CATHOLIC Quotes – Page 227

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Quote/s of the Day – 3 July – Faith

Posted on July 3, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 3 July – Feast of St Thomas Apostle, Gospel John 20:24–29

“Faith is the guarantee
of things hoped for,
the evidence
of things unseen.”

Hebrews 11:1

“This was, therefore, a work of divine providence,
that the separation of the disciple,
would become a harbinger of increasing safety and surety.
For if Thomas had not been absent,
he would not have doubted
and, if he would not have doubted,
he would not have sought strangely
and, if he would not have sought,
he would not have felt
and, if he would not have felt,
he would not have been convinced
of the Lord and God
and, if he did not call Him Lord and God,
then neither would we have been taught
to hymn Him thus.
For Thomas, by not being present,
has led us towards the truth and later,
became more confirmed regarding the faith.”

St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father and Doctor

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One Minute Reflection – 3 July – “Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe!”.

Posted on July 3, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 3 July – Feast of St Thomas Apostle, Gospel John 20:24–29

Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”…John 20:28 john 20 28 my lord and my god feat of st thomas 3 july 2019.jpg

REFLECTION – “Put your finger into the marks of the nails”. You looked for Me when I wasn’t there, now take advantage of it. I understand your desire despite your silence. Before you tell Me them I already know your thoughts. I heard you speak and, even though unseen, I was beside you, beside your doubts. Without revealing Myself I made you wait, so as better to consider your eagerness. “Put your finger into the marks of the nails. Put your hand into my side, do not be unbelieving any longer, but believe.”
Then Thomas touched Him and all his mistrust fell away. Full of genuine faith and all the love owing to God, he cried out: “My Lord and my God!” And the Lord said to him – “You believe because you have seen me; happy are those who have not seen and yet believe!” Thomas took the news of the Resurrection to those who had not seen. Draw the whole earth to believe, not by its own sight but at your word. Go through peoples and cities far away. Teach them to carry the cross rather than weapons on their shoulders. Only proclaim me – they will believe and worship. They will demand no other proof. Tell them they are called by grace and, with your own eyes, behold their faith. Truly, blessed are those who did not see and yet believed!
This is the army the Lord raises, these are the children of the baptismal font, the works of grace, the fruit of the Spirit. They have followed Christ without having seen Him, they sought Him and believed. They recognised Him with the eyes of faith not those of the body. They have not put their finger into the mark of the nails but they have bound themselves to His cross and embraced His sufferings. They have not seen the Lord’s side but, by grace, they have become members of His body and have made His words their own: “Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe!”… Basil of Seleucia (Died c 468) Bishop – Sermon for the Resurrection, 1-4

PRAYER – Almighty Father,as we honour Thomas the Apostle, let us always experience the help of his prayers. May we have eternal life by believing in Jesus,
whom Thomas acknowledged as Lord, for He lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen st thomas pray for us 2.jpg

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Thought for the Day – 2 July – The Anguish of an Absence

Posted on July 2, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 2 July – Tuesday of the Thirteenth Week, Year C – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 8:23-37

The Anguish of an Absence

by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI)

And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord, we are perishing.”
Matthew 8:25

There is a Gospel scene which in an extraordinary way anticipates the silence of Holy Saturday and which again, therefore, seems to be a profile of the moment in history we are living now. Christ is asleep on a boat which, buffeted by a storm, is about to sink.
The prophet Elijah had once made fun of the priests of Baal who were futilely invoking their god to send down fire on their sacrifice. He urged them to cry out louder in case their god was asleep.
But is it true that God does not sleep? Does not the prophet’s scorn also fall upon the heads of the faithful of the God of Israel who are sailing with Him in a boat about to sink? God sleeps while His very own are about to drown – is not this the experience of our lives? Don’t the Church, the faith, resemble a small boat about to sink, struggling futilely against the waves and the wind and all the time God is absent? The disciples cry out in dire desperation and they shake the Lord to wake Him but He is surprised at this and rebukes them, for their small faith. But are things any different for us? When the storm passes we will realise just how much this small faith of ours was charged with stupidity.
And yet, O Lord, we cannot help shaking You, God, You who persist in keeping Your silence, in sleeping and we cannot help crying to You – Wake up, can’t You see we are sinking? Stir Yourself, don’t let the darkness of Holy Saturday last forever, let a ray of Easter fall, even on these times of ours, accompany us when we set out in our desperation towards Emmaus so that our hearts may be enflamed by the warmth of Your nearness.
You who, hidden, charted the paths of Israel only to become a man in the end with men – don’t leave us in the dark, don’t let Your word be lost in these days of great squandering of words.

Lord, grant us Your help, because without You we will sink. Amen

matthew 8 25 save us lord we are perishing - joseph ratzinger - the anguish of absence - wake up lord 2 july 2019.jpg

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Quote/s of the Day – 2 July – “Why are you afraid…?”

Posted on July 2, 2019July 1, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 2 July – Tuesday of the Thirteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 8:23-37

“Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?”

Matthew 8:26

“Whoever has become a servant of the Lord, fears only his Master.
But whoever is without the fear of God,
is often afraid of his own shadow.
Fearfulness is the daughter of unbelief.
A proud soul is the slave of fear,
hoping in itself,
it comes to such a state,
that it is startled by a small noise
and is afraid of the dark.”

St John Climacus (579-649)

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One Minute Reflection – 2 July – ‘It is not a calm sky, beloved but the storm which tests a pilot’s skill.’

Posted on July 2, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 2 July – Tuesday of the Thirteenth Week, Year C – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 8:23-37 and the Memorial of Blessed Eugénie Joubert (1876–1904)

“Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves but he was asleep.”… Matthew 8:24

REFLECTION – “The sea offered its heaving back for Christ to walk upon. Now it levelled its crests to a plain, checked its swelling and bound up its billows. It provided rocklike firmness, so He could walk across the waterway. Why did the seas heave so, and toss and pitch, even as if threatening its Creator? And why did Christ Himself, who knows all the future, seem so unaware of the present thatHhe gave no thought to the onrushing storm, the moment of its height and the time of its peril? While all the rest were awake, He alone was fast asleep even with utter doom threatening both Himself and His dear ones. Why? It is not a calm sky, beloved but the storm which tests a pilot’s skill. When the breeze is mild, even the poorest sailor, can manage the ship. But in the crosswinds of a tempest, we want the best pilot with all His skill.”… Saint Peter Chrysologus (c 406 – c 450) (Sermons, 20) matthew 8 24 suddenly a violent sorm..but he was asleep-it is not a calm sky but the storm which tests st peter chryologus 2 july 2019.jpg

PRAYER – Heavenly Father, grant me an operative faith – a faith that will move mountains and is strong enough to know that absolutely nothing and no-one here on earth can compare to You. Let me show that faith by lively love and by loving deeds and by conforming myself to Your will in all things – teach me that only YOU are first in line. This is how you lived your life Bl Eugénie Joubert putting only the God who created us first and now you are a Saint. Please pray for us. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and for always, amen. bl eugenie joubert pray for us 2 july 2019.jpg

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Pope Francis to Canonise Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890) on 13 October 2019

Posted on July 1, 2019 by AnaStpaul

The Vatican announces the date of the Canonisation of Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890), along with four others on Sunday 13 October 2019, the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C.

