Day: March 15, 2024

Posted in "Follow Me", GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 15 March – The Last Artifice of the Devil –Making even Virtue, an Occasion of Sin! (Part Four)

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Thought for the Day – 15 March – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

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

XXXII: … The Last Artifice of the Devil –
Making even Virtue, an Occasion of Sin!
(Part Four)

“Further, I would advise you to be very reserved in making known the gifts which God may have bestowed upon you, for this is almost always displeasing to your Lord, as He, Himself, plainly shows us in the following lesson.

Appearing once in the form of a child to a devout servant of His, she asked Him, with great simplicity, to recite the Angelical Salutation.
He readily began:
“Ave Maria, gratia plena,
Dominus tecum, benedicta tu in mulieribus”
and then stopped, being unwilling to praise Himself in the words which follow. And while she was praying Him to proceed, He withdrew Himself from her,
leaving His servant full of consolation because of the heavenly doctrine which, by His example, He had thus revealed to her.

Do you also learn to humble yourself and to acknowledge yourself, with all your works, to be the nothing which you are.
This is the foundation of all other virtues.
God, before we existed, created us out of nothing and now, that we exist through
Him, He wills that the whole spiritual edifice should be built on this foundation the knowledge that of ourselves we are nothing.
And the deeper we dig into this knowledge, the higher will the building rise.
And, in proportion, as we clear away the earth of our own misery, the Divine Architect will bring solid stones for its completion.

And never imagine that you can dig deep enough — on the contrary, think this of yourself, that if anything belonging to a creature could be infinite, it would be your unworthiness!
With this knowledge, duly carried into practice, we possess all good, without it, we are little better than nothing, although we should do the works of all the Saints and be continually absorbed in God.

O blessed knowledge, which makes us happy on earth and blessed in Heaven!
O Light, which, issuing from darkness, makes the soul bright and clear!
O unknown joy which sparkles amid our impurities!
O nothingness which, once known, makes us lords of all!”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/12/thought-for-the-day-12-march-the-last-artifice-of-the-devil-making-even-virtue-an-occasion-of-sin-part-one/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/13/thought-for-the-day-13-march-the-last-artifice-of-the-devil-making-even-virtue-an-occasion-of-sin-part-two/
PART THREE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/14/thought-for-the-day-14-march-the-last-artifice-of-the-devil-making-even-virtue-an-occasion-of-sin-part-three/


Posted in CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, GOD ALONE!, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MORTAL SIN, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SELF-DISTRUST, St Francis de Sales, The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY NAME, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 15 March – Let us weep for our sins and increase in love for our Divine Redeemer .

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Quote/s of the Day – 15 March – Friday of the Fourth Week in Lent – 3 Kings 17:17-24; John 11:1-45 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“I Am
the Resurrection
and the
Life”

John 11:25

“Love Him, then, keep Him as a friend.
He will not leave you as others do,
or let you suffer lasting death.
Sometime, whether you will or not,
you will have to part with everything.
Cling, therefore, to Jesus in life and death,
trust yourself to the glory of Him,
Who alone can help you
when all others fail.“

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

“If thou art bound down by sickness,
if sorrows weary thee,
if thou art trembling with fear,
invoke the name of Jesus!”

St Lawrence Justinian (1381-1456)

“A person who is conscious of his misery,
can certainly have great confidence in God.
In fact, he cannot have true confidence in Him,
without this consciousness of his misery.
This knowledge and acknowledgement
of our misery, leads us to the presence of God.”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of the Church

“Although the sinner
does not believe in Hell,
he will, nevertheless, go there,
if he has the misfortune to die
in mortal sin.”

St Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870)

“Let us weep for our sins
and increase in love for our Divine Redeemer.
The Crucifix will teach us,
as it taught the Saints,
the lesson of charity towards God
and towards our neighbour.
It will teach us to hate sin and to love virtue.
If we cherish it during life,
it will be our consolation
to kiss the Crucifix at the moment of death.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in BAPTISM, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, LENT 2024, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

Our Lenten Journey with the Angels and the Saints – 15 March – Do Not Fall Back Again Into Death!

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Our Lenten Journey with the Angels and the Saints – 15 March – Friday of the Fourth Week in Lent – 3 Kings 17:17-24; John 11:1-45 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Now, by this I know t
hat thou art a man of God
and the Word of the Lord
in thy mouth is true.”
3 Kings 17:24

“ Lazarus, come forth!”
John 11:43

Do Not Fall Back Again Into Death!

