Category: QUOTES on CHARITY

Posted in ACT of CONTRITION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on ENVY, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on JEALOUSY, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, The LAST THINGS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 5 February – Septuagesima Sunday – Preparing to Prepare

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Quote/s of the Day – 5 February – Septuagesima Sunday – Preparing to Prepare

“Prepare the way of the Lord
make His paths straight” …

Luke 3:4

“There is still time for endurance,
time for patience,
time for healing,
time for change.
Have you slipped?
Rise up!
Have you sinned?
Cease!
Do not stand among sinners
but leap aside!”

St Basil the Great (329-379)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Then the righteous shall shine like the sun
in the Kingdom of their Father.”

Matthew 13:43

“So from now on, run well (cf. Gal 5:7)
and may the devil not bewitch you (cf. Gal 3:1)
nor hinder you! …
May mercy, peace, charity,
freedom from envy,
from jealousy and ostentation
come upon you, docility, friendly speech,
solidarity, compassion
towards each other, humility.”

St Theodore the Studite (759-826)

My Lord Jesus Christ,
You have made this journey
to die for me, with love unutterable
and I have so many times unworthily abandoned You
but now I love You with my whole heart
and because I love You,
I repent sincerely for having ever offended You.
Pardon me, my God
and permit me to accompany You on this journey.
You go to die for love of me,
I wish also, my beloved Redeemer,
to die for love of Thee.
My Jesus, I will live
and die always united to You.”
Amen

By St Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Each and everyone of us,
at the end of the journey of life,
will come, face to face
with either one,
or the other
of two faces…
And one of them,
either, the
merciful face of Christ
or the
miserable face of Satan,
will say,
“Mine, mine.”

May we be Christ’s!”

Ven Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)

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Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on WORK/LABOUR, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 4 February – “Ora et labora” – Work and Sanctity

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Thought for the Day – 4 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

“Ora et labora” – Work and Sanctity

“Everyone imagines that there are innumerable problems in the world to be solved.
As a matter of fact, there are but they can all be reduced to one in the end – the problem of sanctity.
If we were all saints, or at any rate sincerely trying to put into practice the maxims of the Gospel – all the other questions would be answered.

For a Christian, work should mean the employment of his bodily and spiritual energies for the glory of God, for his own benefit and for the common good.
He can work to earn his daily bread, for personal satisfaction, for the advancement of science, art, or society.
These are all good motives.
But the Christian must also have a higher motive.
Even as he is living for eternity, so must he work for eternity.
He must realise that God will admit us to Heaven if we have worked for love of Him and in union with Him.
Like everything else in our lives, work must be raised to a supernatural level.
We must work patiently because it is our duty and the will of God.
In this way, we shall make use of the talents which God has given us, not only for our own benefit but also, as a means of helping so many of our fellowmen, who are dependent on us.

Then work will be something other besides an expenditure of energy and an atonement for our sins.
It will be a pleasure because we shall know that God is counting every moment of sacrifice which we are willingly enduring for His sake.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/04/thought-for-the-day-4-february-ora-et-labora-work-and-sanctity/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/02/04/thought-for-the-day-4-february-ora-et-labora-work-and-sanctity-2/

Posted in CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, SACRAMENTS

Thought for the Day – 1 February – Divine Worship, Charity and Justice

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Thought for the Day – 1 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Divine Worship, Charity and Justice

“Divine Worship:
We have a strict duty to honour and obey God.
“I, the Lord, Am your God,” He tells us in the first commandment of the Decalogue.
“You shall not have other gods besides me.”
We are obliged, therefore, to worship God both internally and externally, since both soul and body are created by God.
Internal worship is especially necessary, for without it, external worship would be an empty formality.
It is useless to kneel before the Altar, to assist at Sacred Rites and to recite vocal prayers if, all the time, our minds are elsewhere and we are lacking in the love of God.
Spiritual adoration and prayer, are more important than the bowed head and the bended knee.

It would be a grave error, however, to imagine that internal adoration is sufficient and there is not need to assemble in the Church, to observe Feast days or to participate in Sacred Rites and receive the Sacraments, as the Church commands.
Everything should be subject to God.
The Church was founded by Christ and endowed by Him with the authority to lay down the exact manner in which we should pay homage to Almighty God.
She has the right to dictate the feasts and ceremonies in which we are obliged to participate.
Anyone who refused to obey the Church, is guilty of disobedience to God.
“He who hears you hears me,” said Jesus Christ to His Apostles and through them to their successors “and he who rejeccts you, rejects me” (Lk 10:16).

How do we adore God?
Are we among those who pray with their lips and not from the heart?
Or do we believe that private devotion is quite sufficient and that there is no need to subject ourselves to all the laws of the Church?
Some laws we agree with, some we do not and choose to ignore.
In either case, we have gone astray and should be unable to gain God’s favour and cannot be regarded as members of His Church!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in "Follow Me", GOD is LOVE, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The LAST THINGS, The SECOND COMING

Thought for the Day – 30 January – The Most Terrifying Passage in the Gospel

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Thought for the Day – 30 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Most Terrifying Passage
in the Gospel

“Why should the Eternal Judge punish or reward us in accordance with our own deeds of charity and of mercy towards our unfortunate fellowmen?
Simply because Christianity consists mainly of charity, since God Himself is charity.
“God is love and he who abides in love, abides in God and God in him” (1 Jn 4:16).
When charity is genuine, being the love of God above all things and of our neighbour as ourselves, it is “the bond of perfection” (Col 3:14) and “bears with all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor 13:7).

True love, in the Christian sense, presupposes faith, hope and all other virtues, whereas faith without charity is, as St Paul says, as futile as “a tinkling cymbal” (1 Cor 13:1).
Even the devils have faith but their faith will not save them.
“He who does not love,” St John tells us, “abides in death” (1 Jn 3:14).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/11/24/thought-for-the-day-24-november/

Posted in ARMOUR of CHRIST, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, GOD is LOVE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 29 January – True Peace

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Thought for the Day – 29 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

True Peace

“This absolute and loving abandonment to the Will of God in all things, brings complete inner peace but, it does not exclude conflict.
Interior peace is the result of the practice of virtue and, therefore, of the struggle against evil.
When Our Lord had repeated several times that He had given us His peace, He said too: “Do not think that I have come to send upon upon the earth; I have come to bring a sword, not peace.” (Mt 10:34).

