Posted in HOLY COMMUNION, NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY, PURGATORY, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on MERIT, The COMMUNION of SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The HOLY SOULS

Thought for the Day – 7 November – How We Can Help the Faithful Departed

Thought for the Day – 7 November – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

How We Can Help the Faithful Departed

In short, there are innumerable means at our disposal, of helping to release the Holy Souls and, of establishing them, without delay, as our intercessors in Heaven.
These good works are advantageous to ourselves and to them.
In Holy Communion, we draw closer to God; by almsgiving, we grow more detached from worldly possessions and, by penance and mortification, we restrain our wayward appetites and passions.
At the same time, we know that we are helping those for whom we offer the ,merits of our deeds, for we are enabling them to be purified, as soon as possible of their imperfections and so, to enter into the infinite joy of the Beatific Vision of Almighty God.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/11/07/thought-for-the-day-7-november-how-we-can-help-the-faithful-departed/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/11/07/thought-for-the-day-7-november-how-we-can-help-the-faithful-departed-2/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, GOD ALONE!, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on THANKSGIVING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on TRUTH, QUOTES on ZEAL, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

Quote/s of the Day – 7 November – St Dominic and his OPs

Quote/s of the Day – 7 November – The Feast of All Saints of the Order of Preacher

A man who governs his passions
is master of his world.
We must either command them
or be enslaved by them.
It is better to be a hammer than an anvil!

Arm yourself with prayer
instead of a sword;
be clothed with humility
instead of fine raiment.

St Dominic OP (1170-1221) Confessor

Guide Me Lord
By St Albert the Great (1200-1280)
Doctor of the Church

O Lord Jesus Christ,
Who seeks those who stray
and receives them when returning,
make me approach Thee
through the frequent hearing of Thy Word,
lest I sin against my neighbour,
by the blindness of human judgement,
through the austerity of false justice,
through comparing his inferior status,
through too much trust in my merits
or through ignorance of the Divine Judgement.
Guide me to search diligently,
each corner of my conscience,
lest the flesh dominate the spirit!
Amen

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 OP (1225-1274)
Doctor Angelicus
Doctor Communis

Speak the truth in a million voices.
It is silence that kills!

You are rewarded,
not according to your work,
or your time
but according to the measure
of your love.

Embrace, then, Jesus Crucified,
raising to Him the eyes of your desire!
Consider His burning love for you
which made Jesus pour out His Blood
from every part of His body!
Embrace Jesus Crucified,
loving and beloved and in Him,
you will find true life because He is God made Man.
Let your heart and your soul burn
with the fire of love drawn from Jesus on the Cross!
… You will have no other desire than to follow Jesus!
Run, … do not stay asleep
because time flies and does not wait one moment!
Dwell in God’s sweet love!

St Catherine of Sienna (1347-1380)
Doctor of the Church

Those with pride
are not Christ’s sheep
but the devil’s goats!

St Vincent Ferrer OP 1350-1419)

Apart from the cross
there is no other ‘ladder’
by which we might get to Heaven.

St Rose of Lima OP (1586-1617)

Grant me, O my God
By St Vincent Ferrer OP (1350-1419)

Good Jesus,
let me be penetrated with love
to the very marrow of my bones,
with fear and respect toward Thee.
Let me burn with zeal for Thy honour,
so that I may deeply resent,
all the outrages committed against Thee,
especially those of which,
I myself have been guilty.
Grant further, O my God,
that I may humbly adore
and acknowledge Thee,
as my Creator and penetrated with gratitude
for all Thy benefits,
I may never cease to render Thee thanksgiving.
Grant that I may bless Thee in all things,
praise and glorify Thee,
with a heart full of joy and gladness
and obeying Thee with docility
in every respect, I may one day,
despite my ingratitude and unworthiness,
be seated at Thine table
together with Thine Holy Angels and Apostles,
to enjoy ineffable delights for all eternity!
Amen

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/11/07/quote-s-of-the-day-7-november-st-dominic-and-friends-ops/

Posted in GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CHASTITY, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on PURITY, SACRAMENTS, The BEATITUDES, The COMMUNION of SAINTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 7 November – ‘There is nothing as beautiful as a soul which is pure. …’

One Minute Reflection – 7 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – Within the All Saints Octave and the Feast of all the Dominican Saints – Apocalypse 7:2-12, Matthew 5:1-12 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.” … Matthew 5:8

REFLECTION – “There is nothing as beautiful as a soul which is pure. If we understood this, we would be incapable of losing our purity. A pure soul is like a beautiful pearl. As long as it is concealed in a shell, at the bottom of the sea, no-one thinks of admiring it. But if you display it in the sun, then this pearl shines and draws people’s eyes.

Purity comes from Heaven, we have to ask God for it. If we ask for it, we shall receive it. We must take great care not to lose it. It closes our hearts to pride, sensuality and every other passion.

Children, we cannot understand the power which a pure soul has over the Good God – it receives all it wishes for. … Before God, a pure soul is like a child before its mother, it caresses her and hugs her and its mother returns its caresses and embraces.

To preserve our purity, there are three things – the Presence of God, prayer and the Sacraments.” … St John-Marie Baptiste Vianney (1786-1859) Curé d’Ars (Selected Thoughts of the Curé d’Ars).

