CATHOLIC Quotes – Page 204

BAPTISM, CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, CONFIRMATION, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, EXTREME UNCTION, HOLY COMMUNION, HOLY ORDERS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on HUMAN DIGNITY, QUOTES on MARRIAGE, MARRIED LOVE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on THANKSGIVING, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, QUOTES on VOCATIONS, QUOTES/PRAYERS on THE FAMILY, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The HOLY GHOST, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

Thought for the Day – 29 April – The Dignity and Responsibility of Being a Christian

Posted on April 29, 2020April 29, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 29 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Dignity and Responsibility of Being a Christian

“It is a great dignity to be a Christian.
By Baptism, we become sons of God, heirs to Heaven, temples of the Holy Spirit and members of the Mystical Body of Jesus, which is the Church.
God’s grace raises us to the supernatural order and makes us, as St Paul expresses it, sharers in the divine nature.
By the Sacrament of Confirmation, the Holy Spirit fortifies our faith and gives us the strength to resist the temptations of the devil and to fight like loyal soldiers, for the triumph in ourselves and in others, of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
The Sacrament of Penance, is our plank of salvation in the shipwreck of sin. the sacrament of penance is our plank of salvation in the shipwreck of sin - bacci 29 april 2020
Although, we are all wretched sinners, by this give of the divine mercy, we can recover our lost innocence and return to the grace and friendship of God.
Moreover, in order to prevent us from falling back into sin, Jesus give us Himself in the Blessed Eucharist, which is called, by St Thomas Aquinas, the greatest miracle of His infinite love (Opusculum 56, Officium de festo Corporis Christi, lectures 1-4). the greatest miracle of his ifinite love - eucharist - bacci 29 april 2020
But this is not all.
If it is our vocation for form a family, God consecrates our union at the altar and gives us the graces necessary, to sanctify it, so that it may produce a good Christian family.
If God has called us, on the other hand, to become spiritual fathers of the souls redeemed by His Precious Blood, He raises us to this high dignity, by the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
Finally, when we shall have come to the end of our mortal lives, the Priest will be still by our side, to wash away, by the Sacrament of Extreme Unction, the last traces of sin and to comfort us in our passage to eternity.
The whole life of a Christian, is a chain of favours which accompany him, from the cradle to the grave.
We should be grateful to God for the goodness with which He has treated us and continues to treat us.
We should co-operate generously with His gifts by recognising the lofty honour it is, to be a Christian and by living in accordance with this dignity.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 29 April – St Catherine of Siena and Bl Maria Magdalene

Posted on April 29, 2020April 29, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 29 April – Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 8:1-8, Psalm 66:1-7, John 6:35-40 and the Memorial of St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) Doctor of the Church and Bl Mary Magdalene of the Incarnation FSPA (1770-1824)

“I am the bread of life; he who comes to me, shall not hunger
and he who believes in me, shall never thirst.”

John 6:35

“He will provide the way and the means,
such as you could never have imagined.
Leave it all to Him,
let go of yourself,
lose yourself on the Cross
and you will find yourself entirely.”

“Speak the truth in a million voices.
It is silence that kills!”

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

“May Jesus be known, loved and adored by all
and be, in every moment,
the receiver of thanksgiving,
in the most holy and most divine Sacrament.”

Bl Mary Magdalene of the Incarnation (1770-1824)

ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on MISSION, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 29 April – ‘… Make His face shine…’

Posted on April 29, 2020April 28, 2020 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 29 April – Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 8:1-8, Psalm 66:1-7, John 6:35-40 and the Memorial of Bl Mary Magdalene of the Incarnation FSPA (1770-1824)

“This is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life”…John 6:40

REFLECTION – “We wish to see Jesus” (Jn 12:21). This request, addressed to the Apostle Philip by some Greeks who had made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Passover, echoes spiritually in our ears too… Like those pilgrims of two thousand years ago, the men and women of our own day — often perhaps unconsciously — ask believers not only to “speak” of Christ but, in a certain sense, to “show” Him to them. And is it not the Church’s task, to reflect the light of Christ in every historical period, to make His face shine, also before the generations of the new millennium?

Our witness, however, would be hopelessly inadequate if we ourselves had not first contemplated His face… The contemplation of Christ’s face, cannot fail to be inspired by all that we are told about Him, in Sacred Scripture, which from beginning to end, is permeated by His mystery, prefigured in a veiled way in the Old Testament and revealed fully in the New… Remaining firmly anchored in Scripture, we open ourselves to the action of the Spirit (cf. Jn 15:26) from whom the sacred texts derive their origin, as well as to the witness of the Apostles (cf. Jn 15:27), who had a first-hand experience of Christ, the Word of life – they saw Him with their eyes, heard Him with their ears, touched Him with their hands (cf. 1 Jn 1:1). What we receive from them is a vision of faith based on precise historical testimony.”… St John Paul II (1920-2005) – Apostolic Letter “ Novo Millennio Inuente ” Nos 16-17 john 6 40 - this is the will of my father - the men and women of our own day - st john paul 29 april 2020

PRAYER – Holy almighty God, in Your wisdom You created us and by Your providence You rule us. Penetrate our inmost being with Your holy light, so that our way of life may always be one of faithful service, as we follow Your Son, who leads us to eternal life. May the prayers of Mary our Mother and Blessed Mary Magdalene of the Incarnation, help us to shine Your light on our neighbour. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen. mother-mary-pray-for-us-6-may-2018 and 29 april 2020

bl mary magdalene of the incarnation pray for us 29 april 2020

MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 28 April – The Word of God

Posted on April 28, 2020April 28, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 28 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Word of God

“After Holy Communion, the Word of God is the most nourishing food of the soul.
St Augustine urges us to listen to the Word of God with the same devotion with which we approach the Blessed Eucharist.
It is the normal method God uses to communicate with our souls in order to instruct and enlighten them and to lead them along the path of virtue.
It is true, that God sometimes makes direct contact with us by means of good inspirations or extraordinary graces but, the ordinary way in which He calls us to eternal life, is by His divine Word, whether it is proclaimed by His ministers, read in Sacred Scripture, illustrated in the lives of the Saints, or, outlined by masters of the spiritual life.
Most important of all, is the living word of the lawful representatives of God.
Jesus did not specifically command His Apostles to write but to preach.
“He who believes and is baptised,” He added, “shall be saved but he who does not believe, shall be condemned” (Cf Mk 16:16).
Mary Magdalen was converted by the preaching of Jesus and wept for her sins.
The sermons of St John the Baptist called upon the Jewish people to do penance.
Centuries earlier, the prophet Nathan had converted David by means of the inspired Word of God and the prophet Jonah, had roused the Ninivites to repentance.
We should treasure the Word of God.
We should read and listen to it, with humility and devout attention.
Whenever we hear a sermon, or read Sacred Scripture, or some spiritual book, we should reflect, that, it is God Himself Who is preaching to us!
We should not be guided merely by a spirit of curiosity, desire for knowledge, or love of eloquence or literary style but, by the determination to apply such instruction to ourselves and to put it into practice.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

MARIAN QUOTES, ON the SAINTS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on VIRTUE, SAINT of the DAY, St Louis-Marie Grignion de MONTFORT, To JESUS through MARY

Quote/s of the Day – 28 May – God alone!

