Day: May 6, 2020

Posted in MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARY'S MONTH, OPEN HOUSE...Conversations with..., QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Thoughts of Mary – 6 May – The Purple Flower of Sacrifice

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thoughts of Mary – 6 May – “Mary’s Month”

The Immaculate Virgin – the Purple Flower of Sacrifice
Moments with Saint Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)

She who was preserved from original sin through the merits of her Son the Redeemer, was granted this privilege because she was predestined for the sublime mission of being the Mother of God.
She, who was to clothe in mortal flesh, the eternal Word of the Father, could not be contaminated, even for an instant, by the shadow of sin.
So, she is immaculate through the power of Christ, because all that was granted to the Mother, was granted through her Son.
The blooming of this snow white flower on our soil, is a sure pledge of the reconciliation of mankind with God.

How apt are the words of the liturgy that we sin on the Feast of the Nativity of the Virgin – “Thy nativity, O Virgin Mother of God, was the herald of joy to the whole world.”

But this joy is also a purple flower of sacrifice – the sacrifice of the Blessed Mother of Jesus who, when she gave her consent:  “Be it unto me …” accepted her share in the destines of her Son, from the poverty of Bethlehem, to the self-denials of the secluded life in Nazareth and the martyrdom of Calvary.

So we may not consider ourselves, the beloved children of Our Lord and of His Mother, if our life is without sacrifice and self-denial.

May this reference to the requirement of sacrifice, be then a loving and thoughtful reminder of the strong and solid Christian virtues of self-denial, patience and penitence.  Amen

the purple flower of sacrifice - st john XXIII 6 may 2020

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Posted in MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARY'S MONTH, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Thought for the Day – 6 May – The Virginal Purity of Mary

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Thought for the Day – 6 May – “Mary’s Month” Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Virginal Purity of Mary

“It is a Dogma of Faith, that Mary was always a virgin in body and soul.
According to the teaching of the holy Fathers, Mary would have renounced her dignity as Mother of God, rather than lose her virginity.
When the Archangel Gabriel appeared with the news of the great privilege which she was about to receive, Mary was afraid and asked meekly, how she could become the Mother of God, since she had promised to remain always a virgin.
The Angel assured her, that it was through the power of the Holy Spirit, that the eternal Word of God, would take human flesh in her and become her son.
Only then did she bow her had and reply:  “Be it done to me according to thy word.”
Mary’s perpetual virginity is complemented by her purity and absolute immunity from sin.
When we consider sin of any kind, says St Augustine, Mary must always be the one exception to it (Cf De natura et gratia, c 36).
She was preserved free from original sin and possessed the fullness of grace.
The devil never had any power over her spotless soul.
Not even the slightest tarnish marred her virginal splendour.
Free from the concupiscence which has disturbed our human nature, she was like a snow-white lily, sparkling in the sunlight.
Her mortal life was a continuous ascent towards the highest peak of holiness.
It would be wrong to believe that the extraordinary privileges which God had granted her from her conception remained fixed and static, like an acquired inheritance.
On the contrary, her daily correspondence with God’s gifts was as remarkable as her dignity.
The most chaste Virgin Mary, is a model for our imitation.
We cannot obtain her privileges but, we should try and imitate her heroic and constant co-operation with the gifts of God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS for PRIESTS, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The GOOD SHEPHERD

Quote/s of the Day – 6 May – ‘ … Be the shepherd of your sheep…’

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Quote/s of the Day – 6 May – Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

May God bestow upon our Bishops.
all the graces needed to carry out their role in our Church!

“Give him a spirit of courage and right judgement, a spirit of knowledge and love.”

“O Christ, my God, You stooped down to me, poor straying sheep, to take me on Your shoulders (Lk 15:5) and have set me down in green pastures (Ps 23[22]:2).   You have quenched my thirst at the springs of true doctrine, through the mediation of Your pastors, whose shepherd You were, before entrusting to them Your flock…  And now, O Lord, You have called me… to serve Your disciples, by what design of Your Providence I know not, only You know.

But, Lord, lighten the heavy burden of those sins of mine that have so gravely offended You, purify my mind and heart.   Lead me by the right way (Ps 23[22]:3) as by a light enlightening me.   Enable me to proclaim Your word boldly, may Your Spirit’s tongue of flame (Acts 2:3) give perfect freedom to my tongue and make me constantly attentive to Your presence.

Be a shepherd to me, O Lord and together with me, be the shepherd of Your sheep, that my heart may not cause me to swerve either to right or to left.   Let Your good Spirit lead me in the right way, that my actions may be carried out, according to Your will – even to the end.   Amen

St John Damascene (675-749)
Father and Doctor of the Church

a pastor's prayer to the good shepherd - st john damascene 13 may 2019

“We do not really want a religion
that is right where we are right.
We want a religion that is right where we are wrong.
We do not want, as the newspapers say,
a church that will move with the world.
We want a church that will move the world.”

G K Chesterton (1874-1936)

we do not really want a religion - gk chesterton 6 may 2020

A Prayer for our Bishops

Jesus, Good Shepherd,
You sent us the Holy Spirit to guide Your Church
and lead her faithful to You,
through the ministry of the successors of Your Apostles, the Bishops.
Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
grant to Your bishops
wisdom in leading,
faithfulness in teaching
and holiness in guarding Your sacred Mysteries.
As they cry out with all the faithful, “Our Father!”,
may Your Bishops be ever more closely identified with You in Your divine Sonship
and offer their own lives with You, the one saving Victim.
Renew in Your Bishops deeper faith,
greater trust in You,
childlike reliance on our Mother Mary
and unwavering fidelity to the Holy Father.
Holy Mary, intercede for Your bishops.

