Excerpted from “Leaflets” column

 

 

   January 1 is the feast of Mary, Mother of God. It is also the beginning of the new year, a day many of us spend reflecting on the past year and making resolutions for the year ahead. This is a good exercise to undertake at some point in the month of January while the year is still fresh and new.

As Pope Benedict reminded us: “We want to place in the hands of the heavenly Mother of God, our hymn of thanksgiving to the Lord for the blessings He has abundantly given us in these past twelve months” and “add our petition for forgiveness for not having always employed our time usefully.” He concluded by affirming that “Mary’s maternal presence assures us this evening that God never abandons us if we trust in Him and follow His teachings. With filial love and confidence we present our hopes and desires to Mary, as well as our fears and the difficulties that we hold in our heart...” (Address of 12/31/08).

We would do well to follow this sage advice from the Holy Father. Before 2009 fades too far into our distant memory, let us look back on those times when we may not have used time to its greatest advantage, times when we may have squandered it, rather than acknowledged that it is a precious commodity and used it carefully for the most benefit.

The best use of our time may not always be time spent in pursuit of a paycheck. As important as that is, particularly in times of economic uncertainty, time spent in spiritual endeavors is of far greater value. Our lives must hold balance. At Mariannhill our motto is Ora et Labora, “Pray and Work.” We would like to invite you, our dear LEAVES readers, to adopt this motto as your own for the new year.

Identifying moments when we have not been good stewards of our time is just the first step in changing our ways. The next is asking forgiveness when we have strayed. We then can receive the graces we need to make 2010 a year of accomplishments, great and small, in all areas of our lives.

As the Holy Father further suggests, let us take all that we hold dear in our hearts to Mary, our hopes and desires, our fears and difficulties. As Mary Mother of God assures us - God will never abandon us. We simply must follow His teachings and place our trust in Him.

Take some time in January to review last year and then look forward to this year. What are your hopes for 2010? Consider every area of your life: spiritually, physically, intellectually, etc. Don’t forget your family, your church, your community. No matter how old or how young we are, we all can, and should, grow.

If we have been given gifts in specific areas (good at singing, good with numbers, good with people), we should find new ways to show the Lord how grateful we are. Sharing our gift with others is our best prayer of thanksgiving for it.

Let us all make 2010 a year of great growth and blessings, and as always, let us keep one another in prayer.

 

 

 

February is Catholic Press Month

 

     Every other month LEAVES is sent free of charge to anyone who wishes to receive it. In each issue we try to include as many messages from our dear readers as possible. We don’t simply have subscribers to a magazine, we are a family that cares about one another.

Our readers come from all over the world and from all walks of life. The LEAVES family is typical of many families, made up of young and old alike, women and men, boys and girls. The common denominator of our family is a love of the Lord.

Devotion to God, the Blessed Mother, the angels and saints is evident in each and every letter we receive from our readers. We are humbled by your steadfast faith in the face of sometimes terrible adversities. You give us examples of a vibrancy and commitment of faith that strengthens our own faith and that of other readers. And for that we are indebted to you.

Our LEAVES family is precious to us and, we are quite certain, precious to the Lord. We are bound together through the thoughts and prayers of us all. The strength of caring has surely helped many of us persevere through hardships and also given us cause for celebration in happy moments.

During Catholic Press Month, we of the LEAVES magazine want to extend our love and prayers to you, our dear LEAVES family. Thank you for your letters and emails. Special thanks for your prayers for us and for the rest of the LEAVES family. We are profoundly grateful for them.

On the back page of the magazine is a form for sending LEAVES magazine to a friend. Why not consider sending in the name of one or two friends in honor of Catholic Press Month? We always are in need of new subscribers. Remember, there is never a charge for the magazine and we never share the name of our readers with any other groups. If you would prefer to email their names to us, you can reach us by emailing a note to us at this address: leaves-mag@juno.com.

…. May God grant you abundant blessings always - Father Thomas Heier, C.M.M.

 

 

 

Excerpted from “Our Family Album”

 

Mary Answers

 

For many years I’ve been reading LEAVES and have often adopted certain “cases” to say special prayers for and apply their examples to my own life. One can really learn so much just by reading how strong people’s faith is, even in their darkest sorrow.

