Category: CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month

Posted in MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of PETITION, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

Our Morning Offering – 27 February – O Mother of Sorrows, Stand by Me in My Last Agony By St Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows

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Our Morning Offering – 27 February – Saturday of the First week of Lent, the Memorial of St Gabriel Francis Possenti of Our Lady of Sorrows (1838-1862) and a Marian Saturday

O Mother of Sorrows,
Stand by Me in My Last Agony
By St Gabriel Francis Possenti
of Our Lady of Sorrows (1838-1862)

O Mother of Sorrows,
by the anguish and love
with which thou didst stand
at the Cross of Jesus,
stand by me in my last agony.
To thy maternal heart
I commend the last three hours of my life.
Offer these hours to the Eternal Father
in union with the agony of our dearest Lord,
in atonement for my sins.
Offer to the Eternal Father
the Most Precious Blood of Jesus,
mingled with thine tears on Calvary,
that I may obtain the grace
of receiving Holy Communion
with the most perfect love and contrition,
before my death
and that I may breathe forth my soul
in the adorable Presence of Jesus.
Dearest Mother, when the moment
of my death has at last come,
present me as your child to Jesus.
Ask Him to forgive me for having offended Him,
for I knew not what I did!
Beg Him to receive me into His Kingdom of Glory
to be united with Him forever.
Amen

Posted in CATHOLIC TIME, DOCTORS of the Church, Holy Name PRAYERS, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, JESUIT SJ, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, The HOLY NAME, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR

Our Morning Offering – 21 February – Glory, Honour and Praise, To Our Lord Jesus Christ!

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Our Morning Offering – 21 February – Passion Friday in Septuagesima Week

Glory, Honour and Praise,
To Our Lord Jesus Christ!
A devout Prayer to our Lord Jesus Christ,
to be said both Morning and Evening
By St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621)
Doctor of the Church
(From His “A Brief Christian Doctrine”)

GLory, Honour and Praise Be,
May all the world adore Thee,
blessed be Thy Holy Name,
Who for us sinners,
vouchsafest to be born of a humble Virgin
and blessed be Thine Infinite Goodness,
Who died upon the Cross for our Redemption.
O Jesus, Son of God
and Saviour of mankind,
have mercy upon us
and so dispose our lives here,
by Thy Grace
that we may, hereafter,
rejoice with Thee forever
in Thy Heavenly Kingdom,
Amen

Posted in AUGUST - The Immaculate Heart of Mary, IMMACULATE HEART PRAYERS, IMMACULATE HEART PRAYERS, IMMACULATE HEART Quotes, INDULGENCES, MARIAN Aspirations and Ejaculations, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Quote/s of the Day – 15 February – Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, Pray for Us!

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Quote/s of the Day – 15 February – Feast of The Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners

Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, Pray for Us!

(Indulgence 300 days)

Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation.

(1943 Raccolta – Indulgence 300 days)

“Mary will certainly save repentant sinners
who have recourse to her
but she cannot pay any attention to hardened sinners, who pray to her with their lips,
while their hearts remain steeped in sin.
We must have complete confidence in her
but, we must also have a sincere intention
of raising ourselves under her protection,
from the slavery of sin,
to the friendship of God.”

“Mary, my merciful Mother,
you see how wretched I am
and how often I have fallen.
I wish to reform and sanctify myself
but I am not able without your powerful assistance, the weakness of my nature
is an insurmountable obstacle.
Come to my aid, O Mother of mercy.
Obtain for me, forgiveness f
rom your Divine Son.
Obtain for me too, the grace
of a complete change of heart,
so that I may be truly your child
here upon the earth and share
in your glory in Heaven.
Amen.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in AUGUST - The Immaculate Heart of Mary, DOCTORS of the Church, HYMNS, IMMACULATE HEART PRAYERS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES

Our Morning Offering – 15 February – O Mother Blest By St Alphonsus

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Our Morning Offering – 15 February – Feast of The Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners

O Mother Blest
By St Alphonsus Maira Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor of the Church
Trans. Fr Edmund Vaughn C.SS.R. (1827 – 1908 )

O Mother blest, whom God bestows
On sinners and on just,
What joy, what hope thou givest those
Who in thy mercy trust.
Thou are clement, thou are chaste,
Mary thou art fair,
Of all mothers, sweetest best,
none with thee compare.

O heavenly Mother, mistress sweet!
it never yet was told
that suppliant sinner left thy feet,
unpitied, unconsoloed.
Thou are clement, thou are chaste, …

O Mother, pitiful and mild,
Cease not to pray for me;
For I do love thee as a child,
And sigh for love of thee.
Thou art clement, thou art chaste, …

Most powerful Mother, all men know
Thy Son denies thee nought;
Thou askest, wishest it, and lo!
His power thy will hath wrought.
Thou art clement, thou art chaste, …

O Mother blest, for me obtain,
Ungrateful though I be,
To love that God who first could deign
To show such love for me.
Thou art clement, thou art chaste,
Mary, thou art fair.
Of all mothers, sweetest, best,
None with thee compare.

Posted in "Follow Me", ADVENT QUOTES, CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on TRUTH, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The PASSION, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 12 February – ‘ … By the Cross, we put on Christ ‘ and Follow Him

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Quote/s of the Day – 12 February – The Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order (1233) – Ecclesiasticus 44:1-15; Matthew 19:27-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And everyone who has left house,
or brethren, or sisters, or father,
or mother, or wife, or children, or lands
for My Name’s sake,
shall receive a hundredfold
and shall possess life everlasting.”

Matthew 19:29

“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)

By the Cross, death was slain
and Adam was restored to life.
The Cross is the glory of all the Apostles,
the Crown of the Martyrs,
the Sanctification of the Saints.
By the Cross, we put on Christ
and cast aside our former self.
By the Cross we, the sheep of Christ,
have been gathered into one flock,
destined for the Sheepfold of Heaven.”

