Category: CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, PAPAL Apostolic EXHORTATIONS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Marian Thoughts – 5 May – “A Calm Vision”

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Marian Thoughts – 5 May – the Month of Mary

Apostolic Exhortation of St Pope Paul VI
Marialis Cultus – 2 February 1974

To Honour Mary

Devotion to the Mother of the Lord becomes for the faithful an opportunity for growing in divine grace and this is the ultimate aim of all pastoral activity.   For it is impossible to honour her who is “full of grace” (Lk. 1:28) without thereby honouring, in oneself, the state of grace, which is friendship with God, communion with Him and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.   It is this divine grace which takes possession of the whole man and conforms him to the image of the Son of God (cf. Rom. 8:29; Col. 1:18).

The Catholic Church, endowed with centuries of experience, recognises in devotion to the Blessed Virgin a powerful aid for man as he strives for fulfilment.   Mary, the New Woman, stands at the side of Christ, the New Man, within whose mystery the mystery of man(124) alone finds true ligh,; she is given to it as a pledge and guarantee that God’s plan in Christ for the salvation of the whole man has already achieved realisation in a creature – in her.   Contemplated in the episodes of the Gospels and in the reality which she already possesses in the City of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary offers a calm vision and a reassuring word to modern man, torn as he often is between anguish and hope, defeated by the sense of his own limitations and assailed by limitless aspirations, troubled in his mind and divided in his heart, uncertain before the riddle of death, oppressed by loneliness while yearning for fellowship, a prey to boredom and disgust. She shows forth the victory of hope over anguish, of fellowship over solitude, of peace over anxiety, of joy and beauty over boredom and disgust, of eternal visions over earthly ones, of life over death.contemplated in the episodes - st paul VI- marilis cultus 5 may 2019.jpg

Let the very words that she spoke to the servants at the marriage feast of Cana, “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn. 2:5), be a seal on our Exhortation and a further reason in favour of the pastoral value of devotion to the Blessed Virgin as a means of leading men to Christ.   Those words, which at first sight were limited to the desire to remedy an embarrassment at the feast, are seen in the context of Saint John’s Gospel to re-echo the words used by the people of Israel to give approval to the Covenant at Sinai (cf. Ex. 19:8, 24:3, 7; Dt. 5:27) and to renew their commitments (cf. Jos. 24:24; Ezr. 10:12; Neh. 5:12). And they are words which harmonise wonderfully with those spoken by the Father at the theophany on Mount Tabor – “Listen to him” (Mt. 17:5

Second Reading
The Little Office of Mary
Saturdays
===============

Mater Admirabilis, Pray for us!mater-admirabilis-pray-for-us-5-may-2019.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, EASTER, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 5 May – Marian Prayer before Mass

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Our Morning Offering – 5 May – Third Sunday of Easter, Year C

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Before Holy Mass

O most blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of tenderness and mercy,
I, a miserable and unworthy sinner,
fly to you with all the affection of my heart
and I beseech your motherly love,
that, as you stood by your most dear Son,
while he hung on the Cross,
so, in your kindness,
you may be pleased to stand by me, a poor sinner,
and all Priests who today are offering the Sacrifice
here and throughout the entire holy Church,
so that with your gracious help
we may offer a worthy and acceptable oblation
in the sight of the most high and undivided Trinity.
Amen.

(This prayer is adapted from the Priests’ Prayers Before each Mass)prayer-to-the-blessed-virgin-before-mass-15-april-2018.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN Saturdays, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Marian Thought for the Day – 4 May – “Here we have the image and model of the Church!”

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Marian Thought for the Day – 4 May – “Mary’s Month”

Pope Benedict XVI

Excerpt- Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord,
Saint Peter’s Square, Saturday, 25 March 2006

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word.”…Luke 1:38luke-1-38-let-what-you-have-said-be-done-to-me-18dec2018-ourladyofexpectation.jpg

“The icon of the Annunciation, more than any other, helps us to see clearly how everything in the Church goes back to that mystery of Mary’s acceptance of the divine Word, by which, through the action of the Holy Spirit, the Covenant between God and humanity was perfectly sealed.  Everything in the Church, every institution and ministry, including that of Peter and his Successors, is “included” under the Virgin’s mantle, within the grace-filled horizon of her “yes” to God’s will. T  his link with Mary naturally evokes a strong affective resonance in all of us but first of all it has an objective value….

Everything in this world will pass away.   In eternity only Love will remain.   For this reason, … taking the opportunity offered by this favourable time …, let us commit ourselves to ensure that everything in our personal lives and in the ecclesial activity in which we are engaged is inspired by charity and leads to charity.   In this respect too, we are enlightened by the mystery that we are celebrating today.

Indeed, the first thing that Mary did after receiving the Angel’s message was to go “in haste” to the house of her cousin Elizabeth in order to be of service to her (cf. Lk 1: 39). The Virgin’s initiative was one of genuine charity, it was humble and courageous, motivated by faith in God’s Word and the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit.   Those who love, forget about themselves and place themselves at the service of their neighbour.

Here we have the image and model of the Church!”

everything-in-this-world-will-pass-away-pope-benedict-xvi-25-march-2019

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 4 May

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Our Morning Offering – 4 May – Mary’s Month and a Marian Saturday – Saturday of the Second Week of Easter

Blessed Virgin Mary, Holy Mary!
By St Augustine (354-430)
Father & Doctor of the Church

Blessed Virgin Mary,
who can worthily repay you
with praise and thanks
for having rescued a fallen world
by your generous consent!
Receive our gratitude
and by your prayers
obtain the pardon of our sins.
Take our prayers into the sanctuary of heaven
and enable them to make our peace with God.
Holy Mary,
help the miserable,
strengthen the discouraged,
comfort the sorrowful,
pray for your people,
plead for the clergy,
intercede for all women consecrated to God.
May all who venerate you
feel now, your help and protection.
Be ready to help us when we pray
and bring back to us, the answers to our prayers.
Make it your continual concern
to pray for the people of God,
for you were blessed by God
and were made worthy to bear
the Redeemer of the world,
who lives and reigns forever.
Amenblessed virgin mary, holy mary! by st augustine - 4 may 2019.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, PAPAL Apostolic EXHORTATIONS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The LITTLE OFFICE of MARY

Marian Thought – 3 May – “These virtues of the Mother will also adorn her children…”

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Marian Thoughts – May, the Month of Mary – 3 May 2019

Apostolic Exhortation of St Pope Paul VI (1897-1978)
Marialis Cultus – 2 February 1974
To Honour Mary

The Blessed Virgin’s role as Mother leads the People of God to turn with filial confidence to her who is ever ready to listen with a mother’s affection and efficacious assistance. Thus the People of God have learned to call on her as the Consoler of the afflicted, the Health of the sick and the Refuge of sinners, that they may find comfort in tribulation, relief in sickness and liberating strength in guilt.

