Category: CATHOLIC Quotes

Posted in BLESSED TRINITY PRAYERS, FEBRUARY - THE BLESSED TRINITY (Traditional), JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, Our MORNING Offering, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 8 July – An Old Morning Prayer

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Our Morning Offering – 8 July – “The Month of the Precious Blood”

An Old Morning Prayer – Excerpt
From The Blossoms of the Cross — 1894
The Sisters of St Joseph

I rise In God’s strength,
In God’s power,
In the Agony of Christ,
In the Cross of Christ,
In Christ’s Precious Blood,
These will sustain me against my enemies,
visible and invisible.
I rise in the blessing of Christ
which my dearest Jesus left to the whole world.
Protect me, All-Holy Trinity,
God the Father, Who created me,
God, the Son, Who redeemed me in His Precious Blood,
God, the Holy Ghost, Who sanctified me in Holy Baptism.
God, the Father, I give myself to Thee!
God, the Son, I commend myself to Thee!
God, the Holy Ghost, teach me!
Mary, Mother of God, assist me!
All you Saints of God, pray for me!
All you Holy Angels, protect me!
The Cross of Christ preserve me!
Amen

Posted in LAPSED Catholics, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MORTIFICATION, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, Quotes on SALVATION

Thought for the Day – 7 July – THE SALVATION OF SOULS

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Thought for the Day – 7 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

THE SALVATION OF SOULS

“If you still belong to the category of those who desire to be good and virtuous, remember that your obligations do not stop at this.
You are obliged to work as hard as possible, for the return of sinners to the fold and for the reawakening of the faith of the indifferent.

A man who really loves God, cannot remain inactive when he witnesses the desertion of so many of his fellow-men, the corruption of public and private morals and the continuous insults offered to the Creator of the human race.
ANYONE WHO REMAINS INACTIVE BECOMES AN ACCOMPLISH!

Everyone is obliged to do his best to prevent the spread of such errors and evils.
Do NOT make the excuse that there is very little which you can do.
Although the resources of those who are still faithful, may be individually insignificant, they become, when combined, an irresistible force.

Remember that you have three invincible weapons – prayer, mortification and sacrifice.
These are the weapons which can and should be employed in order to convert the world and to establish the Kingdom of God.

Remember the countless conversions effected by the Saints as a result of their prayer, mortications and heroic sacrifices.
No-one can call himself a Catholic, who does not love, in a practical manner, his fellowmen, especially unfortunate sinners.
Make up your mind to offer up your prayers and sacrifices for their conversion.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/07/07/thought-for-the-day-7-july-the-salvation-of-souls/

”

Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, franciscan OFM, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on PRAYER, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 7 July – St Lawrence of Brindisi

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Quote/s of the Day – 7 July – The Memorial of St Lawrence of Brindisi OFM Cap (1559-1619) Confessor, The “Franciscan Renaissance Man,” Priest

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

“My dear souls, let us recognise, I pray you,
Christ’s infinite charity towards us
in the institution of this Sacrament of the Eucharist.
In order that our love be a spiritual love,
He wills a new heart, a new love, a new spirit for us.
It is not with a carnal heart but with a spiritual one,
that Christ has loved us with a gratuitous love,
a supreme and most ardent love,
by way of pure grace and charity.
Ah! One needs to love Him back
with one’s whole, whole, whole,
living, living, living
and true, true, true heart!”

St Lawrence of Brindisi(1559-1619)

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on GRACE, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on WILL (Reasonable or Superior), SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day  – 7 July  – Saint Prosper of Aquitaine (c 390-c 465)

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Saint of the Day  – 7 July  – Saint Prosper of Aquitaine (c 390-c 465) Theologian, Married Layman, Writer, disciple and friend of St Augustine (354-430). St Prosper was the first continuator of St Jerome’s Universal Chronicle. Born in c 390 in Aquitaine, France and died in c 465 in Rome, Italy, of natural causes. Also known as – Tiro Prosper or Prosper Tiro.

Prosper was a native of Aquitaine, France and may have been educated at Bordeaux. By 417 he arrived in Marseilles as a refugee from Aquitaine, in the aftermath of the Gothic invasions of Gaul.

We first meet Prosper definitively around 425 as a participant in the Pelagian controversy which rocked the Church in southern France. Pelagian heretics minimised the role of grace in the first steps of becoming a Christian. Many vigorously opposed St Augustine’s strict views that special grace was required for salvation and thus, many were predestined to damnation. Prosper, a lay theologian, championed St Augustine. And in 428, a letter from Prosper prompted Augustine to write a major work on predestination.

Although a layman, Prosper threw himself with ardour into the religious controversies of his day, defending St Augustine and propagating orthodoxy. In his De vocatione omnium gentium – “The Call of all Nations,”, in which the issues of the call to the Gentiles is discussed, in the light of Augustine’s doctrine of Grace, Prosper appears as the first of the medieval Augustinians.

In 431, Prosper went to Rome and obtained a letter from Pope Celestine I that affirmed Augustine and his views and urged the French Bishops to quell the dispute peacefully. But it raged on. For several more years, Prosper wrote extensively, defending and popularising St Augustine’s teaching.

St Prosper on the right with Baby Jesus above him

In The Call to All Nations, Prosper seems to have mellowed somewhat, allowing that God mercifully made the Grace of Salvation available to all human beings. In the following excerpt Prosper describes the interplay of grace and free will:

“When the Word of God enters the ears through the ministry of preachers, the action of the Divine Power fuses with the sound of the human voice. The soul passes from one will to another will. Although the will that is driven out lingers on for a while, the newborn will claims for itself, all that is better in human beings. Thus the law of sin and the law of God do not dwell in the same way and together in the same person. Then the tempter tries to ambush the person through external things but the mind, strong with God’s help, prevails. For there are occasions for struggle and these greatly benefit the faithful. Their weakness is buffeted so that their holiness may not yield to pride. All good things, especially those conducive to eternal life, are obtained, increased and preserved through God’s favour.”

Prosper spent the last part of his life in Rome where he served as secretary to St Pope Leo the Great. During that tim, he wrote the Chronicle, a universal history from Adam’s fall to the Vandal’s conquest of Rome in 455. He died in Rome around 465.

You will remember yesterday’s Saint Palladius of Ireland, knowledge of whose history, was greatly enhanced by his contemporary’s writings, St Prosper, who speaks of St Palladius, in particular in regard to the Pelagian heresy.

