Posted in LENT 2026, QUOTES on the ANTI-christ, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The PASSION, Thomas Aquinas

Monday of the Third Week of Lent – 8 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas – The Passion of Christ has Delivered us from the devil.

Monday of the Third Week of Lent – 8 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

Monday of the Third Week
The Passion of Christ has Delivered us from the devil.

“Our Lord said, as His Passion drew near, Now shall the princes of this world be cast out.
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to myself”
John xii. 31, 32

He was lifted up from the earth by His Passion on the Cross. Therefore, by that Passion, the devil was driven out from his dominion over men.

With reference to that power which, before the Passion of Christ, the devil exercised over mankind, three elements are to be borne in mind.

  1. Man had by his sin, earned for himself, enslavement to the devil, for it was by the devil’s temptation that he had been overcome.
  2. God, Whom man in sinning had offended, had, by His Justice, abandoned man to the enslave ment of the devil.
  3. The devil, by his own most wicked will, stood in the way of man’s achieving his salvation.

With regard to the first point, the Passion of Christ set man free from the devil’s power because the Passion of Christ brought about the forgiveness of sin.
As to the second point the Passion delivered man from the devil because it brought about a reconciliation between God and man. A
s to the third point, the Passion of Christ freed us from the devil’s power because, in his action during the Passion, the devil over-reached himself. He went beyond the limits of the power over men allowed to him by God, when he plotted the death of Christ, upon Whom, since he was without sin, there lay no debt payable by death.
Whence St Augustine s words, “The devil was overcome by the Justice of Christ. In Him the devil found nothing which deserved death but, nonetheless, he slew Him.
And, it was but just that those debtors who the devil detained, should go free since they believed in Him Whom, though He was under no bond to him, the devil had slain.”

The devil still continues to exercise a power over men.
He can, God permitting it, tempt them in soul and in body. There is, however, made available for man a remedy in the Passion of Christ, by means of which he can defend himself against these attacks, so that they do not lead him into the destruction of eternal death.
Likewise, all those, who before the Passion of Christ, resisted the devil had derived their power to resist from the Passion, although the Passion had not yet been accomplished.
But in one point, none of those who lived before the Passion had been able to escape the hand of the devil, namely, they all had to go down into hell, a thing from which, since the Passion, all men can, by His Power, defend them selves.

God also, allows the devil to deceive men in certain persons, times and places, according to the hidden character of His Designs.
Such, for example, will be anti-Christ.
But there always remains and, for the age of anti-Christ too, a remedy prepared for man through the Passion of Christ, a power of protecting himself against the wickedness of the devils.
The fact that there are some who neglect to make use of this remedy, does not lessen the efficacy of the Passion of Christ.

ST THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274)
Priest, Theologian, Dominican
Doctor Angelicus (Angelic Doctor)
Doctor Communis (Common Doctor)
Added by Pope Saint Pius V in 1568

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, In the PRESENCE of GOD, Quote on SELF-ABANDONMENT, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on the FAMILY, Quotes Self-Oblation

Quote/s of the Day – 9 March – St Gregory of Nyssa, St Frances of Rome, St Dominic Savio

Quote/s of the Day – 9 March – St Gregory of Nyssa (c335–c395) Bishop, Father of the Church – St Frances of Rome (1384-1440) Widow – St Dominic Savio (1842-1857)

As no darkness can be seen
by anyone surrounded by light,
so, no trivialities can capture,
the attention of anyone,
who has his eyes on Christ.

St Gregory of Nyssa (c335–c395)
Father of the Church

It is most laudable, in a married woman,
to be devout but, she must never forget
that she is a home-keeper.
And sometimes, she must
leave God at the Altar
to find Him in her household affairs.

St Frances of Rome (1384-1440)

Nothing seems tiresome or painful
when you are working
for a Master Who pays well;
Who rewards, even a cup of cold water,
given for love of Him.

St Dominic Savio (1842-1857)

Posted in CARMELITES, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 9 March – Morning Offering By St Thérèse

Our Morning Offering – 9 March – Monday of the Third Week in Lent

Morning Offering
By St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873 – 1897)

O my God!
I offer Thee all my actions of this day
for the intentions and for the glory
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
I desire to sanctify every beat of my heart,
my every thought,
my simplest works,
by uniting them to It’s infinite merits
and I wish to make reparation for my sins,
by casting them into the furnace
of It’s Merciful Love.
O my God!
I ask Thee for myself
and for those whom I hold dear,
the grace to fulfil perfectly Thy Holy Will,
to accept for love of Thee,
the joys and sorrows of this passing life,
so that we may one day be united together
in Heaven for all Eternity.
Amen.

Posted in Uncategorized

Saint of the Day – 9 March – St Antony (10th Century) Hermit

Saint of the Day – 9 March – St Antony (10th Century) Hermit of Froidemont in France. Probably born in France and died there at his Hermitage in Froidemont.Also known as – Anthony of Liaroles, Anthony of Luxeuil.

We have little knowledge of St Antony.d life. We know that he became a Monk at at the Luxeuil Abbey. Later seeking a closer union with God in a life of solitude, he became a Hermit at Froidemont in Franche-Comté, France.

He became widely renowned for his sanctity and life of prayer and asceticism.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Monday of the Third Week,  Notre-Dame de Savigny / Our Lady of Savigny, France (1112), St Gregory of Nyssa, St Frances of Rome, St Dominic Savio and more for 9 March

MONDAY of the THIRD WEEK of LENT

Notre-Dame de Savigny / Our Lady of Savigny, France (1112) – 9 March:
HERE:

https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/09/our-lady-of-savigny-france-1112-and-memorials-of-the-saints-9-march/

St Gregory of Nyssa (c335–c395) Bishop, Father of the Church, Brother of St Basil the Great. St Gregory was an erudite Theologian, Philosopher. Writer , Defender of orthodoxy against heresy but he possible lacked the administrative ability of his brother, Basil or the contemporary influence of Gregory of Nazianzen but, he was an erudite Theologian who made significant contributions to the Doctrines of the Church, in particular, of the Trinity and the Nicene Creed. St Gregory, together with his elder brother, St Basil the Great (Doctor of the Church) and their great and lifelong friend, St Gregory of Nazianzen (also a Doctor of the Church) are collectively known as the “Cappadocian Fathers.”
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Nyssa, the demise of St Gregory, Bishop, brother of the blessed Basil the Great, whose life and erudition have rendered him illustrious. He was expelled from his own City for having defended the Catholic Faith during the reign of the Arian Emperor, Valens.

Wonderful St Gregory:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/09/saint-of-the-day-9-march-st-gregory-of-nyssa-c335-c395-bishop-father-of-the-church/

St Frances of Rome Obl.S.B. (1384-1440) Wife, Mother, Mystic, Organiser of charitable services and a Benedictine Obtale who founded a religious community of Oblates.
Patronages – against plague/epidemics, of automobile drivers (given in 1951), aviators, taxi drivers, death of children, the laity, motorcyclists, motorists, people ridiculed for their piety, Roman housewives, widows, women, Rome, Italy.
Lovely St Frances:

https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/03/09/saint-of-the-day-9-march-st-frances-of-rome/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/09/saint-of-the-day-9-march-st-frances-of-rome-1384-1440-widow/

St Dominic Savio (1842-1857) “The Little Giant” Student of Saint John Bosco. He was studying to become a priest when he became ill and died at the age of 14.
Dear St Dominic’s Short Life:

https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/09/saint-of-the-day-9-march-st-dominic-savio-1842-1857-the-little-giant/

St Antony (10th Century) Hermit of Froidemont, France

St Bosa of York OSB (Died c705) Fourth Bishop of York, Benedictine Monk, ecclesiastical reformer St Bosa was highly regarded by the Venerable St Bede who praised his humility and sanctity.
Holy St Bosa:

https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/09/saint-of-the-day-9-march-saint-bosa-of-york-osb-died-c-705-bishop/

