Author: AnaStpaul

Passionate Catholic. Being a Catholic is a way of life - a love affair "Religion must be like the air we breathe..."- St John Bosco Prayer is what the world needs combined with the example of our lives which testify to the Light of Christ. This site, which is now using the Traditional Calendar, will mainly concentrate on Daily Prayers, Novenas and the Memorials and Feast Days of our friends in Heaven, the Saints who went before us and the great blessings the Church provides in our Catholic Monthly Devotions. This Site is placed under the Patronage of my many favourite Saints and especially, St Paul. "For the Saints are sent to us by God as so many sermons. We do not use them, it is they who move us and lead us, to where we had not expected to go.” Charles Cardinal Journet (1891-1975) This site adheres to the pre-Vatican II Catholic Church and all her teachings. . PLEASE ADVISE ME OF ANY GLARING TYPOS etc - In June 2021 I lost 100% sight in my left eye and sometimes miss errors. Thank you and I pray all those who visit here will be abundantly blessed. Pax et bonum! 🙏
Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY WEEK, POETRY, QUOTES on HUMILITY, The PASSION, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day –2 April – Palm Sunday

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Quote/s of the Day –2 April – Palm Sunday – Philippians 2:5-11, Matthew 26:36-75; 27:1-60 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Behold the hour is at hand
and the Son of man shall be betrayed
into the hands of sinners.”

Matthew 26:45

“Yesterday, Christ raised Lazarus from the dead;
today, He is going to His own death.
Yesterday, He tore off the strips of cloth which bound Lazarus;
today, He is stretching out His Hand,
to those who want to bind Him.
Yesterday, He tore that man away from darkness;
today, for humankind,
He is going down into darkness
and the shadow of death.
And the Church is celebrating.
She is beginning the feast of Feasts,
for she is receiving her King as a Spouse,
for her King is in her midst.”

St Ephrem (306-373) (Attri)
Father ad Doctor of the Church

“Hosanna!”—which means : “Save!”
“Hosanna to You Who are in the highest.
O Almighty, save those who are humbled.
Have mercy on us,
in consideration of our palms,
may the palms we wave move Your Heart,
You Who come to call Adam”…

St Romanus the Melodist (c 490-c 556)

“The Apostles led the ass and colt to Our Lord.
We must note, that He deliberately told them
to loose them and lead them to Him.
If we wish to go to our Saviour,
we too must allow ourselves
to be loosed from our passions,
our habits, affections and the bonds of sin,
which keep us from serving Him.”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

Posted in "Follow Me", CATECHESIS, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, LENT 2023, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, The WILL of GOD

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 2 April – Palm Sunday, Humility

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Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 2 April – Palm Sunday – Philippians 2:5-11, Matthew 26:36-75; 2 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Thou hast held me by my right hand
and by Thy will, Thou hast conducted me
and in Thy glory, Thou hast received me.”
Psalm 72:24

“Behold the hour is at hand
and the Son of man shall be betrayed
into the hands of sinners.”
Matthew 26:45

PALM SUNDAY – HUMILITY
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

“THE APOSTLES LED the ass and colt to Our Lord. …
This ass and colt had only the Apostles’ cloaks laid on them, then Our Lord mounted … and in this abjection and humility, He made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
In this He confounded the world which overthrows all the maxims of the Gospel, relishing neither humility nor abjection.
It never ceases to say: “Unfortunate are the poor and suffering. But how happy that wealthy one is!”
“Why do you find him happy?”
“Because his barn is full of grain and his cellar is full of wine.
This girl is also happy because she too is rich, well dressed and covered with jewels.”
Others are considered happy because their hair is well curled or daintily braided, or they have a fancy gown.
How childish all this is! Nevertheless, these are the kinds of people the world considers happy and fortunate!

Our Lord turns all such ideas upside down today by His entrance into Jerusalem. He in no way acts like princes of the world, who, when entering a City, do it with much pomp, show and expense. He chooses no other mount but an ass covered with the worthless and poor cloaks of His Apostles.

Oh! how blessed are they whom our Divine Master chooses to carry Him, who are covered with the Apostles’ cloaks, that is, clothed with apostolic virtues, which render them worthy of bearing our dear Saviour and of being led by Him.
Blessed are they who conduct themselves here in lowliness and humility. They will be exalted in Heaven [Matt. 18:4; 23:12; Lk. 14:11; 18:14].
Their patience will win for them perpetual peace and tranquility; for their obedience they shall receive a crown of glory [Tab. 3:21; James 1:12]; finally, they shall be covered with the hundredfold of blessings in this life and shall bless the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, eternally in the next.
May God give us this grace. Amen.” – (Spiritual Conferences, XVII – St Francis de Sales).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY WEEK, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The PASSION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 2 April – ‘Behold the hour is at hand …’ Matthew 26:45

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One Minute Reflection – 2 April – “The Month of the Resurrection” – Palm Sunday – Philippians 2:5-11, Matthew 26:36-75; 27:1-60. – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Behold the hour is at hand and the Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of sinners.” – Matthew 26:45

REFLECTION – By St Nerses Chnorhali (1102-1173) Armenian Bishop (Jesus, Only Son of the Father, § 708-724)

“Because of sin, O innocent One,
You were set before the criminal’s judgement seat;
When You return in the Father’s glory
Do not judge me together with him.

You were put to scorn with sacrilegious spittle
On account of the first created man’s shame;
Wipe away the dishonour of the impudent man’s sins,
With which my face is covered…

You have put on crimson,
Set the scarlet cloak over You
As a dishonour and an affront,
As Pontius Pilate’s soldiers thought it to be (Mt 27:28).

Remove sin’s shirt of hair from me,
Crimson red, colour of blood,
Reclothe me in the garment of joy
With which You clothed the first man.

Kneeling, they made sport,
Acting ridicule, they mocked;
When they saw it, Heaven’s armies
Worshipped in fear.

This You underwent that You might remove
The shame, of being sin’s accomplice, from Adam’s nature in us
That, from my soul and my conscience,
You might suppress my sorrowing shame…

Following the judge’s verdict,
You received the terrible blows of flagellation
Over Your whole body
And on Your limbs’ every part.

As for me who, from foot to head
Suffer unbearable pain:
Be pleased to heal me once again
As through the grace of Baptism’s fount.

In exchange for the thorns of sin
That the curse caused to grow up for us (Gn 3,18)
A Crown of Thorns was set on Your Head
By the labourers in Jerusalem’s vineyard (Mt 21,33f.).

Pull out the thorns of sin from me,
Which my enemy planted within me,
And heal in me the bite of the wound
That the marks of sin might be erased.”

PRAYER – Almighty, eternal God, Who, to provide mankind an example of humility for it to imitate, willed that the Saviour should assume our flesh and suffer death upon the Cross, mercifully grant that we may be found worthy of the lesson of His endurance and the fellowship of His Resurrection. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, The LAST THINGS, The SECOND COMING

Our Morning Offering – 2 April – To Thee, O Jesus, Hosanna!

