Month: March 2025

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 6 March – Saint Baldred (Died c757) Abbot, “the Apostle of the Lothians”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 6 March – Saint Baldred (Died c757) Abbot, Priest, Missionary, Founder of a monastic community, Hermit, Miracle-worker. Born in Northumbria, England and died on 6 March c757 in Tyninghame in the Lothian region of Scotland. Also known as – “the Apostle of the Lothians” Balthere, Baltherus, … the Hermit, … of Tyninghame.

Baldred seems to have come from Lindisfarne in Northumbria, England, to spread Christ to the Lothians. He founded a Monastery at Tyninghame and choose a life of seclusion. Simeon of Durham says that “the boundaries of his pastorate embraced the whole land which belongs to the monastery of Saint Balther which is called Tyninghame – from Lammermuir to Inveresk, or, as it was called, Eskmouthe.”

He lived in a cell on the Bass Rock and died there. Three communities vied for the right to bury him, Auldhame, Tyninghame and Prestonkirk. His cult was certainly centred on the four Churches of Auldhame, Whitekirk, Tyninghame and Prestonkirk, between East Linton and North Berwick in East Lothian.

Baldred founded a Monastery at Tyninghame. However, at times, he preferred to retire from the spiritual government of the Lothian Britons and he selected the Bass Rock as the spot to build himself a small hermitage and associated Chapel, although he also sometimes resided in ‘St Baldred’s Cave’ on Seacliff Beach.

Ruins of the Base Rock Foundation

Following Baldred’s death on the site of this Chapel, there was a dispute between the people of Auldhame, Tyninghame and Prestonkirk, as to which should be chosen to venerate his life by a Shrine and bury his remains.“ By the advice of a holy man, they spent the night in prayer. In the morning three bodies were found, in all respects alike, each in its winding sheet, prepared for burial.”

St Baldred’s Cave

All three Churches established Shrines to Saint Baldred.
Echoes of St Baldred occur throughout the area of East Lothian in which he lived and worked. In 941, St Baldred’s Monastery at Tyninghame was destroyed by the Danes and the following century the version of the remains of St Baldred buried at Tyninghame, were moved to Durham. In the 1100s St Baldred’s Church was built on the location of the monastery and this still stands today in the grounds of Tyninghame House.

At the Prestonkirk Parish Church, there existed, until 1770, when it was damaged by a builder, a Statue of the Saint much venerated by the local population. St Baldred’s Well stands nearby which was “famed for its…healing qualities.” This Well was greatly celebrated as a place of pilgrimage, attracting 1000s of visitors and the area also lays claim to this Saint as the scene of his ministry,

St Baldred’s Well

A Papal Bull of 1493 records the Pope’s consent to build a Chapel on the site of St Baldred’s own Chapel on Bass Rock – possibly this Church below.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Ash Thursday, Nossa Senhora da Nazaré / Our Lady of Nazareth, Portugal, (1150), Sts Perpetua and Felicity (Died c203) Martyrs and the Saints for 6 March

Posted on by AnaStpaul

ASH THURSDAY

1st THURSDAY – PRAY FOR PRIESTS

Nossa Senhora da Nazaré / Our Lady of Nazareth, Pierre Noire, Portugal, (1150) – 6 March:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/06/nossa-senhora-da-nazare-our-lady-of-nazareth-pierre-noire-portugal-1150-and-memorials-of-the-saints-6-march/

Sts Perpetua and Felicity (Died c203) Martyrs in Carthage (Roman province of Africa – modern day Tunisia) – Patrons of Mothers, Expectant Mothers, ranchers, butchers, Carthage, Catalonia.
Feast day moved in 1969 to 7 March.
Their Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2017/03/07/saints-of-the-day-7-march-saints-perpetua-and-felicity/

St Aetius
St Bairfhion
St Baldred of Strathclyde
St Baldred (Died c757) Abbot
St Balther of Lindisfarne
St Basil of Bologna
St Cadroë

St Chrodegang of Metz (c714-776) The First Bishop of Metz, Protector and Father of the poor and orphans, Reformer of the Clergy, a relative of King Pepin and of Prince Charles Martel, both of whom he was Court Chancellor, Royal Diplomat, Saint Opportuna of Montreuil was his brother.
The Roman Martyrology states: “In Metz in Austrasia, in today’s France, St Crodegango, Bishop, who arranged for the Clergy to live as if within the walls of a cloister under an exemplary rule of life and greatly promoted liturgical chant.”
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/06/saint-of-the-day-6-march-saint-chrodegang-of-metz/

St Colette PCC (1381-1447) Abbess and Foundress of the Colettine Poor Clares, a reform branch of the Order of Saint Clare. Patronages – against eye disorders, against fever, against headaches, against infertility, against the death of parents, of women seeking to conceive, expectant mothers and sick children, craftsmen, Poor Clares, servants, Corbie, France, Ghent, Belgium. St Colette was Canonised on 24 May 1807 by Pope Pius VII.
Lovely St Colette:
https://anastpaul.com/2017/03/06/saint-of-the-day-6-march-st-colette/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/03/06/saint-of-the-day-6-march-st-colette-2/

St Cyriacus of Trier
St Cyril of Constantinople
St Evagrius of Constantinople

St Fridolin Vandreren of Säckingen (Died c540) “Apostle of the Upper Rhine” Monk, Abbot, Missionary, wandering Evangelist, Founder of the Monastery in Säckingen, Baden (part of modern Germany), Miracle-worker.
A Zealous Example:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/06/saint-of-the-day-6-march-st-fridolin-vandreren-of-sackingen-died-c540-apostle-of-the-upper-rhine/

Bl Guillermo Giraldi
St Heliodorus the Martyr
Bl Jordan of Pisa
St Julian of Toledo
St Kyneburga of Castor
St Kyneswide of Castor
St Marcian of Tortona

St Ollegarius Bonestruga OSA (1060-1137) Bishop, Canon Regular of the Augustinians, Reformer, in both the religious sphere and the social one, Abbot, Diplomat, Peacemaker and Proptector of his people from possible violent incursions.
The Roman Martyrology reads: “At Barcelona in Spain, the blessed St Ollegarius, who was first a Canon and afterwards the Bishop of Barcelona and Archbishop of Tarragona.”
A Very Busy Shepherd
https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/06/saint-of-the-day-6-march-st-ollegarius-bonestruga-osa-1060-1137-bishop/

St Patrick of Malaga
St Sananus

Blessed Sylvester of Assisi OFM (Died 1240) Priest, Friar. Sylvester was one of the first 4 followers of St Francis of Assisi and was the first Priest in the Franciscan Order.
About St Sylvester:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/06/saint-of-the-day-6-march-blessed-sylvester-of-assisi-ofm-died-1240-priest/

St Tibba of Castor
St Venustus of Milan

Martyrs of Amorium – 42 Saints – Also known as Martyrs of Syria and Martyrs of Samarra;
A group of 42 Christian senior officials in the Byzantine Empire who were captured by forces of the Abbasid Caliphate when the Muslim forces overran the City of Amorium, Phrygia in 838 and massacred or enslaved its population. The men were imprisoned in Samarra, the seat of the Caliphate, for seven years. Initially thought to be held for ransom due to their high position in the empire, all attempts to buy their freedom were declined. The Caliph repeatedly ordered them to convert to Islam and sent Islamic scholars to the prison to convince them; they refused until the Muslims finally gave up and killed them. Martyrs. We know the names and a little about seven of them:
Aetios
Bassoes
Constantine
Constantine Baboutzikos
Kallistos
Theodore Krateros
Theophilos
but details about the rest have disappeared over time. However, a lack of information did not stop several legendary and increasingly over-blown “Acts” to be written for years afterward. One of the first biographers, a monk name Euodios, presented the entire affair as a judgement by God on the empire for its official policy of Iconoclasm.
Deaths:
beheaded on 6 March 845 in Samarra (in modern Iraq) on the banks of the Euphrates river by Ethiopian slaves
the bodies were thrown into the river, but later recovered by local Christians and given proper burial.

