Year: 2017
HOW TO AVOID PURGATORY By Fr. Paul O’Sullivan O.P.
HOW TO AVOID PURGATORY By Fr. Paul O’Sullivan O.P.
For those who have not read this little book and to refresh myself, I will be posting the entire book in daily doses. (To read later find in the Purgatory Category).
CHAPTER NINE
THE SEVENTH MEANS: EXTREME UNCTION
The Seventh Means of avoiding Purgatory is Extreme Unction: God Himself has
given us a Sacrament, the end of which is to take us directly to Heaven.
This Sacrament is Extreme Unction, which according to St. Thomas and St.
Albert was instituted especially to obtain for us the grace of a holy and
happy death and to prepare us for immediate entrance into Heaven.
Many Catholics do not understand this most consoling doctrine and because
they do not understand it, they prepare themselves insufficiently for the
reception of Extreme Unction and so lose many of its great graces.
Every Sacrament properly received produces its effect. Baptism cleanses us
from Original Sin and any other actual sins that may have been committed by
adults before receiving the Sacrament.
The Sacrament of Holy Orders gives a priest all his tremendous powers.
Matrimony makes man and woman husband and wife. In the same way Extreme
Unction, if devoutly received, prepares the dying Christian for immediate
entrance into Heaven, thus delivering him from Purgatory.
How foolish it is, therefore, to put off receiving this Sacrament until
very late, when the dying person is too exhausted to receive it with full
knowledge of what he is doing and with due fervour and devotion. The moment
of death is the supreme moment in our lives. It is the moment which decides
our fate for all Eternity.
RESOLUTION
Let us use every means in our power to secure a happy and holy death,
especially by receiving most devoutly and as soon as possible, Extreme
Unction. Leave your instructions with those closest to you – explain your dying needs and your funeral wishes too!
Lenten Preparation Novena
REFLECTION – “LET US JUDGE OURSELVES, that we be not judged.
Let us afflict ourselves, that God may not afflict us.”
“And be sure of this: that if He has any love for you,
if He sees aught of good in your soul, He will afflict you,
if you will not afflict yourselves. He will not let you escape.
He has ten thousand ways of purging those whom He has chosen,
from the dross and alloy with which the fine gold is defaced.
He can bring diseases on you, or can visit you with misfortunes,
or take away your friends, or oppress your minds with darkness,
or refuse you strength to bear up against pain when it comes upon you.
He can inflict on you a lingering and painful death.
He can make “the bitterness of death pass” not.
We, indeed, cannot decide in the case of others,
when trouble is a punishment and when not;
yet this we know – that all sin brings affliction.
We have no means of judging others
but we may judge ourselves.
LET US JUDGE OURSELVES, that we be not judged.
Let us afflict ourselves, that God may not afflict us.
Let us come before Him with our best offerings,
that He may forgive us.” (Blessed John Henry Newman)
Lenten Preparation Novena
DAY SEVEN
Today Lord I choose life,
I choose Your love and the challenge to live it and share it,
I choose hope, even in moments of darkness,
I choose faith, accepting You as Lord and God,
I choose to let go of some part of my burdens, day by day handing them over to You,
I choose to take hold of Your strength and power ever more deeply in my life.
I choose to judge and afflict myself.
I choose repentance and reparation and suffering, for all my sins
and those of all the world.
Forgive me my Lord!
May this truly be for me a time of new life, of change, challenge and growth.
May I come to Easter with a heart open to dying with You
and rising to Your new life, day by day. Help me to repent of my sins now and make reparation throughout
this Lenten season and each day thereafter.
United with your Son,
who makes His way to Calvary,
I offer You my intentions
(Mention your special intention)
Amen.
