Our Morning Offering – 24 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary” and the Feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians/Auxilium Christianorum
Most Holy Virgin Mary, Help of Christians By St John Bosco (1815-1888)
Most Holy Virgin Mary, Help of Christians, how sweet it is to come to thy feet imploring thy perpetual help. If earthly mothers cease not to remember their children, how can thou, the most loving of all mothers, forget me? Grant then to me, I implore thee thy perpetual help in all my necessities, in every sorrow and especially in all my temptations. I ask for thy unceasing help for all who are now suffering. Help the weak, cure the sick, convert sinners. Grant through thy intercession, many vocations to the religious life. Obtain for us, O Mary, Help of Christians, that having invoked thee on earth we may love and eternally thank thee in Heaven. Amen
Thought for the Day – 21 May – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Holy Purity
“Most Pure Virgin, Immaculate Mother of God, thou sees how many dangers and snares surround my soul. Thou sees how weak I am and how much I need thy help. Assist me, I beseech thee when I am tempted. Gran, I cry unto thee, that I may die in the state of grace, rather than fall into sin. Amen”
Thought for the Day – 20 May – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Mary, the Source of Holiness
“Mary, my Mother, you are all-holy. You gave Jesus to us and received from Him the Role of Mediatrix of His graces. Ask of your Divine Son that we may always be able to avoid the slightest trace of sin and to devote all our thoughts, affections and actions to becoming holy. Amen.”
Quote/s of the Day –20 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary” and the Memorial of St Bernadine of Siena OFM (1380-1444) “Apostle of the Most Holy Name of Jesus,” Confessor
“You must know that when you ‘hail’ Mary, she immediately greets you! Do not think that she is one of those rude women of whom there are so many, on the contrary, she is utterly courteous and pleasant. If you greet her, she will answer you right away and converse with you!”
“The Name of God is Awesome! in it is found the ardour of the flame which consumes, the wrath which chastises, the weight which crushes – but, all these things have been tempered in the wellspring of Mercy by Jesus Christ, Who was smitten with love for us in the womb of the Virgin Mary.”
Thought for the Day – 19 May – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary” Mary, the Source of Peace
“If we wish to possess this true peace, which only God can give, we must control and regulate the movements of our passions when they rebel against the soul. In other words, as St Augustine says, our lower appetites must obey our reason and this, in its turn, must be subject to its author, God! (De Serm. Domini, 1,2). Real peace can only come to us as the result of the hard and constant labour of subordinating our passions to right reason and our reason to God. “And this is the peace,” Augustine writes, “which God gives on earth, to men of goodwill; this is the most perfect wisdom ” (Ibid).
We have found, from sad experience, that sin and the free play of the passions, cannot give us real peace because “there is no peace for the wicked” (Is 48:22). When, by the grace of God and the assistance of Our Lady, we have subdued our rebellious inclinations, it is necessary for us to go further and abandon ourselves completely into the hands of God, asking Him for a spirit of absolute conformity to Hs Will on all occasions. This is the price which we must pay to enjoy the peace which the world cannot give and which God gives only to those who do His Holy Will in all things (Cf Jn 14:27).
It may seem that the way to acquire this peace is very difficult but, there is no other way. Let us pray to Our Lady. She has won peace and victory for the Church on many occasions; for example, against the Turks at Lepanto in 1571 and at Vienna in 1683. In the same way, she will obtain for us, her children, interior peace of soul, the greatest treasure which we can possess on earth!”
Our Morning Offering – 17 May – The Vigil of the Ascension
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 Jesu, 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.
