By Francis Van Uden This meme! SO good! I love that it’s so simple, but it’s really true. Jesus’ resurrection is such a good example of his love for us, because that is the action that allowed us to be able to live in eternity with Jesus! How much more caring and loving is that! Another reason this meme is so true is that Jesus IS love. He is the most loving person ever, and his love is like no other love we will ever, ever, ever, ever experience. The last thing is that Jesus’ love is really an open door. You don’t need a special key. His love extends to every own of his creations, including you! You may have heard the saying “unconditional love” which is exactly what God’s love is. There are zero conditions that will stand in the way of God loving you, just like an open door!
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By Iliana Airey The story of Pedro Calungsod shows us that young people can do great things. Born in the Philippines, Pedro was only 13 when he joined a group of Spanish missionaries who were going to travel to the Marianas Islands to teach the native people about God.
Pedro loved the Church, and he received the Sacraments whenever he could. He was eager to share what he knew about Jesus with others. He did well, and many people were baptized into the faith because of his efforts. But some people did not trust the missionary priests. Often the medicine men in the village viewed the missionaries as a threat to their power because more and more people were starting to follow them. One night, when Pedro and a priest arrived in a village to baptize the chief’s daughter—at the request of the chief’s wife—they were killed by assassins led by the chief. Pedro died for his faith in 1672 - he was only 17. In 2000, Pope John Paul II beatified Pedro, telling the crowds that gathered for the ceremony, “From his childhood, Pedro Calungsod declared himself unwaveringly for Christ and responded generously to his call. Young people today can draw encouragement and strength from the example of Pedro, whose love of Jesus inspired him to devote his teenage years to teaching the faith as a lay catechist.” Pedro Calungsod was canonized on October 21, 2012, by Pope Benedict XVI. St. Pedro Calungsod, pray for us! By Francis Van Uden Hey everyone! I am pumped to be sharing the Litany of Humility with you today! It is such a beautiful prayer, and a great way to ask God to help us be more humble, which is not an easy virtue to practice. Before I continue, here’s what the prayer is:
“O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, Hear me. From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being loved, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being honored, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being praised, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being preferred to others, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being consulted, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being approved, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being humiliated, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being despised, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of suffering rebukes, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being calumniated, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being forgotten, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being ridiculed, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being wronged, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being suspected, Deliver me, O Jesus. That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be praised and I go unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.” Although it may look like a long and intimidating prayer, it really isn’t. It is repetitive, and in each line, the prayer outlines either something that we struggle with that brings pride, or something that goes against it. It is such a good reminder of the ways we should try to be humble, and sometimes I don’t even think that some of the things in the prayer are prideful until I pray about them. When I pray this prayer, I like to pause after each statement (and before the repetitive response) and think of specific ways that I may be struggling with that in my life, and then offer up those specific examples to Jesus. Sometimes I include this prayer in the morning, keeping in mind the events of the day to come, and starting my day with a humility reminder. Other times, I’ll pray it in the evening and offer up the things that I had done that day. I LOVE how at the end of the prayer, it says “Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.” I usually think of humility as a substitute for pride, and not something that we would want to practice because of what humility is in itself. That portion of the prayer is so powerful, and reminds me of God as something so much greater than this world. The very last line of the prayer is also super cool to me! Before I was introduced to this prayer, I never thought that God was calling people to different “levels” of holiness. But the truth is, we aren’t all called to be as holy as some of the doctors and saints of the church, or even as holy as some of the people in our own churches. God calls us all to be holy, but he has a plan and a reason for why each person is called to be as holy as he desires. It also helps me be patient and content when I don’t hear God’s voice, because I don’t a lot of the time. He has a plan for me, and even if I try super hard to hear him, he sometimes won’t reveal himself to me, because that won’t draw me closer to him in the way that he wants. Humility is all about giving ourselves up to His will. By Pam Gonzalez During these challenging times, hope is seeked. Hope can sometimes mean having a positive attitude or being optimistic. Pope Francis, reminds us that true hope is built on God’s Word and His promise of salvation and eternal life.
Hope is probably the most difficult of the three theological virtues to understand. It can be described as an unshakable trust that the promises of God will be fulfilled. This trust is based on what He has done for us in Jesus, through His Death and Resurrection. Hope is a gift of the Holy Spirit. God has placed, in each of our hearts, the desire and longing for true happiness and it helps us to place our trust in God. Hope is such a beautiful and important thing, hope allows us to approach situations with a positive mindset and when you have hope you place your trust in the potential of something good happening. Sometimes hope can be confused with anticipation and expectation. Think of a child opening his birthday presents, he may anticipate or expect a certain toy and when he doesn't receive it he may get upset, but hope isn’t tied to a specific outcome. We all get upset sometimes, it’s inevitable but God is always with us along the way whispering “There’s always hope.” We all face moments of anxiety or uncertainty, especially through hard times such as this pandemic so here are some things you can do to keep a strong sense of hope in our hearts.
