Thought for the Day – 18 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Belonging Entirely to God
“Let us reflect on the extent to which God is deserving of all our love. He is our Creator, our final end and our Redeemer. Jesus was not satisfied with giving us part of Himself but He gave us Himself completely. Although, as God He was infinite, He could not have given us more.
One drop of Hs Precious Blood or a solitary tear, would have sufficed to redeem us from our sins. But He shed His Blood to the last drop and gave His life for us. Better still, He willed to remain amongst us in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist as our constant spiritual nourishment. What more could He have done in order to merit our love?”
Quote/s of the Day – 18 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart”- Readings: Second Corinthians 11: 18, 21-30, Psalms 34: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, Gospel: Matthew 6: 19-23
“ For where thy treasure is, there is thy heart also.”
Matthew 6:21
“You have made us for Yourself and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of the Church
“ He who finds Jesus, finds a rare treasure, indeed, a good above every good, whereas he who loses Him, loses more than the whole world. The man who lives without Jesus, is the poorest of the poor, whereas no-one is so rich, as the man who lives in His grace. … Let all things be loved, for the sake of Jesus but Jesus, for His own sake.”
Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
“By giving yourself to God, you not only receive Himself in exchange but, eternal life as well!”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritatis
“Where is the heart that loves? On the thing it loves. Therefore, where our love is, there our heart is held captive. It cannot leave it; it cannot be lifted higher, it cannot go either to the right or the left; see, it is fixed. Where the miser’s treasure is, there is his heart and where our heart is, there is our treasure.”
One Minute Reflection – 18 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart”- Readings: Second Corinthians 11: 18, 21-30, Psalms 34: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, Gospel: Matthew 6: 19-23
“Lay not up for yourselves, treasures on earth … but lay up for yourselves, treasures in heaven” – Matthew 6:19,20
REFLECTION – “You are a jailor of your wealth, not its owner, you who bury your gold in the ground (cf Mt 25,25); you are its slave and not its master. Christ said: “Where your treasure is, there also your heart will be” so it is your heart you have buried. Rather, sell your gold and buy salvation; sell what is metal and acquire God’s Kingdom; sell the field and purchase for yourself, eternal life. In saying this I am speaking the truth because I am relying on the words of Him who is Truth: “If you wish to be perfect, sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven” (Mt 19,21). Do not be cast down by these words lest the same thing be said to you, as to the rich young man: “It will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (v.23). Still more, when you read this sentence, consider that death can snatch these possessions away from you, that the aggression of someone powerful can carry them away. At the end of the day, you will have seen no further than insignificant goods, in place of great wealth – these are no more than a treasure of coins rather than treasures of grace. By their very nature they perish, rather than remaining forever.” – St Ambrose (340-397), Bishop of Milan, Father and Doctor of the Church – Naboth the poor, 58.
PRAYER – Lord God, You fill us with Your grace and teach us true faith. Strengthen in our hearts that faith that no trials may quench the fire, that we may seek Your face in every moment and accept AND LIVE all of Your will. May You be our first thought and our last each day. Grant us the grace of true charity of our neighbour that no earthly wealth can equal the treasures of love. Send us Your Spirit to keep the fire blazing. May the humble love and intercession of Mary Mother of our faith, be our succour and may she intercede for us on our pilgrim way. Through Jesus Christ, Your Son our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen. DIVINE Heart of JESUS, convert sinners, save the dying, set free the holy souls in Purgatory. Indulgence 300 Days Everytime – St Pius X, 11 September, 1907
Thought for the Day – 17 Juner– Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The “Our Father”
“Our Lord exhorted His disciples on many occasions to pray often and with confidence, if they wished to be heard. Everything which they asked His heavenly Father, in His name, He said, they would obtain. Ask, He said and it shall be given you; seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you. Finally, He insisted that we ought to pray and never to give up. In other words, life can be a continuous prayer if we offer to God all our thoughts, words and actions.
The ideal Christian prayer is to do the will of God at all times from the motive of pure love. The Apostles, however, who had not made that much progress in the spiritual life, asked Jesus to teach them how to pray (Lk 11:1). It was then that Our Lord composed the most beautiful of prayer, the “Our Father” (Mt 6:9-13). When we recite it, we speak to God, in the words of Jesus Christ Himself and unite our weak voices, with the powerful voice of the Son of God! We address the Eternal God, moreover, by the name of Father. Even in the Old Testament, God is often referred to in this way. Then, however, He figured as the Father of the chosen people, whereas now, He is the Father of all. He is our Father, the Father of all mankind and of all races, whom He has willed to redeem from the slavery of sin. The term “Our Father” has taken on a new and fuller meaning. Our weak prayer becomes united to that of Jesus, our first-born Brother and to the prayers of the Apostles, Martyrs, Virgins and Confessors, who form and have formed, throughout the centuries, the Mystical Body of Christ, which is the Church. We need no longer feel that we are on our own, for through the Communion of Saints, our entreaties are joined to those of the entire Church, militant, suffering and triumphant. We can be confident, therefore, that our prayer will be heard!”
