On the Valule of Small Annoyances:

But as the opportunities for practicing (heroic virtue) in a big way come rather seldom, we must take advantage of the small ones which occur daily, and which will soon put us in a position to face the greater trials with equanimity when the time comes. There is no one who does not experience a hundred small annoyances every day, caused either by our own carelessness or inattention, or by the inconsideration or spite of other people, or by pure accident.

Our whole lives are made up on incidents of this kind, occurring ceaselessly from one minute to another, and producing a host of involuntary feelings of dislike and aversion, envy, fear, and impatience to trouble the serenity of our minds. We let an incautious word slip out and wish we had not said it; someone says something we find offensive; we have to wait a long time to be served when we are in a hurry; we are irritated by a child’s boisterousness; a boring acquaintance buttonholes us in the street; we get splashed with mud; the weather spoils our outing; our work is not going as well as we would wish; a tool breaks at a critical moment; we get our clothes torn or stained–these are not occasions for practicing heroic virtue but they can be a means of acquiring it if we wish.

If we were careful to offer all these petty annoyances to God and accept them as being ordered by his providence, we would soon be in a position to support the greatest misfortunes that can happen to us, besides at the same time insensibly drawing close to intimate union with God.

By Saint Claude de la Colombiere

————–

(It is) in tempations and tribulations a man is proved as to what progress he has made; and in them there is a greater merit, and his virtue appears more conspicuous. Nor is it much if a man be devout and fervent when he feels no trouble; but it is in the time of adversity he bears up with patience there will be hope of a great advancement. Some are preserved from great temptations and are often overcome in little daily ones; that, being humbled, they may never presume on themselves in great things, who are weak in such small occurrences.

Thomas a Kempis

The post Heroic Virtue? first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Come, Holy Spirit, live in us

With God the Father and the Son,

And grant us Your abundant grace

To sanctify and make us one.

May mind and tongue made strong in love

Your praise throughout the world proclaim,

And may that love within our hearts

Set fire to others with its flame.

Most blessed Trinity of love,

For whom the heart of man was made,

To You be praise in timeless song,

And everlasting homage paid.

The post Most Holy Trinity prayer first appeared on AirMaria.com.

In the beginning, in Genesis, we are told that God made man in His image, “in the image and likeness of God”, and that He made us male and female. For most of us, it is clear to us that our spiritual souls are in the image of God but we forget that so also are our bodies. In creating man, male and female in His likeness, the image of God is also in our sexuality. For God said, “Let us make man in our image. Let us make them male and female.”

God is Trinity, and it has been revealed to us that in God, there is paternity. There is one who begets and there is, Jesus Christ, the One who is begotten. And the love of the One who begets, for the One who is begotten, is the third Person of the holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit. When the Word took flesh; when God, in the person of Jesus Christ, took on our human nature from the blessed virgin Mary, He gave to that human nature His own existence. Christ and His Person brought together the union of the human and the divine. This union in His Person we call the Hypostatic Union.

God came into our midst, not simply to proclaim who He is; not simply to communicate truth to us; but the ultimate purpose why Jesus came, was that He wanted to enter into a mystical union of life and of love with God’s people. Through all the Scriptures this mystical union is expressed in marital terminology, namely, God being called the Groom and Israel being the bride. In the new covenant, this union of life and love of Christ with the people of God, we called the Mystical Body of Christ. The marital couple makes present in a very special way the Church, namely the union of Christ with the bride.

Msgr. Philip Reilly

The post Marital Imagery first appeared on AirMaria.com.

PRAYER TO SAINT CHARBEL MAKHLOUF (feast day is July 24th)

Lord, infinitely Holy and Glorified in Your Saints, You have inspired Charbel, the saint monk, to lead the perfect life of a hermit.

We thank You for granting him the blessing and the strength to detach himself from the world so that the heroism of the monastic virtues of poverty, obedience, and chastity, could triumph in his hermitage.

We beseech You to grant us the grace of loving and serving You, following his example. Almighty God, Who has manifested the power of St. Charbel’s intercession through his countless miracles and favors, grant us…(State your intention here…) through his intercession. Amen.

Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…

The post Prayer to St. Charbel first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Adventus!  A Latin word that means something along the lines of “the coming”. What coming would that be? The coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at Christmas!

Now in this time of Advent many people put up lights and decorate a tree in their house which is good and it lights up the darkness of these short days. But more importantly is to light up our souls with virtues such as repentance, humility, trust, self-giving and so forth.

Advent  is actually a penitential season! Many may not know this. What can we do to prepare to put lights in our souls in preparation of the coming of the Christ Child? This is what will really prepare us for Christmas. Something to pray about. A good confession is a wonderful way to start!

The post Advent! first appeared on AirMaria.com.

O Immaculata, Queen of Heaven and earth, refuge of sinners and our most loving Mother, God has willed to entrust the entire order of mercy to you. I, _______________, a repentant sinner, cast myself at your feet humbly imploring you to take me with all that I am and have, wholly to yourself as your possession and property. Please make of me, of all my powers of soul and body, of my whole life, death and eternity, whatever most pleases you. If it pleases you, use all that I am and have without reserve, wholly to accomplish what was said of you: “She will crush your head,” and, “You alone have destroyed all heresies in the whole world.” 

Let me be a fit instrument in your immaculate and merciful hands for intro­ducing and increasing your glory to the maxi­mum in all the many strayed and indifferent souls, and thus help extend as far as possible the blessed kingdom of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. For wherever you enter you obtain the grace of conversion and growth in holi­ness, since it is through your hands that all graces come to us from the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

V. Allow me to praise you, O Sacred Virgin. 

R. Give me strength against your enemies.

The post St. Maximilian’s Consecration Prayer to the Immaculate first appeared on AirMaria.com.