Month: April 2019

Posted in CONFESSION/PENANCE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on SUFFERING, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 4 April – St Isidore of Seville

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Quote/s of the Day – 4 April – Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Year C and the Memorial of St Isidore of Seville (560-636) Father & Doctor of the Church

“The suffering of adversity
does not degrade you but exalts you.
Human tribulation teaches you,
it does not destroy you.
The more we are afflicted in this world,
the greater is our assurance for the next.
The more we sorrow in the present,
..the greater will be our joy in the future.”

“Confession heals,
Confession justifies,
Confession grants pardon of sin,
all hope consists in Confession;
in Confession there is
a chance for mercy.”

St Isidore of Seville (560-636)

Father & Doctor of the Church

Posted in LENT 2019, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on HYPOCRISY, The WORD

Lenten Reflection – 4 April – Fertile excuses and evasions

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Lenten Reflection – 4 April – Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Year C

The Readings:
Exodus 32:7-14; Psalms 106:19-20, 21-22, 23; John 5:31-47

“…you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe him whom he has sent.”...John 5:38THURSDAYFOURTHERWEEKLENT - 4 APRIL 2018 JOHN 5 38.jpg

Fertile excuses and evasions
Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Next I observe that a civilised age is more exposed to subtle sins than a rude age.   Why? For this simple reason- because it is more fertile in excuses and evasions.   It can defend error and hence, can blind the eyes of those who have not very careful consciences.   It can make error plausible, it can make vice look like virtue.   It dignifies sin by fine names;  it calls avarice proper care of one’s family, or industry, it calls pride independence, it calls ambition greatness of mind;  resentment it calls proper spirit and sense of honour and so on.

…What all of us want more than anything else, what this age wants, is that its intellect and its will should be under a law.   At present it is lawless, its will is its own law, its own reason is the standard of all truth  . It does not bow to authority, it does not submit to the law of faith.   It is wise in its own eyes and it relies on its own resources.   And you, as living in the world, are in danger of being seduced by it and being a partner in its sin and so coming in, at the end, for its punishment.this-age-dignifies-sin-bljhnewman 10 march 2017.jpg

Daily Meditation:
Lead us to the joy of Easter.
We are still aware of our patterns.
We still are realigning our priorities.
We are still trying to simplify
and trying to eat in solidarity with others.
Most of all, we are still asking for a change of heart.

They made a calf in Horeb
and worshipped a molten image.
They exchanged the glory of God
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
Psalm 106:19-20

Closing Prayer:
Merciful Father, Loving Mother,
I know that the tiny sacrifices I make this Lent
can never serve as a real penance in my life.
But help me to make my whole life
one of following Your Son.
Listening to Him, seeking Him.
I am filled with Your love.
Let Your love shine out from within me
and guide my life in this sacred journey
toward the Easter joy You offer me.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen

Posted in LENT 2019, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 4 April – “A veil hid Him from their eyes”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 4 April – Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Year C, Gospel:  John 5:31–47 and the Memorial of St Isidore (c 560-636) Father & Doctor of the Church

“If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote of me.”…John 5:46

REFLECTION – “Moses face had become radiant while he conversed with the Lord. Aaron and the other Israelites saw (it)… and were afraid to come near him… When Moses had finished speaking with them, he would again put the veil over his face” (cf. Ex 34:29f.).   The radiance lighting up Moses’ face was Christ shining within him but He was hidden from the eyes of the Hebrews who did not see him… The Old Testament as a whole is shown to us, veiled like Moses, the symbol of all prophecy.   Underneath this veil, displayed by the lips of the prophets, Christ appears, a judge in majesty, seated on his throne of glory…

If Moses was veiled, what other prophet could have uncovered his face?   All veiled their speech in imitation of him.   They simultaneously heralded and veiled, they put forth their message and, at the same time, covered it with a veil… Because Jesus shone out in their books, a veil hid Him from their eyes, a veil that makes known to all the world how the words of Holy Scripture contain a hidden meaning…

Our Lord lifted this veil when He expounded His mysteries to the whole of creation.   By His coming, the Son of God uncovered Moses’ face, the incomprehensible words, that up to then had been veiled.   The new covenant has come to interpret the old, now, at last, the world is able to grasp those words that nothing covers any longer.   The Lord, our Sun, has arisen over the world and illumined every living being, mysteries and enigmas are at last made clear.   The veil that used to cover those books has been removed and the world beholds the Son of God with uncovered face.”…St Jacob of Sarug (c 451-521) Syrian Bishop and Monkthe new covenant has come to interpret the old john 5 46 thurs4thweeklent 4 april 2019.jpg

PRAYER – Father almighty, grant us Your good grace to trust completely in the Word made Flesh whom You sent to lead us to our heavenly home and save us from our evil ways.   As we proceed by penance and prayer, grant us now perseverance in listening to Him and learning from Him.   May the prayers of St Isidore, assist us on our journey.   We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God with You, now and forever, amen.st-isidore-pray-for-us-4-april-2018.jpg

Posted in LENT 2019, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 4 April – The Promise

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Our Morning Offering – 4 April – Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Year C

The Promise
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

And lastly, O my dear Lord,
though I am so very weak
that I am not fit to ask You
for suffering as a gift
and have not strength to do so,
at least I will beg of You,
grace to meet suffering well,
when You, in Your love and wisdom,
brings it upon me,
knowing that in this way,
I shall gain the promise,
both of this life and of the next.
Amenthe promise - bl john henry newman 4 april 2019.jpg

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 4 April – Blessed Giuseppe Cardinal Benedetto Dusmet OSB (1818-1894)

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Saint of the Day – 4 April – Blessed Giuseppe Cardinal Benedetto Dusmet OSB (1818-1894) aged 75 Cardinal Archbishop of Catania, Italy, professed Benedictine religious, Abbot, Professor, Apostle of the sick and the poor- born on 15 August 1818 at Palermo, Sicily and died on 4 April 1894 at Catania, Sicily of natural causes.   Patronage – Archdiocese of Catania.   Blessed Giuseppe served as the Archbishop of Catania from 1867 until his death. He became professed into the Order of Saint Benedict where he took “Benedetto” as his religious name.   He studied under the Benedictines prior to joining them before serving as a professor, in addition to prior and abbot.   His elevation to the episcopate saw him distinguish himself in cholera epidemics when he tended to the ill while also remaining a strong advocate for the poor of his archdiocese.   He remained a Benedictine and was known to continue to don the Benedictine habit instead of the red cardinal’s regalia.bl giuseppe-benedetto-dusmet-13322b60-4158-4903-b772-910e56206a7-resize-750

Giuseppe Dusmet was born in Palermo in 1818 as the first of six children to the nobles Luigi Dusmet and Maria dei Dragonetti.   His lineage can be traced back to Flanders in Belgium.   Dusmet was baptised just hours after his birth in the Archdiocesan Cathedral as “Giuseppe Maria Giacomo Filippo Lupo Domenico Antonio Rosolino Melchiorre Francesco di Paola Benedetto Gennaro”.   He would be referred to as Melchiorre at home.

