She is the Star of Bethlehem.
The compassionate Lady of Love,
The powerful Virgin of Victory,
The sweet Mother of the Messiah,
Silent and holy, calm and bright,
Her dazzling beauty shines
In the dark night of unknowing,
And she points the way for the
Wise men and wise women
Of this world who wish to know
The Babe of Divine Mercy.
You, the holy fire
That purifies my soul,
The Holy Dove of
Divine Mercy,
Spiral downwards
And inflame my
Innermost being,
Burning away
All affection for sin,
Freeing the wings
Of my heart so that
I can spiral upwards
With you to Heaven,
And find union with
Divine Love.
The storm strikes!
It strikes suddenly,
And without warning.
Then lightning flashes in a frenzy
In the vast vault of the dark sky,
In the form of a frightening cross.
What am I to do?
As as a little child of God,
I cry out in my need:
O Mystical Rose, please help me!
O St. Joseph, please help me!
O Guardian Angel, please help me!
O Divine Mercy, please save me!
Then, I spiritually fall to my knees,
And I surrender to you, Jesus.
In that moment,
In my emotional suffering,
I remember your sorrowful Passion,
And my heart is wrenched within me,
Pierced with pain,
Wailing with woe,
Feeling alone,
At the foot of the cold cross.
In that moment,
In my physical pain,
I suffer sorrowfully with you,
In the Agony in the Garden,
In the Scourging at the Pillar,
In the Crowning with Thorns,
In the Carrying of the Cross,
In the Crucifixion.
I remember with holy courage
That patience is the companion of wisdom.
And I realize that I have been
So focused on the cross
That I forget that the Resurrection
Is sleeping ever so peacefully
In the back of my boat.
Then the Resurrection stands up,
And in the sparkling of an eye,
The dark waters of the sea
Suddenly grow calm,
And the roaring of the waves ceases:
He embraces me with His love.
O Merciful Master,
Thank you for saving me,
Thank you for loving me so much,
Thank you for teaching me faith --
Jesus, I trust in You!
When we’re thanks-living,
We choose for living,
We choose for giving,
Lovingly for-giving.
Thanksgiving,
What a wonderful
Gift from God,
It seems to me like
An inexhaustible
Spiritual ocean of the
Dazzling, magnificent
Divine Mercy.
When we’re living,
In thanksgiving to God,
We’re living for giving,
Lovingly for-giving.
A Variation of Shakespeare’s Famous Soliloquy
The Child
To be
Or not to be,
That is the question:
Whether ‘tis nobler
For Mommy to surrender
To the slings and arrows
Of sacrificial love,
Or by aborting,
End me.
The Mother
To die from guilt while
contemplating abortion:
To sleep, to sleep
No more!
Perchance to have dreams --
Or eternal nightmares --
Of what I am about to do
To my innocent baby;
When I have shuffled off
The mortal coil of his
Umbilical cord and
Allowed him to be
Dis mem ber ed,
I dread something worse
Than death: Hell,
The undiscovered country;
Thus, conscience can make
Heroes of us all --
Soft you now,
It’s never too late,
So my fair baby shall live.
Based on a true story, and dedicated to my delightful daughter
The long, arduous journey
was finally over,
More challenging than going
from London to Dover;
Clarissa Candela opened
her deep, dark eyes,
She got out of bed not
expecting any surprise;
For the last 33 days it’s been
a time for new prayers,
Almost like climbing a beautiful
resort’s elegant stairs;
Going upward towards God
in an imperceptible way,
She didn’t notice any spiritual growth
when she knelt down to pray.
As the beacon of dawn
gradually conquered the night,
The sinful, fearful darkness
was very quickly put to flight;
The angels unfurled the banner
of God’s light across the sky,
As on the freeway Clarissa
calmly drove in the desert so dry;
Her pilgrimage was to the beauteous
chapel of Our Lady of Solitude,
And since she could see the cupola,
her arrival was a certitude;
With holy sunbeams striking a
stained glass window from afar,
The chapel looked like a lighthouse
reflecting Bethlehem’s star.
Clarissa got out of her car, and a
sweet smile danced across her lips,
Her long, dark hair through the comforting
breeze ever so gently whips;
Looking at the chapel, she saw arches
and columns in a style European,
And the dappled desert stone, rustically
elegant, also made it look Galilean;
The cupola, topped with a simple cross,
was Our Lady’s jeweled crown,
And the t-shaped tau on the gable
declared good St. Francis’ renown;
Clarissa looked up, twirled around,
and saw an immense sky so blue,
She had never seen such beauty clothed
in such peace, ‘tis so very true.
