Category: CATHOLIC Quotes

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 12 December – The Word of God

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 12 December – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Word of God

“The supernatural power of the Word of God derives from God Himself, not from the particular person who utters it.

Remember what Jesus Christ said to His Apostles when He told them to convert the world to faith and holiness.
“Go into the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptised, shall be saved but he who does not believe, shall be condemned” (Mk 16:15-16).

The Salvation of the world must come from the preaching of the Apostles and their successors but, only because their preaching contains the Word of God.
There have been many philosophers throughout the centuries who taught their own particular doctrines with great eloquence and persuasiveness.
Their teaching did little to make men better, however.
Perhaps men did not listen to them, or perhaps they heeded them for a while and soon forgot them.
That is always the fate of human achievement.
After the initial noise and flourish, comes silence and oblivion!
But the Word of God remains forever.

“The word of the Lord endures forever” (1 Peter 1:25).

The Light of the Gospel never fades because it is a Light which comes from God.
The goodness which emanates from its inspired pages, will move and transform human hearts until the end of time.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, EYES - Diseases, of the BLIND, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 13 December – Light! Dear St Lucy and St Odilia

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 13 December – The Memorial of St Lucy (c 283-304) Virgin Martyr “Bringer of Light” and St Odilia of Alsace (c 660-720) Virgin Both Patrons of those with eye ailments

“I am the light of the world;
he who follows me will not walk in darkness
but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12

Saint Lucy’s name (Lucia in Italian) shares the root luc with the Latin word for light, lux. Because of this connection, Saint Lucy is often depicted in art and religious custom as a bringer of light – which also ties in to her Patronage of eyes and sight. Her feast day today, is during Advent when we await the Light of Christ and is in winter, for the Northern Hemisphere, so there is significant iconography of Lucy as a bringer of light in the darkness.

“In your light God,
we see light.”

Psalm 35:36

Let us pray to St Lucy, for the intercession for all those with eye illnesses and for the protection of the ‘eyes of our faith’ of all of us.

“Let your light shine before men”

Matthew 5:16

O St Lucy, you preferred to let your eyes be torn out
instead of denying the faith
and defiling your soul
and God, through an extraordinary miracle,
replaced them with another pair of sound and perfect eyes
to reward your virtue and faith,
appointing you as the protector against eye diseases.
I come to you for you to protect my eyesight
and to heal the illness in my eyes.

O St Lucy, preserve the light of my eyes
so that I may see the beauties of creation,
the glow of the sun,
the colour of the flowers
and the smile of children.

Preserve also the eyes of my soul,
the faith, through which I can know my God,
understand His teachings,
recognise His love for me
and never miss the road that leads me
to where you, St Lucy,
can be found in the company of the angels and saints.
St Lucy, protect my eyes and preserve my faith.

St Lucy, “Bringer of Light” Pray for those with eye ailments,
Pray for us all!

“Light came into the world.”

John 3:19

St Odilia, born blind – at the age of 12, her bodily eyes were opened and she was equally enlightened by the “eyes of faith” when she was Baptised, Pray for those with eye ailments, Pray for us all that our faith may grow and strengthen as those around us grow more and more blind!

“Then again He laid His hands
upon his eyes
and he looked intently
and was restored
and saw everything clearly.”

Mark 8:25

Prayer for the Intercession of St Odilia

Merciful God,
I come to You to ask Your aid
that my life may always give You praise.
I ask through the intercession
of St Odilia and all your holy people
to be a beacon of Your Light to all I meet.
Give me holiness of soul and body
and bring me into Your divine Light.
May I obtain these favours,
as well as my special prayer,
St Odilia, pray for my eyes
and the eyes of my faith.
Through the merits of Our Saviour, Jesus Christ,
Your Son, our Lord,
Who lives with you and the Holy Spirit,
God forever and ever.
Amen.

Posted in CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD the FATHER, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 13 December – ‘ …The Royal Seal …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 13 December – “Month of the Immaculate Conception” – Monday of the Third week of Advent, Readings: Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17a; Psalm 25:4-9; Matthew 21:23-27

“Then why did you not believe him?” – Matthew 21:25

REFLECTION – “The prophets had been sent, along with Moses, to heal Israel but they ministered in tears, failing to overcome evil, as one of them said: “Woe is me! For the faithful have vanished from the earth” (Mi 7:1-2). … Humanity’s wound was great indeed – from the sole of the foot to the head, no sound place, no spot to put bandage or oil or dressing (cf. Is 1:6). Drained with weeping, the prophets said: “Who will send from Zion the healing saviour?” (cf. Ps 14[13]7) … And another prophet pleads thus: “Incline your heavens, Lord and come down” (Ps 144[143]:5). The wounds of humanity surpass our healing . They have killed the prophets and destroyed your altars (cf. 1 Kgs 19:10). We cannot cure our own wretchedness; it is You we need to raise us up.

The Lord heard the prayer of the prophets. The Father has not despised our broken race but has sent His own Son from Heaven as our physician. “The Lord whom you seek is coming and he will come speedily” said one of the prophets. Where? “Into his Temple” (cf. Mal 3:1) where you stoned His prophet (2 Chr 24:21) … And again, God Himself said: “See, I am coming to dwell among you and many nations shall take refuge in the Lord” (cf. Zech 2:14-15) … Now I am coming to gather together all people of all languages because “he came to his own and his own people did not receive him” (Jn 1:11).

You come and what do You give to the nations? “I come to gather nations and I will set my sign among them” (Is 66:18-19). For, following My combat on the Cross, I am giving each one of My soldiers, the Royal Seal to wear on his forehead (Ap 7:3). Another prophet said: “He inclined the heavens and came down, a dark cloud under his feet” (Ps 18[17]:10). However, His descent from Heaven remained unknown to people.” – St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387) Bishop of Jerusalem, Father and Doctor of the Church (Baptismal catechesis 12, 6-8).

PRAYER – “My beloved Redeemer, how much did it cost You to raise me from the ruin, which I brought on myself through my sins? What can I do without Your grace? I can do nothing but pray that You will help me but even this prayer comes from the merits of Your suffering and death! O my Jesus, help me!” … St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Most zealous Doctor.

