One Minute Reflection – 14 November
My sheep hear my voice; I know them and they follow me…..John 10:27
REFLECTION – “The higher we go, the more we can hear the voice of Christ.”…Bl Pier Giorgio Frassati
PRAYER – Jesus my Lord and God, help me to climb high enough to hear Your voice. Help me to strive daily to attain knowledge of You with a heart that longs for and loves you. For it is Your voice and Your embrace I reach for. Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 13 November – The Memorial of St Stanislaus Kostka SJ (1550-1568)
“I want eternity. I was born for greater things…”
“What have I done for Christ?
What am I doing for Christ?
What ought I do for Christ?”
One Minute Reflection – 13 November – The Memorial of St Stanislaus Kostka SJ (1550-1568)
Let no-one despise your youth but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity….1 Timothy 4:12
REFLECTION – “The first lesson is that there can be great sanctity even in youth. In other words, God is not only no respecter of persons, He is no respecter of angels. The essence of sanctity is in the grace that He confers. … God gives His grace to whom ever He wishes, in what quantity He wishes and ours is to recognise His gift and not miscalculate. …There can be great sanctity in youth.”…Venerable Servant of God Fr John A Hardon S.J. from his writings on St Stanislaus
PRAYER – Holy Father, I beg Your grace to achieve sanctity. Grant me the wisdom to follow Your Son, the fortitude to persevere in all trails but most of all Holy Father, grant me Your grace to obtain eternal life. Precious youth, St Stanislaus, please pray for us all , amen.
Thought for the Day – 12 November – The Memorial of St Josaphat Kuncewicz (1584-1623) Martyr of Holy Unity
As deacon, priest and bishop, St Josaphat was distinguished by his extraordinary zeal in performing the Church services and by extraordinary devotion during the Divine Liturgy. Not only in the church did he preach and hear confessions but likewise in the fields, hospitals, prisons and even on his personal journeys. This zeal, united with his kindness for the poor, won great numbers of Orthodox Ruthenians for the Catholic faith and Catholic unity. Among his converts were included many important personages such as Ignatius, former Patriarch of Moscow and Emmanuel Cantacuzenus, who belonged to the imperial family of the Byzantine Emperor Palaeologus. His favourite devotional exercise was to make prostrations in which the head touches the ground, saying, the Jesus prayer: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
When Archbishop St Josaphat went to Vitebsk to calm the tumult in 1623, he knew well that his hour had come. “Grant that I be found worthy, Lord, to shed my blood for the union and obedience to the Apostolic See”, he had prayed and his prayer was answered on 12 November as an enraged mob cruelly butchered him and profaned his body. He was in his 44th year.
After five days his mortal remains were recovered from the waters of a river and taken to Polotsk to be exposed to the veneration of the faithful. For nine days they constantly emitted a fragrance of roses and lilies and a councillor of the city abandoned the schism merely at the sight of the Saint’s beautiful countenance. Many of the murderers struck their breasts and did likewise. The martyr had gone gladly to his death, offering his life that the schism might end; he had said as much beforehand and amongst the many miracles consequent to his murder was the conversion of his assassins. Four years later the author of the troubles, the dissident bishop Meletius Smotrytsky, was himself struck with remorse and consecrated his life to penance, prayer and the defence of the Union. Such changes of heart are indeed the greatest of miracles, won by the sanctity of the true servants of God.
Some years after St Josaphat’s martyrdom his body was found to be incorrupt, though the clothing had rotted away. Again in 1637 and 1767 it was found to be still white and supple. It was eventually taken to the Basilica of St Peter in Rome where it reposes today.
Today, let us offer our prayers, our devotions, our Sunday Mass for unity between ourselves and most especially our Orthodox brethren, our closest family in Christ. St Josaphat, please pray with us and for us all!
Quote of the Day – 12 November – The Memorial of St Josaphat Kuncewicz (1584-1623)
“I am ready to die for the holy union,
for the supremacy of Saint Peter
and of his successor,
the Supreme Pontiff.”
Quote of the Day – 11 November – The Memorial of St Martin of Tours (c 316-397)
“In the name of the Lord Jesus and protected
only by the sign of the cross,
without shield or helmet,
I shall penetrate the enemy’s ranks
and not be afraid.”
Quote/s of the Day – 10 November – The Memorial of St Pope Leo the Great (c400-461) Doctor of the Church
“Peter has spoken by the mouth of Leo.”
“Those who are not good to others
are bad to themselves.”
“PEACE is the first thing the angels sang.
PEACE is the mark of the children of God.
PEACE is the nurse of love.
PEACE is the mother of unity.
PEACE is the rest of the blessed souls.
PEACE is the dwelling place of eternity.”
“The faith of those who LIVE
their faith is a serene faith.
What you long for will be given you;
what you love will be yours for ever.”
“Our sharing in the Body and Blood of Christ
has no other purpose than to transform us
into that which we receive.”
“God decreed that all nations should be saved in Christ.
Dear friends, now that we have received instruction
in this revelation of God’s grace, let us celebrate
with spiritual joy the day of our first harvesting,
of the first calling of the Gentiles.
Let us give thanks to the merciful God,
“who has made us worthy,” in the words of the Apostle,
“to share the position of the saints in light;
who has rescued us from the power of darkness
and brought us into the kingdom of this beloved Son.”
This came to be fulfilled, as we know, from the time
when the star beckoned the three wise men
out of their distant country and led them to recognise
and adore the King of heaven and earth.
The obedience of the star calls us
to imitate its humble service:
to be servants, as best we can,
of the grace that invites all men to find Christ.”
“The cross of Christ is the true ground
and chief cause of Christian hope.”
“Let no one be ashamed of the cross
by which Christ has redeemed the world.
None of us must be afraid to suffer
for the sake of justice or doubt the
fulfillment of the promises,
for it is through toil that we come to rest
and through death that we pass to life.”
“By Baptism we are made flesh of the Crucified.”
“No-one, however weak, is denied
a share in the victory of the cross.
No-one is beyond the help
of the prayer of Christ.”
One Minute Reflection – 10 November – The Memorial of St Leo the Great (c 400-461) Doctor of the Church
No temptation has overtaken you, that is not common to man. God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength but with the temptation, will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it....1 Corinthians 10:13
REFLECTION – “Virtue is nothing without the trial of temptation, for there is no conflict without an enemy, no victory without strife.”…St Pope Leo the Great (c 400-461)
PRAYER – Lord God, You built Your Church on the firm foundation of the Apostle Peter and You promised that the gates of hell would never overcome it. So too, may we trust in Your power, that by our faith we may receive the grace to withstand the enemy who will not prevail against us. May your Holy Spirit grant us the grace of fortitude to withstand our temptations, supported by the prayers of St Pope Leo the Great, keep us ever faithful to Your love. Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 9 November – Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran
“What was done here, as these walls were rising, is reproduced when we bring together those who believe in Christ. For, by believing they are hewn out, as it were, from mountains and forests, like stones and timber; but by catechising, baptism and instruction they are, as it were, shaped, squared and planed by the hands of the workers and artisans. Nevertheless, they do not make a house for the Lord until they are fitted together through love”.
“God’s desire to build a spiritual temple in the world, a community that worships him in spirit and truth (cf. John 4:23-24). But this observance also reminds us of the importance of the material buildings in which the community gathers to celebrate the praises of God. Every community, therefore, has the duty to take special care of its own sacred buildings, which are a precious religious and historical patrimony. For this we call upon the intercession of Mary Most Holy, that she help us to become, like her, the “house of God,” living temple of his love.”
One Minute Reflection – 9 November – Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran
He has strengthened the bars of your gates, he has blessed the children within you.…Psalm 147
REFLECTION – “Today’s feast, brothers, ought to be all the more devout as it is more personal. For other celebrations we have in common with other ecclesiastical communities, but this one is proper to us, so that if we do not celebrate it nobody will. It is ours because it concerns our church; ours because we ourselves are its theme. You are surprised and even embarrassed, perhaps, at celebrating a feast for yourselves. But do not be like horses and mules that have no understanding. Your souls are holy because of the Spirit of God dwelling in you; your bodies are holy because of your souls and this building is holy because of your bodies.”…St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
PRAYER – Almighty God, as we recall with joy, the Dedication of this house of Yours on each recurring anniversary, listen to Your people’s prayer and grant that our worship here may be a sincere and holy service, honouring Your Name and bringing us the fullness of redemption. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God for all eternity, amen.
Thought for the Day – 8 November – The Memorial of St Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880-1906)
Elizabeth Catez offers hope to any parent who struggles with a strong-willed child. A holy terror as a toddler, she once embarrassed her mother by shouting out at Mass, “Bad priest! Bad priest! That’s my doll!” The priest had secretly borrowed her doll to be used as the Christ Child in his creche. But gradually Elizabeth channeled her willfulness into a determination to become a saint.
Elizabeth’s first communion and confirmation at age 10 touched her deeply without quelling her rambunctiousness. But from that time she opened up to an interior prayer life that slowly matured into the infused contemplation of a mystic. At 14 she felt drawn to choose Christ as her spouse. Without hesitating she made a private vow of virginity. And having been intrigued by visits to the local Carmelite convent at Dijon, France, since childhood, she was determined to become a Carmelite.
Marie, her mother, was horrified at the thought. She did all she could do to prevent it. She sent Elizabeth to parties in hopes that these might distract her and arranged for suitors to pursue her. But she could not in the end resist her daughter’s strong will. She gave up and allowed Elizabeth to enter the Dijon Carmel in 1901.
Appropriately, she took the name Elizabeth of the Trinity, for the focus of her life became her immersion in the Godhead, or rather the Trinity’s immersion in her. This letter from Elizabeth to a friend typifies her spirituality:
I love to penetrate beyond the veil of the soul to this inner sanctuary where we live alone with God. He wants us entirely to Himself and is making there within us a cherished solitude. Listen to everything that is being sung . . . in His heart. It is Love, the infinite love that envelops us and desires to give us a share . . . in all His blessedness. The whole Blessed Trinity dwells in us, the whole of that mystery which will be our vision in heaven. I am “Elizabeth of the Trinity”—Elizabeth disappearing, losing herself, allowing herself to be invaded by the Three…All day long let us surrender ourselves to Love, by doing the will of God, under His gaze, with Him, in Him, for Him alone. . . . And then, when evening comes, after a dialogue of love that has never stopped in our hearts, let us go to sleep still in love. And if we are aware of any faults, let us simply abandon them to Love, which is a consuming fire and so do our purgatory in His love!
Like St Theresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart, another Carmelite, Elizabeth delighted the other sisters in the cloister with her simple and joyful service. However, in 1903, she contracted Addison’s disease. She suffered intensely and joyfully until she died in 1906. St. Elizabeth of the Trinity was only 26-years-old.
“During painful times, when you feel a terrible void, think how God is enlarging the capacity of your soul, so that it can receive Him – making it, as it were, infinite as He is infinite.” Look upon each pain, as a love token coming to you directly from God, in order to unite you to Him.
St Elizabeth of the Trinity, Pray for us!
Quote/s of the Day – 8 November – The Memorial of St Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880-1906)
“By our actions we tell Him of our love.”
“A soul united to Jesus is a living smile
that radiates Him and gives Him.”
“May my life be a continual prayer, a long act of love.”
“You will never be commonplace if you are vigilant in love.”
“I have found
heaven on earth,
since heaven is God
and God is in my soul.”
“Make a little cell in your heart
for Jesus of the Agony;
take refuge there
when you hear Him
outraged by men,
try to make reparation;
you, at least, love Him
and keep your heart
quite pure for Him.
Oh! If you only knew how
the good God loves pure hearts!
It is there that He loves to reign!”
Quote/s of the Day – 7 November “On Achieving Sanctity”
“Come, brothers, let us at length spur ourselves on.
We must rise again with Christ, we must seek the world
which is above and set our mind on the things of heaven.
Let us long for those who are longing for us,
hasten to those who are waiting for us
and ask those who look for our coming to intercede for us.
We should not only want to be with the saints,
we should also hope to possess their happiness.
While we desire to be in their company,
we must also earnestly seek to share in their glory.
Do not imagine that there is anything harmful
in such an ambition as this;
there is no danger in setting our hearts on such glory.”
“Holiness does not consist of doing more difficult things every day
but doing things with greater love every day.
Our great desires for holiness have to be expressed
by persevering in small things.
This has to be your ambition:
to persevere in the exact fulfilment of your present obligations,
because that work – humble, monotonous, small –
is prayer expressed in deeds.
And it prepares us to receive the grace for that other work –
great, broad and deep – about which we dream:
to place Christ at the summit of all human activities.”
“Many little things done with love and for love
comprise our treasure for this or that day,
which we will carry with us into eternity.
Our interior life is normally nourished
by little things carried out with love and attention.”
One Minute Reflection – 7 November – The Memorial of Bl Anthony Baldinucci SJ (1665-1717)
After this I had a vision of a great multitude,
which no one could count,
from every nation, race, people and tongue….Revelations 7:9
REFLECTION – “All Saints is “our” feast, not because we are good but because God’s holiness has touched our life. The Saints aren’t perfect models but persons run through by God. We can compare them to the windows of churches, which let the light enter in different shades of colours. The Saints are our brothers and sisters who received the light of God in their heart and transmitted it to the world, each one according to his own “shade.” However, they were all transparent; they too struggled to remove the stains and the darkness of sin, so as to have God’s kindly light pass through. This is the purpose of life: to have the light of God pass through and also the purpose of our life…..Pope Francis – 1 November 2017
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, may I love and respect Your Saints and by their lives, gain inspiration and assistance. Grant me to obtain an example from their way of life, fellowship in their communion and aid through their prayers. Bl Anthony Baldinucci, displayed a great zeal for teaching and converting sinful souls by his love for the Passion of Your Son and great love for the Holy Eucharist, help me Father to imitate his passionate love. Bl Anthony Baldinucci, pray for us all, amen.
Thought for the Day – 6 November – The Memorial of St Théophane Vénard (1829-1861) Martyr of Vietnam (The Saint who influenced St Therese of the Child Jesus to dream of becoming a Missionary – she is of course, now a patron of Missionaries).
The letter below holds the last words of Saint Jean-Théophane Vénard—a French Catholic missionary sentenced to death in Vietnam—to his father, written in the night before his execution.
It is said that “on the way to martyrdom Father Vénard chanted psalms and hymns. To his executioner, who coveted his clothing and asked what he would give to be killed promptly, he answered: ‘The longer it lasts the better it will be’.”
“20 January 1861
Very dear, very respected and beloved father,
Because my sentence keeps me waiting I want to send you another goodbye which will probably be the last. The days of my imprisonment are passing gently. Everybody around me honours me, a great number [of people] loves me. From the great Mandarin to the last soldier, everybody regrets that the law of the kingdom condemns me to death. I did not have to endure torture, like many of my brothers. A light cut of a saber will separate my head [from my body], like the gardener cuts a spring flower for his pleasure. We are all flowers planted on this earth that God reaps in His due time, some earlier, some later. May it be the purple rose, the maiden lily, or the humble violet. Let’s all try to please the Lord and Master according to the scent or colour that is given to us.
I wish you, dear father, a long, quiet and virtuous life. Carry gently the cross of this life, like Jesus did, until the day of the peaceful passing. Father and son will meet again in paradise. I, little ephemeral, I will go there first. Goodbye.
Your very devoted and respectful son
J Théophane Vénard”
However, Théophane’s decapitation at the hands of an executioner was a gruesome event. He died, a martyr of Indochina, on February 2, 1861. The best word to describe Théophane Vénard is “happy.” He was happy at home, happy at school and seminary, happy when he was sick, happy to be sent to Vietnam. And he was happy in his hiding hole, happy in his cage and happy to bend his neck for the executioner’s saber. We may not wish for martyrdom but undoubtedly we would like to be infected with a joy like Théophane Vénard.
St Théophane Vénard, Pray for us!
Quote/s of the Day – 6 November – On Achieving Sanctity!
“We must have a real living determination to reach holiness.
‘I will be a saint’ – means I will despoil myself of all that is not God;
I will strip my heart of all created things;
I will live in poverty and detachment;
I will renounce my will,
my inclinations,
my whims and fancies
and make myself a willing slave to the will of God.”
“God’s invitation to become saints is for all, not just a few.
Sanctity therefore must be accessible to all.
In what does it consist?
In a lot of activity? No.
In doing extraordinary things?
No, this could not be for everybody and at all times.
Therefore, sanctity consists in doing good
and in doing this good in whatever condition
and place God has placed us.
Nothing more, nothing outside of this.”
“If God gives you an abundant harvest of trials,
it is a sign of great holiness which He desires you to attain.
Do you want to become a great saint?
Ask God to send you many sufferings.
The flame of Divine Love never rises higher.
than when fed with the wood of the Cross,
which the infinite charity of the Saviour used to finish His sacrifice.
All the pleasures of the world are nothing,
compared with the sweetness found in the gall and vinegar
offered to Jesus Christ. That is:
hard and painful things endured for Jesus Christ
and with Jesus Christ!”
One Minute Reflection – 5 November
With so many witnesses in a great cloud on every side of us, we too, then, should throw off everything that hinders us, especially the sin that clings so easily, and keep running steadily in the race we have started….Hebrews 12:1
REFLECTION – “In Catholic tradition, devotion to the saints is not merely a mark of respect or a brief prayer on certain occasions….but a deeply felt spiritual communion, an attentive study of the precious examples and lessons, which the saints give us to cheer and encourage us.”…St Pope John XXIII
PRAYER – Oh bless us O Holy Father, in Your saints, in the suffering army in Purgatory and in Your angels! May those who stand in adoration with You in Heaven and those who cry out for mercy, be our intercessors as we struggle to throw off everything that hinders us on our way to You and them! Eternal Father, may we reach our heavenly goal by their constant prayer. As we pray for the Holy Souls and they for us, may the Saints and angels be our champions, amen.
Thought for the Day – 5 November – Excerpt from St John Chrysostom’s ((347-407) Homiletic Commentary on Matthew 23:1-12
“And where shall we find this humility? Will ye that we go again to the city of virtue, the tents of the holy men, the mountains. I mean and the groves? For there too shall we see this height of humility.
For men, some illustrious from their rank in the world, some from their wealth, in every way put themselves down, by their vesture, by their dwelling, by those to whom they minister; and, as in written characters, they throughout all things inscribe humility.
And the things that are incentives of arrogance, as to dress well and to build houses splendidly and to have many servants, things which often drive men even against their will to arrogance; these are all taken away. For they themselves light their fire, they themselves cleave the logs, themselves cook, themselves minister to those that come there.
No one can be heard insulting there, nor seen insulted, nor commanded, nor giving commands; but all are devoted to those that are waited on and every one washes the strangers’ feet, and there is much contention about this. And he doeth it, not inquiring who it is, neither if he be a slave, nor if he be free; but in the case of every one fulfills this service. No man there is great nor mean. What then? Is there confusion? Far from it but the highest order. For if any one be mean, he that is great seeth not this but hath accounted himself again to be inferior even to him and so becomes great.
There is one table for all, both for them that are served and for them that serve; the same food, the same clothes, the same dwellings, the same manner of life. He is great there, who eagerly seizes the mean task. There is not mine and thine but this expression is exterminated, that is a cause of countless wars.
4. And why dost thou marvel, if there be one manner of life and table and dress for all, since indeed there is even one soul to all, not in substance only (for this is with all men also) but in love? How then should it ever be lifted up itself against itself? There is no wealth and poverty there, honour and dishonour; how then should haughtiness and arrogance find an entrance? For they are indeed little and great in respect of their virtue; but, as I have said, no one seeth this. He that is little, feels not pain, as despised; for neither is there any one to despise him; and should any one spurn him, this above all are they taught, to be despised, to be spurned, to be set at nought, in word and in deed. And with the poor and maimed do they associate and their tables are full of these guests; so that for this are they worthy of the heavens. And one tends the wounds of the mutilated, another leads the blind by the hand, a third bears him that is lamed of his leg.
There is no multitude of flatterers or parasites there; or rather they know not even what flattery is; whence then could they be lifted up at any time? For there is great equality amongst them, wherefore also there is much facility for virtue.
For by these are they of an inferior sort better instructed, than if they were compelled to give up the first place to them.
For like as the impetuous man derives instruction from him that is smitten and submits to it; so the ambitious from him that claims not glory but despises it. This they do there abundantly and as the strife is great with us to obtain the first place, so great is it with them not to obtain it but utterly to refuse it and great is their earnest desire who shall have the advantage in honouring, not in being honoured.
Quote of the Day – 5 November
“The future is in your hearts
and in your hands.
God is entrusting to you the task,
at once difficult and uplifting,
of working with Him in the building
of the civilisation of love.”
St Pope John Paul II (1920-2005)
Quote/s of the Day – 4 November – The Memorial of St Charles Borromeo (1538-1584)
“If we wish to make any progress in the service of God
we must begin every day of our life with new eagerness.
We must keep ourselves in the presence of God,
as much as possible and have no other view or end,
in all our actions but the divine honour.”
“I admit that we are all weak but if we want help,
the Lord God has given us the means to find it easily.
Would you like me to teach you how to grow from
virtue to virtue and how, if you are already recollected at prayer,
you can be even more attentive next time
and so give God more pleasing worship?
Listen, and I will tell you.
If a tiny spark of God’s love already burns within you,
do not expose it to the wind, for it may get blown out.
Keep the stove tightly shut so that it will not lose its heat
and grow cold.
In other words, avoid distractions as well as you can.
Stay quiet with God.
Do not spend your time in useless chatter.”
“Be sure that you first preach by the way you live.
If you do not, people will notice that you say one thing
but live otherwise and your words will bring
only cynical laughter and a derisive shake of the head.”
One Minute Reflection – 4 November – The Memorial of St Charles Borromeo (1538-1584)
Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks; your presence, O Lord, I seek.….Psalm 27:8
REFLECTION – “We must meditate before, during and after everything we do. The prophet says: “I will pray and then I will understand.” This is the way we can easily overcome the countless difficulties we have to face day after day, which, after all, are part of our work. In meditation we find the strength to bring Christ to birth in ourselves and in other men.”…St Charles Borromeo
PRAYER – Almighty God, help me to seek You and speak with You always. Let me strive to avoid outer distractions and concentrate on Your message and Your will. Teach me to seek only You and to bring Your Son to all I meet. St Charles Borromeo, pray for us, amen.
Thought for the Day – 3 November – The Memorial of St Martin de Porres (1579-1639)
The example of Martin’s life is ample evidence that we can strive for holiness and salvation as Christ Jesus has shown us: first, by loving God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind; and second, by loving your neighbour as yourself.”
When Martin had come to realize that Christ Jesus suffered for us and that He carried our sins on His body to the cross, he would meditate with remarkable ardour and affection about Christ on the cross. Whenever he would contemplate Christ’s terrible torture he would be reduced to tears. He had an exceptional love for the great sacrament of the Eucharist and often spent long hours in prayer before the blessed sacrament. His desire was to receive the sacrament in communion as often as he could.
Saint Martin, always obedient and inspired by his divine teacher, dealt with his brothers with that profound love which comes from pure faith and humility of spirit. He loved men because he honestly looked on them as God’s children and as his own brothers and sisters. Such was his humility that he loved them even more than himself and considered them to be better and more righteous than he was.
He excused the faults of others. He forgave the bitterest injuries, convinced that he deserved much severer punishments on account of his own sins. He tried with all his might to redeem the guilty; lovingly he comforted the sick; he provided food, clothing and medicine for the poor; he helped, as best he could, farm labourers and Negroes, as well as mulattoes, who were looked upon at that time as akin to slaves: thus he deserved to be called by the name the people gave him: ‘Martin of Charity.’”
The virtuous example and even the conversation of this saintly man exerted a powerful influence in drawing men to religion. It is remarkable how even today his influence can still come us toward the things of heaven. Sad to say, not all of us understand these spiritual values as well as we should, nor do we give them a proper place in our lives. Many of us, in fact, strongly attracted by sin, may look upon these values as of little moment, even something of a nuisance, or we ignore them altogether. It is deeply rewarding for men striving for salvation to follow in Christ’s footsteps and to obey God’s commandments. If only everyone could learn this lesson from the example that Martin gave us.
Do you desire to be Christ, to follow Christ more closely? Walk on the path that Saint Martin shows….
This excerpt from the homily of Pope John XXIII on the occasion of the Canonisation of Saint Martin de Porres (Die 6 Maii 1962: AAS 54 [1962], 306-309) is read in the Roman Office of Readings for the Feast of Dominican Friar and friend of St Rose of Lima, Saint Martin de Porres, the apostle of the poor, on 3 November.
St Martin de Porres, Pray for us!
Quote of the Day – 3 November – The Memorial of St Martin de Porres (1579-1639)
“Compassion, my dear Brother,
is preferable to cleanliness.
Reflect that with a little soap,
I can easily clean my bed covers
but even with a torrent of tears,
I would never wash from my soul,
the stain, that my harshness toward
the unfortunate would create.”
One Minute Reflection – 3 November – The Memorial of St Martin de Porres (1579-1639)
Set your heart on what pertains to higher realms where Christ is seated at God’s right hand.…Colossians 3:1
REFLECTION – “The example of Martin’s life is ample evidence that we can strive for holiness and salvation as Christ Jesus has shown us: first, by loving God “with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind; and second, by loving your neighbour as yourself.” When Martin had come to realise that Christ Jesus suffered for us and that he carried our sins on His body to the cross, he would meditate with remarkable ardour and affection about Christ on the cross. He had an exceptional love for the great sacrament of the Eucharist and often spent long hours in prayer before the blessed sacrament. His desire was to receive the sacrament in Communion as often as he could. Saint Martin, always obedient and inspired by his divine teacher, dealt with his brothers and with that profound love which comes from pure faith and humility of spirit.”…..St Pope John XXIII (Homily given at the canonisation of Saint Martin de Porres).
PRAYER – Lord Jesus, help us to appreciate spiritual values and give them the first place in our hearts. Grant that we may always seek them first and remain forever united with You. Help us to follow the path of humility St Martin so splendidly showed us, that we may obtain from You, as he did, a place in Your Kingdom. St Martin de Porres, pray for us, amen.
Thought for the Day – 2 November – The Solemnity of All Souls
On Purgatory, by Saint John Vianney
“I come on behalf of God. Why am I up in the pulpit today, my dear brethren? What am I going to say to you? Ah! I come on behalf of God Himself. I come on behalf of your poor parents, to awaken in you that love and gratitude which you owe them. I come to bring before your minds again all those kindnesses and all the love which they gave you while they were on earth. I come to tell you that they suffer in Purgatory, that they weep and that they demand with urgent cries the help of your prayers and your good works. I seem to hear them crying from the depths of those fires which devour them: “Tell our loved ones, tell our children, tell all our relatives how great the evils are which they are making us suffer. We throw ourselves at their feet to implore the help of their prayers. Ah! Tell them that since we have been separated from them, we have been here burning in the flames!”
Oh! Who would be so indifferent to such sufferings as we are enduring? Do you see, my dear brethren, do you hear that tender mother, that devoted father and all those relatives who helped and tended you? “My friends,” they cry, “free us from these pains; you can do it.” Consider then, my dear brethren:
(a) the magnitude of these sufferings which the souls in Purgatory endure; and
(b) the means which we have of mitigating them: our prayers, our good works, and, above all, the holy sacrifice of the Mass.
I do not wish to stop at this stage to prove to you the existence of Purgatory. That would be a waste of time. No one among you has the slightest doubt on that score. The Church, to which Jesus Christ promised the guidance of the Holy Ghost and which, consequently, can neither be mistaken herself nor mislead us, teaches us about Purgatory in a very clear and positive manner. It is certain, very certain, that there is a place where the souls of the just complete the expiation of their sins before being admitted to the glory of Paradise, which is assured them. Yes, my dear brethren and it is an article of faith: if we have not done penance proportionate to the greatness and enormity of our sins, even though forgiven in the holy tribunal of Penance, we shall be compelled to expiate them…. In Holy Scripture there are many texts which show clearly that although our sins may be forgiven, God still imposes on us the obligation to suffer in this world by temporal hardships or in the next by the flames of Purgatory.
Look at what happened to Adam. Because he was repentant after committing his sin, God assured him that He had pardoned him and yet He condemned him to do penance for nine hundred years, penance which surpasses anything that we can imagine.
See again: David ordered, contrary to the wish of God, the census of his subjects but, stricken with remorse of conscience, he saw his sin and, throwing himself upon the ground, begged the Lord to pardon him. God, touched by his repentance, forgave him indeed. But despite that, He sent Gad to tell David that he would have to choose between three scourges which He had prepared for him as punishment for his iniquity: the plague, war or famine. David said: “It is better that I should fall into the hands of the Lord (for his mercies are many) than into the hands of men.” He chose the pestilence, which lasted three days and killed seventy thousand of his subjects. If the Lord had not stayed the hand of the Angel, which was stretched out over the city, all Jerusalem would have been depopulated! David, seeing so many evils caused by his sin, begged the grace of God to punish him alone and to spare his people, who were innocent. See, too, the penance of Saint Mary Magdalen; perhaps that will soften your hearts a little. Alas, my dear brethren, what, then, will be the number of years which we shall have to suffer in Purgatory, we who have so many sins, we who, under the pretext that we have confessed them, do no penance and shed no tears?
You, our brethren, deliver us from these torments! You can do it! Ah, if you only experienced the sorrow of being separated from God! … Cruel separation! To burn in the fire kindled by the justice of God! … To suffer sorrows incomprehensible to mortal man! . . . To be devoured by regret, knowing that we could so easily have avoided such sorrows! … Oh! My children, cry the fathers and the mothers, can you thus so readily abandon us, we who loved you so much? Can you then sleep in comfort and leave us stretched upon a bed of fire. Will you have the courage to give yourselves up to pleasure and joy while we are here suffering and weeping night and day? You have our wealth, our homes, you are enjoying the fruit of our labours and you abandon us here in this place of torments, where we are suffering such frightful evils for so many years! … And not a single almsgiving, not a single Mass which would help to deliver us! … You can relieve our sufferings, you can open our prison, and you abandon us. Oh! How cruel these sufferings are! … Yes, my dear brethren, people judge very differently, when in the flames of Purgatory, of all those light faults, if indeed it is possible to call anything light which makes us endure such rigorous sorrows. What woe would there be to man, the Royal Prophet cries, even the most just of men, if God were to judge him without mercy. If God has found spots in the sun and malice in the angels, what, then, is this sinful man? And for us, who have committed so many mortal sins and who have done practically nothing to satisfy the justice of God, how many years of Purgatory! “…St John Vianney
The Holy Souls cannot help themselves. For them, the night has come when no one can work (John 9:4). It is our great privilege, as brothers and sisters in Christ, to be able to shorten their time of separation from God by our prayers, good works and especially, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Therefore, the Church has always taught us to pray for the Holy Souls in purgatory. Souls in Purgatory cannot offer physical sufferings in expiation for sin as we do and rely on us to aid them in their purification by our prayers. This is why we celebrate Mass for the holy souls today. They need our prayers for their purification. When our loved ones die let us not abandon them but help them by our prayers and sacrifices. A mystical source has said that when we pray for our loved ones by name they can see us on earth. Below are a few prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory to be prayed especially during the month of November, but always:
PRAY FOR THE HOLY SOULS, OFFER MASS, GOOD WORKS AND ALMSGIVING, NEVER FORGET THEM as we ourselves will be those souls one day!
A PRAYER FOR A DECEASED MOTHER
O God, who has commanded us to honour our father and our mother;
in Your mercy have pity on the soul of my mother
and forgive her her trespasses.
Grant me to see her again in the joy of everlasting brightness.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen
A PRAYER FOR A DECEASED FATHER
O God, who has commanded us to honour our father and our mother;
in Your mercy have pity on the soul of my father
and forgive him his trespasses.
Grant me to see him again in the joy of everlasting brightness.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen
FOR THE SOULS IN PURGATORY
O Lord, who are ever merciful and bounteous with Your gifts,
look down upon the suffering souls in purgatory.
Remember not their offenses and negligences
but be mindful of Your loving mercy,
which is from all eternity.
Cleanse them of their sins and fulfill their ardent desires
that they may be made worthy to behold You face to face in Your glory.
May they soon be united with You and hear those blessed words
which will call them to their heavenly home:
“Come, blessed of My Father,
take possession of the kingdom prepared for you ]
from the foundation of the world.”
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be and Eternal rest.
Quote/s of the Day 2 November – The Solemnity of All Souls
St James the Apostle gives a method of avoiding or lessening our stay in Purgatory.
He says: “He who saves a soul saves his own and satisfies for a multitude of sins.” (James 1:20)
“Let us help and commemorate them. If Job’s sons were purified by their father’s sacrifice (Job 1:5), why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them”.
“But by the prayers of the Holy Church and by the salvific sacrifice and by the alms which are given for their spirits, there is no doubt that the dead are aided, that the Lord might deal more mercifully with them than their sins would deserve. The whole Church observes this practice which was handed down by the Fathers: that it prays for those who have died in the communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, when they are commemorated in their own place in the sacrifice itself; and the sacrifice is offered also in memory of them, on their behalf. If, then, works of mercy are celebrated for the sake of those who are being remembered, who would hesitate to recommend them, on whose behalf prayers to God are not offered in vain? It is not at all to be doubted that such prayers are of profit to the dead; but for such of them as lived before their death in a way that makes it possible for these things to be useful to them after death”.
“I would go so far as to say that if there was not purgatory, then we would have to invent it, for who would dare say of himself that he was able to stand directly before God. And yet we don’t want to be, to use an image from scripture, ‘a pot that turned out wrong’, that has to be thrown away; we want to be able to be put right. Purgatory basically means that God can put the pieces back together again. That He can cleanse us in such a way that we are able to be with Him and can stand there in the fullness of life. Purgatory strips off from one person what is unbearable and from another the inability to bear certain things, so that in each of them a pure heart is revealed and we can see that we all belong together in one enormous symphony of being.”
“If today we are remembering
these brothers and sisters of
ours who lived before us and are
now in heaven, they are there
because they were washed in the
Blood of Christ, that is our hope
and this hope does not disappoint.
If we live our lives with the Lord,
he will never disappoint us.”
One Minute Reflection – 2 November – The Commemoration of All Souls Day
We believe that Jesus died and rose again; so we believe that God will bring with Jesus, those who have died believing in him.…1 Thessalonians 4:14
REFLECTION – “What great power the holy souls in purgatory have over the heart of God!
If we realised this fact and averted to all the graces that we can gain through their
intercession, these souls would not be so forgotten.”….St John Vianney (1786-1859)
PRAYER – O God our Creator and Redeemer, grant to the souls in purgatory the remission of their sins.
And may their prayers also be of benefit to me and all your faithful here on earth. Holy Souls we pray for you please pray for us too! Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 1 November – – The Solemnity of All the Saints
“If we only got to heaven,
what a sweet and easy thing it will be there,
to be always saying with the angels and the saints,
‘Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus.’”
...”But do not forget that all the saints
cannot endear you to Christ
as much as you can yourseIf.
It is entirely up to You!”
“Remember the sufferings of Christ,
the storms that were weathered…
the crown that came from those sufferings
which gave new radiance to the faith…
All saints give testimony to the truth
that without real effort,
no-one ever wins the crown.”
“God creates out of nothing.
Wonderful you say.
Yes, to be sure but He does.
what is still more wonderful,
He makes saints out of sinners.”
One Minute Reflection – 1 November – The Solemnity of All the Saints
You are fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God………Eph 3:19
REFLECTION – “A ray of light enables us to see the dust that is in the air.
In the same way, the lives of the Saints show up our defects.
If we fail to see our faults, it is because we have not looked at the lives of
holy men and women.”…St Anthony of Padua
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, help me to love and respect Your Saints. Grant me to obtain an example from their way of life, fellowship in their communion and aid through their intercession. Holy Saints in Heaven, Pray for us. Amen
Quote/s of the Day on Confession – 25 October
“The confession of evil works,
is the first beginning of good works.
You do the truth
and come to the light.”
“A man is repaired in an instant by Divine grace.”
“One who has confessed and received absolution,
will be less punished in Purgatory than one
who has gone no further than contrition.”
“Are you scorched, are you burnt to the very core,
by the heat of concupiscence? Even so, poor sufferers!
You must not lose courage; there is a cool fountain
ready to refresh you and heal all your wounds;
not indeed the first font, which gave you the life you have lost;
but the second Baptism, the divine Sacrament of Penance,
which can restore you to grace and purity!”
“Confession is stronger than an exorcism!”
AnaStpaul 
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