January, the beginning of the calendar year, features a perennial discussion between some Catholics of when precisely the Christmas season ends. Some speak of the “Eight Days of Christmas” and others the “Twelve Days.” Or is it on the Baptism of the Lord…or Candlemas? There are varying worthwhile interpretations, but one thing is for sure: Jesus came for us, and we celebrated this on Christmas Day. But how do we regard Christ during the rest of the Church calendar, the liturgical year?
In today’s Gospel, Jesus cured various physical ailments, exorcised demons, prayed and preached. He came—and comes—for us according to our temporal and moral needs. But his ultimate goal, every day of the year, is to see us follow him in the sacramental, moral life so that we can be with him forever in heaven.
Do you know your prayers are incense with a sweet aroma going up to the throne room? Revelation 8:3-4, “Another angel came and stood at the altar. He had a shallow gold cup for burning incense. He was given a lot of incense to offer on the golden altar. The altar was in front of the throne. With the incense he offered the prayers of all God’s people. The smoke of the incense rose up from the angel’s hand. The prayers of God’s people rose up together with it. The smoke and the prayers went up in front of God.” When I pray now, I picture it like a lighted scented candle with the aroma and smoke going up to God’s throne room ✝️
*** Please pray for Jessi, my daughter finishing up medical school ✝️ *** She was asked to speak at the alumni dinner tonight at xxxxxxx *** Pray that she can focus and not let distractions bother her. * May God's favor of grace and mercy be her focus! * May God's wisdom be her guide! * May she be encouraged by the word of the Holy Spirit given to her to write her speech right now! By His Grace and for His Glory ✝️ In Jesus' Name above all names, I pray in agreement with the Holy Spirit! Amen ✝️
Salina, what an honor and privilege. I know she did spectacularly. Strong finish for Jessi! Amen.
SALINA!!! Absolutely WOW! I missed yesterday's posts and went back just now and read all of your comments...and Jessi's speech! How proud you and Matt must be, and how exhilarating for Jessi to be so well received! She is a Gift from God!
Jessi came home and called us after the alumni dinner...she talked for 30 min on the phone all pumped about the people she met and her speech without looking at her speaker's notes on her phone. She repeated her speech on the phone with us and it was phenomenal! She had summarized all that she has written and she made it more lively and personal by giving specific experiences she had with the doctors/mentors in attendance! The dean of students affairs (I think) told her it was an excellent speech and exactly what he needed to request for more funding for the Chattanooga campus :-) Many came up to Jessi and told her that was the best speech from medical students they have heard. One of the dean told her that he was glad he spoke before her because there was no way he could top that speaking after her! It went better than we could ever imagine ???? Reminds me of Ephesians 3:20-21, "God is able to do far more than we could ever ask for or imagine. He does everything by His power that is working in us. Give Him glory in the church and in Christ Jesus. Give Him glory through all time and for ever and ever. Amen!" Thank you for partnering with us in prayers ❤️✝️❤️
Praying for Jessi this evening, Salina. Wha t an accomplishment!
