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− | == The Our Father ==
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− | '''The Most Perfect Prayer'''
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− | *The Our Father is the most beautiful prayer made and is given to us by Jesus Himself.
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− | *Each word and each thought are chosen by Jesus’ infinite wisdom and love.
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− | *Each word and each thought are a source of mercy and grace.
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− | *Each part is an act of perfect love, of the highest value, and of greatest merit.
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− | **This is the key to open His treasures.
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− | **It contains everything that we want to pray for.
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− | *It shows the best & right way to pray: ''first glorifying God then asking for our needs''.
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− | '''''“Our Father”'''''
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− | *The most consoling words in the human language.
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− | *God of infinite love and affection assures us that He is our Father in the truest, most affectionate, and most intimate sense of the words.
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− | *He commands us to treat Him the same as how the most confiding child treats his loving father.
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− | *He does not merely ask for adoration or veneration; He wants our real, affectionate and confiding love.
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− | '''''“Who art in heaven”'''''
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− | *When we say God is in Heaven, we want to point out the true fact that:
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− | **God is beyond and above all things.
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− | * It describes:
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− | **The majesty and holiness of God.
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− | **God is present in the hearts of the righteous.
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− | '''''“Hallowed be Thy Name”'''''
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− | *These are words of glorification, saying God is the Holy One.
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− | **This speaks to the request in the sacrament of Baptism, which is for the sanctification of God to enliven our lives.
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− | **In what ways does our life and prayers glorify God, where others recognize Him and celebrate Him?
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− | '''''“Thy Kingdom comes”'''''
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− | *Pray that the kingship of God grows through the sanctification of man and woman in the Holy Spirit.
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− | '''''“Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven”'''''
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− | *The Father’s will is for “all to be saved.”
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− | **Jesus came down from Heaven to fulfill the Father’s plan of salvation.
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− | **We pray that His merciful love is fulfilled.
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− | '''''“Give us this day our daily bread”'''''
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− | *We recognize that God is great, beyond all that is good.
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− | *We ask God to give us daily sustenance to live, and if we are blessed with extra that we help those who are in need.
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− | *We pray that we hunger for the word of God and the Holy Eucharist, as well as hunger for the Holy Spirit.
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− | '''''“And forgive us our trespasses”'''''
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− | *Recognize that we are sinners.
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− | *Proclaim the Father’s mercy through His Son and through the sacraments.
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− | '''''“As we forgive those who trespass against us”'''''
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− | *Mercy can only enter our soul if we ourselves forgive our enemies.
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− | *Forgiveness is the participation in God’s mercy and is the pinnacle of Christian prayer.
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− | '''''“And lead us not into temptation”'''''
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− | *Temptation leads to sin and death. We:
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− | **Pray that we do not become vulnerable to the power of temptation,
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− | **Pray that we do not follow temptation,
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− | **Pray that we unite with Jesus, who overcame temptation through prayer,
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− | **As we face these challenges, we pray for help to grow in goodness, and
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− | **Pray that we are on guard and persevere to the end.
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− | '''''“But deliver us from evil”'''''
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− | *We pray that the entire human family is free of Satan, and his malice and snares.
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− | *We pray for the gift of grace, where peace and blessings help us to persevere until Christ comes again to liberate us from evil.
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− | '''''“Amen”'''''
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− | *We ask that God works through us.
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− | *We are determined to accept all that God teaches us in this prayer.
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− | == The Hail Mary ==
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− | '''The Hail Mary'''
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− | *The wondrous message of the Most Holy Trinity delivered by the archangel to Mary.
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− | *The words of the prayer are most beautiful and most simple.
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− | *St. Jerome: ''“The words of the Hail Mary are so sublime that no human intelligence is capable of adequately explaining them.”''
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− | '''Bible’s Source'''
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− | *Angel’s greeting: ''“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee…”''
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− | *Elizabeth words inspired by the Holy Spirit: ''“Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.”''
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− | We render to God the highest praise and return Him most gracious thanks, because He has bestowed all His heavenly gifts on the most holy Virgin.
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− | '''Catechism’s Source'''
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− | *St. Petrus Canisius in his Catechism in 1555 and the Catechism of the Council of Trent in 1566 added: ''“Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners.”''
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− | *The Church also added: ''“Now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”''
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− | We should earnestly implore Mother Mary’s help and assistance; for that she possesses exalted merits with God, and that she is most desirous to assist us by her prayers.
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− | '''The Last Four Things'''
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− | *'''Death:''' everyone dies (''in grace or in mortal sin'')
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− | *'''Judgment:''' reward or punishment (''even for very little things'')
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− | **Saved: belong to God; or
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− | **Damned: belong to devil
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− | *'''Heaven:''' eternal reward (''nothing is happier'')
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− | *'''Hell:''' eternal punishment (''nothing is more miserable'')
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− | '''Two Important Moments of Life'''
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− | *The present moment (''the most '''precious''' time'')
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− | *The hour of death (''the most '''important''' time'')
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− | **''“Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”''
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− | Every time we say the Hail Mary, we pray for a happy death (to die in grace).
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− | '''Intention of the three Hail Mary in the Morning'''
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− | *We ask for the three theological virtues: ''Faith, Hope, and Love.''
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− | *We also ask Mary for the virtue of ''Chastity''.
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− | '''Intention of the three Hail Mary at Night'''
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− | *We ask for the reparation of sins: of ourselves, of our relatives, and of the whole world.
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− | == The Glory Be ==
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| '''A Doxology''' | | '''A Doxology''' |
| *The Glory Be is technically called a doxology, a short expression of praise to God. | | *The Glory Be is technically called a doxology, a short expression of praise to God. |