Month: May 2024

Posted in PATIENCE - Fr Richard CLARKE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on SUFFERING

Thought for the Day – 26 May – The Solution of the Mystery of Suffering

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 26 May – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900) SJ

PATIENCE
Meditations for a Month

The Solution of the Mystery of Suffering

  1. At the beginning there was no suffering. It was not until the Angels rebelled that pain and suffering made their appearance in God’s universe. Suffering is the necessary expiation of the outrage offered to the Majesty of God by His creatures. It is a fulfilment of the eternal law that, he who sins must suffer. It is the complement and effect of sin. It is the carrying out of the law of retribution. What else are my sufferings but the just punishment for my sins?
  2. But suffering is a great deal more than this. It is the remedy for the disease of sin, the kindly knife which hurts but cures. What a change suffering makes in men. See Nabuchodonosor before he suffered, proud and lifted up, and afterwards – mhumble and submissive. (Daniel 4 : 27) See the prodigal son led by suffering to return to his father’s house. See even the wicked Achab humbled by suffering. (3 Kings 21:27) ‘It is good, O Lord, says David, ‘that Thou hast afflicted me. Before I was troubled I went wrong but now, I have kept Thy word.’
    ‘ Chastisement yields to those who are exercised by it the peaceable fruit of justice.’ (Hebrews 12:I1) It purifies the soul and almost forces men to humility and submission. Has it had this effect with me? If it has, I will thank God.
  3. Suffering is the payment for joy to come. The willing acceptance of it, is the surest road to a high place in Heaven. We can earn more grace for ourselves and for others, by the patient endurance of suffering, than by the most active zeal – it is a safer, as well as a surer means of glorifying God, for we cannot well be proud of our sufferings as we may be of our actions. Thus, it is one of the best gifts which God can give us.
    I, therefore, must be willing to pay the price, if I desire to win the reward!
Posted in DEVOTIO, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The HOLY NAME

Quote/s of the Day – 26 May – St Philip Neri

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Quote/s of the Day – 26 May – St Philip Neri (1515-1595) Confessor

“ We must not be
behind time in doing good;
for death will not be
behind his time!”

“ It is well to choose
some one good devotion
and to stick to it
and never to abandon it.”

“Spiritual persons ought to be equally ready
to experience sweetness and consolation
in the things of God,
or to suffer and keep their ground
in drynesses of spirit and devotion,
and, for as long as God pleases,
without their making any complaint about it.”

“The Name of Jesus,
pronounced with reverence and affection,
has a kind of power to soften the heart.”

“Obedience is a short cut to perfection.”

Immaculate Virgin
By St Philip Neri (1515-1595)

Immaculate Virgin,
thou hast to save me.
Grant that I may always remember thee
and thou, do thou never forget me.
The happy day, when I shall go
to behold thy beauty in paradise,
seems a thousand years off.
So much do I long to praise and love thee
more than I can now do,
my Mother, my Queen,
my beloved, most beautiful,
most sweet, most pure,
Immaculate Mary.
Amen

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/05/26/quote-s-of-the-day-26-may-st-philip-neri/

St Philip Neri (1515-1595)

Posted in CATECHESIS, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, FEBRUARY - THE BLESSED TRINITY (Traditional), ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY, The SIGN of the CROSS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 26 May – “ … Baptising them, in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.” – Matthew 28:29

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 26 May – Trinity Sunday – St Philip Neri (1515-1595) Confessor – Romans 11:33-36, Matthew 28:18-20 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“ … Baptising them, in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.” – Matthew 28:19

REFLECTION – “This is the order of our faith, the foundation of the edifice and the support of our conduct – God, the Father, uncreated, uncontainable, invisible, One God, the Creator of all – this is the first article of our faith. And the second article – the Word of God, the Son of God, Christ Jesus our Lord, Who was revealed by the Prophets according to the character of their prophecy and according to the nature of the economies of the Father, by Whom all things were made and Who, in the last times, to recapitulate all things,’ became a Man amongst men, visible and palpable, in order to abolish death, to demonstrate life and to effect communion between God and man. And the third article – the Holy Ghost, through Whom the Prophets prophesied and the Patriarchs learnt the things of God and the righteous, were led in the path of righteousness and Who, in the last times, was poured out in a new fashion upon the human race, renewing man, throughout the world, to God.

For this reason the Baptism of our regeneration takes place through these three articles, granting us regeneration unto God the Father through His Son by the Holy Spirit – for those who bear the Spirit of God are led to the Word, that is to the Son, while the Son presents them to the Father and the Father furnishes incorruptibility. Thus, without the Spirit it is not possible to see the Word of God and without the Son, one is not able to approach the Father; for the knowledge of the Father is the Son and knowledge of the Son of God, is through the Holy Ghost, while the Spirit, according to the good-pleasure of the Father, the Son administers, to whom the Father wills and as He wills.” – St Irenaeus (130-202) Bishop of Lyons, Theologian and Martyr, Father of the Church (Demonstration of the apostolic preaching 6-7).

PRAYER – O God, Who raised blessed Philip, Thy Confessor, to the glory of Thy Saints, graciously grant that we, who rejoice in his Feast, may profit by the example of his virtues.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 BLESSED TRINITY PRAYERS, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, INDULGENCES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY

Our Morning Offering – 26 May – O SANCTISSIMA~Indulgenced

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Our Morning Offering – 26 May – Trinity Sunday

O SANCTISSIMA~
O MOST HOLY!
Indulgenced Prayer
to the Most Holy Trinity

O Most Holy Trinity,
I adore Thee,
Who art dwelling,
by Thy grace,
within my soul.

O Most Holy Trinity,
Who art dwelling,
by Thy grace,
within my soul,
make me love Thee,
more and more.

O Most Holy Trinity,
Who art dwelling,
by Thy grace,
within my soul,
sanctify me more and more.

Abide with me,
O Lord, be Thou my true joy.
Amen

An Indulgence of 300 days for each of the above prayers,
even when recited separately.
(SP Ap. 26 April 1921 and 23 October 1928).

Posted in DOMINICAN OP, INCORRUPTIBLES, SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 26 May – Blessed Andrea Franchi OP (1335-1401) Bishop, “The Fathe of the Poor”

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Saint of the Day – 26 May – Blessed Andrea Franchi OP (1335-1401) known as “The Father of the Poor”Bishop, Priest and Friar of the Order of Preachers, renowned Preacher and missionary evangelist, Professor of Prior, Reformer, Miracle-worker. Born in 1335 in Pistoia, Italy and died on 26 May 1401 in Pistoia, Italy of natural causes.

Andrea Franchi was born in Pistoia in 1335 as the third of four children which included – Francesco Franchi, as well as Bartolomeo – an Advisor tp Pope Urban VI and Pope Boniface IX – and Luca (who joined Andreas in the Dominican Order).

He studied at the Dominican Convent of Santa Maria Novella in Pistoia and, in 1359, at the very young age of 14 years, entered the Dominicans. He was later Ordained to the Priesthood and became a noted Preacher and internal missionmary evangelist. He also served as a teacher in Rome of both philosophical and theological studies.

