Posted in FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The WORD

Wednesday of the First Week of Lent – 9 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – REPENT!

Wednesday of the First Week of Lent – 9 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – 3 Kings 19:3-8, Matthew 12:38-50

“Relieve the troubles of my heart
and bring me out of distress, O Lord.
” – Psalm 24:17-18

The men of Ninive will rise up
in the judgement with this generation
and will condemn it;
for they repented
at the preaching of Jonah
and behold, a greater than Jonah is here
.”

Matthew 12:41

LET US FIX OUR ATTENTION on the Blood of Christ and recognise how precious it is to God His Father, since it was shed for our salvation and brought the grace of repentance to all the world.

If we review the various ages of history, we will see ,that in every generation the Lord has offered the opportunity of repentance to any who were willing to turn to Him. When Noah preached God’s message of repentance, all who listened to him were saved. Jonah told the Ninevites they were going to be destroyed,but when they repented, their prayers gained God’s forgiveness for their sins and they were saved, even though they were not of God’s people.

UUNDER THE INSPIRATION of the Holy Spirit, the ministers of God’s grace have spoken of repentance; indeed, the Master of the whole universe Himself, spoke of repentance with an oath: As I live, says the Lord, I do not wish the death of the sinner but his repentance. He added this evidence of His goodness: House of Israel, repent of your wickedness. Tell the sons of my people – If their sins should reach from earth to heaven, if they are brighter than scarlet and blacker than sackcloth, you need only turn to Me with your whole heart and say, “Father” and I will listen to you as a holy people.

IN OTHER WORDS. God wanted all His beloved ones to have the opportunity to repent and He confirmed this desire, by His own Almighty Will. That is why we should obey His Sovereign and Glorious Will and prayerfully entreat His mercy and kindness. We should be suppliant before Him and turn to His compassion, rejecting empty works and quarreling and jealousy which only lead to death.

BROTHERS, WE SHOULD BE HUMBLE in mind, putting aside all arrogance, pride and foolish anger. Rather, we should act in accordance with the Scriptures, as the Holy Spirit says: The wise man must not glory in his wisdom nor the strong man in his strength nor the rich man in his riches. Rather, let him who glories, glory in the Lord by seeking Him and doing what is right and just. Recall especially what the Lord Jesus said when He taught gentleness and forbearance. Be merciful, He said, so that you may have mercy shown to you. Forgive, so that you may be forgiven. As you treat others, so you will be treated. As you give, so you will receive. As you judge, so you will be judged. As you are kind to others, so you will be treated kindly. The measure of your giving, will be the measure of your receiving.

LET THESE COMMANDMENTS AND PRECEPTS strengthen us to live in humble obedience to his sacred words. As Scripture asks: Whom shall I look upon with favour, except the humble, peaceful man who trembles at my words?

Sharing then in the heritage of so many vast and glorious achievements, let us hasten toward the goal of peace, set before us from the beginning. Let us keep our eyes firmly fixed on the Father and Creator of the whole universe and hold fast to His splendid and transcendent gifts of peace and all His blessings.” – St Clement of Rome (c 35-c 101) Apostolic Father, Pope, Martyr (An excerpt from his Letter to the Corinthians).

Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 9 March – St Dominic Savio

Quote/s of the Day – 9 March – Wednesday of the First Week of Lent, Ember Wednesday and the Memorial of St Dominic Savio (1842-1857)

Nothing seems tiresome or painful
when you are working
for a Master Who pays well;
Who rewards, even a cup of cold water,
given for love of Him.

I need nothing in this world
in order to be happy.
I only need to see Jesus in Heaven,
Whom I now see
and adore on the Altar
with the eyes of faith
.”

St Dominic Savio (1842-1857)

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 9 March – “The sign of Jonah” – Matthew 12:39

One Minute Reflection – 9 March –Wednesday of the First Week of Lent, Ember Wednesday – 3 Kings 19:3-8, Matthew 12:38-50 and the Memorial of St Dominic Savio (1842-1857)

The sign of Jonah” – Matthew 12:39

REFLECTION – “God showed patience in the face of man’s weakness because He saw beforehand, the victory He would eventually give him, through His Word. For, when “power was made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9), the Word caused God’s goodness and tremendous power, to be made manifest.
Indeed, it was the same with man, as it was with the prophet Jonah. God permitted Jonah to be swallowed by a sea-monster, not to make him altogether vanish away and die but, so that when he had been vomited out by the monster, he would become more subject to God and would give all the more glory to Him who had given him this unexpected deliverance.
It was, too, to lead the Ninevites to firm repentance and to convert them to Him, Who would deliver them from death, amazed as they were by the sign accomplished in Jonah 
In the same way, God permitted man to be swallowed by that great monster, the author of disobedience, not so that he should altogether vanish away and die but because God, had prepared beforehand, the salvation fulfilled by His Word by means of the “sign of Jonah.”
This salvation has been prepared, for those who have the same feelings for God as Jonah did and, who confess Him in the same words: “I am the servant of the Lord and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land” (Jon 1:9).
God desired that man, by receiving an unanticipated salvation from Him, would rise from the dead and worship God, saying with Jonah: “Out of my distress I called to the Lord; from the midst of the nether world he heard my voice” (Jon 2:2). God desired, too, that man would always remain faithful in giving Him worship and unceasing thanks for the salvation he has received from Him.” – St Irenaeus (130-208) Bishop of Lyons, Martyr, Theologian – Against the heresies III, 20, 1

PRAYER – Infinite Lord, help me to serve You always in accord with Your holy will. Show us how to make You our Lord and our All. St Dominic Savio, you the little giant showed us all the way of holiness within the confines of our lives, always joyfully doing the will of God. Please pray for us all. 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.

