Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, ON the SAINTS, PAPAL MESSAGES, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SUFFERING

Pope Francis announces that he will Canonise Blessed Nunzio Sulprizio in October

Pope Francis announced this morning, 19 July 2018, during an Ordinary Public Consistory that he will canonise an additional person on October 14 along with Blessed Paul VI and Blessed Oscar Romero.

It is fitting that Blessed Nunzio Sulprizio, who died at the age of 19, be canonised during the Synod whose theme is Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment.   Now with the addition of Blessed Nunzio, the canonisation will include people from every walk of life:  clerical, religious and lay.

Blessed Nunzio was born in Pescosansonesco in Italy in April of 1817.   He lost both of his parents while still a child and was brought up by an uncle.   His uncle exploited him, not allowing him to go to school and forced him to work in his blacksmith shop.   Regardless of extreme cold or intense heat, he was forced to carry enormous weights over great distances.   Nunzio_Sulprizio.svg_-e1528562206450

He found refuge before the Tabernacle where he would keep Jesus company.
After contracting gangrene in one of his legs, he was sent to a hospital for people with incurable diseases in Naples.   He suffered tremendously on account of the pain.   Yet, he is known to have said such things as:

Jesus suffered so much for us and by His merits we await eternal life.   If we suffer a little bit, we will taste the joy of paradise.
Jesus suffered a lot for me.   Why should I not suffer for Him?
I would die in order to convert even one sinner.
When asked who was taking care of him, he would respond:  “God’s Providence”.

Once he got better, he dedicated himself to helping other patients.   But his health took a sudden turn for the worse.   He died from bone cancer in May of 1836 before he reached his 20th birthday.

my snip - bl nunzio

Pope Paul VI said the following when he Beatified Nunzio on 1 December 1963:

Nunzio Sulprizio will tell you that the period of youth should not be considered the age of free passions, of inevitable falls, of invincible crises, of decadent pessimism, of harmful selfishness.   Rather, he will rather tell you how being young is a grace… St Philip used to repeat:   Blessed are you, young people, who have the time to do good.   

It is a grace, it is a blessing to be innocent, to be pure, to be happy, to be strong, to be full of ardour and life – just like those who receive the gift of fresh and new existence should be, regenerated and sanctified by baptism.   They receive a treasure that should not be foolishly wasted but should be known, guarded, educated, developed and used to produce fruit for their own benefit and that of others.   

He will tell you that no other age than yours, young people, is as suitable for great ideals, for generous heroism, for the coherent demands of thought and action.   

He will teach you how you young people can regenerate the world in which Providence has called you to live and how it is up to you first to consecrate yourselves for the salvation of a society that needs strong and fearless souls.   

He will teach you that the supreme word of Christ is to be the sacrifice, the cross, for our own salvation and that of the world.   Young people understand this supreme vocation. (vaticannews.va)

beato-nunzio-sulprizio-777x437

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MERCY, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 19 July – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 11:28-30

Thought for the Day – 19 July – Thursday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 11:28-30.

“Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”…Matthew 11:28-30

The light burden of the law of Christ

Saint Jerome (347-420)

Priest, Translator of the Bible,

Father & Doctor of the Church

“Bear one another’s burdens and so you will fulfil the law of Christ.”   Sin is a burden as the psalmist attests when he says:  “My sins weigh heavy upon me.”   But the Lord has carried this burden for us, teaching us, by His example what we ourselves should do.   For it is He who bore the burden of our sins;  He was stricken for our sake (cf Is 53:8) and invites those who are weighed down by the heavy burden of the Law and of their sins to carry the easy burden of virtue, saying:  “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Mt 11:30).

Therefore, whoever holds out a hand to the person who begs for support, not despairing of a neighbour’s salvation, who weeps with those who weep, is weak with those who are weak and who regards other’s sins as though they were his own – such a one, fulfils through charity, the law of Christ.   What is this law of Christ?   “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another” (Jn 13:34).   What is the law of the Son of God? “Love one another as I have loved you.”   How has the Son of God loved us?   No one has greater love than this, “to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15:13).

Someone who shows no clemency, who is not clothed with the bowels of mercy and tears, no matter what sort of student he is in spirituality, such a one does not fulfil the law of Christ.

Someone who comes to the assistance of the poor weighed down by the burden of destitution and makes friends with dishonest wealth (Lk 16:9), such a one shoulders the needs of his neighbour.   This is the one to whom Jesus will say after the general resurrection:  “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.   For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink” (Mt 25:34-35).but the lord has carried this burden for us teaching us by his example - st jerome - 19 july 2018

Posted in MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on TRUTH, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 19 July – The Memorial of St John Plessington (c 1637-1679) Martyr of England

Quote/s of the Day – 19 July – The Memorial of St John Plessington (c 1637-1679) Martyr of England

“But I know it will be said that a Priest, ordained by authority derived from the See of Rome, is by the Law of Nation, to die as a Traitor but if that be so, what must become of all the Clergymen or England, for the first Protestant Bishops had their Ordination from those of the Church of Rome….?”but i know it will be said - st john plessington - 19 july 2018

“Bear witness, good hearers, that I profess, that I undoubtedly and firmly believe, all the Articles of the Roman Catholic Faith and for the truth of any of them, (by the assistance of God), I am willing to die and I had rather die, than doubt of any Point of Faith, taught by our Holy Mother the Roman Catholic Church.”

St John Plessington (c 1637-1679)
Martyred because he was a Catholic Priest

by Elizabeth I of Englandbear witness good hearers - st john plessington - 19 july 2018

John Plessington was born at Dimples Hall, near Garstang, Lancashire in 1637, the son of Robert Plessington and Alice Rawstone, into a family at odds with the authorities, for both their religious and political beliefs.   Educated by Jesuits at Scarisbrick Hall, at Saint Omer’s in France and then at the College of Saint Alban at Valladolid, Spain, he was ordained in Segovia on 25 March 1662.   He returned to England in 1663 ministering to Catholics in the areas of Holywell and Cheshire, often hiding under the name William Scarisbrick.   He was also tutor at Puddington Hall near Chester.   Upon arrest in Chester during the Popish Plot scare caused by Titus Oates, he was imprisoned for two months, and then hanged, drawn and quartered for the crime of being a Catholic priest.   His speech from the scaffold at Gallow’s Hill in Boughton, Cheshire was printed and distributed:

He said: “I know it will be said that a priest ordayned by authority derived from the See of Rome is, by the Law of the Nation, to die as a Traytor but if that be so what must become of all the Clergymen of the Church of England, for the first Church of England Bishops had their Ordination from those of the Church of Rome, or not at all, as appears by their own writers so that Ordination comes derivatively from those now living.”

