Category: CATHOLIC Quotes

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on FEAR, St Alphonsus de Liguori,

Thought for the Day – 23 September – CONSIDERATION IX, Third Point – The Peace Felt by a Just Man When Dying – “He cannot die badly who has lived well!”

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Thought for the Day – 23 September – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION IX

The Peace Felt by a Just Man When Dying
“The souls of the just are in the Hands of God
and the torment of death, shall not touch them.
In the sight of the unwise, they seemed to die,
…. but they are at peace.”
(Wisd iii: 1-3)

THIRD POINT:
How is it then, that he can fear death who hopes to be crowned after death?
St Cyprian says, “We cannot fear to die, who await our crown when we are killed.”
How can anyone fear death, who knows that dying in grace, his body will become immortal: “This mortal must put on immortality.” (i Cor xv: 53).
He who loves God and desires to see Him, regards life as a pain and death as a joy: “He lives patiently, he dies delightedly,” says St Augustine.
St Thomas of Villanova says: “death, if it finds a man sleeping, comes as a thief, robs him, kills him and casts him into the pit of hell but, if death finds a man vigilant, it salutes him as the ambassador of God and says: ‘The Lord expects thee at the nuptial feast; come and I shall lead thee to the blessed Kingdom which thou hast desired.”

Oh with what joy does he await death who is in the grace of God, hoping, as he does, soon to see Jesus Christ and to hear Him say: “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things.” (St Matt xxv: 21).
Oh how well then will he understand the force of the repentance, the prayers, the alienation from the things of this world and all that he has done for God!
“Say ye to the righteous that it shall be well with him; for they shall eat the fruits of their doings.” (Isa iii: 10).
Then will he, who has loved God, enjoy the fruit of all his good works.
Therefore, did Father Hippolitus Durazzo, when a friend of his, a religious, was dying, with every sign of salvation, rejoice and not weep. For how absurd it would be, remarks St John Chrysostom, to believe in an eternal Heaven and yet, to pity anyone who goes there! What joy it will bring to him, who has loved Jesus Christ and who has often received Jesus Christ in the Holy Communion, to see this same Jesus enter his room at the most solemn hour of death, to accompany him in his journey to the other life.
Oh happy he who can then say with St Philip Neri: “Behold my Love, behold my Love.”

But some will say: “Who can tell what fate will be mine?
Perhaps, after all, my end will be an unhappy one!”
But, to those who thus speak, I ask: “What is it that makes death dreadful?” Sin only – therefore, it is sin we ought to fear and not death!
St Ambrose observes, “ it is clear, the bitterness is not from death but from sin; fear is not to be referred to death but to life!”
Therefore, if you desire not to fear death, live in holiness: “To him who fears the Lord. it will be well in his last hour.”
Father Colombiere considered it quite impossible, for him, who has been faithful to God all his life long, to die an unhappy death.
And, before him, St Augustine has remarked: “He cannot die badly who has lived well!”
He who is prepared for death, does not fear it, although it should be sudden. “But the just man, if he be presented with death, shall be at rest.” (Wisd iv: 7).

And since we are unable to go to enjoy God, except we die, St John Chrysostom exhorts us “to offer to God that which we are bound to render to Hun.” And let us understand, he who offers his death to God, performs the most perfect act of love which can be done towards God; for, by willingly embracing that death, which it pleases God to send us and that time and manner of death which God wishes, he makes himself like unto the holy Martyrs.
He who loves God, ought to long and sigh for death because death unites us eternally to God and frees us from the danger of ever losing Him again.
It is a sign that we love God but little, if we have no desire soon to go to see Him, feeling certain that we shall never be able to love Him more.

For the meantime, let us love God as much as we can in this life. For this alone should we live, to increase in our love for Him; the measure of love for God in which death will find us, will be the measure of our love for God in a blessed eternity.

Affections andPrayers

Bind me, my Jesus, to Thyself, so that I may never more be
severed from Thee. Make me wholly Thine before I die, so
that, when I behold Thee for the first time, I may behold Thee
in peace.
Thou hast sought me when I was fleeing from Thee; oh, do not drive me from Thee now that I seek Thee.
Pardon
me whatever displeasure I may have caused Thee. From this
day forward I wish to think of serving and loving Thee only.
I am already too much indebted to Thee.
Thou didst not refuse to shed Thy Blood and give Thy Life throughLlove of me. I would wish to be entirely consumed for love of Thee, as Thou wert for me.
O God of my soul, I would love Thee much in this life, so as to
love Thee much in the life to come.

Eternal Father, draw my whole heart to Thee, take from it all earthly affections, wound it, enflame it with Thy holy Love. Hear me, through the merits of Jesus Christ. Give me holy perseverance and give me the grace ever to ask it of Thee.

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JESUIT SJ, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The INCARNATION, The WORD, THEOLOGICAL

Quote/s of the Day – 23 September – Thou art the Christ, Whom we love above all things …

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Quote/s of the Day – 23 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – 1 Peter 5:1-4; 5:10-11; Matthew 16:13-19– Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God!”

Matthew 16:16

“Truly blessed is he who cleaves,
with his thought, to the Prayer of Jesus,
constantly calling to Him in his heart,
just as air cleaves to our bodies,
or the flame to the candle.”

St Hesychius of Jerusalem (Died c450)
Priest, Exegete, Father

“Taking up the newborn Emmanuel,
Mary beheld a Light incomparably fairer
than the sun and saw a Fire,
which water cannot quench.
She received, in the covering of Flesh
Whom she had borne,
the Light, Who enlightens all things
and she was worthy,,
to carry in her arms,
the Word, Who carries the universe!”

St Amadeus of Lausanne (1108-1159)
Bishop, Cistercian Monk

“Charity is an infused virtue,
by which we love God for His Own Sake
and above all things and our neighbour as ourselves,
for the love of God.
It is the best gift which God Himself can give,
the gift compared to which,
all other gifts are insignificant and worthless.
It is the end and aim, the perfection
and the crown of the Christian life.
If we possess it, we have all things;
if we possess it not, we have nothing;
we are miserable and wretched and poor
and blind and naked before God.
Pray that God may teach you to know
and to love His Divine gift.”

Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

(The Definition of Charity
What is Charity?)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on WATCHING, St PETER!, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 September – “Upon this rock I will build My Church” – Matthew 16:18

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One Minute Reflection – 23 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – St Pope Linus (c10 – c76) Successor to St Peter – 1 Peter 5:1-4; 5:10-11; Matthew 16:13-19– Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Upon this rock I will build My Church” – Matthew 16:18

REFLECTION – “Brothers, when it comes to fulfilling my duties as Bishop, I discover that I am weak and slack, weighed down by the weakness of my own condition, while at the same time, I want to act generously and courageously. However, I draw my strength from the untiring intercession of the almighty and eternal Priest, Who, like us but equal to the Father, lowered His Divinity to the level of man and raised humankind to the level of God. The decisions He made, give me a just and holy joy. For, when He delegated many shepherds to care for His flock, He did not abandon watching over His beloved sheep. Thanks to that fundamental and eternal assistance, I in turn, have received the protection and support of the Apostle Peter, who also does not abandon his function. This solid foundation, on which the whole of the Church is built, never grows tired of carrying the whole weight, of the building which rests on it.

The firmness of faith, for which the first of the Apostles was praised, never fails. Just as everything which Peter professed in Christ remains, so that which Christ established in Peter, remains … The order willed by God’s Truth remains. Saint Peter perseveres in the solidity which he received; he has not abandoned the governance of the Church which was placed in his hands. That, my brothers, is what that profession of faith, inspired by God the Father, obtained in the heart of the Apostle. He received the solidity of a rock which no assault can shake. In the entire Church, Peter says everyday: “Thou art the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” – St Leo the Great (400-461) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon on the anniversary of his Consecration as Bishop).

PRAYER – Look forgivingly on Thy flock, Eternal Shepherd, and keep it in Thy constant protection, by the intercession of blessed Linus Thy Sovereign Pontiff, whom Thou didst constitute Shepherd of the whole Church. 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).

Posted in "Follow Me", JESUIT SJ, OUR Cross, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 23 September – This is My Joy, To Follow My Saviour

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Our Morning Offering – 23 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross”

This is My Joy, To Follow My Saviour
A Prayer to Seek the Consolation of the Cross
By St Alphonsus Rodriguez SJ (1532-1617)

Jesus, love of my soul,
centre of my heart!
Why am I not more eager to endure pains
and tribulations for love of Thee,
when Thou, my God,
have suffered so many for me?
Come, then, every sort of trial in the world,
for this is my delight,
to suffer for Jesus.
This is my joy,
to follow my Saviour
and to find my consolation
with my Consoler on the Cross.
This is my happiness,
this my pleasure –
to live with Jesus,
to walk with Jesus,
to converse with Jesus,
to suffer with and for Him,
this is my treasure!
Amen

Posted in DYING / LAST WORDS, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM

Thought for the Day – 22 September – CONSIDERATION IX, Second Point – The Peace Felt by a Just Man When Dying – ‘O beloved death! …’

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Thought for the Day – 22 September – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION IX

The Peace Felt by a Just Man When Dying
“The souls of the just are in the Hands of God
and the torment of death, shall not touch them.
In the sight of the unwise, they seemed to die,
…. but they are at peace.”
(Wisd iii: 1-3)

SECOND POINT:
“The souls of the just are in the Hands of God and the torment of death shall not touch them. In the sight of the unwise, they seemed to die … but they are at peace.”
It seems, in the sight of the unwise that the servants of God die with sorrow and unwillingly, even as the worldly do but no, for God knows well how to comfort His children when they are dying and amidst the pains of their death, He makes them feel a certain incomparable sweetness, as a foretaste of Paradise which, within a short time, He will bestow upon them.
Like those who die in sin, who even upon their death-bed experience certain foretastes of hell, such as remorse, fear and
despair; so, on the contrary, do the Saints, by the acts of love
which, at that time they often make to God, by the desire
and by the hope which is within them, of very soon enjoying God, begin even before death, to feel that peace which they will afterwards fully enjoy in Heaven.