Posted in ACT of CONTRITION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, DOCTORS of the Church, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 9 March – Act of Contrition, By St Alphonsus

Our Morning Offering – 9 March – Wednesdayof the First Week of Lent, Ember Wednesday – FAST & PARTIAL ABSTINENCE

Act of Contrition
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

My Lord Jesus Christ,
You have made this journey
to die for me, with love unutterable
and I have so many times unworthily abandoned You
but now I love You with my whole heart
and because I love You,
I repent sincerely for having ever offended You.
Pardon me, my God
and permit me to accompany You on this journey.
You go to die for love of me,
I wish also, my beloved Redeemer,
to die for love of Thee.
My Jesus, I will live
and die always united to You.”
Amen

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on WISDOM

Thought for the Day – 8 March – Knowledge and Goodness

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

Knowledge and Goodness

“The supremacy of goodness over knowledge, has to be admitted in practice, as well as in theory.
It is useless and even harmful, for us to be courageous, if we not also good.
Very often, knowledge is like a weapon in the hands of a child.
If the child is naughty or careless, he can do a great deal of damage with his weapon.
Before everything else, we must be good.
We must have that Christian goodness which embraces all the virtues and culminates in the love of God and of our neighbour.
Once we have acquired this goodness, science will benefit by it.

It will become a powerful means of enlightenment, rather than of destruction.
It will no longer be mere knowledge; it will be wisdom.
In will teach us how to live and show us our proper destination.
In short, it will become an instrument of virtue, which will contribute enormously to the welfare of the human race
.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/07/14/thought-for-the-day-14-july-knowledge-and-goodness/

Posted in "Follow Me", DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, LENT 2022, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, The WORD

Tuesday of the First Week of Lent – 7 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – ‘… For You commanded that we should do good, from dawn to dusk, in the same day, …’

Tuesday of the First Week of Lent – 7 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers

Let my prayer come
like incense before You, O Lord.
Psalm 140:2

And the blind and the lame
came to Him in the temple
and He healed them. …
and the children cried out ,,, saying,
Hosanna to the Son of David
” –

Matthew 21:14,15

“You alone are great and generous in everything.
You are the definition of abundant goodness,
Who pours forth constantly, without measure,
more than we ask or expect,
as Paul said in gratitude.

For You commanded that we should do good,
from dawn to dusk, in the same day,

nine times fifty, plus four times ten.
Always attentive,
forgiving with an unfettered heart,
something more
than the expectation of men’s prayers.

And if we place my wretchedness
and disgrace beside Your glory,
omnipotent and awesome Power,
God of all, blessed Lord Christ,
by what measure of weight
shall the balance between
the Creator and the clay be set?
You remain in these things infinite
and unexaminable,
good in all things,
having no part in the wrath of darkness,
therefore, far less are the number of stars
than Your greatness,
for You called them into existence from nothing
by merely pronouncing their names.
Or take the mass of the earth floating in air,
created from nothing,
from which You established the dry land of earth.
These are less than the number I formulated above,
by which You taught us to be like You in forgiveness.”St Gregory of Narek (c 951-c 1010) Monk, Poet, Mystical philosopher, Theologian, Father (Excerpt – Speaking with God from the Depths of the Heart)

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SIN, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 8 March – St John of God (1495-1550)

Quote/s of the Day – 8 March – Tuesday of the First Week of Lent and the Memeorial of St John of God (1495-1550)

Labour without stopping,
do all the good works you can,
while you still have the time!

If we look forward to receiving God’s mercy,
we can never fail to do good,
as long as we have the strength.
For if we share with the poor,
out of love for God,
whatever He has given to us,
we shall receive according to His promise,
a hundredfold in eternal happiness.
What a fine profit, what a blessed reward!
With outstretched arms He begs us
to turn toward Him, to weep for our sins
and to become the servants of love,
first for ourselves, then for our neighbours.
Just as water extinguishes a fire,
so love wipes away sin.

St John of God (1495-1550)

MORE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/08/quote-s-of-the-day-8-march-st-john-of-god-2/

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 March – ‘… Who is Himself, the Word and the Message …’

One Minute Reflection – 8 March – Tuesday of the First Week of Lent – Isaias 55:6-11 Matthew 21:10-17-1and the Memeorial of St John of God (1495-1550)

For just as from the heavens, the rain and snow come down and do not return there, until they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to him who sows and bread to him who eats.” – Isaias 55:11

REFLECTION – “For the rain and the snow do not return to heaven but accomplish in the earth the will of him that sends them. So the Word that He shall send through His Christ, Who is Himself, the Word and the Message, shall return to Him with great power. For when He shall come and bring it, He shall come down like rain and snow and through Him all that is sown shall spring up and bear righteous fruit and the Word shall return to His Sender but not in vain shall His going have been but thus shall He say, in the presence of His Sender, “Behold, I and the children that the Lord has given me.” And this is the Voice through which the dead shall live. And this is the Voice of God that shall sound from on high and raise up all the dead.” – St Aphraates “the Sage” (Died c 345) (Feast Day – 29 January) Abbot, Father of the Church [see note below] (Demonstrations 8).

