Thursday, January 12, 2023

Rosary Mysteries - 4 Traditional Sets of Mysteries + 3 "New" Sets of Mysteries - in the saving work of the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, revealed to humanity, with the help of his Mother Mary, as the One Saviour of the world.

In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

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Pope Saint John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla) in 2002 published a Letter on the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which he admitted was his favorite prayer, and in which he stated that our Blessed Mother Mary helps us contemplate the light shining on the face of Jesus. He recommended adding little phrases within the Hail Mary prayer to help us contemplate Jesus revealed in each of these mysteries, at times with the presence and help of his Mother Mary. 

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Most Holy Rosary – Phrases added according to St. John Paul II (2002) at Lourdes Shrine**
(indicated by a double askterisk**) in France, where Our Lady of Lourdes appreared to Sainte Bernadette Soubirous, Sister Marie Bernard. 

(and other phrases composed by this priest* indicated with a single asterisk*)

 

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus, è     (Add the next phrase relating to each Mystery before continuing this prayer as indicated at the bottom of this page. Each set of mysteries shows a suggested day and 1 or time of day for praying and contemplating the Lord Jesus revealed in these mysteries.)

 

Messianic Mysteries* – Monday* / at dawn*   6:30*

è The Eternal Word with God in the beginning, God of Adam and Eve, and Noah;

è The Almighty who called Abram to leave his home and go out to the Promised Land;

è The Living Flame of Love who from the Burning Bush sent Moses to save his people;

è The Son of Man, the Promised One, who in Spirit called the prophets to prepare his way;

è The Messiah, The Suffering Servant of Israel who came to serve, suffer, and die;

 

Joyful Mysteries** – Tuesday* / at morning*   8:30*

The Annunciation è Who wanted to take on our human condition;

The Visitation è Who did wonders for you;

The Nativity è Who found no room in the home of men;

The Presentation in the Temple è Who enters the Temple to purify it;

The Finding of Jesus è Who returned to Nazareth and was subject to you and Joseph;

 

Hidden Life Mysteries* – Wednesday* / at mid morning*   10:00*

è The Refugee Child whom you and Joseph his parents protected and nurtured in exile;

è The Cherished Son & Heart of your Family whom you & Joseph loved & served;

è The Apprentice to Joseph who lovingly mentored Him in life, work, and devotion;

è The Craftsman & Good Neighbour who worked wonders with wood and people;

è The Shoot of Jesse who like you waited patiently to do the Father’s will;

 

Luminous Mysteries** – Thursday / at noon*   12:00*

The Baptism of Jesus è In whom the Father is well pleased;

The Wedding at Cana è Who makes sacramental Marriage the sign of the eternal Covenant;

The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God è Whose Kingdom is so very near to us;

The Transfiguration è Whose glory transforms us in his image;

The Institution of the Eucharist è Who offers us the New Covenant in his blood;

 

Sorrowful Mysteries** – Friday / at midafternoon*   15:00*

The Agony in the Garden è Who asks that the Father’s will be done and not his own;

The Scourging at the Pillar è Whose wounds heal us;

The Crowning with Thorns è Who is turned to mockery;

The Carrying of the Cross è Who collapses to the ground to lift us up from our falls;

The Crucifixion & Death of Jesus è Who commends his spirit into his Father’s hands;

 

Glorious Mysteries** – Saturday* / at evening*   18:30*

The Resurrection è Who in the Father and the Holy Spirit rises from among the dead;

The Ascension è Who makes us reign with Him a service of charity;

The Descent of the Holy Spirit è Who sends the Holy Spirit from beside the Father;

The Assumption of Mary è Who makes of you the living Temple of the Lord;

The Crowning of Mary è Who makes of you the Mother of the Church;

 

Eschatological Mysteries* Sunday* / at twilight*   21:45*

 

è The First & The Last who by your tears exhorts the faithful & warns humanity in tribulation;

è The Good Shepherd who prepares his Bride for the Wedding Feast of the Lamb;

è The Lord of Armageddon who sends Michael to expose Satan & break his strongholds;

è The Judge of the Nations who comes on the clouds to separate the sheep from the goats;

è The Divine Mercy, the Sacred Heart, King of Kings, eternal Light of the New Jerusalem;

 

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us (poor) sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

 

*Composed **translated 180904 revised 220606 by Fr Gilles A Surprenant, MHA Associate priest & poustinik, Montréal QC Canada



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In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

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© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
 

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Tuesday, January 10, 2023

Christian Prayer – God’s Sacred History with Me

In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

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Christian Prayer – God’s Sacred History with Me


 

Prayer is simply visiting with God – the Creator of the Universe – who is always present. Jesus revealed God to be a Trinity, a Community of Divine Persons: the Father, the Son – who also became human through Mary and is known as Jesus – and the Holy Spirit. Here are the simplest steps for visiting with God in prayer.

