Posted on 01/29/2008 6:58:34 AM PST by Salvation
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The month of January is traditionally dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. This feast is also celebrated on January 3. Here is an explanation of the devotion.
Since the 16th century Catholic piety has associated entire months to special devotions. The devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus has been traditionally associated with the month of January, due to its celebration on January 3. The name Jesus was given to the Holy Child at God's command (Luke 1:31). The Holy Name is all-powerful because of the Person who bears it; we honor it because of the command of Christ, that we should pray in His Name and because it reminds us of all the blessings we receive through our Holy Redeemer. Hence St. Paul was able to write to the Philippians: ". . . at the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth" (Phil. 2:10). By means of this devotion we also make amends for improper use of the Holy Name.
Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954
Prayer/Hymn in Honor of the Most Holy Name of Jesus - Iesu, Dulcis Memoria
Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills the breast!
Yet sweeter far Thy face to see
And in Thy presence rest.
No voice can sing, no heart can frame,
Nor can the memory find,
A sweeter sound than Jesus' name,
The Savior of mankind.
O hope of every contrite heart!
0 joy of all the meek!
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek!
But what to those who find? Ah! this
Nor tongue nor pen can show
The love of Jesus, what it is,
None but His loved ones know.
Jesus! our only hope be Thou,
As Thou our prize shalt be;
In Thee be all our glory now,
And through eternity. Amen.
---Roman Breviary
Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954
O Divine Jesus, Thou hast promised that anything we ask of the Eternal Father in Thy name shall be granted.
O Eternal Father. In the name of Jesus, for the love of Jesus, in fulfillment of this promise, and because Jesus has said it, grant us our petitions for the sake of Jesus, Thy Divine Son. Amen.
Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954
Devotion to the Holy Name [of Jesus]
The Name of Jesus: Its Power in Our Lives
Devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus
Holy Father's Prayer Intentions For 2008
From: 2 Samuel 6:12b-15, 17-19
The Ark in Jerusalem (Continuation)
[12b] So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of
Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing; [13] and when those who
bore the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a
fatling. [14] And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and
David was girded with a linen ephod. [15] So David and all the house
of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the
sound of the horn.
[17] And they brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in its place,
inside the tent which David had pitched for it; and David offered
burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. [18] And when
David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace
offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts,
[19] and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of
Israel, both men and women, to each a cake of bread, a portion of
meat, and a cake of raisins. Then all the people departed, each to his house.
Commentary:
6:1-23. By moving the ark to Jerusalem from Baale, a town on the
border with the Philistines (cf. 1 Sam 4:1-7:1), David is making the
city the religious capital: from now on, it will be the Holy City
blessed by the presence of the Lord. The narrative gives a good idea
of the solemnity of the transfer (a liturgical procession of the kind
celebrated in Psalm 132) and has a lot of doctrinal content.
The first stage in the transfer of the ark (vv. 1-11) was interrupted
by the death of Uzzah, son of Abinadab. This amazing episode may be
meant to show the predominance of one priestly family, that of
Abiathar (cf. 1 Sam 22:20-23; 2 Sam 15:27-29), and the disappearance
(for some inexplicable reason) of the descendants of Abinadab; but the
main message is of course the respect and veneration due to the ark as
the symbol of Godspresence among his people. Only those in charge of
the ark may touch it. Even the king wonders whether it is right to
bring it as far as Jerusalem, and it is the Lord himself who, by
blessing the house of Obed-edom, signals that it should be brought the
rest of the way.
The procession bringing the ark into the holy city is reported in
detail in the second stage of the transfer (vv. 12-15). David himself,
as king of Israel, assumes the functions of a priest and gives a lead
in ritual jubilation. The Fathers have seen the ark as a figure of the
Blessed Virgin; so the transfer of the ark is a symbol of Marys
journey to visit her relative Elizabeth (cf. Lk 1:39-45), and Davids
dance is a figure of the Baptist, who leaps with joy in the womb of
his mother when Mary arrives with Jesus in her womb. “The prophet
dances before the ark; but what is the ark if not [a symbol of] Holy
Mary? The ark contained the tablets of the testament, Mary held in her
body the heir to the testament; the ark carried the Law, Mary the
Gospel; the ark held the voice of God, Mary the Word; inside and out,
the ark shone with gold, the light of Marys virginity shines inside
and out; the ark was decorated with earthly gold, Mary with the gold
of heaven” (St Maximus of Turin, Sermons, 42, 5). See also the note on
1 Chronicles 15:1-24.
The last scene records Michals failure to understand Davids sincere
devotion towards the ark (vv. 16-23); her rejection has political
implications as regards the succession. David will have many sons who
later dispute the throne, but none of them will be descendants of
Saul. The sentence pronounced against Michal, Davids first wife,
draws a line under the house of Saul.