For she, who is free from sin, leads her children to combat sin with energy and resoluteness.   This liberation from sin and evil (cf. Mt. 6:13)-it must be repeated-is the necessary premise for any renewal of Christian living.

The Blessed Virgin’s exemplary holiness encourages the faithful to “raise their eyes to Mary who shines forth before the whole community of the elect as a model of the virtues.”   It is a question of solid, evangelical virtues – faith and the docile acceptance of the Word of God, generous obedience (cf Lk. 1:38), genuine humility (cf. Lk. 1:48), solicitous charity (cf. Lk. 1:39-56), profound wisdom (cf. Lk. 1:29, 34; 2:19, 33:51), worship of God manifested in alacrity in the fulfillment of religious duties (cf. Lk. 2:21-41), in gratitude for gifts received (cf Lk. 1:46-49), in her offering in the Temple (cf. Lk. 2:22-24) and in her prayer in the midst of the apostolic community (cf. Acts 1:12-14), her fortitude in exile (cf. Mt. 2:13-23) and in suffering (cf. Lk. 2:34-35, 49; Jn. 19 25), her poverty reflecting dignity and trust in God (cf. Lk. 1:48, 2:24) her attentive care for her Son, from His humble birth to the ignominy of the cross (cf. Lk. 2:1-7; Jn. 19:25-27), her delicate forethought (cf. Jn. 2:1-11), her virginal purity (cf. Mt. 1:18-25; Lk. 1:26-38), her strong and chaste married love.

These virtues of the Mother will also adorn her children who steadfastly study her example in order to reflect it in their own lives.   And this progress in virtue, will appear as the consequence and the already mature fruit, of that pastoral zeal which springs from devotion to the Blessed Virgin.

Second Reading
The Little Office of Mary
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
=================the blessed virgin's exemplary holiness - marialis cultus stpope paul VI 3 may 2019.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 3 May – ‘O Mary’

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Our Morning Offering – 3 May – ‘Mary’s Month’ – Friday of the Second Week of Easter

O Mary
By St John Paul II (1920-2005)

O Mary, sorrowful Mother,
you are a silent witness
of these decisive moments
for the history of salvation.
Give us your eyes
so that on the face
of the crucified One,
disfigured by pain,
we may recognise
the image of
the glorious Risen One.
Help us to embrace Him
and entrust ourselves to Him,
so that we be made worthy
of His promises.
Help us to be faithful today
and throughout our lives.
Amen!o mary by st john paul - 3 may 2019 no 2.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, PAPAL Apostolic EXHORTATIONS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The LITTLE OFFICE of MARY

Marian Thoughts – “To Honour Mary” St Paul VI – 2 May 2019

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Marian Thoughts – May, the Month of Mary – 2 May 2019

Apostolic Exhortation of St Pope Paul VI (1897-1978) 
Marialis Cultus – 2 February 1974

To Honour Mary

Finally, insofar as it may be necessary, we would like to repeat that the ultimate purpose of devotion to the Blessed Virgin is to glorify God and to lead Christians, to commit themselves, to a life which is in absolute conformity with His will.   When the children of the Church unite their voices, with the voice of the unknown woman, in the Gospel and glorify the Mother of Jesus, by saying to Him:  “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that you sucked” (Lk. 11:27), they will be led to ponder the Divine Master’s serious reply:  “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Lk. 11:28)   While it is true, that this reply is, in itself, lively praise of Mary, as various Fathers of the Church interpreted it and the Second Vatican Council has confirmed, it is also an admonition to us, to live our lives in accordance with God’s commandments.   It is also an echo of other words of the Saviour:   “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Mt. 7:21); and again: “You are my friends if you do what I command you” (Jn. 15:14).

Christ is the only way to the Father (cf. Jn. 14:4-11) and the ultimate example to whom the disciple must conform his own conduct (cf. Jn. 13:15), to the extent of sharing Christ’s sentiments (cf. Phil. 2:5), living His life and possessing His Spirit (cf. Gal. 2:20; Rom. 8:10-11).   The Church has always taught this and nothing in pastoral activity should obscure this doctrine.    But the Church, taught by the Holy Spirit and benefiting from centuries of experience, recognises, that devotion to the Blessed Virgin, subordinated to worship of the divine Saviour and in connection with it, also has a great pastoral effectiveness and constitutes, a force, for renewing Christian living.

It is easy to see the reason for this effectiveness.   Mary’s many-sided mission to the People of God is a supernatural reality which operates and bears fruit within the body of the Church.   One finds cause for joy, in considering, the different aspects of this mission and seeing how each of these aspects, with its individual effectiveness, is directed towards the same end, namely, producing in the children the spiritual characteristics of the first-born Son.   The Virgin’s maternal intercession, her exemplary holiness and the divine grace which is in her, become, for the human race, a reason for divine hope.

Second Reading
The Little Office of Mary
Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday
=================the virgin's maternal intercession - st paul VI - marialis cultus 1974-2 may 2019.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, HYMNS, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The LITTLE OFFICE of MARY

Our Morning Offering – 2 May – ‘O Mary of all women’

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Our Morning Offering – 2 May “Mary’s Month” – Thursday of the Second week of Easter

Opening Hymn from the Little Office of Mary

O Mary of all women,
You are the chosen one,
Who, ancient prophets promised,
Would bear God’s only Son;
All Hebrew generations
Prepared the way to thee,
That in your womb the God-man,
Might come to set us free.

O Mary, you embody
all God taught to our race,
For you are first and foremost
In fullness of His grace;
We praise this wondrous honour
That you gave birth to Him,
Who from you took humanity
And saved us from our sin.opening-hymn-from-the-little-office-of-mary-of-mary-of-all-women-1-may-2018 (1).jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, PRACTISING CATHOLIC

The Holy Father’s Prayer Intention for MAY 2019

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The Holy Father’s
Prayer Intention for MAY 2019

Evangelisation

That the Church in Africa,
through the commitment of its members,
may be the seed of unity among her peoples
and a sign of hope for this continent.