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Our Morning Offering – 2 April – Palm Sunday

To Thee, O Jesus, Hosanna!
By St Bonaventure (1217-1274)
Seraphic Doctor of the Church

To Thee, O Jesus,
do I turn, as my true and last end.
Thou art the River of Life
which alone can satisfy my thirst.
Without Thee, all else is barren and void.
Without all else, Thou alone art enough for me.
Thou art the Redeemer of those that are lost,
the sweet Consoler of the sorrowful,
the Crown of Glory of the victors,
the recompense of the Blessed.
One day I hope to receive of Thy Fullness
and to sing the song of praise, in my true home.
Give me only on earth, some few drops of consolation
and I will patiently await Thy Coming,
when I hope to enter into the joy of my Lord.
Hosanna!

Posted in GOOD FRIDAY, HOLY WEEK, HYMNS, POETRY, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The PASSION

Saint of the Day – 2 April – Blessed Arnulf of Leuven O.Cist. (c1200-1276) Abbot

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Saint of the Day – 2 April – Blessed Arnulf of Leuven O.Cist. (c1200-1276) Abbot of the Cistercian Abbey in Villers-la-Ville, Poet, Writer. After serving in this office for ten years, he abdicated, hoping to pursue a life devoted to study and asceticism but he died within a year thereafter. Born in c1200 in Leuven, Belgium and died in 1276 the Abbey at Villers-la-Ville, Brabant (Holland) of natural causes. Also known as – Arnulf, Arnulf of Louvain, Arnulf of Lovanium, Arnolf of Löwen, Arnulf of Villers, Arnulfus Lovaniensis, Arnolfo, Arnoul.

We have scant information on his life and his antecedents. All we have is the knowledge of his work as a Monk.

He compiled the first volume of the Annals of the Villers Abbey (1146–1240). However, his primary significance is as a poet. His “Excerptum Speculi Caritatis” (An excerpt from The Mirror of Charity) is a verse adaptation of the “Summa Causum” (The Sum of the Cause?) of St Raymond of Peñafort.

Arnulf is also the author of the “Membra Jesu Nostri,” a cycle of seven Poems, each a meditation on one of the Wounds of the Crucified Christ.

In the 17th Century, a German translation was written, which became “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded” in English.

This Poem/Hymn was incorrectly ascribed to St Bernard of Clairvaux, for they are consistent with his style and his devotion. However, “the external proof for this ascription is so slight as to be negligible” (Hurlbut, VII, 18).

The “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded” did appear in St Bernard’s collected works,but only two hundred years after his death. When the Monasteries were suppressed in the French Revolution, all of the relevant manuscripts disappeared. The only surviving manuscript, dated 1320, bears Arnulf’s name (Arnulfus de louan).

The words of the Hymn remind us, not only of the depth of Christ’s love but also how much He suffers because of our sins.

Membra Jesu Nostri
O Sacred Head, Now Wounded
By Blessed Arnulf of Leuven O.Cist. (c1200-1276)

O sacred Head, now wounded,
with grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded
with thorns, Thine only crown;
O sacred Head, what glory,
what bliss till now was Thine!
Yet, though despised and gory,
I joy to call Thee mine.

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered,
was all for sinners’ gain;
Mine, mine, was the transgression
but Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Saviour!
’Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favour,
vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

Men mock and taunt and jeer Thee,
Thou noble Countenance,
Though mighty worlds shall fear Thee
and flee before Thy glance.
How art thou pale with anguish,
with sore abuse and scorn!
How doth Thy Visage languish
that once was bright as morn!

Now from Thy cheeks has vanished,
their colour once so fair;
From Thy red lips is banished
the splendour that was there.
Grim death, with cruel rigour,
hath robbed Thee of Thy life;
Thus Thou hast lost Thy vigour,
Thy strength in this sad strife.

My burden in Thy Passion,
Lord, Thou hast borne for me,
For it was my transgression
which brought this woe on Thee.
I cast me down before Thee,
wrath were my rightful lot;
Have mercy, I implore Thee;
Redeemer, spurn me not!

What language shall I borrow
to thank Thee, dearest Friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow,
Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever
and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never,
outlive my love to Thee.

My Shepherd, now receive me;
my Guardian, own me Thine.
Great blessings Thou didst give me,
O Source of gifts Divine.
Thy Lips have often fed me
with words of Truth and Love;
Thy Spirit oft hath led me
to Heavenly joys above.

Here I will stand beside Thee,
from Thee I will not part;
O Saviour, do not chide me!
When breaks Thy loving Heart,
When soul and body languish
in death’s cold, cruel grasp,
Then, in Thy deepest anguish,
Thee in mine arms I’ll clasp.

The joy can never be spoken,
above all joys beside,
When in Thy Body broken
I thus with safety hide.
O Lord of Life, desiring
Thy Glory now to see,
Beside Thy Cross expiring,
I’d breathe my soul to Thee.

My Saviour, be Thou near me
when death is at my door;
Then let Thy Presence cheer me,
forsake me nevermore!
When soul and body languish,
oh, leave me not alone
But take away mine anguish
by virtue of Thine own!

Be Thou my consolation,
my shield when I must die;
Remind me of Thy Passion
when my last hour draws nigh.
Mine eyes shall then behold Thee,
upon Thy Cross shall dwell,
My heart by faith enfolds Thee.
Who dieth thus dies well!

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, franciscan OFM, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

PALM SUNDAY, Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia / Our Lady of the Highest Grace, (1506) St Francis of Paola and Memorials of the Saints – 2 April

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PALM SUNDAY

Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia / Our Lady of the Highest Grace, Higuey, Dominican Republic (1506) Patron of Dominicans- 2 April:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/02/nuestra-senora-de-la-altagracia-our-lady-of-the-highest-grace-1506-and-memorials-of-the-saints-2-april/

St Francis of Paola O.M. (1416-1507) known as “Saint Francis the Fire Handler” – Confessor, Monk and Founder, inspired with the Gift of Prophecy and still called the “Miracle-Worker” Apostle of the poor, Peacemaker. He was an Italian mendicant Friar and the Founder of the Order of Minims. Unlike the majority of founders of men’s religious orders and like his Patron Saint, Francis was never ordained a priest. His Body was Incorrupt until destroyed in the French Revolution. He was Canonised in 1519 by Pope Leo X.
St Francis’s Life:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/04/02/saint-of-the-day-2-april-st-francis-of-paola-o-m-1416-1507/

St Abundius of Como
St Agnofleda of Maine
St Appian of Caesarea (c287-306) Martyr, Layman
Blessed Arnulf of Leuven O.Cist. (c1200-1276) Abbot
St Bronach of Glen-Seichis
St Constantine of Scotland
St Ebbe the Younger
St Eustace of Luxeuil
St Gregory of Nicomedia
St John Payne