Posted in MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, Meditations on ST JOSEPH, St JOSEPH

Thought for the Day – 5 March – St Joseph’s Espousal

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 5 March – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

“Short Meditations for March, St Joseph”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

5th Day – St Joseph’s Espousal

+I. Never were husband and wife so eminently suited to each other, as Joseph and Mary. Never was there a union which so exactly symbolised the union between Christ and the Church.
Happy indeed are those who meet with a congenial spouse! Happier still, are those who are content to live in a state of virginity and in the religious life to choose Jesus Christ Himself for their Divine Spouse. They it is, who most nearly approach to the life of Joseph with Mary.

+2. St Joseph and Our Lady lived in perpetual chastity and their union was a closer one than that of any other husband and wife in the whole world.
Their ideas, opinions, hopes,wishes, likes and dislikes, were all the same; Joseph was Mary’s strong support, Mary loved to depend on Joseph. None was ever so obedient, gentle loving and sympathising a wife as Mary. None was ever such a thoughtful, kind, prudent, faithful husband as Joseph.

+3. Of what age was St Joseph at the time of his marriage? Not an old man, for this would have been unseemly; nor very young, for he would not have been a suitable protector for Mary but, about the prime of life. It is true that from the 5th Century onwards, he is represented as a bearded old man but this is partly to represent the dignity of his character, partly, as a portrait of his later years. Joseph was always far advanced in wisdom, counsel, prudence and the love of God.
Would that I were more like him!

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on ENEMIES, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, St Francis de Sales, The LAST THINGS

Quote/s of the Day – 5 March – Prayer, Fasting and Mercy

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 5 March – Ash Wednesday

Prayer, Fasting and Mercy

“Do not lay up for yourselves
treasures on earth,
where rust and moth consume
and where thieves break in and steal
but lay up for yourselves,
treasures in Heaven …”

Matthew 6:19-20

“Fasting is the soul of prayer,
mercy is the lifeblood of fasting.
Let no-one try to separate them;
they cannot be separated.
If you have only one of them,
or not all together, you have nothing.
So if you pray, fast;
if you fast, show mercy;
if you want your petition to be heard,
hear the petition of others.
If you do not close your ear to others
you open God’s ear to yourself!”

St Peter Chrysologus (c400-450)
Bishop of Ravenna
“Doctor of Homilies”
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Fasting is the death of sin,
the destruction of our crimes
and the remedy of our salvation.”

St Ambrose (340-397)
Father & Doctor of the Church

“For the devil may tempt the good
but he cannot find rest in them;
for he is shaken violently
and upset and driven out –
now by their prayers,
now by their tears of repentance
and now. by their almsgiving
and similar good works.”

St Bruno (c1030-1101)

“If a man finds it very difficult to forgive injuries,
let him look at a Crucifix
and think that Christ shed all His Blood for him
and not only forgave His enemies
but, even prayed His Heavenly Father,
to forgive them too.
Let him remember,
that when he says the Pater Noster, everyday,
instead of asking pardon for his sins,
he is calling down VENGEANCE UPON HIMSELF!”

St Philip Neri (1515-1595)

“The sacred gift of prayer
is already in the Right Hand of the Saviour;
as soon as ever you shall have emptied yourself of self,
He will pour it into your heart!”

(Letters to Persons in Religion III 19)

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

“You must be reconciled to your enemies,
speak to them, as if they had never done you
anything but good, all your life,
keeping nothing in your heart but the charity,
which the good Christian should have, for everyone,
so that we may all appear with confidence,
before the tribunal of God.”

St John Vianney (1786-1859)

Posted in LENT- 2025, The PASSION, The SACRED PASSION - Meditations for LENT

Lenten Meditations – 5 March – Ash Wednesday, The Anticipation of the Passion

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Lenten Meditations – 5 March – With Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

“The Sacred Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ”
“Short Meditations for Lent”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)”

Ash Wednesday
The Anticipation of the Passion

Read St Matthew xvi:21; xvii:21, 22
“From that time, Jesus began to show to His disciples,that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the ancients and scribes and chief priests and be put to death and the third day rise again.” [Matthew 16:21]

“And when they abode together in Galilee, Jesus said to them: ‘The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men; [22] And they shall kill Him and the third day He shall rise again. And they were exceedingly troubled.” [Matthew 17:21-22]

+1. From the first moment of His Incarnation, our Blessed Lord had ever before His Eyes, the prospect of His approaching Agony and Death. It was present to Him, not vaguely and uncertainly, like pain and suffering to which men look forward but vividly and distinctly, as at the actual time when He suffered. Never, for a single moment, was it absent from His thoughts.
O wondrous Love of our Incarnate God, Who thus employed His Divine Power to protract His sufferings by this continual prospect!

+2. Yet, in spite of this, He was always cheerful and full of brightness and joy of heart.
His coming Agony did not weigh Him down or depress Him. In spite of the bitterness of the chalice, of the unspeakable agony ever present to Him, no cloud overcast His brow, no weakness or dread was manifest to His Apostles, no thought of Self, interfered with His perfect sympathy for others. He was a pattern of Divine unselfishness; the unselfish always forget their own troubles and so can comfort and help
others.

+3. But our Blessed Lord, not only was not cast down by the approaching Passion, He actually longed for it. I have a baptism wherewith I am to be baptised and how am I straitened until it be accomplished?
His Love for men was such that He rejoiced in the thought of suffering for us .
How can I ever thank Him as I ought?
How can I show my love for Him Who loved me with so great a Love?

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, LENT, LENT- 2025, QUOTES on MEDIOCRITY, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The SACRED PASSION - Meditations for LENT

Lenten Meditations – 5 March – Preface and Introduction by St Bonaventure

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Lenten Meditations – 5 March – With Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

“The Sacred Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ”
“Short Meditations for Lent”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)”

PREFACE

THERE is no subject of meditation more pleasing to God and more profitable to the soul, than the Passion of Jesus Christ. It containswithin itself, all sweetness It is the remedy for every evil; the food which nourishes the soul. It is continued still in the Blessed Eucharist and every Mass, is a representation and renewal of the Sacred Passion. It is a subject always in season but especially during the holy time of Lent.
These Meditations deal with some of the main incidents of Our Lord’s Sacred Passion. They are intended to be begun on Ash Wednesday and to end on Holy Saturday.
A few verses of Scripture are suggested to be read before each meditation, as furnishing the subject – matter of
which it treats.

Introduction – How to Meditate on the Passion

St Bonaventure tells us, if we desire to meditate with fruit on the Passion of Jesus Christ, three conditions are necessary. Our meditation must be
+1. HUMBLE – for the Passion is unlike anything else in the world, it is unfathomable to human reason; it is a bottomless ocean of mystery. Reason must bow its head and confess its inability to grasp the Mysteries which even Faith sees only darkly and through a glass. The story of Christ’s humiliation, is to the proud, a sealed book; they see nothing attractive in it. Christ suffering, has no beauty that they should admire Him. I must, therefore, begin by praying for
humility.

+2. FULL of CONFIDENCE – since the Passion is the source of all our confidence. It is the proof of the exceeding Love wherewith Christ loved us.
How can I fear, with the sight before me, of Christ suffering for love of me? It is, too , a medicine for every possible evil, for every temptation for every sin, whatever the malady of my soul –the Passion of Christ can cure it.
At the Foot of the Cross, each mortal wound will be made whole!