St Candidus

St Catherine of Bologna OSC (1413-1463) Nun of the Poor Clares. She established a Convent at Bologna and became its Abbess, Miracle worker. Prophetess. Mystic. Visionary. Painter and Manuscript Illuminator. She was Canonised on 22 May 1712 by Pope Clement XI.
St Catherine’s Life:

https://anastpaul.com/2019/03/09/saint-of-the-day-9-march-st-catherine-of-bologna-osc-1413-1463/

St Constantine of Cornwall
St Cyrion

St Mary of Seyne

St Pacian of Barcelona (c310–391) Bishop and Father of the Church.
St Pacian’s Life:

https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/09/saint-of-the-day-9-march-saint-pacian-of-barcelona-c-310-391-bishop-and-father-of-the-church/

St Vitalis (c900-994) Monk, Hermit and Founder of Monasteries.
His Fervent Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2025/03/09/saint-of-the-day-9-march-st-vitalis-c900-994-monk-hermit-and-founder-of-monasteries/

Posted in LENT 2026, QUOTES on SIN, The PASSION, Thomas Aquinas

The Third Sunday of Lent – 8 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas – It is the Passion of Christ which has Freed Us from Sin

The Third Sunday of Lent – 8 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

The Third Sunday of Lent
It is the Passion of Christ
which has Freed Us from Sin

He hath loved us and washed us
from our sins in His Own Blood.

Apoc 1. 5.

The Passion of Christ is the proper Cause of the remission of our sins and that in three ways:

  1. Because it provokes us to love God. St Paul says, “God commendeth His Charity towards us because when, as yet we were sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom v. 8).

Through charity we obtain forgiveness for sin, as it says in the Gospel, “Many sins are forgiven her because she hath loved much” (Luke vii. 47).

2.The Passion of Christ is the Cause of the forgiveness of sins because it is an act of Redemption. Since Christ is Himself our Head, He has, by His Own Passion undertaken from Love and Obedience delivered us, His Members, from our sins, as it were, at the Price of His Passion.
Just as a man might, by some act of goodness undertaken with his hands, buy himself off for an error he had comitted with his feet.
For as man’s natural body is a unity, made up of different limbs, so the whole Church, which is the Mystical Body of Christ, is reckoned as a single person with its own Head and this Head is Christ.

3.The Passion of Christ was equal to its task.
For the Human Nature, through which Christ Suffered His Passion, is the instrument of His Divine Nature.
Whence all the actions and all the sufferings of that Human Nature wrought to drive out sin, are wrought by a Power which is Divine.

Christ, in His Passion, delivered us from our sins in a causal way, which is to say, He set up for us a Cause of our emancipation, a thing whereby any sin might, at any time, be remitted, whether committed now, or in times gone by, or in time to come: much as a physician might make a medicine from which all who are sick may be healed, even those sick in the years yet to come.

But since, what gives the Passion of Christ its excellence is the fact that it is the universal cause of the forgiveness of sins, it is necessary that we each of us ourselves make use of it for the forgiveness of our own particular sins. This is done through Baptism, Penance and the other sacraments, whose power derives from the Passion of Christ.

By faith too, we make use of the Passion of Christ, in order to receive its fruits, as St Paul says, “Christ Jesus, Whom God hath proposed to be a propitiation, through faith in His Blood” (Rom iii 25).
But the faith by which we are cleansed from sin is not that faith which can exist side by side with sin – the faith called formless – but faith formed, which is to say, faith made alive by charity.

So that the Passion of Christ is not through faith applied merely to our understanding but also, to our will. Again, it is from the Power of the Passion of Christ that the sins are forgiven which are forgiven by faith in this way.

ST THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274)
Priest, Theologian, Dominican
Doctor Angelicus (Angelic Doctor)
Doctor Communis (Common Doctor)
Added by Pope Saint Pius V in 1568

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, SAINT of the DAY, The PASSION

Quote/s of the Day – 8 March – St John of God OH (1495-1550)

Quote/s of the Day – 8 March – St John of God OH (1495-1550) Confessor, Founder of the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God

Lord, Thy Thorns are my Roses
and Thy Suffering, my Paradise.

Labour without stopping,
do all the good works you can,
while you still have the time!

Lord be Blessed!
(A Prayer of Thanksgiving and Self-oblation)
By St John of God (1495-1550)

Lord be blessed!
for in Thy great kindness to me,
who art such a great sinner,
having performed so many wicked things,
yet Thou seest fit to set me free,
from such a tremendous temptation
and deception into which I fell,
through my own sinfulness.
Thou hast brought me into a safe harbour,
where I shall endeavour to serve Thee
with all my strength.
My Lord, I beg Thee, with all my might,
give me the strength of Thine grace
and always let me see Thine clemency.
I wish to be Thy slave,
so kindly show me what I should do.
Give peace and quiet to my soul
which greatly desires this.
O most worthy Lord,
may this creature of Thine,
serve and praise Thee.
May I give my whole heart
and mind, to Thee.
Amen

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2025/03/08/quote-s-of-the-day-8-march-st-john-of-god-4/

St John of God (1495-1550)

Posted in CARMELITES, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of PETITION, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 8 March – Lord God, Lift Me Up!

Our Morning Offering – 8 March – The Third Sunday of Lent

Lord God, Lift Me Up!
By St John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Doctor of the Church

Lord God, my Beloved,
if Thou art still mindful of my sins
and wilt not grant my petitions,
let Thy Will be done,
for this is my main desire.
Show Thy goodness and mercy
and Thou shalt be known for them.
If Thou art waiting for me
to do good works
and upon their performance,
Thou wilt grant my petitions,
cause them to be accomplished in me, O Lord!
Send also, the punishment for my sins,
which is acceptable to Thee.
For how will I raise myself up to Thee,
born and bred as I am, in misery,
unless Thou, O Lord,
wilt lift me up
with the Hand which made me?!
Amen

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 8 March – Saint Probinus (Died 420) Bishop of Como

Saint of the Day – 8 March – Saint Probinus (Died 420) Bishop of Como, disciple of St Ambrose, Patronage – against deadly fevers, of Agno, Switzerland. Also known as – Probino, Probinus, Provino. Some writers and hagiographers write ‘Provino’ but there is no doubt that the exact form is Probinus, a name in use among the Latins and frequent in the 4th Century.

Probinus was a disciple of St Ambrose, who sent him to assist the 1st Bishop St Felix in Como. When St Felix died in 391, Probinus became his successor. He was thus the 2nd Bishop of the See of Como until his death in 420.

His Episcopate shone for wisdom and sanctity and after his death, he enjoyed an uninterrupted cult, The Relic of his head was preserved in a small Church outside the City, built by himself and dedicated to Saints Gervasius and Protasius, whose bodies had been discovered in Milan by St Ambrose a few years prior to his being appointed as the Bbishop, in 386.

The Relic remained there until 1118, when, to protect it from enemy raids, it was moved within the City walls of Como, to the Church of St Anthony which took the name of St Probinus.

