Thought for the Day – 26 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
THE CRUCIFIX
“Let us weep for our sins and increase in love for our Divine Redeemer. When we are oppressed by the weight of our own cross, we shall look at the Crucifix and find comfort. When we are tempted, we shall grasp the Crucifix and turn away with horror from thoughts of sin and ingratitude.
The Crucifix will teach us, as it taught the Saints, the lesson of charity towards God and towards our neighbour. It will teach us to hate sin and to love virtue. If we cherish it during life, it will be our consolation to kiss the Crucifix at the moment of death.”
Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 26 March – Passion Sunday – Hebrews 9:11-15, John 8:46-59 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“… By means of His death, … they, who have been called, may receive the eternal inheritance, according to the promise, in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Hebrews 9:15
“Amen, amen, I say to you, if anyone keep My word, he will never see death.” John 8:51
DEATH St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritas
“CONSIDER THE UNCERTAINTY of the day of your death. One day, my soul, you must depart from this body. When will it be? In winter or summer? In town or country? At home or afar? During the day or the night? With or without warning? As a result of illness of accident? Shall I have a chance to go to Confession? Shall I be assisted by a Priest? Will I be prepared? Unhappily, I know the answer to none of these things. Only one thing is certain – that I shall die and sooner than I imagine.”
Consider that then, the world will come to an end, as far as you are concerned. You will have no more part in it. It will turn upside down before your eyes, for worldly joys and pleasures and the things you loved in vain, will turn into empty dreams and shadows. Fool that I am to offend God for the sake of such trifling vanities. I have forsaken God and for what – for nothing! On the other hand, devotion and good deeds will be seen as desirable and delightful and you will ask yourself – why did I not take this beautiful and pleasant path of everlasting joy? At that hour, your sins – which at the time seemed so small – willappear as vast as mountains and your devotions truly small. …
Pray to God and cast yourself into His arms. O my God, take me into Thy care on that terrible day; may all other days be sad, if only that single day will be a happy one! Thank God for inspiring these resolutions and offer them to Him, imploring Him to grant you the grace of a Happy Death, through the merits of His Son and through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the Saints. Carry with you always a small Happy Death Crucifix, properly blessed, to obtain a Plenary Indulgence at the hour of death and meditate upon it often.” – (Introduction to the Devout Life – Excerpt from The Fifth Meditation on Death).
WHAT IS A HAPPY DEATH CRUCIFIX? A Crucifix which displays the “Skull and Crossbones” preferably at the Feet of Jesus. “The skull and bones have many symbolic meanings. All Catholics are encouraged to meditate on the “Four Last Things – Death and Judgement, Heaven and Hell” so that they will live in a state of grace and prepare themselves for Heaven. The skull is a great reminder of human mortality. Jesus Christ was Crucified on Golgotha – “the place of the skull,” There is a tradition that Christ, the New Adam, Who conquered sin and death, was Crucified on the gravesite of the first man, Adam, who brought sin and death into the world through his disobedience to God. The skull is a symbol of Adam’s grave. Most important of all, the skull and bones are placed beneath Jesus’ Feet, to show that He triumphed over death and sin on our behalf.”
One Minute Reflection – 26 March – Passion Sunday – Hebrews 9:11-15, John 8:46-59 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, he saw it and was glad.” – John 8:56
REFLECTION – “Since Abraham was a Prophet he saw the day of the Lord’s coming in the Spirit, as also the designs of His Passion, through which, both he and all those like him, who believed in God, would be saved. And he was seized with great joy. Thus, the Lord was not unknown to Abraham, since he longed to see His day… He longed to see His day, so that he, too, might clasp Christ to himself and having seen Him prophetically in the Spirit, he rejoiced.
That is why Simeon, who was of his descendants, fulfilled the Patriarch’s joy and said: “Now, Master, Thou may let Thy servant go in peace, according to Thy Word, for my eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou prepared in sight of all peoples”… And Elizabeth said : “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.” Abraham’s rejoicing descended, as it were, on those who were watching and who saw Christ and believed in Him. And this rejoicing returned to Abraham through his children.
So it was altogether fitting that our Lord bore witness to him when He said: “Your father, Abraham rejoiced to see My day,. he saw it and was glad.” Nor was it only with regard to Abraham that He said this but of all those who, from the beginning, had come to know God and prophesied of Christ’s coming. For they had received this revelation from the Son Himself that Son, Who, in these the last days, became visible and palpable and talked with men, so that He might raise up sons from Abraham out of stones and make his posterity to be like the stars of the heaven.” – St Irenaeus (c130-c202) Martyr, Father of the Church, Bishop of Lyons, Theologian (Against the heresies IV, 5-7).
PRAYER – Look graciously upon Thy household, Almighty God, we beseech Thee that by Thy grace, we may be governed in body and by Thy protection, safeguarded in mind. 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).
