Month: September 2024

Posted in PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN

Thought for the Day – 20 September –CONSIDERATION VIII, Third Point – The Death of the Just – “ The Gate of Life …”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 20 September – 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 VIII

The Death of the Just
“Precious in the Sight of the Lord
is the death of His Saints.”
(Ps cxv: 15)

THIRD POINT:
Not only is death the end of our labours but, it is even the Gate of Life, as St Bernard observes. He who wishes to enter in and see God, must pass through this gate.
“This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter into it.” (Ps cxviii: 20).
St Jerome called out to death and said: “Open to me, my sister.” My sister, death, if thou dost not open the door, I cannot go in to enjoy my Lord.

St Charles Borromeo, having a painting in his house which represented a skeleton with a scythe in the hand,called for the painter and ordered him to erase the scythe and to paint a golden key; desiring by this that the wish for death should ever be kindled in his heart, for death is that key which must open the Gate of Heaven for us to see God.

St John Chrysostom observes that if a King had prepared an apartment in his Palace for someone but, for some time desired that person to live in a hovel, how much would he not desire to leave the hovel and to go to the Palace?
The soul during this life, being in the body, is as it were, in a prison, from which it must pass to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, therefore, David prayed, saying: “Bring my soul out of prison.” (Ps cxlii: 9).
And the holy Simeon, when he had the Infant Jesus in his arms, sought for no other favour than death, so as to be freed from the prison of this life: “Lord, now lettest Thou, Thy servant depart in peace.” (St Luke ii: 29).
St Ambrose also says: “he seeks, as if he were held by necessity, to be dismissed.”
The Apostle also desired the same grace when he said: “having a desire to depart and to be with Christ,” (Phil i:23).

What joy the cup-bearer of Pharaoh felt when he heard from Joseph that he should soon be released from prison and should return to his post!
And a soul who loves God, does it not rejoice when it hears that, within a short time, it will be released from the prison of this world and will go to enjoy God?
“Whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord.” (2 Cor v: 6). Whilst we are united to the body, we are far from the sight of God, as it were, in a foreign land and far from our own Country and, therefore St Bruno remarks, our death ought not to be called death but Life!
Hence, the death of the of the Saints is called their birthday; yes, because when they die they are borne to that blessed life which will never have an end.

St Athanasius observes: “the just die not but are translated.”To the just, death is no other, than the transition to eternal life.”
“O beautiful death,” says St Augustine, “and who is he who does not long for thee, seeing thou art the end of all work, the end of toil and the beginning of eternal rest?”
Therefore, the Saint earnestly prayed, saying: “May I die, O Lord, that I may see Thee?”

St Cyprian observes, that death must indeed be feared by the sinner because he will pass from a temporal to an eternal death. “Let him fear to die, who shall pass to the second death” but he who is within the Grace of God, does not fear death because he will pass from death to an Eternal Life.
In the life of St John the Almoner, it is related, a certain rich man recommended his only son to the Saint and gave him many alms, so that the Saint might obtain a long life for his son from God but, the son soon afterwards died. As the father was grieving over the death of his son, God sent an Angel to him, who said: “Thou didst seek a long life for thy son, know that he is now enjoying it eternally in Paradise.” This is the Grace Jesus Christ obtained for us, as it was promised in Hosea: “O death, I will be thy plague.” (Hos xiii: 14). Jesus, in dying for us, made our death to become Life.
When Pionius the Martyr was being borne to the scaffold, he was asked by those who led him: “How it was he could go so joyfully to death?” The Saint answered: “You deceive yourselves; I go not to death but to Life.”
Even thus was the youthful St Symphorian encouraged by his mother when the time of his Martyrdom drew nigh: “O my son, life is not taken away from thee; it is exchanged for a better.”

Affections and Prayers

O God of my soul, for the time past I have dishonoured Thee, in turning away from Thee but Thy Son has honoured Thee in sacrificing His Life to Thee upon the Cross. Through the honour done to Thee by Thy dearly Beloved Son, forgive the dishonour I have done Thee.
I am very sorry, O my Sovereign Good, for having offended Thee and I promise, from this day forward, to love none other but Thee. I hope for my salvation from Thee. Whatever I have now that is good, is all of Thy Mercy; I know that I receive it all from Thee: “By the Grace of God, I am what I am.” (i Cor xv: l0).

If during the time past I have dishonoured Thee, I hope to honour Thee forever in eternity in blessing Thee for Thy Mercy.
I feel a great desire to love Thee but Thou givest me the desire and I thank Thee for it, O Jesus, my Love. Continue, oh, continue to help me, as Thou hast already done, for I hope, from this day forward, to be Thine and Thine alone.


I renounce all worldly pleasures, for what greater pleasure can I have, than pleasing Thee, my Lord, Who art so lovely, and Who hast loved me so much? I only seek for love, O my God and I hope ever to seek it from Thee, until dying in Thy Love, I shall reach the Kingdom of Love, where, without beseeching any longer, I shall be filled with love and never, for one moment, cease to love Thee, with all my strength, forever in eternity.

Posted in ACT of LOVE, ACT of REPARATION, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, franciscan OFM, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on WEALTH/RICHES, QUOTES on WISDOM, The BEATITUDES, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

Quote/s of the Day – 20 September – Humility

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 20 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – The Vigil of St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist – Wisdom 5:16-20; Luke 6:17-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the Kingdom of God.”

Luke 6:20

“If thou wouldst see well, pluck out thine eyes and be blind;
if thou wouldst hear well, be deaf
and if thou wouldst speak well, become dumb;
if thou wouldst advance, stand still
and advance with thy mind;
if thou wouldst work well, cut off thy hands
and work with thy heart;
if thou wouldst love much, hate thyself;
if thou wouldst live well, mortify thyself;
if thou wouldst gain much and be rich,
first lose all and become poor
and if thou wouldst enjoy peace, afflict thyself
and be ever in fear and suspect thine own self;
if thou wouldst be exalted and have great honour,
humble and abase thyself;
if thou wouldst be held in great reverence, despise thyself
and do reverence to him who reviles thee;
if thou wouldst that it should be well with thee,
suffer all evil things and if thou wouldst be blessed,
desire that all should speak ill of thee
and if thou wouldst have true and eternal rest,
then toil and suffer and desire to have every temporal affliction.
O what great wisdom it is to know how to do
and to work out these things.”

Blessed Giles of Assisi (c1190-1262)

“If you seek an example of humility,
look upon Him Who is Crucified,
although He was God, He chose to be judged
by Pontius Pilate and put to death. …
If you seek an example of obedience,
imitate Him Who was obedient to the Father
“even to death” (Phil 2:8).
“For just as through the disobedience
of one person, Adam,
the many were made sinners,
so through the obedience of One,
the many will be made righteous” (Rom 5:19). .
If you seek an example of contempt
for earthly things,
imitate Him Who is “King of kings
and Lord of lords” (1 Tm 6:15),
“in whom are hidden
all the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge” (Col 2:3).
On the Cross He was stripped naked,
ridiculed, spat upon, bruised,
crowned with thorns,
given to drink of vinegar and gall.”

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Angelic Doctor of the Church

“We must make many acts of humility
before we can attain any proficiency in the virtue.
Our acts of humility must consist,
not merely in protesting to Almighty God
that we are vile and worthless ,in His sight
and in humbling ourselves before Him
by reason of our many sins.
Our acts of humility must be practiced
towards others by being very gentle
towards those who provoke us,
by bearing contradictions with patience,
by accepting disappointments with patience
and rebuffs without complaint.
All this is a gradual process
and we must not expect proficiency in humility
until we have long practiced these means to attain it.”

Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

(The Attainment of Humility)
https://anastpaul.com/2024/06/09/thought-for-the-day-9-june-the-attainment-of-humility/

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on POVERTY, QUOTES on the POOR, QUOTES on WEALTH/RICHES, The BEATITUDES, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 20 September – “Blessed are you who are poor … Luke 6:20

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 20 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – The Vigil of St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist – Wisdom 5:16-20; Luke 6:17-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God.” – Luke 6:20

REFLECTION – “Blessed,” He says, “are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt 5:3). It would perhaps be doubtful what poor He was speaking of, if in saying “blessed are the poor ” He had added nothing which would explain the sort of poor and then, that poverty by itself, would appear sufficient to win the Kingdom of Heaven, which many suffer from, hard and heavy necessity. But when He says “blessed are the poor in spirit,” He shows that the Kingdom of Heaven must be assigned to those who are recommended by the humility of their spirit, rather than, by the smallness of their means.

Yet it cannot be doubted, that this possession of humility is more easily acquired by the poor than the rich: for submissiveness is the companion of those, who want, while loftiness of mind, dwells with riches. Notwithstanding, even in many of the rich, is found that spirit which uses its abundance, not for the increasing of its pride but on works of kindness and counts that for the greatest gain which it expends in the relief of others’ hardships. It is given to every kind and rank of men, to share in this virtue because men maybe equal in will, though unequal in fortune and ,it does not matter, how different they are in earthly means, who are found equal in spiritual possessions.  Blessed, therefore, is poverty which is not possessed with a love of temporal things and does not seek to be increased with the riches of the world but is eager to amass heavenly possessions.” – St Leo the Great (400-461) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 95, PL 54, 461).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God that the worshipful Feast of Thy blessed Apostle and Evangelist, St Matthew, on the eve whereof we now stand, may avail us, to the increase, both of godliness toward Thee and of health to our own souls. 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 BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

Our Morning Offering – 20 September – Exsultet Orbis! on the Vigil of St Matthew!

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 20 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – The Vigil of St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist

Exsultet Orbis!
Let the World Rejoice!
Unknown Author

Now let the earth with joy resound,
And Heaven the chant re-echo round;
Nor Heaven nor earth too high can raise
The great Apostles’ glorious praise.

O ye who, throned in glory dread,
Shall judge the living and the dead,
Lights of the world forever more!
To you the suppliant prayer we pour.

Ye close the Sacred Gates on high.
At your command apart they fly.
O loose for us the guilty chain
We strive to break and strive in vain.

Sickness and health your voice obey,
At your command they go or stay.
From sin’s disease our souls restore;
In good confirm us more and more.

