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9 days Novena to St. Jude Thaddeus (Patron of the desperate)

NOVENA TO ST. JUDE THADDEUS
With the (+) Sign Of The Cross, we begin the Novena to St. Jude Thaddeus.
The Litany is said the beginning and end of each day prayers.
LITANY TO ST. JUDE
Lord, have mercy on us. / Christ, have mercy on us. / Lord, have mercy on us. / Christ, hear us. / Christ, graciously hear us. / God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us! / God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us! / God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us! / Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us!
St. Jude, relative of Jesus and Mary, pray for us! / St. Jude, raised to the dignity of an apostle, pray for us! / St. Jude, who had the honor of beholding the Divine Master humble Himself to wash his feet, pray for us! / St. Jude, who at the Last Supper received the Holy Eucharist from the hands of Jesus, pray for us! / St. Jude, who after the profound grief which the death of your beloved Master cause you, had the consolation of beholding Him risen from the dead and of assisting at His glorious Ascension, pray for us!
St. Jude, who was filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of the Pentecost, pray for us! / St. Jude, who preached the Gospel in Persia, pray for us! St. Jude, who converted many people to the Faith, pray for us! / St. Jude, who performed wonderful miracles in the power of the Holy Spirit, pray for us! / St. Jude, who restored an idolatrous king to health, both of soul and body, pray for us! / St. Jude, who imposed silence on demons, and confounded their oracles, pray for us! / St. Jude, who foretold to a weak prince an honorable peace with his powerful enemy, pray for us! / St. Jude, who took from deadly serpents the power of injuring man, pray for us! / St. Jude, who, disregarding the threats of the impious, courageously preached the doctrine of Christ, pray for us! / St. Jude, who gloriously suffered martyrdom for the love of your Divine Master, pray for us!
Blessed Apostle, with confidence, we invoke you! / Blessed Apostle, with confidence, we invoke you! / Blessed Apostle, with confidence, we invoke you! / St. Jude, help of the hopeless, aid me in my distress! / St. Jude, help of the hopeless, aid me in my distress! /St. Jude, help of the hopeless, aid me in my distress!
LET US PRAY: O, Saint Jude Thaddeus, cousin of Jesus Christ, glorious apostle and martyr, renowned for virtues and miracles, faithful and prompt intercessor of all who honor you and trust in you. You are a power patron and helper in grievous afflictions. I come to you and entreat you from the depths of my heart to come to my aid with your powerful intercession, for you have received from God the privilege to assist those who almost despair of all hope. Look down upon me, my life is a life of crosses; my days are days of tribulation; and my paths are strewn with thorns, and scarcely one moment passes but is a witness of my tears and sighs.
Overwhelmed by these thoughts, I see myself surrounded by a dark cloud. You can not forsake me in this sad plight. I will not depart from you until you have heard me. O hasten to my aid. I will be grateful to you all my life. I will honor you as my special patron, I will thank God for the graces bestowed upon you and will propagate your honor according to my power. Amen.
Saint Jude Thaddeus, pray for us and for all who invoke your aid.
FIRST DAY:
St. Jude, glorious apostle, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the name of the person (who betrayed our Lord) has caused you to be forgotten by many, but the true Church invokes you universally as the Patron of the desperate. Pray for me, who is miserable; pray for me, that I may finally receive the consolations and the succor of Heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly (add your personal request here), and that I may bless God with the Elect Throughout Eternity. St. Jude, worker of miracles, please pray for me. Saint Jude, helper of the hopeless, please pray for me. Amen.                                      
THE LITANY TO ST. JUDE FOLLOWS.
SECOND DAY:
O most holy apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, people honor and invoke you universally, as the patron of hopeless cases. Pray for me, for I am so helpless and alone. Please help me to bring visible and speedy assistance. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven in my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings. I promise, O blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this greatfavor to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen.                                                                                                         