From 1369 until 1381, Andrea served as the Prior of the Dominican houses in his home Town of Pistoia, and also of the districts of Lucca and Orvieto.

In 1382, he was appointed aas the Bishop of Pistoia, by Pope Urban VI. The new Bishop received his Episcopal Consecration sometime in 1382. He administered to the poor and to the ill and gained the moniker of the “The Father of the Poor.” After 18 years servoce, ill health forced him, on 29 May 1400 – to relinquish his Episcopal See and he returned to his Pistoia Convent where he remained for the final months of his life.

Andrea died in 1401. He was interred in theChurch of San Domenico in Pistoia and his remains were found to be incorrupt after their exhumation in 1613 – a sweet odour emanated from his remains.

This holy and zealous Dominican received formal Beatification by Pope Benedict XV on 21 November 1921 after the Pontiff confirmed the late Bishop’s cultus.

Posted in DOMINICAN OP, INCORRUPTIBLES, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY

TRINITY SUNDAY, Nostra Signora di Carava ggio / Our Lady of Caravaggio, Italy (1432), St Philip Neri and the Saints for 26 May

Posted on by AnaStpaul

TRINITY SUNDAY:
Feast of the Most Holy Trinity
https://anastpaul.com/2022/06/12/feast-of-the-most-holy-trinity-12-june/

Nostra Signora di Caravaggio / Our Lady of Caravaggio, Lombardy, Italy (1432) – 26 May:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/05/26/the-ascension-of-our-lord-holy-day-nostra-signora-di-caravaggio-our-lady-of-caravaggio-lombardy-italy-1432-and-memorials-of-the-saints-26-may/

St Philip Neri C. Orat (1515-1595) Priest and Founder of the Congregation of the Oratory, Mystic, Missionary of Charity, “The Third Apostle of Rome,” after Saints Peter and Paul. Philip was a mystic of the highest order, a man of ecstasies and visions, whose greatest happiness was to be alone with God. Yet, at the call of charity he gave up the delight of prayer and, instead, sought God by helping his neighbour. His whole life is that of the contemplative in action.
The Beloved St Philip:
https://anastpaul.com/2017/05/26/saint-of-the-day-26-may-s-philip-neri-cong-orat/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/05/26/saint-of-the-day-26-may-st-philip-neri-1515-1595-the-third-apostle-of-rome/

St Alphaeus
St Anderea Kaggwa
Blessed Andrea Franchi OP (1335-1401) Bishop
St Becan of Cork
Bl Berengar of Saint-Papoul
St Damian the Missionary
St Desiderius of Vienne
St Eleuterus Pope and Martyr
St Felicissimus of Todi

Blessed Francis Patrizi of Siena OSM (1266-1328) Priest of the Order of the Servites “the Servants of Mary.” Known as a Peacemaker and Mediator. Patronage – of Reconciliation. His body is incorrupt.
His Holy Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/05/26/saint-of-the-day-26-may-blessed-francis-patrizi-of-siena-osm-1266-1328-priest/

St Fugatius the Missionary
St Gioan Ðoàn Trinh Hoan
St Guinizo of Monte Cassino
St Heraclius of Todi
Bl Lambert Péloguin of Vence

St Mariana de Jesus de Paredes OFS (1618-1645) “The Lily of Quito” – The first Canonised Saint of Ecuador. Third Order Franciscan, Hermit, Penitent, Mystic, Ecstatic, Miracle-worker. St Mariana was Beatified on 10 November 1853, Rome by Pope Pius IX and
was Canonised on 9 July 1950 Rome, by Pope Pius XII. Her body is incorrupt.
HER LIFE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/05/26/saint-of-the-day-26-may-saint-mariana-de-jesus-de-paredes-ofs-1618-1645-the-lily-of-quito/

St Odulvald of Melrose
St Paulinus of Todi
St Peter Sanz
St Ponsiano Ngondwe
St Priscus of Auxerre and Companions
St Quadratus of Africa
St Quadratus the Apologist
St Regintrudis of Nonnberg
St Simitrius of Rome and Companions
St Zachary of Vienne

Posted in PATIENCE - Fr Richard CLARKE, QUOTES on SUFFERING

Thought for the Day – 25 May – The Mystery of Suffering

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Thought for the Day – 25 May – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900) SJ

PATIENCE
Meditations for a Month

The Mystery of Suffering

  1. Those who look upon the world without taking into account the nature of sin, the meaning of a state of probation and the rewards and punishments of the life to come, are puzzled by the sufferings which seem everywhere to abound. Why has a merciful God created us to suffer? Why is it that the innocent have to suffer one day, while the guilty seem to prosper? Why is it that the most virtuous often have the hardest lot and the bitterest trials? Suffering is indeed a mystery.
  2. Friendship with God generally entails suffering. How many a man hitherto prosperous falls into every kind of misfortune when he turns to God! It seems as if a high degree of virtue brought misery, not happiness. Dives, surrounded with every luxury and Lazarus, covered with ulcers lying half-starved at his gate; Annas triumphant and Jesus Crucified; Herod feasting and John butchered in his prison cell; the Roman Emperor in all the pride of empire and the friends of God torn by wild beast – what an apparent anomaly! On a small scale there is the same anomaly in my life and in the little world in which I live. I am inclined to find fault with God’s arrangements. Oh how foolishly!
  3. Does God repay good with evil by sending suffering to those He loves? They themselves do not think so and they are the best judges. They rather like sufferings. How can this be? Suffering, in itself, is the reverse of pleasant. But in its effects how wonderful! In its power to counteract evil how effectual! As a mark of God’s favour how valuable! In its promise for the future, how replete with blessings! It may be said to contain, within itself, all sweetness, not in the present but in the future. This is the view I must take of suffering.
Posted in 7 GIFTS of the HOLY GHOST: Wisdom, Understanding, Prudence, Strength, Knowledge, Piety, Fear, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The HOLY GHOST

Quote/s of the Day – 25 May – Pentecost Saturday

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Quote/s of the Day – 25 May – Pentecost Saturday

“He who abides in Me and I in Him,
the same bears much fruit”

John 5:5

“We are preserved in being, if we grow onto Him
and cling fast to the holy commandment,
which has been handed down to us
and, if we are eager to keep the blessing of nobility,
that is to say, if we never consent, in any way,
to “grieve the Holy Spirit” (Eph 4:30),
Who has come to dwell in us and, through Whom,
we believe, God has made His home in us. …
For just as the vine-stock supplies and distributes,
the virtue of its own inherent natural quality to the shoots,
so, too, the Only-Begotten Word of God,
implants, in His people, a sort of affinity
with His own nature and that of the Father.
By the gift of the Spirit, they are united with Him
by every kind of holiness.
He nourishes them, so that they become devout
and He moves them to knowledge of all virtue
and good works.”