Posted on April 28, 2020April 28, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 28 May – Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter and the Memorial of St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716), St Peter Chanel (1803-1841) Priest and Martyr, St Gianna Beretta Molla (1922-1962), Blessed María Felicia of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament OCD (1925-1959)

“God alone!”

“Chosen soul, how will you bring this about?
What steps will you take to reach the high level
to which God is calling you?
The means of holiness and salvation,
are known to everybody,
since they are found in the Gospel,
the masters of the spiritual life have explained them,
the Saints have practised them…
These means are –
sincere Humility,
unceasing Prayer,
complete Self-denial,
abandonment to Divine Providence
and obedience to the Will of God.”

“Since grace enhances our human nature
and glory adds a still greater perfection to grace,
it is certain, that our Lord remains in heaven,
just as much the Son of Mary as He was on earth.
Consequently, He has retained the submissiveness
and obedience of the most Perfect of all Children,
towards the Best of all Mothers.”

True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, #27

“The greatest saints,
those richest in grace and virtue,
will be the most assiduous in praying
to the most Blessed Virgin,
looking up to her,
as the perfect model to imitate
and as a powerful helper to assist them. “

St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)

“It does not matter, whether or not I am killed,
the religion has taken root on the island,
it will not be destroyed by my death,
since it comes not from men but from God.”

St Peter Chanel (1803-1841) Priest and Martyr

“The stillness of prayer
is the most essential condition
for fruitful action.
Before all else,
the disciple kneels down.”

“Our body is a cenacle,
a monstrance –
through its crystal,
the world should see God.”

St Gianna Beretta Molla (1922-1962)

“Father, for Your glory,
accept the total surrender of my being,
in union with the perfect sacrifice of Your divine Son.
In Him, through Him and with Him,
I live, love, believe, suffer and die….”

Blessed María Felicia of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament (1925-1959)

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, HOLY COMMUNION, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 28 May – “I am the bread of life”

Posted on April 28, 2020April 28, 2020 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 28 May – Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 7:51–8:1, Psalm 31:3-4, 6-8, 17, 21, John 6:30-35 and the Memorial of Blessed María Felicia of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament OCD (1925-1959)

“I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me shall not hunger and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” … John 6:35 john 6 35 i am the bread of life 28 april 2020 - no 2

REFLECTION – St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) – Sequence for the feast of Corpus Christi “ Lauda Sion ”
Laud, O Sion, thy salvation
Laud with hymns of exultation
Christ, thy King and Shepherd true,
Spend thyself, his honour raising,
Who surpasseth all thy praising,
Never canst thou reach His due.

Sing today, the mystery showing
Of the living, life-bestowing
Bread from heaven before thee set,
E’en the same of old provideth,
Where the Twelve, divinely guided,
At the holy table met.

Full and clear ring out thy chanting,
Joy nor sweetest grace be wanting
To thy heart and soul today …

Lo, the new King’s table gracing,
This new Passover of blessing
Hath fulfilled the elder rite,
Now the new the old effaceth,
Truth revealed, the shadow chaseth,
Day is breaking on the night.

What He did, at Supper seated,
Christ ordained to be repeated,
His memorial ne’er to cease
And His word for guidance taking,
Bread and wine we hallow, making
Thus our sacrifice of peace.

This the truth to Christians given,
Bread becomes His flesh from heaven,
Wine becomes His holy Blood (Jn 6:55). …

Whoso of this food partaketh,
Christ divideth not nor breaketh,
He is whole to all that taste.
Whether one this bread receiveth
Or a thousand, still He giveth
One same Food that cannot waste. …

Lo! the Angel’s Food is given (Ps 78[77]:25)
To the pilgrim who hath striven,
See the children’s Bread from heaven
Which to dogs may not be cast (Mt 15:26).

Truth the ancient types fulfilling,
Isaac bound, a victim willing (Gn 22),
Paschal lamb, its life-blood spilling,
Manna sent in ages past.

O true Bread, good Shepherd, tend us,
Jesu, of Thy love befriend us,
Thou refresh us, Thou defend us,
Thine eternal goodness send us
In the land of life to see (Ps 27[26]:13)

Thou who all things canst and knowest,
Who on earth such Food bestowest,
Grant us with the saints, though lowest,
Where the heavenly Feast Thou showest,
Fellow-heirs and guests to be. lauda sion st thomas aquinas 28 april 2020

PRAYER – Almighty Father, to whom this world, with all it’s goodness and beauty belongs, give us grace joyfully to begin this day in Your name and to fill it with the active love for You and our neighbour. By the food You give us, to sustain us on this journey, we are brought to holiness in Your Son, our Lord Jesus the Christ, whom You gave to us as our food. May the Mother of Your Son and our mother, lead us to You and may the prayers of Bl Maria Felicia of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, be a succour on our way. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God now and forever, amen. holy mother mary pray for us 16 jan 2019

BL MARIA FELICIA PRAY FOR US NO 2 28 APRIL 2020

MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on GOSSIP, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on SCANDAL, QUOTES on SIN, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 27 April – Scandal

Posted on April 27, 2020April 27, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 27 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Scandal

“The Gospel contains a frightening condemnation of those who give scandal.
“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it were better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of scandal! … If thy hand or thy foot is an occasion of sin to thee, cut it off and cast it from thee! It is better for thee to enter life, maimed or lame, than, having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire …” (Cf Mt 18:6-9).
Why was Christ so strict on scandal-givers?
He condemned them because they are the accomplices of the devil.
Not satisfied with doing evil themselves, they seek by means of bad example, to draw others towards ruin as well.
They try to destroy Christ’s work of Redemption and the fruits of the shedding of His Precious Blood.
Let us examine our own conduct.
If we discover anything which could provide an occasion of sin for others, let us remedy it immediately.
Thoughtlessness in such matters can be very dangerous.
Something which seems perfectly innocent to us, could be a source of scandal to others.
Prudence and delicacy are necessary in our relations with our fellow-men.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PRAYER, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 27 April – ‘ …Discover a Presence …’

Posted on April 27, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 27 April – Monday of the Third Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 6:8-15, Psalm 119:23-24, 26-27, 29-30, John 6:22-29 and the Memorial of Bl Nicolas Roland (1642-1678)

“Do not labour for the food which perishes
but for the food which endures to eternal life,
which the Son of man will give to you…”

John 6:27

“This very moment,
I may,
if I desire,
become the friend
of God.”

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

“In this daily life which is doubtlessly your own,
Listen to your heart… ..
Discover a Presence which is more real than
this visible presence,
which dazzles you
and attracts your whole being…”

“Take a higher flight,
giving yourself completely
to the unique Goodness and Beauty.
Be content with God,
He will be your light,
your strength, your shelter at all times.”

“Ask God to lead you by Faith,
Only God, seek only Him.”