Thought for the Day – 25 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Annunciation
“Consider Mary’s reaction to the reverence and praise with which the Angel greets her. Is she carried away by delight and exaltation at this solemn moment? Nothing of the sort! In her humility and modesty, she is disturbed by the Angel’s salutation and wonders what the reason is for it. “She was troubled at his word and kept pondering what manner of greeting this might be” (Lk 1:29).
How do we behave when we receive praise from our superiors or from our friends and acquaintances? We are pleased and overcome perhaps by feelings of vanity. We smile to ourselves and are convinced that we are of more consequence than we really are. We even feel the need to reveal our thoughts to others and, thereby, seek further aggrandisement! There is a world of difference between the simplicity and humility of the Blessed Virgin and our vain hunger for praise and honour.”
Quote/s of the Day – 25 March – The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Isaias 7:10-15, Luke 1:26-38 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“ By a woman, came the flood of our ills and by a woman too, our blessings, have their spring.”
St Gregory Thaumaturgus (c213-c270) “the Wonder-Worker,” Bishop, Confessor
Blessed Virgin Mary, Receive Our Gratitude! By St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of Grace
Blessed Virgin Mary, who can worthily repay you with praise and thanks for having rescued a fallen world by your generous consent! Receive our gratitude and by your prayers, obtain the pardon of our sins. Take our prayers into the Sanctuary of Heaven and enable them to make our peace with God. Holy Mary, help the miserable, strengthen the discouraged, comfort the sorrowful, pray for your people, plead for the clergy, intercede for all women consecrated to God. May all who venerate you feel now your help and protection. Be ready to help us when we pray and bring back to us, the answers to our prayers. Make it your continual concern to pray for the people of God, for you were blessed by God and were made worthy to bear the Redeemer of the world, Who lives and reigns forever. Amen
“And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be to me according to your word.’”
Luke 1:38
“The price of our salvation is offered to you. We shall be set free at once, if you consent. In the eternal Word of God, we all came to be and behold, we die. In your brief response, we are to be remade. in order to be recalled to life.
… Answer quickly, O Virgin. Reply in haste to the Angel, or rather, through the Angel to the Lord. Answer with a word, receive the Word of God. Speak your own word, conceive the Divine Word. Breathe a passing word, embrace the Eternal Word!”
St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) The Last Father and the Mellifluous Doctor
Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 25 March – The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Isaias 7:10-15, Luke 1:26-38 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou amongst women!” Luke 1:28
“And Mary said to the Angel: How shall this be done as I know not man?” Luke 1:34
CHASTITY and HUMILITY St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritas
“VIRGINITY AND ABSOLUTE CHASTITY, is an angelic virtue but, although it belongs, more especially to Angels than to men, yet the purity of Our Lady infinitely surpassed that of the Angels, having three great perfections above theirs, even that of the Cherubim and Seraphim…that of the Angels is sterile and can produce no fruit. On the contrary, that of our glorious Mistress was not only fruitful because she produced, for us, this sweet Fruit of Life, Our Lord and Master but, in the second place, she has begotten many virgins. It is it in imitation of her, as we have said, that virgins have vowed their virginity …
But she was not only virgin par excellence above all others, Angels as well as men – she was also more humble than all others. This was manifest excellently on the day of the Annunciation. She then made the greatest act of humility that was ever made, or ever will be made, by a pure creature; for seeing herself exalted by the Angel, who saluted her, saying she was full of grace and that she would conceive a Son Who would be both God and Man…Our Lady, being reassured by the Angel and having learned what God willed to do with her and in her, made this supreme act of humility, saying: “I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be done to me as you say.” She saw herself raised to the highest dignity that ever was or will be, for although it should please God to create anew many worlds, He could never make a pure creature be greater than the Mother of God.
Our Lady humbled herself and acknowledged herself unworthy of being raised to the high dignity of Mother of God, therefore, she was made to be His Mother, for she had no sooner uttered the protestation of her littleness, than, having abandoned herself to Him, by an act of incomparable charity, she became the Mother of the Most High, Who is the Saviour of our souls!” (Sermon on 25 March 1621at a religious Profession).
One Minute Reflection – 25 March – Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Isaias 7:10-15, Luke 1:26-38 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“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
REFLECTION – “The Angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David and the virgin’s name was Mary.” 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. Saint Paul also bears testimony to this, when he writes to Timothy: “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descended from David, as preached in my Gospel” (2 Tm 2:8) …
“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.” The Angel refers to ,the kingdom of the Israelite nation, as the throne of David because in his time, by the Lord’s command and assistance, David governed it with a spirit of faithful service … As David had once ruled the people with temporal authority, so Christ would now lead them to the eternal Kingdom by His spiritual grace …
“He will reign over the house of Jacob forever”. The house of Jacob here refers to the Universal Church which, through its faith in and witness to Christ, shares the heritage of the Patriarchs. This may apply either to those who are physical descendants of the patriarchal families, or to those, who come from gentile nations and are reborn in Christ, by the waters of Baptism. In this house, Christ shall reign forever, and “of his Kingdom there will be no end.” During this present life, Christ rules in the Church. By faith and love, He dwells in the hearts of His elect and guides them, by His unceasing care, toward their heavenly reward. In the life to come, when their period of exile on earth is ended, He will exercise His Kingship, by leading the faithful to their heavenly country. There, forever inspired by the vision of His Presence, their one delight will be to praise and glorify Him.” – The Venerable St Bede (673-735) Monk, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermons for Advent No 3).
