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Thought for the Day – 18 July – Our Passions

Thought for the Day – 18 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Our Passions

our passions - bacci - 18 july 2020

“Our Passions are not essentially sinful.
They can open the way to evil but, they can also lead us towards perfection.
Everything depends on how we control and direct them.
They are impulses which are, at the same time valuable and, dangerous.

Human nature was wounded as a result of original sin.
The soul was disobedient to God and the lower faculties rebelled against right reason.
Hence, the disturbance of our passions.
What should our attitude be in regard to this problem?
Should we suppress or obliterate our passions, as some of the Stoics would have done?
It is, in fact, impossible to do this, for our passions are innate natural forces which cannot be destroyed.
What we should do, is guide and control them.
If the dykes are burst, a strongly flowing river can cause havoc but, if it’s course is wisely directed, it irrigates the soil and makes it fertile.
It is the same with our natural inclinations, which “can be used to form a saint but, can also make a brigand” (Mariano Cordovani OP, Breviario Spirituale, p88).

A man with a fiery and aggressive temperament, can use his natural impulses under God’s guidance, to combat vice in himself and in others.
One who is haughty and ambitious by nature, can convert his ambition into a quest for the true and lasting glory of Heaven.
Finally, a passionate man who feels the need to love and to be loved, can find a partial remedy in Christian friendship.
Most of all, however, he can find repose in the love of God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, POETRY, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 18 July – ‘Who lives in Love …’

Quote/s of the Day – 18 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Saturday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: Micah 2:1-5, Psalm 10:1-4, 7-8, 14, Matthew 12:14-21

“In his name the Gentiles will hope”

Matthew 12:21

matthew 12 21 - in his name the gentiles will hope 18 july 2020

“Christ made my soul beautiful
with the jewels of grace and virtue.
I belong to Him whom the angels serve.”

St Agnes (c 291- c 304) Virgin and Martyr

christ-made-my-soul-st-agnes-21-jan-2018 and 18 july 2020

“If you wish to enter into life,
keep My commandments.
If you will know the truth,
believe in Me.
If you will be perfect,
sell all.
If you will be My disciple,
deny yourself.
If you will possess the blessed life,
despise this present life.
If you will be exalted in heaven,
humble yourself on earth.
If you wish to reign with Me,
carry the Cross with Me.
For only the servants of the Cross
find the life of blessedness
and of true light.

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
The Imitation of Christ Chapter 56

if-you-wish-to-enter-into-life-keep-my-commandments-thomas-a-kempis-2-june-2020-belonging-to-god and 18 july 2020

“I am the king’s good servant
but God’s first.”

St Thomas More (1478-1535)
Martyr

i-am-the-kings-good-servant-but-gods-first-st-thomas-more-29-jan-2019 and 18 july 2020

“God gave Himself to you:
give yourself to God.”

god gave himself - st robert southwell - 21 feb 2018

Who lives in Love, loves least to live
and long delays doth rue,
if Him he love by whom he lives,
to whom all praise is due,
Who for our love did choose to live
and was content to die,
who loved our love more than His life,
and love with life did buy.
Let us in life, yea with our life
requite His living love,
for best we live when least we live,
if Love our life remove.
Mourn, therefore, no true lover’s death,
life only him annoy,
and when he taketh leave of life
then Love begins his joys.

who-lives-in-love-st-robert-southwell-5-jan-2020 and 18 july 2020

“I do not much dread the tortures,
as I look forward to the crown.”

St Robert Southwell (1561-1595) Martyr

i-do-not-much-dread-the-tortures-st-robert-southwell-sj-21-jan-2019-on-martyrdom and 18 july 2020

“Jesus will be in agony
even to the end of the world;
we must not sleep
during that time”

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)
(Pensées, 553)

jesus-will-be-in-agony-even-to-the-end-of-the-world-we-must-not-sleep-during-that-time-blaise-pascal-2-june-2020 and 18 july 2020

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD

Thought for the Day – 17 July – The Voice of God

Thought for the Day – 17 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Voice of God

the voice of god - bacci 17 july 2020

“God speaks to us in many ways by means of created things.
We see His glory in the stars of the firmament, (Cf Ps 13:2), in the seas, mountains and valleys and in the trees and flowers.
St Therese was once examining the petals of a flower, when she exclaimed:  “How good thou art, O God!”

God also speaks within us.
Sometimes, He sees how absorbed we are in worldly affairs and He stirs up, in us, a restlessness and a longing for Heaven.
When we fall into sin, He pricks us with remorse and appeals to us to rise again, making us realise that everything else is empty and futile, if we have lost Him.
He speaks to us still more clearly by means of Revelation, which is contained in Sacred Scripture, as officially interpreted by the Church.

The revealed Word of God has always been with us to answer the searchings of the human heart and to allay it’s anxieties.
The Gospel is as new and as illuminating today, as yesterday.
It is a book which we should study reverently and diligently, in order to solve our personal problems and the problems of mankind.

Let us listen to God when He speaks to us in these diverse ways.
Let us respond to His appeals and carry out whatever He requires of us, in our daily lives.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

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Thought for the Day – 16 July – Entrusting Ourselves to God

Thought for the Day – 16 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Entrusting Ourselves to God

“If a boat is running with the stream, it has little need of the pull of the oars, nor of the guidance of the helm.
It’s passage is smooth and peaceful.

The same applies to those who place absolute confidence in God in their journey through life.
God knows that I love Him, they reason;  He knows the dangers to which I am exposed and knows how weak I am.
He will not allow me to be tempted beyond my strength.
“God is faithful and will not permit you to be tempted beyond your strength but, with the temptation, will also give you a way out, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Cor 10:13).

Why should I worry, when I know that whatever God has in store for me, is for my own good?
Do I suffer from poor health?
Let the will of God be done, for this is for my spiritual welfare.
Am I strong and able to work for His glory?
Let me thank God for making me the instrument of His goodness.

Am I calumniated or misunderstood?
This humiliation is good for me.
Am I esteemed and honoured?
Let me accept this also from God’s hands and make the best possible use of the gifts which He has give me, for my responsibility is all the greater because of them.
It would be a sad loss if these gifts were to make me vain and proud, for they do not belong to me but to God.
There is no need to be disturbed.
Everything must be accomplished for God, with God and in God and, with complete abandonment to His will.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, The LAST THINGS

Thought for the Day – 14 July – Everlasting Salvation

Thought for the Day – 14 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Everlasting Salvation

everlasting salvation - bacci 14 july 2020

“Let us consider again, the man on the endless and apparently aimless journey into land after land.
He walked for a long time, through valleys and over mountains, in the heat of the summer and in the sharp cold of the winter months.
It made no difference to him, whether the sun gave him encouragement, or the rain and snow impeded him, he forged ahead, just the same.
He crossed rivers, floods, mountains and hillocks and came down into valleys again.
But, at last, when he had travelled for years, he felt himself tiring.

