Thought for the Day – 26 August – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Visits to the Blessed Sacrament
“Let us consider the Infinite Goodness of Jesus. He became man for us and spent thirty three years on earth, “doing good and healing all” (Acts 10:38). More than this, He chose to remain with us until the end of time, hidden in the Blessed Sacrament, to be our Friend and Comforter and the Food of our souls. In His Infinite Power and Goodness, is there anything more He could have done for us? All day, He waits there, anxious to heal our ills, to console us in our troubles and, to give us the strength to persevere in our journey towards perfection and towards Heaven.
Let us listen to that loving Voice! Do not be ungrateful for this miracle of Infinite Goodness. Let us go to Jesus, as often as we can, especially in the evening, when our day is nearly over. We shall find Him a True Friend, Who is always ready to listen – better still, He is a Friend Who is able and willing, to help us.”
Quote/s of the Day – 26 August – St Zephyrinus (Died 217) Martyr and Pope – 1 Pet 5:1-4; 5:10-11, Matthew 16:13-19
“Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee but My Father Who is in Heaven.”
Matthew 16:17
“Keep me, O Lord, as the apple of Your eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings.”
Psalm 16:8,2
“… May grace and peace be yours in abundance, through knowledge of God and of Jesus Our Lord…”
2 Peter 1:2
“We recognise a tree by its fruit and we ought to be able to recognise a Christian by his action. The fruit of faith should be evident in our lives, for being a Christian, is more than making sound professions of faith. It should reveal itself in practical and visible ways. Indeed, it is better to keep quiet about our beliefs and live them out, than to talk eloquently about what we believe but fail, to live by it.”
St Ignatius of Antioch (c 35-c 108) Father of the Church
“See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them!”
Luke 21:8
“[Christ speaks:] I became useless to those who knew Me not, because I shall hide Myself, from those who possessed Me not. And I will be with those who love Me. … I arose and am with them and will speak by their mouths. For they have rejected those who persecute them and I threw over them, the yoke of My love. … Then I heard their voice and placed their faith in My Heart. And I placed My Name upon their forehead (Rv 14,1) because they are free and they are Mine!”
Odes of Solomon (Hebrew Christian text from the beginning of the 2nd century) N° 42)
“Do you desire security? Here you have it. The Lord says to you, “I will never abandon you, I will always be with you.” If a good man made you such a promise, you would trust him. God makes it and do you doubt? Do you seek a support, more sure than the Word of God, which is infallible? Surely, He has made the promise, He has written it, He has pledged His Word for it, it is most certain!”
St Augustine (354-430) Bishop of Hippo Father and Doctor of Grace
“Believing is: an act of the intellect assenting to the divine truth, by command of the will, moved by God through grace.”
St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor Angelicus. Doctor Communis
“Each one of us has a thirst for all that is infinite, eternal and perfect. God alone can satisfy this thirst. Just as we are created by God, so we are created for Him. Just as we came from God, so we are gradually travelling back towards Him, for He is the final goal of our earthly journey. We should meditate on this great truth which we were first taught in the Catechism, namely, that we were created to know, love and serve God on this earth and to be happy with Him forever in Heaven. God alone is the eternal beauty which will satisfy our hearts.”
One Minute Reflection – 26 August – St Zephyrinus (Died 217) Martyr and Pope – 1 Pet 5:1-4; 5:10-11, Matthew 16:13-19
“Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee but My Father Who is in Heaven.” – Matthew 16:17
REFLECTION – “Faith in Me, He intimates here, is no ordinary thing or one that comes from human reason but [it] needs a revelation from above. And this He establishes throughout His discourses, showing, that this faith requires a noble sort of soul and one drawn on by God. The expression “that the Father gives Me” shows, that it is no accident whether a person believes or not. It shows, that belief is not the work of human reasoning but requires a revelation from on high and a mind devout enough to receive the revelation. “Whoever then,” our Lord says, “comes to Me, shall be saved,” meaning, they shall be greatly cared for. For to save such as these, I took up flesh and the form of a servant.” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (Homilies on the Gospel of John 45)”
PRAYER – Look forgivingly on Thy flock, Eternal Shepherd, and keep it in thy constant protection, by the intercession of blessed Zephyrinus Thy Martyr and Sovereign Pontiff, whom Thou didst constitute Shepherd of the whole Church.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).
Our Morning Offering – 26 August – “Come Jesus, for My Feet are Soiled” – A Friday Prayer
Come Jesus, for My Feet are Soiled By Origen of Alexandria (c 185-253)
Come Jesus, for my feet are soiled. Become once more, a Servant for my sake. Pour water into Your basin and come and wash my feet. I know these words of mine, presume too much and yet, I dread those frightening Words of Yours, “If I do not wash your feet, you can have no part in me!” Then wash my feet, so that I belong to You. Yet how can I dare to say, “Wash my feet?” Let Peter say so; he needed only to have his feet washed For he was clean through and through. I too have been washed once in Baptism and yet, I need that other cleansing that You spoke of, when You said: “I have another baptism to undergo;” Cleanse me Lord thoroughly, by Your saving Death. Amen
Origen Adamantius (c 185-253) Priest, Theologian, Exegist, Writer, Apologist, Father
Saint of the Day – 26 August – St Alexander of Bergamo (Died c 301) Martyr, Confessor, Imperial Roman Centurion Died by being beheaded c 287. Patronages – Bergamo, Italy, City of, Diocese of Bergamo, Capriate San Gervasio, Italy, Cervignano d’Adda, Italy. Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. Also known as – Alessandro da Bergamo.
The Roman Martyrology reads: “At Bergamo in Lombardy, St Alexander, Martyr, who was one of the Theban Legion and endured Martyrdom bt being beheaded for the constant confession of the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Alexander, Patron Saint of the City and Diocese of Bergamo, is traditionally portrayed dressed as a Roman soldier with a banner bearing a white fleur-de-lis. The banner was that of the Theban Legion of St Maurice (a Roman legion consisting, according to legend, of only Egyptian soldiers of the Thebaide region) in which Alexander was, according to the Acts of Martyrdom, a Centurion Commander.
The Roman Theban legion, used mainly in the east, was moved west to counter the attacks of the Quadi and the Marcomanni. During the crossing of the Valais River, the Legion was ordered to search for Christians, against whom persecution had been unleashed. The Legionaries, who were also Christians, refused and were punished for their insubordination through decimation carried out at Agaunum (current day St Moritz).
Decimation consisted of killing one man in every ten. As the Legionaries continued to refuse to persecute the Christians, a second decimation was ordered and, later, the Emperor ordered their massacre.
Very few survived, among whom, Alexander, Cassius, Severinus, Secundus and Licinius, who sought shelter in Italy. However, in Milan, Alexander was recognised and placed in prison, where he refused to recant and deny Christ.
The Martyrdom of St Alexander
While incarcerated, he received the visit of St.Fidelis and the Bishop St Maternus. It was precisely St. Fidelis who managed to arrange Alexander’s escape to Como, where he was captured again. He was brought back to Milan and sentenced to death by decapitation.
The Martyrdom of St Alexander
However, during the execution, the executioner’s arms became stiff and lame. He was, therefore, thrown in prison again. He managed to escape once more and reached Bergamo passing through Fara Gera d’Adda and Capriate. In Bergamo, he was taken in by Prince Crotacio, who recommended he hide. But Alexander began preaching and converting many citizens of Bergamo, amongst whom, the Martyrs Saints Fermus and Rusticus. He was, therefore, discovered and captured yet again and publically beheaded on 26 August c 287-303, where the Church of Sant’Alessandro in Colonna now stands.
Statue of St Alexander atop Milan Cathedral
Bergamo Cathedral is dedicated to him. In Rome , the Santi Bartolomeo and Alessandro dei Bergamaschi is dedicated to him, among others, as one of the Patron Saint Churches for natives of Bergamo living in Rome. . Alexander is also one of the Patron Saints of Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
Our Lady of Czestochowa, Queen of Poland – Our Lady of Czestochowa is a revered icon of the Virgin Mary housed at the Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland. Several Pontiffs have recognised the venerated icon, beginning with Pope Clement XI who issued a Canonical Coronation to the image on 8 September 1717 via the Vatican Chapter. Patron of Poland. According to tradition, the Icon of Jasna Góra (Bright Mountain) was painted by St Luke the Evangelist on a tabletop built by Jesus Himself and the Icon was discovered by St Helen, mother of Emperor Constantine and collector of Christian Relics, in the Holy Land. Visit our Mother here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/08/26/blessed-feast-of-our-lady-of-czestochowa-queen-of-poland-26-august/
St Abundius the Martyr St Alexander of Bergamo (Died c 287) Martyr, Imperial Roman Centurion St Anastasius the Fuller St Bregwin of Canterbury St Elias of Syracuse St Eleutherius of Auxerre St Felix of Pistoia Bl Herluin Bl Ioachim Watanabe Jirozaemon St Irenaeus of Rome
St Jeanne Elisabeth des Bichier des Anges FC (1773-1838) (commonly referred to as St Elisabeth Bichier) and known as “the Good Sister” – Religious and co-Founder with Saint André Hubert Fournet (whom we celebrate on 13 May – https://anastpaul.com/2020/05/13/saint-of-the-day-13-may-saint-andre-hubert-fournet-1752-1834-the-good-father/) of the Sisters of the Cross, Sisters of St Andrew, a religious congregation which was established for the care of the poor and the instruction of rural children in the Diocese of Poitiers in 1807. She also helped to inspire the founding of a community of Priests dedicated to Missionary service, the St Elisabeth died in 1838, at which time there were about 600 Daughters of the Cross serving in some 100 communities. She was Beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1934 and Canonised by Pope Pius XII in 1947. Biography: https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/26/saint-of-the-day-26-august-saint-jeanne-elisabeth-des-bichier-des-anges-fc-1773-1838/
Bl Jean Bassano Bl Jean of Caramola Bl Juan Urgel Bl Margaret of Faenza St Maximilian of Rome St Melchizedek the Patriarch St Orontius of Lecce St Pandwyna St Rufinus of Capua St Secundus the Theban St Victor of Caesarea St Victor the Martyr St Vyevain of York
Martyrs of Celano – 3 Saints: Three Christians, Constantius, Simplicius and Victorinus, Martyred in the same area at roughly the same time. They were Martyred in c 159 in the Marsica region of Italy. At some point their relics were interred under the main Altar of the San Giovanni Vecchio Church in the Collegiata di Celano and were authenticated in 1057 by Pope Stephen IX. The city was depopulated in 1222; when it was re-built, the relics were re-enshrined in the Churc
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