Category: QUOTES on LOVE of GOD

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 3 September – ‘ … Love is not a miracle but a work! …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 3 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – St Pius X (1835-1914) Pope, Confessor – Thessalonians 2:2-8; John 21:15-17 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“… Thou knowest that I love Thee.
He said to him: Feed My sheep.” – John 21:17

REFLECTION – “Let us follow the manner of life of the Apostles and we will be their inferiors in nothing. For it was not their miracles which made them Apostles, it was the holiness of their lives. It is by this means, a disciple of Christ is recognised. The Lord Himself clearly gave us this sign. When He wanted to draw a portrait of His disciples and make known the sign that marked out His Apostles, He said: “This is how all will know thou art My disciples,” How? By working miracles? Raising the dead? Not at all! How, then? “This is how all will know thou art My disciples, if thou hast love for one another” (Jn 13:35).

Love is not a miracle but a work! “Love is the fulfillment of the Law” (Rm 13:10) … Therefore, have love among thyselves and thou wilt be counted among the Apostles, even amongst the first of them. Do thou want another proof of this teaching? See how Christ addressed Peter: “Peter, dost thou love me more than these?” There is nothing which enables us to win the Kingdom of Heaven more, than loving Christ as He deserves … What are we to do to love more than the Apostles did? … Listen to Christ, the very One we are to love: “If thou loves Me more than these, be the shepherd of My sheep”… Zeal, compassion, attentiveness are deeds, not miracles!” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Bishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (2nd Sermon on the inscription to the Book of the Acts of the Apostles).

PRAYER – O God Who, for the defence of the Catholic faith and the restoration of all things in Christ, filled St Pius, the Supreme Pontiff, with heavenly wisdom and apostolic fearlessness, mercifully grant that, by following his teachings and examples, we may receive Thy eternal rewards. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, EVENING and NIGHT Prayers, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD the FATHER, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on GREED, WEALTH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on the POOR, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on WATCHING, The HEART, The HOLY FACE, The SECOND COMING

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

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 28 August – The Feast of St Augustine (354-430) Bishop, Confessor, Great Western Father and Doctor of the Church

“Let Us Hate Our Sins and Love Him
Who Will Exact Punishment for Them.
What then should the Christian do?
He ought to use the world, not become its slave.
And what does this mean?
It means having, as though not having.
… Are we really certain that we love Him?
Or do we love our sins more?
Therefore, let us hate our sins and love Him
Who, will exact punishment for them.
He will come whether we wish it or not.
Do not think that because He is not coming just now,
He will not come at all. He will come,
you know, not when and provided He finds you prepared,
your ignorance of the time of His coming,
will not be held against you.”

“… Every man is both debtor and creditor…
A beggar asks you for alms but you, too,
are God’s beggar, for when we pray
we are all beggars of God.
We stand – or rather, prostrate ourselves –
at our Father’s door (cf Lk 11:5);
we beseech Him with groans,
anxious to receive a grace from Him
and this grace is God Himself!
What does the beggar ask of you?
Bread. And what is it that you are asking of God
but Christ, Who said:
“I am the Living Bread come down from Heaven”
(Jn 6:51).”

“Martha’s life is our own world;
Mary’s life, the world we are waiting for.
Let us live this one in uprightness,
so that we may gain the other, in its fullness.
What do we already possess of that life here below? …
At this moment precisely,
we are leading the life to come to a certain extent –
you have gathered together,
away from matters of business,
apart from family cares and are present here to listen. When you act like this, then you resemble Mary.”

“The great wealth of Christians
is found in the needs of the poor,
provided we grasp how to put our
possessions to good use.
The poor are always before us;
if we entrust our wealth to them,
we shall not lose it.”

Watch, O Lord!
With Those Who Wake,
or Watch, or Weep Tonight
By St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of Grace

Watch, O Lord,
with those who wake,
or watch,
or weep tonight
and give Thy Angels and Saints,
charge over those who sleep.
Tend Thy sick ones, O Lord Christ.
Rest Thy weary ones.
Bless Thy dying ones.
Soothe Thy suffering ones.
Pity Thy afflicted ones.
Shield Thy joyous ones.
And all, for Thine Love’s sake.
Amen

Almighty Father, Come Into Our Hearts
By St Augustine (354-430)