He was martyred in 1679.   He was beatified in 1929 by Pope Pius XI, and canonised as one of the Forty Martyrs on 25 October 1970 by Blessed Pope Paul VI.

A lot more detail about St John here:  https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/07/19/saint-of-the-day-19-july-st-john-plessington/

and his scaffold speech here:  https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/07/19/thought-for-the-day-19-july/

St John Plessington, Pray for Us!st-john-plessington-pray-for-us - 19 july 2017

 

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS for PRIESTS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on the PRIESTHOOD

Thought for the Day – – 18 July – The Holy Father’s Prayer Intention for July “Pray for our Priests and their Pastoral Ministry”

Thought for the Day – – 18 July – The Holy Father’s Prayer Intention for July “Pray for our Priests and their Pastoral Ministry”

What joy did the Apostles feel after the Resurrection of Our Lord, at seeing the Master whom they had loved so much!
The priest must feel the same joy, at seeing Our Lord whom he holds in his hands.
Great value is attached to objects which have been laid in the drinking cup of the Blessed Virgin and of the Child Jesus, at Loretto.
But the fingers of the priest, that have touched the adorable Flesh of Jesus Christ, that have been plunged into the chalice which contained His Blood, into the pyx where His Body has lain, are they not still more precious?

The priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus.   

When you see the priest, think of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

St John Vianney (1786-1859) Patron of Priests

Prayer for Priests
By St John Vianney

God, please give to Your Church today
many more priests after Your own heart.
May they be worthy representatives
of Christ the Good Shepherd.
May they wholeheartedly devote themselves
to prayer and penance;
be examples of humility and poverty;
shining models of holiness;
tireless and powerful preachers
of the Word of God;
zealous dispensers of Your grace
in the sacraments.
May their loving devotion to Your Son,
Jesus in the Eucharist
and to Mary His Mother,
be the twin fountains of fruitfulness
for their ministry.
Amenprayer for priests by st john vianney - no 3 - 18 july 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DEVOTIO, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS for PRIESTS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on the PRIESTHOOD

Quote/s of the Day – 18 July – The Holy Father’s Prayer Intention for July “Pray for our Priests and their Pastoral Ministry”

Quote/s of the Day – 18 July – The Holy Father’s Prayer Intention for July “Pray for our Priests and their Pastoral Ministry”holy fathers prayer intention for july 2018 - 1 july 2018

“He made them,
the vicars of His love.

St Ambrose (340-397)

Father & Doctor of the Churchhe made them the vicars of his love - st ambrose - 18 july 2018

“The power of the priest,
is the power of the divine person,
for the transubstantiation of the bread,
requires as much power,
as the creation of the world.”

St Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444)the power of the priest - st bernardine -2018

“St Bernard tells us that everything has come to us through Mary
and we may also say that everything has come to us through the priest,
yes, all happiness, all graces, all heavenly gifts.
If we had not the Sacrament of Orders, we should not have Our Lord.
Who placed Him there, in that tabernacle?
It was the priest.
Who was it that received your soul, on its entrance into life?
The priest.
Who nourishes it, to give it strength to make its pilgrimage?
The priest.
Who will prepare it to appear before God, by washing that soul,
for the last time, in the blood of Jesus Christ?
The priest – always the priest.
And if that soul comes to the point of death, who will raise it up,
who will restore it to calmness and peace?
Again the priest.
You cannot recall one single blessing from God,
without finding, side by side with this recollection,
the image of the priest.”st bernard tells us that all things - st john vianney on the priesthood - 18 july 2018

“If I were to meet a priest and an angel,
I should salute the priest before I saluted the angel.
The latter is the friend of God
but the priest holds His place.”

St John Vianney (1786-1859) Patron of Priestsif i were to meet a priest - st john vianney - 18 july 2018

“Day after day, it is necessary to learn,
that I do not possess my life for myself.
Day by day, I must learn to abandon myself,
to keep myself available for whatever He, the Lord,
needs of me at a given moment,
even if other things seem more appealing
and more important to me,
this means giving life, not taking it.”

Pope Benedict XVIday after day it is necessary to learn - pope benedict on the priesthood - 18 july 2018

Posted in MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 18 July – Today’s Gospel Matthew 11:25-27.

One Minute Reflection – 18 July – Wednesday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, B – Today’s Gospel Matthew 11:25-27.

“You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, you have revealed them, to the childlike”…Matthew 11:25

REFLECTION – “O my Saviour and my God!   This ought to astonish us.   We run after knowledge as if all our happiness depended on it.   Woe to us if we don’t have it!   We certainly need it but in its fullness, we ought to study but in moderation.   Other people claim understanding of business and pass for people of substance and negotiation in the world.   These are the ones from whom God takes away perception of Christian truths, from the learned and knowing of this world.   Who does He give it to, then?   To simple, ordinary people…   Gentlemen, true religion is to be found among the poor.   God enriches them with living faith, they believe, touch, taste the words of life… For the most part they preserve their peace in the midst of trouble and distress.   What is the reason for this?   Faith.   Why?   Because they are simple, God causes those graces to abound in them, that He refuses to the rich and learned of this world.”…St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)you have hidden these things - matthew 11 25 - gentlemen, true religion - st vincent de paul - 18 july 2018

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 and childlike trust in You.  Grant that by the intercession of St Frederick, we may always follow behind Your Son and grasp His hand, to lead us to You, Through Jesus Christ our Lord with the Holy Spirit, one God, forever, amen.st frederick pray for us - 18 july 2018

Posted in GOD the FATHER, MORNING Prayers, POETRY, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on REPENTANCE

Thought for the Day – 17 July – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 11:20-24

Thought for the Day – 17 July – Tuesday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, B – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 11:20-24

To be converted and return to the Lord
Verse Homily of
Saint Jacob of Sarug (c 449-521)
Syrian monk and Bishop

I will go back to my Father’s house like the prodigal son (Lk 15:18) and He will welcome me.
For I was dead through sin as though by sickness;
raise me up from my distress that I may praise Your name!
O Lord of heaven and earth, come to my help and show me Your way,
that I may come to You.
Draw me to You, Son of the Most Good
and bring Your compassion to completion.
I will set out towards You and there be filled with joy.
Knead for me now the grain of life at this time when I am crushed.

I set out in search of You and the Evil One spied on me like a thief (cf. Lk 10:30).
He bound and chained me in the pleasures of this wicked world:
he imprisoned me in its pleasures and slammed the door in my face.
There was no one to free me, so that I might set out in search of You, O Lord, my good!…
O Lord, I long to be Yours and walk Your way.
See how I meditate Your commandments by day and by night (Ps 1:2).
Grant my request and accept my prayer, O merciful one!
Do not cast off the hope of Your servant, for he is waiting for you.

