Day: December 21, 2022

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, NOVENAS, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, The NATIVITY of JESUS

Christmas Novena to the Divine Infant Jesus By St Alphonsus – Day 6, 21 December

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Christmas Novena to the Divine Infant Jesus
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

THE SIXTH DAY
21 December
Meditation 6:
The Mercy of God in coming from Heaven,
to save us, by His Death.

Saint Paul says, the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared (Titus 3:4). It was then, when the Son of God made Man appeared on earth that we saw how great the goodness of God is toward us. Saint Bernard wrote that the power of God first appeared, through the creation of the world and sustaining the world, has shown God’s wisdom. But God’s mercy appeared, to an even greater degree, when God took human flesh to save lost humanity, by His sufferings and Death. And what greater mercy could the Son of God have shown us, than to take upon Himself, the pains we have deserved?

Imagine Him as a newborn Infant, wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger, unable to move or feed Himself. Just to survive, He relied on Mary to feed Him with a little milk. Imagine Him many years later, in the judgement hall before Pilate, bound to a column by ropes, from which He could not loosen Himself and scourged from head to foot. Imagine Him on the journey to Calvary, falling down as He went along the road, from weakness and from the weight of the Cross which He carried. Finally, imagine Him nailed to that infamous tree upon which He finished His life, in agony and suffering.

Jesus Christ wished to gain all the endearments of our hearts, by His love for us and,, therefore, He would not send an Angel to redeem us but came Himself, to save us by His Passion and Resurrection. If an Angel had been our redeemer, we would have a divided heart—loving God as our Creator and the Angel as our redeemer. But because God, Who is our Creator, wants our whole heart, He chose to also be our Redeemer.

Affections and Prayers:

O my dear Redeemer!
Where should I be now,
if Thou hadst not borne with me so patiently
but hadst called me from life,
while I was in the state of sin?
Since Thou hast waited for me till now,
forgive me quickly, O my Jesus,
before death finds me still guilty
of so many offences
which I have committed against Thee.
I am so sorry for having vilely despised Thee,
my Sovereign Good that I could die of grief.
But Thou canst not abandon a soul that seeks Thee.

If hitherto I have forsaken Thee,
I now seek Thee and love Thee.
Yes, my God, I love Thee
above all else;
I love Thee more than myself.
Help me, Lord, to love Thee always
during the rest of my life.
Nothing else do I seek of Thee.
But this I beg of Thee,
this I hope to receive from Thee.

Mary, my hope, do thou pray for me.
If thou prayest for me,
I am sure of grace.
Amen.

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Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 21 December – The Silence of the Divine Infant

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

A Christmas Novena VI
The Silence of the Divine Infant

“Evil always attracts a great deal of attention, whereas goodness operates in silence.
The reason why evil creates such a stir, is that it is the work of pride and of ambition.
It wants to be seen and to be applauded.
Goodness, good works, is done for God.
It does not seek the world’s applause but, only the approval of God.
When an enterprise sets out to look for publicity, there is reason to fear that it does not come from God but is prompted by human motives.
As a result, it will prove sterile!

If we sincerely desire to please God, we shall work in silence.

We shall not aim at our own worldly interests but, shall seek our own spiritual good and that of our fellowmen.
If it is God’s will. our good work may shine also before men but let us remember that this is for the glory of God and in order to give good example to our neighbour.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/12/21/thought-for-the-day-21-december-2/

Posted in GOD ALONE!, JESUIT SJ, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, The O ANTIPHONS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 21 December – O Radiant Dawn

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Quote/s of the Day – 21 December – Feast of St Thomas, Apostle of Christ, Martyr – “The Month of the Divine Infant and the Immaculate Conception” – Ephesians 2:19-22, John 20:24-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“O Radiant Dawn,
Splendour of Eternal Light,
Sun of Justice!
Come and shine on those
who dwell in darkness
and in the shadow of death.”

“My Lord and my God”

John 20:28

“Who could ever soften
this heart of mine
but YOU alone O Lord!”

St Francis Borgia (1510-1572)

“Christ first of all,
Christ in the centre of the heart,
in the centre of history
and of the cosmos.
Humanity needs Christ intensely
because, He is our “measure.”
There is no realm,
that cannot be touched
by His strength;
there is no evil,
that cannot find remedy in Him,
there is no problem,
that cannot be solved in Him.
Either Christ or nothing!”

St John Leonardi (1541-1609)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FAITH, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 21 December – ‘ … Do you think that it happened by chance …?’

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One Minute Reflection – 21 December – Feast of St Thomas, Apostle of Christ, Martyr – Ephesians 2:19-22, John 20:24-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“The other disciples, therefore, said to him: We have seen the Lord. But he said to them: Except I shall see in His Hands, the print of the nails and put my finger into the place of the nails and put my hand into His Side, I will not believe.” – John 20:25

REFLECTION – “What, dearest brethren do you notice in this passage? Do you think that it happened by chance that this chosen disciple was absent at that time and afterwards coming, heard the news and hearing, doubted that doubting, he touched and touching, he believed? This did not happen by chance but by Divine dispensation. For the Divine clemency brought it about, in a wonderful way that the doubting disciple, while touching the wounds in his Master’s flesh, should thereby heal the wounds of our unbelief. The unbelief of Thomas is more to our faith, than the faith of the believing disciples. While he is brought back to faith by touching, our minds are set free from doubt and established in the faith.

So the Lord indeed, after His Resurrection permitted His disciple to doubt but He did not leave him in unbelief; just as before His birth, He wished Mary to have a spouse, who, however, never attained to the married state. The disciple who doubted and touched his Risen Lord, thus became, a witness to the truth of the Resurrection, just as the spouse of His Mother was the guardian of her inviolate Virginity. Thomas touched and cried out: My Lord and my God. Jesus said to him – Because you have seen me, you have believed. But since the Apostle Paul says – Now faith is the substance of things to be hoped for, the evidence of things which appear not; it is certainly clear that faith is the evidence, of those things which cannot appear. The things which appear are the object, not of faith but of knowledge.

Why then is it said to Thomas, who saw and touched – Because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed? But he saw one thing and believed another. Indeed, mortal man cannot see the Divinity. So Thomas saw a Man and confessed Him to be God, saying: My Lord and my God. He, therefore, believed through seeing, for, looking upon One Who was truly Man, he cried out that this was God, Whom he could not see! The words which follow are cause of great joy to us: Blessed are they who have not seen and have believed. These words are meant especially for us, who cherish, in our minds, Him, Whom we do not see in the flesh. They are meant for us but only if we carry out our faith in works. For he truly believes, who puts his faith into practice!” – St Gregory the Great (540-604) Pope. Father and one of the original four Doctors of the Latin Church (Sermon on the Feast of St Thomas).

PRAYER – O Lord, grant us, we beseech Thee, to glory in the Feast-day of blessed Thomas, Thy Apostle, that we maybe helped continually by his patronage and imitate his faith with a devotion like his. .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 BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

Our Morning Offering – 21 December – St Thomas Apostle – Exsultet Orbis!

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Our Morning Offering – 21 December – St Thomas Apostle

Exsultet Orbis!
Let the World Rejoice!
Unknown Author

Now let the earth with joy resound,
And Heaven the chant re-echo round;
Nor Heaven nor earth too high can raise
The great Apostles’ glorious praise.

O ye who, throned in glory dread,
Shall judge the living and the dead,
Lights of the world forever more!
To you the suppliant prayer we pour.

Ye close the Sacred Gates on high.
At your command apart they fly.
O loose for us the guilty chain
We strive to break and strive in vain.

Sickness and health your voice obey,
At your command they go or stay.
From sin’s disease our souls restore;
In good confirm us more and more.

So when the world is at its end.
And Christ to Judgment shall descend,
May we be called, those joys to see
Prepared from all eternity.

Praise to the Father, with the Son,
And Holy Spirit, Three in One;
As ever was in ages past
And so shall be while ages last.
Amen

(Roman Breviary for the Common of Apostles)
An Office Hymn that was traditionally prescribed for Vespers and Lauds on the Feasts of Apostles and Evangelists outside Easter time. The Hymn is found as early as the tenth century in a hymnal of Moissac Abbey.

Posted in ADVENT REFLECTIONS, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, PATRONAGE - Against DOUBT, those in DOUBT, PATRONAGE - BUILDERS, CONSTRUCTION WORKERS, PATRONAGE - EYES, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The NATIVITY of JESUS

Saint of the Day – 21 December – Feast of St Thomas, Apostle of Christ, Martyr.