Quote/s of the Day – 17 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Gospel: Matthew 6: 7-15
“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.”
“He gives according to the love He bears us …, according to the courage He sees in each and the love each has for His Majesty. He will see, that whoever loves Him much, will be able to suffer much for Him; whoever loves Him little, will be capable of little. I myself hold, that the measure for being able to bear, a large or small cross, is love …”
St Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) Doctor of Prayer of the Church
Way of Perfection, Ch 32
“If you wish to charm the loving Heart of your God, set yourself to talk to Him, as often as you can and, after a fashion, continually, together with the fullest and most confident liberty. He will not hold aloof from answering you and participating in the conversation on His part.”
St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
Thought for the Day – 16 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Unless You Turn and Become Like Little Children, You Will Not Enter into the Kingdom of Heaven”
“At the beginning of their ministry, before they had been strengthened and enlightened by the Holy Spirit, the Apostles were as ambitious as most other men. One day, the mother of John and James, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and asked Him, if her two sons could have precedence over the other Apostles and sit on the highest thrones in His kingdom, one at His right hand and the other at His left. Jesus disapproved of this desire to predominate. “Whoever wishes to become great among you,” He said, “shall be your servant and, whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; even as the Son of Man has not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt 20:26-28).
On another occasion, the Apostles came to Jesus and asked Him, which of them would be the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven. Jesus’ only answer was to call a little child and to place him in the centre of the group. “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whoever, therefore, humbles himself as this little child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 18:3-4).
This is the lofty teaching of the Gospel. If we wish to be great and pleasing in the eyes of God, we must be unimportant in our own regard and in our relations with men. The Gospel involves an overthrow of human values. Anyone who makes himself insignificant, will become great. Anyone who tries to make himself out to be a great man, becomes of little account in the eyes of God. “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble” (Cf Js 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5). If we wish to please the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the first thing we must do, is become as little children. In other words, we shall have to suppress our ambition and vanity and destroy our self-love, so that, the Sacred Heart may fill our hearts with the love of God alone!”
Quote/s of the Day – 16 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” and The Memorial of St John Francis Régis SJ (1597-1640)
“The Catholic religion was the religion of your forefathers and the only one Jesus Christ founded; – the one which He promised would endure till the end of time. It is in the Catholic religion alone that you can save your soul.”
“How long are you going to be deaf to His call? Or are you going to lose your soul, which Jesus Christ bought at the price of His Precious Blood?”
“My child, it is indeed the Voice of God you have heard. He has given you a great grace in thus calling you into His one true Church. While you live, never cease to thank Him and bless Him for it.”
(All the above from – Rev Fr D. Chisholm, The Catechism in Examples (London: R & T Washbourne, Ltd
“Brother, I see our Lord and our Lady opening the gates of Paradise for me. Into Your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.” St John Francis Regis on his deathbed
Thought for the Day – 15 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Steadfastness in Suffering
“We are all obliged to suffer in soul and body. Suffering begins at birth and ends at death. “The whole life of a Christian is a cross,” (Sermon 31) says St Augustine. For this reason, we have to develop the virtue of patience. “Let patience have it’s perfect work,” says St James, “that you may be perfect and entire” (Js 1:4). If we are to be perfect, we must accept suffering and trials from the hands of God and offer them to Him in a spirit of harmony with His holy will. In this way, all our actions become valuable, for they are acts of reparation and of love, which will be rewarded in Heaven. Both our joys and our sorrows are sanctified, if we offer them to God, Who arranges everything for our own good. The Saints longed to suffer because, they loved God and knew that suffering is the only true way in which we can prove our love. Suffering is the best medicine for the soul, for when it is endured with patience, it purifies us and prepares us for Heaven. “If God does not punish you for our sins,” says St Augustine, “it is a sign that you are no longer counted among His sons” (De Pastoribus liber unus, c 5). “Whom the Lord loves, he chastises,” St Paul writes “and, he scourges every son whom he receives” (Heb 12:6).