He turned around and saw another man looking at him with compassion in his eyes.
He approached the stranger, who said to him:  “My friend, you look tired.   Have you been walking for a long time?”
“For a very long time,” he replied, “and, I am very tired.”
“But where are you going?”  the other man asked.   “What is your destination?”
The traveller sighed as if he had just awakened from a deep sleep and murmured:  “Where am I going?   I don’t know!   I have been walking for a long time but, I have no idea where I am going.”
At this, his new friend stared even more pityingly at the traveller, eyeing him as if he were an unfortunate simpleton.

When we reflect a little, do we not feel that we are rather like this poor traveller?
Our journey has lasted a good many hard and weary years.
Have we seriously thought about where we are going?
Have we solved the fundamental problem of our earthly journey – the goal and purpose of our lives?
“What does it profit a man,” Jesus has said to us, “if he gain the whole world but suffer the loss of his own soul?” (Mt 16:26).
Our eternal welfare is the great question which we should ponder continually.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 13 July – Accepting the Will of God

Thought for the Day – 13 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Accepting the Will of God

“Why are we so often dissatisfied and so easily unsettled by ordinary events?
Why does a small measure of success, pleasure, or human praise go to our heads and disturb our peace of soul?
Why does suffering failure, or humiliation, makes us sad and dispirited?
It is because we forge, that everything comes to us from God.

The inscrutable designs of Divine Providence have ordained that our mortal lives should be interwoven with joyful and sorrowful events.
There is joy, so that we may realise, that God is infinitely good and may experience on earth, the reflection of His beauty.
There is sorrow, so that we may remember, that “here we have no permanent city but we seek for the city that is to come” (Heb 13:14).

We should not be too elated by worldly pleasure and success but, should be grateful to God, for giving them to us.
On the other hand, we should not lose heart, nor rebel, when we experience suffering or humiliation.
These also come from God and He has a reason for sending them to us.
Even if we do not know the reason, we should retain our confidence, that the Providence of God, arranges everything for our true welfare.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci 

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, QUOTES on WORRY/ANXIETY, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 13 July – “Whoever loses his life, for my sake, will find it.” Matthew 10:39

Quote/s of the Day – 13 July – “Month of the Precious Blood” – Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: Isaiah 1:10-17, Psalm 50:8-9, 16-17, 21, 23, Matthew 10:34–11:1

“Whoever finds his life, will lose it
and whoever loses his life, for my sake, will find it.”

Matthew 10:39

matthew 10 29 whoever finds hislife will lose it and whoever loses his life for my sake - 13 july 2020

“Do not say,
this happened by chance,
while this came to be of itself.”
In all that exists’
there is nothing disorderly,
nothing indefinite,
nothing without purpose,
nothing by chance …
How many hairs are on your head?
God will not forget one of them.
Do you see how nothing,
even the smallest thing,
escapes the gaze of God?”

St Basil the Great (329-379)
Father & Doctor of the Church

do-not-say-this-happened-by-chance-st-basil-the-great-13-july-2019-no-2 and 13 july 2020

“The Lord is near,
do not be anxious
about anything!”

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

An excerpt from his Sermon 171

the lord is near do not be anxious about anything - st augustine 13 july 2020

“In God’s name let us go on bravely.”

St Joan of Arc (1412-1431)

in-gods-name-st-joan-of-arc-30-may-2020 and 13 july 2020

“We must offer ourselves to God,
like a clean, smooth canvas
and not worry ourselves,
about what God
may choose to paint on it
but at each moment,
feel only the stroke of His brush.”

Father Jean-Pierre de Caussade (1675-1751)

we must offer ourselves to god like a clean smooth canvas - st jean pierre de causade abandonment div prov-11may 2020

“Consider the shortness of time,
the length of eternity
and reflect how everything here below
comes to an end and passes by.
Of what use is it, to lean upon,
that which cannot give support?”

St Gerard Majella (1726-1755)

consider-the-shortness-of-time-st-gerard-majella-16-oct-2019 and 13 july 2020

“We are blind,
left to ourselves,
we should take the wrong way, 
we must leave it to Him.”

St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

we are blind - st john henry newman 13 july 2020

“I trust in God
and wish nothing else
but His will.”

St Zygmunt Szcesny Felinski (1822-1895)

i-trust-in-god-st-zygmunt-felinski-17-sept-2019-1 and 13 july 2020

“Do not be preoccupied
with the future,
God is in charge of it.”

St Léonie Françoise De Sales Aviat (1844-1914)

do-not-be-preoccupied-with-the-future-st-leonie-aviat-10-jan-2020 and 13 July 2020

“The glance of God is like a fortifying dew,
a luminous ray, which fertilises and expands –
let us work without noise and without rest,
let us work before God’s eyes,
before God alone!”

Bl Luigi Orione (1872-1940)

the glance of god - bl luigi orione 13 july 2020

“My past, O Lord, to Your mercy,
my present, to Your love,
my future, to Your Providence.”

St Pio of Pietrelcina (1887-1968)

my-past-o-lord-to-your-mercy-st-pio-23-sept-2019 and 13 july 2020

Posted in GOD is LOVE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on WILL (Reasonable or Superior)

Thought for the Day – 12 July – The Grace of God

Thought for the Day – 12 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Grace of God

the grace of god bacci 12 july 2020

“God has endowed us with wonderful corporal and spiritual gifts, creating us after His own image with powers of intellect and of will.
More than this, He has raised us to the supernatural order by communicating to us, His grace, which enables us to live His own life and to share in His divine nature, as His adopted sons.

Grace is the greatest gift which God has given us.
It enlightens our minds and moves our will to obey His commands and to perform actions which merit an everlasting reward.
It is an entirely supernatural and gratuitous gift.
For this reason, we cannot merit it but, we should continually pray for it because, it is absolutely necessary if we are to do good and to merit Heaven.
Our first ancestor, Adam, was endowed with this gift by our Creator.
Unfortunately, by original sin, he lost it for himself and for his descendants.

We cannot complain to God about this loss, since grace is an entirely supernatural gift which is in no way, due to our human nature.
For the same reason, we cannot merit it on our own.
But God, being infinitely good, as well as, infinitely just, sent His only-begotten Son to redeem us from sin and to grant us His friendship once more.

