Quote/s of the Day – 8 August – The Memorial of St Dominic (1170-1221)
“We must sow
the seed,
not hoard it.”
“Heretics are to be converted
by an example of humility
and other virtues
far more readily,
than by any external
display or verbal battles.
So let us arm ourselves with
devout prayers
and set off,
showing signs of genuine humility
and go barefooted
to combat
Goliath.”
One Minute Reflection – 8 August – Thursday of the Eighteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 16:13–23 and The Memorial of St Dominic (1170-1221)
“Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of the netherworld, shall not prevail against it” … Matthew 16:18
REFLECTION – “This was the perplexity of believers in the old time, as we read in the Psalms and Prophets, viz. that the wicked should prosper, while God’s servants seemed to fail and so, in Gospel times. Not that the Church has not this peculiar prerogative with it, which no other religious body has, that as it began with Christ’s first coming, so it will never fail till He comes again.
Nevertheless, for a time, in the course of single generations, nay, I may say, in every age and at all times, it seems to be failing and its enemies to be prevailing. It is the peculiarity of the warfare between the Church and the world, that the world seems ever gaining on the Church, yet the Church is really, ever gaining on the world… Kingdoms rise and fall, nations expand and contract, dynasties begin and end, princes are born and die, confederacies are made and unmade and parties and companies and crafts and guilds and establishments and philosophies and sects and heresies. They have their day but the Church is eternal, yet in their day they seem of much account…
Much there is to try our faith at this moment, who cannot see the future and, therefore, cannot see the short duration of what shows proudly and successfully now. We at this day, see a number of philosophies, sects and parties, thriving and extending and the Church seems poor and helpless… Let us pray God to teach us – we need His teaching, we are very blind. The Apostles on one occasion said to Christ, when His words tried them, “Increase our faith” (Lk 17:5). Let us come to Him honestly, we cannot help ourselves, we do not know ourselves, we need His grace. Whatever perplexity the world gives us… let us come to Him with pure and sincere minds, imploring Him to reveal to us what we know not, to incline our hearts when they are stubborn and to make us love and obey Him honestly while we seek.” … Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
Cardinal, Founder of the Oratory in England, Theologian – Sermons on Subjects of the Day, no.6, “ Faith and Experience ”
PRAYER – Lord God, may holy Mother Church be our guide at all times. May we never stray from the teachings of the Bride of Your divine Son and may she remain always in Your care. May the prayers of Saint Dominic assist us in our day and may his zeal be our inspiration to always fight the good fight. Through Christ our Lord and Saviour, with You and the Holy Spirit, one God for always and forever, amen.
Quote of the Day – 7 August – The Memorial of St Cajetan (1480-1547)
“Do not receive Christ in the Blessed Sacrament
so that you may use Him as you judge best
but give yourself to Him
and let Him receive you in this Sacrament,
so that He Himself, God your Saviour,
may do to you and through you, whatever He wills.”
One Minute Reflection – 7 August – Wednesday of the Eighteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 15:21–28 and The Memorial of St Albert of Trapani O.Carm. (c 1240-1307)
Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly. … Matthew 15:28
REFLECTION – “O Loving-kindness, Loving-kindness! do not desert me, an anxious woman. Do not avert Your face from my sobs and cries. May Your charity compel You to hear me patiently. Ah, open your bosom, here I may repose a little and pour out my spirit in Your presence. I am certain that, because of Your goodness and the loving-kindness that is part of Your nature, You do not spurn a desolate woman or disdain an afflicted one. Oh how suitable Your conduct is to those in misery . Oh how agreeable already are the scents of Your perfumes to those almost fainting away.
You raise the stricken, You deliver the shackled (Ps 145[146]:7). You disdain no-one in tribulation, You look upon the needs of all maternally and mercifully. You counsel those in despair with loving-kindness. To everyone’s indigence You bring help most clemently. Ah, now bend Your ear to me, an indigent woman, that I may hold rare discourses with You for the sake of my soul and may receive dear counsel from You.” … Saint Gertrude of Helfta (1256-1301) Benedictine nun Exercises VII, SC 127
PRAYER – Lord God, You gave St Albert of Trapani, to the Church in his day, as lessons in total love, charity and zeal. We pray that he may help us in our times, by his merits, inspiration and prayers. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Thought for the Day – 6 August – Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord – Today’s Gospel: Luke 9:28b-36
It is indeed good to be here, as you have said, Peter. It is good to be with Jesus and to remain here forever. What greater happiness or higher honour could we have than to be with God, to be made like Him and to live in His light?
Therefore, since each of us possesses God in his heart and is being transformed into His divine image, we also should cry out with joy:
It is good for us to be here – here where all things shine with divine radiance, where there is joy and gladness and exultation, where there is nothing in our hearts but peace, serenity and stillness, where God is seen.
For here, in our hearts, Christ takes up His abode together with the Father, saying asHe enters – Today salvation has come to this house.