“Praise to the Holiest in the height
And in the the depth be praise.
In all His words most wonderful,
Most sure in all His ways!”
Blessed John Henry Newman

In February, the Pope signed a decree recognising a second miracle attributed to Blessed John Henry Newman, the inexplicable healing of a woman with a “life-threatening pregnancy”.

Ordained a Catholic priest in 1847, he was made a cardinal by Pope Leo XIII in 1879, although he was not a bishop. Newman’s conversion to the Catholic faith was controversial in England and resulted in him losing many friends, including his own sister who never spoke to him again.

The British cardinal founded the Oratory of St Philip Neri in England and was particularly dedicated to education, founding two schools for boys. He died in Birmingham in 1890 at the age of 89.

In October, Cardinal Newman will become Britain’s first new saint since the Canonisation of St John Ogilvie (1579-1615) Martyr, Memorial 10 March, in 1976.

At Newman’s beatification Mass in Birmingham, England in September 2010, Pope Benedict XVI said that Newman’s “insights into the relationship between faith and reason, into the vital place of revealed religion in civilised society and into the need for a broadly-based and wide-ranging approach to education, were not only of profound importance for Victorian England but continue today, to inspire and enlighten many all over the world. “What better goal could teachers of religion set themselves than Blessed John Henry’s famous appeal for an intelligent, well-instructed laity: ‘I want a laity, not arrogant, not rash in speech, not disputatious but men who know their religion, who enter into it, who know just where they stand, who know what they hold and what they do not, who know their creed so well that they can give an account of it, who know so much of history that they can defend it…..”

As Blessed, John Henry’s Memorial is 9 October, the date he was received into the Catholic Church.

“God has created me to do Him some definite service.
He has committed some work to me
which He has not committed to another.
I have my mission.
I may never know it in this life
but I shall be told it in the next.
I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons.
He has not created me for naught.
I shall do good, I shall do His work.
I shall be an angel of peace,
a preacher of truth in my own place,
while not intending it,
if I do but keep His commandments.
Therefore, I will trust Him…
If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him,
in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him…
He does nothing in vain…
He may take away my friends.
He may throw me among strangers.
He may make me feel desolate,
make my spirits sink,
hide the future from me.
Still, He knows what He is about.”

+++++++++++++++++++++

The Others to be Canonised on the same day are:

Sister Mariam Thresia of India is the founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family.

Italian Sister Giuseppina Vannini is the founder of the Daughters of Saint Camillus.

Brazilian Sister Dulce Lopes Pontes of the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God.

Marguerite Bays of Switzerland, of the Third Order of Saint Francis of Assisi.

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Quote of the Day – 1 July – The Blood of Christ

Posted on July 1, 2019July 1, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 1 July – Monday of the Thirteenth week in Ordinary Tim, Year C – July the Month of the Most Precious Blood

“The Blood of Christ
is His sacrifice
applied to us,
it enters the souls
of the redeemed,
it is the
inextinguishable
source of all heroism!”

St John XXIII (1881-1963)

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One Minute Reflection – 1 July – He totally encloses us …

Posted on July 1, 2019July 1, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 1 July – Monday of the Thirteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C – Today’s Gospel Matthew 8:18–22 and the Memorial of Bl Antonio Rosmini (1797-1855)

“Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”…Matthew 8:20 matthew 8 20 - foxes have dens 1 july 2019.jpg

REFLECTION – “He [ Jesus] is our clothing, that for love wraps us and winds us,
embraces us and totally encloses us, hanging about us in tender love.”… Blessed
Julian of Norwich (c 1342-c 1430) he-jesus-is-our-clothing-julian-of-norwich-1-july-2019.jpg

PRAYER – Lord God, be the beginning and the end of all that we are and do and say. Prompt our actions with Your grace, may Your light be our only way, may Your commands be our only need and complete all, with Your all-powerful help. Blessed Antonio Rosmini who gave all for the sake of glory of God, pray for us! We make our prayer through Christ our Lord in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God with You, forever and ever, amen. bl antonio rosmini praty for us 1 july 2019.jpg

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Thought for the Day – 30 June – We proclaim Christ to the whole world

Posted on June 30, 2019June 30, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 30 June – Thirteenth Sunday of the Year in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 9:51–62

We proclaim Christ to the whole world

Saint Paul VI (1897-1978)
Bishop of Rome

An excerpt from one of his homilies

Not to preach the Gospel would be my undoing, for Christ Himself sent me as His apostle and witness. The more remote, the more difficult the assignment, the more my love of God spurs me on. I am bound to proclaim that Jesus is Christ, the Son of the living God. Because of Him we come to know the God we cannot see. He is the firstborn of all creation, in Him all things find their being. Man’s teacher and redeemer, He was born for us, died for us and for us He rose from the dead.

All things, all history converges in Christ. A man of sorrow and hope, He knows us and loves us . As our friend He stays by us throughout our lives, at the end of time He will come to be our judge but, we also know that He will be the complete fulfilment of our lives and our great happiness for all eternity.

I can never cease to speak of Christ for He is our truth and our light; He is the way, the truth and the life. He is our bread, our source of living water who allays our hunger and satisfies our thirst. He is our shepherd, our leader, our ideal, our comforter and our brother.

He is like us but more perfectly human, simple, poor, humble and yet, while burdened with work, He is more patient. He spoke on our behalf, He worked miracles and He founded a new kingdom: in it the poor are happy, peace is the foundation of a life in common, where the pure of heart and those who mourn are uplifted and comforted, the hungry find justice, sinners are forgiven and all discover that they are brothers.

The image I present to you is the image of Jesus Christ. As Christians you share His name, He has already made most of you His own. So once again I repeat His name to you Christians and I proclaim to all men – Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega, Lord of the new universe, the great hidden key to human history and the part we play in it. He is the mediator—the bridge, if you will—between heaven and earth. Above all He is the Son of man, more perfect than any man, being also the Son of God, eternal and infinite. He is the son of Mary His mother on earth, more blessed than any woman. She is also our mother in the spiritual communion of the mystical body.