Suffering is, in fact, a gift from God. It reminds us that we have not been created for this world but for Heaven, in preparation for which, we must carry our cross with patience in the footsteps of Jesus. No matter what we do, we must suffer. Either we bear trials patiently and gain an increase of merit, or we rebel against them and gain no merit at all. When we suffer, let us think of the two thieves, both of whom were tortured in the same way. But the good thief accepted his torments with patience in reparation for his sins and was saved, while the bad thief, rebelled against his sufferings and was most probably damned forever!”
Quote/s of the Day – 15 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Readings: Second Corinthians 8: 1-9, Psalms 146: 2, 5-6ab, 6c-7, 8-9a, Gospel: Matthew 5: 43-48
“But I say to you, love your enemies”
Matthew 5:44
“You don’t love in your enemies what they are but what you would have them become, by your prayers!”
St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor
“BE NOT troubled about those who are with you or against you but take care that God be with you in everything you do. Keep your conscience clear and God will protect you, for the malice of man cannot harm one whom God wishes to help. If you know how to suffer in silence, you will undoubtedly experience God’s help. He knows when and how to deliver you, therefore, place yourself in His hands, for it is a divine prerogative to help men and free them from all distress. … It is the humble man, whom God protects and liberates; it is the humble, whom He loves and consoles. To the humble, He turns and upon them bestows great grace, that after their humiliation, He may raise them up to glory.”
Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
“We must show love for those who do evil to us and pray for them. Nothing is dearer or more pleasing to God than this.”
St Bridget of Sweden (c 1303-1373)
“ … All men are our brothers – not excluding even those who hate and attack us. … ”
Thought for the Day – 14 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Purity of Intention
“St Alphonsus indicates the signs by which we can judge whether our actions are performed from the pure intention of pleasing God.
(1) The first sign is that you are not disturbed when your projects are unsuccessful but retain the same composure as if you had succeeded. This will be the case when you are working for GOD ALONE, so that once you realise, that God has not desired your efforts to succeed, you no longer desire it either. You know that He is not concerned with the outcome of your work but only with whether you have undertaken it with the purpose of pleasing Him.
(2) The second proof is that you are as pleased with the good which is worked by means of others, as if it had been achieved through you.
(3) The third sign is that you do not long for one position rather than another but, are content with whatever Providence has arranged for you, so that you seek only to please God in everything which you do.
(4) The final proof is that you do not look for approval or gratitude because of your good actions. If you are not appreciated or are ill-treated in any way, you retain your peace of mind because you have already achieved your purpose, which was to please God by working for love of Him. (Cf Al Divino Servizo, 11, 7).”
Quote/s of the Day – 14 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Readings: Second Corinthians 6: 1-10, 98: 1, 2b, 3ab, 3cd-4, Matthew 5: 38-42
“But I say to you not to resist evil but if one strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other.“
Matthew 5:39
“Judge not and you will not be judged; condemn not and you will not be condemned; forgive and you will be forgiven; give and it will be given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give, will be the measure you get back.“
Luke 6:37-38
“Someone who shows no clemency, who is not clothed with the bowels of mercy and tears, no matter what sort of student he is in spirituality, such a one does not fulfil the law of Christ.”
St Jerome (347-420) Father & Doctor of the Church
“If you do not close your ear to others, you open God’s ear to yourself.”
St Peter Chrysologus (400-450) Father & Doctor of the Church
“You must be reconciled with your enemies, speak to them as if they had never done you anything but good all your life, keeping nothing in your heart but the charity, which the good Christian should have for everyone, so that we can all appear with confidence before the tribunal of God.”
One Minute Reflection – 14 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Readings: Second Corinthians 6: 1-10, 98: 1, 2b, 3ab, 3cd-4, Matthew 5: 38-42
“And, should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles.” – Matthew 5:41
REFLECTION – “If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well; from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back and do to others what you would have them do to you,” (Mt 5.40; Lk 6.30-31). In that way, we will not be dismayed like those whose possessions have been taken away against their will but, to the contrary, will be glad like people who have willingly given, since we would rather make a free gift to our neighbour, than give way to constraint. “And,” He continues, “should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles.” In that way, we are not following him like a slave but going before him like a free man. So, in everything, Christ invites you to be of service to your neighbour, taking no thought for his wickedness but filling your own goodness to the brim. Thus He invites us to become like our Father “who makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,” (Mt 5.45).
