Month: January 2018

Posted in MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 10 January – The Memorial of St Peter Orseolo (928–987)

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Thought for the Day – 10 January – The Memorial of St Peter Orseolo (928–987)

Like St Thomas More, St Peter Orseolo took his success very lightly and had a secret hunger in his heart for closeness to God.   He was somehow touched by the wonder of God, as are all great solitaries and that wonder drove him into the wilderness where he could be alone with God.   His example said a great deal to the people of his age and very much to this current time, pointing the way to the reality of God and the magnitude of eternal life and the complete worthlessness of worldly achievements.

St Peter Orseolo, Pray for us!st peter orseolo - pray for us - 10 jan 2018

Posted in MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PERSECUTION

Quote/s of the Day – 10 January – Speaking of Persecution

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Quote/s of the Day – 10 January – Speaking of Persecution

“Know how to accept reproach
which the world often unjustly hurls
against the messenger of the Gospel,
the groan of the poor,
the candid voice of the child,
the thoughtful cry of youth,
the complaint of the tired worker,
the lament of the suffering
and the criticism of the thinker.
Never be afraid.”

Blessed Pope Paul VI (1897-1978) -1975know how to accept reproach - bl pope paul vi - 10 jan 2018

“Let us not forget:
we are a pilgrim church,
subject to misunderstanding,
to persecution
but a church that walks serene,
because it bears the force of love.”

St Oscar Romero (1917-1980) The Violence of Lovelet us not forget - st oscar romero - 10 jan 2018

“There is no evil to be faced that Christ does not face with us.
There is no enemy that Christ has not already conquered.
There is no cross to bear that Christ has not already borne for us
and does not now bear with us.
And on the far side of every cross we find the newness of life
in the Holy Spirit, that new life which will reach its fulfillment
in the resurrection.
This is our faith.
This is our witness before the world.”

St Pope John Paul II (1920-2005)there is no evil - st john paul - 10 jan 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY NAME, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 10 January – The Month of the Most Holy Name

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One Minute Reflection – 10 January – The Month of the Most Holy Name

And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.   If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it…John 14:13-14john 14 - 13-14 - 10 jan 2018

REFLECTION – The Holy Name of Jesus is, first of all, an all-powerful prayer.   Our Lord Himself solemnly promises, that whatever we ask the Father in His Name, we shall receive.   God never fails to keep His word.   Each time we say “Jesus,” it is an act of perfect love, for, we offer to God, the infinite love of Jesus………….St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Doctor of the Churchthe holy name of jesus is first of all - st al[honsus - 10 jan 2018

PRAYER – Lord God, grant me the courage to confess my faith in the Name above all names and proclaim each moment the Holy Name of Your Son, thus giving You honour and glory.   Jesus Name above all Names, be my standard and my beacon! Amenname above all names - 10 jan 2018

 

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY NAME

Our Morning Offering – 10 January – The Month of the Most Holy Nam

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Our Morning Offering – 10 January – The Month of the Most Holy Name

Prayer to the Holy Name
By St Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444)

Jesus,
Name full of glory,
grace, love and strength!
You are the refuge of those who repent,
our banner of warfare in this life,
the medicine of souls,
the comfort of those who morn,
the delight of those who believe,
the light of those
who preach the true faith,
the wages of those who toil,
the healing of the sick.
To You our devotion aspires;
by You our prayers are received;
we delight in contemplating You.
O Name of Jesus,
You are the glory of all the saints for eternity.
Amenprayer to the holy name by st bernardine of siena no 2 - 10 jan 2018

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 10 January – St Peter Orseolo O.S.B. Cam. (928–987)

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Saint of the Day – 10 January – St Peter Orseolo O.S.B. Cam. (928–987).  Doge of Venice, Monk, Administrator, Governor. Apostle of Charity.    St Peter was born as  Pietro Urseolus (Pietro I Orseolo) in 928 at Rivo alto, Province of Udine, Venice, Italy  of a prominent Venetian family.   He died on 10 January 987 at Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa Abbey, Pyrenees mountains, France of natural causes.      Peter was the Doge of Venice from 976 until 978. He abdicated his office and left in the middle of the night to become a monk. He later entered the Camaldolese Order.

header st peter orseolo

Peter Orseolo’s life reads like a novel of adventure and intrigue, ending in the solitary wilds of the Pyrenees.   He was a Venetian nobleman and at the age of twenty became the commander of the Venetian fleet, conducting successful campaigns against the pirates who preyed on ships in the Adriatic.   He was married at eighteen and had one son.   In 976, there was a popular uprising in Venice;  the doge (or chief magistrate), Peter Candiani IV, was murdered and a large part of the city was destroyed by fire.   St. Peter Orseolo was chosen to replace the murdered doge and showed himself a remarkable statesman, one of the greatest to ever rule Venice.

He not only restored the city but began reconstruction of the cathedral of St Mark, promoted peace, built hospitals and created social programs to help widows, orphans and pilgrims.   He built a new palace for the doge and settled accounts with the murdered doge’s widow, whose suit against the city threatened to destroy it financially.

With these tasks completed, on the night of 1 September 978, he secretly left Venice and took refuge in the Benedictine monastery of Cuxa, on the borders of France and Spain.   For a long time, not even his wife and son knew his whereabouts.   He cut himself off entirely from his former life and placed himself under the direction of the abbot of the monastery.   Later, at the suggestion of St Romuald, founder of the Camaldoli monks, whom he had met at Cuxa, he retired into even greater solitude, after providing for and with the permission of his family.    Though married for thirty-two years and having an only son who was destined to become one of the greatest Venetian doges, there is early evidence that Peter and his wife had lived as brother and sister since their son’s birth.  For all his brilliant success, Peter seems to have thought about the move for over ten years and he spent the rest of his life in total solitude with God.

Portrait of Doges Pietro Orseolo II and Ottone Orseolo-Tintoretto
St Peter and his son, Ottone by Tintoretto

His break with the world was the sensation of the age and was the talk of Venice for decades.   He died in 987 and his tomb became a place of pilgrimage and miracles.   Forty years after his death in 1027, he was recognised as a Saint by the bishop of Elne, France and his cultus was confirmed by Pope Clement XII in 1731.   His major shrine Prades, Pyrénées-Orientales, France where the Statue below is situate.