It’s 1 May Let us Rejoice in our Mother Mary! The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary
“Bright Mother of our Maker, Hail! Thou Virgin ever blest, the Ocean’s Star by which we sail and gain the port of rest!” (Anonymous 8th Century Latin Hymn)
The May Magnificat By Gerard Manley Hopkins SJ (1844-1889)
May is Mary’s month and I Muse at that and wonder why: Her feasts follow reason, Dated due to season-
Candlemas, Lady Day: But the Lady Month, May, Why fasten that upon her, With a feasting in her honour? Ask of her, the mighty Mother: Her reply puts this other Question: What is Spring? Growth in everything- All things rising, all things sizing Mary sees, sympathising With that world of good, Nature’s motherhood.
Well but there was more than this: Spring’s universal bliss Much, had much to say To offering Mary May.
Visits to the Altar of Our Lady On the Love of Mary for Her Children (Imprimatur, 1867)
Mary loves us because we are her children. A loving and tender Mother is never wearied by the importunities of her little ones and Mary, who is the most loving and tender of all mothers, will never weary of hearing and answering our petitions. The one great thing that she desires, for all her children is that they should become like her Son Jesus. He is the only Child who never disobeyed her or grieved her. It is for His love that she loves us. How great must be His love for us, when He inspires Mary with such a love! The best return we can make Him is to have a perfect trust and confidence in His Blessed Mother. Those who are not devout to Mary cannot really understand the great Mystery of the Incarnation and do not love Jesus as they should – for, if they loved Him, they would love His Mother too, even a tiny bit as much as He loves her.
Let us try, then, during this Month of May, to become more like Jesus. Let us consider what spiritual grace we need most, in order to attain this great end and let us ask it with confidence everyday. Let us also try to induce others, to honour Mary, by special devotion to her during this most beautiful month.
Let Me Love Your Jesus By St Ildephonsus (c 607-670)
Virgin Mary, hear my prayer, through the Holy Spirit, you became the Mother of Jesus, from the Holy Spirit, may I too have Jesus. Through the Holy Spirit, your flesh conceived Jesus, through the same Spirit, may my soul receive Jesus. Through the Holy Spirit, you were able to know Jesus, to possess Jesus and to bring Him into the world. Through the Holy Spirit, may I too come to know your Jesus. Imbued with the Spirit, Mary, you could say “I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to your word,” in the Holy Spirit, lowly as I am, let me proclaim the great truths about Jesus. In the Spirit, you now adore Jesus as Lord and look on Him as Son, in the same Spirit, Mary, let me love your Jesus. Amen
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 Morning Offering – 26 April – “The Month of the Resurrection”
May We Confess Your Name to the End By St Cyprian of Carthage (200-258) Bishop and Martyr Apostolic Father of the Church
Good God, may we confess Your Name to the end. May we emerge unmarked and glorious from the traps and darkness of this world. As You have bound us together, by charity and peace and as together, we have persevered under persecution, so may we also rejoice together in Your Heavenly Kingdom. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 21 April – “The Month of the Resurrection” – The Memorial of St Anselm (1033-1109) Bishop, Confessor Magnificent and Marian Doctor of the Church
Complete Us, O Lord Jesus Christ By St Anselm (1033-1109) Magnificent and Marian Doctor of the Church
O Lord Jesus Christ, our Redemption and our Salvation, we praise You and give You thanks. Although we are unworthy of Your benefits and cannot offer to You, the devotion You deserve, let Your loving-kindness complete whatever our weakness tries to do. Before You, O Lord, we lay all our desires and whatever our heart rightly wishes, it is because of Your gifts. Help us to love You as You command. Do not let Your gifts be unfruitful in us. Complete what You have begun, give what You have made us desire, convert our lukewarmness into fervent love of You, for the glory of Your Holy Name. Amen.