Thought for the Day – 26 February
Thought for the Day – 26 February
The life of Blessed Isabella suggests to us that our human weaknesses, even those of the body, can be overcome by the grace of God. Isabelle, despite pressure to do otherwise for personal and political gain, resisted the pressure of the Courts of France to marry, remaining a virgin and consecrating herself to God. She sought out the spiritual direction she needed, listened for the call of the Lord and followed it without question. So eager to rejoin her Maker, she was rewarded with knowledge of when that would happen, which she awaited with joy. Blessed Isabella of France inspires us to examine our lives, identifying those small barriers we hide behind, rather than serving God. Whether it be work, sickness, fatigue, or financial security, we all have many reasons—many excuses—to focus on ourselves, rather than on the Lord and through Him, on those in need around us. This is a perfect opportunity to broaden our view from ourselves to those around us, breaking down our barriers and embracing the Lord in those we serve. Isabella made sure that nothing would keep her from God and she walked a very singular path to Him. She is a lesson in determination – something we can achieve in our own quest for complete holiness!
Bl Isabella of France, pray for us!
Quote of the Day – 26 February
Quote of the Day – 26 February
“We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution.
Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary.”
~~~~ Pope Benedict XVI
Our Morning Offering – 26 February
Our Morning Offering – 26 February
Anima Christi by St. Ignatius of Loyola
Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inebriate me
Water from the side of Christ, wash me
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
Good Jesus, hear me
Within Your wounds, shelter me
from turning away, keep me
From the evil one, protect me
At the hour of my death, call me
Into Your presence lead me
to praise You with all Your saints
Forever and ever, amen
Saint of the Day – 26 February – Blessed Isabella of France (1224-1270)
Saint of the Day – 26 February – Bl Isabella of France (1224-1270) – Virgin/Princess and Lay Religious, Founder and Apostle of Mercy – Patron of the sick. Additional Memorials – 31 August (Franciscans), 8 November as one of the Saints of the Diocese of Evry, 22 February – the day of her death.
Isabella was the sister of King Saint Loius IX of France. Her mother, the saintly Queen Blance, bore this child special affection because, after the death of her husband, Isabella was the only daughter still living. Her cousin was King Saint Fernando III of Castile and Leon. Isabella was endowed with remarkable gifts, and special attention was paid to educate her in the requirements of her high position. She knew Latin perfectly and could read the writings of the Gathers of the Church in that language. She was, however, no less capable in accomplishments that are peculiarly feminine. With consummate artistry she embroidered vestments for divine services, and took great pleasure in working for the poor and the sick.
The princess loved and honored her saintly brother Louis, who was her senior by ten years and had then been king for many a year. But her love for God was still greater. One day she was knitting a new-fashioned nightcap. The king asked her to give it to him when finished.
“No,” she said, “this is the first of its kind and I must make it for my Savior Jesus Christ.”
Accordingly, she gave it to a poor sick person, and then made another for the king.
Her life in the royal palace was as retired as that of a nun in her convent. Hardly ever did she speak at mealtime. The choicest food she sent to the sick, and she ate so little even of the ordinary food that it was remarkable how she could live. Blessed Isabella of France fasted three days every week. All the court considered the princess a saint. One of the court ladies, who wrote her life, says,
“We beheld in her a mirror of innocence, and at the same time an admirable model of penance, a lily of purity, a fragrant rose of patience and self-renunciation, and endless fountain of goodness and mercy.”
Isabella’s only desire was to belong entirely to God, and so she took the vow of perpetual virginity. However, Emperor Frederick II sought her consent for marriage with his eldest son Conrad. Her mother, her brother, the king, and even Pope Innocent IV would have liked to see the marriage take place for the good of the State and the Church. But Isabella wrote the Holy Father a letter in which she expressed such high regard for consecrated virginity and so strong a desire to persevere in it, that the pope praised her highly and encouraged Blessed Isabella of France in her noble sentiments.
When her mother died, Isabella wished to withdraw from the court in order to consecrate herself entirely to God in a convent. With the king’s assistance she built a convent for the Poor Clares at Longchamps near Paris, and then with several ladies of the court she obtained admission. At the request of the Holy Father, the strict rule of St Clare was mitigated for this community by St Bonaventure, who was minister general of the Franciscan Order at that time, and the modified rule was confirmed anew by Pope Urban IV.