St Theodore the Studite (759-826)
Abbot, Confessor, Father of the Church

“It is only right, my brothers,
to celebrate our Lord’s Coming
with all possible devotion,
so greatly does His comfort gladden us…
and His love burn within us.
But do not just think about His First Coming,
when He Came “to seek and save the lost” (Lk 19:10);
think, too, of that other Coming,
when He will come to take us with Him.
I should like to see you constantly
occupied in meditating on these two Comings…
for they are the two arms of the Bridegroom …”

St Bernard (1091-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor of the Church

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEBRUARY - THE BLESSED TRINITY (Traditional), IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN QUOTES, MOTHER of GOD, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY

Quote/s of the Day – 11 February – “I am the Immaculate Conception”

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Quote/s of the Day – 11 February – Apparition of the Immaculate Conception, the Blessed Virgin Mary at Lourdes

“I am the Immaculate Conception”

Our Lady to St Bernadette
at Lourdes on 25 March 1858

“Gracious Lady,
thou art a Mother and Virgin,
thou art the Mother
of the body and soul
of our Head and Redeemer,
thou art too, truly Mother
of all the members of Christ’s Mystical Body.
For through thy love,
thou hast co-operated
in the begetting of the faithful in the Church.
Unique among women,
thou art Mother and Virgin,
Mother of Christ and Virgin of Christ.
Thou art the beauty and charm of earth, O Virgin.
Thou art, forever, the image of the holy Church.
Through a woman came death,
through a woman came Life,
yes, through thee, O Mother of God.“

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

“You have guarded the integrity
of the temple [of your body];
you have kept your tabernacle free from all sin,
so that the Father becomes your guest,
the Holy Ghost overshadows you
and the Only-begotten Son Incarnate
is born of you.”

St Hesychius of Jerusalem (Died c450)
Priest, Exegete, Father

NVIOLATA!
INVIOLATE!
Unknown Author
(11th Century)

Thou art inviolate, undefiled
and chaste, O Mary.
Thou has become the resplendent
Gate of Heaven,
O loving and dearest Mother of Christ,
Accept our devout acclamations
in praise of thee.
That our minds and bodies
may be pure,
Devoted hearts and lips
now implore thee.
Through thy sweet sounding prayers,
Gain us pardon forever.
O kind one, who alone
didst remain inviolate.
Amen

The Hymn Inviolata has been claimed by the Carmelite Order, as a Traditional Hymn originating within their ranks. The Hymn is also used by Dominican Friars in the chanting of Compline. Its origins trace to the 11th Century. It appears in Hymnals from 1860 to 1920.

O Purest of Creatures,
Sweet Mother, Sweet Maid
By Fr Frederick W Faber C.Orat. (1814-1863)

O Purest of creatures, sweet Mother, sweet maid,
The one spotless womb wherein Jesus was laid!
Dark night hath come down on us, Mother! and we
Look out for thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

Deep night hath come down on this rough-spoken world,
And the banners of darkness are boldly unfurled;
And the tempest-tossed Church,—
all her eyes are on thee;
They look to thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

He gazed on thy soul, it was spotless and fair,
For the empire of sin—it had never been there;
None ever had owned thee, dear Mother but He.
And He blest thy clear shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

Earth gave Him one lodging; t’was deep in thy breast,
And God found a home where the sinner finds rest;
His home and His hiding-place, both were in thee,
He was won by thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, GOD the FATHER, Hail MARY!, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, MOTHER of GOD, The ANNUNCIATION, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The INCARNATION, The NATIVITY of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 11 February – “Hail, full of grace!” – Luke 1:28

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One Minute Reflection – 11 February – “The Month of the Blessed Trinity” – The Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Lourdes – Apocalypse 11:19; 12:1, 10; Luke 1:26-31 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Hail, full of grace!” – Luke 1:28

REFLECTION – “The degeneration caused by sin had obscured the beauty of our original nobility. But when, the mother of Supreme Beauty is born, our nature finds its purity once more and sees itself moulded according to the perfect model, worthy of God (Gn 1:26) … We had all preferred the world below to that above. There no longer remained any hope of salvation. The state of our nature cried aloud to Heaven to come to the rescue … Then at last, in His good pleasure, the world’s Divine Artificer determined to make a new world appear, a different world full of harmony and youth.

Now, was it not fitting that a most pure virgin, without stain, should place herself at the service of this mysterious plan, first of all? … And where was this virgin to be found, if not in this woman, alone of her kind, chosen by the world’s Creator before all generations? Yes, she indeed is Mother of God, divinely named Mary, whose womb gave birth to God Incarnate and whom, He, Himself, had supernaturally prepared as His Temple…

In this way, then, the design of the Redeemer of our race was to bring about a birth and, as it were, a new creation to replace the one which went before. Therefore, just as in Paradise, He had taken a litle clay out of the pure and spotless earth, to fashion the first Adam (Gn 2:7), so, at the moment of bringing about His own Incarnation, He made use of another earth, so to speak, namely this pure and immaculate Virgin, chosen from among all other beings He had created. It is in her that He, Adam’s Creator, has remade us in our very substance and become a new Adam (1 Cor 15:45) that the old, might be saved by the new and eternal.” – St Andrew of Crete (c650-c730) Bishop and Father of the Church (Sermon 1 for the Nativity of the Mother of God).

PRAYER – O God, Who by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin, prepared a worthy dwelling for Thy Son, we humbly beseech Thee that, recalling the apparition of the same Virgin, we may obtain health for both soul and body. 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 Hail MARY!, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, MOTHER of GOD, QUEENSHIP of MARY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Our Morning Offering – 11 February – Hail! all Hail! Great Queen of Heaven, Notre Dame de Lourdes

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Our Morning Offering – 11 February – Apparition of the Immaculate Conception at Lourdes

Hail! all Hail! Great Queen of Heaven,
Notre Dame de Lourdes
Unknown Author
First Published in 1905

Hail! all Hail! great Queen of Heaven,
Hail sweet Notre Dame de Lourdes,
‘Neath whose care our weary exile,
Is from countless ills secured.

Refrain:
Then let men and angels praise thee,
Fount of grace to all assured,
While in gladsome strains we are singing,
Hail! sweet Notre Dame de Lourdes
Hail! sweet Notre Dame de Lourdes.

