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FOR PARENTS
oseph Sarto was very intelligent in both studies and extra curricular activities. Whenever he had free time he helped his mother. When mom and son was alone he always used to say” mamma, I want to become a priest.” “Someone who need to look after family becoming a priest?” Those poor Parents of 10 children were not able to accept this desire of little Joseph. nevertheless his father said,” If it’s God’s will….” When God accepted and blessed that family’s small sacrificial offering, Joseph Sarto became Cardinal Joseph Sarto, who popularly known as thepearl of Cardinals; Later he became Pope Pius X , a great pastor who gave small children the possibility of going to first communion at the age of 7 years and enabled faithful to receive communion frequently , he often called as ”the pope of the Eucharist” . By his presence and apostolic blessings, caused so much of miracles in his life time itself through his holy life and became Pope Saint Pius X.
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Angels’ Army is a Jesus youth initiative intended to guide small children to grow in loving relationship with God right from the early days. It also gives tips to the parents to bring them up in holiness right from the moment of conception. Pregnancy is a period when mothers should be in total prayer and God reliance. During this time, whatever the mother goes through, will be transferred to the child too. For this very reason it is essential that parents be in the fulness of God's love, during pregnancy period. Angels’ Army provides precious help for this.
CHILDREN IN ANGELS’ ARMY ARE DIVIDED INTO THREE GROUPS ACCORDING TO THEIR AGE THE INFANTS ANGELS’ ARMY Pregnant mothers spiritually adopt a baby who is likely to be aborted and pray for him/her along with the prayers for the baby within their womb. Recite one ‘Our Father’, one ‘Hail Mary’ and one ‘ Glory be’ for small babies who haven’t started talking. BABY ANGELS’ ARMY Babies of 2-5 years can recite ‘Baby Rosary’ saying 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary and 1 Glory be with each mystery. LITTLE ANGELS’ ARMY (Children above 5 years should read the Bible, say ejaculations and rosary daily)
INTENTIONS st 1nd Mystery: For the Holy Father, Bishops, Priests, Religious 2rd Mystery: Parents and Teachers 3 Mystery: Members of Angels Army 4thth Mystery: Souls in Purgatory 5 Mystery: Missionaries, Friends, aborted babies When they start learning God’s word and His word becomes flesh in them, discernment would be easier for them. Driven by the love for the Holy Mother Church, in the fellowship of Mother Mary and angels and saints, a new generation could be formed. This is the motto of Angels’Army. This goal is being achieved mainly through Angels Army Magazine 20
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Education in the faith by the parents should begin in the child’s earliest years. This already happens when family members help one another to grow in faith by the witness of a Christian life in keeping with the Gospel. CCC 2226
The divine providence Angels Army magazine has been progressing for the last 10 years without any subscription fee, relying fully on the divine providence. Now t he subscription is more than twenty thousand copies per month in two languages Malayalam and English which is being possible with the sacrificial sharing of a handful of people. We have to reach many more families that are in need of this magazine. If the Holy Spirit inspires you to support the Angels Army ministry financially ‌then contact us for more details. Tel : 8891585850, 9895923705. Angels Army, A/c No. 67026275594, SBT, Kakkanad Branch, IFSE Code : SBTR0000339.
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The Loyal son of the Church – Part 2
It was in St. Mary’s Cathedral, Peoria. The famous Bishop Spalding was celebrating the Holy mass. 8 year old Sheen was doing alter service. During the mass, Sheen dropped the wine cruet on the floor, spilling the wine. After the mass, Bishop asked Sheen to meet him. Sheen nearly fainted out of fear. Holding him close, the Bishop said, “Go home and tell your mother that I said when you get big you are to go to Louvain, and some day you will be just as I am”. Those words were prophetic. Sheen joined the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgiumfor higher studies after becoming a priest. Later he became more famous than Bishop Spalding.Sheen was ordained on September 20, 1919. On that day, he made two resolutions. 22
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1. Celebrate mass in the honour of the Blessed Mother on every Saturday. 2. Spend an hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament every day.
