Thought for the Day – 17 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Entrusting Ourselves to God
“Sometimes the cross seems too heavy. Physical or moral sufferings may give rise to a feeling of rebellion, or temptations may grow so strong that I feel overwhelmed and unable to experiece the supernatural influence of God’s grace.
At such times, I should remember the words of Jesus: “Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden light” (Mt 11:28).
If I leave myself entirely in God’s hands, my cross will become lighter. My worries and woes, will be easier to bear and, I shall not be excessively elated by worldly pleasures.
All the Saints had perfect TRUST in God. Therefore, they were always content.”
Quote/s of the Day – 17July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Readings: Exodus 12: 37-42; Psalms 136: 1 and 23-24, 10-12, 13-15; Matthew 12: 14-21
“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen”
Matthew 12:18
“He cries out, saying: See, I am with you all the days of this age. He is Himself the shepherd, the high priest, the way and the door, and has become all things at once for us.”
St Athanasius (297-373) Father & Doctor of the Church
“Loving You, O God, brings its own reward here on earth, as well as the eternal reward of heaven. By becoming mirrors of Your love, by wearing the mask of Your likeness and by allowing You to make us perfect, we can know the joy of heaven, even while we abide here on earth.”
William of St Thierry O.Cist (c 1075 – c 1148)
“The life of the body, is the soul, the life of the soul, is Christ.”
St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Evangelical Doctor of the Church
“Who is like You, Who founded heaven and earth …, You, Who will Your delight to be with the children of humankind? How great You are, King of kings and Lord of Lords, Who rule the stars and set Your Heart on humankind!”
St Gertrude the Great of Helfta (1256-1301)
“If you wish to enter into life, keep My commandments. If you will know the truth, believe in Me. If you will be perfect, sell all. If you will be My disciple, deny yourself. If you will possess the blessed life, despise this present life. If you will be exalted in heaven, humble yourself on earth. If you wish to reign with Me, carry the Cross with Me. For only the servants of the Cross find the life of blessedness and of true light.”
Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471) The Imitation of Christ Chapter 56
One Minute Reflection – 17July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Readings: Exodus 12: 37-42; Psalms 136: 1 and 23-24, 10-12, 13-15; Matthew 12: 14-21
“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen” – Matthew 12:18
REFLECTION – “This is our faith… God sent His Word (Jn 1,1) to reveal Himself in person before men’s eyes, that the world, when it saw Him, might be saved… We know He became man, of the same clay as ourselves. If it had been otherwise, it would have been futile for Him to command us to imitate Him as our Lord (Jn 13,14-34). If this Man were of a different nature, how could He ask me to do as He did, I, who am weak by nature? Where, then, would be His goodness, His justice?
To make us thoroughly understand, that He is no different from us, He desired to bear fatigue and know hunger (Jn 4,6); He did not refuse thirst or to find rest in sleep. He did not refuse suffering, He became subject to death and openly manifested His Resurrection. In all these things, He offered His own humanity as a first-fruits, so that you, in your own suffering, might not lose courage but, recognising that you, yourself, are man, might also wait for what the Father has given to Him…
Thanks to your knowledge of the true God, you will have an immortal and imperishable body like the soul itself. You will receive the Kingdom of Heaven as your inheritance because you acknowledged the King of Heaven, while you lived on earth. You will live in the presence of God, “co-heir with Christ” (Rm 8,17). You will no longer be dominated by desires, suffering and sickness because you have become divine in nature… “Christ is God above all” (cf Rm 9,5)… and has given the perfection of the new Man to the old man (Col 3,9). He called it His image from the beginning (Gn 1,27) and, through this likeness, He has shown His loving kindness for you. If you obey His holy commandments, if you imitate He who is good in being Good, you will become like Him.” – St Hippolytus of Rome (c 170-c.235) Bishop, Martyr, Theologian, Father – The Refutation of all heresies, 10, 33-34
PRAYER – Lord God, in Your wisdom You created us, by Your Providence, You rule us. Penetrate our inmost being with Your holy light so that our way of life may always be one of faithful service and childlike trust in You. Grant that by the intercession of our most Holy and Blessed Virgin Mother, we may always follow behind Your Son, obey His Words and grasp His hand, to lead us to You, Through Jesus Christ our Lord with the Holy Spirit, one God now and for all eternity, amen
Thought for the Day – 16 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Holiness
“In a radio message which he broadcast on the occasion of the Beatification of Pope Innocent XI, the Supreme Pontiff, Pius XII, defined holiness as “the intimate awareness of loyal subjection to God, Who is adored and loved, as the beginning, end and norm of every thought, affection, word and action.”
Let us meditate on this definition, which helps to shed some light on the true nature of sanctity. A holy man must always have a keen awareness of his own dependence upon God, his Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier and his hoped for reward and happiness in the next life. This awareness must be vivid, for it should not be possible for it to be obscured by worldly distractions or obliterated by sensual allurements. It should be active, so that it may not be a merely theoretical acknowledgement of our dependence which leads to nothing more than lip-worship; on the contrary, it must be capable of transforming our lives into an act of obedience and of love. Finally, it should be a faithful awareness, a complete and voluntary subjection to God, which is the driving force behind all our words and actions and, which inspires us alike, in joy and in sorrow, in victory and in defeat. If we wish to be perfect Christians, we must cultivate this kind of consciousness of our dependence upon God.”
