“Lord Jesus, I am not worthy to suffer for Thee, much less to receive those rewards which Thou hast promised to those who confess Thee.”
~~~ Blessed Thomas Sherwood before his torture and execution in the Tower of London on this day in 1579
Category: CATHOLIC Quotes
One Minute Reflection – 7 February
One Minute Reflection – 7 February
We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love him…….Romans 8:28
REFLECTION – “Do not allow yourselves to be overly saddened by the unfortunate accidents of this world. You are not aware of the benefits that they bring and by what secret judgment of God they are arranged for the eternal joy of the Elect.”………..St John of the Cross
PRAYER – Father of wisdom, help me to accept all earthly misfortunes even without understanding them, with the sure knowledge that good will comes from them. Let me never despair but trust in Your Providence that governs all things. Bl Thomas Sherwood, I think of you and your acceptance of your fate in total love of our good God, please pray for me, amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 6 February
Quote of the Day – 6 February
“Like my Master I shall die upon the cross. Like Him, a lance will pierce my heart so that my blood and my love can flow out upon the land and sanctify it to His name.”
~~~ St Paul Miki
“The measure of love,
is love without measure.”
~~~ St Bernard of Clairvaux
One Minute Reflection – 6 February
One Minute Reflection – 6 February
But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly…….1 Peter 4:13
REFLECTION – “The only reason for my being killed is that I have taught the doctrine of Christ. I thank God it is for this reason that I die. I believe that I am telling the truth before I die. I know you believe me and I want to say to you all once again – Ask Christ to help you become happy. I obey Christ. After Christ’s example, I forgive my persecutors. I do not hate them. I ask God to have pity on all and I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men as a fruitful rain.”……St Paul Miki
PRAYER – Jesus, Man of Sorrows, in every suffering keep my eyes fixed on You. Let me keep ever before my mind the glory to come and so face the suffering with true Christian courage. St Paul Miki and your 26 Martyr Companions, Pray for us, amen!
Pedro Arrupe SJ
Pedro Arrupe SJ, superior general of the Jesuits from 1965-1983, died on this day in 1991.
He guided the Society through the tumultuous post-Vatican II years. He called for a renewed commitment to the Society’s roots in the Spiritual Exercises and he oriented the Jesuits toward service to the poor and to refugees.
He had a charismatic personality and was beloved by many in the Society and outside it.
He articulated the goal of Jesuit education as training “men and women for others”:
“………men and women who will live not for themselves but for God and His Christ—for the God-human who lived and died for all the world; men and women who cannot even conceive of love of God which does not include love for the least of their neighbours; men and women completely convinced that love of God which does not issue in justice for others is a farce.” (Pedro Arrupe: Essential Writings, Kevin Burke, Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books 2004, p. 173)
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour………Romans 12:9-10
Are you complacent, too accepting of things as they are? Talk to God about this.
Quote/s of the Day – 5 February
Quote/s of the Day – 5 February
“Jesus Christ, Lord of all things!
You see my heart, you know my desires.
Possess all that I am – you alone.
I am your sheep; make me worthy
to overcome the devil.”
~~~- Saint Agatha
“She teaches by her example to hasten to the true Good – God alone.”
~~~St. Methodius
One Minute Reflection – 5 February
One Minute Reflection – 5 February
(God) gave us…..a birth to any imperishable…..inheritance…..which is kept in heaven for you…..1 Peter 1:3-4
REFLECTION – “You have within you everything
that you need to purchase the kingdom of heaven.
Joy will be purchased by your sorrow,
rest by your labour,
glory by your humiliation
and eternal life by your passing death”……..St Augustine
PRAYER – Loving Father, teach me how to make every event on earth lay up treasure for me in heaven. Help me to endure sorrows, labours, hardships, humiliations and death willingly so as to attain heaven. Help me to always manifest You in my life as the life of St Agatha did. St Agatha please intercede for us all, amen!
Quote of the Day – 4 February
Quote of the Day – 4 February
“When we suffer anything, we give proof of our love.”
~~~ St Joseph of Leonissa
One Minute Reflection – 4 February
One Minute Reflection – 4 February
Clearly you are a letter of Christ which I have delivered, a letter written not with ink
but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh in the heart. ………….2 Corinthians 3:3
REFLECTION – “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. (2 cOR 3:3)
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).” …….St Joseph of Leonissa
PRAYER – Almighty God, You made Saint Joseph of Leonessa, an illustrious preacher of the gospel. Through his prayers inflame us with love and with his zeal for souls that we may serve You alone. St Joseph of Leonissa, pray for us, amen.