PRAYER – Almighty, eternal God, Who granted us to honour the merits of all Thy Saints in a single solemn festival, bestow on us, we beseech Thee, through their manifold intercession, that abundance of Thy mercy for which we yearn. 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 "Follow Me", GOD ALONE!, MARIAN PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MISSION, Quotes on SALVATION, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

Our Morning Offering – 7 November – Prayer to Our Lady, Queen of the Apostles

Our Morning Offering – 7 November – Tuesday being the Day on which we honour the Holy Apostles, as the Church is apostolic. That is, it is founded on the authority and teaching of the Apostles, most especially that of St Peter to whom Jesus gave the keys of his Kingdom. Each Bishop is a direct successor of the Apostles and so we include them in our prayers.

Prayer to Our Lady, Queen of the Apostles
By St Vincent Pallotti SAC (1795-1850)

Immaculate Mother of God,
Queen of the Apostles,
we know that God’s commandment of love
and our vocation to follow Jesus Christ,
impels us to co-operate
in the mission of the Church.
Realising our own weakness,
we entrust the renewal of our personal lives
and our Apostolate, to your intercession.
We are confident,
that through God’s mercy
and the infinite merits of Jesus Christ,
you, who are our Mother,
will obtain the strength of the Holy Spirit,
as you obtained it for the Apostles,
gathered in the Upper Room.
Therefore, relying on your
maternal intercession,
we resolve, from this moment,
to devote our talents,
learning, material resources,
our health, sickness and trials
and every gift of nature and grace,
for the greater glory of God
and the salvation of all.
We wish to carry on those activities,
(which especially promote
the Catholic Apostolate,)
for the revival of faith
and love of the people of God
and so, bring all men and women,
into the faith of Jesus Christ.
(And if a time should come
when we have nothing more to offer,
serviceable to this end,)
we will never cease to pray,
that there will be one fold
and one Shepherd, Jesus Christ.
In this way, we hope to enjoy
the results of the Apostolate of Jesus Christ)
for all eternity.
Amen.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 7 November – Saint Achillas (Died 313) Bishop, Confessor

Saint of the Day – 7 November – Saint Achillas (Died 313) Bishop of Alexandria, Egypt, Confessor, Scholar particularly in Philosophy and Theology. St Theonas had Ordained him to the Priesthood and appointed Achillas as the Head of the Catechetical School of Alexandria upon the departure of St Pierius, whom we celebrated on 4 November. Born in Alexandria, Egypt and died there in 313 of natural causes. Also known as – Archelaus, Achillas of Alexandria, … of Egypt, “Achillas the Great.”

The Roman Martyrology states of him today: “At Alexandria, blessed Achillas, a Bishop renowned for erudition, faith and purity of life.

Achillas is less well-known than his contemporary, Arius. But, while one has gone down in history as one of the most notorious of all heretics, the other is honoured, as one who kept the True Faith to the end.

Achillas was, a complete Alexandrian, where he was born some time in the 3rd Century. The City was one of the theological centres of Christendom – which made it an attractive target for heretics. Sabellius came to Alexandria in the early 3rd Century, teaching the heresy that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were all just different modes of one Divine person.

St Theonas, excommunicated Sabellius. His successor, Peter, had to contend with Meletius, who preached that those who had fallen away in persecution would have to be re-Baptised. Peter also had to discipline Arius. Before Peter was Martyred he nominated Achillas to succeed him.

As a former Head of Alexandria’s Catechetical School, Achillas was unlikely to be deceived by theological error. But, he was able to be deceived by his own kindness and merciful gentleness towards repentant sinners and by such a clever and wily man as Arius. Arius seems to have convinced Achillas that he, Arius, had changed and should be allowed back into the fold of the Church. Achillas eventually realised his mistake and started to oppose Arius publicly. He died without seeing the final victory of orthodoxy. After his death, Arius nominated himself to become Bishop of Alexandria but the clergy and the people, chose Alexander.

St Jerome lamented that “because, as a spark in Alexandria, he was not extinguished, Arius became a conflagration which laid waste the world!” But, for his efforts, Achillas has, nevertheless, been recognised as a Saint. St Athanasius (297-373), later the Archbishop of Alexandria and, the Doctor of the Church, described our St Achillas by the honourific “Achillas the Great.

Posted in DOMINICAN OP, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Within the All Saints Octave, Onze Liewe Vrou van Scherpenheuvel / Our Lady of Scherpenheuvel Belgium (17th Century) and Memorials of the Saints – 7 November

Within the All Saints Octave

The Feast of All Saints of the Order of Preachers:
Fountain of all holiness, You stirred up in our holy brothers and sisters an extraordinary love of truth, conformity to Christ Crucified and a thirst for the salvation of souls: may we imitate them in offering You thanksgiving on account of the way of life they gave us.” — From the Intercessions at Lauds for the Feast of All Saints of the Order of Preachers.
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/11/07/thought-for-the-day-7-november-feast-of-all-dominican-saints/

St Achillas (Died 313) Bishop of Alexandria, Egypt.
St Amarand
St Amaranthus

St Athenodorus of Neo-Caesarea
St Auctus of Amphipolis
St Baud of Tours
St Blinlivet
St Congar

St Ernest of Mecca

St Gebetrude of Remiremont
St Herculanus of Perugia
St Hesychius of Mytilene
St Hieron of Mytilene
Bl Hyacinth Castañeda Puchasons
St Lazarus the Stylite
Bl Lucia of Settefonti
St Nicander of Mytilene
Bl Peter Ou
St Prosdocimus of Padua
St Prosdocimus of Rieti
St Raverranus of Séez
St Rufus of Metz
St Taurion of Amphipolis
St Thessalonica of Amphipolis
St Tremorus of Brittany