His two maternal uncles Vincenzo and Leopoldo Dragonetti were both monks of the Order of Saint Benedict.

Dusmet was educated at the San Martino delle Scales convent in Monreale from 1824.   It was around this time that the Dusmet’s moved to Naples and his father made him return there in 1832, since he feared exposure in the convent, would mean his son would harbour the desire to follow a religious vocation.   But Dusmet returned to the school in 1834 when his father realised that he could not change his son’s vocation.   He would later teach philosophical and theological studies at Benedictine houses.   He entered the Benedictines at Montecassino and chose the name “Benedetto” as his middle name after professing his formal vows on 15 August 1840.  In preparation for his profession he went on a retreat where the preacher was the future cardinal Michelangelo Celesia who became his lifelong friend.

He received the subdiaconate from Archbishop Domenico Balsamo on 11 October 1840 in the Archiepiscopal palace and would later receive the diaconate from the same prelate in the same location on 15 November 1840.   He was ordained to the priesthood on 18 September 1841 and had to receive a special dispensation to be ordained since he was under the canonical age requirement.

In 1845 he began serving as an aide to the abbot Carlo Antonio Buglio and travelled with him as the latter made visitation.   The General Chapter in 1847 saw Buglio – and Dusmet accompanied him – moved to the San Flavio convent of Caltanissetta.   Dusmet served as the prior convent in Naples from 12 June 1850 until May 1852 when he was named as the prior for the San Flavio convent in Caltanissetta.   He held that position until 1858 when the General Chapter at Perugia named him as the abbot for the San Nicolò l’Arena convent.   But he no longer could hold that position as of 15 October 1866 after the Italian kingdom was established with the state confiscating all religious properties.bl guiseppe.jpg

He was appointed Archbishop of Catania in 1867 and he received his episcopal consecration on 10 March in the Basilica of St Paul’s Outside the Walls in Rome.   Dusmet issued his first pastoral letter to the faithful on 14 March.   He served as a Council Father at the First Vatican Council that Pope Pius IX had convoked.   Dusmet could not assume formal possession of his episcopal see since the new political situation with the kingdom saw the government approve bishops prior to formal enthronement.  The government did not grant Dusmet the approval until 1878 when he was then enthroned in Catania. Dusmet was later elevated to the Cardinalate in 1889 with Pope Leo XIII naming him as the Cardinal-Priest of Santa Pudenziana.  bl giuseppe-benedetto-dusmet-2706873d-f454-4064-8c62-38c66553239-resize-750

Dusmet was close friends with fellow Sicilian cardinal and Servant of God Giuseppe Guarino and he knew also the Servant of God Giuseppina Faro.  He was awarded the Grand Cross of the Knights of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre and also received the Gold Medal for the Benefits of Public Health on 23 November 1889 in Rome due to his efforts in aiding the ill in cholera epidemics.

Bl Giuseppe died on 4 April 1894 at around 10:30 pm and was buried in the chapel of the Confraternita dei Bianci at a funeral on 6 April that started at 10:00am and ended with his burial at 4:30pm.   He had fallen ill at the beginning of 1894 and on 2 April left instructions not to be embalmed and to have a simple funeral.   On 4 April attempts at artificial respiration were stopped when doctors said that Dusmet’s death was imminent. His final words echoed that of Jesus Christ:  “it is finished”.   His relics were later translated to the Catania Cathedral in May 1904.   Cardinal Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster – a future Blessed and a Benedictine himself – unveiled a monument dedicated to Dusmet in Catania in 1935.bl guiseppe dusmet catania-monumento-al-cardinale-dusmetCatania_al_Cardinale_Dusmet_-_panoramio

St Pope John Paul II presided at Dusmet’s Beatification in Saint Peter’s Square on 25 September 1988.bl guiseppe shrine relics

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Memorials of the Saints – 4 April

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St Isidore of Seville (c 560-636) (Optional Memorial) Father & Doctor of the Church
St Isidore’s life: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/04/04/saint-of-the-day-4-april-st-isidore-of-seville-father-and-doctor-of-the-church/

Bl Abraham of Strelna
St Agathopus of Thessalonica
St Aleth of Dijon
St Benedict of Sicily OFM (1526-1589)
About St Benedict: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/04/04/saint-of-the-day-4-april-st-benedict-of-sicily-o-f-m-1526-1589/

Bl Giuseppe Benedetto Dusmet OSB (1818-1894)
St Gwerir of Liskeard
St Henry of Gheest
St Hildebert of Ghent
St Peter of Poitiers
St Plato
St Theodulus of Thessalonica
St Theonas of Egypt
St Tigernach of Clogher
St Zosimus of Palestine

Posted in PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH

The Holy Father’s Prayer Intention for April 2019

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The Holy Father’s Prayer Intention for April 2019

Universal

Doctors and their Collaborators in War-Torn Areas.

For doctors and their humanitarian collaborators

in war-torn areas,

who risk their lives to save the lives of others.

the holy father's prayer intention april 2019 .jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

April Devotion – The Blessed Sacrament

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April Devotion – The Blessed Sacrament

Other Christians, most notably the Eastern Orthodox, some Anglicans and some Lutherans, believe in the Real Presence, that is, they believe, as we Catholics do, that the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ in the sacrament of the altar (though only Catholics define this change as transubstantiation).

However, only the Catholic Church has developed the practice of Eucharistic adoration. Every Catholic Church contains a Tabernacle in which the Body of Christ is reserved between Masses and the faithful are encouraged to come and pray before the Blessed Sacrament.   Frequent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament is a path to spiritual growth.april-devotion

Eucharistic Adoration
The practice of Eucharistic adoration on earth not only brings us grace but prepares us for our life in Heaven.   As Ven Pope Pius XII wrote in Mediator Dei (1947):

“These exercises of piety have brought a wonderful increase in faith and supernatural life to the Church militant upon earth and they are reechoed to a certain extent by the Church triumphant in heaven which sings continually a hymn of praise to God and to the Lamb “who was slain.”

This month, why not make a special effort to spend some time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament?   It doesn’t need to be long or elaborate – You can start simply by making the Sign of the Cross and uttering a short profession of faith, such as “My Lord and my God!” as you pass a Catholic church.   If you have the time to stop for five minutes, all the better.

“A thousand years of enjoying human glory is not worth even an hour spent
in sweetly communing with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.”

“When you want to find me, come near the tabernacle.”

