Category: ADVENT

Posted in "Follow Me", ADVENT, ADVENT REFLECTIONS, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, CONFESSION/PENANCE, Meditations for ADVENT, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, St JOHN the BAPTIST, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The SECOND COMING

Thought for the Day – 11 December – The Forerunner’s Message

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Thought for the Day – 11 December – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations for Advent
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

The Forerunner’s Message

+1. The refrain of St John’s teaching was a very simple and constant one: “Do penance, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” It seems strange advice . The Coming of the King of Heaven might be a reason for joy, on the part of those who looked for Him and of dread, on the part of His enemies. But why, for doing penance?
Yet the teaching of St John is true now, as it was at the time his words were first spoken.
Penance is the means of preparation for the Advent of our King. This explains the Saint’s love of penance.
What penance do I practice with this object?

+2. Yet, after all it is the natural and most suitable means of preparation. It helps us to bring into subjection, that lower nature which rebels against the sovereignty of our King.
It detaches us from finding our satisfaction in earthly things. It is, in itself, an act of obedience to our King. It renders us humble and teaches us to put our necks under the yoke. It saves us from being separated from the Kingdom we are to share by the long prison of Purgatory.
Learn from all this, to love penance!

+3. Penance is a necessary preparation for receiving our King when He comes to us in humble form in Holy Communion.
This is why Confession is the preliminary of that sacred feast and why, contrition is necessary. We must purge our souls by prayer and penance and sorrow for sins, if we are to rejoice exceedingly in the Bridegroom’s presence and to hear His Voice
sweetly whispering in our ears.
Do I prepare thus for Holy Communion?

Posted in ADVENT QUOTES, ADVENT REFLECTIONS, CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY COMMUNION, QUOTES on SACRILEGE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SIN, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, VENIAL SIN

Quote/s of the Day – 11 December – ‘Make ready then the vessel of your soul …’

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Quote/s of the Day – 11 December – Advent Preparation and Penance

“Make ready then the vessel of your soul
that you may become a son of God
and an heir of God
and joint-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17);
if, indeed, you are preparing yourself
that you may receive;
if you are drawing near in faith
that you may be made faithful;
if of set purpose,
you are putting off the old man!”

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

“If they, must regard themselves
as useless servants, who have done all their duty,
what must I do, who have done
so small a part of what I ought to have done?”

St Andrew Avellino CR (1521–1608)

“What better penance
can a heart do
which commits faults,
than to submit
to a continual abnegation
of self-will?”

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

“What hope would you entertain
of the recovery of the man, who,
instead of taking the medicine prescribed by his physician, drank a cup of poison instead?
God! What can the Sacrament of Penance be
to those who conceal their sins but a deadly poison
which adds to their guilt, the malice of Sacrilege?
What, then, does the sinner do, when he conceals
his sins in Confession?
He tramples underfoot, the Blood of Jesus Christ.
And should he afterwards receive the Holy Communion
in a state of sin, he is, according to St Chrysostom,
as guilty as if he threw the Consecrated Host into a sink …
Accursed shame! how many poor souls
do you bring to hell?
… Unhappy souls! they think only of the shame
of confessing their sins and do not reflect
that, if they conceal them, they shall be
certainly damned!”

St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

“Unfortunately, our only return for God’s
continual favours, has been negligence,
ingratitude and sin!
Since it is an offence against God,
Who is infinitely good and amiable,
even venial sin cannot properly be atoned for
by the merits of all the Angels
and of all the Saints of Heaven.
Therefore, it was necessary for the Son of God,
made Man, to offer Himself
as a Victim of Expiation, on our behalf.
Remembering His Infinite Merits,
we should humbly ask God –
‘forgive us our debts.‘ that is, our many sins
and failings and, whatever punishment is owing to us,
for every sin demands some expiation,
either in this life or in the next!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in ADVENT REFLECTIONS, Meditations for ADVENT, St JOHN the BAPTIST, The SECOND COMING

Thought for the Day – 10 December – The Forerunner of the King

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Thought for the Day – 10 December – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations for Advent
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

The Forerunner of the King

+1. St John Baptist was the chosen messenger to proclaim the coming of the King of kings.
No other Herald had so important an office. He had to prepare the hearts of men for the Coming of the Messias. It was this which constituted him, “the greatest of those born of women.”
If to proclaim the Coming of Christ in the flesh was so solemn and responsible an office, what then must be the dignity and responsibility of the Priests of God, who are sent to announce His Second Coming in glory?

+2. How did St John prepare for his work?
By a life of seclusion and penance.
From childhood, he lived alone in the desert, his bed the hard
ground, his meat locusts and wild honey, his dress a camel’s skin.
Our Lord contrasts him with those who wear soft raiment. No-one who lives a life of luxury, will ever be an efficient messenger of God. A Priest, above all, must avoid a life of ease and self-indulgence, if he wishes to win souls for Christ.

+3. The secret of St John’s success was thus, the result of practising what he preached. He practiced much more than he preached, for he enjoined upon his hearers, the simple performance of ordinary duties, while he himself, led a life of continual penance and self-denial.
If our words are to carry any weight, we must not preach without practising. The parent or superior, who has the
training of the young, will never train them to virtue, unless he himself is a man of virtue.
No-one can reach the hearts of others, unless he firstly fulfils the lessons he teaches.
Do I do this?

Posted in ADVENT QUOTES, CONFESSION/PENANCE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 10 December – “It is time now for us to rise from sleep!”

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Quote/s of the Day – 10 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Within the Octave – Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 11:2-10 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“For this is He of Whom it is written:
Behold. I send My Angel before My face,
who shall prepare Thy way before Thee.”

Matthew 11:10

“It is time now for us to rise from sleep!”

St Benedict (c 480-547)

“Penance is a needful thing to the sinner,
who desires to recover health of his soul.
And, in doing penance, there be three things
to be considered:
serious compunction of heart,
confession of mouth
and satisfaction by deed.”

