Category: QUOTES on DEATH

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on STRENGTH, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 29 April – ‘Wholly United to Christ’

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Quote/s of the Day – 29 April – 2 Timothy 2:8-10; 3:10-12, John 15:1-7

“I am the vine, you the branches;
whoever remains in me and I in him,
the same bears much fruit;
for without Me
you can do nothing.”

John 15:5

“My sheep hear My Voice;
and I know them
and they follow Me.”

John 10:27

“He [Christ], protects their faith
and gives strength to believers,
in proportion to the TRUST,
that each man,
who receives that strength,
is willing to place in Him.”

St Cyprian of Carthage (c 200- c 258)
Martyr, Father of the Church

“The way to rest is through toil,
the way to life is through death.
Christ has taken on Himself
the whole weakness of our lowly human nature.
If then we are steadfast in our faith in Him
and in our love for Him,
we win the victory that He has won,
we receive what He has promised.”

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

“Place all your trust in God,
let Him be your fear and your love.
He will answer for you,
He will do what is best for you.
You have here no lasting home.
You are a stranger and a pilgrim
wherever you may be
and you shall have no rest,
until you are wholly united with Christ.
Why do you look about here
when this is not the place of your repose?”

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

“For the branch,” says St Augustine,
“there can be no half-measures.
Either it remains united with the vine,
or it is thrown into the fire.”
The same holds true for each one of us.
We must choose, either close union with Jesus,
or separation and spiritual death.
We must decide between a life of fervour in Christ,
or a life of tepidity and sin.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, NOTES to Followers, POETRY, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS

Quote/s of the Day – 15 April – Good Friday – ‘Put on Christ’

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Quote/s of the Day – 15 April – Friday of the Passion of the Lord

GOOD FRIDAY
A Day of Deep Mourning,
Fasting and Abstinence!

The Word of the Cross

“Look on thy God, Christ hidden in our flesh.
A bitter word, the Cross and bitter sight –
Hard rind without, to hold the Heart of Heaven.
Yet, sweet it is, for God upon that tree
Did offer up His Life upon that rood –
My Life hung, that my Life might stand in God.
Christ, what am I to give Thee for my life?
Unless, take from Thy Hands, the cup they hold,
To cleanse me with the precious draught of death.
What shall I do? My body to be burned?
Make myself vile? The debt is not paid out yet.
Whate’er I do, it is but I and Thou,
And still do I come short, still must Thou pay
My debts, O Christ, for debts Thyself had’st none.
What love may balance Thine? My Lord was found
In fashion like a slave that so His slave
Might find himself in fashion like his Lord.
Think you the bargain’s hard, to have exchanged
The transient for the eternal, to have sold,
Earth to buy Heaven? More dearly God bought me!”

St Paulinus of Nola (c 354-431)
Father of the Church

“By the Cross, death was slain
and Adam was restored to life.
The Cross is the glory of all the Apostles,
the Crown of the Martyrs,
the Sanctification of the Saints.
By the Cross, we put on Christ
and cast aside our former self.
By the Cross we, the sheep of Christ,
have been gathered into one flock,
destined for the Sheepfold of Heaven.”

St Theodore the Studite (759-826)
Father, Abbot, Theologian, Writer

“On whose dear arms, so widely flung,
The weight of this world’s ransom hung,
The price of humankind to pay
And spoil the spoiler of his prey
All hail, O Cross, our only hope!”

St Venantiu Fortunatus (c 530 – c 609

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on WILL (Reasonable or Superior), The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The LORD'S PRAYER, The WILL of GOD

Saturday in Passion Week – 9 April – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – ‘… What is the point …?’

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Saturday in Passion Week – 9 April – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – Jeremias 18:18-23, John 12:10-36

“In You, O Lord, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. In Your justice rescue me. – Psalm 30:2”

“He who loves his life, loses it
and he who hates his life
in this world,
keeps it unto life everlasting.
If anyone serves Me,
let him follow Me
and where I am,
there also shall My servant be.”

John 12:25-26

“OUR OBLIGATION is to do God’s will and not our own. We must remember this, if the praye that our Lord commanded us to say daily, is to have any meaning on our lips. How unreasonable it is to pray that God’s will be done and then not promptly obey it, when He calls us from this world!
Instead, we struggle and resist like self-willed slaves and are brought into the Lord’s presence, with sorrow and lamentation, not freely consenting to our departure but constrained by necessity.

AND YET, WE EXPECT to be rewarded with heavenly honours by Him to Whom we come, against our will!
Why then do we pray for the Kingdom of Heaven to come, if this earthly bondage pleases us?

WHAT IS THE POINT of praying so often for its early arrival, if we would rather serve the devil here than reign with Christ!?” – St Cyprian of Carthage (200-258) Bishop of Carthage, Martyr, Great Father of the Church (Excerpt from On Man’s Mortality).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, QUOTES on DEATH, The LAST THINGS, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 April – ‘ … No longer, then, do we die as men condemned …’

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One Minute Reflection – 8 April – Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows – Friday of Passion Week, the Fifth Week in Lent – Jeremiah 17:13-18, John 11:47-54

“ … It is expedient for us, that one man die for the people, instead of the whole nation perishing.” – John 11:50

REFLECTION – “God, the Word of the all-good Father, did not disregard the human race, His own creation, when it was sinking back into corruption but rather, by the offering of His own Body, He destroyed the death men had incurred and by His teaching, He corrected their negligence. So, He restored by His power, all that belongs to man’s estate.