 THE LITANY TO ST. JUDE FOLLOWS.
THIRD DAY:
Holy Saint Jude,  Apostle and martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, close friend of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke your special patronage in time of need. To you I have recourse from the depths of my heart and humbly beg to whom God has given such great power to come to my assistance. Help me in my present situation. In return I promise to make your name known. Saint Jude, pray for me and all those who invoke your aid. Amen.                                                                                                                
THE LITANY TO ST. JUDE FOLLOWS.
FOURTH DAY:
Blessed Apostle St. Jude, we call upon you for help in hope and utmost confidence. St. Jude renowned help of the hopeless, come to my aid in this time of distress. St. Jude, cousin of our Lord, obtain from our Savior the favors I now need and seek. Glorious St. Jude with faith in your goodness I ask your help today, As one of Christ’s chosen Apostles, you remain a pillar and foundation of His Church on earth. You are counted we know, among the elders who always stand before God’s throne. From your place of glory we know you do not forget the needs and difficulties of Christ’s little ones here still struggling, like me, on the way home to God. Please intercede for me, gracious St. Jude, and be with me in my daily work and in all my necessities especially ___________. In Christ’s name, I appeal to you again today. Amen                                                                                                                 
THE LITANY TO ST. JUDE FOLLOWS.
FIFTH DAY
St. Jude, you witnessed the healing power of our Lord Jesus. You saw his compassion for the sick and dying. You yourself touched the sick, shared the sorrows of the mournful, and encouraged the despairing. You received this authority and healing power to work wonders, to cure the incurable, to make people whole. We ask you to intercede with our brother, Jesus, to send his saving grace to heal the sickness and suffering of ________ to                                                      uplift his/her hearts. Amen.                                                                
THE LITANY TO ST. JUDE FOLLOWS.
SIXTH DAY:
St. Jude, through prayer you raised God for the wonderful works of Jesus. You asked God for the strength to meet the challenges of your apostolate. You put your trust in God’s mercy, believing firmly that God loved you and understood your joys and sorrows, your hopes and fears, and your triumphs and failures. You understood that nothing is impossible for God. I ask you to pray for me now before the most Most high so that I too might be filled with God’s will for me and faithfully place myself in God’s loving hands.                                                                             Amen.                                                                                           THE LITANY TO ST. JUDE FOLLOWS.
SEVENTH DAY
St. Jude, you remained faithful to our Lord, even unto death. You gave your life so that others might live. You endured physical pain and emotional abandonment. But you gladly joined your sufferings to those of our savior, Jesus, and thus shared in the redemption of the world. I ask you now to intercede with our brother, Jesus Christ on my behalf, so that I, too, can find strength in the face of my suffering. Help me to trust in God and put my life                                                          in His hands. Amen.                                                                    
THE LITANY TO ST. JUDE FOLLOWS.
EIGHT DAY:
St. Jude, please assist me in difficult financial circumstances. I beg you to shine the light on the resources that I need to help meet my debts and satisfy my pressing obligations. I promise to live simply and maximize the use of resources. And when my time of abundance                               will come, I will also share my resources with others. Amen.                                
THE LITANY TO ST. JUDE FOLLOWS.
NINTH DAY:
Saint Jude, we have also problems in our relationship. Beg almighty God to give us the light to see ourselves and each other as we really are. Help us to grow daily in self- knowledge and mutual love, while at the same time developing our potential to love and be loved. Help us, Saint Jude, to see and root out every manifestation of selfishness, vanity, and childish self-seeking–those hidden enemies of love and maturity. Show us that by learning to love and being filled with love, we may complement and nurture each  other as we share our lives together.                                              
 THE LITANY TO ST. JUDE FOLLOWS.

