Day: February 20, 2024

Posted in GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, QUOTES on WISDOM, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 20 February – Of the Proper Use of the Exterior Senses: Contemplation of the Divinity (Part Two)

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Thought for the Day – 20 February – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

XXI: … Of The Proper Use of the Exterior Senses:
Contemplation of the Divinity
(Part Two)

“And if attracted by the beauty of the creature, separate that which you see, from the Spirit which you see not and consider that all that exterior beauty, is solely derived from the invisible Spirit which is its source and joyfully say:
“Behold, these are streamlets
from the uncreated Fountain;
behold, these are drops
from the Infinite Ocean of all good.
O, how does my inmost heart rejoice
at the thought of that eternal Infinite Beauty
which is the Source and Origin of all created beauty!”

And, on the discovery, in other men of goodness, wisdom, justice or similar virtues, make the same mental separation and say to God:
“O most rich Treasure-house of all virtues,
how greatly do I rejoice that from Thee
and through Thee alone,
flows all goodness and, that all in comparison
with Thy Divine perfections, is as nothing!
I thank Thee, Lord, for this
and every good gift which Thou hast vouchsafed
to my neighbour; remember, Lord,
my poverty, and my great need of this very virtue.”

When you stretch out your hand to do anything, reflect that God is the first cause of that action and you but His living instrument and raising your thoughts to Him, say thus:
“How great, O supreme Lord of all,
is my interior joy, that without Thee
I can do nothing and that Thou,
art in truth, the first and chief Worker of all things!”

When eating or drinking, consider that it is God who gives its relish to your food. Delighting yourself, therefore, in Him alone, say:
“Rejoice, O my soul,
hat as there is no true contentment but in God,
so in Him alone, may you, in all things content yourself.”

When your senses are gratified by some sweet odour, rest not in this enjoyment but let your thoughts pass onto the Lord, from Whom this sweetness is derived and, inwardly consoled, by this thought, say:
“Grant, O Lord, that as I rejoice
because all sweetness flows from Thee,
so may my soul, pure and free from all earthly pleasure,
ascend on high as a sweet savour,
acceptable unto Thee.”

When you listen to the harmony of sweet sounds, let your heart turn to God, saying:
“How do I rejoice, my Lord and God,
in Thine Infinite perfections
which, not only make a super-celestial
harmony within Thyself,
but also, unite the Angels in Heaven
and all created beings,
in one marvellous harmonious concert!”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/02/19/thought-for-the-day-19-february-of-the-proper-use-of-the-exterior-senses-contemplation-of-the-divinity-part-one/

Posted in FRANCISCAN OFM, I BELIEVE!, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on TRUTH, QUOTES on VIRTUE, QUOTES on WORK/LABOUR, ROSARY QUOTES, ROSARY QUOTES, St Francis de Sales

Quote/s of the Day – 20 February – Prayer

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Quote/s of the Day – 20 February – Tuesday of the First Week in Lent – Ferial Day – Isaias 55:6-11, Matthew 21:10-17 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Let my prayer come
like incense before Thee, O Lord”

Psalm 140:2

“In prayer, the soul cleanses itself from sin,
charity is nourished,
faith is strengthened,
hope made secure;
the spirit rejoices,
the soul grows tender
and the heart is purified,
truth discovers itself,
temptation is overcome,
sadness takes to flight,
the senses are renewed,
failing virtue is made strong,
tepidity disappears,
the rust of sin is rubbed away.
In it are brought forth,
lively flashes of heavenly desires
and in these fires,
burns the flame of Divine love.
Great are the excellences of prayer,
great its privileges.
The heavens open before it
and unveil therein, their secrets
and to it, are the ears of God ever attentive.”

A Golden Treatise of Mental Prayer
Download the book, “A Golden Treatise of Mental Prayer”

St Peter of Alcantara (1499-1562)

“Prayer is the beginning,
the progress and the complement
of all virtues.”

“Souls are won with the knees.”

St Charles Borromeo (1538-1584)

“The greatest method of praying
is to pray the Rosary.”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)

“Christian perfection consists in three things:
praying heroically,
working heroically
and suffering heroically.”

St Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870)

Posted in GOD ALONE!, LENT 2024, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on PRAYER

Our Lenten Journey with the Angels and the Saints – 20 February – No Time to Pray!

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Our Lenten Journey with the Angels and the Saints – 20 February – Tuesday of the First Week in Lent – Ferial Day – Isaias 55:6-11, Matthew 21:10-17 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Let my prayer come
like incense before You, O Lord”
Psalm 140:2

“He said to them, It is written,
‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’”
Matthew 21:13

No Time to Pray!