With Christ, our hearts receive all the wealth of His eternal blessings and there where they are stored up for us in Him, we see reflected as in a mirror both the first fruits and the whole of the world to come.
St Anastasius of Sinai (630-701)
Fr James Kubicki SJ of the Apostleship of Prayer, shares his own personal experience as a pilgrim, journeying up Mt Tabor, the location traditionally identified with the Feast of the Transfiguration.
Quote of the Day – 6 August – Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord – Today’s Gospel: Luke 9:28b-36
“Jesus goes before us to show us the way,
both up the mountain and into heaven and —
I speak boldly — it is for us now,
to follow him with all speed . . .
Let us run with confidence and joy
to enter into the cloud like Moses and Elijah,
or like James and John.
Let us be caught up like Peter
to behold the divine vision
and to be transfigured by that glorious transfiguration.
Let us retire from the world,
stand aloof from the earth,
rise above the body,
detach ourselves from creatures
and turn to the Creator,
to whom Peter in ecstasy exclaimed:
‘Lord, it is good for us to be here.’”
One Minute Reflection – 6 August – Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord – Today’s Gospel: Luke 9:28-36
“This is my beloved Son. listen to him.”...Luke 9:35
REFLECTION – “Jesus is the Son-made-Servant, sent into the world to save us all through the Cross, fulfilling the plan of salvation. His full adherence to God’s will renders His humanity transparent to the glory of God, who is love. He is the fulfilment of revelation, that is why, beside Him appear transfigured, Moses and Elijah appear, they represent the Law and the Prophets, so as to signify that everything finishes and begins in Jesus. Their instructions for the disciples and for us, is this: “Listen to Him!”.
Listen to Jesus. He is the Saviour – follow Him.
To listen to Christ, in fact, entails taking up the logic of his Pascal Mystery, setting out on the journey with Him to make of oneself a gift of love to others, in docile obedience to the will of God, with an attitude of detachment from worldly things and of interior freedom. One must, in other words, be willing to “lose one’s very life” (cf. Mk 8:35), by giving it up so that all men might be saved, thus, we will meet in eternal happiness. The path to Jesus always leads us to happiness, don’t forget it!” … Pope Francis (Angelus, 1 March 2015)
PRAYER – Father, at the Transfiguration in glory of Your only-begotten Son, You confirmed the mysteries of faith by the witness to Jesus of the prophets Moses and Elijah. You foreshadowed what we shall be when You bring our sonship to its perfection. Grant that by listening to the voice of Jesus, we may become heirs with Him, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, God forever and may Mary, our tender and caring Mother, help us to be bright rays of the saving light of her Son Jesus. Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 5 August – Monday of the Eighteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of the Dedication of Mary Major
Rejoice, O highly favoured daughter!
The Lord is with thee.
“The salvation of the whole world
began with the “Hail Mary.”
Hence, the salvation of each person
is also attached to this prayer.”
Quote/s of the Day – 4 August – Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 12:13–21 and The Memorial of St John Vianney (1786-1859)
“But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” … Luke 12:20-21
“Someone who works frenziedly on Sundays, thinking he is going to earn more money or get more done, is making a mistake in his calculations! Can two or three dollars ever compensate for the harm he does himself by violating the law of God?
You imagine everything depends on your work but then an illness, an accident…! It takes so little: a storm, hail, frost…
Do not work for food that perishes but for that which dwells in eternal life. What will you gain by having worked on Sunday? 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!
My brethren, we should die on Sundays and come back to life again on Mondays.
Sunday belongs to God – it is His day, the Day of the Lord.
He made all the days of the week and could have kept them all.
He has given you six of them and has only held back the seventh for himself!”
“All our religion is but a false religion
and all our virtues are mere illusions
and we ourselves are only hypocrites in the sight of God,
if we have not that universal charity for everyone –
for the good and for the bad,
for the poor and for the rich
and for all those who do us harm,
as much as those who do us good.”
Sunday Reflection – 4 August – Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
“And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing, broke it and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognised him… but he vanished from their sight.”…Luke 24:30-31
“Before Communion you hear about Jesus Christ and you know Him – you are told of His Cross, of His suffering; doubtless you are affected, are even touched with compassion.
But let these same truths be presented to you after Communion. Oh, how much more deeply your soul is moved! It cannot hear enough, it understands much more perfectly. Before Communion, you contemplate Jesus outside you, now you contemplate Him within you, with His own eyes!
It is the mystery of Emmaus re-enacted. When Jesus taught the two disciples along the way, explaining the Scriptures to them, their faith still wavered, though they felt inwardly some mysterious emotion. But participating in the Fraction of the bread, immediately their eyes were opened and their hearts were like to burst with joy.
The voice of Jesus had not sufficed to reveal His presence to them, they had to feel His Heart, had to be fed with the Bread of understanding!”
