Our Morning Offering – 4 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – The Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo (1538-1584)
O My Good Angel Prayer to One’s Guardian Angel Appointing him Intercessory at the hour of Death By St Charles Borromeo (1538-1584)
My good Angel – I know not when or how I shall die. It is possible I may be carried off suddenly and before my last sigh, I may be deprived of all intelligence. Yet, how many things I would wish to say to God, on the threshold of eternity. In the full freedom of my will today, I come to charge thee to speak for me at that fearful moment. Thou will say to Him, then, O my good Angel – That I wish to die in the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church, in which all the Saints, since Jesus Christ, have died and, out of which, there is no salvation. That I ask the grace, of sharing in the Infinite Merits of my Redeemer and that I desire to die, in pressing to my lips, the Cross which was bathed in His Blood! That I detest my sins because they displease Him and that I pardon, through love of Him, all my enemies, as I wish myself to be pardoned. That I die willingly because He orders it and, I throw myself, with confidence, into His adorable Heart, awaiting all His Mercy. That, in my inexpressible desire to go to Heaven, I am disposed to suffer everything, it may please His Sovereign Justice, to inflict upon me. I love Him before all things, above all things and for His own sake; I wish and hope, to love Him with the elect, His Angels and the Blessed Mother, during all eternity. Do not refuse, O my Angel, to be my interpreter with God and to protest to Him, these, my sentiments and my will. Amen
Thought for the Day – 3 November – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Pain of Purgatory
“In the course of her vivid description of Purgatory, St Catherine of Genoa writes: “The suffering souls experience such torments as the human tongue could not describe, nor the human intellect comprehend, unless God Himself, revealed them by means of a special grace!”
The ordinary teaching of the Church includes fire as the principal torment. However, the Church has never defined the nature of this fire, nor determined whether it is physical or spiritual. It is certain that this fire is as real as the flames of Hell and is created by God, not to be an instrument of service to men but, to be a means of expiation and purification. This is why it is a far more tormenting fire than that which we know and use on earth. St Thomas Aquinas holds that it is actually a physical fire. He meets the objection that material fire could never touch a spiritual soul by saying that, even as the soul is affected on earth, by the suffering of the body, to which it is joined, so it can be subject in the next life, to the action of the fires of Purgatory (Supplementum Tertiae Partis q7, a3).”
Quote/s of the Day – 3 November – Within the Octave of All Saints – Apocalypse 7:2-12, Matthew 5:1-12– Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Matthew 5:3
“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
“If humble souls are contradicted, they remain calm; if they are calumniated, they suffer with patience; if they are little esteemed, neglected, or forgotten, they consider this their due; if they are weighed down with occupations, they perform them cheerfully. ”
St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)
O Merciful God By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis
O merciful God, grant that I may ever perfectly do Your Will in all things. Let it be my ambition to work only for Your honour and glory. Let me rejoice in nothing but that leads to You, nor grieve for anything, that leads away from You. May all passing things be as nothing in my eyes and may all that is Yours, be dear to me and You, my God, dear above them all. May all joy be meaningless without You and may I desire nothing, apart from You. May all labour and toil delight me when it is for You. Make me, O Lord, obedient without complaint, poor without regret, patient without murmur, humble without pretence, joyous without frivolity, and truthful without disguise. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 3 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory – Within the Octave of All Saints – Apocalypse 7:2-12, Matthew 5:1-12– Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain… And opening His mouth, He taught them … Blessed are …” – Matthew 5:1-2
REFLECTION – “Lord Jesus Christ, to teach us the summit of virtue, Thou ascended the mountain with Thy disciples and taught them the Beatitudes and highest virtues, promising them the rewards applicable to each. Grant that my weakness may hear Thy Voice, that I may apply myself, through their practice, to acquire the merit of the virtues, so that, by Thy 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 Thy work. Out of the wretched person I am, create one of the blessed; from the blessedness here below, lead me through Thy Grace, to the blessedness of the homeland.
Come, Lord Jesus Christ, in search of Thy servant, seeking Thy erring and exhausted sheep. Come, Spouse of the Church, in search of Thy lost coin. Come, Father of mercies, welcome the prodigal son returning to Thee. Come, then, Lord, for Thou art the only One, able to call back the sheep who 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 Thyself and grant that I may carry out a true and perfect repentance, that I may become an occasion for joy, among the angels. Sweetest Jesus, I pray Thee, by the immensity of Thy Love for me, a sinner, grant that I may love Thee alone, above all things, that I maybe consoled by none but Thou, my sweetest God!” – Ludolph of Saxony (c1300-1378) Monk, Theologian, Writer, Dominican then a Carthusian (Prayers to Jesus Christ).
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).