All this is not the deed of someone who abolishes the Law but of someone who fulfils and develops it for us (Mt 5.17). To serve freedom is an even greater service and our Liberator puts forward, an even deeper submission and devotion towards Him. For He has not set us free from the obligations of the old Law to make us independent of Himself… but so that, having received His grace, yet more abundantly, we might love Him all the more and, in loving Him all the more, might receive an even greater glory from Him, when we are forever in the presence of His Father. ” – St Irenaeus of Lyons (c 130-c.208) Bishop, Martyr, Ttheologian – Against the Heresies, IV, 13, 3
PRAYER – True Light of the world, Lord Jesus Christ, as You enlighten all men for their salvation, give us Your grace, we pray to herald Your coming by preparing the ways of justice and of peace. Grant, that by the prayers of Your Saints who have gone before us and the assistance of Your Blessed Mother, we may follow more closely in Your footsteps and obey Your words. We pray to You Lord Jesus, Who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen. All praise, honour and glory to the divine HEART of JESUS. – Indulgence 50 Days, Once a day. Raccolta 168 Pope Leo XIII, 14 June 1901.
Thought for the Day – 13 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
St Anthony
“On the 13th of June in the year 1231, a crowd of children set out from the nearby Convent of Arcella and entered Padua crying out: “The Saint is dead!” The entire City was -plunged into mourning because it’s Saint was dead.
Anthony had traversed Italy, converting heretics, recalling innumerous sinners to repentance, working miracles and giving peace to souls and to strife-torn cities. Soon he had felt that his young life was already running out as the result of these labours and austerities and he had determined to hide himself in a little Franciscan Monastery at Camposampiero near Padua. In order to shelter himself from the world ,as far as possible, he built a little cell in the bifurcation of the branches of a giant walnut tree. Here he spent his last days in prayer and contemplation, joining with the birds in their songs of praise to God. He was no longer a man but an angel in human form. Crowds of the faithful flocked around the tree to hear, once again, the voice of the Saint calling on them to practise virtue and to follow the road to Heaven.
It was in this little nest, at only thirty six years of age, that his life slowly flickered out, consumed, not so much by disease as by a burning love for God and for his fellowman.
Let us pray that we may obtain a spark of this love, which will detach us from the world, cause us to belong entirely to God and make us generous apostles in our work for the salvation of souls. Jesus, my God, I love You above all things. Amen.”
Quote/s of the Day – 13 June – – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – The Memorial of St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Evangelical Doctor of the Church
“The breadth of charity, widens the narrow heart, of the sinner.”
“Charity is the soul of faith and makes it alive; without love, faith dies.”
“He prays best , who does not know that he is praying.”
“The life of the body, is the soul, the life of the soul, is Christ.”
“Attribute to God, every good that you have received. If you take credit for something that does not belong to you, you will be guilty of theft!”
O God, send forth Your Holy Spirit By St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Doctor of the Church
O God, send forth Your Holy Spirit into my heart that I may perceive, into my mind, that I may remember, and into my soul, that I may meditate. Inspire me to speak with piety, holiness, tenderness and mercy. Teach, guide and direct my thoughts and senses, from beginning to end. May Your grace, ever help and correct me, and may I be strengthened now with wisdom from on high, for the sake of Your infinite mercy. Amen
St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Evangelical Doctor of the Church
One Minute Reflection – 13 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Sunday within the Octave, Readings: Ezekiel 17: 22-24, Psalms 92: 2-3, 13-14, 15-16, Second Corinthians 5: 6-10, Mark 4: 26-34
“It puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade” – Mark 4:32
REFLECTION – “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.
Do we need further examples? Christ became all things in order to restore all of us in Himself. The man Christ, received the mustard seed which represents the kingdom of God … though as God, He had always possessed it He sowed it in His garden.
The Church is a garden extending over the whole world, tilled by the plough of the Gospel, fenced in by stakes of doctrine and discipline, cleared of every harmful weed by the labour of the Apostles, fragrant and lovely with perennial flowers – virgins’ lilies and martyrs’ roses, set amid the pleasant verdure of all, who bear witness to Christ and the tender plants of all, who have faith in Him.
Such then is the mustard seed which Christ sowed in His garden. When He promised a kingdom to the partriarchs, the seed took root in them, with the prophets it sprang up, with the Apostles it grew tall in the Church – it became a great tree putting forth innumerable branches laden with gifts. And now, you too must take the wings of the psalmist’s dove (Ps 68[67]:14) … and fly to rest forever among those sturdy, fruitful branches. No snares are set to trap you there (Ps 91[90]:3); fly off, then, with confidence and dwell securely in its shelter.” – St Peter Chrysologus (406-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and Doctor of the Church – Sermon 98.