Blessed thou above all others,
Mary Mistress of the spheres,
Star of hope, serenely beaming
Through this darksome vale of tears.
Refrain

Happy angels joy to own thee,
O’er their choirs exalted high,
Throned in blissful light and beauty,
Empress of the starry sky.
Refrain

As the fount is still unsealing
Its pure treasures softly fair,
May each drop be fraught with healing,
Dearest Mother, at thy prayer.
Refrain

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MOTHER of GOD, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The INCARNATION, The LITTLE OFFICE of MARY

Our Morning Offering – 9 February – Hail, O Mary, Mother of God By St Cyril of Alexandria

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Our Morning Offering – 9 February – “The Month of the Most Holy and Blessed Trinity” – Feast of St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) “The Pillar of Faith” “Doctor of the Incarnation”& “Seal of all the Fathers” Bishop,Confessor, Father and Doctor, of the Church.

Adapted from a sermon preached by St Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria, presiding as representative of the Holy See at the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus, in 431. In refuting Nestorianism, he is called “Doctor of the Incarnation.”

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

Hail, O Mary, Mother of God,
Virgin and Mother!
Morning Star, perfect vessel.
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God,
Holy Temple in which God
Himself was conceived.
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God,
Chaste and pure dove.
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God,
who enclosed the One
Who cannot be encompassed
in your sacred womb.
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God,
From you flowed the true light,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God,
Through you the Conqueror
and triumphant Vanquisher
of hell, came to us.
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God,
Through you, the glory
of the Resurrection blossoms.
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God,
You have saved every faithful Christian.
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners now
and at the hour of our death.
Amen

Posted in Holy Family PRAYERS, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, MARIAN PRAYERS, Of FATHERS, GRANDfathers, GRANDparents, Of PARENTS & FAMILIES of LARGE Families, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS & NOVENA to St Joseph, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, QUOTES on CHILDREN, QUOTES on the FAMILY, QUOTES/PRAYERS on THE FAMILY, The HOLY FAMILY

Our Morning Offering – 5 February – A Parent’s Prayer to St Joseph

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Our Morning Offering – 5 February – “The Month of the Blessed Trinity” – On Wedmesdays, Catholics make a special devotion to St Joseph by going to Mass on the 1st Wednesdays of 9 consecutive months and offering their Communions in his honour and for the salvation of the dying.

A Parent’s Prayer to St Joseph

O holy Joseph,
thou faithful Spouse
of the Blessed Mother,
thou who didst protect her
and her Divine Child with such care
and didst devote thy whole life to them;
I beseech thee to be also my
and my children’s protector
and advocate, with Jesus,
thy adopted Son.
Obtain for me the grace
to fulfil my duties to my children,
as thou and Mary have done to Jesus.

St Joseph Pray for all our Fathers
and for our spiritual Fathers
of Holy Mother Church
Amen.

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, GOD ALONE!, In the PRESENCE of GOD, MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, QUOTES on ANGER, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, St JOSEPH, The DIVINE INFANT, The HOLY CROSS, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 29 January – St Francis de Sales

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Quote/s of the Day – 29 January – St Francis de Sales (1567-1622), Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church

“What we need is
a cup of understanding,
a barrel of love
and an ocean of patience.”

“Our greatest fault is, that
we wish to serve God in our way,
not in His way — according to our will,
not according to His Will….
To be truly a Saint, it is necessary
to be one according to the Will of God.”

“Do everything calmly and peacefully.
Do as much as you can, as well as you can.
Strive to see God in all things
without exception and consent
to His Will joyously.
Do everything for God,
uniting yourself to Him in word and deed.
Walk very simply with the Cross of the Lord
and be at peace with yourself.”

“If, when stung by slander
or ill-nature,
we wax proud
and swell with anger,
it is a proof that our gentleness
and humility
are unreal
and mere artificial show!”

“How faithful in humility was the great Saint
we are celebrating!
That cannot be said in all its perfection,
for, in spite of what he was,
in what poverty and lowliness he lived,
all the days of his life – a poverty and lowliness
beneath which. he kept hidden and concealed,
his great virtues and dignity! …
Truly, I am free of doubt that the Angels came,
beside themselves with admiration, rank upon rank,
to behold and wonder at his humility,
while he sheltered that dearest Child
in the poor workshop where he worked at his employment,
so as to feed the little Boy and the Mother entrusted to him.”

“We must fear God out of love,
not love Him out of fear.”

O Glorious St Francis
Prayer to St Francis de Sales

O Glorious St Francis,
model of the interior life
and full of zeal for the salvation of souls!
Obtain for me the grace
to employ all my faculties,
not for my own sanctification alone
but for that of my neighbour too
that continually spreading abroad,
the sweet odour of Jesus Christ,
by my words and works,
I may attain, with thee, the blessedness
promised to the merciful:
“Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy”
and that I may one day have a share
in the glory which thou dost enjoy
in Paradise with the Angels and Saints,
where those who edify
and instruct to justice,
shall shine as stars
for all eternity (Dan 12:3).
Amen

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/01/29/quote-s-of-the-day-29-january-st-francis-de-sales-2/

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

Posted in Holy Name PRAYERS, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PERSECUTION

Our Morning Offering – 28 January – May We Confess Thy Name to the End By St Cyprian

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Our Morning Offering – 28 January – “The Month of the Holy Name of Jesus and the Holy Family”

May We Confess Thy Name to the End
By St Cyprian of Carthage (200-258)
Bishop and Martyr
Apostolic Father of the Church

Good God,
may we confess Thy Name to the end.
May we emerge unmarked
and glorious from the traps
and darkness of this world.
As Thou hast bound us together
by charity and peace
and, as together,
we have persevered under persecution,
so may we also rejoice together
in Thy Heavenly Kingdom.
Amen

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Holy Name PRAYERS, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of PETITION, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on TRUTH, The HOLY NAME

Our Morning Offering – 27 January – In Thy Name By St John Chrysostom

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Our Morning Offering – 27 January – “The Month of the Holy Name of Jesus and the Holy Family” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Bishop, Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church “Golden Mouthed.”