 

holy father's prayer inetnion may 2019 1 may 2019 no 2.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, JESUIT SJ, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, POETRY, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Thought for the Day – 1 May – Devotion for May – the Month of Mary

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Thought for the Day – 1 May – Devotion for May – the Month of Mary

“God wills that all his gifts should come to us through Mary” (St Bernard)

It was in Rome, towards the end of the eighteenth century, one fine evening in May.   A child of the poor gathered his companions around him and led them to a statue of Mary, before which a lamp was burning, as is the custom in that holy city.   There, these fresh young voices sang the Litany of our Lady.   The next day, the little group, followed by other children, again gathered at the feet of the Mother of God. Next came their mothers, to join the little assembly.   Soon, other groups were formed and the devotion rapidly became popular.   Holy souls, troubled by the disorderly conduct which always increases and becomes graver at the return of the pleasant springtime, saw in these growing practices the hand of God and they co-operated with the designs of Providence by approving and promoting this new devotion, as a public and solemn act of reparation. The Month of Mary was founded….A Carthusian, A Month with Mary

“This is the month in which, in the churches and individual homes, the most affectionate and fervent homage of prayers and devotions from the hearts of Christians are raised to Mary.   It is also the month in which from His throne descend upon us the most generous and abundant gifts of the Divine Mercy.”….St Pope Paul VI, The Month of Mary,1967.

In our own times, we Catholics, wanting to be close to her always, offer her special presents in May – pilgrimages, visits to churches dedicated to her, little sacrifices in her honour, periods of study and well-finished work offered up to her and a more attentive recitation of the rosary….may-the-month-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary-1-may-2018

MARY:  THE MOTHER OF GOD
“When the Blessed Virgin said yes, freely, to the plans revealed to her by the Creator, the divine Word assumed a human nature — a rational soul and a body — which was formed in the most pure womb of Mary.   The divine nature and the human were united in a single Person – Jesus Christ, true God and, thenceforth, true man, the only begotten and eternal son of the Father and from that mo­ment on, as man, the true son of Mary.   This is why our Lady is the mother of the Incarnate Word, of the second person of the Blessed Trinity, who has united our human nature to Himself forever, without any confusion of the two natures.   The greatest praise we can give to the Blessed Virgin is to address her loudly and clearly by the name that expresses her very highest dignity: ‘Mother of God’.”

Let us offer to our Mother today:

Brief but frequent prayers of love, such as:

“Mother of God, your petitions are most powerful.”

St Josemaria Escriva – “Mother of God and Our Mother,” Friends of God, 274.

 

May Magnificat
Poem by Fr 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?

Is it only its being brighter
Than the most are must delight her?
Is it opportunest
And flowers finds soonest?

Ask of her, the mighty mother:
Her reply puts this other
Question: What is Spring?—
Growth in every thing—

Flesh and fleece, fur and feather,
Grass and greenworld all together,
Star-eyed strawberry-breasted
Throstle above her nested

Cluster of bugle blue eggs thin
Forms and warms the life within,
And bird and blossom swell
In sod or sheath or shell.

All things rising, all things sizing
Mary sees, sympathising
With that world of good,
Nature’s motherhood.

Their magnifying of each its kind
With delight calls to mind
How she did in her stored
Magnify the Lord.

Well but there was more than this:
Spring’s universal bliss
Much, had much to say
To offering Mary May.

When drop-of-blood-and-foam-dapple
Bloom lights the orchard-apple
And thicket and thorp are merry
With silver-surfed cherry

And azuring-over greybell makes
Wood banks and brakes wash wet like lakes
And magic cuckoocall
Caps, clears, and clinches all—

This ecstasy all through mothering earth
Tells Mary her mirth till Christ’s birth
To remember and exultation
In God who was her salvation.

 

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

April Devotion – The Blessed Sacrament

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April Devotion – The Blessed Sacrament

Other Christians, most notably the Eastern Orthodox, some Anglicans and some Lutherans, believe in the Real Presence, that is, they believe, as we Catholics do, that the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ in the sacrament of the altar (though only Catholics define this change as transubstantiation).

However, only the Catholic Church has developed the practice of Eucharistic adoration. Every Catholic Church contains a Tabernacle in which the Body of Christ is reserved between Masses and the faithful are encouraged to come and pray before the Blessed Sacrament.   Frequent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament is a path to spiritual growth.april-devotion

Eucharistic Adoration
The practice of Eucharistic adoration on earth not only brings us grace but prepares us for our life in Heaven.   As Ven Pope Pius XII wrote in Mediator Dei (1947):

“These exercises of piety have brought a wonderful increase in faith and supernatural life to the Church militant upon earth and they are reechoed to a certain extent by the Church triumphant in heaven which sings continually a hymn of praise to God and to the Lamb “who was slain.”

This month, why not make a special effort to spend some time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament?   It doesn’t need to be long or elaborate – You can start simply by making the Sign of the Cross and uttering a short profession of faith, such as “My Lord and my God!” as you pass a Catholic church.   If you have the time to stop for five minutes, all the better.

“A thousand years of enjoying human glory is not worth even an hour spent
in sweetly communing with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.”

“When you want to find me, come near the tabernacle.”

St Pio of Pietrelcina “Padre Pio” (1887-1968)a thousand years and when you want to find me - st padre pio 3 april 2019.jpg

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, LENT 2019, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The PASSION, The WORD

Lenten Reflection – 24 March – “…A full and perfect patience”

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Lenten Reflection – 24 March – The Third Sunday of Lent, Year C

Readings:
Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15; Psalms 103:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-11; 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12; Luke 13:1-9 (Different Readings apply for the Scrutinies Mass)

Daily Meditation:
Form a new heart within.

“And he answered him, ‘Let it alone, sir, this year also, till I dig about it and put on manure, And if it bears fruit next year, well and good and if not, you can cut it down.”...Luke 13:8-9The third sunday - year C 24 march 2019.jpg

St Cyprian of Carthage – (c 200- c 258) Bishop and Martyr, Father of the Church

The good of patience, 6, 7-8

“This, beloved brethren, Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God, did not teach by words only but he also fulfilled by His deeds… In the very hour of His passion and cross… what violent abuses He listened to with patience and what shameful insults He endured!   He was even covered with the spittle of His revilers when but a short time before, He had cured the eyes of the blind man with His own spittle(Jn 9:6)… He who now crowns the martyrs with eternal garlands was Himself crowned with thorns, He who now gives true palms to the victors was beaten in the face with hostile palms; he who clothes all others with the garment of immortality was stripped of His earthly garments, He who has given us the food of heaven was fed with gall, He who has offered us the cup of salvation was given vinegar to drink.   He the innocent, the just man, nay rather, Innocence itself and Justice itself, is counted among criminals and Truth is concealed by false testimonies.  He who is to judge is judged and the Word of God, silent, is led to the cross.   And although the stars are confounded at the crucifixion of the Lord, the elements are disturbed and the earth trembles… yet He does not speak, nor is He moved, nor does He proclaim His majesty, even during the suffering itself.   He endures all things even to the end with constant perseverance so that in Christ, a full and perfect patience may find its realisation.

