Day: April 6, 2024

Posted in "Follow Me", GOD ALONE!, OUR Cross, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 6 April– We Must Never Wish to be Delivered from theTrials we are Patiently Enduring

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Thought for the Day – 6 April– The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

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

XLI: … We Must Never Wish to be Delivered from the
Trials we are Patiently Enduring

“When you shall find yourself in any painful position and bearing it patiently, take heed lest the devil or your own self-love persuade you to desire deliverance from it; for you may thereby, incur two great evils.

+++ Firstly – If this desire should not rob you at once of the virtue of patience, it would at least gradually dispose you to impatience.
+++ Secondly – Your patience would become defective and would be rewarded by God only according to the duration of the suffering; whereas, if you had not desired to be freed from it but had committed yourself wholly to His Divine goodness, your sufferings, although but of an hour’s duration, or even less, would have been accepted by your Lord as an enduring service.

In this, then and in all things, make it your unvarying rule, to keep your wishes so far removed from every other object that they may tend simply to their true and only end, the Will of God.
For thus, will they be ever right and true and, in any cross, or accident which may occur, you will be not only tranquil but content because, as nothing can happen without the Supreme Will, by willing the same, you will come, at all times, both to will all that happens and to possess all that you desire!

This must not be understood either of our own sins or those of others, for God Wills not these but, it applies to every chastisement arising from them, or from any other cause, although it be so keen and searching, as to reach the very bottom of the heart and, to wither the very roots of the natural life; a cross wherewith God is sometimes pleased to favour His nearest and dearest friends.

And, what I say of the patience which you are bound to practice on all occasions, is to be understood of that portion of any trouble, which still remains, after we have used all lawful means of relief and which, it is the Will of God that we should endure.

And, in the use of these means, we should be guided by the Will and disposal of God, Who has appointed them to be used, not to please ourselves but because He so Wills; nor as loving or desiring deliverance from suffering beyond what is required for His service and by His Will!”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, CARMELITES, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, franciscan OFM, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on ANGELS, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on STRENGTH, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, QUOTES on VIRTUE, QUOTES on WORRY/ANXIETY, SELF-DISTRUST, St Francis de Sales, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 6 April – [He] hath called you out of darkness …

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Quote/s of the Day – 6 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Easter Saturday – 1 Peter 2:1-10, John 20:1-9 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“[He] hath called you out of darkness
into His marvellous Light … ”

1 Peter 2:9

“Let not your hearts be troubled,
neither let them be afraid.”

John 14:27

“In the world you will have tribulation.
But take heart, I have conquered the world.”
John 16:33

“Who will be crowned without having fought?
Who will go to rest if he is not tired
(cf. 2 Tim 2:5-6)?
Who will gather the fruits of life
without having planted virtues in his soul?
Cultivate them, prepare the earth
with the greatest care,
take trouble over it, sweat over it,
children, God’s workers,
imitators of the Angels,
competitors with incorporeal beings,
lights for those who are in the world
(cf. Phil 2:15)!”

St Theodore the Studite (759-826)

“Lord, help me to live this day,
quietly, easily.
To lean upon Thy great strength,
trustfully, restfully.
To wait for the unfolding of Thy will,
patiently, serenely.
To meet others,
peacefully, joyously.
To face tomorrow,
confidently, courageously.”

St Frances of Assisi (c1181-1226)

“Let nothing perturb you,
nothing frighten you.
All things pass.
God does not change.
Patience achieves everything.”

St Teresa of Jesus of Avila (1515-1582)
Doctor of Prayer

“Let us think only
of spending the present
day well.
Then, when tomorrow
shall have come,
it will be called
TODAY
and then, we will think
about it.”

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

Posted in APRIL -MONTH of the RESURRECTION and the BLESSED SACAMENT, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 6 April – The Sun of Justice … today rises and shines on the whole creation. …’

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One Minute Reflection – 6 April – “The Month of the Resurrection” – Easter Saturday – 1 Peter 2:1-10, John 20:1-9 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“This is the day which the Lord has made: let us be glad and rejoice therein.” – Psalm 117:24.

REFLECTION – “The Sun of Justice (Mal 3:20) which had disappeared for three days, today rises and shines on the whole creation. Christ was in the tomb for three days but He existed before the ages! He comes up like a vine and fills the earth with joy. Let us behold the Rising Sun which will never set, let us anticipate the day and be filled with the joy of this Light!

