Quote/s of the Day – 8 May – The Memorial of Blessed Henri Vergès FMS (1930-1994) Martyr, Marist Brothers Missionary and one of the 19 Algerian Martyrs
“… How can one express a spiritual experience? One can only stammer. God alone knows the windings of the way, the path He intends for this one and for that one, the journeying marked out by our welcomes and refusals.”
“God has simply sent me to sow the seed in the field chosen by Him – thus, to sow in peace and to leave Him to look after the growth. Without being surprised by the presence of the cross, as in the life of Jesus Himself.”
“Let the Peace of Christ invade me always, more and more intimately. Patience, gentleness towards myself, patience, gentleness towards all, in particular, the young people the Lord entrusts to me. Virgin Mary, make me an instrument of peace for the world.”
One Minute Reflection – 8 May – “Mary’s Month” – Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 13:26-33, Psalm 2:6-11, John 14:1-6 and the Memorial of Blessed Henri Vergès FMS (1930-1994) Martyr
Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.” … John 14:6
REFLECTION – “Day by day follow God’s path, keeping Him closely attached to you by His promise. In fact, He Himself said, through the mediation of His apostles, to all those who seek His will and His testimonies (Ps 118[119]:31 LXX), that He would be with them until the end of the world (Mt 28:20) where paths and footsteps will be unknown (cf, Ps 76:20), as the divine David said in his songs. Yet, in an invisible way, He is present to the eyes of the mind, making Himself seen by those who have a pure heart and conversing with them. So pursue your path ….
Take the wings of the love of God to fly like the clouds (cf. Is 60:8), raised above the obstacles of this earth. Anoint your feet with the oil of joy (cf. Ps 44:8) and temperance. Do not hinder the Lord’s narrow way with your dragging feet. If you are thirsty in your pusillanimity, drink the water of patience (cf. Sir 15:3), if you are hungry in your spiritual sluggishness, eat the bread that nourishes and strengthens the heart of man (cf. Ps 103[104]:15), a word of wisdom and courage. Hitch up your garment and be ready for action, look up and don’t burden yourself with those oppressive loads which are your evil desires. For anyone who is accomplishing the journey from earth to heaven, it is enough to diligently pursue one’s path without assuming extra weight. …
Be strong in the Lord; go up to the mountain of God, to His holy house (Is 2:3) with Isaiah the cantor, the prophet with such a powerful voice. Let none remain behind, none sit down; help one another, everyone rooted in a firm charity.” … St Theodore the Studite (759-826) Monk and Theologian at Constantinople – Catechesis 11
PRAYER – “[Lord God] I believe in You, increase my faith. All my hopes are in You, secure my trust. I love You, teach me to love You more each day… I adore You as my first beginning, I long for You as my final end. I praise You as my constant helper and call on You as my loving protector. Guide me by Your Wisdom, correct me with Your Justice, comfort me with Your Mercy, protect me by Your Power… Lord, enlighten my understanding, enflame my will, purify my heart, sanctify my soul. Help me to repent of my past sins and to rise above my human weaknesses and to grow stronger as a Christian…” (from the Universal Prayer by Pope Clement XI (1649-1721) Mary, Mother of our Lord, pray for us! Blessed Henri Vergès (1930-1994) Martyr, pray for us!
Quote/s of the Day – 7 May – Thursday Fourth week of Easter, Readings: Acts 13:13-25, Psalm 89:2-3, 21-22, 25, 27, John 13:16-20
“A servant is not greater than his master…”
John 13:16
“It is not that I want merely, to be called a Christian but to actually be one. Yes, if I prove to be one, then I can have the name.”
St Ignatius of Antioch (c 35-c 108)
Martyr, Father of the Church
“Do not follow any road but that which Christ trod. This road seems hard but it is safe.”
St Augustine (354-430)
Great Western Father and Doctor of the Church
“There is a difference between renouncing all things and leaving all things. For it is the way of few perfect men to leave all things, that is, to cast behind them the cares of the world but it is the part of all the faithful, to renounce all things, that is, so to hold the things of the world instead of by them being held in the world.”
St Bede the Venerable (673-735)
Father and Doctor of the Church
“‘… Choose the same things as Himself…” That which is small and despised, that is what He has chosen, my Saviour and God, who put on our flesh to confound human fame and wealth.”
St Theodore the Studite (759-826)
Monk and Theologian at Constantinople
Catechesis 78
“When it comes to following Jesus, it’s usually not more information that we need but more guts.”
One Minute Reflection -– 7 May – “Mary’s Month” – Thursday Fourth week of Easter, Readings: Acts 13:13-25, Psalm 89:2-3, 21-22, 25, 27, John 13:16-20 and the Memorial of Nlessed Alberto of Bergamo OP (1214-1279)
“A servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.” … John 13:16
REFLECTION – “Remember the wonders He has done for us (Ps 104[105]:5) in the past and those he does still. … In response to what He has done for us let us do even more and return what we owe Him, most venerable brethren. And what He wants from us is surely that we should fear Him, love Him with all our heart and all our mind (cf. Mt 22:37) and imitate His life in the flesh insofar as we can?
He made Himself a stranger by leaving heaven for earth so that we too might become strangers to thoughts that come from self-will. He obeyed His father so that you too should unhesitatingly obey …. He humbled Himself even to death (cf. Phil 2:8) so that you too should share this sentiment, abasing and humbling yourselves in thought, deed, word and act. Where is divine and true glory to be found, if not in becoming, without glory amongst men for God’s sake? … That which is small and despised, that is what He has chosen, my Saviour and God, who put on our flesh to confound (1 Cor 1:27-28) human fame and wealth.