Thank you for your prayers ✝️ Jessi finished writing her speech, “ *** Intro My name is Jessica, and I am originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I wanted to become a doctor because as an EMT, I loved being able to help people in crisis, but I hated that I hit a scope of practice barrier. I chose UTHSC because I had heard of the incredible clinical experiences that students received, and I wanted to be exposed to that same training. I just matched to the Air Force’s Operational Emergency Medicine program at xxxxxxx *** Preclinicals Regardless of how great of a studier or how great I time managed prior to medical school, nothing really prepared me for the crucible that is preclinicals. It was like drinking from a fire hose expecting it to be a water fountain. For the first time in my education, I was learning information at a very intense pace, and this foundation had a direct correlation to my ability to know enough to save lives. While I wouldn’t want to do preclinical again, I am grateful for the experience because it taught me what grace looks like. At the end of the day, I learned that my best is best. If every day I could say that I learned one thing new, and that I gave it my all, then that was a big accomplishment. And tomorrow, I would do just one thing better. And by the end of preclinical, those “just one thing better” would add up to really big changes. I am not one of those people who excelled at tests or excelled at studying. I want to say thank you to alumni like you who helped fund a grant that allowed me to pay for additional study courses to help me pass Step 1. Without your support, I would not have made it through medical school. *** Clinicals I would not trade my clinical experiences in Chattanooga with any of the other campuses. One of the biggest draws for me was the student to physician ratios. Though we may not have had the amount of pathologies that campuses like Memphis provided, we were hands on in almost every case because there were significantly more residents and attending than students, and specifically more teachers who wanted to teach and mentor. One of the greatest things I learned from my clinicals in Chattanooga was servant leadership balanced with wellness. On every rotation, there was always at least one or more resident and attending that stood out to me in their care for the team and their patients. It was the norm of residents and attending to actively care about my career goals, my wellness, and my education. The residents and attending showed not through their words but with their actions that being a doctor is more than just knowing things. At the end of the day, medicine is a giving career, and learning how to give freely without wasting your internal reserves was a balance that the staff here in Chattanooga taught well. They not only taught me clinical medicine, but they taught me how to be a good doctor without sacrificing clinical care and emotional wellbeing. Lastly, I will end with the fact that the clinical years in Chattanooga taught me how to be an expert at adaptability. Though constant changes, bureaucratic disruptions, and life being chaotic, the residents and attending in Chattanooga taught me how to be confident at addressing the unknown. Almost every rotation operates on the ideology of a tight rope. You as a student get to practice, and the residents and attending act as your safety net that gets further and further away as you build confidence. On my away rotations and interviews, I was consistently told that I was performing at the level of an intern compared to my peers from other institutions because of this type of training. This adaptability is the skill I am most excited to bring to patients with your support. I am honored to receive funding from the Council of International and Area Outreach, a grant donated by alumni like you. I will be going in 2 weeks to Peru and sailing down the Amazon River on a steel hulled boat to bring clinics to the indigenous population of Peru. I know that even though the patients don’t speak English or Spanish and I will be experiencing new clinical situations in an austere environment, I am confident that the skills I learned from Chattanooga will help me adapt, support the team, and provide care to patients. Thank you for coming to this lovely dinner and for your support, and thank you for taking the time to hear how Chattanooga has shaped us to be future physicians.”
Salina I will pray for you and Jessi right now. She was asked because they must have t hought she was qualified. Ken
AMEN!
Good morning. I was just thinking along the same lines the other day—Christmas being “over”. I remember my rotation in psychiatric nursing and depression was always at a high point right after Christmas as so many would plummet in their feelings after the hype and “people” time of the holidays. Watch out for those with low spirits during the northern hemisphere cold, after Christmas depression, and pray for them. Praying for Tom and all of our peeps here. Haven’t seen peggyR post in a long long time, praying all is well with her and her grandson. Thank you for asking jane, we are still on weekly visits to Atlanta. Garrett sees the surgeon again on Feb 27. The large wound on the back of his hand is almost healed…without a skin graft!! I can’t wait until the orthopedic clinic people see it so they can be blessed by witnessing a miracle—what should have absolutely been 2 separate skin grafts have healed—to be a bearer of Christ’s word without speaking—so cool! Garrett’s spirits are better too as he has a bit more acceptance and both these things are credited to prayers of soo many I absolutely know—God has mercy and hears His people and I have been blessed by God reinforcing my faith in what prayer can truly do. Still a long way to go as PT is starting and he can’t move the middle finger but a fraction and he is worried about his future work abilities. jane, be safe in Italy and enjoy the adventure. I may have missed what class you are taking and would love for you to share your new knowledge! A new prayer added to my daily is for the administration here to be given the knowledge and savvy to maintain our community that has been built, in the face of AI and those wanting to cause disruption. God’s will be done in all this! Have a warm happy day everyone, may the Lord reveal Himself to those suffering loss due to storms, fires and other hardships. Peace and joy to all.
