Posted in MARIAN TITLES

Nossa Senhora do Português / Our Lady of the Portuguese, Diu, India (1546) and Memorials of the Saints – 11 November

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Nossa Senhora do Português / Our Lady of the Portuguese, Diu, India (1546) – 11 November:

The Abbot Orsini wrote: “On this day, about the year 1546, the Portuguese gained a great victory over the infidels, who had been before the castle of Die, in the East Indies, for the space of seven months and who would have carried it by storm, if Our Lady had not appeared upon the walls – which caused so great terror in the enemy’s camp, that the siege was at once raised.”

The Portuguese began building the stronghold of Diu, their symbol of Portuguese influence and authority in the region, protecting their lucrative trade with India, on 20 November 1535 and finished the work a short time later, on 29 February of the following year. The fort was circular in shape, having walls 6 metres high and 3.50 metres thick, made of solid stone and lime. There was a deep ditch immediately before these stout walls and the fort had three triangular shaped bastions. Manned with a garrison of three hundred and fifty men, it was further supported by a fleet of eleven ships. Manuel De Souza was named the fort’s first Captain.

It was not long before the Portuguese came under siege, as a powerful Ottoman fleet made up of 72 ships laid siege to the stronghold in September of 1538. The Turks arrived with an army of at least 20,000 men, far more than the 400 or so Portuguese who made up the entire garrison.

There were many pitched battles after an intense bombardment and as time wore on the Portuguese suffered from an acute shortage of men and ammunition and a lack of adequate nutrition, bringing scurvy and great suffering to the remaining defenders.

The defenders were at their last extreme and the fort had less than 40 men left alive when the siege suddenly ended. Modern history records that, “for unknown reasons” the savage Turks gave up the siege and sailed away for no reason. It was obvious to the battle hardened Turkish troops, that the defence was about to collapse and that victory was at hand, so there must have been a reason that they fled. The Portuguese defenders could have said that the victory was the result of their gallantry defending the fort and to the grim determination with which they held the bastions against every manner of assault. Instead, however, the Portuguese recalled that Our Lady appeared on the battlements herself, as had recently happened at the Siege of Rhodes and that it was their fear of her ,that the Turks ran for their lives.

In 1546 there was a second assault on Diu that began on the eve of Easter and this time the Portuguese thwarted the efforts of the Turks to capture the fort in a pitched battle recorded as one of the greatest ever fought by the Portuguese troops in India. The siege had continued uninterrupted from 20 April 1546 until 7 November, when a Portuguese fleet finally arrived on the scene under Viceroy Juan de Castro.

The Portuguese success in Diu confirmed Portuguese dominion and their hold over the region. Contemporary accounts, of course, do not mention the miraculous intervention of the Blessed Virgin Mary during the siege, even though it was recorded that she appeared on the ramparts holding a lance in her hand to defend the fort from the enemy, for the ‘City of Men’ cannot accept the glories of God!

St Martin of Tours (c 316-397) (Memorial) “Martin the Merciful,” Bishop, Confessor, Miracle-Worker.

Bl Alicia Maria jadwiga Kotowska
St Bartholomew of Rossano (c 970-c 1065) Abbot Confessor
St Bertuin of Malonne
St Cynfran of Wales
St Isidre Costa Hons
Bl Josaphat Chichkov
Bl Kamen Vitchev

St Marina of Omura
St Menas Kallikelados
St Mennas of Santomenna
St Mercurius the Soldier
Bl Pavel Dzjidzjov
St Rhediw
St Theodore the Studite
St Turibius of Palencia
St Veranus of Lyon
St Veranus of Vence
Blessed Vincent Eugene Bossilkoff
—
Martyrs of Torredembarra: Members of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, Discalced Carmelites, and Carmelite Tertiaries of Education who were martyred together in the Spanish Civil War.
• Blessed Bonaventura Toldrà Rodon
• Blessed Damián Rodríguez Pablo
• Blessed Felipe Arce Fernández
• Blessed Frederíc Vila Bartolì
• Blessed Isidre Tarsá Giribets
• Blessed Joan Roca Vilardell
• Blessed José Alberich Lluch
• Blessed Josep Boschdemont Mitjavila
• Blessed Josep Maria Bru Ralduá
• Blessed Julio Alameda Camarero
• Blessed Lluís Domingo Oliva
• Blessed Mariano Navarro Blasco
• Blessed Miquel Saludes Ciuret
• Blessed Pedro de Eriz Eguiluz
They were martured on 11 November 1936 in Torredembarra, Tarragona, Spain, Beatification celebrated in Tarragona, Spain.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 11 November – Saint Mercurius the Soldier

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Saint Mercurius the Soldier, also known as Abu-Sayfain, Abu-Sifin or Abu-Sefein, was a martyr and the one who slew Julian the Apostate. Born in 224 in Cappadocia, he was of Scythian (Indo-Persian) descent and the son of an officer in the imperial Roman army. Abu-Sefein means “wielder of two swords”, referring to the second sword given to him by the Archangel Michael.

His parents were converts to Christianity and they called him “Philopateer” or “Philopatyr” (‘Lover of the Father’). They raised him in a Christian manner. At the age of 17 he enlisted in the Roman army during the reign of Emperor Decius. He gained a great reputation among his superiors as a swordsman and a tactician.

After the death of Mercurius’ father, Decius chose him to replace his father. When barbarians attacked Rome, Decius went out to fight them but became afraid when he saw how many there were. Mercurius then came to him and said, “Do not be afraid, because God will kill our enemies and will bring us victory.”

After several days of fighting, the Archangel Michael appeared to Mercurius holding a shining sword. With this he conquered the barbarians. When Decius heard news of the triumphant victory, he named Mercurius a prince.

In 249 AD, Decius began his persecution of Christians, compelling everyone to offer sacrifices to his pagan gods. The Archangel Michael appeared to Mercurius and told him to remember God and not be fearful of persecution. Mercurius was encouraged and spent the whole night praying fervently, confessing his weakness to God. The emperor sent messengers to summon him to the palace, saying: “Dear Mercurius, let us go offer incense to the gods who helped us attain victory in the war.” As they were leaving, Mercurius slipped through the crowd and went away. However, one of the guards reported his absence, and the emperor called Mercurius and asked him: “Is it true that you refused to worship the idols who helped us during the war?” Mercurius declared himself a Christian, saying, “I do not worship anyone except my Lord and my God, Jesus Christ.”

The emperor tried to persuade him to give up his faith but failed. He then ordered Mercurius to be stripped of his rank and tortured. Fearing a revolt because the people loved Mercurius, the emperor had him bound in iron fetters and sent him to Caesarea. Mercurius was beheaded on 4 December 250 AD. He was 25 years old.

After the end of the first persecution, the place of Mercurius’s burial was revealed. Mercurius appeared to a poor man in the city and told him that he was “Mercurius, the Martyr of the Lord” and that “my body is buried in Cappadocia Gardens, under the old house on the way to the royal palace. My body looks as white as snow, because Jesus was present at the time of my martyrdom.”

The next morning, the man went to dig under the old house. He began to smell the scent of perfume, seeing the body of Mercurius. The news spread quickly and many people came to take a look at the blessed body. They moved it temporarily to the local church until they built a new church bearing his name where Mercurius’ body was buried with respect and devotion.