Then she entered the chapel
experiencing a spiritual thirst,
Truly there were not many people
at mass on this January First;
Their few voices were humbly and
quietly raised almost inaudibly aloft,
And the Franciscan priest said mass
in a voice that was very, very soft;
The devout Poor Clare nuns were
all engaged in the deepest prayer,
And, honestly, the mass was so silent
that it was exceedingly rare;
When Clarissa’s 33 days of prayers
of consecration were finally done,
Might she be in danger of ending
as uneventfully as she had begun?
But St. Louis de Montfort’s
Consecration to Jesus through Mary,
Was recommended by her wise old
Irish pastor Monsignor O’Clary;
He had preached quite a fine homily
about this special devotion,
Saying, “It can really change your life,
if you have the notion”;
But now let me share with you
one rather noteworthy fact,
St. Louis’ closing prayer is
really a form of holy contract;
She knelt before Our Lord’s
beautiful crucifix near the altar,
And she dearly hoped that her
heart would not ever falter.
Midway through this closing prayer,
Clarissa’s heart was passionately,
Preciously pierced by the sweet sword
of the Spirit; her soul, suddenly
Brimming with God’s majestic mercy,
soared in a spiraling celestial
Crescendo of God’s love for her;
fearing that her heart, like a fiery
Supernova, might explode with emotion,
she silently slipped out
And sat quietly, alone, on the sofa
located in the pilgrims' parlor;
Here she serenely surrendered all
to the Spirit, like a noble
Knight of Christ, Through Our Lady,
The Queen of All Hearts.
Then like a giddy geyser she gushed
torrents of light-hearted laughter
And happy, heavenly tears; this golden
cascade of pure love poured
Over her soul like a warm, wonderful
waterfall of holy honey; deep down
Inside, the Spirit was strumming on
the harmonic harp of her heart, and
She was deliciously, delightfully deluged
by this overwhelming ocean of God’s love for her.
Afterwards, Clarissa softly strolled
back into the chapel to finish her
Closing prayer; approaching the altar,
with awe, she beheld the crucifix
Where Christ the Courageous heroically
hangs; from the back of the church
She felt his love as a light, blissful,
balmy breeze; but as she
Drew closer to that crucifix, she felt
His love magnificently magnified as it
Ignited into an intense, surging storm
of explosive, electric joy;
Kneeling before that same crucifix,
as a bold, brave warrior, she battled
Through her emotions until
word by word, slowly,
Meaningfully, she finished
her prayer of consecration.
Every year for the rest of her life
this holy devotion she would pray,
She would always return to Our Lady
of Solitude on the very same day;
Just as Our Lady had very few truly
remarkable days in her saintly life,
Clarissa had few days in which intense
joy pierced her soul like a knife;
Although she never again experienced
a cascading heavenly waterfall,
Every so often a raindrop of pure,
holy love her heart would enthrall;
In the twinkling of an eye the sword
of the Spirit would pierce her soul,
As if to remind her that perfect love
in Heaven must always be her goal.
May 1968
It was a memorable day for me,
The greatest of my young life;
I still remember the class photo,
Me and another boy were the only
Ones dressed in suits of white,
And I loved wearing white
For the first time in my life.
Then inside the old church,
I recall wondering to myself
What Jesus would taste like;
When the time came to go forward,
I stood in line, and when our turn came,
We kneeled at the communion rail,
Waiting for the good God to come.
There He was, my Lord and my God,
And He was dressed in white too;
I meekly opened my small mouth
To welcome the King of Kings,
And then Baby Jesus was gently
Placed by His Holy Mother
On the manger of my tongue.
Jesus, I surrender to You:
As I lay my need at your feet,
I see your sorrowful face,
And I painfully suffer with you
In the Agony in the Garden.
Jesus, I trust in You:
As I look into your merciful face,
The face of Divine Mercy,
Your smile and divine sense of humor
Strongly encourage me.
For the sake of His sorrowful passion:
As I see Our Lady of the Pietà,
Holding Jesus at the foot of the cross,
I feel the power of His love
Sweetly sweep over my soul.
Have mercy on us, and on the whole world:
As I see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal,
She opens her holy hands with heartfelt compassion,
So that the light of God’s love rains down upon me,
And my soul is transformed by the Transfigured.