There are records of subsequent examinations of the Relics, which took place in 1504, 1618, 1836 and 1933; the influx of the faithful to his Tomb was constant, especially those suffering from fevers, of which St Probinus is believed to be a healer.C
In 1096, a portion of his skull was donated to the collegiate Church of Agno in the Canton of Ticino and placed in a silver bust. A very intense cult developed there,and every year, on 8 March his Liturgical Feast is celebrated with a large attendance of the faithful, even from other areas. A major fair, renowned throughout Ticino, is held for the occasion.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

The Third Sunday of Lent,  Nossa Senhora das Virtudes / Our Lady of Virtues, Portugal (15th Century), St John of God and all the Saints for 8 March

The Third Sunday of Lent

Nossa Senhora das Virtudes / Our Lady of Virtues, Lisbon, Portugal (15th Century) – 8 March:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/08/nossa-senhora-das-virtudes-our-lady-of-virtues-lisbon-portugal-15th-century-and-memorials-of-the-saints-8-march/

St John of God OH (1495-1550) Confessor, Founder of the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God, a worldwide Catholic religious institute dedicated to the care of the poor, sick and those suffering from mental disorders.
Beautiful St John:

https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/03/08/saint-of-the-day-8-march-st-john-of-god/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/03/08/saint-of-the-day-8-march-st-john-of-god-oh-1495-1550/

St Apollonius of Antinoë
St Arianus of Alexandri
St Arnulf of Chartres Abbot
St Beoadh of Ardcarne
St Duthus of Ross

St Felix (Died 647) Bishop, “The Apostle of East Anglia” Missionary in East Anglia and particularly in the Port Town now known as Felixstowe, in Suffolk, England. Amongst being the Founder of countless Churches. a famouse Monastery of Bury Saint Edmunds, he is also the Founder of what is now the University of Cambridge.
This wonderful “Apostle of East Anglia”

https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/08/saint-of-the-day-8-march-st-felix-of-burgundy-died-647-bishop-the-apostle-of-east-anglia/

St Humphrey of Prüm

St Julian (c642-690) Bishop and Confessor of Toledo, Monk and Abbot, Scholar and prolific Writer.
The Roman Martyrology reads: “At Toledo, in Spain, the demise of the blessed Saint Julian, Bishop and Confessor, most celebrated for his sanctity and learning.
Holy and Learned St Julian:

https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/08/saint-of-the-day-8-march-saint-julian-of-toledo-642-690-bishop-and-confessor/

St Litifredus of Pavia
St Philemon of Antinoë

St Pontius (Died c262) Deacon of St Cyprian of Carthage Deacon of St Cyprian of Carthage, biographer of the latter’s heroic life and virtues.
His Ardent Love:

https://anastpaul.com/2025/03/08/saint-of-the-day-8-march-saint-pontius-died-c262-deacon-of-st-cyprian-of-carthage/

The Martyrdom of St Cyprian

St Probinus (Died 420) Bishop of Como
St Quintilis of Nicomedia
St Rhian

St Senan (c488-541) Abbot of Scattery, Founder of many Monasteries and Churches, Miracle-worker, one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland. Saint Patrick foretold his birth and saintliness.
Zealous St Senan:

https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/08/saint-of-the-day-8-march-saint-senan-of-scattery-c-488-541/

St Stephen of Obazine
St Theophylact of Nicomedia
St Theoticus of Alexandria
St Veremundus of Irache

Blessed Vincent Kadlubek O.Cist (c 1160-1223) Bishop, Cistercian Monk, noted Historian, prolific Writer and renowned Precher. His Episcopal mission was to reform the Diocesan Priests and to re-invigorate the faithful. Beatified on 18 February 1764 by Pope Clement XIII.
About Bl Vincent:

https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/08/saint-of-the-day-8-march-blessed-vincent-kadlubek-o-cist-c-1160-1223-bishop/

Martyrs of North Africa – 9 Saints: A Bishop and some of his flock who were Martyred together in North Africa. The only details that have survived are nine of the names – Beata, Cyril, Felicitas, Felix, Herenia, Mamillus, Rogatus, Silvanus, Urban.

Posted in CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, LENT 2026, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION, Thomas Aquinas

Saturday of the Second Week of Lent – 6 March – Our Lenten The Passion of ChristWrought our Salvation by Redeeming usJourney With St Thomas Aquinas –

Saturday of the Second Week of Lent – 6 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

Saturday of the Second Week
The Passion of Christ
Wrought our Salvation by Redeeming us

St Peter says, “You were not redeemed with corruptible things, as gold or silver, from your vain conversation of the tradition of your fathers but, with the Precious Blood of Christ, as of a Lamb unspotted and undefiled
I Peter 1. 18.

St.Paul says, “Christ hath Redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a Curse for us“ (Gal iii. 13).
He is said to be accursed in our place, inasmuch as it was for us that He Suffered on the Cross. Therefore, by His Passion, He Redeemed us.

Sin, in fact, had bound man with a double obligation.

(i) An obligation which made him sin’s slave. For Jesus said, “whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin” (John viii. 34).
A man is enslaved to whoever overcomes him.
Therefore, since the devil, in inducing man to sin, had overcome man, man was bound in servitude to the devil.

(ii) A further obligation existed, namely between man and the penalty due for the sin committed and man was bound in this way in accord with the Justice of God.
This too was a servitude, for to servitude or slavery, it belongs that a man must suffer, otherwise than he chooses, since the free man is the man who uses himself as he wills.

Since then, the Passion of Christ made sufficient and, more than sufficient, Satisfaction for the sins of all mankind and for the penalty due to them, the Passion was a Price through which we were freed from both these obligations.
For the satisfaction itself, by means of which, one makes satisfaction, whether for oneself or for another, is spoken of as a price by which one redeems or buys back oneself or another, from sin and from merited penalties.
So in Holy Scripture it is said, “Redeem thou thy sins with alms” (Dan iv. 24).

Christ made Satisfaction, not indeed by a gift of money or anything material but, by a gift which was the greatest of all, by giving Himself for us.
And thus it is that the Passion of Christ is called our Redemption.

By sinning man bound himself, not to God but to the devil.
As far as concerns the guilt of what he did, he had offended God and had made himself subject to the devil, assenting to the devil’s will.
Hence, he did not, by reason of the sin committed, bind himself to God but rather, deserting God’s Service, he had fallen under the yoke of the devil.
And God, with Justice if we remember the offence committed against Him, had not prevented this.

But, if we consider the matter of the punishment earned, it was chiefly and in the first place to God that man was bound, as to the Supreme Judge.
Man was, in respect of punishment, bound to the devil only in a lesser sense, as to the torturer, as it says in the Gospel, “Lest the adversary deliver thee to the Judge and the Judge deliver thee to the officer”(Matt v. 25) that is, to the cruel minister of punishments.

Therefore, although the devil unjustly, as far as was in his power, held man whom, by his lies he had deceived, bound in slavery, held him bound both on account of the guilt and of the punishment due for it, it was nevertheless just, that man should suffer in this way.
The slavery which he suffered on account of the evils committed which God did not prevent and, the slavery he suffered as punishment God decreed!

Therefore, it was in regard to God’s Claims that Justice called for man to be Redeemed and not in regard to the devil’s hold on us.
And it was to God, the Price was paid and not to the devil.

ST THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274)
Priest, Theologian, Dominican
Doctor Angelicus (Angelic Doctor)
Doctor Communis (Common Doctor)

Added by Pope Saint Pius V in 1568

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY, PURGATORY, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on TRUTH, Thomas Aquinas

Quote/s of the Day – 7 March – The Feast of St Thomas Aquinas

Quote/s of the Day – 7 March – The Feast of St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis

“If, then, you looking for the way by which you should go,
take Christ for He, Himself is the Way.

But of the people, many believed in him …”
John 7:31

Therefore, hold fast to Christ if you wish to be safe.
You will not be able to go astray because He is the Way.
He who remains with Him does not wander
in trackless places; he is on the right Way.
Moreover, he cannot be deceived
because He is the Truth and He teaches every Truth.
And He says: For this I was born and for this I have come, to bear witness to the Truth.
Nor can he be disturbed because He is both Life a
nd the giver of life. For He says: I have come
that they may have life and have it more abundantly.”

The more one longs for a thing,
the more painful does deprivation of it become.
And because, after this life,
the desire for God, the Supreme Good,
is intense in the souls of the just –
(because this impetus toward Him,
is not hampered by the weight of the body
and that time of enjoyment,
of the Perfect Good, would have come)
had there been no obstacle.
The soul suffers enormously,
from the delay.

