Day: April 8, 2024

Posted in LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on JUDGING, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on VICE, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 8 April– Of the Temptation to Form Rash Judgements of Our Neighbour (Part One)

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Thought for the Day – 8 April– The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

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

XLIII: … Of the Temptation to Form
Rash Judgements of Our Neighbour (Part One)

“From the same vice of self-esteem and self-conceit arises another most injurious to us, i.e. rash judgement of our neighbour, leading us to despise and disparage him.
And this fault which arises from our pride and evil inclination, is by that same pride, voluntarily nourished and increased! for, as it increases, so does pride also increase, insensibly flattering and deluding us.

For the more we presume to exalt ourselves, the more do we unconsciously depress others; while we imagine ourselves free from those imperfections which we think we perceive in them!

And the cunning tempter, who discovers this most evil disposition in us, is continually on the watch to open our eyes and keep them awake to see, investigate and exaggerate, the defects of other men.
Careless souls know not and believe not, how diligently he studies and contrives to impress upon our minds the little failings of this or that person, when he cannot discover and use our greater faults.
Therefore, as he is watching to do you harm, be you also awake, lest you fall into his snare.
And when he brings before you any defect of your neighbour, banish the thought at once and, if you still feel a temptation to pass judgement upon it, resist the impulse.

Consider that the Office of Judge has not been committed to you and that even if it were, beset as you are by a thousand passions and but too prone to think evil without just cause, you would be unable to form a righteous judgement

And, as an effective remedy against rash judgements, I would remind you to occupy your thoughts with your own defects; so will you perceive, more and more plainly every hour, how much you have to do in yourself and for yourself and you will find neither time nor inclination, to attend to the doings of others.
Besides, by faithfully performing this exercise, you will be enabled, more and more, to purge your inward sight from the malignant humours whence this pestilent vice proceeds.”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MOTHER of GOD, The ANNUNCIATION, The DIVINE INFANT, The INCARNATION, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 8 April – The Annunciation

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Quote/s of the Day – 8 April – Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Isaias 7:10-15, Luke 1:26-38 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And the Lord God shall give unto Him
the throne of David, His father
and He shall reign in the house of Jacob forever.
And of His Kingdom there shall be no end.”

Luke 1:32-33

“What is said of the House of David
applies, not only to Joseph but also to Mary.
It was a precept of the law that each man should marry
a wife from his own tribe and kindred.”

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

“He Who is Infinite, Limitless,
came to dwell in your womb;
God, the Child Jesus,
was nourished by your milk.
You are the ever virginal Doorway of God;
your hands hold your God;
your lap is a throne raised up
above the Cherubim…
You are the wedding chamber of the Spirit,
the “city of the living God,
gladdened by the runlets of the stream,”
that is to say, the waves of the Spirit’s gifts.
You are “all fair, the Beloved” of God.”

St John Damascene (675-749)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Blessed Shall be Her Name
Anonymous Author

Praise we the Lord this day,
This day so long foretold,
Whose promise shone with cheering ray
On waiting saints of old.

The prophet gave the sign
That those with faith might read;
A Virgin, born of David’s line
Shall bear the promised Seed.

Ask not how this should be,
But worship and adore;
Like her whom Heaven’s majesty
Came down to shadow o’er.

She meekly bowed her head
To hear the gracious word,
Mary, the pure and lowly maid,
The favoured of the Lord.

Blessed shall be her name
In all the Church on earth,
Through whom that wondrous Mercy came,
The Incarnate Saviour’s Birth.

Jesus, the Virgin’s Son,
We praise You and adore,
Who are with God the Father One
And Spirit evermore.
Amen

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, QUOTES on PURITY, Quotes on SALVATION, The ANNUNCIATION, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The INCARNATION, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 April – The Annunciation – ‘ … Chosen from among all other beings …’

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One Minute Reflection – 8 April – Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Isaias 7:10-15, Luke 1:26-38 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Hail, full of grace!” – Luke 1:28

REFLECTION – “The degeneration caused by sin had obscured the beauty of our original nobility. But when the mother of supreme Beauty is born, our nature finds its purity once more and sees itself moulded according to the perfect model, worthy of God (Gn 1:26) … We had all preferred the world below to that above. There no longer remained any hope of salvation. The state of our nature cried aloud to Heaven to come to the rescue … Then at last, in His good pleasure, the world’s Divine Artificer determined to make a new world appear, a different world full of harmony and youth.

