Each evening, our Oblates of the Virgin Mary and some parishioners presented the following topics.
Some Suggestions for Prayer:
Mark 1:9-11 "In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
Ven. Bruno Lanteri: "Joyfulness is a joyous peace in the soul produced by the enjoyment of some present good or the hope for some future good. The goods may be temporal, spiritual or corporal. The spiritual goods I am speaking of are: pardon for sins, more so, friendship, becoming adopted children of God himself. This adoption differs from human adoption, for God communicates his very own spirit perfectly. Through this adoption, God loves in us. Look at the greatness of these gifts: the Father with his omnipotence, the Son with his wisdom and the Holy Spirit with his goodness. Yes, our heart is in anticipation of paradise; it is the temple of God."
Pope St. Leo the Great: "Christian recognize your dignity and, now that you share in God's own nature, do not return to your former base condition by sinning. Remember who is your head and of whose body you are a member. Never forget that you have been rescued from the power of darkness and brought into the light of the Kingdom of God."
St. John Eudes: “I ask you to consider that our Lord Jesus Christ is your true head, and that you are one of his members. He belongs to you as the head belongs to its members; all that is his is yours: his spirit, his heart, his body and soul, and all his faculties. You must make use of all these as of your own, to serve, praise, love, and glorify God. You belong to him, as members belong to their head. And so he longs for you to use all that is in you, as if it were his own, for the service and glory of the Father.”
Genesis 2:24: a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body.
Tobit 8:7-8: Now, Lord, you know that I take this wife of mine
not because of lust,
but for a noble purpose.
Call down your mercy on me and on her,
and allow us to live together to a happy old age.”
They said together, “Amen, amen.”
Psalm 128:3: Your wife like a fruitful vine
in the heart of your house;
Your children like shoots of the olive
around your table.
Proverbs 31:10-11: When one finds a worthy wife,
her value is far beyond pearls.
Her husband, entrusting his heart to her,
has an unfailing prize.
Matthew 4:18-20: 18 As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. 19 He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
Mark 10:28-30: 28 Peter began to say to him, “We have given up everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel 30 who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.
Renewal of Marriage:
Husband: Blessed are you, Lord, for by your goodness I took N. as my wife.
Wife: Blessed are you, Lord, for by your goodness I took N. as my husband.
Both together: Blessed are you, Lord,
for in the good and the bad times of our life
you have stood lovingly by our side.
Help us, we pray,
to remain faithful in our love for one another,
so that we may be true witnesses
to the covenant you have made
with humankind.
Our Father...
Husband: May the Lord keep us safe all the days of our life.
May he be our comfort in adversity
and our support in prosperity.
May He fill our home with His blessings.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.