In Thy Name
By St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Oh Almighty God,
Who hast given us grace
at this time, with one accord,
to make our common
supplications unto Thee
and hast promised that,
when two or three are gathered together
in Thy Name,
Thou wilt grant their requests,
fulfil now, O Lord,
the desires and petitions of Thy servants,
as may be most expedient for them;
granting us, in this world,
knowledge of Thy Truth
and in the world to come,
life everlasting.
Amen

Posted in GOD ALONE!, In the PRESENCE of GOD, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, Meditations on the HIDDEN LIFE, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, SACRED HEART QUOTES, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS

Thought for the Day – 26 January – Meditation 4, Part One – Of the Presence of God Considered in the Hidden Life

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Thought for the Day – 26 January – Meditations on the Hidden Life: From the 1906 Edition of The Heart of Jesus of Nazareth; it has the Imprimatur of Bishop John Baptist Butt, Diocese of Southwark, England, 5 February 1890. Author’s name known simply as Author of “The Voice of the Sacred Heart.” 
(We return to Fr Clarke for February with his Meditations on The Great Truths.)

Meditation 4, Part One – Of the Presence of God
Considered in the Hidden Life

If there is one exercise which conduces more efficaciously than another, to our sanctification, it is assuredly that of the Presence of God. If one means be more conducive than another, to attain that holy exercise, it would seem to be, a true and solid devotion, to the Heart of Jesus.
His most holy Soul, being united to the Word, never lost the view of the Beatific Vision, although, the beatitude and the joy of that Vision, were by a miracle, withheld from overflowing into the lower functions of His Soul, in order that He might be able to suffer, in His Humanity.

The nearest resemblance to our Lord which some of the Saints have attained, in this respect, may be found in such transient glimpses of the Divine Beauty, as we find revealed in their lives.
With those extraordinary ways, by which God sometimes vouchsafes to visit a few favoured souls, we have nothing to do at present. When we speak, therefore, in this meditation, of the habitual Presence of God, we refer but to that union of the soul, with Him, which was ordinary in the Saints and which may be attained – in more or less degree – by faithful correspondence with grace.

Our facility in maintaining the Divine Presence, will be measured, by the extent of our knowledge of God, since, in proportion to our knowledge of Him, will be our love and, it is love which keeps us in the recollection of His Presence and that impels us, to think of Him and of all which relates to Him.
This the Heart of Jesus teaches us. His Soul saw God. It knew Him with a knowledge which no other soul but His, could have supported. His love equalled His knowledge and it was in the mysterious light of such knowledge and such love, that He walked on earth – never alone, even in the midst of the most cruel abandonment on the part of creatures, (John 16:32) – and, He was never forsaken, even when given up to the pangs of supreme agony and dereliction.

That which proved, the consolation of the human Heart of Jesus and, after Him, of all His Saints, maybe the same in the case of each one of us!
Let us but apply ourselves to know God’s Beauty and to hear His Voice and our hearts will quickly learn to turn towards Him, to seek His Face and delight in His Presence. The consciousness of that Presence will then become an abiding source of tranquil devotion and of peace of heart, if not of sensible joy. It will greet us, at our first awakening, with encouragement to commence another day of trial; it will follow us amidst our occupations, console us in our sorrows, support us in our temptations, until we shall sink to rest, when the day is over, in the bosom of that Father Whom we have felt so near to us and Whose Presence will be our last thought, lulling us to sleep in the calm consciousness of His protection.

As the appreciation of the excellence of this holy exercise increases, the soul finds more facility and more charm in occupying itself with God and becomes, by degrees, more familiar with the thought of Him.
It will love to recall the Gospel narratives of the Life of our Blessed Lord. It will, in time, learn to feel at home, as it were, amongst them and thus ,it will be enabled, to make for itself a solitude, a hidden life apart from the material life which externally surrounds it. This habit the Sacred Scripture calls “walking with God” for by it we make Him our Companion here below.

It is of this habitual dwelling in the Divine Presence that Jesus affords us, so perfect a model in the Holy House of Nazareth.

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, Meditations on the HIDDEN LIFE, SACRED HEART QUOTES, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS

Thought for the Day – 23 January – The Grandeur of the Hidden Life

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Thought for the Day – 23 January – – Meditations on the Hidden Life: From the 1906 Edition of The Heart of Jesus of Nazareth; it has the Imprimatur of Bishop John Baptist Butt, Diocese of Southwark, England, 5 February 1890. Author’s name known simply as Author of “The Voice of the Sacred Heart.” P.S: The will NOT all be as long as this Introduction.
(We return to Fr Clarke for February with his Meditations on The Great Truths.)

Meditation 1 – The Grandeur of the Hidden Life

The period of our Lord’s Life on earth which still remains least known, even to many devout souls, is that which He spent in the retirement of Nazareth.

Devotion to the Sacred Passion, or even to the Divine Infancy, is more or less prevalent and yet, it is too often only very superficially understood. But the Mysteries of the Hidden Life, although it occupied the greater portion of the three-and-thirty years, is well-nigh a sealed book, or at least, it is a volume of which the pages have scarcely been turned. When we ask ourselves why it is so, the answer comes to us without much difficulty.

The generality of minds find nothing attractive in that which bears upon its surface the character of monotony, nothing great in that which fails to wear a brilliant appearance. Men will not take the trouble to seek a treasure which is hidden beneath a commonplace exterior and hence, the Hidden Life of Nazareth, putting forward no brilliant show, marked by no externally striking incidents, has but little attraction for those who know not how to recognise grandeur in abasement, or who care not to seek what is supernatural and Divine, when it is veiled under a common and everyday life appearance.

It is true that the natural craving of the human heart seeks to attain to something great. In fact, the misapplication of this imperious necessity, is that which causes the fearful state of the world at the present day. Many a fall has doubtless begun, in the yearning of the heart, after some apparently greater work than that which lay within its grasp. False lights have been followed and souls, losing in those cases the right track, have drifted away and been shipwrecked on the rocks of pride and infidelity. Whereas others, directed by a similar yearning, have followed the True Light, and have found, in the imitation of the Life of Jesus Christ, the real greatness which their souls were seeking. Many a high vocation has probably been abandoned because the soul did not grasp the truth which the humility, obedience and self-annihilation which were demanded of it, placed within its reach, the very means requisite for attaining the most sublime of all ends which it could propose to itself.

This seems to have been the thought of Saint Ignatius, when, in the striking contemplation of “The Kingdom of Christ” which has inspired countless souls with contempt for the world and has led them to enroll themselves under the only banner worthy of their nobility, as brethren and co-heirs with Christ, he remarks that everything in the enterprise to which we are invited, is great. The same may be said of the Hidden Life – that school wherein we learn to become truly great, inasmuch as it constantly places before us, in our Lord, the most perfect end to aim at in all our actions and the highest of all examples to guide our interior intentions.