And even after such sufferings He still receives His murderers if they are converted and come to Him and, with a patience instrumental in saving man, this kind Master closes His Church to no-one.   He not only receives and pardons those adversaries, those blasphemers, those persistent enemies of His name, provided they do penance for their offence and acknowledge the crime committed but He admits them to the reward of the kingdom of heaven.   What can be called more patient, what more kind? Even he who shed the blood of Christ is given life by the blood of Christ.   Such is the wonderful patience of Christ.   And unless it were so wonderful, the Church would not have had Paul, the great Apostle.”

he not only receives and pardons - st cyprian - 24 march 2019 3rdsunlentyearc.jpg

This Sunday brings us closer to the font of renewing our baptismal commitment.
It is also the first of three Scrutinies for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.

We are deeply aware that there is a struggle going on in us.
We turn to God, that we might not become discouraged.
We rely on God’s compassion and love for us.
We acknowledge who we are
– sinners who experience the consequences of our selfishness –
but we know we are loved and we desire to be filled with hope.

We go into this week renewed in our desire to continue our
prayer, fasting and generosity toward others.

Bless the Lord, O my soul
and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul
and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the Pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy…
Psalm 103:1-4

Closing Prayer:
Loving Father,
So many times I turn away from You
and always You welcome me back.
Your mercy and love gives me confidence
Thank You for the invitation to share, fast and pray
so that You can form a new heart within me.
Your powerful compassion for my weaknesses
leads me to ask for mercy
and await with great hope the Easter joy You share with us.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, NOVENAS, St JOSEPH

Novena to St Joseph – 11 March – Day One St Joseph, Powerful Intercessor

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Novena to St Joseph
By Fr Michael Gaitley, MIC1_St_Joseph_-_Time_to_Entrust.jpg

Day One
St Joseph, Powerful Intercessor

Dear St Joseph,

After Mary, you’re the most powerful intercessor before God.   In a sense, Jesus remains obedient to you and will listen to you as you bring my intentions to Him.   Because of this, I especially want to entrust myself to your fatherly care, just as Jesus Himself did. And while in the past, I may have brought to you one of my intentions here or there, this time I want to do something new.   This time, I want to give you all.   In other words, St Joseph, I’m not here to offer you a regular “novena” for just one of my intentions.   Rather, I want to forever entrust to you, all of my needs and cares, trusting that you will bring them, with Mary, to your Son, Jesus.

Dear St Joseph, as the best of fathers, as the one God chose to be the virginal father of Jesus, I believe that you know what I need better than I do myself.   So go ahead, St Joseph.   I give you permission to care for me as your child.   In doing so, I trust that you will do everything in your power to make my life into something beautiful for God.   I trust that you will watch over me and that your prayers will guide me, bless me and protect me.   I trust that you will now care for me with the same love and tenderness with which you cared for Jesus.   I’ll confirm this special relationship with you in nine days, when I make my prayer of consecration.

Saint Joseph, Powerful Intercessor, please pray for me and all my intentions.novena to st joseph day one - 11 march 2017.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, PAPAL ENCYLICALS, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, St JOSEPH

Devotion for March – St Joseph

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Devotion for March
St Josephmarch 2019 month of st joseph 1 march 2019.jpg

Due to the Solemnity of Saint Joseph on 19 March, this month is devoted to this great saint, the foster father of Christ.

“Joseph shines among all mankind by the most august dignity, since by divine will, he was the guardian of the Son of God and reputed as His father among men.   Hence it came about that the Word of God was humbly subject to Joseph, that He obeyed him and that He rendered to him all those offices that children are bound to render to their parents.   From this two-fold dignity flowed the obligation which nature lays upon the head of families, so that Joseph became the guardian, the administrator and the legal defender of the divine house whose chief he was.   And during the whole course of his life he fulfilled those charges and those duties.   …It is, then, natural and worthy that as the Blessed Joseph ministered to all the needs of the family at Nazareth and girt it about with his protection, he should now cover with the cloak of his heavenly patronage and defend the Church of Jesus Christ.

“Quamquam Pluries” – On the Devotion to St Joseph –Pope Leo XIII

St Joseph is invoked as patron for many causes, amongst them he is the patron of the Universal Church.   He is the patron of the dying because Jesus and Mary were at his death-bed.   He is also the patron of fathers, of carpenters, of workers and those seeking work and of social justice.

As the foster father of Christ, St Joseph is, in a very real sense, the foster father of all Christians.   The “Prayer for the Intercession of St Joseph” prayer is recited to ask St Joseph to pray on your behalf to the Son of God, whom he protected and reared.

O blessed Joseph, virgin-father of Jesus,
most pure spouse of the Virgin Mary,
pray every day for us to the same Jesus, the Son of God,
that we, being defended by the power of His grace
and striving dutifully in life,
may be crowned by Him at the hour of death.
Amenpray for the intercession of st joseph 1 march 2019

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, THE HOLY FAMILY - FAMILIAE SANCTAE

Our Morning Offering – 9 February – A Daily Holy Family Prayer

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Our Morning Offering – 9 February – Saturday of the Fourth week in Ordinary Time, Year C – The Month of the Holy Family

Daily Holy Family Prayer

Holy Family of Nazareth,
keep our family safe from all dangers and evil.
May Jesus always be the centre of our life
and of our home.
Grant us peace in this life and in the next.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
to you we entrust
the well-being
and salvation of our family.
Amendaily prayer to the holy family - 9 feb 2019.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, PAPAL MESSAGES, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on the FAMILY

Monthly Catholic Devotions: FEBRUARY is the Month of THE HOLY FAMILY

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FEBRUARY – THE MONTH OF THE HOLY FAMILYfeb-the-month-of-the-holy-family-1-feb-2018

In January, the Catholic Church celebrated the Month of the Holy Name of Jesus and in February, we turn to the entire Holy Family—Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

The special devotion which proposes the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph as the model of virtue of all Christian households began in the 17th century.   It started almost in France – the Association of the Holy Family was founded  by the Daughters of the Holy Family in Paris in 1674.

This devotion soon spread and in 1893 Pope Leo XIII expressed his approval of a feast under this title and himself composed part of the Office.   On account of the flight into Egypt this feast has been observed by the Copts from early times.

The feast was welcomed by succeeding Pontiffs as an efficacious means for bringing home to the Christian people the example of the Holy Family at Nazareth and by the restoration of the true spirit of family life, stemming, in some measure, the evils of present-day society.

In the words of His Holiness Pope Leo XIII, “Nothing truly can be more salutary or efficacious for Christian families to meditate upon than the example of this Holy Family, which embraces the perfection and completeness of all domestic virtues.”feb the month of the holy family 1 feb 2019.jpg

Prayer to the Holy Family
By Pope Francis
Angelus, 29 December 2013

Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
in You we contemplate
the splendour of true love,
to You we turn with trust.