We should be very grateful to God for this extraordinary favour and should unite our efforts to the divine action of grace, in the performance of good works, which will enable us to merit everlasting life.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on VIRTUE

Thought for the Day – 11 July – The Good Odour of Christ

Thought for the Day – 11 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Good Odour of Christ

you can see a reflection of heaven in the eyes of a saint - bacci the good odour of christ - 11 july 2020

“Everyone has an attractive side to his personality which can draw others towards good or towards evil, for a man’s behaviour, countenance and conversation, reflect his inner spirit.
Charm is very often a mysterious and undefinable quality.
Sometimes you may meet a man of the world who has forgotten that he has an immortal soul and lives purely for pleasure.
Even before he speaks to you, you can read on his lips and in his eyes, the kind of man he is.
If you fail to resist and to do your best to remain on a higher plane, you will be overwhelmed by the charm of his personality.

Your can also encounter charm, however, in a privileged soul, who is in constant contact with God.
You can find it in the monk who has left the world, in order to meditate on God and to pay for his own salvation and for the salvation of his brothers in Christ.
You can meet it in a Saint, one of those rare men, who lives in the world but thinks all the time of God.
When you encounter this supernatural charm, you experience a longing to be good and holy also.

You can see a reflection of Heaven in the eyes of a Saint.
When he speaks to you, words, which if uttered by somebody else, would have no force, stir you and urge you towards all that is good.
What exactly is this quality of attractiveness?
It is “the sweet odour of Christ,” the spiritual fragrance of virtue.
Anyone who met St Aloysius Gonsaga, felt a yearning to be pure.
Anyone who heard the unadorned sermons of the Cure d’Ars, wept for his sins and was set on fire with the love of God and the desire of everlasting happiness.
It was the same with all the Saints.
Do we influence others in this way?”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on VANITY, The LAST THINGS

Thought for the Day – 10 July – Vanity

Thought for the Day – 10 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Vanity

vanity- bacci 10 july 2020

“God was perfectly happy in Himself from all eternity and did not need any creature to add to His glory.
Nevertheless, in order to diffuse His Power and Goodness, He created our world in which is reflected the harmony of His Divine Essence.
Even as all things have their origin in Him, they have Him, as their final end.
He is the eternal harbour towards which all created things flow, even as the rivers roll continually onwards until they reach the peace of the sea.
In this vast world of solar systems rotating in the firmament,of mineral and vegetable wealth and of animal creation, you are only a very tiny being, who has received everything from God.
Nevertheless, you are often convinced, that you are important.
You glory in your talents, as if they belonged to you and were not a gift which God has given to you.

Vanity is a form of theft.
God has given us everything, including life itself and, we act as if His gifts were our rightful possession.
We boast about them, show them off in the company of others and, are delighted when we receive praise or respect.
Let us imagine that we are dying and shall soon be alone in the presence of God.
At that supreme moment, what will earthly glory matter to us?
Of what account will be human flattery and transitory success?
When we are alone before God, nothing will matter except humlity and the merits which we have gained.
These will make us worthy of God’s friendship and of a heavenly reward.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

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One Minute Reflection – 10 July – ‘Citizens of Heaven.’

One Minute Reflection – 10 July – “Month of the Precious Blood” – Friday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: Hosea 14:2-10Psalm 51:3-48-912-1417Matthew 10:16-23 and the Memorial of St Canute of Denmark (c 1042-1086) Martyr

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” … Matthew 10:16matthew 10 16 behold i send you out as sheep - 12 july 2019 and 10 july 2020

REFLECTION – “They live in the flesh but they are not governed by the desires of the flesh.   They pass their days upon earth, but they are citizens of heaven.   Obedient to the laws, they yet live on a level that transcends the law.   Christians love all men but all men persecute them.   Condemned because they are not understood, they are put to death but raised to life again.   They live in poverty but enrich many; they are totally destitute but possess an abundance of everything.  They suffer dishonour but that is their glory.   They are defamed but vindicated.   A blessing is their answer to abuse, deference their response to insult.   For the good they do they receive the punishment of malefactors but even then they, rejoice, as though receiving the gift of life.   They are attacked by the Jews as aliens, they are persecuted by the Greeks, yet no one can explain the reason for this hatred.

To speak in general terms, we may say that the Christian is to the world what the soul is to the body.   As the soul is present in every part of the body, while remaining distinct from it, so Christians are found in all the cities of the world but cannot be identified with the world.   As the visible body contains the invisible soul, so Christians are seen living in the world but their religious life remains unseen.   The body hates the soul and wars against it, not because of any injury the soul has done it but because of the restriction the soul places on its pleasures.  Similarly, the world hates the Christians, not because they have done it any wrong but because they are opposed to its enjoyments.

Christians love those who hate them just as the soul loves the body and all its members despite the body’s hatred.   It is by the soul, enclosed within the body, that the body is held together and, similarly, it is by the Christians, detained in the world as in a prison, that the world is held together.   The soul, though immortal, has a mortal dwelling place and Christians also live for a time amidst perishable things, while awaiting the freedom from change and decay that will be theirs in heaven.   As the soul benefits from the deprivation of food and drink, so Christians flourish under persecution.   Such is the Christian’s lofty and divinely appointed function, from which he is not permitted to excuse himself.” …  Ancient Christian writerFrom a letter to Diognetus (Nn. 5-6; Funk, 397-401)matthew 10 16 as sheep amidst the wolves - they suffer dishonour but that is their glory - diogenes 10 july 2020

PRAYER – Father of all holiness, guide our hearts to You. Keep in the light of Your truth, all those You have freed from the darkness of unbelief.   May our lives be the source of enlightenment to others and our faith and love every remain strengthened by Your grace.   Listen to the prayers of Your saint and angels on our behalf, as we long for our eternal home.   St Canute, we beg for your prayers.    We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amenst canute of denmark pray for us 10 july 2020

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on WORK/LABOUR

Thought for the Day – 8 July – Falling into Sin

Thought for the Day – 8 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Falling into Sin

falling into sin - bacci 9 july 2020

“The just man falls seven times,” says the Book of Proverbs (24:16).
Unfortunately, we have all experienced how true this is.
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves” (Cf 1 Jn 1:8).

We fall often, in many ways – in thought, in speech, in action and by omission.
Sometimes, we fall in a moment of weakness or of impatience, at other times, we sin by an act of premeditated malice.
“Watch and pray,” Our Lord warns us, “that you may not enter into temptation” (Mt 26:41).

Our Lord also said that we “must always pray not lose heart” (Lk 18:1).
In other words, we should have a spirit of prayer which is based on the love of God and keeps us close to Him.
It is only when we are united to God, that temptations cannot hurt us and we are protected by His grace, from falling into deliberate sin.

