Spiritual Practices of the DOVES Daily and Monthly

Spiritual Practices of the DOVES

A Life of Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Holy Mass and Communion

(More than once a week, when possible)

Morning Offering

The Angelus

(Preferably at Noon)

The Holy Rosary

(Five decades daily when possible)

Spiritual Reading

(15 minutes a day when possible)

Examination of Conscience

(Each evening)

Sacrament of Confession

(At least once a month)

Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament

(Especially on First Saturdays

from 10:00-11:00am

At Our Lady of Angels Adoration Chapel)

Daily Examination of Conscience Eight Beatitudes Through the Faith of Saint Veronica

“O, that I had wings of like a dove!

I would fly away and be at rest.”

Psalm 55:6 Song of David

~Daily Examination of Conscience~

A Meditation on the Eight Beatitudes

Through the Love and Faith of Saint Veronica

1. “Blessed are the poor in spirit;

theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

As Saint Veronica saw Our Lord,

poor in body and spirit on His way to Calvary,

she desired to offer Him the richness of her love

with all that she had to give, a simple cloth.

Have I been attentive to others

who are in need of love and understanding?

Was I helpful and patient toward those in need?

Have I been satisfied with what I have

and what my parents provide for me

without comparing what I have to others?

Have I expressed my gratitude to my parents

for all they do for me?

2. “Blessed are the gentle;

they shall have the earth for their heritage.”

Saint Veronica witnessed the cruelty of the soldiers,

as they harshly forced Our Lord

to carry the cross on His way to Calvary.

‘Gentleness is love when faced with provocation’. (Fr. Hardon)

Have I acted toward others with charity and humility,

without sharpness,

without becoming impatient with their shortcomings?

3. “Blessed are those who mourn;

they shall be comforted.”

As Saint Veronica moved through the crowd,

her desire was to comfort Our Lord

by wiping his wounded,

bleeding face with a cloth.

Have I comforted those who are sorrowful by

being present to them in their hour of sadness?

Have I offered my sorrows to the Lord this day,

in order that He may provide me the spiritual strength

to remain firm in my hardships,

thus helping me to grow closer to Him through of my trials?

4. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst

for what is right: they shall be satisfied.”

Saint Veronica knew that what was happening

to Jesus was wrong.

She longed to reach him and

offer him the comfort of cloth

as an expression of her faith in Him.

'Those who hunger and thirst for what is right

are those who want what God wants.

God always gives a deep spiritual joy

to those who do His will In spite of trial and difficulty’. (Fr. Hardon)

He left an image of His face on a cloth

for Saint Veronica to discover,

so that she would have a way to remember Him always;

and in turn, a sacred ‘forget-me-not’

to all those who would follow in His ways till the end of time.

Do I want what is right for my family and me,

even if it means I have to sacrifice for that?

Do I offer my crosses to the Lord,

so that He may help me understand

how much He loves me for wanting to do what is right?

5. “Blessed the merciful:

they shall have mercy shown them.”

Saint Veronica’s strength of compassion

moved her through the noise and chaos of Calvary,

to offer the merciful cloth to the wounded face of Jesus.

Have I been willing to relieve the suffering of others

by listening to them in their suffering?

Have I offered sacrifices and prayers

for those who are suffering in my life?

6. “Blessed the pure in heart: they shall see God.”

The image of Jesus was imprinted

on the cloth that Saint Veronica offered

in love.

The name given to this woman of faith,

Veri+icon, means ‘true image’.

Do I cloth myself in a way

that preserves the true image of Christ in me?

Do I dress to preserve my own worth in its true light,

as a daughter of God, at all times?

7. “ Blessed the peacemakers;

they shall be called the children of God. “

Saint Veronica labored to bring a peaceful expression

of love to the suffering Christ,

in the midst of an enraged multitude.

‘Peacemakers are those who love peace and labor

to establish peace all around them:

they try to heal discord between people

and especially to seek to reconcile sinners

who are estranged from God.

Peace is the tranquility of order.' Fr. Hardon, S.J.

Do I try to keep a sense of order in my own life?

Do I assist with keeping order within my own home?

Do I frequent the Sacraments of

Confession and Holy Communion

to keep spiritual order in my soul?

Peace is the calm that accompanies agreement of human wills,

and is the foundation of every well-ordered society.

The rewards promised to peacemakers

are the grace now of being specially loved by God

as His dearest children and the attainment of heavenly glory

as part of God’s family in eternity.’ (Fr. Hardon)

How have I tried to be a peacemaker in my own family

when there are conflicts?

Do I get the proper rest, nutrition and exercise

so that I may be physically prepared

for the trials that may come into my life?

8. “Blessed are those who are persecuted

in the cause of right;

theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.”

Saint Veronica suffered for her love and faith,

despite the intentions of popular opinion

that would lead to the brutal death of Jesus on the Cross.

'All those are persecuted in the cause of right

who are opposed and criticized for their loyalty to Christ

and His Church and who persevere in doing God’s will

in spite of not being accepted or even being rejected by others.'

(Fr. Hardon)

Do I spend time studying my faith,

through spiritual writings and catechesis,

so that I may witness to the hope

that is within me since the time of my Baptism?

Christ teaches the humanly impossible doctrine

of accepting persecution

with patience and resignation to God’s will

while the world dreads nothing more

than criticism and rejection.

Human respect, which means acceptance by society,

is the world’s moral norm.