Our Morning Offering – 3 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory”
I Will Love and Follow You By Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)
Oh my Lord, Let my heart expand in Your love. Let me learn to know how sweet it is, to serve You, how joyful it is, to praise You and to be absorbed in Your love. Oh, I am possessed by love and rise above myself because of the great fervour I feel, through Your infinite goodness. I will sing the canticle of love to You and I will follow You, my Beloved, wherever You go and may my soul never weary of praising You, rejoicing in Your love. I will love You more than myself and myself, only for Your sake. I will love all others in You and for You, as Your law of love commands. Amen
Thought for the Day – 2 Novemer – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Purgatory”
“The clear testimony of the New Testament may also be invoked in support of this teaching. Jesus refers to sins which cannot be forgiven, either in this life or in the next, (Cf Mt 12:31-32) from which, the Fathers deduce that there are sins, namely those of a venial nature, which can be forgiven after death.
St Paul, moreover, speaks of imperfections which will be expiated and purged by fire after death (Cf 1 Cor 3:10-15). Obviously, this cannot take place in Hell but, only in Purgatory. It would be impossible to cite here, all the testamoies of the Fathers and of theological writers. No-one, can deny, that they exist, however, for they combine to build up a tradition which the Council of Trent (Sess XXV) gathered together, when proclaiming the existence of Purgatory and the obligation of the faithful to pray for the dead, who are expiating their sins there.
This is a very consoling Doctrine. It is comforting to know that one day, we shall find a way of purifying ourselves of all trace of sin and imperfection and that, meanwhile, we can be spiritually united with our departed loved ones and can help them by our prayers.”
Quote/s of the Day – 2 November – All Souls Day – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory”
“Remember, when you leave this earth, you can take nothing with you, which you have received, only that, which you have given.”
St Francis of Assisi (c 1181–1226)
“This death … has already levelled his bow to strike me. Is it not prudent to prevent its stroke, by dying now to the world, that at my death, I may live to God?”
St Francis Borgia (1510-1572)
“It seems to me, my daughters, that everything passes so quickly that we should be thinking more, about how to die, than how to live!”
St Teresa of Jesus of Avila (1515-1582) Doctor of the Church
“The powers of hell will assail the dying Christian but his Angel Guardian will come to console him. His Patrons and St Michael, who has been appointed by God to defend his faithful servants, in their last combat with the devils, will come to his aid.”
St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
“It is not Death that will come to fetch me, it is the good God. Death is no phantom, no horrible specter, as presented in pictures. In the catechism it is stated, that death is the separation of soul and body, that is all! Well, I am not afraid of a separation which will unite me to the good God forever.”
St Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face (1873 – 1897)
Prayer for a Holy Death By St Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
My beloved Jesus, I will not refuse the cross, as the Cyrenian did; I accept it, I embrace it. I accept, in particular, the death Thou hast destined for me, with all the pains which may accompany it; I unite it to Thy Death, I offer it to Thee Thou hast died for love of me; I will die for love of Thee and to please Thee. Help me by Thy grace. I love Thee, Jesus, my love; I repent of ever having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always and then do with me what Thou will. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 2 November – All Souls Day – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – 1 Corinthian 15:51-57, John 5:25-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Do not wonder at this, for the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs shall hear the Voice of the Son of God. And they who have done good, shall come forth unto the resurrection of life but they who have done evil, until the resurrection of judgement.” – John 5:28-29
REFLECTION – “Let them weep who lack all hope of resurrection; it is not the will of God that takes it away from them but the inflexibility of what they believe. There has to be a difference between the servants of Christ and the pagans. This is what it is – they mourn for those close to them, whom they think to be dead forever; they see no end to their weeping, reach no rest for their grief …, whereas, for us, death is not the end of our existence but the end of our life. Since our existence is restored by a condition that is better, therefore, the coming of death sweeps away all our tears.…
How much greater is our comfort, who believe that our good deeds are the promise, of better rewards after death. As for the pagans, they have their consolation, in thinking that death is a rest from all our trials. Since they think their dead are denied the enjoyment of life, they also think them, to be deprived of every faculty of sense and freed from the pain of the hard and continual sorrows, we bear in this life. We, on the other hand, just as we should have a more elevated spirit because of the reward we expect, so, we should also better bear our pains because of this consolation. … Our dead have been sent on, not far from us but before us – they, whom death will not take but whom, eternity will receive!” – St Ambrose (340-397) Father and Doctor of the Church (On the death of his brother, I, 70-71).
PRAYER – O God, Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant to the souls of Thy servants and handmaids, the remission of all their sins, that they may obtain, by our loving prayer,s the forgiveness which they have always desired. Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
“Similarly, anyone who wishes to understand the minds of the sacred writers must first cleanse his own life and approach the Saints, by imitating their deeds.”
St Athanasius (297-373) Father & Doctor of the Church
“Let listening to worldly news be BITTER FOOD for you and let the words of Saintly men be as combs filled with honey.”