One Minute Reflection – 4 August – Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 12:13–21 and The Memorial of St John Vianney (1786-1859)
“But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” … Luke 12:20-21
REFLECTION – “What am I to do? I will pull down my barns and build larger ones.” Now why did that land bear so well, when it belonged to a man who would make no good use of its fertility? It was to show more clearly the forbearance of God, whose kindness extends even to such people as this. He “sends rain on both the just and the unjust, and makes the sun rise on the wicked and the good alike” (Mt 5:45)… These were God’s blessings towards this rich man – fruitful fields, a temperate climate, abundant sowing, oxen to do the work and everything needful to assure his prosperity. But what do we find in this man? A bitter disposition, hatred of other people, unwillingness to give. This is the return he made to his Benefactor.
He forgot that we all share the same nature, he felt no obligation to distribute his surplus to the needy, he paid no heed to those divine precepts: “Refuse n- one the good on which he has a claim” (Prv 3:27), “Let not kindness and fidelity leave you” (3:3), “Share your bread with the hungry” (Is 58:7). Every prophet, every wise man cried out to him these precepts, yet he turned a deaf ear. His barns were full to bursting point but still his miserly heart was not satisfied… Greed would not permit him to part with anything he possessed and yet, because he had so much, there was no place to store his latest harvest And so he was incapable of making a decision and could find no escape from his anxiety. “What am I to do?” he went on saying. Who would not pity a man so oppressed? His land yields him no profit but only sighs… he laments in the same way as the poor do. What am I to do? How can I find food and clothing?…
You who have wealth, recognise who has given you the gifts you have received. Consider yourself, who you are, what has been committed to your charge, from whom you have received it, why you have been preferred to most other people. You are the servant of the good God, a steward on behalf of your fellow servants… “What am I to do?” It would have been so easy to say – “I will feed the hungry, I will open my barns and call in all the poor… Let anyone who lacks bread come to me. You shall share, each according to need, in the good things God has given me, just as though you were drawing from a common well”. … St Basil the Great (329-379) Father and Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – O God, protector of those who hope in You, without Whom nothing has firm foundation, nothing is holy, bestow in abundance Your mercy upon us and grant that, with You as our ruler and guide, we may use the good things that pass, in such a way, as to hold fast even now to those that ever endure. Help us, by St John Vianney’s example and prayers, to win our brethren for Christ by our love and to share with them now and in eternal glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 3 August – Saturday of the Seventeenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Marian Saturdays
“Mary is so holy
that she is the perfect model
of all the virtues
to all mankind.”
“Mary was placed by God
in the centre of history
and we can say,
that everything was made
through her
and with her
and in her.”
“Mary is the divine Page
on which God the Father
wrote the Word of God, His Son.
Let us draw near to her and read her!”
“The single richest treasure in the Vatican is the Rosary.”
“Her Heart is so loving
that in comparison to it,
the heart of any other mother
is a piece of ice.”
“It can be said, that the Rosary is a compendium of our holy religion.”
One Minute Reflection – 3 August – Saturday of the Seventeenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 14:1-12
And his disciples came and took the body and buried it and they went and told Jesus. ... Matthew 14:12
REFLECTION – “Before Pilate, Christ proclaims that he “has come into the world, to bear witness to the truth,” (Jn 18:37). The Christian is not to “be ashamed then of testifying to our Lord,” (2 Tim 1:8). In situations that require witness to the faith, the Christian must profess it without equivocation, after the example of St Paul before his judges. We must keep “a clear conscience toward God and toward men,” (Acts 24:16).
The duty of Christians to take part in the life of the Church impels them to act as witnesses of the Gospel and of the obligations that flow from it. This witness is a transmission of the faith in words and deeds. Witness is an act of justice that establishes the truth or makes it known: “All Christians by the example of their lives and the witness of their word, wherever they live, have an obligation to manifest the new man which they have put on in Baptism and to reveal the power of the Holy Spirit by whom they were strengthened at Confirmation” (Vatican II).
Martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith – it means bearing witness even unto death. the martyr bears witness to Christ who died and rose, to whom he is united by charity. He bears witness to the truth of the faith and of Christian doctrine. He endures death through an act of fortitude… The Church has painstakingly collected the records of those who persevered to the end in witnessing to their faith. These are the acts of the Martyrs. They form the archives of truth written in letters of blood…:
“I bless You for having judged me worthy from this day and this hour to be counted among Your martyrs…. You have kept Your promise, God of faithfulness and truth. For this reason and for everything, I praise You, I bless You, I glorify You through the eternal and heavenly High Priest, Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son” (St. Polycarp) … CCC #2471-2474
PRAYER – Almighty God, teach us to bear witness to Christ, Your only-begotten Son, who died for our sins. May each moment of our lives radiate the truth of the Word, Christ our Lord. Through the intercession of our holy Mother, the Channel of all Graces, may our strength be such, that we would bear witness even unto death. We make our prayer, through Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 3 August – Friday of the Seventeenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of St Peter Faber SJ (1506-1546) and St Peter Julian Eymard SSS (1811-1868) “Apostle of the Eucharist”
“Seek grace for the smallest things,
and you will find grace to accomplish,
to believe in,
and to hope for,
the greatest things.