This is why He was born in a cave, was laid in a manger, was called the son of a carpenter, called a Nazarene. He was clothed in one poor tunic and a single cloak; He went by foot, suffered, was stoned by the Jews (cf. Jn 10:31), insulted, arrested, crucified, pierced with a lance, placed in the tomb, after which He rose again. And so, He wishes to persuade us, brethren, to choose the same things as Himself before the angels, so that we may be crowned in the Kingdom of Heaven, into Christ our Lord Himself, to whom belongs glory and power, together with the Father and Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.” … St Theodore the Studite (759-826) Monk and Theologian at Constantinople – Catechesis 78
PRAYER – Lord God, stand by us in Your saving work and stay with us in Your gifts of grace. You have rescued us from the darkness, keep us ever in Your light. May the ways of truth and life which Jesus Christ Your Son taught us, be our anchor and our light. We ask that You hear the intercession of Mary, the Blessed Virgin Mother and Bl Alberto of Bergamo, whom we beseech for help as we work to reach our heavenly home. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen
The Immaculate Virgin – the Purple Flower of Sacrifice
Moments with Saint Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)
She who was preserved from original sin through the merits of her Son the Redeemer, was granted this privilege because she was predestined for the sublime mission of being the Mother of God.
She, who was to clothe in mortal flesh, the eternal Word of the Father, could not be contaminated, even for an instant, by the shadow of sin.
So, she is immaculate through the power of Christ, because all that was granted to the Mother, was granted through her Son.
The blooming of this snow white flower on our soil, is a sure pledge of the reconciliation of mankind with God.
How apt are the words of the liturgy that we sin on the Feast of the Nativity of the Virgin – “Thy nativity, O Virgin Mother of God, was the herald of joy to the whole world.”
But this joy is also a purple flower of sacrifice – the sacrifice of the Blessed Mother of Jesus who, when she gave her consent: “Be it unto me …” accepted her share in the destines of her Son, from the poverty of Bethlehem, to the self-denials of the secluded life in Nazareth and the martyrdom of Calvary.
So we may not consider ourselves, the beloved children of Our Lord and of His Mother, if our life is without sacrifice and self-denial.
May this reference to the requirement of sacrifice, be then a loving and thoughtful reminder of the strong and solid Christian virtues of self-denial, patience and penitence. Amen
Mary Immaculate
Moments with Saint Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)
The splendour of dawn is called immaculate, unstained.
Mary, preserved from all stain of original sin, was full of grace, from the first moment of her conception.
While she was still in her mother’s womb, the divine light had entered into her soul.
After the long night of the centuries which passed since the sin of our first fathers, this morning star arose, pure and bright, transparent and inviolate, while the sky glowed with the promise of the coming dawn.
Friendship with God, granted to Adam when he was created and so soon lost, was restored in all it’s original perfection in Mary and already, men had heard the good news of the coming of the Sun of Justice (Mal 4:2), of Him who, by giving His life, has restored friendship and union with God for men of goodwill.
The Christian soul must feel this throb of supernatural life which begins with Baptism.
We say to you, in the words of the Apostle: “Walk as children of light (for the furit of light is found in all that is good and right and true) and try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness” (Eph 5:8-11).
Quote/s of the Day – 5 May – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter, Readings: Acts11:19-26, Psalm 87:1-7, John 10:22-30
“I and the Father are one.”
John 10:30
Christians are baptised “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:30). Before receiving the sacrament, they respond to a three-part question when asked to confess the Father, the Son and the Spirit: “I do.” “The faith of all Christians rests on the Trinity”( St Caesarius of Arles). Christians are baptised “in the name” of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit – not “in their names,, for there is only one God, the almighty Father, His only Son and the Holy Spirit – the Most Holy Trinity.
The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in Himself. It is, therefore, the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them. It is the most fundamental and essential teaching in the hierarchy of the truths of faith. The whole history of salvation is identical with the history of the way and the means, by which the one true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, reveals Himself to men and reconciles and unites with Himself, those who turn away from sin. …
The Trinity is a mystery of faith in the strict sense, one of the mysteries that are hidden in God, which can never be known unless they are revealed by God. To be sure, God has left traces of His Trinitarian Being in His work of creation and in His Revelation throughout the Old Testament. But His inmost Being, as Holy Trinity, is a mystery that is inaccessible to reason alone, or even to Israel’s faith before the Incarnation of God’s Son and the sending of the Holy Spirit.
CCC – Catechism of the Catholic Church
# 232-234, 237
“Paul says: I appeal to you by the mercy of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice, living and holy. The prophet said the same thing: Sacrifice and offering you did not desire but you have prepared a body for me. Each of us is called to be both a sacrifice to God and His priest. Do not forfeit what divine authority confers on you. Put on the garment of holiness, gird yourself with the belt of chastity. Let Christ be your helmet, let the cross on your forehead be your unfailing protection. Your breastplate, should be the knowledge of God, that He Himself has given you. Keep burning continually, the sweet smelling incense of prayer. Take up the sword of the Spirit. Let your heart be an altar. Then, with full confidence in God, present your body for sacrifice. God desires, not death but faith; God thirsts, not for blood but for self-surrender; God is appeased, not by slaughter but by the offering, of your free will.”