We are like children,
who stand in need of masters,
to enlighten us and direct us
and God has provided for this,
by appointing His Angels,
to be our teachers and guides.

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2025/03/07/quote-s-of-the-day-7-march-st-thomas-aquinas-3/

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor of the Church

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, GOD ALONE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, Quote on SELF-ABANDONMENT, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, Quotes Self-Oblation, The WILL of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 7 March – O Merciful God By St Thomas Aquinas

Our Morning Offering – 7 March – The Feast of St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis

O Merciful God
By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor Angelicus
Doctor Communis

O merciful God,
grant that I may ever perfectly
do Thy Will in all things.
Let it be my ambition to work
only for Thy honour and glory.
Let me rejoice in nothing
but that which leads to Thee,
nor grieve for anything,
which leads away from Thee.
May all passing things be as nothing in my eyes
and may all which is Thine be dear to me
and Thou, my God, dear above them all.
May all joy be meaningless without Thee
and may I desire nothing apart from Thee.
May all labour and toil delight me, when it is for Thee.
Make me, O Lord, obedient without complaint,
poor without regret,
patient without murmur,
humble without pretence,
joyous without frivolity,
and truthful without disguise.
Amen

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 7 March – Saint Gaudiosus (Died c445) Bishop and Confessor of Brescia.

Saint of the Day – 7 March – Saint Gaudiosus (Died c445) Bishop and Confessor of Brescia. He was the 12th Bishop of Brescia and lived in the 4th and 5th Centuries. A devout apostle of the needy and sick,

The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Brescia, St Gladiosus, Bishop and Confessor.”

Little is known about his life but this slight le information allows us to sketch a profile of a holy and devout man.
He was born in Brescia into a Christian family. From a young age, he distinguished himself for his piety and charity towards the needy.

He became a Priest and, after the death of Bishop Sisinnius, was elected his successor. Gaudiosus governed the See of Brescia for 13 years, during a period of great difficulty for the Church. The Western Roman Empire was in decline and barbarian invasions threatened Christianity. Gaudiosus, however, was a courageous and enlightened shepherd who protected and led his people with firmness and compassion.

The holy Bishop devoted himself to caring for the poor and the sick and zealously worked to preach the Gospel of Christ. He was also a great builder, constructing numerous Churches and charitable institutions.

Gaudiosus died in Brescia on 7 March, around 450/455. His body was buried in the Church of Sant’Alessandro, which he himself had built. His Liturgical Feast is celebrated today.

PRAYER
O Saint Gaudiosus, Bishop of Brescia,
who led your people with firmness and compassion,
intercede for us with the Lord.
Help us to be strong in faith,
open in charity towards the needy
and to do all for the glory of God.
Obtain for us, through the intercession
of the Virgin Mary,
the grace we humbly seek of you…
(Name the grace you wish to obtain)
Amen.

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

First Saturday, https://anastpaul.com/2025/03/07/feast-of-the-sacred-crown-of-thorns-first-friday-nossa-senhora-da-estrela-our-lady-of-the-star-villa-vicosa-portugal-1050-st-thomas-aquinas-and-the-saints-for-7-march/

FIRST SATURDAY

SATURDAY of the SECOND WEEK of LENT

Nossa Senhora da Estrela / Our Lady of the Star, Villa Vicosa, Portugal (1050) – 7 March:
HERE:

https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/07/the-third-sunday-of-lent-2021-our-lady-of-the-star-villa-vicosa-portugal-1050-and-memorials-of-the-saints-7-march/

St Thomas Aquinas OP (1225-1274) aged 49 Doctor Angelicus (Angelic Doctor) and Doctor Communis (Common Doctor). Priest of the Order of Preachers, Religious, Master Theologian, Philosopher, Writer, Teacher, Jurist. Also known as – “The Great Synthesiser,” “The Dumb Ox,” “The Universal Teacher.”
St Thomas died today in 1274 but his Feast Day was moved in 1969 to 28 January.
Wonderful, Wise St Thomas!:

https://anastpaul.com/2018/01/28/saint-of-the-day-28-january-st-thomas-aquinas-1225-1274-doctor-angelicus-angelic-doctor-and-doctor-communis-common-doctor/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/01/28/saint-of-the-day-28-january-st-thomas-aquinas-op-1225-1274/

St Ardo of Aniane
Bl Daniel of Wichterich
St Deifer of Bodfari
St Drausinus of Soissons Bishop
St Enodoch
St Esterwine of Wearmouth Abbot
St Eubulus of Caesarea
St Gaudiosus (Died c445) Bishop and Confessor of Brescia


Bl German Gardiner
Bl Henry of Austria
Bl Jermyn Gardiner

Blessed John Ireland (Died 1544) Priest Martyr, Chaplain to Blessed John Larke and Saint Thomas More. Priest at Eltham, Kent, England from 1535 to 1536.
His Life and Death:

https://anastpaul.com/2025/03/07/saint-of-the-day-7-march-blessed-john-ireland-died-1544-priest-martyr/

BlessedJohn Larke (Died 1544) Priest Martyr. He was a notable personal friend of St Thomas More (1478-1535) , Martyr the Lord High Chancellor of England. He was Beatified on 29 December 1886 by Pope Leo XIII.
His Life and Death:

https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/07/saint-of-the-day-7-march-blessed-john-larke-died-1544-priest-martyr/

St Paul of Prusa

St Paul the Simple (Died c339) Hermit, Disciple of St Anthony Abbot, gifted with prophecy and miracles.
About “The Pride of the Desert”

https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/07/saint-of-the-day-7-march-st-paul-the-simple-died-c339-the-pride-of-the-desert/

St Reinhard of Reinhausen Abbot

St Teresa Margaret Redi of the Sacred Heart OCD (1747– 1770) Virgin, Nun of the Order of the Discalced Carmelites, Mystic.
After her death all the swelling and discoloration in her body disappeared, her body was incorrupt several weeks later, had a healthy glow and exuded an odour of perfume. Pope Pius XI Canonised her on 13 March 1934.
Her Pious Life:

https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/07/saint-of-the-day-7-march-saintt-teresa-margaret-redi-of-the-sacred-heart-ocd-1747-1770/

Bl Volker of Segeberg OSA (Died c1135) Priest Martyr
Bl William of Assisi

Martyrs of Carthage – 4 Saints: A catechist and three students Martyred together for teaching and learning the faith. We know little more than their names – Revocatus, Saturninus, Saturus and Secundulus. Mauled by wild beasts and beheaded 7 March 203 at Carthage, North Africa

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, HOLY WEEK, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, LENT 2026, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The PASSION, The SEVEN PASSION Feasts, Thomas Aquinas

Friday of the Second Week of Lent – 6 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas – Feast of the Holy Winding Sheet (the Shroud)

Friday of the Second Week of Lent – 6 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

Friday of the Second Week
Feast of the Holy Winding Sheet (the Shroud)

Joseph taking the Body, wrapped It in a clean linen cloth and laid It in his own new monument.
Matthew xxvii. 59

By this clean linen cloth three elements are signified in a hidden way, namely:

(i) The Pure Body of Christ.
For the cloth was made of linen which, by much pressing, is made white and,in like manner, it was after much pressure that the Body of Christ came to the brightness of the Resurrection.
Thus it behoved Christ to Suffer and to Rise again from the dead on the third day (Luke xxiv. 46).

(ii) The Church, which without spot or wrinkle (Eph v. 27), is signified by this linen woven out of many threads.

(iii) A clear conscience, where Christ reposes.

And laid Him in his own new monument.
It was Joseph’s own grave and certainly it was appropriate that He Who had Died for the sins of others, should be buried in another man’s grave!