One Minute Reflection – 20 April – “The Month of the Resurrection” –Feria Day, Thursday 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.” – John 20:28
REFLECTION – “Thomas said: “Unless I see the mark of the nails in His Hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into His Side, I will not believe.” What an astonishing hardness of heart on this disciple’s part: not even the witness of so many of the brethren, nor even the sight of their joy, were enough to give him faith. Yet, the Lord appeared to take care of him. The good Shepherd does not allow the loss of His sheep (Mt 18:12) having said to His Father: “Thou gave them to me and none of them was lost” (Jn 17:6.12). Let the shepherds learn, then, what care they should show towards their sheep, since the Lord came for a single one. Any care and labour are a small thing, compared with the importance of one soul…
“Put your finger here and see My Hands, and bring your hand and put it into My Side, and do not be unbelieving but believe.” O blessed hand that penetrated the secrets of the Heart of Christ! What riches did they not find in it? It was while resting on this Heart that John drew out the Mysteries of Heaven (Jn 13:25), while penetrating It that Thomas found great treasures – what a wonderful school which forms such disciples! Thanks to this Heart, the former expressed marvellous things, higher than the stars, concerning the Divinity when he said: “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God” (Jn 1:1). And the latter, touched by the Light of Truth, cried out this sublime cry: “My Lord and my God!” – St Thomas of Villanova OSA (1486-1555) Hermit of Saint Augustine, Bishop (Sermon for Low Sunday (in Homiliarius Breviarii Romani).
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, unto all Thy servants that they may remain continually in the enjoyment of soundness, both of mind and body and, by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, always a Virgin, may be delivered from present sadness and enter into the joy of Thine eternal gladness. 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).
Our Morning Offering – 19 April – Feria Day, Wednesday in the Second Week of Easter
How Great is Your Goodness, Lord! By Archbishop Baldwin of Canterbury (c 1125-1190)
How great is Your goodness, Lord, Who does not shrink from letting Your servant, place You upon his heart! How great my own worth, since You have chosen me to have part in Yours, to have You abiding in me, to love You as You deserve, above myself. Lord, take from me this hard heart and give me a new, clean heart of flesh and blood. You Who make my heart pure, take possession of mine and make it Your home. Hold it and fill it, You, Who are higher than my topmost height, more inward than my inward being. You, the Seal of Holiness, Beauty of beauties, engrave on my heart, Your Image and the imprint of Your mercy. Be, O God, my eternal love and my inheritance. Amen
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.”
John 20:28
“Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?”
Matthew 20:22
“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!”
St Catherine of Sienna (1347-1380) Doctor of the Church
“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.”
One Minute Reflection – 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/
“Thomas answered and said to Him: My Lord and my God.” – John 20:28
REFLECTION – “ Why did Thomas seek proof for his faith in this way? … Your love, my brethren, would have preferred it, if lack of faith had left no-one in doubt after the Resurrection. But Thomas bore the uncertainty, not only of his own heart but of all people. And since he was to preach the Resurrection to the gentiles, he sought out, like a good workman, what he would base a Mystery on which demands so much faith. And the Lord showed all the Apostles what Thomas had sought so late. “Jesus came … and showed them His Hands and His Side” (Jn 20:19-20). Indeed, the Person Who entered when the doors were shut, might have been taken for a spirit, by the disciples, if he had not been able to show them that it was none other than He, the Wounds being the mark of His Passion.
Then He came to Thomas and said to him: ”Put your hand in My Side and do not be unbelieving but believe. May the Wounds you are opening make faith flow into the whole world once more, those Wounds which have already poured out the water of Baptism and the Blood of Redemption.” (Jn 19:34). Thomas replied: “My Lord and my God!” Let unbelievers come and hear and, as our Lord said, let them no longer be doubters but believers. Thomas makes known and declares that this is not just a human Body but that, by the Passion of His Body of Flesh, Christ is God and Lord. He Who comes out alive from death and Who rises out of His woundedness is God indeed!” – St Peter Chrysologus (406-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 84).
