We beg your prayers for this apostolate

and for everyone who is touched by it. 

 Here are two prayers we like and recommend:

A PRAYER FOR PURIFICATION

BY WATER, BLOOD AND FIRE

 "Let us worship with reverance and awe,

for our God is a consuming fire."

Hebrews 12:28-29

All of us involved in this purity apostolate, because that's what it is, a purity apostolate, we are all going to be consumed, not all at once, but throughout every moment of our lives, beginning the very moment we ask for it, consumed in the purifying flames of the fire of the Lord's love.  He wants us to evangelize the world, but all our apostolate can offer the world is PURITY.  And that means that all of our self-centeredness, all of our sin, all of the dross of our lives must be incinerated.  That is what we have to offer the Lord, our IMPURITY.  And he will burn it, but because he is pure, and his fire is pure, the flames will emit only the most RADIANT WHITE LIGHT of his love.  And all who see us will see only this fire of immolation.  They will think it lovely, and they make think that we are actually doing something good, but they won't realize that everything about us that is not HIM is being consumed by the fire.  When the world listens to us they will hear only the hissing of the flames.  It may sound melodious, but it will be the song of immolation, the voluntary sacrifice of the imperfect victims, we purity apostles who have offered ourselves up to the flames so that we can be a part of the one pure and perfect sacrifice of our Lord.

Today, walking in the woods at the Monastery, as I meditated upon the mystery of the Wedding at Cana, I prayed the Lord would work for my heart a miracle of purification.  And as I prayed I realized that the jars used by the Lord in this first miracle were the jars of purification.  The Lord used jars of purification, and into them he poured water, water which had been first made pure by his own immersion in the waters of the Jordan.  Baptism is a ritual of purification, but Jesus reversed it, as purity himself descended into the water of the river and thereby imparted a special participation in his purity to all water everywhere.  He was PREPARING the water for the coming miracle by purifying it first with his own Baptism.

Then, at the great wedding celebration at Cana, he placed this purified water into the jars of purification and turned it into wine--wine which he was PREPARING for the greatest purification of all, its transformation into his blood, the very blood which would wash clean the sins of the world, the blood which, together with water, spilled forth from his side at Golgotha.

All of this, all of it is one miracle of purification.  Let us pray, all of us who work to spread the good news of the Lord's pure love, let us pray that we will be made pure.  Let us pray that we will go down into the waters of purification.  Let us pray that we will be poured out into the jars of purification.  Let us pray that we will be inebriated in the wine of purification.  Let us pray that we will be washed clean in the blood of purification.  Let us pray the Holy Spirit to descend upon us in tongues of fire as he came down at Pentecost and consume us entirely in the purifying flames of his LOVE.

Amen.

ST. PATRICK'S BREASTPLATE

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.
 
I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion with His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection with His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the Judgment of Doom.
 
I arise today
Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In prayers of patriarchs,
In predictions of prophets,
In preaching of apostles,
In faith of confessors,
In innocence of holy virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.
 
I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendour of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.
 
I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me:
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,

God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.
 
I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches, smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.
 
Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding
So that there may come to me abundance of reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
 
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity
Through belief in the threeness
Through confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.