MAY JESUS CHRIST BE PRAISED

   Now and Forever!

Welcome to my little website.  When I was a newly ordained priest, my first pastor gave me a full page in the parish bulletin to fill each week.  He told me he did not care what I wrote about as long as I filled the page.  He explained that only 1/3 of the parish would hear me preach on any given Sunday because I celebrated two out of six parish Masses but every parishioner would read the bulletin so this was a way that I could reachout to them and they could get to know me better. After four years in the parish, I was transferred to another parish and as I was leaving many people asked me to send them my weekly bulletin column by e-mail and thus my internet ministry was born.  

When I was trying to decide what to write about in my weekly bulletin article, I came across a quote from Archbishop Fulton Sheen that went something like "There are not a hundred people in the world who hate the Catholic Church for what we teach but there are thousands who hate the Catholic Church for what they think we teach."  With that quote in mind, I began to choose oen topic a month to explain more indepth the Church's teaching on those issues.  From those mustardseeds has blossomed this website filled with infomation about the Catholic faith that I find interesting and informative.  I invite you to take your time and explore the different teachings and reflections.  I hope above all that these things will ultimately lead you closer to God.
 
Thank you and God bless,
Fr. Thomas M. Pastorius

Each Sunday, I upload my Spiritual Newsletter for the week.  The newsletter contains an insight into this week's Sunday readings and my Spiritual Ponderings. 

A HEALING PRAYER.
O Jesus, Good Shepherd, You heal the sick and assist the needy. I lift up to you those who are suffering from the sin of abortion.  You know what it is like to endure pain.  Look kindly on those who have had or have assisted in the sin of abortion today and heal them.  Restore them to strength of soul and body.

Give Your gift of wisdom to physicians who have performed abortions or desire to do so May they be guided by the Holy Spirit in all they do and thus repent from their evil ways. Bless the nurses who work in the abortion industry so that their hands will become instruments of peace and caring like they were intended to and not instruments of death.  Please touch all who work within the abortion industry in a way that allows them to turn away from the culture of death and that allows them to begin to embrace the culture of life.

Bless, the efforts of everyone who strive to promote the dignity of human life. O Jesus, grant our world Your healing grace of love and peace. Amen.

Please join us in praying a special prayer each month for Catholics who have fallen away from their faith. 
 
A SPIRIT TO KNOW YOU
Gracious and Holy Father, please give those who do not know you intellect to understand you, reason to discern you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, a spirit to know you, a heart to meditate upon you, ears to hear you, eyes to see you, a tongue to proclaim you, a way of life pleasing to you, patience to wait for you and perseverance to look for you. Grant all those who are searching for you a perfect end, in your holy presence, a blessed resurrection and life everlasting.

Put Our Into The Deep: For those Who want to be take their faith level to the next level.
 One of the challenges of being a priest is trying to minister to a variety of people who are all at different points of their Spiritual Life.  For those who feel like they are a little further advanced in their faith life or want to go deeper in the spiritual life, I will be offering one challenge a week under the title “Duc In Altum” which translated into English means “Put out into the Deep.”   These are the words that Jesus says in Luke Chapter 5 to St. Peter before St. Peter catches the boat load of fish. 

Here is this week’s challenge (remember only read this if you want to be challenged). 

1.   Avoid arriving at Mass late and leaving early.  If you are handicapped and the parking lot is a problem for you, arrive early and stay late. You can use the extra time at Church to pray.  When we leave Mass early or show up late perpetually we are telling God through our actions that we are going to Mass out of an obligation and not because we want to spend time with him.  I would never think of going to my grandmother’s house and leaving right after dinner.  I would stay and socialize with her and others family members.  Arriving late is not necessarily a sin if it was not intentional or because the children were misbehaving.  I think it can become a sin when it becomes a weekly occurrence. 

2.  Here is this week’s challenge (remember only read this if you want to be challenged).  Examine the way that you actually receive the Eucharist.  Sometimes, when we do things over and over - again and again we get a little sloppy.  Here are few common mistakes people make when they come forward to receive Communion.  1^st They do not say “Amen” loud enough for the minister to hear them.  2^nd They do not put their hands together reverently “forming a throne” for our Lord.  One hand his supposed to go underneath the other.  3^rd Make sure that your hands are clean and that they are not covered by any type of fabric (gloves, long sleeves, etc.).  4^th When receiving on the lips, keep your hand folded and open your mouth wide and stick your tongue out.  This makes it easier for the minister to place the Blessed Sacrament on your tongue and avoid being licked. 5^th never ever grab for the Blessed Sacrament.  The minister is supposed to give it to you because the Eucharist is a gift from God that you receive and not something you take or earn.

3.  Take a moment after receiving communion to pray one of the following prayers:
THE ANIMA CHRISTI
Soul of Christ, sanctify me; Body of Christ, save me; Blood of Christ, inebriate me;  Water from the side of Christ, wash me;  Passion of Christ, strengthen me;  O good Jesus hear me;  Within your wounds hide me;  separated from you, let me never be;  From the evil one protect me;  At the hour of my death, call me;  And close to you bid me; That with your saints,  I may be praising you forever and ever.  Amen.
 
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
My God, enable me to bear Thee, for Thou alone canst.  Cleanse my heart and mind from all that is past. Wipe out clean all my recollections of evil. Rid me from all languor, sickness, irritability, feebleness of soul. Give me a true perception of things unseen, and make me truly, practically, and in the details of my life, prefer Thee to anything on earth, and the future world to the present. Give me a true instinct determining between right and wrong, humility in all things, and a tender, longing love for Thee. Amen.
 
PRAYER AFTER HOLY COMMUNION
What strength hast Thou not imparted to my soul, good Lord, by means of this holy communion!  Oh! How much I need it.  The road I have to traverse is so difficult, that without Thee I should fear to venture upon it.  In a short time I shall return to my daily occupations; I shall continue my life of yesterday;  I shall be exposed to the same temptations,  I shall find myself with my usual faults.  But Jesus, thou Who didst help the saints, Thou by Thy grace, help me to preserve in all my words and actions, modestly, meekness, and humility. Help me to make Thy presence within me visible to all; 
let others see in me the sweetness of Thy charity, generosity, and kindness. Amen.
 

Personal Penance Services
This book is designed for Catholics who wish to be better prepared to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The book contains Scripture passages to meditate on and examinations of consciences to help prepare one to better confess his or her sins.

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Stations of the Cross For Priests
This book allows a Catholic priest to travel with our Lord to Calvary in a special way as he also ponders his own ministry and experiences as a Catholic priest.

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