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE

Thought for the Day – 12 December – Peace of Soul

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 12 December – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Peace of Soul

“Peace of soul is more to be desired than anything else in this world.
Wealth, honours and pleasures are valueless, as long as we are discontented and disturbed at heart.
Happiness is essentially internal, not external.
Anyone who looks for it outside himself cannot find it, simply because it does not exist there.
Interior peace, however, is capable of bringing us whatever happiness can be obtained in this world.

We can have this peace if, we avoid sin.
The Holy Spirit assures us that “there is no peace for the wicked” (Isa 48:22).
Our tranquillity will be increased by humility and gentleness.
A haughty and ambitious man can never be at peace.
“Come to me” Jesus invites us, “all you who labour and are burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart and you will find rest for your soul” (Mt 11:28-29).

The only way then, by which we can acquire peace of soul, is by avoiding sin, practising humility and obeying the law of God.
The Saints possessed this serenity, even in times of trial and of suffering because they lived in God and were perfectly faithful to His law.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in ADVENT, ADVENT QUOTES, CHRIST the HIGH PRIEST, CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the KING, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, CHRISTMASTIDE!, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on WISDOM, The CHRIST CHILD, The DIVINE INFANT, The NATIVITY of JESUS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 12 December – “Gaudete Sunday” –

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 12 December – “Gaudete Sunday” – Readings: Zephaniah 3: 14-18; Psalm Isaiah 12: 2-6; Philippians 4: 4-7; Luke 3: 10-18

“Gaudete in Domino semper”

“Rejoice in the Lord always”

Philippians 4:4

“The very Son of God,
Older than the ages,
the Invisible,
the Incomprehensible,
the Incorporeal,
the Beginning of beginning,
the Light of light,
the Fountain of Life and Immortality,
the Image of the Archetype,
the Immovable Seal,
the Perfect Likeness,
the Definition and Word of the Father:
He it is, Who comes to His Own Image
and takes our nature, for the Good of our nature
and unites Himself to an intelligent soul
for the good of the soul,
to purify like by Like.”

St Gregory of Nazianzen (330-390)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Awake, you who lie in the dust,
awake and give praise.
Behold, the Lord comes with salvation.
He comes with salvation,
He comes with unction,
He comes with glory.
Jesus cannot come without salvation,
Christ cannot come without unction,
nor the Son of God without glory.
For He Himself is salvation,
He is unction,
He is glory,
as it is written,
‘A wise son is the glory of his father.‘”

St Bernard (1090-1153)
MellifluousDoctor of the Church

Posted in BAPTISM, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on VIRTUE, SACRAMENTS

Thought for the Day – 11 December – The Use and Abuse of the Sacraments

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 11 December – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Use and Abuse of the Sacraments

“Let us go back in our imagination to the day when we were Baptised.
That was the day of our spiritual rebirth, when we were cleansed from original sin and enriched by the gift of grace, which is the life of the soul.
On this solemn occasion, we promised, through the agency of our Godparents, to remain faithful to the trust which we had received and to renounce Satan and whatever else might have power to extinguish our supernatural life and to plunge us into sin.

Have we kept these promises, which were made4 on our behalf and which we repeated from time to time before the Altar as we grew older?
Every gift of God demands our gratitude and our co-operation.
It is our own grave loss, if we remain cold and indifferent, in spite of the precious favours which we received from God.
God is infinitely good and merciful but, precisely because of this, He demands generous co-operation on our part.
If we abuse His graces, He will leave us to our own devices.
We shall no longer be aware of His inspirations and His appeals to us to advance in virtue.
What is to happen to us then?
We shall be like an arid plain on which only weeds and thorns can grow.
Our lives will be meaningless and purposeless, for God and everlasting happiness are the only goals worthy of our pursuit.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in "Follow Me", ADVENT QUOTES, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, JESUIT SJ, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on HUMILITY, The HEART, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN

Quote/s of the Day – 11 December – Sweeping and cleaning our hearts

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 11 December – Saturday of the Second week of Advent

“Let us become like Christ,
since Christ became like us.
He assumed the worse,
that He might give us the better;
He became poor,
that we through His poverty,
might be rich.”

St Gregory of Nazianzen (330-390)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“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)

“Let all your desires then be,
directed toward Him,
the Infinite One,
the Giver of all Good.”

Bl Jacopone da Todi (1230-1306)

“Who could ever soften this heart of mine
but YOU alone O Lord!”

St Francis Borgia (1510-1572)

“Unreasoning and stupid
that you look for God where He is not!
Listen and be filled with awe –
God is in our hearts, I know it.
God lives in the human heart
when this heart lives withdrawn
from all that is not Him,
when this heart heeds God’s knock
at it’s door (Rv 3,20) and,
sweeping and cleaning all its rooms,
makes itself ready to welcome Him
who alone truly satisfies.”

St Raphael Arnaiz Baron (1911-1938)

Spanish Trappist monk (Spiritual writings)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, SACRAMENTS, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

Thought for the Day – 10 December – Those Who Will to be Damned

Posted on by AnaStpaul

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

Those Who Will to be Damned

“Only those who will it themselves, are damned.
God wishes all men to be saved.
It was for this, that He came into the world and shed His Precious Blood.
Moreover, He has given us the means necessary for salvation.
“God our Saviour, wishes all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4).

What can be wanting to us, therefore, in order to obtain salvation?
Divine grace is certainly not lacking, for God gives it to us without reserve.
“I come that they may have life and have it more abundantly” (Jn 10:10).
Nor are we lacking in strength, for, as St Paul says, “I can do all things in him who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13).
We have the Sacraments, good inspirations and the example of the Saints.
All that we can be deficient in, then, is our own goodwill and co-operation with the grace of God.
We must be prepared to play our part in our own salvation.