PRAYER – Almighty Father, we bless You Lord of life, through whom all living things tend. You are the source of all, our first beginning and our end! Grant holy Father, that we may allow the Word to enter our hearts and grow by Your grace, so that we may always live for Your glory. May the intercession of the Blessed Virgi Mary, all Your Angels and Saints, grant us strength and zeal. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen. MAY the Heart of JESUS in the most Blessed Sacrament be praised, adored and loved with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the Tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time. Amen.Indulgence 100 Days, Once a day. Raccolta 161 Blessed Pius IX, 29 February 1868.
Thought for the Day – 11 June – Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Learn From Me, For I Am Meek and Humble of Heart”
“It is very easy to be gentle and humble when everything is going well for us. It is difficult, however, when we meet humiliation, misunderstanding or opposition. We need to be well advanced in perfection, if we are to have mildness and humility of heart, like that of Jesus.
We can only reach this state of perfection by prayer, sacrifice and character formation. Pride, self-love and the desire to excel, are the evil effects of our corrupted nature. St Francis de Sales jestingly remarked that self-love dies three days after us. It is difficult to remove it completely from our character and to put, in it’s place, the love of God and of our neighbour but, this operation is necessary, if we are to obtain Christ-like humility and gentleness of heart. God, not our own ego, should be the centre of our lives, He should be the focal point of all our thinking. Let us beseech God for this grace and try and behave in this fashion on all occasions.
When we encounter lack of sympathy, coldness or injustice on the part of our fellowmen, we should try and avoid becoming annoyed or discourage. The testimony of a sound conscience before God, is all that should concern us. We should offer everything else to God, whether it is joy or sorrow, praise or criticism. We shall be rewarded with peace of soul.”
Quote/s of the Day – 11 June – Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
“We, Christians, are the true Israel which springs from Christ, for we are carved out of His Heart, as from a Rock!”
St Justin Martyr (100-165) Father of the Church and Martyr
“How good and pleasant it is to dwell in the Heart of Jesus! Who is there who does not love a heart so wounded? Who can refuse a return of love to a Heart so loving? Amen.”
St Bernard (1090-1153) Mellifluous Doctor
“It is our vocation to set people’s hearts ablaze, to do what the Son of God did, who came to light a fire on earth in order to set it ablaze with His love.”
Blessed Frédéric Ozanam (1813–1853) “Servant to the Poor”
“The well-being of souls is only in Christ. Therefore, let the love of Jesus be our perfection and our profession, let us light our hearts from the eternal flames of love that radiate from the Sacred Heart of Jesus.”
Thought for the Day – 10 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Sacred Heart of Jesus Surmounted by a Flaming Cross
“This flaming Heart surmounted by a Cross represents, not only the infinite love of Jesus, the obedient victim of love but indicates also, that if we wish to follow our divine Redeemer as far as Heaven, our true country, we must follow Him along the path of love and of the Cross. There is only one way of perfection and that is, the way of the Cross.
Jesus has told us this and has set us an example. “If anyone wishes to come after me,” He said, “let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Lk 9:23). He gave us an example by allowing Himself, innocent as He was, to be burdened with our sin. He staggered as far as Calvary beneath the weight of the Cross and there, He shed His Precious Blood to the last drop.
We must take the road of the Cross also. If we do not love our own cross, we do not love the Cross of Jesus. The Saints looked for humiliation and suffering in order to prove their love for Jesus. We must, at least, accept with resignation, those sufferings and humiliations which Providence has allowed to us.
We must embrace our cross daily and carry it with faith and love in the footsteps of Jesus. The Cross is the standard of Christ – it is the ladder which leads us to Heaven. If anyone does not want to have anything to do with it, he does not want to have anything to do with Jesus!”
Quote/s of the Day – 10 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Readings: First: Second Corinthians 3: 15 — 4: 1, 3-6, Psalm: Psalms 85: 9ab and 10, 11-12, 13-14, Gospel: Matthew 5: 20-26
“Go first and be reconciled with your brother”
Matthew 5:24
“Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times but seventy times seven.”
Matthew 18:21-22
“There are three things, my brethren, by which faith stands firm, devotion remains constant and virtue endures. They are prayer, fasting and mercy. Prayer knocks at the door, fasting obtains, mercy receives. Prayer, mercy and fasting, these three are one and they give life to each other.”
“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.”
St Peter Chrysologus (400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father & Doctor of the Church
“To the extent that you pray, with all your soul, for the person who slanders you, God will make the truth known to those who have been scandalised by the slander.”
St Maximus the Confessor (c 580–662)
“See to it that you refrain from harsh words. But if you do speak them, do not be ashamed to apply the remedy from the same lips, that inflicted the wounds.”