Death to the Saints is not a punishment but a reward. “For so He giveth His beloved sleep.” (Ps cxxvii: 3).
The death of him, who loves God, is not called death but sleep, so he can truly say: “I. will lay me down in peace and take my rest.” (Ps iv: 9).
Father Saurez died in such peace that whilst dying he was
able to say: “I did not think it was so sweet to die.”
Cardinal Baronius having been advised by his physician not to think so much about death, replied: “And why? Is it perchance that I fear it? I do not fear but I love it!”

Cardinal St Fisher, as Saunders relates, when about to die for the Faith, put on the best clothes he had, saying, he was going to a wedding.
When he came in sight of the scaffold he cast away his staff,
saying: “Make haste my feet, make haste, for we are not far from Paradise.” And before dying he sang Te Deum, in returning thanks to God, Who had allowed him to die a Martyr’s death, for the holy Faith and thus being filled with joy, he placed his head under the axe.

St Francis of Assisi sang while dying and invited the others to sing too. One, Brother Elias, made answer saying: “We ought to weep, Father and not to sing when we are dying.” But the Saint replied: “I cannot do less than sing, seeing that, within so short a time, I am going to enjoy God.”

A Teresian Nun dying when she was young and seeing the
other Nuns begin to weep, she said to them: “ O God, wherefore do you weep, I am going to find my Jesus; if you love me rejoice with me!”
Father Granada relates that a certain hunter found a solitary leper singing when dying: “Why is it,” said the hunter, “that thou canst sing when, in this condition?” The hermit answered, saying: “Brother, between me and God there is only the wall of this my body, now I can see falling into pieces that which was my prison and I am going to see God and, therefore, I comfort myself and sing.”

This longing to see God, made St Ignatius the Martyr say, that if the wild beasts did not come to take away his life, he would irritate them and thus, provoke them to devour him.

St Catherine of Genoa would not allow anyone to consider death a misfortune, for she said: “O beloved death! how ungraciously art thou welcomed! and why do thou not come to me, when I call upon thee day and night?”
St Teresa desired death so much that she considered it death, not to die and accordingly she composed the celebrated Hymn: “I die because 1 do not die”
Even such is death to the Saints!

Affections andPrayers

Ah my Sovereign Good, my God! if during the years that are
past, I have not loved Thee, now will I be converted to Thee. I
bid farewell to every creature and I choose to love Thee alone,
my sweetest Saviour.
Tell me what Thou wishest me to do that I may do it.
I have already committed offences enough against Thee. The life remaining to me, I would wish to spend it all in pleasing Thee.
Give me strength, in some way to atone, with my love, for the ingratitude which, until now, I have shown Thee.
I have deserved, all these years, to be cast into everlasting punishment. Thou hast sought me so many tunes, now at last, Thou hast drawn me to Thee; let me now burn with the fire of Thy holy love.

I love Thee, O Thou Infinite Good,
Thou wishest me to love Thee only and with reason, for Thou
hast loved me more than all and Thou alone art worthy to be
loved and I will love Thee only, for I would do all I can to
please Thee. Do with me as Thou wilt. It is enough that I
love Thee and that Thou lovest me.

In the Tower by TPS
Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, MODESTY, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on the POOR, The FOUR CARDINAL VIRTUES: JUSTICE, PRUDENCE, TEMPERANCE, FORTITUDE

Quote/s of the Day – 22 September – St Thomas of Villanova OSA (1488-1555) Archbishop, Confessor.

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Quote/s of the Day – 22 September – St Thomas of Villanova OSA (1488-1555) Archbishop, Confessor.

“Humility is the mother of many virtues
because, from it are born:
obedience, fear, reverence, patience,
modesty, meekness and peace.
He who is humble easily obeys everyone,
fears to offend anyone,
is at peace with everyone,
is kind to all!”

“If you wish God to anticipate your wants,
provide those of the needy
without waiting for them to ask you.
Especially anticipate the needs of those
who are ashamed to beg.
To make them ask for alms
is to make them buy it.”

“Rejoice, then, you poor folks;
shout for joy, you needy ones
for even if the world
holds you in contempt,
you are highly valued
by your Lord God and the Angels.”

MORE:
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St Thomas of Villanova OSA (1488-1555)

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on JUDGING, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 September – ‘ … Here He gives us a complete image of the Resurrection …’

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One Minute Reflection – 22 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – St Thomas of Villanova OSA (1488-1555) Archbishop, Confessor – 1 Corinthians 1:4-8; Matthew 9:1-8 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic,
Take courage, son, thy sins are forgiven thee.” – Matthew 9:2

REFLECTION – “Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic: ‘Thy sins are forgiven thee,‘” The Lord is great! for the sake of the former he forgives the latter! He answers the prayer of the first and pardons the sins of the second.
O men, why is it that today your fellow traveller is unable to do anything for you, when, with the Lord, His servant has the right to intervene and to receive?

You who judge, learn to pardon and you who are ill, learn to beseech. If you have no hope of immediate pardon for grave sins, turn to intercessors, turn to the Church who will pray for you. Then, for her sake, the Lord will grant you the pardon He might have denied you. We do not ignore the historical truth of the paralytic’s cure but, above all, we acknowledge the healing of his interior self, whose sins are forgiven. …

The Lord wants to save sinners; He demonstrates His Divinity by His knowledge of what is secret and, by the wonders of His deeds. “Which is easier to say,” he asks: “’Your sins are forgiven’ or ‘Rise and walk’?” Here He gives us a complete image of the Resurrection since, in curing the wounds of soul and body … the whole man is healed!” – St Ambrose (340-397) ArchBishop of Milan, Father and Doctor of the Church (Commentary on Saint Luke’s Gospel V, 11-13).

PRAYER – O God, Who endowed blessed Bishop Thomas with the virtue of special pity for the poor, we beseech Thee, through his intercession, generously to pour forth the riches of Thy mercy upon all those who pray to Thee.ThroughJesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SIN

Thought for the Day – 21 September – CONSIDERATION IX, The Peace Felt by a Just Man When Dying

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Thought for the Day – 21 September – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION IX

The Peace Felt by a Just Man When Dying
“The souls of the just are in the Hands of God
and the torment of death, shall not touch them.
In the sight of the unwise, they seemed to die,
…. but they are at peace.”
(Wisd iii: 1-3)

FIRST POINT:
“The souls of the just are in the Hand of God.”
If God holds the souls of the just in His Hand, who is it that can pluck them out of it? It is true that hell never ceases to tempt and to insult the Saints, even when they are dying but God never ceases to assist them and, when, as St Ambrose observes, His faithful servants are placed in more danger, then. does He give them more assistance.

When the servant of Elisha saw the City surrounded by enemies, he was affrighted but the Saint encouraged him, saying: “Fear not, for they who be with us, are more than they who be with them.” (2 Kings vi: 16). And Elisha then prayed and the young man’s eyes were opened and he saw an army of Angels sent by God to defend them!
The devil will indeed come to tempt the dying man but his Guardian Angel will also come to comfort him. St Michael, who is appointed by God to defend His faithful servants in this their last combat with hell but, above all, Jesus Christ will come to keep this His penitent and innocent sheep, for whose salvation He once gave up His life. He will give thy soul that confidence and strength which, in such a combat, it will stand in need of, so that He will exclaim with all courage: “Lord, be Thou my helper.” (Ps xxx: 10).

“The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom then shall I fear?” (Ps xxvii: I) God, as Origen observes, cares much more about our eternal salvation than the devil does about our eternal ruin because, God Loves us much more than the devil hates us.
God is faithful, observes the Apostle and will not suffer us to be tempted above that which we are able (i Cor x: 13).
But you will say: “Many Saints have died in great fear concerning their eternal salvation.” I answer, few are the examples of those who, having led a holy life, have afterwards died in great fear.

Belluacensis observes, the Lord permits this in some Saints, in order to purge them when dying from some defect. Besides, do we not read that almost all God’s servants have died with a smile upon their lips?
To all, the Divine Judgment gives fear of death but where sinners pass from fear to desperation, the Saints pass to assurance.
St Antoninus narrates that St Bernard, being ill, was tempted to fear but, thinking upon the merits of Jesus Christ, he dismissed every fear, saying: “My merits are Thy Wounds.”
St Hilarion at first was afraid but later he said, rejoicing: “Go forth, my soul, of what art thou afraid? For well nigh seventy years thou hast served Christ and dost thou now fear death?” As if he wished to say, my soul, what dost thou fear after having served a God Who is faithful and
Who will never abandon him, who has been faithful to Him in life?

Father Joseph Scamacca being asked if he felt he was dying with confidence, answered: “What! have I been serving Mahomet all my life that I should now doubt the goodness of my God as to whether He may wish me to be saved?”
If the thought of having once offended God at any time should torment us in death, we know the Lord has promised to remember no more, the sins of the penitent.
“If the wicked will turn from all his sins which he hath committed, … they shall not be mentioned unto Him.” (Ezelc xviii: 21, 22).
But some will say, how can we be sure that God has pardoned us? St Basil even, asks this question and replies: “If we can say, I hate and abominate my sin because he who hates sin, may rest secure that God has pardoned him already.”

The heart of man cannot exist without love; it either loves the creature, or it loves God; if it does not love the creature, then it loves God. And who is it that loves God? Even he who keeps His commandments.
“He who hath My commandments and keepeth them, he it is who loveth Me.” (St John xiv: 21).
He, therefore, who dies, observing God’s commands, dies loving God and he who loves God shall not fear for “perfect love casteth out fear.” (i St John iv: 18).

Affections andPrayers.

Ah, my Jesus, when will that day come when I shall be able
to say, “My God, never more shall I be able to lose Thee?”
When will that day come when I shall see Thee face-to-face,
and shall rest secure of loving Thee, with all my strength for all eternity?