St John Fisher (1469-1535)
Martyr

“Lord, forgive this great sinner.
Give me time to do penance.
No more world, no more sins!”

St Camillus de Lellis MI (1550-1614)

“Our business is, to gain heaven;
everything else, is a sheer waste of time.”

St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)

Posted in ADVENT, ADVENT REFLECTIONS, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, HOLY COMMUNION, Meditations for ADVENT, QUOTES on PURITY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Thought for the Day – 9 December – The Fulfilment of the Decree

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Thought for the Day – 9 December – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations for Advent
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

The Fulfilment of the Decree

+1. The promised Coming of the Redeemer had indeed been long delayed. Patriarch had succeeded Patriarch, and died without having the privilege of seeing that long-expected day . The long line of the Prophets had passed away but, their desire, for the Messias, had not been satisfied. God always keeps His servants waiting, for His best gifts and, therefore, it was but fitting, they should wait for thousands of years before receiving this Gift of gifts, this Gift in which He gave them Himself.

+2. The Second Person of the Blessed Trinity had also been waiting for one, whose immaculate purity should make her fit, as far as any child of Adam could be fit, to be His Mother. There had been many holy women among the daughters of Abraham but none, without sin and, therefore, none in whose womb the Son of God could find repose.
If Christ thus could not come to dwell with one who was stained with sin, what must be the purity He requires now, of those whose Guest He becomes in Holy Communion
O Jesus, forgive me all my careless receptions of Thee, my want of careful preparation, my faults innumerable!

+3. Christ Himself had prepared a resting-place for Himself in Mary’s sacred breast. As we read in Holy Scripture “The Most High has sanctified a tabernacle for Himself.”
So now, if I am to be fit to receive Him, He must prepare my
heart. Do I think of this during my preparation for Communion and pray Him to cleanse me from every stain in His Most Precious Blood, to beautify with many graces the tabernacle where He is to abide?

Posted in ADVENT REFLECTIONS, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on MORTIFICATION, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, St Francis de Sales, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 9 December – Since our Divine Saviour is so near, what are we to do to prepare ourselves for His coming ?

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One Minute Reflection – 9 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Resumed Mass of Sunday – Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 11:2-10 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Behold I send My Angel before My Face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee.” – Matthew 11:10

REFLECTION – “Since our Divine Saviour is so near, what are we to do to prepare ourselves for His coming ? Saint John the Baptist teaches us : “Repent!” he says, “bring low those mountains of pride, fill those valleys of laziness and pusillanimity, for salvation is near at hand.” The ‘valleys’ are nothing other than fear which, when it becomes too great, leads to discouragement. The sight of the great sins we have committed, brings with them, a shock and fear which strikes the heart. These are the valleys we have to fill, with trust and hope for the coming of our Lord.

“Bring low mountains and hills:”what are these but presumption, pride and self-esteem, which is a very great hindrance to our Lord’s Coming, Who is accustomed to humble and bring low the proud, for He penetrates right to the bottom of our hearts to uncover the pride hidden within them. “Level the highways, the crooked ways make straight to make them a plain.” This is as though He were to say: “Put right all those doubtful intentions, so that you may have none but that of pleasing God, by doing penance, this being the goal to which we should all aim.”

Make straight the path, smooth down your feelings by the mortification of your passions, inclinations and aversions. Oh, what a desirable thing it is, this equanimity of mind and feeling; how faithfully we ought to work to acquire it! For, we are more changing and inconstant, than can be told. People are to be found, who at one moment, being in a good temper, will be of a pleasant and joyful conversation; yet, look on the other side and you will find them sad and restless –in sum, the winding and uneven ways, are to be made straight for the Coming of our Lord!” – St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Bishop of Geneva, Doctor of the Church (Sermon for the 4th Sunday of Advent).

PRAYER – O God, Who by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin, prepared a worthy dwelling for Thy Son,and Who, by Thy Son’s death, foreseen by Thee, preserved her from all taint, grant, we beseech Thee, through her intercession, that we too may come to Thee unstained by sin.Through 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 ADVENT, ADVENT PRAYERS, CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 9 December – Creator Alme Siderum – Creator of the Starry Frame

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Our Morning Offering – 9 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Resumed Mass of Sunday

Creator Alme Siderum
Creator of the Starry Frame
7th Century Advent Hymn

Creator of the starry frame;
Eternal Light of all who live;
Jesu, Redeemer of mankind,
An ear to Thy poor suppliants give.

When man was sunk in sin and death,
Lost in the depth of Satan’s snare,
Love brought Thee down to cure our ills,
By taking of those ills a share.

Thou for the sake of guilty men,
Causing Thine own pure blood to flow,
Didst issue from Thy Virgin-shrine,
And to the Cross a Victim go.

So great the glory of Thy might,
If we but chance Thy Name to sound,
At once all Heaven and Hell unite
In bending low with awe profound.

Great Judge of all, in that last day,
When friends shall fail and foes combine,
Be present then with us, we pray,
To guard us with Thy arm divine.

To God the Father and the Son,
All praise and power and glory be,
With Thee, O holy Comforter,
Henceforth through all eternity.

Also known as Advent Hymn, this translation of the Latin hymn Creator Alme Siderum (Pope Urban VIII’s 1632 revision of the 7th Century Hymn Conditor alme siderum) was first published in Fr Edward Caswall’s Lyra Catholica,

Posted in ADVENT, ADVENT REFLECTIONS, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOGMA, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, GOD ALONE!, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, Meditations for ADVENT, MOTHER of GOD, QUOTES on MOTHERHOOD, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The NATIVITY of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 8 December – The Approaching Day

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Thought for the Day – 8 December – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations for Advent
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

The Approaching Day

+1. When the sun is soon to appear above the horizon, the morning star, shining with a light derived indeed from Him but, nevertheless, shining bright and clear, even before His Coming, gives the signal of His approach. So, the holy Mother of God, dawning upon the world, with a grace and beauty which was the gift of her Divine Son, anticipated His Incarnation and made the world more beautiful in God’s Sight, than it had ever been before. Mary was more precious to God than all the rest of men and this, quite independently of her Divine Maternity.
Consider why this was and learn a lesson for yourself.

