Day: May 21, 2019

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS

Marian Thoughts –21 May – Pope Francis – The Second Luminous Mystery: The Wedding Feast at Cana

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Marian Thoughts – 21 May – ‘Mary’s Month’ – Tuesday of the fifth Week of Easter, C

Mini Series – Pope Francis and the Holy Rosary

“The prayer of the rosary is, in many ways, the synthesis of the history of God’s mercy, which becomes a history of salvation for all who let themselves be shaped by grace. “…Pope Francis 9 October 2016

The Second Luminous Mystery

The Wedding Feast at Cana

Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him....John 2:11pope francis meditations the second luminous - the wedding at cana 21 may 2019.jpg

“In the context of the Covenant, we are also to understand Our Lady’s observation:   “They have no wine” (v. 3).   How can one celebrate a wedding feast and make merry without what the prophets indicated as a typical element of the messianic banquet? Water is necessary for life but wine expresses the abundance of a banquet and the joy of a feast.  This wedding feast was short of wine, the newlyweds are ashamed of this.   But just imagine ending a wedding feast drinking tea, it would be a shame.   Wine is necessary for a feast.   By transforming into wine the water of the jars used “for the Jewish rites of purification” (Jn 2:6), Jesus preforms an eloquent sign – He transforms the Law of Moses into the Gospel, bearer of joy.   As John states elsewhere: “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (1:17).

Sometimes, even our best, beautiful dreams, our hard work and troubles – all go to nothing. Great works demand making sacrifices but sometimes we reach a wall. Let us pray that we – like Mary – know how to humbly show this situation to Jesus and that we strongly believe that even out of the greatest failure, He is able to produce the most unexpected good.”

Pope Francis

8 June 2016

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 21 May – Lord grant us such zeal!   

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Thought for the Day – 21 May – Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter, C and The Memorial of St Eugene de Mazenod OMI (1782-1861)

Born into a noble family in Aix (Provence), Saint Eugene spent part of his childhood in Italy because of the French Revolution. Ordained a priest at Amiens in 1811, he soon organised missionaries to go to rural parts of Provence, instructing the people whose religious training had been disrupted for many years by the French Revolution and its aftermath.

Eugene began the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in 1816, obtaining papal approval for them 10 years later.   From rural preaching, they soon moved into running seminaries to improve the quality of the clergy.   Their first foreign mission was in Canada in 1841; soon they were in Africa, Asia, Australia and Latin America.

In 1851, Eugene followed his uncle as archbishop of Marseilles where he died 10 years later.   He had focused his energies on Church renewal and reform while vigorously defending the Church’s right to spread the Good News.

His congregation has grown to become one of the largest in the Church, serving in over 68 countries, especially in Africa and Canada.   Many of its members have become missionary bishops.

At Eugene’s Canonisation in 1998, St Pope John Paul II praised his vision, perseverance, and conformity to God’s will, saying:  “His influence is not limited to the age in which he lived but continues its effect on our time…

Saint Eugene de Mazenod allowed the grace of God to bear rich fruit in his life.   That required a certain amount of flexibility, as well as courage, to face the problems every growing group encounters.   We look to saints like Eugene not to borrow their courage and zeal but, with God’s grace, to discover our own, always seeking first God’s kingdom (see Matthew 6:33).

Note:  We have these Oblates in our Diocese in the Western Cape, South Africa, whilst they look the same as any other priest, they are not – they follow the pattern of St Eugene and are vessels, by the grace of God, of His marvellous and effective love and zeal!

Lord grant us such zeal!   

St Eugene de Mazenod, Pray for Us!st eugene de mazenod pray for us 21 may 2019

Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, MARIAN QUOTES, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 21 May – St Eugene de Mazenod

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Quote/s of the Day – 21 May – Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter, C and The Memorial of St Eugene de Mazenod OMI (1782-1861)

“I wish I could pass my life
at the foot of the Holy Tabernacles
in which our adorable Saviour dwells.”i wish I couldpass my life at the foot of the holy tabernacles - st eugene de mazenod 21 may 2019.jpg

“To love the Church
is to love Jesus Christ
and vice versa.”to-love-the-church-is-to-love-jesus-christ-st-eugene-de-mazenod-21-may-2018

“What more glorious occupation than to act
in everything and for everything only for God,
to love Him above all else,
to love Him all the more,
as one who has loved Him too late.”what-more-glorious-occupation-st-eugene-de-mazenod-21 may 2017

“Practice well among yourselves:
charity, charity, charity
and outside,
zeal for the salvation of souls”practice-well-among-yourselves-charity-st-eugene-de-mazenod-21-may-2018

“We glorify God in the masterpiece
of His power and love…
it is the Son whom we honour
in the person of His Mother.”

