Before anything else, let me greet you a happy and meaningful Christmas and a new year full of love, peace and abundance.
The seasons of Advent and Christmas are excellent times to reflect on the goodness of our almighty Father and to focus on His son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But please allow me to digress just a little bit and present to you my personal reflection on the one who is blessed among all men – and he is none other than Saint Joseph.
Watch it at: http://www.stjosephsite.com/stjosephandchristmas_web.html
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
How To Sell Your House Fast Without Burying A St. Joseph Statue
I became a permanent resident of Canada in September 2000 and since then I have moved twice. A townhouse was my firsthome and after a year, I moved to a raised ranch type house. After 5 years, I moved to a 4 level back split house whichis only about a 5-minute drive from where I used to live.
I didn't have any problems selling the 2 houses I lived in. When they were both up for sale, I did not bury a St.Joseph statue upside down as was customary. But take note that in both cases, I sold the 2 houses only after 10-12days at the price I wanted.
Being a St. Joseph devotee, I did pray and asked for St.Joseph's intercession. But instead of burying a St. Joseph statue, here's what I did.
First, I placed a blessed St. Joseph statue by the windowin my dining room since this is the window facing my front lawn and the street. I wiped a bit of the Holy Oil of St. Joseph on it (don't ask me why, I just felt like doing it) and then I prayed a nine-day novena to St. Joseph. Of courseI prayed to God first and asked Him to answer my prayer inaccordance with His will. And the result: my first housesold after 10 days and my second house after 12 days!
There is really nothing wrong with burying a St. Joseph statue upside down as some people do when they are selling their house. I look at it the same way I look at other religious rituals, less as performing the suggested ritual to exact specifications and more as a leap of faith, believing that St. Joseph will pray for us if we we ask him to intercede for us.
Francis X. Weiser pointed out in his book, "The Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs", that if these rituals are practiced in the right spirit, that is, based on the belief that the saints pray and intercedes for us, and without what he calls "unreasonable superstition", our belief in the saints' patronage and intercession provides "great consolation in temporal and spiritual need".
Certainly there are other factors involved in selling ahouse quickly at a good price such as the state of the economy, a private sale as against using a real estate agent, etc. But as far as praying for a house to be sold quickly at the right price is concern, it's all about unwavering faith, not in the rituals one performs.
While I believe performing a ritual enhances faith, what matters most is having the faith that God hears and and answers our prayers always in His own time and in His own way, and that the saints are there to pray for us if we ask them.
I didn't have any problems selling the 2 houses I lived in. When they were both up for sale, I did not bury a St.Joseph statue upside down as was customary. But take note that in both cases, I sold the 2 houses only after 10-12days at the price I wanted.
Being a St. Joseph devotee, I did pray and asked for St.Joseph's intercession. But instead of burying a St. Joseph statue, here's what I did.
First, I placed a blessed St. Joseph statue by the windowin my dining room since this is the window facing my front lawn and the street. I wiped a bit of the Holy Oil of St. Joseph on it (don't ask me why, I just felt like doing it) and then I prayed a nine-day novena to St. Joseph. Of courseI prayed to God first and asked Him to answer my prayer inaccordance with His will. And the result: my first housesold after 10 days and my second house after 12 days!
There is really nothing wrong with burying a St. Joseph statue upside down as some people do when they are selling their house. I look at it the same way I look at other religious rituals, less as performing the suggested ritual to exact specifications and more as a leap of faith, believing that St. Joseph will pray for us if we we ask him to intercede for us.
Francis X. Weiser pointed out in his book, "The Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs", that if these rituals are practiced in the right spirit, that is, based on the belief that the saints pray and intercedes for us, and without what he calls "unreasonable superstition", our belief in the saints' patronage and intercession provides "great consolation in temporal and spiritual need".
Certainly there are other factors involved in selling ahouse quickly at a good price such as the state of the economy, a private sale as against using a real estate agent, etc. But as far as praying for a house to be sold quickly at the right price is concern, it's all about unwavering faith, not in the rituals one performs.
