Our Morning Offering – 21 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” – The Third Sunday after Epiphany
Give me Thyself, O My God By St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace
Give me Thyself, O my God, give Thyself to me. Behold I love Thee and if my love is too weak a thing, grant me to love Thee more strongly. I cannot measure my love, to know how much it falls short of being sufficient but let my soul hasten to Thine embrace and never be turned away, until it is hidden in the secret shelter of Thine presence. This only do I know, that it is not good for me when Thou art not with me, when Thou art only outside me. I want Thee in my very self. All the plenty in the world which is not my God, is utter want! Amen
Thought for the Day – 20 January – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)
“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5
The Third Weapon of the Spiritual Combat
X: … Of the Exercise of the Will and the End to which all our Actions, whether Interior or Exterior, Should Tend (Part Two)
“I will now show you a way to avoid this way which would impede you in the path of perfection and to accustom yourself to Will and to Do all things as moved by the Spirit of God and with the pure intention of honouring and pleasing Him alone, Who desires to be the one End and Principle, of our every word and action.
When anything presents itself to you as if willed by God, do not permit yourself to will it until you have first raised your thoughts to Him, to discover whether He wills you to will it and because, He so wills it and to please Him alone. Let your will, then, being thus moved and attracted by His, be impelled to will it because He wills it and solely to please and honour Him.
In like manner, if you would refuse things which are contrary to God’s will, refuse them, not until you have first fixed the eye of your mind upon His divine will, Who wills that you should refuse them ,solely to please Him. Know, however that the frauds and deceits of wily nature are but little suspected; for, ever secretly seeking self, it often leads us to fancy that our end and motive, is to please God when in reality, it is far otherwise. Thus, when we choose or refuse anything for our own interest and satisfaction, we often imagine that we are choosing or refusing it, in the hope of pleasing, or in the fear of displeasing God. The true and effectual remedy for this delusion, is purity of heart which consists in this — which is indeed the aim and object of all this spiritual warfare — the putting off the old man and the putting on the new.
And to this end, seeing you are full of self, take care in the beginning of every action, to free yourself, as much as possible, from all additions of anything which seems to be your own will. Choose nothing, do nothing, refuse nothing, unless you first feel yourself moved and drawn thereto, by the pure and simple Will of God!”
Quote/s of the Day – 20 January – St Fabian, Pope and St Sebastian, Martyrs – Hebrews 11:33-39, Luke 6:17-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“They were stoned, they were sawed asunder, they were tempted, they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, distressed, afflicted – of whom the world was not worthy – wandering in deserts, mountains, caves and holes in the earth. And all these, approved by the testimony of faith, were found in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Hebrews 11:37-39
“And all who wish to live piously in Christ Jesus, will suffer persecution.”
2 Timothy 3:12
“What is the surest kind of witness? “Anyone who acknowledges that Jesus Christ came among us in the flesh” (cf 1 Jn 4:2) and who keeps the commands of the Gospel… How many there are, each day, of these hidden martyrs of Christ who confess the Lord Jesus! … So be faithful and courageous in interior persecutions, so that you may also win the victory in exterior persecutions.”
St Ambrose (340-397) Father & Doctor of the Church
“Do not love your life in this world! If you truly love yourselves, do not thus love your life and then, you will save your life!”…
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of the Church
One Minute Reflection – 20 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family”– St Fabian, Pope and St Sebastian, Martyrs – Hebrews 11:33-39, Luke 6:17-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“And He, lifting up His eyes on His disciples, said: Blessed are you …” – Luke 6:20
REFLECTION – “Lord Jesus Christ, to teach us the summit of virtue, You ascended the mountain with Your disciples and taught them the Beatitudes and highest virtues, promising them the rewards applicable to each. Grant that my weakness may hear Your Voice, that I may apply myself, through their practice, to acquire the merit of the virtues, so that by Your Mercy, I may receive the promised reward. As I consider the payment, do not let me refuse the effort of the labour. Make my hope of eternal salvation, sweeten the bitterness of the cure, inflaming my soul with the splendour of Your work. Out of the wretched person I am, create one of the blessed; from the blessedness here below, lead me, by Your Grace, to the blessedness of the homeland.
Come, Lord Jesus Christ, in search of Your servant, seeking Your erring and exhausted sheep. Come, Spouse of the Church, in search of Your lost coin. Come, Father of mercies, welcome the prodigal son returning to You. Come, then, Lord, for You are the only One, able to call back the sheep that has strayed, to find the lost drachma, to reconcile the runaway son. Come, that there may be salvation on earth and joy in Heaven! Turn me towards You and grant that I may carry out a true and perfect repentance, so that I may become an occasion for joy, among the Angels. Sweetest Jesus, I pray Thee, by the immensity of Thine Love for me, a sinner, grant that I may love Thee alone, above all things, that I may be consoled by none but Thee, my sweetest God!” – Ludolph of Saxony (c1300-1378) Monk, Theologian, Writer, Dominican then a Carthusian (Prayers to Jesus Christ).
