Our Morning Offering – 4 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus”
Constant Prayer
to the Precious Blood of Jesus
By St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)
Doctor of the Church
Precious Blood,
Ocean of Divine Mercy,
Flow upon us!
Precious Blood,
Most Pure Offering,
Procure us every grace!
Precious Blood,
Hope and Refuge of sinners,
Atone for us!
Precious Blood,
Delight of holy souls,
Draw us!
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 3 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus”
July Morning Offering
Eternal Father,
I offer Thee the Precious Blood of Jesus,
in satisfaction for my sins
and for the wants of Holy Church.
Blessed be the Precious Blood of Jesus,
which renders bearable the thorns of earth,
redeems our souls,
purifies them from their iniquities
and prepares for them,
an eternal crown.
Amen.
Jesus shed His Precious Blood Seven times and the price of these Seven Sheddings of Blood is found in the Seven Sacraments, by which we are cleansed from sin and sanctified.
These Seven Sheddings of Blood remind us too, of the Three Theological and the Four Cardinal Virtues;
of the Seven virtues – infused into us at Baptism (opposed to the Seven Deadly or Capital sins);
of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost, which we receive in Confirmation and finally, of the Seven days of the week which we should dedicate to the service of God.
The Covenant between God and the Israelites was sealed with blood. The New Covenant was sealed with the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ.
The Covenant between God and men, is sealed again, as many times as the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is offered to God.
Assist, whenever you can, at the tremendous Sacrifice of the Mass, and frequently receive Holy Communion, the promise of our resurrection..
Thought for the Day – 1 July – “The Feast and Month of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus” – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Meditation on the Passion of Jesus” writes St Albert the Great, “is more profitable than fasting on bread and water or than scourging ourselves.”
This is because, when we meditate with love and gratitude on the Passion of our Redeemer, we have the experience of being transformed and set aglow with charity.
We realise the truth of St Paul’s words, “The sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come, that will be revealed in us” (Rom 8:18)).
Let us cast ourselves, therefore, into the merciful arms of God and be prepared to suffer everything, even death, for the love of Jesus.”
PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/04/09/thought-for-the-day-9-april-the-passion-of-our-lord/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/07/01/thought-for-the-day-1-july-the-passion-of-our-lord/
Quote/s of the Day – 1 July – “The Feast and Month of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus”
“Embrace, then, Jesus Crucified,
raising to Him the eyes of your desire!
Consider His burning love for you
which made Jesus pour out His Blood
from every part of His body!
Embrace Jesus Crucified,
loving and beloved and in Him,
you will find true life because He is God made Man.
Let your heart and your soul burn
with the fire of love drawn from Jesus on the Cross!
… You will have no other desire than to follow Jesus!
Run, … do not stay asleep
because time flies and does not wait one moment!
Dwell in God’s sweet love!”
“If a man finds it very difficult to forgive injuries,
let him look at a Crucifix
and think that Christ shed all His Blood for him
and not only forgave His enemies
but, even prayed His Heavenly Father,
to forgive them too.
Let him remember,
that when he says the Pater Noster, everyday,
instead of asking pardon for his sins,
he is calling down VENGEANCE UPON HIMSELF!”
“The Saviour has instituted
the most glorious Sacrament
of the Eucharist,
which truly contains His Body and His Blood,
so that, whoever eats it will live forever.
Therefore, those who receive it frequently,
with devotion, strengthen their spiritual life
and well-being, to such an extent,
that it is almost impossible for them
to be poisoned by any kind of evil attachment.”
(Introduction to the Devout Life, Part II, Chapter 20)
One Minute Reflection – 1 July – “The Feast and Month of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus” – Hebrews 9:11-15, John 19:30-35 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“But one of the soldiers opened His side with a lance and immediately there came forth, Blood and water.” – John 19:34
REFLECTION – “Take thought now, redeemed man and consider how great and worthy is He, Who hangs on the Cross for you… Arise, then, beloved of Christ! Imitate the dove ‘that nests in a hole in the cliff’ (Jr 48:28), keeping watch at the entrance ‘like the sparrow that finds a home’(Ps 84:4). There, like the turtledove, hide your little ones, the fruit of your chaste love. Press your lips to the Fountain, draw water from the wells of your Saviour; for this is the spring flowing out of the middle of paradise, dividing into four rivers, inundating devout hearts, watering the whole earth and making it fertile.
Run with eager desire to this Source of Life and Light, all you who are vowed to God’s service. Come, whoever you may be and cry out to Him, with all the strength of your heart. O indescribable Beauty of the most high God and purest Radiance of Eternal Light! Life that gives all life, Light that is the Source of every other light, preserving, in everlasting splendour, the myriad flames that have shone before the throne of Your Divinity from the dawn of time!
Eternal and inaccessible Fountain, clear and sweet stream, flowing from a hidden spring, unseen by mortal eye! None can fathom Your depths nor survey Your boundaries, none can measure Your breadth, nothing can sully Your purity. From You flows ‘the river which gladdens the city of God’ (Ps 46:5) and makes us cry out with joy and thanksgiving, in hymns of praise to You, for we know, by our own experience, that ‘with You is the Source of Life and in Your Light we see light’ (Ps 36:10).” – St Bonaventure (1221-1274) Doctor of the Church (The Tree of Life, 29-30, 47, – Breviary)
PRAYER – Almighty, eternal God, Who made Thine Only-begotten Son the Redeemer of the world and, willed to be reconciled by His Blood, grant us, we beseech Thee, so to worship in this Sacred rite the price of our salvation and to be so protected, by its power against the evils of the present life on earth, that we may enjoy its everlasting fruit in Heaven. 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).
Aspiration: Precious Blood, ocean of Divine Mercy, Flow upon us.
Our Morning Offering – 1 July – “The Feast and Month of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus”
Salvete Christi vulnera
Hail, Holy Wounds of Jesus, Hail!
Anonymous Latin Hymn, 17th Century
Hail, holy Wounds of Jesus, hail,
Sweet pledges of the saving Rood,
Whence flow the streams that never fail,
The purple streams of His dear Blood.
Brighter than brightest stars ye show,
Than sweetest rose your scent more rare,
No Indian gem may match Your glow,
No honeys taste with Yours compare.
Portals ye are to that dear home
Wherein our wearied souls may hide,
Whereto no angry foe can come,
The Heart of Jesus crucified.
What countless stripes our Jesus bore,
All naked left in Pilates hall!
From His torn flesh flow red a shower
Did round His sacred person fall!
