Day: June 14, 2024

Posted in PATIENCE - Fr Richard CLARKE, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on TEMPTATION

Thought for the Day – 14 June – The Endurance of Temptation

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 14 June – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

PATIENCE
Meditations for a Month

The Endurance of Temptation

  1. Temptations are a necessary element in the career of all the servants of God. ‘Because thou wast acceptable to God‘, says the Angel to Tobias, ‘it was necessary that temptation should try thee.‘ (Tobias 12 : 13.) Temptations, therefore, far from being any mark of God’s anger or displeasure, are a sign of His love and favour. This ought to be our consolation when we are harassed by temptations. St James tells us: ‘My brethren, count it all joy, when you fall into divers temptations. (St James 1 : 2.)
    I must take a more cheerful view of temptation than I have hitherto done. I must take it as a mark of God’s favour and then, I shall meet it more bravely.
  2. How is temptation a sign of God’s love? It is an excellent instrument for engendering humility. If we are inclined to think too much of ourselves, nothing brings us to our senses, like some humiliating temptation. It shows us our own weakness and the necessity of continual reliance on God. It produces in us, a spirit of dependence upon God. This is the only way to pass through temptation safely.
    God has promised that He will always make a way to escape from every temptation.
  3. Temptation is also necessary to enable us to feel for others under their temptations. Even our Lord, the Apostle tells us, suffered being tempted that He may be able to succour those who are tempted. (Hebrews 2 : 18.) He knew indeed, from the beginning, all that His servants suffer but, by enduring temptation, He learned it by His own experience, so as to feel their sufferings. We do not even know the sufferings of others, much less can we sympathise with them thoroughly.
    Am I gentle towards those who are tempted, or am I hard and unsympathetic?
Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, HOLY COMMUNION, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 14 June – St Basil the Great

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Quote/s of the Day – 14 June – St Basil the Great (329-379) Bishop of Caesarea, Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church.

“Let listening to worldly news
be BITTER FOOD for you
and let the words of
Saintly men
be as combs
filled with honey.”

“He seems to demand of us
the most entire renunciation …
So, if we keep back for ourselves,
any earthly goods or any perishable supplies,
our minds will remain sunk in them,
as though in mud.
Then, inevitably, our souls will become unable
to contemplate God and will be unmoved
by desire for the splendours of Heaven
and for the good things promised us.
We shall only be able to acquire those good things,
if we ask for them unceasingly,
with a burning desire that will, besides,
make easy the effort needed to gain them.”

“A tree is known by its fruit,
a man by his deeds.
A good deed is never lost,
he who sows courtesy,
reaps friendship
and he who plants kindness,
gathers love.”

“Be constant in secret prayers
which God, Who indeed sees in secret,
rewards in the open.
Hold fast to this exercise
of a most excellent way of life.
that you may find hidden treasure
in the day of need.”

Lord, I Know that I Am Not Worthy
Prayer before Holy Communion
By St Basil the Great (329-379)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Lord, I know that I am not worthy
to receive Thy Holy Body and Precious Blood;
I know that I am guilty
and that I eat and drink
condemnation to myself,
not discerning the Body and Blood
of Christ, my God.
But trusting in Thy loving kindness,
I come to Thee, Who hast said –
‘Whoever eats My Body and drinks My Blood,
will dwell in Me and I in him’;
Therefore, Lord, have compassion on me
and do not put to shame Thy sinful servant
But deal with me according to Thy great mercy
And grant that these Holy Gifts,
may be for me,
healing, cleansing, enlightenment,
protection, salvation and sanctification
of soul and body.
May they cast out from me
every dark delusion,
sinful deed or work of the evil one.
May they move me to trust
and love Thee always,
to amendment of life,
increase of virtue,
obedience to Thy commandments,
communion of the Holy Spirit,
provision for my final journey
and a good defence before the dreadful
seat of judgement.
Amen.

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/06/14/quote-s-of-the-day-14-june-st-basil-the-great-2/

St Basil the Great (329-379)
Father and Doctor of the Church.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FRANCISCAN OFM, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on SIN, SACRED HEART ASPIRATIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 14 June – ‘… This is the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price …’

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One Minute Reflection – 14 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” and the Octave Day of the Sacred Heart – Ephesians 3:8-12, 14-19, John 19:31-37 – – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“… One of the soldiers opened His side with a lance and immediately there came forth blood and water. ” – John 19:34

REFLECTION – “Let us draw near to the Heart of our most sweet Lord Jesus and we shall be glad and rejoice in it. How good and how sweet it is to dwell in this Heart! This is the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price which we discover, O Jesus, when we dig in the field of Thy Body (cf Mt 13:44). Who, then, would cast aside this Pearl? Far from it! For It, I will give away all my goods and offer in exchange, all my concerns and affections. I will lay down all my cares in the Heart of Jesus, it is He Who will suffice for me and Who will, without fail, supply all I need to live on!

