Category: CATHOLIC Quotes

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD

Thought for the Day – 30 March – The Hour of Trial

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

The Hour of Trial

“We should meditate on the following passage from The Imitation of Christ.

“Just Father, ever to be praised, the hour is come for Your servant to be tried. Beloved Father, it is right that in this hour Your servant should suffer something for You. O Father, forever to be honoured, the hour which You knew from all eternity is at hand, when, for a short time, Your servant should be outwardly oppressed but inwardly, should ever live with You.

Let him be a little slighted, let him be humbled, let him fail in the sight of men, let him be afflicted with sufferings and pains, so that he may rise again with You in the dawn of the New Light and be glorified in Heaven.”

“Holy Father, You have so appointed and wished it. What has happened is what You commanded. For this is a favour to Your friend, to suffer and be troubled in the world for Your love, no matter how often and by whom, You permit it to happen to him.”

“Grant me, O Lord, the grace to know what should be known, to praise what is most pleasing to You, to esteem that, which appears most precious to You and to abhor what is unclean in Your sight.” (Bk III c 50).

In the light of these reflections, every trial will be bearable and, by the grace of God, even welcome!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/02/18/thought-for-the-day-18-february-the-hour-of-trial/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/30/thought-for-the-day-30-march-the-hour-of-trial/

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on TRUTH, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The WORD

Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent – 30 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – ‘… Let us do what He commands, so that we may not blush to covet what He promises… ‘

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Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent – 30 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – Isaias 1:16-19, John 9:1-38

“Wash yourselves, be clean, take away the evil of your devices from My eyes, cease to do perversely, Learn to do well: seek judgement, relieve the oppressed, judge for the fatherless, defend the widow.” – Isaias 1:16-17

“And Jesus passing by, saw a man
who was blind from his birth. …
As long as I am in the world,
I am the Light of the world.
When He had said these things,
He spat on the ground
and made clay of the spittle
and spread the clay upon his eyes,”

John 9:1,5-6

“THE LORD TELLS US – I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me, will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.
In these few words He gives a COMMAND and makes a PROMISE.
Let us do what He commands, so that we may not blush to covet what He promises and to hear Him say on the day of judgement: “I laid down certain conditions for obtaining My promises. Have you fulfilled them?”
If you say: “What did you command, Lord our God?” He will tell you: “I commanded you to follow Me. You asked for advice on how to enter into life. What life, if not the life about which it is written: With you is the fountain of life?”

LET US DO NOW what He commands.
Let us follow in the footsteps of the Lord.
Let us throw off the chains that prevent us from following Him.
Who can throw off these shackles without the aid of the One addressed in these words: You have broken my chains? Another psalm says of Him: The Lord frees those in chains, the Lord raises up the downcast.

THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN FREED and raised up follow the Light.
The Light they follow speaks to them: I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me, will not walk in darkness.
The Lord gives Light to the blind.
Brethren, that Light shines on us now, for we have had our eyes anointed with the eye-salve of faith.
His saliva was mixed with earth to anoint the man born blind.
We are of Adam’s stock, blind from our birth; we need Him to give us Light.
He mixed saliva with earth and so it was prophesied: Truth has sprung up from the earth.
He Himself has said: I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. …

IF YOU LOVE ME, follow Me. “I do love you,” you protest “but how do I follow you?”
If the Lord your God said to you: “I am the truth and the life,” in your desire for truth, in your love for life, you would certainly ask Him to show you the way to reach them.
You would say to yourself: “Truth is a great reality, life is a great reality – if only it were possible for my soul to find them!” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop, Great Western Father and Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from: On John [Treatise 34]).

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 30 March – The Light of Life

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Quote/s of the Day – 30 March – Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent – Isaias 1:16-19, John 9:1-38

“I Am the Light of the world.”

John 9:5

“I am the Light of the world;
he who follows me will not walk in darkness
but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12

“The Light of Christ
is an endless day
that knows no night.”

St Maximus of Truin (Died 420)
Bishop, Father

Lord, Kindle our Lamps
By St Columban (543-615)

Lord, kindle our lamps,
Saviour most dear to us,
that we may always shine
in Your presence
and always receive Light
from You,
the Light Perpetual,
so that our own
personal darkness,
may be overcome
and the world’s darkness
driven from us.
Amen

“He is the origin of all wisdom.
The Word of God in the heights,
is the source of wisdom.
Christ is the source of all true knowledge,
for He is “the way, the truth and the life.” (Jn 14:6). …
As way, Christ is the teacher
and origin of knowledge …
Without this Light,
which is Christ,
no-one can penetrate
the secrets of faith.”