St Jean-Marie Baptiste Vianney (1786-1859)

“Man has a beautiful office, that of praying and loving.
You pray, you love – that is the happiness of man upon the earth.
Prayer is nothing else than union with God.
I say that prayer is the lifting up of the heart to God.
Or, rather, it should be like a pleasant confidence, such as might exist between a child and his father, or between a friend and a friend. …

What, then, should we think of those lukewarm Christians who say they have no time to pray.
No time to pray!
Poor, deluded beings!
What is of more value – to try to please God and save your soul or to do your daily share of toil.
No time to pray!
Suppose God had let you die during the night, would you do your work today?
Or if God had sent you a protracted sickness, would you then be able to perform your daily labour?
Oh, what blindness! Such people deserve that God should let them perish in their blindness.
We deem it sufficient to devote a few minutes to Him, to thank him for the graces which we receive from Him every moment of our lives.
You say you are too busy but do not forget, my friends that your principal business in life is to please God and save your soul!
If you do not attend to your work yourself, somebody else will take your place and do it but if you lose your soul, who will save it for you?…

But you may ask, “How is it possible to be constantly praying?”
My dear people there is nothing easier than that.
All that is necessary, is to occupy our minds from time to time, while we are working, with God, by making now and then an Act of Charity, to prove to Him that we love Him because He is goodness itself and deserves to be loved; or an Act of Humility, insofar as we deem ourselves unworthy of His graces which He imparts to us unceasingly; or, again, an Act of Confidence, by recalling to our mind that, al though we are laden with sin, He loves us and longs to make us happy.
Or at other times we should think of the Suffering and Passion of Jesus Christ, we should contemplate Him in the Garden of Olives … or some other time of His birth, His flight into Egypt; or again, of death, the Judgement, hell and Heaven.
Or we might say a little prayer in honour of our Guardian Angel and for one thing we should never omit to say – The Angelus, when the bells call …” (Sermons of the Curé d’Ars ).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The INCARNATION, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 20 February –’ … The Voice through which the dead shall live.’

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One Minute Reflection – 20 February – Tuesday of the First Week in Lent – Ferial Day – Isaias 55:6-11, Matthew 21:10-17 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“For just as from the Heavens, the rain and snow come down and do not return there, until they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to him who sows and bread to him who eats.” – Isaias 55:11

REFLECTION – “For the rain and the snow do not return to Heaven but accomplish in the earth the will of Him Who sends them. So the Word that He shall send through His Christ, Who is Himself, the Word and the Message, shall return to Him with great power. For when He shall come and bring it, He shall come down like rain and snow and through Him all that is sown shall spring up and bear righteous fruit and the Word shall return to His Sender but not in vain shall His going have been but thus shall He say, in the presence of His Sender, “Behold, I and the children that the Lord has given Me.” And this is the Voice through which the dead shall live. And this is the Voice of God that shall sound from on high and raise up all the dead.” – St Aphraates “the Sage” (Died c 345) (Feast Day – 29 January) Abbot, Father of the Church [see note below] (Demonstrations 8).

PRAYER – From all perils of soul and body, defend us, O Lord, we beseech Thee and by the intercession of blessed and gloriosus ever Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of blessed Joseph, of Thy blessed Apostles Peter and Paul and all the Saints, graciously grant us safety and peace that all adversities and errors being overcome, Thy Church may serve Thee in security and freedom. 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).

St Aphraates was a Syriac Christian author of the third century from the Persian Empire who composed a series of twenty-three sermons on points of Christian doctrine and practice. He was an Ascetic and Celibate. He may have been a Bishop and later Syriac tradition places him at the head of Mar Mattai Monastery near Mosul, therefore, he was certainly an Abbot.

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, BLESSED TRINITY PRAYERS, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEBRUARY - THE BLESSED TRINITY (Traditional), GOD the FATHER, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, The HEART, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY

Our Morning Offering – 20 February – Almighty Father, Come Into Our Hearts By St Augustine

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Our Morning Offering – 20 February – “The Month of the Most Holy and Blessed Trinity”

Almighty Father, Come Into Our Hearts
By St Augustine (354-430)

Almighty Father, come into our hearts
and so fill us with Thy love
that forsaking all evil desires,
we may embrace Thee, our only good.
Show us, O Lord our God,
what Thou art to us.
Say to our souls, I Am your salvation,
speak so, that we may hear.
Our hearts are before Thee,
open our ears,
let us hasten after Thy Voice.
Hide not Thy Face from us,
we beseech Thee, O Lord.
Open our hearts, so that Thou may enter in.
Repair the ruined mansions,
that Thou may dwell therein.
Hear us, O Heavenly Father,
for the sake of Thy Only Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with Thee
and the Holy Ghost,
one God, now and forever.
Amen