St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444)
Father & Doctor of the Church

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 25 May – ‘ … Each day He sees our lack of faith …’

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One Minute Reflection – 25 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin, Mother of God” – Pentecost Saturday – Joel 2:23-24; 26-27; Luke 5:17-26 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply, “What are you thinking in your hearts?” – Luke 5:22

REFLECTION – “Thanks to the faith of others the cripple’s soul would be cured before his body. “Seeing their faith,” the Gospel says. Note here, my brethren, that God is not interested in what foolish people want and does noy expect to find faith among the ignorant … among those who conduct themselves badly. On the other hand he does not refuse to come to the help of others’ faith. Such faith is a gift of grace, at one with God’s will … In His divine goodness, Christ the Physician, strives to draw to salvation, even in spite of themselves, those affected by sickness of soul, those whom the burden of their sins and offences overwhelms, even to delirium. Yet they do not want to submit.

O my brethren, if only we wanted to, if only we all wanted to perceive our soul’s paralysis in all its depth! Then we would see that it is lying on a stretcher of sins, deprived of strength. Christ’s action within us, would be a source of light and we would understand that each day He sees our lack of faith, harmful as it is, that He draws us towards healing remedies and sharply presses our rebellious wills. “My son” He says, “your sins are forgiven you.” – St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 50 ; PL 52, 339).

PRAYER – Grant to Thy Church, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that, united by the Holy Ghost, she may in no way be harmed by any assault of the enemy. 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 Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRAYERS to THE HOLY GHOST, St Alphonsus de Liguori,

Our Morning Offering – 25 May – Come O Holy Ghost! By St Alphonsus

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Our Morning Offering – 25 May – Pentecost Saturday

Come O Holy Ghost!
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

Thou made Mary full of grace
and inflamed the hearts of the Apostles
with a holy zeal,
enflame our hearts with Thy Love.
Thou art the Spirit of Goodness,
give us the courage to confront evil.
Thou art Fire,
set us ablaze with Thy Love.
Thou art Light,
enlighten our minds,
that we may see what is truly good and true.
Thou art the Dove,
give us gentleness.
Thou art a Soothing Breeze,
bring calm to the storms which rage within us.
Thou art the Tongue,
may our lips ever sing God’s praises
Thou art the Cloud,
shelter us under the shadow of Thy Protection.
O Holy Ghost, melt the frozen,
warm the chilled
and enkindle in us,
an earnest desire to please Thee.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen

Posted in franciscan OFM, SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 25 May – Blessed Bartolomeus Magi di Amghiari OFM (1460-1510) Confessor

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Saint of the Day – 25 May – Blessed Bartolomeus Magi di Amghiari OFM (1460-1510) Confessor, Friar of the Order of Friar’s Minor. Born in 1460 in Anghiari, Italy and died in 1510 in Empoli, Italy of natural causes. Also known as – Bartholomeo, Bartholomew. Additional Memorial – 29 August (Enshrinment of Relics)

In the Franciscan Obituary our Bartholomeus is remembers today as follows: “Near Empoli, in Tuscany, the Blessed Bartholomaeus Magi, from Anglario, a Confessor who, adorned with chastity, humility,and patience, led an almost angelic life. ”

I can find little personal detail of our Saints life but the cult and memory of Bartolomeus Magi of Anghiari, as well as within the Franciscan Order, has been a constant love over the centuries, espeically in the devotion of the Parish of Anghiari, indeed the Church of Santa Croce, with the adjoining Convent, remains a monument in honour of the Blessed.

He, by his holy advice, organised the construction of this Church which, according to his intention, was to commemorate the miracle of the of the Stigmata of Saint Francis which occurred in 1224, when he passed near the Castle and raised a Cross there.

The Church of Santa Croce in Anghiari was built and Consecrated on 15 October 1566. The faithful of Anghiari wanted to house the mortal remains of the blessed Bartolomeus Magi. But this grace was obtained only in 1603. It was on 19 August when, in the City of Empoli, Father Valerio Martelli delivered the Relics of the head of the Blessed to Mr. Maurizio di Girolamo Magi, to place them in the Church of Santa Croce in Anghiari which was officiated at the time by the Zoccolanti Fathers.

Public veneration of the Blessed Bartolomeo Magi was paid in the Church of Santa Croce by the Decree of the Bishop of Sansepolcro Fra Zanobio de Medici OP, issued on 19 June 1635. This privilege was granted at the request of the Municipal Administration of Anghiari of those times, who erected a beautiful Monument to Blessed Bartolomeo. In the Hall of the City Council of Anghiari, the marble bust of the Blessed still dominates today, as does the picture painted by Proposto Tuti in the Sacristy of the Church.

Coming to more recent times, we remember that public veneration of the Blessed Bartolomeus Magi was recognised in any Church, Oratory, or Chapel by the Bishop of Sansepolcro ,Annibale Tommasi on 2 May 1830, after having completed the recognition of the illustrious Relic. In 1907 Giovanni Volpi, Bishop of Arezzo, made his first pastoral visit to Anghiari and with the Decree of 9 June of the same year, he repeated what Monsignor Tommasi had established and was allowed to transfer the Relic from the Church of Santa Croce to that of Propositura, in order to encourage the rememberance and veneration of the faithful.

In August 1910 the IV Centenary of the death of the Blessed was celebrated in the Propositura of Anghiari and in 1922 the Association of Male Catholic Youth had the Blessed Bartolomeus Magi as its protector. In 1950, the Catholic Action Associations of the Parish, built a new Altar in the Propositura under Sogliani’s painting to give a more decorous arrangement to the Relic of the Head of the Blessed Magi, placed in a precious Reliquary.

The Feast of the Blessed is celebrated at this Altar on 29 August of each year.

Posted in franciscan OFM, SAINT of the DAY

EMBER SATURDAY, Our Lady the Nea/New Church of the Virgin Mary, Jerusalem (530), St Pope Gregory VII

Posted on by AnaStpaul

EMBER SATURDAY – Fast & Partial Abstinence: https://anastpaul.com/2020/12/16/today-is-an-ember-day-did-you-remember/

Our Lady the Nea/New Church of the Virgin Mary or New Church of St Mary, Mother of God, built by the Emperor Justinian the Good, Jerusalem (530) – 25 May:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/05/25/vigil-of-the-ascension-our-lady-the-nea-new-church-of-the-virgin-mary-or-new-church-of-st-mary-mother-of-god-built-by-the-emperor-justinian-the-good-jerusalem-530-and-memorials-of-the-saints/

St Pope Gregory VII (1015-1085) Confessor, Bishop of Rome 22 April 1073 to his death in 1085, Monk, Priest, Reformer, Administrator, Adviser. Pope Gregory “was probably the most energetic and determined man ever to occupy the See of Peter and was driven by an almost mystically exalted vision of the awesome responsibility and dignity of the papal office” (Eamonn Duffy, Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes).
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/05/25/saint-of-the-day-25-may-st-pope-gregory-vii-c-1015-1085/

St Aldhelm of Sherborne (640-709) Confessor, Abbot of Malmesbury and Bishop of Sherborne, Englasnd, Latin Scholar and Poet and Ecclesiastical writer.
A Very Busy Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/05/25/saint-of-the-day-25-may-st-aldhelm-of-sherborne-640-709-confessor-abbot-bishop/

