Category: QUOTES on HEAVEN

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOOD FRIDAY, HOLY WEEK, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, POETRY, Quote on SELF-ABANDONMENT, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, Quotes Self-Oblation, The HEART, The HOLY CROSS

Quote of the Day – 3 April – GOOD FRIDAY The Word of the Cross (Christ,What am I to Give Thee for my life?)

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Quote of the Day – 3 April – Good Friday – The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ

GOOD FRIDAY
The Word of the Cross
(Christ,What am I to Give Thee for my life?)

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

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

Posted in CONFESSION/PENANCE, HOLY WEEK, LENT 2026, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on WILL (Reasonable or Superior), QUOTES on Will (Sensual or Inferior), Thomas Aquinas

Monday in Holy Week – 30 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas – It is Necessary that We be Wholly Clean

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Monday in Holy Week – 30 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

Monday in Holy Week
It is Necessary that We be Wholly Clean

“If I wash thee not, thou shaft have no part with me”
John xiii. 8

  1. “If I wash thee not, thou shaft have no part with me” (John xiii. 8).
    No-one can be made a sharer in the inheritance of eternity, a co-heir with Christ, unless he is spiritually cleansed, for in the Apocalypse it is so stated.
    “There shall not enter into it anything defiled” (Apoc xxi. 27) and in the Psalms we read, “Lord who shall dwell in Thy tabernacle?” (Ps xiv.) Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord; or who shall stand in His holy place?
    The innocent in hands and clean of heart (Ps xxiii. 3, 4).

It is, therefore, as though Our Lord said, If I wash thee not, thou shalt not be cleansed and if thou art not cleansed, thou shalt have no part with me.

  1. Simon Peter saith to Him: “Lord, not only my feet but also my hands and my head” (John xiii. 9).
    Peter, utterly stricken, offers his whole self to be washed, so confounded is he with love and with fear.
    We read, in fact, in the book called The Journeying of Clement that Peter used to be so overcome by the Physical Presence of Our Lord Whom he had most fervently loved that whenever, after Our Lord’s Ascension, the memory of that dearest Presence and most holy company came to him, he used so to melt into tears that his cheeks seemed all worn out with them.

We can consider three parts in man’s body, the head, which is the highest, the feet, which are the lowest part, and the hands which lie in-between.
In the interior man, i.e. in the soul, there are likewise three parts.
Corresponding to the head – there is the higher reason, the power by means of which the soul clings to God.
For the hands – there is the lower reason, by which the soul operates in good works.
For the feet –there are the senses and the feelings and desires arising from them.
Now Our Lord knew the disciples to be clean, as far as the head was concerned, for He knew they were joined to God by faith and by charity.
He knew their hands also were clean, for He knew their good works.
But as to their feet, He knew that the disciples were still somewhat entangled in those inclinations of earthly things which are derived from the life of the senses.

Peter, alarmed by Our Lord s warning (v. 8), not only consented that his feet should be washed but begged that his hands and his head should be washed too.

Lord, he said, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.
As though to say, “I know not whether hands and head need to be washed. For I am not conscious myself of anything, yet am I not hereby justified (i Cor iv. 4). Therefore, I am ready not only for my feet to be washed that is, those inclinations which arise out of the life of my senses but also my hands, that is, my works and my head too, that is, my higher reason.”

  1. “Jesus saith to him: He that is washed needeth not but to wash his feet but is clean wholly. And you are clean” (John xiii. 10).
    Origen, commenting on this text, says that the Apostles were clean but needed to be yet cleaner. For reason should ever desire gifts which are better still, should ever set itself to achieve the very heights of virtue, should aspire to shine with the brightness of justice itself. “He who is holy, let him be sanctified still” (Apoc xxii. 11).

ST THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274)
Priest, Theologian, Dominican
Doctor Angelicus (Angelic Doctor)
Doctor Communis (Common Doctor)
Added by Pope Saint Pius V in 1568

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, In the PRESENCE of GOD, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SIN, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 26 March – ‘Forgiven … Because she has loved much …’ Luke 7:47

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Quote/s of the Day – 26 March – Thursday in Passion Week –Ferial Day – Daniel 3:25, 34-45 – Luke 7:36-50 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“She began to bathe His feet with her tears
and wiped them with the hair of her head
and kissed His feet
and anointed them with ointment.”

Luke 7:38

“Wherefore I say to you,
her sins, many as they are,
shall be forgiven her
because she has loved much.
But he, to whom little is forgiven,
loves little.”

Luke 7:47

“A servant of the Lord
stands bodily before men
but mentally,
he is knocking at the Gates of Heaven.
with prayer.”

St John Climacus (c 525-606)
Father of the Church

“For, just as water extinguishes a fire,
just so, does charity blot out our sins.”

St John of God (1495-1550)

“ I shall spend every moment loving.
One who loves, does not notice her trials;
or perhaps, more accurately,
she is able to love them.
I shall do everything for Heaven, my true home.
There, I shall find my Mother,
in all the splendour of her glory.
I shall delight with her
in the joy of Jesus Himself,
in perfect safety.”

St Bernadette Soubirous (1844-1879)

Posted in JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, LENT 2026, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on MORTAL SIN, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on SIN, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, Thomas Aquinas

Passion Monday – 23 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas – The Passion of Christ is a Remedy Against Sin

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Passion Monday – 23 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

Passion Monday
The Passion of Christ is a Remedy Against Sin

“Having confidence in entering into the Holies by the Blood of Christ”
Heb x. 19

We find in the Passion of Christ a remedy against all the evils which we incur through sin.
Now, these evils are five in number.
(i) We ourselves become unclean.
When a man commits any sin, he soils his soul, for just as virtue is the beauty of the soul, so sin is a stain upon it.
“How happen it, O Israel that thou art in thy enemies land? Thou art grown old in a strange country, thou art defiled with the dead” (Baruch iii. 10, 11).
The Passion of Christ takes away this stain.
For Christ, by His Passion, made of His Blood a bath wherein He might wash sinners.
The soul is washed with the Blood of Christ in Baptism, for it is from the Blood of Christ, the Sacrament draws its Power of giving New Life.
When, therefore, one who is Baptised soils himself again by sin, he insults Christ and sins more deeply than before!

(ii) We offend God.
As the man who is fleshly-minded loves what is beautiful to the flesh, so God Loves spiritual beauty, the beauty of the soul.
When the soul’s beauty is defiled by sin, God is offended and holds the offender in hatred.
But the Passion of Christ takes away this hatred, for it does what man himself could not possibly do, namely, it makes full satisfaction to God for the sin.
The Love and Obedience of Christ, was greater than the sin and rebellion of Adam.