For a very long time I have tried very hard to develop a close relationship with Mary Mother of God, but to no avail. I always tried to imitate her in my daily life and do things the way I thought she would. I did not succeed in any way. The task was too great and I felt so useless.

Not until yesterday did I feel that she accepted me as I am (terribly inadequate), and she answered a very deep problem we were having with one of our sons.

I was so amazed. It solved itself in five minutes! The days seem extra sunny now and my deepest stress is over. She really is my mother! She takes care of things.

I still need a lot of prayers to develop a deeper affection for her. I owe so much to you who publish LEAVES.

The kindness, caring and genuine love pours out of every page - R.Z.

 

 

 

 

In reading the Mar-Apr 2009 LEAVES I came across an article about St. Joseph of Cupertino. This was the first time I had read about him and I thought this was a sign, since I had been taking a very difficult course and was extremely anxious about the New York State exam.

In addition to attending school at night, I worked a full-time job. I spent every lunch hour and free time at home studying. Upon learning about St. Joseph of Cupertino, I began saying a prayer to him every night to help me. My mother also began praying the prayer for me.

Saturday was the big day of the exam. I said one last prayer in the car before I went in for the test. At the end of the test I received the results, and I am happy to say that I passed the state exam and will be able to get my license that will bring in extra money - K.A.

 

 

 

Miracle for Daughter

 

This is a true story about my daughter and her miracle. Sharon was diagnosed as schizophrenic when she was 18. For 10 years she was hospitalized at least 15 times and was uncontrollable. She lived on the streets sometimes for weeks and could not be in a social environment. She was in and out of board and care homes run by the mental health department.

I prayed every day for her to St. Therese the Little Flower. It took 10 years for me to smell roses where there were none. But a drug came out in generic form that finally worked for her. She was now 28 years old! We thank God and St. Theresa for this miracle.

This daughter is now my treasure because I am 81 and disabled and she is my caretaker. She completed a physical therapy class and is going into a Certified Nurses Aide Course now. She drives me to church and shopping, does my laundry and is my right hand, since I am wheelchair-bound.

My daughter almost became a ward of the state, and look what a miracle did for her and for us! - T.McM.

 

 

A novena to Fr. Engelmar Unzeitig, C.M.M., is now available. We will send a copy of it free to whoever requests it. Send your request with a stamped (postage for one ounce, currently 44 cents), self-addressed envelope to us at: LEAVES, P.O. Box 87, Dearborn, MI 48121-0087.

 

 

<>Venerable Father Engelmar

 

In July of 2009 Pope Benedict promulgated a decree recognizing the heroic virtues of four Servants of God, and among them was our Fr. Engelmar Unzeitig. It means that now he has merited the title “Venerable” and deserves to be venerated with it.

The next title he may earn is Blessed, but to attain this, there must be an authentic miracle from God obtained through Fr. Engelmar’s intercession. Two apparent miracles have already been reported and submitted to the Holy See, and it will decide if one of them is truly authentic.

Once he is Blessed, he may earn the highest title of all: Saint. To attain this, there must be a second authentic miracle. Continue to pray to God that, if it is His will, Fr. Engelmar may eventually be declared a saint.

 

 

My thanksgiving to Fr. Engelmar for favors granted for my brother of Our Lord ending his sufferings as he had to be put into a home where he was not very happy. He went in on the 21st of April and Our Lord took him on the 26th of April. The second is that my great granddaughter (16 years old) was in a friendship with a man who was 23 years old and the third was that she has returned home. Please pray for her to settle down - C.R.

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I can’t thank Fr. Engelmar enough, along with Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Ss. Therese, Anthony and all the angels and saints for the favors we received. We were going to lose our home. My prayers were answered and we were able to refinance our mortgage. I pray that Fr. Engelmar becomes a saint. I am saying my second novena to God through Fr. Engelmar and all the angels and saints. My husband was let go from his job after being a dedicated employee for 17 years due to being out for a medical reason. Now he is able to get back to work. My novena is to help my husband start a successful business as a handyman and to get his self-worth back again - S.B.

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My donation is for your mission in thanks for prayers answered by Fr. Engelmar and the Little Flower St. Therese - W.D.

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I’m writing in thanksgiving for favors received through the intercession of Fr. Engelmar. I prayed several novenas for my sons who were in fear of losing their jobs. Thanks to Fr. Engelmar, they did not lose them - Mrs. E.D.

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Thank you to Fr. Engelmar for a marvelous miracle for my dear brother John Joseph on the second day of the novena to Fr. Engelmar. There was a wonderful reply from the prostate doctor about not needing surgery for John. His count was okay, even though his regular doctor was concerned about the result of lab work. John’s prostate doctor said counts can go up and down and not to be unduly alarmed now and to return in four months. John was completely relieved. Thank you, Fr. Engelmar. I was completely relieved also because I love my only brother dearly - D.M.

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I am currently doing the novena to Fr. Engelmar for a special intention and have known about him since the late 1990s. I was born in Germany not too far from where he was born and my mother and father each experienced hard labor camps during WWII for five years. Mother lost her finger in hard labor and almost had my sister taken away from her. I am saying this as I have a special devotion to Fr. Engelmar because of my family background. I am praying for several very special intentions and will write back with any special favors received through the intercession of Fr. Engelmar - F.P.

 

 

Fatima Prayers

 

The Angel of Peace (the guardian angel of Portugal) told the three children of Fatima to pray and make sacrifices for the conversion of sinners and in reparation for sins. He also instructed them to often say the following two prayers:

 

My God, I believe, I adore, I hope in and I love You! I ask pardon of You for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope in and do not love You.

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Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly, and I offer You the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference with which He Himself is offended. And through the infinite merits of His most Sacred Heart and through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of You the conversion of poor sinners.

 

 

 

 

 

The Light

 

We can always pray

Amid the darkness in the world.

There is always a Light

And it is constantly unfurled.

 

This Light came to overcome the world.

It is always with us to refresh us.

Even when we have heavy burdens,

The Savior cares for us and Him we trust.

 

When our hearts are hurting,

When our faith is weak,

When our doubts are strong,

It is the Light for which we seek.

 

It will strengthen and guide us,

So that the pain and despair go away.

It is prayer that mounts to heaven

And Light comes through like a shining ray.

By Sister Marcella LaKoske, OP

 

 

 

 

 

 

  The Flame

     

     Watch the candle flame.

     It is always reaching, stretching.

     Is it trying to reach heaven?

     

     I am like a flame.

     I am always reaching, stretching.

     Will I ever reach heaven?

               By Ann Bender

 

 

 

 

 

Prayer for Peace

By St. John of the Cross

 

O blessed Jesus, give me stillness of soul in You. Let Your mighty calmness reign in me. Rule me, O You, King of Gentleness, King of Peace. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

Novena in Honor of

Abbot Francis Pfanner

 

Abbot Francis Pfanner founded the Congregation of Missionaries of Mariannhill 100 years ago. Abbot Francis was not only a great missionary, but also a holy man. The cause for his beatification has begun. We have available a novena in his honor and will send you a free copy of it when you send a stamped ($0.61 for 2 oz.), self-addressed, large (no. 10) envelope to: LEAVES, P.O. Box 87, Dearborn, MI 48121-0087.

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I needed a miracle for my 21-year-old nephew, so I set out to find a saint who would intercede for me. I just happened to be reading the article on Abbot Francis Pfanner in LEAVES and saw that Mariannhill is hoping God will grant a miracle through his intercession so that he can be declared a saint. I said, “This is the one for me!”

I sent for the novena booklet and prayed the nine-day novena that my nephew would not have epilepsy - he had just recently been diagnosed having it. After saying the novena prayers for nine days, I said the prayer for Abbot Pfanner’s beatification at the back of the booklet for the next nine days. On the eighth day of it, my sister said the neurologist told her my nephew did not have epilepsy, but something else that the doctors can work with. He was immediately told he could drive a car again and discontinue all anti-seizure medication. This is a miracle! - J.M.