St Eugene de Mazenod (1782-1861)we-glorify-god-in-the-masterpiece-st-eugene-de-mazenod-21-may-2018

Posted in MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PEACE, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD, THOMAS a KEMPIS

One Minute Reflection – 21 May – “My peace I give to you”

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One Minute Reflection – 21 May – Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter, C, Gospel: John 14:27–31 and the Memorial of St Eugene de Mazenod (1782-1861)

“My peace I give to you”... John 14:27john 14 27 my peace if give to you - 21 may 2019.jpg

REFLECTION – “We could have great peace if we were willing not to busy ourselves with the sayings and doings of others, for which we bear no responsibility.   How can you remain long at peace, if you interfere in other people’s business, if you are on the watch for a chance to leave your solitude, if your inner recollection is slight and sporadic? Blessed are the simple, for they have great peace.   What is it that made some of the saints such perfect contemplatives?   Their whole study was to deaden themselves to every earthly desire and so they could wholly cleave to God, from the very depth of their heart and freely give time to Himself.    But as for us, we are too much taken up with our appetites, too anxious about transitory things.   We seldom perfectly conquer even one fault, so frigid and tepid we remain.

If we were perfectly dead to ourselves and free of all inner involvements; then we could also taste the things of God and have some experience of heavenly contemplation.   It is total and utter hindrance to me that we are not free from passion and lust and we do not undertake the perfect way of the Saints.   When we meet with even slight adversity, we are quickly thrown and we turn to human comforts.   If we were to try like gallant warriors, to stand firm in battle, then surely we should see the help of God upon us from heaven.   For He is ready to help those who struggle, hoping in His grace…   If you did but mind what peace for yourself, what joy for others your good dispositions would secure!   I think you would take much more thought for spiritual progress.”… Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471) – The Imitation of Christ – Book 1, ch.11how can you remain long at peace - thomas a mepis - 21 may 2019.jpg

PRAYER – Loving Father, grant us the grace to strive after perfect love.   Help us to bring forth frequents acts of love so that we may grow in this greatest of virtues.   In the great love of Your divine Son, who gave Himself for us, He filled us with peace and hope.   May these gifts grow always in our hearts.   We ask for the intercession of Mary, the Blessed Virgin, His Mother and of St Eugene de Mazenod, who overflowed with love, they said his heart was as big as the world.   Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.holy-mother-mary-at-prayer-pray-for-us-21-may-2018

st eugene de mazenod pray for us 2 21 may 2019.jpg

Posted in MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 21 May – Mary, our Queen

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Our Morning Offering – 21 May – ‘Mary’s Month’ – Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter, C

Mary, our Queen
By St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231)

Mary, our Queen,
Holy Mother of God,
we beg you to hear our prayer.
Make our hearts overflow with divine grace
and resplendent with heavenly wisdom.
Render them strong with your might
and rich in virtue.
Pour down upon us the gift of mercy
so that we may obtain the pardon of our sins.
Help us to live in such a way
as to merit the glory and bliss of heaven.
May this be granted us by your Son Jesus
who has exalted you above the angels,
has crowned you as Queen,
and has seated you with Him
forever on his refulgent throne.
Amenmary our queen - by st anthony of padua - 21 may 2019.jpg

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 21 May – Saint Arcangelo Tadini (1846-1912)

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Saint of the Day – 21 May – Saint Arcangelo Tadini (1846-1912) – Priest, Founder of the Worker Sisters of the Holy House of Nazareth, of which Order, he is the Patron, Social Reformer, Apostle of the Holy Eucharist, Prayer and Charity.st arcangelo_tadini vatican.jpg

Arcangelo Tadini was born on 12 October 1846 in Verolanuova (Brescia), Italy.   At the age of 18 he entered the seminary in Brescia, however, an accident was to leave him with a limp for the rest of his life.   He was ordained in 1870 but illness obliged him to spend his first year as a priest with his family.

From 1871 to 1873 he was a curate at Lodrino, a mountain village and then at the Shrine of Santa Maria della Noce near Brescia.

He was known for his attention to his people’s needs.   After flooding left many parishioners homeless, he organised a soup-kitchen in the parish house that served 300 meals a day.   In 1885 he was transferred to Botticino Sera as curate and two years later was appointed parish priest and dean of the same parish, where he spent the remaining 25 years of his life.st arcangelo tadini

A zealous pastor of souls, he provided catechesis for every age group, started a choir, organised various confraternities, rebuilt the church and cared for the liturgy.   When he preached, people were amazed at the warmth and power that his words instilled.