PRAYER – Be mindful of our weakness, Almighty God and since the burden of our sins weighs heavily upon us, may the glorious intercession of Thy holy Martyrs, Fabian and Sebastian sustain us. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Thought for the Day – 19 January – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)
“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5
The Third Weapon of the Spiritual Combat
X: … Of the Exercise of the Will and the End to which all our Actions, whether Interior or Exterior, Should Tend (Part One)
“Besides this necessary exercise of the Understanding, you must so regulate your Will that it may not be left to follow its own desires but, may, in all things, be conformed to the Divine pleasure. And remember that, it is not enough only to strive after those things which are most pleasing to God but you must so will them and so do them, as moved thereto. by Him and with a view to please Him alone.
In this exercise of the Will, even more than in that of the Understanding, we shall meet with strong opposition from nature which seeks itself and its own ease and pleasure in all things but especially, in such as are holy and spiritual. It delights itself in these, feeding greedily upon them as upon wholesome food. As soon, therefore, as they are presented to us we look wistfully upon them and desire them, not because such is the will of God, nor with the sole view to please Him but, for the sake of the satisfaction and benefit to be derived from willing those things which God wills.
This delusion is the more subtle from the very excellence of the thing desired. Hence, even in the desire after God Himself, we are exposed to the delusions of self-love which often leads us to look more to our own interests and to the benefits we expect from God, than to His will which is, that we should love and desire and obey Him for His own glory alone.”
Quote/s of the Day – 19 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” – St Marius and Family of Persia, (Died c 270) Martyrs – Hebrews 10:32-38, Matthew 24:3-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Tell us when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy Coming and of the consummation of the world? ”
Matthew 24:3
“Watch, therefore because you know not the day, nor the hour.” Matthew 25:13
“ In the hours of the night, think always on Christ and hope for His coming at every moment. … Christ enters at the open door. He will not fail to do so, for He has promised to enter. Embrace Him, Whom you have sought. Approach Him and be illumined. Hold Him and ask Him not to go away quickly. Beg Him not to depart. For “His Word runs swiftly” (Ps 147:15) and will not be held by the slothful or negligent soul. Let your soul run to His call and follow closely, the sound of His heavenly Voice, for His passing is swift. …”
St Ambrose (340-397) Father and Doctor of the Church
“… In fact, according to the merit and fervour of each one, there is a frequent and familiar advent of the Lord that, in this intermediary period, between His First and Last Coming, models us on one and prepares us to the other. The Lord comes to us now, so that His First Coming to us, may not be in vain and that the Last One, may not be that of wrath. Through His Present Coming, in fact, He works at reforming our pride, in the image of the humility of His first advent, to then remodel our humble body, in the image of the glorified body He will show us, when He will return. This is why we should desire and fervently ask this personal coming – which gives us the grace of this first advent and promises us the glory of the last. …”
Bl Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot
(2nd sermon for Advent, 2-4)
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.
One Minute Reflection – 19 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family”– St Marius and Family of Persia, (Died c270) Martyrs – Hebrews 10:32-38, Matthew 24:3-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“For yet a very little while and He, Who is to come, will come …” – Hebrews 10:37
REFLECTION – “ It is only right, my brothers, to celebrate our Lord’s coming with all possible devotion, so greatly does His comfort gladden us… and His love burn within us. But do not just think about His first coming, when He came “to seek and save the lost” (Lk 19:10); think, too, of that other coming when He will come to take us with Him. I should like to see you constantly occupied in meditating on these two comings… “resting among the sheepfolds” (Ps 67:14), for they are the two arms of the Bridegroom, in which the Bride of the Song of Songs took her rest: “His left arm is under my head and His right arm embraces me” (2:6)…
But, there is a third coming between the two, to which I have just referred and those who know of it, can rest in it, for their greater happiness. The other two are visible but this one is not. In the first, “ the Lord has appeared on earth and has spoken to us” (Bar 3:38)… in the last, “all mankind shall see the salvation of God” (Lk 3:6; Is 40:5)… But the one that comes between them is secret – it is that in which the elect alone see the Saviour within themselves and their souls find salvation.
In His first coming, Christ came in our flesh and in our weakness; in His coming in the midst of time, He comes in Spirit and power; in His final coming, He will come in His glory and majesty. But it is by the strength of the virtues that we attain to glory, as it is written: “The Lord, the King of armies, He is the King of glory” (Ps 23:10) and, in the same book: “That I may see Thy power and Thy glory” (Ps 62:3). And so, the second coming is like a road leading from the first to the last. In the first, Christ has been our Redemption; in the last, He will appear as our Life; in His coming between, He is our Rest and our Consolation!” – St Bernard (1091-1153) Cistercian Monk, The Last Father and Mellifluous Doctor of the Church (Sermons 4 and 5 for Advent).
