A Blessing For The Home And Property:

                  Lord I consecrate my home and property to your Lordship and Kingship.
May your name be always hallowed within these sacred confines! You are my Lord, my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. No evil shall befall us, nor affliction come near our tent. We will continue to live in peaceful country, in secure dwelling and quiet resting places. To his angels he has given command about us, that they guard us in all our ways.
                 (Scriptures taken from NAB - Catholic Publications, Inc. 1971)

                    

New Directions:

                              "Finally the Lord said to me, you have wandered round these highlands long enough; turn and go north." (Deut. 2.2-3)

                               This word from the Lord is an exhortation to break out of our rut. We need some new challenges and some new directions. The Lord is faithful in fulfilling his promises!

                               "For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe! plans to give you a future full of hope. When you call me, when you go to pray to me, I will listen to you when you look for me you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me with you says the Lord, and I will change your lot" (Jeremiah 29.11-14)

                               (Scriptures taken from NAB - Catholic Publications, Inc. 1971)


                                

                                 

A Family Blessing:

                                    "By wisdom is a house built, by understanding is it made firm; and by knowledge are its rooms filled with every precious and pleasing possession." (Proverb' s 24.3-4) I recognize Lord, that unless you build the house, they labor in vain who build it. I entrust to you each family. How your inspired word gives inspiration and encouragement:
"Happy are you who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways! For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; happy shall you be, and favored. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the recesses of your home; Your children like olive plants around your table. Behold, how good it is, and how pleasant, where brethren dwell at one! It is as when the precious ointment upon the head runs down over the beard, the beard of Aaron, till it runs down upon the collar of his robe. It is a dew like that of Hermon, which comes down upon the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord  has pronounced his blessing, life forever.
                                       (Scriptures taken from NAB - Catholic Publishers, Inc. 1971)

Scriptural Blessings For Sons and Daughters:

                      1. The Blessing of Maturity:  "May you progress steadily in wisdom and age and grace before God and humankind" (Luke 2.52)

                        2. The Blessing of Godliness: "May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith, and may charity be the root and foundation of your life! May you experience the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge, so that you may attain to the fullness of God himself!

                         3. The Blessing of the Lord's Presence:  "May you not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go"! "You are my beloved son, my beloved daughter, in whom I am well pleased."

                         4. The Blessing of Strength & Good Health: "May your strength endure through all your days"! May you long enjoy the work of your hands!

                          5. The Blessing of Favor:  "May you be enriched with favors and filled with the blessings of the Lord"! May you be free of misfortune without pain!

                          6. The Blessing of  Protection:  "May the Lord guard you from all evil; May the Lord guard your life"! May the Lord guard your coming and your going both now and forever! May no evil befall you, nor affliction come near your tent! For to his angels he has given command about you, that they guard you in all your ways.

                          7. The Blessing of a good Name:  "May the blessing of a good name be given you! "A good name is more desirable than great riches, and high esteem, than gold and silver" (Proverbs 22.1)                          

                          8. The Blessing of Peace:  "The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace"! (Numbers 6.24-26)

                           The Blessing of a loving Heart:  "May you have a heart modeled after the heart of Christ! May compassion and mercy be the hallmark of your life! "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you and pray for those who maltreat you." (Luke 6.27-28)


Parents Prayer:

                       Lord, we thank you today for the gift of our beautiful children. They are the precious jewels in the family crown. Give us, as parents a sensitivity of heart and a nurturing atmosphere to allow for the growth and development of our sons and daughters. May their lives be a blessing and let them always be bearers of glad tidings!

A Word of Encouragement to Parents:

                    Please pronounce these blessings daily over your children - it will change their lives.

                  (Scriptures taken from the NAB - Catholic Publications, Inc. 1971)

Ardent Longing For God:

                         "O God, you are my God whom I seek; for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water. Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary to see your power and your glory, for your kindness is a greater good than life; my lips shall glorify you." (Psalm 63.1-4)

                                 Teach me,  Lord, your way that I may walk in your truth. My soul pines for your salvation; I hope in your word. My eyes strain after your promise; when will you comfort me? I long for your salvation, O Lord, and your law is my delight. Every day will I bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord and highly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable. Let all your works give you thanks, O Lord, and let your faithful ones bless you.

