Category: CATHOLIC Quotes

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on ZEAL, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 24 August – St Bartholomew

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 24 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – St Bartholomew the Apostle and Martyr

“Here is a true child
of Israel.
There is no guile
in him.”

John 1:47

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

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

Behold the Messengers of Christ
By Fr Jean-Baptiste Santeul (1630-1697)
Priest, Monk, Hymnist, Poet, Writer

Behold the Messengers of Christ,
Who sow in every place,
The unveiled Mysteries of God,
The Gospel of His Grace.

The things through mists and shadows dim
By holy prophets seen,
In the full Light of Day, they saw
With not a cloud between.

What Christ, true Man, Divinely wrought,
What God in Manhood bore,
They wrote, as God inspired, in words
Which live forevermore.

Although in space and time apart,
One Spirit ruled them all
And in their Sacred pages still
We hear that Spirit’s Call.

To God, the blessèd Three in One,
Be glory, praise and might,
Who called us from the shades of death
To His Own glorious Light.
Amen.

Trans. Compilers of Hymns Ancient and Modern, 1861.
This Hymn was used for Vespers I & II and Nocturns on the Feasts of St Mark and St Luke in the Paris Breviary (1736). Cardinal Newman’s Hymni Ecclesiae has it listed for the same hours, as the Common of Evangelists in the Paris Breviary (presumably a later edition). Tune: “Tiverton“ J Grigg, c1791.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 August – ‘ … What is it He has to do for you when, for your sake, Christ spends the night in prayer? …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 24 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – St Bartholomew the Apostle and Martyr – 1 Corinthians 12:27-31; Luke 6:12-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“At that time, Jesus departed to the mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God.” – Luke 6:12

REFLECTION – “Our Lord prays, not to plead on His Own account but to gain something for me. Even though the Father has placed all things at the disposal of the Son, nevertheless, the Son, in order to fulfil His condition as man completely, has thought it fitting to plead with the Father on our account, since He is our Advocate. Do not insidiously prick up your ears, imagining that Christ asks out of weakness, for that which He is unable to carry out Himself, He Who is the Author of all might! Master in obedience, Christ fashions us according to the precepts of virtue, by His Own example. It is said: “We have an Advocate with the Father” – if He is Advocate then, He must intervene for my sins. So it is not through weakness but from goodness that He pleads. Do you want to know to what extent He can do all He wills? He is simultaneously, Advocate and Judge; in the One dwells an obligation of compassion, in the other, the honour of might. “And He spent all the night in prayer to God” – He sets you an example, He outlines a model for you to imitate.

What is it He has to do for you when, for your sake, Christ spends the night in prayer? What is it which it is fitting to do, when you wish to undertake some work of devotion, when Christ, on the point of sending out His Apostles, prayed alone? Besides, at no point, if I am not mistaken, do we find that He prayed with the Apostles. Everywhere He prayed alone. This was because God’s intentions cannot be grasped by human desires and no-one can share in the intimate thoughts of Christ. Do you wish to know, too, how it is indeed on my account and not for Himself that He prayed? “He called His disciples and chose twelve of them” in order to send them out as sowers of the faith, to make known man’s help and salvation throughout the world.” – St Ambrose (340-397) One of the original four Doctors of the Latin Church (Commentary on St Luke’s Gospel 5, 42).

PRAYER – Almighty, eternal God, Who bestowed on us the devout and holy joy of this day to celebrate the Feast of Thy blessed Apostle Bartholomew, grant unto Thy Church, we beseech Thee, both to love what he believed and to preach what he taught. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in IMMACULATE HEART PRAYERS, IMMACULATE HEART PRAYERS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PHYSICAL SICKNESS, ILLNESS, QUOTES on SUFFERING

Our Morning Offering – 24 August – O Mary, Immaculate Virgin, Prayer for Health of Soul and Body

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 24 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary”and Feast of Our Lady Health of the Sick

O Mary, Immaculate Virgin
Prayer for Health of Soul and Body

O Mary, Immaculate Virgin,
our salvation lies in thy hands.
Cleanse our souls,
we beseech thee,
from the leprosy of sin
and assist us in our corporal infirmities.
And, if it be the will of God
that we must be acquainted
with sickness and suffering,
obtain for us, at least,
perfect patience and resignation,
in whatsoever God may dispose.
Amen.

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on WORK/LABOUR, St JOHN the BAPTIST, The HEART, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 23 August – Our hearts were made for Thee, O God!

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 23 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – – 1 Corinthians. 4:9-14; Luke 12:32-34 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Sell what you possess and give alms.
Make for yourselves purses
which do not grow old,
a treasure unfailing in Heaven,
where neither thief draws near,
nor moth destroys.”

Luke 12:33

“For where your treasure is,
there also will your heart be.”

Lukr 12:34

“Our hearts were made for Thee, O God
And restless must they be
Until, O God, this grace accord,
Until they rest in Thee!”

St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Where is the heart which loves?
On the thing it loves.
Therefore, where our love is,
there our heart is held captive.
It cannot leave it;
it cannot be lifted higher,
it cannot go either to the right
or the left; see, it is fixed.
Where the miser’s treasure is,
there is his heart and where our heart is,
there is our treasure.
And what is so deplorable is
that the things which hold us in servitude,
are, for the most part,
such unworthy things!”

St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)

Like St John the Baptist did –
“Prepare a path for God
so that He can enter your heart.”

