Day: February 21, 2022

Posted in JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, NOVENAS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, The HOLY FACE

Lenten Preparation Novena to THE HOLY FACE of JESUS – Day Two – 21 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Lenten Preparation
Novena to the Holy Face
DAY TWO

“All those who, attracted by My Love and venerating My Countenance, shall receive, by virtue of My Humanity, a brilliant and vivid impression of My Divinity. This splendour shall enlighten the depths of their souls, so that in eternal glory the celestial court shall marvel at the marked likeness of their features, with My Divine Countenance.” … Our Lord Jesus Christ to St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302)

DAILY PREPARATORY PRAYER

O Most Holy and Blessed Trinity,
through the intercession of Holy Mary,
whose soul was pierced through
by a sword of sorrow
at the sight of the Passion of her Divine Son,
we ask Thy help,
in making a perfect Novena of Reparation with Jesus,
united with all His sorrows, love and total abandonment.
We now implore all the Angels and Saints
to intercede for us as we pray this Holy Novena
to the Most Holy Face of Jesus
and for the glory of the most Holy Trinity,
Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Amen

(Console the Holy Face
and recite the Daily Preparatory Prayer above.)

Psalm 51,5-6a
My offences truly I know them;
My sin is always before me
Against You, You alone, have I sinned,
What is evil in Your sight I have done.

Most Holy Face of Jesus,
we are truly sorryowful,
for we have hurt You so much.
By our sins, we have disobeyed You,
turned away from You
and omitted to please You, by our lives.
But now, we wish to do penance
and amend our lives.
Immaculate Heart of Mary,
intercede for us,
help us to console
the Most Holy Face of Jesus.
Pray for us, that we may share
in the tremendous love
you have for the most Holy
and Blessed Trinity.
Through the merits of Your Precious Blood
and Your Holy Face,
O Jesus, grant us our petition………………
Pardon and mercy.
Amen

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit, Sanctifier,
all powerful God of love,
Thou who didst fill the Virgin Mary with grace,
Thou who didst wonderfully transform
the hearts of the apostles.
Thou who didst endow all Thy martyrs
with a miraculous courage,
come and sanctify us,
illumine our minds, strengthen our wills,
purify our consciences, r
ectify our judgement,
set our hearts on fire and preserve us from the misfortune of resisting Thine inspirations.
We consecrate to Thee our understanding,
our heart and our will,
our whole being for time and for eternity.
May our understanding
be always submissive to
Thy heavenly inspirations
and to the teachings
of Thy Holy Catholic Church,
of which Thou art the Infallible Guide.
may our heart he ever inflamed,
with love of God and neighbour,
may our will be ever conformed,
to the divine will
and may our whole life
be a faithful imitation
of the life and virtues of our
Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ,
to Whom with the Father
and Thee, be honour and glory forever.
Amen.

Pray (1) Our Father, (3) Hail Marys, (1) Glory Be.

O Bleeding Face, O Face Divine,
be every adoration Thine
(Three times)

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on THE LIGHT of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE WORLD

Thought for the Day – 21 February – Lord, That I May See!

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Thought for the Day – 21 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Lord, That I May See!

“Spiritually, we are all blind to a greater or lesser extent.
Do we understand the infinite truth, beauty and goodness of God, in Whom our true happiness consists?
Do we understand the emptiness of the world, despite the glory of its transient beauty, which can never satisfy our hearts?
Do we understand our own nothingness and our dependence on God for light and grace?
If we understood all this, then the scales of our spiritual blindness would fall from our eyes.
Our faith would be even purer and more heartfelt than that of the poor blind man of Jericho.
If we do not possess this lively faith and our eyes are dazzled by the glittering vanities of the world, let us turn to Jesus and beseech Him: “Lord, that I may see!”
Only the light which comes from You is the true light which illumines every man who comes into this world (Jn 1:9).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/21/thought-for-the-day-21-february-lord-that-i-may-see/

Posted in ARMOUR of CHRIST, GOD ALONE!, IGNATIAN/JESUIT SJ- Reflections, Jesuit Saints and more, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MARTYRS, MODESTY, ON the SAINTS, POETRY, QUOTES on BAD CONVERSATION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY, THE EPIPHANY of the LORD, The FOUR CARDINAL VIRTUES

Quote/s of the Day – 21 February – St Robert Southwell

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Quote/s of the Day – 21 February – St Robert Southwell SJ (1561-1595)

“We … are under an obligation
to be the light of the world
by the modesty of our behaviour,
the fervour of our charity,
the innocence of our lives
and the example of our virtues.
Thus shall we be able
to raise the lowered prestige
of the Catholic Church
and, to build up again,
the ruins that others by their vices have caused.
Others, by their wickedness,
have branded the Catholic Faith
with a mark of shame,
we must strive,
with all our strength, to cleanse it
from its ignominy
and to restore it
to its pristine glory!”

“Christianity is warfare
and Christians are spiritual soldiers.”

“Not where I breathe
but where I love,
I live.”

