Quote of the Day – 25 August – The Memorial of St Joseph Calasanz (1557-1648) Founder
“As Scripture says,
“Those who instruct many in justice
will shine as stars for all eternity.”
They will attain this more easily,
if they make a covenant of perpetual obedience
and strive to cling to Christ
and please Him alone
because, in His words,
“What you did to one of the least
of my brethren, you did to me.”
Quote/s of the Day – August 23 – The Memorial of St Rose of Lima (1586-1617)
“Apart from the Cross
there is no other ‘ladder’
by which we might get to heaven.”
“We must not fail
to help our neighbours,
because in them we serve Jesus.”
One Minute Reflection – 23 August -Today’s Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14 and the Memorial of St Rose of Lima (1586-1617)
“But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get 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. “Though 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, “How came ye in hither not having a wedding garment?” “Though,” said he, “I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and though 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.” “Though,” he says,” I have all these and have not Christ, I am nothing.” … If then I have not charity, though I bestow alms freely upon the poor, though 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 & Doctor
“Thus, then, the obedient man,with the light of faith, in the truth burning in the furnace of charity … receives his end from Me, his Creator.”…St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – “God our Father, for love of You, St Rose of Lima left the world and gave herself to a life of penitence, austerity and charity. Help us by her prayers, so to follow the path of life on earth, in complete love of You and thus of Your children, that we may obtain the fulness of joy in Your presence in heaven and be clothed fit for the wedding feast. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Thoughts for the Day – 18 August – – The Memorial of St Alberto Hurtado S.J. (1901-1952)
“I hold that every poor man, every vagrant, every beggar,
is Christ carrying His cross.
And as Christ, we must love and help him.”“I must always consider myself a servant of a great work.
And because my role is that of a servant, I will not reject the humblest tasks, modest tasks in administration, even the cleaning…
Many aspire to have quiet time to think, read, prepare great things
but there are tasks that all reject, may these be my preferences.
Everything must be accomplished if the great work is to be realised.”“Humility consists in inserting yourself in your true place.
Before people, not by considering myself the least among them, because I do not believe this;
before God, by recognising continually, my absolute dependence with respect to Him
and that any superiority I might have, in the sight of others, comes from Him.”“Better to have the humility to begin great tasks with the danger of failing,
than to reduce one’s goal out of pride in order to guarantee success.”St Alberto Hurtado, Pray for us!
Quote of the Day – 18 August – The Memorial of St Alberto Hurtado S.J. (1901-1952)
“Christ roams through our streets
in the person of so many
of the suffering poor, sick and dispossessed
and people thrown out of their miserable slums.
Christ huddled under bridges,
in the person of so many children
who lack someone to call father,
who have been deprived for many years,
without a mother’s kiss on their foreheads…
Christ is without a home!
Shouldn’t we want to give Him one,
those of us who have the joy of a comfortable home,
plenty of good food,
the means to educate
and assure the future of our children?”
One Minute Reflection – 18 August – Saturday of the Nineteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 19:13–15 and the Memorials of St Alberto Hurtado (1901-1952) and St Helena (c 250 – c 330)
“Let the children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”...Matthew 19:14
REFLECTION – “See how fortunate you are to care for these little ones who give God perfect praise and in whom God’s goodness takes such great pleasure, a pleasure that is, in a certain sense, just like that of mothers who have no greater consolation than to view the little acts of their children. They admire everything and love everything. In the same way that God, who is their Father, takes great pleasure in all their little doings.”…St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) [Addresses to the Daughters of Charity, 7/12/1643]
PRAYER – God almighty Father, grant that we may be instruments of welcome and of that love with which Jesus, Your Son, embraces the littlest ones. May we be a society of love and of holy parenting of all children, especially those most in need. St Alberto Hurtado, who so loved the poorest children of your world, intercede for us. St Helena, you were the support and love of your son, bringing him to the love of God and neighbour, pray for us. We make our prayer through Christ, with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 16 August – The Memorial of St Stephen of Hungary (c 975- 1038)
“Be HUMBLE in this life,
that God may raise you up in the next.
Be truly MODERATE
and do not punish or condemn anyone immoderately.
Be GENTLE,
so that you may never oppose justice.
Be HONOURABLE,
so that you may never voluntarily
bring disgrace upon anyone.
Be CHASTE,
so that you may avoid all the foulness of lust
like the pangs of death.”