Notice that it was a new grave.
Had other bodies already been laid in it, there might have been a doubt which had arisen.
There is another fitness in this circumstance, namely – He Who was buried in this new tomb, as He who was born of a virgin mother.

As Mary’s womb knew no child before Him nor after Him, so was it with this tomb.
Again we may understand, it is in a renewed soul renewed where Christ is buried by faith, where Christ may dwell by faith in our hearts (Eph iii. 17).

St. John’s Gospel adds, Now there was in the place where He was crucified, a garden ; and in the garden a new sepulchre (John xix. 41). Which recalls to us that as Christ was taken in a garden and suffered His agony in a garden, so in a garden was He buried, and thereby we are reminded that it was from the sin committed by Adam in the garden of delightfulness that, by the power of His Passion, Christ set us free, and also that through the Passion the Church was consecrated, the Church which again is as a garden closed.

ST THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274)
Priest, Theologian, Dominican
Doctor Angelicus (Angelic Doctor)
Doctor Communis (Common Doctor)
Added by Pope Saint Pius V in 1568

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHILDREN, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIMPLICITY, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, St Francis de Sales

Quote/s of the Day – 6 March – ‘… A HATRED for nothing but SIN…’

Quote/s of the Day – 6 March – Friday of the Second Week in Lent and the Feast of the Holy Shroud – Ecclesiasticus
Sir ach51:1-8; 51:12 – Matthew 21:33-46.– Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

He will bring those evil men
to an evil end

Matthew 21:41

Little children follow and obey their father.
They love their mother.
They know nothing of covetousness,
ill-will, bad temper, arrogance and lying.
This state of mind opens the road to Heaven.
To imitate our Lord’s own humility,
we must return to the simplicity
of God’s little ones.

St Hilary (315-368)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Let us then depart, let us depart from Egypt,
let us approach Our Lord,
let us make provision of good works;
let the feet of our affections be bare,
let us clothe ourselves with innocence,
let us not be satisfied with crying for mercy,
let us go forth from Egypt, let us delay no longer.
The hour is come to arise from sleep,
since we know that He receives sinners;
the Angels await our repentance,
the Saints pray for it
!”

St Francis de Sales 91567-1622)
Doctor of the Church

There is a golden rule which we should always remember
as it will be helpful to us in fighting temptation
and in resisting discouragement.
It is simply this:
As long as we implore God’s grace
and do all we can and ought, in order to withstand
the onslaught of temptation, God will do the rest!
If God, nevertheless, allows us to fall,
this will be in order to humble us
and to make us understand,
more clearly that we can do nothing without Him.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in LENT 2026, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 6 March – The Feast of the Holy Shroud of Jesus

Our Morning Offering – 6 March – The Feast of the Holy Shroud of Jesus

Faithful Cross! Above All Other
By St Venantius Fortunatus (c 530 – c 609)

Faithful Cross! above all other,
one and only noble tree!
None in foliage, none in blossom,
none in fruit thy peer may be;
sweetest wood and sweetest iron,
sweetest weight is hung on thee.

Bend thy boughs, O tree of glory!
Thy relaxing sinews bend;
for awhile the ancient rigour
that thy birth bestowed, suspend
and the King of heavenly beauty
gently on thine arms extend.

Praise and honour to the Father,
praise and honour to the Son,
praise and honour to the Spirit,
ever Three and ever One:
One in might and One in glory
while eternal ages run.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 6 March – Saint Marcian (Died c1117) Bishop and Martyr of Tortona,

Saint of the Day – 6 March – Saint Marcian (Died c122) Bishop and Martyr of Tortona,in north-western Italy. He occupied his Office for 45 years and had been consecrated by St Barnabas. Patronages – of both the City and Diocese if Tortona, of Genola, also in Italy. Also known as – Marcianus, Martianus, Marzano, Marziano.

The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Tortona, St Marcian, Bishop and Martyr who received the Crown of immortality by being killed under Trajan, for the glory of Christ.

Tradition states that he was born to a pagan family but was converted by St Barnabas and then confirmed in the Christian faith by St Sirus the 1st Bishop of Pavia.

St Secundus (Died c119) to become the Bishop of Asti is said to have met Marcian at Tortona, when the former was still a pagan and St Marcian converted him.

There is some disagreement about the year of St Marcian’s death. Some sources say it occurred in c17, under Trajan, while others say it was under Hadrian in c122 but all agree that he was Crucified.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY, The SEVEN PASSION Feasts

The Feast of the Sacred Shroud, First Friday,  Nossa Senhora da Nazaré / Our Lady of Nazareth, Portugal, (1150), Sts Perpetua and Felicity (Died c203) Martyrs and the Saints for 6 March

FIRST FRIDAY

The Feast of the Holy Shroud of Jesus
Today’s Feast which, since 1831, is contained in the appendix of the Breviary, on the Friday after the Second Sunday in Lent, is independent of any particular Relic but, before 1831 it was rarely found on the Diocesan Calendars.
The Office is taken from the Proprium of Turin.”
HERE:

https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/01/the-feast-of-the-holy-shroud-of-jesus-celebrated-on-friday-after-the-second-sunday-of-lent-1-march/

Nossa Senhora da Nazaré / Our Lady of Nazareth, Pierre Noire, Portugal, (1150) – 6 March:
HERE:

https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/06/nossa-senhora-da-nazare-our-lady-of-nazareth-pierre-noire-portugal-1150-and-memorials-of-the-saints-6-march/

Sts Perpetua and Felicity (Died c203) Martyrs in Carthage (Roman province of Africa – modern day Tunisia) – Patrons of Mothers, Expectant Mothers, ranchers, butchers, Carthage, Catalonia.
Feast day moved in 1969 to 7 March.
Their Life and Death:

https://anastpaul.com/2017/03/07/saints-of-the-day-7-march-saints-perpetua-and-felicity/

St Aetius
St Bairfhion
St Baldred of Strathclyde

St Baldred (Died c757) Abbot, Priest, Missionary, Founder of a monastic community, Hermit, Miracle-worker. B
His Life of Grace:

https://anastpaul.com/2025/03/06/saint-of-the-day-6-march-saint-baldred-died-c757-abbot-the-apostle-of-the-lothians/

St Balther of Lindisfarne
St Basil (Died c335) Bishop of Bologna
St Cadroë

St Chrodegang of Metz (c714-776) The First Bishop of Metz, Protector and Father of the poor and orphans, Reformer of the Clergy, a relative of King Pepin and of Prince Charles Martel, both of whom he was Court Chancellor, Royal Diplomat, Saint Opportuna of Montreuil was his brother.
The Roman Martyrology states: “In Metz in Austrasia, in today’s France, St Crodegango, Bishop, who arranged for the Clergy to live as if within the walls of a cloister under an exemplary rule of life and greatly promoted liturgical chant.
An Ardemt Shepherd:

https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/06/saint-of-the-day-6-march-saint-chrodegang-of-metz/

St Colette PCC (1381-1447) Abbess and Foundress of the Colettine Poor Clares, a reform branch of the Order of Saint Clare. Patronages – against eye disorders, against fever, against headaches, against infertility, against the death of parents, of women seeking to conceive, expectant mothers and sick children, craftsmen, Poor Clares, servants, Corbie, France, Ghent, Belgium. St Colette was Canonised on 24 May 1807 by Pope Pius VII.
Lovely St Colette:

https://anastpaul.com/2017/03/06/saint-of-the-day-6-march-st-colette/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/03/06/saint-of-the-day-6-march-st-colette-2/

St Cyriacus of Trier
St Cyril of Constantinople
St Evagrius of Constantinople

St Fridolin Vandreren of Säckingen (Died c540) “Apostle of the Upper Rhine” Monk, Abbot, Missionary, wandering Evangelist, Founder of the Monastery in Säckingen, Baden (part of modern Germany), Miracle-worker.
A Zealous Servant of God

https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/06/saint-of-the-day-6-march-st-fridolin-vandreren-of-sackingen-died-c540-apostle-of-the-upper-rhine/