St Bonaventure (1221-1274)
Seraphic Doctor

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION

One Minute Reflection – 30 March – ‘ … The Potter Who made us, saw those empty eyes… ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 30 March – Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent – Isaias 1:16-19, John 9:1-38

“I am the light of the world. When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and spread the clay upon his eyes,” – John 9:5-6

REFLECTION – “He who “enlightens everyone coming into this world” (Jn 1,9) is the true Mirror of the Father. Christ passes by as the refulgence of the Father’s glory (Heb 1,3) and casts out the blindness in the eyes of those who cannot see. The Christ Who comes from Heaven passes by, that all flesh might see Him… only those who are blind could not see Christ, Mirror of the Father… Christ has opened this prison; He has opened the blind man’s eyes, who then saw in Christ, the Mirror of the Father…

The first man was created radiant but, once he had left the serpent, he found himself to be blind. This blind man began to be reborn when he started to believe… The man born blind was seated… without asking any doctor for ointment to heal his eyes… The Maker of the world comes along and reflects His image into the Mirror. He sees the wretchedness of the blind man seated there begging. What a miracle of God’s strength! It heals what it sees and enlightens that which it visits…

He who created the earthly orb has now opened the orbs of the blind man’s eyes… The Potter Who made us, (Gn 2,6; Is 64,7) saw those empty eyes… He touched them, mixing His saliva with earth and rubbing on this paste. The material that was used to form the eyes to begin with, has now healed them. Which is the greater marvel -to create the orb of the sun or to recreate the eyes of the man born blind? The Lord, seated on His throne, made the sun to shine; passing through earth’s public squares He allowed the blind man to see. Light has come without our asking for it and, even without making supplication, the blind man was freed from his infirmity from birth.” – Unknown Author, a homily written in North Africa in the 5th or 6th Centuries, incorrectly attributed to Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe (c 462 – 533).

PRAYER – Grant us Your Light, O Lord
By The Venerable St Bede (673-735) Father and Doctor of the Church

Grant us Your 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.

Posted in LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 29 March – Holiness

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

Holiness

“We need Saints to recall our wayward and corrupt society to the path of truth, justice and charity.
We should pray to God to send us Saints who will reform the world by living the Gospel and making it live for others.
Above all, we should endeavour to become holy ourselves.
To achieve this, we do not have to put on sack-cloth, go into the de4sert, or shut ourselves up in a Monastery.
Each of us can become a saint in his own home and in whatever position God has allotted him.
All we have to do is obey God’s Will in everything, love Him above everything, love our neighbour as ourselves, avoid sin and aim at what is good.
We can and should, do all this with the help of God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/07/19/thought-for-the-day-19-july-holiness/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/29/thought-for-the-day-29-march-holiness/

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, I BELIEVE!, LENT 2022, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, QUOTES on DOUBT, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, The HOLY GHOST, The WORD

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent – 29 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – ‘ … Will He not save you too, since you have believed? …’

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Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent – 29 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – Exodus 32:7-14, John 7:14-31

“Arise, O Lord, help us! Redeem us for Your Name’s sake.” – Psalm 43:26

“But of the people, many believed in him …”

John 7:31

“THE ONE WORD “FAITH” can have two meanings. One kind of faith concerns doctrines. It involves the soul’s ascent to and acceptance of some particular matter. It also concerns the soul’s good, according to the words of the Lord: Whoever hears my voice and believes in him who sent me has eternal life and will not come to be judged. And again: He who believes in the Son is not condemned but has passed from death to life.

HOW GREAT is God’s love for men! Some good men have been found pleasing to God because of years of work. What they achieved by working, for many hours at a task pleasing to God, is freely given to you by Jesus in one short hour. For if you believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved and taken up to paradise by Him, just as He brought the thief there. Do not doubt that this is possible. After all, He saved the thief on the holy hill of Golgotha because of one hour’s faith; will He not save you too, since you have believed?

THE OTHER KIND OF FAITH is given by Christ by means of a special grace. To one wise sayings are given through the Spirit, to another perceptive comments by the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing. Now this kind of faith, given by the Spirit as a special favour, is not confined to doctrinal matters, for it produces effects beyond any human capability. If a man ,who has this faith, says to this mountain, move from here to there, it will move. For when anybody says thi,s in faith, believing it will happen and having no doubt in his heart, he then receives that grace.

IT IS THIS KIND OF FAITH, moreover, of which it is said – ‘If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed.’ The mustard seed is small in size but it holds an explosive force; although it is sown in a small hole, it produces great branches and when it is grown, birds can nest therein In the same way, faith produces great effects in the soul instantaneously. Enlightened by faith, the soul pictures God and sees Him as clearly as any soul can. It circles the earth; even before the end of this world, it sees the judgement and the conferring of promised rewards.

SO MAY YOU HAVE THE FAITH which depends on you and is directed to God, that you may receive from Him, that faith too, which transcends man’s capacity.” – St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387) – Bishop, Confessor, Great Father and Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from his Catecheses 5).

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, I BELIEVE!, QUOTES on DOUBT, QUOTES on FAITH, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 29 March – The Way …

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Quote/s of the Day – 29 March – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent – Exodus 32:7-14, John 7:14-31

“But of the people,many believed in him …”

John 7:31

“Take my yoke upon you
and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart
and you will find rest for yourselves…”

Matthew 11:29

“… There is one Road
and one only,
well secured against all possibility
of going astray
and, this Road is provided
by One Who is Himself
both God and man.
As God, He is the Goal,
as man, He is the Way.”

