Thursday, December 17, 2015

O Come, O Wisdom From on High!




I love these late Advent weekdays!
I love praying the O' Antiphons, one of the riches in the immense treasury of prayers that the Church gives to us to prepare our hearts for Jesus' coming.

Today, we are called to pray with Mary and all the faithful ones of Israel
who eagerly awaited and prayed for the Messiah
- praying for Wisdom to guide and direct their paths.

How much are we need wisdom today?!

With the threat of terror ever increasing.
When we are tempted to fear, to doubt, to anxiousness
how much do we need to enter into the silence of these late Advent days?
--preparing with prayer
our hearts to receive Jesus,
Who is Wisdom Incarnate!

And so, let us sing and pray as never before:

"O Come, O Wisdom from on high
Who orders all things far and nigh,
To us the path of knowledge show
And teach us in her ways to go.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee O Israel!

We often think of Wisdom as a thing, 
Rather than a Person.
Yet, Wisdom is a Divine Person
Who came to earth
- to be with us!
Not only with us to be "like us in all things but sin"
externally, 
but to be with us in the depths of our being
-- Coming to "live and move and have His dwelling" within us!
Hoping to guide our hearts and minds
and to direct our paths
by receiving Him
--Who is Wisdom Himself.

But, do we make room for Him in our lives?

He is ALWAYS EMMANUEL
GOD WITH US
Yet, how often is it that we don't recognize His Presence
in His Hidden Stillness?

Because our silence is so full of noise
that we cannot
recognize His Coming

Are our hearts so filled with anxiety that
He, Who is the great
I AM
cannot come into my heart to set me free?

Captive as I am to
noise
busyness
worries, problems, concerns...
Captive to sin...
to shame, guilt,
self-pity and sorrow
doubt,
fear
consumerism
people's opinions....

And in our captivity, we are so full
that we do not have room in our hearts for His Wisdom.


But, Jesus came to free us of all these things!!!!
That is the Good News!!!!

It is only in Christ we can be freed
If we allow Him freedom to crush the power of sin and death within us
as He did once and for all on the Cross

But, it is often only in prayer
that we can recognize the WISDOM and TRUTH
of our captivity and
that a tremendous battle is going on in our hearts and minds,
that is keeping us from making room
for the Hidden King of Kings.


Who are we listening to?

What are we filling our moments of silence with?
Is it with prayer
Scripture
Mary
repentance and confession
so to make room in our hearts for His Coming?

If we don't,
we often miss
the coming of God by grace.

For God's Wisdom first manifested Himself
in a way completely hidden from the world
-- as He grew within the womb of Mary.
Often times Wisdom is missed for He still hides Himself in the womb of Mary.

So, it is only
in silence
in prayer
in thanksgiving
and in praise...
and in Mary
that we can make room for Him.



May we not let this Christmas come and go
without preparing a place in our hearts for Him to dwell within us
in all His Wisdom.

"O Come, O Wisdom from on high
order our thoughts and our days aright
as you order all things far and nigh,
To us the path of knowledge show
And teach us in her ways to go.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee O Israel!


© 2015 Janet Moore. All Rights Reserved.




Friday, December 4, 2015

Invitation to Join "Storm Heaven with Prayer"

Over and over again throughout history, countries have been saved when people joined together to pray the Rosary. 
The Rosary is so powerful, because people who pray it commit a serious portion of their time to meditating on Jesus' life --beginning with His conception unto His Glorious and Heavenly Triumph, when He brings His loved ones to Himself and crowns them in heaven (Mary being the first of many). They do so in union with His Mother and ours -- for Jesus entrusted His Mother to be our mother, in His last gift to us while dying on the Cross -- saying "Behold your mother!" No one was more faithful or loved God more than Mary. It is in union with her love and her motherly heart and prayers that we grow in love, wisdom and faithfulness as we ponder and "treasure all these things in our hearts" with her!
Saint Pope Pius IX said, "Give me an army saying the Rosary and I will conquer the world."