Remember: [it] is Jesus Christ I preach day in and day out. His name I would see echo and re-echo for all time even to the ends of the earth. i am the way the truth and the life jon 14 8 31 march 2019 laetare sunday.jpg

Yet I live, no longer I but Christ lives in me!
Galatians 2.20

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Quote of the Day – 30 June – Don’t look back

Posted on June 30, 2019June 30, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 30 June – Thirteenth Sunday of the Year in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 9:51–62

Another said,
“I will follow you, Lord
but let me first say farewell to those at my home.”
Jesus said to him,
“No-one who puts his hand to the plough
and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Luke 9:61-62

“You learn to speak by speaking,
to study by studying,
to run by running,
to work by working
and just so, you learn to love by loving.
All those who think to learn
in any other way
deceive themselves.”

“The Lord delights in every little step you take.”

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

“You cannot be half a saint.
You must be a whole saint or no saint at all.”

“Detach the heart from creatures
and you shall find God.”

St Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897)
Doctor of the Church

“Why don’t you give yourself to God
once and for all… really… NOW!”

St Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975)

“Holiness is heroism.”

Bishop Robert Barron

“If you aren’t changing your schedule
to follow Jesus,
you are not a disciple of Jesus.”

Father Mike Schmitz

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One Minute Reflection – 30 June – “Follow me.”

Posted on June 30, 2019June 29, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 30 June – Thirteenth Sunday of the Year in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 9:51–62 and the Memorial of Gennaro Maria Sarnelli C.Ss.R. (1702–1743)

“Follow me.”…Luke 9:59

REFLECTION – “The Saviour preceded us on the path of poverty. All the possessions of heaven and earth belonged to Him. They presented for Him no danger, He could make use of them while keeping His heart completely free. But He knew that it is almost impossible for a human being to have possessions without subjecting ourselves to them and becoming a slave. That is why He gave up everything and so showed us by His example, even more than by His words, that only the one who possesses nothing possesses everything. His birth in a stable and His flight to Egypt already showed, that the Son of the Man had nowhere to rest His head. Whoever wants to follow Him must know that we have here below no permanent dwelling. The more deeply we become aware of it, the more ardently we shall aim towards our future dwelling and we shall exult in the thought, that we will find our home in heaven.”…St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross [Edith Stein] (1891-1942) Martyr – Meditation for the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross

PRAYER – Lord God, strength of those who hope in You. Support us in our prayer because we are weak and can do nothing without You. Help us as we follow Your Son, whose Light leads us home to You. Grant us always the help of Your grace and listen, we pray to the prayers of Blessed Gennaro Maria Sarnelli, who cries to You on our behalf. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, in unity with You and the Holy Spirit, one G always and for all eternity, amen. bl gennaro maria sarnelli pray for us 30 june 2019.jpg

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Thought for the Day – 29 June – Glorious Princes of the earth and Servants of Heaven!

Posted on June 29, 2019June 29, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 29 June – The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

Blessed Isaac of Stella O.Cist. (c 1100 – c 1170)
Cistercian Monk

Sermon 49, 1st for the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul

“These were men of mercy whose good deeds shall not be forgotten; the wealth they have left their inheritance will last for ever” (Latin liturgy; cf. Sir 44:10-11).”

Today, beloved, we are celebrating the birthday of the apostles Peter and Paul and it is altogether fitting that… such a death should be called ‘birth’ since it gave birth to life… See to what the saints have come – through the death that bestows life, they leave this life that leads to death, so as to come to that life-giving life, which is in the hands of Him who, as Christ said: “has life in Himself” – the Father (Jn 5:26)…

There are three kinds of people who are merciful. The first give of their goods… so as to contribute out of their superfluity to the penury of their neighbour… The second give all their goods away and, for them… everything is held in common with others from then on… But as for the third, they not only expend all they have but are “themselves utterly spent” (2 Cor 12:15) and give themselves up in person to the dangers of prison, exile and death so that they may rescue others from the dangers in which their souls are lying. They pour themselves out because they are so full of ardent desire for others. They will receive the reward of that love of which “there is no greater – to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15:13)… Such are those glorious princes of the earth and servants of heaven of whom today – after long privations “from hunger and thirst, cold and nakedness”, exhaustion and danger, “from their own race, from Gentiles, from false brethren” (2 Cor 11:26-27) – we celebrate the death that was so magnificently victorious. To such as these, the saying well applie – “Their good deeds shall never be forgotten” because they have not forgotten mercy… Yes, to the merciful, “their lot has fallen in a pleasant land, their inheritance is without compare” (Ps 16[15]:6).

Glorious Saints Peter and Paul, Pray for Us!

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Quote/s of the Day – 29 June – Their sound has gone out into all the earth!

Posted on June 29, 2019June 29, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 29 June – The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

“Their sound has gone out
into all the earth
and their words
to the ends of the world”

Psalm 19:5

“There must be general rejoicing, dearly beloved,
over this holy company whom God has appointed
for our example in patience and for our confirmation in faith.
But we must glory even more in the excellence of their fathers,
Peter and Paul, whom the grace of God has raised
to such a height among all the members of the Church
that He has set them like twin lights
of eyes in that Body whose head is Christ.”

“Saint Peter does not cease to preside over his See
and preserves an endless sharing, with the Sovereign Priest.
The firmness that he received from the Rock which is Christ,
he himself, having become the Rock,
transmits it equally to his successors.”

St Pope Leo the Great (400-461)

Doctor of the Church’s Unity

“And so it is with Rome, where the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, gave with their blood their final witness. The vocation of Rome is of apostolic origin and the ministry which it is our lot to exercise here, is a service for the benefit of the entire Church and of mankind. But it is an irreplaceable service, because it has pleased the Wisdom of God to place the Rome of Peter and Paul, so to speak, on the road that leads to the eternal City, by the fact that Wisdom chose to confide to Peter—who unifies in himself the College of Bishops—the keys of the kingdom of heaven.”

St Pope Paul VI (1897-1978)

Exhortation on Christian Joy, 1975

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Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul – 29 June

Posted on June 29, 2019June 28, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles and Martyrs – 29 June

Today the Church celebrates the feast day of Sts Peter & Paul. As early as the year 258, there is evidence of an already lengthy tradition of celebrating the solemnities of both Saint Peter and Saint Paul on the same day. Together, the two saints are the founders of the See of Rome, through their preaching, ministry and martyrdom there. St Peter is also celebrated on 22 February (feast of the Chair of Peter, emblematic of the world unity of the Church) on 1 August (Saint Peter in Chains), St Paul’s Conversion is celebrated on 25 January and both are once again celebrated on 18 November (feast of the dedication of the Basilicas of Peter and Paul – the two major Basilicas in Rome).

In a sermon in the year 395, St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church, said of Sts Peter and Paul:

“Both apostles share the same feast day, for these two were one and even though they suffered on different days, they were as one.

Peter went first and Paul followed.

And so we celebrate this day made holy for us, by the apostles’ blood. Let us embrace what they believed, their life, their labours, their sufferings, their preaching and their confession of faith.”