Saint Jacob of Sarug (c 449-521)

the prodigal son - large

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, SPEAKING of .....

Quote/s of the Day – 17 July – Speaking of: Seeking Repentance with the Fathers

Quote/s of the Day – 17 July – Tuesday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, B – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 11:20-24

Speaking of:  Seeking Repentance with the Fathers

“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.”

St Cyprian of Carthage (c 200- c 258)

Father of the Churchwhen once you have departed - st cyprian - speaking of seeking repentance - 17 july 2018

“Do you fast?
Then feed the hungry,
give drink to the thirsty,
visit the sick, do not forget the imprisoned,
have pity on the tortured,
comfort those who grieve and who weep,
be merciful, humble, kind, calm, patient, sympathetic,
forgiving, reverent, truthful and pious,
so that God might accept your fasting
and might plentifully grant you the fruits of repentance.”

“Since it is likely that, being men, they would sin every day,
St Paul consoles his hearers by saying ‘renew yourselves’
from day to day.
This is what we do with houses:
we keep constantly repairing them as they wear old.
You should do the same thing to yourself.
Have you sinned today?
Have you made your soul old?
Do not despair, do not despond
but renew your soul by repentance and tears and Confession
and by doing good things.
And never cease doing this.”do-you-fast-st-john-chrysostom-17 july-2018

“If repentance is neglected for an instant,
one can lose the power of the Resurrection
as he lives with the weakness of tepidity
and the potential of his fall.”

St John Chrysostom (347-407)

Father and Doctor of the Churchif repentance is neglected - st john chrysostom - 17 july 2018 - speaking of seeking repentance

“Reform yourself and so be always ready.
Be not afraid of the last day, as a thief,
who will break up your house as you sleep
but awake and reform yourself today.”reform-yourself-st-augustine-29-jan-2018

“In failing to confess, Lord,
I would only hide You from myself,
not myself from You.”

St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of the Churchin-failing-to-confess-lord-st-augustine-13-march-2018

“To do penance
is to bewail the evil we have done
and to do no evil
to bewail.”

St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604)

Father & Doctor of the Churchto-do-penance-st-pope-gregory-the-great-29-jan-2018

“Repentance raises the fallen,
mourning knocks at the gate of Heaven
and holy humility opens it.”repentance raises the fallen - st john climacus - 17 july 2018 - speaking of repentance

“Repentance is the renewal of baptism. 
Repentance is a contract with God for a second life. 
A penitent is a buyer of humility. 
Repentance is constant distrust of bodily comfort. 
Repentance is self-condemning reflection of carefree self-care. 
Repentance is the daughter of hope and the renunciation of despair. 
A penitent is an undisgraced convict. 
Repentance is reconciliation with the Lord 
by the practice of good deeds contrary to the sins. 
Repentance is purification of conscience. 
Repentance is the voluntary endurance of all afflictions. 
A penitent is the inflicter of his own punishments. 
Repentance is a mighty persecution of the stomach
and a striking of the soul into vigorous awareness.”repentance is the renewal of baptism - st john climacus - 29 jan 2019

“Confession is like a bridle that keeps the soul
which reflects on it from committing sin
but anything left unconfessed
we continue to do without fear as if in the dark.”

St John Climacus (579-649) Father of the Churchconfession-is-like-a-bridle-st-john-climacus-13-march-2018

Posted in MORNING Prayers, PAPAL SERMONS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 16 July – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 10:34-42,11:1.

One Minute Reflection – 16 July – Monday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, B – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 10:34-42,11:1.

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me...Matthew 10:37-38

REFLECTION – “A further means of staying faithful, Daughters, is perfect detachment from father, mother, relations and friends in such a way that you are God’s alone.   And to possess this great good you have to strip yourself of everything and have nothing of your own.   The apostles had just such a detachment.   For one cent you will have a hundred, as many women, as many mothers which Providence, Daughters, will never fail you.   Don’t you have any courage at all to give yourselves to the God who is so mindful of you?   Never claim you are saving something for your own livelihood; always put your trust in Providence.   Rich people can fall into need through the accidents that often happen but they will never be in want, who intend to rely solely on God.
Isn’t it good, Daughters, to live like this?   What is there to fear?   For God has promised that people who care for the poor will never lack anything.   O my Daughters, would you not love God’s promises better than the world’s deceits?   God is obliged to provide for all our needs.”…St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) – Conferences to the Daughters of Charitymatthew 10 - 37 - 38 - whoever loves father and mother more than me - providence, daughters, will never fail you. st vincent de paul - 16 july 2018

PRAYER – Grant us Your Grace O Holy God almighty, rule over our hearts and bodies this day.   Sanctify us and guide our every thought, word and deed according to the commandments of Your divine Son, so that now and forever Your Grace may free us from the world and save us for Yourself.   “May the Virgin Mary, first disciple and missionary of the Word of God, help us to take the message of the Gospel to the world, in humble and radiant exultance, beyond every rejection, incomprehension or tribulation. Amen”… Pope Francisblessed virgin mary - first missionary - pray for us - 16 july 2018

Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SUNDAY REFLECTIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Sunday Reflection – 15 July – Fifteenth Sunday of the Year

Sunday Reflection – 15 July – Fifteenth Sunday of the Year

“….in the Blessed Sacrament Our Lord Himself is the light which manifests Him as our model and reveals His beauties to us.   He is Himself His light, His means of being known, just as the sun is itself its own proof.   To make Himself known, He has only to show Himself.   Recognition of Him need not come from its being reasoned out.

A child does not have to discourse with himself to recognise his parents.   Our Lord reveals Himself through His presence, just as parents do.   But as we grow to know His voice better and as our hearts become more sympathetic to Him in emptying themselves of what is not Him, our Lord manifests Himself in a clearer and more intimate manner, which only those know, who love Him.   He gives the soul a divine conviction which overshadows the light of human reason.

Look at Magdalene:  one word from Jesus and she recognises Him.   He acts in the same way in the Blessed Sacrament:   He says one word only but it rings in our very hearts:  “It is I!….”   We sense His Presence, we believe in it more firmly than if we were to see Him with bodily eyes.”

St Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868)it is I - st peter julian eymard - 15 july 2018

Posted in 7 GIFTS of the HOLY GHOST: Wisdom, Understanding, Prudence, Strength, Knowledge, Piety, Fear, DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, FRUITS of the SPIRIT, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY GHOST

Thought for the Day – 15 July

Thought for the Day – 15 July – Fifteenth Sunday of the Year – the Memorial of St Bonaventure (1221-1274) – Seraphic Doctor

Perhaps not a household name for most people, Saint Bonaventure, nevertheless, played an important role in both the medieval Church and the history of the Franciscan Order. A senior faculty member at the University of Paris, Saint Bonaventure certainly captured the hearts of his students through his academic skills and insights.   But more importantly, he captured their hearts through his Franciscan love for Jesus and the Church.   Like his model, Saint Francis, Jesus was the centre of everything—his teaching, his administration, his writing, and his life  . So much so, that he was given the title “Seraphic Doctor.”

Bonaventure so united holiness and theological knowledge that he rose to the heights of mysticism while remaining a very active preacher and teacher, one beloved by all who met him.   To know him was to love him;  to read him is still for us today to meet a true Franciscan and a gentleman.

In his bull of Canonisation, Pope Sixtus IV wrote:

Bonaventure was great in learning but no less great in humility and holiness.   His innocence and dove-like simplicity were such that Alexander of Hales, the renowned doctor whose disciple Saint Bonaventure became, used to say of him that it seemed as though Adam had never sinned in him.

A man of eminent learning and eloquence and of outstanding holiness, he was known for his kindness, approachableness, gentleness and compassion.Pope Gregory X on hearing of the death of Bonaventure.

Let us learn from the great Saint himself, to grow in the fruits he possessed in such abundance – humility, kindness, gentleness, charity, chastity, generosity, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, modesty and self-control. (Matthew 7: 15-20)

“We must beg the Holy Spirit,
with ardent longing, to give us these fruits.
The Holy Spirit alone,
knows how to bring to light,
the sweetness hidden away
under the rugged exterior of the words of the Law.
We must go to the Holy Spirit for interior guidance.”

St Bonaventure from Holiness of Lifewe must beg the holy spirit - st bonaventure - 15 july 2018

St Bonaventure, Pray for us!st-bonaventure-pray-for-us-15 jukly 2017 - 2.jpg

Prayer To Obtain the
Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit
By St Bonaventure (1221-1274) – Seraphic Doctor

We, therefore, pray
to the most kind Father
through You, His only-begotten Son,
who for us became man,
was crucified and glorified,
that He send us
out of His treasures
the Spirit of sevenfold grace
who rested upon You in all fullness:
the Spirit, I say, of WISDOM,
that we may taste the life-giving flavours
of the fruit of the tree of life,
which You truly are;
the gift also of UNDERSTANDING,
by which the intentions
of our mind are illumined;
the gift of COUNSEL,
by which we may follow in Your footsteps
on the right paths;
the gift of FORTITUDE,
by which we may be able to
weaken the violence
of our enemies’ attacks;
the gift of KNOWLEDGE,
by which we may be filled
with the brilliant light
of Your sacred teaching
to distinguish good and evil;
the gift of PIETY,
by which we may acquire
a merciful heart;
the gift of FEAR,
by which we may draw away
from all evil
and be set at peace
by submitting in awe to
Your eternal majesty.
for You have wished
that we ask for these things
in that sacred prayer which
You have taught us;
and now we ask to obtain them,
through Your cross,
for the praise of Your most Holy Name.
to You,
with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
be honour and glory,
thanksgiving, beauty and power,
forever and ever.
Amen

-From Prayer “To Obtain the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit” included at the closing The Tree of Life”
― Bonaventure, Bonaventure: The Soul’s Journey into God, the Tree of Life, the Life of St. Francisprayer to obtain the seven gifts of the holy spirit - st bonaventure - 15 july 2018

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, MARIAN QUOTES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on TRUTH, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Quote/s of the Day – 15 July

Quote/s of the Day – 15 July – Fifteenth Sunday of the Year – the Memorial of St Bonaventure (1221-1274) – Seraphic Doctor

“God might have created a more beautiful world;
He might have made heaven more glorious;
but it was impossible for Him to exalt a creature
higher than Mary in making her His Mother.”god-might-have-created-st-bonaventure1-15 july 2018

“When we pray,
the voice of the heart
must be heard,
more than that,
proceeding from
the mouth.”when we pray - st bonaventure - 15 july 2018

“Although you feel tepid,
approach with confidence,
for the greater your infirmity,
the more you stand in need of a physician.”although you feel tepid - st bonaventure - 15 july 2018

“Every creature is a divine word
because it proclaims God.”every creature - st bonaventure - 15 july 2018

“Christ has something in common with all creatures.
With the stone He shares existence,
with the plants He shares life,
with the animals He shares sensation
and with the angels He shares intelligence.
Thus all things are transformed in Christ
since in the fullness of His nature,
He embraces some part of every creature.”

St Bonaventure (1221-1274) Doctor of the Churchchrist has something in common - st bonaventure - 15 july 2018

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 15 July – Fifteenth Sunday of the Year – the Memorial of St Bonaventure (1221-1274) – Seraphic Doctor – 2nd Reading Ephesians 1:3-14.

One Minute Reflection – 15 July – Fifteenth Sunday of the Year – the Memorial of St Bonaventure (1221-1274) – Seraphic Doctor – 2nd Reading Ephesians 1:3-14.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him.” … Ephesians 1:3-4.he chose us in him before the foundation - eph 1 4 - 15 july 2018

REFLECTION – “Christ is both the way and the door.   Christ is the staircase and the vehicle, like the “throne of mercy over the Ark of the Covenant” and “the mystery hidden from the ages.”   A man should turn his full attention to this throne of mercy and should gaze at Him hanging on the cross, full of faith, hope and charity, devoted, full of wonder and joy, marked by gratitude and open to praise and jubilation.   Then such a man will make with Christ a “pasch,” that is, a passing-over.   Through the branches of the cross he will pass over the Red Sea, leaving Egypt and entering the desert.   There he will taste the hidden manna and rest with Christ in the sepulcher, as if he were dead to things outside. He will experience, as much as is possible for one who is still living, what was promised to the thief who hung beside Christ: “Today you will be with me in paradise.” – from Journey of the Mind to God by Saint Bonaventurechrist is both the way and the door - st bonaventure - 15 july 2018

PRAYER – God our Father, we are Your children and You have set us aside to come home to You by the light of the way of Your divine Son.   Grant we pray, that we may grow in faith and love daily, by the intercession of Saint Bonaventure and may be a light of love, to all around us.   We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.st-bonaventure-pray-for-us.15 july 2017

Posted in MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 14 July – The Memorial of St Camillus de Lellis (1550-1614) “The Giant of Charity”

Thought for the Day – 14 July – The Memorial of St Camillus de Lellis (1550-1614) “The Giant of Charity”

Every day in the wards of hospitals or in the streets, wherever Camillus was in contact with the sick, he encountered Christ on the crucifix who became for him a daily partner. Not only did he think about Him and pray to Him but he also housed Him, fed Him, gave Him water to drink and clothed Him.   He gave himself and in his self-giving he felt that he was the beneficiary.   ‘This crucified Christ’, he exclaimed, ‘has helped me and comforted me a great deal and certainly, I do not merit all the graces, He has done me’.   He attributed to Him the merit of founding the Institute:  ‘In the foundation of this little plant a lion heart could have lost himself, as well as a miserable man such as I am, if the crucified Christ had not helped and comforted me’.   The signs of the cross were also impressed on his afflicted body: – his leg with its sore, the corns on his feet, his kidney stones, the hernia in his groin and the tumour in his stomach.   In his testament he declared his self-abandonment to the crucified Christ, to whom he commended himself like the prodigal son who went back to his father and the good thief who called for mercy.

