Day: April 7, 2024

Posted in DEVOTIO, QUOTES on PRESUMPTION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on ZEAL, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 7 April– How to Resist the Devil When he Seeks to Delude Us, by Indiscreet Zeal

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Thought for the Day – 7 April– The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

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

XLII: … How to Resist the Devil When
he Seeks to Delude Us, by Indiscreet Zeal

“When our cunning adversary perceives that we are walking onward in the path of holiness with fervent, yet well-regulated desires, being unable to draw us aside by open allurements, he transforms himself into an Angel of Light and, by suggestions of seeming friendship, words from Scripture and examples of Saints, importunately urges us to aspire indiscreetly, to the height of perfection that ,so doing, he may cause us to fall headlong from thence.

To this end, he encourages us to chastise the body with great severity, by fasts, disciplines, hair-shirts and other similar mortifications, that he may either tempt us to pride by the thought that we are doing great things which is a temptation which especially, besets women, or that we may fall sick and so be disabled from the exercise of good works; or else that from pain and over-weariness, we may take a disgust and abhorrence to spiritual exercises and thus, by degrees, grow cold in the way of godliness and, at last, give ourselves up with greater avidity than before to worldly pleasures and amusements!

This has been the end of many, who, following presumptuously the impulse of an indiscreet zeal, hav,e in their excessive outward austerities, gone beyond the measure of their interior virtue and so, have perished in their own inventions and become the sport of malicious fiends.
This would not have befallen them had they well considered what we have been saying and remembered, that these acts of painful self-discipline, praiseworthy as they are and profitable to such as have corresponding strength of body and humility of spirit, must yet be proportioned to each man’s state and condition.

And those who are unequal to labour with the Saints in similar austerities, may find other opportunities of imitating their lives by strong and effective desires and fervent prayers, aspiring after the most glorious crown of Christ’s true soldier by despising the whole world and themselves too; by giving themselves up to solitude and silence; by meekness and humility towards all men; by patience under wrongs; by doing good to those most opposed to them and, by avoiding every fault, however trivial it may be – all things far more acceptable to God than painful bodily exercises!

With regard to these, I would have you to be rather discreetly sparing, in order to be able, if necessary, to increase them, than by certain excesses of zeal, to run the risk of having to relinquish them altogether.
I say this to you, being well assured you are not likely to fall into the error of those who, though they pass for spiritual, are enticed and deluded by deceitful nature into an over-anxious care for the preservation of their bodily health.
So jealous are they and fearful of the slightest thing which might affect it that they live in constant doubt and fear of losing their physical attributes.
There is nothing of which they better love to think and speak than of the ordering of their lives in this respect.
Hence, they are ever solicitous to have food suited rather to their palate than
their stomach, which is often weakened by over-delicacy.
And although all this is done on the pretext of gaining strength, the better to serve God, it is in fact but a vain attempt to conciliate two mortal enemies, the spirit and the flesh; an attempt which injures both, instead of benefiting either; for this same over-carefulness impairs the health of the one and the devotion of the other!

A certain degree of freedom in our way of life is therefore safer and more profitable, accompanied, however, by the discretion of which I have spoken, having regard to different constitutions and states of life which cannot all be brought under the same rule.
In the pursuit of interior holiness, as well as of exterior devotion, we should proceed with moderation, as has been shown before, on the subject of the gradual acquisition of virtues.”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, I BELIEVE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHASTITY, QUOTES on CHILDREN, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on PATIENCE, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, QUOTES/PRAYERS on THE FAMILY

Quote/s of the Day –7 April – ‘ He asks for our faith and offers us salvation. …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day –7 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Low Sunday, The Octave Day of Easter – 1 John 5:4-10, John 20. 19-31 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“ Blessed are they who have not seen
and have believed.”

John 20:29

“He asks for our faith and offers us salvation.
What He offers us, is so precious
that what He asks of us, is as nothing!”