“When Fortune smiles,
I smile to think,
how quickly she will frown.”

“Where sin was hatched,
let tears now wash the nest.”

“The path to Heaven is narrow,
rough and full of wearisome
and trying ascents,
nor can it be trodden without great toil
and, therefore, wrong is their way,
gross their error
nd assured their ruin,
who, after the testimony
of so many thousands of Saints,
will not learn where to settle their footing!”

“The Epiphany”
By St Robert Southwell SJ (1561-1595)
Martyr

To blaze the rising of this glorious sun
A glittering star appeareth in the east
Whose sight to pilgrim toil three sages won
To seek the light they long had in request,
And by this star to nobler star they pace
Whose arms did their desired sun embrace.

Still was the sky wherein these planets shined
And want the cloud that did eclipse their rays,
Yet through this cloud their passage they did find,
And pierced these sages’ hearts by secret ways,
Which made them know, the Ruler of the skies
By Infant tongue and looks of babish eyes.

Heaven at her light, earth blusheth at her pride
And of their pomp these peers ashamed be,
Their crowns, their robes, their train they set aside
When God’s poor cottage, clouts and crew they see,
All glorious things their glory now despise
Since God contempt doth more than glory prize.

Three gifts they bring, three gifts they bear away,
For Incense, Myrrh and Gold, Faith, Hope and Love
And with their gifts the givers’ hearts do stay,
Their mind from Christ, no parting can remove,
His humble state, His stall, His poor retinue
They fancy more than all their rich revenue.

St Robert Southwell SJ (1561-1595)
Priest and Martyr

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on THE WORLD, St PAUL!, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 21 February – ‘And other seed fell upon the rock’ – Luke 8:6

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One Minute Reflection – 21 February – Sexagesima Weekday, Readings 2 Cor. 11:19-33; 12:1-9, Luke 8:4-15

“And other seed fell upon the rock and as soon as it had sprung up, it withered away because it had no moisture.” – Luke 8:6

REFLECTION – “The seeds of the Word that are lying on rocky ground, are snatched away by fleeting devils. Tell me, whose fault is it? That of the devils who snatch away the seeds, or that of the careless souls who do not bury them in the furrows of their hearts? I believe, the fault is not that of the snatching devils. The thief who breaks through the wall, enters the secret part of the house. But since he is stationed in a position outside, how can the thief be blameworthy, so to speak? Thus also, the devil, were he able to enter the innermost recesses of your heart, to snatch the word away from you against your will, would indeed be blameworthy. But now, what has been neglected and held in contempt by you, he snatches away.

… A rock has two properties of nature: strength and hardness. Therefore, a man is said to be a rock either because of the constancy of his faith, or because of the hardness of his heart. The prophet says in this regard, “I will take out of them the heart of stone.” What then is the ground? It is the sinful nature that remains in the soul of the faithful who are still drawn toward the flesh. For many have a good mind according to nature but some do not have a faithful mind. Their mind is from God but their soul is from the divided will. There are people who, if you speak to them about the glory of the Saints or the blessedness of the Heavenly Kingdom, immediately become joyful and take delight in listening. Being wise according to nature, they readily accept the Word. But you who are not content to give alms from your possessions, how will you be able to sustain the loss of your material things when hard times or persecutions strike, in the light of God’s Word? You will become unsettled.” – Anonymous Ancient Christian Writer [ACW] (Incomplete Work on Matthew, Homily 31).

PRAYER – O God, You Who see that we put no trust in anything we do, mercifully grant that by the protection of the Doctor of the Gentiles we may be defended against all adversity. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on THE LIGHT of CHRIST

Our Morning Offering – 21 February – Grant us Your Light, O Lord, By The Venerable St Bede

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Our Morning Offering – 21 February – Sexagesima Weekday

Grant us Your Light, O Lord
By The Venerable St Bede (673-735)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Grant us Your light, O Lord,
so that the darkness of our hearts,
may wholly pass away
and we may come at last,
to the Light of Christ.
For Christ is that Morning Star,
who, when the night of this world has passed,
brings to His saints,
the promised light of life
and opens to them,
everlasting day.
Amen.

Posted in MARTYRS, SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 21 February – Blessed Thomas Pormort (c 1560-1592) Priest, Martyr

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Saint of the Day – 21 February – Blessed Thomas Pormort (c 1560-1592) Priest Martyr Born in c 1560 in Little Limber, Lincolnshire, England and died by being hanged on 20 February 1592 at Saint Paul’s Churchyard, London, England on a gibbet erected next to the shop of the man whose Confession he was accused of hearing. Also known as – Thomas or John Whitgift. Additional Memorials – 22 November as one of the Martyrs of England, Scotland, and Wales, 29 October as one of the Martyrs of Douai.

Thomas was probably related to the family of Pormort of Great Grimsby and Saltfletby, Lincolnshire.

After receiving some education at Cambridge, he went to Rheims on 15 January 1581 and on 20 March of the same year he travelled, to Rome, to study further for the Priesthood.