St Gregory Nazianzen (330-390)
Father & Doctor of the Church

“Laid to rest in the tomb, you heard the resounding call.
Is there any Voice greater than that of the Word?
Then you came out, you who were dead not merely for four days but for a very long time indeed.
You were raised with Christ … your burial bands fell to the ground.
Do not fall back again now into death; do not rejoin those who dwell in the tombs; do not allow yourself to be stifled by the burial bands of your sins.
For would you be able to come back to life once again?
Would you be able to bring out, from the death of here below, the resurrection of all men at the end of time? …

So let the Lord’s call resound in your ears!
Do not close them today to the teaching and admonitions of the Lord.
If you used to be blind, without light in your tomb, open your eyes lest you sink into the sleep of death.
In the Light of the Lord, behold light! in the Spirit of God, fix your eyes on the Son.
If you take to yourself the Word, in its entirety, then you focus onto your soul, all the power of Christ Who heals and restores to life ….
Do not be afraid to put some work into preserving your Baptismal purity and set the ways that lead to the Lord, within your heart.
Take care to preserve the act of acquittal which you received through pure grace ….

Let us be Light, as the disciples learned, from He Who is the Great Light: “You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:14).
Let us be lamps in this world by holding up on high the Word of Life, by being a life force for others.
Let us set out in search of God, in search of the One Who is the First and Purest of Lights.” – (Sermon on Holy Baptism).

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The LAST THINGS, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 15 March – Lazarus, come forth!

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One Minute Reflection – 15 March – “The Month of St Joseph” – St Clement Mary Hofbauer CSsR (1751-1820) “The Apostle of Vienna” –Friday of the Fourth Week in Lent – 3 Kings 17:17-24; John 11:1-45 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Lazarus, come forth! And at once he who had been dead came forth, bound feet and hands with bandages and his face was tied up with a cloth. ”- John 11:43-44

REFLECTION – “Here we have a man past the prime of life, a corpse, decaying, swollen, in fact, already in a state of dissolution, so that even his own relatives did not want the Lord to draw near the tomb because the decayed body enclosed therein, was so offensive . And yet, he is brought into life by a single call, confirming the proclamation of the resurrection, that is to say, that expectation of it, as universal, that we learn by a particular experience to entertain. For as in the regeneration of the universe, the Apostle tells us that “the Lord Himself will descend with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel” and by a trumpet sound, raise up the dead to incorruption — so now too, he who is in the tomb, at the Voice of command, shakes off death as if it were only sleep. He rids himself of the corruption that had come on his condition of a corpse, leaps forth from the tomb whole and sound, not even hindered as he leaves by the bonds of the grave cloths round his feet and hands.” … St Gregory of Nyssa (c335–c395) Father of the Church (On the Making of Man, 25).

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 of blessed N.St Clement Mary Hofbauer 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).

Posted in INDULGENCES, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRAYERS for the SOULS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

Our Morning Offering – 15 March – Indulgenced prayer, By the Merits of the Precious Blood of Jesus

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Our Morning Offering – 15 March – Feast of the Most Precious Blood for the Friday after Laetare Sunday

By the Merits of the
Precious Blood of Jesus
By Servant of God Pope Pius VII (1742-1823)
Papacy from 1800 to 1823
Indulgenced Act of Oblation to Our Father

Eternal Father!
I offer Thee the merits
of the Precious Blood of Jesus,
Thy well-beloved Son,
my Saviour and my God,
for all my wants,
spiritual and temporal,
in aid of the Holy Souls in Purgatory
and chiefly for those
who most loved this Precious Blood,
the price of our redemption
and who were most devout
to the sorrows and pains
of most Holy Mary,
our dear Mother.

Glory be to the Blood of Jesus,
now and forever
and throughout all ages.
Amen.

Indulgence of 300 days, each time this prayed is offered,
22 September 1817 with a Plenary Indulgence, once a month,
under the usual conditions.

Note of Interest: On 15 August 1811 – the Feast of the Assumption – it is recorded that the Pope celebrated Mass and was said to have entered a trance and began to levitate in a manner that drew him to the Altar. This particular episode aroused great wonder and awe among attendants, which included the French soldiers guarding him, who were awestruck at what had occurred and left records of it.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 15 March – Saint Eusebius II of Vercelli (Died c520) Bishop

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Saint of the Day – 15 March – Saint Eusebius II of Vercelli (Died c520) Bishop of Vercelli, Italy. Also known as – Eusebio II.