St John Baptiste de la Salle (1651-1719)

Almighty God, Open Thou My Heart
A Prayer for Guidance
By St Bede the Venerable (673-735)
Father and Doctor of the Church

ALMIGHTY God,
open Thou my heart
and enlighten me with the grace of the Holy Spirit,
to see those things which are well-pleasing to Thy will.
Direct my thoughts and understanding
to those things which it is proper to meditate upon
and to take in hand;
in such fashion, as by fitting character
and deeds, I might be found worthy
of the eternal joy of heavenly life.
Direct my acts to Thy commandments,
that I might, by labour
so unbrokenly study to bring them to fulfilment,
as to attain to an everlasting reward.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The BEATITUDES, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 August – “The heart.”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 23 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – St Philip Benizi OSM (1233-1285) Confessor – 1 Corinthians. 4:9-14; Luke 12:32-34 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be too.” – Luke 12:34

REFLECTION – “…If, therefore, you wash, by a good life, the filth which has been glued on your heart like plaster, the Divine Beauty will again shine forth in you. It is the same as happens in the case of iron. If freed from rust by a whetstone that which but a moment ago, was black will shine and glisten brightly in the sun. So it is too with the inner man which the Lord calls “the heart.” When he has scraped off the rustlike dirt which dank decay has caused to appear on his form, he will once more recover the likeness of the Archetype (Gn 1:27) and, be good. For what is like to the Good is certainly itself good.

Hence, if a man who is pure of heart sees himself, he sees in himself what he desires and thus, he becomes blessed because, when he looks at his own purity, he sees the Archetype in the image. To give an example. Although men, who see the sun in a mirror, do not gaze at the sky itself, yet they see the sun in the reflection of the mirror, no less than those who look at its very orb. So, He says, it is also with you. Even though you are too weak to perceive the Light itself, yet if you but return to the grace of the image with which you were informed from the beginning, you will have all you seek in yourselves.

…For the Godhead is purity, freedom from passion and separation from all evil. If, therefore, these things be in you, God is indeed in you. Hence, if your thought is without any alloy of evil, free from passion, arid alien from all stain, you are blessed because you are clear of sight.” – St Gregory of Nyssa (c335-395) Bishop, Father of the Church (Brother of St Basil the Great) (Sermons 6 sur les Béatitudes – on the Beatitudes 6).

PRAYER – O God, Who through St. Philip, Thy Confessor, gave us an outstanding example of humility, grant that Thy household may follow his example by scorning worldly prosperity and, ever seek the things of Heaven. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 23 August – To Thee, O Master

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 23 August

To Thee, O Master
Morning Offering
By St Macarius the Wonder-Worker (Died 850)

To Thee, O Master,
who loves all mankind
I hasten on rising from sleep.
By Thy mercy,
I go out to do Thy work
and I make my prayer to Thee.
Help me at all times and in all things.
Deliver me from every evil thing of this world
and from pursuit by the devil.
Save me and bring me to Thy eternal Kingdom,
For Thou art my Creator,
Thou inspire all good thoughts in me.
In Thee is all my hope
and to Thee I give glory,
now and forever.
Amen

Posted in CHARITY - Fr Richard Clarke SJ, CHRIST the LIGHT, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HOPE, The LAMB of GOD

Thought for the Day – 22 August – Charity in Heaven – the Final Meditation

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 22 August – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

CHARITY
Meditations for a Month

Charity in Heaven – The Final Meditation

Some virtues will not enter into the door of the Celestial Paradise, inasmuch as, they imply some sort of imperfection, in the nature of him, who possesses them or, the circumstances among which he lives.
Such are faith, hope, prudence and so forth.
However, one virtue is not only welcome in Heaven,but, reigns there supreme.
The very atmosphere of Heaven is nothing else, than an atmosphere of charity. To the Saints and Angels, it is the very breath of their life. It is the light which enlightens the celestial City.

When we read that the glory of God enlightens the Heavenly Jerusalem and that the Lamb is the Light thereof, Saint John is speaking of that Charity with which God has identified Himself and which shone amongst men in Christ our Lord.
Each Saint in Heaven, will shine with a radiance proportioned to his charity and will enjoy happiness, the extent of which, will be commensurate with his charity.
When I shall be judged by the standard of charity, shall I be found fit for Heaven at all?

Charity is, moreover, the Queen of Heaven and, therefore, may be identified with Our Lady, who, next to her Divine Son, was its earthly ideal. This is why she is the Mother of Mercy and why, we fly to her protection in all our troubles. She reigns supreme in Heaven and her Sovereignty is due to her charity. This is why she is the most powerful of all our intercessors, the most loving, the most compassionate, the most tender and, the most full of pity for sinners.
To thee then, O Mother of Charity, I will fly and will beg of thee, to obtain for me, from thy Divine Son, more and more of His unspeakable Charity!

Posted in AUGUST - The Immaculate Heart of Mary, AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, IMMACULATE HEART PRAYERS, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, MARIAN QUOTES, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, The SEVEN LAST WORDS of CHRIST, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 22 August – Mother of love

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 22 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” and the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Octave Day of the Assumption – Ecclesiasticus 24:23-31, John 19:25-27 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Woman, behold thy son. …
Behold thy mother.”

John 19:26-27

“And from that hour,
the disciple took her to his own.”
John 19:27

“ As His last will and testament,
He committed, to His beloved heir,
the care of His Mother…
The Church fell to Peter, Mary to John.
This bequest belonged to John,
not only by right of kinship but too,
because of the privilege, love had bestowed
and the witness, his chastity bore…
It was fitting that none other than the beloved
of her Son, should minister to the Mother of the Lord… Providence too arranged, very conveniently
that he who was to write a Gospel,
should have intimate conferences with her,
who knew about them all,
for she had taken note from the beginning,
of everything that happened to her Son
and “treasured all the words concerning Him, pondering them in her heart” (Lk 2:19).”

Blessed Guerric of Igny O. Cist. (c1080-1157)
Cistercian Abbot

“In the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I trust.
Look to the Star, call upon Mary!
In danger, in difficulty or in doubt,
think of Mary, call upon Mary.
Keep her name on your lips,
never let it pass out of your heart.”