Ah my Sovereign Good, my only love, as long as I live I shall stand in danger of offending Thee and of losing Thy blessed grace!
There was once an unhappy time when I loved Thee not and when I despised Thy Love but now, I repent with all my heart and hope Thou hast already pardoned me; for now I love Thee with all my heart and I desire to do all I can, to love Thee and to please Thee but I am still in danger of not loving Thee, and of again turning away from Thee.
Ah, my Jesus, my Life, my Treasure, do not permit me to do this. Rather than allow this dreadful misfortune to befall
me, let me now die the most painful death it may please Thee to send me. I am content with it and I pray for it.

Eternal Father, for the love of Jesus Christ, give me not over to this
great ruin. Punish me as Thou wilt, I deserve it and I accept
it but deliver me from the punishment of ever beholding myself deprived of Thy grace and of Thy Love.
My Jesus, for Thine own sake have mercy upon me!

Posted in QUOTES on ENEMIES, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, St JOHN the BAPTIST, St PETER!, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 21 September – St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, Martyr

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Quote/s of the Day – 21 September – The Feast of St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, Martyr

“He said to him, “Follow me.”
And he got up and followed him.”

Matthew 9:9

“You are the light of the world
you are the salt of the earth…”

Matthew 5:14

“But I say to you,
love our enemies
and pray for those
who persecute you”

Matthew 5:44

“Why are you fearful,
O you of little faith?
Then he arose and rebuked the wind
and the sea
and there came a great calm.”

Matthew 8:25

“According to your faith,
be it done to you …”

Matthew 9:30

“Amen I say to you.
there hath not risen
among them that are
born of women,
a greater than
John the Baptist.”

Matthew 11:11

“Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona
because flesh and blood
hath not revealed it to thee
but my Father,
Who is in Heaven….”

Matthew 16:17

MORE:
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Posted in APRIL -MONTH of the RESURRECTION and the BLESSED SACAMENT, CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on GRACE, Quotes on SALVATION, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The INCARNATION, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 21 September – ‘ …The Resurrection reclined at this table …’

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One Minute Reflection – 21 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – The Feast of St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, Martyr – Ezekiel 1:10-14; Matthew 9:9-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Why does your Master eat with publicans and sinners? ” – Matthew 9:11

REFLECTION – “Why does your Master eat with publicans and sinners?” God is accused of bending down to man, of sitting next to the sinner, of being hungry for his conversion and thirsty for his return; of consenting to eat the food of compassion and drink from the cup of goodness. But Christ, my brethren, came to this meal – Life came amongst these guests that those who were going to die, might live with Him, the same Life as He. The Resurrection reclined at this table that those who lay in death, might rise from their tombs; Grace stooped down to raise sinners up, to forgiveness; God came to man that man might attain to God; the Judge came to the meal of the guilty, to release humankind from the sentence of condemnation; the Doctor came to the sick, to restore their depleted strength by eating with them; the Good Shepherd bent down to carry the lost sheep back to salvation’s fold (Lk 15:l3) …

“Why does your Master eat with publicans and sinners?” But who is the sinner, if not the one who refuses to see himself as sinful? Is it not, to sink in one’s sins and, if the truth be told, identify oneself with sin by not recognising oneself to be a sinner? And who is unrighteous if not the one who thinks himself righteous? … Come along, you Pharisee, confess your sin and you will be able to come to Christ’s Table! Christ will become Bread for your sake, the Bread to be broken for the forgiveness of your sins! Christ will become Drink for your sake, the Drink which will be shed for the remission of your offences!Come along, you Pharisee, share the meal of sinners that you may eat your meal with Christ. Acknowledge yourself a sinner and Christ will eat with you. Go in to the Lord’s Feast along with sinners and you will be able to be a sinner no more. With the forgiveness of Christ, enter into the House of Mercy.” – St Peter Chrysologus (400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father & “Doctor of Sermons”of the Church (Sermon 30).

PRAYER – May we be helped, O Lord, by the prayers of the blessed Apostle and Evangelist, Matthew that what we ourselves cannot obtain, maybe granted by his intercession. 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).

Posted in PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN

Thought for the Day – 20 September –CONSIDERATION VIII, Third Point – The Death of the Just – “ The Gate of Life …”

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Thought for the Day – 20 September – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION VIII

The Death of the Just
“Precious in the Sight of the Lord
is the death of His Saints.”
(Ps cxv: 15)

THIRD POINT:
Not only is death the end of our labours but, it is even the Gate of Life, as St Bernard observes. He who wishes to enter in and see God, must pass through this gate.
“This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter into it.” (Ps cxviii: 20).
St Jerome called out to death and said: “Open to me, my sister.” My sister, death, if thou dost not open the door, I cannot go in to enjoy my Lord.

St Charles Borromeo, having a painting in his house which represented a skeleton with a scythe in the hand,called for the painter and ordered him to erase the scythe and to paint a golden key; desiring by this that the wish for death should ever be kindled in his heart, for death is that key which must open the Gate of Heaven for us to see God.

St John Chrysostom observes that if a King had prepared an apartment in his Palace for someone but, for some time desired that person to live in a hovel, how much would he not desire to leave the hovel and to go to the Palace?
The soul during this life, being in the body, is as it were, in a prison, from which it must pass to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, therefore, David prayed, saying: “Bring my soul out of prison.” (Ps cxlii: 9).
And the holy Simeon, when he had the Infant Jesus in his arms, sought for no other favour than death, so as to be freed from the prison of this life: “Lord, now lettest Thou, Thy servant depart in peace.” (St Luke ii: 29).
St Ambrose also says: “he seeks, as if he were held by necessity, to be dismissed.”
The Apostle also desired the same grace when he said: “having a desire to depart and to be with Christ,” (Phil i:23).

What joy the cup-bearer of Pharaoh felt when he heard from Joseph that he should soon be released from prison and should return to his post!
And a soul who loves God, does it not rejoice when it hears that, within a short time, it will be released from the prison of this world and will go to enjoy God?
“Whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord.” (2 Cor v: 6). Whilst we are united to the body, we are far from the sight of God, as it were, in a foreign land and far from our own Country and, therefore St Bruno remarks, our death ought not to be called death but Life!
Hence, the death of the of the Saints is called their birthday; yes, because when they die they are borne to that blessed life which will never have an end.

St Athanasius observes: “the just die not but are translated.”To the just, death is no other, than the transition to eternal life.”
“O beautiful death,” says St Augustine, “and who is he who does not long for thee, seeing thou art the end of all work, the end of toil and the beginning of eternal rest?”
Therefore, the Saint earnestly prayed, saying: “May I die, O Lord, that I may see Thee?”

St Cyprian observes, that death must indeed be feared by the sinner because he will pass from a temporal to an eternal death. “Let him fear to die, who shall pass to the second death” but he who is within the Grace of God, does not fear death because he will pass from death to an Eternal Life.
In the life of St John the Almoner, it is related, a certain rich man recommended his only son to the Saint and gave him many alms, so that the Saint might obtain a long life for his son from God but, the son soon afterwards died. As the father was grieving over the death of his son, God sent an Angel to him, who said: “Thou didst seek a long life for thy son, know that he is now enjoying it eternally in Paradise.” This is the Grace Jesus Christ obtained for us, as it was promised in Hosea: “O death, I will be thy plague.” (Hos xiii: 14). Jesus, in dying for us, made our death to become Life.
When Pionius the Martyr was being borne to the scaffold, he was asked by those who led him: “How it was he could go so joyfully to death?” The Saint answered: “You deceive yourselves; I go not to death but to Life.”
Even thus was the youthful St Symphorian encouraged by his mother when the time of his Martyrdom drew nigh: “O my son, life is not taken away from thee; it is exchanged for a better.”

Affections and Prayers

O God of my soul, for the time past I have dishonoured Thee, in turning away from Thee but Thy Son has honoured Thee in sacrificing His Life to Thee upon the Cross. Through the honour done to Thee by Thy dearly Beloved Son, forgive the dishonour I have done Thee.
I am very sorry, O my Sovereign Good, for having offended Thee and I promise, from this day forward, to love none other but Thee. I hope for my salvation from Thee. Whatever I have now that is good, is all of Thy Mercy; I know that I receive it all from Thee: “By the Grace of God, I am what I am.” (i Cor xv: l0).

If during the time past I have dishonoured Thee, I hope to honour Thee forever in eternity in blessing Thee for Thy Mercy.
I feel a great desire to love Thee but Thou givest me the desire and I thank Thee for it, O Jesus, my Love. Continue, oh, continue to help me, as Thou hast already done, for I hope, from this day forward, to be Thine and Thine alone.


I renounce all worldly pleasures, for what greater pleasure can I have, than pleasing Thee, my Lord, Who art so lovely, and Who hast loved me so much? I only seek for love, O my God and I hope ever to seek it from Thee, until dying in Thy Love, I shall reach the Kingdom of Love, where, without beseeching any longer, I shall be filled with love and never, for one moment, cease to love Thee, with all my strength, forever in eternity.

Posted in ACT of LOVE, ACT of REPARATION, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, franciscan OFM, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on WEALTH/RICHES, QUOTES on WISDOM, The BEATITUDES, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

Quote/s of the Day – 20 September – Humility

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Quote/s of the Day – 20 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – The Vigil of St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist – Wisdom 5:16-20; Luke 6:17-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the Kingdom of God.”

Luke 6:20

“If thou wouldst see well, pluck out thine eyes and be blind;
if thou wouldst hear well, be deaf
and if thou wouldst speak well, become dumb;
if thou wouldst advance, stand still
and advance with thy mind;
if thou wouldst work well, cut off thy hands
and work with thy heart;
if thou wouldst love much, hate thyself;
if thou wouldst live well, mortify thyself;
if thou wouldst gain much and be rich,
first lose all and become poor
and if thou wouldst enjoy peace, afflict thyself
and be ever in fear and suspect thine own self;
if thou wouldst be exalted and have great honour,
humble and abase thyself;
if thou wouldst be held in great reverence, despise thyself
and do reverence to him who reviles thee;
if thou wouldst that it should be well with thee,
suffer all evil things and if thou wouldst be blessed,
desire that all should speak ill of thee
and if thou wouldst have true and eternal rest,
then toil and suffer and desire to have every temporal affliction.
O what great wisdom it is to know how to do
and to work out these things.”