So when the world is at its end.
And Christ to Judgment shall descend,
May we be called, those joys to see
Prepared from all eternity.

Praise to the Father, with the Son,
And Holy Spirit, Three in One;
As ever was in ages past
And so shall be while ages last.
Amen

(Roman Breviary for the Common of Apostles)
An Office Hymn that was traditionally prescribed for Vespers and Lauds on the Feasts of Apostles and Evangelists outside Easter time. The Hymn is found as early as the 10th Century in a Hymnal of Moissac Abbey.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 20 September – Saint Clicerius of Milan (Died c438) Bishop and Confessor

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 20 September – Saint Clicerius of Milan (Died c438) Bishop and Confessor. Clicerius was the Archbishop of Milan from 436 to 438. Also known as – Glicerius, Glycerius, Clycerius, Clicerio, Glicerio.

The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Milan, St Clicerius, Bishop and Confessor.”

The Statue resides in the Church of Sts Nazarius and Celsus in Milan, near his Shrine

Almost nothing is known about the life and the Episcopate of Glycerius. He was a Deacon of Milan before being elected as the Archbishop of Milan in 436.

He probably had been a tutor of the Western Roman Emperor, Valentinian III, a position which he possibly maintained, evenduring his Episcopacy. He passed most of his reign in Antioch in Syria.

The Relics of our Saint

It is believed Clicerius died around mid September 438 and was buried in the Church of Saint Nazarius and Celsus in Milan. In that Church fragments of his funeral epigraph have been discovered. His Feast Day is 20 September.

Epigraph for Glycerius, reconstructed from the fragments of the original stone, in the left transept of Church of Saint Nazarius.
Posted in EMBER DAYS, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

EMBER Friday – Fast and Abstinence, Vigil of St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, Notre-Dame-au-Pied-d’Argent / Our Lady with the Silver Foot) (1284), St Eustachius, Wife and Sons – Martyrs (Died c 188) and the Saints for 20 September

Posted on by AnaStpaul

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

The Vigil of St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist

Notre-Dame-au-Pied-d’Argent / Our Lady with the Silver Foot), Toul, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Lorraine, France (1284) – 20 September:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/09/20/notre-dame-au-pied-dargent-our-lady-with-the-silver-foot-toul-meurthe-et-moselle-lorraine-france-1284-and-memorials-of-the-saints-20-september/

St Eustachius, Wife and Sons – Martyrs (Died c 188) St Eustachius is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers – Patronages – against fire, difficult situations, fire prevention, firefighters, hunters, hunting, huntsmen, Madrid, torture victims, trappers.
The Biography of this family of Martyrs:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/09/20/saint-of-the-day-20-september-st-eustachius-wife-and-sons-martyrs-died-c-188/

St Pope Agapetus I (c489-536) Bishop of Rome Papal Reign from 13 May 535 – 22 April 536. He might have been related to St Gregory the Great who Reigned from 590 until his death in 604.
This Holy Pope:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/09/20/saint-of-the-day-20-september-st-pope-agapetus-i-c489-536/


St Candida of Carthage
St Clicerius of Milan (Died c438) Bishop and Confessor
St Dionysius of Phrygia
St Dorimedonte of Synnada
St Eusebia of Marseilles
St Evilasius of Cyzicum
St Fausta of Cyzicum
Bl John Eustace
St Priscus

St Susanna of Eleutheropolis (Died 362) Virgin, Martyr, Deaconess and Abbess. Susanna spent many years as a ‘Monk and then ‘Abbot’ when she disguised herself as a man called John. After detection, she was rescued by the local Bishop, Ordained as a Deaconess and settled as Abbess in a Convent for women.
Her Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/09/20/saint-of-the-day-20-september-saint-susanna-of-eleutheropolis-died-362-virgin-martyr/

Bl Thomas Johnson

Martyrs of Constantinople – 3 Saints: A Priest and two Bishops who were imprisoned, tortured and Martyred for the defence of icons in the iconoclast persecutions of Emperor Leo the Isaurian. – Andrea, Asiano and Hypatius. They were Martyred in 735 in Constantinople (modern Istanbul, Turkey) and their bodies were thrown to the dogs.

Martyrs of Pergen – 6 Saints: A group of lay people Martyred in the persecutions of Emperor Elagabalus. The names that have come down to us are Dionysius, Dioscorus, Philippa, Privatus, Socrates and Theodore. They were crucified c 220 at Pergen, Pamphylia, Asia Minor (in modern Turkey).

Posted in PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL

Thought for the Day – 19 September –CONSIDERATION VIII, Second Point – The Death of the Just – “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes …”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 19 September – 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 VIII

The Death of the Just
“Precious in the Sight of the Lord
is the death of His Saints.”
(Ps cxv: 15)

SECOND POINT;
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death.” (Apoc xxi: 4) .
Therefore, in death the Lord will wipe away from the eyes of His servants the tears which they have shed, living as they do in trouble, in fears, in dangers and in battles with hell.
What can be greater consolation to a soul who has loved God when death is announced, than the thought, that soon it will be freed from the many dangers there are in this life of offending God; from the many barbs of conscience, and from the temptations of the devil. This present life is a continual warfare with hell, in which we are in constant danger of losing our souls and then, our God!

St Ambrose tell us, that upon this earth we are ever walking amidst the snares of the enemy who lies in wait to rob us of the life of grace.
It was this danger which caused St Peter of Alcantara to say when dying, to a religious who, when assisting him, touched him:
“My brother, keep away from me because I am still living and am yet in danger of being eternally lost!”
It was this danger also that caused St Teresa to be consoled
each time she heard the clock strike, rejoicing that another hour of warfare was passed, for she said: “At any moment of my life, I may sin and by doing so, I may lose God.”

Therefore, it is that the Saints are so rejoicing, when death is announced to them, knowing, as they do that very soon their battles and their dangers will be ended and they, within a very short time, will reach that happy state when they will no longer be able to lose God.
It is related in the lives of the Fathers – once when an aged
Father was dying in Scythia, he laughed when the others wept; on being asked why he laughed, he answered:
“Wherefore do you weep, knowing, as you do, that I am going to my rest?”
Likewise, St Catherine of Sienna,when she was dying, said:
“Rejoice with me, for I am leaving this world of sorrows and I am going to a place of rest.”
St Cyprian observes, that if someone were living in a house, the walls of which were falling down and the floors and roof were shaking, so that everything was threatening ruin, would not such a one be very desirous to quit that house?
In this life, all things are threatening ruin to the soul – the world, hell, the passions, the rebellious senses; these all draw us onto sin and to everlasting death. The Apostle exclaims: “ Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Rom vii: 34).
Oh, what joy will the soul feel when it hears those words:
“Come with Me from Lebanon, My spouse, with Me from Lebanon … from the lions’ dens.” (Sol Song iv: 8). Come, my spouse, come from the place of tears and from the dens of lions which are seeking to devour thee and to make thee lose the Divine grace.
Therefore, St Paul desiring death, said that Jesus Christ was his only life and, therefore, he thought that to die was his greatest gain, since, in dying, he obtained life which has no end.
“For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Phil i: 21).
It is a great favour which God grants to that soul that is in a state of grace to take it from this world, where, at any time, it may become changed and may lose the friendship of God!
“He was taken away lest wickedness should alter his understanding.” (Wisd iv: II..

Happy in this life is he, who is united to God but, like the sailor, who cannot be called safe until he has arrived in port and is escaped from the tempest: even so, a soul cannot be called fully happy, until it has departed this life in the favour of God.
Now, if it causes joy to the sailor when, after many dangers, he has almost safely arrived in port, how much more shall not he rejoice, who is just on the point of securing eternal salvation?!
Besides, in this life, it is impossible to live without committing sin, at least venial sin: “For a just man falleth seven times.” (Prov xxiv: 16).
He who is leaving this life, ceases to give offence to God.

St Ambrose asks: “What is death but the sepulchre of vice!” It is even this that makes death so desirable to
the lovers of God.
With this, the venerable Vincent Caraffa consoled himself when dying, by saying: “When I cease to live, I shall cease to offend God.”
And St Ambrose also said:
“Wherefore, do we desire this life, in which the longer anyone lives, the greater will be the burden of sins with which he is laden!”
He who dies in the grace of God, is placed in a state in which he cannot, neither does he know how, to offend God. “The dead know not how to sin,” remarks the same Saint.

Therefore, the Lord praises the dead, more than any man living, although he may be a Saint. “Wherefore I praised the dead who are already dead, more than the living.” (Eccles iv: 2).

A certain good man ordered, that he, who should come to announce his death to him, should say:
“Rejoice because the time is come when thou shalt no more offend God!”

Affections and Prayers

“Into Thy Hands I commend my spirit, for Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, Thou God of truth.” (Ps xxxi: 5). Ah, my sweet Redeemer, where should I have now been if Thou hadst allowed me to die when I was living far from Thee? I should now be in hell.where I could never love Thee more.
I thank Thee for not having abandoned me and for having granted me so many graces to win my heart to Thee. I am very sorry for having offended Thee. I love Thee above all things. I pray Thee ever to make me more sensible of the evil I have committed in despising Thee and, of the love which Thy Infinite Goodness deserves.
I love Thee and I would like soon to die, if it be Thy holy will, in order to be freed from the danger of ever losing Thy holy Grace,and to be sure of loving Thee forever in eternity.

Ah, during the years which may remain to me, give me strength, my beloved Jesus, to do something for Thee before death shall overtake me. Give me strength to withstand the temptations and passions and especially against that passion which, for the past time, has most caused me to displease Thee.
Give me patience in infirmity and under the wrongs I may receive from men. I now pardon, through Thy love, all who may have despised me and I pray Thee, to give them those graces which they may desire.
Give me strength to be more diligent in avoiding even venial sins, concerning which I know that I am negligent. Help me, my Saviour, I hope for all things by of Thy Merits.

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, franciscan OFM, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of PETITION, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, The SECOND COMING, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 19 September – Patience, Perseverance, Prayer

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 19 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – Hebrews 10:32-38; Matthew 24:3-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But he who shall persevere
to the end,
he shall be saved.”

Matthew 24:13

“For patience is necessary for you
that, doing the Will of God,
you may receive the promise.
For yet a little and a very little while
and He that is to come, will come
and will not delay.”

