Day: November 25, 2023

Posted in CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on PURITY of INTENTION

Thought for the Day – 25 November – The Thirst for Justice

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Thought for the Day – 25 November – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Thirst for Justice

“Let us think deeply about our own secret ambitions.
Let us examine our thoughts, affections, desires and actions, in order to make sure that their primary object is the glory of God and the triumph of His reign in the universe.
If we find blemishes, distortions, or tepidity, we must revive and purify our love of God, without delay and with grave intent! ”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/12/02/thought-for-the-day-2-december-the-thirst-for-justice/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/11/25/thought-for-the-day-25-november-the-thirst-for-justice/

Posted in "Follow Me", CATECHESIS, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOOD FRIDAY, JESUIT SJ, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, OUR Cross, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, St Francis de Sales, The HOLY CROSS, The LORD'S PRAYER, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION

Quote/s of the Day – 25 November – Life for those who die

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Quote/s of the Day – 25 November – Sirach 51:1-8; 5:12, Matthew 25:1-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Behold, the Bridegroom is coming,
go forth to meet Him!”
Matthew 25:6

“He worked and struggled as our Champion
against our enemies,
broke open the bars of our prison,
won the struggle,
vanquished our death through His Own,
redeemed us through His Blood,
freed us through His water in Baptism
and made us rich,
through His Sacraments and His gifts,
so that, as He says in the Gospel (Mt 25:6),
we might “go out” with all virtues to,
“meet Him” in the palace of His glory
and enjoy Him forever in eternity.”

Bl Jan van Ruysbroeck (1293-1381)

“So, my brothers, let us pray as God our master has taught us.
To ask the Father in words His Son has given us,
to let Him hear the prayer of Christ ringing in His ears,
is to make our prayer one of friendship, a family prayer.
Let the Father recognise the words of His Son.
Let the Son who lives in our hearts, be also on our lips.
We have Him as an Advocate for sinners, before the Father,
when we ask for forgiveness for ours sins,
let us use the words given by our Advocate.
He tells us –
Whatever you ask the Father in my name, He will give you.
What more effective prayer could we then make,
in the name of Christ, than in the words of His own prayer?”

An excerpt from St Cyprian’s
Treatise On the Lord’s Prayer

St Cyprian of Carthage (c 200-258)
Martyr, Bishop of Carthage,
Father of the Church

“Carry me, O Christ,
on Thy Cross
which is salvation to the wanderer,
rest for the wearied
and, in which alone,
is Life for those who die.”

St Ambrose (340-397)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“The soul glorifies the Lord,
when it consecrates all its inner powers
on praising and serving God
and when, by its submission
to the Divine commands,
it proves that it never loses sight
of His Power and Majesty.
The spirit rejoices in God, its Saviour,
when it places all its joy
in the remembrance of its Creator,
from Whom it hopes for eternal salvation.”

St Bede the Venerable (673-735)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“When you pray,
hear Mass,
sit at table,
engage in business and,
when at bedtime you remove your clothes—
at all times, yearn that by the pain
which He felt when He was stripped
just before His Crucifixion,
He may strip us of our evil habits of mind.
Thus, naked, of earthly things,
we may also embrace the Cross!”

St Francis Borgia SJ (1510-1572)

“Jesus Nazarenus, Rex Judeaorum –
Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews.”
John 19:19

“HE DIED, THEN
But although He died for us and was lifted up on the Cross,
those who refuse to look upon Him, will surely die,
for there is no other redemption but in this Cross.

O God, how spiritually beneficial and profitable
is a consideration of Thy Cross and Passion!
Can we contemplate our Saviour’s humility on the Cross,
without becoming humble and,
having some affection for humiliations?
Can we see His obedience, without being obedient?
Certainly not!
No-one has ever looked upon Our Lord Crucified
and remained dead or sick.
On the other hand, all who have died,
have done so because.
they were unwilling to gaze upon Him,
just as the Israelites died.
who were unwilling to gaze upon the serpent
which Moses had raised upon the pole.”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on WATCHING, The HEART, The SECOND COMING, The WORD, Uncategorized

One Minute Reflection – 25 November – ‘…Christ enters at the open door. …’

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One Minute Reflection – 25 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – St Catherine of Alexandria (Died c305) Virgin Martyr – Sirach 51:1-8; 5:12, Matthew 25:1-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Watch, therefore because you know not the day, nor the hour.” – 25:13

REFLECTION – “You are one of the virgins who illumine the beauty of your body with the light of the mind, you are all the more fit to be compared with the Church. In the hours of the night, think always on Christ and hope for His coming at every moment. …
Christ enters at the open door. He will not fail to do so, for He has promised to enter. Embrace Him, Whom you have sought. Approach Him and be illumined.
Hold Him and ask Him not to go away quickly. Beg Him not to depart. For “His Word runs swiftly” (Ps 147:15) and will not be held by the slothful or negligent soul. Let your soul run to His call and follow closely, the sound of His heavenly Voice, for His passing is swift. …

With what ties is Christ to be held?
Not by force, not by chains but rather, by the bonds of charity.
He is kept and held by the ties of the mind, by the love of the heart.
So, if you wish to hold Christ, seek Him continually and fear no fatigue.
It is often in pain of body, amid the very hands of the persecutors that Christ may really be found. … In a little while, in a brief moment, when you have escaped the hands of your persecutors and have not succumbed to the powers of the world, Christ will meet you and will not allow you to be tempted further.” – St Ambrose (340-397) Archbishop of Milan, Father and Doctor of the Church (De virginitate, PL 16, 283-286 – The Nun’s Ideals).