The crucified Christ entered his life and was never to leave him.   Camillus wanted to have on his habit the Sign of the Cross in order ‘to demonstrate that this is a religion of the Cross…so that those who want to follow our way of life will get ready…to follow Jesus Christ unto death’.   He wanted it to be dark red ‘because more like the true wood of the most holy Cross on which the Redeemer of the World died and was appended’.st camillus wanted to have on his habit - 14 july 2018

In the exercise of this very demanding and radical service to the sick, Camillus was guided by the Holy Spirit along the two fundamental lines of evangelical love:  1) recognising that we are serving Christ in the person of the sick and 2) being an expression of the merciful Christ who is serving the sick.   Camillus really identified the suffering Christ in the sick to the point of calling them ‘my Lords and Masters’. Camillus brought about the complete service to the sick by concentrating on their spiritual and corporeal needs.

For the Order of the Ministers of the Infirm, the Fourth Vow, that is the vow along with the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, to serve the sick with total commitment at the risk of one’s life, represents the special feature of their particular style of consecrated religious life.   For Camillians serving the sick is the ‘locus theologicus’ where it fulfils and expresses its identity as a community of men, consecrated to God and entrusted with mission of establishing the Kingdom as a means of salvation for all the sick.

St Camillus de Lellis, pray for us!st camillus pray for us - 14 july 2018

Posted in MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on SANCTITY, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 14 July – The Memorial of St Camillus de Lellis (1550-1614)

Quote/s of the Day – 14 July – The Memorial of St Camillus de Lellis (1550-1614)

“Think well.
Speak well.
Do well.
These three things,
through the mercy of God,
will make a man go to Heaven.”think-well-speak-well-do-well-st-camillus-de-lellis-14 july 2017

“I do not put a penny’s value on this life
if only our Lord will give me
a tiny corner in Paradise.”

St Camillus de Lellis (1550-1614)

Posted in MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SUFFERING, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 14 July – The Memorial of St Camillus de Lellis (1550-1614)

One Minute Reflection – 14 July – The Memorial of St Camillus de Lellis  (1550-1614)

Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much as dawned on man what God has prepared for those who love him………1 Cor 2:91-cor-2-9-eye has not seen - 14 july 2017

REFLECTION – “The happiness to which I aspire is greater than anything on earth. Therefore, I regard with extreme joy, whatever pains and sufferings may befall me here.”………St Camillus de Lellisthe-happiness-to-which-i-aspire-st-camillus-de-lellis-14 july 2017

PRAYER – Heavenly Father, keep our minds fixed on the surpassing joys stored up for us in heaven.   And let us be willing to put up with all sufferings and pains that may come upon us for the reparation of sin.   Grant that by the intercession of St Camillus de Lellis, we may grow in holiness, amen.st-camillus-de-lellis-pray-for-us-14 july 2017

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 13 July – The Memorial of St Henry (972-1024) Holy Roman Emperor

One Minute Reflection – 13 July – The Memorial of St Henry (972-1024) Holy Roman Emperor

Not on bread alone is man to live but on every utterance that comes from the mouth of God………….Matthew 4:4matthew-4-4- not on bread alone is man to live - 13 july 2017 - mem of st henry

REFLECTION – “These are fountains of salvation, that they who thirst, may be satisfied, with the living words they contain.   In these is proclaimed the doctrine of godliness.   Let no man add to these, neither let him take out from these.”…….St Athanasius of Alexandria (297-373) Father and Doctor of the Churchthese are fountains of salvation - st athanasius - 13 july 2018

PRAYER – Heavenly Father, inspire me to meditate on Your holy words every day and fill me with Your Holy Spirit, that I might not only understand them but be filled with the desire to follow and live their instructions.   May they be a consolation, a strength and an assistance on my journey to You.   St Henry – you were inspired and strove to live by the Holy Scriptures, please pray for us all, amen.st-henry-pray-for-us - 13 july 2017

Posted in MORNING Prayers, POETRY, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY FACE

Thought for the Day – 12 July – The Memorial of St Veronica

“Veronica?”

“Bernice Veronica” – both names referring to the Woman who wiped the Face of Jesus, commonly depicted in every Catholic church, at the Sixth Station of the Cross.

Did she exist?   And what does it mean to be “a Veronica?”

The Catholic Church tells us that a veil bearing a miraculous image of the Face of Jesus has existed since the earliest centuries, recorded in history and in art.   About the time this miraculous veil first appeared in Rome, in the Middle Ages, the name “Veronica” referred to the veil itself–“Veronica” meaning “vera” or true, and “icon” meaning image, or even more precisely, “to be present.”   Those who gazed upon the veil bearing the true Face of Jesus stood in God’s presence.   They were turned toward His Face.
Legends sprang up sometime later about a woman named “Veronica,” who was sometimes associated with the woman “Berenice” or “Bernice,” the bleeding woman who touches the hem of Jesus’s garment in the Gospel.
“These pious traditions cannot be documented but there is no reason why the belief that such an act of compassion did occur should not find expression in the veneration paid to one called Veronica.” —The Catholic Encyclopedia.
St Pope John Paul II expressed the answer to the question of Veronica most beautifully in his poem,

“Name”

In the crowd walking towards the place

[of the Agony]–

did you open up a gap at some point or were you

[opening it] from the beginning?

And since when? You tell me, Veronica.

Your name was born in the very instant

in which your heart

became an effigy:  the effigy of truth.

Your name was born from what you gazed upon.

