Quote of the Day – 7 September – Saturday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time Year C and the Memorial of Blessed Giovanni Battista Mazzucconi (1826-1855) Martyr
“Let my future be as God wants it.
I leave it in the hands of Him
who cannot operate but for the good of all.
And this is enough to make me happy.”
One Minute Reflection – 7 September – Saturday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time Year C, Gospel: Luke 6:1–5
And he said to them, “The Son of man is lord of the sabbath.” … Luke 6:5
REFLECTION – “The Eucharist is an essential part of Sunday… On Easter morning, first the women and then the disciples had the grace of seeing the Lord. From that moment on, they knew that the first day of the week, Sunday, would be His day, the day of Christ the Lord. The day when creation began, became, the day when creation was renewed. Creation and redemption belong together.
That is why Sunday is so important. It is good that today, in many cultures, Sunday is a free day and is often combined with Saturday so as to constitute a “week-end” of free time. Yet this free time is empty if God is not present.
Dear friends! Sometimes, our initial impression is that having to include time for Mass on a Sunday is rather inconvenient. But if you make the effort, you will realise that this is what gives a proper focus to your free time. Do not be deterred from taking part in Sunday Mass and help others to discover it too. This is because the Eucharist releases the joy that we need so much and we must learn to grasp it ever more deeply, we must learn to love it. Let us pledge ourselves to do this – it is worth the effort! Let us discover the intimate riches of the Church’s liturgy and its true greatness. It is not we who are celebrating for ourselves but it is the living God Himself, who is preparing a banquet for us.” …Pope Benedict XVI – 21 August 2005
PRAYER – Holy God, almighty Father, You taught us to honour Your holy day and the day of rest. In Your divine Son, Whom You gave to us as our brother and glorified by His Resurrection, You showed us the way to our eternal life. As His glorified body shines anew on Easter Sunday, we rejoice in our future life with Him and embrace His day as our own, each Sunday renewing His Resurrection. We run forward to sing Your glory together with our Holy Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, to eternity, through our Lord Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 7 September – Saturday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time, Year C and a Marian Saturday
Most Merciful Mother of God
By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
From the Imitation of Mary
Most merciful Mother of God,
Mary ever-Virgin,
Queen of heaven,
Mistress of the world,
Joy of the Saints
and Comfort of sinners,
hear the groans of contrite hearts.
Grant the desires of the devout,
help the sick in their needs,
strengthen the hearts of the afflicted,
be present to those in their final agony.
Protect your suppliant servants
from the assaults of demons,
bring with you
all who love you
into the reward of eternal blessedness,
where, with your beloved Son,
Jesus Christ,
you reign happily forever.
Amen.
Saint of the Day – 7 September – Blessed Giovanni Battista Mazzucconi (1826-1855) aged 29, Martyr, Priest, Missionary of The Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME – from the Latin Pontificium Institutum Missionum Exterarum) – born on 1 March 1826 in Rancio di Lecco, Italy and died on 7 September 1855 in Woodlark Island, Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea. Patronages – Persecuted Christian, Missionaries and the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Mission. Blessed Giovanni has a second Memorial on 10 September in the Ambrosian rite in Milan.
The ninth of the 12 children of Giacomo and Anna Maria Scuri Mazzucconi studied in the seminaries of Monza and Milan. He commenced his studies for the priesthood in 1845 and with several seminarians he underwent a course of spiritual exercises. It was at one such retreat that he met the Father Superior who served in India. This encounter had a profound effect on Mazzucconi who started to cultivate a desire to become a member of a group of missionaries. His desire was intensified in 1850 when Pope Pius IX asked the Milanese bishops to establish a workshop for the preparation of people for the missions.
In the meantime Giovanni was ordained on 25 May 1850 and the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) was established with apostolic approval. Two months later in July 1850, Mazzucconi received an invitation from Msgr Angelo Ramazzotti to become a charter member of the PIME, together with Father Salerio, three other clergymen (Timoleone Raimondi, Angelo Ambrosoli and Paolo Reina) and two catechists (Giuseppe Corti and Luigi Tacchini).
They embarked for Australia in March 1852. There two groups were established, one for the Island of Rook and the other to Woodlark Island. They intended to go first to Oceania. Following a three-month journey, the missionaries arrived on 25 July 1852, in Australia, where they studied the language and customs of New Guinea under the tutelage of a Marist for two months.
Upon their arrival at Woodlark Island on 28 October 1852, the mission was divided into three groups with Mazzucconi, Reina, a catechist and their Marist mentor continuing to Rook Island, where they worked for two years under difficult conditions. It was there that Giovanni immersed himself in the culture of the natives but the weather cut his studies short and he became ill and was sent to Sydney for treatment.
Upon his recovery, he sailed on 18 August 1855, back to Woodlark not knowing that his companions had abandoned the mission stations at Woodlark and Rook. When his schooner ran aground on a coral reef, the natives ambushed him and he was killed with an axe by one of the locals. He had approached them but the native nearest him struck him on the head with an axe. He died of his wounds. Eight months later Father Raimondi led an expedition to find Mazzucconi and learned of his martyrdom.
The beatification process commenced in Milan and finally, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints discussed the cause and came to the belief that Giovanniwas killed in hatred of the faith. St Pope John Paul II approved these findings and Beatified him on 19 February 1984.
Blessed Giovanni, writing just before his last missionary journey:
Tomorrow I will embark and Saturday, the day after tomorrow, I will already be on the high seas on my way to Woodlark. This year, when I sailing to Sydney, on Wednesday of Holy Week, we were overtaken by a hurricane that ripped our sails and snapped our ropes and the top half of a mast. It then drove us hither and thither all over the sea without direction and with little hope, for four days, until the Easter sun shone again like some new thing above us and we were truly like people raised from the dead.
Well, that God who saved me then will be with me again in this journey and if I do not abandon Him, He will be with me always and while He is with me everything that can happen to me will always be a grace, a blessing for which I should thank Him. If in danger He wants to withdraw, or pretends to be asleep on the bow of the ship, like the Apostle, I will go to wake Him and let Him see my danger. And then, if He does not want to listen, I will say – Lord, command me to come to You and my soul will walk on the waters, it will go to His feet and be content forever.
