Litany to the Holy Spirit

Sister Mary Ann Lou from Taiwan has sent us this prayer for the Holy Father. Say it daily until Pentecost:

LITANY TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

Lord, have mercy on us! Lord, have mercy on us!

Christ, have mercy on us! Christ, have mercy on us!

Lord, have mercy on us! Lord, have mercy on us!

Christ, hear us! Christ, hear us!

Christ, graciously hear us! Christ, graciously hear us!

Heavenly Father, have mercy on us!

Son and Redeemer,

Holy Spirit,

Blessed Trinity, one God,

Holy Spirit, Love of the Father and the Son

Holy Spirit, Happiness of the Father and the Son

Holy Spirit, Cause of the mystery of the Incarnation,

Holy Spirit, Divine Spouse of the Immaculate Virgin Mary,

Holy Spirit, Crown of the redemptive work of Jesus,

Holy Spirit, Guide of Holy Mother the Church

Holy Spirit, Guardian of the Holy Father's teachings,

Holy Spirit, Sun of Divine grace,

Holy Spirit, Dispenser of divine virtues and gifts,

Holy Spirit, Spirit of our understanding and knowledge,

Holy Spirit, Spirit of wisdom and good counsel,

Holy Spirit, Spirit of piety and reverential fear,

Holy Spirit, Spirit of courage and fortitude,

Holy Spirit, Source of all virtues,

Holy Spirit, Master of perfection,

Holy Spirit, Joy of the angels,

Holy Spirit, Hope of the patriarchs,

Holy Spirit, Inspiration of the prophets,

Holy Spirit, Teacher of the apostles,

Holy Spirit, Strength of martyrs,

Holy Spirit, Strength of confessors of the faith,

Holy Spirit, Chastity of virgins,

Holy Spirit, Pledge of the unity of all Saints,

Holy Spirit, Forgiver of sins,

Holy Spirit, Risen Life of all humanity,

Holy Spirit, Light and Joy of eternal life,

Be merciful! Have mercy on us, Holy Spirit!

Be merciful��Hear us, Holy Spirit!

From all error of faith, Save us, Holy Spirit!

From all sins,

From the spirit of pride,

From the spirit of uncleanness,

From the Spirit of hatefulness,

From the spirit of falsehood and pretense,

From the neglect of your inspirations,

From the resisting of recognized truth,

From the pride of taking your mercy for granted,

From the fear of losing divine mercy,

From obstinancy and the lack of repentance,

From sudden and unhappy death,

From eternal damnation,

We poor sinners, We beseech you, hear us!

We ask you to support the Holy Father and all Bishops, As they govern the Church;

We ask you to send holy priests to the Church;

We ask you to sanctify all holy orders and members of the Church;

We ask you to bless the work of all Catholic catechists and teachers,

We ask you to powerfully protect the Catholic missions,

We ask you to guide back to Christ's fold, all who have wandered far from him;

We ask you to keep away sadness and doubt;

We ask you to preserve the unity of the Church

We ask you to direct all our thoughts and desires towards heaven;

We ask you to keep us all in your Love;

We ask you to receive us all into everlasting happiness;

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, Spare us, O, Lord!

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, Hear us, O, Lord!

Lamb of God, you take away, the sins of the world, have mercy on us!

Send us your Spirit, and we will be renewed,

and you will renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray, Holy Spirit of God, whom the Lord had promised to his Church and whom he graciously sent to us on the day of Pentecost: be the constant welcome Guest of our hearts! Protect and increase in us your graces; kindle the fire of the hidden divine virtues in our hearts!

Adorn us, your temples, with your sevenfold gifts; allow the spirit of your Love to radiate to our brothers and sisters. Help us to build the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ through prayer, through the witness of our lives and our apostolate.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with you and the Father, forever and ever Amen

The Case of Terri Schiavo

In view of the continuing controversy over the case of Terri Schiavo, the ethicists of The National Catholic Bioethics Center would like to reiterate their firm conviction that food and water should be provided for all patients who suffer PVS unless it fails to sustain life or causes suffering. We make this judgment based on the Catholic moral tradition, on the 1992 statement of the Pro-Life Secretariat of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops dealing with hydration and nutrition for patients in PVS, on years of consideration of comparable cases and in view of Pope John Paul II’s March 2004 allocution on life sustaining measures for patients in a persistent vegetative state. In general, the provision of nutrition and hydration to the patient in PVS is proportionate and morally obligatory. Removal of food and water is permissible only when they no longer attain the ends for which they are provided.

If you need more info, please check the National Catholic Bioethics Center at : www.ncbcenter.org

Tsunami Relief-A message from Dr John Lee

Dear Friends of AFCMA,

I wish all of you and your loved ones the peace and joy of the Risen Lord. It seems rather a coincidence that on the day following the two most important celebrations in the Christian calender, the celebrations are cut short by disaster affecting our brothers and sisters in a few countries in Asia in particular Indonesia.

In the wake of the Tsunami disaster, I was overwhelmed by the Christian generosity from people all over the world who responded in whatever way they can to help the victims of the disaster. There are too many examples of heroic sacrifice to mention. However the Malaysians who reached out to help victims in other countries despite the fact that they were also affected is particularly inspiring. The Missions Committee of AFCMA led by myself and co-chaired by Freddie Loh together with Gian Luigi were busy responding to the disaster in many ways. We were in constant contact with our brethen in the affected countries to see how we can help in terms of medical relief and logistics.

For many reasons it would be impossible for foreign aid agencies and NGOs to be involved in sustainable long term reconstruction projects without the involvement of the locals. I am pleased to announced that we have finalised a project together with PERDHAKI (a Catholic healthcare association in Indonesia) to bring primary healthcare to communities in Aceh along the coastal regions many of which have not received any aid. To date we have secured commitment for approximately US$127,000 to fund the project. There might be need of help from all of you in the future for specific projects in Aceh.

I was shocked last night to learn of the devastation caused by a new earthquake especially to the island of Nias (a predominantly Christian community off the west coast of Aceh). However I am impressed at the speed at which PERDHAKI has responded to the situation. Today they have sent a medical team to Nias by helicopter and plan to send another team from Jakarta soon. We will continue to keep in touch with PERDHAKI and our friends in the Indonesian Catholic Doctors community to see how we can assist them.

In the meantime I urge those countries who have yet to respond to our invitation to nominate a member to sit on the mission committee to help us coordinate our relief efforts.

In His Service,

John Lee