Anyone can find confirmation of this from the Saviour’s own disciples who spoke of Him, for in their writings one reads: The charity of Christ constrains us as we judge that if one died on behalf of all, then all died and He died for all, in order that we may live, no longer for ourselves but for Him Who died for us and rose from the dead, our Lord Jesus Christ. And again: We see Jesus, Who for a little while was made lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honour because He suffered death, that by God’s grace He might taste death for everyone. Then the writer goes onto show why it had to be God, the Word and no other Who became Man: Indeed it was fitting that in bringing many sons to glory, God, for Whom and through Whom all things exist, should make perfect the One Who leads them to salvation. By this He means, that the task of bringing men back from the corruption into which they had fallen, belonged to no other save God the Word, Who had made them in the beginning. Further, Scripture shows, that the Word assumed a Body for the purpose of offering It in sacrifice on behalf of other bodies like His own, for the writer continues: Since the children have blood and flesh in common, He likewise, shared in them Himself ,so that, by His own Death, He might destroy the one who had power over death, that is, the devil and might deliver those, who all their life long, were enslaved by fear of death.

For by the sacrifice of His own Body, He both put an end to the law that stood against us and made a new beginning of life for us, by giving us the hope of resurrection. Hence Paul, the Christbearer, declares: As through a man came death, so through a Man has come the Resurrection of the dead. For as all died in Adam, so also in Christ all shall be made to live.

No longer, then, do we die as men condemned but as men being raised even now, we await the general resurrection of all, which God, Whose work and gift it is, will reveal at the appointed time. – St Athanasius (297-373) Archbishop of Alexandria, Great Father and Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from his “On the Incarnation of the Word” 10).

PRAYER – O God, in Whose Passion the sword, according to the prophecy of blessed Simeon, pierced through the soul of Mary, the glorious Virgin and Mother, mercifully grant that we, who reverently commemorate her piercing through and her suffering, may, by the interceding glorious merits of all the saints faithfully standing by the Cross, obtain the abundant fruit of Your Passion. Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The WORD

Tuesday in Passion Week – 5 April – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – ‘ … We are living here now, as aliens …’

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Tuesday in Passion Week – 5 April – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – Daniel 14:27-42, John 7:1-13

“Fight my fight, O Lord; from the deceitful and impious man rescue me Send forth Your light and Your fidelity; they shall lead me on and bring me to Your holy mountain.” – Psalm 42:1,3

“The world … hates Me
because I bear witness concerning it,
that its works are evil.”

John 7:7

“ … THE WORLD HATES Christians, so why give your love to it, instead of following Christ, Who loves you and has redeemed you? John is most urgent in his epistle when he tells us, not to love the world by yielding to sensual desires. Never give your love to the world, he warns, or to anything in it. A man cannot love the Father and love the world at the same time. All that the world offers is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and earthly ambition. The world and its allurements will pass away but the man who has done the will of God shall live forever. Our part, my dear brothers, is to be single-minded, firm in faith and steadfast in courage, ready for God’s will, whatever it may be. Banish the fear of death and think of the eternal life which follows it. That will show people that we really live our faith.

WE OUGHT NEVER TO FORGET, beloved, that we have renounced the world. We are living here now, as aliens and only for a time. When the day of our homecoming puts an end to our exile, frees us from the bonds of the world and restores us to paradise and to the Kingdom, we should welcome it. What man, stationed in a foreign land, would not want to return to his own country, as soon as possible? Well, we look upon paradise as our country and a great crowd of our loved ones awaits us there, a countless throng of parents, brothers and children, longs for us to join them. Assured though they are of their own salvation, they are still concerned about ours. What joy both for them and for us, to see one another and embrace! O the delight of that Heavenly Kingdom where there is no fear of death! O the supreme and endless bliss of everlasting life!

MY DEAR BROTHERS, let all our longing be to join them as soon as we may. May God see our desire, may Christ see this resolve, that springs from faith, for He will give the rewards of His love, more abundantly, to those who have longed for Him more fervently.” – St Cyprian of Carthage (200-258) Bishop of Carthage, Father of the Church and Martyr (An excerpt from On Man’s Mortality).

Posted in LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OUR Cross, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The FOUR CARDINAL VIRTUES: JUSTICE, PRUDENCE, TEMPERANCE, FORTITUDE

Thought for the Day – 3 April – THE CRUCIFIX

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Thought for the Day – 3 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

THE CRUCIFIX

“Let us weep for our sins and increase in love for our Divine Redeemer.
When we are oppressed by the weight of our own cross, we shall look at the Crucifix and find comfort.
When we are tempted, we shall grasp the Crucifix and turn away with horror from thoughts of sin and ingratitude.

The Crucifix will teach us, as it taught the Saints, the lesson of charity towards God and towards our neighbour.
It will teach us to hate sin and to love virtue.
If we cherish it during life, it will be our consolation to kiss the Crucifix at the moment of death.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/04/thought-for-the-day-4-august-the-crucifix/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/09/25/thought-for-the-day-25-september-the-crucifix/

Posted in CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, The WORD

Passion Sunday – 3 April – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – What does “Christ” mean but to die in the body and receive the Breath of Life?

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Passion Sunday – 3 April – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – Hebrews 9:11-15, John 8:46-59.

“Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord; teach me to do Your will.” – Psalm 142:9-10

“Amen, amen, I say to you,
if anyone keep My word,
he will never see death.”

