The Lord is risen.  Alleluia.May He fill you with hope and joy on this beautiful day.The resurrection of the Lord gives the ultimate happy ending to our life’s journey, and makes each of us into an eternal optimist.All good things are possible through Him who loves us and opens Heaven to us.May this Easter celebration renew your faith, hope, and love.May the Risen Lord answer each of your prayers.May He reward you for all that you do for Him and His Church.May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Father John Loughnane
]]> http://ourladyoflourdes-stjosephs.org/oll/?feed=rss2&p=469 0 http://ourladyoflourdes-stjosephs.org/oll/?p=414 http://ourladyoflourdes-stjosephs.org/oll/?p=414#comments Tue, 28 Feb 2012 00:35:01 +0000 Our Lady http://ourladyoflourdes-stjosephs.org/oll/?p=414 Continue reading →]]>   Recently we came across this old Catholic Prayer which was used more often at a much earlier time in Roman Catholicism.

  They say this is the prayer which was often said after receiving Communion. It dates back to the early 14th century and Saint. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, was particularly fond of this prayer.

  I think we all can use a little more prayer in our life and we have also included a nice “Song” Version of this prayer which we found on YouTube.

Anima Christi
“Soul of Christ, make me holy sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me. Blood of Christ, fill me with love. Water from Christ’s side, wash me. Passion of Christ, give me strength Jesus, hear me. Hide me in your wounds, that I may never leave your side and never let me be parted from you. Keep me safe From all the evil that is in this world, protect me. At the hour of my death, call me. And tell me to come to you. That with your saints I may praise you. Through all eternity, Forever and ever. Amen.”
Please note that the words to this prayer do vary from text to text and in the different renditions of the Prayer in “Song”

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  Once each year I go away for a five day retreat.  I go reluctantly, wishing I could stay in my parish instead, but I love my days on retreat.  They are sacred hours, filled with prayer, listening to holy talks given by our director, receiving sacraments, and enjoying spiritual reading.

The five days that I am on retreat fly by.  I seem to barely get unpacked at the retreat house, when I find myself back in the parish, the retreat completed, but the spiritual gifts that I receive during those five days nourish me for the rest of the year.

As I write this we are about to enter into the holy season of Lent.  We will now enjoy not five days, but forty days, during which we will grow closer and closer to the Lord.  God gives us this period of time to focus on our spiritual life.  During Lent we spend much time examining our life.  We look at the good and the not so good.  How do I fall short of what God expects of me?  What can I do about it?  We make small changes.  One small step at a time we move closer to the Lord, and find that we begin to resemble Him – His thoughts, words, and actions become ours.  We also give up one bad, perhaps sinful, habit at a time.  It is the Lord who is chiseling away at our old selves, sculpting us in His image.  The changes that take place in us are gradual, but profound.

When Easter arrives we will truly rejoice, and we will praise the Risen Lord for the new life He has created in us.

May His rich blessings be yours throughout the holy season of Lent.

Father John Loughnane

Once we realize that we must pray all the time, we may ask ourselves what our prayers should consist of. It is fairly simple though, in prayer we become aware that we are in the loving presence of God. We are conscious of His presence and His love for us. This awareness becomes more natural to us if we remain devoted to our prayers every day!

The essential elements of my daily prayer are praise and thanks to God. Each day I always can find something for which to praise God for; His glory, His creation, the beauty that surrounds me. I praise God for all of these and all of His blessings. And I thank Him for all that He has given to me, my family, friends, my vocation to the priesthood, and especially for my health. We can thank Him for our own personal blessings, and for those blessings He has bestowed on so many others around us. Finally I ask the Lord for favors! This is my prayer of petition and it is often my favorite type of prayer. Jesus tells us to “ask, seek, and knock.” So I have the courage to ask the Lord for things. I try to avoid asking for trivial things and concentrate on blessings for me and others which will lead us all to a deeper faith, hope, love, and ultimately to the chosen path to Heaven.

Since the Lord is everywhere, I can pray, everywhere. Often my place of prayer is in my car. I spend many hours per week driving here and there. This provides me with a lot of time to spend with the Lord, in prayer. By the way, my relatively poor driving skills will often lead me to great moments of urgent prayer, and an ultimate true closeness with the Lord! . . . “WOW! . . . That was a close call!”

Church of course, is the perfect place to pray. In God’s house I will always find great peace and deep faith. I often meditate on the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in the Church and I take time to pray and meditate on the mystery of God’s love for us.

In the hustle and bustle of our hectic lives, prayer is a refuge of peace and joy offering real intimacy with the Lord. So often I beg God to hear my prayers of petition and ask for His favors. Then I reflect on how my prayers were answered by Him. This insight can tell me a great deal about God’s will, and perhaps how it differs from my own will.

When we first begin to make prayer an important part of each day it may seem strange and uncomfortable. However, with practice our prayer life will grow and develop as our loving relationship with God deepens. In the intimacy of my prayer life, God and I spend quality time with each other. We may speak or remain quiet in each other’s presence. We come to know and love each other more and with more familiarly and completeness. And I see how I may begin to resemble God in my thoughts, actions, and words.

May the Lord bless you today, and fill you with His love. May each moment that you spend in prayer be truly a moment of grace and joy for you? “Amen”

Father John Loughnane 2010