It is idle to protest that this would require the virtue of anchorite and that we are entangled in all kinds of other business.
Virtue is necessary for everybody, not only for anchorites.
“The kingdom of heaven has been enduring violent assulat and the violent have been seizing it by force” (Mt 11:12).
In order to attain to the kingdom of God, therefore, we have to do violence to our corrupted nature.
A life of solitude is not essential for prayer, however.
One can be busy from morning till night and pray continuously, so that his work is offered to God and done for the love of God.
In this way, work becomes prayer and will save us from falling into sin.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on BAD CONVERSATION, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on FREEDOM, QUOTES on GOSSIP, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SILENCE

Thought for the Day – 8 July – The Gift of Speech

Thought for the Day – 8 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Gift of Speech

the gift of speech - bacci 8 july 2020

“One of God’s greatest gifts, the spoken word, is the reflection of our thought and the expression of our will.
In God, the Word is something infinitely greater, for it is the substantial image of God, the Eternal Word of the Father, through Whom He knows and, therefore, loves Himself.
It is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.
Because we have been created in the likeness of God, our Creator has endowed us also, with a limited power to express our thoughts and sentiments.

It is hard to imagine how unhappy we should be, if we could not express ourselves and were unable to communicate our ideas and feelings to others.
We should feel isolated, as rocks separated from one another by vast expanses of sea, for we could neither give anything of ourselves to other men, nor receive anything in return.
We could not even praise God and tell Him how we love Him.
God could have created us without the gift of speech.
Since He has given it to us, we should show our gratitude by using it for His glory, for our welfare and, for the salvation of our neighbour.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on MISSION, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 8 July – Mission of Love

Quote/s of the Day – 8 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Wednesday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: Hosea 10:1-3, 7-8, 12, Psalm 105:2-7, Matthew 10:1-7

Mission of Love

“Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples

and gave them authority … “

Matthew 10:1matthew 10 1 jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority 8 july 2020

“Go out to the whole world
and proclaim the gospel to all creation.”

Mark 16:15

mark 16 15 go out to the whole world and proclaim the gospel 8 july 2020

“And when it was day, he called his disciples
and chose from them twelve,
whom he named apostle …”

Luke 6:13

luke-6-13-he-called-his-disciples-and-chose-twleve-28-oct-2019 and 8 july 2020

“Beloved:
What was from the beginning,
what we have heard,
what we have seen with our eyes,
what we looked upon and touched with our hands
concerns the Word of life (for the life was made visible;
we have seen it and testify to it
and proclaim to you the eternal life
that was with the Father
and was made visible to us.…”

1 John 1:1-2

beloved-what-was-from-the-beginning-what-we-have-heard-1-john-1-1-to-2-27dec2017-2018-and-2019 and 8 july 2020

“Now what it was they preached – in other words,
what it was that Christ revealed to them –
can properly be proved, in no other way,
than by those very Churches that the Apostles founded in person,
by directly declaring the Gospel to them,
first by word of mouth
and subsequently by their epistles.
If, then, these things are so,
it is manifest that all doctrine that agrees with the Apostolic Churches,
which are the matrix and source of the faith,
must be reckoned as true
and as undoubtedly containing that,
which those Churches received, from the Apostles,
the Apostles from Christ and Christ from God.”

Tertullian
full name Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus (c 155- c 240)
Father of the Church

john-15-15-all-that-i-have-heard-from-my-father-tertullian-now-what-it-was-they-preached-14-may-2020-8 july 2020

“But to bear with insult,
patiently undergo humiliation,
pray for those who persecute us (Mt 5,39.44) –
that is the Lord’s cup,
that is the Lord’s feast.“

St Augustine (354-430)
Father & Doctor of the Church

but-to-bear-with-insult-patiently-undergo-humiliation...st-augustine-feast-of-st-james-25-july-2019.-and-27-nov-2019 and 8 july 2020

“Accordingly, in affirming that they are sent by Him
just as He was sent by the Father,
Christ sums up in a few words
the approach, they themselves should take to their apostolate.
From what He said, they would gather,
that it was their vocation to call sinners to repentance,
to heal those who were sick,
whether in body or spirit,
to seek in all their dealing,
never to do their own will
but the will of Him who sent them
and, as far as possible,
to save the world by their teaching.”

St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444)
Bishop, Father & Doctor of the Church

accordingly in affirming that they are sent by Him just as He was sent by the father - st cyril of alex - 8 july 2020

“John’s God-illumined mind,
conceived the incomparable height of divine wisdom,
when he reclined on the Redeemer’s breast,
during the holy Last Supper meal (Jn 13:25).
And because “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col 2:3) are within the heart of Jesus, it is from there, that he drew
and from there, that he greatly enriched our wretchedness,
as people who are poor and generously distributed these goods,
taken from their source, for the salvation of the whole world.”

St Peter Damian (1007-1072)
Doctor of the Church

johns-god-illumined-mind-st-peter-damian-27-dec-2018-and-2019 and 8 july 2020

“The love of Jesus is noble and generous,
it spurs us onto do great things
and excites us to desire always,
that which is most perfect.
Love will tend upwards
and is not to be detained by things beneath.
Love will be at liberty
and free from all worldly affections…
for love proceeds from God
and cannot rest but in God above all things created.
The lover flies, runs and rejoices,
he is free and not held.
He gives all for all and has all in all,
because he rests in one sovereign Good above all,
from Whom all good flows and proceeds”

Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, Book III, Chapter V, 3-4

the-love-of-jesus-st-john-27-dec-2019-thomas-a-kempis and 8 july 2020

” …How could we not preach the gospel
if the Gospel is under our skin,
in our hands, our hearts, our heads?
We are obliged to say why we try to be what we want to be,
why we try not to be what we don’t want to be,
we are obliged to preach,
since preaching is to say something publicly
about Jesus Christ, our Lord and God
and one can’t love Him and be silent.”

Venerable Madeleine Delbrêl (1904-1964)
Missionary to the outcasts

matthew-10-8-without-cost-you-have-received-how-could-we-not-preach-the-gospel-ven-madelein-delbrel-11-june-2020 and 8 july 2020

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on BAD CONVERSATION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on TRUTH

Thought for the Day – 7 July – Uncharitableness

Thought for the Day – 7 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Uncharitableness

uncharitableness - bacci 7 july 2020

“It is easy, unfortunately, to abuse the gift of speech which God has given us.
“If anyone does not offend in word,” says St James, “he is a perfect man” (Js 3:2).
“As often as I have been amongst men,” says The Imitation of Christ, “I have returned less a man” (Bk I, c 20:2).
Why is this so?
It is because it is easy when we are in the company of men to enter into useless and even harmful discussions.
As a result, we lose the purity of intention which we ought to observe in all our thoughts, words and actions.
We lose the spirit of recollection which keeps us in contact with God and when we return home, we are less perfect Christians because we are dissipated in mind and in heart.

