Day: August 24, 2026

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

St Bartholomew the Apostle and Martyr and all the Saints for 24 August

Posted on by AnaStpaul

St Bartholomew the Apostle and Martyr

St Abban
St Abyce
St Agofridus of Lacroix
Bl Antonio de Blanes

St Audoin/Ouen of Rouen (c605-684) Bishop, Confessor, Evangeliser and Missionary, French Official and Adviser, Writer, Peace-makers and Diplomat. Audoin was both Lord Chancellor of France and Officer of the Palace or Administrator.

St Emilie de Vialar (1797–1856) Religious Sister and Founder of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Apparition, Apostle of Charity .Her sanctity was officially recognised by the Church when she was Canonised on 24 June 1951 by Pope Pius XII.

St Eutychius of Troas
St George Limniotes
St Irchard

St Jeanne-Antide Thouret (1765-1826) French Religious and the Founder of the Thouret Sisters – renamed the Sisters of Divine Charity., Apostle of Charity and the Poor and helpless, Teacher. Thouret’s life was one of service to children and the ill across France in schools and hospitals – some of which her order established. This active apostolate did not cease when the French Revolution forced her into exile. She continued her work in both Switzerland and the Kingdom of Prussia. St Jeanne-Antide was Canonised on 14 January 1934 by Pope Pius XI.

St Patrick the Elder
St Ptolemy of Nepi
St Romanus of Nepi
St Sandratus
St Taziano of Claudiopolis

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 24 August – St George Limniotes

Posted on by AnaStpaul

St George Limniotes, a martyr and hermit. Born in 635, he pursued the life of a hermit on Mount Olympus, near Constantinople. Like all hermits, he prayed, fasted, and practiced contemplation, his sanctity gaining him the love of the locals, who sought his counsel and prayers. During his life the heresy of Iconoclasm raged, and he fiercely defended icons and demolished the arguments of the Iconoclasts. For this, in the year 730, at age ninety-five, he was martyred. His murderers mutilated his face, cutting off his nose before they burnt him to death.

Manifestly he was assuredly saved who had been glorified in such a spectacle.

Tertullian (Passion of Perpetua and Felicity)

Posted in Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 24 August –Exsultet Orbis! St Bartholomew

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Our Morning Offering – 24 August – St Bartholomew the Apostle and Martyr

Exsultet Orbis!
Let the World Rejoice!
Unknown Author

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted in ONE Minute REFLECTION

One Minute Reflection – 24 August – Apostles, foundations of the holy city

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 24 August – St Bartholomew the Apostle and Martyr – Readings: Ps 138:17, Ps 138:1-2, 1 Cor. 12:27-31, Luke 6:12-19

At that time, Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when day broke, He summoned His disciples; and from these He chose twelve – whom He also named Apostles- Simon, whom He named Peter, and his brother Andrew; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alpheus, and Simon called the Zealot; Jude the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, who turned traitor.

Luke 6:12-19

REFLECTION – “Her foundations are upon the holy hills; the Lord loves the gates of Zion.” “You are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone”. Christ, the cornerstone, and the apostles and mighty prophets, the hills that bear the fabric of the city, constitute a sort of living structure. This living building now makes its voice resound in your hearts. God himself, a master builder, is working in you through my tongue so that you may be built up into its structure, like so many squared stones.

Note the shape of a stone that has been perfectly squared off: Christians should have similar qualities. In all their trials they never fall; though pushed and, after a fashion, knocked over, they do not fall; for whatever way a square stone is turned, it still stands erect. Be similar to those squared stones, and be thus prepared for every shock; whatever the force which may push you, it cannot make you lose balance.

You will rise to take your place in this building by a sincere Christian life, by faith, hope and love. The holy city is constructed of its own citizens; they are themselves the blocks that form this city, for these stones are living: "You also," says Scripture, "like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house," Why are the apostles and prophets the foundations? Because their authority is the support of our weakness. Through them we enter the kingdom of God: they proclaim it to us; and while we enter by their means, we enter also through Christ, who is himself its gate.

