Quote of the Day – 12 November – The Memorial of St Josaphat Kuncewicz (1584-1623) Martyr
“I am ready to die for the holy union,
for the supremacy of Saint Peter
and of his successor,
the Supreme Pontiff.”
St Josaphat’s favourite devotional exercise was to make prostrations in which the head touches the ground, saying, the Jesus prayer:
‘Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of God,
have mercy on me,
a sinner.”
One Minute Reflection – 12 November – Tuesday of the Thirty Second week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 17:7-10 and the Memorial of St Josaphat (1584-1623) Martyr
“So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants, we have only done what was our duty.’ ”… Luke 17:10
REFLECTION – “Thou, O my God, have a claim on me and I am wholly Thine! Thou are the Almighty Creator and I am Thou workmanship. I am the work of Thou Hands and Thou are my owner. As well might the axe or the hammer exalt itself against it’s framer, as I against Thee. Thou owe me nothing, I have no rights in respect to Thee, I have only duties. I depend on Thee for life and health and every blessing every moment. If Thou withdraw Thy breath from me for a moment, I die, I am wholly and entirely Thy property and Thy work and my one duty is to serve Thee. Amen” … St John Henry Newman (1801-1890) Cardinal, Theologian, Poet, Writer, Apologist, Professor
PRAYER – O Lord our God, grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love and to be only good influences to our neighbour. That by our love, our brothers in faith may be one . St Josaphat you fought and struggled to unite the Church and by your efforts achieved the crown of martyrdom, please pray for our world, for a one united faith. Amen
Thought for the Day – 11 November – Monday of the Thirty Second week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 17:1-6 and The Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours (c 316-397)
Two Essays on Biblical and Ecclesiastical Miracles
And the Lord said,
“If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed,
you could say to this sycamine tree,
‘Be rooted up and be planted in the sea,’
and it would obey you.”
Luke 17:6
“Before Martin was a Bishop, while he was near St Hilary at Poitiers, a certain Catechumen, who lived in his monastery, died of a fever, in Martin’s absence, without baptism.
On his return, the Saint went by himself, into the cell where the body lay, threw himself upon it, prayed and then raising himself with his eyes fixed on it, patiently waited his restoration, which took place before the end of two hours ….
At another time, on his giving orders for cutting down a pine to which idolatrous honour was paid, a heathen said, “If thou has confidence in thy God, let us hew the tree and do thou receive it as it falls. If thy Lord is with thee, thou wilt escape harm.”
Martin accepted the condition and when the tree was falling upon him, made the Sign of the Cross. The tree reeled round and fell on the other side! This miracle converted the vast multitude who were spectators of it.”
Quote/s of the Day – 12 November – The Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours (c 316-397) and Blessed Vincenza Maria Poloni (1802-1855)
Lord, if Your people still have need
of my services,
I will not avoid the toil.
Your will be done.
I have fought the good fight long enough.
Yet, if You bid me to continue to hold
the battle line, in defence of Your camp,
I will never beg to be excused
from failing strength.
I will do the work You entrust to me.
While You command,
I will fight beneath Your banner.
Amen
“The poor are our masters,
let us love them and serve them,
as we would serve
Jesus Christ Himself. “
One Minute Reflection – 12 November – Monday of the Thirty Second week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 17:1-6 and the Memorial of St Martin of Tours
“… if he sins against you seven times in the day and turns to you, seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” … Luke 17:4
REFLECTION – “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor 13:7). By this the apostle Paul showed that love can persevere steadfastly because it has learned to endure all things. And in another place he says: “Bear with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph 4:2-3).
Neither unity nor peace can be preserved, unless brothers cherish one another, with mutual forbearance and preserve the bond of unity, with patience as intermediary. How then will you be able to endure these things – not to swear or curse, not to seek again what has been taken away from you, on receiving a blow to offer the other cheek also to your assailant, to forgive your brother who offends you, not only seventy times seven times but all his offences without exception, to love your enemies, to pray for your adversaries and persecutors, if you do not have the steadfastness of patience and forbearance?
We see what happened in the case of Stephen. When he was being killed by the violence and stones of the Jews, he did not ask for vengeance but forgiveness for his murderers, saying: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60).” … St Cyprian of Carthage (c 200- c 258) Bishop and Martyr, Father of the Church – The Good of Patience
PRAYER – Lord God, Your Son has shown us the way. As we follow in His steps, may we never wander from the path that leads to life. Renew the wonders of Your grace in our hearts so that neither death nor life may separate us from Your love. Holy Father, as You were glorified by the life and death of St Martin, grant that by his prayers, we may receive strength to always give You our hearts, minds and selves. Through our Lord, Jesus Christ, with You in union with the Holy Spirit, one God for all eternity, amen.
Thought for the Day – 9 November – Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
An excerpt from Sermon 229
My fellow Christians, today is the birthday of this church, an occasion for celebration and rejoicing. We, however, ought to be the true and living temple of God. Nevertheless, Christians rightly commemorate this Feast of the Church, their mother, for they know that through her, they were reborn in the spirit. At our first birth, we were vessels of God’s wrath, reborn, we became vessels of His mercy. Our first birth brought death to us but our second restored us to life.
