Thought for the Day – 12 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Detachment from the World
“This is not the same as saying that we should have no interest in worldly affairs. Far from it. It is our duty to think about them and make provision for the future. We cannot and should not look for miracles from God. We must have obligations to ourselves, or to our family, or to our position in life. We are in this world to work, not to surrender to apathy or inactivity. We must engage in worldly activity insofar as our circumstances demand it.
Nevertheless, our hearts should not be engrossed in earthly things, for they belong to God. In the midst of our other preoccupations, we should adore, love and thank God, the Giver of every good, our Creator and our Redeemer.”
Quote/s of the Day – 12 March – The Third Sunday in Lent and the Feast of St Gregory the Great (540-604) Pope, Confessor, Father & Doctor of the Church, “Father of the Fathers”
“Your faith has saved you.”
Luke 18:42
“The blind man does not ask the Lord for gold but for Light. He sets little store by asking anything but Light … Let us imitate him, dearly beloved … Let us not ask the Lord for deceitful riches, or earthly gifts, or passing honours but for Light. And let us not ask for light shut up in one place, or limited by time, or ending with the coming of night. The beasts behold such light just as we do. Let us ask for the Light which we can see with angels alone, Light without beginning or end. The way to this Light is faith. Hence Jesus immediately says to the blind man, who is to be enlightened: “Raise your eyes, your faith has saved you!”
“Have I not a right to do what I choose? Or are you envious because I am generous?”
Matthew 20:15.
“But no-one should boast of his work or of his time, when, after saying this, Truth cries out: “So the last will be first and the first last.” We know what good things we have done and how many they are; we do not know with what exactitude our Judge on high will investigate them. Indeed, we must all rejoice exceedingly, to be even the last, in the Kingdom of God!”
“Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.”
Luke 21:28
“Truth is exhorting His elect by saying: “When the disasters of the world become more frequent… let your hearts exult! While the world, which is not your friend, is coming to an end, the redemption you have sought ,is coming near.!” Those who love God are ordered to rejoice and be merry at the world’s end. They will soon find Him Whom they love, while what they have not loved is passing away. It should be far from the hearts of all the faithful who long to see God, to grieve over the disasters of a world, for they know, these very disasters, are soon to end. It is written that: “Whoever wishes to be a friend of this world, makes himself an enemy of God” (Jas 4,4).”
“Someone who does not rejoice as the end of the world approaches, testifies that he is its friend and this itself convicts him, of being God’s enemy!”
Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 11 March – Saturday of the Second Week in Lent – Genesis 27:6-40, Luke 15:11-32 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Lord, before I existed Thou beheld me and called me by name …” Jeremias 1:5
“I shall arise and shall go to my Father” Luke 15:18
THE LOVING HEART OF GOD St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritas
“REMEMBER the Heart of Our Lord saw your heart and loved you surely, from the Tree of the Cross. By this love, He obtained for you all the good things that you will ever have, including your resolutions. Yes, we can say with Jeremias: “Lord, before I existed Thou beheld me and called me by name” (cf. 1:5).
This is indeed so – His Divine Goodness has prepared, in His love and mercy, all the means, general and particular, for our salvation and consequently, our resolutions. Yes, without doubt. A woman with child prepares the cradle, the linen and swaddling clothes and even arranges a nurse for the child whom she hopes to bring forth, although it is not yet in the world. So Our Lord, in His Goodness, is, as it were, pregnant with you, wishing to bring you forth to salvation and make you His child, prepared upon the Tree of the Cross, everything you would need. He got ready your spiritual cradle, linen and swaddling clothes, your nurse and everything suitable for your happiness.
These are all the means, all the attractions and all the graces by which He guides you and wants to lead you to perfection. My God, how deeply this truth should be fixed in our memory. Is it possible that I have been loved and loved so tenderly, by my Saviour? That He thought of me personally in all these little events by which He has drawn me to Himself? How much then should we love, cherish and make good use of all this for our benefit!This is extremely kind. this loving Heart of my God thought of me, loved me and obtained for me a thousand means of salvation. This He did as though there was no other soul in the world He could think of!
The sun shines on one part of the earth, shining on it no less than if it shone nowhere else and, as if it shone upon it alone. In the same way, Our Lord thought of and cared for all His loving children, in such a way, that He thought of each one of us. as though He had not thought of all the rest. He loved me, says St Paul and gave Himself for me, (Galatians 2:20) as if He said: for myself alone, as though He had done nothing for the others. Imprint this in your spirit, in order to cherish and nourish, with care, your firm resolution, so precious to the Heart of the Saviour.”– (Introduction to the Devout Life)
One Minute Reflection – 11 March – Saturday of the Second Week in Lent – Genesis 27:6-40, Luke 15:11-32 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“I shall arise and shall go to my Father” – Luke 15:18
REFLECTION – “As the prodigal son, I will return to my Father’s house and I will be welcomed back home. I shall do the same, as he did – will the Father not grant my prayer too? O forgiving Father, here I am at Thy door and I knock, open to me, let me enter, so that I may not ruin myself, go away and die! Thou made me Thy heir and I neglected my inheritance and squandered my goods – from now on, may I be as a mercenary and as a servant to Thee.