His beauteous brow, oh, shame and grief,
By the sharp thorny crown is riven;
Through hands and feet, without relief,
The cruel nails are rudely driven.
But when for our poor sakes He died,
A willing Priest by love subdued,
The soldiers lance transfixed His side,
Forth flowed the Water and the Blood.
In full atonement of our guilt,
Careless of self, the Saviour trod
Een till His Hearts best Blood was spilt
The wine-press of the wrath of God.
Come, bathe you in the healing flood,
All ye who mourn, by sin opprest;
Your only hope is Jesus Blood,
His Sacred Heart your only rest.
All praise to Him, the Eternal Son,
At Gods right hand enthroned above,
Whose Blood our full redemption won,
Whose Spirit seals the gift of love.
Office Hymn at Lauds on the Feast of the Most Precious Blood. (The Hymn is also used for Lauds on the Friday after the Fourth Sunday in Lent, for the Office of the Instruments of the Passion.)
Translated by – Henry Nutcombe Oxenham (1829-1888) for whom I find little information.
Quote/s of the Day – 11 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – The Solemnity of Corpus Christi – 1 John 3:13-18, Luke 14:16-24. – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“… This Body which He took from us,
He gave wholly for our salvation.
For, He offered His own Body to God the Father,
upon the Altar of the Cross,
as a Victim for our reconciliation
and, He shed, His own Blood,
both to redeem and cleanse us
that we, being bought back
from a wretched slavery,
might be washed from all our sins.
And then, that the memory
of such a great benefit might abide in us,
He left His Body to be our food
and His Blood to be our drink
that the faithful might receive them
under the species of Bread and Wine.”
“I adore Thee at every moment,
O Living Bread of Heaven, great Sacrament!
Jesus, heart of Mary, I pray Thee, bless my soul.
Holiest Jesus, my Saviour, I give Thee my heart.”
Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints.
May the Heart of Jesus, in the Most Blessed Sacrament,
be praised, adored and loved with grateful affection,
at every moment, in all the Tabernacles of the world,
even to the end of time.
Amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 10 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Within the Octave of Corpus Christi – 1 Corinthians 23-29, John 6:56-59 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“He who eats My Flesh
and drinks My Blood,
abides in Me and I in him.”
“This bread you see on the Altar,
consecrated by the Word of God,
is the Body of Christ.
This cup consecrated by the Word of God,
or rather its contents, is the Blood of Christ.
In these two elements our Lord desired to hand over,
for our veneration and love,
His Body and Blood,
shed for the remission of our sins.
If you have received them with a good disposition,
then you are what you have received.
As the Apostle Paul declares:
“We are, all of us, one bread, one body”
(1 Cor 10,17)…”
“Enrich your soul in the great goodness of God –
The Father is your Table,
the Son is your Food
and the Holy Spirit waits on you
and then makes His Dwelling in you.”
“The soul must be nourished, as well as the body,
for it has its own life which is worn away
by the daily conflict against sinful inclinations
and by the constant struggle to achieve sanctity.
It needs to be nourished by the word of God,
by His grace and especially,
by receiving the Author of grace frequently
in Holy Communion. …
“Whoever eats this Bread shall live forever.”
Let us ask for the life-giving Bread,
for ourselves and for our unfortunate brothers
who are living apart from Jesus,
in a state of spiritual death.”
Quote/s of the Day – 8 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” and the Feast of Corpus Christi – 1 Corinthians 23-29, John 6:56-59 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“I Am the Living Bread
Who came down from Heaven.
If any man eat of this Bread,
he shall live forever
and the Bread that I will give,
is My Flesh, for the Life of the world.”
Source of all we have or know,
feed and lead us here below.
Grant that with Your saints above,
Sitting at the feast of love,
We may see You face to face.
Amen Alleluia!
Lord Jesus Christ,
in the Most Blessed Sacrament,
we Adore and Love You!
( The last Verse of the Lauda Sion,
the Eucharistic Hymn/Sequence
By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
“The Saviour has instituted
the most glorious Sacrament
of the Eucharist,
which truly contains His Body and His Blood,
so that, whoever eats it will live forever.
Therefore, those who receive it frequently,
with devotion, strengthen their spiritual life
and well-being, to such an extent,
that it is almost impossible for them
to be poisoned by any kind of evil attachment.”
(Introduction to the Devout Life, Part II, Chapter 20)
Act of Spiritual Communion
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor
I desire, good Jesus,
to receive Thee in Holy Communion
and since I cannot now receive Thee
in the Blessed Sacrament,
I beseech Thee to come to me spiritually
and to refresh my soul with Thy sweetness.
Come, my Lord, my God and my All!
Come to me
and never let me ever again
be separated from Thee by sin.
Teach me Thy blessed ways,
help me with Thy grace to imitate Thy example,
to practise meekness, humility,
charity and all the virtues of Thy Sacred Heart.
My divine Master, my one desire is to do Thy will
and to love Thee, more and more.
Help me, that I may be faithful to the end, in Thy service.
Bless me in life and in death,
that I may praise Thee, forever in heaven,
Amen
“It is enough for us to love Him
and to be ready to keep His commandments.
Such an act of sincere
and effective love for Jesus,
will cause Him to enter
and to remain in our hearts,
even after the Sacramental Species
has been consumed.
This is Spiritual Communion,
which consists mainly in the yearning for Jesus.
“I have come to cast fire upon the earth
and what will I but, that it be kindled”
(Lk 12:49).”
One Minute Reflection – 8 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Feast of Corpus Christi – 1 Corinthians 23-29, John 6:56-59 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood, abides in Me and I in him. ” – John 6:57
REFLECTION – “The heavenly sacrifice which Christ instituted is indeed the inheritance bequeathed to us through His new covenant. He left it to us on the night He was delivered up to be Crucified, as a token of His Presence. It is viaticum for our journey, food on our life’s path, until we come to it upon leaving this world. That is why our Lord said: “Unless you eat My Flesh and drink My Blood, you do not have life within you.” He wished His deeds of kindness to remain among us and the souls He redeemed, by His Precious Blood, always to be made holy in the image of His own Passion. This is why He commanded His faithful disciples, instituted as the first Priests of His Church, to celebrate these mysteries of eternal life, in perpetuity… Thus all the faithful would have before their eyes, day-by-day, a representation of Christ’s Passion. Taking Him in our hands, receiving Him in our mouths and hearts, we will hold fast to an indelible remembrance of our Redemption.