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Saint of the Day – 21 December – Feast of St Thomas, Apostle of Christ, Martyr. His Patronages are:• people in doubt; against doubt• architects• blind people and against blindness• builders• construction workers• geometricians• stone masons and stone cutters• surveyors• theologians• Ceylon• East Indies• India• Indonesia• Malaysia • Pakistan• Singapore• Sri Lanka• Diocese of Bathery, India• Castelfranco di Sopra, Italy• Certaldo, Italy• Ortona, Italy.

St Thomas, Apostle
From the Liturgical Year, 1870

This is the last Feast the Church keeps before the great one of the Nativity of her Lord and Spouse. She interrupts the Greater Ferias, in order to pay her tribute of honour to Thomas, the Apostle of Christ, whose glorious Martyrdom has consecrated this twenty first day of December and has procured, for the Christian people, a powerful patron that will introduce them to the Divine Babe of Bethlehem.

To none of the Apostles could this day have been so fittingly assigned, as to St Thomas. It was St Thomas whom we needed; St. Thomas, whose festal patronage would aid us to believe and hope, in that God, Whom we see not and Who comes to us in silence and humility, in order to try our Faith.

St Thomas was once guilty of doubting, when he ought to have believed and only learned the necessity of Faith by the sad experience of incredulity. He comes then most appropriately to defend us, by the power of his example and prayers, against the temptations which proud human reason might excite within us.

Let us pray to him with confidence. In that Heaven of Light and Vision, where his repentance and love have placed him, he will intercede for us,and gain for us that docility of mind and heart, which will enable us to see and recognise Him, Who is the Expected of Nations and Who, though the King of the world, will give no other signs of His Majesty, than the swaddling-clothes and tears of a Babe.

Joseph Proetzner, St. Thomas, 1753-55
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Feast of St Thomas, Apostle of Christ, Martyr, Notre-Dame de Saint-Acheul / Our Lady of Saint Acheul, France, (4th Century) and Memorials of the Saints – 21 December

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Christmas Novena to the Divine Infant Day Six

Feast of St Thomas, Apostle of Christ, Martyr
His Feast was moved to 3 July in 1969
https://anastpaul.com/2018/07/03/saint-of-the-day-feast-of-st-thomas-apostle-of-christ/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/07/03/feast-of-st-thomas-apostle-of-christ-martyr-3-july/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2017/07/03/saint-of-the-day-3-july-st-thomas-the-apostle-of-christ/

Notre-Dame de Saint-Acheul / Our Lady of Saint Acheul, Amiens, France, founded by Saint Firmin, Bishop (4th Century) – 21 December:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/12/21/feast-of-st-thomas-apostle-of-christ-christmas-novena-to-the-christ-child-day-six-notre-dame-de-saint-acheul-our-lady-of-saint-acheul-amiens-france-4th-century-and-memorials-of-the-saints/

Bl Adrian of Dalmatia

St Anastasius II of Antioch (Died 609) Bishop and Martyr, Confessor, Defender of the Faith.
https://anastpaul.com/2020/12/21/saint-of-the-day-21-december-saint-anastasius-ii-of-antioch/

St Baudacarius of Bobbio
St Beornwald of Bampton
Bl Bezela of Göda

Blessed Daniel of the Annunciation OdeM Mercedarian Friar. Daniel was a Mercedarian Friar at the Monastery of Santa Maria della Pace in Naples, Italy. He was a staunch defender of the freedom of the Church from state control and of his Order.(13th Century?)
https://anastpaul.com/2021/12/21/saint-of-the-day-21-december-blessed-daniel-of-the-annunciation-odem/

St Dioscorus

Blessed Dominic Spadafora OP (1450-1521) Dominican Priest, renowned Preacher and Evangelist. His body is incorrupt.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/12/21/saint-of-the-day-21-december-blessed-dominic-spadafora-op-1450-1521/

St Festus of Tuscany
St Glycerius of Nicomedia
St James of Valencia
St John of Tuscany
St John Vincent
St Micah the Prophet
St Severin of Trèves (Died c 300) Bishop, Confessor
Bl Sibrand of Marigård
St Themistocles of Lycia