Posted on 01/28/2006 11:45:30 AM PST by Pyro7480
O Christ, the praise and joy of those who love you: you are my life, my light, and my gladness!
Despise not me, who am worthless; cast me who am vile not away, for the enemy will be exceedingly pleased if I am plunged into despair because of the fog of error which surrounds me. He will rejoice only when he sees that despair is beginning to make me his captive.
Rather do you, according to your ardent love, shame his hopes, snatch me from his teeth, deliver me from his crafty schemes, from all that he contrives against me; for greatly does he arm himself to do battle with me.
Grant me, O Lord, enlightenment to recognize the wiles of my adversary, the hater of all good; for he places in my path countless multitudes of seductions and pitfalls - both profits and losses, the comforts of this age and carnal pleasure, the length of the present life, timidity in ascetic labors, slothfulness in prayer, sleep and rest for the body during the singing of psalms.
Inasmuch as the enemy strives for my ruin, so do I, who am miserable, surrender myself to recklessness and apathy. The more snares hes sets out for me, the more careless I become.
Be wary, O my soul, watch over your conscience; pay no attention to the falls of others, but be instead more attentive to your own falls. Hasten, forestall your ruin, and be reconciled to Christ, crucified in the flesh for your sake. If we have condemned ourselves, we will not be condemned then, at the great and eternal judgment.
Be kind to me, O Lord, according to your compassion; and save me according to your singular goodness, through the prayers of our All-Pure Lady the Mother of God and of all the saints.
-Saint Ephrem the Syrian
(Saint Ephrem (+ 373), a deacon and a hermit, wrote hundreds of hymns in honor of the Blessed Trinity, the Incarnation, and the Blessed Virgin Mary.)
Taken from A Spiritual Psalter, Reflections on God, trans. Antonina Janda, copyright 2004, The St. John of Kronstadt Press, Liberty, TN
St. Ephrem, pray for us!
Catholic ping!
Ping! And if you have a ping list, ping your people. Thanks!
The Great Lenten Prayer of St Ephraim:
O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despondency, lust for power and idle talk.
(Prostration)But grant unto me, Thy servant, a spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love.
(Prostration)Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see mine own faults and not to judge my brothers and sisters. For blessed art Thou unto ages of ages. Amen.
(Prostration)O God, cleanse Thou me a sinner (12 times, with as many bows, and then again the whole prayer from the beginning throughout, and after that one great prostration)
A Prayer of Glory to Christ:
Glory to Thee, Lord
What shall I give Thee, Lord, in return for all Thy kindness?
Glory to Thee for Thy love.
Glory to Thee for Thy mercy.
Glory to Thee for Thy patience.
Glory to Thee for forgiving us all our sins.
Glory to Thee for coming to save our souls.
Glory to Thee for Thine incarnation in the Virgin's womb.
Glory to Thee for Thy bonds.
Glory to Thee for receiving the cut of the lash.
Glory to Thee for accepting mockery.
Glory to Thee for Thy crucifixion.
Glory to Thee for Thy burial.
Glory to Thee for Thy resurrection.
Glory to Thee who were preached to men and women.
Glory to Thee in whom they believed.
Glory to Thee who were taken up into Heaven.
Glory to Thee who sit in great glory at the Father's right hand.
Glory to Thee whose will it is that the sinner should be saved
through Thy great mercy and compassion.
Quotes from St Ephraim on Intercessory Prayer:
"Remember me, ye heirs of God, ye brethren of Christ; supplicate the Savior earnestly for me, that I may be freed through Christ from him that fights against me day by day."
(From 'The Fear at the End of Life')"Ye victorious martyrs who endured torments gladly for the sake of the God and Savior, ye who have boldness of speech toward the Lord Himself, ye saints, intercede for us who are timid and sinful men, full of sloth, that the grace of Christ may come upon us, and enlighten the hearts of all of us that so we may love Him."
(From the Commentary on Mark)
Excellent meditation in preparation for tomorrow's Gospel:
Mark 1:21-28
Jesus and the disciples went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came. he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astonished at the teaching, for he taught with authority and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth Have you come to destroy us. I know who you are, the Holy One of God. But Jesus rebuked him, saying, Be silent, and come out of him! And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, What is this? A new teaching--with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him. At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
You use the same cycle of reading as the post-1970 Roman rite of the Catholic Church?
This prayer is said in the Byzantine Church during the Liturgy of the Presanctified (Liturgy of Pope St. Gregory the Great, by both Catholic and Orthodox alike. It is said at all services of the Divine Office during Lent and at various other times during the day recommended at morning, noon, evening upon arising and before retiring for the night.
O LORD, Master of my life, grant that I may not be infected with the spirit of slothfulness and inquisitiveness, with the spirit of ambition and vain talking.
Grant instead to me, your servant, the spirit of purity and of humility, the spirit of patience and neighborly love.
O Lord and King, grant me the grace of being aware of my sins and of not thinking evil of those of my brethren.
For you are blessed, now and ever, and forever.
Amen.
Virtues are formed by prayer. Prayer preserves temperance. Prayer suppresses anger. Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy. Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit, and raises man to Heaven. -- Saint Ephraem
Saint Ephrem was born in Mesopotamia and ordained as a deacon of Edessa in whatis now Turkey, he vigorously combated the heresies of his time by writing poems and hymns about the Mysteries of Christ and the Blessed Virgin. He had a great devotion to Our Lady, and was in large part responsible for introducing hymns to public worship.
Source: Daily Roman Missal, Edited by Rev. James Socías, Midwest Theological Forum, Chicago, Illinois ©2003
Collect:
Lord,
in Your love fill our hearts with the Holy Spirit,
who inspired the deacon Ephrem to sing
the praise of Your mysteries
and gave him strength to serve You alone.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.
First Reading: Colossians 3:12-17
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Gospel Reading: Luke 6:43-45
"For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure produces evil; for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Prayer for Strength in Weakness
Lord Jesus Christ, King of kings, you have power over life and death. You know even things that are uncertain and obscure, and our very thoughts and feelings are not hidden from you. Cleanse me from my secret faults, and I have done wrong and you saw it. You know how weak I am, both in soul and in body. Give me strength, O Lord, in my frailty and sustain me in my sufferings. Grant me a prudent judgement, dear Lord, and let me always be mindful of your blessings. Let me retain until the end your grace that has protected me till now.
St Ephrem of Syria, Deacon, Poet and Doctor
Related Links on the Vatican Website:
PRINCIPI APOSTOLORUM PETRO, Encyclical of Pope Benedict XV on St. Ephrem, October 5, 1920
Benedict XVI, General Audience, Paul VI Audience Hall, Wednesday, November 28, 2007, Saint Ephrem
Related Links on New Advent website:
Saint Ephraim the Syrian
- Nisibene Hymns
- Miscellaneous Hymns -- On the Nativity of Christ in the Flesh, For the Feast of the Epiphany, and On the Faith ("The Pearl")
- Homilies -- On Our Lord, On Admonition and Repentance, and On the Sinful Woman
On the front of the Medal, a Cross is represented which carries several inscription in the arms, the explanations of which follow:SAINT BENEDICT MEDAL
C.S.P.B.: CRUX SANCTI PATRIS BENEDICTI The cross of our Holy Father Benedict
C.S.S.M.L.: CRUX SACRA SIT MIHI LUX May the Holy Cross be my light!
N.D.S.M.D.: NUNQUAM DRACO SIT MIHI DUX! May the dragon never be my guide
V.R.S.: VADE RETRO SATANA Begone Satan!
N.S.M.V.: NUNQUAM SUADE MIHI VANA! - Never tempt me with your vanities!
S.M.Q.L.: SUNT MALA QUAE LIBAS What you offer me is evil.
I.V.B.: IPSE VENEA BIBAS Drink the poison yourself!
——————————————————————————————I wear one or more of these. I gave a friend this writing on a exorcism cloth.he keeps in his wallet. He showed to new age channeling woman. She fell back on the floor. She didn’t know what it meant but the fallen angels did! The anointing on the cloth healed his granddaughter during high fever! In Him with Him thru Christ -St Ephrem pray for us!-ST Benedict pray for us! Praise Jesus for the Communion of Saints! Thank you for your Body! Here on earth and heaven! You are the head we are the Body! AMEN!
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