St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450)
Bishop, Father & Doctor of the Church
“Doctor of Homilies”
“…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.’”
The Watchful Guardian of the Family
Moments with Saint Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)
“The family is a most precious gift.
Founded by divine decree on the differing and complementary characteristics of the husband and wife, it finds in the wife, a watchful guardian.
We beg women, therefore, to love the family, understood as the natural setting for the growth of the human personality and the God-given shelter in which the passions of life are soothed and sweetened, the stirrings of unruly desires are stilled and the influence of evil example opposed.
This sanctuary is threatened by so many insidious attacks.
Propaganda, at times unrestrained, makes use of the formidable power of the press, entertainments and of amusements, to scatter the fatal seeds of corruption, especially among our young people.
The family must defend itself and the women must play their part in this struggle, courageously, with a sense of their responsibility, never wearied of watching and correcting and teaching the difference between good and evil.
When necessary, they must avail themselves of the protection offered by the laws of the State.
The Gospel … records the words of an unknown woman …. “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that suckled you!” (Lk 11:28).
These words very rightly referred to Mary but the same might be said of all mothers, if their children, on the hard, rough ways of this life, know how to bear themselves like true Christians, in accordance with the teachings they have received.
May all mothers, turn to her, the Mother of God, as their model and guide!”
Quote/s of the Day – 4 May – Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 11:1-18, Psalm 42:2-3; 43:3-4, John 10:11-18
“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me….”
John 10:14
“He [ Jesus] is our clothing, that for love wraps us and winds us, embraces us and totally encloses us, hanging about us in tender love.”
Blessed Julian of Norwich (c 1342-c 1430)
God beholds me individually, whoever I am.
He “calls you by your name”.
He sees me and understands me, as He made me. He knows what is in me, all my own peculiar feelings and thoughts, my dispositions and likings, my strength and my weakness. He views me in my day of rejoicing and my day of sorrow. He sympathises in my hopes and my temptations. He interests Himself in all my anxieties and remembrances, all the risings and fallings of my spirit. He has numbered the very hairs of my head and the cubits of my stature. He compasses me round and bears me in His arms. He takes me up and sets me down. He notes my very countenance, whether smiling or in tears, whether healthful or sickly. He looks tenderly upon my hands and my feet. He hears my voice, the beating of my heart and my very breathing. I do not love my self better than He loves me. I cannot shrink from pain more than He dislikes my bearing it and if He puts it on me, it is as I will put it on myself, if I am wise, for a greater good afterwards…
St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
“I am not alone. Jesus dwells within me. Whatever is pure, simple and innocent in me comes from Him. With His love, I can love and give myself to others. With His eyes, I can see God’s face, with His ears, I can hear God’s voice, with His heart, I can speak to God’s heart. I know that, alone, I cannot see, hear or touch God in the world. But God in me, the living Christ in me, can see, hear and touch God in the world and, all that is Christ’s in me is fully my own. His simplicity, His purity, His innocence, are my very own because they are truly given to me, to be claimed, as my most personal possessions. That is what Paul means when he says, “I have been crucified with Christ, yet, I live, no longer I but Christ, lives in me.”
One Minute Reflection– 4 May – ‘Mary’s Month’ -Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 11:1-18, Psalm 42:2-3; 43:3-4, John 10:11-18 and the Memorial of Blessed Tommaso da Olera
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” … John 10:11
REFLECTION – “How great was this devoted shepherd’s solicitous care for the lost sheep and how great His mercy, the Good Shepherd Himself indicates with an affectionate metaphor in the parable of the shepherd and the hundredth sheep that was lost, sought with much care and finally found and joyfully brought back on His shoulders. He openly declares the same thing in an express statement when He says: “The good shepherd gives his life for his sheep” (Jn 10:11). In Him is truly fulfilled the prophecy: “Like a shepherd he will feed his flock” (Is 40:11).
In order to do this He endured toil, anxiety and lack of food, He travelled through towns and villages preaching the kingdom of God in the midst of many dangers and the plotting of the Pharisees and He passed the nights in watchful prayer. Fearless of the murmuring and scandal of the Pharisees, He was affable to the publicans, saying that He had come into the world for the sake of those who are sick (Mt 9:12). He also extended fatherly affection to the repentant, showing them the open bosom of divine mercy.
As witness to this, I call upon and summon Matthew, Zacchaeus, the sinful woman who prostrated herself at His feet and the woman taken in adultery. Like Matthew, therefore, follow this most devoted shepherd; like Zacchaeus receive Him with hospitality; like the sinful woman anoint Him with ointment and wash His feet with your tears, wipe them with your hair and caress them with your kisses, so that finally, with the woman presented to Him for judgement, you may deserve to hear the sentence of forgiveness: “Has no one condemned you? Neither will I condemn you. Go, and sin no more” (Jn 8:10-11).” … St Bonaventure (1217-1274) Seraphic Doctor – The Tree of Life
PRAYER – Almighty God and Father, You have rescued Your faithful from enslavement to sin, by Your Son’s self-abasement. You have raised up the world through His suffering. Fill us now with holy joy at His rising and triumph. Let us hear His voice and follow Him to everlasting life. Blessed Tommaso da Olera, you truly became a shepherd to the lowly and might, pray for us! Our Lady Mother of our God, stay with us on our way. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God now and forever, amen.
The Sweet Name of Mary
Moments with Saint Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)
“We are in the month of Mary – what could be found more beautiful and more encouraging, than a visit to the altar of Mary, there to join our voices with the songs of spring, with the birds of the air, the murmur of the wind, the blossoming of nature and above all, with the chants of those innocent children of our families?
