QUOTES of the SAINTS – Page 49

FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2019, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on VIOLENCE, The PASSION, The WILL of GOD

Lenten Reflection – 22 March –

Posted on March 22, 2019March 22, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Lenten Reflection – 22 March – Friday of the Second week of Lent, Year C

“Therefore, I tell you, the kingdom of God
will be taken away from you
and given to a nation producing the fruits of it.”...Matthew 21:43 lent - friday of the second week matthew 21 43 22 march 2019.jpg

Daily Meditation:
Help us open our hearts to you.

We hear of the vineyard owner whose tenants killed his servants and then his son.
Let us open our hearts and lives
to the challenge of Your Gospel.

“Let us serve God but let us do so according to His will.
He will then take the place of everything in our lives.
He will be our strength and the reward of our labours.”

St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)

“The vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the house of Israel” says the prophet (Is 5:7). We ourselves are this house… and, since we are His Israel, we are the vineyard. So let us take good care that grapes of wrath (Rv 14:19) rather than sweetness do not grow from our branches, so that no one may say to us: “I expected grapes but it yielded wild grapes” (Is 5:4). What fruitless soil! The soil that should have presented its master with fruits of sweetness, pierced Him with its sharp thorns. In the same way His enemies, who ought to have welcomed our Saviour with all the devotion of their faith, crowned Him with the thorns of His Passion. In their eyes this crown expressed insult and abuse but in the Lord’s eyes it was the crown of virtue…

My brethren, take good care that no one says with regard to you: “He expected it to yield grapes but it yielded wild grapes” (Is 5:2)… Let us be careful that our evil deeds do not rub against our Lord’s head like thorns. There are thorns in the heart that have even wounded the word of God, as our Lord says in the gospel when he relates how the sower’s seed fell among thorns that grew and choked what had been sown (Mt 13:7)… So take care that your vineyard does not bring forth thorns instead of grapes and your vintage produce vinegar instead of wine. Anyone who gathers in the grapes, without sharing them with the poor, is collecting vinegar instead of wine and anyone who stores his harvests, without sharing them with the needy, is not setting aside the fruit of almsgiving but the briars of greed.”

Saint Maximus of Turin (c 380-c 420)

Sermon for the feast of Saint Cyprian – CC Sermon 11

Closing Prayer:

Loving God, caring parent,
I am a child who so often turns my back
on Your love.
Please accept my small acts of sorrow today
and help to release me from the self-absorption
that closes my heart to You.
As I journey through Lent,
let me remember the feast You have prepared for me
in the resurrection
and let me be filled with gratitude to You.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY GHOST

Thought for the Day – 21 March – “Do everything for the love of God”

Posted on March 21, 2019March 21, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 21 March – Thursday of the Second week of Lent, Year C and the Memorial of St Benedetta Cambiagio Frassinello (1791 – 1858)

“O most blessed Light, fill the interior of the hearts of your faithful.” The words of the Sequence are a beautiful summary of the life of Benedetta Cambiagio Frassinello and explain its extraordinary spiritual richness.

Guided by divine grace, the new saint was concerned to accomplish God’s will with fidelity and coherence. With boundless confidence in the Lord’s goodness, she abandoned herself to his “loving Providence”, deeply convinced, as she liked to repeat, that one must “do everything for love of God and to please Him”. This is the precious inheritance that St Benedetta Cambiagio Frassinello left to her spiritual daughters that today is offered to the entire Christian community.

Come Holy Spirit, enkindle the hearts of your faithful! Help us to spread the fire of your love in the world. Amen!

St Pope John Paul on the Canonisation of St Benedetta, Sunday, 19 May 2002

St Benedetta Frassinello, Pray for Us!

QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SUFFERING, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 21 March – St Nicholas of Flue

Posted on March 21, 2019March 20, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 21 March – Thursday of the Second week of Lent, Year C and the Memorial of St Nicholas of Flue (1417-1487)

“O man,
when the world hates you
and is faithless toward you,
think of your God,
how He was struck and spat upon.
You should not accuse your neighbour of guilt
but pray to God,
that He be merciful to you both.”

St Nicholas of Flue (1417-1487)

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Lenten Reflection – 21 March- The rich man and Lazarus

Posted on March 21, 2019March 21, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Lenten Reflection – 21 March – Thursday of the Second week of Lent, Year C

“There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple
and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.
And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus…”
Luke 16:19–20 Luke 16 19–20 rich man and lazarus turs2ndweeklent-21march2019.jpg

St Peter Chrysologus (400-450)
Bishop of Ravenna, Doctor of the Church

Sermon 122, On the rich man and Lazarus

“Abraham was very rich,” Scripture tells us (Gn 13:2)… My brethren, Abraham wasn’t rich for himself but for the poor, rather than keeping hold of his fortune, he intended to share it…This man, who was himself a stranger, did not hesitate to do all he could so that the stranger might not feel himself to be a stranger. Living in a tent, he was unable to let a passer-by remain without shelter. Perpetual traveller, he unfailingly welcomed the travellers who came his way… Far from taking his ease in God’s bounty, he knew himself called to spread it abroad, he used it to protect the oppressed, set prisoners free, even to snatch those about to die from their fate (Gn 14:14)… Abraham did not sit but remained standing before the stranger he had received. He was not his guest’s host but made himself his servant. Forgetting that he was master in his own home, he himself brought the food and, concerned that it should be carefully prepared, called on his wife. Where he himself was concerned he relied entirely on his servants, but for the stranger he had received he thought it barely enough to entrust it to his wife’s skill.
What more could I say, my brothers? It was so perfect a consideration… that drew God himself to Abraham’s home and compelled him to become his guest. Thus the very one who would later claim to be welcomed in the person of the poor and the stranger, came to Abraham, rest for the poor, refuge of strangers. “I was hungry,” he said, “and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me” (Mt 25:35).
And again, we read in the Gospel: “When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.” Isn’t it only right, brethren, that Abraham should welcome all the saints even into his own rest and should exercise, even in the blessedness of heaven, his service of hospitality?… Doubtless, he could not have considered himself wholly happy unless, even in glory, he was able to continue to practice his ministry of sharing.”

Daily Meditation:
Bring us back to you.

The story of the Rich Man and Lazarus is our lesson today.
We beg to be open to the workings of the Spirit,
that we might not settle for the consolations of this life alone.

Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers
but his delight is in the law of the Lord
and on his law he meditates day and night.
Psalm 1:1-2

LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOUR

St John Vianney (1786-1859)

“All of our religion is but a false religion and all our virtues are mere illusions and we ourselves are only hypocrites in the sight of God, if we have not that universal charity for everyone, for the good and for the bad, for the poor people as well as for the rich, for all those who do us harm as much as for those who do us good.
No, my dear brethren, there is no virtue which will let us know better whether we are the children or God than charity.
The obligation we have to love our neighbour is so important, that Jesus Christ put it into a Commandment, which He placed immediately after that by which He commands us to love Him with all our hearts. He tells us that all the law and the prophets are included in this commandment to love our neighbour. Yes, my dear brethren, we must regard this obligation as the most universal, the most necessary and the most essential to religion and to our salvation. In fulfilling this Commandment, we are fulfilling all others. St Paul tells us that the other Commandments forbid us to commit adultery, robbery, injuries, false testimonies. If we love our neighbour, we shall not do any of these things because the love we have for our neighbour would not allow us to do him any harm.”

all of our religion is but a false - st john vianney thurs2ndweeklent 21 march 2019.jpg

Closing Prayer:
Loving God,
I hear your invitation, “Come back to me”
and I am filled with such a longing to return to You.
Show me the way to return.
Lead me this day in good works I do in Your name
and send Your Spirit to guide me and strengthen my faith.
I ask only to feel Your love in my life today and if You are with me, how can I not love my neighbour?

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen

LENT 2019, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, The LAST THINGS

Lenten Thoughts – 20 March – Each of us must enter on eternity

Posted on March 20, 2019March 20, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Lenten Reflection – 20 March – Wednesday of the Second week of Lent, Year C

Each of us must enter on eternity

Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

“Each of us must come to the evening of life. Each of us must enter on eternity. Each of us must come to that quiet, awful time, when we will appear before the Lord of the vineyard and answer for the deeds done in the body, whether they be good or bad. That, my dear brethren, you will have to undergo. … It will be the dread moment of expectation when your fate for eternity is in the balance and when you are about to be sent forth as the companion of either saints or devils, without possibility of change. There can be no change, there can be no reversal. As that judgement decides it, so it will be forever and ever. Such is the particular judgement. … when we find ourselves by ourselves, one by one, in His presence and have brought before us most vividly all the thoughts, words and deeds of this past life. Who will be able to bear the sight of himself?

And yet we shall be obliged steadily to confront ourselves and to see ourselves. In this life we shrink from knowing our real selves. We do not like to know how sinful we are. We love those who prophesy smooth things to us and we are angry with those who tell us of our faults. each of us must come to theat quiet awful time - bl john henry newman wed 2nd week lent 20march2019.jpg

But on that day, not one fault only but all the secret, as well as evident, defects of our character will be clearly brought out. We shall see what we feared to see here and much more. And then, when the full sight of ourselves comes to us, who will not wish that he had known more of himself here, rather than leaving it for the inevitable day to reveal it all to him! …………………….We can believe what we choose. We are answerable for what we choose to believe.” we-can-believe-what-we-choose-bl-j-h-newman-14-march-2018.jpg

QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on SANCTITY, SAINT of the DAY

Quote of the Day – 20 March – Keep death before your eyes

Posted on March 20, 2019March 20, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 20 March – Wednesday of the Second week of Lent, Year C and the Memorial of St Martin of Braga (c 520–580)

“An old man said,
the man
that every hour
has death before his eyes,
will conquer
meanness of soul.”

St Martin of Braga (c 520–580)

About St Martin of Braga – https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/03/20/saint-of-the-day-20-march-st-martin-of-braga-c-520-580/ an old man said, the man that every hour st martin of braga 20 march 2019.jpg

LENT 2019, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, The WORD

Lenten Reflection – 20 March – You hear Him talking about the cross and you ask for a throne?

Posted on March 20, 2019March 20, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Lenten Reflection – 20 March – Wednesday of the Second week of Lent, Year C

“Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom”...Matthew 20:21 basil of seleucia 20 march 2019

Basil of Seleucia (Died c 468) Bishop
Sermon 24

Would you like to know the faith of this woman? Well, just think at the time she does such a request…The cross was ready, the Passion immanent, the crowd of enemies already in place. The Teacher talks about His death and the disciples are worried, even before the Passion they tremble at the simple mention of it, what they hear startles them, they are overcome by agitation and fear. At that very moment this mother leaves the group of the apostles and comes to request the kingdom and a throne for her sons.

What did you say, woman? You hear Him talking about the cross and you ask for a throne? It is a matter of the Passion and you wish for the Kingdom? In that case, leave the disciples with all their fears and worries of danger. But how could you think of asking such dignity? Out of all that has been said or done, what makes you think about the kingdom?

I see – she says – the Passion but I foresee the Resurrection. I see the cross set up and I contemplate the open skies. I see the nails but I also see the throne… I heard the Lord himself say: “you shall likewise take your places on twelve thrones” (Mt 19:28). I see the future with the eyes of faith.

This woman anticipates – it seems to me – the words of the good criminal. He, on the cross, made this prayer: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Lk 23:42). Even before the cross she made the kingdom an object of her supplication… What a desire plunged in the vision of the future! What time hid, faith revealed.

Daily Meditation:
Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant.

Jesus is telling us about His Passion, Death and Resurrection – for us.
Too often we are fighting over which of us is the greatest.
To take this journey with Him, is to take a journey
that draws us to be with Him in it and like Him:
a servant of love for others.

“The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:28 wed of the second week matthew 20 28 the sone of man came not to serve 20 march 2019.jpg

“The importance of Humility”
(Extract from a Sermon on St Philip Neri)

Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

“But I would beg for you this privilege, that the public world might never know you for praise or for blame, that you should do a good deal of hard work in your generation and prosecute many useful labours and effect a number of religious purposes and send many souls to heaven and take men by surprise, how much you were really doing, when they happened to come near enough to see it but that by the world you should be overlooked, that you should not be known out of your place, that you should work for God alone, with a pure heart and single eye, without the distractions of human applause and should make Him your sole hope and His eternal heaven your sole aim and have your reward, not partly here but fully and entirely, hereafter.”

(The Mission of St Philip Neri, Sermons Preached on Various Occaions.)

Closing Prayer:
God of Love,
through this Lenten journey,
purify my desires to serve You.
Free me from any temptations to judge others,
to place myself above others.
Please let me surrender even my impatience with others,
that with Your love and Your grace,
I might be less and less absorbed with myself,
and more and more full of the desire
to follow You, in laying down my life
according to Your example.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, St JOSEPH, Uncategorized

Thought for the Day – 19 March – St Joseph The faithful foster-father and guardian by St Bernardine

Posted on March 19, 2019March 19, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 19 March – Solemnity of Saint Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The faithful foster-father and guardian

Saint Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444)

An excerpt from his On Saint Joseph (Sermon 2)

There is a general rule concerning all special graces granted to any human being. Whenever the divine favour chooses someone to receive a special grace, or to accept a lofty vocation, God adorns the person chosen with all the gifts of the Spirit needed to fulfil the task at hand.