With the spread of the industrial revolution, he founded the Workers’ Mutual Aid Association to help labourers suffering from illness, accidents, disabilities or old age.   He used his own inheritance to plan and build a spinning factory, providing it with the latest equipment and later building an adjacent residence for working women.   To educate young working women, he founded the Congregation of Worker Sisters of the Holy House of Nazareth, who went into the factories to work alongside the other women, sharing their toil and tensions, while teaching them by their example.   To the sisters and the young working women, Fr Tadini held up the example of Jesus, who not only sacrificed Himself on the Cross but spent the first 30 years of His life in Nazareth where He was not ashamed, to use a carpenter’ s tools, or to have calloused hands and a brow bathed in sweat.relic-st-arcangelo-tadini-class-relic_1_e3ee593d7af83973c03aa7691f9c6302

He taught his parishioners that work is not a curse but rather the way in which men and women are called to fulfil themselves as human beings and as Christians.   His strength came from prayer – his parishioners would see him stand for hours in front of the Blessed Sacrament, despite his disability, absorbed in contemplation of God.    Fr Arcangelo Tadini ended his earthly life on 20 May 1912….Vatican.vast arcangelo tadini sml

He was Beatified on 3 October 1999 by St Pope John Paul II and Canonised by Pope Benedict XVI on 26 April 2009.  st arcangelo tadini canonisation

His order now operates in countries across the world such as Burundi and the United Kingdom.   He had died without his order having received full approval, the Bishop of Brescia, Giacinto Gaggia issued diocesan approval on 30 November 1931 while Pope Pius XII issued the decree of praise on 12 January 1953.    St Pope John XXIII issued papal approval a decade later on 16 March 1962.santino-holy-cardSARCANGELO-TADINI

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Memorials of the Saints – 21 May

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St Eugene de Mazenod OMI (1782-1861)
Biography:   https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/05/21/saint-of-the-day-21-may-st-eugene-de-mazenod-o-m-i-1782-1861/

Martyrs of the Mexican Revolution (Optional Memorial):   The 1917 Mexican constitution was pointedly anti-clerical and anti-Church, and its adoption instituted years of violent religious persecution including expulsion of foreign priests, closing of parochial schools, and the murders of several priests and lay leaders who work to minister to the faithful and support religious freedom. 25 of them who died at different times and places but all as a result of this persecution were celebrated together.   They each have separate memorials but are also remembered as a group.

• Saint Agustin Caloca Cortes
• Saint Atilano Cruz Alvarado
• Saint Cristobal Magallanes Jara
• Saint David Galván-Bermúdez
• Saint David Roldán-Lara
• Saint David Uribe-Velasco
• Saint Jenaro Sánchez DelGadillo
• Saint Jesús Méndez-Montoya
• Saint Jose Isabel Flores Varela
• Saint “Joselito” José Luis Sánchez del Río (1913-1928) Aged 14
Memorial 10 February
Biography:   https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/02/10/saint-of-the-day-10-february-st-jose-sanchez-del-rio-joselito-1913-1928-boy-martyr/comment-page-1/
• Saint José María Robles Hurtado
• Saint Julio álvarez Mendoza
• Saint Justino Orona Madrigal
• Saint Luis Batiz Sainz
• Saint Manuel Moralez
• Saint Margarito Flores-García
• Saint Mateo Correa-Magallanes
• Saint Miguel de la Mora
• Saint Pedro de Jesús Maldonado-Lucero
• Saint Pedro Esqueda Ramírez
• Saint Rodrigo Aguilar Alemán
• Saint Roman Adame Rosales
• Saint Sabas Reyes Salazar
• Saint Salvador Lara Puente
• Saint Toribio Romo González
• Saint Tranquilino Ubiarco Robles

Canonised: 21 May 2000 by Pope John Paul II
—
St Adalric of Bèze
Bl Adilio Daronch
St Ageranus of Bèze
St Ansuinus of Bèze
St Antiochus of Caesarea Philippi
St Arcangelo Tadini (1846–1912)

St Bairfhion of Killbarron
St Berard of Bèze
St Collen of Denbighshire

St Constantine the Great
St Donatus of Caesarea
St Eutychius of Mauretania
Bl Franz Jägerstätter
St Genesius of Bèze
St Godric of Finchale
Bl Hemming of Åbo
St Hospitius of Cap-Saint-Hospice
Bl Hyacinth-Marie Cormier
St Isberga of Aire
Bl Jean Mopinot
Bl Lucio del Rio
St Mancio of Évora
Bl Manuel Gómez González
St Nicostratus of Caesarea Philippi
Bl Pietro Parenzo
St Polieuctus of Caesarea
St Polius of Mauretania
St Restituta of Corsica
St Rodron of Bèze
St Secundinus of Cordova
St Secundus of Alexandria
St Serapion the Sindonite
St Sifrard of Bèze
Bl Silao
St Synesius
St Theobald of Vienne
St Theopompus
St Timothy of Mauretania
St Valens of Auxerre
St Vales
St Victorius of Caesarea
—
Martyrs of Egypt: Large number of bishops, priests, deacons and lay people banished when the Arian heretics seized the diocese of Alexandria, Egypt in 357 and drove out Saint Athanasius and other orthodox Christians. Many were old, many infirm and many, many died of abuse and privations while on the road and in the wilderness. Very few survived to return to their homes in 361 when Julian the Apostate recalled all Christians and then many of those later died in the persecutions of Julian.

Martyrs of Pentecost in Alexandria: An unspecified number of Christian clerics and lay people who, on Pentecost in 338, were rounded up by order of the Arian bishop and emperor Constantius and were either killed, or exiled, for refusing to accept Arian teachings. 339 in Alexandria, Egypt.