PRAYER – O Lord, hear Thy people as they humbly pray, in union with the patronal intercession of Thy Saints that Thou wouldst grant us to enjoy peace, during our life on earth and to find help for life eternal. 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).
Our Morning Offering – 19 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” –
Act of Reparation By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor of the Church Indulgence of 3 Years – Once a Day
O Jesus, my Saviour and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends, for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy Holy Name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine Immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders, spoken against Thy Spouse, the Holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, Who hast said: “If you ask the Father anything in My Name, He will give it you,” we pray and beseech Thee, for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; sheld them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them, give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength, for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy Name, unto God the Father, with Whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen.
Thought for the Day – 18 January – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)
“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5
The Third Weapon of the Spiritual Combat
IX: … Of another Danger from which the Understanding must be Guarded, that it may Exercise a True Judgement (Part Two)
“By following these instructions you will avoid many dangers; for when the wily serpent sees the will of those, who are aiming at the spiritual life, to be strong and resolute, he attacks their Understanding, that so he may master both the one and the other. He often, therefore, infuses lofty and curious speculations into their minds, especially if they be of an acute and intellectual order and easily inflated with pride and he does this, in order that they may busy themselves in the enjoyment and discussion of such subjects, wherein, as they falsely persuade themselves, they enjoy God and, meanwhile neglect to purify their hearts and to apply themselves to self-knowledge and true mortification. So, falling into the snare of pride, they make an idol of their own understanding!
Hence, being already accustomed to have recourse, in all circumstances, to their own judgement, they come gradually and imperceptibly to believe that they have no need of advice or control from others. This is a most perilous case and very difficult to cure, the pride of the understanding being more dangerous than that of the will; for when the pride of the will is once perceived by the understanding, it may, in course of time, be easily remedied by submission to those to whom it owes obedience. But how, or by whom, can he be cured, who obstinately believes his own opinion and judgement, to be worth more than that of others? How shall he submit to other men’s judgement, which he accounts to be far inferior to his own!
The Understanding is the eye of the soul, by which the wound of the proud Will, should be discovered and cleansed; if that eye, then, itself be weak and blind and swollen with pride, by whom shall it be healed? And if the light become darkness and the rule faulty, what will become of the rest?
Therefore, resist this dangerous pride betimes, before it penetrate into the marrow of your bones. Blunt the acuteness of your intellect, willingly submit your own opinion to that of others, become a fool for the love of God and you shall be wiser than Solomon!”
Quote/s of the Day – 18 January – Feast of the Chair of the Apostle, St Peter at Rome – 1 Peter 1:1-7, Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:16
“Upon this rock I will build My Church”
Matthew 16:18
“I decided to consult the Chair of Peter, where that faith is found exalted by the lips of an Apostle; I now come to ask for nourishment for my soul there, where once I received the garment of Christ. I follow no leader save Christ, so I enter into communion with Your beatitude, that is, with the Chair of Peter, for this, I know, is the rock upon which the Church is built.” (cf Le lettere I, 15, 1-2)
St Jerome (343-420) Father & Doctor od rhw Church
“He gave way to sin so that, remembering his own failure and the kindness of the Lord, he might testify to others, a grace of philanthropy in accord with the divine design conceived by God. The fall had been permitted to the one who was going to see himself entrusted with the Church, the Pillar of the Church, the Harbour of the Faith; the fall had been permitted to Peter, the Doctor of the Universe, in order that, the forgiveness received, might remain the foundation of love for others.”
St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father and Doctor of the Church
“Nothing escaped the Wisdom and Power of Christ, the elements of nature lay at His service, spirits obeyed Him, Angels served Him. … And yet, out of all the world, Peter alone was chosen to stand at the head, for the calling of all the peoples and the oversight of all the Apostles and Fathers of the Church.”
St Pope Leo the Great (400-461) Father and Doctor of the Church
One Minute Reflection – 18 January – Feast of the Chair of the Apostle, St Peter at Rome – 1 Peter 1:1-7, Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“And I say to thee: That thou art Peter and upon this rock, I will build My Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” – Matthew 16:18
REFLECTION – “When the twelve holy Apostles had received from the Holy Ghost the power to speak all languages, they divided the regions of the earth amongst themselves, as fields for their Gospel labours. Then was Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, sent to the Capital City of the Roman Empire that he might make the Light to shine, from the head, to the whole body of the civilised nations. At that time, what nation was there which had no representative in Rome? What nations would be ignorant of what Rome had learned?
Here were to be refuted the theories of philosophers, here dissolved the vanities of earthly wisdom, here overthrown the worship of devils, here destroyed the impiety of every sacrilege; here, where superstitious zeal had collected all the error and vanity of the world. Therefore, to this City, O most blessed Peter, thou dost not fear to come and, while thy companion in glory, the Apostle Paul, is still occupied with the government of other Churches, thou dost enter this forest of savage beasts, this deep and turbulent ocean, with more boldness than when thou didst walk upon the water!
