Come, O Spirit of Fortitude, and give courage to
my soul. Make my heart strong in all trials and
in all distress, pouring forth abundantly into it
the gifts of strength, that I may be able to resist
the attacks of the devil. Especially give this gift
of strength to those who shall comprise the
Supreme council of our Holy Church. Allow
them to always be strong within You as they
deliberate for the good of the Church for the
next four years.
Come, O Spirit of Counsel, help and guide me in
all my ways, that l may always do thy holy will.
Incline my heart to that which is good, turn it
away from all that is evil, and direct me by the
path of Your commandments to the goal of
eternal life. Especially give your counsel within
the composition of our National Commissions.
Allow all those who are chosen to serve to
always depend upon this gift.
Come, O Spirit of Understanding, and enlighten
my mind, that l may know and believe all the
mysteries of salvation, and may merit at last to
see the eternal light in Your light; and in the
light of glory to have the clear vision of Thee and
the Father and the Son. Especially give this
spirit of understanding to our General Synod in
the area of tithing and program support. Let us
know and believe that our donations go for the
work of bringing Your kingdom here on earth.
Allow the Synod to have this gift in its
discernment.
Come, O Spirit of Wisdom, and reveal to my
soul the mysteries of heavenly things, their
exceeding greatness, and power, and beauty.
Teach me to love them above and beyond all the
passing joys and satisfactions of earth. Show me
the way by which I may be able to attain to
them, and possess them, and hold them
hereafter, my own forever. Especially reveal the
mysteries of heavenly things within the souls of
those priests who aspire to the office of bishop.
Allow them to partake of these mysteries in
their life.
[To be used in preparation for the 23rd General Synod of the Polish National Catholic Church, upon our Parish, Parish Delegates and on all Delegates attending. This Prayer is to he said from Saturday, September 25 – Sunday, October 3, inclusive.]
Begin with this prayer each day:
O Holy Spirit, my Lord and my God, l adore You and humbly acknowledge here in Your sacred presence that I am nothing, and can do nothing, without Your operation within me. Come, great Paraclete, thou Father of the poor, thou Comforter of the blest, fulfill the promise of our Savior, who would not leave us orphans, and enter my mind and heart as You descended on the day of Pentecost upon the holy Mother of Jesus and upon His first disciples. Grant that I may have a part in those gifts, which You did so prodigally bestow upon them.
Take from my heart all that is not pleasing to You and make of it a worthy dwelling place for Jesus.
Illumine my mind, that l may see and understand the things that are for my eternal welfare.
Inflame my heart with pure love of the Father, that, cleansed from attachment to all unworthy objects, my whole life may be hidden with Jesus in God.
Strengthen my will, that it may be conformable to the will of my Creator and guided by thy holy inspirations.
Aid me to practice the heavenly virtues of humility, poverty, and obedience, which are taught me in the earthly life of Jesus.
Descend upon me, O mighty Spirit, that, inspired and encouraged by You, I may faithfully fulfill the duties of my state in life, carry my daily cross with patience and courage, and accomplish the Father’s will for me more perfectly. Make me, day by day, more holy and give to me that heavenly peace which the world cannot give.
O Holy Spirit, thou Giver of every good and perfect gift, grant to me the intentions of this novena of prayer. May the Father’s will be done in me and through me. And may You, O mighty Spirit of the living God, be praised and glorified for ever and ever. Amen.
Then follows the hymn to the Holy Spirit: Come, Thou Creator
Come, Thou Creator, Spirit blest,
And in our souls take up Thy rest;
Come with Thy grace and heavenly aid,
To fill the hearts which Thou hast made.
Great Paraclete, to Thee we cry,
O highest gift of God most high;
O living Fount, O Fire, O Love,
And sweet anointing from above.
The mystic seven-fold gifts are Thine,
Finger of God’s right hand divine,
The Father’s promise sent to teach,
The tongue a rich and heavenly speech.
All glory while the ages run
Be to the Father and the Son,
Who gave us life; the same to Thee,
O Holy Ghost, eternally.
Amen.
Then is said the Our Father and Hail Mary.