He kept the two commitments till the end. He always referred to Mother Mary as “The woman I love”. On the day of his baptism, his mother laid him on the altar of the Blessed Mother and consecrated the baby to her. Sheen says about this, “As an infant may be unconscious of a birthmark, so I was unconscious of the dedication — but the mark was always there. When I received my first Holy Communion at the age of twelve, I made the conscious dedication of myself to Mary”.The motto he adopted on becoming the Bishop was ‘Grant that I may come to You Jesus through Mary’.His desire on reaching heaven was to hear Jesus say, “I have known you from my mother” Another factor that enriched his spiritual life was his devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. Even during his busy schedule, he had fulfilled his commitment on the daily hour before the Blessed Sacrament. He says, “So the Holy Hour kept my feet from wandering too far. Being
tethered to a tabernacle, one's rope for finding other pastures is not so long”. He used to prepare his sermons in front of the Blessed Sacrament. A nun who was his school teacher taught the children to write J.M.J. at the beginning of every page as a sign of dedication to Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Later he practised this sign of dedication on the numerous pages he wrote and on the writing boards that he used during his TV programmes. Bishop Sheen had the inner wisdom to recognise vocation in others. One late evening he was having food at a restaurant in Boston. A boy came there in untidy clothes with a shoe shine box slung over his shoulder. The waiter shooed him away. On seeing this Sheen got up from his table and enquired his details. He asked the boy, “Being a catholic, why didn’t you join any catholic schools?” He replied that he was dismissed from the school. Bishop Sheen promised the boy that he APRIL 2014
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and later he became a missionary working among the Eskimos. Numerous people got repented through his preaching. Millions of people used to listen to his talks regularly.
would help him get readmitted to the school. He then met the parish priest and the mother superior and told, “I know of three boys who were thrown out of religious schools: one because he was constantly drawing pictures during geography class; another because he was fond of fighting; and the third because he kept revolutionary books hidden under a mattress. The first boy was Hitler, the second Mussolini and the third Stalin. I am sure that if the superiors of those schools had given those boys another chance, they might have turned out differently in the world. Maybe this boy will prove himself worthy if you take him back.” They allowed him to return to the school 24
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In 1977, Bishop Sheen underwent an open heart surgery. Thereafter he was forced to cut down on his preaching and started a life of rest. While he was in hospital he always prayed for the sick, their conversion and for a peaceful death. On December 9, 1979 he was called towards eternal glory. His body was laid to rest at St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York. Bishop Fulton J. Sheen says :“I am only certain there will be three surprises in Heaven. First of all, I will see some people whom I never expected to see. Second, there will be a number whom I expect who will not be there. And – even relying on God’s mercy – the biggest surprise of all may be that I will be there. ”
Dear Parents, From this month onwards we are starting a family Biblestudy . Let God ‘s Words become flesh in us , enlighten our path and lead our family to eternal life. The portion for Biblestudy for April are the first 4 chapters of the Gospel of St Mark and the Psalms 1&2. The inner meanings and the background of these portions are given in the short description . Let’s study the Word of God more meaningfully. Also try to explain it to the kids in a simpleway . APRIL 2014
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Bible Study THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MARK The gospel according to St. Mark is the shortest (16 chapters) as well as the first to have been written among the four gospels. It became a source and guide for the other synoptic gospels (Gospels according to St. Mathew & St. Luke). This gospel is said to have been written between A.D. 65 and A.D. 70, shortly after the martyrdom of St. Peter. St. Mark was not an apostle but he assisted apostles Paul and Peter in their evangelical mission. He was also called John (Acts 12:12, 15:37). His Roman name was Mark. The gospel according to St. Mark was addressed to the gentile Christians in Rome. Hence, quite often he has translated Aramaic words (3:17, 5:41,7:11-34) and explained Jewish traditions in detail (7:4, 14:12, 15:42) in his gospel. The gospel according to St. Mark begins with the verse “The 26