Quote/s of the Day – 16 July – “Month of the Most Precious” – Readings: Exodus 11: 10 – 12: 14; Psalms 116: 12-13, 15 and 16bc, 17-18; Matthew 12: 1-8
“I say to you, something greater than the temple is here …”
Matthew 12:6
“Evangelical faith lived in Christ, transcends the law.”
St Hilary of Poitiers (315-368) Father and Doctor of the Divinity of Christ
“May Christ be heard in our language, may Christ be seen in our life, may He be perceived in our hearts”
St Peter Damian (1007-1072) Father and Doctor of the Church
“If, then, you seek to know what path to follow, take Christ because He is the way.”
St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church
“Every Christian must be a living book wherein one can read the teaching of the Gospel. This is what St Paul says to the Corinthians. Our heart is the parchment; through my ministry the Holy Spirit is the writer because ‘my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe’ (Psalm 45:1).”
One Minute Reflection – 16 July – “Month of the Most Precious” – Readings: Exodus 11: 10 – 12: 14; Psalms 116: 12-13, 15 and 16bc, 17-18; Matthew 12: 1-8 and the Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
“For the Son of man is Lord, even of the sabbath.” – Matthew 12:8
REFLECTION – “My brethren, consider the great mystery of the harmony and the difference of the two Laws and two peoples. The people of old celebrated Passover, not in the full light of day but in the shadow of that which was to come (Col 2,17) and fifty days after the Passover celebration… God gave it the Law, written by His own Hand on Mount Sinai… God came down on Mount Sinai in the midst of the fire, striking with terror the people who were standing far off and with His finger He wrote the Law on stone, not in the heart (Ex 31,18). On the other hand, when the Holy Spirit came down to earth, the disciples were all assembled together in the same place and, instead of terrifying them from the height of the mountain, He entered the house where they had gathered (Acts 2,1f.). From the heights of heaven came an enormous noise like that of a strong wind approaching but this noise did not frighten anybody.
You have heard the sound, see the fire, too. For on the mountain these two phenomena are to be distinguished – the noise and the fire. On Mount Sinai the fire was surrounded by smoke but here, to the contrary, it has a shining clarity: “There appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted.” Was this a fire that stirred up fear? Not at all – “they came to rest on each one of them”… Listen to this tongue speaking and understand that it is the Spirit that writes, not on stone but in the heart. Therefore, the “Law of the Spirit of life,” written in the heart and not on stone, this Law of the Spirit of life which is in Jesus Christ, in whom the Passover has been celebrated in all truth (1Cor 5,7), “has set you free from the Law of sin and death” (Rm 8,2). – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop, Father and Doctor of the Church – Sermon 155, 6-
PRAYER – Almighty God, to whom this world with all its goodness and beauty belongs, give us grace joyfully to begin this day in Your name and to fill it, with an active love for You and for our neighbour. Grant us the grace to repent of our sins, to turn to the Cross of Your Son and to beg Him, in His great love and suffering, to forgive us again! Mary, the Madonna of Humility, intercede for us in our weakness and help us become humble and look only at the face of Christ. Amen
Thought for the Day – 15 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
A Life of Fervour
“God is our Creator and absolute Master, Whom the Angels adore and irrational creatures obey. His greatness demands that we should offer all our activities to Him in a spirit of fervent and loving dedication. Since we have received everything from Him, we have many reasons for loving Him. By the work of redemption, God became our Friend and our Brother and the Victim of Expiation for our sins. How could we remain indifferent and ungrateful when we remember the favours which we have received . Love desires love in return and God loves us so much that He became man and shed His Blood for us. Moreover, He immolates Himself continually on our behalf, in the Sacrifice of the Eucharist. Finally, our fervour should be increased, by the reflection, that God has reserved for us, an everlasting reward, His own Beatific Vision.
All these considerations should help us to increase the fervour of our love. Then our actions will form a ladder of ascent to God, by means of which, we shall become intimately united to Him.
Quote/s of the Day – 15 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” and the Memorial of St Bonaventure OFM (1221-1274) Seraphic Doctor of the Church
“As “pride is the beginning of all sin,” (Eccl. 10:15) so humility is the foundation of all virtue. Learn to be really humble and not, as the hypocrite, humble merely in appearance.”
“Run with eager desire to this Source of Life and Light, all you who are vowed to God’s service.”
St Bonaventure’s Sermon of 4 October 1255
“When we pray, the voice of the heart must be heard , more than that proceeding from the mouth.”
