Day: May 8, 2025

Posted in MARIAN REFLECTIONS, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on VICE, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The IMITATION of CHRIST, Thomas a Kempis

Thought for the Day – 8 May – The Model and Imitation – The Work of Sanctification

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Thought for the Day – 8 May – The Imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

Extracts from The Imitation
of the Blessed Virgin Mary
By Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)
Imprimatur 17 February 1947

PART ONE
THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES
Chapter I

SERMON
The Model and Imitation

I. To imitate is to reproduce a model – but, the model can be larger or smaller than the reproduction. Thus, it is in the imitation of Jesus, of Mary and of the Saints.
The models in this case are greater than nature.
We can, nevertheless, succeed in resembling them by reproducing their life.

II. Life is a complexity of virtues and of faults, of forces and of instincts. Nothing is evil by nature but, according as one rises or falls, one becomes good or bad. It can be said that a middle way does not exist. One must choose vice or virtue.
To practice virtue an effort must be made; such is the meaning of the Latin word – “virtus.”

III. The Christian soul, in the face of the Divine model, Mary, exalts itself to the practice of the virtues which it admires in her, who is, at the same time, a sublime model and an admirable mistress, an example and a mother.

MEDITATION
The Work of Sanctification

It is a science, to know how to regard a model; it is an art, to be able to reproduce it. This art and this work, contain the whole secret of the spiritual life.
Consideration is meditation or contemplation, the study of Divine harmonies. We emulate the Saints and, in order to do so, we must suffer. That is why, grief teaches, more than joy. He who has not suffered, what does he know?!
A heart which loves has already been half-opened by a sword!
Strike the heart, for in it is genius, said the poet and there too, is sanctity!

Practice: To wear a medal of Mary, as beautiful as possible, is an easy means of recalling that, to imitate her, one must make an effort.

Thought: To one who loves Mary, everything seems sweet and light.
“Bitter things become sweet, heavy things become light.
Amara dulcia fiunt, gravia levia veniunt.”

Dr Célestin Albin de Cigala (1865-1928)
Faculty of Paris
Doctor of Theology and Philosophy

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GUARDIAN ANGELS - Prayers etc, JESUIT SJ, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PRIDE

Quote/s of the Day – 8 May – Angels, Archangels

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Quote/s of the Day – 8 May – The Apparition of St Michael the Archangel at Monte Gargano, Italy (492)

“It was pride which changed Angels into devils;
it is humility which makes men as Angels!”

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

“In every lodging, at every corner,
have reverence for thy Angel.
Do not dare to do, in his presence,
what you would not dare to do, if I were there.
Or do you doubt that he is present
whom you do not behold?
What if you should hear him?
What if you should touch him?
What if you should scent him?
Remember, that the presence of something
is not proved only by the sight of things.”

St Bernard (1090-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor of the Church

O Victorious Prince,
Guardian of the Church of God
By St Aloysius de Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591)
Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel

O Victorious Prince,
most humble guardian of the Church of God
and of faithful souls,
who, with such charity and zeal,
took part in so many conflicts
and gained such great victories over the enemy,
for the conservation and protection
of the honour and glory, we all owe to God,
and for the promotion of our salvation.
Come, we pray Thee, to our assistance,
for we are continually besieged
with such great perils by our enemies,
the flesh, the world and the devil
and as Thou wast a leader
for the people of God, through the desert,
so also, be our faithful leader
and companion through the desert of this world,
until Thou conduct us safely,
into the happy land of the living,
in that blessed fatherland from which
we are all exiles.
Amen.

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, GOD ALONE!, GUARDIAN ANGELS - Prayers etc, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on MEEKNESS, QUOTES on the POOR, QUOTES on WATCHING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 May – ‘ … To protect them from all evil, I have placed My Angels at their service. …’

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One Minute Reflection – 8 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Apparition of St Michael the Archangel at Monte Gargano, Italy (492) – Apocalypse 1:1-5 – Matthew 18:1-10 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Watch, that you despise not, one of these little ones, for I say to you, their Angels in Heaven, always see the Face of My Father, Who is in Heaven.” – Matthew 18:10

REFLECTION – “Watch that you do not despise one of these little ones for, I say to you, their Angels in Heaven, always see the Face of My Father, Who is in Heaven.” With these words, Christ is saying to us something like this: « “Be vigilant, take care that you do not despise people who are simple, poor or weak. As for Me, I esteem them greatly to the extent that, to protect them from all evil, I have placed My Angels at their service. And what Angels! Do not think they are to be compared to the scullery boys working in My kitchen. No. They are equal to the officers in My Own palace, for: ‘they constantly see the Face of My heavenly Father’”…