Hebrews 10:36-37

A Brother said to Brother Giles:
“ Father, I have seen other men who received from God
the grace of devotion and of tears in their prayers
and I cannot feel in myself any such grace,
when I go to worship God.”
To whom Brother Giles answered:
“My Brother, I counsel thee to persevere humbly
and faithfully in thy prayers;
for the fruits of the earth cannot be had without toil
and labour applied beforehand
and even after we have laboured,
the desired fruit does not follow immediately
but only in its season, when the fullness of time has come.”

Blessed Giles of Assisi (c1190-1262)

Grant Me, My God
By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Angelic Doctor, Common Doctor

Make my heart watchful, O God,
so that no vain thoughts may distract it from Thee.
Make it noble,
so that it may never be seduced by any base affection.
Make it steadfast,
so that troubles may not dismay it.
Make it free,
so that it may not yield to the onslaughts of passion.
Grant me, my God,
the intelligence, to understand Thee,
the love, to seek Thee,
the wisdom, to find Thee,
words, to please Thee,
the perseverance, to wait faithfully for Thee
and, the hope of embracing Thee, at last.
Grant that I, a repentant sinner,
may bear Thy chastisements with resignation.
Poor pilgrim which I am,
may I draw on the treasury of Thine grace
and may I one day,
be eternally happy with Thee in Heavnely glory!
Amen.

“But, it is not all suffering
which has this wholesome effect
but only suffering borne with patience.
If we are impatient, rebellious, unresigned –
our suffering maybe an occasion of fresh trouble,
rather than of peace. I must accept it
from the Hand of God, if it is to bring with it
that quiet tranquillity which I have never yet attained
as I fight. I must bow my head and place myself
in God’s Hands to suffer, as He pleases,
whatever He pleases, as long as He pleases.
This is the only road to solid peace!”

Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)
(The First Fruit of Patience: – Peace)

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on SIMPLICITY, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 19 September – “But he that shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved.” – Matthew 24:13

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 19 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – St Januarius of Naples (Died c304) Confessor, Bishop, Martyr and his Martyred Companions – Hebrews 10:32-38; Matthew 24:3-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But he, who shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved.” – Matthew 24:13

REFLECTION – “He who is mocked by his neighbour, as I am, will call upon God and He will answer him …” (Job 12:4 Vg) … But sometimes, the soul perseveres in good works with a constant heart and yet, is pushed violently by the scoffing of men; it does admirable deeds and receives only abuse and he, who might have been encouraged, to come out of himself by commendation, is repulsed by insults and returns back again into himself. He establishes himself the more firmly in God, as he finds no place elsewhere he may rest in peace – for all his hope is fixed in his Creator. Amidst ridicule and abuse, he implores only the interior Witness. His soul in distress, becomes God’s neighbour, in proportion, as he is a stranger to the favour of man’s esteem. So, he pours himself out in prayer and, hard-pressed from without, is refined with a more perfect purity, to enter more deeply into all that is interior. Therefore, it is well said at this time, “He who is mocked by his neighbour, as I am, will call upon God and He will answer him …” And while the soul of the good strengthens itself, with compunction, in prayer, it is united within itself, in the hearing of the most High, in the very act which severs it, from the approval of men, outside itself. ..

“For the upright man’s simplicity is laughed to scorn” (Job 12:4) It is the wisdom of this world to conceal one’s feelings with pretence, to veil the sense with words; to show things which are false, as true and, to present as fallacious that which is true. But, on the other hand, it is the wisdom of the righteous, to pretend nothing, … to discover the meaning, by words; to love the truth as it is, to avoid falsehood; to set forth good deeds freely, to bear evil more gladly than to do it; to seek no revenge for a wrong, to count ill repute as a gain, for the truth’s sake. But this simplicity of the righteous, is laughed to scorn because the goodness of purity, is taken for folly, by the wise men of this world. For doubtless, everything which is done from innocence, is counted foolish by them and, whatever truth sanctions in practice, sounds weak to carnal wisdom!” – St Gregory the Great (540-604) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church (A commentary on the Book of Job 10:47-48).

PRAYER – O God, Who gladdens us by the annual festival of Thy Martyrs Januarius and Companions, grant that we, may be inspired by the example of those, in whose merits we rejoice.Through tJesus 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 INDULGENCES, MARIAN PRAYERS, Of a Holy DEATH & AGAINST A SUDDEN DEATH, of the DYING, FINAL PERSEVERANCE, DEATH of CHILDREN, DEATH of PARENTS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH

Our Morning Offering – 18 September – Indulgenced Prayer to Our Lady of Sorrows for a Happy Death

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Indulgenced Prayer to
Our Lady of Sorrows
for a Happy Death
(Pope Pius VII granted an
Indulgence of 300 days, Every Time)

Oh Mary, Refuge of Sinners, sweet Mother,
I entreat thee, by the Sorrows
thou didst experience, in beholding
thy Diving Son dying on the Cross,
help me by thy merciful intercession,
when my soul is about to leave this world;
drive away all evil spirits,
come to meet my soul
and present it to the Eternal Judge.
O! Queen of Heaven, do not abandon thy child.
Next to Jesus, thou wilt be my comfort
in that fearful hour.
Ask of Him to grant me the grace to die,
kissing in spirit, His holy feet,
aadoring His sacred wounds
and saying, with my last breath,
“Jesus and Mary, I give you my heart and my soul.”
Amen

PRAY – Seven Hail Marys

Posted in INCORRUPTIBLES, SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 19 September – St Theodore of Canterbury (c602-690) the 7th Archbishop of Canterbury

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 19 September – St Theodore of Canterbury (c602-690) the 7th Archbishop of Canterbury, England and the first archbishop to rule the whole English Church. Theodore was an important and memorable figure in the English Church. Born inc 602 in the City of St Paul’s birth, Tarsus in Cilici, Greece, now in modern Turkey and died on 19 September 690 in Canterbury, Kent, England of natural causes. Also known as – Theodore of Tarsus. His body is Incorrupt.

The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Canterbury, the holy Bishop, Theodore, who was sent to England by Pope Vitalian and was renowned for learning and holiness.”

After the death of St Deusdedit, the Archbishop of Canterbury, King Oswi of Northumberland and King Egbert of Kent, sent a virtuous and learned Priest – named Wighard – to Rome that he might be Consecrated as the new Bishop and duly confirmed to that important See by the Pope himself. However, sadly, Wighard and most of those who attended him, died in Italy of the Plague and Pope Vitalian chose instead, Adrian, Abbot of Niridian, near Naples, to be raised to that dignity. This Abbot was by birth an African. He understood Greek and Latin perfectly and was thoroughly versed in theology, as well as in monastic and Ecclesiastical discipline. But so great were his fears of the dignity to which he was called that the Pope was compelled, by his entreaties and tears, to yield to his excuses. He insisted, however, that Adrian should find a person equal to that charge and should, himself, attend upon and assist him in instructing the inhabitants of this remote island in the perfect discipline of the Church.

Adrian first named to the Pope a Monk called Andrew but he was judged incapable of the necessary physical strength on account of his bodily infirmities, although otherwise a person extremely well qualified. There was then at Rome, a Greek Monk named Theodore, aged sixty-six, a native of Tarsus in Cilicia, a man of exemplary life and well skilled in divine and human learning and in the Greek and Latin languages. Adrian presented him to the Pope and procured that he should be made a Bishop, promising to bear him company into England.

Theodore was duly Consecrated in 668 and then set out from Rome with St Adrian and St Benedict Biscop, later the Bishop and Abbot of Wearmouth and Jarrow, Durham. In 669 they reached Canterbury, where Theodore appointed Adrian the Abbot of Sts Peter and Paul Monastery, afterward named St Augustine’s.

There they created a famous school influential in the lives of such brilliant scholars as the celebrated historian St Bede the Venerable and the skilled Church architect St Aldhelm.

Theodore organised the English Church, many Sees which were vacant on his arrival and others which needed to be divided. In 672 he called the first General Synod of the English Church at Hertford, to end certain Celtic practices and to divide Diocese. The division issue was postponed, but the Synod imposed the date of the Roman Easter, established obedience for Clerics and Monks, forbade Bishops to interfere in matters relating to and of other diocese and reaffirmed the Church teaching on Marriage and Divorce.

During this period Theodore came into sharp conflict with St Wilfrid, whom he had appointed as the Bishop of York but whom he soon deposed. In 677/678, St Wilfrid went to Rome to protest. Meanwhile, in 678, Theodore helped settle relations between King Aethelred of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Mercia and King Ecgfrith of Northumbria, whom Aethelred had defeated in battle.

Theodore’s Synod at Hatfield in 679, his 2nd Genral Synod, cleared the English Church from associations with the heresy of the Monothelites. Few things have rendered the name of St Theodore more famous than his Penitential or Code of Canons, prescribing the term of public penance for penitents, according to the quality and enormity of their sins. In this Penitential it is stated that when a Monk died, Holy Mass was offered for him on the day of his burial, on the third day after and as often again, as the Abbot thought proper. Also, the Holy Sacrifice was offered for the laity and accompanied by fasting. This Penitential which had been colated and published by his disciples, became highly influential in England and on the Continent.

Theodore, being more than eighty years old and seized with frequent bouts of illness, was desirous of being reconnciled with St Wilfrid. He, therefore, requested the exiled holy Prelate to come to him at London, begged his pardon for having consented with the Kings to his deprivation, without any fault on his side, did all he could to make amends and restored him to his See of York. For this purpose he wrote strong letters to Alfrid, King of Northumberland – who had succeeded his brother Egfrid, to Ethelred, King of the Mercians and to others who were opposed to St Wilfrid or were interested in this affair. Theodore had the comfort of seeing his endeavours everywhere successful.

One of Theodore’s greatest achievement was to adapt the Roman ideal of a centralised Church to English conditions. His establishment of a centralised Church under the Archbishopric of Canterbury in close alliance with secular rulers, was maintained by his successors. No biography of Theodore has survived.

This Medallion resides on the west facade of Westminster Cathedral

St Theodore was the Archbishop of Canterbury for twenty two years and died in 690, at the age of eighty-eight years. His memory is honoured on 19 September the date of his death. He was buried in the Monastery of St.Peter, which afterwards took the name of St Augustine. In 1091 his body was found Incorrupt when it was re-interred in the Cathedral.

