Prayer on the Feast of the Holy Family

Father in heaven, creator of all, 
You ordered the earth to bring forth life
and crowned its goodness by creating the family of man.
In history's moment when all was ready,
You sent Your Son to dwell in time, 
obedient to the laws of life in our world.
Teach us the sanctity of human love,
show us the value of family life,
and help us to live in peace with all men
that we may share in Your life for ever.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

10 Christmas Commandments

The following item appeared in a church newsletter and contains some good advice that will help us keep selfishness in check this Christmas:

1. You shall not leave ‘Christ’ out of Christmas, making it ‘Xmas.’ To some, ‘X’ is unknown.
2. You shall prepare your soul for Christmas. Spend not so much on gifts that your soul is forgotten.
3. You shall not let Santa Claus replace Christ, thus robbing the day of its spiritual reality.
4. You shall not burden the shop girl, the mailman, and the merchant with complaints and demands.
5. You shall give yourself with your gift. This will increase its value a hundred fold, and the one who receives it shall treasure it forever.
6. You shall not value gifts received by their cost. Even the least expensive may signify love, and that is more priceless than silver and gold.
7. You shall not neglect the needy. Share your blessings with many who will go hungry and cold if you are generous.
8. You shall not neglect your church. Its services highlight the true meaning of the season.
9. You shall be as a little child. Not until you become in spirit as a little one are you ready to enter into the kingdom of Heaven.
10. You shall give your heart to Christ. Let Him be at the top of your Christmas list.

Anyone keeping these commandments is sure to have a blessed Christmas.

St. Alphonsus Liguori

Jesus is the mediator of justice; Mary obtains for us grace; for, as St. Bernard, St. Bonaventure, St. Bernardine of Siena, St. Germanus, St. Antoninus, and others say, it is the will of God to dispense through the hands of Mary whatever graces he is pleased to bestow upon us. With God, the prayers of the saints are the prayers of His friends, but the prayers of Mary are the prayers of His mother.

St. Therese of Lisieux

In this brilliant night which illuminates the joy of the Holy Trinity, Jesus, the gentle little child of the hour, will change the darkness of my soul into torrents of light.

A Prayer to St. Joseph

Grant us, dear Joseph, to run life's pathway in innocent fashion:
May we ever be safe under thy blest patronage.

St. Ephraim's Christmas Prayer

The feast day of your birth resembles You, Lord
Because it brings joy to all humanity.
Old people and infants alike enjoy your day.
Your day is celebrated
from generation to generation.
Kings and emperors may pass away,
And the festivals to commemorate them soon lapse.
But your festival
will be remembered until the end of time.
Your day is a means and a pledge of peace.
At Your birth heaven and earth were reconciled,
Since you came from heaven to earth on that day
You forgave our sins and wiped away our guilt.
You gave us so many gifts on the day of your birth:
A treasure chest of spiritual medicines for the sick;
Spiritual light for the blind;
The cup of salvation for the thirsty;
The bread of life for the hungry.
In the winter when trees are bare,
You give us the most succulent spiritual fruit.
In the frost when the earth is barren, 
You bring new hope to our souls.
In December when seeds are hidden in the soil,
The staff of life springs forth from the virgin womb

Fr. John Hardon

Raphael tells us that God sends His angels to help us in our needs. This is the teaching of the Church and the deeper and more grave our needs, the more sure we can be that God is providing us with angelic assistance. In other words, the more serious the need the more sure we can be that an angel is there to help us. This is not angelic poetry, this is our faith.

St. Therese of Lisieux

When I feel nothing, when I am incapable of praying or practicing virtue, then is the moment to look for small occasions, nothings that give Jesus pleasure...a smile or a friendly word, when I would much prefer to say nothing at all.

St. Athanasius

God's love of man is such that to those for whom first He is the Creator, He afterwards, according to grace, becomes a Father also.

St. John of the Cross

Though holy doctors have uncovered many mysteries and wonders, and devout souls have understood them in this earthly condition of ours, yet the greater part still remains to be unfolded by them, and even to be understood by them.

We must then dig deeply in Christ. He is like a rich mine with many pockets containing treasures: however deep we dig we will never find their end or their limit. Indeed, in every pocket new seams of fresh riches are discovered on all sides.

Prayer to Christ the King

Jesus, King and center of all hearts, by the coming of Thy kingdom, grant us peace.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit, who with the Father and the Son in the beginning hovered over the deep and formless void to give it shape, and breathed the breath of life into humanity and every living creature, come now from Heaven, come now from your throne of glory.

Be with me and help me; work with me and teach me what is pleasing to You. You, who know all things, guide me to be prudent in all my undertakings, and protect me by your glory. Only then will everything I do, be acceptable in your sight. Amen.

St. Augustine

O Holy Spirit, descend plentifully into my heart. Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling and scatter there Thy cheerful beams.

St. Ambrose

There is no time of life past learning something.

St. Anselm

Teach me to seek You, and reveal Yourself to me when I seek You, for I cannot seek You unless You teach me, nor find You unless You reveal Yourself. Let me seek You in longing, let me long for You in seeking; let me find You by loving You and love You in the act of finding You.

St. Bernardine of Sienna

Prayer is the best preparation for Holy Communion. Prayer is the raising of the mind to God. When we pray we go to meet Christ Who is coming to us. If our Creator and Savior comes from heaven with such great love, it is only fitting that we should go to meet Him. And this is what we do when we spend some time in prayer.