Nothing is more joyful than this vision of youth, which is the promises of a sure future and an augury and fountain of blessings, because, pure young people who have flowered in innocence, are the pledge of the Lord’s most wonderful graces.
The Pope recalls his Lenten visits to some parishes of his Diocese of Rome, in newly built areas. He knew then, that all felt in their innermost hearts, the sweetness of this meeting of Christians and welcomed the Pope’s endeavour to bring to everyone, the name of Mary and the blessing of Jesus, to describe to them and recall to their minds, the great wonders and miracles, which, by the Lord’s grace, the Catholic faith and the practice of virtue, bring into the world.
So all feel greatly comforted, even when the road is sown with thorns, we have more courage to remove these thorns and to endure them with patience, turning our mind and heart to heaven, to call on the sweet name of Mary and ask her to bring us the true inspiration from on high and the source of all blessings, Jesus our Lord.”
Quote/s of the Day – 3 May – The Fourth Sunday of Easter, Vocations/Good Shepherd Sunday and the Memorial of Blessed Edoardo Giuseppe Rosaz (1877-1903)
The charism of Blessed Rosaz is a wonderful example of a model of the Good Shepherd, Christ Himself. Bl Edoardo had the gift of the Holy Spirit placed in his heart as a man, a Priest, a Bishop in love with God, the saving mystery of Christ and the Holy Virgin. This charism emerged as a consequence of his being “consecrated” totally to the glory of God and the salvation of souls. It stems from his “Do all, so as to win over all to Christ” (Cf 1 Cor 9:19) and from his passion for the poor – the image of the poor and suffering Christ.
“We have the Providential love of God as our guide. When there is a ship at sea and heads towards the port, nobody doubts that it is led by a pilot and one could doubt that there is a God who guides the universe only because He cannot be seen? By His Providential Love, God arranges and regulates events, regulates everything, with gentleness and wisdom. I advise you to abandon yourself completely into the hands of Divine Providence. “
“Prayer is the rest of the soul, the refreshment of those who are hungry and thirsty for justice; it is the sweet conversation of a son with the most tender of fathers; of a friend with the most fond of friends; prayer is the strength, the comfort, the happiness of life on earth. “
Sunday Reflection – 3 May – The Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd/Vocations Sunday
How long have we been without Sunday Mass? How much longer will this continue? How are we holding on? How are we surviving?
“Let us never forget that an age prospers or dwindles in proportion to it’s devotion to the Holy Eucharist. This is the measure of it’s spiritual life and it’s faith, of it’s charity and virtue”
St Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868)
Act of Spiritual Communion
As I cannot this day enjoy the happiness
of assisting at the holy Mysteries, O my God!
I transport myself in spirit at the foot of Thine altar,
I unite with the Church, which by the hands of the priest,
offers Thee, Thine adorable Son in the Holy Sacrifice.
I offer myself with Him, by Him and in His Name.
I adore, I praise and thank Thee,
imploring Thy mercy,
invoking Thine assistance
and presenting Thee the homage
I owe Thee as my Creator,
the love due to Thee as my Saviour.
Apply to my soul, I beseech Thee, O merciful Jesus,
Thine infinite merits,
apply them also to those for whom I particularly wish to pray.
I desire to communicate spiritually,
that Thy Blood may purify,
Thy Flesh strengthen
and Thy Spirit sanctify me.
May I never forget that Thou,
my divine Redeemer, have died for me,
may I die to all that is not Thee,
that hereafter, I may live eternally with Thee.
Amen
“[Our time] is a period in which the world is in crisis, as formerly and in which most values, even the most sacred ones, are rashly questioned in the name of freedom, so that many people have no longer any point of reference, in a period in which danger comes certainly not from an excess of dogmatism but rather from the dissolution of doctrine and the nebulousness of thought… It seems to Us that an additional effort should be courageously undertaken to give the Christian people, who are waiting for it more than is thought, a solid, exact catechetical base, easy to remember. We well understand that it is difficult today to adhere to the Faith, particularly for the young, a prey to so many uncertainties. They have the right at least to know precisely the message of Revelation, which is not the fruit of research and to be the witnesses of a Church that lives by it.”
One Minute Reflection – 3 May – The Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd/Vocations Sunday, Readings: Acts 2:14, 36-41, Psalm 23:1-6, 1 Peter 2:20-25, John 10:1-10 and the Memorial of Blessed Edoardo Giuseppe Rosaz (1877-1903)
“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” … John 10:9
REFLECTION – “Anyone who enters by me will be saved, he will go in out and will find pasture.”(Jn 10:9) He will go into faith, he will go out from faith to vision, from belief to contemplation, will find pasture in eternal refreshment.
The Good Shepherd’s sheep will pasture, because whoever follows Him with a guileless heart, is nourished with a food of eternal freshness. What are the pastures of these sheep but the eternal joys of an evergreen paradise? The pasture of the elect, is the face of God always before us. When we see Him perfectly, our hearts are endlessly satisfied with the food of life…
Let us seek these pastures, dearly beloved! There we may enjoy the celebration of so many citizens. Let the festival of those who rejoice attract us… Let us enkindle our hearts, my friends, let our faith grow warm again for what it believes, let our desire for heavenly things take fire. To love thus, is to be already on the way. Anyone who is determined to reach his destination is not deterred by the roughness of the road that leads to it. Nor must we allow the charm of success to seduce us, or we shall be like a foolish traveller who is so distracted by the pleasant meadows through which he is passing, that he forgets where he is going.”… St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) Father & Doctor of the Church – Homilies on the Gospel, no15
PRAYER – Almighty, ever-living God, bring us to the joy of Your heavenly city, so that we, Your little flock, may follow where Christ, our Good Shepherd, has gone before us, by the power of His Resurrection. May the prayers of Bl Edoardo Giuseppe Rosaz and the Blessed Virgin, guide us, that we may always follow our Shepherd and thus reach our heavenly home, to praise Him forever. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God now and for all eternity, amen.