Our first thought and purpose, therefore, must be our own salvation.
The treasure hidden in a field and the pearl of great price (Cf Mt 13:44-46) are symbols of the Kingdom of God and of everlasting happiness.
We should be prepared to sacrifice everything else, in order to find this treasure an to acquire this pearl!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Part One here:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/27/thought-for-the-day-27-august-those-who-will-to-be-damned/

Posted in CHRIST the KING, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, The HEART, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The PASSION, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 10 December – ‘He gives you His kingdom …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 10 December – Friday of the Second week of Advent, Readings: Isaiah 48: 17-19; Psalm 1: 1-4,6, Matthew 11:16-19

“We played the flute for you
but you did not dance,
we sang a dirge
but you did not mourn.”

Matthew 11:17

“The soil that should have presented its Master
with fruits of sweetness,
pierced Him with its sharp thorns.
In the same way His enemies,
who ought to have welcomed our Saviour
with all the devotion of their faith,
crowned Him with the thorns of His Passion.”

St Maximus of Turin (c 380-c 420)

“Thy will be done
on earth as it is
in heaven.”

Matthew 6:10
“I want to advise you and remind you, what His will is.
Do not fear that it means He will give you riches,
or delights, or honours, or all these earthly things.
His love for you is not that small!
and He esteems highly what you give Him.
He wants to repay you well,
for He gives you His kingdom
while you are still on earth …
See … what He gave to the One He loved most.
By that we understand what His will is.
For these are His gifts in this world.”

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

Lord, May Your Kingdom Come
Into My Heart
By Fr Jean-Pierre de Caussade
(1675-1751)
Lord, may Your Kingdom come into my heart
to sanctify me, nourish me and purify me.
How insignificant is the passing moment,
to the eye without faith!
But how important each moment is,
to the eye enlightened by faith!
How can we deem insignificant anything
which has been caused by You?
Every moment and every event is guided by You
and so contains Your infinite greatness.
So, Lord, I glorify You in everything
that happens to me.
In whatever manner You make me live and die,
I am content.
Events please me for their own sake,
regardless of their consequences
because Your action lies behind them.
Everything is Heaven to me
because all my moments,
manifest Your love.
Amen

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on FREEDOM, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on JOY, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 10 December – The sweetness of the Kingdom of Heaven

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 10 December – Friday of the Second Week of Advent, Readings: Isaiah 48: 17-19; Psalm 1: 1-4,6, Matthew 11:16-19 and the Memorial of Our Lady of Loreto and the Holy House

“We played the flute for you but you did not dance,
we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.” – Matthew 11:17

REFLECTION – “When some children are dancing and others are singing a dirge, their purpose does not agree. Both sides find fault with their friends for not being in harmony with them. So the Jews underwent such an experience when they accepted, neither the gloominess of John the Baptist, nor the freedom of Christ. They did not receive help, one way or another. It was fitting for John, as a lowly servant, to deaden the passions of the body through very hardy training and for Christ, by the power of His Godhead, freely to mortify the sensations of the body and the innate practice of the flesh and to do so, without reliance on strenuous ascetic labours.
Nevertheless, John, “while he was preaching the baptism of repentance,” offered himself as a model for those who were obliged to lament, whereas the Lord, “who was preaching the kingdom of heaven” similarly displayed radiant freedom in Himself.
In this way, Jesus outlined for the faithful, indescribable joy and an untroubled life.
The sweetness of the Kingdom of Heaven is like a flute.
The pain of Gehenna is like a dirge.” – Origen Adamantius (c 185-253) Priest, Theologian, Exegist, Writer, Apologist, Father (Fragments, 142-143)

PRAYER – Lord, watch over Your people, who come to You in confidence. Strengthen the hearts of those who hope in You. Give courage to those who falter because of their failures. In this holy season of Advent, lead them closer to You in hope, by the power of Your Holy Spirit. May Mary Immaculate, our Mother and Advocate be our eternal succour. Through Christ, our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for all eternity, amen.

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on PRAYER

Thought for the Day – 9 December – Perseverance

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 9 December – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Perseverance

“Perseverance may be a difficult virtue but nothing is really difficult to a person of strong resolution.
When the sister of St Thomas Aquinas asked him how to become holy, he replied that it needed only one thing – a firm act of the will, for God will certainly supply the necessary grace.

Think of how much work and sacrifice is required to achieve worldly success.
Cicero wrote that it required constant and tireless labour in order to become a great orator (Cf De Oratore, 1:39).
St Paul cited the example of athletes who are prepared to make such great sacrifices, in order to train themselves to win.
If they are prepared to do so much to gain a perishable crown, he comments, we should be prepared to do much more to gain an imperishable one (Cf 1 Cor 9:25).

The grace of God is the principal weapon upon which we must depend in order to gain our victory.
We should pray for it humbly and perseveringly.
There will be victors and losers in the battle for Heaven as well as in earthly contests.
We must make sure that we are on the winning side!
For this purpose, we should combine fervent and constant prayer with generous co-operation with the grace of God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/30/thought-for-the-day-30-august-perseverance/

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the LIGHT, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The HOLY NAME, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 9 December – ‘… Lovers of Jesus Christ’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 9 December – Thursday of the Second week of Advent

“A person who wishes
to become the Lord’s disciple
must repudiate a human obligation,
however honourable it may appear,
if it slows us, ever so slightly,
in giving the wholehearted obedience
we owe to God.”

St Basil the Great (329-379)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Neither do I condemn you
but, having been made secure
concerning the past,
be on your guard in the future.
I, for My part, will not condemn you,
I have blotted out what you have done;
keep what I have commanded,
that you may gain
what I have promised.”

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

“Be strong and kill yourself
with the sword of hate and love,
then you will not hear the insults
and abuse. which the enemies
of the Church throw at you.
Your eyes will not see anything,
which seems impossible,
or the sufferings,
which may follow
but only the light of faith
and in that light ,
everything is possible
and remember ,
God never lays greater burdens
on us than we can bear.”

St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)
Doctor of the Church

The Love of Your Name

“My God, Sweetness beyond words,
make bitter all the carnal comfort
that draws me from love of the eternal
and lures me to its evil self,
by the sight of some delightful good
in the present.
Let it not overcome me, my God.
Let not flesh and blood conquer me.
Let not the world and its brief glory
deceive me, nor the devil trip me by his craftiness.
Give me courage to resist,
patience to endure
and constancy to persevere.
Give me the soothing unction of Your spirit,
rather than all the consolations of the world
and in place of carnal love,
infuse into me the love of Your Name.”

Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)
The Imitation of Christ
(Book 3 Ch 26:1-4)

“Crosses, contempt,
sorrows and afflictions,
are the real treasures
of the lovers of Jesus Christ Crucified.”

St Margaret Mary Alacoque
(1647-1690)
“Apostle of the Sacred Heart”

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 9 December – ‘ … Do not despair then, persevere, happy soul, …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 9 December – Thursday of the Second week of Advent, Readings: Isaiah 48:17-19; Psalm 1:1-4 and 6; Matthew 11:11`-15

“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence …” – Matthew 11:12

REFLECTION – “Someone wrestled with Jacob until morning perseveringly … and Jacob said to him: “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (Gn 32:25.27). … So to you, my brethren, we say, you whose set purpose is to win heaven by force, you who have come together to wrestle with the angel who guards the way to the tree of life, to you we say – it is wholly necessary that you should wrestle perseveringly and without remission, not only until the thigh … is deprived of its vigour but also, until the body is mortified. But your toil will be able to achieve this, only by the touch of God’s strength and through His bounty. …

Do you not seem, to yourself ,to be wrestling with an angel, or rather, with God Himself, when day by day He resists your impatient prayers? … You cry to Him and He does not listen to you; you wish to approach Him and He repels you. You make a decision and the opposite happens and so, in every way, He sets Himself against you, with an unrelenting hand. O Mercy, You conceal Yourself and pretend to be unrelenting! With what loving-kindness You fight against those, for whom You fight. For although You “hide these things in your heart,” I know that You “love those who love you” and that, “the abundance of your sweetness which you hide away for those who fear you is immense” (Jb 10:13; Pr 8:17; Ps 31[30]:20).

Do not despair then, persevere, happy soul, who has begun to wrestle with God; He loves to suffer violence from you. He desires to be overcome by you. For when He is angry and stretches forth His Hand to strike, He seeks, as He Himself confesses, a man like Moses to resist Him. … For if His anger is implacable and His sentence unbending, Jeremiah, who had attempted to resist, will weep and say: “You were the stronger and did prevail” (20:7).” – Blessed Guerric of Igny (c 1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot (2nd Sermon on Saint John the Baptist).

PRAYER – Almighty and merciful God, let neither our daily work nor the cares of this life, prevent us from hastening to meet Your Son. Lord, make straight the winding ways within us. Draw us to repent! Enlighten us with Your wisdom and lead us into His company, that we may love Him and do homage to Him. By the prayers of the Immaculate Mother of Your only-begotten Son, may we receive Your grace and Your strength. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, now and for all eternity. Amen

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 December – ‘ … Mary is the new Tree of Life …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 8 December on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception – Readings: Genesis 3:9-15, 20, Psalm 98:1-4, Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12, Luke 1:26-38

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus.

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word.” … Luke 1:38

REFLECTION – “Son of God, grant me Your own admirable Gift, that I may celebrate the wondrous beauty of Your beloved Mother! The Virgin gave birth to a Son while preserving her virginity, she suckled Him who gives nourishment to the peoples, in her Immaculate breast she bore Him who carries the whole world in His Hands. She is Virgin and Mother, what will she not be hereafter? Holy in body, all beautiful in soul, pure of mind, upright in intelligence, perfect in feeling, chaste and faithful, pure of heart and filled with virtue.

May the hearts of virgins rejoice in Mary, since of her was born the One Who set humankind free from dreadful slavery. May the old Adam, wounded by the serpent, rejoice in Mary; it is Mary who gives Adam a posterity that allows him to crush the accursed serpent and who cures him of his mortal wound (Gen 3:15). Let Priests rejoice in the blessed Virgin; she has brought the High Priest into the world, Who gave Himself as a victim, putting an end to the sacrifices of the Old Covenant. … Let the Prophets rejoice in Mary, since in her, were fulfilled their visions, in her were realised their prophecies, in her were confirmed their oracles. Let all the Patriarchs rejoice in Mary since she received the blessing promised to them, she, who, in her Son, has brought them to completion. …

Mary is the new Tree of Life, who, instead of the bitter fruit picked by Eve, gives to mankind that Sweet Fruit on which the whole world is fed.” – St Ephrem (306-373) Deacon in Syria, Father and Doctor of the Church (Marian hymn).

PRAYER –O Mary, My Hope! By St John Damascene (675-749) Father and Doctor of the Church
I salute you, O Mary!
you are the hope of Christians.
Receive the prayer of a sinner,
who loves you tenderly,
honours you in a special manner
and places in you the whole hope
of his salvation.
From you I have my life.
You reinstate me in the grace of your Son:
you are the sure pledge of my salvation.
I beseech of you, therefore, to deliver me
from the burden of my sins,
dispel the darkness of my mind,
banish from my heart the love of the world,
repress the temptations of my enemies
and so rule my whole life, that by your means
and under your guidance,
I may obtain everlasting happiness in heaven.
Amen

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Hail MARY!, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Our Morning Offering – 8 December – O Pure and Immaculate Blessed Virgin By St Ephrem

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 8 December – The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

O Pure and Immaculate Blessed Virgin
By St Ephrem (306-373)
Father and Doctor of the Church

O Pure and Immaculate
and likewise Blessed Virgin,
who art the sinless Mother of thy Son,
the mighty Lord of the universe,
thou who art inviolate and altogether holy,
the hope of the hopeless and sinful,
we sing thy praises.
We bless thee, as full of every grace,
thou who didst bear the God-Man:
we bow low before thee;
we invoke thee and implore thine aid.
Rescue us, O holy and inviolate Virgin,
from every necessity that presses upon us
and from all the temptations of the devil.
Be our intercessor and advocate
at the hour of death and judgement,
deliver us from the fire
that is not extinguished
and from the outer darkness;
make us worthy of the glory of thy Son,
O dearest and most clement Virgin Mother.
Thou indeed art our only hope most sure
and sacred in God’s sight,
to Whom be honour and glory
and majesty and dominion
forever and ever,
world without end.
Amen