Indeed, before our Baptism we were sanctuaries of the devil but after our Baptism we merited the privilege of being temples of Christ. And if we think more carefully about the meaning of our salvation, we shall realise that we are, indeed, living and true temples of God. God does not dwell only in structures fashioned by human hands, in homes of wood and stone but rather He dwells principally, in the soul made according to His own image and fashioned by His own hand. Therefore, the apostle Paul says: The temple of God is holy and you are that temple.
When Christ came, He banished the devil from our hearts, in order to build in them a temple for Himself. Let us, therefore, do what we can with His help, so that our evil deeds will not deface that temple. For whoever does evil, does injury to Christ. As I said earlier, before Christ redeemed us, we were the house of the devil but afterward, we merited the privilege of being the house of God. God Himself in His loving mercy, saw fit, to make of us, His own home.
My fellow Christians, do we wish to celebrate joyfully the birth of this temple? Then let us not destroy the living temples of God in ourselves by works of evil . I shall speak clearly, so that all can understand. Whenever we come to Church, we must prepare our hearts to be as beautiful as we expect this Church to be. Do you wish to find this Basilica immaculately clean? Then do not soil your soul with the filth of sins. Do you wish this Basilica to be full of light? God too, wishes that your soul be not in darkness but that the light of good works shine in us, so that He, who dwells in the heavens, will be glorified. Just as you enter this Church building, so God wishes to enter into your soul, for He promised – I shall live in them and I shall walk the corridors of their hearts.
Thought for the Day – 8 November – The Memorial of St Elizabeth of the Trinity O.Carm (1880-1906)
To Surrender To Love
By St Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880-1906)
Oh how good it is in silence
To listen to Him over and over,
To enjoy the peace of His presence
and then to surrender, wholly to His love.
O Lamb, so pure and so meek,
You my All, my only One,
How well You know that Your fiancée,
Your little one, hungers greatly for You.
She hungers to feed upon her Master,
Above all to be consumed by Him,
To surrender fully to Him her whole being
So she may be totally taken.
Oh, that I may be possessed by You;
One who lives by You alone,
Yours, Your living host,
Consumed by You on the Cross.
Quote/s of the Day – 8 November – The Memorial of Blessed John Duns Scotus OFM (c 1265-1308) and St Elizabeth of the Trinity O.Carm (1880-1906)
O Lord our God!
You are one in nature.
You are one in number.
Truly have You said
that besides You there is no God.
For though many may be called gods
or thought to be gods,
You alone are by nature God.
You are the true God from whom,
in whom
and through whom,
all things are,
You are blessed forever.
Amen!
“A soul united to Jesus,
is a living
smile
that radiates Him
and,
gives Him.”
“I have found
heaven on earth,
since heaven is God
and God is in my soul.”
Quote/s of the Day – 7 November – The Memorial of All Dominican Saints
Just a few quotes from Dominican Saints
“Heretics are to be converted
by an example of humility
and other virtues
far more readily,
than by any external
display or verbal battles.
So let us arm ourselves with
devout prayers
and set off,
showing signs of genuine humility
and go barefooted
to combat
Goliath.”
“Anyone who receives this Sacrament,
with the devotion of sincere faith,
will never taste death.”
“Do not be attached, therefore,
to clothing and riches
because they divided My garments among themselves.
Nor to honours, for I experienced harsh words and scourgings.
Nor to greatness of rank,
for weaving a crown of thorns,
they placed it on My head.
Nor to anything delightful,
for in My thirst, they gave Me vinegar to drink.”
“Remember that you will derive strength
by reflecting that the saints,
yearn for you
to join their ranks,
desire to see you fight bravely,
and behave like a true knight
in your encounters
with the same adversities
which they had to conquer
and that breathtaking joy
is the eternal reward,
for having endured a few years,
of temporal pain.
Every drop of earthly bitterness,
will be changed into
an ocean of heavenly sweetness.”
“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!”
“What is it you want to change?
Your hair, your face, your body?
Why? For God is in love with all those things
and He might weep when they are gone!”
“Once humility is acquired,
charity will come to life,
like a burning flame,
devouring the corruption of vice
and filling the heart so full,
that there is no place for vanity.”…
“Apart from the Cross
there is no other ‘ladder’
by which we might get to heaven.”
One Minute Reflection – 7 November – Thursday of the Thirty First week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 15:1–10 and the Memorial of Saint Vincenzo Grossi (1845-1917)
“‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.’”… Luke 15:6
REFLECTION –
“I have wandered in the desert,
Gone astray in the wilderness,
One among a hundred
As in the parable of the sheep.
The wicked enemy tore it to pieces,
He covered it with incurable wounds,
Hence there is no other cure for the wound
But You, to heal it.
In floods of tears I implore You,
I lift up my cries to my Lord:
O Good Shepherd, come down from heaven,
Go in search of the little flock.
Lord, seek out the fallen coin,
Your image that was lost (Gn 1:26),
That I trampled in the vice of sin
And the stinking mud.
Wash me, Lord, from my filth,
Make my soul pure, as the whiteness of snow (Is 1:18).
Make up the number of the ten coins
As You did for the forty saints [of Sebaste].
Carry me on Your shoulders,
O You who bore the Cross,
Be pleased to raise up my fallen soul.