PRAYER – O God, Who gave the law to Moses on Sinai’s height and through Thy holy Angels, miraculously placed there, the body of blessed Catherine, Thy Virgin and Martyr, grant, we beseech Thee that by her merits and intercession, we may reach that towering eminence which is Christ our Lord.Through the same 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 MARIAN PRAYERS, NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for the SOULS, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of PETITION, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PURGATORY, QUOTES on DEATH, Quotes on SALVATION, The LAST THINGS, The SIGN of the CROSS

Our Morning Offering – 25 November – O Thou, Most Holy Virgin Mary By St John Vianney

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Our Morning Offering – 25 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” and Mary’s Day

O Thou, Most Holy Virgin Mary
(Pray for Me in All My Necessities)
By St John Vianney (1786-1859)

O thou, Most Holy Virgin Mary,
who dost evermore stand
before the Most Holy Trinity
and to whom it is granted, at all times
to pray for us to thy Most Beloved Son;
pray for me in all my necessities;
help me, combat for me
and obtain for me,
the pardon of all my sins.
Help me especially at my last hour
and when I can no longer give
any sign of the use of reason,
then do thou encourage me,
make the Sign of the Cross for me
and fight for me against the enemy.
Make in my name, a profession of faith;
favour me with a testimony of my salvation
and never let me despair of the mercy of God.
Help me to overthrow the wicked enemy.
When I can no longer say:
“Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
I place my soul in your hands,”
do thou say it for me;
when I can no longer hear
human words of consolation,
do thou comfort me.
Leave me not before I have been judged
and if I have to expiate my sins in Purgatory,
Oh! pray for me earnestly
and admonish my friends,
to procure for me a speedy enjoyment
of the Blessed Sight of God.
Lessen my sufferings,
deliver me speedily and lead my soul
into Heaven with thee
that, united with all the elect,
I may there bless and praise my God
and thee, for all eternity.
Amen.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 25 November – Saint Moses of Rome (Died c251) Priest Martyr, Confessor.

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Saint of the Day – 25 November – Saint Moses of Rome (Died c251) Priest Martyr, Confessor. Born in Rome, Italy and died in c251 as a result of the lengthy confinement under the inhuman conditions in prison. It is said that our Saint was not a true Martyr in the usual sense of their deaths but since those times, many others too have been granted the title for similar deaths during imprisonment.

The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Rome, St Moses, Priest and Martyr, who, with others detained in prison, was often consoled by the letters of St Cyprian (Martyr). After he had withstood, with unbending courage, not only the pagans but, also the Novatian schismatics and heretics, he was finally, in the persecutions of Decius, crowned with a Martyrdom which fills the mind with adminration, according to the words of Pope St Cornelius (Martyr).”

Prison of Ancient Rome by Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1760)

St Moses, who might have been of Jewish origin was born in Rome and ministered there during the times of the persecution of the Emperor Decius, in the mid-3rd Century.

Decius’ persecution also affected the leaders of the Church – Bishops and Pope Fabian himself. For many months it was impossible to elect a new Pontiff. For this reason, the Roman Church was administered by a college of Priests, among whom Moses, distinguished himself by his devotion and zealous confession of Christ and His Church.

During the persecution, many Christians had denied their faith. Extreme controversies arose between those who supported an intransigence line and those, like Moses, who held more moderate positions, calling for tolerance for those who had renounced or had prudently avoided the dangers.

Moses died in 251, the victim of a long imprisonment. He confessed Christ and testified to his faith until his death in chains.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Madonna del Sasso / Our Lady of the Rock, Fiesole, Italy (1028), St Catherine of Alexandria (Died c305) Virgin Martyr and the Saints for 25 November

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Madonna del Sasso / Our Lady of the Rock, Fiesole, Tuscany, Italy (1028) – 25 November:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/11/25/madonna-del-sasso-our-lady-of-the-rock-fiesole-tuscany-italy-1028-and-memorials-of-the-saints-25-november/

St Catherine of Alexandria (Died c305) Virgin Martyr, Philosopher, One of the Fourteen Holy Helpers –
https://anastpaul.com/2022/08/08/saint-s-of-the-day-8-august-the-fourteen-holy-helpers/
St Catherine’s Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/11/25/saint-of-the-day-25-november-st-catherine-of-alexandria-died-c-305/

Bl Adalbert of Caramaico
St Alanus of Lavaur
St Audentius of Milan

Blessed Beatrice d’Ornacieux O.Cart (c 1260–1303) Virgin, Carthusian Nun, Mystic, Founded a Monastery at Eymeu on France. The Roman Martyrology states: “In the territory of Valence in France, Blessed Beatrice d’Ornacieux, Virgin of the Carthusian Order, who, famous for her love for the Cross, lived and died in extreme poverty in the Monastery of Eymeu which she founded.”
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/11/25/saint-of-the-day-25-november-blessed-beatrice-dornacieux-o-cart-c-1260-1303/

St Bernold of Ottobeuren
Bl Conrad of Heisterbach
Bl Ekbert of Muensterschwarzach

Blessed Elisabeth Achler TOR (1386-1420) “Blessed Elisabeth the Good,” Franciscan Tertiary Sister, Mystic, Stigmatist, Apostle of the Holy Eucharist, prayer and charity, gifted with the charism of prophecy.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/11/25/saint-of-the-day-25-november-blessed-elisabeth-achler-tor-1386-1420/

St Erasmus of Antioch
Bl Garcia of Arlanza
Bl Guido of Casauria
St Imma of Wurzburg
St Jucunda of Reggio Aemilia
St Mercurius of Caesarea
St Moses of Rome (Died c251) Priest Martyr Confessor

Martyrs of Africa – 13 Saints: A group of 13 Christians murdered together for their faith in Africa, date unknown. The only details to have survived are their names – Claudian, Cyprian, Donatus, Felix, Januarius, Julian, Lucian, Marcian, Martialis, Peter, Quirianus, Victor and Vitalis.