Quote of the Day – 3 February
Quote of the Day – 3 February
“The statue must be chiselled with very sharp tools
before it is fit to be placed in’ the grand gallery.”
~~~ St Paul of the Cross
One Minute Reflection – 3 February
One Minute Reflection – 3 February
He touched their eyes and said, “because of your faith it shall be done to you” and they received their sight………..Matthew 9:29-30
REFLECTION – The blind men cried out to Christ and overcame the cries of the crowd. Such is the nature of faith that the greater are the obstacles it encounters, the more ardent it becomes…………..St Charles Borromeo
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, grant me a living faith in the Good News of Christ. Let it overcome all obstacles and become deeper every day of my life. Let my faith in You withstand all the evils of the world around me and reach out to inspire others. St Blaise, you were and are a light of faith and help to all, pray for us, amen!
Quote of the Day – 2 February
Quote of the Day – 2 February
“O Blessed Mother, the sword is already in your heart.
You foreknow the future of the Fruit of your womb.
May our fidelity in following Him through the coming mysteries
of His public life bring some alleviations
to the sorrows of your maternal heart. ”
Abbot Gueranger
One Minute Reflection – 1 February
One Minute Reflection – 1 February
Be on guard and pray that you may not undergo the test………Mt 26:41
REFLECTION – Jesus, who feared nothing, experienced fear and asked to be freed from death – although He knew it was impossible.
How much more must we persevere in prayer before temptation assails us – so that we may be freed when the test has come!…………..St Ephrem
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, help me to work out my salvation in fear and trembling. Let me pray daily that I may withstand temptation and carry out Your will in all things. Bl Benedict Daswa you who withstood all attempts to sway you into evil ways for the love of God, please intercede for us that we may too be freed when the test comes. Bl Benedict pray for us, amen!
Quote/s of the Day – 31 January
Quote/s of the Day – 31 January
“Do you want our Lord to give you many graces? Visit him often. Do you want him to give you few graces? Visit him seldom. Visits to the Blessed Sacrament are powerful and indispensable means of overcoming the attacks of the devil. Make frequent visits to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and the devil will be powerless against you.”
“Jesus could have limited his presence only to the celebration of Mass, but no! He wanted to make a permanent dwelling among us. Night and day he awaits us and offers himself to us at all times. Like a most tender mother, he opens his arms to us. He is there generously to give us his gifts. He is there to draw us to him and lead us to paradise with him. Oh! Let us go visit him often.”
“I beg you to recommend to everyone, first, adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and then reverence for most holy Mary.”
“Take refuge often at the feet of Jesus…My dear ones, the Visit to the Blessed Sacrament is an extremely necessary way to conquer the devil. Therefore, go often to visit Jesus and the devil will not come out victorious against you.”
“We envy the shepherds who went to visit the grotto of Bethlehem to see Him, kissed His little hand and offered Him their gifts. “Lucky shepherds!” we exclaim. And yet there is no reason to envy them, for their fortune is ours, too. The same Jesus they visited in the grotto is in our tabernacle. The only difference is that the shepherds saw Him with the eyes of the body, whereas we see Him with the eyes of faith. Nothing will please Him more than our frequent visits to Him.”
“There are two things the devil is deadly afraid of: fervent Communions and frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament.”
~~~ St John Bosco (Saint of the Day)
One Minute Reflection – 31 January
One Minute Reflection – 31 January
Whoever welcomes one such child for my sake welcomes me….Mt 18:5-6
REFLECTION – “Do you want to do something good and holy – indeed very holy and divine? Then work for the salvation of all young people.”…..St John Bosco
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, help me to see You in all children as well as in all human beings. And let me work to bring forth Your image and likeness in them. St John Bosco has been an example to us all – help us to heed his words. St John Bosco, pray for us, amen!
Quote of the Day – 30 January
Quote of the Day – 30 January
”Let not that man presumes to look for mercy from God, who offends His Holy Mother!”
–Saint Louis Marie de Montfort
One Minute Reflection – 30 January
One Minute Reflection – 30 January
O children, listen to me, instruction and wisdom do not reject!…………Prv 8:32-33
REFLECTION – “Let Mary never be far from your lips and from our heart.
Following her, you will never lose your way. Praying to her, you will never sink into despair. Contemplating her, you will never go wrong.”………………St Bernardine of Siena
PRAYER – Lord Jesus, help me to have continual recourse to Your holy Mother. Grant that she may watch over me as she lovingly watched over You in Your home in Nazareth. Amen
Quote of the Day – 29 January
Quote of the Day – 29 January
“Just as the stars are the ornament of the firmanent, so the virtues are the ornament and light of the soul.