Give joy to the heavenly host of angels
At the return of a single sinner.” … Saint Nerses Chnorhali (1102-1173), Armenian Bishop
PRAYER – Lord God, in Your wisdom, You created us, 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 to You. With great love we thank You for the great gifts You shower upon us and for being our Father, who seeks and finds us when we are lost. Grant that by the intercession of St Vincenzo Grossi, we may ever seek to stay true to our baptism. Through Jesus, our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
Thought for the Day – 6 November – Wednesday of the Thirty First week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 14:25-33
Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387)
Bishop, Father & Doctor of the Church
An excerpt from the Catecheses, 5
The one word faith can have two meanings. One kind of faith concerns doctrines . It involves the soul’s ascent to and acceptance of, some particular matter. It also concerns the soul’s good, according to the words of the Lord – Whoever hears my voice and believes in him who sent me has eternal life and will not come to be judged. And again – He who believes in the Son is not condemned but has passed from death to life.
How great is God’s love for men! Some good men have been found pleasing to God because of years of work. What they achieved by working for many hours at a task pleasing to God, is freely given to you by Jesus in one short hour. For, if you believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved and taken up to paradise by Him, just as He brought the thief there. Do not doubt that this is possible. After all, He saved the thief on the holy hill of Golgotha because of one hour’s faith, will He not save you too, since you have believed?
The other kind of faith is given by Christ by means of a special grace. To one wise sayings are given through the Spirit, to another perceptive comments by the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing. Now this kind of faith, given by the Spirit as a special favour, is not confined to doctrinal matters, for it produces effects beyond any human capability. If a man who has this faith says to this mountain move from here to there, it will move. For when anybody says this in faith, believing it will happen and having no doubt in his heart, he then receives that grace.
It is of this kind of faith, moreover, that it is said – If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed. The mustard seed is small in size but it holds an explosive force, although it is sown in a small hole, it produces great branches and when it is grown, birds can nest there. In the same way faith produces great effects in the soul instantaneously. Enlightened by faith, the soul pictures God and sees Him as clearly as any soul can. It circles the earth, even before the end of this world, it sees the judgement and the conferring of promised rewards. So, may you have the faith which depends on you and is directed to God, that you may receive from Him that faith too, which transcends man’s capacity.
“[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))
Quote of the Day – 6 November – The Memorial of Blessed Christina of Stommeln (1242–1312)
“I am a person who believes in Christ.
I want to live so that all things in
me are strengthened by Christ.”
One Minute Reflection – 6 November – Wednesday of the Thirty-first week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 14:25-33
“If any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple…” … Luke 14:26
REFLECTION – “O my God, though I am not fit to see or touch You yet, still I will ever come within Your reach and desire that which is not yet given me in its fullness. O my Saviour, You shall be my sole God! – I will have no Lord but You. I will break to pieces all idols in my heart which rival You. I will have nothing but Jesus and Him Crucified. It shall be my life to pray to You, to offer myself to You, to keep You before me, to worship You in Your holy Sacrifice and to surrender myself to You in Holy Communion. Amen.” —– St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
PRAYER – Holy God and Father, You sent Your Son to show us the way to our eternal home. Teach us always to understand that by relinquishing the things of this world and focusing our efforts only on following the Light He shines on our path, we may attain the eternal victory. May the prayers of Your our Blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary, assist us in carrying our cross after Hi m. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
Thought for the Day – 5 November – The Memorial of St Guido Maria Conforti (1865-1931)
The Source of My Vocation alongside St Francis Xavier
Conforti had similar experience of the crucifix as Saint Francis Xavier had. It is divided into two part, firstly, is the similar experience of the cross since their childhood and secondly, is the experience during their ministry. Both Conforti and Xavier, contemplated the crucifix since they were children.
“I looked at Him and He looked at me
and it seemed as though
He was telling me many things.”
God revealed the fullness of His love in His Crucified Son. One day this love touched the heart of young Guido Conforti in an almost natural way. He was but a child . Every morning, He stopped at the “Church of Peace” to gaze at the the large Crucifix there.
“The huge crucifix which embellished the altar fascinated him. He looked at the figure of Jesus and he really believed that Jesus looked at him. Whatever the nature of the experience, it moved him deeply. Indeed, so entranced did he become with this crucifix that he became increasingly reluctant to leave the church. ‘It looked at me and told me so many things’, he was to remark one day, speaking of ‘his crucifix’, ‘for me it is a miraculous crucifix. I owe my vocation to it’ he was heard to tell one of his friends.”
This was the beginning of an uninterrupted dialogue with Christ crucified. Later when he was sixty years old and bishop, his sister often found him rapt in ecstasy before that crucifix, which had been brought to his residence, at his request. Was it that dialogue with the Crucified Lord that sparked the idea to found a missionary congregation?
In the same way, Saint Francis Xavier had an experience with the crucifix in the chapel of the castle in Navarra. The story says, that while he was cared by his mother in academic and religious education, he passed some time alone contemplating the crucifix which has a special smile.
“During these early years, Francis was often quite late coming home from classes. When that happened, his mother would begin to worry. Soon she would be searching for him in the squares and alleys of the castle town. Usually, she would find her son alone in Church, kneeling before the main altar, apparently absorbed in prayer.”