A reflection by St Prosper here: https://anastpaul.com/2021/10/27/one-minute-reflection-27-october-children-of-promise/

Posted in "Follow Me", ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OUR Cross, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, QUOTES on PURITY of INTENTION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on VIRTUE, QUOTES on ZEAL, St PAUL!, St PETER!, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE

Thought for the Day – 6 July – St Peter and St Paul

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Thought for the Day – 6 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) – Octave Day of Saints Peter and Paul

St Peter, Prince of the Apostles
St Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles

“It is good to admire the fidelity of St Peter and the designs of Divine Providence in making him the visible Head of the Church but, it is far better, to follow his example.
His love for Jesus, led him to leave his family and his fisherman’s trade, in order to follow Our Lord.
It led him to undertake long voyages, to endure imprisonment and to face martyrdom.
What can we do for the love of Jesus?
Remember that, if love is to be sincere, it must be generous and effective.

Secondly let us meditate on and imitate, the ardent and fearless faith of St Peter.
He was not afraid to preach the teaching of Christ before the Sanhedrin.
He was not afraid of Herod, who cast him into prison.

He was not afraid of the Roman Emperor, who caused him to be crucified.
Our faith should be steadfast and lively, like his!

Finally, let us imitate Peter in his repentance.
Although he loved Jesus very much and had such great faith in Him, in a moment of weakness and of imprudence, he denied Him three times.
All his life, however, be wept bitterly for this sin.
Whenever he heard a cock crowing, it was as if an arrow had pierced his heart.
He was not satisfied, until he was hanging upon the cross like his Divine Master and could prove his love for Jesus by a Martyr’s death.”

St Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles

We can learn many other virtues from St Paul, besides his zealous love for God and for his fellowmen.
We can also learn from him, the virtues of humility and of apostolic fervour.
The Apostle of the Gentiles reached such heights of sanctity, as to feel himself transformed into Christ Himself and to deserve to be taken up into the third Heaven, where he enjoyed a foretaste of eternal happiness.
Nevertheless, he considered himself unworthy to be called an Apostle and he realised, that all his gifts came to him from God.
“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to think anything as from ourselves but our sufficiency, is from God” (2 Cor 3:5).
Whenever we succeed in any project, we should think on the same lines because, it is only when we are humble and depend on the grace of God, that the success of our actions will redound to the glory of our Creator.
If the cancer of ambition or of self-love, should corrupt our purity of intention, our work would not be blessed by God and would not make us worthy of everlasting life.
Let us repeat often: “All for You, with You and in You, my God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/29/thought-for-the-day-29-june-st-peter-prince-of-the-apostles-st-paul-the-apostle-to-the-gentiles/

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, POETRY, QUOTES on the CHURCH, St PAUL!, St PETER!, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 6 July – Saints Peter and Paul

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Quote/s of the Day – 6 July – Octave Day of Saints Peter and Paul

“Yes, the Apostle chosen
to be His co-worker,
merited to share,
the same Name as Christ.
They built the same Building together –
Peter does the planting,
the Lord gives the increase
and it is the Lord, too,
Who sends those,
who will do the watering (cf 1 Cor 3:6f).”

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

“Nothing escaped the Wisdom
and Power of Christ,
the elements of nature lay at His service,
spirits obeyed Him, Angels served Him. …
And yet, out of all the world,
Peter alone was chosen
to stand at the head,
for the calling of all the peoples
and the oversight of all the Apostles
and Fathers of the Church.”

St Pope Leo the Great (400-461)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“There are the gates of our true country,
the two lights of the immense world.
There Paul’s voice is heard like thunder;
there Peter withholds or hurls the bolt .
The former opens the hearts of men,
the latter opens Heaven.
Peter is the Foundation-stone,
Paul the Architect of the temple
where stands the Altar
by which God is propitiated.
Both together form a single Fountain,
which pours out its healing
and refreshing waters.”

St Venantius Fortunatus (c 530 – c 609)
“The Troubadour of Christ”

St Paul’s Prayer – Ephesians 3:14-21

For this reason, I bow my knees
before the Father, from Whom
every family in heaven and on earth
takes its name.
I pray that, according to the riches
of His glory, He may grant
that you may be strengthened
in your inner being with power through His Spirit
and that Christ may dwell
in your hearts through faith,
as you are being rooted and grounded in love.
I pray that you may have the power
to comprehend, with all the Saints,
what is the breadth and length
and height and depth
and to know, the love of Christ
that surpasses knowledge,
so that you may be filled
with all the fullness of God.
Now to Him Who, by the power at work within us,
is able to accomplish abundantly,
far more than all we can ask or imagine.
To Him be glory in the Church
and in Christ Jesus,
to all generations, forever and ever.
Amen.

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 6 July – ‘The Vessel of life …’

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One Minute Reflection – 6 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Octave Day of Saints Peter and Paul – Romans 8:18-23, Luke 5:1-11

“And getting into one of the boats, the one that was Simon’s, He asked him to put out a little from the land. And sitting down, He began to teach the crowds from the boat.” – Luke 5:3

REFLECTION – “Ordinarily, people are not given life on a boat but transported. Nor are they comforted on a vessel but anxious about its journey. Notice also, that this boat is not a boat that is given to Peter to be piloted — rather, it is the Church, which is committed to the Apostle to be governed. For this is the vessel that does not kill but gives life to those borne along by the storms of this world, as if by waves. Just as a little boat holds the dying fish that have been brought up from the deep, so also the vessel of the Church gives life to human beings who have been freed from turmoil. Within itself, I say, the Church gives life to those who are half-dead, as it were.” – St Maximus of Turin (? – c 420) Bishop, Father (Sermon 110).

PRAYER – O God, Who made this day holy by the Martyrdom of Your Apostles Peter and Paul, grant Thy Church to follow in all things, the teaching of those, from whom she first received the faith. 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, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD

Thought for the Day – 25 June – Belonging Entirely to God

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Thought for the Day – 25 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Belonging Entirely to God

“What more could He have done in order to merit our love?
If He has loved us as much as to give Himself completely, why are we grudging in our relations with Him?
Why do we share our hearts between Him and the world, or worse still, between Him and sin!

There is nothing to prevent us from loving creatures, as well as God but, they should be loved in God and for God.
They should form a ladder, which enables us to climb towards God.

Every disproportionate affection, whether in regard to ourselves, or to others, is an injury to God.
If we really belong entirely to God, we should be at peace.
Since virtue is difficult, it is difficult to belong completely to God but, the effort gives us a foretaste of the happiness of Heaven.