(iii) We ourselves are weakened.
Man believes that, once he has committed the sin, he will be able to keep from sin for the future.
Experience shows, however, that which really happens is quite the otherwise.
The effect of the first sin is to weaken the sinner and make him still more inclined to sin.
Sin dominates man more and more and man, left to himself, whatever his powers, places himself in such a state, he cannot arise from this state of sin.
Like a man who has thrown himself into a well, there he must lie, unless he is drawn up by Divine Power.
After the sin of Adam then, our human nature was weaker, it had lost its perfection and men were more prone to sin.
But Christ, although He did not utterly make an end of this weakness, nevertheless, greatly lessened it.
Man is so strengthened by the Passion of Christ and the effect of Adam’s sin is so weakened, man is no longer dominated by sin.
Assisted by the Grace of God, given him in the Sacraments which derive their Power from the Passion of Christ, man is now able to make an effort and so arise from his sins.
Before the Passion of Christ, there were few who lived without mortal sin but since the Passion, many have lived and do live without it.

(iv) Liability to the punishment earned by sin.
This, the Justice of God demanded, namely – for each sin the sinner should be punished, the penalty to be measured according to the sin.
Whence, since mortal sin is infinitely wicked, seeing that it is a sin against what is Infinitely Good, i.e., God Whose commands the sin despises, the punishment due by mortal sin is infinite too.
But by His Passion, Christ took away from us this penalty, for He endured it Himself.
“Who, His own self bore our sins, that is the punishment due to us for our sins, in His Body upon the tree”(i Pet ii. 24).
So great was the power and value of the Passion of Christ that it was sufficient to expiate all the sins of all the world, calculated in millions though they be.
This is the reason why Baptism frees the baptised from all their sins and why the Priest can forgive sin.
This is why the man who more and more fashions his life in conformity with the Passion of Christ and makes himself like to Christ in His Passion, attains an ever fuller pardon and ever greater Graces.

(v) Banishment from the Kingdom.
Subjects who offend the king are sent into exile.
So too, man was expelled from Paradise.
Adam, having sinned, was straightaway ejected and the Gates barred against him.
But, by His Passion, Christ opened those Gates and called back the exiles from banishment.
As the Side of Christ opened to the soldier’s lance, the Gates of Heaven opened to man and as Christ’s Blood flowed, the stain was washed away, God was appeased, our weakness strengthened, reparatiion made for our sins and the exiles were recalled.

Thus it was that Our Lord said immediately to the repentant thief, “This day thou shalt be with Me in Paradise” (Luke xxiii. 43).
Such a thing was never before said to any man, not to Adam nor to Abraham, nor even to David.
But This Day, the day on which the Gate is opened, the thief does but ask and he finds.
“Having confidence in entering into the Holies by the Blood of Christ” (Heb x. 19).

ST THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274)
Priest, Theologian, Dominican
Doctor Angelicus (Angelic Doctor)
Doctor Communis (Common Doctor)
Added by Pope Saint Pius V in 1568

Posted in LENT 2026, QUOTES on HEAVEN, The PASSION, Thomas Aquinas

LAETARE – The 4th SUNDAY of Lent –15 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas – Christ, by His Passion, Opened the Gates of Heaven

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LAETARE – The 4th SUNDAY of Lent –15 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor of the Church

The Fourth (LAETARE) Sunday
Christ, by His Passion, Opened, the Gates of Heaven

“We have a confidence in the entering into the holies by the Blood of Christ.”
Hebrews x. 19.

The closing of a gate is an obstacle hindering men’s entrance.
Now men are hindered by sin, from entrance to the Heavenly Kingdom, for Isaias says, “It shall be called the holy way, the unclean shall not pass over it”(Is xxxv. 8).

Now the sin which hinders man’s entrance into Heaven,is of two kinds.
There is, first of all, the sin of our first parents.
By this sin, access to the Kingdom of Heaven was barred to man.
We read in Genesis (iii. 24) that after the sin of our first parents God placed before the paradise of pleasure, Cherubim and a flaming sword, turning every way, to protect the way of the tree of life.
The other kind of hindrance arises from the sins of each individual, the sins each man commits by his own particular action.

By the Passion of Christ, we are freed not only from the sin common to all human nature and this both as to the sin and as to its appointed penalty, since Christ Pays the Price on our behalf but too, we are delivered from our personal sins if we are numbered among those who are linked to the Passion by faith, by charity and by the Sacraments of the Faith.
Thus, it is that through the Passion of Christ the Gates of Heaven are thrown open to us.
And hence, St Paul says that Christ, being a High Priest of the good things to come, by His Own Blood entered once into the holies, having obtained a redemption which is eternal (Heb ix. 11).

And this was foreshadowed in the Old Testament, where we read (Num xxxv. 25, 28), the Man-slayer shall abide there, that is, in the City of Refuge, until the Death of the High Priest, Who is anointe with holy oil. And after He is Dead, then shall the Man-slayer return to His own cCuntry.

The holy fathers who (before the coming of Christ) wrought works of justice earned their entrance into Heaven through faith in the Passion of Christ, as is written, “The saints, by faith, conquered kingdoms, wrought justice” (Heb xi. 33).
By faith, too, it was that individuals were cleansed from the sins they had individually committed.
But faith or goodness, no matter who the person was who possessed them, was not enough to be able to move the hindrance created by the guilty state of the whole human creation.
This hindrance was only removed at the Price of the Blood of Christ.
And, therefore, before the Passion of Christ, no-one could enter the Heavenly Kingdom, to obtain that eternal happiness which consists in the full enjoyment of God.

Christ by His Passion Merited for us, an entrance into Heaven, and removed what stood in our way.
By His Ascension, however, He, as it were, put mankind in possession of Heaven.
And, therefore, it is that He ascended, opening the way before them.

ST THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274)
Priest, Theologian, Dominican
Doctor Angelicus (Angelic Doctor)
Doctor Communis (Common Doctor)
Added by Pope Saint Pius V in 1568

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, franciscan OFM, GOD ALONE!, LENT 2026, Of BEGGARS, the POOR, against POVERTY, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GREED, WEALTH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the POOR, The HEART, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 5 March – ‘ … Give earth and receive Heaven! …’

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Quote/s of the Day – 5 March – Ferial Day – Thursday of the Second Week in Lent – Jeremias 17:5-10 – Luke 16:19-31 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“There was a rich man,
who was clothed in purple
and fine linen
and who feasted sumptuously everyday.
And at his gate lay a poor man,
named Lazarus…”

Luke 16:19–20

“Amen I say to you,
as long as you did NOT do it
for one of these least ones,
you did NOT do it for Me.”

Matthew 25:45

“Give of your earthly goods
and receive eternal ones;
give earth and receive Heaven!”

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

“What is a man’s treasure
but the heaping up of profits
and the fruit of his toil?
For, whatever a man sows,
this too will he reap and each man’s gain,
matches his toil and where delight
and enjoyment are found,
there the heart’s desire is attached.
Now, there are many kinds of wealth
and a variety of grounds for rejoicing –
every man’s treasure is that, which he desires.
If it is based on earthly ambitions,
its acquisition makes men not blessed but wretched.
… By distributing what might be superfluous
to support the poor, they are amassing
imperishable riches, so that what they have
discreetly given, cannot be subject to loss.
They have properly placed those riches,
where their heart is – it is a most blessed thing,
to work to increase such riches,
rather than to fear that they may pass away.”

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

“If thou wouldst see well, pluck out thine eyes and be blind;
if thou wouldst hear well, be deaf
and if thou wouldst speak well, become dumb;
if thou wouldst advance, stand still
and advance with thy mind;
if thou wouldst work well, cut off thy hands
and work with thy heart;
if thou wouldst love much, hate thyself;
if thou wouldst live well, mortify thyself;
if thou wouldst gain much and be rich,
first lose all and become poor
and if thou wouldst enjoy peace, afflict thyself
and be ever in fear and suspect thine own self;
if thou wouldst be exalted and have great honour,
humble and abase thyself;
if thou wouldst be held in great reverence, despise thyself
and do reverence to him who reviles thee;
if thou wouldst that it should be well with thee,
suffer all evil things and if thou wouldst be blessed,
desire that all should speak ill of thee
and if thou wouldst have true and eternal rest,
then toil and suffer and desire to have every temporal affliction.
O what great wisdom it is to know how to do
and to work out these things.”

Blessed Giles of Assisi (c1190-1262)

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2026, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on PURITY

Our Morning Offering – 2 March – Lord Jesus, Think on Me By St Synesius

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Our Morning Offering – 2 March – Monday of the Second Week of Lent

Lord Jesus, Think on Me
By St Synesius of Cyrene (375-430)
Bishop of Ptolemais, Father

Lord Jesus, think on me
and purge away my sin,
from earth-born passions set me free,
and make me pure within.
Lord Jesus, think on me,
With care and woe oppressed,
let me Thy loving servant be
and taste Thy promised rest.
Lord Jesus, think on me,
nor let me go astray,
through darkness and perplexity
point Thou the heav’nly way.
Lord Jesus, think on me,
that, when the flood is past,
I may eternal brightness see
and share Thy joy at last.
Amen

Posted in ADVENT QUOTES, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The O ANTIPHONS

Quote/s of the Day – 28 December – “O Clavis David”

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Quote/s of the Day – 28 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Feast of the Holy Innocents

“O Clavis David”

“ O Key of David and Sceptre of the house of Israel,
Who openest and no man shutteth
and shuttest and no man openeth;
Ccome and deliver from the prisonhouse,
the captive who sits in darkness and in the shadow of death.”

“The Key and the Sceptre, are the symbols of supreme authority; they indicate the sway which the Saviour is to hold over His faithful people and the right which He alone possesses of opening the Gate of Heaven to the children of men and of extending to them the golden sceptre of His mercy and forgiving love.
To me, O Key of David, unworthy though I am, open in Thy Mercy the Door of Heaven; stretch forth to me, all undeserving, the sceptre of Thy favour and Thy love.”

Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The PASSION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 27 December – “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow Me.” – John 21:22

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One Minute Reflection – 27 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – St John, the Apostle and Evangelist, the Beloved – St John the Apostle and Evangelist – Ecclesiasticus 15:1-6 – John 21:19-24 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow Me.” – John 21:22

REFLECTION – “The Church knows of two lives advocated and recommended by God . One in faith, the other in vision; one in our pilgrimage through time, the other in the abode of eternity; one in working, the other in repose; one on the way, the other in our homeland; one in the labour of action, the other in the reward of contemplation. … The first is represented by the Apostle Peter, the second, by John. The first wholly takes place here below, until the end of the world and then comes to an end. The second only reaches its fulfilment after the world’s end; in the world to come, it will never end.

“What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow Me” …. Let your action follow Me, perfect and modelled on the example of My Passion; let the contemplation which has begun, remain until My return: I will perfect it when I come again. For this persevering fervour which stands firm to the death, is a following of Christ and this knowledge, which will then be manifested in fullness, remains until the return of Christ. Here, in the country of mortal men, we must undergo the afflictions of this world; there, we shall contemplate the Lord’s blessings, in the land of the living (Ps 26:13). …

So let no-one divide one from the other of these two, glorious Apostles, for both are contained in what Peter symbolises and both, will be in what John represents.” – St Augustine (354-320) Father and Doctor of Grace (Sermons on Saint John’s Gospel No 124: 5-7).

PRAYER – O Lord, graciously shed light upon Thy Church, so that, enlightened by the teachings of blessed John, ThyApostle and Evangelist, she may gain YThy everlasting rewards.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", ADVENT QUOTES, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SIMPLICITY, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The DIVINE INFANT, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 23 December – What Jesus Wants From Us

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

A Christmas Novena VIII
What Jesus Wants From Us

“Unless you turn and become like little children,” the Infant Jess says to us, “you shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt 18:2).
He wishes us to be humble, simple and innocent, like children.
As we grow older, unfortunately, many of us become proud, complicated and vain.
We lose the honest candour of childhood

Worldly pretentiousness cannot possibly appeal to Jesus, since He, Who is truly great, chose to become a tiny Infant.
He wishes us to renounce the self-important airs and the intricate methods which we employ, in order to conceal the truth, to disguise our lack of virtue and to assume the appearances of learning and of authority, regardless of the fact that the highest achievement of which we are capable, is to be humble, the most necessary knowledge of all, is to know Jesus Crucified and the best kind of authority, is the ability to control our passions and to subject ourselves to the will of God.

It is, in this sense, that we must become little children before God and before man.
Then Jesus Christ will love us and will grant us His favours.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in "Follow Me", ADVENT QUOTES, ADVENT REFLECTIONS, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 21 December – Prepare the way of the Lord …

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Quote/s of the Day – 21 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Advent IV – 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 – Luke 3:1-6 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight His paths.”

Luke 3:4

“As the prodigal son,
I will return to my Father’s house
and I will be welcomed back home.
I shall do the same, as he did –
will the Father not grant my prayer too?
O forgiving Father, here I am at Thy door
and I knock, open to me, let me enter,
so that I may not ruin myself, go away and die!
Thou made me Thy heir
and I neglected my inheritance
and squandered my goods –
from now on, may I be as a mercenary
and as a servant to Thee.”

St Jacob of Sarug (c451-521)
Bishop, Theologian, Poet, Writer, Father

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

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

St Nerses Chnorhali (1102-1173)
Armenian Bishop

“By the practice of prayer,
we can construct an impregnable citadel,
in which we shall be securely protected
against all the snares of the enemy.”

St Lawrence Justinian (1381-1455)

“For the sake of obtaining that eternal life,
no works of piety,
ought to seem too difficult to a true believer,
no toil too heavy,
no pain too bitter,
no time spent in labour and suffering,
too long or too wearisome.
For, if nothing is sweeter, or more desirable,
than this present life which is so full of calamities,
how much more desirable,
must that other life be deemed
which is so far removed from all sense of evil,
or fear of it, which will, in every conceivable way,
always abound in the unspeakable
and unending joys, delight and happiness of Heaven.”

St Peter Canisius SJ (1521-1597)
Confessor, Doctor of the Church

Posted in ADVENT, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The DIVINE INFANT

Thought for the Day – 18 December – The Cradle of the Divine Infant Jesus

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

A Christmas Novena III
The Cradle of the Divine Infant Jesus

“Perhaps I still preserve a strong attachment to sin and fall badly from time to time.
What is the main motivating power in my life?
Perhaps, I am motivated by self-interest and am attracted by pleasure, ease and worldly glory.
How little I have learned from the example of Our Lord in the manger.

Let us remember, that the man who looks only for worldly success, cannot find Heaven!
He will wind up bitter and disillusioned, whereas the man who seeks Jesus Christ, will eventually enjoy the peace and happiness which God alone can give.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/12/18/thought-for-the-day-18-december-a-christmas-novena-the-cradle-of-the-divine-infant-jesus/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HUMAN DIGNITY, QUOTES on THE WORLD, St Francis de Sales, The BEATITUDES, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 11 December – ‘Let us keep our eyes unceasingly fixed upon the Divine Ideal …’

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Quote/s of the Day – 11 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Sirach 44:16-27; 45:3-20; Matthew 25:14-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“ Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”

Matthew 25:21

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

Luke 6:20

“Let us keep our eyes unceasingly
fixed upon the Divine Ideal;
let us work to realise, within ourselves,
the perfection to which God wishes us to reach,
in order to imitate His Divine Son.”

Columba Marmion (1858-1923)
Abbot

“Christ acts like a loving mother.
To induce us to follow Him,
He gives us Himself as an example
and promises us a reward in His kingdom.”

St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231)
Evangelical Doctor

“Do not fix your longings on anything
which you do not possess;
do not let your heart rest in that which you have;
do not grieve overmuch,
at the losses which may happen to you –
and then, you may reasonably believe
that although rich in fact,
you are not so in affection
but that you are poor in spirit
and, therefore, blessed,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is yours.”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

Posted in CONFESSION/PENANCE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, HYMNS, MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on MORTIFICATION, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, St JOSEPH, The COMMUNION of SAINTS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 8 November – The Octave Day of All Saints

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Quote/s of the Day – 8 November – “The Month of The Holy Souls in Purgatory” – The Octave Day of All Saints – Apocalypse 7:2-12; Matthew 5:1-12 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.”

Matthew 5:8

“The Almighty has concentrated in St Joseph,
as in a sun of unrivalled lustre,
the combined light and splendour
of all the other Saints.”

St Gregory Nanzianzen (330-390)
Father & Doctor of the Church

“Death to the Saints is not a punishment but a reward.
“For so He giveth His beloved sleep.” (Ps cxxvii: 3).
The death of him, who loves God,
is not called death but sleep, so he can truly say:
“I will lay me down in peace
and take my rest.” (Ps iv: 9).

Cardinal St Fisher, as Saunders relates,
when about to die for the Faith,
put on the best clothes he had, saying, he was going to a wedding.
When he came in sight of the scaffold
he cast away his staff, saying:
“Make haste my feet, make haste, for we are not far from Paradise.”
And before dying he sang Te Deum,
in returning thanks to God, Who had allowed him
to die a Martyr’s death, for the holy Faith
and thus being filled with joy,
he placed his head under the axe.”

St John Fisher (1469-1535)
Bishop, Martyr, Cardinal

“Those in the Catholic Church,
whom some rebuke for praying to Saints
and going on pilgrimages,
do not seek any Saint as their saviour.
Instead, they seek Saints,
as those whom their Saviour loves
and whose intercession and prayer,
for the seeker, He will be content to hear.
For His Own sake,
He would have those He loves, honoured.
And when they are thus honoured for His sake,
then, the honour that is given them, for His sake,
overflows especially to Himself.”

St Thomas More (1478-1535)
Martyr, Confessor

“Let us read the lives of the Saints;
let us consider the penances
which they performed
and blush to be so effeminate
and so fearful of mortifying our flesh.”

St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

O Paradise! O Paradise!
By Fr Frederick William Faber CO (1814-1863)
Written in 1854

O Paradise! O Paradise!
Who doth not crave for rest?
Who would not seek the happy land,
Where they that loved are blest.

Where loyal hearts and true,
Stand ever in the Light,
All rapture through and through,
In God’s most holy sight?

O Paradise! O Paradise!
The world is growing old;
Who would not be at rest and free
Where love is never cold?
Where loyal hearts, &c.

O Paradise! O Paradise!
Wherefore doth death delay;
Bright death which is the welcome dawn
Of our eternal day;
Where loyal hearts, &c

O Paradise! O Paradise;
‘Tis weary waiting here;
I long to be, where Jesus is,
To feel, to see Him near.
Where loyal hearts, &c.

O Paradise! O Paradise!
I want to sin no more!
I want to be as pure on earth
As on thy spotless shore.
Where loyal hearts, &c.

O Paradise! O Paradise!
I greatly long to see
The special place my dearest Lord
Is furnishing for me.
Where loyal hearts, &c.

O Paradise! O Paradise!
I feel ’twill not be long;
Patience! I almost think I hear
Faint fragments of thy song.
Where loyal hearts, &c.

Tune: “Paradise” Joseph Barnby, 1856.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, Quote on SELF-ABANDONMENT, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, St Francis de Sales, The GOOD SHEPherd Prayers, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 6 Novemer – Promises and Reward

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Quote/s of the Day – 6 Novemer – Within the All Saints Octave – Apocalypse 7:2-12; Matthew 5:1-12 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward
will be great in Heaven.”

Matthew 5:12

“ Blessed are they who have not seen
and have believed.”

John 20:29

“Be glad in that day and rejoice,
for behold, your reward is great in Heaven,”

Luke 6:23

“May He,
Who is the Track of the runners
and the Reward of the winners,
lead and guide you along it –
He, Christ Jesus!”

Bl Guerric of Igny O.Cist (c1080-1157)

“Christ acts like a loving mother.
To induce us to follow Him,
He gives us Himself as an example
and promises us a reward in His kingdom.”

St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231)
Evangelical Doctor

“You will be consoled
according to the greatness
of your sorrow and affliction;
the greater the suffering,
the greater will be the reward.”

St Maria Magdalena de’ Pazzi (1566-1607)

“It is true that we require great confidence
to abandon ourselves, without any reserve,
to Divine Providence but, when we do abandon all,
Our Lord takes care of all and disposes of all.
But, if we reserve anything which we are
unwilling to confide to Him, He leaves us,
as if He would say:
“You think yourselves sufficiently wise
to manage that affair without Me –
you can do so and see what will come of it!”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The BEATITUDES, The COMMUNION of SAINTS, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 6 November – ‘ … Rejoice, ardent travellers! …’

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One Minute Reflection – 6 Novemer – “The Month of The Holy Souls in Purgatory” – Within the All Saints Octave – Apocalypse 7:2-12 – Matthew 5:1-12 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

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

REFLECTION – “Rejoice in the Lord without ceasing (cf. Phil 4:4), my dear children. I beg you rejoice, citizens of Heaven but exiles on earth, inhabitants of the Jerusalem on high (cf Gal 4:26) but banished from affairs here below, inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven but disinherited from taking any part at all, in earthly pleasures!   Rejoice, ardent travellers, at undergoing exile and maltreatment in a foreign land in the name of the commandment of God! Rejoice, you who are last in this world but lords of blessings that exceed our understanding (cf. Phil 4:7).
Rejoice, noble company, brought together by God, assembly united in heart and soul, who give life to filial and fraternal love, a replica on earth of the host of Angels! … Rejoice, God’s workers, apostolic men. … Rejoice, you who set your joy in each other, each making his own the reputation of his brother, you in whom is found neither jealousy, rivalry nor envy but, in their place, peace and charity and life in common. In truth, I do not say that we are not attacked – indeed, who is crowned if not the one who struggles and fights, who exchanges thrusts and wounds with his assailants? – but I say that we should not let ourselves be brought down by the machinations of Satan.

Yes, my children, assembly of God, nourish yourselves with the food of the Spirit and drink the water given by the Lord: whoever comes to possess this water will never thirst again but it will become, in Him, a spring of living water welling up to eternal life (cf. Jn 4:14). …  Yet, a little while and we shall have vanquished. And blessed shall we be, blessed also, it shall be said, are the places, family and countries that have borne you (cf Lk 11:27-28).” – St Theodore the Studite (759-826) – Catechesis 47 (The Great Catecheses)

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

Posted in CHRIST the KING, Gerard MANLEY HOPKINS SJ, GOD ALONE!, HYMNS, JESUIT SJ, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The PASSION, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 5 November – St Ignatius and his Brethren – Seeing God in all things

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Quote/s of the Day – 5 November – All Saints and Blesseds of the Society of Jesus (SJ)

I Love Thee, O Thou Lord Most High!
Translation and Parphrase
of St Ignatius Loyola’s Latin Hymn
By Fr Edward Caswell CO (1814-1878)

I love, I love Thee, Lord most high!
Because Thou first hast loved me;
I seek no other liberty
But that of being bound to Thee.

May memory no thought suggest,
But shall to Thy pure glory tend;
My understanding find no rest
Except in Thee, its only End.

My God, I here protest to Thee,
No other will have I than Thine;
Whatever Thou hast given me,
I here again to Thee resign.

All mine is Thine — say but the word,
Whate’er Thou wllest shall be done;
I know Thy Love, all-gracious Lord;
I know It seeks my good alone.

Apart from Thee, all things are naught;
Then grant, O my supremest bliss!
Grant me to love Thee as I ought;
Thou givest all in giving this!

“A precious crown is reserved in Heaven
for those who endow their actions with
all the diligence of which they are capable,
for, it is not enough to do good,
we must do it well!”

“God takes special care
to detach from the passing pleasures of this world,
those whom He Loves with special predilection,
by sending them desires after heavenly bliss
and, by the sorrows and bitterness
of the present life.”

St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)

I Love Thee, God, I Love Thee
O Deus Ego Amo Te
By St Francis Xavier (1506-1552)
Translated by Gerard Manley Hopkins SJ (1844-1889)

I love Thee, God, I love Thee—
Not out of hope for Heaven for me
Nor fearing not to love and be
in the everlasting burning.
Thou, my Jesus, after me
Didst reach Thine arms out dying,
For my sake suffered nails and lance,
Mocked and marred countenance,
Sorrows passing number,
Sweat and care and cumber,
Yea and death and this for me,
And Thou could see me sinning.
Then I, why should not I love Thee,
Jesu so much in love with me?
Not for Heaven’s sake, not to be
Out of hell by loving Thee,
Not for any gains I see,
But just the way that Thou didst me
I do love and will love Thee.
What must I love Thee, Lord, for then?
For being my King and God.
Amen

“We must make our way towards eternity,
never regarding what men think of us,
or of our actions,
studying only to please God.”

St Francis Borgia (1510-1572)

““Man’s salvation and perfection
consists in doing the Will of God
which he must have in view in all things
and, at every moment of his life.”

St Peter Claver (1581-1654)

“Can we think, the life of man,
better employed than in this good work?
What do I say? Would not all the labours
of a thousand men, be well rewarded,
in the conversion of a single soul
gained to Jesus Christ?
I have always felt a great love
for this kind of life
and for a profession so excellent
and so akin to that of the Apostles.”

St Isaac Jogues (1607-1646)
Martyr

“Are we in the habit of seeing all thing in God
and God in all things?
Do we accept all things from His Holy Hands
and do His Will cheerfully and lovingly?
Do we try to control ourselves when God sends
us sorrows, in addition to joy?
If we find we are in need of reform in this matter,
we should make good resolutions and fulfil them!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The BEATITUDES, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 5 November – And opening His mouth, He taught them … – Matthew 5:1-2

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One Minute Reflection – 5 Novemer – “The Month of The Holy Souls in Purgatory” – Within the Octave of All Saints and the Feast of the Holy Relics – Apocalypse 7:2-12; 4:1-3 – Matthew 5:1-12 – Scripture search here: http s://www.drbo.org/

“And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain… And opening His mouth, He taught them … Blessed are …” – Matthew 5:1-2

REFLECTION – “Lord Jesus Christ, to teach us the summit of virtue, Thou ascended the mountain with Thy disciples and taught them the Beatitudes and highest virtues, promising them the rewards applicable to each. Grant that my weakness may hear Thy Voice, that I may apply myself, through their practice, to acquire the merit of the virtues, so that, by Thy Mercy, I may receive the promised reward. As I consider the payment, do not let me refuse the effort of the labour. Make my hope of eternal salvation, sweeten the bitterness of the cure, inflaming my soul with the splendour of Thy work. Out of the wretched person I am, create one of the blessed; from the blessedness here below, lead me through Thy Grace, to the blessedness of the homeland.

Come, Lord Jesus Christ, in search of Thy servant, seeking Thy erring and exhausted sheep. Come, Spouse of the Church, in search of Thy lost coin. Come, Father of mercies, welcome the prodigal son returning to Thee. Come, then, Lord, for Thou art the only One, able to call back the sheep who has strayed, to find the lost drachma, to reconcile the runaway son. Cone, that there may be salvation on earth and joy in Heaven! Turn me towards Thyself and grant that I may carry out a true and perfect repentance, that I may become an occasion for joy, among the angels. Sweetest Jesus, I pray Thee, by the immensity of Thy Love for me, a sinner, grant that I may love Thee alone, above all things, that I maybe consoled by none but Thou, my sweetest God!” – Ludolph of Saxony (c1300-1378) Monk, Theologian, Writer, Dominican then a Carthusian (Prayers to Jesus Christ).

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

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PURGATORY, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The HOLY SOULS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 3 November – ‘ … Why do we not hasten and run …’ John 5:28-29

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One Minute Reflection – 3 November – “The Month of The Holy Souls in Purgatory” – Within the Octave of All Saints – All Holy Souls in Purgatory – 1 Corinthians 15:51-57 – John 5:25-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Do not wonder at this, for the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs shall hear the Voice of the Son of God. And they who have done good, shall come forth unto the resurrection of Life but they who have done evil, until the resurrection of judgement.” – John 5:28-29

REFLECTION – “We should consider, beloved brethren and we should reflect constantly that we have renounced the world and as strangers and foreigners, we sojourn here for a time (Heb 11:13). Let us embrace the day which assigns each of us to his dwelling which, on our being rescued from here and released from the snares of the world, restores us to Paradise and the Kingdom. What man, after having been abroad, would not hasten to return to his native land? Who, when hurrying to sail to his family, would not more eagerly long for a favourable wind that he might more quickly embrace his dear ones? We account Paradise our country, we have already begun to look upon the patriarchs as our parents.

Why do we not hasten and run, so that we may see our country, so that we may greet our parents? A great number of our dear ones there, await us, parents, brothers, children; a dense and copious throng longs for us, already secure in their safety but still anxious for our salvation! … There, are to be found, the glorious choir of Apostles, there, the throng of exultant Prophets, there, the innumerable multitude of Martyrs wearing crowns on account of the glory and victory of their struggle and passion, there, the triumphant Virgins … the merciful enjoying their reward, who have performed works of justice by giving food and alms to the poor, who, in observing the precepts of the Lord, have transferred their earthlyinheritance to the treasuries of Heaven!

To these, beloved brethren, let us hasten with eager longing! let us pray that it may befall us speedily to be with them, speedily to come to Christ. May God see this our purpose … Who will give, more ample rewards of His charity, to those whose longings for Him have been greater.” – St Cyprian (200-258) Bishop of Carthage, Martyr, Father (On Mortality 26).

PRAYER – O God, Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant to the souls of Thy servants and handmaids, the remission of all their sins, that they may obtain, by our loving prayer,s the forgiveness which they have always desired. Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 October – ‘ … Be careful lest, when the King enters, He finds fault with some aspect of your heart’s clothing! ,,,’

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One Minute Reflection – 23 October – Ferial Day – The Feast of the Most Holy Redeemer – The Feast day of St Anthony Mary Claret CMF (1807-1870) Archbishop and Founder of the Claretians – Ephesians 4:23-28 – Matthew 22:1-14 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?” – Matthew 22:12

REFLECTION – “But you, my friends, since you have already come into the house of the marriage feast, our holy Church, as a result of God’s generosity, be careful lest, when the King enters, He finds fault with some aspect of your heart’s clothing!

What do we think is meant by the wedding garment, dearly beloved? For if we say it is Baptism or faith, is there anyone who has entered this marriage feast without them? A person is outside because he has not yet come to believe. What then must we understand by the wedding garment but love? That person enters the marriage feast but without wearing a wedding garment, who is present in the holy Church. He may have faith but he does not have love. We are correct when we say that love is the wedding garment because this, is what our Creator Himself possessed, when He came to the marriage feast, to join the Church to Himself. Only God’s Love brought it about, that His Only-Begotten Son, united the hearts of His chosen, to Himself. John says “God so Loved the world that He gave His Only-Begotten Son for us.” – St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) Father and Doctor of the Church – (Sermons on the Gospel No 38).

PRAYER – O Lord, we beseech Thee, graciously grant Thou faithful, forgiveness and peace that they may be cleansed of all sin and serve Thee with minds free from care. 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 BAPTISM, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 19 October – ‘ … What then must we understand by the wedding garment but love?…’ St Gregory the Great – Matthew 22:1-14

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One Minute Reflection – 19 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy Angels” – St Peter of Alcantara OFM (1499-1562) Confessor – Ephesians 4:23-28 – Matthew 22:1-14 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?” – Matthew 22:12

REFLECTION – “But you, my friends, since you have already come into the house of the marriage feast, our holy Church, as a result of God’s generosity, be careful lest, when the King enters, He finds fault with some aspect of your heart’s clothing!

What do we think is meant by the wedding garment, dearly beloved? For if we say it is Baptism or faith, is there anyone who has entered this marriage feast without them? A person is outside because he has not yet come to believe. What then must we understand by the wedding garment but love? That person enters the marriage feast but without wearing a wedding garment, who is present in the Holy Church. He may have faith but he does not have love. We are correct when we say that love is the wedding garment because this, is what our Creator Himself possessed, when He came to the marriage feast, to join the Church to Himself. Only God’s Love brought it about, that His Only-Begotten Son, united the hearts of His chosen, to Himself. John says “God so Loved the world that He gave His Only-Begotten Son for us.” – St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) Father and Doctor of the Church – (Sermons on the Gospel No 38).

PRAYER – O God, Who graciously made blessed Peter, Thy Confessor, glorious by the gift of remarkable penance and sublime contemplation, grant, we beseech Thee, that, by the merit of his prayers, we may the more easily understand the things of Heaven by curbing our passions. 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", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, Quotes on SALVATION

Thought for the Day – 26 September – HEAVEN

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

HEAVEN

“God desires our salvation.
“God wishes all men to be saved” (1 Tim 2:4).
We are all aspiring to Heaven.
We shall not be denied the grace of God, as long as we ask for it with confidence and perseverance.
St Augustine tells us that Paradise is ours, if we wish: “You are not called to embrace the earth but, to prepare yourselves for Heaven; not to the successes of this world, nor to a short-lived and transient prosperity but, to eternal life, together with the Angels” (Serm 296 6:7).

Contemplate that true and everlasting happiness.
Let us direct towards it, our intentions and desires and all our work!
Then the day will come when we shall be really happy for all eternity.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, QUOTES on WORK/LABOUR, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 September – ‘ … If we are faithful in labouring at this work …’

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One Minute Reflection – 22 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – St Thomas of Villanova OSA (1488-1555) Archbishop, Confessor – Ecclesiasticu Sirach 44:16-27; 45:3-20 – Matthew 25:14-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“ Enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” – Matthew 25:21

REFLECTION – “Let us keep our eyes unceasingly fixed upon the Divine Ideal; let us work to realise, within ourselves, the perfection to which God wishes us to reach, in order to imitate His Divine Son. He is the form of our eternal predestination and for each one, there exists “given grace, according to the measure of the giving of Christ.” (cf Eph 4:7). Here below we do not know what this measure is, by what amount the measure of our predestination is fixed by God. But, without question, it is going to form Christ in us, to reproduce the characteristics of the unique Ideal which the Father Himself indicates …

If we are faithful in labouring at this work, despite temptations and difficulties, the day of reward promised by God will sound for us. … If we have had that constant application which love brings to the perfect fulfilment of our Heavenly Father’s wishes, if we have done “ always the things which please Him” (Jn 8:29), we shall receive the magnificent reward promised by Him Who is Faithfulness Itself: “Well done, good and faithful servant because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” (cf Mt 25:21). All the Saints, on entering Heaven, hear these blessed words; this is the welcome they receive from Christ Jesus!

And what are the good things in which Our Lord gives a share? – God Himself, in His Trinity and His perfections and, with God, all spiritual good. The soul will be like God for it will “See Him as He really is” (1 Jn 3:2). Through this ineffable vision which succeeds to faith, the Soul will be fixed in God and will find in Him the Divine stability. It will be forever knit in a perfect embrace to the supreme and immutable Good, without the fear of ever losing Him.” – Columba Marmion (1858-1923) Abbot (“The Instruments of Good Works” – Christ the Ideal of the Monk)

PRAYER – O God, Who endowed blessed Bishop Thomas with the virtue of special pity for the poor, we beseech Thee, through his intercession, generously to pour forth the riches of Thy mercy upon all those who pray to Thee.ThroughJesus 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 CATECHESIS, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, GOD ALONE!, JESUIT SJ, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on the POOR, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SELF-DISTRUST, St Francis de Sales, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

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

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Quote/s of the Day – 20 September – The Vigil of St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist – Wisdom 5:16-20 – Luke 6:17-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

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

Luke 6:20

“Let him who is greatest among you,
become as the youngest
and he who is the leader,
as the servant.”

Luke 22:25

“No Christian should think of himself
as his own master
but each should rather so think and act,
as though given by God,
to be slave to his fellow brothers and sisters.”

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

“Humility is the mother of many virtues
because, from it are born:
obedience, fear, reverence, patience,
modesty, meekness and peace.
He who is humble easily obeys everyone,
fears to offend anyone,
is at peace with everyone,
is kind to all!”

St Thomas of Villanova OSA (1488-1555)

“Be generous to the poor orphans
and those in need.
The man to whom our Lord
has been liberal
ought not to be stingy.
We shall one day find in Heaven,
as much rest and joy
as we ourselves have dispensed in this life.”

St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)

“Humility is not just about self-mistrust
but about the entrusting of ourselves to God.
Distrusting ourselves and our own strength
produces trust in God
and from that trust,
generosity of soul is born.”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of Charity

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CARMELITES, CHRIST the KING, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, INGRATITUDE, JESUIT SJ, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on the POOR, St Francis de Sales, The PASSION, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 7 September – Just one returned to show his gratitude …

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Quote/s of the Day – 7 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – Pentecost XIII – Galatians 3:16-22; – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/– –

“Were not ten made clean?
And where are the other nine?”

Luke 17:17

“While He is judged, Wisdom remains silent
and the Word says nothing.
His enemies despise and Crucify Him …
Those, to whom yesterday,
He gave His Body as food, watch from a distance
as He dies. Peter, the first of the Apostles,
is the first to flee. Andrew also took flight
and John, who rested at His side,
did not prevent the soldier from piercing that side
with a lance. The Twelve fled –
they did not say one word in His favour, they,
for whom He is giving His Life.
Lazarus is not there, he, whom He called back to life.
The blind man did not weep for Him
Who opened his eyes to the light
and the crippled man, who could walk
thanks to Him, did not run to Him.
Only a bandit who was crucified next to Him
confessed Him and called Him his King!
O thief, precocious blossom from the tree of the Cross, first fruit of the wood from Golgotha!”

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

“ For man’s lowliness,
is his gratitude
and, God’s greatness,
is His Mercy.”

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

“What we need most,
in order to make progress,
is to be silent before this great God
with our appetite and with our tongue,
for the language He best hears
is silent love.”

St John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Mystical Doctor of the Church

“Do much for God
and do nothing without love:
refer everything to this love;
eat and drink with it in mind!”

(Letter to Madame de Chantal)

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of Charity

Daily Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Prayers to the Sacred Heart
1936 – 15th Edition, Dublin

O Sacred Heart of Jesus,
filled with infinite love,
broken by our ingratitude
and pierced by our sins,
yet loving us still,
accept the Consecration
we make to Thee,
of all that we are
and all that we have.
Take every faculty
of our souls and bodies,
only day by day
draw us, nearer and nearer
to Thy Sacred Heart,
and there, as we shall hear the lesson,
teach us Thy Holy Way.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, CONFESSION/PENANCE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, QUOTES on TRUTH, QUOTES on WORRY/ANXIETY, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The LAST THINGS

Quote/s of the Day – 28 August – St Augustine

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Quote/s of the Day – 28 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – The Feast of St Augustine (354-430) Bishop, Confessor, Father and Doctor of Grace

“Behold, thy mother”
John 19:27

“His Mother is the entire Church
because by God’s grace,
she brings forth the members of Jesus Christ,
that is to say, those who are faithful to Him.
His Mother is also every holy soul
who does the Will of His Father
and whose fruitful charity is made manifest
in those whom it brings forth for Him
until He Himself is formed in them (Gal 4:19)…”

“Be you then also ready,
for at what hour you think not,
the Son of man will come.”
Luke 12:40

“The more unsure the day of our death is,
the more painful are the trials of life and the more too,
we should fast and pray since,
to all intents and purposes, tomorrow we die.
Even now, the hope we thus put
in the One Who is faithful to His promise,
will not leave us without some joy,
until we are filled with overwhelming joy
on the day when “we shall be like Him
because we shall see Him as He is” (1Jn 3:2),
when “no-one shall take our joy away from us”

“Give of your earthly goods
and receive eternal ones;
give earth and receive Heaven!”

“Judge your own conscience.
Demand an account from it.
Dig deep and rend it apart.
Discover all the evil thoughts
and intentions of the day …
and punish yourself for them!”
(Expos in Ps 4 n 8).

“To arrive at the knowledge of the Truth,
there are many paths – the first is humility,
the second is humility
and the third is humility!”

“Humility is a very strange entity.
The moment we think we have it,
we have already lost it!”

Late Have I Loved Thee!
By St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of Grace

Late have I loved Thee,
Beauty ever ancient and ever new,
late have I loved Thee!
Lo, Thou were within
but I outside,
seeking there for Thee
and upon the shapely things
Thou hast made
I rushed headlong – I, misshapen.
Thou wast with me
but I was tnot with Thee.
They held me back far from Thee,
those things which would have no being,
were they not in Thee.
Thou called, shouted,
broke through my deafness.
Thou flared, blazed,
banished my blindness.
Thou lavished Thy fragrance,
I gasped
and now I pant for Thee.
I tasted Thee
and now I hunger and thirst.
Thou touched me
and I burned for Thy peace.
Amen

“May we listen too, to the Voice of the Lord
which, from on high, exhorts and consoles us.
… For He has heard our groaning,
He has seen our sighs,
He has sounded the desires of our hearts for
“the one thing we ask” (v.4).
Thanks to Christ’s intercession,
He has favourably received our one prayer,
our one request.
And while we are completing our pilgrimage
in this world, even as the road is a long one,
He will not refuse what He has promised.
He says to us: “Hope in the Lord.”
He Who has promised is all powerful,
He is trustworthy, He is faithful.
… Therefore, do not let yourself be troubled.”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/08/28/quote-s-of-the-day-28-august-st-augustine-3/

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

Posted in CATHOLIC Quotes, DYING / LAST WORDS, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, PURGATORY, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN

Quote/s of the Day – 27 August – St Caesarius of Arles and St Joseph Calasanz

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Quote/s of the Day – 27 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – St Caesarius of Arles (470-543) Bishop, Father of the Church and St Joseph Calasanz (1557-1648) Confessor, Priest– –

“The worst kind of sin,
is not to acknowledge
that you are sinful.”

“God never deserts a man,
unless He is first deserted by that man.
For even if a man shall have committed
grievous sins once, twice and a third time,
God still looks for him,
‘so that he may be converted and live!‘”

“Whatever He receives on earth,
He returns in Heaven.”

“A person may say,
I am not much concerned
how long I stay in purgatory,
provided I may come to eternal life.
Let no-one reason thus!
Purgatory fire will be more dreadful
than whatever torments can be seen, imagined
or endured in this world.
He who is now afraid to put his finger into the fire,
does he not fear,
lest he be then all buried in torments, for a very long time?”

St Caesarius of Arles (470-543)
Bishop, Father of the Church

St Joseph Calasanz (1557-1648)
QUOTES:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/08/27/quote-s-of-the-day-27-august-st-joseph-calasanz/

Posted in CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MODESTY, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on MERCY

Quote/s of the Day – 25 August – “Whatever He receives on earth, He returns in Heaven.”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 25 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – St Louis IX (1214-1270) King and Confessor – Wisdom 10:10-14 – Luke 19:12-26 –Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And he who had received the five talents
went and traded with them,
and gained five more.

Matthew 25:16

“And he said to him:
Well done, thou good servant …”

Luke 19:17

“God is Good but He is also Just…
So do not underestimate God –
His love for men
should not become a pretext,
for negligence on our part.”

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

“For the man who is kindly,
modest, merciful and just,
will not keep his good works to himself
but will see to it
that these admirable fountains,
send out their streams,
for the good of others.
Again, the man who is clean of heart,
a peacemaker and ardent for truth,
will order his life, so as to contribute
to the common good.”

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

“Whatever He receives on earth,
He returns in Heaven.”

St Caesarius of Arles (470-543)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, franciscan OFM, Lady POVERTY, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on GREED, WEALTH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on POVERTY, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 August – “Sell what you possess and give alms.” – Luke 12:33

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One Minute Reflection – 23 August – “The Month of the
Immaculate Heart of Mary” – St Philip Benizi OSM (1233-1285) Confessor – 1 Corinthians. 4:9-14 – Luke 12:32-34 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Sell what you possess and give alms.” – Luke 12:33

REFLECTION – “O blessed Lady poverty, who bestows eternal riches on those who love and embrace her! O holy poverty, to those who possess and desire you, God promises the Kingdom of Heaven and offers, indeed, eternal glory and blessed life! O God-embracing poverty, whom the Lord Jesus Christ, Who ruled and now rules Heaven and earth, “Who spoke and things were made,” (Ps 32:9) condescended to embrace before all else! “The foxes have dens,” He says “and the birds of the air have nests but the Son of Man,” Christ, “has nowhere to lay His Head” (Mt 8:20) “but bowing His Head, gave up His Spirit” (Jn 19:30).

If so great and good a Lord then, on coming into the Virgin’s womb, chose to appear despised, needy and poor in this world, so that those who were in utter poverty and want and in absolute need of heavenly nourishment, might become rich in Him by possessing the Kingdom of Heaven, then rejoice and be glad! Be filled with a remarkable happiness and a spiritual joy! Contempt of the world has pleased you more than [its] honours, poverty more than earthly riches and you have sought to store greater treasure in Heaven rather than on earth, “where rust does not consume nor moth destroy nor thieves break in and steal” (Mt 6:20). “Your reward,” then, “is very great in heaven” (Mt 5:12)!” – St Clare (1193-1252) Virgin, Founder (1st letter to St Agnes of Prague).

PRAYER – O God, Who through St. Philip, Thy Confessor, gave us an outstanding example of humility, grant that Thy household may follow his example by scorning worldly prosperity and, ever seek the things of Heaven. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 10 August – “If it dies, it produces much fruit” – John 12:24

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One Minute Reflection – 10 August – “The Month of the
Immaculate Heart of Mary” – St Lawrence (Died 258) Martyr, “Keeper of the Treasures of he Church” – 2 Corinthians 9:6-10 –John 12:24-26 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“If it dies, it produces much fruit” – John 12:24

REFLECTION – “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed which a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet, when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’” (Mt 13:31). This small seed is for us the symbol of Jesus Christ, Who, sowed into the garden where He was buried, rose from it shortly after, through His Resurrection, as a big tree.

One could say that when He died, He was like a small seed – a small seed because of the humiliation of His flesh but a big tree because of the glorification of His Majesty. He was like a small seed when he appeared completely disfigured before our eyes but like a large tree when He rose again like “the most handsome of men” (Ps 44:3).

The branches of this mysterious tree, are the holy preachers of the Gospel, of whom one of the Psalms indicates the reach: “Their report goes forth throughout all the earth, their message, to the ends of the world “ (Ps 19:5; cf Rom 10:18). The birds rest on these branches while the souls of the just, who have been raised up above earth’s attractions, on the wings of holiness, find in the words of these preachers of the Gospel, the consolation they need in the sorrows and difficulties of this life.” – St Gregory the Great (540-604) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church (Homilies on Matthew, Ch.13).

PRAYER – Grant us, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, to extinguish the flames of our sins, as Thou granted St Lawrence to overcome the fires of his tortures. 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).