Canterbury Cathedral

The Lives of:
St Adrian of Canterbury:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/01/09/saint-of-the-day-9-january-st-adrian-of-canterbury-c-635-710/
St Benedict Biscop:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/01/12/saint-of-the-day-12-january-st-benedict-biscop-osb-c-628-690/
St Wildrid:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/10/12/saint-of-the-day-12-october-st-wilfrid-c-633-709/

Posted in INCORRUPTIBLES, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Notre-Dame de la Salette / Our Lady of La Salette), France (1846), St Januarius of Naples (Died c 304) and all the Saints for 19 September

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Notre-Dame de la Salette / Our Lady of La Salette), La Salette-Fallavaux, Isère, Rhône-Alpes, France (1846) 19 September:
Our Lady appeared to two small children, Melanie Mathieu and Maximin Giraud, on the mountain of La Salette in the French Alps. She was crying and around her neck was a crucifix, with a hammer and pincers on either side – 19 September 1846. Approved by the Diocesan Bishop in 1851.
Read the story here:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/09/19/feast-of-our-lady-of-la-salette-19-september/

St Januarius of Naples (Died c 304) Confessor, Bishop, Martyr
About St Januarius here:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/09/19/saint-of-the-day-19-september-st-januarius

St Emilie de Rodat (1787–1852) Nun and Founder of the Sisters of the Holy Family, Mystic. Venerable Pope Pius XII Beatified her on 9 June 1940 and Canonised her on 23 April 1950.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/09/19/saint-of-the-day-19-september-saint-emily-de-rodat-1787-1852/

St Alonso de Orozco Mena OSA (1500 – 1591) Augustinian Priest, Preacher, Writer, Apostle of Charity, Spiritual Director, Marian Devotee, Ascetic.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/09/19/saint-of-the-day-19-september-st-alonsus-de-orozco-mena-o-s-a-1500-1591/

St Arnulph of Gap
Bl Carolus Hyon Song-Mun
St Constantia of Nocera
St Desiderius of Pozzuoli
St Eustochius of Tours
St Felix of Nocera
St Festus of Pozzuoli

St Goeric of Metz (c570-c643) Bishop – Goeric is listed as the 30th Bishop of Metz, having governed that See from 625 to 642 or 643.
The Roman Martyrology rads: “In Metz in Austrasia, still in the territory of today’s France, Saint Goeríco or Abo, Bishop, who succeeded Saint Arnulf, whose body was transported with veneration to this City.”
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/09/19/saint-of-the-day-19-september-saint-goeric-of-metz-c570-c643-bishop/

St Maria de Cervellón OdeM (1230 – 1290) Virgin, Catalan Superior of Second Order of the Mercedarians in her region. Mystic, graced with the gift of bilocation, Apostle of the poor, the abandoned, the needy. She was the first woman to wear the Habit of the ‘ Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Ransom. She is considered the Founder of the Mercedary Nuns.
Her entry in the Roman Martyrology states: “At Barcelona in Spain, blessed Maria de Cervellione, Virgin of the Order of Our Lady of Ransom. She is commonly called Maria of Help on account of the prompt assistance she renders to those who invoke her.“
Patronages – Mercadarian Nuns and Sisters, Navigators, against shipwreck, Spanish sailors, of the abandoned.
On 13 February1692, Pope Innocent XII gave a favourable judgement and confirmed her immemorial cult;and she was introduced into the Roman Martyrology as a Saint on 8 November 1729. Her body is Incorrupt.
Her Holy Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/09/19/saint-of-the-day-19-september-st-maria-de-cervellon-odem-1230-1290/
Please watch this video if you are able to spare the time. It is absolutely beautiful.

St Pomposa
St Sequanus
St Sosius of Puzzuoli
St Theodore of Canterbury (c602-690) the 7th Archbishop of Canterbury
St Trophimus of Synnada

Martyrs of Antioch – 3 Saints: Christians imprisoned, tortured and executed in various ways in the persecutions of Emperor Probus; some names have come down to us – Dorymedon, Sabbatius and Trophimus. c 277 at Antioch (in modern Turkey).

Martyrs of Phunon – (4 aints): Four bishops in Egypt who were sentenced to forced labour in a rock quarry and martyred in the persecution of Diocletian. Noted for celebrating Mass in prison. – Elias, Nilus, Patermuzio and Peleus. They were burned to death in 310 at Phunon, near Petra in Palestine.

Posted in CHRIST the JUDGE, PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on FAITH

Thought for the Day – 18 September –CONSIDERATION VIII, The Death of the Just

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 18 September – 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 VIII

The Death of the Just
“Precious in the Sight of the Lord
is the death of His Saints.”
(Ps cxv: 15)

FIRST POINT:
WHEN we view death according to the senses, it terrifies and affrights us but, when we view it with the eye of faith, it consoles us and makes us desire it.
It appears terrible to sinners but lovely and very precious to Saints.

St Bernard tells us, .“death is precious as the end of labours, the consummation of victory, the gate of Life!” “The end of labour,” yes, truly, does death put an end to our labours and toil.
“Man, born of a woman, is of few days and full of trouble.” (Job xiv: i).
Behold what our life is; it is short, it is full of misery, infirmities, fears and passions. The worldly, who desire a long life, what do they seek, observes Seneca but a longer time of suffering? If we continue to live, do we not continue to suffer? as St Augustine himself remarks.
Yes, indeed, because, according to St Ambrose, our present life was not given to us for repose but for work and by that work, to make ourselves worthy of eternal life. When God, as Tertullian justly observes, shortens the life of anyone, He shortens his suffering. Hence, it is, although death was given to man as a punishment for sin, yet, notwithstanding this, the miseries of this life are such, as St Ambrose remarks, death would appear to be given to us rather as a relief, than a punishment.

God calls those who die in His grace blessed because their labours are finished and they go to their rest.
“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. … Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours.” (Rev xiv: 13).

The. torments which afflict the sinners, when dying, do not trouble the Saints.
“The souls of the just are in the hand of God and the torment of death shall not touch them.” (Wisd iii: I).
The Saints do not grieve when they hear the “Prqficiscere” (“Go forth Christian soul”) which terrifies the worldly so much. The Saints are not troubled when they have to leave their worldly goods, for they have kept their hearts severed from them. They go about ever repeating to themselves,
“God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Ps Ixxiii: 25).

Blessed are you, writes the Apostle to his disciples, who have been stripped of all your earthly possessions, for the sake of Jesus Christ.
“You …. took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that you have in Heaven a better and an enduring substance.” (Heb x: 34).
They do not grieve at leaving the honours because they always detested them and reckoned them, as they indeed are, nothing but smoke and vanity; they esteemed loving God and being loved by God, their only honour.
They do not grieve at leaving their relations because they have only loved them in God; when dying, they commend them to that Heavenly Father, Who loves them more than theyselves and trusting to be saved, they hope to be able to help them more, when they are in Paradise, than while on this earth.
Finally, what they have ever said in life: “My God and my all,” they repeat, with greater consolation and tenderness when dying.

He, therefore, who dies loving God, is not tormented by the fears which death brings with it but, on the contrary, he is pleased with them, thinking that his life is now ended and that there is no more time to suffer for God and to offer Him anymore proofs of his love.
Then, lovingly and peacefully, he gives Him these last moments of his life and consoles himself in uniting the sacrifice of his death with the sacrifice which Jesus Christ once offered for him, on the Cross to His eternal Father.
And thus, he joyfully expires, saying: “I will lay me down in peace and take my rest.” (Ps iv: 9).
Oh, what peace to die thus, given up to and reposing in the arms of Jesus Christ, Who has loved us even unto death and was willing to endure a cruel death, to obtain a sweet and peaceful death for us.

Affections and Prayers

O my beloved Jesus, Who, to obtain a happy death for me, wast willing to die a death so bitter upon Calvary, when shall I behold Thee?
The first time that I shall see Thee, it will be as my Judge, in that same place in which I shall breathe forth my soul.
And then, what shall I say to Thee? What wilt Thou say to me? I will not wait until that time to think what I shall say. I will think now. I will say to Thee:
“My dear Redeemer, Thou art the same Who hast died for me. At one time I did offend Thee, I was ungrateful to Thee and I did not deserve Thy pardon but now, being assisted by Thy Grace, I repented and during the remainder of my life, I have mourned because of my sins and Thou hast pardoned me.
Pardon me once more, now that I am at Thy feet and do Thou Thyself give me a general absolution for my sins.
I did not deserve to love Thee any more, for having despised Thy Love but Thou, in Thy Mercy, hast drawn my heart to Thee and if, it has not loved Thee as Thou ought to be loved, at least, it has loved Thee above all other things, giving up everything in order to please Thee.
Now what wilt Thou say to me ?
I can see, that Paradise and possessing Thee in Thy Kingdom, is a blessing too great for me but I cannot trust myself to live far from Thee, especially now that Thou hast once let me see Thy beautiful and lovely Face.
Therefore, I seek to live in Paradise, not that I may be happy there but that I may love Thee more.
And now, my beloved Judge, raise Thy Hand and bless me and tell me I am Thine and Thou wilt be mine, forever.
I would ever love Thee, do Thou ever love me.
Have Mercy upon a soul who loves Thee with all its strength and longs to see Thee, so as to love Thee more.”

Even thus do I hope, O my Jesus, do I hope then to speak to
Thee. In the meantime, I pray Thee, to grant me grace, so
to live that when dying, I may say to Thee that which I have
of just thought.
Give me holy perseverance and give me Thine Love.

Posted in ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, franciscan OFM, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, JESUIT SJ, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on Love of Self, St PAUL!, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 18 September – Wear the correct garment!

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 18 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – St Joseph of Cupertino OFM Conv (1603-1663) Confessor – 1 Corinthians 13:1-8; Matthew 22:1-14 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Friend, how did you come in here
without a wedding garment?”

Matthew 22:12

“If I speak with the tongues
of men and of angels
and have not charity,
I am become as sounding brass,
or a tinkling cymbal.
And if I should have prophecy
and should know all mysteries
and all knowledge
and if I should have all faith,
so that I could remove mountains
but have not charity,
I am nothing!”