PRAYER – O God, Who, by the message of an Angel, willed Thy Word 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 assisted 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).
Saint of the Day – 25 March – Blessed Margaret Clitherow (1556-1586) “The Pearl of York”Martyr, Married Laywoman and Mother of 3. Her 2 sons became Priests and her daughter a Nun. She was Beatified on 15 December 1929 by Pope Pius XI and Canonised with the 40 Martyrs of England and Wales. Born in 1556 at York, England as Margaret Middleton and died by being crushed to death, on Good Friday, 25 March 1586 at their home, No 10-11 The Shambles,York. Also known as – Margaret Clitheroe, Margaret Middleton, Margarita, Margherita, Marguerite. “The Pearl of York.” Patronages – the Catholic Women’s League, business-women, converts, Martyrs, Co-Patron of the English Latin Mass Society which organises an annual pilgrimage to her Shrine in York . Additional Memorial – 4 May with the 40 Martyrs.
Margaret was born in 1556, one of five children of Thomas and Jane Middleton. Her father was a respected businessman, a wax-chandler and Sheriff of York, who died when Margaret was fourteen years old.
In 1571, she married John Clitherow, a wealthy butcher and a chamberlain of the City and bore him three children. The family lived at today’s renowned tourist destination, “The Shambles” – their business was Nos 35–36, which is now St Margaret’s Shrine..
Margaret converted to Catholicism in 1574. Although her husband, John belonged to the Established Church, he was supportive of his wife and of his brother William, who was a Catholic Priest. He paid the fines Margaret received for not attending the heretical church services. She was first imprisoned in 1577 for failing to attend and two further incarcerations at York Castle followed. Her third child, William, was born in prison!
Margaret risked her life by harbouring and maintaining Priests which was made a capital offence. She provided two chambers, one adjoining her house and, with her house under surveillance, she rented a house some distance away, where she kept Priests hidden and Mass was celebrated throughout the time of the most violent and virulent persecution. Her home became one of the most important hiding places for fugitive Priests in the north of England. Local tradition holds that she also housed her clerical guests in The Black Swan at Peasholme Green, where the Queen’s agents were also lodged!
The Black SDwan
She sent her older son, Henry, to the English College, relocated to Rheims, to train for the Priesthood. Her husband was summoned by the authorities to explain why his oldest son had gone abroad and in March 1586, the Clitherow house was searched. A frightened boy revealed the location of the Priest hole.
Margaret was arrested and called before the York Assizes for the crime of harbouring Catholic Priests. She refused to plead, thereby preventing a trial that would entail her three children being made to testify and being subjected to torture. She was sentenced to death. Although pregnant with her fourth child, she was executed on Lady Day, 1586, (which also happened to be Good Friday that year) in the Toll Booth at Ouse Bridge, by being crushed to death by her own door, the standard inducement to force a plea. Upon hearing the sentence, Margaret exclaimed – “God be thanked, I am not worthy of so good a death as this.”
Before her execution, Margaret was asked to confess her crimes. Instead she confessed, Our Lord Jesus Christ by saying: “I die for the love of my Lord Jesu.” The two Sergeants who should have carried out the execution hired four desperate beggars to do it instead. She was stripped and had a handkerchief tied across her face, then laid across a sharp rock the size of a man’s fist, the door from her own house was put on top of her and loaded with an immense weight of rocks and stones, so that the sharp rock would break her back. Her death occurred within fifteen minutes but her body was left for six hours before the weight was removed.
A relic, of her hand, is housed in the Bar Convent in York.
Margaret’s Shrine is at 35–36 The Shambles. John Clitherow had his butcher’s shop at No 35. My family and I have been able to visit this Shrine a few times, taking some of our visitors to venerate St Margaret.
Thought for the Day – 24 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Jesus Lost in the Temple
“Now, let us reflect on the anguish of Mary and Joseph over the loss of Jesus. They had no peace as long as they could not find Him. They set out immediately on the difficult return journey to Jerusalem and searched anxiously for three days. They did not rest until they had found Him at last.