+3. PERSEVERANCE – the beauty of the Passion does not appear all at once.
The world considers it a degradation, the careless and the indifferent. pass it by unmoved; even the faithful Christian scarcely penetrates beneath the surface of that Divine Mystery, unless he prays earnestly and continually, to appreciate it. Only gradually and by degrees, are we drawn by the Sacred attractiveness of the Cross
Before I begin my meditations, I must ask God for this spirit of humility, confidence, persistence!

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 5 March – ‘ … What the sun is to the day, almsgiving is to our fast …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 5 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” – Ash Wednesday – Joel 2:12-19 – Matthew 6:16-21 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But you, when you fast…” – Matthew 6:17..

REFLECTION – “My dear brethren, today we set out on the great Lenten journey. So, let us take our food and drink along in our boat, putting into the chest, the abundant mercy we shall need. For our fasting is a hungry one, our fasting is a thirsty one, if it is not sustained by goodness and refreshed by mercy. Our fasting will be cold, our fasting will flag, if the fleece of almsgiving does not clothe it, if the garment of compassion, does not wrap it around.

Brethren, what Spring is for the land, mercy is for fasting – the soft, Spring winds, cause all the buds on the plains to flower – the mercy of our fast causes all our seeds to grow until they blossom and bear fruit, for the heavenly harvest. What oil is to the lamp, goodness is to our fast. As the oily fat sets the lamp alight and, in spite of so little to feed it, keeps it burning, to our comfort, all night long, so goodness makes our fasting shine: it casts its beams until it reaches the full brightness of self-restraint.  What the sun is to the day, almsgiving is to our fast – the sun’s splendour increases the light of day, breaking through the dullness of the clouds – almsgiving, together with fasting, sanctifies its holiness and, thanks to the light of goodness, dispels from our desires anything that could petrify.

In short, what the body is for the soul, generosity acts similarly for the fast, when the soul leaves the body it brings about death; if generosity abandons the fast, it is, its death!” – St Peter Chrysologus (400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, “Doctor of Sermons” Father and Doctor of the Church (From Sermon 8).

PRAYER – Grant, O Lord, that Thy faithful people may, with true piety, undertake the time-honoured custom of fasting and may carry it out with unwavering devotion. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, LENT, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 5 March – The Glory of These Forty Days By St Gregory the Great

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 5 March – Ash Wednesday

The Glory of These Forty Days
By St Gregory the Great (540-604)
Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church

The glory of these forty days
we celebrate with songs of praise,
for Christ, by Whom all things were made,
Himself has fasted and has prayed.

Alone and fasting Moses saw
the loving God Who gave the law.
And to Elijah, fasting, came
the steed and chariots of flame.

So Daniel trained his mystic sight,
delivered from the lion’s might.
And John, the Saviour’s friend, became
the herald of Messiah’s Name.

Then grant, O God, that we may, too,
return in fast and prayer to Thee.
Our spirits strengthen with Thy grace
and give us joy to see Thine Face.

( Translator: Maurice F Bell 1862-1947)

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 5 March – Saint Dietmar (Died 1206) Bishop of Minden in Germany

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 5 March – Saint Dietmar (Died 1206) Bishop of Minden in Germany from c1185 until his death. Born in Bavaria, Germany and died on 5 March 1206. Also known as – Thietmar, Thiemo, Theodemarus.

Statue of St Dietmar at Minden Cathedral

Bishop Dietmar is said to have been moral and ascetic in personal matters and to have led the Church in Minden with prudence and wisdom. He is considered one of the greatest Bishops in Westphalia. In 1200 he Consecrated the Monastery of Marienwerder.

It is said of Dietmar that on Good Friday he would fast on water and bread as he was accustomed, even though he was very weak physically. However, the water which his servant had drawn from the well had turned into wine. Dietmar refused the drink and asked for water instead. But when he was again and again offered wine, he began to distrust his servant. Finally, he followed him to the well and watched carefully how he drew the water. When he himself saw how the water had been transformed into wine, he thanked God for having strengthened him with this miraculous drink, despite his unworthiness.

Dietmar died on 5 March 1206 in Minden and was succeeded as the Bishop by Henry II (1206-1209). He is venerated as a Saint with a memorial day on the day of his death but 6 March is also mentioned.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Ash Wednesday +2025 – Obligatory FAST and ABSTINENCE, Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours / Our Lady of Good Help, Montreal(1657) and the Saints for 5 March

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Ash Wednesday +2025 –
Obligatory FAST and ABSTINENCE,

Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours/Our Lady of Good Help, Montreal, Canada (1657) – 5 March:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/05/notre-dame-de-bon-secours-our-lady-of-good-help-montreal-canada-1657-and-memorials-of-the-saints-5-march/

St Adrian of Caesarea
St Caron
St Carthach the Elder
Bl Christopher Macassoli of Vigevano
St Clement of Santa Lucia
St Colman of Armagh
St Conon of Pamphylia
Bl Conrad Scheuber
St Dietmar (Died 1206) Bishop of Minden
St Eusebius of Cremona
St Eusebius the Martyr
St Gerasimus of Palestine (Died c475) Monk, Hermit
Bl Giovanna Irrizaldi

St John Joseph of the Cross OFM (1654-1734) – Italian Priest, Friar of the Order of the Friars Minor, Mystic, Ascetic, gifted with prophecy and miracles.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/03/05/saint-of-the-day-5-march-st-john-joseph-of-the-cross-ofm-1654-1734/

St Kieran (Died c530) Bishop, one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/05/saint-of-the-day-5-march-saint-kieran-died-c-530/

St Oliva of Brescia
St Phocas of Antioch

St Piran (Died 480) Abbot, Hermit, Missionary, miracle-worker.
St Piran’s Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/05/saint-of-the-day-5-march-saint-piran-died-480/

Bl Roger
Bl Romeo of Limoges

St Theophilus (Died c217) Bishop of Caesarea , Theologian, Writer , Apologist and Defender of the Faith. Born in Caesarea, Palestine and died c195 of natural causes.
The Roman Martyrology reads: “At Caesarea, in Palestine, in the time of the Emperor, Severus, St Theophilus, Bishop, who was conspicuous for his wisdom and the purity of his life.”
Wise St Theophilus:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/05/saint-of-the-day-5-march-saint-theophilus-of-caesarea-died-c217-bishop/

St Virgilius of Arles (Died c618) Archbishop, Abbot, Papal Vicar in Gaul.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/05/saint-of-the-day-5-march-st-virgilius-of-arles-died-c618-bishop/

Martyrs of Africa – A group of 304 Christians Martyred together for their faith. We know nothing else about them but five of their names Eusebius, Evolus, Hadrian, Julian and Octavian. They Died in 254 in Africa, exact location and date unknown.

Posted in MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, Meditations on ST JOSEPH, QUOTES on CHASTITY, St JOSEPH

Thought for the Day – 4 March – St Joseph’s Betrothal

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 4 March – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

“Short Meditations for March, St Joseph”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

4th Day – St Joseph’s Betrothal

+1. When our blessed Lady arrived at a marriageable age, the Chief Priest summoned all the unmarried men of the House of David that, from them, a husband might be chosen for her.
There is a tradition that, to each of them, a rod was delivered and the High Priest, speaking under Divine inspiration, declared that God would choose a spouse for Mary in the same way in which Aaron was chosen to be the High Priest in the Old Law.
“Whomsoever of these I shall choose, his rod shall blossom (Num xvii:5).
On the morrow the rod of Joseph had budded and blossomed. He was thus declared by God, to be the worthy spouse of His holy Mother.