Saint Augustine

PRAYER – Almighty, eternal God, Who bestowed on us the devout and holy joy of this day to celebrate the Feast of Thy blessed Apostle Bartholomew, grant unto Thy Church, we beseech Thee, both to love what he believed and to preach what he taught. 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

Posted in CATHOLIC Quotes

Quote/s of the Day – 24 August – ‘The most extraordinary miracle of history?!

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 24 August – St Bartholomew the Apostle and Martyr

“Here is a true child
of Israel.
There is no guile
in him.”

John 1:47

Nathanael answered him,
“Rabbi, you are
the Son of God!
You are the
King of Israel!”

John 1:49

He answered and says unto Him, Rabbi, You are the Son of God, You are the King of Israel: Do you see how his soul is filled at once with exceeding joy, and embraces Jesus with words? You are, says he, that expected, that sought-for One. Do you see how he is amazed, how he marvels? How he leaps and dances with delight? So ought we also to rejoice, who have been thought worthy to know the Son of God; to rejoice, not in thought alone, but to show it also by our actions. And what must they do who rejoice? Obey Him who has been made known to them; and they who obey, must do whatever He wills.

St John Chrysostom

“You are the light of the world,
you are the salt of the earth.”

Matthew 5:14

“Like peaceful conquerors,
without any human weapons
but backed by by the power of God,
they divided the world amongst themselves,
so that they might win it for Christ!
The Roman Empire was small to them.
They travelled, moreover,
to the distant shores of Ethiopia and India,
where the Eagle of Rome had never found its way!
Surely, this is the most extraordinary Miracle of history?!

The Holy Spirit accomplished that,
which human armies had never been able to do,
save in part, or for a limited period of time.
In this achievement,
He used the weakest possible human means,
namely, twelve poor fishermen!
The earthly Empire of Rome, passed away
but the Spiritual domain of Christ still remains,
with its centre at Rome,
as the only true Light, the only unfailing hope and the only pledge of salvation for individuals and nations.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

O Fathers of Our Ancient Faith

O Fathers of our ancient faith,
With all the heav’n, we sing your fame
Whose sound went forth in all the earth
To tell of Christ and bless His Name.

You took the Gospel to the poor,
The Word of God alight in you,
Which in our day is told again,
That timeless Word, forever new.

You told of God, Who died for us
And out of death triumphant rose,
Who gave the Truth which made us free
and changeless through the ages goes.

Praise Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Whose gift is faith that never dies,
A light in darkness now, until
The Day-Star in our hearts arise.

O Fathers of Our Ancient Faith is written by the Benedictine Nuns of Stanbrook Abbey. In the Divine Office it is sung at Morning Prayer in the Common of Apostles. It is set to the anonymous tune associated with the 7th century Latin hymn, Creator Alme Siderum.

Posted in AUGUST - The Immaculate Heart of Mary

Thought for the Day – 24 August – Some Essential Divine Perfections Mirrored in the Admirable Heart of Mary

Posted on by AnaStpaul

St John Eudes – The Admirable Heart of Mary

Some Essential Divine Perfections Mirrored in the Admirable Heart of Mary

In the first place, His divine Love most perfectly draws its own image in His Mother’s amiable Heart. Next to the infinite love burning in the immense furnace of the adorable Heart of Jesus, there never was and never shall be a love so strong, exalted, extensive, ardent and pure, as the love which always possessed, filled and inflamed the virginal Heart of His Mother. This all compassing love in turn stamps upon her a perfect image of all the other divine attributes.

Her admirable Heart is, first of all, a living image of divine Unity. God is alone and unique in the infinite eminence of all His grandeurs. He is the only mighty, the only good, the only wise,’ merciful, just, immortal and blessed Being, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.’ Likewise there is in the whole universe only one Heart of the one Mother of God, unique in dignity, excellence and perfections. It surpasses in power, wisdom, goodness, mercy, piety, love, charity and every other virtue and eminent quality the most perfect heart of any angel or saint. The unique Heart of Our Lady never knew any love other than the purest love of God. It never suffered from the multiplicity of superfluous thoughts, aimless desires and vain affections which usually fill and divide the miserable hearts of the children of Adam. Her heart held one thought, one purpose, one will, one intention, one single affection and one desire only: to please God and to fulfil in all things and everywhere His adorable will.

The admirable Heart of our great Queen bears a true resemblance to divine Simplicity. Duplicity, disguise, deceit, falsehood, curiosity, singularity, worldly wisdom, mundane prudence, the self-love which prompts so many faulty thoughts and reflections concerning ourselves and our actions, these and all other things contrary to holy simplicity never had the least part in the Heart of the heavenly Dove. She was always filled, possessed and animated by the spirit of truth, sincerity, candor and simplicity, that her Son bade us follow when He said: “Be ye . . . as simple as doves.”


The incomparable Heart of the Mother of God enjoys marvellous participation in and resemblance to the Infinity and Incomprehensibility of God Himself, because the almost infinite dignity of the Mother of God ennobles and raises to the highest degree even the smallest details concerning her. Mary’s admirable Heart also received an abundant communication of the immensity of God, a singular faculty to express His immeasurability. Let us listen to St. Bonaventure. “O Mary,” says the Seraphic Doctor, “I behold in thee an immense grandeur and capacity. Tu Maria immensissima. | see in thee three kinds of immensity. The first is the immensity of thy blessed womb, which enclosed Him who is immense and infinite, whom the Heavens and the entire universe cannot contain. The second is the immensity of thy mind and heart, for thy virginal Heart is more vastly immense than thy sacred womb. The third is the immensity of thy grace and charity, because thy Heart being immense, replete with grace and charity, the charity and grace that fill it must necessarily be immense.”

Yes, Mother of Fair Love, thy charity knows no bounds or measure; it not only reaches all ages, all places and everything that God has made, but it is so vast and great that it would encompass a countless number of worlds!

The most constant Heart of the Queen of Angels is likewise an excellent representation of divine Stability and Immutability. It remained always steadfast, firm, unalterable and resolute in its perfect love of God and all the holy dispositions which render a heart entirely pleasing to God. The holy Heart of our great Princess is a beautiful representation of the eternity of God, not only because her affections were always entirely free from temporal attachments and securely fixed upon eternal things, but also because Mary was filled with the spirit of prophecy, which is a participation in the Eternity that renders all things present in the sight of the divine Majesty of God.

The blessed Heart of the Queen of Heaven displays a perfect imitation of the Plenitude and Self-sufficiency of God, who bears the name of Saddai, meaning precisely self-sufficient. Almighty God has need of nothing, being filled with every good. The Son of God, speaking to His Father, exclaims: “Thou art my God, for thou hast no need of my goods.” In like manner, the virginal Heart of the Mother of God, loving God alone, being always free and empty of every alien affection, was constantly filled with God much more perfectly than the Ephesians, to whom St. Paul wrote that he bowed his knees to the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ to obtain for them the grace that they might “be filled unto all the fulness of God.”

The blessed Heart of Our Lady never desired, sought or found any delight or satisfaction outside of God. Her Heart always enjoyed imperturbable rest and peace because being filled to capacity with the plenitude of God, it remained always fully satisfied and incomparably happier and content than the heart of a man possessing a million possible worlds.

Consider well, dear reader, how perfectly the Admirable Heart of your Queen fulfils the mandate to “seek but one thing” and to make God her portion and her heritage for ever. To be happy, give and offer your heart constantly, exclaiming with Mary, St. Thomas and St. Francis: “My God and my All.”