St Bernard (1090-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor of the Church

O Immaculate Heart of Mary
By St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302)

O Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I have nothing in myself to offer thee
which is worthy of thee
but what thankgiving I ought I to pay thee,
for all the favours
which thou hast obtained for me
from the Heart of Jesus!
What reparation ought I to make thee
for all my tepidity in thy service!
I desire to return thee love for love,
the only good which I possess,
is the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
which thou, thyself hast given me.
I offer thee this Treasure of Infinite Price,
I cannot do more
and thou dost not deserve less, at my hand
but, receiving from me,
this Gift most Precious in thy sight,
be pleased, I beseech thee,
to accept too, my poor heart
which I here offer to thee
and I shall be forever blessed!
Amen.

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, MOTHER of GOD, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on MOTHERHOOD, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The PASSION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 August – ‘ … Other women know bodily pain, she felt that of the heart. …’ St Bonaventure

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 22 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary”and the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Octave Day of the Assumption – Ecclesiasticus 24:23-31; John 19:25-27 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Behold, thy mother” – John 19:27

REFLECTION – “The glorious Virgin paid our ransom as a courageous woman who loved with the compassionate love of Christ. In Saint John it is said: “When a woman is in labour she is sad that her time has come.” (Jn 16:21) The Blessed Virgin did not feel the pain which precedes childbirth because she did not conceive following the sin of Eve, against whom the curse was spoken. She felt her pain later – she gave birth under the Cross! Other women know bodily pain, she felt that of the heart. Others suffer from physical change; she, from compassion and love.

The Blessed Virgin paid our ransom as a courageous woman who loved the world and, above all the christian people, with merciful love. “Can a mother forget her infant or be without tenderness for the child of her womb?” (Isa 49:15) This can make us understand – the entire Christian people has come forth from the womb of the glorious Virgin! What a loving Mother we have! Let us take our Mother as our model and, let us follow her in her love. She had compassion for souls, to such an extent that she counted all material loss and every physical suffering as nothing. “(We) have been purchased … at a great price!” (1 Cor 6:20) – St Bonaventure (1217-1274) Franciscan, Cardinal Bishop of Albano, Theologian, Minister General of the Franciscans, Seraphic Doctor of the Church (The Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost – Conference VI, 15-21).

PRAYER – Almighty, everlasting God, Who in the Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, prepared a dwelling place worthy of the Holy Ghost, graciously grant, that we, who are devoutly keeping the Feast of her Immaculate Heart, may be able to live according to Thy Heart. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHARITY - Fr Richard Clarke SJ, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HUMILITY

Thought for the Day – 21 August – The Charity of Jesus Christ

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 21 August – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

CHARITY
Meditations for a Month

The Charity of Jesus Christ
“The Charity of Christ surpasseth all knowledge”

(Ephesians 3:19)

In what did the Charity of Christ consist?
(1) In an Infinite self-abasement for our sakes. From the Throne of God, He humbled Himself to the form of sinful man.
(2) In a sacrifice of Himself which passes all comprehension. He gave up the Infinite joy of Heaven, for the sufferings of this vale of tears.
(3) In the endurance of mental and bodily agony, of desolation and dereliction.
One moment of these would have crushed the life out of the strongest of men.

Try to realise those familiar truths and see what a contrast your life is to His.
What are the chief points of contrast?
(1) Christ humbled Himself for the good of others. I seek to exalt myself at their cost.
(2) Christ gave up His life of perfect happiness that He might make others happy.
I am willing to sacrifice little or nothing, my aim is to make myself happy, not others.
(3) Christ endured unspeakable agony to save men from the agony they well deserved.
I complain of the least discomfort. As to giving up my joys and pleasures for others and enduring misery for their sakes, I would not even think of it.

Yet, I consider myself a good Christian and speak glibly of treading in the Footsteps of Christ.
I expect to be admitted to Heaven as one of His friends and followers. What will He say to me when I present myself? Will He recognise in me, any likeness to Himself or any vestige of His Divine Charity?
O my God, I must be very different from what I have been, if I am to present myself with confidence before Thee, as one whose charity is like to the Charity of Christ!

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SANCTITY, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 21 August – St Jane Frances de Chantal

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 21 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – St Jane Frances de Chantal VHM (1572-1641) Widow

“With God there is no need for long speeches.
In Heaven the Angels utter no other wor
than this: “HOLY.”
This is their entire prayer
and in paradise they are occupied
with this single word as an act of homage,
to the single Word of God, Who lives eternally….
In prayer, more is accomplished
by listening, than by speaking.”

“May we love and serve the Lord reverently
with a loving, filial fear
of offending our heavenly Father
and of displeasing Jesus, our Divine Beloved.
As long as we are in this life,
we would do well to follow
the well-travelled ways to holiness.
Fear of God is the first step on this path.
We cannot maintain a truly productive desire
of serving God unless we have a holy fear
of displeasing Our Saviour and,
of being negligent in responding to grace
and inspirations. ”

“She was full of faith and yet, all her life long,
she had been tormented, by thoughts against it.
Nor did she once relax, in the fidelity God asked of her.
And so, I regard her, as one of the holiest souls
I have ever met on this earth.”

St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)

(St Jane was a close friend of St Francis de Sales
and St Vincent de Paul, both of whom
guided and assisted her and her foundation,
as Spiritual Advisors and Confessors.)

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/08/21/quote-s-of-the-day-21-august-st-jane-frances-de-chantal-2/

St Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on JOY, The HEART, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 21 August– ‘ … For everything lies in the soul’s inner sanctuary. …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 21 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – St Jane Frances de Chantal VHM (1572-1641) Widow – Proverbs 31:10-31′; Matthew 13:44-52 – – – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure  hidden in a field; he who finds it, hides it and in his joy, goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” – Matthew 13:44

REFLECTION – “In my opinion, it would be unworthy of us to withdraw, even for a moment, from the contemplation of Christ. When we have lost sight of Him, even briefly, let us turn our mind’s regard back to Him, directing the eyes of our heart, as by a very straight line. For everything lies in the soul’s inner sanctuary. There, after the devil has been expelled and the vices no longer reign at all, the Kingdom of God can be established in us, as the Evangelist says: “For amen I say to you that the Kingdom of God is within you.”