+2. The morning star is still clearly seen when all other stars have been extinguished by the light of the Coming Day . Mary has a brilliancy so great that the brightness of all the other Saints fades into nothing in comparison with hers. If this was the case even in comparison with the glory of St John Baptist, St Joseph, Abraham the Patriarch, the friend of God – Job, the model of patience, Daniel, the beloved of God, what must her glory be!
Thank God for having created one child of Adam worthy of Himself!

+3. Mary’s consummate beauty is the consequence of there being in her, nothing of her own. All was God’s ; no mixture of self in her motives, in her aims, in her joys and sorrows, her love and hatred.
Her affections were simply a reflection of what God loved and hated; like God she loved all things except sin and those who were the declared and eternal enemies of God.
She desired nothing for herself, except that, she might see God’s holy Will fulfilled in all.
Is this the account which you can give of yourself ?
Only if this is so, are you a worthy child of Mary.

Posted in ADVENT QUOTES, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, DOGMA, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN QUOTES, MOTHER of GOD, PAPAL ENCYLICALS, QUEENSHIP of MARY, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Quote/s of the Day – 8 December – The Immaculate Conception

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Quote/s of the Day – 8 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Feast of the Immaculate Conception

“Hail, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee,
blessed art thou among women”

Luke 1:28

“Thou alone and Thy Mother,
are in all things fair,
there is no flaw in Thee
and no stain in Thy Mother.”

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

“You have guarded the integrity
of the temple [of your body];
you have kept your tabernacle free from all sin,
so that the Father becomes your guest,
the Holy Ghost overshadows you
and the Only-begotten Son Incarnate
is born of you.”

St Hesychius of Jerusalem (Died c450)
Priest, Exegete, Father

“O Mother blest!
And chosen Shrine
wherein the Architect Divine,
Whose Hand contains the earth and sky
vouchsafed in hidden guise to lie;
Blest in the message Gabriel brought;
blest in the work, the Spirit wrought;
Most blest, to bring to human birth,
the long desired of all the earth!”

St Venantius Fortunatus (c530 – c609)
Bishop, Poet, Theologian, Father

“Let all the children of the Catholic Church,
who are so very dear to us, hear these words of ours.
With a still more ardent zeal for piety, religion and love,
let them continue to venerate, invoke
and pray, to the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
conceived without original sin.
Let them fly with utter confidence
to this most sweet Mother of mercy and grace
in all dangers, difficulties, needs, doubts and fears.
Under her guidance,
under her patronage,
under her kindness and protection,
nothing is to be feared; nothing is hopeless.
Because, while bearing toward us, a truly motherly affection
and having in her care, the work of our salvation,
she is solicitous about the whole human race.
And since, she has been appointed by God,
to be the Queen of Heaven and Earth
and is exalted above all the Choirs of Angels and Saints
and, even stands at the Right Hand,
of her only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
she presents our petitions in a most efficacious manner.
What she asks, she obtains.
Her pleas can never be unheard!”

Pope Pius IX (1792-1878)
Ineffabilis Deus
(which proclaimed the Dogma of
the Immaculate Conception
on 8 December 1854)

Posted in "Follow Me", ADVENT, ADVENT REFLECTIONS, CATHOLIC TIME, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, Meditations for ADVENT, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on TIME, The REDEMPTION

Thought for the Day – 7 December – The Causes of Delay

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Thought for the Day – 7 December – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations for Advent
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

The Causes of Delay

+1. If the wickedness of the world in heathen times was so great, how was it that the Coming of the Redeemer was so long delayed?
To this question we can only give one answer with absolute certainty, it was so decreed by Almighty God in His Infinite Wisdom. We cannot hope, in this life, to comprehend the Mysteries of the Providence of the Most High. We can only humbly bow our heads and say that, the Redeemer came when God so Willed and that which God Wills, is necessarily the best.

+2. Yet, we can at least form some kind of conjecture, as to the causes of delay. God works by natural means.
In order that the religion of Jesus, should spread all over the world, by the ordinary working of the laws which govern the affairs of men, it was convenient that the world should be subject to one central power. This was never the case until, at the time of Christ’s Nativity, the Roman Empire was mistress of the world. Thus, God prepares the way for His Designs of Mercy and arranges the world’s events according to His Will, yet, without forcing the wills of men.

+3. There was another reason for the long delay.
It was to teach us that, God does nothing hurriedly.
He always waits, before executing His Decrees. In this, He wishes us to imitate Him. The Eternal Wisdom of the Most High needs no time for deliberation. His Works are not gradually perfected, or improved, on second thoughts. But ours are and the slow action (in our understanding of time) of the Providence of God, should impress upon us, the importance of waiting before we act and considering and reconsidering, all our plans .

Posted in ADVENT REFLECTIONS, CATECHESIS, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on MORTAL SIN, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The LAST THINGS, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 7 December –The least in the Kingdom of Heaven – Matthew 5:19

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One Minute Reflection – 7 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Vigil of the Immaculate Conception – St Ambrose (340-397) – Confessor, Bishop, Father and Doctor of the Church – 2 Timothy 4:1-8, Matthew 5:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so, will be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments, will be called greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” – Matthew 5:19

REFLECTION – “For what reason then does He call some of these commandments “least,” although they are so magnificent and lofty? Jesus spoke this way because, He was about to introduce His own teaching, as a new law . As He humbles Himself and speaks of Himself with great modesty, so He refers to His own teaching in the same manner. In this way, Jesus teaches us to practice humility in everything. And besides, since some suspected His teaching to be a new departure, He temporarily taught it in a more reserved way.