Attend to the smallest things,
examine them,
think about putting them into effect,
and the Lord will grant you greater.”
“Eucharistic adoration is the greatest of actions.
To adore is to share the life of Mary on earth
when she adored the Word Incarnate in her virginal womb,
when she adored Him in the Crib,
on Calvary,
in the divine Eucharist.”
“Eucharistic Adoration
is the greatest
act of holiness on earth.”
One Minute Reflection – 3 August – Friday of the Seventeenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 13:54–58 and The Memorial of St Eusebius of Vercelli (c 283-371)
Is not this the carpenter’s son?…And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.…Matthew 13:55,58
REFLECTION – “For if I do not understand the nature placed at my service, I discern Your goodness from the mere fact that it is there to serve me. I perceive that I do not even understand myself but I wonder at You all the more… You have given me intellect, life and human feeling, the source of so many joys, yet I do not begin to understand how I began to be…
So it is through failing to understand what surrounds me, that I grasp what You are and it is through perceiving what You are, that I come to adore You. That is why, in what concerns Your mysteries, my incomprehension, lessens not a bit my faith in Your omnipotence… Your eternal Son’s birth exceeds even the idea of eternity, it is prior to the times everlasting. Before any other thing that exists, He was Son proceeding from You, O God and Father. He is true God… You have never existed without Him… Before ever time was, You are the eternal Father of Your Sole Begotten One.”…St Hilary (315-368) Bishop of Poitiers, Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – “So long as I enjoy that breath of life granted to me by You, Holy Father, Almighty God, I will proclaim You as God eternal but also as Father eternal. Never will I set myself up as judge of Your almighty power and mysteries, never will I set my limited understanding before the true appreciation of Your infinity, never will I claim You to have existed beforehand without Your Wisdom, Power and Word, God the Only-Begotten, my Lord Jesus Christ. For even though human language is weak and imperfect when it speaks of You, this will not inhibit my mind, to the point of reducing my faith to silence, for lack of words, able to express the mystery of Your being…” (St Hilary) Lord God, You hold out the light of Your Word to those who do not know You. Strengthen in our hearts the faith You have given us, so that no trials may quench the fire Your Spirit kindled within us . Grant that the prayers of St Eusebius of Vercelli, may assist us to grow in love of You. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
The Holy Father’s Prayer Intention
for August 2019
FAMILIES
That families,
through their life of prayer and love,
become ever more clearly
“schools of true human growth.”
“The family is the foundation of co-existence
and a remedy against social fragmentation.
Children have a right to grow up in a family,
with a father and a mother,
capable of creating a suitable environment,
for the child’s development and emotional maturity.”
Pope Francis, Humanum Conference, November 17, 2014
Pope Francis Prayer for the Family
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
in you we contemplate
the splendour of true love,
to you we turn with trust.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
grant that our families too
may be places of communion and prayer,
authentic schools of the Gospel
and small domestic Churches.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
may families never again
experience violence, rejection and division.
May all who have been hurt or scandalised
find ready comfort and healing.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
make us once more mindful
of the sacredness
and inviolability of the family,
and its beauty in God’s plan.
Jesus, true God and true man,
graciously hear our prayer.
Mary and Joseph,
co-operators with God’s plan,
pray for us.
Amen!
(composed for the Synod on the Family and therefore, slightly adapted)
Thought for the Day – 1 August – Thursday of the Seventeenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Feast of St Peter in Chains
Peter alone among the Apostles was accounted worthy to hear – A – men I say to thee, that thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church. Worthy indeed was he, to be the foundation-stone, the supporting pillar, the key to the kingdom, in building up the peoples into the house of God. Concerning this, the divine word says – And they laid, it says, their sick, that when Peter passed by, his shadow at the least might fall on them. If at that time the shadow of his body could give aid, how much more now can the fullness of his power? If a mere breath of air from him, as he passed by, was of such benefit to suppliants, how much more his favour now that he remains steadfast? With good reason is the iron of those Penal chains held throughout all the churches of Christ to be more precious than gold.
If the shadow of him who visited was so potent to cure, how much more the chains of him who binds? If even the mere appearance of an empty image could have the force of healing in it, how much more healthfulness should the chains, with which he suffered, whose iron weight had pressed upon his sacred members, deserve to draw forth from his body? If he was so mighty to help his suppliants before his martyrdom, how much more must he avail after his triumph?
Happy those bonds, which by touching the Apostle rendered him a Martyr and so from manacles and fetters themselves were changed into a crown! Happy chains, which brought their prisoner even unto the cross of Christ, not so much for condemnation as for consecration!