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beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God”, which itself gives us various indications. The word ‘gospel’ which is the translation of Greek word ‘evangelion’, means ‘good news’. With this introduction St. Mark proclaims that the coming of our Lord, King and Saviour Jesus Christ to this earth and his redemptive work is the greatest ‘Good News’. The intention of the gospel according to St. Mark is to proclaim the identity of Jesus as the ‘Son of God and The Messiah’. He emphasizes the first part through the ‘Proclamation of John the Baptist (1:7-8), through the words of God, the Father, “You are my Son, the Beloved” (1:11) and through the confession of the centurion, “Truly this man was God’s Son” (15:39).He confirms the second part in Peter’s declaration of faith about Jesus, “You are the Messiah” (8:30) . A true disciple should accept Jesus as the Son of God, and the Messiah (Christ) and faithfully
proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God. The mission and power of Christ is manifested not only through the miracles but also through his sufferings and the Cross. The people who were THE PSALMS: Psalm 1: The Two Ways Jesus, who considered doing the will of His Father as his food (John 4:34) is the righteous one (Luke 23:47). He is the tree of Life, which yields fruits in all seasons and whose leaves do not wither (Psalm 1:3). Whoever believes in Him may have eternal life and those who don’t believe in Him will perish (John 3:16). Psalm 2: God’s Promise to His Anointed Christ and Psalm 2 are closely related. The awareness of this sonship is the essence of ‘Christ’. Christ was fully aware of his sonship from the time he was twelve years old (Luke 2:42) even after his resurrection (John 20:77). At the time of his baptism and transfiguration, God the Father proclaimed “You are my Son” (Psalm 2:7). Satan tried to shatter this awareness of Jesus
expecting a glorious King as Messiah at that time would not be able to accept a suffering Messiah. This might have prompted Jesus to adjure that should not tell anyone that he is the ‘Christ’.
during his temptation in the wilderness. He tempted Jesus each time by challenging him “If you are the Son of God”. When the anointed son was crucified for the redemption of the human race, the question was again asked: “If you are the son of God?” (Mathew 27:40). He proved his sonship by dying on the cross, thus fulfilling the Will of His Father. When the centurion who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said “Truly this man was the son of God” (Mark 15:39). I became the Son of God when I was baptized. That was the moment of my sonship and I heard the heavenly voice which was heard by Jesus (Psalm 2:7). Interiorising in the truth that you are a son of God is the essence of Christian life – ‘a son/daughter of the immensely rich Heavenly Father who lacks nothing’. APRIL 2014
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The Last Sacrament
The time when communists came into power In China, Christians were forced to forsake their faith.Christian institutions and other mission centers were closed. Bishops, Priests and Nuns were arrested. While offering Holy mass a priest got arrested from a church and locked up in a nearby house which is close to the church.The communists opened the tabernacle and thrown the Holy Host which w as kept inside (almost 30 hosts were there) and stole the Holy vessels, the priest witnessed all these through the window and he decided to worship the scattered Eucharistic Jesus with his whole heart and strength. Early morning at 3’o clock, one small girl managed to enter the church without getting the guards noticed. She reached the Holy place and with great reverence she knelt down before the scared Host and received the sacrament with her tongue. She made this regular during all night and at last only one Host remained. As usual, she enter the church and worshiped the Eucharistic Lord and bent down to receive the host. communist soldier saw her,suddenly a gun shot was heard. That became her Last Sacrament. (from the autobiography of Bishop Fulton.J.Sheen)
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TESTIMONY