Then follows the prayer proper to the day:
Come, O Holy Ghost, the Lord and Life-giver;
take up Your dwelling within my soul, and
make of it Your sacred temple. Make me live by
grace as an adopted child of God. Pervade all
the energies of my soul, and create in me a
fountain of living water springing up into life
everlasting. Especially take up residence within
our General Synod and allow he who shall be
elected to be the next Prime Bishop Your store of
abundant grace. Allow him to feel Your
presence within.
From John Guzlowski at Everything’s Jake: Poems about God after 9/11
The following is the preface I wrote to a gathering of poems about God written in the aftermath of September 11. The preface and the poems by American, Polish, and Hungarian poets were published in the Scream Online in 2005:
Before 9/11, I didn’t think much about God, and I hadn’t thought much about Him for a long, long time.
Oh, of course, I thought about Him on occasion. I thought about Him at Christmas time when my daughter Lillian was young and she’d ask me about who baby Jesus was. And I thought about God when I got interested in Isaac Bashevis Singer and started writing a series of articles about him. You can hardly write about Singer without writing about God—but there, I was thinking about God in a different sort of way. It was the way I thought about Him when I taught the great religious writers like Ralph Waldo Emerson and T. S. Eliot and Fyodor Dostoevsky. God was an idea, a concept, that I was seeing through a lens and trying to make intellectual and academic sense of.
After 9/11, all that changed. When the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center came down, I discovered that God was no longer academic. He suddenly became important in my world. Not in the sense that I’ve come to believe what my father believed when he knelt every night and prayed in the darkness, nor in the sense that I came to believe what the Sisters of St. Joseph and the Christian Brothers taught me as I was growing up and attending grammar school and high school.
God became important in the sense that my world was suddenly touched and continues to be touched by those who believe in him firmly and absolutely…
In reflecting on this solemn day, we should recognize that the God we represent is more than our feeble attempts, and a greater sum of love than all our petty squabbles, and dangerous hatreds. We should recognize that He is not the God of the U.S., or of Israel, or Mecca, or Rome, but of every nation, and ultimately, of His heavenly Kingdom. We all belong to the same call, His call. His call leads to the cross, to service in the here and now, and to a resurrected life that surpasses today to eternity. If we place our desires and demands before His, and want it all now, and need our pound of flesh now, we will reap only the fruit of our faulty humanity. We will only blaspheme His call to love.
From the Denver Post: St. Francis church getting new statue of namesake to replace stolen piece
St. Francis, the statue, will soon rejoin his flock at St. Francis of Assisi National Catholic Church in southeast Denver, after donors pitched in the $3,500 to replace a statue stolen on July 30.
The 5-foot-tall statue had greeted the congregation in front of the small church on South Jersey Street south of Leetsdale Drive for 18 years.
The new statue will be in place the week of Sept. 19, the Rev. John Kalabokes said Sunday. A dedication is planned on Sept. 26 after the 9 a.m. Mass. St. Francis is the patron saint of animals, so a blessing of the animals will be held with the dedication, Kalabokes said.
The congregation of about 50 members, most of them on fixed incomes, appealed for help in finding the stolen statue, which has not turned up. Then donors, many of them from outside the church, stepped in to replace it.
A special prayer of thanksgiving for all who stepped up to help in replacing the statue.
From the Federal Reserve Bank, San Francisco: Fed Says Immigrants Expand Productivity; No Evidence of Harm to Native Opportunities
SAN FRANCISCO—Data show that immigrants expand the U.S. economy by stimulating investment and improving worker efficiency and income but not at U.S.-born workers’ expense, according to a report released by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Aug. 30.
Giovanni Peri, an associate professor at the University of California at Davis and a visiting scholar at the San Francisco bank, summarized his recent research to conclude that immigration has positive financial effects for U.S.-born workers.
Data show that, on net, “immigrants expand the U.S. economy’s productive capacity, stimulate investment, and promote specialization that in the long run boosts productivity. Consistent with previous research, there is no evidence that these effects take place at the expense of jobs for workers born in the United States,’’ Peri said.
He added that there “is no evidence that immigrants crowd out U.S.-born workers in either the short or long run. Data on U.S.-born worker employment imply small effects, with estimates never statistically different from zero. The impact on hours per worker is similar.’’
Immigration Associated With Income Rise
Over the long run, Peri wrote in the bank’s Economic Letter, per worker income rises 0.6 percent to 0.9 percent for each inflow of immigrants that equals 1 percent of employment.