Now, these Angels see the Face of God for several reasons.
Firstly, Angels must offer and present our good works to God. To this we have a testimony in the words Raphael addressed to Tobias: “I have presented your prayer before the Lord” (Tb 12:12). In the Book of The Apocalypse, too, we read: “An Angel with a golden censer came and stood before the altar. He was given a great quantity of incense to offer with the prayers, of all the saints on the golden altar that is, before the throne of God,” (8:3). Let us note that this altar is the heart of whoever is truly faithful to God; before this altar, the Angels stand. Their censer represents the feelings of joy, with which they gather up our thoughts, prayers, words and actions, so as to offer them, all aflame with the fire of charity, on the golden altar which stands before the throne of God. And the offering rises up to the Son, Who is in the bosom of the Father. Therefore, it would be good for us always to have some good thing to place in the Angels’ censer.” – St Albert the Great (1200-1280) Dominican, Doctor of the Church (Sermon for the Feast of Saint Michael).

PRAYER – O God, Who has ordained and constituted the services of Angels and men in a wonderful order, mercifully grant that as Thy holy angels always do Thee service in Heaven, so, by Thy appointment, they may succour and defend us on earth. 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, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of PETITION, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, St Alphonsus de Liguori,, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 8 May – Shelter Me Under Thy Mantle

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Our Morning Offering – 8 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

Shelter Me Under Thy Mantle,
Refuge of Sinners
By St Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

Most holy Virgin Immaculate, my Mother Mary,
to thee, who art the Mother of my Lord,
the Queen of the Universe, the Advocate,
the Hope, the Refuge of sinners,
I, who am the most miserable of all sinners,
have recourse this day.
I venerate thee, great Queen
and I thank thee for the many graces
thou hast bestowed upon me, even unto this day,
in particular, for having delivered me from the hell
which I have so often deserved by my sins.
I love thee, my dearest Lady
and because of that love,
I promise to serve thee willingly forever
and to do what I can to make thee loved by others.
I place in thee all my hopes for salvation,
accept me as thy servant
and shelter me under thy mantle,
thou, who art the Mother of Mercy.
And since thou are so powerful with God,
deliver me from all temptations,
or at least, obtain for me the strength
to overcome them until death.
From thee, I implore, a true love for Jesus Christ.
Through thee, I hope to die a holy death.
My dear Mother, by thy love for Almighty God,
I pray thee to assist me always
but most of all, at the last moment of my life.
Forsake me not then,
until thou shalt see me safely in Heaven,
there to bless thee and sing of thy mercies,
throughout all eternity.
Such is my hope.
Amen

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 8 May – St Wiro (Died c753) Bishop of Utrecht,

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Saint of the Day – 8 May – St Wiro (Died c753) Bishop of Utrecht, Missionary Bishop to the Frisia people, one of the Apostles of Frisia. Born in Northumbria, England although some sources say that he was an Irish Missionary and died in Roermond, Holland in c753 of natural causes. Patronage – of Utrecht Diocese. Also known as – Apostles of Frisia,Wirone, Wiro of Roermond, Wera of Utrecht (and possibly also the same as Vira of Northumbria). Additional Memorial – 11 May in Roermond, Holland.

The Roman Martyrology reads today: “In Ireland, St Wiro, Bishop”

Probably a native of Northumberland, England, Wiro seems to have been associated with Saint Willibrord and in c741, to have been appointed the 2nd Bishop of Utrecht to succeed St Willibrord.

Between 746 and 747, Wiro was one of eight Bishops, along with St Boniface, who wrote a letter to Æthelbald, King of Mercia, to reprove him for various dissolute and irreligious acts including stealing Ecclesiastical revenue, violating Church privileges, imposing forced labour on the Clergy and fornication. The letter implored Æthelbald to take a wife and abandon the sin of lust:

“We ,therefore,, beloved son, beseech Your Grace by Christ the Son of God and by His coming and by His Kingdom that if it is true that you are continuing in this vice, you will amend your life by penitence, purify yourself and bear in mind, how vile a thing it is, through lust, to change the image of God created in you, into the image and likeness of a vicious demon!
Remember, you were made King and Ruler over many, not by your own merits but by the abounding grace of God and now, you are making yourself, by your own lust, the slave of an evil spirit.”