PRELIMINARY NOTES FOR ALL WHO PRAY

 

1.     BUSY PRAYER IN THE DUTY OF THE MOMENT: Our life is complex in many dimensions. We can pray – visit with God – anywhere, anytime. CAUTION: Pay attention in the “front” of your mind to what you are doing to avoid injury… let prayer “happen” on the “back burner” …. 

2.     PRAYER OF SILENCE: Friends of God find Him in silence, not the absence of noise, but in the silence, we learn to keep within ourselves, quieting our mind, heart, and spirit, like a baby in the parent’s lap. 

3.     CONTEMPLATIVE NATURE WALK: Taking a leisurely walk in nature, without any errand to run, just for the sheer pleasure, and without rushing - can open us up to a moment of "awe" and "wonder", lift our spirit "into God" or open us to "sense" the "living presence of God" within us. Silence helps us "savor it".

4.     PONDERING THE WORD OF GOD: "Listen" to God as you slowly read Sacred Scripture, paying attention to the Lord, and personally "respond" to Him. First, ask the Holy Spirit to help. Later, thank Him.

5.     OTHER FORMS OF PRAYER: You can pray with Scripture, the Word of God in the Bible; or with the Mysteries of the Rosary; or at Holy Mass; or TO God WITH the saints to help you pray; or written prayers.

6.     PRAYER TIME & PLACE: Choose a time and place to visit with God by setting aside any other activity.

7.     IT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO REALLY DOES THE PRAYING WITHIN US: Let the Holy Spirit carry you in the praying, especially when you are doing something else. At all times the Holy Spirit can give us the grace to relax and the Holy Spirit teaches us how to allow the prayer to “echo” within our spirit.

 

ACTUALLY PRAYING

 

8.     “BE NOT AFRAID!” God, revealed by Jesus of Nazareth, is a “community” of Divine Persons, the Father, his Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit; yet a single Divine Being. God will ever remain mysterious.

9.     DECIDE: Simply decide to pray, to take some time to personally visit with God.

10.  ASK: Ask the Holy Spirit to be with you and help you to pray, to visit with the Holy Trinity.

11.  SELECT: Choose the "prayer method" or "avenue" or occasion you want.

12.  ENTER INTO YOUR PRAYER METHOD: In silent prayer relax and rest in the Lord.
OR Select a
Scripture text and read slowly, “ponder” the words, let them touch your mind, heart, spirit.
OR Pray the
Rosary with Mary while meditating on the Mysteries of Jesus in the Holy Rosary. OR…

13.  “WORRY NOT – ENJOY!” You may notice worries, ideas, emotions, resolutions, anxieties, “to do” lists – just let them drop, and turn your attention back to your prayer… you can pick them up again later. Enjoy the presence and the love of God the Father, his Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

14.  AT THE END GIVE THANKS: Say “Thank You, Lord… or Father… or Jesus… or Holy Spirit.”


A Prayer or Spiritual Exercise :


Letting God Show You His Presence and Care throughout Your Whole Life

 

A good, holy, elderly priest – Fr. Walter Lallemand, a war veteran who as a recovering alcoholic was a man familiar with suffering – in February 1977 gave us young adults a prayer exercise to see our life like that of the people of Israel in the Bible. Like theirs, each journey is a sacred history of God’s grace. This is an invitation to reflect with your memory in God’s presence. Ask God to help you remember – whether you realized it at the time or not – when God was there for you and with you. Sharper memories may present themselves first – times when you were loved and cared for – or moments of pain, illness, discomfort, or sadness. God can impress his Love on us powerfully in times of trial. As this relies on our ability to remember, it is an exercise that you can return to and add onto several times over the years. Each experience we remember becomes a treasure enriching and enlightening our life and relationship with God and others. Each box helps organize thoughts / memories and reflect on them. Here are presented to you a sample schematic but you will probably need more space; so, feel free to use more paper. May the Holy Trinity reveal to you, bless your sacred history, and lead you on. 