St Basil the Great (329-379) Father and Doctor of the Church
“The Saints must be honoured as friends of Christ and children and heirs of God. Let us carefully observe the manner of life of all the Apostles, Martyrs, Ascetics and just men, who announced the coming of the Lord. And let us emulate their faith, charity, hope, zeal, life, patience under suffering and perseverance unto death, so that we may also share their crowns of glory.”
St John Damascene (676-749) Father and Doctor of the Church
“I am a sinner and do not think much of myself. I have recourse, to the greatest Servants of the Lord that they may pray for me to the blessed Christ and His Mother. But do not forget, that all the Saints cannot endear you to Christ as much as you can yourself. It is entirely up to you!”
St Cajetan (1480-1547) Confessor
“God speaks to us through His Saints. The Saints are those in whom God dwells in such a special way that their entire personalities reflect Him. They live the Gospel perfectly. Whenever we encounter one of these privileged beings, whether in the pages of a book [or online] or in our actual surrounding world, let us pay attention to them and do our best to imitate their virtues.”
One Minute Reflection – 1 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – All Saints Day – Apocalypse 7:2-12, Matthew 5:1-12 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Be glad and rejoice for your reward is very great in Heaven.” – Matthew 5:12
REFLECTION – “Dearly beloved, let us anxiously attend to all that concerns the profession of our common life, “keeping the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace,” by “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the imparting of the Holy Spirit ”(Eph 4,3; 2 Cor 13:13). From the love of God comes the unity of the spirit; from the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ comes the bond of peace; from the imparting of the Holy Spirit, comes that communion which is necessary to those who live in common. …
“I believe, 0 Lord, in the Holy Ghost, the holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints” (Credo). This is my hope, this is my trust, this is my confidence, this is the whole of my security in the professing of my faith. … If I am allowed, O Lord, to “love Thee and love my neighbour,” (Mt 22:37-39) although my merits are small and few, yet will my hopes reach beyond them. I am confident that the merits of the Saints will help me by the communion of charity, so that the Communion of Saints will make up for my insufficiency and imperfection. … Let charity expand our hope, as far as the Communion of Saints, in the sharing of merits and rewards but the sharing of the latter belongs to the future, for it is the sharing in the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Since, then, there are three communions – the first of nature, which includes the sharing of guilt …; the second of grace and the third, of glory. By the communion of grace, that of nature begins to be remade and the sharing of guilt to be excluded but by the communion of glory, that of nature will be perfectly restored and the communion of anger, will be entirely excluded, when “God will wipe away every tear from the eyes” of the Saints (Is 25:8; Rv 21:4). Then, among all the Saints, there will be “one heart and one soul” and “all things will be in common”when God will be “all in all” (Acts 4:2; 1 Cor 15:28). That we may all arrive at this communion and that we all may be one, “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, and the imparting of the Holy Spirit be with us all forever. Amen.” – Baldwin of Forde O.Cist ( c 1125–1190) Cistercian Abbot, Bishop, then Archbishop of Canterbury (Treatise on the common life).
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 Thymercy 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).
Thought for the Day – 31 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Month of the Holy Rosary” “Pray for Us … at the Hour of Our Death”
“My dear Mother Mary, you who lived in the intimate presence of God, obtain for me too, this great grace, so that I may avoid sin, do good and love God, upon earth, in the hope of enjoying Him forever in Heaven. Amen.🙏”
Quote/s of the Day – 31 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – Goodbye October
“Mary, thou art the vessel and tabernacle containing all Mysteries. Thou knows that, which the Patriarchs, never knew, thou hast experienced that, which was never revealed to the Angels, thou has heard that, which the Prophets never heard. In a word, all that was hidden from preceding generations, was made known to thee, even more, most of these wonders, depended on thee!”
St Gregory theWonderworker (c 213–270)
The Fifteen Promises is a tradition held by the Order of Preachers, that the Blessed Virgin Mary made Fifteen specific Promises through Saint Dominic (1170-1221)and Blessed Alain de la Roche (1428-1475), to those who faithfully pray the Rosary.
The 15 Promises of The Most Holy Rosary Given by The Blessed Virgin Mary
Those who faithfully serve me, by the recitation of the Rosary shall receive signal graces.
I promise my special protection and the greatest graces, to all those who shall recite the Rosary.
The Rosary shall be a powerful armour against hell. It will destroy vice, decrease sin and defeat heresies.
It will cause virtue and good works to flourish. It will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God. It will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall not perish.
Whoever shall recite my Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its Sacred Mysteries, shall never be conquered and never overwhelmed by misfortune. God shall not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death Sinners shall convert. The just shall grow in grace and become worthy of eternal life.
Whoever shall have a true devotion to the Holy Rosary, shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church.