The bread should be made with the flour of innumerable grains of wheat mixed with water and finished off in the fire. Thus we shall find a close likeness of the Body of Christ in it for, as we know, He forms a single body with the multitude of humankind, brought to completion, by the fire of the Holy Spirit… In the same way, the wine of His Blood, is taken from many grapes – that is to say, the fruit of the vine he planted – is crushed beneath the press of His Cross, poured into the hearts of the faithful and ferments within them, by means of His own power. This is the Passover Sacrifice bringing salvation to all those set free from the bondage of Egypt and Pharaoh which is to say, the devil. Receive it in union with us, with all the eagerness of a pious heart.” – St Gaudentius of Brescia (Died 410) Bishop , Father, renowned Preacher, Theologian, Diplomatic Mediator (An Excerpt from a Paschal Homily no 68:30).
PRAYER – O God, Thou Who in this wondrous Sacrament have left us a memorial of Thy Passion, grant us, we beseech Thee, so to venerate the Sacred Mysteries of Thy Body and Blood that we may ever experience, within us, the effect of Thy Redemption.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).
All praise, honour and glory to the divine HEART of JESUS. – Indulgence 50 Days, Once a day. Raccolta 168 Pope Leo XIII, 14 June 1901.
Thought for the Day – 3 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“If we meditate on the pages of the Gospel, we shall find that they are vibrant with the infinite love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Let us, in imagination, enter the cave of Bethlehem and kneel before the crib where the Divine Infant is lying.
Darkness is all around, darkness over the earth, darkness in the minds and hearts of the majority of men.
But, now, the heavens open and from the brightness the voices of angels ring out, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace among men of goodwill.”
Who is this infant?
He is the Eternal Word, the substantial image of God, Who, for love of us, has been made man.
He is the Infinite One Who has willed to unite Himself with the finite, in order to lift us towards Himself.
This little heart is throbbing like that of any baby but, in this throb, is expressed the love of the God-Man.
It is a profound mystery, that God should have loved man so much, that He became a tiny infant.
Yet, He did this so that we might love Him more easily and in order to show us His own immeasurable love.
There is about this Infant, a fascination, at once human and divine, which compels us to love Him, even as Mary, Joseph and the simple shepherds loved Him.
He is asking us for love, adoration and complete surrender.
Can we refuse Him?
Now let us take ourselves in imagination to Calvary and kneel at the foot of the Cross.
The heart which began to beat with the sacred love in the manger at Bethlehem, has given everything for us, has poured forth it’s precious blood for our salvation and, has bestowed on us, as a final gift, the Blessed Mother of God.
Now, this heart is consumed with love for us and ceases to beat only when it has give us everything.
“It is consummated” (Jn 19:30).
At Bethlehem we have experienced a joyful ecstasy of love.
Here, at the foot of the Cross, we should experience a deep sorrow, which will cause us to weep for our sins and to transform our lives after the model of Jesus Christ.”
Quote/s of the Day –26 May – The Memorial of St Philip Neri (1515-1595) Confessor
When summoned to hear Confessions
or to see someone who had called,
St Philip came down instantly, with the words:
“We must leave Christ for Christ.”.
“It is an old custom with the servants of God,
always to have some little prayers ready
and to be darting them up to Heaven
frequently during the day,
lifting their minds to God
out of the filth of this world.
He who adopts this plan,
will get great fruit, with little pains.”
“Watch me, O Lord, this day –
for, abandoned to myself,
I shall surely betray Thee!”
“He who wishes for anything but Christ,
does not know what he wishes;
he who asks for anything but Christ,
does not know what he is asking;
he who works and not for Christ,
does not know what he is doing.”
“If a man finds it very difficult to forgive injuries,
let him look at a Crucifix
and think that Christ shed all His Blood for him
and not only forgave His enemies
but, even prayed His Heavenly Father,
to forgive them too.
Let him remember,
that when he says the Pater Noster, everyday,
instead of asking pardon for his sins,
he is calling down VENGEANCE UPON HIMSELF!”
“We are generally,
the carpenters
of our own crosses.”
Rather old images below
but great words from our Saint, of course:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/05/26/quote-s-of-the-day-26-may-marys-month-the-memorial-of-st-philip-neri-1515-1595/
Quote/s of the Day – 26 April – Feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel
This prayer to our Lady of Good Counsel, like many other Marian prayers, asks for Our Blessed Mother’s help in obtaining our salvation.
Note the reference to our earthly existence as being a “vale of tears,”
an expression we find too in the Salve Regina, the Hail Holy Queen.
Prayer to Our Mother of Good Counsel
Most Glorious Virgin
chosen by the Eternal Counsel
to be the Mother
of the Eternal Word made flesh,
thou, who art the Treasurer of Divine Graces
and the Advocate of Sinners,
I, thy most unworthy servant,
have recourse to thee;
be thou pleased to be my Guide
and Counsellor in this vale of tears.
Obtain for me,
through the Most Precious Blood
of thy Divine Son,
the forgiveness of my sins,
the salvation of my soul
and the means necessary to obtain it.
In like manner,
obtain for Holy Mother the Church,
victory over her enemies
and the spread of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ
upon the whole earth.
Amen
Pope Paul II sent two Bishops to investigate the image of Our Lady of Good Counsel and the numerous miracles that took place, following its appearance at this Church (by one account 171 alone in the period from 27 April to 14 August 1467)!
The fresco is still there to this day, having survived earthquakes over the Centuries and even aerial bombardment during World War II which destroyed much of the Church.
Many Popes have been great champions of Our Lady of Good Counsel
and her image. Pope Paul II first approved devotion to her. Popes Urban VIII and Pius IX made visits to the Church in Genazzano to honour her.
In 1753 Pope Benedict XIV established the Pious Union of Our Lady of Good Counsel which has included, among its members, the Popes Pius VIII, Pius IX, Leo XIII and Pius XII,the last, who placed his Papacy under her maternal care. He later composed this prayer to Our Lady of Good Counsel which can be used as a novena:
O Mother of Good Counsel
By Pope Pius XII (1876-1958)
O Holy Virgin, to whose feet we are led
by our anxious uncertainty in our search for
and attainment of, what is true and good,
invoking thee by the sweet title of Mother of Good Counsel,
we beseech thee to come to our assistance,
when, along the road of this life,
the darkness of error and of evil
conspire towards our ruin,
by leading our minds and our hearts astray.
O Seat of Wisdom and Star of the Sea,
enlighten the doubtful and the erring
that they, be not seduced,
by the false appearances of good;
render them steadfast in the face of the hostile
and corrupting influences, of passion and of sin.