PRAYER – Lord God, bestow a full measure of Your grace upon us, who seek to make our lenten journey fruitful. Confirm us in Your service and help us to bear witness to You in the society in which we live by our lives, our fasting and prayer, our gift of self. Listen kindly we pray, to the prayers of St John of God who so avidly followed in the footsteps of our Saviour, Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name, with the Holy Ghost, we pray, one God forever, amen.

St Aphraates was a Syriac Christian author of the third century from the Persian Empire who composed a series of twenty-three sermons on points of Christian doctrine and practice. He was an Ascetic and Celibate. He may have been a Bishop and later Syriac tradition places him at the head of Mar Mattai Monastery near Mosul, therefore, he was certainly an Abbot.

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, Holy Name PRAYERS, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on PRAYER, Quotes on SALVATION, The HOLY NAME

Our Morning Offering – 8 March – St Alphonsus’ Prayer for the Gift of Prayer

Our Morning Offering – 8 March – Tuesday of the First Week of Lent

Prayer for the Gift of Prayer
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

O Incarnate Word,
You have given Your Blood and Your Life
to confer on our prayers that power by which,
according to Your promise,
they obtain for us, all that we ask.
And we, O God,
are so careless of our salvation,
that we will not even ask You for the graces
that we must have, if we should be saved!
In prayer You have given us the key
of all Your Divine treasures
and we, rather than pray,
choose to remain in our misery.
Alas! O Lord, enlighten us,
and make us know the value of prayers,
offered in Your Name and by Your merits,
in the eyes of Your Eternal Father.
Amen

Posted in DOMINICAN OP, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on HUMILITY, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 7 March – ST THOMAS AQUINAS

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

ST THOMAS AQUINAS

“It is generally recognised that St Thomas Aquinas was a great Philosopher and Theologian.
The Cartesian Philosopher, Jourdain , said of him, that no other man had come so near to being infallible!
The eclectic Philosopher, Cousin, referred to the Summa Theologiae, as one of the greatest masterpieces of human genius.
Dante celebrated in immortal verse, this wonderful synthesis of thought.
When he Canonised St Thomas, John XXII declared that “every article he wrote was a miracle!”

One might say that St Thomas Aquinas was raised up by God, for he gathered together, the whole of human knowledge up to his own time and interpreted it in the new light of Christianity.
He ordered it into a complete compact body of philosophical and theological doctrine, to serve as an impregnable defence against the errors of his own and later times.

In spite of his greatness, however, Thomas of Aquin, was a very humble man.
There is a good deal of truth in Pascal’s remark that a little knowledge makes the mind proud but real wisdom makes it humble.

We cannot all imitate the knowledge of St Thomas Aquinas but we should all imitate his humility.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, The WORD

Monday of the First Week of Lent – 7 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – ‘… Let us not labour to heap up and hoard riches, while others remain in need. …’

Monday of the First Week of Lent – 7 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers

O Lord, deal with us,
not according to our sins,
nor requite us,
according to our crimes..

Psalm 102:10

Amen I say to you,
as long as you did not do it
for one of these least ones,
you did not do it for Me.

Matthew 25:45

RECOGNISE TO WHOM you owe the fact, that you exist, that you breathe, that you understand, that you are wise and, above all, that you know God and hope for the Kingdom of Heaven and the vision of glory, now darkly as in a mirror but then, with greater fullness and purity. You have been made a son of God, co-heir with Christ. Where did you get all this and from whom?

LET ME TURN to what is of less importance: – the visible world around us. What benefactor has enabled you to look out upon the beauty of the sky, the sun in its course, the circle of the moon, the countless number of stars, with the harmony and order that are theirs, like the music of a harp? Who has blessed you with rain, with the art of husbandry, with different kinds of food, with the arts, with houses, with laws, with states, with a life of humanity and culture, with friendship and the easy familiarity of kinship?

WHO HAS GIVEN YOU DOMINION over animals, those that are tame and those that provide you with food? Who has made you lord and master of everything on earth? In short, Who has endowed you with all that makes man superior to all other living creatures?

IS IT NOT GOD WHO ASKS YOU NOW, in your turn, to show yourself generous above all other creatures and for the sake of all other creatures? Because we have received from Him so many wonderful gifts, will we not be ashamed to refuse Him this one thing only, our generosity? Although He is God and Lord, He is not afraid to be known as our Father. Shall we, for our part, repudiate those who are our kith and kin?

BRETHREN AND FRIENDS, let us never allow ourselves to misuse what has been given us by God’s gift. If we do, we shall hear Saint Peter say: Be ashamed of yourselves for holding onto what belongs to someone else. Resolve to imitate God’s justice and no-one will be poor. Let us not labour to heap up and hoard riches, while others remain in need. If we do, the prophet Amos will speak out against us with sharp and threatening words – Come now, you that say:- When will the new moon be over, so that we may start selling? When will the sabbath be over, so that we may start opening our treasures?