Blessed Leopold of Gaiche OFM Cap (1732-1815) Priest, and Friar of the Order of Friars Minor of the Capuchin branch, Missionary Preacher in Italy, called “The Apostle of Umbria.” He became renowned for wearing a crown of thorns. He served in a position of power in the Franciscan Order in the Umbrian region in which he supported strong adherence to the Rule of Saint Francis.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/04/02/saint-of-the-day-2-april-blessed-leopold-of-gaiche-ofm-cap-1732-1815/

St Lonochilus of Maine
St Musa of Rome
St Nicetius of Lyon
St Rufus of Glendalough
St Theodora of Tiria

St Urban of Langres (c 327-c 390) Bishop, the sixth Bishop of Autun and Langres, in Burgundy, France from 374 until his death, Confessor.
About St Urban:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/02/saint-of-the-day-2-april-saint-urban-of-langres-c-327-c-390/

St Victor of Capua

Martyrs of Africa – 10 Saints: A group of ten Christians Martyred together in Africa, date unknown. We have six of their names – Marcellinus, Procula, Quiriacus, Regina, Satullus and Saturnin but no other information has survived.

Martyrs of Thessalonica – 16 Saints: Sixteen Christians who were Martyred together in Thessalonica in Greece, date unknown. We know nothing else about them but 13 of their names – Agapitus, Agatophus, Cyriacus, Dionysius, Gagus, Julianus, Mastisius, Proculus, Publius, Theodoulus, Urbanus, Valerius and Zonisus.

Posted in APRIL -MONTH of the RESURRECTION and the BLESSED SACAMENT, The RESURRECTION

Traditional Devotion for the Month of April – The Resurrection

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Devotion for the Month of April

TRADITIONAL – The Resurrection

Since Easter Sunday falls most frequently in April, the faithful have traditionally celebrated this month as the most joyous month of the year, by assigning the entire month to the Resurrection, the foundation of our Faith.

“I am the Resurrection and the Life,
he who believes in Me,
although he be dead, shall live.”
John 11:25

“Haec dies quam fecit Dominus”
“This is the day which the Lord has made.”

Throughout the Octave we shall sing of the unequaled joy which throws open eternity to us. Every Sunday will furnish a reminder of it and from Sunday to Sunday, from year to year, the Easters of this earth will lead us, to that blessed day, on which Christ has promised that He will come again with glory, to take us with Him into the Kingdom of His Father.

“If we follow Christ closely we shall be allowed,
even on this earth,
to stand, as it were,
on the threshold of the heavenly Jerusalem
and enjoy the contemplation,
of that everlasting Feast,
like the blessed Apostles,
who, in following the Saviour as their Leader,
showed and still show,
the way to obtain the same gift from God.
They said – See, we have left all things and followed Thee.
We too follow the Lord
and we keep His Feast
by deeds rather than by words.”

St Athanasius (297-373)
Father & Doctor of the Church

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OUR Cross, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL

Thought for the Day – 1 April – The Interior Life

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Thought for the Day – 1 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Interior Life

“The daily struggle for existence, gradually wears down both the [physical and the intellectual life.
The same can happen to the supernatural life.
The long process of self-denial, acceptance of crosses and efforts to achieve perfection, can be very difficult and very tiring.
Often, we feel weary and discouraged but, on these occasions, we must recall the words of Jesus, “Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/29/thought-for-the-day-29-august-the-interior-life/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FREEDOM, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The HOLY NAME, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The LORD'S PRAYER, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 1April – ‘He who hates his life in this world, keeps it, unto life everlasting.’ John 12:25

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Quote/s of the Day – 1April – “The Month of the Resurrection” – Saturday in Passion Week – Jeremias18:18-23, John 12:10-36 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“He who loves his life, loses it
and he who hates his life
in this world,
keeps it unto life everlasting.
If anyone serves Me,
let him follow Me
and where I am,
there also shall My servant be.”

John 12:25-26

“Why then do we pray
for the Kingdom of Heaven to come,
if this earthly bondage pleases us?
WHAT IS THE POINT of praying so often
for its early arrival,
if we would rather serve the devil here
than reign with Christ!?”

St Cyprian of Carthage (200-258)
Bishop of Carthage, Martyr,
Father of the Church

(Excerpt from On Man’s Mortality)

“Regard as free, not those,
whose status makes them outwardly free
but those, who are free
in their character and conduct.
For we should not call men truly free
when they are wicked and dissolute,
since they are slaves to worldly passions.
Freedom and happiness of soul
consist in genuine purity
and detachment from transitory things.”

St Anthony Abbot (251-356)

“True spiritual life consists in this:
that man keep his eyes on God, constantly,
long for nothing but for God,
keep nothing in mind but God
and begin every single action,
in God’s Name
and direct it to Him.”

St Anthony Mary Zaccaria (1502-1539)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, LENT 2023, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The SIGN of the CROSS

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 1 April – Saturday in Passion Week, Thy Holy Cross

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Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 1 April – Saturday in Passion Week

“Thy Holy Cross ”

SATURDAY IN PASSION WEEK
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

“IT WILL BE USEFUL always to carry the Crucifix about with us, to kiss it often with love, to look upon it with respect and tenderness, saying at times:
O Jesus, the Beloved of my heart,
permit me to press Thee to my breast
as a bundle of myrrh.
I promise that my mouth,
which is so happy as to kiss Thy Holy Cross,
shall abstain from deceits,
from murmurs, from every word
which might displease Thee;
that my eyes, which behold Thy tears
and Blood flowing for my sins,
shall look no more upon the vanities
of the world, or anything
which might expose me to offend Thee;
that my ears, which hear
with so much consolation
the seven words pronounced on the Cross,
shall take no more pleasure in empty praise,
in useless conversation,
in words that wound the neighbour;
that my mind, after having studied
with so much relish,
the Mystery of the Cross,
shall be closed against all vain or evil thoughts
and imaginations;
that my will, submissive to the laws of the Cross
and to the love of Jesus Crucified,
shall have only charity towards my brethren
that, in fine, nothing shall enter into ,
or depart from my heart,
without the permission of this Holy Cross,
the Sacred Sign of which,
I trace upon myself at rising
and at going to rest
and in all the sorrows of life.
Amen.” – (Consoling Thoughts of St Francis de Sales).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, OUR Cross, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 1 April – “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” – John 12:21

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One Minute Reflection – 1 April – “The Month of the Resurrection” – Saturday in Passion Week – Jeremias18:18-23, John 12:10-36 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” – John 12:21

REFLECTION – “At Jerusalem the crowd cried out: “Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord, the King of Israel” (cf Mk 11:10). The phrase “He Who comes.” is well said because He is always coming, He never fails us – “The Lord is close to those who call upon Him in truth. Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord” (Ps 144:18; 117:26). The gentle King of peace stands at our door… Soldiers here below, Angels in Heaven, mortals and immortals… cry aloud: “Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord, the King of Israel.” The Pharisees, however, stand aloof (Jn 12:19) and the priests are incensed by it. But the voices which sing God’s praises ring out without ceasing – creation is full of joy…

That is why, on this very day, some Greeks, prompted by this tremendous acclamation to worship God with devotion, approached one of the Apostles, named Philip and said to him: “We would like to see Jesus.” Note well, it is the whole crowd who carries out the task of herald and prompts these Greeks to be converted. Straightaway, these latter address Christ’s disciples – “We would like to see Jesus.” Those gentiles are imitating Zachaeus, not that they climb a sycamore tree [to see Jesus] but, they make haste to rise up in their knowledge of God (Lk 19:3). “We should like to see Jesus” not so much to behold His Face but, to bear His Cross. For Jesus, Who could see their desire, had unambiguously declared to those who were standing by: “Now the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” calling “glory” the conversion of the gentiles.