It is with this in mind, that Cardinal Burke has asked us to join in a spiritual crusade of prayer to heal our world. Below is a copy of the website. You can click here to go there directly.
Jesus, have mercy!  
Mary, our Mother, pray for us! 
We place all our hope in You!
© 2015 Janet Moore. All Rights Reserved.

Become one of a million Catholics praying the Rosary on the 1st of each month to......
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Convocation to all soldiers of Christ!
As we approach the Holy Year of Mercy, let us join Cardinal Burke in a spiritual crusade to storm Heaven with prayers to dispel confusion and:
  •  bring Hope to souls and minds throughout America and the world;
  •  provide spiritual support in the struggle against the temptations of discouragement;
  •  to protect our families and our Faith;
  •  to stop the advance of evil in our society;
  •  and to flood souls with Grace and Light and Truth.
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To achieve this, we are:
  1. Enlisting faithful Catholics throughout the USA and the world in Operation 'Storm Heaven': a campaign to pray one Rosary on the 1st of each month in union with the Holy Mass and Rosary that Cardinal Burke will celebrate for the intentions listed;
  2. Forming a spiritual army of 'Rosary Warriors' to besiege Heaven with prayer, and to spread the Light of Truth throughout America and the world;
  3. Rallying and uniting faithful Catholics into a united voice to beseech Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and all the angels and saints to hear our prayers and to come to our aid.
As you unite your rosary with the Holy Mass celebrated by Cardinal Burke in Rome and the rosary he will pray on the first of each month, you will also be uniting your prayers and your intentions to every ‘Rosary Warrior’ in the world.
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Each Mass and rosary will be offered to obtain from God through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the following graces and for the following intentions:
  • For Holy Mother Church: that Our Lord guide the Pope, the bishops and all members of the clergy to be holy in all things, faithful shepherds, beacons of Truth, and defenders of Good;
  • May all confusion be dispelled from the hearts and minds of all people and may the Light of Truth shine in them;
  • For our families and the family institution that is being so attacked in our world;
  • For the conversion of all sinners to the True Faith;
  • For the salvation of my soul, the souls of my loved ones, and the souls of all;
  • For the sanctification of each and every Catholic, especially for my personal sanctification. May I live holy every moment of every day of my life. May I be a true follower of Jesus Christ in all things;
  • To make each and every one of us a faithful soldier of Christ in the struggle against the world, the flesh and the devil;
  • To obtain the graces necessary to stop abortion, stop the onslaught of the homosexual revolution, to overturn legalized same-sex marriage, to stop the spread of physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia, and to stop the culture of death in all its forms and establish the Culture of Life in all souls, in all minds and in all hearts;
  • For our beloved Nation and for every nation on earth;
  • For all the personal intentions that have been submitted to 'Operation Storm Heaven'
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Each month, you will be able to include your own personal intentions. These intentions will be placed on the altar in Rome during the Mass celebrated by Cardinal Burke and included in his rosary. Your intentions will also be included in every rosary recited by our Rosary Warriors.

Four simple steps will help us to enlist one million Catholics to pray the Rosary in union with Cardinal Burke on the 1st of each month:
Step 1: Enroll as a ‘Rosary Warrior’ and pledge to pray one Rosary on the 1st of each month;
Step 2: Send your personal intentions to be included in the Mass in Rome and in all of the rosaries said throughout the world (all personal intentions will be kept confidential and will not be disclosed);
Step 3: Support 'Operation Storm Heaven' with your generous donation to help enlist 1,000,000 Rosary Warriors to barrage Heaven with prayers;
Step 4: Spread the word and encourage your family members, friends and fellow Catholics to enlist in Operation'Storm Heaven'.

We need “prayer that storms the heavens for justice and mercy, prayer that cleanses our hearts and souls.”
Only in this way “will the culture of death that surrounds us today be replaced with a Culture of Life.”
~ United States Catholic Bishops Conference's Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities

Become a 'Rosary Warrior' and join Cardinal Burke to 'Storm Heaven' with prayer!
Let's keep the number of rosary warriors growing. Share this with your friends and family and encourage them to join us