While I believe performing a ritual enhances faith, what matters most is having the faith that God hears and and answers our prayers always in His own time and in His own way, and that the saints are there to pray for us if we ask them.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Novena to St. Joseph
A friend of mine sent me this novena to St. Joseph which
I will like to share with you. It's from a leaflet published by the
Old Palace, Mayfield, Sussex, Eng. and written by Rev. Louis
Lallemen, S.J. So here's how it goes:
===========================================
It consists in turning to St. Joseph four times a day (it does not
matter when or where) and honouring him in the four points of:
1. His fidelity to Grace. Think of this for a minute, thank
God, and ask through St. Joseph to be faithful to grace.
2. His Fidelity to the Interior Life. Think, thank God, and ask.
3. His Love of our Blessed Lady. Think, thank God, and ask
4. His Love for the Holy Child. Think, thank God, and ask
Fidelity to Grace simply means that you thank God for the Graces He
has given you and ponder on it always. Fidelity to interior life is
spending the free times of your days in prayers rather than in idle
thoughts. Love for the Blessed Virgin and the Holy Child is self
explanatory.
N.B. It has been found to be so efficacious that one is advised to
be sure that he really wants what he asks for before making it.
Nihil obstat: Edward A. Cerny, SS, D.D., Censor Librorium.
Imprimi Potest: William F. Maloney, S.J., Provincial, Maryland
Province.
Imprimatur: Most Reverend Francis P. Keough, D.D., Archvbishop of
Baltimore
April 4, 1953
The Reparation Society, I.H.M.
100 East 20th Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21218
============================================
Have a great weekend!
God bless...
Babes
P.S. If you haven't done so, please check out my latest ebook
about how to make your prayers more powerful and effective at:
www.how-to-pray-effectively.com
I will like to share with you. It's from a leaflet published by the
Old Palace, Mayfield, Sussex, Eng. and written by Rev. Louis
Lallemen, S.J. So here's how it goes:
===========================================
It consists in turning to St. Joseph four times a day (it does not
matter when or where) and honouring him in the four points of:
1. His fidelity to Grace. Think of this for a minute, thank
God, and ask through St. Joseph to be faithful to grace.
2. His Fidelity to the Interior Life. Think, thank God, and ask.
3. His Love of our Blessed Lady. Think, thank God, and ask
4. His Love for the Holy Child. Think, thank God, and ask
Fidelity to Grace simply means that you thank God for the Graces He
has given you and ponder on it always. Fidelity to interior life is
spending the free times of your days in prayers rather than in idle
thoughts. Love for the Blessed Virgin and the Holy Child is self
explanatory.
N.B. It has been found to be so efficacious that one is advised to
be sure that he really wants what he asks for before making it.
Nihil obstat: Edward A. Cerny, SS, D.D., Censor Librorium.
Imprimi Potest: William F. Maloney, S.J., Provincial, Maryland
Province.
Imprimatur: Most Reverend Francis P. Keough, D.D., Archvbishop of
Baltimore
April 4, 1953
The Reparation Society, I.H.M.
100 East 20th Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21218
============================================
Have a great weekend!
God bless...
Babes
P.S. If you haven't done so, please check out my latest ebook
about how to make your prayers more powerful and effective at:
www.how-to-pray-effectively.com
Sunday, June 22, 2008
How To Pray So That Your Prayers Will be Granted
Feeling frustrated because your prayers are not granted? Wondering why they're not granted? Read this e-book and discover the secrets to answered prayers.
|
Friday, June 13, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
All For His Glory
I am an active member of our church's music ministry and I sing during the 9 am Mass on Sundays at our parish church. There are only 5 of us who make up the church's "choir" for this particular Mass (one plays the guitar, one plays the piano and the three of us sing).
I was sick during these past 3 weeks, first with the flu and then I was afflicted with 'bronchitis' which was worsened by allergies induced by the change in season (from winter to spring). Obviously, I couldn't sing because of my frequent severe coughing and stuffy nose. I would attend choir practice to learn the songs we would be singing come Sunday but I couldn't sing.
But by the grace of God, on these 3 Sundays, inspite of my bronchitis, I was able to sing WITHOUT coughing. That's 8 songs every Sunday without coughing! The other members of the group were all amazed as well as other people from the congregation who knew I was sick.
What did I do? Before the Mass starts, I would pray and ask God to allow me to sing for Him, to allow me to sing because I would be doing it all for His glory. I love singing church hymns. To me, it is one of the ways I worship and praise our Creator.