O Mother of Good Counsel,
obtain for us from thy Divine Son,
a great love of virtue and,
in the hour of uncertainty and trial,
the strength to embrace the way
which leads to our salvation.
If thy hand sustains us,
we shall walk unmolested,
along the path indicated to us,
by the Life and Words of Jesus, our Redeemer
and, having followed freely and securely,
even in the midst of this world’s strife,
the Sun of Truth and Justice,
under thy maternal Star,
we shall come to the enjoyment of full
and eternal peace, with thee,
in the Haven of Salvation.
Amen
It is also worth noting, especially in these uncertain times for the Church as for the world (and in many ways, the two may be said to be linked together!) that Our Blessed Mother is ready, willing and more than able,
to help us i“in the midst of this world’s strife.”
We need only to approach her for assistance, in drawing closer to Jesus with fervent, humble prayer and devotion.
Keep in mind too, regarding the line in the first of our prayers above about our Church’s “victory over her enemies” that, in 1571, St Pius V credited Our Lady of Good Counsel with having assisted the Holy League of forces from Catholic maritime states, to defeat the Muslim Ottoman Empire in the famous Battle of Lepanto. This was a decisive victory which kept Italy from being overrun by the Muslims. Let us also pray to Mary for help, as Pope Pius V did, in the midst of our own battles! Amen.
Our Lady of Genazzano (1467) / Our Lady of Good Counsel (Memorial) – 26 April:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/26/our-lady-of-genazzano-1467-our-lady-of-good-counsel-and-memorials-of-the-saints-26-april/
Quote/s of the Day – 18 April – “The Month of the Resurrection” – Tuesday in the Second Week of Easter – 1 John 5:4-10, John 20. 19-31 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“My Lord and my God.”
“Are you able to drink the cup
that I am to drink?”
“Embrace, then, Jesus Crucified,
raising to Him the eyes of your desire!
Consider His burning love for you
which made Jesus pour out His Blood
from every part of His body!
Embrace Jesus Crucified,
loving and beloved and in Him,
you will find true life because He is God made Man.
Let your heart and your soul burn
with the fire of love drawn from Jesus on the Cross!
… You will have no other desire than to follow Jesus!
Run, … do not stay asleep
because time flies and does not wait one moment!
Dwell in God’s sweet love!”
“Alas, how the faith of Jesus’ Apostles
is shaken after His Crucifixion!
Assembled in a room with closed doors,
they are filled with fear.
Then Jesus enters, stands in their midst
and greets them: ‘Peace be with you.’ …
Without the presence of our Saviour,
they felt timid and lacked strength.
Such is the case when one is without God.
They were afraid.
Like a ship tossed in a storm without a pilot,
such was this poor boat.
Our Lord appears to His disciples
to bring relief to their fear.”
Quote/s of the Day – 7 April – Good Friday
Look on thy God, Christ hidden in our flesh.
A bitter word, the Cross and bitter sight:
Hard rind without, to hold the heart of Heaven.
Yet sweet it is, for God upon that tree
Did offer up His Life upon that rood
My Life hung, that my Life might stand in God.
Christ, what am I to give Thee for my life?
Unless take from Thy Hands the cup they hold,
To cleanse me with the precious draught of death.
What shall I do? My body to be burned?
Make myself vile? The debt’s not paid out yet.
Whate’er I do, it is but I and Thou,
And still do I come short, still must Thou pay
My debts, O Christ, for debts Thyself hadst none.
What love may balance Thine? My Lord was found
In fashion like a slave, that so His slave
Might find himself in fashion like his Lord.
Think you the bargain’s hard, to have exchanged
The transient for the eternal, to have sold
Earth to buy Heaven? More dearly God bought me!
Faithful Cross! above all other,
one and only noble tree!
None in foliage, none in blossom,
none in fruit thy peer may be;
sweetest wood and sweetest iron,
sweetest weight is hung on thee.
Bend thy boughs, O tree of glory!
Thy relaxing sinews bend;
for awhile the ancient rigour
that thy birth bestowed, suspend
and the King of heavenly beauty
gently on thine arms extend.
Praise and honour to the Father,
praise and honour to the Son,
praise and honour to the Spirit,
ever Three and ever One:
One in might and One in glory
while eternal ages run.
In Your hour of holy sadness
could I share with You, what gladness
should Your Cross to me be showing.
Gladness past all thought of knowing,
bowed beneath Your Cross to die!
Blessed Jesus, thanks I render
that in bitter death, so tender,
You now hear Your supplicant calling,
Save me Lord
and keep from falling from You,
when my hour is nigh.
Amen.
“When you are alone in your room,
take your Crucifix,
kiss Its Five Wounds reverently,
tell It to preach you a little sermon
and then listen to the words of eternal life
that It speaks to your heart.
Listen to the pleading of the Thorns,
the Nails, the Precious Blood.
Oh, what an eloquent sermon!”
Quote/s of the Day – 3 April – Monday in Holy Week – Isaias 50:5-10, John 12:1-9 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“The house was filled
with the odour of the ointment.”
“As you know, as long as perfume is preserved
inside its flask, it keeps its fragrance
but, as soon as is poured out or emptied,
it spreads out its fragrant scent.
Even so, as long as our Lord and Saviour
reigned with His Father in Heaven,
the world was unaware of Him,
He was unknown here below.
But when, for our salvation,
He deigned to humble Himself,
by descending from Heaven,
to take on a human body,
then He spread abroad in the world,
the sweetness and perfume of His Name.”
“People who associate the name of Christian
with a dishonest life, injure Christ! …
If God’s Name, is blasphemed by bad Christians,
it is praised and honoured,
on the other hand,
by the good:
“For in every place, we are the aroma of Christ”
(2 Cor,14-15).
And it is said in the Song of Songs:
“Your name is oil poured out” (1,3).”
“Nothing so curbs the onset of anger,
so allays the upsurge of pride.
It cures the wound of envy,
controls unbridled extravagance
and quenches the flame of lust.
It cools the thirst of covetousness
and banishes the itch of unclean desire…
For when I Name Jesus,
I set before myself,
a Man Who is meek and humble of heart,
kind, prudent, chaste, merciful,
flawlessly upright and holy
in the eyes of all
and this same Man, is the all-powerful God
Whose way of life heals me,
Whose support is my strength.”
Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 29 March – Wednesday in Passion Week
“He has become all ours,
to make us all His.”
St Francis de Sales
“Since Our Lord has so much loved us, that He has equally redeemed all, bedewed us with His Divine Blood and called us to Himself, without excluding anyone; since He has become all ours, to make us all His, giving us His Death and His Life to deliver us from eternal death and to procure us the joys of eternal life, that we may belong to Him in this mortal life and yet more perfectly, in the next.