“Do you desire security?
Here you have it.
The Lord says to you,
“I will never abandon you,
I will always be with you.”
If a good man made you such a promise,
you would trust him.
God makes it and do you doubt?
Do you seek a support, more sure
than the Word of God, which is infallible?
Surely, He has made the promise,
He has written it,
He has pledged His Word for it,
it is most certain!”

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

“May He,
Who is the Track of the runners
and the Reward of the winners,
lead and guide you along it –
He, Christ Jesus!”

Bl Guerric of Igny O.Cist (c 1080-1157)

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on TRUTH, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 29 March – ‘ … Therefore, hold fast to Christ if you wish to be safe. …’

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One Minute Reflection – 29 March – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent – Exodus 32:7-14, John 7:14-31

“But of the people, many believed in him …” – John 7:31

REFLECTION – “If, then, you are looking for the way by which you should go, take Christ because He Himself is the Way: This is the Way; walk in it. And Augustine says: Make man your way and you shall arrive at God. It is better to limp along the Way, than stride along off the Way. For a man who limps along the Way, even if he only makes slow progress, comes to the end of the Way but one who is off the Way, the more quickly he runs, the further away is he from his goal.

If you are looking for a goal, hold fast to Christ because He Himself is the Truth, where we desire to be. My mouth shall reflect on the Truth. If you are looking for a resting place, hold fast to Christ because He Himself is the Life. Whoever finds Me finds life and receives salvation from the Lord.

Therefore, hold fast to Christ if you wish to be safe. You will not be able to go astray because He is the Way. He who remains with Him does not wander in trackless places; he is on the right Way. Moreover, he cannot be deceived because He is the Truth and He teaches every Truth. And He says: For this I was born and for this I have come, to bear witness to the Truth. Nor can he be disturbed because He is both lLfe and the giver of life. For He says: I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly.” – St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Priest, Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from: Exposition on John – Chapter 14).

PRAYER – May the sacred practice of fasting, we beseech You, O Lord, win for us increased holiness of life and the continuing help of Your mercy. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 29 March – Lord Jesus Christ, the World’s True Sun

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Our Morning Offering – 29 March – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Lord Jesus Christ,
the World’s True Sun
By Fr Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466-1536)

Lord Jesus Christ,
the world’s True Sun,
Ever-Rising, Never-Setting.
Whose life-giving warmth
begets, preserves,
nourishes and gladdens
all things in Heaven and on earth,
Shine in our hearts, we pray;
scatter the night of sin
and the clouds of error.
Blaze within us,
that we may go our way
without stumbling,
taking no part in the
shameful deeds of those
who wander in the dark
but rather, walking all our lives,
as children of the Light.
Amen.

Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus, more commonly known as ‘Erasmus,’ was a Dutch Priest, Philosopher and Catholic Theologian, who is considered one of the greatest scholars of the northern Renaissance.[2][3][4] As a Catholic priest, he was an important figure in classical scholarship who wrote in a pure Latin style.

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on MEDIOCRITY, The PASSION

Thought for the Day – 28 March – The Passion of Our Lord

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Thought for the Day – 28 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Passion of Our Lord

“Meditation on the Passion of Jesus” writes St Albert the Great, “is more profitable than fasting on bread and water or than scourging ourselves.”

This is because, when we meditate with love and gratitude on the Passion of our Redeemer, we have the experience of being transformed and set aglow with charity.
We realise the truth of St Paul’s words, “The sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come, that will be revealed in us” (Rom 8:18)).

Let us cast ourselves, therefore, into the merciful arms of God and be prepared to suffer everything, even death, for the love of Jesus.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/04/01/thought-for-the-day-1-april-the-passion-of-our-lord/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/27/thought-for-the-day-27-march-the-passion-of-our-lord/

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, QUOTES on FAITH, The WORD

Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent – 28 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – ‘ … Thus it is the Lord Who builds the house, it is the Lord Jesus Who builds His own dwelling. …’

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Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent – 28 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – 3 Kings 3:16-28, John 2:13-25

“Be my rock of refuge, O God, a stronghold to give me safety.” – Psalm 30:3

“Destroy this temple
and in three days
I will raise it up.”

John 2:19

“THE TEMPLE that Solomon built to the Lord was a type and figure of the future Church, as well as, of the Body of the Lord. For this reason Christ says in the Gospel: Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up again. For just as Solomon built the ancient temple, so the true Solomon, the true Peacemaker, Our Lord Jesus Christ, built a temple for Himself. Now Solomon means peacemaker; Jesus, however, is the true Peacemaker, of Whom Saint Paul says: He is our peace, uniting the two into one. The true Peacemaker brought together, in Himself, two walls coming from different angles and Himself became the cornerstone. One wall was formed of the circumcised believers and the other of the uncircumcised gentiles who had faith. And of these two peoples, He made one Church, with Himself as the cornerstone and, therefore, the true Peacemaker.

