Posted in JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, LENT 2026, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on MORTAL SIN, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on SIN, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, Thomas Aquinas

Passion Monday – 23 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas – The Passion of Christ is a Remedy Against Sin

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Passion Monday – 23 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

Passion Monday
The Passion of Christ is a Remedy Against Sin

“Having confidence in entering into the Holies by the Blood of Christ”
Heb x. 19

We find in the Passion of Christ a remedy against all the evils which we incur through sin.
Now, these evils are five in number.
(i) We ourselves become unclean.
When a man commits any sin, he soils his soul, for just as virtue is the beauty of the soul, so sin is a stain upon it.
“How happen it, O Israel that thou art in thy enemies land? Thou art grown old in a strange country, thou art defiled with the dead” (Baruch iii. 10, 11).
The Passion of Christ takes away this stain.
For Christ, by His Passion, made of His Blood a bath wherein He might wash sinners.
The soul is washed with the Blood of Christ in Baptism, for it is from the Blood of Christ, the Sacrament draws its Power of giving New Life.
When, therefore, one who is Baptised soils himself again by sin, he insults Christ and sins more deeply than before!

(ii) We offend God.
As the man who is fleshly-minded loves what is beautiful to the flesh, so God Loves spiritual beauty, the beauty of the soul.
When the soul’s beauty is defiled by sin, God is offended and holds the offender in hatred.
But the Passion of Christ takes away this hatred, for it does what man himself could not possibly do, namely, it makes full satisfaction to God for the sin.
The Love and Obedience of Christ, was greater than the sin and rebellion of Adam.

(iii) We ourselves are weakened.
Man believes that, once he has committed the sin, he will be able to keep from sin for the future.
Experience shows, however, that which really happens is quite the otherwise.
The effect of the first sin is to weaken the sinner and make him still more inclined to sin.
Sin dominates man more and more and man, left to himself, whatever his powers, places himself in such a state, he cannot arise from this state of sin.
Like a man who has thrown himself into a well, there he must lie, unless he is drawn up by Divine Power.
After the sin of Adam then, our human nature was weaker, it had lost its perfection and men were more prone to sin.
But Christ, although He did not utterly make an end of this weakness, nevertheless, greatly lessened it.
Man is so strengthened by the Passion of Christ and the effect of Adam’s sin is so weakened, man is no longer dominated by sin.
Assisted by the Grace of God, given him in the Sacraments which derive their Power from the Passion of Christ, man is now able to make an effort and so arise from his sins.
Before the Passion of Christ, there were few who lived without mortal sin but since the Passion, many have lived and do live without it.

(iv) Liability to the punishment earned by sin.
This, the Justice of God demanded, namely – for each sin the sinner should be punished, the penalty to be measured according to the sin.
Whence, since mortal sin is infinitely wicked, seeing that it is a sin against what is Infinitely Good, i.e., God Whose commands the sin despises, the punishment due by mortal sin is infinite too.
But by His Passion, Christ took away from us this penalty, for He endured it Himself.
“Who, His own self bore our sins, that is the punishment due to us for our sins, in His Body upon the tree”(i Pet ii. 24).
So great was the power and value of the Passion of Christ that it was sufficient to expiate all the sins of all the world, calculated in millions though they be.
This is the reason why Baptism frees the baptised from all their sins and why the Priest can forgive sin.
This is why the man who more and more fashions his life in conformity with the Passion of Christ and makes himself like to Christ in His Passion, attains an ever fuller pardon and ever greater Graces.

(v) Banishment from the Kingdom.
Subjects who offend the king are sent into exile.
So too, man was expelled from Paradise.
Adam, having sinned, was straightaway ejected and the Gates barred against him.
But, by His Passion, Christ opened those Gates and called back the exiles from banishment.
As the Side of Christ opened to the soldier’s lance, the Gates of Heaven opened to man and as Christ’s Blood flowed, the stain was washed away, God was appeased, our weakness strengthened, reparatiion made for our sins and the exiles were recalled.

Thus it was that Our Lord said immediately to the repentant thief, “This day thou shalt be with Me in Paradise” (Luke xxiii. 43).
Such a thing was never before said to any man, not to Adam nor to Abraham, nor even to David.
But This Day, the day on which the Gate is opened, the thief does but ask and he finds.
“Having confidence in entering into the Holies by the Blood of Christ” (Heb x. 19).

ST THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274)
Priest, Theologian, Dominican
Doctor Angelicus (Angelic Doctor)
Doctor Communis (Common Doctor)
Added by Pope Saint Pius V in 1568

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOMINICAN OP, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2026, OUR Cross, Quote on SELF-ABANDONMENT, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, Quotes Self-Oblation, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The PASSION

Quote/s of the Day – 23 March– ‘… By the Cross, we put on Christ …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 23 March – Monday in Passion Week

“Let us walk becomingly, as in the day,
not in revelry and drunkenness,
not in debauchery and wantonness,
not in strife and jealousy.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Romans 13:13-14

“By the Cross, death was slain
and Adam was restored to life.
The Cross is the glory of all the Apostles,
the Crown of the Martyrs,
the Sanctification of the Saints.
By the Cross, we put on Christ
and cast aside our former self.
By the Cross we, the sheep of Christ,
have been gathered into one flock,
destined for the Sheepfold of Heaven.”

St Theodore the Studite (759-826)
Abbot, Confessor, Father of the Church

“He who findeth his life, shall lose it
and he, who shall lose his life for Me,
shall find it. ”
Matthew 10:39

“My dear child, accept this cross from God and bear it –
it will turn into a truly lovable cross,
if you would hand these trials over to God,
accept them from Him with true abandonment
and thank God for them:
“My soul magnifies the Lord”
in everything (cf Lk 1:46).
Whether God takes or gives, the Son of Man
must be raised up on the Cross …
Dear child, leave all that behind;
rather, give your attention to true abandonment …
and think about accepting to bear
the cross of temptation, rather than going
in search of spiritual sweetness …
Our Lord has said: “If anyone wishes to come after Me,
let him take up his cross and follow Me” (Lk 9:23).”

Fr JohannesTauler OP (c1300-1361)
Dominican Priest and Friar,
renowned Preacher and Theologian

“… How can anyone put on Jesus Christ
and imitate His example,
if he does not study this Jesus,
Who must inspire and perfect our faith?
He must run the race to which he is challenged,
the glorious race in which,
he overcomes the enemy of the human family
and follows the Way of the Cross.
Under the lordly banner of that Cross,
he will attain eternal life.”

St Vincent Strambi CP (1745-1824)

Posted in "Follow Me", JESUIT SJ, OUR Cross, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRAYERS on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, REDEMPTIVE Suffering, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 23 March – A Prayer to Seek the Consolation of the Cross

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Our Morning Offering – 23 March – Monday of Passion Week

This is My Joy, To Follow My Saviour
A Prayer to Seek the Consolation of the Cross
By St Alphonsus Rodriguez SJ (1532-1617)

Jesus, love of my soul,
centre of my heart!
Why am I not more eager to endure pains
and tribulations for love of Thee,
when Thou, my God,
have suffered so many for me?
Come, then, every sort of trial in the world,
for this is my delight,
to suffer for Jesus.
This is my joy,
to follow my Saviour
and to find my consolation
with my Consoler on the Cross.
This is my happiness,
this my pleasure –
to live with Jesus,
to walk with Jesus,
to converse with Jesus,
to suffer with and for Him,
this is my treasure!
Amen

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 23 March – Saint Benedict (Died c550) Monk, Hermit and a near-Martyr in Campagna, Italy.

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Saint of the Day – 23 March – Saint Benedict (Died c550) Monk and Hermit in Campagna, Italy. Although attempts were made to Martyr our Saint Benedict, by the grace and loving protection of God, he escaped unscathed and died a natural death. Also known as – Benedict the Hermit.

The Roman Martyrology reads today: “In Campagna, St Benedict, a Monk who was shut in a burning furnace by the Goths but was found, the next day, miraculously unharmed.”

Unknown Monk

The little information we have received regarding this St Bernedict comes from Saint Gregory the Great, who gathered it from an old Monk, his relative.

