Posted in "Follow Me", CARMELITES, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 15 October – St Teresa of Jesus

Quote/s of the Day – 15 October – St Teresa of Jesus of Avila OCD (1515-1582) Virgin and Doctor of the Church

“Prayer is an act of love,
words are not needed.
Even if sickness distracts from thoughts,
all that is needed, is the will to love.

The surest way to determine
whether one possesses the love of God,
is to see whether he or she,
loves his or her neighbour.
These two loves are never separated.
Rest assured, the more you progress
in love of neighbour,
the more your love of God will increase.

When we accept what happens to us
and make the best of it,
we are praising God.

Know that,
even when you are
in the kitchen,
our Lord moves
amidst the pots
.”

We always find that those
who walked closest to Christ,
were those, who had to bear
the greatest trials.

Those who risk all for God
will find that they have
both lost all
and gained all.

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!

MORE AND MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/10/15/87677/

St Teresa of Jesus of Avila (1515-1582)
Doctor of the Church

Posted in CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The HOLY GHOST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 15 October – ‘ …Then is celebrated the wedding of the Bridegroom with His bride, in the peace of a pure conscience.’

One Minute Reflection – 15 October – St Teresa of Jesus of Avila OCD (1515-1582) Virgin and Doctor of the Church – 2 Corinthians 10:17-18; 11:1-2, Matthew 25:1-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.” – Matthew 25:6

REFLECTION – “The souls’ husband is the Holy Spirit, by His grace. When His interior inspiration calls the soul to repentance, then every enticement of vice is in vain. The pride that wants command, the greed and lust that consumes everything: this was the master that used to control and ravage the soul. Their very names have been removed from the repentant sinner’s mouth… When grace is poured into the soul and gives it light, God makes a covenant with sinners. He is reconciled with them… Then is celebrated the wedding of the Bridegroom with His bride, in the peace of a pure conscience.” – St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Doctor of the Church

PRAYER – Graciously hear us, O God, our Saviour that as we rejoice on the feast-day of blessed Teresa, Thy Virgin, we may be so nourished by the food of her heavenly teaching, as to learn how to serve Thee.T hrough the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CARMELITES, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, Of the SICK, the INFIRM, All ILLNESS, PATRONAGE - HEADACHES, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on THANKSGIVING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on The SOUL, SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 15 October – St Teresa of Jesus

Saint of the Day – 15 October – St Teresa of Jesus of Avila OCD (1515-1582) Virgin and Doctor of the Church

Practical Considerations
On the Life of Saint Teresa
By Fr Francis Xavier Weninger SJ (1805-1888)

I. Teresa began in early youth, after the teachings of her pious parents, to read devout books. From this, she first drew the spirit of piety. No sooner, however, had she become interested in reading worldly books, than she grew, from day-to-day, more indolent in the service of God and she returned, not to her first fervour, until she had cast aside those works and again resumed her pious reading – a proof of the great benefit we may derive from devout books and of the harm which worldly writings may do us.
Oh! that those, who desire to, live piously, may understand this and conform their lives to it.
Oh! that all Christians would guide their children, from their early youth, to the reading of devout books!

II. Teresa, after the death of her mother, chose the Blessed Virgin to be another mother to her, and sought and found, in her, comfort and assistance in all her needs. Thrugh her intercession and that of St Joseph, she received the grace of being constant in her reform.
Love Mary as your mother – seek, with filial trust, consolation and assistance from her.
St Joseph should be one of your principal Patrons, as his intercession is very powerful with the Almighty and, especially, as he has now been solemnly declared the Patron Saint of the Universal Church.

III. The sight of the wounded Jesus, filled the heart of St Teresa with great contrition for her former indifferent life. It inflamed her with true love of God and kept her, until her end, in these sentiments. Consider frequently how your Saviour suffered for your sake and repent of your sins sincerely, as they were the cause of Christ’s bitter Passion.
Love your Redeemer with all the strength of your heart and make the resolution to serve Him in future most fervently.

IV. Teresa saw the place in hell which would have been hers, if she had not discontinued her idle discourses and her indifference in the worship of the Most High. Hence, she often gave humble thanks to God that He had not condemned her and she learned, by it, how hurtful even a menial sin can become, since it may lead us gradually to the path of everlasting perdition.
You have still more reason to give thanks to God that He did not call you away, from this mortal life, in your sin.
How long would you already have been in hell?
If idle, empty conversation would have led Teresa gradually into hell, what may you not have to fear, if you do not abstain from so much sinful talking, in which you indulge?
Learn also that you should not esteem a venial sin, however small it appears to you, as trifling, for, it may slowly lead you to damnation!

V. Many other lessons, which the life of St Teresa contains, I leave to yourself to consider. One thing only I request of you. Call to mind frequently the words which the Saint uttered in her ecstasy:
Only one God!
Only one death!
Only one soul!
Love this only God and do not offend Him.
Take earnest care of your only, your precious, your immortal soul. ‘Keep thyself, therefore and thy soul, carefully
.’ (Deut., iv.)”