Christ appearing to Saints Mercurius and Catherine of Alexandria in the act of tyrannicide

Saint Basil once prayed before an icon on which Mercurius was portrayed as a soldier carrying a spear. He asked God not to permit the emperor Julian the Apostate to return from his war against the Persians and resume his oppression of Christians. The image of the holy Mercurius depicted on the icon became invisible, only to reappear later with a bloodied spear. Julian the Apostate, on his Persian campaign, was mortally wounded by the spear of an unknown Persian soldier. He also appeared and fought with the Christian forces in the First Crusade.

Posted in Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 11 November – Indulgenced prayers

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Indulgenced Prayers to the Holy Ghost

O Holy Spirit, Spirit of truth, come into our hearts; shed the brightness of Thy light on all peoples, that in the unity of faith they may be pleasing to Thee.

(300 days every time said)

O Holy Spirit, sweet Guest of my soul, remain with me and see that I ever remain with Thee.

(300 days every time said)

Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and kindle in them the fire of Thy love.

V. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created;

R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

Let Us Pray

O God, Who by the light of the Holy Ghost didst instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant us by the same Spirit to relish what is right and ever to rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

(5 years every time said)

O Holy Spirit, Creator, be propitious to the Catholic Church; and by Thy heavenly power make it strong and secure against the attacks of its enemies; and renew in Thy charity and grace the spirit of Thy servants, whom Thou hast anointed, that in Thee they may glorify the Father and His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

(500 days every time said)

Posted in ONE Minute REFLECTION

One Minute Reflection – 11 November – Discernment is the lantern of the soul

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One Minute Reflection – 11 November – Readings: Sir 45:30, Ps. 131:1, Sir 44:16-27; 45:3-20, Luke 11:33-36

The lamp of your body is your eye. If your eye be sound, your whole body will be full of light. But if it be evil, your body also will be full of darkness.

Luke 11:33-36

REFLECTION – Discernment is a kind of eye and lantern of the soul, as is said in the gospel passage: “The light of the body is the eye; if therefore your eye is pure, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. And this is just what we find; for the power of discernment, scrutinizing all the thoughts and actions, distinguishes and sets aside everything that is base and not pleasing to God and keeps us free from delusion.

The Apostle calls this virtue the sun, as we can see from his saying: "Do not let the sun go down on your anger. It is also called the guidance of our lives, as when it is written: "Those who have no guidance fall like leaves". Wisdom, intellect and perceptiveness are united in discernment, and without these our inner house cannot be built nor can we gather spiritual wealth, for it is written: "Through wisdom a house is built, through understanding it is established, and through good judgment its storehouses will be filled with wealth". Discernment is also called the solid food that is "suitable for those who have their organs of perception trained by practice to discriminate between good and evil". These passages show very clearly that without the gift of discernment no virtue can stand or remain firm to the end, for it is the mother of all the virtues and their guardian.

We should therefore make every effort to acquire for ourselves this gift of discernment which is able to keep us from excess in either direction. For, as the Fathers have said, all extremes are equally harmful. Abba Moses so cheered us with teaching of this kind that we could not help glorifying the Lord who grants such great wisdom to those who fear him. To him belong honor and power through all the ages. Amen.

St John Cassian

PRAYER – Our Father, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done! Grant us Lord, a true knowledge of our salvation, so that freed from fear and from the power of our foes, we may serve You faithfully, all the days of our lives and thus attain eternal joy with You. May the prayers of St Martin of Tours and St Bartholomew of Rossano, on our behalf, be a succour to us all. Through our Lord Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, one God for all eternity, amen.

Posted in CATHOLIC Quotes

Quote/s of the Day – 15 November – The Priesthood

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For they certainly would be deserving of the greatest punishment who, after obtaining this dignity through their own ambition, should then either on account of sloth, or wickedness, or even inexperience, abuse the office. Not that we are to gather from this that there is pardon in store for those who have not been thus ambitious. Yea, even they too are deprived of all excuse.

St John Chrysostom

There is nothing more important, nothing better, than to enter into a state of life to which God has called us, and to make choice of a vocation which His providence has destined for us. This is not what the majority do, it is mere chance, caprice, a spirit of interested ambition, or a blind love which leads them onwards, it is through such irregular motives which lead them to adopt a particular state of life.

Le Pere Nepvue

He who does not follow the will of God in his choice of a state of life, is always in danger, and on the other hand, he who follows the path which our Lord has marked out for him, is always safe.

Massillion

When seculars have once chosen their secular state, let them persevere in it, and in the devout exercises which they have begun, and in their works of charity, and they shall have contentment at their death.

St Philip Neri

Learn then, Priest and Levite, what it means to wash your clothes. You must have a pure body wherewith to offer up the sacraments. If the people were forbidden to approach their victim unless they washed their clothes, do you, while foul in heart and body, dare to make supplication for others? Do you dare to make an offering for them?

St Ambrose

A clergyman who engages in business, and who rises from poverty to wealth, and from obscurity to a high position, avoid as you would the plague.

St Jerome

Posted in NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY

Thought for the Day – 11 November – How God makes use of Purgatory to render souls perfectly pure

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Treatise on Purgatory

St Catherine of Genoa

CHAPTER X

Again, I see that the love of God directs towards the soul certain burning rays and shafts of light, which seem penetrating and powerful enough to annihilate not merely the body, but, were it possible, the very soul itself. These work in two ways ; they purify, and they annihilate. Look at gold : the more it is melted, the better it becomes ; and it could be melted so as to destroy every single defect. Such is the action of fire on material things.

Now the soul cannot be annihilated so far as it is in God, but only in itself ; and the more it is purified, so much the more it annihilates self, till at last it becomes quite pure and rests in God. Gold which has been purified to a certain point ceases to suffer any diminution from the action of fire, however great it be ; for the fire does not destroy gold, but only the dross that it may chance to have. In like manner the Divine fire acts on souls: God holds them in the furnace until every defect has been burnt away, and He has brought them, each in his own degree, to a certain standard of perfection. Thus purified, they rest in God without any alloy of self: their very being is God ; they become impassible because there is nothing left to be consumed. And if in this state of purity they were kept in the fire, they would feel no pain ; rather it would be to them a fire of Divine Love, burning on without opposition, like the fire of life eternal.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES

Our Lady of the Turning Eyes, Rottweil, Germany (1643) and Memorials of the Saints – 10 November

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Muttergottes von der Augenwende / Our Lady of the Turning Eyes, Rottweil, Germany (1643) – 10 November:

In 1643 the City of Rottweil was under siege by French troops during the Thirty Years’ War. As cited in the original Dominican document, 300 citizens of the Town ceaselessly prayed the Rosary at a Statue of the Madonna and Child at the Dominican church. On 10 November 1643 witnesses saw the Statue turn pale and raise its eyes toward heaven then back to the City. Some claimed to have heard it speak. Both Catholics and non-Catholics witnessed the event. Fifteen days later, the Statue’s face turned reddish and the eyes moved again while shedding tears. At the same time, the French and Saxe-Weimar troops were defeated by Bavarian troops in the Battle of Tuttlingen. The victory was attributed to the intercession of Mary.

The Statue remained in the Church until 1802 following the secularisation of Germany, when the Monastery was dissolved and the Church was seized by the Kingdom of Württemberg. At this time the Statue was transferred to the City’s main Church, the Holy Cross Münster. A solemn procession was held to relocate the Statue on 29 December of that year. The Dominican Church later became the Town’s Protestant church, the Predigerkirche.