Holy Family of Nazareth,
grant that our families too
may be places of communion and prayer,
authentic schools of the Gospel
and small domestic Churches.

Holy Family of Nazareth,
may families never again
experience violence, rejection and division:
may all who have been hurt or scandalised
find ready comfort and healing.

Holy Family of Nazareth,
may we be made
once more mindful
of the sacredness
and inviolability of the family,
and its beauty in God’s plan.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
graciously hear our prayer.
Amen

(This prayer was composed for the Synod of the Family in 2014, so it has been very slightly adapted to remove the reference to the said Synod).prayer to the holy family by pope francis - written 2013 for the 2014 synod - 1 feb 2019.jpg

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Our Morning Offering – 14 January – Month of the Holy Name of Jesus

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Our Morning Offering – 14 January – Month of the Holy Name of Jesus

The Golden Arrow

May the most holy,
most sacred,
most adorable,
most mysterious
and unutterable Name of God
be always praised,
blessed,
loved,
adored
and glorified in heaven.
on earth and under the earth,
by all the creatures of God
and by the Sacred Heart
of our Lord Jesus Christ
in the most Holy Sacrament
of the altar.
Amenthe golden arrow prayer in reparation for the name of god 14 jan 2019

This prayer was revealed by Jesus Himself to Sr Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite Nun of Tours in 1843 as a reparation for blasphemy.   “This Golden Arrow will wound My Heart delightfully,” He said “and heal the wounds inflicted by blasphemy.”

srmarieofstpeter
Sr Marie of St Peter

When it comes to our salvation. the Golden Arrow is no magic bullet.   Still it can bring us closer to Christ by helping to make amends for the many insults He suffers on a daily basis.   Today, as in Sister Mary’s time, we often read and hear harsh, offensive language about our Lord.
Have you ever noticed how many such abusive comments come especially from those considered most sophisticated in our society?   We’ve also seen television shows and movies that attempt to strip away Christ’s Divinity and His Dignity, much as those who jeered at Him during His Passion.
There are also more than a few “smart” people these days who would rather think of our Lord just as some philosopher and leave it at that.   This prayer can help us all, provide our Lord with comfort, for these various slings and arrows, He suffers each day!

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, JESUIT SJ, MORNING Prayers, PAPAL MESSAGES, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, The HOLY NAME, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

Thought for the Day – 3 January – The Name, the Heart and the Blood

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Thought for the Day – 3 January – The Name, the Heart and the Blood

A name represents that person, his or her identity.   According to Matthew 1:21, Joseph was directed by an angel to call Mary’s son “Jesus,” a name that means “God saves.”   This is Jesus’ identity.   He is the Saviour of the world.   As such His Name is “above every name” and is the name at which “every knee should bend” (Philippians 2:9-10). Moreover, according to a speech that St Peter gave in front of the Sanhedrin, “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved” (Acts: 4:12).   The Name of Jesus says it all and is all-powerful.   It’s a prayer in itself.

As Jesus can be represented by His Name, so He is also represented by His Heart.   The heart is the centre of a person, that person’s deepest interior or identity.   Thus devotion to the Name of Jesus goes with devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.   Jesus fulfilled the Name given to Him when He suffered and died on the cross, when His Heart was pierced so that Blood and Water, the sacramental life of the Church, would flow forth and save the world.

Devotion to Jesus’ Name and Heart includes devotion to His Precious Blood.   These three go together:  the Name, the Heart, and the Blood.   In fact, Saint John XXIII wrote about this in a 30 June 1960 letter entitled “On Promoting Devotion to the Most Precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.”   He wrote:

“We judge it most timely to call our beloved children’s attention to the unbreakable bond which must exist between the devotions to the Most Holy Name and Most Sacred Heart of Jesus — already so widespread among Christians — and devotion to the incarnate Word’s Most Precious Blood, ‘shed for many, to the remission of sins.’
“Suffice it to recall the spiritual favours that our predecessors from the sixteenth century on have attached to practising devotion to the Most Holy Name of Jesus, which in the previous century St Bernardine of Siena untiringly spread throughout Italy.   No less striking, are the benefits the popes have attached to practicing devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, whose rise and spread owe so much to the revelations of the Sacred Heart to St Margaret Mary Alacoque.   So highly have all the popes regarded this devotion that again and again in their official acts they have expounded its nature, defended its validity, promoted its practice.

“Likewise the devotion to the Most Precious Blood, which owes its marvelous diffusion to the 19th-century Roman priest, St Gaspar del Bufalo, has rightly merited the approval and backing of this Apostolic See.

“Amid today’s most serious and pressing spiritual needs, may this latest exercise of that ‘care for all the churches’ proper to our sovereign office awaken in Christian hearts a firm conviction about the supreme abiding effectiveness of these three devotions.”

Jesus—the Name, the Heart, and the Blood that flowed from it to save the world—all represent the Person.   May the Name of Jesus be reverenced and honoured at all times and places world without end. Amen

Apostles of Prayer – Fr James Kubicki SJname-above-all-names-10-jan-2018

LORD JESUS CHRIST, SON OF GOD, HAVE MERCY ON ME A SINNERthe jesus prayer - 3 jan 2019

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY NAME, Thomas a Kempis, Uncategorized

Quote/s of the Day – 3 January – The Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus

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Quote/s of the Day – 3 January – The Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus

“The sweet Name of Jesus
produces in us holy thoughts,
fills the soul with noble sentiments,
strengthens virtue,
begets good works
and nourishes pure affection.
All spiritual food leaves the soul dry,
if it contain not,
that penetrating oil,
the Name Jesus.”

St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 – 1153) Doctor of the Churchthe sweet name of jesus - st bernard - 3 jan 2019

“The name of Jesus, is in fact,
the great foundation of the faith
that turns people into children of God.
The Catholic Faith indeed,
consists in the news of Jesus Christ,
as light of the soul,
gate of life
and foundation
of eternal salvation.”the name of jesus is in fact the reat foundation - st bernardine 3 jan 2019

“The Name of Jesus is the glory of preachers
because the shining splendour of that Name
causes His word to be proclaimed and heard.
And how do you think such an immense,
sudden and dazzling light of faith came into the world,
if not because Jesus was preached?
Was it not through the brilliance
and sweet savour of this Name
that God called us into His marvelous light?”

St Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444)

“Oh that you were worthy
to suffer something for the
Name of Jesus!
What great glory would await you,
what great rejoicing among all the Saints
and, moreover, what great edification
to your neighbour!”

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

(Imitation Book 2- Chapter 12)oh that you were worthy to suffer something for the name of jesus - thomas a kempis 3 jan 2019.jpg

…There is one Christian name in the world
which casts a spell over eye or ear
when we see it written on the page of a book,
or overhear it mentioned in conversation.
We are thrilled by the mere encounter of it.
…It produces in us a sudden lightening of the heart,
because we are in love!”

Monsignor Ronald Knox (1888-1957)

there is one christian name in the world - mons ronald knox 3 jan 2019.jpg

 

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, JESUIT SJ, MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY NAME, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 3 January – The Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus & The celebration of the Titular Feast of the Society of Jesus

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One Minute Reflection – 3 January – The Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus & The celebration of the Titular Feast of the Society of Jesus

And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus…Luke 2:21at the end of 8 days he was called jesus 3 jan 2019

REFLECTION – “In the autumn of 1537, on his way to Rome with a group of his first companions, Ignatius wondered, ‘if people ask who we are, how should we answer?’   The answer came spontaneously: ‘we shall say that we are the “Society of Jesus.”   This demanding name intends to suggest a relationship of very close friendship and of total affection for Jesus, in whose footsteps they wanted to follow.   Why have I told you about this event?   Because St Ignatius and his companions had realised that Jesus was teaching them how to live well, how to live a life that had profound meaning, that imparted enthusiasm, joy and hope.   They had understood that Jesus is a great teacher of life and model of life and that He was not only teaching them but also inviting them to follow Him on this path….like Jesus, we exist for the Father; that, like Jesus, we live to serve, not to be served. …For the life of a Jesuit, the Passover of the Lord is sufficient.”...Pope Francislike jesus we exist for the father - pope francis - 3 jan 2019

PRAYER – We pray, to the eternal Lord of the universe, through the help of Your glorious Mother, we may live to empty ourselves for the sake of the glory of Your Kingdom and our own eternal happiness with You.   Mary, Mother of God, help us to be messengers of your Son.   Through Jesus Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, in union with God our Father, one God forever and ever. All you holy Jesuit Saints in heaven, pray for us!  Amen.jesuits-saints-pray-for-us-3-jan-2016

titular-feast-jesuit-3-jan-2018-no-2 (1)

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DOCTORS of the Church, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY NAME

Our Morning Offering – 3 January – Jesu, Dulcis Memoria

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Our Morning Offering – 3 January – The Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus

Jesu, Dulcis Memoria is a celebrated 12th century hymn by St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), Doctor Mellifluous.   The entire hymn has some 42 to 53 stanzas depending upon the manuscript.   Parts of this hymn are used for the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus.

Hymn or Prayer
Jesu, Dulcis Memoria
By St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) 

Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills the breast!
Yet sweeter far Thy face to see
And in Thy presence rest.
No voice can sing,
no heart can frame,
Nor can the memory find,
A sweeter sound than Jesus’ Name,
The Saviour of mankind.
O hope of every contrite heart!
0 joy of all the meek!
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek!
But what to those who find?
Ah! this Nor tongue nor pen can show
The love of Jesus, what it is,
None but His loved ones know.
Jesus! our only hope be Thou,
As Thou our prize shall be;
In Thee be all our glory now,
And through eternity.
Amenjesu, dulcis memoria st bernard of clairvaux hymn or prayer

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY NAME, The WORD

Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus – 3 January

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Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus – 3 January

Holy Mother Church reveals to us the greatness of His name.   It was on the occasion of the rite of Circumcision that a name was given to children among Jews, eight days after birth.   So the Church uses the same Gospel as that of the Feast of the Circumcision and dwells on the second part which tells us that “the Child was called Jesus” (Gospel), “as God had bid that He should be called” (Collect).   This name means Saviour, for “there is no other name given to men whereby we must be saved” (Epistle).holy_name_pic

The name Jesus comes from the Greek Iesous which was derived from the Aramaic, Yeshu.   It means “Yaweh is salvation.”   The name was not unique, even in biblical times, and today it is common in Arabic-speaking East and in Spanish-speaking countries.   From apostolic times the name has been treated with the greatest respect, as honour is due the name which represents Our Lord, Himself.

Our Lord Himself solemnly promises that whatever we ask the Father in His Name, we shall receive.   God never fails to keep His word.   When, therefore, we say, “Jesus,” let us ask God for all we need with absolute confidence of being heard.   For this reason, the Church ends her prayer with the words, “through Jesus Christ,” which gives the prayer a new and Divine efficacy.   But the Holy Name is something still greater.john-14-13-14-10-jan-2018

Each time we say, “Jesus,” we give God infinite joy and glory, for we offer Him all the infinite merits of the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ.   St Paul tells us, that Jesus merited the Name Jesus by His Passion and Death.  “The Holy Name of Jesus is, first of all, an all-powerful prayer.   Our Lord Himself solemnly promises, that whatever we ask the Father in His Name, we shall receive.   God never fails to keep His word.   Each time we say “Jesus,” it is an act of perfect love, for, we offer to God, the infinite love of Jesus”…St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Doctor of the Churchthe-holy-name-of-jesus-is-first-of-all-st-alhonsus-10-jan-2018.jpg

The Holy Name of Jesus saves us from innumerable evils and delivers us especially from the power of the devil, who is constantly seeking to do us harm.   The Holy Name of Jesus gradually fills our souls with a peace and joy we never had before.   The Holy Name of Jesus gives us strength that our sufferings become light and easy to bear.

Anyone who is finding it hard to pray, or experiencing the ”desert” in their lives, can benefit from simply praying the Holy Name of Jesus.   The loving invocation of the Holy Name can also be an effective way to make reparation to Our Blessed Lord for the atmosphere of blasphemy and irreligion which prevails generally today and remember, that although now fallen into obscurity in many countries, Catholics always bow their heads at the name of Jesus!

IHS panel

The origin of this feast is traced to the sixteenth century, when it was celebrated by the Franciscan Order.  The devotion developed through the construction of special altars dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus.   St Bernadine of Siena OFM (1380-1444) painted a wooden tablet with the Monogram of the Holy Name of Jesus – IHS – surrounded by the rays of the sun to help spread the devotion far and wide.

In 1721 the Church, under the rule of Pope Innocent XIII, made the keeping of this solemnity universal.    It is the central feast of all the mysteries of Christ the Redeemer, it unites all the other feasts of the Lord, as a burning glass focuses the rays of the sun in one point, to show what Jesus is to us, what He has done, is doing and will do for mankind.   Such joy Catholics are given, with this feast celebrated for an entire month – thus enabling constant reinforcement and reminders of our devotion.