Bl Nicolas Roland (1642-1678)

“Jesus Christ came to this earth to reign here
but not, says Saint Augustine, as other kings do,
to raise tribute, enrol armies and visibly do battle
against His enemies, for Jesus Christ assures us
that His kingdom is not of this world
but to establish His reign within our souls,
according to what He Himself says,
in the holy Gospel, that His kingdom is within us.”

St John Baptiste de La Salle (1651-1719)

“You leave the land
just as it is when you depart,
you do not carry anything away.
Our first aim is to go to God,
we are not on earth for anything but this!”

St John Vianney (1786-1859)

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES for CHRIST, SAINT of the DAY, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 27 April – ‘He, who is the Only God … ‘

Posted on April 27, 2020April 27, 2020 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 27 April – Monday of the Third Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 6:8-15, Psalm 119:23-24, 26-27, 29-30, John 6:22-29 and the Memorial of Bl Nicolas Roland (1642-1678)

Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” … John 6:29

REFLECTION – “It is Yours to grant our prayer, Yours to bring our seeking to its term, Yours to open the door where we knock (Lk 11:9). For You see us to be naturally dulled by some sort of spiritual laziness and our spirit’s feebleness … prevents us from understanding Your mysteries. … Here, then, is our expectation – that You will strengthen the first beginnings of this daunting project, affirm the progress of our enterprise and call us to participate in the Spirit who guided Your prophets and apostles. In this way we won’t understand their words in a different sense to the one they intended.(…

Indeed, we will affirm what they declared in their sacred teaching, that You, eternal God, are the Father of the eternal God, Your only Son. You alone are the only one not to have been born and our Lord Jesus Christ is the only one to have been born of You by an eternal birth, yet without differing from You to the extent of suggesting there to be really two gods. Yes indeed, we must make it known that He, who is the Only God, was fathered by You. We must firmly declare it – He is nothing other than true God born of You, our true God and Father.

Therefore, grant us to give these words their true meaning, pour light into our minds … and set our faith firmly in the truth. Enable us to say what we believe… that You are one God and Father and that there is one Lord Jesus Christ. May we acclaim You …, may we revere You, one God, who yet is not alone and may we declare Him to be, Himself, true God.” … St Hilary (315-368) Father & Doctor of the Divinity of Christ John 6 29 - this is the work of god that you believe in him whom he has sent - indeed - st hilary 27 april 2020

PRAYER – King of heaven and earth, Lord God, rule over our 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. Let us walk in Your ways and be Your lights and thus by our lives, help others to follow You. Grant that the prayers of our blessed Mother, the Mother of Jesus Your Son and Bl Nicolas Roland, who always lived for You alone, may help us, as we work through each day to reach our heavenly home. Through Jesus the Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God now and forever, amen. ora pro nobis pray for us madonna mary blessed virghin 26 april 2020

bl nicolas roland pray for us 27 april 2020

MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on DESPAIR, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, QUOTES on WORRY/ANXIETY, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST

Thought for the Day – 26 April – The Only Remedy for All Our Ills

Posted on April 26, 2020April 26, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 26 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Only Remedy for All Our Ills

“Life is a continual battle.
“Is not man’s life on earth a drudgery?” (Job 7:1).
If we consider, only the material aspect of this battle, we are all among the vanquished.
Admittedly, there is some joy and some victory.
But, our pleasures are as short-lived as the flowers of the field, they are soon “withered and dried up like grass” (Cf Ps 101:5).
Our conquests are also very insignificant; they can inflate us for a while but they do not last long and cannot satisfy us.
After death, only our triumphs in virtue will persist.
Moreover, whereas the joys of this life are few and fleeting, the physical and moral sufferings, are innumerable.
Sometimes, they are so heavy and overwhelming, that they cause us to despair.
But, surely there is a remedy for all the evils which afflict us?
God is infinitely good and He has permitted suffering.
Will He not give us the means of enduring it and the medicine to cure it?
In fact, Our Lord, has given us a remedy for all our ills, even for the most distressing.
It is a bitter medicine but, it will heal anyone who has the courage to swallow it and, it will give him perfect peace of soul.
The treatment consists of three stages:
(1) Doing the will of God in all things with complete resignation.
(2) Doing everything for the love of God.
(3) Doing everything and enduring everything for the love of God alone.
When a man reaches this highest peak of the spiritual life, he acquires that perfect peace of soul, which the Saints possessed.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Act of SPIRITUAL COMMUNION, CARMELITES, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, GOD is LOVE, POETRY, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SUNDAY REFLECTIONS, The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Sunday Reflection – 25 April – Act of Love, during the Lockdown

Posted on April 26, 2020April 26, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Sunday Reflection – 25 April – Third Sunday of Easter

To Surrender To Love
By St Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880-1906)

Oh how good it is in silence
To listen to Him over and over,
To enjoy the peace of His presence
and then to surrender, wholly to His love.

O Lamb, so pure and so meek,
You my All, my only One,
How well You know that Your fiancée,
Your little one, hungers greatly for You.

She hungers to feed upon her Master,
Above all to be consumed by Him,
To surrender fully to Him her whole being
So she may be totally taken.

Oh, that I may be possessed by You;
One who lives by You alone,
Yours, Your living host,
Consumed by You on the Cross.

Act of SPIRITUAL COMMUNION, CHRIST the KING, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, MARIAN QUOTES, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PRAYER, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 26 April – ‘…No wall can shut us out from the good God.’

Posted on April 26, 2020April 26, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 26 April – Third Sunday of Easter

“…He certainly meets us
where we are in life – and –
He will never leave us
where He found us!”

Fr Mark J Hunt STD

“Spiritual Communion is
an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Holy Sacrament
and a loving embrace, as though we had already received Him.”

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

Doctor of the Church

“In the morning let your first act be
to greet My Heart and to offer Me your own.
Whoever, breathes a sigh toward Me,
draws Me to himself.”

Jesus to St Matilda/Mechtilde of Hackeborn

(c 1241-1298)

“O blessed Jesus, give me stillness of soul in You.
Let Your mighty calmness reign in me.
Rule me, O King of Gentleness,
King of Peace.”

St John of the Cross (1542-1591)

Doctor of the Church

“There are some who make a spiritual communion everyday …
If we are deprived of Sacramental Communion,
let us replace it, as far as we can, by spiritual communion,
which we can make every moment;
for we ought to have always, a burning desire to receive the good God.
Communion is to the soul, like blowing a fire that is beginning to go out
but that has still plenty of hot embers;
we blow and the fire burns again.
After the reception of the Sacraments,
when we feel ourselves slacken in the love of God,
let us have recourse at once, to spiritual communion.
When we cannot go to the church, let us turn towards the tabernacle;
no wall can shut us out from the good God.”

St John Vianney (1786-1859)

“Do not neglect to say, ‘Jesus, I love You’
and make one Spiritual Communion,
at least, each day,
in atonement for all the profanations and sacrileges
He suffers because He wants to be with us.”

St Josemaria Escrivá (1902-1975)

“…Let us continue
Immaculate Mary’s mission.
All is included in it.
May [we].. follow her example
and be the handmaid of the Lord
in everything,
everywhere
and always.”