Bl Guillermo Giraldi
St Heliodorus the Martyr
Bl Jordan of Pisa
St Julian of Toledo
St Kyneburga of Castor
St Kyneswide of Castor
St Marcian (Died c122) Bishop and Martyr of Tortona

St Ollegarius Bonestruga OSA (1060-1137) Bishop, Canon Regular of the Augustinians, Reformer, in both the religious sphere and the social one, Abbot, Diplomat, Peacemaker and Proptector of his people from possible violent incursions.
The Roman Martyrology reads: “At Barcelona in Spain, the blessed St Ollegarius, who was first a Canon and afterwards the Bishop of Barcelona and Archbishop of Tarragona.
A Very Busy Shepherd

https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/06/saint-of-the-day-6-march-st-ollegarius-bonestruga-osa-1060-1137-bishop/

St Patrick of Malaga
St Sananus

Blessed Sylvester of Assisi OFM (Died 1240) Priest, Friar. Sylvester was one of the first 4 followers of St Francis of Assisi and was the first Priest in the Franciscan Order.
Holy St Sylvester:

https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/06/saint-of-the-day-6-march-blessed-sylvester-of-assisi-ofm-died-1240-priest/

St Tibba of Castor
St Venustus of Milan

Martyrs of Amorium – 42 Saints – Also known as Martyrs of Syria and Martyrs of Samarra;
A group of 42 Christian senior officials in the Byzantine Empire who were captured by forces of the Abbasid Caliphate when the Muslim forces overran the City of Amorium, Phrygia in 838 and massacred or enslaved its population. The men were imprisoned in Samarra, the seat of the Caliphate, for seven years. Initially thought to be held for ransom due to their high position in the empire, all attempts to buy their freedom were declined. The Caliph repeatedly ordered them to convert to Islam and sent Islamic scholars to the prison to convince them; they refused until the Muslims finally gave up and killed them. Martyrs. We know the names and a little about seven of them:
Aetios
Bassoes
Constantine
Constantine Baboutzikos
Kallistos
Theodore Krateros
Theophilos
but details about the rest have disappeared over time. However, a lack of information did not stop several legendary and increasingly over-blown “Acts” to be written for years afterward. One of the first biographers, a monk name Euodios, presented the entire affair as a judgement by God on the empire for its official policy of Iconoclasm.
Deaths:
beheaded on 6 March 845 in Samarra (in modern Iraq) on the banks of the Euphrates river by Ethiopian slaves
the bodies were thrown into the river, but later recovered by local Christians and given proper burial.

Posted in LENT 2026, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, The PASSION, Thomas Aquinas

Thursday of the Second Week of Lent – 5 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas – That the Passion of Christ brought about its effect because it was a Sacrifice

Thursday of the Second Week of Lent – 5 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

Thursday of the Second Week
That the Passion of Christ brought about its effect
because it was a Sacrifice

A sacrifice, properly so called, is something done to render God the honour specially due to Him, in order to appease Him. St Augustine teaches this, saying, “Every work done in order that we may, in a holy union, cleave to God, is a true sacrifice; every work, that is to say, related to that final Good Whose possession alone can make us truly happy.”
Christ in the Passion offered Himself for us and it was just this circumstance – that He offered Himself wllingly which was to God the most precious thing of all, since the willingness came from the greatest possible Love. Whence it is evident, the Passion of Christ was a real Sacrifice.

And as He Himself adds later.
The former sacrifices of the saints were so many signs, of different kinds, of this One True Sacrifice. …
St Augustine speaks of four elements being found in every sacrifice, namely – Christ in the Passion offered Himself for us and it was just a person to whom the offering is made, one by whom it is made, the thing offered and those on whose behalf it is offered.
These are all found in the Passion of Our Lord. It is the same Person, the only, true Mediator Himself, Who through the sacrifice of peace reconciles us to God, yet remains One with Him to Whom He offers, those for whom He offers and is Himself One Who both offers and is offered.

It is true in those sacrifices of the old law which were types of Christ, human flesh was never offered but, it does not follow from this that the Passion of Christ was not a sacrifice.
For although the reality and that which typifies it must coincide in one point, it is not necessy that they coincide in every point, for the reality must go beyond that which typifies it.
It was then very fitting that the Sacrifice in which the Flesh of Christ is offered for us was typified by a sacrifice not of the flesh of man but of other animals, to fores-shadow the flesh of Christ which is the Most Perfect Sacrifice of all.

(i) Because, since it is the flesh of human nature which is offered, it is a thing fittingly offered for men and fittingly received by men in a Sacrament.

(ii) Because, since the Flesh of Christ was able to Suffer and to Die it was suitable for immolation.

(iii) Because, since that Flesh was itself without sin, it had a power to cleanse from sin.

(iv) Because, being the Flesh of the very Offerer, it was acceptable to God by reason of the unspeakable Love of the One Who was offering His Own Flesh.

Whence St Augustine says, “What is there more suitably received by men, of offerings made on their behalf, than human flesh and what is so suitable for immolation as mortal flesh? And what is as clean for cleansing mortal viciousness, as that flesh born, without stain of carnal desire, in the womb and of the womb of a virgin?
And what can be so graciously offered and received, as the Flesh of our Sacrifice, the Body so produced of our Priest?”

ST THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274)
Priest, Theologian, Dominican
Doctor Angelicus (Angelic Doctor)
Doctor Communis (Common Doctor)

Added by Pope Saint Pius V in 1568

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, franciscan OFM, GOD ALONE!, LENT 2026, Of BEGGARS, the POOR, against POVERTY, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GREED, WEALTH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the POOR, The HEART, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 5 March – ‘ … Give earth and receive Heaven! …’

Quote/s of the Day – 5 March – Ferial Day – Thursday of the Second Week in Lent – Jeremias 17:5-10 – Luke 16:19-31 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

There was a rich man,
who was clothed in purple
and fine linen
and who feasted sumptuously everyday.
And at his gate lay a poor man,
named Lazarus
…”

Luke 16:19–20

Amen I say to you,
as long as you did NOT do it
for one of these least ones,
you did NOT do it for Me.

Matthew 25:45

Give of your earthly goods
and receive eternal ones;
give earth and receive Heaven
!”

St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of the Church

What is a man’s treasure
but the heaping up of profits
and the fruit of his toil?
For, whatever a man sows,
this too will he reap and each man’s gain,
matches his toil and where delight
and enjoyment are found,
there the heart’s desire is attached.
Now, there are many kinds of wealth
and a variety of grounds for rejoicing –
every man’s treasure is that, which he desires.
If it is based on earthly ambitions,
its acquisition makes men not blessed but wretched.
… By distributing what might be superfluous
to support the poor, they are amassing
imperishable riches, so that what they have
discreetly given, cannot be subject to loss.
They have properly placed those riches,
where their heart is – it is a most blessed thing,
to work to increase such riches,
rather than to fear that they may pass away.

St Pope Leo the Great (400-461)
ather and Doctor of the Church

If thou wouldst see well, pluck out thine eyes and be blind;
if thou wouldst hear well, be deaf
and if thou wouldst speak well, become dumb;
if thou wouldst advance, stand still
and advance with thy mind;
if thou wouldst work well, cut off thy hands
and work with thy heart;
if thou wouldst love much, hate thyself;
if thou wouldst live well, mortify thyself;
if thou wouldst gain much and be rich,
first lose all and become poor
and if thou wouldst enjoy peace, afflict thyself
and be ever in fear and suspect thine own self;
if thou wouldst be exalted and have great honour,
humble and abase thyself;
if thou wouldst be held in great reverence, despise thyself
and do reverence to him who reviles thee;
if thou wouldst that it should be well with thee,
suffer all evil things and if thou wouldst be blessed,
desire that all should speak ill of thee
and if thou wouldst have true and eternal rest,
then toil and suffer and desire to have every temporal affliction.
O what great wisdom it is to know how to do
and to work out these things.”