He lived during the reign of Totila, King of the Ostrogoths, a turbulent period marked by wars and persecutions. His unwavering faith and dedication to monastic life made him a target for Totila’s soldiers, who attempted in vain to martyr him.

According to tradition, they condemned him to death by burning alive, first in his cell and then in a fiery oven. But miraculously, the flames did not touch him and he emerged unharmed from both tortures.

Saint Benedict’s fame spread rapidly, attracting the veneration of the faithful who considered him an example of sanctity and Christian heroism. However, due to the scarcity of historical information, his cult did not became widespread in the region.

The Church commemorates him today. His memory lives on in local tradition, especially in Campagnia.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Monday in Passion Week, Madonna della Vittoria di Lepanto / Our Lady of Victory of Lepanto and Hungary (1716) and the Saints for 23 March

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PASSION MONDAY

Madonna della Vittoria di Lepanto / Our Lady of Victory of Lepanto and Hungary (1716) – 23 March:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/23/our-lady-of-victory-of-lepanto-and-hungary-1716-and-memorials-of-the-saints-23-march/

St Benedict (Died c550) Monk in Campagna, Italy
St Crescentius of Carthage

St Ethelwald of Farne (Died 699) Priest, Monk and Hermit, Miracle-worker. St Bede has recorded some of his life and miracles.
St Ethelwald’s Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/23/saint-of-the-day-23-march-saint-ethelwald-of-farne-died-699-priest-hermit/

St Felix the Martyr

St Felix OSB (10th-11th Century) Monk of Monte Cassino, spiritual teacher and director to the shepherds in the area. P
St Felix:
https://anastpaul.com/2025/03/23/saint-of-the-day-23-march-saint-felix-osb-10th-11th-century-monk-of-monte-cassino/

St Fergus of Duleek
St Fidelis the Martyr
St Frumentius of Hadrumetum
St Gwinear

St Joseph Oriol (1650-1702) Priest, Confessor, graced with the charism of prophecy, Penitent, Apostle prayer and the sick and Miracle-worker. Known as the Miracle-worker of Barcelona. He was Canonised on 20 May 1909 by Pope Pius X.
His Life of Grace:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/03/23/saint-of-the-day-23-march-st-joseph-oriol-1650-1702/

St Julian the Confessor No further information has survived.
St Liberatus of Carthage
St Maidoc of Fiddown
St Nicon of Sicily

St Ottone Frangipane (1040-1127) Layman, military Knight, Pilgrim, Ascetic, Hermit, Miracle-worker both during life and after his death. Founder of a Pilgrim’s Hospice in Ariano which later became a huge Hospital. Born in 1040 in Rome, Italy and died on 23 March 1127 in Ariano Irpino, Italy of natural causes.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/23/saint-of-the-day-23-march-st-ottone-frangipane-1040-1127/

Blessed Pietro of Gubbio OSA (Died c1306) Priest and Friar of the Order of Hermits of St Augustine, Lawyer, noted Preacher, Envoy for the Order, Miracle-worker. Pietro was Beatified in 1874 by Pope Pius IX (cultus confirmation).
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/23/saint-of-the-day-23-march-blessed-pietro-of-gubbio-osa-died-c-1306/

St Theodolus Priest in Antioch, Syria. No other information has survived.

St Turibius (1538-1606) Spanish ArchBishop of Lima in Peru, Lawyer, Missionary, Preacher, Reformer, Professor, Miracle-worker. Patronages – Peru, Lima, Latin American Bishops, Native rights, Scouts, Valladolid. St Turibius predicted the exact date and hour he would die, which would come to pass. His reputation for holiness and learning was never forgotten for it led to calls for his Canonisation. Pope Innocent XI Beatified and Pope Benedict XIII Canonise him on 10 December 1726.
Amazing St Turibius:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/03/23/saint-of-the-day-23-march-st-turibius-of-mogrovejo-1538-1606/


St Victorian of Hadrumetum

St Walter OSB (c1030-c 1099) A very reluctant Abbot, Reformer, would-be hermit.
About St Walter:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/23/saint-of-the-day-23-march-saint-walter-of-pontoise-osb-c-1030-c-1099-a-very-reluctant-abbot/

Daughters of Feradhach: They are mentioned in early calendars and martyrologies but no information about them has survived.

Martyrs of Caesarea – 5 Saints: A group of five Christians who protested public games which were dedicated to pagan gods. Martyred in the persecutions Julian the Apostate. The only details we know about them are their names – Aquila, Domitius, Eparchius, Pelagia and Theodosia. They were martyred in 361 in Caesarea, Palestine.

Posted in LENT 2026, The PASSION

Passion Sunday – 22 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas – The Passion of Christ

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Passion Sunday – 22 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

Passion Sunday
The Passion of Christ

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up that, whosoever believeth in Him, may not perish but may have life everlasting.”
John iii. 14, 15

We may note here three lessons.

  1. The Figure of the Passion.
    As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert.
    When the Jews said, “Our soul now loatheth this very light food” (Num xxi. 5), the Lord sent serpents in punishment and afterwards, for a remedy, He commanded the brazen serpent to be made — as a remedy against the serpents and too, as a figure of the Passion.
    It is the nature of a serpent to be poisonous but the brazen serpent had no poison — it was but the figure of a poisonous serpent.
    So too, Christ had no sin — which is the poison but He had the likeness of sin.
    “ God sent His Own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and of sin” (Rom viii. 3).
    Therefore, Christ had the effect of the serpent against the movements of our desires.
  2. The Mode of the Passion.
    So must the Son of Man be lifted up. This refers to His being raised upon the Cross.
    He willed to die lifted up,
    (i) To purify the air – already He had purified the earth by the holiness of His Living upon it but it still remained for Him to purify the air by His Dying there;
    (ii) To triumph over the devils, who in the air, make their preparations to war on us;
    (iii) To draw our hearts to His Heart, by His Dying there, “I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to
    Myself ” (John xii. 32). “”
    Since, in the Death of the Cross, He was Exalted and since, it was there that He overcame His enemies, we say that He was Exalted rather than, He Died.
    “He shall drink of the strrent by the wayside, therefore, shall He lift up His Head” (Ps. cix. 7).

The Cross was the cause of His Exaltation.
“He became obedient unto death, even to the Death of the Cross, wherefore God hath Exalted Him” (Phil ii. 8).

  1. The Fruit of the Passion – the Fruit is Eternal Life. Whence Our Lord says Himself, “Whosoever believeth in
    Me, doing good works, may not perish but may have life everlasting ”(John iii. 16).

And this Fruit corresponds to the fruit of the serpent which foreshadowed Him.
For whoever looked upon the brazen serpent was delivered from the poison and his life was preserved.
Now the man who looks upon the Son of Man lifted up, is the man who believes in Christ Crucified and it is in this way that he is delivered from the poison of sin and preserved for the life which is eternal.

ST THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274)
Priest, Theologian, Dominican
Doctor Angelicus (Angelic Doctor)
Doctor Communis (Common Doctor)
Added by Pope Saint Pius V in 1568

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, DYING / LAST WORDS, GOD ALONE!, LENT 2026, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, St Francis de Sales, The PASSION, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 22 March – How to escape death …

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Quote/s of the Day – 22 March – Passion Sunday – Hebrews 9:11-15, John 8:46-59 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Amen, amen, I say to you,
if anyone keep My word,
he will never see death.”

John 8:51

“Your purity of life, your devotion,
deserve and call for a reward
because you are acceptable
and pleasing to God.
Your purity of life must be made purer still,
by frequent buffetings,
until you attain perfect sincerity of heart.
If, from time to time, you feel the sword
falling upon you with double or treble force,
this also should be seen as sheer joy
and the mark of love!”

St Raymond of Peñafort (1175-1275)

“We must live a dying life
and we must die a living death
in the life of our Lord.”
(The Spirit of St. François de Sales, XV, 6 )

“Unhappy is death,
without the love of Christ;
unhappy is love,
without the Death of Christ!”