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.
From: Mark 3:31-35
The True Kinsmen of Jesus
[31] And His (Jesus’) mother and His brethren came; and standing
outside they went to Him and called Him. [32] And a crowd was sitting
about Him: and they said to Him, “Your mother and Your brethren are
outside, asking for You.” [33] And He replied, “Who are My mother and
My brethren?” [34] And looking around on those who sat about Him, He
said, “Here are My mother and My brethren! [35] Whoever does the will
of God is My brother, and sister, and mother.”
Commentary:
31-35. In Aramaic, the language used by the Jews, the word “brethren”
is a broad term indicating kinship: nephews, first cousins, and
relatives in general are called `brethren’ (for further explanation cf.
note on Mark 6:1-3). “Jesus did not say this to disown His mother, but
to show that she is worthy of honor not only account of having given
birth to Jesus, but also because she has all the virtues” (Theophylact,
“Enarratio In Evangelium Marci, in loc.”).
Therefore, the Church reminds us that the Blessed Virgin “in the course
of her Son’s preaching received the words whereby, in extolling a
kingdom beyond the concerns and ties of flesh and blood, He declared
blessed those who heard and kept the word of God as she was faithfully
doing” (Vatican II, “Lumen Gentium”, 58).
Our Lord, then, is also telling us that if we follow Him we will share
His life more intimately than if we were a member of His family. St.
Thomas explains this by saying that Christ “had an eternal generation
and a generation in time, and gave preference to the former. Those who
do the will of the Father reach Him by Heavenly generation [...].
Everyone who does the will of the Father, that is to say, who obeys
Him, is a brother or sister of Christ, because he is like Him who
fulfilled the will of His Father. But he who not only obeys but
converts others, begets Christ in them, and thus becomes like the
Mother of Christ” (”Commentary on St. Matthew”, 12, 49-50.)
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.
First reading | 2 Samuel 6:12 - 19 © |
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Word was brought to King David that the Lord had blessed the family of Obed-edom and all that belonged to him on account of the ark of God. David accordingly went and brought the ark of God up from Obed-edoms house to the Citadel of David with great rejoicing. When the bearers of the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fat sheep. And David danced whirling round before the Lord with all his might, wearing a linen loincloth round him. Thus David and all the House of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with acclaim and the sound of the horn. They brought the ark of the Lord in and put it in position inside the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered holocausts before the Lord, and communion sacrifices. And when David had finished offering holocausts and communion sacrifices, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of Hosts. He then distributed among all the people, among the whole multitude of Israelites, men and women, a roll of bread to each, a portion of dates, and a raisin cake. Then they all went away, each to his own house. |
Psalm or canticle: Psalm 23 |
Gospel | Mark 3:31 - 35 © |
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His mother and brothers now arrived and, standing outside, sent in a message asking for him. A crowd was sitting round him at the time the message was passed to him, Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside asking for you. He replied, Who are my mother and my brothers? And looking round at those sitting in a circle about him, he said, Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and mother. |
O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen. Alleluia.
A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.