Blessed Giles of Assisi (c1190-1262)

“If you seek an example of humility,
look upon Him Who is Crucified,
although He was God, He chose to be judged
by Pontius Pilate and put to death. …
If you seek an example of obedience,
imitate Him Who was obedient to the Father
“even to death” (Phil 2:8).
“For just as through the disobedience
of one person, Adam,
the many were made sinners,
so through the obedience of One,
the many will be made righteous” (Rom 5:19). .
If you seek an example of contempt
for earthly things,
imitate Him Who is “King of kings
and Lord of lords” (1 Tm 6:15),
“in whom are hidden
all the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge” (Col 2:3).
On the Cross He was stripped naked,
ridiculed, spat upon, bruised,
crowned with thorns,
given to drink of vinegar and gall.”

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Angelic Doctor of the Church

“We must make many acts of humility
before we can attain any proficiency in the virtue.
Our acts of humility must consist,
not merely in protesting to Almighty God
that we are vile and worthless ,in His sight
and in humbling ourselves before Him
by reason of our many sins.
Our acts of humility must be practiced
towards others by being very gentle
towards those who provoke us,
by bearing contradictions with patience,
by accepting disappointments with patience
and rebuffs without complaint.
All this is a gradual process
and we must not expect proficiency in humility
until we have long practiced these means to attain it.”

Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

(The Attainment of Humility)
https://anastpaul.com/2024/06/09/thought-for-the-day-9-june-the-attainment-of-humility/

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on POVERTY, QUOTES on the POOR, QUOTES on WEALTH/RICHES, The BEATITUDES, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 20 September – “Blessed are you who are poor … Luke 6:20

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One Minute Reflection – 20 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – The Vigil of St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist – Wisdom 5:16-20; Luke 6:17-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God.” – Luke 6:20

REFLECTION – “Blessed,” He says, “are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt 5:3). It would perhaps be doubtful what poor He was speaking of, if in saying “blessed are the poor ” He had added nothing which would explain the sort of poor and then, that poverty by itself, would appear sufficient to win the Kingdom of Heaven, which many suffer from, hard and heavy necessity. But when He says “blessed are the poor in spirit,” He shows that the Kingdom of Heaven must be assigned to those who are recommended by the humility of their spirit, rather than, by the smallness of their means.

Yet it cannot be doubted, that this possession of humility is more easily acquired by the poor than the rich: for submissiveness is the companion of those, who want, while loftiness of mind, dwells with riches. Notwithstanding, even in many of the rich, is found that spirit which uses its abundance, not for the increasing of its pride but on works of kindness and counts that for the greatest gain which it expends in the relief of others’ hardships. It is given to every kind and rank of men, to share in this virtue because men maybe equal in will, though unequal in fortune and ,it does not matter, how different they are in earthly means, who are found equal in spiritual possessions.  Blessed, therefore, is poverty which is not possessed with a love of temporal things and does not seek to be increased with the riches of the world but is eager to amass heavenly possessions.” – St Leo the Great (400-461) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 95, PL 54, 461).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God that the worshipful Feast of Thy blessed Apostle and Evangelist, St Matthew, on the eve whereof we now stand, may avail us, to the increase, both of godliness toward Thee and of health to our own souls. 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).

Posted in PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL

Thought for the Day – 19 September –CONSIDERATION VIII, Second Point – The Death of the Just – “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes …”

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Thought for the Day – 19 September – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION VIII

The Death of the Just
“Precious in the Sight of the Lord
is the death of His Saints.”
(Ps cxv: 15)

SECOND POINT;
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death.” (Apoc xxi: 4) .
Therefore, in death the Lord will wipe away from the eyes of His servants the tears which they have shed, living as they do in trouble, in fears, in dangers and in battles with hell.
What can be greater consolation to a soul who has loved God when death is announced, than the thought, that soon it will be freed from the many dangers there are in this life of offending God; from the many barbs of conscience, and from the temptations of the devil. This present life is a continual warfare with hell, in which we are in constant danger of losing our souls and then, our God!

St Ambrose tell us, that upon this earth we are ever walking amidst the snares of the enemy who lies in wait to rob us of the life of grace.
It was this danger which caused St Peter of Alcantara to say when dying, to a religious who, when assisting him, touched him:
“My brother, keep away from me because I am still living and am yet in danger of being eternally lost!”
It was this danger also that caused St Teresa to be consoled
each time she heard the clock strike, rejoicing that another hour of warfare was passed, for she said: “At any moment of my life, I may sin and by doing so, I may lose God.”

Therefore, it is that the Saints are so rejoicing, when death is announced to them, knowing, as they do that very soon their battles and their dangers will be ended and they, within a very short time, will reach that happy state when they will no longer be able to lose God.
It is related in the lives of the Fathers – once when an aged
Father was dying in Scythia, he laughed when the others wept; on being asked why he laughed, he answered:
“Wherefore do you weep, knowing, as you do, that I am going to my rest?”
Likewise, St Catherine of Sienna,when she was dying, said:
“Rejoice with me, for I am leaving this world of sorrows and I am going to a place of rest.”
St Cyprian observes, that if someone were living in a house, the walls of which were falling down and the floors and roof were shaking, so that everything was threatening ruin, would not such a one be very desirous to quit that house?
In this life, all things are threatening ruin to the soul – the world, hell, the passions, the rebellious senses; these all draw us onto sin and to everlasting death. The Apostle exclaims: “ Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Rom vii: 34).
Oh, what joy will the soul feel when it hears those words:
“Come with Me from Lebanon, My spouse, with Me from Lebanon … from the lions’ dens.” (Sol Song iv: 8). Come, my spouse, come from the place of tears and from the dens of lions which are seeking to devour thee and to make thee lose the Divine grace.
Therefore, St Paul desiring death, said that Jesus Christ was his only life and, therefore, he thought that to die was his greatest gain, since, in dying, he obtained life which has no end.
“For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Phil i: 21).
It is a great favour which God grants to that soul that is in a state of grace to take it from this world, where, at any time, it may become changed and may lose the friendship of God!
“He was taken away lest wickedness should alter his understanding.” (Wisd iv: II..

Happy in this life is he, who is united to God but, like the sailor, who cannot be called safe until he has arrived in port and is escaped from the tempest: even so, a soul cannot be called fully happy, until it has departed this life in the favour of God.
Now, if it causes joy to the sailor when, after many dangers, he has almost safely arrived in port, how much more shall not he rejoice, who is just on the point of securing eternal salvation?!
Besides, in this life, it is impossible to live without committing sin, at least venial sin: “For a just man falleth seven times.” (Prov xxiv: 16).
He who is leaving this life, ceases to give offence to God.

St Ambrose asks: “What is death but the sepulchre of vice!” It is even this that makes death so desirable to
the lovers of God.
With this, the venerable Vincent Caraffa consoled himself when dying, by saying: “When I cease to live, I shall cease to offend God.”
And St Ambrose also said:
“Wherefore, do we desire this life, in which the longer anyone lives, the greater will be the burden of sins with which he is laden!”
He who dies in the grace of God, is placed in a state in which he cannot, neither does he know how, to offend God. “The dead know not how to sin,” remarks the same Saint.

Therefore, the Lord praises the dead, more than any man living, although he may be a Saint. “Wherefore I praised the dead who are already dead, more than the living.” (Eccles iv: 2).

A certain good man ordered, that he, who should come to announce his death to him, should say:
“Rejoice because the time is come when thou shalt no more offend God!”

Affections and Prayers

“Into Thy Hands I commend my spirit, for Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, Thou God of truth.” (Ps xxxi: 5). Ah, my sweet Redeemer, where should I have now been if Thou hadst allowed me to die when I was living far from Thee? I should now be in hell.where I could never love Thee more.
I thank Thee for not having abandoned me and for having granted me so many graces to win my heart to Thee. I am very sorry for having offended Thee. I love Thee above all things. I pray Thee ever to make me more sensible of the evil I have committed in despising Thee and, of the love which Thy Infinite Goodness deserves.
I love Thee and I would like soon to die, if it be Thy holy will, in order to be freed from the danger of ever losing Thy holy Grace,and to be sure of loving Thee forever in eternity.

Ah, during the years which may remain to me, give me strength, my beloved Jesus, to do something for Thee before death shall overtake me. Give me strength to withstand the temptations and passions and especially against that passion which, for the past time, has most caused me to displease Thee.
Give me patience in infirmity and under the wrongs I may receive from men. I now pardon, through Thy love, all who may have despised me and I pray Thee, to give them those graces which they may desire.
Give me strength to be more diligent in avoiding even venial sins, concerning which I know that I am negligent. Help me, my Saviour, I hope for all things by of Thy Merits.

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, franciscan OFM, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of PETITION, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, The SECOND COMING, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 19 September – Patience, Perseverance, Prayer

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Quote/s of the Day – 19 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – Hebrews 10:32-38; Matthew 24:3-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But he who shall persevere
to the end,
he shall be saved.”

Matthew 24:13

“For patience is necessary for you
that, doing the Will of God,
you may receive the promise.
For yet a little and a very little while
and He that is to come, will come
and will not delay.”

Hebrews 10:36-37

A Brother said to Brother Giles:
“ Father, I have seen other men who received from God
the grace of devotion and of tears in their prayers
and I cannot feel in myself any such grace,
when I go to worship God.”
To whom Brother Giles answered:
“My Brother, I counsel thee to persevere humbly
and faithfully in thy prayers;
for the fruits of the earth cannot be had without toil
and labour applied beforehand
and even after we have laboured,
the desired fruit does not follow immediately
but only in its season, when the fullness of time has come.”

Blessed Giles of Assisi (c1190-1262)

Grant Me, My God
By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Angelic Doctor, Common Doctor

Make my heart watchful, O God,
so that no vain thoughts may distract it from Thee.
Make it noble,
so that it may never be seduced by any base affection.
Make it steadfast,
so that troubles may not dismay it.
Make it free,
so that it may not yield to the onslaughts of passion.
Grant me, my God,
the intelligence, to understand Thee,
the love, to seek Thee,
the wisdom, to find Thee,
words, to please Thee,
the perseverance, to wait faithfully for Thee
and, the hope of embracing Thee, at last.
Grant that I, a repentant sinner,
may bear Thy chastisements with resignation.
Poor pilgrim which I am,
may I draw on the treasury of Thine grace
and may I one day,
be eternally happy with Thee in Heavnely glory!
Amen.