Thou hadst already taught those, of the circumcision who had been converted, thou hadst founded the Church of Antioch, the first that bore the noble name of Christian; thou hadst published the law of the Gospel throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia and, thou didst not fear for the difficulty of thy work, nor turn back because of thine old age but didst boldly set up the trophy of the Cross of Christ, upon those Roman walls, where the Providence of God had appointed the throne of thine honour and the glorious scene of thy passion.” – St Leo the Great (400-461) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon on the Feast of St Peter’s Chair at Rome).
PRAYER – O God, Who together with the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven didst bestow on thy blessed Apostle Peter the pontifical power of binding and loosing, grant that by the aid of his intercession, we may be released from the bonds of our sins. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Thought for the Day – 17 January – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)
“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5
The Third Weapon of the Spiritual Combat
IX: … Of another Danger from which the Understanding must be Guarded, that it may Exercise a True Judgement (Part One)
“The second thing from which the Understanding must be guarded is curiosity; for by filling it with hurtful, vain and impertinent thoughts, we incapacitate and disable it from apprehending that, which most nearly affects our true mortification and perfection.
To this end, you must be as one dead to all needless investigation of even lawful earthly things. Always restrain your intellect as much as possible and love to keep it low. Let the news and the changes of the world, whether great or small, be to you as though, they were not and, should they intrude themselves, reject and drive them from you.
Be sober and humble even in the desire to understand heavenly things, wishing to know nothing but Christ Crucified, His Life, His Death and what He requires of thee. Cast all other things far from you and so shall you be very pleasing unto God. For He loves and delights in those, who desire and seek of Him such things alone, as serve to the love of His Divine Goodness and the fulfilment of His will. All other petitions and inquiries belong to self-love, pride and the snares of the devil!”
Quote/s of the Day – 17 January – St Anthony Abbot (251-356)
“The illusions of this world soon vanish, especially if a man arms himself with the Sign of the Cross. The devils tremble at the Sign of the Cross of our Lord, by which He triumphed over and disarmed them.”
“If we make every effort to avoid death of the body, still more should it be our endeavour, to avoid death of the soul! There is no obstacle for a man who wishes to be saved, other than negligence and laziness of soul.”
“ Whatis slander? It is every sort of wicked word we would dare not speak in front of the person whom we are complaining about.”
One Minute Reflection – 17 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” – St Anthony Abbot (251-356) – Ecclesiasticus 45:1-6; Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” – Luke 12:40
REFLECTION – “These words mean – you are to be awake and vigilant because you do not know the hour when the Lord will come from the wedding … Because, as soon as some feeling of pride, self-satisfaction or self-will enters a man, the Enemy is there, cutting the precious bag, of all his good works from him. Oh, children! How many people like these, will you see, who have done great works … and thus gained great renown … but, presumption has stripped them of all … They will be placed after the poor and simple fellows, whom no-one values because of their outward appearance and work. Because they humbly take a lowly place, these latter, will be set above the others … So keep watch with vigilant soul and you will see the pure Truth with open eyes …
“Let your loins be girt about and your lamps alight.” Here there are three points to notice. First – the loins are to be girded like someone firmly bound with a rope, so as to be led, against his will … Second – you are to carry lighted lamps in your hands which is to say, works of love. Your hands should never stop doing the true, ardent work of charity … Third – you should wait for the Lord when He returns from the wedding … “The Lord will set them over all His goods; He will gird Himself and will serve them.” This wedding from which the Lord comes, takes place in the most interior part of the soul, in its depths, where the noble image is found. O what intimate contact the soul has with God and God with it, in this depth and what a marvellous work God does there! What rejoicing and joy He finds there! It surpasses all feeling and thought and yet, man knows nothing and feels nothing of it.” – Fr Johannes Tauler OP (c1300-1361) Dominican Priest and Friar, renowned Preacher and Theologian (Sermon 77 for the Feast of a Confessor).
PRAYER – May the intercession of the Blessed Abbot Anthony, commend us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, so that what we do not deserve by any merits of our own, we may obtain by his patronage. 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).
Our Morning Offering – 17 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family”
O My God, I Thank Thee An Act of Abandonment to the Divine Will By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritas
O my God, I thank Thee and I praise Thee for accomplishing Thy Holy and all-lovable Will without any regard for mine. With my whole heart, in spite of my heart, do I receive this cross I feared so much! It is the cross of Thy choice, the cross of Thy Love. I venerate it; nor for anything in the world would I wish it had not come, since Thou hast willed it. I keep it with gratitude and with joy, as I do everything which comes from Thy Hand and I shall strive to carry it without letting it drag, with all the respect and all the affection which Thy works deserve. Amen.