But within us there can be nothing else than knowledge or ignorance of the truth and the love, of either the vices, or the virtues, by which we make ready a Kingdom in our hearts, either for the devil or for Christ.

The Apostle Paul also describes the characteristics of this Kingdom when he says: “For the Kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Thus, if the Kingdom of God is within us and the Kingdom of God is itself, righteousness and peace and joy, then, whoever abides in these things, is undoubtedly in the Kingdom of God … Let us lift up the eyes of our soul to that Kingdom which is endless joy!” – St John Cassian (c360-435) Monk, Theologian, Founder of Monasteries, Father of the Church, Disciple of St John Chrysostom (Conferences No 1).

PRAYER – Almighty and merciful God, Who endowed St Jane Frances, burning with love of Thee, with a wondrous strength of spirit through all the paths of life, in the way of perfection and willed through her, to ennoble Thy Church, by a new religious family, grant by her merits and prayers, that we who are aware of our weakness, may trust firmly in Thy power and, by the assistance of divine grace, overcome all obstacles in our way. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in GOD ALONE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SELF-DISTRUST, The WILL of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 21 August – Prayer of Abandonment

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 21 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – Feast of St Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)

Prayer of Abandonment
By St Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)

O sovereign goodness
of the sovereign Providence of my God!
I abandon myself forever to Thy arms.
Whether gentle or severe,
lead me henceforth whither Thou will.
I will not regard the way
through which Thou will have me pass
but keep my eyes fixed upon Thee,
my God, who guides me.
My soul finds no rest without the arms
and the bosom of this heavenly Providence,
my true Mother, my strength and my rampart.
Therefore I resolve with Thy Divine assistance,
0 my Saviour,
to follow Thy desires and Thy ordinances,
without regarding or examining
why Thou does this rather than that
but I will blindly follow Thee,
according to Thy Divine will,
without seeking my own inclinations.
Hence I am determined to leave all to Thee,
taking no part therein,
save by keeping myself in peace in Thy arms,
desiring nothing, except as Thou incites me to desire,
to will, to wish.
I offer Thee this desire, 0 my God,
beseeching Thee to bless it.
I undertake all it includes,
relying on Thy goodness,
liberality and mercy,
with entire confidence in Thee,
distrust of myself,
and knowledge of my infinite misery and infirmity.
Amen.

Posted in CHARITY - Fr Richard Clarke SJ, GOD is LOVE, QUOTES on CHARITY

Thought for the Day – 20 August – The Charity of God

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 20 August – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

CHARITY
Meditations for a Month

The Charity of God

Among all the Divine perfections, charity is the only one with which God our Lord absolutely identifies Himself. We do not read in the Word of God that God is power, or God is wisdom but, we do read and this not once only, that God is Charity (John 4:8, 26).
God, therefore, desires that this aspect of His Divine Nature should be continually before our minds and that we should dwell on His Love for us, more than on any other of His attributes.

When God appeared on earth, it was but natural that the perfection, most characteristic of His Divine Nature, should manifest itself most clearly, through the veil of His Humanity, that, among the qualities acquired, by His Sacred Humanity, from the Hypostatic Union, the foremost should be that with which He most completely identifies Himself.
Who can study our Lord’s Life on earth, without recognising, above all, His unbounded Charity and the intensity of His Love for us?

We notice another phase of this Love in Jesus Christ which helps us to acquire great confidence in the Love of God.
His Charity was, above all, a Charity to sinners. He had a sort of preference for them; they were His friends and companions. He sought them out and His Charity to them knew no bounds.
From this, we clearly learn, the true nature of God’s Charity to man. God Loves sinners now, He has always Loved them and He will always Love them as He Loved them when he was on earth.
What confidence I should derive for myself from this thought and what charity and commiseration, should I derive for others!

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, Holy Name PRAYERS, HYMNS, MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, MARIAN QUOTES, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, QUOTES on ANGELS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, St JOSEPH, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE

Quote/s of the Day – 20 August – A little bit of Bernard’s wisdom

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 20 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – Feast of St Bernard (1090-1153) Confessor, Father and Doctor

“ They are there at your side, then,
not just with you but for you.
They stand beside you to protect and help you.
What return will you make to the Lord
for all the good He has done for you? (Ps 115:31).
It is to Him, alone, we should give thanks
and honour for their aid; it is He,
Who has commanded them.
“Every perfect gift,” (Jas 1:17)
comes from Him alone.
But we are, on no account,
to fail in thanksgiving regarding the Angels,
in view of the great charity, with which they obey Him and the great need we have of their assistance!”

“Nevertheless, small though we be
and long and dangerous though the road
may be which remains for us to travel,
what do we have to fear
under so good a guardian?…
The Angels are faithful,
wise and powerful –
what have we to fear?
Let us only follow them
and hold fast to them
and we shall abide under the protection
of the God of Heaven!”

“But what shall we offer, brothers,
what shall we give Him
for all the benefits He has given us?
He offered the most precious Victim
He possessed for our sake;
in truth, He could not have had
anything more precious.
So let us, too,
do what we can,
let us offer Him the best we have,
that is to say, ourselves!
He offered Himself,
so who are you,
to hesitate to offer yourself?”

“God, to Whom Angels submit themselves
and Who Principalities and Powers obey,
was subject to Mary
and not only to Mary
but Joseph too, for Mary’s sake …
God obeyed a human creature;
this is humility without precedent.
A human creature commands God!
it is sublime beyond measure!

jesu Dulcis Memoria
Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee!
By St Bernard (1090-1153)
Father and the Mellifluous Doctor of the Church

Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills the breast!
Yet sweeter far Thy face to see
And in Thy presence rest.