The Model proposed to us is the Incarnate Wisdom Himself; the means for attaining our end, is the practice of the virtues and the adoption of the aspirations and desires, of His Sacred Heart; the end itself, is the same as that which brought Him down from Heaven, for which He lived and died; our companions should be the Saints of every age for whom Nazareth has ever been, at once, a school and a dwelling of predilection for their souls.

The very limited attention, then, which even the greater number of pious persons give to this portion of our Lord’s Life, must be attributed to the absence of that spirit of faith which, enables us to pierce the veils and to discern true greatness, beneath what, in the eyes of human wisdom, appears contemptible!

This same absence of attraction maybe accounted for, by the monotonous character which each year externally presents. The restless thirst for something exciting and ‘sensational’ which now penetrates, even into matters of religion, here finds no satisfaction. Hence, it is that the name of Nazareth which, to souls who have dwelt much in thought and affection with Jesus in His years of solitude, awakens such thrilling memories and elicits such burning acts of love, falls coldly and without significance, on the ears of many, for whose sake, nevertheless, He chose to bear that title, at once so despised and so glorious – Jesus Nazarenus, Jesus of Nazareth.

We must, then, in order to give ourselves efficaciously to the Meditation of the Hidden Life of Jesus, in the first place, disabuse our minds of that false judgement which would lead us to esteem only that which displays its utility and its greatness, upon the surface. In the next place, we must remember that the Life of Jesus at Nazareth is, in more senses than one, His Hidden Life. It is pre-eminently His Interior Life there, we wish to study – the life of His Sacred Heart and, it is precisely in that light, that it forms a fitting subject for the closest attention of all those who claim to be numbered amongst the lovers of the Sacred Heart and whose, desire it is, to know it more profoundly, in order that they may love it more intensely.

It is not sufficient to read of the exterior actions which our Blessed Lord performed, or of the exterior sufferings to which He submitted. These are, it is true, the outward expressions of the Love which inwardly consumed Him. But, a far more perfect knowledge, of the character of Jesus, will be obtained by him who, through prayer and meditation, shall penetrate into the source within, whence flowed every action He wrought and, every word He uttered, than can ever be reached by the soul which regards only the exterior – however full of meaning and expression, as in the Person of our Lord that exterior may have been.

There were those who, while He was on earth, beheld His works and heard His words and were in no way touched by them. The thoughts and intentions which moved Him in acting, speaking and suffering, remained hidden from them, their ignorance being, in great measure, an effect of their willful blindness, as it is written: “If you will not believe, you shall not understand.” (Isaias 7:9, Septuagint Version)

The same may be said of a number of persons at the present day. The outward expression of the humility, patience, obedience and other virtues of our Lord, together with that of His Love for His Heavenly Father and for men, makes little impression upon us becausewe are, through our own indifference, strangers to the living furnace of Love within His Breast. Thus, we fail to recognise in what we read of Jesus, the true character of His Words and actions, the manifestation of His inmost desires and yearnings – the throbbing of His Heart for us.

All that has been said applies in a special manner to the portion of our Lord’s Life which He passed at Nazareth. The very monotony, the daily round of commonplace duties and ordinary actions, necessitates our penetrating into the hidden source, wherein is to be found the motive for the prolonged hidden life of One ,Who had such a stupendous work before Him to accomplish on earth and Who allowed Himself, so short a space in which to fulfill it.

Let us, then, in our love for the Sacred Heart, endeavour to become more intimately acquainted with its Life at Nazareth, so that, charmed with the marvels we shall there discover, we may be filled with desire to act and suffer with the same motives and intentions, which led to the actions and sufferings of Jesus and thus, arrive in time, at a more just appreciation, of the true character and blessed fruits, of a life formed on the model of the Hidden Life at Nazareth. Amen

Posted in DOMINICAN OP, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, St PAUL!, The HOLY CROSS

Quote/s of the Day – 23 January – St Raymond of Peñafort

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Quote/s of the Day – 23 January – St Raymond of Peñafort OP (1175-1275) Confessor, “Father of Canon Law” Dominican Priest, Co-Founder of the Mercedarian Friars with St Peter Nolasco, Miracle-Worker. – Patronages – Lawyers, Canonists, Medical Record Librarians, Barcelona, Spain, Navarre, Spain.

“This is that enviable
and blessed Cross of Christ . . .
the Cross in which alone,
we must make our boast,
as Paul,
God’s chosen instrument,
has told us.”

this is that enviable and blessed cross of christ - st raymond of penafort 7 jan 2019

“May the God of love and peace,
set your hearts at rest
and speed you on your journey,
may He meanwhile,
shelter you from disturbance by others,
in the hidden recesses of His Love,
until He brings you, at last,
into that place of complete plenitude,
where you will repose forever,
in the vision of peace,
in the security of trust
and in the restful enjoyment of His riches.”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/01/23/quote-s-of-the-day-23-january-st-raymond-of-penafort-1175-1275/

St Raymond of Peñafort
(1175-1275)

Posted in JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SELF-DISTRUST, St JOSEPH, The FLIGHT into EQYPT, The HOLY FAMILY, THE HOLY FAMILY - FAMILIAE SANCTAE, The HOLY INFANCY, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 22 January – “The Arrival in Palestine”

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

Meditations for AChristmastide
“The Holy Infancy”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

“The Arrival in Palestine”

+1. When Joseph with Mary and her Divine Son arrived in their own land, his first thought was to turn to Bethlehem and to dwell in peace where he had dwelt so peaceably before. But to his sorrow he learned that the son of the impious Herod was ruling in his father’s place.
He was not going to expose, to any risk, the treasure committed to him and at once, he determined to turn his steps elsewhere.
Notice his prudence and beware of running any risk with the treasures of grace which God has committed to you. One serious sin will lose them all.

+2. Whither should he go? It was all one to St Joseph, as long as he went where God sent him. He was quite as ready to go to Nazareth as anywhere else, if God directed his steps .
This should be my disposition, to be ready to go anywhere and live in any place, where God may send me.

+3. How did St Joseph decide where he was to dwell? By prayer and by good counsel. He asked of God to turn his steps whither He Willed and he also did not neglect the rules of human prudence.
This is St. Ignatius’ advice:
(1) Act with prudence but never forget to consult God.
(2) While you trust all to God, do not lose sight of the importance of using natural means.