“This implies that total immigration to the United States from 1990 to 2007 was associated with a 6.6 percent to 9.9 percent increase in real income per worker. That equals an increase of about $5,100 in the yearly income of the average U.S. worker in constant 2005 dollars,’’ Peri said.
Such a gain equals 20 percent to 25 percent of the total real increase in average yearly income per worker registered in the United States between 1990 and 2007, Peri said.
A third result is that in the short run, physical capital per unit of output is decreased by net immigration, but in the medium to long run, businesses expand their equipment and physical plant proportionally to their increase in production, Peri said.
Peri was traveling out of the country Aug. 30 and was unavailable for comment on his report.
Immigrants Tend to Take Different Occupations
Already well documented is that U.S.-born workers and immigrants tend to take different occupations, Peri said. Among less-educated workers, those born in the United States tend to have jobs in manufacturing or mining, while immigrants tend to have jobs in personal services and agriculture. Among more-educated workers, U.S.-born workers tend to work as managers, teachers, and nurses while immigrants tend to work as engineers, scientists, and doctors, he said.
Because those born in the United States have relatively better English language skills, they tend to specialize in communication tasks, Peri said. “Immigrants tend to specialize in other tasks, such as manual labor,’’ he wrote.
“The share of immigrants among the less educated is strongly correlated with the extent of U.S.-born worker specialization in communication tasks,’’ Peri wrote in the report titled “The Effect of Immigrants on U.S. Employment and Productivity.’’
“In states with a heavy concentration of less-educated immigrants, U.S.-born workers have migrated toward more communication-intensive occupations. Those jobs pay higher wages than manual jobs, so such a mechanism has stimulated the productivity of workers born in the United States and generated new employment opportunities,’’ Peri said.
This “typically pushes U.S.-born workers toward better-paying jobs, enhances the efficiency of production, and creates jobs,’’ Peri said. Task specialization, however, may involve adopting different techniques or managerial procedures and renovating or replacing capital equipment. “Hence, it takes some years to be fully realized,’’ he said.
As we celebrate this Labor Day, let us thank all workers, and do each justice, whatever their background, origin, or line of work. May our Lord bless all our labor.
I pray for the employed, that they may work as unto Thee and not unto men. I pray for the unemployed, that they may find work and be saved from despondency. Be Thou their strength in adversity. — an excerpt from A General Intercession from A Book of Devotions and Prayers According to the Use of the Polish National Catholic Church.
From IWJ: It’s been a particularly challenging year for workers. Hundreds of thousands are still without jobs; the rights of immigrant workers are constantly threatened by proposed anti-immigrant legislation; and millions of working families still live below the poverty line.
This Labor Day, we take time to remember and draw strength from the stuggles and victories of workers who came before us. And as we celebrate the past, let us also honor and lift up those individuals whose labor continue to impact our lives today.
For the month of September, I join IWJ, and also invite you, to honor at least one special worker. By honoring a worker today, we not only recognize and thank one or a handful of people in our lives, we are also supporting their efforts to improve wages, benefits and conditions for all workers.
Also, on Labor Day weekend, congregations across the country will be hosting workers and labor leaders to reflect on faith, work, justice, and the meaning of Labor Day. I encourage you to attend! Click to find a service/event near you, and visit IWJ for information on organizing an event in your congregation.
Here is a really nice reflection on Philemon 1:1-21 in Philemon: Lessons for Labor Day
The short book of Philemon is one of the lectionary readings for Labor Day weekend 2010. Only 25 verses long, commentators aren’t clear exactly what is going on in the passage. It is clearly a letter from Paul and Timothy to a man named Philemon.
Let’s identify the main characters. There’s Paul, who’s in jail, and Timothy, his younger colleague and cohort. The letter is written to Philemon, who’s described as a “dear brother and fellow worker,” Apphia, called “our sister,” Archippus, who is a solider, and to the whole Church that meets in Philemon’s home. This makes us think that Philemon is fairly well to do, otherwise the Church probably couldn’t meet in his home. Plus, he clearly has at least one slave – Onesimus.
Paul gives thanks for Philemon’s love of people and prays that he will be active in sharing his faith and recognizing “every good thing we have in Christ.”