The Office and the Mass composed by Bernardine dei Busti (died 1500) were approved by Sixtus IV.   The feast was officially granted to the Franciscans on 25 February 1530 and spread over a great part of the Church.   The Office used at present is nearly identical with the Office of Bernardine dei Busti.   The hymns “Jesu dulcis memoria,” “Jesu Rex admirabilis,” “Jesu decus angelicum,” are ascribed to St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), Doctor of the Church.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us 

”The invocation of the Holy Name of Jesus is the simplest way of praying always.   When the Holy Name is repeated often by a humbly attentive heart, the prayer is not lost by heaping up empty praises but holds fast to the Word and ”brings forth fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15).   This prayer is possible at all times because it is not one occupation among others but the only occupation – that of loving God which animates and transfigures every action in Christ Jesus” (CCC 2668).ccc2668 the invocation of the holy name - 3 jan 2019

Last year I posted the little booklet “The Wonders of the Holy Name by Fr Paul O’Sullican.   You open the category “The Holy Name” and the posts will be there.   I think there were 14 posts in total, so it will take you a few days to go through them. 

Last year’s post for this Feast Day is here:  https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/01/03/3-january-feast-of-the-most-holy-name-of-jesus/

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The HOLY NAME, Uncategorized

JANUARY is the Month of THE MOST HOLY NAME OF JESUS

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Monthly Catholic Devotions:

JANUARY is the Month of THE MOST HOLY NAME OF JESUS

The month of January is dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus.   “In the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth and under the earth” (Phil 2:10). Christ’s name is chosen in heaven and the Angel Gabriel announces it when he informs the Blessed Virgin of the incarnation:  “Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb and shalt bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus”.   It is a name that has marvellous implications, for it means “saviour.”   The very name bespeaks the magnitude of His mission, His infinite love, a love that will cause Him to offer Himself up for us.1-january-2018-the-most-holy-name

The name of Jesus is the sweetest of all names and He who bears it is most worthy of all love.   He who calls Jesus his friend can be assured that this friend is the most devoted and unselfish of all friends.

Jesus is our all.   In His name we may pray to the Father with assurance of being heard. In His name the Church administers all her sacraments.   In His name she offers all her prayers and blesses homes, the fields and the sick.   In the name of Jesus she casts out evil spirits and at the hour of our death bids us, “Go forth, Christian soul.”   She assures us that whoever shall call upon this name will be saved.   When our soul has departed this life to seek its eternal home, the Church asks in the name of Jesus, “Eternal rest give unto him, O Lord.”…Dom Benedict Baur O.S.B. (1877-1963)

The very Angels in Heaven bow at the name of Jesus.   And even the demons in Hell.  Let us do likewise, this old Catholic practice still in use in many countries should be a standard, like the Sign of the Cross.    bow-your-head.jpg

This month, why not take a few minutes to memorise the Jesus Prayer and pray it during those moments of the day when you are between activities, or travelling, or simply taking a rest? Keeping Christ’s Name always on our lips is a good way to ensure that we draw ever nearer to Him.

THE JESUS PRAYER
O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinnerthe jesus prayer - 3 jan 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CHRISTMASTIDE!, DOCTORS of the Church, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY NAME, The WORD

Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) – 1 January

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Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)

1 January- The Octave Day of Christmas and the First Day of the Month of the Holy Name

The name of Jesus is holy

“Consider that the name of Jesus is a name of gladness, a name of hope and a name of love.
A name of gladness, because if the memory of past sins afflicts us, this name comforts us, reminding us that the Son of God became human for this purpose, to make Himself our Redeemer.
The name of Jesus, is a name of hope, because the person that prays to the eternal Father in the name of Jesus, may hope for every grace.
The name of Jesus is a name of love, because it is a sing that represents top us how much God has done for our love.
The name of Jesus, helps us to remember all the sufferings that He endured for us in His life and in His death. As a devout writer says of the Holy Name, ‘my Jesus, how much has it cost You to be Jesus – that is to say, my Redeemer!'”

Scripture

“At the name of Jesus,
every knee should bow,
of those that are in heaven,
on earth and under the earth”
Philippians 2:10

Prayer (St Alphonsus)

My beloved Jesus,
write Your Name on my poor heart
and on my tongue,
in order that when I am tempted to sin,
I may resist all sin
by invoking Your Holy Name.
If I am tempted to despair,
Your Name will help me to trust.
If I feel myself becoming tepid
in my love for You,
Your Name will inflame my heart.
Help me always to call upon
Your Holy Name.
Amen.christmas with st alphonsus -my beloved jesus write your name - 1 jan 2018.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, DOGMA, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Thought for the Day – Virgin Mary, all Nature is Blessed by You – St Anselm

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Thought for the Day – 8 December – The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

Virgin Mary, all Nature is Blessed by You

From a sermon by Saint Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109)
Bishop and Doctor of the Church

“Blessed Lady, sky and stars, earth and rivers, day and night – everything that is subject to the power or use of man – rejoice that through you they are in some sense restored to their lost beauty and are endowed with inexpressible new grace.   All creatures were dead, as it were, useless for men or for the praise of God, who made them.   The world, contrary to its true destiny, was corrupted and tainted by the acts of men who served idols.   Now all creation has been restored to life and rejoices that it is controlled and given splendour by men who believe in God.   The universe rejoices with new and indefinable loveliness.   Not only does it feel the unseen presence of God Himself, its Creator, it sees Him openly, working and making it holy.   These great blessings spring from the blessed fruit of Mary’s womb.

Through the fullness of the grace that was given you, dead things rejoice in their freedom and those in heaven are glad to be made new.   Through the Son who was the glorious fruit of your virgin womb, just souls who died before His life-giving death rejoice as they are freed from captivity and the angels are glad at the restoration of their shattered domain.

Lady, full and overflowing with grace, all creation receives new life from your abundance.   Virgin, blessed above all creatures, through your blessing all creation is blessed, not only creation from its Creator but the Creator Himself has been blessed by creation.

To Mary, God gave His only-begotten Son, whom He loved as Himself.   Through Mary, God made Himself a Son, not different but the same, by nature Son of God and Son of Mary.   The whole universe was created by God and God was born of Mary.   God created all things and Mary gave birth to God.   The God who made all things gave Himself form, through Mary and thus He made His own creation.   He who could create all things from nothing would not remake His ruined creation, without Mary.

God, then, is the Father of the created world and Mary the mother of the re-created world.   God is the Father by whom all things were given life and Mary the mother through whom all things were given new life.   For God begot the Son, through whom all things were made and Mary gave birth to Him as the Saviour of the world.   Without God’s Son, nothing could exist;  without Mary’s Son, nothing could be redeemed.