I do not know what He is preparing for me in the journey I begin tomorrow. I know one thing only, if He is good and loves me immensely, everything else – calm or storm, danger or safety, life or death, are merely changeable and passing expressions of the beloved immutable, eternal Love. Yes, my beloved brethren, we have another country, another home, a kingdom where we must all meet, where there will no longer be separations or departures, where past sorrows and danger will merely serve to increase our consolation and glory.
St Alcmund of Hexham
Bl Alexander of Milan
St Augustalus
St Balin
St Carissima of Albi
St Chiaffredo of Saluzzo
Bl Claude-Barnabé Laurent de Mascloux
St Cloud (522-c 560)
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2017/09/07/saint-of-the-day-7-september-st-cloud/
St Desiderio of Benevento
St Dinooth
Bl Eugenia Picco
St Eupsychius of Caesarea
St Eustace of Beauvais
St Evortius of Orleans
St Faciolus
St Festo of Benevento
Bl François d’Oudinot de la Boissière
Blessed Giovanni Battista Mazzucconi (1826-1855) Martyr
St Giovanni of Lodi
St Goscelinus of Toul
St Gratus of Aosta
St Grimonia of Picardy
St Hiduard
Bl Ignatius Klopotowski
Bl John Duckett
Bl John Maki
Bl John of Nicomedia
Bl Ludovicus Maki Soetsu
Madalberta
Bl Maria of Bourbon
St Marko Križevcanin
St Melichar Grodecký
St Memorius of Troyes
St Pamphilus of Capua
Bl Ralph Corby
St Regina
St Sozonte
Bl Thomas Tsuji
St Tilbert of Hexham
—
Martyrs of Noli: Four Christians who became soldiers and were martyred together for their faith. A late legend makes them member of the Theban Legend who escaped their mass martyrdom but that’s doubtful – Paragorius, Partenopeus, Parteus and Severinus. They were born in Noli, Italy and martyred in Corsica, France. Attribute – soldiers with a banner of Noli.
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Antoni Bonet Sero
• Blessed Ascensión Lloret Marcos
• Blessed Gregorio Sánchez Sancho
• Blessed Félix Gómez-Pinto Piñero
Thought for the Day – 6 September – Pope Benedict on the Beatitudes
Pope Benedict XVI
Excerpt from his Homily on the Beatitudes
St Peter’s Square
Sunday, 30 January 2011
” … The Gospel presents the first great discourse that the Lord addresses to the people on the gentle hills encircling the Sea of Galilee. “Seeing the crowds,” St Matthew writes, “he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them” (Mt 5:1-2).
Jesus, the new Moses, “takes his seat on the cathedra of the mountain” (Jesus of Nazareth, Doubleday, New York 2007, p. 65) and proclaims “blessed” the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the merciful, those who hunger for righteousness, the pure in heart, the persecuted (cf. Mt 5:3-10). It is not a new ideology but a teaching that comes from on high and touches the human condition, the condition that the Lord, in becoming flesh, wished to assume in order to save it.
Therefore “the Sermon on the Mount is addressed to the entire world, the entire present and future and yet it demands discipleship and can be understood and lived out only by following Jesus and accompanying him on his journey” (Jesus of Nazareth, p. 69).
The Beatitudes are a new programme of life, to free oneself from the false values of the world and to open oneself to the true goods, present and future. Indeed, when God comforts, He satisfies the hunger for righteousness, He wipes away the tears of those who mourn, which means that, as well as compensating each one in a practical way, He opens the Kingdom of Heaven. “The Beatitudes are the transposition of the Cross and Resurrection into discipleship” (ibid., p. 74). They mirror the life of the Son of God, who let himself even be persecuted and despised until He was condemned to death, so that salvation might be given to men and women.
An ancient hermit says: “The Beatitudes are gifts of God and we must say a great ‘thank you’ to Him for them and for the rewards that derive from them, namely the Kingdom of God in the century to come and consolation here, the fullness of every good and mercy on God’s part … once we have become images of Christ on earth” (St Peter of Damascus, In Filocalia, Vol. 3, Turin 1985, p. 79).
The Gospel of the Beatitudes is commented on with the actual history of the Church, the history of Christian holiness, because, as St Paul writes, “God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are” (1 Cor 1:27-28).
For this reason the Church has no fear of poverty, contempt or persecution in a society which is often attracted by material well-being and worldly power. St Augustine reminds us that “it serves nothing to suffer these evils but rather to bear them, in the Name of Jesus, not only with a serene soul but also with joy” (cf. De sermone Domini in monte, i, 5,13: ccl 35, 13).
Dear brothers and sisters, let us invoke the Virgin Mary, the Blessed par excellence, asking her for the strength to seek the Lord (cf. Zeph 2:3) and to follow him always, with joy, on the path of the Beatitudes.”
Quote/s of the Day – 6 September – Friday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time Year C, Gospel: Luke 5:33–39
“But new wine must be put
into fresh wineskins.”
What people don’t realise,
is how much Christianity costs.
They think faith is a big electric blanket,
when of course it is the cross.
The Jesus of the Gospels
is surely not convenient for us.
The Jesus, who makes everything
okay for everyone,
is a phantom,
a dream,
not a real figure…
Take the crucifixion personally.
One Minute Reflection – 6 September – Friday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time Year C, Gospel: Luke 5:33–39
“And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same but yours eat and drink.” … Luke 5:33
REFLECTION – “The accusatory style is the style of those believers who always try to accuse others, who live by accusing and always disqualify others. A style, I would say, of failed promoters of justice, they are always trying to accuse others. But they don’t realise that it is the style of the devil – in the Bible the devil is called the “great accuser”, who is always accusing others.
The Lord has offered you the new wine but you have not changed the bottles, you have not changed. Worldliness is what ruins so many people, so many people! Good people, but this spirit of vanity, pride, of being seen, enters in… The Christian style is that of the Beatitudes – meekness, humility, patience in suffering, love for justice, ability to endure persecution, not judging others… If you want to know what the Christian style is like, so as not to fall into this accusatory style, the worldly style and the selfish style, read the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes are the new wineskins, they are the way to get there.” … Pope Francis -Santa Marta, 21 January 2019
PRAYER – Lord God, You hold out the light of Your Word as our guide and map. Open our hearts to learn and to become new in holiness. Strengthen in our hearts the faith You have given us, so that we may glow anew in the fire Your Spirit has kindled within us. May the prayers of Your holy saints and the love of our blessed Mother, be a help as we seek to live in holiness. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever amen.