As of the tax collector, have mercy on me and I shall live by Thy grace! O Son of God, forgive my sins as Thou did with the adulteress. Save me from the waves, as Thou did with Peter. Have mercy on my lowness, as Thou did for the good criminal and remember me! O Lord, come search for me, like the lost sheep and Thou will find me; carry me on Thy shoulders, Lord, to the house of Thy Father.
As Thou didst with the blind man, open my eyes that I may see Thy Light! As for the deaf, open my ears, that I may hear Thy Voice! As for the paralytic, heal my disability so that I may praise Thy Name. As for the leper, cleanse me of my sin with Thy hyssop (cf Ps 50,9). As the young girl, the daughter of Jairus, make me live, our Lord. As Peter’s mother-in-law, heal me, for I am sick. As the young boy, the widow’s son, raise me up, that I may stand up again. As Thou did with Lazarus, cry out to me with Thy Own Voice and undo my bandages. For I am dead because of sin, like as for a sickness, raise me up from my ruin that I may praise Thy Name!
I beg Thee, Lord of Heaven and earth, come save me and show me Thy Way, so that I may come towards Thee. Bring me back to Thee, Son of the Good Lord and fill me with Thy Mercy. I will come to Thee and then will I be filled with joy!” – St Jacob of Sarug (c451-521) Bishop, Theologian, Poet, Writer, Father (A poem).
PRAYER – Grant that our fasting may be beneficial to us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, so that by chastising our flesh, we may obtain strength for our souls. Through tJesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Quote/s of the Day – 10 March – Friday of the Second Week in Lent – Hebrews 11:33-39, Luke 6:17-23. – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Wisely indeed He puts first… what every man seeks… For who does not want to be happy? Why do men universally quarrel and fight, bargain, resort to flattery and inflict injuries on one another? Is it not simply in order to obtain, by fair means or foul… something that promises to make them happy?… So, the Teacher of all men… begins by redirecting those who have lost the way…; He Who is “the Way, the Truth and the Life”… (Jn 14,16; 6,32;4,6) begins with the words: “Happy are the poor in spirit.”
Bl Isaac of Stella O.Cist. (c 1100–c 1170) Cistercian Monk, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher
“Seek for nothing, desiring to enter for love of Jesus, with detachment, emptiness and poverty in everything in this world. You will never have to do with necessities greater than those to which you made your heart yield itself – for the poor in spirit are most happy and joyful in a state of privation and he who has set his heart on nothing, finds satisfaction everywhere!”
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 10 March – Friday of the Second Week in Lent – Hebrews 11:33-39, Luke 6:17-23. – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“The just cried and the Lord heard them and delivered them out of all their troubles.” Psalm 33:18
“And He, lifting up His eyes on His disciples, said: Blessed are you poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God.” Luke 6:20
POVERTY AMID RICHES St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritas
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of God” and if so, woe be to the rich in spirit, for theirs must be the bitterness of hell! By rich in spirit, I mean him, whose riches engross his mind, or whose mind is buried in his riches. He is poor in spirit, whose heart is not filled with the love of riches, whose mind is not set upon them. …
Whatever riches and all other transitory things you may possess, you must keep your heart free from the slightest affection for them. Your heart may be surrounded by riches; however, riches must never master your heart! … And this, my child, is what your heart should be – open only to Heaven, impenetrable to riches and earthly treasures. If you have them, keep your heart from attaching itself to them; let it maintain a higher level and amidst riches be as though you had none, superior to them. Do not let that mind which is the likeness of God, cleave to mere earthly goods; let it always be raised above them, not sunk in them.
… Do not fix your longings on anything which you do not possess; do not let your heart rest in that which you have; do not grieve overmuch , at the losses which may happen to you – and then, you may reasonably believe, that although rich in fact, you are not so in affection but that you are poor in spirit and, therefore, blessed, for the Kingdom of Heaven is yours.” (Introduction to the Devout Life – PART III Containing counsels concerning the practice of virtue).
One Minute Reflection – 10 March – Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, Armenia (Died 320) – Friday of the Second Week in Lent – Hebrews 11:33-39, Luke 6:17-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“And He, lifting up His eyes on His disciples, said: Blessed are you …” – Luke 6:20
REFLECTION – “Lord Jesus Christ, to teach us the summit of virtue, You ascended the mountain with Your disciples and taught them the Beatitudes and highest virtues, promising them the rewards applicable to each. Grant that my weakness may hear Your Voice, that I may apply myself, through their practice, to acquire the merit of the virtues, so that by Your Mercy, I may receive the promised reward. As I consider the payment, do not let me refuse the effort of the labour. Make my hope of eternal salvation, sweeten the bitterness of the cure, inflaming my soul with the splendour of Your work. Out of the wretched person I am, create one of the blessed; from the blessedness here below, lead me, by Your Grace, to the blessedness of the homeland.