Blessed Giles of Assisi (c1190-1262)

Posted in GOD the FATHER, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of PETITION, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, Quotes Self-Oblation, St Francis de Sales, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 5 March – Daily Morning Prayer Of St Francis de Sales

Our Morning Offering – 5 March – Thursday of the Second Week of Lent

Daily Morning Prayer
Of St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

Lord, I lay before Thee my weak heart,
which Thou fills with good desires.
Thou knows that I am unable
to bring the same to good effect,
unless Thou bless and prosper them
and, therefore, O Loving Father,
I entreat Thee to help me
by the merits and Passion of Thy dear Son,
to Whose honour I would devote this day
and my whole life.
Amen

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 5 March – Saint Elouan (5th Century) Hermit

Saint of the Day – 5 March – Saint Elouan (5th Century) Hermit and Irish Missionary to France. Also known as – Elouen, Elowan, Eluen, Elven, Llywan, Loan, Louan, Louen, Louenn, Luan, Youen, Youenn.

Statue St Elouan on the Fountain adjoining the Chapel of Sainte-Guen .

His history is obscure. Originally from Ireland, Elouan was a missionary to France, having been part of a company of Celtic Missionaries probably under the leadership of St Tugdual and later a Hermit in the forest which is now the Parishes of Mûr and Sainte-Guin . He lived there and died there. He is celebrated there both today and on the last Sunday of August.

His veneration is ensured particularly by a Chapel bearing his name which located at Saint-Guen, in the Côtes-d’Armor, near Mûr-de-Bretagne, in a very remote part of the See of Cornouaille.

In 1646 , Father Maunoir discovered the Saint’s Chapel in ruins and the Saint;s Tomb. This led to a revival of his cult, causing up to 80,000 pilgrims a year to this isolated place.

His sanctity has been recognizsd by the Church for centuries, as evidenced by the Statue and the Chapel erected in his honour and not forgetting the great number of pilgrims who come to pray at his Tomb.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY, Uncategorized

THURSDAY of the SECOND WEEK of LENT, Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours / Our Lady of Good Help, Montreal(1657) and the Saints for 5 March

THURSDAY of the SECOND WEEK of LENT

FERIAL DAY

Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours/Our Lady of Good Help, Montreal, Canada (1657) – 5 March:
HERE:

https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/05/notre-dame-de-bon-secours-our-lady-of-good-help-montreal-canada-1657-and-memorials-of-the-saints-5-march/

St Adrian of Caesarea
St Caron
St Carthach the Elder
Bl Christopher Macassoli of Vigevano
St Clement (Died c800) Abbot of Santa Lucia Monastery in Syracuse, Sicily.
St Colman of Armagh
St Conon of Pamphylia
Bl Conrad Scheuber

St Dietmar (Died 1206) Bishop of Minden in Germany from c1185 until his death.
A Shepherd’s Life:

https://anastpaul.com/2025/03/05/saint-of-the-day-5-march-saint-dietmar-died-1206-bishop-of-minden-in-germany/

Statue of St Dietmar at Minden Cathedral

St Elouan (5th Century) Hermit
St Eusebius of Cremona
St Eusebius the Martyr
St Gerasimus of Palestine (Died c475) Monk, Hermit
Bl Giovanna Irrizaldi

St John Joseph of the Cross OFM (1654-1734) – Italian Priest, Friar of the Order of the Friars Minor, Mystic, Ascetic, gifted with prophecy and miracles.
Beloved Saint:

https://anastpaul.com/2019/03/05/saint-of-the-day-5-march-st-john-joseph-of-the-cross-ofm-1654-1734/

St Kieran (Died c530) Bishop, one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland
His Life:

https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/05/saint-of-the-day-5-march-saint-kieran-died-c-530/

St Oliva of Brescia
St Phocas of Antioch

St Piran (Died 480) Abbot, Hermit, Missionary, miracle-worker.
St Piran’s Life:

https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/05/saint-of-the-day-5-march-saint-piran-died-480/

Bl Roger
Bl Romeo of Limoges

St Theophilus (Died c217) Bishop of Caesarea , Theologian, Writer , Apologist and Defender of the Faith. Born in Caesarea, Palestine and died c195 of natural causes.
The Roman Martyrology reads: “
At Caesarea, in Palestine, in the time of the Emperor, Severus, St Theophilus, Bishop, who was conspicuous for his wisdom and the purity of his life.
Wise St Theophilus:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/05/saint-of-the-day-5-march-saint-theophilus-of-caesarea-died-c217-bishop/

St Virgilius of Arles (Died c618) Archbishop, Abbot, Papal Vicar in Gaul.
His Life:

https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/05/saint-of-the-day-5-march-st-virgilius-of-arles-died-c618-bishop/

Martyrs of Africa – A group of 304 Christians Martyred together for their faith. We know nothing else about them but five of their names Eusebius, Evolus, Hadrian, Julian and Octavian. They Died in 254 in Africa, exact location and date unknown.

Posted in LENT 2026, REDEMPTIVE Suffering, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION, Thomas Aquinas

Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent – 4 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas The Passion of Christ brought about our Salvation because it was an Act of Satisfaction

Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent – 4 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

Wednesday of the Second Week
The Passion of Christ brought about our Salvation
because it was an Act of Satisfaction

He is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours alone but also for those of the whole world.
I John ii. 2.

Satisfaction for offences ,is truly made, when there is offered ,to the person offended, something which he loves as much as, or more than, he hates the offences.

Christ, however, by Suffering through His Love and through His Obedience, offered to God something greater by far than the satisfaction needed by all the sins of all mankind and this for three reasons.

In the first place, there was the greatness of the Love which moved Him to Suffer.
Then there was the worth of the Life which He laid down in satisfaction, the Life of God and Man.
Finally, on account of the way in which His Passion involved every part of His Being and of the greatness of the Suffering he undertook.
So it is that the Passion of Christ was not merely sufficient but superabundant as a satisfaction for man’s sins.

It would seem indeed to be the case that satisfaction should be made by the person who committed the offence. But Head and Members are, as it were, One Mystical Person and, therefore, the satisfaction made by Christ avails all the faithful as they are the Members of Christ. One man can always make satisfaction for another, as long as the two are one in charity.

  1. Although Christ, by His Death, made sufficient Satisfaction for Original Sin, it is not unfitting that the penal consequences of Original Sin should still remain even in those who are made sharers in Christ’s Redemption.
    This has been done fittingly and usefully, so that the penalties remain even though the guilt has been removed.

(i) It has been done so that there might be conformity between the faithful and Christ, as there is conformity between members and Head. Just as Christ, first of all, suffered many pains and came in this way to His Glory, so it is only right that His faithful should also first be subjected to sufferings and thence enter into immortality themselves, bearing as it were, the livery of the Passion of Christ so as to enjoy a glory somewhat like to His.

(ii) A second reason is that if men coming to Christ were straightaway freed from suffering and the necessity of death, only too many would come to Him attracted rather by these temporal advantages than by spiritual virtues.
And this would be altogether contrary to the intention of Christ, Who came into this world that He might convert men from a love of temporal advantages and win them to spiritual love and virtue.

(iii) Finally, if those who came to Christ were straightaway rendered immortal and impassible, this would, in a certain way compel men to receive the Faith of Christ and, therefore, the merit of believing would be lessened.