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God that we, who have celebrated the Paschal Feast, may, by Thy bounty, retain its fruits in our daily habits and behaviour. 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 – 16 April – “The Month of the Resurrection” – Low Sunday, The Octave Day of Easter – 1 John 5:4-10, John 20. 19-31 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“We have seen the Lord.” – John 20:25
REFLECTION – “While hiding in a house, the Apostles see Christ; He entered, all the doors being shut. But Thomas, who was absent at that time… shuts his ears and wants to open his eyes… He bursts out with his incredulity, hoping, in this way, his desire will be answered. “My doubts are not going to disappear until I see Him,” he says. “I shall put my finger in the marks of the nails and embrace this Lord of mine Whom I long for so much. Let Him reproach my lack of faith but let Him satisfy me with sight of Him. For now, I am unbelieving but, when I see Him, I shall believe. I shall believe when I clasp Him in my arms and gaze on Him. I wish to see the holes in those Hands which have healed the hands of Adam’s wrongdoing. I wish to see the Side which cast out death from mankind’s side. I wish, be my own witness, to see the Lord and another’s testimony is not enough for me. Your tales aggravate my impatience. The joyful news you bring does nothing but stir up my turmoil. I shall not be cured of this sickness, unless I touch its medicine with my own hands.”
The Lord appeared again and dispelled both the sadness and the doubt of His disciple. What am I saying? He did not dispel his doubts, he fulfilled his expectation! He entered, all the doors being shut!” – Basil of Seleucia (Died c468) Archbishop (Sermon for the Resurrection).
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we, who have celebrated the Paschal Feast, may, by Thy bounty, retain its fruits in our daily habits and behaviour. 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).
Our Morning Offering – 16 April – Low Sunday, The Octave Day of Easter – “The Month of the Resurrection”
At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing By Robert Campbell (1814-1868) Scottish Catholic Convert, Hymnist
At the Lamb’s high feast we sing Praise to our victorious King, Who hath washed us in the tide Flowing from His pierced side. Praise we Him, Whose love Divine, Gives His Sacred Blood for wine, Gives His Body for the feast, Christ the Victim, Christ the Priest.
Where the Paschal Blood is poured, Death’s dark Angel sheathes his sword Israel’s hosts triumphant go Through the wave that drowns the foe. Praise we Christ, Whose Blood was shed, Paschal Victim, paschal Bread. With sincerity and love Eat we manna from above.
Mighty Victim from the sky! Hell’s fierce powers beneath Thee lie; Thou hast conquer’d in the fight, Thou hast brought us Life and Light. Now no more can death appal, Now no more the grave enthral. Thou hast opened paradise, And in Thee Thy saints shall rise.
Easter triumph, Easter joy, Sin alone can this destroy; From sin’s power do Thou set free Souls new-born, O Lord, in Thee. Hymns of glory and of praise, Risen Lord, to Thee we raise. Holy Father, praise to Thee, With the Spirit, ever be.
One Minute Reflection – 15 April – “The Month of the Resurrection” – Easter Saturday – 1 Peter 2:1-10, John 20:1-9 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“This is the day which the Lord has made: let us be glad and rejoice therein.” – Psalm 117:24.
REFLECTION – “The Sun of Justice (Mal 3:20) which had disappeared for three days, today rises and shines on the whole creation. Christ was in the tomb for three days but He existed before the ages! He comes up like a vine and fills the earth with joy. Let us behold the Rising Sun which will never set, let us anticipate the day and be filled with the joy of this Light!
The gates of Hell have been broken by Christ, the dead awake from sleep. Christ rises, He, the Resurrection of the dead and comes to awaken Adam. Christ, the Resurrection of all who have died, rises and comes to free Eve from malediction. Christ rises, He Who is the Resurrection and He transforms, in all its beauty, what had “no stately bearing to make us look at Him” (Is 53:2). As a sleeper, the Lord awoke and confounded all the deceitfulness of the enemy. He was raised and gave joy to the whole creation; He was raised and the prison-house of Hell was emptied; He was raised and transformed, what is corruptible into incorruptibility (1 Cor 15:53). The Risen Christ clothed Adam with incorruptibility, his original dignity.