St Paul
1 Corinthians 13:1-2

“Love the Lord and so,
learn to love yourselves
that when, by loving the Lord,
you shall have loved yourselves,
you may securely love
your neighbour as yourselves. …
So then, have faith with love.
This is the “wedding garment!”

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

“Love God, serve God.
Everything is in that!”

St Clare of Assisi (1191-1253)

“It is an old custom
with the servants of God,
always to have some little prayers ready
and to be darting them up to Heaven
frequently during the day,
lifting their minds to God
out of the filth of this world.
He who adopts this plan,
will get great fruit, with little pains.”

St Philip Neri (1515-1595)

“He who most loves,
will be most loved.”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of the Church

“What is it to serve God
and to go to Heaven?
Nothing else but to love!”

St Aloysius Gonzaga (1568-1591)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 18 September – ‘ … What do we think is meant by the wedding garment, dearly beloved? …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 18 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – St Joseph of Cupertino OFM Conv (1603-1663) Confessor – 1 Corinthians 13:1-8; Matthew 22:1-14 – cripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?” – Matthew 22:12

REFLECTION – “But you, my friends, since you have already come into the house of the marriage feast, our holy Church, as a result of God’s generosity, be careful lest, when the King enters, He finds fault with some aspect of your heart’s clothing!

What do we think is meant by the wedding garment, dearly beloved? For if we say it is Baptism or faith, is there anyone who has entered this marriage feast without them? A person is outside because he has not yet come to believe. What then must we understand by the wedding garment but love? That person enters the marriage feast but without wearing a wedding garment, who is present in the holy Church. He may have faith but he does not have love. We are correct when we say that love is the wedding garment because this, is what our Creator Himself possessed, when He came to the marriage feast, to join the Church to Himself. Only God’s Love brought it about, that His Only-Begotten Son, united the hearts of His chosen, to Himself. John says “God so Loved the world that He gave His Only-Begotten Son for us.” – St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) Father and Doctor of the Church – (Sermons on the Gospel No 38).

PRAYER – O God, Who willed that all things be drawn unto Thy Son, when He was raised above the earth, mercifully grant, by the merits and example of Thy seraphic Confessor Joseph that, having been raised above all earthly desires, we may be found worthy to come unto Him. 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 MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, Prayers to the SORROWFUL MOTHER, QUOTES on MERCY, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS

Our Morning Offering – 18 September – Mother of Love, of Sorrow and of Mercy

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 18 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross”

Mother of Love, of Sorrow and of Mercy
By St Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373)

O Blessed Virgin Mary,
Immaculate Mother of God,
who endured a Martyrdom of love and grief,
beholding the sufferings and sorrows of Jesus!
Thou didst co-operate in the benefit of my redemption
by thy innumerable afflictions
and by offering to the Eternal Father,
His only-begotten Son, as a holocaust
and victim of propitiation for my sins.
I thank thee for the unspeakable love
which led thee to deprive thyself
of the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus,
true God and true Man, to save me, a sinner.
Oh! make use of the unfailing intercession
of thy sorrows with the Father and the Son,
that I may steadfastly amend my life
and never again crucify
my loving Redeemer by my sins
and that, persevering till death in His grace,
I may obtain eternal life
through the merits of His Cross and Passion.
Amen
Mother of love, of sorrow and of mercy, pray for us!

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 18 September – Saint Didier of Rennes (7th Century) Bishop and Martyr

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 18 September – Saint Didier of Rennes (7th Century) Bishop and Martyr. Born in Rennes, in Brittany, modern France and died by being murdered by robbers, near what is now called Saint-Dizier-l’Évêque.

Didier was born in Rennes in the 7th Century, where he studied and became the Bishop of that City in about 660. We have his signature on the Decrees of a Synod held in Rheims in 682.

He resigned and went on a Pilgrimage to Rome in a group of clerics which included his Deacon, Saint Reinfroid. On their return they passed through German lands and then south of the Vosges, near today’s Saint-Dizier-l’Évêque and was welcomed in the local Church.

Saint Didier and Saint Rainfroi with the group of Pilgrims

Having preached there, Dider proceeded on his journey but was soon attacked by robbers who killed him and his Acolytes, hoping to find holy vessels of the Church, near the village of Croix, Belfort. Didier was buried in the Church there and a cult arose around him as is attested in a 727 Charter in Murbach Abbey. Many miracles are ascribed to his intercession. His Feast Day is celebrated there today, 18 September.

A rock named “The Step of the Devil and the Feet of Saint Didier”, found near Saint-Dizier-l’Évêque, has indentations which are believed to be the remains of a struggle between the devil and the Saint, the devil being our Saint’s muderer!

Many Towns and Villages and presumably there would also be many Churches named for this Saint Didier including Saint-Didier, Ille-et-Vilaine (see the Church in the latter Village, dedicated to our Saint Didier below) but there are others which are named after other Saints of the same name.

Posted in DOMINICAN OP, franciscan OFM, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Ember Wednesday, Santa Maria della Querce / Our Lady of the Oak, Italy (1417), St Joseph of Cupertino and more Saints for 18 September

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Ember Wednesday – Fast and Abstinence (or Partial in some Countries): https://anastpaul.com/2020/12/16/today-is-an-ember-day-did-you-remember/

Santa Maria della Querce / Our Lady of the Oak, Lucignano, Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy (1417) – Third Sunday of September, 8 August :
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/08/08/santa-maria-della-querce-our-lady-of-the-oak-lucignano-arezzo-tuscany-italy-1417-and-memorials-of-the-saints-8-august/

St Joseph of Cupertino OFM Conv. (1603-1663) Confessor, Religious Priest of the First Order of St Francis and Friar, Mystic, Miracle-worker.
If ever a tiny child began life with nothing in his favour it was Joseph of Cupertino; he had only one hopeful and saving quality—that he knew it. … – Read on and be ashamed, for this is a Saint before the Throne of God!
All about the this holy Flying Saint here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/09/18/saint-of-the-day-18-september-st-joseph-of-cupertino-o-f-m-conv-1603-1663/

St Ariadne

St Didier of Rennes (7th Century) Bishop
St Eumenius Thaumaturgus

St Eustorgius of Milan (Died c349) The Ninth Bishop of Milan, Confessor, Defender of the Faith. Both St Athanasius and St Ambrose remember Eustorgius of Milan as one of the most steadfast and illustrious opponents of the Arian heresy.
The Roman Martyrology says of him: “At Milan, St Eustorgius, Bishop of that City, highly recommended by blessed Ambrose.”
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/09/18/saint-of-the-day-18-september-saint-eustorgius-of-milan-died-c-349/

St Ferreolus the Tribune
St Ferreolus of Limoges
St Hygbald
St Irene of Egypt

St Juan Macias OP (1585-1645) Dominican Lay Friar, Mystic, Apostle of Charity and Prayer, Miracle-Worker.
About St Juan:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/09/18/saint-of-the-day-18-september-st-juan-macias-o-p-1585-1645/

St Lambertus of Freising (c895-957) Bishop

St Methodius of Olympus (Died c311) Confessor, Bishop, Martyr, Ecclesiastical Scholar and Author, renowned Theologian.
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “The same da, [as St Joseph of Cupertino] the birthday of St Methodius, Bishop of Olympus in Lycia and afterwards of Tyre. Most renowned for his eloquence and learning. St Jerome says that he won the Crown of Martyrdom at Chalcis in Greece at the end of the last persecution there.”
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/09/18/saint-of-the-day-18-september-saint-methodius-of-olympus-died-c311-bishop-martyr/

St Oceano of Nicomedia

St Richardis (839-c 895) Holy Roman Empress, Benedictine Abbess.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/09/18/saint-of-the-day-18-september-saint-richardis-839-c-895/

St Sophia of Egypt

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on BAD CONVERSATION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on REPENTANCE

Thought for the Day – 17 September –CONSIDERATION VII, Third Point – ‘Death neither waits for, nor respects, anyone!’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 17 September – 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 VII
Sentiments of One Who has
Seldom Reflected Upon Death

“Set thine house in order,
for thou shall die and not live.”
(Isa xxxviii: i)

THIRD POINT:
To the dying man, who during life has been forgetful concerning his soul’s good, there will be thorns in everything which presents itself to him. There will be a thorn in the memory of pleasures past, a thorn in the remembrance of rivalries overcome and of pomps displayed, a thorn in the friends who will come to see him, with everything they bring back to his thoughts, a thorn in the spiritual fathers, who by turns will assist him, a thorn in the last Sacraments he will receive.
The poor sufferer will then exclaim: “O fool I have been! I ought to have become a saint, with all the lights and opportunities, which God granted me; I ought to have led a life of happiness, in the favour of God and now, what is remaining to me, of the many years past, except torments, distrust, fears, barbs of conscience and an account I shall have to render to God? And it is indeed doubtful whether my soul will be saved!”

And when will he say all this?
Not until the oil in his lamp is nearly consumed and the scene of this world is about to close upon him forever.
Not until he has both eternities in view – the one, an eternity of everlasting joy; the other, an eternity of everlasting woe.
Not until the time is approaching for that last gasp, upon which depends his everlasting blessedness, or his everlasting despair even as long as God is God.
What would he not then give, to have one more year, one more month, or at least, one more week, with a clear head? For suffering then, as he will do, with distraction of the head, oppression of the chest and failing breath, he will be able to do nothing he will not be able to reflect, nor to employ his mind in doing one good action; he finds himself shut up, as it were, in a dark pit of confusion, where he can imagine nothing else but that there is a great ruin hanging over him from which he feels himself unable to flee away. Therefore, he will long for time but it will be said to him,
“Proficiscere?” depart, make haste, put your accounts in order as best you can, during the short time which remains to you and depart; for dost thou not know that death neither waits for, nor respects, anyone?”
Oh what terror will it then be for him to think and to say:
“I am alive this morning, very likely this evening I shall be dead! To-day I am lying in this room. perhaps to-morrow I maybe in my grave! And where will my soul be?”

When he feels the cold sweat of death coming upon him, when he hears his relations go from the room, never more to return during his life, when his sight begins to grow dim and his eyes become darkened – but what will be the use of understanding these truths then, when the time for profiting … is past?