Our Morning Offering – 6 September – Friday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time, Year C
Holy Spirit, Fire of Love
By St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231)
Doctor of the Church
Holy Spirit,
fire of love,
come rest over each of us,
make our tongue ready
to confess our sins,
that in revealing everything
and concealing nothing,
we may attain heavenly life
to sing eternal praise
with the angels.
With your help,
You who live
and reign through all ages.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 6 September – Blessed Bertrand de Garrigues OP (c 1195-1230) Dominican Priest, Preacher, Evangeliser, Confessor – known as “The Second Dominic” was one of the first companions of Saint Dominic. Born c 1195 at Garrigue, diocese of Nîmes, France and died on 18 April 1230 at Garrigue, diocese of Nîmes, France of natural causes. It has been said of him that he was ” a true reflection of the holiness of his master.” Aside from being known as “the beloved companion of Dominic,” “the dearest associate in all his labours, the sharer in his devotions” “the imitator of his sanctity” and “the inseparable companion of his journeys” Bl Bertrand was one of the first 16 followers of St Dominic.
Blessed Bertrand was born in c 1195 at Garrigue, France. Blessed Bertran’s parents were the friends of the Cistercian Sisters of the Convent of Notre Dame of the Woods at Bouchet. This association of his family must have made a strong impression on the young Bertrand, as we was known to be a pious youth and from an early age expressed a desire to serve as a member of the clergy and fight the heresy of the Albigenses.
As a young priest, Blessed Bertrand was assigned to a band of missionaries, under the direction of Cistercian fathers, who were charged by the Holy See to bring the Albigenses back to a civilised life and to the Church. It was during this mission work that Blessed Bertrand met Saint Dominic. The two at once became close friends and spiritual brothers.
“Cast in the same mould and filled with the same spirit, they laboured, prayed and fasted together – all for the glory of God, the benefit of the Church, the good of religion and the salvation of souls . Doubtless they effected more by their saintly lives and supplications before the throne of mercy than by their sermons, however eloquent and earnest these were.
The early writers speak of none of Saint Dominic’s first disciples more frequently, or in terms of higher praise, than of Blessed Bertrand de Garrigue. They represent him as pious, candid, humble, zealous, much given to prayer, extremely mortified.
If we may judge by their representation of him, he was a true Israelite in whom there was no guile, greatly beloved by Saint Dominic, one of his most frequently chosen companions in labour and travel. For this reason, as well as because they had toiled together for years, one can but believe that Bertrand was one of the first to whom Dominic made known his design of establishing an apostolic order, whose primary object should be the salvation of souls through an active ministry and whose field of operation should embrace the world.
In spite of his modesty and retiring manners, Bertrand was the kind of a man who would espouse such a cause with his whole heart, for the grace of God ever impelled him to do all in his power to increase the harvest of heaven.” – (The First Disciples of Saint Dominic, The Very Reverand Victor F. O’Daniel, O.P., S.T.M., Litt.D., 1928)
Blessed Bertrand received the habit of the Order from Saint Dominic. It was apparent that in the very early days of the Order, Blessed Bertrand was considered second in rank only to Saint Dominic himself. This may be evidenced by the fact that Saint Dominic left Blessed Bertrand in charge of the community when he went to Rome in the fall of 1215 to seek papal confirmation of the Order. In 1216 Saint Dominic named Blessed Bertrand as the third prior of the Order, in the Church of St Romanus, when St Dominic travelled to the Vatican to receive final approbation of the order.
Blessed Bertrand was known for his austere life and his obedience. In fact, Bertrand was often known to wail aloud over his own sins, until Saint Dominic forbade him from wailing for his own sins but instructed him to bemoan the grave sins of the wicked. In obedience, he immediately took on a life of prayer for the wicked of the world.
The last journey of Saint Dominic and Blessed Bertrand was in 1219 when the pair travelled to Paris where, upon arrival, the two spent the entire night in prayer at the Notre Dame Church, at Roe-Amadour. Tradition tells us that during this journey the Holy Spirit gave Saint Dominic and Blessed Bertrand the gift of tongues and they were thus able to converse with German pilgrims in their native language.
In obedience to Saint Dominic, it appears that Blessed Bertrand did not speak of any of the miracles of Saint Dominic until after his death and then only to Blessed Jordan of Saxony, the first Master General of the Order after our Father Saint Dominic.
The last apostolic work of Blessed Bertrand was for the Cistercian Sisters of Notre Dame of the Woods at Bouchet, in the Diocese of Valence, where he was giving to these austere sisters a course of sermons on the spiritual life. At only the age of about 35, Blessed Bertrand grew sick and died while with the Cistercian Sisters in 1230. His body was buried in the conventual cemetery of the Cistercian Nuns near the apse of the abbatial church.
However, shortly after his death marvellous cures began to come forth through his intercession. As a consequence, the Cistercian Nuns had an altar erected in his honour in their church and placed a statute of Blessed Bertrand upon the altar. Blessed Bertrand’s remains, found wholly intact, were afterwards exhumed and placed beneath the altar. However, the remains of Blessed Bertrand were destroyed by fire in 1561 during the religious wars that followed the Protestant Reformation.
Years later the cemetery of Notre Dame of the Woods became known as “Saint Bertrand’s Cemetery,” a name that endures to this day. Blessed Bertrand was beatified when his cultus was confirmed on 14 July 1881 by Pope Leo XIII.
O God,
you joined to the holy patriarch Dominic
a companion and wonderful imitator in Blessed Bertrand.
With the help of his prayers
may we follow in life the faith which he preached
and so obtain the promised rewards in heaven.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
St Arator of Verdun
St Augebert of Champagne
St Augustine of Sens
St Beata of Sens
St Bega
Blessed Bertrand de Garrigues OP (c 1195-1230) “The Second Dominic”
St Cagnoald
St Consolata of Reggio Emilia
St Cottidus of Cappadocia
St Eleutherius the Abbot
St Eugene of Cappadocia
St Eve of Dreux
St Faustus of Alexandria
St Faustus of Syracuse
St Felix of Champagne
St Frontiniano of Alba
St Gondulphus of Metz
St Imperia
St Macarius of Alexandria
St Maccallin of Lusk
St Magnus of Füssen (Died c 666?)