Today, through Christ, the Church becomes a new heaven (Apoc 21:1), a more beautiful vault to contemplate, than the visible sun. The sun which we see everyday, cannot compare with this Sun – as a servant filled with respect, it eclipsed before Him, when it saw Him hanging on the Cross (Mt 27:45). It is of this Sun that the prophet said: “For you, who fear My Name, there will arise the Sun of Justice with its healing rays” (Mal 3:20)…Through Him, Christ, the Sun of Justice, the Church becomes a beautiful heaven filled with a multitude of stars which emerge from the Baptismal waters in their new Light. “This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad” (Ps 117:24), filled with the joy that comes from God.” – St Epiphanius of Salamis (?-403) Bishop
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, O Almighty God that we, who have devoutly kept the Easter solemnities, may at last worthily pass from keeping Feasts, unto Thee here below, to the everlasting jubilation above. 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).
Our Morning Offering – 14 April – “The Month of the Resurrection”
Easter Prayer of Praise By St Gregory the Great (540-604) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church
It is only right, with all the powers of our heart and mind, to praise Thee Father and Thine Only-Begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Dear Father, by Thy wondrous condescension of Loving-Kindness toward us, Thy servants, Thou gave us Thy Son. Dear Jesus Thou paid the debt of Adam for us, to the Eternal Father by Thy Blood poured forth in Loving-Kindness. Thou cleared away the darkness of sin by Thy magnificent and radiant Resurrection. Thou broke the bonds of death and rose from the grave as a Conqueror. Thou reconciled Heaven and earth. Our life had no hope of Eternal Happiness before Thou Redeemed us. Thy Resurrection has washed away our sins, restored our innocence and brought us joy. How inestimable is the tenderness of Thy Love! Amen
Thought for the Day – 12 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Resurrection
“Our resurrection must begin in this life, however. Day-by-day, we must work hard for our spiritual resurrection. We should give this matter our special attention during Paschal time.
Our resurrection must be real and not apparent, like that of many people who celebrate Easter without any sincere intention of changing their lives. It should not be imperfect like that of Lazarus (Cf Jn 11:43) who rose for a while and died again but, perfect, like that of Jesus, over Whom death no longer has dominion (Cf Rom 6:9).
In other words, we must rise never again to die to sin which is the real death of the soul. We must rise also, to ascend higher and higher on the way of perfection and to carry out Our Lord’s command: “You, therefore, are to be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48).”
The Greatest Story Ever Told The Greatest Easter Painting Ever Made!
“Look into Peter’s wide open eyes and John’s intense gaze. Their eyes contain a mix of anxiousness and hope, the way a parent or grandparent’s eyes look at the news of an impending birth. A new life is about to emerge but there is still uncertainty because it is a mystery beyond full human comprehension or control. Peter and John’s faces capture the same sense of anticipation. Burnand created a sparse, simple painting capturing two of the most important players in the greatest story ever told. Meditate upon their faces, as Burnand intended you to do and through them, discover the empty tomb.” (Elisabeth Ehrhard-Crises Magazine).
One Minute Reflection – 12 April – “The Month of the Resurrection” – Easter Wednesday – Acts 3:13-15; 3:17-19, John 21:1-14 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“ Simon Peter, when he heard that it was the Lord, girt his coat about him (for he was naked) and cast himself into the sea.. …” – John 21:7
REFLECTION – “The disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter: ‘It is the Lord!’” The one who loved was the first to see! love casts a keener sight over everything; whosoever loves, always feels with greater vivacity. … What difficulty made Peter’s spirit so slow and prevented him from recognising Jesus first, as he had already done? Where is that unique witness which caused him to exclaim: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God?” (Mt 16:16) Where is it? Peter had entered the house of Caiaphas, the high priest, where he had heard the whispering of a servant without difficulty, yet, he delayed to acknowledge his Lord!?