This general rule is especially verified in the case of Saint Joseph, the foster-father of our Lord and the husband of the Queen of our world, enthroned above the angels. He was chosen by the eternal Father as the trustworthy guardian and protector of His greatest treasures, namely, His divine Son and Mary, Joseph’s wife. He carried out this vocation with complete fidelity until at last God called him, saying – Good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.

What then is Joseph’s position in the whole Church of Christ? Is he not a man chosen and set apart? Through him and, yes, under him, Christ was fittingly and honourably introduced into the world. Holy Church in its entirety is indebted to the Virgin Mother because through her it was judged worthy to receive Christ. But after her we undoubtedly owe special gratitude and reverence to Saint Joseph.

In him the Old Testament finds its fitting close. He brought the noble line of patriarchs and prophets to its promised fulfilment. What the divine goodness had offered as a promise to them, he held in his arms.

Obviously, Christ does not now deny to Joseph that intimacy, reverence and very high honour which He gave him on earth, as a son to His father. Rather we must say that in heaven Christ completes and perfects, all that He gave at Nazareth.

Now we can see how the last summoning words of the Lord appropriately apply to Saint Joseph – Enter into the joy of your Lord. In fact, although the joy of eternal happiness enters into the soul of a man, the Lord preferred to say to Joseph – Enter into joy. His intention was that the words should have a hidden spiritual meaning for us. They convey not only that this holy man possesses an inward joy but also that it surrounds him and engulfs him like an infinite abyss.

Remember us, Saint Joseph and plead for us to your foster-child. Ask your most holy bride, the Virgin Mary, to look kindly upon us, since she is the mother of Him who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns eternally. Amen holy mary holy joseph - pray for us - 15 june 2018.jpg

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Lenten Reflection – 19 March – Faithful, Humble, Obedient, Wise, Brave

Posted on March 19, 2019March 19, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Lenten Reflection – 19 March – Tuesday of The Second Week of Lent, Year C
The Solemnity of St Joseph, Husband of Mary

“When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)

Bishop of Geneva and Doctor of the Church

“How faithful in humility was the great saint we are celebrating! That can’t be said in all its perfection for, in spite of what he was, in what poverty and lowliness he lived all the days of his life, a poverty and lowliness beneath which he kept hidden and concealed his great virtues and dignity!… Truly, I have no doubt at all that the angels came, beside themselves with admiration, rank upon rank, to behold and wonder at his humility, while he sheltered that dearest child in the poor workshop where he worked at his employment so as to feed the little boy and the mother entrusted to him.

There is no doubt at all that Saint Joseph was braver than David and wiser that Solomon [who were his ancestors]. Nevertheless, seeing him reduced to the exercise of carpentry, who could have discerned this unless they were enlightened by a heavenly light, so hidden did he keep the remarkable gifts with which God had favoured him? And what wisdom did he not have? For God gave him his most glorious Son to care for…, the universal Prince of heaven and earth… Nevertheless, you can see how low and humbled he was brought, more than can be said or imagined… he went to his own country and town of Bethlehem and none but he was turned away from all those inns… Notice how the angel turns him about with both hands. He tells him he has to go to Egypt and he goes, he orders him to return and he returns. God wants him to be always poor… and he submits to it with love and not only for a while, for he was poor his whole life long.” st joseph pray for us 19 march 2019.jpg

Daily Meditation:
Protect us from what could harm us
as St Joseph protected our Lord and Saviour.

God the Father has given us His only Son, the Word made man,
to be our food and our life. Let us thank Him and pray:
May the word of Christ dwell among us in all its richness.

Help us in this Lenten season to listen more frequently to Your word,
that we may celebrate the solemnity of Easter with greater love for Christ, our paschal teacher,
that we may encourage those in doubt and error to follow what is true and good.
Enable us to enter more deeply into the mystery of the Anointed One,
that our lives may reveal Him more effectively.
Purify and renew Your Church in this time of salvation,
that it may give an even greater witness to You.

For thy steadfast love was established forever,
thy faithfulness is firm as the heavens.
Thou hast said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant:
‘I will establish your descendants for ever,
and build your throne for all generations.’
Psalm 89:2–4

Closing Prayer:

God in heaven and in my life,
guide me and protect me.
I so often believe I can save myself
and I always end in failure.
Lead me with Your love away from harm
and guide me on the right path.
May Your Spirit inspire the Church
and make us an instrument of Your love and guidance.
Thank You for your care for me.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen lent tues of the secopnd week - psalm 89 2 19 march 2019.jpg

DOCTORS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, St JOSEPH

Quote/s of the Day – 19 March – St Joseph!

Posted on March 19, 2019March 19, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 19 March – The Solemnity of St Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Guardian of Jesus, Patron of the Dying, Patron of the Universal Church

Saint Joseph was the just man,
by his constant fidelity,
an effect of justice;
by his perfect discretion,
a sister to prudence;
by his upright conduct,
a mark of strength
and by his inviolable chastity,
a flower of temperance.”

St Albert the Great (1200-1280) Doctor of the Church

“Some Saints are privileged,
to extend to us,
their patronage, with particular efficacy, in certain needs
but not in others
but our holy patron St Joseph,
has the power to assist us in all cases,
in every necessity,
in every undertaking.”

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

“Go, then to Joseph and do all, that he shall say to you,
Go to Joseph and obey him, as Jesus and Mary obeyed him,
Go to Joseph and speak to him, as they spoke to him,
Go to Joseph and consult him, as they consulted him,
Go to Joseph and honour him, as they honoured him,
Go to Joseph and be grateful to him, as they were grateful to him,
Go to Joseph and love him, as they love him still.”

St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Doctor of the Church

“There is but one saint
who typifies to us
the next world
and that is Saint Joseph.
He is the type of
rest, repose,
peace.
He is the saint
and patron of home,
in death
as well as
in life.”

Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

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Lenten Thoughts – 17 March – The law was given through Moses grace and truth came through Jesus Christ – St Leo the Great

Posted on March 17, 2019March 17, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Lenten Thoughts – 17 March – The Second Sunday of Lent, Year C, Gospel: Luke 9:28-36

The law was given through Moses grace

and truth came through Jesus Christ

St Pope Leo the Great (400-461)
Bishop of Rome and Great Latin Father and Doctor of the Church

An excerpt from Sermo 51

The Lord reveals His glory in the presence of chosen witnesses. His body is like that of the rest of mankind but He makes it shine with such splendour that His Face becomes like the sun in glory and His garments as white as snow.

The great reason for this transfiguration was to remove the scandal of the cross from the hearts of His disciples and to prevent the humiliation of His voluntary suffering from disturbing the faith of those who had witnessed the surpassing glory that lay concealed.

With no less forethought He was also providing a firm foundation for the hope of holy Church. The whole body of Christ was to understand the kind of transformation that it would receive as His gift. The members of that body were to look forward to a share in that glory which first blazed out in Christ their head.

