Category: QUOTES on LOVE of GOD

Posted in ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, GOD ALONE!, HOLY COMMUNION, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The HEART, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 28 April – The Role of the Eucharist in Increasing Our Love of God (Part Two)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 28 April – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

LV: … The Role of the Eucharist in
Increasing Our Love of God (Part Two)

“Meditating on this truth, let each man say within himself:

“Who could have imagined, O Lord, that a God of such Infinite greatness would bestow His affections on such an abject and insignificant creature as myself!
What could be Thy design, O King of glory?
What canst Thou expect of me who am but dust?
I see clearly, O my God, by the Light of Thy burning charity which enlightens me with knowledge and enkindles me with love that Thy design, was one divorced from all self-interest.
For Thy wish in so graciously bestowing this Sacrament, is to transform me into Thee that I may live in Thee and Thou in me.
Such an intimate union will ultimately remake my heart, fashioning from a vessel of earth, a delicate instrument attuned to things Divine!”

Then, full of joy and wonder at the indications of Divine Love given us by Christ and aware that His only purpose is the transformation of our hearts from things of earth, to things of Heaven, let us offer a sacrifice, and consecrate the will, the memory and understanding, to the sole task of pleasing Him in the gracious acceptance of His Holy Will.

After this, recognising our incapacity to dispose ourselves properly, unaided by His grace for proper reception of the Eucharist, let us strive earnestly to obtain that grace by ejaculations such as the following:

“O heavenly food, when shall I be united to Thee, to be consumed joyfully in the fire of Divine Love?
O Divine charity, when shall I live in Thee, by Thee and for Thee alone?
O heavenly manna, Sovereign good, joy of my heart, when shall I, loathing all other food, seek Thee alone?
O life of eternal joy, when shall I dwell in Thee alone?
O my Loving And almighty Lord, free my heart from the tyranny of its passions and vicious attachments; adorn it with Thy heavenly virtues and with gentle compulsion, force it to rejoice in loving and pleasing Thee.
Then O Lord, will I open my heart and bid Thee enter; then shalt Thou come, my only Treasure, to transform my heart by Thy Divine Presence.”

Such are the tender and affectionate sentiments which we should form on the evening before and, on the morning of, reception of Holy Communion.”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/04/27/thought-for-the-day-27-april-the-role-of-the-eucharist-in-increasing-our-love-of-god-part-one/

Posted in HOLY COMMUNION, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD

Thought for the Day – 27 April – The Role of the Eucharist in Increasing Our Love of God (Part One)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 27 April – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

LV: … The Role of the Eucharist in
Increasing Our Love of God (Part One)

“If our motive in receiving Holy Communion be a desire of increasing our love of God, we should recall the Love which God has for us.
The preparation consists in an attentive contemplation of this Sovereign Lord of boundless Power and Majesty, Who, not satisfied with creating us to His image and likeness, nor with the immolation of His only Son on our behalf, left this Son to us in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, to be our food and support in all our necessities.
Consider well the greatness and uniqueness of this Love in the following manner:

  1. In its duration we find that God’s Love for us is eternal and unceasing; for, as He is eternal in His Divinity, so is He eternal in His Love.
    Before time was, God determined to give His Son to mankind in this marvellous manner.
    Let these words, then, echo joyfully within your heart: “In the abyss of eternity, my littleness was so loved by the most high God that He thought of me and with Love ineffable, wished to give me His Son to be my food and my nourishment!”
  2. Our strongest passions for earthly things recognise certain limits which they cannot exceed but, the Love of God for us, is limitless.
    The advent of His Son, equal to Himself in Majesty and Perfection, was a testimony to that boundless Love.
    Thus is the Gift equal to the Love and the Love to the Gift and both are Infinite, beyond the borders of human understanding.
  3. In Loving us God was not constrained by any power or necessity but heaped innumerable benefits upon us out of the magnitude of Divine Love.
  4. Neither have human merit or previous good works, rendered us worthy of this remarkable Gift.
    If God has loved to excess or given of Himself unstintingly, it is rather to be attributed to the immensity of Divine charity.
  5. God’s Love for us is untainted by the blemish of the self-interest present in human affections.
    For what is the totality of human greatness to Him, the Source of all happiness and glory?
    How could we possibly add glory to Glory itself?
    The advantages, then, are all on the side of man.    ”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

Posted in 7 GIFTS of the HOLY SPIRIT, CARMELITES, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JESUIT SJ, MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHASTITY, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PURITY, St JOSEPH, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 24 April – St Joseph

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 24 April – The Octave Day of the Patronage of St Joseph

“Saint Joseph was the just man:
by his constant fidelity -an effect of justice;
by his perfect discretion – a sister to prudence;
by his upright conduct – a mark of strength
and by his inviolable chastity – a flower of temperance.”

St Albert the Great (1200-1280)
Doctor of the Church

“I cannot call to mind
that I have ever asked him,
at any time for anything,
which he has not granted
and I am filled with amazement
when I consider the great favours
which God has given me,
through this blessed Saint;
the dangers from which he has delivered me,
both of body and of soul!”

St Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Doctor of the Church

“It is impossible, that he could be denied
the favours for which he asks
and which we should request him
to obtain for us.
Let us go to him trustingly
but, let us remember,
that the surest way of being heard by him,
is to imitate his wonderful virtues,
especially his humility,
his spirit of prayer,
his purity and his calm desire always,
to do God’s will.”

“This holy Patriarch was as resigned
to the poverty of the manger
and the discomforts of exile,
as he was grateful to God for the wonderful gifts
and joys which he had been granted.
He knew that God could have solved,
by a single act of His Divine Will,
all the problems which he encountered throughout life.
But he never asked for such a favour.
His only desire was to do God’s Will perfectly.
Let this be our desire too and let us never cease
to ask God for this grace.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in FRANCISCAN OFM, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, QUOTES on WORK/LABOUR, SELF-DISTRUST

Quote/s of the Day – 23 April – Blessed Giles of Assisi

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 23 April – Blessed Giles of Assisi OFM (c1190-1262) Friar and Missionary of the Order of Friars Minor, Friend and the 3rd follower of St Francis.