These apparent contradictory words of Our Lord, are explained by the fact that the peace of Jesus does not consist in inactivity but demands action and strife and the conquest of evil.
It is a militant peace which Our Lord desires us to possess.
Only when we have controlled our passions, when we have made our wills entirely subject to the Will of God and have renounced ourselves, so that the Justice and Charity of Jesus Christ can triumph in us, only then shall we reach those serene heights, where storms from below cannot come near us and the peace of God reigns supreme!

We find examples of this true and perfect peace among the Saints, Martyrs and Apostles.
We read of the Apostles that “they departed … rejoicing that they had been counted worthy to suffer disgrace for the Name of Jesus” (Acts 5:41).
This is an example of that genuine peace which is the result of victory in the combat against evil and of complete and loving submission to the Will of God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/01/thought-for-the-day-1-february-true-peace/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/01/30/thought-for-the-day-30-january-true-peace/

Posted in "Follow Me", LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on ANGER, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, The BEATITUDES

Thought for the Day – 28 January – Blessed are Those who Love Peace

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Thought for the Day – 28 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Blessed are Those who Love Peace

“Peace is especially opposed to sentiments of anger and hatred against our brothers.
It commands us to love and help them.
Hatred is the heritage of Cain because God says that “he who does not love, abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murdere. And you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (1 Jn 3:15).
A man who hates his brother may not actually kill him but, he is guilty of murdering him in his heart!
As a result, he loses peace of soul because, as St Augustine points out (Sermon 82), by hating someone, you create disorder in yourself and destroy that Divine harmony which was the gift of Divine grace and charity.

If we wish to preserve interior peace, we must cast out from our hearts, every vestige of hatred for our neighbour and entertain love, understanding and forgiveness, for all.
By loving our enemies, we place ourselves above them by an act of true Christian nobility.
We imitate Jesus, Who forgave His executioners and prayed for them from the Cross.

A fit of anger is like a moment of madness.
It is a great misfortune for anyone to yield to it.
He speaks and acts like a man who has lost his reason and allows himself to be carried away by blind passion.
When the moment of insanity is over, he will be ashamed of himself and of all that he has said and done.

It is necessary to be masters of ourselves and of our feelings.
Never speak or act until anger has subsided within you.
By persevering in co-operation with the grace of God, we presercve that inward calmness which is a reflection of the peace of God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/01/31/thought-for-the-day-31-january-blessed-are-those-who-love-peace/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/01/29/thought-for-the-day-29-january-blessed-are-those-who-love-peace/

Posted in "Follow Me", QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the POOR

Thought for the Day – 25 January – Blessed are the Merciful

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Thought for the Day – 25 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Blessed are the Merciful

“Works of mercy can be either corporal or spiritual.
The former cannot be practised much by those who are poor but, any generous-minded Christian can perform the latter.
Sometimes, there is greater charity in speaking a kind word than in giving a large alms.
Often, it is worth more in the sight of God, to comfort a sorrowful heart or to revive, in some soul, a dying hope, than it is to fill a hungry belly.

There are so many spiritual miseries which are crying out to be assuaged.
The suffering of the soul is much deeper than that of the body.
This is why anything done to soothe and encourage the soul is so valuable before God.

We can also do something about the remorse, disgust and darkness which are the results of the state of sin.
If we can succeed in enlightening or healing one of these poor souls, we shall have accomplished a work of mercy which is most beautiful and meritorious in the eyes of God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/01/28/thought-for-the-day-28-january-blessed-are-the-merciful/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/01/26/thought-for-the-day-26-january-blessed-are-the-merciful/

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on GREED, WEALTH, QUOTES on POVERTY, QUOTES on the POOR, QUOTES on WEALTH/RICHES

Thought for the Day – 23 January – The Rich

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Thought for the Day – 23 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Rich

“A very rich man who was convinced that he was a good Christian, went to Confession one day.
He discussed his doubts and worries about the passages in Sacred Scripture which have just been quoted (see Part One).
The penance which he received from the Confessor, was that he should go and read and meditate in a certain city suburb.
This area was full of cabins and shacks, where large numbers of poor, abandoned people were eking out an existence.
He drove there in his large streamlined car.
He stopped and began reading slowly.
After a while, he became greatly affected and wept …
He left his car and, as if driven by some irresistible force, began to distribute all the money which he had with him to those poor people.
At last, he understood fully and without the need of any glossary, the command of Our Lord: “Give that which remains as alms and behold, all things are clean to you” (Lk 11:41).
From that day, he was no longer a self-complacent Christian but a just and charitable rich man.

We can all learn a lot from this story.
Even if we are not rich, we certainly have a little more than we need.
Let us give it to the poor.
They are the poor representations of Christ, our poor Saviour.
We shall never be worthy members of the Mystical Body of Christ, if we do not see the image of Jesus Christ in the poor.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/01/27/thought-for-the-day-27-january-the-rich/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/01/25/thought-for-the-day-25-january-the-rich/

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OUR Cross, QUOTES on ANGER, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on SLOTH, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY EUCHARIST, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 20 January – Blessed are you who are poor …

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Quote/s of the Day – 20 January – St Fabian, Pope, and St Sebastian – Martyrs – Hebrews 11:33-39, Luke 6:17-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the Kingdom of God.”

Luke 6:20

“If the poison of pride is swelling up in you,
turn to the Eucharist and that Bread,
Which is your God humbling and disguising Himself,
will teach you humility.

If the fever of selfish greed rages in you,
feed on this Bread and you will learn generosity.

If the cold wind of coveting withers you,
hasten to the Bread of Angels and charity
will come to blossom in your heart.

If you feel the itch of intemperance,
nourish yourself with the Flesh and Blood of Christ,
Who practiced heroic self-control during His earthly life
and you will become temperate.

If you are lazy and sluggish about spiritual things,
strengthen yourself with this heavenly Food
and you will grow fervent.

Lastly, if you feel scorched by the fever of impurity,
go to the banquet of the Angels
and the spotless Flesh of Christ,
will make you pure and chaste.”

St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444)
Father and Doctor

“For everyone who exalts himself,
shall be humbled and he
who humbles himself, shall be exalted.”