+2. But Joseph had promised God, to remain ever a virgin.* How could he then consent to marriage? He knew by Divine revelation that Mary had made a similar vow and Mary knew the same of him O happy , O ideal union! where the sublime gift of virginity was united to the
mutual love and dependence of husband on wife and wife on husband.

+3. But thus it is that God provides for His elect.
He plans for them in a way which utterly sets at naught, the prudence of the world. He never disappoints those who leave themselves in His Hands but exercisesH a Divine ingenuity in fulfilling all the desires of their hearts, in most unexpected ways, in return for their submission and obedience to His holy Will.
Thus it is, those who do God’s Will, always do their own will , for their will is His and His Will is theirs.
(* St Thomas in Quæst Sent ii I).

Posted in QUOTES on BLASPHEMY, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, The HOLY FACE

Quote/s of the Day – 4 March – The 8 Promises of Jesus to Those Who Honour His Holy Face

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 4 March – Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus

The Eight Promises of Jesus
To Those Who Honour His Holy Face

  1. All those who honour My Face in a spirit of reparation, will by so doing, perform the office of the pious Veronica. According to the care they take in making reparation to My Face, disfigured by blasphemers, so will I take care of their souls which have been disfigured by sin. My Face is the seal of the Divinity, which has the virtue of reproducing in souls, the image of God.
  2. Those, who by words, prayers or writing, defend My cause in this Work of Reparation, I will defend before My Father and will give them My Kingdom.
  3. By offering My Face to My Eternal Father, nothing will be refused and the conversion of many sinners will be obtained.
  4. By My Holy Face, they will work wonders, appease the anger of God and draw down mercy on sinners.
  5. As in a kingdom, they can procure all that is desired with a coin stamped with the King’s effigy, so, in the Kingdom of Heaven, they will obtain all they desire, with the precious coin of My Holy Face.
  6. Those who, on earth, contemplate the wounds of My Face shall, in Heaven, behold it radiant with glory.
  7. They will receive in their souls, a bright and constant irradiation of My Divinity, that by their likeness to My Face, they shall shine with particular splendour in Heaven.
  8. I will defend them, I will preserve them and I assure them of Final Perseverance.
Posted in ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on WATCHING, St PAUL!, The HOLY FACE, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 4 March – Blessed are those servants, whom the Master, on His return, shall find watching.

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 4 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” – Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus – St Casimir (1458-1484) Confessor, Prince – Ecclesiasticus
Sir 31:8-11 – Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Blessed are those servants, whom the Master, on His Return, shall find watching.” – Luke 12:37

REFLECTION – “Our Lord spoke these words, recorded by the Gospel, to clarify the function of the servants, He had set at the head of His people: “Who is the faithful and prudent Steward Whom the Master will put in charge of His servants, to distribute the food allowance, at the proper time? Blessed is that servant, whom his Master, on arrival, finds doing so”  Who is that Steward, my friends? Undoubtedly, it is Christ, Who said to His disciples: “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Master’ and rightly so, for indeed I Am” (Jn 13:13). And what is that Master’s Household? Surely the one which our Lord Himself Redeemed from the hands of the enemy and took to Himself. This Household is the Holy and Universal Church, spreading with remarkable fecundity throughout the world and priding itself on having been redeemed at the price of His Blood…

But who is the faithful and wise steward? The Apostle Paul shows us when he says – speaking of himself and his companions – “One should regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the Mysteries of God. Now, it is of course required of stewards that they be found trustworthy” (1 Cor 4:1-2). And lest any of you should think that only the Apostles became stewards or, lest some lazy and unfaithful servant should abandon the spiritual combat and fall asleep, the holy Apostle demonstrates that Bishops are just as much stewards, too: “As God’s steward” he says, “a Bishop must be irreproachable” (Tim 1:7).  Therefore, we are servants of the Householder, stewards of our Lord and, it is we, who have received the measure of wheat, to be distributed among you.” – St Fulgentius of Ruspe (c462-533) Bishop and Father of the Church (Sermon 1)

PRAYER – O Lord, we beseech Thee, mercifully hear our prayers; loose us from the chains of our sins and keep us from all adversity. 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).

An Aspiration to the Eternal Father
to be Frequently Recited During the Day …

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Holy Face of Jesus,
covered with blood, sweat, dust and spittle,
in reparation for our sins
and the sins of the whole world.

Posted in ACT of REPARATION, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, The HOLY FACE, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 4 March – Offering of the Holy Face of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to God the Father, in Reparation

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 4 March – Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus and Shrove Tuesday

As part of the preparations for Lent, it is appropriate to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Face by spending some time before the Blessed Sacrament and reciting the prayers of reparation.
In addition, the repetition of this Devotion each Tuesday in Lent maybe a means of drawing closer to Our Lord during this time of more intense prayer and conversion.

TAKEN FROM THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY
OF SR MARY OF ST PETER OCD (1816-1848).

“Do you see how I suffer? Yet, very few understand Me. Those who say they love Me are very ungrateful! I have given My Heart as the sensible object of My great love to men and I give My Face as the sensible object of My sorrow for all the sins of men. I wish that it be venerated by a special Feast on Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. I wish that the Feast be preceded by a Novena in which the faithful make reparation with Me, joining together and sharing in My sorrow.” (Sadly I rem;embered the Novena too late this year, I hope you remembered.)

Offering of the Holy Face of Our Lord
Jesus Christ, to God the Father, in Reparation

Eternal Father,
turn away Thy angry gaze from Thou guilty people
whose face has become unsightly in Thy eyes.
Look instead upon the Face of Thy beloved Son,
in Whom Thou art well pleased.
We now offer Thee,
this Holy Face, covered with shame
and disfigured by bloody wounds,
in reparation for the crimes of our age,
in order to appease Thy anger,
justly provoked against us.
Because, Thy Divine Son, our Redeemer,
hast taken upon His Head
all the sins of His members
that they might be spared,
we now beg Thee, Eternal Father,
to grant us mercy.
Amen.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 4 March – St Felix (c970-1038) Abbot

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 4 March – St Felix (c970-1038) Abbot and restorer ofSt Gildas’ Abbey at Rhuys, Hermit. Born in c970 near Quimper, Brittany, France and died on 4 March 1038 of natural causes at the reconstructed Rhuys Abbey. Additional Memorial – 9 March 9 in the Liturgical Calendar of the Diocese of Vannes.

Tomb of Saint Felix (right) and Saint Rioc in the Saint-Gildas de Rhuys

Felix was born of wealthy parents in Quimper around 970. He had a great rdevotion for Saint Paul Aurelian who had built a Monastery at Lampoul and whose Relics, in 960, had been translated to Fleury Abbey.

Felix became a Hermit on Ushant but was forced to leave his hermitage during the Norman invasions to take refuge at Fleury in Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire, where he was welcomed by Abbo of Fleury.

Geoffrey I, the Duke of Brittany, asked the Abbot of Fleury to re-establish Rhuys Abbey which had been founded by Saint Gildas in the 6th Century on the Gulf of Morbihan and had been destroyed by the Normans. Father Abbot entrusted Felix with the task of rebuilding this renowned Monastery. The original Abbey had been built in wood on the remains of a Roman settlement.

But Felix now built in stone. Begun in 1008, the reconstruction ended in 1032 with the Consecration of the Church on 30 September, by Judicaël, the Bishop of Vannes and brother of the Duke. Felix was also consecrated as the Abbot, thus forcing him to remain there although his heart still desired to return to the Fleury. He opened a school too.

Félix died there on 4 March 1038 and was buried in his new Abbey. His tomb is now in the north transept of the Abbey Church. He is considered a Saint and his Feastday is set for 4 March ( 9 March 9 in the Liturgical Calendar of the Diocese of Vannes.)