If we really love God, nothing is difficult but everything seems simple and pleasant.
Perfect union with God, will give us the pure joy, which the Saints experienced.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/18/thought-for-the-day-18-june-belonging-entirely-to-god/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/06/18/thought-for-the-day-18-june-belonging-entirely-to-god-2/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD

Thought for the Day – 24 June – The Necessity of Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

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Thought for the Day – 24 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Necessity of Devotion
to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

“It is necessary to develop and meditate on these words of Pius XI, (see Part One) from which, it is clear, that the cult of the Sacred Heart, not only contains the synthesis of Christianity, the religion of love but, contains the most effective guide to the knowledge, love and imitation of Jesus Christ.
From the first moment of His life, when He was an infant in the cold, damp cave of Bethlehem, to the final moment, when He breathed His last upon the Cross, the Heart of Jesus was overflowing with love for us.
We can learn from this, to know our Divine Saviour better, so that appreciating more fully His infinite love for us, we shall feel an upsurge of gratitude and, of love.
We shall feel determined to live entirely for Him, as He lived entirely for us, to obey His commandments with generosity and, to imitate His example with the assistance of His grace.
This should be the result of our devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, especially during this month, which is consecrated to Him.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/02/thought-for-the-day-1-june-the-necessity-of-devotion-to-the-sacred-heart-

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, QUOTES on STRENGTH, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, QUOTES on WILL (Reasonable or Superior), SACRED HEART QUOTES, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 24 June – The Sacred Heart of Jesus

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Quote/s of the Day – 24 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart” and the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

“We, Christians,
are the true Israel
which springs from Christ,
for we are carved out of His Heart,
as from a Rock!”

St Justin Martyr (100-165)
Father of the Church and Martyr

“Be strengthened in Almighty God
and in the power of His might,
for with His help, nothing is difficult.
Throw off the heavy load of your own will,
cast aside the burden of sin
and gird yourselves as valiant warriors.
Forget what you are leaving behind;
strain forward to the great things before you.
I tell you, that every place where you set foot,
shall be yours.
For the Spirit who goes before your face
is Christ the Lord.
He will carry you to the topmost peak
in the arms of His Love.”

St Francis of Assisi (c 1181-1226)

“The Sacred Heart is the symbol
of that boundless love
which moved the Word to take flesh,
to institute the Holy Eucharist,
to take our sins upon Himself
and, dying on the Cross,
to offer Himself as a victim
and sacrifice to the eternal Father.”

“O Heart of love,
I put all my trust in Thee,
for I fear all things,
from my own weakness,
but I hope for all things,
from Thy Goodness.”

The Twelve Promises of Jesus
to Saint Margaret Mary
or those Devoted to His Sacred Heart:

  1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
  2. I will establish peace in their families.
  3. I will console them in all their troubles.
  4. They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life
    and especially at the hour of their death.
  5. I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.
  6. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source of an infinite ocean of mercy.
  7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
  8. Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.
  9. I will bless the homes where an image of My Heart
    shall be exposed and honoured.
  10. I will give to priests the power of touching the most hardened hearts.
  11. Those who propagate this devotion shall have their names
    written in My Heart, never to be effaced.
  12. The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those
    who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months
    the grace of final repentance;
    they shall not die under my displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments;
    My heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.

From Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque’s Vision of Jesus

St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)
Visionary of the Sacred Heart

Posted in ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 June – ‘… Then my life will be alive, filled entirely with You. …’

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One Minute Reflection – 24 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart” and the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus – Ephesians 3:8-12, 14-19, John 19:31-37.

“And to have Christ dwelling, through faith, in your hearts, so that, being rooted and grounded in love, you may be able to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know Christ’s Love, which surpasses knowledge,” – Ephesians 3:17-19

REFLECTION – “When once I shall be united to You with my whole being, I shall at last be free of sorrow and toil. Then my life will be alive, filled entirely with You. When You fill someone, You relieve him of his burdens but because, I am not yet filled with You, I am a burden to myself. My joy when I should be weeping, struggles with my sorrows, when I should be rejoicing. I know not where victory lies.

Woe is me! Lord, have mercy on me! My evil sorrows and good joys are at war with one another. I know not where victory lies. Woe is me! Lord, have mercy! Woe is me! I make no effort to conceal my wounds. You are my Physician, I Your Patient. You are merciful; I stand in need of mercy.” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (An excerpt from: The Confessions Book 10).

PRAYER – O God, Who in the Heart of Thy Son, wounded by our sins, mercifully lavish upon us the infinite riches of Love, grant, we beseech Thee, that as we offer Him the faithful service of our devotion, we may also show forth fitting reparation. 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).
SACRED Heart of JESUS, Thy Kingdom come! – Indulgence 300 Days – Every time – Raccolta 179 St Pius X, 6 November 1906.

Posted in ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PARTIAL Indulgence, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The HEART, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The HOLY GHOST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 June – ‘ … They clothe themselves with the Lord Jesus Christ …’

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One Minute Reflection – 23 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart” – The Octave Day of Corpus Christi –1 Corinthians 11:23-29, John 6:56-59.

“For as often as you shall eat this Bread and drink the Cup, you proclaim the Death of the Lord, until He comes.” – 1 Corinthians 11:26

REFLECTION – “In our offering of the Holy Sacrifice we fulfil the Command of our Saviour, as recorded by the Apostle Paul: The Lord Jesus, on the night in which He was betrayed, took bread and after He had given thanks, broke it and said: This is My Body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me. The same way, after the supper, He took the Cup saying: This Cup is the New Covenant in My Blood. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me. For as often as you eat this Bread and drink this Cup, you shall proclaim the Death of the Lord until He comes.

This Sacrifice is offered, then, to proclaim the Lord’s Death; it is offered in remembrance of Him Who laid down His Life for our sake. As He says: Greater love than this no man has, that he lay down his life for his friends. Because Christ died for us out of love, we ask, when we make remembrance of His Death, at the time of Sacrifice, that we too may be granted love through the coming of the Holy Spirit. We pray, that by the Love which Christ had for us when He braved the Cross, we may receive the grace of the Spirit and be crucified to the world and the world to us. The Death Christ died, He died to sin, once for all but the Life He lives, He lives to God. Let us imitate our Lord’s Death and also live a new life. Strengthened with the gift of His Love, let us die to sin and live for God.

For God’s Love has been poured out in our hearts, through the Holy Spirit, Who has been given to us. Indeed our sharing in the Lord’s Body and Blood, when we eat His Bread and drink His Cup, teaches us, that we should die to the world and that we should keep our life hidden with Christ in God, crucifying our flesh with its vices and evil desires.