Thought for the Day – 16 January – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)
“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5
The Third Weapon of the Spiritual Combat
VIII: … Of the Hindrances to a Right Judgement and of the Method to be Adopted, in order to Understand them Properly
“The cause of our not rightly judging all these things and many others, is, that we conceive a love or hatred of them at first sight. Our understanding (reason or intellect) is thus darkened, so that it cannot judge of them correctly. Lest you fall into this delusion, take all possible care to keep your will pure and free from inordinate affection for anything whatsoever! When any object, then, is presented to you, view it with your understanding and consider it maturely, before you are moved by hatred to reject it, if it be a thing contrary to your inclinations, or by love to desire it, if it be pleasing to them. For thus the understanding, being unclouded by passion, will be free and clear and able to perceive the truth and to judge the evil which lurks behind delusive pleasure and the good which is veiled under the appearance of evil.
But if the will be first inclined to love or hate anything, the understanding will be unable to exercise a right judgement upon it. For the affection which has thus intruded itself so obscures the understanding, that it views the object as other than it is and, by thus representing it to the will, influences that faculty, in contradiction to every law and rule of reason, to love or hate it inordinately. The understanding is gradually darkened more and more and, in this deepening obscurity, the object appears more and more hateful or lovely to the will.
Hence, if this most important rule be not observed, these two faculties, the understanding and the will, noble and excellent as they are, will soon sink, in a miserable descent from darkness into thicker darkness and from error, into deeper error.
Guard yourself most vigilantly, then, from all inordinate affection for anything, whatever, until you have first tested it by the light of the understanding and chiefly, by that of grace and prayer and by the judgement of your spiritual father. And this is to be observed most carefully with regard to such outward works as are good and holy because, the danger is greatest here, of delusion and indiscretion. Hence you may here receive serious injury from some circumstance of time, or place, or degree, or regarding obedience — as has been proved by many, who have incurred great danger in the performance of commendable and holy exercises.”
Quote/s of the Day – 16 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” – 1 Peter 5:1-4, 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
Blessed are they who have not seen and have believed.”
John 20:29
“See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them!” Luke 21:8
“[Christ speaks:] I became useless to those who knew Me not, because I shall hide Myself, from those who possessed Me not. And I will be with those who love Me. … I arose and am with them and will speak by their mouths. For they have rejected those who persecute them and I threw over them, the yoke of My love. … Then I heard their voice and placed their faith in My Heart. And I placed My Name upon their forehead (Rv 14,1) because they are free and they are Mine!”
Odes of Solomon (Hebrew Christian text from the beginning of the 2nd century) N° 42)
“Grace is given, not to those who speak [their faith] but to those, who live their faith!”
St Gregory of Nazianzen (330-390) Father and Doctor of the Church
One Minute Reflection – 16 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” – Saint Pope Marcellus I (Died 309) – 1 Peter 5:1-4, 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 – O Lord, we beseech Thee, graciously hear the prayers of Thy people, that we may be helped by the merits of blessed Marcellus, Thy Pope and Martyr, whose sufferings we celebrate. 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).
Thought for the Day – 15 January – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)
“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5
The Third Weapon of the Spiritual Combat
VII: … Of Spiritual Exercises (and the first of the Exercise of the Understanding (Reason) — which must be kept guarded against ignorance and curiosity).
“If in this warfare, we are provided with no weapons except self-distrust and trust in God, needful as both these are, we shall not only fail to gain the victory over ourselves but, shall fall into many evils. To these, therefore, we must add the use of Spiritual Exercises, the Third Weapon named above. And these relate chiefly to the Understanding (Reason) and the Will.
As regards the Understanding, we must guard against two things which are apt to obscure it. One is ignorance which darkens it and impedes it in acquiring the knowledge of truth, the proper object of the understanding. Therefore, it must be made clear and bright, by exercise that so it may be able to see and discern plainly, all that is needful to purify the soul from disorderly passions and to adorn it with saintly virtues.
This light may be obtained in two ways: The first and most important is prayer, imploring the Holy Ghost to pour it into our hearts. This He will not fail to do, if we, in truth seek God alone and the fullment of His holy will and, if in all things, we submit our judgement to that of our spiritual father. The other is, to exercise ourselves continually in a true and deep consideration of all things, to discover whether they be good or evil, according to the teaching of the Holy Ghost and not, according to their outward appearance, as they impress the senses or are judged of by the world.
This consideration, if rightly exercised, will teach us to regard, as falsehood and vanity, all which the blind and corrupt world, in so many various ways, loves, desires and seeks after. It will show us plainly that the honours and pleasures of earth are but vanity and vexation of spirit; that injury and infamy inflicted on us by the world, bring true glory and tribulations, contentment; that to pardon our enemies and to do them good, is true magnanimity and an act, which likens us most nearly to God; that to despise the world is better than to rule it; that voluntary obedience, for the love of God to the meanest of His creatures, is greater and nobler, than to command mighty princes and, that the mortication and subjugation of our most trying appetite, is more glorious than the reduction of strong cities, the defeat of mighty armies, the working of miracles, or the raising of the dead!”
Quote/s of the Day – 15 January – The Feast of St Macarius of Egypt (c300-390) Priest, Abbot, Hermit, Desert Father of the Church, Spiritual student of Saint Anthony Abbot, Ascetic, Miracle-worker , known as “The Glowing Lantern.”
“Just as the blessings of God are unutterably great, so their acquisition, requires much hardship and toil, undertaken with hope and faith.”
“When you hear that Christ, going down to hell, freed the souls who were prisoners there, do not think that these things are far removed from what is being done now. Believe me, the heart is a tomb!”
“If you rebuke someone and do it with anger, you have allowed a passion to control you. You have not saved anyone and have destroyed yourself!”
One Minute Reflection – 15 January – St Paul the Hermit (c227-c342) The First Hermit – in the Thebaid region of Egypt, is regarded as the first Christian hermit, who lived alone in the desert from his sixteenth to the one hundred and thirteenth year of his life. – Philippians 3:7-12; Matthew 11:25-30 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“…Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent,and revealed them to little ones.”– Matthew 11:25
REFLECTION – “The fact ,that the All-Powerful God has been able to humble Himself even to the humility of the human condition, constitutes a greater proof than the impact and supernatural character of miracles. Indeed, when divine power effects something of great sublimity, this is, after a fashion, in conformity with and appropriate to, God’s nature … On the other hand, that God descended even to our lowliness is, in a certain way, the expression of an overwhelming power which is not in the least restrained, by what is contrary to its nature …
Neither the expanse of the heavens, the brightness of the stars, the governing of the universe, nor the harmony of created things, reveal the splendid power of God, as much as His indulgence, which leads Him to lower Himself to the weakness of our nature … God’s goodness, wisdom, justice and power are revealed in His plans on our behalf:goodness in His will to “save that which was lost” (Lk 19:10);wisdom and justice in His manner of saving us;power in the fact that Christ became “in the likeness of men” (Phil 2:7-8) and made Himself conformable to the humility of our nature.” – St Gregory of Nyssa (c.335-395) Bishop, Father of the Church (Catechetical Discourse 23-26 ; SC 453).
PRAYER – O God, Who each year give us the joyful feast of blessed Paul, Thy Confessor, mercifully grant that we may imitate the deeds of him, whose anniversary we celebrate. 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).
Our Morning Offering – 15 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” – The Feast of St Macarius of Egypt (c300-390) Priest, Abbot, Hermit, Desert Father of the Church, Spiritual student of Saint Anthony Abbot, Ascetic, Miracle-worker , known as “The Glowing Lantern.”
Prayer for Mercyand Forgiveness By St Macarius of Egypt (c300-390)
Lord, be merciful now that my life is approaching its end and the evening awaits me. There is not enough time for me to cleanse myself of my sins, for they are so many. Heal me while I am still on earth and I shall be truly healthy. In Thy mercy, move me to repent, so that I shall not be ashamed, when I meet Thee in Heaven. Amen
Thought for the Day – 14 January – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)
“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5
VI: … Further Directions on How to Attain Self-Distrust and Trust in God
“Since our whole power to subdue our enemies arises, principally from self-distrust and trust in God, I will give you some further directions to enable you, by the Divine Assistance, to acquire it.
Know then, for a certain truth that neither all gifts, natural or acquired, nor all graces given gratis, nor the knowledge of all Scripture, nor long habitual exercise in the service of God, will enable us to do His will, unless, in every good and acceptable work to be performed, in every temptation to be overcome, in every peril to be avoided, in every Cross to be borne in conformity to His will, our heart be sustained and supported by an especial aid from Him and His Hand be outstretched to help us. We must, then, bear this in mind all our life long, everyday, every hour, every moment — that we may never indulge, so much as a thought of self-confidence!
And as for confidence in God, know that it is as easy to Him to conquer many enemies as few; the old and experienced, as the weak and young.
Therefore, we will suppose a soul to be heavy-laden with sins, to have every possible fault and every imaginable defect and to have tried, by every possible means and every kind of Spiritual Exercise, to forsake sin and to practice holiness. We will suppose this soul to have done all this and yet, to have failed in making the smallest advance in holiness, nay, on the contrary, to have been borne the more strongly towards evil. For all this the soul must not lose trust in God, nor give up its spiritual conflict and lay down its arms but still fight on resolutely, knowing that none is vanquished in this spiritual combat but he who ceases to struggle and loses confidence in God, whose succour never fails His soldiers, although He sometimes permits them to be wounded.
Fight on, then, valiantly — for on this depends the whole issue of the strife, for there is a ready and effectual remedy for the wounds of all combatants who look confidently to God and to His aid for help and, when they least expect it, they shall see their enemies dead at their feet. Amen!”