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, LENT- 2025, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY FACE

The Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus, Shrove Tuesday, Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde / Our Lady of the Guard , Marseille, France (1221), St Casimir, St Pope Lucius Martyr and the Saints for 4 March

Posted on by AnaStpaul

The Feast of the HOLY FACE of JESUS:
In the 19th Century Jesus expressed His wishes to Sister Mary of St Peter (1816-1848), a Carmelite Nun in Tours, France, that there be an actual Devotion to his Holy Face. Our Lord wanted this in reparation for blasphemies against Himself and His Holy Name as well, as for the profanation of Sunday (when people engage unnecessarily in commerce and other such labours and chores on Sunday, a day meant for rest and reflection on God). In August of 1843 He dictated to her the well-known Golden Arrow Prayer. He also gave her Promises for those who would honour His Holy Face.
The first Holy Medal of the Holy Face was given to Ven Pope Pius XII, who approved the Devotion and the Medal. In 1958 he formally declared the Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus as Shrove Tuesday for all Catholics in perpetuity.
https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/01/feast-of-the-holy-face/

Shrove Tuesday: Shrove is the past tense of the word Shrive, which means “to hear a confession, assign penance and absolve from sin.”
In the Middle Ages, especially in Northern Europe and England, it became the custom to confess one’s sins on the day before Lent began in order to enter the penitential season in a repentant spirit.

Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde / Our Lady of the Guard , Marseille, France (1221) – 4 March:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/04/notre-dame-de-la-garde-our-lady-of-the-guard-marseille-france-1221-and-memorials-of-the-saints-4-march/

St Casimir (1458-1484) Confessor, Prince, Celibate, Ascetic, Apostle of Prayer, Apostle of Charity and Mercy, Marian Devotee, Eucharistic Adorer, Confessor. His Body is Incorrupt.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2017/03/04/saint-of-the-day-4-march-st-casimir/

St Lucius I (Died 254) Pope and Martyr. The 22nd Bishop of Rome from 25 June 253 to his death on 5 March 254. He was banished soon after his consecration but gained permission to return. Patronage – Copenhagen, Denmark. Lucius I’s Tombstone is still extant in the Catacomb of Callixtus. His Relics were later brought to the Church of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, along with the Relics of St Cecilia and others. His head is preserved in a reliquary in St. Ansgar’s Cathedral in Copenhagen, Denmark. This Relic was brought to Roskilde around the year 1100, after Lucius had been declared Patron Saint of the Danish region Zeeland.
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Rome, on the Appian Way. during the persecution of Valerian, the birthday of St Lucius, Pope and Martyr, who was first exiled for the Faith of Christ but, being permitted by Divine Providence to return to his Church, he suffered Martyrdom by decapitation, after having combated the Novatians. His praises have been published by the blesseed Saint Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage(200-258).”
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/04/saint-of-the-day-4-march-st-lucius-i-died-254-pope-and-martyr/

St Adrian of May
St Adrian of Nicomedia
Bl Alexander Blake
St Appian of Comacchio
St Arcadius of Cyprus
St Basinus of Trier
Bl Christopher Bales
St Felix (c970-1038) Abbot of Rhuys Abbey
St Gaius of Nicomedia

Blessed Humbert III Count of Savoy (1136–1189) Layman Prince. It is recorded of Humberto “who, forced to leave the cloister to deal with public affairs, practiced the monastic life with greater dedication, to which he later returned.” Born in 1136 in Avigliana, Italy and died on 4 March 1189 in Chambéry, France of natural causes. Beatified in 1838 by Pope Gregory XVI.
Holy Humbert:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/04/saint-of-the-day-4-march-blessed-humbert-iii-count-of-savoy-1136-1189/

St Leonard of Avranches
Bl Nicholas Horner
St Nestor the Martyr
St Owen
Bl Paolo of Brescia

St Peter of Pappacarbone (c1038-1123) Bishop, Abbot, Reformer. He was Canonised in 1893 by Pope Leo XIII.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/04/saint-of-the-day-4-march-saint-peter-of-pappacarbone-c-1038-1123/

Blessed Placida Viel SSC (1815—1877) Virgin, Religious Sister of the Sisters of the Christian Schools of Mercy which Order focused on the education of girls. Placida was Beatified on 6 May 1951 by Pope Pius XII.
Bl Placida’s Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/04/saint-of-the-day-4-march-blessed-placida-viel-ssc-1815-1877/

Bl Rupert of Ottobeuren

Martyrs on the Appian Way – 900 Saints: Group of 900 Martyrs buried in the Catacombs of Saint Callixtus on the Appian Way, Rome.

Martyrs of Nicomedia – 20 Saints: A group of 20 Christians murdered together for their faith. The only details about them to survive are three of their names – Archelaus, Cyrillos and Photius. Nicomedia, Bithynia (in modern Turkey)

Martyrs of the Crimea – 7 Saints: A group of 4th century missionary Bishops who evangelised in the Crimea and southern Russia and were Martyred for their work. We know little else beyond the names – Aetherius, Agathodorus, Basil, Elpidius, Ephrem, Eugene and Gapito.

Posted in MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, Meditations on ST JOSEPH

Thought for the Day – 3 March – St Joseph’s Childhood and Youth

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 3 March – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

“Short Meditations for March, St Joseph”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

3rd Day – St Joseph’s Childhood and Youth

+1. The names of the servants of God often indicate some leading feature in their work or. in their character.
When God Himself gives the name, this is always the case. Joseph signifies – adding or increasing – and was a forecast of his continuous increase , not only in grace and in favour with God but also, in glory and repute with men as long as the world shall last.
Rejoice in the growing devotion to St Joseph and ask yourself whether your devotion to him grows more and more?

+2. St Joseph is said to have had a boyhood and youth of suffering and, to have been persecuted and ill-treated by his brethren.
We should expect it to be so, since this was the lot of the Patriarch of Genesis and, moreover, one who has such an eminent position in the Church on earth and, such exceeding glory in Heaven, must have been conformed to our Blessed Lord in having a career of suffering.
St Joseph’s character as known to us in Sacred Scripture, is eminently, one purified by having had much to undergo.
Such patience, gentleness, thoughtful charity, cannot be learned except at a heavy price!

+3. Joseph’s trade was that of a carpenter.
The thought of the great Patron of the Universal Church, the husband of Mary, having been a handicraftsman, ought to give us a great respect for manual labour.
The idea that there is in it anything unsuitable to our dignity is a vulgar, unchristian, heathen notion. All the Saints had a love for manual labour.
How much better such a life than that of self-satisfied ease and luxury!
Thank God if you have to labour with your hands.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, I BELIEVE!, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on WATCHING, St PAUL!, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 3 March – ‘ … From darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 3 March – Ferial Day – Quinquagesima Sunday –1 Corinthians 13:1-13 – Luke 18:31-43.– Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And immediately he saw
and followed Him,
glorifying God.”

Luke 18:43

“I have appeared to you for this purpose,
to appoint you as a servant and witness,
of what you have seen
and what you will be shown.
I shall deliver you from this people
and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you,
to open their eyes, that they may turn
from darkness to light
and from the power of Satan to God,
so that they may obtain forgiveness of sins
and an inheritance among those,
who have been consecrated by faith in me.”

Acts 26:16-18

“So that our minds might be free of these illusions,
the Word invites us to shake this deep sleep
from the eyes of our soul, so that we might not slip away
from the true realities, by becoming attached
to that which has no consistency.
That is why He suggests that we
be watchful when He says:
“Let your loins be girt about
and your lamps burning …” (Lk 12:35)
For when the light shines before our eyes,
it chases sleep away and, when
our loins are held tight by a belt,
they prevent the body from succumbing to it…
The person who has fastened on
the belt of temperance
lives in the light of a pure conscience;
the trust of a child illuminates his life like a lamp…
If we live in this way, we will enter
a life like that of the Angels!”