At Isabella’s request, the convent was named for the Humility of Our Blessed Lady. Blessed Isabella of France lived there nine years and desired nothing more than to be a humble subject although she surpassed everyone in sanctity. At her death in 1270 angels were heard singing. Several miracles occurred also after her death, and so Pope Leo X beatified her.
Saints 26 February
Bl Adalbert of Tegernsee
St Agricola of Nevers
St Alexander of Alexandria
St Andrew of Florence
St Dionysius of Augsburg
St Faustinian of Bologna
St Felix
St Fortunatus
St Irene
St Isabelle of France
Bl Ottokar of Tegernsee
St Paula of Saint Joseph of Calasanz
Bl Piedad de la Cruz Ortiz
St Porphyrius of Gaza
Bl Robert Drury
St Victor the Hermit
HOW TO AVOID PURGATORY By Fr. Paul O’Sullivan O.P.
HOW TO AVOID PURGATORY By Fr. Paul O’Sullivan O.P.
For those who have not read this little book and to refresh myself, I will be posting the entire book in daily doses. (To read later find in the Purgatory Category).
Chapter 8
A SIXTH MEANS: RESIGNATION TO DEATH
A Sixth Means of avoiding Purgatory is given us by some great saints: They say that when a sick person becomes aware that he is dying and offers to God his death with perfect resignation, it is very likely that he will go straight to Heaven.
Death is the awful punishment of sin and when we accept it, as of course we ought to do, with submission and resignation, our act pleases God so much that it may satisfy perfectly for all our sins.
The idea of Pope St. Pius X was the same when he granted a plenary indulgence at the hour of death to those who say at least after one Holy Communion the following prayer: “Eternal Father, from this day forward, I accept with a joyful and resigned heart the death it will please You to send me, with all its pains and sufferings” It will be better still to say this prayer after every Holy Communion we receive.
It is for our best interest to accept God’s will in everything that happens to us in life and in death. Nothing can be easier when we remember that God always wishes what is best for us. If we do what God does not will, we shall surely suffer.
RESOLUTION
Each time we repeat the Our Father, let us say with special fervour the words: “Thy will be done.” In all our troubles, small and great, let us do likewise. Thus everything will gain us merit. By this simple act we change sorrow into joy, the worries of life into gold for Heaven.
Lenten Preparation Novena
REFLECTION – “Now is the accepted time, now the day of salvation.”
“These are thoughts, I need hardly say, especially suited to this season. From the earliest times down to this day, these weeks before Easter have been set apart every year, for the particular remembrance and confession of our sins. From the first age downward, not a year has passed but Christians have been exhorted to reflect how far they have let go their birthright, as a preparation for their claiming the blessing. At Christmas we are born again with Christ; at Easter we keep the Eucharistic Feast. In Lent, by penance, we join the two great sacraments together. Are you, my brethren, prepared to say,—is there any single Christian alive who will dare to profess,—that he has not in greater or less degree sinned against God’s free mercies as bestowed on him in Baptism without, or rather against his deserts? Who will say that he has so improved his birthright that the blessing is his fit reward, without either sin to confess, or wrath to deprecate? See, then, the Church offers you this season for the purpose. “Now is the accepted time, now the day of salvation.” Now it is that, God being your helper, you are to attempt to throw off from you the heavy burden of past transgression, to reconcile yourselves to Him who has once already imparted to you His atoning merits and you have profaned them.” (Blessed John Henry Newman)
Lenten Preparation Novena
DAY SIX
O gracious Father,
infuse in our hearts
the spotless light of Your Divine Wisdom
and open the eyes of our mind
that we may understand the teachings of Your Gospel.
Instill in us also the fear of Your blessed commandments,
so that having curbed all carnal desires,
we may lead a spiritual life,
both thinking and doing everything to please You.
Help us to see,
in our ordinary difficulties and duties,
in the trials and temptations of every day,
the best opportunity of making up for past infidelities.