This experience of both, Xavier and Conforti, is important because it influenced their entire lives. Both have shown the influence of the crucifix in their writings and especially in their ministry.
Conforti expressed the contemplation of the cross in his writings as bishop and as a founder. As bishop he promoted his motto “Christ is all things” because his spirituality was centred on the person of Christ: “ Christ was always present in his thoughts and in the heart. Christ was his constant companion in all the actions of his life.” He always encouraged the Christians of his dioceses to contemplate the crucifix and to be formed by Him.
As founder of the Xaverian Missionaries, Conforti gave to them the contemplation of the crucifix as the centre of their spirituality. “In the mind of Blessed Guido Conforti, consecration is born of the contemplation of the crucified Christ and of the love made manifest therein .”Consecration is not only to make vows but it is more, an experience of the love of Christ on the cross, which invites the consecrated to imitate this love.”
Quote/s of the Day – 5 November – The Memorial of St Guido Maria Conforti (1865-1931)
“Work always with the same spirit of Christ.
Keep Jesus before your eyes.
He is the model of all called to glory.”
The First Circular Letter
“Don’t be discouraged,
the Lord measures,
not so much the results of your labour,
as the right intention
with which you work.”
“Persevere always with a simple spirit,
humility, mortification, good intention,
cleanliness of heart, fraternal charity
and you will constitute a formidable army,
for the Lord will be by your side.”
The Second Circular Letter
“On the last day, we will not be asked
if we accomplished great deeds,
or been acclaimed by men,
rather we will be asked
if we followed His will,
in the state and condition,
to which we were called.”
The Eighth Circular Letter
One Minute Reflection – 5 November – Tuesday of the Thirty-first week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 14:15–24 and the Memorial of St Guido Maria Conforti (1865-1931)
“‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame…”… Luke 14:21
REFLECTION – “He turned to the Gentiles from the careless scorn of the rich. He invites both good and evil to enter in order to strengthen the good and change the disposition of the wicked for the better. The saying that was read today is fulfilled, “Then wolves and lambs will feed together.” He summons the poor, the maimed and the blind. By this, he shows us, either that handicaps do not exclude us from the kingdom of heaven and whoever lacks the enticements of sinning rarely offends, or that the Lord’s mercy forgives the weakness of sinners. Whoever glories in the Lord glories as one redeemed from reproach not by works but by faith.
He sends them into the highways, because wisdom sings aloud in passages. He sends them to the streets, because he sent them to sinners, so that they should come from the broad paths to the narrow way that leads to life. He sends them to the highways and hedges. They, who are not busied with any desires for present things, hurry to the future on the path of goodwill. Like a hedge that separates the wild from the cultivated and wards off the attacks of wild beasts, they can distinguish between good and evil and extend a rampart of faith against the temptations of spiritual wickedness.” … St Ambrose (340-397) Bishop of Milan, Father & Doctor of the Church (Exposition on the Gospel of Luke, 7)
PRAYER – Almighty God, to whom this world with all its goodness and beauty belongs, You give us life to joyfully follow Your commandments and to learn Your ways. Guard our hearts, that we may always hear and accept Your invitation and race to attend Your banquet in honour of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Fill us with an active love to run our race in holiness and may the prayers of Your servant, St Guido Maria Conforti, be a help in our efforts. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord with the Holy Spirit, God for all eternity, amen.
Thought for the Day – 2 November – Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
An excerpt from his work, On the death of Satyrus (Saint Ambrose’s brother)
We see that death is gain, life is loss. Paul says – For me life is Christ and death a gain. What does “Christ” mean but to die in the body and receive the breath of life? Let us then die with Christ, to live with Christ. We should have a daily familiarity with death, a daily desire for death. By this kind of detachment our soul must learn to free itself from the desires of the body. It must soar above earthly lusts to a place where they cannot come near, to hold it fast. It must take on the likeness of death, to avoid the punishment of death. The law of our fallen nature is at war with the law of our reason and subjects the law of reason to the law of error. What is the remedy? Who will set me free from this body of death? The grace of God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
We have a doctor to heal us, let us use the remedy He prescribes. The remedy is the grace of Christ, the dead body our own. Let us then be exiles from our body, so as not to be exiles from Christ. Though we are still in the body, let us not give ourselves to the things of the body. We must not reject the natural rights of the body but we must desire before all else the gifts of grace.
What more need be said? It was by the death of one man that the world was redeemed. Christ did not need to die if He did not want to but He did not look on death as something to be despised, something to be avoided and He could have found no better means to save us, than by dying. Thus His death is life for all. We are sealed with the sign of His death, when we pray we preach His death, when we offer sacrifice we proclaim His death. His death is victory, His death is a sacred sign, each year His death is celebrated with solemnity by the whole world.
What more should we say about His death since we use this divine example, to prove, that it was death alone, that won freedom from death and death itsel,f was its own redeemer? Death is then no cause for mourning, for it is the cause of mankind’s salvation. Death is not something to be avoided, for the Son of God did not think it beneath His dignity, nor did He seek to escape it.