Unfortunately, we too lose Jesus whenever we commit sin. Our Lord dwells in our souls by His grace but, if we sin seriously, the devil takes possession. We know well that the devil is a cunning tyrant. He entices us by every means in his power, to give free play to our passions and then leaves us in a state of bitterness and remorse. Sometimes he oppresses us to the point of desperation.
If ever we should fall and lose the grace of God, let us repent immediately with the words of the prodigal son “I will get up and go to my Father and will say to Him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before Thee” (Lk 15:18). Like the Blessed Virgin and St Joseph, let us go immediately in search of Jesus, Whom we have lost. We shall have no peace until we have found Him. We too shall find Him in the Temple, for we shall find Him in prayer, in the tribunal of Penance and in Holy Communion.”
One Minute Reflection – 24 March – “The Month of the St Joseph” – Friday of the Fourth Week in Lent and the Feast of St Gabriel the Archangel – Daniel 9:21-26, Luke 1:26-38 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Hail, full of grace!” – Luke 1:28
REFLECTION – “So the Lord now manifestly came to His own. Born by His own created order that He Himself bears, He by His obedience on the tree, renewed and reversed what was done by disobedience, in connection with a tree.
The power of that seduction, by which the virgin Eve, already betrothed to a man, had been wickedly seduced, was broken when the Angel in truth brought good tidings to the Virgin Mary, who already, by her betrothal belonged to a man. For as Eve was seduced by the word of an Angel to flee from God, having rebelled against His Word, so Mary by the word of an Angel, received the glad tidings that she would bear God, by obeying His Word.
The former was seduced to disobey God and so fell but the latter, was persuaded to obey God, so that the Virgin Mary might become the advocate of Eve.
As the human race was subjected to death through the act of a Virgin, so was it saved by a Virgin, was precisely balanced by the obedience of Another. Then indeed, the sin of the first formed man was amended by the chastisement of the First Begotten, the wisdom of the serpent was conquered by the simplicity of the Dove and the chains were broken, by which we were in bondage to death.” – St Irenaeus (130-202) Bishop of Lyons, Martyr, Father of the Church (Against Heresies, 5)
PRAYER – O God, Who, out of all the Angels, chose the Archangel Gabriel to announce the Mystery of Thy Incarnation, mercifully grant that we who keep his feast on earth, may have him as our patron in Heaven.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).
Thought for the Day – 23 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Self-Denial
“This denial of ourselves to the extent of identifying our will with the Will of God, produces in us, a profound peace. The Saints scaled this height and found there that tranquility of spirit which led them to rejoice in martyrdom and dishonour.
It was this peace of soul which made the dying St Aloysius Gonzaga smile and say: “I am happy to be going.” It was this which enabled the saintly, Cardinal Fisher, when he was going to the scaffold, to behold a light which does not fail and say: “Commit to the Lord your way … He will make justice dawn for you like the light (Ps 36:5-6). This too, is why, the Imitation of Christ tells us that nobody is so free, as he who knows how to deny himself!””
Quote/s of the Day – 23 March – Thursday of the Fourth Week in Lent – 4 Kings 4:25-38, Luke 7:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.or
“Young man, I say to thee, arise!”
Luke 7:14
“Thy sins are forgiven thee … Arise and walk.”
Luke 5:23
“My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
2 Corinthians 12:7
“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.”
St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) “Golden Words” Father & Doctor of the Church
“If thou art bound down by sickness, if sorrows weary thee, if thou art trembling with fear, invoke the name of Jesus!”
St Lawrence Justinian (1381-1456)
“The medicine of God, is Jesus Christ, Crucified and Risen, the measure of all things.”
St John Leonardi (1541-1609) Confessor, Priest, Founder
Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 23 March – Thursday of the Fourth Week in Lent – 4 Kings 4:25-38, Luke 7:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Come to Me, all ye who are weary …” Matthew 11:28
“Young man, I say to thee, arise!” Luke 7:14
THE DIVINE PHYSICIAN St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritas
“Our Lord, the great and excellent Physician of our infirmities, announced everywhere, before coming into this world, both His arrival and the maladies He would cure; sometimes by His prophets. …”
What wonder then if, in the Gospel, we find Him surrounded by the sick, by sinners and by publicans! O vain and foolish murmuring of the Hebrews, when they said: “This man receiveth sinners.” Whom would you wish Him to receive? Is it not the honour of a Physician to be sought for by the sick and so much the more, as their maladies are considered incurable? …
Thus, how were the poor Prodigal and the unfortunate Absalom received by their fathers? And, otherwise, what would become of us, for all have sinned? Every man is a liar, that is to say, a sinner. If we say that we are without sin, we deceived ourselves. Return to the Lord, and forsake your injustice, for His Mercy is great towards those who are converted to Him. Why is He called Saviour, unless in order to save? …
But, oh, miserable that we are! We are often called and we only turn a deaf ear. “I have called and you have not heard,” says God. We are drawn and we obstinately resist Him. He complains, saying: “All the day long have I stretched out My hands to this incredulous and rebellious people! ”…
Let us then depart, let us depart from Egypt, let us approach Our Lord, let us make provision of good works; let the feet of our affections be bare, let us clothe ourselves with innocence, let us not be satisfied with crying for mercy, let us go forth from Egypt, let us delay no longer. The hour is come to arise from sleep, since we know that He receives sinners; the Angels await our repentance, the Saints pray for it!” – (Consoling Thoughts on God and Providence).