Those who are faithful, in reciting the Rosary, shall have, during their life and at their death, the Light of God and the plenitude of His graces. At the moment of death, they shall participate in the merits of the Saints in paradise.
I shall deliver from Purgatory, those who have been devoted to the Rosary.
The faithful children of the Rosary, shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven.
You shall obtain all you ask of me, by the recitation of the Rosary.
All those who propagate the Holy Rosary, shall be aided by me, in their necessities.
I have obtained from my Divine Son, that all the advocates of the Rosary, shall have for intercessors, the entire Celestial Court during their life and at the hour of death.
All who recite the Rosary are my sons and brothers of my only Son, Jesus Christ.
Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.
Whenever I Say Hail Mary Blessed Alain de la Roche (1428-1475)
Whenever I say Hail Mary, The Court of Heaven rejoices And the earth is lost in wonderment And I despise the world And my heart is brim full Of the love of God.
When I say Hail Mary, All my fears wilt and die And my passions are quelled.
If I say Hail Mary, Devotion grows within me And sorrow for sin awakens.
When I say Hail Mary, Hope is made strong in my breast And the dew of consolation Falls on my soul more and more, Because I say Hail Mary. And my spirit rejoices, And sorrow fades away When I say … Hail Mary!
One Minute Reflection – 31 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – Vigil of All Saints – Apocalypse 5:6-12, Luke 6:17-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God.” – Luke 6:20
REFLECTION – “Blessed,” He says, “are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:3). It would perhaps be doubtful what poor He was speaking of, if in saying “blessed are the poor ” He had added nothing which would explain the sort of poor and then, that poverty by itself, would appear sufficient to win the Kingdom of Heaven, which many suffer from, hard and heavy necessity. But when he says “blessed are the poor in spirit,” He shows that the Kingdom of Heaven must be assigned to those who are recommended by the humility of their spirit, rather than, by the smallness of their means.
Yet it cannot be doubted, that this possession of humility is more easily acquired by the poor than the rich: for submissiveness is the companion of those, who want, while loftiness of mind dwells with riches. Notwithstanding, even in many of the rich, is found that spirit which uses its abundance, not for the increasing of its pride but on works of kindness and counts that for the greatest gain, which it expends in the relief of others’ hardships. It is given to every kind and rank of men, to share in this virtue, because men may be equal in will, though unequal in fortune and it does not matter, how different they are in earthly means, who are found equal in spiritual possessions. Blessed, therefore, is poverty which is not possessed with a love of temporal things and does not seek to be increased with the riches of the world but is eager to amass heavenly possessions.” – St Leo the Great (400-461) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 95, PL 54, 461).
PRAYER – Multiply Thy grace upon us, O Lord our God and grant that by following in holiness of life, those whose glorious festival we anticipate, we may attain to their bliss. 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 – 30 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“The Month of the Most Holy Rosary” Prayer and Our Lady
“O Mary, my Mother, obtain for me that spirit of prayer which will keep me always close to God. I know that sin can never conquer me if I remain united to God. I know if my heart is filled with the desire of Heavenly gifts, there will be no room in it for useless or sinful affections. I wish to follow your example and live a life of prayer and recollection. But, I am very weak and unstable. Please obtain for me the gift of constant and persevering prayer and grant that I may never lose it. Amen.”
“The Lord, although He was God, became man. He suffered for the sake of those who suffer, He was bound for those in bonds, condemned for the guilty, buried for those who lie in the grave but He rose from the dead and cried aloud: “Who will contend with Me? Let him confront Me.” I have freed the condemned, brought the dead back to life, raised men from their graves. Who has anything to say against Me? I, He said, Am the Christ, I have destroyed death, triumphed over the enemy, trampled hell underfoot, bound the strong one and taken men up to the heights of Heaven. I Am the Christ. Come, then, all you nations of men, receive forgiveness for the sins which defile you. I Am your Forgiveness. I Am the Passover which brings salvation. I Am the Lamb Who was immolated for you. I Am your Ransom, your Life, your Resurrection, your Light, I am your Salvation and your King. I will bring you to the heights of Heaven. With My own Right Hand I will raise you up and I will show you the Eternal Father.”
St Melito of Sardis (Died c 180) Bishop, Father
“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
“Christ, has dominion over all creatures, a dominion not seized by violence nor usurped but His, by essence and by nature.”