Posted in CARMELITES, CATECHESIS, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The HOLY NAME

Quote/s of the Day – 22 January – Roses and thorns

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Quote/s of the Day – 22 January – “The Month of the Holy Name of Jesus and the Holy Family” – St Vincent of Saragossa (Died 304) Protomartyr of Spain and St Anastasius the Persian (Died 628) Martyr – Wisdom 3:1-8; Luke 21:9-19

“And you shall be hated by all men,
for My Name’s sake.
But, not a hair of your head shall perish.”

Luke 21:17-18

“Pray in the spirit and sentiment of love,
in which the royal Prophet said to Him,
‘Thou, O Lord, art my portion.’
Let others choose to themselves,
portions among creatures,
for my part, Thou art my portion,
Thou alone I have chosen
for my whole inheritance.”

St Augustine of Canterbury (Died c605)
“The Apostle to the English”

“O strong love of God!
I really think, nothing seems impossible,
to one who loves. O happy soul
which has obtained this peace, from its God! ”

St Teresa of Jesus of Avila (1515-1582)
Carmelite Reformer

“You must choose – is it better
that there should be thorns in your garden,
in order to have roses,
or that there should be no roses
in your garden,
in order to have no thorns?”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

“Prayer is the inner bath of love
into which the soul plunges itself.”

St Jean-Marie Baptiste Vianney (1786-1859)

Posted in JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, The FLIGHT into EQYPT, The HOLY FAMILY, THE HOLY FAMILY - FAMILIAE SANCTAE, The HOLY INFANCY

Thought for the Day – 21 January – “The Return Home”

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

Meditations for Christmastide
“The Holy Infancy”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

“The Return Home”

+1. At length , when it seemed as if God had almost forgotten His well-beloved Son, the summons came to return to the land of Israel An Angel appeared to Joseph with the welcome news – those who had sought the life of Jesus were dead and, therefore, they might go back in safety.
Those who are willing to wait, are sure to obtain their desires. It is impatience and the restless desire for immediate relief which leads to so many disappointments. In the things of God, as in all else, it is those who wait, who win.

+2. How full of joy were the hearts of Joseph and Mary as they neared, once more, their native land! Like all the Saints, they had an intense love for their Country , their people and their home.
Holy indifference does not mean that we have no natural affections for kindred and for fatherland,but that, those affections are entirely subordinate to the Will of God .

+3. If the people of Egypt knew not that their God was dwelling among them, they did know that they had, had amongst them, those who were the special friends of God. Mary and Joseph had endeared themselves to all around by their gentleness, charity, patience courtesy, humility, and thoughtful kindness to all.
To these then, how terrible a grief was the departure of the Holy Family.
Do I endear myself to those among whom I live?

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, In the PRESENCE of GOD, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, The IMITATION of CHRIST, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

Quote/s of the Day – 21 January – You too, then, have faith – it is He, the Bridegroom!

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Quote/s of the Day – 21 January – St Agnes (c 291- c 304) Virgin and Martyr –

“And He said to them:
Why are you troubled and why
do thoughts arise in your hearts?”
Luke 24:38

“Christ is truly the Word,
the Only-begotten Son equal to the Father,
united to a truly human soul
and a real body, clean of all sin.
This is the Body which died,
the Body which rose again,
this Body was fastened to the Cross,
this Body laid in the tomb,
this Body is seated in the Heavens.
Our Lord wished to persuade His disciples
that what they were seeing was truly bone and flesh…
Why did He want to convince me of this truth?
Because He knew, just how much it was to my own good,
to have faith in it and how much
I had to lose, if I did not.
You too, then, have faith – it is He, the Bridegroom!”

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

“Behold, the Bridegroom is coming,
go forth to meet Him!”
Matthew 25:6

“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)

(The Spiritual Espousals, Prologue)

“Come, O come, for without Thee,
there will be no happy day,
or hour because Thou art my happiness
and without Thee, my table is empty.
I am wretched, as it were, imprisoned
and weighted down with fetters,
until Thou fills me
with the Light of Thy Presence,
restore me to liberty
and show me a friendly Countenance.”

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

(Imitation of Christ, Book 3 Ch 21:1,4-6)

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, ONE Minute REFLECTION, OUR Cross, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HOLY CROSS, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The REDEMPTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 21 January – ‘ … Keep going, persevere, bear and accept this delay and you have carried His Cross!’ … – (Matthew 25:10)

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One Minute Reflection – 21 January – “The Month of the Holy Name of Jesus and the Holy Family” – St Agnes (c 291- c 304) Virgin and Martyr – Ecclesiasticus 51:1-8, 12; Matthew 25:1-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“ … The Bridegroom came and they, who were ready, went in with Him … ” – Matthew 25:10

REFLECTION – “In this world, which is to say, in the Church, wholly following Christ, He says to all of us: “Whoever wishes to come after Me must deny himself.” This command is not being directed to virgins but not married women, to widows but not wives, to Monks but not husbands, to Priests but not laity. It is the whole Church, the whole Body of Christ with all its members, differentiated and divided according to their proper functions which is, to follow Christ. May she wholly follow Him, she who is one alone, the dove, the bride (Sg 6:9); may she follow Him, she who has been redeemed and endowed with the Blood of her Bridegroom. Virginal purity has its place here; the continence of widows has its place here; wedded chastity has its place here…

These members who have their place here should follow Christ, each according to their category, each according to their status, each after its fashion. Let them deny themselves, that is to say, let them not rely on themselves. Let them carry their cross that is to say, bear, for Christ’s sake in the world, all that the world inflicts on them. May they love Him, He, the Only One, Who never deceives or is deceived, the Only One ,Who is not mistaken. May they love Him because, what He promises is true. Yet because, He does not give it to us now, our faith falters. Keep going, persevere, bear and accept this delay and you have carried His Cross!” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (Sermon 96:9)

PRAYER – Almighty, eternal God, Thou Who choose the weak things of the world to confound the strong, mercifully grant that we, who are celebrating the feast of blessed Agnes, Thy Virgin and Martyr, may reap the benefit ofher patronal intercession with Thee. 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 Holy Name PRAYERS, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, PRAYERS of PETITION, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The HOLY NAME, Thomas a Kempis