Posted in "Follow Me", APRIL -MONTH of the RESURRECTION and the BLESSED SACAMENT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE, The RESURRECTION

Thought for the Day – 14 October – The First Glorious Mystery, The Resurrection of Our Lord

Thought for the Day – 14 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
The First Glorious Mystery
The Resurrection of Our Lord

The Resurrection of Christ demands a resurrection on our part too.
If, we are in sin, we must rise again.
Or, it maybe, that we must rise from a state of torpor to one of fervour, or from a life of worldly pleasure to an interior life nourished by grace, or from a life of selfishness, to one of sacrifice.

In which state do we find ourselves?
In the presence of the risen Christ and of His Blessed Mother, happy in the contemplation of His glory, let us resolve to rise from sin and from spiritual tepidity, in order to set out on the way of Christ and of perfect sanctity.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/10/13/thought-for-the-day-13-october-the-first-glorious-mystery-the-resurrection-of-our-lord/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/10/14/thought-for-the-day-14-october-the-first-glorious-mystery-the-resurrection-of-our-lord/

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on PEACE, St PETER!, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 14 October – ‘Be Thou our Joy and Strong Defence … ‘

Quote/s of the Day – 14 October – – 1 Peter 5:1-4; 5:10-11, Matthew 16:13-19

Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God.

Matthew 16:16

Without Me
you can do nothing.

John 15:5

“… May grace and peace
be yours in abundance,
through knowledge of God
and of Jesus Our Lord…

2 Peter 1:2

… There is one Road
and one only,
well secured against all possibility
of going astray
and, this Road is provided
by One Who is Himself
both God and man.
As God, He is the Goal,
as man, He is the Way
.”

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

Be Thou our Joy and Strong Defence,
Who art our future Recompense.
Alleluia, alleluia.
So shall the Light that springs from Thee
Be ours through all eternity.
Alleluia, Alleluia
.”

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

Girded with faith
and the performance of good works,
let us follow in His paths
by the guidance of the Gospel.”

St Benedict (c 480-547)

“For Him all things were created
and to Him, all things must be subject
and God loves all creature,
in and because of Christ.”

St Lawrence of Brindisi(1559-1619)

Posted in CHRIST the KING, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on DEATH, St PETER!, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 14 October – Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” – Matthew 16:16

One Minute Reflection – 14 October – St Callistus I (c 218 – c 223) Confessor, Pope, Martyr – 1 Peter 5:1-4; 5:10-11, Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” – Matthew 16:16

REFLECTION – “Peter did not say “Thou are a Christ” or “a son of God” but “the Christ, the Son of God.” For there are many christs by grace, who have attained the rank of adoption [as sons] but [there is] only One Who is by nature the Son of God. Thus, using the definite article, he said, THE Christ, THE Son of God. And in calling Him, Son of the LIVING God, Peter indicates that Christ Himself is Life and that death has no authority over Him. And even if the flesh, for a short while, was weak and died, nevertheless, it rose again, since the Word, Who dwelled in it, could not be held under the bonds of death.” – St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Known as “The Pillar of Faith” Archbishop of Alexandria, Father and Doctor Incarnationis (Doctor of the Incarnation) (Fragment 190).

PRAYER – O God, Who behold how we fail in our weakness, mercifully restore us to Thy love, through the examples of Thy Saints.Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CONFESSION/PENANCE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on TIME

Our Morning Offering – 14 October – Have Mercy, Lord By St Peter Damian

Our Morning Offering – 14 October – Catholic Time, Friday: The Passion

Have Mercy, Lord
By St Peter Damian (1007-1072)
Father & Doctor of the Church

Have mercy, Lord,
on all my friends and relatives,
on all my benefactors,
on all who pray to Thee for me
and on all who have asked me
to pray to Thee, for them.
Give them the spirit of fruitful penance,
mortify them in all vices
and make them flower
in all Thy virtues.
Amen

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on PRIESTS, the PRIESTHOOD and CONSECRATED LIFE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on WATCHING, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The REDEMPTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 13 October – ‘ …This Sacred Household is the Holy, Catholic Church …’

One Minute Reflection – 13 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” and the Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima: The Sixth & Final Apparition – Sirach 31:8-11, Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

Blessed are those servants whom the Master, on His return, shall find watching.” – Luke 12:37

REFLECTION – “Wishing to emphasise the special office of the servants, whom He has placed in charge of His people, the Lord says, ‘Who, do you think, is the faithful and wise steward, whom the Lord sets over His household, to give to them their measure of wheat at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his Master will find so doing when he comes.” Who is that Master, brethren? Without a doubt, it is Christ, Who says to His disciples: “You call me Teacher and Lord and you are right, for so I am” (Jn 13,13). What, too, is the Master’s Household? Doubtless it is the one which the Lord Himself ransomed… This Sacred Household is the Holy, Catholic Church, which is spread through the whole earth with abundant fertility and glories in the fact, that she has been redeemed by the Precious Blood of her Master. As He Himself says: “The Son of Man came, not to be served but to serve and to give His Life as a ransom for many” (Mk 10,45).