United with Your Son, who makes His way to Calvary,
I offer You my intention
(Mention your intention)
For You, our God,
are the enlightenment of our souls and bodies;
and to You we render glory,
together with Your Suffering Son,
and with Your all holy,
life-creating Spirit,
now and ever, and forever. Amen
Thought for the Day – 25 February
Thought for the Day – 25 February
In these days of “women’s liberation”, it is good to know that women like St Walburga worked side by side with their male brothers in great missionary works. They are remembered for their independence, their splendid gifts and their devotion to the work of Christ. Their example is still an inspiration today when the harvest indeed is great but the labourers are few. And there is really no substitute for the female gifts – so come all your discerning hearts, go forth and show them!
St Walburga, pray for us!
Quote of the Day – 25 February
Quote of the Day – 25 February
“Your God is ever beside you—
indeed, He is even within you.
“In Him we live, and move, and are.”
(Acts 17:28).
Not only is there no need of an intermediary
through whom He would want you
to speak to Him but He finds His delight
in having you treat with Him
personally and in all confidence.
Speak to Him often of your business, your plans,
your troubles, your fears—of everything
that concerns you.
But above all, converse with Him confidently
and frankly;
for God is not wont to speak to a soul
that does not speak to Him.”
~~~~~ St Alphonsus Liguori
One Minute Reflection – 25 February
One Minute Reflection – 25 February
In truth and love then, we shall have grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son……..2 John 1
REFLECTION – Our thoughts must be centred on the search for truth and our affections on the fervour of love. In this way, we will always be practising divine love…….St Bernard
PRAYER – All-loving Father, let me ever be open to Your truth and Your love. Enable me to walk all my days in that love and that truth. St Walburga, you were a shining example in your day and in ours, of living the walk of faith and truth for the honour and glory of God’s truth and His Kingdom, please pray for us all, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 25 February
Our Morning Offering – 25 February
Lord, teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve You as you deserve;
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labour and not to ask for reward,
save that of knowing that I do Your will.
Amen.
Saint of the Day – 25 February – St Walburga (c 710-779)
Saint of the Day – 25 February – St Walburga (c 710-779) Nun and Missionary. Daughter of St Richard the King. Sister of St Willibald and St Winebald, niece of St Boniface. Also known as:-Auboué, Avangour, Avongourg, Bugga, Falbourg, Gaubourg, Gauburge, Gaudurge, Gualbourg, Valborg, Valburg, Valpurge, Valpuri, Vaubouer, Vaubourg, Walbourg, Walburg, Walburge, Walpurd, Walpurga, Walpurgis, Waltpurde, Warpurg – Religious/Missionary – Patronages – against coughs,,against dog bites, against famine, against hydrophobia (as a symptom of) rabies, against mad dogs, against plague/epidemics, against storms, sailors, farmers, harvests, Eichstätt, Germany, Diocese of, Plymouth, England, Diocese of and 4 Cities. Additional Memorials – 12 October (translation of relics to Eichstätt), 24 September (translation of relics to Zutphen).
St Walburga was English, the sister of two associates of St Boniface in evangelising Germany and the Lowlands. She was the daughter of St.Richard the Pilgrim, a West Saxon chieftain and Winna, sister of St. Boniface, Apostle to Germany. She had at least three siblings; two of her brothers are known by name, St Willibald and St Winibald.
In 720 her father and two older brothers went on a pilgrimage to Rome. Her father died at Lucca, Italy, but the brothers reached Rome where St. Winibald (c.701-761) became a monk, while St. Willibald (c.700-787) went on to the Holy Land.
Walburga was educated at Wimborne Monastery in Dorset, where she became a nun. In 748, she was sent with St. Lioba to Germany to help St. Boniface in his missionary work. She spent two years at Bishofsheim, after which she became Abbess of the monastery at Heidenheim founded by her brother St. Winebald. At her brother’s death in 761, St. Walburga was appointed Abbess of both monasteries by her other brother St. Willibald, who was then Bishop of Eichstadt. She remained superior of both men and women until her death on February 25, 779.