St Pio of Pietrelcina “Padre Pio” (1887-1968)a thousand years and when you want to find me - st padre pio 3 april 2019.jpg

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, LENT 2019, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SANCTITY, Thomas a Kempis

Lenten Thoughts – 3 April – O Fountain of Everlasting Love

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Lenten Thoughts – 3 April – Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Imitation of Christ, by Thomas á Kempis (1380-1471): Book 3, Chapter 10

That it is sweet to despise the world and to serve God.

Now, will I speak again, O Lord and will not be silent, I will say in the hearing of my God and my King Who is on high:  Oh, how great is the abundance of Your sweetness, O Lord, which You have hidden for those that fear You!

But what are You, for those who love You?   What, to those who serve You with their whole heart?   Unspeakable indeed, is the sweetness of Your contemplation, which You bestow on those who love You.   In this most of all, have You shown me the sweetness of Your love, that when I had no being, You did make me and when I was straying far from You, You brought me back again, that I might serve You and You have commanded me to serve You.

O Fountain of everlasting love, what shall I say of You?   How can I forget You, Who have vouchsafed to remember me even after I was corrupted and lost?

Beyond all hope, You show mercy to Your servant and beyond all desert, have You manifested Your grace and friendship.   What return shall I make to You for this favour? For it is granted to all who forsake these things, to renounce the world and to assume the monastic life  . Is it much that I should serve You, Whom the whole creation is bound to serve?   It ought not to seem much to me to serve You but this does rather appear great and wonderful to me, that You vouchsafe to receive one so wretched and unworthy as Your servant.   It is a great honour, a great glory, to serve You and to despise all things for You for they who willingly subject themselves to Your holy service, shall have great grace.   They shall experience the most sweet consolation of the Holy Spirit, Who for the love of You, have cast aside all carnal delight.o fountain of everlasting love - thomas a kempis 3 april 2019.jpg

Posted in QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, SAINT of the DAY

Quote of the Day – 3 April – I am unable to live a mere earthly life!

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Quote of the Day – 3 April – Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Year C and the Memorial of Blessed Maria Teresa Casini (1864–1937)

“I feel within my soul an impulse
which spurs me onto God.
I am unable to live a mere earthly life!…
I must raise myself above all worldly things
in order to live for God alone,
to sacrifice myself for priests
and to console the Pierced Heart of Jesus.
Thus fulfilling His desire of love
toward me and toward souls.”

Blessed Maria Teresa Casini (1864–1937)i feel within my soul - bl maria teresa casini 3 april 2019.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2019, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The LAMB of GOD, The LAST THINGS, The PASSION, The RESURRECTION

Lenten Reflection – 3 April – “The dead will hear his voice”

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Lenten Reflection – 3 April – Wednesday of the Fourth week of Lent, Year C

The Readings:
Isaiah 49:8-15; Psalms 145:8-9, 13CD-14, 17-18; John 5:17-30

Do not marvel at this for the hour is coming, when all who are in the tombs, will hear his voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgement.…John 5:28-29wed of the fourth week lent - john 528-29 3 april 2019.jpg

Daily Meditation:
Grant us Your forgiveness.

We know that this whole journey is about our reconciliation.
We know that God wants to forgive us.
We know we are preparing to renew our Baptismal promises,
and “refuse to be mastered by sin.”
Today we hear the invitation and ask more earnestly.

In the marvellous discourse that follows His sign of healing,
Jesus says, “I am not seeking my own will but the will of him who sent me.”
I am filled with a sense of sorrow and gratitude,
as I see what He did for me.

I tell you for certain that everyone who hears my message
and has faith in the one who sent me has eternal life
and will never be condemned.
They have already gone from death to life.
John 5:24

“The dead will hear his voice”  – “Lazarus, come forth” (Jn 11:43)

Saint Peter Chrysologus (400-450) Father & Doctor of the Church

Our Lord had raised Jairus’s daughter but while the body was still warm and death was only halfway through its work (Mt 9:18f.)… He also raised the widow’s only son but by halting the stretcher and forestalling the tomb… before the dead man had fallen completely under the law of death (Lk 7:11f.).   But the whole event that takes place with regard to Lazarus is unique.. Lazarus, in whom all death’s power had been completed and in whom, equally, a complete image of the resurrection shone out… Christ, indeed, returned as Lord on the third day; Lazarus, as servant, was called back to life on the fourth day…

The Lord said and repeated to His disciples:  “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes and they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified” (Mt 20:18f.).   And when He said this, He saw them growing uncertain, sad, comfortless.   He knew they had to be crushed by the weight of His Passion until nothing of their own life, their own faith, their own light would remain within them but, to the contrary, their hearts would be darkened with the almost total darkness of their lack of faith.   That is the reason why He let Lazarus’s death continue for four days… From this follows what our Lord said to His disciples:  “Lazarus has died.   And I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe” (vv.14-15).   Therefore Lazarus’s death was necessary so that the disciples’ faith might rise from the tomb along with Lazarus.

“That I was not there.”   Now was there anywhere where Christ was not?… My brethren, Christ as God was there but Christ the man was not.   Christ God was there when Lazarus was dying but now Christ man was going to the dead man because Christ our Lord was going enter into death:  “It is there, in death, in the tomb, in hell, that all the power of death is to be crushed through me and my death.”he knew they had to be crushed - st peter chrysologus 3 april 2019.jpg

Closing Prayer:
Loving and merciful God,
I am so aware of my sins and weaknesses.
But as painfully aware of my faults as I am,
Let me also remember Your tender love,
Your gentle and limitless forgiveness.
I come before You filled with pain and guilt
but look into Your eyes and see the forgiving love of my Father,
I so long for in my life.
Help me to forgive the same way.
Teach me to love as You love.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

Posted in GOD the FATHER, LENT 2019, MORNING Prayers, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 3 April – “Father”

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One Minute Reflection – 3 April – Wednesday of the Fourth week of Lent, Year C, Gospel: John 5:17–30

Jesus answered them, “My Father is working still and I am working.” This was why the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but also called God his Father...John 5:17-18

REFLECTION – “Father – with this word I express my certainty that someone is there who hears me, who never leaves me alone, who is always present.   I express my certainty that God, despite the infinite difference between Him and me, is such that I can speak to Him, may even address Him familiarly as “thou” (German du).
His greatness does not overwhelm me, does not reject me as insignificant and unimportant.   Certainly I am subject to Him as a child is subject to his father, yet there is such a fundamental similarity and likeness between Him and me, yes, I am so important to Him, I belong so closely to Him, that I can rightly address Him as “Father”.
My being born is not a mistake, then but a grace.   It is good to live even though I do not always perceive it.   I am wanted. not a child of chance or necessity but of choice and freedom.
Therefore, I shall also have a purpose in life, there will always be a meaning for me, a task designed just for me, there is a conception of me that I can seek and find and fulfil. When the school of life becomes unbearably hard, when I would like to cry out as Job did, as the psalmist did – then I can transform this cry into the word “Father” and the cry will gradually become a word, a reminder to trust, because from the Father’s perspective it is clear that my distress, yes, my agony, is part of the greater love for which I give thanks.”…Pope Benedict XVIjohn 5 17 - jesus answered my father is working - father with this word pope benedict 3 april 2019

PRAYER – Almighty God and Father!   We give You thanks for cleansing our hearts and strengthening us in love through the Holy Spirit.   May we always be grateful for all the goodness You have shown us and may we bear our trials with patience.   You gave us Your only Son, in His life You have shown us the way of love, teach us to follow His steps in the great and small events of our life.   Move us always to hear the cries of our brothers.   May the prayers of all the angels and saints and the guiding hand of our Mother, the Mother of Christ, grant us strength.   Through Jesus our Lord, in the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.mater dei ora pro nobis mary pray for us 3 april 2019.jpg

Posted in LENT 2019, Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 3 April – Jesu, be You my Life!