He is, too, the Good Shepherd ”Who laid down His Life for His sheep” (Jn 10,11)…As to who the steward is, who ought to be faithful, as well as wise, the Apostle Paul shows us, when, speaking of himself and his companions, he says: “This is how one should regard us, as the servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they should be found trustworthy” (1Cor 4,1-2).

Now, lest anyone of us should think that it is only the Apostles who have been made stewards…, the blessed Apostle Paul shows us that the Bishops also are stewards, when he says: “For a bishop, as God’s steward, must be blameless” (Tt 1,7)…We, therefore, who are the servants of the Master of the Household, we are the stewards of the Lord, we have received the measure of wheat to disburse to you.” – St Fulgentius of Ruspe (467-532) Bishop in North Africa (Homily 1, on the Lord’s servants) (trans. Breviary Common of Pastors).

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,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).

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, I BELIEVE!, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The HEART, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 12 October – Faith

Quote/s of the Day – 12 October – 1 Corinthians 1:4-8, Matthew 9:1-8–

“And Jesus, seeing their faith,
said to the paralytic,
Take courage, son,
your sins are forgiven you
.”

Matthew 9:2

Perhaps, your own faith is feeble.
Nevertheless, the Lord, who is love
will stoop down to you,
provided only that you are penitent
and can say sincerely,
from the depths of your soul:
“Lord, I believe.
Help thou mine unbelief,

(Mark 9:23)……”

St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Faith gives rise to prayer
and this prayer obtains
an increase of faith.”

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

Keep, O Lord, my heart at peace,
always close to Thee.
Thou Who calms the wild waves of the sea.

St Joseph Calasanz(1557-1648)

All things are possible
for him who believes,
more to him who hopes,
even more to him who loves.

St Lawrence of Brindisi (1559-1619)

Hear us, O Heavenly Father,
For the Sake of Your Only Son
By St Augustine (354-430)

Almighty Father, come into our hearts
and so fill us with Your love
that forsaking all evil desires,
we may embrace You, our only good.
Show us, O Lord our God, what You are to us.
Say to our souls, I am your salvation,
speak so, that we may hear.
Our hearts are before You,
open our ears,
let us hasten after Your Voice.
Hide not Your Face from us,
we beseech You, O Lord.
Open our hearts, so that You may enter in.
Repair the ruined mansions,
that You may dwell therein.
Hear us, O Heavenly Father,
for the sake of Your only Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 12 October – Arise, take up your pallet and go to your house. – Matthew 9:6

One Minute Reflection – 12 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – 1 Corinthians 1:4-8, Matthew 9:1-8 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins, – then He said to the paralytic – Arise, take up your pallet and go to your house. ” – Matthew 9:6

REFLECTION – “None can forgive sins except God alone and so, He who healed them, is God… And so that people might understand that He had taken flesh for the remission of their sins and to gain resurrection for their bodies, He said: “That you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins on earth” – He then said to the paralytic: “Rise, pick up your pallet” It would have been enough to have said: “Rise” but… He added: “Pick up your pallet and go home.Firstly, He granted remission of sins, then He manifested the power of the resurrection and then, by making him take up his pallet, He taught that weakness and pain will no longer afflict the body. Finally, by sending this man home healed, He showed that believers must rediscover the road to paradise, the same road that Adam, the father of all, abandoned when he was spoiled by the stain of sin.”… St Hilary (315-368) Father & Doctor of the Church.

PRAYER – May the working of Thy mercy, we beseech Thee, O Lord, guide our hearts, for without Thee, we cannot please Thee. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son ouTheeord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the LIGHT, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE

Our Morning Offering – 12 October – St Augustine’s O God of Our Life

Our Morning Offering – 12 October

O God of Our Life
By St Augustine (354-430)
Father & Doctor of the Church

O God of our life,
there are days when the burdens we carry
chafe our shoulders and weigh us down,
when the road seems dreary and endless,
the skies grey and threatening,
when our lives have no music in them
and our hearts are lonely
and our souls have lost their courage.
Flood the path with light,
run our eyes to where the skies are full of promise,
tune our hearts to brave music,
give us the sense of comradeship,
with heroes and Saints of every age
and so quicken our spirits,
that we may be able to encourage, the souls of all,
who journey with us on the road of life,
to Your honour and glory.
Amen

Posted in MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, MOTHER of GOD, OUR Cross, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 11 October – Mary, the Mother of God

Thought for the Day – 11 October – Feast of the Divine Maternity –Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Mary, the Mother of God

“St Matthew (Cf Mt 12:46-50) and St Mark (Cf Mk 3:31-35), relate how Jesus was preaching one day in Galilee, surrounded by His Apostles and by a large crowd, when a man approached and said: “Behold, thy mother and thy brethren are standing outside, seeking thee.”
“Who is my mother,” He answered, “and who are my brethren?”
Then He extended His hand towards His disciples and said: “Behold, my mother and my brethren! For whoever does the will of my Father in Heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

These words were directed at us, not at Our Lady.
Not only was she the Immaculate Mother of Jesus Christ but, she performed lovingly, on all occasions, the Will of the heavenly Father.
She did His Will, in poverty and obedience, in exile and on Mount Calvary.
Therefore, she was God’s Mother in the spiritual, as well as, in the physical sense of the word, insofar, as she was constantly united to Him by a bond of love and of conformity with His desires.