(Treatise on the Love of God,
Book 12, Chapter 13)

“We are dying,
little by little;
so, we are to make
our imperfections die
with us, day by day. ”

(Letters to Persons in the World I:5)

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, St Francis de Sales, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 22 March – Hail, Sweet Jesus! Prayer to Christ in His Passion and Death

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Our Morning Offering – 22 March – Passion Sunday

Hail, Sweet Jesus!
Prayer to Christ
in His Passion and Death
By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

Hail, sweet Jesus!
Praise, honour and glory be to Thee, O Christ,
Who, of Thou own accord, embraced death,
and recommending Thyself to Thy heavenly Father,
bowing down Thy venerable Head,
did yield up Thy Spirit.
Truly thus giving up Thy life for Thy sheep,
Thou hast shown Thyself, to be the Good Shepherd.
Thou died, O Only-begotten Son of God.
Thou died, O my beloved Saviour,
that I might live forever.
O how great hope,
how great confidence have
I reposed in Thy Death and Thy Blood!
I glorify and praise Thy Holy Name,
acknowledging my infinite obligations to Thee.
O good Jesus,
by Thy bitter Death and Passion,
give me grace and pardon.
Give unto the faithful departed,
rest and life everlasting.
Amen.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 22 March – Saint Darerca (5th Century) Wife, Mother, Sister of St Patrick

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Saint of the Day – 22 March – Saint Darerca (5th Century) Wife, Mother, Sister of St Patrick. Patronage – of Valentia Island, Ireland. Mother of many Bishops and Saints.

There is not much confirmed information of her life but there is a network of legend which medieval writers interwove her acts. He fame comes partly due to her relationship to the great St Patrick, Ireland’s Apostle and Patron but also stands secure as not only a great Saint but as the mother of many great Saints.

Tradition records 17 or 19 sons and 2 daughters, St Eiche of Kilglas and St Lalloc of Senlis. Her first husband was Restitutus the Lombard, after whose death she married Chonas the Briton. By Restitutus, she was the mother of St Sechnall, St Nectan, St Fennor, St Auxilius, St Diarmaid, St Dabonna, Mogornon, Drioc, Lugauat, and Coemed Maccu Baird. Old Irish writers, assign her four other sons namely St Crummin, St Miduu, St Carantoc and St Macceaith.

Darerca was married twice and according to histories in Brittany, she was the second wife of Conan Meriadoc. She was the mother of his eldest son Gradlon Mawr who became Gradlon the Great, King of Brittany. Chonas the Briton, founded the Church of Both-Chonais, now Parish of Clonmany, in Ineshowen, Donegal.

Saint Darerca is honoured on 22 March and is the patroness of Valentia Island.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

PASSION SUNDAY,  Notre-Dame-de-Citeaux / Our Lady of Citeaux, France built by St Robert (1098), Nostra Signora dei Sette Veli / Our Lady of the Seven Veils, Foggia, Italy (11th Century), St Isidore the Farmer, St Catherine of Genoa and the Saints for 22 March

Posted on by AnaStpaul

PASSION SUNDAY

Notre-Dame-de-Citeaux / Our Lady of Citeaux, France built by St Robert (1098) – 22 March:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/22/our-lady-of-citeaux-france-built-by-st-robert-1098-our-lady-of-the-seven-veils-11th-century-our-lady-of-sorrows-of-castelpetroso-italy-1888-and-memorials-of-the-saints-22-march/

Nostra Signora dei Sette Veli / Our Lady of the Seven Veils, Foggia, Italy (11th Century) – 22 March:
About:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/03/22/memorial-of-our-lady-of-the-seven-veils-and-memorials-of-the-saints-22-march/

St Isidore the Farmer (c1070 -1130) – Confessor, Farm Worker and Apostle of Charity.
Additional Memorials, 15 May, 25 October.– these occur in local calendars.
About St Isidore:
https://anastpaul.com/2017/05/15/saint-of-the-day-15-may-isidore-the-farmer/

St Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510) Widow, Mystic, Apostle of the sick, the poor and the needy, Writer.
Her Feast Day was moved after Vatican II to 15 September but today is the date of her death.
Her Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/09/15/saint-of-the-day-15-september-st-catherine-of-genoa-1447-1510/

St Avitus of Périgord
St Basil of Ancyra
St Basilissa of Galatia

St Benevenuto Scotivoli (c1188-1282) Bishop of Osimo in Italy, Reformer. He was Canonised in 1284 by Pope Martin IV.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/22/saint-of-the-day-22-march-saint-benevenuto-scotivoli-of-osimo-c-1188-1282/

St Callinica of Galatia
St Catherine of Sweden
St Darerca (5th Century) Wife, Mother, Sister of St Patrick
St Deghitche

St Epaphroditus (1st Century) First Bishop of Terracina, Italy, Missionary, Evangelist, Disciple of the Apostles, Friend and Envoy of St Paul Apostle. St Hippolytus’ list of the Seventy Disciples includes “Epaphroditus, Bishop of Andriace.”
The Roman Martyrology reads: “At Terracina, St Epaphroditus, a disciple of the Apostles, who was Consecrated Bishop of that City by the blessed Apostle Peter.”
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/22/saint-of-the-day-22-march-saint-epaphroditus-of-terracina-1st-century/

St Failbhe of Iona
St Harlindis of Arland

Blessed Hugolinus Zefferini OSA (c1320-1367) Italian Priest, Friar of the Hermits of St Augustine, Hermit, Miracle-worker. Patronage – Cortona, Italy (chosen by the citizeins in 1508). Blessed Hugolinus was Beatified in 1804 by Pope Pius VII
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/22/saint-of-the-day-22-march-blessed-hugolinus-zefferini-osa-c1320-1367-pries/

St Lea (Died 384) Widow of Rome, a disciple of St Jerome, Nun, Prioress.
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Rome, St Lea, a widow, whose virtues and happy death are related by St Jerome.”
Her Holy Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2025/03/22/saint-of-the-day-22-march-saint-lea-died-384-widow/

Blessed Lukarda O.Cist (c1275-1309) Virgin, German Cistercian Nun in Oberweimar , Mystic , Stigmatist, Miracle-worker. Born in c1275, probably in Erfurt, Germany and died on 22 March (Palm Sunday) 1309 at the Oberweimar Abbey, Weimar, Thuringia (in modern Germany) of natural causes, aged 33.
Amazing Lukarda!:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/22/saint-of-the-day-22-march-blessed-lukarda-of-oberweimar-o-cist-c1275-1309-virgin/

St Nicholas Owen SJ (1562-1606) – The Priest-Hole Builder, Martyr, Lay Brother of the Society of Jesus
Dear St Nicholas Owen:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/03/22/saint-of-the-day-22-march-st-nicholas-owen-s-j-1562-1606-the-priest-hole-builder-martyr/

St Octavian of Carthage
St Paul of Narbonne
St Saturninus the Martyr

Posted in LENT 2026, The PASSION, Thomas Aquinas

Saturday of the 4th Week of Lent – 21 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas – There was No More Fitting Way to Free the Human Race than Through the Passion of Christ

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Saturday of the 4th Week of Lent – 21 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

Saturday of the Fourth Week
There was No More Fitting Way to Free the Human Race
than Through the Passion of Christ

“God commendeth His Charity towards us because, when as yet we were sinners, Christ died for us”
Rom v. 8

The suitability of any particular way, for the attainment of a given end, is reckoned according to the greater or lesser number of elements useful to that end which, the way in question brings about.
The more helpful to the end by the method chosen, the better and more suitable is that method or way.
Now owing to the fact that it was through the Passion of Christ that man was delivered, many other elements, helpful to man’s salvation, came about in addition to his being freed from sin.

(i) Thanks to the fact that it was through the Passion that man was delivered, man learns how much God Loves him and is, thereby stimulated to that love of God, in which is to be found the perfection of man’s salvation.
“God commendeth His Charity towards us because, when as yet we were sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom v. 8).
(ii) In the Passion He gave us an example of obedience, humility, constancy, justice and of other virtues also, all of which we must practise if we are to be saved.
“Christ suffered for us, leaving you an example that you should follow His Steps” (i Pet ii. 21).
(iii) Christ, by His Passion, not only delivered man from sinbut also, merited for man, the grace which makes him acceptable to God and the glory of life with God for eternity.
(iv) The fact that it is through the Passion that man has been saved, impresses upon man the need of keeping himself free from sin.
Man has only to realise, t it was at the price of the Blood of Christ that he was bought from sin.
“You are bought by a great Price.
Glorify God and bear Him in your body” (i Cor vi. 20).
(v) The fact that the Passion was the way chosen heightens the dignity of human nature.
As it was man who was deceived and conquered by the devil, so now, it is man by whom the devil in turn is conquered.
As it was man who once earned death, so it is Man, Who, by Dying, has overcome death.
“Thanks be to God Who hath given us the victory through Our Lord Jesus Christ” (i Cor xv. 57).