But when you hear “least in the Kingdom of Heaven,” you are to think of nothing but hell and punishment. For it was His practice to speak, not only of the joy the Kingdom brings but also, of the time of the resurrection and the fearful event of the Second Coming.

Think of one who calls a brother a fool. That one, transgresses only one commandment, maybe even the slightest one and falls into hell. Compare that one with another, who breaks all the commandments and instigates others to break them too. Do both have the same relationship to the Kingdom? This is not the argument Jesus is making. Rather, He means, that one who transgresses only one of the commands will, on the final day, be the least — that is, cast out — and last and will fall into hell!” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Homily 16).

PRAYER – O God, Thou Who have given blessed Ambrose to Thy people as a help for eternal salvation, grant, we beseech Thee that we may be worthy to have him as our intercessor in Heaven, whom we have had as a teacher of life, on earth. ThroughJesus 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 ADVENT, ADVENT PRAYERS, CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, CHRISTMASTIDE!, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, PRAYERS to the DIVINE INFANT JESUS, The DIVINE INFANT, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR

Our Morning Offering – 7 December – A Great and Mighty Wonder

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Our Morning Offering – 7 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Vigil of the Immaculate Conception

A Great and Mighty Wonder
By St Germanus (c640-c 733)
Father of the Church

A great and mighty wonder,
a glorious mystery,
a Virgin bears an Infant
who veils His Deity.
Refrain:
Proclaim the Saviour’s birth,
“To God on high be glory
and peace to all the earth!”
The Word becomes incarnate
and yet remains on high,
and Cherubim sing anthems
to shepherds from the sky. … [Refrain]
While thus they sing your monarch,
those bright angelic bands,
rejoice, O vales and mountains
and oceans, clap your hands. [Refrain]
Since all, He comes to ransom,
by all, be He adored,
the Infant born in Bethl’em,
the Saviour and the Lord. [Refrain]
All idols then shall perish
and Satan’s lying cease,
and Christ shall raise His sceptre,
decreeing endless peace. [Refrain]

St Germanus was one of the Greek hymnwriters and one of the grandest among the defenders of the Icons. He was born at Constantinople of a patrician family, was Ordained there and became subsequently, Bishop of Cyzicus. He was present at the Synod of Constantinople in 712, which restored the Monothelite heresy but, in after years, he condemned it.
He was made Archbishop of Constantinople in 715. In 730 he was driven from the See, not without blows, for refusing to yield to the Iconoclastic Emperor, Leo the Isaurian. He died shortly afterwards in exile at a good old age.
His Life below:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/05/12/saint-of-the-day-12-may-saint-germanus-of-constantinople-c-640-733/

Posted in ADVENT REFLECTIONS, Meditations for ADVENT, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE

Thought for the Day – 6 December – The Golden Thread

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Thought for the Day – 6 December – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations for Advent
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

The Golden Thread

+1. All through the long ages which elapsed from the promise to the Coming of the Redeemer, a Golden Thread of Light from Heaven ran across their darkness.
In the chosen people of Israel, there ever prevailed a strong conviction of the Coming of a Saviour, Who was to deliver His people from all sin and evil. It was handed down from generation to generation and was, again and again, renewed by the inspired declarations of the Prophets of Israel. Thus God, in His Mercy, never leaves Himself without a witness, to reveal to men of goodwill, the message of hope.

+2. So through all the centuries which have passed since the Coming of Our Lord, the Catholic Church has been the Golden Thread of Light amid the darkness of heresy and heathendom.
What a bright and glorious Thread! What a contrast to all around! How it has, through God’s Mercy , enlightened my life! How can I ever thank God sufficiently for, led by its Divine Light, I am travelling on in peace and safety to the heavenly Jerusalem!

+3. So too, there runs through the life of all those who are to attain at last to the eternal happiness of Heaven, a Golden Thread which never wholly disappears, even though their steps may wander far from the right path.
Sometimes, it is kindness to the poor; sometimes, devotion to the holy souls; very often it is a reverence to the holy Mother of God which thus runs through the whole of life.
In my life God has interwoven some such thread. Do I follow it with grateful perseverance?

Posted in "Follow Me", ADVENT QUOTES, ADVENT REFLECTIONS, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, QUOTES on WATCHING, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 5 December – ‘ … Embrace Him, Whom you have sought. …’

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Quote/s of the Day – 5 December – The First Week of Advent – Ferial Day Romans 13:11-14; Luke 21:25-33 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But when these things begin to come to pass,
look up and lift up your heads
because your redemption is at hand.”

Luke 21:28

“Watch, therefore because you know not
the day, nor the hour.”
Matthew 25:13

“ In the hours of the night, think always on Christ
and hope for His Coming at every moment. …
Christ enters at the open door.
He will not fail to do so, for He has promised to enter.
Embrace Him, Whom you have sought.
Approach Him and be illumined.
Hold Him and ask Him not to go away quickly.
Beg Him not to depart.
For “His Word runs swiftly” (Ps 147:15)
and will not be held by the slothful
or negligent soul.
Let your soul run to His call and follow closely,
the sound of His heavenly Voice,
for His passing is swift. …”

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

“It is only right, my brothers,
to celebrate our Lord’s Coming
with all possible devotion,
so greatly does His comfort gladden us…
and His love burn within us.
But do not just think about His First Coming,
when He Came “to seek and save the lost” (Lk 19:10);
think, too, of that other Coming,
when He will come to take us with Him.
I should like to see you constantly
occupied in meditating on these two Comings…
for they are the two arms of the Bridegroom …”

St Bernard (1091-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor of the Church

Posted in ADVENT REFLECTIONS, CHRIST the LIGHT, In the PRESENCE of GOD, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 5 December – ‘ … In fact, according to the merit and fervour of each one, …’

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One Minute Reflection – 5 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The First Week of Advent – Ferial Day Romans 13:11-14; Luke 21:25-33 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But when these things begin to come to pass, look up and lift up your heads because your redemption is at hand.” – Luke 21:28

REFLECTION – “We are waiting to celebrate Christ’s Birthday and, according to the Lord’s Promise, we will soon see Him. The Scripture demands from us that we rejoice, to the point of raising our spirit above itself and … leaping for joy at the coming of the Lord…For, even before His advent, the Lord comes to you. Before appearing to the whole world, He comes to visit you personally, He Who said: “I will not leave you orphaned; I will come back to you” (Jn 14:18).

In fact, according to the merit and fervour of each one, there is a frequent and familiar advent of the Lord that, in this intermediary period, between his first and last coming, models us on one and prepares us for the other. The Lord comes to us now, so that His First Coming to us, may not be vain and that the last one, may not be that of wrath. Through His present coming, in fact, He works at reforming our pride, in the image of the humility of His first advent, to then remodel our humble body, in the image of the glorified body He will show us when He will return. This is why we should desire and fervently ask this personal coming – which gives us the grace of this first advent and promises us the glory of the last. …

The first was humble and hidden, the last will be resounding and magnificent; the one we are talking about is hidden but it is also magnificent. I say it is hidden, not because it is ignored by whom it concerns but because, it happens secretly in him. … He comes without being seen and He leaves without being noticed. His simple Presence is Light for the soul and for the spirit, by it you may see the invisible and get to know the unknown. This coming of the Lord puts the soul of whom, contemplates it, in a gentle and happy state of admiration. Then, from the inmost depths of man, the cry may burst out: “O Lord, who is like Thee!” (Ps 34:10). Those who have experienced it know, please God, that those who have not yet had this experience, may feel at least, the desire to !” – Blessed Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot (2nd sermon for Advent, 2-4: PL 185, 15-17).

PRAYER – O God, Who, by the message of an Angel, willed to take flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant that we, Thy suppliants, who believe her to be truly the Mother of God, may be helped by her intercession with Thee. 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 ADVENT, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MOTHER of GOD, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS to the DIVINE INFANT JESUS, QUEENSHIP of MARY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Our Morning Offering – 5 December – I’ll Sing a Hymn to Mary

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Our Morning Offering – 5 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

I’ll Sing a Hymn to Mary
By Father John Wyse (1825-1898)
Irish Priest and Hymn writer

I’ll sing a hymn to Mary,
The Mother of my God,
The Virgin of all virgins,
Of David’s royal blood.
O teach me, Holy Mary,
A loving song to frame,
When wicked men blaspheme thee,
To love and bless thy name.

O Lily of the Valley,
O Mystic Rose, what tree,
Or flower, e’en the fairest,
Is half so fair as thee?
O let me, tho’ so lowly
Recite my Mother’s fame.
When wicked men blaspheme thee,
I’ll love and bless thy name.

O noble Tower of David,
Of gold and ivory.
The ark of God’s own promise,
The gate of Heav’n to me.
To live and not to love thee
Would fill my soul with shame.
When wicked men blaspheme thee,
I’ll love and bless thy name.

When troubles dark afflict me
In sorrow and in care,
Thy light doth ever guide me
O beauteous Morning Star.
Lo, I’ll be ever ready
Thy goodly help to claim,
When wicked men blaspheme thee,
To love and bless thy name.

The Saints are high in glory,
With golden crowns so bright;
But brighter far is Mary,
Upon her throne of light.
Oh that which God did give thee,
Let mortal ne’er disclaim;
When wicked men blaspheme thee,
I’ll love and bless thy name.

But in the crown of Mary,
There lies a wonderous gem,
As Queen of all the Angels,
Which Mary shares with them;
No sin hath e’er defiled thee,
So doth our faith proclaim;
When wicked men blaspheme thee,
I’ll love and bless thy name.

And now O Virgin Mary
My mother and my Queen,
I’ve sung thy praise so bless me,
And keep my heart from sin.
When others jeer and mock thee,
I’ll often think how I
To shield my Mother, Mary,
Would lay me down and die.

Verses 4, 5 and 6 omitted on image.

Posted in ADVENT, ADVENT REFLECTIONS, CHRIST the LIGHT, Meditations for ADVENT, The INCARNATION

Thought for the Day – 4 December – The Long Darkness .

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Thought for the Day – 4 December – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations for Advent
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

The Long Darkness .

+1. “The Light extinguished at the Fall, was rekindled in the hearts of our first parents, when the promise was given them, of a Redeemer, Who should undo the fatal mischief which had been done.
But, in their children, Adam and Eve had to lament the fatal effects of that deadly evil they had introduced into the world. As generation followed generation, thicker and thicker grew the darkness, farther and farther did men wander away from the Light which, gave to each, the power of guiding his feet aright from earth to Heaven. Thus, it is, each ill deed goes on bearing its deadly fruit, often long after the doer is dead and gone.

+2. Yet every man had Light and Grace sufficient and more than sufficient, to enable him to walk in the ways of God and, to find his way to the Kingdom of Heaven.
But none, save a very few availed themselves of it. They loved darkness more than the Light!
The world gradually lost all regard for virtue and for God.
How grateful should I be to God that I love Him and co-operate with His Light and Grace!

+3. If I had lived then what should I have been? Even with all my countless graces and advantages , what a poor specimen I am of one made by God, for God and in the Image of God!
In heathen days should I not have been among the most depraved? Should I not have recklessly indulged my own inclinations, irrespective of the Voice of God warning and reproaching me What chance should I have had of saving my soul in those days of dark corruption and depravity?”