ST THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274)
Priest, Theologian, Dominican
Doctor Angelicus (Angelic Doctor)
Doctor Communis (Common Doctor)

Added by Pope Saint Pius V in 1568

Posted in CHRIST the JUDGE, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on WATCHING, The O ANTIPHONS, The SECOND COMING

Quote/s of the Day – 4 March – “Watch” over your life. …

Quote/s of the Day – 4 March – “The Month of St Joseph” – Sirach 31:8-11 – Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Be vigilant at all times and pray,
that you have the strength
to escape the tribulations that are imminent
and to stand before the Son of Man
…”

Luke 21:36

“Watch” over your life. …
Sheep will turn into wolves
and love into hatred.
With the increase of iniquity,
people will hate, persecute
and betray each other.
Then the world deceiver
will appear in the disguise of God’s Son.
He will work “signs and wonders
and the earth will fall into his hands.
He will commit outrages
such as have never occurred before.
Then humankind will come
to the “fiery trial
and many will fall away” and perish.”

Unknown 1st Century Author
of this early Treatise (Didache, 16)

Give me grace,
to amend my life
and to have an eye to mine end,
without grudge of death,
which, to them,
who die in You,
good Lord,
is the gate of a wealthy life.

St Thomas More (1478-1535)
Martyr

Posted in LITANIES, MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, Of a Holy DEATH & AGAINST A SUDDEN DEATH, of the DYING, FINAL PERSEVERANCE, DEATH of CHILDREN, DEATH of PARENTS, Of FATHERS, GRANDfathers, GRANDparents, Of PARENTS & FAMILIES of LARGE Families, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS & NOVENA to St Joseph, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS to the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 4 March – A Parent’s Prayer to St Joseph and the Litany of St Joseph

Our Morning Offering – 4 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph”– On Wednesdays many Catholics make a special devotion to St Joseph by going to Mass on the 1st Wednesdays of 9 consecutive months and offering their Communions in his honour and for the salvation of the dying.

A Parent’s Prayer to St Joseph

O holy Joseph,
thou faithful Spouse
of the Blessed Mother,
thou who didst protect her
and her Divine Child with such care
and didst devote thy whole life to them;
I beseech thee to be also my
and my children’s protector
and advocate, with Jesus,
thy adopted Son.
Obtain for me the grace
to fulfil my duties to my children,
as thou and Mary have done to Jesus.

St Joseph Pray for all our Fathers
and for our spiritual Fathers
of Holy Mother Church
Amen.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 4 March – St Leodevaldus (Died c614) Bishop and Confessor

Saint of the Day – 4 March – St Leodevaldus (Died c614) Bishop and Confessor of Avranches in France, Penitent. Patronages – farmers and farm labourers. Also known as – Leonard, Léodowald, Keidevakdi, Leudeuald,

Unknown Bishop or Abbot

Leodovaldus was a Bishop of Avranches who lived between the 6th and 7th Centuries, remembered as a tireless Confessor.

In the list of Bishops, he is ranked 7th (or in some cases 8th) after Saint Synerius and before Ildoald.

Although some 12th Century manuscripts contain a very deficient and imprecise Episcopal catalogue of the Diocese of Avranches, regarding Bishops before the end of the 10th Century, Saint Leodevaldus is mentioned by St Gregory of Tours in the text ‘Virtutes Martini II’.

We know very little about his birth and Episcopate. Tradition holds that he led a reckless life during his youth, so much so that his excesses frightened good people. At a certain point in his life, he converted and repented, completely changing his ways, became a Priest, and was then appointed as a Bishop.

His devotion to Saint Martin is proverbial and his cult spread throughout Normandy, to which region he dedicated as many as 31 Churches.

Saint Leodevaldus, is mentioned after 576, in some cases gives the year of his death as 630, while others more likely date it to 614.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde / Our Lady of the Guard , Marseille, France (1221), St Casimir, St Pope Lucius Martyr and the Saints for 4 March

Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent

Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde / Our Lady of the Guard , Marseille, France (1221) – 4 March:
HERE:

https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/04/notre-dame-de-la-garde-our-lady-of-the-guard-marseille-france-1221-and-memorials-of-the-saints-4-march/

St Casimir (1458-1484) Confessor, Prince, Celibate, Ascetic, Apostle of Prayer, Apostle of Charity and Mercy, Marian Devotee, Eucharistic Adorer, Confessor. His Body is Incorrupt.
Biography:

https://anastpaul.com/2017/03/04/saint-of-the-day-4-march-st-casimir/

St Lucius I (Died 254) Pope and Martyr. The 22nd Bishop of Rome from 25 June 253 to his death on 5 March 254. He was banished soon after his consecration but gained permission to return. Patronage – Copenhagen, Denmark. Lucius I’s Tombstone is still extant in the Catacomb of Callixtus. His Relics were later brought to the Church of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, along with the Relics of St Cecilia and others. His head is preserved in a reliquary in St. Ansgar’s Cathedral in Copenhagen, Denmark. This Relic was brought to Roskilde around the year 1100, after Lucius had been declared Patron Saint of the Danish region Zeeland.
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Rome, on the Appian Way. during the persecution of Valerian, the birthday of St Lucius, Pope and Martyr, who was first exiled for the Faith of Christ but, being permitted by Divine Providence to return to his Church, he suffered Martyrdom by decapitation, after having combated the Novatians. His praises have been published by the blesseed Saint Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage(200-258).”
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/04/saint-of-the-day-4-march-st-lucius-i-died-254-pope-and-martyr/

St Adrian of May
St Adrian of Nicomedia
Bl Alexander Blake
St Appian of Comacchio
St Arcadius of Cyprus
St Basinus of Trier
Bl Christopher Bales

St Felix (c970-1038) Abbot of Rhuys Abbey and restorer of St Gildas’ Abbey at Rhuys, Hermit in Brittany, France.
His Devoted Life:

https://anastpaul.com/2025/03/04/saint-of-the-day-4-march-st-felix-c970-1038-abbot/

St Gaius of Nicomedia

Blessed Humbert III Count of Savoy (1136–1189) Layman Prince. It is recorded of Humberto “who, forced to leave the cloister to deal with public affairs, practiced the monastic life with greater dedication, to which he later returned.” Born in 1136 in Avigliana, Italy and died on 4 March 1189 in Chambéry, France of natural causes. Beatified in 1838 by Pope Gregory XVI.
Holy Humbert:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/04/saint-of-the-day-4-march-blessed-humbert-iii-count-of-savoy-1136-1189/

St Leodevaldus (Died c614)Bishop and Confessor of Avranches
Bl Nicholas Horner
St Nestor the Martyr
St Owen
Bl Paolo of Brescia

St Peter of Pappacarbone (c1038-1123) Bishop, Abbot, Reformer. He was Canonised in 1893 by Pope Leo XIII.
His Life:

https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/04/saint-of-the-day-4-march-saint-peter-of-pappacarbone-c-1038-1123/

Blessed Placida Viel SSC (1815—1877) Virgin, Religious Sister of the Sisters of the Christian Schools of Mercy which Order focused on the education of girls. Placida was Beatified on 6 May 1951 by Pope Pius XII.
Bl Placida’s Life:

https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/04/saint-of-the-day-4-march-blessed-placida-viel-ssc-1815-1877/

Bl Rupert of Ottobeuren

Martyrs on the Appian Way – 900 Saints: Group of 900 Martyrs buried in the Catacombs of Saint Callixtus on the Appian Way, Rome.

Martyrs of Nicomedia – 20 Saints: A group of 20 Christians murdered together for their faith. The only details about them to survive are three of their names – Archelaus, Cyrillos and Photius. Nicomedia, Bithynia (in modern Turkey)

Martyrs of the Crimea – 7 Saints: A group of 4th century missionary Bishops who evangelised in the Crimea and southern Russia and were Martyred for their work. We know little else beyond the names – Aetherius, Agathodorus, Basil, Elpidius, Ephrem, Eugene and Gapito.