Come, Lord Jesus Christ, in search of Your servant, seeking Your erring and exhausted sheep. Come, Spouse of the Church, in search of Your lost coin. Come, Father of mercies, welcome the prodigal son returning to You. Come, then, Lord, for You are the only One, able to call back the sheep that has strayed, to find the lost drachma, to reconcile the runaway son. Cone, that there may be salvation on earth and joy in Heaven! Turn me towards You and grant that I may carry out a true and perfect repentance, so that I may become an occasion for joy, among the Angels. Sweetest Jesus, I pray You, by the immensity of Your Love for me, a sinner, grant that I may love You alone, above all things, that I may be consoled by none but You, my sweetest God!” – Ludolph of Saxony (c1300-1378) Monk, Theologian, Writer, Dominican then a Carthusian (Prayers to Jesus Christ).
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we who know how courageously Thy holy Martyrs have confessed the faith, may experience their goodness as they 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).
Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 9 March – Thursday in the Second Week of Lent – Proverbs 31:10-31, Matthew 13:44-52 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Thou hast loved justice and hated iniquity; therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness, above thy fellows.” Psalm 44:8
“So shall it be at the end of the world. The Angels shall go out and shall separate the wicked from among the just. And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 13:49-50
HEAVEN or HELL? St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritas
“CONSIDER THAT THE CHOICE you make in this life will last forever in the next! Consider too, that while both are open to receive you, according to your choice, yet God, Who is prepared to give the one by reason of His Justice, the other by reason of His Mercy, all the while desires, unspeakably that you should select Paradise. offering you countless graces on God’s part, countless assistance to attain to it. Consider that Jesus Christ, enthroned in Heaven, looks down upon you in loving invitation – ‘O beloved one, come unto Me and joy forever in the eternal blessedness of My Love!’ Behold His mother yearning over you with maternal tenderness, ‘Courage, my child, do not despise the Goodness of my Son, or my earnest prayers for thy salvation.‘ …
O Hell, I abhor thee now and forever; I abhor thy griefs and torments, thine endless misery, the unceasing blasphemies and maledictions which thou pourest out upon my God and turning to thee, O blessed Paradise, eternal glory, unfading happiness, I choose thee forever as my abode, thy glorious mansions, thy precious and abiding tabernacles.
O my God, I bless Thy Mercy which gives me the power to choose, O Jesus, Saviour, I accept Thine Eternal Love and praise Thee for the promise Thou hast given me, of a place prepared for me, in that blessed New Jerusalem, where I shall love and bless Thee forever. ” (Excerpt – ‘Introduction to the Devout Life’ 9th Meditation).
Our Morning Offering – 8 March – Wednesday in the Second Week of Lent
Hear Me, O Lord By St Peter of Alcantara (1499-1562)
Hear me, O Lord, my soul’s delight, joy of my heart, not because of my merits but because of Thy boundless goodness. Teach me, enlighten me, direct me, help me in all things that I may never say or do anything but that which I know to be pleasing in Thou sight. Guide me, O God, my Love, my Light and my Life! Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 7 March – The Memorial of St Thomas Aquinas OP (1225-1274) Confessor, Doctor
“The Cross is my sure salvation. The Cross it is, which I worship evermore. The Cross of our Lord is with me. The Cross is my refuge.”
“O precious and wonderful banquet which brings us salvation and contains all sweetness! Could anything be of more intrinsic value? Under the old law, it was the flesh of calves and goats which was offered but here, Christ Himself, the True God, is set before us as our food! What could be more wonderful than this? No other Sacrament has greater healing power; through it, sins are purged away, virtues are increased and the soul is enriched with an abundance of every spiritual gift.”
“Seek praises from God alone.”
Prayer for Chastity and Purity By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Dear Jesus, I know that every perfect gift and especially that of chastity, depends on the power of Thy Providence. Without Thee, a mere creature can do nothing. Therefore, I beg Thee, to defend, by Thy grace the chastity and purity of my body and soul. And if I have ever sensed or imagined anything that could stain my chastity and purity, blot it out, Supreme Lord of my powers that I may advance with a pure heart in Thy love and service, offering myself on the most pure altar of Thy Divinity, all the days of my life. Amen
Prayer to St Thomas Aquinas for the Gifts of Chastity and Purity
Chosen lily of innocence, pure St Thomas, who kept chaste the Robe of Baptism and became an angel in the flesh after being girded by two Angels, I implore thee to commend me to Jesus, the Spotless Lamb and to Mary, the Queen of Virgins. Gentle protector of my chastity, ask them that I, who wear the holy sign of thy victory over the flesh, may also share thy purity and after imitating thee on earth, may, at last, come to be crowned with thee among the Angels. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 6 March – “The Month of the St Joseph” – Sts Perpetua and Felicity (Died c203) Martyrs – Ecclesiasticus Sirach 51:13-17, Matthew 13:44-52 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he finds a single pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.” – Matthew 13:45-46
REFLECTION – “For the man who loves God it is sufficient to please the One he loves; and, there is no greater recompense to be sought, than the loving itself. For love is from God, by the very fact, that God Himself is love. The good and chaste soul is so happy to be filled with Him that it desires to take delight in nothing else. For what the Lord says is very true: – ‘Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.’