Sts Peter & Paul, pray for them.
St Andrew, pray for them.
St James, pray for them.
St John, pray for them.
St Thomas, pray for them.
St James, pray for them.
St Philip, pray for them.
St Bartholomew, pray for them.
St Matthew, pray for them.
Sts Simon & Jude, pray for them.
St Matthias, pray for them.
St Joseph, protect them.
St Michael, defend them.
St John Vianney, pray for them.
All you saints in heaven, pray for them.
Amena prayer for our bishops 6 may 2020

“The Church exists, for nothing else but to draw men into Christ,
to make them little Christs.
If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons,
even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time.
God became man for no other purpose.”

C S Lewis (1898-1963)

the church exists for nothing else = c s lewis - 16 may 2019

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD is LOVE, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PAPAL ENCYLICALS, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 6 May – ‘Through Him we have become certain of God…’

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One Minute Reflection – 6 May – ‘Mary’s Month” – Wednesday of the Fourth week of Easter, Readings: Acts 12:24–13:5, Psalm 67:2-3, 5-6, 8, John 12:44-50

“I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world”…John 12:47john 12 47 i did not come to condemn the world but to save the world - 6 may 2020

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

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 and 2019 and 6 may 2020

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, MARY'S MONTH, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 6 May – Mother of Mercy by St Bonaventure

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Our Morning Offering – 6 May – ‘Mary’s Month” – Wednesday of the Fourth week of Easter

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.
Amenmother of mercy - st bonaventure - 6 may 2020

Posted in FRANCISCAN OFM, SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 6 May – Blessed Maria Catalina of Saint Rose Troiani (1813-1997)

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Saint of the Day – 6 May – Blessed Maria Catalina of Saint Rose Troiani (1813-1997) Virgin, Nun, Missionary, Founder of the Franciscan Missionaries of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Third Order Franciscan, Apostle of the poor, especially children, teacher – born on 19 January 1813 in Giuliano di Roma, Italy and died on 6 May 1887 in Cairo, Egypt of natural causes.   Patronage – the Franciscan Missionaries of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.bl María Catalina Troiani

Maria Caterina Troiani was born in Giuliano di Roma in 1813 as the third of four children.   She was born in the Napoleonic period.

She approached the Bishop of Ferentino and asked him if she could be received into a convent as a nun.   She lived and learned the Franciscan path with Saint Francis of Assisi as a guide and dedicated herself – with her fellow noviates – to education and the care of girls.

On 8 December 1829 she took the religious habit of the institute and changed her name to “Maria Teresa of Saint Rose” in honour of Saint Rose of Viterbo.

Sr Maria had a great desire for Missionary work, especially in Africa.   In 1852 the Apostolic Vicar of Egypt requested that a Franciscan institute be opened in Cairo with the aim of providing education and vocational training to poor girls.

She and four others left on 25 August 1859, first to Rome, where they met with Pope Pius IX 4 September who blessed them before their departure.   The five embarked at Civitavecchia and Father Giuseppe Modena accompanied them.   The group arrived in Malta to learn that the Apostolic Vicar of Egypt had suddenly died.   On 14 September the group entered Cairo.Beata_Caterina_Troiani_A

In 1868 various agreements between the Order of Friars Minor and the Congregation of Propaganda Fide ensured that the institution she established in Cairo was named as the Third Order Franciscan Sisters of Cairo.   It was later renamed the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Egypt, only to be changed in 1950 to its current name.   She was it’s Mother Superior until her death.

She died in 1887 and was buried in Cairo.   Her remains were exhumed and moved to Rome on 3 November 1967.   Pope Leo XIII had held her in high esteem and wished her to be reinterred in her home country.

St Pope John Paul II Beatified her on 14 April 1985 at St Peter’s.   The cause of Canonisation continues, with a second miracle under investigation at present.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Memorials of the Saints – 6 May

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St Acuta
Bl Anna Rosa Gattorno (1831-1900)
Biography:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/05/06/saint-of-the-day-6-may-blessed-anna-rosa-gattorno-1831-1900/

Bl Anthony Middleton
Bl Bartolomeo Pucci-Franceschi
St Benedicta of Rome
St Colman Mac Ui Cluasigh of Cork
St Colman of Loch Eichin

St Dominic Savio
St Edbert of Lindisfarne
Bl Edward Jones
St Evodius of Antioch
St Francis-Xavier de Montmorency Laval (1623-1708)
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/05/06/saint-of-the-day-6-may-st-francis-xavier-de-montmorency-laval-francois-laval-1623-1708/
St Heliodorus
Bl Henryk Kaczorowski
St James of Numidia
St Justus of Vienne
Bl Kazimierz Gostynski
St Lucius of Cyrene
Blessed Maria Catalina of Saint Rose Troiani (1813-1997)
St Marianus of Lambesa
Bl Peter de Tornamira
St Petronax of Monte Cassino
St Protogenes of Syria
Bl Prudence Castori
St Theodotus of Kyrenia
St Venerius of Milan
St Venustus of Africa
St Venustus of Milan
Bl William Tandi