“When he heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic, for he had nothing on.” How odd, my brethren! … Peter gets into the boat without anything on and jumps into the sea fully clothed!? … Those who are guilty always cover themselves, so as to disguise themselves. Like Adam, then, Peter wants to hide his nakedness after his sin; the two of them, before fishing, were only clothed with a holy nakedness. “He put on his tunic and jumped into the sea.” He was hoping that the sea would wash the dirty garment that was his betrayal. He jumped into the sea because he, who had been entrusted with the greatest responsibilities (Mt 16:18) wanted to be the first to return. He girded himself with his tunic because he was to be girded for the combat of martyrdom, according to the Lord’s words: “Another will gird you and take you where you do not want to go” (Jn 21:18). …
The others came with the boat, dragging their net full of fish. With a great deal of difficulty, they brought the Church back with them, tossed about in the winds of the world. This is what those men bore in the net of the Gospel to the Light of Heaven and which they pulled out of the deep, so as to lead it to the Lord.” – St Peter Chrysologus (c400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and “Doctor of Homilies” (Sermon 78).
PRAYER – O God, Who dost every year fill us with holy gladness through the rising of the Lord, mercifully grant that these Feast-days which we are now keeping here in time, may be to us, a means whereby, in the end, we may worthily attain unto those pleasures which are at Thy Right Hand, for evermore.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).
Quote/s of the Day –11 April – The Month of the Resurrection” – Easter Tuesday
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!!! For with thee is the fountain of life and in Thy Light, we shall see light.
Psalm 36:9
“Do we, then, regard it as a great and marvellous thing, for the Creator of all things, to bring about the resurrection of those, who have served Him with holiness, in the assurance of a good faith?… With this hope, then, let our souls be bound to Him Who is faithful, to His promises and upright in His judgements. He, Who has commanded us not to lie will much more not lie Himself. For nothing is impossible to God except lying (Jn 32:17; Lk 1:37; 6:18).” (Letter to the Corinthians, #24-28)
St Pope Clement I (c 35-c 99) Pope from about 90 to 99 Apostolic Father
“Consider that after a deluge of sorrow, of torments and of anguish, Our Saviour rose from the tomb by His own power; He came forth by His own might. Behold your dear Jesus, more triumphant than ever; behold the sign of Jonah come to pass; behold your dear Jesus alive!
With what gladness, was the company of the Apostles ravished, when they saw, once more among them, the Holy Humanity of our Saviour, raised to life again and glorious. Consider how needful it was that the kind Saviour should go and visit His disciples. Their faith, their hope, their charity were all wavering. Our Saviour came to strengthen them. “It is I, Myself, My dear disciples, see My Hands and My Feet and the Wound in My Side.” (Meditation and Conferences)
One Minute Reflection – 11 April – “The Month of the Resurrection” – Easter Tuesday – Acts 13:16; 13:26-33; Luke 24:36-47 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“And He said to them: Why are you troubled and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?” – Luke 24:38
REFLECTION –
“This Gospel passage… shows us in truth, Who the Messiah is and who the Church … that we might understand well which Bride it is that this Divine Bridegroom has chosen and Who the Bridegroom of this holy Bride is … On this page we can read their deed of espousal …
You have learned that Christ is the Word, God’s Utterance, united to a human soul and human body … Here, the disciples thought they were seeing a ghost; they did not believe that the Lord had a real body. But since the Lord understood the danger of such thoughts, He made haste to snatch them out of their hearts … “Why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at My Hands and My Feet; touch Me and see because, a ghost does not have flesh and bone, as you can see I have.” Yet you, with these same questioning thoughts, strongly oppose the rule of faith you have received …
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!
Now listen to what was said about the Bride… “The Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, is to be preached in His Name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” This is the Bride… the Church is spread all over the earth and has taken all peoples to her heart … The Apostles saw Christ and believed in what they did not see, the Church. We, on our part, see the Church; so let us believe in Jesus Christ, Whom we do not see and so, by holding onto what we see, we shall come to Him Whom, as yet, we do not see.” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop, Father and Doctor of Grace (Sermon 238).