St Gregory of Nyssa (c335–c395)
Father of the Church
(Brother of St Basil the Great)

“I was in the world like someone blind
and as though without God,
since I did not know my God.
Then Thou, in person, pitied me
and looked upon me,
when Thou shone Thine Light into my darkness,
Thou converted me
and drew me to Thyself, O my Creator.
And when Thou had snatched me
out of the depths of the pit …
of this life’s pleasures and desires,
then Thou showed me the way
and gave me a guide
who would lead me
to Thy commandments.”

St Simeon the New Theologian (949-1022)

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MIRACLES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 3 March – ‘ … We must understand the miracles of our Lord ,,,’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 3 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” – Ferial Day – Quinquagesima Sunday –1 Corinthians 13:1-13 – Luke 18:31-43.– Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And immediately he saw and followed Him, glorifying God.” – Luke 18:43

REFLECTION – “Our Redeemer foresaw that the hearts of His disciples would be greatly disturbed by His Passion. He foretold to them, far ahead, of both the agony of His Passion and the glory of His Resurrection (Lk 18:31-33). Then, when they beheld Him dying, as had been foretold, they would not doubt that He was to rise again. But since the disciples, still worldly as they were, were entirely unable to grasp, the Words of the Mystery (v.34), there was need of a miracle! A blind man received the Light before their eyes, so that a heavenly deed might strengthen the faith of those, who failed to grasp the Words of the heavenly Mystery.

We must understand the miracles of our Lord and Saviour, dearly beloved, so as to believe that they have been truly effected and that their meaning, nevertheless, still signifies something else too … We do not know the historical identity of the blind man but we do know whom he mystically denotes. The blind man is the human race. In our first parents it was driven from the joys of paradise and ignorant of the brightness of the Divine Light, it suffered the darkness of its condemnation. But yet, it is enlightened by the presence of its Redeemer, to see already, the joys of inward light, by desire and to direct the footsteps of its good works, in the way of Life.” – St Gregory the Great (540-604) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermons on the Gospels).

PRAYER – O Lord, we beseech Thee, mercifully hear our prayers; loose us from the chains of our sins and keep us from all adversity. 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 CARMELITES, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of PETITION, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on SIN, The WILL of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 3 March – Lord God, Lift Me Up!

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 3 March – Quinquagesima Week

Lord God, Lift Me Up!
By St John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Doctor of the Church

Lord God, my Beloved,
if Thou art still mindful of my sins
and wilt not grant my petitions,
let Thy Will be done,
for this is my main desire.
Show Thy goodness and mercy
and Thou shalt be known for them.
If Thou art waiting for me
to do good works
and upon their performance,
Thou wilt grant my petitions,
cause them to be accomplished in me, O Lord!
Send also, the punishment for my sins,
which is acceptable to Thee.
For how will I raise myself up to Thee,
born and bred as I am, in misery,
unless Thou, O Lord,
wilt lift me up
with the Hand which made me?!
Amen

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 3 March – Saint Titian (Died c540) Bishop of Brescia

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 3 March – Saint Titian (Died c540) Bishop of Brescia, Italy. In the list of Bishops of Brescia, he is considered the 15th Bishop of Brescia, succeeding Vigilius and preceding Paul II. His Episcopate is believed to have occurred between 526 and 540. Also known as – Tiziano. Additional Memorial – 20 April together with all the Saints of Brescia.

Sadly, we know nothing of our Saints life. He was buried in the Church of Sts Cosma and Damiano, perhaps built by himself. Later a Monastery was annexed to this Church but in 1302, the entire complex was demolished by Bishop Berardo Maggi to make room for the Palazzo Broletto, currently in Piazza del Duomo.

The Church and Monastery, now a Basilica, were rebuilt to the west of the City, in the Campi Bassi area where they still are today. In 1505, St Titian’s Rrelics were translated by Bishop Paolo Zane and placed in a marble Reliquary erected on the Altar in the Chapel on the left of the nave of the new Basilica.

At the end of the 19th Century, his original marble Sarcophagus, after several moves, was placed as a fountain in a corner of Piazzetta Tito Speri, where it is currently located.

The renowned mosaic in the Basilica in Brescia
Posted in franciscan OFM, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Notre-Dame des Anges / Our Lady of the Angels of Toulouse, France (1212), Blessed Benedetto Sinigardi (Author of the Angelus) and the Saints for 3 March

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Notre-Dame des Anges de Toulouse / Our Lady of the Angels of Toulouse, France (1212) – 3 March:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/03/our-lady-of-angels-of-toulouse-france-1212-and-memorials-of-the-saints/

Blessed Benedetto Sinigardi da Arezzo OFM (1190-1282) Friar of the Order of Friars Minor, who received the Habit directly from St Francis of Assisi. Although rarely mentioned, Blessed Benedetto is the Author of the Angelus!
Furthermore, the beautiful custom of reciting the Marian Antiphon “The Angelus Domini” is attributed to Blessed Benedetto, meditating on the saving Mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God in Mary’s virginal womb. The Angelus Domini became a pious practice firstly to the entire Franciscan Order, then to the whole Church, as it still is today.
Lovely Fr Benedetto!:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/03/saint-of-the-day-3-march-blessed-benedetto-sinigardi-da-arezzo-ofm-c1190-1282-the-author-of-the-angelus/

St Anselm of Nonantola
St Arthelais of Benevento
St Calupan
St Camilla
St Cele-Christ

St Cunegundes (c975-1040) Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, Nun, she took a vow of Virginity before her marriage, which, after a miracle was upheld by her husband, the King (also a Saint). Founder of Monasteries and Churches, Nun in one of her Convents, Apostle of Charity. Born in c 975 and died in 1040 of natural causes.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/03/saint-of-the-day-3-march-st-cunegundes-c-975-1040/

St Foila
Bl Frederick of Hallum
St Gervinus

Blessed Innocento OFM Cap. (1844-1890) Priest and Friar of the Capuchin Franciscans in Berzo, Italy.
Sweet Innocento:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/03/saint-of-the-day-3-march-blessed-innocento-of-berzo-ofm-cap-1844-1890-priest/

Bl Jacobinus de’ Canepaci
St Lamalisse
St Non

Blessed Pietro de Geremia OP (1381-1452) Priest and Friar of the Order of Preaches, renowned and brilliant Preacher, Miracle-worker. In addition to his many miracles and conversions of sinners, he founded the University of Catania and assisted in the establishment of several Dominican Monasteries.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/03/saint-of-the-day-3-march-blessed-pietro-de-geremia-op-1381-1452-dominican-priest/

Bl Pierre-René Rogue
St Sacer
St Titian (Died c540) Bishop and Confessor
St Winwallus of Landévennec

40 Martyrs in North Africa – A group of Christians Martyred together in North Africa, date unknown. No details have survived, but we know these names – Antonius, Artilaus, Asclipius, Astexius, Basil, Bosimus, Carissimus, Castus, Celedonius, Claudianus, Cyricus, Donata, Emeritus, Emeterius, Euticus, Felix, Fortunatus, Frunumius, Gajola, Georgius, Gorgonius, Hemeterus, Isicus, Janula, Julius, Luciola, Luciolus, Marcia, Marinus, Meterus, Nicephorus, Papias, Photius, Risinnius, Sabianus, Savinianus and Solus

Martyrs of Pontus – 3+ Saints – A large group of Christians Martyred together in the persecutions of Emperor Maximian Galerius and governor Ascleopiodato. We have some details on three of them – Basiliscus, Cleonicus and Eutropius. 308 in Pontus (in modern Turkey)
Martyrs of Caesarea;
Asterius
Marinus

Martyrs of Calahorra:
Cheledonius
Emeterius

Martyrs of Gondar, Ethiopia:
Bl Antonio Francesco Marzorati
Bl Johannes Laurentius Weiss
Bl Michele Pío Fasol

Posted in MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, Meditations on ST JOSEPH

Thought for the Day – 2 March – St Joseph’s Parentage and Birth

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 2 March – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

“Short Meditations for March, St Joseph”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

2nd Day – St Joseph’s Parentage and Birth

+1. Although St Joseph lived in poverty and contempt, he came of a noble ancestry. The blood of Kings and Saints ran in his veins and, what is more, he inherited, from them, the virtues of each but in a far higher degree, than that which their original possessor had enjoyed.
How much the good in me is an inheritance from my parents and forefathers!? Yet how ill I have employed the virtues I received from them! Instead of being better than they, like St Joseph, I am the degenerate child of parents far better than myself.