It is true that if we were really holy and were accustomed to speak with people holier than ourselves, our conversations would be spiritually beneficial to us.
We should go away more perfect men and closer to God than we were before.
But what kind of conversations do we normally have with others?
What kind of relations have we with our friends, with our superiors and inferiors and with everyone whom we meet?
Are our conversations inspired by a love for truth and charity and by a desire for the spiritual welfare of ourselves and of our neighbour?

Let us examine ourselves in this important matter and resolve that our conversation will be a means of sanctification for ourselves and others.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in GOD the FATHER, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on NATURE - GOD'S CREATION

Thought for the Day – 6 July – A Ladder Ascending to God

Thought for the Day – 6 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

A Ladder Ascending to God

a ladder ascending to god - bacci - 6 july 2020 (1)

“Nature shows forth the power and beauty of God.
When we gaze at the sky on a clear night, countless millions of stars seem to look back at us like so many shining eyes, wishing to remind us of God’s greatness.
These brilliant pin-points of light are really immense bodies, often much larger than our own globe.
God created them and flung them into space, where He fixed for them, the orbits which they must travel every year, throughout the ages.
They carry out their Creator’s plan at every moment, never deflecting, in the slightest, from their course.
If they were to do so, the result would be an universal catastrophe.

Everything in the firmament obeys God’s law.
“The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament proclaims his handiwork” (Ps 18:2).
The further science advances, the more wonderful appear God’s power and greatness.
Our ancestors wove legends about the bright belt of stars which ploughed it’s milky way through the firmament but, today we know, that this apparent conglomeration of gleaming dust, consists of other worlds and faraway systems of planets.
We should feel humble in the presence of so much beauty and harmony.
Let us adore and love the omnipotent Creator of such wonders!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Thought for the Day – 5 July – The Eucharistic Life

Thought for the Day – 5 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Eucharistic Life

the eucharistic life - the eucharist in our spiritual life - bacci 5 july 2020

“The Eucharist in our spiritual life could be compared to the sun in the physical life of the world.
The sun gives light, heat and life.
We can imagine what a terrible thing it would be if the sun set one evening and never rose again!
Darkness would envelop the earth once more as at the beginning of creation.
The cold would become relentless and life would be gradually extinguished everywhere.
Men could, for sometime, depend on their reserves of artificial light to illuminate their creeping agony but, life would slowly decline, until it ended in death for everything and for everybody.
Such would be the spiritual life without Jesus, especially without Jesus in the Blessed Eucharist, Who lives amongst us as our only true Friend, Who hears, helps and nourishes us.

He is the sun of our souls, the source of our enlightenment, fervour and consolation.
Are we weary and discouraged beneath the weight of our daily cross and of our sins?
Let us go to Jesus and He will help us to carry our cross.
He will wash away our sins and give us the supernatural strength, never to sin again.

Let us unite ourselves to Jesus, by frequent communion, by a daily visit to Him in the Tabernacle and, by making a spiritual communion whenever we cannot receive Him in the Blessed Eucharist.
Let us make fervent aspirations, whenever we find our cross too heavy for us or when we are strongly tempted.

Many people go on long pilgrimages to famous Sanctuaries, such as Lourdes, Fatima and the Holy Places of Palestine.
These are certainly worthwhile but, we should not forget that the greatest sanctuary of all is close at hand.
It is in every Church which contains Jesus in the Tabernacle.
Here, we have Jesus Himself, really present and anxious to listen to us and to help us.
The Saints could find no greater joy on earth than to to pray before the Blessed Sacrament.
We are all called to be saints!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

the eucharistic life - many people go on long pilgrimages - bacci 5 july 2020

Posted in GOD the FATHER, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY

Thought for the Day – 4 July – The New Life

Thought for the Day – 4 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The New Life

the new life - a man who loves god above all things - bacci 4 july 2020

“Only a Christian,” wrote Tertullian, “can be wise, sincere and lofty” (De praescriptione haereticorum, 3).

He had in mind, of course, the true follower of Jesus Christ, who is practising the precepts of Our Lord.
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with they whole heart ... Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Mt 22:37, MK 12:30, Lk 10:27).
“You are to be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48).

A man who loves God above all things, can fairly be called wise.
God is the supreme good and as such, should be the final end towards which we direct all our thoughts and actions.
If anyone adopts his own ego or some created good as his goal in life, he is not wise because he has upset the proper scale of values.
It is not true to say that we should love ourselves before anything else because we are creatures who belong to God and should refer everything to Him.
Only if we love God above all things, even above ourselves, can we really be said to love ourselves.
How can we love ourselves, if, in the first place, we do not love our highest good, which is God?
Since this love must be active, it makes us faithful to God’s commandments and raises us above the rest of creation to a state of immediate dependence on God.
A love of all mankind flows as a natural consequence from this union of love with God.
If we regard all men as our brothers in Jesus Christ, we shall be perfect Christians in the manner intended by our divine Redeemer when He desires us to be like His heavenly Father.
This is the new life which Jesus came to bring into the world and which we should nurture in ourselves (Cf Heb 4:23-24).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, The GOOD SHEPHERD

Thought for the Day – 3 July – The Good Shepherd

Thought for the Day – 3 July – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Good Shepherd

the good shepherd - we may often have been - bacci 3 july 2020

“The Good Shepherd is the theme of two of the most moving passages in the Gospel.
“I am the good shepherd,” Jesus says. “The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. But, the hireling, who is not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees. and the wolf snatches and scatters the sheep … I am the good shepherd and I know mine and mine know me, even as the father knows me and I know the Father and I lay down my life for my sheep” (Jn 10:11-15).

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep,” He says elsewhere “and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after that which is lost, until he finds it?   And when he has found it, he lays it upon his shoulders rejoicing.   And on coming home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, “Rejoice with me because, I have found my sheep that was lost.”
“I say to you that, even so, there will be joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, more than over ninety nine just, who have no need of repentance” (Cf Lk 15:4-7).

These texts vividly describe God’s mercy towards poor sinners.

We may often have been amongst the lost sheep which are separated from the flock of Jesus Christ.
We found, perhaps, the poisoned pastures of error and vice and strayed from the path of truth and goodness.
But what happened?
We experienced disillusionment and remorse and knew that we had lost our only real good, which is God.
How sad our fate would have been, if the Good Shepherd, Jesus, had not come to look for us and to enlighten us with His grace.
We should have been lost forever, in the desert of sin!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on TIME, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Thought for the Day – 2 July – The Tabernacle Lamp

Thought for the Day – 2 July – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Tabernacle Lamp

jesus christ is present - the tabernacle lamp - bacci 2 july 2020

“We should find time, everyday, to pay a visit to the Blessed Sacrament.