Psalm 67 (68) |
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The Lord's triumphal journey |
God arises and his enemies are scattered: those who hate him flee from his sight. You blow them away like wisps of smoke; as wax melts in front of a fire, so the wicked melt away before God. The righteous are glad and exult in Gods sight; they rejoice in their gladness. Sing to the Lord and celebrate his name! Make a road for him who rides upon the clouds The Lord is his name. Rejoice in his sight, the father of orphans, defender of widows, God in his holy dwelling-place, God, who gives the lonely a house to dwell in, God, who leads captives out into prosperity; but the rebellious shall live in a desert land. God, when you set out in the sight of your people, when you crossed the wilderness the earth shook. The heavens sent down dew at your coming the God of Sinai, the God of Israel. At your bidding the rains came, O God, your inheritance was worn out but you refreshed it. All your creatures took up residence there, in your goodness you made a place for the needy. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
Psalm 67 (68) |
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The Lord gives out the word, and a great army of maidens brings the news: The kings of the armies are fleeing, they are fleeing, and the fair one at home is dividing the spoils. While you sleep among the sheepfolds, the wings of the dove shine with silver, her feathers glow with green gold. Through her the Almighty scatters the kings, and the mountain of Salmon is white with snow. The mountain of Bashan is Gods mountain; the mountain of God is a high-peaked mountain. Why do you envy it, you high-peaked mountains, envy the mountain that God has chosen? The Lord will dwell there for ever. The chariots of God are ten thousand thousand: the Lord has come from Sinai to his holy sanctuary. You have scaled the heights, you have taken captives, you have received men as gifts so that even the rebels live with the Lord God. Blessings on the Lord, day after day! God will carry us, God our saviour. Our God is a God of salvation, our Lord is a Lord who rescues from death. Truly God will break the heads of his enemies, take the scalps of those who tread the path of crime. The Lord has spoken: I shall bring them back from Bashan, I shall bring them back from the depths of the sea, so that your feet may be dipped in blood and the tongues of your dogs receive food from your enemies. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
Psalm 67 (68) |
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They have seen your processions, O God, the processions of God, my king, to his sanctuary. First came the singers, last the musicians, between them the maidens playing their drums. Bless God in the assemblies: bless the Lord, you who spring from Israel! There was young Benjamin, leading them, the princes of Judah in their rich robes, the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali. O God, command in your strength; make firm what you have achieved in us. From your temple in Jerusalem, kings shall bring you tribute. Rebuke the wild beast of the reeds, the herd of bulls, the lords of peoples. Let them lie prostrate before you with tribute of silver. Scatter the peoples that delight in war. Nobles will come from Egypt, Ethiopia will stretch out its hands to God. Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; celebrate the Lord. Sing to God who rides on the highest heavens, at the origin of all things. Listen! he speaks, a voice of power. Acknowledge the strength of the Lord: his majesty is over Israel, his strength is in the clouds. God inspires awe in his holy place; he, the God of Israel, gives power to his people; he gives them strength. Blessed be God! Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
Reading | Deuteronomy 26:1 - 19 © |
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The profession of faith | |
When you come to the land the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, when you have taken possession of it and are living in it, you must set aside the first-fruits of all the produce of the soil raised by you in the land the Lord is giving you. You must put them in a pannier and go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to give his name a home. You must go to the priest then in office and say to him, Today I declare to the Lord my God that I have come to the land the Lord swore to our fathers he would give us. The priest shall then take the pannier from your hand and lay it before the altar of the Lord your God. Then, in the sight of the Lord your God, you must make this pronouncement: My father was a wandering Aramaean. He went down into Egypt to find refuge there, few in numbers; but there he became a nation, great, mighty, and strong. The Egyptians ill-treated us, they gave us no peace and inflicted harsh slavery on us. But we called on the Lord, the God of our fathers. The Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, our toil and our oppression; and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with mighty hand and outstretched arm, with great terror, and with signs and wonders. He brought us here and gave us this land, a land where milk and honey flow. Here then I bring the first-fruits of the produce of the soil that you, the Lord, have given me. You must then lay them before the Lord your God, and bow down in the sight of the Lord your God. Then you are to feast on all the good things the Lord has given you, you and your household, and with you the Levite and the stranger who lives among you. In the third year, the tithing year, when you have finished reckoning the tithe of all your produce and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the orphan and the widow, and they have eaten it in your towns and had their fill, you are to say in the sight of the Lord your God: I have cleared my house of all that was consecrated. Yes, I