Kneeling in Humility Before the Father
Our Father, Who art in heaven, Hallowed by Thy name.
Surrendering to the Father
Thy kingdom come, Thy Will be done, On earth as it is in Heaven.
Hungering for the Bread of Life
Give us this day our daily bread,
Living Divine Mercy
And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us.
Avoiding the Near Occasion of Sin
And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Here we find the epicenter of the holy earthquake
that destroys the sin of the centuries.
In jubilation, I swiftly and silently cruise through
the cool, crisp air on this holiest of holy nights,
Up above, high in the heavens, is the star of all stars,
powerfully pulsating with bursts of joy;
Below, in the countryside, the shepherds’ fires
crackle with contentment near Bethlehem,
For the Christ child, the Prince of Peace, has been
born in a lowly little stable in the city of David.
I am flanked by a merry multitude of fellow angels,
as we prepare for our descent into little Bethlehem,
From the cloud tops we cascade downward towards
the manger, like a waterfall of invisible light;
The shuffling shepherds who were so startled to
behold us now adore their newborn king on bent knees,
And the majestic magi marvel at the humility of the
Blessed Babe, the long-awaited holy Messiah.
St. Joseph thoughtfully covers the mild mother Mary,
to help heat her on this very chilly night,
The joyful Virgin warmly welcomes little Jesus,
covering Him with her tender kisses and caresses;
Blissful baby Jesus beams a bright smile, covering all
present with His most peaceful benevolence,
And we angels swirl and dance, and exultantly sing
and rejoice and praise the glory of the good God.
The holy family will live in the dark night of the unseen,
centered in the Light of Limitless Love.
I turn around and before me you stand,
one whose robe is dazzlingly white,
On your head is a glistening gold crown,
set with gemstones radiant and bright;
With great love, you bestow your peace upon me,
through your wonderfully warm brown eyes,
Your merciful smile cheers my heart,
so that my soul can most sweetly arise;
In the joyful breeze of the Holy Spirit,
your flowing hair so very gently swirls,
In my heart I totally surrender to you,
and for you this is a treasure of pearls.
Whispered sweetly,
Santa Maria’s “Yes”
Ripples and reverberates
Through the Halls of Heaven,
And the Spirit speeds through the
Atmosphere in a powerful pulse
Of gleaming, virginal white light
Into the humble House of Gold:
And, behold, The Divine Mercy is
Incarnate.
Inspired by St. Peter the Apostle, St. Francis de Sales, & St. Francis of Assisi
O Mystical Rose, please pray for me!
O St. Joseph, please pray for me!
O Guardian Angel, please pray for me!
O Divine Mercy, please save me!
I now turn my heart to you, Lord,
I will practice the contrary virtue;
I rejoice in you, Christ Crucified,
And I say, “Jesus, I trust in you!”
With a heart full of love,
I kiss your sacred feet,
So that what is bitter
May soon become sweet!
Amen.
Trembling, I hid in your mantle, protected
From the dark night of unknowing;
You guided me up the steep, perilous path,
Towards the sparkling, starry heavens.
The demonic winds gusted, and with
Frightful ferocity thunder shook the air;
Serpentine lightning darted in the sky, and
Lava streams slithered down the slopes.
But then the Sun of God dazzlingly dawned,
And He put an end to the dark night;
Beams of bright light, both red and white,
Streamed soothingly into my soul.
Atop the summit, you took my hand,
And together we flew into the Light;
We laughed like merry little children,
Soaking in the sunshine of pure Mercy.
O Lord of Love,
Through your holy grace,
I have wholehearted contrition,
And am free from all affection for sin
And all attachment to sin,
And so, with a sincere heart,
I offer you this Our Father,
This Hail Mary, and this Glory Be,
For the Holy Father’s intentions.
And along with these prayers,
Please accept my recent confession,
And today’s indulgenced work,
And reception of Holy Communion.
In short, I humbly request that
Through the sweet hands of
Our Lady of Love,
You accept today the gift
Of this plenary indulgence,
Offered for the benefit of _____,
Or offered for my own benefit,
Or offered for whomever else the
Merciful Mystical Rose most wishes,
In accordance with your holy will.
Amen.
Hi, everyone!
Welcome to our Consecration Day! This is indeed an exciting day, so please do something special to celebrate it!