AND SO, WHEN SOLOMON the King of Israel, the son of David and Bathsheba, built his temple, he acted as a figure of Christ, the true Solomon and Peacemaker. But I do not think it was Solomon of old, the type of Christ, who really built God’s dwelling. As the beginning of the psalm tells us: Unless the Lord build the house, in vain have the builders laboured on it. Thus it is the Lord Who builds the house, it is the Lord Jesus Who builds His own dwelling. Many may toil on its building,but unless He builds it, in vain have the builders laboured on it.

AND WHO ARE THOSE who labour on it? ll those who preach God’s word in the Church, who are ministers of His Sacraments . All of us now rush, work and build and before us, other men rushed, worked and built; still, unless the Lord build the house, in vain have the builders laboured on it. The Apostles and Paul specifically, saw some of them fail and said: You observe the days, the years, the months and the seasons; I fear that I may have toiled for you to no purpose. For realising that he was the result of the Lord’s building from within, he was sorrowful because he had toiled for them to no avail. Hence, we are the ones who speak from without but He builds from within. We notice the fact that you are listening but He alone knows what you are thinking, for He sees our thoughts. He is the One Who builds, admonishes, instills fear, opens the mind and bends the perceptions to the act of belief. Yet we too, His ministers, labour and are, as it were, His Workmen.” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop and Great Western Father and Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from a Discourse on the Psalms).

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, franciscan OFM, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE

Quote/s of the Day – 28 March – St John of Capistrano

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Quote/s of the Day – 28 March – The Memorial of St John of Capistrano OFM (1386-1456)

“Remove from your lives
the filth and uncleanness of vice.
Your upright lives must make you
the salt of the earth for yourselves
and for the rest of humankind…”

“Those who are called
to the table of the Lord
must glow with the brightness
that comes from the good example
of a praiseworthy and blameless life.
They must learn
from the eminent Teacher, Jesus Christ. .
“You are the light of the world”
(see Matthew 5:14).
Now a light does not illumine itself
but instead, it diffuses its rays
and shines all around upon everything
that comes
into its view..“

St John of Capistrano OFM (1386-1456)

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, The LAST THINGS, The RESURRECTION

One Minute Reflection – 28 March – “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” – John 2:19

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One Minute Reflection – 28 March – Monday of the |Fourth Week of Lent – 3 Kings 3:16-28, John 2:13-25 and The Memorial of St John of Capistrano OFM (1386-1456)

“Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” – John 2:19

REFLECTION – “… In my view, both the temple and Jesus’ Body are a symbol of the Church… The temple will be rebuilt and the Body will rise on the third day… For the third day will rise in a new heaven and a new earth (2 Pet 3,13) when the dry bones, that is to say, the whole house of Israel (Ezek 37,11), will stand up on the great Day of the Lord and death will be vanquished…

Just as the Body of Jesus, subject to our vulnerable human condition, was fastened to the Cross and buried and then raised up, so the whole Body of Christ’s faithful was “fastened to the cross with him” and “now no longer lives” (Gal 2,19). For, like Paul, not one of them glories in anything any longer but in the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which made of Him, One Crucified for the world and made of the world, one crucified for Him (Gal 6,14)… “For we were buried with Christ,” Paul says and adds, as if he had received some pledge of the resurrection: “And have been raised to life again with Him” (Rom 6:4-9) Everyone is walking in a new life, therefore but this new life is not yet the happy and perfect resurrection… If anyone is now placed in the tomb, one day he will rise again.” – Origen (c 185-253) Priest and Theologian, Father (Commentary on St John 10,20).

PRAYER – O God, Who, through blessed John, made Your faithful people conquer the enemies of the Cross by the power of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, grant, we beseech You, that by his intercession we may avoid the snares of our spiritual enemies and may be found worthy to receive from You the crown of justice.
Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CARMELITES, DOCTORS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRACE, The WILL of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 28 March – Thy Holy Will

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Our Morning Offering – 28 March – Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Thy Holy Will
By St Teresa of Jesus of Avila (1515-1582)
Doctor of the Church

Lord,
grant that I may always
allow myself to be guided by Thee,
always follow Thy plans
and perfectly accomplish Thy Holy Will.
Grant that in all things,
great and small,
today and all the days of my life,
I may do,
whatever Thou may require of me.
Help me to respond
to the slightest prompting
of Thy grace,
so that I may be Thy trustworthy instrument,
for Thy honour.
May Thy Will be done in time
and eternity –
by me, in me and through me.
Amen

Posted in GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD

Thought for the Day – 27 March – The Presence of God

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Thought for the Day – 27 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Presence of God

“In times of temptation, it is especially necessary for us to place ourselves in the presence of God.
We are courting disaster, if we do not raise our minds and hearts to God to implore His help, when temptation assails us.
Like the Apostles on the lake of Genesareth, when their frail boat was battered by the storm tossed waves and was in danger of being wrecked, let us cry out with the same faith and confidence, when we are assaulted by the devil: “Lord save us! We are perishing!” (Mt 8:25).
God knows our weakness and will certainly have mercy on us.