Jesus Christ is present in all the Churches of the world as a voluntary prisoner of love.
He is waiting for us.

“I will not leave you orphans,” (Jn 14:18) He promised, for He loves us, with an infinite love which knows no limits of time or place.
He has been there, throughout the centuries in every corner of the globe, from the splendid Cathedrals in the noisy cities, to the humble little Chapels of the lonely Missions.
No matter where we go, we can find the King of Kings enthroned within the Tabernacle, waiting lovingly for us!

Since we need Him so much, why do we not go to Him?
We have many things to do but this is the first and most necessary.
It will often require some little sacrifice to spend a quarter of an hour before the Tabernacle but, nothing good can ever be achieved without sacrifice.

Moreover, Jesus deserves this sacrifice, for did He not give Himself entirely for us?
Does He not continue to sacrifice Himself in the Sacrament and in the Sacrifice of the Altar?
Let us go to Jesus everyday and we shall find comfort for our souls.

When we kneel in front of the Tabernacle and speak with Jesus, we shall feel confident that He is listening to us.
We shall be certain that He sympathises with our weaknesses, understands our needs and is anxious to enrich us with His graces.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SILENCE

Thought for the Day – 1 July – Moments of Silence

Thought for the Day – 1 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Moments of Silence

“Such is the speed of modern life that many people forget God and do not even pause to think about themselves.
Action is everything.
There is no time for reflection, no time for prayer.
Life has become mechanical and superficial, for nobody has the time, nor the inclination, to think about spiritual matters.

What is the result?
Since men are not machines but living beings, composed of soul and body and are capable of feeling and passion, their lower inclinations break loose and insist on being satisfied.
In the absence of prayer and of all effort to lead a good life, grace is lacking to inspire the mind, to strengthen the will and to keep the heart pure.
Rapid materialistic progress has accustomed men to accept, as inevitable, the most shameful falls.
The absence of any kind of contact with God, makes the soul the slave of sin.

Examine yourself.
Perhaps, you have not yet sunk to this low level of spirituality and are still capable of feeling remorse and the urge to do good.
But, you must listen for God’s voice and a certain amount of silence, is necessary, if His voice is not to be drowned in the tumult of the world.
We are in real need of solitude, recollection and prayer!

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS

Thought for the Day – 30 June – “Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, is as old as Christianity”

Thought for the Day – 30 June – “The Last Day of Month of the Sacred Heart” – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Devotion to the Sacred Heart

“When we consider it under it’s fundamental aspect as the cult of the love of God, rather than of the Incarnate Word, devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, is as old as Christianity, even though it is only in recent centuries, that it has assumed it’s present symbolism.
“He who does not love, does not know God,” says St John, “for God is love” (1 Jn 4:8).
“And we have come to know,” he continues “and have believed, the love that God has in our behalf.   God is love and he who abides in love, abides in God and God in him” (1 Jn 4:16).
This cult of the love of God, particularly of the love of God made man, vibrates throughout the pages of the Gospel and of the writings of the Apostles, especially of St John and of St Paul.

In the works of the Fathers, there are references to the Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance, from which flowed all the infinite graces of the Church for our redemption.
We are reminded of this in the Encylical, Haurietis Aquas, published by Pope Pius XII in the year 1956.
But the specific cult of the love of God, as symbolised by the Heart of Jesus, was explicitly approved by the Church after Jesus Himself appeared in the year 1674 to St Margaret Mary Alacoque and showed her His Heart on fire with love for men.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SACRED HEART QUOTES, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 30 June – ‘I put all my trust in Thee …’

Quote/s of the Day – 30 June – “The Last day of the Month of the Sacred Heart” – Tuesday of the Thirteenth week in Ordinary Time Year A, Readings: Amos 3:1-8; 4:11-12, Psalm 5:5-8, Matthew 8:23-27

And they went and woke him, saying,
“Save us, Lord, we are perishing.”

Matthew 8:25

matthew 8 25 and they went and woke him saying save us lord - 30 june 2020

“It is I, be not afraid”

John 6:20

john 6 20 - it is I be not afraid 4 may 2019

“Let not your hearts be troubled,
neither let them be afraid.”

John 14:27

john 14 27 let not your hearts be troubled - 12 may 2020

“The waters have risen
and severe storms are upon us
but we do not fear drowning,
for we stand firmly upon a rock.
Let the sea rage, it cannot break the rock.
Let the waves rise,
they cannot sink the boat of Jesus.”

the-waters-have-risen-but-they-cannot-break-the-rock-st-john-chrysostom-13-sept-2019 and 30 june 2020

“Let the world be in upheaval.
I hold to His promise and read His message,
that is my protecting wall and garrison.
What message?
‘Know that I am with you always,
until the end of the world!'”

St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father and Doctor of the Churchlet the world be in upheaval i hold to his opromise -st john chrysostom 30 june 2020

“It is not a calm sky, beloved
but the storm which tests a pilot’s skill.
When the breeze is mild,
even the poorest sailor,
can manage the ship.
But in the crosswinds of a tempest,
we want the best pilot with all His skill.”

St Peter Chrysologus (c 406 – c 450)
Father and Doctor of the Church

it is not a calm sky beloved but the storm which tests a pilot's skill - st peter chrysologus 30 june 2020

“Whoever has become a servant of the Lord,
fears only his Master.
But whoever is without the fear of God,
is often afraid of his own shadow.
Fearfulness is the daughter of unbelief.
A proud soul is the slave of fear,
hoping in itself,
it comes to such a state,
that it is startled by a small noise
and is afraid of the dark.”

St John Climacus (579-649)
Father of the Church

whoever-has-become-a-servant-of-the-lord-st-john-climacus-2-july-2019 and 30 june 2020

“O Heart of love,
I put all my trust in Thee,
for I fear all things,
from my own weakness,
but I hope for all things,
from Thy Goodness.”

St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)

o-heart-of-love-i-put-all-my-trust-in-thee-16-oct-2019 and 30 June 2020

“…Therefore, never allow yourself to start brooding again
but always be brave and trust.
Serve your good Master with an open heart full of joy.
The right way is to see all events and all obstacles
in the spirit of faith as being in the hands of Our Lord
and to hear Him say to you, on every occasion,
as He did to the disciples
‘It is I.   Do not fear.   Have faith.’”

St Michael Garicoïts (1797-1863)

therefore-never-allow-yourself-to-start-brooding-st-michel-garicoits-14-may-2019 and 30 june 2020

“We need not be afraid
because even while He sleeps,
He watches over us.
Jesus does not save us FROM storms,
He saves us IN storms.
DO NOT WAKE Jesus.
Let Him sleep.
He is still in control!”

