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Hello everyone,

Today, Sunday 2nd Febuary, we have 376 people from all over the world and from many Christian and some non-Christian denominations joining together in prayer. Here in Ireland we celebrated three lovely feasts rolled into one this weekend and for many of you reading this you can thank Saint Brigid for your faith, believe it or not! There is a little reflection from Bob and Debbie Gass from The Word for Today called: Are you afraid?

The Weekly Intentions are included below and available on a plain page to be able to print off and kept to hand for your own prayer time.

http://www.circleofprayer.com/prayerbook.html
http://www.circleofprayer.com/weekly-intentions.html

"Father, bless all those who have requested prayers in whatever it is that you know they may be needing this day! Father, we ask You to heal the broken bodies, broken hearts, broken spirits and broken relationships and may all their lives be full of your peace, prosperity, and power as they seek to have a close relationship with you. Amen."

"Thank You Jesus for answering our prayers because we know You hear every prayer and never refuse to answer. You are providing answers and healings from the prayers of all these wonderful people. Praise God!"

God Bless you all and thanks a million for being part of the Circle of Prayer - the Prayer Warriors.

Mary Mullins in Galway, Ireland
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Please say the two wee prayers below as often as you can, particularly the first one to the Holy Spirit if you need to see things in a clearer perspective. There are some further down you might consider saying too.

"O Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore You. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me, tell me what I should do. Give me Your orders. I promise to submit myself to all that You desire of me and to accept all that You permit to happen to me. Let me only know Your will. Amen"
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"Dear Lord, I give you may hands to do Your work; I give You my feet to go Your way; I give You my eyes to see as You see; I give You my tongue to speak Your words; I give You my mind that You may think in me; I give You my spirit that You may pray in me. Above all, I give You my heart that You may love in me - love the Father and love all humankind. I give You my whole self, Lord, that You may grow in me, so that it is You who lives, works and prays in me. Amen."
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Today we celebrated the closure of the Christmas season with the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple. Jewish tradition meant offering the first-born son to God 40 days after his birth. It is also the Feast day of the Purification of Our Lady, a ceremony carried out after the the Child's Presentation. This lovely tradition continues to be carried out in Catholic Baptism ceremonies when prayers of purification are said for the mother of the child being presented for Baptism, following the ancient Judeo-Christian traditions. It is the only day in the Church calendar where the feast day is one both for Our Divine Lord and for His Blessed Mother.

February 2nd is also the Feast of Candlemas and is perhaps the most ancient festival of Our Lady. It commemorates, however, not only the obedience of the Blessed Virgin to the Mosaic Law in going to Jerusalem forty days after the birth of her Child and making the accustomed offerings, but also the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple, and the meeting of the Infant Jesus with the old man Simeon--the Occursus Domini, as the Feast was anciently termed. This is the principal theme of the liturgy on this day: Jesus is taken to the Temple "to present Him to the Lord." So the Lord comes to His Temple, and is met by the aged Simeon with joy and recognition.

The procession on this day is one of the most picturesque features of the Western liturgy. The blessing and distribution of candles, to be carried lighted in procession, preceded the Mass today--a symbolic presentation of the truth proclaimed in the Canticle of Simeon: Our Lord is the "Light for the revelation of the Gentiles.” The anthems sung during this procession express the joy and gladness of this happy festival, and the honor and praise we give to our Blessed Lady and her Divine Son by this devout observance.

Yesterday was the feast day of Saint Brigid, Ireland's second saint after Saint Patrick. She was born in the middle of the 5th century. Her father was a nobleman of great wealth and there is some confusion as to her mother's heritage, some say she was a slave in the court of her father. On her mother's death, Brigid went to live with her father and even as a child was most generous, giving away much of her father's produce to the poor. Despite this, or because of it he continued to prosper.