The Blessing of Strength:

                         "May your bolts be of iron and bronze; may your strength endure through all your days." (Deuteronomy 33.25)

                         This promise assures us that life will not leave us like an empty reservoir or a dry well. As the demands of each day, so shall our inner resources of strength be to make us equal to any situation. (Dick Mills)

                         Today Lord I feel empty and depleted of energy and the necessary resources to continue with life's journey. Your promise from Deuteronomy give me hope and encouragement. "I lift up my eyes toward the mountains; whence shall help come to me? My help is from the Lord who made heaven and earth." (Psalm 121.1-2)  

Joy and Peace:

                           "Rejoice in the Lord always! I say it again Rejoice! Everyone should see how unselfish you are. The Lord is near. Dismiss all anxiety from your minds. Present your needs to God in every form of prayer and in petitions full of gratitude. Then God's own peace, which is beyond all understanding, will stand guard over your hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4.4-7)  (Scriptures taken from NAB - Catholic Publications, Inc. 1971)

Transformation:

                                "Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; See, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? In the desert I make a way, in the wasteland, rivers." (Isaiah 43.18-19)  

                                       "We too offer ourselves to God that the Spirit may hover over us and take away our sterility. On our own we are a desert, sterile, barren, fruitless; but if we are open to the Spirit, to his word, his love, his command, then, in spite of our natural barrenness, we shall bear frit unto God. We shall be new and fecund."  Samuel Rayan)
                                          Scriptures taken from the NAB - Catholic Publishers, Inc. 1971

Full Restoration:

                             "Also the Lord restored the prosperity of Job, after he had prayed for his friends; the Lord even gave to Job twice as much as he had before." (Job 42.10)

                                    "And I will  repay you for the years which the locust has eaten...you shall eat and be filled, and shall praise the name of the Lord, your God, because he has dealt wondrously with you." (Joel 2.25-26)

Today Lord I want to thank you for all your lavish blessings bestowed upon me. There have been times when I was robbed of my peace and joy due to anxiety and distress. It may have been an undue concern over  finances or the sudden loss of a loved one. Yes, there were times when I fretted over past faults and failures. As I share the burdens of my heart, I sense your presence. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your good spirit guide me on level ground. For your name's sake, O Lord, preserve me; in your justice free me from distress, and in your kindness destroy my enemies; bring to nought all my foes, for I am your servant.   

Failure Is Impossible:


                          "Failure is impossible to those who love. Everything ceases to be measured in human terms, and we see ourselves in the light of one truth. That gentleness, compassion and love shall overcome all else." (Michael Meegan)

                          "I have waited, waited for the Lord, and he stooped toward me and heard my cry. He drew me out of the pit of destruction, out of the mud of the swamp; he set my feet upon a crag; he made firm my steps. And he put a new song into my mouth, a hymn to our God. Many shall look on in awe and trust in the Lord. (Psalm 40.1-4)
         (Psalms taken from NAB - Catholic Publishers, Inc. 1971)

True Wisdom:

                           "There is, to be sure, a certain wisdom which we express among the spiritually mature. It is not a wisdom of this age, however, not of the rulers of this age, who are men headed for destruction. No, what we utter is God's wisdom: a mysterious, a hidden wisdom. God planned it before all ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age knew the mystery; if they had known it, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory. Of this wisdom it is written:

                                                "Eye has not seen, ear has not heard,
                                                 nor has it so much as dawned on man
                                                 what God has prepared for those who love him."  

                      (Scriptures taken from NAB - Catholic Publisher, Inc. 1971 

PSALM 134:

                          "Come, bless the Lord, all your servants of the Lord
                           Who stand in the house of the Lord during the hours of night,
                            Lift up your hands toward the sanctuary, and bless the Lord.

                            May the Lord bless you from Zion,
                            the maker of heaven and earth."

The Lord's Favor:

                        "Yes the Lord is waiting to show you favor, and rises to pity you; for the Lord is God of justice: blessed are all who wait for him! O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem, no more will you weep; he will be gracious to you when you cry out, as soon as he hears he will answer you. The Lord will give you the bread you need and the water for which you thirst." (Isaiah 30.18-20)

                       I give thanks today Lord for your many gifts and especially, your divine favor. Deep in my heart I hear you say: "If you live in me, and my words stay part of you, you may ask what you will - it will be done for you." (John 15.7) "I give you my assurance, whatever you ask the Father, he will give you in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full." (John 16.23-24) 

Jesus Takes Some Quiet Time For Prayer:

"Rising early the next morning, he went off to a lonely place in the desert; there he was absorbed in prayer." (Mark 1.35). St. Paul tells us in 2 Thessalonians: "We pray for you always that our God may make you worthy of his call, and fulfill by his power every honest intention and work of faith. In this way the name of our Lord Jesus, may be glorified in you and you in him, in accord with the gracious gift of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.:
(2 Thessalonians 1. 11-12). Today Lord, ask for the grace of a prayerful and listening heart. 
(Scriptures taken from NAB - Catholic Publishers, Inc. 1971