Bl Mary of the Passion (1839-1904)

CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN TITLES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 26 April – ‘ Trust, be faithful and He is with you…’

Posted on April 26, 2020March 30, 2024 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 26 April – Third Sunday of Easter, Readings: Acts 2:14, 22-33, Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11, 1 Peter 1:17-21, Luke 24:13-35 and the Memorial of St Rafael Arnáiz Barón (1911-1938)

“Stay with us” … Luke 24:29

REFLECTION – “My brethren, when was it that the Lord made Himself recognised? When He broke the bread. So we ourselves are convinced, too, that when we break the bread we recognise the Lord. If He hadn’t wanted to be recognised until that moment, it was for our sakes, we, who were not to see Him in the flesh but who were yet to eat Him in the flesh. So you who believe in Him, whoever you are, you who do not bear the name of Christian in vain, who do not come casually into church, who hear the word of God in fear and hope – for you the broken bread will be a consolation. Our Lord’s absence is not a real absence. Trust, be faithful and He is with you even if you do not see Him.

When the Lord hailed them, the disciples had no faith. They did not believe in His Resurrection, they did not even hope that He might be raised. They had lost faith, they had lost hope. They were dead men walking alongside a living one, they were walking, dead, with life. Life was walking with them but, in their hearts, life was not as yet renewed.

And do you long for life? Imitate the disciples and you will recognise the Lord. They offered hospitality, our Lord seemed determined to proceed on His way but they held Him back … You too, then, keep hold of the stranger if you wish to recognise your Saviour … Learn where to look for the Lord, where to possess Him, where to recognise Him – in breaking bread with Him!” … St Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo, Father and Doctor of the Church

PRAYER – Lord God, grant Your people constant joy in the renewed vigour of their souls. They rejoice because You have restored them to the glory of Your adopted children, let them look forward gladly to the certain hope of the resurrection. May the prayers of our Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Good Counsel, be of assistance to us amidst the storms of this mortal life. We make our prayer through our Resurrected Christ, with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen, alleluia!

Act of SPIRITUAL COMMUNION, DOCTORS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL ENCYLICALS, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 26 April – Act of Spiritual Communion by Rafael Merry del Val

Posted on April 26, 2020April 25, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 26 April – Third Sunday of Easter, Year A

Most of us are still deprived of Holy Mass and the Holy Eucharist but this practice of making an Spiritual Communion, has been especially used by Christians in times of persecution, such as during the era of state atheism in the Eastern Bloc, as well as in times of plagues, such as now, during the current 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic, when we are unable to receive the Eucharist on the Lord’s Day.

Act of Spiritual Communion
By Servant of God Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val (1865-1930)

At Thy feet, O my Jesus,
I prostrate myself
and I offer Thee repentance of my contrite heart,
which is humbled in it’s nothingness
and in Thy holy presence.
I adore Thee in the Sacrament of Thy love,
the ineffable Eucharist.
I desire to receive Thee into the poor dwelling
that my heart offers Thee.
While waiting for the happiness of sacramental communion,
I wish to possess Thee in spirit.
Come to me, O my Jesus,
since I, for my part, am coming to Thee!
May Thy love embrace my whole being in life and in death.
I believe in Thee,
I hope in Thee,
I love Thee.
Amen

Let us remember the words of St Pope John Paul in his Encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia:

In the Eucharist, “unlike any other Sacrament, the mystery [of communion] is so perfect that it brings us to the heights of every good thing –
Here is the ultimate goal of every human desire, because here we attain God
and God joins Himself to us in the most perfect union.”
Precisely for this reason it is good to cultivate in our hearts a constant desire for the sacrament of the Eucharist.
This was the origin of the practice of “Spiritual Communion,” which has happily been established in the Church for centuries and recommended by Saints who were masters of the spiritual life. St Teresa of Jesus (1515-1582) Doctor of Prayer, wrote:
“When you do not receive Communion and you do not attend Mass, you can make a Spiritual Communion, which is a most beneficial practice; by it the love of God will be greatly impressed on you” [The Way of Perfection, Ch. 35.].1.

act of spiritual comm by rafael card merry del val 26 april 2020 3rd sun easter

MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on SANCTITY

Thought for the Day – 25 April – Word and Example

Posted on April 25, 2020April 10, 2021 by AnaStpaul

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

Word and Example

“There is great power in the spoken word.
It can act like a ray of light upon the mind of a man groping about in the darkness of error.
It can present a moving appeal to a sinner, to return to God.
It can comfort the soul in affliction and in loneliness.
Good example, however, is even more powerful than speech.
At times, it can be irresistible.
A man can remain deaf to good advice but, it is difficult for him, to remain unaffected by the virtuous behaviour and spirit of sacrifice of someone, who is trying to lead him towards goodness.
The sermons of the Saints, were effective, not only because they were inspired by love for God and for souls but, also, because they were reinforced by the holiness of the preachers.
St Augustine was converted by the pleadings and prayers of St Monica but, apart from the grace of God, it was the example of his mother’s sanctity, which made her exhortations so convincing.
It was as much by the example of his untiring zeal, as by the simplicity of his sermons, that the Cure d’Ars converted thousands upon thousands of people.
St Francis de Sales would never have converted so many heretics, if his apostolic personality had not possessed such a quality of supernatural attractiveness.
Let us do as much good as we can by means of speech whenever the opportunity arises but, above all, let us make sure, that our lives reflect faithfully, the principles which we proclaim.
This is the only way in which we shall be able to lead our fellow-men to God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HUMAN DIGNITY, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SAINT of the DAY, The INCARNATION

Quote/s of the Day – 25 April – St Pedro de San Jose de Betancur

Posted on April 25, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 25 April – the Memorial St Pedro de San Jose de Betancur OFB (1626-1667) “St Francis of Assisi of the Americas” – “The Man Who was Made Charity”

Father Manuel Lobo, a Jesuit who was Brother Pedro de Betancur’s spiritual director for fifteen years, wrote:

“It was because of the great devotion he professed to the mystery of the birth of the Son of God, that, inspired from Heaven, he gave his establishment the name of Our Lady of Bethlehem. Bethlehem means ‘house of bread’—here it was that the humble shepherds found the Son of God incarnate.
Likewise, in this new Bethlehem, the poor must find not only bread but the Lord God and, with bodily food, spiritual food for the nourishment of their souls.”

Father Manuel Lobo

“Already in the land of his birth, as in every phase of his life, Brother Pedro was a deeply prayerful man, especially here where, at the hermitage of Calvary, he diligently sought God’s will at every moment.

Thus, he is an outstanding example for Christians today, whom he reminds, that training in holiness “calls for a Christian life distinguished above all in the art of prayer” (Novo millennio ineunte, 32). I, therefore, renew my exhortation to all the Christian communities of Guatemala and other countries, to be authentic schools of prayer where all activity is centred on prayer. An intensely devout life always bears abundant fruit.

Brother Pedro modelled his spirituality in this way, particularly in contemplation of the mysteries of Bethlehem and of the Cross. If, in the birth and childhood of Jesus, he immersed himself deeply in the fundamental event of the Incarnation of the Word — which led him to discover spontaneously, as it were, the face of God in man — then, in meditating on the Cross, he found the strength to practise mercy heroically with the lowliest and the most deprived.