Luke 14:11

“We must erect the mystical ladder of Jacob,
where Angels, ascending and descending,
appeared to him.
Ascent and descent means,
that we go downward when we exalt ourselves
and rise, when we are humbled.
The ladder represents our life in this world,
which our Lord erects to Heaven,
when our heart is humbled.
The sides of the ladder represent our soul and body,
sides between which,
God has placed several rungs of humility and, discipline,
whereby we are to ascend
if we would answer His call.”

(Rule of Benedict #7)

St Benedict (480-547)
Father of the Church

“If you seek an example of humility,
look upon Him Who is Crucified,
although He was God, He chose to be judged
by Pontius Pilate and put to death. …
If you seek an example of obedience,
imitate Him Who was obedient to the Father
“even to death” (Phil 2:8).
“For just as through the disobedience
of one person, Adam,
the many were made sinners,
so through the obedience of One,
the many will be made righteous” (Rom 5:19). .
If you seek an example of contempt
for earthly things,
imitate Him Who is “King of kings
and Lord of lords” (1 Tm 6:15),
“in whom are hidden
all the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge” (Col 2:3).
On the Cross He was stripped naked,
ridiculed, spat upon, bruised,
crowned with thorns,
given to drink of vinegar and gall.”

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

“When he Canonised St Thomas,
John XXII declared that
“every article he wrote was a miracle!”
One might say that St Thomas Aquinas
was raised up by God, for he gathered together,
the whole of human knowledge up to his own time
and interpreted it in the new light of Christianity.
… In spite of his greatness, however,
Thomas of Aquin, was a very humble man.
There is a good deal of truth
in Pascal’s remark
that a little knowledge makes the mind proud
but real wisdom, makes it humble.
We cannot all imitate the knowledge
of St Thomas Aquinas but we should all
imitate his humility.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in "Follow Me", GOD ALONE!, JESUIT SJ, Lady POVERTY, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on the POOR, QUOTES on ZEAL

Thought for the Day – 18 January – The Veneration and Imitation of the Saints

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Thought for the Day – 18 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Veneration and Imitation
of the Saints

“It is not enough, simply to honour the Saints.
We should love and imitate them as well.
Following the example of the Saints, as St Paul says, is the same as imitating Jesus Christ Himself (1 Cor 4:16).
It is a step towards Christian perfection.
No matter what our circumstances, we have outstanding models to follow.

From St Francis of Assisi, we can learn to be detached from worldly things, even to the point of loving poverty!
From St Philip Neri, we can learn to despise honours and to make God and Heaven, the object of our desires and actions.
St Francis de Sales, although he was by nature resentful and scathing, can teach us how to be gentle, kind and calm in all the trials of life.
We can learn heroic love for the poor and unfortunate, from St Vincent de Paul.
We can imitate the fervent apostolic work of St Francis Xavier,.
St Charles Borromeo sold his goods and gave all to the poor.
During the plague in Milan, he dedicated himself lovingly to the care of the unfortunate victims, selling his household furniture and even his bed, so that he had nothing left to sleep on but a table!
We can learn from his example, how the flame of Christ’s charity can transform the heart and overcome all human wretchedness.

Above all, let us remember that our devotion to the Saints will be valueless, if it is not accompanied by untiring efforts to follow their example.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/01/18/thought-for-the-day-18-january-the-veneration-and-imitation-of-the-saints/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/01/18/thought-for-the-day-18-january-the-veneration-and-imitation-of-the-saints-2/

Posted in "Follow Me", ARMOUR of CHRIST, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DIVINE MERCY, GOD ALONE!, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on THE LIGHT of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on TRUST in GOD, SAINT of the DAY, The HEART, The KINGDOM of GOD, The LAMB of GOD, The LAST THINGS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 15 January – St Macarius of Egypt

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Quote/s of the Day – 15 January – The Memorial of St Macarius of Egypt (c 300-390) Priest, Abbot, Hermit, Father

“The heart itself is only a small vessel,
yet dragons are there and lions,
there are poisonous beasts
and all the treasures of evil,
there are rough and uneven roads,
there are precipices
but there too is God and the Angels,
life is there and the Kingdom,
there too is light and there, the Apostles
and heavenly cities
and treasures of grace.
All things lie within that little space!”

Prayer for Mercy
and Forgiveness
By St Macarius of Egypt (c 300-390)

Lord, be merciful now
that my life is approaching its end
and the evening awaits me.
There is not enough time
for me to cleanse myself of my sins,
for they are so many.
Heal me while I am still on earth
and I shall be truly healthy.
In Thy mercy,
move me to repent,
so that I shall not be ashamed,
when I meet Thee in Heaven.
Amen

“Then go and learn,
neither to be moved with injuries nor flatteries.
If you die to the world and to yourself,
you will begin to live to Christ.”

“The Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Luke 6:5

“ … The Lord calls on us to rest,
telling us: “Come to me, all you who labour
and are burdened and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28)
And He gives rest to all souls who trust Him
and come to Him,
by delivering them from painful,
oppressive and impure thoughts.
Then they completely stop indulging in evil,
celebrating a true, a delightful and holy Sabbath,
a feast of the Spirit in inexpressible joy
and rejoicing.
They offer a pure and acceptable worship to God,
coming from a pure heart.
That is the true and holy Sabbath.”

“And as soon as He sees you seek Him fervently,
He will make Himself known to you.
He will appear to you, grant you His help,
bestow the victory on you
and save you from your enemies.
In fact, when He sees how you are looking for Him,
how you continually place all your hope in Him,
then He will instruct you,
teach you true prayer,
give you that authentic charity that is Himself.
Then, He will become everything to you:
your Paradise, Life-giving Tree,
Precious Pearl, Crown, Architect, Farmer,
One subject to suffering
but not afflicted with suffering,
Man, God, Wine, Living Water,
Lamb, Bridegroom, Soldier, Armour,
Christ Who is “All in All” (1Cor 1B,28).

St Macarius of Egypt (c 300-390)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, FRANCISCAN OFM, GOD ALONE!, MODESTY, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on THE LIGHT of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on ZEAL, THE EPIPHANY of the LORD, The HEART, THOMAS a KEMPIS

Quote/s of the Day – 12January – The love of Jesus is noble and generous

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Quote/s of the Day – 12January – Within the Octave of Epiphany – Isaias 60:1-6, Matthew 2:1-12 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And seeing the star they rejoiced
with exceeding great joy.”