Quote/s of the Day – 14 January – St Hilary (315-368) Confessor, Bishop, Father and Doctor of the Church
“The Son of God, is nailed to the Cross but on the Cross, God conquers human death. Christ, the Son of God, dies but all flesh is made alive in Christ. The Son of God is in hell but man is carried back to Heaven!”
(On the Trinity Book II)I
“When I look at Thine heavens, according to my own lights, with these weak eyes of mine, I am certain, with reservation, that they are Thine heavens. The stars circle in the heavens, reappear year after year, each with a function and service to fulfil. And, although I do not understand them, I know that Thou, O God, are in them.”
“Little children follow and obey their father. They love their mother. They know nothing of covetousness, ill-will, bad temper, arrogance and lying. This state of mind opens the road to Heaven. To imitate our Lord’s own humility, we must return to the simplicity of God’s little ones.”
One Minute Reflection – 14 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family”– Second Sunday after the Epiphany and the Feast day of St Hilary (315-368) Confessor, Bishop, Father and Doctor of the Church – Romans 12:6-16; John 2:1-11 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“This, the first of His Signs, Jesus worked at Cana in Galilee and manifested His Glory and His disciples believed in Him…” – John 2:11
REFLECTION – “Why did our Lord change water into wine as His first Sign? It was to show how God, Who transforms nature into something else, also works His transformation in the womb of the Virgin. In the same way, as the crown of His miraculous deeds, Jesus opened a tomb to make known His freedom, with regard to the death, which is hungry to swallow up everything.
To both authenticate and confirm, the twofold reversal of nature, brought by His Birth and His Resurrection, Jesus changed water into wine, without in any way altering the stone water-jars. This was the symbol of His own Body, miraculously conceived and wonderfully created in a virgin, without the working of a man… Contrary to their normal use, the jars… brought new wine into the world, without ever repeating the same miracle again. In the same way the Virgin conceived and brought Emmanuel into the world, (Is 7,14) without afterwards conceiving again. The miracle of the stone water-jars was that what was small, became great, sparseness was changed into superabundance, plain water into sweet wine… In Mary, on the other hand, the greatness and glory of the Godhead changed its appearance to take on the aspect of weakness and humiliation.
Those jars were used for the Jewish purifications; into them our Lord poured His teaching: He demonstrated that He came according to the Law and the prophets but with the purpose of changing them all, through His teaching, as the water became wine… «The Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ» (Jn 1,17). The bridegroom who lived in Cana, invited the Bridegroom from Heaven and the Lord, Who was ready for that wedding, answered His invitation. Those seated at table invited Him, Who sets worlds in His Kingdom and He sent them a wedding gift, able to delight them… They had no wine, even of an ordinary sort, He poured a little from His own abundance for them. In return for their invitation, He Himself, invited them to His own wedding!” – St Ephrem (306-373) Deacon in Syria, Father and Doctor of the Church (Commentary on the Diatessaron, 5, 6f).
PRAYER – O God, Who gave to Thy people blessed Hilary, as a minister of salvation, grant we beseech Thee that we, who cherished him on earth as a teacher of life, may be found worthy to have him as an intercessor in Heaven. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Thought for the Day – 13 January – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)
“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5
V: Of the Error of Many, Who Mistake Faint-heartedness for a Virtue
“Many also deceive themselves in this way, they mistake the fear and uneasiness which follow after sin, for virtuous emotions and know not, that these painful feelings spring from wounded pride and a presumption which rests upon confidence in themselves and their own strength. They have accounted themselves to be something and relied unduly upon their own powers. Their fall proves to them, the vanity of this self-dependence and they are immediately troubled and astonished, as at some strange thing and are disheartened at seeing the prop, to which they trusted, suddenly give way!
This can never befall the humble man, who trusts in his God alone and in nothing, presumes upon himself. Although grieved when he falls into a fault, he is neither surprised nor disquieted, for he knows that his own misery and weakness, already clearly manifested to himself, by the Light of Truth, have brought all this upon him.”
Quote/s of the Day – 13 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” – Octave Day of Epiphany – Isaias 60:1-6, John 1:29-34 –
“I saw the Spirit coming down as a dove from the Heaven and He remained upon Him.”
John 1:32
“Jesus rises from the waters – the world rises with Him. The heavens, like Paradise with its flaming sword, closed by Adam for himself and his descendants, are rent open. The Spirit comes to Him as to an equal, bearing witness to His Godhead. A Voice bears witness to Him from Heaven, His place of origin. The Spirit descends in bodily form like the Dove which, so long ago, announced the ending of the flood and so, gives honour to the Body, Who is One with God.”
St Gregory Nazianzen (330-390) Father and Doctor of the Church
“Christ was born of the Holy Spirit and, since it was fitting, that He should fulfill all justice, He entered into the waters of baptism to sanctify them. When He left the Jordan, He was filled with the Holy Spirit, Who had descended upon Him, in the form of a dove. As the Evangelist tells us: Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan.”
