Day: June 24, 2020

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on WEALTH/RICHES, The HOLY SPIRIT

Thought for the Day – 24 June – What the Holy Spirit Requires of Us

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 24 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

What the Holy Spirit Requires of Us

he who does not love abides in death - bacci - what the holy spirit requires of us 24 june 2020

“What does the Holy Spirit desire of us?
He wishes to transform us and to make us holy and for this, He wants our co-operation.
We should give our co-operation generously, in the manner of the first Christians.
These were in close contact with the college of the Apostles and tried hard to put their teaching into practice.

In the early days of Christianity, every house was like a church.
This should still be the case today.
We should be bound together spiritually under the influence of the Holy Spirit and under the guidance of the teaching authority of the Church.
We should practice the Church’s teaching and try to diffuse it among others.

The early Christians also persevered in prayer and in daily participation in the Sacrament of the Altar.
There can be no spiritual life without prayer because, it comes from God.
The Holy Spirit speaks to those who humbly and earnestly invoke Him.
Our best prayers, are those, which we say when we receive Holy Communion, however.
Then we have Jesus Himself within us, with all His graces.

If we receive Holy Communion with the proper dispositions, we can acquire the spirit of charity towards God and our neighbour, which is the sum total of Christianity.
We can make ourselves holy and can ask for the ability to co-operate in the sanctification of others.

A further characteristic of the early Christians, was, that they possessed everything in common.
W are accustomed to call this attitude of common ownership, an evangelical counsel, rather than a command.
It is the spontaneous outcome of that true and efficacious charity which flows from the Holy Spirit and makes all men brothers.

There is no strict obligation on us to give away everything which we possess, for the benefit of our neighbour. But, we have a real obligation to help our neighbour as far as lies in our power, when we see that he is in need.
Otherwise, we cannot say that we love our neighbour as ourselves and, therefore, cannot claim to be genuine Christians.
“He who does not love abides in death,” wrote St John (1 Jn 3:14).
“He who has the goods of this world,” he continues “and sees his brother in need and closes his heart to him, how does the love of God abide in him?   My dear children, let us not love in word, neither with the tongue but, in deed and in truth” (1 Jn 3:17-18).

It is worth our while to reflect on these tremendous words and to act according to their sense.
In modern society, there is excessive luxury, on one side and excessive poverty, on the other.
Christianity in it’s truest sense, therefore, is not being practised.
How do we behave in this matter?”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

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Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, QUOTES of the SAINTS, St JOHN the BAPTIST

Quote/s of the Day – 24 June – St John the Baptist

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Quote/s of the Day – 24 June – The Solemnity of the Nativity of St John the Baptist

The name “John” means
“God is Gracious”

the name john means god is gracious 24 june 2020 nativity of st john the baptist

“The Church observes the birth of John as a hallowed event.
We have no such commemoration for any other fathers
but, it is significant,
that we celebrate the birthdays of John and of Jesus.
This day cannot be passed by.”

the church observes the birth of john - 24 june 2020

“As a representative of the past,
he is born of aged parents,
as herald of the new,
he is declared to be a prophet,
while still in his mother’s womb.”

as a representative of the past - st augustine - the nativity of st john the baptist 24 june 2020

“The release of Zechariah’s voice at the birth of John,
is a parallel to the rending of the veil, at Christ’s Crucifixion.
If John were announcing his own coming,
Zechariah’s lips would not have been opened.
The tongue is loosened because a voice is born.

the-tongue-is-loosened-because-a-voice-is-born-24-june-2019-birth-of-john-the-baptist and 15 dec 2019 gaudete
For when John was preaching the Lord’s coming he was asked:
Who are you?
And he replied: I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness.
The voice is John but the Lord in the beginning was the Word.
John was a voice that lasted only for a time;
Christ, the Word in the beginning, is eternal.”

St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of Grace

i-am-the-voice-the-voice-is-john-but-st-augustine-24-june-2019-nativity-of-st-john-the-baptist and 24 June 2020

“Our Lord says that John is a lamp:
“He was a burning and shining lamp” (Jn 5:35).
But the light of a lamp pales, when the sun shines,
it’s flame dies down, overcome by an even more radiant light.
What sensible person uses a lamp in full sunlight?…
Who would still come for John’s baptism of repentance (Mk 1:4)
when Jesus’ baptism brings salvation?”

St Maximus of Turin (5th Century)
Bishop

Sermon 99, PL 57, 535

john-5-35-he-was-a-burning-and-shining-lamp-but-the-light-of-a-lamp-pales-st-maximus-of-turin-24-june-2018 and 24 june 2020

[Like St John the Baptist did -]
“Prepare a path for God
so that He can enter your heart.”