God’s Sacred History with Me

 

(1) AGE / OR YEAR / DATE

(2) AGE / OR YEAR / DATE

 

 

WHAT HAPPENED

 

 

 

WHAT HAPPENED

 

 

 

CORE OF THE MEMORY

 

 

 

CORE OF THE MEMORY

 

 

 

HOW I FELT

 

 

 

HOW I FELT

 

 

 

ROLE ANOTHER PERSON PLAYED

 

 

 

ROLE ANOTHER PERSON PLAYED

 

 

 

HOW I WAS AFFECTED

 

 

 

 

HOW I WAS AFFECTED

 

 

 

 

HOW GOD WAS / IS WITH ME

 

 

 

HOW I FEEL NOW

 

 

 

HOW GOD WAS / IS WITH ME

 

 

 

HOW I FEEL NOW

 

 

 

 

+ * + * + * + * + * + * + * + * + * + * +





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In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

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© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
 

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Monday, November 21, 2022

Seminar / Workshop on God and Prayer - Marriage Prep Live Meeting at St. Thomas à Becket - December 3rd, 2022 - Prepare the Way of the Lord, for He is coming!

In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

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“From This Day Forward”

Marriage Preparation Course 2022

WORKSHOP 💘 GOD 💘
 LIFE 💘 MARRIAGE 💘 
💘 FAMILY  
💘 PRAYER 💘 TRINITY 💘 SEMINAR 


👇 Link to Fr. Gilles' Power Point Presentation: 👇

👉  Workshop / Seminar on Prayer - December 3rd, 2022 👈


PDF Version of this Power Point Presentation 


INTRO of Father Gilles Surprenant 
by Bridget Bagshaw, Coordinator     6:30 p.m. / 9:00 a.m.


Father Gilles Surprenant in Capernaum, Galilee, Palestine

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 💘 WORKSHOP ON PRAYER 💘 

"The Trinity" by Andrei Rublev - 1411 A.D.


Russian icon 56" x 45" 

This is a 2-Hour WORKSHOP / SEMINAR 

We'll have actual prayer experiences...

... discussion, couple time, Q&A, & breaks...

Last year, afte we prayed a little with couples, they wanted more. Well, this morning we will spend 3 hours exploring prayer. 

You will have opportunity to express any doubts and ask questions. Let this Workshop / Seminar be an adventure; I am your field guide.

Violence, troubles, dangers threaten humanity. Our human condition causes us to suffer insecurities, fears, doubts, and concerns for the future. We endure the faults of others and dislike admitting our own faults. 

The awesome truth is that our Creator God loves us without limits. God gives us freedom because He designed us for friendship love. It is only in learning to love our Maker back that we will be perfectly happy. We can please others but we cannot “make happy” anyone; it is unfair to even expect a human, other  than Jesus, to try to “make us happy”. 

We're off!


WORKSHOP 
💘
 GOD 💘
 LIFE 💘 MARRIAGE 💘 

💘 FAMILY  💘 PRAYER 💘 TRINITY 💘 SEMINAR 


Please join me as we begin with a PRAYER          9:02

OPENING PRAYER 

LED BY FR. GILLES

💘 GOD 💘 LIFE 💘 PRAYER 💘

“Lord, I can’t pray properly. 
I’m weak; I’m human; 
I’m fragile. I’m easily distracted,
taken into thoughts of myself and the world.
But you, Lord, lead me past that.
Help me to pray truly as I am. 

Help me to focus on the Father, the Son,
and You, Holy Spirit,
so that my soul may be opened,
and I can receive the grace that is there
for everyone in prayer. Amen.” 


Prayer published by C. Alan Ames inspired by St. Teresa of Avila

The Warning: Testimonies and Prophecies of the Illumination of Conscience.” By Christine Watkins, Queen of Peace Media, 2020. Sacramento CA

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METHOD: LIKE WINE TASTING 
or LIKE BEER TASTING

OUR METHODOLOGY :

ADULT LEARNING MODEL

OUR OUTLINE - in 4 segments           9:03

 (1) The human prayer impulse (2) Praying in common 
(3) Praying alone (4) Praying as a couple

WITH GOD... WE ARE ALL BEGINNERS...
WE LEARN BEST TOGETHER...

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Living Prayer 

By Anthony of Sourozh, Metropolitan. Living Prayer: The Pocket Library of Spiritual Wisdom. Foreword, p. 5. Darton, Longman & Todd LTD. Kindle Edition. 