have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the orphan and the widow, in accordance with all the commandments you laid on me, not going beyond your commandments, not forgetting them. I have not eaten any bread of mourning; I have consumed nothing that was unclean; I have offered nothing to the dead. I have obeyed the voice of the Lord my God and I have done all as you commanded me. Look down from the dwelling place of your holiness, from heaven, and bless your people Israel and the soil you have given us as you swore to our fathers, a land where milk and honey flow. The Lord your God today commands you to observe these laws and customs; you must keep and observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. You have today made this declaration about the Lord: that he will be your God, but only if you follow his ways, keep his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and listen to his voice. And the Lord has today made this declaration about you: that you will be his very own people as he promised you, but only if you keep all his commandments; then for praise and renown and honour he will set you high above all the nations he has made, and you will be a people consecrated to the Lord, as he promised. |
Reading | From the Detailed Rules for Monks by Saint Basil the Great |
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How shall we repay the Lord for all his goodness to us? | |
What words can adequately describe Gods gifts? They are so numerous that they defy enumeration. They are so great that any one of them demands our total gratitude in response. Yet even though we cannot speak of it worthily, there is one gift which no thoughtful man can pass over in silence. God fashioned man in his own image and likeness; he gave him knowledge of himself; he endowed him with the ability to think which raised him above all living creatures; he permitted him to delight in the unimaginable beauties of paradise, and gave him dominion over everything upon earth. Then, when man was deceived by the serpent and fell into sin, which led to death and to all the sufferings associated with death, God still did not forsake him. He first gave man the law to help him; he set angels over him to guard him; he sent the prophets to denounce vice and to teach virtue; he restrained mans evil impulses by warnings and roused his desire for virtue by promises. Frequently, by way of warning, God showed him the respective ends of virtue and of vice in the lives of other men. Moreover, when man continued in disobedience even after he had done all this, God did not desert him. No, we were not abandoned by the goodness of the Lord. Even the insult we offered to our Benefactor by despising his gifts did not destroy his love for us. On the contrary, although we were dead, our Lord Jesus Christ restored us to life again, and in a way even more amazing than the fact itself, for his state was divine, yet he did not cling to his equality with God, but emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave. He bore our infirmities and endured our sorrows. He was wounded for our sake so that by his wounds we might be healed. He redeemed us from the curse by becoming a curse for our sake, and he submitted to the most ignominious death in order to exalt us to the life of glory. Nor was he content merely to summon us back from death to life; he also bestowed on us the dignity of his own divine nature and prepared for us a place of eternal rest where there will be joy so intense as to surpass all human imagination. How, then, shall we repay the Lord for all his goodness to us? He is so good that he asks no recompense except our love: that is the only payment he desires. To confess my personal feelings, when I reflect on all these blessings I am overcome by a kind of dread and numbness at the very possibility of ceasing to love God and of bringing shame upon Christ because of my lack of recollection and my preoccupation with trivialities. |
Concluding Prayer |
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Almighty and ever-living God, guide our actions and make them pleasing to you, so that in the name of your beloved Son we may overflow with good works. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen. |
Mk 3:31-35 | ||
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# | Douay-Rheims | Vulgate |
31 | And his mother and his brethren came; and standing without, sent unto him, calling him. | et veniunt mater eius et fratres et foris stantes miserunt ad eum vocantes eum |
32 | And the multitude sat about him; and they say to him: Behold thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. | et sedebat circa eum turba et dicunt ei ecce mater tua et fratres tui foris quaerunt te |
33 | And answering them, he said: Who is my mother and my brethren? | et respondens eis ait quae est mater mea et fratres mei |
34 | And looking round about on them who sat about him, he saith: Behold my mother and my brethren. | et circumspiciens eos qui in circuitu eius sedebant ait ecce mater mea et fratres mei |
35 | For whosoever shall do the will of God, he is my brother, and my sister, and mother. | qui enim fecerit voluntatem Dei hic frater meus et soror mea et mater est |
In the middle of preparing these posts, I received a phone call. My mother died an hour ago of aftereffects of a stroke. It was not unexpected.
God rest her soul. Her name is Adelaida.
Hail Mary, full of grace
The Lord is with thee
Blessed art though among the women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus
Holy Mary, mother of God,
pray for us sinners now and in the hour of our death
Amen
I will be off for a while.
The Memorial Service
People: Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me Your statutes.
People: The choir of Saints has found the fountain of life and the door of Paradise. May I also find the way through repentance. I am the sheep that is lost: O Savior, call me back and save me.