And He gave the name “glory” to the Cross. For, from that day to this, the Cross is glorified. Indeed, it is the Cross which still today, Consecrates Kings, adorns Priests, protects virgins, gives constancy to hermits, reinforces the marriage bond and strengthens widows. It is the Cross which makes the Church fruitful, brings light to the peoples, guards the desert, opens paradise.” – St Proclus of Constantinople (Died c446) Archbishop of Constantinople, Confessor, Defender of the Church and of the Blessed Virgin, Writer, renowned Preacher, Father of the C hurch (Sermon for Palm Sunday).

PRAYER – O Lord, may the people dedicated to Thee desire to serve Thee more and more that, taught by these sacred rites, they may be enriched by more precious gift,s as they grow in favour with Thy majesty. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS

Our Morning Offering – 1 April – What Can I Say? By St Anselm

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Our Morning Offering – 1 April – Saturday in Passion Week

What Can I Say?
By St Anselm (1033-1109)
Magnificent Doctor
Marian Doctor

My most merciful Lady,
what can I say about the fountains
which flowed from thy most pure eyes
when thou saw thy only Son before thee,
bound, beaten and suffering?
What do I know of the flood
which drenched thy matchless face,
when thou beheld thy Son,
thy Lord and thy God,
stretched on the Cross without guilt,
when the flesh of thy flesh
was cruelly butchered by wicked men?
How can I judge, what sobs,
troubled thy most pure breast,
when thou heard,
“Woman, behold thy son,”
and the disciple, “Behold, thy Mother,”
when thou received as a son,
the disciple, in place of the Master,
the servant, for the Lord?
Amen

From “The Prayers and Meditations of Saint Anselm with the Proslogion,” Benedicta Ward, trans,1973, Penguin classics, Penguin Group (UK)

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 1 April – Saint Celsus of Armagh (c1080-1129) Archbishop

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 1 April – Saint Celsus of Armagh (c1080-1129) Archbishop of Armagh, Reformer. He was responsible for the change from lay control of the Church in Ireland, to a Clerical-Episcopal model. Himself a hereditary lay administrator, he decided to seek Priestly Ordination and be embraced celibacy in order that the reform introduced by Pope St Gregory VIII on the Continent, could take effect also in Ireland. Born in c1080 in Ireland and died on 1 April 1129 at Ardpatrick, Munster, Ireland of natural causes. Also known as – Cellach Mac Aodh, Cellach Mc Aedh, Cellach of Armagh, Ceilach, Ceillach, Celestinus, Celsus, Keilach, Kelly.

This might be St Celsus or St Malacy?

Celsus was born in c1080. He belonged to a powerful local family, the Clann Sínaigh, which controlled what was then the Hereditary Lay Abbacy of Armagh. In this system the lay “successor” (of some Saint, in this case of St Patrick), was also the administrator, in this case of Armagh. That was the Ecclesiastical structure in Ireland at that time. Bishops and Priests seem to have had little influence and were probably under the control of these lay Abbots. In 1091 Celsus inherited the title of Administrator and was then the effective “Bishop” of Armagh.

Lay control of Bishoprics had also been operative in Europe but with the reform of Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085) it was gradually replaced by a Diocesan structure with Bishops. This reform spread to England, especially when strong Norman Archbishops like Bl Lanfranc and St Anselm, came to the See of Canterbury. In response to requests from the Norse community in Dublin, Bl Lanfranc had Consecrated Donngus and St Anselm had Consecrated Samuel Ó h-Ainglí as the Bishops for Dublin. In 1096, St Anselm had also Consecrated Malchus, as the first Bishop of Waterford.

In line with this reform Celsus of Armagh, a man of learning and piety, not yet married, made the courageous decision to become a Priest. In 1106 Maol Muire Ó Dunáin Consecrated him Bishop. In 1111 at the Synod of Rathbreasail at which Celsus was present, the reforms were made nationwide and the whole country was divided into formal Diocese with Cashel and Armagh as the two Archbishoprics.

In the face of stern opposition, probably most of all from within his own family, Celsus administered Armagh, whose Diocesan boundaries were laid down at this time. As a metropolitan Province, Armagh was given twelve suffragan Diocese. Dublin at this stage had a strong Norse population and was more linked with Canterbury. But in 1121, after Bishop Samuel Ó h-Ainglí died, Celsus went to Dublin as the new Bishop Gregory, was being installed.

In his absence Celsus appointed the young Monk Malachy (to become St Malachy of Lismore), who later succeeded him, to act as his Vicar in Armagh. Possibly his lengthy absence in Dublin was connected to a dispute there between the Norse and Irish factions or to his desire to assert Irish influence in that City.

Celsus, when he returned to Armagh in 1122, saw that Malachy had sterling qualities suitable in a Bishop. He sent him first to Lismore, where he could have contact with Benedictine influences from England and the continent. Celsus continued to administer Armagh. When Malachy returned, Celsus gave him the task of restoring Bangor as a monastic community and in 1124, he Consecrated him as the Bishop of Connor.

Knowing that his own family would try to regain control of Armagh when he died, Celsus named Malachy as his successor as Bishop there, sending him his Crozier in token. In 1129 while visiting Munster, Celsus died at Ardpatrick and was buried in Lismore at his own request. Malachy did indeed have difficulties establishing control as Bishop. But he was able to have Giolla Mac Liag, the Abbot of Derry, installed and accepted as effective Bishop and administrator of Armagh, while he himself returned to the Monastery of Bangor. Malachy then Consecrated a Bishop for Connor Diocese, keeping the See of Down for himself.

St Celsus personal decision to become a celibate Priest and a Bishop, effected a crucial change in the organisation and reform of the Church in Ireland in the 12th Century. He deserves to be better known and acknowledged for his personal example and achievements in the formation of the Church Episcopal structure in Ireland. St Celsus pray for Holy Mother Church, pray for Ireland, pray for us all!