St Augustine (354-430)
Father & Doctor of Grace

“I shall reflect the image of God
in that I feed on love;
grow certain on faith and hope;
strengthen myself, on the virtue of patience;
grow tranquil by humility;
grow beautiful by chastity;
am sober by abstention;
am made happy by tranquillity
and am ready for death,
by practising hospitality.”

ACW – Ancient Christian Writer
Incomplete Work on Matthew
(Homily 40)

“True piety admits no other rule than that,
whatsoever things have been faithfully received
from our fathers, the same are to be
faithfully consigned to our children
and that, it is our duty,
not to lead religion whither we would
but rather, to follow religion whither it leads
and that, it is the part of Christian modesty
and gravity, not to hand down our own beliefs
or observances to those who come after us
but, to preserve and keep what we have received,
from those who went before us.”

St Vincent of Lérins (Died c445)
Author of the ‘Commonitorium.’

“We should also have great confidence
in the continual assistance which God offers us
in the temptations, troubles and trials of life.
When pain torments us,
when humiliations are difficult to bear,
when all is dark. we fear each moment
and we feel abandoned, let us trust in Him,
Who is the Way, the Truth and Life.
He says to us, as He said to Peter floundering in the waves:
“O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt?” (Mt 14:31).
He is always ready to console and comfort.
He is always there waiting for our call.
We are not alone!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in APRIL -MONTH of the RESURRECTION and the BLESSED SACAMENT, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, EASTER, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DOUBT, QUOTES on FAITH, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 7 April – ‘ … He entered, all the doors being shut!’

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One Minute Reflection – 7 April – “The Month of the Resurrection” – Low Sunday, The Octave Day of Easter – 1 John 5:4-10, John 20. 19-31 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“We have seen the Lord.” – John 20:25

REFLECTION – “While hiding in a house, the Apostles see Christ; He entered, all the doors being shut. But Thomas, who was absent at that time… shuts his ears and wants to open his eyes … He bursts out with his incredulity, hoping, in this way, his desire will be answered. “My doubts are not going to disappear until I see Him,” he says. “I shall put my finger in the marks of the nails and embrace this Lord of mine Whom I long for so much. Let Him reproach my lack of faith but let Him satisfy me with sight of Him. For now, I am unbelieving but, when I see Him, I shall believe. I shall believe when I clasp Him in my arms and gaze on Him. I wish to see the holes in those Hands which have healed the hands of Adam’s wrongdoing. I wish to see the Side which cast out death from mankind’s side. I wish, be my own witness, to see the Lord and another’s testimony is not enough for me. Your tales aggravate my impatience. The joyful news you bring does nothing but stir up my turmoil. I shall not be cured of this sickness, unless I touch its medicine with my own hands.”

The Lord appeared again and dispelled both the sadness and the doubt of His disciple. What am I saying? He did not dispel his doubts, He fulfilled his expectation! He entered, all the doors being shut!” – Basil of Seleucia (Died c468) Archbishop (Sermon for the Resurrection).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we, who have celebrated the Paschal Feast, may, by Thy bounty, retain its fruits in our daily habits and behaviour. 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 CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, EASTER, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The HOLY MASS, The LAMB of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 7 April – “Victimae Paschali Laudes” The Easter Sequence

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Our Morning Offering – 7 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – The Octave Day of Easter or Low Sunday

“Victimae Paschali Laudes”
The Easter Sequence
By Father Wipo of Burgundy (c995– c1050) (Attrib)

Christians, to the Paschal Victim
Offer your thankful praises!

A Lamb the sheep redeems,
Christ, Who only is sinless,
Reconciles sinners to the Father.

Death and life have contended
in that combat stupendous.
The Prince of Life, Who died,
reigns immortal.