Wiro was an itinerant missionary and preached in the region of the Meuse region and the Rhine, where his legend associates him with the Priest St Plechelm and the Deacon St Otger.

Wiro is said to have been Ordained as a Bishop in Rome and then, together with his companions, founded the Monastery in Berg—today’s St. Odile’s Church. Wiro is buried there.

St Wiro stained glass window in the Basilica of Saints Wiro, Plechelm and Otger, Sint Odilienberg

He may be identical with the Missionary Bishop Vira from Northumbria, mentioned by St Alcuin among others.

The Basilica of Saints Wiro, Plechelm and Otger at Sint Odilienberg, is dedicated to these three Missionary companions.

St Wiro Statue in the Basilica of Saints Wiro, Plechelm and Otger, Sint Odilienberg

Veneration of Wiro and his two companions began early in Roermond. The legendary life story was written at the end of the 10th Century.

The Monastery he founded was transferred to Roermond, in 1361, accompanied by his Relics which were lost during the Reformation. They were re-discovered later in the 16th Century and a Feastday is celebrated to commemorate the rediscovery. In 1881 the original grave was found in the former Abbey and most of the bones were returned to it.

Wiro’s Feastday is 8 May but in Roermond it is celebrated on 11 May. Since the Middle Ages, his skull has been in Utrecht, where he is the Patron Saint of the Diocese. Pilgrimages are still made to his grave, in Roermond.

Reliquary shrine of Wiro, Plechelm and Otger in St. Odilienberg
Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Apparition of St Michael the Archangel at Monte Gargano, Italy (492), Nuestra Señora de Luján, Argentina / Our Lady of Luján (1600s) and Memorials of the Saints – 8 May

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Apparition of St Michael the Archangel at Monte Gargano, Italy (492)
About this Glorious Apparition:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/05/08/saint-of-the-day-8-may-apparition-of-michael-the-archangel-at-monte-gargano-italy-492/

Nuestra Señora de Luján, Argentina / Our Lady of Luján: (1600s) – 8 May:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/05/08/apparition-of-st-michael-the-archangel-at-monte-gargano-italy-492-nuestra-senora-de-lujan-argentina-our-lady-of-lujan-1600s-and-memorials-of-the-saints-8-may-2021/

St Acacius of Byzantium
Bl Aloysius Luis Rabata
St Amatus Ronconi
Bl Angelo of Massaccio
St Arsenio of Mount Scete
St Benedict II, Pope

St Boniface IV, Pope (c550-615) Supreme Pontiff from 608 until his death, Deacon, assistant and disciple of St Pope Gregory the Great, Papal Treasurer under Pope Gregory. In other words, he was the first official in connection with the administration of Papal property. he converted the Pantheon into a Church. This was the first pagan temple in Rome to be transformed. On 13 May 609, the Pantheon was consecrated to the Blessed Virgin and all the Christian Martyrs. Boniface ordered 28 cartloads of bones from the Catacombs to be reburied under the high Altar of the new Church.https://anastpaul.com/2021/05/08/saint-of-the-day-8-may-saint-pope-boniface-iv-c-550-615/embed/#?secret=CaaBptqdZu#?secret=HEWU7j5av1

St Desideratus of Bourges
Bl Domenico di San Pietro
St Gibrian
St Helladius of Auxerre

St Ida of Nivelles
St Martin of Saujon
St Metrone of Verona
St Odrian of Waterford
St Otger of Utrecht
St Peter of Besançon
Bl Pietro de Alos
Blessed Raymond of Toulouse

St Victor Maurus the Moor (Died c 303) Martyr, Layman, ex-Soldier. The Roman Martyrology reads: “At Milan, the birthday of the holy Martyr Victor, a Moor. He became a Christian in his youth and served as a soldier in the imperial army. When Maximian wished to force him to offer sacrifice to idols, he persevered with the greatest fortitude in the confession of the Lord. Being first beaten with rods but without experiencing any pain, through the protection of God and then, having melted lead, poured over him, which did him no injury whatever. He at length terminated the career of his glorious Martyrdom by being beheaded.”
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/05/08/saint-of-the-day-8-may-st-victor-maurus-the-moor-died-c-303-martyr/

St Wiro (Died c753) Bishop of Utrecht