Surah 3:113-114

The Family of Imran

Among the People of the Scripture is a community standing in obedience, reciting the verses of Allah during periods of the nights and prostrating in prayer. They believe in Allah and the Last Day, and they enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and hasten to good deeds. And those are among the righteous.

The Qur'an

I recently received a copy of The Qur'an from the Islamic Australia society and I started reading it yesterday - you can see so many similarities with The Bible - I don't see why there is so much hate in the world all based on religion when we have more in common than most think!

ravenswiss @ Twitter

Follow me on Twitter where I post daily Psalms from the Daily Missal Responsorial Psalm. Soon I will start quoting passages from St. Faustina Kowalska's Diary "Divine Mercy in My Soul" of an evening, daily Psalm in the morning.

My Twitter screen name is: ravenswiss

Pope's Prayer Intentions

JANUARY 2012

Vatican City, 28 December 2012 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for January 2013 is: "That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him".

His mission intention is: "That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance".

SOURCE: Vatican Information Service

A Novena for the Year of Faith / Year of Grace

I plan to start a Novena either tomorrow or over the weekend. My objectives will be:

• Increase my devotion to God.
• For conversion of those dear to me.
• Motivation.
• Overcome addiction - make meds last longer.

I am not sure which Chaplet I shall use - probably either the Divine Mercy or St. Maximilian Kolbe, Patron Saint of addicts.

Please help me to grow in devotion to Your Sacred Heart and Divine Mercy, also the Immaculate Virgin Mary.

Give me a "no fear" attitude that I may spread the Good News and it won't fall on deaf ears.

Through Jesus Christ, the Compassionate and Merciful God.

Amen.

Isaiah 53

"He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; by His wounds we are healed."

1

Thank You God

For all You have given,

Thank You God.

For all You have withheld,
Thank You God.

For all You have withdrawn,
Thank You God.

For all You have permitted,
Thank You God.

For all You have prevented,
Thank You God.

For all You have forgiven me,
Thank You God.

For all You have prepared for me,
Thank You God.

For the death You have chosen for me,
Thank you God.

For the place you are keeping for me in heaven,
Thank You God.

For having created me to love You for eternity,
Thank You God. 

QUOTE: St. Vincent de Paul

"The Lord always sets His heart to a task when He removes all human means and orders us to do a thing that exceeds our strength."

Prayer for a cat

O God,
Every animal, in every forest, field and home belongs to You and is under Your loving care. May your blessing be upon this cat, and, in Your steadfast kindness, keep him/her safe from all harm. We pray that You would show forth your eternal love and mercy in the companionship and friendship that this cat provides.
Amen.

Are You There God?

Five Ways to Prove God Exists

by St. Thomas Aquinas

1. MOTION: Everyone can see that motion exists in the world; your eyes are moving across these words rights now. Everything that moves is caused to move by something or someone else, your living room furniture isn't going to just rearrange itself.
If everything that moves has to be moved by something outside of itself, there has to be a "first move" that caused motion to exist for the very first time, or else we just have to keep going back in time to infinity, which is impossible.
This first move is what we call God.

2. CAUSE & EFFECT: Everything that exists was caused to exist; fire causes heat, rain causes crops to grow, your parents caused you! If a lump of clay is sitting on the table in front of you, it's not going to shape itself into a vase. That's impossible, and unless you form the clay yourself it's just going to sit there.
So since everything that is created needs and cause, there must be a first, ultimate cause, which we call God.

3. EXISTENCE: Our third way is the argument from existence. The computer or smartphone you are using to read this article did not exist at some point in the past, it had to be put together and created. The same is true with creation! It exists now, but at some point it had to come into existence, which every scientist in the world would admit.
And since "nothing" can't be called "something" there must be something that exists by its own power that makes everything else to exist... and that would be God.

4. PROGRESSION: There are things that are good, better and best. However, we can only say that things are better and best if we know that there is something out there that has to be the maximum of all these things - fire is the maximum of heat and makes everything else hot.
God is the cause of all other things, and He is the maximum of all that can be.

5. DESIGN: An acorn will always grow into an oak tree and the sun will always cause plants to grow as long as there is water and oxygen. The world has order and our universe obeys certain laws, St. Thomas uses the example of an arrow that is fired by an archer.
The arrow will only fly through the air and hit the target if it is directed by an archer, and what directs our universe to act the way it does with knowledge and intelligence, we call God.

Five Bible Verses for Healing

God gives us His Word to help soothe our spiritual aches, but He also sends His Word to heal our physical bodies. Here are just five verses that will help you during your journey towards healing.

