Blessed S. Johnpillai, Sillalai Catechist

Holy Mary, Mother of God, please pray for the Beatification of Your faithful servant, Blessed S. Johnpillai, Sillalai Catechist, Amen.

This story inspires me. I stumbled upon Blessed Johnpillal recently and was reminded once again that nothing is impossible with God.  

Annex I
Miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Johnpillai.
I solemnly declare and state the details of my firm belief of a favor obtained through the intercession of late Mr. S. Johnpillai, the holy soul in heaven. The details in brief are as follows:- It is the reconciliation of a Hindu couple separated for nearly two years and who, after all their efforts to reconcile failed, finally decided to divorce. It was at this point, I sought the intercession of Blessed Johnpillai to pray for the couple and to obtain their reconciliation. The fervent prayers continued for three months and at the end of three months, on Maundy Thursday, 09th of April, Mrs. SB called with the glad news. The prayers were answered and the impossible to human efforts became possible to Divine intervention through the intercession of Blessed Johnpillai. There was an apparent change of heart and the couple was reconciled. The lady thanked God profusely from the bottom of her heart. I too join her in thanking the Almighty for His mercy and love and especially to the holy soul of Mr. Johnpillai in Heaven for his intercession.

A. Jesuthasan
13th April 2009.
(NB: The report in full is filed separately)

Blessed Johnpillai, please intercede on the behalf of all spouses in need of reconciliation!

Another Saint of the Impossible

Today, May 22nd is the feast day of my new favorite saint: Saint Rita of Cascia.

St. Rita is a saint of the impossible and desperate cases. She is the patron of wives, mothers and troubled marriages.

Currently, I am doing her devotion of Fifteen Thursdays. This consists of reciting a preparatory prayer, reflecting on a certain period of her life and asking for the graces to live and focus on certain virtues in the Christian life. Listed are the focuses of each week:

1:  Return to the Evangelical Life

2:  Obtaining the Spirit of Meekness

3:  Ensuring the Religious Education of Children

4:  Assisting Troubled Marriages

5:  Fostering Mortification and Sacrifice

6:  Obtaining the Christian Meaning of Death

7:  Practicing True Charity

8: Obtaining the Gift of Reconciliation

9:  Practicing the Evangelical Virtues

10: Obtaining True Contrition

11: Fixing Our Eyes on Heaven During Our Earthy Pilgrimage

12: Discovering What God Expects Of Us

13: Seeing Christ In Others

14: To Prepare For A Good Death

15: Imitating St. Rita in Bearing Witness To Christ

The prayers for these may be found in the book, Saint Rita, Saint of the Impossible, published by Catholic Book Publishing Corp.

Prayer in Difficult and Desperate Cases

O Powerful and glorious St. Rita, here at your feet is a disconsolate soul who, having need of help, has recourse to you with the fond hope of being heard. Because of my unworthiness and my past infidelities, I dare not hope my prayers will succeed in gaining God's mercy. That is why I feel the need of an all powerful mediatrix.  It is you that I have looked for, St. Rita, as the incomparable Saint of impossible and desperate cases.O dear Saint, take my cause to heart. Intercede with God so that I may obtain the grace I need so much and ardently desire ( mention the desired grace).

Do not, dear Saint, let me leave your presence without having been heard. If something in me is an obstacle to obtaining the grace I ask, help me to remove it.Infuse my prayer with your precious merits and present it to your heavenly Spouse together with your prayer. Thus enriched by you, kind Rita, my prayer will be heard. You were the wife most faithful, and you felt the sorrows of your heavenly Spouse in His passion. How could He reject a prayer enriched by you or not hear it?

All my trust is in you. Relying on your mediation, I await with a tranquil heart the fulfillment of my request.

Oh dear St. Rita, may the trust and hope I place in you not be lessened. Grant that my request be not in vain; then I shall make known to everyone the goodness of your heart and the great power of your intercession. Amen.

Novena To Saint Jude

  

Novena to Saint Jude

  

Should be said six times each day for nine consecutive days.

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May the most Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, loved in all tabernacles until the end of time. Amen.

May the most Sacred Heart of Jesus be praised and glorified now and forever. Amen.

St. Jude pray for us and hear our prayers. Amen.

Blessed be the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Blessed be Saint Jude Thaddeus for all the world and for all eternity.

Our Father, etc...

Hail Mary, etc...

O glorious Apostle, St. Jude Thaddeus, true relative of Jesus and Mary. I salute you through the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Through this Heart I praise and thank God for all the graces He has bestowed on you. Humbly prostrate before you, I implore you through the Heart to look down upon me with compassion. Oh, despise not  my poor prayer, let not my trust be confounded. To you God has granted the privilege of aiding mankind in the most desperate cases. O, come to my aid, that I may praise the mercies of God! All my life I will be grateful to you and will be you faithful servant until I can thank you in heaven. Amen.

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Prayer will be answered on or before 9th Day. Has never been known to fail.  In this novena I asked for something very specific and concrete. It was a very reasonable request. I didn't ask for the impossible, but I knew in my heart that it was improbable. On the sixth day, I knew what the answer was. 

It was no. Does this mean the prayer failed? 

At first, I was tempted to think it had.  However, God always answers our prayers. It is obvious when He says yes; but, when He says no, we are tempted to think He didn't answer us, hear us, love us, etc... Rather, when He says no, He means one of two things: 1) Not yet, my child; or 2) I have something better planned for you.

Discovering that the answer was "no", I was very disappointed and cried on the sixth and seventh day. I even considered not finishing the novena-- if it is so clear that it is a no, why bother finishing? I finished anyways. On the eight and ninth day, I felt an inner peace about the "no". 

Today, is the first day after the completion of the novena. I found that God's answer was indeed, "I have something better for you." In fact, a new journey has begun today. I am excited. Our God, who is so Good, presented this to me through a series of events and interactions with strangers.

Thank you Saint Jude for listening to and interceding for my plea.