John 8:51

WE SEE THAT DEATH is gain, life is loss. Paul says: For me life is Christ and death a gain. What does “Christ” mean but to die in the body and receive the Breath of Life? Let us then die with Christ, to live with Christ. We should have a daily familiarity with death, a daily desire for death. By this kind of detachment our soul must learn to free itself from the desires of the body. It must soar above earthly lusts to a place where they cannot come near, to hold it fast. It must take on the likeness of death, to avoid the punishment of death. The law of our fallen nature is at war with the law of our reason and subjects the law of reason, to the law of error. What is the remedy? Who will set me free from this body of death? The grace of God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

WE HAVE A DOCTOR to heal us; let us use the remedy He prescribes. The remedy is the grace of Christ, the dead body, our own. Let us then be exiles from our body, so as not to be exiles from Christ. Although we are still in the body, let us not give ourselves to the things of the body. We must not reject the natural rights of the body but, we must desire, before all else, the gifts of grace.

WHAT MORE need be said? It was by the death of One Man that the world was Redeemed. Christ did not need to die, if He did not wish to but He did not look on death as something to be despised, something to be avoided and He could have found no better means to save us, than by dying. Thus His Death is Life for all. We are sealed with the Sign of His Death – when we pray, we preach His Death, when we offer Sacrifice we proclaim His Death. His Death is Victory; His Death is a Sacred Sign; each year His Death is celebrated with solemnity by the whole world.” – St Ambrose (340-397) Bishop of Milan, Great Father and Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from his work, On the death of Satyrus [Saint Ambrose’s brother])

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, The LAST THINGS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 3 April – Death

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Quote/s of the Day – 3 April – Passion Sunday – Hebrews 9:11-15, John 8:46-59.

“Amen, amen, I say to you,
if anyone keep My word,
he will never see death.”

John 8:51

“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)

Posted in APRIL -MONTH of the RESURRECTION and the BLESSED SACAMENT, BLESSED TRINITY PRAYERS, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY, The RESURRECTION

Devotions for the Month of April – The Resurrection and The Blessed Sacrament

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Devotions for the Month of April

The Resurrection and The Blessed Sacrament

“I am the Resurrection and the Life,
he who believes in Me,
although he be dead, shall live.”

John 11:25

“I am the Living Bread
Who came down from Heaven.
If any man eat of this Bread,
he shall live forever
and the Bread that I will give,
is My Flesh, for the Life of the world.”

John 6:51-52

The Month of April is dedicated both to devotion to the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ and to the Holy Eucharist – the proof of the promise of the love of God and of ETERNAL LIFE.
In the Holy Eucharist, the Sacrament of Love, Jesus gives us the sustenance needed in this life to help us on our pilgrimage to that Eternal Life with Him in Heaven.
This tradition has developed because Easter Sunday often falls in April and when it does fall in March, the Easter Season continues on through all of April.

In essence, April is a Month of Life and, during the Easter celebrations, we celebrate the Eucharistic Sacrifice Christ gave us and the destruction of death by that Sacrifice and by Jesus’ Resurrection. “Christ chose to foreshadow us, who are His Body, by means of His Body, in which He has died, risen and ascended into Heaven, so that the Members of His Body, may hope to follow where their Head has gone before.” – St Augustine (354-430) Father, Doctor of Grace

St Gregory the Great (540-604)
Father & Doctor

It is only right,
with all the powers of our heart and mind,
to praise You Father
and Your Only-Begotten Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Dear Father,
by Your wondrous condescension
of loving-kindness toward us, Your servants,
You gave up Your Son.
Dear Jesus,
You paid the debt of Adam for us
to the Eternal Father by Your Blood
poured forth in loving-kindness.
You cleared away the darkness of sin
by Your magnificent and radiant Resurrection.
You broke the bonds of death
and rose from the grave as a Conqueror.
You reconciled Heaven and earth.
Our life had no hope of eternal happiness
before You redeemed us.
Your Resurrection has washed away our sins,
restored our innocence and brought us joy.
How inestimable is the tenderness
of Your Love!
Amen

“For His Body, has been given to you
under the appearance of bread
and His Blood, under the appearance of wine,
so that, when you have partaken
of the Body and Blood of Christ,
you might be One Body and One Blood with Him.
So shall we become Christ-bearers [“Christophers”].
His Body and Blood are diffused through all our members – see, then,
how we become participants
in the Divine Nature!”

St Cyril of Jerusalem (c 313-386)
Father and Doctor of theChurch

Posted in APRIL -MONTH of the RESURRECTION and the BLESSED SACAMENT, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2021, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

Friday of the Fopurth Week of Lent – 1 April – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – ‘ … Death trembled at His Voice. …’

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Friday of the Fopurth Week of Lent – 1 April – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – 3 Kings 17:17-24, John 11:1-45

“O Lord, remember not, against u,s the iniquities of the past, may Your compassion, quickly come to us, for we are brought very low.” – Psalm 78:8-9

“I Am the Resurrection and the Life:
he that believes in Me,
although he be dead, shall live. ”

John 11:25

“WHEN HE ASKED: “Where have you laid him?” tears came to our Lord’s eyes. His tears were like rain, Lazarus was like seed and the tomb like the earth. He cried out in a Voice like thunder and death trembled at His Voice. Lazarus sprang up like the seed, came out and worshiped the Lord Who had raised him up.

JESUS… RESTORED LIFE to Lazarus and died in his place, for, when He drew him out of the tomb and sat down at his table, He Himself was symbolically buried by the oil Mary poured over His head (Mt 26,7). The power of the death, which had overcome Him for four days, was wiped out… that death might know, how easy it was for the Lord to overcome it, on the Third Day… His Promise is truthful – He had promised that He Himself would come to life again, on the Third Day (Mt 16,21)… Therefore the Lord restored their joy to Mary and Martha by treading down death, to demonstrate, that He Himself would not be held by death forever… From now on, every time someone says that rising on the third day is impossible, let the,m consider him who was raised on the fourth day…

“GO AND TAKE AWAY THE STONE” What is this? He who raised a dead man and restored him to life, couldn’t he have opened the tomb and overturned the stone? He who said to his disciples: “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain: ‘Move from here to there’” (Mt 17,20), could He not move aside the stone, shutting the entrance to the tomb, with one word? Certainly He could! He whose Voice, when He hung on the cross, split rocks and sepulchers, could have taken away the stone with His Word (Mt 27,51-52). But because He was Lazarus’ friend, He said: “Open it that the smell of decay may hit you and you who wrapped him in his winding sheet, unbind him, that you may surely recognise the one you buried.” – St Ephrem (306-373) Deacon in Syria, Great Father & Doctor of the Church (Commentary on the Diatessaron, 17, 7-10 ; SC 121).

Posted in "Follow Me", APRIL -MONTH of the RESURRECTION and the BLESSED SACAMENT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JESUIT SJ, QUOTES on DEATH, The RESURRECTION, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 1 April – I Am the Resurrection and the Life – John 11:25

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Quote/s of the Day – 1 April – Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent – 3 Kings 17:17-24, John 11:1-45

“I Am
the Resurrection
and the
Life”

John 11:25

“We have had Your treasure
hidden within us,
ever since we received baptismal grace,
it grows ever richer
at Your sacramental table.”

St Ephrem (306-373)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Love Him, then, keep Him as a friend.
He will not leave you as others do,
or let you suffer lasting death.
Sometime, whether you will or not,
you will have to part with everything.
Cling, therefore, to Jesus in life and death,
trust yourself to the glory of Him,
Who alone can help you
when all others fail.“

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

“This death … has already levelled
his bow to strike me.
Is it not prudent to prevent its stroke,
by dying now to the world,
that at my death,
I may live to God?”

St Francis Borgia (1510-1572)

Posted in CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The WORD

Thursday of the Fourth week in Lent – 31 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – ‘And what is this tomb?’

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Thursday of the Fourth week in Lent – 31 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – 4 Kings 4:25-38, Luke 7,11-16.

“Give thanks to the Lord, invoke His Name; make known among the nations His deeds.” – Psalm 104:1

And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”

Luke 7:14

“EVEN IF the signs of death have removed all hope of life, even if the bodies of the dead lie beside the tomb, yet, at the Voice of God, the corpses of those ready to decompose, will rise and recover speech. The son is restored to his mother, he is called back from the tomb, snatched out of it.

AND WHAT IS THIS TOMB? Your own! Your bad habits, your lack of faith. This is the tomb from which Christ delivers you, this is the tomb from which you will return to life if you listen to the Word of God. Even if your sin is so grave, that you are unable to wash it clean for yourself, with your tears of repentance, the Church, your mother, she who intercedes for each one of her children, like a widowed mother for her only son, will weep for you. For she feels for it with a kind of spiritual suffering natural to her, when she sees her offspring, dragged down to death, by lamentable vices…

LET HER WEEP, then, this pious mother; let the crowd accompany her – and not just a crowd but a large crowd – and may it show compassion towards this tender mother. Then you will come to life again in your tomb and will be delivered, the bearers will stop and you will start to speak the words of the living; everyone will be astonished. The example of one will correct the many and they will praise God for having granted such remedies to us for escaping death.”…St Ambrose (c 340-397) Great Father & Doctor of the Church (A treatise on the Gospel of Saint Luke)

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, The LAST THINGS, The RESURRECTION

One Minute Reflection – 28 March – “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” – John 2:19

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One Minute Reflection – 28 March – Monday of the |Fourth Week of Lent – 3 Kings 3:16-28, John 2:13-25 and The Memorial of St John of Capistrano OFM (1386-1456)

“Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” – John 2:19

REFLECTION – “… In my view, both the temple and Jesus’ Body are a symbol of the Church… The temple will be rebuilt and the Body will rise on the third day… For the third day will rise in a new heaven and a new earth (2 Pet 3,13) when the dry bones, that is to say, the whole house of Israel (Ezek 37,11), will stand up on the great Day of the Lord and death will be vanquished…

Just as the Body of Jesus, subject to our vulnerable human condition, was fastened to the Cross and buried and then raised up, so the whole Body of Christ’s faithful was “fastened to the cross with him” and “now no longer lives” (Gal 2,19). For, like Paul, not one of them glories in anything any longer but in the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which made of Him, One Crucified for the world and made of the world, one crucified for Him (Gal 6,14)… “For we were buried with Christ,” Paul says and adds, as if he had received some pledge of the resurrection: “And have been raised to life again with Him” (Rom 6:4-9) Everyone is walking in a new life, therefore but this new life is not yet the happy and perfect resurrection… If anyone is now placed in the tomb, one day he will rise again.” – Origen (c 185-253) Priest and Theologian, Father (Commentary on St John 10,20).

PRAYER – O God, Who, through blessed John, made Your faithful people conquer the enemies of the Cross by the power of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, grant, we beseech You, that by his intercession we may avoid the snares of our spiritual enemies and may be found worthy to receive from You the crown of justice.
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 MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on MORTAL SIN, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on The SOUL

Thought for the Day – 26 March – The Human Soul

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Thought for the Day –26 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Human Soul

“Remember that every mortal sin means death to the soul, for it robs it of the supernatural life of grace, making it incapable of every good action and deserving of hell.
If you committed one mortal sin, God could tire of you, as if you were an unproductive tree and put an end to your life, without giving you time to repent!
Then, you would be lost for all eternity.
This thought should never leave your mind, particularly in time of temptation.
At such a time, turn to God with confidence, tell Him that you love Him and do not wish to offend Him at any price.
Face death rather than sin.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/27/thought-for-the-day-27-march-the-human-soul/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/02/10/thought-for-the-day-27-march-the-human-soul-2/

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2022, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The ANNUNCIATION, The INCARNATION, The WORD

Friday of the Third Week of Lent – 25 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – ‘ … By Obeying His Word …’

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Friday of the Third Week of Lent – 25 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – The Annunciation – Isaias 7:10-15, Luke 1:26-38

“Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.” – Luke 1:28,42

“And Mary said,
‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be to me according to your word.’”

Luke 1:38

“SO THE LORD NOW manifestly came to His own. Born by His own created order that He Himself bears, He by His obedience on the tree, renewed and reversed what was done by disobedience, in connection with a tree.

THE POWER of that seduction, by which the virgin Eve, already betrothed to a man, had been wickedly seduced, was broken when the Angel in truth brought good tidings to the Virgin Mary, who already, by her betrothal belonged to a man. For as Eve was seduced by the word of an Angel to flee from God, having rebelled against His Word, so Mary by the word of an Angel, received the glad tidings that she would bear God, by obeying His Word.

THE FORMER WAS SEDUCED to disobey God and so fell but the latter, was persuaded to obey God, so that the Virgin Mary might become the advocate of Eve.

AS THE HUMAN RACE was subjected to death through the act of a virgin, so was it saved by a virgin, was precisely balanced by the obedience of Another. Then indeed, the sin of the first formed man was amended by the chastisement of the First Begotten, the wisdom of the serpent was conquered by the simplicity of the dove and the chains were broken, by which we were in bondage to death.” – St Irenaeus (130-202) Bishop of Lyons, Martyr, Father of the Church (Against Heresies, 5)

Posted in QUOTES on DEATH, St JOSEPH

Second Thought for the Day – 19 March – Do Not Forget St Joseph!

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Second Thought for the Day – 19 March – St Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary

One of the long-standing Follower/Benefactor on Breathing Catholic, who lives in Canada, shared the following with me on St Joseph’s day last year – many of you will remember that, at that time, I had recently moved from the area in the story to where I live now – AND had never heard about Fr O’Hare there:

Do Not Forget St Joseph!

Father O’Hare, a Missionary in South Africa, relates the following story:

“During my residence of twelve years in Africa, I had charge of a territory as large as all England. From time to time I visited my scattered flock. On one of these tours I lost my way and wandered about, without having any idea whence I came or whither I was going.

No trace of a human being could be seen. It was in the dry season and my thirsty ponies could hardly draw my cart. Eventually I arrived in an unknown valley wherein was located the farm of a Boer Afrikaner. The land was scorched by the heat of the sun but I saw a pond near the house. I presented myself to the farmer, told him my story and requested permission to water my horses. This he permitted.

Then I told him that I was a Catholic Priest. I noticed that he was a Calvinist. ‘Oh,’ said he, ‘that is fortunate – for, in the rear of the house there lies a workman; he is a Catholic. Perhaps you can go to see him.’

I hurried there and found a poor boy with death written on his forehead. When I told him that I was the Catholic Priest from the District of Oudtshoorn, 150 miles away, the sunken and pale man raised himself in his bed and cried out with emotion in a tone of genuine thanks: ‘Oh, St Joseph! I knew you would send me a Priest before my death, who would assist me in my last hour’.

What is that about St. Joseph? I asked inquisitively.

Then the dying man told me the following story: “When I was yet a boy at home, my good and pious mother taught me to say every day, ‘Oh, St. Joseph obtain for me the grace of a happy death.‘ From that day on, I never omitted that prayer a single day. I made my first Holy Communion when ten years old, served Holy Mass until my fifteenth birthday and entered the army when I was twenty-one. The Zulu war brought me to Africa. Before leaving Ireland I went to take leave of my poor old mother in my uniform. When we parted she added: ‘Do not forget the little prayer to St Joseph.’

“The Zulu war ended and my service expired; I received my honourable discharge and stayed in the Colony. The nearest Priest to me lived in Capetown, 500 miles distant. After a time I came to this Dutch farmer and have been here for years . Not long ago, I heard that a Priest was at Oudtshoorn, 150 miles away and although sickly, I went there that I might again approach the Sacraments, go to Confession and receive Holy Communion.” When I arrived at the presbytery, I was told that you had already left on your tour. ‘Yesterday I arrived back here, sick unto death and now you see, today St Joseph sends me a priest!’

I remained overnight with him, prepared him, heard his Confession and the next morning gave him the Holy Viaticum and shortly afterwards anointed him and gave him the last blessing.

A little while later he died and the last prayer that fell from his lips was: ‘St Joseph, obtain for me the grace of a happy death! ”

Posted in BAPTISM, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on GRACE, Quotes on SALVATION, SACRAMENTS

Thought for the Day – 11 March – The Growth of Jesus

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Thought for the Day – 11 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Growth of Jesus

“It is impossible to stand still in life.
This is true, whether we are speaking of the natural or of the supernatural order of life..
Life is motion and activity; there can be no cessation.
In the natural order, life begins in the womb and passes through the various stages of infancy, adolescence, maturity and old age.

The supernatural life begins in Baptism, matures in Confirmation and is made entirely holy in the Eucharistic union with Jesus
But, if this life begins to fail, the result can be everlasting ruin.
It is true that in His infrinite goodness, Jesus has provided the Sacrament of Penance for those who fall and extinguish in themselves, the supernatural life of grace.
The Sacrament of Penance, has been instituted for their salvation.

At the hour of death moreover, the Sacrament of Extreme Unction heals the soul of sin and soothes the worn-out body with a refreshing ray of the spiritual life.

But woe betide those who abuse God’s gifts!
If anyone repeatedly rejects His favours and appears, instead of advancing in goodness, to be sliding backwards into ruin, he will be engulfed in the languor of spiritual death!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/11/thought-for-the-day-11-march-the-growth-of-jesus/

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HOPE

Our Morning Offering – 5 March – Shelter Me Under Thy Mantle, Refuge of Sinners

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Our Morning Offering – 5 March – The First Saturday of Lent

Shelter Me Under Thy Mantle,
Refuge of Sinners
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

Most holy Virgin Immaculate, my Mother Mary,
to thee, who art the Mother of my Lord,
the Queen of the Universe, the Advocate,
the Hope, the Refuge of sinners,
I, who am the most miserable of all sinners,
have recourse this day.
I venerate thee, great Queen
and I thank thee for the many graces
thou hast bestowed upon me, even unto this day,
in particular, for having delivered me from the hell
which I have so often deserved by my sins.
I love thee, my dearest Lady
and because of that love,
I promise to serve thee willingly forever
and to do what I can to make thee loved by others.
I place in thee all my hopes for salvation,
accept me as thy servant
and shelter me under thy mantle,
thou, who art the Mother of Mercy.
And since thou are so powerful with God,
deliver me from all temptations,
or at least, obtain for me the strength
to overcome them until death.
From thee, I implore, a true love for Jesus Christ.
Through thee, I hope to die a holy death.
My dear Mother, by thy love for Almighty God,
I pray thee to assist me always
but most of all, at the last moment of my life.
Forsake me not then,
until thou shalt see me safely in Heaven,
there to bless thee and sing of thy mercies,
throughout all eternity.
Such is my hope.
Amen

Posted in LENT 2022, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The HOLY FACE, The LAST THINGS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 1 March – May we be Christ’s!

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Quote/s of the Day – 1 March – Feast of the Holy Face
and Shrove Tuesday

“You have said,
“Seek my face.”
My heart says to you,
“Your face, Lord, do I seek.”
Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
you who have been my help.
Cast me not off,
forsake me not,
O God of my salvation.”

Psalm 27:8-9

“Gather to me my faithful ones,
who made a covenant with me
by sacrifice!”

Psalm: 50:5

“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)

Posted in GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SIN, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE

Thought for the Day – 25 February – Fervour and Tepidity

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

Fervour and Tepidity

“The ONLY choice in the life of a Catholic is between fervour and sin!
The tepid or negligent soul cannot remain long in the grace of God and, when God’s grace is removed, it means the death of the soul.

The spiritual life resembles a steep hill.
A man cannot stay still.
He must keep going upwards or begin to slip downwards.
Whoever struggles on, up the hill is approaching perfection and Heaven; whoever slips backwards, is approaching sin, a dead soul and Hell.

There us NO MIDDLE WAY!
Those who are lukewarm are an object of DISGUST to their Creator, Who casts them away from Himself – “Because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot,” the Holy Spirit says, “I am about to vomit thee out of my mouth” (Apoc 3:16).

So, it is not enough to be mediocre Catholic.
The half-hearted and indifferent are already travelling along the slippery path of sin and are on the waiting list for hell!
It is dangerous for anyone to remain thoughtlessly in this state of spiritude ineptitude.
A man who never thinks of his own salvation, is suffering from a serious illness.
He is running a very great risk of eternal damnation.
He has one foot in Hell here on this earth!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD the FATHER, Holy Name PRAYERS, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY NAME

Our Morning Offering – 10 February – The One Thing Necessary By St Alphonsus

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Our Morning Offering – 10 February

The One Thing Necessary
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

O my God,
help me to remember,
that time is short, eternity long.
What good is all the greatness of this world
at the hour of death?
To love You, my God
and save my soul is the one thing necessary.
Without You, there is no peace of mind or soul.
My God, I need fear only sin
and nothing else in this life,
for to lose You, my God, is to lose all.
O my God, help me to remember,
that I came into this world with nothing
and shall take nothing from it, when I die.
To gain You, I must leave all.
But in loving You,
I already have all good things,
the infinite riches of Christ and His Church in life,
Mary’s motherly protection and perpetual help
and the eternal dwelling place
Jesus has prepared for me.
Eternal Father, Jesus has promised
that whatever we ask
in His Name will be granted us.
In His Name, I pray,
give me a burning faith,
a joyful hope,
a holy love for You.
Grant me perseverance in doing Your will
and never let me be separated from You.
My God and my All,
make me a Saint!
Amen

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, QUOTES on DEATH, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 31 January – St John Bosco

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Quote/s of the Day – 31 January – The Memorial of St John Bosco (1815-1888)

“Do not try to excuse your faults;
try to correct them.”

“Ask your Angel to console
and assist you
in your last moments.”

“Be ever more convinced
that your Guardian Angel
is really present,
that he is ever at your side.
St Frances of Rome
always saw him standing before her,
his arms clasped at his breast,
his eyes uplifted to Heaven
but, at the slightest failing,
he would cover his face,
as if in shame
and at times,
turn his back to her!”

“Entrust everything to Jesus
in the Blessed Sacrament
and to Mary, Help of Christians
and you will see
what miracles are!”

St John Bosco (1815-1888)

MORE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/01/31/quote-s-of-the-day-31-january-st-john-bosco/

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, The HEART, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Quotes of the Day – 28 January – Treasure

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Quotes of the Day – 28 January – Memorial of St Peter Nolasco (c 1182–c 1256) Confessor – 1 Cor. 4:9-14, Luke 12:32-34

“For where your treasure is,
there also will your heart be.”

Luke 12:34

“ For where thy treasure is,
there is thy heart also.”

Matthew 6:21

“We have had Your treasure
hidden within us,
ever since we received baptismal grace,
it grows ever richer
at Your sacramental table.”

St Ephrem (306-373)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“You have made us for Yourself
and our hearts are restless
until they rest in You.”

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

“ He who finds Jesus, finds a rare treasure,
indeed, a good above every good,
whereas he who loses Him,
loses more than the whole world.
The man who lives without Jesus,
is the poorest of the poor,
whereas no-one is so rich,
as the man who lives in His grace.
… Let all things be loved, for the sake of Jesus
but Jesus, for His own sake.”

“Love Him, then, keep Him as a friend.
He will not leave you as others do,
or let you suffer lasting death.
Sometime, whether you will or not,
you will have to part with everything.
Cling, therefore, to Jesus in life and death,
trust yourself to the glory of Him,
Who alone can help you
when all others fail.“

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

Who lives in Love
By St Robert Southwell SJ (1561-1595)
Martyr

Who lives in Love, loves least to live
and long delays doth rue,
if Him he love by Whom he lives,
to Whom all praise is due,
Who for our love did choose to live
and was content to die,
Who loved our love more than His life
and love with Life did buy.
Let us in life, yea with our life
requite His Living Love,
for best we live when least we live,
if Love our life remove.
Mourn, therefore, no true lover’s death,
life only him annoy
and when he taketh leave of life
then Love begins his joys.

“You leave the land just as it is
when you depart,
you do not carry anything away.
Our first aim
is to go to God,
we are not on earth
for anything but this!”

St John Marie Baptiste Vianney (1786-1859)

“If Jesus is not there,
death comes into our souls.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, GOD ALONE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The HEART, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The LAST THINGS, The WILL of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 23 January – Stay With Me, O Lord

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Our Morning Offering – 23 January – The Third Sunday after the Epiphany

Stay With Me, O Lord
By Padre Pio (1887-1968)

Stay with me, Lord, for You are my Life
and without You, I am without fervour.
Stay with me, Lord, for You are my Light
and without You, I am in darkness.
Stay with me, Lord,
so that I hear Your Voice and follow You.
Stay with me, Lord,
for I desire to love You very much
and always be in Your company.
Stay with me, Lord,
if You wish me to be faithful to You.
Stay with me, Lord, as poor as my soul is,
I want it to be a place of consolation for You,
a nest of Love.
Stay with me, Jesus, for it is getting late
and the day is coming to a close
and life passes, death, judgement
and eternity approach.
It is necessary to renew my strength,
so that I will not stop
along the way and for that, I need You.
It is getting late and death approaches,
I fear the darkness, the temptations,
the dryness, the cross, the sorrows.
O how I need You, my Jesus, in this night of exile!
Stay with me tonight, Jesus,
in life with all its dangers, I need You.
Let me recognise You as Your disciples did,
at the breaking of the bread,
so that the Eucharistic Communion be the Light
which disperses the darkness,
the force which sustains me,
the unique joy of my heart.
Stay with me, Lord, because at the hour of my death,
I want to remain united to You,
if not by Communion, at least by grace and love.
Stay with me, Lord, for it is You alone I look for,
Your Love, Your Grace, Your Will,
Your Heart, Your Spirit, because I love You
and ask no other reward but to love You more and more.
With a firm love, I will love You
with all my heart while on earth
and continue to love You perfectly, during all eternity.
Amen.

Posted in ACT of CONTRITION, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on WATCHING, The LAST THINGS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 21 January – “Our lamps are going out.” – Matthew 25:8

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Quote/s of the Day – 21 January – The Memorial of St Agnes (c 291- c 304) Virgin and Martyr – Ecclus 51:1-8, 12; Matthew 25:1-13

“Our lamps are going out.”

Matthew 25:8

“I have not become as wise
as those five wise Virgins.
… But I have become the most wretched of the foolish ones
by failing to keep some oil for my lamp,
namely, mercy together with virginity
or, still more, the anointing from Baptism’s Sacred fount…

Therefore, the doors of the wedding hall
are closed to me too, in my negligence.
But, O my Bridegroom,
while I am still in my body here below,
listen to my soul, Your Bride…
From now on, I will cry aloud piteously,
“Oh, open to me Your Heavenly Door,
bring me into Your Wedding Chamber on high,
make me worthy of Your Holy Kiss,
Your pure and spotless Embrace.
Oh let me not hear the Voice saying
it does not know me!
I am blind; set alight with Your own Light
my spirit’s extinguished flame!”

St Nerses Chnorhali (1102-1173)
Armenian Bishop

(Jesus, the Father’s beloved Son 688-693, SC 203)

“Give me grace,
to amend my life
and to have an eye to mine end,
without grudge of death,
which, to them,
who die in You,
good Lord,
is the gate of a wealthy life.”

St Thomas More (1478-1535)
Martyr

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

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

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, franciscan OFM, JESUIT SJ, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on POVERTY, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The HEART, The HOLY CROSS, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 20 January – Poor

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Quote/s of the Day – 20 January – Hebrews 11:33-39; Luke 6:17-23

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

Luke 6:20

“… Anyone of you
who does not renounce
all his possessions,
cannot be my disciple.”

Luke 14:33

“The Kingdom of Heaven, says the gospel,
is like a mustard seed …
Christ is the Kingdom of Heaven!
Sown like a mustard seed
in the garden of the Virgin’s womb,
He grew up into the Tree of the Cross,
whose branches,
stretch across the world …
Christ is the Kingdom
because all the glory of His Kingdom,
is within Him.
Christ is a Man
because all humanity is restored in Him.
Christ is a Mustard Seed
because the infinitude of divine greatness,
is accommodated to
the littleness of flesh and blood!”

St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450)
“Golden Words”
Father & Doctor of the Church

“Keep a clear eye toward life’s end.
Do not forget your purpose
and destiny as God’s creature.
What you are in His sight,
is what you are and nothing more.
Remember that when you leave this earth,
you can take nothing that you have received…
but only what you have given – a full heart
enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage.”

St Francis of Assisi (c 1181-1226)

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 5:3

“This death … has already levelled
his bow to strike me.
Is it not prudent to prevent its stroke,
by dying now to the world,
that at my death,
I may live to God?”

St Francis Borgia (1510-1572)

“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)

“It was God Who created the fruits of the earth
and gave them to men.
… Evil consists in the abuse of these goods,
which, in themselves, are intended
to be aids to perfection.
It is necessary, therefore, to preserve
the proper hierarchical order of all that is good.
We must guard against riveting
our ambitions on earthly objects,
as if tbey were capable of constituting
the goal of our lives.
God has given us these things as possessions,
not as ends in themselves.
He has ordered us to be masters of the world,
not it’s slaves.
Detachment is essential but not a complete surrender of our possessions.
The latter was never commanded but simply indicated, as an evangelical counsel of perfection.
The observance of this counsel, however,
is valueless, if it is not accompanied by detachment.
Worldly possessions, such as money,
are good servants but bad masters!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GRACE, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR

Thought for the Day – 16 January – The Help of God

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Thought for the Day – 16 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Help of God

“There are several passages in Sacred Scripture which emphasise clearly and effectively, our utter weakness and dependence on God.
“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves,” says St Paul, “to think anything, as from ourselves but our sufficiency is from God” (2 Cor 3:5).

Jesus warns us, that without Him, we can do nothing: “Without me, you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5).
He uses the allegory of the vine and the branches as an illustration of this.
I am the vine, He says and you are the branches.
So it is necessary for you to remain united to me and I to you.
In the same way as a branch that does not live on, in the vine, can yield no fruit of itself, so you can do nothing, if you do not live on in Me.
If anyone does not remain united to Me, he will be like a withered branch which is thrown into the fire to be burned (Jn 15),

We must remain united to Jesus, therefore, if we wish to do anything good and to merit everlasting life.
Otherwise, the supernatural life of grace will not be transmitted to us.
If Jesus is not there, death comes into our souls.
Let us remain close to our Divine Redeemer.
If we continue to live in Him, He will give us everything we ask, as He has promised: “If you abide in me and, if my words abide in you, ask whatever you will and it shall be done to you” (Jn 15:7).

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on MORTAL SIN, QUOTES on SIN, The LAST THINGS

Thought for the Day – 12 January – HELL 1

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Thought for the Day – 12 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

HELL 1

“In whatever you do, remember your last days and you will never sin.” (Eccl 7:36)

“The meditation considered, by the masters of the spiritual life, to be the most useful for rousing the soul from sin, or from a state of torpor, is that on the last things, in other words, on what will happen to us at the end of life.
Amongst these last things, hell is the most terrifying.
Yet, if the mercy of God did not sustain us, we could fall into hell at any moment.
St John Chrysostom meditated on hell everyday.
All the Saints have found in this meditation, the first steps on the way to perfection.
Remember, that a single mortal sin, would merit hell for us!
In that moment, the sinner could have been already hurled into the abyss of torments.
Let us imagine, that we are there …. and, that the goodness and mercy of God has released us from those everlasting, all-devouring flames.   If this should happen, all the sacrifices, which virtue demands, would seem so easy and pleasant.
How ready we should be to do anything, sooner than return to that chasm of eternal sorrow!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CHRIST the JUDGE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TIME, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The LAST THINGS

Thought for the Day – 11 January – The Particular and General Judgements

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 11 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Particular and General Judgements

“How consoling, on the other hand, the last judgement will be for those who have led good lives.
They will see God looking upon them with love and mercy and will hear from Him the wonderful invitation: “Come, blessed of my Father, take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Mt 25:35).

On the day of the general judgement, these words willl be repeated for the confusion of the wicked and the consolation of the good.

Now that we have considered both sides of the picture, let us think deeply about it.
We shall have to render an account for all the evil we have done, of all the good things we did badly or from distorted motives, of all the good actions we omitted to do and of all the time we wasted.
Let us examine our consciences carefully before God, our supreme Judge.
Let us form whatever firm and worthwhile resolutions which seem to be demanded by the circumstances of our lives.
Remember that, as we have lived, so shall we die and we shall be judged accordingly.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/07/24/thought-for-the-day-24-july-the-particular-and-general-judgements/

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SIN

Thought for the Day – 10 January – The Death of the Just as Opposed to the Death of the Sinner

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 10 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Death of the Sinner as Opposed
to the Death of the Just

“Now that we have witnessed these contrasting scenes, let us examine ourselves in the presence of God.
Let each of us ask: What will be my fate?
If we can rank ourselves amongst the just, let us thank God.
We are not there on our own merits.
“By the grace of God, I am what I am” (1 Cor 15:10).

Perhaps we need only reproach ourselves with some deficiency or weakness but, have at the same times, a strong desire to serve God and a great love for Him.
In this case, we can take heart.
We can cast ourselves into the merciful arms of God.
But, if on the other hand, we are hardened and habitual sinners, then woe betide us!
Perhaps this meditation is the last grace which God will bestow on us!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE – The Death of the Sinner:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/01/11/thought-for-the-day-11-january-the-death-of-the-sinner/
PART TWO HERE – The Death of the Just:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/01/12/thought-for-the-day-12-january-the-death-of-the-just/