St Pope Leo the Great (c 400 – 461) Father & Doctor of the Church (Memorial) – Benedict XVI said that Leo’s papacy “…was undoubtedly one of the most important in the Church’s history.”

St Aedh Mac Bricc

St Andrew Avellino (1521 – 1608) Theatine Priest, Confessor, Canon and Civil Lawyer, Reformer, Founder of many new Theatine houses, Preacher, Spiritual Advisor.

St Anianus the Deacon
St Baudolino
St Demetrius of Antioch
St Elaeth the King
St Eustosius of Antioch
St Grellen
St Guerembaldus
St Hadelin of Sees
Bl Joaquín Piña Piazuelo
St John of Ratzenburg
St Joseph the Martyr
St Justus of Canterbury (Died 627) Archbishop

St Leo of Melun
St Monitor of Orleans
St Narses of Subagord
St Nonnus of Heliopolis
St Orestes of Cappadocia
St Probus of Ravenna
St Theoctiste of Lesbos
St Tryphaena of Iconium
St Tryphosa of Iconium
—
Martyred Sisters Adorers – 23 beati: 23 nuns, all members of the Sisters Adorers, Handmaids of Charity and of the Blessed Sacrament who were martyred together in the Spanish Civil War.
• Blessed Aurea González
• Blessed Belarmina Pérez Martínez
• Blessed Cecilia Iglesias del Campo
• Blessed Concepción Vázquez Areas
• Blessed Dionisia Rodríguez De Anta
• Blessed Emilia Echevarría Fernández
• Blessed Felipa Gutierrez Garay
• Blessed Francisca Pérez de Labeaga García
• Blessed Josepa Boix Rieras
• Blessed Lucía González García
• Blessed Luisa Pérez Adriá
• Blessed Magdalena Pérez
• Blessed Manuela Arriola Uranda
• Blessed María Dolores Hernández San Torcuato
• Blessed María Dolores Monzón Rosales
• Blessed María García Ferreiro
• Blessed Maria Mercè Tuñi Ustech
• Blessed María Zenona Aranzábal de Barrutia
• Blessed Prima de Ipiña Malzárraga
• Blessed Purificación Martínez Vera
• Blessed Rosa López Brochier
• Blessed Sinforosa Díaz Fernández
• Blessed Teresa Vives Missé
They were martyred on 10 November 1936 in Madrid, Spain.

Martyrs of Agde – 3 saints: A group of Christians who were tortured and martyred together in the persecutions of Diocletian. The only about them to survive are the names – Florentia, Modestus and Tiberius. Martyred c 303 in Agde, France.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 10 November – Saint Theoctiste of Lesbos

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Saint Theoctiste of Lesbos, also known as Theoctiste of Paros, was a hermitess born on Lesbos in the tenth century. Orphaned as a child, she was raised in a convent, and then abducted by Arab raiders who forced her into slavery on Paros. She escaped and lived for for over 30 years as a hermitess in an old church. She was discovered there one day by a hunter named Simon; whom she begged to bring her the Eucharist. He returned a year later, she made her first Communion in decades, and died soon after.

Posted in Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 10 November – May I Love You More Dearly

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May I Love You More Dearly
St Richard of Chichester (1197-1253)

Thanks be to You,
my Lord Jesus Christ
For all the benefits
You have given me,
For all the pains and insults
You have borne for me.
O most merciful Redeemer,
Friend and Brother,
May I know You more clearly,
Love You more dearly,
Follow You more nearly.
Amen

Posted in ONE Minute REFLECTION

One Minute Reflection – 10 November – “You also must be prepared for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come”

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One Minute Reflection – 10 November – Readings: Ps 36:30-31, Ps 36:1, Sir 31:8-11, Luke 12:35-40

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, Let your loins be girt about and your lamps burning, and you yourselves like men waiting for their master’s return from the wedding; so that when he comes and knocks, they may straight-way open to him.

Luke 12:35-40

REFLECTION – These words mean : you are to be awake and vigilant because you do not know the hour when the Lord will come from the wedding. Because as soon as some feeling of pride, self-satisfaction or self-will enters a man, the Enemy is there cutting the precious bag of all his good works from him. Oh, children! How many of people like these will you see who have done great works and thus gained great renown, but presumption has stripped them of all. They will be placed after the poor and simple fellows whom no one values because of their outward appearance and work. Because they humbly take a lowly place these latter will be set above the others. So keep watch with vigilant soul and you will see the pure truth with open eyes.

Let your loins be girded and your lamps alight. Here there are three points to notice. First: the loins are to be girded like someone firmly bound with a rope so as to be led against his will. Second: you are to carry lighted lamps in your hands, which is to say, works of love. Your hands should never stop doing the true, ardent work of charity. Third: you should wait for the Lord when he returns from the wedding. “The Lord will set them over all his goods; he will gird himself and will serve them.” This wedding from which the Lord comes takes place in the most interior part of the soul, in its depths where the noble image is found. O what intimate contact the soul has with God and God with it in this depth, and what a marvellous work God does there! What rejoicing and joy he finds there! It surpasses all feeling and thought and yet man knows nothing and feels nothing of it.

John Tauler (c.1300-1361)

PRAYER – You Lord, Holy Father, never forget Your solemn covenant and grant us new life each day. We though in our hearts of stone do forget and cease to thank and bless You. Make our hearts turn in gratitude, for all we are and have is by Your grace and we are as nothing without You. May our minds, hearts and souls sing with love and thanks to You, Lord our God. Grant us new hearts by the prayers of Your Saint Leo the Great and all the saints in heaven, who always lived with grateful hearts, praising You always. We ask this this through Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.

Posted in CATHOLIC Quotes

Quote/s of the Day – 10 November – Let your loins be girt

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Vain is the man who puts his trust in men, in created things.

The Imitation of Christ

A man full of confidence in God becomes, in a certain manner, strong with the strength of God Himself. Can he, who is powerful with the power of God, be discouraged by obstacles? Can he, who is rich with the riches of God, lack anything in his necessities? Thus the prophet declares that they who hope in the Lord, “they will soar on eagles’ wings; they will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint.” If, then, you are wanting in strength, it is because you are wanting in confidence.

Fr François Nepveu

Before this happens, there will be a sort of false peace in the world; people will think only of amusing themselves; the wicked will indulge in all kinds of sin; but the children of Holy Church, children of the true faith, my true imitators, will grow in the love of God and in the virtues dearest to me. Happy the humble souls lead by the Holy Ghost! I shall battle along with them until they reach the fullness of maturity.

Our Lady of La Salette

If the enemies of the truth never have enough of blaspheming our Benefactor, we must be all the more tireless in praising the God of all. Another very serious illness calls for any cure my words can bring, an illness which has become implanted in the body of the Church. We must first root this ailment out and then take thought for matters outside; we must first cure our own and then be concerned for others who are strangers. What is this disease? The festivals of the pitiful and miserable Jews are soon to march upon us one after the other and in quick succession: the feast of Trumpets, the feast of Tabernacles, the fasts. There are many in our ranks who say they think as we do. Yet some of these are going to watch the festivals and others will join the Jews in keeping their feasts and observing their fasts. I wish to drive this perverse custom from the Church right now.

