Category: CHRIST the LIGHT

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PAPAL SERMONS, St PETER!, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 11 December – It is always Peter

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One Minute Reflection – 11 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Within the Octave – St Pope Damasus I (c305-384) Confessor. – 1 Peter 5:1-4, 10-11; Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Upon this rock I will build My Church” – Matthew 16:18

REFLECTION – “You came here on the eve of the day when the Church celebrates the feast of the Chair of Saint Peter in Rome. … Look at the pulpit from which the first Pope spoke to the first Christians, like myself in this moment. It was there, he incited them to vigilance against the devil, who, like a roaring lion, prowls around us and seeks who to devour (1 Pet 5:8-9). It was there, he exhorted them to keep firmness in faith, so as not to be dragged into the errors of false prophets (2 Pet 2:1; 3:17). This Papal teaching continues in his successors and will continue, immutable, through all time because this is the mission which Christ Himself has given to the Head of His Church.

To identify the universal and unwavering character of this teaching, the seat of spiritual primacy was, after a providential preparation, fixed in the City of Rome. God, according to the remark of our predecessor, Saint Léo the Great, united the peoples by his Providence in a single empire, of which Rome was the capital, so that the Light of Truth, revealed for the salvation of all Peoples would spread more efficaciously to all of its members (Sermon LXXXII C, 3-5).

Peter’s successors, mortal like all men, pass, more or less quickly. But the primacy of Peter will always remain, thanks to the special assistance which was promised to him when Jesus charged him to confirm his brothers in faith (Lk 22:32). Whatever the name, the face, the human origins of each Pope; it is always Peter who lives in him, it is Peter who directs and governs, it is Peter especially, who teaches and who spreads to the world, the liberating Light. A great sacred orator said, that God established in Rome, an eternal pulpit: “Peter will always live in his successors and speak in his pulpit.” – Pope Pius XII (1876-1958) Pope from 1939 to 1958 (Pius XII Audience of 17 January 1940).

PRAYER – Look forgivingly on Thy flock, Eternal Shepherd and keep it in Thy constant protection, by the intercession of blessed Damasus Thy Sovereign Pontiff, whom Thou didst constitute Shepherd of the whole Church. 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).

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One Minute Reflection – 10 December – ‘… Preparing the way for the Lord …’

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One Minute Reflection – 10 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Within the Octave – Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 11:2-10 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“For this is He of Whom it is written: Behold. I send My Angel before My face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee.” – Matthew 11:10

REFLECTION – “It is obvious to any reader that John did not just preach but that he administered a baptism of repentance. However, he could not give a baptism which remits sins, since the remission of sins is only granted to us, with the Baptism of Christ. That is why the Evangelist says, that he was “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,” (Lk 3:3) being unable himself to give the baptism which forgives sins, he announced that, which was to come. Just as the word of his preaching was the forerunner, of the Word of the Father made Flesh, so, his baptism … preceded that of the Saviour, as shadow to the Truth (cf. Col 2:17).

This same John, when questioned as to who he was, replied: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,” (Jn 1:23; Is 40:3) . The Prophet Isaiah called him “voice” because, he came before the Word. As for what he cried out, that which follows teaches us: “Prepare the ways of the Lord, make straight his paths.” Whoever preaches true faith and good works, what else is he doing, than preparing the way for the Lord, Who comes in the hearts of his hearers? Thus, all-powerful grace will be able to penetrate those hearts and the Light of Truth enlighten them …

Saint Luke adds: “Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill, shall be made low.” What is meant here by valleys, if not the humble, or by the mountains and hills if not the proud? At the coming of the Redeemer … according to His own words: “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled but the one who humbles himself, will be exalted,” (Lk 14:11) … By their faith in “the mediator between God and the human race, Christ Jesus, Himself, human” (1 Tim 2:5), those who believe in Him, have received the fullness of grace, whereas those who refuse to believe, have been humbled in their pride. Every valley has been filled in, since humble hearts, by receiving the words of holy doctrine, will be filled by the grace of the virtues, as it is written: “He made springs gush forth in the watercourses that wind among the valleys,” (cf. Ps 104:10).” – St Gregory the Great (540-604) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Homilies no. 20).

PRAYER – O God, Who by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin, prepared a worthy dwelling for Thy Son,and Who, by Thy Son’s death, foreseen by Thee, preserved her from all taint, grant, we beseech Thee, through her intercession, that we too may come to Thee unstained by sin.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).

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One Minute Reflection – 8 December – “Hail, full of grace …” – Luke 1:28

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One Minute Reflection – 8 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Feast of the Immaculate Conception – Proverbs 8:22-35, Luke 1:26-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Hail, full of grace …” – Luke 1:28

REFLECTION – “How can I speak? What praises could I possibly make of the holy and glorious Virgin? She surpasses all other beings except for God Himself. She is by nature more beautiful than the Cherubim and Seraphim and the whole Angelic Host. No language, whether of Heaven or earth, or even of the Angels, is enough to praise her. Blessed Virgin, spotless dove, heavenly bride… temple and throne of the Godhead! Christ, the Sun Who shines resplendently in Heaven and on earth, belongs to thee. Thou art the luminous cloud which brought Christ down to earth, He Who is the bright streak of lightening, Who shines across the world.

Rejoice, full of grace, gate of Heaven! It was of thee, the author of the Song of Songs speaks … when he cries aloud: “A garden enclosed is my sister, my bride; an enclosed garden, a fountain sealed” (4:12)… Holy Mother of God, spotless ewe – thou gave birth to Christ, the Lamb, the Word made flesh in thee … How amazing a wonder in the heavens – a woman clothed with the sun (Apoc 12:1), carrying the Light in her arms! … How amazing a wonder in the heavens – the Lord of Angels becomes the Virgin’s Child. Angels judged Eve; now they fill Mary with glory, since it was she who raised Eve from her fall and brought Adam, expelled from Paradise, into Heaven.