Mother of Good Counsel
By St Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)
O Mary, your name has been on my lips and in my heart, from my early infancy.
When I was a child, I learnt to love you as a Mother, turn to you in danger and trust to your intercession.
You see in my heart, the desire to know the truth, to practise virtue, to be prudent and just, strong and patient, a brother to all.
O Mary, help me to keep my purpose of living as a faithful disciple of Jesus, for the building up of Christian society and the joy of the Holy Catholic Church.
I greet you, Mother, morning and evening;
I pray to you as I go upon my way;
from you, I hope for the inspiration and encouragement, that will enable me to fulfil the sacred promises of my earthly vocation, give glory to God and win eternal salvation.
O Mary!
Like you in Bethlehem and on Golgotha, I too wish to stay always close to Jesus.
He is the eternal King of all ages and all peoples.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 2 May – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Intercession of Our Lady
“Our Lady’s intercession is very powerful with God. St Bernard tells us that it is the will of God, that everything comes to us through her holy hands (Sermo in Nativ BMV no 7). He assures us, that Mary is the Mediatrix through whom we receive all favours from God (In Assump. BMV sermo 2, no 2). Her power of intercession is the result of her divine and human motherhood. Because she is the Mother of God, Jesus refuses her nothing; because she is our mother, she loves us dearly and is eager to obtain from God, the spiritual favours, for which we ask. For this reason, we should approach her with complete confidence. St Bernard also writes: “If anyone feels that he is overwhelmed by the tempests of this world and cannot keep an even course, let him raise his eyes towards Mary, let him remember Mary and call upon her…. In danger and in doubt, let him remember and call upon her. Let the thought of Mary never leave his mind; let her name never be far from his lips and from his heart …” (Super Miss. Homil 2, no 17). In all our necessities, we should have confident recourse to our heavenly Mother. Let us remember, however, that if we wish to be true sons of Mary and to be sure of being heard by her, we should ask especially, for spiritual graces. Afterwards, we may ask, with equal confidence but, with resignation to God’s will, for temporal favours, provided they will not stand in the way of our eternal salvation.”
Quote/s of the Day – 2 May – Saturday of the Third Week of Easter and the Memorial of St Athanasius (c 295-373) Father and Doctor of the Church “The Father of Orthodoxy”
“In ancient times, before the divine sojourn of the Saviour took place, even to the saints, death was terrible, all wept for the dead as though they perished. But now, that the Saviour has raised His body, death is no longer terrible, for all who believe in Christ, trample on it, as it were nothing and choose rather to die, than deny their faith in Christ. And that devil, that once maliciously exulted in death, now that its pains were loosed, remained the only one truly dead.”
“In death, the Word made a spotless sacrifice and oblation of the body He had taken. By dying for others, He immediately banished death for all mankind.”
On the Incarnation
“But what is also to the point, let us note that the very tradition, teaching and faith of the Catholic Church from the beginning was preached by the Apostles and preserved by the Fathers. On this the Church was founded – and if anyone departs from this, he neither is, nor any longer ought to be called, a Christian.”
“Christians, instead of arming themselves with swords, extend their hands in prayer.”
One Minute Reflection – 2 May – “Mary’s Month” – Saturday of the Third Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 9:31-42, Psalm 116:12-17, John 6:60-69
“You have the words of eternal life” …. John 6:68
REFLECTION: – “To whom shall we go?” Peter asks. In other words: “Who else will instruct us in the divine mysteries the way you do?” or, “To whom shall we go to find anything better? You have the words of eternal life.” They are not hard words, as those other disciples say but words, that will bring us to the loftiest goal unceasing, endless life removed from all corruption. These words surely make quite obvious to us the necessity for sitting at the feet of Christ, taking Him as our one and only teacher and giving Him our constant and undivided attention. …
That the desire to follow Christ alone and to be with Him always, is a good thing leading to our salvation, is entirely self-evident, yet we may learn this from the Old Testament as well. When the Israelites had shaken off Egyptian tyranny and were hastening toward the promised land, God did not allow them to make disorderly marches, nor did the Lawgiver let each one go where he would, for without a guide they should undoubtedly have lost the way completely. … Keeping with their guide was the Israelites’ salvation then, just as not leaving Christ is ours now. For He was with those people of old under the form of the tabernacle, the cloud and the fire (Ex 13:21; 26:1f) …
“Whoever serves me must follow me, so as to be with me wherever I am” (Jn 12:26) … But accompanying the Saviour Christ and following Him is by no means to be thought of as something done by the body. It is accomplished rather by deeds springing from virtue. Upon such virtue the wisest disciples firmly fixed their minds…. With good reason they cried out, “Where can we go?” It was as though they said: We will stay with You always and hold fast to Your commandments. We will receive Your words without finding fault, or thinking Your teaching hard, as the ignorant do but thinking rather: “How sweet are Your words to my throat! Sweeter to the mouth are they, than honey or the honeycomb!” (Ps 118[119]:103).” … St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) – Father and Doctor of the Church – Commentary on Saint John’s Gospel, 4, 4
PRAYER – Mould our minds and our hearts, we pray You Lord, by the union of Your Son and His Church. As we belong to You, You joined us to Your Son to become one with Him. May we always strive to live up to this union and may we make our lives, a constant sharing, in Christ’s death and Resurrection. May His Mother give us her heart, to love Him as she does. We make our prayer through Him and in Him and with Him, in the union of the Holy Spirit, God for always and forever, amen.