ST THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274)
Priest, Theologian, Dominican
Doctor Angelicus (Angelic Doctor)
Doctor Communis (Common Doctor)
Added by Pope Saint Pius V in 1568

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, PRAYERS of PETITION, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on the POOR

Quote/s of the Day – 21 March – St Benedict

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Quote/s of the Day – 21 March – St Benedict OSB (c 480-547) Abbot, Patron of Europe and Founder of Western Monasticism.

“The poor and pilgrims
are to be received with all care and hospitality,
for it is in them, Christ is received.”

“He should know that whoever undertakes
the government of souls must prepare himself
to account for them.”

Almighty God, Give Me …
A Prayer of Petition
By St Benedict (c 480-547)

Almighty God,
give me wisdom to perceive Thee,
intelligence to understand Thee,
diligence to seek Thee,
patience to wait for Thee,
eyes to behold Thee,
a heart to meditate upon Thee
and life to proclaim Thee
through the power of the Spirit
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2025/03/21/quote-s-of-the-day-21-march-st-benedict-4/

St Benedict (c 480-547)

Posted in CARMELITES, LENT, LENT 2026, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION

Our Morning Offering – 21 March – A Lenten Offering

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Our Morning Offering – 21 March – Thursday in Passion Week

A Lenten Offering
By St Thérèse of the Child Jesus
and the Holy Face of Lisieux (1873-1897)

O my God!
I offer Thee all my actions of this Lent
for the intentions and for the glory
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
I desire to sanctify every beat of my heart,
my every thought,
my simplest works,
by uniting them to Its Infinite Merits
and I wish to make reparation for my sins,
by casting them into the furnace
of Its Merciful Love.
O my God!
I ask of Thee for myself
and for those whom I hold dear,
the grace to fulfil perfectly Thy Holy Will,
to accept for love of Thee,
the joys and sorrows of this passing life,
so that we may one day
be united together in Heaven,
for all eternity.
Amen

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 21 March – Saint Christian (Died 1002) Abbot

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Saint of the Day – 21 March – Saint Christian (Died 1002) the 1st Abbot of St Pantaleon Monastery in Cologne North Rhine-Westphalia, modern Germany. Also known as – Christianus. Christian was also an Author of renowned, publishing widely read Theological treatise. He was a zealous and hard-working Abbot, creating a flourishing community of holy Monks.

In around 975, Bishop Gero of Cologne brought the Relics of Saint Pantaleon to his Episcopal City and placed them in the Church traditionally dedicated to ‘The Three Holy Doctors’ (Saints Cosmas, Damian and Pantaleon).

This Church dated to the time of Saint Hildebold, perhaps even to the 7th Century. Between 950 and 964, Bishop Bruno had the Church extensively renovated and expanded with a n attached monastic community.

On the occasion of the dedication of the Monastery, he appointed Christianus as the 1st Abbot. This Christianus came from the Monastery of Fulda.

The extent to which he worked for the flourishing of his Monastery is evident from the Bishop’s placement of the Relics of Saint Pantaleon in the Monastery Church.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

SATURDAY of the 4th WEEK of LENT, Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Bruges / Our Lady of Bruges, Flanders (1150), where a lock of Our Lady’s hair is preserved, St Benedict (c480-547) Abbot, Patron of Europe and Founder of Western Monasticism and the Saints for 21 March

Posted on by AnaStpaul

SATURDAY of the FOURTH WEEK of LENT

Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Bruges / Our Lady of Bruges, Flanders (1150), where a lock of Our Lady’s hair is preserved – 21 March:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/21/passion-sunday-or-the-fifth-suday-of-lent-2021-our-lady-of-bruges-flanders-1150-and-memorials-of-the-saints-21-march/

Michelangelo Buonarroti; Bruges

St Benedict OSB (c480-547) Abbot, Patron of Europe and Founder of Western Monasticism.
His Feast Day was moved in 1969.
The Twin Brother of St Scholastica:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/07/11/saint-of-the-day-11-july-st-benedict-of-nursia-osb-c-480-547-patron-of-europe-and-founder-of-western-monasticism/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2017/07/11/saint-of-the-day-11-july-st-benedict-of-nursia-o-s-b-abbot-patron-of-europe-patronus-europae/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/21/saint-of-the-day-21-march-st-benedict-dom-prosper-gueranger-on-the-medal/

Bl Alfonso de Rojas

St Birillus (Died c90) Bishop of Catania, Consecrated by St Peter, Missionary.
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Catania, St Brillus, who was Consecrated Bishop by St Peter. After converting many Gentiles to the Faith, he rested in peace in extremely old age.”
Holy St Birillus:
https://anastpaul.com/2025/03/21/saint-of-the-day-21-march-saint-birillus-died-c90-bishop/

St Peter sends St Birillus to preach the Gospel

St Christian (Died 1002) Abbot of Cologne
St Domninus of Rome

St Enda (c450 – c530) Monk, Abbot of Aran “Father of Irish Monasticism” and Aran is known as “Aran of the Saints.”
“Father of Irish Monasticism” :
https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/21/saint-of-the-day-21-march-st-enda-of-aran-c-450-c-530-patriarch-of-irish-monasticism/

St Isenger of Verdun
St James the Confessor

St John (Died 1146) Bishop of Valence , Founder of the Abbey of Bonnevaux, Monk, Abbot, Apostle of the poor, Social Reformer.
The Roman Martyrology reads: “In Valence in the territory of Vienne in France, St John, Bishop, who, at first Abbot of Bonnevaux, suffered many adversities for the defence of justice and with charity took care of the peasants, the poor and the merchants ruined by debts.”
Imitating the Lord:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/21/saint-of-the-day-21-march-saint-john-of-valence-died-1146/

Bl Lucia of Verona (1514-1574) Laywoman, Apostle of the Sick

St Lupicinus (Died c480) brother of St Romanus (Died c460) both Abbots at Condat Monastery. St Romanus is venerated on 28 February.
St Lupinus’ Body was certainly incorrupt until the 1700s. I am not sure whether it was protected from the evils destruction of the French Revolution.
His Life of Love:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/21/saint-of-the-day-21-march-saint-lupicinus-of-condat-died-c480-abbot/

St Nicholas of Flue (1417-1487) Swiss Hermit and Ascetic who is the Patron Saint of Switzerland. He is sometimes invoked as Brother Klaus. A husband and father, a Mystic, a Writer, farmer, military leader, Member of the assembly, Councillor, Judge, he was respected as a man of complete moral integrity. He was Canonised on 15 May 1947 by Pope Pius XII.
Holy St Nicholas:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/03/21/saint-of-the-day-21-march-st-nicholas-of-flue-1417-1487/St Nicholas of Flue (1417-1487)

St Serapion the Scolastic (Died c354-370) Bishop of Thmuis, near Diospolis in the Nile delta of Egypt, Monk and Hermit, Confessor, brilliant Scholar of great learning, Theologian, Writer, a companion to St Anthony, the Desert and a close friend of St Athanasius and gave support to him against the heretic Arians in Egypt, for which action he was exiled.
St Serapion’s Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/21/saint-of-the-day-21-march-saint-serapion-the-scolastic-died-c-354-370-bishop/

St Philemon of Rome
Bl Santuccia Terrebotti

Martyrs of Alexandria: A large but unknown number of Catholics massacred in several Churches during Good Friday services in Alexandria, Egypt by Arian heretics during the persecutions of Constantius and Philagrio. They were Martyred on Good Friday in 342 in Alexandria, Egypt.