Peter (d. 64?) Saint Mark ends the first half of his Gospel with a triumphant climax. He has recorded doubt, misunderstanding and the opposition of many to Jesus. Now Peter makes his great confession of faith – “You are the Messiah” (Mark 8:29b). It was one of the many glorious moments in Peter’s life, beginning with the day he was called from his nets along the Sea of Galilee to become a fisher of men for Jesus.

The New Testament clearly shows Peter as the leader of the apostles, chosen by Jesus to have a special relationship with Him. With James and John he was privileged to witness the Transfiguration, the raising of a dead child to life and the agony in Gethsemane. His mother-in-law was cured by Jesus. He was sent with John to prepare for the last Passover before Jesus’ death. His name is first on every list of apostles.

And to Peter only did Jesus say, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:17b-19).

But the Gospels prove their own trustworthiness by the unflattering details they include about Peter. He clearly had no public relations person. It is a great comfort for ordinary mortals to know that Peter also has his human weakness, even in the presence of Jesus.

He generously gave up all things, yet he can ask in childish self-regard, “What are we going to get for all this?” (see Matthew 19:27). He receives the full force of Christ’s anger when he objects to the idea of a suffering Messiah –“Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” (Matthew 16:23b).

Peter is willing to accept Jesus’ doctrine of forgiveness but suggests a limit of seven times. He walks on the water in faith but sinks in doubt. He refuses to let Jesus wash his feet, then wants his whole body cleansed. He swears at the Last Supper that he will never deny Jesus and then swears to a servant maid that he has never known the man . He loyally resists the first attempt to arrest Jesus by cutting off Malchus’ ear but in the end, he runs away with the others. In the depth of his sorrow, Jesus looks on him and forgives him and he goes out and sheds bitter tears. The Risen Jesus told Peter to feed his lambs and his sheep (John 21:15-17).

Paul (d. 64?) If the most well-known preacher today suddenly began preaching that your country should adopt Marxism and not rely on the democracy, the angry reaction would help us understand Paul’s life when he started preaching that Christ alone can save us. He had been the most pharisaic of Pharisees, the most legalistic of Mosaic lawyers. Now he suddenly appears to other Jews as a heretical welcomer of Gentiles, a traitor and apostate.

st paul - wow Hl. Paulus - ANTONY VAN DYCK 2.jpg — St Paul – Antony van Dyck

Paul’s central conviction was simple and absolute – Only God can save humanity. No human effort—even the most scrupulous observance of law—can create a human good which we can bring to God, as reparation for sin and payment for grace. To be saved from itself, from sin, from the devil and from death, humanity must open itself completely to the saving power of Jesus.

Paul never lost his love for his Jewish family, though he carried on a lifelong debate with them about the uselessness of the Law without Christ. He reminded the Gentiles that they were grafted on the parent stock of the Jews, who were still God’s chosen people, the children of the promise.

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS for PRIESTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PRIESTS, the PRIESTHOOD and CONSECRATED LIFE, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS

Thoughts for the Day – 28 June = Pray for our Priests!

Posted on June 28, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thoughts for the Day – 28 June – Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests

St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604)
Father & Doctor

(Forty Gospel Homilies, 17)

“We must all of us strive zealously to make known to the church both the dreadfulness of the coming judgement and the kingdom of heaven’s delight. Those who are not in a position to address a large assembly, should instruct individuals, offering instruction in personal talks, they should try to serve those around them through simple encouragement.

You who are pastors, consider that you are pasturing God’s flock. We often see a block of salt put out for animals to lick for their well-being. Priests, among their people, should be like blocks of salt. They should counsel everyone in their flocks, in such a way, that all those with whom they come in contact may be seasoned with eternal life, as if they had been sprinkled with salt. We who preach, are not the salt of the earth, unless we season the hearts of those, who listen to us. We are really preaching to others, if we ourselves do what we say, if we are pierced with God’s love, if, since we cannot avoid sin, our tears wash away the stains on our life, that come with each new day. We truly feel remorse, when we take to heart, the lives of our forebears in the faith, so that we are diminished in our own eyes. Then do we truly feel remorse, when we attentively examine God’s teachings and adopt for our own use, what those we revere themselves used for theirs.

And while we are moved to remorse on our own account, let us also take responsibility for the lives of those entrusted to our care. Our own bitter compunction should not divert us from concern for our neighbour. What good to love and strive to do good for our neighbour and abandon ourselves? We must realise that our passion for justice in the face of another’s evil, must never cause us to lose the virtue of gentleness.

Priests must not be quick-tempered or rash, they must, instead, be temperate and thoughtful. We must support those we challenge and challenge those we support. If we neglect this, our work will lack either courage or gentleness. What shall we call the human soul but the food of the Lord? It is created, to become nothing less, than Christ’s body and to bring about growth in the eternal church.

We priests are to season this food. Cease to pray, cease to teach and the salt loses its taste.”
++++++++++++++++++++
Excerpt
Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

OPENING OF THE YEAR FOR PRIESTS
ON THE 150th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH
OF SAINT JOHN MARY VIANNEY
the holy Curé of Ars (1786-1859) Patron of Priests

HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI

Saint Peter’s Basilica
Friday, 19 June 2009

“To be “in” Jesus Christ is already to be seated in heaven. The very core of Christianity is expressed in the heart of Jesus; in Christ the revolutionary “newness” of the Gospel is completely revealed and given to us – the Love that saves us and even now makes us live in the eternity of God. As the Evangelist John writes: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (3:16). God’s heart calls to our hearts, inviting us to come out of ourselves, to forsake our human certainties, to trust in Him and, by following His example, to make ourselves a gift of unbounded love.

While it is true that Jesus’ invitation to “abide in my love” (cf. Jn 15:9) is addressed to all the baptised, on this feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the day of prayer for the sanctification of priests, this invitation resounds all the more powerfully for us priests. It does so in a special way this evening, at the solemn inauguration of the Year for Priests which I have proclaimed to mark the 150th anniversary of the death of the saintly Curé of Ars. A lovely and touching saying of his, quoted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, comes immediately to mind: “the priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus” (n. 1589). How can we fail to be moved when we recall that the gift of our priestly ministry flows directly from this heart? How can we forget that we priests were consecrated to serve, humbly yet authoritatively, the common priesthood of the faithful? Ours is an mission which is indispensable for the Church and for the world, a mission which calls for complete fidelity to Christ and constant union with Him. To abide in His love entails constantly striving for holiness, as did Saint John Mary Vianney.