The Gift of Peace:

                 "My people will live in peaceful country, in secure dwellings and quiet resting places." (Isaiah 32.18)

                  May this promise of the Lord be experienced in our lives, our families, our surroundings. Keep far from us Lord, the violence and the hatred that divides. Let our homes experience that deep peace that allows us to rest secure in the Lord. Because you have the Lord for your refuge; you have made the Most high your stronghold. No evil shall befall you, nor shall affliction come near your tent. (Scriptures taken from the NAB - Catholic Publishers, Inc. 1971)

Reflection:

                    "This is my beloved Son. My favor rests on him."  ("This is my beloved Daughter My favor rests on her") Today, Lord, I want to thank you for the gift of who I am.
You have called me from all eternity, named me, and graced me. For God, who said, "let light shine out of darkness," has shone in my heart, that I in turn might make known the glory of God shining on the face of Christ. This treasure I possess in an earthen vessel, to make it clear that its surpassing power comes from God and not from me. Truly you have formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb.I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made; My soul also you knew full well; nor was my frame unknown to you. When I was made in secret, when I was fashioned in the depths of the earth. Your eyes have seen all my actions; in your book they are all written; my days were limited before one of them existed. How weighty are your designs, O God; how vast the sum of them!  (NAB - Catholic Publishers, Inc. 1971) 

General Prayer For Healing:

                 "Jesus continued his tour of all the towns and villages. He taught in their synagogues, he proclaimed the good news of God's reign, and he cured every sickness and disease. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity. They were lying prostrate from exhaustion, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples: "The harvest is good but laborers are scarce. Beg the harvest master to send out laborers to gather his harvest." (Matthew 9.35-38)

            A Prayer For All Cancer Patients:  Blessed be the Lord, my rock, my refuge and my fortress, my stronghold, my deliverer, my shield, in whom I trust. I cry out to you, O lord; I say, "you are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living." Attend to my cry, for I am brought low indeed. Set me free from all cancer that I may give thanks to your holy name. Every day I will bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever. Amen.
(Scriptures taken from NAB, Catholic Publishers, Inc., 1971)    

Trust in the Lord:

       "They that hope in the Lord will renew their strength,they will soar as with eagles' wings; they will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint" (Isaiah 40.31) (NAB, Catholic Publishers, Inc., 1971)

A Prayer For Those Going Through Depression:

                Lord Jesus, I ask you in your mercy to touch all those suffering from depression today. Thank you for walking deep into the subconscious mind and healing the root causes. I praise you Lord for your faithfulness.The Lord is faithful in all his words and holy in all his works. The Lord lifts up all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. The Lord is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. The Lord sets captives free; I will extol you, O my God and King, and I will bless your name forever and ever. Amen.  (Scriptures taken from NAB, Catholic Publishers, Inc. 1971)

"I will go before you and level the mountains: Bronze doors I will shatter, and iron bars I will snap. I will give you treasures out of the darkness, and riches that have been hidden away, That you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name." (Isaiah 45.2-3)
New American Bible - Catholic Publishers, Inc. 1971

April 28-30:  Charismatic Retreat, Holy Spirit Retreat House, Encino, California. The retreat is open to all.
                      For further information - please contact the Retreat Center at 818-784-4515.

This retreat will center on renewal in the Holy Spirit with special times provided for healing prayer. "O Holy Spirit, renew your wonders in this our day, as by a new Pentecost." (Blessed Pope John XX111). "The rediscovery of the power of the Spirit, then, is a fundamental part of Church Renewal. It has to be at the basis of everything else and it will, of necessity, affect everything else...worship and liturgy, community, daily life together, service, evangelism." (Steve Clark, Where Are We Headed?)

January, 2014:  

January 3-5:              SCRC Retreat - Carmelite Retreat Center, Alhambra, Ca.

January 7:                  Mass and Healing Service, St. Edwards, Corona, Ca.,  7.30pm

January 9:                 Mass and Healing Service, St. Francis, Bakersfield, Ca. 6.00pm

January 10:                Ministry for the Indonesian Community in Glendale, Calif.

January 12-19:           SS.CC. Visitation

January 20:                 Mass and Healing Service, Sacred Heart Church, Palm Desert, Calif.   7.00pm

January 21:                  Mass and Healing Service, Our Lady of Assumption Church, Claremont, Calif
                                    Mass will begin at 7.00pm

January 28:                  Mass and Healing Service, Holy Spirit Church, Hemet, Calif., 7.00pm