Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Marian Thoughts – 15 May – Pope Francis – The Second Joyful Mystery: The Visitation

Marian Thoughts – 54 May – ‘Mary’s Month’ – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter, C

Mini Series – Pope Francis and the Holy Rosary

“Our Lady has never refused me a grace through the recitation of the rosary.”… Pope Francis

The Second Joyful Mystery: The Visitation

“Mary went to serve Elizabeth.
Servind others, is a Christian sign.
Whoever does not live to serve other people, does not serve to live.
Serving others and being full of joy, is the attitude that I would like to underline today. Mary was able to serve Elizabeth, because she reached out to her. Reaching out to others is another Christian sign. Persons who describe themselves as Christian and who are unable to reach out to others, to go and meet them, are not totally Christian.
Being of service and reach out to others, both require going out from themselves – going out to serve and meet others, to embrace another person.
Through Mary’s service towards others, through that encounter, our Lord’s promise is renewed and makes it happen now, just as it did then.

(Pope Francis, 2016)

pope francis meditations on the rosary - the second joyful the visitation 15 may 2019.jpg

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Posted in ON the SAINTS

Thought for the Day – 15 May – The 140th Anniversary of Cardinal John Henry

Thought for the Day – 15 May – the 140th Anniversary of Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890) being raised to the College of Cardinals

Blessed John Henry Newman was a great thinker – a seminal theologian and philosopher (he is one of Bishop Barron’s Pivotal Players in the History of the Church) – but, he possessed something much more than intellectual brilliance.   He possessed wisdom and a profound devotional life.   He brought to any practical topic an awareness of the unity and consistency of the whole of the Christian life.   His words are illuminated with immense insights and light – they get to the very core of soul – the core of what it means to be a Christian – the Light of Christ!

He has been called the “absent Father of Vatican II” because his writings on conscience, religious liberty, Scripture, the vocation of lay people, the relation of Church and State and other topics were extremely influential in the shaping of the Council’s documents.

Although Newman was not always understood or appreciated, he steadfastly preached the Good News by word and example.  A complex thinker, his words are always relevant in every age – he is truly a ‘doctor” of the church – which means a “teacher for all ages”.

Blessed John Henry Newman, Pray for Us!bl-john-henry-pray-for-us - 9 oct 2018.jpg

Posted in MARIAN QUOTES, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Quote/s of the Day – 15 May – “He is a Cardinal!”

Quote/s of the Day – 15 May – the 140th Anniversary of Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890) being raised to the College of Cardinals

“I sought to hear the voice of God
and climbed the topmost steeple
but God declared:
“Go down again –
I dwell among the people.”i-sought-to-hear-the-voice-of-god-bl-john-henry-newman-29-march-2019.jpg

Jesu! by that shuddering dread which fell on Thee;
Jesu! by that cold dismay which sicken’d Thee;
Jesu! by that pang of heart which thrill’d in Thee;
Jesu! by that mount of sins which crippled Thee;
Jesu! by that sense of guilt which stifled Thee;
Jesu! by that innocence that girded Thee;
Jesu! by that sanctity that reign’d in Thee;
Jesu! by that Godhead which was one with Thee;
Jesu! spare those souls which are so dear to Thee;
Who in prison, calm and patient, wait for Thee;
Hasten, Lord, their hour and bid them come to Thee;
To that glorious Home, where they shall ever gaze on Thee.
Amen
The Angel of the Agonythe-angel-of-the-agony-bl-john-henry-newman-good-friday-19-april-2018.jpg

RABBONI!