St John Chrysostom

Consider what thrones and mansions will not God prepare for those who, by the practice of heroic virtues, sustain and even increase their merit in the midst of a corrupt court!

La Pere e la Colombiere SJ

Alas, my dear brethren, the person who has no charity goes far afield for evil! If someone does him some harm, you see him examining all his actions then. He judges them. He condemns them. He turns them all to evil and is always quite certain that he is right. But, you will tell me, there are plenty of times when you see people doing wrong and you cannot think otherwise. My good friend, because you have no charity, you think that they are doing wrong. If you had charity, you would think quite otherwise because you would always think that you could have been mistaken, as so often happens.

St John Vianney

Posted in NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY

Thought for the Day – 10 November – The way in which God and the souls in Purgatory regard each other

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Treatise on Purgatory

St Catherine of Genoa

CHAPTER IX

All the things of which I have spoken, when compared with that of which I am assured in my intelligence, so far as I am able to comprehend it in this life, are of such intensity, that, by the side of them, all things seen, all things felt, all things imagined, all things just and true, seem to me lies and things of naught. I am confounded at inability to find stronger words. I see that God is in such perfect conformity with the soul, that when He beholds it in the purity wherein it was created by His Divine Majesty, He imparts a certain attractive impulse of His burning love, enough to annihilate it, though it be im mortal ; and in this way so transforms the soul into Himself, its God, that it sees in itself nothing but God, who goes on thus attracting and in flaming it, until He has brought it to that state of existence whence it came forth that is, the spotless purity wherein it was created.

And when the soul, by interior illumination, perceives that God is drawing it with such loving ardour to Him self, straightway there springs up within it a corresponding fire of love for its most sweet Lord and God, which causes it wholly to melt away: it sees in the Divine light how considerately, and with what unfailing providence, God is ever leading it to its full perfection, and that He does it all through pure love ; it finds itself stopped by sin, and unable to follow the heavenly attraction, I mean that look which God casts on it to bring it into union with Himself : and this sense of the grievousness of being kept from beholding the Divine light, coupled with that instinctive longing which would fain be without hindrance to follow the enticing look, these two things, I say, make up the pains of the souls in purgatory.

Not that they think anything of their pains, however great they be ; they think far more of the opposition they are making to the will of God, which they see clearly is burning intensely with pure love to them. God meanwhile goes on drawing the soul to Himself by His looks of love mightily, and, as it were, with undivided energy : this the soul knows well ; and could it find another purgatory greater than this by which it could sooner remove so great an obstacle, it would immediately plunge therein, impelled by that conforming love which is between God and the soul.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 9 November – St Theodore Stratelates

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St Theodore Stratelates, also known as Theodore the General, Theodore Tyro, Theodore the Recruit, Theodorus of Heraclea, was a martyr, Roman general (stratelates) of Greek extraction, and covert Christian during a time of persecution.

Small cut-stone depicting images of Saint Theodore were encased in precious metal frames and worn around the neck by both clerics and laymen

Theodore was born in 281 in the city of Euchaita in Asia Minor. Whilst there he killed a giant serpent living on a precipice in the outskirts of Euchaita. The serpent had been terrorising the countryside so Theodore armed himself with a sword and vanquished it. Because of his bravery, Theodore was appointed military-commander in the city of Heraclea Pontica, during the time the Emperor Licinius (307–324) began a fierce persecution of Christians.

He requested that all the gold and silver statues of the gods which they had in Heraclea be gathered up at his house. Theodore then smashed them into pieces which he then distributed to the poor. Exposed as a Christian, a military tribunal decided he was a good soldier who had made a mistake, told him to reconsider, and set him free.

He promptly burned down a pagan temple.

Arrested again, he was ordered to apostatize, then tortured by having his flesh torn off.

He responded by reciting the Psalms.

Theodore was then crucified. His servant Varos (also venerated as a saint), witnessed this and recorded it.

In the morning the imperial soldiers found him alive and unharmed.

Instead of fleeing, Theodore voluntarily surrendered to Licinius, and was beheaded by the sword. This occurred on 8 February 319, on a Saturday, at the third hour of the day.

Patronage: Brindisi, Italy. Recovery of lost articles, soldiers

Henceforth who is sufficient to relate the manner in which he bore himself?— what pity was his? What vigour? How great his mercy? How great his strictness? So much sanctity and grace beamed from his face that it confounded the minds of the beholders. His countenance was grave and joyous. Neither was his severity gloomy, nor his affability excessive, but a mingled tempering of both; so that it might be doubted whether he most deserved to be revered or to be loved, except that he deserved both to be revered and to be loved.

Life and Passion of St Cyprian

Posted in MARIAN TITLES

Feast of the Dedication of The Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour and of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in the Lateran, Santa Maria la Real de la Almudena / Our Lady of Almudena, Madrid, Spain (712) and Memorials of the Saints – 9 November

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Dedication of The Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour and of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in the Lateran (Feast):

The oldest and first in rank of the four Basilicas of Rome. The name is derived from the Laterani family, on the site of whose Palace the Basilica stands. King Constantine presented this Palace to the Church. Its annual celebration throughout the Latin Church is a sign of love and unity with the Papacy and Pope.

The original Church building, probably adapted from the hall of the palace, was dedicated to the Saviour and from its splendour was known as the Basilica Aurea. Though several times destroyed and rebuilt, the Basilica retained its ancient form, being divided by rows of columns into aisles and having an atrium with colonnades. The restoration of the 17th century changed its appearance.

A monastery was formerly between the Basilica and the City wall of which the cloister still remains. The original apse survived until 1878, when it was destroyed and a deeper apse built. The ancient mosaics have been preserved The high Altar, which is of wood and is believed to have been used by Saint Peter, is now encased in marble. In the upper part of the baldachinum are the heads of the Apostles, Peter and Paul. The Baptistery is an octagonal edifice with porphyry columns. The font is of green basalt. This Basilica has been the Cathedral of Rome since the 4th century.

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Santa Maria la Real de la Almudena / Our Lady of Almudena, Madrid, Spain (712) – 9 Novemnber:

The Virgin of Almudena is a medieval icon of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God. The image is the advocation of the Virgin that serves as a Patroness of Madrid, Spain.

Intriguingly, however, its name derives from the Arabic term of Al Mudayna, or the citadel. There are various legends regarding the Statue. One of the historical legends is that in 712, prior to the capture of the Town by the advancing Muslim forces, the inhabitants of the Town secreted the image of the Virgin, for its own protection, inside the walls surrounding the town. In the 11th century, when Madrid was reconquered by the King Alfonso VI of Castile, the Christian soldiers endeavoured to find the Statue. After days of prayer, the spot on the wall hiding the icon crumbled, revealing the Statue. Another legend is that as Christian soldiers approached the Town, they had a vision of Mary imploring them to allow her to lead them into the City. Again the miraculous crumbling of the wall occurred, with the Statue showing an entry route through the walls.

The Cathedral of Madrid is dedicated to this advocation of the Virgin and her feast day, 9 November, is a major holiday in Madrid.