The Lord had himself spoken of this when He foretold the splendour of His coming – Then the just will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Saint Paul the apostle bore witness to this same truth when He said – I consider that the sufferings of the present time are not to be compared with the future glory that is to be revealed in us. In another place He says: You are dead and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

This marvel of the transfiguration contains another lesson for the apostles, to strengthen them and lead them into the fullness of knowledge. Moses and Elijah, the law and the prophets, appeared with the Lord in conversation with Him. This was in order to fulfil exactly, through the presence of these five men, the text which says – Before two or three witnesses every word is ratified. What word could be more firmly established, more securely based, than the word which is proclaimed by the trumpets of both old and new testaments, sounding in harmony and by the utterances of ancient prophecy and the teaching of the Gospel, in full agreement with each other?

The writings of the two testaments support each other. The radiance of the transfiguration reveals clearly and unmistakably the one who had been promised by signs foretelling Him under the veils of mystery. As Saint John says: The law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. In Him the promise made through the shadows of prophecy stands revealed, along with the full meaning of the precepts of the law. He is the one who teaches the truth of prophecy through His presence and makes obedience to the commandments possible through grace.

In the preaching of the holy Gospel all should receive a strengthening of their faith. No one should be ashamed of the cross of Christ, through which the world has been redeemed.

No-one should fear to suffer for the sake of justice, no-one should lose confidence in the reward that has been promised. The way to rest is through toil, the way to life is through death. Christ has taken on Himself the whole weakness of our lowly human nature. If then we are steadfast in our faith in Him and in our love for Him, we win the victory that He has won, we receive what He has promised.

When it comes to obeying the commandments or enduring adversity, the words uttered by the Father should always echo in our ears – This is my Son, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased, listen to Him. transfiguration - listen to him 17 march 2019.jpg

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Quote of the Day – 17 March – You have been created for …

Posted on March 17, 2019March 17, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 17 March – The Second Sunday of Lent, Year C

“You have been created for the glory of God
and your own eternal salvation….
this is your goal,
this is the centre of your life,
this is the treasure of your heart.
If your reach this goal,
you will find happiness.
If you fail to reach it,
you will find misery.”

St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) Doctor of the Church

LENT 2019, POETRY, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The TRANSFIGURATION, The WORD

Lenten Reflection – 17 March – Transfiguration

Posted on March 17, 2019March 17, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Lenten Reflection – 17 March – The Second Sunday of Lent, Year C

The Readings
Genesis 15:5-12,17-18; Psalms 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14; Philippians 3:17 – 4:1 or Philippians 3:20 – 4:1; Luke 9:28B-36

And a voice came out of the cloud, saying,
“This is my Son, my Chosen,
listen to him!”
Luke 9:35

Transfiguration
By Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

They were talking to Him about resurrection,
about law, about the suffering ahead.
They were talking as if to remind Him who He was and
who they were. He was not

Like his three friends watching a little way off,
not like the crowd At the foot of the hill.
A grey-green thunderhead massed
from the sea

And God spoke from it and said He was His.
They were talking about how the body, broken or
burned,
could live again, remade.

Only the fiery text of the thunderhead could explain it.
And they were talking
About pain and the need for judgement
and how He would make Himself

A law of pain, both its spirit and its letter in His own
flesh,
and then break it,
That is, transcend it.
His clothes flared like magnesium

transfiguration-by-bl-john-henry-newman-2nd-sun-lent-25-feb-2018.jpg

Daily Meditation:
Listen to Him.

It is wonderful to begin this week
acknowledging that we need God’s help in listening and hearing.
It is so powerful to ask for the “gift of integrity” –
to express our desire for wholeness.
And, we humbly ask for light in the midst of whatever
might “shadow our vision.”
This is the God who allows Jesus
to be transfigured before His disciples,
to prepare them for what they were about to face.
This is our God, who can give each of us
the change of heart we ask for.

Wait for the Lord,
be strong
and let your heart take courage,
yea, wait for the Lord!

Psalm 27:14

Closing Prayer:

Loving God,
there is so much darkness in my life
and I hide from You.
Take my hand
and lead me out of the shadows of my fear.
Help me to change my heart.
Bring me to your truth
and help me to respond to Your generous love.
Let me recognise the fullness of Your love
which will fill my life.
Free me from the darkness in my heart.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen second-sunday-lenten-reflection-luke 9 35 17 march 2019

LENT 2019, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 17 March – Transfigurtion,the Mystery of the Cross

Posted on March 17, 2019March 17, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 17 March – The Second Sunday of Lent, Year C

“…Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem.”…Luke 9:30-31

REFLECTION – “Today, on Mount Tabor, the state of our future life and the Kingdom of joy are mysteriously made manifest. Today, in an unexpected way, the former messengers of the Old and New Covenants have come together on the mountain beside their God as bearers of a paradoxical mystery. Today, on Mount Tabor, is sketched out the mystery of the cross which, through death, gives life. Just as Christ was crucified between two men on Mount Calvary, so He now stands in His divine majesty between Moses and Elijah. And today’s feast shows us that other Sinai, that mountain far more precious than Sinai by reason of its wonders and events. With its theophany it far surpasses merely representative and vague divine visions…
Rejoice! O Creator of all that is, Christ our King, Son of God radiant with light, who have transfigured all creation in Your image and have recreated it in an even better way… And you, too, rejoice! O image of the heavenly Kingdom, most holy mount of Tabor, surpassing in beauty all other mountains! Mount Golgotha and you, O mount of Olives, sing a hymn together and rejoice, sing with one voice of Christ on Mount Tabor and together chant His praises!”… St Anastasius of Sinai (Died c 700) Monk

PRAYER – Heavenly Father, teach us to do everything for Your honour and glory.
Grant us the grace to work out our salvation with anxious concern each day of our life. Keep our gaze fixed towards heaven. Help us as we attempt this Lenten journey to grow in a spirit of penance and sacrifice and to be transfigured, out of love for You, our God. Mary, Holy Mother, the refuge of sinners, be our protector and our guide. We make our prayer through Jesus in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for all eternity, amen. blessed virgin mary immaculate mother - pray for us - 2 sept 2018.jpg

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2019, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS

Lenten Thoughts – 16 March – Why Forty Days?

Posted on March 16, 2019March 16, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Lenten Thoughts – 16 March – Saturday of the First week of Lent, Year C

Why Forty Days?

St Pope Gregory the Great

(540-604)

Father & Doctor of the Church

He, the Author of all things, for forty days tasted no food. Let us likewise, as far as we are able, afflict our flesh by abstinence during the season of Lent. A fast of forty days is observed, since the perfection of the Decalogue is completed by the four books of the Holy Gospel – ten multiplied by four being forty.

