February 2010 Calendar

Before Ash Wednesday

(Pray this paraphrase of the Our Father, written by our Seraphic Father St. Francis of Assisi, and let the words and reflection you recite each day help you to appreciate and pray more confidently and lovingly this beautiful prayer that Jesus Himself taught us)

Our Father most holy: Our Creator, Redeemer, Consoler, and Savior:

Who are in heaven: In the angels and the saints, enlightening them to know, for You, Lord, are light; inflaming them to love, for You, Lord, are love; dwelling in them and filling them with happiness, for You, Lord, are Supreme Good, the eternal Good, from Whom all good comes without Whom there is no good.

Holy be Your Name: May knowledge of You become clearer in us that we may know the breadth of Your blessings, the length of Your promises, the height of Your majesty, the depth of Your judgments.

Your kingdom come: That You may rule in us through Your grace and enable us to come to Your kingdom where there is clearer vision of You, perfect love of You, blessed companionship with You, eternal enjoyment of You.

Your will be done on earth as in heaven: That we may love You with our whole heart by always thinking of You, with our whole soul by always desiring You, with our whole mind by always directing all our intentions to You, and by seeking Your glory in everything, with all our whole strength by exerting all our energies and affections of body and soul in the service of our love and of nothing else; and we may love our neighbor as ourselves by drawing them all to Your love with our whole strength, by rejoicing in the good of others as in our own, by suffering with others at their misfortunes, and by giving offense to no one.

Give us this day: in remembrance, understanding, and reverence of that love which our Lord Jesus Christ had for us and of those things that He said and did and suffered for us.

Our daily Bread: Your own beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Forgive us our trespasses: through Your ineffable mercy through the power of the passion of Your beloved Son and through the merits and intercession of the ever blessed Virgin and all Your elect.

As we forgive those who trespass against us: And what we do not completely forgive, make us, Lord, forgive completely that we may truly love our enemies because of You and we may fervently intercede for them before You, returning no evil for evil and we may strive to help everyone in You.

And lead us not into temptation: hidden or obvious, sudden or persistent.

But deliver us from evil: past, present, and to come.

Prayer to our Heavenly Mother

by St. Francis of AssisiHail, O Lady, holy Queen, Mary, holy Mother of God, who are the virgin made Church, chosen by the most Holy Father in heaven whom He consecrated with His most holy beloved Son and with the Holy Spirit the Paraclete, in whom there was and is all fullness of grace and every good.

Prayer Entrusting Ourselves to God

Blessed are You, Lord, our God!

You are God alone.

To you, Almighty Father,

Creator of the Universe and all Humanity,

through Christ, the Living One,

Lord of time and history,

in the Spirit who makes all things holy,

be praise and honor and glory.

I place my life in Your hands.

Never let me be parted from you;

do with me as You please…

Your will be done for ever.

Amen

After Ash Wednesday

Lord Jesus Christ, you gather your people during this holy season of Lent, and you call us to repent and believe the Gospel. Remove any barriers that keep us from you so that we might live fully the life we received at Baptism and carry our cross each day. You have given us Padre Pio of Pietrelcina as a modern image of the Suffering Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ. Through his intercession and your divine grace, may we turn to you in our need, thank you in our abundance, and share your love with the world around us. Amen.

Litany of the Stations of the Cross

1. Lord Jesus, that I may see the people in my life through your eyes, and not the eyes of a Pontius Pilate, who washed his hands of responsibility,* through Your life-giving Sacrifice, and the intercession of Padre Pio, grant me this grace.
2. Lord Jesus, that I may embrace the crosses of my life, so that in recognizing my weaknesses I may discover Your strengths, (*)
3. Lord Jesus, that I may always trust in Your loving care for me, even when I fall, (*)
4. Lord Jesus, that I may see how often You love me through the people in my life, as Mary loved you, and that I may always keep our Blessed Mother Mary, who accompanies me in life’s journey, in my heart, (*)
5. Lord Jesus, that I may see that loving others and assisting them in their need is the surest way to find and recognize You in my life, as Simon did, (*)
6. Lord Jesus, that I may have a deeper and more courageous faith to be unafraid to reach out to others, as Veronica did to You, (*)
7. Lord Jesus, that I may never hide behind pride, and that I may be ready and willing to begin again after my repeated falls, (*)
8. Lord Jesus, that I may show compassion to others in their sorrow or need, and place my sorrow or need second to theirs for a while, (*)
9. Lord Jesus, that I may recognize how much I need You, and rely on Your strength in the many difficulties and pit-falls of life, (*)
10. Lord Jesus, that I may let go of those things that prevent me from growing closer to You, (*)
11. Lord Jesus, that I may see Your cross as the great sign of Your love for me, as did our Spiritual Father, Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, (*)
12. Lord Jesus, that I may see my crosses as ways of loving You and dying to myself, (*)
13. Lord Jesus, that I may learn to place my life in Your hands, and not fear seeming unimportant, useless, helpless…as You allowed Your lifeless body to be placed in the hands of Mary, (*)
14. Lord Jesus, that I may always believe in Your closeness and loving presence, especially when You seem distant from me, (*)

Concluding Prayers

Lord Jesus, help me to walk with You each day of my life, even to Calvary. The sorrow and joy, the pain and healing, the failures and triumphs of my life are truly small deaths and resurrections that lead me closer to You. Give me the faith and trust I need to walk with You always.

Mary, Mother of our Redeemer and our most Blessed Mother, be with us through life’s journey. As you comforted Jesus on the road to Calvary by your silent and loving presence, as you held his lifeless body close to your Immaculate Heart, as you offered the sadness and suffering that only a mother can feel when she sees the suffering of her child, look upon me as you looked at Jesus. See His marred image in my frail nature; hold me close to your mother’s heart in my moments of temptation and sin; and pray for me that I may be for God what I was created to be a -LIVING IMAGE OF JESUS. Amen.

Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, loving Father and Spiritual Guide, in this most holy season of Lent, be with us. By a singular grace you were blessed to participate in the mystery of the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through your ministry, God revealed the marvels of His mercy to numberless souls. Pray for us, that like you, and through your loving intercession we may remain one with Christ in his Passion so as to joyfully come with you to the glory of the Resurrection. Intercede for us with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who is God for ever and ever. Amen.