Posted in CONTEMPLATIVE Prayer, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD

Thought for the Day – 7 December – The Contemplative and the Active Life

Posted on by AnaStpaul

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

The Contemplative and the Active Life

“We ought not to imagine that contemplation is a privilege exvclusive to Monks and Nuns.
In fact, it belongs to all Catholics.
It is the privilege of the peasant, artisan, or clerk, who, on his way home from work, pays a visit to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
“Here I am, my God,“ anyone of them may say.
“I am very tired.
Please give me some rest for my soul.
I am weary and worried, both in body and in soul.
I wish to love You more and to be faithful to You, until I die.
I wish to think only of You but there are so many other things which I must think about.
I have so many temptations and disturbances, which cause me to forget You and which often lead me into evil.
O God, be the light of my soul, the peace of my heart, the divine strength of my weak will. …”
Murmuring words like these, they listen to God and seem to see Him bending down towards them.

Then there is the student who has spent the day pouring over books, searching for the truth.
He goes into the Church for a moment and kneels down.
His mind is full of the tumult of thoughts, calculations and problems, never completely answered or explained in the books, written by men.
He asks God for the light which he has not found, for the answer which he has not discovered, for the peace and calm, which only He can give.

At least for a moment, all these workers and students are contemplatives.
They have left behind the noise of the world, in order to listen to the Voice of God.
But this Voice, which does not speak in words but in silence and in peace, is the Voice of contemplation.
Prayer comes afterwards, when God makes His presence felt in the soul.
In this way, no matter who or what we are, we should all be contemplatives.
In other words, we should seek, in quiet conversation with God, the truth and tranquiliity which the world cannot give us.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in BAPTISM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, SAINT of the DAY, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE

Quote/s of the Day – 7 December – St Ambrose

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 7 December – Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent and the Memorial of St Ambrose (c 340-397)- Father and Doctor of the Church

“Let us take refuge like deer
beside the fountain of waters.
Let our soul thirst,
as David thirsted,
for the fountain.
What is that fountain?
Listen to David –
With you is the fountain of life.
Let my soul say to this fountain,
When shall I come and see You face to face?
For the fountain is God Himself.”

“All the children of the Church are priests.
At Baptism, they received the anointing
that gives them a share in the priesthood.
The sacrifice that they must offer to God
is completely spiritual – it is themselves.”

“If you have two shirts
in your closet,
one belongs to you
and the other to the man
who has no shirt.”

“The devil tempts,
that he may ruin;
God tests,
that He may crown.”

St Ambrose (340-397)
Father and Doctor of the Church

MORE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/12/07/quote-s-of-the-day-7-december-st-ambrose/

Posted in GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on SUFFERING

Thought for the Day – 6 December – The Blessedness of Those Who Suffer Persecution

Posted on by AnaStpaul

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

The Blessedness of Those Who Suffer Persecution

“It would seem impossible, that suffering and persecution, could bring us happiness.
Yet, we have our Lord’s assurance for it.
“Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice’s sake,” He says, “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men reproach you and persecute you and, speaking falsely, say all manner of evil against you, for MY sake. Rejoice and exult for your reward is great in heaven” (Mt 5:9-12).

Not only is this true of persecution borne in defence of the Faith and of the Church but, it is equally true of any kind of trouble and suffering as long as it is endured for the love of God.
“Rejoice,” writes St Peter, “insofar as you are partakers of the sufferings of Christ, that you may also rejoice with exultation in the revelation of his glory” (1 Peter 4:13).

“It is good for us now and then,” The Imitation of Christ assures us, “to have some troubles and adversities, for oftentimes, they make a man enter into himself, that he may know that he is an exile and place not his hopes in anything of the world.
It is good for us sometimes, to suffer contradictions and to allow people to think ill and slightingly of us, even when we do and mean well.
These are often helps to humility and rid us of vainglory.
For then we more earnestly seek God to be witness of what passes within us, when outwardly, we are slighted by men and incur their discredit” (Bk 1 c 12).

This is a repetition of the teaching of Jesus Christ, Who said: “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Lk 9:23).

The happiness which our Lord promises us, is that which results from our own self-renewal and from the acceptance of our cross.
This happiness, is not easy to acquire because, our selfish and sensual impulses, as well as the insults of others, seem to be forever stirring up a nest of vipers inside us.
Too often, our hearts are overflowing, not with happiness but, with rebelion.
How can we remedy this?
There is only one way.
We must love God so much, that we are prepared to endure everything willingly, for love of Him.
Those who suffer are blessed, therefore, only on one condition, namely, on condition that they suffer for love of God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in ACT of CONTRITION, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 6 December – “Thy sins are forgiven thee …Arise and walk.” – Luke 5:23

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 6 December – Monday of the Second Week of Advent, Readings: Isaiah 35:1-10, Psalms 85:9 and 10, 11-12, 13-14, Luke 5:17-26

“Thy sins are forgiven thee …
Arise and walk.”

Luke 5:23

“Rise, you who were lying fast asleep…
Rise and hurry to the Church:
here is the Father,
here is the Son,
here is the Holy Spirit.”

St Ambrose (340-397)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Then the righteous shall shine like the sun
in the kingdom of their Father.”

Matthew 13:43

“So from now on, run well (cf. Gal 5:7)
and may the devil not bewitch you (cf. Gal 3:1)
nor hinder you! …
May mercy, peace, charity,
freedom from envy,
from jealousy and ostentation
come upon you, docility, friendly speech,
solidarity, compassion
towards each other, humility.”