Worship to me means a relationship. I used not to be a believer, then one day I discovered God and immediately he appeared to me to be the supreme value and the total meaning of life, but at the same time a person. I think that worship can mean nothing at all to someone for whom there is no object of worship. You cannot teach worship to someone who has not got a sense of the living God; you can teach him to act as if he believed, but it will not be the spontaneous attitude which is real worship. Therefore, as a foreword to this book on prayer, what I would like to convey is my certitude in the personal reality of a God with whom a relationship can be established. 

Then I would ask my reader to treat God as a neighbour, as someone, and value this knowledge in the same terms in which he values a relationship with a brother or a friend. This, I think, is essential. One of the reasons why communal worship or private prayer seem to be so dead or so conventional is that the act of worship, which takes place in the heart communing with God, is too often missing. Every expression, either verbal or in action, may help, but they are only expressions of what is essential, namely, a deep silence of communion. 

We all know in human relationships that love and friendship are deep when we can be silent with someone. As long as we need to talk in order to keep in touch, we can safely and sadly assume that the relationship is still superficial; and so, if we want to worship God, we must first of all learn to feel happy, being silent together with him. This is an easier thing to do than one might think at first; it needs a little time, some confidence and the courage to start. 

Once the Curé d’Ars, a French saint of the eighteenth century, asked an old peasant what he was doing sitting for hours in the church, seemingly not even praying; the peasant replied: ‘I look at him, he looks at me and we are happy together.’ That man had learned to speak to God without breaking the silence of intimacy by words. If we can do that we can use any form of worship. 

If we try to make worship itself out of the words we use, we will get desperately tired of those words, because unless they have the depth of silence, they are shallow and tiresome. But how inspiring words can be once they are backed by silence and are infused with the right spirit: ‘O Lord, open Thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise’ (Ps 51:15). 

1* Adaptation of a talk given on the BBC in the ‘Ten to Eight’ programme first broadcast in 1965.

Anthony of Sourozh, Metropolitan. Living Prayer: The Pocket Library of Spiritual Wisdom (pp. 5-6). Darton, Longman & Todd LTD. Kindle Edition. 


PRAYER RESOURCES

👉 "Beginners' PAGE"

👉 Catholic Christian Tools  page

👉 👉 HOME - https://gillessurprenant.blogspot.com/      


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A few additional texts... reflections.... 


We are created in the IMAGE and LIKENESS of GOD...

God is an infinite "fire" of life-giving love...

Our "soul" / "spirit" in our "center" is a flame of

God within us... God is infinite... so there is in us

a living, dynamic flame of the infinite....


That is why we are never content with just a taste...

something in us wants to...

eat the whole buffet... drink the whole bottle...

completely consume what we love and desire...

A man wants to love every woman in the world...

A woman wants to love every man in the world...

which is why pornography is so dangerous...

not because sex is bad... no, God made us beautiful...

in us is a flame of the infinite, life-giving love-fire of God...


To touch high tension electricity wires is to "fry" and die...

electric power goes through transformers to make it safe...

Human sexuality must also go through a transformer to be safe...

To look at human beauty from a distance is a torturing fire leading to depression and death...

Marriage is the "transformer" that makes our intimate loving safe and life-giving and it takes place in the presence of God. 

For a detailed exploration of this theme, go to…

“LIVING IN THE IMAGE and LIKENESS of GOD”

by Father Ron Rolheiser 

https://vimeo.com/showcase/8489527?page=3   

Father Ron Rolheiser’s website: https://ronrolheiser.com/ 

or see his books - contact:  Samia at   https://theologia.ca/ 

For the remainder of the workshop / seminar, see the Power Point presentation :


👇 Link to Fr. Gilles' Power Point Presentation: 👇



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PERSPECTIVE - Victor Frankl's discovery about who survived and who didn't in the Nazi concentration camps - "Man's Search for Meaning" 

= the freedom we have to "choose" our interior attitude to life 

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Mass instructions & homilies 2016 to 2020

Audio recording 1-hour Intro to Prayer Seminar 2020-21


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In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

----------------------------------------------------------------

© 2006-2022 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2006-2022 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
 

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Seminar / Workshop on God - "Introduction to Prayer" - Marriage Preparation Course "From This Day Forward" - Saturday, November 2nd, 2024 at St. John Fisher Parish - Marriage is a great adventure for LIFE! Workshop Seminar 08.3

In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from...