Posted in The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION, Thomas Aquinas

Friday of the 4th Week of Lent – 20 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas – The Precious Blood

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Friday of the 4th Week of Lent –20 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

Friday of the Fourth Week
The Precious Blood

“Through the Blood of Christ the New Testament was confirmed. This Chalice is the New Testament in My Blood.”
i Cor xi. 25

Testament has a double meaning.
(1) It may mean any kind of agreement or pact.
Now God has twice made an agreement with mankind.
In one pact, God promised man temporal prosperity and deliverance from temporal losses and, this pact is called the Old Testament.
In another pact, God promised man spiritual blessings and deliverance from spiritual losses and this is called the New Testament, “I will make a new covenant, saith the Lord, with the house of Israel and with the house of ]uda, not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers, in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt but this shall be the covenant: I will give My Law in their bosoms and I shall write it in their hearts and I shal be their God and they shall be My people” (]er xxxi. 31-33).
Among the ancients, it was customary to pour out the blood of some victim in confirmation of a pact.
This Moses did when, taking the blood, he sprinkled it upon the people and he said, “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord hath made with you” (Exod xxiv. 8).
As the Old Testament was thus confirmed in the figurative blood of oxen, so the New Testament or pact, was confirmed in the Blood of Christ, shed during His Passion.

(2) Testament has another more restricted meaning when it signifies the arrangement of an inheritance among the different heirs, i.e. a will.
Testaments, in this sense, are only confirmed by the death of the testator.
As St Paul says, “For a testament is of force, after men are dead, otherwise, it is as yet of no strength, whilst the testator liveth” (Heb ix. 17).
God, in the beginning, made an arrangement of the eternal inheritance we were to receive but, under the figure of temporal goods.
This is the Old Testament.
But afterwards He made the New Testament, explicitly promising the eternal inheritance which indeed, was confirmed by the Blood of the Death of Christ.
And, therefore, Our Lord, speaking of this, says, “This Chalice is the new testament in My Blood” (i Cor xi. 25) as though to say, “By that which is contained in this Chalice, the new testament, confirmed in the Blood of Christ, is commemorated.” (In 1 Cor xii.)

  1. There are other features which make the Blood of Christ Precious.
    It is:
    (i) A cleansing of our sins and uncleanness.
    “Jesus Christ hath loved us and washed us from our sins in His Own Blood” (Apoc. i. 5).
    (ii) Our Redemption, “Thou hast Redeemed us in Thy
    Blood” (ibid. v. 9).
    (iii) The Peacemaker between us and God and His Angels, “making peace through the Blood of His Cross, both as to the things which are on earth and the things which are in the heavens” (Coloss. i. 20).
    (iv) A draught of life to all who receive it.
    “Drink ye all of this”(Matt xxvi. 27).
    ”That they might drink the purest blood of the grape ”(Deut xxxii. 14).
    (v) The opening of the Gate of Heaven.
    “Having, therefore brethren, a confidence in the entering into the holies by the Blood of Christ” (Heb x. 19) that is to say, a continuous prayer for us to God.
    “For His Blood daily cries for us to the Father, as again we are told, You are come to the sprinkling of Blood which speaketh better than that of Abel” (ibid xii. 22-24).
    The blood of Abel called for punishment.
    The Blood of Christ calls for pardon.
    (vi) Deliverance of the saints from hell.
    “ Thou also, by the blood of thy testament, hast sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit, wherein is no wate” (Zach ix. 11).

ST THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274)
Priest, Theologian, Dominican
Doctor Angelicus (Angelic Doctor)
Doctor Communis (Common Doctor)
Added by Pope Saint Pius V in 1568

Posted in "Follow Me", CARMELITES, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The PASSION

Quote/s of the Day – 20 March – Life for those who die.

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 20 March – The Lenten FEAST of the MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD of JESUS is a Feast for the Fridays of Lent

“Carry me, O Christ,
on Thy Cross
which is salvation to the wanderer,
rest for the wearied
and, in which alone,
is Life for those who die.”

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

“Embrace, then, Jesus Crucified,
raising to Him the eyes of your desire!
Consider His burning love for you
which made Jesus pour out His Blood
from every part of His Body!
Embrace Jesus Crucified,
loving and beloved and in Him,
you will find true life because He is God made Man.
Let your heart and your soul burn
with the fire of love drawn from Jesus on the Cross!
… You will have no other desire than to follow Jesus!
Run, … do not stay asleep
because time flies and does not wait one moment!
Dwell in God’s sweet love!”

St Catherine of Sienna (1347-1380)

“O souls!
Seek a refuge, like pure doves,
in the shadow of the Crucifix.
There, mourn the Passion
of your Divine Spouse
and drawing from your hearts,
flames of love and rivers of tears,
make of them a precious balm
with which to anoint
the Wounds of your Saviour.”

St Paul of the Cross CP (1694-1775)

Posted in INDULGENCES, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

Our Morning Offering – 20 March – By the Merits of the Precious Blood of Jesus

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Our Morning Offering – 20 March – The Lenten FEAST of the MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD of JESUS is a Feast for the Fridays of Lent,

By the Merits of the
Precious Blood of Jesus
By Servant of God Pope Pius VII (1742-1823)
Papacy from 1800 to 1823
Indulgenced Act of Oblation to Our Father

Eternal Father!
I offer Thee the merits
of the Precious Blood of Jesus,
Thy well-beloved Son,
my Saviour and my God,
for all my wants,
spiritual and temporal,
in aid of the Holy Souls in Purgatory
and chiefly for those
who most loved this Precious Blood,
the price of our redemption
and who were most devout
to the sorrows and pains
of most Holy Mary,
our dear Mother.

Glory be to the Blood of Jesus,
now and forever
and throughout all ages.
Amen.

Indulgence of 300 days, each time this prayed is offered,
22 September 1817 with a Plenary Indulgence, once a month,
under the usual conditions.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 20 March – Saint Remigius (Died c783) Bishop of Strasbourg

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Saint of the Day – 20 March – Saint Remigius (Died c783) Bishop of Strasbourg and the first Abbot of Münster Gregorienthal, in modern Switzerland, of which City he is the Patron. Remigius was born to the nobility, the son of Hugh of Alsace; cousin of Saint Odilia of Hohenburg.
Also known as – Remi, Remidius.

He founded the Monasteries of Aschau and Schönenwerth in Switzerland and shone as a holy guide throughout Alsace and as a preacher of the Gospel, through word and deed.

A particular feature of his piety was his zeal in acquiring holy Relics, for which after being appointed as the Bishop, he made a pilgrimage to Rome, where he was received favourably by Pope Adrian I.

It is unclear when he became the Bishop and who he succeeded in that role. It may have been from 765 onwards. His Will is definitively dated in 778, falling during his Episcopate, co-signed by many other Bishops and forming the main source of his work in Strasbourg – it survives only in a 12th Century copy but is one of the most important documents of its type.

He is said to have died in 803, or according to others as early as 783. He was buried in Aschau but only received Ecclesiastical veneration under Pope Leo IX. In portraits, he is seen carrying Relics into the Church in procession.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent – FAST AND ABSTINENC, FEAST OF THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD OF JESUS, Our Lady of Calevourt, Belgium (1454), St Photina & Companions, St Cuthbert of Lindisfarne and the Saints for 20 March

Posted on by AnaStpaul

The FEAST OF THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD OF JESUS is a Feast for the Fridays of Lent, which has been in the General Roman Calendar from 1849 to 1969 with the same Office as that of the Solemnity of the Precious Blood in July..
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/07/10/the-solemnity-of-the-most-precious-blood-of-of-our-lord-jesus-christ-and-the-litany/
AND MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/24/friday-of-the-fourth-week-in-lent-fast-and-abstinence-feast-of-the-most-precious-blood-of-jesus-the-archangel-saint-gabriel-our-lady-of-the-flowering-thorn-france-and-memorials-of-the-saints/

FRIDAY of the 4th WEEK of LENT – FAST AND ABSTINENC

FERIAL DAY

Our Lady of Calevourt, near Brussels, Belgium (1454) – 20 March:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/20/our-lady-of-calevourt-near-brussels-belgium-1454-and-memorials-of-the-saints-20-march/

St Photina & Companions / Martyrs of Rome – 9+ Saints: A group of Christians Martyred together in the persecutions of Nero. We know nothing else about them but the names Photina, Sebastian and Victor, Anatolius, Cyriaca, Joseph, Parasceve, Photis.