Jesus said to His disciples – Who do men say that the Son of Man is? Peter answered and said – Thou art Christ, the son of the living God. And I say to thee – that thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church!
Hymn
The Chains of Saint Peter
How blessed is the force of prayer!
Eager for Peter’s fate,
Thy soldiers, Herod, bound him fast,
And watch’d before the gate.
But Jesus has His soldiers, too,
They also vigils keep,
They watch to prayer, while Peter rests
In faith composed in sleep.
And Jesus other soldiers has,
Responsive to the call
Of prayer His holy angels come,
Sent by the Lord of all.
Prayer brought an angel down from heaven,
Sentries and bars are vain,
With heavenly light the prison shines,
Unlocked is Peter’s chain.
Quote/s of the Day – 1 August – Thursday of the Seventeenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Doctor of the Church
“Were you to ask,
‘what are the means of overcoming temptations’,
I would answer:
the first means is prayer,
the second is prayer,
the third is prayer
and should you ask me a thousand times,
I would repeat the same.”
“Know also that you will probably gain more
by praying fifteen minutes
before the Blessed Sacrament
than by all the other spiritual exercises of the day.
True, Our Lord hears our prayers anywhere,
for He has made the promise, ‘Ask, and you shall receive,’
but He has revealed to His servants,
that those who visit Him in the Blessed Sacrament
will obtain a more abundant measure of grace.”
“Without prayer,
we have neither light nor strength,
to advance in the way which leads to God.”
“He who prays most receives most.”
“Of all devotions, that of adoring Jesus
in the Blessed Sacrament
is the greatest, after the sacraments,
the one dearest to God
and the one most helpful to us.”
One Minute Reflection – 1 August – Thursday of the Seventeenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 13:47–53 and the Memorial of St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Doctor of the Church
“Thus it will be at the end of the age.
The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” … Matthew 13:49-50
REFLECTION – “St Augustine and St Thomas define mortal sin to be a turning away from God – that is, the turning of one’s back upon God, leaving the Creator for the sake of the creature.
What punishment would that subject deserve who, while his king was giving him a command, contemptuously turned his back upon him to go and transgress his orders?
This is what the sinner does and this is punished in hell with the pain of loss,
that is, the loss of God, a punishment richly deserved by him who in this life turns his back upon his sovereign good.” … St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Almighty God and Father, grant us this day the grace to live in Your light and follow your precepts. Desert us not in our temptations but grant us Your strength against the power of the evil one. May our deeds be ever true to Your commandments and our thoughts pleasing in Your sight. May the pattern and prayers of St Alphonsus be an inspiration on our way. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God for all eternity, amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 31 July – The Memorial of St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)
“We must speak to God as a friend speaks to his friend,
servant to his master – now asking some favour,
now acknowledging our faults
and communicating to Him all that concerns us,
our thoughts, our fears, our projects,
our desires and in all things seeking His counsel.”
“If our church is not marked by caring for the poor,
the oppressed, the hungry, we are guilty of heresy.”
“What seems to me white,
I will believe black,
if the hierarchical Church,
so defines.”
“If God gives you an abundant harvest of trials,
it is a sign of great holiness which He desires you to attain.
Do you want to become a great saint?
Ask God to send you many sufferings.
The flame of Divine Love never rises higher than when fed
with the wood of the Cross, which the infinite charity
of the Saviour used to finish His sacrifice.
All the pleasures of the world are nothing compared
with the sweetness found in the gall and vinegar offered to
Jesus Christ. That is, hard and painful things endured
for Jesus Christ and with Jesus Christ…..If God causes you
to suffer much, it is a sign that He certainly
intends to make you a saint.”
“Go forth and set the world on fire.”
One Minute Reflection – 31 July – Wednesday of the Seventeenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 13:44-46 and The Memorial of St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field” … Matthew 13:44
REFLECTION – “Christ is the treasure store of all grace for He is “filled with grace and truth” (Jn 1:14) and angels and humans receive from His fullness. He possesses the very source of fullness and, when He opens His hand, He fills all rational creatures with blessings. But this treasure store of graces, is concealed beneath the veil of the sacrament of the altar. Is it not true that “the Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field”? (Mt 13:44). And is not the field, in this case, the sacrament of the body of Christ, gathered in the fields? In this field we possess a hidden treasure because all kinds of graces are hidden there. “The man who discovered it went away in his joy, sold all he possessed and bought it” (Mt 13:44). Someone who knows the wealth of this sacrament willingly renounces all other activity, to freely give himself to participation and devotion towards this sacrament. He knows he will gain possession of eternal life according to the words of the Lord: “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” (Jn 6:55).