It is within this temple, this Holy of holies, this Ark of the Covenant, that I shall come to offer worship and praise to the Lord’s Name. “I have found a heart with which to pray to my God” said David (1 Ch 17:25). And I too have found the Heart of my Lord and King, my Brother and Friend. Shall I not pray to Him, then? Indeed I shall pray, for, I dare to say it – His Heart is all mine…

O Jesus, deign to receive and answer my prayer. Draw me wholly into Thine Heart. Although the deformity of my sins prevents me from entering in, yet, Thou can receive and purify me from my impurities since, through an incomprehensible Love, this Heart has expanded and opened wide. O most pure Jesus, wash me from my iniquities so that, purified by Thee, I may dwell in Thy Heart all the days of my life, to see and do Thy will. If Thine Side has been pierced, then it is so that our entrance there should be opened. If Thine Heart has been wounded, then it is so that, sheltered from outward distress, we can make our home within it. And, too, it is so that in this visible wound, we might see the invisible wound of Love.” – [Attrib] St Bonaventure (1221-1274) Franciscan, Doctor of the Church (editations on the Lord’s Passion 3).

PRAYER – We beseech Thee, O Lord, hear our prayers which we offer on the festival of blessed Basil, Thy Confessor and Bishop and through his intercessory merits, who had the grace to serve Thee worthily, absolve us from all our sins. 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).

MAY the Heart of JESUS in the most Blessed Sacrament be praised, adored and loved with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the Tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time. – Indulgence 100 Days, Once a Day. Raccolta 161 Pius IX, 29 February 1868.

Posted in HYMNS, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, Our MORNING Offering, SACRED HEART PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 14 June – O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I Place my Trust in Thee

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 14 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” and the Octave Day of the Sacred Heart

O Sacred Heart of Jesus,
I Place my Trust in Thee
Attr to Sr Mary Gisela
of Notre Dame Convent
(USA 1957)

O Sacred Heart of Jesus,
I place my trust in Thee,
Whatever may befall me, Lord,
though dark the hour may be;
In all my woes, in all my joys,
though nought but grief I see,
O Sacred Heart of Jesus,
I place my trust in Thee.

When those I love have passed away
and I am sore distressed,
O Sacred Heart of Jesus,
I fly to Thee for rest.
And when the cross is heavy,
my confidence shall be
Unshaken as I cry, dear Lord,
“I place my trust in Thee.”

This is my one sweet prayer, dear Lord,
my faith, my trust, my love
But most of all in that last hour,
when death points up above,
O Sweet Saviour, may Thy Face
smile on my soul all free.
Oh may I cry with rapturous love,
“I’ve placed my trust in Thee!”

The above been set as a Hymn to the tune
PASSION CHORALE by Hans Leo Hassler (1601) –
the tune which is commonly used for a
“O Sacred Head now Wounded”

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 14 June – Saint Fortunatus of Naples (4th Century) Bishop Confessor

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Saint of the Day – 14 June – Saint Fortunatus of Naples (4th Century) Bishop Confessor, a fierce Defender of the Faith against Arianism. He is the first historically-attested Bishop of Naples, as one of the recipients of a letter written by those who took part in the Arian Council of Philippopolis in the 340s -he was a fierce opponent of Arianism. His term as the Bishop is held to be 347 to 359. Also known as – Fortunato. Additional Memorial – 8 November, the day when it celebrates the memory of all the “Bishop Saints of the Church of Naples.”

St Fortunatus top row right

The date of Fortunatus Episcopate is not totally precise, but is believed to have been towards the middle of the 4th Century, at the time that the Arian heresy was raging.

The heresy arose from the heretic Arius of Alexandria (280-336), who stated that the Word, Incarnated in Jesus Christ, is not of the same substance as the Father but represents the first of His creatures.

The heresy unleashed, a sometimes violent struggle, between the two positions existing in the Church. The Bishop of Naples, Fortunato did everything to preserve his Diocese from the Arian heresy, despite the attempt of the favourable eastern Bishops, who, having fled from the Council of Sardica (now Sofia in Bulgaria), wanted to draw him to their side.

