Thought for the Day – 28 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
TEMPTATION
“Why does God allow us to endure tempations? According to spiritual writers, there are two main reasons.
(1) because God wishes us to be humble and not to depend too much on ourselves. Before he was tempted, St Peter boasted that he would never deny his Master. When he was tempted, he fell and recognised his weakness.
(2) Because by resisting temptations, we can show our love for Jesus and our readiness to sacrifice everything for Him
Temptations, therefore, can teach us humility, teach us to rely on God alone and can help us to store up merit for our souls.”
Quote/s of the Day – 28 March – Tuesday in Passion Week and the Memorial of St John of Capistrano OFM (1386-1456) Confessor – Wisdom 10:10-14, Luke 9:1-6 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Take nothing for your journey, neither staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; neither have two tunics.”
Luke 9:3
“Pursue justice, godliness, faith, charity, patience, mildness. Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal, to which you have been called …”
1 Timothy 6:11-12
“The love of Jesus is noble and generous, it spurs us on to do great things and excites us to desire always, that which is most perfect. Love will tend upwards and is not to be detained by things beneath. Love will be at liberty and free from all worldly affections… for love proceeds from God and cannot rest but in God, above all things created. The lover flies, runs and rejoices, he is free and not held. He gives all for all and has all in all, because he rests in One Sovereign Good above all, from Whom all good flows and proceeds.”
Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471) (Book III, Chapter V, 3-4)
“Entrust yourself entirely to God. He is a Father and a most loving Father at that, Who would rather let Heaven and earth collapse, than abandon anyone who trusted in Him.”
St Paul of the Cross (1604-1775)
“Crosses, contempt, sorrows and afflictions, are the real treasures of the lovers of Jesus Christ Crucified.”
Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 28 March
“Arrows of Love” St Francis de Sales
TUESDAY IN PASSION WEEK St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritas
“HE WISHED, even after His death, to have His side opened, that we might see the thoughts of His Heart, which were all thoughts of love and that we might go to Him with confidence, in order to hide ourselves in His side and to receive, from Him, an abundance of graces and benedictions.
In this manner, from the first moment of His life until the present hour, has the kind Jesus been continually drawing arrows, if we may so speak, from the quiver of His love, with which to wound the souls of His lovers, showing them clearly, that they can never love Him nearly as much as He deserves.
My God, could He show more love to sinners than to become a perfect holocaust for their sins? Ah! if we could see the Heart of Jesus, such as it is, we should die of love for Him, since we are mortal, as He died of love of us, while He was mortal and as He would die again, if He were not now immortal. Nothing has as much power to wound a loving heart, as to see another heart wounded for love of it.” – (Consoling Thoughts of St Francis de Sales).
One Minute Reflection – 28 March – Tuesday in Passion Week and the Memorial of St John of Capistrano OFM (1386-1456) Confessor – Wisdom 10:10-14, Luke 9:1-6 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Take nothing for your journey, neither staff, nor sack, nor bread, nor money; neither have two tunics.” – Luke 9:3
REFLECTION – “This is a great vision. But if you wish to see it, remove the sandals from your feet. Remove every chain of sin. Remove the chains of the world. Leave behind earthly sandals. Jesus sent the Apostles without sandals, without money, gold and silver, so that they would not carry earthly things with them. The one who seeks to do good is praised, not for his sandals but for the swiftness and grace of his feet. The Scripture says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, of those who bring glad tidings of good things!” Therefore, remove the sandals from your feet, that they may be beautiful for preaching the Gospel!” – St Ambrose (340-397) Bishop of Milan, Father and Doctor of the Church (Flight From the World 5).
PRAYER – O God, Who, through blessed John, made Thy faithful people conquer the enemies of the Cross by the power of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, grant, we beseech Thee, that by his intercession we may avoid the snares of our spiritual enemies and may be found worthy to receive from Thee, the crown of justice. Through esus 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 – 28 March – Tuesday in Passion Week
O My God, I Thank Thee An Act of Abandonment to the Divine Will By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritas
O my God, I thank Thee and I praise Thee for accomplishing Thy Holy and all-lovable Will without any regard for mine. With my whole heart, in spite of my heart, do I receive this cross I feared so much! It is the cross of Thy choice, the cross of Thy Love. I venerate it; nor for anything in the world would I wish it had not come, since Thou hast willed it. I keep it with gratitude and with joy, as I do everything which comes from Thy Hand and I shall strive to carry it without letting it drag, with all the respect and all the affection which Thy works deserve. Amen.
Saint of the Day – 28 March – Blessed Jeanne Marie de Maille TOSF (1331-1414) Virgin, Widow, Recluse Born on 14 April 1331 at the Castle of La Roche, France and died on 28 March 1414 at Tours France of natural causes. Patronages – abuse victims, against in-law problems, against the death of parents, of exiles, people ridiculed for their piety, widows. Also known as – Jane Mary de Maille. Jeanne Marie was Beatified on 27 April 1871 by Pope Pius IX .
Jeanne, the daughter of the wealthy Baron of Maille, was born at the chateau of her father near St Quentin in France. Because she possessed, from her earliest youth, a tender devotion and love for the Blessed Virgin Mary, she was given the additional name of Marie at Confirmation and from then on, she always used it with her Baptismal name. Under the direction of a Franciscan, who conducted the divine services at the chateau, she strove earnestly to attain perfection. Self-denial, mortification, prayer and works of charity towards her neighbour were the special means she employed.
Jeanne Marie was scarcely fifteen years old when her father died. She was placed under the guardianship of her grandfather, who was already quite advanced in years and who, therefore, believed it his duty to see his grandchild settled in life, as soon as possible. He chose as her husband Baron Robert of Silly, a man who was noble both by birth and by virtue. On the evening of their wedding day the grandfather died suddenly. This made such an impression on the pious husband that he readily yielded to the wish of his young wife to live in virginity.
The young couple’s first concern was to order their household in a Christian fashion. Only virtuous and God-fearing persons were admitted as their servants; all had to observe the commandments of God and of the Church faithfully; frivolous conversations, cursing and swearing, as well as games of chance, were not tolerated. In everything their Master and Mistress set the best example. Jeanne Marie interested herself too, in all the needs of her people and never sent a needy person away from her door without giving him assistance.
But the cross is the real test of all true fidelity to God;and it was not to be wanting in this home either. A terrible war broke out between England and France. The Baron of Silly and his vassals took the field in defence of their country but the war was disastrous for France.
Mortally wounded, the young Baron was brought to his chateau but hardly had he arrived there, when the English took possession of it and led him away as a prisoner. Through the efforts of his faithful wife, he obtained his freedom but he died not long afterwards.
Her in-laws were unkind to her and blamed her for her husband squandering his fortune for charitable ends and so deprived her of her widow’s inheritance and cut ties with her. completely. She first went to seek shelter at the home of an old ex-servant but the servant treated her with harshness, when realising she was poor. She went to reside with her mother but left when the latter tried to pressure her into finding another husband. Now Jeanne Marie withdrew entirely from the world. She moved to a little house near the Franciscan Church in Tours. Dressed in the ash-grey habit of the Third Order, she went out to nurse the sick and the poor. The remaining time she spent in prayer.
She prayed especially that God might bless the labours of Priests, particularly those who preached the Divine Word. She prayed most of all for the Universal Church, which at that time had to endure one of its severest trials. Christendom was divided into two groups – one pope resided in Italy, another in France and even saintly people did not know which one was the rightful head of the Church. Confusion and many scandals were the inevitable results. Had the Church been the work of human hands, it must certainly have gone to ruin. In answer to the prayers of many pious souls, God came to the assistance of the Church and Jeanne Marie had the consolation, before her death, of seeing the Church again united under one head.
Blessed Jeanne Marie de Maille died in the year 1414, at the age of eighty-two years. When her remains, clothed in the habit of the Third Order, were brought into the Church, the body appeared to have the freshness of youth. The veneration paid to her since her death was approved by Pope Pius IX.
St John of Capistrano OFM (1386-1456) Priest and Friar of the Friars Minor, Confessor and Preacher. Famous as a Preacher, Theologian and Inquisitor, trained Lawyer, he earned himself the nickname ‘the Soldier Saint’ when in 1456 at age 70 he led a Crusade against the invading Ottoman Empire at the Siege of Belgrade. He was Beatified on 19 December 1650 by Pope Innocent X and Canonised on 16 October 1690 by Pope Alexander VIII. Feast Day moved from 28 March in 1969. Biography: https://anastpaul.com/2017/10/23/saint-of-the-day-23-october-st-john-capistrano-ofm-1386-1456-the-soldier-saint/
St Cyril the Deacon St Dorotheus of Tarsus St Gundelindis of Niedermünster
St Guntramnus (c 532-592) King of the Kingdom of Orléans and Burgundy from 561 until his death in 592, Confessor, Apostle of the needs of the Church and of the poor and sick, Penitent. The Roman Martyrology reads: “At Chalons in France, the demise of St Gontran King, who devoted himself to exercises of piety, renounced the pomps of the world and bestowed his trasures on the Church and the poor,” https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/28/saint-of-the-day-28-march-saint-guntramnus-died-597/
St Hesychius of Jerusalem St Hilarion of Pelecete Blessed Jeanne Marie de Maille (1331-1414) Widow, Recluse St Proterius of Alexandria St Rogatus the Martyr St Successus the Martyr St Tutilo of Saint-Gall
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