise you is our soul's joy and delight. Guide us with the power of your grace here and in all places. Today and always, forever. Amen. (Adapted from a Prayer by St. Augustine of Hippo)
Today’s Blessing Prayer: Tuesday greetings and blessings to all. I hope and pray you are continuing to navigate through these last days until Christmas with faith and a hopefulness for the future.
Once again, I offer you Pope Francis’ Prayer… O Mary, you shine continuously on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope. We entrust ourselves to you, and the Health of the Sick. At the foot of the Cross you participated in Jesus’ pain, with steadfast faith. You, Salvation of All People, know what we need. We are certain that you will provide, so that, as you did at Cana of Galilee, joy and feasting might return after this moment of trial. Help us, Mother of Divine Love, to conform ourselves to the Father’s will and to do what Jesus tells us: He who took our sufferings upon Himself, and bore our sorrows to bring us, through the Cross, to the joy of the Resurrection. Amen. We seek refuge under your protection, O Holy Mother of God. Do not despise our pleas – we who are put to the test – and deliver us from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin. (Prayer Composed by Pope Francis) With two plus days left until the Christmas celebrations begins let us pray that these next couple of days in our lives will be blessed and graced by God so we will be ready to welcome the gift of the Christmas spirit into our lives. Loving God bless us this day by reminding us that we have come into this world from your hands and that your loving hands are always at work in our life. You have created us in your image and likeness and gifted us to the world. May we live that gift today and every day. May we make present your presence, your love and your hope in all that we do and say today. And may we be ready to celebrate the gift of Christmas surround by the people most important to us. Loving God come to life within us today and always! Final days of Advent blessings to all. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul Today’s Prayer: Today I am going to offer you a prayer that Pope Francis used a few years ago to end of his talk to the Roman Curia. It is a prayer often referred to as the "Romero Prayer" however it was not written by St. Oscar Romero. It was written by Bishop Kenneth Untener. I had the great honor of talking with Bishop Untener for over two hours one day many years ago before he died. He was a wonderful man, a great preacher, and the kind of shepherd that Pope Francis would have liked. I offer you Bishop Ken’s prayer today because I believe it speaks of Mary’s prayer in our Gospel today…
Every now and then it helps us to take a step back and to see things from a distance. The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts; it is also beyond our visions. In our lives, we manage to achieve only a small part of the marvelous plan that is God’s work. Nothing that we do is complete, which is to say that the Kingdom is greater than ourselves. No statement says everything that can be said. No prayer completely expresses the faith. No Creed brings perfection. No pastoral visit solves every problem. No program fully accomplishes the mission of the Church. No goal or purpose ever reaches completion. This is what it is about: We plant seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that others will watch over them. We lay the foundations of something that will develop. We add the yeast which will multiply our possibilities. We cannot do everything, yet it is liberating to begin. This gives us the strength to do something and to do it well. It may remain incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way. It is an opportunity for the grace of God to enter and to do the rest. It may be that we will never see its completion, but that is the difference between the master and the laborer. We are laborers, not master builders, servants, not the Messiah. We are prophets of a future that does not belong to us. (Prayer by Bishop Kenneth Untener, Former and Deceased Bishop of the Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan) |
Fr. Paul R. Fagan, C.P.A prayer or two to help you through your day! Archives
May 2023
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