LET US PUT INTO PRACTICE the supreme and primary law of God. He sends down rain on just and sinful alike and causes the sun to rise on all, without distinction. To all earth’s creatures he has given the broad earth, the springs, the rivers and the forests. He has given the air to the birds and the waters to those who live in the water. He has given abundantly to all the basic needs of life, not as a private possession, not restricted by law, not divided by boundaries but as common to all, amply and in rich measure. His gifts are not deficient in any way because He wanted to give equality of blessing to equality of worth and to show the abundance of His generosity.” – St Gregory Nazianzen (330-390) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from his Oration 14: On Love of the Poor)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, I BELIEVE!, QUOTES on ANGER, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on TRUTH, QUOTES on VIRTUE, QUOTES on WILL (Reasonable or Superior), The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quotes of the Day – 7 March – St Thomas Aquinas

Quotes of the Day – 7 March – Monday of the First Week of Lent and the Memorial of St Thomas Aquinas OP (1225-1274) Doctor Angelicus and Doctor Communis

Charity is
the form,
mover,
mother
and root
of all
the virtues
.”

To love is to
will the good
of the other.

The greatest kindness
one can render
to any man
consists in leading him
from error to truth.”

The celebration of Holy Mass
is as valuable, as the death
of Jesus on the cross.

Believing is:
an act of the intellect
assenting to the divine truth,
by command of the will,
moved by God through grace.

He who is NOT angry
when there is just cause
for anger, is IMMORAL.
WHY?
Because anger looks to
the good of Justice.
And if you can live amid Injustice
without anger,
you ARE IMMORAL
as well as UNJUST!”

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

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on POVERTY, The LAST THINGS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 7 March – Do you suppose that charity is not an obligation but voluntary?

One Minute Reflection – 7 March – Monday of the First Week of Lent – Ezech 34:11-16, Matt hew 25:31-46 and the Memorial of St Thomas Aquinas OP (1225-1274) Doctor Angelicus and Doctor Communis

Amen I say to you, as long as you did not do it for one of these least ones, you did not do it for Me.” – Matthew 25:45

REFLECTION –Do you suppose that charity is not an obligation but voluntary? That it is not a law but merely a counsel? I should like it to be so, too and would gladly think so. But God’s left hand gives me cause for alarm, the place where He has set the goats to whom He addresses His reproaches, not because they stole, plundered, committed adultery or perpetrated other such faults but because, they did not honour Christ in the person of His poor!

If you are willing to listen to me, then, O servants of Christ, His brothers and co-heirs, I say ,that we should visit Christ while there is an opportunity, take care of Him and feed Him. We should clothe Christ and welcome Him. We should honour Him, not only at our table, like some; not only with ointments, like Mary Magdalene; not only with a sepulchre, like Joseph of Arimathea; nor with things which have to do with His burial, like Nicodemus… nor finally, with gold, incense and myrrh, like the Magi.

But, as the Lord of all “desires mercy and not sacrifice” (Mt 9,13) and as compassion is better than tens of thousands of fat rams, let us offer Him this mercy through the needy and those who are at present cast down to the ground. Let us do this, so that, when we depart hence, they may “welcome us into the eternal habitations” (Lk 16,9), in the same Christ our Lord, to whom be glory forever.” – St Gregory Nazianzen (330-390) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 14, on Love for the Poor, 27, 28, 39-40).

PRAYER – O God, our Saviour, direct our minds by Your heavenly teaching, so that the Lenten fast may profit us. And may the intercession of St Thomas Aquinas, Your humble servant, aid us in our need. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. R. Amen.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, franciscan OFM, GOD ALONE!, HOLY SPIRIT, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, The HEART, The HOLY GHOST, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY, The WILL of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 7 March – All Highest, Glorious God & Prayer to do the Will of God

Our Morning Offering – 7 March – Monday of the First Week of Lent

Prayer to do the Will of God
By St Francis of Assisi (c 1181-1226)

Almighty, eternal, just and merciful God,
grant us in our misery,
the grace to do for You alone
what we know You want us to do
and always to desire, what pleases You.
Thus, inwardly cleansed,
interiorly enlightened
and inflamed by the fire of the Holy Spirit,
may we be able to follow in the footprints of
Your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
And, by Your grace alone,
may we make our way to You,
Most High, Who live and rule in perfect Trinity
and simple Unity
and are glorified God
all-powerful, forever and ever.
Amen

All Highest, Glorious God

All highest, glorious God,
cast Your light into the darkness of our hearts,
give us true faith, firm hope,
perfect charity and profound humility,
so that with wisdom,
courage and perception, O Lord,
we may do what is truly Your holy will.
Amen.

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD

Thought for the Day – 6 March – CONSCIENCE

Thought for the Day – 6 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

CONSCIENCE

There is such a thing also, as a scrupulous conscience.
Some people live in continual anxiety and torment.
They see sin everywhere and believe it is impossible to avoid it.

In spite of the clear directions of their confessor, they postpone receiving Holy Communion because they feel unworthy.
They say their prayers over and over again because they feel that they are saying them badly.
They become a burden to themselves and to others.
They never stop worrying and waste their own valuable time, as well as that of their confessor.
The spirit of Jesus, however, is a spirit of peace, forgiveness and truth.
He is infinitely good and merciful and wants us to have complete confidence in Him and in the ministers of His Church, which He founded as a sure guide for our salvation and spiritual happiness.

People who are troubled by a scrupulous conscience should go to a good confessor or Spiritual Director and strictly obey his instructions.
The only cure for scrupulosity is absolute obedience.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/28/thought-for-the-day-28-march-conscience/

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, The WORD

First Sunday of Lent – 6 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – ‘ … He could have kept the devil from Himself but …’

First Sunday of Lent – 6 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers

You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,
shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”
Psalm 90:1

At that time, Jesus was led into the desert
by the Spirit, to be tempted by the devil.