No voice can sing, no heart can frame,
Nor can the memory find,
A sweeter sound than Jesus’ Name,
The Saviour of mankind.

O hope of every contrite heart!
O joy of all the meek!
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek!

But what to those who find?
Ah! this nor tongue, nor pen, can show
The love of Jesus, what it is,
None but His loved ones know.

Jesus! our only hope be Thou,
As Thou our prize shall be;
In Thee be all our glory now
And through eternity.
Amen

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/08/20/quote-s-of-the-day-20-august-st-bernard-3/

St Bernard (1090-1153)
Father & Mellifluous Doctor of the Church

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on TRUTH, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 20 August – “Children of the Light”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 20 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – Feast of St Bernard (1090-1153) Confessor, Father and Doctor – Ecclesiasticus 39:6-14; Matthew 5:13-19 – Scripture

“You are the light of the world.” – Matthew 5:14

REFLECTION – “In his epistle, Saint John rightly states: ‘God is Light‘ and “whoever remains in God” is “in the Light, just as God Himself is in the Light” (1 Jn 1:5,7; 3:24). Because we have had the good fortune to be freed from the darkness of error, we should always “walk in the Light” like “children of the Light” (Eph 5:8)… And so the Apostle Paul says: “Among them you shine as Lights in the world, holding fast the Word of Life” (Phil 2:15-16). But if we do not do this, it will be clear that we are, so to speak, covering up and shading this essential Light by our lack of faith…

Therefore, that shining Light which has been lit, for our salvation must always shine in us. For we possess the lamp of the heavenly commandments and of the spirit of grace, of which David said: “Thy law is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps 118:105)… We must not, then, hide this lamp of the law and of faith but should always set it up on the Church, as on a lampstand, for the salvation of many. In this way, we too may enjoy the Light of Truth itself and all who believe. may be enlightened.” – St Chromatius of Aquilaea (Died c407) Bishop, Father of the Church (Homilies on Saint Matthew’s Gospel No 5).

PRAYER – O God, Who gave to Thy people, blessed Bernard, as a minister of salvation, grant, we beseech Thee, that we, who cherished him on earth as a teacher of life, may be found worthy to have him as an intercessor in Heaven. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of PETITION, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on MERCY

Our Morning Offering – 20 August – O Blessed Lady,Mediatrix and Advocate By St Bernard

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 20 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – Feast of St Bernard (1090-1153) Confessor, Father and Doctor

O Blessed Lady,
Mediatrix and Advocate
By St Bernard (1090-1153)
Father and Doctor of Light

Our Mediatrix and Advocate
O blessed Lady,
you found grace, brought forth the Life,
and became the Mother of Salvation.
May you obtain the grace for us to go to the Son.
By your mediation, may we be received by the One
Who through you, gave Himself to us.
May your integrity compensate with Him
for the fault of our corruption
and may your humility,
which is pleasing to God,
implore pardon for our vanity.
May your great charity
cover the multitude of our sins
and may your glorious fecundity
confer on us, a fecundity of merits.
Dear Lady, our Mediatrix and Advocate,
reconcile us to your Son,
recommend us to Him
and present us to your Son.
By the grace you found,
by the privilege you merited,
by the Mercy you brought forth,
obtain for us the favour we ask of you,
O blessed Lady.
Amen

Posted in CHARITY - Fr Richard Clarke SJ, CHRIST the JUDGE, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on JUDGING, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on VICE, QUOTES on VIRTUE

Thought for the Day – 19 August –Charity, Our Protection – “Charity shall Cover a multitude of Sins”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 19 August – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

CHARITY
Meditations for a Month

Charity, Our Protection
“Charity shall Cover a multitude of Sins”

One of the characteristics of charity is that it always looks to the bright side of things. It seeks to bring out all that is good in others while concealing their sins. It does not notice their sins. It does not allude to their sins unnecessarily, whether they are committed directly against man or against God. It has a happy knack of forgetting their sins or seeming to forget them. It covers their sins from the eyes of men and even seeks to obliterate them before God by the prayers it offers for the offender.
Is this my spirit? Do I not rather cover the virtues of others and disclose their faults?!

In this respect, it is especially true that we shall be treated as we treat others.
“With what judgement you judge, you shall be judged,” says our Lord.
If we pass the severe sentence of harsh criticism onto others, our sentence will be severe. If we make little of their faults and much of their virtues, God will do the same to us. What utter folly to prepare for ourselves a harsh verdict at the tribunal of Christ, by our condemnation of others here below!

On the other hand, Charity shall cover a multitude of sins. If we have been always men of charity, it is wonderful how God will seem to have forgotten our many sins.
The poor whom we have helped will pray for us, those whom we have comforted in sorrow, will say kind things on our behalf and our charitable judgeement of others, will find its counterpart in God’s judgement of us.
Our sins will be concealed and disappear under the mantle of our charity.
Is my charity such as this to cover my sins?

Posted in DEVOTIO, GOD ALONE!, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN QUOTES, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE WORLD

Quote/s of the Day – 19 August – St John Eudes “The Apostle of Two Hearts”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 19 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – the Feast St John Eudes (1601-1680) Confessor, “The Apostle of Two Hearts”

“Let us … give ourselves to God,
… and beg Him to destroy in us,
the life of the world of sin
and to establish His Life within us.”

“Any innovation in matters of faith,
is extremely harmful and injurious
and utterly damnable!”