Rejoice! It’s 1 May and the Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary
“God wills that all his gifts should come to us through Mary”
St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) Mellifluous Doctor
“This is the month in which, in the churches and individual homes, the most affectionate and fervent homage of prayers and devotions from the hearts of Christians are raised to Mary. It is also the month in which from His throne, descend upon us, the most generous and abundant gifts of the Divine Mercy.”
One Minute Reflection – 1 May – Friday of the Third Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 9:1-20, Psalm 117:1-2, John 6:52-59 and the Memorial of St Peregine Laziosi OSM (1260-1345)
“For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.” … John 6:55
REFLECTION – “Beloved brethren, quench your thirst at the waters of that divine spring we want to tell you about, quench it but don’t extinguish it, drink but don’t become satisfied. The living spring, the source of life calls us and says: “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink” (Jn 7:37). Understand what it is you are drinking. Let the prophet tell you and let the source itself tell you: “Listen to the word of the Lord, they have forsaken me the source of living water” (Jer 2:13). So the Lord our God Himself, Jesus Christ, is He who is that source of life and that is why He invites us, to come to Him so that we might drink Him. Whoever loves Him, drinks Him, whoever feeds on the Word of God, drinks Him. … Drink, therefore, from this source that others have forsaken.
That we might eat of this bread and drink from this spring (…) He refers to Himself as “the living bread that gives life to the world” (cf. Jn 6:51) which we are to eat. … See from where this spring flows! see from where this bread comes down! For one and the same Person is both Bread and Spring, the Only-begotten Son, our God, Christ the Lord, for whom we should ceaselessly hunger.
It is our love that gives Him as food to us, our desire that makes us eat Him and when we have been satisfied, we desire Him still. Let us go to Him as to a fountain and drink of Him in our overflowing love, let us drink Him always with ever-new desire, finding our joy in the sweetness of His love. The Lord is gentle and good. We eat and drink Him without ceasing to hunger and thirst for Him, for we cannot exhaust this food and drink. We eat of this bread yet do not run out of it, we drink at this spring yet it does not run dry. This bread is eternal, this stream flows without end.” … St Columbanus (563-615) – Spiritual instructions 12, 2, 3
PRAYER – Almighty God, You sent Your Son and we have now come to know the grace of His Resurrection. Through Him we live and move and have our being. As we follow Him, He walks with us and leads us to You. Grant we pray, that His mother and ours, may guide our way to Him and may the prayers of St Peregrine, who followed closely behind the Lord, be a solace in our trials. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God now and forever, amen.
One Minute Reflection – 30 April – Thursday of the Third Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 8:26-40, Responsorial Psalm 66(65):8-9.16-17.20, John 6:44-51 and the Feast of Our Lady of Africa
“No-one can come to me, unless the Father who sent me, draw him” … John 6:44
REFLECTION – “Mother, I think it is necessary to give a few more explanations on the passage in the Canticle of Canticles: “Draw me, we shall run in the odour of your ointments” (Sg 1:4 LXX). … “No-one can come after me, unless the Father who sent me draws him,” Jesus said. Again … He teaches us that it enough to knock and it will be opened, to seek in order to find, to hold out one’s hand humbly to receive what is asked for (Mt 7:8f, Lk 11:9f). He says that everything we ask the Father in His name, He will grant it (Jn 16:23)….
What is it then to ask to be “Drawn” if not to be united in an intimate way to the object which captivates our heart? If fire and iron had the use of reason and if the latter said to the other, “Draw me,” would it not prove that it desires to be identified with the fire in such a way that the fire penetrate and drink it up with its burning substance and seem to become one with it? Dear Mother, this is my prayer. I ask Jesus to draw me into the flames of His love, to unite me so closely to Him that He live and act in me. I feel that the more the fire of love burns within my heart, the more I shall say: “Draw me,” the more also the souls who will approach me (poor little piece of iron, useless if I withdraw from the divine furnace), the more these souls will run swiftly in the odour of the ointments of their Beloved, for a soul that is burning with love cannot remain inactive. No doubt, she will remain at Jesus’ feet as did Mary Magdalene and she will listen to His sweet and burning words. Appearing to do nothing, she will give much more than Martha (Lk 10:39ff.)” … St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873-1897) Doctor of the Church – Autobiographical Ms. C 35
PRAYER – Almighty, ever-living God, in Your Word, You shed the light of Your glory on the peoples who are living in the shadow of death. By Your Word, You teach us all things and ‘draw’ us in the way of hope and love. For Your Word is Truth and Your Word became flesh and filled our world with the Sun of Justice, Your Son, He who is the Sun and the Truth. May our steps be guided by His Mother, Our Lady of Africa, as we follow in the footsteps of Your Word and be a protection in our trials. Through Christ, our Lord Jesus, with You in union with the Holy Spirit, now and forever, amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 29 April – Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 8:1-8, Psalm 66:1-7, John 6:35-40 and the Memorial of St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) Doctor of the Church and Bl Mary Magdalene of the Incarnation FSPA (1770-1824)
“I am the bread of life; he who comes to me, shall not hunger and he who believes in me, shall never thirst.”