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2017/09/06/saint-of-the-day-6-september-st-magnus-of-fussen/
St Mansuetus of Toul
St Onesiphorus
St Petronius of Verona
St Sanctian of Sens
St Zacharius the Prophet
—
Martyrs of Africa – 6 saints: There were thousands of Christians exiled, tortured and martyred in the late 5th century by the Arian King Hunneric. Six of them, all bishops, are remembered today; however, we really know nothing about them except their names and their deaths for the faith – Donatian, Fusculus, Germanus, Laetus, Mansuetus and Praesidius.
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Diego Llorca Llopis
• Blessed Felipe Llamas Barrero
• Blessed Pascual Torres Lloret
• Blessed Vidal Ruiz Vallejo
Thought for the Day – 5 September – The Memorial of St Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997)
World Mission Sunday
Sunday, 19 October 2003
Mother Theresa was Canonised 4 September 2016 by Pope Francis
“The whole of Mother Teresa’s life and labour bore witness to the joy of loving, the greatness and dignity of every human person, the value of little things done faithfully and with love and the surpassing worth of friendship with God. But there was another heroic side of this great woman that was revealed only after her death. Hidden from all eyes, hidden even from those closest to her, was her interior life marked by an experience of a deep, painful and abiding feeling of being separated from God, even rejected by Him, along with an ever-increasing longing for His love. She called her inner experience, “the darkness.” The “painful night” of her soul, which began around the time she started her work for the poor and continued to the end of her life, led Mother Teresa to an ever more profound union with God. Through the darknes,s she mystically participated in the thirst of Jesus, in His painful and burning longing for love and she shared in the interior desolation of the poor.
During the last years of her life, despite increasingly severe health problems, Mother Teresa continued to govern her Society and respond to the needs of the poor and the Church. By 1997, Mother Teresa’s Sisters numbered nearly 4,000 members and were established in 610 foundations in 123 countries of the world. In March 1997 she blessed her newly-elected successor as Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity and then made one more trip abroad. After meeting Pope John Paul II for the last time, she returned to Calcutta and spent her final weeks receiving visitors and instructing her Sisters. On 5 September Mother Teresa’s earthly life came to an end. She was given the honour of a state funeral by the Government of India and her body was buried in the Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity. Her tomb quickly became a place of pilgrimage and prayer for people of all faiths, rich and poor alike. Mother Teresa left a testament of unshakable faith, invincible hope and extraordinary charity. Her response to Jesus’ plea, “Come be My light,” made her a Missionary of Charity, a “mother to the poor,” a symbol of compassion to the world and a living witness to the thirsting love of God.”
Less than two years after her death, in view of Mother Teresa’s widespread reputation of holiness and the favours being reported, Pope John Paul II permitted the opening of her Cause of Canonisation. On 20 December 2002 he approved the decrees of her heroic virtues and miracles. … Vatican.va
Her own handwriting below is sent to us today:
“Be only all for Jesus through Mary. Be Holy”
St Mother Teresa, Pray for Us!
Quote/s of the Day – 5 September – Thursday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time, Year C and The Memorial of St Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997)
..And immediately she rose and served them.”
“Not all of us can do great things.
But we can do small things with great love…..
God doesn’t require us to succeed,
He only requires that we try…….
I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot,
together we can do great things.”
“By blood, I am Albanian.
By citizenship, an Indian.
By Faith, I am a Catholic Nun.
As to my calling,
I belong to the World.
As to my heart,
I belong entirely to
the Heart of Jesus.”
“The so-called right to abortion
has portrayed the GREATEST of GIFTS
a CHILD
as a competitor
an intrusion and
an inconvenience.”
“How sad it is,
when someone
comes to you,
looking for Jesus
and all they see.
is you.”
“You must first learn to forget yourself
so that you can dedicate yourself to God
and to neighbour alike!”
One Minute Reflection – 5 September – Thursday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 5:1–11 and the Memorial of St Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997)
But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” ... Luke 5:8
REFLECTION – “This is the first decisive step of Peter along the path of discipleship, of the disciple of Jesus, accusing himself: ‘I am a sinner.’ This is Peter’s first step and also the first step for each one of us, if you want to go forward in the spiritual life, in the life of Jesus, serving Jesus, following Jesus, must be this, accusing oneself, without accusing oneself you cannot walk in the Christian life.
There are people who go through life talking about others, accusing others and never thinking of their own sins. And when I go to make my confession, how do I confess? Like a parrot? ‘I did this, this…’ But are you touched at heart by what you have done? Many times, no. You go there to put on make-up, to make-yourself up a little bit in order to look beautiful. But it hasn’t entered completely into your heart, because you haven’t left room, because you are not capable of accusing yourself. Do I do this? It’s a good question to get to the heart.
Today, let us ask the Lord for the grace, the grace to find ourselves face-to-face with Him, with this wonder that His presence gives and the grace, to feel that we are sinners but concretely and to say with Peter – ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinner.” … Pope Francis – Santa Marta, 6 September 2018
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, help us to be holy in the way that You have laid out for all of us. Grant us good Lord, the courage, faith and understanding, to see our own failings and to present ourselves to You for forgiveness, knowing always, that a repentant heart You do not spurn. May the prayers of St Mother Teresa assist us in using the gifts You have given us, for the Glory of God. We make our prayer through our Lord, Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, one God, forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 5 September – Thursday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of St Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997)
St Mother Teresa’s Daily Prayer
“Radiating Christ”
By Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
Dear Jesus,
help me to spread Your fragrance
wherever I go.
Flood my soul
with Your spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess
my whole being so utterly,
that my life may only be a radiance of Yours.
Shine through me
and be so in me,
that every soul I come in contact with
may feel Your presence in my soul.
Let them look up
and see no longer me
but only Jesus!
Stay with me
and then I shall begin to shine as You shine,
so to shine as to be a light to others.
The light, O Jesus, will be all from You,
none of it will be mine.
It will be You,
shining on others through me.
Let me thus praise You
the way You love best,
by shining on those around me.
Let me preach You without preaching,
not by words but by my example,
by the catching force
of the sympathetic influence of what I do,
the evident fullness
of the love my heart bears to You.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 5 September – Saint Bertin the Great (c 615-c 709) Benedictine Monk and Abbot – born in the early 7th century at Constance (in modern Germany) – died in c709 of natural causes. Saint Bertin practiced great severities throughout his lifetime and was in continuous communion with God. He travelled far and wide to share God’s message and trained his disciples to carry on his ministry after he was gone.
