Day: May 27, 2017

Posted in MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 27 May

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 27 May

St Augustine of Canterbury comes across today as a very human saint, one who could suffer like many of us from a failure of nerve.    For example, his first venture to England ended in a big U-turn back to Rome.    He made mistakes and met failure in his peacemaking attempts with the Briton Christians.    He often wrote to Rome for decisions on matters he could have decided on his own had he been more self-assured.    He even received mild warnings against pride from Pope Gregory, who cautioned him to “fear lest, amidst the wonders that are done, the weak mind be puffed up by self-esteem.” Augustine’s perseverance amidst obstacles and only partial success teaches today’s apostles and pioneers to struggle on despite frustrations and be satisfied with gradual advances.  by Fr. Don Miller, OFM

St Augustine of Canterbury Pray for us!

st augustine of canterbury pray for us.jpg 2ST AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY - MAY 27

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, QUOTES of the SAINTS

Quote of the Day – 27 May

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Quote of the Day – 27 May

“Think of the Father as a spring of life
begetting the Son like a river
and the Holy Spirit like a sea,
for the spring and the river and sea
are all one nature.
Think of the Father as a root
and of the Son as a branch
and the Spirit as a fruit,
for the substance in these three is one.
The Father is a sun
with the Son as rays
and the Holy Spirit as heat.”

St John Damascene (675-749) – Doctor of the Church

think of the father as a spring of life-stjohn damascene

Posted in MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 27 May

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One Minute Reflection – 27 May

May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith……Ephesians 3:17

ephesians 3-17

REFLECTION – “Bear Christ in heart, mind and will.
Bear Him in your mind by His teaching.
Bear Him in your will by your observance of the Law.
Bear Him in your heart by the Holy Eucharist.”…………Venerable Servant of God Pope Pius XII

bear christ in your - pope pius XII

PRAYER – Heavenly Father, let me be true bearer of Christ, Your Son, by doing always the things that are in imitation of and pleasing to Him. Help me to bear witness to Him in the world, one just as pagan as that approached by St Augustine of Canterbury in trepidation. But in Your light and by Your Holy Spirit, he succeeded and pleased You, help me too I beg, to work for the salvation of souls. St Augustine of Canterbury, pray for us all, amen.

st augustine of canterbury pray for us

Posted in NOVENAS

NOVENA from ASCENSION to PENTECOST DAY TWO – SATURDAY 27 MAY

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NOVENA from ASCENSION to PENTECOST DAY TWO – SATURDAY 27 MAY

day tow novena ascension to pentecost

The Holy Spirit
Only one thing is important: eternal salvation.   Only one thing, therefore, is to be feared: sin.   Sin is the result of ignorance, weakness and indifference.   The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Light, of Strength and of Love.   With His sevenfold gifts He enlightens the mind, strengthens the will and inflames the heart with the love of God.   To ensure our salvation we ought to invoke the Divine Spirit daily, because the Spirit comes to us in our needs.   When we don’t know what to say, it is the Spirit who speaks within us.

The Gift of Fear
The gift of Fear fills us with a profound respect for God and makes us continually avoid the weakness of sin.   It is a fear that arises, not from the thought of hell but the living presence of God within us and a desire to respond to His immense love for us.   It is the fear that is the beginning of wisdom, detaching us from immersing ourselves in the worldly pleasures that could in any way separate us from God.  “They that fear the Lord will prepare their hearts and in His sight will sanctify their souls.”

Prayer
Come and fill me, O blessed Spirit of Holy Fear.   Penetrate my inmost heart so that I may honour, obey and prefer You and my Lord Jesus and my Father God above all else.   Help me to despise all things that offend You and make me worthy to appear before the pure eyes of your Divine Majesty in heaven, where you live and reign forever in the unity of the ever Blessed Trinity. Amen

Untitled4Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father

The following Three Prayers to be recited daily during the Novena

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

I offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Your purity, the unerring keenness of Your justice and the might of Your love.   You are the Strength and Light of my soul.   In You I live and move and am.   I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against You.   Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Your light and listen to Your voice and follow Your inspirations.   I give myself to You and ask You, by Your compassion, to watch over me in my weakness.   Mindful of the wounds of Jesus and with trust in His Precious Blood I implore You, Holy Spirit, Helper in my need, to keep me in Your grace that I may never sin against You.   Give me grace O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to You always and everywhere, “Speak Lord your servant is listening.” Amen

PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

Come, Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of Your faithful
and enkindle in them the fire of Your love.
Send forth Your Spirit and we shall be created,
and You will renew the face of the earth.

Father, You taught the hearts of Your faithful people by sending them the light of the Holy Spirit.   In that Spirit give us right judgement and the joy of His comfort and guidance.
We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Lord Jesus Christ, before you ascended into heaven You promised to send the Holy Spirit to bring to completion Your work in the hearts, minds and lives of Your Apostles and Disciples.   Fill me with the presence of the same Holy Spirit that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love.   Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may never be bound to the passing things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal.
Fill me with:

the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth,
the Spirit on Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven,
the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear the crosses of my life with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation,
the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the imitation of the Saints,
the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God joyful and desirable and
the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and avoid all that would displease Him.
Mark me, dear Lord with the sign of Your true disciples, and help me to grow and live in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.

Posted in NOVENAS

Novena to the Uganda Martyrs Day Three – 27 May

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Novena to the Uganda Martyrs Day Three – 27 May

O God, who in Your love and mercy
was pleased to send missionaries to Uganda
to bring the light of Christ to all the peoples,
we thank You for the gift of the
Holy Martyrs of Uganda, our ancestors in faith,
whom You gave the strength to overcome sin and the
anguish of torture and to bear witness to the truth.
Mary, Queen of Martyrs!
To you we commend the Christians of this country.
May the noble example of Saints Charles Lwanga
and the Uganda’s Martyrs
inspire them to offer their lives
as a sacrifice pleasing to God.
May their faith in Christ be seen
in the holiness of their lives
and in their charity towards their brothers and sisters.
To the Holy Martyrs, we beg for intercession,
be pleased to hear our prayer and pray for us that this,
our special request may be granted
(make your intention)
Holy Martyrs of Uganda, we honour and praise you!
Please pray for us!
O heavenly Father, we make our prayer
through our Lord, Jesus Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit,
one God forever and ever, amen.

DAY THREE NOVENA UGANDA MARTYRS

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 27 May

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Our Morning Offering – 27 May

Give us a Heart like Yours
By St Mother Teresa of Calcutta

O Holy Mary,
Give us a heart as beautiful, pure,
and spotless as yours.
A heart like yours,
so full of love and humility.
May we be able to receive Jesus
as the Bread of Life,
to love Him as you loved Him,
to serve Him under the mistreated face of the poor.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

give us a heart like yours-st mother teresa

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 27 May – St Augustine of Canterbury (Died c 605) “The Apostle to the English”

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Saint of the Day – 27 May – St Augustine of Canterbury (Died c 605) – ArchBishop, Benedictine Monk,  “The Apostle to the English” who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury, Father of the Church, Missionary – born in Rome first third of the 6th century – died probably 26 May 605 in Canterbury, England of natural causes. His relics interred outside the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, Canterbury, a building project he had started.   He is considered “The Apostle to the English” and the founder of the English Church.

Augustine was the Prior of a Monastery in Rome when Pope Gregory the Great chose him in 595, to lead a mission, usually known as the Gregorian Mission, to Britain to Christianize King Æthelberht and his Kingdom of Kent from Anglo-Saxon paganism.

st Gregory the gerat -and-st Augustine
St Pope Gregory the Great and St Augustine of Canterbury

Kent was probably chosen because Æthelberht had married a Christian princess, Bertha, daughter of Charibert I the King of Paris, who was expected to exert some influence over her husband.  Before reaching Kent, the missionaries had considered turning back, but Gregory urged them on and in 597, Augustine landed on the Isle of Thanet and proceeded to Æthelberht’s main town of Canterbury.

Augustine before Ethelbert and Bertha
Augustine before Ethelbert and Bertha

King Æthelberht converted to Christianity and allowed the missionaries to preach freely, giving them land to found a monastery outside the city walls.   Augustine was Coonsecrated as a Bishop and converted many of the king’s subjects, including thousands during a mass baptism on Christmas Day in 597.

Pope Gregory sent more Missionaries in 601, along with encouraging letters and gifts for the churches, although attempts to persuade the native Celtic bishops to submit to Augustine’s authority failed.   Roman Bishops were established at London and Rochester in 604 and a school was founded to train Anglo-Saxon Priests and Missionaries.   Augustine also arranged the consecration of his successor, Laurence of Canterbury.   The Archbishop probably died in 604 and was soon revered as a saint.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saints – 27 May

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St Augustine of Canterbury (Optional Memorial)
—
St Acculus of Alexandria
St Antanansio Bazzekuketta
St Barbara Kim
St Barbara Yi
St Bruno of Würzburg
Bl Dionysius of Semur
Bl Edmund Duke
St Eutropius of Orange
St Evangelius of Alexandria
St Frederick of Liège
Bl Gausberto of Montsalvy
St Gonzaga Gonza
St James of Nocera
Bl John Hogg
St Julius the Veteran and Companions
St Liberius of Ancona
St Matiya Mulumba
Bl Matthias of Nagasaki
St Melangell
St Ranulphus of Arras
St Restituta of Sora and Companions
Bl Richard Hill
Bl Richard Holiday
St Secundus of Troia