And I truly believed He would answer my answer. I was thinking to myself "How could God not grant a prayer request to glorify Him". And hence, I had no doubts that He would grant my request. And He did.
I am well now and praise be to God for all the blessings and answered prayers.
I was sick during these past 3 weeks, first with the flu and then I was afflicted with 'bronchitis' which was worsened by allergies induced by the change in season (from winter to spring). Obviously, I couldn't sing because of my frequent severe coughing and stuffy nose. I would attend choir practice to learn the songs we would be singing come Sunday but I couldn't sing.
But by the grace of God, on these 3 Sundays, inspite of my bronchitis, I was able to sing WITHOUT coughing. That's 8 songs every Sunday without coughing! The other members of the group were all amazed as well as other people from the congregation who knew I was sick.
What did I do? Before the Mass starts, I would pray and ask God to allow me to sing for Him, to allow me to sing because I would be doing it all for His glory. I love singing church hymns. To me, it is one of the ways I worship and praise our Creator.
And I truly believed He would answer my answer. I was thinking to myself "How could God not grant a prayer request to glorify Him". And hence, I had no doubts that He would grant my request. And He did.
I am well now and praise be to God for all the blessings and answered prayers.
Monday, March 3, 2008
St. Joseph's Feast Day This Year is March 15
I got an email today from 2 priests and I was informed that this year, the Solemnity of St Joseph has been brought forward to March 15 (Saturday) since March 19 (which is his tradional feast day) is in Holy Week, which takes precedence over everything else in the Church's liturgy.
Thank you Fr. Sean and Fr. Edward.
Thank you Fr. Sean and Fr. Edward.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
March is Saint Joseph's Month
The month of March is known to many devout Christians as St. Joseph's Month. His feast day is March 19 but the whole month of March is a perfect time for praying the 30-day Novena to Saint Joseph.
Here is the Novena Prayer:
JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH
"A blameless life,
St. Joseph,
may we lead,
by your kind patronage
from danger freed."
Here is the Novena Prayer:
THIRTY DAYS PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH - IN HONOR OF THE 30 YEARS HE SPENT WITH JESUS AND MARY
(Note: This prayer was taken from a leaflet provided by the Josephites and may be said during any 30 days of the year.)
Ever blessed and glorious Joseph, kind and loving father, and helpful friend of all in sorrow! You are the good father and protector of orphans, the defender of the defenseless, the patron of those in need and sorrow.
Look kindly on my request. My sins have drawn down on me the just displeasure of my God, and so I am surrounded with unhappiness. To you, loving guardian of the Family of Nazareth, do I go for help and protection. Listen, then, I beg you, with fatherly concern, to my earnest prayers, and obtain for me the favors I ask.
I ask it by the infinite mercy of the eternal Son of God, which moved Him to take our nature and to be born into this world of sorrow.
I ask it by the weariness and suffering you endured when you found no shelter at the inn of Bethlehem for the Holy Virgin, nor a house where the Son of God could be born. Then, being everywhere refused, you had to allow the Queen of Heaven to give birth to the world's Redeemer in a cave.
I ask it by the loveliness and power of that sacred Name, Jesus, which you conferred on the adorable Infant.
I ask it by the painful torture you felt at the prophecy of holy Simeon, which declared the Child Jesus and His holy Mother future victims of our sins and of their great love for us.
I ask it through your sorrow and pain of soul when the angel declared to you that the life of the Child Jesus was sought by His enemies. From their evil plan, you had to flee with Him and His Blessed Mother to Egypt.
I ask it by all the suffering, weariness, and labors of that long and dangerous journey.
I ask it by all your care to protect the Sacred Child and His Immaculate Mother during your second journey, when you were ordered to return to your own country.
I ask it by your peaceful life in Nazareth where you met with so many joys and sorrows.
I ask it by your great distress when the adorable Child was lost to you and His mother for three days.
I ask it by your joy at finding Him in the temple, and by the comfort you found at Nazareth, while living in the company of the Child Jesus.
I ask it by the wonderful submission He showed in His obedience to you.
I ask it by the perfect love and conformity you showed in accepting the Divine order to depart from this life, and from the company of Jesus and Mary.