The gates of Hell have been broken by Christ, the dead awake from sleep. Christ rises, He, the Resurrection of the dead and comes to awaken Adam. Christ, the Resurrection of all who have died, rises and comes to free Eve from malediction. Christ rises, He Who is the Resurrection and He transforms, in all its beauty, what had “no stately bearing to make us look at Him” (Is 53:2). As a sleeper, the Lord awoke and confounded all the deceitfulness of the enemy. He was raised and gave joy to the whole creation; He was raised and the prison-house of Hell was emptied; He was raised and transformed, what is corruptible into incorruptibility (1 Cor 15:53). The Risen Christ clothed Adam with incorruptibility, his original dignity.

Today, through Christ, the Church becomes a new heaven (Apoc 21:1), a more beautiful vault to contemplate, than the visible sun. The sun which we see everyday, cannot compare with this Sun – as a servant filled with respect, it eclipsed before Him, when it saw Him hanging on the Cross (Mt 27:45). It is of this Sun that the Prophet said: “For you, who fear My Name, there will arise the Sun of Justice with its healing rays” (Mal 3:20)… Through Him, Christ, the Sun of Justice, the Church becomes a beautiful heaven filled with a multitude of stars which emerge from the Baptismal waters in their new Light. “This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad” (Ps 117:24), filled with the joy that comes from God.” – St Epiphanius of Salamis (Died 403) Bishop

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, O Almighty God that we, who have devoutly kept the Easter solemnities, may at last worthily pass from keeping Feasts, unto Thee here below, to the everlasting jubilation above. 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 CHRIST the KING, CHRIST the LIGHT, GOD ALONE!, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, Our MORNING Offering, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD

 Our Morning Offering – 6 April – The Mater Christi

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 Our Morning Offering – 6 April – Easter Saturday

The Mater Christi
Unknown Author

Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
What shall I ask of thee?
I do not sigh for the wealth of earth
For the joys that fade and flee,
But, Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
This do I long to see —
The bliss untold which thy arms enfold,
The Treasure upon thy knee.

Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
He was All-in-All to thee,
In the winter’s cave, in Nazareth’s home,
In the hamlets of Galilee,
So, Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
He will not say nay to thee,
When He lifts His Face to thy sweet embrace,
Speak to Him, Mother, of me.

Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
The world will bid Him flee,
Too busy to heed His gentle Voice,
Too blind His charms to see,
Then, Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
Come with thy Babe to me,
Tho’ the world be cold, my heart shall hold
A shelter for Him and thee.

Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
What shall I do for thee?
I will love thy Son with the whole of my strength,
My only King shall He be.
Yes! Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
This will I do for thee,
Of all that are dear or cherished here,
None shall be dear as He.

Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
I toss on a stormy sea,
O lift thy Child as a Beacon Light,
To the Port where I fain would be!
And, Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
This do I ask of thee —
When the voyage is o’er, oh! stand on the shore
And show Him at last to me.

The Author is unclear – The 1920 St Gregory Hymn book (editor Nicola A. Montani) credits it to Nicola A Montani.
The 1914 American Catholic Hymn book credits it to “S. N. D. ” – most likely meaning a Sister of Notre Dame

Posted in DYING / LAST WORDS, INCORRUPTIBLES, SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 6 April – Blessed Catherine of Pallanza (c1437-1478) Virgin

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Saint of the Day – 6 April – Blessed Catherine of Pallanza (c1437-1478) Virgin, Hermit, Ascetic, Mystic, Prioress, Spiritual Advisor graced with the charism of prophecy. Born in c1437 in Pallanza, Italy as Catarina Morigi and died on 6 April 1478 at Sacra Monte sopra Varese Monastery, Varese, Italy of natural causes aged 51 years. Also known as – Caterina Morigi di Pallanza, Catherine Morigi, Catarina Morigi Catarina of Pallanza, Katarina … Additional Memorial – 27 April (Ambrosian Rite). Her cult was confirmed on 16 September 1769 by Pope Clement XIV. Her body is incorrupt.

Catarina was born around 1437 in Pallanza, a small village in the Diocese of Novara in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. Her entire family died in a plague epidemic when she was very young and she was adopted by a woman who lived in nearby Milan.

At the age of 20 she was deeply moved after hearing a sermon on the Passion of Christ, prostrating herself before the Crucifix in the Church and consecrating her virginity to God. It was not long after this that she received a vision of the Crucified Jesus Who said to her:
“Beloved daughter Catarina … I have selected for you the place called Santa Maria on the Mountain.”
Catarina immediately retired to a wild and lonely mountain region above Varese near Milan which had often been used by hermits and, where Saint Ambrose had built an Altar in honour of the Virgin Mary .