Matthew 4:1

HEAR O GOD, my petition, listen to my prayer. Who is speaking? An individual, it seems. See if it is an individual: – I cried to you from the ends of the earth while my heart was in anguish. Now it is no longer one person, rather, it is one in the sense that Christ is One and we are all His Members. What single individual can cry from the ends of the earth? The one who cries from the ends of the earth is none other than the Son’s Inheritance. It was said to Him: Ask of me and I shall give you the nations as your inheritance and the ends of the earth as your possession. This Possession of Christ, this Inheritance of Christ, this Body of Christ, this One Church of Christ, this Unity that we are, cries from the ends of the earth! What does it cry? What I said before: Hear, O God, my petition, listen to my prayer; I cried out to you from the ends of the earth. That is, I made this cry to You from the ends of the earth; that is, on all sides.

Why did I make this cry? While my heart was in anguish. The speaker shows that he is present among all the nations of the earth in a condition, not of exalted glory but of severe trial.

OUR PILGRIMAGE ON EARTH cannot be exempt from trial. We progress by means of trial. No-one knows himself except through trial, or receives a crown except after victory, or strives except against an enemy or temptations.

THE ONE WHO CRIES from the ends of the earth is in anguish but is not left on his own. Christ chose to foreshadow us, who are His Body, by means of His body, in which He has died, risen and ascended into Heaven, so that the Members of His Body may hope to follow where their Head has gone before.

HE MADER US ONE WITH HIMSELF,when He chose to be tempted by Satan. We have heard in the Gospel how the Lord Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. Certainly Christ was tempted by the devil. In Christ you were tempted, for Christ received His flesh from your nature but by His own Power gained life for you; He suffered insults in your nature but by His own Power gained glory for you; therefore, He suffered temptation in your nature, but by His own Power gained victory for you!

IF IN CHRIST, we have been tempted, in Him we overcame the devil. Do you think only of Christ’s Temptations and fail to think of His Victory? See yourself as tempted in Him and see yourself as victorious in Him. He could have kept the devil from Himself but if he were not tempted, he could not teach you how to triumph over temptation.” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop of Hippo, Father, Doctor of Grace (“In Christ we suffer temptation and in Him we overcame the devil.” – An excerpt from his Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 60).

Posted in CATHOLIC Quotes, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on GOSSIP, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The HEART, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 6 March – Temptation

Quote/s of the Day – 6 March – The First Sunday of Lent – 2 Cor.inthians 6:1-10, Matthew 4:1-1

Temptations to sin are sure to come
but woe to the person through whom they occur!
It would be better for him,
if a millstone were put around his neck
and he be thrown into the sea,
than for him to cause
one of these little ones to sin…

Luke 17:1-2

He says that these temptations must come.
Is this then because God, who governs all,
forces people to their commission of sin?
Away with the thought!
Nothing that is evil comes from Him.
He is the fountain of all virtue.
Why then must this happen?
They clearly happen because of our infirmity,
for all of us stumble in many things,
as it is written.
Nevertheless, He says, that there will be woe
to the person who lays the stumbling blocks
in the way.
He does not leave indifference in these things
without rebuke but restrains it by fear of punishment. He still commands us to bear with patience ” those who cause sins to happen.”

St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444)
Father & Doctor

A man must fight long and bravely
against himself before he learns
to master himself fully
and to direct all his affections toward God. ”
… The devil does not sleep,
nor is the flesh yet dead,
therefore, you must never cease
your preparation for battle
because, on the right and on the left
are enemies who never rest.

Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)

When you gossip about a person it means
that you have removed the person from your heart.
But be aware, when you remove a man from your heart,
Jesus also goes away from your heart with that man.”

St Padre Pio of Pietrelcina (1887-1968)

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, LENT 2022, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on TEMPTATION

Our Morning Offering – 6 March – Now Let Us All with One Accord

Our Morning Offering – 6 March – The First Sunday of Lent

Now Let Us All with One Accord
By St Gregory the Great (540-604)

Father & Doctor of the Church

Now let us all with one accord,
In fellowship with ages past,
Keep vigil with our heav’nly Lord,
In His temptation and His fast.

The Covenant so long revealed
To faithful ones in former time,
Christ by His own example sealed,
The Lord of love, in love sublime.

Remember, Lord, though frail we be,
By Your own kind Hand we were made
And help us, lest our frailty
Cause Your great Name to be betrayed.

Hear us, O Trinity sublime,
And undivided unity.
So let this consecrated time
Bring forth its fruit abundantly.
Amen

Posted in CONFESSION/PENANCE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, QUOTES on MORTIFICATION, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on TEMPTATION

Thought for the Day – 5 March – Mortification and Penance

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

Mortification and Penance

There are many simple acts of mortification which we can all do for our spiritual welfare.
For example, we can remain silent when there is no need to speak; we can deprive ourselves of dainties at table and we can act humbly, when oyer pride is hurt or patiently when we think we have been offended.
These are easy ways in which men of goodwill can practise mortification.