Matthew 2:10

“When it is dark,
we do not see how dusty and dirty
our house is.
Only when the place
is flooded with sunlight,
do we realise its awful condition.
So, we need the light of God’s grace
to show us the real state of our soul
and to induce us
to clean up our hearts!”

St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231)
Evangelical Doctor of the Church

Grant me, O my God
By St Vincent Ferrer OP (1350-1419)

Good Jesus,
let me be penetrated with love
to the very marrow of my bones,
with fear and respect toward You.
Let me burn with zeal for Your honour,
so that I may resent terribly,
all the outrages
committed against You,
especially those of which
I myself have been guilty.
Grant further, O my God,
that I may adore and acknowledge You humbly,
as my Creator and that,
penetrated with gratitude
for all Your benefits,
I may never cease to render You thanks.
Grant that I may bless You in all things,
praise and glorify You
with a heart full of joy and gladness
and that, obeying You with docility
in every respect, I may one day,
despite my ingratitude and unworthiness,
be seated at Your table
together with Your Holy Angels and Apostles
to enjoy ineffable delights.
Amen

“The love of Jesus is noble and generous,
it spurs us on to do great things
and excites us to desire always,
that which is most perfect.
Love will tend upwards
and is not to be detained by things beneath.
Love will be at liberty
and free from all worldly affections…
for love proceeds from God
and cannot rest but in God,
above all things created.
The lover flies, runs and rejoices,
he is free and not held.
He gives all for all and has all in all,
because he rests in One Sovereign Good above all,
from Whom all good flows and proceeds.”

Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)
(Book III, Chapter V, 3-4)

“Where is the heart that loves?
On the thing it loves.
Therefore, where our love is,
there our heart is held captive.
It cannot leave it;
it cannot be lifted higher,
it cannot go either to the right or the left;
see, it is fixed.
Where the miser’s treasure is,
there is his heart
and where our heart is,
there is our treasure.”

St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)

“Do not live any longer in yourself
but let Jesus Christ live in you in such a way
that the virtue of this Divine Saviour may be resplendent
in all your actions, in order that all may see in you
a true portrait of the Crucified and sense,
the sweetest fragrance of the holy virtues of the Lord,
in interior and exterior modesty,
in patience,
in gentleness,
suffering,
charity,
humility
and in all others that follow.”

St Paul of the Cross (1604-1775)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the KING, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MORTIFICATION, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on the POOR, THE EPIPHANY of the LORD

Thought for the Day – 6 January – The Epiphany

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Thought for the Day – 6 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Epiphany

“The Magi gave Jesus material gifts too, as symbols of their complete dedication to Him.
They gave Him gold because He was a King, incense because He was God and myrrh because, He was Man.
We often say that we love God and wish to serve and obey Him in all things.
But when we see that this entails sacrifice, we forget our promises.

We must ask ourselves if we are prepared to offer Jesus, gold, that is, to offer Him everything we possess, for the promotion of His glory, for the spread of His Kingdom and for the relief of His poor, to whom we ought always to see and love in them, Christ Himself.
We must examine ourselves thoroughly on this.
It is easy to find excuses for not giving to God and to His poor, in accordance with our means.

We should offer too, the incense of our adoration and unceasing prayer.
There can be no sanctity without prayer.
There can be no real Christians, without sanctity.

Finally, we must offer the myrrh of our mortification.
Mortification, as St Vincent de Paul has said, is the ABC of Christian perfection.
St Paul exhorts us to carry always, in ourselves, the mortification of Jesus.
If we are not mortified, we can never be holy and can never share the joy which the Magi experieced as they lay prostrate before the cradle of our Divine Redeemer.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/01/06/thought-for-the-day-6-january-2/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/01/06/thought-for-the-day-6-january-the-epiphany/

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, THE EPIPHANY of the LORD, The HEART

Our Morning Offering – 5 January – Oh Jesus, My Love

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Our Morning Offering – 5 January – The Vigil of the Epiphany of Our Lord

Oh Jesus, My Love
By St Paul of the Cross (1604-1775)

Oh Jesus, my Love,
may my heart be consumed
in loving Thee.
Make me humble and holy,
giving me childlike simplicity,
transform me into Thy holy Love.
O Jesus, Life of my life,
Joy of my soul,
God of my heart,
accept my heart as an altar,
on which I will sacrifice to Thee,
the gold of ardent charity,
the incense of continual,
humble and fervent prayer
and the myrrh
of constant sacrifices!
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", ADVENT, ADVENT QUOTES, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The HEART, The KINGDOM of GOD, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 27 November – The Kingdom of God is near. Luke 21:31

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Quote/s of the Day – 27 November – The First Sunday of Advent –– Romans 13:11-14, Luke 21:25-33 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Look at the fig tree and all the trees,
when they produce their fruit
you know that summer is near.
So too, when you see these things happening,
know that the Kingdom of God is near.”

Luke 21:29-31

“The Kingdom of Heaven
is like a treasure
hidden in a field;
he who finds it, hides it
and in his joy.
goes and sells all that he has
and buys that field.”

Matthew 13:44

“The only true riches are those
that make us rich in virtue.
Therefore, if you want to be rich, beloved,
love true riches.
If you aspire to the heights of real honour,
strive to reach the Kingdom of Heaven.
If you value rank and renown,
hasten to be enrolled
in the heavenly court of the Angels.”

St Pope Gregory III (Died 741)

“How long are we going to put off
obeying Christ, Who calls us
into His Heavenly Kingdom?
Are WE NOT going to purify ourselves?
WILL we NOT resolve to forsake
our customary way of life
to follow the Gospel radically?…
We claim to want the Kingdom of God
yet, without bothering,
to concern ourselves,
with the means of obtaining it?!
What is more, in the conceitedness
of our souls, without taking the least trouble
to obey the Lord’s Commandments,
we think ourselves worthy
to receive the same reward,
as those who have resisted sin,
to the death!”

St Basil the Great (329-379)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“The soul must grow and expand
so as to be capable of God.
And its largeness is its love,
as the Apostle says,
“widen yourselves in love”
(2 Cor 6:13).
It grows and extends spiritually,
not in substance but in virtue.
The greatness of each soul is judged
by the measure of love that it has-
he who has great love, is great-
he who has little love is little,
while he who has no love at all –
is nothing!”

St Bernard (1090-1153)
Father & Mellifluous Doctor of the Church

“Where is the heart that loves?
On the thing it loves.
Therefore, where our love is,
there our heart is held captive.
It cannot leave it;
it cannot be lifted higher,
it cannot go either to the right or the left;
see, it is fixed.
Where the miser’s treasure is,
there is his heart
and where our heart is,
there is our treasure.”

St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)

Posted in CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DIVINE MERCY, DOCTORS of the Church, FRANCISCAN OFM, GOD ALONE!, JESUIT SJ, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on BLASPHEMY, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on TRUST in GOD, QUOTES on WATCHING, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HEART, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 25 November – Our journey to sanctity

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Quote/s of the Day – 25 November – Sirach 51:1-8; 5:12, Matthew 25:1-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Watch, therefore,
for you know neither the day
nor the hour.”

Matthew 25:13

Lord Jesus, Bind Me to Yourself

Lord Jesus, bind me to Yourself
and to my neighbour, with love.
May my heart not be turned away from You.
May my soul not be deceived,
nor my talent or mind,
enticed by allurements of error,
so that I may never
distance myself from Your love.
Thus, may I love my neighbour as myself,
with strength, wisdom and gentleness,
with Your help,
You Who are blessed
throughout all ages.
Amen.

St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231)
Evangelical Doctor of the Church

“The medicine of God,
is Jesus Christ,
Crucified and Risen,
the measure of all things.”

St John Leonardi (1541-1609)
Confessor, Priest, Founder

“Master, which commandment
in the law is the greatest?”

Matthew 22:36

“That first and great commandment
is not only profitable for the man
who keeps it. or for God Who commands it –
the other commandments of God
also make perfect, him who obeys them,
improves him, instructs him
and makes him illustrious;
in a word, they make him good and holy.
If you understand this,
realise that you have been created
for the glory of God
and for your own eternal salvation;
this is your end, this is the object of your soul
and the treasure of your heart.
You will be blessed if you reach this goal
but miserable if you are cut off from it.”

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

“O God, fullness of goodness,
You do not forsake any,
except those who forsake You.
You never take away Your gifts,
except when we take away our hearts.
We rob the goodness of God,
if we claim the glory of our salvation for ourselves.
We dishonour His mercy,
if we say He has failed us.
… We blaspheme His goodness,
if we deny that He has helped and assisted us.
In short, O God, cry loud and clear into our ears:
“your destruction comes from you, O Israel.
In Me alone is found your help” (Hos 13:9).

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

“Entrust yourself entirely to God.
He is a Father
and a most loving Father at that,
Who would rather let Heaven
and earth collapse,
than abandon anyone
who trusted in Him.”

St Paul of the Cross (1604-1775)

“50 Maxims for Attaining Perfection” – all on the link below

Quote/s of the Day – 2 August – “50 Maxims for Attaining Perfection in the Love of Jesus Christ”

St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MODESTY, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on REPARATION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on THE LIGHT of CHRIST, QUOTES on WATCHING, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The LAST THINGS, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 25 November – “Consider now the Way of Light … St Barnabas

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One Minute Reflection – 25 November – St Catherine of Alexandria (Died c 305) Virgin Martyr – Sirach 51:1-8; 5:12, Matthew 25:1-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” – Matthew 25:13

REFLECTION – “Consider now the Way of Light – any man who is bent on reaching his appointed goal, must be very careful in all he does. Now these are the directions that have been given to us for this journey,- love your Creator, reverence your Maker; give glory to Him Who redeemed you when you were dead; be single-minded but rich in spiritual treasure; avoid those who travel down death’s highway; hate whatever is displeasing to God; detest all hypocritical pretence; do not abandon God’s commandments. Do not put on airs but be modest in whatever you do; claim no credit for yourself. Plot no evil against your neighbour and do not give pride an entrance into your heart.

Love your neighbour more than your own life. Do not kill an unborn child through abortion, nor destroy it after birth. Do not refrain from chastising son or daughter,but bring them up from childhood in the fear of the Lord. Do not set your heart on what belongs to your neighbour and do not give in to greed. Do not associate with the arrogant but cultivate those who are humble and virtuous.

Accept as a blessing whatever comes your way, in the knowledge, that nothing ever happens without God’s concurrence. Avoid duplicity in thought or in word, for such deception is a deadly snare. Share with your neighbor whatever you have and do not say of anything, this is mine. If you both share an imperishable treasure, how much more must you share what is perishable. Do not be hasty in speech – the mouth is a deadly snare. For your soul’s good, make every effort to live chastely. Do not hold out your hand for what you can get, only to withdraw it when it comes to giving. Cherish as the apple of your eye anyone who speaks to you of the word of the Lord.

Night and day you will bear in mind the hour of judgement; everyday you will seek out the company of God’s faithful, either by preaching the word, earnestly exhorting them, ever considering how you can save souls, by your eloquence, or else by working with your hands, to make reparation for your past sins.

Never hesitate to give and when you do give, never grumble; then you will know the One Who will repay you. Preserve the traditions you have received, adding nothing and taking nothing away. The evildoer will ever be hateful to you. Be fair in your judgments. Never stir dissension but act as peacemaker and reconcile the quarrelsome. Confess your sins and do not begin to pray with a guilty conscience. Such the,n is the Way of Light.” – An excerpt from The Letter of Saint Barnabas (Chapter 19).

PRAYER – O God, Who gave the law to Moses on Sinai’s height and through Thy holy Angels, miraculously placed there, the body of blessed Catherine, Thy Virgin and Martyr, grant, we beseech Thee that by her merits and intercession, we may reach that towering eminence which is Christ our Lord. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CARMELITES, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on HUMAN DIGNITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The HOLY EUCHARIST

Quote/s of the Day – 22 November – “Charity never fails!”

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Quote/s of the Day – 22 November – St Cecilia Died 3rd Century) Virgin Martyr – Ecclesiasticus 51:13-17, Matthew 25:1-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But the wise took oil in their vessels”

Matthew 25:4

“The Apostle says,
“I will show you a still more excellent way.”
“If I speak with the tongue of mortals
and of angels but do not have love,
I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”
This is charity.
It is “that way above the rest,” which is,
with good reason, signified by the oil.
For oil swims above all liquids.
Pour in water and pour in oil upon it,
the oil will swim above.
If you keep the usual order, it will be uppermost,
if you change the order, it will be uppermost.
“Charity never fails!”

“Love the Lord and so,
learn to love yourselves
that when, by loving the Lord,
you shall have loved yourselves,
you may securely love
your neighbour as yourselves. …
So then, have faith with love.
This is the “wedding garment!”

St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of Grace

“Charity is the sweet and holy bond
which links the soul
with its Creator;
it binds God with man
and man with God.”

St Catherine of Siena OP (1347-1380)
Doctor of the Church

“My dear souls, let us recognise, I pray you,
Christ’s infinite charity towards us
in the institution of this Sacrament of the Eucharist.
In order that our love be a spiritual love,
He wills a new heart, a new love, a new spirit for us.
It is not with a carnal heart but with a spiritual one,
that Christ has loved us with a gratuitous love,
a supreme and most ardent love,
by way of pure grace and charity.
Ah! One needs to love Him back
with one’s whole, whole, whole,
living, living, living
and true, true, true heart!”

St Lawrence of Brindisi(1559-1619)

“Humility and charity
are the two master chords –
one, the lowest;
the other, the highest;
all the others are dependent on them.
Therefore, it is necessary, above all.
to maintain ourselves in these two virtues,
for observe well,
that the preservation of the whole edifice
depends on the foundation and the roof!”

St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)

“A word or a smile,
is often enough,
to put fresh life
into a despondent soul.”

St Therese of the Child Jesus
and the Holy Face (1873-1897)
Doctor of the Church

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 November – “Charity never fails!”

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One Minute Reflection – 22 November – St Cecilia Died 3rd Century) Virgin Martyr – Ecclesiasticus 51:13-17, Matthew 25:1-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But the wise took oil in their vessels” – Matthew 25:4

REFLECTION – “It is some great thing, some exceedingly great thing, that this oil signifies. Do you think it might be charity? If we try out this hypothesis, we hazard no precipitate judgement. I will tell you why charity seems to be signified by the oil. The Apostle says, “I will show you a still more excellent way.” “If I speak with the tongue of mortals and of angels but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” This is charity. It is “that way above the rest,” which is, with good reason, signified by the oil. For oil swims above all liquids. Pour in water and pour in oil upon it, the oil will swim above. If you keep the usual order, it will be uppermost, if you change the order, it will be uppermost. “Charity never fails!” … St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor (Sermon 93).

PRAYER – O God, Who gladden us by the annual feast of blessed Cecilia, Thy Virgin and Martyr, grant, we beseech Thee, that we may by virtuous conduct follow her, whom we venerate in this sacred rite. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY, PURGATORY, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on ANGER, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on REPARATION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 20 November – The Holy Souls in Purgatory

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Quote/s of the Day – 20 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory”

“Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.
Rend your hearts, not your garments
and return to the LORD, your God.
For gracious and merciful is he,
slow to anger,
rich in kindness
and relenting in punishment.”

Joel 2:12-13

“ … Yet only grant me repentance here below
That I may make reparation for my sins, …
That these tears may extinguish the blazing furnace
With its burning flames. …

And, instead of acting like the merciless,
Set merciful compassion within me,
That, by showing mercy to the poor,
I may obtain Your mercy.”

St Nerses Chnorhali (1102-1173)
Armenian Bishop

“The more one longs for a thing,
the more painful does deprivation of it become.
And because, after this life,
the desire for God, the Supreme Good,
is intense in the souls of the just –
(because this impetus toward Him,
is not hampered by the weight of the body
and that time of enjoyment,
of the Perfect Good, would have come)
had there been no obstacle.
The soul suffers enormously,
from the delay.”

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Angelic Doctor

“If, during life, we have been kind
to the suffering Souls in Purgatory,
God will ensure that help be not denied us,
after death.”

St Paul of the Cross (1694-1775)

Posted in CHRIST the JUDGE, GOD is LOVE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL

Thought for the Day – 19 November – The Most Terrifying Passage in the Gospel

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Thought for the Day – 19 November – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Most Terrifying Passage
in the Gospel

“Why should the Eternal Judge punish or reward us, in accordance with our own deeds of charity and of mercy towards our unfortunate fellowmen?
Simply because Christianity consists mainly of charity, since God Himself is charity.
“God is love and he who abides in love, abides in God and God in him” (1 Jn 4:16).
When charity is genuine, being the love of God above all things and of our neighbour as ourselves, it is “the bond of perfection,” (Col 3:14) and, “bears with all things, believes all things, hopes all things endures all things” (1 Cor 13:7).
True love, in the Christian sense, presupposes faith, hope and all the other virtues, whereas faith without charity, is as St Paul says, as futile as “a tinkling cymbal” (1 Cor 13:1).
Even the devils have faith but their faith will not save them.
“He who does not love,” St John tells us, “abides in death” (1 Jn 3:14).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/11/24/thought-for-the-day-24-november/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DIVINE MERCY, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, GOD the FATHER, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on TRUTH, The HOLY CROSS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 18 November – ‘ … We must do this too, when we are feeling low … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 18 November – Feast of the Dedication of the Basilicas of Peter and Paul – Apocalypse 21:2-5. Luke 19:1-10 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“ … He climbed up into a sycamore tree that he might see Him …” – Luke 19:2

REFLECTION – “I’m writing with the desire to see you, a bold and good shepherd, pasturing and guiding the sheep entrusted to you with perfect zeal and thus, imitating the sweet Master of Truth, Who gave His life for us who are His sheep, who have strayed away from the path of grace. True…, we cannot do this without God and we cannot possess God while remaining on earth. But here is a sweet remedy – when our hearts are reduced to nothing and feeling small, we must do as Zacchaeus did. He was not tall and he climbed a tree to see God. This zeal of his, allowed him to hear these sweet words: “Zacchaeus, go home, for I must dine with you today.”

We must do this too, when we are feeling low, when our hearts are constricted and lacking in charity. We must climb the tree of the most holy Cross and there we shall see, we shall touch God. There we shall find the fire of His inexpressible charity, the love that propelled Him, even to the humiliation of the Cross that raised Him up and made Him desire His Father’s honour and our salvation, with the craving of hunger and thirst… If this is what we want, if our carelessness does not get in the way, we can, in mounting the tree of the Cross, fulfill in ourselves, this word issuing from the mouth of Truth: “When I am lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all things to Myself” (Jn 12,32 Vg). Indeed, when the soul is thus raised up, it sees the blessings of the Father’s goodness and power…, it sees the mercy and lavishness of the Holy Spirit, that is to say, the inexpressible love holding Jesus bound to the wood of the Cross. Nails and bonds cannot hold Him there, only charity… O climb this most holy tree where hang, the ripe fruits of all the virtues that the body of the Son of God bears, ardently hasten. Dwell within the holy and sweet love of God. O sweet Jesus, Jesus love.” – St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) Doctor of the Church (Letter 119, to the prior of the Olivetan Monks).

PRAYER – O God, Who for us brings each year, the recurrence of the Consecration day of this Thy holy temple and always brings us back safely to the sacred rites, hear the prayers of Thy people and grant that whoever enters this temple, to pray for blessings, may rejoice in having obtained whatever he sought. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in 7 GIFTS of the HOLY SPIRIT, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, GOD is LOVE, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on STRENGTH, QUOTES on THE LIGHT of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on VIRTUE, St JOSEPH, The HEART

Quote/s of the Day – 15 November – St Albert the Great

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Quote/s of the Day – 15 November – St Albert the Great OP (1200-1280) Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of the Church

“It is by the path of love, which is charity,
that God draws near to man and man to God.
But where charity is not found, God cannot dwell.
If, then, we possess charity, we posses God,
for ‘God is Charity’ (1 John 4:8).”

“Banish, therefore, from thy heart,
the distractions of earth
and turn your eyes to spiritual joys
that you may learn at last,
to repose in the light
of the contemplation of God.”

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

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

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/11/15/quote-s-of-the-day-15-november-st-albert-the-great/

Posted in "Follow Me", LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on ENEMIES, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MODESTY, QUOTES on MORALS, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE

Thought for the Day – 14 November – Good Example

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Thought for the Day – 14 November – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Good Example

“The Holy Spirit tells us that God entrusts to everyone, the care of his neighbour (Ecclus 17:12).
“Let your light shine before men,” says Jesus Christ, “in order that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in Heaven” (Mt 5:16).
St Paul echoes this counsel, when he warns us not to return evil for evil but to “provide good things, not only in the sight of God but also in the sight of all men” (Cf Rom 12:17).
In other words, we are obliged to edify our neighbour by our good example.

Good example is the most effective sermon and it is a sermon which all of us can and should deliver.
We ought to preach this sermon everywhere and at all times – in the Church and outside it, in our family circle and in society, with our superiors, equals and inferiors, when we are speaking and when we are silent, in our behaviour and in our appearance!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/11/14/thought-for-the-day-14-november-good-example/

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, DYING / LAST WORDS, HOLY COMMUNION, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, MARIAN QUOTES, ON the SAINTS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on VANITY, The HOLY EUCHARIST, The HOLY NAME, The TRANSFIGURATION

Quote/s of the Day – 7 November – St Dominic and Friends OPs

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Quote/s of the Day – 7 November – The Feast of All Saints of the Order of Preacher

“These, my much loved ones,
are the bequests which I leave to you, as my sons –
have charity among yourselves,
hold fast to humility,
keep a willing poverty.”

“Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you
after my death and I shall help you then,
more effectively, than during my life.”

St Dominic OP (1170-1221)

“Eternal life flows
from this Sacrament
because God,
with all sweetness,
pours Himself out
upon the blessed.”

“Mary is the divine Page
on which God the Father
wrote the Word of God, His Son.
Let us draw near to her and read her!”

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

“At His Transfiguration
Christ showed His disciples,
the splendour of His Beauty,
to which He will shape and colour,
those who are His :
‘He will reform our lowness
configured to the Body of His Glory.”

“Charity is
the form,
mover,
mother
and root
of all
the virtues.”

“To love is to
will the good
of the other.”

“The greatest kindness
one can render
to any man
consists in leading him
from error to truth.”

St Thomas Aquinas OP (1225 – 1274)
Angelic Doctor of the Church

“The eternal God
asks a favour of His bride:
“Hold Me close to your heart,
close as locket or bracelet fits.”
No matter whether
we walk or stand still,
eat or drink,
we should at all times
wear the golden locket
“Jesus” upon our heart.”

Bl Henry Suso OP (1295-1366)

“Enrich your soul in the great goodness of God –
The Father is your Table,
the Son is your Food
and the Holy Spirit waits on you
and then makes His Dwelling in you.”

“Charity is the sweet and holy bond
which links the soul
with its Creator;
it binds God with man
and man with God.”

St Catherine of Siena OP (1347-1380)
Doctor of the Church

“Once humility is acquired,
charity will come to life
like a burning flame devouring
the corruption of vice
and filling the heart so full,
that there is no place for vanity.”

“A vain question deserves nothing
but silence.
So learn to be silent for a time;
you will edify your brethren
and silence will teach you,
to speak when the hour is come.”

St Vincent Ferrer OP (1350-1419)

St Dominic’s Blessing
By St Dominic de Guzman OP (1170-1221)

May God the Father,
who made us, bless us.
May God the Son,
send His healing among us.
May God the Holy Spirit,
move within us
and give us eyes to see with,
ears to hear with,
and hands, that Your work,
might be done.
May we walk and preach
the word of God to all.
May the angel of peace
watch over us
and lead us at last,
by God’s grace,
to the Kingdom.
Amen

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES on BAD CONVERSATION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on ZEAL

Quote/s of the Day – 1 November – All Saints Day

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Quote/s of the Day – 1 November – All Saints Day

“Similarly, anyone who wishes
to understand the minds
of the sacred writers
must first cleanse his own life
and approach the Saints,
by imitating their deeds.”

St Athanasius (297-373)
Father & Doctor of the Church

“Let listening to worldly news
be BITTER FOOD for you
and let the words of
Saintly men
be as combs
filled with honey.”

St Basil the Great (329-379)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“The Saints must be honoured
as friends of Christ
and children and heirs of God.
Let us carefully observe
the manner of life of all the Apostles,
Martyrs, Ascetics and just men,
who announced the coming of the Lord.
And let us emulate their faith,
charity, hope, zeal, life,
patience under suffering
and perseverance unto death,
so that we may also
share their crowns of glory.”

St John Damascene (676-749)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“I am a sinner
and do not think much of myself.
I have recourse,
to the greatest Servants of the Lord
that they may pray for me
to the blessed Christ and His Mother.
But do not forget,
that all the Saints
cannot endear you to Christ
as much as you can yourself.
It is entirely up to you!”

St Cajetan (1480-1547) Confessor

“God speaks to us through His Saints.
The Saints are those in whom
God dwells in such a special way
that their entire personalities reflect Him.
They live the Gospel perfectly.
Whenever we encounter
one of these privileged beings,
whether in the pages of a book [or online]
or in our actual surrounding world,
let us pay attention to them
and do our best to imitate their virtues.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, ON the SAINTS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on MERIT, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 1 November – ‘ … The Communion of Saints will make up for my insufficiency and imperfection. … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 1 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – All Saints Day – Apocalypse 7:2-12, Matthew 5:1-12 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Be glad and rejoice for your reward is very great in Heaven.” – Matthew 5:12

REFLECTION – “Dearly beloved, let us anxiously attend to all that concerns the profession of our common life, “keeping the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace,” by “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the imparting of the Holy Spirit ”(Eph 4,3; 2 Cor 13:13). From the love of God comes the unity of the spirit; from the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ comes the bond of peace; from the imparting of the Holy Spirit, comes that communion which is necessary to those who live in common. …

“I believe, 0 Lord, in the Holy Ghost, the holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints” (Credo). This is my hope, this is my trust, this is my confidence, this is the whole of my security in the professing of my faith. … If I am allowed, O Lord, to “love Thee and love my neighbour,” (Mt 22:37-39) although my merits are small and few, yet will my hopes reach beyond them. I am confident that the merits of the Saints will help me by the communion of charity, so that the Communion of Saints will make up for my insufficiency and imperfection. … Let charity expand our hope, as far as the Communion of Saints, in the sharing of merits and rewards but the sharing of the latter belongs to the future, for it is the sharing in the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Since, then, there are three communions – the first of nature, which includes the sharing of guilt …; the second of grace and the third, of glory. By the communion of grace, that of nature begins to be remade and the sharing of guilt to be excluded but by the communion of glory, that of nature will be perfectly restored and the communion of anger, will be entirely excluded, when “God will wipe away every tear from the eyes” of the Saints (Is 25:8; Rv 21:4). Then, among all the Saints, there will be “one heart and one soul” and “all things will be in common”when God will be “all in all” (Acts 4:2; 1 Cor 15:28). That we may all arrive at this communion and that we all may be one, “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, and the imparting of the Holy Spirit be with us all forever. Amen.” – Baldwin of Forde O.Cist ( c 1125–1190) Cistercian Abbot, Bishop, then Archbishop of Canterbury (Treatise on the common life).

PRAYER – Almighty, eternal God, Who granted us to honour the merits of all Thy Saints in a single solemn festival, bestow on us, we beseech Thee, through their manifold intercession, that abundance of Thymercy for which we yearn. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The HOLY EUCHARIST

Quote/s of the Day – 25 October – ‘ … The Holy Bond of Love … ‘

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Quote/s of the Day – 25 October – Saints Chrysanthus and Daria Died c 282) Martyrs, Married Couple

“Neither the weeping mothers’ love,
nor the mourning of fathers weeping for their sons,
nor the screams and howling
of the children themselves,
holds you back.
You massacre these little ones in their bodies
because fear is killing you, in your heart.
And you think that, if you achieve your end,
you will live on for a long time,
whereas, it is Life itself,
you are trying to kill!
He Who is the source of grace,
Who is both small and great,
Who is lying in a manger,
causes your throne to topple.
He accomplishes His design through you,
without your knowing it.
He gathers together the children of your enemies
and makes of them, children of adoption.”

St Quodvultdeus (Died c 453)
Father of the Church, Bishop of Carthage

“Without the Cup of the Lord
preserving the holy bond of love,
even if a man should deliver his body
to be burned, he gains nothing!”

St Fulgentus of Ruspe (c 462 – 533)

“Suffering is the ancient law of love;
there is no quest without pain;
there is no lover who is not also a Martyr.”

Bl Henry Suso (1295-1366)

“We should not forget,
that the devil has his martyrs
and that he infuses into them
a false constancy.
It is not the punishment
but the cause,
that makes the Martyr;
that is – the confession
of the True Faith.”

St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 16 October – ‘What is that “wedding garment” then? …’ St Augustine

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One Minute Reflection – 16 October – Feast of the Purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Ephesians 4:23-28, Matthew 22:1-14 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Now the king went in to see the guests and he saw there a man who had not on a wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?‘” – Matthew 22:11-12

REFLECTION – “What is that “wedding garment” then? … The wedding garment” is such charity as this. “Although I speak with the tongues of men and of Angels and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal.” Tongues have come in alone and it is said to them, “Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment? “I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and although I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains and have not charity, I am nothing.”

See, these are the miracles of men who very often have not “the wedding garment.” “Although,” he says,” I have all these and have not Christ, I am nothing.” … If then I have not charity, although I bestow alms freely upon the poor, although I have come to the confession of Christ’s Name even unto blood and fire, these things may be done even through the love of glory and so are vain.
… For “the wedding garment” is taken in honour of the union, the union, that is, of the Bridegroom to the Bride. You know the Bridegroom – it is Christ. You know the Bride – it is the Church. Pay honour to the Bride, pay honour to the Bridegroom. If you pay due honour to them both, you will be their children. Therefore, in this make progress. Love the Lord and so learn to love yourselves, that when, by loving the Lord, you shall have loved yourselves, you may securely love your neighbour as yourselves. …So then, have faith with love. This is the “wedding garment!” … St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace.

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, unto all Thy servants, that they may remain continually in the enjoyment of soundness, both of mind and body and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, always a Virgin, may be delivered from present sadness and enter into the joy of Thine eternal gladness. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on SOLITUDE, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY SPIRIT

Quote/s of the Day – 6 October – St Bruno

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Quote/s of the Day – 6 October – St Bruno O.Cart (c 1030-1101) Priest, Confessor

“No act is charitable, if it is not just.”

“In the solitude and silence
of the wilderness…
God gives his athletes
the reward they desire –
a peace that the world
does not know
and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/10/06/quote-s-of-the-day-6-october-shhhhh-st-bruno/

St Bruno (c 1030-1101)