+2. St Joseph, as the greatest of all the Saints next to Our Lady, had all the privileges of other Saints.
Hence, we may piously believe that, like St John, he was cleansed from sin in his mother’s womb.
He was to be Mary’s spouse, he was to occupy the first and foremost place in the family of Jesus, he was, hereafter, to be the Patron of the whole Church! It was, therefore, fitting that he should be endowed with this initial privilege of being, from his birth, a child of God, an heir of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Thank God for this privilege bestowed on him!

+3. St Joseph was the connecting link between the Old and the New Dispensation, the first dawn which announces the coming day.
In his youth, he belonged to the Old Law, in his later life, to the New. As the dawn brightens into the glorious day, so St Joseph’s life, beautiful from the first, advanced in splendour continually.
Is this the history of my life? Have I made steady progress
in the love of God?

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, JESUIT SJ, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on the POOR, St Francis de Sales, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 2 March – ‘… God’s greatness, is His Mercy.’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 2 March – Quinquagesima Sunday

“ For man’s lowliness,
is his gratitude
and, God’s greatness,
is His Mercy.”

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

“Thou art the Good Shepherd;
seek me, Thy lamb
and neglect me not,
who has gone astray.
[John 10:11-14]”

St Andrew of Crete (660-740)
Bishop, Father of the Church

“Be generous to the poor orphans
and those in need.
The man to whom our Lord
has been liberal
ought not to be stingy.
We shall one day find in Heaven,
as much rest and joy
as we ourselves have dispensed in this life.”

St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)

“I often speak with my Teacher, Jesus,
in the Blessed Sacrament
because I learn from Him.
Jesus is the Teacher of the science of holiness.
I go to Him because I would like to learn,
from Him, how to become a Saint.
Of what use to me is all knowledge
and education, if I do not become holy?”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FAITH, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 2 March – ‘ … How then does he call Him the Son of David? ..’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 2 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” – Quinquagesima Sunday –1 Corinthians 13:1-13 – Luke 18:31-43. – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And he cried out, saying, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” – Luke 18:38

REFLECTION – The blind man must have understood, that the sight of the blind cannot be restored by human means but requires, on the contrary, a divine power and an authority such as God only possesses. With God nothing, whatsoever, is impossible. The blind man came near to Him, as to the omnipotent God. How then does he call Him, the Son of David? What can one answer to this? The following is perhaps the explanation. Since He was born and raised in Judaism, of course, the predictions contained in the law and the holy Prophets, concerning Christ, had not escaped his knowledge. He heard them chant that passage in the book of the Psalms, “The Lord has sworn in truth to David and will not annul it, saying: ‘of the fruit of your loins I will set a king upon your throne.’” The blind man also knew that the blessed Prophet Isaiah said, “There will spring up a shoot from the root of Jesse and from his root a flower will grow up.” Isaiah also said, “Behold, a virgin will conceive and bring forth a son,and they will call his name Emmanuel, which, being interpreted is, God with us.”  He already believed that the Word, being God, of His own will, had submitted to be born in the flesh of the holy Virgin. He now comes near to Him, as to God and says, “Have mercy on me, Son of David.” Christ testifies, that this was his state of mind in offering his petition. He said to him, “Your faith has saved you.” – St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Archbishop of Alexandria, Father and Doctor of the Incarnation (Commentary on Luke, Homily 126)

PRAYER – O Lord, we beseech Thee, mercifully hear our prayers; loose us from the chains of our sins and keep us from all adversity. 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 CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, Holy Name PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The HOLY NAME, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR

Our Morning Offering – 2 March – Merciful Jesus! Stretch Forth Thy Hand of Mercy

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 2 March – Quinquagesima Sunday

Merciful Jesus!
Stretch Forth Thy Hand of Mercy
(Excerpt – Prayer in a Time of Anguish)
By St Jerome (347-419)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Merciful Jesus!
Thou art my strength, my refuge and my deliverer;
in Thee I have believed and hoped;
in Thee have I loved.
Call me now, I beseech Thee and I will answer.
Stretch forth Thy Hand of mercy, to the work of Thy Hands
and let me not perish, whom Thou hast redeemed
with Thy Precious Blood.
It is now time for dust to return to dust
and my spirit to Thee Who gavest it.
Open then, Lord, the Gate of Life and receive me.
Receive me most merciful Lord,
according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies,
Who receivedst the thief on the cross
and now prepare my soul for hearing
the same promise of mercy which he did.
I am ill, O Lord and Thee my Physician.
Heal me then, my God and I shall be healed,
let me not be confounded, for I put my trust in Thee.
In Thee have I hoped – let me not be cast off forever!
… Deal not with me, according to what I deserve,
nor chastise me, according to my iniquities
but help me, O God, my Saviour
and for the glory of Thy Name deliver me.
Now, at this hour, show mercy to me
and whenever I depart, receive me
into the number of Thy family that I, may be one of those,
who are to praise Thee forever.
Amen

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 2 March – Blessed Fulk of Neuilly (Died 1201) Priest

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 2 March – Blessed Fulk of Neuilly (Died 1201) Priest of the Parish of Neuilly-sur-Marne, renowned Preacher which encouraged the 4th Crusade, Founder of a Monastery in Paris which encouraged fallen women to seek refuge and repentance in the religious life. Fulk died on 2 March 1201 of natural causes. Also known as – Folco, Foulques, Fulke, Foulque.

In 1191, Fulk was appointed as the Parish Priest of Neuilly-sur-Marne, after attended the lectures of Peter the Chantor (Died 1197) in Paris.

Beginning in 1195, Fulk began to preach gaining a reputation for piety and eloquence. His preaching focused on reforming the morals of the lay faithful and many of his denunciations were upon the sins of usury and lustfulness. But, even more than the laity, Fulk preached most particularly on reforming the morals and lives of the Clergy who, at that time living dissipated lives. Clerical concubinage was a common target of his sermons and he would often indicate and name Priests and concubines, who were guilty of this sin in the crowd, listening to him.

It was reported that he rebuked King Richard I of England by advising him to marry off his three evil daughters, being – his Pride, Greed and Lechery! The King replied that he would marry them appropriately to the Templars, the Cistercians and to the Bishops and Abbots of the Church!

In 1199, Fulk was invited to preach the 4th Crusade by Pope Innocent III. His preaching influenced both Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester, the French Lord Alix de Montmorency, the wealthy noble woman and others.

Fulk’s assiduous enthusiasm in carrying out this mission led to much success and large donations flowed in. Inevitably, some murmured and denounced the manner in which these donations were used.