What remains, what conclusion have we to draw, unless that living, we should no longer live for ourselves but for Jesus Christ, Who died for us; that is, we should Consecrate to Him, every moment of our life, referring to His glory our works, our thoughts and our affections?” – (Consoling Thoughts of St Francis de Sales).
Our Morning Offering – 24 March – Feast of the Most Precious Blood for the Friday after Laetare Sunday
By the Merit of the
Precious Blood of Jesus
By Servant of God Pope Pius VII (1742-1823)
Papacy from 1800 to 1823
Indulgenced Act of Oblation to Our Father
Eternal Father!
I offer Thee the merit
of the Precious Blood of Jesus,
Thy well-beloved Son,
my Saviour and my God,
for all my wants,
spiritual and temporal,
in aid of the Holy Souls in Purgatory
and chiefly for those
who most loved this Precious Blood,
the price of our redemption
and who were most devout
to the sorrows and pains
of most Holy Mary,
our dear Mother.
Glory be to the Blood of Jesus,
now and forever
and throughout all ages.
Amen.
Indulgence of 300 days, each time this prayed is offered
22 September 1817 with a Plenary Indulgence, once a month,
under the usual conditions.
Note of Interest: On 15 August 1811 – the Feast of the Assumption – it is recorded that the Pope celebrated Mass and was said to have entered a trance and began to levitate in a manner that drew him to the Altar. This particular episode aroused great wonder and awe among attendants, which included the French soldiers guarding him, who were awestruck at what had occurred and left records of it.
Friday of the Fourth Week in Lent – FAST AND ABSTINENCE
FEAST OF THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD OF JESUS is a Feast for the Fridays of Lent, which has been in the General Roman Calendar from 1849 to 1969 with the same Office as that of the Solemnity of the Precious Blood in July..
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/07/10/the-solemnity-of-the-most-precious-blood-of-of-our-lord-jesus-christ-and-the-litany/
For many Diocese, there were two days to which the Office of the Precious Blood was assigned, the Office for both being the same. The reason was that the Office was at first granted only to the Fathers of the Most Precious Blood. Later, as one of the Offices of the Fridays of Lent, it was assigned to the Friday after the Fourth Sunday in Lent (Laetare Sunday) in some Diocese, including, by decision of the Fourth Provincial Council of Baltimore (1840), those in the United States.
The Solemnity in July is again the same Office and both Feasts (during Lent and in July) are kept in some Diocese. On 10 August of the same year, (1849) Pope Pius IX officially included the Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the General Roman Calendar, for celebration on the first Sunday in July, that is the first Sunday after 30 June, which is the anniversary of the liberation of the City of Rome from the insurgents.
In reducing the number of Feasts fixed for Sundays, Pope Pius X assigned the date of 1 July to this Feast. In 1933, Pope Pius XI raised the Feast to the rank of Double of the 1st Class to mark the 1,900th anniversary of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Archangel Saint Gabriel
The Feast of Saint Gabriel was included by Pope Benedict XV in the General Roman Calendar in 1921, for celebration on 24 March.
The Archangel Saint Gabriel whose name means “the Power of God. ” He appeared to the prophet Daniel (Dan 8:16; 9:21), to the priest Zachary to announce the forthcoming birth of Saint John the Baptist (Luke 1:11, 19) and to the Blessed Virgin Mary to announce the birth of Our Saviour (Luke 1:26.).
St Gabriel!
https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/24/saint-of-the-day-24-march-the-archangel-saint-gabriel/
Notre-Dame de L’épine Fleurie / Our Lady of the Flowering Thorn, France – 24 March:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/24/our-lady-of-the-flowering-thorn-and-memorials-of-the-saints-24-march/
St Agapitus of Synnada
St Aldemar the Wise OSB (985-c1080) Priest, Abbot
St Bernulf of Mondov
Bl Bertha de’Alberti of Cavriglia
Bl Bertrada of Laon
Bl Brian O’Carolan
St Caimin of Lough Derg
St Cairlon of Cashel
St Catherine of Sweden (1331-1381) Widow, Nun of the Brigittine Order. Catherine was Canonised in 1484 (cultus confirmed) by Pope Innocent VIII.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/03/24/saint-of-the-day-24-march-st-catherine-of-sweden-1331-1381/
Blessed Diego José of Cádiz/Blessed Didacus Joseph of Cadiz OFM Cap (1743–1801) Spanish Capuchin Priest Friar, renowned Preacher, Missionary. He was Beatified on 22 April 1894 by Pope Leo XIII.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/24/saints-of-the-day-24-march-blessed-didacus-joseph-of-cadiz-ofm-cap-1743-1801/
St Domangard of Maghera
St Epicharis of Rome
St Epigmenius of Rome
St Hildelith of Barking
Blessed John dal Bastone OSB Silv. (c 1200-1290) Priest, Priest, Monk. He was Beatified on 29 August 1772 by Pope Clement XIV (cultus confirmed).
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/24/saint-of-the-day-24-march-blessed-john-dal-bastone-c-1200-1290/
St Latinus of Brescia
St Macartan of Clogher
St Mark of Rome
St Pigmenius of Rome
St Romulus of North Africa
St Secundus of North Africa
St Seleucus of Syria
St Severo of Catania
St Timothy of Rome
Martyrs of Africa – 9 Saints: A group of Christians murdered for their faith in Africa, date unknown. The only details about their that survive are the names – Aprilis, Autus, Catula, Coliondola, Joseph, Rogatus, Salitor, Saturninus and Victorinus. .
Martyrs of Caesarea – 6 Saints: A group of Christians Martyred together in the persecutions of Diocletian. We know little else but six of their names – Agapius, Alexander, Dionysius, Pausis, Romulus and Timolaus. They were martyred by beheading in 303 at Caesarea, Palestine.
The Feast of the Five Holy Wounds – 17 March – Celebrated on Friday after the Third Sunday in Lent
The revival of religious life and the zealous activity of St. Bernard and St. Francis in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries, together with the enthusiasm of the Crusaders returning from the Holy Land, gave a wonderful impulse to devotion to the Passion of Jesus Christ and, particularly, to practices in honour of the Wounds in His Sacred Hands, Feet and Side. The reason for this devotion was well expressed at a later period in the memorial of the Polish Bishops to Pope Clement XIII:
“Moreover, the Five Wounds of Christ are honoured by a Mass and an Office and, on account of these Wounds, we venerate also the Feet, Hands and Side of the most loving Redeemer, these parts of Our Lord’s Most Holy Body being held more worthy of a special cult than the others, precisely because they suffered special pains for our salvation and because they are decorated with these wounds as with an illustrious mark of love. Therefore, with living faith they cannot be looked upon, without a special feeling of religion and devotion.” (Nilles, “De rat. fest. SS. Cord. Jesu et Mariae” I 126).