St John Baptiste de la Salle FSC (1651-1719)

like st john the baptist prepare a path for god - st john baptiste de la salle 24 june 2020 nativity of st john the aoptist

“The true secret of love consists in this:
we must forget self
like St John the Baptist
and exalt and glorify the Lord Jesus.”

St Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868)the-true-secret-of-love-is-this-st-peter-julian-eymard-24-june-2018-and-24-june-2019 and 2020

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, St JOHN the BAPTIST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 June – ‘… The one who proclaimed the Christ.’

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One Minute Reflection – 24 June – The Solemnity of the Nativity of St John the Baptist, Year A, Readings: Isaiah 49:1-6, Psalm 139:1-3, 13-15, Acts 13:22-26, Luke 1:57-66, 80

“‘What do you suppose that I am?    I am not he.   Behold, one is coming after me; I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.'” … Acts 13:25

REFLECTION – “The fact that John’s birth is commemorated when the days begin to shorten, and the Saviour’s when they begin to lengthen, indicates a symbolic meaning.   And indeed, John himself disclosed the hidden significance of this difference between them.   The crowds were taking him to be the Christ on account of his outstanding virtues, whereas some were thinking of the Lord, not as Christ but as a prophet because of the weakness of his bodily state.   So John said: “He must increase, I must decrease” (Jn 3:30).   Our Lord certainly increased since, while they were looking on Him as a prophet, He made known to all believers in the whole world that He was the Christ.   John decreased and grew less, in that he who was taken for the Christ, came to be seen, not as the Christ but, as the one who proclaimed the Christ.

And so it is natural, that daylight begins to decrease after John’s birth because his reputation for divinity is going to vanish and his baptism will soon disappear.   It is equally natural, that the brightness of the shortest days begins to increase following our Lord’s birth – for, in truth, He came to earth to reveal the light of His knowledge to all the pagans, of which formerly, only the Jews had possessed a part and to shed abroad the fire of His love, through all the earth.” … St Bede the Venerable (673-735) Father and Doctor of the Church – Homélie II, 20; CCL 122, 328-330acts 13 25 what do you i suppose that i am ia am not he - john decreased and grew less - st bede 24 june 2020

PRAYER – Almighty God and Father, You sent St John the Baptist, to the people of Israel to make them ready for Christ the Lord.   Give us the grace of joy in the Spirit and guide the hearts of all the faithful, in the way of salvation and peace, as they harken to the voice of John, the Lord’s herald and bring them safely to Jesus, whom John foretold.   St John the Baptist, may your intercession for the Church, bring us to the Light and the Way.   We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God with You, forever amen.st-john-the-baptist-pray-for-us-24-june-2018

Posted in JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for SEASONS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 24 June – Seal Your Image on My Heart

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Our Morning Offering – 24 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Solemnity of the Nativity of St John the Baptist

Seal Your Image on My Heart
By Archbishop Baldwin of Canterbury (c 1125-1190)

O Lord, take away my heart of stone,
my hardened heart,
my uncircumcised heart
and grant to me a new heart,
a heart of flesh,
a clean heart.
Come, You who cleanse the heart
and love the pure of heart,
possess my heart and dwell in it,
containing it and filling it,
higher than my highest
and more intimate than
my most intimate thoughts.
You are the image of all beauty
and the seal of all holiness,
seal Your image on my heart
and seal my heart in Your mercy,
O God, the strength of my heart
and my portion forever,
amen.seal your image on my heart -archbishop baldwin of canterbury 24 june 2020

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 24 June – Saint Bartholomew of Farne OSB (Died 1193)

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Saint of the Day – 24 June – Saint Bartholomew of Farne OSB (Died 1193) Priest, Monk, Hermit – born in the 12th century at Whitby, Northumbria, England as Tostig and died on 1193 at Farne, England of natural causes.st bartholomew of farne

Bartholomew was born early in the 12th century near Whitby.    His parents, who were Scandinavian, gave him the Viking name of Tostig. But when his young friends laughed at him he changed it to the more acceptable Anglo-Norman name of William.

Apparently, as a young man, he was wild but then, after receiving visions of Christ and the apostles, he went to Norway to contemplate his life.   There, he was Ordained Deacon and Priest.    Many Priests in Norway were married but, when a certain Norseman tried to get William to marry his daughter, William fled back to England.