St Agrippinus of Naples
St Alexander of Salonica
St Aurelius of Riditio
St Benignus of Armagh
St Eustolia
St Francisco José Marín López de Arroyave
Blessed Gabriel Ferretti OFM (1385-1456) Priest
Bl George Napper
Bl Gratia of Cattaro
Bl Helen of Hungary
Bl Henryk Hlebowicz
St Jane of Segna

Blessed Ludovico Morbioli (1433-1485) Penitent, Preacher, Ascetic.

St Justo Juanes Santos
St Luigi Beltrame Quattrocchi
St Luis Morbioli
St María de la Salud Baldoví Trull
Bl María del Carmen of the Child Jesus
St Pabo
St Sopatra
St Theodore Stratelates
St Ursinus of Bourges
St Valentín Gil Arribas
St Vitonus of Verdun
—
Martyrs of Constantinople – 3 saints: A group of ten Christians who tried to defend an image of Jesus over the Brazen Gate of Constantinople from an attack by Iconoclasts during the persecutions of emperor Leo the Isaurian. The group of was seized by soldiers, condemned by judges for opposing the emperor, and martyred. The only details that have survived are three of their names – Julian, Marcian and Maria. They were martyred in 730 at Constantinople (modern Istanbul, Turkey).

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Anastasio Garzón González
• Blessed Francisco José Marín López de Arroyave
• Blessed Justo Juanes Santos
• Blessed María de la Salud Baldoví Trull
• Blessed Valentín Gil Arribas

Posted in Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 9 November – Grant me, O my God – By St Vincent Ferrer

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Grant me, O my God
By St Vincent Ferrer OP (1350-1419)

Good Jesus,
let me be penetrated with love
to the very marrow of my bones,
with fear and respect toward You.
Let me burn with zeal for Your honour,
so that I may resent terribly,
all the outrages
committed against You,
especially those of which
I myself have been guilty.
Grant further, O my God,
that I may adore and acknowledge You humbly,
as my Creator and that,
penetrated with gratitude
for all Your benefits,
I may never cease to render You thanks.
Grant that I may bless You in all things,
praise and glorify You
with a heart full of joy and gladness
and that, obeying You with docility
in every respect, I may one day,
despite my ingratitude and unworthiness,
be seated at Your table
together with Your Holy Angels and Apostles
to enjoy ineffable delights.
Amen

Posted in ONE Minute REFLECTION

One Minute Reflection – 9 November –Today salvation has come to this house

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One Minute Reflection – 9 November – “Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” –Feast Dedication of The Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour in the Lateran and the Memorial of Blessed Gabriel Ferretti OFM (1385-1456) – Readings: Gen. 28:17, Ps 83:2-3, Rev 21:2-5, Luke 19:1-10

Jesus said to him, Today salvation has come to this house, since he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.

Luke 19:1-10

REFLECTION – As the Paschal season draws near we say without a thought: “Tomorrow is the Lord’s Passion” and yet many years have passed since the Lord underwent his Passion, which took place once for all. This Sunday, too, we can rightly say: “The Lord is risen today” although many years have passed since Christ was raised. So why is it that no one comes to blame us for this “today” as though it were a lie?

Is it not because we say “today” because this day stands for the return, in the course of time, of the day on which the event we are commemorating took place? We are right to say “today”: today, indeed, the event that took place so long ago is fulfilled by our celebration of the mystery. In himself Christ was sacrificed once for all; nevertheless, he is sacrificed today in the mystery we celebrate, not only at every paschal feast but every day, for all people. This is not to lie, then, but to affirm: “Christ is sacrificed today.” For if the sacraments we are fulfilling did not have a genuine likeness to the reality of which they are the sign, they would not be sacraments. But it is precisely this likeness that allows us to call them by the same name as the reality of which they are the sign. And so the sacrament of the body of Christ we celebrate is, in some way, the body of Christ; the mystery of the blood of Christ that we fulfil is the blood of Christ. The sacramental mystery of faith is the reality in which we believe.

St Augustine

PRAYER – Almighty God, as we recall with joy, the Dedication of this house of Yours on each recurring anniversary, listen to Your people’s prayer and grant that our worship here may be a sincere and holy service, honouring Your Name and bringing us the fullness of redemption. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God for all eternity, amen.

Posted in CATHOLIC Quotes

Quote/s of the Day – 9 November – Mother and Head of All Churches in Rome and in the World

Posted on by AnaStpaul

A vast number of heresies have attacked the Church, a thousand storms have raged over it, but in the midst of tempests this ship, though battered by many rolling billows, has not been shattered or engulfed. Truth remains, errors pass away.

Fr Texier

Heretics have understood this anomaly, for after having refused to obey the legitimate successor of St Peter (for whom Jesus Christ has prayed that his faith might not fail) they have been compelled to establish heads of their sects, so that they may see in their congresses and synods (which, by the by, they hold without any right or without any old established form) the same power they cannot endure to see in the Catholic Church.

Flechier

For I say to you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see the things that you see, and have not seen them; and to hear the things that you hear, and have not heard them.

Luke 10:24

You are the body of Christ, and members of member.” Our union with Jesus Christ is true, since it is an article of faith; it is an intimate union, since it animates us with the spirit of Christ; it is a most sublime union since the Saviour Himself likens it to His union with the Father. “That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in Me and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us.” (John 17:21)

Fr François Nepveu, S.J

Civil governments will all have the same objective, which will be to abolish and make every religious principle disappear, to make way for materialism, atheism, spiritism and vices of all kinds.

Our Lady of La Salette

Then Jesus Christ, by an act of His justice and His great mercy toward the righteous, will command His angels to put all His enemies to death. At one blow the persecutors of the Church of Jesus Christ and all men given to sin will perish, and the earth will become like a desert.

Our Lady of La Salette

Posted in NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY

Thought for the Day – 9 November – the necessity of Purgatory, and how terrible it is

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Treatise on Purgatory

St Catherine of Genoa

CHAPTER VIII

Again I say that, on God’s part, I see paradise has no gate, but that whosoever will may enter therein ; for God is all mercy, and stands with open arms to admit us to His glory. But still I see that the Being of God is so pure (far more than one can imagine), that should a soul see in itself even the least mote of imperfection, it would rather cast itself into a thousand hells than go with that spot into the presence of the Divine Majesty. Therefore, seeing purgatory ordained to take away such blemishes, it plunges therein, and deems it a great mercy that it can thus remove them.

No tongue can express, no mind can understand, how dreadful is purgatory. Its pain is like that of hell ; and yet (as I have said) I see any soul with the least stain of imperfection accept it as a mercy, not thinking it of any moment when compared with being kept from its Love. It appears to me that the greatest pain the souls in purgatory endure proceeds from their being sensible of something in themselves displeasing to God, and that it has been done voluntarily against so much goodness ; for, being in a state of grace, they know the truth, and how grievous is any obstacle which does not let them approach God.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES

Octave Day of All Saints, Notre-Dame de Bellefontaine / Our Lady of the Blessed Fountain, Bellefontaine, France (12th Century) and Memorials of the Saints – 8 November

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Octave Day of All Saints

Notre-Dame de Bellefontaine / Our Lady of the Blessed Fountain, Bellefontaine, France (12th Century) – 8 November:

It was sometime in the 13th century when a man, who was hunting near the Benedictine Abbey, severely injured his hand. The injury was so severe, that the man feared that he might lose his life from the loss of blood which would not cease. Having with him a bowl, he filled it with fresh water he found nearby and placed his hand in it as he prayed devotedly to the Blessed Virgin Mary for her intervention The man’s faith was rewarded, as the hunter looked at his hand to witness the wound miraculously close as if he had never been injured at all.