Many beautiful medieval prayers in honour of the Sacred Wounds, including some attributed to St Clare of Assisi (Indulgenced on 21 November 1885), have been preserved. St Mechtilde and St Gertrude the Great of Helfta, were devoted to the Holy Wounds, the latter Saint reciting daily, a prayer in honour of the 5466 Wounds, which, according to tradition, were inflicted on Jesus during His Passion. In the Fourteenth Century, it was customary in southern Germany, to recite fifteen Pater Nosters each day (which thus amounted to 5475 in the course of a year) in memory of the Sacred Wounds.
In his 1761 book, The Passion and Death of Jesus Christ, St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, Founder of the Redemptorist Fathers, listed, among various pious exercises, the Little Chaplet of the Five Wounds of Jesus Crucified. St Alphonsus wrote the devotional as a Meditation on the Five Piercing Wounds that Christ suffered during His Crucifixion.
The earliest evidence of a Feast in honour of the Wounds of Christ comes from the Monastery of Fritzlar, Thuringia, where in the Fourteenth Century, a Feast was kept on the Friday after the Octave of Corpus Christi.
In the Fifteenth Century it had spread to different countries, to Salisbury (England), Huesca and Jaca (Spain), Vienna, and Tours and was included in the Breviaries of the Carmelites, Franciscans, Dominicans and other orders
The Feast of the Five Wounds, celebrated since the Middle Ages at Evora and elsewhere in Portugal on 6 February (at Lisbon on the Friday after Ash-Wednesday) is of historical interest. It commemorates the founding of the Portuguese kingdom in 1139, when, before the battle on the plains of Ourique, Christ appeared to Alfonso Henriquez, promising victory over the Moors and commanding him to insert into the coat of arms of the new kingdom the emblem of the Five Wounds. This feast is celebrated today in all Portuguese-speaking countries. In parts of France the Feast is celebrated on for the Friday after Ash Wednesday, on which day it is still kept in many dioceses
Since 1831, when the Feasts in honour of the Passion were adopted at Rome by the Passionists and the City, this Feast was assigned to the Friday after the Third Sunday in Lent. The Office is one of those bequeathed to us by the Middle Ages. As this Feast is not celebrated in the entire Church, the Office and Mass are placed in the appendix of the Breviary and the Missal.
COLLECT:
O God, Who by the Passion of Thine Only Son
and by the pouring out of the Blood of His Five Wounds,
hast restored human nature lost by sin,
grant unto us, we beseech Thee
that by venerating the protective Wounds on earth,
we may, thereby, merit the fruits
of the same Precious Blood in Heaven.
Through the same Lord Jesus Christ,
Who liveth and reigneth with Thee
in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
One God, world without end.
Amen.
Thought for the Day – 5 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“In Christian teaching, death is the beginning of life.
“Unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies,” Jesus said, “it remains alone. But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. He who loves his life, loses it and he, who hates his life in this world, keeps it unto life everlasting” (Jn 12:24-25).
This paradox of dying to this life in order to live in Heaven, was enacted in a wonderful way in the lives of Jesus and of the Saints.
It must be put into effect in our lives also, if we are to be genuine Christians.
Jesus shed His precious blood for us and His death was the beginning of His triumph.
The Apostles, Martyrs and Saints, gave their lives for Christ and received, as their reward, the happy and eternal life of Heaven.
By dying to our own ego and to our passions, we shall find the true life of Christ.
We must die to ourselves, so that Christ may live in us, as He lived in St Paul.
We must die to pride, so that Christian humility may live in us;
we must die to anger, so that patience may live in us;
we must die to lust, so that purity and innocence may live in us
and, we must die to selfishness, so that charity may live in us.”
One Minute Reflection – 30 January – St Martha (1st Century) Virgin Martyr – Sirach 51:1-8; 5:12, Matthew 25:1-13. – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Behold, the Bridegroom is coming, go forth to meet Him!” – Matthew 25:6
REFLECTION – “When it seemed to God that the right time had come and He took pity on His beloved in her suffering, He sent His Only-begotten Son to earth into a magnificent palace and a glorious temple, that is, into the body of the glorious Virgin Mary. There the Son wedded this bride, our nature and united her with His Own Person through the purest blood of the noble Virgin. The priest who witnessed the bride’s marriage was the Holy Ghost. The Angel Gabriel brought the message. The glorious Virgin gave her consent. Thus did Christ, our faithful Bridegroom, unite our nature with Himself. He came to us in a strange land and taught us through a heavenly way of life and with perfect fidelity.
He worked and struggled as our Champion against our enemies, broke open the bars of our prison, won the struggle, vanquished our death through His Own, redeemed us through His Blood, freed us through His water in Baptism and made us rich, through His Sacraments and His gifts, so that, as He says in the Gospel (Mt 25:6), we might “go out” with all virtues to, “meet Him” in the palace of His glory and enjoy Him forever in eternity.” – Bl Jan van Ruysbroeck (1293-1381) Canon Regular (The Spiritual Espousals, Prologue).
PRAYER – O God, Who among the other miracles of Thine power have bestowed the victory of Martyrdom even upon the weaker sex, graciously grant that we, who commemorate the anniversary of the death of blessed Martha, Thy Virgin and Martyr, may come to Thee by the path of her example. ThroughJesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Blessed Jan van Ruysbroeck’s life:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/12/02/saint-of-the-day-2-december-blessed-john-van-ruysbroeck/
Quote/s of the Day – 29 January – St Francis de Sales, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church
“The measure of love,
is to love without measure.”
“Since God often sends us His inspirations
by means of His Angels,
we ought frequently to offer Him,
our aspirations, through the same channel.
… Call on them and honour them frequently
and ask their help in all your affairs,
temporal, as well as spiritual.”
“Anxiety is the greatest evil
that can befall a soul, except sin.
God commands you to pray
but He forbids you to worry.”
“Friendships begun in this world
will be taken up again,
never to be broken off. ”
“Have patience with all things
but chiefly, have patience with yourself.
Do not lose courage
in considering your own imperfections
but instantly set about remedying them,
everyday begin the task anew.”
“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.”