Affections and Prayers

Ah, my God, Thou dost not wish me to die but Thou desirest I should be converted and live.
I thank Thee for having waited for me until now and I thank Thee for the Light which Thou art now giving me. I know the error I have committed in neglecting Thy friendship, the vile and miserable pleasures through which I have accounted Thee of so little value.
I repent and I grieve with all my heart, for having done Thee so grievous a wrong. Ah, do not cease, in the life which may remain to me, to assist me with Thy Light and Thy Grace, so that I may know how to do that which I must do, in order to amend my life.

Of what use will it be for me to understand this truth, when the time for reparation will be taken from me?
“Deliver not up to beasts the souls who trust in Thee.”
When the devil shall tempt me again to offend Thee, I beseech Thee, my Jesus, through the merits of Thy Passion, to stretch forth Thy hand and to deliver me from falling into sin and from again remaining a slave of the enemy. Grant, that then, I may ever flee unto Thee and that I may never cease to entreat Thy protection, as long as the temptation may last. Thy Blood is my hope and Thy Goodness is my love.

I love Thee, my God.
Thou Who art worthy of infinite love, grant that I may ever love Thee. Let me know from what things I must separate myself so that I maybe Thine alone, for I would be Thine alone but do Thou give me the strength to fulfil the same.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, franciscan OFM, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on STRENGTH, QUOTES on the POOR, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, SELF-DISTRUST, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 17 September – St Francis of Assisi

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 17 September – The Commutation of the Stigmata of Saint Francis of Assisi

“Alms are an inheritance
and a justice
which is due to the poor
and which Jesus has levied upon us!”

“Lord, help me to live this day,
quietly, easily.
To lean upon Thy great strength,
trustfully, restfully.
To wait for the unfolding of Thy will,
patiently, serenely.
To meet others,
peacefully, joyously.
To face tomorrow,
confidently, courageously.”

St Frances of Assisi (c1181-1226)

“In beautiful things
St Francis saw Beauty itself
and through His vestiges
imprinted on creation,
he followed his Beloved everywhere,
making, from all things,
a ladder, by which he could climb up
and embrace Him, Who is utterly desirable.”

St Bonaventure OFM (1221-1274)
Seraphic Doctor of the Church

“All the brothers should strive to follow
the humility and the poverty of our Lord Jesus Christ …
And they must rejoice when they live among people
who are considered to be of little worth
and who are looked down upon,
among the poor and the powerless,
the sick and the lepers and the beggars by the wayside.
And when it may be necessary,
let them go to seek alms.
And they should not be ashamed
but rather recall that our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Son of the living and all-powerful God …
was a poor man and a transient and lived on alms,
He and the Blessed Virgin and His disciples.”

(Earlier Rule, #8-9).

“Be strengthened in Almighty God
and in the power of His might,
for with His help, nothing is difficult.
Throw off the heavy load of your own will,
cast aside the burden of sin
and gird yourselves as valiant warriors!
Forget what you are leaving behind;
strain forward to the great things before you.
I tell you that every place where you set foot,
shall be yours.
For the Spirit, Who goes before your face
is Christ the Lord.
He will carry you to the topmost peak
in the arms of His Love.”

Prayer in Praise of God
By St Francis of Assisi (c1181-1226)

Thou art Holy, Lord, the only God
and Thine Deeds art wonderful.
Thou art Strong.
Thou art Great.
Thou art the Most High.
Thou art Almighty.
Thou, Holy Father art King of Heaven and earth.
Thou art Three and One, Lord God, all Good.
Thou art Good, all Good, Supreme Good,
Lord God, Living and True.
Thou art Love. Thou art Wisdom.
Thou art Humility. Thou art Endurance.
Thou art Rest. Thou art Peace.
Thou art Joy and Gladness.
Thou art Justice and Moderation.
Thou art all our Riches and Thou art Suffice for us.
Thou art Beauty. Thou art Gentleness.
Thou art our Protector.
Thou art our Guardian and Defender.
Thou art our Courage.
Thou art our Haven and our Hope.
Thou art our Faith, our great Consolation.
Thou art our Eternal Life,
Great and Wonderful Lord, God Almighty,
Merciful Saviour.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", CARMELITES, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, OUR Cross, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 17 September – “I lost myself and was found”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 17 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – The Commutation of the Stigmata of St Francis of Assisi – Galatians 6:14-18; Matthew 16:24-27 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“For he who will save his life, will lose it and he who will lose his life, for My Sake, will find it. ” – Matthew 16:25

REFLECTION – “I lost myself and was found”

“The one who walks in the love of God seeks neither gain nor reward but seeks only, with the will, to lose self and all things, for God and this loss, the lover judges to be a gain! Thus it is, as St Paul asserts: “For me death is gain” [Phil 1:21], that is, my death to all things and to myself, for Christ, is my spiritual gain. Consequently, the soul declares: “I was found.” The soul who does not know how to lose himself, does not find himself but rather, loses himself, as Our Lord teaches in the Gospel: “For he who will save his life, shall lose it and he who will lose his life for My Sake, will find it. ” (Mt 16:25).

Should we desire to interpret this verse more spiritually and in accord with what we are discussing here, it ought to be known that when a soul treading the spiritual road, has reached such a point that he has lost all roads and natural methods, in his communion with God and no longer seeks Him by reflections or forms or feelings or by any other way of creatures and the senses but, has advanced beyond them all and beyond all modes and manners and enjoys communion with God in faith and love, then it is said that God is his gain because he has certainly lost all that is not God and has truly lost himself.” – St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Carmelite, Doctor of the Church (Spiritual Canticle 29:11).

PRAYER – O Lord, Jesus Christ, Who, to inflame our hearts with the fire of Thy love, when the world was becoming cold in spirit, renewed in the flesh of most blessed Francis, the sacred marks of Thine own Passion, graciously grant that by his merits and prayers, we may steadfastly carry our cross and bring forth worthy fruits of penance. 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 BREVIARY Prayers, franciscan OFM, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PLENARY Indulgences, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 17 September – Crucis Christi mons Alvernae By St Francis of Assisi, attracting a Plenary Indulgence

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 17 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – Feast of The Stigmata of St Francis of Assisi:

Crucis Christi mons Alvernae
By St Francis of Assisi OFM (c1181-1226)

Let Alverna’s holy mountain
That high mystery proclaim,
Of the sigus of life eternal
Which on blessed Francis came;
While he sobbed and while he sighed,
Grieving for the Crucified.

There, within a lowly cavern,
Far from all the world withdrawn,
As the Saint his watch was keeping,
With incessant scourgings torn,
Ever musing more and more
On the wounds which Jesus bore;

As he prayed in cold and hunger;
As he poured his glowing tears;
In his fervent spirit mounting
Far above terrestrial spheres,
Every earthly thing forgot
In his Saviour’s bitter lot.

Lo to him, in form seraphic,
Borne upon a Cross on high,
Six irradiant wings expanding
Came the King of glory nigh,
Gazing on him with a face
Of benignity and grace.

He saw that tender glance returning,
Saw th’ Incarnate Light of Light;
Saw his gracious meek Redeemer,
Robed in glory Infinite;
Drank the words which from Him fell,–
Words divine, unspeakable!

Straightway all the sacred summit
Kindles like a flaming pyre;
Holy Francis sinks enraptured
Fainting with ecstatic fire
And upon his flesh appear
Christ’s immortal Stigmata!

Honour to the high Redeemer,
Who for us in torments died,
In Whose Image blessed Francis
Suffered and was sanctified,
Counting everything but loss
For the glory of the Cross.

This Hymn is given in a Franciscan Breviary, printed at Venice in 1495, as the Hymn at first Vespers on the Feast of the Stigmata of St Francis 17 Sept (Paris, 1597).

The Five Sundays in Honour of
The Sacred Stigmata (Feast 17 September)

All the faithful who, upon the five Sundays which immediately precede the Feast of the sacred Stigmata of St Francis of Assisi, OR upon any other five consecutive Sundays during the year, shall exercise themselves, either in pious meditation, or in vocal prayer, or in any other work of Christian piety, in honour of the said sacred Stigmata, a Plenary Indulgence is granted once a year, on each of the 5 Sundays, on the usual conditions. (Leo XIII, 21 Nov 1885).

Posted in franciscan OFM, SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 17 September – The Feast of The Stigmata of St Francis of Assisi

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 17 September – The Feast of The Stigmata of St Francis of Assisi

The Stigmata of St Francis
From the Liturgical Year, 1903
Feast Day – 17 September

St Francis Receives the Stigmata, by Giotto, 1295-1300; originally painted for the church of St Francis in Pisa, now in the Louvre. The predella panels show the vision of Pope Innocent III, who in a dream beheld St Francis holding up the collapsing Lateran Basilica, followed by the approval of the Franciscan Rule, and St Francis preaching to the birds.

The great Patriarch of Assisi will soon appear a second time in the holy Liturgy and we shall praise God for the marvels wrought in him by Divine Grace. The subject of today’s Feast, while a personal glory to St Francis, is of greater importance for its mystical signification.

The Man-God still lives in the Church by the continual reproduction of His Mysteries in this His Bride, making her a faithful copy of Himself.
In the 13th Century, while the charity of the many had grown cold, the Divine Fire burned with redoubled ardour in the hearts of a chosen few. It was the hour of the Church’s passion; the beginning of that series of social defections, with their train of denials, treasons and derisions which ended in the proscription we now witness. The Cross had been exalted before the eyes of the world – the Bride was now to be nailed thereto with her Divine Spouse, after having stood with Him in the pretorium exposed to the insults and blows of the multitude.

Like an artist, selecting a precious marble, the Holy Ghost chose the flesh of the Assisian Seraph as the medium for the expression of His Divine Thought. He, thereby manifested to the world, the special direction He intended to give to the sanctity of souls; He offered to Heaven a first and complete model of the new work He was meditating, viz: the perfect union, upon the very Cross, of the Mystical Body with its Divine Head. Francis was the first to be chosen for this honour but others were to follow and, henceforward, here and there through the world, the Stigmata of Our Blessed Lord will ever be visible in the Church.