I ask it by the joy which filled your soul, when the Redeemer of the world, triumphant over death and hell, entered into the possession of His kingdom and led you into it with special honors.
I ask it through Mary's glorious Assumption, and through that endless happiness you have with her in the presence of God.
O good father! I beg you, by all your sufferings, sorrows, and joys, to hear me and obtain for me what I ask. (Here name your petitions or think of them.)
Obtain for all those who have asked my prayers everything that is useful to them in the plan of God. Finally, my dear patron and father, be with me and all who are dear to me in our last moments, that we may eternally sing the praises of:
JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH
"A blameless life,
St. Joseph,
may we lead,
by your kind patronage
from danger freed."
For other prayers to Saint Joseph, please go to: http://stjosephsite.com/SJS_Novenas.htm
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Perpertual Devotion to St. Joseph Circle
As a devotee of St. Joseph, it is my aim to spread the devotion to him and imitate his virtues.
I recently came across an informational material which mentioned the Association of Perpetual Devotion to St. Joseph as having been founded in the mid 19th century and authorized by Pius IX on January 20, 1856. Apparently, the Association was formed to honor St. Joseph every day of the year, and since the year is composed of 365 days, an equal number of members choose a day on which to offer a special homage to our saint.
I was curious and surfed the internet for more information but I was unable to find any. But the idea of forming a similar association burned in my heart and so I decided to take the initiative in establishing the Perpetual Devotion to Saint Joseph Circle using the internet as the main vehicle to get membership to the Circle. I used the term ‘Circle’ instead of ‘Association because a circle has no beginning and no end and in my humble opinion, is more aligned with the word ‘perpetual’.
For more details, please visit the Circle's page at: http://www.stjosephsite.com/SJS_membership.htm .
I recently came across an informational material which mentioned the Association of Perpetual Devotion to St. Joseph as having been founded in the mid 19th century and authorized by Pius IX on January 20, 1856. Apparently, the Association was formed to honor St. Joseph every day of the year, and since the year is composed of 365 days, an equal number of members choose a day on which to offer a special homage to our saint.
I was curious and surfed the internet for more information but I was unable to find any. But the idea of forming a similar association burned in my heart and so I decided to take the initiative in establishing the Perpetual Devotion to Saint Joseph Circle using the internet as the main vehicle to get membership to the Circle. I used the term ‘Circle’ instead of ‘Association because a circle has no beginning and no end and in my humble opinion, is more aligned with the word ‘perpetual’.
For more details, please visit the Circle's page at: http://www.stjosephsite.com/SJS_membership.htm .
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Friends who are non-Catholics
I am a Catholic and I have several friends who are not Catholic but we get along quite well. No one critizes another's faith. We respect our individual religious beliefs. We simply see each other as pursuing different paths towards a common goal and that is, to someday be with God when our earthly life is over.
I have encountered several people who literally enumerated to me why I shouldn't be a Catholic, telling me everything they think is wrong with Catholic practices and beliefs. But you know what, I don't really waste my time questioning the intricacies of religion-related rituals and practices or whatever "politics" is going on in Rome. My practice of my Catholic faith is centered on Jesus Christ who is my Lord and Savior and I conduct my life based on His teachings of loving God with your whole heart, mind and soul and loving your neighbor as you love yourself. If ever I do go thru the sacraments or other Catholic practices, it is with the intention of pleasing God, having a relationship with my God, communing with Him, getting to know Him and being closer to Him. After all, God looks inside my heart and not on the external and I believe it doesn't matter to Him if I pray, ask Mary, St. Joseph and all the saints to pray for me, (or even dance if I want to) as long as my intention is to please Him and to commune with Him. My Catholic practices build my faith and is my way of communicating with God.
I have encountered several people who literally enumerated to me why I shouldn't be a Catholic, telling me everything they think is wrong with Catholic practices and beliefs. But you know what, I don't really waste my time questioning the intricacies of religion-related rituals and practices or whatever "politics" is going on in Rome. My practice of my Catholic faith is centered on Jesus Christ who is my Lord and Savior and I conduct my life based on His teachings of loving God with your whole heart, mind and soul and loving your neighbor as you love yourself. If ever I do go thru the sacraments or other Catholic practices, it is with the intention of pleasing God, having a relationship with my God, communing with Him, getting to know Him and being closer to Him. After all, God looks inside my heart and not on the external and I believe it doesn't matter to Him if I pray, ask Mary, St. Joseph and all the saints to pray for me, (or even dance if I want to) as long as my intention is to please Him and to commune with Him. My Catholic practices build my faith and is my way of communicating with God.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
On Trusting God
When I posted last week's blog about Saint Joseph's trust and obedience to God, I got an email from someone asking me how to stop worrying and truly trust God. I would like to address that in today's blog.