Now was it not fitting, that a most pure virgin without stain, should place herself at the service of this mysterious plan first of all?… And where was this virgin to be found, if not in this woman, alone of her kind, chosen by the world’s Creator before all generations? Yes, she indeed is Mother of God, divinely named Mary, whose womb gave birth to God Incarnate and whom, He Himself had supernaturally prepared, as His Temple…

In this way, then, the design of the Redeemer of our race was to bring about a birth and, as it were, a new creation to replace the one that went before. Therefore, just as in Paradise, He had taken a little clay out of the pure and spotless earth, to fashion the first Adam (Gn 2:7), so, at the moment of bringing about His Own Incarnation, He made use of another earth, so to speak, namely, this Pure and Immaculate Virgin, chosen from among all other beings He had created. It is in her that He, Adam’s Creator, has remade us in our very substance and become a new Adam (1 Cor 15:45), so that the old might be saved by the New and Eternal!” – St Andrew of Crete (660-740) Bishop (Sermon 1 for the Nativity of the Mother of God ; PG 97, 812).

PRAYER – O God, Who, by the message of an Angel, willed Thy Word to take flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant that we, Thy suppliants, who believe her to be truly the Mother of God, may be assisted by her intercession with Thee. 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 CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, INDULGENCES, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PARTIAL Indulgence, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The ANNUNCIATION

Our Morning Offering – 8 April– The Angelus

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Our Morning Offering – 8 April – Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Transferred from 25 March which, this year, fell within Holy Week).

The Angelus

(This Devotion in honour of the Incarnation, commemorating the Angel Gabriel’s Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin attracts the following Indulgence:
The Faithful who, at dawn, at noon and in the evening, (usually 6.00 – 12.00 -18.00) or as soon thereafter as possible, devoutly recite the Angelus, with the appropriate versicles and prayers, may gain an Indulgence of 10 years each time for themselves, or the Holy Souls in Purgatory.)

Not Forgetting: – that we replace the Angelus with the Regina Caeli Laetari during Eastertide – from Holy Saturday until Trinity Sunday.

V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R. And she conceived by the Holy Ghost.

Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with thee;
Blessed art thou among women,
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now and at the hour of our death. Amen

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R. Be it done unto me according to thy word.
Hail Mary, etc.

V. And the Word was made Flesh.
R. And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary, etc.

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
LET US PRAY
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord,
Thy grace into our hearts,
that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son
was made known by the message of an Angel,
may, by His Passion and Cross
be brought to the glory of His Resurrection.
Through the same Christ Our Lord.
Amen

The Title derives from the opening word of the prayer “Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariae” (the Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary).
The evening Angelus probably owes its origin to the curfew bell, a signal for evening prayer.
The morning recital began as a prayer for peace.
The noon Angelus was first said only on Friday.
It is replaced by the prayer “Regina Coeli Laetare” (Queen of Heaven, Rejoice) during the Easter Season.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 8 April – Saint Amantius of Como (Died c448) Bishop

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Saint of the Day – 8 April – Saint Amantius of Como (Died c448) the 3rd Bishop and Confessor Born in Canterbury, England and died on 8 April c448 in Como, Italy of natural causes. Also known as – Amanzio …

The Roman Martyrology reads: “At Como, St Amantius, Bishop and Confessor.”

The figure of Amantius, the 3rd Bishop of Como, stands out against the background of the 5th Century, a period of profound changes for the Roman Empire and the Church. Born in Canterbury in England, he intertwined his history with that of the City of Como, leaving an indelible mark in its collective memory.

Information on his origins is fragmentary. Tradition has it that he was born in Canterbury, a British city that was part of the Roman Empire at the time. His Catholic family, of noble lineage, counted among its ancestors, the Emperor Theodosius III or, according to other sources, another Emperor of the 4th-5th Century. It is possible that Amantius initially operated as an Imperial Official and was sent to Italy in that role.

