Category: QUOTES on DEATH

Posted in GOD ALONE!, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, St Francis de Sales, St PAUL!, The BEATITUDES, The HOLY NAME

Quote/s of the Day – 11 August – And you shall be hated … for My Name’s sake.

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Quote/s of the Day – 11 August – Tiburtius (Died c286) Martyr, Layman, St Susanna of Rome (Died c 295) Virgin Martyr, St Philomena (Died 304) Virgin Martyr – Hebrews 11:33-39, Luke 21:9-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And you shall be hated by all men,
for My Name’s sake.”

Luke 21:17

“But others were racked,
not accepting deliverance
that they might find
a better resurrection.”

Hebrews 11:35

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

Matthew 10:32

“Rejoice and be happy!
Persevere to the end
and prefer to die
rather than abandon the post,
to which God has called you!”

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

“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

“You must choose – is it better
that there should be thorns in your garden,
in order to have roses,
or that there should be no roses
in your garden,
in order to have no thorns?”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

“We must love God so much,
that we are prepared
to endure everything willingly,
for love of Him.
Those who suffer are blessed, therefore,
only on one condition,
namely, on condition
that they suffer for love of God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in NOVENAS, QUOTES on DEATH, THE ASSUMPTION

Novena to Our Lady of the Assumption – The Fourth Day – 9 August – Reasons for the Bodily Assumption of the Blessed Virgin into Heaven

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Novena to Our Lady of the Assumption, DAY FOUR

Preparatory Prayer
by St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

O Mary, Virgin most Blessed
and Mother of Our Lord
and Redeemer Jesus Christ,
through thy mercy I beseech thee,
to come to my aid
and to inspire me
with such confidence in thy power
that I may have recourse to thee,
pray to thee
and implore thy aid,
in all needs of soul and body.
Amen

Reasons for the Bodily Assumption
of the Blessed Virgin into Heaven

Meditation: The wages of sin is death. Now, as the Blessed Virgin, from the first moment of her existence was preserved from all sin and even from original sin, it necessarily follows that death could have no permanent dominion over her and that, her body would not be permitted to see corruption.

  1. This sinless body had been the medium by which the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who was the conqueror of death, had been formed. How, then, could such a highly privileged body, a pure and virginal body, be permitted to pass through corruption and decay?
  2. As Mary had yielded up her sacred person to be a dwelling-place for the Lord of Heaven, it seems fitting that this same Lord, in His turn, should give the Kingdom of Heaven to her as her resting-place. St Bernard expresses this sentiment as follows: “When Our Lord came into this world, Mary furnished Him with the noblest dwelling on earth, the temple of her virginal womb. In return, the Lord,on this day, raises her up to the highest throne in Heaven.”

Practice:
If You desire to look forward to death, without fear and to expect your dissolution with confidence, follow the Apostle’s injunction, “Therefore, whilst we have time, let us do good works, to all men” (Gal. 6:10). Avoid sin, perform good works, be patient in affliction and strive to expiate the punishment due to your sins by voluntary acts of penance, thus reducing your inclination to sin. Therefore, offer up to God, every morning, in a spirit of penitence, all your labours, trials and sufferings.

Prayer of the Church: We beseech Thee, O Lord, pardon the shortcomings of Thy servants that we who, by our own works, are not able to please Thee, may be saved by the intercession of the Mother of Thy Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Novena Prayer: Day Four

Glorious Virgin
and Mother of God, Mary!
I beseech thee through the ineffable glory,
thou didst make for thy departure
from this world by a life of retirement,
full of merits and virtue,
dedicated to God alone;
obtain for me the grace,
of, following thy example,
that I may detach my heart from this world
and patiently bear affliction and adversity,
carefully avoid sin
and always strive to advance
in the love of God.
Obtain for me too, I beg thee Holy Mother,
this my special petition ……………………

Hail Mary …….

Ejaculation: Sweet heart of Mary be my salvation!

Indulgence: (1) 100 days, every time. (2) A Plenary Indulgence, once a month, on any day, to all who shall have said it everyday for a month, under the usual conditions.

Posted in GOD ALONE!, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MARIAN PRAYERS, OUR Cross, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on THE WORLD

Quote/s of the Day – 9 August – St John Vianney

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Quote/s of the Day – 9 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – St Jean-Marie-Baptiste Vianney (1786-1859) Confessor

“You either
belong wholly
to the world
or wholly to God.”

“You must accept your cross.
If you bear it courageously,
it will carry you to Heaven.”

“All our religion is but a false religion
and all our virtues are mere illusions
and we ourselves, are only hypocrites
in the sight of God,
if we have not that universal charity for everyone –
for the good and for the bad,
for the poor and for the rich
and for all those who do us harm,
as much as those, who do us good.”

O Thou, Most Holy Virgin Mary
(Pray for Me in All My Necessities)
By St John Vianney (1786-1859)

O thou, Most Holy Virgin Mary,
who dost evermore stand
before the Most Holy Trinity
and to whom it is granted, at all times
to pray for us to thy Most Beloved Son;
pray for me in all my necessities;
help me, combat for me
and obtain for me,
the pardon of all my sins.
Help me especially at my last hour
and when I can no longer give
any sign of the use of reason,
then do thou encourage me,
make the Sign of the Cross for me
and fight for me against the enemy.
Make in my name, a profession of faith;
favour me with a testimony of my salvation
and never let me despair of the mercy of God.
Help me to overthrow the wicked enemy.
When I can no longer say:
“Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
I place my soul in your hands,”
do thou say it for me;
when I can no longer hear
human words of consolation,
do thou comfort me.
Leave me not before I have been judged
and if I have to expiate my sins in Purgatory,
Oh! pray for me earnestly
and admonish my friends,
to procure for me a speedy enjoyment
of the Blessed Sight of God.
Lessen my sufferings,
deliver me speedily and lead my soul
into Heaven with thee
that, united with all the elect,
I may there bless and praise my God
and thee, for all eternity.
Amen.

MORE and MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/08/09/quote-s-of-the-day-9-august-st-john-vianney-2/

St Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney (1786-1859)

Posted in MARIAN PRAYERS, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, SAINT of the DAY, Uncategorized

Our Morning Offering – 9 August – St John Vianney’s I Love Thee, O My God

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Our Morning Offering – 9 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” and the Memorial of St John Vianney (1786-1859) Confessor

I Love Thee, O My God
By St John Vianney (1786-1859)

I love Thee,
O my God
and my only desire is to love Thee
until the last breath of my life.
I love Thee,
O my infinitely lovable God
and I would rather die loving Thee
than live without loving Thee.
I love Thee, Lord
and the only grace I ask,
is to love Thee eternally.
My God,
if my tongue cannot say
in every moment that I love Thee,
I wish my heart to repeat it to Thee
as often as I draw breath!
Amen

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on MISSION, Quotes on SALVATION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 August – “Go into the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” – Mark 16:15

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One Minute Reflection – 8 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – The Fourteen Holy Helpers – 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16, Mark 16:15-18 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Go into the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” – Mark 16:15

REFLECTION – “You have heard what the Lord said to His disciples after the Resurrection. He sent them out to preach the Gospel and they did so. Listen: “Through all the earth their voice resounds and to the ends of the world, their message” (Ps 18[19],5). Step by step, the Gospel has reached even to us and the ends of the earth. In a few words the Lord, addressing Himself to His disciples, set out what we are to do and what we have to hope for. Just as you have heard, He said: “Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved.” He asks for our faith and offers us salvation. What He offers us, is so precious that what He asks of us, is as nothing.

“The children of men take refuge in the shadow of Thy wings, O my God… from Thy delightful stream, Thou gives them to drink, for with Thee, is the Fountain of Life” (Ps 35[36],8f.). Jesus Christ is the Fountain of Life. Before the Fountain of Life came to us, we had only a human salvation like that of the beasts, of which the psalm speaks: “Man and beast you save, O Lord” (Ps 35[36],7). But now the Fountain of Life has come even to us, the Fountain of Life died for our sakes. Will He refuse us His Life,Who, for our sakes, gave His Death? He is salvation and this salvation is not worthless, like the other one. Why? Because it does not pass away. The Lord has come. He died but He killed death. In Himself, He brought an end to death. He assumed it and He killed it. Where is death now, then? Look for it in Christ and it is no longer there. It used to be there but there it died. O Life, Death of death! Take heart: it will also die in us. What was fulfilled in the Head will also be fulfilled in the members and death will die in us, too!” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (Sermon 233).

PRAYER – PRAYER – O God, Who gladden us with the annual festival of Thy 14 holy Saints, mercifully grant, that we, who celebrate the anniversary of their death, may also strive to equal the courage of their Martyrdom. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", INGRATITUDE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OUR Cross, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on VIRTUE

Thought for the Day – 5 August – THE CRUCIFIX

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Thought for the Day – 5 August – 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 EXTREME UNCTION, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DEATH

Thought for the Day – 3 August – A Holy Death

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

A Holy Death

“During our meditation on death, we should seize the opportunity of asking God for the favour of dying with the consolation of the last Sacraments.
Let us pray that in our final moments, we may be comforted and reassured by the Sacramental absolution and blessing of the Priest at our bedside and that Jesus may visit us once more in the Blessed Eucharist, to revive our faith, hope and love and to strengthen us for our journey into eternity.

Finally, let us pray that before we have lost consciousness, Extreme Unction may heal our spiritual scars, make us worthy to see God and assist us, to pass peacefully, from this vale of tears into everlasting happiness.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/10/thought-for-the-day-10-august-a-holy-death/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/08/03/thought-for-the-day-3-august-a-holy-death/

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, St Francis de Sales

Quote/s of the Day – 3 August – Amongst all loves . …

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Quote/s of the Day – 3 August – The Finding of the Relics of St Stephen, Protomartyr – Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-60. Matthew 23:34-39

“Amongst all loves,
God’s is so to be preferred
that we must always stand prepared in mind,
to forsake them all for that alone!”

(Treatise on the Love of God, Book 10, Chapter 7)

“Whoever thinks well on eternity,
troubles himself little about what happens
in these three or four moments of mortal life.”

“By giving yourself to God,
you not only receive Himself in exchange
but, eternal life as well!”

“We must live a dying life
and we must die a living death
in the life of our Lord.”

(The Spirit of St. François de Sales, XV 6 )

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of the Church

A Prayer to the Holy Martyrs
to Obtain Their Protection in Life and at Death
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

O thou blessed Princes of the heavenly Kingdom!
Thou who sacrificed to the Almighty God,
the honours, the riches
received, in return, the unfading glory
and never-ending joys of Heaven!
Thou who art secure in the everlasting possession
of the brilliant Crown of glory
which thy sufferings have obtained!
Look with compassionate regard upon
our wretched state in this vale of tears,
where we groan in the uncertainty
of what maybe our eternal destiny.
And from that Divine Saviour,
for Whom, thou suffered so many torments
and Who now repays thee with such unspeakable glory,
obtain for us that we may love Him,
with all our heart and receive in return,
the grace of perfect resignation,
under the trials of this life,
fortitude, under the temptations of the enemy
and perseverance, to the end.
May thy powerful intercession
obtain for us that we may one day,
in thy blessed company,
sing the praises of the Eternal God
and even as thou now do,
face-to-face, enjoy the Beatitude of His Vision!
Amen

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY, Of a Holy DEATH & AGAINST A SUDDEN DEATH, of the DYING, FINAL PERSEVERANCE, DEATH of CHILDREN, DEATH of PARENTS, PARTIAL Indulgence, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PURGATORY, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY GHOST

Quote/s of the Day – 2 August – St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

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Quote/s of the Day – 2 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” and the Feast of St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

The Glories of Mary (audio book)

Evening Prayer
By St Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor
(Indulgence of 3 Years, Once a Day)

Jesus Christ my God,
I adore Thee and thank Thee
for all the graces Thou hast given me this day.
I offer Thee my sleep
and all the moments of this night
and I beseech Thee
to keep me without sin.
Wherefore ,I put myself,
within Thy sacred side
and under the mantle of our Lady, my Mother.
Let Thy holy Angels stand about me
and keep me in peace
and let Thy blessing be upon me, O Lord my God.
Amen

“How pleasing to Him it will be,
if you sometimes forget yourself
and speak to Him of His own glory;
of the miseries of others,
especially those who mourn in sorrow;
of the souls in purgatory,
His spouses, who long to behold Him in Heaven
and, of poor sinners,
who live deprived of His grace.”

Come O Holy Spirit!
By St Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

You made Mary full of grace
and inflamed the hearts of the Apostles
with a holy zeal,
enflame our hearts with Your love.
You are the Spirit of goodness,
give us the courage to confront evil.
You are Fire,
set us ablaze with Your Love.
You are Light,
enlighten our minds,
that we may see what is truly igood and true.
You are the Dove,
give us gentleness.
You are a Soothing Breeze,
bring calm to the storms which rage within us.
You are the Tongue,
may our lips ever sing God’s praises
You are the Cloud,
shelter us under the shadow of Your protection.
O Holy Spirit, melt the frozen,
warm the chilled
and enkindle in us,
an earnest desire to please You.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen

“The powers of hell
will assail the dying Christian
but his Angel Guardian
will come to console him.
His Patrons and St Michael,
who has been appointed by God
to defend his faithful servants,
in their last combat with the devils,
will come to his aid.”

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

Prayer for a Holy Death
By St Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor
Patron of Final Perseverance

My beloved Jesus,
I will not refuse the cross,
as the Cyrenian did;
I accept it, I embrace it.
I accept, in particular,
the death Thou hast destined for me,
with all the pains which may accompany it;
I unite it to Thy Death,
I offer it to Thee
Thou hast died for love of me; I
will die for love of Thee
and to please Thee.
Help me by Thy grace.
I love Thee, Jesus, my love;
I repent of ever having offended Thee.
Never permit me to offend Thee again.
Grant that I may love Thee always
and then do with me what Thou will.
Amen

O Afflicted Virgin!
By St Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

O afflicted Virgin!
O soul, great in virtues
and great also in sorrows!
for both arise from that great fire of love
thou hast for God;
thou “whose heart can love nothing but God.”
O Mother, have pity on me,
for I have not loved God
and I have so much offended Him.
Thy sorrows give me great confidence
to hope for pardon.
But this is not enough;
I wish to love my Lord
and who can better obtain this for me
than thou,
thou who art the Mother of fair love?
O Mary, thou dost console all,
comfort me also.
Amen

MORE by St Alphonsus:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/08/02/quote-s-of-the-day-2-august/

St Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, franciscan OFM, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, Our MORNING Offering, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on REPENTANCE

Our Morning Offering – 20 July – Lord Jesus, Bind Me to Yourself

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Our Morning Offering – 20 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus”

Lord Jesus, Bind Me to Yourself
By St Anthony of Padua OFM (1195-1231)
Evangelical Doctor of the Church

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

Posted in CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, OUR Cross, QUOTES on BAD CONVERSATION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

Quote/s of the Day – 9 July – St John Fisher and St Thomas More

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Quote/s of the Day – 9 July – St John Fisher (1469-1535) Martyr, Bishop and St Thomas More (1478-1535) Martyr, Confessor

“I reckon in this realm,
no one man,
in wisdom, learning
and long approved virtue together,
meet to be matched
and compared with him.”

St Thomas More speaking of St John Fisher

“Penance is a needful thing to the sinner,
who desires to recover health of his soul.
And, in doing penance, there be three things
to be considered:
serious compunction of heart,
confession of mouth
and satisfaction by deed.”

“Beware of those prophets who speak unto you
and deceive you!
They prophecy nothing
but the imaginations and forgings
of their own minds
and not the truth of Holy Scripture!”

St John Fisher (1469-1535)

Give Me Thy Grace, Good Lord!
A Prayer of Hope
By St Thomas More (1478-1535)

Give me Thy grace, good Lord.
To set the world at naught.
To set the mind firmly on Thee
and not to hang upon the words of men’s mouths.
To be content to be solitary.
Not to long for worldly pleasures.
Little by little, utterly to cast off the world
and rid my mind of all its business.
Not to long to hear of earthly things
but that the hearing of worldly fancies,
may be displeasing to me.
Gladly to be thinking of God,
piteously to call for His help.
To lean into the comfort of God.
Busily to labour to love Him.
To know mine own vileness and wretchedness.
To humble myself under the mighty Hand of God.
To bewail my sins past,
for the purging of them,
patiently to suffer adversity.
Gladly to bear my purgatory here.
To be joyful in tribulations.
To walk the narrow way that leads to life.
To bear the Cross with Christ.
To have the last thing in remembrance.
To have ever before mine eyes,
my death that is ever at hand.
To make death no stranger to me.
To foresee and consider,
the everlasting fire of Hell.
To pray for pardon before the Judge come.
To have continually in mind,
the Passion that Christ suffered for me.
For His benefits, unceasingly to give Him thanks.
To buy the time again, that I before have lost.
To abstain from vain conversations.
To shun foolish mirth and gladness.
To cut off unnecessary recreations.
Of worldly substance,
friends, liberty, life and all,
to set the loss at naught,
for the winning of Christ.
To think my worst enemies, my best friends,
for the brethren of Joseph
could never have done him
so much good with their love and favour,
as they did him, with their malice and hatred.
These minds are more to be desired of every man,
than all the treasures of all the princes and kings,
Christian and heathen,
were it gathered and laid together,
all in one heap.
Amen

Posted in DOCTRINE, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY WEEK, HOLY WEEK 2019, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The NATIVITY of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The PASSION, The SIGN of the CROSS

Quote/s of the Day – 4 July – St Andrew of Crete

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Quote/s of the Day – 4 July – St Andrew of Crete (c660-c740) Bishop, Father of the Church

“But Jesus he delivered up to their will.”
Luke 23:25

“Then, let us run with Him as He presses on to His Passion.
Let us imitate those who have gone out to meet Him,
not scattering olive branches
or garments or palms in His path
but spreading ourselves before Him as best we can,
with humility of soul and upright purpose.
So may we welcome the Word as He comes (Jn 1:9);
so may God, Who cannot be contained within any bounds,
be contained within us.
For He is pleased to have shown us this gentleness,
He, Who is gentle and who “rides upon the setting sun”
(Ps 56:12) which refers to our extreme lowliness.
He is pleased to come and live with us
and to raise us up or bring us back to Himself

“We are celebrating the Feast of the Cross
which drove away darkness and brought in the light…
Had there been no Cross,
Christ could not have been Crucified.
Had there been no Cross,
Life Itself could not have been nailed to the tree.
And if Life had not been nailed to it,
there would be no streams of immortality,
pouring from Christ’s side –
Blood and Water for the world’s cleansing.
The legal bond of our sin would not be cancelled,
we should not have obtained our freedom,
we should not have enjoyed the fruit
of the tree of life and the Gates of Paradise
would not stand open.
Had there been no Cross,
death would not have been trodden underfoot,
nor hell despoiled…
The Cross is called Christ’s glory;
it is saluted as His triumph,
through the Word which unites to God!”

“… The design of the Redeemer of our race
was to bring about a birth and, as it were,
a new creation to replace the one that went before.
Therefore, just as in Paradise,
He had taken a little clay
out of the pure and spotless earth,
to fashion the first Adam (Gn 2,7),
so, at the moment of bringing about
His Own Incarnation,
He made use of another earth, so to speak,
namely, this Pure and Immaculate Virgin,
chosen from among all other beings He had created.
It is in her that He, Adam’s Creator,
has remade us in our very substance
and became a new Adam (1Cor 15,45)
that the old might be saved by the new and eternal.”

“Today the Virgin is born,
tended and formed
and prepared for her role as Mother of God,
who is the universal King of the ages.
… Therefore, let all creation sing and dance
and unite, to make worthy contribution
to the celebration of this day.
… Let everything, mundane things
and those above, join in festive celebration.
Today, this created world is raised
to the dignity of a holy place
for Him, Who made all things.
The creature is newly prepared
to be a Divine Dwelling Place for the Creator.”

St Andrew of Crete (660-740)
Bishop, Father of the Church

Posted in GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on PURITY of INTENTION, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD

Thought for the Day – 25 June – Purity of Intention

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

Purity of Intention

“Principles:

God alone is deserving of all our love.

We should do everything, which we should wish to have done, at the hour of death.

We should live on earth, as if nothing else existed but God and ourselves (Ibid).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/17/thought-for-the-day-16-june-purity-of-intention/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/06/14/thought-for-the-day-14-june-purity-of-intention/

Posted in GOD ALONE!, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, PAPAL PRAYERS, PARTIAL Indulgence, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, The WILL of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 22 June – Indulgenced Prayer ‘O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus!’

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Our Morning Offering – 22 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” and the Feast of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus instituted by Pope Benedict XV

O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus!
By Pope Benedict XV (1854-1922)

O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus!
O Fount of every good!
I adore Thee, I love Thee
and sincerely repenting of my sins,
I present to Thee my poor heart.
Give it back to me
humble, patient,
pure and in everything,
conformed to Thy wishes.
Make me, O good Jesus,
live in Thee and for Thee.
Protect me in dangers,
comfort me in afflictions,
grant me health of body,
succour in my temporal needs,
Thy blessing in all my works
and the grace of a holy death.
Amen

Indulgence – 100 days
Once a day
Pope Benedict XV
4 December 1916

Posted in JESUIT SJ, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on WORRY/ANXIETY

Our Morning Offering – 21 June – O Holy Mary By St Aloysius de Gonzaga

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Our Morning Offering – 21 June – The Feast of St Aloysius Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591) Confessor, Jesuit Seminarian, Mystic, Marian devote

O Holy Mary
By St Aloysius de Gonzaga (1568-1591)

O Holy Mary, my mistress,
into your blessed trust
and special custody
and into the grasp of your mercy
I this day, everyday
and in the hour of my death,
commend my soul and my body.
To you, I commit,
all my anxieties and miseries,
my life and the end of my life,
that by your most holy intercession
and by your merits,
all my actions may be directed
and disposed
according to your will
and that of your Son.
Amen

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, QUOTES on DEATH, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, The HOLY VIATICUM

Thought for the Day – 5 June – The Sacred Heart and the Holy Viaticum

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Thought for the Day – 5 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Sacred Heart and the Holy Viaticum

“From a sudden and unprovided death,
O Lord, deliver us.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
I give Thee my heart and my soul.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
assist me now
and in my last agony.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
may I breathe forth my soul
in peace with Thee.
Amen.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/05/thought-for-the-day-5-june-the-sacred-heart-and-the-holy-viaticum/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/06/05/thought-for-the-day-5-june-the-sacred-heart-and-the-holy-viaticum-2/

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DEATH

Thought for the Day – 31 May – Pray for Us … at the Hour of Our Death

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Thought for the Day – 31 May – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Pray for Us … at the Hour of Our Death

“O Mary, my tender Mother, be at my side throughout my life but especially at the hour of death.
Shelter me beneath thy maternal mantle and never let me be far apart from thee.
Grant that I may have a calm and peaceful death like thine own, a death made easy by a great love for Jesus and for thee, by the reception of the Holy Sacraments and by thy special blessing and presence, amen.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/05/31/thought-for-the-day-31-may-pray-for-us-at-the-hour-of-our-death/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/05/31/thought-for-the-day-31-may-pray-for-us-at-the-hour-of-our-death-2/

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on MISSION, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, The ASCENSION of the LORD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 May – ‘ … He asks for our faith and offers us salvation. …’

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One Minute Reflection – 23 May – Within the Octave of Ascension – The Memorial of St John Baptiste de Rossi (1698-1764) Priest, Confessor – Acts 1:1-11, Mark 16:14-20 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Go ye into the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” – Mark 16:15

REFLECTION – “You have heard what the Lord said to His disciples after the Resurrection. He sent them out to preach the Gospel and they did so. Listen: “Through all the earth their voice resounds and to the ends of the world, their message” (Ps 18[19],5). Step by step, the Gospel has reached even to us and the ends of the earth. In a few words, the Lord addressing Himself to His disciples, set out what we are to do and what we have to hope for. Just as you have heard, He said: “Whoever believes and is Baptised will be saved.” He asks for our faith and offers us salvation. What He offers us is so precious, that what He asks of us is as nothing.

“The children of men take refuge in the shadow of Thy wings, O my God… from Thy delightful stream, Thou give them to drink, for with Thee is the fountain of life” (Ps 35[36],8f.). Jesus Christ is the Fountain of Life. Before the Fountain of Life came to us, we had only a human salvation like that of the beasts, of which the psalm speaks: “Man and beast you save, O Lord” (Ps 35[36],7). But now the Fountain of Life has come even to us, the Fountain of Life died for our sakes. Will He refuse us, His Life, Who, for our sakes, gave His Death? He is Salvation and this Salvation is not worthless, like the other one. Why? Because it does not pass away. The Lord has come. He died but he killed death. In Himself, He brought an end to death. He assumed it and He killed it. Where is death now, then? Look for it in Christ and it is no longer there. It used to be there but there it died. O life, Death of death! Take heart – it will also die in us! What was fulfilled in the Head will also be fulfilled in the members and death will die in us, too.” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop of Hippo and Father and Doctor of the Church (Excerpt from Sermon 233 ).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that as we do believe Thine Only-Begotten Son our Saviour to have this day Ascended into the Heavens, so we may also, in heart and mind thither ascend and with Him, continually dwell. And may the merits and intercession of Thy Confessor, John Baptiste de Rossi, be an aid on our journey. 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 FEAR, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The ASCENSION of the LORD

Thought for the Day – 18 May – The Ascension of Jesus

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

The Ascension of Jesus

“After His glorious Resurrection from the dead, Jesus appeared to His Apostles.
For forty days He instructed them concerning the Kingdom of God.
When He had announced to His followers, that He would send the Holy Spirit to give them the enlightenment and courage to preach the Gospel, they gathered together on the Mount of Olives and saw Him rise upwards until a bright cloud hid Him from their view.
The Mystery of the Ascension contains a lesson for us.
We must be detached from the world and brought closer to Heaven, which is our true home.
We are so attached to earthly things because money, reputation and pleasure are closer to our hearts than the thought of God or of eternity.
We shall have to leave all these things behind soon enough, however.
When death comes, the world will slip away from us and the soul will stand alone before God.

Let us begin to detach ourselves from worldly affairs and to make Heaven the object of our desires.
Why should we be sorry or afraid, or both, to leave this earth?
Remember the teaching of St Paul “Here we no permanent city but we seek for the city that is to come” (Heb 13:14).
“For me to live is Christ,” he said, “and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21). “desiring to depart and to be with Christ, a lot by far the better” (Phil 1:23).

Let us pray in the beautiful words of the Church: “Lord, grant that while we are living in this changing world, we may aspire to the true happiness of Heaven, so that in the midst of earthly vicissitudes, our hearts maybe content in this ambition.” (Roman Breviary).

Let us not be afraid of death, for it is only the Gate of Heaven!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

ANOTHER REFLECTION ON THE ASCENSION:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/05/13/thought-for-the-day-13-may-the-ascension-of-jesus/

Posted in CHRIST the KING, GOD ALONE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH

Our Morning Offering – 30 April – Alone With None but Thee, My God

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Our Morning Offering – 30 April – EASTER III

Alone With None but Thee, My God
Attri. St Columban (543-615)

Alone with none but Thee, my God
I journey on my way,
what need I fear when Thou art near,
O King of night and day?
More safe am I within Thy hand
than if a host should round me stand.

My destined time is known to Thee,
and death will keep his hour;
did warriors strong around me throng,
they could not stay his power.
No walls of stone can man defend
when Thou Thy messenger dost send.

My life I yield to Thy decree
and bow to Thy control
in peaceful calm, for from Thine arm
no power can wrest my soul,
could earthly omens e’er appal
a man that heeds the heavenly call?

The child of God can fear no ill,
His chosen, dread no foe;
we leave our fate with Thee and wait
Thy bidding when to go,
’tis not from chance our comfort springs,
Thou art our Trust, O King of kings.

Posted in APRIL -MONTH of the RESURRECTION and the BLESSED SACAMENT, AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, franciscan OFM, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, Quotes on SALVATION, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION, The RESURRECTION

Quote/s of the Day –9 April – Easter Sunday

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Quote/s of the Day –9 April – Easter Sunday and “The Month of the Resurrection”

“O Death, where is your sting?
O Hell, where is your victory?
Christ is Risen and you are overthrown.
Christ is Risen and the demons are fallen.
Christ is Risen and the Angels rejoice.
Christ is Risen and Life reigns.
Christ is Risen and not one dead remains in the grave.
For Christ, being Risen from the dead,
is become the First Fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages.”

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

“For Christ is our Salvation.
For He is our Salvation,
Who was wounded for us
and fastened with nails to the Wood
and taken down from the Wood
and laid in the sepulchre.
But He rose from the sepulchre
and although His Wounds were healed,
the Scars remained.
For this He judged expedient for His Disciples
that He should keep His Scars,
to heal the wounds of their soul.”

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

“All I want to know is Christ
and the power flowing
from His Resurrection!”

St Francis of Assisi (c1181-1226)

Posted in CHRIST the HIGH PRIEST, CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the KING, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, HOLY SATURDAY, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION, The RESURRECTION

Quote/s of the Day – 8 April – Holy Saturday

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Quote/s of the Day – 8 April – Holy Saturday

“Today a great silence reigns on earth,
a great silence and a great stillness.
A great stillness because the King is asleep.
The earth trembled and is still
because God has fallen asleep in the flesh
and has raised up all who have slept,
since the world began…

I order you, O sleeper, to awake.
I did not create you to be a prisoner in hell.
Rise from the dead, for I am the Life of the dead.”

Ancient Christian Writer (ACW)

“The Lord, although He was God, became man.
He suffered for the sake of those who suffer,
He was bound for those in bonds,
condemned for the guilty,
buried for those who lie in the grave
but He rose from the dead and cried aloud:
“Who will contend with Me? Let him confront Me.”
I have freed the condemned, brought the dead back to life,
raised men from their graves.
Who has anything to say against Me?
I, He said, Am the Christ, I have destroyed death,
triumphed over the enemy, trampled hell underfoot,
bound the strong one and taken men up to the heights of Heaven.
I Am the Christ.
Come, then, all you nations of men, receive forgiveness for the sins that defile you.
I Am your Forgiveness.
I Am the Passover which brings salvation.
I Am the Lamb Who was immolated for you.
I Am your Ransom, your Life, your Resurrection, your Light, I am your Salvation and your King.
I will bring you to the heights of Heaven.
With My own Right Hand I will raise you up
and I will show you the Eternal Father.”

St Melito of Sardis (Died c 180)
Bishop, Father

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, GOOD FRIDAY, QUOTES on DEATH, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The REDEMPTION, The SIGN of the CROSS

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 7April – Good Friday – No Other Redemption

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Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 7April – Good Friday – The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to St John 18:1-40.19:1-42 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Jesus Nazarenus, Rex Judeaorum –
Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews.”
John 19:19

GOOD FRIDAY
No Other Redemption
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

“HERE, THEN, ARE THE CAUSES of the death of Jesus Christ – the first is that He was Saviour, Holy and King; the second, that He wished to redeem those who acknowledge Him, which is what the word “Jews” means which Pilate had written on the standard of the Cross.

When God withdrew His people from slavery in Egypt to lead them to the Promised Land under the command of that great captain, Moses, a strange misfortune occurred. Small serpents came out from the earth and overran the desert where the poor Israelites were. Their bite, though apparently not very painful, was certainly very dangerous. It was so venomous that all those bitten would surely have died if, in His goodness and infinite Providence, God had not provided a remedy.

Moved by the sight of this pitiable misfortune, Moses spoke to God and asked for some remedy against it. The Lord commanded him to make a brass serpent and to place it on a tall pole, promising, that those bitten by the small serpents would be cured, by gazing upon it. Moses promptly did this, enjoining those bitten to cast their eyes on the brass serpent mounted on the pole.
Those who did so were immediately cured.
Those unwilling to gaze upon it died, for there was no other means of escaping death than that which was ordained by God Himself.
“Oh! How good was the God of Israel” [Ps. 72 (73):1], said a great Saint, “to provide Moses with such a remedy for his people’s cure!” – (Sermon for Good Friday, 25 March 1622).

“HE DIED, THEN.

But although He died for us and was lifted up on the Cross, those who refuse to look upon Him, will surely die, for there is no other redemption but in this Cross.
O God, how spiritually beneficial and profitable is a consideration of Thy Cross and Passion!
Can we contemplate our Saviour’s humility on the Cross without becoming humble and having some affection for humiliations?
Can we see His obedience without being obedient?
Certainly not! No-one has ever looked upon Our Lord Crucified and remained dead or sick.
On the other hand, all who have died have done so because they were unwilling to gaze upon Him, just as the Israelites died who were unwilling to gaze upon the serpent which Moses had raised upon the pole.” – ( Sermons of St Francis de Sales for Lent).

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FATHERS of the Church, GOD the FATHER, GOOD FRIDAY, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION

One Minute Reflection – 7 April – ‘ … The Throne of the Cross …’

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One Minute Reflection – 7 April – Good Friday – The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to St John 18:1-40.19:1-42 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And bearing His own Cross, He went forth to the place which is called Calvary but in Hebrew Golgotha.” – John 19:17

REFLECTION – “The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwell in the land of gloom, a Light has shone” (Is 9:1), the Light of Redemption. When they saw that the tyrant, death, was wounded to death, this people came out from darkness to Light; from death they passed to Life.

The wood of the Cross bears Him Who made the universe. Undergoing death for my life, He Who bears the universe is fastened to the tree as one dead. He Who breathes Life into the dead, gives up the spirit on the tree. The Cross brings no shame to Him at all but, like a trophy, confirms His complete victory. Like a just Judge He is seated on the Throne of the Cross. The Crown of Thorns He wears on His brow, confirms His victory – “Take courage, I have conquered the world and the prince of this world, by taking away the sin of this world” (Jn 16:33; 1:29).

That the Cross stands for victory, the stones themselves cry out (cf Lk 19:40), those stones of Calvary where Adam, our forefather, was buried, according to an old tradition held by our fathers. “Adam, where are you?” (Gn 3:9), Christ cries out again from the Cross. “I am seeking for you there and, that I might find you, I stretched out my Hands on the Cross. I turn my outstretched Hands to the Father in thanksgiving for having found you, then I turn them also to you to welcome you. I have not come to judge your sin but to save you out of My Love for humankind (cf Jn 3,17). I have not come to curse you for your disobedience but to bless you, by My obedience. I will shelter you with My Wings, you will find refuge in My shade; My Faithfulness will cover you with the shield of the Cross and you will no more fear the terror of the night (cf Ps 90:1-5) because you will know day without setting (Wsd 7:10). I will seek out your life, concealed in darkness and the shadow of death (Lk 1:79). I will take no rest until, humbled and having descended even to hell to search for you, I have led you back to Heaven.” – St Germanus of Constantinople (c 640-733) Bishop, Father (In Domini corporis supulturam ; PG 98, 251-260).

PRAYER – Deliver us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, from all evils, past, present and to come and by the intercession of the blessed and glorious ever Virgin Mary, Mother of God and of the Holy Apostles, Peter and Paul and of all the Saints, mercifully grant peace in our days, that through the assistance of Thy mercy we may be always free from sin and secure from all disturbance. 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.
Faithful Cross! above all other, One and only noble Tree!
None in foliage, none in blossom, None in fruit thy peer may be.
Sweetest wood and sweetest iron,
Sweetest weight is hung on thee. (Antiphons).

Posted in GOD is LOVE, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OUR Cross, QUOTES on CHARITY, 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, The HOLY CROSS

Thought for the Day – 26 March – THE CRUCIFIX

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Thought for the Day – 26 March – 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 DOCTORS of the Church, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, Quotes on SALVATION, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 26 March – … If anyone keep My word, he will never see death. John 8:51

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Quote/s of the Day – 26 March – Passion Sunday – Hebrews 9:11-15, John 8:46-59 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

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

John 8:51

“We must live a dying life
and we must die a living death
in the life of our Lord.”
(The Spirit of St. François de Sales, XV, 6 )

“Unhappy is death,
without the love of Christ;
unhappy is love,
without the Death of Christ!”
(Treatise on the Love of God,
Book 12, Chapter 13)

“We are dying,
little by little;
so, we are to make
our imperfections die
with us, day by day. ”
(Letters to Persons in the World I:5)

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

Posted in CATECHESIS, DOCTORS of the Church, LENT 2023, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, St Francis de Sales, The LAST THINGS, The PASSION, The WORD

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 26 March – DEATH

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Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 26 March – Passion Sunday – Hebrews 9:11-15, John 8:46-59 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“… By means of His death,
… they, who have been called,
may receive the eternal inheritance,
according to the promise,
in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Hebrews 9:15

“Amen, amen, I say to you,
if anyone keep My word,
he will never see death.”
John 8:51

DEATH
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

“CONSIDER THE UNCERTAINTY of the day of your death. One day, my soul, you must depart from this body. When will it be? In winter or summer? In town or country? At home or afar? During the day or the night? With or without warning? As a result of illness of accident? Shall I have a chance to go to Confession? Shall I be assisted by a Priest? Will I be prepared? Unhappily, I know the answer to none of these things. Only one thing is certain – that I shall die and sooner than I imagine.”

Consider that then, the world will come to an end, as far as you are concerned. You will have no more part in it. It will turn upside down before your eyes, for worldly joys and pleasures and the things you loved in vain, will turn into empty dreams and shadows.
Fool that I am to offend God for the sake of such trifling vanities. I have forsaken God and for what – for nothing!
On the other hand, devotion and good deeds will be seen as desirable and delightful and you will ask yourself – why did I not take this beautiful and pleasant path of everlasting joy?
At that hour, your sins – which at the time seemed so small – will appear as vast as mountains and your devotions truly small. …

Pray to God and cast yourself into His arms.
O my God, take me into Thy care on that terrible day; may all other days be sad, if only that single day will be a happy one!
Thank God for inspiring these resolutions and offer them to Him, imploring Him to grant you the grace of a Happy Death, through the merits of His Son and through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the Saints.
Carry with you always a small Happy Death Crucifix, properly blessed, to obtain a Plenary Indulgence at the hour of death and meditate upon it often.” – (Introduction to the Devout Life – Excerpt from The Fifth Meditation on Death).

The Complete Fifth Meditation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Muoe86JLRA

WHAT IS A HAPPY DEATH CRUCIFIX?
A Crucifix which displays the “Skull and Crossbones” preferably at the Feet of Jesus.
“The skull and bones have many symbolic meanings. All Catholics are encouraged to meditate on the “Four Last Things – Death and Judgement, Heaven and Hell” so that they will live in a state of grace and prepare themselves for Heaven.
The skull is a great reminder of human mortality. Jesus Christ was Crucified on Golgotha – “the place of the skull,”
There is a tradition that Christ, the New Adam, Who conquered sin and death, was Crucified on the gravesite of the first man, Adam, who brought sin and death into the world through his disobedience to God.
The skull is a symbol of Adam’s grave.
Most important of all, the skull and bones are placed beneath Jesus’ Feet, to show that He triumphed over death and sin on our behalf.”

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, Hail MARY!, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, The ANNUNCIATION, The INCARNATION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 March –  ‘… By the word of an Angel …’

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One Minute Reflection – 24 March – “The Month of the St Joseph” – Friday of the Fourth Week in Lent and the Feast of St Gabriel the Archangel – Daniel 9:21-26, Luke 1:26-38 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Hail, full of grace!” – Luke 1:28

REFLECTION – “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)

PRAYER – O God, Who, out of all the Angels, chose the Archangel Gabriel to announce the Mystery of Thy Incarnation, mercifully grant that we who keep his feast on earth, may have him as our patron in Heaven.Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in NOVENAS, Of a Holy DEATH & AGAINST A SUDDEN DEATH, of the DYING, FINAL PERSEVERANCE, DEATH of CHILDREN, DEATH of PARENTS, QUOTES on DEATH

NOVENA FOR THE INTERCESSION OF SAINT JOSEPH – Day Eight – 18 March – Patron of a Holy Death

Posted on by AnaStpaul

NOVENA FOR THE INTERCESSION OF SAINT JOSEPH

DAY EIGHT

Patron of a Holy Death

O glorious Saint Joseph,
faithful follower of Jesus Christ,
to you we raise our hearts and hands,
to implore your powerful intercession,
to obtain from the gentle heart of Jesus
all the help and graces necessary
for our spiritual and temporal welfare,
particularly the grace of a holy death
and the special grace I now implore:
…………….. (Mention your request)
O guardian of the Word Incarnate
we feel animated with confidence,
that your prayers on our behalf,
will be graciously heard,
before the throne of God.
St Joseph, Patron of the Dying, Pray for us!
Amen

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father …

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The TRANSFIGURATION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 5 March – ‘… We will share in this honour … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 5 March – The Second Sunday in Lent
– Thessalonians 4:1-7, Matthew 17:1-9 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“His face shone like the sun and His garments became white as snow.” – Matthew 17:2

REFLECTION – “The Lord displays His glory before chosen witnesses and makes illustrious that bodily shape which He shared with others, with such splendour that His countenance shone like the sun and His garments were as white as snow. In this Transfiguration, the chief object was to remove the scandal of the Cross from the hearts of the disciples and, to prevent their faith being disturbed, at the humiliation of His voluntary Passion, by revealing the excellence of His hidden dignity. But with no less foresight, the foundation was laid of the hope of holy Church that the whole Body of Christ, might realise, with what a change it was to be endowed and that the members, might promise themselves, a share in that honour which had shone forth in their Head.

But to confirm the Apostles and to lead them onto all knowledge, still further, instruction was conveyed by this miracle. For Moses and Elias, that is, the law and the prophets, appeared talking with the Lord, so that, in the presence of these five men, might most truly be fulfilled, what was said – In two or three witnesses every word stands. What more stable, what more steadfast, than the word, in the proclamation of which, the trumpet of the old and of the new TestamentS, sounds forth and the records of ancient witnesses, agree with the teaching of the Gospel? For the pages of both Covenants corroborate each other and He, Whom, under the veil of Mysteries, the types that went before, had promised, is displayed clearly and manifestly by the splendour of His present glory.

The Apostle Peter, therefore, being stirred by the revelation of these Mysteries, despising things worldly and scorning things earthly, was carried away by a certain excess of mind, to the desire of things eternal and, being filled with rapture at the whole vision, longed to make his abode with Jesus, in the place where he was gladdened by the sight of His glory. And so also he says: Lord, it is good for us to be here: if Thou wilt, let us set up here, three tents, one for Thee and one for Moses and one for Elias. But to this proposal the Lord made no reply, signifying that what he asked was not indeed wicked, but irregular, since the world could not be saved, except by Christ’s Death and by the Lord’s example in this, the faithful were called upon to believe that, although there ought not to be any doubt about the promises of happiness, yet, we should understand that, amid the trials of this life, we must ask for power to endure, rather than for glory.” – St Leo the Great (400-461) Pope, Father and Doctor (Sermon on the Transfiguration – excerpt).

PRAYER – O God, Thou Who sees how we are deprived of all strength, guard us inwardly and outwardly that in body, we may be protected against all misfortunes and in mind, cleansed of evil thoughts and by the intercession of blessed and gloriosus ever Virgin Mary, Mother of God, be assisted on this earthly pilgrimage. 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).