The treasure of all glory exists in Christ. All the glory, possessed by both angels and men, who are to be saved until the day of judgement, whether it be glory of body or glory of soul, is drawn from that store of treasure. For that store is He, the one whose treasures go to great depths and who set the incomprehensible limits of His glory. And so, He commands us to run to this treasure when He says: “Gather up treasure for yourselves in heaven” (Mt 6:20). This treasure is hidden beneath the veil of bread and wine that you might have the merit of faith.
So may the Lord be praised for His mercies since He represented His Body to us beforehand under the image of heavenly treasure!” … St Bonaventure (1221-1274) Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Almighty God, grant that the example of Your saints may spur us on to perfection, so that we, who are celebrating the feast of St Ignatius, may follow him step-by-step in his way of life to reach You in heaven. Grant us the grace, by his intercession, to find our treasure in Your divine Son, through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God for always and forever, amen.
Thought for the Day – 30 July – The Memorial of St Peter Chrysologus “Golden Words” (c 400-450) Father & Doctor
From a Sermon
I appeal to you by the mercy of God.
This appeal is made by Paul, or rather, it is made by God through Paul, because of God’s desire to be loved rather than feared, to be a father rather than a Lord. God appeals to us in His mercy to avoid having to punish us in His severity.
Listen to the Lord’s appeal.
In Me, I want you to see your own body, your members, your heart, your bones, your blood. You may fear what is divine but why not love what is human?
You may run away from Me as the Lord but, why not run to Me, as your Father?Perhaps you are filled with shame for causing My bitter passion. Do not be afraid. This cross inflicts a mortal injury, not on me but on Death.
These nails no longer pain Me but only deepen your love for Me.
I do not cry out because of these wounds but through them, I draw you into My heart.
My body was stretched on the cross as a symbol, not of how much I suffered but of My all-embracing love.
I count it no less to shed my blood – it is the price I have paid for your ransom.
Come, then, return to Me and learn to know Me as your Father, who repays good for evil, love for injury and boundless charity for piercing wounds.Listen now to what the Apostle urges us to do. I appeal to you, he says, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice. By this exhortation of his, Paul has raised all men to priestly status. How marvellous is the priesthood of the Christian, for he is both the victim that is offered on his own behalf and the priest who makes the offering. He does not need to go beyond himself to seek what he is to immolate to God – with himself and in himself, he brings the sacrifice he is to offer God for himself. The victim remains and the priest remains, always one and the same. Immolated, the victim still lives, the priest who immolates cannot kill. Truly it is an amazing sacrifice in which a body is offered without being slain and blood is offered without being shed.
The Apostle says – I appeal to you by the mercy of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice.
Brethren, this sacrifice follows the pattern of Christ’s sacrifice by which He gave His body as a living immolation for the life of the world. He really made His body a living sacrifice, because, though slain, He continues to live. In such a victim death receives its ransom but the victim remains alive. Death itself suffers the punishment. This is why death for the martyrs is actually a birth and their end a beginning. Their execution is the door to life and those who were thought to have been blotted out from the earth shine brilliantly in heaven.
Paul says: I appeal to you by the mercy of God to present your bodies as a sacrifice, living and holy. The prophet said the same thing – Sacrifice and offering You did not desire but You have prepared a body for me.Each of us is called to be both a sacrifice to God and His priest. Do not forfeit what divine authority confers on you. Put on the garment of holiness, gird yourself with the belt of chastity. Let Christ be your helmet, let the cross on your forehead be your unfailing protection. Your breastplate should be the knowledge of God that He Himself has given you. Keep burning continually the sweet smelling incense of prayer. Take up the sword of the Spirit. Let your heart be an altar. Then, with full confidence in God, present your body for sacrifice. God desires not death but, faith. God thirsts not for blood but, for self-surrender. God is appeased not by slaughter but, by the offering, of your free will.
Quote/s of the Day – 30 July – The Memorial of St Peter Chrysologus “Golden Words” (c 400-450) Father & Doctor and St Maria de Jesus Sacramentado(1868-1959)
“A gentle maiden
having lodged
a God in her womb,
asks as its price,
peace for the world,
salvation for those who are lost
and life for the dead.”
“He is The Bread sown in the virgin,
leavened in the Flesh,
moulded in His Passion,
baked in the furnace of the Sepulchre,
placed in the Churches
and set upon the Altars,
which daily supplies Heavenly Food to the faithful.”
“For he who touches
the Body of Christ unworthily,
receives his damnation.”
“We exhort you, in every respect, honourable brother,
to heed obediently what has been written
by the Most Blessed Pope of the City of Rome;
for Blessed Peter, who lives and presides in his own see,
provides the truth of faith to those who seek it.”
“The poor stretch out the hand
but God receives what is offered.”
“Those who are merciful
with the needy of the world
will not lack God’s mercy.”
“The weight of the cross
is burdensome
for those carrying it
but not, for those,
who embrace it.”
