Day: March 23, 2022

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on KINDNESS, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 23 March – The Christian Formation of Character

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Thought for the Day – 23 March – Meditations with
Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Christian Formation of Character

“When Jesus offered Himself as our Divine Model, He used these words, “Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29).
Humility and gentleness are essential attributes of the Christian character.
Whoever does not succeed in acquiring them is bulding upon sand!
He will be a torment to others as well as to himself.
Jesus indicates this also, for after He has said: “Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart,” He adds, “and you will find rest for your souls” (Ibid).
In other words, He tells us, that it is only on this condition that we shall find spiritual peace.
When we have modelled our character on His humility and gentleness, we shall be inflamed with the love of God and of our neighbour.
Only then shall we have succeeded in acquiring a character which is genuinely and deeply Christian.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/23/thought-for-the-day-23-march-the-christian-formation-of-character/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/02/thought-for-the-day-23-march-the-christian-formation-of-character-2/

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Posted in DIVINE MERCY, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, LENT 2022, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on CHASTITY, QUOTES on ENVY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MERCY, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HEART

Wednesday day of the Third Week of Lent – 23 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – ‘… With our whole heart and our whole mind.’

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Wednesday day of the Third Week of Lent – 23 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – Exodus 20:12-24, Matthew 15:1-20

“Have pity on me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord.” – Psalm 6:3

“… This people honours me
with their lips but their heart
is far from Me … ”

Matthew 15:7

“GREAT IS THE MERCY that Jesus Christ has shown us. The first benefit that we owe to His mercy, is that we, who are living, do not sacrifice to dead gods or worship them but have, through Christ, attained a knowledge of the Father. What else is knowledge of the Father but the recognition of His Son, through Whom this knowledge comes to us? He Himself declares: – Everyone who acknowledges Me, I in My turn will acknowledge in the presence of the Father. This then will be our reward if we acknowledge Him through Whom we have been saved. But how shall we show that we acknowledge Him? By doing what He says, by not disobeying His commands and by honouring Him. not only with our lips but with our whole heart and our whole mind. For He says in Isaiahs This people pays me lip service but its heart is far from me.

LET US NOT ONLY CALL HIM LORD, for that will not save us. Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will be saved, He warns but only the man who does what is right. So then, brothers, let us show our faith in Him by our deeds, by loving one another, by not committing adultery, by not finding fault with one another, or being envious. Instead, let us be chaste, merciful and kind. We should also have compassion for one another and, not be covetous. We have to prove that we believe in Him by performing such actions as these and by avoiding whatever is contrary to them, since we fear God rather than men. Should we fail to do so, we have the Lord’s warning:- If you do not keep my commandments, even though I had pressed you to my heart, I will thrust you away from me and say to you: Out of my sight, you whose deeds are evil; you are complete strangers to me.

THEREFORE, MY BROTHERS, let us enter the lists in the knowledge that the contest is imminent. Many men travel far to contend for a crown that soon fades, yet not all of them win but only those who have strained every nerve and competed fairly. Let us so contend, that we may all be crowned. Let us run a straight course in the race of the Christian life, setting out in great numbers to take part in it and then striving for the crown with all our might. Even if we are not all able to win, at least let us draw near to victory.

NOW, WE MUST SURELY KNOW, that even when the contest is for a wreath that lasts but a day, if anyone is found to be breaking the rules, he is flogged and driven off the racecourse. What do you suppose, then, will be the fate of the man who breaks the rules in the contest of the Christian life? Of those who have not kept the seal of their Baptism unbroken, Scripture says: The worm does not die and the fire is never extinguished. They will be a spectacle to all men.” – Anonymous Ancient Christian Writer – ACW (An excerpt from a Second Century Homily).

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on COWARDICE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The HEART, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 23 March – But the things that proceedout of the mouth …

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Quote/s of the Day – 23 March – Wednesday day of the Third Week of Lent – Exodus 20:12-24, Matthew 15:1-20

“But the things that proceed
out of the mouth,
come from the heart
and it is they that defile a man.”