Or, again, because this mortal body is made up from four elements and because of its pleasures, we are bound by the commandments of the Lord, made known in the Decalogue, it is therefore, fitting, that we who through the desires of the flesh despise the commands of God, should chastise this same flesh, four times ten times.

Or, as by the Law men had to offer up tithes of their possessions, so ought we strive to offer tithes of our days. For from the first Sunday of Lent, until the joys of the Paschal feast, there are six weeks – which are two and forty days, from which, since the six days of Sunday are subtracted from the fast, there remains but thirty six days. Since the year continues for three hundred and sixty five days, we do penance for thirty six days, as though offering to God a tenth of our year. why 40 days - st pope gregory the great answers 16 march 2019.jpg

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2019, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL

Quote of the Day – 16 March – “it is necessary to pass by the dragon”

Posted on March 16, 2019March 16, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 16 March – Saturday of the First week of Lent, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 5:43–48

“The dragon sits by the side of the road,
watching those who pass.
Beware lest he devour you.
We go to the Father of Souls
but it is necessary to pass by the dragon.”

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387)
Father & Doctor of the Church

CARMELITES, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2019, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on VIOLENCE, The WORD

Lenten Reflection – 16 March

Posted on March 16, 2019March 16, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Lenten Reflection – 16 March – Saturday of the First week of Lent, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 5:43–48

Blessed Titus Brandsma (1881-1942) Martyr

“But I say to you… pray for those who persecute you”

You have often heard it said that we are living through a marvellous time, a time of great men… It is easy to understand why people long for a strong and capable leader to arise… This kind of neo-paganism [Nazism] believes all nature to be an emanation of the divine…; it admires a race that is nobler and purer than any other… From this comes the cult of race and blood, the cult of its own people’s heroes.

By starting out from so mistaken an idea, this view of things can lead to capital errors. It is tragic to see how much enthusiasm, how many efforts are placed at the service of such an erroneous and baseless ideal! However, we can learn from our enemy. We can learn from his deceitful philosophy how to purify and improve our own ideal, we can learn how to develop great love for this ideal, how to arouse immense enthusiasm and even a readiness to live and die for it, how to strengthen our hearts to incarnate it in ourselves and in others…

When we talk about the coming of the Kingdom and pray for its coming, we are not thinking of a discrimination according to race or blood but of the brotherhood of all, for all men are our brothers – not excluding even those who hate and attack us – in a close bond with the One, who causes the sun to rise on the good and the bad alike (Mt 5:45). all men are our brothers - bl titus brandsma 1st sat lent 16 march 2019.jpg

Daily Meditation:
Turn our hearts to You.

The Saturdays of Lent have a grateful and uplifting tone to them.
Our lesson today reminds us of the covenant God made long ago:
you be My people
and I will be your God.

In the new covenant, without condition,
God is faithful to us, even if we are not.
Jesus calls us to a new way of being –
loving others as we have been loved –
which includes loving those who do not love us.
We are to be as pure in our love,
as God is pure in loving us.

You, therefore, must be perfect,
as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:48 saturday of the first week of lent - 16 march 2019.jpg

Closing Prayer:

Loving God,
Sometimes my heart
turns in every direction
except towards You.
Please help me
to turn my heart toward You,
to gaze upon You in trust
and to seek Your kingdom with all of my heart.
Soften my hardened heart
so that I might love others
as a way to glorify and worship You.
Grant me this
with the ever-present guidance of Your spirit.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

Christ’s martyrs feared neither death nor pain. He triumphed in them who lived in them; and they, who lived not for themselves but for Him, found in death itself the way to life.”

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

QUOTES of the SAINTS, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 15 March

Posted on March 15, 2019March 15, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 15 March – The Memorial of St Clement Mary Hofbauer C.Ss.R.(1751-1820) “The Apostle of Austria” and “The Second Founder of the Redemptorists”

Among the passengers sharing a coach with Father Hofbauer on one occasion was a young man who was described as being infirm both in body and soul. Possibly embittered by his unfortunate physical state, the young man continually heaped coarse insults upon the holy priest, who endured the vulgarity in silence. At noon, when the coach drew up at an inn, all the other passengers disembarked to dine, giving no thought or concern for the crude cripple left behind. Hofbauer lifted the man in his arms, carried him into the inn, ordered his meal, then carried him back to the coach. The man’s behaviour toward the saint was totally changed for the rest of the trip. Filled with sorrow for his meanness, he declared that he would never have sunk to such moral degradation had he met such a priest earlier in life.

A Polish countess who had frequented St Benno’s reminisced in after years: “Whenever I recall him, I see him before me as a venerable priest, refined and awe inspiring in his deportment but withal very plain. Wherever he went, he radiated the beauty of peace and spread about him the consolation that springs from divine love. His language was always simple, he never made use of choice expressions. Still, his words always manifested great depth of mind and invariably awakened immediate confidence. The love of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which filled his heart, shone forth in all his actions but there was about him no trace of singularity or affectation. Purity of soul, peace of heart, the radiance of that holy joy which is born of the intimate union of man with his Maker, beamed from his countenance. The Holy Spirit had bestowed upon him a special talent for directing souls in the ways of virtue and holiness and he toiled on with unrelenting fervour, granting himself no rest or respite until his physical energy was exhausted.”

He was unrelenting in pursuing souls cut off from the life of grace, especially those facing imminent death. A nun entered the church one day and found Father Hofbauer kneeling before the altar. Unobserved by the saint, she saw his cheeks wet with tears as he pleaded for the conversion of some sinner outside the fold.

“Lord,” he begged, “give me this soul, for if Thou refuse, I shall go to Thy Mother!” The nun was so deeply affected by this scene that she immediately knelt before an image of the Blessed Virgin and united her own prayers to those of Hofbauer’s. lord-give-me-this-soul-st-clement-mary-hofbauer-15-march-2018

Even a tiny grain of imitation of this great Redemptorist Saint would be a huge impetus on our own road to holiness!

St Clement Mary Hofbauer, Pray for Us!

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2019, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The SIGN of the CROSS

Lenten Thoughts – 15 March – “When war comes, fight courageously for Him.”

Posted on March 15, 2019March 15, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Lenten Thoughts – 15 March – Friday of the First week of Lent, Year C Gospel: Matthew 5:20–26

“Will you refuse to be crucified for Him,
who for your sake was nailed to the cross?”

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387)
Father and Doctor of the Church

An excerpt from his Catecheses, 13

The Catholic Church glories in every deed of Christ. Her supreme glory, however, is the cross. Well aware of this, Paul says – God forbid that I glory in anything but the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!

At Siloam, there was a sense of wonder and rightly so. A man born blind recovered his sight. But of what importance is this, when there are so many blind people in the world? Lazarus rose from the dead but even this affected only Lazarus. What of those countless numbers who have died because of their sins? Those five miraculous loaves fed five thousand people. Yet this is a small number compared to those all over the world who were starved by ignorance. After eighteen years a woman was freed from the bondage of Satan. But are we not all shackled by the chains of our own sins?