Let us not lose courage if He seems to be slow in granting His enlightenment and His grace and leaves us prey to the onslaughts of our passions.
Like the Canaanite woman in tbe Gospel, let us continue to pray with constancy and with faith and the merciful God will take pity on us at last.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/30/thought-for-the-day-30-march-the-presence-of-god/

Posted in Against ICONOCLASM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ON the SAINTS

Quote/s of the Day – 27 March – St John Damascene

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Quote/s of the Day – 27 March – The Memorial of St John Damascene (676-749) – Father and Doctor of the Church

“In former times, God,
Who is without form or body,
could never be depicted.
But now, when God is seen
in the flesh conversing with men,
I make an image of the God Whom I see.
I do not worship matter;
I worship the Creator of matter
Who became matter, for my sake.”

“The Saints must be honoured
as friends of Christ
and children and heirs of God.
Let us carefully observe
the manner of life of all the Apostles,
Martyrs, Ascetics and just men,
who announced the coming of the Lord.
And let us emulate their faith,
charity, hope, zeal, life,
patience under suffering
and perseverance unto death,
so that we may also
share their crowns of glory.”

St John Damascene (676-749)
Father and Doctor of the Church

MORE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/12/04/quote-s-of-the-day-4-december-st-john-damascene-father-and-doctor-of-the-church/

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, I BELIEVE!, MIRACLES, QUOTES on CREATION, QUOTES on FAITH, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 27 March – ‘ … We are preferred to them …’

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One Minute Reflection – 27 March – Fourth Sunday of Lent “Laetare Sunday” – Galatians 4:22-31, John 6:1-15

“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 – Stay with us Lord Jesus, be our companion on our way. In Your mercy enflame our hearts and raise our hope, so that, in union with our brethren, we may share with each other Your food of life. Listen to the prayers of your Angels and Saints and as we entrust ourselves to the Blessed Virgin Mary, may she open our hearts to compassion and fraternal sharing. Through Your grace with God our Father and the Holy Ghost, forever and ever amen.

Posted in Against ICONOCLASM, DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, SAINT of the DAY

Fourth Sunday of Lent “Laetare Sunday” and Memorials of the Saints – 27 March

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Fourth Sunday of Lent “Laetare Sunday” +2022

St John Damascene (675-749) Father and Doctor of the Church, Confessor, Priest, Monk, Theologian, Writer, Defender of Iconography, Poet, a Polymath whose fields of interest and contribution included law, theology, philosophy, music, Marian devotee. Also known as Doctor of Christian Art.
Feast moved in 1969 to 4 December.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/12/04/saint-of-the-day-4-december-st-john-damascene-675-749-father-doctor-of-the-church/

Bl Aimone of Halberstadt
St Amphilochius of Illyria
St Alexander of Drizipara
St Alexander of Pannonia
St Alkeld the Martyr
St Amator the Hermit
St Augusta of Treviso (Died 5th Century) Virgin Martyr
St Claudio Gallo
St Cronidas of Illyria
St Ensfrid of Cologne
Bl Francesco Faà di Bruno
Bl Frowin of Engelberg
St Gelasius of Armagh

Blessed Giuseppe Ambrosoli MCCI (1923-1987) Priest of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus, Missionary to Uganda, Doctor and Surgeon, he is known in Uganda as the “the Doctor of Charity” and the “Saint Doctor,” Apostle of Charity, medical professor, Founder of a Hospital and a School of Midwifery.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/27/saint-of-the-day-27-march-blessed-giuseppe-ambrosoli-mcci-1923-1987-to-be-beatified-on-22-november-2020/

St John of Lycopolis

Blessed Louis-Édouard Cestac (1801-1868) Priest and Founder of the Servants of Mary.
Blessed Louis’s Story:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/03/27/saint-of-the-day-27-march-blessed-louis-edouard-cestac-1801-1868/

St Matthew of Beauvais
St Macedo of Illyria

Blessed Pellegrino of Falerone OFM (Died 1233) Lay Brother of the First Order of St Francis of Assisi.
Blessed Pellegrino’s life:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/27/saint-of-the-day-27-march-blessed-pellegrino-of-falerone-ofm-died-1233-lay-brother/

Bl Peter Jo Yong-sam
St Philetus
St Romulus the Abbot

St Rupert of Salzburg (c 660–710) Bishop and Abbot Apostle to Bavaria and Austria.
Biography of St Rupert:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/03/27/saint-of-the-day-st-rupert-of-salzburg-c-660-710/

St Suairlech of Fore
St Theoprepius

Martyrs of Bardiaboch: A group of Christians who were arrested, tortured and executed together for their faith during the persecutions of Persian King Shapur II. Martyrs. – Abibus, Helias, Lazarus, Mares, Maruthas, Narses, Sabas, Sembeeth and Zanitas. 27 March 326 at Bardiaboch, Persia.