Vast is the grace given to this Holy Virgin. Hence Gabriel, first addresses her with this greeting: “Hail, full of grace” resplendent as the Heaven. “Hail, full of grace” Virgin adorned with countless virtues… “Hail, full of grace” thou quench our thirst at the sweetness of the everlasting stream. Hail, holy and Immaculate Mother, thou conceived the Christ Who existed before thee. Hail, royal purple, thou clothed the King of Heaven and earth. Hail, O sealed book, thou enabled the world to read the Word, the Father’s Son!” – St Epiphanius of Salamis (c315-403) Bishop of Salamis,  known as the Oracle of Palestine and Father of the Church (Sermon No 5)

PRAYER – O God, Who by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin, prepared a worthy dwelling for Thy Son, and Who, by Thy Son’s death, foreseen by Thee, preserved her from all taint, grant, we beseech Thee, through her intercession that we too, may come to Thee, unstained by sin. T Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", ADVENT QUOTES, ADVENT REFLECTIONS, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, QUOTES on WATCHING, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 5 December – ‘ … Embrace Him, Whom you have sought. …’

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Quote/s of the Day – 5 December – The First Week of Advent – Ferial Day Romans 13:11-14; Luke 21:25-33 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But when these things begin to come to pass,
look up and lift up your heads
because your redemption is at hand.”

Luke 21:28

“Watch, therefore because you know not
the day, nor the hour.”
Matthew 25:13

“ In the hours of the night, think always on Christ
and hope for His Coming at every moment. …
Christ enters at the open door.
He will not fail to do so, for He has promised to enter.
Embrace Him, Whom you have sought.
Approach Him and be illumined.
Hold Him and ask Him not to go away quickly.
Beg Him not to depart.
For “His Word runs swiftly” (Ps 147:15)
and will not be held by the slothful
or negligent soul.
Let your soul run to His call and follow closely,
the sound of His heavenly Voice,
for His passing is swift. …”

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

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

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

Posted in ADVENT REFLECTIONS, CHRIST the LIGHT, In the PRESENCE of GOD, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 5 December – ‘ … In fact, according to the merit and fervour of each one, …’

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One Minute Reflection – 5 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The First Week of Advent – Ferial Day Romans 13:11-14; Luke 21:25-33 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But when these things begin to come to pass, look up and lift up your heads because your redemption is at hand.” – Luke 21:28

REFLECTION – “We are waiting to celebrate Christ’s Birthday and, according to the Lord’s Promise, we will soon see Him. The Scripture demands from us that we rejoice, to the point of raising our spirit above itself and … leaping for joy at the coming of the Lord…For, even before His advent, the Lord comes to you. Before appearing to the whole world, He comes to visit you personally, He Who said: “I will not leave you orphaned; I will come back to you” (Jn 14:18).

In fact, according to the merit and fervour of each one, there is a frequent and familiar advent of the Lord that, in this intermediary period, between his first and last coming, models us on one and prepares us for the other. The Lord comes to us now, so that His First Coming to us, may not be vain and that the last one, may not be that of wrath. Through His present coming, in fact, He works at reforming our pride, in the image of the humility of His first advent, to then remodel our humble body, in the image of the glorified body He will show us when He will return. This is why we should desire and fervently ask this personal coming – which gives us the grace of this first advent and promises us the glory of the last. …

The first was humble and hidden, the last will be resounding and magnificent; the one we are talking about is hidden but it is also magnificent. I say it is hidden, not because it is ignored by whom it concerns but because, it happens secretly in him. … He comes without being seen and He leaves without being noticed. His simple Presence is Light for the soul and for the spirit, by it you may see the invisible and get to know the unknown. This coming of the Lord puts the soul of whom, contemplates it, in a gentle and happy state of admiration. Then, from the inmost depths of man, the cry may burst out: “O Lord, who is like Thee!” (Ps 34:10). Those who have experienced it know, please God, that those who have not yet had this experience, may feel at least, the desire to !” – Blessed Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot (2nd sermon for Advent, 2-4: PL 185, 15-17).

PRAYER – O God, Who, by the message of an Angel, willed to take flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant that we, Thy suppliants, who believe her to be truly the Mother of God, may be helped by her intercession with Thee. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in ADVENT, ADVENT REFLECTIONS, CHRIST the LIGHT, Meditations for ADVENT, The INCARNATION

Thought for the Day – 4 December – The Long Darkness .

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Thought for the Day – 4 December – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

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

The Long Darkness .

+1. “The Light extinguished at the Fall, was rekindled in the hearts of our first parents, when the promise was given them, of a Redeemer, Who should undo the fatal mischief which had been done.
But, in their children, Adam and Eve had to lament the fatal effects of that deadly evil they had introduced into the world. As generation followed generation, thicker and thicker grew the darkness, farther and farther did men wander away from the Light which, gave to each, the power of guiding his feet aright from earth to Heaven. Thus, it is, each ill deed goes on bearing its deadly fruit, often long after the doer is dead and gone.

+2. Yet every man had Light and Grace sufficient and more than sufficient, to enable him to walk in the ways of God and, to find his way to the Kingdom of Heaven.
But none, save a very few availed themselves of it. They loved darkness more than the Light!
The world gradually lost all regard for virtue and for God.
How grateful should I be to God that I love Him and co-operate with His Light and Grace!

+3. If I had lived then what should I have been? Even with all my countless graces and advantages , what a poor specimen I am of one made by God, for God and in the Image of God!
In heathen days should I not have been among the most depraved? Should I not have recklessly indulged my own inclinations, irrespective of the Voice of God warning and reproaching me What chance should I have had of saving my soul in those days of dark corruption and depravity?”

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Quote/s of the Day – 1 December – ‘Open your heart and run to meet the Sun of Eternal Light …’

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Quote/s of the Day – 1 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The First Sunday of Advent

“Open wide your door to the One who comes.
Open your soul,
throw open the depths of your heart
to see the riches of simplicity,
the treasures of peace,
the sweetness of grace.
Open your heart
and run to meet
the Sun of Eternal Light
Who illuminates all men.”

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

“And the Lord God shall give unto Him
the throne of David, His father
and He shall reign in the house of Jacob forever.
And of His Kingdom there shall be no end.”

Luke 1:32-33

“What is said of the House of David
applies, not only to Joseph but also to Mary.
It was a precept of the law that each man should marry
a wife from his own tribe and kindred.”

