Prayer for Protection against the Coronavirus
Pope Francis’ Prayer to the Virgin Mary for Protection

O Mary,
you always shine on our path as a sign of salvation and of hope.
We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick,
who at the cross took part in Jesus' pain, keeping your faith firm.
You, Salvation of the Roman People, know what we need,
and we are sure you will provide so that, as in Cana of Galilee,
we may return to joy and to feasting after this time of trial.
Help us, Mother of Divine Love,
to conform to the will of the Father and to do as we are told by Jesus,
who has taken upon himself our sufferings and carried our sorrows
to lead us, through the cross, to the joy of the resurrection.
Amen.

Welcome to our Spiritual Growth section. We hope that the resources offered on this page will allow you to grow in your life of prayer. Here you can find links to the reading of the day, lives of the saints, daily reflections, catholic answers and much more....

LIVE THE LITURGY - INSPIRATION FOR THE WEEK OF
October 17th 

It’s the positions of power and great authority that people often admire. We equate success with six figure incomes, high positions, management, and influence. We even go above and beyond to find favor with our bosses so that we can get a little extra recognition and maybe the next promotion when it comes up. This is the way of the world. Those who have their values set on earthly things are going to work by earthly rules. We forget that it doesn’t work that way in the Kingdom of God. Success is measured not from the place of status, influence, or prestige but from the place of humility, service, and sacrifice. The authority that one hopes to achieve is not an authority over others but an authority that comes from wisdom and developing one’s relationship with God. Jesus flips the tables on our priorities. Even the first disciples had a tough time understanding this. They really thought that they would somehow receive a privilege or bonus from being faithful. We often operate under that same illusion.

October 10th Presumption can be a great sin. We can easily convince ourselves that as long as we do the bare minimum or master the basics, it is sufficient. Love doesn’t operate this way. If we are truly in love with God, then the basics are not going to be enough. That love is going to want to get expressed in going above and beyond, in leaving the comfortable and familiar, in stretching and growing and in following a voice other than our own. This is what those who are truly in pursuit of wisdom come to realize. Just like any human relationship worth achieving reveals, we never reach a plateau in following the Gospel or growing in wisdom and holiness. Wisdom is the rudder that guides us through all of life’s attractions and options. It alone determines what is worth pursuing and what must be left behind. That is why those who are only concerned about checking the boxes and doing the least amount possible often walk away sad when offered God’s gift of life eternal. They are not truly in love.

October 3rd “What God has joined together.” We are all familiar with these words. Because man and woman are essentially of the same substance, although also distinctively different, there is an innate desire to be connected and united. Admittedly, marriage covenants can be extremely difficult to negotiate and, at times, very painful to experience. But they can also be celebrations of great union and happiness. This is proven by couples who have been married for many years who still have that same twinkle of devotion in their eyes that was present on their wedding day. God designed it to be this way. By God’s power, the two become one. This is not of human design. The true intimacy of marriage is a Divine Intimacy. It is a bond created by a power far greater than any found in the two people who are joined. Marriage is where the virtue of love is most fully expressed.


September 26 Who are the little ones? They are the many and varied faces of people who see hope in Jesus’ message about the Kingdom of God. They have come to believe that there is a different world to be had: a place where everyone has a home, all have an equal opportunity to share in God’s bountiful gifts and blessings, where justice reigns, truth presides, and peace fills hearts. The little ones are those who may have left their former views behind, perhaps even their former lives to follow Jesus and believe in the Beatitudes as God’s world vision. They are the poor, the marginalized, the women and men at the well, the Zacchaeus’ looking for Jesus from a tree, the blind who want to see, and the lame who want to walk. They are the lepers who have been told that they are unclean, and the ones who have learned that suffering and death are nothing to fear. These are all of the little ones. Jesus gathers and protects them as a shepherd guards his sheep. Whoever causes one of these little ones to sin deserves the greatest wrath. Be more concerned about what people are doing than where they came from.

September 19th What does it mean to be God’s servant? In essence, it means being willing to call the world back to its childlike innocence, showing all that a joy-filled playfulness has a place in life. The servant of God serves to foster the Kingdom of God. God’s kingdom is not a sterile, unhappy, strict, and rigid reality. It is quite the opposite. It is a kingdom devoid of jealousy and selfish ambition where peace, gentleness, mercy, and good works abound. To be a servant of this kingdom means that selfish ambition must be set aside so that others can be first, and justice pursued at all cost. The prayer of this kind of servant is not focused on self-advancement or need. Rather, the servant’s prayer seeks to detach from self-concern in order to be used by God. In this way, we who are servants can be inspired, guided, empowered, and led by God. We can then be used to lay the cornerstones of the kingdom: faith, hope, and love. It is upon these that God’s firm dwelling is built. Accepting this call may place us last in the world’s eyes but first in God’s.

Live Stream Opportunities For Prayer

As a reminder, none of these are open to the public.

Christ the King Catholic Church in Madisonville – Fr. Carl McCarthy leads the Rosary              nightly at 6 PM:  https://www.facebook.com/ctkmadisonville/

St. Michael in Sebree Adoration Mon-Fri 8:30am:  https://www.facebook.com/smsebree/

Sts. Joseph & Paul in Owensboro Wednesdays at 12 PM Noon- Stations of the Cross:  https://www.facebook.com/stjpcc/

St. Agnes in Uniontown leads the Rosary daily at 3 PM. Stations of the Cross on Fridays at 5 PM:  https://www.facebook.com/St-Agnes-Roman-Catholic-Church-370425936471392/

St. Paul/St. Elizabeth Parishes, Grayson County leads Stations of the Cross on Fridays at 5:30 PM; Liturgy of the Hours Monday through Saturday at 10 AM and Sundays at 6 PM; and  Divine Mercy Novena at 3 PM every day from Good Friday through Divine Mercy Sunday (April 19):
https://www.facebook.com/stpaulcatholicchurchleitchfieldky

Holy Spirit in Bowling Green leads the Rosary Monday through Friday at 3PM:
https://www.facebook.com/HSCCBG/

St. Mary Magdalene in Sorgho: Live musical offering Sundays at 11AM:
https://www.facebook.com/MaryMagdaleneKy/