That is why all the faithful who love God and their neighbour, truly drink the Cup of the Lord’s Love even though, they may not drink the cup of His Bodily Suffering. And becoming inebriated from it, they put to death, whatever in their nature is rooted in earth. They clothe themselves with the Lord Jesus Christ and do not indulge fleshly desires. They do not fix their gaze on visible things but contemplate things, which the eye cannot see. Thus they drink the Lord’s Cup by preserving the holy bond of love; without it, even if a man should deliver his body to be burned, he gains nothing. But the gift of love enables us to become, in reality, what we celebrate as Mystery in the Sacrifice.” – St Fulgentius of Ruspe (c 462 – 533) Bishop, Father (An excerpt from Against Fabianus).

PRAYER – Grant, O Lord, that we may always fear and love Thy Holy Name, for Thou never fails to guide those whom Thou firmly establish in Thy love. 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).
MAY the Heart of JESUS in the most Blessed Sacrament be praised, adored and loved with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the Tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time. – Indulgence 100 Days, Once a Day. Raccolta 161 Pius IX, 29 February 1868.

Posted in HOLY COMMUNION, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on MORTAL SIN, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, VENIAL SIN

Thought for the Day – 22 June – Frequent Communion

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Thought for the Day – 22 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Frequent Communion

“For the practice of daily Communion, however, we should have the approval of our Confessor.
We should be fully determined to preserve ourselves free from every sin, especially from grave sin, for otherwise, we could not approach the Eucharistic banquet (if anyone receives Jesus with mortal sin on his soul, he commits a terrible sacrilege).
This practice, moreover, should help us to avoid every deliberate imperfection and venial sin and should inspire in us, a lively spirit of Christian charity.
“Receive Communion everyday,” said St Augustine, “because it will help you everyday … but you must live in a manner which will entitle you to communicate daily” (De Verbo Domini – Sermon 28).

Frequent Communion, therefore, will enable us to set out upon the road to perfection, without relaxing in our resolution and without any false scruples.
“Two kinds of people,” wrote st Francis de Sales, “should receive Communion frequently – the perfect and the imperfect; the perfect in order to preserve their holiness; the imperfect, in order to reach perfection.” (Introduction to the Devout Life c 2).

Let us ask the advice of our regular Confessor.
We shall be fortunate if we can approach the Sacred Banquet everyday, or at least very often, for we shall be sure that we are on the path to holiness.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/21/thought-for-the-day-21-august-frequent-communion/

Posted in ART DEI, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, POETRY, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 22 June – St Paulinus of Nola

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Quote/s of the Day – 22 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – The Memorial of St Paulinus of Nola (c 354-431) Bishop, Confessor, Father.

“To my mind,
the only art, is the Faith
and Christ is my Poetry.”

“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)

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/06/22/quote-s-of-the-day-22-june-st-paulinus-of-nola-st-john-fsher-st-thomas-more/

Posted in ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, CHRIST the JUDGE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PARTIAL Indulgence, PLENARY Indulgences, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 June – ‘ … Even if they are signed with His Name

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One Minute Reflection – 22 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Within the Octave of Corpus Christi and the Memorial of St Paulinus of Nola (c 354-431) Bishop, Confessor – 1 Corinthians 23-29, John 6:56-59.

“ … For he who eats and drinks unworthily, … eats and drinks judgement upon himself.”- 1 Corinthians 29

REFLECTION – “Christ has hidden enemies. All those who live unjust and irreligious lives are Christ’s enemies, even if they are signed with His Name and are called ‘Christians’ I mean the ones to whom he is going to say, “I do not know you” and they say to him, “Lord, in your name we ate and drank. In your name, we performed many deeds of power. What did we eat and drink in your name?”

You see that they did not value their food very highly and yet, it was with reference to It, that they said they belonged to Christ. Christ is the Food that is eaten and drunk. Even Christ’s enemies eat and drink Him! The faithful know the Lamb without spot on which they feed, if only they fed on It in such a way that they are not liable to punishment! The Apostle says, “Whoever eats and drinks unworthily is eating and drinking judgment upon himself.” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (Sermon 308).

PRAYER – O God, Who promised to those who forsake all things in this world for Thee, a hundred-fold reward in the world to come and life everlasting, mercifully grant that, following closely in the footsteps of the holy Bishop, Paulinus, we may look upon earthly things as nought and long only for those of Heaven. Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
SWEET HEART of my JESUS, Make me love Thee ever more and more! – Indulgence 300 Days Everytime – Plenary Once a Month – Raccolta 162 – Pope Pius IX 26 November 1876.

Posted in GOD ALONE!, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on STRENGTH, SACRED HEART PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 22 June – Be my Strength, O Sacred Heart!

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Our Morning Offering – 22 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus”

Be my Strength, O Sacred Heart!
By St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)
Visionary of the Sacred Heart

O Sacred Heart of Jesus,
I fly to You,
I unite myself with You,
I enclose myself in You!
Receive my call for help, O my Saviour,
as a sign of my horror of all within me,
contrary to Your holy love.
Let me die rather a thousand times,
than consent to sin against You!
Be my strength, O God – defend me, protect me.
I am Yours and desire forever to be Yours!
Amen

Posted in JESUIT SJ, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 21 June – St Aloysius Gonzaga

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Thought for the Day – 21 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

St Aloysius Gonzaga

“One might say, that the life of St Aloysius Gonzaga was a miracle of purity and of heroic penance.
The source of his sanctity was the ardent love of God which he cherished from his childhood days.
He loved God above all things and with all his strength.
Therefore, long hours of prayer were a joy to him, the service of God in the Society of Jesus was his main desire and, mortification, was a loving offering, which he made in expiation of the sins of men.

The heart of St Aloysius, was not closed to men because of its supreme love of God.
His love of God, overflowed, into a vast love for his fellowmen.
He finally fell a victim to his own heroic charity.
When he was only twenty four years old, he devoted himself so earnestly to the care of those who had been stricken down by the Plague, that he caught the infection and died a peaceful death.
In his final moments, he smiled and announced that he was happy to be leaving the world.

Do we desire to merit as peaceful and holy a death as this?
Let us imitate St Aloysius by living lives of purity henceforth, even if we have not always been as faithful as he was in this regard.
Let us imitate also, his love for God and for his neighbour, his spirit of penance and his fervour in prayer.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/06/21/thought-for-the-day-21-june-st-aloysius-gonzaga/

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, JESUIT SJ, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, SAINT of the DAY

Quote of the Day – 21 June – St Aloysius de Gonzaga

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Quote of the Day – 21 June – The Memorial of St Aloysius de Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591) “The Angel of Purity”

“Recommend yourself to your Angel Guardian
three times a day –
in the morning. by the prayer “Angele Dei”
in the evening, by the same prayer
and during the day,
when you visit the Altars in Churches.
Remember that you are to be guided
by your Angel, like a blind man
who cannot see the dangers of the streets
and trusts entirely.
to the person who leads him.”