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Our Morning Offering – 3 April – Wednesday of the Fourth week of Lent, Year C

Jesu, be You my Life!
Msgr Robert Hugh Benson (1871-1914)

I cannot live alone another hour,
Jesu, be You my Life!
I have not power to strive,
be You my Power
In every strife!
I can do nothing
– hope, nor love, nor fear.
But only fail and fall.
Be You my soul and self,
O Jesu dear.
My God and all!
Amenjesu-be-you-my-life-msgr-robert-hugh-benson-maundy-thurs-29-march-2018.jpg

Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Saint of the Day – 3 April – Blessed Maria Teresa Casini (1864–1937)

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Saint of the Day – 3 April – Blessed Maria Teresa Casini (1864–1937) – Religious Sister and Founder of the Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Priests known as Little Friends of Jesus , Apostle of Eucharistic Adoration, of Prayer especially for priests.   Also known as Sister Maria Serafina of the Heart of Jesus Pierced and Mother Maria Teresa. Additional Memorial – 29 October (Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, diocese of Frascati, Italy, based on the date of her baptism).   Born on 27 October 1864 in Frascati, Italy and died around 5am on 3 April 1937 at Oblate monastery on the via del Casaletto in Grottaferrata, Rome, Italy of natural causes, aged 72.

Maria Teresa Casini was born on 27 October 1864 to Tommaso Casini and Melania Rayner as their first born daughter, she was baptised on 29 October.

She travelled to Rome for her studies at the Santa Rufina boarding school that the nuns of the Madams of the Sacred Heart conducted. She received her First Communion on 7 May 1878 which solidified her vocation.   Due to a period of ill health, she had to leave school and return home for recuperation.bl maria teresa casini young

Shortly after she turned eighteen, she responded to her vocation and met Father Arsenio Pellegrini who became her guide and her spiritual director and who served as the Abbot of the Basilian Monks of Grottaferrata.   Despite entering the convent, ill health forced her to leave, though she attempted to enter once again yet failed due to the death of the foundress after which the institute she joined ceased to exist.

In due time, she became a nun after entering the monastery of Sepolte Vive in Rome on 2 February 1885.   Casini only started to live in Grottaferrata with fellow entrants from 17 October 1892 onwards.   On 2 February 1894, she founded the Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

It was not until 1925 that Casini started the special work of the “Little Friends of Jesus” in order to promote and to cultivate the vocations of prospective priests.   The group’s special character came to life when Cardinal Francesco Satolli requested Casini and her congregation to take up new and vigorous apostolic work.   This group also worked for the sanctification of all priests and so the group opened a boarding school for males in order to please the Lord’s request for good and wholesome priests.

Throughout her life, Casini offered “the oblation of herself, in faithful response to the Love that overflows from the open Heart of the Savior, and which she imparted to so many daughters and priests”. This even earned the praise of Pope Pius X in 1904 who wrote:  “In order to bring about the reign of Jesus Christ, nothing is more necessary than the sanctity of the clergy.   God bless these sisters for their selfless love for these men of God, for through them, through the sacraments, we are fortified and purified for the journey”.bl maria teresa casini

Casini grew ill in the final years of her life and she died in 1937.   Her final words were: “I am peaceful.   I feel God is near me”.

Casini’s order continues to flourish on an international level in places such as Africa, the United States of America, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, India, Guinea Bissau.  The Generalate is in Rome and the Motherhouse is in Grottaferrata, Italy.

The first of the males of the Little Friends of Jesus that Casini herself oversaw was ordained as a priest in 1938.bl maria teresa casini 2

Blessed Maria Teresa was buried in the chapel of the Zealots of the Sacred Heart in a nearby cemetery and her remains were re-interred at the Generalate of the Oblates of the Sacred Heart in Grottaferrata on 20 May 1965.   She was Beatified on 31 October 2015 by Pope Francis.   The Beatification recognition was celebrated at the Piazza San Pietro at the cathedral in Frascati, Italy, presided by Cardinal Angelo Amato.   Her Beatification miracle involved the 25 – 27 June 2003 healing of the brain lesions and trauma of Jacob “Jack” Ronald Sebest, a five year old drowning victim in Youngstown, Ohio.canonisation bl maria teresa maxresdefault.jpg

The Oblate Sisters are called to live and to participate intimately in the Oblation of Jesus to the Father, to repair and console His Pierced Heart, with an intense life of prayer and unconditional gift of ourselves, so that Priests may be holy.   They also care for retired and convalescent priests in special homes which they administer.

From their Constitution:
“The exclusive pursuit of God – which is the goal of our community life – is the foundation of that spirit of prayer that must characterise our whole existence as
Christians, religious and Oblates.   From the spirit of prayer, springs prayer itself as the source and fundamental expression of our community and personal life because “the Oblate’s life is intimately tied to the altar.”   In founding the Institute, Mother
Teresa wanted to root it in faith, prayer and that unconditional gift of herself to priests, which knew no limits in our first sisters, if not in the consummation of life itself.

In silent and adoring prayer we express the typical attitude of our consecration and
Oblate spirituality, because with it, we join our feelings to the feelings of Jesus Himself, which are an endless act of love and an unceasing supplication to the Father for the Church and for its priests.   Our individual prayer finds its climax in daily adoration.   It brings us close to the altar, seen as the true source of our specific mission in the Church: suppliant and atoning prayer for the holiness of priests.”

“The life Jesus leads in the Sacrament of His love and which the Oblate must imitate and make her own is this – a life of generous and limitless sacrifice… a life of incessant prayer …a life of obedience… a life of poverty…”….Blessed Mother Maria Teresa

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Memorials of the Saints – 3 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Bl Alexandrina di Letto
St Attala of Taormina
St Benatius of Kilcooley
St Benignus of Tomi
St Burgundofara
St Chrestus
St Comman
St Evagrius of Tomi
Bl Francisco Solís Pedrajas
Bl Gandulphus of Binasco
Bl Iacobus Won Si-bo
St John I of Naples
Bl John of Penna
St Joseph the Hymnographer
Bl Juan Otazua Madariaga
Bl Lawrence Pak Chwi-deuk
St Luigi Scrosoppi Cong. Orat. (1804-1884)
About St Luigi:   https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/04/03/saint-of-the-day-3-april-st-luigi-scrosoppi/

A little Note about St Luigi – his Canonisation Miracle occurred in my Parish in Oudtshoorn!