Msgr Alex Rebello

Daily Reflections

we need not be afraid because even while he sleeps - msgr alex rebello 30 june 2020

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, SAINT of the DAY, St PAUL!, St PETER!, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

Thought for the Day – 29 June – St Peter, Prince of the Apostles, St Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles

Thought for the Day – 29 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

St Peter, Prince of the Apostles
St Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles

st peter and paul - 29 june 2020 - the successor of st peter - bacciit now noloner i that live - bacci - 29 june 2020

“Jesus was walking one day along the shoe of the Sea of Galilee, when He saw two fishermen casting their nets into the water.
He approached them and said: “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men” (Mk 1:17).
These two fishermen were brothers named, Simon and Andrew.
The divine Master won their hearts immediately, so that they left their boat and their nets and followed Jesus.
Simon was later called Peter and became the leader of the Apostles.

Peter’s generosity and great love for Jesus are evident in the pages of the Gospel.
When Our Lord foretold the institution of the Blessed Eucharist, many of His disciples were scandalised and left Him.
“Do you also wish to go away?”   Jesus asked His Apostles.
St Peter answered Him without delay.   “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou has the words of everlasting life and we have come to believe and to know, that Thou are the Christ, the Son of God” (Jn 6:69).
On another occasion, Jesus asked His disciples – “Who do men say the Son of Man is?”   The Apostles hesitated and began to suggest the names of various Prophets.
But St Peter was inspired to make the reply: “Thou are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Then Our Lord appointed him Head of the Church.
“Blessed are thou, Simon Bar-Jona … thou are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell, shall not prevail against it. And I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven” (Mt 16:15-19).
By these words there was instituted the loftiest and most ancient of the dynasties, the Papacy.
The successor of St Peter will rule the Church to the end of time and no power, neither persecution nor heresy, neither human tyranny nor false civilisation, will ever succeed in destroying this citadel of truth and goodness!”

St Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles

“St Paul was by nature, fiery and zealous.
Once he discovered the truth, he was ready to die for it.
Originally he was convinced that Judaism contained the whole truth and, for this reason he hated the Christians, whom he regarded as a sect which had corrupted the sacred Hebrew tradition.
The deacon Stephen was the first victim of his persecuting zeal.
As he was being stoned and beaten to death this saintly young man prayed for his persecutors.
It may be that in this moment his eyes, shining with faith and love, encountered those of the man who hated him.
Soon afterwards, Saul (this was Paul’s real name), left Jerusalem for Damascus, carrying letters investing him with new powers for the persecution of the infant Church.
On the way, this headstrong but sincere enemy of Christianity was suddenly dazzled by a light from Heaven.
He fell to the ground and heard a mysterious voice saying:  “Saul, Saul, why do thou persecute me?”
Terrified he answered:  “Who are thou, Lord?”
“I am Jesus,” the voice said, “whom thou are persecuting” (Acts 9:1-15).
From that day, Saul was changed completely.
Under the influence of divine grace, he became the Apostle to the Gentiles.

Before he set out on his missionary journeys, Paul wet apart into the desert of Arabia (Cf Gal 1:17), where, he remained sometime in prayer and recollection.
Then he went to Jerusalem to pay homage to the Prince of the Apostles, St Peter (Gal 1:18).
After this, he began his apostolic travels, in the course of which, he encountered all kinds of hardships and dangers.
The Jews frequently hunted him, in order to put him to death.
He was often cruelly scourged and flung into prison and, several times, he was shipwrecked and had miraculous escapes from death (CF 2 Cor 11:23-27).
He bore everything joyfully however, in order to prove his liove for Jesus Christ.
Charity was always his main incentive.   “The love of Christ impels us” (2 Cor 5:14).
Charity, he said himself, “Believes all things, hopes all things,edues all things” (Cf 1 Cor 13:4-13).
His charity was so great, that he could truthfully say:  “Who is weak and I am not weak?   Who is made to stumble and I am not inflamed?” (2 Cor 11:29).

St Paul could make this claim because his heart had become identified with the Heart of Jesus.
Therefore, he could say:  “It is now no longer I that live but Christ lives in me,” (Gal 2:20) and:  “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain,” (Phil 1:21) and:  “I am hard pressed from both sides, desiring to depart and to be with Christ, a lot by far the better;  yet, to stay on in the flesh is necessary, for your sake” (Phil 1:23-24).

Let us meditate on this ardent love of God.
Let us cast aside our coldness and indifference and ask St Paul, to set us on fire with divine charity.”  Amen

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in Act of SPIRITUAL COMMUNION, DEVOTIO, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Thought for the Day – 28 June – Spiritual Communion

Thought for the Day – 28 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Spiritual Communion

spiritual communion - bacci 28 june 2020

“Anyone who sincerely loves Jesus Christ, will not be satisfied with receiving Him daily in the Blessed Eucharist.
Often, during the day, he will feel the need of uniting himself again to the divine Spouse in an act of love.
This is what is known as Spiritual Communion.
It is a natural and spontaneous act for a true lover of Jesus.

“I am the vine, you are the branches,” Jesus has told us. “He who abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit … as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in me” (Cf Jn 15:4).
Since the supernatural life flows into our souls from Jesus, we must maintain our union with Him, even when He is not sacramentally present.
It is true, that the divine grace, remains in us, as long as we do not fall into mortal sin but, it grows weaker under the influence of worldly attractions and temptations.
It is necessary to revive the grace that is in us, when we feel that it is waning.
For this purpose, Spiritual Communion is very useful, for it is an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament (Summa Theologiae, III, q 8, a 1 ad 3) and, an outpouring of love, in which we beseech Jesus to come and take complete possession of our hearts.
This practice was recommended by the Council of Trent (Session XIII, ch 8) and was frequently used by the Saints in order to keep alive the fire of divine charity in their souls and to guard themselves against the onslaughts of the world, the flesh and the devil.
If we act in the same manner, Jesus will always be within us and we shall always be in Jesus.
If God lives in us, who can harm us?
If God is for us, who is against us? (Rom 8:31).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in DEVOTIO, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Thought for the Day – 27 June – The Sacred Heart of Jesus Pierced by a Crown of Thorns

Thought for the Day – 27 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Sacred Heart of Jesus Pierced by a Crown of Thorns

there are many ways of showing our love for the sacred heart - bacci - pierced by thorns 27 june 2020

“There are many ways of showing our love for the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of making reparation for our sins and for the sins of mankind.
We can console ourselves with the reflection, that by these acts of love and reparation, we are removing the thorns which encircle and pierce the Heart of Jesus.
The simplest ways of doing this, are by prayers, aspirations and expressions of love, directed towards the adorable Heart of our Redeemer and, by visits to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
In silence and recollection, before the Tabernacle, we shall feel the Heart of Jesus, beating with love and, shall offer in return, for His infinite love, the affection of our poor hearts.

