Quote/s of the Day – 16 April – Spy Wednesday in Holy Week – Isaias 53:1-12, Luke 22:39-71; 23:1-53
“Jesus remember me”
Luke 23:42
“Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” John 20:29
“Blessed, therefore, is everyone who believes the message of the holy Apostles who, as Saint Luke says, were eyewitnesses of Christ’s actions and “ministers of the word” (Lk 1,2).”
St Cyril of Alexandria (380-444) Father and Doctor of the Church
“Because it is not by raising a dead man, commanding the sea and wind, or casting out demons that He is able to change the thief’s sinful soul but, by being Crucified, pinned down by nails, covered with insults, spitting, mockery and torture, so that you might see the two sides of His Sovereign Power. He shook all creation, split the rocks (Mt 27:51) and drew to Himself the brigand’s soul, hard as stone, to cover it with honour…”
St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father & Doctor of the Church
“… He effected a wonderful exchange with us, through mutual sharing – we gave Him the power to die, He will give us the power to Live!”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace
“Sacrilegious tongues blaspheme the God Who preserves their existence! … you should be damned forever and, instead of thanking Him for His goodness, you, at the very time that He bestows His favours upon you, YOU blaspheme His Holy Name!”
St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
Lenten Meditations – 16 April – With Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900) Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“The Sacred Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ” “Short Meditations for Lent” From “The Devout Year” By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)
Wednesday in Holy Week Jesus Dies on the Cross
Read St Luke xxiii:45-48
[45] And the sun was darkened and the veil of the temple was rent in the middle. [46] And Jesus, crying with a loud Voice, said: Father, into Thy Hands I commend My Spirit. And saying this, He gave up the ghost. [47] Now the centurion, seeing what was done, glorified God, saying: Indeed this was a just man. [48] And all the multitude of them who were come together to that sight and saw the things which were done, returned, striking their breasts. [Luke 23:45-48]
+1. After Our Lord has hung in agony upon the Cross, for three hours, at last the time approach’s when His deliverance is at hand. He has endured every possible form of suffering, bodily and mental. His Body has been subjected to a physical torture far worse than the accumulated sufferings of the Martyrs; His Sacred Soul has been rent asunder with an anguish and desolation more awful than any, save the eternal anguish of hell. He has sacrificed His honour, His reputation; He has been esteemed a fool and a madman. Now, there is only one sacrifice more He can make,for mankind, to His Eternal Father, – the sacrifice of His Life. He is determined to give up all for us, to be obedient, even tuno death.
+2. What was it, caused the Death of Our Lord? Not the executioners, not the Jews, not the agony of the Cross – they were but instruments. It was sin. Sin contains a malice sufficient, even to rob God Our Lord and King, of Life! What a strange mystery sin is! And how strange that we do not hate it more, when we see its power to destroy!
+3. Jesus’ Death was no transient occurrence. He still mystically dies for us each day and each hour. When we receive Holy Communion, we exhibit the Death of the Lord until He Comes and, therefore, His Sacred Passion and Death, should be the chief subject of our thoughts whenever we approach the Holy Table and especially, on the eve of the solemn day when He instituted the Sacrament of His Love.
Our Morning Offering – 16 April – “Spy” Wednesday in Holy Week
In Thine Hour of Holy Sadness By St Bernard (1090-1153) Father & Doctor of the Church
In Thine hour of holy sadness could I share with Thee, what gladness should Thine Cross to me be showing. Gladness past all thought of knowing, bowed beneath Thine Cross to die! Blessed Jesus, thanks I render that in bitter death, so tender, Thou now hear Thy supplicant calling, Save me Lord! and keep from falling, from Thee, when my hour is nigh. Amen.
Thought for the Day – 15 April – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)
“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5
XLVI: … On Meditation
“When a considerable length of time [as a half-hour, hour, or an even longer period] is to be spent in prayer, it is advisable to make a meditation on some feature of our Saviour’s Life or Passion; the reflections naturally arising from such meditation, should then be applied to the particular virtue we are striving to attain.
If, for instance, you need patience, contemplate the Mystery of your Saviour Scourged at the Pillar. Consider firstly, the blows and revilements hurled at Him by the soldiers as they brutally drag their innocent victim to the appointed place as ordered. Secondly, consider Him stripped of His garments, exposed to the piercing cold. Thirdly, picture those innocent hands, bound tightly to the pillar. Fourthly, consider His Body, torn with whips until His Blood moistened the earth. And finally, envision the frequency of the blows, creating new wounds, re-opening others on that Sacred Body.
Dwelling on these or similar details, calculated to inspire in yourself, a love of patience, you should try to feel within your very soul the inexpressible anguish so patiently borne by your Divine Master. Then consider the excruciating agony of His spirit and the patience and mildness with which that agony was endured by Him, Who was ready to suffer even more for God’s glory and your welfare.
Behold, then, your Master, covered with Blood, desiring nothing more earnestly than your patient acceptance of affliction and, be assured, that He implores for you, the assistance of the Heavenly Father that you may bear, with resignation, not only the cross of the moment but the crosses to come.
Strengthen, therefore, by frequent acts, your resolution to suffer, with joy and, raising your mind to Heaven, give thanks to the Father of mercies, Who didst send His Only Son into this world to suffer indescribable torments and, to intercede for you in your necessities.
Conclude your meditation by beseeching Him to grant you the virtue of patience, through the merits and intercession of this beloved Son, in Whom He is well pleased.”