Posted in ADVENT QUOTES, APRIL -MONTH of the RESURRECTION and the BLESSED SACAMENT, CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on CREATION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HUMAN DIGNITY, QUOTES on The SOUL, The DIVINE INFANT, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The INCARNATION, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 4 December – Saint “Golden Words”

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Quote/s of the Day – 4 December – St Peter Chrysologus (c400-450) “Golden Words” Confessor, Father & Doctor of the Church

“Whose likeness and inscription is this?”
Matthew 22:20

“The Creator seeks out what else
He can add to your dignity –
He sets His image within you (Gen 1:27)
so that your visible image, might make present,
upon earth, the invisible Creator and, to you,
He entrusts the care of earthly goods, so that,
as vast a domain as this, should not be lacking
a representative from the Lord. …
And what God accomplished in you by His power,
He graciously assumed into Himself –
He wanted to be truly manifested in the man
in whom, hitherto, He had only appeared in image.
He enabled us to become, in reality,
what had only been a mere likeness before. …
And so, Christ is born, to restore
all its integrity, to fallen nature! ”

“Why does your Master
eat with publicans and sinners? ”
Matthew 9:11

“But Christ, my brethren, came to this meal –
Life came amongst these guests that those
who were going to die, might live with Him,
the same Life as He.
The Resurrection reclined at this table
that those who lay in death, might rise from their tombs;
Grace stooped down to raise sinners up, to forgiveness;
God came to man that man might attain to God;
the Judge came to the meal of the guilty,
to release humankind from the sentence of condemnation;
the Doctor came to the sick, to restore their depleted strength
by eating with them; the Good Shepherd bent down
to carry the lost sheep back to salvation’s fold (Lk 15:l3).”

“O my brethren, if only we wanted to,
if only we all wanted to perceive our soul’s paralysis
in all its depth! Then we would see
that it is lying on a stretcher of sins, deprived of strength. Christ’s action within us, would be a source of light
and we would understand that each day
He sees our lack of faith, harmful as it is,
that He draws us towards healing remedies
and sharply presses our rebellious wills.
“My son” He says, “your sins are forgiven you.”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/12/04/quote-s-of-the-day-4-december-st-peter-chrysologus/

St Peter Chrysologus (c400-450)
“Golden Words”
Father & Doctor of the Church

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 4 December – Dear Saviour, Haste! Venez divin Messie

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Our Morning Offering – 4 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

Dear Saviour, Haste!
Venez divin Messie
By Abbé Simon-Joseph Pellegrin (1663-1745)

Dear Saviour, haste!
Come, come to earth.
Dispel the night
and show Thy Face
And bid us hail
the Dawn of grace.
O come, Divine Messias,
The world in silence waits the day
When hope shall sing its triumph,
And sadness flee away.
Amen

This is the Refrain from a beautiful Advent Hymn by Abbé Simon-Joseph Pellegrin, a French Cluniac Monk, Poet, Composer and Playwright.

Posted in ADVENT REFLECTIONS, Meditations for ADVENT, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on WATCHING, The SECOND COMING

Thought for the Day – 3 December – The Announcement of His Coming

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Thought for the Day – 3 December – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations for Advent
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

The Announcement of His Coming

“+1. For a short time after their creation our first parents lived in perfect peace and happiness in the Garden of Eden. If they had continued obedient to the authority of their Creator, during
their whole time of probation, there would have been no need for the advent of the Son of God as their Redeemer from sin, for sin there would have been none.
It was their deliberate rebellion which was the occasion that determined the visit of the Word to this world of ours. No
wonder that the Church sings, O felix culpa! O happy transgression which earned a Redeemer such as this!
Admire God’s wonderful Providence in thus bringing good out of evil and advantage to man for his very sin!

+2. The promise made was couched in words which gave no immediate prospect of the crushing of the serpent’s head and the destruction of his power. It left the curse of sin upon the earth and its inhabitants and announced the sorrows which would accompany them through their time of sojourn here. This law still holds. Christ came to abolish sin but not its temporal consequences.
He who sins shall suffer, is a law which Christ fulfilled and in no way destroyed.

+3. Yet, the promise of a Redeemer rekindled the light of hope in the souls of Adam and Eve. They and all their children, were ever looking and praying for His Coming. God’s intention was to keep them in expectancy. So too, with His Second Coming. There has always been a tradition of expectation. “Blessed is the man whom his Lord , when He cometh, shall find watching.”
Hence, learn to watch and pray.
Come quickly , O Lord Jesus!”

Posted in ADVENT REFLECTIONS, CATECHESIS, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, Meditations for ADVENT, The INCARNATION, The LAMB of GOD, The SECOND COMING

Thought for the Day – 2 December – The Divine Decree .

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Thought for the Day – 2 December – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations for Advent
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

The Divine Decree .

“+1. What brought Christ down from Heaven?
It was man’s sin.
From all eternity the Blessed Trinity, looking forward to the fall of man, had decreed that the Eternal Word should clothe Himself with human flesh and should be born into the world, in order to repair the evil which man had wrought. Thus God, in His Mercy provides a remedy for all the sins and follies of men, even before they are committed. We do the harm and God undoes it.
Has He not often thus averted from me, the consequences due to
my evil deeds?

+2. In what garb was the Son of God to clothe Himself when He became Man?
In one which should give us some idea of the evil He came to undo. He, the Eternal Son, co-equal with the Father, took the form of a servant, was born of a despised race, of humble parents, in poverty and humility and contempt.
All this should impress on us how sin has deserved all these and every other evil imaginable besides. If these were the results of sin on the spotless Lamb of God, what must they be on sinful, feeble man?

+3. The Divine Decree did not stop at this First Coming of the Son of God. There is to be a Second Advent , one in which He will appear in human form indeed, yet now, no longer in lowliness and humiliation but clothed with all the brightness and glory which His Divine Nature can impart to His Sacred Humanity.
In this Second Coming, He is to come and receive the reward which He has earned for His Human Nature and, for all those who had faithfully served Him. He is to come and reign. He is to crush all His enemies under His feet.
Look forward to that glorious day and pray that you may share the glory of the Son of God!”

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, GOD the FATHER, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRAYERS to the DIVINE INFANT JESUS, QUOTES on THANKSGIVING

Our Morning Offering – 2 December – An Act of Thanksgiving By St Gertrude the Great

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Our Morning Offering – 2 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

An Act of Thanksgiving
By St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302)
(Excerpt from her Revelations)

May my soul bless Thee,
O Lord God my Creator,
may my soul bless Thee!
From the very core of my being,
may all Thy merciful gifts sing Thy praise.
Thy generous care, for Thy daughter,
has been rich in mercy;
indeed, it has been immeasurable
and as far as I am able,
I give Thee thanks.
I praise and glorify,
Thy great patience which bore with me.
I offer Thee, most loving Father,
all the sufferings of Thine Beloved Son,
from that first Infant cry
as He lay on the hay in the manger,
until that final movement, when,
bowing His Head, with a mighty Voice,
Christ gave up His Spirit.
I think, as I make this offering,
of all that He underwent,
His needs as a Babe,
His dependence as a young Child,
the hardships of Youth
and the trials of early Manhood.
To atone for all my neglect,
I offer, most loving Father,
all that Thine Only-begotten Son did
during His Life,
whether in thought, word or deed.
And now, as an act of thanksgiving,
I praise and worship Thee Father,
in deepest humility,
for Thy most loving kindness and mercy.
Amen

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, PRAYERS to the DIVINE INFANT JESUS, The DIVINE INFANT

DECEMBER: – The Month of Devotion to The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

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DECEMBER:
The Month of Devotion to The DIVINE INFANCY
and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

The observance of Divine Infancy Month recalls the first Christmas more than 2,000 years ago when Jesus humbled Himself and became Completely Human, while remaining Completely Divine.
The Blessed Virgin Mary was chosen to be the glorious Tabernacle of the Son of God. Therefore, in the first moment of her existence, God, called her into being that she might assume the exalted dignity of the Mother of His Son and, therefore, granted her the singular privilege of exemption from Original Sin.

Look to Our Lady – she is already waiting at the crib, desiring to teach us to make our hearts a pleasant crib for the Christ Child to dwell in.

Cultivate a spirit of prayer and attentiveness to His Presence as the Divine Infant by adopting Aspirations suitable to the season, such as:

Divine Infant King Jesus, come down into our hearts!
​
​Lord Jesus, through Thy Infant cries in the manger,
when Thou was born for me;
through Thy tears, when Thou died for me on the Cross;
throughThy love, as Thou do live for me
in the Tabernacle, have mercy upon me and save me.
Amen!

Posted in ADVENT QUOTES, ADVENT REFLECTIONS, Meditations for ADVENT

Thought for the Day – 1 December – What is Advent?

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Thought for the Day – 1 December – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations for Advent
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

What is Advent?

+I. Advent is the season when we are taught to look forward, both to the First Coming of Our Lord into the world at Christmas-time and also, to His Second Coming at the end of time, to judge the living and the dead .
His First Coming was to seek and to save that which was lost. His
Second Coming will be, to gather His elect into the Celestial Paradise and, to trample all His enemies under His feet.
Shall I, on that day, be regarded by Him as a friend or as an enemy? Is my present life one of devotion to Him and union with Him, or one of selfishness, pride, impatience of the yoke of Christ?

+2. Of all the miracles in the world, never was there one to be compared to His Coming on earth in the form of a man. It was a miracle so entirely above and beyond our reason that, unless we knew it by faith, to be a fact, we should be inclined to pronounce it impossible.
That the Infinite God should take the form of a creature! that the Eternal Word should be clad in a body formed of the dust of the earth! that He should, of His Own accord leave the highest heaven for a life of suffering and a death of agony! Nothing but the power of God could work such a wonder as this!

+3. Yet, we know that it is a fact . “For us men and for our salvation He came down from heaven.”
He yearned after us with a Divine Love. Willingly , joyfully, almost eagerly, He stripped Himself of all His glory. “He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death.”
Who, after this, can refuse to believe that He loved us and still loves us fondly, tenderly? Who can refuse to love Him in return and, to show this love by a loyal obedience to all He asks of us?

Posted in ADVENT QUOTES, CATECHESIS, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, St JOSEPH, The DIVINE INFANT, The HEART, The HOLY CROSS

Quote/s of the Day – 1 December – ‘Open your heart and run to meet the Sun of Eternal Light …’

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Quote/s of the Day – 1 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The First Sunday of Advent

“Open wide your door to the One who comes.
Open your soul,
throw open the depths of your heart
to see the riches of simplicity,
the treasures of peace,
the sweetness of grace.
Open your heart
and run to meet
the Sun of Eternal Light
Who illuminates all men.”

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

“And the Lord God shall give unto Him
the throne of David, His father
and He shall reign in the house of Jacob forever.
And of His Kingdom there shall be no end.”

Luke 1:32-33

“What is said of the House of David
applies, not only to Joseph but also to Mary.
It was a precept of the law that each man should marry
a wife from his own tribe and kindred.”

St Bede the Venerable (673-735)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“The day will come when this Child
will no longer be offered in the Temple,
nor in Simeon’s arms
but outside the City
in the arms of the Cross.
The day will come when He
will not be redeemed
by the blood of a sacrifice
but redeem others ,
with His own Blood. …”
That will be the evening sacrifice;
this is the morning sacrifice;
this one is the happiest
but that one is the most complete;
for this one was offered
at the time of birth
and that one will be offered
in the fullness of time,..”

St Bernard (1091-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor of the Church

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH

Our Morning Offering – 1 December – O Come, O come, Emmanuel

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Our Morning Offering – 1 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The First Sunday of Advent

O Come, O come, Emmanuel

O Come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!