San_Rocco_(Venice)_-_Statue_of_Saint_Peter_Orseolo

st peter orseolo muralst peter orseolo

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Memorials of the Saints – 10 January

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St Aldo of Carbonari
St Pope Agatho
Bl Anna of the Angels Monteagudo
St Arcontius of Viviers
Bl Benincasa of Cava
St Dermot of Inis Clothrann
St Domitian of Melitene
Bl Pope Gregory X
Bl Giles of Lorenzana
St Marcian of Constantinople
Bl Maria Dolores Rodríguez Sopeña y Ortega
St Maurilius of Cahors
St Nicanor of Cyprus
St Paul the Hermit
St Peter Orseolo
St Petronius of Die
Bl Raymond de Fosso
St Saethryth of Faremoutier
St Thecla of Lentini
St Thomian of Armagh
St Valerius of Limoges
St William of Bourges

Posted in MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 9 January – The Memorial of St Adrian of Canterbury (c 635-710)

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Thought for the Day – 9 January – The Memorial of St Adrian of Canterbury (c 635-710)

Though Saint Adrian turned down a papal request to become Archbishop of Canterbury,  Pope Saint Vitalian accepted the rejection on the condition that Adrian serve as the Holy Father’s assistant and adviser.   Adrian accepted but ended up spending most of his life and doing most of his work in Canterbury.
Thanks to his leadership skills, the facility became one of the most important centers of learning.   The school attracted many outstanding scholars from far and wide and produced numerous future bishops and archbishops.
Adrian taught at the school for 40 years.   He died there, probably in the year 710 and was buried in the monastery.  Several hundred years later, when reconstruction was being done, Adrian’s body was discovered in an incorrupt state.   As word spread, people flocked to his tomb, which became famous for miracles.   So St Adrian spent most of his time in Canterbury after all, not as bishop but as abbot and teacher.

Often the Lord has plans for us that are obvious only on hindsight.   How often have we said no to something or someone only to end up in much the same place anyway.   The Lord knows what’s good for us.   Can we trust Him?

St Adrian of Canterbury, pray for us!st adrian of canterbury pray for us - 9 jan 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC Quotes, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 9 January – “Speaking of Conversion”

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Quote/s of the Day – 9 January – “Speaking of Conversion”

“Do not have Jesus Christ on your lips
and the world in your heart.”

“We recognise a tree by its fruit
and we ought to be able to recognise
a Christian by his action.
The fruit of faith should be evident in our lives,
for being a Christian is more than making
sound professions of faith.
It should reveal itself in practical and visible ways.
Indeed it is better to keep quiet about our beliefs
and live them out,
than to talk eloquently about what we believe
but fail to live by it.”

“It is not that I want merely
to be called a Christian
but to actually BE ONE.
Yes, If I prove to be one,
then I can have the name!”

“Wherever the bishop shall appear,
there let the multitude also be;
even as, wherever Jesus Christ is,
there is the Catholic Church.”

St Ignatius of Antioch (37-105) Bishop & Martyrdo not have - st ignatius of antioch - 17 oct 2017

“God loves each of us
as if there were
only one of us.”

St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Churchgod loves each of us as if - st augustine - 9 jan 2018

“Without the Way, there is no going,
Without the Truth, there is no knowing,
Without the Life, there is no living.”

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471) The Imitation of Christwithout the way there is no going - thomas a kempis - 9 jan 2018

“Belief is a wise wager.
Granted that faith cannot be proved,
what harm will come to you if you gamble
on its truth and it proves false?
If you gain, you gain all;
if you lose, you lose nothing.
Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists.“

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)
French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and Catholic theologianbelief is a wise wager - blaise pascal - 9 jan 2018

“The Catholic Church is the only thing
which saves a man from the degrading slavery
of being a child of his age”

“To become a Catholic is
not to leave off thinking
but to learn how to think.”

G K Chesterton (1874-1936)the catholic church - g k chesterton - 9 jan 2018

“Holiness cannot be bought.
Neither can it be earned by human strength.
No, “the simple holiness of all Christians,
ours – the kind we are called to every day,
can only be attained with the help
of four essential elements:
courage, hope, grace and conversion.”

Pope Francis (24 May 2016)holiness cannot be bought - pope francis - 9 jan 2018

Posted in MORNING Prayers, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 9 January – Gospel Mark 1:21-28 – Pope Benedict on the “Messianic Secret”

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One Minute Reflection – 9 January – Gospel Mark 1:21-28 – Pope Benedict on the “Messianic Secret”

” I know who you are, the Holy One of God.”   But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!”   And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him…Mark 1: 24-26

REFLECTION – “For the moment, Jesus does not want anyone outside the restricted group of His disciples to know that He is the Christ, the Son of God.   This is why He often admonishes the apostles and the sick people whom He heals to not reveal His identity to anyone.   Not only does Jesus chase demons out of people, freeing them from the worst slavery but He prohibits the demons themselves from revealing His identity.   Christ insists on this secret because the fulfilment of His mission is at stake, on which our salvation depends.”…Pope Benedict XVI (Angelus 1 Feb 2009)for the moment - pope benedict - 9 jan 2018

PRAYER – O Lord, You who came to save us, teach us all to live and breathe our love for You and Your teachings.   Help us all to realise and give thanks for Your love for us.   our life of pain and sorrow, lived to save us, is our only guide.   Through Mary, Your holy and loving Mother and our Mother, grant us courage and gratitude, amen.holy mary mother of god pray for us - 9 jan 2018

Posted in MORNING Prayers, POETRY, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 9 January

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Our Morning Offering – 9 January

Radiating Christ
By Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Dear Jesus,
help me to spread Your fragrance wherever I go.
Flood my soul with Your spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly,
that my life may only be a radiance of Yours.
Shine through me and be so in me,
that every soul I come in contact with
may feel Your presence in my soul.
Let them look up and see no longer me
but only Jesus!
Stay with me
and then I shall begin to shine as You shine,
so to shine as to be a light to others.
The light, O Jesus, will be all from You,
none of it will be mine.
It will be You, shining on others through me.
Let me thus praise You the way You love best,
by shining on those around me.
Let me preach You without preaching,
not by words but by my example,
by the catching force of the sympathetic influence of what I do,
the evident fullness of the love my heart bears to You.
Amen.