“But, it is not all suffering
which has this wholesome effect
but only suffering borne with patience.
If we are impatient, rebellious, unresigned –
our suffering maybe an occasion of fresh trouble,
rather than of peace. I must accept it
from the Hand of God, if it is to bring with it
that quiet tranquillity which I have never yet attained
as I fight. I must bow my head and place myself
in God’s Hands to suffer, as He pleases,
whatever He pleases, as long as He pleases.
This is the only road to solid peace!”

Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)
(The First Fruit of Patience: – Peace)

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on SIMPLICITY, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 19 September – “But he that shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved.” – Matthew 24:13

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One Minute Reflection – 19 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – St Januarius of Naples (Died c304) Confessor, Bishop, Martyr and his Martyred Companions – Hebrews 10:32-38; Matthew 24:3-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But he, who shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved.” – Matthew 24:13

REFLECTION – “He who is mocked by his neighbour, as I am, will call upon God and He will answer him …” (Job 12:4 Vg) … But sometimes, the soul perseveres in good works with a constant heart and yet, is pushed violently by the scoffing of men; it does admirable deeds and receives only abuse and he, who might have been encouraged, to come out of himself by commendation, is repulsed by insults and returns back again into himself. He establishes himself the more firmly in God, as he finds no place elsewhere he may rest in peace – for all his hope is fixed in his Creator. Amidst ridicule and abuse, he implores only the interior Witness. His soul in distress, becomes God’s neighbour, in proportion, as he is a stranger to the favour of man’s esteem. So, he pours himself out in prayer and, hard-pressed from without, is refined with a more perfect purity, to enter more deeply into all that is interior. Therefore, it is well said at this time, “He who is mocked by his neighbour, as I am, will call upon God and He will answer him …” And while the soul of the good strengthens itself, with compunction, in prayer, it is united within itself, in the hearing of the most High, in the very act which severs it, from the approval of men, outside itself. ..

“For the upright man’s simplicity is laughed to scorn” (Job 12:4) It is the wisdom of this world to conceal one’s feelings with pretence, to veil the sense with words; to show things which are false, as true and, to present as fallacious that which is true. But, on the other hand, it is the wisdom of the righteous, to pretend nothing, … to discover the meaning, by words; to love the truth as it is, to avoid falsehood; to set forth good deeds freely, to bear evil more gladly than to do it; to seek no revenge for a wrong, to count ill repute as a gain, for the truth’s sake. But this simplicity of the righteous, is laughed to scorn because the goodness of purity, is taken for folly, by the wise men of this world. For doubtless, everything which is done from innocence, is counted foolish by them and, whatever truth sanctions in practice, sounds weak to carnal wisdom!” – St Gregory the Great (540-604) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church (A commentary on the Book of Job 10:47-48).

PRAYER – O God, Who gladdens us by the annual festival of Thy Martyrs Januarius and Companions, grant that we, may be inspired by the example of those, in whose merits we rejoice.Through tJesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in INDULGENCES, MARIAN PRAYERS, Of a Holy DEATH & AGAINST A SUDDEN DEATH, of the DYING, FINAL PERSEVERANCE, DEATH of CHILDREN, DEATH of PARENTS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH

Our Morning Offering – 18 September – Indulgenced Prayer to Our Lady of Sorrows for a Happy Death

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Indulgenced Prayer to
Our Lady of Sorrows
for a Happy Death
(Pope Pius VII granted an
Indulgence of 300 days, Every Time)

Oh Mary, Refuge of Sinners, sweet Mother,
I entreat thee, by the Sorrows
thou didst experience, in beholding
thy Diving Son dying on the Cross,
help me by thy merciful intercession,
when my soul is about to leave this world;
drive away all evil spirits,
come to meet my soul
and present it to the Eternal Judge.
O! Queen of Heaven, do not abandon thy child.
Next to Jesus, thou wilt be my comfort
in that fearful hour.
Ask of Him to grant me the grace to die,
kissing in spirit, His holy feet,
aadoring His sacred wounds
and saying, with my last breath,
“Jesus and Mary, I give you my heart and my soul.”
Amen

PRAY – Seven Hail Marys

Posted in CHRIST the JUDGE, PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on FAITH

Thought for the Day – 18 September –CONSIDERATION VIII, The Death of the Just

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Thought for the Day – 18 September – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION VIII

The Death of the Just
“Precious in the Sight of the Lord
is the death of His Saints.”
(Ps cxv: 15)

FIRST POINT:
WHEN we view death according to the senses, it terrifies and affrights us but, when we view it with the eye of faith, it consoles us and makes us desire it.
It appears terrible to sinners but lovely and very precious to Saints.

St Bernard tells us, .“death is precious as the end of labours, the consummation of victory, the gate of Life!” “The end of labour,” yes, truly, does death put an end to our labours and toil.
“Man, born of a woman, is of few days and full of trouble.” (Job xiv: i).
Behold what our life is; it is short, it is full of misery, infirmities, fears and passions. The worldly, who desire a long life, what do they seek, observes Seneca but a longer time of suffering? If we continue to live, do we not continue to suffer? as St Augustine himself remarks.
Yes, indeed, because, according to St Ambrose, our present life was not given to us for repose but for work and by that work, to make ourselves worthy of eternal life. When God, as Tertullian justly observes, shortens the life of anyone, He shortens his suffering. Hence, it is, although death was given to man as a punishment for sin, yet, notwithstanding this, the miseries of this life are such, as St Ambrose remarks, death would appear to be given to us rather as a relief, than a punishment.

God calls those who die in His grace blessed because their labours are finished and they go to their rest.
“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. … Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours.” (Rev xiv: 13).

The. torments which afflict the sinners, when dying, do not trouble the Saints.
“The souls of the just are in the hand of God and the torment of death shall not touch them.” (Wisd iii: I).
The Saints do not grieve when they hear the “Prqficiscere” (“Go forth Christian soul”) which terrifies the worldly so much. The Saints are not troubled when they have to leave their worldly goods, for they have kept their hearts severed from them. They go about ever repeating to themselves,
“God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Ps Ixxiii: 25).

Blessed are you, writes the Apostle to his disciples, who have been stripped of all your earthly possessions, for the sake of Jesus Christ.
“You …. took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that you have in Heaven a better and an enduring substance.” (Heb x: 34).
They do not grieve at leaving the honours because they always detested them and reckoned them, as they indeed are, nothing but smoke and vanity; they esteemed loving God and being loved by God, their only honour.
They do not grieve at leaving their relations because they have only loved them in God; when dying, they commend them to that Heavenly Father, Who loves them more than theyselves and trusting to be saved, they hope to be able to help them more, when they are in Paradise, than while on this earth.
Finally, what they have ever said in life: “My God and my all,” they repeat, with greater consolation and tenderness when dying.

He, therefore, who dies loving God, is not tormented by the fears which death brings with it but, on the contrary, he is pleased with them, thinking that his life is now ended and that there is no more time to suffer for God and to offer Him anymore proofs of his love.
Then, lovingly and peacefully, he gives Him these last moments of his life and consoles himself in uniting the sacrifice of his death with the sacrifice which Jesus Christ once offered for him, on the Cross to His eternal Father.
And thus, he joyfully expires, saying: “I will lay me down in peace and take my rest.” (Ps iv: 9).
Oh, what peace to die thus, given up to and reposing in the arms of Jesus Christ, Who has loved us even unto death and was willing to endure a cruel death, to obtain a sweet and peaceful death for us.

Affections and Prayers

O my beloved Jesus, Who, to obtain a happy death for me, wast willing to die a death so bitter upon Calvary, when shall I behold Thee?
The first time that I shall see Thee, it will be as my Judge, in that same place in which I shall breathe forth my soul.
And then, what shall I say to Thee? What wilt Thou say to me? I will not wait until that time to think what I shall say. I will think now. I will say to Thee:
“My dear Redeemer, Thou art the same Who hast died for me. At one time I did offend Thee, I was ungrateful to Thee and I did not deserve Thy pardon but now, being assisted by Thy Grace, I repented and during the remainder of my life, I have mourned because of my sins and Thou hast pardoned me.
Pardon me once more, now that I am at Thy feet and do Thou Thyself give me a general absolution for my sins.
I did not deserve to love Thee any more, for having despised Thy Love but Thou, in Thy Mercy, hast drawn my heart to Thee and if, it has not loved Thee as Thou ought to be loved, at least, it has loved Thee above all other things, giving up everything in order to please Thee.
Now what wilt Thou say to me ?
I can see, that Paradise and possessing Thee in Thy Kingdom, is a blessing too great for me but I cannot trust myself to live far from Thee, especially now that Thou hast once let me see Thy beautiful and lovely Face.
Therefore, I seek to live in Paradise, not that I may be happy there but that I may love Thee more.
And now, my beloved Judge, raise Thy Hand and bless me and tell me I am Thine and Thou wilt be mine, forever.
I would ever love Thee, do Thou ever love me.
Have Mercy upon a soul who loves Thee with all its strength and longs to see Thee, so as to love Thee more.”

Even thus do I hope, O my Jesus, do I hope then to speak to
Thee. In the meantime, I pray Thee, to grant me grace, so
to live that when dying, I may say to Thee that which I have
of just thought.
Give me holy perseverance and give me Thine Love.

Posted in ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, franciscan OFM, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, JESUIT SJ, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on Love of Self, St PAUL!, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 18 September – Wear the correct garment!

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Quote/s of the Day – 18 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – St Joseph of Cupertino OFM Conv (1603-1663) Confessor – 1 Corinthians 13:1-8; Matthew 22:1-14 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Friend, how did you come in here
without a wedding garment?”

Matthew 22:12

“If I speak with the tongues
of men and of angels
and have not charity,
I am become as sounding brass,
or a tinkling cymbal.
And if I should have prophecy
and should know all mysteries
and all knowledge
and if I should have all faith,
so that I could remove mountains
but have not charity,
I am nothing!”

St Paul
1 Corinthians 13:1-2

“Love the Lord and so,
learn to love yourselves
that when, by loving the Lord,
you shall have loved yourselves,
you may securely love
your neighbour as yourselves. …
So then, have faith with love.
This is the “wedding garment!”

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

“Love God, serve God.
Everything is in that!”

St Clare of Assisi (1191-1253)

“It is an old custom
with the servants of God,
always to have some little prayers ready
and to be darting them up to Heaven
frequently during the day,
lifting their minds to God
out of the filth of this world.
He who adopts this plan,
will get great fruit, with little pains.”

St Philip Neri (1515-1595)

“He who most loves,
will be most loved.”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of the Church

“What is it to serve God
and to go to Heaven?
Nothing else but to love!”

St Aloysius Gonzaga (1568-1591)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 18 September – ‘ … What do we think is meant by the wedding garment, dearly beloved? …’

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One Minute Reflection – 18 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – St Joseph of Cupertino OFM Conv (1603-1663) Confessor – 1 Corinthians 13:1-8; Matthew 22:1-14 – cripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?” – Matthew 22:12

REFLECTION – “But you, my friends, since you have already come into the house of the marriage feast, our holy Church, as a result of God’s generosity, be careful lest, when the King enters, He finds fault with some aspect of your heart’s clothing!

What do we think is meant by the wedding garment, dearly beloved? For if we say it is Baptism or faith, is there anyone who has entered this marriage feast without them? A person is outside because he has not yet come to believe. What then must we understand by the wedding garment but love? That person enters the marriage feast but without wearing a wedding garment, who is present in the holy Church. He may have faith but he does not have love. We are correct when we say that love is the wedding garment because this, is what our Creator Himself possessed, when He came to the marriage feast, to join the Church to Himself. Only God’s Love brought it about, that His Only-Begotten Son, united the hearts of His chosen, to Himself. John says “God so Loved the world that He gave His Only-Begotten Son for us.” – St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) Father and Doctor of the Church – (Sermons on the Gospel No 38).

PRAYER – O God, Who willed that all things be drawn unto Thy Son, when He was raised above the earth, mercifully grant, by the merits and example of Thy seraphic Confessor Joseph that, having been raised above all earthly desires, we may be found worthy to come unto Him. 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).

Posted in MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, Prayers to the SORROWFUL MOTHER, QUOTES on MERCY, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS

Our Morning Offering – 18 September – Mother of Love, of Sorrow and of Mercy

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Our Morning Offering – 18 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross”

Mother of Love, of Sorrow and of Mercy
By St Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373)

O Blessed Virgin Mary,
Immaculate Mother of God,
who endured a Martyrdom of love and grief,
beholding the sufferings and sorrows of Jesus!
Thou didst co-operate in the benefit of my redemption
by thy innumerable afflictions
and by offering to the Eternal Father,
His only-begotten Son, as a holocaust
and victim of propitiation for my sins.
I thank thee for the unspeakable love
which led thee to deprive thyself
of the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus,
true God and true Man, to save me, a sinner.
Oh! make use of the unfailing intercession
of thy sorrows with the Father and the Son,
that I may steadfastly amend my life
and never again crucify
my loving Redeemer by my sins
and that, persevering till death in His grace,
I may obtain eternal life
through the merits of His Cross and Passion.
Amen
Mother of love, of sorrow and of mercy, pray for us!

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on BAD CONVERSATION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on REPENTANCE

Thought for the Day – 17 September –CONSIDERATION VII, Third Point – ‘Death neither waits for, nor respects, anyone!’

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Thought for the Day – 17 September – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION VII
Sentiments of One Who has
Seldom Reflected Upon Death

“Set thine house in order,
for thou shall die and not live.”
(Isa xxxviii: i)

THIRD POINT:
To the dying man, who during life has been forgetful concerning his soul’s good, there will be thorns in everything which presents itself to him. There will be a thorn in the memory of pleasures past, a thorn in the remembrance of rivalries overcome and of pomps displayed, a thorn in the friends who will come to see him, with everything they bring back to his thoughts, a thorn in the spiritual fathers, who by turns will assist him, a thorn in the last Sacraments he will receive.
The poor sufferer will then exclaim: “O fool I have been! I ought to have become a saint, with all the lights and opportunities, which God granted me; I ought to have led a life of happiness, in the favour of God and now, what is remaining to me, of the many years past, except torments, distrust, fears, barbs of conscience and an account I shall have to render to God? And it is indeed doubtful whether my soul will be saved!”

And when will he say all this?
Not until the oil in his lamp is nearly consumed and the scene of this world is about to close upon him forever.
Not until he has both eternities in view – the one, an eternity of everlasting joy; the other, an eternity of everlasting woe.
Not until the time is approaching for that last gasp, upon which depends his everlasting blessedness, or his everlasting despair even as long as God is God.
What would he not then give, to have one more year, one more month, or at least, one more week, with a clear head? For suffering then, as he will do, with distraction of the head, oppression of the chest and failing breath, he will be able to do nothing he will not be able to reflect, nor to employ his mind in doing one good action; he finds himself shut up, as it were, in a dark pit of confusion, where he can imagine nothing else but that there is a great ruin hanging over him from which he feels himself unable to flee away. Therefore, he will long for time but it will be said to him,
“Proficiscere?” depart, make haste, put your accounts in order as best you can, during the short time which remains to you and depart; for dost thou not know that death neither waits for, nor respects, anyone?”
Oh what terror will it then be for him to think and to say:
“I am alive this morning, very likely this evening I shall be dead! To-day I am lying in this room. perhaps to-morrow I maybe in my grave! And where will my soul be?”

When he feels the cold sweat of death coming upon him, when he hears his relations go from the room, never more to return during his life, when his sight begins to grow dim and his eyes become darkened – but what will be the use of understanding these truths then, when the time for profiting … is past?

Affections and Prayers

Ah, my God, Thou dost not wish me to die but Thou desirest I should be converted and live.
I thank Thee for having waited for me until now and I thank Thee for the Light which Thou art now giving me. I know the error I have committed in neglecting Thy friendship, the vile and miserable pleasures through which I have accounted Thee of so little value.
I repent and I grieve with all my heart, for having done Thee so grievous a wrong. Ah, do not cease, in the life which may remain to me, to assist me with Thy Light and Thy Grace, so that I may know how to do that which I must do, in order to amend my life.

Of what use will it be for me to understand this truth, when the time for reparation will be taken from me?
“Deliver not up to beasts the souls who trust in Thee.”
When the devil shall tempt me again to offend Thee, I beseech Thee, my Jesus, through the merits of Thy Passion, to stretch forth Thy hand and to deliver me from falling into sin and from again remaining a slave of the enemy. Grant, that then, I may ever flee unto Thee and that I may never cease to entreat Thy protection, as long as the temptation may last. Thy Blood is my hope and Thy Goodness is my love.

I love Thee, my God.
Thou Who art worthy of infinite love, grant that I may ever love Thee. Let me know from what things I must separate myself so that I maybe Thine alone, for I would be Thine alone but do Thou give me the strength to fulfil the same.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, franciscan OFM, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on STRENGTH, QUOTES on the POOR, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, SELF-DISTRUST, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 17 September – St Francis of Assisi

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Quote/s of the Day – 17 September – The Commutation of the Stigmata of Saint Francis of Assisi

“Alms are an inheritance
and a justice
which is due to the poor
and which Jesus has levied upon us!”

“Lord, help me to live this day,
quietly, easily.
To lean upon Thy great strength,
trustfully, restfully.
To wait for the unfolding of Thy will,
patiently, serenely.
To meet others,
peacefully, joyously.
To face tomorrow,
confidently, courageously.”

St Frances of Assisi (c1181-1226)

“In beautiful things
St Francis saw Beauty itself
and through His vestiges
imprinted on creation,
he followed his Beloved everywhere,
making, from all things,
a ladder, by which he could climb up
and embrace Him, Who is utterly desirable.”

St Bonaventure OFM (1221-1274)
Seraphic Doctor of the Church

“All the brothers should strive to follow
the humility and the poverty of our Lord Jesus Christ …
And they must rejoice when they live among people
who are considered to be of little worth
and who are looked down upon,
among the poor and the powerless,
the sick and the lepers and the beggars by the wayside.
And when it may be necessary,
let them go to seek alms.
And they should not be ashamed
but rather recall that our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Son of the living and all-powerful God …
was a poor man and a transient and lived on alms,
He and the Blessed Virgin and His disciples.”

(Earlier Rule, #8-9).

“Be strengthened in Almighty God
and in the power of His might,
for with His help, nothing is difficult.
Throw off the heavy load of your own will,
cast aside the burden of sin
and gird yourselves as valiant warriors!
Forget what you are leaving behind;
strain forward to the great things before you.
I tell you that every place where you set foot,
shall be yours.
For the Spirit, Who goes before your face
is Christ the Lord.
He will carry you to the topmost peak
in the arms of His Love.”

Prayer in Praise of God
By St Francis of Assisi (c1181-1226)

Thou art Holy, Lord, the only God
and Thine Deeds art wonderful.
Thou art Strong.
Thou art Great.
Thou art the Most High.
Thou art Almighty.
Thou, Holy Father art King of Heaven and earth.
Thou art Three and One, Lord God, all Good.
Thou art Good, all Good, Supreme Good,
Lord God, Living and True.
Thou art Love. Thou art Wisdom.
Thou art Humility. Thou art Endurance.
Thou art Rest. Thou art Peace.
Thou art Joy and Gladness.
Thou art Justice and Moderation.
Thou art all our Riches and Thou art Suffice for us.
Thou art Beauty. Thou art Gentleness.
Thou art our Protector.
Thou art our Guardian and Defender.
Thou art our Courage.
Thou art our Haven and our Hope.
Thou art our Faith, our great Consolation.
Thou art our Eternal Life,
Great and Wonderful Lord, God Almighty,
Merciful Saviour.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", CARMELITES, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, OUR Cross, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 17 September – “I lost myself and was found”

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One Minute Reflection – 17 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – The Commutation of the Stigmata of St Francis of Assisi – Galatians 6:14-18; Matthew 16:24-27 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“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

REFLECTION – “I lost myself and was found”

“The one who walks in the love of God seeks neither gain nor reward but seeks only, with the will, to lose self and all things, for God and this loss, the lover judges to be a gain! Thus it is, as St Paul asserts: “For me death is gain” [Phil 1:21], that is, my death to all things and to myself, for Christ, is my spiritual gain. Consequently, the soul declares: “I was found.” The soul who does not know how to lose himself, does not find himself but rather, loses himself, as Our Lord teaches in the Gospel: “For he who will save his life, shall lose it and he who will lose his life for My Sake, will find it. ” (Mt 16:25).