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Saturday in Passion Week and the First Saturday of the Month of the Resurrection, Nostra Signora delle Lacrime / Our Lady of Tears, Sicily (1953) and Memorials of the Saints – 1 April

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Saturday in Passion Week – FAST

APRIL – THE MONTH OF THE RESURRECTION

First Saturday of the Month

Nostra Signora delle Lacrime / Our Lady of Tears, Sicily (1953) – 1 April:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/01/maundy-thursday-2021-our-lady-of-tears-sicily-1953-and-memorials-of-the-saints-1-april/

Blessed Abraham of Bulgaria
Blessed Alexander of Sicily
Saint Anastasio
Blessed Antonius of Noto
Saint Berhard of Amiens
Blessed Bernhardin of Noto
Saint Celsus of Armagh (c1080-1129) Bishop
Saint Dodolinus of Vienne
Blessed Gerard of Sassoferrato
Saint Gilbert de Moray
Blessed Giuseppe Girott
Blessed Hugh of Bonnevaux

Saint Hugh of Grenoble (1053-1232) Bishop, Reformer, in the foundation of the Carthusian Order, founded a Monastery at Chalais.
The Roman Martyrology reads: “In Grenoble in Burgundia, in today’s France, St Hugh, Bishop, who worked for the reform of the customs of the clergy and the people and, during his Episcopate, ardently loving solitude, gave St Bruno at the time, his teacher and to his companions, the hermitage of Chartroux, of which he was also the first Abbot. He ruled his Church for about fifty years with the thoughtful example of his charity.”
The life of another St Hugh:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/04/01/saint-of-the-day-1-april-saint-hugh-of-grenoble-1053-1232/

Saint Jacoba of Rome
Blessed John Bretton
Saint Leucone of Troyes

Blessed Lodovico Pavoni FMI (1784-1849) Priest, Founder of the Sons of Mary Immaculate which came to be known also as the “Pavoniani, “ Pioneer in vocational schools, known as the “Forerunner of St John Bosco.” In the decree of 5 June 1947 Pope Pius XII described Pavoni as “another Philip Neri, the precursor of St John Bosco and the perfect emulator of St Joseph Cottolengo.”
His Lifestory:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/04/01/saint-of-the-day-1-april-saint-lodovico-pavoni-fmi-1784-1849/

Blessed Marcelle

Saint Mary of Egypt (c 344-c 421) Desert Mother, Penitent, Recluse.
Her Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/01/saint-of-the-day-1-april-saint-mary-of-egypt-c-344-c-421/

Saint Melito Sardis (Died c 180) Early Church Father, Bishop of Sardis (Died c 180), ecclesiastical Writer, Confessor, Apologist, Defender of Christ’s dual nature. Saint Melito is believed to have been martyred around the time he wrote his apology to Marcus Aurelius circa 180.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/04/01/saint-of-the-day-1-april-st-melito-died-c-180/

Blessed Nicolò of Noto
Saint Prudentius of Atina
Saint Tewdrig ap Teithfallt
Saint Theodora of Rome
Saint Valery of Leucone
Saint Venantius of Spalato
Blessed Vinebault

Apostles of Picardy – Martyrs:
Saint Caidoc
Saint Fricor

Martyrs of Thessalonica – 6 Saints: A group of Christians Martyred. We know nothing about them but the names Alexander, Dionysius, Ingenianus, Panterus, Parthenius and Saturninus. Martyred in Thessalonica, Greece, date unknown.

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION

Thought for the Day – 31 March – The Redemption

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Thought for the Day – 31 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Redemption

“Do I ever think of all that I have cost Jesus?
Do I ever meditate on His Infinite Love for me?
If I could constantly bear in mind the work of Redemption and the Passion of Jesus Christ, I should certainly never offend God and I should be on fire with love for Him.
Moreover, if in time of temptation, I were to pray earnestly before the image of Christ Crucified, I should certainly succeed in my resistance, by asking the suffering Lord for His Divine assistance.

If by some misfortune, however, I should fall into sin, it should suffice to kiss the Crucifix in order to revive my confidence in Christ, to rouse myself to sorrow, to obtain pardon and to begin a new life.
That should be the fruit of the Redemption for me.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/09/13/thought-for-the-day-13-september-the-redemption/

Posted in MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

Quote of the Day – 31 March – STABAT MATER

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Quote of the Day – 31 March – Friday in Passion Week, the Fifth Friday in Lent, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows – Judith 13:22, 25, John 19:25-27 – – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

STABAT MATER

At the cross her station keeping,
Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to Jesus to the last.
Through her heart, His sorrow sharing,
All His bitter anguish bearing,
Now at length the sword had passed.

Oh, how sad and sore distressed
Was that Mother highly blest,
Of the sole begotten One!
Christ above in torment hangs.
She beneath beholds the pangs
Of her dying glorious Son.

Is there one who would not weep,
Whelmed in miseries so deep,
Christ’s dear Mother to behold?
Can the human heart refrain
From partaking in her pain,
In that Mother’s pain untold?

Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,
She beheld her tender Child,
All with bloody scourges rent.
For the sins of His own nation,
Saw Him hang in desolation
Till His spirit forth He sent.

O thou Mother: fount of love!
Touch my spirit from above,
Make my heart with thine accord.
Make me feel as thou hast felt;
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ my Lord.

Holy Mother, pierce me through;
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Savior crucified.
Let me share with thee His pain,
Who for all my sins was slain,
Who for me in torment died.

Let me mingle tears with thee,
Mourning Him who mourned for me,
All the days that I may live.
By the Cross with thee to stay;
There with thee to weep and pray,
Is all I ask of thee to give.

Virgin of all virgins best,
Listen to my fond request:
Let me share thy grief divine.
Let me to my latest breath,
In my body bear the death
Of that dying Son of thine.

Wounded with His every wound,
Steep my soul till it hath swooned
In His very blood away.
Be to me, O Virgin, nigh,
Lest in flames I burn and die,
In His awful Judgment day.

Christ, when Thou shalt call me hence,
Be Thy Mother my defense,
Be Thy Cross my victory.
While my body here decays,
May my soul Thy goodness praise,
Safe in Paradise with Thee.
Amen

Note: This text of the Stabat Mater is one of over 60 translations of this famous 13th Century Latin Hymn/Prayer.
The Author is uncertain but is believed to be either St Jacopone da Todi OFM (1230-1306) or Pope Innocent III (1161-1216)[reigned from from 8 January 1198 until his death on 16 July 1216].
The title comes from its first line, “Stabat Mater dolorosa” – which means “the sorrowful mother was standing.”
It is often used when praying the Stations of the Cross.
The original Latin text of the Stabat Mater has also been set to music by such composers as Haydn, Rossini, and Poulenc.

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, LENT 2023, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, St PAUL!, The HOLY CROSS, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 31 March – Friday in Passion Week, Blessed is the soul, which thus everywhere,,finds Jesus Christ Crucified!

