Beloved:
Who indeed is the victor over the world
but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
(1 John 5:5)
Today is day 9 of my vomiting cycle! I am rejoicing that St. Jude Thaddeus is praying on my behalf!
This is the Novena my wife and I have been praying daily (it's a cycle of nine days):
Novena To St. Jude
Most holy Apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally, as the patron of difficult cases, of things almost despaired of, Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone.
Intercede with God for me that He bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly - David's Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome
- and that I may praise God with you and all the saints forever. I promise, O Blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor granted me by God and to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you.
Amen
May the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, and loved in all the tabernacles until the end of time. Amen.
May the most Sacred Heart of Jesus be praised and glorified now and forever. Amen
St. Jude pray for us and hear our prayers. Amen.
Blessed be the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Blessed be the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Blessed be St. Jude Thaddeus, in all the world and for all Eternity.
(followed by the Our Father and the Hail Mary)
We also invoked our own Guardian Angel in this prayer:
Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
To whom God's love
commits me here,
Ever this day,
be at my side,
To light and guard,
Rule and guide.
Amen.
Today's scripture reading is from 1 Jn 5:5-13 and Lk 5:12-16. Father Joseph explained in his homily this morning that "Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:12-13) and (a man covered with leprosy) begged him, “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.” Then Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do choose. Be made clean.” Immediately the leprosy left him." (Luke 5:12-13).
Jesus promises that if I believe Jesus is the Son of God then I will have victory over the world. He is primarily talking about victory over the spiritual world (Ephesians 6:12) but in the case of the man with leprosy He meant the physical world as well. Now read this:
"Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all day long;
we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8: 35-39)
Why am I so confident?
It's because "It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us." (Romans 8:34) And also "The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective." (James 5:16) - that's why I invoke St. Jude Thaddeus and my Blessed Mother (saying my daily Rosary) to intercede for me as well.
May God be praised!
For "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." (Philippians 4:12)
and I know that "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me." (Philippians 1:21-26).
Alleluya!