Death was not part of nature, it became part of nature. God did not decree death from the beginning, He prescribed it as a remedy. Human life was condemned because of sin to unremitting labour and unbearable sorrow and so began to experience the burden of wretchedness. There had to be a limit to its evil,; death had to restore what life had forfeited. Without the assistance of grace, immortality is more of a burden than a blessing.
The soul has to turn away from the aimless paths of this life, from the defilement of an earthly body, it must reach out to those assemblies in heaven, (though it is given only to the saints to be admitted to them), to sing the praises of God. We learn from Scripture how God’s praise is sung to the music of the harp – Great and wonderful are your deeds, Lord God Almighty, just and true are your ways, King of the nations. Who will not revere and glorify your nature? You alone are holy, all nations will come and worship before you. The soul must also desire to witness Your nuptials, Jesus and to see yYur bride escorted from earthly to heavenly realities, as all rejoice and sing – All flesh will come before you. No longer will the bride be held in subjection to this passing world but will be made one with the spirit.
Above all else, holy David prayed that he might see and gaze on this – One thing I have asked of the Lord, this I shall pray for, to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life and to see how gracious is the Lord.
Quote/s of the Day – 2 November – Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
“When once you have departed this life,
there is no longer any place for repentance,
no way of making satisfaction.
Here life is either lost or kept.
Here, by the worship of God and by the fruit of faith,
provision is made for eternal salvation.
Let no-one be kept back, either by his sins,
or by his years, from coming to obtain salvation.
To him who still remains in this world
there is no repentance that is too late.”
“Let us help and commemorate them.
If Job’s sons were purified
by their father’s sacrifice [Job 1:5],
why would we doubt,
that our offerings for the dead
bring them some consolation?
Let us not hesitate to help those
who have died and to offer
our prayers for them.”
“It is not Death that will come to fetch me,
it is the good God.
Death is no phantom, no horrible specter,
as presented in pictures.
In the catechism it is stated,
that death is the separation of soul and body, that is all!
Well, I am not afraid of a separation
which will unite me to the good God forever.”
One Minute Reflection – 2 November – The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls), Gospel: John 6:37-40
‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world’ … John 6:34
REFLECTION – “Thomas came and touched Thy sacred wounds. O will the day ever come when I shall be allowed actually and visibly to kiss them? What a day will that be when I am thoroughly cleansed from all impurity and sin and am fit to draw near to my Incarnate God in His palace of light above! what a morning, when having done with all penal suffering, I see Thee for the first time with these very eyes of mine, I see Thy countenance, gaze upon Thy eyes and gracious lips without quailing and then kneel down with joy to kiss Thy feet and am welcomed into Thy arms.
O my only true Lover, the only Lover of my soul, Thee will I love now, that I may love Thee then. What a day, a long day without ending, the day of eternity, when I shall be so unlike what I am now, when I feel in myself a body of death and am perplexed and distracted with ten thousand thoughts, anyone of which, would keep me from heaven.
O my Lord, what a day when I shall have done once for all with all sins, venial as well as mortal and shall stand perfect and acceptable in Thy sight, able to bear Thy presence, nothing shrinking from Thy eye, not shrinking from the pure scrutiny of Angels and Archangels, when I stand in the midst and they around me!” … Saint John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
PRAYER- Breviary Hymn – Psalter Week 3 – It were my Soul’s Desire
It were my soul’s desire
To see the face of God;
It were my soul’s desire
To rest in His abode.
Grant, Lord, my soul’s desire,
Deep waves of cleansing sighs;
Grant, Lord, my soul’s desire
From earthly cares to rise.
It were my soul’s desire
To imitate my King,
It were my soul’s desire
His ceaseless praise to sing.
It were my soul’s desire
When heaven’s gate is won
To find my soul’s desire
Clear shining like the sun.
This still my soul’s desire
Whatever life afford,
To gain my soul’s desire
And see Thy face, O Lord.
Quote/s of the Day – 1 November – The Solemnity of All Saints
“Follow Me”
“Follow the saints,
because those who follow them
will become saints.”
“This is the army the Lord raises,
these are the children of the baptismal font,
the works of grace, the fruit of the Spirit.
They have followed Christ without having seen Him,
they sought Him and believed.
They recognised Him with the eyes of faith not those of the body.
They have not put their finger into the mark of the nails
but they have bound themselves to His cross and embraced His sufferings.
They have not seen the Lord’s side but, by grace,
they have become members of His body
and have made His words their own:
“Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe!”
The Angel to Gerontius
“There was a mortal, who is now above
In the mid-glory – he, when near to die,
Was given communion with the Crucified –
Such, that the Master’s very wounds were stamp’d
Upon his flesh and, from the agony
Which thrill’d through body and soul in that embrace
Learn, that the flame of the Everlasting Love
Doth burn, ere it transform ….”
“God creates out of nothing.
Wonderful you say.
Yes, to be sure but He does.
what is still more wonderful,
He makes saints out of sinners.”
“The tyrant dies and his rule is over,
the Martyr dies and his rule begins.”
“Let us speak about saints to forge saints.”
“For the saints are sent to us by God
as so many sermons.
We do not use them, it is they who move us
and lead us, to where we had not expected to go.”