St Aloysius de Gonzaga (1568-1591)

Prayer for the Intercession of St Aloysius Gonzaga,
(Can be Prayed as a Novena for Nine Consecutive Days)

O Saint Aloysius,
adorned with angelical manners,
although I am thy unworthy servant,
I recommend to thee,
in an especial manner,
the chastity of my soul and body;
I conjure thee, by thy angelical purity,
to commend me to Jesus Christ,
the spotless Lamb
and to His most Holy Mother,
the Virgin of virgins.
Preserve me from every grievous sin;
never suffer me to sully my soul ,
with any impurity;
whenever thou seest me in temptation,
or danger of sin,
ward off from me,
every impure thought and affection
and awakening in me,
the remembrance of eternity
and of Jesus Crucified,
imprint deeply in my heart
the sentiment of the fear of God.
Inflame me with divine love,
in order that,
by imitating thee on earth,
I may merit to enjoy God
with thee in Heaven.
Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary

MORE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/06/21/quote-s-of-the-day-21-june-st-aloysius-de-gonzaga/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/06/21/quote-s-of-the-day-21-june-st-aloysius-gonzaga/

Posted in ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 21 June – He who eats this Bread shall live forever. John 6:59

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One Minute Reflection – 21 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Tuesday within the Octave of Corpus Christi and the Memorial of St Aloysius de Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591) – 1 Corinthians 23-29, John 6:56-59.

“This is the Bread that has come down from Heaven; not as your fathers ate the manna and died. He who eats this Bread shall live forever.” – John 6:59

REFLECTION – Christ is “the bread of life” for those who believe in Him: to believe in Christ is to eat the bread of life, to possess Christ within one, is to possess eternal life…
“I am the bread of life,” He says; “your fathers ate manna in the wilderness and they are dead” (Jn 6,48f). By this is to be understood ,spiritual death. Why are they dead? Because they believed in what they saw and did not understand what they could not see… Moses ate manna, Aaron ate it and many others, too, who pleased God and are not dead. Why are they not dead? Because they understood, in a spiritual fashion, they were spiritually hungry, they tasted the manna spiritually, so that they might be spiritually satisfied. “This is the bread that came down from heaven: whoever eats it will never die” (v.50).
This manna – that is to say, Christ, who Himself spoke like this…, was prefigured by the manna but was able to do more than manna could. For manna could not, of itself, prevent dying spiritually… But the righteous saw Christ in the manna, they believed in His coming and Christ, of whom manna was the symbol, grants to all who believe in Him that they should not spiritually die. Hence He says: “This is the bread come down from heaven; whoever eats it will never see death.” Here on earth, here now, before your eyes, your eyes of flesh: here is to be found the “bread from heaven” (v.51). The “bread of life” we spoke of a moment ago is now called “living bread.” Living bread because it contains, within itself, the life that abides and can deliver from spiritual death and bestow life. First He said: “Whoever eats it will never die” now he speaks clearly, concerning the life He gives: “Whoever eats this bread will live for ever” (v.58). Archbishop Baldwin of Canterbury (c 1125-1190) Cistercian – The Sacrament of the Altar II

PRAYER – O God, bestower of heavenly gifts, Who in the angelic youth Aloysius joined wondrous innocence of life to an equally wondrous love of penance; grant, by his merits and prayers, that we who have not followed him in his innocence may imitate him in his penance. 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).
SACRED Heart of JESUS, Thy Kingdom come!
Indulgence 300 Days. Everytime Raccolta 178 St Pius X, 4 May 1906.

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, VENIAL SIN

Thought for the Day – 20 June – The Eucharistic Life

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Thought for the Day – 20 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Eucharistic Life

“The Eucharistic life, which is the life of union with Jesus, especially by means of daily Communion, transforms us and makes us holy.
It preserves and increases in us, the grace which is the supernatural life of the soul.
The Eucharist, of itself, does not bestow grace because, it is a Sacrament of the living.
It is our food and food is not given to the dead but, to the living.
For this reason, we should receive Holy Communion free from the stain of sin.
The Eucharist, moreover, remits venial sin, strengthens us in our resolution and increases our charity.
Venial sin, is a sickness of the soul.
Just as natural food banishes listlessness and vulnerability to disease, our Eucharistic nourishment has the same effect on our spiritual life.

It is because the Blessed Eucharist increases our love for Jesus, that it weakens our evil inclinations.
The Eucharist and sin, are mutually exclusive of one another because, the Eucharist is Jesus and sin is the devil.
Our Eucharistic food, moreover, produces, in our souls, a spiritual consolation which is a foretaste of the happiness of Heaven.

Let us listen to Jesus living within us.
He will enable us to forget our worldly cares and will raise us to a higher plane where, by God’s Infinite Goodness, we shall continue to grow in virtue.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/08/08/thought-for-the-day-8-august-the-eucharistic-life/

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MIRACLES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, Quotes on SALVATION, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 20 June – Could anything be of more intrinsic value? St Thomas Aquinas

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One Minute Reflection – 20 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart” – Monday within the Octave of Corpus Christi and the Memorial of St Pope Silverius (Died 538) Martyr – 1 Corinthians 23-29, John 6:56-59.

“He who eats this Bread shall live forever.” – John 6:59

REFLECTION – “Since it was the Will of God’s Only-Begotten Son, that men should share in His Divinity, He assumed our nature in order that, by becoming Man. He might make men gods . Moreover, when He took our flesh. He dedicated the whole of its substance to our salvation. He offered His Body to God the Father, on the Altar of the Cross, as a sacrifice for our reconciliation. He shed His Blood for our ransom and purification, so that we might be redeemed, from our wretched state of bondage and cleansed from all sin. But to ensure that the memory of so great a gift would abide with us forever, He left His Body as food and His Blood as drink, for the faithful to consume in the form of bread and wine.