Quote/s of the Day – 15 April – Tuesday of Holy Week – Jeremias 11:18-20 – Mark 14:32-72; 15, 1-46– – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Before the cock crows twice, thou shalt thrice deny Me. And he began to weep …”
Mark 14:72
“The first time Peter denied, he did not weep because the Lord had not looked at him. He denied a second time and did not weep because the Lord still did not look at him. He denied a third time; Jesus looked at him and he wept very bitterly (Lk 22:62). … Teach us what use your tears were to you. But you taught it without delay for, having fallen before you wept, your tears caused you to be chosen to guide others, you who, to begin with, did not know how to guide yourself!”
St Ambrose (340-397) Father & Doctor
“ I am very certain, it was our Lord’s Holy Look which pierced his heart and opened his eyes, to make him recognise his sin (Lk 22:61)… From that time on, he never stopped weeping, above all when he heard the cock crow at night and in the morning… In this way, from being a great sinner, he became a great Saint!”
“A person who is conscious of his misery, can certainly have great confidence in God. In fact, he cannot have true confidence in Him, without this consciousness of his misery. This knowledge and acknowledgement of our misery, leads us to the presence of God.”
Our Morning Offering – 15 April – Tuesday in Holy Week
My God, I Love Thee By St Francis Xavier (1506-1552) (Attri) Transr: Fr Edward Caswall CO (1814-1878)
My God, I love Thee, not because I hope for heav’n thereby, nor yet for fear, that loving not, I might forever die but for that Thou didst all mankind upon the Cross embrace; for us didst bear the nails and spear and manifold disgrace.
And griefs and torments numberless and sweat of agony; e’en death itself and all for man, who was Thine enemy. Then why, most loving Jesus Christ, should I not love Thee well? Not for the sake of winning heav’n, nor any fear of hell.
Not with the hope of gaining aught, nor seeking a reward but as Thyself hast loved me, O ever loving Lord! E’en so I love Thee and will love and in Thy praise will sing, solely because Thou art my God and my eternal King! Amen
Thought for the Day – 14 April – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)
CHARITY Meditations for a Month
The Sufferings of Charity “Charity beareth all things”
If anyone deserves to be exempt from suffering, it is someone who is full of the spirit of charity. Suffering is indeed necessary to expiate sin, to humble our pride and to show us our own misery. Why should the charitable have to bear all kinds of trials simply because of their charity? Yet so it seems. Generally, the law seems to be – the more charity, the more suffering. Perhaps this is why I have comparatively little to suffer?
Yet, after all, it is reasonable that the charitable should suffer when we remember that the Lord and model of all charity, suffered all things simply because of His charity. What else caused His Agony in the Garden, His cruel Scourging at the Pillar, and His dereliction on the Cross? It was all the result of His Divine Charity. We, therefore, if we are to follow in His steps, must expect to encounter the same results as a reward for any charity if it resembles His, however remotely. If we are wise, we shall rejoice in any sign that we are to be honoured by sharing our Master’s lot!
These sufferings are a source of joy to all who suffer for Jesus’ Sake. He rejoiced to run the course of His Passion because of His longing to see those He loved delivered from bondage. For the joy which was set before Him, He endured the Cross. Thus, charity rejoices to suffer because charity knows those sufferings will obtain for it, in Heaven, the eternal joy of seeing others brought to God by its offering to Him, of all that it holds dear. Even if I have heavy trials, can I flatter myself that my trials are a sign of a high degree of supernatural charity?
Quote/s of the Day – 14 April – St Justin Martyr (c100-165) Martyr, Layman, Father of the Church, first Christian Philosopher, Apologist, Orator, Teacher, Writer, Missionary.
“To yield and give way, to our passions, is the lowest slavery, even as to rule over them, is the only liberty.”
“And hence, all men everywhere, whether bond or free, who believe in Christ and recognise the Truth in His Own Words and those of His Prophets, know they shall be with Him in that land and inherit everlasting and incorruptible good.”
Lenten Meditations – 14 April – With Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900) Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“The Sacred Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ” “Short Meditations for Lent” From “The Devout Year” By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)
Monday in Holy Week The Dereliction of Jesus on the Cross
Read St Mark xv:33-36
[33] And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole earth until the ninth hour. [34] And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud Voice, saying: Eloi, Eloi, lamma sabacthani? Which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? [35] And some of the standers by hearing, said: Behold He calleth Elias. [36] And one running and filling a sponge with vinegar and putting it upon a reed, gave Him to drink, saying: Stay, let us see if Elias come to take Mim down. [Mark 15:33-36]
+1. Our Lord had for a long time been silent. A thick darkness had gathered; most of the spectators had departed in fear. The mocking Pharisees had been awed to silence. Few were left save the soldiers, St John and a faithful group of holy women. All of a sudden. a piercing cry from the Divine Sufferer breaks the silence: “My God , My God , why hast Thou forsaken Me ?” These words were an expression of the thick darkness which Our Lord had permitted to gather around His human soul and to hide from Him, as it were, the face of His Eternal Father. This desolation was, by far, the greatest of all the unspeakable sufferings of the Son of God.
+2. What was its cause? Nothing else but sin. He was made sin for us and having thus identified Himself with the sins of men, as far as was possible for the sinless Lamb of God, He allowed Himself to experience, to the utmost degree which He could, the awful misery which is the consequence of sin – the black, dark hopelessness (if the word is a lawful one) which results to the sinner whom God forsakes! This consequence of sin, Jesus took upon Himself to save men from the eternal remorse and despair which otherwise would have been their lot.