What is a man’s treasure but the heaping up of profits and the fruit of his toil? For whatever a man sows, this too will he reap and each man’s gain, matches his toil and where delight and enjoyment are found, there the heart’s desire is attached. Now there are many kinds of wealth and a variety of grounds for rejoicing – every man’s treasure is that, which he desires. If it is based on earthly ambitions, its acquisition makes men not blessed but wretched.
But those who enjoy the things that are above and eternal, rather than earthly and perishable, possess an incorruptible, hidden store, of which the prophet speaks: ‘Our treasure and salvation have come, wisdom and instruction and piety, from the Lord: these are the treasures of justice.’ Through these, with the help of God’s grace, even earthly possessions are transformed into heavenly blessings. It is a fact that many people use the wealth, which is either rightfully left to them or otherwise, acquired, as a tool of devotion. By distributing what might be superfluous to support the poor, they are amassing imperishable riches, so that what they have discreetly given, cannot be subject to loss. They have properly placed those riches, where their heart is, – it is a most blessed thing, to work to increase such riches, rather than to fear that they may pass away.” – St Pope Leo the Great (400-461) Bishop of Rome and Great Western Father and Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from Sermon 92).
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord our God, that we may venerate with unceasing devotion Thy holy Martyrs Perpetua and Felicitas and, although we cannot pay them the honour that is their due, may we at least present to them, our humble homage. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Our Morning Offering – 6 March – Monday of the Second Week in Lent
Prayer of Dedication to the Lord By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of Charity
Lord, I am Yours and I must belong to no-one but You. My soul is Yours and I must live only by You. My will is Yours and must love only for You. I must love You as my first cause, since I am from You. I must love You as my end and rest, since I am for You. I must love You more than my own being, since my being subsists by You. I must love You more than myself, since I am all Yours and all in You. Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 5 March – The Second Sunday in Lent – Thessalonians 4:1-7, Matthew 17:1-9 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Lord, it is good for us to be here”
Matthew 17:4
“And a cloud overshadowed them and a Voice came out of the cloud, “This is My beloved Son; listen to Him.”
Mark 9:7
“Eternal life flows from this Sacrament because God, with all sweetness, pours Himself out upon the blessed.”
St Albert the Great (1200-1280) Doctor of the Church
“At His Transfiguration Christ showed His disciples, the splendour of His Beauty, to which He will shape and colour, those who are His : ‘He will reform our lowness configured to the Body of His Glory.”
St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church
“Aspire to God with short but frequent outpourings of the heart, admire His bounty, invoke His aid, cast yourself in spirit at the foot of His Cross, adore His goodness, treat with Him of your salvation, give Him your whole soul – a thousand times in the day.”
One Minute Reflection – 5 March – The Second Sunday in Lent – Thessalonians 4:1-7, Matthew 17:1-9 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“His face shone like the sunand His garments became white as snow.” – Matthew 17:2
REFLECTION – “The Lord displays His glory before chosen witnesses and makes illustrious that bodily shape which He shared with others, with such splendour that His countenance shone like the sun and His garments were as white as snow. In this Transfiguration, the chief object was to remove the scandal of the Cross from the hearts of the disciples and, to prevent their faith being disturbed, at the humiliation of His voluntary Passion, by revealing the excellence of His hidden dignity. But with no less foresight, the foundation was laid of the hope of holy Church that the whole Body of Christ, might realise, with what a change it was to be endowed and that the members, might promise themselves, a share in that honour which had shone forth in their Head.
But to confirm the Apostles and to lead them onto all knowledge, still further, instruction was conveyed by this miracle. For Moses and Elias, that is, the law and the prophets, appeared talking with the Lord, so that, in the presence of these five men, might most truly be fulfilled, what was said – In two or three witnesses every word stands. What more stable, what more steadfast, than the word, in the proclamation of which, the trumpet of the old and of the new TestamentS, sounds forth and the records of ancient witnesses, agree with the teaching of the Gospel? For the pages of both Covenants corroborate each other and He, Whom, under the veil of Mysteries, the types that went before, had promised, is displayed clearly and manifestly by the splendour of His present glory.
The Apostle Peter, therefore, being stirred by the revelation of these Mysteries, despising things worldly and scorning things earthly, was carried away by a certain excess of mind, to the desire of things eternal and, being filled with rapture at the whole vision, longed to make his abode with Jesus, in the place where he was gladdened by the sight of His glory. And so also he says: Lord, it is good for us to be here: if Thou wilt, let us set up here, three tents, one for Thee and one for Moses and one for Elias. But to this proposal the Lord made no reply, signifying that what he asked was not indeed wicked, but irregular, since the world could not be saved, except by Christ’s Death and by the Lord’s example in this, the faithful were called upon to believe that, although there ought not to be any doubt about the promises of happiness, yet, we should understand that, amid the trials of this life, we must ask for power to endure, rather than for glory.” – St Leo the Great (400-461) Pope, Father and Doctor (Sermon on the Transfiguration – excerpt).
PRAYER – O God, Thou Who sees how we are deprived of all strength, guard us inwardly and outwardly that in body, we may be protected against all misfortunes and in mind, cleansed of evil thoughts and by the intercession of blessed and gloriosus ever Virgin Mary, Mother of God, be assisted on this earthly pilgrimage. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Our Morning Offering – 5 March – The Second Sunday in Lent
How Great is Your Goodness, Lord! By Archbishop Baldwin of Canterbury (c 1125-1190)
How great is Your goodness, Lord, Who does not shrink from letting Your servant, place You upon his heart! How great my own worth, since You have chosen me to have part in Yours, to have You abiding in me, to love You as You deserve, above myself. Lord, take from me this hard heart and give me a new, clean heart of flesh and blood. You Who make my heart pure, take possession of mine and make it Your home. Hold it and fill it, You, Who are higher than my topmost height, more inward than my inward being. You, the Seal of Holiness, Beauty of beauties, engrave on my heart, Your Image and the imprint of Your mercy. Be, O God, my eternal love and my inheritance. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 4 March – The Memorial of St Casimir (1458-1484) Confessor, Prince – Ecclesiasticus Sirach 31:8-11,Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.” – Luke 12:35-36
REFLECTION – “God, the Word, stirs up the lazy and arouses the sleeper. For indeed, someone who comes knocking at the door is always wanting to come in. But it depends on us, if He does not always enter or always remain… May your door be open to Him Who comes; open your soul, enlarge your spiritual capacities that you may discover the riches of simplicity, the treasures of peace and sweetness of grace. Expand your heart; run to meet the Sun of that Eternal Light that “enlightens everyone” (Jn 1,9). It is certain that this true Light shines for all but, if anyone shuts their windows, then they themselves, shut themselves off from this Eternal Light.
So even Christ remains outside, if you shut the door of your soul. It is true, that He could enter but He does not want to use force, He does not put those who refuse under pressure. Descended from the Virgin, born from her womb, He shines throughout the universe to give light to all. Those who long to receive the light which shines with an everlasting brightness, open up to Him. No night comes to intervene. Indeed, the sun we see each day, gives way to night’s darkness but the Sun of Justice (Mal 3,20) knows no setting, for Wisdom is not overcome by evil.” – St Ambrose (340-397) Bishop of Milan and Father and Doctor of the Church (12th Sermon on Psalm 118).
PRAYER – O God, Who strengthened St Casimir with the virtue of steadfastness amid the luxuries of a Royal Court and the allurements of the world, we beseech Thee that through his intercession, Thy faithful may treat earthly things as naught and ever aspire to those 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).
Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 3 March – Ember Friday of the First Week in Lent – Ezekiel 18:20-28, John 5:1-15 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer and attend to the voice of my petition.” Psalm 85:6
“Do you wish to be made whole?” John 5:6
THE GOAL OF PRAYER St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritas
“ … IN OUR PRIVATE PRAYERS what reverence ought we to have? In private prayer, we are before God, as in public prayer, although in public prayer we ought to be particularly attentive on account of the edification of our neighbour; exterior reverence is a great aid to the interior. We have many examples which witness to the great exterior reverence which we ought to have when praying, even though it be private prayer. Listen to St. Paul: “I kneel, ” he says, “before the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, for you all”(cf Eph 3:14). And do you not see that the Saviour Himself, while praying to His Father, is prostrate on the ground? (cf. Mt 26:39 and Mk 14:35). ” (Sermon for the Palm Sunday, given on 12 April 1615).
“We must now speak of the final cause [that is, the goal] of prayer. We ought to know, in the first place that all things have been created for prayer and that, when God created angels and men, He did so that they might praise Him eternally in Heaven above, even though this is the last thing that we shall do – if that can be called “last” which is eternal.
To understand this better we will say this – when we wish to make something, we always look first to the end [or purpose], rather than to the work itself. For example, if we are to build a Church and we are asked why we are building it, we will respond that it is so that we can retire there and sing the praises of God; nevertheless, this will be the last thing that we shall do. …
Now prayer, according to most of the Fathers, is nothing other than a raising of the mind to heavenly things; others say, it is a petition but the two opinions are not at all opposed, for while raising our mind to God, we can ask Him for what seems necessary.
The principal petition which we ought to make to God is that of union of our wills with His and the final cause [goal] of prayer lies in desiring only God. Accordingly,, all perfection is contained therein, as Brother Giles, the companion of St Francis [of Assisi] said, when a certain person asked him what he could do in order to be perfect very soon. “Give,” he replied, “one to One.” That is to say, you have only one soul and there is only God – give your soul to Him and He will give Himself to you. The final cause [goal] of prayer, then, ought not to be to desire those tendernesses and consolations which our Lord sometimes gives, since union does not consist in that but rather, in conforming to the will of God.” (Sermon for the Third Sunday of Lent, given on 22 March 1615).
Jesus, My Saviour, Help Me! By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor of the Church
Jesus, my Saviour, help me! I am resolved truly to love Thee and to leave all, to please Thee. Help me to free myself from everything which hinders me from belonging wholly to Thee, Who has loved me so much. By thy prayers, O Mother Mary, which are so powerful with God, obtain for me this grace, to belong wholly to God. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 28 February – Tuesday of the First Week in Lent – Isaias 55:6-11, Matthew 21:10-17 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“For just as from the heavens, the rain and snow come down and do not return there, until they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to him who sows and bread to him who eats.” – Isaias 55:11
REFLECTION – “For the rain and the snow do not return to heaven but accomplish in the earth the will of him that sends them. So the Word that He shall send through His Christ, Who is Himself, the Word and the Message, shall return to Him with great power. For when He shall come and bring it, He shall come down like rain and snow and through Him all that is sown shall spring up and bear righteous fruit and the Word shall return to His Sender but not in vain shall His going have been but thus shall He say, in the presence of His Sender, “Behold, I and the children that the Lord has given me.” And this is the Voice through which the dead shall live. And this is the Voice of God that shall sound from on high and raise up all the dead.” – St Aphraates “the Sage” (Died c 345) (Feast Day – 29 January) Abbot, Father of the Church [see note below] (Demonstrations 8).
PRAYER – From all perils of soul and body, defend us, O Lord, we beseech Thee and by the intercession of blessed and gloriosus ever Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of blessed Joseph, of Thy blessed Apostles Peter and Paul and all the Saints, graciously grant us safety and peace that all adversities and errors being overcome, Thy Church may serve Thee in security and freedom. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
St Aphraates was a Syriac Christian author of the third century from the Persian Empire who composed a series of twenty-three sermons on points of Christian doctrine and practice. He was an Ascetic and Celibate. He may have been a Bishop and later Syriac tradition places him at the head of Mar Mattai Monastery near Mosul, therefore, he was certainly an Abbot.
Thought for the Day – 27 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Fervour and Tepidity
“Our Lord does not command us to be merely virtuous. He commands us to be perfect. “You, therefore, are to be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48). He tells us to love Him with our whole heart and our whole soul. “Thou shalt love the Lord th God, with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul” (Mt 22:37). He orders us to renounce everything rather than offend Him, (Lk 14:33) even to pluck out an eye or cut off a hand or foot, if it should present an obstacle to our eternal salvation (Mt 18:81).
How can we remain unmoved and inactive in the face of these exhortations? The grace of perfection to which Our Lord calls us, cannot be reached without His grace which we can only obtain by fervent and unceasing prayer. Fervour is the animating principle of the spiritual life. It wins God’s gifts for us and makes us almost immune from sin.”
Quote/s of the Day – 26 February – The First Sunday of Lent – 2 Corinthians 6:1-10, Matthew 4:1-11
“Begone, Satan! for it is written: The Lord thy God shalt thou adore and Him only shalt thou serve.”
Matthew 4:10
“Do not, therefore, lose your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of patience that, doing the will of God, you may receive the promise. For yet a very little while and He Who is to come, will come and will not delay.”
Hebrews 10:35-37
“Expect temptation to your last breath.”
St Anthony Abbot (251-356)
“The demons that wage war on us, through our shortcomings in virtue, are those which teach — impurity, drunkenness, avarice and envy. Those that wage war on us, through our excessive zeal for virtue, teach — conceit, self-esteem and pride. They [the demons] secretly pervert, what is commendable, into what is reprehensible!”
St Maximus the Confessor (c 580-662) Father of the Church
“It might even be said that we are fortunate to have temptations, for these are the times of spiritual harvest when we gather up for Heaven. … If we were thoroughly saturated with God’s Holy Presence, it would be easy for us to resist the enemy. With the thought ‘God sees you!’ we would never sin!
There was a saint who complained to our Lord after being tempted and said to Him: “Where were Thou, my most loveable Jesus, during that awful storm?” Our Lord answered: “I was in the centre of thou heart…”
St John-Marie Baptiste Vianney (1786-1859) The Curé of Ars
“When tempted, turn immediately to your Guardian Angel and ask him, with all your heart, “My Guardian Angel help me now. Do not let me offend my God!”
St John Bosco (1815-1888)
“Why, we may ask, does God permit us to be tempted? He wishes us to realise, that only with His help, can we aspire to the supernatural life and triumph over our enemies. Apart from Him, we shall be lost but close to Him, we shall be invincible!”
Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 26 February – The First Sunday of Lent – 2 Corinthians 6:1-10, Matthew 4:1-11 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“My son, when you come to serve God, prepare your soul for temptation.” Ecclus. Sirach 2:1
“At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert, to be tempted by the devil.” Matthew 4:1
TEMPTATION St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritas
“IN THE FIRST PLACE, I note that although no-one can be exempt from temptation, still no-one should seek it or go of his own accord, to the place where it may be found, for undoubtedly, he who loves it will perish in it (Ecclus (Sirach 3:27). That is why the Evangelist says that Our Lord was led into the desert by the Spirit to be tempted – it was not then by His choice (I am speaking with regard to His human nature) that He went to the place of temptation but, He was led by the obedience He owed to His heavenly Father. …
If we are led by the Spirit of God to the place of temptation, we should not fear but should be assured that He will render us victorious! (1 Cor 10:13). But, we must not seek temptation, nor go out to allure it, however holy and generous we may think ourselves to be, for we are not more valiant than David, nor than our Divine Master Himself, Who did not choose to seek it. Our enemy is like a chained dog – if we do not approach, it will do us no harm, even though it tries to frighten us by barking at us. …
… No-one who comes to serve God can avoid temptations. … The great Apostle, St Paul, as soon as he had given himself to the Divine service and ranged himself on the side of Christianity, was immediately tempted for the rest of his life. (2 Cor 12:7). While he was an enemy of God and persecuted the Christians, he did not feel the attack of any temptation, or at least he has given us no testimony of it in his writings. But he did when he was converted by Our Lord.
Thus, it is a very necessary practice, to prepare our soul for temptation. That is, wherever we may be and however perfect we may be, we must rest assured that temptation will attack us. Hence, we ought to be so disposed and to provide ourselves with the weapons necessary to fight valiantly in order to carry off the victory – since the crown is only for the combatants and conquerors! (2 Tim 2:5; Jas 1:12). We ought never to trust in our own strength or in our courage and go out to seek temptation, thinking to confound it but, … if we encounter it, we must remain firm in the confidence which we ought to have that He will strengthen us against the attacks of our enemy, however furious they may be!.” (Extract-Sermon 1st Sunday of Lent – 13 February 1622).
Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 25 February – Saturday after Ash Wednesday – Isaias 58:9-14, Mark 6:47-56 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life. That I may see the delight of the Lord and may visit His temple.” Psalm 26:4
“Take courage, it is I be not afraid!” Mark 6:50
OUR COMPASS St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritas
“ALL SHIPS HAVE A COMPASS which, when touched by the magnet, always turns towards the polar star. And even when the boat is making its way in a southward direction yet, the compass does not cease turning towards its north at all times.
In the same way, let the fine point of your spirit always turn towards God, its north. … You are about to take to the high seas of the world, do not, on this account, alter dial or mast, sail or anchor or wind. Keep Jesus Christ as your dial at all times, His Cross for a mast on which to hoist your resolutions, as a sail. Let our anchor be profound trust in Him and set out early. May the propitious wind of heavenly inspirations ever fill the sails of your vessel more and more and cause you to speed forward to the harbour of a holy eternity. …
Should everything turn upside down, I do not say around us but within us, that is to say, should our soul be sad, happy, in sweetness, in bitterness, peaceful, troubled, in light, in darkness, in temptation, in rest, in enjoyment, in disgust, in dryness, in gentleness, should the sun burn it or the dew refresh it, ah! this point of our heart, our spirit, our higher will, which is our compass, should, nevertheless, always and at all times, turn unceasingly, tend perpetually towards the love of God!” (From the Letters).
Thought for the Day – 24 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Duties of Our State
“Let us be content, or at least, resigned in the position in which Providence has placed us. Let us pay special attention to those things which we are obliged to do. Anything which is not necessary should be left until later, even if it is more pleasant or seems more worthwhile in itself. Let us never become involved in business which is incompatible with our state or dangerous to our eternal welfare. Let us not make light of minor offences against the duties of our state. Smaller transgressions gradually become greater. Above all, let us try to sanctify our calling. It is one thing to work conscientiously, another to work in a spirit of holiness., Even pagans can do their duty earnestly. Doing our duty is only a help to our eternal salvation if it is done with God’s grace for the purpose of serving Him, for His love and glory. This should be our manner of behaviour. If it is, we can claim to have sanctified our state in life and to have made our work holy.”
Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 24 February – Friday after Ash Wednesday, Feast of St Matthias, Apostle
“ Lord, Thou hast proved me and known me: Thou hast known my sitting down and my rising up.” Psalm 138:1-2
“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I Am meek and humble of heart and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden light.” Matthew 11:29-30
ON FASTING 3 St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritas
“THE THIRD CONDITION NECESSARY for fasting well, is to look to God and to do everything to please Him, withdrawing within ourselves in imitation of a great Saint, St Gregory the Great, who, withdrew into a secret and out-of-the-way place, where he remained for some time without anyone knowing where he was, being content that the Lord and His Angels knew it.
This is what Cassian, that great Father of the spiritual life, teaches us so well in the book of his admirable Conferences. (Many Saints held it in such esteem that they never went to bed without reading a chapter from it to recollect their mind to God.) He says: “What will it profit you to do what you are doing for the eyes of creatures? Nothing but vanity and complacency which are good for Hell alone. But if you keep your fast and do all your works to please God alone, you will labour for eternity, without delighting in yourself or caring whether you are seen by others or not, since what you do is not done for them, nor do you await your recompense from them. We must keep our fast with humility and truth and not with lying and hyocrisy – that is, we must fast for God and to please Him alone.” …
This is all I wish to tell you regarding fasting and what must be observed in order to fast well. The first thing is that your fast should be entire and universal – that is that you should make all the members of your body and the powers of your soul fast – keeping your eyes lowered … mortifying the hearing and the tongue, so that you will no longer hear or speak of anything vain or useless; … the memory, in filling it with the remembrance of bitter and sorrowful things and avoiding joyous and gracious thoughts; keeping your will in check and your spirit at the foot of the Crucifix, with some holy and sorrowful thought. If you do this, your fast will be universal, interior and exterior, for you will mortify both your body and your spirit. The second condition is that you do not observe your fast or perform your works, for the eyes of others and the third, is that you do all your actions and consequently, your fasting, to please God alone, to Whom be honour and glory forever and ever. Amen.” – (Excerpt from the Sermon given for Ash Wednesday on 9 February 1622).