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on MORTAL SIN, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on The SOUL

Thought for the Day – 26 March – The Human Soul

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Thought for the Day –26 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Human Soul

“Remember that every mortal sin means death to the soul, for it robs it of the supernatural life of grace, making it incapable of every good action and deserving of hell.
If you committed one mortal sin, God could tire of you, as if you were an unproductive tree and put an end to your life, without giving you time to repent!
Then, you would be lost for all eternity.
This thought should never leave your mind, particularly in time of temptation.
At such a time, turn to God with confidence, tell Him that you love Him and do not wish to offend Him at any price.
Face death rather than sin.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/27/thought-for-the-day-27-march-the-human-soul/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/02/10/thought-for-the-day-27-march-the-human-soul-2/

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, QUOTES on BAD CONVERSATION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN

Saturday of the Third Week of Lent – 26 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – ‘… He reformed the criminal, He did not absolve the sin. …’ St Ambrose

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Saturday of the Third Week of Lent – 26 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers –Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62, John 8:1-11

“Even though I walk in the dark valley, I fear no evil; for You are at my side, O Lord. With Your rod and Your staff that give me courage.” – Psalm 22:4

“Woman, where are they?
Has no man condemned you?
She said, No man Lord.
Then Jesus said,
Neither shall I condemn you.
Go and from now on, sin no more.”

John 8:9-11

SEE, O READER, these Divine Mysteries and the mercy of Christ. When the woman is accused, Christ stoops His head but when the accusers retire, He lifts it up again, thus we see, that He would have no man condemned but all absolved.

BY THE WORDS, ‘Has no man condemned you?‘ He quickly overthrows all the quibbles of heretics, who say that Christ knows not the day of judgment.
He Who says, ‘But to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give.’ says also in this place, ‘Has no man condemned you?‘
How is it that He asks concerning that, which He indeed saw? It is for our sakes that He asks, that we might know the woman was not condemned. And such is the way of the human mind, often to enquire, concerning that which we know.

THE WOMAN TOO answered, ‘No man, Lord‘, which is to say, ‘Who can condemn when Thou dost not condemn?‘ Who can punish another under such a condition as Thou hast attached to his sentence?
The Lord answered her, ‘Neither do I judge thee!‘ Observe how He has modified His own sentence; that the Jews might have no ground of allegation against Him for the absolution of the woman but by complaining only, draw down a charge upon themselves – for the woman is dismissed not absolved and this because there was no accuser, not because her innocence was established. How then could they complain, who were the first to abandon the prosecution of the crime and the execution of the punishment?

THEN HE SAID TO HER who had gone astray, ‘Go, and sin no more’ He reformed the criminal, He did not absolve the sin. Faults are condemned by a severer sentence, whenever a man hates his own sin and begins the condemnation of it in himself.
When the criminal is put to death, it is the person, rather than the transgression, which is punished but when the transgression is forsaken, the absolution of the person becomes the punishment of the sin.

WHAT IS THE MEANING then of, ‘Go and sin no more?’ It is this; Since Christ has redeemed you, suffer yourself to be corrected by Grace; punishment would not reform but only afflict you!” St Ambrose (340-397) One of the original four Fathers and Doctors of the Latin Church (Excerpt from Epistle 26 on the Woman taken in adultery).

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on SIN, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 26 March – Repent!

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Quote/s of the Day – 26 March – Saturday of the Third Week of Lent – Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62, John 8:1-11

“Go and from now on, sin no more”

John 8:11

“Prepare the way of the Lord
make his paths straight” …

Luke 3:4

“You do not know
when your last day may come.
You are an ingrate!
Why not use the day, today,
that God has given you
to repent?”

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

“What are you afraid of, you men of little faith?
That He will not pardon your sins?
But with His own hands He has nailed them to the cross.
That you are used to soft living
and your tastes are fastidious?
But He knows the clay of which we are made (Gn 2:7).
That a prolonged habit of sinning binds you like a chain?
But the Lord loosens the shackles of prisoners.
Or perhaps that angered by the enormity
and frequency of your sins,
He is slow to extend a helping hand?
But where sin abounded,
grace became superabundant (Rom 5,20).
Are you worried about clothing
and food and other bodily necessities
so that you hesitate to give up your possessions?
But He knows that you need all these things (Mt 6,32).
What more can you wish?
What else is there to hold you back
from the way of salvation? ”

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

Posted in ACT of CONTRITION, AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on BAD CONVERSATION, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TRUTH, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 26 March – “Go and from now on, sin no more” – John 8:11

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One Minute Reflection – 26 March – Saturday of the Third Week of Lent – Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62, John 8:1-11

“Go and from now on, sin no more” – John 8:11

REFLECTION – “One after another all withdrew.”
The two were left alone, the woman in need of mercy and Mercy.
But the Lord, having struck them through with that dart of justice, deigned not to heed their fall but, turning His eyes away from them, “again he wrote with his finger on the ground.”

