The Life Of A 21st. Century Catholic
– quoted from the Catechism
“Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God.”2
But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and will, or “out of the depths” of a humble and contrite heart?3
He who humbles himself will be exalted;4 humility is the foundation of prayer,
Only when we humbly acknowledge that “we do not know how to pray as we ought,”5 are we ready to receive freely the gift of prayer.
“Man is a beggar before God.”6
2560 “If you knew the gift of God!”7
The wonder of prayer is revealed beside the well where we come seeking water: there, Christ comes to meet every human being.
It is he who first seeks us and asks us for a drink. Jesus thirsts; his asking arises from the depths of God’s desire for us.
Whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God’s thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for him.8
The Rosary
Joyful Mysteries
I. The Annunciation
II. The Visitation
III. The Birth of our Lord
IV. The Presentation of our Lord
V. The Finding of our Lord in the Temple
Sorrowful Mysteries
I. The Agony in the Garden
II. The Scourging at the Pillar
III. The Crowning with Thorns
IV. The Carrying of the Cross
V. The Crucifixion and Death of our Lord
Glorious Mysteries
I. The Resurrection
II. The Ascension
III. The Descent of the Holy Spirit
IV. The Assumption of our Blessed Mother into Heaven
V. The Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth
Luminous Mysteries
I. The Baptism of the Lord
II. The Wedding of Cana
III. The Proclamation of the Kingdom
IV. The Transfiguration
V. The Institution of the Eucharist
Hail Holy Queen
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Memorare
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, we turn to thee, O Virgin of virgins, our Mother. To thee we come, before thee we stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, do not despise our petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer us. Amen.
The Angelus
The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary. R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. (Hail Mary . . .) Behold the handmaid of the Lord. R. Be it done unto me according to thy word. (Hail Mary …) And the Word was made flesh. R. And dwelt among us. (Hail Mary …) Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us pray: Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts; that, we to whom the incarnation of Christ, thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by his passion and cross, be brought to the glory of his resurrection, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
2 St. John Damascene, Defide orth. 3, 24: PG 94,1089C.
3 ⇒ Ps 130:1.
4 Cf. ⇒ Lk 18:9-14.
5 ⇒ Rom 8:26.
6 St. Augustine, Sermo 56, 6, 9: PL 38, 381.
7 ⇒ Jn 4:10.
8 Cf. St. Augustine De diversis quaestionibus octoginta tribus 64, 4: PL 40, 56.