–Karol Wojtylaname - st veronica - karol wotyla - st john paul - 12 july 2018

When a soul performs an “act of compassion,” Jesus leaves His image on the “veil” of the soul.   In other words, while contemplating the Face of Jesus in an image, in the Word of God in the Scriptures, in a person made in the image and likeness of God, or above all, in the Eucharist, the soul places itself in the Presence of God.   When we are turned completely toward the Face of God, through a daily face-to-face encounter in prayer–by the power of the Holy Spirit–God gradually transforms the soul into the “True Image” of His Son, Jesus Christ.   As Pope St. John Paul II says, our hearts must become an “effigy of truth,” a “true icon.”   

Then our name too will be born from what we gaze upon.  It will be “Veronica.”

St Veronica pray for us!st-veronica-pray-for-us-21 - 12 JULY 2017

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, ON the SAINTS, PAPAL ENCYLICALS, QUOTES of the SAINTS

Quote/s of the Day – 12 July – The Memorial of Sts Louis & Zelie Martin

Quote/s of the Day – 12 July – The Memorial of Sts Louis & Zelie Martin

– Parents of St Thérèse of the Child Jesus

“The good God,
gave me a father and mother,
more worthy of Heaven than of earth.”

St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873-1897)

Doctor of the Churchthe good god - st t of l - 12 july 2018

“They live in the world, that is,
in each and in all
of the secular professions and occupations.
They live in the ordinary circumstances of family and social life,
from which, the very web, of their existence is woven.
They are called there by God,
that by exercising their proper function
and led by the spirit of the Gospel,
they may work for the sanctification of the world,
from within as a leaven.”

Lumen Gentium 31they live in the world - lumen gentium 31

Posted in MORNING Prayers, PAPAL SERMONS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on WORK/LABOUR, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 11 July – The Memorial of St Benedict of Nursia OSB (c 480-547)

Thought for the Day – 11 July – The Memorial of St Benedict of Nursia OSB (c 480-547)

Excerpt from the Homily of Pope Benedict

General Audience, 9 April 2008

“Today, I would like to speak about Benedict, the Founder of Western Monasticism and also the Patron of my Pontificate.

I begin with words that St Gregory the Great wrote about St Benedict:  “The man of God who shone on this earth among so many miracles was just as brilliant in the eloquent exposition of his teaching” (cf. Dialogues II, 36).   The great Pope wrote these words in 592 AD.   The holy monk, who had died barely 50 years earlier, lived on in people’s memories and especially in the flourishing religious Order he had founded.   St Benedict of Nursia/Norcia, with his life and his work, had a fundamental influence on the development of European civilisation and culture.   The most important source on Benedict’s life is the second book of St Gregory the Great’s Dialogues.   It is not a biography in the classical sense.   In accordance with the ideas of his time, by giving the example of a real man – St Benedict, in this case – Gregory wished to illustrate the ascent to the peak of contemplation which can be achieved by those who abandon themselves to God.   He therefore gives us a model for human life in the climb towards the summit of perfection.   St Gregory the Great also tells in this book of the Dialogues of many miracles worked by the Saint and here too he does not merely wish to recount something curious but rather to show how God, by admonishing, helping and even punishing, intervenes in the practical situations of man’s life.   Gregory’s aim was to demonstrate that God is not a distant hypothesis placed at the origin of the world but is present in the life of man, of every man.

Throughout the second book of his Dialogues, Gregory shows us how St Benedict’s life was steeped in an atmosphere of prayer, the foundation of his existence.   Without prayer there is no experience of God.   Yet Benedict’s spirituality was not an interiority removed from reality.   In the anxiety and confusion of his day, he lived under God’s gaze and in this very way never lost sight of the duties of daily life and of man with his practical needs.   Seeing God, he understood the reality of man and his mission.   In his Rule he describes monastic life as “a school for the service of the Lord” (Prol. 45) and advises his monks, “let nothing be preferred to the Work of God” [that is, the Divine Office or the Liturgy of the Hours] (43, 3).

However, Benedict states that in the first place prayer is an act of listening (Prol. 9-11), which must then be expressed in action.   “The Lord is waiting every day for us to respond to his holy admonitions by our deeds” (Prol. 35).   Thus, the monk’s life becomes a fruitful symbiosis between action and contemplation, “so that God may be glorified in all things” (57, 9).   In contrast with a facile and egocentric self-fulfilment, today often exalted, the first and indispensable commitment of a disciple of St Benedict is the sincere search for God (58, 7) on the path mapped out by the humble and obedient Christ (5, 13), whose love he must put before all else (4, 21; 72, 11) and in this way, in the service of the other, he becomes a man of service and peace  . In the exercise of obedience practised by faith inspired by love (5, 2), the monk achieves humility (5, 1), to which the Rule dedicates an entire chapter (7).   In this way, man conforms ever more to Christ and attains true self-fulfilment as a creature in the image and likeness of God.

Benedict describes the Rule he wrote as “minimal, just an initial outline” (cf. 73, 8);  in fact, however, he offers useful guidelines not only for monks but for all who seek guidance on their journey toward God.   For its moderation, humanity and sober discernment between the essential and the secondary in spiritual life, his Rule has retained its illuminating power even to today.

By proclaiming St Benedict Patron of Europe on 24 October 1964, Paul VI intended to recognise the marvellous work the Saint achieved with his Rule for the formation of the civilisation and culture of Europe.

Having recently emerged from a century that was deeply wounded by two World Wars and the collapse of the great ideologies, now revealed as tragic utopias, Europe today is in search of its own identity.   Of course, in order to create new and lasting unity, political, economic and juridical instruments are important, but it is also necessary to awaken an ethical and spiritual renewal which draws on the Christian roots of the Continent, otherwise a new Europe cannot be built.   Without this vital sap, man is exposed to the danger of succumbing to the ancient temptation of seeking to redeem himself by himself – a utopia which in different ways, in 20th-century Europe, as Pope John Paul II pointed out, has caused “a regression without precedent in the tormented history of humanity” (Address to the Pontifical Council for Culture, 12 January 1990).

Today, in seeking true progress, let us also listen to the Rule of St Benedict as a guiding light on our journey.   The great monk is still a true master at whose school we can learn to become proficient in true humanism.

Here is a PDF of the Rule for downloading:  http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/03d/0480-0547,_Benedictus_Nursinus,_Regola,_EN.pdf

St Benedict, Pray for Europe, Pray for the World,

Pray for the Church, Pray for us all!st-benedict-pray-for-us-11 july 2017 - 3

Posted in MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on WORK/LABOUR, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 11 July – The Memorial of St Benedict of Nursia OSB (c 480-547)

Quote/s of the Day – 11 July – The Memorial of St Benedict of Nursia OSB (c 480-547)

“Ora et labora.”ora et labora - st benedict - 11 july 2018

“Be careful to be gentle,
lest in removing the rust,
you break the whole instrument.”becareful-to-be-gentle-st-benedict-11 july 2017

“He should first show them,
in deeds,
rather than words,
all that is good and holy.”first show them in deeds - 11 july 2018

“Before all
and above all,
attention shall be paid
to the care of the sick,
so that they shall be served,
as if they were Christ Himself.”before all and above all - st benedict - 11 july 2018

“He who labours as he prays,
lifts his heart to God with his hands.”