She was buried first at Heidenheim but her body was tranferred next to that of her brother, St. Winebald, at Eichstadt. n the 870s, Walpurga’s remains were transferred to Eichstätt. In Finland, Sweden, and Bavaria, her feast day commemorates the transfer of her relics on May 1. At present the most famous of the oils of saints is the Oil of Saint Walburga (Walburgis oleum). It flows from the stone slab and the surrounding metal plate on which rest the relics of Saint Walburga in her church in Eichstädt in Bavaria. The fluid is caught in a silver cup, placed beneath the slab for that purpose, and is distributed among the faithful in small vials by the Sisters of Saint Benedict, to whom the church belongs. A chemical analysis has shown that the fluid contains nothing but the ingredients of water. Though the origin of the fluid is probably due to natural causes, the fact that it came in contact with the relics of the saint justifies the practice of using it as a remedy against diseases of the body and the soul. Mention of the oil of Saint Walburga is made as early as the ninth century by her biographer Wolfhard of Herrieden. – from the Catholic Encyclopedia article Oil of Saints
Second-last – Painting by the Master of Meßkirch, c. 1535–40. Last image – The St. Walburga Church in Bruges was originally a Jesuit church
Saints – 25 February
St Adelelmo of Engelberg
St Aldetrudis
St Ananias of Phoenicia
Bl Avertano of Lucca
St Caesarius of Nanzianzen
St Callistus Caravario
Bl Ciriaco Maria Sancha Hervas
Bl Didacus Yuki Ryosetsu
St Domenico Lentini
St Donatus the Martyr
Felix III, Pope
St Gerland the Bishop
St Gothard the Hermit
St Herena the Martyr
St Justus the Martyr
St Laurentius Bai Xiaoman
St Luigi Versiglia
Bl Maria Adeodata Pisani
St Nestor of Side
St Riginos
Bl Robert of Arbrissel
Bl Sebastian of Aparicio
St Tharasius
St Toribio Romo González
St Victor of Saint Gall
St Walburga
—
Martyrs of Egypt – A group of Christian men who were exiled to Egypt for their faith and were eventually martyred for their faith in the persecutions of Numerian. We know little more than their names:
Claudianus
Dioscurus
Nicephorus
Papias
Serapion
Victor
Victorinus
Lenten Preparation Novena
REFLECTION – “The one came for a son’s privileges, the other for a servant’s drudgery. “
“Would you see how a penitent should come to God? turn to the parable of the Prodigal Son. He, too, had squandered away his birthright, as Esau did. He, too, came for the blessing, like Esau. Yes; but how differently he came! he came with deep confession and self-abasement. He said, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants:” but Esau said, “Let my father arise and eat of his son’s venison, that thy soul may bless me.” The one came for a son’s privileges, the other for a servant’s drudgery. The one killed and dressed his venison with his own hand and enjoyed it not; for the other the fatted calf was prepared and the ring for his hand and shoes for his feet and the best robe and there was music and dancing.” (Blessed John Henry Newman)
Lenten Preparation Novena
DAY FIVE
Dear Lord,
we are fast approaching the holy season of Lent.
We begin to realise anew that these are the days of salvation,
these are the acceptable days.
We know that we are all sinners.
We know that in many things we have all offended Your infinite majesty.
We know that sin destroys Your life in us
as a drought withers the leaves and chokes the life from the land,
leaving an arid, dusty desert.
Help us now, Lord,
in our feeble attempts to make up for past sin.
Bless our efforts with the rich blessing of Your grace.
Make us realize ever more our need of penance and of mortification.
Help us to see,
in our ordinary difficulties and duties,
in the trials and temptations of every day,
the best opportunity of making up for past infidelities.
Every day we are so often reminded in field and wood,
in sky and stream,
of Your own boundless generosity to us.
Help us to realize that You are never outdone in generosity,
and that the least thing we do for You will be rewarded,
full measure, pressed down, shaken together and flowing over.
Then we shall see, in our own souls,
how the desert can blossom,
and the dry and wasted land can bring forth the rich,
useful fruit that was expected of it from the beginning.