A Brother said to Brother Giles:
“ Father, I have seen other men who received from God
the grace of devotion and of tears in their prayers
and I cannot feel in myself any such grace,
when I go to worship God.”
To whom Brother Giles answered:
“My Brother, I counsel thee to persevere humbly
and faithfully in thy prayers;
for the fruits of the earth cannot be had without toil
and labour applied beforehand
and even after we have laboured,
the desired fruit does not follow immediately
but only in its season, when the fullness of time has come.”

“Happiness is to do bodily labour
for the love of the Most High
and not to take any lesser wages than Paradise,
for the good work one does.”

“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 "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, St PETER!, The KINGDOM of GOD, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 22 April – But seek first the Kingdom of God

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 22 April – St Pope Soter (Died c174) Martyr and St Pope Caius I (Died 296) Martyr – 1 Peter 5:1-4; 5:10-11; … Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And I say to thee: That thou art Peter
and upon this rock, I will build My Church
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Matthew 16:18

“But the God of all grace,
Who hath called us into His eternal glory
in Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little,
will Himself perfect you and confirm you
and establish you.
To Him be glory and empire
forever and ever. Amen.”

1 Peter 5:10-11

“Look at the fig tree and all the trees,
when they produce their fruit you know that summer is near.
So too, when you see these things happening,
know that the Kingdom of God is near.”
Luke 21:29-31

“He means that just as the coming of summer
is recognised by the fruit on the trees,
so is the nearness of the Kingdom of God recognised
by the destruction of the world.
These words show that the fruit of the world is destruction –
it increases only to fall, it produces, only to destroy
by its disasters whatever it produces.
The Kingdom of God is aptly compared to summer,
because it is then that the clouds of our sorrow pass away
and the days of life shine
with the brightness of the Eternal Sun. …
Therefore, my friends, do not love
what you see cannot long exist.
Keep in mind the Apostle John’s precept,
in which he counsels us not “to love the world
or the things in the world because,
if anyone loves the world,
the love of the Father is not in him” (1 Jn 2:15).”

St Gregory the Great (540-604)
Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church

“But seek first the Kingdom of God
and His righteousness
and all these things shall be added to you.”
Matthew 6:33

“But, [you will tell me],
there is so much to do, so many household jobs,
so much business in town, in the fields –
work everywhere! Do we have to abandon it all, then,
so as to think of nothing but God?”
No – but these occupations have to be sanctified
by seeking God in them and doing them
to find Him in them, rather than, to see them done.
What our Lord wants, is for us to seek His glory,
His Kingdom, His righteousness, before all else
and, for this, to make our foundation the interior life,
faith, trust, love, religious exercises…, labours and sufferings,
with God our Sovereign Lord in view…
Once we are firmly set in the search for God’s glory,
we can be assured that the rest will follow.”

St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)

Posted in "Follow Me", GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, GOD the FATHER, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The PASSION, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 21 April – Meditation on the Sufferings of Christ (Part Two)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 21 April – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

LI: … Meditation on the Sufferings of Christ
(Part Two)

“If you would have a lively sorrow for your sins, let your meditation convince you that if Jesus Christ suffered so much, it was to inspire you with wholesome self-contempt and a hatred of your disorderly passions, particularly your greatest faults which are naturally most offensive to Almighty God.

And if you would excite sentiments of admiration, you need only consider that nothing is more shocking than the sight of the Creator of the universe, the Fountain of Life, butchered by His own creatures, the right of the Supreme Majesty, as it were, annihilated, Justice condemned, Beauty defiled and lost in filth, the Beloved of the Eternal Father become the hated of sinners.
Light inaccessible is overwhelmed by the powers of darkness; Uncreated glory and felicity are buried under ignominy and wretchedness!

To arouse compassion in your heart for the sufferings of your Saviour and God, exclusive of His exterior pains, consider the most acute of His sufferings, His interior anguish.
For if you are moved by the first, you will be pierced with grief at the sight of the second.
The soul of Christ beheld the Divinity in Heaven, then as clearly as it does now.
It knew how much God deserved to be honoured and, as it infinitely loved Him, desired that all creatures should love Him with all the power of their souls.
Seeing Him, therefore, so horribly dishonoured throughout the world by countless, abominable crimes, it was overwhelmed with grief that the Divine Majesty was not loved and served by all men.
As the greatness of this desire of the soul of Christ that His Father be loved, was beyond imagination, it is futile to try to comprehend the depths of His interior sufferings in the agonies of death.”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/04/20/thought-for-the-day-20-april-meditation-on-the-sufferings-of-christ-part-one/

Posted in ACT of CONTRITION, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of PETITION, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 21 April – St Anselm

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 21 April – St Anselm (1033-1109) ArchBishop of Canterbury, Confessor, Magnificent and Marian Doctor of the Church

“No-one will have any other desire in Heaven
than what God wills and the desire of one,
will be the desire of all and the desire of all
and of each one, will also be the desire of God.”

O Lord Our God, Grant Us Grace
By St Anselm (1033-1109)
Archbishop of Canterbury
Doctor of the Church

O Lord our God,
grant us grace to desire Thee
with our whole heart;
that, so desiring, we may seek
and, seeking, find Thee
and so finding Thee,
may love Thee
and loving Thee,
may hate those sins
from which Thou hast redeemed us.
Amen.

A Prayer for All in Need
By St Anselm (1033-1109)
Archbishop of Canterbury
Doctor of the Church

O Lord,
we bring before Thee,
the distress and dangers
of peoples and nations,
the pleas of the imprisoned
and the captive,
the sorrows of the grief-stricken,
the needs of the refugee,
the impotence of the weak,
the weariness of the despondent
and the diminishments of the aging.
O Lord, stay close to them all.
Amen

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/04/21/quote-s-of-the-day-21-april-st-anselm-2/

Posted in "Follow Me", GOD ALONE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 21 April – The Joy of My Lord By St Anselm ‬

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 21 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – St Anselm (of Canterbury) OSB (1033-1109) Bishop, Confessor, Magnificent and Marian Doctor of the Church

The Joy of My Lord
By St Anselm ‬(1033-1109)
Doctor of the Church

I beseech Thee, O my God,
that I may know Thee, love Thee,
and rejoice in Thee.
If in this life, I cannot do these things fully,
grant that I may, at the least,
progress in them, from day to day.
Advance in me, the knowledge of Thee, now
that in the life to come, it may be complete.
Increase in me, the love of Thee, here
that there, it may be overflowing.
O God of Truth,
I pray, that I may obtain
that which Thou promise
that my joy may be complete.
And in the meantime,
let my mind meditate on it,
let my soul hunger after it
and my whole being long for it,
till at last, I enter into the joy of my Lord,
Who is God, blessed forever.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the JUDGE, DOCTORS of the Church, JESUIT SJ, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on JUDGING, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The GOOD SHEPherd Prayers

Our Morning Offering – 16 April – Guide Me Lord By St Albert the Great

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 16 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament”

Guide Me Lord
By St Albert the Great (1200-1280)
Doctor of the Church

O Lord Jesus Christ,
Who seeks those who stray
and receives them when returning,
make me approach Thee
through the frequent hearing of Thy Word,
lest I sin against my neighbour,
by the blindness of human judgement,
through the austerity of false justice,
through comparing his inferior status,
through too much trust in my merits
or through ignorance of the Divine Judgement.
Guide me to search diligently,
each corner of my conscience,
lest the flesh dominate the spirit!
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, St PAUL!, The GOOD SHEPHERD

Quote/s of the Day – 15 April – ‘Our Shepherd,Who guides everything from Heaven above …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 15 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Ferial Day – 1 Peter 2:21-25; John 10:11-16– Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“I am the Good Shepherd,
I know My Own
and My Own know Me.”

John 10:14

“He cries out, saying:
See, I am with you all the days of this age.
He is Himself the Shepherd,
the High Priest,
the Way and the Door
and has become all things at once for us.”

St Athanasius (297-373)
Father & Doctor of the Church

“So Saul was led to Ananias –
the ravaging wolf is led to the sheep.
But the Shepherd,
Who guides everything from Heaven above,
reassures him…
“Do not fear, I will show him
what he will have to suffer, for My Name’s sake”
(Acts 9:16).
What wonder is this!
The wolf is led, a captive, to the sheep…
The Lamb who died for the sheep,
teaches it not to be afraid any more!”

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

“With good reason Christ declares:
I am the Good Shepherd,
I seek out the lost sheep,
the strayed I will bring back,
the injured I will bind up,
the sick I will heal (Ez 34:16).
I have seen the flock of mankind
struck down by sickness;
I have witnessed my lambs
wander about where demons dwell;
I have seen my flock ravaged by wolves.
All this I have seen
and have not witnessed it from on high.
That is why I took hold of the withered hand,
gripped by pain, as if by a wolf;
I have unbound those whom fever had bound;
I taught him to see,
whose eyes had been shut from his mother’s womb;
I brought Lazarus out from the tomb
where he had lain for four days (Mk 3:5; 1:31; Jn 9; 11).
For I am the Good Shepherd
and the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.”

Basil of Seleucia (Died 448)
Bishop of Seleucia

(Oratio 26)

“The measure of love,
is to love without measure.”

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

Posted in "Follow Me", DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR

Our Morning Offering – 15 April – O God of Love, Give Me Thy Love and Thy Grace By St Alphonsus Liguori

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 15 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Ferial Day

O God of Love,
Give Me Thy Love and Thy Grace
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

O God of Love,
Thou art
and shall be forever,
the only delight of my heart
and the sole object of my affections.
Since Jesus said:
‘Ask and you shall receive,’
I do not hesitate to say:
‘Give me Thy Love and Thy Grace.’
Grant that I may love Thee
and be loved by Thee.
I want for nothing else.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, 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 ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on TRUTH, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 14 April – “I am the Good Shepherd and I know Mine and Mine know Me.”- John 10:14

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 14 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – The Second Sunday of Easter – Commemoration of St Justin Martyr (c100-165) – 1 Peter 2:21-25; John 10:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“I am the Good Shepherd and I know Mine and Mine know Me.”- John 10:14

REFLECTION – “I am the good shepherd. I know My Own—by which I mean, I love them—and My Own know Me. In plain words – those who love Me are willing to follow Me, for anyone who does not love the Truth, has not yet come to know it.

My dear brethren, you have heard the test we shepherds have to undergo. Turn now to consider, how these words of our Lord, imply a test for yourselves too. Ask yourselves whether you belong to His flock, whether you know Him, whether the Light of His Truth shines in your minds. I assure you that it is not by faith that you will come to know Him but, by love, not by mere conviction but, by action. John the Evangelist is my authority, for this statement. He tells us that anyone who claims to know God, without keeping His commandments, is a liar.

Consequently, the Lord immediately adds: ‘As the Father knows Me and I know the Father and I lay down My life for My sheep.‘ Clearly, He means that laying down His life for His sheep, gives evidence of His knowledge of the Father and the Father’s knowledge of Him. In other words, by the love with which He dies for His sheep, He shows, how greatly He loves His Father.

Again He says: ‘My sheep hear My voice and I know them; they follow Me,and I give them eternal life.’ Shortly before this He had declared – ‘If anyone enters the sheepfold through Me, he shall be saved, he shall go freely in and out and shall find good pasture.‘ He will enter into a life of faith; from faith, he will go out to vision, from belief to contemplation and will graze in the good pastures of everlasting life.

So our Lord’s sheep will finally reach their grazing ground, where all who follow Him in simplicity of heart, will feed on the green pastures of eternity. These pastures are the spiritual joys of Heaven. There, the elect look upon the Face of God with unclouded vision and feast at the banquet of life, forever more.

Beloved brothers, let us set out for these pastures ,where we shall keep joyful festival with so many of our fellow citizens. May the thought of their happiness urge us on! Let us stir up our hearts, rekindle our faith and long eagerly for what Heaven has in store for us. To love thus, is to be already on our way. No matter what obstacles we encounter, we must not allow them to turn us aside from the joy of that heavenly feast. Anyone who is determined to reach his destination, is not deterred by the roughness of the road that leads to it. Nor must we allow the charm of success to seduce us, or we shall be like a foolish traveller who is so distracted by the pleasant meadows through which he is passing that he forgets where he is going.” – St Gregory the Great (540-604) Bishop of Rome and Great Western Father and Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from his Sermon 14).

PRAYER – O God, Who through the preaching of the Cross,which is to them who perish, foolishness, didst wonderfully teach, unto thy blessed Martyr Justin, the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus Our Lord, grant unto us we beseech Thee, at his prayer,s the grace to cast off all false teaching and ever to hold fast to the Faith. 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 "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on TRUTH, The HOLY NAME, The WORD, THOMAS a KEMPIS

Quote/s of the Day – 13 April – Self-denial

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 13 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Wisdom 5:1-5; Luke 14:26-33 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“If anyone comes to Me
without hating his father
and mother, wife and children,
brothers and sisters
and even his own life,
he cannot be My disciple.”

Luke 14:26

“So likewise, everyone of you,
who does not renounce all
that he possesses,
cannot be My disciple.”

Luke 14:33

“Take nothing for your journey,
neither staff, nor bag,
nor bread, nor money;
neither have two tunics.”

Luke 9:3

“He seems to demand of us
the most entire renunciation …
So, if we keep back for ourselves ,
any earthly goods or any perishable supplies,
our minds will remain sunk in them,
as though in mud.
Then, inevitably, our souls will become unable
to contemplate God and will be unmoved
by desire for the splendours of Heaven
and for the good things promised us.
We shall only be able to acquire those good things,
if we ask for them unceasingly,
with a burning desire that will, besides,
make easy the effort needed to gain them.”

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

“If you wish to enter into life,
keep My commandments.
If you will know the truth,
believe in Me.
If you will be perfect,
sell all.
If you will be My disciple,
deny yourself.
If you will possess the blessed life,
despise this present life.
If you will be exalted in Heaven,
humble yourself on earth.
If you wish to reign with Me,
carry the Cross with Me.
For only the servants of the Cross
find the life of blessedness
and of true Light.”

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

The Imitation of Christ Chapter 56

“True spiritual life consists in this:
that man keep his eyes on God, constantly,
long for nothing but for God,
keep nothing in mind but God
and begin every single action,
in God’s Name
and direct it to Him.”

St Anthony Mary Zaccaria (1502-1539)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The HEART, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 12 April – Who is he who overcomes the world?

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 12 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Ferial Day – Friday in the Second Week of Easter – 1 John 5:4-10; John 20:19-31 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Who is he who overcomes the world?
but he who believes
that Jesus is the Son of God.”

1 John 5:5

“He wants you to become
a living force for all mankind,
lights shining in the world.
You are to be radiant lights
as you stand beside Christ,
the Great Light,
bathed in the glory of Him
who is the Light of Heaven.”

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

“The very prince of the universe, is man;
the crowning point of man, is his heart;
of the heart, is love
and the perfection of love, is charity.
That is why the love of God is the goal,
the crowning point,
the be-all and end-all of the universe.”

(Treatise on the Love of God, Book 10, Chapter 1)

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

“If we live good lives, hoping for a Heavenly reward
and guided by the action of the Holy Spirit,
dwelling within us, we shall possess this spiritual joy.
Once we possess it, it will be erased, neither by temptation,
nor by suffering, nor by persecution,
as long as our faith remains firm and steadfast.
The sincere Christian accepts pleasure
and pain with equal readiness
because he places everything in God’s hands.
… We must try, at least, to achieve that spirit
of complete resignation to God’s will
which is always rewarded by peace of soul!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on VIRTUE, SELF-DISTRUST, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 11 April – On Prayer (Part Two)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 11 April – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

The Fourth Weapon of the Spiritual Combat
XLIV: … On Prayer (Part Two)

“3. When you pray, let it be your intention to will God’s Will alone and not your own, as well in asking as in obtaining that is, pray because God Wills you to pray and desire to be heard, insofar and, no farther, than He Wills. Your intention, in short, should be to unite your will to the Will of God and not to draw His Will to yours.
And this because ,your will, being infected and ruined by self-love, often errs and knows not what to ask but the Divine Will, being always united to ineffable goodness, can never err.
The Will of God is, therefore, the rule and ruler of all other wills and, it deserves and Wills to be followed and obeyed by all.
Ask, therefore, always such things as are conformable to God’s Will and, if you be in doubt whether anything be so or not, ask it on the condition of its being according to the Will of God.
And those things, (such as all virtues) which you certainly know to be agreeable to Him, ask rather, in order to serve and please Him thereby, than for any other motive, how spiritual so-ever.

  1. Be careful when you go to prayer to adorn yourself with works corresponding to your petitions and, after you have prayed, labour more earnestly still, to fit yourself for the grace and virtue you desire to obtain.
    For the exercise of prayer must be so continually accompanied by the exercise of self-discipline that the one may involve the other; otherwise, to pray for a virtue and take no trouble to obtain it, would be rather to tempt God than to serve Him!”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/04/10/thought-for-the-day-10-april-on-prayer-part-one/

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, HOLY COMMUNION, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on VIRTUE, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, St PETER!, The HEART, The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY MASS, The PASSION

Quote/s of the Day – 11 April – St Pope Leo the Great

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 11 April – St Leo I, the Great (c400-461) Pope, Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church

“Peter has spoken
by the mouth of Leo!”

“Nothing escaped the Wisdom and Power of Christ,
the elements of nature lay at His service,
spirits obeyed Him, Angels served Him. …
And yet, out of all the world,
Peter alone was chosen to stand at the head,
for the calling of all the peoples
and the oversight of all the Apostles
and Fathers of the Church.”

“Virtue is nothing
without the trial of temptation,
for there is no conflict,
without an enemy,
no victory, without strife.”

“No-one, however weak, is denied
a share in the victory of the Cross.
No-one is beyond the help
of the prayer of Christ.”

“Our sharing in the Body and Blood of Christ
has no other purpose than to transform us
into that which we receive.”

“For the man who loves God,
it is sufficient to please the One he loves
and, there is no greater recompense to be sought,
than the loving itself.
For love is from God, by the very fact
that God Himself is love.
The good and chaste soul
is so happy to be filled with Him
that it desires to take delight in nothing else.
For what the Lord says is very true:
‘Where your treasure is,
there also will your heart be.’”

St Pope Leo the Great (c400-461)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Posted in "Follow Me", CARMELITES, CATECHESIS, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, ST FRANCIS de SALES, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The LAMB of GOD, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 10 April – Take God for your Spouse and Friend …

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 10 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Ferial Day – Wednesday in the Second Week of Easter – 1 John 5:4-10; John 20:19-31 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“My Lord and my God.”

John 20:28

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me,
for I Am meek and humble of heart
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For My yoke is easy and My burden light.”

Matthew 11:29-30

“If we wish to make any progress
in the service of God,
we must begin everyday of our life,
with new eagerness.
We must keep ourselves,
in the presence of God,
as much as possible
and have no other view or end,
in all our actions
but the Divine honour.”

St Charles Borromeo (1538-1584)

“Take God for your Spouse and Friend
and walk with Him continually
and you will not sin and will learn to love
and the things you must do
will work out prosperously for you.”

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

“You will begin to taste, even in this life,
a foretaste of eternal life,
for the principal beatitude of the soul in Heaven,
is to be confirmed forever in the Will of the Father.
Thus, it tastes the divine sweetness.
But it will never taste it in Heaven,
if it is not clothed with it on earth,
where we are pilgrims and travellers.
When it is clothed with it, it tastes God
by grace in its troubles; its memory will be full
of the Blood of the Lamb without blemish;
its mind will be opened and contemplate
the ineffable love that God has made known
in the Wisdom of His Son and the love it finds,
in the Holy Spirit’s goodness, casts out self-love
and love for created things, to love only God.
So do not be afraid … but suffer with joy,
so as to conform yourself to the Will of God.””

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on STRENGTH, QUOTES on WATCHING, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, The HEART

Our Morning Offering – 10 April – O Heart of Jesus!

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 10 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Ferial Day – Wednesday in the Second Week of Easter

O Heart of Jesus!
By St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302)

Sanctity of the Heart of Jesus,
consecrate my heart;
Providence of the Heart of Jesus,
watch over my heart;
Unchangeableness of the Heart of Jesus,
strengthen my heart;
Purity of the Heart of Jesus,
purify my heart;
Obedience of the Heart of Jesus,
subjugate my heart;
Amiability of the Heart of Jesus,
make Thyself known to my heart;
Divine attractions of the Heart of Jesus,
captivate my heart;
Riches of the Heart of Jesus,
do ye suffice for my heart;
Floods of grace and blessing
which flow from the Heart of Jesus,
inundate my heart.
O Heart of Jesus! be Thou my joy,
my peace, my repose in this world
and in the next.
O Heart of Jesus! adored in Heaven,
Invoked on earth, feared in hell,
Reign over all hearts,
Reign throughout all ages,
Reign forever in celestial glory.
Amen

Posted in 7 GIFTS of the HOLY SPIRIT, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on JUDGING, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, SELF-DISTRUST, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 9 April– Of the Temptation to Form Rash Judgements of Our Neighbour (Part Two)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 9 April– The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

XLIII: … Of the Temptation to Form
Rash Judgements of Our Neighbour (Part Two)

“And know that, whenever you are so unhappy as to think any evil of your brother, then there is some root of the same evil in your own heart which, in proportion as it is ill-disposed itself, gives a ready welcome to anything like itself!

Whenever, therefore, it comes into your mind to judge another for some fault, despise your own self as guilty of the same and say, in your heart,:

“How can a wretch like me, laden with this
and far worse faults, dare to lift up my head
to see and judge the faults of others!”

And thus, will the weapon which, directed against another, would have wounded you, being turned against yourself, bring healing to your wounds.

If the error committed be clear and manifest, find some compassionate excuse for it and believe that in your brother are some hidden virtues, for the sake of which the Lord has suffered him to fall, or to be, for some time, subject to this failing that he may become vile in his own sight and that, being also despised by others on this account, he may reap the fruit of humiliation and render himself more acceptable to God and so, his gain may become greater than his loss.

But if the sin be not only manifest but grievous and wilfully obstinate, turn your thoughts upon God’s awful judgements.
Then you will see men who were once great sinners attaining high degrees of sanctity and others, who seemed to have reached the sublimest heights of perfection, falling into the lowest depths of perdition!

Therefore, fear and tremble for yourself, far more than for any other.
And, be assured that every good and kindly feeling towards your neighbour is the gift of the Holy Ghost and that, all rash judgement, all contempt and bitterness towards him, flow from our own evil hearts and the suggestions of Satan.
If, then, any imperfection of another has made an impression on your mind, rest not, nor give slumber to your eyes, until, to the utmost of your power, you have effaced it from your heart!”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/04/08/thought-for-the-day-8-april-of-the-temptation-to-form-rash-judgements-of-our-neighbour-part-one/

:

Posted in LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on JUDGING, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on VICE, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 8 April– Of the Temptation to Form Rash Judgements of Our Neighbour (Part One)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 8 April– The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

XLIII: … Of the Temptation to Form
Rash Judgements of Our Neighbour (Part One)

“From the same vice of self-esteem and self-conceit arises another most injurious to us, i.e. rash judgement of our neighbour, leading us to despise and disparage him.
And this fault which arises from our pride and evil inclination, is by that same pride, voluntarily nourished and increased! for, as it increases, so does pride also increase, insensibly flattering and deluding us.

For the more we presume to exalt ourselves, the more do we unconsciously depress others; while we imagine ourselves free from those imperfections which we think we perceive in them!

And the cunning tempter, who discovers this most evil disposition in us, is continually on the watch to open our eyes and keep them awake to see, investigate and exaggerate, the defects of other men.
Careless souls know not and believe not, how diligently he studies and contrives to impress upon our minds the little failings of this or that person, when he cannot discover and use our greater faults.
Therefore, as he is watching to do you harm, be you also awake, lest you fall into his snare.
And when he brings before you any defect of your neighbour, banish the thought at once and, if you still feel a temptation to pass judgement upon it, resist the impulse.

Consider that the Office of Judge has not been committed to you and that even if it were, beset as you are by a thousand passions and but too prone to think evil without just cause, you would be unable to form a righteous judgement

And, as an effective remedy against rash judgements, I would remind you to occupy your thoughts with your own defects; so will you perceive, more and more plainly every hour, how much you have to do in yourself and for yourself and you will find neither time nor inclination, to attend to the doings of others.
Besides, by faithfully performing this exercise, you will be enabled, more and more, to purge your inward sight from the malignant humours whence this pestilent vice proceeds.”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

Posted in CHRIST the KING, CHRIST the LIGHT, GOD ALONE!, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, Our MORNING Offering, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD

 Our Morning Offering – 6 April – The Mater Christi

Posted on by AnaStpaul

 Our Morning Offering – 6 April – Easter Saturday

The Mater Christi
Unknown Author

Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
What shall I ask of thee?
I do not sigh for the wealth of earth
For the joys that fade and flee,
But, Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
This do I long to see —
The bliss untold which thy arms enfold,
The Treasure upon thy knee.

Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
He was All-in-All to thee,
In the winter’s cave, in Nazareth’s home,
In the hamlets of Galilee,
So, Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
He will not say nay to thee,
When He lifts His Face to thy sweet embrace,
Speak to Him, Mother, of me.

Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
The world will bid Him flee,
Too busy to heed His gentle Voice,
Too blind His charms to see,
Then, Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
Come with thy Babe to me,
Tho’ the world be cold, my heart shall hold
A shelter for Him and thee.

Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
What shall I do for thee?
I will love thy Son with the whole of my strength,
My only King shall He be.
Yes! Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
This will I do for thee,
Of all that are dear or cherished here,
None shall be dear as He.

Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
I toss on a stormy sea,
O lift thy Child as a Beacon Light,
To the Port where I fain would be!
And, Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,
This do I ask of thee —
When the voyage is o’er, oh! stand on the shore
And show Him at last to me.

The Author is unclear – The 1920 St Gregory Hymn book (editor Nicola A. Montani) credits it to Nicola A Montani.
The 1914 American Catholic Hymn book credits it to “S. N. D. ” – most likely meaning a Sister of Notre Dame

Posted in "Follow Me", DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOMINICAN OP, GOD ALONE!, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TEMPTATION

Quote/s of the Day – 5 April – St Vincent Ferrer

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 5 April – St Vincent Ferrer OP (1350-1419) Confessor, called “The Angel of the Apocalypse” and of “The Last Judgement” and the “Mouthpiece of God.”

“If you truly wish to help
the soul of your neighbour,
you should firstly approach God
with all your heart.
Ask Him simply,
to fill you with charity,
the greatest of all virtues.”

“When troubled by temptations,
raise up your heart and soul to God,
humbly beseeching Him
to turn them to His greater glory
and to your salvation,
supporting the temptations
as long as it shall please Him
and imploring Him, to grant you grace,
never to offend Him.”

“Regard yourself as more vile
and miserable in the sight of God
because of your faults,
than any sinner whatever,
no matter what his sins. . .
and consider closely that any grace,
or inclination to good or desire of virtue,
you may have, is not of yourself
but of the sole mercy of Christ.”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/04/05/quote-s-of-the-day-5-april-st-vincent-ferrer-2/

St Vincent Ferrer OP (1350-1419)

Posted in GOD ALONE!, HOLY SATURDAY, INGRATITUDE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The LAMB of GOD, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION, The SEVEN LAST WORDS of CHRIST, The SEVEN PASSION Feasts

Thought for the Day – 30 March – The Death of our Saviour

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 30 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Death of our Saviour

“Jesus had now come to the last morning of His earthly life.
The Blood had been drained from His Body as a result of His fatal Wounds and He felt a great thirst, “I thirst,” He murmured in a weak voice.
He expressed in these words, not only His physical thirst but also, His spiritual thirst for souls.
He had given everything for the eternal salvation of men, yet, He realised with Divine foresight, that many would refuse to co-operate with His infinite love,
His thirst was a burning love for us and it was answered, on the physical level, by the vinegar which was given to Him to drink and in the moral order, by our ingratitude.

Seeing that His mission was fulfilled with His last breath, Jesus entrusted His soul to His Heavenly Father, “Father, into Thy Hands, I commend My spirit” (Lk 23:46).
Then, in order to show that His Death was voluntary, He cried out in a loud Voice, “It is consummated!” (Jn 19:30).
Jesus was dead!

Let us prostrate ourselves before His lifeless Body covered with sores and furrowed with blood.
Let us vow, never to offend Him again.
Let us give Him our minds, our hearts, our souls, our whole being.
Let us love Him more and more!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/04/14/thought-for-the-day-14-april-the-death-of-our-saviour/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/03/thought-for-the-day-3-april-the-death-of-our-saviour/

Posted in APRIL -MONTH of the RESURRECTION and the BLESSED SACAMENT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, EASTER, FRANCISCAN OFM, GOD ALONE!, HOLY SATURDAY, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The RESURRECTION, The WORD, THEOLOGICAL

One Minute Reflection – 30 March – He is not here, for He is risen, as He said.

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 30 March – Holy Saturday – The Lord’s Vigil Mass of Easter, Blessing of the Fire, Prophecies, Blessing of the Font, First Mass of Easter – Matthew 28:1-7 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And the Angel answering, said to the women: Fear not you, for I know that you seek Jesus Who was Crucified, He is not here, for He is risen, as He said.” – Matthew 28:5-6

REFLECTION – “When the third day dawned of the Lord’s Sacred repose in the tomb … Christ, the “power and Wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:24), with the author of death lying prostrate, conquered even death itself and opened to us access to eternity, when He raised Himself from the dead by His Divine Power in order to make known to us the paths of Life.

Then there was a great earthquake, for an Angel of the Lord came down from Heaven, with raiment like snow and his countenance like lightening.   He appeared attractive to the devout and severe to the wicked – for he terrified the soldiers and comforted the timid women, to whom the Lord Himself first appeared after rising because, their intense devotion, so merited.   Then He was seen by Peter, then by the disciples going to Emmaus, then by all the Apostles except Thomas.   Later He presented Himself to be touched by Thomas, who proclaimed his faith:  “My Lord and my God.”   And thus, during forty days, He appeared in many ways to His disciples, both eating and drinking with them.

He enlightened our faith with proofs and lifted up our hope with promises, so as finally, to enkindle our love with gifts from Heaven!” … St Bonaventure (1217-1274) Doctor of the Church

PRAYER – O God, Who dost illuminate this most holy night by the glory of the Lord’s Resurrection, preserve in the new children of Thy family, the spirit of adoption which Thou hast given, that renewed in body and mind, they may render to Thee a pure service. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, GOOD FRIDAY, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, OUR Cross, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The HOLY CROSS, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The PASSION, The SEVEN PASSION Feasts, The SIGN of the CROSS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 29 March – Good Friday, By the Cross, we put on Christ

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 29 March – 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

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

St Theodore the Studite (759-826)

“O souls!
Seek a refuge, like pure doves,
in the shadow of the Crucifix.
There, mourn the Passion
of your Divine Spouse
and drawing from your hearts,
flames of love and rivers of tears,
make of them a precious balm
with which to anoint
the Wounds of your Saviour.”

“When you are alone in your room,
take your Crucifix,
kiss Its Five Wounds reverently,
tell It to preach you a little sermon
and then listen to the Words of eternal life
that It speaks to your heart.
Listen to the pleading of the Thorns,
the Nails, the Precious Blood.
Oh, what an eloquent sermon!”

St Paul of the Cross CP (1694-1775)

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, GOD ALONE!, GOOD FRIDAY, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRAYERS on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The SEVEN PASSION Feasts

Our Morning Offering – 29 March – Membra Jesu Nostri, O Sacred Head, Now Wounded

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 29 March – Good Friday

Membra Jesu Nostri
O Sacred Head, Now Wounded
By Blessed Arnulf of Leuven O.Cist. (c1200-1276)

O sacred Head, now wounded,
with grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded
with thorns, Thine only crown;
O sacred Head, what glory,
what bliss till now was Thine!
Yet, though despised and gory,
I joy to call Thee mine.

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered,
was all for sinners’ gain;
Mine, mine, was the transgression
but Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Saviour!
’Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favour,
vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

Men mock and taunt and jeer Thee,
Thou noble Countenance,
Though mighty worlds shall fear Thee
and flee before Thy glance.
How art thou pale with anguish,
with sore abuse and scorn!
How doth Thy Visage languish
that once was bright as morn!

Now from Thy cheeks has vanished,
their colour once so fair;
From Thy red lips is banished
the splendour that was there.
Grim death, with cruel rigour,
hath robbed Thee of Thy life;
Thus Thou hast lost Thy vigour,
Thy strength in this sad strife.

My burden in Thy Passion,
Lord, Thou hast borne for me,
For it was my transgression
which brought this woe on Thee.
I cast me down before Thee,
wrath were my rightful lot;
Have mercy, I implore Thee;
Redeemer, spurn me not!

What language shall I borrow
to thank Thee, dearest Friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow,
Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever
and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never,
outlive my love to Thee.

My Shepherd, now receive me;
my Guardian, own me Thine.
Great blessings Thou didst give me,
O Source of gifts Divine.
Thy Lips have often fed me
with words of Truth and Love;
Thy Spirit oft hath led me
to Heavenly joys above.

Here I will stand beside Thee,
from Thee I will not part;
O Saviour, do not chide me!
When breaks Thy loving Heart,
When soul and body languish
in death’s cold, cruel grasp,
Then, in Thy deepest anguish,
Thee in mine arms I’ll clasp.

The joy can never be spoken,
above all joys beside,
When in Thy Body broken
I thus with safety hide.
O Lord of Life, desiring
Thy Glory now to see,
Beside Thy Cross expiring,
I’d breathe my soul to Thee.

My Saviour, be Thou near me
when death is at my door;
Then let Thy Presence cheer me,
forsake me nevermore!
When soul and body languish,
oh, leave me not alone
But take away mine anguish
by virtue of Thine own!

Be Thou my consolation,
my shield when I must die;
Remind me of Thy Passion
when my last hour draws nigh.
Mine eyes shall then behold Thee,
upon Thy Cross shall dwell,
My heart by faith enfolds Thee.
Who dieth thus dies well!

This Poem/Hymn was incorrectly ascribed to St Bernard of Clairvaux, for they are consistent with his style and his devotion. However, “the external proof for this ascription is so slight as to be negligible” (Hurlbut, VII, 18).
The “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded” did appear in St Bernard’s collected works but only two hundred years after his death. When the Monasteries were suppressed in the French Revolution, all of the relevant manuscripts disappeared. The only surviving manuscript, dated 1320, bears Arnulf’s name (Arnulfus de louan). Here is Blessed Arnulf’s story:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/04/02/saint-of-the-day-2-april-blessed-arnulf-of-leuven-o-cist-c1200-1276-abbot/

Arnulf’s Poem consists of a cycle of seven Poems, each a meditation on one of the Wounds of the Crucified Christ.
The words of the Hymn remind us, not only of the depth of Christ’s love but also how much He suffers because of our sins.

Posted in EVENING and NIGHT Prayers, GOD ALONE!, HOLY WEEK, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, The LAMB of GOD, The PASSION

Thought for the Day – 28 March –The Night of the Passion

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 28 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Night of the Passion

“Picture Jesus during this long and sorrowful night.
Abandoned by everyone, betrayed by Judas, denied by Peter, unjustly judged worthy of death by the Hight Priest, buffered and mocked by the soldiers, He suffers and prays and offers Himself as a victim of reparation, especially for all those sins which are being committed and will be committed by night! – throughout the ages and all over the world.

Let us bow low before Him in spirit.
Let us tell Him with penitent hearts that we shall never offend Him again and that we love and adore Him.
Let us promise to offer the prayers and sufferings of this day in reparation for the sins which men commit under cover of darkness.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/04/13/thought-for-the-day-13-april-the-night-of-the-passion/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/04/14/thought-for-the-day-14-april-the-night-of-the-passion/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MAUNDY THURSDAY, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PRIDE, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The PASSION, The WORD

Our Lenten Journey with the Angels and the Saints – 28 March – Maundy Thursday – Your Attitude Must Be That of Christ

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Lenten Journey with the Angels and the Saints – 28 March – Maundy Thursday – 1 Corinthians 11:20-32, John 13:1-15 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Carry one another’s burdens.”
Gal 6:2

“He loved them unto the end.”
John 13:1

MAUNDY THURSDAY
Your Attitude Must Be That of Christ

Blessed Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157)
Cistercian Abbot

“He was in the form of God,” equal to God by nature, since He shared in God’s power, God’s eternity and God’s very being … He did the job of a servant “by humbling Himself, obeying His Father even to death, death on a Cross.” (cf Phil 2:5-8). One might consider it to be trivial that, as God’s Son and His equal, He served His Father as a servant. More than that, He served His own servant more than any other servant. For the human being had been created to serve His Creator. What could be more just for you, than to serve him who made you, without Whom you would not be? And what could be more blest, than to serve Him, since to serve Him is to reign? But the human being said to His Creator: “I will not serve.” (Jer 2:20)

Then the Creator said to the human being: “So I will serve you! Go sit down at the table; I will serve. I will wash your feet. Rest. I will take your pains upon myself; I will carry your weakness… If you grow tired or are burdened, I will carry you, you and your burden, so as to be the first to fulfil my law: ‘Carry one another’s burdens’ (Gal 6:2)… If you are hungry or thirsty… here I Am, ready to be sacrificed, so that you might eat My Flesh and drink My Blood… If you are taken into captivity or, if you are sold, here I Am… Redeem yourself by paying the ransom you will get from Me. I give Myself as ransom… If you are sick, if you fear death, I will die in your place, so that from My Blood you may make for yourself, a life-giving remedy!…”

O my Lord, what a price Thou paid to ransom my useless service! … What a way Thou has, full of love, of gentleness and of kindness, to win back and submit this rebellious servant, by triumphing over evil through good, by confounding my pride with Thy humility, by filling this ungrateful person, with Thy kindness! This! This is howThy Wisdom triumphed!” – (1st Sermon for Palm Sunday),

Posted in GOD ALONE!, GOOD RESOLUTIONS, HOLY WEEK, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The PASSION

Thought for the Day – 27 March –The Agony of Jesus

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 27 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Agony of Jesus

“While Jesus was praying and suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and the Apostles were unconcernedly sleeping, a group of hired ruffians approached, led by the traitor, Judas.
Jesus went to meet them and quietly allowed Himself to be fettered by these rascals.
He could have struck them to the ground in an instant or, as He said Himself, called more than twelve legions of Angels to His defence (Cf Mt 16:33).
But this was the hour of the power of darkness.
“This is your hour and the power of darkness” (Lk 22:53).
When the Apostles saw Him being bound and led away, like an evil-doer, they deserted Him and ran away.
“Then, all the disciples left him and fled” (Mt 26:56).

We also, may have been guilty of such shameful conduct on many occasions!
Whenever God granted us the experience of His consoling presence by means of His grace or favours, we formed the most generous resolutions.
But, in the presence of difficulties or of bad example from others, we may have shamefully deserted Jesus!
Let us reflect whether this is so and reinforce our good resolutions.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/04/22/thought-for-the-day-22-april-the-agony-of-jesus/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/04/12/thought-for-the-day-12-april-the-agony-of-jesus/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The PASSION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 27 March – ‘Come, come, let us go up together to the Mount of Olives.’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 27 March – St John Damascene (675-749) Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church – Wednesday in Holy Week – Isaias 53:1-12, Luke 22:1-71 and 23:1-53 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

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

REFLECTION – “Come, come, let us go up together to the Mount of Olives. Together let us meet Christ, Who is returning today from Bethany and going of His own accord to that Holy and Blessed Passion, to complete the Mystery of our Salvation. And so He comes, willingly taking the road to Jerusalem, He Who came down from the heights for us, to raise us who lie in the depths, to exaltation with Him, as the revealing Word says: “above all authority and rule and power and above every Name that is named” (Eph 1:21). He comes without display, without boast. For, as the Prophet says, “He will not contend or shout out and no-one will hear His Voice” (Is 42:2). He is gentle and lowly and His entrance is humble…

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 through the Word which unites to God.” – St Andrew of Crete (660-740) Bishop and Father (Homily for Palm Sunday).

RAYER – Almighty, eternal God, Who to defend the honour paid to sacred images, filled blessed John with heavenly learning and wondrous strength of soul, grant that, by his intercession and example, we may imitate the virtues of those whose images we honour and may enjoy the help of their patronage. 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).