She was a very beautiful girl and much sought after in marriage. She had other ideas, though, and wanted to devote her life to God. She encouraged six other women who also wanted to live their lives for God and founded her first convent in Kildare. Needing the Mass and the Eucharist within her convent she asked that St. Conleth be the one to help her found a monastry. He was to "to govern the church along with herself". These two monastic institutions, one for men, and the other for women were to become great centres of learning and a cathedral city. Thus, for centuries, Kildare was ruled by a double line of abbot-bishops and of abbesses, the Abbess of Kildare being regarded as superioress general of the convents in Ireland. 

The religious in this monastery were known for their wisdom and compassion, their hospitality and healing. St. Bridget, as well as being a patroness of students, also founded a school of art, including metal work and illumination. From the Kildare scriptorium came the wondrous book of the Gospels, sadly lost since the Reformation. 

Saint Brigid ranks as one of the most remarkable Irishwomen of the fifth century and as the Patroness of Ireland. She was hugely influenced by Saint Patrick and his preaching and her scholastic endeavours spread throughout Ireland and further afield.

Brigid’s following spread rapidly throughout Ireland, and as Irish monks wandered throughout England, Wales, and the Continent, they carried Brigid’s Christ-centred philosophies and teachings into those areas as well. In England at least ninenteen churches were dedicated to her, most notably St. Bride's Church on Fleet Street in London. Brigid is still venerated in Alsace, Belgium, and Portugal. 

So folks, it is quite possible that your Christian roots can be traced right back to this very devout and holy woman of Ireland of the 5th century, despite all the divisions between us! The little reflection below from Debbie and Bob Gass looks at what makes ordinary people do extraordinay things to become extraordinary people if they keep their focus entirely on God.

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Are you afraid?

" …AS THEY FOLLOWED, THEY WERE AFRAID… "  MARK 10 : 32 

Ted Engstrom tells of a guy on a cruise ship, who rescued a girl who had fallen overboard. At a party given in his honour that night, he gave the shortest 'hero speech' ever made. 'Ladies and gentlemen, I just want to know one thing. Who pushed me?'

Most of us aren’t naturally courageous, are we? We need a push. Robert Flood writes, 'We like to think of ourselves as a mixture of Davy Crockett, John Wayne, and the prophet Daniel, when the truth is, we’re more like Gulliver, tied down by tiny strands of fear, real or imagined, and the result is – a tragic loss of courage.'

Being a Christian doesn’t exempt you. Listen: '…Jesus went before them…and as they followed, they were afraid…' (Mk 10:32).

Max Lucado writes, 'Before they were stained glass saints on the windows of cathedrals, the disciples were nextdoor neighbours trying to make a living and raise a family. They weren’t cut from theological cloth or raised on supernatural milk. They were just an ounce more devoted than they were afraid, and as a result, they did extraordinary things.'

Some of the world’s greatest discoveries were made by people whose faith just ran ahead of their minds, and overcame their fear. They knew that security and opportunity were total strangers. They understood that if it didn’t require faith, then it didn’t involve God!

Three hundred and sixty-five times your Bible says, 'Fear not.' That’s one for each day. Why? Because each time you do the thing you fear most, fear loses its hold over you, and you become a little stronger, and a little more dependent on God.

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Please continue to say the following prayers for peace.

Three O'Clock Prayer to the Divine Mercy

You expired, O Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls and an ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us. O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You. Amen

Prayer to Saint Michael:

"Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in the day of battle. Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, cast down to hell Satan and all his wicked spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls"

Prayer for Peace:

O God from whom all holy desires, all right counsels, and all just works do proceed. Give unto Thy servants that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey Thy Commandments, and that unafraid of our enemies, we may spend our days under Thy protection, in peaceful order, through Christ Our Lord, Amen.  Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us.

Pray this prayer with the US, Britain, Iraq and the supporting nations in mind that their hearts may also be changed.

Pray before the Cross:

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Father, send now Your Spirit over the earth. Let the Holy Spirit live in the hearts of all nations, that they may be preserved from degeneration, disaster and war. May the Lady of All Nations, who once was Mary, be our Advocate. Amen.”