Bl Antonio Caixal
Blessed Bartolomeus Magi di Amghiari OFM (1460-1510) Confessor, Friar of the Order of Friar’s Minor
St Canio
St Denis Ssebuggwawo
St Dionysius of Milan
St Dunchadh of Iona
St Egilhard of Cornelimünster
Bl Gerardo Mecatti
St Gerbald
St Injuriosus of Auvergne
St Iosephus Chang Song-Jib
Bl James Bertoni
Bl Juan of Granada
St Leo of Troyes

St Madeleine Sophie Barat RSCJ (1779-1865) Virgin, Religious, Foundress of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Institute of Teachers. Patronage – Teachers. Her body is incorupt. Saint Madeleine Sophie died in Paris on 25 May, 1865. Ascension Day. She was buried in the cemetery at Conflans. In 1904, when the French Sisters were expelled by the Combes laws, her body was transferred to the Sacred Heart at Jette, Brussels. Since her Beatification in 1908 by St Pius X, her well-preserved body has been exposed in a Shrine. She was Canonised n 24 May 1908 by Pope Pius XI
Her Life of Love:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/05/25/saint-of-the-day-25-may-st-madeleine-sophie-barat-rscj-1779-1865-v/

St Matthêô Nguyen Van Ðac Phuong
St Maximus of Evreux
Bl Nicholas Tsehelsky
St Pasicrates of Dorostorum
Bl Pedro Malasanch
St Pherô Ðoàn Van Vân
St Scholastica of Auvergne
St Senzio of Bieda
St Urban I, Pope
St Valentio of Dorostorum
St Victorinus of Acquiney
St Winebald of Saint Bertin
St Worad of Saint Bertin
St Zenobius of Florence

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, PATIENCE - Fr Richard CLARKE, QUOTES on POVERTY, QUOTES on SUFFERING

Thought for the Day – 24 May – On Various Trials of our Patience

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 24 May – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

PATIENCE
Meditations for a Month

On Various Trials of our Patience

  1. Patience is tried by everything which puts an obstacle in the way of our action – by being kept waiting long; by having to repeat, over and over again, some lesson to a dull learner; by the perverse and wayward conduct of the young; by being interrupted while speaking when we have something we want to say; by a hundred similar incidents which continually occur. All these are a good test of our possession of this virtue. How do I stand the test in each case?
  2. Our patience is also tried by those who misunderstand and misrepresent us. It is not easy to speak and think kindly of them. We are inclined either to avoid them or to show our dislike to them. We want to let them know what we think of them and to give them a return blow for the blows we believe them to have given us. But patience bids us take the offence, real or supposed, quietly and without complaining; it checks the angry word and quenches the fire of resentment. Here, too, I have an excellent means of gauging my possession of this virtue.
  3. Patience is also tried by poverty, sickness, desolation, loneliness; by uncongenial surroundings and employments which are not to our taste. We all have to suffer one or other of these painful circumstances of human existence. He who has the virtue of patience, will bow his head and accept, with ready acquiescence, the trials which come to him. He will find plenty of good reasons, why they have happened to him and, so far from regretting them, or repining under them, he will say, with the Psalmist:
    ‘The Lord will not cast off forever.
    If He cast off, He will also have mercy according to the multitude of His mercies.’     (Lament 3: 31, 32).
Posted in MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 24 May – St Vincent of Lérins and the Prayer to Our Lady Help of Christians by St John Bosco

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 24 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary” and the Feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians/Auxilium Christianorum and the Feast Day of Saint Vincent of Lérins (Died c445) Confessor

QUOTES by Saint Vincent of Lérins (Died c445) Confessor, Monk, Writer, the Author of the ‘Commonitorium.’
https://anastpaul.com/2023/05/24/quote-s-of-the-day-24-may-st-vincent-of-lerins/

Most Holy Virgin Mary,
Help of Christians
By St John Bosco (1815-1888)

Most Holy Virgin Mary,
Help of Christians,
how sweet it is to come to thy feet
imploring thy perpetual help.
If earthly mothers cease not
to remember their children,
how can thou,
the most loving of all mothers, forget me?
Grant then to me, I implore thee
thy perpetual help in all my necessities,
in every sorrow and especially in all my temptations.
I ask for thy unceasing help
for all who are now suffering.
Help the weak,
cure the sick,
convert sinners.
Grant through thy intercession,
many vocations to the religious life.
Obtain for us, O Mary, Help of Christians,
that having invoked thee on earth
we may love and eternally thank thee in Heaven.
Amen

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 May – “We have seen wonderful things to-day.” – Luke 5:26

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One Minute Reflection – 24 May – Pentecost Thursday – Joel 2:23-24; 26-27; Luke 5:17-26 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“We have seen wonderful things to-day.” – Luke 5:26

REFLECTION – “Light is sweet and it is good to see the sun, with these eyes of flesh … that is why Moses said: “And God saw the light and he said that it was good” (Gn 1:4) …

But how good it is for us to reflect on the great, the true and unchanging Light “that enlightens everyone coming into the world”(Jn 1:9), namely Christ, the world’s Saviour and Redeemer. Having disclosed Himself before the eyes of the Prophets, He became Man and entered into the lowest depths of human existence. It is of Him that the Prophet David spoke: “Chant praise to God’s Name. Prepare a way for Him Who rises towards the west, Whose Name is the Lord; exult in His presence” (cf. Ps 67:5). And Isaiah, too, cried out: “People who sit in darkness, behold this light. For yo who dwell in the land of the shadow of death, a light will shine ” (cf.9:1) …

And so, the light of the sun that is seen by these eyes of flesh makes known the spiritual Sun of Righteousness (Ml 3:20), the sweetest of all to rise on those who have the happiness of being taught by Him and seeing Him with their fleshly eyes when He dwelt among us like any ordinary man. Nevertheless, He was not just an ordinary man in that He was born true God, able to give back sight to the blind, cause the lame to walk, enable the deaf to hear, cleanse lepers and restore the dead to life by His Word (Lk 7:22).” – St Gregory of Agrigente (559-594) Bishop, Father of the Church, Friend of St Gregory the Great (On Ecclesiastes, Book 10, 2).

PRAYER – Grant to Thy Church, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that, united by the Holy Ghost, she may in no way be harmed by any assault of the enemy. 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 DOCTORS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRAYERS to THE HOLY GHOST, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The HEART, The WILL of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 24 May – A Prayer for Guidance by St Bede

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Our Morning Offering – 24 May – Pentecost Friday

Almighty God, Open Thou My Heart
A Prayer for Guidance
By St Bede the Venerable (673-735)
Father and Doctor of the Church

ALMIGHTY God,
open Thou my heart
and enlighten me with the grace of the Holy Spirit,
to see those things which are well-pleasing to Thy will.
Direct my thoughts and understanding
to those things which it is proper to meditate upon
and to take in hand;
in such fashion, as by fitting character
and deeds, I might be found worthy
of the eternal joy of heavenly life.
Direct my acts to Thy commandments,
that I might, by labour
so unbrokenly study to bring them to fulfilment,
as to attain to an everlasting reward.
Amen

Posted in franciscan OFM, SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 24 May – Blessed Juan del Prado OFM (1563-1631) Martyr, Priest

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Saint of the Day – 24 May – Blessed Juan del Prado OFM (1563-1631) Martyr, Priest, Religious of the Friars Minor of the Barefooted Franciscans of the Strict Observance, Missionary to Muslims in Morocco. Born in 1563 at Morgobresio, Habsburg, Kingdom of Léon, Spain and died by being burned to death on 24 May 1636 at Morocco, North Africa. Also known as – Giovanni di Prado, John of Prado.