However he arrived in Italy, he settled in Como. Amantius undertook a trip to Rome, driven by faith and the desire to enrich his theological knowledge. In the eternal City he had the opportunity of venerainge the Relics of the Apostles Peter and Paul and obtained some for hisSee. Upon his return to Como, he immediately worked to build a Basilica in the Apostles’ honour. The Basilica, built on land owned by himself became an important centre of worship and devotion for the local community.

Elected the 3rd Bishop of Como after the death of St Provino in 420, Amantius led the Diocese with wisdom and apostolic zeal. His Episcopate coincided with a period of turbulence for the Roman Empire, threatened by barbarian invasions. In this difficult context, Amantius shone as a shepherd and model for all the faithful.

Saint Amantius died on 8 April, the day on which his liturgical memory is celebrated. The precise year of his death is uncertain but it is presumed to have occurred around 448. His remains rested in the Basilica he founded until 1590, when they were translated to the Jesuit Church of the Gesu in Como, of which he became Patron together with St Felix.

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN TITLES, MARTYRS, SAINT of the DAY, The ANNUNCIATION

Monday in the Second Week of Easter, Feast of the Annunciation – Transferred and the Saints for 8 April

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Monday in the Second Week of Easter

Feast of the Annunciation – Transferred from 25 March
(which fell during Holy Week this year)
The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/03/25/the-solemnity-of-the-annunciation-of-the-lord-25-march/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/25/the-solemnity-of-the-annunciation-of-the-lord-our-lady-of-betania-and-memorials-of-the-saints-25-march/

Madonna di Valverde di Rezzato / Our Lady of the Green Valley of Valverde, Sicily (1040) – 8 April and 1 October:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/08/easter-thursday-our-lady-of-valverde-our-lady-of-the-green-valley-sicily-1040-and-memorials-of-the-saints-8-april/

St Agabus the Prophet
St Amantius of Como (Died c448) Bishop and Confessor
St Asynkritos of Marathon
St Beata of Ribnitz

Blessed Clement of Osimo OSA (1235-1291) Priest of the Order of Hemits of St Augustine, Reformer, miracle-worker. He was Beatified
in 1761 by Pope Clement XIII .
His Lifestory:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/04/08/saint-of-the-day-blessed-clement-of-osimo-osa-1235-1291/

St Concessa

St Dionysius of Alexandria “The Great” (c 190-265) Archbishop of Alexandria, Confessor, outstanding Administrator, Writer, Theologian.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/08/saint-of-the-day-8-april-saint-dionysius-of-alexandria-the-great-c-190-265/

St Dionysius of Corinth (Died in the 2nd Century) Bishop of Corinth in Greece, Confessor. Some of his words are preserved from his 7th letter and are contained in the post link below.
The Roman Martyrology reads: “At Corinth, the Bishop, St Denis, who instructed not only the people of his own City and Province by the learning and unction with which he preached the word of God but, also the Bishops of other Cities and Provinces, by the letters which he wrote to them. His veneration for the Roman Pontiff was such that he used to read their epistles publicly in the Church on Sundays. He lived in the time of Marcus Antoninus Verus and Lucius Aurelius Commodus.”
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/04/08/saint-of-the-day-8-april-saint-dionysius-of-corinth-died-in-the-2nd-century-bishop-confessor/


St Herodion of Patras

Blessed Julian of Saint Augustine (OFM c 1550-1606) Lay Brother of the Friars Minor, Hermit, Ascetic. He was Beatified in 1825 by Pope Leo XII .
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/04/08/saint-of-the-day-8-april-blessed-julian-of-saint-augustine-ofm-c-1550-1606-l/

Bl Libania of Busan
St Martin of Pegli
St Phlegon of Hyrcania
St Redemptus of Ferentino (Died 586) Bishop

Martyrs of Africa – 3 Saints: A group of African Martyrs whose name appears on ancient lists but about whom nothing is known but their names – Januarius, Macaria and Maxima.

Martyrs of Antioch – 4 Saints: A group of Christians Martyred together for their faith. We know little more than their names – Diogene, Macario, Massimo and Timothy. They died in Antioch, Syria.