Bl Maria Teresa Casini (1864–1937)
St Nicetas of Medicion
St Papo
Bl Piotr Edward Dankowski
St Richard of Chichester (1197-1253)
Biography:   https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/04/03/saint-of-the-day-3-april-st-richard-of-chichester-1197-1253/

Bl Robert Middleton
St Sixtus I, Pope
Bl Thurstan Hunt
St Vulpian of Tyre

Posted in QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 2 April – A martyr dies and his rule begins.

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 2 April – The Memorial of St Pedro Calungsod (1654–1672) Martyr

SOREN Kierkegaard once said,
“A tyrant dies and his rule ends.
A martyr dies and his rule begins.”the tyrant dies and his rule is over the martyr dies and his rule begins - soren kierkegaard 21 jan 2019

Pope Benedict XVI referred to San Pedro Calungsod in his homily by his English and German name ‘Peter’.   Without saying it directly the Holy Father was signalling all of us to go beyond our usual, if natural, patriotic yet myopic perspective when looking at San Pedro’s elevation to the altar of the Lord.   San Pedro or St Peter Calungsod now belongs to the whole Church or, rather, to the whole believing world.   We need to rejoice, as he is now officially one of our intercessors with God, for our various needs and concerns.

We need San Pedro Calungsod’s courage to shine through our efforts to face up to the spears of secularism, materialism and hedonism that subject our young and adult Filipinos under constant attack.   We need the same courage of San Pedro Calungsod who did not abandon a priest-mentor-friend in mortal danger, to prod us not to abandon what we once heard from the tender lips of our mothers, grandmothers, grandfathers and catechists – the things of God, of His Son Jesus Christ, of His Church, of eternal life, not only of the life here and now.

The early Christian writer Tertullian once wrote, “The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians.”   May the blood of St Pedro Calungsod give birth to all of us becoming more Christ-like, not abandoning the truth of the Lord for the tricks of the world.

Then we, like him, shall rediscover the secret of eternal youth.
Fr Eutiquio Belizar SThD (Excerpt)

St Pedro Calungsod, Pray for us!ST PEDRO CALUNGSOD MARTYR 2 APRIL 2019 PRAY FOR US.jpg

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, LENT 2019, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, Thomas a Kempis

Lenten Thoughts – 2 April – “If you wish…” Thomas à Kempis

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Lenten Thoughts – 2 April – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Year C

On the Fervent Amendment of our Whole Life

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

“When a certain anxious person, who often times wavered between hope and fear, once overcome with sadness, threw himself upon the ground in prayer, before one of the altars in the Church and thinking these things in his mind, said “Oh, if I only knew how to persevere,” that very instant he heard within him, this heavenly answer: “And if thou did know this, what would thou do? Do now what you would do and thou shall be perfectly secure.” And immediately being consoled and comforted, he committed himself to the Divine Will and his anxious thoughts ceased. He no longer wished for curious things, searching to find out what would happen to him but studied rather to learn what was the acceptable and perfect will of God for the beginning and the perfection of every good work.”

“If you wish to enter into life, keep My commandments.
If you will know the truth, believe in Me.
If you will be perfect, sell all.
If you will be My disciple, deny yourself.
If you will possess the blessed life, despise this present life.
If you will be exalted in heaven, humble yourself on earth.
If you wish to reign with Me, carry the Cross with Me.
For only the servants of the Cross find the life of blessedness and of true light.”if-you-wish-to-enter-into-life-imitation-chapeter-56-12-feb-2018.jpg

“MY CHILD, the more you depart from yourself,
the more you will be able to enter into Me.
As the giving up of exterior things, brings interior peace,
so the forsaking of self, unites you to God.
I will have you learn perfect surrender to My will,
without contradiction or complaint.”

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
The Imitation of Christmy child the more you depart from yourself- thomas a kempis - 2 april 2019.jpg

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SAINT of the DAY, The PASSION

Quote of the Day – 2 April – Fix on your minds on the Passion

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 2 April – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Year C and the Memorial of St Francis of Paola O.M. (1416-1507)

“Fix your minds on the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Inflamed with love for us, He came down from heaven to redeem us.
For our sake He endured every torment of body and soul
and shrank from no bodily pain.
He Himself gave us an example of perfect patience and love.
We, then, are to be patient in adversity.”

St Francis of Paola O.M. (1416-1507)fix your minds on the passion - st francis of paola 2 april 2019.jpg

Posted in LENT 2019, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on TRUTH, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Lenten Reflection – 2 April – For Me!

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Lenten Reflection – 2 April – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Year C

The Readings:
Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12; Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9; John 5:1-16

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

“Follow Me. I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Without the Way, there is no going.
Without the Truth, there is no knowing.
Without the Life, there is no living.
I am the Way which you must follow,
the Truth which you must believe,
the Life for which you must hope.
I am the inviolable Way,
the infallible Truth,
the unending Life.
I am the Way that is straight,
the supreme Truth,
the Life that is true,
the blessed, the uncreated Life.
If you abide in My Way you shall know the Truth
and the Truth shall make you free
and you shall attain life everlasting.”

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
The Imitation of Christ

follow-me-the-imitation-of-christ-for-lent-12-feb-2018.jpg

Daily Meditation:
Our embrace leads to praise.

This is second part of Lent.
We begin to feel the power of the Fourth Gospel.
The “forces” that are opposed in the gospel
have everything to do with the forces at work in my heart.
He is clearly about to embrace His passage – His passover – from death to life.
This paschal mystery is what we are preparing to celebrate.

As we grow in love and compassion for what Jesus is facing for us,
we ask to be prepared to embrace His way, His path,
the pattern of His dying and rising.
We ask that we would be prepared to proclaim this gift to others, with great joy

“It was because Jesus did things such as this on the Sabbath that they began to persecute him.” …John 5:16
For me!

