LENT: MARCH 2009

The Saint Monica Sodality will have their next monthly Mass at

St. Cyril & Methodius Catholic Slovak Church

Sunday, March 22 at 1:30 P.M.

Our Mission:  To pray for your loved ones, and all those who have strayed, to return to the Catholic Faith, and for conversion of so many lost souls.

The month of March, and all Wednesdays throughout the year,

are dedicated to St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church.

Mortification is the traditional virtue for March.

In preparation for Easter, mortification is the practice to overcome sin and master one's sinful tendencies through penance, prayer, fasting and almsgiving.  It strengthens the will in the practice of virtues and for growth in the likeness of Christ: to grow in holiness.

St. Augustine Prayer:  For your law's sake I have kept faith with you, my Lord, since you have thought it worthwhile to lay down for me the law of mercy, to forgive me all my sins and to admonish me on other matters lest I offend you.

-- Commentary on Psalm 129, 3

From a Letter of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI:

Here are excerpts of the Letter of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI dated March 10, 2009 to the bishops of the Catholic Church concerning the remission of the excommunication of the four bishops consecrated by Archbishop Lefebvre.

". . .Can we simply exclude them, as representatives of a radical fringe, from our pursuit of reconciliation and unity? What would then become of them?

. . . during the days when I first had the idea of writing this letter, by chance, during a visit to the Roman Seminary, I had to interpret and comment on Galatians 5:13-15. I was surprised at the directness with which that passage speaks to us about the present moment: 'Do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you are not consumed by one another' . . . But sad to say, this 'biting and devouring' also exists in the Church today, as expression of a poorly understood freedom. Should we be surprised that we too are no better than the Galatians? That at the very least we are threatened by the same temptations? That we must always learn anew the proper use of freedom? And that we must always learn anew the supreme priority, which is love? The day I spoke about this at the Major Seminary, the feast of Our Lady of Trust was being celebrated in Rome. And so it is: Mary teaches us trust. She leads us to her Son, in Whom all of us can put our trust. He will be our guide - even in turbulent times.

The first priority for the Successor of Peter was laid down by the Lord in the Upper Room in the clearest of terms: 'You ... strengthen your brothers'. Peter himself formulated this priority anew in his first Letter: 'Always be prepared to make a defence to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you'. In our days, when in vast areas of the world the faith is in danger of dying out like a flame which no longer has fuel, the overriding priority is to make God present in this world and to show men and women the way to God. Not just any god, but the God Who spoke on Sinai; to that God Whose face we recognise in a love which presses 'to the end' - in Jesus Christ, crucified and risen. The real problem at this moment of our history is that God is disappearing from the human horizon, and, with the dimming of the light which comes from God, humanity is losing its bearings, with increasingly evident destructive effects."

Each elected pope is to proclaim the mission of Christ for the salvation of souls until the end of time.  As sons and daughters of the Holy Catholic Church and members of the St. Monica Sodality, we are called to join the mission of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, to save souls.  We pray and offer these monthly Masses and personal sacrifices for return of lost souls, especially our loved ones, to the Catholic Faith

The three practices of Lent: prayer, fasting and alms

The Church gives us prayer first because without it we will have difficulty fasting and giving to those in need, near or far from us.  During His forty days in the desert, Jesus in prayer shows us how we are to persevere in temptation, for it is God alone who sustains us and gives us strength to fast from the pleasures of this world

The Saint Monica Sodality is all about prayer; for those who have left the Catholic Faith and for conversion of those far from God.  All are the least of our brethren who need our Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy.  And the meaning of the word alms is mercy.

The traditional seven forms of Christian charity in favor of the soul or spirit of one's neighbor are the Spiritual Works of Mercy: converting the sinner, instructing the ignorant, counseling the doubtful, comforting the sorrowful, bearing wrongs patiently, forgiving injuries, praying for the living and the dead.

          The seven practices of charity that minister to people's bodily needs are the Corporal Works of Mercy: to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, minister to the sick, visit those in prison, and to bury the dead.

          The bases of these works of mercy are the teaching of Christ and the practice of the Church since apostolic times.

Conversion is any turning or change from a state of sin to repentance, from a lax to a fervent way of life, from unbelief to faith, from a place not in communion with the Church to the full embrace of the Catholic Faith.

(The basis of the definitions are taken from the Modern Catholic Dictionary, Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.)

Sts. Peter and Paul, Sts. Monica and Augustine, pray for us!

Here is a beautiful Reflection for Lent.  This prayer will help us to stand in the breach, to stand in place of those we are praying to return to the Catholic Faith until that time when they can pray themselves.  Many of those we pray for are someone we need to forgive.  This prayer will purify our prayers for them, and rid ourselves of obstacles to being a channel of graces from God.  Our feelings and unforgiveness can be why it is taking so long for our prayers to be answered.  God needs to prepare us as well as those we love and are praying for:

Prayer of Forgiveness and Reparation

Lord Jesus Christ,
Who revealed the infinite mercy of Your Sacred Heart
in saying: "Love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you" (Mt 5:44)
and again, "Bless those who curse you,
pray for those who abuse you" (Lk 6:28),
give me, I beseech You,
grace to obey these commandments of yours,
and to persevere in praying daily
for those who, in any way,
have abused, cursed, hurt, or rejected me.

I pray for those who hate me,
for those who resent me
and for those who have spoken ill of me.
I beg you to bless them abundantly
and to pour into their hearts
such a profusion of healing mercies
that in them and around them
love will triumph over hatred,
friendship over resentment,
sweetness over bitterness,
meekness over anger,
and peace over enmity.
I further ask you to extend these graces
to their families and to all whom they hold dear.

In particular, I pray today for N. (and N.).
I present him/her/them
to Your Eucharistic Face,
asking You to envelop him/her/them in Its healing radiance,
dispelling whatever shadows of sin
may have darkened his/her/their mind(s)
or hardened his/her their heart(s)
in anger, hatred, or the refusal to forgive.

For my part,
with deep sorrow I confess
that I have sinned grievously against others,
causing them pain and even endangering their souls.
I pray you, O Merciful Jesus, to repair the evil I have done to others
and to heal the hurt I have inflicted on them.
In particular, I acknowledge my sins against N. (and N.)
imploring You to heal and repair the harm I have done him/her/them.

I ask you so to penetrate my heart
with the charity of Your Pierced Heart
that I will be able to forgive
those who have offended me,
to love them sincerely,
and to desire for them all that will contribute to their true happiness in this life and in the next.

By means of a permanent intention,
I desire to renew this prayer
in every offering of Your Holy Sacrifice.
Let the light of Your Eucharistic Face
shine in the hearts of all who harbour
hatred or resentment toward me,
to bring them healing and peace.
Let Your Precious Blood
triumph over evil
in those against whom I have sinned
and in those who have sinned against me,
so that, delivered from the shadows
of this valley of tears,
we may one day praise Your Mercy together
in the sweetness of a boundless charity.
Amen.

Written by Fr. Mark of the Diocese of Tulsa, Oklahoma