Juan del Prado was born in 1563 in Morgovejo, Léon, Spain, to a noble Spanish family. He attended the University of Salamanca and in 1584 made his religious profession in the Order of Friars Minor. Having then received Priestly Ordination, he was initially sent to his home town to preach. He served in various communities as Novice Master and later, as Guardian. However, he was then removed from this last position following a false accusation made against him despite the holiness of life and humility which distinguished him. In 1610, having definitively established his innocence, he was able to be elected Minister of the newly formed Province of San Diego.

In the meantime, the desire to be able to dedicate himself to announcing the Gospel to the pagans, in one of the many missions already existing at that time scattered around the world, grew in his heart. When, IN 1613, the plague raged in Morocco most of his brothers in Morocco, engaged in the difficult mission with the local Muslim population, sadly succombed to the illmess. With the need to replace this sad loss, Juan was able to realise his dream and Pope Urban VIII did not hesitate to name him an Apostolic Missionary and give him special powers.

Having arrived on site, he and two companions began to take care of the Christian slaves. The local authorities ordered them to leave the Town but the three Franciscans did not give up and continued with their activity. They were then arrested near Marrakech, imprisoned and sent to crush saltpetre, the mineral for the manufacture of gunpowder. Led by the Sultan, they did not hesitate to profess their Christian faith and were, therefore, flogged and thrown back into prison. In a subsequent public interrogation, ignoring the presence of the Sultan, Juan turned his attention to some apostates present. Mulay al Walid then struck him, throwing him to the ground, he was pierced by two arrows and burned alive. Overwhelmed by the flames, he persevered in exhorting the executioners to follow Christ but one of them became impatient and smashed his head with a stone.

Pope Benedict XIII Beatified Juan deL Prado on 24 May 1728, officially recognising his Martyrdom “in odium fidei.”

Posted in EMBER DAYS, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Ember Friday, Pentecost Friday, Our Lady, Help of Christians/Auxilium Christianorum, Our Lady of China and the Saints for 24 May

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EMBER FRIDAY – Fast and Partial Abstinence: https://anastpaul.com/2020/12/16/today-is-an-ember-day-did-you-remember/

Pentecost Friday

Our Lady, Help of Christians/Auxilium Christianorum
About this Marian Feast: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/05/24/feast-of-our-lady-help-of-christians-24-may/

Our Lady of China: Our Lady of China is a title for the Virgin Mary in China who is believed to have appeared at the small village of Donglu in 1900. In Chinese she is called Zhōnghuá Shèngmǔ. She is also known as Our Lady of Donglu.

St Afra of Brescia
Bl Benedict of Cassino

St David, King of Scotland (1085-1183) King David was a social and religious Reformer, a man of great administrative skills, apostle of charity and of holy piety. He transformed his Kingdom by the widespread introduction of Catholic Churches and Monasteries, thus also assisting in the international diplomatic influence of his country, it’s farming and agricultural wealth and it’s education. He was the main force and instrument of God in Christianising Scotland.
St David’s life:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/05/24/saint-of-the-day-24-may-st-david-king-of-scotland-1085-1183/

Bl Diego Alonso
St Donatian of Nantes
St Gennadius of Astroga
St Hubert of Bretigny
St Joanna the Myrrhbearer
Blessed Juan del Prado OFM (1563-1631) Martyr, Priest, Religious of the Friars Minor
Bl John of Montfort
Blessed Juan of Huete
St Manahen
St Marciana of Galatia
St Meletius the Soldier
Bl Nicetas of Pereslav
St Palladia
St Patrick of Bayeux

Blessed Philip of Piacenza OSA (Died 1306) Priest of the Order of the Hermits of St Augustine, Ascetic, Penitent, Miracle-worker.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/05/24/saint-of-the-day-24-may-blessed-philip-of-piacenza-osa-died-1306/

St Rogatian of Nantes
St Sérvulo of Trieste
St Simeon Stylites the Younger

St Susanna Martyr (Died 2nd Century) One of a group of wives of 2nd century Martyred soldiers under the command of Saint Meletius. Following the death of the soldiers, the wives and children were Martyred, as well.

Martyrs of Istria: A group of early Martyrs in the Istria peninsula. We know little more than some names – Diocles, Felix, Servilius, Silvanus and Zoëllus.

Bl Thomas Vasière

St Vincent of Lérins (Died c445) Monk, Ecclesiatical Writer
His Life of Zeal:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/05/24/saint-of-the-day-24-may-saint-vincent-of-lerins-died-c445-confessor/
QUOTES by St Vincent:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/05/24/quote-s-of-the-day-24-may-st-vincent-of-lerins/

St Vincent of Porto Romano

Martyrs of Plovdiv: 38 Christians Martyred together in the persecutions of Diocletian and Maximian. We don’t even known their names. They were beheaded in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

Posted in patience, PATIENCE - Fr Richard CLARKE, QUOTES on PATIENCE

Thought for the Day – 23 May – The Divine Patience

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Thought for the Day – 23 May – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

PATIENCE
Meditations for a Month

The Divine Patience

  1. When we speak of the patience of God we use the word in rather a different meaning to that in which it is applied to men. It means that God abstains from inflicting on the sinner, the punishment that he deserves, that He is long-suffering, that He waits to see if he will perchance repent and turn to Him that He is slow to anger and of great mercy. O my God, how patient Thou hast been with me when I rebelled against Thee! How Thou hast borne with all my ingratitude and sinfulness and stubbornness and disobedience!
  2. Holy Scripture contains many examples of the patience of God. When the human family had become so wicked that God determined to destroy them by the Flood, He waited a hundred years before carrying out the sentence. When the cry of the Cities of the Plain rose up before Him, He waited before He determined to destroy them. When Saul forfeited his kingdom by his disobedience, God waited for ten years before He carried out the sentence. Learn from God’s example to be patient with evil-doers and to love mercy rather than vengeance.
  3. God never acts in a hurry and He, thereby desires, to teach us deliberation in all that we do. We do not leave an interval of time as He does between the wrong and the infliction of the punishment. We are so impulsive that we commit many faults which we might easily have avoided if we had learned to wait. What need was there for the delay that we find attributed to God? He, as Perfect Wisdom, needs no time for deliberation. But, it is that we may recognise the necessity of being slow to act and especially, of being slow to act in anger, that God represents Himself as always waiting.
Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, MARIAN QUOTES, PAPAL ENCYLICALS, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Quote of the Day –23 May – Ineffabilis Deus

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Quote of the Day –23 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mother Mary” –

“Let all the children of the Catholic Church,
who are so very dear to us, hear these words of ours.
With a still more ardent zeal for piety, religion and love,
let them continue to venerate, invoke
and pray to the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
conceived without original sin.
Let them fly with utter confidence
to this most sweet Mother of mercy and grace
in all dangers, difficulties, needs, doubts and fears.
Under her guidance,
under her patronage,
under her kindness and protection,
nothing is to be feared; nothing is hopeless.
Because, while bearing toward us, a truly motherly affection
and having in her care, the work of our salvation,
she is solicitous about the whole human race.
And since, she has been appointed by God,
to be the Queen of Heaven and Earth
and is exalted above all the Choirs of Angels and Saints
and, even stands at the Right Hand,
of her only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
she presents our petitions in a most efficacious manner.
What she asks, she obtains.
Her pleas can never be unheard!”