Thought for the Day – 9 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Crown of Thorns Which Surrounds the Sacred Heart
“There are many ways of showing our love for the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of making reparation for our sins and for the sins of mankind. We can console ourselves with the reflection, that by these acts of love and reparation, we are removing the thorns which encircle and pierce the Heart of Jesus. The simplest ways of doing this, are by prayers, aspirations and expressions of love, directed towards the adorable Heart of our Redeemer and, by visits to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. In silence and recollection, before the Tabernacle, we shall feel the Heart of Jesus, beating with love and, shall offer in return, for His infinite love, the affection of our poor hearts.
We can also receive Holy Communion in reparation. When Jesus is in us and we are in Jesus, it will be easier and more pleasant, to offer Him our love and expiation. We can make reparation also, by practising the devotion of the First Fridays of the month. This pious practice, so pleasing to the Heart of Jesus, aims at being a mass offering of love and reparation, for the sins of the entire human race.”
Quote/s of the Day – 9 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – The Memorial of St Ephrem (306-373) Father & Doctor of the Church, , “The Harp of the Holy Spirit!”
“Scripture brought me to the Gate of Paradise and the mind stood in wonder as it entered.”
“When you begin to read or listen to the Holy Scriptures, pray to God thus: “Lord Jesus Christ, open the ears and eyes of my heart so that I may hear Thy words and understand them and may fulfill Thy will.” Always pray to God like this, that He might illumine your mind and open to you, the power of His words. Many, having trusted in their own reason, have turned away into deception.”
“Have mercy, O Lord, on our children, In our children, Call to mind Your childhood, You who were a child. Let them that are like Your childhood Be saved by Your grace.”
O Lord and Master of My Life By Saint Ephrem (306-373) Father & Doctor of the Church
O Lord and Master of my life, give me not a spirit of sloth, vain curiosity, lust for power and idle talk. But give to me, Thy servant, a spirit of soberness, humility, patience and love. O Lord and King, grant me to see my own faults and not to condemn my brother. For blessed art Thou to the ages of ages. Amen O God, be merciful to me a sinner. O God, cleanse me, a sinner. O God, my Creator, save me and for my many sins forgive me!
One Minute Reflection – 9 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Readings: First: Second Corinthians 3: 4-11, Psalm: Psalms 99: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9m Gospel: Matthew 5: 17-19
“I have come, not to abolish but to fulfil.” … Matthew 5:17
REFLECTION – “Do you want to know how Jesus, far from abolishing the law and the prophets, comes rather to confirm and to complete them? Where the prophets are concerned, this happens first of all ,when He confirms, through His works, what they had announced. This is where the expression comes from, constantly repeated in St Matthew: “That the word of the prophets might be fulfilled” …
Where the law is concerned, Jesus fulfilled it in three ways. First of all, by not omitting any of its legal requirements. He told John the Baptist: “We must do this if we would fulfil all of God’s demands,” (Mt 3:15). To the Jews He said: “Can any of you convict me of sin?” (Jn 8:46) … In the second place, He fulfils it because He wanted to submit Himself to it for our salvation. Oh marvel! By submitting to it, He communicated to us, too, the grace of fulfilling it! St Paul teaches us this when he says: “Christ is the end of the law. Through him, justice comes to everyone who believes,” (Rom 10:4). He also says that the Saviour condemned sin in the flesh “so that the just demands of the law might be fulfilled in us who live not according to the flesh,” (Rom 8:4.) He also says: “Are we then abolishing the law by means of faith? Not at all! On the contrary, we are confirming the law,” (Rom 3:31).
For the law aimed at making a person righteous but it didn’t have the strength do so so; then Christ came, He who is the end of the law and He showed us the way which leads to righteousness, that is to say – faith. Thus He fulfilled the law’s intention. The letter of the law could not justify the sinner; faith in Jesus Christ will justify him. That is why He can say: “I have not come to abolish the law.”
Now, if we look more closely, we can perceive a third way of fulfilling the law. What is this? It consists in the very precepts, which Christ had to give; far from overturning those of Moses, they are their just consequence and their natural complement.” – St John Chrysostom (345-407) Bishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church – Homilies on St. Matthew 16
PRAYER – Shed your clear light on our hearts, Lord, so that walking continually in the way of Your commandments, we may never be deceived or misled. May the Mother of Our God and our Mother, be at our side and guide our way. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen. All praise, honour and glory to the divine Heart of JESUS.50 Days Indulgence, Once a day, Raccolta, 168 Pope Leo XIII, 13 June 1901.