Matthew 15:18

“The sky and the earth and the waters
and the things that are in them, the fishes
and the birds and the trees are not evil.
All these are good;
it is evil men who make this evil world.”

“What is reprehensible,
is that while leading good lives themselves
and abhorring those of wicked men,
some, fearing to offend,
shut their eyes to evil deeds
instead of condemning them
and pointing out their malice.”

St Augustine (354-407)
Father and Doctor of Grace

Posted in 7 GIFTS of the HOLY SPIRIT, AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FRUITS of the SPIRIT, GOD the FATHER, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, The HEART, The HOLY SPIRIT, The TEN COMMANDMENTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 March – ‘But why did the first Law, written with the Finger of God (Ex 31:18), not give us the essential assistance of grace?’ – St Augustine

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One Minute Reflection – 23 March – Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent – Exodus 20:12-24, Matthew 15:1-20

“Hypocrites, well did Isaias prophesy of you, saying, ‘This people honours me with their lips but their heart is far from Me and in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrine, the precepts of men.’ ” – Matthew 15:7

REFLECTION – “The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed you from the law of sin and death” (Rm 8:2) … Saint Paul says that the Law of Moses has been given to prove our weakness and not just to prove it but, to increase it and thus force us to find the Doctor. … “Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more” (Rm 5:20; cf. 3:20) … But why did the first Law, written with the Finger of God (Ex 31:18), not give us the essential assistance of grace? Because it was written on tablets of stone, not the tablets of flesh, that are our hearts (2 Cor 3:3) ….

It is the Holy Spirit Who writes “the Law of the Spirit of life” not on stone but in the heart; this Law of the Spirit of life that is in Jesus Christ in Whom the Passover has been celebrated in truth (1 Cor 5:7-8), has delivered you from the law of sin and death. Do you want to have proof of the manifest and certain difference separating the Old Testament from the New? … Hear what the Lord spoke by the mouth of one of the prophets. … ”I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts” (Jr 31:33). So if God’s Law is written in your heart, it does not bring forth fear [as at Sinai] but pours a secret sweetness into your soul.” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop of Hippo, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 155, 6 ).

PRAYER – Breathe in Me, O Holy Spirit By St Augustine (354-420)

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit,
that my thoughts may all be holy.
Act in me, O Holy Spirit,
that my work, too, may be holy.
Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit,
that I love but what is holy.
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit,
to defend all that is holy.
Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit,
that I always may be holy.
Amen

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on THE LIGHT of CHRIST, The HEART, The HOLY SPIRIT

Our Morning Offering – 23 March – Inflame our Hearts with Your Love By St Alphonsus

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Our Morning Offering – 23 March – Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent

Inflame our Hearts with Your Love
Prayer To the Holy Spirit
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

You made Mary full of grace
and enflamed the hearts of the Apostles
with a holy zeal.
Inflame our hearts with Your love.
You are the Spirit of Goodness,
Give us the courage to confront evil.
You are Fire, set us ablaze with Your love.
You are Light, enlighten our minds,
that we may see what is truly important.
You are the Dove, give us gentleness.
You are a soothing Breeze,
bring calm to the storms that rage within us.
You are the Tongue,
may our lips ever sing God’s praises
You are the Cloud,
shelter us under the shadow of Your protection
O Holy Ghost, melt the frozen,
warm the chilled
and enkindle in us an earnest desire
to please You.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 23 March – Blessed Pietro of Gubbio OSA (Died c 1306)

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Saint of the Day – 23 March – Blessed Pietro of Gubbio OSA (Died c 1306) Priest and Friar of the Order of Hermits of St Augustine, Lawyer, noted Preacher, Envoy for the Order, Miracle-worker. Born in the early 13th century in Gubbio, Umbria, Italy and died between 1306 and 1322 in Gubbio, Umbria, Italy of natural causes. Also known as Peter of Gubbio. Additional Memorial – 29 October (The Augustinians).

Pietro of the noble Ghigenzi family, was born in the first half of the thirteenth century. He studied law first in Italy and then in Paris.

At about the age of forty, Pietro came to know the Augustinians and was drawn to them, wanting to put himself and his law practice at the disposal of the Church. He joined the Augustinians of his hometown who had come to Gubbio from the hermitage of Brettino (Fano).

As a Friar, he won the respect of his confreres and was entrusted with various duties of responsibility. He was chosen and sent by the Prior General to visit the Monasteries of France. Pietro that he travelled bare-footed and met all his brother Augustinians in that way as a sign of humility. He left a deep impression for his holiness of life, zeal for the Rule, his his patience with Augustinian brothers who had trouble living up to the Rule,and as a miracle worker.

He is described by the Anonymous Florentine, a writer of the fifteenth century, as “a man of great patience and prayer, who ended his life in the peace of the Lord and is renowned for many miracles.”

Pietro spent his later years as a prayerful Friar in the Gubbio Monastery where he had begun.

He died sometime between 1306 and 1322 and was venerated from the time of his death. His remains were buried in the common grave of Friars in the centre of the Choir area in the Augustinian Church in Gubbio.

One day, soon after his burial, the Friars were in the Choir, singing the Te Deum and they heard a voice from the tomb that responded: Te Dominum confitemur! – ‘Lord, we thank you! ‘ The frightened brothers opened the tomb and found the body of Blessed Peter on his knees, looking up and hands crossed on his chest.

Pietro’s relics are still enshrined in the Augustinian Church, where the veneration of this gentle, humble Friar were immediately and are still the subject of pilgrimages.

Pope Pius IX Beated Blessed Pietro in 1874.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent , Madonna della Vittoria di Lepanto / Our Lady of Victory of Lepanto and Hungary, (1716) and Memorials of the Saints – 23 March

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Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent +2022

Madonna della Vittoria di Lepanto / Our Lady of Victory of Lepanto and Hungary, (1716) – 23 March:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/23/our-lady-of-victory-of-lepanto-and-hungary-1716-and-memorials-of-the-saints-23-march/

St Turibius of Mogrovejo (1538-1606) Spanish ArchBishop, Lawyer, Professor, Missionary to Peru, Preacher, Reformer.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/03/23/saint-of-the-day-23-march-st-turibius-of-mogrovejo-1538-1606/

Bl Álvaro del Portillo Díez de Sollano
Bl Annunciata Asteria Cocchetti
St Benedict of Campagna
St Crescentius of Carthage
Bl Edmund Sykes
St Ethelwald of Farne
St Felix the Martyr
St Felix of Monte Cassino
St Fergus of Duleek
St Fidelis the Martyr
St Frumentius of Hadrumetum
St Gwinear

St Joseph Oriol (1650-1702) Priest, Confessor, graced with the charism of prophecy Penitent, Apostle prayer and the sick and Miracle-worker. Known as the Thaumaturgus of Barcelona.
His life:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/03/23/saint-of-the-day-23-march-st-joseph-oriol-1650-1702/

St Julian the Confessor
St Liberatus of Carthage
St Maidoc of Fiddown
Bl Metod Dominik Trcka
St Nicon of Sicily
St Ottone Frangipane
Bl Peter Higgins
Blessed Pietro of Gubbio OSA (Died c 1306) Priest

St Rafqa Pietra Choboq Ar-Rayès OLM (1832 – 1914) Nun of the Order of Daughters of Mary of the Immaculate Conception.
Her Story:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/23/saint-of-the-day-23-march-st-rafqa-pietra-choboq-ar-rayes-olm-1832-1914/

St Theodolus of Antioch
St Victorian of Hadrumetum

St Walter of Pontoise OSB (c 1030-c 1099) A very reluctant Abbot, Reformer, would-be hermit.
About St Walter:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/23/saint-of-the-day-23-march-saint-walter-of-pontoise-osb-c-1030-c-1099-a-very-reluctant-abbot/

Daughters of Feradhach: They are mentioned in early calendars and martyrologies but no information about them has survived.

Martyrs of Caesarea – 5 Saints: A group of five Christians who protested public games which were dedicated to pagan gods. Martyred in the persecutions Julian the Apostate. The only details we know about them are their names – Aquila, Domitius, Eparchius, Pelagia and Theodosia. They were martyred in 361 in Caesarea, Palestine.