One Minute Reflection – 30 July – Tuesday of the Seventeenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 13:36–43 and the Memorial of St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Father & Doctor of the Church
“Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.” … Matthew 13:43
REFLECTION – Christians of the first centuries said, “The world was created for the sake of the Church” (Hermas). God created the world for the sake of communion with His divine life, a communion brought about by the “convocation” of men in Christ and this “convocation” (ecclesia) is the Church. The Church is the goal of all things and God permitted such painful upheavals as the angels’ fall and man’s sin only as occasions and means for displaying all the power of His arm and the whole measure of the love He wanted to give the world: “Just as God’s will is creation and is called “the world,” so His intention is the salvation of men and it is called “the Church” (St Clement of Alexandria).
The gathering together of the People of God, began, at the moment when sin destroyed the communion of men with God and that of men among themselves. the gathering together of the Church is, as it were, God’s reaction to the chaos provoked by sin. This re-unification is achieved secretly in the heart of all peoples: “In every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable” to God (Acts 10,35). The remote preparation for this gathering together of the People of God begins when He calls Abraham and promises that He will become the father of a great people (Gn 12,2). Its immediate preparation begins with Israel’s election as the People of God (Ex 19,5). By this election, Israel is to be the sign of the future gathering of all nations (Is 2,2)….
It was the Son’s task to accomplish the Father’s plan of salvation in the fullness of time. It’s accomplishment was the reason for His being sent… To fulfil the Father’s will, Christ ushered in the Kingdom of heaven on earth, the Church “is the Reign of Christ already present in mystery” (Vatican II, LG 3)… “The Church . . . will receive its perfection only in the glory of heaven,” (LG 48) at the time of Christ’s glorious return… Until that day, “the Church… longs for the full coming of the Kingdom… The Church and through her, the world, will not be perfected in glory without great trials. Only then will “all the just from the time of Adam, ‘from Abel, the just one, to the last of the elect,’ be gathered together in the universal Church in the Father’s presence” (LG 2). … CCC #760-769
“This week, let’s ask the Holy Spirit for the wisdom of time, the wisdom regarding the end, the wisdom of the resurrection, the wisdom of the eternal encounter with Jesus, that we are able to understand that this wisdom is in our faith. It will be a day of joyful encounter with Jesus. Let us pray that the Lord prepare us for this. Let each one of us end this week thinking about the end – “I will come to an end. I will not remain forever. How would I like to come to an end?”… Pope Francis (Santa Marta, 27 November 2018)
PRAYER – Almighty Father, send forth Your Spirit, that we may be created and Thou shall renew the face of the earth. O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations. Through Christ Our Lord, Amen. St Peter Chrysologus, pray for us! 
Quote/s of the Day – 29 July – Monday of the Seventeenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of St Martha, Gospel: John 11:19–27
“I believe that you are the Christ”
“He died for us.
Why not live for Him?”
One Minute Reflection – 29 July – Monday of the Seventeenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of St Martha, Gospel: John 11:19–27
“Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world.” … John 11:27
REFLECTION – “Christ went to raise Lazarus and the fame of that miracle was the immediate cause of His seizure and crucifixion (Jn 11,46)… He felt that Lazarus was wakening to life at His own sacrifice, that He was descending into the grave which Lazarus left. He felt that Lazarus was to live and He to die, the appearance of things was to be reversed, the feast was to be kept in Martha’s house (Jn 12,1f.) but the last passover of sorrow remained for Him. And Jesus knew that this reverse was altogether voluntary with Him. He had come down from His Father’s bosom to be an Atonement of blood for all sin and, thereby, to raise all believers from the grave, as He was then about to raise Lazarus and to raise them, not for a time, but for eternity…
Contemplating then the fullness of His purpose, while now going about a single act of mercy, He said to Martha, “I am the Resurrection and the Life: he that believes in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live and whosoever lives and believes in Me, shall never die.” Let us take to ourselves these comfortable thoughts, both in the contemplation of our own death, or upon the death of our friends. Wherever faith in Christ is, there is Christ Himself. He said to Martha, “Believe thou this?” Wherever there is a heart to answer, “Lord, I believe,” there Christ is present. There our Lord vouchsafes to stand, though unseen—whether over the bed of death or over the grave, whether we ourselves are sinking, or those who are dear to us. Blessed be his name! nothing can rob us of this consolation, we will be as certain, through His grace, that He is standing over us in love, as though we saw Him. We will not, after our experience of Lazarus’s history, doubt an instant that He is thoughtful about us and that he stands at our side.” … Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890) Cardinal, founder of the Oratory in England, theologian – Sermon “ The Tears of Christ at the Grave of Lazarus ” PPS, vol. 3, no.10
PRAYER – Almighty ever-living God, Your Son graciously came as a guest to the home of St Martha and was the friend of her family. Martha in her sorrow was moved to declare her total faith in Him, grant we pray, that in our trials and sorrows, we too may prove our love for You. By her prayers give us grace to serve Christ faithfully in our brethren and bring us to Your home in heaven. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, amen.