Then the crux of the letter begins. Paul is pleading on Onesimus’ behalf. Paul acknowledges that previously Onesimus was “useless” to Philemon. We don’t know why he was useless. Perhaps he was young and foolish. Perhaps he didn’t work hard. Perhaps he was actually a very good worker but Philemon took a dislike to him. We just don’t know.
Paul says, “I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I appeal to you on the basis of love.” So somehow, it appears that Philemon wasn’t being fair to Onesimus. Philemon is resisting doing what he ought to do, so Paul is appealing out of love.
Onesimus has served Paul well while he was in prison. He has become to him like a son, which is where we get the sense that Onesimus is young. Again, we’re not quite sure how Onesimus happened to get to prison with Paul. Perhaps Philemon had gotten mad and sent him to prison. Perhaps he had sent him with the mission of helping Paul.
Paul wanted to keep Onesimus with him, but he didn’t want to do so without Philemon’s consent, because the text says “so that any favor you do will be spontaneous and not forced.” Paul wants Onesimus to stay with him, but doesn’t want Philemon to feel like he must continue allowing him there. Interesting.
Paul speculates about the real purpose behind why Onesimus was separated. He says, “Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good – no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother.” He goes on to say, “He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother to the Lord.”
You know how we often see God’s hand in situation in the long run, but not in the short run. We view things one way at the time, but another in retrospect. What would explain Paul’s comments? Perhaps Onesimus ran away. Perhaps he bought his way out of being a slave. Perhaps Onesimus stole money or did something so bad that Philemon sent him off to jail. We don’t know. But, we do know that Paul is urging Philemon to see God’s hand in all this. Paul is urging him to see his coming back as a good thing. He is coming back as a brother and not as a slave.
Paul then goes on to say that if Philemon views Paul as a partner, then Philemon should welcome Onesimus “as you would welcome me.” Obviously, Philemon was not going to welcome him back nicely, otherwise Paul would not have had to beg him like this. Somehow or other Philemon is mad at Onesimus. Further, Paul says, “If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me.” Paul assures him that “I, Paul, am writing with my own hand.” Paul reiterates, “I will pay it back.”
Then Paul reminds Philemon that “you owe me your very self.” I assume this is referring to the fact that Paul evangelized Philemon. Paul is reminding him of his values and the debts that Philemon owes. Onesimus is not the only one with debts.
Finally, Paul appeals one last time to his good nature: “I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.”
Then Paul asks for a room and sends various greetings.
I can’t help, on this Labor Day weekend, reading this story as one about a rich and kind of spiteful, unforgiving, boss. Paul says Onesimus is a good guy. He is a dear brother. Paul is begging Philemon to welcome him back and treat him well. And, Paul is offering to pay any debt he may have. I don’t know about you, but Philemon seems the difficult one in this passage. Paul is treating him with kid gloves, appealing to love, calling in a debt, putting the situation in a favorable light.
So, what are the lessons for us here this Labor Day weekend? Frankly, the lessons depend in part on who we see ourselves as in the story. But frankly, I think most of the lessons are for bosses and those with influence. Let me suggest four key lessons:
…
Philemon may be a short book, but it is crammed full of lessons for us this Labor Day. None of us is perfect. Err on the side of forgiving mistakes by our co-workers, employees or even our bosses. When you see injustice and unfairness in the workplace, intervene. Be willing to step outside your comfort zone and speak up for your colleagues. And finally, approach those to whom you are appealing in a respectful manner. Pray for them and appeal to their best nature. These are good lessons this Labor Day weekend. Lessons for the workplace. Lessons for our families. And lessons for the Church.
From Mystagogy:
The most prominent and well-known feature of Grabarka is the forest of crosses surrounding the Church, all brought to the Mount by pilgrims.
The Holy Mount of Grabarka has been a center for pilgrimage for Orthodox Christians from Poland and other countries since the 18th century. Especially noteworthy is the feast of the Transfiguration of Christ in August, which draws about 10,000 believers from all over Europe. It is traditional for them arrive at Grabarka by foot, some of them bearing the wooden crosses that can be seen surrounding the Church.
Grabarka
Uploaded by amabka. – Exotic and entertaining travel videos.