Jesus who spoke through KIDCAT We have two kids – a ten year old boy and a six year old girl. Many a time , as a mother, I've felt , I lack knowledge, to show the way, to answer rightly to my children . Often I've felt helpless when their desire to know or learn something, links spirituality and the exciting world around them . The other day, our son who goes for daily mass along with his little sister, at a nearby seminary church, had a very soul touching confusion . Seeing all the seminarians, he want to become a priest but living in a metro city, he have a healthy exposure of the amenities of the world . So he asked me, what he should become when he grows up . I felt swept away in a flood of ideas but none satisfactory nor reasonable with him . Conveniently, as many parents do, I told him, when you grow up, you will get an answer and so leave it for now . In my mind, I am troubled for not able to answer my little boy . As usual, next day early morning, I got ready to go for the mass . On the table was month of February's, Angels Army magazine delivered last day . I just flipped the pages gazing at the beautiful pictures but stopped at the KIDCAT Section depcited as a dialogue between granny and child - and this month's talk was exactly on a child's confusion of what he should be when he grows up . Child: - Granny, Papa says that I should study well and get a job. What do you like me to become? Granny: -Even while studying or working , my sweet heart should lead a saintly life all the time. That’s what I wish. I read throughly and was amazed by our Lord's benevolence . When a mother failed in answering her child's confusions, Our saviour Jesus, have arranged beforehand the right answer through Angels Army magazine . Namitha Rexy, K - 501, Ajmera Infinity, Opp. Wipro gate 19, El. City - phase 1,
Dodathogur, Banglore .
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TESTIMONY
LOVE that Cares‌ When our second daughter, Therese was 5 months old, God blessed us again with a third child. We accepted this wonderful gift from HIS hands wholeheartedly. We called up the Angels Army and requested for their prayers and they interceded for us throughout the pregnancy. We were a little concerned that Therese would not get sufficient breastfeeding. We offered that concern to the hands of Jesus and Mamma Mary. Raji started praying a rosary daily with this intention that Therese should not have any discomfort with this pregnancy and she may be filled with Mamma Mary's love. Raji continued breastfeeding her. Everything went normal till the 7th month of pregnancy. On the day of first birthday of Therese, Raji was feeling extremely tired. She had pain in her lower abdomen and was not able to stand. We went to meet the doctor the next day and she told us that the head of the baby is already fixed and ready for delivery. She advised Raji complete bed rest to try to postpone delivery by atleast 4-5 weeks. After 2 weeks we again went for the check up as Raji was feeling some small contractions. Doctor advised us to get admitted on the same day to give her medication to stop the contractions and for early lung maturity of the baby. We did not bring the kids to the hospital and we were worried about Therese as she generally sleeps only if she is fed. Both of us prayed a rosary that day offering up the little ones. We got discharged the next day and Raji was advised to stop breastfeeding to avoid further contractions. We offered that problem to the hands of our Lord as we didn't want to stop her forcefully. But a miracle was waiting for us at home.......Therese had stopped breastfeeding on her own. She was peaceful and happy. Jesus and Mother Mary took care of the problem. 30
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After two weeks, the ultrasound scan revealed that there was a loop of cord around the baby's neck of the baby. Doctor advised to carefully monitor the movements of the baby and to take bed rest to try to prolong for atleast two more weeks to avoid the complications of a preterm baby. But after 3 days on Sep 29, 2013, the fluid started to leak at around 2.30 am. The hospital was a little far away from our home. We could see His loving care even in this timing as we could reach the hospital quickly as there was literally no traffic in those early morning hours. The doctor came on time and medication was given to induce labour. The contractions increased but the baby's head was not coming down as expected. Raji was becoming very tired and time was passing without anything happening. By 8'o clock, doctor declared that we cannot wait much longer as there is no fluid and the contractions were putting direct pressure on the baby. Suddenly, the doctor asked her assistant to empty the urinary bladder and immediately the baby came out. It happened so quickly that the doctors were scrambling to get ready. We firmly believe that it was the Holy Spirit who guided the doctor to empty the urinary bladder which was blocking the baby from coming out. The baby was fine and as she had just sufficient weight not be admitted to NICU though she was preterm baby. The tight loop of cord around her neck didn't cause any problem either. Our Lord in HIS l o v i n g m e rc y to o k ca re o f everything and gave us a healthy baby and a normal delivery. We named her Joan Mary Paul. She is now 5 months old. Thank you Lord Jesus! Thank you Angels Army and all those who prayed for us. Paul Abraham and Raji Paul, Bangalore APRIL 2014