Let me ever hold communion with You,
my hidden but living God.
You are my innermost heart.
You are the life of my life.
Every breath I breathe,
every thought of my mind,
every good desire of my heart,
is from the presence
within me of the unseen God.
…I see You, not in the material world
except dimly
but I recognise Your voice
in my intimate consciousness.
I turn around
and say
Rabboni!
O be ever thus with me
and if I am tempted to leave You,
do not You,
O my God,
leave me.
Amenrabboni-by-bl-john-henry-newman-11-april-2019.jpg

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

“God has created me to do Him some definite service.
He has committed some work to me,
which he has not committed to another.
I have my mission,
I never may know it in this life
but I shall be told it in the next.
I have a part in a great work,
I am a link in a chain,
a bond of connection between persons.
He has not created me for naught.
I shall do good,
I shall do His work,
I shall be an angel of peace,
a preacher of truth in my own place,
while not intending it,
if I do but keep His commandments
and serve Him in my calling.”god-has-created-me-bl-john-henry-newman-3-feb-2019

“Fear not that
thy life shall come
to an end
but rather fear,
that it shall never have
a beginning.”fear-not-that-thy-life-bl-john-henry-newman-28-march-2019

Lead, Kindly Light
By Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom,
Lead Thou me on;
The night is dark and I am far from home,
Lead Thou me on.
Keep Thou my feet, I do not ask to see
The distant scene, one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou
Should lead me on.
I loved to choose and see my path but now
Lead Thou me on.
I loved the garish day and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my wil, remember not past years.

So long Thy power has blest me, sure it still
Will lead me on
O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till
The night is gone
And with the morn those Angel faces smile,
Which I have loved long since and lost awhile.

Lead, Kindly Light is a hymn with words written in 1833 by Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890) as a poem titled “the Pillar and the Cloud” – it consists of 3 verses, anything after that is not by John Henry.lead-kindly-light-no-2-14-feb-2019-bl-john-henry-newman-25-jan2019-for-the-conv-of-st-paul

“Who is the flower but our Blessed Lord?   Who is the rod, or beautiful stalk or stem or plant out of which the flower grows but Mary, Mother of our Lord, Mary, Mother of God?”who-is-the-flower-but-our-blessed-lord-bl-john-henry-newman-1-may-2018.jpg

Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890

Posted in ENCYCLICALS, GOD is LOVE, MORNING Prayers, PAPAL ENCYLICALS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 15 May – Man is redeemed by love.

One Minute Reflection – 15 May – Wednesday of the Fourth week of Easter, C, Gospel: John 12:44–50

“I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world”...John 12:47i did not come to condem the world john 12 47 15 may 2019.jpg

REFLECTION – “It is not science that redeems man, man is redeemed by love.   This applies even in terms of this present world.   When someone has the experience of a great love in his life, this is a moment of “redemption” which gives a new meaning to his life.   But soon, he will also realise that the love bestowed upon him cannot by itself resolve the question of his life.   It is a love that remains fragile.   It can be destroyed by death.   The human being needs unconditional love.   He needs the certainty which makes him say – “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38- 39).   If this absolute love exists, with its absolute certainty, then—only then—is man “redeemed”, whatever should happen to him, in his particular circumstances.

This is what it means to say, Jesus Christ has “redeemed” us.   Through Him we have become certain of God, a God who is not a remote “first cause” of the world, because His only-begotten Son has become man and of Him everyone can say:  “I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20)….Pope Benedict XVI – Encyclical “ Spe Salvi ”#26it is not science that redeems man - pope benedict 15 may 2019.jpg

PRAYER – Lord God, life of those who believe in You, glory of the humble and happiness of the Saints, listen kindly to our prayer.   We long for what You promises, fill us from Your abundance, give us true faith and obedience.   May the Blessed Virgin, Mother of Your Son, be our constant recourse. Through Our Lord, Jesus with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.mary-mother-pray-for-us-15-may-2018.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FRANCISCAN OFM, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 15 May – Mother of Mercy

Our Morning Offering – 15 May – ‘Mary’s Month” – Wednesday of the Fourth week of Easter, C

Mother of Mercy
By St Bonaventure (1217-1274)
Serpahic Doctor

Virgin full of goodness,
Mother of Mercy,
I entrust to you my body and soul,
my thoughts, my actions,
my life and my death.
O my Queen, help me,
and deliver me from all
the snares of the devil.
Obtain for me the grace
of loving my Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son,
with a true and perfect love,
and after him, O Mary,
to love you with all my heart
and above all things.
Amenvirgin full of goodness-st bonaventure.jpg