Pope Pius IX (1792-1878)

Ineffabilis Deus
(which proclaimed the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception
on 8 December 1854)

Posted in "Follow Me", JESUIT SJ, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on MISSION, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 May – ‘… Alas! what an immense number of souls are excluded from Heaven through your fault …’

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One Minute Reflection – 23 May – Pentecost Thursday
– Acts 8:5-8; Luke 9:1-6 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And He sent them to preach the Kingdom of God …” – Luke 9:2

REFLECTION – “Since I came here, I have had no rest. I have been from village to village and every child not yet Baptised I have Baptised… But the children would not let me say my Office or eat or rest until I had taught them some prayers. It was then that I really began to feel that of such is the Kingdom of Heaven (Mk 10:14). I could not reject so religious a request without myself being irreligious. I made a start with the Sign of the Cross and taught them the Apostles’ Creed, the Our Father and the Hail Mary. I saw, immediately, that they were very intelligent. If only there were someone to train them in the principles of Christianity, I am sure that they would be extremely good Christians.

Very many out here fail to become Christians simply because there is no-one available to make them Christian. I have very often had the notion, to go round the universities of Europe and especially, Paris and to shout aloud everywhere, like a madman and to bludgeon those people who have more learning than love, with these words: “Alas! what an immense number of souls are excluded from Heaven through your fault and thrust down to hell!”

If only those people devoted themselves to this care in the way they do to literature. Then they would be able to render God an account of their doctrine and of the talents entrusted to them! Many of them, moved by this thought and helped by meditation on the things of God, would take pains to hear what the Lord is speaking in them and, putting aside their own selfish desires and worldly matters, would put themselves fully at God’s service and call. They would indeed cry from their soul: “Lord, here I am. What would you have me do? Send me wherever you wish, even as far as India.” – St Francis Xavier (1506-1552) Jesuit Missionary (Letters 4 and 5 to Saint Ignatius Loyola).

PRAYER – O God, Thou Who on this day have taught the hearts of the faithful by the Light of the Holy Spirit, grant us by that Holy Spirit Himself, to know what is right and ever to rejoice in His consolation. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the same Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PENTECOST, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRAYERS to THE HOLY GHOST, The HOLY GHOST

Our Morning Offering – 23 May – Nunc, Sancte, nobis Spiritus, Come, Holy Ghost, Who ever One

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Our Morning Offering – 23 May – Pentecost Thursday

Nunc, Sancte, nobis Spiritus
Come, Holy Ghost, Who ever One
By St Ambrose (340-397)
Trans John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
Trans 1836

Come, Holy Ghost, Who ever One
Art with the Father and the Son.
Come, Holy Ghost, our souls possess
With Thy full flood of holiness.

In will and deed, by heart and tongue,
With all our powers, Thy praise be sung.
And love, light up our mortal frame,
Till others catch the living flame.

Almighty Father, hear our cry
Through Jesus Christ our Lord most high,
Who with the Holy Ghost and Thee
Doth live and reign eternally.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint/s of the Day – 23 May – Saint Eutychius of Valcastoria (6th Century) Abbot and Confessor and Saint Florentius of Valcastoria (6th Century) Confessor

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Saint/s of the Day – 23 May – Saint Eutychius of Valcastoria (6th Century) Abbot and Confessor, Hermit and Saint Florentius of Valcastoria (6th Century) Confessor, Hermit, Miracle-worker. Also known as Eutizio and Fiorenzo. St Florentius attracts 2 additional memorils – on 1 June in Foligno and on 27 June in Norcia.

The Roman Martyrology reads: “In the territory of Norcia in Umbria, commemoration of Saint Eutizio, Abbot, who, as Pope Saint Gregory the Great recounts, first practiced a solitary life together with Saint Fiorenzo, leading many to God with their encouragement and later, governed the nearby Monastery with great holiness.”

St Gregory the Great narrates their lives in the Dialogues. There is also a legend of Eutychius of late origin, in which the events told by St Gregory are attributed to him. And what is found in the fabulous Acts of another Eutychius are also sometimes attributed to today’s Saint.

After having led a solitary life together with Florentius in the Norcia Province, Eutychius was elected Abbot of a Monastery in Valcastoria, famous in the Middle Ages which he ruled for many years and which took its name from him, even though he was not its founder.

It is believed that the arrival of Eutychius to Valcastoria and the construction of the Monastery date o the early times of the Ostrogothic invasion, i.e. after 487.

When Eutychius became the Abbot, Florentius remained alone and, suffering as a result, he prayed to the Lord to send him a companion. As soon as he left the oratory he found a bear, to which he gave the task of taking four or five goats to pasture, a job which the animal carried out with care. But four of Eutychius’ Monks, envious of Florentius’ miracles, killed the bear, causing him great pain. Eutychius went to console him but Florentius, inconsolable, asked the Lord for severe punishment of the guilty. These, struck by a mysterious illness, died miserably.

Upon Eutychius’ death, Florentius probably took himself to Foligno, where he died around 540 and where he is commemorated on 1 June. In Norcia, his Feast is 27 June. The Martyrology of Farfa, from the 16th Century commemorates both our Saints today on 23 May as Confessors. Both are registered in the Roman Martyrology on 23 May.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Pentecost Thursday, Virgen de Gracia / Virgin of Grace, Spain (1575), St John Baptiste de Rossi and the Saints for 23 May

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Pentecost Thursday

Virgen de Gracia / Virgin of Grace, Aés, Puente Viesgo, Pas-Miera, Cantabria, Spain (1575) – 23 May:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/05/23/the-solemnity-of-pentecost-virgen-de-gracia-virgin-of-grace-aes-spain-1575-and-memorials-of-the-saints-23-may/

St John Baptiste de Rossi (1698-1764) Priest, Confessor, Preacher and Teacher.
About St John:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/05/23/saint-of-the-day-23-may-st-john-baptist-de-rossi-1698-1764/

St Basileus of Braga

St Desiderius of Langres (c 307-c 356) Martyr, the Third Bishop of Langres, France. St Desiderius is a Cephalophores (one who picks up his head, after being beheaded and walks).
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/05/23/saint-of-the-day-23-may-saint-desiderius-of-langres-c-307-c-356-martyr/

St Epitacius of Tuy
St Euphebius of Naples
St Eutychius of Valcastoria (6th Century) Abbot and Confessor
St Florentius of Valcastoria (6th Century) Hermit and Confessor
St Goban Gobhnena

