Category: QUOTES on LOVE of GOD

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, THE EPIPHANY of the LORD, The HEART

Our Morning Offering – 5 January – Oh Jesus, My Love

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Our Morning Offering – 5 January – The Vigil of the Epiphany of Our Lord

Oh Jesus, My Love
By St Paul of the Cross (1604-1775)

Oh Jesus, my Love,
may my heart be consumed
in loving Thee.
Make me humble and holy,
giving me childlike simplicity,
transform me into Thy holy Love.
O Jesus, Life of my life,
Joy of my soul,
God of my heart,
accept my heart as an altar,
on which I will sacrifice to Thee,
the gold of ardent charity,
the incense of continual,
humble and fervent prayer
and the myrrh
of constant sacrifices!
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, franciscan OFM, GOD is LOVE, OUR Cross, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 4 January – ‘ … The greater the suffering, the greater will be the reward. …’

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Quote/s of the Day – 4 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus” – Octave of the Holy Innocents – Apocalypse 14:1-5 , Matthew 2:13-18 –Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“If the world hates you,
know that it has hated Me first.”

John 15:18

“He who raised Him from the dead
will raise us also” (2Cor 4,14),
if we do His Will and live by His Commands
and love what He loved…
Let us be imitators of His endurance
and, if we suffer for His sake,
let us glorify Him.
For He set us this example Himself …”

St Polycarp (69-155)
Apostolic Father,
Bishop and Martyr

“Fix your minds on the Passion
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Inflamed with love for us,
He came down from Heaven
to redeem us.
For our sake, He endured
every torment of body and soul
and shrank from no bodily pain.
He, Himself, gave us an example
of perfect patience and love.
We, then, are to be patient, in adversity!”

“The recollection of an injury,
is . . . a rusty arrow
and poison for the soul.”

St Francis of Paola (1416-1507)

“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)

“I think He intends to try you
like gold in the crucible,
so as to number you
amongst His most faithful servants.
Therefore, you must lovingly embrace
all occasions of suffering,
considering them
as precious tokens of His love.
To suffer in silence
and without complaint,
is what He asks of you.”

St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)
“Apostle of the Sacred Heart”

“Our Lord, Who saved the world,
through the Cross,
will only Work for the good of souls,
through the Cross.”

St Madeleine Sophie Barat (1779-1865)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JESUIT SJ, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES for the NEW YEAR, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 3 January – For a New Year

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Quote/s of the Day – 3 January – For a New Year

“You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart
and with all your soul
and with all your mind.
And the second is like it:
You shall love your neighbour as yourself.”

Matthew 22:36,39

“If we would God discern
The world we must despise,
His love and hate must learn,
See all things with His eyes.
And we must self forgo
If God we would attain,
His grace must in us grow
And ease us from all pain.
So shall we sing His praise
And be at one with Him,
In peace our voices raise
In the celestial hymn,
That with quadruple harmony
And all mellifluous melody,
In Heaven resounds eternally.”

Bl Jan van Ruusbroec (1293-1381)

“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)

“Let us go forward in peace,
our eyes upon Heaven,
the only one goal of our labours.”

St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873-1897)

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES for the NEW YEAR, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD

Thought for the Day – 31 December – The Last Day of the Year

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

The Last Day of the Year

“After he had spent a night fishing in the lake of Galilee without having caught anything, St Peter was ordered by Jesus, to cast his nets back into the sea.
“Master” the future Apostle replied, “the whole night through, we have toiled and have taken nothing but at Thy word, I will lower the nets.”
This act of perfect confidence in Our Lord, was soon rewarded, for when the fishermen lowered the nets, “they enclosed a great number of fishes” (Lk 5:5-6).

Perhaps we have toiled hard and made many sacrifices during the past year.
But have we worked with and for Jesus Christ?
We may have thought more of ourselves than of Jesus and, as a result, achieved little or nothing in the spiritual life.

The remedy is clear.
We must remain close to Jesus, working with Him, in Him and for Him.
Then, He will bless and strengthen the good resolutions which we are about to make.
The secret of perfection is to live in constant union with Jesus Christ.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/12/31/thought-for-the-day-31-december-the-last-day-of-the-year/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/12/31/thought-for-the-day-30-december-the-last-day-of-the-year/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, QUOTES on TRUTH, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 29 December – “I am the Good Shepherd and I know Mine and Mine know Me.”- John 10:14

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One Minute Reflection – 29 December – “The Month of the Divine Infant and the Immaculate Conception” – St Thomas à Becket (1118-1170) Martyr – Hebrews 5:1-6, 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 also. 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 Homily 14).