… Pedro de Betancurt was distinguished precisely by the humble spirit and austere life with which he practised mercy. The Apostle Paul’s recommendation went straight to his servant’s heart: “Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men” (Col 3:23). Thus he was truly a brother to all, who lived in misfortune and gave himself with tenderness and immense love, to their salvation. In this way, throughout his life, his deeds showed his dedication to the sick at the little hospital of Our Lady of Bethlehem, the cradle of the Bethlehemite Order.

Brother Pedro is a legacy that cannot be lost. He must be the subject of continuous gratitude; he must be imitated with renewed purpose. This legacy must inspire among Christians and among all citizens, the desire to transform the human community into a large family, where social, political and economic relations are worthy of man and within which, the dignity of the person is promoted through effective recognition of his inalienable rights.

I would like to conclude by recalling that devotion to the Most Blessed Virgin was always present in Brother Pedro’s life of piety and mercy. May she also guide us so that, illuminated by the examples of ‘the man who was made charity,’ as Pedro de Betancur is known, we might come to her Son Jesus!”

St John Paul II (1920-2005)

Canonisation Homily
Guatemala City, Tuesday 30 July 2002

brother pedro - st john paul 25 april 2020

ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, SAINT of the DAY, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 25 April – St Mark

Posted on April 25, 2020April 25, 2020 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 25 April – Saturday of the Second Week of Easter, Readings: 1 Peter 5:5-14, Psalm 89(88):2-3,6-7,16-17, Mark 16:15-20 and the Memorial of St Mark the Evangelist and St Pedro de San Jose de Betancur OFB (1626-1667) “St Francis of Assisi of the Americas”

Jesus said to the Eleven, “go out to the whole world and the proclaim the gospel to all creation.”…Mark 16:15

REFLECTION – “Lift up the hands which hang down and the feeble knees” (Heb 12:12; Is 35:3). The chief points of Saint Mark’s history are these—first, that he was … taken with Saint Barnabus and Saint Paul on their first apostolic journey; next, that after a short time he deserted them and returned to Jerusalem (Acts 15:38); then, that after an interval, he was Saint Peter’s assistant at Rome (1 Pt 5:13) and composed his Gospel there principally from the accounts which he received from that Apostle; lastly, that he was sent by Peter to Alexandria, in Egypt, …. here he proved himself, not merely an ordinary Christian but a most resolute and exact servant of God, founding and ruling that strictest Church of Alexandria … And the instrument of this change was, as it appears the influence of Saint Peter, a fit restorer of a timid and backsliding disciple.
The encouragement which we drive from these circumstances in St Mark’s history is, that the feeblest among us, may, through God’s grace become strong.
And the warning to be drawn from it is, to distrust ourselves and again, not to despise weak brethren, or to despair of them but to bear their burdens and help them forward if so be, we may restore them.” …
The history of Moses supplies us with an instance of a proud and rash spirit, tamed down to an extreme gentleness of deportment … “the meekest of men on earth “ (Nb 12:3). St Mark’s history affords a specimen of the other and still rarer change, from timidity to boldness. … St Mark’s change, therefore, may be considered even more astonishing in its nature, than that of Moses. “By faith,” he was “out of weakness made strong,” (cf. Heb 11:34).” … St John Henry Newman (1801-1890) PPS, vol 2, no 16 mark 16 15 jesus said go out to the whole world - he proved himself - st john henry newman 25 april 2020

PRAYER – Almighty God, You chose the Evangelist St Mark and ennobled him with grace, to preach the Gospel. Let his teaching so improve our lives and his prayers so support us, that we may walk faithfully in his footsteps, which are the footsteps of Christ our Lord. We beg too for the intercession of St Pedro de San Jose de Betancur (1626-1667), Your faithful servant. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen. st-mark-pray-for-us-25-april-2018

st pedro of st joseph betancur pray for us 25 april 2020

CONFESSION/PENANCE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD

Thought for the Day – 24 April – The Three Grades of Perfection – Introduction

Posted on April 24, 2020April 28, 2022 by AnaStpaul

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

The Three Grades of Perfection – Introduction

“God’s great commandment could create in us a sense of confusion and fear.
“You are to be perfect,” He orders us, “even as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48).
Is it possible for weak creatures like us, to achieve the perfection of God Himself?
At first sight, this commandment seems quite impossible but, it is possible for us to act upon it with the grace of God.
We must understand it properly, in any case.
We shall never reach divine perfection but, we are obliged by Our Lord’s command, to strive towards it constantly, by every means in our power.
Perfection should be our most ardent desire and, not merely a theoretical ideal but a practical aim.
This practical intention can inspire our entire life, in such a way, that it will become a continual assent towards sanctity and towards God.
We need never lose heart, even when we suffer a set-back in our spiritual progress.
God allows us to fall so that we may be humbled and may place our trust in His grace, instead of in ourselves.“

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, CONFESSION/PENANCE, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SIN, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 24 April – Faith and love …

Posted on April 24, 2020April 24, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 24 April – Friday of the Second week of Easter and the Memorial of St Fidelis of Sigmaringen OFM.Cap (1577-1622) and St Mary Euphrasia Pelletier (1796-1868)

“O Catholic faith, how solid, how strong you are!
How deeply rooted, how firmly founded on a solid rock!
Heaven and earth will pass away but you can never pass away.
From the beginning the world opposed you
but you mightily triumphed over everything.
This is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith.
It has subjected powerful kings to the rule of Christ,
it has bound nations to His service.
What made the holy apostles and martyrs endure fierce agony
and bitter torments, except faith and especially faith in the Resurrection?
What is it that today makes true followers of Christ cast luxuries aside,
leave pleasures behind and endure difficulties and pain?
It is living faith that expresses itself through love.
It is this, that makes us put aside the goods of the present in the hope of future goods.
It is because of faith, that we exchange the present for the future.”

“Woe to me if I should prove myself
but a half-hearted soldier
in the service of my thorn-crowned Captain.”

St Fidelis of Sigmaringen (1577-1622)

“Draw near to our Lord, thoroughly aware
of you own nothingness and you may hope
all things from His Goodness and Mercy.
Never forget that Jesus Christ is no less generous
in the Blessed Sacrament than He was
during His mortal life on earth.”

“May your heart be an altar,
from which the bright flame,
of unending thanksgiving
ascends to heaven.”

“It is human to fall
but angelic to rise again.”

St Mary Euphrasia Pelletier (1796-1868)

“To the end of the longest life,
you are still a beginner.
What Christ asks of you
is not sinlessness
but diligence ….
You cannot be profitable to Him,
even with the longest life;
you can show faith
and love
in an hour!”