John 6:35
“He will provide the way and the means, such as you could never have imagined. Leave it all to Him, let go of yourself, lose yourself on the Cross and you will find yourself entirely.”
“Speak the truth in a million voices. It is silence that kills!”
St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) Doctor of the Church
“May Jesus be known, loved and adored by all and be, in every moment, the receiver of thanksgiving, in the most holy and most divine Sacrament.”
One Minute Reflection – 29 April – Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 8:1-8, Psalm 66:1-7, John 6:35-40 and the Memorial of Bl Mary Magdalene of the Incarnation FSPA (1770-1824)
“This is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life”…John 6:40
REFLECTION – “We wish to see Jesus” (Jn 12:21). This request, addressed to the Apostle Philip by some Greeks who had made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Passover, echoes spiritually in our ears too… Like those pilgrims of two thousand years ago, the men and women of our own day — often perhaps unconsciously — ask believers not only to “speak” of Christ but, in a certain sense, to “show” Him to them. And is it not the Church’s task, to reflect the light of Christ in every historical period, to make His face shine, also before the generations of the new millennium?
Our witness, however, would be hopelessly inadequate if we ourselves had not first contemplated His face… The contemplation of Christ’s face, cannot fail to be inspired by all that we are told about Him, in Sacred Scripture, which from beginning to end, is permeated by His mystery, prefigured in a veiled way in the Old Testament and revealed fully in the New… Remaining firmly anchored in Scripture, we open ourselves to the action of the Spirit (cf. Jn 15:26) from whom the sacred texts derive their origin, as well as to the witness of the Apostles (cf. Jn 15:27), who had a first-hand experience of Christ, the Word of life – they saw Him with their eyes, heard Him with their ears, touched Him with their hands (cf. 1 Jn 1:1). What we receive from them is a vision of faith based on precise historical testimony.”… St John Paul II (1920-2005) – Apostolic Letter “ Novo Millennio Inuente ” Nos 16-17
PRAYER – Holy almighty God, in Your wisdom You created us and by Your providence You rule us. Penetrate our inmost being with Your holy light, so that our way of life may always be one of faithful service, as we follow Your Son, who leads us to eternal life. May the prayers of Mary our Mother and Blessed Mary Magdalene of the Incarnation, help us to shine Your light on our neighbour. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 28 May – Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter and the Memorial of St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716), St Peter Chanel (1803-1841) Priest and Martyr, St Gianna Beretta Molla (1922-1962), Blessed María Felicia of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament OCD (1925-1959)
“God alone!”
“Chosen soul, how will you bring this about? What steps will you take to reach the high level to which God is calling you? The means of holiness and salvation, are known to everybody, since they are found in the Gospel, the masters of the spiritual life have explained them, the Saints have practised them… These means are – sincere Humility, unceasing Prayer, complete Self-denial, abandonment to Divine Providence and obedience to the Will of God.”
“Since grace enhances our human nature and glory adds a still greater perfection to grace, it is certain, that our Lord remains in heaven, just as much the Son of Mary as He was on earth. Consequently, He has retained the submissiveness and obedience of the most Perfect of all Children, towards the Best of all Mothers.”
True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, #27
“The greatest saints, those richest in grace and virtue, will be the most assiduous in praying to the most Blessed Virgin, looking up to her, as the perfect model to imitate and as a powerful helper to assist them. “
St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)
“It does not matter, whether or not I am killed, the religion has taken root on the island, it will not be destroyed by my death, since it comes not from men but from God.”
St Peter Chanel (1803-1841) Priest and Martyr
“The stillness of prayer is the most essential condition for fruitful action. Before all else, the disciple kneels down.”
“Our body is a cenacle, a monstrance – through its crystal, the world should see God.”
St Gianna Beretta Molla (1922-1962)
“Father, for Your glory, accept the total surrender of my being, in union with the perfect sacrifice of Your divine Son. In Him, through Him and with Him, I live, love, believe, suffer and die….”
Blessed María Felicia of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament (1925-1959)
One Minute Reflection – 28 May – Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 7:51–8:1, Psalm 31:3-4, 6-8, 17, 21, John 6:30-35 and the Memorial of Blessed María Felicia of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament OCD (1925-1959)
“I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me shall not hunger and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” … John 6:35
REFLECTION – St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) – Sequence for the feast of Corpus Christi “ Lauda Sion ”
Laud, O Sion, thy salvation
Laud with hymns of exultation
Christ, thy King and Shepherd true,
Spend thyself, his honour raising,
Who surpasseth all thy praising,
Never canst thou reach His due.
Sing today, the mystery showing
Of the living, life-bestowing
Bread from heaven before thee set,
E’en the same of old provideth,
Where the Twelve, divinely guided,
At the holy table met.
Full and clear ring out thy chanting,
Joy nor sweetest grace be wanting
To thy heart and soul today …
Lo, the new King’s table gracing,
This new Passover of blessing
Hath fulfilled the elder rite,
Now the new the old effaceth,
Truth revealed, the shadow chaseth,
Day is breaking on the night.
What He did, at Supper seated,
Christ ordained to be repeated,
His memorial ne’er to cease
And His word for guidance taking,
Bread and wine we hallow, making
Thus our sacrifice of peace.