Basically to recap, while hope is hard to maintain in hard times, such as this one, we must remember to trust that with God’s grace we will come out of this stronger because this too shall pass. I hope you guys are doing well, hang in there! By Pam Gonzalez Hello! Happy Tuesday everybody! This is the chosen meme of the week and I’m sure it’s happened to all of us. I was scrolling through Instagram last week and I ran into a post that talked about how cool Pope Francis and here are some things I learned:
So yeah, here are some cool facts about our dope Pope! By Aaron Villegas St. Benedict has many different prayers but I chose this one because I feel that it’s the most relevant ones. If you’re curious on other prayers visit http://saintbenedictprotection.com/saint-benedict-prayers/ Father, in Your goodness
grant me the intellect to comprehend You, the perception to discern You, and the reason to appreciate You. In Your kindness endow me with the diligence to look for You, the wisdom, to discover You, and the spirit to apprehend You. In Your graciousness bestow on me a heart to contemplate You, ears to hear You, eyes to see You, and a tongue to speak of You. In Your mercy to confer on me a conversation pleasing to You, the patience to wait for You, and the perseverance to long for You. Grant me a perfect end, Your holy presence. I ask this in the name of Your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. This prayer is all about seeking God. I feel like this is such a good prayer to learn during the times we’re in right now. It can be difficult to reach out to God or even feel that connection sometimes and this prayer just might help you get back into that relationship with God. I ask you guys to say this quick prayer from St. Benedict when you feel like you’re lost in your relationship with Him. Maybe it’s just you haven’t talked to Him in a while and you don’t know how to get back into it. Maybe after saying the prayer, say a few words about how you’re doing and thank God for your day. Maybe even ask for St. Benedict’s intercession. By Iliana Airey One of my favourite things ever!!! I love Adoration so much because it’s a devotion to Jesus. During Adoration, as Jesus is present in the Eucharist, we get to be present with Him during that time! During this quarantine, the churches have actually been open to let us have personal prayer time and Adoration! So with that, I’ve been going to the churches at least once a week. It’s been so amazing just to have that time spent alone with Jesus. That’s another reason why people love Adoration so much. They get to set aside time to just sit and be with Christ. It really is a beautiful time.
So, I really enjoy getting exercise. But there are some days when I just don’t have the motivation to work out or go for a run or practice dance. It happens to everyone. When that happens, I notice that my energy levels are very low, I have trouble sleeping, and I’m more stressed. Exercise not only affects my physical self but also my internal self. In the same light, when I don’t pray very much or as often as I normally do, I notice that I’m hardly ever in a very good mood, it’s hard to concentrate on things, and I’m not very motivated to do much. When I start to pray more, I notice that I’m much happier on a daily basis and more motivated to do the things I need to do, and I have a lot more energy. Prayer not only benefits the spirit and mind but also the body. Isn’t it cool how the two correlate so well together? Since the body and soul are so intertwined, we need to take care of both things. The beauty is, they are intimately connected - connected so much in fact that when we neglect one, we hurt the other. This is why our needs for prayer and adoration are so great. Our world tries to separate the two and forget the role that our spiritual life plays in our physical life—and vice versa. When we sin, it affects not just our souls, but our bodies as well. When we pray, it not only affects us spiritually but also physically. If the body is able to show exteriorly how our soul is doing, then what affects our soul must affect our body in a very real way. This is why Adoration is so necessary. St. John Paul ll says: “The body … is capable of making visible what is invisible: the spiritual and the divine. It has been created to transfer into the visible reality of the world, the mystery hidden from eternity in God, and thus to be a sign of it” (Theology of the Body, 19:4). When we bring ourselves before the Eucharist, we are entering into, both physically and spiritually, “the mystery hidden from eternity in God.” We come into contact with Christ made visible in physical form here on earth. He makes himself accessible to us in our humanity to reveal His divinity which we are destined for! There are SO many benefits of Adoration! Rest, focus, and healing are some of the many. “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). “I urge you with all of my soul to approach the Eucharist table as often as possible. Feed on this Bread of the angels with which you will draw the strength to fight inner struggles.” - Blessed Pier Gorgio Frassatti One last thing I’d like to share is a story about a girl who was at a Franciscan University youth conference. During the Eucharistic procession, there was a girl in the audience whose severe medical condition and intense back pain made her incapable of walking for long periods of time. This had been a problem for several years and all the doctors she went to were unable to cure her. While the Eucharist was going around the room, it stopped right before her and she was instantly healed. Her faith in the true presence of Christ before her not only healed her soul, but it manifested in her physical body! I hope this helped you guys learn a bit more about Adoration! You’re all in my prayers <3. By Aaron Villegas St. Winifred was born around the 17th century in Wales. She has different names like Gwenfrewi or Guinvera. She was a noble and was a descendant of past kings. She was the niece of St. Beuno, who is the patron saint of sick kids and against diseased cattle. Through his intercession, he also resurrected 7 people.