Fulk then went on to found the Abbey of Saint-Antoine-des-Champs in the Faubourg in Paris, charged with taking in women of ill repute. He soon died of his great fatigue in 1201. Blessed Fulk was interred in his own Parish Church where he had spent the majority of his life, at ther Church of Saint-Baudile in Neuilly-sur-Marne.

The bbey of Saint-Antoine-des-Champs
Posted in LENT, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Quinquagesima Sunday, Nuestra Señora de las Apariciones / Our Lady of Apparitions, Madrid, Spain (1449) and the Saints for 2 March

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quinquagesima Sunday:
This Season is seventeen (17) days long and includes the three Sundays before Ash Wednesday.
The length of the Season never changes but the start date is dependent on the movable date of Easter, which can fall between 22 March-25 April.
For many early Christians Quinquagesima marked the time after which meat was forbidden. In many places, this Sunday and the next two days, were used to prepare for Lent by a good Confession; hence in England, we find the names Shrove Sunday and Shrovetide. Shrove is a form of the English word “shrive,” which means – to obtain absolution for one’s sins by way of Confession and doing penance..
As the days before Lent were frequently spent in merry-making, Pope Benedict XIV by the Constitution “Inter Cetera” (1 January 1748) introduced a Forty Hours’ Devotion to keep the faithful from dangerous amusements and to make some reparation for sins committed.
Quinquagesima also means, the time between Easter and Pentecost, or from the Saturday after Easter to the Sunday after Pentecost; it is then called Quinquagesima Paschae paschalis, or laetitae.

Nuestra Señora de las Apariciones / Our Lady of Apparitions, Madrid, Spain (1449) – 2 March:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/02/our-lady-of-apparitions-madrid-spain-1449-and-memorials-of-the-saints-2-march/

St Absolon of Caesarea

St Agnes of Prague/Bohemia (1211-1282) Virgin, Nun, Princess, Foundress, Abbess, Missionary of Charity and Mercy – Patron of the Czech Republic and Prague.
Her Holy Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2017/03/02/saint-of-the-day-2-march-st-agnes-of-praguebohemia/

St Basileus the Martyr

St Chad (c620-672) Bishop of Lichfield, Confessor, Abbot, Monk, known as the “Apostle of Mercia,”in England.
About St Chad:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/02/saint-of-the-day-2-march-saint-chad-c-620-672-bishop/

Blessed Charles the Good (c1083-1127) Martyr, Duke, Apostle, protector and defender of the poor, selling his and his kingdom’s riches to help those in need, wherever he could, a fair and just Ruler who made laws to accommodate the poor rather than the rich (the eventual cause of his Martyrdom), Knight who assisted in Secomd Crusade.
Blessed Charles cultus was officially confirmed by his Beatification in 1883 by Pope Leo XIII.
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/02/saint-of-the-day-2-march-blessed-charles-the-good-c1083-1127-martyr/

St Cynibild of Laestingaeu
St Felix of Treves
St Fergna the White
Blessed Fulk of Neuilly (Died 1201) Priest


St Girolamo Carmelo di Savoia
St Gistilian

St Joavan (Died c576) English Missionary, Bishop of Brittany, France.
The Life of St Jovan:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/02/saint-of-the-day-2-march-saint-joavan-of-brittany-died-c576-bishop/

St Jovinus the Martyr
St Lorgius of Caesarea
St Lucius of Caesarea

St Luke Casali of Nicosia (Died c800) Priest Abbot.
The Roman Martyrology reads: “In Agíra in Sicily, Saint Luke Casale of Nicosía, a Monk, full of humility and virtue.”
St Luke’s Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/02/saint-of-the-day-2-march-saint-luke-casali-of-nicosia-died-c-800/

St Slebhene
St Troas

Martyrs of Campania – Approximately 400 northern Italian Christians Martyred for their faith by pagan Lombards. Their story was recorded by Pope Saint Gregory the Great, who reports that they people spent their final days supporting each other with prayer. c 579 in Camnpania, Italy.

Martyrs of Porto Romano – 4 Saints – Group of Christians Martyred in the persecution of Diocletian. The only other information that survives are the names of four of them – Heraclius, Januaria, Paul and Secondilla. c305 at Porto Romano at the mouth of the River Tiber, Rome.

Posted in MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, St JOSEPH

Devotion for March – St Joseph

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Devotion for March
St Joseph

The beloved Foster-Father and Guardian of Jesus and Protector of the Holy Family, is celebrated for this whole month and his Feast Day falls in the middle of it – 19 March – this year moved to the 20th as the 19th is Laetare Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Lent.

“Quamquam Pluries”
On the Devotion to St Joseph
Pope Leo XIII

“On 10 March, [11 MARCH THIS YEAR], we begin the Novena to St Joseph, entrusting so many of our woes and cares to his holy and fatherly care and intercession.
His Patronages are numerous, as we know, one of them will fit our needs perfectly and if not, then we should all ask him to intercede on our behalf for our families and for a Happy and Holy Death.
On the 20th [FEAST normally 19th] we pray the Consecration to St Joseph.”

Patronages in Alphabetical Order:

  • of Accountants • Bursars • Cabinetmakers • Carpenters • Catholic Church • Cemetery Workers • Children • Civil Engineers • against Communism • Confectioners • Craftsmen • against Doubt and Hesitation • the Dying • Emigrants • Exiles • Expectant Mothers • Families • Fathers • Furniture Makers • Grave diggers • Happy Death • Holy Death • House Hunters • House Sellers • Immigrants • Joiners • Labourers • all the Legal Profession • Married Couples • Oblates of Saint Joseph • Orphans • Pioneers • Social Justice • Teachers • Travellers • the Unborn • Wheelwrights • Workers • Americas • Austria • Belgium • Bohemia • Canada • China • Croatian people • Korea • Mexico • New France • New World • Peru • Philippines • Vatican City • VietNam • Canadian Armed Forces • Papal States • 46 Diocese • 26 Cities,States and Regions.
Posted in CATECHESIS, MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, Meditations on ST JOSEPH, St JOSEPH

Thought for the Day – 1 March – The Foreshadowing of St Joseph

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 1 March – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

“Short Meditations for March, St Joseph”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Ist Day – The Foreshadowing of St Joseph

+I. As the Church of Christ is prefigured in the rites and ceremonies of the Old Law, so too, the chief personages who centre around Our Lord in the Redemption of the world, are foreshadowed in the Old Testament .
We trace the outlines of Our Lady’s graces in Esther, Jahel, Bethsabee, Judith.
So too, St Joseph’s place in the new dispensation is anticipated in the place of the Patriarch Joseph at the Court of Pharaoh. Thus it is that, God in His Love for His chosen ones, paves the way for them centuries before. From the beginning, He has prepared their work and the throne they are to earn in Heaven by their labours and sufferings for Him.

+2. In the life of the Patriarch Joseph, there was throughout, a correspondence to the life of the foster -father of Jesus Christ.
The troubles and persecutions of his early life, his long time of servitude and obscurity, his wondrous purity, his time of patient expectation, his glorious exaltation, his omnipotence with the King, his power to save all who came to him – all these were repeated, or rather, were fulfilled, in St Joseph. Reflect on each of these and consider how St Joseph is a model to us.

+3. We read of the Patriarch that the King of Egypt made him the lord of his house.
So God made St Joseph the lord of that earthly Tabernacle of Flesh in which He dwelt on earth. Joseph ruled Our Lord in His Sacred Humanity. He made him the lord too , of another house in which He sojourned, of the Sacred House which Wisdom built for Himself, in the form of His holy Mother. If St Joseph was thus, the lord of Jesus and Mary, what may we not expect from Him!?