+3. This cry of Jesus is a model prayer for us in times of darkness and desolation. We sometimes feel as if God has forsaken us and cry out in our misery and deep distress. We are always safe in echoing Jesus’ words and He, Who hears us use them, will remember His own dereliction and help us in ours.
One Minute Reflection – 14 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – St Justin Martyr (c100-165) – Monday in Holy Week – Isaias 50:5-10 – John 12:1-9 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“For the poor you have always with you but Me, you have not always.” – John 12:8
REFLECTION – “The Father did not spare Him for your sake and this, even though He was indeed His Son (Rom 8:32). And yet, you do not look at Him even when He faints with hunger and this too, when you have only to spend for your own food, which is His own! What could be worse than such a breach of law as this?! He was given up for you, slain for you; He lives in hunger for you. You have only to give that which belongs to Him and you, yourself, will get the gain and stil, you do not give! What sort of stone is there in place of your heart, besides which these people are not more senseless and who, in spite of such great inducements, continue in this devilish hard-heartedness?
For He was not even satisfied with death and the Cross alone but also, assumed poverty, becoming a stranger and a beggar, naked and cast into prison, undergoing sickness (Mt 25:36) that so, at least, He might call upon you. If you wilt not requite Me, He says, as one Who suffered for your sake, show mercy upon Me for My poverty. And if you are not minded to pity Me for My poverty, at least be moved by My diseases, be softened by My imprisonment . And if, even these do not make you charitable, then for the easiness of the request, comply with Me. For it is no costly gift I ask but bread and lodging and words of comfort … Then I was bound for you, indeed I am so still, so that whether moved on grounds of the former or stirred by the latter, you might be minded to show Me some pity. I fasted for your sake and now, hunger for you; I thirsted when hanging on the Cross and now thirst in the poor, that just as by the former, so also by the latter I may draw you to Myself and make you charitable for your own salvation!..
Indeed, He says: “Whoever welcomes a child such as this, for My Sake, welcomes Me” (Mk 9:37) … For I am able indeed, to crown you even without all these things and yet, I would prefer to be your debtor, so that the crown may make you feel secure. That is why, although I am able to support Myself, yet, I come begging and stand at your door and stretch out My Hand, since My wish is to be supported by you. For I love you exceedingly and desire to eat at your table!” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Bishop of Constantinople, Father & Doctor of the Church (Sermon 15 on the Letter to the Romans).
PRAYER – O God, Who through the preaching of the Cross,which is to them who perish, foolishness, didst wonderfully teach, unto thy blessed Martyr Justin, the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus Our Lord, grant unto us we beseech Thee, at his prayer,s the grace to cast off all false teaching and ever to hold fast to the Faith. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Our Morning Offering – 14 April – Monday in Holy Week
Sing, My Tongue, The Saviour’s Glory By St Venantius Fortunatus (c530 – c609) Bishop, Father o the Church Trans. Fr Edward Caswell CO (1814-1878)
Sing, my tongue, the Saviour’s glory; Tell His triumph far and wide; Tell aloud the famous story Of His Body Crucified; How upon the Cross a Victim, Vanquishing in death, He Died.
Thus did Christ to perfect manhood In our mortal flesh attain: Then of His free choice He goeth To a death of bitter pain; And as a Lamb, upon the altar Of the Cross, for us is slain.
Lo, with gall His thirst He quenches! See the thorns upon His Brow! Nails His tender Flesh are rending! See, His Side is open’d now! Whence, to cleanse the whole creation, Streams of Blood and Water flow.
Faithful Cross, O Tree all beauteous! Tree all peerless and Divine! Not a grove on earth can shew us Such a flower and leaf as thine. Sweet the nails and sweet the wood, Laden with so sweet a load!
Lofty Tree, bend down thy branches, To embrace thy Sacred load; Oh, relax the native tension Of that all too rigid wood; Gently, gently bear the Members Of thy dying King and God.
Tree, which solely wast found worthy The world’s great Victim to sustain; Harbour from the raging tempest! Ark, which sav’d the world again! Tree, with sacred Blood anointed Of the Lamb for sinners slain.
Blessing, honour everlasting, To the immortal Deity; To the Father, Son, and Spirit, Equal praises ever be: Glory through the earth and Heaven To Trinity in Unity.
This Hymn is used for Passiontide and on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (14 Sept) in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Breviary. This is the original text of this hymn as it appears in the Lyra Catholica (1849). Part I is used for Matins and Part II is used for Lauds. Tune (Church Hymns): “St Lawrence”
Quote/s of the Day – 13 April – Palm Sunday – Philippians 2:5-11, Matthew 26:36-75; 27:1-60 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Behold the hour is at hand and the Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of sinners.” Matthew 26:45
“Because of sin, O innocent One, You were set before the criminal’s judgement seat; When Thou return in the Father’s glory Do not judge me together with him. Thou have put on crimson, Set the scarlet cloak over Thee As a dishonour and an affront, As Pontius Pilate’s soldiers thought it to be.”
St Nerses Chnorhali (1102-1173) Armenian Bishop
(Jesus, Only Son of the Father 708-724)
“Lord Jesus, whether Thy Face be glorious or humiliated, we always see wisdom shining in It. On Thy Face shines the refulgence of Eternal Light (Wis 7:26). O Lord, may Thy Light, the Light of Thy Face (Ps 4:7), always shine upon us, in sorrow as in happiness… Thou art joy and salvation for all, both when Thou ride on a donkey and when Thou hang from a Cross!”