PRAYER – O God, for Whose Church Bishop Thomas, now in glory, fell by the swords of wicked men, grant, we beseech Thee, that the prayers of all who implore his assistanc, may be effective and may lead to salvation. 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 LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

Thought for the Day – 27 December – St John, the Apostle and Evangelist

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

St John, the Apostle and Evangelist

“Both in his Gospel and in his letters, St John continually emphasises the virtue of charity.
He stresses the need for love of God and love of our neighbour, “God is love,” he says, “and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him” (1 Jn 4:16).
According to St Jerome, when the Apostle John was almost a hundred years old and lacked the strength to speak for very long, he was accustomed to go, supported by his disciples, to gatherings of the faithful.
There he prepared, on every occasion, the same exhortation: “My children, love one another.”
His followers grew tired of this and finally asked him why he kept repeating the same phrase.
“Because that is God’s command,” je replied, “and if we do no more than obey it, that is sufficient!”

Let us meditate on his words and let us remember that our love for God is futile, unless it is accompanied by a practical love for our neighbour.
The love of God cannot be separated, from the love of our fellow-men.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/12/27/thought-for-the-day-26-december-st-john-the-apostle-and-evangelist/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/12/27/thought-for-the-day-26-december-st-john-the-apostle-and-evangelist-2/

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 27 December – St John the Beloved

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Quote/s of the Day – 27 December – St John the Apostle and Evangelist, the Beloved – Ecclesiasticus 15:1-6, John 21:19-24 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Peter, therefore, seeing him, said to Jesus,
Lord and what of this man?”

John 21:21

“ So, to Peter is said: “Follow me.”
Of the other, however;
“If I wish him to remain until I come,
what is that to thee? Follow thou me.”
What is the meaning of this?
How much can I know of it?
How much can I understand?
What is it?–unless this:
“You are to follow me,
imitating me in suffering temporal evils.
Let him remain until I come,
bringing eternal rewards.”

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

“The love of Jesus is noble and generous,
it spurs us onto do great things
and excites us to desire always
that which is most perfect.
Love will tend upwards
and is not to be detained by things beneath.
Love will be at liberty
and free from all worldly affections…
for love proceeds from God
and cannot rest but in God
above all things created.
The lover flies, runs and rejoices,
he is free and not held.
He gives all for all and has all in all
because he rests in One sovereign Good above all,
from Whom all good flows and proceeds”

Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)

The Imitation of Christ,
Book III, Chapter V, 3-4

More:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/12/27/quote-s-of-the-day-27-december-feast-of-st-john/

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The DIVINE INFANT

Our Morning Offering – 26 December – To the Infant Jesus in the Crib

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Our Morning Offering – 26 December –Within the Octave – “The Month of the Divine Infant and the Immaculate Conception”

To the Infant Jesus in the Crib
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

Oh, how I love Thee,
Lord of Heaven above!
Too well hast Thou deserved
to gain my love.
Sweet Jesus, I would die
for love of Thee,
For Thou didst not disdain
to die for me.

I leave Thee, faithless world, –
farewell! depart!
This lovely Babe has loved
and won my heart.
I love Thee, loving God,
Who from above
Didst come on earth,
a Babe, to gain my love.

Thou tremblest, darling Child
and yet, I see
Thy heart is all on fire
with love for me!
Love makes Thee thus,
a Child, my Saviour dear;
Love only brought Thee
down to suffer here.

Love conquered Thee,
Great God, love tied Thy hands,
A captive here for me,
in swathing-bands
And love, strong love,
awaits Thy latest breath,
To make Thee die for me,
a cruel death.

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The NATIVITY of JESUS

Thought for the Day – 25 December – The Feast of the Nativity

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

The Feast of the Nativity

“The first people to pay homage to Jesus Christ, are not men of exalted rank but humble shepherds.
They come to offer their poor gifts but, above all else, they offer Him their simple and innocent hearts.

We also should approach the manger with humility and simplicity.
Foremost among the gifts which we offer, should be the renunciation of sin, a firm resolution to resist our lower inclinations and a great love for Him, Who has loved us so much.
There are no more pleasing gifts which we could offer Jesus Christ on His Birthday.
Let us go now to Him!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/12/25/thought-for-the-day-25-december-the-feast-of-the-nativity/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/12/25/thought-for-the-day-25-december-the-feast-of-the-nativity-2/

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, The DIVINE INFANT, The NATIVITY of JESUS

Quote/s of the Day – 20 December – The Divine Infant

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Quote/s of the Day – 20 December – “The Month of the Divine Infant and the Immaculate Conception”

“He became small because you were small –
understand how great He is
and you will become great along with Him.
This is how houses are built,
how the solid walls of a building are raised.
The stones brought to construct the building increase,
you, too, increase, understanding how great Christ is
and how He, who appeared to be small, is great,
very great indeed…”

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

“If we would please this Divine Infant,
we too must become children,
simple and humble.
We must carry to Him, flowers of virtue,
of meekness, of mortification, of charity.
We must clasp Him in the arms of our love.”