Almighty Father, come into our hearts
and so fill us with Thy Love
that forsaking all evil desires,
we may embrace Thee, our only good.
Show us, O Lord our God,
what Thou art to us.
Say to our souls, I Am your salvation,
speak so, that we may hear.
Our hearts are before Thee,
open our ears,
let us hasten after Thy Voice.
Hide not Thy Face from us,
we beseech Thee, O Lord.
Open our hearts, so that Thou may enter in.
Repair the ruined mansions,
that Thou may dwell therein.
Hear us, O Heavenly Father,
for the sake of Thy Only Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with Thee
and the Holy Ghost,
one God, now and forever.
Amen

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/08/28/quote-s-of-the-day-28-august-st-augustine-2/

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

Posted in GOD ALONE!, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on CHILDREN, QUOTES on EDUCATION, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, SAINT of the DAY

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

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 27 August – St Joseph Calasanz (1557-1648) Confessor, Priest

“If, from the very earliest years,
a child is instructed
in both religion and letters,
it can be reasonably hoped
that his life will be happy.”

“Like the saplings of plants,
the young are easily influenced,
as long as someone works
to teach their souls.
But if they are allowed to grow hard,
we know well that the possibility
of one day bending them,
diminishes a great deal
and is sometimes utterly lost.”

“LOVE
is the only way
to HEAVEN.”

“Keep, O Lord, my heart at peace,
always close to Thee.
Thou Who calms the wild waves of the sea.”

St Joseph Calasanz (1557-1648)

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/08/27/123035/

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on WORK/LABOUR, St JOHN the BAPTIST, The HEART, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 23 August – Our hearts were made for Thee, O God!

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 23 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – – 1 Corinthians. 4:9-14; Luke 12:32-34 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Sell what you possess and give alms.
Make for yourselves purses
which do not grow old,
a treasure unfailing in Heaven,
where neither thief draws near,
nor moth destroys.”

Luke 12:33

“For where your treasure is,
there also will your heart be.”

Lukr 12:34

“Our hearts were made for Thee, O God
And restless must they be
Until, O God, this grace accord,
Until they rest in Thee!”

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

“Where is the heart which loves?
On the thing it loves.
Therefore, where our love is,
there our heart is held captive.
It cannot leave it;
it cannot be lifted higher,
it cannot go either to the right
or the left; see, it is fixed.
Where the miser’s treasure is,
there is his heart and where our heart is,
there is our treasure.
And what is so deplorable is
that the things which hold us in servitude,
are, for the most part,
such unworthy things!”

St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)

Like St John the Baptist did –
“Prepare a path for God
so that He can enter your heart.”

St John Baptiste de la Salle (1651-1719)

Almighty God, Open Thou My Heart
A Prayer for Guidance
By St Bede the Venerable (673-735)
Father and Doctor of the Church

ALMIGHTY God,
open Thou my heart
and enlighten me with the grace of the Holy Spirit,
to see those things which are well-pleasing to Thy will.
Direct my thoughts and understanding
to those things which it is proper to meditate upon
and to take in hand;
in such fashion, as by fitting character
and deeds, I might be found worthy
of the eternal joy of heavenly life.
Direct my acts to Thy commandments,
that I might, by labour
so unbrokenly study to bring them to fulfilment,
as to attain to an everlasting reward.
Amen

Posted in DEVOTIO, GOD ALONE!, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN QUOTES, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE WORLD

Quote/s of the Day – 19 August – St John Eudes “The Apostle of Two Hearts”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 19 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – the Feast St John Eudes (1601-1680) Confessor, “The Apostle of Two Hearts”

“Let us … give ourselves to God,
… and beg Him to destroy in us,
the life of the world of sin
and to establish His Life within us.”

“Any innovation in matters of faith,
is extremely harmful and injurious
and utterly damnable!”

“A man is no true Christian
if he has no devotion
to the Mother of Jesus Christ.”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/08/19/quote-s-of-the-day-19august-st-john-eudes/

St John Eudes (1601-1680)
“The Apostle of Two Hearts”

Posted in CHARITY - Fr Richard Clarke SJ, GOD is LOVE, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on THANKSGIVING

Thought for the Day – 18 August – The Gratitude of Charity – “We love Him because He first Loved us”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 18 August – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

CHARITY
Meditations for a Month

The Gratitude of Charity
“We love Him because He first Loved us”

Perfect charity loves God for His Own sake, independently of any thought of ourselves. However, perfect charity, is preceded and accompanied by, a charity which has, at least, an indirect reference to ourselves. The love of God, first springs up within our hearts because, of the Love which He has shown to us. We think of all He has done for us and we recognise therein, a clear proof of His Love.
Love begets love and we cannot help being drawn towards One, Who has, thus gratuitously, manifested towards us, a charity to which we owe all which is really precious in our lives and all the good gifts we possess.
How then can we fail to be attracted towards Him, Who has shown such Love for us?

This love of gratitude, is not the same, as the love of concupiscence and, not the same, as the pure love of friendship. It most resembles the latter and always enters into it.
Without some sort of gratitude, friendship would be mere admiration; the personal element necessary to love, would be wanting. When a Saint dwells with rapture on the Divine perfections, there is always present to his mind, a remembrance of all God has done for him. Do I, with gratitude, ever recount to myself all God has done for me?

This element of charity is present in the charity of the Saints in Heaven. Their song will not only be, “We give Thee thanks because, Thou hast taken to Thyself, great glory and hast reigned” but also “because Thou hast redeemed us to God in Thine own Blood.”
The song, I must seek to sing in my heart, here on earth says, “Thanks to God, first for His great glory and then for His goodness and love to me.”

Posted in CHARITY - Fr Richard Clarke SJ, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on DESPAIR, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, QUOTES on VIRTUE

Thought for the Day – 17 August – The Perseverance of Charity- “Charity never falleth away”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 17 August – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

CHARITY
Meditations for a Month

The Perseverance of Charity
“Charity never falleth away”

We are all anxious to persevere to the end.
We know, without perseverance, all else is of no avail.
Of what use was it to the Israelites who perished in the desert for their sins, to have escaped from Egypt, safely crossed the Red Sea and toiled for years over the sandy plains? What use to Solomon to have been dear to God and endowed with supernatural wisdom, if, as some think, he did not persevere to the end?
Therefore, all our graces are of no avail but rather, tend to our condemnation, if we, in the end, fall away and are lost.

Yet, who can be certain of perseverance?
Who does not tremble at the thought of his own insecurity? We may have great gifts but they will not save us – talent, activity, zeal, courage, prudence, will be useless to us. Even faith will not save us – the devils believe and tremble! – and hope, may degenerate into presumption, or may disappear and leave us at the last, to an eternal despair.

How then are we to be safe?
One thing alone never falleth away.
One virtue alone will carry us unharmed through every danger.
If we have in our hearts that supernatural gift of God which fears nothing as much as offending Him, then we are safe! Faith may grow dim and all sorts of doubts may present themselves to our minds. Hope may seem to have disappeared altogether. All may look black and dark but, if we can say from our hearts that with God’s aid, we would do, or suffer anything, rather than offend Him, then we have in our hearts that supernatural charity which unites us to God and ensures our entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven, “for Charity never falleth away.”
Do I believe from my heart that, with God’s loving assistance, I would do, or suffer, anything, rather than offend Him? Do I tell Him?!

Posted in CHARITY - Fr Richard Clarke SJ, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, THEOLOGICAL

Thought for the Day – 14 August – The Faith of Charity – “Charity believeth all things”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 14 August – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

CHARITY
Meditations for a Month

The Faith of Charity
“Charity believeth all things”

Faith is a preliminary gift of God, without which, charity is impossible.
No-one can do any work which is pleasing in His sight, unless that person believes in God and is ready to accept whatever God has revealed. Works of benevolence are not works of charity, if he who performs them, does not possess this belief. The charity which rests on a feeble faith, will always be itself feeble. He who minimises, in matters of faith, will generally have a minimum of charity.
Hence, pray for a loyal readiness to believe, that so you may obtain, an intense charity.

Charity, while it believes all things which God has revealed, is the reverse of credulous.
Charity is the bitter enemy of superstition and carefully examines the claims of any doctrine, or the proofs of any fact which are not already vouched for, by authority.
It is no act of faith or of charity, to swallow some unauthenticated statement.
We should prove all things and hold fast only to that which is good. The Saints never were credulous or given to believe in portents, omens, or apparitions, unless, bearing the mark of the Finger of God.

Charity supplements faith and it strengthens it.
The stronger our love of God, the stronger will be our belief in all which He has revealed.
When love waxes cold, faith becomes faint. No man ever loses his faith without first wilfully estranging himself from God, by deliberate mortal sin.
If I want a strong faith, I must cultivate a fervent charity. My ready acceptance of all God has revealed, will be in proportion, to my love of Him.
If I have difficulties in belief, is it because there are gaps and defects in my charity?

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, franciscan OFM, GOD is LOVE, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on Love of Self, QUOTES on THE WORLD

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

Posted on by AnaStpaul

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

“We are to become vessels
of God’s compassionate love for others.”

“Our labour here is brief
but the reward is eternal.
Do not be disturbed
by the clamour of the world
which passes like a shadow.
Do not let false delights
of a deceptive world deceive you.”

“Never forget that the way
which leads to Heaven is narrow
that the gate leading to Life,
is narrow and low
that there are but few who find it
and enter by it and if, there be some,
who go in and tread the narrow path,
for some time, there are but very few,
who persevere therein.”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/08/12/quote-s-of-the-day-12-august-st-clare-2/

St Clare (1194-1253)

Posted in 7 GIFTS of the HOLY GHOST: Wisdom, Understanding, Prudence, Strength, Knowledge, Piety, Fear, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The HOLY GHOST, The SEVEN LAST WORDS of CHRIST

One Minute Reflection – 12 August – The Oil of Love

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 12 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – St Clare of Assisi (1194-1253) Virgin – 2 Cor inthians 10:17-18; 11:1-2; Matthew 25:1-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

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

REFLECTION – “The soul who really loves God and Christ, even if it has done thousands of good works, thinks he has done nothing because of his insatiable hunger for God. Even if he has exhausted the body through fasting and vigils, he believes that he has not yet begun to be virtuous. In spite of the gifts of the Holy Ghost, the heavenly revelations and mysteries, he believes that he has not yet done anything because of his immense and insatiable love of the Lord. In faith and in love, he is always hungry and thirsty.

Persevering in prayer, he insatiably desires the mysteries of grace and to acquire every virtue. Wounded by love of the heavenly Spirit, animated by an ardent desire for his heavenly Spouse, he aspires to the grace of perfect, mysterious and ineffable communion with Him, in the sanctification of the Spirit. He is waiting for the veils to fall before His Face and that he might see his Spouse face-to-face, in the spiritual and indescribable Light, that the soul may be united to Him in all certainty, that the soul be transformed into the image of his death. In the soul’s great desire to die for Christ, he awaits, with certainty, his deliverance from sin and from all the darkness of the passions. Thus purified by the Spirit, sanctified in body and soul …, he has been made worthy to welcome the true King, Christ Himself!” – Sermon Attributed to St Macarius of Egypt (c300-390) Monk, Father

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. 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 CHARITY - Fr Richard Clarke SJ, GOD ALONE!, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SIN

Thought for the Day – 11 August –The Attitude of Charity to Sin“ – Charity rejoiceth not in iniquity”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 11 August – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

CHARITY
Meditations for a Month

The Attitude of Charity to Sin
“Charity rejoiceth not in iniquity”

Anything which offends God, is necessarily a source of sorrow, to the charitable, for as charity consists in loving God above all things for His Own sake and, is accompanied by a yearning desire to see Him honoured, more and more, that, which detracts from His honour, cannot cause charity any satisfaction.
On the contrary, it pains charity which pain corresponds to the offence committed against God.
Do I share this personal sorrow and pain, when any wrong is done to His Divine Majesty, or is it a matter of comparative indifference to me?

The Saints would gladly have given their lives to prevent sin.
It was intensely painful to them to think how continually God is offended. Many Saints laid down their lives to prevent sin from being committed.
The Saints all devoted themselves, with generous self-sacrifice, to the furtherance of God’s glory and, the hindrance of sin against Him. By prayer, by active zeal, by word, by work and by personal penance, the Saints fought against iniquity.
What do I do to prevent all the sin and vice in this wicked world?

Above all, the Saints feared and dreaded any sin in themselves. They avoided with the utmost care anything which could lead to sin. No spectacle, however magnificent, no honour, however brilliant, no pleasure however intense, caused them anything but disgust and horror, if it was in any way mingled with iniquity.
Is this true in my case? Do I relish things questionable or dangerous, or perhaps not altogether unmixed with positive sin!

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, JESUIT SJ, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on the POOR, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 11 August – The Good Samaritan

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 11 August – Pentecost XII – – 2 Corinthians 3:4-9; Luke 10:23-37– Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But a certain Samaritan, … seeing him,
was moved with compassion.”