In recognition of the miracle, he later returned to site, bringing with him, a Statue of the Blessed Virgin. When the news of the miracle became widely known. it attracted many pilgrims from all over Europe. Thus, starting in the 13th century, the Statue of the Virgin was venerated under the title of Notre-Dame-de-Bellefontaine. A small chapel was also built around the Statue of the Virgin Mary.

Shortly before the coming of the French Revolution, a church was built, whose care was entrusted to a local hermit. The Statue of the Blessed Virgin miraculously escaped the revolutionary turmoil and the place remained a place of celebration for the faithful of the two neighbouring counties. The nearby Benedictine Abbey, which had been founded at the end of the eleventh century, was plundered and confiscated by the state during the Revolution and then sold in the year 1791. In 1794 some of the buildings were set ablaze and the rest of the Abbey left in ruins. Some of the property was purchased on 17 january 1817, by a Trappist Monk, Urban Guillet and it once again became a flourishing Monastery.

The pool from which the hunter obtained the water still exists and is now protected behind a metal grate. There is also a modern statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary located in a grotto nearby, as the original statue disappeared during the fighting and chaos of World War I. Its current whereabouts is unknown.

St Adeodatus I, Pope
St Clair of Tours
St Cybi of Caenarvon
St Drouet

Blessed John Duns Scotus OFM (c 1265-1308) Doctor Subtilis (Subtle Doctor) Franciscan Priest and Friar, Theologian, Philosopher, Lecturer – known as “The minstrel of the Word Incarnate” and “Defender of Mary’s Immaculate Conception”.

St Gervadius
St Giuse Nguyen Ðình Nghi

St Godfrey of Amiens OSB (1066–1115) Bishop of Amiens, Reformer, Apostle of Prayer and Charity, Penitent.

St Gregory of Einsiedeln
St John Baptist Con
Bl Maria Crucified Satellico
St Martinô Tho
St Martinô Ta Ðuc Thinh
St Maurus of Verdun
St Moroc of Scotland
St Phaolô Nguyen Ngân
St Tysilio of Wales
St Willehad of Bremen (Died 789) Bishop Confessor
St Wiomad of Trèves
—
All Deceased Dominicans

All Saints of the Diocese of Evry: A regional memorial of all the saints and beati of the calendar who have a connection to the Diocese of Evry-Corbeil-Essonnes, France.
• Blessed Isabella of France, founded the Longchamp monastery
• Blessed Nicolas Gaudreau, pastor of Vert-le-Petit
• Blessed Pierre Bonse, pastor of Massy
• Our Lady of Good Guard, patron saint of the diocese, venerated in Longpont-sur-Orge, France
• Saint Corbinian, born in Saint-Germain-lès-Arpajon
• Saint Denis of Paris, evangelizer of part of Essonne and revered ni Longpont-sur-Orge
• Saint Eloi, who lived in Chilly-Mazarin
• Saint Germain of Paris
• Saint William of Bourges, son of Count Baldwin IV of Corbeil
• Saint William of Aebelholt, pastor of Brunoy
• Saint Wulfran of Sens, born in Milly-la-Forêt
• Blessed Nativelle, vicar of Longjumeau
• Blessed René Le Bris, pastor of Bris-sous-Forges
• Saint Spire of Bayeux, whose relics are in Corbeil in the cathedral that bears his name
All Saints of Wales

Augustinian Martyrs of Spain

Four Crowned Martyrs: Saint Castorus, Saint Claudius, Saint Nicostratus and Saint Simpronian. Skilled stone carvers in the 3rd century quarries. Martyred when they refused to carve an idol of Aesculapius for Diocletian. They were drowned in the River Sava in 305. Patronages – against fever, cattle, sculptors, stone masons, stonecutters.

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War
• BlessedAntolín Pablos Villanueva
• BlessedLaureano Pérez Carrascal
• BlessedManuel Sanz Domínguez
• BlessedMaximino Serrano Sáiz

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 8 November – Saint Gervadius

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saint Gervadius, also known as Garnat, Garnet, Gernad, Gerardin, Gerardine, Gernard, Gernardius, Gervat, was a tenth century Irish hermit at at Kenedor and Holyman Head in Scotland, where he lived in a cave. He may have moved to Scotland to escape Viking raids on his home country. He would light torches at night to warn ships away from the dangerous rocks along the shore. His cave survived into the 19th century, being a place of pilgrimage before being quarried out. Once when he needed wood to complete construction of a church, a great storm struck upriver of him, washing enough timber down river to finish the work.

He died around 934.

Posted in Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 8 November – May I Be United With You, Good Jesus

Posted on by AnaStpaul

May I Be United With You, Good Jesus
St Peter Canisius (1521-1597)
Doctor of the Church

Let my eyes take their sleep
but may my heart always
keep watch for You.
May Your right hand bless Your servants
who love You.
May I be united with the praise
that flows from You, Lord Jesus,
to all Your saints;
united with the gratitude
drawn from Your heart, good Jesus,
that causes Your saints to thank You;
united with Your passion, good Jesus,
by which You took away our guilt;
united with the divine longing
which You had on earth, for our salvation;
united with every prayer
that welled from Your divine heart, good Jesus
and flowed into the hearts of Your saints.
Amen

Posted in ONE Minute REFLECTION

One Minute Reflection – 8 November – The good grain and the weeds, mixed together in the Church until the Day of the Lord

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One Minute Reflection – 8 November – “Pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – Readings: Jer 29:11-12; 29:14, Ps 84:2, Col 3:12-17,Matt 13:24-30

And the servants of the householder came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’

Matt 13:24-30

REFLECTION – It happened not long ago that a follower of Lucifer had a dispute with a son of the Church. His loquacity was odious and the language he employed most abusive. For he declared that the world belonged to the devil, and, as is commonly said by them at the present day, that the Church was turned into a brothel. His opponent on the other hand, with reason indeed, but without due regard to time and place, urged that Christ did not die in vain, and that it was for something more than a Sardinian cloak of skins that the Son of God came down from heaven. To be brief, the dispute was not settled when night interrupted the debate, and the lighting of the street-lamps gave the signal for the assembly to disperse. The combatants therefore withdrew, almost spitting in each other’s faces, an arrangement having been previously made by the audience for a meeting in a quiet porch at daybreak. Thither, accordingly, they all came, and it was resolved that the words of both speakers should be taken down by reporters.

2. When all were seated, Helladius the Luciferian said, I want an answer first to my question. Are the Arians Christians or not?

Orthodoxus. I answer with another question, Are all heretics Christians?

L. If you call a man a heretic you deny that he is a Christian.

O. No heretics, then, are Christians.

L. I told you so before.

O. If they are not Christ’s, they belong to the devil.

L. No one doubts that.

St Jerome

Ninety-five Theses, by Martin Luther

PRAYER – O Lord our God, grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love and to be only good influences to our neighbour. May the prayers of the Blessed Virgin, all the Saints and Angels, ever intercede for the Church Militant and the Church Suffering, Amen.

Posted in CATHOLIC Quotes

Quote/s of the Day – 8 November – the weeds appeared as well

Posted on by AnaStpaul

If you love the world you will be engulfed, for the world knows only how to shipwreck a soul, it knows not how to save it.