More here:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/11/01/quote-s-of-the-day-1-november-the-solemnity-of-all-the-saints/
One Minute Reflection – 1 November – The Solemnity of All the Saints, Gospel: Matthew 5:1–12
“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”…Matthew 5:12
REFLECTION – “But in the last day of the judgement of God, after we shall have risen again with our glorified bodies through the power of the Lord, these same shall be white and gleaming as snow shining clear in the sun, transparent as crystal… And Christ our cantor and precentor, shall sing with His glorious sweet voice, an endless canticle of the praise and honour of His heavenly Father and we shall all sing the same, with glad heart and clear voice, eternally and without end. The joy and glory of our souls, shall flow into our senses and through all our members and we shall look upon ourselves with eyes of glory, hearing and declaring and singing the praise of the Lord with unfailing voices.
Christ shall minister to us and show us His radiant Face and His glorious Body with all the marks of faithfulness and love therein impressed. And we shall see all the glorious bodies clothed with all the many tokens of love won in the service of God since the beginning of the world… And our living hearts shall flame with burning love for God and all His saints…
Christ in His human nature, shall rule the right-hand choir, for He is the loftiest and noblest being of all that has been made by God and to this choir belong all in whom He lives and who live in Him. The other choir is that of the angels, for although they are of a more excellent nature, we have a higher gift in Jesus Christ, with Whom we are one. And on that account, Christ Jesus will be the High Priest between the choirs of angels and of men before the throne of the sovereign majesty of God. And before His heavenly Father, God Almighty, He will offer and renew all sacrifices which have ever been offered by angels and by men and these same, shall be ceaselessly renewed and remain established in the glory of God.” … Blessed Jan van Ruusbroec (1293-1381) Canon Regular, “Doctor Divinus Ecstaticus” , Mystic, Spiritual Writer – The seven steps of the ladder of spiritual love
PRAYER – Father, All-Powerful and ever-living God, today we rejoice in the holy men and women of every time and place. May their prayers bring us your forgiveness and love. Blessed Virgin, Mother of God, our trusted guide and loving mother and all you holy Saints of the Church Triumphant, pray for us! We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
All Saints Day is connected to the doctrine of The Communion of Saints. This is the Catholic teaching that all of God’s people, on heaven, earth and in Purgatory are spiritually connected and united. In other words, Catholic and Orthodox Christians believe that the saints of God, are just as alive, as those on earth and are constantly interceding on our behalf. Our connection with the saints in heaven is grounded in an eucharistic communion. Because of our common communion with and through Jesus Christ, our prayers are joined with the heavenly community of Christians. St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387), testifies to this belief:
“We mention those who have fallen asleep, first the patriarchs, prophets, apostles and martyrs, that through their prayers and supplications God would receive our petition..”.(Catechetical Lecture 23:9).
The Catholic Catechism concisely describes this communion among believers, by which we are connected to Christ and thus to one another:
“Being more closely united to Christ, those who dwell in heaven fix the whole Church more firmly in holiness… They do not cease to intercede with the Father for us… So, by their fraternal concern, our weakness is greatly helped.”
“…as Christian communion among our fellow pilgrims brings us closer to Christ, so our communion with the saints joins us to Christ, from whom as from its fountain and head issues all grace and the life of the People of God itself. We worship Christ as God’s Son, we love the martyrs as the Lord’s disciples and imitators and rightly so, because of their matchless devotion towards their king and master. May we also be their companions and fellow disciples.” (CCC 956, 957)
There are thousands of Canonised saints, that is, those individuals officially recognised by the Church as holy men and women worthy of our imitation. Because miracles have been associated with them and their lives have been fully examined and found holy by the Church, we have assurance they are prime examples of holiness and powerful intercessors before God on our behalf.
There are also many patron saints, guardians or protectors of different areas and states of life. For instance, St Vitus is the patron saint against oversleeping and St Joseph of Cupertino is the patron saint of air travellers. It may sound odd to have a patron saint “against oversleeping” but the Church has something meaningful for every area of our human lives.
Christians have been officially honouring saints and martyrs since at least the second century. The Martyrdom of St Polycarp, probably written near the middle of the second century, attests to this reality:
Accordingly, we afterwards took up his bones, more precious than the most exquisite jewels and more pure than gold and deposited them in a fitting place, so that when being gathered together, as opportunity is allowed us, with joy and rejoicing, the Lord shall grant us to celebrate the anniversary of his martyrdom, both in memory of those who have already finished their course and for the exercising and preparation of those yet to walk in their steps (18).
Initially the calendars of saints and martyrs varied by location, with churches honouring local saints. However, gradually feast days became more universal. The first reference to a general feast celebrating all saints occurs in St Ephrem the Syrian (306-373). St John Chrysostom (347-407) assigned a day to the feast, the first Sunday after Pentecost, where in the Eastern Churches the feast is celebrated to this day.
The earliest certain observance of a feast in honour of all the saints is an early fourth-century commemoration of “all the martyrs.” In the early seventh century, after successive waves of invaders plundered the catacombs, Pope Boniface IV gathered up some 28 wagon-loads of bones and re-interred them beneath the Pantheon, a Roman temple dedicated to all the gods. The pope rededicated the shrine as a Christian church. According to Venerable Bede, the pope intended “that the memory of all the saints might in the future be honoured in the place which had formerly been dedicated to the worship not of gods but of demons” (On the Calculation of Time).
