Quote/s of the Day – 3 October – St Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face (1873 – 1897)
“Whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a little child, shall not enter it.”
Mark 10:15
“A word or a smile, is often enough, to put fresh life into a despondent soul.”
“Prayer is an aspiration of the heart. It is a simple glance directed to Heaven. It is a cry of gratitude and love in the midst of trial as well as joy.”
“It is true, I suffer a great deal– but do I suffer well? That is the question?!”
“It is not Death that will come to fetch me, it is the good God. Death is no phantom, no horrible specter, as presented in pictures. In the catechism it is stated, that death is the separation of soul and body, that is all! Well, I am not afraid of a separation which will unite me to the good God forever.”
“If I did not simply live from one moment to another, it would be impossible for me to be patient but I only look at the present, I forget the past and I take good care not to attempt to foretell the future.”
St Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face (1873 – 1897)
Saint of the Day – 9 November – Blessed Gabriel Ferretti OFM (1385-1456) Priest, Friar of the Order of Friars Minor,, Provincial Superior, Mystic. renowned missionary Preacher. He was zealous in the restoration and establishment of new Convents. Born in 1385 at Ancona, Italy and died on 12 November 1456 in Ancona, Piceno, Italy of natural causes. He was an ancestor to both Cardinal Gabriele Ferretti and Blessed Pope Pius IX, having been descended from a long noble lineage. Patronage – Ancona. His body is incorrupt.
Gabriel was born in 1385 and belonged to the ancient ducal family of the Ferretti. His devout parents raised him in the fear of God and in his eighteenth year he entered the Franciscan Order. His efforts at acquiring virtue won for him so great a degree of the respect and confidence of his brethren that, shortly after his Ordination to the Priesthood, when he was only twenty-five years old, he was appointed to preach missions in the March of Ancona. For fifteen years he devoted himself to this important task with blessed success.
He was then assigned to the office of Guardian of the Convent of Ancona and later he was elected Provincial of the Province of the March. In both offices he was careful to guide his subjects well. He shirked no labour and he could be very severe if it was necessary to correct an evil. He achieved the greatest results, however, by his own bright example of virtue, which induced weak and lax characters to exert themselves manfully in observing the rule.
His reputation for preaching to the masses was noted to the point, where Giacomo della Marca – who was preaching in Bosnia – asked for his help in that task. But the Ancona council in their deliberations on 22 February 1438 passed a resolution asking Pope Eugene IV to ensure the Friar remained in Ancona, due to all his good works. The Pope accepted this request, which meant that Gabriel could not go to Bosnia to aid his friend.
The following incident is proof of his great humility and piety. Once while he was journeying to Assisi, he went into the Franciscan Church at Foligno to pray. The Sacristan, who took him for a Brother, bade him serve the Mass of a Priest who had just gone to the Altar. The humble Provincial obeyed but when the guardian of the Convent recognised the venerable Superior of the Province of the March, in the server, he severely reproached the Sacristan. Father Gabriel defended the Sacristan, saying:
“To serve Mass is a great privilege. The Angels would consider themselves honoured. So do not blame the Brother for conferring that honour on me!”
Gabriel’s zeal to promote the interests of the Order was as great as his humility. At San Severino he restored a Convent that had fallen into ruin. At Osimo he built a new Convent. The Convent at Ancona he enlarged, in order to accommodate the great number of novices attracted to it by the fame of his sanctity.
Blessed Gabriel Ferretti possessed an ardent love of God and the Blessed Virgin Mary and he unwittingly gave expression to it, in all his sermons. Frequently he was favoured with visions of Our Lord and of the Blessed Virgin.
Rich in virtue and merits, Blessed Gabriel Ferretti died on 12 November 1456, in the Convent at Ancona, assisted in his last hour by the servant of God Gregory of Alba, and St James of the March. The latter delivered his funeral oration. To this day his body is incorrupt and the many miracles wrought through his intercession have increased the devotion of the faithful to him. On 19 September 1753 Pope Benedict XIV solemnly confirmed his veneration.
Notre-Dame de Valfleury / Our Lady of Valfleury, France (800) – 6 November:
The title traces its origins to the image of the Black Madonna at Valfleury (Loire), France, near St Etienne and St Chamond south of Lyons and is venerated annually on 6 November.