Blessed Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot
Lenten Meditations – 13 April – With Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900) Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“The Sacred Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ” “Short Meditations for Lent” From “The Devout Year” By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)
The Sixth Sunday in Lent Jesus Commends His Disciples to His Holy Mother’s Care
Read St.John xix:25-27
[25] Now there stood by the Cross of Jesus, His Mother, and His Mother’s sister, Mary of Cleophas and Mary Magdalen. [26] When Jesus, therefore, had seen His Mother and the disciple whom He loved, He saith to His Mother: Woman, behold thy son. [27] After that, He saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own. [John 19:25-27]
+1. Our Divine Saviour did not depart from those He loved without providing them with a Mother, who should be their Consoler, their Protector, their Advocate with God. In the person of St John, He entrusted them all to Mary’s care. If He had simply been providing Mary with a home, He would first have addressed St John and commended to him, the pious task of sheltering the Mother of God. By speaking firstly to Mary, He showed that it was she, who was to shelter all those, who were desolate and in sorrow. St John was the representative of all who love Jesus, when Jesus said to Mary respecting him: “ Woman, behold thy son.”
+2. This was the occasion when Our Lady, for a second time, became a mother. The birth of her first-begotten Jesus, cost her no pains of travail; the birth of her spiritual children, the sinful sons of men, brought unspeakable anguish to her. The Queen of Heaven became the Queen of Dolors before she could earn the right, to exercise, a mother’s fostering care over each of us,. How we ought to value the privilege of being her children, when it cost Mary such unspeakable suffering!
+3. When Jesus said to Mary: “Woman, behold thy son” He asked Our Lady to regard us with a mother’s love for His Sake. Her love for Him was to be transferred to us, without, however, becoming one whit the lesser. She was to love us for Jesus’ Sake; to show her love for Him, by loving us. With what perfect confidence can we go to Mary, who sees in each of us, in spite of our sins, the image of her Divine Son! Hail Mary full of grace!
One Minute Reflection – 13 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Palm Sunday – St Hermenegild (Died 585) Martyr, Confessor – Philippians 2:5-11 – Matthew 26:36-75; 27:1-60 –Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Behold the hour is at hand and the Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of sinners.” – Matthew 26:45
REFLECTION – “To the Lamb of God arise the Hosannas of the people, all those pressing round Him in the crowd, praise Him with one and the same confession of faith: “Hosanna to the Son of David!” (Mt 21:9). This praise already echoes the choir of Saints, singing: “Salvation comes from our God, Who is seated on the throne and from the Lamb!” (Apoc 7:10). He goes up to where, day-by-day, He will give His last teaching (Lk 20:47). It is there He will accomplish the sacrament of the Jewish Passover, faithfully observed hitherto. He Himself, will bestow a new Pasch of His Own, when, having left for the Mount of Olives, He will be put to the test by His enemies and, the following day, set on the Cross. Of such is the Paschal Lamb, see Him draw near today to the place of His Passion and fulfil the prophecy of Isaias: “Like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers” (53:7).
He desires to enter His City five days before His Passion; by this He proves that He is indeed the Lamb without blemish Who comes to take away the sin of the world (Jn 1:29). He is indeed the Paschal Lamb, Who, when sacrificed, will set the new Israel free from its slavery in Egypt (Ex 12). It is truly five days before His Passion when His enemies irrevocably agree on His death. Today He shows us, by this that He is going to redeem us all by His Blood (Apoc 5:9). As from today, He enters God’s Temple amongst the joyful jubilation of those who surround him (Mt 21:12). The “Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus” (1Tm 2:5) will suffer for humankind’s salvation – that indeed is why He came down to earth from Heaven – and today, He wills to draw near to the place of His Passion. Thus it will be clear to all that He bears His Passion of His own free will and by no means by force.” (Sermon No 23). – St Bede the Venerable (673-735) Father and Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – OGod, Who didst teach Thy blessed Martyr Hermenegild to choose a heavenly, rather than an earthly crown, grant, we beseech Thee, that we, like him, may so pass through temporal things that we finally miss not those which are eternal. Through esus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
To Thee, O Jesus, Hosanna! By St Bonaventure (1217-1274) Seraphic Doctor of the Church
To Thee, O Jesus, do I turn, as my true and last end. Thou art the River of Life which alone can satisfy my thirst. Without Thee, all else is barren and void. Without all else, Thou alone art enough for me. Thou art the Redeemer of those who are lost, the sweet Consoler of the sorrowful, the Crown of Glory of the victors, the recompense of the Blessed. One day I hope to receive of Thy Fullness and to sing the song of praise, in my true home. Give me only on earth, some few drops of consolation and I will patiently await Thy Coming, when I hope to enter into the joy of my Lord. Hosanna!
Thought for the Day – 12 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Redemption
“Do I ever think of all that I have cost Jesus? Do I ever meditate on His Infinite Love for me? If I could constantly bear in mind the work of Redemption and the Passion of Jesus Christ, I should certainly never offend God and I should be on fire with love for Him. Moreover, if in time of temptation, I were to pray earnestly before the image of Christ Crucified, I should certainly succeed in my resistance, by asking the suffering Lord for His Divine assistance.