Truly the Lord is with you, to whom the Lord granted that all nature should owe as much to you as to Himself.
Holy Mary, Blessed Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of God and Mother of Jesus Christ our Saviour and Redeemer, pray for us!”blessed virgin mary immaculate mother - pray for us - 2 sept 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DEVOTIO, DOGMA, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Catholic Devotion for December – The Immaculate Conception

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Catholic Devotion for December – The Immaculate Conception

The Solemnity of the The Immaculate Conception, is celebrated on 8 December.december month of the imm conception - 1 dec 2018

In 1854, Pope Pius IX’s solemn declaration, Ineffabilis Deus, clarified with finality the long-held belief of the Church that Mary was conceived free from original sin.   In proclaiming the Immaculate Conception of Mary, as a dogma of the Church, the pope expressed precisely and clearly that Mary was conceived free from the stain of original sin.   This privilege of Mary’s, derives from God’s having chosen her as Mother of the Saviour, thus she received the benefits of salvation in Christ, from the very moment of her conception.

This great gift to Mary, an ordinary human being just like us, was fitting because she was destined to be Mother of God.   The purity and holiness of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a model for all Christians.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says of the Immaculate Conception of Mary:

490.  To become the mother of the Saviour, Mary “was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role”.   The angel Gabriel at the moment of the annunciation salutes her as “full of grace”.   In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God’s grace.

491.   Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, “full of grace” through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception  . That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1844: “The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.” (Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus, 1854.)

492.   The “splendour of an entirely unique holiness” by which Mary is “enriched from the first instant of her conception” comes wholly from Christ – she is “redeemed, in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son.”   The Father blessed Mary more than any other created person “in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” and chose her “in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love.”

493.   The Fathers of the Eastern tradition call the Mother of God “the All-Holy” (Panagia) and celebrate her as “free from any stain of sin, as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature”.   By the grace of God Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long.december-the-month-of-the-immaculate-conception

Immaculate Mary, Pray for the Church, the Mystical Body of your Son!immaculate mary - pray for us

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY SOULS

Thought for the Day – 2 November – The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

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Thought for the Day – 2 November – The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

St Ambrose (340-397) Father & Doctor of the Church

And Jesus wept.   So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.”...John 11:35-36and jesus wept and the jews said see how he loved him - john 11 35-36 - 2 nov 2018

Why do I pray for you, O my brother, who loved me so much and have been carried off from me… ?   For I have not lost my relationship to you, rather it has been completely changed in my regard.   Up to now, it was inseparable from the body but now, it is indissoluble from feeling. ,,You remain with me and will remain so always… Paul the apostle calls me back and places a sort of brake on my sadness with these words:  “We do not want you to be unaware about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest who have no hope” (1Thes 4:13)…

But not all weeping is a sign of lack of faith or of weakness.   Natural sorrow is one thing, the sadness of unbelief is another…   Sorrow is not alone in having its grief and prayer bathes our bed with tears according to the prophet (Ps 6:7).   When the patriarchs were enslaved, their people wept bitterly for themselves, as well.   Thus tears are signs of affection and not incitements to sorrow.   I confess that I have wept but the Lord also wept (Jn 11:35).   He wept for someone not of his own kin, I for a brother.   He wept for all men in one man – as for me, I will weep for you, my brother, in every man.

Christ wept with the feeling that is ours, not His own, for divinity has no tears…   He wept in that man who was “sorrowful even to death” (Mt 26:38);   He wept in him who was crucified, who died, who was buried;   He wept in that man… who was born of the Virgin.and jesus wept - john 11 35 - 2 nov 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD the FATHER, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The HOLY SOULS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 2 November – The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

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Quote/s of the Day – 2 November

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

We believe that Jesus died and rose again,
so we believe, that God will bring with Jesus,
those who have died, believing in him.…

1 Thessalonians 4:141 thes 4 14 - we believe that jesus died and rose - 2 nov 2018

“He who saves a soul,
saves his own and satisfies
for a multitude of sins.”

James 1:20james-1-20-he-who-saves-a-soul-saves-his-own-2-nov-2017

“The whole Church observes this practice
which was handed down by the Fathers –
that it prays for those who have died
in the communion of the Body and Blood of Christ,
when they are commemorated
in their own place in the sacrifice itself
and the sacrifice is offered,
also in memory of them, on their behalf.”

St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Churchthe whole church observes this practice - st augustine - 2 nov 2018

“What great power the holy souls in purgatory
have over the heart of God!
If we realised this fact
and averted to all the graces
that we can gain through their intercession,
these souls would not be so forgotten.”

St John Vianney (1786-1859)what-great-power-st-john-vianney-2-nov-2017-21

“If today we are remembering
these brothers and sisters of
ours who lived before us and are
now in heaven, they are there
because they were washed in the
Blood of Christ, that is our hope
and this hope does not disappoint.
If we live our lives with the Lord,
He will never disappoint us.”

Pope Francisif-today-we-are-remembering-pope-francis-2 nov 2017

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The HOLY SOULS

Catholic Devotion for the Month of November – The Holy Souls/The Faithful Departed

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Catholic Devotion for the Month of November – The Holy Souls/The Faithful Departed

It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.”–2 Maccabees 12:46

The Holy Souls are those who have died in the state of grace but who are not yet free from all punishment due to their unforgiven venial sins and all other sins already forgiven for which satisfaction is still to be made.   They are certain of entering Heaven but first they must suffer in Purgatory.   The Holy Souls cannot help themselves because for them the night has come, when no man can work (John 9:4).   It is our great privilege that we can shorten their time of separation from God by our prayers, good works and, especially, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

The doctrine of Purgatory gives to Catholics comfort and joy.   They feel the black gulf of death is bridged across and they are still knit together to those near and dear to them in the bonds of love and sympathy.   The sting of death and the sharpness of its sorrow, is mitigated by the thought, that they are still bound to these departed, by the golden chain of prayer.   Whilst they are able to pray for us, they cannot pray for themselves.

The Council of Trent told us “That there is a Purgatory and that the souls there detained are assisted by the most acceptable sacrifice of the altar.”november-the-month-of-the-holy-souls.1 Nov 2017

A Prayer for the Souls in Purgatory

O most gentle Heart of Jesus,
ever present in the Blessed Sacrament,
ever consumed with burning love
for the poor captive souls in Purgatory,
have mercy on the souls
of Your departed servants.
Be not severe in Your judgments,
but let some drops of Your Precious Blood
fall upon the devouring flames.
And do You, O Merciful Saviour,
send Your holy angels to conduct them
to a place of refreshment, light and peace.
Amenprayer for the holy souls - o most gentle heart of jesus - month of the holy souls 1 nov 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN QUOTES, MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

Quote of the Day – 18 October – The Feast of St Luke the Evangelist

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Quote of the Day – – 18 October – The Feast of St Luke the Evangelist

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my saviour.
For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness,
henceforth, all generations will call me blessed.”

Luke 1:46-48luke 1 46-48 - my soul proclaims the greatness of the lord - 18 oct 2018