She joined a group of female Hermits under the leadership of a Priest in charge of St Ambrose’ Sanctuary. Older sources write that she was the first woman known to have lived there as a Hermit but this is obviously not correct. Catarina lived this life for fifteen years and even in an area famous for the severe penances of its Hermit residents, Catarina’s asceticism was so extreme that it attracted attention. She fasted ten months of the year and was always dependent on gifts of food brought to her at irregular intervals by those who sought her prayers and advice.

Despite her desire to be left alone, a group of five female disciples joined her. The first (in 1454) was Blessed Juliana Puricelli of Busto Arsizio and the others came in 1460. In 1474, Catarina organised them as a duly constituted community with herself as the Prioress, under the Rule of Saint Augustine. Pope Sixtus IV (1471-1484) approved the community. The Monastery was dedicated to Our Lady of the Mountain and the place was called Sacra Monte sopra Varese. The Nuns received permission to wear the Habit of the Poor Clares. Catherine served as Prioress for two years before she died.

Catherine died on 6 April 1478 at Sacra Monte sopra Varese. On her deathbed she was given a Crucifix and she kissed it and said:
“I see my beloved Crucified One.”
Her Confessor then said to her:
“Behold your Crucified One” and she replied:
“I have Him engraved upon my heart.”

Even while she was alive, she was graced with prophetic abilities and a local cult developed very quickly. In the 1730s, her mortal remains were translated to a special Chapel built in her honour, where her body is still venerated today. She was Beatified on 16 September 1769 when her cult was confirmed by Pope Clement XIV (1769-1774). At the same time, Blessed Juliana Puricelli’s cult was also confirmed. Catherine’s memorial day is the day of her death 6 April while 27 April is her Feast Day in the Ambrosian Liturgy (together with Juliana).

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Easter Saturday, Notre-Dame de la Conception / Our Lady of the Conception, Flanders (1553) and the Saints for 6 April

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Easter Saturday

Notre-Dame de la Conception / Our Lady of the Conception, Flanders (1553) – 6 April:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/06/easter-tuesday-our-lady-of-the-conception-flanders-1553-and-memorials-of-the-saints-6-april/

Saint Juliana of Cornillon (c 1192-1258) Nun, Mystic “Apostle of the Blessed Sacrament,” she contributed to the institution of one of the most important solemn Liturgies of the year, namely the Solemnity of Corpus Christi.
Her Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/06/saint-of-the-day-6-april-saint-juliana-of-cornillon-c-1192-1258-apostle-of-the-blessed-sacrament/

St Agrarius the Martyr
St Amand of Grisalba
St Berthanc of Kirkwall
St Brychan of Brycheiniog
Blessed Catharine of Pallanza (c1437-1478) Virgin
St Celsus Bishop
St Diogenes of Philippi
St Elstan of Abingdon
St Galla of Rome
St Gennard
St Irenaeus of Sirmium
St Marcellinus the Martyr

Blessed Notker Balbulus OSB (c 840-912) Benedictine Monk. Priest. Poet. Musician. Teacher. Writer. Historian. Hagiographer; wrote a martyrology, a collection of legends and a metrical biography of Saint Gall. He was Beatified in 1512 by Pope Julius II.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/04/06/saint-of-the-day-6-april-blessed-notker-balbulus/

St Philaret of Calabria
St Platonides of Ashkelon
St Prudentius of Troyes
St Pope Sixtus I
St Timothy of Philippi
St Ulched
St Urban of Peñalba

St William of Eskilsoe (1125-1203) Priest, Abbpt, Reformer – be it by his fervour, mortification, charity to the poor and uprightness of life.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/04/06/saint-of-the-day-6-april-st-william-of-eskilsoe-1125-1203-priest-abbot/

St Winebald

A Hundred and Twenty Martyrs of Hadiab, or Hadiabena, in Persia. These one hundred and twenty Martyrs suffered at Seleucia, in the year of Christ 345.
Their Story:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/04/06/saints-of-the-day-6-april-a-hundred-and-twenty-martyrs-of-hadiab-died-345/

Martyrs of Sirmium : 7 Saints: A group of fourth century Martyrs at Sirmium, Pannonia (modern Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia). We know little more than seven of their names – Florentius, Geminianus, Moderata, Romana, Rufina, Saturus and Secundus.