Let us read in this light the admirable history
of the event composed by the Seraphic Doctor.
St Bonaventure, in honour of his holy father St Francis.

Two years before the faithful servant and minister of Christ, Francis, gave up his spirit to God, he retired alone into a high place which is called Mount Alverna and began a forty-day fast in honour of the Archangel St Michael. The sweetness of heavenly contemplation was poured out on him more abundantly than usual, until, burning with the flame of celestial desires, he began to feel an increasing overflow of these Divine favours. While the seraphic ardour of his desires thus raised him up to God and the tenderness of his love and compassion, was transforming him into Christ, the Crucified Victim of excessive love.

One morning, about the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, as he was praying on the mountain side, he saw what appeared to be a Seraph, with six shining and fiery wings, coming down from Heaven. The vision flew swiftly through the air and approached the man of God, Who then perceived that it was not only winged but also Crucified; for the Hands and Feet were stretched out and fastened to a Cross; while the wings were arranged in a wondrous manner, two being raised above the head, two outstretched in flight and the remaining two crossed over and veiling the whole body. As he gazed, Francis was much astonished,and his soul was filled with mingled joy and sorrow. The gracious aspect of Him, Who appeared in so wonderful and loving a manner, gave Francis exceeding joy, while the sight of His cruel Crucifixion pierced his heart with a sword of sorrowing compassion.

He, who appeared outwardly to Francis, taught him inwardly that, although weakness and suffering are incompatible with the immortal life of a Seraph, yet this vision had been shown to him, to the end, that he, Christ’s lover, might learn how his whole being was to be transformed into a living Image of Christ Crucified, not by martyrdom of the flesh but by the burning ardour of his soul. After a mysterious and familiar colloquy, the Vision disappeared, leaving the Saint’s mind burning with Seraphic ardour and his flesh impressed with an exact image of the Crucified, as though, after the melting power of that fire, it had next been stamped with a seal. For immediately, the marks of nails began to appear in his hands and feet, their heads showing in the palms of his hands and the upper part of his feet and their points visible on the other side. There was also a red scar on his right side, as if it had been wounded by a lance and from which blood often flowed staining his tunic and underclothing.

Francis, now a new man, honoured by this new and amazing miracle and, by a hitherto unheard of privilege, adorned with the Sacred Stigmata, came down from the mountain bearing with him the Image of the Crucified, not carved in wood or stone by the hand of an artist but engraved upon his flesh by the Finger of the living God.
The seraphic man well knew that it is good to hide the secret of the King; wherefore, having been thus admitted into His King’s confidence, he strove, as far as in him lay, to conceal the Sacred marks. But it belongs to God to reveal the great things which he himself has done and hence, after impressing those signs upon Francis in secret, He publicly worked miracles by means of them, revealing the hidden and wondrous power of the Stigmata. by the signs wrought through them.

Pope Benedict XI. willed that this wonderful event, which is so well attested and in Pontifical diplomas has been honoured with the greatest praises and favours, should be celebrated by a yearly solemnity. Afterwards, Pope Paul V., wishing the hearts of all the faithful to be enkindled with the love of Christ Crucified, extended the Feast to the whole Church.

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, franciscan OFM, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

The Stigmata of St Francis of Assisi and the Saints for 17 September

Posted on by AnaStpaul

The Stigmata of St Francis of Assisi:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/09/17/feast-of-the-stigmata-of-st-francis-of-assisi-and-memorials-of-the-saints-17-september/

St Agathoclia
St Brogan of Ross Tuirc
Blessed Cherubino Testa OSA (1451-1479) Priest, Friar
St Columba of Cordova
St Crescentio of Rome
St Emmanuel Nguyen Van Trieu
St Flocellus

St Francis Mary of Camporosso OFM Cap (1804-1866) Lay Friar of the Friars Minor Capuchin Branch, “Quaestor” or Alms collector, as well as humble services such as Infirmarian, Cook, Gardener, Sacristan, gentle carer of the Poor, the sick, the imprisoned, the needy of all kinds, both spiritual and material. Francesco was gifted with immense graces to touch the hearts of all, both small and great and to listen and advise, often blessed with the gifts of prophecy and mind-reading. Born Giovanni Evangelista Croese on 27 December 1804 at Camporosso, Liguria, Kingdom of Sardinia. Italy and died on 17 September 1866 (aged 61) at Genoa, Italy. P
The Beloved Questor:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/05/11/saint-of-the-day-11-may-st-francesco-maria-da-camporosso-ofm-cap-1804-1866-the-beloved-questor/

St Justin of Rome

St Lambert (c635-c 700) Bishop & Martyr, Bishop of Maastricht, Confessor, Missionary.
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/09/17/saint-of-the-day-17-september-st-lambert-c-635-c-700/

St Narcissus of Rome

St Peter Arbues OSA (1442-1485) Spanish Priest Martyr, Canon Regular of the Augustinian Order, learned Professor and Inquisitor. Murdered in the Cathedral of Saragossa for the carrying out the duties of his state. Canonised by Pope Pius IX in 1867.
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/09/17/saint-of-the-day-17-september-saint-peter-arbues-osa-1442-1485-priest-martyr/

St Rodingus

St Satyrus of Milan (c335-c378) Confessor, Older brother of St Ambrose (340-397) Father and Doctor and St Marcellina (c330-c398) Consecrated Virgin
Patronages – of Sacristans of the Archdiocese of Milan.
St Satvrus Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/09/17/saint-of-the-day-17-september-st-satyrus-of-milan-c335-c378-confessor/

St Socrates
St Stephen
St Theodora
St Uni of Bremen

Posted in ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, DOCTORS of the Church, GOOD RESOLUTIONS, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

Thought for the Day – 16 September –CONSIDERATION VII, Second Point – Sentiments of One Who has Seldom Reflected Upon Death

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 16 September – 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 VII

Sentiments of One Who has Seldom Reflected Upon Death
“Set thine house in order, for thou shall die and not live.” (Isa xxxviii: i)

SECOND POINT:
Oh, how clearly, when the hour of death arrives, do the truths of faith make themselves felt, only to add greater torment to that dying man, who has lived a wicked life and particularly, if he is one who has been consecrated to God and so has had much opportunity of serving Him, much time, many good examples and much inspiration.
O God, with what grief will he then reflect and say: “I once admonished others and afterwards, have committed more grievous sins than they. I once left the world and afterwards, have become more attached to its pleasures, vanities and love.”
With what remorse will he then reflect upon the light which he has received from God, such as would have changed a heathen into a saint!
With what remorse will he then recall to mind that he had despised the practices of piety in others, as weakness of mind and had praised certain worldly maxims of self-esteem and self-love; such as not liking other people to take” precedence of us, to avoid suffering and to enjoy every pleasure which may present itself.

“The desire of the ungodly shall perish.” (Ps cxii: 10). When the hour of death arrives, how much will the time which we waste now be coveted?
St Gregory tells us in his Dialogues, of a certain rich man, named Chrysantius,-who had led a very wicked life and who, when the hour of death came, cried out against the devils, who visibly appeared to him to seize him: “Give me time, give me until to-morrow.” And these answered him, saying: “O fool, dost thou now seek time? Thou hast had so much and wasted it and spent it in sin and now, dost thou ask for it? Now there is no more time for thee.”
The wretched man continued to cry and to implore help. A son of his, whose name was Massimo and who was a Monk, was with him, to whom the dying man said: “My son, help me Massimo, my son, help me.” And in the meantime, throwing himself from one side of the bed to the other and thus agitated and with cries of despair, he breathed forth his wretched soul.
Alas, that these foolish ones should so love their folly in life but should put off until the hour of death to open their eyes to their folly and then confess, they have been so unwise! For at that time it only serves to increase the difficulties which they feel in trying to atone for the sins … and dying in this frame of mind, the salvation of their souls is very doubtful.

My brother, perhaps whilst reading this you are saying to yourself: “Yes, it is very doubtful.” But if it is so doubtful, your folly and your misfortune is much greater still, if, as you know and understand, these truths in life, you do not try to make amends for past sins now.
These words, even, which you have just read, would be a sword of sorrow for you in death.
Arise, therefore, for as there is time to avoid a death so frightful, hasten to make amends for the past and wait not, until there will be no fit time for reparation.
Wait not for another month, another week. It may be that this light which God now grants to you in mercy, may be the last light and the last call for you.
It is foolish, indeed, not to wish to think upon death, which is absolutely certain and on which eternity depends but, it is greater folly, to think upon it and not to prepare for it.
Make those reflections and resolutions now, which you would make, if you were dying now with profit but, at that time, very uselessly; now is the hope of being saved but at that time in great fear, lest you should not be saved.

A gentleman of the Court of Charles XI. when leaving Court, being asked by the Emperor for what reason he was leaving, answered, that in order to be saved, it is necessary that some interval should elapse between the time of repentance from a sinful life and the hour of death, so that a period of penitence and reparation, may be passed through.

Affections andPrayers

No, my God, I will no longer abuse Thy Mercy.
I thank Thee for the Light which Thou art now giving me, and I promise Thee to change my life, to amend my life.
I can see plainly that Thou wilt not bear with me much longer.
And shall I wait until Thou wilt be constrained to condemn me to everlastingdeath? or until Thou wilt give me up to a life utterly lost which would be a greater punishment to me than death itself. Look upon me at Thy feet; receive me into Thy favour. I know I do not deserve it but Thou hast said that “the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness.“ (Ezek xxxiii: 12).

Therefore, my Jesus, in the time that is past, I have offended Thy Infinite Goodness, now I repent with all my heart and I hope for pardon from Thee.
With St Anselm, I will say to Thee: “Suffer not my soul to be lost through its sins, for Thou hast redeemed it with Thy Blood.”
Look not upon my ingratitude, look only upon that love which caused Thee to die for me. If I have lost Thy Grace, Thou hast not lost the power to give it back to me. Have pity, therefore, upon me, my dear Redeemer. Pardon me and give me the grace to love Thee; whilst I, from this day forward, promise to love none other than Thee. Thou hast chosen me from amongst so many of Thy creatures to love Thee, therefore, I choose Thee, O my Sovereign Good, to love Thee above all.
Thou dost go before me with Thy Cross I will not cease to follow Thee with that cross which Thou dost give me to carry. I embrace every mortification and every trouble which may come to me from Thee. It is enough that I am not deprived of Thy Grace, for with that, I am indeed content.