One Minute Reflection – 13 January – Octave Day of Epiphany – Isaias 60:1-6, John 1:29-34 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“And I knew Him not but He who sent me to Baptise with water said to me: He upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, He it IS, Who Baptises with the Holy Spirit. And I saw and I gave testimony that this is the Son of God.” – John 1:33-34
REFLECTION – “Jesus Christ was the Son of God, yet He preached not the Gospel before His Baptism. If the Master Himself followed the right time in due order, ought we, His servants, to venture out of order? From that time Jesus began to preach (Matthew 4:17) , when the Holy Ghost had descended upon Him in a bodily shape, like a Dove, (Luke 3:22) not that Jesus might see Him first, for He knew Him even before He came in a bodily shape but, that John, who was Baptising Him, might behold Him. For I, says he, knew Him not but He that sent me to Baptise with water, He said to me, upon Whomsoever you shall see the Spirit descending and abiding on Him, that is He (John 1:33).
If you too have unfeigned piety, the Holy Ghost comes down on you also and a Father’s Voice sounds over you from on high — not, ‘This is My Son’ alone because ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.’ To Him belongs the ‘IS’ since He is always the Son of God – but to you, has now been made, since you have not the sonship by nature but receive it by adoption. He eternally ‘IS’ but you receive the grace progressively.
Make ready then the vessel of your soul that you may become a son of God and an heir of God and joint-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17); if, indeed, you are preparing yourself that you may receive; if you are drawing near in faith that you may be made faithful; if of set purpose, you are putting off the old man!” – St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387) Bishop of Jerusalem, Father and Doctor of the Church (Catechetical Lecture 3: 14-15).
PRAYER – O God, Whose Only-begotten Son appeared in the substance of our flesh, grant, we pray Thee that we, who acknowledge His outward likeness to us, may deserve to be inwardly refashioned in His Image. 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).
Thought for the Day – 12 January – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)
“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5
IV. How a man may know whether he is active in Self-Distrust and Trust in God
“The presumptuous servant, often supposes that he has acquired Self-Distrust and Trust in God, when the case is far otherwise! And this will be made clear to you by the effect produced on your mind by a fall. If you are so saddened and disquieted thereby, (a fall) as to be tempted to despair of making progress or doing good, it is a sure sign that your trust is in self and not in God. For he who has any large measure of self-distrust and trust in God, feels neither surprise, nor despondency, nor bitterness, when he falls; for he knows this has arisen from his own weakness and want of trust in God.
On the contrary, being, rendered, thereby, more distrustful of self, more humbly confident in God, detesting above all things, his fault and the unruly passions which have occasioned it and mourning, with a quiet, deep and patient sorrow, over his offence against God, he pursues his enterprise and follows after his enemies, even to the death, with a spirit more resolute and undaunted than before.
I would that these things were well considered by certain persons, so-called spiritual, who cannot and will not be at rest, when they have fallen into any fault. They rush to their spiritual father, rather to get rid of the anxiety and uneasiness which springs from wounded self-love, than for that purpose which should be their chief end, in seeking him, to purify themselves from the stain of sin and to fortify themselves against its power, by means of the most Holy Sacrament of Penance!”
Quote/s of the Day – 12 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” – Seventh Day Within the Octave of The Epiphany – Isaias 60:1-6; Matthew 2:1-12
“We have seen His Star in the east and are come to adore Him.”
Matthew 2:2
“Thus we offer the Lord, Gold, when we shine in His Sight with the Light of heavenly wisdom …. We offer Him Frankincense, when we send up pure prayer before Him and Myrrh, when, “mortifying our flesh with its vices and passions” (Gal 5:24) by self-control, we carry the cross behind Jesus.”
St Bruno of Segni O.Cart. (c 1030 -1101)
Bishop (1st Sermon on the Epiphany PL 165, 863).
Grant me, O my God By St Vincent Ferrer OP (1350-1419)
Good Jesus, let me be penetrated with love to the very marrow of my bones, with fear and respect toward Thee. Let me burn with zeal for Thy honour, so that I may deeply resent, all the outrages committed against Thee, especially those of which, I myself have been guilty. Grant further, O my God, that I may humbly adore and acknowledge Thee, as my Creator and penetrated with gratitude for all Thy benefits, I may never cease to render Thee thanksgiving. Grant that I may bless Thee in all things, praise and glorify Thee, with a heart full of joy and gladness and obeying Thee with docility in every respect, I may one day, despite my ingratitude and unworthiness, be seated at Thine table together with Thine Holy Angels and Apostles, to enjoy ineffable delights for all eternity! Amen
“He who most loves will be most loved.”
(Letters to Persons in Religion III, 43)
“Do much for God and do nothing without love: refer everything to this love; eat and drink with it in mind!”
(Letter to Madame de Chantal)
“The love of God, is the end, the perfection and the excellence of the universe.”
AnaStpaul 
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