“Whenever you begin any good work,
you should first of all,
make a most pressing appeal
to Christ our Lord,
to bring it to perfection.”

St Benedict of Nursia (c 480-547)he-who-labours-as-he-prays-st-benedict-11 july 2017

Posted in MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 11 July – The Memorial of St Benedict of Nursia OSB (c 480-547)

One Minute Reflection – 11 July – The Memorial of St Benedict of Nursia OSB (c 480-547)

Do not grow slack but be fervent in spirit; he whom you serve is the Lord…….Romans 12:11romans-12-11- 11 july 2017

REFLECTION – “There exists an evil fervour, a bitter spirit, which divides us from God and leads us to hell.   Similarly, there is a good fervour, which sets us apart from evil inclinations and leads us toward God and eternal life.”…St Benedictst-benedict-there-exists-an-evil-fervour- 11 july 2017

PRAYER – Loving Father, grant me to have a true fervour in Your service.   Let me never tire of following Your Son’s example and avoiding evil.   Grant that by the intercession of St Benedict, we may grow in holiness and attain our eternal home with You.   We ask this through our Lord, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.st-benedict-pray-for-us-11 july 2017 -2

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 10 July – Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 9:32-38

Thought for the Day – 10 July – Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 9:32-38

“The harvest is abundant…Matthew 9:37”
St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father & Doctor

“All the farmer’s work naturally leads towards the harvest.   So how could Christ call a ‘harvest’ a work that was still in its initial stages?   Idolatry reigned over all the earth… Everywhere there was fornication, adultery, debauchery, greed, theft, wars…  The earth was filled with so many evils!   No seed had yet been sown there.   The thorns, thistles and weeds that covered the ground had not yet been pulled up.   The ground had not yet been ploughed, no furrow had yet been drawn.

So how could Jesus say that the harvest was abundant? … The apostles were probably distressed and frustrated:  “How are we going to be able to say anything, to stand upright before so many people?   How can we, the Eleven, correct all the inhabitants of the earth?   Will we who are so ignorant be able to approach scholars;  will we who are so stripped of everything be able to meet armed men; will we who are subordinates be able to approach people in authority?   We know only one language – will we be able to argue with the barbarians who speak foreign languages?   Who will bear with us if they don’t even understand our language?”

Jesus did not want such reasoning to discourage them.   So He called the Gospel a harvest.   It is as if He told them:  “Everything is prepared, all the preparations have been made.   I am sending you out to harvest the ripe grain.   You will be able to sow and reap on the same day.”

When the farmer leaves his home to go out and gather the harvest, he is brimming over with joy and shining with happiness.   He thinks neither of the suffering nor the difficulties that he might encounter…  Christ says, lend me your tongue and you will see the ripe grain going into the king’s granaries.   And so He then sends them out, telling them:  “I am with you always, until the end of the world.” (Mt 28:20)christ says, lend me your tongue - i am with you always - matthew 28 20 - st john chrysostom - 10 july 2018

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SUFFERING, SPEAKING of .....

Quote/s of the Day – 10 July – “Speaking of:  Suffering”

Quote/s of the Day – 10 July

“Speaking of:  Suffering”

“Only those who do not fight are never wounded.”

St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father & Doctoronly those who do not fight - st john chrysostom - 27 april 2018

“God whispers to us in our pleasures,
speaks in our conscience
but shouts in our pains –
it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”god whispers to us in our pleasures - c s lewis - 10 july 2018

“God, who foresaw your tribulation,
has specially armed you to go through it,
not without pain but without stain.”

C S Lewis (1898-1963)god, who foresaw your tribulation - c s lewis - 10 july 2018

“Don’t waste your suffering.”

St John Paul the Great (1920-2005)don't waste your suffering - st john paul - 27 april 2018

“Suffering without Christ just hurts.
But suffering with Christ,
can transform the world.”

Father Mike Schmitzsuffering without christ - fr mike - 10 july 2018

 

Posted in MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The SIGN of the CROSS

Thought for the Day – 9 July – Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time, Year B

Thought for the Day – 9 July – Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time, Year B

THE GIFT OF EVERY DAY
St John Vianney (1786-1859)

Before beginning your work, my dear brethren, never fail to make the Sign of the Cross.before beginning your work - st john vianney - 9 july 2018

Do not imitate those people without religion who dare not do this because they are in company.

Offer quite simply all your difficulties to God and renew from time to time this offering, for by that means you will have the happiness of drawing down the blessing of Heaven on yourself and on all you do.

Just think, my dear brethren, how many acts of virtue you can practice by behaving in this way, without making any change in what you are actually doing.   

If you work with the object of pleasing God and obeying His Commandments, which order you to earn your bread by the sweat of your brow, that is an act of obedience.   

If you want to expiate your sins, you are making an act of penance.

If you want to obtain some grace for yourself or for others, it is an act of hope and of charity.   

Oh, how we could merit Heaven every day, my dear brethren, by doing just our ordinary duties, but by doing them for God and the salvation of our souls!   Who stops you, when you hear the chimes striking, from thinking on the shortness of time and of saying in your minds:

“Time passes and death comes closer.   I am hastening towards eternity. Am I really ready to appear before the tribunal of God?Am I not in a state of sin?”

St John Vianney, Pray for us!st john vianney pray for us - 9 july 2018

Posted in DOMINICAN OP, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY GHOST

Quote/s of the Day – 9 July – The Memorial of Blessed Adrian Fortescue T.O.S.D. (1476-1539) Martyr

Quote/s of the Day – 9 July – The Memorial of Blessed Adrian Fortescue T.O.S.D. (1476-1539) Martyr

“In Husbands Bosworth Hall, the residence of Miss Fortescue-Turville, the last direct descendant of the blessed martyr, was found some years ago a very precious relic, being nothing less than the Book of Hours which he habitually used.
The manuscript has suffered a good deal from time and careless handling but on the outer leaf can still be read another series of maxims, a kind of rule of life written and signed by the martyr’s own hand.   It will be seen how, while yet in the days of his prosperity, this truly Christian knight was preparing all unconsciously for the martyr’s crown and palm.
The Book of Hours is now reverently preserved as a relic in the beautiful little Catholic church adjoining the old hall of Husbands Bosworth :”

Quotations (slightly updated – from his famous Book of Hours)

…”Pray often.
Also enforce yourself
to set your house at quietness.
Resort to God every hour.”

“Be pitiful unto poor folk and help them to your power,
for there you shall greatly please God.”

“Give fair language to all persons
and especially to the poor and needy.”pray often - be pitiful unto poor folk - give fair language - bl adrian fortescue - 9 july 2018

“Banish from yourself all grudging and detraction
and especially from your tongue.”

“In prosperity be meek of heart
and in adversity patient.”

“Pray for perseverance.
Continue in dread
and ever have
God before your eye.”banish from yourself - in prosperity - pray for perseverance - bl adrian fortescue - 9 july 2018

“Also apply diligently
the inspirations of the Holy Spirit,
whatsoever you have therein to do.”

“If by chance you fall into sin,
despair not
and if you keep these precepts,
the Holy Spirit will strengthen you
in all other things necessary
and this doing you shall be
with Christ in Heaven,
to Whom be given laud,
praise and honour everlasting.”

Blessed Adrian Fortescue (1476-1539)also apply diligently - if by chance - bl adrian fortescue - 9 july 2018.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 9 July – The Memorial of Blessed Adrian Fortescue T.O.S.D. (1476-1539) Martyr

One Minute Reflection – 9 July – The Memorial of Blessed Adrian Fortescue T.O.S.D. (1476-1539) Martyr

“Even though I should have to die with you, I will not deny you.” And all the disciples spoke likewise”…Matthew 26:35.

REFLECTION – “The road is narrow.   He who wishes to travel it more easily must cast off all things and use the cross as his cane.   In other words, he must be truly resolved to suffer willingly for the love of God in all things.”…St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Churcheven though i should die - matthew 26-35 and the road is narrow - st john of the cross - 9 july 2018

PRAYER – O God, You specially strengthened Blessed Adrian Fortescue with a wonderful spirit of holiness and courage.   Hear the prayers of Your people and from his renowned example, may we learn to be obedient to You rather than to human authority.   We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amenbl adrian fortescue - 9 july 2018 - pray for us

Posted in MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SUNDAY REFLECTIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Sunday Reflection – 8 July – Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Sunday Reflection – 8 July – Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

“What does Jesus Christ do in the Eucharist?   

It is God who, as our Saviour, offers Himself each day for us to His Father’s justice.   

If you are in difficulties and sorrows, He will comfort and relieve you.   

If you are sick, He will either cure you or give you strength to suffer so as to merit Heaven.   

If the devil, the world and the flesh are making war upon you, He will give you the weapons with which to fight, to resist and to win victory.

If you are poor, He will enrich you with all sorts of riches for time and eternity.   

Let us open the door of His sacred and adorable Heart and be wrapped about for an instant by the flames of His love and we shall see what a God who loves us can do.   

O my God, who shall be able to comprehend?”

St John Vianney (1786-1859)

what does jesus christ do in the eucharist - sun reflection - 8 july 2018 -no 2 LARGER st john vianney

 

Posted in MORNING Prayers, PAPAL DECREE, PAPAL ENCYLICALS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on MARRIAGE, MARRIED LOVE, QUOTES on the FAMILY, SAINT of the DAY, SPEAKING of .....

Quote/s of the Day – 8 July – The Memorial of Sts Priscilla and Aquila – Patrons of Catholic Marriage and Families

Quote/s of the Day – 8 July – The Memorial of Sts Priscilla and Aquila – Patrons of Catholic Marriage and Families

Speaking of Marriage and the Family

“Authentic married love is caught up into divine love . . .
so that this love may lead the spouses to God . . .
and in God, they find the strength,
to carry on their roles and responsibilities.”

Gaudium et Spes (Joy and Hope, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World), 48authentic married love - gaudium et spes 48 - 8 july 2018

“Merciful love is supremely indispensable
between those who are closest to one another:
between husbands and wives,
between parents and children,
between friends
and it is indispensable
in education and in pastoral work.”merciful love - st john paul 8 july 208

“The future of humanity passes by way of the family.
It is therefore indispensable and urgent,
that every person of good will should endeavour
to save and foster the values and requirements of the family.
I feel that I must ask for a particular effort in this field,
from the sons and daughters of the Church.
Faith gives them full knowledge of God’s wonderful plan,
they, therefore, have an extra reason for caring for the reality
that is the family in this time of trial and of grace.
They must show the family special love.
This is an injunction that calls for concrete action.”

St Pope John Paul (1920-2005)the future of humanity - st pope john paul - 8 july 2018

“We speak a lot about behavioural problems,
mental health, the well-being of the child,
the anxiety of the parents and the children—
but do we even know what a wound of the soul is?
Do we feel the weight of the mountain
that crushes the soul of a child in those families,
where members mistreat and hurt one another
to the point of breaking the bonds of marital fidelity?
What effect do our choices — often poor choices—
have on the souls of children?”

Pope Francis
24 June 2015we speak a lot about behavioural problems - pope francis - 8 july 2018

“During these days, we will reflect in particular on the family,
which is the fundamental cell of society.
From the beginning the Creator blessed man and woman,
so that they might be fruitful and multiply
and so the family then,
is an image of the Triune God in the world.”

Pope Francis
23 February 2014the family is the fundamental - pope francis - 8 july 2018

To be continued……

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 July – – Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

One Minute Reflection – 8 July – – Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B –
“He was not able to perform any mighty deed there because of their lack of faith”...Mark 6:4

And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them.   And he marvelled because of their unbelief...Mark 6:5-6

REFLECTION – “Father, Almighty God, keep, I pray, my faith undefiled and till my last breath, grant that I may always confess my deepest convictions.   May I ever hold fast to everything which I professed in the creed of my new birth, when I was baptised in the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.   May I always adore You our Father and your Son who is one with You;  give me always Your Holy Spirit, who proceeds from You, through Your Only-begotten Son.
For I have a convincing witness to my faith, who says, “Father, everything of mine is yours and everything of yours is mine” (Jn 17:10).   This witness is my Lord Jesus Christ, forever God in You and from You and with You, who are blessed forever and ever. Amen”…Saint Hilary (c315-367) Bishop of Poitiers, Father & Doctor of the Church (De Trinitate, XII, final prayer)he was not able to perform - mark 6 4 - father almighty god, keep, i pray, my faith - st hilary - 8 july 2018

PRAYER – Lord Holy God and Father of all, hold us always in Your Heart, keep us near to Your Son, that our faith may never fail us!   Grant that by the prayers of Sts Aquila and Priscilla, we may hold fast to our Saviour, even in times of distress, hardship, persecution and humiliation, when this world assails us.   Through Christ our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever amen.sts priscilla and aquila pray for us - 8 july 2018