…To be completely enthralled by Christ! This was the goal of the entire life of Saint Paul, … this was the goal of the entire ministry of the Curé of Ars, whom we shall invoke in particular during this Year for Priests – may it also be the primary goal for each and every one of us. Certainly, to be ministers at the service of the Gospel, study and careful, ongoing pastoral and theological formation are useful and necessary but even more necessary is that “knowledge of love” which can only be learned in a “heart to heart” encounter with Christ . For it is He who calls us to break the bread of His love, to forgive sins and to guide the flock in His name. And, for that reason, we must never step back from the source of love which is His Heart, pierced on the Cross.” the priesthood is the love - st john vianney - 28 june 2019 sacred heart
++++++++++++++++++++

“Our Father for Priests”

Our Father who art in heaven,
Give us priests according to Your Heart.
That Thy name be hallowed,
Give us priests according to Your Heart.
That Thy kingdom come,
Give us priests according to Your Heart.
That Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,
Give us priests according to Your Heart.
To give us each day the Bread of life,
Give us priests according to Your Heart.
To forgive us our trespasses,
Give us priests according to Your Heart.
That we be not led into temptation,
Give us priests according to Your Heart.
And deliver us
And all of Your priests from evil. Amen.
(Anonymous)

Issued by the Congregation for the Clergy (vatican.va)

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS

Quote/s of the Day – 28 June – The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Posted on June 28, 2019June 28, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 28 June – Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests

“We, Christians,
are the true Israel which springs from Christ,
for we are carved out of His Heart,
as from a Rock!”

St Justin Martyr (100-165)

Father of the Church and Martyr

“If the Jewish High priest carried the names
of the twelve tribes of Israel
written on his shoulders and on his breast,
how much more Christ, our High Priest,
carries our names
written on His Heart”

St John of Avila (1500-1569)
Doctor of the Church

“When the Church,
in the days immediately succeeding her institution,
was oppressed beneath the yoke of the Caesars,
a young Emperor saw in the heavens across,
which became at once the happy omen
and cause of the glorious victory,
that soon followed.
And now, to-day, behold,
another blessed and heavenly token
is offered to our sight-
the most Sacred Heart of Jesus,
with a cross rising from it and shining forth
with dazzling splendour amidst flames of love.
In that Sacred Heart
all our hopes should be placed
and from it,
the salvation of men
is to be confidently besought.
…. there is in the Sacred Heart
a symbol and a sensible image
of the infinite love of Jesus Christ
which moves us to love one another…”

Pope Leo XIII

ANNUM SACRUM (Holy Year)
ENCYCLICAL OF POPE LEO XIII
ON CONSECRATION TO
THE SACRED HEART
25 MAY 1899

” I wish to serve the Sacred Heart of Jesus, today and always.
I want my devotion to His Heart
to be the measure of all my spiritual progress.
I desire to do everything in intimate union
with the Sacred Heart of Jesus
in the Blessed Sacrament.”

St Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)

“By blood, I am Albanian.
By citizenship, an Indian.
By Faith, I am a Catholic Nun.
As to my calling,
I belong to the World.
As to my heart,
I belong entirely to
the Heart of Jesus.”

“Do not let the past disturb you –
just leave everything in
the Sacred Heart
and being again
with joy!”

St Mother Teresa (1910-1997)

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SAINT of the DAY, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 28 June – Beside You I am not afraid of anything!

Posted on June 28, 2019June 28, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 28 June – Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests, Gospel: Luke 15:3–7

“Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep, which was lost.”…Luke 15:6 luke 15 6 rejoice with me for I have found my sheep - 28 june 2019 sacred heart

REFLECTION – “I feel that my Jesus is drawing ever closer to me. These last days He has let me fall into the sea and drown in the consideration of my wretchedness and pride, so as to make me understand just how much I need Him. Just as I am on the verge of being overcome, Jesus, walking on the water, comes smiling to meet me, so that I may be saved. With Peter I should like to say to Him: “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man” (Lk 5:8) but, I am forestalled, by the gentleness of His heart and sweetness of His words: “Fear not” (Lk 5:10).

Ah! Beside You I am not afraid of anything! I snuggle up against You and, like the lost sheep, hear the beating of Your Heart. Jesus, yet again I am Yours, Yours forever. With You, I am truly great, without You, nothing but a weak reed, upheld by You, I am a pillar. I must never forget my wretchedness, not so as to be constantly trembling but so that, regardless of my lowliness and confusion, I may, with ever greater confidence, draw close to Your Heart. For my wretchedness, is the throne of Your mercy and love.”…St John XXIII (1881-1963) Journal of a soul, 1901-1903

PRAYER – “May Your heart dwell always in our hearts! May Your blood ever flow in the veins of our souls! O sun of our hearts, You give life to all things by the rays of Your goodness! I will not go, until Your heart has strengthened me, O Lord Jesus! May the heart of Jesus be the king of my heart! Blessed be God. Amen.”…St Francis De Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of Charity may-your-heart-dwell-always-in-our-hearts-prayer-to-the-sac-heart-st-francis-de-sales-8-june-2018-sacred-heart

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Thought for the Day – 27 June – Hail, O Mary, Mother of God

Posted on June 27, 2019June 27, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 27 June – Thursday of the Twelfth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and The Memorial of St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father and Doctor

Defender of the divine Motherhood of the Virgin Mary

Saint Cyril of Alexandria (376-444)
Bishop, Father and Doctor

An excerpt from his Letter 1

That anyone could doubt the right of the holy Virgin to be called the mother of God fills me with astonishment. Surely she must be the Mother of God if our Lord Jesus Christ is God and she gave birth to him! Our Lord’s disciples may not have used those exact words but they delivered to us the belief those words enshrine and this has also been taught us, by the holy fathers.

In the third book of his work on the holy and consubstantial Trinity, our father Athanasius, of glorious memory, several times refers to the holy Virgin as “Mother of God.” I cannot resist quoting his own words: “As I have often told you, the distinctive mark of holy Scripture is that it was written to make a twofold declaration concerning our Saviour – namely, that He is and has always been God, since He is the Word, Radiance and Wisdom of the Fatherand that for our sake,, in these latter days, He took flesh from the Virgin Mary, Mother of God and became man.”

Again further on he says: “There have been many holy men, free from all sin. Jeremiah was sanctified in his mother’s womb and John while still in the womb leaped for joy at the voice of Mary, the Mother of God.” Athanasius is a man we can trust, one who deserves our complete confidence, for he taught nothing contrary to the sacred books.

The divinely inspired Scriptures affirm that the Word of God was made flesh, that is to say, He was united to a human body endowed with a rational soul. He undertook to help the descendants of Abraham, fashioning a body for Himself from a woman and sharing our flesh and blood, to enable us to see in Him not only God but also, by reason of this union, a man like ourselves.

It is held, therefore, that there are in Emmanuel two entities, divinity and humanity. Yet our Lord Jesus Christ is nonetheless one, the one true Son, both God and man, not a deified man on the same footing as those who share the divine nature by grace but true God, who for our sake, appeared in human form. We are assured of this by Saint Paul’s declaration: When the fullness of time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law and to enable us to be adopted as sons.