“Thus we do not say that the Pope
cannot err in his private opinions,
as did John XXII;
or be altogether a heretic,
as perhaps Honorius was.
Now, when he, [the Pope],
is explicitly a heretic,
he falls ipso facto, from his dignity
and OUT of the Church! …”
“During the night
we must wait for the Light.”
Hail, Sweet Jesus!
Prayer to Christ
in His Passion and Death
By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of the Church
Hail, sweet Jesus!
Praise, honour and glory be to Thee, O Christ,
Who, of Thou own accord, embraced death,
and recommending Thyself to Thy heavenly Father,
bowing down Thy venerable Head,
did yield up Thy Spirit.
Truly thus giving up Thy life for Thy sheep,
Thou hast shown Thyself, to be the Good Shepherd.
Thou died, O Only-begotten Son of God.
Thou died, O my beloved Saviour,
that I might live forever.
O how great hope,
how great confidence have
I reposed in Thy Death and Thy Blood!
I glorify and praise Thy Holy Name,
acknowledging my infinite obligations to Thee.
O good Jesus,
by Thy bitter Death and Passion,
give me grace and pardon.
Give unto the faithful departed,
rest and life everlasting.
Amen.
Most Holy Mary,
Virgin Mother of God
Act of Consecration
By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Indulgence of 300 days, for each recitation
St Pius X, 17 November 1906
Most Holy Mary,
Virgin Mother of God,
I ………., most unworthy though I am to be thy servant,
yet touched by thy motherly care for me
and longing to serve thee,
do, in the presence of my Guardian Angel
and all the Court of Heaven,
choose thee this day to be my Queen,
my Advocate and my Mother
and I firmly purpose to serve thee evermore myself
and, to do what I can, that all may
render faithful service to thee.
Therefore, most devoted Mother,
through the Precious Blood thy Son poured out for me,
I beg thee and beseech thee,
deign to take me among thy clients
and receive me as thy servant forever.
Aid me in my every action
and beg for me the grace never,
by word or deed or thought,
to be displeasing in thy sight
and that of thy most holy Son.
Think of me, my dearest Mother
and desert me not at the hour of death.
Amen
MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/01/29/quote-s-of-the-day-29-january-st-francis-de-sales/
Quote/s of the Day – 29 November – Vigil of the Feast of St Andrew – Romans 13:11-14, Luke 21:25-33 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Let us walk becomingly, as in the day,
not in revelry and drunkenness,
not in debauchery and wantonness,
not in strife and jealousy.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
“And Jesus, seeing their faith,
said to the paralytic,
Take courage, son,
your sins are forgiven you.”
“Perhaps, your own faith is feeble.
Nevertheless, the Lord, who is love
will stoop down to you,
provided only that you are penitent
and can say sincerely,
from the depths of your soul:
“Lord, I believe.
Help thou mine unbelief,”
(Mark 9:23)……”
“He who is immortal, voluntarily shed His Blood.
He who created the Host of Angels,
was bound at the hands of soldiers
and He who is to judge the living and the dead,
was dragged to justice (cf. Acts 10:42; 2 Tm 4:1).
Truth was exposed to false witnesses,
was slandered, struck, covered with spittle,
hung on the Wood of the Cross –
the Lord of Glory (cf. 1 Cor 2:8)
endured every outrage and suffering
without Himself needing these trials. …
So there is nothing surprising about it,
if we submit to even one of these trials,
since such is our condition …
Therefore, we too have to be offended and tempted,
afflicted by the cutting off of our wills.”
(Catecheses 1)
“Nothing so curbs the onset of anger,
so allays the upsurge of pride.
It cures the wound of envy,
controls unbridled extravagance
and quenches the flame of lust.
It cools the thirst of covetousness
and banishes the itch of unclean desire…
For when I Name Jesus,
I set before myself,
a Man Who is meek and humble of heart,
kind, prudent, chaste, merciful,
flawlessly upright and holy
in the eyes of all
and this same Man, is the all-powerful God
Whose way of life heals me,
Whose support is my strength.”
Lord Jesus, Bind Me to Yourself
Lord Jesus, Bind Me to Yourself
Lord Jesus, bind me to Yourself
and to my neighbour, with love.
May my heart not be turned away from You.
May my soul not be deceived,
nor my talent or mind,
enticed by allurements of error,
so that I may never
distance myself from Your love.
Thus may I love my neighbour as myself,
with strength, wisdom and gentleness,
with Your help,
You who are blessed
throughout all ages.
Amen.
“… How can anyone put on Jesus Christ
and imitate His example,
if he does not study this Jesus,
who must inspire and perfect our faith?
He must run the race to which he is challenged,
the glorious race in which,
he overcomes the enemy of the human family
and follows the Way of the Cross.
Under the lordly banner of that Cross,
he will attain eternal life.”
(From his first Pastoral Letter as Bishop)
Hear Me, O Lord
By St Peter of Alcantara (1499-1562)
Hear me, O Lord,
my soul’s delight,
joy of my heart,
not because of my merits
but because of Thy boundless goodness.
Teach me, enlighten me, direct me,
help me in all things
that I may never say
or do anything
but that which I know
to be pleasing in Thou sight.
Guide me, O God,
my Love, my Light and my Life!
Amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 23 November – St Clement I (c 88–c 101) Pope Martyr and St Columban (543-615) Monk, Missionary
“Follow the Saints
because those who follow them,
will become Saints.”
“This world and the world to come, are two enemies.
We cannot. therefore. be friends to both
but, we must decide which we will forsake
and which, we will enjoy.”
“Who can describe the bond of God’s love?
Who is able to explain the majesty of its beauty?
The height to which love leads is indescribable.
… In love the Master received us,
Jesus Christ our Lord,
in accordance with God’s will
gave His Blood for us and His Flesh for our flesh
and His Life for our lives.”
MORE By St Pope Clement I:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/11/23/quote-s-of-the-day-23-november-st-pope-clement-i/
“We are all fellow members of one body,
whether Franks or Britons or Irish or whatever our race.
Thus, let all our races rejoice,
in knowledge of the faith
and in recognising the Son of God …
In Him, let us love one another,
praise one another,
correct one another,
encourage one another,
pray for one another.”
(Letter 2, to the French bishops)
Lord, Kindle our Lamps
By St Columban (543-615)
Lord, kindle our lamps,
Saviour most dear to us,
that we may always shine
in Your presence
and always receive Light
from You,
the Light Perpetual,
so that our own
personal darkness,
may be overcome
and the world’s darkness
driven from us.