Thought for the Day – 28 July – Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 11:1–13 and the Memorial of St Pedro Poveda (1874-1936) Martyr
“The men of God and the women of God are unmistakable. They do not stand out because they are brilliant, or dazzling, or for their human strength but because of their wholesome fruit,” wrote Saint Pedro Poveda in a letter in 1925. These words may describe his life. He was a weaver of dreams because he was able to dream, design projects and even achieve some dreams through his trust in Divine Providence.
Saint Pedro Poveda, priest, educator, founder of the Teresian Association, active in over 30 countries now and martyr was born in Linares, Spain, on 3 December 1874. He died on 28 July 1936 at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. He witnessed to his Christian faith and to his priesthood until his last moment. He was Canonised by St Pope John Paul II on 4 May 2003.
“My belief, my faith, is not wavering
but firm and unshakeable
and that is why I speak out.”
St Pedro Poveda, 1920.
PRAYER THROUGH THE INTERCESSION
OF SAINT PEDRO POVEDA
Lord, our God,
you have given Saint Pedro Poveda,
Founder of the Teresian Association,
the grace of promoting
the evangelising action of Christians,
through education and culture,
and of giving his life in martyrdom
as a priest of Jesus Christ:
we ask that, like him, we may know
how to participate faithfully
in the mission of the Church
through the witnessing of our Christian life
and the generous surrender
to the announcement of Your Kingdom.
We pray that through his intercession,
you may grant us the favour we wish to receive.
………………………. (make your petition)
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen
His remains are venerated in the chapel that bears his name at the Cultural and Spirituality Center, Santa Maria de Los Negrales.
To learn more about St Pedro visit:
http://www.pedropoveda.org/en/
Quote/s of the Day – 28 July – The Memorial of St Pedro Poveda (1874-1936) Martyr
“Lord, may I think, what you want me to think.
May I desire, what you want me to desire.
May I speak, as you want me to speak.
May I work, as you want me to work.”
When the Civil War broke out, he was identified as an enemy by those who wished to dechristianse the schools. A few days before his death he wrote:
“Now more than ever,
we must study the lives of the first Christians
so as to learn from them, how to behave
in times of persecution.
See how they obeyed the Church,
how they confessed Christ,
how they prepared for martyrdom,
how they prayed for their persecutors
and forgave them…”
his last words:
“I am a priest of Christ”
Sunday Reflection – 28 July – Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 11:1–13
Saint Bernard teaches that it is not enough for us to take and eat the Bread from Heaven.
We must also offer ourselves to be eaten.
Holy Communion is a wondrous exchange in which we become the bread of Christ.
Listen to Saint Bernard:
“My penitence, my salvation are His food.
I myself am His food.
I am chewed. as I am reproved by Him;
I am swallowed by Him. as I am taught;
I am digested by Him. as I am changed;
I am assimilated. as I am transformed;
I am made one with Him, as I am conformed to Him.
He feeds upon us and is fed by us,
that we may be the more loosely bound to Him.”
Saint Bernard, ever the poet, uses images of eating and assimilation to describe how Christ unites us to Himself.
Our Lord becomes our food that we might become His.
We need the language of poets and preachers in our approach to the Eucharist.
Saint Bernard says, “Christ eats me that He may have me in Himself and Christ, in turn, is eaten by me, that He may be in me and the bond between us, will be strong and the union complete.”
What awaits you in Holy Communion exceeds all that you can desire. Eat, then and offer yourself to be eaten. Receive the Bread of God and become the bread of God.
One Minute Reflection – 28 July – Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 11:1–13 and the Memorial of St Pedro Poveda (1874-1936) Martyr
“For everyone who asks, receives and he who seeks, finds and to him who knocks, it will be opened.” … Luke 11:10
REFLECTION – “The attitude of prayer is one and the same for all but there are many kinds of prayer and many different prayers. Some converse with God as with a friend and master, interceding with praise and petition not for themselves but for others. Some strive for more (spiritual) riches and glory and for confidence in prayer. Others ask for complete deliverance from their adversary. Some beg to receive some kind of rank, others for complete forgiveness of debts. Some ask to be released from prison, others for remission of accusations.
Before all else, let us list sincere thanksgiving, first on our prayer-card. On the second line we should put confession and heartfelt contrition of soul. Then let us present our petition to the King of all. This is the best way of praying.” … St John Climacus (c 575-c.650) The Ladder of Divine Ascent 28, 6-7
PRAYER – All-powerful and ever-living God, splendour of true light and never-ending day, chase away the night of sin and fill our minds with the glory of Your coming. Take away our heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh, help us in our battle with sin and the devil. By our prayers, Your holy sacraments and the strength of the Holy Spirit, may we be ever vigilant of the evil one. By our baptism in Your Son, we are Your children, grant us Your protection. Listen, to the prayers of Saint Pedro Poveda, as we ask for his intercession, through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God for all eternity, amen.
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