Bertin was born near Constance, then in the Frankish Duchy of Alamannia. At an early age, he entered the Abbey of Luxeuil, where, under the austere rule of its abbot, St Columban (540-615), he prepared himself for a future missionary career. About the year 638 he set out, in company with two fellow Monks, Mummolin and Ebertram, for the extreme northern part of France in order to assist his friend and kinsman, Bishop (Saint) Audomar (died c 670), in the evangelisation of the Morini. This area was then one vast marsh, studded here and there with hillocks and overgrown with seaweed and bulrushes. On one of these hillocks, Bertin and his companions built a small house and they went out daily to preach the Christian faith to the natives, most of whom were still pagans.
Gradually some converted pagans joined the little band of missionaries and a larger monastery had to be built. A tract of land called Sithiu had been donated by a converted nobleman named Adrowald. St Audomar now turned this whole tract over to the missionaries, who selected a suitable place on it for their new Abbey of St Peter. Additional villages were granted by Count Waldebert, later a monk at Bertin’s monastery of Sythiu and eventually Abbot of Luxueil and Canonised, who gave his son at the baptismal font to Bertin, from whom the boy received his name and his education. The community grew so rapidly that in a short time this monastery also became too small and another was built where the city of St Audomar now stands.
The fame of Bertin’s learning and sanctity was so great that in a short time more than 150 monks lived under his rule, among them St Winnoc and his three companions who had come from Brittany to join Bertin’s community and assist in the conversion of the heathen. When nearly the whole region was Christianised and the marshy land transformed into a fertile plain, Bertin, knowing that his death was not far off, appointed St Rigobert as his successor, while he himself spent the remainder of his life preparing for a happy death. He had run the second monastery they founded for almost 60 years. Saint Bertin passed away at a very old age, some say older than 100, surrounded by his fellow monks.
St Bertin began to be venerated as a saint soon after his death.
Mummolin, perhaps because he was the oldest of the missionaries, was abbot of the two monasteries until he succeeded the deceased Eligius as Bishop of Noyon, about the year 659. Waldebert’s son Bertin, adopted by Bertin the founder, then became the third abbot.
In later times the abbey became famous as a centre of sanctity and learning. About the 11th century, the name of the abbey was changed to that of Saint-Bertin. The abbey church, now in ruins, was one of the finest 14th-century Gothic edifices. In later times, its library, archives and art-treasures were renowned both in and out of France.
The monks were expelled in 1791 by the invading forces of the French Revolutionary Army and in 1799 the abbey and its church were sold at auction.
St Albert of Butrio
St Alvitus of León
Bl Anselm of Anchin
St Anseric of Soissons
St Bertin the Great (c 615-c 709)
St Charbel
Bl Florent Dumontet de Cardaillac
St Genebald of Laon
Bl Gendtilis
Bl Gerbrand of Dokkum
St Guise Hoang Luong Canh
Bl John the Good of Siponto
Bl Jordan of Pulsano
St Obdulia
St Phêrô Nguyen Van Tu
St Romulus of Rome
St Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997)
Full Biography here:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/09/05/saint-of-the-day-5-september-st-mother-teresa-of-calcutta-mc/
And her story from the Vatican here:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/09/05/saint-of-the-day-5-september-st-teresa-of-calcutta-m-c-1910-1997/
St Victorinus of Amiterme
St Victorinus of Como
Bl William Browne
—
Martyrs of Armenia – 1,000 saints: A group of up to 1,000 Christian soldiers in the 2nd century imperial Roman army of Trajan, stationed in Gaul. Ordered to sacrifice to pagan gods, they refused and were transferred to Armenia. Ordered again to sacrifice to pagan gods, they refused again. Martyrs. We know the names of three of them, but nothing else – Eudoxius, Macarius and Zeno.
Martyrs of Capua – 3 saints: Three Christians who were martyred together. Long venerated in Capua, Italy. We know their names, but little else – Arcontius, Donatus and Quintius. They were martyred in Capua, Italy.
Martyrs of Nicomedia – 80 saints: A group of 80 Christians, lay and clergy, martyred together in the persecutions of Valens. We know little more than the names of three of them – Menedemo, Teodoro and Urbano. They were locked on a boat which was then set on fire on the shore of Nicomedia, Bithynia (in modern Turkey) c 370.
Martyrs of Porto Romano – 4+ saints: A group of Christians martyred together in the persecutions of Marcus Aurelius. We know little more than their names – Aconto, Herculanus, Nonno and Taurino. c180 at Porto Romano, Italy
Thought for the Day – 4 September – Wednesday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of Blessed Catherine of Racconigi OP (1486-1547)
Just as the Carmelites have their many famous Teresas so too do the Dominicans have their Catherines – St Catherine of Alexandria (c287-c305) (by adoption as patroness of the Order), St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) Doctor of the Church, St Catherine de Ricci (1522-2590), Bl Catherine Jarrige (1754-1836) and Bl Catherine of Racconigi, today’s saint. Most of these Catherine’s were espoused to the Lord. Many of them received crowns of thorns. They all showed the greatness of God’s grace to draw hearts close to Him.
Aside from being espoused to the Lord at the age of five and aside from receiving the stigmata and a crown of thorns, Bl Catherine of Racconigi is a prime example of Christ drawing hearts close to Him. Several times the Lord appeared to her and took her heart so that He might cleanse and beautify it. Moreover, as the tradition holds, the words Jesu, spes mea –“Jesus, my hope!”–were inscribed on her heart in letters of gold. Christ loves His virgin brides. The tokens that He has given them, especially to the saintly Dominicans cloistered nuns and active sisters, shows that He desires nothing but union with souls. Sometimes, this means sharing in the hardships of His Passion. For Bl Catherine, this meant a life of destitute poverty, abandonment by many friends at death and even the challenge of being deprived of her confessor before she died. Yet, through it all, her Hope–Christ the Lord, drew her to Himself, where she is now in perfect happiness in heaven.
O Lord, our Hope, who did enrich with an abundance of celestial gifts, the heart of Blessed Catherine, already filled with You, grant, through the intercession of that glorious Virgin, that You may be wholly fastened to our hearts, who for our sake, was wholly fastened to the cross, Christ our Lord. Amen.