Posted in Against ICONOCLASM, SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 20 February – St Leo of Catania (c720-789) Bishop

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Saint of the Day – 20 February – St Leo of Catania (c720-789) Bishop, Defender of Sacred Images for which opposition he was forced to flee into exile for some years, Hermit. Born in c720 in Ravenna, Italy and died on 20 February 789 in Etna, Sicily, Italy, natural causes. St Leo was the 15th Bishop of Catania, Sicily, famed for his love and care for the poor, his brave opposition to the iconoclastic Government of the time and for his Miracles. Sadly I have found no accounts of his miracles but by the artworks below, it seems they were renowned in their day. Patronages – of these Cities and Towns in Sicily, Italy : Longi, Ronetta, Saracena, Sinagra. Also known as – “Il Maraviglioso” (the Wonderworker) or “He who performs Miracles” Leone.

The Roman Martyrology reads: “In Catania, Sicily, St Leo, the Bishop, illustrious vor virtue and miracles.”

Leo was born in Ravenna in around 720. Since his childhood, he felt the call of God. It is said that his mother saw him on his knees absorbed in prayer at the age of two. While still very young, he entered the Order of Benedictine Monks and moved to Reggio Calabria. Here he remained until he was elected Bishop of Catania. It is reported that the people of Catania had received an angelic vision in a collective dream, wherein they were informed that Leo was the perfect choice to hold the office of their new Bishop. Initially, Leo, not considering himself worthy, did not want to accept but after the insistence of the Catanian faithful, he became thei 15th Bishop of Catania.

In those years, the ferocious destruction of sacred images “iconoclasm – considered a sign of idolatry” was taking place throughout the Byzantine Empire. Those who did not obey the edict which forbid the use of sacred images, were imprisoned and often ended in exile and even Martyrdom. The Bishop of Catania openly opposed the imperial laws. For this reason, the Byzantine Governor of Sicily, ordered Leo’s arrest who was forced to leave Catania and take refuge in the mountains. He wandered in the wooded peaks of the area, in the surroundings of Longi and Sinagra, protected by the faithful, who honoured him as the proud opponent of the unjust laws of the Empire and as a Miracle-worker.

He finally arrived in Rometta. Here, in the nearby Peloritan mountains, he lived as a Hermit in a cave he dug himself. After some years, he returned, uncontested, to Catania, where he resumed his Episcopal Seat and his fight, with ever more energy, against the iconoclastic laws. He died in the City of Etna on 20 February 789. The image below was taken during the annual Procession held in Sinagra.

Posted in FRANCISCAN OFM, MARIAN TITLES, MARTYRS, MYSTICS, SAINT of the DAY

Tuesday of the First Week in Lent, Notre-Dame de Bolougne-sur-Mer / Our Lady of Bolougne-sur-Mer, France (633) and the Saints for 20 February

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Tuesday of the First Week in Lent

Notre-Dame de Bolougne-sur-Mer / Our Lady of Bolougne-sur-Mer, France (633) – 20 February:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/02/20/our-lady-of-bolougne-sur-mer-france-633-and-memorials-of-the-saints-20-february/

St Amata of Assisi OSC (Died c 1250)
St Bolcan of Derken
St Colgan

St Eleutherius of Tournai (c 456-532) the first Bishop of Tournai, France, Martyr. Confessor.
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/02/20/saint-of-the-day-20-february-saint-eleutherius-of-tournai-c-456-532-bishop-martyr/

St Eucherius of Orleans OSB (c 687-743) Bishop Orléans, Benedictine Monk, Confessor.
About St Eucherius:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/20/saint-of-the-day-20-february-saint-eucherius-of-orleans-c-687-743/

St Falco of Maastricht
St Leo of Catania (c720-789) Bishop
St Nemesius of Cyprus

Blessed Pietro of Treia OFM (1214-1304) Friar of the Friars Minor. Renowned and eloquent Preacher, Mystic and Ecstatic who levitated and experienced visions. Pope Pius VI, on 11 September 1793 approved the cult and Beatified him.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/02/20/saint-of-the-day-20-february-blessed-pietro-of-treia-ofm-1214-1304/

St Pothamius of Cyprus
St Serapion of Alexandria
St Silvanus of Emesa
St Valerius of Courserans
St Wulfric of Haselbury
St Zenobius of Antioch