“Be merciful to all
who are suffering violence,
keeping always in your heart
the example of the Lord
who said,
‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’”
One Minute Reflection – 16 August – The Memorial of St Stephen of Hungary (c 975- 1038) – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 18:21–19:1
“So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”…Matthew 18:35
If you show favouritism, you commit sin and are convicted by the law…..James 2:9
REFLECTION – “Do not show favour only to relations and kin, or to the most eminent – whether they are leaders or the wealthy or neighbours or citizens of the same country. Show favour to all who come to you. By fulfilling your duty in this way, you will reach the highest state of happiness.”…St Stephen of Hungary
PRAYER – Just and Holy Father, help me to overcome all tendencies to show favouritism in my life. Let me treat all persons as brothers and sisters in Christ and work and pray for their salvation. As You forgive me, teach me Lord, to forgive all. Grant that the prayers of St Stephen of Hungary may continue to defend us, as he did in the world. Through Jesus our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 11 August – The Memorial of St Clare of Assisi (1194-1253)
“We become what we love and who we love shapes what we become.
If we love things, we become a thing.
If we love nothing, we become nothing.
Imitation is not a literal mimicking of Christ,
rather it means becoming the image of the beloved,
an image disclosed through transformation.
This means we are to become vessels of God’s
compassionate love for others.”
“ Blessed be You, O God, for having created me. ”
“Cling to His most sweet Mother,
who carried a Son whom the heavens could not contain;
and yet she carried Him in the little enclosure of her holy womb
and held Him on her virginal lap.”
“Gaze upon Him, consider Him, contemplate Him,
as you desire to imitate Him.
….Totally love Him, Who gave Himself totally for your love.”
“They say that we are too poor
but can a heart which possesses the infinite God be truly called poor?
We should remember this miracle of the Blessed Sacrament when in Church.
Then we will pray with great Faith to Jesus in the Holy Eucharist:
‘Save me, O Lord, from every evil – of soul and body.’”
St Pope John Paul II said of Saint Clare:
“her whole life was a Eucharist because …
from her cloister she raised up a continual ‘thanksgiving’ to God
in her prayer, praise, supplication, intercession, weeping, offering and sacrifice.
She accepted everything from the Father in union with the infinite ‘thanks’ of the only begotten Son.”
Thought for the Day – 10 August – Feast of St Lawrence, Martyr (died 258)
When the archdeacon returned, instead of bringing vessels of gold and silver, he brought the poor of the city, saying, “Behold, these choice pearls, these sparkling gems that adorn the temple, these sacred virgins, I mean, and these widows who refuse second marriage…. Behold then, all our riches.”
Christ, that is to say, heavenly mercy, comes to the door of your house every day, not only spiritually to the door of your soul but also materially to the door of your house. For every time a poor person approaches your house, it is without any doubt Christ who is coming, He who said: “As often as you did it for one of these little ones, you did it for me.” So don’t harden you heart, give a little money to Christ, from whom you want to receive the Kingdom. Give a piece of bread to Him, from whom you hope to receive life. Welcome Him into your home, so that He might welcome you into His paradise. Give Him alms, so that in return He might give you eternal life.
What audacity to want to reign in heaven with Him to whom you refuse to give alms in this world! If you receive Him during this earthly journey, He will welcome you into His heavenly happiness; if you despise Him here in your homeland, He will turn His eyes away from you in His glory. A Psalm says: “In your city, Lord, you despise their image.” (Ps 72:20 Vulg.) If we despise those who are made in the image of God (Gen 1:26) in our city, that is to say, in this life, we must fear being rejected in His eternal city. So be merciful here below… Thanks to your generosity, you will hear that wonderful word said to you: “Come. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you”
St Lawrence, your total and complete response to Christ is our example today, please pray for us!
Quote/s of the Day – 9 August – The Memorial of St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (1891-1942) Martyr
“Today I stood with you beneath the cross
And felt more clearly than I ever did
That you became our Mother only there.
But those whom you have chosen for companions
To stand with you around the eternal throne,
They must stand with you beneath the Cross,
And with the lifeblood of their bitter pains,
Must purchase heavenly glory for those souls
Whom God’s own Son entrusted to their care.”
St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross – Good Friday 1938
“Our love of neighbour is the measure of our love of God.
For Christians — and not only for them —
no one is a ‘stranger’.
The love of Christ knows no borders”
“God is there in these moments of rest
and can give us, in a single instant, exactly what we need.
Then the rest of the day can take its course,
under the same effort and strain, perhaps, but in peace.
And when night comes and you look back over the day
and see how fragmentary everything has been
and how much you planned that has gone undone
and all the reasons you have, to be embarrassed and ashamed:
just take everything, exactly as it is,
put it in God’s hands and leave it with Him.
Then you will be able to rest in Him – really rest –
and start the next day, as a new life.”
“Whatever did not fit in with my plan, did lie within the plan of God.
I have an ever deeper and firmer belief,
that nothing is merely an accident.
when seen in the light of God, that my whole life,
down to the smallest details,
has been marked out for me,
in the plan of Divine Providence
and has a completely coherent meaning in God’s all-seeing eyes.
And so I am beginning to rejoice,
in the light of glory, wherein this meaning, will be unveiled to me.”
“Every true prayer, is a prayer of the Church,
by means of that prayer, the Church prays,
since it is the Holy Spirit, living in the Church,
Who in every single soul, ‘prays in us with unspeakable groanings’.”
“Since Mary is the prototype of pure womanhood,
the imitation of Mary, must be the goal of girls’ education.”
Quote/s of the Day – 8 August – The Memorials of St Dominic (1170-1221)
and St Mary of the Cross MacKillop (1842-1909)
“We must sow
the seed,
not hoard it.”
“Heretics are to be converted by an example of humility
and other virtues far more readily, than by any external
display or verbal battles.
So let us arm ourselves with
devout prayers and set off showing signs of genuine humility
and go barefooted to combat Goliath.”
“A man who governs his passions is master of his world.
We must either command them or be enslaved by them.
It is better to be a hammer than an anvil.”
“Whatever troubles may be before you,
accept them bravely,
remembering Whom you are trying to follow.
Do not be afraid.
Love one another, bear with one another
and let charity guide you all your life.
God will reward you as only He can.”
Quote/s of the Day – 4 August – The Memorial of St John Vianney (1786-1859)
“Here is the rule
for everyday life.
Do not do anything,
which you cannot
offer to God.”
“Man is a beggar
who needs to ask God
for everything.”
“If people would do for God
what they do for the world,
what a great number of Christians
would go to Heaven.”
“You either
belong wholly
to the world
or wholly to God.”
“You must accept your cross.
If you bear it courageously,
it will carry you to heaven.”
“We should consider
those moments spent before
the Blessed Sacrament
as the happiest of our lives.”
“His look rests on you alone.”
One Minute Reflection – 4 August – The Memorial of St John Vianney (1786-1859)
But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you...Matthew 5:44
REFLECTION – “All our religion is but a false religion and all our virtues are mere illusions and we ourselves are only hypocrites in the sight of God, if we have not that universal charity for everyone – for the good and for the bad, for the poor and for the rich and for all those who do us harm, as much as those who do us good.” – St John Vianney
PRAYER – Almighty and merciful God, by Your grace, St John Vianney was remarkable for his zeal as priest and shepherd. Help us, by his example and prayers, to win our brethren for Christ by our love and to share with them in eternal glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 2 August – The Memorial of Sts Peter Faber (1506-1546)
and Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868)
“Take care, take care, never to close your heart to anyone!”
“Seek grace for the smallest things,
and you will find grace to accomplish,
to believe in,
and to hope for,
the greatest things.
Attend to the smallest things,
examine them,
think about putting them into effect,
and the Lord will grant you greater.”
“To find God in the works,
compared to finding Him in prayer,
is often like the actual execution,
compared to the mere desire.”
“Eucharistic adoration is the greatest of actions.
To adore is to share the life of Mary on earth
when she adored the Word Incarnate in her virginal womb,
when she adored Him in the Crib,
on Calvary,
in the divine Eucharist.”
“When we work hard, we must eat well.
What a joy, that you can receive Holy Communion often!
It’s our life and support in this life – receive Communion often
and Jesus will change you into Himself.”
One Minute Reflection – 2 August – The Memorial of St Peter Faber S.J. (1506-1546)
‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your almsgiving remembered before God.’...Acts 10:31
REFLECTION – “I then noted that by seeking God in good works through the spirit, one will more readily find Him afterwards in prayer than if one had sought Him first in prayer so as to find Him subsequently in good works, as is often done. For he who seeks and finds the spirit of Christ in good works makes much more solid progress than the person whose activity is limited to prayer alone.”…St Peter Faber
PRAYER – Lord God, light of the faithful and shepherd of souls, who gave blessed Peter to Your Church, to feed Your flock by his teaching and form them by his example, grant that by his intercession, we may keep the faith which he taught and follow in the way he walked. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Pope Francis honours Ignatius, calls us to more faithful life in Christ
Pope Francis’ Homily on the feast of St Ignatius 2013 – Wednesday, 31 July 2013
“In this Eucharist in which we celebrate our Father Ignatius of Loyola, in light of the Readings we have heard, I would like to propose three simple thoughts guided by three expressions: to put Christ and the Church in the centre; to allow ourselves to be conquered by Him in order to serve; to feel the shame of our limitations and our sins, in order to be humble before Him and before the brothers.
The emblem of us Jesuits is a monogram, the acronym of “Jesus, the Saviour of Mankind” (IHS). Every one of you can tell me – we know that very well! But this crest continually reminds us of a reality that we must never forget – the centrality of Christ for each one of us and for the whole Company, the Company that Saint Ignatius wanted to name “of Jesus” to indicate the point of reference.
Moreover, even at the beginning of the Spiritual Exercises he places our Lord Jesus Christ, our Creator and Saviour (Spiritual Exercises, 6) in front of us. And this leads all of us Jesuits and the whole Company, to be “decentred,” to have “Christ more and more” before us, the “Deus semper maior”, the “intimior intimo meo”, that leads us continually outside ourselves, that brings us to a certain kenosis, a “going beyond our own loves, desires, and interests” (Sp. Ex., 189).
Isn’t it obvious, the question for us? For all of us? “Is Christ the centre of my life? Do I really put Christ at the centre of my life?” Because there is always the temptation to want to put ourselves in the centre. And when a Jesuit puts himself and not Christ in the centre, he goes astray.
In the first Reading, Moses forcefully calls upon the people to love the Lord, to walk in His ways, “because He is your life” (cf. Deut. 30, 16-20). Christ is our life! The centrality of Christ corresponds also to the centrality of the Church: they are two flames that cannot be separated: I cannot follow Christ except in and with the Church. And even in this case we Jesuits and the whole Company, are not at the centre, we are, so to speak, “displaced”, we are at the service of Christ and of the Church, the Bride of Christ our Lord, who is our Holy Mother Hierarchical Church (cf. Sp. Ex. 353).
To be men routed and grounded in the Church, that is what Jesus desires of us. There cannot be parallel or isolated paths for us. Yes, paths of searching, creative paths, yes, this is important: to go to the peripheries, so many peripheries. This takes creativity but always in community, in the Church, with this membership that give us the courage to go forward. To serve Christ is to love this concrete Church and to serve her with generosity and with the spirit of obedience.
“Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it . . . If anyone is ashamed of me . . .” (Lk 9:23). And so on. The shame of the Jesuit. The invitation that Jesus makes is for us to never be ashamed of Him but to always follow Him with total dedication, trusting Him and entrusting ourselves to Him. But looking at Jesus, as Saint Ignatius teaches us in the First Week, above all looking at Christ crucified, we have that very human and noble feeling that is the shame of not reaching the highest point; we look at the wisdom of Christ and at our ignorance; at His omnipotence and our weakness; at His justice and our iniquity; at His goodness and our wickedness (cf. Sp. Ex. 59).
Ask for the grace of shame; the shame that comes from the constant dialogue of mercy with Him; the shame that makes us blush before Jesus Christ; the shame that puts us in tune with the heart of Christ who is made sin for me; the shame that harmonises our heart in tears and accompanies us in the daily following of “my Lord”. And this always brings us, as individuals and as a Company, to humility, to living this great virtue. Humility that makes us understand, each day, that it is not for us to build the Kingdom of God but it is always the grace of God working within us; humility that pushes us to put our whole being not at the service of ourselves and our own ideas but at the service of Christ and of the Church, like clay pots, fragile, inadequate, insufficient but having within them an immense treasure that we carry and that we communicate (2 Cor. 4:7).
It is always pleasant for me to think of the sunset of the Jesuit, when a Jesuit finishes his life, when the sun goes down. And two icons of the sunset of the Jesuit always come to me: one classical, that of Saint Francis Xavier, looking at China. Art has painted this sunset so many times, this ‘end’ of Xavier. Even in literature, in that beautiful peace by Pemàn. At the end, having nothing but in the sight of the Lord; it does me good to thing about this. The other sunset, the other icon that comes to me as an example, is that of Padre Arrupe in the last interview in the refugee camp, when he told us – something he himself said – “I say this as if it were my swan song: pray.” Prayer, the union with Jesus. And, after having said this, he caught the plane and arrived at Rome with the stroke that was the beginning of so long and so exemplary a sunset. Two sunsets, two icons that all of us would do well to look at, and to go back to these two. And to ask for the grace that our sunset will be like theirs.
Dear brothers, let us turn again to Our Lady, to her who bore Christ in her womb and accompanied the first steps of the Church. May she help us to always put Christ and His Church at the centre of our lives and of our ministry. May she, who was the first and most perfect disciple of her Son help us to allow ourselves to be conquered by Christ in order to follow Him and to serve Him in every situation. May she that answered the announcement of the Angel with the most profound humility: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to thy word” (Lk 1:38), make us feel the shame for our inadequacy before the treasure that has been entrusted to us, in order to live the virtue of humility before God. 
May our journey be accompanied by the paternal intercession of Saint Ignatius and of all the Jesuit saints, who continue to teach us to do all things “ad majorem Dei gloriam.”
Quote/s of the Day – 31 July – The Memorial of St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)
“If our church is not marked by caring for the poor,
the oppressed, the hungry, we are guilty of heresy.”
“Be generous to the poor orphans and those in need.
The man to whom our Lord has been liberal
ought not to be stingy.
We shall one day find in Heaven as much rest and joy
as we ourselves have dispensed in this life.”
“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…..If God causes you
to suffer much, it is a sign that He certainly
intends to make you a saint.”
Quote/s of the Day 30 July – The Memorial of St Peter Chrysologus “Golden Words”
(c 400-450) Father & Doctor
“Each of us is called to be both a sacrifice to God and His priest.
Do not forfeit what divine authority confers on you.
Put on the garment of holiness,
gird yourself with the belt of chastity.
Let Christ be your helmet,
let the cross on your forehead be your unfailing protection.
Your breastplate should be the knowledge of God
that He Himself has given you.
Keep burning continually the sweet smelling incense of prayer.
Take up the sword of the Spirit.
Let your heart be an altar.
Then, with full confidence in God, present your body for sacrifice.
God desires not death but faith;
God thirsts not for blood but for self-surrender;
God is appeased not by slaughter but by the offering of your free will.”
“He is The Bread sown in the virgin,
leavened in the Flesh,
moulded in His Passion,
baked in the furnace of the Sepulchre,
placed in the Churches
and set upon the Altars,
which daily supplies Heavenly Food to the faithful.”
“For he who touches
the Body of Christ unworthily,
receives his damnation.”
“Now that we are reborn,…
in the likeness of our Lord
and have indeed been adopted
by God as his children,
let us put on the complete image
of our Creator
so as to be wholly like Him,
not in the glory that He alone possesses
but in innocence, simplicity, gentleness,
patience, humility, mercy, harmony,
those qualities in which He chose to become
and to be, one with us.”
“The poor stretch out the hand
but God receives what is offered.”
” If you want God to know that you are hungry,
know that another is hungry.
If you hope for mercy, show mercy.
If you look for kindness, show kindness.
If you want to receive, give.
If you ask for yourself what you deny to others,
your asking is a mockery.”
“Anyone who wishes
to frolic with the devil
cannot rejoice with Christ.”
“We exhort you, in every respect, honourable brother,
to heed obediently what has been written
by the Most Blessed Pope of the City of Rome;
for Blessed Peter, who lives and presides in his own see,
provides the truth of faith to those who seek it.”
Quote/s of the Day – 29 July – Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Today’s Gospel: John 6:1–15 and the Memorial of St Martha
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” – Luke 10:42
“Our Lord’s words teach us that though we labour
among the many distractions of this world,
we should have but one goal.
For we are but travelers
on a journey without as yet a fixed abode;
we are on our way, not yet in our native land;
we are in a state of longing, not yet of enjoyment.
But let us continue on our way
and continue without sloth or respite,
so that we may ultimately arrive at our destination.”
One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him,
“There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are they among so many?”…John 6:8-9
“Before the suffering, loneliness, poverty
and difficulties of so many people,
what can we ourselves do?
Complaining doesn’t resolve anything
but we can offer the little that we have,
like the lad in the Gospel.
We surely have a few hours of time, certain talents, some skills….
Who among us doesn’t have “five loaves and two fish” of his own?
We all have them!
If we are willing to place them in the Lord’s hands,
they will be enough to bring about a little more love,
peace, justice and especially joy in the world.”
One Minute Reflection – 27 July – Friday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 13:18–23
“As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”...Matthew 13:23
REFLECTION – “Indeed, you all know how land is cultivated. First of all you pull out the weeds and throw away the stones, then you work the ground itself. You do it again a second time, a third time and finally… you sow. Oh, let it be like this in our souls! First of all let us uproot the weeds, that is to say our evil thoughts; then take out the stones, in other words all our malice and obstinacy. Finally, let us work our hearts with the plough of the Gospel and the ploughshare of the cross. Let us break it by repentance, turn over the soil with almsgiving and with charity, prepare it for the seed of Our Lord… that it may joyfully receive the seed of the divine word and bring forth fruit, not just thirty but sixty and a hundredfold.”...St Caesarius of Arles (470-543) Monk & Bishop (Sermons to the people, no.6 passim ; SC 175)
PRAYER – A pure heart create for me O God, put a steadfast spirit within me! (Ps 50[51]) Lord God, bestow a full measure of Your grace to us. Keep us within in the path of Your commandments, help us to work on the earth of our souls, rooting out the weeds and casting forth the stones of malice. Grant that by the prayers of St Pope Celestine, who faced so many stones of heresy, we may succeed in attaining sanctity. Through Christ, our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God, forever, amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 20 July – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 12:1-8
” And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless…”.…Matthew 12:7
“I desire mercy”:
namely, the loyalty of a heart,
that recognises its own sins,
that mends its ways and returns,
to be faithful to the covenant with God.
“And not sacrifice”:
without a penitent heart,
every religious action is ineffective!”
” If our heart is closed,
if our heart is made of stone,
then the stones will end up
in our hands and, then,
we will be ready
to throw them at someone.”
Thought for the Day – 19 July – Thursday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 11:28-30.
“Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”…Matthew 11:28-30
“Bear one another’s burdens and so you will fulfil the law of Christ.” Sin is a burden as the psalmist attests when he says: “My sins weigh heavy upon me.” But the Lord has carried this burden for us, teaching us, by His example what we ourselves should do. For it is He who bore the burden of our sins; He was stricken for our sake (cf Is 53:8) and invites those who are weighed down by the heavy burden of the Law and of their sins to carry the easy burden of virtue, saying: “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Mt 11:30).
Therefore, whoever holds out a hand to the person who begs for support, not despairing of a neighbour’s salvation, who weeps with those who weep, is weak with those who are weak and who regards other’s sins as though they were his own – such a one, fulfils through charity, the law of Christ. What is this law of Christ? “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another” (Jn 13:34). What is the law of the Son of God? “Love one another as I have loved you.” How has the Son of God loved us? No one has greater love than this, “to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15:13).
Someone who shows no clemency, who is not clothed with the bowels of mercy and tears, no matter what sort of student he is in spirituality, such a one does not fulfil the law of Christ.
Someone who comes to the assistance of the poor weighed down by the burden of destitution and makes friends with dishonest wealth (Lk 16:9), such a one shoulders the needs of his neighbour. This is the one to whom Jesus will say after the general resurrection: “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink” (Mt 25:34-35).
Quote/s of the Day – 17 July – Tuesday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, B – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 11:20-24
“When once you have departed this life,
there is no longer any place for repentance,
no way of making satisfaction.
Here, life is either lost or kept.
Here, by the worship of God and by the fruit of faith,
provision is made for eternal salvation.
Let no one be kept back either by his sins
or by his years from coming to obtain salvation.
To him who still remains in this world,
there is no repentance that is too late.”
“Do you fast?
Then feed the hungry,
give drink to the thirsty,
visit the sick, do not forget the imprisoned,
have pity on the tortured,
comfort those who grieve and who weep,
be merciful, humble, kind, calm, patient, sympathetic,
forgiving, reverent, truthful and pious,
so that God might accept your fasting
and might plentifully grant you the fruits of repentance.”
“Since it is likely that, being men, they would sin every day,
St Paul consoles his hearers by saying ‘renew yourselves’
from day to day.
This is what we do with houses:
we keep constantly repairing them as they wear old.
You should do the same thing to yourself.
Have you sinned today?
Have you made your soul old?
Do not despair, do not despond
but renew your soul by repentance and tears and Confession
and by doing good things.
And never cease doing this.”
“If repentance is neglected for an instant,
one can lose the power of the Resurrection
as he lives with the weakness of tepidity
and the potential of his fall.”
“Reform yourself and so be always ready.
Be not afraid of the last day, as a thief,
who will break up your house as you sleep
but awake and reform yourself today.”
“In failing to confess, Lord,
I would only hide You from myself,
not myself from You.”
“To do penance
is to bewail the evil we have done
and to do no evil
to bewail.”
“Repentance raises the fallen,
mourning knocks at the gate of Heaven
and holy humility opens it.”
“Repentance is the renewal of baptism.
Repentance is a contract with God for a second life.
A penitent is a buyer of humility.
Repentance is constant distrust of bodily comfort.
Repentance is self-condemning reflection of carefree self-care.
Repentance is the daughter of hope and the renunciation of despair.
A penitent is an undisgraced convict.
Repentance is reconciliation with the Lord
by the practice of good deeds contrary to the sins.
Repentance is purification of conscience.
Repentance is the voluntary endurance of all afflictions.
A penitent is the inflicter of his own punishments.
Repentance is a mighty persecution of the stomach
and a striking of the soul into vigorous awareness.”
“Confession is like a bridle that keeps the soul
which reflects on it from committing sin
but anything left unconfessed
we continue to do without fear as if in the dark.”
One Minute Reflection – 16 July – Monday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, B – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 10:34-42,11:1.
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me...Matthew 10:37-38
REFLECTION – “A further means of staying faithful, Daughters, is perfect detachment from father, mother, relations and friends in such a way that you are God’s alone. And to possess this great good you have to strip yourself of everything and have nothing of your own. The apostles had just such a detachment. For one cent you will have a hundred, as many women, as many mothers which Providence, Daughters, will never fail you. Don’t you have any courage at all to give yourselves to the God who is so mindful of you? Never claim you are saving something for your own livelihood; always put your trust in Providence. Rich people can fall into need through the accidents that often happen but they will never be in want, who intend to rely solely on God.
Isn’t it good, Daughters, to live like this? What is there to fear? For God has promised that people who care for the poor will never lack anything. O my Daughters, would you not love God’s promises better than the world’s deceits? God is obliged to provide for all our needs.”…St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) – Conferences to the Daughters of Charity
PRAYER – Grant us Your Grace O Holy God almighty, rule over our hearts and bodies this day. Sanctify us and guide our every thought, word and deed according to the commandments of Your divine Son, so that now and forever Your Grace may free us from the world and save us for Yourself. “May the Virgin Mary, first disciple and missionary of the Word of God, help us to take the message of the Gospel to the world, in humble and radiant exultance, beyond every rejection, incomprehension or tribulation. Amen”… Pope Francis
Quote/s of the Day – 11 July – The Memorial of St Benedict of Nursia OSB (c 480-547)
“Ora et labora.”
“Be careful to be gentle,
lest in removing the rust,
you break the whole instrument.”
“He should first show them,
in deeds,
rather than words,
all that is good and holy.”
“Before all
and above all,
attention shall be paid
to the care of the sick,
so that they shall be served,
as if they were Christ Himself.”
“He who labours as he prays,
lifts his heart to God with his hands.”
“Whenever you begin any good work,
you should first of all,
make a most pressing appeal
to Christ our Lord,
to bring it to perfection.”
Quote/s of the Day – 9 July – The Memorial of Blessed Adrian Fortescue T.O.S.D. (1476-1539) Martyr
“In Husbands Bosworth Hall, the residence of Miss Fortescue-Turville, the last direct descendant of the blessed martyr, was found some years ago a very precious relic, being nothing less than the Book of Hours which he habitually used.
The manuscript has suffered a good deal from time and careless handling but on the outer leaf can still be read another series of maxims, a kind of rule of life written and signed by the martyr’s own hand. It will be seen how, while yet in the days of his prosperity, this truly Christian knight was preparing all unconsciously for the martyr’s crown and palm.
The Book of Hours is now reverently preserved as a relic in the beautiful little Catholic church adjoining the old hall of Husbands Bosworth :”
Quotations (slightly updated – from his famous Book of Hours)
…”Pray often.
Also enforce yourself
to set your house at quietness.
Resort to God every hour.”
“Be pitiful unto poor folk and help them to your power,
for there you shall greatly please God.”
“Give fair language to all persons
and especially to the poor and needy.”
“Banish from yourself all grudging and detraction
and especially from your tongue.”
“In prosperity be meek of heart
and in adversity patient.”
“Pray for perseverance.
Continue in dread
and ever have
God before your eye.”
“Also apply diligently
the inspirations of the Holy Spirit,
whatsoever you have therein to do.”
“If by chance you fall into sin,
despair not
and if you keep these precepts,
the Holy Spirit will strengthen you
in all other things necessary
and this doing you shall be
with Christ in Heaven,
to Whom be given laud,
praise and honour everlasting.”
Quote/s of the Day – 7 July – The Memorial of Maria Romero Meneses F.M.A. (1902-1977)
“My secret:
Live making continuous
Acts of love of God.”
“Prayer is like air is for the lungs.
For this reason,
the one who prays is saved.”
“As God gave all the animals
the instinct of self-defence,
He gave humans that of prayer.”
“To remain at peace,
it is necessary to love while suffering
and to suffer while loving.”
“Faith produces miracles,
it is not miracles that produce faith.”
“Give to whoever asks you.
And what can I give?
I must give myself,
I must give my intelligence
to teach those who do not know
and to correct those in error.
I must give my life.
I must give my time
so that all the thirsty can drink…”
Thought for the Day – 4 July – The Memorial of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati T.O.S.D. (1901-1925) “Man of the Eight Beatitudes”
Once after visiting a badly disfigured leper he explained to a friend his rationale for his selfless giving:
“How rich we are to be in good health. The deformation of that young man will disappear in a few years when he enters Paradise. But we have the duty of putting our health at the service of those who haven’t it. To act otherwise would be to betray the gift of God.
No human being should ever be left abandoned. But the best of all charities is that consecrated to the sick. That is an exceptional work: few have the courage to face its difficulties and dangers, to take on themselves the sufferings of others, in addition to their own needs and their own precautions and cares.”
Pier Giorgio was famous in Turin but his family regarded him as a problem . His father, Alfredo Frassati, editor of the daily La Stampa, seems to have resented his largesse. And his mother was inconvenienced by his frequent absences and his lateness to meals. Only after his death did they come to appreciate their son.
A virulent form of poliomyelitis attacked Pier Giorgio in July 1925 and he died within a week. He was twenty-four years old.
Once a friend observed that when Pier Giorgio finished praying in church, he waved a little farewell towards the tabernacle. I like to imagine the scene when this jovial saint said hello to Christ in heaven.
My thought is this, on the Memorial of his beautiful saint, Bl Pier Giorgio, that the greatest gift and the only glory of my life is being a Catholic and striving each day, to grow in those greatest of all commandments, to love God above all and to love my neighbour as myself. St Edmund Campion (1540-1581), put it so well, “to be a Catholic is my greatest glory.”
LET US PRAY:
PRAYER FOR THE CANONISATION
OF BLESSED PIER GIORGIO FRASSATI
O merciful God,
Who through the perils of the world
deigned to preserve by Your grace
Your servant the blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati
pure of heart and ardent of charity,
listen, we ask You, to our prayers, and
if it is in Your designs that he be glorified by the Church,
show us Your will,
granting us the graces we ask of You,
through his intercession,
by the merits of Jesus Christ, Our Lord,
in union with the Holy Spirit,
one God forever and ever.
Amen
Quote/s of he Day – 4 July – The Memorial of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati T.O.S.D. (1901-1925) “Man of the Eight Beatitudes”
“I urge you, with all the strength of my soul,
to approach the Eucharistic Table
as often as possible.
Feed on this Bread of the Angels,
from which you will draw,
the strength, to fight inner struggles.”
“Jesus comes to me every morning
in Holy Communion, I repay Him,
in my very small way, by visiting the poor.
The house may be sordid
but I am going to Christ.”
“Verso l’alto,”
“To the Heights”
Blessed Pier Giorgio’s famous motto, “Verso l’alto,” Italian for “To the heights,” meant reaching for God as well as the mountain peaks. His regular habit was to attend Mass before heading to the mountains and of visiting the Blessed Sacrament upon his return.
He loved the Eucharist.
He would often spend whole nights in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
“You ask me whether I am in good spirits.
How could I not be so?
As long as Faith gives me strength, I will always be joyful.
Sadness ought to be banished from Catholic souls…
the purpose for which we have been created shows us the path;
even if strewn with many thorns, it is not a sad path.
It is joyful even in the face of sorrow.”
AnaStpaul 
You must be logged in to post a comment.