In the Roman Catholic Church, the next day, All Souls’ Day, specifically commemorates the departed faithful who have not yet been purified and reached heaven. Catholics celebrate All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day in the fundamental belief that there is a prayerful spiritual communion between those in the state of grace who have died and are either being purified in purgatory or are in heaven (the ‘church penitent’ and the ‘church triumphant’, respectively) and the ‘church militant’ who are the living.
Quote/s of the Day – 31 October – The Memorial of St Alphonsus Rodriguez SJ (1532-1617)
“You must strive, with all possible care,
to please God, in such a manner,
as neither to do, nor behold anything,
without first consulting Him
and in everything,
to seek Him alone and His glory.”
“I put myself in spirit before our crucified Lord,
looking at Him full of sorrow,
shedding His blood
and bearing great bodily hardships for me.
As love is paid for in love,
I must imitate Him, sharing in spirit all His sufferings.
I must consider how much I owe Him and what He has done for me.
Putting these sufferings between God and my soul, I must say,
‘What does it matter, my God, that I should endure for Your love,
these small hardships? For you, Lord, endured so many great hardships for me.’
Amid the hardship and trial itself, I stimulate my heart with this exercise.
Thus, I encourage myself, to endure for love of the Lord, who is before me,
until I make what is bitter, sweet.
In this way learning from Christ our Lord,
I take and convert the sweet into bitter,
renouncing myself and all earthly and carnal pleasures,
delights and honours of this life,
so that my whole heart is centred solely on God.”
“I’m Coming, Lord”
One Minute Reflection – 31 October – Thursday of the Thirtieth week in Ordinary Time, Ywear C, Gospel: Luke 13:31–35 and The Memorial of St Wolfgang of Regensburg (c 934 –994)
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem” ... Luke 13:34
REFLECTION – “Believers are valued according to the merits of their faith and not the place they live in. And God’s true worshippers have no need of Jerusalem or Mount Gerizim to worship the Father because “God is spirit” and his worshippers should “worship him in spirit and truth” (Jn 4:21-23). Now, “the Spirit breathes where he will” (Jn 3:8) and “the Lord’s is the earth and its fullness” (Ps 24[23]:1)…
The holy places of the Cross and Resurrection are only of use to those who carry their cross, rise with Christ daily and prove themselves worthy of living in such localities. As for those who say: “The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord” (Jer 3:8), let them listen to the apostle’s words: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells within you?” (1 Cor 3:16)…” … St Jerome (347-420) Father & Doctor
PRAYER – Shed Your clear light on our hearts, Lord, so that walking continually in the way of Your commandments, we may never be deceived or misled. Grant that the prayers of St Wolfgang of Regensburg, who always held Your Light up for others to see by, give us strength. Through Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
Thought for the Day – 30 October – Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time, Year , Gospel: Luke 13:22–30
And someone said to him,
“Lord, will those who are saved be few?” … Luke 13:23
“Easy circumstances are generally thought a special happiness, it is thought a great point to get rid of annoyance or discomfort of mind and body, it is thought allowable and suitable, to make use of all means available, for making life pleasant.”
“Such advice is especially suitable to an age like this, when there is an effort on all hands to multiply comforts and to get rid of the daily inconveniences and distresses of life.
Alas! my brethren, how do you know, if you avail yourselves of the luxuries of this world without restraint but that you are only postponing and increasing by postponing, an inevitable chastisement?
How do you know but that, if you will not satisfy the debt of daily sin now, it will hereafter come upon you with interest? See whether this is not a thought, which would spoil that enjoyment, which even religious persons are apt to take in this world’s goods, if they would but admit it.
It is said that we ought to enjoy this life as the gift of God.
Easy circumstances are generally thought a special happiness, it is thought a great point, to get rid of annoyance, or discomfort, of mind and body, it is thought allowable and suitable, to make use of all means available, for making life pleasant. We desire and confess we desire, to make time pass agreeably and to live in the sunshine. All things harsh and austere are carefully put aside. We shrink from the rude lap of earth and the embrace of the elements and we build ourselves houses in which the flesh may enjoy its lust and the eye its pride.
We aim at having all things at our will.
Cold and hunger and hard lodging and ill usage and humble offices and mean appearance, are all considered serious evils.
And thus year follows year, tomorrow as today, till we think that this, our artificial life, is our natural state and must and ever will be.”
Quote/s of the Day – 30 October – Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time, Year , Gospel: Luke 13:22–30
“The proud person is like a grain of wheat
thrown into water – it swells, it gets big.
Expose that grain to the fire – it dries up, it burns.
The humble soul, is like a grain of wheat,
thrown into the earth –
it descends, it hides itself,
it disappears, it dies
but to revive
in heaven.”
“I sought to hear the voice of God
And climbed the topmost steeple.
But God declared
“Go down again –
I dwell among the people.”
“The humble man receives praise,
the way a clean window
takes the light of the sun.
The truer and more intense the light is,
the less you see of the glass.”
“Strive to enter through the narrow door,
for many, I tell you, will attempt
to enter but will not be able…”…Luke 13:24.
“All, can enter eternal life but for everyone,
the door is narrow. They are not privileged.