But when that woman remained alone and all had gone, He raised His eyes to her. We have heard the voice of justice; let us listen too to the voice of clemency…
This woman expected to be punished by Him, in whom sin could not be found.
But He, who had driven back her adversaries with the voice of justice, lifting the eyes of mercy to her, asked her: “Has no-one condemned you?” She answered, “No-one, Lord.”
And He said: “Neither do I condemn you. I by Whom, perhaps, you were afraid of being condemned because you have found no sin in Me; neither do I condemn you.”

What is this, O Lord?
Do you favour sins, then?
Certainly not!
But take note of what follows: “Go, henceforth sin no more.”
The Lord did condemn, therefore but He condemned the sin, not the sinner… Let them be careful, then, those who love the goodness in the Lord but who fear His truthfulness…
The Lord is gracious, the Lord is slow to anger, the Lord is merciful BUT the Lord is also just and the Lord is abounding in truth (Ps 85[86],15).
He gives you time for amendment but you prefer to take advantage of the delay, rather than to reform your ways.
Did you act wickedly yesterday? Be good today. Have you spent today in evil? At any rate change your behaviour tomorrow.

This, then, is the meaning of the words He addresses to this woman, “Neither do I condemn you but, having been made secure concerning the past, be on your guard in the future. I, for My part, will not condemn you, I have blotted out what you have done; keep what I have commanded, that you may gain what I have promised.” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop, Father, Doctor of Grace –Tractate 33 on the Gospel of John, 5-8

PRAYER – O Infinite Goodness – Act of Contrition
By St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) – Doctor of the Church

O my God,
I am exceedingly grieved,
for having offended Thee
and with my whole heart,
I repent of the sins I have committed.
I hate and abhor them above every other evil,
not only because, by so sinning,
I have lost heaven and deserved hell
but still more because I have offended Thee,
O infinite Goodness,
who art worthy to be loved above all things.
I most firmly resolve,
by the assistance of Thy grace,
never more to offend Thee for the time to come
and to avoid those occasions
which might lead me into sin.
Amen

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, LENT 2022, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, OUR Cross, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 26 March – My Sorrowful Mother,Help Me to Bear My Crosses By St Alphonsus

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Our Morning Offering – 26 March – Saturday of the Third Week of Lent

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

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

Posted in GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The HEART

Thought for the Day – 25 March – Why God Created Us

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Thought for the Day – 25 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Why God Created Us

“We should ask the reason for everything which comes from the Hand of God.
Have you ever seriously considered WHY you are in this world?
It is certainly not for the sake of this passing earthly existence, for the sake of earning your living, or enjoying yourself.
You know well, that the passing pleasures of this life do not satisfy the human heart and cannot be the final goal of life.
Each one of us has a thirst for all that is infinite, eternal and perfect.
God alone can satisfy this thirst.
Just as we are created by God, so we are created for Him.
Just as we came from God, so we are gradually travelling back towards Him, for He is the final goal of our earthly journey.
We should meditate on this great truth which we were first taught in the Catechism, namely, that we were created to know, love and serve God on this earth and to be happy with Him forever in Heaven.
Let us not allow ourselves to be dazzled by earthly beauty.
God alone is the eternal beauty which will satisfy our hearts.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/26/thought-for-the-day-26-march-why-god-created-us/

Apologies – the Dear Cardinal went missing yesterday , without leave- due to an Operator error, ‘Moi‘ 🙄

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The ANNUNCIATION, The INCARNATION, The WORD

Friday of the Third Week of Lent – 25 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – ‘ … By Obeying His Word …’

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Friday of the Third Week of Lent – 25 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – The Annunciation – Isaias 7:10-15, Luke 1:26-38

“Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.” – Luke 1:28,42

“And Mary said,
‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be to me according to your word.’”

Luke 1:38

“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)

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN QUOTES, Quotes on SALVATION, The ANNUNCIATION, The INCARNATION, The NATIVITY of JESUS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 25 March – Blessed Shall be Her Name

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Quote/s of the Day – 25 March – The Annunciation – Isaias 7:10-15, Luke 1:26-38

“He Who is Infinite, Limitless,
came to dwell in your womb;
God, the Child Jesus,
was nourished by your milk.
You are the ever virginal Doorway of God;
your hands hold your God;
your lap is a throne raised up
above the Cherubim…
You are the wedding chamber of the Spirit,
the “city of the living God,
gladdened by the runlets of the stream,”
that is to say, the waves of the Spirit’s gifts.
You are “all fair, the Beloved” of God.”

St John Damascene (675-749)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“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 of the Church

Blessed Shall be Her Name
Anonymous Author

Praise we the Lord this day,
This day so long foretold,
Whose promise shone with cheering ray
On waiting saints of old.

The prophet gave the sign
That those with faith might read;
A Virgin, born of David’s line
Shall bear the promised Seed.

Ask not how this should be,
But worship and adore;
Like her whom Heaven’s majesty
Came down to shadow o’er.