“Have Mercy on Me, O Lady
Have mercy on me, O Lady, for thou art called the Mother of Mercy. And according to thy mercy, cleanse me from all my iniquities. Pour forth thy grace upon me and withdraw not from me thine accustomed clemency. For I will confess my sins to thee and I will accuse myself of all my crimes before thee. Reconcile me to the Fruit of thy womb: and make peace for me with Him, Who has created me. Amen.”
The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St Bonaventure
“Mary seeks for those who approach her devoutly and with reverence, for such she loves, nourishes, and adopts as her children. ”
One Minute Reflection – 15 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” and the Memorial of St Bonaventure (1221-1274) Seraphic Doctor of the Church – Readings: Exodus 3: 13-20; Psalms 105: 1 and 5, 8-9, 24-25, 26-27; Matthew 11: 28-30
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart and you will find rest for your souls…” – Matthew 11:29
REFLECTION – “You are to “take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” You are not learning from Me, how to re-fashion the fabric of the world, nor to create all things visible and invisible, nor to work miracles and raise the dead. Rather, you are simply learning of Me: “that I am meek and lowly in heart.”If you wish to reach high, then begin at the lowest level. If you are trying to construct some mighty edifice in height, you will begin with the lowest foundation. This is humility. However great the mass of the building you may wish to design or erect, the taller the building is to be, the deeper you will dig the foundation. The building in the course of its erection rises up high but he who digs its foundation must first go down very low. So then, you see, even a building is low before it is high and the tower is raised only after humiliation.” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop, Father and Doctor of Grace – Sermon 69.
PRAYER – Holy God, our Father, we turn to You in confidence as children and pray, give us meekness of heart, make us “poor in spirit” that we may recognise that we are not self-sufficient, that we are unable to build our lives on our own but need You, we need to encounter You, to listen to You, to speak to You. Help us to understand that we need Your gifts, Your wisdom, which is Jesus Himself, in order to do the Your will in our lives and thus to find rest in the hardships of our journey. Grant we pray that the prayers of our Blessed Mother, St Bonaventure and all Your Angels and Saints, may carry us home to You. Through Christ our Lord, one God with You and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, amen.
Thought for the Day – 14 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Knowledge and Goodness
“Joseph DeMaistre’s views on the relationship between knowledge and goodness may seem a little extreme but, they are nothing but the truth. “If the guardianship of education is not restored to the Church and if knowledge is not everywhere subordinated to goodness, the evils which await us will be incalculable. Science will brutalise us. Because of it, men will become more savage than the barbarians!”
We do not wish to speak slightingly of knowledge. It is a gift from God, Who has given us our intellects to know the truth. But truth, like every created thing, comes from God and should lead us back to God. It is the same with knowledge. If we investigate the secrets of nature and do not make of them a ladder, which helps us to climb towards our Creator, we turn the natural order upside down and inevitably fall backwards. We can gain, by our labours, a mastery over the hidden forces of nature. If we do not use them to benefit humanity but to destroy those of our brothers whom we call our enemies, we are worse than Cain. Science which does not serve goodness, is worse than barbarism. The latter has very few instruments of destruction at its disposal. When science rebels against idealism, however and makes itself absolute, it can destroy all that we have inherited of beauty and goodness throughout the centuries.
Science is too easily glorified today. But knowledge, for the sake of knowledge, does not lead us to God and is very often stupidity or worse. It can be an instrument of evil and of physical and spiritual destruction!”
Quote/s of the Day – 14 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – and the Memorial of Saint Camillus de Lellis MI (1550-1614) “The Giant of Charity”
“Brother, if you commit a sin and take pleasure in it, the pleasure passes but the sin remains. But if you do something virtuous, even though you are tired, the tiredness passes but the virtue remains.”
“The poor and the sick are the Heart of God. In serving them, we serve Jesus Christ.”
“Commitment is doing what you said you would do, after the feeling you said it in, has passed.”
One Minute Reflection – 14 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Readings: Exodus 3: 1-6, 9-12; Psalm: 103: 1b-2, 3-4, 6-7;: Matthew 11: 25-27 and the Memorial of Saint Camillus de Lellis MI (1550-1614) “The Giant of Charity”
“You have revealed them to the childlike.” … Matthew 11:25
REFLECTION – “I give praise to you,” Jesus says, “because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned.” What? Is He glad at the loss of those who don’t believe in Him? Certainly not. How wonderful are God’s designs for people’s salvation! When they turn away from the truth and refuse to accept it, God never forces them but lets them be. Their wandering away stimulates them to find the path again. Returning to their senses, they hastily seek out the grace of the call to faith they had rejected before. As for those who had remained faithful, their devotion becomes even stronger like this. So Christ is glad these things are revealed to some but saddened they are hidden from others. This is made known when He weeps over the city (Lk 19:41). Saint Paul writes in the same spirit: “Thanks be to God! You were once slaves of sin but you have become obedient from the heart” to the Gospel (Rom 6:17). …
Who are the wise Jesus is talking about here? The scribes and the Pharisees. He says this to hearten His disciples, by showing them of what privileges they have been accounted worthy. Simple fishermen that they are, they have received the illumination that the wise and learned despised. These latter are wise in name only, they think themselves wise but are false scholars. That is why Christ did not say: “You have revealed them to the ignorant” but to “the childlike,” that is to say, simple, honest people. … In this way, He teaches us to utterly renounce important things and seek out simplicity. Saint Paul goes even further: “If anyone considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool so as to become wise” (1Cor 3:18).” … St John Chrysostom (345-407) – Bishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church – Sermons on Saint Matthew’s Gospel, no.38, 1
PRAYER – Lord God, in Your wisdom You created us, by Your Providence, You rule us. Penetrate our inmost being with Your holy light so that our way of life may always be one of faithful service and childlike trust in You. Grant that we may always follow behind Your Son and grasp His hand, to lead us to You. May we grow in faith and love daily, by the intercession of Saint Camillus de Lellis and may we be a light of love, to all around us, as he was. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 14 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood”
Prayer for the Gift of Prayer By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor of the Church
O Incarnate Word, You have given Your Blood and Your Life to confer on our prayers that power by which, according to Your promise, they obtain for us all that we ask. And we, O God, are so careless of our salvation, that we will not even ask You for the graces that we must have, if we should be saved! In prayer You have given us the key of all Your Divine treasures and we, rather than pray, choose to remain in our misery. Alas! O Lord, enlighten us, and make us know the value of prayers, offered in Your name and by Your merits, in the eyes of Your Eternal Father. Amen
Thought for the Day – 13 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Mercy of God
“Remember, that if God’s mercy is infinite, so also is His justice.
When we realise that we have fallen into serious sin, we should not give way to despair as Judas did but, should turn to Jesus trustingly and contritely, saying with the Psalmist, “My refuge and my fortess, my stonghold, my deliverer, my shield, in whom I trust” (Ps 143:2). We shall certainly be forgiven.
It would be the highest form of ingratitude and even blasphemous, to abuse God;s goodness and mercy. Let our repentance be sincere and effective. In return for the infinite goodness of God, let us give Him our love, limited indeed but willing and constant.”
Quote/s of the Day – 13 July – “Month of the Precious Blood” – Readings: Exodus 2: 1-15a; Psalms 69: 3, 14, 30-31, 33-34; Matthew 11: 20-24
“Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, for their failure to repent.”
Matthew 11:20
“Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your hearts, not your garments and return to the LORD, your God. For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness and relenting in punishment.”
Joel 2:12-13
“Let us fix our thoughts on the Blood of Christ and reflect how Precious that Blood is, in God’s eyes, inasmuch, as its outpouring for our salvation, has opened the grace of repentance to all mankind.”
St Pope Clement I (c 35-99)
“… In the conceitedness of our souls, without taking the least trouble to obey the Lord’s commandments, we think ourselves worthy to receive the same reward as those who have resisted sin to the death!”
St Basil the Great (329-379) Father and Doctor of the Church
“For this all-powerful Physician, nothing is incurable. He heals without charge! With one word, He restores to health! I would have despaired of my wound were it not, that I placed my trust in the Almighty.”
St Gregory the Great (540-604) Pope, Father, Doctor of the Church
“ … Yet only grant me repentance here below That I may make reparation for my sins, … That these tears may extinguish the blazing furnace With its burning flames. …
And, instead of acting like the merciless, Set merciful compassion within me, That, by showing mercy to the poor, I may obtain Your mercy.”
St Nerses Chnorhali (1102-1173) Armenian Bishop
“ It is better to atone for sin now and to cut away vices, than to keep them for purgation in the hereafter. In truth, we deceive ourselves by our ill-advised love of the flesh. What will that fire feed upon but our sins? The more we spare ourselves now and the more we satisfy the flesh, the harder will the reckoning be and the more we keep for the burning.”
One Minute Reflection – 13 July – “Month of the Precious Blood” – Readings: Exodus 2: 1-15a; Psalms 69: 3, 14, 30-31, 33-34; Matthew 11: 20-24
“Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, for their failure to repent.” – Matthew 11:20
REFLECTION – “Let us cry out with David; let us hear him weep and let us shed tears with him. Let us see how he rises up again and let us rejoice with him: “Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness.” (Ps 51:3)
Let us place before the eyes of our soul a man who is seriously injured, almost on the point of breathing his last breathe and who is lying naked in the dust. In his desire to see a doctor arrive, he is moaning and begging the person who understands his condition, to have pity. Now sin is a wound to the soul. You who are this wounded person, learn that your Doctor is within you and show Him the wounds of your sins. May He, to whom every secret thought is known, hear the moaning of your heart. May your tears move Him and, if you have to seek Him with some insistence, let deep sighs rise up to Him from the bottom of your heart. May your pain come to Him and may you also be told, like David: “The Lord… has forgiven your sin.” (2 Sam 12:13)…
“Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness.” The people who belittle their fault because they do not know this great tenderness, only draw a little tenderness to themselves. As for me, I fell far, I sinned with full knowledge. But You, Almighty Doctor, correct those who scorn You; You teach those who do not know their fault and You forgive those who admit it to You.” – St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) Father and Doctor of the Church – Presentation on the seven penitential Psalms
PRAYER – God our Father, we are Your children and You have set us aside to come home to You by the light of the way of Your divine Son. Fill us with knowledge of our need to turn to You in sorrow and repentance, that we may one day attain our final home with You. Grant we pray, that by the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, we may too become lights announcing Your Glory and our great need for repentance. and penance. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
Thought for the Day – 12 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Blessed are the Merciful
“Some day each of us will have to stand before the judgement seat of God and will have to render an account of all his actions. Are we anxious that God will be merciful to us at that crucial moment? Let us be forgiving and charitable towards others now! It is clear from the words of the Gospel, that we shall be pardoned or condemned, largely in accordance with the measure of our mercifulness and charity. God will show mercy towards us as we show mercy towards others. In fact, the Eternal Judge will say to the good: “Come, blessed of my Father, take possession of the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the word: for I was hungry and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; naked and you covered me; sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me.” Then He will turn to the wicked and deliver this terrible sentence: “Depart from me accursed ones, into the everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you did not give me to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take me in; naked and you did not clothe me; sick and in prison and you did not visit me … Amen, I say to you, as long as you did not do it for one of these least ones, you did not do it for me.” (Mt 25:34-46).
These are terrifying words. They should persuade us to exercise charity towards all who are suffering in any way at all!”
Quote/s of the Day – 12 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Readings: Exodus 1: 8-14, 22; Psalms 124: 1b-3, 4-6, 7-8; Matthew 10: 34 – 11: 1
“And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink , … he shall not lose his reward.”
Matthew 10:42
“You, who think that you have a healthy hand, beware lest it is withered by greed or by sacrilege. Hold it out often. Hold it out to the poor person who begs you. Hold it out to help your neighbour, to give protection to a widow, to snatch from harm one whom you see subjected to unjust insult. Hold it out to God for your sins.”
St Ambrose (340-397) Father and Doctor of the Church
“ Lift up and stretch out your hands, not to heaven but to the poor… if you lift up your hands in prayer without sharing with the poor, it is worth nothing.”
“… Let us be afraid, my beloved, lest we also see the poor and pass them by, lest instead of Lazarus, there be many to accuse us hereafter.”
St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father and Doctor of the Church
“For just as water extinguishes a fire, just so does charity blot out our sins.”
St John of God (1495-1550)
“We must speak to them with our hands, by giving, before we try to speak to them with our lips.”
St Peter Claver (1581-1654) “Slave of the slaves”
“I am now completely convinced, that when one does a deed of charity, one need not worry about where the money will come from, it will always come!”
Blessed Frédéric Ozanam (1813–1853) “Servant to the Poor”
One Minute Reflection – 12 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Readings: Exodus 1: 8-14, 22; Psalms 124: 1b-3, 4-6, 7-8; Matthew 10: 34 – 11: 1
“He that receives you, receives me and he that receives me, receivets him that sent me.” – Matthew 10:40
REFLECTION – “The Lord said: “Whoever welcomes this little child on my account welcomes me.” (Lk 9:48) The smaller our brother is, the more Christ is present. For when we welcome a great personality, we often do so out of vainglory but the person who welcomes someone unimportant, does so with a pure intention and for Christ. He said: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” And again: “As often as you did it for one of my least brothers, you did it for me.” (Mt 25:35.40) Since He is talking about a believer and a brother, no matter how unimportant he is, Christ comes in with him. Open your house and welcome him!
“He who welcomes a prophet because he bears the name of prophet receives a prophet’s reward.” Thus, the person who welcomes Christ will receive the reward of Christ’s hospitality. Do not doubt His words, trust them. He Himself told us: “In them, I am presenting myself.”And, so that you do not doubt them, He decreed the punishment for those who do not welcome Him and the honours for those who do welcome Him (Mt 25:31ff.). He would not do this if He were not personally touched by honour or scorn. He says: “You welcomed Me into your house; I will welcome you in the Kingdom of My Father. You freed Me from hunger; I will free you from your sins. You saw Me in chains; I will let you see your liberation. You saw Me a stranger; I will make of you a citizen of Heaven. You gave Me bread; I will give you the Kingdom as your inheritance, that is entirely yours. You helped Me in secret; I will proclaim it publicly and I will say that you are My benefactor and that I am in your debt.” – St John Chrysostom (345-407) Bishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church – Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles, no 45
PRAYER – Grant us Your Grace O Holy God Almighty, rule over our hearts and bodies this day. Sanctify us and guide our every thought, word and deed according to the commandments of Your divine Son, so that now and forever Your Grace may free us from the world and save us for Yourself. May our eyes see Your Son and our hands feed Him and our hearts love Him in all those who hunger and thirst. And may His Glorious and Blessed Mother and ours protect us always . Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Ghost, God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 12 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood”
May We Confess Your Name to the End By St Cyprian of Carthage (200-258) Bishop and Martyr Father of the Church
Good God, may we confess Your Name to the end. May we emerge unmarked and glorious from the traps and darkness of this world. As You have bound us together by charity and peace and as together we have persevered under persecution, so may we also rejoice together in Your heavenly kingdom. Amen
Thought for the Day – 11 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Following Jesus
“When we have renounced ourselves and have embraced our cross with resignation and love, we must follow Jesus. We must follow Him in a special way as the infallible Teacher of truth. The teachings of men cannot satisfy our intellects. Still less, can they satisfy our hearts. What they teach is either incomplete or false. This is proved by the fact that the doctrines of mean have succeeded and replaced one another, down through the centuries while “the word of the Lord endures forever” (1 Peter 1:25).