St Guibertus of Gorze (892-962) Monk, Hemit, Founder of the Abbey of Saint-Pierre, of Gemblou at Namur , Belgium.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/05/23/saint-of-the-day-23-may-st-guibertus-of-gorze-892-962/

Saint Ivo of Chartres (1040-1116) Bishop of Chartres Confessor, Reformer, Defender of the Faith, Lawyer, Canon Lawyer, Teacher and Theologian, Writer.
(His Feast Day was altered by Vatican II – it is today 23 May, the day of his death on earth and his entrty into Heaven).
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/12/23/saint-of-the-day-23-december-saint-ivo-of-chartres-c-1040-1115/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/05/23/saint-of-the-day-23-may-saint-ivo-of-chartres-1040-1116-bishop-of-chartres-copnfessor/

St Jane Antide Thouret
Bl Leontius of Rostov

St Michael of Synnada (Died 826) Bishop, Confessor, Monk, Emmissary and Diplomat of Peace.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/05/23/saint-of-the-day-23-may-saint-michael-of-synnada-died-826/

St Onorato of Subiaco
St Spes of Campi
St Syagrius of Nice

St William of Rochester (Died c 1201) Martyr, Layman – Patron of adopted children.
His Life and Death
https://anastpaul.com/2019/05/23/saint-of-the-day-23-may-st-william-of-rochester-died-c-1201-martyr/

Martyrs of Béziers: 20 Mercedarian Friars murdered by Huguenots for being Catholic. Martyrs. 1562 at the Mercedarian convent at Béziers, France.

Martyrs of Cappadocia: A group of Christians tortured and Martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian and Galerius. Their names and the details of their lives have not come down to us. They were crushed to death in c.303 in Cappadocia (in modern Turkey).

Martyrs of Carthage: When a civil revolt erupted in Carthage in 259 during a period of persecution by Valerian, the procurator Solon blamed it on the Christians, and began a persecution of them. We know the names and a few details about 8 of these martyrs – Donatian, Flavian, Julian, Lucius, Montanus, Primolus, Rhenus and Victorius. They were beheaded in 259 at Carthage (modern Tunis, Tunisia).

Martyrs of Mesopotamia: A group of Christians Martyred in Mesopotamia in persecutions by imperial Roman authorities. Their names and the details of their lives have not come down to us. They were suffocated over a slow fire in Mesopotamia.

Martyrs of North Africa: A group of 19 Christians Martyred together in the persecutions of the Arian Vandal King Hunneric for refusing to deny the Trinity. We know little more than a few of their names – Dionysius, Julian, Lucius, Paul and Quintian. c

Posted in ABOUT - Meditations with Fr RICHARD F CLARKE SJ, JESUIT SJ

Thought for the Day – 22 May – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ

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Thought for the Day – 22 May – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

MEDITATIONS FOR A MONTH

Fr Richard Clarke was born on 25 January 1839, London, England as a protestant. After studying at Oxford and entering Anglican ministry, he converted to Catholicism and entered the Jesuit Order on 15 July 1871, at Roehampton London. He was Ordained in 1878 and made his Professed on 02 February 1887.

Fr Clarke was a prolific writer with much of his output being small, meditative booklets which assist the faithful to stop and realise that the impossible could become possible.

He has written on all the essential virtues and devotions of our Catholic Faith as we climb this steep and narrow road to sanctity, guiding, inspiring and supporting us on our pilgrimage through the Liturgical year.. Most of his works cover 30 days and the Meditations are generally brief and deeply relevant to life in the world. We will be combining 3 of them here at present. Patience, Humility and for June, the Adorable Heart of Jesus which was re-issued with a Preface and Introduction by our Fr Clarke, using a publication by Fr Joseph de Galliffet (1663-1749).

We begin tomorrow.

Posted in PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS

Quote of the Day – 22 May – A Prayer to St Rita When in Special Need

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Quote of the Day – 22 May – St Rita of Cascia (1386-1457) Mother, Widow, Stigmatist, Consecrated Religious, Mystic, – Patron of Impossible Causes, Abused Wives and Widows et al

A Prayer to St Rita
When in Special Need

O powerful St Rita,
rightly called Saint of the Impossible,
I come to you with confidence in my great need.
You know well my trials,
for you yourself were many times burdened in this life.
Come to my aid, speak for me,
pray with me, intercede on my behalf
before the Father.
I know that God has a most generous heart
and that He is a most loving Father.
Join your prayers to mine
and obtain for me the grace I desire
……………… (here mention your request).
You who were so very pleasing to God on earth
and are so much now in Heaven,
I promise to use this favour, when granted,
to better my life, to proclaim God’s Mercy
and to make you more widely known and loved.
Amen.

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, The HOLY GHOST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 May – The Kiss of God is the Gift oif the Spirit!

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One Minute Reflection – 22 May – Pentecost Wednesday – Ember Wednesday within the Octave of Pentecost – Acts 2:1-11, John 14:23-31.–St Rita of Cascia (1386-1457) Mother, Widow, Stigmatist, Consecrated Religious, Mystic – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, Whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you.” – John 14:26

REFLECTION – “The Apostles were sitting there in the Cenacle, the Upper Room, waiting for the Holy Ghost’s coming. Like torches, they were present there, ready and waiting to be set alight by the Holy Ghost so as to illumine the whole creation with their teaching… They were there like farm hands carrying seed in their coat pocket, waiting for the order to go out and sow. They were there like sailors whose boat is tied up in the harbour of the Son’s commandment and who are waiting for the gentle wind of the Spirit. They were there like shepherds who have just received their staff from the Chief Shepherd of the fold and who are waiting for the flock to be divided among them.

“And they began to speak in different tongues as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” O Cenacle, kneading trough into which has been thrown the leaven, leavening the whole world! O Cenacle, mother of all the Churches, who have witnessed the miracle of the burning bush (Ex 3). O Cenacle, amazing Jerusalem with a wonder far greater than that of the burning furnace which astonished the inhabitants of Babylon (Dn 3). The fire of the furnace burned all those around it but protected those in its midst – the flames of the Cenacle gather together those outside who wish to see them, while bringing comfort to those who receive them. O fire, whose coming is word, whose silence is light! O fire, establishing hearts in thankfulness!…

Some people, who were opposed to the Holy Ghost, said: “These people have had too much new wine; they are drunk.” Indeed, you speak truly! However, it is not as you think it is. It is not wine from the vineyard they have drunk. It is a new wine that flows from Heaven – a wine newly pressed on Golgotha. The Apostles caused it to be drunk and thus they inebriated all creation. This is wine that was pressed on the Cross!” – St Ephrem (306-373) Deacon in Syria, Father and Doctor of the Church [Added by Pope Benedict XV in 1920] – (On the outpouring of the Holy Ghost).