St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Parochial and Plain Sermons, v.4

MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on MORTAL SIN, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on REPENTANCE

Thought for the Day – 23 April – Faith and Charity

Posted on April 23, 2020April 26, 2022 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 23 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Faith and Charity

“Faith is a gift from God (Summa Theologiae, II-II, q 45).
We should, therefore, ask for it in our prayers.
Faith cannot enter into a proud soul, because, “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble” (Js 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5).
If a man does not pray, his faith grows weaker and he may lose it altogether.
Faith must be nourished continually by grace, which is obtained through prayer.
A man who is in a state of mortal sin, loses his faith, ‘especially if he is a slave to impurity, because, only the clean of heart can see God’ (Cf Mt 5:8).
St Thomas Aquinas knew what he was talking about when he said, that “faith is the foundation of the entire spiritual edifice of the Christian life” (Summa Theologiae III, q 73, a 3).
It is faith, nourished by grace, which raises us to the supernatural level, where everything which we do, say or think, becomes meritorious in the sight of God. “My just one lives by faith” (Heb 10:38).
The keener and stronger our faith is, the firmer is the foundation of our spiritual life and the more numerous are our good works.
This is not to say, that faith excludes all study and investigation.
In fact, the more lively is our faith, the more earnest will be our desire to understand better the terms in which our faith is expressed and to explore the intimate connection, between divine revelation and human knowledge.
Study of this kind, will prove, a refreshing experience because, it will bring us to the threshold of the contemplation of eternal truth.
Reason is not humiliated but ennobled by the light of revelation, which raises it to a higher plane.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, JESUIT SJ, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, The HOLY GHOST

Quote/s of the Day – 23 April – ‘The wonders of the Holy Spirit’

Posted on April 23, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 23 April – Thursday of the Second Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 5:27-33, Psalm 34:2, 9, 17-20, John 3:31-36

Nunc, Sancte, nobis Spiritus
By St Ambrose (340-397)
Come, Holy Ghost, Who ever One
Trans St John Henry Newman (1801-1890) Trans 1836

Come, Holy Ghost, Who ever One
Art with the Father and the Son.
Come, Holy Ghost, our souls possess
With Thy full flood of holiness.

In will and deed, by heart and tongue,
With all our powers, Thy praise be sung.
And love light up our mortal frame,
Till others catch the living flame.

Almighty Father, hear our cry
Through Jesus Christ our Lord most high,
Who with the Holy Ghost and Thee
Doth live and reign eternally

“Your love is Your goodness –
the Holy Spirit proceeding
from the Father and the Son! “

William of Saint Thierry (c 1075-1148)

Abbot

“I do, therefore, pray and beseech you,
to cast away all confidence in your own powers,
in human wisdom and reputation
and keep all your hopes and thoughts continually,
fixed on God alone.
If you do this, then I shall consider
that you are sufficiently armed and prepared
against all the troubles which may beset you,
either in the mind or in the body.”

St Francis Xavier (1506-1552)

“I am going to reveal to you the secret of sanctity and happiness. Every day for five minutes control your imagination and close your eyes to the things of sense and your ears to all the noises of the world, in order to enter into yourself. Then, in the sanctity of your baptised soul (which is the temple of the Holy Spirit), speak to that Divine Spirit, saying to Him:

O Holy Spirit, Soul of My Soul

O Holy Spirit,
Soul of my soul,
I adore You!
Enlighten me,
guide me,
strengthen me,
console me.
Tell me what I should do,
give me Your orders.
I promise to submit myself
to all that You desire of me
and to accept, all
that You permit to happen to me.
Just make me know Your Will.
Amen

If you do this, your life will flow along happily, serenely and full of consolation, even in the midst of trials. Grace will be proportioned to the trial, giving you strength to carry it and you will arrive at the Gate of Paradise, laden with merit. This submission to the Holy Spirit is the secret of sanctity.”

By Désiré Joseph Cardinal Mercier (1851-1926)

“Life is a battle.
Therefore, we have to be armed and ready
and always on the alert (Job 7:1)
We must be armed with the weapons of the spirit,
which we can easily obtain,
if we live all the time, in the presence of God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

“I believe in the surprises of the Holy Spirit.
The story of the Church is a long story,
filled with the wonders of the Holy Spirit.
Why should we think that God’s imagination and love
might be exhausted?”

Leo Jozef Cardinal Suenens of Belgium (1904–1996)

EASTER, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The HOLY GHOST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 April – ‘He does not ration his gift of the Spirit…’

Posted on April 23, 2020April 23, 2020 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 23 April – Thursday of the Second Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 5:27-33, Psalm 34:2, 9, 17-20, John 3:31-36

“For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God. He does not ration his gift of the Spirit…he who does not obey the Son shall not see life.” … John 3:34,36 john 3 34 36 - for the one whom god sent 23 april 2020

REFLECTION – “How can someone with little or no faith be made to realise that an ant grows wings, a caterpillar turns into a butterfly and many other strange and unexpected things happen in nature, so that in this way he shakes off the sickness of unbelief and despair, himself acquires wings and buds in spiritual knowledge like a tree? “I am He,” God says, “who makes the dry tree flourish; I give life to dry bones” (cf. Ezek 17:24; 37:1-14). (…)
Sometimes our soul grows despondent at the huge swarm of its sins and temptations, and says: “Our hope is gone and we are lost” (Ezek 37:11 LXX). Yet God, who does not despair of our salvation, says to us: “You shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord” (Ezek 37:6). To the soul that doubts how it can ever give birth to Christ through great acts of holiness, these words are said: “The Holy Spirit shall come upon you” (Lk 1:35). Where the Holy Spirit is present do not expect anymore the sequence and laws of nature and habit. The Holy Spirit whom we worship is all-powerful and in an astonishing way He brings into existence what does not as yet exist within us. The intellect that was previously defeated He now makes victorious.
For the Paraclete, who in compassion comes upon us from above, “is higher than all” (Jn 3:31) and He raises us above all natural impulses.” … St John of Karpathos (VII century) Bishop, Monk the holy spirit whom we worship st john of karpathos 23 april 2020

PRAYER – Lord God, whose name is holy and whose mercy is proclaimed in every generation, send forth Your Spirit into our hearts and grant that, faithfully pondering on all that is holy, we may ever live in the splendour of Your presence. Listen we beseech You, to the prayers we request from the Blessed Virgin Mary and all Your Angels and Saints, that we may ever entreat the Holy Spirit to grant us His light. We make our prayer through Christ, Your Son our Lord and Saviour, with the Holy Spirit, one God forever amen. holy mary pray for us 23 april 2020

CHRIST the LIGHT, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, EASTER, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS, PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 23 April – You are the King of All

Posted on April 23, 2020April 23, 2021 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 23 April – Thursday of the Second Week of Easter

You are the King of All
By St Albert the Great (1200-1280)
Universal Doctor

We pray to You, O Lord,
who are the supreme Truth,
and all truth is from You.
We beseech You, O Lord,
who are the highest Wisdom,
and all the wise depend on You
for their wisdom.
You are the supreme Joy,
and all who are happy owe it to You.
You are the Light of minds,
and all receive their understanding from You.
We love, we love You above all.
We seek You, we follow You,
and we are ready to serve You.
We desire to dwell under Your power
for You are the King of all.
Amen you are the king of all - st alert the great 23 april 2020

CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 April – ‘…The light that never dims.’

