Pope’s Intentions for January

Following are the Intentions of our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI for the month of January, courtesy of the Apostleship of Prayer:

• The Faith of Christians. 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.
• Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East,  often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

For more on observing the Year of Faith here in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, click here.

Pope’s Intentions for December

Following are the Intentions of our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI for the month of December, courtesy of the Apostleship of Prayer:

• Migrants.  That migrants throughout the world may be welcomed with generosity and authentic love, especially by Christian communities.
• Christ, light for all humanity.  That Christ may reveal himself to all humanity with the light that shines forth from Bethlehem and is reflected in the face of his Church

Of course, the beginning of December marks the beginning of Advent, the beautiful four-week season of preparation for Christmas. Check out this link for a list of some time-honored Catholic traditions for Advent and Christmas. Maybe you would like to make one or more these part of your own celebration of this holy season!

Pope’s Intentions for November

Following are the Intentions of our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI for the month of November, courtesy of the Apostleship of Prayer:

• Ministers of the Gospel.  That bishops, priests, and all ministers of the Gospel may bear the courageous witness of fidelity to the crucified and risen Lord.
• Pilgrim Church.  That the pilgrim Church on earth may shine as a light to the nations.

The month of November is dedicated to the Holy Souls in Purgatory. The Church commemorates all her faithful children who have departed from this life, but have not yet attained the joys of heaven. The Church has always taught us to pray for those who have gone before us into eternity. Even in the Old Testament prayers and alms were offered for the souls of the dead, as it was considered the “holy and pious” thing to do (2 Mac. 12:45)  We know that a defiled soul cannot enter into heaven.

November is a rich month liturgically. It marks the end of ordinary time and the beginning of Advent. It begins today with the solemnity of All Saints followed by All Souls’ Day. The remainder of the month contains the feast days of many popular saints as well as the great feast of Christ the King. The Church in the United States also sees the secular holiday of Thanksgiving as a time for all of us to thank God for the rich blessings he has bestowed upon us.

Pope’s Intentions for October

Following are the Intentions of our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI for the month of October, courtesy of the Apostleship of Prayer:

• New Evangelization.  That the New Evangelization may progress in the oldest Christian countries.
• World Mission Day.  That the celebration of World Mission Day may result in a renewed commitment to evangelization.

Since October is Respect Life Month and also the month especially devoted to the Rosary, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is offering these additional prayer resources this month, including a Rosary Novena for Life and a Prayer for the Protection of Religious Liberty that is prayed each day at our archdiocesan chancery office. We also recommend this novena that comes to us from Fr. Frederick Miller.

October also has more than its fair share of feast days of popular saints. Today, for example, we celebrate the feast of St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower. For those wishing to go deeper into her beautiful yet simple spirituality, we highly recommend that you pick up a copy of I Believe in Love, which will whisk you away on retreat with this holy Carmelite nun.

Pope’s Intentions for September

Following are the Intentions of our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI for the month of September, courtesy of the Apostleship of Prayer:

• Politicians.  That politicians may always act with honesty, integrity, and love for the truth.
• Help for the Poorest Churches.  That Christian communities may have a growing willingness to send missionaries, priests, and lay people, along with concrete resources, to the poorest Churches.

Since the 16th century, the month of September has  been set aside to honor Our Lady of Sorrows, whose feast will be celebrated on Saturday, September 15th. At the foot of the Cross, the Blessed Virgin Mary suffered a martyrdom of the heart because of Our Lord’s torments and the greatness of her love for Him. As Vatican II teaches,

“[Mary] advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto the Cross, where she stood, in keeping with the divine plan, grieving exceedingly with her only begotten Son, uniting herself with a maternal heart with His sacrifice, and lovingly consenting to the immolation of this Victim which she herself had brought forth.”