In 1587 he was Ordained in Rome. Thereafter, on 6 March 1587, he entered the household as a Secretary/Aid of the English Bishop Owen Lewis, Bishop of Cassano, Italy. He spent the next few years there. Later he served as prefect of studies in the Swiss College in Milan but then decided to return home to assist the persecuted English Catholics.

On 15 September 1590, Thomas proceeded his travels to return to England. Crossing the St Gotthard Pass, he reached Brussels around 29 November. There he became manservant to Mrs Geoffrey Pole, under the name of Whitgift, the Protestant Archbishop Whitgift being his Godfather. With her as a ‘cover’ he went to Antwerp, to proceed to Flushing and thence to England.

Less than a year later, on St James’ Day,25 July 1591, he was arrested in London and charged with the crime of being a Priest. Although he was able to escape, in August or September of 1591, he was arrested again and committed to Bridewell Palace, whence he was removed to Richard Topcliffe’s house and subjected to inhuman tortures, being repeatedly racked and sustaining a rupture in consequence. Richard Topcliffe was a notorious ‘Priest Hunter and Torturer.’

At the hearing, on 8 February 1592 he was convicted of high treason and condemned to death, for being a Priest and for reconciling John Barwys, a local haberdasher, to the Catholic Church and of hearing his Confession. At the hearing, Thomas accused Topcliffe of having boasted to him of indecent familiarities with the Queen, Elizabeth I. Hence Topcliffe obtained a decree to the sheriff to proceed with the execution. His Uncle, Archbishop Whitgift endeavoured to delay the sentence but without success.

The gibbet was erected against the haberdasher’s shop and Thomas was kept standing for two hours on the ladder, while Topcliffe vainly urged him to withdraw his accusation

Thomas was Beatified along with the 40 Martyrs of England, Scotland and Wales.

Posted in IGNATIAN/JESUIT SJ- Reflections, Jesuit Saints and more, MARIAN TITLES, MARTYRS, SAINT of the DAY

Notre-Dame de Bon-Port / Our Lady of Bon Port/Good Haven, Paimpol, France (1838) and Memorials of the Saints – 21 February

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Notre-Dame de Bon-Port / Our Lady of Bon Port/Good Haven, Paimpol, France (1838) – 21 February:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/02/21/the-first-sunday-of-lent-2021-our-lady-of-bon-port-good-haven-paimpol-france-1838-and-memorials-of-the-saints-21-february/

St Avitus II of Clermont

Blessed Caterina Dominici/Maria Enrichetta SSA (1829–1894) Nun of the Sisters of St Anne – whose main charism is the care and education of street children, Mystic with an extraordinary devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, close friend and adviser to St John Bosco in establishing the Rule of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, also “lending” two nuns to the new Congregation.
Her Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/02/21/saint-of-the-day-21-february-blessed-caterina-dominici-maria-enrichetta-1829-1894/

Bl Claudio di Portaceli
St Daniel of Persia
Bl Eleanora
St Ercongotha
St Felix of Metz
St George of Amastris
St Germanus of Granfield
St Gundebert of Sens

Blessed Noel Pinot (1747-1794) Priest and Martyr. During the French Revolution, he refused to take the oath of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy unlike his superio! He wore his Mass Vestments to execution and died reciting the opening words of the Mass. He was Beatified by Pope Pius XI on 31 October 1926.
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/21/saint-of-the-day-21-february-blessed-noel-pinot-1747-1794-priest-and-martyr/

St Paterius of Brescia (Died 606) Bishop
St Pepin of Landen
St Peter Mavimenus
St Randoald of Granfield

Blessed Richard Henkes

St Robert Southwell SJ (1561-1595) Martyr, Priest of the Society of Jesus, Poet, Hymnodist, Writer, clandestine missionary – Additional Memorials: 25 October as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales and 29 October as one of the Martyrs of Douai.
St Robert’s Biography 🙏💘:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/02/21/saint-of-the-day-21-february-st-robert-southwell-s-j-1561-1595-martyr/

St Severian of Scythopolis
St Severus of Syrmium
Blessed Thomas Pormort (c 1560-1592) Priest Martyr
St Valerius of San Pedro de Montes
St Verda of Persia

Martyrs of Sicily – 79 Saints: Seventy-nine Christians Martyred together in the persecutions of Diocletian. They were Martyred in c 303 on Sicily.

Martyrs of Hadrumetum – A group of 26 Christians Martyred together by Vandals. We know little more than eight of their names – Alexander, Felix, Fortunatus, Saturninus, Secundinus, Servulus, Siricius and Verulus. c 434 at Hadrumetum (modern Sousse, Tunisia)

Martyrs Uchibori – Three Japanese laymen, all brothers, all sons of Paulus Uchibori Sakuemon, one a teenager, one only five years old and all martyred for their faith in the persecutions in Japan. 21 February 1627 in Shimabara, Nagasaki, Japan. Beatified 24 November 2008 by Pope Benedict XVI.
Antonius
Balthasar
Ignatius