VickyG loved your update. I will put you and Garrett in my prayers. Living faith family I am sharing these prayers for those souls in purgatory. 109 1) Prayer of St. Gertrude the Great Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen. 2) Prayer to Have a Merciful Heart Towards Others by St. Faustina O Jesus, I understand that Your mercy is beyond all imagining. I ask You, therefore, to make my heart so big that there will be room in it for the needs of all the souls living on this whole earthly globe. O Jesus, my love reaches beyond the world to the souls suffering in Purgatory, and I want to exercise mercy toward them by means of indulgenced prayers. God’s mercy is unfathomable and inexhaustible, just as God Himself is unfathomable. Were I to use the strongest words for expressing this mercy of God, they are nothing in comparison with what it is in reality. O Jesus, make my heart sensitive to all the sufferings of my neighbor whether they be of body or of soul. O my Jesus, I know that You act toward us as we act toward our neighbor. My Jesus, make my heart like unto Your merciful Heart. Jesus, help me to go through life doing good to everyone. Amen. Source: Diary of St. Faustina, II, #132 3) Eternal Rest Prayer V. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. R. And let the perpetual light shine upon them. And may the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. 4) Prayer to Jesus Christ for the Holy Souls by St. Alphonsus Liguori O most sweet Jesus, through the bloody sweat which Thou didst suffer in the Garden of Gethsemane, have mercy on these Blessed Souls. Have mercy on them. O Lord. O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer during Thy most cruel scourging, have mercy on them O Lord O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy most painful crowning with thorns, have mercy on them. O Lord. O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in carrying Thy cross to Calvary, have mercy on them. O Lord. O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer during Thy most cruel Crucifixion, have mercy on them. O Lord. O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy most bitter agony on the Cross, have mercy on them. O Lord. O most sweet Jesus, through the immense pain which Thou didst suffer in breathing forth Thy Blessed Soul, have mercy on them. O Lord. (Recommend yourself to the Souls in Purgatory and mention your intentions) Blessed Souls, we have prayed for thee; we entreat thee, who are so dear to God, and who are secure of never losing Him, to pray for us miserable sinners, who are in danger of being damned, and of losing God forever. Let us pray: O God, the author of mercy, the lover of the salvation of mankind; we address thy clemency, in behalf of our brethren, relations, and benefactors, who are departed this life, that by the intercession of Blessed Mary, ever Virgin, and of all the saints, thou wouldst receive them into, the enjoyment of eternal happiness; through Christ our Lord. Amen. 5) Litany for the Poor Souls in Purgatory O Jesus, Thou suffered and died that all mankind might be saved and brought to eternal happiness. Hear our pleas for further mercy on the souls of: My dear parents and grandparents, my Jesus mercy! My brothers and sisters and other near relatives, my Jesus mercy! My godparents and sponsors of confirmation, my Jesus mercy! My spiritual and temporal benefactors, my Jesus mercy! My friends and neighbors, my Jesus mercy! All for whom love or duty bids me pray, my Jesus mercy! Those who have offended me, my Jesus mercy! Those who have suffered disadvantage or harm through me, my Jesus mercy! Those who are especially beloved by Thee, my Jesus mercy! Those whose release is near at hand, my Jesus mercy! Those who desire most to be united to Thee, my Jesus mercy! Those who endure the greatest sufferings, my Jesus mercy! Those whose release is most remote, my Jesus mercy! Those who are least remembered, my Jesus mercy! Those who are most deserving on account of their services to the Church, my Jesus mercy! The rich, who now are the most destitute, my Jesus mercy! The mighty, who now are powerless, my Jesus mercy! The once spiritually blind, who now see their folly, my Jesus mercy! The frivolous, who spent their time in idleness, my Jesus mercy! The poor, who did not seek the treasures of heaven, my Jesus mercy! The