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Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 31 March – – Friday in Passion Week, The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin

“Blessed is the soul, which thus everywhere,
finds Jesus Christ Crucified!”
St Francis de Sales

FRIDAY IN PASSION WEEK
The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

“St Paul, the incomparable master, the great Doctor of the Infant Church, made Jesus Christ on the Cross the delightful object of his love, the sweet subject of his discourses, the end of all his aspirations in this world and the foundation of all his hopes in eternity.
“I have judged myself,” he says, “to know nothing but my Jesus Crucified; God forbid that I should ever glory in any other thing. than in the Cross of my Jesus and think not that I have any other life, than that of the Cross; for I assure you, that I so feel and behold everywhere, the Cross of my Saviour, that by His grace I am altogether crucified to the world and the world is entirely crucified to me.”
Blessed is the soul, which thus everywhere, finds Jesus Christ Crucified!” – (Consoling Thoughts of St Francis de Sales).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, DYING / LAST WORDS, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2023, LENTEN THOUGHTS, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 31 March – “Woman, behold thy son. … Behold thy mother” – John 19:26

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One Minute Reflection – 31 March – Friday in Passion Week, the Fifth Friday in Lent, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows – Judith 13:22, 25, John 19:25-27 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Woman, behold thy son. … Behold thy mother” – John 19:26

REFLECTION – “Mary, the Mother of the Lord, stood by her Son’s Cross. No-one has taught me this but the holy Evangelist John. Others have related how the earth was shaken at the Lord’s Passion, the sky was covered with darkness, the sun withdrew itself and how, the thief was, after a faithful confession, received into paradise. John tells us what the others have not told, how the Lord, while fixed on the Cross called to His Mother. He thought it was more important that, victorious over His sufferings, Jesus gave her the offices of piety, than that He gave her a Heavenly Kingdom. For if it is the mark of religion to grant pardon to the thief, it is a mark of much greater piety, that a mother is honoured with such affection, by her Son. “Behold,” He says, “thy son.” “Behold thy mother.” Christ testified from the Cross and divided the offices of piety, between the mother and the disciple.

Nor was Mary below what was becoming the Mother of Christ. When the Apostles fled, she stood at the Cross and with pious eyes beheld her Son’s wounds. For she did not look to the death of her offspring but to the salvation of the world. Or perhaps, because that “royal hall” knew, that the redemption of the world would be through the death of her Son, she thought that by her death, she also might add something to that universal gift. But Jesus did not need a helper, for the redemption of all, Who saved all without a helper. This is why He says, “I am counted among those who go down to the pit. I am like those who have no help.” He received indeed, the affection of His Mother but sought not another’s help. Imitate her, holy mothers, who in her only dearly beloved Son, set forth so great an example of maternal virtue. For neither have you sweeter children, nor did the Virgin seek the consolation of being able to bear another son.” – St Ambrose (340-397) Archbishop of Milan, Great Western Father and Doctor (Letter 63)

PRAYER – O God, in Whose Passion the sword, according to the prophecy of blessed Simeon, pierced through the soul of Mary, the glorious Virgin and Mother, mercifully grant that we, who reverently commemorate her piercing through and her suffering, may, by the interceding glorious merits of all the saints faithfully standing by the Cross, obtain the abundant fruit of Thy Passion. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS

Our Morning Offering – 31 March – My Sorrowful Mother … By St Alphonsu

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Our Morning Offering – 31 March – Friday in Passion Week, the Fifth Friday in Lent, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows

My Sorrowful Mother,
Help Me to Bear My Crosses
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Doctor of the Church

My sorrowful Mother,
by the merit of that grief
which you felt
at seeing your beloved Jesus
led to death,
obtain for me the grace
to bear with patience,
those crosses which God sends me.
I will be fortunate
if I also shall know how
to accompany you
with my cross until death.
You and Jesus,
both innocent,
have borne a heavy cross
and shall I,
a sinner who has merited hell,
refuse mine?
Immaculate Virgin,
I hope you will help me
to bear my crosses with patience.
Amen

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 31 March – St Agigulf (Died 751) Martyr, Bishop

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Saint of the Day – 31 March – St Agigulf (Died 751) Martyr, Monk, Abbot of Stavelot, Archbishop of Cologne, Died by being murdered in 751 in Cologne, Austrasia (in modern Germany). Also known as – Agigulfus, Agilolfo, Agilulfo, Agilulfus, Agilulph. Additional. Memorials – 6 July (translation of relics), 9 July (translation of relics to Cologne, Germany).

Apart from his name, very little is known about Bishop Agigulf. He came from a good family and was educated under Abbot Angelinus at Stavelot. A short time after succeeding as Abbot of Stavelot, Agigulf became Bishop of Cologne.

He is said to have tried to persuade King Pepin to leave his throne to someone other than Charles Martel, due to Charles’ illegitimacy. Agigulf’s violent end soon after this consulation, could be a result of Martel seeking revenge.

A letter of Pope Zachary in 747 commended Agigulf for signing the Decree on Orthodoxy.

Agigulf. was immediately venerated as a Martyr. In 1062 Bishop St Anno I, brought his remains to the Church of Our Lady of the Steps at Cologne. In 1893, St Agifulf’s Relics re-enshrined and put on public display in Cologne Cathedral

The image below is the Altarpiece of St Agigulf in Cologne Cathedral. It contains seens from the Passion of Christ as well as from the lives of St Agigulf and St Anno I.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, SAINT of the DAY, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS

Friday in Passion Week, The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin, Our Lady of the Holy Cross, Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, Rome and Memorials of the Saints – 31 March

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Friday in Passion Week – FAST and ABSTINENCE

Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows
THE FEAST DAY OF THE SEVEN DOLORS IS TRADITIONALLY THE FRIDAY OF PASSION WEEK, WHICH IS THE FRIDAY BEFORE GOOD FRIDAY, OR ON 15 SEPTEMBER.

Our Sorrowful Mother:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/09/15/saint-of-the-day-15-september-our-sorrowful-mother-mary-the-seven-sorrows/
AND:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/09/15/memorial-of-our-lady-of-sorrows-15-september/
AND HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/09/15/memorial-of-our-lady-of-sorrows-15-september-2/

Our Lady of the Holy Cross, Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, Rome – 31 March:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/31/our-lady-of-the-holy-cross-basilica-di-santa-croce-in-gerusalemme-rome-and-memorials-of-the-saints-31-march/

St Abda
St Acacius Agathangelos of Melitene
St Agigulf (Died 751) Martyr, Monk, Abbot, Bishop
St Aldo of Hasnon
St Balbina of Rome

St Benjamin the Deacon (Died c 424) Deaco and Martyr. Benjamin was executed during a period of persecution of Christians that lasted forty years and through the reign of two Persian kings: Isdegerd I, who died in 421 and his son and successor, Varanes V. King Varanes carried on the persecution with such great fury, that Christians were submitted to the most cruel tortures.
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/31/saint-of-the-day-31-march-st-benjamin-the-deacon-died-c-424-martyr/

Blessed Bonaventure Tornielli OSM (1411-1491) Priest of the Servite Order, called the “Apostolic Preacher”, Confessor, Biblical expert, Missionary Preacher. His cult was confirmed by Pope Pius X in 1911.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/31/saint-of-the-day-31-march-blessed-bonaventure-tornielli-osm-1411-1491/

St Daniel of Venice

St Guy of Pomposa (Died 1046) Monk, Abbot, Hermit, Spiritual Adviser, Ascetic.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/03/31/saint-of-the-day-31-march-st-guy-of-pomposa-died-1046/

Bl Guy of Vicogne

Blessed Jane of Toulouse O.Carm. (Died 1286?) possibly the first Carmelite Tertiary or a fully professed Nun and it is believed, that she received the Veil from the hands of St Simon Stock
Blessed Jane:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/31/saint-of-the-day-31-march-blessed-jane-of-toulouse-o-carm-died-1286/

St Machabeo of Armagh
Bl Mary Mamala
St Mella of Doire-Melle
St Renovatus of Merida

Martyrs of Africa – 4 Saints: A group of Christians Martyred together for their faith. No details have survived except for of their names – Anesius, Cornelia, Felix and Theodulus. They were martyred in Roman pro-consular Africa.

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on THE WORLD

Thought for the Day – 30 March – The Sons of God

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Thought for the Day – 30 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Sons of God

“If we wish to increase in ourselves the Divine Life of Grace, which makes us children of God, we must struggle against our sinful inclinations and cultivate the different virtues which oftentimes, the world hates.
Our lives must be a continuous ascent towards perfection and towards God.
We must not be led astray by the passing attractions of the world.
Worldly glory and success resemble the coloured balloons which are the delight of children as they rise up towards the sky but, which soon float back to earth, when they have been emptied of air.

It is only by our efforts to achieve Christian perfection that we can become true children of God.
Then we shall experience a little happiness on earth and shall be happy forever in Heaven.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/28/thought-for-the-day-27-august-the-sons-of-god/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/08/21/thought-for-the-day-21-august-the-sons-of-god/

Posted in CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The WORD, VENIAL SIN

Quote/s of the Day – 30 March – ‘“She began to bathe His feet with her tears …’

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Quote/s of the Day – 30 March – Thursday in Passion Week – Daniel 3:25, 34-45, Luke 7:36-50 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“She began to bathe His feet with her tears
and wiped them with the hair of her head
and kissed His feet
and anointed them with ointment.”

Luke 7:38

“Do not content yourself
with confessing your venial sins
merely as to the fact
but accuse yourself too,
of the motive which induced you
to commit them.”
(Introduction to the Devout Life,
Part II, Chapter 19).

“We must be very sorry for faults
with a repentance which is strong,
constant, tranquil
but not troubled, unquiet or fainthearted.”
(Treatise on the Love of God, Book 9, Chapter 7).

“Christ was more concerned
with St. Peter’s repentance and remorse,
than with his sin.”
(The Spirit of St. François de Sales, VII, 8)

​St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, LENT 2023, LENTEN THOUGHTS, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The PASSION

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 30 March – Thursday in Passion Week – Live Jesus, Who didst die that my soul might live!

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Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 30 March – Thursday in Passion Week

“Live Jesus, Who didst die
that my soul might live!”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)

THURSDAY IN PASSION WEEK
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

“MY SOUL, live henceforward amid the scourges and the thorns of thy Saviour and there, as a nightingale in its bush, sing sweetly:
Live Jesus, Who didst die that my soul might live!
Ah, Eternal Father!
What can the world return Thee for the gift Thou hast made it of Thy only Son?
Alas! to redeem a thing so vile as I, the Saviour delivered Himself to death and, unhappy me! I hesitate to surrender my nothingness to Him, Who has given me everything!” – (Consoling Thoughts of St Francis de Sales).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The LAST THINGS, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 30 March – ‘ … She did for the feet, what you refused to the Head. …’

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One Minute Reflection – 30 March – “The Month of the St Joseph” – Thursday in Passion Week – Daniel 3:25, 34-45, Luke 7:36-50 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“She began to bathe His feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed is feet and anointed them with ointment.” – Luke 7:38

REFLECTION – “With her hands of good works, she holds the feet of those who preach His Kingdom. She washes them with tears of charity, kisses them with praising lips and pours out the whole ointment of mercy, until He will turn to her. This means that He will come back to her and say to Simon, to the Pharisees, to those who deny, to the nation of the Jews, “I came into your house. You gave me no water for my feet.”

When will He speak these words? He will speak them when He will come in the Majesty of His Father and separate the righteous from the unrighteous, like a shepherd who separates the sheep from the goats. He will say, “I was hungry and you did not give me to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger and you did not take me in.” This is equivalent to saying, “But this woman, while she was bathing my feet, anointing them and kissing them, did to the servants, what you did not do for the Master.” She did for the feet, what you refused to the Head. She expended upon the lowliest members, what you refused to your Creator. Then He will say to the Church, “Your sins, many as they are, are forgiven you because you have loved much.” – St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and “Doctor of Homilies” (Sermon 95).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that the dignity of human nature, weakened by excessive self-indulgence, may be restored by the earnest practice of healing self-denial. 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 HYMNS, MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, St JOSEPH

Our Morning Offering – 30 March – Ad Te, Beate Joseph, To Thee, O Blessed Joseph

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 30 March –“The Month of the St Joseph”- As tomorrow is the Lenten Friday of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin, let us bid St Joseph’s month goodbye today.

Ad Te, Beate Joseph
To Thee, O Blessed Joseph
By Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903)

O most watchful Guardian of the Holy Family,
defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ.
O most loving father,
ward off from us,
every contagion of error
and corrupting influence.
O our most mighty protector,
be propitious to us
and from heaven assist us
in our struggle with the power of darkness
and, as once you rescued the Child Jesus
from deadly peril,
so now protect God’s Holy Church
from the snares of the enemy
and from all adversity.
Shield, too, each one of us
by your constant protection,
so that, supported by your example
and your aid, we may be able
to live piously,
to die holy
and to obtain eternal happiness in Heaven.
Amen

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 30 March – Blessed Joachim of Fiore (c1130-1202) Priest, Abbot

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Saint of the Day – 30 March – Blessed Joachim of Fiore (c1130-1202) Priest, Abbot, Founder, Theologian, Mystic, Writer. Joachim was the Founder of the monastic Order of San Giovanni in Fiore. Later followers, inspired by his works in Eschatology and Historicism theories, are called Joachimites. Born in c1130 at Celico, Calabria, Kingdom of Naples (in modern Italy) and died on 30 March 1202 at Fiore, Calabria, Italy of natural causes. Also known as – Joachim de Floris, Joachim of Flora, Joachim the Prophet, Joachim von Fiore, Gioacchino…

Joachim’s father, Maurus de Celico (whose family name is said to have been Tabellione), a notary holding high office under the Norman Kings of Sicily, placed him at an early age in the Royal Court. While on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Joachim was converted from the world by the sight of some great calamity (perhaps an outbreak of pestilence). He passed the whole of Lent in contemplation on Mount Thabor, where he received celestial illumination for the work of his life, as he recorded in his own writings.

Returning to Italy, he retired to the Cistercian Abbey of Sambucina, probably in 1159 and for some years devoted himself to lay preaching, without taking the religious habit or receiving any orders. The Ecclesiastical authorities raising objections to his mode of life, he took the Cistercian Habit in the Abbey of Corazzo and was Ordained to the Priesthoof, apparently in 1168. He now applied himself entirely to Biblical study, with a special view to the interpretation of the hidden meaning of the Scriptures.

A few years later, much against his will, he was elected Abbot. Finding the duties of his office an intolerable hindrance to what he deemed his higher calling. In 1182, he appealed, to Pope Lucius III, who relieved him of the temporal care of his Abbey, and warmly approved of his work, bidding him continue it in whatever Monastery he thought best.

He spent the following year and a half at the Abbey of Casamari, engaged upon his three great works and there. a young Monk, Lucas (afterwards Archbishop of Cosenza), who acted as his secretary, tells us of his amazement at seeing so famous and eloquent a man wearing such rags and of the wonderful devotion with which he preached and celebrated Holy Mass.

In 1185, the Papal approbation was confirmed by Urban III, and again, more conditionally, by Clement III, in 1187, the latter exhorting him to make no delay in completing his work and submitting it to the judgement of the Holy See. Joachim now retired to the hermitage of Pietralata and finally founded the Abbey of Fiore (or Flora) among the Calabrian mountains, which became the centre of a new and stricter branch of the Cistercian Order, approved by Celestine III in 1198. In 1200 Joachim publicly submitted all his writings to the examination of Innocent III but died before any judgement was passed.

Finally, in 1196, he received Papal permission to establish his own congregation, “San Giovanni in Fiore.” Three Popes encouraged his mystical writings but the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 found his Trinitarian doctrine unacceptable, nevertheless, his reputation for sanctity was acknowledged and safeguarded.

It was held to be in answer to his prayers that he died on Holy Saturday. The holiness of his life is unquestionable; miracles were wrought at his tomb and, although never officially beatified, he is still venerated as a beatus on 30 May and in many places he is known as St Joachim.

Some of Joachim’s theories were disputed by St Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologica (written 1265-1274). Dante, on the other hand, voiced the general opinion of his age in declaring Joachim one “endowed with prophetic spirit.” But he himself always disclaimed the title of prophet. Joachim also completed a concordence of the Old and New Testaments, based on a moment of insight he was given upon waking one Easter morning. One of his works was condemned and refuted by the Church and some of his followers too were outlawed.

Of vital importance is the fact that Joachim himself was never condemned as a heretic by the Church – rather, the ideas and movement surrounding him were condemned. Joachim the man was held in high regard during his lifetime and after his death.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Thursday in Passion Week, Our Lady of Boulogne and Memorials of the Saints – 30 March

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Thursday in Passion Week – FAST

Re-establishment of Chapel of Our Lady, Boulogne-sur-mer, by Bishop Dormy – Basilica of Notre-Dame de Boulogne-sur-mer: – 30 March:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/30/our-lady-boulogne-sur-mer-and-memorials-of-the-saints-30-march/

Blessed Amadeus of Savoy (1435-1472) IXth Duke of Savoy, nicknamed “the Happy,” was the Duke of Savoy, from 1465 to 1472, apostle of the poor and ill, a pious, humble and gentle ruler. Amadeus was a particular protector of Franciscan Friars and endowed other religious houses, as well as homes for the care of the poor and suffering.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/30/saint-of-the-day-30-march-blessed-amadeus-of-savoy-1435-1472/

St Clinius of Pontecorvo
St Cronan Mochua
St Damiano
St Domnino of Thessalonica
St Fergus of Downpatrick
St Irene of Rome
Blessed Joachim of Fiore (c1130-1202) Abbot, Founder, Theologian

St John Climacus (c 525-606) Abbot, Anchorite Monk, Mystic, Poet, Writer, Ascetic, Father
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/03/30/saint-of-the-day-st-john-climacus-c-525-606/

St Leonard Murialdo
St Mamertinus of Auxerre
St Osburga of Coventry
St Pastor of Orléans
St Patto of Werden
St Quirinus the Jailer

St Peter Regalatus OFM (1320-1456) Priest, Friar of the Friars Minor, Superior, gifted with bi-location, prophecy and Miracle working. He was Canonised on 29 June 1746 by Pope Benedict XIV.
The Roman Martyrology reads: “In Aguilera in Castile in Spain, Saint Peter Regalado of Valladolid, Priest of the Order of Minors, who was distinguished for humility and rigour of penance and built two cells, in which only twelve Friars could live in solitude.”
About this zealous Saint:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/30/saint-of-the-day-30-march-saint-peter-regalatus-ofm-1320-1456/

St Regulus of Scotland
St Regulus of Senlis
St Secundus of Asti
St Tola
St Zozimus of Syracuse

Martyrs of Constantinople: Fourth-century Christians who were exiled, branded on the forehead, imprisoned, tortured, impoverished and murdered during the multi-year persecutions of the Arian Emperor Constantius. They were Martyred between 351 and 359 in Constantinople.

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on THE WORLD

Thought for the Day – 29 March – ALMSGIVING

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Thought for the Day – 29 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

ALMSGIVING

“We must be detached from the goods of this world because they are corruptible and cause us to forget God.
Even if we have been placed in easy circumstances, let us be poor in spirit.
We can be poor in spirit by giving alms from motives of Christian charity.
We need the mercy of God and Our Lord has told us that He will be merciful only to those who show mercy to others.

We need God’s forgiveness for all our sins and the Holy Spirit assures us that our iniquities are redeemed by almsgiving.
“Redeem thou thy sins with alms and thy iniquities, with works of mercy to the poor” )Dan 4:24).
Almsgiving is a means of our personal sanctification!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/13/thought-for-the-day-13-august-almsgiving/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/08/06/thought-for-the-day-6-august-almsgiving/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on REASON/INTELLECT, QUOTES on WISDOM, The GOOD SHEPHERD

Quote/s of the Day – 29 March – Hear and Obey

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 29 March –Wednesday in Passion Week – Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-19, 25, John 10:22-38 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“My sheep hear My Voice;
I know them and they follow Me.”

John 10:27

“Peace in us is the result
of two kinds of necessary obedience,
the obedience to right reason
of the lower faculties
and the obedience of right reason
to God, our Creator.
“This is the peace which God
gives on earth to men of goodwill;
this is the most perfect wisdom,”

St Augustine (356-430)
Father and Doctor of Grace

“Do all through love,
nothing through constraint.
Love obedience more
than you fear disobedience.”
(Letter to Madame de Chantal)

“To find the Saviour
outside obedience’
is to lose Him altogether!”
(Letters to Persons in Religion, VI, 22)

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas