QUOTES on DEATH – Page 17

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Quote/s of the Day – 5 February – ‘…The Lord’s cup’

Posted on February 5, 2020February 5, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 5 February – The Memorial of St Philip of Jesus (1572-1597) Martyr, Patron of Mexico City

“But to bear with insult,
patiently undergo humiliation,
pray for those who persecute us (Mt 5,39.44) –
that is the Lord’s cup,
that is the Lord’s feast.“

Saint Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church

“O happy ship!
O happy galleon for Philip,
lost for my gain!
Loss—no loss for me
but the greatest of all gain!”

St Philip of Jesus (1572-1597) Martyr,

Patron of Mexico City

“So everyone who acknowledges me before men,
I also will acknowledge before my Father,
who is in heaven…”

Matthew 10:32

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Thought for the Day – 1 February – True Peace

Posted on February 1, 2020 by AnaStpaul

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

True Peace

Everybody desires peace but very few people possess it.
A good many profound and beautiful definitions have been attempted.
Cicero called it “tranquilla libertas,” which one might translate as “undisturbed freedom.”
His general idea was that there can be no peace without liberty.
St Augustine defined it as “Hominum ordinata concordia” (De Civitate Dei, XLX, 13) or “Ordered agreement among men.”
St Thomas Aquinas followed on the same lines when he said, that peace was “tranquillitas ordinis” (Summa Theologiae, II-II, q.29, a1 ad 1) or “tranquillity of order.”
There are three necessary elements in peace.
They are order, harmony and liberty.
Right order is the most important.
Everything in us must be in it’s proper place.
As we have shown in the preceding meditation, our lower faculties must be entirely subordinate to right reason and, this must be completely subject to the law of God.

Every act of rebellion against this proper order, creates confusion in our nature and makes peace impossible.
Furthermore, there must be harmony and agreement.
This means that our minds must voluntarily accept and embrace this just order and not merely endure it with reluctance.
As St Thomas Aquinas says, peace is an act of charity, it comes indirectly from justice and directly from charity. (Summa Theologiae, II-II, q 29, a1, ad 3).
We have perfect peace when this just order holds sway within us provided that we are not enduring it, as if it were a yoke but lovingly accepting it, under the inspiration of divine charity.
This is that genuine peace which gives us the liberty of the sons of God, that freedom from evil, with which Christ has set us free (Cf Gal 4:31, 2 Cor 3:17).
True peace flourishes in an atmosphere of goodness and perishes when it encounters evil.
Whether it is in the field of social relations or in the spiritual life, peace without liberty is not peace at all but slavery and death!

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

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Thought for the Day – 12 January – The Death of the Just

Posted on January 12, 2020January 10, 2023 by AnaStpaul

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

The Death of the Just

“Consider now the death of the just man.
Through his dying tears, he also will see the world slipping away from him. But, one thing will remain to comfort him, namely, the memory of his good actions, of the virtues he acquired, of his fervent prayers and of his voluntary mortifications.
Above all, there will remain his great love of God, for Whom he has lived, worked and drawn breath.
In that moment, this love will even increase the flaming desire consuming his poor, frail body, to be united to God.
He will be able to say, as some of the Saints have said – “I never thought it would be so sweet to die.”
With St Louis, he will be able to say: “I am going joyfully to meet my God.”
He will be able to exclaim with St Charles: “I long for my body to be dissolved, so that I may be with Christ!” (Phil 1:23)

In the sight of God, the death of the good man is a very precious thing. “Precious in the eyes of the Lord, is the death of His faithful ones” (Ps 115:6).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

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Thought for the Day – 11 January – The Death of the Sinner

Posted on January 11, 2020January 11, 2020 by AnaStpaul

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

The Death of the Sinner

“The Sinner must also die.
For him death is really terrible.
Imagine him lying on his deathbed, instinctively aware, that his life is over.
The past will rise up to reproach him, a past full of sin and of ingratitude towards his Creator and Redeemer.
The plans which he has centred around profit, ambition and honour, will have vanished like smoke.
His friends, will have either deserted him, or will be at hand, to utter useless words, which will have no power to comfort him.
Now he must stand alone, alone before God!

What will happen, at that moment?
Perhaps, despair will overcome his soul, as it overcame the soul of Judas?
Perhaps, the innumerable graces which he has despised, will tip the balance of Divine Justice towards the abyss of damnation?
Or, will a final ray of mercy pierce his tired mind, burning with remorse, so that, with it’s last throb, his poor heart will torn towards God and implore His pardon?
Who can say?
It is certain, however, that of the two thieves dying beside the Cross of our Redeemer, only one heard Him say:
“This day, you will be with me in Paradise!”
The other, remained obdurate in his sin.
It is the height of stupidity, to wait to be converted, at the hour of death!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

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Thought for the Day – 8 January – Death

Posted on January 8, 2020January 8, 2023 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 8 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) – Third Day after Epiphany

Death

In theory, everybody believes in death.
In practice, many live as if they did not believe in it.
So, it is necessary and helpful, for us to meditate on death.
We begin to die on the day when we were born.
People say: “I have lived twenty, thirty or forty years.” But, if they said, “I have used up twenty or thirty or forty years of my life,” how many would then be left? We do not know, we only know that death will come at the very moment when we least expect it.
Let us always be prepared.
“You also must be ready, because at an hour that you do not expect, the Son of Man is coming.” (Lk 12:40)

We must always be ready.
Let our faith be lively and active and our minds turned towards God, Who is waiting for us.
There is no need to be afraid.
He is good and merciful.
He desires our salvation.
This is a wonderfully consoling thought. God desires my salvation!
Let us surrender ourselves to Him, therefore, as if we had to die this very moment!

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

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Quote/s of the Day – 8 January – “Take courage, it is I” and Bl Titus Zeman

Posted on January 8, 2020January 8, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 8 January – Third day after Epiphany, Readings: 1 John 4:11-18, Psalm 72:1-2, 10-13, Mark 6:45-52 and the Memorial of Blessed Titus Zeman SDB (1915-1969) Priest and Martyr

“They had all seen him and were terrified. But at once he spoke with them, “Take courage, it is I, be not afraid!” (Mark 6:50)

Prudentius (c 348 – c 413) (formally known as Aurelius Clemens Prudentius) comments on this verse from the Gospel proclaimed during today’s Mass:

Thus I by my loquacious tongue
From the heaven of silence am led
Into perils unknown and dark.

Not as Peter, disciple true,
Confident in his virtue and faith,
I am as one whose unnumbered sins
Have shipwrecked on the rolling seas.

How easily can I be shipwrecked,
One untaught in seafaring arts,
Unless you, almighty Christ,
Stretch forth Your hand with help divine.

(Against Symmachus, 2)

Aurelius Prudentius Clemens was a Roman Christian poet, born in the Roman province of Tarraconensis (now Northern Spain) in 348. He probably died in the Iberian Peninsula some time after 405, possibly around 413.
Prudentius practised law with some success and was twice provincial governor, perhaps in his native country. Towards the end of his life (possibly around 392) Prudentius retired from public life to become an ascetic, fasting until evening and abstaining entirely from animal food and writing poems, hymns and controversial works in defence of Christianity. Prudentius later collected the Christian poems written during this period and added a preface, which he himself dated 405.
The poetry of Prudentius is influenced by early Christian authors, such as Tertullian and St. Ambrose, as well as the Bible and the acts of the martyrs. His hymn Da, puer, plectrum (including “Corde natus ex parentis” – “Of the Father’s Love Begotten”) and the hymn for Epiphany O sola magnarum urbium (“Earth Has Many A Noble City”), both from the Cathemerinon, are still in use today.

“Even if I lose my life,
I do not consider it a waste,
knowing that at least one of those
whom I have saved,
has become a Priest
to take my place.”

Blessed Titus Zeman

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Quote/s of the Day – 28 December – The Feast of the Holy Innocents

Posted on December 28, 2019December 28, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 28 December – The Feast of the Holy Innocents – The Fourth Day of the Christmas Octave

“These then, whom Herod’s cruelty
tore as sucklings from their mothers’ bosom,
are justly hailed as “infant martyr flowers”;
they were the Church’s first blossoms,
matured by the frost of persecution
during the cold winter of unbelief.”

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

“The star of Bethlehem
shines forth in the dark night of sin.
Upon the radiance
that goes forth from the manger,
there falls the shadow of the cross.
In the dark of Good Friday, the light is extinguished
but it rises more brightly, as the sun of grace.
on the morning of the resurrection.
The road of the incarnate Son of God,
is through the cross and suffering.
to the splendour of the resurrection.
To arrive with the Son of Man,
through suffering and death,
at this splendour of the resurrection,
is the road for each one of us,
for all mankind.”

St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
[Edith Stein] (1891-1942)

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One Minute Reflection – 28 December – They are alive!

Posted on December 28, 2019December 28, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 28 December – The Feast of the Holy Innocents – The Fourth Day of the Christmas Octave, Readings: 1 John 1:5-2:2, Psalm 124:2-5, 7-8, Matthew 2:13-18

“A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children and she would not be consoled, since they were no more.” … Matthew 2:18 matthew 2 18 - a voice was heard in rama - feast of the holy innocents 28 dec 2019.jpg

REFLECTION – “Where does this jealousy lead?… The crime committed today shows us. Fear of a rival to his earthly kingdom fills Herod with anxiety, he plots to suppress “the newborn King” (Mt 2:2), the eternal Kin, he fights against his Creator and puts innocent children to death… As for those children, what fault had they committed? Their tongues were dumb, their eyes had seen nothing, their ears heard nothing, their hands done nothing. They accepted death who had not known life. ( … ) Christ reads the future and knows the secrets of the heart, He weighs our thoughts and probes our intentions (cf. Ps 138[139]), why did He forsake them? ( … ) Why did the newborn heavenly King abandon these companions in innocence, forget the sentinels watching around His crib to such an extent, that the foe who wanted to get at the King, ravaged His whole army?

My brethren, Christ did not forsake His soldiers but covered them with honour by allowing them to conquer, before they had lived and to carry away the prize, without a fight. ( … ) He wanted them to possess heaven rather than earth. ( … ) He sent them before Him as His heralds. He did not abandon them but saved those who went on ahead. He did not forget them. ( … )

Blessed are they who have exchanged their travail for repose, their pains for ease, their suffering for joy. They are alive! Yes, they are alive, they live indeed, who have undergone death for Christ’s sake. ( … ) Happy the tears their mothers shed for these infants, they have won them the grace of baptism. ( … ) May He who deigned to rest in a stable be pleased to lead us also, to the heavenly pastures.” … St Peter Chrysologus (400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and Doctor of the Church they accepted death who had not known life - st peter chrysologus - holy innocents - 28 dec 2019.jpg

PRAYER – We praise you, O God, we acclaim you as Lord, the white-robed army of martyrs praise you. (from the Te Deum). we-praise-you-o-god-te-deum-28-dec-2017 and 2019.jpg

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Quote/s of the Day – 26 December – “See the gold that I expect of you” – St Stephen

Posted on December 26, 2019December 26, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 26 December – Feast of St Stephen the ProtoMartyr and The Second Day in the Christmas Octave

“Love, indeed, is the source
of all good things,
it is an impregnable defence
and the way that leads to heaven.
He who walks in love
can neither go astray,
nor be afraid,
love guides him,
protects him
and brings him
to his journey’s end.”

St Fulgentius of Ruspe (460-533)

“He [St Stephen],
followed the Lord in what may be,
by nature, the most difficult and even,
apparently, impossible for the human heart.
He fulfilled the command to love one’s enemies,
as did the Saviour Himself.
The Child in the manger,
who has come to fulfill His Father’s will,
even to death on the Cross,
sees before Him in spirit,
all who will follow Him on this way.
His heart goes out to the youth
whom He will one day await with a palm
as the first to reach the Father’s throne.
His little hand points him out to us,
as an example, as if to say,
“See the gold that I expect of you.”

St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

[Edith Stein] (1891-1942)

“For believers, the day of death
and even more so,
the day of martyrdom,
is not the end of everything
but rather, the “passage”
to immortal life,
it is the day of the final birth,
the “dies natalis.”
Thus is understood,
the link that exists between
the “dies natalis” of Christ
and the “dies natalis”
of St Stephen.
If Jesus had not been
born on earth,
men would not have been able
to be born for heaven.
Precisely because
Christ was born,
we are able
to be “reborn.”

Pope Benedict XVI

26 December 2006

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Advent Reflection – 14 December – Restore us, O God, let thy face shine, that we may be saved!

Posted on December 14, 2019December 14, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Advent Reflection – 14 December – Saturday of the Second week of Advent, Year A, Readings: Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11, Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19, Matthew 17:10-13 and the Memorial of St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church SAT OF THE SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT - 14 DEC 2019.jpg

Let us adore the Lord, the king who is to come.

“… but I tell you that Elijah has already come and they did not recognise him but did to him, whatever they pleased. So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands…” … Matthew 17:12

REFLECTION – “God fixed a time for His promises and a time for fulfilling what he had promised. The period of His promises was from the time of the prophets, up to John the Baptist and the period for fulfilling what He had promised is from John and henceforward, to the end. God is faithful, He made Himself our debtor, not by accepting anything from us but by promising us such great blessings. The promise was not enough, He even chose to be bound by writing, creating for us a kind of bond for His promises, so that, when He began to fulfil His promises, we might contemplate in scripture, the order of their accomplishment. The period of prophecy, therefore, as we have before now frequently said, was the announcement of the promises.

He promised everlasting salvation and an unending life of blessedness with the angels, an unfading inheritance (1Pt 1:4), everlasting glory, His own dear face, His sanctuary in heaven and, by the resurrection of the dead, no further fear of death. This is, as it were, His final promise, towards which all our endeavours tend and after we have received it, we shall seek nothing more, demand nothing more.

Nor has He passed over in silence in His promises and prophecies, how that final state will be reached. He promised us the divine nature, to mortals, immortality, to sinners, justification, to castaways, a state of glory.” … St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of the Church

MEDIATION – “In giving us His Son, His only Word,
He spoke everything to us at once
in this sole Word – and He has no more to say…
because what He spoke before to the prophets in parts,
He has now spoken all at once by giving us
the ALL Who is His Son.” … St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church in giving us his son his only word - st john of the cross 14 dec 2019.JPG

ADVENT ACTION – He gave us His ALL, perhaps today, we can give Him ourselves. May we be free of earthly things, just for today. Restore us, O God, let thy face shine, that we may be saved! Psalm 80:3

PRAYER – “O blessed Jesus, give me stillness of soul in You.
Let Your mighty calmness reign in me. Rule me, O King of Gentleness,
King of Peace.” … St John of the Cross (1542-1591) o-king-of-gentleness-st-john-of-the-cross-14dec2018 and 14dec2019

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Quote/s of the Day – 29 November – Lord Jesus, May we seek Your Face

Posted on November 29, 2019November 29, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 29 November – Friday of the Thirty Fourth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 21:29–33

“The issue is now clear.
It is between light and darkness
and every one must choose his side.”

G K Chesterton (1874-1936)

(Chesterton’s last words)

“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)

“Many who plan
to seek God
at the eleventh hour
die at 10:30.”

Bumper Sticker

Lord Jesus, May we Seek Your Face
By Pope Benedict XVI

Lord Jesus,
grant us restless hearts,
hearts which seek Your Face.
Keep us from the blindness of heart
which sees only the surface of things.
Give us the simplicity and purity
which allows us to recognise
Your Presence in the world.
When we are not able
to accomplish great things,
grant us the courage
which is born of humility and goodness.
Impress Your Face on our hearts.
May we encounter You along the way
and show forth Your image to the world.
Amen

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Quote/s of the Day – 27 November – “But not a hair of your head shall perish.” … Luke 21:19

Posted on November 27, 2019November 22, 2021 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 27 November – Wednesday of the Thirty Fourth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 21:12–19

“Blessed are you
when men revile you
and persecute you …
on my account”

Matthew 5:11

But to bear with insult,
patiently undergo humiliation,
pray for those who persecute us (Mt 5,39.44) –
that is the Lord’s cup,
that is the Lord’s feast.“

Saint Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church

“Sheltered under the name of
Jesus Christ,
I do not fear these pains ….”

Saint Lawrence (Died 258), Deacon and Martyr

“One doesn’t suffer
when one suffers
for Christ.”

Bl Jerzy Popiełuszko (1947-1984) Priest and Martyr

“So everyone who acknowledges me before men,
I also will acknowledge before my Father,
who is in heaven…”

Matthew 10:32

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Thought for the Day – 24 November – “Jesus remember me”

Posted on November 24, 2019November 24, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 24 November – The Solemnity of Christ the King, the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year C, Gospel: Luke 23:35–43

“Jesus remember me”

These words are brought to mind by a line from the Eucharistic hymn “Adoro te devoto,” by St Thomas Aquinas – “I ask for what the repentant thief asked” (Peto quod opetivit latro paentitens). – “Jesus, remember me.”
What a beautiful aspiration!
Each day and throughout the day, we can ask Jesus for the many things we need, summing up our prayers of petition, by asking Jesus to remember us, according to His mercy, remembering not our sins (Ps 25:7).
And, like the good thief, let us ask at the moment of our death:
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42)

“Angels, saints and nations sing
‘Praised be Jesus Christ, our King.
Lord of life, earth, sky and sea,
King of love on Calvary.”

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Thought for the Day – 23 November – “You have not only my forgiveness but my thanks.”

Posted on November 23, 2019November 23, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 23 November – The Memorial of Blessed Miguel Pro – Priest and Martyr of the Cristero War (1891-1927)

“You have not only my forgiveness but my thanks.”

Often Our Lord gives His saints a premonition that the curtain is soon to close on their earthly pilgrimage.

Back in September, when he was beginning his Mass for a community of nuns, he asked the angelic flock to pray that God would accept his life as a victim for priests and for the welfare of the Mexican Church. One of the nuns present, noted, that during the Mass he was totally transported and bathed in tears the whole time they were chanting. At the end of the Holy Sacrifice, he mentioned to someone in the community, “I know not whether it is mere imagination or has actually occurred but I feel clearly,. that Our Lord has evidently accepted my offering.”

One could almost see his mother smiling down upon him from Heaven and repeating those words she had answered him when he was a little boy, “May God hear you, child. But that is too great a happiness for me.”

One of the officers who had captured Father Pro led him out of jail to be executed. He begged Father to forgive him. Miguel put his arm around him and said, “You have not only my forgiveness but my thanks.” He also softly told the firing squad, “May God forgive you all.” Then with arms spread as if on a cross, Father Pro shouted, “Viva Cristo Rey – Long live Christ the King!” before a bullet silenced him.

Although the real criminal and one of Miguel’s brothers were also shot, the other brother was pardoned at the last moment. Despite the government’s ban on a public funeral, thousands came to Father Pro’s wake, for the ‘Blood of the Martyrs, is the seedbed of Faith!’

When Fr Miguel Pro was executed in 1927, no one could have predicted that 52 years later the bishop of Rome would visit Mexico, be welcomed by its president and celebrate open-air Masses before thousands of people. St Pope John Paul II made additional trips to Mexico in 1990, 1993, 1999, and 2002. Those who outlawed the Catholic Church in Mexico did not count on the deeply rooted faith of its people and the willingness of many of them, like Miguel Pro, to die as martyrs.

Blessed Miguel, Pray for Us!

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One Minute Reflection – 23 November – God has called man and still calls him ….

Posted on November 23, 2019November 22, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 23 November – Saturday of the Thirty Third Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 20:27–40 and the Memorial of Blessed Miguel Pro – Martyr (1891-1927)

“He is not God of the dead but of the living…” … Luke 20:38

REFLECTION – “It is in the face of death that the riddle a human existence grows most acute. Not only is man tormented by pain and by the advancing deterioration of his body but even more so, by a dread of perpetual extinction. He rightly follows the intuition of his heart when he abhors and repudiates the utter ruin and total disappearance of his own person. He rebels against death because he bears in himself an eternal seed which cannot be reduced to sheer matter. All the endeavours of technology, though useful in the extreme, cannot calm his anxiety; for prolongation of biological life is unable to satisfy that desire for higher life, which is inescapably lodged in his breast.

Although the mystery of death, utterly beggars the imagination, the Church has been taught by divine revelation and firmly teaches, that man has been created by God for a blissful purpose beyond the reach of earthly misery. In addition, that bodily death from which man would have been immune had he not sinned, will be vanquished, according to the Christian faith, when man, who was ruined by his own doing, is restored to wholeness, by an almighty and merciful Saviour. For God has called man and still calls him, so that with his entire being, he might be joined to Him, in an endless sharing of a divine life beyond all corruption. Christ won this victory when He rose to life, for by His death, He freed man from death. Hence to every thoughtful man, a solidly established faith, provides the answer to his anxiety about what the future holds for him. At the same time, faith gives him the power to be united in Christ with his loved ones who have already been snatched away by death, faith arouses the hope, that they have found true life with God.” … Vatican Council II – Constitution on the Church in the modern world “ Gaudium et spes ” # 18

PRAYER – O God, source and origin of all fatherhood, who kept the Martyr, Blessed Miguel Pro, faithful to the Cross of Your Son, even to the shedding of his blood, grant, through his intercession, that, spreading Your love among our brothers and sisters, we may be Your children both in name and in truth and thus come to our resurrection with Jesus Christ, Your Son. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever, amen. bl miguel pro pray for us 23 nov 2019.jpg

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Quote/s of the Day – 16 November – St Edmund Rich

Posted on November 16, 2019November 16, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 16 November – The Memorial of St Edmund Rich of Abingdon (1175-1240) Archbishop of Canterbury

“… Learn,
as if to live forever;
live, as if to die
tomorrow.”

“I have sought nothing else
but You, O God.”

On his death bed

St Edmund Rich of Abingdon (1175 – 1240)

DOCTORS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, SAINT of the DAY, The LAST THINGS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 15 November – ‘Let us try to merit this hour of eternal delights.’

Posted on November 15, 2019November 15, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 15 November – Friday of the Thirty Second week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 17:26–37 and the Memorial of St Albert the Great OP (1200-1280) Doctor of the Church and of Bl Bl Mary of the Passion FMM (1839-1904)

“Whoever seeks to gain his life, will lose it but whoever loses his life, will preserve it. I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed, one will be taken and the other left.”…Luke 17:33-34

REFLECTION – “Today the Church, the Lord, with His goodness, tells each one of us, ‘Stop, stop, not every day will be so. Do not get used to this as if it were eternity. There will be one day that you will be taken, while the other one will remain, you will be taken, you will be removed.’ It means going with the Lord, thinking that our life will end.”…Pope Francis – Santa Marta, 17 November 2017 whoever-seeks-to-gain-his-life-today-the-church-the-lord-pope-francis-16-nov-2018 and 15 nov 2019.jpg

“It is by the path of love, which is charity, that God draws near to man and man to God. But where charity is not found, God cannot dwell. If, then, we possess charity, we possess God, for “God is Charity” (1 John 4:8) … it is by the path of love - st albert the great 15 nov 2019

“We will not be proclaimed blessed on the altars in all probability but if we are faithful, in Heaven we will be proclaimed ‘blessed’ and that is enough for us. Let us try to merit this hour of eternal delights.” … Bl Mary of the Passion (1839-1904)

PRAYER – Lord God, You made St Albert great by his gift for reconciling human wisdom with divine faith. Help us so to follow his teaching that every advance in science may lead us to a deeper knowledge and love of You. May his prayers on our behalf be a succour to us all. We ask too for the intercession of the blessed Mary of the Passion that her zeal and perseverance may be the driving force of our lives. Through our Lord Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, one God for all eternity, amen. st-albert-the-great-pray-for-usno 2 - 15 nov 2017

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, The HOLY SOULS

Thought for the Day – 2 November – Let us Die with Christ, to Live with Christ

Posted on November 2, 2019November 2, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 2 November – Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

Let us Die with Christ, to Live with Christ

Saint Ambrose (340-397)
Bishop and Great Latin Father & Doctor of the Church

An excerpt from his work, On the death of Satyrus (Saint Ambrose’s brother)

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. Though 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 want 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.

What more should we say about His death since we use this divine example, to prove, that it was death alone, that won freedom from death and death itsel,f was its own redeemer? Death is then no cause for mourning, for it is the cause of mankind’s salvation. Death is not something to be avoided, for the Son of God did not think it beneath His dignity, nor did He seek to escape it.

Death was not part of nature, it became part of nature. God did not decree death from the beginning, He prescribed it as a remedy. Human life was condemned because of sin to unremitting labour and unbearable sorrow and so began to experience the burden of wretchedness. There had to be a limit to its evil,; death had to restore what life had forfeited. Without the assistance of grace, immortality is more of a burden than a blessing.

The soul has to turn away from the aimless paths of this life, from the defilement of an earthly body, it must reach out to those assemblies in heaven, (though it is given only to the saints to be admitted to them), to sing the praises of God. We learn from Scripture how God’s praise is sung to the music of the harp – Great and wonderful are your deeds, Lord God Almighty, just and true are your ways, King of the nations. Who will not revere and glorify your nature? You alone are holy, all nations will come and worship before you. The soul must also desire to witness Your nuptials, Jesus and to see yYur bride escorted from earthly to heavenly realities, as all rejoice and sing – All flesh will come before you. No longer will the bride be held in subjection to this passing world but will be made one with the spirit.

Above all else, holy David prayed that he might see and gaze on this – One thing I have asked of the Lord, this I shall pray for, to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life and to see how gracious is the Lord.

Pray for the Holy Souls, that they may gaze on His Face!

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, PURGATORY, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on PRAYER

Quote/s of the Day – 2 November – Death

Posted on November 2, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 2 November – Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

“When once you have departed this life,
there is no longer any place for repentance,
no way of making satisfaction.
Here life is either lost or kept.
Here, by the worship of God and by the fruit of faith,
provision is made for eternal salvation.
Let no-one be kept back, either by his sins,
or by his years, from coming to obtain salvation.
To him who still remains in this world
there is no repentance that is too late.”

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

“Let us help and commemorate them.
If Job’s sons were purified
by their father’s sacrifice [Job 1:5],
why would we doubt,
that our offerings for the dead
bring them some consolation?
Let us not hesitate to help those
who have died and to offer
our prayers for them.”

St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father & Doctor of the Church

“It is not Death that will come to fetch me,
it is the good God.
Death is no phantom, no horrible specter,
as presented in pictures.
In the catechism it is stated,
that death is the separation of soul and body, that is all!
Well, I am not afraid of a separation
which will unite me to the good God forever.”

St Therese of the Child Jesus/Lisieux (1873-1897)
Doctor of the Church

More here:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/11/02/quote-s-of-the-day-2-november-the-commemoration-of-all-the-faithful-departed-all-souls/ it is not death that will come to fetch me - st therese of the child jesus 2 nov 2019.jpg

BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, HYMNS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PURGATORY, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, The HOLY FACE, The HOLY SOULS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 2 November – ‘O my Lord, what a day, a long day without ending …’

Posted on November 2, 2019November 2, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 2 November – The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls), Gospel: John 6:37-40

‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world’ … John 6:34 john 6 34 - come o blessed of my father 2 nov 2019.jpg

REFLECTION – “Thomas came and touched Thy sacred wounds. O will the day ever come when I shall be allowed actually and visibly to kiss them? What a day will that be when I am thoroughly cleansed from all impurity and sin and am fit to draw near to my Incarnate God in His palace of light above! what a morning, when having done with all penal suffering, I see Thee for the first time with these very eyes of mine, I see Thy countenance, gaze upon Thy eyes and gracious lips without quailing and then kneel down with joy to kiss Thy feet and am welcomed into Thy arms.
O my only true Lover, the only Lover of my soul, Thee will I love now, that I may love Thee then. What a day, a long day without ending, the day of eternity, when I shall be so unlike what I am now, when I feel in myself a body of death and am perplexed and distracted with ten thousand thoughts, anyone of which, would keep me from heaven.
O my Lord, what a day when I shall have done once for all with all sins, venial as well as mortal and shall stand perfect and acceptable in Thy sight, able to bear Thy presence, nothing shrinking from Thy eye, not shrinking from the pure scrutiny of Angels and Archangels, when I stand in the midst and they around me!” … Saint John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

PRAYER- Breviary Hymn – Psalter Week 3 – It were my Soul’s Desire

It were my soul’s desire
To see the face of God;
It were my soul’s desire
To rest in His abode.

Grant, Lord, my soul’s desire,
Deep waves of cleansing sighs;
Grant, Lord, my soul’s desire
From earthly cares to rise.

It were my soul’s desire
To imitate my King,
It were my soul’s desire
His ceaseless praise to sing.

It were my soul’s desire
When heaven’s gate is won
To find my soul’s desire
Clear shining like the sun.

This still my soul’s desire
Whatever life afford,
To gain my soul’s desire
And see Thy face, O Lord. it-were-my-souls-desire-breviary-hymn-sat-psalter-week-3-18-aug-2018 and 2 nov 2019.jpg

FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, ON the SAINTS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, The LAST THINGS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 1 November – ‘With all the Saints…’

Posted on November 1, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 1 November – The Solemnity of All the Saints, Gospel: Matthew 5:1–12

“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”…Matthew 5:12

REFLECTION – “But in the last day of the judgement of God, after we shall have risen again with our glorified bodies through the power of the Lord, these same shall be white and gleaming as snow shining clear in the sun, transparent as crystal… And Christ our cantor and precentor, shall sing with His glorious sweet voice, an endless canticle of the praise and honour of His heavenly Father and we shall all sing the same, with glad heart and clear voice, eternally and without end. The joy and glory of our souls, shall flow into our senses and through all our members and we shall look upon ourselves with eyes of glory, hearing and declaring and singing the praise of the Lord with unfailing voices.

Christ shall minister to us and show us His radiant Face and His glorious Body with all the marks of faithfulness and love therein impressed. And we shall see all the glorious bodies clothed with all the many tokens of love won in the service of God since the beginning of the world… And our living hearts shall flame with burning love for God and all His saints…

Christ in His human nature, shall rule the right-hand choir, for He is the loftiest and noblest being of all that has been made by God and to this choir belong all in whom He lives and who live in Him. The other choir is that of the angels, for although they are of a more excellent nature, we have a higher gift in Jesus Christ, with Whom we are one. And on that account, Christ Jesus will be the High Priest between the choirs of angels and of men before the throne of the sovereign majesty of God. And before His heavenly Father, God Almighty, He will offer and renew all sacrifices which have ever been offered by angels and by men and these same, shall be ceaselessly renewed and remain established in the glory of God.” … Blessed Jan van Ruusbroec (1293-1381) Canon Regular, “Doctor Divinus Ecstaticus” , Mystic, Spiritual Writer – The seven steps of the ladder of spiritual love

PRAYER – Father, All-Powerful and ever-living God, today we rejoice in the holy men and women of every time and place. May their prayers bring us your forgiveness and love. Blessed Virgin, Mother of God, our trusted guide and loving mother and all you holy Saints of the Church Triumphant, pray for us! We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen. mother-mary-trusted-guide-pray-for-us-1-nov-2018and 2019

all saints in heaven pray for us 1 nov 2019.jpg

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, SAINT of the DAY, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 25 October – ‘let us seize upon the grace that is by Christ’

Posted on October 25, 2019October 25, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 25 October – Friday of the Twenty Ninth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 12:54-59 and the Memorial of Bl Thaddeus McCarthy (c 1455–1492)

“As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge and the judge hand you over to the officer and the officer put you in prison.” … Luke 12:58

REFLECTION – “Now all of us, without exception, upon earth are guilty of offences, he who has a suit against us and accuses us, is the wicked Satan – for he is “the enemy and the exactor.” While, therefore, we are in the way, that is, ere yet we have arrived at the termination of our life here, let us deliver ourselves from him, let us do away with the offences of which we have been guilty, let us close his mouth, let us seize upon the grace that is by Christ, which frees us from all debt and penalty and delivers us from fear and torment, lest, if our impurity be not cleansed away, we be carried before the judge and given over to the exactors, that is, the tormentors, from whose cruelty no man can escape, yea, rather, who will exact vengeance for every fault, whether it be great or small.

Far removed from this danger are those who search for the time of Christ’s corning and are not ignorant of His mystery but well know that the Word, though He be God, has shone forth upon the inhabitants of earth in likeness as one of us, that freeing them from all blame, He may bless with exceeding happiness those who believe in Him and acknowledge Him as God and the Son of God, by Whom and with Whom to God the Father be praise and dominion, with the Holy Spirit, forever and ever, Amen” … St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444), Father & Doctor of the Church – Commentary on Luke (1859) Sermons 89-98. luke 12 58 now as you go with your accuser - now all of us are guilty - st cyril of alex 25 ocvt 2919

PRAYER – Lord God, You fill us with Your grace and teach us true faith. Strengthen in our hearts that faith that no trials may quench the fire, that we may seek Your face in every moment and accept AND LIVE all of Your will. Send us Your Spirit to keep the fire blazing. May the humble love and intercession of Mary Mother of our faith, be our succour and may Blessed Thaddeus McCarthy intercede for us on our pilgrim way. Through Jesus Christ, Your Son our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen. bl thaddeus mccarthy pray for us 25 oct 2919

CONFESSION/PENANCE, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on MORTAL SIN, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 24 October – Save your soul – St Anthony Mary Claret

Posted on October 24, 2019October 24, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 24 October – The Memorial of St Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870)

Jesus foretold that those who are truly His representatives would suffer the same persecution as He did. Besides 14 attempts on his life, Anthony had to undergo such a barrage of the ugliest slander that the very name Claret became a byword for humiliation and misfortune. The powers of evil do not easily give up their prey. No-one needs to go looking for persecution. All we need to do is be sure we suffer because of our genuine faith in Christ, not for our own whims and lack of prudence. St Anthony pulled no punches but preached the Truth, fearless in the love of Christ and His Church, His Bride!

From the beginning Anthony wanted to be a priest. His seminary life was exemplary and he was ordained on 13 June 1835. He resolved never to waste a moment of time and during his 35 years as a priest he wrote 200 books and pamphlets and preached some 25,000 sermons.
On one trip, besides travelling, he preached 205 sermons in 48 days, 12 in one day. To make sure his efforts might be recognised for what they were, he started off by reminding his hearers that the ordinary motives for labour are money, pleasure or honour. But these were not his motives:

“… not money, for I do not want a penny from anybody… Nor do I preach for pleasure, for what pleasure can I possibly take in spending myself all day, in being fatigued from early morning until late at night?… I must be in the confessional most of the morning, the whole of the afternoon and in the evening, instead of resting, I have to preach. This is not just for a day, but… for months and years…

Perhaps I labour for honour… no, not for honour either… A preacher is exposed to many calumnies. If praised by one, he is misunderstood by another, treated as the Jews treated Jesus, Who was calumniated by maligners of His person, of His words and works, before they finally seized, scourged and killed Him by a most painful and shameful means. But like the apostle St Paul, I fear none of these things, since I value my soul more than my body. At any cost, I must discharge the ministry I have received from God Our Lord, which is to preach the Gospel… I have no worldly end in view but… that God may be known, loved and served by all the world… that sins and offences against Him may be hindered as much as possible…

Another thing that spurs me on, to preach ceaselessly, is the thought of the multitude of souls which fall in the depths of hell… Who die in mortal sin, condemned forever and ever… I see how many live habitually in mortal sin, so that never a day passes without increasing the number of their iniquities. They commit sin as easily as they drink a glass of water, just for diversion, or for a laugh. These unfortunate ones run to hell of their own accord, blind as bats… If you were to see a blind man about to fall into a pit or over a precipice, would you not warn him? Behold, I do the same and do it I must, for this is my duty… You may tell me that sinners will insult me, that I should leave them alone… Ah no, I can’t abandon them. They are my dear brothers. If you had a beloved brother who, sick and in the throes of delirium, were to insult you with all the angry words imaginable, would you abandon him? I am certain you wouldn’t. You would have even more compassion for him, do your utmost for his speedy recovery. This is how I feel in regard to sin ners. These poor souls are in a delirium and the more in need of our pity…

You may say the sinner doesn’t think of hell, nor even believe in it. So much the worse for him. Do you by chance think he will escape condemnation because of his unbelief? Truth is independent of belief… I must warn sinners and make them see the precipice which leads to the unquenchable fires of hell, for they will surely go there if they do not amend their ways. Woe to me if I do not preach and warn them, for I would be held responsible for their condemnation… How often I pray, with St Catherine of Siena – ‘O my God, grant me a place by the gates of hell, that I may stop those who enter there saying: Where are you going, unhappy one? Back, go back! Make a good confession. Save your soul. Don’t come here to be lost for all eternity!”

Further he boldly proclaimed – “The sole reason why society is perishing is because it has refused to hear the word of the Church, which is the word of life, the word of God. All plans for salvation will be sterile if the great word of the Catholic Church is not restored in all its fullness.”

His own words, are the best description for St Anthony’s life:

“A Son of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a man on fire with love, who spreads its flames wherever he goes. He desires mightily and strives by all means possible to set the whole world on fire with God’s love. Nothing daunts him, he delights in privations, welcomes work, embraces sacrifices, smiles at slander and rejoices in suffering. His only concern is how he can best follow Jesus Christ and imitate Him in working, suffering and striving constantly and single-mindedly, for the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls.”

St Anthony Mary Claret, Pray for the world, the Church, for us all, amen!

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One Minute Reflection – 24 October – ‘The requirement to live “underway.”

Posted on October 23, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 24 October – Wednesday of the Twenty Ninth week in Ordinary Time Year C, Gospel: Luke 12:39-48 and The Feast of the Most Holy Redeemer

“Everyone to whom much is given, of him will much be required”…Luke 12:48 luke 12 48 - everyone to whom much is given - 23 oct 2019.jpg

REFLECTION – “In various ways the Gospel modifies the challenge to Christians to live in a constant state of departing.
The more richly God has endowed Christians with gifts and thereby with assignments, the more God varies the requirement to live “underway.”
God’s assignments are carried out best if His servant, never loses sight of the fact, that he might be called to account at any moment – in other words – if every temporal moment is lived and shaped directly in and toward the light of eternity. If he forgets this immediacy, he has forgotten the content of his earthly mission and the justice and righteousness it incorporates (“he begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants”). It now becomes clear, that this justice-righteousness, can only be retained if the believer looks beyond the world to the requirements of eternal justice-righteousness, which is not merely an “idea” but is the living Lord, for whose appearance, all of the world history waits!” … Cardinal Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905-1988) luke 12 48 everyone to whom much is given - to live underway - hans urs von balthasar 23 oct 2019.jpg

PRAYER – Heavenly Father, help me to keep my death constantly before my eyes, for this is my final account. pray You for a holy life that my death may be holy and that I may come to You and live for all eternity with You. hen my hour is come, bid me come to You, Lord. ear the prayers of the Blessed Virgin, our Mother and your saints, who lived each moment of their lives for the glory of Your Kingdom. e ask this through Christ, our Lord with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner!

FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on PRAYER, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 17 October – ‘Eucharist’ – St Ignatius of Antioch

Posted on October 17, 2019October 17, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 17 October – The Memorial of St Ignatius of Antioch (c 35 – 107) Father of the Church, Martyr

“They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer
because they do not confess that the Eucharist
is the flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ,
flesh which suffered for our sins
and which that Father,
in His goodness, raised up again.
They who deny the gift of God
are perishing in their disputes.”

“Pray that we will remain faithful
to the teachings of the Risen Jesus.”

St Ignatius of Antioch

More here:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/10/17/quote-s-of-the-day-17-october-the-memorial-of-st-ignatius-of-antioch-c-35-107-father-of-the-church-martyr/ pray that we will re4main faithful - st ignatius of antioch 17 oct 2019.jpg

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Thought for the Day – 29 September – Where are your ostentation and your luxury?

Posted on September 29, 2019September 28, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 29 September – Twenty Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 16:19–31 and The Feast of Sts Michael, Gabriel and Raphael

And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy upon me and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ … Luke 16:24

St John Chrysostom explains the point of the parable, to his congregation, by having Abraham speak the following words about Lazarus, to the rich man.

“When you were living in your wealth, when you were free to see at your own will, you did not choose to see him. Why do you have such keen sight now? Was he not at your gate? How could you avoid seeing him? When he was near you, did you not see him and now, do you see him from a distance, even across such a chasm? … The man whom you passed by a thousand times, whom you did not want to see – now do you seek to have him sent to you for your salvation? …

And where are your cup bearers? … Where are your flatterers? Where is your vanity? Where is your presumption? Where is your buried gold? Where are your moth-eaten garments? Where is the silver which you valued so highly? Where are your ostentation and your luxury? They were leaves – winter seized them and they are all withered up. They were a dream – and when day came, the dream departed. They were a shadow – the truth came and the shadow fled away …

When we hear, let us be afraid, my beloved, lest we also see the poor and pass them by, lest instead of Lazarus there be many to accuse us hereafter.”

St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father & Doctor

Sermon 6 on Lazarus and the Rich Man

Holy Archangels, Pray for Us!

PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, QUOTES on MISSION, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 28 September – ‘To die for the faith is a gift to some, to live the faith is a call for all.’

Posted on September 28, 2019September 28, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 28 September – The Memorial of St Lorenzo Ruiz (1600-1637) Martyr to die for the faith is a gift to some to live the faith is a call to all st john paul 28 sept 2019.jpg

Excerpt from the Beatification Homily of
St Pope John Paul
Wednesday, 18 February 1981

“The Lord Jesus by His blood truly redeemed His servants, gathered from every race, tongue, people and nation, to make them a royal priesthood for our God. The sixteen blessed martyrs, by the exercise of their priesthood—that of baptism or of Holy Orders—performed the greatest act of worship and love of God by the sacrifice of their blood united with Christ’s own Sacrifice of the Cross. In this way they imitated Christ the priest and victim in the most perfect way possible for human creatures. It was at the same time an act of the greatest possible love for their brethren, for whose sake we are all called to sacrifice ourselves, following the example of the Son of God who sacrificed Himself for us.

4. This is what Lorenzo Ruiz did. Guided by the Holy Spirit to an unexpected goal after an adventurous journey, he told the court that he was a Christian and must die for God and wοuld give his life for him a thousand times!

(Had I many thousands of lives I would offer them all for him.

Never shall I apostatise.

You may kill me if that is what you want. To die for God—such is my will.)

Here we have him summed up, here we have a description of his faith and the reason fοr his death. It was at this moment that this young father of a family, professed and brought to completion, the Christian catechesis that he had received in the Dominican Friars’ school in Binondo, a catechesis that cannot be other than Christ-centred, by reason both of the mystery it contains and the fact that it is Christ who teaches through the lips of His messenger.

5. The example of Lorenzo Ruiz, the son of a Chinese father and Tagala mother, reminds us that everyone’s life and the whole of one’s life must be at Christ’s disposal. Christianity means daily giving, in response to the gift of Christ who came into the world so that all might have life and have it to the full. Or, as so aptly expressed in the theme of my visit to this country – To die for the faith is a gift to some, to live the faith is a call for all.

Dearly beloved, amidst the efforts needed for our own Christian lives and for spreading the light of Christ throughout Asia and the whole world, let us look today to these zealous martyrs who give us deep assurance and fresh hope when they tell us – “In all this we are more than conquerors because of him who has loved us.” And this is the mystery we celebrate today – the love of Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world. Amen.”

St Lorenzo Ruiz, Pray for Us!

MARIAN QUOTES, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SAINT of the DAY, The TRANSFIGURATION

Quote/s of the Day – 17 September – St Zygmunt Felinski

Posted on September 17, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 17 September – Tuesday of the Twenty Fourth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of Saint Zygmunt Szcesny Felinski (1822-1895)

“The Church is
the greatest treasure,
the aim in my life,
my only love on the Earth.”

(1855)

“I trust in God
and wish nothing else
but His will.”

(1877)

“Blessed are those who will be found,
in their hour of trial
with Mary, under the cross.”

(1874)

“Internal peace is the most precious treasure
and the only gift that the Saviour promises
His disciples on the Earth.”

(1879)

“Let God’s Peace,
His grace and blessing
accompany you
in all places
and at all times.”

(1890)

Saint Zygmunt Szcesny Felinski

DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The LAST THINGS, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 31 August – Christ will Impose a Reckoning on me

Posted on August 31, 2019August 31, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 31 August – Saturday of the Twenty-first week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 25:14–30

“And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness,

there men will weep and gnash their teeth.’” ... Matthew 25:30 matthew 25 30 and cast the worthless servant - 31 aug 2019.jpg

Christ will Impose a Reckoning on me

Saint Gertrude of Helfta “the Great” (1256-1301)

Benedictine nun
Exercises VII, SC 127

Behold, I become passionately alarmed by what I have committed, I blush very much at what I have omitted, I become exceedingly frightened at the wastefulness of my life. I fear, that future investigation, at which Christ, a noble man, will impose a reckoning on me. behold i become passionately - st gertrude the great - 31 aug 2019.jpg

If He wanted to exact a deposit from me for my time and interest from the talent of understanding He conferred on me, I would, in short, not find any worthy answer for Your charity. What will I do? Where will I turn? I lack the strength to dig, I should blush to beg. (Lk 16:3) O Loving-kindness. Loving-kindnes,. speak up now, may Your dulcet counsel, I entreat You, warm my spirit back to life. Ah, answer me – what does it seem to You I should do in this [situation), for according to Your name You have a truly loving and kind heart and You know best what may be expedient for me in all this. Ah, pardon me and bring me help and in this tribulation, do not be detached from me. Let the poverty of my spirit move You and, touched by the compassion of Your heart, say to me with loving-kindness: “May there be one purse for me and You.” (Prv 1:14)

O Loving-kindness, Loving-kindness, You have stored up with Yourself riches so immeasurable, that heaven and earth do not suffice to contain them. You have driven my Jesus to give His soul for my soul, His life for mine, so that You might make everything that was His, mine and thus, out of your abundance, this pauper’s substance might increase. Ah, call my starved soul to Your food supply, so that in this life, I may live from Your riches and, reared by You and nourished by You, may not grow faint under the discipline of the Lord until at length, under Your guidance, I turn back to my God and give my spirit back to Him who gave it. (Eccl 12:7)

Mater Misericordiae, Ora pro Nobis!

QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, SAINT of the DAY, The LAST THINGS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 31 August – An eye to our end

Posted on August 31, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 31 August – Saturday of the Twenty-first week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 25:14–30 and the Memorial of Blessed Pere (Peter) Tarrés i Claret (1905-1950)

“His master said to him,
‘Well done, good and faithful servant,
you have been faithful over a little,
I will set you over much,
enter into the joy of your master.’ ”

Matthew 25:23

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

St Thomas More (1478-1535) Martyr

“A single resolution, Lord, cost what it may”

(on the eve of his Ordination)

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Saint Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church

St Philip of Jesus (1572-1597) Martyr,

Patron of Mexico City

Matthew 10:32

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True Peace

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

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The Death of the Just

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

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The Death of the Sinner

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Death

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Blessed Titus Zeman

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

St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross [Edith Stein] (1891-1942)

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St Fulgentius of Ruspe (460-533)

St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

[Edith Stein] (1891-1942)

Pope Benedict XVI

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G K Chesterton (1874-1936)

(Chesterton’s last words)

Ven Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)

Bumper Sticker

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Matthew 5:11

Saint Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church

Saint Lawrence (Died 258), Deacon and Martyr

Bl Jerzy Popiełuszko (1947-1984) Priest and Martyr

Matthew 10:32

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“Jesus remember me”

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“You have not only my forgiveness but my thanks.”

Blessed Miguel, Pray for Us!

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St Edmund Rich of Abingdon (1175 – 1240)

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Let us Die with Christ, to Live with Christ

Saint Ambrose (340-397) Bishop and Great Latin Father & Doctor of the Church

Pray for the Holy Souls, that they may gaze on His Face!

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

St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father & Doctor of the Church

St Therese of the Child Jesus/Lisieux (1873-1897) Doctor of the Church

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St Anthony Mary Claret, Pray for the world, the Church, for us all, amen!

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Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner!

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St Ignatius of Antioch

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St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father & Doctor

Holy Archangels, Pray for Us!

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Excerpt from the Beatification Homily of St Pope John Paul Wednesday, 18 February 1981

St Lorenzo Ruiz, Pray for Us!

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Saint Zygmunt Szcesny Felinski

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Christ will Impose a Reckoning on me

Saint Gertrude of Helfta “the Great” (1256-1301)

Mater Misericordiae, Ora pro Nobis!

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Matthew 25:23

St Thomas More (1478-1535) Martyr

Blessed Pere (Peter) Tarrés i Claret (1905-1950)

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

St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
[Edith Stein] (1891-1942)

Saint Ambrose (340-397)
Bishop and Great Latin Father & Doctor of the Church

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

St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father & Doctor of the Church

St Therese of the Child Jesus/Lisieux (1873-1897)
Doctor of the Church

Excerpt from the Beatification Homily of
St Pope John Paul
Wednesday, 18 February 1981