Quote/s of the Day – 23 February – The Memorial of St Peter Damian (1007-1072) Doctor of the Church
“Let us detach ourselves in spirit from all that we see and cling to that which we believe. This is the Cross which we must imprint on all our daily actions and behaviour.”
“I scourge both flesh and spirit because I know that I have offended in both flesh and spirit.”
“May Christ be heard in our language, may Christ be seen in our life, may He be perceived in our hearts”
“Let us faithfully transmit to posterity, the example of virtue, which we have received, from our forefathers.”
Thought for the Day – 21 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Lord, That I May See!
“The restlessness and intensity of living, make us see things as differently from what they really are. But one day, the veil of the temple will be rent asunder before our frightened eyes and eternal Light will break upon us. Then, we shall be blind no longer but, we shall see everything in the Light of eternity.
Let us place ourselves now, in the state in which we should like to find ourselves at that moment. Let us consider ourselves and everything else, in the Light of eternity. Then our blindness will disappear. Since we shall see everything in God’s way, we shall direct all our thoughts and actions toward Him alone!”
One Minute Reflection – 21 February – Quinguasema Feria Day – 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, Luke 18:31-43 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“And at once, he received his sight and followed Him, glorifying God.” – Luke 18:43
REFLECTION – “The commandment of the Lord shines clearly, enlightening the eyes. Receive Christ, receive power to see, receive your Light, that you may plainly recognise both God and man. More delightful than gold and precious stones, more desirable than honey and the honeycomb is the Word that has enlightened us. How could He not be desirable, Who illumined minds buried in darkness and endowed, with clear vision “the light-bearing eyes” of the soul? Sing His praises, then, Lord and make known to me Your Father, Who is God. Your Word will save me, Your song instruct me. I have gone astray in my search for God but now that You light my path, Lord, I find God through You and receive the Father from You, I become co-heir with You, since You were not ashamed to own me as Your brother. Let us, then, shake off forgetfulness of Truth, shake off the mist of ignorance and darkness that dims our eyes and contemplate the true God, after first raising this song of praise to Him: “All hail, O light!” For upon us, buried in darkness, imprisoned in the shadow of death, a heavenly Light has shone, a Light of a clarity surpassing the sun’s and of a sweetness, exceeding any this earthly life can offer.” – St Clement of Alexandria (c150-c215) Theologian, Philosopher , Father (Exhortation to the Greeks, 11).
PRAYER – O Lord, we beseech Thee, mercifully hear our prayers; loose us from the chains of our sins and keep us from all adversity. 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).
Thought for the Day – 12 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Causes of Discontent
“There is only one reason for our dissatisfaction. It is given by St Augustine, profound observer that he was of the human heart: “You have made us for Yourself alone, O God and our hearts will always be restless, until they rest in You” (Confessions 1, 1:11). If anyone rushes in all directions looking for happiness, he will never find it. The created things of the world cannot satisfy our hearts which are on a far higher plane than these worldly things are. Worse still, a man may look for happiness in pleasure or in sin but he will find only bitterness and disgust.
Let us look to God alone. If we do everything for Him, a gleam of eternal happiness will brighten up our earthly pilgrimage!
Quote/s of the Day – 9 February – St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) “The Pillar of Faith” “Doctor of the Incarnation,” Bishop,Confessor, Father and Doctor, of the Church
“Indeed, the Mystery of Christ runs the risk of being disbelieved, precisely because, it is so incredibly wonderful!”
“He who abides in Me and I in Him, the same bears much fruit”
John 5:5
“We are preserved in being, if we grow onto Him and cling fast to the holy commandment, which has been handed down to us and, if we are eager to keep the blessing of nobility, that is to say, if we never consent, in any way, to “grieve the Holy Spirit” (Eph 4:30), Who has come to dwell in us and, through Whom, we believe, God has made His home in us. … For just as the vine-stock supplies and distributes, the virtue of its own inherent natural quality to the shoots, so, too, the Only-Begotten Word of God, implants, in His people, a sort of affinity with His own nature and that of the Father. By the gift of the Spirit, they are united with Him by every kind of holiness. He nourishes them, so that they become devout and He moves them to knowledge of all virtue and good works.”
“… [The Kingdom of God] … is within you. That is, it depends on your own wills and is in your own power, whether or not you receive it. Everyone, that has attained to justification, by means of faith in Christ and decorated by every virtue, is counted worthy, of the Kingdom of Heaven.”
“He says that these temptations must come. Is this then because God, Who governs all, forces people to their commission of sin? Away with the thought! Nothing that is evil comes from Him. He is the fountain of all virtue. Why then must this happen? They clearly happen because of our infirmity, for all of us stumble in many things, as it is written. Nevertheless, He says, that there will be woe to the person who lays the stumbling blocks in the way. He does not leave indifference in these things without rebuke but restrains it by fear of punishment. He still commands us to bear with patience “ those who cause sins to happen.”
“We must note, therefore, that he who does things pleasing to God, serves Christ but he who follows his own wishes, is a follower, rather of himself and not of God!”
AnaStpaul 
You must be logged in to post a comment.