O precious and wonderful banquet which brings us salvation and contains all sweetness! Could anything be of more intrinsic value? Under the old law, it was the flesh of calves and goats, which was offered but here, Christ Himself, the True God, is set before us as our food! What could be more wonderful than this? No other Sacrament has greater healing power; through it, sins are purged away, virtues are increased and the soul is enriched with an abundance of every spiritual gift. It is offered in the Church for the living and the dead, so that what was instituted for the salvation of all, may be for the benefit of all. Yet, in the end, no-one can fully express the sweetness of this Sacrament, in which spiritual delight is tasted at its very source, and in which, we renew the memory, of that surpassing love for us, which Christ revealed in His Passion.

It was to impress the vastness of this love, more firmly upon the hearts of the faithful, that our Lord instituted this Sacrament at the Last Supper. As He was on the point of leaving the world to go to the Father, after celebrating the Passover with His disciples, He left it as a perpetual memorial of His Passion. It was the fulfilment of ancient figures and the greatest of all His Miracles, while, for those who were to experience the sorrow of His departure, it was destined to be a unique and abiding consolation.” – St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Dominican Priest and Theologian, Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from On the Feast of the Body of Christ).

PRAYER – Look forgivingly on Thy flock, Eternal Shepherd and keep it in Thy constant protection, by the intercession of blessed Sylvester thy Martyr and Sovereign Pontiff, whom Thou didst constitute Shepherd of the whole Church. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
O HEART of love, I place all my trust in Thee; for though I fear all things from my weakness, I hope all things from Thy mercies. – Ejaculation of Saint Margaret Mary – Indulgence 300 Days, Everytime – Raccolta 180 St Pius X, 3 June 1908.

Posted in CONSECRATION Prayers, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, SACRED HEART PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 20 June – Daily Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

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Our Morning Offering – 20 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart” – Monday within the Octave of Corpus Christi

Daily Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Prayers to the Sacred Heart
1936 – 15th Edition, Dublin

O Sacred Heart of Jesus,
filled with infinite love,
broken by our ingratitude
and pierced by our sins,
yet loving us still,
accept the Consecration
we make to Thee,
of all that we are
and all that we have.
Take every faculty
of our souls and bodies,
only day by day
draw us, nearer and nearer
to Thy Sacred Heart,
and there, as we shall hear the lesson,
teach us Thy Holy Way.
Amen

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on THANKSGIVING, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Thought for the Day – 19 June – The Four Ends of the Holy Mass

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Thought for the Day – 19 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Four Ends of the Holy Mass

“Let us meditate on the fact, that the Sacrifice of the Eucharist, was instituted for four ends, namely:

1. TO HONOUR GOD
All the Angels and Saints of Heaven and all the human beings upon earth, could not possibly honour God, as He ought to be honoured because, they are creatures who derive everything which they possess from God.
Only Jesus the God-Man, could offer the Eternal Father, the infinite honour due to Him, by offering Himself.

2. TO MAKE ADEQUATE SATISFACTION FOR ALL OUR SINS
Insofar, as they are a revolt against God, our sins are, in a certain way, infinite.
This is because they offend an Infinite Being.
Only Jesus, being at the same time man and God, could offer for us, His brothers, an infinite satisfaction to the Eternal Father.
Only He, could redeem us from the debt of crime and punishment, which we had contracted, by offering Himself, without reserve, in the Eucharistic Sacrifice.
It must be explained, however, that although the Mass is of infinite value in itself, God applies this value to us in a finite way only, according to His good pleasure and according to our dispositions.
For this reason, we should do well to attend Mass, as often as possible and with the maximum fervour.

3. TO GIVE THANKSGIVING TO GOD for all the benefits which we have received from Him.

4. Finally, TO OBTAIN ALL THE GRACES AND FAVOURS of which we and others stand in need.
The Mass is an extraordinary gift.
Let us attend at Mass with recollection and devotion.
It will be for us, the source of every grace and virtue!”
Amen

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in Act of SPIRITUAL COMMUNION, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, HOLY COMMUNION, HYMNS, Quotes on SALVATION, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The LISTS of the CHURCH

Quote/s of the Day – 19 June – Adoro te Devote

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Quote/s of the Day – 19 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Solemnity of Corpus Christ. Sunday within the Octave and the Memorial of St Juliana Falconieri OSM (1270 – 1341) Virgin

“The Eucharist is the Sacrament of Love.
It signifies Love,
It produces love.
The Eucharist is the consummation
of the whole spiritual life.”

“ O precious and wonderful banquet
that brings us salvation
and contains all sweetness!”

Adoro te Devote
Trans. Fr Gerard Manley Hopkins SJ (1844-1889)

Godhead here in hiding, whom I do adore,
Masked by these bare shadows,
shape and nothing more,
See, Lord, at Thy service low lies here a heart
Lost, all lost in wonder at the God Thou art.

Seeing, touching, tasting are in Thee deceived –
How says trusty hearing? that shall be believed,
What God’s Son has told me, take for truth I do,
Truth Himself speaks truly or there’s nothing true.

On the cross Thy godhead made no sign to men,
Here Thy very manhood steals from human ken –
Both are my confession, both are my belief,
And I pray the prayer of the dying thief.

I am not like Thomas, wounds I cannot see,
But can plainly call Thee Lord and God as he,
Let me to a deeper faith daily nearer move,
Daily make me harder hope and dearer love.

O Thou our reminder of Christ crucified,
Living Bread, the life of us for whom He died,
Lend this life to me then – feed and feast my mind,
There be Thou the sweetness man was meant to find.

Bring the tender tale true of the Pelican,
Bathe me, Jesu Lord, in what Thy bosom ran—
Blood whereof a single drop has power to win
All the world forgiveness of its world of sin.

Jesu, whom I look at shrouded here below,
I beseech Thee send me what I thirst for so,
Some day to gaze on Thee face to face in light
And be blest forever with Thy glory’s sight.
Amen

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor angelicus/Doctor communis

“There is no more efficacious means than this,
(Eucharistic Adoration)
for nourishing and increasing
the piety of the people,
toward this admirable pledge of love,
which is a bond of peace and of unity.”

St Paschal Baylon (1540-1592)

“The Holy Eucharist,
is a fire that purifies and consumes
all our miseries and imperfections.
Do everything in your power
to make yourself worthy of the Eucharist
and this Divine Fire, will take care of the rest.”

St Hyacinth of Mariscotti (1585-1640)

“Of all devotions, that of adoring Jesus
in the Blessed Sacrament
is the greatest, after the sacraments,
the one dearest to God
and the one most helpful to us.”