St Cuthbert of Lindisfarne (c634-687) “The Wonder-Worker of England,” Bishop of Lindisfarne, Monk, Hermit, Miracle-worker.
St Cuthbert’s Zealous Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/20/saint-of-the-day-20-march-saint-cuthbert-of-lindisfarne-c-634-687-the-wonder-worker-of-england/

Blessed Ambrose Sansedoni OP (1220-1287) Priest and Friar of the Order of Preachers, Preachers, Confessor, Mystic, a powerful and convincing Preacher employed by various Popes as a Diplomatic Peacemaker and that which seems opposed, as a Preacher of the Crusades, Peacemaker. A fellow student with St Thomas Aquinas under St Albert Magnus.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/20/saint-of-the-day-19march-blessed-ambrose-sansedoni-of-siena-op-1220-1287-priest/

Anastasius XVI
Archippus of Colossi
St Benignus of Flay
St Cathcan of Rath-derthaighe
St Clement of Ireland

St Guillermo de Peñacorada (Died c1042) Abbot, Miracle-worker. Patronage – Cistierna, Spain and he is invoked for rain in times of drought and he regularly proves his worth, bringing rain whenever needed.
The Rain-Maker:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/20/saint-of-the-day-20-march-st-guillermo-de-penacorada-died-c1042-abbot/

St Herbert of Derwenwater
Bl Hippolytus Galantini
Bl Jeanne Veron
Bl John Baptist Spagnuolo
St John Nepomucene
St John Sergius

St Martin (c520–580) Archbishop of Braga, Monk, Missionary, Monastic Founder, prolific Ecclesiastical Writer.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/03/20/saint-of-the-day-20-march-st-martin-of-braga-c-520-580/

St Nicetas (Died c733) Bishop of Apollonias in Bithynia, a region of Asia Minor, Defender of the veneration of holy images. We have no history of his birthplace but he died in exile in c733, presumably of natural causes, although some refer to him as a Martyr.
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Apollonia, the Bishop, St Nicetas, who breathed his last in exile, where he had been sent for upholding the veneration of holy images.”
What We Know of St Nicetas:
https://anastpaul.com/2025/03/20/saint-of-the-day-20-march-saint-nicetas-died-c733-bishop-of-apollonias/

St Remigius (Died c783) Bishop of Strasbourg
St Tertricus of Langres
St Urbitius of Metz

St Wulfram (c640-c 703) Archbishop of Sens, France and Confessor, Missionary, Miracle-worker.
Patronages – Abbeville, France, against the dangers of the sea/of sailors, childbirth and young children.
His Life of Love:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/20/saint-of-the-day-20-march-saint-wulfram-of-sens-c-640-c-703/

Martyrs of Amisus – 8 Saints: A group of Christian women Martyred together in the persecutions of Diocletian. The only details we have are eight of their names – Alexandra, Caldia, Derphuta, Euphemia, Euphrasia, Juliana, Matrona and Theodosia. They were burned to death c 300 in Amisus, Paphlagonia (modern Samsun, Turkey).

Martyrs of San Saba – 20 Saints: Twenty monks who were Martyred together in their monastery by invading Saracens. They were Martyred in 797 when they were burned inside the San Sabas monastery in Palestine.

Martyrs of Syria – 3+ Saints: A group of Christians who were Martyred together in Syria. We know nothing else about them but the names Cyril, Eugene and Paul.

Posted in LENT 2026, ORIGINAL SIN, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on SIN, Thomas Aquinas

Thursday of the 4th Week of Lent –19 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas – The Death of Lazarus

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thursday of the 4th Week of Lent –19 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

Thursday of the Fourth Week
The Death of Lazarus

“Lazarus our friend, sleepeth”
John xi. 11

Our friend, for the many benefits and services he rendered us and, therefore, we owe it, not to fail in his necessity. Sleepeth, therefore, we must come to his assistance; “a brother is proved in distress” (Prov xvii. 17).

He sleepeth, I say, as St Augustine says, to the Lord.
But to men he was dead, nor had they power to raise him.

Sleep is a word we use with various meanings.
We use it to mean natural sleep, negligence, blameworthy inattention, the peace of contemplation, the peace of future glory and, we use it also, to mean death.
We will not have you ignorant, concerning the last sleep, that you be not sorrowful, even as others who have no hope, says St Paul (i Thess. iv. 12).

Death is called sleep because of the hope of resurrection and so it has been customary to give death this name since the time when Christ Died and was Raised again, “I have Slept and have taken My rest”(Ps. iii. 6).
“I go that I may awake him out of sleep” (John xi. n).

In these words, Jesus gives us to understand that He could raise Lazarus from the tomb as easily as we raise a sleeper from his bed.
Nor is this to be wondered at, for He is none other than the Lord Who raiseth up the dead and giveth life (John v. 21). And hence, He is able to say, “The hour ccmeth when all who are in the graves, shall hear the Voice of the Son of God (ibid. v. 28).

“Let us go to Him” (John xi. 15).

Here it is the mercifulness of God which we are shown.
Men, living in sin and, as it were, dead, unable by any power of their own to come to Him, He mercifully draws them, anticipating their desire and need.
Jeremias speaks of this when he says, “Thus saith the Lord, I have Loved thee with an Everlasting Love, therefore, have I drawn thee, taking pity on thee”(Jer. xxxi. 3).

“Jesus, therefore, came and found, he had been in the grave, four days already” (John xi. 17).

St Augustine sees in the four day dead Lazarus, a figure of the fourfold spiritual death of the sinner.
He dies, in fact, through Original Sin, through actual sin, against the natural law, through actual sin against the written law, through actual sin against the law of the Gospel and of Grace.

Another interpretation is that the first day represents the sin of the heart, “Take away the evil of your thoughts” says Isaias (i. 16); the second day represents sins of the tongue, “Let no evil speech proceed from your mouth” says St Paul (Eph iv. 29); the third day represents the sins of evil action, “Cease to act perversely” (Isaias i. 16); the fourth day represents the sins of wicked habit.

Whatever explanation we give, Our Lord at times does heal those who are four days dead, i.e, those who have broken the law of the Gospel and are bound fast by habits of sin.

ST THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274)
Priest, Theologian, Dominican
Doctor Angelicus (Angelic Doctor)
Doctor Communis (Common Doctor)
Added by Pope Saint Pius V in 1568

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, PRAYERS & NOVENA to St Joseph, PRAYERS TO St Joseph, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on POVERTY, QUOTES on WISDOM, St Francis de Sales, St JOSEPH

Quote/s of the Day – 19 March – Glorious St Joseph!

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 19 March – The Month and Feast of St Joseph

“So, taking Christ’s genealogy from Joseph –
a husband in chastity,
he was father in the same way. …
Are you saying that he did not conceive Jesus
through the operation of nature?
Well then, what the Holy Ghost operated,
He did for them both.
For Joseph was “a just man,” Matthew tells us (1:19).
Both husband and wife were just.
The Holy Spirit dwelt within their mutual justice
and gave each of them, a Son!”

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

“How faithful in humility was the great Saint
we are celebrating!
That cannot be said in all its perfection,
for, in spite of what he was,
in what poverty and lowliness he lived,
all the days of his life – a poverty and lowliness
beneath which. he kept hidden and concealed,
his great virtues and dignity! …
Truly, I am free of doubt that the Angels came,
beside themselves with admiration, rank upon rank,
to behold and wonder at his humility,
while he sheltered that dearest Child
in the poor workshop where he worked at his employment,
so as to feed the little Boy and the Mother entrusted to him.”

“Behold, the Angel of the Lord
appeared to him in his sleep …”
Matthew 1:20

“And what wisdom did he not have? 
For God gave him his most glorious Son to care for …
the universal Prince of Heaven and earth …
Nevertheless, you can see how low
and humbled he was brought,
more than can be said or imagined …
he went to his own Country and Town of Bethlehem
and none but he was turned away from all those inns …
Notice how the Angel turns him about with both hands.
He tells him he has to go to Egypt and he goes;
he orders him to return and he returns.
God wants him to be always poor …
and he submits to it with love and, not only for a while,
for he was poor his whole life long!”