I remember the time when I took the first step to trusting God. I was working in one of the coastal villages in the Philippines many years ago and I remember going to the beach after work and noticing the beautiful sunset over a very calm sea. That spectacular view so touched my heart that I stopped for a while and said to myself, "Babes, surely God alone can create such an amazing scene. If He can do that, certainly HE can easily take good care of you."
I got to thinking afterwards about my relationships -- with my parents, my best friend and other significant people in my life, why I trust them and how I learned to trust them. It all boiled down to the fact that I KNOW them, I know their character and that is why I trust them. You see, trusting someone is closely related to knowing someone.
So to TRUST GOD, one has to KNOW GOD. How? Spend time with Him. That is how you got to know the people you trust, right? Find time to know God. Set up a regular time for prayer and reading the Bible and other spiritual books which teach you about Him. And remember what He has done for you in the past. I'm sure you had survived personal crisis, went through and resolved a lot of problems not because of your own efforts alone but more so by the grace and love of God.
Note that your trust in God should be based on His character and love and not on specific outcomes you see and experience. There will be times in your life when trusting God may be difficult -- when you lose your job, when someone you love passed away, when the answer to your prayer is not what you expected etc.. But it doesn't mean that God is not trustworthy. Look at these times as times when you need Him the most so hold on to God and know that He is with you and that He will see you through rough and difficult times. You will come out from this darkness into the light with your faith strengthened and with an even greater trust in your Creator.
I am not a Bible expert and I am certainly not one of those people who can recite verses from the Bible effortlessly. I must confess I know only 13 verses in the Bible by heart but believing the truth contained in these verses, works for me when it comes to completely trusting God. These verses are from:
Matthew 6:25-34
Matthew 10:29-31
So, there is really no need for stress and worry. God is in charge of our lives!
I remember the time when I took the first step to trusting God. I was working in one of the coastal villages in the Philippines many years ago and I remember going to the beach after work and noticing the beautiful sunset over a very calm sea. That spectacular view so touched my heart that I stopped for a while and said to myself, "Babes, surely God alone can create such an amazing scene. If He can do that, certainly HE can easily take good care of you."
I got to thinking afterwards about my relationships -- with my parents, my best friend and other significant people in my life, why I trust them and how I learned to trust them. It all boiled down to the fact that I KNOW them, I know their character and that is why I trust them. You see, trusting someone is closely related to knowing someone.
So to TRUST GOD, one has to KNOW GOD. How? Spend time with Him. That is how you got to know the people you trust, right? Find time to know God. Set up a regular time for prayer and reading the Bible and other spiritual books which teach you about Him. And remember what He has done for you in the past. I'm sure you had survived personal crisis, went through and resolved a lot of problems not because of your own efforts alone but more so by the grace and love of God.
Note that your trust in God should be based on His character and love and not on specific outcomes you see and experience. There will be times in your life when trusting God may be difficult -- when you lose your job, when someone you love passed away, when the answer to your prayer is not what you expected etc.. But it doesn't mean that God is not trustworthy. Look at these times as times when you need Him the most so hold on to God and know that He is with you and that He will see you through rough and difficult times. You will come out from this darkness into the light with your faith strengthened and with an even greater trust in your Creator.
I am not a Bible expert and I am certainly not one of those people who can recite verses from the Bible effortlessly. I must confess I know only 13 verses in the Bible by heart but believing the truth contained in these verses, works for me when it comes to completely trusting God. These verses are from:
Matthew 6:25-34
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about
your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.
Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than
they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how
the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that
not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is
how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is
thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or
'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your
heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his
righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do
not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has
enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 10:29-31
29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?
Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.
30And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31So don't be afraid;
you are worth more than many sparrows.
So, there is really no need for stress and worry. God is in charge of our lives!
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