Posted on April 22, 2020April 21, 2020 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 22 April – Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 5:17-26, Psalm 34:2-9, John 3:16-21

“But he who does what is true comes to the light, that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been wrought in God.”…John 3:21

REFLECTION – “In the evening, when the Bishop is present, the deacon carries in the lamp. And standing in the midst of all the faithful who are there, he will offer thanksgiving. First of all he says the greeting: “The Lord be with you” and the people respond: “And with your spirit.” – Then he says “Let us give thanks to the Lord” and they reply: “It is right and just. To Him be the greatness and supremacy together with the glory”… Then he will pray thus, saying:
“We give you thanks, Lord, through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom You enlighten us by revealing the light that never dims. Since day is spent and we have now reached evening, filled with the light of the day You created for our joy and since, through Your grace, we do not now lack the light of evening, we praise and glorify You through Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, through Whom, to You, be glory and power and honour, with the Holy Spirit, now and forever and through all ages. Amen.” And everyone will say: “Amen.”
In this way, after the meal, all will stand in prayer. The children say psalms as also the virgins.”… St Hippolytus of Rome (c 170– c 235) Priest and Martyr – Apostolic Tradition, 25 john-3-21-but-he-who-does-what-is-true-we-give-you-thanks-lord-st-hippolytus-1-may-2019 and 22 april 2020

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. Your ways are not our ways, teach us to willingly agree to them, for You know which way we should go. Help us to say “yes” always to Your plan and to render ourselves as a sacrament of Your divine love to all we meet. Fill us with the grace to be your tools to bring glory to Your kingdom. May the prayers of your Angels and Saints and Your Blessed Mother and ours, bring us strength. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ with You, in the union of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.

mary madonna holy mother of god pray for us 22 april 2020

MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on WEALTH/RICHES, QUOTES on WORRY/ANXIETY, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 21 April – Our Desires

Posted on April 21, 2020April 9, 2023 by AnaStpaul

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

Our Desires

“Most people are always longing for something.
Those who are poor yearn to be rich.
Those who are in bad health and are not resigned, are longing to be cured.
Those who have plenty of money and good health but misuse these gifts to satisfy their lower urges, in the hope of finding happiness, find instead, only emptiness and remorse.
Those who covet honours and fame, are restless when they see their colleagues succeeding , while they, themselves, remain on the bottom rung of the ladder.
On the other hand, those who reach the summit of their profession and believe that they have fulfilled their purpose in life, soon discover, that the easy chair in which they hoped to settle down, is padded with thorns!
The glory which they have won, is an empty thing, the object of the envy or of the contempt of others.
So, we are all yearning and sighing and cannot find peace.
Our hearts cannot be at rest in this world.
“Here we have no permanent city,” says St Paul “But we seek for the city that is to come.” (Heb 13:14).
St Augustine, has summed up the reason for our continual longing, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord and our heart is restless, until it rests in You” (Confessions 1, 1:1).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN QUOTES, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on WILL (Reasonable or Superior), SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 21 April – St Anselm

Posted on April 21, 2020April 21, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 21 April – The Memorial of St Anselm ‬OSB (1033-1109)

Doctor of the Church

“God has promised pardon
to him that REPENTS
but He has NOT
promised repentance
to him that sins.”

“A single Mass offered
for oneself during life,
may be worth more,
than a thousand celebrated
for the same intention, after death.”

“Remove grace
and you have nothing,
whereby to be saved.
Remove free will
and you have nothing,
that could be saved.”

“It is impossible to save one’s soul
without devotion to Mary
and without her protection.”

St Anselm (1033-1109)
Doctor of the Church

ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, The HOLY GHOST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 30 April – ‘You are with me.’

Posted on April 21, 2020April 21, 2020 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 30 April – Tuesday of the Second week of Easter. Readings: Acts 4:32-37, Psalm 93:1-2, 5, John 3:7-15

“The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” … John 3:8 john 3 8 the wind blows where it wishes - 21 april 2020

REFLECTION – St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross [Edith Stein] OCD (1891-1942) Martyr
“At last I stood at Church’s gate.
It opened. I sought admission.
From Your priest’s mouth Your blessing greets me.
Within me stars are strung like pearls.
Red blossom stars show me the path to You.
They wait for You at Holy Night.
But Your goodness
Allows them to illuminate my path to You.
They lead me on.
The secret which I had to keep in hiding
Deep in my heart,
Now I can shout it out –
I believe-I profess!
The priest accompanies me to the altar,
I bend my face-
Holy water flows over my head.

Lord, is it possible that someone who is past
Midlife can be reborn (Jn 3:4)?
You said so and for me it was fulfilled,
A long life’s burden of guilt and suffering
Fell away from me.
Erect I receive the white cloak,
Which they place round my shoulders,
Radiant image of purity!
In my hand I hold a candle.
Its flame makes known
That deep within me glows Your holy life.

My heart has become Your manger,
Awaiting You,
But not for long!
Maria, Your mother and also mine
Has given me her name.
At midnight she will place her newborn child
Into my heart.

Ah, no-one’s heart can fathom,
What You’ve in store for those who love You (1Cor 2:9).
Now You are mine and I won’t let You go.
Wherever my life’s road may lead,
You are with me.
Nothing can ever part me from Your love (Rm 8:39).” ah-no-ones-heart-can-fathom-st-teresa-benedicta-30-april-2019 and 21 april 2020

PRAYER – True Light of the World, Lord Jesus Christ, as You enlighten all men for their salvation, fill us the grace of the Holy Spirit, that our eyes may be opened and our path visible. May our hearts be filled with the certainty of Your love and grant us the grace to share Your light with all. May Your love in us overcome all things, let there be no limit to our faith, our hope and our endurance. Lead us in Your ways of peace to eternal life by Your Mother’s protecting help. Who live and reign with the Father and Holy Spirit, God forever and ever, amen. bl virgin mary mother of god pray for us 27 july 2019

MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on TRUTH, The LAST THINGS

Thought for the Day – 20 April – Pride

Posted on April 20, 2020April 4, 2022 by AnaStpaul

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

Pride

“Pride is the sin of Satan.
Being a pure spirit, he could not commit sins which have material things as their object, such as sins of impurity or of avarice.
The one sin of which a spirit is capable, is pride.
Satan had been created by God and had been endowed with the loftiest gifts but, he was obliged to undergo a trial, in order that he could merit the reward reserved for him by God, namely, the everlasting happiness of the Beatific Vision.
It is generally held, that God revealed to Satan and to all the legions of Angels, the Eternal Word made man, Jesus Christ and commanded them to adore Him.
But when Satan and the other rebellious Angels saw in Jesus Christ, a nature far inferior to their own, they were indignant, because, the Divine Word had not been united to the angelic, instead of the human nature.
They refused to bow their haughty heads and flung back at God, the arrogant and blasphemous ultimatum: “I will not serve.”