But, there are times when we must be ready, like the Martyrs and the Saints, to make heroic sacrifices, rather than offend God.
When we are tempted, for example, we must be determined, even to die, rather than fall into sin.
Let us think about this, strengthen our resolutions and praying for the grace of total commitment to our Crucified Saviour.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/25/thought-for-the-day-25-march-mortification-and-penance/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/13/thought-for-the-day-13-march-mortification-and-penanc/

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, QUOTES on ALMS, The WORD

First Saturday of Lent – 5 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – ‘light shall rise for you in the darkness …’ Isaiah 58:10

First Saturday of Lent – 5 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers

Take courage; it is I,
do not be afraid.
And He got into the boat with them
and the wind fell.

Mark 6:50-51

If you bestow your bread
on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
then light shall rise
for you in the darkness
and the gloom
shall become for you,like midday…

Isaiah 58:10

[My father] actually treated his own property, as if it were another’s, of which he was but the steward, relieving poverty, as far as he could and expending, not only his superfluities but his necessities — a manifest proof of love for the poor, giving a portion, not only to seven, according to the injunction of Solomon but, if an eighth came forward, not even in his case being mi8serly but, more pleased to dispose of his wealth, than we know others are to acquire it.

THIS IS WHAT MOST people do – they give indeed but without that readiness, that is a greater and more perfect thing than the mere offering.
For he thought it much better to be generous, even to the undeserving, for the sake of the deserving, than from fear of the undeserving to deprive those who were deserving.
And this seems to be the duty of casting our bread on the waters, since it will not be swept away or perish in the eyes of the just Investigator but, will arrive yonder where all that is ours is laid up and will meet with us in due time, even though we think it not.

But what is best and greatest of all – [my father’s] magnanimity was accompanied by freedom from ambition!St Gregory of Nazianzen (330-390) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (On the Death of His Father [Oration 18], 20).

Posted in CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 5 March – He heals without charge, with one word, He restores to health. 

One Minute Reflection – 5 March – The First Saturday of Lent – Isaiah 58:9-14, Mark 6:47-56

And wherever He went, into village or hamlet or town, they laid the sick in the market places, and entreated Him to let them touch but the tassel of His cloak and as many as touched. Him were saved. ” – Mark 6:56

REFLECTION – “Let us set before our interior consideration, someone gravely wounded who is about to breathe his last. … Now, the soul’s wound is sin, of which Scripture speaks in these terms: “Wound and welt and gaping gash, not drained or bandaged or eased with salve” (Is 1:6). Oh you who are wounded, recognise your Physician within you and show Him the wounds of your sins. May He understand your heart’s groaning, Who already knows its secret thoughts. May your tears move Him. Go as far as a little shamelessness in your beseeching (cf. Lk 11:8). Bring forth deep sighs to Him, without ceasing, from the depth of your heart.
May your grief reach Him so that He may say to you also : “The Lord has pardoned your sin” (2 Sam 12:13). Cry out with David, who said: “Have mercy on me, O God, in … the greatness of your compassion” (Ps 50[51]:3). It is as though one were to say: “I am in great danger because of an enormous wound, that no doctor can cure, unless the all-powerful Physician comes to help me.” For this all-powerful Physician, nothing is incurable. He heals without charge, with one word, He restores to health.  I would have despaired of my wound, were it not that I placed my trust in the Almighty.” – St Pope Gregory the Great (c 540-604) Father and Doctor of the Church (Commentary on Psalm 50[51])

PRAYER – Hear, O Lord, our humble prayers and grant that we may devoutly keep this fast that has been established to cure our souls and bodies. 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 DOCTORS of the Church, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HOPE

Our Morning Offering – 5 March – Shelter Me Under Thy Mantle, Refuge of Sinners

Our Morning Offering – 5 March – The First Saturday of Lent

Shelter Me Under Thy Mantle,
Refuge of Sinners
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

Most holy Virgin Immaculate, my Mother Mary,
to thee, who art the Mother of my Lord,
the Queen of the Universe, the Advocate,
the Hope, the Refuge of sinners,
I, who am the most miserable of all sinners,
have recourse this day.
I venerate thee, great Queen
and I thank thee for the many graces
thou hast bestowed upon me, even unto this day,
in particular, for having delivered me from the hell
which I have so often deserved by my sins.
I love thee, my dearest Lady
and because of that love,
I promise to serve thee willingly forever
and to do what I can to make thee loved by others.
I place in thee all my hopes for salvation,
accept me as thy servant
and shelter me under thy mantle,
thou, who art the Mother of Mercy.
And since thou are so powerful with God,
deliver me from all temptations,
or at least, obtain for me the strength
to overcome them until death.
From thee, I implore, a true love for Jesus Christ.
Through thee, I hope to die a holy death.
My dear Mother, by thy love for Almighty God,
I pray thee to assist me always
but most of all, at the last moment of my life.
Forsake me not then,
until thou shalt see me safely in Heaven,
there to bless thee and sing of thy mercies,
throughout all eternity.
Such is my hope.
Amen

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 4 March – How We Should Pray

Thought for the Day – 4 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

How We Should Pray

“We must pray with deep humility.
Once again we find, that the Man-God Jesus, has given us an example.
In Gethsemane He fell prostate on the ground and begged that, if it were possible, the bitter chalice might be taken away from Him.
Immediately He added. with full submission to the will of His Heavenly Father – “Yet, not my will but thine be done” (Lk 22:42).
Let us remember, moreover, the parable of the Pharisee and the publican.
The former appeared to be full of virtue but he was proud and was rejected.
The latter, recognised in all humility, that he was a poor sinner and he was exalted.
“Everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled and he who humbles himself shall be exalted” (Lk 14:11).
“God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble” (Js 4:6).
“The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds; it does not rest, until t reaches its goal” (Ecclus 35:17).