St Bede the Venerable (673-735)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“The day will come when this Child
will no longer be offered in the Temple,
nor in Simeon’s arms
but outside the City
in the arms of the Cross.
The day will come when He
will not be redeemed
by the blood of a sacrifice
but redeem others ,
with His own Blood. …”
That will be the evening sacrifice;
this is the morning sacrifice;
this one is the happiest
but that one is the most complete;
for this one was offered
at the time of birth
and that one will be offered
in the fullness of time,..”

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

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One Minute Reflection – 30 November – ‘Andrew was the first of the Apostles to acknowledge the Lord as his teacher. …’

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One Minute Reflection – 30 November – The Feast of St Andrew, Apostle of Christ – Readings: Romans 10: 9-18; Matthew 4: 18-22 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“At once they left their nets and followed Him.” – Matthew 4:20

REFLECTION – “Andrew was the first of the Apostles to acknowledge the Lord as his teacher. … He abandoned John the Baptist’s teaching to attend the school of Christ. … He sought the true Light in the shining of the lamp (Jn 5:35). Beneath its dampened glow he prepared himself for Christ’s splendour. … Teacher though he was, John the Baptist became servant and herald of the Christ, Who stood before him: “Behold,” he said, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29). Behold Him Who delivers us from death; behold Him Who destroys sin. As for me, I was sent, not as the bridegroom but as the one who accompanies Him (Jn 3:29). I came as servant, not as lord.”

Struck by these words, Andrew left his former teacher and hurried towards the One he was announcing. … He hurried towards our Lord, his longing manifesting itself in his bearing … drawing John the Evangelist with him. Both abandon the lamp and make their way towards the Sun. Andrew is the first plant in the Garden of Apostles, it is he who opens the door to Christ’s teaching, the first to gather fruit in the field the Prophets had tilled. … He was the first to recognise Him, of Whom Moses said: “A prophet like me, will the Lord your God raise up for you; to Him you shall listen” (Dt 18:15). … He recognised the One, Whom the Prophets foretold and brought Peter, his brother, to Him. He showed Peter the treasure which as yet, he did not know: “We have found the Christ (Jn 1:41) the One we have been longing for. We were waiting for His coming: now come and experience His Presence.” … Andrew leads his brother to Christ … – it was his first miracle!” – Basil of Seleucia (Died c468) Archbishop.

PRAYER – We humbly pray Thy majesty, O Lord, that, as blessed Andrew was a preacher and ruler in Thy Church, so he may always intercede for us with Thee. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", ACT of CONTRITION, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, franciscan OFM, GOD ALONE!, JESUIT SJ, QUOTES on BAD CONVERSATION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 25 November – Our Lamps are going out – Matthew 25:8

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Quote/s of the Day – 25 November – Sirach 51:1-8; 5:12, Matthew 25:1-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Our lamps are going out.”

Matthew 25:8

“I have not become as wise
as those five wise Virgins.
… But I have become the most wretched of the foolish ones
by failing to keep some oil for my lamp,
namely, mercy together with virginity
or, still more, the anointing from Baptism’s Sacred fount…

Therefore, the doors of the wedding hall
are closed to me too, in my negligence.
But, O my Bridegroom,
while I am still in my body here below,
listen to my soul, Your Bride…
From now on, I will cry aloud piteously,
“Oh, open to me Your Heavenly Door,
bring me into Your Wedding Chamber on high,
make me worthy of Your Holy Kiss,
Your pure and spotless Embrace.
Oh let me not hear the Voice saying
it does not know me!
I am blind; set alight with Your own Light
my spirit’s extinguished flame!”

St Nerses Chnorhali (1102-1173)
Armenian Bishop

“Remove from your lives
the filth and uncleanness of vice.
Your upright lives must make you
the salt of the earth for yourselves
and for the rest of humankind…”

St John of Capistrano OFM (1386-1456)

O Infinite Goodness – Act of Contrition
By St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) – Doctor of the Church

O my God,
I am exceedingly grieved,
for having offended Thee
and with my whole heart,
I repent of the sins I have committed.
I hate and abhor them above every other evil,
not only because, by so sinning,
I have lost heaven and deserved hell
but still more because I have offended Thee,
O infinite Goodness,
who art worthy to be loved above all things.
I most firmly resolve,
by the assistance of Thy grace,
never more to offend Thee for the time to come
and to avoid those occasions
which might lead me into sin.
Amen

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, GOD ALONE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on WISDOM

Our Morning Offering – 25 November –Eternal Light, Shine into our Hearts

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Our Morning Offering – 25 November

Eternal Light, Shine into our Hearts
By St Alcuin of York (735-804)

Eternal Light, shine into our hearts,
Eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil,
Eternal Power, be our support,
Eternal Wisdom, scatter the
darkness of our ignorance,
Eternal Pity, have mercy on us
that with all our heart
and mind
and soul
and strength,
we may seek Thy Face
and be brought,
by Thine Infinite Mercy
to Thy Holy Presence;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord
Amen

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One Minute Reflection – 24 November – ‘… What we shall need to discover, is whether He comes with His Cross! …’

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One Minute Reflection – 24 November – The Last Sunday after Pentecost – St John of the Cross OCD (1542-1591) Confessor, Doctor of the Church – Colossians 1:9-14; Matthew 24:15-35 – Scripture search here:

“Then the Sign of the Son of Man will appear in Heaven” – Matthew 24:30

REFLECTION – “Would you like to learn that the Cross can be a Sign of the Kingdom? This is the Sign with which the Lord is to come at His Second, glorious Coming! That you might learn just how worthy of veneration the Cross is, He has made it His Title of Glory …

As we know, His First Coming was effected secretly and, that discretion was justified, for He came to seek out what was dead. But this Second Coming is not to happen like that … He will appear suddenly to all and no-one will need to ask if Christ is here or there (Mt 24:26) … we shall not need to investigate, whether Christ is indeed present. What we shall need to discover, is whether He comes with His Cross!