“A man is no true Christian
if he has no devotion
to the Mother of Jesus Christ.”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/08/19/quote-s-of-the-day-19august-st-john-eudes/

St John Eudes (1601-1680)
“The Apostle of Two Hearts”

Posted in ADVENT, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on WATCHING, The INCARNATION, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 19 August – Truly, “it was evening and the day was far spent”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 19 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – St John Eudes (1601-1680) Confessor, “The Apostle of Two Hearts” – – Sirach 31:8-11; Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Blessed are those servants, whom the Master, on His return, shall find watching.” – Luke 12:37

REFLECTION – “It is now fitting we should consider the time of our Lord’s coming. He came, as you know, not in the beginning, nor in the midst of time but in the end of it. This was no unsuitable choice but a truly wise dispensation of Infinite Wisdom, Who, aware that the sons of Adam are inclined to ingratitude, ordained that He would not come to their aid, until they were in the greatest need.

Truly, “it was evening and the day was far spent” and the “Sun of Justice” had almost set (Lk 24:29; Mal 3:20); only a faint ray of its light and heat remained on earth. The Light of Divine knowledge was very small, and, as iniquity abounded, so the fervour of charity grew cold (Mt 24:12). No Angel appeared; no Prophet spoke. The angelic vision and the prophetic spirit alike, had passed away, both hopelessly baffled by the obduracy and obstinacy of humankind. Then, it was that the Son of God said: “Behold, I come” (Ps 39:8; Heb 10:7). And “while all things were in quiet silence and night was in the midst of its swift course, Thy Almighty Word leaped down from Heaven, from Thy Royal throne” (Wis 18:14-15). As the Apostle Paul says: “When the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son” (Gal 4:4).” – St Bernard (1090-1153) Cistercian Abbot, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 1 of Advent).

PRAYER – O God, Who wondrously enkindled St John, Thy Confessor, to promote the religious veneration of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and through him, willed to found new religious families in the Church, grant, we beseech Thee that we may honour his holy merits and may learn from the example of his virtues. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in IMMACULATE HEART PRAYERS, IMMACULATE HEART PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on THANKSGIVING, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 19 August – A Magnificat By St John Eudes

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 19 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – Feast of St John Eudes (1601-1680) Confessor, “The Apostle of Two Hearts”

A Magnificat
By St John Eudes (1601-1680)
A Hymn of Praise and Thanksgiving
to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
and to the Holy Heart of Mary

My soul doth magnify the admirable
Heart of Jesus and Mary
And my spirit rejoices in Thou great Heart.
Jesus and Mary have given me their Heart,
This immense Heart,
in order that all in me
May be performed in its love.

Infinite praise to them, for their ineffable gift.
This Heart infinitely merciful,
has done great things for me.
It has possessed me from the womb of my mother.
Infinite thanksgiving for Thou ineffable gifts.

The abyss of my misery has called
on the abyss of His Mercy.
Infinite thanksgiving for His ineffable gifts.
This Heart infinitely meek has presented me
With blessings of its sweetness.
Infinite thanksgiving for His ineffable gifts.
Amen

Posted in CHARITY - Fr Richard Clarke SJ, GOD is LOVE, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on THANKSGIVING

Thought for the Day – 18 August – The Gratitude of Charity – “We love Him because He first Loved us”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 18 August – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

CHARITY
Meditations for a Month

The Gratitude of Charity
“We love Him because He first Loved us”

Perfect charity loves God for His Own sake, independently of any thought of ourselves. However, perfect charity, is preceded and accompanied by, a charity which has, at least, an indirect reference to ourselves. The love of God, first springs up within our hearts because, of the Love which He has shown to us. We think of all He has done for us and we recognise therein, a clear proof of His Love.
Love begets love and we cannot help being drawn towards One, Who has, thus gratuitously, manifested towards us, a charity to which we owe all which is really precious in our lives and all the good gifts we possess.
How then can we fail to be attracted towards Him, Who has shown such Love for us?

This love of gratitude, is not the same, as the love of concupiscence and, not the same, as the pure love of friendship. It most resembles the latter and always enters into it.
Without some sort of gratitude, friendship would be mere admiration; the personal element necessary to love, would be wanting. When a Saint dwells with rapture on the Divine perfections, there is always present to his mind, a remembrance of all God has done for him. Do I, with gratitude, ever recount to myself all God has done for me?

This element of charity is present in the charity of the Saints in Heaven. Their song will not only be, “We give Thee thanks because, Thou hast taken to Thyself, great glory and hast reigned” but also “because Thou hast redeemed us to God in Thine own Blood.”
The song, I must seek to sing in my heart, here on earth says, “Thanks to God, first for His great glory and then for His goodness and love to me.”

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CONSECRATION Prayers, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, INGRATITUDE, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on THANKSGIVING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 18 August – Gratitude … Ingratitude

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 18 August – Pentecost XIII – Galatians 3:16-22; Luke 17:11-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Were not ten made clean?
And where are the other nine?”

Luke 17:17

“While He is judged, Wisdom remains silent
and the Word says nothing.
His enemies despise and Crucify Him …
Those, to whom yesterday,
He gave His Body as food, watch from a distance
as He dies. Peter, the first of the Apostles,
is the first to flee. Andrew also took flight
and John, who rested at His side,
did not prevent the soldier from piercing that side
with a lance. The Twelve fled –
they did not say one word in His favour, they,
for whom He is giving His Life.
Lazarus is not there, he, whom He called back to life.
The blind man did not weep for Him
Who opened his eyes to the light
and the crippled man, who could walk
thanks to Him, did not run to Him.
Only a bandit who was crucified next to Him
confessed Him and called Him his King!
O thief, precocious blossom from the tree of the Cross, first fruit of the wood from Golgotha!””

St Ephrem (306-373)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“ For man’s lowliness,
is his gratitude
and, God’s greatness,
is His Mercy.”

