“We recommend likewise to Thy unbounded mercy, Almighty and Eternal God, all our brethren and fellow-citizens, throughout the United States, that they maybe blessed in the knowledge, and sanctified in the observance of Thy most holy law; that they may be preserved in union and in that peace which the world cannot give; and, after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal.”

Archbishop John Carroll, Prayer for the Government of the United States

Happy Father’s Day, to all our friends who are fathers by nature or in spirit.

O Virgin of Perpetual Help, great sign of our hope, Holy Mother of the Redeemer, we invoke Your name. Help your people who desire to be renewed. Give us joy as we walk towards the future in conscious and active solidarity with the poorest of our brothers and sisters, announcing to them in a new and courageous way, the Gospel of Your Son, the beginning and the end of all human relationships that aspire to live a true, just and lasting peace. As does the Child Jesus, Whom we admire in this venerable icon, so we also want to hold your right hand. You have both the power and the goodness to help us in every need and circumstance of life. This moment is yours. Come then, and help us; be for us our refuge and our hope. (mention your petitions here) AMEN 

A prayer by JPII, as part of the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help by Catholic Action for Faith and Family

“Beware of the new ideological colonization that tries to destroy the family. It is not born of the dream that we have from God and prayer; it comes from outside, and that’s why I call it a colonization. Let us not lose the freedom to take forward the mission God has given us: the mission of the family. And just as our peoples were able to say in the past, “No”, to the period of colonization, as families, we have to be very wise and strong to say “No” to any attempted ideological colonization that could destroy the family. And to ask the intercession of St Joseph to know when to say “Yes” and when to say “No”.

Pope Francis, Meeting with Families, Manila, January 16, 2015, as discussed on First, Do No Harm

Brothers and sisters:
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
but you received a Spirit of adoption,
through whom we cry, “Abba, Father!”
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God,
and if children, then heirs,
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,
if only we suffer with him
so that we may also be glorified with him.

Romans 8:14-17

What thou givest to them they shall gather up: when thou openest thy hand, they shall all be filled with good.

But if thou turnest away thy face, they shall be troubled: thou shalt take away their breath, and they shall fail, and shall return to their dust.

Thou shalt send forth thy spirit, and they shall be created: and thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

Psalm 104 (103):28-30 (DRA)

The Lord appeared once again to his disciples after his resurrection, and questioning Peter, who from fear had thrice denied him, extracted from him a threefold declaration of love. Christ had been raised to life in the flesh and Peter to life in the spirit; for when Christ died as a result of the torments he endured, Peter was also dead as a result of denying his master. Christ the Lord was raised from the dead; Christ the Lord raised up Peter through Peter’s love for him. And having obtained from him the assurance of that love, he entrusted his sheep to Peter’s care.

We may wonder what advantage there could be for Christ in Peter’s love for him. If Christ loves you, you profit, not Christ; and if you love him, again the advantage is yours, not his. But wishing to show us how we should demonstrate our love for him, Christ the Lord made it plain that it is by our concern for his sheep.

“Simon, son of John, Do you love me?” he asked. “I do love you.” “Then feed my sheep.” Once, twice, and a third time the same dialogue was repeated. To the Lord’s one and only question, Peter had no other answer than “I do love you.” And each time the Lord gave Peter the same command: “Feed my sheep.” Let us love one another then, and by so doing we shall be loving Christ.

Saint Augustine of Hippo, Guelferbytanus Sermon 16,1, via DailyGospel.org

Prayers and blessings to all mothers, both natural and spiritual, from all of us at WQPH.

Many persons, feeling that the word penance implies great austerities, and not feeling that they have the strength for great sacrifices, become discouraged and continue a life of lukewarmness and sin.’ Then she said Our Lord explained to her: ‘The sacrifice required of every person is the fulfillment of his duties in life and the observance of My law. This is the penance that I now seek and require.

Our Lady of Fatima to Sr. Lucia

[Please join Cardinal Raymond Burke and Catholic Action For Faith and Family’s Novena to Our Lady of Fatima, which begins today]

In July of 1917, Our Lady of Fatima granted the children a frightening vision of hell and said sadly, “You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart.”

“As horrible as are the physical chastisements associated with man’s disobedient rebellion before God, infinitely more horrible are the spiritual chastisements for they have to do with the fruit of grievous sin: eternal death. As is clear, only the Faith, which places man in the relationship of unity of heart with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, through the mediation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, can save man from the spiritual chastisements which rebellion against God necessarily brings upon its perpetrators and upon the whole of both society and the Church.”

Cardinal Raymond Burke