The path to the eternal life is open to all
but it is narrow because it’s demanding,
asks for commitment, abnegation
and the mortification of selfishness.”
“To pass through the narrow gate, means
we must commit ourselves to being small,
that is humble of heart like Jesus,
like Mary, His and our mother.”
“Truly, I say to you,
unless you turn and become like children,
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
One Minute Reflection – 29 October – Tuesday of the Thirtieth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 13:18-21
Again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?
It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened.” … Luke 13:20
REFLECTION – “Our Lord next puts forward the parable of the yeast. “Just as yeast communicates its invisible force to the whole lump of dough, so will the force of the Gospel transform the whole world, by means of the apostles’ ministry… Don’t ask me: ‘What can we twelve, miserable sinners do in face of the whole world?’ This is precisely the vast difference between cause and effect, between a handful of men before a crowd, which will demonstrate the stunning effect of your strength. Isn’t it by mixing the yeast into the dough, by ‘hiding’ it as the Gospel says, that it transforms the whole lump? In the same way, apostles of mine, it is by being mixed into the great mass of peoples that you will impregnate them with your spirit and win victory over your adversaries. Even as it disappears into the mass, yeast does not lose its strength. To the contrary, it changes the whole dough’s nature. In the same way, your preaching will change all peoples. Therefore, be full of confidence”…
It is Christ who grants such great strength to this yeast… So don’t blame Him for the small number of His disciples – it is the strength of the message that is great… A spark is enough to change a few sticks of dry wood into a blaze that will afterwards set even all the green wood at the edge on fire.” … St John Chrysostom (c 345-407) Father & Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – True light of the world, Lord Jesus Christ, as You enlighten all men for their salvation, give us grace, we pray, to herald Your coming by preparing the ways of justice and of peace. Help us Lord, that we may sprout and bear fruit, fitting to grow and be a home of comfort to our neighbour. By the prayers of St Narcissus of Jerusalem, who bore the seed of Your Word to many, may we too be heralds of Your Kingdom. Through Jesus our Lord, Who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
Quote of the Day – 29 October – The Memorial of St Gaetano Errico (1791-1860), Founder of the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
“Let us toil, to the loss of everything,
not excluding life, if necessary,
to make known to all people,
the most ardent love of the Sacred Hearts
and to kindle this holy
and divine love, in the hearts of humanity.”
(From the Rule)
Thought for the Day – 28 October – Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles and Martyrs, Gospel: Luke 6:12-19
An excerpt from his Commentary on the Gospel of John
Our Lord Jesus Christ has appointed certain men to be guides and teachers of the world and stewards of His divine mysteries. Now He bids them to shine out like lamps and to cast out their light, not only over the land of the Jews but over every country under the sun and over people scattered in all directions and settled in distant lands. That man has spoken truly who said: No one takes honour upon himself, except the one who is called by God, for it was our Lord Jesus Christ who called His own disciples before all others to a most glorious apostolate. These holy men became the pillar and mainstay of the truth and Jesus said that He was sending them just as the Father had sent Him.
By these words, He is making clear, the dignity of the apostolate and the incomparable glory of the power given to them but He is also, it would seem, giving them a hint about the methods they are to adopt, in their apostolic mission. For if Christ thought it necessary to send out His intimate disciples in this fashion, just as the Father had sent Him, then surely, it was necessary, that they, whose mission was to be patterned on that of Jesus, should see exactly why the Father had sent the Son. And so Christ interpreted the character of His mission to us in a variety of ways. Once He said – I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance. And then at another time He said – I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent me. For God sent His Son into the world, not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him.
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 ministry. 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.
Surely it is in all these respects, that we find His holy disciples striving to excel. To ascertain this is no great labour, a single reading of the Acts of the Apostles or of Saint Paul’s writings is enough.
Quote/s of the Day – 28 October – Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles and Martyrs, Gospel: Luke 6:12-19
“Simon was worlds apart from Matthew, who, on the contrary, had an activity behind him as a tax collector that was frowned upon as entirely impure. This shows that Jesus called His disciples and collaborators, without exception, from the most varied social and religious backgrounds.
It was people who interested Him, not social classes or labels! And the best thing is that in the group of His followers, despite their differences, they all lived side by side, overcoming imaginable difficulties, indeed, what bound them together, was Jesus Himself, in whom they all found themselves united with one another.
This is clearly a lesson for us who are often inclined to accentuate differences and even contrasts, forgetting, that in Jesus Christ, we are given the strength to get the better of our continual conflicts.
Let us also bear in mind, that the group of the Twelve, is the prefiguration of the Church, where there must be room for all charisms, peoples and races, all human qualities that find their composition and unity in communion with Jesus.”
Catechesis on Saints Simon and Jude
General Audience
Saint Peter’s Square
Wednesday, 11 October 2006
“Woe to them!
They followed the way of Cain …
These are blemishes …
as they carouse fearlessly
and look after themselves.
They are waterless clouds
blown about by winds,
fruitless trees in late autumn,
twice dead and uprooted.
They are like wild waves of the sea,
foaming up their shameless deeds,
wandering stars,
for whom the gloom of darkness
has been reserved forever.”
AnaStpaul 
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