The teaching of Christ produces an extraordinary renovation in the individual, in the family and in society. It is this renewal which we call Christianity and Christian civilisation. There is a wide chasm between paganism and Christianity. This gulf would be even wider, only for the fact that Christianity has not yet been fully put into practice throughout the universe. There is only one reform necessary. This is to realise the Christian ideal everywhere. We must begin by carrying it out ourselves. Let us follow Jesus, Who is saying to us: “I am the way and the truth and the life” (Jn 14:6). “He who follows Me does not walk in darkness” (Jn 8:12).
Let us follow our divine Master and we shall be sure that we are travelling towards Heaven!”
Quote/s of the Day – 11 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Readings: Amos 7: 12-15; Psalms 85: 9-10, 11-12, 13-14 (8); Ephesians 1: 3-14; Mark 6: 7-13
“He began to send them out two by two”
Mark 6:7
“Love one another as I have loved you”
John 15:12
“My brothers, Christ made love the stairway that would enable all Christians to climb to heaven. Hold fast to it, therefore, in all sincerity, give one another practical proof of it and by your progress in it, make your ascent together.”
St Fulgentius of Ruspe (460-533)
“Love is watchful. Sleeping, it does not slumber. Wearied, it is not tired. Pressed, it is not straitened. Alarmed, it is not confused but like a living flame, a burning torch, it forces its way upward and passes unharmed through every obstacle.”
Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
“We are born to love, we live to love and we will die, to love still more.”
One Minute Reflection – 11 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Readings: Amos 7: 12-15; Psalms 85: 9-10, 11-12, 13-14 (8); Ephesians 1: 3-14; Mark 6: 7-13
“He began to send them out two by two” – Mark 6:7
REFLECTION – “Dearly beloved brethren, our Lord and Saviour teaches us, sometimes by His words and sometimes by His actions. His actions themselves are commandments, for when He does something without saying anything, He shows us how we must act. So here, He is sending His disciples out, two by two to preach because there are two commandments of love – love of God and of neighbour. The Lord sent His disciples to preach, two by two, to suggest to us without saying it, that the person who does not have love for the other, must absolutely not take on the ministry of preaching!
It is very good that He “sent them in pairs before him to every town and place he intended to visit.” (Lk 10:1) For the Lord comes after His preachers because preaching is a prerequisite – the Lord comes to dwell in our soul when the words of exhoration have come as a forerunner and have caused us to welcome the truth in our soul. That is why Isaiah said to the preachers: “Prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!” (Isa 40:3) And the psalmist also told them: “Prepare the way for him who rises up to the west.” (Ps 67:5 Vulgate) The Lord rises up to the west [the lying down of the sun] because in lying down in His Passion, He showed Himself in greater glory in His resurrection. He rose up to the lying down because in rising, He trampled underfoot the death that He suffered. Thus, we prepare the way for Him who rises up to the lying down, when we preach His glory to your souls, so that when He comes after, He might enlighten them by the presence of His love.” – St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) Father and Doctor of the Church – Homilies on the Gospel, 17,1-3
PRAYER – Human weakness finds its anchor in You, Lord and our faith is built on You as on a rock. Supported by the teachings, lives and prayers of our fathers, Your Apostles, may we always answer Your call and live in ever-closer union with You. And may the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother and all your Angels, Martyrs and Saints, pray for Holy Mother Church and for us all. Through Christ, our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spiirt, God forever and ever, amen.
Thought for the Day – 10 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Give Us this Day Our Daily Bread”
“In the second part of the Lord’s Prayer, we ask the universal Father, on behalf of ourselves and of our brethren, for all things necessary for soul and body. Since we have already paid homage to God, our Creator and our Redeemer and, have prayed for the triumph of His kingdom and for the accomplishment of His will in Heaven and on earth, Our Lord does not forbid us to think now of ourselves and to pray for our own needs. “Give us this day our daily bread,” we ask, intending to pray, both for our spiritual and material requirements.
We should not delude ourselves into imagining that it is we who produce the fruits of the earth. A grain of wheat dies beneath the soil but God has infused into it, a mysterious force as a result of which, in dying, it generates new life.