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

Daily Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Prayers to the Sacred Heart
1936 – 15th Edition, Dublin

O Sacred Heart of Jesus,
filled with infinite love,
broken by our ingratitude
and pierced by our sins,
yet loving us still,
accept the Consecration
we make to Thee,
of all that we are
and all that we have.
Take every faculty
of our souls and bodies,
only day by day
draw us, nearer and nearer
to Thy Sacred Heart,
and there, as we shall hear the lesson,
teach us Thy Holy Way.
Amen

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on THANKSGIVING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 18 August – “Where are the other nine?” – Luke 17:17

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 18 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – Pentecost XIII –Within the Octave of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin – Galatians 3:16-22; Luke 17:11-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Where are the other nine?” – Luke 17:17

REFLECTION – “In our own day we see many people at prayer but, unfortunately, we see none of them turning back to give thanks to God … “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine?” As I think you will remember, it was in these words that our Saviour complained about the lack of gratitude of the other nine lepers. We read that they knew well how to make “supplications, prayers, petitions” since they lifted up their voices, crying out: “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” But they lacked the fourth thing required by the Apostle Paul: “thanksgiving” (1Tm 2:1) for they did not turn back nor give thanks to God.

We see still more in our own day ,people who implore God for what they lack but a mere handful who seem to be grateful for the blessings they have received. There is no harm in imploring Him but what causes God not to grant our prayers, is His finding us lacking in gratitude. After all, perhaps it is even an act of mercy on His part, to hold back from the ungrateful, what they are asking for, so that they may not be judged all the more rigorously, on account of their ingratitude! … For, it is sometimes out of mercy that God holds back His mercy! …

So you see, not all those who are healed of the leprosy of this world, I mean their manifest complaints, profit by their cures. Indeed, many are secretly afflicted with an ulcer worse than leprosy, all the more dangerous, in that it is more interior. That is why it was correct that the Saviour of the world should ask, where the other nine lepers were, since sinners avoid cures. So, too, after his sin, God questioned the first man: “Where are you?” (Gn 3:9).” – St Bernard (1090-1153) Cistercian Abbot, Father and Doctor of the Church (Various sermons No 27).

PRAYER – O Lord, we beseech Thee, forgive the transgressions of Thy servants and, forasmuch as by our own deeds, we cannot please Thee, may we find safety through the prayers of the Mother of Thy Son and our Lord. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHARITY - Fr Richard Clarke SJ, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on DESPAIR, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, QUOTES on VIRTUE

Thought for the Day – 17 August – The Perseverance of Charity- “Charity never falleth away”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 17 August – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

CHARITY
Meditations for a Month

The Perseverance of Charity
“Charity never falleth away”

We are all anxious to persevere to the end.
We know, without perseverance, all else is of no avail.
Of what use was it to the Israelites who perished in the desert for their sins, to have escaped from Egypt, safely crossed the Red Sea and toiled for years over the sandy plains? What use to Solomon to have been dear to God and endowed with supernatural wisdom, if, as some think, he did not persevere to the end?
Therefore, all our graces are of no avail but rather, tend to our condemnation, if we, in the end, fall away and are lost.

Yet, who can be certain of perseverance?
Who does not tremble at the thought of his own insecurity? We may have great gifts but they will not save us – talent, activity, zeal, courage, prudence, will be useless to us. Even faith will not save us – the devils believe and tremble! – and hope, may degenerate into presumption, or may disappear and leave us at the last, to an eternal despair.

How then are we to be safe?
One thing alone never falleth away.
One virtue alone will carry us unharmed through every danger.
If we have in our hearts that supernatural gift of God which fears nothing as much as offending Him, then we are safe! Faith may grow dim and all sorts of doubts may present themselves to our minds. Hope may seem to have disappeared altogether. All may look black and dark but, if we can say from our hearts that with God’s aid, we would do, or suffer anything, rather than offend Him, then we have in our hearts that supernatural charity which unites us to God and ensures our entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven, “for Charity never falleth away.”
Do I believe from my heart that, with God’s loving assistance, I would do, or suffer, anything, rather than offend Him? Do I tell Him?!

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on STRENGTH, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, QUOTES on WATCHING, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 17 August – Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength …

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 17 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – St Hyacinth OP (1185-1257) ) Confessor – Sirach 31:8-11, Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Be vigilant at all times and pray
that you have the strength
to escape the tribulations that are imminent
and to stand before the Son of Man…”

Luke 21:36

“Tell us when shall these things be?
and what shall be the sign of Thy Coming
and of the consummation of the world? ”

Matthew 24:3

“So that our minds might be free of these illusions,
the Word invites us to shake this deep sleep
from the eyes of our soul, so that we might not slip away
from the true realities, by becoming attached
to that which has no consistency.
That is why He suggests that we be watchful when He says:
“Let your loins be girt about and your lamps burning …” (Lk 12:35)
For when the light shines before our eyes,
it chases sleep away and, when our loins are held tight by a belt,
they prevent the body from succumbing to it…
The person who has fastened on the belt of temperance
lives in the light of a pure conscience;
the trust of a child illuminates his life like a lamp…
If we live in this way, we will enter a life like that of the Angels!”

St Gregory of Nyssa (c335–c395)
Father of the Church
(Brother of St Basil the Great)

“You also must be ready
because at an hour which you do not expect,
the Son of Man will come.”
Luke 12:40

“We must always be on the lookout for Christ’s
twofold coming, the one, when we shall
have to give an account of everything we have done
and the other, when
He comes, day after day, to stir our consciences.
He comes to us now, in order that His future coming
may find us prepared.
If my conscience is burdened with sin,
what good, will it do me, to know when the
Day of Judgement will be?
Unless the Lord comes to my soul beforehand
and makes His home with me, unless Christ
lives in me and speaks His word in my heart,
it is useless for me to know if and when His coming
will take place. Only if Christ is already living in me
and I in Him, will it go well with me
when He comes in judgement.
If I have already died to the world
and am able to say, “The world is crucified to me
and I to the world,” (Gal 6:14)
then, in a sense, His final coming
is already present to me.”