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The foundation of a fruitful Christian life On the day of her First Holy Communion, St. Maria Goretti’s mother told her, “Dear Child, today you are going to become a princess. Going forward only Jesus should be your first love. Holiness should be your only aim”. She took mother’s advice to heart and remained faithful to Christ even at the face of death. St. Don Bosco used to say, “A first Holy Communion with good preparation is the foundation of a holy and fruitful Christian life”. Parents are responsible for fostering devotion and love for the Holy Eucharist among their children. Also, the children should be prepared prayerfully for the reception of the Eucharist and made to understand the importance of receiving the real presence of Christ in their first Holy Communion. Understanding the importance of the First Holy Communion in the spiritual development of their child, Noel’s parents started preparing him from the age of 7. Along with Noel,parents also started preparing themselves by attending daily Mass and offered all the months of his life starting from his birth in these masses for healing. A lot of healing happened for the past events because of that. More than studies importance given to prayer life and Catechism. For the reception of First Holy communion, parents enticed him to give up some of his favourites. Inspired by this, he gave up his favourite snack and fruit and started preparing eagerly to receive of Jesus in the Eucharist. Visible change reflected in his behaviour and demeanour. Parents were able to see the importance he is giving to Jesus,after his First Holy Communion. Dear parents, if your children are getting ready to receive their first Holy Communion this year, do take a special interest in their preparation and make sure that their souls are well prepared for this life changing event.Also pray for all the kids who are preparing for their First Holy Communion and for their families this year. 32
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CHAAVARUL Fear of the Lord, the True Wealth The true wealth of a family is indeed the fear of the Lord and devotion to Him. Gossip and foul words, like rainclouds, will bring in darkness into the light that is present in a family. If possible, attend Holy Mass every day. If it is not possible for everyone in the house to go for daily Mass, take turns so that at least one or two people from the house can go for Mass every day. At least once a month, go for confession and then receive Holy Communion.
To the parents As in chavarul, shall we decide to speak only good in our family. Let’s try to do the confession regularly and as far as possible try to attend the daily mass along with the family.
FÃm-hÀ¡pw Fbv©Âkv BÀan-bpsS CuÌÀ Biw-k-IÄ G{]n 2014
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The Chain Rosary • To pray without ceasing • One Rosary-daily • for ½ an hour, at your place, at a fixed time. • Let us pray for our children round the clock. No doubt, this will become a fortress for our children. • If you are interested to join in, give us your name and prayer timing.
Give us your name and prayer time. Ph: 9846273731, 9995914040, 9895923705
Blessed is the fruit of the womb A leaflet prepared by Angels’ Army pregnancy wing for the pregnant women to prepare prayerfully throughout 9 months Blessed is the
fruit of the womb
For he that is mighty has done to me great things; and holy is his name. (Luke 1:49)
For copies þ 8891585850, 9895354201 0484-6444702, info@angelsarmy.com
Night Vigil VENUE : EMMAUS, KALAMASSERY 2nd FRIDAY of every month 8 PM to 1 AM
All are cordially welcome ! Those who cannot reach EMMAUS can join in it, being in your own places. Please forward your prayer requests by letter / phone / email to us. We will pray for you. E.mail: prayer @angelsarmy.in Tel: 9497583885.
The pregnancy wing under the intercession team of Angels army prays for all the pregnant women and the baby in the womb, throughout the 9 months of pregnancy. When you call us for prayer support,both the parents and the baby enters this prayer chain. At the time of Delivery We offer special prayers if informed . 9061963071, 8891585850
Email: info@angelsarmy.in Ph: 0484 6444702 www.angelsarmy.in