St Augustine

What are the miseries which worldlings have to endure? Alas! everything seems to conspire to make them groan without being allowed too complain.

Pere Croiset SJ

The world is that mass of wicked men and impious libertines who refuse to believe in the truths of the gospel, because they wage war with their vices, because they confute the Saviour’s maxims, despise His mysteries, ignore His precepts, and profane His sacraments. In short, the world is the majority who follow its maxims. It is this world which you have to hate in your baptism, and which you are taught to confute, condemn, and wage war against.

Massillion

All the land is infected through the wickedness of those who dwell on it. Blood has tasted blood, the father scandalise his child, the brother lays snares for his brother, and the husband seeks for a divorce.

Massillion

The chains that bind us to the world, are pleasing to look at but hard to bear, the harm they inflict is certain, the pleasure they promise very doubtful, Those who wear them are ever busy, but never exempt from dread. Those who follow the maxims of the world experience nothing but misery.

St Augustine

There are still some amongst us, who keep themselves unspotted from the world, who imitate the early Christians.

St John Chrysostom

Posted in NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY

Thought for the Day – 8 November – The wonderful wisdom of God

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Treatise on Purgatory

St Catherine of Genoa

CHAPTER VII

As the soul cleansed and purified finds no place wherein to rest but God, this being its end by creation, so the soul in a state of sin finds no place for it but hell, this being its end by the appointment of God. No sooner, then, does the soul leave the body in mortal sin than it goes straight to hell as to its allotted place, with no other guide than the nature of sin ; and should a soul not find itself thus prevented by the justice of God, but excluded altogether from His appointment, it would endure a still greater hell for God’s appointment partakes of His mercy, and is less severe than the sin deserves ; as it is the soul, finding no place suited to it, nor any lesser pain provided for it by God, casts itself into hell as into its proper place.

Thus, with regard to purgatory, when the soul leaves the body, and finds itself out of that state of purity in which it was created, seeing the hindrance, and
that it can only be removed by purgatory, without a moment’s hesitation it plunges therein : and were there no such means provided to remove the impediment, it would forthwith beget within itself a hell worse than purgatory, because by reason of this impediment it would see itself unable to reach God, its last end : and this hindrance would be so full of pain, that, in comparison with it, purgatory, though, as I have said, it be like hell, would not be worth a thought, but be even as nothing.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES

Twenty Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, The Feast of All Saints of the Order of Preachers, Onze Liewe Vrou van Scherpenheuvel / Our Lady of Scherpenheuvel, Scherpenheuvel-Zichem, Belgium (17th Century) and Memorials of the Saints – 7 November

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Twenty Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

The Feast of All Saints of the Order of Preachers: “Fountain of all holiness, you stirred up in our holy brothers and sisters an extraordinary love of truth, conformity to Christ crucified, and a thirst for the salvation of souls: may we imitate them in offering you thanks on account of the way of life they gave us.” — From the Intercessions at Lauds for the feast of All Saints of the Order of Preachers.

Onze Liewe Vrou van Scherpenheuvel / Our Lady of Scherpenheuvel
Scherpenheuvel-Zichem, Belgium (17th Century) – Commemorated on the First Sunday after the Feast of All Saints

For many years the Marian cult on the Scherpenheuvel (“Sharp Hill”) centred at an oak tree on top of the hill. According to the foundation legend, a shepherd noticed that the image had fallen to the ground and decided to take it home. When he had lifted it, he discovered he was unable to move. As the herd did not return in the evening, his master became concerned and went to look for the shepherd. Only by restoring the Statue to its original place in the oak tree, could the master release the shepherd, thereby discovering the spiritual importance of the site.

The inhabitants of the nearby Town of Zichem would frequent the site in the second half of the sixteenth century whenever they were in need of the intercession of the Blessed Mother.

After an official enquiry in 1604 Mathias Hovius, Archbishop of Mechelen, approved the cult of Scherpenheuvel . The approval was accompanied by the publication of a collection of miracles ascribed to the intercession of the Virgin of Scherpenheuvel, issued in Dutch, French and Spanish. An English translation followed in 1606. Philip Numan, who had authored the collection, produced two more editions (1605 and 1606) as well as three more collections (1613-1614, 1617 and 1617-1618) in short succession. Latin versions were later published too. According to these publications, close to 700 miracles were credited to the intercession of Our Lady of Scherpenheuvel, in the course of the seventeenth century. The Latin collections, in particular, caused a lot of controversy among theologians, with Calvinist authors ridiculing the whole idea of miraculous intercession by the Saints.

Meanwhile, it had been decided in 1602, to remove the Statue from the oak tree and house it in a small wooden Chapel nearby. Within the year, the Chapel proved too small and was replaced by a modest stone edifice. Its foundation stone was laid on 13 July 1603 by Count Frederik van den Bergh on behalf of the Archdukes Albert and Isabella. From that point on, the Archdukes showed great interest in the development of the Shrine. Attributing the recent relief of the besieged Town of ‘s-Hertogenbosch to the intercession of the Virgin, Albert and Isabella made their first pilgrimage to Scherpenheuvel on 20 November 1603. It would soon become a yearly pilgrimage that took place in May or June and lasted the nine days of a novena.

Under the patronage of the Archdukes, the emerging Shrine was raised to the status of a Town in 1605 and of an independent Parish in 1610. Their support helped to ensure the grant of a Papal Indulgence on 16 September 1606, the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. Shortly after reaching a cease-fire with the United Provinces, on 28 August 1607, Albert and Isabella announced that they would build a vast Church and surround it with a planned and fortified Town. The foundation stone of the third and present Church was laid by them in person, on 2 July 1609, the Feast of the Visitation.

The iconographical decoration of the Basilica is particularly rich. The recurrent use of the number seven (in the shape of the Church and the Town, the number of Altars outside and inside, the shape of the stars on the dome) recalls the cult of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin.

The image of Our Lady of Scherpenheuvel was solemnly crowned by Cardinal Victor-Auguste-Isidor Deschamps on behalf of the Blessed Pope Pius IX on 25 August 1872.

Fifty years later, on 2 May 1922, Pope Pius XI raised the Shrine to the status of a Minor Basilica.

St Achillas
St Amarand
St Amaranthus

Blessed Anthony Baldinucci SJ (1665-1717) Priest of the Society of Jesus, Preacher, Writer and Missionary.

St Athenodorus of Neo-Caesarea
St Auctus of Amphipolis
St Baud of Tours
St Blinlivet
St Congar
St Engelbert of Cologne (c 1185-1225) Archbishop Martyr
St Ernest of Mecca
St Florentius of Strasburg
St Gebetrude of Remiremont
St Herculanus of Perugia
St Hesychius of Mytilene
St Hieron of Mytilene
St Hyacinth Castañeda Puchasons
St Lazarus the Stylite
St Nicander of Mytilene
St Peter Ou
St Prosdocimus of Padua
St Prosdocimus of Rieti
St Raverranus of Séez
St Rufus of Metz
St Taurion of Amphipolis
St Thessalonica of Amphipolis
St Tremorus of Brittany
St Vincent Liem

St Willibrord (c 658 – 739) “Apostle to the Frisians,” Bishop, Missionary.