Christ’s words indicate, that Mary’s perfect and continuous acceptance of God’s Will, was even more pleasing to God, than the dignity of the divine Motherhood.

We cannot equal her in dignity but, we can imitate her in this other respect.
Jesus will look on us as His brothers and as worthy sons of Mary, if we carry out His Will in all things.
It is not always easy to do this.
It is not easy, when we are strongly tempted to commit sins of pride, anger or impurity.
It is not easy, when we are overcome by sorrow or by sickness, when we are let down or misunderstood by others, when we are in want and, when we feel that we are collapsing beneath the weight of our cross.
At times like these, we should pray for Mary’s spirit of complete acceptance of the Will of God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/10/11/thought-for-the-day-11-october-mary-mother-of-god/

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN Antiphons, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, MOTHER of GOD, PAPAL ENCYLICALS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The INCARNATION, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The REDEMPTION

Quote/s of the Day – 11 October – Feast of the Divine Maternity

Quote/s of the Day – 11 October – Feast of the Divine Maternity

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

The One Who is the Wisdom of the Father,
put His arms around her neck,
the One Who is the strength,
which gives movement to everything,
sat in her arms.
He, Who is the rest of souls, (Mt 11:29)
rested on her motherly breast.
… Filled with the Holy Spirit,
she held Him close to her heart …
She never had enough
of seeing Him or of hearing Him …
Thus Mary, grew evermore in love
and her mind was unceasingly attached ,
to Divine contemplation.

St Amadeus of Lausanne (1108-1159)
Bishop (Homily on the Motherhood of Mary, 4).

Wherefore, in the same holy bosom
of His most chaste Mother,
Christ took to Himself flesh
and united to Himself,
the spiritual Body formed
by those who were to believe in Him.
Hence Mary, carrying the Saviour
within her, may be said,
to have also carried, all those.
whose life was contained
in the life of the Saviour.
Therefore, all we who are united to Christ
and, as the Apostle says,
are members of His body,
of His flesh and of His bones (Eph 5:30),
have issued from the womb of Mary,
like a body united to it’s head.

St Pius X (1835-1914)
Pope from 1903 to 1914
Encyclical “Ad diem illum laetissimum” #10-11

Alma Redemptoris Mater
Loving Mother of the Redeemer
By Bl Herman of Reichenau (1013–1054)

Loving Mother of the Redeemer!
Hear thou thy people’s cry,
Star of the deep
and portal of the sky!
Mother of Him
Who thee from nothing made,
Sinking we strive
and call to thee for aid;
Oh, by that joy
which Gabriel brought to thee,
Thou Virgin first and last,
let us thy mercy see.

Posted in CHRIST the JUDGE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Hail MARY!, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, MOTHER of GOD, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, Quotes on SALVATION

Our Morning Offering – 11 October – Feast of the Divine Maternity

Our Morning Offering – 11 October – Feast of the Divine Maternity

Mother of Salvation,
Blessed Lady
By Anselm (1033-1109)

Magnificent Doctor
Marian Doctor

Mother of Salvation,
Blessed Lady,
you are the Mother of Justification
and those who are justified;
the Mother of Reconciliation
and those who are reconciled;
the Mother of Salvation
and those who are saved.
What a blessed trust
and what a secure refuge!
The Mother of God is our Mother.
The Mother of the One
in Whom alone, we hope
and Whom alone, we fear,
is our Mother! …
The One Who partook of our nature
and by restoring us to life,
made us children of His Mother,
invites us by this grace, to proclaim
that we are His brothers and sisters.
Therefore, our Judge, is also our Brother.
The Saviour of the world, is our Brother.
Our God has become –
through Mary – our Brother!
Anen

Posted in OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, QUOTES on ANGER, QUOTES on DESPAIR, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, ROSARY REFLECTIONS and QUOTES, The PASSION

Thought for the Day – 10 October – The Third Sorrowful Mystery, The Crowning with Thorns

Thought for the Day – 10 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
The Third Sorrowful Mystery
The Crowning with Thorns

By the Crowning with Thorns, Jesus wished to make special reparation for sins of thought – thoughts of impurity and of hatred, thoughts of ambition, of anger and revenge and, thoughts of despair.
The evil thought is often the beginning of the greatest sins.
It is essential to resist immediately and resolutely – before the thought takes hold of us and arouses our evil instincts and desires.
When we are tormented by bad thoughts, let us look at Jesus, Crowned with Thorns and ask Him for the grace to resist generously and successfully.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/10/10/thought-for-the-day-10-october-the-third-sorrowful-mystery-the-crowning-
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/10/10/thought-for-the-day-10-october-the-third-sorrowful-mystery-the-crowning-with-thorns-2/

Posted in "Follow Me", CONFESSION/PENANCE, JESUIT SJ, OUR Cross, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on PRIESTS, the PRIESTHOOD and CONSECRATED LIFE, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST

Quote/s of the Day – 10 October – St Francis Borgia

Quote/s of the Day – 10 October – St Francis Borgia SJ (1510-1572) Confessor

He who desires to consecrate
himself to God must, in the first place,
trample under his feet,
all regard for what others will say of him.
O my God, why do we not ask
what Jesus Christ or His holy Mother,
will think of our conduct?

Wherever our brethren may be,
let their first care be,
for those already converted.
Their first aim must be,
to strengthen these in the faith
and to help them save their souls.
After this, they may convert others
not yet Baptised
.”

(Excerpt from his correspondence,
as Master General of the Order,
to the Jesuit Missionaries he had sent
to the Spanish colonies in Florida,
Mexico and Peru.
)

This beast, (so he often called his body)
“must suffer ,to expiate
the delight it formerly took,
in immoderately flattering its palate
and can I forget,
that Christ drank gall
for me on His Cross!

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/10/10/quote4-s-of-the-day-10-october-st-francis-borgia/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JESUIT SJ, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 10 October – ‘ … my Lord Jesus, Thou alone, Who heals my wounds, I desire to follow…. ‘

One Minute Reflection – 10 October – St Francis Borgia SJ (1510-1572) Confessor, Priest of the Society of Jesus, – Ecclesiasticus 45:1-6, Matthew 19:27-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

And everyone who has left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for My Name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold and shall possess life everlasting.” – Matthew 19:29

REFLECTION – “The Apostle Paul said: “Take off the old self with its practices and put on the new self” (Col 3,9-10)… This was the work Christ accomplished when He called Levi; He refashioned him into a new man. Similarly, it is as a new person that the former publican prepares a banquet for Christ, since Christ takes pleasure in him and he ,himself merits, to have a share in happiness, with Christ… He followed Him now, happy, lighthearted and overflowing with joy.

I have the aspect of a publican no more,” he said, “I do not carry around the old Levi, any longer, I put off Levi when I put on Christ. I flee from my earlier life, my Lord Jesus, Thou alone, Who heals my wounds, I desire to follow. Who shall separate me from the love of God within Thee? tribulation? anguish? hunger? (Rom 8,35). I am bound to Thee by faith as by nails, I am held fast by the worthy bonds of love. All Thy commandments will be like a cautery which I will apply firmly to my wound – the remedy stings but it takes away the ulcerous infection. Lord Jesus, with Thy powerful sword, cut away the corruption of my sins, come quickly, lance my hidden and varied passions. Purge away all infection in the new bath.

Listen to me, you people who are fixed to the earth, you whose thoughts are intoxicated by your sins. I, Levi, was also wounded by similar passions. But I found a Doctor Who dwells in Heaven and pours out His remedies on earth. He, alone, can cure my wounds, since He, Himself, has none. He alone can remove the heart’s pain and the soul’s lethargy, for He knows everything that lies hidden.” – St Ambrose (c.340-397) Bishop of Milan and Father and Doctor of the Church (Commentary on Saint Luke’s Gospel, 5, 23.27).

PRAYER – O Lord Jesus Christ, model of true humility and its reward, we beseech Thee, that as Thou made blessed Francis one of Thy glorious imitators, by his contempt for earthly honours, grant us to follow his example and to share in his glory. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on HEAVEN, The HEART, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN

Quote/s of the Day – 9 October – St John Leonardi

Quote/s of the Day – 9 October – St John Leonardi (1541-1609) Confessor, Priest, Founder

The medicine of God,
is Jesus Christ,
Crucified and Risen,
the measure of all things.

Christ first of all,
Christ in the centre of the heart,
in the centre of history
and of the cosmos.
Humanity needs Christ intensely
because, He is our “measure.”
There is no realm,
that cannot be touched
by His strength;
there is no evil,
that cannot find remedy in Him,
there is no problem,
that cannot be solved in Him.
Either Christ or nothing!”

Those who want to work
for moral reform in the world,
must seek the glory of God
before all else.
Because He is the source of all good,
they must wait for His help
and pray for it,
in this difficult and necessary undertaking.

Do not be afraid any longer, little flock,
for your Father is pleased
to give you the kingdom.
Sell your belongings and give alms.
Provide money bags for yourselves
that do not wear out,
an inexhaustible treasure in heaven
that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.

St John Leonardi (1541-1609)

Posted in CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MIRACLES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 9 October – “When Jesus saw their faith” Matthew 9:1-8

One Minute Reflection – 9 October – St John Leonardi (1541-1609) Confessor, Priest, Founder – 1 Corinthians 1:4-8, Matthew9:1-8 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Which is easier to say: Thy sins are forgiven thee, or to say: Arise, and walk?” – Matthew 9:5

REFLECTION – “And people there brought to him a paralytic.” Saint Matthew merely says that this paralytic was carried to Jesus. Other Evangelists describe, how he was let down through an opening in the roof and placed before the Lord, without expressing any particular request, leaving it to Him to assess the needs …

When Jesus saw their faith,” the Gospel says, that is to say, the faith of those who had brought the man to Him. Consider how sometimes Christ pays no attention to the faith of the sick person – perhaps because, the latter is incapable of it, being unconscious or possessed with an evil spirit. However, in this case, this paralytic had great trust in Jesus, otherwise, would he have allowed them to let him down in front of Him? Christ responds to this trust with an extraordinary miracle. With the power of God, He forgives this man’s sins. Thus He showed, that He is equal to the Father, a truth He had already shown, when He said to the leper: “I will do it – be made clean” (Mt 8:3) … and when, with a word, He stilled the tempestuous sea (Mt 8:26), or when, as God, He had cast out the demons who recognised in Him their ruler and their judge (Mt 8:32). So here, He shows His adversaries, to their great astonishment, that He is equal to the Father

And once more, the Saviour shows here, how He turns away from anything spectacular or a source of vainglory. On all sides the crowd is pressing Him, yet, He is in no hurry to work a visible miracle by healing the external paralysis of this man …. He begins with an invisible miracle – by healing the man’s soul. This kind of healing, is far more beneficial for him and, outwardly speaking, less glorious for Christ.” – St John Chrysostom (345-407) Priest at Antioch then Bishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church – homilies on Saint Matthew’s Gospel, no. 29, 1.

PRAYER – O God, Who in a wondrous way graciously urged blessed John, Thy Confessor, to propagate Thy faith among the pagans and through him brought together a new religious family in Thy Church for the education of the faithful, grant Thy servants, so to profit by his teaching that we may reach everlasting rewards. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in Act of SPIRITUAL COMMUNION, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, Our MORNING Offering, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 9 October – O Jesus, Sweetest Love, Come Thou to Me

Our Morning Offering – 9 October – The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

O Jesus, Sweetest Love,
Come Thou to Me
(1940)
By Fr Francis Xavier Lasance (1860–1946)

O JESUS, sweetest Love, come Thou to me.
Come down in all Thy beauty unto me.
Thou Who didst die for longing of me
And never, never more depart from me.
Free me, O beauteous God, from all but Thee;
Sever the chain that holds me back from Thee;
Call me, O tender Love, I cry to Thee;
Thou art my all! O bind me close to Thee.
O suffering Love, Who hast so loved me;
O patient Love, Who wearies not of me.
Thou alone O Love! Thou weary not of me!
Ah! Weary not till I am lost in Thee,
Nay, weary not, till I am found in Thee.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on STRENGTH, ROSARY QUOTES, ROSARY REFLECTIONS and QUOTES, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE, The PASSION

Thought for the Day – 8 October – The First Sorrowful Mystery, The Agony of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane

Thought for the Day – 8 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
The First Sorrowful Mystery
The Agony of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane

To which group do you belong, you who claim to be a Catholic?
Are you among the traitors who, by their sins, Crucify Jesus anew?

Weep for your faults and ask your merciful Redeemer for forgiveness and for the strength never to fall again.

Perhaps you are ungrateful and asleep?
Awake from your torpor!

Pray to the Sorrowful Virgin to obtain for you the love of her Divine Son and the ardent desire of following Him in the path of sacrifice and of virtue.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/10/08/thought-for-the-day-8-october-the-first-sorrowful-mystery-the-agony-of-jesus-in-the-garden-of-gethsemane/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/10/08/thought-for-the-day-8-october-the-first-sorrowful-mystery-the-agony-of-jesus-in-the-garden-of-gethsemane-2/

Posted in LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MARIAN QUOTES, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ENEMIES, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, SAINT of the DAY, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS

Quote/s of the Day – 8 October – St Bridget

Quote/s of the Day – 8 October – St Bridget of Sweden (c 1303-1373) Widow

We must show love
for those who do evil to us
and pray for them.
Nothing is dearer
or more pleasing to God than this.

There is no sinner in the world,
however much at enmity with God,
who cannot recover God’s grace
by recourse to Mary
and by asking her assistance.

Mary is the lily in God’s garden.

Mother of Love, of Sorrow and of Mercy
By St Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373
)

O Blessed Virgin Mary,
Immaculate Mother of God,
who endured a Martyrdom of love and grief,
beholding the sufferings and sorrows of Jesus!
Thou didst co-operate in the benefit of my redemption
by thy innumerable afflictions
and by offering to the Eternal Father,
His only-begotten Son, as a holocaust
and victim of propitiation for my sins.
I thank thee for the unspeakable love
which led thee to deprive thyself
of the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus,
true God and true Man, to save me, a sinner.
Oh! make use of the unfailing intercession
of thy sorrows with the Father and the Son,
that I may steadfastly amend my life
and never again crucify
my loving Redeemer by my sins
and that, persevering till death in His grace,
I may obtain eternal life
through the merits of His Cross and Passion.
Amen

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/10/08/quote-s-of-the-day-23-july-st-bridget/

St Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373)

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The LAST THINGS, The SECOND COMING, The SIN of PRESUMPTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 October – ‘ … the bad will always be mingled amongst the good in the Church …’

One Minute Reflection – 8 October – St Bridget of Sweden (c 1303-1373) Widow – Timothy 5:3-10, Matthew 13:44-52 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

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

REFLECTION – “Our Lord was an example of incomparable patience. He bore with a “devil” among His disciples even to His Passion (Jn 6,70). He said: “Let them grow together until the harvest lest you uproot the wheat when you pull out the weeds” (cf. Mt 13,29f.). As a symbol of the Church, He preached that the net would bring back to shore, namely the end of the world, every kind of fish, both good and bad. And He made it known, in various other ways, whether openly or in parables, that there would always be a mixture of good and bad. But, nevertheless, He stresses, that we have to protect the Church’s discipline when He says: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother” (Mt 18,15)…

Yet today, we see people who think of nothing but stern commandments, who order that troublemakers be reproved, ‘not giving what is holy to the dogs,’ treating, like the publicans, ‘anyone who despises the Church, cutting off the scandalous member from the body‘ (Mt 7,6 ; 18,17 ; 5,30). Their stormy zeal so troubles the Church, that they pull out the weeds before their time and their blindness makes of them enemies, of the unity of Jesus Christ…

Take care not to let these presumptuous thoughts enter our hearts, trying to separate ourselves from sinners, so as not to be soiled by contact with them, wanting to form a band of pure and holy disciples. We will achieve nothing but breaking up our unity, under the pretext of not associating with the wicked. To the contrary, let us remember the parables of Scripture, their inspired words, their striking examples, where we are shown that, until the end of the world and the day of judgement, the bad will always be mingled amongst the good in the Church, without their participation in the Sacraments being harmful to the good, so long as these latter, have not played a part in their sins.” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (On Faith and Works – Excerpt ch 3-5)

PRAYER – O Lord, our God, Who through Thy Only-begotten Son revealed secrets to blessed Bridget, grant that through her kind intercession, we, Thy servants, may rejoice and be glad in the revelation of Thy eternal glory.Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on TIME, ROSARY QUOTES, ROSARY REFLECTIONS and QUOTES, St Louis-Marie Grignion de MONTFORT

Quote/s of the Day– 7 October – The Blessings of the Holy Rosary

Quote/s of the Day – 7 October – The Month and Feast of the Most Holy Rosary

THE SEVEN BLESSINGS OF THE HOLY ROSARY

The Rosary, recited with meditation on the mysteries, brings about the following marvellous results:

  1. It gradually gives us a perfect knowledge of Jesus Christ;
  2. It purifies our souls, washing away sin;
  3. It gives us victory over all our enemies;
  4. It makes it easy for us to practice virtue;
  5. It sets us on fire with love of Our Blessed Lord;
  6. It enriches us with graces and merits;
  7. It supplies us with what is needed to pay,
    all our debts to God and to our fellow men
    and finally, it obtains all kinds of graces for us from Almighty God.”

St Louis Marie Grignion De Montfort (1673-1716)

We put great confidence
in the Holy Rosary,
for the healing of evils
which afflict our times.

Venerable Pope Pius XII (1876-1958)

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, Hail MARY!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The ANNUNCIATION, The INCARNATION

One Minute Reflection – 7 October – ‘…As the human race was subjected to death through the act of a Virgin, so was it saved by a Virgin…’

One Minute Reflection – 7 October – The Month and Feast of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Proverbs 8:22-24, 32-35, Luke 1:26-38 Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

Hail, full of grace!” – Luke 1:28

REFLECTION – “So the Lord now manifestly came to His own. Born by His own created order that He Himself bears, He by His obedience on the tree, renewed and reversed what was done by disobedience, in connection with a tree.

The power of that seduction, by which the virgin Eve, already betrothed to a man, had been wickedly seduced, was broken when the Angel in truth brought good tidings to the Virgin Mary, who already, by her betrothal belonged to a man. For as Eve was seduced by the word of an Angel to flee from God, having rebelled against His Word, so Mary by the word of an Angel, received the glad tidings that she would bear God, by obeying His Word.

The former was seduced to disobey God and so fell but the latter, was persuaded to obey God, so that the Virgin Mary might become the advocate of Eve.

As the human race was subjected to death through the act of a Virgin, so was it saved by a Virgin, was precisely balanced by the obedience of Another. Then indeed, the sin of the first formed man was amended by the chastisement of the First Begotten, the wisdom of the serpent was conquered by the simplicity of the Dove and the chains were broken, by which we were in bondage to death.” – St Irenaeus (130-202) Bishop of Lyons, Martyr, Father of the Church (Against Heresies, 5)

PRAYER – O God, Whose Only-begotten Son, by His life, death and resurrection, has merited for us the grace of eternal salvation, grant, we beseech Thee, that, meditating on these Mysteries in the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may both imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on SOLITUDE, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY GHOST

Quote/s of the Day – 6 October – St Bruno

Quote/s of the Day – 6 October – St Bruno O.Cart (c 1030-1101) Priest, Confessor

No act is charitable, if it is not just.”

In the solitude and silence
of the wilderness…
God gives his athletes
the reward they desire –
a peace that the world
does not know
and joy in the Holy Spirit.

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/10/06/quote-s-of-the-day-6-october-shhhhh-st-bruno/

St Bruno (c 1030-1101)

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on JUSTICE, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 6 October – ‘But, it depends on us, if He does not always enter or always remain.’ – St Ambrose

One Minute Reflection – 6 October – St Bruno O.Cart (c 1030-1101) Priest, Confessor – Sirach 31:8-11, Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search: https://www.drbo.org/

Let your loins be girt about and your lamps burning and you yourselves ,like men waiting for their master’s return from the wedding; so that when he comes and knocks, they may straightaway open to him. Blessed are those servants whom the master, on his return, shall find watching.” – Luke 12:35-37

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, that 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 – May we be aided by the intercession of St Bruno, Thy Confessor, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that we, who have grievously offended Thy Majesty by sin, may, by his merits and prayers, obtain forgiveness for our offenses. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The DIVINE INFANT, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE, The NATIVITY of JESUS

Thought for the Day – 5 October – The Third Joyful Mystery, The Birth of Jesus

Thought for the Day – 5 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
The Third Joyful Mystery
The Birth of Jesus

“Let us too, learn to adore and love Him as His Mother and Foster-father did.

Let us love Him that is, with a contemplative love, not distracted by worldly affairs;
a humble love because, we owe everything to Him, without Whom, we are nothing but miserable sinners;
with a sympathetic love because, we know that He suffered for us and spent Himself for our eternal salvation and, lastly,
with a love which is entirely dedicated.
After all, if He loved us so much that He gave Himself entirely for us, it is only just that in our love for Him, we should sacrifice ourselves completely.
All our thoughts, affections and actions should be offered to Him, with purity of intention and with a firm resolve of living in accordance with His Holy Will.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/10/05/thought-for-the-day-5-october-the-third-joyful-mystery-the-birth-of-jesus/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/10/05/thought-for-the-day-5-october-the-third-joyful-mystery-the-birth-of-jesus-2/

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, Holy Name PRAYERS, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on The SOUL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, St PAUL!, The HOLY NAME, The SECOND COMING, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 5 October – ‘ … Give me courage to resist, patience to endure …’

Quote/s of the Day – 5 October – Hebrews 10:32-38, Luke 12:1-8
Scripture search – https://www.drbo.org/

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

Everyone without God,
has a dead soul.
You, who bewail the dead,
rather, should bewail sin.
Bewail ungodliness.
Bewail disbelief.

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

We have the Providential love of God as our guide.
When there is a ship at sea and heads towards the port,
nobody doubts that it is led by a pilot
and one could doubt that there is a God
who guides the universe
only because He cannot be seen?
By His Providential Love,
God arranges and regulates events,
regulates everything, with gentleness and wisdom.
I advise you to abandon yourself completely
into the hands of Divine Providence.

Blessed Edoardo Giuseppe Rosaz (1877-1903)

The Love of Your Name

“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)

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on The SOUL, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 5 October – ‘ … The body is dead without the soul and the soul is dead without God. … ‘

One Minute Reflection – 5 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – Hebrews 10:32-38, Luke 12:1-8 – Scripture search https://www.drbo.org/

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. … be afraid of him who, after he has killed, has power to cast into hell. ” – Luke 12:4-5

REFLECTION – “The Gospel is life. Impiety and infidelity are the death of the soul. So then, if the soul can die, how then is it yet immortal? Because, there is always a dimension of life in the soul which can never be extinguished. And how does it die? Not in ceasing to be life but by losing its proper life. For the soul is both life to something else and it has it own proper life. Consider the order of the creatures. The soul is the life of the body. God is the life of the soul. As the life that is the soul, is present with the body, that the body may not die, so the life of the soul (God), ought to be with the soul that it may not die.

How does the body die? By the departure of the soul. I say, by the departure of the soul, the body dies and it lies there as a mere carcass, what was a little before, a lively, not a contemptible object. There are in it still, its several members, the eyes and ears. But these are merely the windows of the house – its inhabitant is gone. Those who bewail the dead, cry in vain at the windows of the house. There is no-one there within it to hear. Why is the body dead? Because the soul, its life, is gone. But at what point is the soul itself dead? When God, its life, has forsaken it. This then we can know and hold for certain – the body is dead without the soul and the soul is dead without God. Everyone without God has a dead soul. You who bewail the dead rather, should bewail sin! Bewail ungodliness! Bewail disbelief.! – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop of Hippo, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 65).

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).