Moments Like This!

October 14, 2013 afternoon

I need something new to keep me from thinking I've been in this country for so long. I need to go home. I badly want to go home, at least to recharge, at least to hug my parents and family, at least to share stories with relatives and friends.

Weird, I told my husband about this and he told me, "Magtyaga na lang tayo muna dito". He said, to be patient where we are... funny, we are in the United States of America! Many Filipinos in the Philippines would say the same thing while waiting for their opportunity to go to another country. BUT, we are in the other country.. and we are both eager to go home - for a vacation!

Why can't we?

Because leaving without permanent papers would mean going back to our country and staying there for good. We will start back to zero. We'll need to find jobs, make a living and be stable. For a single woman, it maybe OK, but not for a family of four.

We love where we are here in the US in terms of jobs and education for our children. I just badly need a break.

I am not sure what new I am looking for, money can't seem to solve the longing, buying things, eating a lot and traveling to places continue to be temporary and fleeting. 

If only we have the paperwork already, we'll leave at once! Never mind the ticket and expenses. We will go home. But we don't have any.

This is not saying I am not grateful and blessed, because I am but still it's just so weird feeling this way! I feel like a victim! I feel trapped because this isn't my intention, and as of now, even as I am writing this, I can do nothing about it and it sucks! :(

October 14, 2013 midnight news

Major earthquake shook Central Philippines.

I rest my case.

God bless our country, Lord.






13 years!

We didn't have long engagement, heck we really didn't have enough time to get to know each other better prior to marriage. For me, it was all gut feeling! LOL.

Yet, here we are! 13 years today! 13 years of getting to know each other and I guess, we will have a lifetime of it!

You continue to be my perfect opposite and I am yours! Picture how we coped all these years! Crazy and weird times, I know. Our marriage is full of spices of different sorts. But along the way, we've learned and are still learning to meet each other halfway, change bit by bit to accommodate, embrace life together, and love unconditionally.

Cheers to 13 years of living, loving and learning Dennis! :)



NAMASTE.




Novena to St. Therese

Dearest Saint Therese of Lisieux, you said that you would spend your time in heaven doing good on earth.

Your trust in God was complete. Pray that He may increase my trust in His goodness and mercy as I ask for the following petitions...

(State your intentions)

Pray for me that I, like you, may have great and innocent confidence in the loving promises of our God. Pray that I may live my life in union with God's plan for me, and one day see the Face of God whom you loved so deeply.

Saint Therese, you were faithful to God up until the moment of your death. Pray for me that I may be faithful to our loving God. May my life bring peace and love to the world through faithful endurance in love for God our savior.

Loving God, St. Therese experienced every day as a gift from You. She saw it as a time to love You through other people. May I, too, see every day as an opportunity to say yes to You.

I accept your will, Lord. Help me to accept your will every day!
I try to forgive, Lord. Help me to forgive 70 times 7 times!
I am humble, Lord. Give me more humility!
I see you, Lord. Help me to see you more!
I trust you, Lord. Help me to trust you more!
I love you, Lord. Help me to love you more!

Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be...

Amen.

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Hot Yoga in Gallup!


Excited to do something with my (physical) life, I together with a friend, checked out the Four Corners Yoga because the Gallup News Bulletin announced the lessons were free!  It was free indeed, (we just told them we saw the ad saying it was free in the paper) and we just paid $2 because we needed to rent the mat and towel.

Oh my, we had 90 minutes of our lives! The room was hot, really, really hot!!! It was like 105+ degrees inside the closed room with like 40% humidity!

Coming to America, I never sweated profusely until that night. We stretched muscles we never knew could be stretched. We did poses, 26 postures, as they called it and I needed to work on my breathing to survive!

There was supposed to be no talking during the meditation time, as what yoga is about, in this case, hot yoga! But, it was funny how we were trying out the postures and not being able to do it as beautifully as we should, there were no judgments, we were told to listen to our body, and it wasn’t a competition anyway. So, with a lot of smiles and some chit chats, the instructor continued to remind us to respect and focus on our own bodies. STOP THE TALKING, in loud words, Lol!

We needed to drink lots of water and one is allowed to do so, of course! The instructors would also give time after every set for us to refresh and take a breather.

We were flushed afterwards, all toxins were out! Our cheeks were rosy and it felt like all tension and stress were released.

After a few days, we came back again, this time, we didn’t talk, it was silence all the way as we stretched and embraced the heat and the sweat! I just have to remind myself that I should not eat at least 2 hours prior to the movements because I could feel the food upside down my stomach as I did the stretches! Lol!

We decided to try this out for 30 days. We paid $29.00, this is the beginner’s month fee; we can go everyday if we want to. (Yoga time is from 6-7:30 Monday to Friday and every Sat and Sun from 9-10:30).

Loving the super sweat I was making, I am hopeful to lose weight in the process and benefit some more! Well now, aside from drinking lots of water, I am now also conscious of my breathing... so it should be good.

... and yes, at the end of the session, the instructor would say as I would,

NAMASTE.

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