St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inebriate me
Water from the side of Christ, wash me
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
Good Jesus, hear me
Within Your wounds, shelter me
from turning away, keep me
From the evil one, protect me
At the hour of my death, call me
Into Your presence lead me
to praise You with all Your saints
Forever and ever,
Amen

Act of Spiritual Communion
By St Bernard (1090-1153
Mellifluous Doctor of the Church

As I cannot this day enjoy the happiness
of assisting at the Holy Mysteries, O my God,
I transport myself in spirit to the foot of Your Altar.
I unite with the Church, which by the hands of the Priest,
offers You, Your adorable Son in the Holy Sacrifice.
I offer myself with Him, by Him and in His Name.
I adore, I praise and thank You,
imploring Your mercy,
invoking Your assistance
and presenting to You,
the homage I owe You as my Creator
and the love due to You as my Saviour.

Apply to my soul, I beseech You, O Merciful Jesus,
Your infinite merits;
apply them also to those
for whom I particularly wish to pray.
I desire to communicate spiritually,
that Your Blood, may purify,
Your Flesh, strengthen
and Your Spirit, sanctify me.
May I never forget that You, my divine Redeemer,
died for me.
May I die to all that is not You,
that hereafter, I may live eternally with You.
Amen.

Posted in ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on MISSION, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 19 June – Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city …’ Luke 14:21

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One Minute Reflection – 19 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Solemnity of Corpus Christ. Sunday within the Octave – 1 John 3:13-18. Luke 14:16-24.

“The servant went and reported this to his Master. Then the Master of the house was angry and commanded His servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city and bring in here, the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame…” – Luke 14:21

REFLECTION – “He turned to the Gentiles from the careless scorn of the rich. He invites both good and evil to enter, in order to strengthen the good and change the disposition of the wicked for the better. The saying that was read today is fulfilled, “Then wolves and lambs will feed together.” He summons the poor, the maimed and the blind. By this, He shows us, either that handicaps do not exclude us from the Kingdom of Heaven that the Lord’s mercy forgives the weakness of sinners. Whoever glories in the Lord, glories as one redeemed from reproach, not by works but by faith.

He sends them into the highways because Wisdom sings aloud in passages. He sends them to the streets because He sent them to sinners, so that they should come from the broad paths, to the narrow way which leads to life. He sends them to the highways and hedges . They, who are not busied with any desires for present things, hurry to the future on the path of goodwill. Like a hedge, which separates the wild from the cultivated and wards off the attacks of wild beasts, they can distinguish between good and evil and extend a rampart of faith against the temptations of spiritual wickedness.” – St Ambrose (340-397) Bishop of Milan, Father and Doctor of the Church (Exposition on the Gospel of Luke, 7).

PRAYER – O God, Who miraculously fortified blessed Juliana, Thy Virgin, in her last illness with the precious Body of Thy Son, grant, we beseech Thee, that with her merits pleading for us, we also, refreshed and strengthened by the same Sacrament in our dying agony, may be brought to our heavenly home. 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).
MAY the Heart of JESUS in the most Blessed Sacrament be praised, adored and loved with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the Tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time. Amen. Indulgence 100 Days, Once a day. Raccolta 161 Pope Pius IX, 29 February 1868.

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, GOOD FRIDAY, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The REDEMPTION

Thought for the Day – 18 June – The Holy Mass

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Thought for the Day – 18 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Holy Mass

“The Sacrifice of the Mass is the noblest act of our religion.
In it is renewed, in a real but unbloody manner, the Sacrifice of Calvary.

Jesus desired to remain with us throughout the centuries in the Blessed Eucharist as our friend, comforter and spiritual food.
Similarly, not being satisfied with having shed His Precious Blood on the Cross for our Redemption, it was His wish that this sacrificial action should be renewed daily in every corner of the world, in such a way, that everyone could participate in it and benefit from it.
When we are present at Holy Mass, therefore, we should imagine that we are on Calvary at the foot of the Cross on which our Divine Redeemer is voluntarily giving His Life, as an innocent Victim, for our sins.
Let us see Him hanging between earth and sky, a holocaust of propitiation between God and men.
Let us see Him imploring with His dying glance, forgiveness for His executioners and for us sinners.

Let us imagine, moreover, His most Holy Mother as she gazes sorrowfully upon her suffering Son.
With love far greater than that of any other human creature, she offers herself in union with Jesus, for our salvation.

We should make a similar offering when we assist at the Sacrifice of the Altar.
We should sacrifice ourselves along with Jesus.
If we are tormented by sufferings, let us offer them up along with those of Jesus.
If we are troubled by passionate inclinations to sin, let us sacrifice these bravely, along with Jesus and for love of Him.
If we are full of hatred and coldness towards others, let us sacrifice these feelings for love of Jesus, Who forgave everyone who asked and repented and prayed even for His executioners.

Let us remember, that the Sacrifice of the Mass should be our sacrifice too,
It is not only the Priest who offers it but we offer it along with the Priest and with Jesus.
“Receive, O Holy Trinity, this oblation which we make to Thee.”
Let us unite the offering of our entire selves to the Sacrifice of Jesus and we sgall obtain great spiritual benefits.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 18 June – ‘… With Him, we form a Unity, which is in God! …’

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One Minute Reflection – 18 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Saturday within the Octave of Cprpus Chris and the Memorial of St Ephrem of Syria (306-373) Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church – 1 Corinthians 23-29, John 6:56-59.

“As the living Father has sent Me and as I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me.” – John 6:58

REFLECTION – “We believe that the Word became Flesh and that we receive His Flesh in the Lord’s Supper. How then can we fail to believe, that He really dwells within us? When He became Man, He actually clothed Himself in our flesh, uniting it to Himself forever. In the Sacrament of His Body, He actually gives us His own Flesh, which He has united to His Divinity. This is why we are all one because the Father is in Christ and Christ is in us. He is in us through His Flesh and we are in Him. With Him, we form a Unity, which is in God.

The manner of our indwelling in Him through the Sacrament of His Body and Blood, is evident from the Lord’s own Words: This world will see Me no longer but you shall see Me. Because I live ,you shall live also, for I am in My Father, you are in Me and I am in you. If it had been a question of mere unity of will, why should He have given us this explanation of the steps, by which it is achieved? He is in the Father by reason of His Divine Nature, we are in Him by reason of His Human Birth and He is in us, through the Mystery of the Sacraments. This, surely, is what He wished us to believe; this is how He wanted us to understand the perfect Unity that is achieved through our Mediator, Who lives in the Father, while we live in Him and Who,, while living in the Father, lives also in us. This is how we attain to Unity with the Father. Christ is in very truth in the Father by His Eternal Generation; we are in very truth, in Christ and He likewise is in us.