PRAYER – O God, Thou Who on this day have taught the hearts of the faithful by the Light of the Holy Spirit, grant us by that Holy Spirit Himself, to know what is right and ever to rejoice in His consolation. 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 7 GIFTS of the HOLY GHOST: Wisdom, Understanding, Prudence, Strength, Knowledge, Piety, Fear, DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRAYERS to THE HOLY GHOST

Our Morning Offering – 22 May – St Bonaventure’s Prayer for the Gifts of the Holy Ghost

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Our Morning Offering – 22 May – Pentecost Wednesday

Prayer for the Gifts
of the Holy Ghost
By St Bonaventure (1221-1274)
Seraphic Doctor of the Church

We beg the All-Merciful Father through Thee,
His Only-Begotten Son, made Man for our sake,
Crucified and Glorified for us,
to send upon us, from His treasure-house,
the Spirit of Sevenfold Grace,
Who rested upon Thee in all His fullness.

The Spirit of Wisdom,
enabling us to relish the fruit of the tree of life,
which is indeed Thyself.
The Gift of Understanding,
to enlighten our perceptions.
The Gift of Prudence,
enabling us to follow in Thine Footsteps.
The Gift of Strength,
to withstand our adversary’s onslaught.
The Gift of Knowledge,
to distinguish good from evil,
by the light of Thine holy teaching.
The Gift of Piety,
to clothe ourselves with charity and mercy.
The Gift of Fear,
to withdraw from all ill-doing
and live quietly in awe
of Thy Eternal Majesty.

These are the things for which we petition.
Grant them for the honour of Thy Holy Name,
to which, with the Father and the Holy Ghost,
be all honour and glory, thanksgiving, renown
and Lordship, forever and ever.
Amen

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 22 May – Saint Romanus of Subiaco (Died c560) Abbot

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 22 May – Saint Romanus of Subiaco (Died c560) Abbot, Hermit and Monk. Protector and benefactor of St Benedict during the latter’s early years as a Hermit. Also known as Romano.

Life of St Benedict, Scene 4: The Monk Romanus Dresses Benedict by Il Sodoma,

The spirituality of the great Saint Benedict, Patron Saint of Europe, originated with a three-year Retreat at the so-called “Sacro Speco” of Subiaco. In this deep, almost inaccessible cave, the young Benedict dedicated himself, body and soul, to a very harsh ascetic practice.
However, not everyone knows that it was our Saint Romanus, a Monk near the Lazio village of Subiaco, who dressed the famous Saint of Norcia in the Hermit’s Habit, helped him enter the Sacro Speco and provided him with everything he needed to survive for three long years. All this, however, was done with secrecy, to prevent anyone from suspecting Benedict’s presence in the cave and possibly disturbing his asceticism.

Everyday, Romanus provided the penitent boy with some bread recovered from the canteen of his Monastery, climbing the cliff above the entrance to the cavity, he warned Benedetto of his arrival with a bell and letthe supplies, just as much as was needed, down to him down with a rope.

Legend has it that one day the bell was broken by the devil, enraged by the strong ascetic and charitable virtues which he found in Benedict and Romanus respectively. The latter, however, did not limit himself exclusively to providing the Saint of Norcia with material aid but thanks to his experience and his wisdom, he was able to reveal to him, the secrets of monastic asceticism which proved to be of fundamental importance in the drafting of the Benedictine Rule.

Unfortunately, it is not known with historical certainty whether the two Sints remained in contact even at the end of the three years of collaboration at the Holy Sepulchre of Subiaco. When Saint Benedict finally became famous as Abbot of Monte Cassino, tradition rather leans towards a transfer of Romanus to France, where he did his utmost to found a new Monastery and trained many young Monks. Here, upon his death, he was venerated for his immense spiritual merits which materialised mainly in the inspiration of Saint Benedict in the foundation of the new religious family, which formed the Christian soul of the old continent.

Posted in EMBER DAYS, MARIAN TITLES, MYSTICS, SAINT of the DAY

Ember Wed, sday – Fast & Partial Abstinence, Pentecost Wednesday, Beata Vergine di San Luca, Bologna, Italy / The Blessed Virgin of Saint Luke, Bologna, St Rita of Cascia and the Saints for 22 May

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Ember Wednesday – Fast & Partial Abstinence: https://anastpaul.com/2020/12/16/today-is-an-ember-day-did-you-remember/

Pentecost Wednesday

Beata Vergine di San Luca, Bologna, Italy / The Blessed Virgin of Saint Luke, Bologna – 22 May, Saturday before the Feast of the Ascension of our Lord:. The Blessed Virgin of St Luke is the Patron Saint of Bologna.
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/05/22/beata-vergine-di-san-luca-bologna-italy-the-blessed-virgin-of-saint-luke-bologna-and-memorials-of-the-saints/

St Rita of Cascia (1386-1457) Mother, Widow, Stigmatist, Consecrated Religious, Mystic, – Patron of Impossible Causes, Abused Wives and Widows et al
About St Rita:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/05/22/saint-of-the-day-22-may-st-rita-of-cascia-patron-of-impossible-causes-abused-wives-and-widows/

St Aigulf of Bourges
St Atto of Pistoia
St Aureliano of Pavia
St Ausonius of Angoulême
St Baoithin of Ennisboyne

St Basiliscus of Pontus (Died c 310) Martyr, Bishop of Comana in Pontus, Asia Minor (in modern Turkey).
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/05/22/saint-of-the-day-22-may-st-basiliscus-of-comana-died-c-310-martyr-bishop/

St Beuvon (Died 986) Pilgrim, Apostle of the poor, Hermit, Knight
About St Beuvon:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/05/22/saint-of-the-day-22-may-st-beuvon-died-986/

St Boethian of Pierrepont
St Castus the Martyr
St Conall of Inniscoel
Bl Diego de Baja
Bl Dionisio Senmartin
St Emilius the Martyr
St Faustinus the Martyr

St Fulgentius of Otricoli (Mid 6th Century) Bishop, Miracle-worker, remembered by St Gregory the Great in his Dialogues.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/05/22/saint-of-the-day-22-may-saint-fulgentius-of-otricoli-mid-6th-century-bishop/

Bl Fulk of Castrofurli
Bl Giacomo Soler
Bl Giusto Samper
St Helen of Auxerre

St Humility of Faenza (c 1226–1310) Wife, Mother, Nun – a founder of Vallumbrosan Convents, and is considered the Founder of the Vallumbrosan Nuns.
Her Story:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/05/22/saint-of-the-day-22-may-saint-humility-of-faenza-c-1226-1310/

Blessed John Forest OFM (1471-1538) Martyr of Oxford University, Priest of the Order of Friars Minor. Beatified by Pope Leo XIII on 29 December 1886.
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/05/22/saint-of-the-day-22-may-bl-john-forest-o-f-m-1471-1538-martyr/

St Julia (5th century) Virgin Martyr
Her Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/05/22/saint-of-the-day-22-may-st-julia-5th-century-martyr/

St Lupo of Limoges
St Marcian of Ravenna Bishop and Confessor
St Margaret of Hulme
Bl Pedro of the Assumption
St Quiteria
St Romanus of Subiaco (Died c560) Abbot, Protector and benefactor of St Benedict during the latter’s early years as a Hermit.
St Timothy the Martyr
St Venustus the Martyr