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

Glorious St Joseph!
Prayer for the Intercession
of St Joseph in All Our Needs
By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

Glorious St Joseph, Spouse of Mary,
grant us thy paternal protection,
we beseech thee, by the Heart of Jesus Christ.
O thou, whose power extends
to all our necessities
and can render possible for us,
the most impossible things.
Open thy fatherly eyes
to the needs of thy children.
In the trouble and distress
which afflicts us,
we confidently have recourse to thee.
Deign to take under thy charitable charge
this important and difficult matter,
cause of our worries.
Make its happy outcome
be for God’s glory
and for the good of His devoted servants.
Amen

Posted in MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS & NOVENA to St Joseph, PRAYERS TO St Joseph, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, St JOSEPH

Our Morning Offering – 19 March –Caelitum, Ioseph, decus, Joseph, the Praise and Glory of the Heavens

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 19 March – “The Month and Feast of St Joseph”

Caelitum, Ioseph, decus
Joseph, the Praise and Glory of the Heavens
By Fr Juan Escollar (Died 1700)

Joseph, the praise and glory of the heavens,
Sure pledge of life and safety of the wide world,
as in our joy we sing to thee, in kindness
listen to our praises.

Thou by the world’s Creator wert appointed
Spouse of the Virgin, thee He willed to honour.
Naming thee father of the Word and guardian
of our salvation.

Thou, thy Redeemer, lying in a stable,
whom long ago foretold the choir of Prophets,
sawest rejoicing and thy God adorest
Humble in childhood.

God, King of Kings and Governor of the ages,
He at Whose word the powers of hell do tremble,
He Whom the adoring heavens ever worship,
called thee protector.

Praise to the Triune Godhead everlasting,
Who with such honour mightily hath blest thee.
O may He grant us at thy blest petition
Joys everlasting.
Amen

Translation by Alan G McDougall (1895-1964).

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 19 March – Saint Landoaldus (Died 668) Priest, Missionary and Bishop of Maastricht (?).

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 19 March – Saint Landoaldus (Died 668) Priest, Missionary and Bishop of Maastricht (?). Born in Italy and died in Winterhoven, modern Belgium. Additional Memorial – 13 June (translation of his Relics). Also known as – of Maastricht, of Ghent, of Wintershoven, Landoald.

The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Ghent, the Saints Landoalus, a Roman Priest and the Deacon, Amantius, who were sent to preach the Gospel by Pope St Martin and after their deaths became illustriouys by many miracles.”

Statue of St Landoaldus and his pupil , St Lambertus, at the Saint Lambertus Spring in Wintershoven

Landoaldus along with other companions — including his sisters Vinciana and Agletrudis — worked as a Missionary in Haspengau (present-day Hespengau).

According to tradition, he was a companion of Amantius of Maastricht and acted as Tutor to St Lambertus of Maastricht.

In around 659, Landoaldus founded a Monastery and a Church in Wintershoven, modern Belgium, where Amantius served as his Deacon and supported him as a Missionary.

King Childeric, who often resided in Maastricht is said to have sent him daily provisions.

Landoaldus was buried in the Church ihe had built n Wintershoven. His deacon St Amantius, who died in 670, was also interred in the same coffin. Around 965, Landoaldus’ remains and those of his companions were exhumed and in 980 they were translated to the Church of St Bavo in Ghent
A richly written biography emerged, portraying St Landoaldus as the Bishop of Maastricht, along with an account of the transflation of the Relic.

Posted in MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, SAINT of the DAY, St JOSEPH

St Joseph! and the Saints for 19 March

Posted on by AnaStpaul

St Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary – 19 March
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/19/solemnity-of-st-joseph-spouse-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary-and-memorials-of-the-saints-1-9-march/
St Joseph!
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/03/19/saint-of-the-day-19-march-the-solemnity-of-st-joseph-spouse-of-the-most-blessed-virgin-mary-mother-of-god-and-patron-of-the-universal-church/
AND – Do Not Forget St Joseph, the Patron of a Holy Death! – The Story of a Miracle in South Africa:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/19/second-thought-for-the-day-19-march-do-not-forget-st-joseph/

VIENNA, AUSTRIA – DECEMBER 17, 2014: The St. Joseph paint on the side altar of Salesianerkirche by unknown artist of 19. cent.

St Adrian of Maastricht
St Alkmund of Northumbria
St Amantius of Wintershoven

Blessed Andrea Gallerani (Died 1251) Layman, Penitent, Founder of a Lay Apostolate known as “The Friars of Mercy” (Frati della Misericordia). Andrea was Beatified on 13 May 1798 by Pope Pius VI (cultus confirmation).
His Holy Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/19/saint-of-the-day-19-march-blessed-andrea-gallerani-died-1251/

St Apollonius of Braga
St Auxilius of Ireland

Blessed Clement (1200-1258) Bishop of Dunblane in Scotland, , Priest and Friar of the Order of Preachers, a great and humble carer of the poor and needy, a zealous Administrator but just as much, a shepherd of souls, Reformer, Writer, a highly renowned Preacher and Linguist, a very learned man indeed. Clement was the first member of the Dominican Order in Britain and Ireland to become a Bishop. Born in Scotland in 1200 and died in 1258 in Dunblane, Scotland of natural causes.
An Inspiring Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/19/saint-of-the-day-19-march-blessed-clement-of-dunblane-op-1200-1258-bishop/

St Colocer of Saint-Brieuc
St Corbasius of Quimperlé
St Cuthbert of Brittany
St Gemus

Blessed Isnard de Chiampo OP (Died 1244) Priest of the Order of Preachers, known as the “Apostle of Pavia,” Confessor, Miracle-worker,
The Apostle of Pavia:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/19/saint-of-the-day-19-march-blessed-isnard-de-chiampo-op-died-1244-priest-the-apostle-of-pavia/

Blessed John of Parma OFM (c1209-1289) Priest, 7th Minister General of the Friars Minor from (1247–1257) and a noted Theologian. He was known for his attempts to bring back the earlier spirit of the Order after the death of Saint Francis of Assisi. Patronage – of his birthplace, Parma, Italy. His cult was confirmed in 1777 by his Beatification by Pope Pius VI.
Blessed John’s Zealous Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/19/saint-of-the-day-19-march-blessed-john-of-parma-ofm-c1209-1289-priest/

St John (6th Century) Founder Abbot in Civita-di-Penna, Umbria, Italy, Miracle-worker.
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Civita-di-Penna, the birthday of the blessed St John, a man of great holiness, who came from Syria into Italy, where he constructed a Monastery and, after having been the spiritual guide of many servants of God for forty-four years, rested in peace, renowned for great virtue.”
A Man of Great Holiness:
https://anastpaul.com/2025/03/19/saint-of-the-day-19-march-saint-john-6th-century-abbot/

St Lactali of Freshford
St Landoaldus (Died 668) Priest, Missionary and Bishop (?)
St Leontinus of Braga
St Leontinus of Saintes
Bl Mark of Montegallo
St Pancharius of Nicomedia

Blessed Sibyllina Biscossi OP (1287-1367) Blind Dominican Virgin and Recluse, Penitent, Miracle-worker. She was Beatified on 17 August 1854 by Pope Pius IX. Her body is incorrupt.
Her Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/19/saint-of-the-day-19-march-blessed-sibyllina-biscossi-op-1287-1367/

Martyrs of Sorrento: A group of Three sisters and a brother who were Martyred together. We have little more than their names – Mark, Quartilla, Quintilla and Quintius. They were Martyred in Sorrento, Italy, date unknown.

Posted in "Follow Me", GOD ALONE!, LENT 2026, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on FRIENDSHIP, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, Thomas Aquinas

Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent – 18 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas – The Divine Friend

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Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent –18 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

Wednesday of the Fourth Week
The Divine Friend

“His sisters sent to Him saying :
Lord, behold, he whom Thou lovest, is ill.”
John xi. 3

Three things here call for thought.

  1. God’s friends are afflicted from time to time in the body.
    It is not, therefore, in any way a proof that a man is not a friend of God if he is ill and ailing.
    Eliphaz argued falsely against Job when he said, “Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished being innocent?or when were the just destroyed?” (Job iv. 7).