If by some misfortune, however, I should fall into sin, it should suffice to kiss the Crucifix in order to revive my confidence in Christ, to rouse myself to sorrow, to obtain pardon and to begin a new life. That should be the fruit of the Redemption for me.”
Quote/s of the Day – 12 April – Saturday in Passion Week – Jeremias18:18-23, John 12:10-36 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“He who loves his life, loses it and he who hates his life in this world, keeps it unto life everlasting. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me and where I am, there also shall My servant be.”
John 12:25-26
“For he who will save his life, will lose it and he who will lose his life for My sake, will find it. ”
Matthew 16:25
“Let us detach ourselves in spirit from all that we see and cling to that which we believe. This is the Cross which we must imprint on all our daily actions and behaviour.”
St Peter Damian (1007-1072) Bishop, Father and Doctor of the Church
O My God, I Thank Thee An Act of Abandonment to the Divine Will By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritas
O my God, I thank Thee and I praise Thee for accomplishing Thy Holy and all-lovable Will without any regard for mine. With my whole heart, in spite of my heart, do I receive this cross I feared so much! It is the cross of Thy choice, the cross of Thy Love. I venerate it; nor for anything in the world would I wish it had not come, since Thou hast willed it. I keep it with gratitude and with joy, as I do everything which comes from Thy Hand and I shall strive to carry it without letting it drag, with all the respect and all the affection which Thy works deserve. Amen
“My soul, live henceforward amid the scourges and the thorns of thy Saviour and there, as a nightingale in its bush, sing sweetly: Live Jesus, Who didst die that my soul might live! Ah, Eternal Father! What can the world return Thee for the gift Thou hast made it of Thy only Son? Alas! to redeem a thing so vile as I, the Saviour delivered Himself to death and, unhappy me! I hesitate to surrender my nothingness to Him, Who has given me everything!”“
Lenten Meditations – 12 April – With Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900) Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“The Sacred Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ” “Short Meditations for Lent” From “The Devout Year” By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)
Saturday after the Fifth Sunday in Lent The Good Thief
Read St Luke xxii:39-43
[39] And one of those robbers, who was hanged, blasphemed Him, saying: If thou be Christ, save Thyself and us. [40] But the other answering, rebuked him, saying: Neither dost thou fear God, seeing thou art condemned under the same condemnation? [41] And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds but this Man hath done no evil. [42] And he said to Jesus: Lord, remember me when Thou shalt come into Thy Kingdom. [43] And Jesus said to him: Amen I say to thee, this day thou shalt be with Me in Paradise. [Luke 23:39-43]
+I. Among those who mocked and derided Jesus were the two thieves crucified with Him. But very soon, His unspeakable gentleness and meekness, touched the heart of one of the two. Firstly. he ceased his words of insult, then, he boldly reproved his companion and bore testimony to the innocence of Jesus and to His authority as King and Lord. What a Divine power there is in weakness! The sight of the uncomplaining patience of Christ, convinced this robber that He was King of all the earth and, He, Who was now dying on the Cross, would soon reign forever and ever. “Lord, remember me when Thou shalt come into Thy Kingdom.”
+2. Remember me! This was his simple prayer. But we know that it was enough. If Christ remembers us, all will be well! That which we have to dread, is lest He forgets us by reason of our having forgotten Him! This prayer should often be on our lips : “O Lord , remember me! In the hour of temptation, remember me! When sorrow bears painfully upon me, remember me! In sickness and in my last agony, O Lord, remember me!”
+3. Our Lord answers the gocd thief’s prayer with Divine generosity. All his sins are forgiven him and as soon as his agony is over, he is to be received into the company of the blest and to be with Christ in Paradise. What a rich reward for his confession of Christ! With what a glorious answer to his prayer, will Christ remember him!
One Minute Reflection – 12 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – – Saturday in Passion Week – Jeremias18:18-23 – John 12:10-36 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” – John 12:21
REFLECTION – “At Jerusalem the crowd cried out: “Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord, the King of Israel” (cf Mk 11:10). The phrase “He Who comes.” is well said because He is always coming, He never fails us – “The Lord is close to those who call upon Him in truth. Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord” (Ps 144:18; 117:26). The gentle King of peace stands at our door … Soldiers here below, Angels in Heaven, mortals and immortals … cry aloud: “Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord, the King of Israel.” The Pharisees, however, stand aloof (Jn 12:19) and the priests are incensed by it. But the voices which sing God’s praises ring out without ceasing – creation is full of joy…
That is why, on this very day, some Greeks, prompted by this tremendous acclamation to worship God with devotion, approached one of the Apostles, named Philip and said to him: “We would like to see Jesus.” Note well, it is the whole crowd who carries out the task of herald and prompts these Greeks to be converted. Straightaway, these latter address Christ’s disciples – “We would like to see Jesus.” Those gentiles are imitating Zachaeus, not that they climb a sycamore tree [to see Jesus] but, they make haste to rise up in their knowledge of God (Lk 19:3). “We should like to see Jesus” not so much to behold His Face but, to bear His Cross. For Jesus, Who could see their desire, had unambiguously declared to those who were standing by: “Now the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” calling “glory” the conversion of the gentiles.
And He gave the name “glory” to the Cross. For, from that day to this, the Cross is glorified. Indeed, it is the Cross which still today, Consecrates Kings, adorns Priests, protects virgins, gives constancy to hermits, reinforces the marriage bond and strengthens widows. It is the Cross which makes the Church fruitful, brings light to the peoples, guards the desert, opens paradise!” – St Proclus of Constantinople (Died c446) Archbishop of Constantinople, Confessor, Defender of the Church and of the Blessed Virgin, Writer, renowned Preacher, Father of the C hurch (Sermon for Palm Sunday).