tepid, who devoted little time to prayer, my Jesus mercy! The indolent, who neglected to perform good works, my Jesus mercy! Those of little faith, who neglected the frequent reception of the Sacraments, my Jesus mercy! The habitual sinners, who owe their salvation to a miracle of grace, my Jesus mercy! Parents who failed to watch over their children, my Jesus mercy! Superiors who were not solicitous for the salvation of those entrusted to them, my Jesus mercy! Those who strove for worldly riches and pleasures, my Jesus mercy! The worldly-minded, who failed to use their wealth and talents in the service of God, my Jesus mercy! Those who witnessed the death of others, but would not think of their own, my Jesus mercy! Those who did not provide for the life hereafter, my Jesus mercy! Those whose sentence is severe because of the great things entrusted to them, my Jesus mercy! The popes, kings, and rulers, my Jesus mercy! The bishops and their counselors, my Jesus mercy! My teachers and spiritual advisors, my Jesus mercy! The deceased priests of this diocese, my Jesus mercy! The priests and religious of the Catholic Church, my Jesus mercy! The defenders of the holy faith, my Jesus mercy! Those who died on the battlefield, my Jesus mercy! Those who fought for their country, my Jesus mercy! Those who were buried in the sea, my Jesus mercy! Those who died of apoplexy, my Jesus mercy! Those who died of heart attacks, my Jesus mercy! Those who suffered and died of cancer, my Jesus mercy! Those who die suddenly in accidents, my Jesus mercy! Those who died without the last rites of the Church, my Jesus mercy! Those who shall die within the next twenty-four hours, my Jesus mercy! My own poor soul when I shall have to appear before Thy judgment seat, my Jesus mercy! Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them: For evermore with Thy saints, because Thou art gracious. May the prayer of Thy suppliant people, we beseech Thee, O Lord, benefit the souls of Thy departed servants and handmaids: that Thou mayest both deliver them from all their sins, and make them to be partakers of Thy redemption. Amen. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let the perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. Ken
Living faith family please pray for my friend Mary's son Tom went in hospital for irregular heart beat was found to also have covid. Please Continue to pray for Christine who is caring for her mom Stephanie. As always the souls in purgatory and those souls who have no one to pray for them. Ken
Keeping Tom in my prayers tonight, Ken. Looks like the stairs, bicycles and buses are back for me at least, Ken.
AMEN!!
Justin thank you for those words. May we all live each day as if it were the Christmas season. Blessings to all the LFF, especially those with extra needs these days and may we all share our love of God through all the world everyday.
Amen!
Amen
Lord Jesus, whatever you did two thousand years ago, you continue to do today. Draw us into your sanctifying graces as you heal, exorcise, restore, and replenish our lives. Allow us the determination and good will to follow and serve you every season of our lives we pray, Amen. Prayers and blessings for all with special intentions and needs today. Peace and blessings Living Faith Family.
Amen. What a wonderful prayer!
Amen
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Lord please hear our prayers and bring your light to all those who have been hurt, killed and impbacted by terrorist attacks. Come to the side of those experiencing violence in Haiti, the Middle East, Ukraine, Russia, Darfur, and the Sudan. Please hear the pleas of all those suffering around the world - and give them strength, courage and resilience to continue walking in faith. Send them your light. Father in Heaven, have mercy on us and on the whole world! You sent Your Son, the Prince of Peace, for the salvation of the world. We pray that the Peace of Christ will reign in Haiti, the Middle East, Ukraine, Russia, Darfur and Sudan. Please protect and send aid to those in need and all who are at-risk. We pray for peace and rebuilding– we who are working towards it and for all those who are suffering or in danger from conflicts. We pray for an end to violence and war – we pray for wisdom for all leaders who have a hand in this. Lord God please help those in most need of thy mercy. Amen