Day: December 12, 2025

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, In the PRESENCE of GOD, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PATRONAGE - THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH, QUOTES on THE WORLD

Thought for the Day – 12 December – Mary, a Light in the Darkness

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 12 December – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Mary, a Light in the Darkness

“Let us imagine for a moment, that we have grown blind and are forever plunged in darkness.
It is an unhappy thought.
Never again to see those who are dear to us, never to see the light of the sun nor any of the splendours of the universe.
We should feel as if were alone, for we should have to depend only on sounds and on the voices of others for communication with the external world.
As St Augustine points out, however, in his commentary on the miracle of the man who had been blind from birth, we are all more or less blind in the supernatural order.
The world is the image of God but, do we see His Presence in everything which surrounds us?
Is it not more often the case that created things distract us and lead us to forget their Creator, because, we regard them as a means of satisfying our own comfort and our own ego?
We should look on creatures as go-betweens which help us to ascend to God, the beginning and end of all creation.

Unfortunately, instead of climbing this mystical ladder which leads us to God, we often descend it.
We forget God and become excessively wrapped up in worldly affairs.
Sometimes matters may be even worse, not only do we forget God through our love of creatures but, we use them, to offend Him.
God has given us eyes to admire His works and, as a result, to lead us to praise, thank and love Him.
Instead, we often use this wonderful gift in order to commit sin.
He has given us the gift of speech, the gift of hearing and other senses.
But how do we employ them?
The tongue is a marvellous invention but, as St James writes, “if anyone does not offend in the word, he is a perfect man, able also to lead round by the bridle, the whole body … With it we bless God the Father and, with it, we curse men, who have been made after the likeness of God.   Out of the same mouth, proceed blessing and cursing.   These things, my brethren ought not to be so” (Js 3:2-10).
What can be said of vision and of speech can be said of all the senses and faculties of body and soul.
They are all God’s gifts and should, therefore, be used as means of bringing ourselves closer to Him.
If creatures lead us away from God and cause us to forget Him, or if, worse still, they cause us to offend Him, then we are spiritually blind and far more unfortunate than those who have lost their natural vision.

Most Holy Mary, during your earthly pilgrimage, you never once lost sight of God.
Grant that I may not be lost in the darkness of this world.
Grant that I may not be ensnared by the passing charm and false beauty of these created things which surround me.
Grant that I may see, in all things, the Presence and Beauty of God, so that I may always continue to advance, nearer and nearer to Him.   Amen.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, Hail MARY!, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, MOTHER of GOD, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on JOY, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, The ANNUNCIATION, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 12 December – ‘Be ever my advocate with God …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 12 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” ––Within the Octave – Our Lady of Guadalupe

“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee …”

Luke 1:28

“You must know that when you
‘hail’ Mary, she immediately greets you!
Do not think that she is one of those rude women
of whom there are so many, on the contrary,
she is utterly courteous and pleasant.
If you greet her, she will answer you right away
and converse with you!”

St Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444)

“May the Blessed Virgin,
unique in her merits,
stand in the presence of her Creator
interceding always in our favour.
She will be radiant in the fullness of glory,
she who brought forth,
from her virginal womb,
the King of glory.”

St Amadeus of Lausanne (1108-1159) 

“And thou, Immaculate Virgin Mary,
my only joy, be thou my protectress
and my consoler!
Be ever my advocate with God
that I may put into practice,
my good resolutions.”

St Gerard Majella (1726-1755)

O Mary, Mother of God
By St Ephrem (306-373)
Father and Doctor of the Church

O Virgin most pure, wholly unspotted,
O Mary, Mother of God,
Queen of the universe,
thou art above all the saints,
the hope of the elect
and the joy of all the blessed.
It is thou who hast reconciled us with God;
thou art the only refuge of sinners
and the safe harbour of those
who are shipwrecked;
thou art the consolation of the world,
the ransom of captives,
the health of the weak,
the joy of the afflicted
and the salvation of all.
We have recourse to thee
and we beseech thee
to have pity on us.
Amen.

OUR LADY SPEAKS HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/12/12/quote-s-of-the-day-12-december-our-lady-of-guadalupe/

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, Hail MARY!, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, MOTHER of GOD, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The ANNUNCIATION, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The INCARNATION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 12 December – ‘ … We pray thee, tell us what feelings moved thee …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 12 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” –Within the Octave – Our Lady of Gaudulupe – Proverbs 8:22-35 – Luke 1:26-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Hail, full of grace …” – Luke 1:28

REFLECTION – “The Holy Spirit will come upon thee.” He will arise within thee, Mary. In some Saints He has come; in others He will come but in thou, He will arise… He will arise by means of the fertility, the abundance, the fullness of His outpouring in thy being. Even when He has filled thee, He will yet be upon thee; He will sweep over thy waters, to create in thee, a work greater and more admirable, than when, hovering over the waters at the beginning, He brought created substance into being in all its various forms (Gn 1:2). “And the power of the Most High will overshadow thee.” Christ, the Power and Wisdom of God, will overshadow thee. Then, He will take human nature from thee while keeping the fullness of God which thou art unable to bear, even as He assumes our flesh. He will take thee beneath His shadow because, the humanity to be taken by the Word, is to be a screen for the inaccessible Light of God. This Light, filtered by Its screen, will penetrate thine most chaste womb…

We, therefore, pray thee, Sovereign Lady, most worthy Mother of God, do not despise today those who ask, with fear, who seek, with devotion, who knock, with love. We pray thee, tell us what feelings moved thee, what love seized thee … when this was accomplished in thee, when the Word took Flesh from thee? In what state was thy soul, thy heart, thy spirit, thy senses, thy mind? Thou burst into flame like the bush which was shown to Moses long ago and thou did not burn, (Ex 3:2). Thou dissolved away in God but were not consumed. Burning, thou melted beneath the Fire from on high, yet regained strength from that Fire Divine, to burn again and dissolve once more in Him … Thou became more Virgin still – and more than Virgin because, both Virgin and Mother. Therefore, we greet thee, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Thou art blessed among women and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb.” – St Amadeus of Lausanne (1108-1159) Cistercian Bishop of Lausanne (Marian Sermons).

PRAYER – O God, Who by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin, prepared a worthy dwelling for Thy Son and Who, by Thy Son’s death, foreseen by Thee, preserved her from all taint, grant, we beseech Thee, through her intercession that we too may come to Thee unstained by sin.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 MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 12 December – Our Lady of Guadalupe,Mystical Rose By St Pius X (500 Days Indulgence)

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Our Morning Offering – 12 December – The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe,
Mystical Rose
Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe
By St Pius X (1835-1914)

Our Lady of Guadalupe,
Mystical Rose,
make intercession
for the holy Church,
protect the Sovereign Pontiff,
help all those who invoke thee in their necessities,
and since thou art the ever Virgin Mary
and Mother of the true God,
obtain for us from thy most holy Son
the grace of keeping our faith,
sweet hope in the midst of the bitterness of life,
burning charity and the precious gift
of final perseverance.
Amen

This prayer was approved and enriched with an Indulgence of Five Hundred Days by St Pius X at an Audience held on 15 August, 1908 and was included in the official edition of Approved Indulgenced prayers (1950).
Raccolta number 389, 500 days Indulgence, St Pope Pius X Audience, 15 August 1908.

Posted in NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY, PATRONAGE - TOOTHACHE and Diseases of the TEETH,, of DENTISTS, SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 12 December – Saint Ida O.Cist (c1190-c1231) Virgin

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Saint of the Day – 12 December – Saint Ida O.Cist (c1190-c1231) Virgin, Sister of the Cistercian Order, Mystic, Miracle-worker, Apostle of the poor, of the Holy Souls and a most dedicated child of the Blessed Virgin Mother. Born in c1190 in Nivelles, Belgium and died on 12 December in either 1231 or 1232 at her Convent in Rameige, Belgium. Patronages – against toothache, of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Also known as – Ida of Nivelles, … of Metz, Ita.

Ida was born into a prosperous mercantile family in Nivelles, an important market town and pilgrimage destination in Brabant, a short distance to the south of Brussels. After her father died, the family arranged for her to be married.

She was aged only nine or sixteen (sources differ) and not wishing to marry she fled to a Beguinage, a Community of chaste Godly women who lived in a shared community but without taking vows or becoming cloistered. The Beguinage Community accepted her. They comprised seven women who lived near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in her home town. There, Ida became a Beguine Sister.

She moved in around 1213 being accepted into the Cistercian Convent at Kerkom near Tienen. (The Convent relocated shortly afterwards to La Ramée.) There she worked as a writer and illustrator. She reported numerous visions and developing a particularly close relationship with the Virgin Mary. She is also celebrated for her exceptional dedication to assisting the suffering poor.

Goswin of Bossut, a Cistercian Monk, wrote a biography of Ida shortly after her death.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception, Nuestra Senora De Guadalupe / Our Lady of Guadalupe (1531) and Memorials of the Saints for 12 December

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Within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God

Nuestra Senora De Guadalupe / Our Lady of Guadalupe
The First Apparition was on 12 December 1531.
All about Our Lady of Guadalupe:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/12/12/saint-of-the-day-the-feast-of-our-lady-of-guadalupe-12-december/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/12/12/feast-of-our-lady-of-guadalupe-12-december/

St Abra
St Agatha of Wimborne
Bl Bartholomew Buonpedoni

St Pope Callistus II (c1065-1124) Bishop of Rome 1 February 1119-13 December 1124)
His Life of Grace:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/12/12/saint-of-the-day-12-december-saint-pope-callistus-ii-c-1065-1124/

St Colman of Clonard

St Columba of Terryglass (Died 552) Abbot One of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland. Founder of Monasteries, Miracle-worker, pupil and disciple of St Finnian of Clonard (470–549) known as the “Tutor of the Saints of Ireland.” (See St Finnian below).
https://anastpaul.com/2023/12/12/saint-of-the-day-12-december-saint-columba-of-terryglass-died-552-abbot-one-of-the-twelve-apostles-of-ireland/

Bl Conrad of Offida
St Corentius of Quimper
St Cormac
St Cury
St Donatus the Martyr
St Edburga of Thanet

St Finnian of Clonard (470–549) “Tutor of the Saints of Ireland,” Monk and Founder of Monasteries the most famous being Clonard Abbey, Confessor, Ascetic, Missionary, Teacher, miracle-worker.
“Tutor of the Saints of Ireland” :
https://anastpaul.com/2019/12/12/saint-of-the-day-12-december-saint-finnian-of-clonard-470-549-tutor-of-the-saints-of-ireland/

St Florentius O.Cist. (Died 1152) Abbot of the Abbey of Santa Maria di Valverde and Carracedo, Reformer.
His Zealous Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/12/12/saint-of-the-day-12-december-saint-florentius-of-carracedo-o-cist-died-1152-abbot/

St Gregory of Terracina
St Hermogenes
St Ida O.Cist (c1190-c1231) Virgin

Bl Martin Sanz
St Simon Phan Ðac Hòa
St Spyridon of Cyprus
St Synesius

St Vicelinus (1086-1154) Bishop of Oldenburg, Missionary, “the Apostle of Holstein,” zealous Preacher.
His Zealous Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/12/12/saint-of-the-day-12-december-saint-vicelinus-of-oldenburg-1086-1154/

Martyrs of Alexandria – 6 Saints: A group of six Christians Martyred for their faith during the persecutions of Decius. We know little more than five of their names – Alexander, Ammonaria, Dionysia, Epimachus and Mercuria. They were burned to death c 250 in Alexandria, Egypt.

Martyrs of Trier – 4 Saints and Companions: “At Treves (Trier), the holy Martyrs, Maxentius, Constantius, Crescentius, Justinus and their companions, who suffered in the persecutions of Diocletian, under the Governor Rictiovarus.”