PRAYER – O Lord, may the people dedicated to Thee desire to serve Thee more and more that, taught by these sacred rites, they may be enriched by more precious gift,s as they grow in favour with Thy majesty. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Thought for the Day – 11 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Betrayal of Judas
“It is quite certain, that Judas did not commit this sacrilegious act of betrayal on the spur of the moment. Evil, like goodness, is arrived at step-by-step. Perhaps it was some motive of self-interest, rather than of pure love,which led Judas to become one of Jesus; Apostles. Covetousness, “the root of all evils,” (Cf 1 Tim 6:10) seems to have been his dominant passion. As the Gospel tells us, he kept the money offerings which those who had been converted, gave to Jesus for His support and for that of His Apostles. Judas did not know how to suppress his dominant passion at times. On one occasion, he complained about Mary Magdalen, when she anointed the feet of Jesus with precious ointment. The passion grew and he became a thief, “He was a thief and holding the purse used to take what was put in it” (Jn 12:6). In spite of the extraordinary grace he had received, he fell into sin. Finally, he was guilty of the betrayal, of the sacrilegious communion at the last supper and of the kiss of hypocrisy in Gethsemane.
The example of Judas is a lesson to us. It is disastrous to begin to yield to our passions and to fall into evil habits. The Holy Spirit warns us that anyone who makes little account of small things, will fall into bigger (Cf Ecclus 19:11). Let us remember, that even a tiny spark can set off a conflagration. Likewise, a single mortal sin can lead us to Hell!”
Quote/s of the Day – 11 April – St Leo I, the Great (c400-461) Pope, Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church
Grant to Us, O Lord By St Leo I, the Great (c400-461) Pope, Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church
Grant to us, O Lord, not to mind earthly things but rather, to love heavenly things that while, all things around us pass away, we may even now, hold fast to those things which last forever. Amen
“Our Saviour, dearly beloved, is born today; let us rejoice! It is not right to be sad today, the natal day of Life – He Who has dispelled the fear of mortality and brought us to the joy of promised eternity. Let no man be cut off from a share in this rejoicing. The cause of our joy is common to every man because, our Lord, the destroyer of sin and death, Who finds none guiltless, Comes to free all. Let the holy exult, he draws near his palm; let the sinner rejoice, he is invited to pardon; let the Gentile be quickened, he is called to Life!”
“The obedience of the Star calls us to imitate its humble service: to be servants, as best we can, of the grace which invites all men to find Christ.”
“No-one, however weak, is denied a share in the victory of the Cross. No-one is beyond the help of the prayer of Christ.”
“What is a man’s treasure but the heaping up of profits and the fruit of his toil? For, whatever a man sows, this too will he reap and each man’s gain, matches his toil and where delight and enjoyment are found, there the heart’s desire is attached. Now, there are many kinds of wealth and a variety of grounds for rejoicing – every man’s treasure is that, which he desires. If it is based on earthly ambitions, its acquisition makes men not blessed but wretched. … By distributing what might be superfluous to support the poor, they are amassing imperishable riches, so that what they have discreetly given, cannot be subject to loss. They have properly placed those riches, where their heart is – it is a most blessed thing, to work to increase such riches, rather than to fear that they may pass away.”
St Pope Leo the Great (400-461) ather and Doctor of the Church
One Minute Reflection – 11 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Friday of Passion Week – St Leo I, the Great (c400-461) Pope, Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church – Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows – Judith 13:22, 25 – John 19:25-27–Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Behold, thy mother” – John 19:27
REFLECTION – “Woman, this is thy son. This is thy mother.” By what right is the disciple. whom Jesus loved, the son of the Lord’s mother? By what right is she his mother? By the fact that, without pain, she brought into the world the salvation of us all, when she gave birth in the flesh to the God-Man. But now, she is in labour, with great pain as she stands at the foot of the Cross!
At the hour of His Passion, the Lord Himself rightly compared the Apostles to a woman in childbirth, when He said: “When a woman is in labour she is in anguish because a child is born into the world” (cf Jn 16:21). How much more, then, might such a Son compare such a Mother, the Mother standing at the foot of His Cross, to a woman in labour? What am I saying? “Compare?” She is indeed truly a woman and truly a mother and, at this hour, she is truly experiencing the pains of childbirth. When her Son was born she did not experience the anguish of giving birth in pain as other women do; it is now that she is suffering, that she is crucified, that she experiences sorrow; like a woman in labour because her hour has come ( Jn 16:21; cf 13:1; 17:1). …
When this hour has passed, when the sword of sorrow has completely pierced her soul in labour (Lk 2:35), then, no more will she “remember the pain because a child has been born into the world” – the new Man Who renews the entire human race and reigns forever over the whole world, truly born, beyond all suffering, immortal, the Firstborn from the Dead. If the Virgin has thus brought the salvation of us all into the world, in her Son’s Passion, then she is, indeed, the Mother of us all!” – Rupert of Deutz (c1075-1130) Benedictine Monk, Theologian, Exegete and Writer – (Commentary on Saint Johns Gospel, 13).