For us all, however, the cross is the crown of victory! It has brought light to those blinded by ignorance. It has released those enslaved by sin. Indeed, it has redeemed the whole of mankind!

Do not, then, be ashamed of the cross of Christ, rather, glory in it. Although it is a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the Gentiles, the message of the cross is our salvation. Of course it is folly to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. For it was not a mere man who died for us but the Son of God, God made man.

In the Mosaic law a sacrificial lamb banished the destroyer. But now it is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Will He not free us from our sins even more? The blood of an animal, a sheep, brought salvation. Will not the blood of the only-begotten Son bring us greater salvation?

He was not killed by violence, He was not forced to give up His life. His was a willing sacrifice. Listen to His own words – I have the power to lay down my life and take it up again. Yes, he willingly submitted to His own passion. He took joy in his achievement, in His crown of victory He was glad and in the salvation of man He rejoiced. He did not blush at the cross for by it He was to save the world. No, it was not a lowly man who suffered but God incarnate. He entered the contest, for the reward He would win by His patient endurance.

Certainly in times of tranquillity the cross should give you joy. But maintain the same faith in times of persecution. Otherwise you will be a friend of Jesus in times of peace and His enemy during war. Now you receive the forgiveness of your sins and the generous gift of grace from your King. When war comes, fight courageously for Him.

Jesus never sinned, yet He was crucified for you. Will you refuse to be crucified for Him, who for your sake was nailed to the cross? You are not the one who gives the favour, you have received one first. For your sake He was crucified on Golgotha. Now you are returning His favour, you are fulfilling your debt to Him. jesus never sinned yet he was crucified for you - st cyril of jerusalem 15 march 2019.jpg

MARIAN QUOTES, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE

Quote of the Day – 15 March – Pray the Rosary for the Dying!

Posted on March 15, 2019March 15, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 15 March – The Memorial of St Clement Mary Hofbauer C.Ss.R.(1751-1820) “The Apostle of Austria” and “The Second Founder of the Redemptorists”

“We are living in evil times here.
The Church of God is vilified,
oppressed and persecuted,
while we look on,
helpless to defend or rescue,
the Bride of Christ
from the hatred of her foes.”

An acquaintance one day met the saint returning exhausted from attending to a dying man who lived far removed from the city and who had been away from the sacraments for seventeen years.

“It is a good thing when such a one lives far away,” he said. “For then I have ample time to recite the Rosary on the way and I have learned from experience, that sinners invariably repent before death, whenever I have had a chance to say the beads before reaching them.”

St Clement Mary Hofbauer (1751-1820)

LENT 2019, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SILENCE, The PASSION, The WORD

Lenten Reflection – 15 March – Christ, the model of brotherly love

Posted on March 15, 2019March 15, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Lenten Reflection – 15 March – Friday of the First week of Lent, Year C Gospel: Matthew 5:20–26

Christ, the model of brotherly love

Saint Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167)

An excerpt from his The Mirror of Love

“The perfection of brotherly love lies in the love of one’s enemies. We can find no greater inspiration for this than grateful remembrance of the wonderful patience of Christ. He who is more fair than all the sons of men, offered his fair face to be spat upon by sinful men, He allowed those eyes that rule the universe, to be blindfolded by wicked men, He bared His back to the scourges, He submitted that head which strikes terror in principalities and powers to the sharpness of the thorns, He gave Himself up to be mocked and reviled and at the end endured the cross, the nails, the lance, the gall, the vinegar, remaining always gentle, meek and full of peace.

In short, He was led like a sheep to the slaughter and like a lamb before the shearers He kept silent and did not open His mouth.”

Daily Meditation:
Renew us and prepare us.

Our lesson today is about reconciliation
Our Lord forgives us all our sins –
nothing can separate us from the love of God for us in Jesus
And we are called to forgive others
with the same compassion, mercy, patience and love given to us.

Our Lenten practices help us to
experience the renewing love of God
and they prepare us for our journey to Easter
to celebrate the mystery of our death to self
and rebirth in the new life Jesus won for us.

I do not wish the sinner to die, says the Lord,
but to turn to me and live.
Ezekiel 33

Closing Prayer:

Creator of my life,
renew me,bring me to new life in You.
Touch me and make me feel whole again.
Help me to see Your love
in the passion, death and resurrection of Your son.
Help me to observe Lent
in a way that allows me to celebrate that love.
Prepare me for these weeks of Lent
as I feel both deep sorrows for my sins
and Your undying love for me.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen. friday of the first week - i do not wish the sinner to die esekiel 33 15 march 2019.jpg

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2019, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on MERCY, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 15 March – Go and be reconciled with your brother.

Posted on March 15, 2019March 15, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 15 March – Friday of the First week of Lent, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 5:20–26 and The Memorial of St Clement Mary Hofbauer C.Ss.R.(1751-1820)

“If you are bringing your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and first go and be reconciled with your brother. Then come and offer your gift.”…Matthew 5:23–24

REFLECTION – “Christ gave His life for you and do you hold a grudge against your fellow servant? How then can you approach the table of peace? Your Master did not refuse to undergo every kind of suffering for you and will you not even forgo your anger?… He has offered me an outrageous insult, you say. He has wronged me times without number, he has endangered my life. Well, what is that? He has not yet crucified you as the Jewish elders crucified the Lord.

If you refuse to forgive your neighbour’s offence your heavenly Father will not forgive your sins either (Mt 6:15). What does your conscience say when you repeat the words: “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name…,” and the rest? Christ went so far as to offer His blood for the salvation of those who shed it. What could you do that would equal that? If you refuse to forgive your enemy you harm not him but yourself… You earn for yourself eternal punishment on the Day of Judgement.