Quote of the Day – 4 September – Wednesday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of Blessed Catherine of Racconigi OP (1486-1547)
Our Morning Offering – 4 September – Wednesday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time, Year C
Raise My Heart
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
O my God,
whatever is nearer to me than You,
things of this earth
and things more naturally pleasing to me,
will be sure to interrupt the sight of You,
unless Your grace interfere.
Keep You my eyes,
my ears,
my heart,
from any such miserable tyranny.
Keep my whole being fixed on You.
Let me never lose sight of You
and while I gaze on You,
let my love of You
grow more and more every day.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 4 September – Blessed Catherine of Racconigi OP (1486-1547) – Third Order Dominican, Mystic, Stigmatist – born as Caterina Mattei in June 1486 in Racconigi, Cuneo, Italy and died on 4 September 1547 at Caramagna Piemonte, Cuneo, Italy.
Most of the information regarding Catherine Mattei is derived from a ‘vita’ written by her friend, John Francis Pico, Prince of Mirandola. Catherine Mattei was born in the Piedmont region of Northwest Italy in 1487 into an impoverished household in the Province of Cuneo. Intermittent conflicts in the area brought widespread poverty. Her parents were Giorgio and Bilia de Ferrari Mattei. Her father, an unemployed locksmith, became despondent and quarrelsome as so many do when they lose their livelihood. Her mother supported the family by weaving coarse cloth at home. Catherine and her brother grew up in an atmosphere that was absent of the peace of Christ.
Surprisingly, God reached the heart of little Catherine when she was only five. It was then that her mystical experiences began. Our Lady appeared to her while the tiny child was praying alone in her tiny room and told Catherine that Jesus wished to make her His spouse. Then, as a child her own age, Jesus Himself appeared, accompanied by many other saints including Catherine of Siena and Peter Martyr and the Blessed Mother placed the ring of espousal on her finger. Like the ring of Saint Catherine of Siena, it was visible to today’s saint but could not be seen by others.
Thereafter Catherine had frequent ecstasies and visions. Jesus always appeared to her as a man her own age, whatever that was at the time. He talked with her, taught her how to pray and several times took her heart away to cleanse it. When He appeared with His Cross, she offered to help Him. He let it rest on her shoulder a moment and it left a wound for the rest of her life. She also received the stigmata, though it too remained invisible to others and, at her request, it was only revealed by her confessor after her death.
And, of course, Jesus worked many miracles on behalf of His friend – made a broken dish whole again and provided money and food when the family’s poverty was extreme. In times of trial, the heavenly hosts came to comfort the girl who received great consolation from the aspiration, “Jesus, my hope!”
Because her family opposed her becoming a Dominican, she took the habit of a tertiary. Her mystical experiences roused a storm of gossip among her neighbours, who were terrified at the lights and sounds that came from her home. The devil stirred up more trouble to mitigate her influence over other souls. Even the Dominican fathers ostracised her and eventually she was forced out of town and settled in Racconigi.
There rich and poor sought out Catherine for her wise counsel, prayers and material assistance. She was almost continually in ecstasy. The particular object of Catherine’s prayers was the salvation of soldiers dying in battle and the holy souls in Purgatory. Numerous miracles occurred before and after her death and a cult arose at her tomb almost immediately. Even her persecutors were aware of her sanctity and retracted their bitter words.
Pope Pius VII confirmed her holiness and cult in 1810 by naming her Blessed.
Our Lady of Consolation, or Mary, Consoler of the Afflicted, comes from the Latin Consolatrix Afflictorum. It is found in the Litany of Loreto. The feast of Our Lady of Consolation is one of the solemnities not inscribed in the General Roman Calendar but which are observed in particular places, regions, churches or religious institutes. Augustinians and many regions, observe today 4 September, the Benedictines 5 July.
More about Our Lady of Consolation here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/09/04/4-september-feast-of-our-lady-of-consolation/
St Ammianus the Martyr
St Pope Boniface I
St Caletricus of Chartres
St Candida of Naples
St Candida the Elder
St Castus of Ancyra
Bl Catherine of Racconigi OP (1486-1547)
St Fredaldo of Mende
St Hermione
St Ida of Herzfeld
St Irmgard of Süchteln
St Julian the Martyr
St Magnus of Ancyra
St Marcellus of Chalon-sur-Saône
St Marcellus of Treves
St Maximus of Ancyra
St Monessa
St Moses the Prophet
Bl Nicolò Rusca
St Oceanus the Martyr
Bl Peter of Saint James
St Rebecca of Alexandria
St Rhuddlad
St Rosalia/Rose of Viterbo TOSF (c 1233 – 1251)
Her Story:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/09/04/saint-of-the-day-4-september-st-rose-of-viterbo-c-1233-1251/
St Rufinus of Ancyra
St Salvinus of Verdun
Bl Scipion-Jérôme Brigeat Lambert
St Silvanus of Ancyra
St Sulpicius of Bayeux
St Thamel
St Theodore the Martyr
St Ultan of Ardbraccan
St Victalicus
—
Blessed Martyrs of Nowogródek:
The Eleven Nuns of Nowogródek or Blessed Mary Stella and her Ten Companions were a group of members of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, a Polish Roman Catholic religious congregation, executed by the Gestapo in August 1943 in occupied Poland (present-day Navahrudak, Belarus). They have been declared Blessed by virtue of martyrdom by Pope John Paul II on 5 March 2000.
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Adrián Saiz y Saiz
• Blessed Baltasar Mariano Muñoz Martínez
• Facundo Fernández Rodríguez
• Blessed Francisco Sendra Ivars
• Blessed José Bleda Grau
• Blessed José Muñoz Quero
• Blessed José Pascual Carda Saporta
• Blessed Juan Moreno Juárez
• Blessed José Vicente Hormaechea Apoita
• Blessed Pedro Sánchez Barba
Thought for the Day – 3 September – The Memorial of Blessed Brigida of Jesus Morello (1610-1679)
Blessed Brigida loved Mary, the Immaculate Mother of God, with tenderness. She venerated Her and instilled in her daughters the truth that Mary is the most faithful follower of Her Son, Jesus. Loving and imitating Her, is the shortest way to holiness – (Ad Jesum per Maria – to Jesus through Mary). Constant union with God would be possible by devotion to the Eucharist, to the Word of God, wholly abandoned to His Providence. Such was the spirituality of Brigida who, with filial devotion, could exclaim: “Confidence, Confidence! A large heart! God is a Father and He will never abandon us!”