Note:  the Prayer above has become known as the prayer of St Mother Teresa but it was written by Blessed John Henry and adopted by St Mother Teresa and her Sisters of Charity and is recited daily by them.   It is sometimes called the “Fragrance” Prayer.radiating christ - bl john henry newman - 9 jan 2018

And today, as Christmastide has gone and we race onward to “radiate Christ” let us pray too, to this beautiful Poem, “When the Song of the Angels is Stilled.”

When the Song of the Angels Is Stilled
Poem by Howard Thurman (1899-1981)

When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and the princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flocks,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among people,
To make music in the heart.when the song of the angels is stilled - 8 jan 2018

Posted in INCORRUPTIBLES, SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 9 January – St Adrian of Canterbury (c635-710)

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Saint of the Day – 9 January – St Adrian of Canterbury (c635-710).  St Adrian was born in c635 in Libya Cyrenaica, North Africa as Hadrian and he died on 9 January 710 of natural causes at Canterbury, England and was buried there.   His Tomb became a site of miracles and his body was found Incorrupt in 1091.   He was a Monk, Abbot, a brilliant Scholastic and Theologian, Teacher, Administrator and Adviser.    A  record of the teaching of Theodore and Adrian is preserved in the Leiden Glossary.1saint adrian

St Adrian became a Monk and eventually the Abbot of Nerida, not far from Naples in Italy.   In the early years of the See of Canterbury after St Augustine of Canterbury, the Archbishops were chosen from the companions who had come with him from Rome.   Two Englishmen then succeeded but as both fell victim to the Plague in 664 and 665, the Pope of the time, Vitalian (657-672) wished to appoint Adrian.   He refused with many tears and lamentations, accepted by the Pope only if Adrian himself would find the perfect candidate in his own place.  Adrian suggested the nomination of a Greek Monk Theodore of Tarsus.   Vitalian accepted this suggestion, provided Adrian accompany Theodore as his adviser and first assistant.   Which he did.

On arrival in Canterbury Theodore appointed Adrian as the Abbot of the Monastery of Saints Peter and Paul (later St Augustine’s).   An excellent Administrator as well as a Greek and Latin scholar, Adrian insured that the Monastery grew into a centre of Theological learning drawing students from all over England and even Ireland.   Adrian helped his Archbishop in the pastoral governance of the English Church.   Bede says of this time: “Never had there been such happy times as these, since the English settled in Britain.”

Adrian worked at Canterbury for nearly forty years, far outliving Theodore.   He was buried in the Church of the Monastery.   His body was still Incorrupt when renovations made the translation of Canterbury Saints necessary.   His Tomb became famous for many miracles.

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, SAINT of the DAY

Feast of the Black Nazarene & Memorials of the Saints – 9 January

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The Black Nazarene:   The Black Nazarene is a blackened, life-sized wooden icon of Jesus Christ carrying a cross.   It was constructed in Mexico in the early 17th century by an Aztec carpenter. Spanish Augustinian Recollect friar missionaries to Manila, Philippines originally brought the icon to Manila in 1606.   The transport ship caught fire, burning the icon but the locals kept the charred statue.   Miracles, especially healings, have been reported in its presence.   The church in which it stood burned down around it in 1791 and 1929, was destroyed by earthquakes in 1645 and 1863 and was damaged during bombing in 1945.   It used to be carried through the streets every January and Christians would rub cloths on it to make healing relics but centuries of this treatment have left the statue in bad shape and since 1998 a replica is paraded at the feast day celebrations.   In 1650, Pope Innocent X issued a papal bull which canonically established the Cofradia de Jesús Nazareno to encourage devotion.   In the 19th century Pope Pius VII granted indulgences to those who piously pray before the image.   Patronage: Quiapo, Philippines.


—
St Adrian of Canterbury – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPnrrfvsMZ8
Bl Alix le Clerc
St Agatha Yi
Bl Antony Fatati
St Brithwald of Canterbury
St Eustratius of Olympus
Bl Franciscus Yi Bo-Hyeon
St Honorius of Buzancais
Bl Józef Pawlowski
Bl Kazimierz Grelewski
St Marcellinus of Ancona
St Marciana
Bl Martinus In Eon-min
St Maurontius
St Nearchus
St Paschasia of Dijon
St Peter of Sebaste
St Philip Berruyer
St Polyeucte
St Teresa Kim
St Waningus of Fécamp
—
Martyrs of Africa – 21 saints: A group of 21 Christians murdered together for their faith in the persecutions of Decius. The only details to survive are 14 of their names – Artaxes, Epictetus, Felicitas, Felix, Fortunatus, Jucundus, Pictus, Quietus, Quinctus, Rusticus, Secundus, Sillus, Vincent and Vitalis. They were martyred in c 250.

Martyrs of Antioch – 6 saints: A group of Christians martyred together during the persecutions of Diocletian – Anastasius, Anthony, Basilissa, Celsus, Julian and Marcionilla.

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, SACRAMENTS, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 8 January 2018 – Christmastide ends with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord – Remembering and Celebrating our Baptisms – Adding a new date to our Calendars!

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Thought for the Day – 8 January 2018 – Christmastide ends with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord – Remembering and Celebrating our Baptisms – Adding a new date to our Calendars!goodbye christmastide 8 jan 2018- for this he bore our body - st basil the great

Today’s feast of the Baptism of the Lord ends the Christmas season and invites us to think of our Baptism.   Jesus willed to receive the baptism preached and administered by John the Baptist in the river Jordan.   It was a baptism of penance:  all those who approached it expressed the desire to be purified from sin and, with God’s help, committed themselves to begin a new life.

We understand then the great humility of Jesus, He who had not sinned, put himself in the queue with the penitents, mixing among them, to be baptised in the waters of the river.   What humility Jesus has!   And, by doing so, He manifested what we celebrated at Christmas:  Jesus’ willingness to immerse Himself in the river of humanity, to take upon himself the failures and weaknesses of men, to share their desire of liberation and to overcome all that distances one from God and renders brothers strangers.   As at Bethlehem, along the banks of the Jordan God keeps His promise to take charge of the human being’s fate and Jesus is the tangible and definitive sign of it.   He took charge of all of us, He takes charge of all of us, in life, in the days.