United with Your Son, who makes His way to Calvary, I offer You my intention
(Mention your intention)
Amen.
HOW TO AVOID PURGATORY By Fr. Paul O’Sullivan O.P.
HOW TO AVOID PURGATORY By Fr. Paul O’Sullivan O.P.
For those who have not read this little book and to refresh myself, I will be posting the entire book in daily doses. (To read later find in the Purgatory Category).
CHAPTER 7
THE FIFTH MEANS: ASKING GOD
The Fifth Means of avoiding Purgatory is asking God for this grace. Some
wise Catholics have a really great, if simple secret, which is well worth
learning and using for our own benefit.
God promises us in the most solemn and deliberate way (and He cannot fail
to do what He promises) that He will give us everything we ask in prayer,
if it is good for us.
Now two conditions, especially, make prayer infallible, namely perseverance
and faith. God cannot refuse such a prayer.
These Catholics we speak of pray expressly every day of their lives that
God will free them from Purgatory. In every single prayer they say, in
every Mass they hear, in every good act they perform, they have the express
intention of asking God first of all and with all their hearts to deliver
them from Purgatory.
How? That is for God to decide.
It is not easy to see how God can possibly refuse such constant, unceasing
prayer. The fact that such prayers are said daily and many times in the
day, for 20, 30, 50 years, shows that they are said with undoubting faith
and magnificent perseverance.
We exhort all our readers to adopt this practice. The more they know and
think on Purgatory, the more fervently will they make this prayer.
RESOLUTION
Every time we say the Hail Mary let us say with all the fervour of our hearts the words: “Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
Amen”
Thought for the Day – 24 February
Thought for the Day – 24 February
It was not long before Fr Tommaso Maria, envied for the good he achieved in his ministry and for his life as an exemplary priest, was faced with humiliation and persecution and, in 1880, even a brother priest’s slanderous calumny. However, sustained by the Lord, he lovingly carried that cross which his own Bishop Ammirante had foretold at the time of his institute’s foundation: “Have you chosen the title of the Most Precious Blood? Well, may you be prepared to drink the bitter cup”. (St John Paul at the Beatification of Blessed Thomas).
Know that we are all called to drink His Cup and carry His Cross but never forget – he carries and drinks with us all!
(St John Paul at the Beatification of Blessed Thomas).
Bl Thomas Mary Fusco, Pray for us!
St John Paul, Pray for us!
Quote of the Day – 24 February
Quote of the Day – 24 February
“Patience is the safeguard
and pillar of all the virtues”.
~~~~~ Blessed Thomas Mary Fusco
One Minute Reflection – 24 February
One Minute Reflection – 24 February
Therefore, do not throw away your confidence; it will have great recompense.
You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised………………Hebrews 10:35-36
REFLECTION – “May work and suffering for God always be your glory and in your work and suffering, may God be your consolation on this earth and your recompense in heaven.”……………..Bl Thomas Mary Fusco
PRAYER – O Lord my God, give me the strength to endure with patience the sufferings I encounter in my life. Teach me to do my daily work for You alone and to do more than that in every way I can, for your greater glory. Blessed Thomas Mary Fusco, pray that we may achieve the crown of glory in heaven, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 24 February
Our Morning Offering – 24 February
An Act of Offering (Prayers to Christ in the Eucharist by Servant of God Fr Benedict Groeschel)
O Lord,
I offer You myself.
You have given Yourself to me –
now I wish to give myself to You.
I give You my body, that it may be chaste and pure.
I give You my soul, that it may be free from sin.
I give You my heart, that I may always love You.
I give You every breath that I breathe, especially my last.
I give You myself in life and in death,
knowing this alone brings the happiness I seek, amen.
Saint of the Day – 24 February – Bl Thomas Mary Fusco/Tommaso Maria Fusco
Saint of the Day – 24 February – Bl Thomas Mary Fusco/Tommaso Maria Fusco (1831-1891 died aged 59) Priest and Founder called an “Apostle of Charity” – Patron of Daughters of Charity of the Most Precious Blood
Thomas was born to a noble family in 1831 in Pagani, Italy. He was the seventh of eight children. When he was only six years old, his mother died of cholera. A few years later, his father also died. His uncle, a primary school teacher, took charge of Thomas’ education.