One Minute Reflection – 23 March – “The Month of the St Joseph” – Thursday of the Fourth Week in Lent – 4 Kings 4:25-38, Luke 7:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Young man, I say to thee, arise!” – Luke 7:14
REFLECTION – “Let no-one who is Christian doubt that even now, dead people rise. Certainly, every human being has eyes, by which he can see dead people rising, in the way this widow’s son, whom we just heard about in the Gospel, arose. But not everyone can see people who are spiritually dead rise. For that, it is necessary to have already risen interiorly. It is greater to raise someone, who is to live forever than to raise someone, who will have to die again.
The young man’s mother, this widow, was transported with joy at seeing her son rise. Our Mother, the Church, also rejoices when she sees her children’s spiritual resurrection everyday. The widow’s son was dead with the death of the body but these latter, are dead with the death of the soul. People wept tears over the visible death of the former but people were not concerned by the invisible death of the latter – they did not even see it. The only One Who did not remain indifferent, is the One Who knew these deaths – only the One, Who could give life back to them, knew these deaths. For if the Lord had not come to raise the dead, the Apostle Paul would not have said: “Awake, O sleeper, arise from the dead and Christ will give you Light.” (Eph 5:14).” –St Augstine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (Sermon 98).
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we who are chastising the flesh by fasting, may rejoice in this holy practice and thus, with earthly passions subdued, we may the more readily direct our thoughts to Heavenly things. 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).
Thought for the Day – 22 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Presence of God
“A man who lives always in the Presence of God. cannot sin. When we find ourselves in the presence of a high-ranking worldly personality, do we dare to behave any other way but correctly and respectfuly? How should we dare then to behave in any other fashion, in the Presence of the Infinite Majesty of God, our Creator and Redeemer, Who will one day also be our Judge?! Could He not, in a single instant, snap the thread of our mortal life and call us before His judgement-seat, even while we are in the act of offending Him?!
Let us remember St Paul’s stern warning: “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10-:31). Let us remain always in the Presence of God and we shall be at peace and strong in His grace.”
Quote/s of the Day – 22 March – Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Lent and the Memorial of St Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510)
“We must not wish anything other than what happens from moment to moment, all the while, however, exercising ourselves in goodness.”
“And when I hear it said, that God is good and He will pardon us and then see, that men cease not from evil-doing, oh, how it grieves me! The Infinite Goodness with which God communicates with us, sinners as we are, should constantly make us love and serve Him better but we, on the contrary, instead of seeing in His Goodness an obligation to please Him, convert it into an excuse for sin, which will, of a certainty, lead in the end, to our deeper condemnation.”
“I see clearly with the interior eye, that the sweet God loves, with a pure love, the creature that He has created and has a HATRED for nothing but SIN, which is more opposed to Him, than can be thought or imagined.”
Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 22 March – Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Lent – Isaias 1:16-19, John 9:1-38 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“If sin abounds in malice to destroy, grace superabounds to repair.” Romans 5:20
“One thing I know that whereas I was blind. now I see.” John 9:25
THE MERCY OF GOD ON THE RETURN OF A SINNER St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritas
“THE ENTRANCE OF SIN, takes away life from the heart and from all its good works; the entrance of grace, restores life to the heart and to all its good works. A severe winter kills the plants of the field, so that, were it to continue always, they should remain forever dead.
Sin, the sad and fearful winter of the soul, kills the holy works which it finds there and, were it to continue always, never should life or vigour return. But as, on the approach of lovely spring, not only the new seeds which we cast into the earth, shoot up and bud, under the influence of this mild season of fecundity, every one according to its kind but also the old plants, which the bitterness of the preceding winter had wasted and withered, grow green again and take back their former life.
So sin being destroyed,and the grace of Divine Love coming back to the soul, not only the new affections, which the return of the sacred springtime brings, germinate and produce many merits and benedictions but also, the works faded away under the harshness of the winter of past sin, being delivered from their mortal enemy and reinvigorated and, as it were, resuscitated, flourish anew and fructify in merits for eternal life. …
God has promised an eternal recompense to the works of the just man but, if the just man turn away from His Justice by sin, God will no longer remember his justices, or the good works which he has done. But if, nevertheless, this poor man, after falling into sin, rises again and returns to Divine Love by penance, God will no longer remember his sin and, if He will no longer remember his sin, He will then remember his preceding good works and the recompense they had deserved, since sin, which alone can take them away from the Divine Memory, is effaced, abolished and annihilated.” – (Consoling Thoughts on God and Providence).