My Grace

But he said to me: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

God is Faithful

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

1 Corinthians 10:13

He Who Heals

"For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds" says the Lord, "Because they called you an outcast saying: "This is Zion; no one seeks her."

Jeremiah 30:17

Healthy and Strong

They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.

Psalms 73:4-5

Restore

I have seen his ways and will heal him; I will also lead him, and restore comforts to him and to his mourners.

Isaiah 57:18

The Candy Cane

The Story of The Candy Cane

A Love Story

Adorning Christmas trees, store aisles and given out to kids by Santa around this time of year is the candy cane. Amongst the commercialism of Christmas, it is hard to see that this treat actually has a religious meaning, too. It is a story of a candy maker and his love for our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Read about the "hidden" meaning here, perhaps you can spread some Christmas cheer by not keeping it a secret, but sharing it.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

The Twelve Days of Christmas

A Catholic Catechism

Many are familiar with the Christmas tune "The Twelve Days of Christmas" but few know its origin or meaning for that matter. The following link (click image) will tell you all about how, according to legend, this song played a big part in keeping Catholicism alive in England during the Reformation acting as a catechism of sorts.

Well worth checking out! Remember this as you next hear the tune playing whilst you go about your Christmas shopping.

GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST

Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to His people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King,
Almighty God and Father,
we worship You, we give You thanks,
we praise You for Your glory.


Lord Jesus Christ,
only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
You take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
You are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.

For You alone are the Holy One,
You alone are the Lord,
You alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of the Father.

Amen.

Welcome!

Greeting and blessing be upon you today and thanks for checking out my new blog! The old one, "Darkness Draws Closer..." will still be available at rvnsws.blogspot.com.au as there is much valuable content that both myself and others find of use. My new blog is titled "Gloria in Excelsis Deo" which is Latin, meaning "Glory to God in the highest" the start of a common Catholic prayer, hymn/canticle, and can be found in the Bible in Luke 2:14: "Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will" (Douay-Rheims Bible).

This blog will be more faith-centered than my previous one, though there was a fair bit of spirituality/faith issues I regarded, this one will be almost purely made up of a mixture of prayer, interesting tid-bits (news/links/images etc;) and general religious ramblings... what blog would be complete without ramblings? Certainly not mine!

I welcome feedback, please keep it constructive :-)

GBU (God Bless You)
Davie.

Unite me, Lord

Dear Lord,
I desire to unite myself with Your Spirit by entering a more prayerful state and having somewhat a "prayer timetable".
I desire to start praying some of the Liturgy of the Hours, such as the mid-day and evening, plus daily meditations I can use to start the day.
I desire to start saying the Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet.
I desire to say grace before meals to five thanks to the Lord.
I desire to read my Missal on a more constant basis, and to included more Psalms as well as spontaneous prayer.
Fill me with the Holy Spirit and save me from the sin of laziness. Help me Lord to imitate Christ.
Through the Divine Mercy of Our Lord, Saviour and King, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.

SET MY HEART ON FIRE!

O Lord,
Set my heart on fire.
Pluck an arrow from your sheath,
Point, aim and target me with Your Most Gracious Holy Spirit.
Allow my mind, body and soul to erupt in a blaze of glory.
As I lay witness to and proclaim Your Word and Kingdom to the world.
Have mercy on me, Your lowly creature, and grant me the fruits that faith bears.
Through Christ our Lord, our King, our Saviour.
Amen.

I've started to read St. Maria Faustina Kowalska's "diary", "Divine Mercy in My Should" as every time I pick the book up, I read fragments... this time I am determined to read it cover to cover. Been reading for one day and all is going well!
I am hoping and praying that it will help renew my faith and restore my spirituality - I feel it helping already as I attended mass - here in Woodenbong, a nice little country church, nothing special.
I hope to grow in devotion to the Divine Mercy, as well as the Rosary. In time I wish to start praying the "Divine Office" eventually getting up to praying three - if not all five - offices of prayer.
Thank you for Your Love, Your Gentle Mercy, most sweet Saving Blood.
Through Christ Jesus.
Amen.

"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His Love is everlasting."

Psalm 136:1

I've decided I need to pray more. And when I pray I need to learn to give thanks rather than fall into the trap of want over need, calling on God like some type of cosmic money-tree.
So I figured what better and easier way is there than to just do it in a brainstorm!

Dear Lord,
Help me to be appreciative of the things, the people I have - Kyle and Jillian - and help me to forget and leave in the past what we left behind in Albury.
Open up Your wonder and allow me to see Your Beauty, smell Your Creation, feel Your Spirit that is the wondrous thing we call nature.
Let me grow in Your Love.
Through Jesus Christ Our Saviour.
Amen.