The moisture of the soil, the warmth of the air and the light of the sun combine to develop this mysterious life-force, which produces the green stalk and then the flaxen ear of corn which provides us with bread. It is God Who has given this vital power to this tiny seed, as well as to all the other seeds of the soil. It is He Who has endowed the soil with the nutritive elements from which the seeds draw life and it is He, Who sends the dew, the rain and the sunshine, which cause the flowers to blossom and the plants to bear fruit.
We should ask God humbly, therefore, to “give us this day our daily bread.” Our own labours would be futile without the intervention of the all-powerful Creator. We are capable, neither of producing, nor of destroying a single atom nor a single seedling. Without God, we are incapable of achieving anything, either inthe natural or in the supernatural order. Therefore, we must ask Him to provide us with what we need. He is supremely good and loves us very much. His Providence will not leave us in want, even if we are often obliged to work hard in co-operation with Him to procure the necessaries of life. The birds have no granary, yet they manage to find enough seed to keep them alive because God is watching over them. How could we suppose, that He will not look after us, if we turn to Him with trust and perseverance?”
Quote/s of the Day – 10 July – “Month of the Precious Blood” – Readings: enesis 49: 29-32; 50: 15-26a; Psalm 105: 1-2, 3-4, 6-7; Matthew 10: 24-33
“The very hairs of your head are numbered.”
Matthew 10:30
“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.”
St Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510)
“Every moment comes to us, pregnant with a command from God, only to pass on and plunge into eternity, there to remain forever, what we have made of it!”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritatis
“Oh! My God, how much Your Hand was upon me and yet how little I was aware of it! How good You are! How good You are! How You protected me! How you covered me with Your wings, when I did not even believe in Your existence!”
Bl Charles of Jesus de Foucauld (1858-1916)
“Let us go forward in peace, our eyes upon heaven, the only one goal of our labours.”
St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873-1897) Doctor of the Church
One Minute Reflection – 10 July – “Month of the Precious Blood” – Readings: enesis 49: 29-32; 50: 15-26a; Psalm 105: 1-2, 3-4, 6-7; Matthew 10: 24-33
“Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.” – Matthew 10:29
REFLECTION – “In this passage, Jesus demonstrates His foresight in all things. The word “without” refers, not to will but to foreknowledge. Some things happen because of His direct will but some happen, merely with His approval and consent. And so, on the literal level, He is showing the subtlety of His foresight and His previous knowledge of events.
On the spiritual level, however, a sparrow falls to the ground when it looks at what is below it and falls to earth, ensnared by the vices of the flesh, given up “to dishonourable passions.” It loses its freedom together with its honour. For a sparrow is either borne always upward, or else it comes to rest by alighting on mountains or hills (the hills are metaphors for Scripture). And such a person is one who has been raised aloft by the Word but has his mind on earthly concerns.” – Origen Adamantius (c 185-253) Priest, Theologian, Exegist, Writer, Apologist, Father (Fragment, 212.)
PRAYER – Loving Father, grant me to have a true fervour in Your service. Let me never tire of following Your Son’s example and avoiding evil. Teach me to reside in total peace in Your wisdom and power and thus to trust You above all. Grant that by the intercession of the Blessed Virgin our Mother and Saints Rufina and Secunda, we may grow in holiness and attain our eternal home with You. We ask this through our Lord, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
Thought for the Day –9 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Putting Christianity into Practice
“Imagine what the world would be like, if the Gospel of Christ, were practised in it’s entirety, everywhere and by everybody. It would not, of course, become another earthly Paradise, because suffering and death are the legacy of sin and Our Lord, did not remove these when He redeemed us but made them a necessary element, in our purification and spiritual elevation. Nevertheless, the full practice of Christianity would transform the world. A little reflection will convince us of this. Men would love God above all things and their neighbours as themselves. The sincere and ardent love of God, would cause wickedness, brutality and every kind of immorality to disappear. Love of their neighbour, would make men brothers in reality, so that there would be no more wars nor threats of conflict. The enormous wealth which is squandered on weapons of destruction, could then be diverted to good works. There would be no more poverty, because, if men loved one another, those who had more than enough, would give to those in want. There would be no more prisons, because, there would be no more criminals. There would be no need for a police force, because, everyone would do his duty of his own accord. The reign of love, which is the reign of Jesus Christ, would triumph upon earth. Excessive wealth and the selfish love of ease and pleasure, would disappear on one hand, while, on the other, the extreme need of those who can never be sure of a meal, nor of a roof over their heads, would be palliated, until they had been raised to a standard of living, consistent with the laws of God and with the dignity of men. The love of our neighbour as ourselves, would solve every individual and social problem in this life. Men would grow into a vast community of brothers devoid of all barriers of hate, selfishness and greed. This is not a Utopian dream, because it is the clear teaching of the Gospel. Jesus did not preach the impossible. He taught us the standards of the perfect life, which we are all obliged to try and lead.”
Quote/s of the Day – 9July – “Month of the Precious Blood” – Readings: Genesis 46: 1-7, 28-30; Psalms 37: 3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40; Matthew 10:16-23
“Behold, I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be, therefore, wise as serpents and simple as doves.”