Since today is Consecration Day, please be sure to print out the consecration prayer and bring it with you to mass. You will find it at the following link:
God bless you, and may Our Lady, the Queen of All Hearts, sweetly shower God's graces upon you!
Joe
+ + +
Hi, everyone!
Congratulations! We've almost completed our journey! Today is the last of the 33 days, and the finish line is now clearly within sight, so run hard through that finish line and get ready to celebrate tomorrow!
In order to find the prayers, as well as the links to magnificent sacred art, please do the following items:
1. Click the following link to go to my website:
http://www.josephpeteranthony.com/total-consecration
2. Scroll down a little farther and click the link entitled "Total Consecration: Day 33" (this will take you to the prayers and the sacred art)
By the way, since tomorrow is Consecration Day, please be sure to print out the consecration prayer and bring it with you to mass. You will find it at the following link:
God bless you, and may Our Lady, the Queen of All Hearts, sweetly shower God's graces upon you!
Joe
+ + +
Hi, everyone!
So what should we expect on Consecration Day? What will happen when we make our Act of Total Consecration?
Soon we will find out. The key for us is to pray the consecration prayer as sincerely and devoutly as we can, simply surrendering to Jesus through Mary. Some of us may feel nothing at all when we make our consecration, and that's perfectly fine. As I have mentioned to you before, we shouldn't judge the value of this devotion by feelings and emotions. We might feel nothing on the outside, but the Holy Spirit might be working wonders for us on the inside.
Now, that being said, it's also possible that others of us might have a profoundly emotional experience. If we really and truly understand the words we're saying to Jesus and Mary in the Act of Total Consecration, then we may feel an outpouring of emotion unlike anything that we've ever experienced in our lives.
However, regardless of what we experience, I firmly believe that, through Mary, Jesus will give each of us what we most need, whatever that is. He is never, ever outdone in generosity. He is never, ever outdone in divine mercy. So if we don't have an emotional experience, then we should simply accept it and say, "Jesus, I trust in You!" And if we do have an emotional experience, then, again, we should simply accept it in humility and say, "Jesus, I trust in You!"
One is absolutely as good as the other.
In order to find the prayers, as well as the links to magnificent sacred art, please do the following items:
1. Click the following link to go to my website:
http://www.josephpeteranthony.com/total-consecration
2. Scroll down a little farther and click the link entitled "Total Consecration: Day 32" (this will take you to the prayers and the sacred art)
God bless you, and may Our Lady, the Queen of All Hearts, sweetly shower God's graces upon you!
Joe
+ + +
Hi, everyone!
If we haven't already done so, it's time for us to start thinking about where and when we are going to make our Act of Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary.
If we want to gain a plenary indulgence (which I certainly do, because of God's magnificent blessings!), then we should go to confession, and then on Consecration Day we should (1) receive Holy Communion, (2) pray an Our Father and Hail Mary for the Holy Father's intentions, and (3) make our Act of Total Consecration after mass. I already know pretty much exactly where I will be sitting in the church when I recite this prayer.
Also, we need to remember to bring our consecration prayer to mass with us on Consecration Day (unless we prefer to say the prayer at home). Soon, I’ll share a few different consecration prayers with you, and you can choose the one that you like best.
On the other hand, if you choose not to gain a plenary indulgence, then you still need to think about where and when you will recite the consecration prayer. Perhaps it will be in front of a beautiful picture of Our Lord Jesus and/or the Blessed Virgin Mary, and it might even include lighting a candle to help create an ambience of holy reverence. The decision is totally yours.
In order to find the prayers, as well as the links to magnificent sacred art, please do the following items:
1. Click the following link to go to my website:
http://www.josephpeteranthony.com/total-consecration
2. Scroll down a little farther and click the link entitled "Total Consecration: Day 31" (this will take you to the prayers and the sacred art)
God bless you, and may Our Lady, the Queen of All Hearts, sweetly shower God's graces upon you!
Joe
+ + +
Hi, everyone!
We're almost there! Our destination is getting nearer, and our "Pilgrimage of Prayer" is soon coming to its climax!
In order to find the prayers, as well as the links to magnificent sacred art, please do the following items:
1. Click the following link to go to my website:
http://www.josephpeteranthony.com/total-consecration
2. Scroll down a little farther and click the link entitled "Total Consecration: Day 30" (this will take you to the prayers and the sacred art)
God bless you, and may Our Lady, the Queen of All Hearts, sweetly shower God's graces upon you!
Joe
+ + +