The Gospel corrects this when it says, “Lord, behold, he whom Thou lovest is ill” and the Book of Proverbs, too, where we read, “For whom the Lord loveth, He chastiseth and as a father in the son, He pleaseth Himself” (Prov. iii. 12).

  1. The sisters do not say, “Lord, come and heal him.”
    They merely explain that Lazarus is ill, they say, he is sick. This is to remind us that, when we are dealing with a friend, it is enough to make known our necessity, we do not need to add a request.
    For a friend, since he wills the welfare of his friend, as he wills his own, is as anxious to ward off evil from his friend as he is to ward it off from himself.
    This is true, most of all in the case of Him Who, of all friends, Loves most truly.
    “The Lord keepeth all those who love Him”(Ps cxliv. 20).
  2. These two sisters, who so greatly desire the cure of their ill brother, do not come to Christ personally, as did the centurion and the man ill of the palsy.
    From the special Love and familiarity which Christ had shown them, they had a special confidence in Him.
    And, possibly, their grief kept them at home, as St Chrysostom thinks.
    “A friend, if he continue steadfast, shall be to thee, as thyself, and shall act with confidence among those of thy household” (Ecclus vi. 11).

ST THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274)
Priest, Theologian, Dominican
Doctor Angelicus (Angelic Doctor)
Doctor Communis (Common Doctor)
Added by Pope Saint Pius V in 1568

Posted in 7 GIFTS of the HOLY GHOST: Wisdom, Understanding, Prudence, Strength, Knowledge, Piety, Fear, CHRIST the LIGHT, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, I BELIEVE!, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY GHOST, The SIGN of the CROSS

Quote/s of the Day – 18 March – The Memorial of St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387) Bishop of Jerusalem, Confessor Father & Doctor of the Church

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 18 March – The Memorial of St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387) Bishop of Jerusalem, Confessor Father & Doctor of the Church

“Your accumulated offences
do not surpass the multitude of God’s mercies!
Your wounds do not surpass
the great Physician’s skill!”

Let us not then be ashamed
to confess the Crucified!

“BE THE CROSS OUR SEAL,
made with boldness by our fingers,
on our brow and in everything,
over the bread we eat and the cups we drink,
in our comings in and goings out,
before our sleep,
when we lie down
and when we awake,
when we are in the way
and when we are still.

Great is that preservative,
it is without price,
for the poor’s sake,
without toil,
for the sick,
since also its’ grace is from God.

It is the Sign of the faithful
and the dread of evils –
for He has triumphed over them in it,
having made a shew of them openly –
for when they see the Cross,
they are reminded of the Crucified;
they are afraid of Him,
Who hath bruised the head of the dragon.

Despise not the Seal
because of the freeness of the Gift
but for this,
rather honour thy Benefactor!”

“And Jesus, seeing their faith,
said to the paralytic,
Take courage, son,
your sins are forgiven you.”
Matthew 9:2

“Perhaps, your own faith is feeble.
Nevertheless, the Lord, Who is Love
will stoop down to you,
provided only that you are penitent
and can say sincerely,
from the depths of your soul:
“Lord, I believe.
Help Thou mine unbelief,”
(Mark 9:23)……”

“The Spirit comes gently
and makes Himself known
by His Fragrance.
He is not felt as a burden,
for God is light, very light.
Rays of light and knowledge
stream before Him
as the Spirit approaches.
The Spirit comes with the tenderness
of a true friend – to save,
to heal, to teach, to counsel, to strengthen
and to console.”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2025/03/18/quote-s-of-the-day-18-march-st-cyril-of-jerusalem-4/

St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387)
Father & Doctor of the Church

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Holy Name PRAYERS, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on MORALS, QUOTES on PRAYER, The HOLY NAME of MARY

Our Morning Offering – 18 March – In Thy Name By St ohn Chrysostom

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 18 Marchr – Wednesday of the 4th Week of Lent

In Thy Name
By St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Oh Almighty God,
Who hast given us grace
at this time, with one accord,
to make our common
supplications unto Thee
and hast promised that,
when two or three are gathered together
in Thy Name,
Thou wilt grant their requests,
fulfil now, O Lord,
the desires and petitions of Thy servants,
as may be most expedient for them;
granting us, in this world,
knowledge of Thy Truth
and in the world to come,
life everlasting.
Amen

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 18 March – Saint Eucarpius (Died c304) Martyr

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Saint of the Day – 18 March – Saint Eucarpius (Died c304) Martyr and Soldier of Nicomedia. After being sent to pursue Christians and arrest them, St Eucarpius himself became a Christian so glorious was the testimony of these brave soldiers of Christ. He then, in turn, was hunted, arrested and killed by being burned alive.

The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Nicomedia, also, the holy Martyrs, Tropbius and Eucarpius.”

St Eucarpius had been a pagan soldier in the Imperial Roman Army and was stationed in Nicomedia (in modern Turkey).

Being assigned to hunt and pursue Christians during the persecutions of Diocletian, he came to know them and the faith so well that he converted to the True Faith of Christ.

Arrested and sentenced to death he was burned alive in Nicomedia.

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Nostra Signora della Misericordia / Our Lady of Mercy, Italy (1536), St Cyril of Jerusalem and the Saints for 18 March

Posted on by AnaStpaul

WEDNESDAY of the 4th WEEK of LENT

Nostra Signora della Misericordia / Our Lady of Mercy, Patron of Savona, Italy (1536) – 18 March:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/18/nostra-signora-della-misericordia-our-lady-of-mercy-patron-of-savona-italy-1536-and-memorials-of-the-saints-19-march/

St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387) Bishop of Jerusalem, Confessor Father & Doctor of the Church, Theologian, Writer.
Marvellous St Cyril
https://anastpaul.com/2017/03/18/saint-of-the-day-18-march-st-cyril-of-jerusalem/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/18/saint-of-the-day-18-march-st-cyril-of-jerusalem-315-387-bishop-confessor-doctor/

NOVENA for the INTERCESSION of ST JOSEPJ
DAY NINE: Click Link HERE: DAY NINE

St Alexander (Died 251) Bishop and Martyr of Jerusalem.
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/18/saint-of-the-day-18-march-saint-alexander-of-jerusalem-died-251-bishop-and-martyr/

St Anselmthe Younger (1036-1086) Italian Bishop and Confessor of Lucca.
About this St Anselm:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/18/saint-of-the-day-18-march-saint-anselm-of-lucca-the-younger-1036-1086/

St Braulio (c590-c651) Bishop of Zaragoza

Blessed Christian O’Conarchy (c1100-1186) O.Cist. Abbot, a disciple and then the Archdeacon of the renowned St Malacy O’More (1094 – 1148) , the Bishop and Confessor of Armagh, possibly also the Bishop of Lismore and the Papal Legate of all Ireland, although these latter Offices are unconfirmed.
His Fervent Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2025/03/18/saint-of-the-day-18-march-blessed-christian-oconarchy-c1100-1186-o-cist-abbot/

St Edward the Martyr (962-978) Child King of England.
The Roman Martyrology states today: “In England, the holy King Edward, who was assasinated by order of his treacherous stepmother and became celebrated for many miracles.”
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/18/saint-of-the-day-18-march-saint-edward-the-martyr-c-962-978/


St Eucarpius (Died c304) Martyr of Nicomedia
St Felix Deacond and Martyr at Gerona, Catalonia, Spain
St Finan (Died c595) Monk of Aberdeen, Scotland. Disciple of St Kentigern (Mungo).
St Narcissus of Gerona

St Salvator OFM (1520-1567) Lay Brother of Friars Minor, Cook, Porter and Quester of alms, Miracle-worker. Canonised on 17 April 1938 by Pope Pius XI. His body is incorrupt.
Holy St Salvator:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/18/saint-of-the-day-18-march-saint-salvator-of-horta-ofm-1520-1567-lay-brother/

St Trophimus of Nicomedia

Martyrs of Nicomedia – Commemorates the Christians who were Martyred anonymously, either singly and in small groups, by local pagans in the area of Nicomedia prior to the year 300 and who may have been over-looked in the waves of Diocletian persecutions that resulted in the deaths of thousands.