St Paschasius Radbertus (785–865)
Abbot, Theologian, Father of the Church

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on WATCHING, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 17 August – Preparing for Death

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 17 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – St Hyacinth OP (1185-1257) ) Confessor – Sirach 31:8-11; Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“You also must be ready, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” – Luke 12:40

REFLECTION – “Watch, for you do not know the day nor the hour.” Like many other scriptural texts, this admonition is addressed to all of us, although it is formulated, in such a way that it would seem to concern only Christ’s immediate audience. We can all apply it to ourselves because the Last Day and the End of the World will come for each of us, on the day we depart this present life. This means, we must make sure we die in the state in which we wish to appear on the Day of Judgement. Bearing this in mind, each of us should guard against being led astray and failing to keep watch, otherwise the Day of the Lord’s return may take us unawares. If the last day of our life finds us unprepared, then we shall be unprepared on that Day too!” – St Paschasius Radbertus OSB (785–865) Abbot of Corbie, Theoplogian, Father of the Church (Commentary on Saint Matthew’s Gospel 11, 24) His Life here: https://anastpaul.com/2019/04/26/saint-of-the-day-26-april-saint-paschasius-radbertus-785-865/

PRAYER – God, Who gladden us with the annual feast of blessed Hyacinth, Thy Confessor, mercifully grant that, while honouring the anniversary of his death, we may also imitate his deeds. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHARITY - Fr Richard Clarke SJ, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING

Thought for the Day – 16 August – The Resignation of Charity – “Charity endureth all things”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 16 August – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

CHARITY
Meditations for a Month

The Resignation of Charity
“Charity endureth all things”

The test of our love for anyone, is what we are willing to endure for that person. If we love only a little, we are willing to endure only a little. If we love much, we are willing to endure much. If we love that person, better than we love ourselves, we are pleased to endure, for his sake, that which we would otherwise dread. If we love that person better than we love ourselves, we are pleased to endure, for his sake, that from which we would otherwise shrink.
Hence, the test of our supernatural charity, is what we are willing to endure for God and whether ,it is a pleasure for us to endure, positive suffering, for Him.

We would consider it a great privilege, if we were called upon to lay down our lives for the Faith.
However, this is a grace we poor ordinary mortals cannot expect and, we must be careful against deluding ourselves, by fancy pictures of the courage we should then display.
The real question before us, is whether we willingly suffer the little, disagreeable effects of life, bodily ailments, failures in our projects, neglect or unkindness from others, or undeserved reproaches.
It is no use thinking of Martyrdom until we have learnt to bear these!

If I have true charity, I shall take all with joy. Everything I have endured, I would willingly endure again for God’s sake. I would, with His grace, accept even more painful things, for charity endures all things, rather than offend God.
Fervent charity would endure all things rather than be unfaithful to one single inspiration which comes from Him, or neglect one single grace which He desires to give us.
Here is the test for me. How far can I stand it?

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Hail MARY!, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, IMMACULATE HEART PRAYERS, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MOTHER of GOD, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, Quotes on SALVATION, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Quote/s of the Day – 16 August – Mother of God

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 16 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – St Joachim, Father of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Ecclesiasticus 31:8-11, Matthew1:1-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And Jacob begot Joseph,
the husband of Mary
and of her was born Jesus,
Who is called Christ.”

Matthew 1:16

“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 of the Church

“Having confidence in thee,
O Mother of God, I shall be saved.
Being under thou protection,
I shall fear nothing.
With thy aid,
I shall give battle to my enemies
and put them to flight,
for devotion to thee,
is an arm of Salvation.”

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

Hail to Thee, Forever Virgin,
Mother of God,
By St Methodius of Olympus (Died c311)

Hail to thee forever-Virgin
Mother of God,
our unceasing joy!
for unto thee do I again return. . . .
Hail, thou fount of the Son’s love for man. . . .
Wherefore, we pray thee,
the most excellent among women,
who boast in the confidence
of thy maternal honours
that thou wouldst, unceasingly,
keep us in remembrance.
O holy Mother of God,
remember us, I say,
who make our boast in thee
and who, in august hymns
celebrate thy memory
which will ever live
and never fade away.
Amen

(From “Oration on Simeon and Anna”)

Posted in CHARITY - Fr Richard Clarke SJ, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SELF-DISTRUST

Thought for the Day – 15 August – The Hopefulness of Charity – “Charity hopeth all things”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 15 August – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

CHARITY
Meditations for a Month

The Hopefulness of Charity
“Charity hopeth all things”

How common and how fatal an evil is discouragement! Half of our enterprises fail,, simply because we become discouraged. More than half of our faults are owing to discouragement. We lose heart and, therefore, fail in the necessary perseverance. We become despondent and seek to console ourselves, by some earthly pleasure or perhaps, sinful indulgence. No general who was discouraged ever won a victory and, no sinner who lost heart, ever became a Saint or even turned to God, as long as the despondency remained.

Yet, it is no easy thing to keep up our courage and our hope. We so often fail and failures are discouraging. We commit so many faults; yet, nothing saps our courage, as much as the consciousness of having done wrong.
Then too, there are continual impediments and obstacles in our way, the neglect and indifference shown by others to our work, the opposition we meet and a thousand things more. Too often, these are causes of discouragement to all who are working for God.
We ought not to be discouraged by them, for often, difficulties and opposition are the best signs of coming success!

How are we to keep courage and to be always hopeful? The only chance for us lies in our keeping God always before us and forgetting ourselves, as far as possible which depends on the degree of our charity.
When self prevails, eventually hope disappears; when God is predominant, hope springs up in our heart, for “Charity hopeth all things.”
I shall have strong confidence and a certainty of final success, if I have a fervent charity.