It is known that he had a cemetery Basilica built which took his name, in the Sanità valley, not far from the Catacombs of St Gaudiosus and, which took on primary importance. In this Basilica Fortunato waslater buried and the mortal remains of the Bishops of Naples were also interred there. St Maximus,ae 10th Bishop of Naples, who was a victim of the Arian struggle, had died in exile in the East and which fact, his successor, St Severius, had reported to Naples.

Naples Cathedral High Altar

Under the Episcopate of Bishop John the Scribe (Died 849), the Relics of St Fortunatus and St Maxomus were moved to the ancient Cathedral of Naples.

And from that same period is the famous “Marble Calendar ” of Naples, sculpted in the 9th Century and still preserved in the rooms of the current Cathedral which bears the name of our Saint Fortunatus on 14 June and which, on the same date, is then reported in other Neapolitan Calendars and in the Roman Martyrology.

Even today, many Neapolitans bear his name, this testifies to the long and incessant cult enjoyed over the centuries by the holy Bishop Fortunatus, about whom, unfortunately, only little information has been passed to us.

Naples Cathedral, Façade

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN TITLES, MARTYRS, NAPLES, SAINT of the DAY

The Octave Day of the Sacred Heart, Notre-Dame de la Treille / Our Lady of the Trellis, France (1234), St Basil the Great and the Saints for 14 June

Posted on by AnaStpaul

The Octave Day of the Sacred Heart

Notre-Dame de la Treille / Our Lady of the Trellis, Lille, Nord, Flandres, France (1234) – 14 June:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/06/14/notre-dame-de-la-treille-our-lady-of-the-trellis-lille-nord-flandres-france-1234-and-memorials-of-the-saints-14-june/

St Basil the Great (329-379) Bishop of Caesarea, Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church. From the 13th Century until 1969, St Basil’s Feast was celebrated today, 14 June.
It was combined with St Gregory of Nazianzen’s Feast in 1969.
https://anastpaul.com/2019/01/02/saint-s-of-the-day-2-january-st-basil-the-great-329-379-and-st-gregory-of-nazianzen-330-390-two-bodies-one-spirit/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/06/14/saint-of-the-day-14-june-st-basil-the-great-329-379/

St Anastasius of Córdoba
St Burchard of Meissen
St Caomhán of Inisheer
St Castora Gabrielli
St Cearan the Devout
Bl Constance de Castro
St Cyprien
St Cyriacus of Zeganea
St Davnet
St Digna of Córdoba
St Dogmael of Wales
St Elgar of Bardsey

St Elisha the Prophet “My God is salvation” (790 BC) Prophet was a disciple and protégé of St Elijah.
St Elisha!
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/14/saint-of-the-day-14-june-saint-elisha-the-prophet-my-god-is-salvation-790-bc/

St Etherius of Vienne
St Felix of Córdoba
St Fortunatus of Naples (4th Century) Bishop Confessor
St Gerold of Evreux
Bl Hartwig of Salzburg
St Joseph the Hymnographer

St Marcian of Syracuse (Died c 68) Bishop of Syracuse, Sicily, Italy Martyr. Disciple of and Consecrated by St Peter, Missionary, Evangelist.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/06/14/saint-of-the-day-14-june-st-marcian-of-syracuse-died-c-68/

St Mark of Lucera

St Methodius of Constantinople (born 8th Century – 847) Monk and and Bishop of Constantinople, “Defender of Icons”
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/06/14/saint-of-the-day-14-june-st-methodius-i-of-constantinople-8th-cent-847-defender-of-icons/

St Nennus of Arran
Bl Peter de Bustamante
St Protus of Aquileia
St Quintian
St Richard of Saint Vannes

St Rufinus of Soissons * (Died 4th Century) Layman, Martyr.
AND St Valerius of Soissons * (Died 4th Century) Layman, Martyr
The Roman Martyrology reads: “At Soissons in Belgic Gaul, today in France, the Holy Martyrs – Saints Valerius and Rufinus, who after enduring many torments, were condemned to be beheaded by the Governor, Rictiovarus, in the persecution of Diocletian.”
Their Lives and Deaths:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/06/14/saints-of-the-day-14-june-st-valerius-and-st-rufinus-of-soissons-died-4th-century-laymen-martyrs/

St Theopista