This the truth to Christians given,
Bread becomes His flesh from heaven,
Wine becomes His holy Blood (Jn 6:55). …
Whoso of this food partaketh,
Christ divideth not nor breaketh,
He is whole to all that taste.
Whether one this bread receiveth
Or a thousand, still He giveth
One same Food that cannot waste. …
Lo! the Angel’s Food is given (Ps 78[77]:25)
To the pilgrim who hath striven,
See the children’s Bread from heaven
Which to dogs may not be cast (Mt 15:26).
Truth the ancient types fulfilling,
Isaac bound, a victim willing (Gn 22),
Paschal lamb, its life-blood spilling,
Manna sent in ages past.
O true Bread, good Shepherd, tend us,
Jesu, of Thy love befriend us,
Thou refresh us, Thou defend us,
Thine eternal goodness send us
In the land of life to see (Ps 27[26]:13)
Thou who all things canst and knowest,
Who on earth such Food bestowest,
Grant us with the saints, though lowest,
Where the heavenly Feast Thou showest,
Fellow-heirs and guests to be.
PRAYER – Almighty Father, to whom this world, with all it’s goodness and beauty belongs, give us grace joyfully to begin this day in Your name and to fill it with the active love for You and our neighbour. By the food You give us, to sustain us on this journey, we are brought to holiness in Your Son, our Lord Jesus the Christ, whom You gave to us as our food. May the Mother of Your Son and our mother, lead us to You and may the prayers of Bl Maria Felicia of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, be a succour on our way. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God now and forever, amen.
Thought for the Day – 27 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Scandal
“The Gospel contains a frightening condemnation of those who give scandal.
“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it were better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of scandal! … If thy hand or thy foot is an occasion of sin to thee, cut it off and cast it from thee! It is better for thee to enter life, maimed or lame, than, having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire …” (Cf Mt 18:6-9).
Why was Christ so strict on scandal-givers?
He condemned them because they are the accomplices of the devil.
Not satisfied with doing evil themselves, they seek by means of bad example, to draw others towards ruin as well.
They try to destroy Christ’s work of Redemption and the fruits of the shedding of His Precious Blood.
Let us examine our own conduct.
If we discover anything which could provide an occasion of sin for others, let us remedy it immediately.
Thoughtlessness in such matters can be very dangerous.
Something which seems perfectly innocent to us, could be a source of scandal to others.
Prudence and delicacy are necessary in our relations with our fellow-men.”
Quote/s of the Day – 27 April – Monday of the Third Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 6:8-15, Psalm 119:23-24, 26-27, 29-30, John 6:22-29 and the Memorial of Bl Nicolas Roland (1642-1678)
“Do not labour for the food which perishes but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you…”
John 6:27
“This very moment, I may, if I desire, become the friend of God.”
Saint Augustine (354-430)
Father & Doctor of the Church
“In this daily life which is doubtlessly your own, Listen to your heart… .. Discover a Presence which is more real than this visible presence, which dazzles you and attracts your whole being…”
“Take a higher flight, giving yourself completely to the unique Goodness and Beauty. Be content with God, He will be your light, your strength, your shelter at all times.”
“Ask God to lead you by Faith, Only God, seek only Him.”
Bl Nicolas Roland (1642-1678)
“Jesus Christ came to this earth to reign here but not, says Saint Augustine, as other kings do, to raise tribute, enrol armies and visibly do battle against His enemies, for Jesus Christ assures us that His kingdom is not of this world but to establish His reign within our souls, according to what He Himself says, in the holy Gospel, that His kingdom is within us.”
St John Baptiste de La Salle (1651-1719)
“You leave the land just as it is when you depart, you do not carry anything away. Our first aim is to go to God, we are not on earth for anything but this!”
Quote/s of the Day – 26 April – Third Sunday of Easter
“…He certainly meets us where we are in life – and – He will never leave us where He found us!”
Fr Mark J Hunt STD
“Spiritual Communion is an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Holy Sacrament and a loving embrace, as though we had already received Him.”
St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor of the Church
“In the morning let your first act be to greet My Heart and to offer Me your own. Whoever, breathes a sigh toward Me, draws Me to himself.”
Jesus to St Matilda/Mechtilde of Hackeborn
(c 1241-1298)
“O blessed Jesus, give me stillness of soul in You. Let Your mighty calmness reign in me. Rule me, O King of Gentleness, King of Peace.”
St John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Doctor of the Church
“There are some who make a spiritual communion everyday … If we are deprived of Sacramental Communion, let us replace it, as far as we can, by spiritual communion, which we can make every moment; for we ought to have always, a burning desire to receive the good God. Communion is to the soul, like blowing a fire that is beginning to go out but that has still plenty of hot embers; we blow and the fire burns again. After the reception of the Sacraments, when we feel ourselves slacken in the love of God, let us have recourse at once, to spiritual communion. When we cannot go to the church, let us turn towards the tabernacle; no wall can shut us out from the good God.”
St John Vianney (1786-1859)
“Do not neglect to say, ‘Jesus, I love You’ and make one Spiritual Communion, at least, each day, in atonement for all the profanations and sacrileges He suffers because He wants to be with us.”
St Josemaria Escrivá (1902-1975)
“…Let us continue Immaculate Mary’s mission. All is included in it. May [we].. follow her example and be the handmaid of the Lord in everything, everywhere and always.”
AnaStpaul 
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