St Theodore the Studite (759-826)

“What are you afraid of, you men of little faith?
That He will not pardon your sins?
But with His own hands He has nailed them to the cross.
That you are used to soft living
and your tastes are fastidious?
But He knows the clay of which we are made (Gn 2:7).
That a prolonged habit of sinning binds you like a chain?
But the Lord loosens the shackles of prisoners.
Or perhaps that angered by the enormity
and frequency of your sins,
He is slow to extend a helping hand?
But where sin abounded,
grace became superabundant (Rom 5,20).
Are you worried about clothing
and food and other bodily necessities
so that you hesitate to give up your possessions?
But He knows that you need all these things (Mt 6,32).
What more can you wish?
What else is there to hold you back
from the way of salvation? ”

St Bernard (1091-1153)
Mellifluous 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

By St Alphonsus Mary Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SIN, The HEART

One Minute Reflection – 6 December – ‘ … Each day He sees our lack of faith …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 6 December – Monday of the Second Week of Advent, Readings: Isaiah 35:1-10, Psalms 85:9 and 10, 11-12, 13-14, Luke 5:17-26

“Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply, “What are you thinking in your hearts?” – Luke 5:22

REFLECTION – “Thanks to the faith of others the cripple’s soul would be cured before his body. “Seeing their faith,” the Gospel says. Note here, my brethren, that God is not interested in what foolish people want and does noy expect to find faith among the ignorant … among those who conduct themselves badly. On the other hand he does not refuse to come to the help of others’ faith. Such faith is a gift of grace, at one with God’s will … In His divine goodness, Christ the Physician, strives to draw to salvation, even in spite of themselves, those affected by sickness of soul, those whom the burden of their sins and offences overwhelms, even to delirium. Yet they do not want to submit.

O my brethren, if only we wanted to, if only we all wanted to perceive our soul’s paralysis in all its depth! Then we would see that it is lying on a stretcher of sins, deprived of strength. Christ’s action within us, would be a source of light and we would understand that each day He sees our lack of faith, harmful as it is, that He draws us towards healing remedies and sharply presses our rebellious wills. “My son” He says, “your sins are forgiven you.” – St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 50 ; PL 52, 339).

PRAYER – Prayer of St Ambrose (340-397)
O Lord, who has mercy upon all,
take away from me my sins
and mercifully kindle in me
the fire of Your Holy Spirit.
Take away from me the heart of stone
and give me a heart of flesh,
a heart to love and adore You,
a heart to delight in You,
to follow and enjoy You,
for Christ’s sake.
Amen

Posted in ACT of CONTRITION, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN

Our Morning Offering – 6 December – Pardon Lord, I Ask

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 6 December – Monday of the Second Week of Advent

Pardon Lord, I Ask
By St Ambrose (340-397)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Lord Jesus Christ,
Who stretched out Your Hands on the Cross
and redeemed us by Your Blood,
forgive me, a sinner ,
for none of my thoughts
are hidden from You.
Pardon I ask,
Pardon I hope for,
Pardon I trust to have.
You, Who are full of pity and mercy,
spare me and forgive.
Amen

Posted in JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SIN, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

Thought for the Day – 5 December – The Blessedness of the Peracemakers

Posted on by AnaStpaul

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

The Blessedness of the Peracemakers

“The spirit of peace pervades the Gospel.
When Jesus is born, choirs of angels sing above the stable in Bethlehem: “Glory to God in the highest ad on earth, peace among men of good will” (Lk 2:14).
When our Saviour has risen gloriously from the dead, He appears to His disciples and greets them with the words: “Peace be to you.”
Finally, when He is departing from this earth, He leaves his peace to His followers as their inheritance. “Peace I leave with you,” He says to them, “my peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled or be afraid” (Jn 14:27).

Exactly what is the peace of Jesus Christ?
It is much different from worldly peace, presuming that the world can give some kind of peace.
St Paul says of the Saviour that “he himself is our peace” (Eph 2:14).
How are we to understand what is meant by this?
The Apostle himself explains when he writes: “Having been justified by faith, let us have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1).
Jesus Christ, therefore, is our peacemaker.
He has shouldered our iniquities and has offered Himself to the Father as a victim of expiation and of reconciliation.
It is at the price of Christ’s precious blood, that we have regained peace with God and freedom from our sins.
This is the peace which our Lord has given us.
Let us remember, however, that if we return to the slavery of sin, we shall lose at once, the jewel of peace which Jesus Christ has bestowed on us.
“There is no peace to the wicked” (Isa 48:22).
We have experienced on many occasions how true this is.
Sin destroys peace of soul because it deprives us of Jesus, without Whom, peace cannot survive.
Let us resolve, therefore, to remain always close to our Lord and far from sin.
Then only shall we be able to preserve our peace of mind in the midst of temptations and of earthly sorrows.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in ADVENT QUOTES, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The HEART, The NATIVITY of JESUS, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 5 December – Prepare the way of the Lord … Luke 3:4

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 5 December – The Second Sunday of Advent – Readings: Baruch 5: 1-9; Psalm 126: 1-6; Philippians 1: 4-6, 8-11; Luke 3: 1-6

“Prepare the way of the Lord
make his paths straight” …

Luke 3:4

“There is still time for endurance,
time for patience,
time for healing,
time for change.
Have you slipped?
Rise up!
Have you sinned?
Cease!
Do not stand among sinners
but leap aside!”

St Basil the Great (329-379)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Open wide your door
to the One who comes.
Open your soul,
throw open the depths of your heart
to see the riches of simplicity,
the treasures of peace,
the sweetness of grace.
Open your heart and run to meet
the Sun of eternal Light
that illuminates all men.”

St Ambrose (340-397)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“If we wish to make any progress
in the service of God,
we must begin everyday of our life,
with new eagerness.
We must keep ourselves,
in the presence of God,
as much as possible
and have no other view or end,
in all our actions
but the divine honour.”

St Charles Borromeo (1538-1584)

“Come, O come, for without You
there will be no happy day
or hour because You are my happiness
and without You my table is empty.
I am wretched, as it were imprisoned
and weighted down with fetters,
until You fill me with the Light of Your Presence,
restore me to liberty
and show me a friendly countenance.”