This, is the essence of pride – the creature attributes to himself, the gifts which he has received from his Creator and believes, that he can do without God.
Pride is opposed to truth, which requires us to acknowledge, that we have received everything from God.
We should not grow proud, therefore but should gratefully refer all that we are and all that we have, to Our Lord and Creator.
We should remember, that one day, we shall have to render to God, a strict account of all these gifts.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

BAPTISM, DOCTORS of the Church, EASTER, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 20 April – ‘Make room for God…’

Posted on April 20, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 20 April – Monday of the Second week of Easter, Readings: Acts 4:23-31, Psalm 2:1-9, John 3:1-8

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 3:3

“We read in Saint John – No-one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. To be reborn in the Holy Spirit during this life is to become most like God in purity, without any mixture of imperfection. Accordingly, pure transformation can be effected – although not essentially – through the participation of union.

Here is an example that will provide a better understanding of this explanation. A ray of sunlight shining on a smudgy window, is unable to illumine that window completely and transform it into its own light. It could do this, if the window were cleaned and polished… The extent of illumination is not dependent on the ray of sunlight but on the window. If the window is totally clean and pure, the sunlight will so transform and illumine it, that to all appearances the window will be identical with the ray of sunlight and shine just as the sun’s ray. Although, obviously, the nature of the window is distinct from that of the sun’s ray, even if the two seem identical, we can assert, that the window is the ray or light of the sun by participation. john-3-6-that-which-is-born-of-the-spirit-a-ray-of-sunlight-st-john-of-the-cross-29-april-2019 and 20 april 2020

The soul on which the divine light of God’s being is ever shining, or better, in which it is ever dwelling by nature, is like this window. A soul makes room for God by wiping away all the smudges and smears of creatures, by uniting its will perfectly to God’s, for to love is to labour, to divest and deprive oneself for God, of all that is not God When this is done, the soul will be illumined by and transformed in God.”

St John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Doctor of the Church

“What you are is God’s gift to you,
what you become,
is your gift to God.”

Hans Cardinal Urs von Balthasar (1905-1988)

“If God is your co-pilot, switch seats!”

“God is King of the entire universe,
except for possibly one little corner of it –
Your heart.”

Father Mike Schmitz

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, EASTER, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SUNDAY REFLECTIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Sunday Reflection – 19 April – The 20th Divine Mercy Sunday! – The Blessed Sacrament is the Throne of Mercy

Posted on April 19, 2020April 19, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Sunday Reflection – 19 April – Low Sunday the Octave Day of Easter and the 20th Divine Mercy Sunday

The Blessed Sacrament is the Throne of Mercy, Jesus told Sister Faustina.

“O Blessed Host,
in Whom is contained the fountain of living water
which springs from infinite mercy for us
and especially for poor sinners.”

St Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938)

The Eucharist is central to devotion to The Divine Mercy and many of the elements of the devotion are essentially Eucharistic–especially the image, the chaplet and the Feast of Mercy. The image, with its red and pale rays, presents the Eucharistic Lord Jesus, whose Heart has been pierced and now pours forth blood and water as a fountain of mercy for us. It is the image of God’s sacrificial gift of mercy made present in every Mass.

Several times in her Diary, Blessed Faustina writes of seeing the red and pale rays coming, not from the image but from the Sacred Host and once, as the Priest exposed the Blessed Sacrament, she saw the rays from the image pierce the Host and spread out from it all over the world (see 441). So too, with the eyes of faith, we should see in every Host the merciful Saviour pouring Himself out as a fountain of mercy for us.

The concept of the Eucharist as a fountain of grace and mercy is not only found in the Diary but also in Church teaching . The Church clearly teaches that all the other Sacraments are directed towards the Eucharist and draw their power from it.

In the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (#10), for example, we read: “Especially from the Eucharist, grace is poured forth upon us as from a fountain.” And, in a note in the Catechism of the Council of Trent, pastors are urged to “compare the Eucharist to a fountain and the other Sacraments to rivulets. For the Holy Eucharist is truly and necessarily the fountain of all graces, containing, as it does, after an admirable manner, the fountain itself of celestial gifts and graces, the Author of all the Sacraments, Christ our Lord, from whom, as from its source, is derived whatever of goodness and perfection the other Sacraments possess.”

No wonder, then, that Saint Faustina was so devoted to the Eucharist and wrote so powerfully about it in her Diary:

“O what awesome mysteries take place during Mass! … One day we will know what God is doing for us in each Mass and what sort of gift He is preparing in it for us. Only His divine love could permit that such a gift be provided for us … this fountain of life gushing forth with such sweetness and power” (914) …

“All the good that is in me is due to Holy Communion (1392) … Herein lies the whole secret of my sanctity (1489) … one thing alone sustains me and that is Holy Communion. From it I draw all my strength, in it is all my comfort … Jesus concealed in the Host, is everything to me … I would not know how to give glory to God, if I did not have the Eucharist in my heart” (1037) …

“O living Host, my one and only strength, fountain of love and mercy, embrace the whole world, fortify faint souls. Oh, blessed be the instant and the moment when Jesus left us His most merciful Heart!” (223).

(From the booklet “The Divine Mercy Message and Devotion”, by Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC and Vinny Flynn)

Let us Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet today,

for the OPENING OF OUR CHURCHES AND THE RETURN OF DAILY MASS!

	Saint of the Day – 2… on Saint of the Day – 23 October…
	October 31 Blessings… on Quote/s of the Day– 31 October…
	Saints of the Day –… on Saints of the Day – 22 October…
	Saint of the Day – 2… on Saint of the Day – 21 October…
	Saint of the Day – 1… on Saint of the Day – 19 October…

The Dignity and Responsibility of Being a Christian

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Share this:

John 6:35

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

Bl Mary Magdalene of the Incarnation (1770-1824)

Share this:

Share this:

The Word of God

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Share this:

St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)

St Peter Chanel (1803-1841) Priest and Martyr

St Gianna Beretta Molla (1922-1962)

Blessed María Felicia of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament (1925-1959)

Share this:

Share this:

Scandal

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Share this:

John 6:27

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

Bl Nicolas Roland (1642-1678)

St John Baptiste de La Salle (1651-1719)

St John Vianney (1786-1859)

Share this:

Share this:

The Only Remedy for All Our Ills

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Share this:

Share this:

Fr Mark J Hunt STD

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

Doctor of the Church

Jesus to St Matilda/Mechtilde of Hackeborn

(c 1241-1298)

St John of the Cross (1542-1591)

Doctor of the Church

St John Vianney (1786-1859)

St Josemaria Escrivá (1902-1975)

Bl Mary of the Passion (1839-1904)

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Word and Example

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Share this:

Father Manuel Lobo

St John Paul II (1920-2005)

Share this:

Share this:

The Three Grades of Perfection – Introduction

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Share this:

St Fidelis of Sigmaringen (1577-1622)

St Mary Euphrasia Pelletier (1796-1868)

St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Share this:

Faith and Charity

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Share this:

William of Saint Thierry (c 1075-1148)

Abbot

St Francis Xavier (1506-1552)

By Désiré Joseph Cardinal Mercier (1851-1926)

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Leo Jozef Cardinal Suenens of Belgium (1904–1996)

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Our Desires

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Share this:

St Anselm (1033-1109) Doctor of the Church

Share this:

Share this:

Pride

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Share this:

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

St Anselm (1033-1109)
Doctor of the Church