The canonization of St. Alphonsus Liguori in 1839 stirred aspirations for the priesthood in Thomas’ heart. He entered the seminary in 1847 and was ordained a priest in 1855. Immediately Thomas opened a morning school for the formation of boys and organized evening prayers for youth and adults. During these years, Thomas nurtured a deep devotion to the crucified Christ and to his Blessed Sorrowful Mother because of the deaths of his uncle and younger brother.
In 1862 he opened a school of moral theology in his home to train priests for the ministry of confession. That same year he also founded the priestly Society of the Catholic Apostolate for missions among the faithful.
In 1873, Thomas was deeply moved by the plight of an orphaned street girl. After careful discernment, he founded the Congregation of the “Daughters of Charity of the Most Precious Blood”.
For the remainder of his years, he was completely dedicated to his priestly ministry, preaching spiritual retreats and missions, teaching catechism to youth and organizing prayer for young people and adults at his parish. He worked to build a strong devotion to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus among the people he served.
In 1891, Thomas died of liver disease at the age of 59.
The cause for his beatification was opened in 1955 and the decree of his heroic Christian virtues was published in 2001.
At Thomas’ beatification, Blessed John Paul II presented him as “an example and a guide to holiness for priests, for the people of God and for his spiritual daughters, the Daughters of Charity of the Most Precious Blood.”
Saints 24 February
St Adela of Blois
Bl Antonio Taglia
Bl Arnold of Carcassonne
St Betto of Auxerre
Bl Berta of Busano
Bl Constantius of Fabriano
St Cummian Albus of Iona
St Ethelbert of Kent
Evetius of Nicomedia
Bl Florentina Nicol Goni
Bl Ida of Hohenfels
Bl Josefa Naval Girbes
St Liudhard
Bl Lotario Arnari
Bl Marco De’ Marconi
St Modestus of Trier
St Peter the Librarian
St Praetextatus of Rouen
St Primitiva
St Sergius of Caesarea
Bl Simon of Saint Bertin
Bl Tommaso Maria Fusco
HOW TO AVOID PURGATORY By Fr. Paul O’Sullivan O.P.
HOW TO AVOID PURGATORY By Fr. Paul O’Sullivan O.P.
For those who have not read this little book and to refresh myself, I will be posting the entire book in daily doses. (To read later find in the Purgatory Category).
Chapter 6
THE FOURTH MEANS: CONFESSION, COMMUNION, HOLY MASS
The Fourth Means by which we can lessen our time in Purgatory, or avoid it altogether, is by frequent Confession, Communion and daily assistance at Mass.
Confession applies to our souls the Precious Blood of Christ, wipes out our sins, gives us light to see their malice, fills us with horror of sin and above all, it gives us strength to avoid it.
In Holy Communion we receive the God of infinite mercy and love, the God of all sanctity, who comes expressly to pardon our sins and help us to sin no more. He visited the house of Zaccheus once, and in that one visit, Zaccheus obtained complete pardon of all his sins How is it possible that the same God of goodness and sweetness can come, not into our houses but into our very hearts in Holy Communion and not give us the same and even greater graces. He visited Zaccheus once, He visits us every day if we allow Him. Many, alas, never feel, never grasp the immense joys and consolation of Holy Communion.
The Mass is identical with the Sacrifice of Calvary, in its essence, in its value, in the graces it bestows. The Sacrifice of Calvary was sufficient to save all the world, millions and millions of souls and is also sufficient to save countless other sinful worlds, had they existed. By assisting at Mass, we can apply all these oceans of graces to our own souls and that not once, but every day.
RESOLUTION
Let us go to Mass and Holy Communion every day. We can do nothing better. One day with Mass and Communion is worth a hundred days without them.