Winifred dedicated herself to God and wanted to become a nun. She lived under Beuno’s care near the chapel he built at a town called Abeluyc. One day, a prince named Caradog was passing through the town and stopped at Winifred’s house for a drink of water. Winifred was very beautiful and Caradog wanted to marry her there, However, Winifred wanted to be a nun so she declined the offer. Caradog wasn’t very happy with her answer and tried to take her by force. Winifred got away at first, but Caradog caught up with his horse and sliced Winifred’s head off. Her head rolled towards the churchyard where Beuno was serving the Liturgy. A spring of healing water rose from the ground (which is still flowing today) on where Winifred’s head fell. Beuno grabbed her head, placed it on her body, and prayed to God that she may be healed. Winifred came back to life. Beuno and Winifred sat a rock after which will soon be called St. Beuno’s rock. After this, Winifred carries a red line across her neck due to the situation. Winifred made a pilgrimage to Rome and was influenced there. She lived a solitary life for 7 years when she went back home. Winifred then went out to help establish more coenobitic (a monastic tradition that stresses community life) communities. She passed away around 660AD. St. Winifred is the patron saint of the Holywell, the town on where the healing spring is located. St. Winifred, Pray for us! By Francis Van Uden The Act of Contrition! It is a beautiful prayer and is usually said at the end of confession. A priest may have asked you to recite one before, and the thing is they aren’t all the same. An Act of Contrition is exactly what it’s called. You say this to show your contrition in the fact that you are truly sorry for your sins, and understand what that means to your relationship to God. Some churches may have other versions of an Act of Contrition, but the one the Catholic Church suggests is the one below.
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven, and the pains of hell; but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen. I find it very fruitful and helpful to my faith when I pray this at other times in my day. Fr. Kevin once told me that when he was young, he was taught to pray this prayer every time he recognized that he sinned. I thought that was super cool! Right in the moment you can take responsibility for your sin and apologize for it, and remind yourself of what we should be trying to do : confess our sins, do penance and ultimately amend our lives. It is a short and simple prayer, and is such a good way to build up your relationship with Jesus! By Iliana Airey (Because catholic.org summarized the life of St. Philomena in a very understandable way, I didn’t see the need to re-write it. You can read more about her on their website. Enjoy!)
Little is known about the life of St. Philomena. However, it is believed she was a Greek princess who became a virgin martyr and died at 13-years-old. Remains of a young lady were discovered in May 1802 at the Catacombs of Priscilla on the Via Salaria Nova with three tiles reading "Peace be to you, Philomena." All that is known about St. Philomena's life comes from a Neapolitan nun's vision. Sister Maria Luisa di Gesu claims St. Philomena came to her and told her she was the daughter of a Greek king who converted to Christianity. When Philomena was 13-years-old, she took a vow of consecrated virginity. After her father took his family to Rome to make peace, Emperor Diocletian fell in love with Philomena. When she refused to marry him, she was subjected to torture. St. Philomena was scourged, drowned with an anchor attached to her, and shot with arrows. Each time she was attacked angels took to her side and healed her through prayer. Finally, the Emperor had Philomena decapitated. According to the story, her death came on a Friday at three in the afternoon, the same as Jesus. Two anchors, three arrows, a palm symbol of martyrdom, and a flower were found on the tiles in her tomb, interpreted as symbols of her martyrdom. The nun's account states Philomena was born on January 10, 291 and was killed on August 10, 304. Devotion for Philomena began to spread once her bones were exhumed and miracles began to occur. Canon Francesco De Lucia of Mugnano del Cardinale received relics of St. Philomena and had them placed in the Church of Our Lady of Grace in Mugnano, Italy. Soon after her relics were enshrined, cancers were cured, wounds were healed and the Miracle of Mugnano, when Venerable Pauline Jaricot was cured of a severe heart issue overnight, were all attributed to St. Philomena. Other Saints began to venerate Philomena and attributing miracles in their lives to the young martyr, including St. John Marie Vianney and St. Peter Louis Marie Chanel. Although controversy sometimes surrounds the truth behind St. Philomena's life and sainthood, many believers all around the world continue to see her as a miraculous saint, canonized in 1837. St. Philomena is the patron saint of infants, babies, and youth. She is often depicted in her youth with a flower crown, a palm of martyrdom, arrows, or an anchor. Her feast day is celebrated on August 11. St. Philomena, pray for us! |
PulsePulse is our Jr High group (Grades 6-9) for those who want to be journeying to learn more about God and how He fits into this crazy thing called life! From Saint of the Day to talks to activities, we work to understand more about our faith and its importance in our everyday lives as we all work to become modern day saints. Categories
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