Matthew 10:16
“But above all these things have charity, which is the bond of perfection.”
Colossians 3:14
“What is the surest kind of witness? “Anyone who acknowledges that Jesus Christ came among us in the flesh” (cf. 1Jn 4,2) and who keeps the commands of the Gospel… How many there are each day of these hidden martyrs of Christ who confess the Lord Jesus! … So be faithful and courageous in interior persecutions so that you may also win the victory in exterior persecutions.”
St Ambrose (340-397) Father & Doctor of the Church
“When he has begun to follow me, according to My teaching and precepts, he will find many people contradicting him and standing in his way, many who not only deride but even persecute him. Moreover, this is true, not only of pagans who are outside the Church but also of those, who seem to be in it visibly but are outside of it because of the perversity of their deeds. Although these glory, in merely the title of Christian, they continually persecute faithful Christians.”
One Minute Reflection – 9 July – “Month of the Precious Blood” – Readings: Genesis 46: 1-7, 28-30; Psalms 37: 3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40; Matthew 10: 16-23
“Behold, I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be, therefore, wise as serpents and simple as doves.” –Matthew 10:16
REFLECTION – “I urge you, by the grace in which you are clothed, to press on in your race and urge everyone to be saved. Assert your office with all the diligence of flesh and spirit. Give your attention to unity, for there is nothing better. carry your brethren as the Lord also carries you. Patiently, bear with them all in love, as indeed you do bear with them. Devote yourself to unceasing prayer. Ask for greater understanding than you have. Be watchful, possessing a wakeful spirit. Speak to each one individually, concerning God’s way. “Bear the infirmities” (cf Mt 8,17) of each as a perfect athlete. Where there is more toil, there is greater gain. If you only love the good disciples, this wins you no advantage. Rather, subdue by meekness the more annoying. Not every wound is cured by the same salve. Ease sharp pains with a hot compress. In everything “be wise as serpents” and always “harmless as doves”. You who are of flesh and spirit, humour those things visibly present before you but pray, too, that what is invisible may be manifested to you, so that you may lack nothing and may abound in every spiritual gift.
As pilots invoke the winds and tempest-tossed mariners call for haven, this season invites you to return to God. Be temperate, as God’s athlete. The prize is incorruption and life eternal… It is the part of a great athlete to suffer blows and to conquer. It is above all for God’s sake we ought to endure all things, that He too, may endure us. Become more zealous than you are already. Consider the times. Look for Him Who is above all times, Who is timeless, invisible but made visible for our sakes – He Who, beyond the touch of our hands, beyond suffering, yet knew the Passion for our sakes and endured every suffering.” – St Ignatius of Antioch (c 35-c 108) Father of the Church, Martyr, Bishop – Letter to St Polycarp (69-155) Bishop and Martyr), 1-3 ; SC 10
PRAYER – Father of all holiness, guide our hearts to You. Keep in the light of Your truth, all those You have freed from the darkness of unbelief. May our lives be the source of enlightenment to others and our faith and love every remain strengthened by Your grace. Listen to the prayers of our Blessed Mother on our behalf, as we long for our eternal home. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen
Thought for the Day – 8 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Living the Gospel
“The Gospel teaches perfection. It teaches the perfection of the interior life, as well as the exterior life, of private, as well as of domestic and social life. There is no problem in the universe, which has not been solved in the Gospel. In regard to the spiritual life, its command is clear. “You are to be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48). “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul and with they whole mind … Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Mt 22:37, Mk 12:30, Lk 10:27). “This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you” (Jn 15:12). “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Lk 9:23). “Blessed are the poor in spirit … the clean of heart … the peacemakers …” (Mt 5:3-10). “If thou wilt be perfect, go, sell what thou hast and give to the poor and thou shall have treasure in heaven” (Mt 19:21). “Our Father who art in heaven … thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt 6:10). “Father … not my will but thine be done” (Lk 22:42). Anyone who identifies himself with these maxims, rises above the level of a man, to that of an angel. His interior life soars to such a peak, that he seems to be leading a heavenly, rather than an earthly existence. If he is living the Gospel, moreover, his external behaviour will be a faithful mirror of his interior life, for it is not enough to say “Lord, Lord” but a man must also do the will of the Father (Cf Mt 7:21). A man’s domestic and social life, will follow the pattern of his private life.
When he has reached the summit of perfection, an invisible force will emanate from him, the force of good example. This force will transform everything, within him and around him. Like Mary and the Saints, he will become the loyal and powerful co-worker of Christ in the redemption of the human race and in the Christian transformation of society. Redemption and restoration, can come only through the Gospel. Other theories are always bound up with and impeded by, human egoism. The doctrine of the Gospel is reinforced by the love of God and our neighbour. In the Gospel, public and private justice is transformed into the charity of Christ which cannot be impeded by any earthly difficulty, nor by any human barrier, not even by death. “Who shall separate us from the charity of Christ?” (Rom 8:35) asks St Paul. Let us meditate on this.”
AnaStpaul 
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