He worked as a Parish Priest for three years and then became a Monk at in the Benedictine Monastery at Durham, taking the name of Bartholomew.   He had a further vision in which St Cuthbert (c 634 – 687) appeared to him and showed him the Island called the Inner Farne.   Soon afterwards, he became a hermit there and lived on the Inner Farne for the remaining 42 years of his life, inhabiting St Cuthbert’s cell.1024px-Inner_Farne_Wide_View

The mother-house at Durham, had not yet established the House of Farne as a regular daughter-house with two monks – that came later in 1255.   However, when Bartholomew went, there was already a Monk there called Aelwin who found his new companion impossible and tried to irritate him into leaving.   Bartholomew weathered this and it was Aelwin who left.  579px-The_Hermit_A11593

For the next 12 years Bartholomew was alone on the Island, then he was joined by the previous Prior of Durham, Thomas, who had been deposed after a row with the Bishop.   The two Hermits did not get on very well at first, as Thomas was very clean and fastidious and Bartholomew was not.   However, they eventually became friends and Bartholomew nursed Thomas through his last illness and death.

Bartholomew was very austere, wearing skins, sleeping leaning up against the rocks, living on bread from his own corn and milk from his own cow.   He cultivated his own crops all the while singing psalms all round the Island in a ringing voice.   He spent his nights in prayer and study of the Holy Scriptures.   He was cheerful and friendly and had many visitors, including some of the rich and powerful whom he persuaded to change their sinful ways.  gerrit-dou-a-hermit-monk-in-contemplation

In his old age the monks of Lindisfarne cared for him as much as possible.   He died in 1193 and was buried in his oratory on the Inner Fame.   People said that miracles at his tomb, proved that he was a Saint and had reached the heavenly kingdom.  Amen.(gerrit_dou_a_hermit_saint_reading_in_a_cave)

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY, St JOHN the BAPTIST

The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, Feast of Madonna della Navicella and Memorials of the Saints – 24 June

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The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist (Solemnity)
https://anastpaul.com/2018/06/24/the-solemnity-of-the-nativity-of-st-john-the-baptist-24-june/

Madonna della Navicella – 24 June:
On 24 June 1508, in the afternoon, a strong storm, with disastrous effects, hit the inhabited area of ​​Chioggia and Sottomarina.   Rain, wind and storm had lashed the coast for a few hours.   In the evening, fortunately, the storm stopped and the weather got better.
A greengrocer, Baldissera Zalon, went to the vegetable gardens, where the sanctuary stands today, to see for himself the damage that the strong storm had caused.   Baldissera was a simple man, a peasant, who lived near his fields and lived on his work in the vegetable gardens.
As soon as he left the house, after scanning the clouds of the sky that were moving away and the setting sun was peeping, he heard himself called by name.   After the first moments of amazement, Baldissera turned and saw a majestic Lady, all dressed in black, who sat on a trunk thrown on the beach by the waves of the stormy sea.
The greengrocer was stunned to say the least, so much so that he was about to pass out, when the Lady revealed to her that she was the Mother of Jesus , giving him courage and inviting him to go to the Bishop to warn him that the sins of the Chioggia challenged the justice of God and that penance had to be preached tenaciously to avoid worse punishment.
Then the Lady got on a craft that was near the shore but before leaving and disappearing, she opened her cloak showing the wounded and bleeding body of Jesus, making it clear that it had also been reduced by the sins of the Chioggiotti.
Baldiserra wasted no time and went to the Bishop, who organised a pilgrimage to the place of the apparition and the turnout of the faithful became more and more consistent day after day.   In a short time, a Chapel was built on the spot and then, in 1515, a sanctuary which was, however, destroyed in 1814.
The current Church was built between 1952 and 1958 and was Consecrated on 24-25 June 1958 by Bishop Piasentini.
The miraculous image was found, according to popular belief, a few days after the apparition, together with the log on which the Madonna would sit when she appeared to Baldissera.   The image and the LOG from 15 November 1806 are preserved and are visible in the Basilica of San Giacomo.

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St Aglibert of Créteil
St Agoard of Créteil
St Alena of Brussels
St Amphibalus of Verulam
St Bartholomew of Farne OSB (Died 1193)
Bl Christopher de Albarran
St Erembert I of Kremsmünster
St Faustus of Rome and Companions
St Festus of Rome
St Germoc
St Gohardus of Nantes
Bl Henry of Auxerre/the Hagiographer
St Ivan of Bohemia
St John of Rome
St John of Tuy
St Joseph Yuan Zaide
Bl Maksymilian Binkiewicz
St Maria Guadalupe García Zavala (1878-1963)
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/06/24/saint-of-the-day-st-maria-guadalupe-garcia-zavala-1878-1963/
St Rumold
St Simplicio of Autun
Bl Theodgar of Vestervig
St Theodulphus of Lobbes
—
Martyrs of Satala: Seven Christian brothers who were soldiers in the imperial Roman army. They were kicked out of the military, exiled and eventually martyred in the persecutions of Maximian. We know little more about them than their names – Cyriacus, Firminus, Firmus, Longinus, Pharnacius, Heros and Orentius. The martyrdoms occurred in c 311 at assorted locations around the Black Sea.