She meekly bowed her head
To hear the gracious word,
Mary, the pure and lowly maid,
The favoured of the Lord.

Blessed shall be her name
In all the Church on earth,
Through whom that wondrous Mercy came,
The Incarnate Saviour’s Birth.

Jesus, the Virgin’s Son,
We praise You and adore,
Who are with God the Father One
And Spirit evermore.
Amen

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, Hail MARY!, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HOPE, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The ANNUNCIATION

Our Morning Offering – 25 March – O Mary, My Hope!

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Our Morning Offering – 25 March – The Annunciation

O Mary, My Hope!
By St John Damascene (675-749)
Father and Doctor of the Church

I salute you, O Mary!
you are the hope of Christians.
Receive the prayer of a sinner,
who loves you tenderly,
honours you in a special manner
and places in you the whole hope
of his salvation.
From you I have my life.
You reinstate me in the grace of your Son:
you are the sure pledge of my salvation.
I beseech of you, therefore, to deliver me
from the burden of my sins,
dispel the darkness of my mind,
banish from my heart the love of the world,
repress the temptations of my enemies
and so rule my whole life, that by your means
and under your guidance,
I may obtain everlasting happiness in heaven.
Amen

Posted in CARMELITES, DOCTORS of the Church, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 24 March – I must proclaim the kingdom of God

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Quote/s of the Day – 24 March – Thursday of the Third Week of Lent – Jeremias 7:1-7, Luke 4:38-44

“And the crowds were seeking after Him
and they came to Him
and tried to detain Him,
that He might not depart from them.
But He said to them,
To the other towns too
I must proclaim the kingdom of God,
for this is why I have been sent.”

Luke 4:42-43

“Christ has no body on earth but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which, the compassion of Christ, looks out to the world.
Yours are the feet,
with which, He is to go about doing good.
Yours are the hands,
with which, He is to bless others now.”

St Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Doctor of the Church

Great convert Teacher of the Faith
Who never ceased from preaching Christ,
Saint Paul impart to us your zeal,
That we may reach the joys unseen.

All glory to the Trinity,
Forever honour, sov’reignty,
To God Almighty be all praise,
Beginning and the End of all.
Amen

Posted in CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The WORD

Thursday of the Third Week of Lent – 24 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – ‘… The sicknesses of the soul …’

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Thursday of the Third Week of Lent – 24 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – Jeremias 7:1-7, Luke 4:38-44

“The eyes of all look hopefully to You, O Lord,and You give them their food in due season. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.” – Psalm 144:15-16

“Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him and he laid his hands on everyone of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Christ.”

Luke 4:40-41

“BUT OBSERVE AGAIN, I pray, how great is the efficacy of the touch of His holy flesh. For It both drives away diseases, of various kinds and a crowd of demons and overthrows the power of the devil and heals a very great multitude of people, in one moment of time.
And although able to perform these miracles by a word and the inclination of His will, yet, to teach us something useful, He also lays His hands upon the sick.
For it was necessary, most necessary, for us to learn, that the holy flesh which He had made His own, was endowed with the activity of the power of the Word, by His having implanted in it, a godlike might.
Let It then take hold of us, or rather let us take hold of It, by the mystical “Giving of thanks,” that It may free us also from the sicknesses of the soul and from the assault and violence of demons.

HE WOULD NOT PERMIT the unclean demons to confess Him, for it was not fitting for them to usurp the glory of the Apostolic office, nor with impure tongue, to talk of the mystery of Christ.
Yea! although they speak ought that is true, let no-one put credence in them – for the light is not known by the aid of darkness, as the disciple of Christ teaches us, where he says, “For what communion hath light with darkness? or what consent hath Christ with Beliar?” – St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father and Doctor of the Incarnation

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ANGER, QUOTES on SIN, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 March – ‘The Chief Physician’

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One Minute Reflection – 24 Marcr – Thursday of the Third Week of Lent – Jeremias 7:1-7, Luke 4:38-44 and the Feast Dy of St Gabriel the Archangel

“At that time, Jesus rose from the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a great fever and they besought Him for her.” – Luke 4:38

REFLECTION – “Now Simon’s mother-in-law was kept in her bed sick with a fever.” May Christ come to our house and enter in and by His command, cure the fever of our sins. Each one of us is sick with a fever. Whenever I give way to anger, I have a fever. There are as many fevers as there are faults and vices. Let us beg the Apostles to intercede for us with Jesus, that He may come to us and touch our hand. If He does so, at once our fever is gone. He is an excellent Physician and truly the Chief Physician. Moses is a physician. Isaias is a physician. All the Saints are physicians but He is the Chief Physician.” – St Jerome (343-420) Father & Doctor of the Church (Homilies on the Gospel of Mark 75).

PRAYER – O God, Who, out of all the Angels, chose the Archangel Gabriel to announce the mystery of Your Incarnation, mercifully grant that we, who keep his feast on earth, may have him as our patron in Heaven. Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).