Posted in MARTYRS, SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 15 May – Saint Euphrasius of Andujar (1st Century)

Saint of the Day – 15 May – Saint Euphrasius of Andujar (1st Century) Martyr, Bishop, Missionary – according to tradition, he is one of the group of Seven Apostolic Men (siete varones apostólicos), seven Christian clerics ordained in Rome by Saints Peter and Paul and sent to evangelise Spain.   Besides Euphrasius, this group includes Sts Hesychius, Ctesiphon, Torquatus, Indaletius and Secundius.   Patronages – diocese of Jaénin Spain, Andújar, Spain, Ajaccio in France, Corsica.

450px-EufrasioJaénCatedral.jpg
Saint Euphrasius, altarpiece at Jaén Cathedral, 18th century

In the 7th century, King Sisebut built a church over the saint’s sepulchre at Illiturgis but during the invasion of Spain by the Moors in the 8th century, his relics were translated to the Lugo Province.   He is buried in the church of Santa María do Mao, near the monastery of San Xulián de Samos in Samos.

Euphrasius is also patron of Corsica and of Ajaccio – “this seems to have been due to a secondary translation of a portion of his relics.”

A relic of a kerchief found in a chapel behind the high altar of Jaén Cathedral is associated with a legend of St Euphrasius.   When Euphrasius was sent to Rome to free the Pope from Satan’s temptations, it is said that he travelled to Rome in only half an hour due to the assistance of a captive goblin who helped the saint in return for some leftovers from the saint’s supper.   Euphrasius vanquished Satan and was awarded with a kerchief.

Euphrasius is also associated with the cult of Our Lady of Cabeza (la Virgen de la Cabeza).   According to one legend, when Saint Euphrasius came to Spain, he brought with him an image of the Virgin Mary to which he was devoted.   According to the legend, this image was given to Euphrasius by Saint Peter and is said to have been the portrait that Saint Luke painted of the Virgin Mary.

450px-Estatua_de_la_Virgen_de_la_Cabeza.jpg
Statue of Our Lady of Cabeza near the Basilica of Nuestra Señora de la Cabeza.
Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Memorials of the Saints – 15 May

St Isidore the Farmer (c 1070-1619) (Optional Memorial)
About St Isidore:   https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/05/15/saint-of-the-day-15-may-isidore-the-farmer/

St Achilles of Larissa
St Adiutor of Campania
St Alvardo
Bl Andrew Abellon OP (1375-1450)
Biography:   https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/05/15/saint-of-the-day-15-may-blessed-andrew-abellon-o-p-1375-1450/

Bercthun of Beverley
Bertha of Bingen
St Caecilius of Granada
St Caesarea of Otranto
St Cassius of Clermont
Bl Clemente of Bressanone
St Colman Mc O’Laoighse
St Ctesiphon of Verga
Bl Diego of Valdieri
St Dymphna
St Euphrasius of Andujar (1st Century) Martyr
St Gerebernus
St Hallvard of Oslo
St Hesychius of Gibraltar
St Hilary of Galeata
St Indaletius of Urci
St Isaias
St Isidore of Chios
Bl Joan Montpeó Masip
St Maximus of Clermont
St Nicholas the Mystic
St Rupert of Bingen
St Secundus of Avila
St Simplicius of Sardinia
St Sophia of Rome
St Victorinus of Clermont
St Waldalenus of Beze

Martyrs of Maleville: 50 Mercedarian friars murdered for their faith by Huguenots. 1563 in the Mercedarian convent of Maleville in Rodez, France.

Martyrs of Persia: Three Christians who were tortured, mutilated, imprisoned, starved and finally executed together for refusing to worship the sun and fire during the persecutions of Shapur II. We know nothing else about them but their names: Bohtiso, Isaac and Simeon. They were beheaded or burned at the stake (records vary) in the late 3rd century somewhere in Persia

Martyrs of Lampsacus:
Andrew of Troas
Denysa of Troas
Paul of Troas
Peter of Lampsacus