We can also receive Holy Communion in reparation.
When Jesus is in us and we are in Jesus, it will be easier and more pleasant, to offer Him our love and expiation.
We can make reparation also, by practising the devotion of the First Fridays of the month.
This pious practice, so pleasing to the Heart of Jesus, aims at being a mass offering of love and reparation, for the sins of the entire human race.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

we can also receive holy comm in reparation - sacred pierced by thorns bacci 27 june 2020

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Thought for the Day – 26 June – The Four Ends of the Holy Mass

Thought for the Day – 26 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Four Ends of the Holy Mass

THE FOUR ENDS OF THE HOLY MASS - BACCI 26 JUNE 2020

“Let us meditate on the fact, that the Sacrifice of the Eucharist, was instituted for four ends, namely:

1. TO HONOUR GOD
All the Angels and Saints of Heaven and all the human beings upon earth, could not possibly honour God, as He ought to be honoured because, they are creatures who derive everything which they possess from God.
Only Jesus the God-Man, could offer the Eternal Father, the infinite honour due to Him, by offering Himself.

2. TO MAKE ADEQUATE SATISFACTION FOR ALL OUR SINS
Insofar, as they are a revolt against God, our sins are, in a certain way, infinite.
This is because they offend an Infinite Being.
Only Jesus, being at the same time man and God, could offer for us, His brothers, an infinite satisfaction to the Eternal Father.
Only He, could redeem us from the debt of crime and punishment, which we had contracted, by offering Himself, without reserve, in the Eucharistic Sacrifice.
It must be explained, however, that although the Mass is of infinite value in itself, God applies this value to us in a finite way only, according to His good pleasure and according to our dispositions.
For this reason, we should do well to attend Mass, as often as possible and with the maximum fervour.

3. TO GIVE THANKSGIVING TO GOD for all the benefits which we have received from Him.

4. Finally, TO OBTAIN ALL THE GRACES AND FAVOURS of which we and other people stand in need.
The Mass is an extraordinary gift.
Let us attend at Mass with recollection and devotion.
It will be for us, the source of every grace and virtue!”
Amen

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on HYPOCRISY, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SUFFERING

Thought for the Day – 25 June – External Mortification

Thought for the Day – 25 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

External Mortification

it is a false piety to think - external mortification - bacci 25 june 2020

“In the first place, we must accept with resignation, from the hands of Christ, all the sufferings and humiliations which we encounter during life.
Not only should we accept them but, we should offer them to God as a proof of our love.
The Saints were happy to suffer for the sake of Jesus; we should at least suffer, with resignation in expiation of our sins.
This is still not enough, however.
“They who belong to Christ,” St Paul warns us, “have crucified their flesh with it’s passions and desires” (Gal 5:24).
Salvation is impossible without voluntary penance (Cf Lk 13:5).
It is false piety to insist that we should not treat cruelly, the body, which God has given us.
Such an attitude of indulgence, could cause the loss of the soul, which is a far greater treasure.
As St Paul writes, “the sufferings of the present time, are not worthy to be compared, with the glory to come that will be revealed to us” (Rom 8:18).
Suffering voluntarily undertaken for the sake of Jesus, purifies the soul and gives us a great peace, when we see the body subdued and converted into an instrument for the sanctification of ourselves and others.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on WEALTH/RICHES, The HOLY GHOST

Thought for the Day – 24 June – What the Holy Spirit Requires of Us

Thought for the Day – 24 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

What the Holy Spirit Requires of Us

he who does not love abides in death - bacci - what the holy spirit requires of us 24 june 2020

“What does the Holy Spirit desire of us?
He wishes to transform us and to make us holy and for this, He wants our co-operation.
We should give our co-operation generously, in the manner of the first Christians.
These were in close contact with the college of the Apostles and tried hard to put their teaching into practice.

In the early days of Christianity, every house was like a church.
This should still be the case today.
We should be bound together spiritually under the influence of the Holy Spirit and under the guidance of the teaching authority of the Church.
We should practice the Church’s teaching and try to diffuse it among others.

The early Christians also persevered in prayer and in daily participation in the Sacrament of the Altar.
There can be no spiritual life without prayer because, it comes from God.
The Holy Spirit speaks to those who humbly and earnestly invoke Him.
Our best prayers, are those, which we say when we receive Holy Communion, however.
Then we have Jesus Himself within us, with all His graces.

If we receive Holy Communion with the proper dispositions, we can acquire the spirit of charity towards God and our neighbour, which is the sum total of Christianity.
We can make ourselves holy and can ask for the ability to co-operate in the sanctification of others.

A further characteristic of the early Christians, was, that they possessed everything in common.
W are accustomed to call this attitude of common ownership, an evangelical counsel, rather than a command.
It is the spontaneous outcome of that true and efficacious charity which flows from the Holy Spirit and makes all men brothers.

There is no strict obligation on us to give away everything which we possess, for the benefit of our neighbour. But, we have a real obligation to help our neighbour as far as lies in our power, when we see that he is in need.
Otherwise, we cannot say that we love our neighbour as ourselves and, therefore, cannot claim to be genuine Christians.
“He who does not love abides in death,” wrote St John (1 Jn 3:14).
“He who has the goods of this world,” he continues “and sees his brother in need and closes his heart to him, how does the love of God abide in him?   My dear children, let us not love in word, neither with the tongue but, in deed and in truth” (1 Jn 3:17-18).

It is worth our while to reflect on these tremendous words and to act according to their sense.
In modern society, there is excessive luxury, on one side and excessive poverty, on the other.
Christianity in it’s truest sense, therefore, is not being practised.
How do we behave in this matter?”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The HOLY GHOST

Thought for the Day – 22 June – The Feast of Pentecost

Thought for the Day – 22 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Feast of Pentecost

around us there is a corrupt society - the feast of pentecost - bacci 23 june 2020

We are still in need of the Holy Spirit today, to enlighten and strengthen us.
We are essentially so imperfect and so weak.
Around us, there is a corrupt society, perhaps, more depraved and more perilous than that which confronted the Apostles.

A veneer of refinement and civilisation endows modern society with a deceptive lustre but, at it’s heart, there is misery and rottenness, much greater than any which our fathers ever knew.
This is because, in our times, progress has become, for many, an instrument of sin.
Today we have to contend with, not merely the existence of evil but, with it’s industrialisation.
Evil is bought and sold; it is propagated for profit!

We need the Spirit of God to disperse the forces of corruption, to transform us, as He transformed the Apostles and, to help us to make others good.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci