Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, GOD the FATHER, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on CHASTITY, QUOTES on CREATION, QUOTES on FRIENDSHIP, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MARRIAGE, MARRIED LOVE, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on VIRTUE, SACRED MATRIMONY, The HEART

Quote/s of the Day – 23 October – Blessed Severinus Boethius

Quote/s of the Day – 23 October – Blessed Severinus Boethius (c 475-524) Martyr, Layman, Theologian, Philosopher.

Prayer of Bl Severinus Boethius
(c 475-524) Martyr

O Father, enable our minds,
to rise to Thy ineffable dwelling place.
Let us find the light
and direct the eyes of our soul to Thee.
Dispel the mists and the opaqueness
of the earthly mass
and shine out with Thy splendour.
Thou art the serene and tranquil abode
of those who persevere
in their goal of seeing Thee.
Thou art, at the same time,
the Beginning, the Vehicle,
the Guide, the Way and the Goal.
Amen.

Love binds people too,
in Matrimony’s Sacred Bonds
where chaste lovers are met
and friends cement their trust
and friendship.
How happy is mankind,
if the Love that orders the stars above,
rules, too, in their hearts.

One’s virtue is all that one truly has
because it is not imperiled,
by the vicissitudes of fortune.

Contemplate the extent
and stability of the heavens
and then, at last, cease to admire
worthless things
.”

A man content to go to Heaven, alone …
will never go to heaven!

Blessed Severinus Boethius (c 475-524)

Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, EUCHARISTIC ADORATION and Nocturnal, franciscan OFM, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on THE WORLD, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 19 October – St Peter of Alcantar

Quote/s of the Day – 19 October – St Peter of Alcantara OFM (1499-1562) Confessor

Truly, matters in the world,
are in a bad state
but if you and I begin, in earnest,
to reform ourselves,
a really good beginning
will have been made.

Our Lord, in the Blessed Sacrament,
has His Hands full of graces
and He is ready to bestow them
on anyone, who asks for them

No tongue is able to declare
the greatness of the love
which Jesus bears to every soul
and, therefore, this Spouse,
when He would leave this earth,
in order that His absence
might not cause us to forget Him,
left us, as a memorial,
this Blessed Sacrament,
in which He Himself remained;
for He would not,
that there should be any other pledge
to keep alive, our remembrance of Him,
than He Himself!”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/10/19/quote-s-of-the-day-19-october-st-peter-of-alcantara/

St Peter of Alcantara (1499-1562)

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, franciscan OFM, GOD ALONE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The HEART, The WILL of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 19 October – Hear Me, O Lord By St Peter of Alcantara

Our Morning Offering – 19 October – St Peter of Alcantara OFM (1499-1562) Confessor

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.

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 16 October – ‘What is that “wedding garment” then? …’ St Augustine

One Minute Reflection – 16 October – Feast of the Purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Ephesians 4:23-28, Matthew 22:1-14 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

Now the king went in to see the guests and he saw there a man who had not on a wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?‘” – Matthew 22:11-12

REFLECTION – “What is that “wedding garment” then? … The wedding garment” is such charity as this. “Although I speak with the tongues of men and of Angels and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal.” Tongues have come in alone and it is said to them, “Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment? I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and although I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains and have not charity, I am nothing.

See, these are the miracles of men who very often have not “the wedding garment.” “Although,” he says,” I have all these and have not Christ, I am nothing.” … If then I have not charity, although I bestow alms freely upon the poor, although I have come to the confession of Christ’s Name even unto blood and fire, these things may be done even through the love of glory and so are vain.
… For “the wedding garment” is taken in honour of the union, the union, that is, of the Bridegroom to the Bride. You know the Bridegroom – it is Christ. You know the Bride – it is the Church. Pay honour to the Bride, pay honour to the Bridegroom. If you pay due honour to them both, you will be their children. Therefore, in this make progress. 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.

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, unto all Thy servants, that they may remain continually in the enjoyment of soundness, both of mind and body and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, always a Virgin, may be delivered from present sadness and enter into the joy of Thine eternal gladness. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CARMELITES, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 15 October – St Teresa of Jesus

Quote/s of the Day – 15 October – St Teresa of Jesus of Avila OCD (1515-1582) Virgin and Doctor of the Church

“Prayer is an act of love,
words are not needed.
Even if sickness distracts from thoughts,
all that is needed, is the will to love.

The surest way to determine
whether one possesses the love of God,
is to see whether he or she,
loves his or her neighbour.
These two loves are never separated.
Rest assured, the more you progress
in love of neighbour,
the more your love of God will increase.

When we accept what happens to us
and make the best of it,
we are praising God.

Know that,
even when you are
in the kitchen,
our Lord moves
amidst the pots
.”

We always find that those
who walked closest to Christ,
were those, who had to bear
the greatest trials.

Those who risk all for God
will find that they have
both lost all
and gained all.

It seems to me, my daughters,
that everything passes so quickly
that we should be thinking more,
about how to die,
than how to live!

MORE AND MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/10/15/87677/

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

Posted in Act of SPIRITUAL COMMUNION, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, Our MORNING Offering, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 9 October – O Jesus, Sweetest Love, Come Thou to Me

Our Morning Offering – 9 October – The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

O Jesus, Sweetest Love,
Come Thou to Me
(1940)
By Fr Francis Xavier Lasance (1860–1946)

O JESUS, sweetest Love, come Thou to me.
Come down in all Thy beauty unto me.
Thou Who didst die for longing of me
And never, never more depart from me.
Free me, O beauteous God, from all but Thee;
Sever the chain that holds me back from Thee;
Call me, O tender Love, I cry to Thee;
Thou art my all! O bind me close to Thee.
O suffering Love, Who hast so loved me;
O patient Love, Who wearies not of me.
Thou alone O Love! Thou weary not of me!
Ah! Weary not till I am lost in Thee,
Nay, weary not, till I am found in Thee.
Amen

Posted in LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MARIAN QUOTES, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ENEMIES, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, SAINT of the DAY, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS

Quote/s of the Day – 8 October – St Bridget

Quote/s of the Day – 8 October – St Bridget of Sweden (c 1303-1373) Widow

We must show love
for those who do evil to us
and pray for them.
Nothing is dearer
or more pleasing to God than this.

There is no sinner in the world,
however much at enmity with God,
who cannot recover God’s grace
by recourse to Mary
and by asking her assistance.

Mary is the lily in God’s garden.

Mother of Love, of Sorrow and of Mercy
By St Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373
)

O Blessed Virgin Mary,
Immaculate Mother of God,
who endured a Martyrdom of love and grief,
beholding the sufferings and sorrows of Jesus!
Thou didst co-operate in the benefit of my redemption
by thy innumerable afflictions
and by offering to the Eternal Father,
His only-begotten Son, as a holocaust
and victim of propitiation for my sins.
I thank thee for the unspeakable love
which led thee to deprive thyself
of the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus,
true God and true Man, to save me, a sinner.
Oh! make use of the unfailing intercession
of thy sorrows with the Father and the Son,
that I may steadfastly amend my life
and never again crucify
my loving Redeemer by my sins
and that, persevering till death in His grace,
I may obtain eternal life
through the merits of His Cross and Passion.
Amen

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/10/08/quote-s-of-the-day-23-july-st-bridget/

St Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373)

Posted in GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The DIVINE INFANT, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE, The NATIVITY of JESUS

Thought for the Day – 5 October – The Third Joyful Mystery, The Birth of Jesus

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

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
The Third Joyful Mystery
The Birth of Jesus

“Let us too, learn to adore and love Him as His Mother and Foster-father did.

Let us love Him that is, with a contemplative love, not distracted by worldly affairs;
a humble love because, we owe everything to Him, without Whom, we are nothing but miserable sinners;
with a sympathetic love because, we know that He suffered for us and spent Himself for our eternal salvation and, lastly,
with a love which is entirely dedicated.
After all, if He loved us so much that He gave Himself entirely for us, it is only just that in our love for Him, we should sacrifice ourselves completely.
All our thoughts, affections and actions should be offered to Him, with purity of intention and with a firm resolve of living in accordance with His Holy Will.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/10/05/thought-for-the-day-5-october-the-third-joyful-mystery-the-birth-of-jesus/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/10/05/thought-for-the-day-5-october-the-third-joyful-mystery-the-birth-of-jesus-2/

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, Holy Name PRAYERS, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on The SOUL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, St PAUL!, The HOLY NAME, The SECOND COMING, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 5 October – ‘ … Give me courage to resist, patience to endure …’

Quote/s of the Day – 5 October – Hebrews 10:32-38, Luke 12:1-8
Scripture search – https://www.drbo.org/

Do not, therefore, lose your confidence,
which has a great reward.
For you have need of patience that,
doing the will of God,
you may receive the promise.
For yet a very little while
and He Who is to come,
will come
and will not delay.”

Hebrews 10:35-37

Everyone without God,
has a dead soul.
You, who bewail the dead,
rather, should bewail sin.
Bewail ungodliness.
Bewail disbelief.

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

We have the Providential love of God as our guide.
When there is a ship at sea and heads towards the port,
nobody doubts that it is led by a pilot
and one could doubt that there is a God
who guides the universe
only because He cannot be seen?
By His Providential Love,
God arranges and regulates events,
regulates everything, with gentleness and wisdom.
I advise you to abandon yourself completely
into the hands of Divine Providence.

Blessed Edoardo Giuseppe Rosaz (1877-1903)

The Love of Your Name

“My God, Sweetness beyond words,
make bitter all the carnal comfort
that draws me from love of the eternal
and lures me to its evil self,
by the sight of some delightful good
in the present.
Let it not overcome me, my God.
Let not flesh and blood conquer me.
Let not the world and its brief glory
deceive me, nor the devil trip me by his craftiness.
Give me courage to resist,
patience to endure
and constancy to persevere.
Give me the soothing unction of Your spirit,
rather than all the consolations of the world
and in place of carnal love,
infuse into me the love of Your Name.

Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)
The Imitation of Christ
(Book 3 Ch 26:1-4)

Posted in LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES "CARPE DIEM" - Seize the Day, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SUFFERING, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 3 October – St Thérèse

Quote/s of the Day – 3 October – St Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face (1873 – 1897)

Whoever does not accept
the kingdom of God
like a little child,
shall not enter it.

Mark 10:15

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

Prayer is an aspiration of the heart.
It is a simple glance directed to Heaven.
It is a cry of gratitude and love
in the midst of trial as well as joy.

It is true, I suffer a great deal–
but do I suffer well?
That is the question?!

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

If I did not simply live
from one moment to another,
it would be impossible for me to be patient
but I only look at the present,
I forget the past
and I take good care
not to attempt to foretell the future.

St Thérèse of the Child Jesus
and the Holy Face (1873 – 1897)

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JESUIT SJ, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, ON the SAINTS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 2 October – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.” – Matthew 22:34-46

One Minute Reflection – 2 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” and Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels – Ephesians 4:1-6, Matthew 22:34-46

“Master, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” … Matthew 22:36

REFLECTION – “O Lord, what is it that you require of Your servants? “Take my yoke upon you,” you say. And what sort of yoke is this? “My yoke is easy and my burden light.” Now who would not willingly bear a yoke that does not press down but gives strength; a burden that does not weigh heavily but refreshes? As You rightly added: “And you will find rest” (Mt 11:29). And what is this yoke of Yours that does not tire but gives rest? It is the first and greatest of the commandments: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.” What could be easier, better or more agreeable than to love the goodness, beauty and love that is most perfectly Yours, O Lord my God?

Do You not offer a reward to those who keep the com­mandments, which are “more desirable than a heap of gold and sweeter than honey from the comb?” (Ps 19[18]:11) So in every way You offer a very ample reward, as James the apostle says: “The Lord has prepared the crown of life for those who love him” (Jas 1:12) (…) And Paul quotes these words from Isaiah: “No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor has the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor 2:9).

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 (The Ascent of the Mind to God, 1).

PRAYER – O God, Who in Thy wondrous providence graciously send Thy Angels to watch over us, grant that we, who pray to Thee maybe ever under their protection and may rejoice in their unending companionship. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, GOD ALONE!, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on VIRTUE, QUOTES on WISDOM, The FOUR CARDINAL VIRTUES: JUSTICE, PRUDENCE, TEMPERANCE, FORTITUDE

Thought for the Day – 28 September – Prudence and Simplicity

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

Prudence and Simplicity

“Prudence is one of the Cardinal Virtues frequently recommended in the Sacred Scriptures.
If you receive My words and treasure My commands,” the Holy Spirit tells us in the Book of Proverbs, “turning your ear to wisdom, inclining your heart to understanding… if you seek her like silver and like hidden treasures, search her out, then you will understand the fear of the Lord, the knowledge of God you will find” (Prov 2:2-61).
Then, He promises, God will counsel and protect you, “for wisdom will enter your heart, knowledge will please your soul, discretio will watch over you, understanding will guard you; saving you from the way of evil men” (Cf Prov 2:2-12).

The word ‘prudence,‘ as St Thomas Aquinas explains, is derived from the word ‘providence‘ and it consists in ordering everything correctly towards its proper end (Summa Theologiae II-II, q 49, a 6).
From that we can see how necessary this virtue is.
A man who can order everything correctly, towards its own end, does everything as it ought to be done.
He will have achieved true wisdom, which is the foundation of sanctity.

To speak when we should speak; to be silent when we should be silent; never to leave unsaid what ought to be said but, to know when we should speak and how much; to pay attention mainly to necessary things, that is, to God and to the supernatural; to avoid every thought which would separate us from God and endanger our salvation; to love God more than anything else and more than ourselves because, He is the supreme good and our supreme happiness; to love other things only in God and for Him; solely to direct all our actions proportionately towards God, towards our neighbour and, towards ourselves and, to avoid every act which would alienate us from God, which would be contrary to His precepts, or which would endanger our eternal salvation.

And this is true prudence, which is founded on divine wisdom and must be continually nourished by the grace of God an inspired by charity.
Since this virtue pervades and embraces all the others, a man who achieves perfection in it, has reached the peak of holiness.

But perhaps we are too preoccupied with worldly interests and so, stray from the straight path which leads to God and to sanctity? ”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in "Follow Me", CATHOLIC Quotes, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, MODESTY, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on the POOR, QUOTES on The SOUL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The BEATITUDES, The FOUR CARDINAL VIRTUES: JUSTICE, PRUDENCE, TEMPERANCE, FORTITUDE, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 27 September – “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God.” – Luke 6:20

Quote/s of the Day – 27 September – Wisdpm 5:16-20, Luke 6:17-23

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

Luke 6:20

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven
.”

Matthew 5:3

The soul must grow and expand
so as to be capable of God.
And its largeness is its love,
as the Apostle says,
“widen yourselves in love”
(2 Cor 6:13).
It grows and extends spiritually,
not in substance but in virtue.
The greatness of each soul is judged
by the measure of love that it has-
he who has great love, is great-
he who has little love is little,
while he who has no love at all –
is nothing!

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

This death … has already levelled
his bow to strike me.
Is it not prudent to prevent its stroke,
by dying now to the world,

that at my death,
I may live to God?”

St Francis Borgia (1510-1572)

Do not live any longer in yourself
but let Jesus Christ live in you in such a way
that the virtue of this Divine Saviour may be resplendent
in all your actions, in order that all may see in you
a true portrait of the Crucified and sense,
the sweetest fragrance of the holy virtues of the Lord,
in interior and exterior modesty,
in patience,
in gentleness,
suffering,
charity,
humility
and in all others that follow.

St Paul of the Cross (1604-1775)

You leave the land just as it is
when you depart,
you do not carry anything away.
Our first aim
is to go to God,
we are not on earth
for anything but this!

St John Marie Baptiste Vianney (1786-1859)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, EXTREME UNCTION, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, SAINT of the DAY, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 September – ‘ … She did for the feet, what you refused to the Head. 

One Minute Reflection – 23 September – “The Month of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Cross” and the Mermorial of St Pope Linus (c 10 – c 76) Successor to St Peter – Osee 14:2-10, Luke 7:36-50

She began to bathe His feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed is feet and anointed them with ointment.” – Luke 7:38

REFLECTION – “With her hands of good works, she holds the feet of those who preach His Kingdom. She washes them with tears of charity, kisses them with praising lips and pours out the whole ointment of mercy, until He will turn her. This means that He will come back to her and say to Simon, to the Pharisees, to those who deny, to the nation of the Jews, “I came into your house. You gave me no water for my feet.

When will He speak these words? He will speak them when He will come in the Majesty of His Father and separate the righteous from the unrighteous, like a shepherd who separates the sheep from the goats. He will say, “I was hungry and you did not give me to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger and you did not take me in.” This is equivalent to saying, “But this woman, while she was bathing my feet, anointing them and kissing them, did to the servants, what you did not do for the Master.” She did for the feet, what you refused to the Head. She expended upon the lowliest members, what you refused to your Creator. Then He will say to the Church, “Your sins, many as they are, are forgiven you because you have loved much.” – St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and “Doctor of Homilies” (Sermon 95).

PRAYER – Look forgivingly on Thy flock, Eternal Shepherd, and keep it in Thy constant protection, by the intercession of blessed Linus Thy Sovereign Pontiff, whom Thou didst constitute Shepherd of the whole Church. Through the same Jesus Christ, Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE

Thought for the Day – 22 September – Following Jesus, the Divine Model

Thought for the Day – 22 September – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Following Jesus, the Divine Model

“Jesus is the Divine Model, Whom we ought to follow and imitate.
In Him, the virtues possess both the infinite splendour of the Divinity and the gentle appeal of glorified Humanity.
Jesus does not dazzle us with His brightness but kindly invites us to love and follow Him.
“Learn from me” He says, “for I am meek and humble of heart and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:29).

After He has indicated humility, meekness and interior peace, as the foundations of the spiritual life, He invites us to take up the yoke of His law and assures us, that we shall find it light (Mt 11).

If we follow Jesus, even though we are bowed with Him, beneath the weight of the Cross, we shall experience, even in this life, a reflection of the peace and joy which will be our reward in Heaven.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/01/24/thought-for-the-day-24-january-following-jesus/
PART TWO HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/07/11/thought-for-the-day-11-july-following-jesus/

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MODESTY, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on ANGER, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on POVERTY, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN

Quote/s of the Day – 22 September – The Memorial of St Thomas of Villanova

Quote/s of the Day – 22 September – The Memorial of St Thomas of Villanova OSA (1488-1555) Archbishop, Confessor

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

What great profit you gain from God
when you are generous!
You give a coin
and receive a kingdom;
you give bread from wheat
and receive the Bread of Life;
you give a transitory good
and receive an everlasting one.
You will receive it back,
a hundred times more
than you offered.

If you want God to hear your prayers,
hear the voice of the poor.
If you wish God to anticipate your wants,
provide for those of the need,
without waiting for them to ask you.
Especially, anticipate the needs
of those, who are ashamed to beg.
To make them ask for alms,
is to make them buy it!”

I am, notwithstanding,
inexcusable, if I do not love Thee
for Thou grant Thy love to all
who desire or ask it.
I cannot see without light –
yet, if I shut my eyes
in the midst of the noon-day light,
the fault is in me,
not in the sun.

Dismiss all anger
and look into yourself a little.
Remember that he, of whom,
you are speaking, is your brother
and as he is, in the way of salvation,
God can make him a Saint,
in spite of his present weakness.

St Thomas of Villanova (1488-1555)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the JUDGE, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, Quotes on SALVATION, The LAST THINGS

Thought for the Day – 29 August – More About Almsgiving

Thought for the Day – 29 August – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

More About Almsgiving

“The description of the Last Judgement in the twenty fifth chapter of St Matthew’s Gospel would shock many people, if they were to read it.
The principles, in accordance with which, Christ will pronounce sentence are inescapably clear.
Did you feed and clothe the poor for My sake, He will ask because you recognised Me in them?
If, you have done so, you will certainly be saved.
If, you have neglected to do so, you will be condemned for all eternity.
Christ does not ask about anything else because, everything else is subordinate to the precept of charity.

Where there is charity, everything else follows.
Where charity is lacking, there is nothing else because, Christianity is synonymouse with charity.
Charity, says St Paul, “is the bond of perfection” (Col 3:14).

If I should speak with the tongue of men and of Angels,” St Paul says elsewhere, “but have not charity, I have become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal … and if I have all faith so as to move mountains, yet have not charity, I am nothing. And if I distribute all my goods to feed the poor … yet do not have charity, it profits me nothing” (Cf 1 Cor 13:1-3).

So, our eternal salvation depends on our charity.
But it must be charity in action, not merely in words.

He who has the goods of this world,” says St John “and sees his brother in need and closes his heart to him, how does the love of God abide in him?” (1 Jn 3:17).
Charity must be expressed in almsgiving and good works, for otherwise, it would be a matter of idle talk which would be powerless to save us.

Our almsgiving should not be dictated simply by natural feelings of compassion, however, nor by mere philanthropy.
It should be pre-eminently a religious act, springing from supernatural motives.
Because we see the person of Christ in the poor man, we should love and help him as we should our Diving Redeemer
.
This is real Christian charity.

A proud man may also be liberal in giving away money in order to draw attention to himself.
But this is not Christian almsgiving which is never the product of self-love but of the love of God.

Let us be more generous in giving, therefore but, let us always give from the supernatural motive of Christian charity.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 August – “I shall repay you on my way back.” – Luke 10:35

One Minute Reflection – 28 August – St Augustine (354-430) – Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of Grace and Father – 2 Corinthians 3:4-9, Luke 10:23-37

“The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.’” – Luke 10:35

REFLECTION – “Who is my neighbour?” In answer the Word explained, in the form of a story, God’s entire economy of salvation. He told of man’s descent from heaven, the robbers’ ambush, the stripping of the garment of immortality, the wounds of sin, the progress of death over half of man’s nature while his soul remained immortal. Then came the passage of the Law that brought no help—neither the priest nor the Levite tended the wounds of the man who fell among robbers—for “it was impossible for the blood of goats and oxen to remove man’s sin” (Heb 10:4). And then He came, clothed in our human nature as the first-fruits of the mass in which there was a portion of every race, Jewish, Samaritan, Greek — all mankind. With His body (that is, the beast of the story) He proceeded to the place of man’s disaster, healed his wounds and set him upon His own beast. He created for him the inn of His loving providence, in which all those who labour and are burdened can find rest (Mt 11,28) (…)

“Whoever abides in me and I in him” (Jn 6:56) … Whoever finds shelter in Christ’s mercy accepts two denarii from Him, one of which signifies the love of God with one’s whole heart and the other the love of one’s neighbour as oneself, according to the lawyer’s reply (Mk 12:30f). But “not the hearers of the law are just before God but the doers of the law shall be justified” (Rm 2:13). Hence we must not merely accept these two coins … but we must, by our own good deeds, co-operate in the fulfilment of these two commandments. And so, the Lord says to the innkeeper, that whatever he does in caring for the wounded man will be made up to him at the Lord’s second coming according to the measure of his devotion.” … St Gregory of Nyssa (c 335–C 395) Father of the Church, Monk, Bishop – Sermons on the Song of Songs, no14 – [Brother of St Basil the Great (Father & Doctor)]

PRAYER – Give heed to our humble prayers, Almighty God and through the intercession of blessed Augustine, Thy Confessor and Bishop, kindly grant Thy oft-given mercy to those upon whom Thou bestows great hope in Thy forgiveness. 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 GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on PRAYER

Thought for the Day – 25 August – Fervour and Tepidity

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

Fervour and Tepidity

“Our Lord does not command us to be merely virtuous.
He commands us to be perfect.
You, therefore, are to be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48).
He tells us to love Him with our whole heart and our whole soul.
Thou shalt love the Lord th God, with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul” (Mt 22:37).
He orders us to renounce everything rather than offend Him, (Lk 14:33) even to pluck out an eye or cut off a hand or foot, if it should present an obstacle to our eternal salvation (Mt 18:81).

How can we remain unmoved and inactive in the face of these exhortations?
The grace of perfection to which Our Lord calls us, cannot be reached without His grace which we can only obtain by fervent and unceasing prayer.
Fervour is the animating principle of the spiritual life.

It wins God’s gifts for us and makes us almost immune from sin.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/02/25/thought-for-the-day-25-february-fervour-and-tepidity/

Posted in LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GOSSIP, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The WILL of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 25 August – O God, We Love Thee

Our Morning Offering – 25 August – St Louis IX (1214-1270) Confessor, King of France

O God, We Love Thee
Prayer inspired by St Louis’ Last Instructions
to his Eldest Son, Philip

(Perhaps Philip prayed thus)

O God, we love Thee.
We wish to do nothing to displease Thee.
If we have troubles, let us thank Thee.
If we do not, we also humbly thank Thee.
Let us pray diligently
and be compassionate and generous to the poor.
May we hold fast all that is good
and all that is bad, discard.
We thank Thee for friends,
who help us bear our burdens
and help us grow in holiness.
Let us turn away from calumniators and slanderers
and lend a willing ear to those who speak of God.
Let us always do what is right and just for those we serve
and promote peace among our neighbours.
Let us be quick to defend our Faith.
O Holy Lord, all Thy holy Saints,
defend us from all evils.
Grant us Thy grace to fulfil always,
Thy Holy Will,
so that Thou may be glorified and honoured
and so we may be with Thee forever.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", CARMELITES, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, GOD ALONE!, OUR Cross, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on HERESY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CHURCH

Quote/s of the Day – 23 August – Doing great things for God, like St Philip Benezi

Quote/s of the Day – 23 August – St Philip Benizi OSM (1233-1285) Confessor

Doing great things for God, like St Philip Benezi

Nothing great is ever achieved,
without enduring much
.”

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

We will never do anything great for God
if we do not realise the great gifts
which God has given us.
The very fact that you have the Catholic Faith
at this time of apostasy,
shows that you are especially blessed by God.
Count yourselves extremely blessed.
Hold onto your Catholic Faith,
despite all the things going on around you ,-
not only in your own life
but in the world in general
AND in the Church!

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

Know that the greatest service
that man can offer to God,
is to help convert souls.

St Rose of Lima (1586-1617)

Posted in QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TRUTH, The HEART

Quote/s of the Day – 21 August – St Jane Frances de ChantaL

Quote/s of the Day – 21 August – The Memorial of St Jane Frances de Chantal VHM (1572-1641)

All God wants is our heart.

“We think not enough of this Truth –
that God is present with us
that He sees our thoughts,
even long before we have them.
That He knows what we think
and shall think, better than we ourselves
that He sees the folds and recesses,
of our heart
and of this other Truth –
that NOTHING HAPPENS to us
but by the order of Providence.
We should all be Saints,
if we well apprehended these Truths.
And truly, it is a great consolation,
to know that God sees
the bottom of our heart.

Suffering borne … quietly and patiently,
is a continual, very powerful prayer,
before God
.”

More St Jane Frances:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/12/quote-s-of-the-day-12-august-st-jane-frances-de-chantal

St Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)

Posted in LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SIN

Thought for the Day – 17 August – The Surest Way to Avoid Sin

Thought for the Day – 17 August – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Surest Way to Avoid Sin

“Another way of making sure that we shall never offend God is to love our neighbour.
Love does no evil to a neighbour” (Rin 13:10) St Paul assures us.
We are told that when St John the Apostle was too old to be able to preach long sermons and had to be carried into speak to his flock, he was accustomed to repeat the same brief message: “Little children, love one another.”
One day, the faithful, who had grown tired of hearing the same phrase so often, asked him to say something else to them, “But this is God’s command,” St John replied “and if you obey it that will be sufficient,

If we love our neighbour as ourselves, for the love of God, we could never sin.
We could never be guilty of injustice, calumny or indifference to the misfortunes of others.

Rather, should we be kind, compassionate and ready to help our fellowmen in their spiritual and temporal needs.

Let us examine ourselves on the extent of our brotherly charity and let us resolve to see the person of Jesus Christ in our neighbour.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/07/20/thought-for-the-day-20-july-the-surest-way-to-avoid-sin/

Posted in franciscan OFM, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 12 August – St Clare

Quote/s of the Day – 12 August – St Clare of Assisi (1194-1253) Virgin

O wondrous blessed clarity of Clare!
In life she shone to a few;
after death, she shines on the whole world!
On earth she was a clear light.
Now in Heaven, she is a brilliant sun.
O how great the vehemence of the
brilliance of this clarity!
On earth this light was indeed kept
within cloistered walls,
yet shed abroad its shining rays.
It was confined within a convent cell,
yet spread itself through the wide world.

Pope Innocent IV (c 1195-1254)
Papal reign 25 June 1243-1254

St Clare Quotes:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/08/12/quote-s-of-the-day-12-august-st-clare-and-st-jane-frances-de-chantal/

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 12 August – “But the wise took oil in their vessels” – Matthew 25:4

One Minute Reflection – 12 August – St Clare of Assisi (1194-1253) Virgin – 2 Cor inthians 10:17-18; 11:1-2 , Matthew 25:1-13

But the wise took oil in their vessels” – Matthew 25:4

REFLECTION – “It is some great thing, some exceedingly great thing, that this oil signifies. Do you think it might be charity? If we try out this hypothesis, we hazard no precipitate judgement. I will tell you why charity seems to be signified by the oil. 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!” … St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor (Sermon 93).

PRAYER – Hear us, O God, our Saviour that as we are gladdened by the festival of blessed Clare Thy virgin, so we may learn from it piety and devotion. ThroughJesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on ANGER, QUOTES on BLASPHEMY, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, Quotes on SALVATION

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

Quote/s of the Day – 9 August – The Memorial of St John Marie Vianney (1786-1859) Confessor

To be saved,
we must know, love,and serve God.
Oh, what a beautiful life!
How good, how great a thing it is,
to know, to love and serve God!
We have nothing else to do in this world.
All that we do, besides this, is lost time!

This is a good rule of conduct –
to do nothing but that
which we can offer to the good God.
Now, we cannot offer to Him –
slanders, calumnies, injustice,
anger, blasphemy, impurity …
yet that is all that people do in the world!

When death shall come upon us,
of what use, will three-quarters
of our life have been to us?
With what are we occupied,
the greatest part of our time?
Are we thinking of the good God,
of our salvation, of our soul?

St Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney (1786-1859)

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/08/09/quote-s-of-the-day-9-august-st-john-vianney/

Posted in LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on ENVY, QUOTES on JEALOUSY, QUOTES on JUDGING, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on SCANDAL, QUOTES on SIN

Thought for the Day – 7 August – Rash Judgement

Thought for the Day – 7 August – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Rash Judgement

Rash judgements are sometimes formed quite thoughtlessly.
At other times they are produce of malice, envy, pride or hatred.
Even when they are lightly arrived at, they are sinful because they are opposed to the law of charity.
When they are the result of one of the passions mentioned, they are far more gravely sinful because, they presuppose the intention of injuring our neighbour.
Rash judgements like this, rarely remain enclosed in the mind but are expressed openly, with consequent damage to the character of the victim!

It is easy to progress from lighter faults to grave sin in this matter.
A rash judgement soon becomes slander and, a sin against charity, soon becomes a sin against justice involving an obligation to make reparation.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/12/thought-for-the-day-12-august-rash-judgement/

Posted in LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on GREED, WEALTH, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, QUOTES on WEALTH/RICHES

Thought for the Day – 5 August – Riches and Poverty

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

Riches and Poverty

We must face this unfortunate fact.
One half of the world is living in luxury while the other half lives in squalor.
Worse still, both the inanity and arrogance of the wealthy and the degradation and abjection of the destitute, extinguish the light of the Gospel and drown the voice of conscience.

Who is at fault?
We must all share the blame, for nobody has ever fully implemented the Gospel teaching, which alone contains a complete solution for the problems of the human race.
A great deal of want and misery would disappear, if all those whose assets exceed what they need for themselves, remembered that they are obliged to love their neighbour as themselves.
They would then take heed of the precept: “Give that which remains as alms” (Lk 11:41),
We should all examine ourselves rigidly on this point because, we could all do far more to help the needy, whom we do not love, unfortunately, as much as we love ourselves!

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/11/thought-for-the-day-11-august-riches-and-poverty/

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on NATURE - GOD'S CREATION, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD

Thought for the Day – 2 August – How to Remain Aware of the Presence of God

Thought for the Day – 2 August – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

How to Remain Aware of the Presence of God

Another way of increasing our sense of the Presence of God, is to perceive Him in all His creatures.
St Therese of the Child Jesus loved to contemplate the image of her Creator in the flowers of the fields and in the stars of the firmament.

God has created all things for our benefit and He is Present in all things.
He sees what use we make of them and can judge whether we employ them to honour Him, Who is our beginning and our end.
The ray of Divine Beauty,which shines in every created thing, should attract us towards its Creator and cause us to adore and serve Him.
Whenever we meet a learned and holy person, moreover, the reflection of God’s Power and Goodness, is even more compelling.
Learn to love the Creator in the creature,” says St Augustine, “lest the thing which He has made should grip you and you shuld lose Him by Whom you also were created” (In Ps 19),

In other words, let us learn to see the Creator in all His creatures so that these may not enslave us but cause us to love Him, Who is our highest Good.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/06/thought-for-the-day-6-august-how-to-remain-aware-of-the-presence-of-god/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on SANCTITY, St Alphonsus de Liguori,

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

Quote/s of the Day – 2 August – The Memorial of St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of the Church

St Alphonsus de Liguori’s
“50 Maxims for Attaining Perfection
in the Love of Jesus Christ”

  1. To desire ardently to increase in the love of Jesus Christ
  2. To make acts of love toward Jesus Christ.
    Immediately on waking and before going to sleep,
    make an act of love, seeking always to unite your own will
    to the will of Jesus Christ.
  3. Often to meditate on His Passion.
  4. Always to ask Jesus Christ for His love.
  5. To communicate often and many times in the day to make spiritual communions.
  6. Often to visit the Most Holy Sacrament.
  7. Every morning to receive from the hands of Jesus Christ Himself your own cross.
  8. To desire Paradise and Death in order to be able to love Jesus Christ perfectly and for all eternity.
  9. Often to speak of the love of Jesus Christ.
  10. To accept contradictions for the love of Jesus Christ.
  1. To rejoice in the happiness of God.
  2. To do that which is most pleasing to Jesus Christ, and not to refuse Him anything that is agreeable to Him.
  3. To desire and to endeavour that all should love Jesus Christ.
  4. To pray always for sinners and for the souls in Purgatory.
  5. To drive from your heart every affection that does not belong to Jesus Christ.
  6. Always to have recourse to the Most Holy Mary,
    that she may obtain for us the love of Jesus Christ.
  7. To honour Mary in order to please Jesus Christ.
  8. To seek to please Jesus Christ in all of your actions.
  9. To offer yourself to Jesus Christ to suffer any pain for is love.
  10. To be always determined to die rather than commit a wilful venial sin.
  1. To suffer crosses patiently, saying, “Thus it pleases Jesus Christ.”
  2. To renounce your own pleasures for the love of Jesus Christ.
  3. To pray as much as possible.
  4. To practice all the mortifications that obedience permits.
  5. To do all your spiritual exercises as if it were for the last time.
  6. To persevere in good works in the time of aridity.
  7. Not to do, nor yet to leave undone, anything through human respect.
  8. Not to complain in sickness.
  9. To love solitude, to be able to converse alone with Jesus Christ.
  10. To drive away melancholy.
  1. Often to recommend yourself to those persons who love Jesus Christ.
  2. In temptation, to have recourse to Jesus crucified, and to Mary in her sorrows.
  3. To trust entirely in the Passion of Jesus Christ.
  4. After committing a fault, not to be discouraged, but to repent and resolve to amend.
  5. To do good to those who do evil.
  6. To speak well of all, and to excuse the intention when you cannot defend the action.
  7. To help your neighbour as much as you can.
  8. Neither to say nor to do anything that might vex him. And if you have been wanting in charity, to ask his pardon and speak kindly to him.
  9. Always to speak with mildness and in a low tone.
  10. To offer to Jesus Christ all the contempt and persecution which you meet with.
  1. To look upon [religious] Superiors as the representatives of Jesus Christ.
  2. To obey without answering and without repugnance and not to seek your own satisfaction in anything.
  3. To like the lowest employment.
  4. To like the poorest things.
  5. Not to speak either good or evil of yourself.
  6. To humble yourself even towards inferiors.
  7. Not to excuse yourself when you are reproved.
  8. Not to defend yourself when found fault with.
  9. To be silent when you are disquieted [i.e. upset].
  10. Always to renew your determination of becoming a saint, saying, ‘My Jesus, I desire to be all Thine and Thy must be all mine.

MORE QUOTES by St Alphonsus:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/08/02/quote-s-of-the-day-2-august-st-alphonsus/
St Alphonsus on PRAYER:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/08/01/quote-s-of-the-day-1-august-st-alphonsus-liguori-on-prayer/

St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor