Day: August 27, 2024

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD

Thought for the Day – 27 August –CONSIDERATION I, Second Point: “Dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return.”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 27 August – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION I

“Dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return.”
(Gen iii:19)

SECOND POINT:
In order more clearly to see what indeed thou art, my Christian soul, St John Chrysostom observes:
“Go to a sepulchre, contemplate
dust, ashes, worms and sigh.”
See how that corpse becomes, at first yellow and then black. Afterwards, there is seen upon the body, a white and unpleasant mould. Then there issues forth a foul and corrupt matter which sinks into the ground.
In that corruption many worms are generated which
feed upon the flesh. The rats then come to feast upon the body, some on the outside, others entering into the mouth and bowels.

The cheeks, the lips and the hair fall in pieces; the ribs are
the first to become bare of flesh, then the arms and the legs.
The worms after, having consumed the flesh eat each other, and, in the end, nothing remains of that body but a fetid skeleton which, in course of time, is divided, the bones being separated and the head falling from the body, they
“become like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors and the wind carried them away“ ” (Dan ii:35.)

Behold, then, what man is – a little dust upon a threshing-floor which is carried away by the wind!
Behold that nobleman, who was considered to be the life
and soul of society, where is he? Go into his room, he is not
there; if you look into his bed, it belongs to another; his clothes, his arms, others have already taken and divided them. If you wish to see him, you must seek for him in that grave where he is changed into all that is unpleasant and into fleshless bones.

O my God, that that body fed with so many delicacies, clothed with so much pomp, attended by so many servants, should be reduced to this !
O ye Saints, ye, who for the love of that God, Whom ye loved alone, upon this earth, knew how to mortify your
bodies and now, your bones are kept and prized as sacred relics in golden shrines and your souls which are beatified, rejoice in the presence of God, waiting for the final Day, when your bodies even, will again become the companions of your souls in glory, as they were once the companions of your souls, in bearing the cross of this world.
This is the true love of the body, so to burden it with mortifications here, that it may be happy in eternity and to deny it those pleasures here which would render it unhappy in eternity.

Affections andPrayers

Behold, therefore, O my God, to what my body will become reduced, through which I have so often offended Thee, it will be reduced even to worms and corruption.
But this does not grieve me, O my God, nay, it rather cheers me, for this my flesh to become putrid and consumed which made me lose Thee, O my Sovereign Good.
But it does grieve me very much, to think that I should have taken so much delight in those wretched pleasures which have so often displeased Thee.
But I will not distrust Thy Mercy.
Thou hast waited for me to give me pardon.
“Therefore will the Lord wait that He may be gracious unto thee.” (Isa xxx: 18)
And Thou wilt pardon me if I repent.
Yes, Thou wilt, for I do repent with all my heart for having despised Thee, O God of Infinite Goodness.
I will repeat to Thee as did St Catherine of Genoa,
“No more sins, my Jesus, no more sins.”
No, I will no longer abuse Thy patience, neither will I wait to embrace Thee until the hour of death.
O my Crucified Love, now will I embrace Thee, now will I commend my soul into Thy keeping.
“Into Thy Hands, I commend my spirit.”

My soul has been many years in this world without loving Thee, give me light and strength to love Thee during the life which remains to me.
I will not wait until the hour of death to love Thee, from this moment, 1 will love Thee and embrace Thee and unite myself to Thee and, I promise, never more to leave Thee.

Posted in GOD ALONE!, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on CHILDREN, QUOTES on EDUCATION, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 27 August – St Joseph Calasanz

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Quote/s of the Day – 27 August – St Joseph Calasanz (1557-1648) Confessor, Priest

“If, from the very earliest years,
a child is instructed
in both religion and letters,
it can be reasonably hoped
that his life will be happy.”

“Like the saplings of plants,
the young are easily influenced,
as long as someone works
to teach their souls.
But if they are allowed to grow hard,
we know well that the possibility
of one day bending them,
diminishes a great deal
and is sometimes utterly lost.”

“LOVE
is the only way
to HEAVEN.”

“Keep, O Lord, my heart at peace,
always close to Thee.
Thou Who calms the wild waves of the sea.”

St Joseph Calasanz (1557-1648)

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/08/27/123035/

Posted in ADVENT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CHILDREN, The NATIVITY of JESUS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 27 August – “And whoever receives one such little child for My sake, receives Me.” – Matthew 18:5

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One Minute Reflection – 27 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – St Joseph Calasanz (1557-1648) Confessor, Priest –Wisdom 10:10-14; Matthew 18:1-5 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And whoever receives one such little child for My sake, receives Me.” – Matthew 18:5

REFLECTION – “Could God not have made the human person perfect right from the beginning? For God, Who has always been identical with Himself and Who is not created, everything is possible. But because the existence of the created beings began after God’s, they are necessarily inferior to God, Who made them … Thus, since they are created, they are not perfect. When they have just been born, they are small children and as small children, they are neither accustomed to, nor have they had practice in, perfect conduct … Thus, God could give perfection to the human person right from the beginning but, the human person was incapable of receiving this perfection, for he was only a small child.

And that is why, in the last times, when our Lord gathered up all things in Himself (Eph 1:10), He came to us, not in His power but, in such a way, we were able to see Him. For He could have come to us in His inexpressible glory but, we were not yet able to bear the greatness of His glory. … Although the Word of God was perfect, with humankind He became a small Child, not for Himself but because of the state of childhood, in which was humankind.” – St Irenaeus (c130-202) Bishop of Lyons, Martyr, Father of the Church (Against the Heresies IV 38, 1-2).

PRAYER – O God, Who through St Joseph, Thy Confessor, did graciously will to provide Thy Church with a new method for the training of youth, in the spirit of understanding and holiness grant, we beseech Thee, that, following his example and through his intercession, we may live and teach so as to acquire an everlasting reward. Through esus 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, BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, GOD ALONE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The WILL of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 27 August – Morning Prayer, To Be Conformed to the Divine Will

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Our Morning Offering – 27 August

Morning Prayer
To Be Conformed to the Divine Will
Unknown Author
Breviary Prayer

Most Holy Trinity, Godhead IndIvisible,
Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
our first beginning and our last end,
Thou hast made us in accord
with Thine Own Image and likeness.

Grant that all the thoughts of our minds,
all the words of our tongues,
all the affections of our hearts
and all the actions of our being
may always be conformed to Thine Holy Will.

So may we, having seen Thee veiled
in appearance here below,
by means of faith,
come at last to contemplate
Thee face-to-face,
in the perfect possession of Thee,
forever in Heaven.
Amen

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 27 August – Saint Narnus of Bergamo (Died c345) Bishop and Confessor

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Saint of the Day – 27 August – Saint Narnus of Bergamo (Died c345) Bishop and Confessor, of Bergamo which is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Milan. Died in c345 in Bergamo, Italy of natural causes. Additional Memorial – 15 January in Bergamo. Also known as – Narno.

The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Bergamo, St Narnus, who was Baptised by the blessed Barnabas and Consecrated by him as the first Bishop of that City.”

Narnus is venerated as the 1st Bishop of Bergamo. Christian tradition holds that he was Consecrated during the Apostolic Age by St Barnabas, although Narnus probably lived later than that.

The oldest source which mentions Narnus is from the 13th Century and was written by Brother Branca da Gandino, a Friar. He considers Narnus a Bishop of Bergamo. He probably held the Episcopal Office towards the middle of the 4th Century, according to some scholars in the years 334-345 and they also affirm that it was St Ambrose, who consecrated him as the 3rd Bishop of Bergamo.

The place of his birth is uncertain, some say Castione, some Ogna, some Villa d’Ogna but the consensus is Ogna (Bergamo). It is believed that he built the primitive Alexandrian Basilica, of which St Grata was the promoter.

He died in his seat of Bergamo, towards 345 or around 375 (?) and was buried four metres deep from the choir, in the Crypt of the ancient Alexandrian Church which was the ‘martyrium’ of St Alessandro and, at the same time, a Cathedral and there, he was honoured with an Altar and venerated every year with solemn liturgies.

In 1561, the ancient Basilica of St Alessandro had to be demolished and the Relics of St Narnus, together with those of his successor St Viatore and other Saints, were transferred to the Church of St Vincenzo, today’s Cathedral of ST Alessandro, where they are still venerated.
During these works, an ancient Tombstone was found which indicated the place where both St Narnus and St Viatore were buried, in Latin: “episcopus Narnus Christi Confessor” that is, St Narnus has the title of ‘Confessor’ which, in ancient times, also included Martyrs, it is thought that perhaps he had suffered mistreatment in his youth, during the persecution of Diocletian.

Bergamo St Alexander Cathedral – a magnificent art-encrusted interior

In the following centuries there were four other recognitions of the Relics; in a calendar of the 11th Century and in one of the 13th Century, owned by the Monastery of St Grata, the Feast of St Narnus is placed on 27 August, a date which was then passed into other ‘Catalogs’ and also into the Roman Martyrology.

On the figure of the Bishop of Bergamo, there is a vast bibliography, as well as a discrete ancient iconography.
In the Diocese of Bergamo, his memory is celebrated on 15 January.

Bergamo Cathedral an astoundingly beautiful Cathedral both inside and out
Posted in franciscan OFM, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Feast of the Seven Joys of Our Lady, St Joseph Calasanz and the Saints for 27 August

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Feast of the Seven Joys of Our Lady – This Feast is also known as “The Franciscan Crown,” The Seven Joys of the Virgin. Today was kept by the Franciscans as the Feast of the Seven Joys of the Virgin Mary. As an expression of the Seraphic Order’s devotional life, it corresponds to the Feast of the Holy Rosary, which began among the Dominicans and the observance on 15 September of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin,
https://anastpaul.com/2022/08/27/27-august-feast-of-the-seven-joys-of-our-lady-the-franciscan-crown/

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Mbvq3ecWBqY%3Fversion%3D3%26rel%3D1%26showsearch%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26iv_load_policy%3D1%26fs%3D1%26hl%3Den%26autohide%3D2%26wmode%3Dtransparent

St Joseph Calasanz Sch.P. (1557-1648) Spanish Confessor, Priest, Teacher, Lawyer, Founder of the Pious Schools. Patron of all Schools, Colleges, al study institutions and of all students.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/08/25/saint-of-the-day-25-august-st-joseph-calasanz-sch-p-1557-1648/

https://youtube.com/watch?v=aJ-PvJ6dA9k%3Fversion%3D3%26rel%3D1%26showsearch%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26iv_load_policy%3D1%26fs%3D1%26hl%3Den%26autohide%3D2%26wmode%3Dtransparent
https://youtube.com/watch?v=aJ-PvJ6dA9k%3Fversion%3D3%26rel%3D1%26showsearch%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26iv_load_policy%3D1%26fs%3D1%26hl%3Den%26autohide%3D2%26wmode%3Dtransparent

St Caesarius of Arles (470-543) Archbishop and Church Father, Theologian, Preacher, Apostle of charity, Legislator, Administrator, Writer, Reformer.
The wondrous St Caesarius:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/08/27/saint-of-the-day-27-august-saint-caesarius-of-arles-470-543-father-of-the-church/

https://youtube.com/watch?v=IdnBjeax8E8%3Fversion%3D3%26rel%3D1%26showsearch%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26iv_load_policy%3D1%26fs%3D1%26hl%3Den%26autohide%3D2%26wmode%3Dtransparent

St Agilo of Sithin
St Angelus of Foligno
St Anthusa the Younger
St Arontius of Potenza
St Baculus of Sorrento
St Carpophorus
St David Lewis
St Decuman
St Ebbo of Sens
St Etherius of Lyons
St Euthalia of Leontini
St Fortunatus of Potenza

Blessed Gabriel Mary Nicholas OFM (c1463-1532) Confessor, Priest and Friar of the Friars Minor, Co-founder of the Order of the Annunciation (O.Ann.M).
Blessed Gabriel was Beatified in 1647 by Pope Innocent X.
Holy Gabriel:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/08/27/saint-of-the-day-27-august-blessed-gabriel-mary-nicholas-ofm-c1463-1532-confessor-priest/

St Gebhard of Constance
St Giovanni of Pavia
St Honoratus of Potenza
St John of Pavia
St Licerius of Couserans
St Malrubius of Merns
St Narnus of Bergamo (Died c345) Bishop and Confessor
St Phanurius
St Poemen
Bl Roger Cadwallador
St Rufus of Capua
St Sabinian of Potenza
St Syagrius of Autun

Martyrs of Tomi – 5 Saints: A group of 17 Christians imprisoned and excuted for their faith during the persecutions of Diocletian. They miraculously were unburned by fire and untouched by wild animals. We know the names and a few details on five of them – John, Mannea, Marcellinus, Peter and Serapion. They were tied to stakes and burned alive; they emerged unharmed – thrown to wild animals in the amphitheatre; the animals ignored them; they were beheaded in 304 in Tomi, Mesia (modern Costanza, Romania).

Martyrs of Nagasaki – 14 Beati: A group of fourteen missionaries and Japanese native Christians, who were Martyred together for their faith. They died on 16 August 1627 in Nagasaki, Japan and were Beatified on 7 May 1867 by Pope Pius IX. They are – Blessed Antonius of Saint Francis, Blessed Bartolomé Díaz Laurel, Blessed Caius Akashi Jiemon, Blessed Francisca Pinzokere, Blessed Francisco of Saint Mary, Blessed Franciscus Kuhyoe, Blessed Leo Kurobyoe Nakamura, Blessed Lucas Tsuji Kyuemon, Blessed Ludovicus Matsuo Soyemon, Blessed Magdalena Kiyota, Blessed Maria Shobyoe, Blessed Michaël Koga Kizayemon, Blessed Thomas Sato Shin’emon, Blessed Tsuji Shobyoe.