Hail, O Mary, Mother of God
By St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father & Doctor of the Church

Hail, Mother and Virgin,
eternal Temple of the Godhead,
Venerable Treasure of Creation,
crown of virginity,
support of the true faith,
on which the Church is founded, throughout the world.
Mother of God,
who contained the infinite God
under your heart,
whom no space can contain.
Through you, the most Holy Trinity, is revealed,
adored and glorified,
demons are vanquished,
Satan cast down from heaven into hell
and our fallen nature again assumed into heaven.
Through you, the human race,
held captive in the bonds of idolatry,
arrives at the knowledge of Truth.
What more shall I say of you?
Hail, through whom kings rule,
through whom the Only-Begotten Son of God
has become the Star of Light
to those sitting in darkness
and in the shadow of death.
Amen hail-o-mary-mother-of-god-st-cyril-of-alex-10-may-2019 (1)

Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for Us!

St Cyril of Alexandria, Pray for Us!

CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN QUOTES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on MARRIAGE, MARRIED LOVE, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The HOLY GHOST

Quote/s of the Day – 27 June – St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father and Doctor

Posted on June 27, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 27 June – Thursday of the Twelfth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and The Memorial of St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father and Doctor

“He who receives Communion
is made holy and divinised in soul and body
in the same way that water, set over a fire, becomes boiling…
Communion works like yeast that has been mixed into dough
so that it leavens the whole mass;
…Just as by melting two candles together,
you get one piece of wax,
so, I think, one who receives the Flesh and Blood of Jesus
is fused together with Him by this Communion
and the soul finds that he is in Christ and Christ is in him.”

“We have passed over the waves of this present life like a sea,
with its commotion and insane bustle.
We have eaten spiritual manna,
the bread that came down from heaven giving life to the world.”

“If the touch alone of His sacred flesh,
restores life to a corrupting body,
what profit shall we not discover,
in His life-giving Eucharist,
when we make of it our food?
It will wholly transform into its own property,
which is immortality, those who participate in it.”

“Our Saviour went to the wedding feast
to make holy the origins of human life.”

“From Christ and in Christ,
we have been reborn through the Spirit,
in order to bear the fruit of life,
not the fruit of our old, sinful life
but the fruit of a new life founded upon
our faith in Him and our love for Him.
Like branches growing from a vine,
we now draw our life from Christ
and we cling to His holy commandment,
in order to preserve this life.”

“That anyone could doubt, the right
of the holy Virgin to be called the Mother of God,
fills me with astonishment.
Surely, she must be the Mother of God,
if our Lord Jesus Christ is God
and she gave birth to Him!”

St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father and Doctor

EUCHARISTIC Adoration, MARIAN QUOTES, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 26 June – Blessed Jacques Ghazir Haddad OFM Cap (1875-1954) “The Apostle of Lebanon” “The Apostle of the Cross”

Posted on June 26, 2019June 26, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 26 June – Wednesday of the Twelfth week in Ordinary Time and the Memorial of Blessed Jacques Ghazir Haddad OFM Cap (1875-1954) “The Apostle of Lebanon” “The Apostle of the Cross”

“How I would prefer to take You
in procession throughout the streets,
rather than closing You up
n the tabernacle!”

“One ounce of a Cross
is much better
than a ton of books
of prayer.”

“Anyone who seeks heaven
but without suffering,
is like someone
who wants to buy goods,
without paying.”

“Prayer without trust,
is like a letter in one’s pocket.
It never reaches its destination!”

“Honouring Mary,
no matter how sacred,
is only the door
leading to Jesus.
Mary is the means,
Jesus is the end.
Mary is the road,
Jesus is the destination.”

Blessed Jacques Ghazir Haddad (1875-1954)

honouring mary - bl jacques ghazir haddid 26 june 2019

mary is the road jesus is the destination - 26 june 2019

CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 25 June -Manifesting Christ by St Gregory of Nyssa

Posted on June 25, 2019June 25, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 25 June – Tuesday of the Twelfth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 7:6,12=14

Christ should be Manifest in our Whole Life

Saint Gregory of Nyssa (c 335–C 395)
Bishop and Father of the Church –
Brother of St Basil the Great (Father & Doctor)

An excerpt from his treatise On Christian Perfection

The life of the Christian has three distinguishing aspects – deeds, words and thought. Thought comes first, then words, since our words express openly the interior conclusions of the mind. Finally, after thoughts and words, comes action, for our deeds carry out what the mind has conceived. So when one of these results in our acting or speaking or thinking, we must make sure that all our thoughts, words and deeds are controlled by the divine ideal, the revelation of Christ. For then our thoughts, words and deeds will not fall short of the nobility of their implications.

What then must we do, we who have been found worthy of the name of Christ? Each of us must examine his thoughts, words and deeds, to see whether they are directed toward Christ or are turned away from Him. This examination is carried out in various ways. Our deeds or our thoughts or our words are not in harmony with Christ if they issue from passion. They then bear the mark of the enemy who smears the pearl of the heart with the slime of passion, dimming and even destroying the lustre of the precious stone.

On the other hand, if they are free from and untainted by every passionate inclination, they are directed toward Christ, the author and source of peace. He is like a pure, untainted stream. If you draw from Him the thoughts in your mind and the inclinations of your heart, you will show a likeness to Christ, your source and origin, as the gleaming water in a jar resembles the flowing water from which it was obtained.

For the purity of Christ and the purity that is manifest in our hearts are identical. Christ’s purity, however, is the fountainhead, ours has its source in Him and flows out of Him. Our life is stamped with the beauty of His thought. The inner and the outer man are harmonised in a kind of music. The mind of Christ is the controlling influence that inspires us to moderation and goodness in our behaviour. As I see it, Christian perfection consists in thiS – sharing the titles which express the meaning of Christ’s name, we bring out this meaning in our minds, our prayers and our way of life.

I am the Way and the Truth and the Life…John 14:8

CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Quote of the Day – 25 June – The endless day

Posted on June 25, 2019June 25, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 25 June – Tuesday of the Twelfth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of St Maximus of Turin (? – c 420)

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

St Maximus of Turin (? – c 420)

FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, St JOHN the BAPTIST

Thought for the Day- 24 June – The tongue is loosened because a voice is born.

Posted on June 24, 2019June 24, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day- 24 June – The Solemnity of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist Year C, Gospel: Luke 1:57–66

The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness

Saint Augustine (354-430)
Bishop and Great Western Father and Doctor of the Church

An excerpt from his Sermon 293

The Church observes the birth of John as a hallowed event. We have no such commemoration for any other fathers but it is significant, that we celebrate the birthdays of John and of Jesus. This day cannot be passed by. And even if my explanation does not match the dignity of the feast, you may still meditate on it with great depth and profit.

