Day: April 8, 2023

Posted in GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, St PETER!

Thought for the Day – 8 April – The Repentance of St Peter

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Thought for the Day – 8 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Repentance of St Peter

“When Peter realised how wretchedly he had fallen, the first thing which he did, was to escape from the occasion of sin.
“Peter went out” (Lk 22:62),
He grieved for his three sins, not only on that sad night but throughout his life.
St Clement (c35-c101 the third succeeding Pope after St Peter) writes that he wept so often that his tears wore two deep furrows in his cheeks and that, whenever he heard the cock crowing, the cry pierced his heart.
He loved Jesus sincerely and passionately.
When he was asked three times if he loved Him, he replied humbly, “Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee” (Cf Jn 21:16).

Can we say these same words to Jesus, with equal sincerity and humility?
If we really love Jesus as Peter did and are prepared to face death for His sake, as Peter was, then we may be sure that we shall never offend God again.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/09/thought-for-the-day-9-april-the-repentance-of-st-peter/

Posted in CHRIST the HIGH PRIEST, CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the KING, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, HOLY SATURDAY, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION, The RESURRECTION

Quote/s of the Day – 8 April – Holy Saturday

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Quote/s of the Day – 8 April – Holy Saturday

“Today a great silence reigns on earth,
a great silence and a great stillness.
A great stillness because the King is asleep.
The earth trembled and is still
because God has fallen asleep in the flesh
and has raised up all who have slept,
since the world began…

I order you, O sleeper, to awake.
I did not create you to be a prisoner in hell.
Rise from the dead, for I am the Life of the dead.”

Ancient Christian Writer (ACW)

“The Lord, although He was God, became man.
He suffered for the sake of those who suffer,
He was bound for those in bonds,
condemned for the guilty,
buried for those who lie in the grave
but He rose from the dead and cried aloud:
“Who will contend with Me? Let him confront Me.”
I have freed the condemned, brought the dead back to life,
raised men from their graves.
Who has anything to say against Me?
I, He said, Am the Christ, I have destroyed death,
triumphed over the enemy, trampled hell underfoot,
bound the strong one and taken men up to the heights of Heaven.
I Am the Christ.
Come, then, all you nations of men, receive forgiveness for the sins that defile you.
I Am your Forgiveness.
I Am the Passover which brings salvation.
I Am the Lamb Who was immolated for you.
I Am your Ransom, your Life, your Resurrection, your Light, I am your Salvation and your King.
I will bring you to the heights of Heaven.
With My own Right Hand I will raise you up
and I will show you the Eternal Father.”

St Melito of Sardis (Died c 180)
Bishop, Father

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, HOLY SATURDAY, HOLY WEEK

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 8 April – “Into Thy Hands, O My God, I entrust My Spirit. ”

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Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 8 April – Holy Saturday – The Lord’s Vigil Mass of Easter

“Into Thy Hands, O My God, I entrust My Spirit. ”

HOLY SATURDAY
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

“INTO THY HANDS, O my God, I entrust my spirit.
Dost Thou wish me to be in dryness or in consolation?
Into Thy Hands, I entrust my spirit.
Dost Thou wish me to be contradicted, to experience repugnances and difficulties, to be loved or not, to obey this one or that one and in whatever it may be, in great things or small?
Then into Thy Hands, I entrust my spirit.
…All is consummated, O God; in everything I have accomplished Thy Divine Will.
What remains now for me except to entrust my spirit into Thy Hands at the end of my life, just as I entrusted it to Thee, at its beginning and during its course.” – (Sermons of St Francis de Sales for Lent).

Posted in APRIL -MONTH of the RESURRECTION and the BLESSED SACAMENT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, EASTER, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY SATURDAY, HOLY WEEK, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 April – , He is not here, for He is risen, as He said – Matthew 28:6

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One Minute Reflection – 8 April – Holy Saturday – The Lord’s Vigil Mass of Easter, Blessing of the Fire, Prophecies, Blessing of the Font, First Mass of Easter – Matthew 28,1-7 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And the Angel answering, said to the women: Fear not you, for I know that you seek Jesus Who was Crucified, He is not here, for He is risen, as He said.” – Matthew 28:5-6

REFLECTION – “Every vigil celebrated in the Lord’s honour is pleasing to God and acceptable to Him but this particular Vigil more than all the rest. That is why this night, in particular, holds the title “The Lord’s Vigil.” Indeed, what we read is: “All the Israelites must keep a vigil for the Lord” (Ex 12:42). And this night, well merits the title, since the Lord awoke in life that we might not remain asleep in death. For He suffered death’s sleep for our sakes, in the Mystery of His Passion, yet this sleep of the Lord, has become the Vigil of the whole world because, the Death of Christ, has removed from us, the sleep of eternal death. He Himself says it through the prophet: “I lie down in sleep, I wake again and My sleep was sweet to me” (Ps 3:6; Jer 31:26). This sleep of Christ which we have called to mind, from the bitterness of Death to the sweetness of Life, cannot be anything but sweet.

Solomon wrote: “I sleep but my heart is awake” (Sg 5:2). These words seemingly show the Mystery of the Divinity and flesh of the Lord. He slept according to the flesh but His Divinity kept watch, since the Divinity cannot sleep… “He neither slumbers nor sleeps, the guardian of Israel” (Ps 120:4)… He slept according to the flesh but His Divinity visited hell in order to draw out the man whom it had held captive. Our Lord and Saviour desired to enter into every place to have mercy on everyone. He came down from Heaven to the earth to visit the world and again, He descended from earth to hell, to carry light to those held captive there, as spoken by the prophet: “Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom, a light has shone” (Is 9:1).

Hence Angels in Heaven, men on earth and the souls of the faithful in the dwelling place of the dead, celebrate this Vigil of the Lord… If one sinner’s repentance, as the Gospel says, gives joy to the Angels in Heaven, (Lk 15:7.10) how much more, the Redemption of the whole world?… And so, this Vigil is not just a feast for men and Angels but also for the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit because the world’s Salvation is the Trinity’s happiness!” – St Chromatius of Aquilaea (Died c407) Bishop and Father of the Church (1st Sermon for the Paschal Vigil).

PRAYER – O God, Who dost illuminate this most holy night by the glory of the Lord’s Resurrection, preserve in the new children of Thy family, the spirit of adoption which Thou hast given, that renewed in body and mind, they may render to Thee a pure service. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in HOLY SATURDAY, HOLY WEEK, HYMNS, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN Saturdays, Our MORNING Offering, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 8 April – Holy Saturday – O Come And Mourn With Me Awhile

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Our Morning Offering – 8 April – Holy Saturday

O Come And Mourn With Me Awhile
By Fr Frederick William Faber CO (1814-1863)
(This is the full, original text from an 1852 edition
of Fr Faber’s H ymnal “Jesus and Mary”)

O come and mourn with me awhile,
O come ye to the Saviour’s side,
O come, together let us mourn,
Jesus, our Love, is Crucified!

Have we no tears to shed for Him,
While soldiers scoff and foes deride?
Ah! Look how patiently He hangs,
Jesus, our Lord, is Crucified!

How fast His Hands and Feet are nailed,
His blessed Tongue with thirst is tied,
His failing Eyes are blind with blood,
Jesus, our Love, is Crucified!

His Mother cannot reach His Face;
She stands in helplessness beside.
Her heart is Martyred with her Son’s;
Jesus, our Love, is Crucified!

Seven times He spoke, seven words of love
And all three hours His silence cried
For mercy, on the souls of men.
Jesus, our Lord, is Crucified!

What was Thy crime, my dearest Lord?
By earth, by heaven, Thou hast been tried,
And guilty found of too much love.
Jesus, our Love, is Crucified!

Found guilty of excess of love,
It was Thine own sweet Will that tied
Thee tighter far than helpless nails;
Jesus, our Love, is Crucified!

Death came and Jesus meekly bowed;
His failing Eyes He strove to guide
With mindful love to Mary’s face;
Jesus, our Love, is Crucified!

O break, O break, hard heart of mine!
Thy weak self-love and guilty pride,
His Pilate and His Judas were!
Jesus, our Love, is Crucified!

Come, take thy stand beneath the Cross,
And let the Blood from out that Side
Fall gently on thee, drop by drop;
Jesus, our Love, is Crucified!

A broken heart, a fount of tears,
Ask and they will not be denied.
A broken heart, love’s cradle is,
Jesus, our Love, is Crucified!

O Love of God! O sin of man!
In this dread act, your strength is tried
And victory remains with love,
Jesus, our Lord, is Crucified!

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 8 April – Saint Dionysius of Corinth (Died in the 2nd Century) Bishop Confessor

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Saint of the Day – 8 April – Saint Dionysius of Corinth (Died in the 2nd Century) Bishop of Corinth, Greec, Confessor, died in about 170.

The Roman Martyrology reads: “At Corinth, the Bishop, St Denis, who instructed not only the people of his own City and Province by the learning and unction with which he preached the word of God but, also the Bishops of other Cities and Provinces, by the letters which he wrote to them. His veneration for the Roman Pontiff was such that he used to read their epistles publicly in the Church on Sundays. He lived in the time of Marcus Antoninus Verus and Lucius Aurelius Commodus.”

Unknown Saint Bishop

We have little personal information of Dionysius, bar that which we discover from his letters, which were known to the Historia Eusebius.. We gather a date for his Episcopate – around 170 – by the fact that he wrote to Pope Soter (c168 to 176). Eusebius of Caesarea, in his Chronicle, placed Dionysius’ period of activity in the eleventh year of Marcus Aurelius (171), while Bacchylus was Bishop of Corinth at the time of the Paschal controversy (about 190–8).

Eusebius knew a collection of seven of the Catholic Letters to the Churches of Dionysius, together with a letter to him from Pinytus, Bishop of Knossos and a private letter of spiritual advice to a lady named Chrysophora. Most of his letters to Bishops in his region contain instruction on dealing with heretics and warning of various unorthodox views which could lead to heresy. He also praised where such was due but generally most of his letters were of instruction or warnings to persist in the One Truth.

But the most important letter is the seventh one, addressed to the Romans and the only one from which extracts have been preserved. Pope Soter had sent alms and a letter to the Corinthians and in response, Dionysius wrote:

“For this has been your custom from the beginning, to do good to all the brethren in many ways and to send alms to many Churches in different cities, now relieving the poverty of those who asked aid, now assisting the brethren in the mines by the alms you send,
Romans keeping up the traditional custom of Romans, which your blessed Bishop, Soter, has not only maintained,but has even increased, by affording to the brethren, the abundance which he has supplied, and by comforting with blessed words the brethren who came to him, as a father to his children.”

Again:

“You also by this instruction have mingled together the Romans and Corinthians, who are the planting of Peter and Paul. For they both came to our Corinth and planted us and taught alike and alike, going to Italy and teaching there, were Martyred at the same time.”

Again:

“Today we have kept the Holy Lord’s day, on which we have read your letter, which we shall ever possess to read and to be admonished, even as the former one, written to us through Clement.”

Posted in HOLY SATURDAY, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

HOLY SATURDAY, Madonna di Valverde di Rezzato / Our Lady of the Green Valley of Valverde, Sicily (1040 and Memorials of the Saints – 8 April

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HOLY SATURDAY – FAST & ABSTINENCE until NOON
https://anastpaul.com/2020/04/11/11-april-easter-vigil-in-the-holy-night-sabbatum-sanctum-he-has-ripped-open-a-hole-in-history-that-can-never-be-filled-in-again/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/03/sabbatum-sanctum-holy-saturday-watching-the-easter-vigil-of-the-holy-night/

Madonna di Valverde di Rezzato / Our Lady of the Green Valley of Valverde, Sicily (1040) – 8 April and 1 October:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/08/easter-thursday-our-lady-of-valverde-our-lady-of-the-green-valley-sicily-1040-and-memorials-of-the-saints-8-april/

St Agabus the Prophet
St Amantius of Como
St Asynkritos of Marathon
St Beata of Ribnitz

Blessed Clement of Osimo OSA (1235-1291) Priest of the Oder of Hemits of St Augustine, Reformer, miracle-worker. He was Beatified
in 1761 by Pope Clement XIII .
His Lifestory:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/04/08/saint-of-the-day-blessed-clement-of-osimo-osa-1235-1291/

St Concessa

St Dionysius of Alexandria “The Great” (c 190-265) Archbishop of Alexandria, Confessor, outstanding Administrator, Writer, Theologian.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/08/saint-of-the-day-8-april-saint-dionysius-of-alexandria-the-great-c-190-265/

St Dionysius of Corinth (Died in the 2nd Century) Bishop Confessor
Bl Domingo Iturrate Zubero
Bl Gonzalo Mercador
St Herodion of Patras

Blessed Julian of Saint Augustine (OFM c 1550-1606) Lay Brother of the Friars Minor, Hermit, Ascetic. He was Beatified in 1825 by Pope Leo XII .
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/04/08/saint-of-the-day-8-april-blessed-julian-of-saint-augustine-ofm-c-1550-1606-l/

Bl Libania of Busan
St Martin of Pegli
St Phlegon of Hyrcania
St Redemptus of Ferentini

Martyrs of Africa – 3 Saints: A group of African Martyrs whose name appears on ancient lists but about whom nothing is known but their names – Januarius, Macaria and Maxima.

Martyrs of Antioch – 4 Saints: A group of Christians Martyred together for their faith. We know little more than their names – Diogene, Macario, Massimo and Timothy. They died in Antioch, Syria.