St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father & Doctor of the Church
One Minute Reflection – 30 October – Christ the King – Colossians 1:12-20. John 18:33-37 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Pilate, therefore, said to Him, Thou are then a King?” – John 18:37
REFLECTION – “What a stupendous thing it was for the King of the ages to become King of men! For Christ did not become King of Israel to exact tribute, to equip armies with swords, not subdue visible foes. He became King of Israel that He might rule over men’s souls, counsel them about eternity, that He might lead to the Kingdom of Heaven, those, who would believe in Him, hope in Him and love Him. Accordingly, it was not to increase His power–it was condescension on His part that made Him, the Son of God, co-equal with the Father, the Word by Whom all things were made–wish to become King of Israel. It was an indication of His mercy; it did not augment His power. He, Who on earth was called King of the Jews, in Heaven is called, Lord of the Angels. But is Christ King of the Jews only and not King of the Gentiles, too? When in prophecy He said, “But I have established My Kingdom upon Sion, My holy mountain. I will make known the decree of the Lord,” He added immediately, so that the mention of Mount Sion, might not lead men to believe He had been anointed King of the Jews, solely: “The Lord has said to Me – Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee. Ask of Me and I will give Thee the Gentiles for Thy inheritance and the ends of the earth, for Thy possessions.”
Jesus answered – “My Kingdom is not of this world. If My Kingdom were of this world, My followers would have fought, that I might not be delivered to the Jews. But as it is, My Kingdom is not from here.” This is what the good Master wished us to know. First, we had to learn, how vain was the notion of His Kingdom that it should be hostile, either to the Romans or to the Jews. When the Roman governor asked Jesus “Art thou King of the Jews?” the Lord could have answered: “My kingdom is not of this world.” But Christ asked in His turn, ”Dost thou say this of thyself, or have others told thee of me?” because, He wished to show, from Pilate’s answer, that He, Jesus, had been charged with this, as a crime before Pilate, by the Jews. Thus He laid bare to us the thoughts of men, which He knew and which were vain. After the reply of Pilate, Jesus replied to them, to both Jews and Gentiles, more fittingly and more opportunely, “My Kingdom is not of this world.”– St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (Sermon on Christ the King) Roman Breviary
PRAYER – Almighty and eternal God, Who willed to restore all things in Thy beloved Son, the King of the Universe, graciously grant that the peoples of the earth torn asunder by the wound of sin, may submit to His most gentle rule.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).
An Excerpt from A Treatise on the Trinity Faustinus Luciferanus (Priest)
Our Saviour received a bodily anointing and so, became a true King and a true Priest. Both King and Priest He was of His very self; a Saviour could be nothing less. Hear in His own words, how He Himself became a King – “I have been appoined King by God on Zion, His holy mountain.” Hear, in the Father’s words, that He was a Priest: “You are a Priest forever in the line of Melchizedek.” Aaron was the first, under the law, to be made a Priest by being anointed with chrism, yet the Father does not say, “in the line of Aaron,” lest it be believed that the Saviour’s Priesthood could be passed on by inheritance, for at that time Aaron’s Priesthood was transmitted by lineal descent. But the Saviour’s Priesthood is not inherited because this Priest lives on forever. Therefore, Scripture says: “You are a Priest forever in the line of Melchizedek.”
There is, therefore, a Saviour in the flesh, Who is both a King and a Priest, although His anointing was not physical but spiritual. Among the Israelites, those kings and priests who were actually anointed with oil, were either kings or priests. No man could be both king and priest; he had to be one or the other. Only Christ was both King and Priest because He had come to fulfill the law, He alone possessed the twofold perfection of Kingship and Priesthood.
Those who had been anointed with the oil of kingship or priesthood, although they received only one of these anointings, were called “messiahs.” Our Saviour, however, Who is the Christ, was anointed by the Holy Spirit, so that the passage in Scripture might be fulfilled – “God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness and raised you above your companions.” The difference, then, between the One Christ and the many christs, is in the anointing, since He was anointed with the oil of gladness, which signifies,nothing other, than the Holy Spirit.
This we know to be true from the Saviour Himself. When He took the book of Isaiah, He opened it and read: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me.” He then said that the prophecy was fulfilled in the hearing of those listening.
Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, also taught that the chrism which made the Saviour a Christ was the Holy Spirit, that is to say, the power of God. When, in the Acts of the Apostles, Peter spoke to that faithful and merciful man, the centurion, he said among other things – “After the baptism which John preached, Jesus of Nazareth, whom God anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power, started out in Galilee and travelled about performing powerful miracles, and freeing all who were possessed by the devil.”
So you see that Peter too said that Jesus, in His humanity, was anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power. Thus Jesus, in His humanity, truly became the Christ. By the anointing of the Holy Spirit, He was made both King and Priest forever. (Roman Breviary).
Faustinus Luciferanus was a Priest who died in the Diocletian persecution from 304. He wrote a Treatise on the Trinity around the year 380, most probably at the request of the wife of the Emperor Theodosius the Great, the one who made orthodox Catholic Christianity the Faith of the Roman Empire. Faustinus is one of the lesser known of the Early Church Fathers.
Thought for the Day – 28 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Month of the Holy Rosary” “Mary, Our Hope”
“O Mary, my Mother, I place my trust in you because I know, that your intercession, is all-powerful with your Divine Son, Jesus. Help me to detach myself completely from sin and, to conquer my rebellious inclinations. Grant that I may imitate the shining example of your sanctity in such a way, that you may be truly my hope and my sure refuge, now and at the hour of my death. Amen.”