PRAYER – O God, in Whose Passion the sword, according to the prophecy of blessed Simeon, pierced through the soul of Mary, the glorious Virgin and Mother, mercifully grant that we, who reverently commemorate her piercing through and her suffering, may, by the interceding glorious merits of all the Saints faithfully standing by the Cross, obtain the abundant fruit of Thine Passion. Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Our Morning Offering – 11 April – Feast of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady of Sorrows
O Mother of Sorrows, Stand by Me in My Last Agony By St Gabriel Francis Possenti of Our Lady of Sorrows (1838-1862)
O Mother of Sorrows, by the anguish and love with which thou didst stand at the Cross of Jesus, stand by me in my last agony. To thy maternal heart I commend the last three hours of my life. Offer these hours to the Eternal Father in union with the agony of our dearest Lord, in atonement for my sins. Offer to the Eternal Father the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, mingled with your tears on Calvary, that I may obtain the grace of receiving Holy Communion with the most perfect love and contrition, before my death and that I may breathe forth my soul in the adorable Presence of Jesus. Dearest Mother, when the moment of my death has at last come, present me as your child to Jesus. Ask Him to forgive me for having offended Him, for I knew not what I did! Beg Him to receive me into His Kingdom of Glory to be united with Him forever. Amen
Thought for the Day – 10 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Passion of Our Lord
“The Incarnation of Our Lord Jesus Christ, is one of the most profound Mysteries of our religion. It is a Mystery of Infinite Goodness and Mercy, which, out of love for fallen humanity, the Eternal Word of God, should have assumed a human form and become Man, in order to show us the way to Heaven and to enable us, to reach it. Jesus came amongst us, to instruct us, to call us, to perfection and to give us, an example and the necessary assistance. But, He did much more than this. He came also to bear the weight of our offences and to offer Himself, as a spotless Victim of Love and suffering in expiation of our sins. All this, seems too great a Mystery, almost inconceivable, in fact, until we consider that, the charity of God is as Infinite as His nature. This is why, the Saints experienced hours of ecstasy contemplating the Passion and Death of our Divine Redeemer. Whenever St Gertrude looked upon the figure of Jesus nailed to the Cross, she could not restrain her tears. She was accustomed to say, that God was specially merciful towards those who meditated on the Passion and Death of Jesus. St Bernard writes, that even as the rocks were rent asunder at the Death of Our Redeemer, so, our sin-hardened hearts, should feel as if they were breaking, when we meditate on His Sufferings. Let us meditate, therefore, on the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ. If we are sinners, as unfortunately, we all are, we shall be moved to weep for our sins. If we are imperfect and lukewarm, we shall be set on fire with love and a determination, to requite, as far as possible, the Infinite charity of Jesus Christ.”
Quote/s of the Day – 10 April – Thursday in Passion Week –Ferial Day – Daniel 3:25, 34-45 – Luke 7:36-50 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“She began to bathe His feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed His feet and anointed them with ointment.”
Luke 7:38
“Wherefore I say to you, her sins, many as they are, shall be forgiven her because she has loved much. But he, to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”
Luke 7:47
“Remember not our former iniquities, let Thy mercies speedily prevent us, for we are become exceeding poor. Help us, O God, our Saviour and for the glory of Thy Name, O Lord, deliver us and forgive us our sins, for Thy Name’s Sake.”
Psalm 78:8-9
“A servant of the Lord stands bodily before men but mentally, he is knocking at the gates of Heaven. with prayer.”
St John Climacus (c 525-606) Father of the Church
“For, just as water extinguishes a fire, just so, does charity blot out our sins.”
St John of God (1495-1550)
“ I shall spend every moment loving. One who loves, does not notice her trials; or perhaps, more accurately, she is able to love them. I shall do everything for Heaven, my true home. There, I shall find my Mother, in all the splendour of her glory. I shall delight with her in the joy of Jesus Himself, in perfect safety.”
One Minute Reflection – 10 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Thursday in Passion Week –Ferial Day – Daniel 3:25, 34-45 – Luke 7:36-50 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” – Luke 7:50
REFLECTION – “A sinful woman has proclaimed to us that God’s Love has gone forth in search of sinners. For when He called her, Christ was inviting our whole race to His Love and, in her person, He was drawing all sinners to His forgiveness. He spoke to her alone but, He was drawing all creation to His grace. …
Who would not be struck by the Mercy of Christ, who accepted an invitation to a Pharisee’s house, in order to save a sinner! For the sake of the woman, who hungered for forgiveness, He, Himself felt hunger for the table of Simon the Pharisee and all the while, under the guise of a meal of bread, He had prepared for the sinner, a meal of repentance! …
In order that you may have the same experience, reflect within yourself that your sin is great but that it is blasphemy against God and an injury to yourself, to despair of His forgiveness because your sin seems to you to be too great. He has promised to forgive your sins, however many they are; will you tell Him you cannot believe this and dispute with Him, saying that your sin is too great and He cannot heal your sickness? Stop at that point and cry out with the prophet: “Lord, I have sinned against you” (Ps 50:6). At once He will reply, “As for Me, I have overlooked your fault, you shall not die.” Glory to Him from us all, through all ages! Amen, Amen.” ~ An Anonymous Christian Syrian Writer of the 6th Century [ACW} (From a collection of Sermons on the sinful woman, 1, 4.5.19.26.28).