Our Morning Offering – 22 March – Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Lent
Grant us Thy Light, O Lord By The Venerable St Bede (673-735) Father and Doctor of the Church
Grant us Thy Light, O Lord, so that the darkness of our hearts, may wholly pass away and we may come at last, to the Light of Christ. For Christ is that Morning Star, Who, when the night of this world has passed, brings to His Saints, the promised Light of Life and opens to them, everlasting day. Amen.
Thought for the Day – 21 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Why God Created Us
“If we are to reach God, Who is our goal, it is necessary for us to know, love and serve Him. Everything speaks to us of God, from the blade of grass, to the cedar of Lebanon, from the insect which glows in the darkness of the night, to the highest stars of the firmanent. In the hidden depths of our own being, we hear His Voice. The more we grow in the knowledge of God, the more we feel the need to love Him. We see how so much beauty, goodness and power is alone worthy of all our love.
As our Creator, Redeemer and Benefactor, God has the right to the undivided affection of our hearts. This love should not be empty and sterile, however, it should be active and effective. Knowing and loving God, we should feel the obligation of serving Him as our Master, in whatever He commands, even when this demands a heavy sacrifice on our part!”
Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 21 March – Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Lent – Ecclesiasticus 45:1-6, Matthew 19:27-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“He asked life of Thee and Thou hast given him length of days forever and ever.” Psalm 20:5
“And everyone who has left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My Name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold and shall possess life everlasting.” Matthew 19:29
FOLLOW ME! St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritas
“WE MUST POSSESS a continual and imperturbable equanimity, amid the great variety of human occurrences and although, all things change around us, remain immovable, with our eyes fixed on God alone. And although, all things, I will not merely say around us but even within us, should turn topsy-turvy; whether our souls be joyful or sorrowful, in peace or in trouble, in light or in darkness, in temptation or in repose, in happiness or in disgust, although the sun scorch, or the dew refresh – we should always keep our will fixed on the good pleasure of God, as its sole and supreme object.
It is true that we require great confidence to abandon ourselves, without any reserve, to Divine Providence but, when we do abandon all, Our Lord takes care of all and disposes of all. But, if we reserve anything which we are unwilling to confide to Him, He leaves us, as if He would say: “You think yourselves sufficiently wise to manage that affair without Me – you can do so and see what will come of it!” ( Consoling Thoughts on God and Providence).
One Minute Reflection – 21 March – Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Lent and the Memorial of St Benedict OSB (c 480-547) Abbot – Ecclesiasticus 45:1-6, Matthew 19:27-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“And everyone who has left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My Name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold and shall possess life everlasting.” – Matthew 19:29
REFLECTION – “No-one should say to himself, even when he regards others who have left a great deal behind: “I want to imitate those who despise this world but I have nothing to leave behind.” You leave a great deal behind, my friends, if you renounce your desires. Our external possessions, no matter how small, are enough for the Lord, He weighs the heart and not the substance and does not measure the amount we sacrifice for Him but the effort with which we bring it…. The Kingdom of God has no assessment value put on it but it is worth everything you have… To Peter and Andrew it was worth the nets and boat they gave up; to the widow it was worth two small coins (Lk 21:2); to another person it was worth a cup of cold water (Mt 10:42). The Kingdom of God, as I said, is worth everything you have. Think about it, my friends, what has less value when you purchase it, what is more precious when you possess it?
But perhaps a cup of cold water offered to someone who needs it, is not enough, even then the Word of God gives us assurance…: “Peace on earth to men of goodwill!” (Lk 2:4). In the sight of God, no hand is ever empty of a gift, if the deep places of the heart are filled with goodwill… Although I have no gifts to offer outwardly, yet I find within myself something to place on the Altar of Thou praise…: Thou art better pleased with an offering of our heart! (cf. Ps 55:13).” – St Gregory the Great (540-604) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermons on the Gospel no 5).
PRAYER – May the intercession of the blessed Abbot Benedict, commend us to Thee, O Lord, so that through his merits we may obtain that which we cannot accomplish by our own. T hrough 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).
Our Morning Offering – 21 March – St Benedict OSB (c480-547) Abbot, Patron of Europe and Founder of Western Monasticism
O God, Be With Us By St Benedict (c480-547)
O God, from Whom to be turned, is to fall, to Whom to be turned, is to rise, and in Whom to stand, is to abide forever. Grant us in all our duties, Thy help, in all our perplexities, Thy guidance, in all our dangers, Thy protection, and in all our sorrows, Thy peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Thought for the Day – 20 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Patronage of Saint Joseph
“St Joseph is the Universal Patron of the Church. We, who are loved children of the Church should invoke his special intercession, therefore, for the triumph and expansion of the Kingdom of God upon earth.