Thought for the Day – 8 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Our Response to the Love
of the Sacred Heart
“We owe an immense debt of satisfaction and expiation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, for the many sins with which we have repaid Hs graces. Let us picture the divine Redeemer, kneeling in the Garden of Gethsemane, while His divine vision pierces the centuries and sees the sins and atrocities of men. He sees the offences of each one of us! He groans and perspires blood, then he offers Himself as an innocent victim for us all. This was an act of infinite love, which cost the life of the God-Man in the most atrocious way.
What must our reaction be? Shall we continue to sin and remain cold? The Passion of Jesus demands our participation in His sufferings, not only in reparation for our own sins but also, in expiation of the sins of others. Let us look around us and see how many men are so indifferent and wicked, as if Jesus had never come to save us, had never shed His Precious Blood for us and, had never loved us with an infinite love. At this spectacle, the Saints inflicted penances on themselves, in order to offer to Jesus, a return of love and reparation for sin.”
One Minute Reflection – 8 June – Readings: First: Second Corinthians 1: 18-22, Psalm: Psalms 119: 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 135, Gospel: Matthew 5: 13-16
“You are the salt of the earth” – Matthew 5:13
REFLECTION – “Salt is useful for so many purposes in human life! What need is there to speak about this? Now is the proper time to say why Jesus’ disciples are compared with salt. Salt preserves meats from decaying into stench and worms. It makes them edible for a longer period. They would not last through time and be found useful without salt. So also Christ’s disciples, standing in the way of the stench that comes from the sins of idolatry and fornication, support and hold together, this whole earthly realm.” – Origen Adamantius (c 185-253) Priest, Theologian, Exegist, Writer, Apologist, Father – (Fragment 91)
PRAYER – Holy Almighty Father, we pray that we may be the light of Your divine Son and the salt of the earth. Help us, we pray, to ever strive to be both the light and salt of the earth and may the protection of Our Lady of Grace, first disciple of Jesus and model, be of help to believers who live every day their vocation and mission in history. May our Mother help us, to let ourselves always be purified and illumined by the Lord, to become in turn “salt of the earth” and “light of the world. Through the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God now and for all eternity, amen. MAY the HEART of JESUS be loved everywhere. 100 Days, Indulgence Once a day – Bl Pope Pius IX 23 September 1860
Quote/s of the Day – 7 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Readings: First: Second Corinthians 1: 1-7, Psalm: Psalms 34: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9, Gospel: Matthew 5: 1-12
“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”
Matthew 5:12
“Why do we on earth not strive to find rest with Him in heaven even now, through the faith, hope and love that unites us to Him? While in heaven. He is also with us and we, while on earth, are with Him. He is here with us by His divinity, His power and His love. We cannot be in heaven, as He is on earth, by divinity but in Him, we can be there by love.”
St Augustine (354-430) Great Western Father and Doctor of the Church
“Keep a clear eye toward life’s end. Do not forget your purpose and destiny as God’s creature. What you are in His sight, is what you are and nothing more. Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take nothing that you have received… but only what you have given – a full heart enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage.”
St Francis of Assisi (c 1181-1226)
“In truth, the loss or gain of God’s kingdom, is up to you.”
Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
“We should work and pray with our feet on the earth and our minds in heaven. We should seek God, not ourselves, in everything which we do. Let us remember, that one moment in Heaven, is worth infinitely more than all the pleasure, love and vanity of this world!”
One Minute Reflection –7 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Readings: First: Second Corinthians 1: 1-7, Psalm: Psalms 34: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9, Gospel: Matthew 5: 1-12
“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.” – Matthew 5:12
REFLECTION – “Rejoice in the Lord without ceasing (cf. Phil 4:4), my dear children. I beg you rejoice, citizens of heaven but exiles on earth, inhabitants of the Jerusalem on high (cf. Gal 4:26) but banished from affairs here below, inheritors of the kingdom of heaven but disinherited from taking any part at all, in earthly pleasures! Rejoice, ardent travellers, at undergoing exile and maltreatment in a foreign land in the name of the commandment of God! Rejoice, you who are last in this world but lords of blessings that exceed our understanding (cf. Phil 4:7). Rejoice, noble company, brought together by God, assembly united in heart and soul, who give life to filial and fraternal love, a replica on earth of the host of angels! (…) Rejoice, God’s workers, apostolic men. … Rejoice, you who set your joy in each other, each making his own the reputation of his brother, you in whom is found neither jealousy, rivalry nor envy but, in their place, peace and charity and life in common. In truth, I do not say that we are not attacked – indeed, who is crowned if not the one who struggles and fights, who exchanges thrusts and wounds with his assailants? – but I say that we should not let ourselves be brought down by the machinations of Satan. Yes, my children, assembly of God, nourish yourselves with the food of the Spirit and drink the water given by the Lord – whoever comes to possess this water, will never thirst again but it will become, in Him, a spring of living water welling up to eternal life (cf. Jn 4:14). … Yet a little while and we shall have vanquished. And blessed shall we be; blessed also, it shall be said, are the places, family and countries that have borne you (cf. Lk 11:27-28).” – St Theodore the Studite (759-826) – Catechesis 47 (The Great Catecheses)
PRAYER – King of heaven and earth, Lord God, rule over or hearts and bodies this day. Sanctify us and guide our every thought, word and deed according to the commandments of Your law, so that now and forever, Your grace may free and save us. Teach us Lord to walk in the ways of the Cross of Your Son, our Saviour, rlonging for and rejoicing always in our heavenly home as St Robert Newminster so lovingly and willingly inspires us to do. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God, forever, amen. Sweet Heart of my JESUS, make me love Thee ever more and more!300 Days Once a Day. ii. Plenary, Once a month. Raccolta – 162. Blessed Pope Pius IX, 26 November 1876.