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
(Book 3 Ch 21:1,4-6)

Posted in "Follow Me", ADVENT REFLECTIONS, BAPTISM, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 5 December – “A pure way will be there, called the holy way”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 5 December – “Month of the Immaculate Conception” and The Second Sunday of Advent – Readings: Baruch 5: 1-9; Psalm 126: 1-6; Philippians 1: 4-6, 8-11; Luke 3: 1-6

“Prepare the way of the Lord” – Luke 3:4

REFLECTION – “Let the desert and the parched land exult! Let the arid ground rejoice and bloom. Let it bloom with abundant flowers” (Is 35:1). What the inspired Scriptures usually call ‘desert’ and ‘waste,‘ is the Church of the pagans. She already existed in former times among the peoples but had not received her mystical Spouse from Heaven, I mean the Christ … Christ came to her, however. Captivated by her faith, He enriched her from the divine river that streams from Him – streams because it is the “fountain of life, stream of delight” (Ps 36[35]:10.9) … At His Presence, the Church ceased to be parched and arid, she encountered her Spouse, brought into the world countless children and was adorned with mystical flowers. …

Isaiah continues: “A pure way will be there, called the holy way” (v. 8). This pure way is the power of the Gospel entering into our lives or, to put it another way, the purifying power of the Spirit. For the Spirit removes the stain imprinted on the human soul, delivers us from our sins and enables us to rise above our uncleanness. Thus, this road is very rightly described as holy and pure, for it cannot be reached by anyone who has not been purified. Indeed, no-one is able to live according to the Gospel who has not first been purified by holy Baptism, no-one, therefore, can do so without faith. …
Only those delivered from the devil’s tyranny can lead the glorious life the prophet describes with these images: “No lion will be there nor beast of prey” (v. 9) on that pure way. Indeed, in former times such fierce beasts, as is the devil, that inventor of sin, used to attack earth’s inhabitants together with the evil spirits. But he was crushed by Christ, driven far away from the flock of believers and stripped of the dominion he used to wield over them. That is why, redeemed by Christ and brought together in faith, they will walk united in heart along this pure way (v. 9). Forsaking their former ways “they will return to Zion,” that is, the Church, “with everlasting joy” (v. 10) that has no end, whether on earth or in Heaven and they will glorify God their Saviour. – St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Bishop of Alexandria, Father and Doctor of the Church (On Isaiah, III, 3).

PRAYER – Almighty and merciful God, let neither our daily work nor the cares of this life prevent us from hastening to meet your Son. Teach us Holy Father God, silence and solitude, to hear and learn, then lead us into the company of Your Son, as He comes to save us! And may His Mother and ours, the most pure Virgin Mary be our intercessor and advocate. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The BEATITUDES, The HEART

Thought for the Day – 4 December – The Blessedness of the Pure of Heart

Posted on by AnaStpaul

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

The Blessedness of the Pure of Heart

“Blessed are the pure of heart,” says Jesus in the beatitudes, for they shall see God (Mt 5:8) .
“The sensual man,” adds St Paul, “does not perceive the things that are of the Spirit of God” (1 Cor 2:14).

How true this is.
When the flesh gains control over the spirit and our lower instincts enslave the intellect, we are overcome by confusion and spiritual blindness.
No longer can we see God’s reflection in created things, no longer do we hear His Voice.
Impurity and sensuality, lead to disregard for the law of God, whereas purity of heart, make it easy for us to love His law.

One day, as was his custom, St Joseph Cafasso went to the prison to visit the convicts.
Among them there was a hardened old sinner, who was interested, neither in God, nor in confessing his sins.
The Saint met him and tried to persuade him to kneel down and make his Confession.
“I do not believe in God,” replied the old man.
The Saints simply looked at him, “Kneel down,” he said, “confess your sins and afterwards, you will believe.”
It turned out as he had predicted.
The old crime-hardened sinner told his sins, wept for them and became a new man.
It was as if the scales had fallen from his eyes, which now saw God clearly once more!
Through the forgiveness of his sins, he found again the way of supernatural love.

We should be grateful to God that we are not in the same state as this poor prisoner was but, it is probable, that we have often been disturbed by impure suggestions.
On these occasions, we may have lost sight of God and our high and pure ideals, may have suffered an eclipse.
We must preserve our chastity, however,
With this purpose in view, we should renew our good resolutions in the presence of God and should constantly implore His grace and the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in ADVENT QUOTES, CHRIST the KING, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HEART, The HOLY CROSS, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN

Quote/s of the Day – 4 December – “Golden Words”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 4 December – “Month of the Immaculate Conception” – Saturday of the First Week of Advent – The Memorial of St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) “Golden Words” Father & Doctor of the Church

“The Kingdom of Heaven, says the gospel,
is like a mustard seed …
Christ is the Kingdom of Heaven!
Sown like a mustard seed
in the garden of the Virgin’s womb,
He grew up into the Tree of the Cross,
whose branches,
stretch across the world …
Christ is the Kingdom
because all the glory of His Kingdom,
is within Him.
Christ is a Man
because all humanity is restored in Him.
Christ is a Mustard Seed
because the infinitude of divine greatness,
is accommodated to
the littleness of flesh and blood!”

“Fasting is the soul of prayer,
mercy is the lifeblood of fasting.
Let no-one try to separate them,
they cannot be separated.
If you have only one of them,
or not all together,
you have nothing!
So if you pray, fast;
if you fast, show mercy;
if you want your petition to be heard,
hear the petition of others.
If you do not close your ear to others,
you open God’s ear to yourself.”

“If you want God to know that you are hungry,
know that another is hungry.
If you hope for mercy, show mercy.
If you look for kindness, show kindness.
If you want to receive, give.
If you ask for yourself what you deny to others,
your asking is a mockery.”

“Let us offer our souls in sacrifice
by means of fasting.
There is nothing more pleasing
that we can offer to God,
as the psalmist said in prophecy –
A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit,
God does not despise
a bruised and humbled heart.”