It is a sad but certain fact, that in every age, the Church is subject to persecution in many parts of the world, even in our own countries! There is always some nation and often, many of them, where the Church is obstructed in her mission for the salvation of souls and for the true welfare of society. Sometimes She is compelled to fight for her existence, with the weapons of the Spirit. “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but, powerful before God …” (2 Cor 10:4).
Sometimes the Church is in bonds and the blood of her Martyrs is poured forth to become the seed, from which new Christians will spring. There is no reason for surprise at all this, for Christ Himself foretold it quite clearly. “If they have persecuted Me, they will persecute you too …” (Jn 15:20) but “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Mt 16:18).
If we are loyal sons of the Church, we should pray that She may triumph. We should ask for the special intercession of St Joseph, Her Heavenly Patron.”
Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 20 March – St Joseph, Feast transferred from Sunday 19 March – Monday of the Fourth Week in Lent – Ecclesiasticus 45:1-6, Matthew 1:18-21 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commands.” Psalm 111:1
“And she shall bring forth a son and thou shalt call His Name Jesus …” Matthew 1:21
SAINT JOSEPH, HEAD OF THE HOLY FAMILY St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritas
“OH, WHAT A DIVINE UNION between our Lady and the glorious St Joseph! A union which made that Good of eternal goods which is our Lord, belong to St Joseph, as he belonged to our Lady, (not by the nature that He had taken in the womb of our glorious Mistress, a nature that had been formed by the Holy Spirit of the most pure blood of our Lady) but, according to grace, which made him a partaker of all the goods of his dear Spouse and, which made him go on growing wonderfully in perfection and this was by his continual communication with our Lady, who possessed all virtues, in so high a degree, that no other pure creature can attain to it. Still the glorious St Joseph was the one who approached nearest to it. …
Observe the order which is kept in this holy family. … Who can doubt that our Lady was greater than St Joseph and that she had more discretion and qualities proper for governing, than her spouse? Yet the Angel does not address himself to her, for what is required to be done, whether it be going or coming, or anything else. Does it not seem to you that the Angel commits a great indiscretion, in addressing himself rather, to St Joseph than to our Lady, who is the head of the house, carrying with her the Treasure of the Eternal Father? Had she not reason to be offended at this proceeding and way of acting? Doubtless she might have said to her husband: “Why should I go into Egypt, since my Son has not revealed to me that I ought to do so, nor has the Angel spoken to me of it?” Now our Lady says nothing of this sort. She is not offended because the Angel addresses himself to St Joseph but she obey,s quite simply because she knows that God has so ordered it …”
O God! how beautiful it was to see the respect and reverence with which he treated both the Mother and the Son! If he had wished to leave the Mother when he was not quite aware of the greatness of her dignity, into what admiration and profound abasement was he not afterwards plunged, when he saw himself so honoured that our Lord and our Lady became obedient to his will and did nothing but by his command?!” (Sermons).
Thought for the Day – 19 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Our Temperament
“Each one of us is obliged to properly train his own character. Above all, it is necessary to know ourselves as the result of meditation and examination of conscience, so that we may be able to correct and change our temperament. This kind of formation is slow and difficult but, we must overcome difficulties patiently and perseveringly. There is no need to be discouraged. Our main requirement in the battle against our evil instincts is the grace of God, for which we should pray fervently. We need an enlightened spiritual director who will guide and encourage us. Finally, we need the determination to succeed, without which the grace of God cannot achieve the Christian transformation of our character.”
Quote/s of the Day – 19 March – Laetare Sunday / The Fourth Sunday in Lent – Galatians 4:22-31, John 6:1-15 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Jesus then took the loaves of bread and having given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated there; in the same way he gave them some fish, as much as they wanted.”
John 6:11
“… May grace and peace be yours in abundance, through knowledge of God and of Jesus Our Lord…”
2 Peter 1:2
“Let the world turn upside down, let everything be in darkness, in smoke, in uproar – God is with us!”
“I recommend that you look before you but not dwell upon those dangers which you see in the distance.”
“Do not look forward to the changes and chances of this life in fear – rather look to them with full hope that, as they arise, God, whose you are, will deliver you out of them. He is your keeper. He has kept you hitherto. Do you but hold fast to His dear hand and He will lead you safely through all things and, when you cannot stand, He will bear you in His arms. Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow. Our Father will either shield you from suffering, or He will give you strength to bear it.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritas
“Must you continue to be your own cross? No matter which way God leads you, you change everything into bitterness by constantly brooding over everything. For the love of God, replace all this self-scrutiny, with a pure and simple glance at God’s goodness!”
“We think not enough of this Truth – that God is present with us that He sees our thoughts, even long before we have them. That He knows what we think and shall think, better than we ourselves that He sees the folds and recesses, of our heart and of this other Truth – that NOTHING HAPPENS to us but by the order of Providence. We should all be Saints, if we well apprehended these Truths. And truly, it is a great consolation, to know that God sees the bottom of our heart.”
St Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641) Disciple and Collaborator with St Francis de Sales in Founding the Sisters of the Visitation
Prayer of Abandonment By St Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)
O sovereign goodness of the sovereign Providence of my God! I abandon myself forever to Thy arms. Whether gentle or severe, lead me henceforth whither Thou will. I will not regard the way through which Thou will have me pass but keep my eyes fixed upon Thee, my God, who guides me. My soul finds no rest without the arms and the bosom of this heavenly Providence, my true Mother, my strength and my rampart. Therefore, I resolve with Thy Divine assistance, 0 my Saviour, to follow Thy desires and Thy ordinances, without regarding or examining why Thou does this rather than that but I will blindly follow Thee, according to Thy Divine will, without seeking my own inclinations. Hence I am determined to leave all to Thee, taking no part therein, save by keeping myself in peace in Thy arms, desiring nothing, except as Thou incites me to desire, to will, to wish. I offer Thee this desire, 0 my God, beseeching Thee to bless it. I undertake all it includes, relying on Thy goodness, liberality and mercy, with entire confidence in Thee, distrust of myself, and knowledge of my infinite misery and infirmity. Amen.
Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 19 March – Laetare Sunday / The Fourth Sunday in Lent – Galatians 4:22-31, John 6:1-15 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“They who trust in the Lord are like Mount Sion which is immovable; which forever stands.” Psalm 124:1-2
“Jesus then took the loaves of bread and having given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated there; in the same way he gave them some fish, as much as they wanted.” John 6:11
DIVINE PROVIDENCE St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritas
“… WHEN HUMAN AID FAILS US, all is not wanting, for God takes over and takes care of us by His special Providence. This poor multitude who follow Our Lord today were assisted by Him, only after they were all near faint with hunger. He felt an extreme pity for them because, in their love of Him, they had so forgotten themselves that none had brought provisions, except the little Martial who had five barley loaves und two fish. It is as if the Saviour, full of love for the hearts of these good people (who numbered about five thousand), said to Himself: “You have no care whatever for yourselves but I Myself will take care of you.” Therefore, He called St. Philip to Him and asked him: “These poor people will faint on the way, if we do not assist them with some food but where could we find sufficient to sustain them?” He did not ask this through ignorance,but to test him. …
Notwithstanding the fact that St Philip and St Andrew declared that the five barley loaves and two fish were nothing for so many, Our Lord ordered them to be brought to Him and He commanded His Apostles to make the people sit down. They all did so very simply and in this they were certainly admirable, for they sat down to table without seeing anything on it and there was nothing to suggest that anything could be given to them. Then Jesus took the loaves of bread, blessed them, broke them and ordered the Apostles to distribute them. When this was done, there was still some left, even though all had had enough to satisfy their need.
Thus Our Lord made all the five thousand men eat of the same five loaves and two fish, reproducing them as often as was necessary, that each one might have a portion according to his need. All ate then of five loaves and two fish miraculously multiplied—all but St Martial who, not participating in this miracle, ate his own bread all alone and not that of the Saviour because He had brought His own provision. For as long as we have our own bread, God does not work prodigies to sustain us.” – (Excerpt from the Sermon for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, 6 March 1622).
One Minute Reflection – 19 March – Laetare Sunday / The Fourth Sunday in Lent – Galatians 4:22-31, John 6:1-15 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“When the people, therefore, had seen the sign which Jesus had worked, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet Who is to come into the world..” – John 6:14
REFLECTION – “Governing the entire universe, is a greater miracle, than feeding five thousand people with five loaves of bread, yet no-one marvels at it. People marvel at the feeding of the five thousand, not because this miracle is greater but because, it is out of the ordinary. Who is even now providing nourishment for the whole world if not the God Who creates a field of wheat from a few seeds? Christ did what God does. Just as God multiplies a few seeds into a whole field of wheat, so Christ multiplied the five loaves in His Hands. For there was power in the Hands of Christ. Those five loaves were like seeds, not because they were cast on the earth but because, they were multiplied by the One Who made the earth.
This miracle was presented to our senses, in order to stimulate our minds… and so make us marvel at “the God we do not see because of his works, which we do see” (Rom 1,20). For then, when we have been raised to the level of faith and purified by faith, we shall long to behold, although not with our eyes, the invisible God Whom we recognise, through what is visible. This miracle was performed for the multitude to see; it was recorded for us to hear. Faith does for us, what sight did for them. We behold with the mind, what our eyes cannot see and we are preferred to them because of us it was said: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe” (Jn 20,29).” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of the Church (Homilies on Saint John’s gospel, 24).
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we who justly suffer for our sins may find relief in the help of Thy grace.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).
AnaStpaul 
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