The reward for suffering persecution on earth

is the possession of the kingdom of God in Heaven.’ (Fr. Hardon)

Do I offer daily prayers, faithfully,

to strengthen my relationship with Christ

so that I may be prepared to witness to truth,

within God’s permitting will?

Quotations from the catechesis of Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.

Servant of God

www.mariancatechist.com

Reflections written by Sharon M. Willoughby

Copyright © 2010

DOVES Daily Prayer Offering

Doves Daily Prayer Offering

~Morning Offering~

(Carries a partial indulgence.)

Dear Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,

I offer You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings this day,

In union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.

I offer them for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart:

The salvation of souls, reparation for sin, and the reunion of all Christians.

I offer them for the intentions of our Bishops

and in particular for those recommended by our Holy Father this month.

~Memorare~

For the intentions of our bishop and our parish priests

(Carries a partial indulgence)

Remember, O Most Gracious Virgin Mary

That never was it known that anyone

Who fled to your protection, implored your help,

Or sought your intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you,

O Virgin of virgins, my mother;

To you I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful.

O, Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions,

but in you mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

~Angelus~

(At Noon)

(Carries a plenary indulgence)

Mother: The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary:

Daughter: And she conceived by the Holy Spirit:

Hail Mary…

Mother: Behold, the handmaid of the Lord:

Daughter: Be it done unto me according to Thy word:

Hail Mary…

Mother: And the Word was made Flesh, (genuflect)

Daughter: And dwelt among us:

Hail Mary…

Mother: Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God,

Daughter: that we may be made worthy

of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth; we beseech thee, O Lord,

Thy grace into our hearts;

That we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son,

was made known by the message of an angel,

may by His Passion and Cross

be brought to the glory of His Resurrection,

through the same Christ Our Lord,

Amen.

Doves Dressing for Mass "Strength and Dignity are Her Clothing" Proverbs 31:25

Clothed in Dignity
Modesty and Humility

The crowing virtues that serve to express
the charism of the DOVES

Our first expression of modesty is manifested in the clothes we wear to every Mass that we attend.
We witness to our heritage when we dress for the occasion
of coming into the Kingly Presence of our Eucharistic Lord.
These clothes are the clothes we reserve for special occasions.

Daughters are asked to wear a skirt or dress when serving as DOVES.
My daughter is only six, but I have explained to her that we wear our
P.J. (princess/prince for Jesus) clothes whenever we come to Mass
as a sign of our love for the True Presence of Jesus Christ our King and Lord.
This is a simple beginning for her, but truly inspires daughters of all ages
to consider their time in preparing before coming to Mass,
as daughters of the Loving Lord.

Written by Sharon M. Willoughby
Copyright 2010

“Modesty is the virtue that moderates all the internal and external movements and appearance of a person according to her endowments, possessions, and station in life. Four virtues are commonly included under modesty: humility, studiousness and two kind of external modesty, namely in dress and general behavior.

Humility is the ground of modesty in that it curbs the inordinate desire for personal excellence and inclines one to recognize her own worth in its true light. It is the moral virtue that that keeps one from reaching beyond herself. It is the virtue that restrains the unruly desire for personal greatness and leads people to an orderly love of themselves based on a true appreciation of their position, with respect to God and their neighbors.

Moral humility recognizes one’s creaturely equality with others. Yet humility is not only opposed to pride; it is also opposed to immoderate self-abjection, which would fail to recognize God’s gifts and use them according to His Will.

Studiousness moderates the desire and pursuit of truth in accordance with faith and right reason. Its contrary vices are curiosity, which is an excessive desire for knowledge, and negligence, which is remissness in acquiring the knowledge that should be had for one’s age and position in life.

Modesty in dress and bodily adornments inclines a person to avoid not only whatever is offensive to others, but whatever is not necessary. Modesty in bodily behavior directs a person to observe proper decorum in bodily movements, according to the dictum of Saint Augustine, ‘In all your movements let nothing be evident that would offend the eyes of another’.”

[Father John A. Hardon, Modern Catholic Dictionary, p. 260, p.356.]

'Soul of Christ' Thanksgiving Prayer After Mass before the Altar Crucifix

Soul of Christ
Prayer of Thanksgiving after Mass

(This prayer carries a partial indulgence.)

Soul of Christ

Sanctify me.

Body of Christ,

Save me.

Blood of Christ,

inebriate me.

Water from Your side,

wash me.

Passion of Christ,

strengthen me.

O, Good Jesus,

hear me.

Within Your wounds,

hide me.

Permit me,

never to be separated from You.

From the wicked foe,

defend me.

At the hour of my death,

call me.

And bid we come to You,

so that with Your Saints,

I may praise You.

Dominus Deus et Deus Meus.

My Lord and my God!

Daughters,

'A plenary indulgence may remove

all the temporal punishment due to forgiven sin.

No one but God knows for certain

when a plenary indulgence is actually gained,

because only He knows whether

a person's dispositions is adequate.

One norm for such dispositions is that

"all attachment to sin, even venial sin, be absent."

If these dispositions are in any way less than complete,

the indulgence will be only partial.

The same provision applies

to the three external conditions

necessary to gain a plenary indulgence;

sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion,

and prayer for the intentions of the Pope.

If these conditions are not satisfied,

an otherwise plenary indulgence becomes only partial.

These conditions may be satisfied several days

before or after the performance of the prescribed work,

though preferably Communion should be received

and the prayers offered for the Pope

on the same day as the indulgenced work.

A plenary indulgence can be gained only once a day.'

Modern Catholic Dictionary; Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.