Amen
(This is an excerpt from a much longer prayer and is taken from the wonderful Sermon XII by St Columban/us)
MORE By St Columban:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/11/23/quote-s-of-the-day-23-november-the-memorial-of-st-columban-543-615/
Quote/s of the Day – 29 October – The Mystical Body
“Mary, having merited to give flesh
to the Divine Word
and thus, supply the price
of our redemption
that we might be delivered
from eternal death, therefore,
she is more powerful
than all others,
to help us gain eternal life.”
“It is not surprising if,
despite being far apart,
we are present to each other
and without being acquainted,
know each other
because, we are members of One Body,
we have One Head,
we are steeped in One Grace,
we live on One Loaf,
we walk on One Road
and we dwell in the Same House!”
“In adoring our Saviour’s birth,
it is our origin that we celebrate.
Christ’s temporal generation
is the source of the Christian people,
the birth of His Mystical Body.
All of us encounter in this Mystery,
a new birth in Christ.”
“For nothing more glorious,
nothing nobler,
nothing surely, more honourable
can be imagined, than to belong
to the One, Holy Catholic, Apostolic and Roman Church,
in which we become members of one Body
as venerable as it is unique;
are guided by one supreme Head;
are filled with one divine Spirit;
are nourished during our earthly exile
by one doctrine and one heavenly Bread,
until at last, we enter into
the one, unending blessedness of heaven.
But lest we be deceived,
by the angel of darkness,
who transforms himself into an angel of light,
let this be the supreme law of our love –
to love the Spouse of Christ,
as Christ willed her to be
and as He purchased her with His Blood.”
One Minute Reflection – 13 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” and the Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima: The Sixth & Final Apparition – 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 – “Wishing to emphasise the special office of the servants, whom He has placed in charge of His people, the Lord says, ‘Who, do you think, is the faithful and wise steward, whom the Lord sets over His household, to give to them their measure of wheat at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his Master will find so doing when he comes.” Who is that Master, brethren? Without a doubt, it is Christ, Who says to His disciples: “You call me Teacher and Lord and you are right, for so I am” (Jn 13,13). What, too, is the Master’s Household? Doubtless it is the one which the Lord Himself ransomed… This Sacred Household is the Holy, Catholic Church, which is spread through the whole earth with abundant fertility and glories in the fact, that she has been redeemed by the Precious Blood of her Master. As He Himself says: “The Son of Man came, not to be served but to serve and to give His Life as a ransom for many” (Mk 10,45).
He is, too, the Good Shepherd ”Who laid down His Life for His sheep” (Jn 10,11)…As to who the steward is, who ought to be faithful, as well as wise, the Apostle Paul shows us, when, speaking of himself and his companions, he says: “This is how one should regard us, as the servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they should be found trustworthy” (1Cor 4,1-2).
Now, lest anyone of us should think that it is only the Apostles who have been made stewards…, the blessed Apostle Paul shows us that the Bishops also are stewards, when he says: “For a bishop, as God’s steward, must be blameless” (Tt 1,7)…We, therefore, who are the servants of the Master of the Household, we are the stewards of the Lord, we have received the measure of wheat to disburse to you.” – St Fulgentius of Ruspe (467-532) Bishop in North Africa (Homily 1, on the Lord’s servants) (trans. Breviary Common of Pastors).
PRAYER – From all perils of soul and body defend us, O Lord, we beseech Thee and by the intercession of blessed and gloriosus ever Virgin Mary, Mother of God,and all the Saints, graciously grant us, safety and peace that all adversities and errors being overcome, thy Church may serve Thee in security and freedom. 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).
One Minute Reflection – 19 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” and the Memorial of St John Eudes (1601-1680) Confessor, “The Apostle of Two Hearts”– Sirach 31:8-11, Luke 12:35-40
“Blessed are those servants whom the Master, on His return, shall find watching.” – Luke 12:37
REFLECTION – “Wishing to emphasize the special office of the servants, whom He has placed in charge of His people, the Lord says, ‘Who, do you think, is the faithful and wise steward, whom the Lord sets over His household, to give to them their measure of wheat at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his Master will find so doing when he comes.” Who is that Master, brethren? Without a doubt, it is Christ, Who says to His disciples: “You call me Teacher and Lord and you are right, for so I am” (Jn 13,13). What, too, is the Master’s Household? Doubtless it is the one which the Lord Himself ransomed… This Sacred Household is the Holy, Catholic Church, which is spread through the whole earth with abundant fertility and glories in the fact, that she has been redeemed by the Precious Blood of her Master. As He Himself says: “The Son of Man came, not to be served but to serve and to give His Life as a ransom for many” (Mk 10,45).
He is, too, the Good Shepherd ”Who laid down His Life for His sheep” (Jn 10,11)…As to who the steward is, who ought to be faithful as well as wise, the Apostle Paul shows us, when, speaking of himself and his companions, he says: “This is how one should regard us, as the servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they should be found trustworthy” (1Cor 4,1-2).
Now, lest anyone of us should think that it is only the Apostles who have been made stewards…, the blessed Apostle Paul shows us that the Bishops also are stewards, when he says: “For a bishop, as God’s steward, must be blameless” (Tt 1,7)…We, therefore, who are the servants of the Master of the Household, we are the stewards of the Lord, we have received the measure of wheat to disburse to you.” – St Fulgentius of Ruspe (467-532) Bishop in North Africa (Homily 1, on the Lord’s servants) (trans. Breviary Common of Pastors).
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. ThroughJesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Thought for the Day – August – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“When we have spent many years fighting our evil inclinations, praying and forming resolutions, it saddens us when we fall into grave sin once again.
A lapse like this can be very discouraging and can make us feel that it is impossible to resist temptation.
We may even feel that we are not destined by God to enjoy everlasting happiness!
This is a very dangerous temptation which could lead us into ruin.
It is part of the tactics of the devil, to tempt us to sin and, when we have fallen, to persuade us that our fall was unavoidable and, that we may as well resign ourselves to sinning because, we are predestined to hell!
Predestination is a gigantic theological problem which has tormented the minds and consciences of many.
It is a difficult question but, in practice, it can be answered in a few words.
It is certain that “God … wishes us all to be saved” (1 Tim 2:4).
It is certain that God became Man and shed His Precious Blood for our salvation.
How then could we be predestined to hell?
How could we be denied the graces necessary for salvation?
Our constant falls do not indicate that God has abandoned us but rather show that we have abandoned Him!
If we sincerely do everythingof which we are capable, God will not deny us His assistance.”
AnaStpaul 
You must be logged in to post a comment.