The Ursuline Anthem:
Mary, Mother of God,
Immaculate Mother of God,
We see in you the pattern
of our mission and our life.
God’s will was your search,
God’s will was your joy.
Our joy also, shall be in surrender to His will.
Give us a heart like yours,
a heart that always loves.
A heart that’s never hardened,
a humble, noble heart.
A heart that lives for Jesus
and all for whom Jesus loves,
A heart whose sole desire
is fixed on loving, as Jesus loves.
Text and music by Fr JB Fernandez, SJ
St John Paul II said at the General Chapter of the Ursuline Sisters of Mary Immaculate on 27 August 2003:
“The secret of the apostolate consists precisely in knowing that “we have not loved God, but that He has loved us and has sent His Son to be the expiation for our sins” (I Jn 4: 10).3. Contemplating Christ crucified and risen – the heart of the spirituality of Bl Brigida Morello – will expand the horizons of your dedication to the poor, to the sick and to those reduced to the most stringent material and spiritual need, with particular attention to women and to youth. Thus, you will faithfully safeguard the inheritance the blessed Foundress has left you, her spiritual daughters and you will be ready to adapt the charismatic inspiration to our time, stressing above all who you “are” before what you “do”.
Quote/s of the Day – 3 September – The Memorial of Saint Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) “Father of the Fathers” and Blessed Brigida of Jesus Morello (1610-1679)
“Holy Scripture presents a kind of mirror
to the eyes of the mind,
so that our inner face may be seen in it.
There we learn our own ugliness, there our own beauty.
And there too we discover the progress we are making
and how far we are from perfection.”
“When we attend to the needs of those in want,
we give them what is theirs, not ours.
More than performing works of mercy,
we are paying a debt of justice.”
More quotes from St Gregory:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/09/03/quote-s-of-the-day-3-september-the-memorial-of-st-pope-gregory-the-great-540-604-father-doctor-of-the-church-father-of-the-fathers/
“Let the Crucifix we wear be our mirror,
so that we may conform our life to that of Jesus,
our guide and model!”
“Confidence, Confidence!
A large heart! God is a Father
and He will never abandon us!”
One Minute Reflection – 3 September – Tuesday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 4:31–37 and the Memorial of St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) – Father & Doctor of the Church
And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits and they come out.”…Luke 4:36
REFLECTION – “The power of Jesus confirms the authority of His teaching. He does not just speak with words but He takes action. In the Gospel in fact, we see that in His earthly mission, Jesus reveals the love of God both through preaching and through countless gestures of attention and aid to the sick, the needy, children and sinners.
Jesus is our Teacher, powerful in word and deed. Jesus imparts to us all the light that illuminates the sometimes dark paths of our lives. He also transmits to us the necessary strength to overcome difficulties, trials and temptations. Let us consider what a great grace it is for us to have known this God who is so powerful and so good! A teacher and a friend who shows us the path and takes care of us especially when we are in need.
May the Virgin Mary, the woman of listening, help us to create silence around us and within us, in order to hear, through the din of the messages of the world, the most authoritative word that there is – that of her Son Jesus, who proclaims the meaning of our existence and delivers us from all slavery, even that of the Evil one.”…Pope Francis – Angelus, 28 January 2018
PRAYER – God our Father, Your rule is a rule of love, Your providence is full of mercy for Your people. Through the intercession of St Gregory, grant the spirit of wisdom and understanding in Your Word through Your Son Jesus Christ. Grant that by the light of His Resurrection we may know our eternal home and strive to attain eternal joy there with You. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 3 September – Tuesday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) – Father & Doctor of the Church
Acclaim To The Suffering Christ
By St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604)
Father & Doctor of the Church
O Lord, You received affronts
without number from Your blasphemers,
yet each day You free captive souls
from the grip of the ancient enemy.
You did not avert Your face
from the spittle of perfidy,
yet You wash souls in saving waters.
You accepted Your scourging without murmur,
yet through Your meditation
You deliver us from endless chastisements.
You endured ill-treatment of all kinds,
yet You want to give us a share
in the choirs of angels in glory everlasting.
You did not refuse to be crowned with thorns,
yet You save us from the wounds of sin.
In your thirst You accepted the bitterness of gall,
yet You prepare Yourself to fill us with eternal delights.
You kept silence under the derisive homage
rendered You by Your executioners,
yet You petition the Father for us
although You are his equal in Divinity.
You came to taste death,
yet You were the Life
and had come to bring it to the dead.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 3 September – Blessed Brigida of Jesus Morello (1610-1679) Religious Sister and Founder of the Ursuline Sisters of Mary Immaculate, Widow., Eucharistic adorer, apostle of the Passion of Christ and a Marian devotee. She was born as born Brigida Morello, on 17 June 1610 in San Michele di Pagana di Rapallo, Genoa, Italy and died on 3 September 1679 in Piacenza, Italy of natural causes. Patronages – Ursuline Sisters of Mary Immaculate, Widows.
Brigida Morello was born on 17 March 1610 in Genoa as the sixth of eleven children to Nicolò Morello and Livinia Borzese.
She married Matteo Zancano from Cremona on 14 October 1633 and the pair moved to Salsomaggiore in Parma to live their new life together. But this would be short and she was widowed at the age of 27 after he died on 11 November 1637. She made a vow to remain chaste after her husband died and tried to join the female branch of the Order of Friars Minor but was rejected due to her widowhood.
She moved and became a spiritual student of the Jesuits in Piacenza in 1640 and also placed herself under their spiritual direction. In obedience to her confessor she began a journal with entries that spanned from 1642 until 1645.
In September 1646 she began to gather a group of women at her home in Parma under the guidance of Saint Ursula and set the foundations for a new religious congregation that she herself would soon establish. She devoted herself to a state of constant penance and charitable works to benefit the lives of others and encouraged this amongst her companions. She declared her order would dedicate itself to the education of girl s. The new institute was established on 17 February 1649 – on Ash Wednesday – in which she professed her vows as a member of it. The founder assumed the name of “Brigida of Jesus” and placed her congregation under the care of the Jesuits. Morello was not selected as the first superior but was appointed in 1665 and reconfirmed twice in 1670 and 1675 around the time health began to fail her.