Closing Prayer:
Joyful praise in Lent?
I’m not sure I always feel that.
I ask you to help me prepare to understand
and embrace the paschal mystery in my life.
I don’t always see the beauty and mystery of this season
and often I run from the pain.
Help me to see how Your saving grace
and Your loving touch in my life
can fill me with joyful praise of the salvation
You have sent to me.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amenlent tues of the fourth week john 5 16 it was because 2 april 2019.jpg

Posted in LENT 2019, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 2 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 2 April – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Year C and the Memorial of St Francis of Paola O.M. (1416-1507) and St Pedro Calungsod (1654–1672) Martyr

So the Jews said to the man who was cured, “It is the sabbath, it is not lawful for you to carry your pallet.”  But he answered them, “The man who healed me said to me, ‘Take up your pallet, and walk.’ ”...John 5:10-11

REFLECTION – “Christian hypocrites, like these, only interested in their formalities.   It was a Sabbath?   No, you cannot do miracles on the Sabbath, the grace of God cannot work on Sabbath days.   They close the door to the grace of God.   We have so many in the Church, we have many!   It is another sin.   The first, those who have the sin of sloth, are not able to go forward with their apostolic zeal, because they have decided to stand firm in themselves, in their sorrows, their resentments, in all of that.   Such as these are not capable of bringing salvation because they close the door to salvation.”…Pope Francis – Santa Marta 1 April 2014john 5 10-11 - it is not lawful to carry your pallet - christian hyprocrites - pope francis - 2 april 2019.jpg

PRAYER – God, our Father almighty, You gave us Christ Your Son to be our Bread of life and the message of truth, justice and love.   May we live His lessons in every fibre of our being and thus pass from death to life.   May the prayers of your Holy angel, saints and martyrs, St Francis of Paola and St Pedro Calungsod, be an inspiration and a balm in our trials.   Through Jesus our Lord with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.st francis of paola pray for us 2 april 2019

st pedro calungsod pray for us 2 april 2019

Posted in GOD the FATHER, JESUIT SJ, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE

Our Morning Offering – 2 April – I Put My Trust in You

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 2 April – Tuesday of the Fourth week of Lent

I Put My Trust in You
By St Claude de la Colombiere SJ (1641-1682)

Loving and tender providence of my God,
into Your hands I comment my spirit,
to You, I abandon my hopes and fears,
my desires and dislikes,
my temporal and eternal prospects.
To You, I commit the wants of my perishable body,
to You, I commit the more precious interests
of my immortal soul,
for whose lot I have nothing to fear,
as long as I do not leave Your care.
Though my faults are many,
my misery great,
my spiritual poverty extreme,
my hope in You surpasses all.
It is superior to my weakness,
greater than my difficulties,
stronger than death.
Though temptations should assail me,
I will hope in You,
though I break my resolutions,
I will look to You confidently
for grace to keep them at last.
Though You should kill me,
even then I will trust You,
for You are my Father,
my God,
the support of my salvation.
You are my kind,
compassionate,
indulgent Parent
and I am Your devoted child,
who casts myself into Your arms
and begs Your blessing.
I put my trust in You
and so trusting,
shall not be confounded.
AmenI put my trust in you - st claude de la colombiere 2 april 2019.jpg

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 2 April – St Pedro Calungsod (1654–1672) Martyr

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 2 April – St Pedro Calungsod (1654–1672) Martyr, Sacristan, Missionary Lay Catechist – born in c 1654 in Ginatilan, Cebu, Philippines, named after Saint Peter the Apostle and died by being hacked to death with a catana on 2 April 1672 at Tomhom, Guam.   His mutilated body was thrown into the sea.   Patronages – Filipino youth, Catechumens, altar boys, the Philippines, Overseas Filipino Workers, Guam, Cebuanos, Visayans, Archdiocese of Cebu.st pedro snip 2.JPG

Pedro Calungsgod was young native of the Visayas Region in the Philippines.   Little is known about his life.   Based on accounts, Pedro was taught as a lay catechist in a Jesuit minor seminary in Loboc, Bohol.   For young recruits like him, the training consisted of learning the Catechism, Spanish, and Latin.   They would be later sent with the priests to the countryside to perform daily religious functions as altar boys or catechists.   Some of them were even sent to mission centres overseas to accompany the Jesuits in their arduous task of proclaiming the Good News and establishing the Catholic faith in foreign lands.   And that was the case of Pedro Calungsod.

He served as a teenage catechist alongside Spanish Jesuit missionaries to the violent Chamarros in the Ladrones Islands (modern Marianas) in 1668 at age 14.

When he was 17, he and his companion Fr Diego Luis de San Vitores were martyred after baptising the daughter of a Christian woman and a non-Christian village chief in the now-U.S. territory of Guam.   Upon hearing of her baptism (with the mother’s consent), the chief attacked the two missionaries.   Though Pedro could have escaped, he did not leave his companion.

“From his childhood, Pedro Calungsod declared himself unwaveringly for Christ and responded generously to His call.   Young people today can draw encouragement and strength from the example of Pedro, whose love of Jesus inspired him to devote his teenage years to teaching the faith as a lay catechist,” Pope St. John Paul II declared during his beatification in 2000.

“In a spirit of faith, marked by strong Eucharistic and Marian devotion, Pedro undertook the demanding work asked of him and bravely faced the many obstacles and difficulties he met.   In the face of imminent danger, Pedro would not forsake Fr Diego but as a ‘good soldier of Christ’ preferred to die at the missionary’s side,” he added.

He was Beatified on 5 March 2000 by St Pope John Paul II at Vatican City and Canonised on 21 October 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI.Pedro_Calungsod_2012_stamp_of_the_Philippines.jpg

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Memorials of the Saints – 2 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

St Francis of Paola O.M. (1416-1507) (Optional Memorial)
St Francis’s Life: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/04/02/saint-of-the-day-2-april-st-francis-of-paola-o-m-1416-1507/

St Abundius of Como
St Agnofleda of Maine
St Appian of Caesarea
St Bronach of Glen-Seichis
St Constantine of Scotland
St Ðaminh Tuoc
Bl Diego Luis de San Vitores-Alonso
St Ebbe the Younger
St Eustace of Luxeuil
St Francis Coll Guitart
St John Payne
Bl Leopold of Gaiche
St Lonochilus of Maine
St Musa of Rome
Bl Mykolai Charnetsky
St Nicetius of Lyon
St Pedro Calungsod (1654–1672) Martyr

St Rufus of Glendalough
St Theodora of Tiria
St Urban of Langres
St Victor of Capua
Bl Vilmos Apor

Posted in ABOUT Me - Anastpaul, NOTES to Followers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC

About Me – Anastpaul

Posted on by AnaStpaul

About, Yes, about – 10 years ago a new Catholic Social Media website was launched in South Africa.   The creators and dreamers were in my Parish and I got involved – before long I was part of the leading Team and thus began this little project of mine.Anastpaul_1436004826_280

When, after a long slog of around 8 years and many curved balls – mostly financial ones (being in South Africa makes the financial aspects very difficult) – I left and began my own little project here.

I have been known as Anastpaul online, for much longer than the 10 years though – my name is Ana, St Paul is one of my two Confirmation Saints and I have always been very involved with catechesis and evangelisation in some form or another, trusting always in the passion and zeal of St Paul.