Our Morning Offering – 21 January – The Love of Thy Name

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Our Morning Offering – 21 January – “The Month of the Holy Name of Jesus and the Holy Family”

The Love of Thy Name
By Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)
The Imitation of Christ
(Book 3 Ch 26:1-4)

My God, Sweetness beyond words,
make bitter all the carnal comfort
which draws me from love of the eternal
and lures me to its evil self,
by the sight of some delightful good
in the present.
Let it not overcome me, my God.
Let not flesh and blood conquer me.
Let not the world and its brief glory
deceive me, nor the devil trip me by his craftiness.
Give me courage to resist,
patience to endure
and constancy to persevere.
Give me the soothing unction of Thy spirit,
rather than all the consolations of the world
and in place of carnal love,
infuse into me,
the love of Thy Name.
Amen

Posted in JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on POVERTY, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, The FLIGHT into EQYPT, The HOLY FAMILY, THE HOLY FAMILY - FAMILIAE SANCTAE, The HOLY INFANCY, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 20 January – “The Long Waiting”

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

Meditations for Christmastide
“The Holy Infancy”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

“The Long Waiting”

+I. For seven long years the Holy Family remained in the land of Egypt . From day-to-day, they knew not whether they were to spend all their days in banishment, far from the dear land of Israel, or to return thither it might be on the morrow; yet, no shade of impatience ever marred the perfection of their peace and resignation to the Will of God.
How different from myself, who am oftentimes so anxious and troubled about the future!

+2. During all this time, St Joseph supported his holy spouse and the Divine Infant Jesus, by working at his trade of a carpenter. They often felt the pinch of poverty but never wanted for bread.
God forsakes not His own, though He sometimes tries them to the very edge of their powers of endurance. He will not forsake me if I put my trust in Him.

+3. How little the people of Egypt knew Who it was Who dwelt ,for these long years, amongst them! If they had known it , they would eagerly have cast aside their idols , and thrown themselves at the feet of the King of Heaven and Earth.
So, if those outside the Catholic Church knew that on every Altar God Himself dwells in the Blessed Sacrament how they would come in crowds to make their humble submission to Him!
Hence teach the great charity to those outside the Church of Christ. It is often ignorance, not malice whicht stands in the way of their conversion.

Posted in HOLY COMMUNION, In the PRESENCE of GOD, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on Will (Sensual or Inferior), The HOLY FAMILY, THE HOLY FAMILY - FAMILIAE SANCTAE, The HOLY INFANCY

Thought for the Day – 19 January – “The Arrival in Egypt”

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

Meditations for Christmastide
“The Holy Infancy”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

“The Arrival in Egypt”

+1. At length they reached the spot which God designed for their sojourn in a land full of idols and idolaters. What uncongenial surroundings for the Holy Family, alone in the midst of those who worshipped a false god!
So many a Catholic has to dwell in a most uncongenial atmosphere – perhaps among heretics, or bad Catholics, or those whose words and looks and actions continually jar and cause pain. Patience! Jesus and Mary know, by experience, what such have to suffer!

+2. When the Holy Family arrived in Egypt, in the Town where they came to dwell, all the idols in the temples fell prostrate to the ground and were shattered into pieces. Thus, when Christ comes to dwell within the soul, all that opposes itself to God is destroyed by His Sacred Presence. If Jesus dwells with us , we shall no longer allow pride, envy, bitterness, self-will, discontent, to reign in our hearts.

+3. The presence of the Holy Family in Egypt hallowed the spot where they sojourned. In early Christian times it was covered with the cells of the Monks and Hermits. Thus Jesus always leaves a blessing behind Him.
When He comes to me in Holy Communion, if only I put no obstacle in the way my soul will flourish with virtues and good works, as the effect of His Presence.

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on WATCHING, The FLIGHT into EQYPT, The HOLY INFANCY

Thought for the Day – 18 January – “The Perils of the Way”

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

Meditations for Christmastide
“The Holy Infancy”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

“The Perils of the Way”

+1. Out into the darkness of the night went Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
Can these homeless wanderers really be the three whose value in the eyes of Heaven, made all the rest of the world insignificant as a grain of sand, compared with a Cntinent? Yes, this is God’s way of treating those whom He loves best!
Herod , in his luxurious palace, is feasting and revelling in luxury and ease whilst Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are outcasts from their home, shivering in the cold and stormy night.
How foolish then,, to desire ease and comfort or to regret the hardships and disagreeable event which befall me!

+2. Whither were they going To Egypt, along an unknown road to a distant and idolatrous Country; not knowing the way, not knowing how they should find subsistence from day to day.
What was the trial of Abraham compared with this? He went forth with an escort of servants and camels and with tents and a store of good things for the way; the Divine Son of God and His Parents, empty -handed and alone. Compassionate the Holy Family in their sufferings along the way.

+3. What were those sufferings?
Often, they knew not where to lay their heads and had to sleep under the starry sky. Often, they had to beg their bread. Sometimes, they were in danger from the rough bandits who infested the road. Sometimes, the wild beasts howled around them.
This is a model of the life of the Christian – sometimes, deprived of all spiritual sustenance and of all human consolation; sometimes, fiercely attacked by men, sometimes, by evil passions and the rage of Satan; yet, always safe under the watchful care of God!
[Amen – thank be to Thee my God!]

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, St JOSEPH, The DIVINE INFANT, The FLIGHT into EQYPT, The HOLY INFANCY

Thought for the Day – 17 January – “Joseph’s Obedience”

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

Meditations for Christmastide
“The Holy Infancy”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

“Joseph’s Obedience”

+1. No such questioning as we have supposed in our previous meditation ever occurred to St Joseph’s mind. His duty, his pleasure, was to hear and to obey. Not a moment did he lose. He roused his virgin-spouse and told her what they had to do and ere morning dawned, they had left Bethlehem far behind.

+2. Yet there was no hurry or bustle or undue haste in the preparations they made; no rushing to and fro, no impatience, not a movement but such as was calm and deliberate, modest and dignified. It is one of the marks of sanctity to have thus, under control, every look and every
action.
How can I stand this test When time presses, or my indignation is aroused, or my patience tried, am I gentle and peaceful and calm?