John is born of a woman too old for childbirth, Christ was born of a youthful virgin. The news of John’s birth was met with incredulity and his father was struck dumb. Christ’s birth was believed and He was conceived through faith.

Such is the topic, as I have presented it, for our inquiry and discussion. But as I said before, if I lack either the time or the ability to study the implications of so profound a mystery, He who speaks within you, even when I am not here, will teach you better, it is He whom you contemplate with devotion, whom you have welcomed into your hearts, whose temples you have become.

John, then, appears as the boundary between the two testaments, the old and the new. That he is a sort of boundary the Lord himself bears witness, when He speaks of the law and the prophets up until John the Baptist. Thus He represents times past and is the herald of the new era to come. As a representative of the past, he is born of aged parents, as herald of the new, he is declared to be a prophet while still in his mother’s womb. For when yet unborn, he leapt in his mother’s womb at the arrival of blessed Mary. In that womb, he had already been designated a prophet, even before he was born, it was revealed that he was to be Christ’s precursor, before they ever saw one another. These are divine happenings, going beyond the limits of our human frailty. Eventually he is born, he receives his name, his father’s tongue is loosened. See how these events reflect reality.

Zechariah is silent and loses his voice until John, the precursor of the Lord, is born and restores his voice. The silence of Zechariah is nothing but the age of prophecy lying hidden, obscured, as it were and concealed before the preaching of Christ. At John’s arrival, it becomes clear, when the one who was being prophesied is about to come. The release of Zechariah’s voice at the birth of John is a parallel to the rending of the veil at Christ’s crucifixion. If John were announcing his own coming, Zechariah’s lips would not have been opened. The tongue is loosened because a voice is born. For when John was preaching the Lord’s coming he was asked – Who are you? And he replied – I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. The voice is John but the Lord in the beginning was the Word. John was a voice that lasted only for a time, Christ, the Word in the beginning, is eternal.

St John the Baptist, Pray for Us!

FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, SAINT of the DAY, St JOHN the BAPTIST

Quote/s of the Day- 24 June – Love to the point of sacrifice

Posted on June 24, 2019June 24, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day- 24 June – The Solemnity of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist Year C, Gospel: Luke 1:57–66 and the Memorial of St Maria Guadalupe García Zavala (1878-1963) “Mother Lupuita”

“The true secret of love consists in this:
we must forget self
like St John the Baptist
and exalt and glorify the Lord Jesus.”

St Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868)

“Look today to John the Baptist,
an enduring model of fidelity to God and His Law.
John prepared the way for Christ,
by the testimony of his word and his life.
Imitate him with docile and trusting generosity.”

St Pope John Paul (1920-2005)
(24 June 2001)

“With deep faith, unlimited hope
and great love for Christ, Mother “Lupita”
sought her own sanctification,
beginning with love for the Heart of Christ
and fidelity to the Church.
In this way she lived the motto
which she left to her daughters:
“Charity to the point of sacrifice
and perseverance until death”.

St Pope John Paul II (1920-2005)

On the Beatification of
St Maria Guadalupe García Zavala (1878-1963)
“Mother Lupuita”

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, JESUIT SJ, MORNING Prayers, POETRY, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Thought for the Day – 23 June – Through Our Gazing in Adoration

Posted on June 23, 2019June 23, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 23 June – The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Through Our Gazing in Adoration

Pope Benedict XVI General Audience, 17 November 2010

Dear friends, fidelity to the encounter with the Eucharistic Christ in Sunday’s Holy Mass is essential for the journey of faith but let us try as well to frequently go to visit the Lord present in the Tabernacle! Gazing in adoration at the consecrated Host, we discover the gift of the love of God, we discover the passion and the cross of Jesus and also His Resurrection. Precisely through our gazing in adoration, the Lord draws us to Himself, into His mystery, to transform us as He transforms the bread and wine.

The saints always found strength, consolation and joy in the Eucharistic encounter. With the words of the Eucharistic hymn “Adoro te devote,” let us repeat before the Lord, present in the Most Blessed Sacrament: “Make me believe ever more in You, that in You I may have hope, that I may love You!”

Thank you.

Adoro te Devote
By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church
Trans. Fr Gerard Manley Hopkins SJ (1844-1889)

Godhead here in hiding, whom I do adore,
Masked by these bare shadows,
shape and nothing more,
See, Lord, at Thy service low lies here a heart
Lost, all lost in wonder at the God Thou art.

Seeing, touching, tasting are in Thee deceived –
How says trusty hearing? that shall be believed,
What God’s Son has told me, take for truth I do,
Truth Himself speaks truly or there’s nothing true.

On the cross Thy godhead made no sign to men,
Here Thy very manhood steals from human ken –
Both are my confession, both are my belief,
And I pray the prayer of the dying thief.

I am not like Thomas, wounds I cannot see,
But can plainly call Thee Lord and God as he,
Let me to a deeper faith daily nearer move,
Daily make me harder hope and dearer love.

O Thou our reminder of Christ crucified,
Living Bread, the life of us for whom He died,
Lend this life to me then – feed and feast my mind,
There be Thou the sweetness man was meant to find.

Bring the tender tale true of the Pelican,
Bathe me, Jesu Lord, in what Thy bosom ran—
Blood whereof a single drop has power to win
All the world forgiveness of its world of sin.

Jesu, whom I look at shrouded here below,
I beseech Thee send me what I thirst for so,
Some day to gaze on Thee face to face in light
And be blest forever with Thy glory’s sight.
Amen adoro te devote - copus christi 23 june 2019.jpg

DOCTORS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote of the Day – 23 June – May our actions give proof of His Presence.

Posted on June 23, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 23 June – The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

“When you have received Him,
stir up your heart to do Him homage,
speak to Him about your spiritual life,
gazing upon Him in your soul
where He is present
for your happiness.
Welcome Him as warmly as possible,
and behave outwardly in such a way,
that your actions
may give proof to all,
of His Presence.”

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

FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 June – The Truine Love present in the Eucharist

Posted on June 23, 2019June 23, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 23 June – The Solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ 2019, Gospel: Luke 9:11–17

“…he looked up to heaven and blessed and broke them and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.”…Luke 9:16

REFLECTION – “The mystery of today’s feast has three aspects, as is the case with all the great feasts after Pentecost and Trinity Sunday.
First, the Gospel portrays it through the image of the multiplication of the loaves. This is no bit of magic on Jesus’ part – to accomplish it He looks toward heaven, toward His Father, with both petition and thanksgiving (eucharistia): “Father, I thank you for hearing me.” (Jn 11:42) His lavish giving away of Himself in the loaves, will be a sign of the way the Father’s love utterly lavishes His Son on the world.
Then He blesses the bread, for the Father has left everything to the Son, including the bestowal of heaven’s blessing.
He breaks it, which points both to His own brokenness in the Passion and to the way His gifts will be limitlessly multiplied by the work of the Holy Spirit in every Eucharistic celebration. Thus, through this visible image, we realise that truine Love itself, becomes present in the Eucharistic self-giving of Jesus.”… Cardinal Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905-1988)

PRAYER – Lord Jesus Christ, You gave Your Church an admirable Sacrament as the abiding memorial of Your Passion. Teach us so to worship the sacred Mystery of Your Body and Blood, that it’s redeeming power, may sanctify us always. Who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God forever and every, amen. corpus christi 23 june 2019 mark 14 22 this is my body

DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SACRAMENTS, SUNDAY REFLECTIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Sunday Reflection – 23 June – O precious and wonderful banquet!