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CONFESSORS, EVENING and NIGHT Prayers, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, QUOTES on THE WORLD, St PETER!, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 16 September – St Cyprian of Carthage

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 16 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – The Feast of Saint Corneliu, Pope & Martyr and Saint Cyprian, Bishop & Martyr

“It is written, ‘God is not mocked.’ (Gal vi: 7)
Indeed, God cannot be mocked,
nor circumvented, nor deluded
by any man’s astute deceit. …
Let each of you, then, I beg you, brethren,
confess his fault while the sinner is yet in this world,
while Confession is still possible,
while the satisfaction and remission
granted by the Priests,
is still acceptable to God!”

“God is One and Christ is One,
His Church is One,
His See is One,
founded by the Voice of the Lord on Peter.
No other Altar can be set up,
no other Priesthood instituted
apart from that One Altar and that One Priesthood.
Who so gathers elsewhere, scatters!”

“She did not leave the temple,
serving with fastings and prayers,
night and day.”
Luke 2:37

“If, in holy Scripture,
Christ is the true Sun and the true Day,
there is no hour when Christians
should not adore God frequently and constantly,
so that we, who are in Christ, that is,
in the true Sun and true Day,
should be persevering, throughout the whole day,
in our petitions and prayer.
And when, in the course of time,
the revolving night returns,
there can be no harm from the nocturnal shades,
for those who pray because, to the sons of Light (1 Thes 5:5),
even in the night, there is day!
For when is he without light who has Light in his heart?
Or when does he not have sun and day
to whom Christ is Sun and Day?”

“Why then do we pray
for the Kingdom of Heaven to come,
if this earthly bondage pleases us?
WHAT IS THE POINT of praying so often
for its early arrival,
if we would rather serve the devil here
than reign with Christ!?”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/09/16/quote-s-of-the-day-16-september-saint-cyprian-of-carthage-martyr/

St Cyprian of Carthage (c 200-258)
Martyr, Bishop of Carthage,
Father of the Church

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FEAR, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 16 September – ‘The nearer the King approaches …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 16 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – The Feast of Saint Corneliu, Pope & Martyr and Saint Cyprian, Bishop & Martyr – Wisdom 3:1-8; Luke 21:9-19 – Scripture search herehttps://www.drbo.org/

“Jesus said to His disciples: When you shall hear of wars and seditions, be not terrified.” – Luke 21:9

REFLECTION – “The nearer the King approaches, the more we should pray. The nearer the moment arrives for bestowing the trophy on the combatant, the more fervently we should struggle. This is what they do at the races – as the end of the course nears and they are reaching the goal, they stir up the horses’ enthusiasm even more. In the same way, Saint Paul says: “Now is salvation nearer to us than when first we believed. The night is far gone, the day is at hand” (Rm 13:11-12). “” –

Since night is disappearing and day is coming into view, let us carry out the works of day and leave behind the works of darkness. This is what we do in the course of life – when we see night giving way to dawn and hear the swallows singing, then we rouse one another even though it is still dark … We hurry to our daily tasks, we clothe ourselves after being snatched from sleep, so that the sun will find us ready. What we do then, let us do now. Let us shake off our dreams, rouse ourselves from thoughts of this present life, leave our heavy slumber and put on the garment of virtue. This is what the Apostle clearly says to us: “Cast off the works of darkness and put on the Armour of Light” (v.12). For day is calling us to the battle, to the fight!

But do not be afraid when you hear these words about fighting and combat! For if it is uncomfortable to put on heavy material armour, it is pleasant, on the other hand, to put on spiritual armour, for this is an Armour of Light! In this way you will shine more brightly than the sun and, even as you sparkle brightly, you will be safe because these are weapons … weapons of Light. So then? Are we excused from fighting? Not at all! We are to fight but without being overcome by fatigue and without pain. For it is not so much a war to which we are being summoned as a feast and celebration!” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Bishop of Constantinople, Father & Doctor of the Church (Homilies on the Epistle to the Romans, 24).

PRAYER – May the feast of the blessed Martyrs and Bishops, Cornelius and Cyprian, protect us, O Lord, we beseech Thee and may their holy prayer recommend us to Thee.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 "Follow Me", BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST

Our Morning Offering – 16 September – Deus, Tuorum Militum – O God, of Those Who Fought Thy Fight

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 16 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – The Feast of Saint Corneliu, Pope & Martyr and Saint Cyprian, Bishop & Martyr

Deus, Tuorum Militum
O God, of Those Who Fought Thy Fight
Unknown Author
(6th Century)

O God, of those who fought Thy fight,
Portion and prize and Crown of Light,
Break every bond of sin and shame
As now we praise Thy Martyr’s name.

He recked not of the world’s allure
But sin and pomp of sin forswore:
Knew all their gall and passed them by,
And reached the throne prepared on high.

Bravely the course of pain he ran,
And bore his torments as a man:
For love of Thee, his blood outpoured,
And thus obtained the great reward.

With humble voice and suppliant word
We pray Thee, therefore, Holy Lord,
While we Thy Martyr’s Feast Day keep,
Forgive Thy loved and erring sheep.

All honour, laud and glory be,
O Jesu, Virgin-born, to Thee,
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete.
Amen

An Ambrosian Hymn traditionally assigned for Matins and Vespers for the common feast of a Martyr in the Roman Breviary.
It dates probably from the sSxth Century and is attributed to the unknown author of Rex Gloriose Martyrum and jesu, Redemptor Omnium.
The Hymn exists in a longer versJon of eight strophes and a shorter one of four or five, which is probably earlier.
The Vatican Antiphonary provided two different melodies for use in the Paschal Season and during the Octave of the Nativity, during which the Feast of Saint Stephen the Protomartyr occurs.
The Hymn is a prayer asking God to forgive the sins of His servants on the day of the Martyr’s triumph over the pleasures of the world and the torture of persecution.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 16 September – Saint Eugenia of Hohenburg (Died c735) Abbess

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 16 September – Saint Eugenia of Hohenburg (Died c735) Abbess. Born in Alsace in France and died at Hohenburg Abbey on Odilienberg also in Alsace. Eugenia was the second abbess of the Hohenburg Abbey, in Alsace, France, from 721 to 735. Also known as – Eugenia of Odilienberg, Eugenia of Alsace Eugenia of Altitona, Eugenia of Altodunum, Eugénie. The name Egenia means “noble born” from the Greek. Additional Memorial 26 September on some calendars.

Mosaic, 12th Century, in the Chapel of Tears of the Monastery of Mont Sainte-Odile

Eugenia was the daughter of the Alsatian Duke Adalbert and his wife Gerlind and sister of St Attala of Strasbourg and Gundelindis. She succeeded her aunt Odilia as Abbess at the Hohenburg Monastery – today’s Mont Sainte-Odile Monastery – on Mount Odilienberg in Alsace.

Eugenia was buried in the Chapel of the Monastery on Mount Odilienberg. Her Relics were lost in the Thirty Years’ War.

The Hohenburg Monastery atop Mount Odile.
Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Nuestra Señora de las Lajas / Our Lady of the Flagstones, Colombia (1754), Saints Cornelius and Cyprian and the Saints for 16 September

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Nuestra Señora de las Lajas / Our Lady of the Flagstones, Potosí, Caldas, Colombia (1754) – 16 September:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/09/16/nuestra-senora-de-las-lajas-our-lady-of-the-flagstones-potosi-caldas-colombia-1754-and-memorials-of-the-saints-16-september/

St Pope Cornelius (Martyred in 253) the 21st Pope during the persecutions of Papal Ascension:  251 until his death in 253.
St Cyprian of Carthage (190-Martyred in 258) Bishop, Martyr, learned Rhetorician, Teacher, Writer, Theologian
Saints Cyprian and Cornelius:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/09/16/saints-of-the-day-16-september-st-pope-cornelius-and-st-cyprian-of-carthage-martyrs/

St Abundantius of Rome
St Abundius of Rome
St Cunibert of Maroilles
St Curcodomus
St Dulcissima of Sutri

St Edith of Wilton (961-984) Virgin, Nun, Princess, Founder of a Church and a Hospital for the poor. Born in 961 at Kensing, Kent, England and died on 15 September 984 aged just 23 years, a date foretold by Saint Dunstan of Canterbury, of natural causes. Edith is one of the most venerated female Saints of England. Her extensive legacy continues to this day – there is a Pilgrimage route, “St Edith’s Way” and annual devotions take place on her Feast day.
An Astounding Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/09/16/saint-of-the-day-16-september-saint-edith-of-wilton-961-984-virgin-nun-princess/

St Eugenia of Hohenburg (Died c735) Abbess

St Euphemia (c290-c 305) Virgin Martyr
Her Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/09/16/saint-of-the-day-16-september-saint-euphemia-c-290-c-305-virgen-martyr/

St John of Rome

Blessed Luigi Ludovico Allemandi (c 1390-1450) Bishop and Cardinal, called “The Cardinal of Arles.” Blessed Luigi was a Priest driven by immense love for the Holy Mother of God and for the Church. His involvement in various Councils and Papal dissentions, were the result of his great desire to maintain the purity of the Chair of Peter. He was Beatified in 1527 by Pope Clement VII.
His Life;
https://anastpaul.com/2020/09/16/saint-of-the-day-blessed-luigi-ludovico-allemandi-c-1390-1450/

St Lucia and St Geminianus of Rome +
St Ludmila
St Marcian the Senator
Bl Martin of Huerta
Bl Michael Himonaya

St Ninian (Died 432) “Apostle to the Southern Picts,” Bishop, Missionary, Monastic Founder, Wonderworker.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/09/16/saint-of-the-day-16-september-st-ninian-c-360-died-432-apostle-to-the-southern-picts/

Bl Paul Fimonaya
St Priscus of Nocera
St Rogellus of Cordoba
St Sebastiana
St Servus Dei
St Stephen of Perugia

Martyrs of the Via Nomentana: Four Saints: Christian men Martyred together, date unknown – Alexander, Felix, Papias and Victor. They were Martyred on the Via Nomentana outside Rome, Italy.