The feast of Jesus’ Baptism invites every Christian to remember his own Baptism.   I can’t ask you the question if you remember the day of your Baptism, because the majority of you were babies, like me…. However, I can ask you another question?   Do you know the date on which you were baptised? …And if you don’t know the date or have forgotten it, when you go home ask your mother, your grandmother, your uncle, your aunt, your grandfather, your godfather, your godmother – what was date?
And we must always have that date in our memory, because it’s a date of celebration, it’s the date of our initial sanctification;  it’s the date in which the Father gave us the Holy Spirit who pushes us to walk, it’s the date of the great forgiveness.
Don’t forget: what’s the date of my Baptism?

the holy spirit

We invoke the maternal protection of Mary Most Holy so that all Christians can understand increasingly the gift of Baptism and commit themselves to live it with coherence, witnessing the love of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. – Pope Francis, Angelus Address, 7 January 2018

So let us do exactly this, this is a date in need of remembrance and celebration, this date of our new birth – I am certainly going to do this for all my family.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Jesus’ solidarity with us
“Jesus shows His solidarity with us, with our efforts to convert and to be rid of our selfishnesss, to break away from our sins in order to tell us that if we accept Him in our life He can uplift us and lead us to the heights of God the Father.   And Jesus’ solidarity is not, as it were, a mere exercise of mind and will.   Jesus truly immersed himself in our human condition, lived it to the end, in all things save sin and was able to understand our weakness and frailty.   For this reason He was moved to compassion, He chose to “suffer with” men and women, to become a penitent with us.   This is God’s work which Jesus wanted to carry out:  the divine mission to heal those who are wounded and give medicine to the sick, to take upon himself the sin of the world.” ….. From Homily of Pope Benedict XVI on feast of the Baptism of the Lord 2013remember and celebrate our baptism day - 8 jan 2018

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 8 January – The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

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Quote/s of the Day – 8 January – The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

“Dearly Beloved, each word and deed of Our Saviour Jesus Christ
is for us a lesson in virtue and piety.
For this end also did He assumed our nature,
so that every man and every woman,
contemplating as in a picture the practice of all virtue and piety,
might strive with all their hearts to imitate His example.
For this He bore our body, so that as far as we could,
we might repeat within us, the manner of His life.
And so, therefore, when you hear mention of some word or deed of His,
take care not to receive it simply as something that incidentally happened
but raise your mind upwards towards the sublimity of what He is teaching
and strive to see what has been mystically handed down to us”

St Basil the Great (329-379) Father & Doctor of the Churchdearly beloved - st basil the great - 8 jan 2018

“Today let us do honour to Christ’s baptism
and celebrate this feast in holiness.
Be cleansed entirely and continue to be cleansed.
Nothing gives such pleasure to God as the conversion and salvation of men,
for whom His every word and every revelation exist.
He wants you to become a living force for all mankind, lights shining in the world.
You are to be radiant lights as you stand beside Christ, the great light,
bathed in the glory of Him who is the light of heaven.
You are to enjoy more and more, the pure and dazzling light of the Trinity,
as now you have received – though not in its fullness – a ray of its splendour,
proceeding from the one God, in Christ Jesus our Lord,
to whom be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen”

St Gregory of Nazianzen (330-390)
Father & Doctor of the Church – from a sermon on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lordtoday let us do honour - st gregory of nazianzen - 8 jan 2018

“O Lord, wishing to fulfill all things
that You ordained before the ages,
You received the servants of Your mystery,
from among the Angels, Gabriel,
from among Men, the Virgin,
from among the Heavens, the Star
and from among the Waters, the Jordan,
in which You washed away the sin of the world,
O our Saviour, glory to You.”

St John Damascene (675-749) Doctor of the Churcho lord wishing to fulfil all things - st john damascene - 7 jan 2018

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 January – Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

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One Minute Reflection – 8 January – Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

You cannot have forgotten that all of us, when we were baptised into Christ Jesus, were baptised into his death.   So by our baptism into his death we were buried with him, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father’s glorious power, we too should begin living a new life…Romans 6:3-4romans 6 3 - 8 jan 2018

REFLECTION – “The purpose of Christ’s existence was precisely to give humanity God’s life and His Spirit of love, so that every person might be able to draw from this inexhaustible source of salvation.   This is why St Paul wrote to the Romans that we were baptised into the death of Christ in order to have His same life as the Risen One.” …Pope Benedict XVI Homily on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord 2013the purpose of christs existence was precisely...- pope benedict 2013 - 8 jan 2018

PRAYER – Heavenly Father, I pray to live each day in Your shadow, protected by Your mercy, living out my Baptismal Vows and following Your Son on my journey home to You. Mary, Help of Christians, pray for us, that we may faithfully live as true Christians each moment of our lives, amen.luke-3-22.- 9 jan 2016

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, CHRISTMASTIDE!, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, HYMNS, MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 8 January – The Baptism of the Lord

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Our Morning Offering – 8 January – The Baptism of the Lord

God in flesh made manifest
By Christopher Wordsworth (1807-1885)
(nephew of the great lake-poet, William Wordsworth)

Songs of thankfulness and praise,
Jesus, Lord, to You we raise,
manifested by the star
to the sages from afar;
branch of royal David’s stem,
in Your birth at Bethlehem.

Manifest at Jordan’s stream,
Prophet, Priest and King supreme;
and at Cana, wedding guest,
in Your Godhead manifest,
You revealed Your power divine,
changing water into wine.