+3. Observe, moreover, how there is not a single word of complaint or of grumbling, no expression of annoyance or word of mutual commiseration. Each seeks to lighten the work of the other. How cheerful both Mary and Joseph
are Almost joyous. It is a trial; yes but, more for the sake of the Divine Child than for their own. Even the thought of what Jesus may have to suffer never destroys their peace.
O happy Joseph! O blessed Mary! make me more like
youselves!

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, Holy Name PRAYERS, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, Our MORNING Offering, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE, The HOLY NAME, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, THEOLOGICAL

Our Morning Offering – 17 January – Sweet Jesus, Thy Name is Joy By St Anthony of Padua

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 17 January – “The Month of the Holy Name of Jesus and the Holy Family”

Sweet Jesus, Thy Name is Joy
By St Anthony of Padua OFM (1195-1231)
Doctor of the Church

Sweet Jesus,
is there anything sweeter than Thee?
To remember Thee is more delightful
than everything else.
Thy Name is joy – it is the true
Gate of our Salvation.
What else are Thou, Jesus,
if not our Saviour?
Be our Redeemer.
Give us the virtues of hope and love,
just as Thou hast given us faith,
our primary joy.
Give us the words which we need
to praise Thee always.
With the help and through the prayers
of Thy Mother.
Thou who art blessed throughout the ages.
Amen

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, THE EPIPHANY of the LORD, The HOLY INFANCY

Thought for the Day – 15 January – “Herod’s Vengeance”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

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

Meditations for Christmastide
“The Holy Infancy”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

“Herod’s Vengeance”

+1. When Herod found that the Magi did not return with the information respecting the King Whom they were seeking, he became uneasy.
The plan he had cunningly devised had come to naught; the rival Monarch seemed likely to escape his hands.
One day perhaps he or his children, would be dethroned by Him. O empty fears! That little Child seeks no worldly honour; He will not interfere with any earthly monarch.
The secret fear which destroys the peace of unscrupulous men is often as empty as Herod’s. The terrors they suffer are the just rewards of their evil deeds. How often I have been anxious and troubled because my pride could not brook being humbled!

+2. But Herod was utterly unscrupulous, as well as ambitious. There was one way in which he could secure his end. By putting to death all the young children in the country around Bethlehem, he would compass the death of this Royal Child Who threatened his safety.
Pride and ambition not only blind men but make them utterly indifferent to the sufferings of others and the laws of right and wrong.
I, too, have often recklessly made others suffer to gratify myself and carry out my own selfish ends!

+3. When Herod came to die, how awful must have been the terrors of his guilty conscience!
The blood of those children slaughtered at his command had long cried out to Heaven for vengeance. Each one of them added to his remorse and eternal misery in hell.
If evil men could foresee the consequences to themselves of the sins they commit, they would dread sin, even venial sin, far more than any earthly misery they could suffer.

P.S: This King Herod I died in a most awful manner. Modern research believes he suffered from chronic kidney disease complicated by a very gruesome and uncomfortable case of maggot-infested gangrene of the genitals.

“[21] And upon a day appointed, Herod being arrayed in kingly apparel, sat in the judgement seat and made an oration to them. [22] And the people made acclamation, saying: It is the voice of a god and not of a man. [23] And forthwith an Angel of the Lord struck him because he had not given the honour to God and being eaten up by worms, he gave up the ghost.”

In Acts 12:1-7 we read of this same Herod killing St James, the brother of St John and the first of the Apostles to be Martyred and then he, Herod, wishing to impress the Jews, went on to arrest St Peter. But the Lord released St Peter from his chains – which chains may now be venerated at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The DIVINE INFANT, THE EPIPHANY of the LORD, The HOLY INFANCY

Thought for the Day – 14 January –“The Magi Return Home”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 14 January – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations for Christmastide
“The Holy Infancy”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

“The Magi Return Home”

+1. Before the Magi left Jerusalem for Bethlehem, Herod had enjoined them that they should return and tell him where the newborn King of the Jews was to be found , declaring that he, too, desired to come and adore Him.
Hypocrite and treacherous liar he was, his real object was to destroy his supposed rival. He made no scruple of planning the murder of One Who might possibly supplant him.
Those who love worldly honour are always unscrupulous. It has the power of blinding the eyes and deadening the conscience and making men esteem evil as good and good as evil!

+2. The Magi seem to have been deceived by Herod’s fair, words and to have promised to return with the information he desired.
Good men are always trustful and lacking in suspicion of evil. We all judge others by ourselves. If you want to know your own characte, ask yourself whether your judgement of others is a charitable or uncharitable one.

+3. When the Magi had completed their visit to Bethlehem, they prepared to return to Herod.
But an Angel warned them to avoid the City where he dwelt and to go back to their own Country by some other way.
We need never fear lest our charitable judgements should do harm. God will provide against this. It is our harsh and severe judgements which are productive of so much evil to ourselves and others .

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The DIVINE INFANT, THE EPIPHANY of the LORD, The HOLY INFANCY, The INCARNATION

Thought for the Day – 13 January – “Their Gifts (3) Myrrh”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 13 January – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations for Christmastide
“The Holy Infancy”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

“Their Gifts (3) Myrrh”

+1. Myrrh is the herb used most often for embalming. It has the power to prevent corruption and preserve the purity and freshness of the body with which it is in contact. It was offered to Our Lord as a testimony, not only of the perfect and unsullied purity of those to whom He is united, by the bonds of charity but too, in evidence of the power of His Sacred Body, to save from corruption, those who partake of it in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar.

+2. Thus Myrrh was offered to Our Lord as possessing a truly Human Body, as truly Man and too, truly God.
We must never lose sight of this fact of Christ’s Humanity, in which, He has all the sympathy and interest, in all concerning us, all His desire to help us, all His wisdom, prudence, patience, appreciation of our griefs and sorrows and all this, to a degree, compared with which, our best friend on earth does not deserve the name.
Why do I not have recourse to Him more frequently?

+3. Myrrh is too, the symbol of mortification.
If our bodies are to be pure, we must mortify our evil desires and give up that which is very attractive to our lower nature.
If we desire great purity of heart, we must mortify ourselves in things lawful and deny ourselves even that which we might enjoy without sin. Do I do this?