St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450)
“Golden Words”
Father & Doctor of the Church

MORE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/07/30/quote-s-of-the-day-30-july-golden-words-st-peter-chrysologus/

Posted in ADVENT REFLECTIONS, CHRIST the KING, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on STRENGTH, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 4 December – ‘ … If He is within us, who can lead us astray?…’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 4 December – “Month of the Immaculate Conception” – Saturday of the First Week of Advent – Readings: : Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26; Psalm 147: 1-6; Matthew 9:35-10:1,5a,6-8

“At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.” – Matthew 9:36

REFLECTION – “From now on we are celebrating, with all our hearts, the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and this is nothing other than what we ought to do, since He has not just come TO us but FOR us. As for the Lord, He has no need of good things from us: the greatness of the grace He has shown us, clearly manifests the depth of our need. We assess the gravity of a sickness by what it costs to cure it …

So we needed a Saviour to come to us, for the state in which we found ourselves, rendered His presence indispensable. May the Saviour come quickly, then! May He come to live in our midst, by faith, with all the wealth of His grace. May He come to draw us out of our blindness and free us from our infirmities, taking control of our weakness! If He is within us, who can lead us astray? If He is on our side, what can we not do in Him, Who is our strength? (Phil 4:13). “If he is for us who can be against us?” (Rm 8:31). Jesus Christ is an unfailing Advocate who can neither be deceived not deceive; He is a powerful Helper Whose Strength can never be spent … . He is the very Wisdom of God, the very Strength of God (1 Cor 1:24) … So let us all run together to such a Master, in every undertaking implore His aid, in the midst of our struggles entrust ourselves to so certain a Defender. If He has come into the world, already it is to live in our midst, WITH us and FOR us.” – St Bernard (1091-1153) Cistercian Monk and the last Father and Doctor of the Church – 7th Sermon for Advent

PRAYER – Lord, to free man from his sinful state, You sent Your only Son into this world. Grant to us, who in faith and love, wait for His coming, Your gift of grace and the reward of true freedom. Be born in us O Lord! We ask our most pure Virgin Mary to guide us in her ways. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.

Posted in "Follow Me", DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The BEATITUDES, The GOOD SHEPHERD

Thought for the Day – 3 December – The Blessedness of the Merciful

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day –32 December – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Blessedness of the Merciful

“Let us meditate now on the mercy of God, which is infinite even as His justice is infinite.
“His mercy” says St Thomas Aquinas, “does not subtract from His justice but is, the fullness and the perfection of that justice.”(Summa Theologiae, I, q.21, a.2 ad2).
All the merits which we can acquire in the sight of God, derive from His gratuitous gift of grace.
God’s mercy and justice, therefore, are fused together in a wonderful harmony, which claims our gratitude and fidelity.

References to the mercy of God are numerous in Sacred Scripture.
“You Lord, are good and forgiving,” says the Psalmist, “abounding in kindness to all who call upon you” (Ps 85:5).
“Blessed be the Lord,” we read elsewhere, “my rock, … my refuge and my fortress, my stronghold, my deliverer ….” (ps 143:2).
“Goodness and kindness follow me, all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come” (Ps 22:6)

When we leave the Old Testament and open the Gospel, we discover that it is a record of the goodness and mercy of God.
We have only to recall Christ’s forgiveness of the Magdalen when she wept at His feet for her faults; the merciful judgement which He passed on the poor adulteress; His loving glance in the direction of St Peter who had denied Him; the grace so miraculously granted to St Paul on the road to Damascus and, the parables of the good Samaritan, the prodigal son and the good shepherd who went in search of the lost sheep.
Finally, there are the consoling words to the repentant thief: “This day thous shalt be with me in paradise.”
When we read this chronicle of infinite goodness and mercy, we should experience a boundless hope and confidence.
It does not matter how great our sins, or our ingratitude, may have been.
Once we have repented, God is ready to forgive us and to receive us with open arms!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in JESUIT SJ, QUOTES on CHILDREN, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on WORRY/ANXIETY, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 3 December – St Francis Xavier

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 3 December – The Memorial of St Francis Xavier SJ (1506-1552)

“Give me the child until he is seven
and I’ll give you the man.”

“Learn to seal the dead past,
not to worry about the unborn future
but live and enjoy,
the realistic present.”

“May the grace and charity
of Christ our Lord,
always help and favour us!
Amen.”

St Francis Xavier (1506-1552)

MORE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/12/03/quote-s-of-the-day-3-december-st-francis-xavier-2/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 3 December – ‘ … I was in the world like someone blind … ‘

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 3 December – “Month of the Immaculate Conception” – Friday of the First week of Advent – Readings: Isaiah 29: 17-24; Psalm 27: 1, 4, 13-14; Matthew 9: 27-31 and The Memorial of St Francis Xavier SJ (1506-1552)

“And their eyes were opened …” – Matthew 9:30

REFLECTION – “Master, O Christ!, Master Who saves souls,
God, Lord of all Powers both visible and invisible
because You are the Creator of all in Heaven
and under the heavens,
of what is under the earth
but also of what is on earth …:
You hold all things in Your Hand
because it is Your Hand, O Lord, that is the great power
accomplishing Your Father’s will,
shaping, forming, creating
and guiding our lives in an inexpressible way.

This, then, is what created me, too
and called me into being, from nothing.
So I was born into this world
yet wholly failed to know You, You my good Master,
You my Creator, You Who fashioned me.
I was in the world like someone blind
and as though without God, since I did not know my God.

Then You, in person, pitied me and looked upon me,
when You shone Your Light into my darkness, You converted me
and drew me to Yourself, O my Creator.
And when You had snatched me out of the depths of the pit …
of this life’s pleasures and desires,
then You showed me the way and gave me a guide
who would lead me to Your commandments.
I followed him, followed him without a care …
but not only that, when I saw You there – You my Good Master –
together with my guide and my Father,
I experienced inexpressible love and desire.
I was beyond faith, beyond hope
and said: “Now indeed I see the good things to come” (cf. Heb 10:1),
the Kingdom of Heaven is there.
I saw before my eyes those things “that eye has not seen
nor ear heard”(Is 64:3; 1 Co 2:9).” – St Simeon the New Theologian (949-1022) Monk (Hymn 37)

PRAYER – Lord, watch over Your people who come to You in confidence. Strengthen the hearts of those who hope in You. Give courage to those who falter because of their failures. In this holy season of Advent, lead them closer to You in faith and hope, by the power of your Holy Spirit. May they proclaim Your saving acts of kindness here on earth and one day, in Your eternal kingdom and may the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary conceived without sin and Your great Missionaries, St Francis Xavier, and St Birnus bring us light and strength. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.