PRAYER – O God, Who art ever multiplying the children of Thy Church, grant unto the same, Thy servants that they may lead the rest of their lives, according to this beginning, wherein Thou hast given them faith to receive the Sacrament of the New Birth. 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).
Our Morning Offering – 11 April – Easter Monday and “The Month of the Resurrection”
He is Risen, Tell the Story By Father Willard F Janusch (1930-2018)
He is risen, tell the story to the nations of the night; from their sin and from their blindness, let them walk in Easter light. Now begins a new creation, now has come our true salvation. Jesus Christ, the Son of God!
Mary goes to tell the others of the wonders she has seen; John and Peter come a’running what can all this truly mean? O Rabboni, Master holy, to appear to one so lowly! Jesus Christ, the Son of God!
He has cut down death and evil, He has conquered all despair; He has lifted from our shoulders, all the weight of anxious care. Risen Brother, now before you, we will worship and adore You. Jesus Christ, the Son of God!
Now get busy, bring the message, so that all may come to know there is hope for saint and sinner, for our God has loved us so. Ev’ry church bell is a’ringing, ev’ry Christian now is singing. Jesus Christ, the Son of God!
A Parish Priest, Seminary Professor and prolific Musician and Hymnist, Fr Willard wa Ordained in 1956 and died at the age of 88 in 2018.
Quote/s of the Day – 10 April – “The Month of the Resurrection” – Easter Monday – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“I Am the Resurrection and the Life”
John 11:25
“The Lord has turned all our sunsets into sunrises.”
St Clement of Alexandria (150-215) Father of the Church
“The people who sat in darkness, have seen a great light”
Matthew 4:16
Hymn I on the Resurrection
“Our Lord Jesus Christ Has appeared to us from the bosom of the Father. He has come and drawn us out of the shadows And enlightened us with His joyful Light.
Day has dawned for humankind, Cast out the power of darkness. For us, a Light from His Light has arisen That has enlightened our darkened eyes.
Over the world He has made His glory arise And has lit up the deepest depths. Death is no more, darkness has ended, The gates of hell are shattered.
He has illumined every creature, All the shades from times long past. He has brought about salvation and given us life; Next He will come in glory.
Our King is coming in His great glory: Let us light our lamps and go out to meet Him (Mt 25,6); Let us be glad in Him, as He has been glad in us And gives us gladness, with His glorious Light.
My friends, arise! make yourselves ready To give thanks to our Saviour King, Who will come in His glory and make us joyful With His joyous Light in the Kingdom.”
One Minute Reflection – 10 April – “The Month of the Resurrection” – Easter Monday – Acts 10:37-43, Luke 24:13-35 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“You know the word which hath been published through all Judea; for it began from Galilee …” – Acts 10:37
REFLECTION – “It is aptly said of our Redeemer that: “He is going on ahead of you into Galilee. You will see him there, as He said to you.” Galilee is interpreted: “the passing has been completed.” In truth our Redeemer had now passed from His Passion to His Resurrection, from His Death to Life, from punishment to glory, from corruption to incorruption. After His Resurrection, He was first seen by His disciples in Galilee because we will happily see the glory of His Resurrection later, if we now pass from vice to the height of virtue. There is a “passing” to be accomplished because, He, Who was proclaimed at the sepulchre, has to be seen in another place…
There were two lives. One we know about, of the other we are ignorant; One is mortal, the other immortal; One is corruptible, the other incorruptible; One ends in Death, the other in Resurrection. But the Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus (1Tim 2,5), came. He took upon Himself, the One and revealed to us, the other; the One He bore by Dying and the other He revealed by Rising. If He had promised resurrection of the body to us, who knew this mortal life but did not visibly manifest it, who would have believed His promises?” – St Gregory the Great (540-604) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church (Homilies on the Gospels 21, 6-7).