People: Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me Your statutes.
People: Of old You created me from nothing and honored me with Your divine image. But when I disobeyed Your commandment, O Lord, You cast me down to the earth from where I was taken. Lead me back again to Your likeness, and renew my original beauty.
People: Blessed are you, O Lord, teach me Your statutes.
People: I am an image of Your ineffable glory, though I bear the scars of my transgressions. On Your creation, Master, take pity and cleanse me by Your compassion. Grant me the homeland for which I long and once again make me a citizen of Paradise.
People: Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me Your statutes.
People: Give rest, O God, to Your servant, and place her in Paradise where the choirs of the Saints and the righteous will shine as the stars of heaven. To Your departed servant give rest, O Lord, and forgive all is her offenses.
People: Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
People: The threefold radiance of the one God let us praise, and let us shout in song: Holy are You, eternal Father, coeternal Son, and divine Spirit! Illumine us who worship You in faith and deliver us from the eternal fire.
People: Now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
People: Rejoice, gracious Lady, who for the salvation of all gave birth to God in the flesh, and through whom the human race has found salvation. Through you, pure and blessed Theotokos, may we find Paradise.
People: Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia. Glory to You, O God (3).
Tone Eight
People: With the Saints give rest, O Christ, to the soul of Your servant where there is no pain, nor sorrow, nor suffering, but life everlasting.
Tone Four
People: Among the spirits of the righteous perfected in faith, give rest, O Savior, to the soul of Your servant. Bestow upon it the blessed life which is from You, O loving One.
People: Within Your peace, O Lord, where all Your saints repose, give rest also to the soul of Your servant, for You alone are immortal.
People: Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
People: You are our God who descended into Hades and loosened the pains of those who were chained. Grant rest also, O Savior, to the soul of Your servant.
People: Now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
People: Most pure and spotless Virgin, who ineffably gave birth to God, intercede with Him for the salvation of the soul of your servant.
Priest: Have mercy upon us, O God, according to Your great love; we pray to You, hear us and have mercy.
People: Lord, have mercy (3).
Priest: Again we pray for the repose of the soul of the departed servant of God Adelaida who has fallen asleep, and for the forgiveness of all her sins, both voluntary and involuntary.
People: Lord, have mercy (3).
Priest:May the Lord God place her soul where the righteous repose. Let us ask for the mercies of God, the kingdom of Heaven, and the forgiveness of her sins from Christ our immortal king and God.
People: Grant this, O Lord.
Priest: Let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Priest: O God of spirits and of all flesh, You have trampled down death and have abolished the power of the devil, giving life to Your world. Give rest to the soul of Your departed servant Adelaida in a place of light, in a place of repose, in a place of refreshment, where there is no pain, sorrow, and suffering. As a good and loving God, forgive every sin she has committed in thought, word or deed, for there is no one who lives and is sinless. You alone are without sin. Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your word is truth.
Priest: For You are the resurrection, the life and the repose of Your departed servant Adelaida, Christ our God, and to You we give glory, with Your eternal Father and Your all holy, good and life‑giving Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages.
People: Amen.
People: Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
The Dismissal
Priest: Glory to You, O God, our hope, glory to You.
Priest: May Christ our true God, who rose from the dead and as immortal King has authority over the living and the dead, have mercy on us and save us, through the intercessions of his spotless and holy Mother; of the holy, glorious, and praiseworthy Apostles; of our venerable and God‑bearing Fathers; of the holy and glorious forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; of his holy and righteous friend Lazaros, who lay in the grave four days; and of all the saints; establish the soul of His servant Adelaida, departed from us, in the dwelling place of the saints; give rest to her in the, bosom of Abraham and number her among the righteous.
People: Amen.
Priest: May your memory be eternal, dear sister, for you are worthy of blessedness and everlasting memory.
Priest: Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us and save us.
People: Amen.
Prayers for you Alex and for your Mom.
the dismissal part.
and the whole memorial service posted by Kolo (in English).
May The Lord bless you and keep you; May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. |
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Catholic Prayer Ping Please address all prayers to annalex; If you would like to be added to the Catholic Prayer Ping List, please FReepmail me.
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