The Church has traditionally recognized seven sorrows of Mary:

(1) The Prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:33-35)

(2) The Flight into Egypt (Matthew 3:13-15)

(3) The Loss of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52)

(4) The Meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross (John 19:17)

(5) The Crucifixion (John 19:25-30)

(6) The Taking Down of the Body of Jesus from the Cross (John 19:31-37)

(7) Jesus Laid in the Tomb (John 19:38-42)

Click here for some traditional devotions to Our Lady of Sorrows.

Pope’s Intentions for August

Following are the Intentions of our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI for the month of August, courtesy of the Apostleship of Prayer:

• Prisoners.  That prisoners may be treated with justice and respect for their human dignity.
• Youth Witness to Christ. That young people, called to follow Christ, may be willing to proclaim and bear witness to the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

The month of August is also traditionally dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The heart of Mary is venerated–and not adored as the Sacred Heart of Jesus is–because it represents her burning love for Jesus, her virtue, and her deep interior life (cf. Lk. 2:19, 51). Through our devotion to the Immaculate Heart, we pray that we may likewise grow in love and virtue.

Devotion to the Immaculate Heart has received a new impetus over the past century because of the visions given to Lucy Dos Santos, oldest of the visionaries of Fatima, in her convent in Tuy, in Spain, in 1925-26. In the visions, Our Lady asked for the practice of the Five First Saturdays to help make amends for the offenses committed against her heart by the blasphemies and ingratitude of humanity.The practice parallels the devotion of the Nine First Fridays in honor of the Sacred Heart.

On March 25, 1984, in an act that was universal, solemn, public, and collegial, Pope John Paul II consecrated the entire world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Pope’s Intentions for July 2012

Following are the Intentions of our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI for the month of July, courtesy of the Apostleship of Prayer:

• Work Security.  That everyone may have work in safe and secure conditions.
• Christian Volunteers.  That Christian volunteers in mission territories may witness to the love of Christ.

July is also the month traditionally dedicated to the Precious Blood of Our Lord. Father Faber describes why we honor the Blood of Christ in The Precious Blood: The Price of our Salvation.

The Precious Blood of Jesus deserves special honor because of its close relation to Our Lord’s Passion. From the beginning the Apostles praised its redeeming power. Some biblical examples:

• Romans 5:9 “we are justified by His blood”
• Hebrews 13:12 “and so Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people by His blood, suffered outside the gate”
• 1 John 1:7 “and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin”

Pope’s Intentions

Following are the Intentions of our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI for the month of June, courtesy of the Apostleship of Prayer:

• Christ, Present in the Eucharist.  That believers may recognize in the Eucharist the living presence of the Risen One who accompanies them in daily life.
• European Christians.  That Christians in Europe may rediscover their true identity and participate with greater enthusiasm in the proclamation of the Gospel.

The Church traditionally dedicates the month of June to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This year the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart falls on June 15th, the Friday following the second Sunday after Pentecost. In addition to the liturgical celebration, many devotional exercises are connected with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and, in recent years, the Divine Mercy. The devotion to the Sacred Heart remains one of the most widespread and popular devotions in the Church.

 

Apostleship of Prayer

I always keep on my desk a leaflet from the Apostleship of Prayer, containing the Pope’s intentions for each month. Uniting ours prayers with those of the Holy Father and the universal Church is an excellent way to open ourselves to God’s personal call in our lives.

Before giving the Pope’s intentions for May, I’d like to recommend two privileged times for remembering the Pope’s intentions:

First, there’s the Morning Offering, which is a great way to commit our day to the Lord:

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world. I offer them for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart: the salvation of souls, reparation for sin, and the reunion of all Christians. I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and for all the intentions recommended by our Holy Father this month. Amen.

Second, there’s the family Rosary. At the beginning or end of the Rosary, to gain the indulgence for praying the Rosary–and again to manifest the unity of our prayer with that of the universal Church–it’s customary to pray an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be for the Pope’s intentions.

But what are the Pope’s intentions this month? Here they are:.

The Family. That initiatives which defend and uphold the role of the family may be promoted within society.

Mary, Guide of Missionaries. That Mary, Queen of the World and Star of Evangelization, may accompany all missionaries in proclaiming her Son Jesus.