Posted on June 23, 2019June 23, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Sunday Reflection – 23 June – The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

O precious and wonderful banquet!

Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Priest and Doctor of the Church

An excerpt from On the Feast of the Body of Christ

Since it was the will of God’s only-begotten Son that men should share in His divinity, He assumed our nature, in order that by becoming man He might make men gods. Moreover, when He took our flesh He dedicated the whole of its substance to our salvation. He offered His body to God the Father, on the altar of the cross, as a sacrifice for our reconciliation. He shed His blood for our ransom and purification, so that we, might be redeemed, from our wretched state of bondage and cleansed from all sin. But to ensure that the memory of so great a gift would abide with us forever, He left His body as food and His blood as drink, for the faithful to consume, in the form of bread and wine.

O precious and wonderful banquet that brings us salvation and contains all sweetness! Could anything be of more intrinsic value? Under the old law it was the flesh of calves and goats that was offered but here Christ Himself, the true God, is set before us as our food. What could be more wonderful than this? No other sacrament has greater healing power, through it, sins are purged away, virtues are increased and the soul is enriched with an abundance of every spiritual gift. It is offered in the Church for the living and the dead, so that what was instituted for the salvation of all, may be for the benefit of all. Yet, in the end, no one can fully express the sweetness of this sacrament, in which spiritual delight is tasted at its very source and in which we renew the memory of that surpassing love for us, which Christ revealed in His passion.

It was to impress the vastness of this love more firmly upon the hearts of the faithful, that our Lord instituted this sacrament at the Last Supper. As He was on the point of leaving the world to go to the Father, after celebrating the Passover with His disciples, He left it as a perpetual memorial of His passion. It was the fulfilment of ancient figures and the greatest of all His miracles, while for those who were to experience the sorrow of His departure, it was destined to be a unique and abiding consolation. o precious and wonderful banquet - st thomas aquinas sun reflec corpus christi 23 june 2019.jpg

EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 23 June – “May We All be Living Monstrances”

Posted on June 23, 2019June 23, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 23 June – The Solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ 2019

“MAY WE ALL BE LIVING MONSTRANCES.”
By St Josemaria Escrivá (1902-1975)

May we be monstrances
wrought of pure gold,
free from all worldly influence,
studded with rubies,
which are like the stains of blood
from our sorrow and our sacrifice;
monstrances adorned with emeralds,
which signify,
our unshakeable hope
and embedded with
many other small stones –
that are barely noticed
but that You behold always,
delighting in their brilliance—
and which are our small mortifications,
our self-denial at every moment.

May these living monstrances
illumine those around them
by their apostolic charity.
Deign, my God,
living in each one of them,
to vivify with the rays of Your Love
all those who come
into contact with us.

Mother of ours,
Mother of Eucharistic Love:
this is our petition today.
Present it, we beseech you,
at your Son’s feet.
Obtain for us a life
imbued with a Eucharistic spirit,
so that love for the Holy Eucharist
fills our heart.
Amen may we all be living monstrances - st josemaria - 23 june 2019 corpus christi.jpg

QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 22 June – The question is, would we too?

Posted on June 22, 2019June 22, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 22 June – The Memorial of St Thomas More (1478-1535) Martyr

His belief that no lay ruler has jurisdiction over the Church of Christ cost Thomas More his life.

Beheaded on Tower Hill, London, on 6 July 1535, More steadfastly refused to approve King Henry VIII’s divorce and remarriage and establishment of the Church of England.

Described as “a man for all seasons,” which title is drawn from what Robert Whittington, an English man of letters, in 1520 wrote of More:

“More is a man of an angel’s wit and singular learning. I know not his fellow. For where is the man of that gentleness, lowliness and affability? And, as time requires, a man of marvellous mirth and pastimes and sometime of as sad gravity. A man for all seasons.”

More was a literary scholar, eminent lawyer, gentleman, father of four children and chancellor of England. An intensely spiritual man, he would not support the king’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon in order to marry Anne Boleyn. Nor would he acknowledge Henry as supreme head of the Church in England, breaking with Rome, and denying the pope as head.

More was committed to the Tower of London to await trial for treason, not swearing to the Act of Succession and the Oath of Supremacy. Upon conviction, More declared he had all the councils of Christendom and not just the council of one realm to support him in the decision of his conscience.

Four hundred years later in 1935, Thomas More was Canonised a saint of God. Few saints are more relevant to our time. In the year 2000, in fact, St Pope John Paul II named him patron of political leaders. The supreme diplomat and counsellor, he did not compromise his own moral values in order to please the king, knowing that true allegiance to authority is not blind acceptance of everything that authority wants. King Henry himself realised this and tried desperately to win his chancellor to his side because he knew More was a man whose approval counted, a man whose personal integrity no one questioned. But when Thomas More resigned as chancellor, unable to approve the two matters that meant most to Henry, the king had to get rid of him. Before being executed he said, “I die the king’s faithful servant, but God’s first.” The question is, would we too?

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Hebrews 11:1

St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father and Doctor

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The Anguish of an Absence

by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI)

Lord, grant us Your help, because without You we will sink. Amen

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Matthew 8:26

St John Climacus (579-649)

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St John XXIII (1881-1963)

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We proclaim Christ to the whole world

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Father Mike Schmitz

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St Cyril of Alexandria, Pray for Us!

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Blessed Jacques Ghazir Haddad (1875-1954)

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Christ should be Manifest in our Whole Life

Saint Gregory of Nyssa (c 335–C 395) Bishop and Father of the Church – Brother of St Basil the Great (Father & Doctor)

I am the Way and the Truth and the Life…John 14:8

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St Maximus of Turin (? – c 420)

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Saint Augustine (354-430) Bishop and Great Western Father and Doctor of the Church

St John the Baptist, Pray for Us!

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St Pope John Paul II (1920-2005)

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Through Our Gazing in Adoration

Pope Benedict XVI General Audience, 17 November 2010

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Saint Paul VI (1897-1978)
Bishop of Rome

Yet I live, no longer I but Christ lives in me!
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Doctor of the Church

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