Lenten Preparation Novena
Reflection – “We cannot escape punishment, here or hereafter; we must take our choice, whether to suffer and mourn a little now, or much then.”
“And then, alas! the truth flashed upon him; he uttered a great and bitter cry, when it was too late. It would have been well, had he uttered it before he came for the blessing, not after it. He repented when it was too late—it had been well if he had repented in time. So I say of persons who have in any way sinned. It is good for them not to forget that they have sinned. It is good that they should lament and deplore their past sins. Depend upon it, they will wail over them in the next world, if they wail not here. Which is better, to utter a bitter cry now or then?—then, when the blessing of eternal life is refused them by the just Judge at the last day, or now, in order that they may gain it? Let us be wise enough to have our agony in this world, not in the next. If we humble ourselves now, God will pardon us then. We cannot escape punishment, here or hereafter; we must take our choice, whether to suffer and mourn a little now, or much then.”
(Blessed John Henry Newman)
Lenten Preparation Novena
DAY FOUR
Loving Father,
may I live this Lent as an unceasing act of love for You.
Let me grow in understanding of the riches hidden in Christ.
In my prayer, grant me a spirit to see what must be done
and the strength to do what is right.
Make me radiant in Your presence
with the strength of my yearning for You.
By my fasting, fortify my resolve to carry out Your loving commands.
Bless me with an increase in devoutness of life so that I may be found steadfast in faith.
Any by my almsgiving, renew and purify my heart so that I may hold to the
things that eternally endure.
Help me to repent of my sins now and make reparation throughout
this Lenten season and each day thereafter.
United with your Son,
who makes His way to Calvary,
I offer You my intentions
(Mention your special intention)
Amen
Thought for the Day – 23 February
Thought for the Day – 23 February
We may not be required to give our lives for our faith but we all have to suffer something for our beliefs and our fidelity. It is when things are difficult that faith is really faith. A faith that is good only in good times is scarcely faith at all. We are all called to witness to our faith in some way. Polycarp was recognised as a Christian leader by all Asia Minor Christians—a strong fortress of faith and loyalty to Jesus Christ. His own strength emerged from his trust in God, even when events contradicted this trust. Living among pagans and under a government opposed to the new religion, he led and fed his flock. Like the Good Shepherd, he laid down his life for his sheep and kept them from more persecution in Smyrna. He summarised his trust in God just before he died: “Father… I bless Thee, for having made me worthy of the day and the hour…” (Acts of Martyrdom, Chapter 14).
Quote/s of the Day – 23 February
Quote/s of the Day – 23 February
“Eighty and six years have I served Christ,
nor has He ever done me any harm.
How, then, could I blaspheme my King who saved Me?….
I bless Thee for deigning me worthy of this day
and this hour that I may be among Thy martyrs
and drink the cup of my Lord Jesus Christ.”
“Let us, therefore, foresake the vanity of the crowd
and their false teachings and turn back to the word
delivered to us from the beginning.”
“You threaten me with fire which burns for an hour
and after a little is extinguished
but are ignorant of the fire of the coming judgment
and of eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly.”
~~~~~ St Polycarp
One Minute Reflection – 23 February
One Minute Reflection – 23 February
There is a time and judgment for everything………Eccl 8:6
REFLECTION – “Stand fast, therefore, in this conduct and follow the example of the Lord, firm and unchangeable in faith, lovers of the brotherhood, loving each other, united in truth,’ helping each other with the mildness of the Lord, despising no man.”…………..St Polycarp
PRAYER – God of goodness, let me never allow an opportunity for good to be wasted. Help me take advantage of every moment at my disposal to do good. St Polycarp pray for us, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 23 February
Our Morning Offering – 23 February
St Polycarp’s Prayer
May God the Father
and the Eternal High Priest Jesus Christ,
build us up in faith and truth and love
and grant to us our portion among the saints
with all those who believe on our Lord Jesus Christ.
We pray for all saints,
for kings and rulers,
for the enemies of the Cross of Christ
and for ourselves we pray
that our fruit may abound
and we may be made perfect
in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen
AnaStpaul 
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