Neither the volume printed in 1581, edited by the Eusebian Chapter which contained the ancient litanies and the Offices of the Cathedral of Vercelli, nor the Eusebian Calendar, published in 1676, mention him.

What is certain, is that under this portrait, part of the ancient series of the first 40 Bishops of Vercelli, painted in the Cathedral, one could read his name, with the ranking of “the Second.”

Now let us frame the historical period of his Episcopate — to the left, i.e. a predecessor, is the Bishop Emilian, who ruled the Diocese of Vercelli at the end of the 5th Century (Died 501), was succeeded by a Bishop whose name is unknown. Then immediately after came our Eusebius II, who, in fact was the 12th Bishop of the See. Some local historians believe his Episcopacy to have occurred from 515 to 534 but without proof of this supposition.

The Bollandist hagiographers, who placed his memory on 15 March, established the date of his death around 520 and expressed themselves with his praise, saying that, following the example of the Diocesan Protobishop, St Eusebius I of Vercelli (Died 1 August 371), his namesake, fulfilled his pastoral duties with the utmost diligence and charity.

And Bishop Ferrero also expressed himself in these terms, in his work on the Bishops of Vercelli,which he published in the second edition, in 1609.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, SAINT of the DAY, The SEVEN PASSION Feasts

Friday of the Fourth Week in Lent, FEAST OF THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD OF JESUS, St Joseph Novena Day Six, Notre Dame de Sous-Terre / Our Lady of the Underground, Chartres, France (911), St Clement Mary Hofbauer and the Saints for 15 March

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Friday of the Fourth Week in Lent – FAST AND ABSTINENCE

FEAST OF THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD OF JESUS is a Feast for the Fridays of Lent, which has been in the General Roman Calendar from 1849 to 1969 with the same Office as that of the Solemnity of the Precious Blood in July..
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/07/10/the-solemnity-of-the-most-precious-blood-of-of-our-lord-jesus-christ-and-the-litany/
AND MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/24/friday-of-the-fourth-week-in-lent-fast-and-abstinence-feast-of-the-most-precious-blood-of-jesus-the-archangel-saint-gabriel-our-lady-of-the-flowering-thorn-france-and-memorials-of-the-saints/

NOVENA for the Intercession of ST JOSEPH
DAY SIX: Click Link HERE: DAY SIX

Notre Dame de Sous-Terre / Our Lady of the Underground, Chartres, France (911) – 15 March:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/15/our-lady-of-the-underground-chartres-france-911-and-memorials-of-the-saints-15-march/

St Clement Mary Hofbauer C.Ss.R (1751-1820) “The Apostle of Vienna” Hermit, Priest, Religious, Co-Founder of the Redemptorist Order (in Austria).
He was Canonised on 20 May 1909 by Pope Pius X.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/03/15/saint-of-the-day-15-march-st-clement-mary-
hofbauer-c-ss-r-1751-1820/

Bl Anthony of Milan
St Aristobulos of Britannia
St Bodian of Hanvec
St Eoghan of Concullen
St Eusebius II of Vercelli (Died c520) Bishop
Bl Francis of Fermo
St Longinus the Centurian
Bl Ludovico de la Pena
St Mancius of Evora
St Matrona of Capua
St Matrona of Thessaloniki
St Menignus of Parium
Bl Monaldus of Ancona
St Nicander of Alexandria
St Peter Pasquale
St Sisebuto
St Speciosus
St Vicenta of Coria
Bl Walter of Quesnoy

Blessed William Hart (1558-1583) 25 year old Priest Martyr and Missionary.
AND His Farewell to a Mother (Heart-rending)
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/15/saint-of-the-day-15-march-blessed-william-hart-1558-1583-priest-martyr-and-his-farewell-to-a-mother-heart-rending/
AND His Last Words:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/15/quote-s-of-the-day-15-march-blessed-william-hart-1558-1583-priest-martyr/

St Pope Zachary (Died 752) – Papal Ascension 5 December 741- 752. Abolitionist of slavery,Apostle of the poor, Diplomat of skill and subtlity, Administrator of great renown, Peace-maker.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/15/saint-of-the-day-15-march-saint-pope-zachary-died-752/