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that the dignity of human nature, weakened by excessive self-indulgence, may be restored by the earnest practice of healing self-denial. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Thought for the Day – 9 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Presence of God
“A man who lives always in the Presence of God. cannot sin. When we find ourselves in the presence of a high-ranking worldly personality, do we dare to behave any other way but correctly and respectfuly? How should we dare then to behave in any other fashion, in the Presence of the Infinite Majesty of God, our Creator and Redeemer, Who will one day also be our Judge?! Could He not, in a single instant, snap the thread of our mortal life and call us before His judgement-seat, even while we are in the act of offending Him?!
Let us remember St Paul’s stern warning: “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10-:31). Let us remain always in the Presence of God and we shall be at peace and strong in His grace.”
Lenten Meditations – 9 April – With Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900) Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“The Sacred Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ” “Short Meditations for Lent” From “The Devout Year” By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)
Wednesday after the Fifth Sunday in Lent Simon of Cyrene
Read St Mark xv:21
[21] And they forced one Simon a Cyrenian coming out of the country, who passed by, the father of Alexander and of Rufus, to take up His Cross. [Mark 15:21]
+1. Our Blessed Lord falls again and again, beneath the weight of the Cross until it becomes evident to the soldiers that He will never be able to drag it to the place of execution. They accordingly lay hold of a heathen passing by, Simon the Cyrenian and him they compel to carry the Cross. How little Simon knew the happiness in store for him when those rough soldiers seized him and force him, to the ignominious task, of carrying the instrument of His punishment. for a public criminal! How often we too fail to recognise God’s wonderful designs of mercy, in the sudden disagreeable and contradictory events and circumstances we encounter!
+2. Simon at first, bore the Cross angrily and reluctantly, chafing under the hardship inflicted upon him. But, as he carries it, somehow an unaccountable change embraced him. It has the power to change his heart and, to make of him, a devoted follower of the Crucified, one of the pillars of the Apostolic Church. Thus, many a cross which we reluctantly carry, proves to be really the means of our sanctification and salvation!
+3. Before Simon arrives at the summit of Calvary, the Cross had endeared itself to him. He has recognised that, to carry it for Jesus, was no hardship but a privilege and a joy. In fact the greatest of his life! So too, the Saints learn to love their cross, to embrace it, to seek it, to carry it with all joy, to be almost discontented if they are without it. This is the very height of peace and felicity; for those who find their joy in the cross, find cause for rejoicing and happiness, everywhere around them.
Quote/s of the Day – 9 April – Wednesday in Passion Week – Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-19, 25; John 10:22-38 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“My sheep hear My Voice; I know them and they follow Me.”
John 10:27
“And as for that in the good ground they are those who, hearing the Word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart and bring forth fruit with patience.”
Luke 8:15
“… Blessed are they who hear the Word of God and keep it.”
Luke 11:28
“For just as from the Heavens, the rain and snow come down and do not return there, until they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to him who sows and bread to him who eats.” Isaias 55:11
“So the Word that He shall send through His Christ, Who is Himself, the Word and the Message, shall return to Him with great power. For when He shall come and bring it, He shall come down like rain and snow and through Him all that is sown shall spring up and bear righteous fruit … And this is the Voice through which the dead shall live.”
St Aphraates “the Sage” (Died c 345) Abbot, Father of the Church
“What a happy day they spent! What a blessed night! Who can say what it was they heard from the Lord’s mouth? Let us, too, build a dwelling in our hearts, construct a house where Christ can come to teach and converse with us.”
St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church
“Always (read and) listen to it (the Scriptures) with attention and reverence; make good use of it; do not let it fall to earth but take it into your heart like a precious balm. Do all this after the example of the most holy Virgin, for she carefully kept in her heart all the words spoken in praise of her Child. Remember that our Lord gathers up the words we speak to Him in prayer, in measure with the way we gather up those He speaks to us by His preaching.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church
(Introduction to the Devout Life Part 2 Chapter 17)
One Minute Reflection –9 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Wednesday in Passion Week – Ferial Day – Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-19, 25 – John 10:22-38 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“The Jews then took up stones to stone Him. Jesus answered them: Many good works I have shown you from my Father. For which of those works, do you stone Me?” – John 10:31-32
REFLECTION – “You owe your whole life to Christ Jesus, for He gave His Life for your life and endured bitter torments that you might not have to endure eternal torment … Is there anything which will not seem sweet to you, after you have gathered into your heart, all the bitter sufferings of your Lord? … As the heavens are higher than the earth (Is 55:9) so is His Life higher than our life and yet, it has been given for our life. As mere nothingness cannot be compared to any other thing, so our life cannot be measured against His…
When I have dedicated to Him, all that I am, all of which I am capable, it will still be like a star compared to the sun, a drop of water to a river, a single stone to a tower, a grain of sand to a mountain. I have nothing but two small things, very small indeed – my body and my soul or, rather, only one, small thing – my will. And am I not going to give it to Him, Who has gone before; so small a being as I, with such blessings, to Him Who, in giving Himself wholly, has wholly redeemed me? Otherwise, were I to keep my will for myself, with what face, what eyes, what spirit or conscience, would I take my refuge in the merciful heart of our God? How could I dare to pierce that strong rampart guarding Israel and cause, not just a few drops but torrents of the Blood to flow which flows from the five parts of His Body, as the price of my Redemption?” – St Bernard (1091-1153) Cistercian Abbot, Father & Doctor of the Church (Selected Sermons).
PRAYER – In Thy mercy, O Lord, may this hallowing fast enlighten the hearts of Thy faithful people and since Thou have given them the desire to serve Thee, lend a gracious ear to their prayers.Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
AnaStpaul 
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