"Achieving Weight Loss
through the Prayers of the
Divine Office of the Virgin Mary"

by John P. Gross

Travel writer and co-author with wife, Donna, of
Secrets To An Affordable Walt Disney World® Vacation

Author of

Rosary Meditations: A Bouquet of Roses for Our Lady

100 Prayers of Purity for the Mission of Our Lady of America

Remember me in your prayers!

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Disclaimer: Please seek professional medical advice before starting any weight loss or exercise program. We assume no legal responsibility for any information provided.

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FREE DOWNLOAD

To read the book online, click here. To download the entire book (144 pages) to your computer as one file, right click on this link and save to to your desktop.

To read or download each day's prayers separately, click on the appropriate link
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

So what's a prayer book for weight loss doing on a Disney travel site? First, God has blessed us with a successful online business for over 10 years and I felt it was time to show our gratitude to Him and to our Blessed Mother by publishing a book to help to spread the good news: that God loves us very much! (The Annunciation - Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry - Public Domain)

Second, to help others who have been struggling like me with their weight. Thanks to Suzanne Fowler and her "Light Weigh"¹ weight loss program, I have come to realize that God, not food, is what we need to fill that sense of emptiness we feel inside. That hole in our heart, as Mrs. Fowler describes it, was created in us by God to draw us more closely to Him.

I'm not proposing a diet with strict guidelines to follow. I'm talking about getting to the root cause of why we resort to food, drugs, alcohol, sex, excessive buying, etc. to make us feel better. Sure we feel better for a little while, but the hunger eventually returns  and we find ourselves repeating the same negative behavior.

Overindulgence results from a spiritual battle and no diet or drug will ever permanently satisfy us. True peace with food can only come from establishing a close relationship with God. Only He can provide the nourishment - a spiritual nourishment - that truly satisfies. Suzanne Fowler presents her ideas beautifully in her program. Please see www.lightweigh.com for more information.

Ok, so what is a divine office? The "Divine Office" is the prayer of the church where clergy and laity recite certain prayers at different hours of the day: morning, midmorning, midday, midafternoon, evening and nighttime. The "Divine Office" can be pretty difficult to learn since there is so much jumping around in the prayer book. Even the 4-volume set requires a lot of page turning to get it right.

The "Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary" is also  a "Divine Office" - one devoted to the Blessed Mother - and, fortunately, a lot smaller and easier to read. It has been prayed for centuries and is a much loved text by those who seek our Lady's intercession with her Son. "To Jesus through Mary" underscores our belief that one of the best ways to get close to Jesus is through His Mother. To read Pope John Paul ll's treatise on the matter, see his "Devotion to Mary is Based on Jesus' Will." For a more thorough discussion of Mary's role in salvation history, see the "Teaching of Pope John Paul ll on the Blessed Virgin Mary."

My version of this office differs from the official version in that it uses different prayers, like the Psalms of Saint Bonaventure (1221-1274), and is focused on making peace with food. It also eliminates the need to hunt through the book for the proper prayers since everything is written in proper sequence. Although the translation of Saint Bonaventure makes use of some archaic English words and phrases, rest assured that your soul will understand everything you're reading even if you do not!

Prayer, it turns out, is also an excellent way to reprogram the mind. Every seven days the cycle of prayers is repeated, eventually leading to a more conscious awareness of our relationship to God and food. You don't have to pray all the hours. You may choose to pray in the morning and/or evening or perhaps just at night before going to bed, leaving the other hours for times when you are tempted to overeat!

The book is absolutely free to download and reproduce. All I require is that you reproduce it in its entirety with the copyright notice intact. I created it as one file that you can print yourself or save to a CD and take to your local office supply store for printing.

For those who are particularly appreciative...

Donna and I are fortunate to live near Emmitsburg, Maryland which is the home of the Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Saint Mary's Seminary, and the National Shrine Grotto of Lourdes. The Grotto, known affectionately as "Mary's Mountain," is a replica of the shrine in Lourdes, France and draws thousands of visitors from around the world who come to pay homage annually to our Blessed Mother. They are in  much need of funds to build a Visitors Welcome Center. If you feel that our prayer book has been of value to you and would like to show your appreciation, we invite you to make a donation to their wonderful cause securely online at:
https://www.msmary.edu/support-mount/givingform/giving_form.
Choose "Grotto Fund" as your gift purpose. Thanks and may God bless you!

"Eternal Father, I unite my thoughts to Mary's thoughts, united to your thoughts. Eternal Word, I unite my words to Mary's words, united to you who are the Eternal Word. Holy Spirit, I unite all my love and work to the love and work of Mary, united to you who are infinite love and unceasing activity." Mother Angelica, Eternal World Television Network. EWTN is a wonderful resource for those who want a closer relationship with God, our Father. Their shows and weekly programs are truly inspiring. Check out EWTN for yourself!

Disclaimer: Please seek professional medical advice before starting any weight loss or exercise program. We assume no legal responsibility for any information provided.

Copyright © 2009 by John P. Gross. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this material must be done in its entirety with the copyright notice intact. This book is not for sale, but is offered to the public free of charge in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary and for the glory of God.

¹Suzanne Fowler, "Light Weigh." May 2, 2009 <http://www.lightweigh.com/>.

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