Quote/s of the Day – 29 October – The Mystical Body
“Mary, having merited to give flesh to the Divine Word and thus, supply the price of our redemption that we might be delivered from eternal death, therefore, she is more powerful than all others, to help us gain eternal life.”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace
“It is not surprising if, despite being far apart, we are present to each other and without being acquainted, know each other because, we are members of One Body, we have One Head, we are steeped in One Grace, we live on One Loaf, we walk on One Road and we dwell in the Same House!”
St Paulinus of Nola (c 354-431)
“In adoring our Saviour’s birth, it is our origin that we celebrate. Christ’s temporal generation is the source of the Christian people, the birth of His Mystical Body. All of us encounter in this Mystery, a new birth in Christ.”
St Pope Leo the Great (400-461) Father & Doctor of the Church
“For nothing more glorious, nothing nobler, nothing surely, more honourable can be imagined, than to belong to the One, Holy Catholic, Apostolic and Roman Church, in which we become members of one Body as venerable as it is unique; are guided by one supreme Head; are filled with one divine Spirit; are nourished during our earthly exile by one doctrine and one heavenly Bread, until at last, we enter into the one, unending blessedness of heaven. But lest we be deceived, by the angel of darkness, who transforms himself into an angel of light, let this be the supreme law of our love – to love the Spouse of Christ, as Christ willed her to be and as He purchased her with His Blood.”
Pope Pius XII (1876-1958) “Mystici Corporis Christi” 1943
One Minute Reflection – 29 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” and Mary’s Saturday (Salve sancta parens) – Ecclesiasticus 24:14-16, Luke 11:27-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Blessed is the womb that bore you ’” – Luke 11:27
REFLECTION – “By the Spirit, from the womb of the Virgin, was born our Head, the Son of Man and, by the same Spirit, in the waters of Baptism, we are reborn as His Body and as sons of God. And just as He was born without any sin, so we are reborn in the forgiveness of all our sins. As on the Cross, He bore the sum total of the whole Body’s sins in His own physical Body, so He gave His members the grace of rebirth, in order that no sin might be imputed to His Mystical Body. It is written: Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputes no sin. The blessed man of this text is undoubtedly Christ, Who forgives sins, insofar as God, is His Head. Insofar as this Man is the Head of the Body, no sin is forgiven Him. But, insofar as the Body that belongs to this Head, consists of many members, sin is not imputed to it.
Just as in Himself, it is He Who justifies Himself. He alone is both Saviour and saved. In His own Body on the Cross, He bore what He had washed from His Body by the waters of Baptism. Bringing salvation through wood and through water, He is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world which He took upon Himself. Himself a Priest, He offers Himself as sacrifice to God and He Himself, is God. Thus, through His own self, the Son is reconciled to Himself as God, as well as to the Father and to the Holy Spirit.” – Blessed Isaac of Stella O.Cist. (c 1100 – c 1170) Cistercian Monk, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher (An excerpt from his Sermon 42),
PRAYER – Grant us, Thy servants, O Lord God, we beseech Thee, to enjoy lasting health of mind and body and by the intercession of glorious and blessed Mary, ever Virgin, may we be delivered from present sorrow and partake to the full of eternal appiness.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 – 28 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Month of the Holy Rosary” “The Refuge of Sinners”
“Mary, my merciful Mother, you see how wretched I am and how often I have fallen. I wish to reform and sanctify myself but I am not able without your powerful assistance, the weakness of my nature is an insurmountable obstacle. Come to my aid, O Mother of mercy. Obtain for me, forgiveness from your Divine Son. Obtain for me too, the grace of a complete change of heart, so that I may be truly your child here upon the earth and share in your glory in Heaven. Amen.”
One Minute Reflection – 28 October – Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles – Ephesians 4:7-13, John 15:17-25 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me first.”- John 15:18
REFLECTION –“I rejoice with you greatly in our Lord Jesus Christ, that you welcomed the copies of true love [Ignatius of Antioch and his companions]…who were encumbered with saintly chains, which are the diadems of those, truly chosen by God and our Lord. And I rejoice because the deep root of your faith, which has been renowned from early times, still lasts and bears fruit to our Lord Jesus Christ, Who for our sins, endured even facing death and Whom “God raised, releasing Him from the throes of death” (Acts 2,24). “Though you have not seen Him, you believe with unutterable, triumphant joy” (1Pt 1,8)…“He who raised Him from the dead will raise us also” (2Cor 4,14), if we do His Will and live by His Commands and love what He loved… Let us be imitators of His endurance and, if we suffer for His sake, let us glorify Him. For He set us this example Himself and this is what we have believed.
So I beg you all, to obey the message of uprightness and to exhibit all endurance, such as you saw with your own eyes, not only in the blessed Ignatius and Zosimus and Rufus but also, in others of your number and in Paul himself and the rest of the Apostles, being assured, that all these “have not run in vain” (Gal 2,2) but in faith and uprightness and, that they are in the place that they have deserved with the Lord, with and for Whom they suffered. For they did not “love the present world” (2Tm 4,10) but Christ, Who died for us and was raised up by God for our sakes.”- St Polycarp (69-155) Apostolic Father, Bishop and Martyr – Letter to the Philippians, 1-2, 8-9
PRAYER – O God, Who has given us a way of coming to know Thy Name through Thy blessed Apostles Simon and Jude, grant us to honour their everlasting glory, by becoming more holy and to become more holy by honouring it. ThroughJesus 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 – 27 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Month of the Holy Rosary” “Hail Mary … Holy Mary”
“We seek her intercession, moreover, at the hour of death. Death must come but if we have prayed often to our heavenly Mother, she will certainly be with us in those final and decisive moments of our lives. If Mary is there to help us, we may be sure that death will come as a consolation, for it will be a peaceful journey towards everlasting happiness.”
Quote/s of the Day – 27 October – Vigil of Saints Simon and Jude – 1 Corinthians 4:9-14, John 15:1-7 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“I am the vine, you the branches; whoever remains in me and I in him, the same bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5
“To magnify her Royal Lover still further, the soul must have eyes only for Him, in other words, with an ever-growing, anxiously eager attentiveness. the soul must study all the details of His Beauty, His perfections, must keep on discovering motives for finding ever-increasing gratification in the ineffable Beauty with which it is in love.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church
“Place all your trust in God, let Him be your fear and your love. He will answer for you, He will do what is best for you. You have here no lasting home. You are a stranger and a pilgrim wherever you may be and you shall have no rest, until you are wholly united with Christ. Why do you look about here when this is not the place of your repose?”
Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)
“For the branch,” says St Augustine, “there can be no half-measures. Either it remains united with the vine, or it is thrown into the fire.” The same holds true for each one of us. We must choose, either close union with Jesus, or separation and spiritual death. We must decide between a life of fervour in Christ, or a life of tepidity and sin.”
One Minute Reflection – 27 October – Vigil of Saints Simon and Jude – 1 Corinthians 4:9-14, John 15:1-7 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“I am the true vine and My Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me, that bears not fruit, He will take away and everyone who bears fruit, He will prune it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” – John 15:1-2
REFLECTION – “I must warn each of you about His vine, for who has never cut back everything that is superfluous in himself, to the point of thinking that there is nothing more to cut? Believe me, what has been cut, grows back – the vices that have been chased away return and we see tendencies, which had gone to sleep, waking up again. It is, therefore, not enough to cut one’s vine once; rather, we have to do it again and often and, if possible, even without ceasing! For if you are sincere, you ceaselessly find in yourself, something to cut… Virtue cannot grow among the vices; for virtue to develop, we must prevent the vices from increasing. So suppress what is superfluous, then the necessary will be able to spring up.
For us, … it is always the time for cutting; it is always necessary. For I am sure that we have already left winter behind us, we have left behind the fear without love, which introduces us all to wisdom but which does not let anyone grow in perfection. When love comes, it chases away that fear, just as the summer chases away the winter… So may the winter rains stop, that is to say, the tears of anguish that arise because of the memory of your sins and the fear of judgement… If “the winter is over” and “the rain has stopped” (Song 2:11)…, the sweetness of the spring of spiritual grace shows us, that the time has come to cut our vine. What else is there for us to do other than to become entirely committed to this work?” – St Bernard (1091-1153) Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 58 on the Song of Songs).
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, unto all Thy servants, that they may remain continually in the enjoyment of soundness, both of mind and body and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, always a Virgin, maybe delivered from present sadness and enter into the joy of Thine eternal gladness.Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Thought for the Day – 26 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Month of the Holy Rosary” “Deliver Us From Evil”
“Deliver us, O God, from the evil of eternal damnation. Sin is the greatest evil but, as long as we are on earth, it is an evil which can still be remedied, for God, in His Infinite Mercy, is always ready to forgive and to restore us to His divine friendship, if we sincerely repent. In Hell, however, there is no further remedy, for there, the Mercy of God has been superseded by His Infinite Justice. Where the tree falls, there it must lie forever. Such dreadful unhappiness is barely conceivable!
Deliver us from sin, O God, deliver us from a bad death, deliver us from Hell. Help us to love You more and more and to serve You more faithfully, so that we may one day enjoy Your blessed company, for all eternity. Amen.”
Quote/s of the Day – 26 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – 1 Peter 5:1-4; 5:10-11, Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Do not let love and fidelity forsake you, bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then will you win favour and esteem before God and human beings. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, on your own intelligence do not rely. In all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths.”
Proverbs 3:3-6
“A person who wishes to become the Lord’s disciple must repudiate a human obligation, however honourable it may appear, if it slows us, ever so slightly, in giving the wholehearted obedience we owe to God.”
St Basil the Great (329-379) Father and Doctor of the Church
“I think He intends to try you like gold in the crucible, so as to number you amongst His most faithful servants. Therefore, you must lovingly embrace all occasions of suffering, considering them as precious tokens of His love. To suffer in silence and without complaint, is what He asks of you.”
St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) “Apostle of the Sacred Heart”
“When the sister of St Thomas Aquinas asked him how to become holy, he replied that it needed only one thing – a firm act of the will, for God will certainly supply the necessary grace..” The grace of God is the principal weapon upon which we must depend, in order to gain our victory. We should pray for it humbly and perseveringly. There will be victors and losers in the battle for Heaven, as well as in earthly contests. We must make sure that we are on the winning side! For this purpose, we should combine fervent and constant prayer with generous co-operation with the grace of God.”
Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“My God, Sweetness beyond words, make bitter all the carnal comfort that draws me from love of the eternal and lures me to its evil self, by the sight of some delightful good in the present. Let it not overcome me, my God. Let not flesh and blood conquer me. Let not the world and its brief glory deceive me, nor the devil trip me by his craftiness. Give me courage to resist, patience to endure and constancy to persevere. Give me the soothing unction of Your spirit, rather than all the consolations of the world and in place of carnal love, infuse into me the love of Your Name.”
Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471) The Imitation of Christ (Book 3 Ch 26:1-4)
One Minute Reflection – 26 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – 1 Peter 5:1-4; 5:10-11, Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Upon this rock I will build my church” – Matthew 16:18
REFLECTION – “Although the earth and all who dwell in it quake, I have set firm its pillars” (Ps 74[75],40). All the Apostles are pillars of the earth but, at their head, the two whose Feast we are celebrating. They are the two pillars who support the Church with their teaching, their prayer and the example of their steadfastness. The Lord Himself strengthened these pillars. For at first they were weak, completely incapable of supporting either themselves or others. And in this the Lord’s great design appears: it they had always been strong, people could have thought their strength came from themselves. That is why the Lord wanted to show what they were capable of, before strengthening them, so that all might know, that their strength came from God… Peter was thrown to the ground by the voice of a mere servant… and the other pillar was very weak too: “I was once a blasphemer and persecutor and an arrogant man” (1Tm 1,13)…
Hence we ought to praise these Saints with all our heart: our Fathers who bore such trials for the Lord’s sake and who persevered, with such determination. It is nothing to persevere in joy, happiness and peace. But this is what is great – to be stoned, scourged, struck for Christ (2 Cor 11,25) and in all this, to persevere with Christ. With Paul it is a great thing to be cursed and to bless, to be persecuted and to endure, to be slandered and to console, to be like the world’s rubbish and to draw glory from it (1 Cor 4,12-13)…And what shall we say of Peter? Even if he had undergone nothing for Christ, it would be sufficient to celebrate him today in that he was crucified for Him… He well knew where He Whom he loved, He Whom he longed for was… his cross has been his road to Heaven.” – St Aelred of Rielvaux (1110-1167) Cistercian Monk (Sermon 18, for the feast of S (ints Peter and Paul ; PL 195, 298).
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, unto all Thy servants, that they may remain continually in the enjoyment of soundness, both of mind and body and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, always a Virgin, may be delivered from present sadness and enter into the joy of Thine eternal gladness. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Seal Your Image on My Heart By Archbishop Baldwin of Canterbury (c 1125-1190)
O Lord, take away my heart of stone, my hardened heart, my uncircumcised heart and grant to me a new heart, a heart of flesh, a clean heart. Come, You Who cleanse the heart and love the pure of heart, possess my heart and dwell in it, containing it and filling it, higher than my highest and more intimate than my most intimate thoughts. You are the Image of all Beauty and the Seal of all Holiness, seal Your Image on my heart and seal my heart in Your Mercy, O God, the Strength of my heart and my Portion forever, Amen.
Thought for the Day – 25 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Month of the Holy Rosary” “Lead Us Not Into Temptation”
“Why, we may ask, does God permit us to be tempted? Ir is for our own good because: (1) He desires us to co-operate with Him, in our own salvation. The crown of glory, which is to be our reward, will only be given to him who has earned it. “Blessed is the man who endures temptation,” says Sr James, “for when he has been tried, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him” (Js 1:12); (2) He wishes us to understand, moreover, that we can do nothing without Him, so that we may be humble and may pray to Him with faith and perseverance; (3) He desires that we may be vigilant and may live in union with Him, by means of prayer.
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!”
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