Fourth Luminous Mystery - Confirmation: A Vision of a Vision

The Transfiguration
by Ivanka Demchuk

Something was missing from the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary, mainly the earthly life of Jesus and the founding of His Church with the Seven Sacraments he established for the salvation of souls. Therefore, John Paul II filled in the absent 33 years with the Luminous Mysteries which are the Seven Sacraments.

The first, second and fifth Luminous Mysteries are self explanatory. They are the Sacraments of Baptism (The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan), Holy Matrimony (The Wedding at Cana) with the fifth mystery being both Holy Orders and Holy Eucharist (The Institution of the Eucharist).

Guest Post from Fr. Tom Collins: REPENTANCE -- The Royal Road to Spiritual Regeneration

Return of the Prodigal Son, Rembrandt

by Fr. Tom Collins

When St. John Paul II introduced the new Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary, he included, as the Third Mystery, The Proclamation of the Kingdom with the Call to Repentance. Unfortunately, in a society that tends to view repentance in a negative light, this mystery is frequently subject to being abbreviated as merely, The Proclamation of the Kingdom. Yet, as the example and teaching of so many saints have so clearly pointed out, ongoing repentance is the key to authentic spiritual regeneration. It is important to stress the fact that authentic repentance must be ongoing. 

Do You Want to Find an Oasis of Peace?

Meditate on beautiful religious art works. What better prayer aid for the rosary and other spiritual devotions than wonderful art works?

I'm going to use this Fra Angelica face of Mary and the Rembrandt Flight into Egypt to meditate on the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary and the devotion of the Seven Sorrows.of Mary.

Mother of Sorrows, Pray for us.

But my favorite meditation aid is the Holy Face of Jesus, the living face reconstructed from the face on the Shroud of Turin. 

Rembrandt and Beethoven Together: What's Not to Like?

Prayers Against Storms

As Hurricane Irene bears down on the east coast, let us pray for those in her path.

Prayer for Hurricane Season

O God, Master of this passing world, hear the humble voices of your children. The Sea of Galilee obeyed your order and returned to its former quietude; you are still the Master of land and sea. We live in the shadow of a danger over which we have no control. The Gulf, like a provoked and angry giant, can awake from its seeming lethargy, overstep its conventional boundaries, invade our land and spread chaos and disaster. During this hurricane season, we turn to You, O loving Father. Spare us from past tragedies whose memories are still so vivid and whose wounds seem to refuse to heal with the passing of time. O Virgin, Star of the Sea, Our Beloved Mother, we ask you to plead with your Son in our behalf, so that spared from the calamities common to this area and animated with a true spirit of gratitude, we will walk in the footsteps of your Divine Son to reach the heavenly Jerusalem where a storm-less eternity awaits us. Amen.
Originally dedicated to the victims of Hurricane Audrey in 1957. - Fr. Al Volpe, Cameron Parish, LA


Prayer for Protection against Storms and Hurricanes
Our Father in Heaven through the intercession of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, spare us during this Hurricane season from all harm. Protect us and our homes from all disasters of nature. Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer to Avert Storms and Hurricanes

Father, all the elements of nature obey your command. Calm the storms and hurricanes that threaten us and turn our fear of your power into praise of your goodness. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

I Love My Magnificat

The world is going to hell in a handcart...or maybe, in today's technological age when things are bigger and faster, a jumbo jet. It's more and more evident that the "primrose path of dalliance" (aka, the road to perdition) is wide and "many there are who find it." The narrow path, on the other hand, is less well travelled like the way of the Cross. It's rocky and not very welcoming for those looking for an easy road. Well, what else is new? Such has been the story since the fall of Adam and Eve, the murder of Abel, the depravity of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all the sad tales of sin and horror since then that find men seeking forbidden pleasures and spurning sacrifice.

But it's imporant to remember that the bad news is only part of the story. Despite all the evil in the world there is goodness...and truth and beauty. And often that reminder comes to me from the daily reading in my Magnificat. On Monday when I read the Meditation for the Day I knew I had to share its inspiring and hopeful message written by Dom Anscar Vonier, O.S.B. (+ 1906) who was abbot of Buckfast Abbey in Devon England. Here's what the Abbot wrote that gives me such hope and such joy at being a Catholic: