A Prayer to Combat the Coronavirus Pandemic

A Prayer to Combat the Coronavirus Pandemic

Most Merciful and Triune God,
We come to You in our weakness.
We come to You in our fear.
We come to You with trust.
For You alone are our hope.

We place before You the disease present in our world.
We turn to You in our time of need.

Bring wisdom to doctors.
Give understanding to scientists.
Endow caregivers with compassion and generosity.
Bring healing to those who are ill.
Protect those who are most at risk.
Give comfort to those who have lost a loved one.
Welcome those who have died into Your Eternal Home.

Stabilize our communities.
Unite us in our compassion.
Remove all fear from our hearts.
Fill us with confidence in Your care.

(mention your particular concerns and prayers now)

Jesus, I trust in You.
Jesus, I trust in You.
Jesus, I trust in You.

Amen.

Stations of the Cross

REFLECTION

  

The Stations of the Cross is a prayer. It is an invitation to enter into a gifted faith experience of who Jesus is for us.  It becomes prayer when we open our heart to be touched, and it leads us to express our response in prayer.

Though this is an imaginative exercise it's purpose is not a historical examination of "what really happened" on that day in history.  It's about something far more profound. This is an opportunity to use this long standing Christian prayer to let Jesus touch our heart deeply by showing us the depth of his love for us. 

The point of this exercise is to lead us to gratitude.  It will also lead us into a sense of solidarity with all our brothers and sisters.  In our busy, high tech lives we can easily get out of touch with the terrible suffering of real people in our world.  Journeying with Jesus in the Stations, allows us to imagine his entry into the experience of those who are tortured, unjustly accused or victimized, sitting on death row, carrying impossible burdens, facing terminal illnesses, or simply fatigued with life.

The First Station:  

Jesus is condemned to die.

Jesus stands in the most human of places.  He has already experienced profound solidarity with so many on this earth, by being beaten and tortured.  Now he is wrongfully condemned to punishment by death. His commitment to entering our lives completely begins its final steps.  He has said "yes" to God and placed his life in God's hands. We follow him in this final surrender, and contemplate with reverence each place along the way, as he is broken and given for us.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

As I view the scene, I become moved by both outrage and gratitude.

I look at Jesus.  His face. The crown of thorns.  The blood. His clothes stuck to the wounds on his back. 

Pilate washes his hands of the whole affair.  Jesus' hands are tied behind his back.

This is for me.  That I might be free.  That I might have eternal life. 

As the journey begins I ask to be with Jesus.  To follow his journey. I express my love and thanks.

Have mercy on us O Lord

Have mercy on us.

The Second Station:  

Jesus Carries His Cross.

Jesus is made to carry the cross on which he will die.  It represents the weight of all our crosses. What he must have felt as he first took it upon his shoulders!  With each step he enters more deeply into our human experience. He walks in the path of human misery and suffering, and experiences its crushing weight.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

I contemplate the wood of that cross.  I imagine how heavy it is. I reflect upon all it means that Jesus is carrying it.

I look into his eyes.  It's all there.

This is for me.  So I place myself with him in this journey.  In its anguish. In his freedom and surrender.  In the love that must fill his heart.

With sorrow and gratitude, I continue the journey.  Moved by the power of his love, I am drawn to him and express my love in the words that come to me.

Have mercy on us O Lord

Have mercy on us.

The Third Station:  

Jesus Falls the First Time.

The weight is unbearable.  Jesus falls under it. How could he enter our lives completely without surrendering to the crushing weight of the life of so many on this earth!  He lays on the ground and knows the experience of weakness beneath unfair burdens. He feels the powerlessness of wondering if he will ever be able to continue.  He is pulled up and made to continue.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

I stare at the weakness in his eyes.  I can look at his whole body and see the exhaustion.

As I behold him there on the ground, being roughly pulled up, I know forever how profoundly he understands my fatigue and my defeats.

This is for me.  In grief and gratitude I want to let him remain there.  As I watch him stand again and gain an inner strength, I accept his love and express my thanks.

Have mercy on us O Lord

Have mercy on us.

The Fourth Station:  

Jesus Meets His Mother.

Jesus' path takes him to a powerful source of his strength to continue.  All his life, his mother had taught him the meaning of the words, "Behold, the handmaid of the Lord."  Now they look into each other's eyes. How pierced-through her heart must be! How pained he must be to see her tears!  Now, her grace-filled smile blesses his mission and stirs his heart to its depth. Love and trust in God bind them together.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

As I watch them in this place along the way, I contemplate the mystery of love's power to give strength.

She knows the sorrow in every mother's heart, who has lost a child to tragedy or violence.

I look at the two of them very carefully, and long for such love and such peace.

This is for me.  Such incredible freedom.  The availability of a servant.  I find the words to express what is in my heart.

Have mercy on us O Lord

Have mercy on us.

The Fifth Station:  

Simon Helps Jesus Carry His Cross.

Jesus even experiences our struggle to receive help.  He is made to experience the poverty of not being able to carry his burden alone.  He enters into the experience of all who must depend upon others to survive. He is deprived of the satisfaction of carrying this burden on his own.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

I look into his face and contemplate his struggle.  His weariness and fragility. His impotence.

I see how he looks at Simon, with utmost humility and gratitude.

This is for me. So I feel anguish and gratitude.  I express my thanks that he can continue this journey.  That he has help. That he knows my inability to carry my burden alone.

I say what is in my heart, with deep feeling.

Have mercy on us O Lord

Have mercy on us.

The Sixth Station:  

Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus.

Jesus' journey is at times brutal.  He has entered into the terrible experiences of rejection and injustice.  He has been whipped and beaten. His face shows the signs of his solidarity with all who have ever suffered injustice and vile, abusive treatment.  He encounters a compassionate, loving disciple who wipes the vulgar spit and mocking blood from his face. On her veil, she discovers the image of his face - his gift to her.  And, for us to contemplate forever.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

What does the face of Jesus hold for me?  What do I see, as I look deeply into his face?

Can I try to comfort the agony and pain? Can I embrace him, with his face so covered with his passion?

The veil I behold is a true icon of his gift of himself. This is for me.  In wonder and awe, I behold his face now wiped clean, and see the depth of his suffering in solidarity with all flesh.

Have mercy on us O Lord

Have mercy on us.

The Seventh Station:  

Jesus Falls the Second Time.

Even with help, Jesus stumbles and falls to the ground.  In deep exhaustion he stares at the earth beneath him. "Remember, you are dust and to dust you will return."  He has seen death before. Now he can feel the profound weakness of disability and disease and aging itself, there on his knees, under the weight of his cross.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

I contemplate Jesus brought very low.  As I behold him there on the ground, with all the agony taking its toll on him, I let my heart go out to him.

I store up this image in my heart, knowing that I will never feel alone in my suffering or in any diminishment, with this image of Jesus on the ground before me.

This is for me, so I express the feelings in my heart.

Have mercy on us O Lord

Have mercy on us.

The Eighth Station:  

Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem.

The women of Jerusalem, and their children, come out to comfort and thank him.  They had seen his compassion and welcomed his words of healing and freedom. He had broken all kinds of social and religious conventions to connect with them.  Now they are here to support him. He feels their grief. He suffers, knowing he can't remain to help them more in this life. He knows the mystery of facing the separation of death.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

I look at their faces.  So full of love and gratitude, loss and fear.  I contemplate what words might have passed between them.

I remember all his tender, compassionate, merciful love for me.  I place myself with these women and children to support him.

This is for me.  So, I let this scene stir up deep gratitude.

Have mercy on us O Lord

Have mercy on us.

The Ninth Station:  

Jesus Falls the Third Time.

This last fall is devastating.  Jesus can barely proceed to the end.  Summoning all this remaining strength, supported by his inner trust in God, Jesus collapses under the weight of the cross.  His executioners look at him as a broken man, pathetic yet paying a price he deserves. They help him up so he can make it up the hill of crucifixion.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

I pause to contemplate him there on the ground. The brokeness that makes me whole.  The surrender that gives me life.

I pause to experience and receive how completely he loves me. He is indeed completely poured out for me.

As I treasure this gifted experience, I express what is in my heart.

Have mercy on us O Lord

Have mercy on us.

The Tenth Station:  

Jesus is Stripped of His garments

Part of the indignity is to be crucified naked. Jesus is completely stripped of any pride  The wounds on his back are torn open again. He experiences the ultimate vulnerability of the defenseless. No shield or security protects him.  As they stare at him, his eyes turn to heaven.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

I pause to watch the stripping.  I contemplate all that is taken from him.  And, how he faces his death with such nakedness.

I reflect upon how much of himself he has revealed to me.  Holding nothing back. 

As I look at him in his humility, I know that this is for me, and I share my feelings of gratitude.

Have mercy on us O Lord

Have mercy on us.

The Eleventh Station:  

Jesus is Nailed to the Cross.

Huge nails are hammered through his hands and feet to fix him on the cross.  He is bleeding much more seriously now. As the cross is lifted up, the weight of his life hangs on those nails.  Every time he struggles to pull himself up to breathe, his ability to cling to life slips away. 

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

I make myself watch the nails being driven through his flesh.  And I watch his face.

I contemplate the completeness of his entry into our lives.  Can there be any pain or agony he would not understand?

This is for me.  Nailed to a cross to forever proclaim liberty to captives.  What sorrow and gratitude fill my heart!

Have mercy on us O Lord

Have mercy on us.

The Twelfth Station:  

Jesus Dies On The Cross.

Between two criminals, a mocking title above his head, with only Mary and John and Mary Magdalene to support him, Jesus surrenders his last breath:  "Into your hands I commend my spirit." 

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

I stand there, at the foot of the cross, side by side with all of humanity, and behold our salvation.

I carefully watch and listen to all that is said.

And then, I experience the one who gives life pass from life to death, for me.  I console Mary and John and Mary. And let them console me.

This is the hour to express the deepest feelings within me.

Have mercy on us O Lord

Have mercy on us.

The Thirteenth Station:  

Jesus Is Taken Down From The Cross.

What tender mourning!  Jesus' lifeless body lays in his mother's arms.  He has truly died. A profound sacrifice, complete.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

I behold this scene at the foot of the cross.  I contemplate touching, caressing his body. I remember all his hands have touched, all who have been blessed by his warm embrace.

I pause to let it soak in.  He knows the mystery of death.  He has fallen into God's hands.

For me.  That I might love as I have been loved.  I pour out my heart to the God of all mercies.

Have mercy on us O Lord

Have mercy on us.

The Fourteenth Station:  

Jesus Is Laid In The Tomb.

They take the body of Jesus to its resting place.  The huge stone over the tomb is the final sign of the permanence of death.  In this final act of surrender, who would have imagined this tomb would soon be empty or that Jesus would show himself alive to his disciples, or that they would recognize him in the breaking of bread?  Oh, that our hearts might burn within us, as we realize how he had to suffer and die so as to enter into his glory, for us.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

I pause to contemplate this act of closure on his life.  In solidarity with all humanity, his body is taken to its grave. 

I stand for a moment outside this tomb.  This final journey of his life has shown me the meaning of his gift of himself for me.  This tomb represents every tomb I stand before with fear, in defeat, struggling to believe it could ever be empty.

In the fullness of faith in the Risen One, given by his own Holy Spirit, I express my gratitude for this way of the cross.  I ask Jesus, whose hands, feet and side still bear the signs of this journey, to grant me the graces I need to take up my cross to be a servant of his own mission.

Have mercy on us O Lord

Have mercy on us.

On leaving Catholic Church - Video

Principal Catholic Practices - Chapter 16 - Devotion to Sacred Heart

Chapter 16 - History of the Devotion to the Sacred Heart. Manner. Reward.

The world is sick. She suffers from a most serious malady, one that foreshadows death. And the nature of the disease? It is apostasy from Christ. He, the Saviour, who came to befriend the world, to bring to mankind the greatest gifts within the power of an omnipotent God, has been banished from our public life. The nations have decreed that the name of Jesus has no place in public records; that it should not be mentioned in covenants and treaties; and that, for all practical purposes, Christ might just as well be non-existent.

Not only has God been driven out of our public life, not only has He been banished from the schools, but He is refused entrance into the homes; yes, even the hearts of men are barred against Him. His religion has been dissected by the erring hands of human beings, and under the guise of Christianity rationalism, materialism and atheism have taken the place of the eternal truths.

Truly the world is sick. Her sickness is no longer a secret. Countless symptoms, such as the restlessness of peoples, the absence of any hope for lasting peace, the hatred, jealousy, rivalry and greed of nations and individuals are but manifestations of the dread nature of the terrible malady. Is there a cure? There is one - the remedy offered by the Great Physician, Christ Himself. Many years ago He saw the unmistakable trend of society, and He proposed to the world the wonderful devotion to His Sacred Heart.

We might truthfully say that the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is as old as the Church. For, beginning with the love of Saint John for this Great Heart, we might trace the devotion throughout the centuries. It must be admitted, however, that the great devotees of the Sacred Heart who lived before the time of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, such as Saint Gertrude and Saint Francis de Sales, never penetrated into the full meaning and wealth of this devotion.

As the Lord usually chooses the most humble of His children as the instruments of His works, so also we find that He sought out the simple nun in the convent of Paray le Monial in France. This was about the middle of the seventeenth century.

Now what is the object of our adoration in this devotion? Is it the heart itself, or is it the great love of Jesus? For answer, let me narrate to you the story of the first apparition of Our Lord to Saint Margaret Mary. She had lived many years in the convent, when one day, as she was praying before the Blessed Sacrament, Our Lord appeared to her and allowed her to behold His Sacred Heart as it shone radiantly in His open breast. It was completely surrounded by flames, as brilliant as the sun and as transparent as crystal. Around it was wound a crown of thorns; while a cross surmounted the whole. Revealing the miracles and mysteries of His unbounded love. He addressed her as follows: "My heart is so full of love for mankind that it can no longer contain its flames of love. It must, through thy instrumentality, pour them forth and make them known to men, in order to enrich them with the treasures which it contains. I will make known to thee the wealth of these treasures; they are wholesome and sanctifying graces, which alone can rescue men from the abyss of ruin."

It will be seen at once that the object of the devotion is not merely the great love of Jesus; nor only the heart of flesh; but that it is the love and the heart that we adore: the love as contained in His great heart, and the heart as the symbol of that love. One might ask: Is the human heart of Jesus a worthy object of adoration, or do we incur the guilt of idolatry? Indeed this heart is worthy of adoration, and we may confidently adore it. For in Christ the humanity and divinity are so intimately united in the one person, that the heart of Jesus is, in truth, a divine heart, and thus a most worthy object of adoration.

It would take us too far to recount here the many wondrous revelations made by Our Lord to Saint Margaret Mary. Suffice it to say that He desired and demanded that this devotion be spread far and wide as the means of saving society from sin and apostasy. Throughout the many revelations there always recurs the bitter complaint of the ingratitude of mankind. And Our Saviour demands reparation for the many offenses against His Sacred Heart, for the coldness and indifference toward His Church, His sacraments, and, above all, the Holy Eucharist. Accordingly the devotion consists chiefly in acts of love and reparation to the Sacred Heart. The fact that from this devotion a great number of prayers and forms of adoration have arisen is proof sufficient that it has found a hearty welcome in the Catholic world. We have the holy hour, acts of love, a scapular, a rosary of the Sacred Heart, a society for the Communion of Reparation, the League of the Sacred Heart, litanies, novenas, and prayers without number.

It will be apparent that no one is expected to join every association that honors the Divine Heart; neither must we strive to take part in all the forms of prayer. What appeals to the one, may not be suited to the individuality of the other. We should practice those devotions whereby we can best fulfill the wishes of Our Lord.

Aside from the fact that the widespread devotion to the living Heart of Jesus cannot but have a most wholesome effect upon the whole world and elevate the standards of morality, as well as bring God back into the hearts of men, this devotion carries with it such a wealth of promises as never before accompanied an act of adoration. There are principally twelve promises made by Our Lord to Saint Margaret:

1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their station in life.

2. I will give peace to their families.

3. I will console them in all their sufferings.

4. I will be their sure refuge in life, and especially at their death.

5. I will pour abundant blessings over all their undertakings.

6. Sinners will find in My Heart the source and the infinite sea of mercy.

7. Careless souls will become zealous.

8. Zealous souls will rapidly attain great perfection.

9. I will bless the homes in which the picture of My Sacred Heart is erected and venerated.

10. To priests I will give the grace to move even the hardest hearts.

11. The names of those who try to spread the devotion shall be inscribed in My Heart, and never be erased therefrom.

12. (The so-called great promise.) In the overflowing mercy of My Heart I promise thee that My all-powerful love will grant the grace of penitence at the end of life to all those who, on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months, receive Holy Communion. They will not die without grace, nor without the sacraments, for in this last moment My Sacred Heart will be their sure refuge.

What a wealth of grace and blessing is here promised to all who promote the devotion to the Sacred Heart! Can there still be a doubt whether or not you, dear reader, will become a most zealous apostle of this thoroughly Catholic practice?

The things of earth are so small and trivial when compared to the things of God. Lack of time or lack of inclination must not keep us away from this splendid means of sanctifying ourselves and of promoting the well-being of the world about us.

- from The Principal Catholic Practices: A Popular Explanation of the Sacraments and Catholic Devotions by Father George Thomas Schmidt, 1920

Click on the below links for previous chapters 

Chapter 1 - The first and most necessary Sacrament

Chapter 2 - Confirmation

Chapter 3 - Confession

Chapter 4 - Attending Mass

Chapter 5  - Eucharist

Chapter 6 - Matrimony

Chapter 7 - Extreme Unction

Chapter 8 - Priesthood

Chapter 9 - Sacramentals

Chapter 10 - Indulgences

Chapter 11 - Remembering the Dead

Chapter 12 - Our Mother

Chapter 13 - The Rosary

Chapter 14 - Benediction

Chapter 15 - Way of the Cross

Principal Catholic Practices - Chapter 15 - The Way of the Cross

Chapter 15 - The Way of the Cross

Its History. Manner of Observance.

Without a doubt the Way of the Cross is a most acceptable devotion in the eyes of God. It is said that Our Blessed Lady daily visited the scenes of her Son's passion and death. Quite naturally, too, the pious Christians who could do so made pilgrimages to Jerusalem, to visit the places made sacred by the suffering Saviour. The Church could not do otherwise than encourage a devotion so fruitful and wholesome for the souls of men. Accordingly she granted numerous rich indulgences to those who visited the sacred scenes of Christ's passion, and meditated upon the sufferings of the Lord. However, very many Catholics were unable to go to Jerusalem, and when the Franciscan Fathers, in 1686, petitioned the Holy Father, Pope Innocent XI, for permission to erect indulgenced stations of the cross in their churches, the request was granted. Subsequently this privilege was extended to all Christians, so that today there are very few churches or chapels without the stations of the cross. In our churches we gain the same rich indulgences that were granted to the pilgrims who visited the actual scenes of the passion.

Of course, in order to gain the indulgences one must be in the state of sanctifying grace. But even if we should be unfortunate enough to be in mortal sin, this should not deter us from making the stations. On the contrary, there is all the more reason to undertake the pious little pilgrimage. For no man can devoutly meditate on the passion of Our Lord, portrayed as it is so vividly in the stations, and still desire to remain in sin. Indeed, as those scenes of suffering are reenacted before your eyes, the greatness of God's love is forcibly brought home to you. Your sins are no longer looked upon as defects of human nature, but they loom up before you in their true light, examples of monstrous ingratitude and selfishness.

The fourteen stations of the cross represent the following episodes in that original way of the cross:

Christ condemned to death;

the cross is laid upon Him;

His first fall;

He meets His Blessed Mother;

Simon of Cyrene is made to bear the cross;

Christ's face is wiped by Veronica;

His second fall;

He meets the women of Jerusalem;

His third fall;

He is stripped of His garments;

His crucifixion;

His death on the cross;

His body is taken down from the cross; and

is laid in the tomb.

The indulgences are not attached to the pictures, but to the crosses above the pictures. Consequently the pictures are not necessary, but serve to aid the Christian in meditating devoutly. Neither is it necessary to say any particular prayers at the various stations. But there should, if possible, be a separate meditation on every one of the fourteen scenes.

We begin at the first station, try to picture to ourselves the scene it represents and its significance. The lesson that it teaches may apply to ourselves and may reveal to us the malice of some fault. Then we kneel down and say some prayer, for instance, the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be to the Father, Every prayer-book contains prayers suitable for making the way of the cross. But no certain form of prayer is prescribed.

From the first station we go to the second, meditating again and praying, and thus from station to station until we have completed the entire course. Knowing that very rich indulgences are attached to this devotion, we should previously strive to dispose ourselves properly by an act of perfect contrition and by making the intention to gain all the indulgences.

Thus far we have presumed that the individual is making the way of the cross alone. But during Lent, and sometimes during missions, the priest, accompanied by two or four altar boys, goes from station to station, whilst the faithful remain in their pews. However, they gain the same indulgences, by devoutly following the meditation and prayer of the priest, that they would obtain if each and every one made the stations individually.

Realizing that the sick, the aged, and many others who cannot go to church would be deprived of one of the richest devotions of our religion, the Church, our benevolent mother, has provided also for these. A crucifix blessed for the purpose by a priest having the faculties is indulgenced just as are the stations of the cross. The conditions are that you hold the crucifix in your hand and say the Our Father, and Hail Mary fourteen times, then the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be to the Father five times, then again once each for the Pope's intention. If one person holds the crucifix, others present may, by fulfilling the same conditions, gain the indulgences. What a boon this indulgenced crucifix is to Catholic prisoners, soldiers, mariners, and invalids!

It is a very salutary practice to say the stations of the cross frequently. No better preparation can be made for holy communion. Indeed, the fact that we know that the Church has enriched this devotion with richer indulgences than any other pious practice, demonstrates that it is considered one of the most beneficial for the soul. If only we could frequently lead the men and women of the world on the journey of our Lord's sorrows, how much better they would be, and how much more happy and peaceful would be this world of ours! We Catholics, at least, ought often to be seen making the stations of the cross. There we are strengthened to withstand the temptations that daily assail us. There, too, we can repair the wrong that hourly is being done to the Sacred Heart of Jesus by the wholesale crimes of a material, unbelieving world.

- from The Principal Catholic Practices: A Popular Explanation of the Sacraments and Catholic Devotions by Father George Thomas Schmidt, 1920


Click on the below links for previous chapters

Chapter 1 - The first and most necessary Sacrament

Chapter 2 - Confirmation

Chapter 3 - Confession

Chapter 4 - Attending Mass

Chapter 5  - Eucharist

Chapter 6 - Matrimony

Chapter 7 - Extreme Unction

Chapter 8 - Priesthood

Chapter 9 - Sacramentals

Chapter 10 - Indulgences

Chapter 11 - Remembering the Dead

Chapter 12 - Our Mother

Chapter 13 - The Rosary

Chapter 14 - Benediction