Manifest in making whole
weakened body, fainting soul;
manifest in valiant fight,
quelling all the devil’s might;
manifest in gracious will,
ever bringing good from ill.
Anthems be to Thee addressed.
God in man made manifest.god in flesh made manifest - c wordsworth - 8 jan 2018

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, SAINT of the DAY

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord – 8 January 2018

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The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord – 8 January 2018HEADER - PIETRO PERUGINOSaint_Leo_Catholic_Church_(Columbus,_Ohio)_-_stained_glass,_loft,_Baptism_of_the_Lord,_detail

At first glance, the Baptism of the Lord might seem an odd feast.   Since the Catholic Church teaches that the Sacrament of Baptism is necessary for the remission of sins, particularly Original Sin, why was Christ baptised?   Why did Jesus, the Son of God, choose to be baptised?   Surely He was without sin.   The answer is that as well as being true God He was also true man as we say in the Creed.   Jesus was as truly human as any human being.   It was to identify Himself totally with sinful mankind that He chose to be baptised by St John.   In doing so He made the water in which He was baptised holy and towards the end of His ministry He would tell His disciples to “Go, therefore, make disciples of all nation, baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teach them to observe the commands I gave you.” (Matthew 28: 19-20).   The words of Jesus still form the heart of the Sacrament of Baptism.   After all, He was born without Original Sin and He lived His entire life without sinning.   Therefore, He had no need of the sacrament, as we do.

21352baptism

CHRIST’S BAPTISM FORESHADOWS OUR OWN​​
In submitting Himself humbly to the baptism of St John the Baptist, however, Christ provided the example for the rest of us.   If even He should be baptised, though He had no need of it, how much more should the rest of us be thankful for this sacrament, which frees us from the darkness of sin and incorporates us into the Church, the life of Christ on earth!   His Baptism, therefore, was necessary–not for Him, but for us.
Many of the Fathers of the Church, as well as the medieval Scholastics, saw Christ’s Baptism as the institution of the sacrament.   His Flesh blessed the water and the descent of the Holy Spirit (in the form of a dove) and the voice of God the Father announcing that this was His Son, in Whom He was well pleased, marked the beginning of Christ’s public ministry.

HISTORY OF THE FEAST OF THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD
The Baptism of the Lord has historically been associated with the celebration of Epiphany.   Even today, the Eastern Christian feast of Theophany, celebrated on 6 January as a counterpart to the Western feast of Epiphany, focuses primarily on the Baptism of the Lord as the revelation of God to man.
After the Nativity of Christ (Christmas) was separated out from Epiphany, the Church in the West continued the process and dedicated a celebration to each of the major epiphanies (revelations) or theophanies (the revelation of God to man) –  the Birth of Christ at Christmas, which revealed Christ to Israel, the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles, in the visit of the Wise Men at Epiphany, the Baptism of the Lord, which revealed the Trinity and the miracle at the wedding at Cana, which revealed Christ’s transformation of the world.
Thus, the Baptism of the Lord began to be celebrated on the octave (eighth day) of Epiphany, with the miracle at Cana celebrated on the Sunday after that.   In the current liturgical calendar, the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated on the Sunday or Monday, after 6 January and, a week later, on the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, we hear the Gospel of the Wedding at Cana.the baptism of the lordbaptism of the lord - beautiful3599928-baptism-of-christ-statue-from-madeleine-church-in-paris

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Feast of the Baptism of the Lord and Memorials of the Saints – 8 January 2018

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Baptism of the Lord (Feast) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0ktDObo0Og
—
St Abo of Tblisi
St Albert of Cashel
St Apollinaris the Apologist
St Athelm of Canterbury
St Atticus of Constantinople
St Carterius of Caesarea
Bl Edward Waterson
St Ergnad of Ulster
St Erhard of Regensburg
St Eugenian of Autun
Bl Eurosia Fabris
St Garibaldus of Regensburg
St Gudule of Brussels
St Helladius
St Julian of Beauvais
St Lawrence Giustiniani
St Lucian of Beauvais
St Maximian of Beauvais
St Maximus of Pavia
Bl Nathalan of Aberdeen
St Patiens of Metz
St Pega of Peakirk
St Severinus of Noricum
St Theophilus the Martyr
St Thorfinn
St Wulsin of Sherborne
—
Martyrs of Greece – 9 saints:   A group of Christians honored in Greece as martyrs, but we have no details about their lives or deaths. – Euctus, Felix, Januarius, Lucius, Palladius, Piscus, Rusticus, Secundus and Timotheus

Martyrs of Terni – 4 saints:   A group of Christian soldiers in the imperial Roman army. Executed during the persecutions of emperor Claudius.   Martyrs. – Carbonanus, Claudius, Planus and Tibudianus.   They were martyred in 270 in Terni, Italy.

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, POETRY, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, SAINT of the DAY, THE EPIPHANY of the LORD

The Solemnity of Epiphany – 7 January 2018 – T S Eliot’s “The Journey of the Magi”

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The Solemnity of Epiphany – 7 January 2018 – T S Eliot’s “The Journey of the Magi”

The Journey of the Magi

A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.’
And the camels galled, sorefooted, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
and running away and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out and the lack of shelters,
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying
That this was all folly.
Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wine-skins.
But there was no information and so we continued
And arriving at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you might say) satisfactory.

All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This:  were we led all that way for
Birth or Death?   There was a Birth, certainly
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different;  this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.

t s eliot
excerpt from t s eliot's journey of the magi
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Sunday Reflection – 7 January 2018 – The Feast of Epiphany

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Sunday Reflection – 7 January 2018 – The Feast of Epiphany

Each Sunday towards the end of Mass, we come to the altar rail, receive Holy Communion, return to our seats and sit or kneel quietly for a while in contemplation.   But in these quiet moments after we have received Communion, what prayers do we offer up?  Perhaps we don’t pray at all but in those quiet moments our thoughts turn to other things, like Sunday lunch or a planned visit to visit the grandchildren after Mass.

I recently came across this wonderful article, written by a priest.  He writes:

“A few years ago it became evident to me that my prayers after distributing Holy Communion to my congregation were wholly inadequate.   As I sat on my seat on the altar I was finding it extremely difficult to express into words, what this moment meant to me.   Looking through my book collection I read all the prayers I could get my hands on but none seemed to be what I was looking for, so I gave up in frustration.   However, each day I would pray to Mary our Blessed Mother asking her to teach me how to express my innermost feelings to the Lord.   Sometime later I was preaching a retreat to a group of nuns when one of the elderly nuns came to visit me and said she felt she had a problem concerning her prayers after receiving Holy Communion.   Feeling I had at last found a kindred spirit, I asked her what she usually prayed and she replied, ‘I don’t pray anything, I just sit in silence and allow Him to love me and to teach me to love Him.’   At that moment I realised that Mary had indeed answered my prayers.

“I just sit in silence and allow Him to love me and to teach me to love Him.”

What a simple, but moving description of what this moment means to us all.

“Above all, let us pray Him to draw us to Him and to give us faith.   When we feel that His mysteries are too severe for us and occasion us to doubt, let us earnestly wait on Him for the gift of humility and love.    Those who love and who are humble will apprehend them, carnal minds do not seek the and proud minds are offended at them but while love desires them, humility sustains them.

Let us pray Him to give us an earnest longing after Him – a thirst for His presence – an anxiety to find Him – a joy on hearing that He is to be found, even now, under the veil of sensible things – and a good hope that we shall find Him there.

Blessed indeed are they who have not seen and yet have believed.   They have their reward in believing, they enjoy the contemplation of a mysterious blessing, which does not even enter into the thoughts of other men and while they are more blessed than others, in the gift vouchsafed to them, they have the additional privilege of knowing that they are vouchsafed it.”….Blessed John Henry Newman  (1801-1890) – Parochial & Plain Sermons, Vol. VI, no. 11let us pray him to give us - bl john henry newman - 7 jan 2018

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Thought for the Day – 7 January – The Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ Excerpt from Pope Francis Homily for Epiphany 2017

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Thought for the Day – 7 January – The Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Excerpt from Pope Francis Homily for Epiphany 2017

The Magi thus personify all those who believe, those who long for God, who yearn for their home, their heavenly homeland.   They reflect the image of all those who in their lives have not let their hearts be anaesthetised.
A holy longing for God wells up in the heart of believers because they know that the Gospel is not an event of the past but of the present.   A holy longing for God helps us keep alert in the face of every attempt to reduce and impoverish our life.   A holy longing for God is the memory of faith, which rebels before all prophets of doom.   That longing keeps hope alive in the community of believers, which from week to week continues to plead: “Come, Lord Jesus”.
We want to worship.   Those men came from the East to worship and they came to do so in the place befitting a king:  a palace.   This is significant.   Their quest led them there, for it was fitting that a king should be born in a palace, amid a court and all his subjects. For that is a sign of power, success, a life of achievement.   One might well expect a king to be venerated, feared and adulated.   True, but not necessarily loved.   For those are worldly categories, the paltry idols to which we pay homage:   he cult of power, outward appearances and superiority.   Idols that promise only sorrow, enslavement, fear.

It was there, in that place, that those men, come from afar, would embark upon their longest journey.   There they set out boldly on a more arduous and complicated journey. They had to discover that what they sought was not in a palace but elsewhere, both existentially and geographically.   There, in the palace, they did not see the star guiding them to discover a God who wants to be loved.   For only under the banner of freedom, not tyranny, is it possible to realise that the gaze of this unknown but desired king does not abase, enslave, or imprison us.   To realise that the gaze of God lifts up, forgives and heals.   To realise that God wanted to be born where we least expected, or perhaps desired, in a place where we so often refuse him.   To realise that in God’s eyes there is always room for those who are wounded, weary, mistreated, abandoned.   That His strength and His power are called MERCY.   For some of us, how far Jerusalem is from Bethlehem!for only under the banner of freedom - pope francis 2017 - 7 jan 2018

Herod is unable to worship because he could not or would not change his own way of looking at things.   He did not want to stop worshipping himself, believing that everything revolved around him.   He was unable to worship, because his aim was to make others worship him.   Nor could the priests worship, because although they had great knowledge, and knew the prophecies, they were not ready to make the journey or to change their ways.

The Magi experienced longing, they were tired of the usual fare.   They were all too familiar with, and weary of, the Herods of their own day.   But there, in Bethlehem, was a promise of newness, of gratuitousness.   There something new was taking place.   The Magi were able to worship because they had the courage to set out.   And as they fell to their knees before the small, poor and vulnerable Infant, the unexpected and unknown Child of Bethlehem, they discovered the glory of God.and as they fell - pope francis - epiphany 2017 - 7 jan 2018

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The CHRIST CHILD

Quote/s of the Day – 7 January – The Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ

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Quote/s of the Day – 7 January – The Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ

“If we approach with faith,
we too will see Jesus….;
for the Eucharistic table
takes the place of the crib.
Here the Body of the Lord is present,
wrapped not in swaddling clothes
but in the rays of the Holy Spirit.”

St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father & Doctor of the Churchif we approach with faith - st john chrysostom - 7 jan 2018

“Truth, by which the world is held together,
has sprung from the earth,
in order to be carried in a woman’s arms.”

St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Churchtruth, by which the world - st augustine - 7 jan 2018

“Today the Magi gaze in deep wonder at what they see:
heaven on earth,
earth in heaven,
man in God,
God in man,
one whom the whole universe cannot contain
now enclosed in a tiny body.
As they look, they believe and do not question,
as their symbolic gifts bear witness:
incense for God,
gold for a king,
myrrh for one who is to die.”

St Peter Chrysologus (406-450) Doctor of the Churchtoday the magi gaze in deep wonder - st peter chrysologus - 7 jan 2018

“What are you doing, O Magi?
Do you adore a little Babe, in a wretched hovel,
wrapped in miserable rags?
Can this Child be truly God? …
Are you become foolish, O Wise Men …
Yes, these Wise Men have become fools
that they may be wise!”

St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) Doctor of the Churchwhat are you doing o magi - st bernard - 7 jan 2018

“It is no magic formula He brings
because He knows that the salvation
He offers must pass through human hearts.
What does He first do?
He laughs and cries and sleeps defenceless,
as a baby, though He is God incarnate.
And He does this,
so that we may fall in love with Him,
so that we may learn to take Him in our arms….”it is no magic formula he brings - st josemaria - 7 jan 2018

“As you kneel at the feet of the child Jesus
on the day of His Epiphany
and see Him a king bearing none
of the outward signs of royalty,
you can tell Him:
“Lord, take away my pride;
crush my self-love,
my desire to affirm myself
and impose myself on others.
Make the foundation of my personality
my identification with you.”

St Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975)
Christ is passing by, 31as you kneel at the feet of the child jesus - st josemaria - 7 jan 2018

“As pilgrims of faith, the Wise Men themselves
became stars shining in the firmament of history
and they show us the way.
The saints are God’s true constellations,
which light up the nights of this world,
serving as our guides.
Saint Paul, in his Letter to the Philippians,
told his faithful that they must shine like stars in the world.”

Extract from the Homily of His Holiness Benedict XVI
Vatican Basilica, Sunday, 6 January 2013benedict-on-epiphany.7 jan 2018

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One Minute Reflection – 7 January – The Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ

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One Minute Reflection – 7 January – The Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ

…..and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage... Matthew 2:11matthew-2-11

REFLECTION – “For by gold the power of a king is signified, by frankincense the honour of God, by myrrh the burial of the body and accordingly they offer Him, gold as King, frankincense as God, myrrh as Man.”…St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father & Doctor of the Churchfor by gold - st john chrysostom - 7 jan 2018

PRAYER – Lord, God, teach us to see the living presence of Your Divine Son in the Eucharist.   Make our faith so vivid that we will gladly come to encounter Jesus in every Mass.   May we follow in faith and trust, Your bright Light, which shines forever on our paths.   Holy Christ Child, intercede for us, amen.epiphany-feast - 8 jan 2018

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Our Morning Offering – 7 January – The Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ

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Our Morning Offering – 7 January – The Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Traditional Epiphany Prayer

Lord Jesus
may Your light shine on our way,
as once it guided the steps of the Magi:
that we too may be led into Your presence
and worship You,
the Child of Mary,
Mother of God,
the Word of the Father,
the King of nations,
the Saviour of mankind;
in union with Your heavenly Father
and the Holy Spirit,
You are One God
forever and ever, amen.epiphany prayer - 7 jan 2018

 

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, SAINT of the DAY

Blessing of a Home at Epiphany – 7 January – The Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ

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Blessing of a Home at Epiphany – 7 January – The Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Priest:  Peace be to this house.
All:  And to all who live here.

Priest:  Bless, O Lord, Almighty God,
this home, that in it there may be health,
chastity, strength of victory, humility,
goodness, and industry,
a fullness of law and the action of graces
through God the Father and the Son
and the Holy Spirit and that this blessing
may remain on this home
and on those who frequent it.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen..

After the blessing,
the initials of the Magi
(traditional names: Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar) but which can also be interpreted to mean Christus Mansionem Benedicat, which means ” May Christ bless this house”
are written with chalk over the main door way of the house, like this:
20 + C + M + B + 18
(the + is the Cross of our Salvation; the “18” stands for 2018;
change the year accordingly).house-blessing-7 jan 2018

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, SAINT of the DAY

The Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ – 7 January: God reveals Himself to us

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The Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ
God reveals Himself to us04_Adoration_of_the_Magi_by Botticelli.jpg-800x500640px-Adoration_of_the_Magi_Tapestry_detailsolemnity of epiphany

The Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ is one of the oldest Christian feasts, though, throughout the centuries, it has celebrated a variety of things.   Epiphany comes from a Greek verb meaning “to reveal” and all of the various events celebrated by the Feast of the Epiphany are revelations of Christ to man.
Like many of the most ancient Christian feasts, Epiphany was first celebrated in the East, where it has been held from the beginning almost universally on 6 January.   Today, among Eastern Catholics, the feast is known as Theophany—the revelation of God to man.
Epiphany originally celebrated four different events, in the following order of importance- the Baptism of the Lord, Christ’s first miracle, the changing of water into wine at the wedding in Cana, the Nativity of Christ and the visitation of the Wise Men or Magi.   Each of these is a revelation of God to man – at Christ’s Baptism, the Holy Spirit descends and the voice of God the Father is heard, declaring that Jesus is His Son,  at the wedding in Cana, the miracle reveals Christ’s divinity,  at the Nativity, the angels bear witness to Christ and the shepherds, representing the people of Israel, bow down before Him and at the visitation of the Magi, Christ’s divinity is revealed to the Gentiles—the other nations of the earth.
Eventually, the celebration of the Nativity was separated out, in the West, into Christmas and shortly thereafter, Western Christians adopted the Eastern feast of the Epiphany, still celebrating the Baptism, the first miracle and the visit from the Wise Men.   Thus, Epiphany came to mark the end of Christmastide—the Twelve Days of Christmas (celebrated in the song), which began with the revelation of Christ to Israel in His Birth and ended with the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles at Epiphany.
Over the centuries, the various celebrations were further separated in the West and now the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated on the Sunday after today and the wedding at Cana is commemorated on the Sunday after the Baptism of the Lord.

EPIPHANY CUSTOMS:
Giving of Gifts:  In many parts of Europe, the celebration of Epiphany is at least as important as the celebration of Christmas. While in England and her historical colonies, the custom has long been to give gifts on Christmas Day itself, in Italy and other Mediterranean countries, Christians exchange gifts on Epiphany—the day on which the Wise Men brought their gifts to the Christ Child.

Blessing of our Homes:  the blessing of homes, on whose lintels are inscribed the Cross of salvation, together with the indication of the year and the initials of the three wise men (C+M+B), which stands for Caspar, Melchior and Balthassar (the traditional names of the 3 Magi) but which can also be interpreted to mean Christus Mansionem Benedicat, which means ” May Christ bless this house” written in blessed chalk.   We put 20 + C + M + B + 18, using the initials of the Magi and the year, so that our coming and going would be in search of the Truth.   We are called to remember, each time we enter and leave our homes, that we are in search of Christ, that our mission is to find Him and follow Him.
In the absence of a priest the family gathers around the crib with lighted candles and prays:
Leader: “Peace be to this house and to all who dwell here, in the name of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
Reader: When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.”
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.
The word of the Lord.
ALL: Thanks be to God
All: Lord God of heaven and earth, You revealed Your only begotten Son to every nation by the guidance of a star.
Bless this house and all who live here and all who visit.
May we be blessed with health, kindness of heart, gentleness and the keeping of your law.
Fill us with the light of Christ, that our love for each other may go out to all.
Grant that we may always remain true to our mission of seeking and preaching
the most Holy Name of Jesus, our Lord.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.Three Kingsepiphany trad imageepiphany 2.EPIPHANY

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7 January 2018 – Celebration of the Solemnity of Epiphany and Memorials of the Saints

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Epiphany (Celebrated generally on the Sunday after 6 January) – Epiphany celebrates the visit of the three kings or wise men to the Christ Child, signifying the extension of salvation to the Gentiles.   The date of Epiphany, one of the oldest Christian feasts, is 6 January the 12th day after Christmas.   However, in most countries, the celebration of Epiphany is transferred to the Sunday that falls between January 2 and January 8 (inclusive).   Greece, Ireland, Italy and Poland continue to observe Epiphany on 6 January as do some dioceses in Germany.

AND just in case you wish to know and be ready:
When Is the Feast of the Epiphany in Future Years?

Here is the date of Epiphany and the date it will be observed in most countries, next year and in future years:
Epiphany 2018: Saturday, January 6, 2018 (transferred to Sunday, January 7, in the United States and most other countries)
Epiphany 2019: Sunday, January 6, 2019
Epiphany 2020: Monday, January 6, 2020 (generally transferred to Sunday, January 5)
Epiphany 2021: Wednesday, January 6, 2021 (generally transferred to Sunday January 2)
Epiphany 2022: Thursday, January 6, 2022 (generally transferred to Sunday January 2)
Epiphany 2023: Friday, January 6, 2023 (generally transferred to sUNDAY January 9)
Epiphany 2024: Saturday, January 6, 2024 (generally transferred to Sunday January 7)
Epiphany 2025: Monday, January 6, 2025 (generally transferred to Sunday January 5)
Epiphany 2026: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 (generally transferred to Sunday January 4)
Epiphany 2027: Wednesday, January 6, 2027 (generally transferred to Sunday, January 3)
Epiphany 2028: Thursday, January 6, 2028 (generally transferred to Sunday, January 2)
Epiphany 2029: Saturday, January 6, 2029 (generally transferred to Sunday, January 7)
Epiphany 2030: Sunday, January 6, 2030

Because Epiphany is one of the most important Christian feasts, it is a Holy Day of Obligation in most countries.

St Raymond of Penyafort/St Raymond of Peñafort (Optional Memorial)
—
St Aldric of Le Mans
Bl Ambrose Fernandez
St Anastasius of Sens
St Brannock of Braunton
St Candida of Greece
St Canute Lavard
St Cedd
St Clerus of Antioch
St Crispin I of Pavia
St Cronan Beg
St Emilian of Saujon
St Felix of Heraclea
Bl Franciscus Bae Gwan-gyeom
St Januarius of Heraclea
St Julian of Cagliari
St Kentigerna
St Lucian of Antioch
Bl Marie-Thérèse Haze
St Pallada of Greece
St Polyeuctus of Melitene
St Reinhold of Cologne
St Spolicostus of Greece
St Theodore of Egypt
St Tillo of Solignac
St Valentine of Passau
St Virginia of Ste-Verge
Bl Wittikund of Westphalia

Posted in franciscan OFM, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 6 January – The Memorial of Sts André Bessette C.S.C. (1845-1937) and St Charles of Sezze O.F.M. (1613-1670)

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Thought for the Day – 6 January – The Memorial of Sts André Bessette C.S.C. (1845-1937) and St Charles of Sezze O.F.M. (1613-1670)

Both the Saints whose Memorials we celebrate today, lived their lives as simple porters, gardeners and the like.   But they both lived their lives in total charity and love of God.    And they are both saints.   They fulfilled their tasks with love and utter commitment to God their Father.   And through their faithfulness to these little things, God rewarded them with great things.

Since God through the Holy Spirit is the giver of charity and since true charity is beyond the capacity of human nature left to its own devices, God can give it without reference to natural gifts like intelligence.   And this seems true in the case of the uncharitable:  there are plenty of examples of intelligent people who lack charity—the “evil genius” is a standard literary character for a reason.   (Br. Bonaventure Chapman, OP)  But today also offers us a positive example of two men graced with charity which is love and is not love both question and answer and the new commandment given us.   What more is needed by the grace of God?

St André Bessette and St Charles of Sezze, Pray for us!st andre bessette pray for us -6 jan 2018st charles of sezze pray for us - 6 jan 2018

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

Quote/s of the Day – 6 January – The Memorial of Sts André Bessette C.S.C. (1845-1937)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 6 January – The Memorial of Sts André Bessette C.S.C. (1845-1937)

“It is with the smallest brushes
that the Artist paints
the best paintings.”it is with the smallest brushes - st andre bessette - 6 jan 2018

“There is so little distance
between heaven and earth
that God always hears us.
Nothing but a thin veil
separates us from God.”there is so little distance - st andre bessette - 6 jan 2018

“When you say to God, ‘our Father’,
He has His ear right next to your lips.”

St André Bessette (1845-1937)when you say to god - st andre bessette - 6 jan 2018

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

One Minute Reflection – 6 January – The Memorial of Sts André Bessette C.S.C. (1845-1937) and St Charles of Sezze O.F.M. (1613-1670)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 6 January – The Memorial of Sts André Bessette C.S.C. (1845-1937) and St Charles of Sezze O.F.M. (1613-1670)

When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home…..Matthew 1:24matthew 1 - 24 - 2018

REFLECTION – “When you invoke St Joseph, you don’t have to say much.
Say, “if you were in my place, St Joseph, what would you do? Well, pray for this on my behalf.”……..St André Bessettewhen you invoke st jospeh - st andre bessette - 6 jan 2018

PRAYER – Heavenly Father, You constantly provide us with examples of holy life. St André Bessette and St Charles of Sezze were both wonderful examples of service, as was St André’s  hero, the Foster Father of Your Divine Son, St Joseph.   May they be intercessors and examples to me, to give to You my all.   St André Bessette, St Charles of Sezze and St Joseph. Pray for us, amen!st andre bessette pray for us -6 jan 2018-no. 2

ST CHARLES OF sezze pray for us no 2 - 6 jan 2018st joseph pray for us - 6 jan 2018