Brigida wrote down the rules and regulations for her dear Congregation. Two weeks before her death she gathered her loving sisters and spoke to them her last words of instructions. 
She commended herself into the hands of the Almighty on 3 September 1679. She could say with St Paul – “I have run the race, I am ready Lord.” Death is a beautiful experience for those who live close to God.
Brigida was a prophet of her times as she responded to the needs of an age where materialism and power had influenced even the Christian doctrine and faith adversely. Moved by the love of God, she pioneered the formal education of women, preparing them to love God and to become true Christian Mothers. The Charism left by Brigida can be summed up in: “Identification with Christ Crucified and Risen”. She is usually portrayed with a Crucifix in her hand, thus implying that following Jesus Crucified is the only way to holiness. Her Christo-centric spirituality stemmed from her contemplation of the Mystery of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Saviour, from her love of Jesus in the Eucharist and from her tender devotion to Mother Mary, the Immaculate. A precious heritage indeed!
Her teachings were left in writing as a precious heritage for those who would follow her through the centuries under the Ursuline banner. When unfolding this treasured gift so unique to their Foundress, we discover some of the striking characteristics of her spirituality and charism.
She was Beatified on 15 March 1998 by St Pope John Paul II at Rome, Italy.
St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) – Father & Doctor of the Church (Memorial)
All about this Great Holy Father: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/09/03/saint-of-the-day-3-september-st-pope-gregory-the-great-540-604-father-doctor-of-the-church/
And Pope Benedict’s Catechesis on St Gregory:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/09/03/saint-of-the-day-3-september-st-pope-gregory-the-great-540-604-father-doctor-of-the-church-father-of-the-fathers/
St Aigulphus of Lérins
St Ambrose of Sens
St Ammon of Heraclea
Bl Andrew Dotti
St Auxanus
St Balin
St Basilissa of Nicomedia
Bl Brigida of Jesus Morello (1610-1679)
St Chariton
St Chrodegang of Séez
St Frugentius the Martyr
Bl Guala of Brescia
St Hereswitha
Bl Herman of Heidelberg
St Macanisius
St Mansuetus of Toul
St Marinus (Died c 366)
St Martiniano of Como
St Natalis of Casale
St Phoebe
St Regulus of Rheims
St Remaclus
St Sandila of Cordoba
—
Martyrs of Aquileia – 4 saints: Four young women, variously sisters and cousins, who were born to the nobility, the daughters of the pagans Valentinianus of Aquileia and Valentius of Aquileia. Each woman converted and made private vows, dedicating themselves to God. They were arrested, tortured and martyred by order of Valentius for becoming a Christian. We know little else but their names – Dorothy, Erasma, Euphemia and Thecla. They were martyred by beheaded in the 1st century in Aquileia, Italy and their bodies were thrown into a nearby river.
Martyrs of Nagasaki – 6 beati: A group of priests and clerics, native and foreign, murdered together in the anti-Christian persecutions in Japan. They were scalded in boiling water and then burned alive on 3 September 1632 in Nishizaka, Nagasaki, Japan and Beatified on 7 May 1867 by Pope Pius IX.
• Anthony Ishida
• Bartolomé Gutiérrez Rodríguez
• Francisco Terrero de Ortega Pérez
• Gabriel Tarazona Rodríguez
• Jerome of the Cross de Torres
• Vicente Simões de Carvalho
Martyrs of Seoul – 6 saints: A group of Christian lay people martyred together in the persecutions in Korea. They were beheaded on 3 September 1839 at the Small West Gate, Seoul, South Korea and Canonised on 6 May 1984 by Pope John Paul II.
• Agnes Kim Hyo-Ch’u
• Barbara Kwon Hui
• Barbara Yi Chong-hui
• Ioannes Pak Hu-jae
• Maria Pak K’Un-agi
• Maria Yi Yon-hui
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Andrea Calle González
• Blessed Concepción Pérez Giral
• Blessed Dolores Úrsula Caro Martín
• Blessed Joaquim Balcells Bosch
• Blessed Pius Salvans Corominas
Thought for the Day – 2 September – Monday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Luke 4:16–30
“He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free.” … Luke 4:18
An excerpt from his work, Imitation of Christ
My son, says the Lord, listen to my words, the most delightful of all words, surpassing all the knowledge of the philosophers and wise men of this world. My words are spirit and life and cannot be comprehended by human senses alone. They are not to be interpreted according to the vain pleasure of the listener but they must be listened to, in silence and received with all humility and great affection. And I said – Blessed is the man whom you teach, Lord and whom you instruct in your law, for him you soften the blow of the evil day and you do not desert him on the earth. The Lord says, I have instructed my prophets from the beginning. Even to the present time I have not stopped speaking to all men but many are deaf and obstinate in response.
Many hear the world more easily than they hear God – they follow the desires of the flesh more readily than the pleasure of God. The world promises rewards that are temporal and insignificant and these are pursued with great longing. I promise rewards that are eternal and unsurpassable, yet the hearts of mortals respond sluggishly. Who serves and obeys me in all matters with as much care as the world and its princes are served? Blush, then, you lazy, complaining servant, for men are better prepared for the works of death than you are for the works of life. They take more joy in vanity than you in truth. Yet they are often deceived in their hope, while my promise deceives no-one and leaves empty-handed no=one who confides in me. What I have promised I shall give, what I have said I will fulfil for any man who remains faithful in my love unto the very end. I am the rewarder of all good men, the one who rigorously tests the devoted.
Write my words in your heart and study them diligently, for they will be absolutely necessary in the time of temptation. Whatever you fail to understand, in reading my words, will become clear to you on the day of your visitation. I am accustomed to visit my elect in a double fashion, that is, with temptation and with consolation. And I read to them two lessons each day – one to rebuke them for their faults, the other to exhort them to increase their virtue. He who possesses my words yet spurns them earns his own judgement on the last day.
Quote of the Day – 2 September – The Memorial of St Solomon Le Clercq FSC (1745-1792) Martyr
“As for us, we hold, to what we believed,
ten and twenty years ago,
to what our forefathers believed,
one hundred years ago
and one thousand years ago
and to that which,
the whole Catholic world,
has always believed.”
AnaStpaul 
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