One Minute Reflection – 6 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Corpus Christi, The Solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Readings: First: Exodus 24: 3-8, Psalm: Psalms 116: 12-13, 15-16, 17-18 (13), Second: Hebrews 9: 11-15, Gospel: Mark 14: 12-16, 22-26
“ This is my body … this is my blood ” – Mark14: 22,24
REFLECTION – “The lovers of this world display their generosity by giving money, clothes and various gifts but not one of them gives his own blood. Christ gives His. In this way He demonstrates the tenderness He feels for us and His ardent love. Under the Old Law … God consented to receive the blood of sacrifices but this was just to prevent His people from offering it to false gods and, already, this was proof of a very great love. But Christ transformed this rite… there is no longer the same sacrificial victim – it is Himself He offers in sacrifice.
“The bread that we break, is it not a communion in the body of Christ?” (1 Cor 10:16) What is this bread? The Body of Christ. What becomes of those who communicate in it? The Body of Christ – not a large number of bodies but just one Body. Just as this bread, made up of so many wheat grains, makes only one loaf into which the grains disappear – for even though the grains remain in it, yet it is impossible to distinguish them in such a closely compacted mass – so all of us, together with Christ, make up a single whole … Now, if we all share in the same bread and are united to the same Christ, why don’t we show the same love to each other? Why don’t we become one in this case too?
This is what was seen at the beginning: “The community of believers was of one heart and mind” (Acts 4:32) … Christ came in search of you who were far away from Him to unite Himself to you but you do not wish to become one with your brother? … You violently separate yourself from him, after winning from the Lord so great a proof of His love – and life! For He did not only give His Body but, just as our flesh, drawn from the earth, had lost its life and died through sin, so He has introduced, so to speak, another substance like a leaven, this is His Body, the Body sharing the same nature as ours but free from sin and abounding in life. And He has given it to all of us, so that, fed with the banquet of this new food … we might enter immortal life.” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father ad Doctor of the Church – 24th homily on the 1st letter to the Corinthians 2
PRAYER – Lord Jesus Christ, You gave Your Church, an admirable Sacrament as the abiding memorial of Your Passion. Teach us to worship the sacred mystery of Your Body and Blood, that it’s redeeming power may sanctify us always. Who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God, forever, amen.
Thought for the Day – 5 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Sacred Heart and the Holy Viaticum
“We should particularly ask the Sacred Heart for the grace to die a good death, strengthened by the Holy Viaticum. Let us picture ourselves in this final hour. The world is fading away and nothing remains of the honours, successes and pleasures of our passing life. There will remain only two things – on one side, the merits which we have obtained by our prayers, penances and good works; on the other side, the sum total of our sins and ingratitude to God. May Jesus come, at this moment, into our poor hearts, which is trembling for our sins and lacking in virtue. May the Holy Viaticum come to strengthen us. May the white Host bear with it, forgiveness, hope and the purifying flame of love.
Then, the infinite love of the Heart of Jesus will be mingled with th weak limited love of our hearts. It will waft us into a state of everlasting happiness, where, to love, is to possess, the boundless joy of God.
Quote/s of the Day – 5 June – The Memorial of St Boniface (c 672-754) “The Apostle of Germany” – Martyr
“Let us stand fast in what is right and prepare our souls for trial. Let us wait upon God’s strengthening aid and say to Him: ‘O Lord, you have been our refuge in all generations.’”
St Boniface (c 672-754) “The Apostle of Germany” – Martyr
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