Should we desire to interpret this verse more spiritually and in accord with what we are discussing here, it ought to be known that when a soul treading the spiritual road, has reached such a point that he has lost all roads and natural methods, in his communion with God and no longer seeks Him by reflections or forms or feelings or by any other way of creatures and the senses but, has advanced beyond them all and beyond all modes and manners and enjoys communion with God in faith and love, then it is said that God is his gain because he has certainly lost all that is not God and has truly lost himself.” – St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Carmelite, Doctor of the Church (Spiritual Canticle 29:11).

PRAYER – O Lord, Jesus Christ, Who, to inflame our hearts with the fire of Thy love, when the world was becoming cold in spirit, renewed in the flesh of most blessed Francis, the sacred marks of Thine own Passion, graciously grant that by his merits and prayers, we may steadfastly carry our cross and bring forth worthy fruits of penance. 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).

Posted in ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, DOCTORS of the Church, GOOD RESOLUTIONS, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

Thought for the Day – 16 September –CONSIDERATION VII, Second Point – Sentiments of One Who has Seldom Reflected Upon Death

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Thought for the Day – 16 September – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION VII

Sentiments of One Who has Seldom Reflected Upon Death
“Set thine house in order, for thou shall die and not live.” (Isa xxxviii: i)

SECOND POINT:
Oh, how clearly, when the hour of death arrives, do the truths of faith make themselves felt, only to add greater torment to that dying man, who has lived a wicked life and particularly, if he is one who has been consecrated to God and so has had much opportunity of serving Him, much time, many good examples and much inspiration.
O God, with what grief will he then reflect and say: “I once admonished others and afterwards, have committed more grievous sins than they. I once left the world and afterwards, have become more attached to its pleasures, vanities and love.”
With what remorse will he then reflect upon the light which he has received from God, such as would have changed a heathen into a saint!
With what remorse will he then recall to mind that he had despised the practices of piety in others, as weakness of mind and had praised certain worldly maxims of self-esteem and self-love; such as not liking other people to take” precedence of us, to avoid suffering and to enjoy every pleasure which may present itself.

“The desire of the ungodly shall perish.” (Ps cxii: 10). When the hour of death arrives, how much will the time which we waste now be coveted?
St Gregory tells us in his Dialogues, of a certain rich man, named Chrysantius,-who had led a very wicked life and who, when the hour of death came, cried out against the devils, who visibly appeared to him to seize him: “Give me time, give me until to-morrow.” And these answered him, saying: “O fool, dost thou now seek time? Thou hast had so much and wasted it and spent it in sin and now, dost thou ask for it? Now there is no more time for thee.”
The wretched man continued to cry and to implore help. A son of his, whose name was Massimo and who was a Monk, was with him, to whom the dying man said: “My son, help me Massimo, my son, help me.” And in the meantime, throwing himself from one side of the bed to the other and thus agitated and with cries of despair, he breathed forth his wretched soul.
Alas, that these foolish ones should so love their folly in life but should put off until the hour of death to open their eyes to their folly and then confess, they have been so unwise! For at that time it only serves to increase the difficulties which they feel in trying to atone for the sins … and dying in this frame of mind, the salvation of their souls is very doubtful.

My brother, perhaps whilst reading this you are saying to yourself: “Yes, it is very doubtful.” But if it is so doubtful, your folly and your misfortune is much greater still, if, as you know and understand, these truths in life, you do not try to make amends for past sins now.
These words, even, which you have just read, would be a sword of sorrow for you in death.
Arise, therefore, for as there is time to avoid a death so frightful, hasten to make amends for the past and wait not, until there will be no fit time for reparation.
Wait not for another month, another week. It may be that this light which God now grants to you in mercy, may be the last light and the last call for you.
It is foolish, indeed, not to wish to think upon death, which is absolutely certain and on which eternity depends but, it is greater folly, to think upon it and not to prepare for it.
Make those reflections and resolutions now, which you would make, if you were dying now with profit but, at that time, very uselessly; now is the hope of being saved but at that time in great fear, lest you should not be saved.

A gentleman of the Court of Charles XI. when leaving Court, being asked by the Emperor for what reason he was leaving, answered, that in order to be saved, it is necessary that some interval should elapse between the time of repentance from a sinful life and the hour of death, so that a period of penitence and reparation, may be passed through.

Affections andPrayers

No, my God, I will no longer abuse Thy Mercy.
I thank Thee for the Light which Thou art now giving me, and I promise Thee to change my life, to amend my life.
I can see plainly that Thou wilt not bear with me much longer.
And shall I wait until Thou wilt be constrained to condemn me to everlastingdeath? or until Thou wilt give me up to a life utterly lost which would be a greater punishment to me than death itself. Look upon me at Thy feet; receive me into Thy favour. I know I do not deserve it but Thou hast said that “the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness.“ (Ezek xxxiii: 12).

Therefore, my Jesus, in the time that is past, I have offended Thy Infinite Goodness, now I repent with all my heart and I hope for pardon from Thee.
With St Anselm, I will say to Thee: “Suffer not my soul to be lost through its sins, for Thou hast redeemed it with Thy Blood.”
Look not upon my ingratitude, look only upon that love which caused Thee to die for me. If I have lost Thy Grace, Thou hast not lost the power to give it back to me. Have pity, therefore, upon me, my dear Redeemer. Pardon me and give me the grace to love Thee; whilst I, from this day forward, promise to love none other than Thee. Thou hast chosen me from amongst so many of Thy creatures to love Thee, therefore, I choose Thee, O my Sovereign Good, to love Thee above all.
Thou dost go before me with Thy Cross I will not cease to follow Thee with that cross which Thou dost give me to carry. I embrace every mortification and every trouble which may come to me from Thee. It is enough that I am not deprived of Thy Grace, for with that, I am indeed content.

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CONFESSORS, EVENING and NIGHT Prayers, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, QUOTES on THE WORLD, St PETER!, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 16 September – St Cyprian of Carthage

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Quote/s of the Day – 16 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – The Feast of Saint Corneliu, Pope & Martyr and Saint Cyprian, Bishop & Martyr

“It is written, ‘God is not mocked.’ (Gal vi: 7)
Indeed, God cannot be mocked,
nor circumvented, nor deluded
by any man’s astute deceit. …
Let each of you, then, I beg you, brethren,
confess his fault while the sinner is yet in this world,
while Confession is still possible,
while the satisfaction and remission
granted by the Priests,
is still acceptable to God!”

“God is One and Christ is One,
His Church is One,
His See is One,
founded by the Voice of the Lord on Peter.
No other Altar can be set up,
no other Priesthood instituted
apart from that One Altar and that One Priesthood.
Who so gathers elsewhere, scatters!”

“She did not leave the temple,
serving with fastings and prayers,
night and day.”
Luke 2:37

“If, in holy Scripture,
Christ is the true Sun and the true Day,
there is no hour when Christians
should not adore God frequently and constantly,
so that we, who are in Christ, that is,
in the true Sun and true Day,
should be persevering, throughout the whole day,
in our petitions and prayer.
And when, in the course of time,
the revolving night returns,
there can be no harm from the nocturnal shades,
for those who pray because, to the sons of Light (1 Thes 5:5),
even in the night, there is day!
For when is he without light who has Light in his heart?
Or when does he not have sun and day
to whom Christ is Sun and Day?”

“Why then do we pray
for the Kingdom of Heaven to come,
if this earthly bondage pleases us?
WHAT IS THE POINT of praying so often
for its early arrival,
if we would rather serve the devil here
than reign with Christ!?”

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St Cyprian of Carthage (c 200-258)
Martyr, Bishop of Carthage,
Father of the Church

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FEAR, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 16 September – ‘The nearer the King approaches …’

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One Minute Reflection – 16 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – The Feast of Saint Corneliu, Pope & Martyr and Saint Cyprian, Bishop & Martyr – Wisdom 3:1-8; Luke 21:9-19 – Scripture search herehttps://www.drbo.org/

“Jesus said to His disciples: When you shall hear of wars and seditions, be not terrified.” – Luke 21:9

REFLECTION – “The nearer the King approaches, the more we should pray. The nearer the moment arrives for bestowing the trophy on the combatant, the more fervently we should struggle. This is what they do at the races – as the end of the course nears and they are reaching the goal, they stir up the horses’ enthusiasm even more. In the same way, Saint Paul says: “Now is salvation nearer to us than when first we believed. The night is far gone, the day is at hand” (Rm 13:11-12). “” –

Since night is disappearing and day is coming into view, let us carry out the works of day and leave behind the works of darkness. This is what we do in the course of life – when we see night giving way to dawn and hear the swallows singing, then we rouse one another even though it is still dark … We hurry to our daily tasks, we clothe ourselves after being snatched from sleep, so that the sun will find us ready. What we do then, let us do now. Let us shake off our dreams, rouse ourselves from thoughts of this present life, leave our heavy slumber and put on the garment of virtue. This is what the Apostle clearly says to us: “Cast off the works of darkness and put on the Armour of Light” (v.12). For day is calling us to the battle, to the fight!