I am a ‘cradle’ Catholic, a Dominican Tertiary, brought up in a wholly Catholic home by Spanish and Italian parents (with a bit of Lithuanian Jewish blood too).   Rosary daily as a family, daily prayer, weekly Confession, Mass every day during Lent, etc etc.  We went to a Dominican Convent Private School and Christian Brothers schools, belonged to all available Catholic apostolates and just “Breathed Catholic.”  And so it has been – married a Catholic and our children too “Breathe Catholic”, for our blood is Catholic and is graced by the Holy Trinity and our forefathers are the Apostles.    Mary is our Holy Mother and our friends are the Saints and Angels.

I live a totally Catholic life, involved in our Parish, running various apostolates there, am an ‘old-fashioned Catholic’ of the Spanish school and am 100% true to One Holy Catholic Faith.   I do not like “labels” but if one should be applied I would be regarded as a “Traditional” Catholic.   No “Liberalism” and “Modernism.”

I know this much is true – if you ‘Breathe Catholic” so too will your children grow up truly Catholic!   Amen.

Posted in DOMINICAN OP, LENT 2019, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST

Lenten Thoughts – 1 April – Coming nigh to God

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Lenten Thoughts – 1 April – Monday of the Fourth week of Lent, Year C

Act of self-abandonment
Coming nigh to God

This is an anonymous prayer, inspired by St Augustine – taken from “Providence” – God’s loving care for man and the need for confidence in Almighty God” by Fr Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange OP (1877-1964)

O my God, I leave myself entirely in Your hands.
Turn and turn again, this mass of clay, as a vessel that is fashioned in the potter’s hand (Jer 18:6).
give it a shape, then break it if You will –
it is Yours, it as nothing to say.
Enough for me that it serves all Your designs
and that nothing resists Your good pleasure,
for which I was made.
Ask, command.
What would You have me to do?
What would You have me not to do?
Lifted up, cast down, in persecution,
in consolation, in suffering,
intent upon Your work,
good for nothing,
I can do no more than repeat
with Your holy Mother –
“Be it done unto me according to Your word” (Luke 1:38).
Give me that love which is beyond all loves,
the love of the Cross –
not those heroic crosses with a glory that might foster self-love
but those ordinary crosses
which we bear with so much distaste –
those daily crosses with which our life is strewn
and which at every moment
we encounter on our way through life –
contradictions,
neglect,
failures,
opposition,
false judgements,
the coldness or impulsiveness of some,
the rebuffs or contempt of others,
bodily infirmities,
spiritual darkness,
silence and interior dryness.
Only then, will You know that I love You,
even though I neither know
nor feel it myself
and that is enough for me!

And, may we:

“Be holy by living out your commitment with joy.”

Pope Francisbe holy by living out your commitment with joy - pope francis 1 april 2019.jpg

Posted in CHRIST the KING, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2019, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY CROSS, The LAMB of GOD, The PASSION, The RESURRECTION

Quote/s of the Day – 1 April – St Melito Bishop of Sardis (Died c 180)

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Quote/s of the Day – 1 April – Monday of the Fourth week of Lent, Year C – Saint Melito Bishop of Sardis (Died c 180) Early Church Father

Prayer in Praise of Christ

Born as a son,
led forth as a lamb,
sacrificed as a sheep,
buried as a man,
He rose from the dead as a God,
for He was by nature God and man.

He is all things:
He judges and so He is Law,
He teaches and so He is Wisdom,
He saves and so He is Grace,
He begets and so He is Father,
He is begotten and so He is Son,
He suffers and so He is Sacrifice,
He is buried and so He is man,
He rises again and so He is God.
This is Jesus Christ,
to whom belongs glory for all ages.born as a son led forth as a lamb no 2 st melito 1 april 2019.jpg

“The Lord, though He was God, became man.   He suffered for the sake of whose who suffer, He was bound for those in bonds, condemned for the guilty, buried for those who lie in the grave but He rose from the dead and cried aloud:  “Who will contend with me?  Let him confront me.”   I have freed the condemned, brought the dead back to life, raised men from their graves.   Who has anything to say against me?   I, He said, am the Christ,  I have destroyed death, triumphed over the enemy, trampled hell underfoot, bound the strong one and taken men up to the heights of heaven.   I am the Christ.   Come, then, all you nations of men, receive forgiveness for the sins that defile you.   I am your forgiveness.   I am the Passover that brings salvation.   I am the lamb who was immolated for you.   I am your Ransom, your Life, your Resurrection, your Light, I am your Salvation and your King.   I will bring you to the heights of heaven.   With my own right hand I will raise you up and I will show you the eternal Father.”

– from a letter by Saint Melito of Sardis

St Melito Bishop of Sardis (Died c 180)

Early Church Fatheri am the lamb who was immolated for you - st melito 1 april 2019.jpg

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2019, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FREEDOM, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The WORD

Lenten Reflection – 1 April – “Go, your son will live.”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Lenten Reflection – 1 April – Monday of the Fourth week of Lent, Year C

The Readings:
Isaiah 65:17-21; Psalms 30:2 and 4, 5-6, 11-12A and 13B; John 4:43-54john 4 50 go your son will live mon fourthweek lent 1 april 2019.jpg

“Go, your son will live.”…John 4:50

Saint Anastasius II of Antioch (550-609)
Monk, then Patriarch of Antioch from 549-570 and from 593-599

Sermon 5, on the Resurrection of Christ, (trans. cf breviary, Office of the Dead)

“To this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living” (Rm 14:9).   But “God is not God of the dead, but of the living” (Lk 20:38). Consequently, the dead over whom He who lives has power are no longer dead but alive. Life has power over them so that they may live without any further fear of death just as “Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again” (Rm 6:9).   Raised up and freed from corruption they shall see death no more.   They will share in the Resurrection of Christ just as He shared in their death.   For no other reason did He descend to earth, whose bars are barriers to eternity, except to “shatter the doors of bronze and cut in two the bars of iron” (Ps 107[106]:16).   He came to lead our lives away from corruption to Himself and gave us freedom in place of slavery.

If the work of this arrangement of providence does not seem to be finished yet, for men still die and their bodies rot in the grave, this should in no way undermine our faith.   In advance of all the good things already mentioned we have even now received a pledge through Christ our first fruits.   Through Him, we attain the highest heaven and take our places with Him who carried us up to the heights with Himself.   That is what Saint Paul says somewhere:  “he raised us up with him and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:6).he came to lead our lives away from corruption st anastasius of antioch 1 april 2019.jpg

Daily Meditation:
You give us new life.
We now begin the second part of Lent.
The Gospel according to John will be our guide.
Before we enter into the controversy and the sense of being in a court room,
we have a wonderful story of a healing.
In this gospel, the acts of power that Jesus works
are the “signs” that help us see who He is.

We are reminded that He is the one, who will give us new life.