Virtue is, so to speak, heaven in our hearts.”
~~~~ St John Climacus
One Minute Reflection – 29 January
One Minute Reflection – 29 January
Win your neighbour’s trust while he is poor, so that you may rejoice with him in his prosperity.
In time of trouble remain true to him,so that you may share in his inheritance when it comes………..Sir 22:23
REFLECTION – “Every virtue can attract the friendship of others to us. For every virtue is a good and anything good is lovable to all and renders lovable all who possess it. Friendship blossoms, grows and is strengthened in the measure that virtue develops.”…….St Thomas Aquinas
PRAYER – Lord Jesus, our true Friend, help me to cultivate virtues and so gain friends. In turn let my friends also pursue virtues – making our friendship closer and bringing us all into Your eternal Friendship in heaven, amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 28 January
Quote/s of the Day – 28 January
“Faith has to do with things that are not seen
and hope with things that are not at hand.”
“The celebration of Holy Mass is as valuable
as the death of Jesus on the cross.”
“To love is to will the good of the other.”
“If you can live amid injustice without anger,
you are immoral as well as unjust.”
“In the life of the body a man is sometimes sick
and unless he takes medicine, he will die.
Even so in the spiritual life a man is sick
on account of sin.
For that reason he needs medicine
so that he may be restored to health –
and this grace is bestowed in the Sacrament of Penance.”
“To pretend angels do not exist
because they are invisible is to believe
we never sleep because we don’t see
ourselves sleeping.”
“To bear with patience wrongs done to oneself
is a mark of perfection but to bear with patience
wrongs done to someone else is a mark of imperfection
and even of actual sin.”
“All the efforts of the human mind
cannot exhaust the essence of a single fly.”
~~~ ST THOMAS AQUINAS (Saint of the Day)
One Minute Reflection – 28 January
One Minute Reflection – 28 January
Obedience is better than sacrifice and submission than the fat of rams………….1 Sm 15:22
REFLECTION – “Obedience unites us so closely to God that it in a way, transforms us into Him, so that we have no other will but His. If obedience is lacking, even prayer cannot be pleasing to God.”………….St Thomas Aquinas (Saint of the Day)
PRAYER – Omniscient Lord, teach me to value obedience to Your laws and Your will. Grant that I may be completely obedient to You in all things. St Thomas Aquinas pray for us, amen!
Quote/s of the Day – 27 January
Quote/s of the Day – 27 January
“Reflect that in reality you have a greater need to serve [the poor] than they have of your service.”
“Do not lose heart, even if you should discover that you lack qualities necessary for the work to which you are called. He who called you will not desert you, but the moment you are in need He will stretch out His saving hand.”
“Disorder in society is the result of disorder in the family.”
“Consider that the devil doesn’t sleep, but seeks our ruin in a thousand ways.”
“As our Saviour says: “A good tree is not able to produce bad fruit.” He says: A good tree, that is, a good heart as well as a soul on fire with charity, can do nothing but good and holy works. For this reason Saint Augustine said: “Love, and do what you will,” namely, possess love and charity and then do what you will. It is as if he had said: Charity is not able to sin.”
One Minute Reflection – 27 January
One Minute Reflection – 27 January
The servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome but must be kindly toward all…….2 Tm 2:24
REFLECTION – “Exercise pleasantness toward all, taking great care especially that what you have commanded may never be done by reason of force.
For God has given free will to everyone and therefore, never forces anyone – but only indicates, calls and persuades.”……………St Angela Merici
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, teach me how to deal pleasantly with those I in my life. Help me to persuade rather than attempt to force others to do what must be done. Help me always to lead by example and by my life. St Angela Merici, pray for us, amen!
Thought for the Day – 26 January
Thought for the Day – 26 January
St Paul makes it clear to Timothy that he is to proclaim the Word with persistence BUT “through all patience.” This is the most important part of these instructions! Growth in the Spirit is a lifelong journey, in which great patience is needed. The one who proclaims the Word needs patience in dealing with the one being taught. This is a human enterprise and humans are notoriously slow to understand, accept and implement the Word of God in their lives. Christians are to proclaim the Word without being judgmental. So, as Paul tells Timothy so he tells you and me to go forth, proclaim the Word, live your faith, treat others with respect and kindness and do it all with patience and love. Thus faith is the centre of the Christian’s life and from that centre he radiates Christ’s love to all whom he meets. (Msgr. Bernard Bourgeois)
In these letters, we get another glimpse of life in the early Church: great zeal in the apostolate, great communion in Christ, great friendship. Yet always there is the problem of human nature and the unglamorous details of daily life: the need for charity and patience in “quarrels with others, fears within myself,” as Paul says. Through it all, the love of Christ sustained them. At the end of the Letter to Titus, Paul says that when the temporary substitute comes, “hurry to me.”