But do not be afraid when you hear these words about fighting and combat! For if it is uncomfortable to put on heavy material armour, it is pleasant, on the other hand, to put on spiritual armour, for this is an Armour of Light! In this way you will shine more brightly than the sun and, even as you sparkle brightly, you will be safe because these are weapons … weapons of Light. So then? Are we excused from fighting? Not at all! We are to fight but without being overcome by fatigue and without pain. For it is not so much a war to which we are being summoned as a feast and celebration!” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Bishop of Constantinople, Father & Doctor of the Church (Homilies on the Epistle to the Romans, 24).

PRAYER – May the feast of the blessed Martyrs and Bishops, Cornelius and Cyprian, protect us, O Lord, we beseech Thee and may their holy prayer recommend us to Thee.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).

Posted in "Follow Me", BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST

Our Morning Offering – 16 September – Deus, Tuorum Militum – O God, of Those Who Fought Thy Fight

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Our Morning Offering – 16 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – The Feast of Saint Corneliu, Pope & Martyr and Saint Cyprian, Bishop & Martyr

Deus, Tuorum Militum
O God, of Those Who Fought Thy Fight
Unknown Author
(6th Century)

O God, of those who fought Thy fight,
Portion and prize and Crown of Light,
Break every bond of sin and shame
As now we praise Thy Martyr’s name.

He recked not of the world’s allure
But sin and pomp of sin forswore:
Knew all their gall and passed them by,
And reached the throne prepared on high.

Bravely the course of pain he ran,
And bore his torments as a man:
For love of Thee, his blood outpoured,
And thus obtained the great reward.

With humble voice and suppliant word
We pray Thee, therefore, Holy Lord,
While we Thy Martyr’s Feast Day keep,
Forgive Thy loved and erring sheep.

All honour, laud and glory be,
O Jesu, Virgin-born, to Thee,
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete.
Amen

An Ambrosian Hymn traditionally assigned for Matins and Vespers for the common feast of a Martyr in the Roman Breviary.
It dates probably from the sSxth Century and is attributed to the unknown author of Rex Gloriose Martyrum and jesu, Redemptor Omnium.
The Hymn exists in a longer versJon of eight strophes and a shorter one of four or five, which is probably earlier.
The Vatican Antiphonary provided two different melodies for use in the Paschal Season and during the Octave of the Nativity, during which the Feast of Saint Stephen the Protomartyr occurs.
The Hymn is a prayer asking God to forgive the sins of His servants on the day of the Martyr’s triumph over the pleasures of the world and the torture of persecution.

Posted in CONFESSION/PENANCE, PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on REPENTANCE

Thought for the Day – 15 September –CONSIDERATION VII – Sentiments of One Who has Seldom Reflected Upon Death

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Thought for the Day – 15 September – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION VII

Sentiments of One Who has Seldom Reflected Upon Death
“Set thine house in order, for thou shall die and not live.” (Isa xxxviii: i)

FIRST POINT:
IMAGINE yourself at the bedside of some sick person, to whom, a few hours of life alone remain. Poor creature, see how much he is overcome with pain, with fainting fits, … with want of breath, with cold perspirations, with weakness of the brain – he can scarcely hear, understand, or speak. But the greatest misery he endures is – he feels death is fast approaching and, instead of thinking about his soul and of making his reckoning sure, he thinks alone about his physicians and the remedies which can be applied to free him from the disease and from the pains which are killing him!

St Lawrence Justinian speaking of people who are thus dying, observes “Nothing, save themselves, suffices to occupy their thoughts.”
His relatives and friends should, at least, warn him of the dangerous state in which he is but no, there is not one amongst them who has the courage to tell him that he is dying and, instead of advising him to take the Holy Sacraments, all refuse to tell him, lest they should give him offence by so doing.
O my God from this moment, I indeed thank Thee that when I am dying Thou wilt allow me to be assisted by the dear brothers of my Congregation, whose only interest will then be my eternal salvation and, who will all endeavour, as far as they can, to make my death a glorious one!

But, although they do not warn him that death is approaching, nevertheless, the sick man, seeing the family in such confusion, the number of doctors who are so busily talking, the many and numberless remedies which are tried, is filled with terror and confusion and amidst the continued attacks of fear, remorse and distrust, says within himself: “Alas! perhaps the end of my days is already come! ” What then will be the feelings of the dying man when he is told that he is dying?
“Set thine house in order, for thou shalt die and not live.”
With what fear, will he not be told that his illness is mortal, he must make his peace with God and receive the Blessed Sacrament and bid farewell to the world?
What! he exclaims, must I leave the world and all I possess, this house, that villa, those relations, friends, conversations, games and amusements? He is told that he must, for already is the lawyer come and then he has to sign this document: “I bequeath, I bequeath.”
And what does he take away with him?
Nothing, except what he is covered with which, within a very short time, will decay with him in the grave.
Oh what grief and sadness will the dying man feel, when he sees the tears of his household and the silence of his friends, who keep silence, not having the heart to speak in his presence!

But the greatest punishment he will have to bear, will be the dreadful stings of conscience which, in that tempest, as it were, will be felt so much more because of the corrupt life which he has led, up to the hour of his death, notwithstanding the seasonable advice of his spiritual fathers and the many resolutions made which have been either never performed or else entirely neglected and forgotten.
He will then exclaim: “O wretched one who I am, God has granted me so many lights, I have had so much time to make my conscience clear in His Sight and yet, I have not
done it and at length, death has overtaken me! What would
it have cost me to fly from that occasion of sin, to keep myself from that friendship and to avail myself of Confession? And even though it should have cost me much, nevertheless, I ought to have done everything I could, to save my immortal soul which was and is, all-important.
Oh, that I had carried that good resolution into practice. Oh, that I had continued as I began.
Then indeed should I be happy now!
But I did not do it, and now there is no time!”

The feelings of dying men, such as I have described, who have been, during life, so forgetful of their conscience, resemble the feelings of those who are forever lost, who, when in hell, lament over their sins as being the cause of their punishment but they lament without finding any relief or remedy.

Affections and Prayers

O Lord, if at this moment the news of my approaching death were to be brought to me, such would be my sentiments of grief.
But I thank Thee for giving me this light and this time to
amend.
No, my God, I do not wish to fly again from Thee, it ,
is so many times that Thou hast sought me. Justly indeed
ought I now to fear, lest, if I do not return to Thee again and come to Thee, Thou wilt altogether abandon me. Thou didst give me a heart to love Thee but I have put it to so bad a use; I have loved the creature, but I have not loved Thee, Who art my Creator and my Redeemer and Who didst give Thy life for me!

Instead of loving Thee, Oh,how many times have I not displeased Thee and turned away from following Thee! I was fully aware that, in committing that sin, I should displease Thee and yet, I did commit it.
My Jesus, I am truly sorry for it; I mourn over it with all my heart – I would indeed be changed.
I renounce all the pleasures of the world, so that I may love, and please Thee, O God of my soul.
Thou hast given me so many proofs of Thy love, I should wish to give Thee some proofs of my love before I die.
From this time I will accept every infirmity and every cross, every scorn and every vexation, which I must receive from men, only give me strength to endure the same in peace, for I wish to endure them all, to gain Thy Love.

I love Thee, O Infinite Goodness, more than anything, only give me more love and holy perseverance.

Posted in AUGUST - The Immaculate Heart of Mary, DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, IMMACULATE HEART Quotes, INDULGENCES, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, MARY, MATER ECCLESIAE, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, MOTHER of GOD, Prayers to the SORROWFUL MOTHER, QUOTES on MOTHERHOOD, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The HEART, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

Quote/s of the Day – 15 September – The Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin

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Quote/s of the Day – 15 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” and The Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin

“The glorious Virgin paid our ransom
as a courageous woman who loved
with the compassionate love of Christ.
In Saint John it is said:
“When a woman is in labour she is sad
that her time has come.” (Jn 16:21)
The Blessed Virgin did not feel the pain
which precedes childbirth
because she did not conceive following
the sin of Eve, against whom the curse was spoken.
She felt her pain later –
she gave birth under the Cross!
Other women know bodily pain,
she felt that of the heart.
Others suffer from physical change;
she, from compassion and love.”

St Bonaventure (1217-1274)
Seraphic Doctor of the Church

“Bid me bear, O Mother Blest,
On my heart, the wounds imprest,
Suffered by the Crucified!

An Indulgence of 50 days each time.
Plenary Indulgence once a month
under the usual conditions.

“The heart of Mary became,
as it were, a mirror of the
Passion of the Son,
in which might be seen,
faithfully reflected,
the spitting, the blows and wounds
and all which Jesus suffered.”

St Lawrence Justinian (1381-1455)

O Quot Undis Lacrimarum
What A Sea Of Tears And Sorrow
Breviary Hymn for the
Feast of the Seven Sorrow
Attrib. Bishop Callisto Palumbella OSM (1687-1749)
Trans. Fr Edward Caswell COrat (1814–1878)

What a sea of tears and sorrow
Did the soul of Mary toss
To and fro upon its billows,
While she wept her bitter loss;
In her arms her Jesus holding,
Torn so newly from the Cross.

Oh, that mournful Virgin-Mother!
See her tears how fast they flow
Down upon His mangled body,
Wounded side, and thorny brow;
While His hands and feet she kisses—
Picture of immortal woe.

Oft and oft, His arms and bosom
Fondly straining to her own;
Oft her pallid lips imprinting
On each wound of her dear Son;
Till at last, in swoons of anguish,
Sense and consciousness are gone.

Gentle Mother, we beseech thee
By thy tears and troubles sore;
By the death of thy dear Offspring,
By the bloody wounds He bore;
Touch our hearts with that true sorrow
Which afflicted thee of yore.

To the Father everlasting,
And the Son Who reigns on high,
With the Co-eternal Spirit,
Trinity in Unity,
Be salvation, honour, blessing
Now and through eternity.
Amen

Attrib. to the Servite Bishop Callisto Maria Vincenzo Antonio Palumbella OSM (1687-1749), who also composed the Office for the Feast inserted in the Breviary in 1720. He was the Bishop of Terracina, Priverno e Sezze, Italy.
This Translation by Fr Edward Caswell COrat (1814–1878)

MORE:
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