The original Statue, in wood, dates to Christmas 800 when the image was found in a broom bush. Pilgrimages began as early as the eighth century, almost ceased entirely during the years of the plagues that struck the region and resumed in earnest again in 1629. The Shrine is a Church partially underground that had appeared in the written records by the end of the tenth century. Entrance to the Church is at the base of a massive rock formation, on top of which, stands the Romanesque tower of the 12th century and steeple. Among the unique features of the Church are 22 steps cut from the rock inside the entrance. A number of frescoes depict eventS in Christ’s life. The miraculous cures of a child on a pilgrimage was reported to have occurred in the Chapel in 1842. In 1854, Pope Pius IX granted the pilgrimage of Vals, a plenary indulgence.
Benedictine Monks established a priory there and called the place “valley flowers.” In 1625, the Congregation of Saint Vincent de Paul succeeded them. They established a mission house and took care of the pilgrimage Church which replaced the original Shrine and was erected in 1809.
St Atticus St Barlaam of Novgorod Bl Beatrice of Olive Bl Christina of Stommeln St Demetrian of Cyprus St Edwen of Northumbria St Efflam of Brittany St Emilian of Faenza St Erlafrid of Hirschau St Felix of Fondi St Felix of Genoa St Felix of Thynissa St Illtyd St Israel of Limoges
St Leonard of Reresby Bl Leonianus of Autun St Melaine of Rennes St Paul of Constantinople St Pinnock St Severus of Barcelona Bl Simon of Aulne St Stephen of Apt St Theobald of Dorat
St Valentine of Genoa St Victor Chumillas-Fernández St Winnoc of Wormhoult (Died 716/717) Abbot — Martyrs of Antioch – 10 saints: Ten Christians murdered together by Arabs after their seizure of Antioch, Syria. No names or other details about them have come down to us. 637 in Antioch, Syria.
Martyrs of Gaza – 9 saints: A group of Christian soldiers who were captured by Saracens invading the area of Gaza in Palestine. When the men continued to profess their Christianity, they were executed. We know the names of some of the martyrs – Himerius, John (2 of them), Kallinikos (Callinoco), Paul, Peter, Stephen and Theodore (2 of them). They were beheaded in Gaza, Palestine.
Martyrs of Spain – 498 saints and beati: – Martyred Franciscan Capuchins of Barcelona – 26 beati Martyred Vincentians of Spain – 14 beati
Quote/s of the Day – 9 October – The Memorial of St Louis Bertrand OP (1526-1581) “Apostle of South America”, St John Leonardi OMD (1541-1609), Founder of the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God and St John Henry Newman C.Orat (1801-1890)
“Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.”
“Those who want to work for moral reform in the world, must seek the glory of God before all else. Because He is the source of all good, they must wait for His help and pray for it, in this difficult and necessary undertaking.”
“Children should be entrusted only to good and God-fearing teachers.”
Thought for the Day – 4 September – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Christian Optimism
“There are two kinds of optimism. The first is the optimism of worldlings who expect nothing but pleasure from life. They run away from anything which smacks of sacrifice or self-control and, as a result, virtue is completely outside their grasp. Their motto is the “carpe diem” of the poet Horace (Carmina 1:11). Living for the day in this fashion, they seem to uphold the philosophy which the Book of Wisdom puts on the lips of the foolish: “Come, let us enjoy the good things that are real and use the freshness of creation avidly. Let us have our fill of costly wine and perfumes and let no springtime blossom pass us by. Let us crown ourselves with rosebuds ere they wither; let no meadow be free from our wantonness” (Wisdom 2:6-8).
This kind of optimism is an inversion of true human values. It is the result of the domination which man’s lower instincts can sometimes acquire over his reason. But because our natural longing for what is good can never be completely stifled, this pleasant epicurean approach, always leaves in its wake, a sense of disillusionment.
Sooner or later, this optimism is converted into pessimism. Human pleasure must always turn tp sorrow and at this stage, unless some miracle of divine grace intervenes, the spirit rebels and falls prey to despair. It is true, that most of us will have avoided the worst excesses of the epicurean outlook but, we may have developed a distortedly comfortable and selfish approach to life. If this is so, we should remember that our lives are in conflict with Christian principles.
“Unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies,” Jesus said, “it remains alone. But, if it dies, it brings forth much fruit.” (Cf Jn 12:44). “Unless you repent, you will all perish” (Lk13:5). “The kingdom of heaven has been enduring violent assault and the violent have been seizing it by force” (Mt 11:12). “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Lk 9:23),
Let us consider whether our lives are in accordance with this teaching. Christian optimism abhors the malice of sin, lightens our sufferings and moderates our pleasures. It helps us to see God’s image in all creatures, gives us joy in this life and hope in the hour of death. In this sense, let us be optimists!”
Quote/s of the Day – 24 January – Friday of the Second week in Ordinary Time, Year A and The Memorial of St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) “The Gentle Christ of Geneva” – Doctor of the Church: Doctor Caritatis (Doctor of Charity)
“Let us think only of spending the present day well. Then, when tomorrow shall have come, it will be called TODAY and then, we will think about it.”
“Don’t get upset with your imperfections. It’s a great mistake, because it leads nowhere – to get angry because, you are angry, upset at being upset, depressed, at being depressed, disappointed, because you are disappointed. So don’t fool yourself. Simply surrender to the Power of God’s Love, which is always greater than our weakness.”
“Don’t sow your desires in someone else’s garden, just cultivate your own, as best you can; don’t long to be other than what you are but desire to be thoroughly what you are. Direct your thoughts, to being very good at that and to bearing the crosses, little or great, that you will find there. Believe me, this is the most important and least understood point to the spiritual life. We all love according to what is our taste, few people like what is according to their duty or to God’s liking. What is the use of building castles in Spain when we have to live in France?”
“The work is never finished, we have continually to begin again and that courageously. What we have done so far is good but what we are going to commence, will be better and when we have finished that, we shall begin something else that will be better still and then another – until we leave this world to begin a new life that will have no end because it is the best that can happen to us.
It is not then a case for tears, that we have so much work to do for our souls, for we need great courage to go ever onwards (since we must never stop) and much resolution to restrain our desires. Observe carefully this precept, that all the Saints have given to those who would emulate them – to speak little, or not at all, of yourself and your own interests.”
“Cook the truth in charity, until it tastes sweet.”
“Half an hour’s meditation each day is essential, except, when you are busy. Then a full hour is needed.”
“Consider all the past as nothing and say, like David – Now I begin to love my God.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church
Thought for the Day – 11 January – 5th day after Epiphany
Living the Present Moment and the Joy of Confession:
The Wisdom of Venerable Fulton J Sheen (1895-1979)
“All our anxieties relate to time. A human being is the only time-conscious creature. Humans alone can bring the past to mind, so that it weighs on the present moment, with its accumulated heritage and they can also bring the future into the present, so as to imagine its occurrences as happening now. No animal ever says: “I have suffered this pain for six years and it will last until I die.” But, because a human being can unite the past to the present by memory and the future to the present by imagination, it is often necessary to distract him in his sufferings — to break up the continuity of misery. All unhappiness (when there is no immediate cause for sorrow) comes from excessive concentration on the past or from extreme preoccupation with the future. The major problems of psychiatry revolve around an analysis of the despair, pessimism, melancholy and complexes that are the inheritances of what has been or with the fears, anxieties, worries, that are the imaginings of what will be.
…A conscience burdened with the guilt of past sins is fearful of divine judgement. But God in His mercy, has given us two remedies for such an unhappiness. One is the Sacrament of Penance, which blots out the past by remission of our sins and lightens the future by our hope for divine mercy, through continued repentance and amendment of our lives. Nothing in human experience, is as efficacious in curing the memory and imagination, as confession – it cleanses us of guilt and if we follow the admonitions of Our Lord, we shall put completely out of mind our confessed sins: “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Lk 9:62). Confession also heals the imagination, eliminating its anxiety for the future – for now, with Paul, the soul cries out: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13).
The second remedy, for the ills, that come to us from thinking about time, is what might be called the sanctification of the moment — or the Now. Our Lord laid down the rule for us in these words: “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today” (Mt 6:34).
This means, that each day, has its own trials, we are not to borrow troubles from tomorrow, because that day too will have its cross. We are to leave the past to divine mercy and to trust the future, whatever its trials, to God’s loving providence. Each minute of life has its peculiar duty — regardless of the appearance that minute may take. The Now-moment is the moment of salvation. Each complaint against it is a defeat, each act of resignation to it is a victory.”
AnaStpaul 
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