PRAYER – O God, Who dost heal the sick world by the solemn gladness of the Passover, continue, we beseech Thee, to pour forth Thine heavenly gifts upon Thy people, until the same shall bring them into perfect liberty and finally, avail them unto life everlasting .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).
Quote/s of the Day –9 April – Easter Sunday and “The Month of the Resurrection”
“O Death, where is your sting? O Hell, where is your victory? Christ is Risen and you are overthrown. Christ is Risen and the demons are fallen. Christ is Risen and the Angels rejoice. Christ is Risen and Life reigns. Christ is Risen and not one dead remains in the grave. For Christ, being Risen from the dead, is become the First Fruits of those who have fallen asleep. To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages.”
St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father & Doctor of the Church
“For Christ is our Salvation. For He is our Salvation, Who was wounded for us and fastened with nails to the Wood and taken down from the Wood and laid in the sepulchre. But He rose from the sepulchre and although His Wounds were healed, the Scars remained. For this He judged expedient for His Disciples that He should keep His Scars, to heal the wounds of their soul.”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace
“All I want to know is Christ and the power flowing from His Resurrection!”
One Minute Reflection – 8 April – Holy Saturday – The Lord’s Vigil Mass of Easter, Blessing of the Fire, Prophecies, Blessing of the Font, First Mass of Easter – Matthew 28,1-7 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“And the Angel answering, said to the women: Fear not you, for I know that you seek Jesus Who was Crucified, He is not here, for He is risen, as He said.” – Matthew 28:5-6
REFLECTION – “Every vigil celebrated in the Lord’s honour is pleasing to God and acceptable to Him but this particular Vigil more than all the rest. That is why this night, in particular, holds the title “The Lord’s Vigil.” Indeed, what we read is: “All the Israelites must keep a vigil for the Lord” (Ex 12:42). And this night, well merits the title, since the Lord awoke in life that we might not remain asleep in death. For He suffered death’s sleep for our sakes, in the Mystery of His Passion, yet this sleep of the Lord, has become the Vigil of the whole world because, the Death of Christ, has removed from us, the sleep of eternal death. He Himself says it through the prophet: “I lie down in sleep, I wake again and My sleep was sweet to me” (Ps 3:6; Jer 31:26). This sleep of Christ which we have called to mind, from the bitterness of Death to the sweetness of Life, cannot be anything but sweet.
Solomon wrote: “I sleep but my heart is awake” (Sg 5:2). These words seemingly show the Mystery of the Divinity and flesh of the Lord. He slept according to the flesh but His Divinity kept watch, since the Divinity cannot sleep… “He neither slumbers nor sleeps, the guardian of Israel” (Ps 120:4)… He slept according to the flesh but His Divinity visited hell in order to draw out the man whom it had held captive. Our Lord and Saviour desired to enter into every place to have mercy on everyone. He came down from Heaven to the earth to visit the world and again, He descended from earth to hell, to carry light to those held captive there, as spoken by the prophet: “Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom, a light has shone” (Is 9:1).
Hence Angels in Heaven, men on earth and the souls of the faithful in the dwelling place of the dead, celebrate this Vigil of the Lord… If one sinner’s repentance, as the Gospel says, gives joy to the Angels in Heaven, (Lk 15:7.10) how much more, the Redemption of the whole world?… And so, this Vigil is not just a feast for men and Angels but also for the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit because the world’s Salvation is the Trinity’s happiness!” – St Chromatius of Aquilaea (Died c407) Bishop and Father of the Church (1st Sermon for the Paschal Vigil).
PRAYER – O God, Who dost illuminate this most holy night by the glory of the Lord’s Resurrection, preserve in the new children of Thy family, the spirit of adoption which Thou hast given, that renewed in body and mind, they may render to Thee a pure service. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
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!
St Paulinus of Nola (c 354-431) Father of the Church
Faithful Cross! Above All Other By St Venantius Fortunatus (c 530 – c 609)
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 By St Bernard (1090-1153) Father & Doctor of the Church
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!”
AnaStpaul 
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