When the Son of Man comes “the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light” (Mt 24:29). The splendour of His Light will be so great that the most brilliant of the stars must dim before it. “Then the stars will fall from the sky … and the Sign of the Son of Man will appear in Heaven.” Do you see the power of this Sign of the Cross? “The sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light” but the Cross will shine, clearly visible, so that you might know that its splendour is greater than that of the sun and the moon. Just as soldiers heave the royal standards to their shoulders at the king’s coming and bear them before him, to announce his arrival, so the cohort of Angels and Archangels, bearing this Sign on their shoulders, will warn us of the arrival of that King, Who is Christ at the Lord’s descent from Heaven! Alleluia!” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Bishop of Constantinople, Great Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon on the Cross and the thief).

PRAYER – O God, Who made blessed John, Thy Confessor and Teacher, an extraordinary lover of perfect self-denial and the Cross, grant that, by continually striving to imitate him, we may reach everlasting glory. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The REDEMPTION, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 22 November – Let us go out to meet Him …

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Quote/s of the Day – 22 November – St Cecilia (Died 3rd Century) Virgin Martyr – Ecclesiasticus 51:13-17; Matthew 25:1-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“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.”

St Ephrem (306-373)
Father of the Church

(Hymn I on the Resurrection)

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

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

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

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

“He worked and struggled as our Champion
against our enemies,
broke open the bars of our prison,
won the struggle,
vanquished our death through His Own,
redeemed us through His Blood,
freed us through His water in Baptism
and made us rich,
through His Sacraments and His gifts,
so that, as He says in the Gospel (Mt 25:6),
we might “go out” with all virtues to,
“meet Him” in the palace of His glory
and enjoy Him forever in eternity.”

Blessed Jan van Ruysbroeck (1293-1381)

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One Minute Reflection – 22 November – ‘ … And before you call Me, I shall say to you, “Lo, here I Am” (Is 58:9). ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 22 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – St Cecilia (Died 3rd Century) Virgin Martyr – Ecclesiasticus 51:13-17; Matthew 25:1-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“… At midnight, there was a cry made: Behold the Bridegroom cometh. Go ye forth to meet Him.” – Matthew 25:6

REFLECTION – “Up with us then, at last, for Scripture arouses us saying: “Now is the hour for us to rise from sleep” (Rm 13:11). Let us open our eyes to the Divine Light and let us hear, with attentive ears, the warning which the Divine Voice cries daily to us – “Today, if you will hear His Voice, harden not your hearts” (Ps 94:8). And again: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches” (Apoc 2:7). And what does He say? “Come, children, hear Me and I will teach you the fear of the Lord” (Ps 33:12). “Run while you have the light of life , lest the darkness of death overtake you” (Jn 12:35).

And the Lord, seeking His worker among the multitudes to whom He thus cries, says again: “Which of you desires life and would like to see prosperous days? (Ps 33:13) And if, hearing Him you answer, “I am he,” God says to you: if you would have true and everlasting life, “keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; seek after peace and pursue it” (Ps 33:14-15). And when you have done these things, My Eyes will be upon you and My Ears open unto your prayers. And before you call Me, I shall say to you, “Lo, here I Am” (Is 58:9).

What can be sweeter to us, dearest brethren, than this Voice of our Lord inviting us? Behold in His loving Mercy, the Lord show us the way of life. Let us, therefore, gird our loins with faith and the performance of good deeds and following the guidance of the Gospel, walk in His paths, so that we may merit to see Him Who has called us into His Kingdom (1Thes 2:12). For if we wish to live in the dwellings of His Kingdom, unless we run there with good deeds, we shall not arrive. ” – St Benedict (480-547) Abbot, Founder, Father of Western Monaticism (From the Prologue to the Rule 8-22).

PRAYER – O God, Who gladden us by the annual feast of blessed Cecilia, Thy Virgin and Martyr, grant, we beseech Thee, that we may by virtuous conduct follow her, whom we venerate in this sacred rite. 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).

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One Minute Reflection – 21 November – ‘This woman will be the Mother of God, the door to Light, source of Life … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 21 November – The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Sir ach24:14-1, Luke 11:27-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Blessed is the womb that bore you” – Luke 11:27

REFLECTION – “This woman will be the Mother of God, the door to Light, source of Life; she will reduce to oblivion the judgement that weighed on Eve. “The rich among the people seek the face” of this woman, “the kings of the nations shall pay her homage” they shall “ offer gifts”…, yet the glory of the Mother of God is an interior glory: the fruit of her womb.

O woman, so worthy of love, thrice happy, “blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Daughter of David the king and Mother of God, King of the universe, masterpiece in whom the Creator rejoices… you are to be nature’s full achievement. For you, life is not yours; you were not born for yourself alone but your life is to be God’s. You came into the world for Him, you will serve for the salvation of all people, fulfilling God’s design established from the beginning: the Incarnation of the Word and our own divinisation. Your whole desire is to feed on the words of God, to be strengthened by their sap, like “a green olive tree in the house of God,” “like a tree planted by running water,” you are the “tree of life” who “yielded its fruit in due season”…

He Who is Infinite, Limitless, came to dwell in your womb; God, the Child Jesus, was nourished by your milk. You are the ever virginal Doorway of God; your hands hold your God; your lap is a throne raised up above the Cherubim… You are the wedding chamber of the Spirit, the “city of the living God, gladdened by the runlets of the stream”, that is to say, the waves of the Spirit’s gifts. You are “all fair, the Beloved” of God.” – St John Damascene (675-749) Monk, Theologian, Father and Doctor of the Church (Homily on the Nativity of the Virgin # 9).

PRAYER – O God, by Whose will the blessed Mary, ever Virgin, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, was on this day presented in the temple, grant, we beseech Thee, that by her intercession, we may be found worthy to be brought into the temple of Thy glory. 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).

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Thought for the Day – 17 November – How God Answers the Soul

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Thought for the Day – 17 November – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“How to Pray at All Times”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

How God Answers the Soul
Excerpt from Chapter Four

In a word, if you wish to please the loving Heart of God, endeavour to speak to Him as often as you can and, with the fullest confidence which He will answer and speak to you in return.
When you withdraw yourself from conversation with creatures to speak to God alone, He will not speak in a Voice which strikes the ear but, in a Voice which reaches the heart

… He will speak by inspiration, by interior light, by manifestations of His Goodness, by a tenderness which touches the heart, by assurance of pardon, by a feeling of peace, by the hope of Heaven, by intimate happiness, by the sweetness of His Grace, by loving and tender embraces of the soul – in a word, He will speak in a Voice easily understood by those whom He Loves and who have given their hearts to Him alone.”

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One Minute Reflection – 15 November – “You are the light of the world.” – Matthew 5:14

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One Minute Reflection – 15 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – St Albert the Great OP (1200-1280) Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of the Church – 2 Timothy 4:1-8; Matthew 5:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

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

REFLECTION – “I shall always love and reverence the Apostles sent by Christ and their successors, in sowing the seed of the Gospel, those zealous and tireless co-operators in propagating the Word, who may justly say of themselves: Let a man so account of us as the ministers of Christ and the dispensers of the Mysteries of God. For Christ, like a most watchful and most faithful householder, wished that the Gospel lamp should be lit by such ministers and delegates, with fire sent down from Heaven and once lit, should not be put under a measure but set upon a candlestick, so that it may spread its brightness far and wide and put to flight, all darkness and error, rife among both Jews and Gentiles.

Now it is not enough for the Gospel teacher to be a brilliant speaker in the eyes of the people; he must also be as a voice crying in the desert and endeavour, by his eloquence, to help many to lead good lives, lest, if he omit his duty of speaking, he be called the dumb dog that is not able to bark, spoken of by the prophet. Yes, he should also burn, in such a way, that, equipped with good works and love, he may adorn his evangelical office and follow the leadership of Paul. He indeed was not satisfied with bidding the Bishop of the Ephesians: This command and teach: conduct thyself in work as a good soldier of Christ Jesus but he unflaggingly preached the Gospel to friend and foe alike and, said with a good conscience to the Bishops gathered at Ephesus: You know how I have kept back nothing that was for your good but have declared it to you and taught you in public and from house to house, urging Jews and Gentiles to turn to God in repentance and to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Such should be the shepherd in the Church who, like Paul, becomes all things to all men, so that the sick may find healing in him; the sad, joy; the desperate, hope; the ignorant, instruction; those in doubt, advice; the penitent, forgiveness and comfort and finally, everyone, whatever is necessary for salvation. And so Christ, when He wished to appoint the chief teachers of the world and of the Church, did not limit Himself to saying to His disciples: You are the light of the world but also added these words: A city seated on a mountain cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a measure but upon a candlestick, that it may shine to all who are in the house. Those churchmen err, who imagine that it is by brilliant preaching, rather than by holiness of life and all-embracing love, they fulfil their office.” – St Peter Canisius SJ (1521-1597) Doctor of the Church (Sermon excerpt).

PRAYER – O God, Who made blessed Albert, ThyBishop and Doctor, eminent in the submission of human wisdom to divine faith, grant us, we beseech Thee, so to follow the path of his teaching that we may enjoy perfect light in Heaven.Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

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Our Morning Offering – 15 November – Supreme Lord and King of All! By St Albert the Great

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Our Morning Offering – 15 November – St Albert the Great (1200-1280) Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of the Church

Supreme Lord and King of All!
By St Albert the Great (1200-1280)
Universal Doctor of the Church

We pray to Thee, O Lord,
Who art the Supreme Truth,
and all truth is from Thee.
We beseech Thee, O Lord,
Who art the highest Wisdom
and all the wise
depend on Thee, for their wisdom.
Thou are the supreme Joy,
and all who are joyous, owe it to Thee.
Thou art the Light of minds
and all receive their understanding from Thee.
We love, we love Thee above all!
We seek Thee, we follow Thee
and we are ready to serve Thee.
We desire to dwell under Thy Power
for Thou art the King of all!
Amen

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One Minute Reflection – 13 November – The Pure Heart

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One Minute Reflection – 13 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – St Didacus de Alcalá de Henares) OFM (c 1400-1463) Confessor – 1 Corinthians 4:9-14; Luke 12:32-34 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

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

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

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

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

PRAYER – Almighty, eternal God, Who in Thy wondrous providence, choose the weak things of the world to overcome the strong, mercifully grant unto us Thy humble servants that, by the loving prayers of blessed Didacus, Thy Confessor, we may be found worthy to be raised unto the everlasting glory of Heaven. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

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Our Morning Offering – 12 November – Daily Prayer to the Most Holy Name By St Bernardine of Siena

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Our Morning Offering – 12 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory”

Daily Prayer to the Most Holy Name
By St Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444)
Apostle of the Most Holy Name

Jesus,
Name full of glory, grace, love and strength!
Thou art the Refuge of those who repent,
our Banner of warfare in this life,
the Medicine of souls,
the Comfort of those who mourn,
the Delight of those who believe,
the Light of those who preach the True Faith,
the Wages of those who toil,
the Cure of the sick.
To Thou, our devotion aspires;
by Thee, our prayers are received;
we delight in contemplating Thee.
O Name of Jesus,
Thou art the glory
of all the Saints for eternity.
Amen

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One Minute Reflection – 11 November – No man lights a candle and puts it in a hidden place, nor under a bushel … Luke 11:33

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One Minute Reflection – 11 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – St Martin of Tours (c316-397) “Martin the Merciful,” Bishop, Confessor, Miracle-Worker. – Sirach 44:16-27; 45:3-20, Luke 11:33-36 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“No man lights a candle and puts it in a hidden place, nor under a bushel but upon a candlestick that they, who come in, may see the light.” – Luke 11:33

REFLECTION – “There must be simplicity in one’s intention and purity in one’s affection. Simplicity seeks God; purity finds Him and savours Him. No good work will be difficult, if you are interiorly free of all disordered affection. If you want only what God wants and that which is useful for your neighbour, you will enjoy interior freedom. If your heart were upright, then every creature would be, for you, a mirror of life and a book full of holy instruction.

There is no creature so small and so base that it does not show, some image of God’s goodness. If you had enough innocence and purity within you, you would see everything without hindrance. A pure heart penetrates Heaven and hell. Each person judges that which is outside, according to that which is within himself. If there is any joy in the world, the pure heart possesses it.” – Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471) (Attrib) The Imitation of Christ (Book II:4)

PRAYER – O God, Who sees that we cannot survive by any power of our own, mercifully grant that, by the intercession of blessed Martin, Thy Confessor and Bishop, we may be made safe from all harm. 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).

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One Minute Reflection – 5 November – “They shall see God.” – Matthew 5:8

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One Minute Reflection – 5 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – Within the Octave of All Saints and the Feast of the Holy Relics – Apocalypse 7:2-12; 4:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“They shall see God.” – Matthew 5:8

REFLECTION – “We want to see God, we seek to see Him, we ardently desire to see Him. Who does not desire this? But note what the Gospel says: “Blest are the pure of heart, they shall see God.” Do what is necessary in order to see Him! To compare it with something from material reality, how can you want to contemplate the rising sun if your eyes are sick? If your eyes are healthy that light will be a pleasure for you; if they are sick, it will be torture for you. You will surely not be allowed to see, with an impure heart, that which one can only see with a pure heart. You will be moved away, put at a distance, you will not see!

How often did the Lord proclaim people to be ‘blest‘? What reasons for eternal happiness did He cite, what good works, what gifts, what merits and what rewards? No other! the beatitude says, “They shall see God.” This is what the others say: “How blest are the poor in spirit, the reign of God is theirs. Blest are the lowly; they shall inherit the land. Blest are the sorrowing; they shall be consoled. Blest are they who hunger and thirst for holiness; they shall have their fill. Blest are they who show mercy; mercy shall be theirs.” So none other asserts, “They shall see God.”

The vision of God is promised ONLY to those with a pure heart. This is not without a reason, since the eyes which allow us to see God are in the heart. Those are the eyes the Apostle Paul was speaking of when he said: “May He enlighten your innermost vision” (Eph 1:18). So, at the present time because of their weakness, those eyes are enlightened by faith; later, because of their strength, they will be enlightened by vision… “Now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror; then we shall see face-to-face.” (1 Cor 13:12).” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 53).

PRAYER – Almighty, eternal God, Who granted us to honour the merits of all Thy Saints in a single solemn festival, bestow on us, we beseech Thee, through their manifold intercession, that abundance of Thy mercy for which we yearn.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).

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Our Morning Offering – 29 October – Be Thou My Vision

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Our Morning Offering – 29 October

Be Thou My Vision
By St Dallan Forgaill (c530- 598)
Martyr

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy Presence my Light.

Be Thou my Wisdom and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord.
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my Battle-shield, Sword for my fight,
Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight.
Thou my soul’s shelter, Thou my high tower.
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always.
Thou and Thou only, First in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Son,
Heart of my heart, whatever befall
Still be my vision, O ruler of all.

St Dallan here:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/01/29/saint-of-the-day-29-january-st-dallan-forgaill-c-530-598/

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Quote/s of the Day – 27 October – The Feast of Christ the King

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Quote/s of the Day – 27 October – The Feast of Christ the King

“Wake up then, believer
and note what is stated here:
“In My Name.”
That [Name] is Christ Jesus.
Christ signifies King, Jesus signifies Saviour.
Therefore, whatever we ask for
that would hinder our salvation,
we do not ask in our Saviour’s Name
and yet, He is our Saviour,
not only when He does what we ask
but also, when He does not.
When He sees us ask anything
to the disadvantage of our salvation,
He shows Himself our Saviour by not doing it.
The physician knows
whether what the sick person asks for,
is to the advantage or disadvantage of his health.
And [the physician] does not allow
what would be harmful to him,
although the sick person himself, desires it.
But the physician looks to his final cure.”

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

“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.”

St Ephrem (306-373)
Father of the Church
(Hymn I on the Resurrection)

“Let us not strive for the rewards of Heaven,
valuable though they may be
but live, so as to please the God of Heaven.
If God were not in Heaven,
all its beauty, riches and sweetness,
would be dull rather than delightful.
By faith, we know, God already dwells within us.
But in Heaven, we will see God face-to-face.
May we so live that one day,
we will be in Heaven praising
and praying eternally,
before our Lord and Saviour!”

St Jane Frances de Chantal VHM (1572-1641)

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Our Morning Offering – 25 October – Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace.

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Our Morning Offering – 25 October

Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace.
“The Peace Prayer”
By St Francis of Assisi (c1181–1226)

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving
that we receive;
it is in pardoning
that we are pardoned
and it is in dying,
that we are born to eternal life.
Amen

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Quote/s of the Day – 23 September – Thou art the Christ, Whom we love above all things …

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Quote/s of the Day – 23 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – 1 Peter 5:1-4; 5:10-11; Matthew 16:13-19– Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God!”

Matthew 16:16

“Truly blessed is he who cleaves,
with his thought, to the Prayer of Jesus,
constantly calling to Him in his heart,
just as air cleaves to our bodies,
or the flame to the candle.”

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

“Taking up the newborn Emmanuel,
Mary beheld a Light incomparably fairer
than the sun and saw a Fire,
which water cannot quench.
She received, in the covering of Flesh
Whom she had borne,
the Light, Who enlightens all things
and she was worthy,,
to carry in her arms,
the Word, Who carries the universe!”

St Amadeus of Lausanne (1108-1159)
Bishop, Cistercian Monk

“Charity is an infused virtue,
by which we love God for His Own Sake
and above all things and our neighbour as ourselves,
for the love of God.
It is the best gift which God Himself can give,
the gift compared to which,
all other gifts are insignificant and worthless.
It is the end and aim, the perfection
and the crown of the Christian life.
If we possess it, we have all things;
if we possess it not, we have nothing;
we are miserable and wretched and poor
and blind and naked before God.
Pray that God may teach you to know
and to love His Divine gift.”

Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

(The Definition of Charity
What is Charity?)

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on BAD CONVERSATION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on REPENTANCE

Thought for the Day – 17 September –CONSIDERATION VII, Third Point – ‘Death neither waits for, nor respects, anyone!’

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Thought for the Day – 17 September – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION VII
Sentiments of One Who has
Seldom Reflected Upon Death

“Set thine house in order,
for thou shall die and not live.”
(Isa xxxviii: i)

THIRD POINT:
To the dying man, who during life has been forgetful concerning his soul’s good, there will be thorns in everything which presents itself to him. There will be a thorn in the memory of pleasures past, a thorn in the remembrance of rivalries overcome and of pomps displayed, a thorn in the friends who will come to see him, with everything they bring back to his thoughts, a thorn in the spiritual fathers, who by turns will assist him, a thorn in the last Sacraments he will receive.
The poor sufferer will then exclaim: “O fool I have been! I ought to have become a saint, with all the lights and opportunities, which God granted me; I ought to have led a life of happiness, in the favour of God and now, what is remaining to me, of the many years past, except torments, distrust, fears, barbs of conscience and an account I shall have to render to God? And it is indeed doubtful whether my soul will be saved!”

And when will he say all this?
Not until the oil in his lamp is nearly consumed and the scene of this world is about to close upon him forever.
Not until he has both eternities in view – the one, an eternity of everlasting joy; the other, an eternity of everlasting woe.
Not until the time is approaching for that last gasp, upon which depends his everlasting blessedness, or his everlasting despair even as long as God is God.
What would he not then give, to have one more year, one more month, or at least, one more week, with a clear head? For suffering then, as he will do, with distraction of the head, oppression of the chest and failing breath, he will be able to do nothing he will not be able to reflect, nor to employ his mind in doing one good action; he finds himself shut up, as it were, in a dark pit of confusion, where he can imagine nothing else but that there is a great ruin hanging over him from which he feels himself unable to flee away. Therefore, he will long for time but it will be said to him,
“Proficiscere?” depart, make haste, put your accounts in order as best you can, during the short time which remains to you and depart; for dost thou not know that death neither waits for, nor respects, anyone?”
Oh what terror will it then be for him to think and to say:
“I am alive this morning, very likely this evening I shall be dead! To-day I am lying in this room. perhaps to-morrow I maybe in my grave! And where will my soul be?”

When he feels the cold sweat of death coming upon him, when he hears his relations go from the room, never more to return during his life, when his sight begins to grow dim and his eyes become darkened – but what will be the use of understanding these truths then, when the time for profiting … is past?

Affections and Prayers

Ah, my God, Thou dost not wish me to die but Thou desirest I should be converted and live.
I thank Thee for having waited for me until now and I thank Thee for the Light which Thou art now giving me. I know the error I have committed in neglecting Thy friendship, the vile and miserable pleasures through which I have accounted Thee of so little value.
I repent and I grieve with all my heart, for having done Thee so grievous a wrong. Ah, do not cease, in the life which may remain to me, to assist me with Thy Light and Thy Grace, so that I may know how to do that which I must do, in order to amend my life.

Of what use will it be for me to understand this truth, when the time for reparation will be taken from me?
“Deliver not up to beasts the souls who trust in Thee.”
When the devil shall tempt me again to offend Thee, I beseech Thee, my Jesus, through the merits of Thy Passion, to stretch forth Thy hand and to deliver me from falling into sin and from again remaining a slave of the enemy. Grant, that then, I may ever flee unto Thee and that I may never cease to entreat Thy protection, as long as the temptation may last. Thy Blood is my hope and Thy Goodness is my love.

I love Thee, my God.
Thou Who art worthy of infinite love, grant that I may ever love Thee. Let me know from what things I must separate myself so that I maybe Thine alone, for I would be Thine alone but do Thou give me the strength to fulfil the same.

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CONFESSORS, EVENING and NIGHT Prayers, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, QUOTES on THE WORLD, St PETER!, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 16 September – St Cyprian of Carthage

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Quote/s of the Day – 16 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – The Feast of Saint Corneliu, Pope & Martyr and Saint Cyprian, Bishop & Martyr

“It is written, ‘God is not mocked.’ (Gal vi: 7)
Indeed, God cannot be mocked,
nor circumvented, nor deluded
by any man’s astute deceit. …
Let each of you, then, I beg you, brethren,
confess his fault while the sinner is yet in this world,
while Confession is still possible,
while the satisfaction and remission
granted by the Priests,
is still acceptable to God!”

“God is One and Christ is One,
His Church is One,
His See is One,
founded by the Voice of the Lord on Peter.
No other Altar can be set up,
no other Priesthood instituted
apart from that One Altar and that One Priesthood.
Who so gathers elsewhere, scatters!”

“She did not leave the temple,
serving with fastings and prayers,
night and day.”
Luke 2:37

“If, in holy Scripture,
Christ is the true Sun and the true Day,
there is no hour when Christians
should not adore God frequently and constantly,
so that we, who are in Christ, that is,
in the true Sun and true Day,
should be persevering, throughout the whole day,
in our petitions and prayer.
And when, in the course of time,
the revolving night returns,
there can be no harm from the nocturnal shades,
for those who pray because, to the sons of Light (1 Thes 5:5),
even in the night, there is day!
For when is he without light who has Light in his heart?
Or when does he not have sun and day
to whom Christ is Sun and Day?”

“Why then do we pray
for the Kingdom of Heaven to come,
if this earthly bondage pleases us?
WHAT IS THE POINT of praying so often
for its early arrival,
if we would rather serve the devil here
than reign with Christ!?”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/09/16/quote-s-of-the-day-16-september-saint-cyprian-of-carthage-martyr/

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

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FEAR, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 16 September – ‘The nearer the King approaches …’

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One Minute Reflection – 16 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – The Feast of Saint Corneliu, Pope & Martyr and Saint Cyprian, Bishop & Martyr – Wisdom 3:1-8; Luke 21:9-19 – Scripture search herehttps://www.drbo.org/

“Jesus said to His disciples: When you shall hear of wars and seditions, be not terrified.” – Luke 21:9

REFLECTION – “The nearer the King approaches, the more we should pray. The nearer the moment arrives for bestowing the trophy on the combatant, the more fervently we should struggle. This is what they do at the races – as the end of the course nears and they are reaching the goal, they stir up the horses’ enthusiasm even more. In the same way, Saint Paul says: “Now is salvation nearer to us than when first we believed. The night is far gone, the day is at hand” (Rm 13:11-12). “” –

Since night is disappearing and day is coming into view, let us carry out the works of day and leave behind the works of darkness. This is what we do in the course of life – when we see night giving way to dawn and hear the swallows singing, then we rouse one another even though it is still dark … We hurry to our daily tasks, we clothe ourselves after being snatched from sleep, so that the sun will find us ready. What we do then, let us do now. Let us shake off our dreams, rouse ourselves from thoughts of this present life, leave our heavy slumber and put on the garment of virtue. This is what the Apostle clearly says to us: “Cast off the works of darkness and put on the Armour of Light” (v.12). For day is calling us to the battle, to the fight!

But do not be afraid when you hear these words about fighting and combat! For if it is uncomfortable to put on heavy material armour, it is pleasant, on the other hand, to put on spiritual armour, for this is an Armour of Light! In this way you will shine more brightly than the sun and, even as you sparkle brightly, you will be safe because these are weapons … weapons of Light. So then? Are we excused from fighting? Not at all! We are to fight but without being overcome by fatigue and without pain. For it is not so much a war to which we are being summoned as a feast and celebration!” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Bishop of Constantinople, Father & Doctor of the Church (Homilies on the Epistle to the Romans, 24).

PRAYER – May the feast of the blessed Martyrs and Bishops, Cornelius and Cyprian, protect us, O Lord, we beseech Thee and may their holy prayer recommend us to Thee.Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, BAPTISM, CHRIST the LIGHT, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, GOOD FRIDAY, HOLY WEEK, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, PRAYERS on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, QUOTES on VICE, QUOTES on VIRTUE, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The PASSION, The SIGN of the CROSS, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Quote/s of the Day – 14 September – Exaltation of the Holy Cross – the “Book of Life”

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Quote/s of the Day – 14 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – Exaltation of the Holy Cross

“The Cross gives Light to the whole universe;
it casts out darkness
and gathers nations together in charity,
into One Church, One Faith, One Baptism…”

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

“As they were looking on, so we too gaze on His Wounds as He hangs.
We see His Blood as He dies.
We see the price offered by the Redeemer, touch the scars of His Resurrection.

He bows His Head, as if to kiss you.
His Heart is made bare, open, as it were, in love to you.
His arms are extended that He may embrace you.
His whole body is displayed for your redemption.

Ponder how great these things are.
Let all this be rightly weighed in your mind, as He was once fixed to the Cross in every part of His Body for you, so He may now be fixed in every part of your soul!”

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

“The Kingdom of Heaven, says the Gospel,
is like a mustard seed …
Christ is the Kingdom of Heaven!
Sown like a mustard seed
in the garden of the Virgin’s womb,
He grew up into the Tree of the Cross,
whose branches,
stretch across the world …
Christ is the Kingdom
because all the glory of His Kingdom,
is within Him.
Christ is a Man
because all humanity is restored in Him.
Christ is a Mustard Seed
because the infinitude of Divine greatness,
is accommodated to
the littleness of flesh and blood!”

St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450)
“Golden Words”
Father & Doctor of the Church

“No-one, however weak, is denied
a share in the victory of the Cross.
No-one is beyond the help
of the prayer of Christ.”

St Pope Leo the Great (c400-461)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“The Cross is my sure salvation.
The Cross it is, I worship evermore.
The Cross of our Lord is with me.
The Cross is my refuge.”
[Indulgence of 300 days]

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor Angelicus / Doctor Communis

“Consider Jesus on the Cross
as you would a devout book,
worthy of your unceasing study
and, by which you may learn the practice
of the most heroic virtues.
This is the book which may truly be called
the “Book of Life” [Apocalypse, III, 5],
which, at once enlightens the mind by its doctrines
and inflames the will by its examples.
The world is full of books but were it possible
for man to read them all, he would never
be so well instructed, to hate vice
and embrace virtue,
as by contemplating a Crucified God!”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

(The Spiritual Combat
LII: … The Benefits derived from
Meditations on the Cross)
https://anastpaul.com/2024/04/23/thought-for-the-day-23-april-the-benefits-derived-from-meditations-on-the-crossand-the-imitation-of-the-virtues-of-christ-crucified/

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/09/14/quote-s-of-the-day-14-september-exaltation-of-the-holy-cross/

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on WATCHING, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 2 September – ‘ … Let us be watchful to observe and to do, the Lord’s precepts … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 2 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – St Stephen King of Hungary (c975- 1038) Confessor – Ecclesiasticus 31:8-11, Luke 19:12-26 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“I say to you that to everyone who has, shall be given but from him, who does not have, even that which he has, shall be taken away.” – Luke 19;26

REFLECTION – “The Lord was looking to our days when He said, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” (Lk 18:8) We see that what He foretold has come to pass. There is no faith in the fear of God, in the law of righteousness, in love, in good works …. That which our conscience would fear if it believed, it does not fear because it does not believe at all. If it believed, it would also take heed and if it took heed, it would be saved.

Therefore, beloved brothers, let us arouse ourselves as much as we can and break the slumber of our listlessness. Let us be watchful to observe and to do the Lord’s precepts. Let us be like He Himself, has bidden us to be, saying, “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately, when He comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants, whom the Master finds vigilant on His arrival“.

We ought to be dressed for work, lest, when the day of setting forth comes, it should find us burdened and entangled. Let our light shine, in good works and glow, in such a way, as to lead us from the night of this world, to the daylight of eternal brightness. Let us always wait with solicitude and caution for the sudden coming of the Lord, so that when he knocks, our faith may be on the watch and receive from the Lord, the reward of our vigilance. If these commands be observed, if these warnings and precepts be kept, we will not be overtaken in slumber, by the deceit of the devil. But we shall reign with Christ in His Kingdom, as servants on the watch.” – St Cyprian of Carthage (c 200-258) Bishop of Carthage and Martyr, Father of the Church (Treatise on the unity of the Church, 26-27).

PRAYER – We beseech Thee, Almighty God, that Thy Church be worthy to have as her glorious defender in Heaven, the blessed Stephen, Thy Confessor, whom she had as her champion while he reigned on earth. 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).