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Alfredo Fanjul Acebal
• Blessed Andrés Francisco Simón Gómez
• Blessed Isabelino Carmona Fernández
• Blessed José Delgado Pérez
• Blessed José Vega Riaño
• Blessed Juan Mendibelzúa Ocerín
• Blessed Manuel Marín Pérez
• Blessed Serviliano Riaño Herrero
• Blessed Vicente Rodríguez Fernández

Posted in Uncategorized

Saint of the Day – 7 November – Blessed Peter Ou

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Blessed Peter Ou, also known as Peter Wu Gousheng, Wu Gousheng, Wu Guosheng Petrus, was a Chinese martyr. He was born in 1768 at Longping in Guizhou Province, China, to a pagan family, and was one of the first converts made by missionaries to his area.

Known from his youth for his sense of justice, his quick defense of the poor and oppressed; his outspoken frightened people in his traditionalist region. A husband and self-made businessman, he owned and ran a large hotel. Naturally enthusiastic, Peter tossed out his household idols, and preached Christianity to anyone who came by. He became the lay leader of the converts in his district, and took the name Peter at baptism. He worked as a catechist for missionaries in Sichuan; instrucing 600 people in Christianity.

He was arrested on 3 April 1814 during a violent backlash against the faith. Although imprisoned and tortured to break him from his faith, he worked to inspire faith in his fellow prisoners, and led prayer services in the cells. He was condemned to death and strangled on 7 November 1814 for refusing to step on a crucifix.

Heaven, heaven, my true home! I see my heavenly Mother and my guardian angel coming to take me home.

Peter’s dying words

Posted in Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering –7 November – My Lord, I am Unworthy!

Posted on by AnaStpaul

My Lord, I am Unworthy!
Prayer before Holy Communion
By St Bonaventure (1217-1274)
Seraphic Doctor of the Church

My Lord,
Who are You
and who am I,
that I should dare to take You
into my body and soul?
A thousand years
of penance and tears,
would not be sufficient
to make me worthy
to receive so royal a Sacrament even once!
How much more am I unworthy of it,
who fall into sin daily,
I, the incorrigible,
who approach You so often
without due preparation!
Nevertheless, Your mercy
infinitely surpasses my unworthiness.
Therefore, I make bold
to receive this Sacrament,
trusting in Your love.
Amen

Posted in ONE Minute REFLECTION

One Minute Reflection – 7 November – The finger of God

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One Minute Reflection – 7 November – Readings: Sedulius, Ps 44:2, Ecclus 24:14-16, Luke 11:27-28

At that time, as Jesus was speaking to the multitudes, a certain woman from the crowd lifted up her voice and said to Him, Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts that nursed You. But He said, Rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.

Luke 11:27-28

REFLECTION – May your hand be ready to help me! The Father’s beloved Son is he whom we call the hand of God, he through whom God created all things. This hand intervened when it took our flesh, not simply without injury to his mother, but still more, according to the prophet’s testimony, by taking on himself all our sicknesses and bearing our sufferings.

Indeed, this hand laden with medicines and dressings has healed every ill. It has removed everything that leads to death and has raised people who were dead; it has broken the gates of hell, bound the strong one and stripped him of his weapons; it has opened heaven and poured out the Spirit of love into the hearts of its own. This hand sets prisoners free and gives light to the blind; it raises those who have fallen; it loves the just and protects the stranger; it welcomes the orphan and widow. It snatches from temptation those in danger of giving way to it, restores with its comforting those who suffer; it gives joy back to the afflicted and shelters the weary in its shade; it writes for those desiring to meditate its Law and touches and blesses the hearts of those who pray, strengthening them in love by its touch; it makes them progress and persevere in their works. Finally, it leads them to their homeland; it brings them back to the Father.

For if it has become flesh it is so that it may draw man through a man, joining our flesh to his flesh so as lovingly to bring back to God, the almighty and invisible Father, the straying sheep. Because this sheep had fallen in the flesh by abandoning God, the mystery of this hand’s Incarnation had to guide it, to lift it up and lead it back to the Father

St Amadeus of Lausanne

PRAYER – Lord God, Your Son has shown us the way. As we follow in His steps, may we never wander from the path that leads to life. Renew the wonders of Your grace in our hearts so that neither death nor life may separate us from Your love. Holy Father, as You were glorified by the life and death of all the Dominican Saints and Blesseds, grant that by their prayers, we may receive Your grace to give first to You and then to our neighbour in complete love and service. Through our Lord, Jesus Christ, with You in union with the Holy Spirit, one God for all eternity, amen.

Posted in CATHOLIC Quotes

Quote/s of the Day – 7 November – Hail, holy Mother

Posted on by AnaStpaul

With God’s holy faith forgotten, each individual will want to direct himself and rise above his peers. Civil and ecclesiastical authority will be abolished, all order and justice will be trampled underfoot. Only murders, hatred, jealousy, lying and discord will be seen, with no love of country or family.

Our Lady of La Salette

Oh, happy those who live under the protection of a mother so loving and so powerful! The prophet David, although Mary was not yet born, besought of God salvation, by dedicating himself to Mary as her son, and thus prayed; “Save the son of thy handmaid.” Whose handmaid?” asks St. Augustine, “she who says: Behold the handmaid of the Lord.”

St Alphonsus Liguori

As a mother who sees her son exposed to the sword of the enemy, makes every effort to save him, thus do I, and will I ever do for my children, sinful though they be, if they come to me for help.

The Blessed Virgin to St Bridget

Every one who loves this good mother and trusts in her protection, should take courage and repeat: What do you fear, oh my soul? The cause of thy eternal salvation will not be lost, as the final sentence depends upon Jesus, who is thy brother, and upon Mary who is thy mother.

St Bonaventure

Everything belonging to the gentle virgin, everything which is under her protection remains intact: the virtue and strength of those vowed to her worship, no less than the garment of flesh which she gave her Son, and of which it was said: ‘Not a bone of Him shall be broken’, no less than the linen tunic which was not torn.

Tragedy of Calvary

Then he began again to talk with his sweet mother Mary, and repeating the word, ‘mother, mother’, he tranquilly expired, like a child falling asleep in the arms of its mother. Soon after, it was revealed to a devout religious that he had already entered paradise.

St Alphonsus Liguori

Posted in NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY

Thought for the Day – 7 November – Comparison to explain the impetuosity and love by which the souls in Purgatory desire to enjoy God

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Treatise on Purgatory

St Catherine of Genoa

CHAPTER VI

Let us suppose that there existed in the world but one loaf of bread to satisfy the hunger of every creature, and that the mere sight of it could do this. In such a case a man, having naturally, if in good health, a desire for food, would find himself, so long as he was kept from dying or falling sick, growing more and more hungry; for his craving would continue undiminished, he would know that the bread, and nothing but the bread, could satisfy him, and not being able to reach it, would remain in intolerable pain ; the nearer he got to the bread without seeing it the more ardently would he crave for it, and would direct himself wholly towards it, as being the only thing which could afford relief ; and if he were assured that he never could see the bread he would have within him a perfect hell, and become like the damned, who are cut off from all hope of ever seeing God their Saviour, who is the true Bread.

The souls in purgatory, on the other hand, hope to see that Bread, and satiate themselves to the full therewith ; whence they hunger and suffer pain as great as will be their capacity of enjoying that Bread, which is Jesus Christ the true God, our Saviour and our love.