Christ Himself bore witness to the reality of His Unity, when He said: He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood, lives in Me and I in him. No-one will be in Christ, unless Christ Himself has been in him; Christ will take to Himself only the Flesh of those who have received His Flesh.

He had already explained the Mystery of this perfect Unity, when He said: As the living Father sent Me and I draw life from the Father, so he who eats My Flesh will draw life from Me. We draw life from His Flesh, just as He draws life from the Father. Such comparisons aid our understanding, since we can grasp a point more easily, when we have an analogy. And the point is that Christ is the well-spring of our life. Since we, who are in the flesh, have Christ dwelling in us through His Flesh, we shall draw life from Him in the same way, in which He draws life from the Father.” – St Hilary of Poitiers (315-368) Bishop of Poitiers , Father and Doctor of the Divinity of Christ (An excerpt from his On the Trinity).

PRAYERS – O God, Who willed to enlighten Thy Church by the wondrous learning and glorious merits of the life of blessed Ephrem, Thy Confessor and Doctor, we humbly pray Thee that, by his pleading, Thou will shield her with Thy lasting power, against the snares of error and evil. 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).
HEART of JESUS burning with love of us, inflame our hearts with love of Thee. – 100 Days, once a day. (See Instructions. – Unless otherwise stated, e.g., “once a day,” a partial Indulgence may be gained any number of times in succession.) [169 Raccolta or Collection of Indulgences, 1910] Pope Leo XIII, 16 July 1893.

Posted in ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, INDULGENCES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 17 June – ‘… The very substance of eternal life!’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 17 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Friday within the Octave of Corpus Christi – 1 Corinthians 23-29, John 6:56-59.

“This is the Bread that has come down from Heaven; not as your fathers ate the manna and died. He who eats this Bread shall live forever.”- John 6:59

REFLECTION – “It is wonderful that God rained manna on our fathers and they were fed with daily food from Heaven. And so it is written: Man ate the bread of angels. Yet, those who ate that bread all died in the desert. But the food that you receive, that living Bread which came down from Heaven, supplies the very substance of eternal life, and whoever will eat it, will never die, for it is the Body of Christ!

Consider now which is the more excellent – the bread of Angels or the Flesh of Christ, which is indeed the Body that gives Life. The first was manna from Heaven, the second is above the Heavens. One was of Heaven, the other is of the Lord of the Heavens; one subject to corruption if it was kept till the morrow, the other free from all corruption, for if anyone tastes of it with reverence, he will be incapable of corruption. For our fathers, water flowed from the rock; for you, Blood flows from Christ. Water satisfied their thirst for a time; Blood cleanses you forever. The Jew drinks and still thirsts but when you drink, you will be incapable of thirst. What happened in symbol is now fulfilled in reality.

If what you marvel at is a shadow, how great is the reality, whose very shadow you marvel at. Listen to this, which shows, that what happened in the time of our fathers was but a shadow. They drank, it is written, from the rock that followed them and the Rock was Christ! All this took place as a symbol for us. You know now what is more excellent – Light is preferable to its shadow, reality to its symbol, the Body of the Giver, to the manna He gave from Heaven.” – St Ambrose (340-397) Great Western Father and Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from On the Mysteries).

PRAYER – O God, Thou Who in this wondrous Sacrament have left us a memorial of Thy Passion, grant us, we beseech Thee, so to venerate the Sacred Mysteries of Thy Body and Blood, that we may ever experience, within us, the effect of Thy Redemption. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
MAY the HEART of JESUS be loved everywhere. 100 Days, Indulgence Once a day – Pope Pius IX 23 September 1860.

Posted in ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, AUGUSTINIANS OSA, HOLY COMMUNION, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PARTIAL Indulgence, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 16 June – ‘… Whoever does not dwell in Christ …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 16 June – Corpus Christi, The Most Holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ – 1 Corinthians 23-29, John 6:56-59.

“He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood, abides in Me and I in him..” – John 6:57

REFLECTION – “Or think of it this way: Whereas people desire meat and drink to satisfy hunger and thirst, real satisfaction is produced, only by that meat and drink that make the receivers of it, immortal and incorruptible. He’s talking here about the fellowship of the saints where there is peace and unity, full and perfect. Therefore, our Lord has chosen, for the types of His Body and Blood, things that become one out of many.

Bread is a quantity of grains united into one mass, wine a quantity of grapes squeezed together. Then He explains what it is to eat His Body and drink His Blood: “He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood dwells in me and I in him.” So then, to partake of that Meat and that Drink, is to dwell in Christ and Christ in you. Whoever does not dwell in Christ and in whom, Christ does not dwell, neither eats His Flesh nor drinks His Blood; rather, he eats and drinks the Sacrament of it, to his own damnation!” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (Tractates on the Gospel of John, 26).

PRAYER – O God, Thou Who in this wondrous sacrament have left us a memorial of Thy Passion, grant us, we beseech Thee, so to venerate the Sacred Mysteries of Thy Body and Blood, that we may ever experience, within us, the effect of Thy Redemption. 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).
EUCHARISTIC Heart of JESUS, model of the priestly heart, have mercy on us.
COR JESU Eucharisticum, cordis sacerdotalis exemplar, miserere nobis. – Indulgence 300 Days, Everytime – Raccolta 177 St Pius X, 11 September 1907.

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on WORK/LABOUR

Thought for the Day – 15 June – The Divine Worker

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Thought for the Day – 15 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Divine Worker

“Work is both a right and an obligation, which belongs to all men.
In the beginning of creation, however, work was a pleasure for the human race and the earth yielded its fruits easily and readily.
“The Lord God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to till it and to keep it” (Gen 2:15).
But after Adam’s sin of rebellion, nature, in its turn, rebelled against man.
Work was no longer merely a pleasure but, a chastisement and a dire necessity too.

“Cursed be the ground because of you,” God said to Adam.
“In toil shall you eat of it, all the days of your life; thorn and thistles shall it bring forth to you and you shall eat the plants of the field. In the sweat of your brow, you shall eat bread.” (Gen 3:17-19).

This commandment of God is binding upon everyone.
Idleness is condemned as the source of evil.
“Idleness is an apt teacher of mischief ” (Ecclus 33:29).
Everyone must engage, in either mental or manual labour.
These two kinds of work, complement one another and are equally dignified and necessary.
A man who works with his hands should not envy the man who works with his intellect.
The mental worker should not despise nor consider himself superior to the manual labourer.
We are all brothers and have been placed wherever we are by the designs of Providence.
For this reason, we should love and help one another.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/15/thought-for-the-day-14-june-the-divine-worker/