Speak, Mary, declaring
What you saw, wayfaring.
“The tomb of Christ, Who is living,
the glory of Jesus’ Resurrection”

“Bright Angels attesting,
The shroud and napkin resting. ”
“Yes, Christ my Hope is arisen;
To Galilee He goes before you. ”

Christ indeed
from death is risen,
our new life obtaining.
Have mercy, Victor King,
ever reigning!
Amen. Alleluia!

Before the Gospel is proclaimed, the ancient Sequence “Victimae Paschali Laudes” of Easter Sunday is read or sung.
The Sequence (Sequentia) is the Liturgical Hymn of the Mass which occurs on four Feasts:– Easter, Pentecost, Corpus Christi and Our Lady of Sorrows.
This sequence, “Victimae Paschali Laudes” is attributed to Wipo of Burgundy (c995– c1050) who was a Priest, Poet and Historian, the Chaplain of the Holy Roman Emperor Conrad II during the 11th Century and possibly the Tutor of his son Emperor Henry III.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 7 April – Saint Hegesippus (c110-c180) Lay Ancient Christian Writer

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Saint of the Day – 7 April – Saint Hegesippus (c110-c180) Lay Ancient Christian Writer. Born and died probably in Jerusalem. Also known as -Egesippo, Hegesippus of Jerusalem, Hegesippus the Nazarene.

The Roman Martyrology reads: “St Hegesippus, who lived near the time of the Apostles, He came to Rome whilst Anicetus was the Sovereign Pontiff and remained until the accession of Eleutherius. He wrote the history of the Church in a simple style, from the Passion of our Lord, to his own time and, delineated, in his narrative, the character of those whose lives he imitated.”

Hegesippus was, by nation and religion, a Jew, who joined the Church of Christ in Jerusalem, when the disasters prophesied of his unhappy land occurred and opened his eyes to see their cause.

His writings were known to Saint Jerome and St Eusebius and were praised by them and by all of antiquity. In fact all we know of our Saint came to us from the writings of St Eusebius.

Hegesippus journeyed to Rome, stopping to visit all important Churches along his way. He remained in Rome for nearly twenty years, from the Pontificate of Pope Saint Anicetus (Bishop of Rome c157–168) to that of Saint Eleutherius (Pontificate 174-189). During the time of the latter. he returned to Jerusalem, where he died at an advanced age, probably in Jerusalem, in the year 180.

In 133, Saint Hegisippus began a history of the Church entitled ‘Memoirs,’ which was composed of five books and covered the time from the Passion of Christ until that year, that is, one hundred years. The loss of this work, of which only a few fragments remain, is extremely regretted and lamented, for it is known that they still all existed in the 7th Century. In it he gave illustrious proofs of his faith and placed, in evidence, the Apostolic tradition, proving that although certain men had disturbed the Church by preaching heresies, yet, even to his day, no Episcopal See or individual Church had fallen into error. This testimony he gave after having personally visited all the principal Churches, both of the East and the West, with the intention of gathering all authentic traditions concerning the life of Our Lord and of the Apostles.

He says: “And the Church of the Corinthians remained in the true word until Primus was bishop in Corinth; I made their acquaintance in my journey to Rome, and remained with the Corinthians many days, in which we were refreshed with the true word. And when I was in Rome, I made a succession up to Anicetus, whose Deacon was Eleutherus. And in each succession and in each City, all is according to the ordinances of the law and the Prophets and the Lord Jesus.” (Eusebius, IV, 22).

Posted in JESUIT SJ, MARIAN TITLES, MARTYRS, SAINT of the DAY

The Octave Day of Easter or Low Sunday, Quasimodo Sunday or Dominica In Albis, Santa Maria El Puig / Our Lady of Puig, Spain and the Saints for 7 April

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The Octave Day of Easter or Low Sunday
Quasimodo Sunday or Dominica In Albis
“At the end of the Octave, in the ancient Roman Church, the Newly-Baptised would remove their white Baptismal gowns which would be deposited at the Cathedral. Thus, the Saturday of the Octave is called “in albis” and the Sunday, which is technically outside the Octave and the beginning of the Easter season, is “in albis depositis.” Hitherto they were known as the “infantes… infants” in the Faith. In fact, the first Chant of Sunday’s Mass, in Introit, is from 1 Peter 2:2-3 in the Vetus Latina version which pre-dates the Vulgate of St Jerome. In the translation I’ll include the verse immediately before, because it is relevant to our work today:

Quasimodo Geniti I nfantes, rationabile, sine dolo lac concupiscite ut in eo crescatis in salutem si gustastis quoniam dulcis Dominus. … [So put away all malice and all guile and insincerity and envy and all slander.] Like newborn babes, long for the pure spiritual milk so that by it, you may grow up to salvation; for you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.”

Santa Maria El Puig / Our Lady of Puig, Valencia, Spain, Patron of Valencia and the Spanish Army – 7 April:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/07/easter-wednesday-our-lady-of-puig-valencia-spain-and-memorials-of-the-saints-7-april/

St Albert of Tournai
Bl Alexander Rawlins
St Brenach of Carn-Engyle
St Calliopus of Pompeiopolis
Bl Cristoforo Amerio
St Cyriaca of Nicomedia
St Donatus of North Africa

Blessed Edward Oldcorne SJ (1561-1607) Priest Martyr. Edward Oldcorne was Beatified on 15 December 1929 by Pope Pius XI.
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/07/saint-of-the-day-7-april-blessed-edward-oldcorne-sj-1561-1607-priest-martyr/

St Epiphanius the Martyr
St Finian of Kinnitty
St George the Younger
St Gibardus of Luxeuil
St Goran
St Guainerth
St Hegesippus (c110-c180) Ancient Christian Writer

St Henry Walpole SJ (1558–1595) Martyr, Priest of the Society of Jesus, Confessor, Poet, Lawyer.
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/04/07/saint-of-the-day-7-april-saint-henry-walpole-sj-1558-1595-martyr/

Saint Hermann Joseph O.Praem (c1150-1241) Priest, Friar of the Order of of Canons Regular of Prémontré (the Norbertines or White Canons), Mystic, a prolific writer on spiritual subjects and the Sacred Scriptures, known as “The Boy who Played with Angels.”
Patronages – watch and clockmakers, children and young students, Altar boys, Acolytes, Sextons and Sacristans, expectant mothers and safe childbirth.
This beautiful painting below by Sir Antony van Dyck, shows Mother Mary receiving an apple from Hermann, to give to Baby Jesus.
His Holy Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/04/07/saint-of-the-day-7-april-saint-hermann-joseph-o-praem-c1150-1241-priest/

Sir Antony van Dyck – The Vision of St Hermann Joseph

Blessed Maria Assunta Pallotta (1878-1905) Italian professed Religious who served as a member of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, Missionary to China. Patronages – Missionaries, against typhus. Blessed Maria Assunta was Beatified on 7 November 1954 by Pope Pius XII.
Her body is incorrupt.
About Bl Maria Assunta:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/04/07/saint-of-the-day-7-april-blessed-maria-assunta-pallotta-1878-1905/

St Peleusius of Alexandria
Bl Ralph Ashley
St Rufinus the Martyr
St Saturninus of Verona Bishop and Confessor
Bl Ursuline of Parma

Martyrs of Pentapolis – 4 Saints: A Bishop, Deacon and two Lectors at Pentapolis, Lydia who for their faith were tortured, had their tongues cut out, and were left for dead. They survived and each died years later of natural causes; however, because they were willing to die and because there were attempts to kill them, they are considered martyrs. We know little else except their names – Ammonius, Irenaeus, Serapion and Theodore c 310 at Pentapolis, Lybia.

Martyrs of Sinope – 200 Saints: 200 Christian soldiers Martyred together for their faith. We don’t even have their names. They were martyred in Sinope, Pontus, Asia Minor (in modern Turkey).