St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

Posted in "Follow Me", GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on GREED, WEALTH, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on VANITY, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 9 December – Our Desires

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Thought for the Day – 9 December – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Our Desires

“Our desires may be vain or culpable or meritorious.
It is useless to long for the impossible or to base our desires on motives contrary to Christian resignation.
Happiness cannot be found on earth, so it is futile to look for it here.
It is much better to suppress these vain desires and to convert them into a longing for God and for our own perfection.

Some desires are blameworthy, for they spring from an immoderate attachment to worldly things, such as wealth or honours or even sin.
These desires are always sinful and can be seriously so, when they are deliberately directed towards e3vil objects.

Finally, however, there are desires which are good and reasonable.
Even Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, prayed earnestly to His heavenly Father, to take away from Him, if possible, the bitter chalice of the Passion.
But He added immediatel, “Yet not my will but Thine be done” (Lk 22:42).
When He was hanging from the Cross on Calvary, feeling crushed beneath the weight of our sins and utterly abandoned, He cried out in an agony of yearning: “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Mt 27:46).
Nevertheless, He accepted with perfect self-surrender and obedience, all His sufferings, even His mysterious abandonment by His heavenly Father.

The Saints followed the example of Jesus.
Their lives were as full of longing, as they were of suffering.
But just as they offered their sufferings to God with generous hearts, so they offered Him their desires as prayer of supplication.
The Prophet David, yearned for mercy and forgiveness and his longing was expressed for all times, in the Psalm, “Miserere.”
St Teresa longed to suffer and to die for the love of Jesus.
When St Paul was labouring and praying for the salvation of his fellowmen, he desires “to depart ad to be with Christ, a lot by far the better” (Cf Phil 1:23).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/04/21/thought-for-the-day-21-april-our-desires/

Posted in GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, SACRAMENTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Thought for the Day – 4 December – The Use and Abuse of the Sacraments

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Thought for the Day – 4 December – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Use and Abuse of the Sacraments

“In His great love and mercy, Jesus Christ has given us all the other Sacraments as well as Baptism.
This long chain of spiritual favours links the stages of our progress, from the cradle to the grave, sustaining and sanctifying us on the way.
Although His goodness is Infinite, God could not do any more for us.
He has endowed us through the Sacrament of Baptism, with supernatural life; He has given us the light and strength of the Holy Spirit in Confirmation; He has granted us forgiveness in the Sacrament of Penance; power over His Real and His Mystical Body, in the Sacrament of Holy Orders and, a reflection of Divine Love, in the Sacrament of Matrimony.
At the close of our lives, He will heal the scars of sin and comfort our weary hearts, by means of Extreme Unction.
But, He has also bestowed on us, a gift, infinitely greater than all these, for He has given us Himself, in the Blessed Eucharist.

How can we remain cold and indifferent in the presence of so much goodness and generosity?
We have all the means necessary for salvation.
It will be disastrous for us, if we fail to cherish them and, if we neglect to repay such great love, with all the love of our poor hearts and with a determined effort to be good and holy.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/12/11/thought-for-the-day-11-december-the-use-and-abuse-of-the-sacraments/

Posted in CHRIST the KING, GOD ALONE!, GOOD FRIDAY, HOLY WEEK, JESUIT SJ, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 3 December – I Love Thee, God, I Love Thee – By St Francis Xavier

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Our Morning Offering – 3 December – The Memorial of St Francis Xavier SJ (1506-1552) Confessor

I Love Thee, God, I Love Thee
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

Posted in GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on PURITY of INTENTION, Quotes on SALVATION, The BEATITUDES

Thought for the Day – 1 December – TRUE LOVE of SELF

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

TRUE LOVE of SELF

“St Thomas Aquinas writes that man genuinely loves himself, when he directs all his activities towards God (Summa Theologiae I-II, q 100 a 5 ad 1).
True self-love, then, consists in dedicating all our thoughts and actions to God, Who is our highest and only true good.

Anything which does not lead us to God, is vain and useless.
Anything which keeps us away from God, separates us from our true good and, therefore, leads us towards everlasting spiritual ruin.
We should love ourselves then, by loving ourselves in God and for God.
If we fail to do this, we hate, rather than love ourselves because, we make folly, sin and eternal damnation, the objects of our lives.
Christianity, we may now conclude, cannot be said to condemn self-love.
It does not condemn it but simply purifies it.

