Thought for the Day – 23 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Daily Progress
“The second way in which we should make daily spiritual progress is by adorning our soul with virtues. When we have cleansed our soul of the scars of sin,. there still remains the positive task of adorning it with Christian virtues.
We should begin by acquiring the virtue of humility which is the foundation of the entire spiritual life. One can never be too humble. It is difficult to become humble and it involves lifelong renunciation and sacrifice.
Once we have acquired this virtue, however, the sunshine and dew of Divine Grace cause others to spring up beside it. It will be easier then to advance, day-by-day nearer to perfection.”
Quote/s of the Day –23 April –The Second Sunday after Easter – 1 Peter 2:21-25, John 10:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Those who are My sheep hear My Voice and follow Me”
John 10:27
“I am like the sick sheep which strays from the rest of the flock. Unless the Good Shepherd takes me on His shoulders and carries me back to His fold, my steps will falter and, in the very effort of rising, my feet will give way!”
St Jerome (343-420) Father and Doctor of the Church
“With good reason Christ declares: I am the Good Shepherd, I seek out the lost sheep, the strayed I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal (Ez 34:16). I have seen the flock of mankind struck down by sickness; I have witnessed my lambs wander about where demons dwell; I have seen my flock ravaged by wolves. All this I have seen and have not witnessed it from on high. That is why I took hold of the withered hand, gripped by pain, as if by a wolf; I have unbound those whom fever had bound; I taught him to see, whose eyes had been shut from his mother’s womb; I brought Lazarus out from the tomb where he had lain for four days (Mk 3:5; 1:31; Jn 9; 11). For I am the Good Shepherd and the good shepherd lays down His life for His sheep.”
Basil of Seleucia (Died 448) Bishop of Seleucia, Writer Oratio 26
“Christ said that the shepherd enters through the gate and that He is Himself the Gate, as well as the Shepherd. Then, it is necessary, that He enter through Himself. By so doing, He reveals Himself and through Himself, He knows the Father. But we enter through Him because through Him. we find happiness.”
St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor Angelicus Doctor Communis
“Those with pride are not Christ’s sheep but the devil’s goats!”
One Minute Reflection – 23 April – “The Month of the Resurrection” –The Second Sunday after Easter and the Memorial of St George (Died c 303) Martyr – 1 Peter 2:21-25, John 10:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“I am the Good Shepherd and I know Mine and Mine know Me.”- John 10:14
REFLECTION – “I am the good shepherd. I know My Own—by which I mean, I love them—and My Own know Me. In plain words – those who love Me are willing to follow Me, for anyone who does not love the Truth, has not yet come to know it.
My dear brethren, you have heard the test we shepherds have to undergo. Turn now to consider, how these words of our Lord, imply a test for yourselves also. Ask yourselves whether you belong to His flock, whether you know Him, whether the Light of His Truth shines in your minds. I assure you that it is not by faith that you will come to know Him but, by love, not by mere conviction but, by action. John the Evangelist is my authority, for this statement. He tells us that anyone who claims to know God, without keeping His commandments, is a liar.
Consequently, the Lord immediately adds: ‘As the Father knows Me and I know the Father and I lay down My life for My sheep.‘ Clearly, He means that laying down His life for His sheep, gives evidence of His knowledge of the Father and the Father’s knowledge of Him. In other words, by the love with which He dies for His sheep, He shows, how greatly He loves His Father.
Again He says: ‘My sheep hear My voice and I know them; they follow Me,and I give them eternal life.’ Shortly before this He had declared – ‘If anyone enters the sheepfold through Me, he shall be saved, he shall go freely in and out and shall find good pasture.‘ He will enter into a life of faith; from faith, he will go out to vision, from belief to contemplation and will graze in the good pastures of everlasting life.
So our Lord’s sheep will finally reach their grazing ground, where all who follow Him in simplicity of heart, will feed on the green pastures of eternity. These pastures are the spiritual joys of Heaven. There, the elect look upon the Face of God with unclouded vision and feast at the banquet of life, forever more.
Beloved brothers, let us set out for these pastures ,where we shall keep joyful festival with so many of our fellow citizens. May the thought of their happiness urge us on! Let us stir up our hearts, rekindle our faith and long eagerly for what Heaven has in store for us. To love thus, is to be already on our way. No matter what obstacles we encounter, we must not allow them to turn us aside from the joy of that heavenly feast. Anyone who is determined to reach his destination, is not deterred by the roughness of the road that leads to it. Nor must we allow the charm of success to seduce us, or we shall be like a foolish traveller who is so distracted by the pleasant meadows through which he is passing that he forgets where he is going.” – St Gregory the Great (540-604) Bishop of Rome and Great Western Father and Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from his Sermon 14).
PRAYER – O God, Who dost gladden us through the worthy deeds and prayers of thy blessed Martyr George, mercifully grant that all they, who seek Thy mercy through him, may effectually obtain the gift of Thy grace. 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 – 23 April – The Second Sunday after Easter
Prayer Before Holy Communion By St Anselm (1033-1109) Doctor of the Church
O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, Who according to the Will of the Father and with the co-operation of the Holy Ghost, has, by Thy Death. given life to the world, I adore and revere thi, Thy Holy Body and this, Thy Holy Blood which was given up and poured forth, for the many, unto remission of sins. O merciful Lord, I beg of Thee mercy, that through the power of this Sacrament, Thou will make me one of that many. Through faith and love, make me feel the power of these Sacraments, so I may experience their saving power. Absolve and free from all sin and punishment of sin, Thy servants, Thy handmaidens, myself, all who confessed their sins to me, those whom I have promised, or am obliged, to pray for and so too, those who themselves hope or beg, to be helped, by my prayers to Thee. Make our Church rejoice in Thy constant protection and consolation. Amen
Saint of the Day – 23 April – Blessed Helen del Cavalanti OSA (1396-1458) Widow, Mother, Third Order Augustinian, Mystic, Miracle-worker. Helen was known for her spirit of penance, obedience, humility, devotion to the Passion of Christ and to the Eucharist and for her love of neighbour. Born in 1396 at Udine, Italy and died om 23 April 1458, at Udine of natural causes. Patronages – against temptations, of widows. Also known as – Helen Valentini. Helen of Udine, Helena Valentini of Udine, Elena…
Helen was born in Udine in 1396 to the nobleman Count Valentinis – a Lord of Maniago. We know of only one sibling, a sister: named Perfetta.
In 1411 at the age of 15, she married the Florentine Knight, Antonio del Cavalcanti, an Official of the City of Udine and the pair had six children – three males and three females, living happily as a loving family.
After 30 years together, raising their 6 children, Antonio died. Helen cut off her hair and placed it with her jewels in his coffin, saying: “These I wore for love of you – take them to the grave with you.”
A short while later, still within 1441, Helen heard a sermon in the Augustinian Church of Santa Lucia and decided then and there to join the Order. She became a professed Third Order member of the Order of Saint Augustine (the first for the Third Order in Udine).
A Statue of Blessed Helen in Udine
She soon became known for her several austerities and her life of dedication to her fellowman. One of her mortifications was to take a vow of silence, speaking on Christmas alone. Helen placed 33 pebbles in jer shoes walking with pain for the rest of her days and slept on a stone pallet in place of a bed. She continued to live at home, in 1446 she moved in with her sister who was also a Third Order Augustinian, residing there until her death. She dedicated herself completely to God. She devoted long hours to prayer and meditation on the Gospels. She provided personal service and material contributions, to works of mercy. Helen developed a reputation as a Miracle worker with the power of curing the sick.
Helen became bedridden in 1455 after fracturing both her femurs in a fall. Even now, in this painful time, Helen preferred a pallet of stones and straw to a bed. Her declining health led to her death on the Saturday evening of 23 April 1458. Mass was celebrated in her room and Friars from a nearby Convent came to chant the Psalms.
Her remains were interred in Santa Lucia but in 1845. they were moved to the Udine Cathedral. On 27 September 1848, Pope Pius IX confirmed her cultus and Beatified her.
There is a wonderful procession in her honour each year.
St Giorgio di Suelli (Died 1117) Italian Bishop of Suelli, Apostle of the poor, Miracle-worker. For the Diocese he was a true shepherd, a lover of the poor whom he helped and of whom he had a list. He was devoted to prayer and fasting and lived a life of penitence and poverty. Biography: https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/23/saint-of-the-day-23-april-saint-giorgio-di-suelli-died-1117/
Blessed Helen del Cavalanti (Died 1458) Widow, Mother, Third Order Augustinian. St Ibar of Meath St Marolus of Milan St Pusinna of Champagne
Martyrs of Africa: A group of Christians murdered for their faith in northern Africa. Little information has survived but their names. The ones we know are – Catulinus, Chorus, Faustinus, Felicis, Felix, Nabors, Plenus, Salunus, Saturninus, Silvius, Solutus, Theodora, Theodorus, Theon, Ursus, Valerius, Venustus, Victorinus, Victurus, Vitalis.
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