O come, Thou Wisdom, from on high
And order all things far and nigh,
To us the path of knowledge show
And teach us in her ways to go.
Refrain

O come, o come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times did give the law,
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Refrain

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse’s stem,
From ev’ry foe deliver them
That trust Thy mighty power to save
And give them vict’ry o’er the grave.
Refrain

O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heav’nly home,
Make safe the way that leads on high,
That we no more have cause to sigh.
Refrain

O come, Thou Dayspring from on high
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh.
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadow put to flight.
Refrain

O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid every strife and quarrel cease
And fill the world with heaven’s peace.
Refrain

The favourite O Come, O Come Emmanuel carol was originally written in Latin text in the 12th Century. The author of the words and composer to the music of O Come, O Come Emmanuel is unknown. It is, however, believed that the melody was of French origin and added to the text a hundred years later. The Latin was translated into English by John Mason Neale in 1851.

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS

The St Andrew’s Christmas Novena- The Christmas Anticipation Prayer

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The St Andrew’s Christmas Novena
The Christmas Anticipation Prayer

The Novena is not actually addressed to Saint Andrew but to God Himself, asking Him to grant our request in honour of the birth of His Son at Christmas. You can say the prayer all 15 times, all at once; or divide up the recitation as necessary (perhaps five times at each meal). We say ours after the Family Rosary each day, with each member saying it a number of times to total 15.

Prayed as a family, the Saint Andrew Christmas Novena is a very good way to help focus the attention of your family and children on the Advent season. nd the reason for the festivities to come.

This lovely Christmas Anticipatory Prayer, although the Author is Unknown, is traditionally believed to have originated in Ireland in the early 1900s or even before. I know, I myself, in my childhood, prayed this both at home and in my Irish Convent School.

Pray 15 Times each day, until Christmas Day

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment,
in which the Son of God was born,
of the most pure Virgin Mary,
at midnight, in Bethlehem,
in the piercing cold.
In that hour vouchsafe,
I beseech Thee, O my God,
to hear my prayer and grant my desires,
…………………
[here mention your request]
through the merits of Our Saviour, Jesus Christ
and of His Blessed Mother.
Amen

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS

Reminder – St Andrew’s Christmas Novena – Begins on St Andrew’s Feast Day – 30 November

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Just a reminder of this beautiful Catholic tradition

Prepare for the arrival of our King!

Posted in ADVENT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CHILDREN, The NATIVITY of JESUS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 27 August – “And whoever receives one such little child for My sake, receives Me.” – Matthew 18:5

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One Minute Reflection – 27 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – St Joseph Calasanz (1557-1648) Confessor, Priest –Wisdom 10:10-14; Matthew 18:1-5 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And whoever receives one such little child for My sake, receives Me.” – Matthew 18:5

REFLECTION – “Could God not have made the human person perfect right from the beginning? For God, Who has always been identical with Himself and Who is not created, everything is possible. But because the existence of the created beings began after God’s, they are necessarily inferior to God, Who made them … Thus, since they are created, they are not perfect. When they have just been born, they are small children and as small children, they are neither accustomed to, nor have they had practice in, perfect conduct … Thus, God could give perfection to the human person right from the beginning but, the human person was incapable of receiving this perfection, for he was only a small child.

And that is why, in the last times, when our Lord gathered up all things in Himself (Eph 1:10), He came to us, not in His power but, in such a way, we were able to see Him. For He could have come to us in His inexpressible glory but, we were not yet able to bear the greatness of His glory. … Although the Word of God was perfect, with humankind He became a small Child, not for Himself but because of the state of childhood, in which was humankind.” – St Irenaeus (c130-202) Bishop of Lyons, Martyr, Father of the Church (Against the Heresies IV 38, 1-2).

PRAYER – O God, Who through St Joseph, Thy Confessor, did graciously will to provide Thy Church with a new method for the training of youth, in the spirit of understanding and holiness grant, we beseech Thee, that, following his example and through his intercession, we may live and teach so as to acquire an everlasting reward. Through esus 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 ADVENT, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on WATCHING, The INCARNATION, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 19 August – Truly, “it was evening and the day was far spent”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 19 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – St John Eudes (1601-1680) Confessor, “The Apostle of Two Hearts” – – Sirach 31:8-11; Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Blessed are those servants, whom the Master, on His return, shall find watching.” – Luke 12:37

REFLECTION – “It is now fitting we should consider the time of our Lord’s coming. He came, as you know, not in the beginning, nor in the midst of time but in the end of it. This was no unsuitable choice but a truly wise dispensation of Infinite Wisdom, Who, aware that the sons of Adam are inclined to ingratitude, ordained that He would not come to their aid, until they were in the greatest need.

Truly, “it was evening and the day was far spent” and the “Sun of Justice” had almost set (Lk 24:29; Mal 3:20); only a faint ray of its light and heat remained on earth. The Light of Divine knowledge was very small, and, as iniquity abounded, so the fervour of charity grew cold (Mt 24:12). No Angel appeared; no Prophet spoke. The angelic vision and the prophetic spirit alike, had passed away, both hopelessly baffled by the obduracy and obstinacy of humankind. Then, it was that the Son of God said: “Behold, I come” (Ps 39:8; Heb 10:7). And “while all things were in quiet silence and night was in the midst of its swift course, Thy Almighty Word leaped down from Heaven, from Thy Royal throne” (Wis 18:14-15). As the Apostle Paul says: “When the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son” (Gal 4:4).” – St Bernard (1090-1153) Cistercian Abbot, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 1 of Advent).

PRAYER – O God, Who wondrously enkindled St John, Thy Confessor, to promote the religious veneration of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and through him, willed to found new religious families in the Church, grant, we beseech Thee that we may honour his holy merits and may learn from the example of his virtues. 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).