The Church has always been opposed to any form of Quietism or Puritanism which would advocate the pure and disinterested love of God to the extent, of excluding, any thought of our own happiness, as the reward of our actions.
As if it would be possible to love God, when one had lost Him!
On the contrary, if we love God in Himself and above all things, we love ourselves too because, only in loving God, can we achieve our own perfect happiness.
The pure love of God does not exclude self-love but, elevates and completes it.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/12/04/thought-for-the-day-4-december-true-love-of-self/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Holy Name PRAYERS, I BELIEVE!, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ANGER, QUOTES on CHASTITY, QUOTES on ENVY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on STRENGTH, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on TRUTH, St PAUL!, The HOLY NAME, The PASSION, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 29 November – Putting on our Lord Jesus Christ

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Quote/s of the Day – 29 November – Vigil of the Feast of St Andrew – Romans 13:11-14, Luke 21:25-33 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Let us walk becomingly, as in the day,
not in revelry and drunkenness,
not in debauchery and wantonness,
not in strife and jealousy.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Romans 13:13-14

“And Jesus, seeing their faith,
said to the paralytic,
Take courage, son,
your sins are forgiven you.”

Matthew 9:2

“Perhaps, your own faith is feeble.
Nevertheless, the Lord, who is love
will stoop down to you,
provided only that you are penitent
and can say sincerely,
from the depths of your soul:
“Lord, I believe.
Help thou mine unbelief,”
(Mark 9:23)……”

St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“He who is immortal, voluntarily shed His Blood.
He who created the Host of Angels,
was bound at the hands of soldiers
and He who is to judge the living and the dead,
was dragged to justice (cf. Acts 10:42; 2 Tm 4:1).
Truth was exposed to false witnesses,
was slandered, struck, covered with spittle,
hung on the Wood of the Cross –
the Lord of Glory (cf. 1 Cor 2:8)
endured every outrage and suffering
without Himself needing these trials. …

So there is nothing surprising about it,
if we submit to even one of these trials,
since such is our condition …
Therefore, we too have to be offended and tempted,
afflicted by the cutting off of our wills.”

St Theodore the Studite (759- 826)
Monk at Constantinople, Father

(Catecheses 1)

“Nothing so curbs the onset of anger,
so allays the upsurge of pride.
It cures the wound of envy,
controls unbridled extravagance
and quenches the flame of lust.
It cools the thirst of covetousness
and banishes the itch of unclean desire…
For when I Name Jesus,
I set before myself,
a Man Who is meek and humble of heart,
kind, prudent, chaste, merciful,
flawlessly upright and holy
in the eyes of all
and this same Man, is the all-powerful God
Whose way of life heals me,
Whose support is my strength.”

St Bernard (1090-1153)
Father and Mellifluous Doctor of the Church

Lord Jesus, Bind Me to Yourself

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

St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231)
Evangelical Doctor of the Church

“… How can anyone put on Jesus Christ
and imitate His example,
if he does not study this Jesus,
who must inspire and perfect our faith?
He must run the race to which he is challenged,
the glorious race in which,
he overcomes the enemy of the human family
and follows the Way of the Cross.
Under the lordly banner of that Cross,
he will attain eternal life.”

St Vincent Strambi CP (1745-1824)

(From his first Pastoral Letter as Bishop)

Hear Me, O Lord
By St Peter of Alcantara (1499-1562)

Hear me, O Lord,
my soul’s delight,
joy of my heart,
not because of my merits
but because of Thy boundless goodness.
Teach me, enlighten me, direct me,
help me in all things
that I may never say
or do anything
but that which I know
to be pleasing in Thou sight.
Guide me, O God,
my Love, my Light and my Life!
Amen.

St Peter of Alcantara (1499-1562)

Posted in LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The BEATITUDES

Thought for the Day – 28 November – The Blessedness of the Peacemakers

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

The Blessedness of the Peacemakers

“We should not imagine, however, that the peace which Jesus brought to us, is a lifeless peace, like that of a cemetery.
On the contrary, it is the peace of conquest, a living peace.
It cannot be attained by the sluggard, who is aiming at an easy and comfortable existence but, by the generous warrior who is always prepared to throw himself into the fight for virtue, for the glory of God and for the salvation of souls.

The peace of Jesus Christ is a victory over the evil which is rampant within us and around us.
It demands vigilance, strifc and perseverance in fidelity to Our Lord.
It requires the spirit of sacrifice, the love of God and dedication to the welfare of our fellowmen.
It is the fruit of internal and external combat.
It excludes all rancour, envy, detraction and malice, which is why it costs so much hardship and conflict.
When a man has gained the victory, however, he experiences that wonderful spiritual tranquility which God alone can give.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/12/05/thought-for-the-day-5-december-the-blessedness-of-the-peracemakers/

Posted in "Follow Me", DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, GOD is LOVE, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on MERCY, The BEATITUDES, The LAST THINGS

Thought for the Day – 26 November – The Blessedness of the Merciful

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

The Blessedness of the Merciful

“Since God is so merciful to us, however, He requires us to be good and merciful to our neighbour.
“Blessed are the merciful,” Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, “for they shall obtain mercy” (Mt 5:7).
St James adds a stern warning.
“Judgement” he says, “is without mercy to him who has not shown mercy but mercy triumphs over judgement” (Js 2:12).

If we hope to receive God’s mercy, we must show compassion to those who are poor or unfortunate in any way, even to the greatest sinner.
In the presence of so much need and misfortune in the world – avarice, miserliness, selfishness or indifference – cry out to God for retribution.

If we are not prepared to give, nothing will be given to us.
If we refuse to forgive, neither shall we be forgiven.
If we do not love, neither shall we be loved!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/12/03/thought-for-the-day-2-december-the-blessedness-of-the-merciful/

Posted in "Follow Me", CARMELITES, DOCTORS of the Church, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The BEATITUDES, The HOLY NAME, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 26 November – ‘ … For love of Jesus …’

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One Minute Reflection – 26 November – St Sylvester Gozzolini OSB Silv. (1177– 1267) Priest, Abbot – Ecclesiasticus 45:1-6, Matthew 19:27-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And everyone who has left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My Name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold and shall possess life everlasting.” – Matthew 19:29

REFLECTION – “Seek for nothing, desiring to enter for love of Jesus, with detachment, emptiness and poverty in everything in this world. You will never have to do with necessities greater than those to which you made your heart yield itself – for the poor in spirit are most happy and joyful in a state of privation and he who has set his heart on nothing, finds satisfaction everywhere.

The poor in spirit (Mt 5:3) give generously all they have and their pleasure consists in being thus deprived of everything for God’s sake and out of love for their neighbour … Not only do temporal goods – the delights and tastes of the senses – hinder and thwart the way of God but spiritual delights and consolations also, if sought for or clung to eagerly, disturb the way of virtue.” – St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Carmelite, Doctor of the Church (Spiritual maxims, nos. 352, 355,356, 364; 1693 edition).

PRAYER – Most merciful God, Who when the holy Abbot Sylvester was devoutly meditating upon the vanity of this world beside an open grave, graciously willed to call him into the desert and enrich him with unusual merits, we humbly pray that, following his example, despising the things of earth, we may thoroughly enjoy Thy everlasting presence.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 PHYSICIAN, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, GOD ALONE!, JESUIT SJ, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on BLASPHEMY, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, QUOTES on WATCHING, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HEART, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 25 November – Our journey to sanctity

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Quote/s of the Day – 25 November – Sirach 51:1-8; 5:12, Matthew 25:1-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Watch, therefore,
for you know neither the day
nor the hour.”

Matthew 25:13

Lord Jesus, Bind Me to Yourself

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

St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231)
Evangelical Doctor of the Church

“The medicine of God,
is Jesus Christ,
Crucified and Risen,
the measure of all things.”

St John Leonardi (1541-1609)
Confessor, Priest, Founder

“Master, which commandment
in the law is the greatest?”

Matthew 22:36

“That first and great commandment
is not only profitable for the man
who keeps it. or for God Who commands it –
the other commandments of God
also make perfect, him who obeys them,
improves him, instructs him
and makes him illustrious;
in a word, they make him good and holy.
If you understand this,
realise that you have been created
for the glory of God
and for your own eternal salvation;
this is your end, this is the object of your soul
and the treasure of your heart.
You will be blessed if you reach this goal
but miserable if you are cut off from it.”

St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621)
Doctor of the Church

“O God, fullness of goodness,
You do not forsake any,
except those who forsake You.
You never take away Your gifts,
except when we take away our hearts.
We rob the goodness of God,
if we claim the glory of our salvation for ourselves.
We dishonour His mercy,
if we say He has failed us.
… We blaspheme His goodness,
if we deny that He has helped and assisted us.
In short, O God, cry loud and clear into our ears:
“your destruction comes from you, O Israel.
In Me alone is found your help” (Hos 13:9).

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

“Entrust yourself entirely to God.
He is a Father
and a most loving Father at that,
Who would rather let Heaven
and earth collapse,
than abandon anyone
who trusted in Him.”

St Paul of the Cross (1604-1775)

“50 Maxims for Attaining Perfection” – all on the link below

Quote/s of the Day – 2 August – “50 Maxims for Attaining Perfection in the Love of Jesus Christ”

St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MODESTY, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on WATCHING, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The LAST THINGS, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 25 November – “Consider now the Way of Light … St Barnabas

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One Minute Reflection – 25 November – St Catherine of Alexandria (Died c 305) Virgin Martyr – Sirach 51:1-8; 5:12, Matthew 25:1-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” – Matthew 25:13

REFLECTION – “Consider now the Way of Light – any man who is bent on reaching his appointed goal, must be very careful in all he does. Now these are the directions that have been given to us for this journey,- love your Creator, reverence your Maker; give glory to Him Who redeemed you when you were dead; be single-minded but rich in spiritual treasure; avoid those who travel down death’s highway; hate whatever is displeasing to God; detest all hypocritical pretence; do not abandon God’s commandments. Do not put on airs but be modest in whatever you do; claim no credit for yourself. Plot no evil against your neighbour and do not give pride an entrance into your heart.

Love your neighbour more than your own life. Do not kill an unborn child through abortion, nor destroy it after birth. Do not refrain from chastising son or daughter,but bring them up from childhood in the fear of the Lord. Do not set your heart on what belongs to your neighbour and do not give in to greed. Do not associate with the arrogant but cultivate those who are humble and virtuous.

Accept as a blessing whatever comes your way, in the knowledge, that nothing ever happens without God’s concurrence. Avoid duplicity in thought or in word, for such deception is a deadly snare. Share with your neighbor whatever you have and do not say of anything, this is mine. If you both share an imperishable treasure, how much more must you share what is perishable. Do not be hasty in speech – the mouth is a deadly snare. For your soul’s good, make every effort to live chastely. Do not hold out your hand for what you can get, only to withdraw it when it comes to giving. Cherish as the apple of your eye anyone who speaks to you of the word of the Lord.

Night and day you will bear in mind the hour of judgement; everyday you will seek out the company of God’s faithful, either by preaching the word, earnestly exhorting them, ever considering how you can save souls, by your eloquence, or else by working with your hands, to make reparation for your past sins.

Never hesitate to give and when you do give, never grumble; then you will know the One Who will repay you. Preserve the traditions you have received, adding nothing and taking nothing away. The evildoer will ever be hateful to you. Be fair in your judgments. Never stir dissension but act as peacemaker and reconcile the quarrelsome. Confess your sins and do not begin to pray with a guilty conscience. Such the,n is the Way of Light.” – An excerpt from The Letter of Saint Barnabas (Chapter 19).

PRAYER – O God, Who gave the law to Moses on Sinai’s height and through Thy holy Angels, miraculously placed there, the body of blessed Catherine, Thy Virgin and Martyr, grant, we beseech Thee that by her merits and intercession, we may reach that towering eminence which is Christ our Lord. 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 FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The REDEMPTION

Quote/s of the Day – 23 November – St Clement I and St Columban

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Quote/s of the Day – 23 November – St Clement I (c 88–c 101) Pope Martyr and St Columban (543-615) Monk, Missionary

“Follow the Saints
because those who follow them,
will become Saints.”

“This world and the world to come, are two enemies.
We cannot. therefore. be friends to both
but, we must decide which we will forsake
and which, we will enjoy.”

“Who can describe the bond of God’s love?
Who is able to explain the majesty of its beauty?
The height to which love leads is indescribable.
… In love the Master received us,
Jesus Christ our Lord,
in accordance with God’s will
gave His Blood for us and His Flesh for our flesh
and His Life for our lives.”

St Clement I (c 88–c 101) Pope Martyr

MORE By St Pope Clement I:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/11/23/quote-s-of-the-day-23-november-st-pope-clement-i/

“We are all fellow members of one body,
whether Franks or Britons or Irish or whatever our race.
Thus, let all our races rejoice,
in knowledge of the faith
and in recognising the Son of God …
In Him, let us love one another,
praise one another,
correct one another,
encourage one another,
pray for one another.”

(Letter 2, to the French bishops)

Lord, Kindle our Lamps
By St Columban (543-615)

Lord, kindle our lamps,
Saviour most dear to us,
that we may always shine
in Your presence
and always receive Light
from You,
the Light Perpetual,
so that our own
personal darkness,
may be overcome
and the world’s darkness
driven from us.
Amen

(This is an excerpt from a much longer prayer and is taken from the wonderful Sermon XII by St Columban/us)

MORE By St Columban:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/11/23/quote-s-of-the-day-23-november-the-memorial-of-st-columban-543-615/

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

Our Morning Offering – 23 November – May We Love Only You By St Columban

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Our Morning Offering – 23 November – The Memorial of St Columban (543-615).

May We Love Only You
By St Columban (543-615)

Loving Saviour,
be pleased to show Yourself to us who knock,
so that in knowing You,
we may love only You,
love You alone,
desire You alone,
contemplate only You, day and night
and always think of You.
Inspire in us the depth of love
that is fitting for You to receive as God.
So may Your love pervade our whole being,
possess us completely
and fill all our senses,
that we may know no other love
but love for You,
Who are everlasting.
May our love be so great,
that the many waters of sky, land and sea
cannot extinguish it in us –
many waters could not extinguish love.
May this saying be fulfilled
in us also, at least in part,
by Your gift,
Jesus Christ, our Lord,
to whom be glory forever and ever.
Amen

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CARMELITES, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on HUMAN DIGNITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 22 November – “Charity never fails!”

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Quote/s of the Day – 22 November – St Cecilia Died 3rd Century) Virgin Martyr – Ecclesiasticus 51:13-17, Matthew 25:1-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But the wise took oil in their vessels”

Matthew 25:4

“The Apostle says,
“I will show you a still more excellent way.”
“If I speak with the tongue of mortals
and of angels but do not have love,
I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”
This is charity.
It is “that way above the rest,” which is,
with good reason, signified by the oil.
For oil swims above all liquids.
Pour in water and pour in oil upon it,
the oil will swim above.
If you keep the usual order, it will be uppermost,
if you change the order, it will be uppermost.
“Charity never fails!”

“Love the Lord and so,
learn to love yourselves
that when, by loving the Lord,
you shall have loved yourselves,
you may securely love
your neighbour as yourselves. …
So then, have faith with love.
This is the “wedding garment!”

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

“Charity is the sweet and holy bond
which links the soul
with its Creator;
it binds God with man
and man with God.”

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

“My dear souls, let us recognise, I pray you,
Christ’s infinite charity towards us
in the institution of this Sacrament of the Eucharist.
In order that our love be a spiritual love,
He wills a new heart, a new love, a new spirit for us.
It is not with a carnal heart but with a spiritual one,
that Christ has loved us with a gratuitous love,
a supreme and most ardent love,
by way of pure grace and charity.
Ah! One needs to love Him back
with one’s whole, whole, whole,
living, living, living
and true, true, true heart!”

St Lawrence of Brindisi(1559-1619)

“Humility and charity
are the two master chords –
one, the lowest;
the other, the highest;
all the others are dependent on them.
Therefore, it is necessary, above all.
to maintain ourselves in these two virtues,
for observe well,
that the preservation of the whole edifice
depends on the foundation and the roof!”

St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)

“A word or a smile,
is often enough,
to put fresh life
into a despondent soul.”

St Therese of the Child Jesus
and the Holy Face (1873-1897)
Doctor of the Church

Posted in 7 GIFTS of the HOLY GHOST: Wisdom, Understanding, Prudence, Strength, Knowledge, Piety, Fear, CHRIST the LIGHT, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, GOD is LOVE, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on STRENGTH, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on VIRTUE, St JOSEPH, The HEART

Quote/s of the Day – 15 November – St Albert the Great

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Quote/s of the Day – 15 November – St Albert the Great OP (1200-1280) Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of the Church

“It is by the path of love, which is charity,
that God draws near to man and man to God.
But where charity is not found, God cannot dwell.
If, then, we possess charity, we posses God,
for ‘God is Charity’ (1 John 4:8).”

“Banish, therefore, from thy heart,
the distractions of earth
and turn your eyes to spiritual joys
that you may learn at last,
to repose in the light
of the contemplation of God.”

“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

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/11/15/quote-s-of-the-day-15-november-st-albert-the-great/

Posted in CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, The GOOD SHEPHERD

Our Morning Offering – 15 November – Guide Me Lord by St Albert the Great

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Our Morning Offering – 15 November – St Albert the Great (1200-1280) Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of the Church

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", LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on ENEMIES, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MODESTY, QUOTES on MORALS, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE

Thought for the Day – 14 November – Good Example

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Thought for the Day – 14 November – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Good Example

“The Holy Spirit tells us that God entrusts to everyone, the care of his neighbour (Ecclus 17:12).
“Let your light shine before men,” says Jesus Christ, “in order that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in Heaven” (Mt 5:16).
St Paul echoes this counsel, when he warns us not to return evil for evil but to “provide good things, not only in the sight of God but also in the sight of all men” (Cf Rom 12:17).
In other words, we are obliged to edify our neighbour by our good example.

Good example is the most effective sermon and it is a sermon which all of us can and should deliver.
We ought to preach this sermon everywhere and at all times – in the Church and outside it, in our family circle and in society, with our superiors, equals and inferiors, when we are speaking and when we are silent, in our behaviour and in our appearance!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/11/14/thought-for-the-day-14-november-good-example/

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Holy Name PRAYERS, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The HOLY NAME

Our Morning Offering – 14 November – Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee!

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Our Morning Offering – 14 November

Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee!
By St Bernard (1090-1153)
Father and the Mellifluous Doctor of the Church

Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills the breast!
Yet sweeter far Thy face to see
And in Thy presence rest.

No voice can sing, no heart can frame,
Nor can the memory find,
A sweeter sound than Jesus’ Name,
The Saviour of mankind.

O hope of every contrite heart!
O joy of all the meek!
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek!

But what to those who find?
Ah! this nor tongue, nor pen, can show
The love of Jesus, what it is,
None but His loved ones know.

Jesus! our only hope be Thou,
As Thou our prize shall be;
In Thee be all our glory now
And through eternity.
Amen

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOMINICAN OP, GOD ALONE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on THANKSGIVING, QUOTES on ZEAL

Our Morning Offering – 9 November – Grant me, O my God, By St Vincent Ferrer

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Our Morning Offering – 9 November

Grant me, O my God
By St Vincent Ferrer OP (1350-1419)

Good Jesus,
let me be penetrated with love
to the very marrow of my bones,
with fear and respect toward You.
Let me burn with zeal for Your honour,
so that I may resent terribly,
all the outrages
committed against You,
especially those of which
I myself have been guilty.
Grant further, O my God,
that I may adore and acknowledge You humbly,
as my Creator and that,
penetrated with gratitude
for all Your benefits,
I may never cease to render You thanks.
Grant that I may bless You in all things,
praise and glorify You
with a heart full of joy and gladness
and that, obeying You with docility
in every respect, I may one day,
despite my ingratitude and unworthiness,
be seated at Your table
together with Your Holy Angels and Apostles
to enjoy ineffable delights.
Amen

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, DYING / LAST WORDS, HOLY COMMUNION, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, MARIAN QUOTES, ON the SAINTS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on VANITY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The HOLY NAME, The TRANSFIGURATION

Quote/s of the Day – 7 November – St Dominic and Friends OPs

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Quote/s of the Day – 7 November – The Feast of All Saints of the Order of Preacher

“These, my much loved ones,
are the bequests which I leave to you, as my sons –
have charity among yourselves,
hold fast to humility,
keep a willing poverty.”

“Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you
after my death and I shall help you then,
more effectively, than during my life.”

St Dominic OP (1170-1221)

“Eternal life flows
from this Sacrament
because God,
with all sweetness,
pours Himself out
upon the blessed.”

“Mary is the divine Page
on which God the Father
wrote the Word of God, His Son.
Let us draw near to her and read her!”

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

“At His Transfiguration
Christ showed His disciples,
the splendour of His Beauty,
to which He will shape and colour,
those who are His :
‘He will reform our lowness
configured to the Body of His Glory.”

“Charity is
the form,
mover,
mother
and root
of all
the virtues.”

“To love is to
will the good
of the other.”

“The greatest kindness
one can render
to any man
consists in leading him
from error to truth.”

St Thomas Aquinas OP (1225 – 1274)
Angelic Doctor of the Church

“The eternal God
asks a favour of His bride:
“Hold Me close to your heart,
close as locket or bracelet fits.”
No matter whether
we walk or stand still,
eat or drink,
we should at all times
wear the golden locket
“Jesus” upon our heart.”

Bl Henry Suso OP (1295-1366)

“Enrich your soul in the great goodness of God –
The Father is your Table,
the Son is your Food
and the Holy Spirit waits on you
and then makes His Dwelling in you.”

“Charity is the sweet and holy bond
which links the soul
with its Creator;
it binds God with man
and man with God.”

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

“Once humility is acquired,
charity will come to life
like a burning flame devouring
the corruption of vice
and filling the heart so full,
that there is no place for vanity.”

“A vain question deserves nothing
but silence.
So learn to be silent for a time;
you will edify your brethren
and silence will teach you,
to speak when the hour is come.”

St Vincent Ferrer OP (1350-1419)

St Dominic’s Blessing
By St Dominic de Guzman OP (1170-1221)

May God the Father,
Who made us, bless us.
May God the Son,
send His healing among us.
May God the Holy Ghost,
move within us
and give us eyes to see with,
ears to hear with,
and hands, with which Thy work,
might be done.
May we walk and preach
the Word of God to all.
May the Angel of peace
watch over us
and lead us at last,
by God’s grace,
to the Kingdom.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MERCY, The BEATITUDES, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 7 November – ‘ … Mercy Itself, wishes you to be merciful … ‘

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 7 November – “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/

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” – Matthew 5:7

REFLECTION – “Finally, just as concern for one’s neighbour is added to love of God, so the virtue of mercy is added to the desire for righteousness, as it is said: Blessed are the merciful, for God will be merciful to them.

Remember, Christian, the surpassing worth of the wisdom that is yours. Bear in mind, the kind of school in which you are to learn your skills, the rewards to which you are called. Mercy Itself, wishes you to be merciful, Righteousness Itself, wishes you to be righteous, so that the Creator may shine forth in His creature and the image of God be reflected, in the mirror of the human heart, as it imitates His qualities. The faith of those who live their faith, is a serene faith. What you long for will be given you, what you love will be yours forever.

Since it is by giving alms that everything is pure for you, you will also receive that blessing which is promised next by the Lord: Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God. Dear friends, great is the happiness of those for whom such a reward is prepared. Who are the clean of heart if not those, who strive for those virtues, we have mentioned above? What mind can conceive, what words can express, the great happiness of seeing God? Yet human nature will achieve this when it has been transformed, so that it sees the Godhead no longer in a mirror, or obscurely but face to face—the Godhead that no man has been able to see! In the inexpressible joy of this eternal vision, human nature will possess, what eye has not seen or ear heard, what man’s heart has never conceived!” – St Pope Leo the Great (400-461) Great Western Father and Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from his Sermon 95 On the Beatitudes).

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).