Listen to the Lord’s words: “If you are bringing your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and first go and be reconciled with your brother. Then come and offer your gift.” What do you mean? Am I really to leave my gift, my offering there? Yes, He says, because this sacrifice is offered in order that you may live in peace with your brother… For the Son of Man has come into the world to reconcile humanity with its Father. As Paul says: “Now God has reconciled everything to himself” (Col 1:20) “putting enmity to death through the cross” (Eph 2:16)…. St John Chrysostom (347-407)

PRAYER – All-merciful Father, help me to be ever open to Your love and mercy, running to You in all my needs and in all my fears. Allow me too, to run to the confessional when I have sinned, to ask for and receive forgiveness and love. Through Your mercy and forgiveness, teach me too to forgive and open my heart to kindness, reconciliation and care for my brother. Grant that the prayers of St Clement Mary Hofbauer, may assist us all in living holy lives according to Your Commandments and the laws of the Church. Amen st-clement-mary-hofbauer-pray-for-us-15-march-2018-no-2.jpg

LENT 2019, LENTEN THOUGHTS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY

Lenten Thoughts – 14 March – Christ Calls Us Deeper Still – Bl John Henry

Posted on March 14, 2019March 14, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Lenten Thoughts – 14 March – Thursday of the First week of Lent, Year C, Today’s

Christ Calls Us Deeper Still

Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Called on from grace to grace
All through our life Christ is calling us. He called us first in Baptism but afterwards also, whether we obey His voice or not, He graciously calls us still. If we fall from our Baptism, He calls us to repen,; if we are striving to fulfil our calling, He calls us on from grace to grace and from holiness to holiness, while life is given us.
Abraham was called from his home, Peter from his nets, Matthew from his office, Elisha from his farm, Nathanael from his retreat – we are all in course of calling, on and on, from one thing to another, having no resting-place but mounting towards our eternal rest and obeying one command only, to have another put upon us. He calls us again and again, in order to justify us, again and again—and again and again and more and more, to sanctify and glorify us.

Christ calls us right now!
It were well, if we understood this but we are slow to master the great truth, that Christ is, as it were, walking among us and by His hand, or eye, or voice, bidding us to follow Him.

We do not understand that His call is a thing which takes place now. We think it took place in the Apostles’ days but we do not believe in it, we do not look out for it in our own case. We have not eyes to see the Lord, far different from the beloved Apostle, who knew Christ even when the rest of the disciples knew Him not. When He stood on the shore after His resurrection and bade them cast the net into the sea, “that disciple whom Jesus loved said unto Peter, It is the Lord” (John 21:7).

Do you accept Christ’s’ call?
There is nothing miraculous or extraordinary in His dealings with us. He works through our natural faculties and circumstances of life. Still what happens to us in providence, is in all essential respects, what His voice was to those whom He addressed, when on earth – whether He commands by a visible presence, or by a voice, or by our consciences, it matters not, so that we feel it to be a command. If it is a command, it may be obeyed or disobeyed, it may be accepted as Samuel or St Paul accepted it, or put aside after the manner of the young man who had great possessions.

PAPAL SERMONS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 14 March – God’s Works

Posted on March 14, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 14 March – the Memorial of Blessed Giacomo Cusmano (1834-1888)

St Pope John Paul on the Beatification of Blessed Giacomo, 30 October 1983

“To heal the wounds of poverty and misery which were afflicting such a large part of the population because of recurring famines and epidemics but also because of social inequality, (Blessed Giacomo Cusmano) chose the way of charity – love for God which was translated into effective love for his brethren and into the gift of himself to the most needy and suffering in a service pushed to the point of heroic sacrifice.

After opening a first “House for the Poor”, he began a broader work of social promotion by instituting the “Morsel for the Poor” Association, which was like the mustard seed from which a very vigorous plant sprung up. Making himself poor with the poor, he did not disdain begging in the streets of Palermo, soliciting everyone’s charity and collecting food which he then distributed to the innumerable poor who gathered around him.

His work, like all of God’s works, encountered difficulties which severely tested his will but with immense confidence in God and with his indomitable will power, he overcame every obstacle, giving origin to the Institute of the “Sisters Servants of the Poor” and to the “Congregation of Missionary Servants of the Poor”.

He led his spiritual sons and daughters to the practice of charity in fidelity to the evangelical counsels and in striving for holiness. His rules and spiritual letters are documents of an ascetic wisdom in which strength and gentleness are merged. The central idea was this – “To live in the presence of God and in union with God, to receive everything from God’s hands, to do everything out of pure love and the glory of God.”

Blessed GIACOMO CUSMANO, PRAY for US!

QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SAINT of the DAY

Quote of the Day – 14 March – All for God

Posted on March 14, 2019March 14, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 14 March – the Memorial of Blessed Giacomo Cusmano (1834-1888)

The charism of the Congregations founded by Blessed Giacomo

and a beautiful creed for us all:

“To live in the presence of God
and in union with God,
to receive everything from God’s hands,
to do everything out of pure love
and the glory of God.”

Blessed Giacomo Cusmano (1834-1888)

CARMELITES, LENT 2019, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD

Lenten Reflection – 14 March – The Prince of Peace

Posted on March 14, 2019March 14, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Lenten Reflection – 14 March – Thursday of the First week of Lent, Year C, Today’s Gospel Matthew 7:7-12

“Ask and it will be given you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.”...Matthew 7:7

The Prince of Peace

“Launch your soul on the waves of confidence and abandonment and remember that anything that troubles it or throws it into fear does not come from God, for He is the Prince of Peace and He promises that peace to “those of good will” (Lk 2:14 Vg.). When you are afraid you have abused His grace, that is the time to redouble your confidence, for, as the Apostle Paul says: “Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more,” (Rm 5:20) and farther on: “I boast of my weaknesses, for then the power of Jesus Christ dwells in me.” (2 Cor 12:9) “Our God is rich in mercy because of His immense love.” (Eph 2:4)”

Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880-1906)
(Letter 224 (I Have Found God)

Daily Meditation:

Help us to be eager in doing Your will.
In today’s lesson, we learn more about prayer.
We are touched by the bold, full-hearted prayer of Esther.
We hear with a freshness how sincerely Jesus invites us to:
ask and receive
seek and find
knock and find the door opened.

Dependence is not a virtue we ordinarily admire.
Today we grow in our sense that we need God’s grace very much –
even to know what is right –
but certainly to fan our desires into a flame.

Lord, on the day I called for help,
you answered me.
Psalm 138 thurs of the first week - psalm 138 lord on the day 14 march 2019.jpg
Closing Prayer:
Lord,
I am not always eager to do Your will.
I’d often much rather do my own will.
Please be with me on this Lenten journey
and help me to remember
that Your own Spirit can guide me
in the right direction.
I want to fix my weaknesses
but the task seems overwhelming.
But I know that with Your help,
anything can be done.
With a grateful heart,
I acknowledge Your love
and know that without You,
I can do nothing.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2019, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The WORD

Lenten Reflection – 13 March – “…Something greater than Jonah is here.”

Posted on March 13, 2019March 13, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Lenten Reflection – 13 March – Wednesday of the First week of Lent, Year C

“…Something greater than Jonah is here.”…Luke 11:32

St Bernard (1091-1153)
Doctor of the Church

“Come back to me with all your heart” (Joel 2:12)

“Be converted with all your heart,” the Lord says. My brothers, if he had just said “Be converted” without adding anything, perhaps we should have been able to reply – it’s done, now you can give us something else to do.

But if I understand correctly, Christ is speaking to us here about a spiritual conversion that does not come about in a day. May it even be achieved in our lifetime! So pay attention to what you love, what you fear, at what makes you happy or what makes you sad and you will sometimes see that, beneath your religious habit you are still a man of the world. Indeed, the heart is wholly contained in these four feelings and it is concerning them, I think, we must understand these words: “Be converted to the Lord with all your heart.”
May your loving be converted, in such a way, that you love nothing but the Lord, or rather that you love nothing except for God’s sake. May your fear also be turned towards Him, for any fear that makes us afraid of something apart from Him and not because of Him is bad. May your joy and your sadness be converted to Him, this is how it will be if you neither suffer nor rejoice except in Him. Thus, if you mourn for your own sins or those of your neighbour you do well and your sadness is salutary. If you rejoice in the gifts of grace, this joy is holy and you are able to enjoy it in peace in the Holy Spirit. In the love of Christ you should be glad of your brothers’ good fortunes and sympathise with their misfortunes according to this verse: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” (Rm 12:15) come back to me with all your heart - lent 2019

Daily Meditation:
Hear our prayer.

The Wednesdays and Fridays of Lent take on a more penitential tone.
Our longing intensifies.
We know we have to work hard to resist temptation
and to change some of our bad habits.
We know that spiritual renewal won’t come easily.
But we know that all we will ultimately be able to do
will come from God’s inspiration – as a gift.
So we ask from a deeper and deeper place in our hearts.

We listen to the wonderful story about Nineveh.
They responded to God’s word and repented.

My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
Psalm 51

“And as Jonah was sacrificed for those endangered by the storm, so Christ was offered for those who are drowning in the storm of this world.”

St Augustine (354-430)

Closing Prayer:

Dear Lord,
I know You receive what is in my heart.
Let me be inspired by Your words
and by the actions of Your son, Jesus.
Guide me to make sacrifices this Lent
in the spirit of self-denial
and with greater attention to You
and to those around me.
Help me to believe that You will grant me this
because of the sacrifice Jesus made for me.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2019, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day -– 13 March – St Leander

Posted on March 13, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day -– 13 March – Wednesday of the First week of Lent, Year C and The Memorial of St Leander (c 534-c 600)

“This man of suave eloquence and eminent talent shone as brightly by his virtues as by his doctrine. By his faith and zeal the Gothic people have been converted from Arianism to the Catholic faith”

St Isidore of Seville (560-636) Doctor of the Church,

speaking of his brother St Leander, whom we celebrate today.

“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.”

Thomas Merton OCSO (1915-1968)

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2019, LENTEN THOUGHTS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PRAYER

Lenten Thoughts – 12 March – “On the Lord’s Prayer” – St Cyprian

Posted on March 12, 2019March 12, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Lenten Thoughts – 12 March – Tuesday of the First Week of Lent

Saint Cyprian of Carthage
Bishop, Father of the Church and Martyr

An excerpt from his “On the Lord’s Prayer”

Dear brothers, the commands of the Gospel are nothing else than God’s lessons, the foundations on which to build up hope, the supports for strengthening faith, the food that nourishes the heart. They are the rudder for keeping us on the right course, the protection that keeps our salvation secure. As they instruct the receptive minds of believers on earth, they lead safely to the kingdom of heaven.

God willed that many things should be said by the prophets, His servants and listened to by His people. How much greater are the things spoken by the Son. These are now witnessed to by the very word of God who spoke through the prophets. The Word of God does not now command us to prepare the way for His coming – He comes in person and opens up the way for us and directs us toward it. Before, we wandered in the darkness of death, aimlessly and blindly. Now we are enlightened by the light of grace and are to keep to the highway of life, with the Lord to precede and direct us.

The Lord has given us many counsels and commandments to help us toward salvation. He has even given us a pattern of prayer, instructing us on how we are to pray. He has given us life and with His accustomed generosity, He has also taught us how to pray. He has made it easy for us to be heard as we pray to the Father in the words taught us by the Son.

He has already foretold that the hour was coming when true worshippers would worship the Father in spirit and in truth. He fulfilled what He had promised before, so that we who have received the spirit and the truth through the holiness He has given us, may worship in truth and in the spirit through the prayer He has taught.

What prayer could be more a prayer in the spirit than the one given us by Christ, by whom the Holy Spirit was sent upon us? What prayer could be more a prayer in the truth than the one spoken by the lips of the Son, who is Truth Himself? It follows that to pray in any other way than the Son has taught us is not only the result of ignorance but of sin. He himself has commanded it and has said – You reject the command of God, to set up your own tradition.

So, my brothers, let us pray as God our master has taught us. To ask the Father in words His Son has given us, to let Him hear the prayer of Christ ringing in His ears, is to make our prayer one of friendship, a family prayer. Let the Father recognise the words of His Son. Let the Son who lives in our hearts, be also on our lips. We have Him as an Advocate for sinners, before the Father, when we ask for forgiveness for ours sins, let us use the words given by our Advocate. He tells us – Whatever you ask the Father in my name, He will give you. What more effective prayer could we then make, in the name of Christ, than in the words of His own prayer?

QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 12 March – “God alone! disconsolate soul, God alone!”

Posted on March 12, 2019March 12, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 12 March – Tuesday of the First Week of Lent, C – Gospel Matthew 6:7–15 and the Memorial of St Luigi Orione FDP (1872-1940)

“Men who have risked their lives for the sake of Our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 15: 26). These words taken from the Acts of the Apostles can be well-applied to St Luigi Orione, a man who gave himself entirely for the cause of Christ and His Kingdom. Physical and moral sufferings, fatigue, difficulty, misunderstandings and all kinds of obstacles characterised his apostolic ministry. “Christ, the Church, souls”, he would say, “are loved and served on the cross and through crucifixion or they are not loved and served at all” (Writings, 68, 81).

The heart of this strategy of charity was “without limits because it was opened wide by the charity of Christ” (ibid., 102, 32). Passion for Christ was the soul of his bold life, the interior thrust of an altruism without reservations, the always fresh source of an indestructible hope.

This humble son of a man who repaired roads proclaimed that “only charity will save the world” and to everyone he would often say, that “perfect joy can only be found in perfect dedication of oneself to God and man and to all mankind.”

St Pope John Paul on the Canonisation of St Luigi
Sixth Sunday of Easter, 16 May 2004

Work, Seeking God Alone
From writings by Saint Don Orione (1872-1940)

“Yesterday, when I was in the room of a good priest my eyes fell on these words:

God alone!

My look at that moment was full of weariness and pain and my mind was thinking about so many other days like yesterday, full of anxiety and above the whirl of so much anguish and above the confused sound of so many sighs, I seemed to hear the amiable and good voice of my Angel –
God alone! disconsolate soul, God alone!”

The ideal of Don Orione’s life was to live and to die for the spiritual welfare of people, serving Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Mother Church and its head, the Pope.

His motto was, “Do good always, to all, evil to none”.

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