When we kneel down to pray, therefore, we should make an Act of Humility.
We are poor beggars, as St Augustine puts it, before the throne of God.
Let us pray with confidence in God’s goodness but also with a proper realisation of our own helplessness.
Then God will take pity on us.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/16/thought-for-the-day-16-march-how-we-should-pray/

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on ANGER, QUOTES on FASTING, The WORD

First Friday of Lent – 4 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – ‘And what kind of Christian is it, who will not fast with the Lord?’

First Friday of Lent – 4 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – Isaiah 58:1-9, Matthew 5:43-38,6:1-4

One thing I ask the Lord;
this I seek:
to dwell in the house of the Lord.

Psalm 26:4

Take heed not to do your good before men,
in order to be seen by them;
otherwise you shall have no reward
with your Father in Heaven.

Matthew 6:1

AND WHAT KIND OF CHRISTIAN is it who will not fast, at least until None (the mid-afternoon Breviary hour), during this season?
Recall how the Ninevites required even of children at the breast that they too should fast and their flocks and herds likewise, that all might be delivered from the danger that threatened them.
What kind of Christian is he who, although well and able refuses to fast with … the Lord?
They will say: We cannot both work and fast.
They cannot because they WILL NOT.
Then let them work less that they may fast more.
I warn you and I exhort you in the Lord, that none among you, unless a sick person or a child, eat or drink before the hour of Nones, except on Sundays.

I COUNSEL YOU ALSO, that he who is near the Church and can come, should hear Mass each day. And that he who can, should come each evening to the recitation of Vespers.
Let those who live far from the Church try to come to Vespers each Sunday at least …

LET HIM who has HATE in his heart, or anger, against another, put it wholly from himself, if he wishes to be saved. …
And you must understand, that whatever it is that you deny yourself through fasting must be given entirely to the poor, not kept back for yourselves!

MAY ALMIGHTY GOD grant, that you keep before you what I have told you and that you fulfil it … so that at the end of this life and at the close of your labours, you may enter into eternal rest.
May He grant you this, Who created you and sought at the price of His own Blood to redeem you,
Who lives and reigns world without end. Amen.St John Chrysostom (347-407) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church

Posted in LENT 2021, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on MERCY, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 4 March – Isaiah 58:6-9, Matthew 6:1-4

Quote/s of the Day – 4 March – First Friday of Lent – Isaiah 58:1-9, Matthew 5:43-38,6:1-4

This, rather, is the fasting that I wish:
releasing those bound unjustly,
untying the thongs of the yoke;
setting free the oppressed,
breaking every yoke;
sharing your bread with the hungry,
sheltering the oppressed and the homeless;
clothing the naked when you see them
and not turning your back on your own.
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn
and your wound shall quickly be healed;
your vindication shall go before you
and the glory of the Lord
shall be your rearguard.
Then you shall call
and the Lord will answer,
you shall cry for help
and He will say:
‘Here I am!’
For I, the Lord your God, am merciful.

Isaiah 58:6-9

Take heed not to do your good before men,
in order to be seen by them;
otherwise you shall have no reward
with your Father in Heaven.
Therefore, when you give alms,
do not sound a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and streets,
in order that they may be honoured by men.
Amen I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know
what your right hand is doing,
so that your alms may be given in secret
and your Father, Who sees in secret,
will reward you.

Matthew 6:1-4

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ENEMIES, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, QUOTES on TRUTH

One Minute Reflection – 4 March – “But I say to you, love your enemies” – Matthew 5:44

One Minute Reflection – 4 March – First Friday of Lent – Isaiah 58:1-9, Matthew 5:43438,6:1-4 and the Memorial of St Casimir- (1458-1484)

But I say to you, love your enemies” – Matthew 5:44

REFLECTION – “One of you will say: “I’m not able to love my enemies at all.” All through Holy Scripture God has said to you that you can and do you answer Him that, to the contrary, you cannot!? Now think about it – who are we to believe? God or you? Since He who is Truth itself cannot lie, let human weakness leave off its futile excuses forthwith! He who is just, cannot demand something impossible and He who is merciful, will not condemn someone for something that person could not avoid. So why these evasions then? There is no-one who knows better, what we are capable of, than He who has given us the ability. Such numbers of men, women, children, tender young girls, have borne flames, fire, sword and the wild beasts for Christ’s sake, without flinching and we, do we say that we cannot bear the insults of unintelligent persons?…

Indeed, if only the good are to be loved, what are we to say of the action of our God, of whom it is written: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son?” (Jn 3,16). For what good deeds are they, that the world had done, for God to love it so? Christ our Lord, found us all to be, not only evil but even dead, on account of original sin and yet… “he loved us and handed himself over for us” (Eph 5,2). In so acting, He loved even those who did not love Him, as the Apostle Paul also says: “Christ died for the guilty” (Rm 5,6). And in his inexpressible mercy, He gave this example to all humankind, saying: “Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart” (Mt 11,29).” – St Caesarius of Arles (470-543) Bishop and Monk – Sermons to the people, no 37

PRAYER – Almighty God, to whom this world, with all it’s goodness and beauty belongs, give us grace joyfully, to begin this day for Christ Your Son, in Him and with Him and to fill it, with an active love for all Your children, even those who may not like or who do us harm. Help us to love as You do, so that we may become like You. St Casimir, you who spread your charity abundantly in your short life and continue to do so now from Heaven, pray for us. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God, forever, amen.