Lo, I am about to create
new heavens and a new earth.
Isaiah 65:17 The First Reading

Closing Prayer:
God who created me,
You offer me new life through Your Son
and through the gift of Your sacraments.
While I see new life all around me,
I don’t always recognise the new life You offer me.
Help me to grow this Lent in an awareness
of the gifts You place in my life
and in a greater appreciation for Your care.
Give me the courage to ask for help.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

Posted in LENT 2019, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 1 April – The rest is in God’s hands!

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 1 April – Monday of the Fourth week of Lent, Year C, Gospel: John 4:43–54

So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine.   And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill...John 4:46

REFLECTION – “The mention of Cana and a summary of the first miracle of turning water into wine, anticipates another miracle.   The healing in this miracle, however, is done at a distance.   Though the people will base their faith in Him, merely on signs and wonders, Jesus invites them to realise that these are not what will motivate Him to act. He will act only in accordance with the will of God.   Human expectation cannot determine His action.
Sickness and brokenness are very much visible in our world today and most are in need of some form of repair or consolation.   At times, doctors are not able to diagnose an illness and at other times, when they are and perform a complicated procedure, ask the patient and family members to pray and have faith!   There is only so much that they and the doctors can do, the rest is in God’s hands.”…Fr Errol Fernandes SJand at capernum there was an official wose son was sick john 4 46 1 april 2019 gods word.jpg

PRAYER – Teach us Holy Father to do Your will!   Grant us Your guiding hand and Your grace, that we may trust You in all things.   Strengthen us by Your grace and give us a heart willing to live by the love of Your Son, who so loved the world that He gave Himself up to death for our sake.   For if we love as He loved, nothing will lead us from You.  Grant that the prayers of our most loving and merciful Mother, may intercede in our necessities.   We make our prayer through the Christ, our Lord, one God with You and the Holy Spirit, now and for all eternity, amen.loving and merciful mother ora pro nobis 1 april 2019.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, GOD the FATHER, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The WORD

Our Morning Offering – 1 April – Grant that I may love You and be loved by You

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 1 April – Monday of the Fourth week of Lent, Year C

“I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
and be glad in my people…”
Isaiah 65:19

Grant that I may love You
and be loved by You
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)

O God of love,
You are
and shall be forever,
the only delight of my heart
and the sole object of my affections.
Since Jesus said,
‘Ask and you shall receive,’
I do not hesitate to say,
‘Give me Your love
and Your grace.’
Grant that I may love You
and be loved by You.
I want nothing else.
Amengrant that I may love you and beloved by you - st alphonsus liguori 1 april 2019.jpg

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 1 April – St Melito (Died c 180)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 1 April – St Melito Early Church Father – Bishop of Sardis (Died c 180), ecclesiastical Writer, Confessor, Apologist, Defender of Christ’s dual nature.   Saint Melito is believed to have been martyred around the time he wrote his apology to Marcus Aurelius circa 180.Saint Melito of Sardis

Saint Melito of Sardis was Bishop of the Church in Sardis and a prominent ecclesiastical writer in the latter half of the second century.   Indications are that he was the second Bishop of Sardis and was successor to “the angel of the Church of Sardis” (the apostle of that Church) to whom was addressed one of the apocalyptic messages.   Very little is known of his life and the majority of his writings exist only in fragments and quotations from Eusebius, Polycrates, Tertullian and others.   A letter of Polycrates of Ephesus to Pope Victor about 194 states that “Melito the eunuch (this is interpreted “the virgin” by Rufinus in his translation of Eusebius), whose whole walk was in the Holy Spirit”, was interred at Sardis and had been one of the great authorities in the Church of Asia who held the Quartodeciman theory (this was those Churches, primarily in Asia Minor, who celebrated Easter according to the Jewish calendar for Passover).

Saint Melito gave us the earliest indications of the Canon of the Old Testament in his writings and Saint Jerome, speaking of this canon, quotes Tertullian that Melito was esteemed as a prophet by many of the faithful.   Saint Melito, also wrote an apology to the emperor Marcus Aurelius, in which he defended the Christians against accusations made against them, urged the emperor to end the persecutions of the Christians and even urged Aurelius to proclaim Christianity the religion of the Roman Empire!

In the early 20th century, there was great excitement among Christian scholars when a homily by Saint Melito on Easter, “Peri Pascha”, was discovered.   This homily shows how the early Christians saw Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection foreshadowed throughout The Old Testament.   Indeed, in the writings attributed to Saint Melito by Eusebius, the prolific writer Melito gave a listing of the books of The Old Testament, which Saint Melito referred to as “The Old Books”, which indicates to many scholars that the Church of Melito’s time may well have had a New Testament as well.   There is also a strong indication from the fragments of Melito’s writing that exist in references by Tertullian, Eusebius, Polycrates, and others, that Saint Melito made extensive use of the Gospel of Saint John and he may have been acquainted with Saint Polycarp, Saint Ignatius of Antioch and other Early Church Fathers of his day.   His writings influenced the thinking of St Irenaeus of Lyons, St Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian.

In regard to the death of Melito, there is not much information preserved or recorded. Polycrates of Ephesus, in a letter addressed to Pope Victor (AD. 196) preserved in Eusebius’ history, says, “What shall I say of Melito, whose actions’ were all guided by the operations of the Holy Spirit?   Who was interred at Sardis, where he waits the resurrection and the judgement?”.   From this it may be inferred that he had died some time previous to the date of this letter at Sardis, which is the place of his interment and it is believed he might have been martyred.

Melito was especially skilled in the literature of the Old Testament and was one of the most prolific authors of his time.   Eusebius furnished a list of Melito’s works.   While many of these works are lost, the testimony of the fathers remains to inform us how highly they were viewed.   Eusebius presents some fragments of Melito’s works and some others are found in the works of different writers.   Melito was a Chiliast, and believed in a Millennial reign of Christ on Earth and followed Irenaeus in his views.  St Jerome and Gennadius both affirm that he was a decided millennarian and as such believed that Christ would reign for 1000 years before the coming of the final judgement.

The following was written by Saint Jerome, in his book, Lives of Illustrious Men :

Melito the Bishop

Melito of Asia, bishop of Sardis, addressed a book to the emperor Marcus Antoninus Verus, a disciple of Fronto the orator, in behalf of the Christian doctrine.   He wrote other things also, among which are the following:   On the passover, two books, one book On the lives of the prophets, one book On the church, one book On the Lord’s day, one book On faith, one book On the psalms, one On the senses, one On the soul and body, one On baptism, one On truth, one On the generation of Christ, On His prophecy, one On hospitality and another which is called the Key, one On the devil, one On the Apocalypse of John, one On the corporeality of God and six books of Eclogues.   Of his fine oratorical genius, Tertullian, in the seven books which he wrote against the church on behalf of Montanus, satirically says that he was considered a prophet by many of us.st melito