Sts Timothy and Titus Pray for us!
Quote of the Day – 26 January
Quote of the Day – 26 January
“Proclaim the word;
be persistent
whether it is convenient or inconvenient;
convince,
reprimand,
encourage,
through all patience and teaching.” …………..St Paul (2 Tm 4:2)
One Minute Reflection – 26 January
One Minute Reflection – 26 January
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel
with the strength that comes from God………..2 Tm 1:1-8
…….to Titus, my true child in our common faith:
grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our saviour.
For this reason I left you in Crete
so that you might set right what remains to be done…………Ti 1:1-5
REFLECTION – …. we consider together the two figures of Timothy and Titus, we are aware of certain very significant facts………. it clearly appears that (Paul) he did not do everything on his own but relied on trustworthy people who shared in his endeavours and responsibilities. The sources concerning Timothy and Titus highlight their readiness to take on various offices that also often consisted in representing Paul in circumstances far from easy. In a word, they teach us to serve the Gospel with generosity realizing that this also entails a service to the Church herself..”………………Pope Benedict XVI
PRAYER – Father of light, let my life be illumined by the light of Christ and enable me to radiate the Gospel to others. Teach me, like Sts Timothy and Titus to give my all to the service of the Bride of Christ, His Mystical Body, the Church. Sts Timothy and Titus, pray for us. amen.
Quote of the Day – 25 January
Quote of the Day – 25 January
“He who would keep the grace of God,
let him be grateful for grace when it is given
and patient when it is taken away.
Let him pray that it may be given back to him
and be careful and humble, lest he lose it.”
Thomas à Kempis – The Imitation of Christ
One Minute Reflection – 25 January
One Minute Reflection – 25 January
Yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me………..Galatians 2:20
REFLECTION – “Paul, more than anyone else, has shown us what man really is and in what our nobility consists and of what virtue this particular animal is capable. Each day he aimed ever higher; each day he rose up with greater ardour and faced with new eagerness the dangers that threatened him. He summed up his attitude in the words: “I forget what is behind me and push on to what lies ahead……………The most important thing of all to him, however, was that he knew himself to be loved by Christ. Enjoying this love, he considered himself happier than anyone else”…….St John Chrysostum
PRAYER – O God, who instructed the whole world through the preaching of the Apostle St. Paul, grant that we who celebrate the Feast of his conversion today, may through his patronage and prayers, begin too to understand our greatest gift, that we are LOVED by You! This we ask of You through Christ our Lord. St Paul Pray for Us! Amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 24 January
Quote/s of the Day – 24 January
“Nothing makes us so prosperous in this world
as to give alms.”
“Man is the perfection of the Universe.
The spirit is the perfection of man.
Love is the perfection of the spirit
and charity that of love.
Therefore, the love of God is the end,
the perfection of the Universe.”
“There are no galley-slaves in the royal vessel of divine love – every man works his oar voluntarily! “
“All the pains in a hundred thousand million Hells suffered with the greatest perfection possible to a human creature would have been nothing compared to the smallest sigh of Our Lord, to the smallest drop of blood that he shed for love of us.”
“Do not look forward to the changes and chances of this life in fear; rather look to them with full hope that, as they arise, God, whose you are, will deliver you out of them. He is your keeper. He has kept you hitherto. Do you but hold fast to his dear hand and he will lead you safely through all things; and, when you cannot stand, he will bear you in his arms. Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow. Our Father will either shield you from suffering, or he will give you strength to bear it.”
“A quarrel between friends, when made up, adds a new tie to friendship.”
“Friendships begun in this world will be taken up again, never to be broken off. “
~~~ St Francis de Sales
One Minute Reflection – 24 January
One Minute Reflection – 24 January
Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart……….Mt 11:29-30
REFLECTION – “If there was something better than meekness, God would certainly have told us.
But He exhorts us above all to be meek and humble of heart.”………..St Francis de Sales (Saint of the Day)
PRAYER – Lord Jesus, teach me what true meekness entails. Inspire me to practise it after Your example in all circumstances of my life. St Francis de Sales, you learnt the true meaning of humility and meekness, please pray for us, amen!
AnaStpaul 
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