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, INDULGENCES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 4 March – Prayer Before a Crucifix

Our Morning Offering – 4 March – First Friday of Lent

Prayer Before a Crucifix

Look down upon me,
good and gentle Jesus,
while before Thy face I humbly kneel
and, with burning soul,
pray and beseech Thee
to fix deep in my heart lively sentiments
of faith, hope and charity;
true contrition for my sins
and a firm purpose of amendment.
While I contemplate,
with great love and tender pity,
Thy Five Most Precious Wounds,
pondering over them within me
and calling to mind the words which David,
Thy prophet, said of Thee, my Jesus:
“They have pierced My hands and My feet,
they have numbered all My bones.”
Amen

This Prayer is often said after Holy Mass before the Crucifix in the Church. The faithful receive a Partial Indulgence but on the Fridays of Lent, the Indulgence is a Plenary Indulgence, under the usual conditions.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on BLASPHEMY, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL

Thought for the Day – 3 March – The Obedience of Jesus

Thought for the Day – 3 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Obedience of Jesus

“Obedience is an universal rule, without which, there could be no harmony in the world.
All creatures and all creation, obey the laws of nature laid down by their Creator.
The sun rises in the east, moves along its accustomed path everyday and every season and sets in the west.
The stars never leave the order arranged for them by the Hand of God.
The waves of the sea toss about when disturbed by the strength of the wind but, they fall back again without ever crossing the boundaries which God has set for them.

Man alone dares to rebel against his Creator and against those who represent God on earth.
Man alone dares to repeat the blasphemous cry of Satan: “I will not serve!

Remember the example which Jesus has given us.
Although He is God, the Lord and Master of Heaven and earth, He condescends to obey Mary and Joseph, two creatures incapable of achieving anything without Him.
He “was subject to them” (Lk 2:51).

Let us learn from Him how to obey willingly and humbly, “Learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart.” (Mt 11:29).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/09/thought-for-the-day-9-march-the-obedience-of-jesus/

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CONFESSION/PENANCE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The WORD

First Thursday of Lent – 3 March – ‘Put your house in order … ’ Isaiah 38:1

First Thursday of Lent – 3 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – Isaiah 38:1-6, Matthew 8:5-13

To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul:
in You, O my God, I trust …

Psalm 24:1

In those days, when Hezekiah was mortally ill,
the prophet Isaiah … came and said to him;
Thus says the Lord:
‘Put your house in order,
for you are about to die;
you shall not recover.

Isaiah 38:1

BEHOLD, NOW IS THE APPOINTED TIME, in which you must confess your sins to God and to the priest and by prayer and by fasting, by tears and by almsgiving, wipe them away.
Why should a sinner be ashamed to make known his sins, since they are already known and manifest to God and to His angels and even to the blessed in heaven?

CONFESSION delivers the soul from death.
Confession opens the door to heaven.
Confession brings us hope of salvation.
Because of this, the Scripture says: First tell thy iniquities that you may be justified (Is. xliii.
Here we are shown, that the man will not be saved, who, during his life, does not confess his sin.
Neither will that confession deliver you, which is made without true repentance.
For true repentance is grief of heart and sorrow of soul because of the evils a man has committed.
True repentance causes us to grieve over our offences and to grieve over them with the firm intention of never committing them again.

And although, everyday, a man lives may rightly be a day of repentance, yet it is in these days more becoming, more appropriate, to confess our sins, to fast and to give elms to the poor; since in these days you may wash clean the sins of the whole year.
Therefore, I counsel all of you and I exhort each one of you singly, to repair, whatever you know within your soul, is blameworthy.
Whosoever among you discerns, within himself, what is unworthy in a Christian, let him correct it. … St Athanasius (297-373) Archbishop of Alexandria, Father and Doctor of the Church (The Season of Lent).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on HUMILITY, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 3 March – Lord, I am not worthy

Quote/s of the Day – 3 March – The First Thursday of Lent – Isias 38:1-6, Matthew 8:5-13

The centurion said in reply,
“Lord, I am not worthy
to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word
and my servant will be healed.

Matthew 8:8

Take my yoke upon you
and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart
and you will find rest for your souls…

Matthew 11:29

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled
and whoever humbles himself will be exalted
.”

Matthew 23:12

For the Master of humility,
both by word and example,
sat down also, in the house
of a certain proud Pharisee, Simon
and although He sat down in his house,
there was no place in his heart.
For in his heart.
the Son of Man could not lay His head
.”

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

“Those who refuse to be humble cannot be saved.
They cannot say with the prophet:
See, God comes to my aid;
the Lord is the helper of my soul.
But anyone who makes himself humble,
like a little child,
is greater in the kingdom of heaven.

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

… If you die with Him,
you shall also likewise
live with Him.
If you are His companion in punishment,
so shall you be in glory.

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

“Humility is not just about self-mistrust
but about the entrusting of ourselves to God.
Distrusting ourselves and our own strength
produces trust in God
and from that trust,
generosity of soul is born.”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of Charity