Luke 10:33

“As long as anyone has the means
of doing good to his neighbour
and does not do so,
he shall be reckoned a stranger
to the Love of the Lord.”

St Irenaeus (c130-202
Father of the Church

“No-one has ever been accused,
for not providing ornaments
but, for those, who neglect their neighbour,
a hell awaits with an inextinguishable fire
and torment, in the company of the demons.
Do not, therefore, adorn the Church
and ignore your afflicted brother,
for he is the most precious temple of all.”

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

“We must speak to them with our hands
before we speak to them with our lips.”

St Peter Claver (1580-1654)

“We should strive to keep our hearts open
to the sufferings and wretchedness of others
and pray, continually, that God may grant us,
that spirit of compassion
which is truly the Spirit of God.”

St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)

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

St John Vianney (1786-1859)

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, FATHERS of the Church, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on MISSION, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 8 August – Keep burning ….

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 8 August – The Fourteen Holy Helpers – 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16, Mark 16:15-18 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Go into the whole world
and preach the Gospel to every creature.”

Mark 16:15

“I have lit the light of your torch
but it is up to you to see it is kept burning,
not just to your personal advantage
but also, in the interest of all who will see it
and who, through it, will be led to the Truth.
The worst wickedness would not put
a shadow over your light,
if you live with the vigilance of those
who are called to bring the whole world to good.
So, let your life correspond
to the holiness of your mission,
so that God’s grace may be proclaimed everywhere.”

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

“What sort of candlestick is this
which bears such a light?
I will teach you.
Be lamps yourselves and you will have
a place on this lampstand.
Christ’s Cross is one great lampstand.
Whoever wants to shine out
should not be ashamed of this wooden candlestick.
Listen to me and you will get the point –
the candlestick is the Cross of Christ …
Listen to the Apostle Paul:
“May I never glory except in the Cross
of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which
the world has been crucified to me
and I to the world” (Gal 6:14).”

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

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

St Vincent Ferrer OP (1350-1419)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHARITY - Fr Richard Clarke SJ, GOD ALONE!, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD

Thought for the Day – 4 August – The Kindness of Charity, “Charity is kind”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 4 August – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

CHARITY
Meditations for a Month

The Kindness of Charity
“Charity is kind”

All appreciate kindness and are drawn towards those who are kind. Even natural kindness is very precious and beautiful. Kindness is one of the marks of a noble and generous character.
We feel the lack of kindness most keenly, when we believe others have not been kind to us. Yet, we overlook our own many acts of unkindness to others.
Should I not reproach myself for omitting many little acts of kindness which I might have done?
Should I not reproach myself for sometimes being positively unkind?

Natural kindness is a sort of foundation for supernatural kindness but the two are very distinct from each other.
Natural kindness has some natural motive – our own inclinations, love for the individual to whom we are kind, or a natural benevolence.
Supernatural kindness always has a supernatural motive and is directed to the glory of God. It is kindness to others for Christ’s sake and for the others’ sake, chiefly as they are His brethren and friends and, therefore, ours.
Do I seek to supernaturalise the kindnesses I do for others, to earn an eternal reward, by means of them?

If we are kind to others for God’s sake, He will be kind to us in our turn. Yet, our kindness must not have any advantage to ourselves, for, its chief motive, is to be the kindness of charity. We must not only have love of God in our hearts but, we also must have the thought of God present to us.
The kind action must be done because it is a happiness to please Him, Who is, in Himself, so kind and good. Does my kindness stand this test?

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, GOD ALONE!, JESUIT SJ, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The WILL of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 31 July – Suscipe By St Ignatius Loyola

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 31 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556) Confessor

Suscipe
“Receive”
By St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)

Receive, O Lord,
all my liberty.
Take my memory, understanding
and entire will.
Whatsoever I have or hold,
Thou hast given it – I give all back to Thee
and commit it wholly to be governed by Thy Will.
Thy Love and Thy Grace give unto me
and I am rich enough
and ask for nothing more!
Amen

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 29 July – The better part …

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 29 July – St Martha, Sister of Saint Lazarus and Saint Mary of Bethany – 2 Corinthians 10:17-18; 11:1-2, Luke 10:38-42

“Martha, Martha, you are anxious
and troubled about many things
and yet, only one thing is needful.
Mary has chosen the best part
and it will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:41-42

“Do not lay up for yourselves
treasures on earth,
where rust and moth consume
and where thieves break in and steal
but lay up for yourselves,
treasures in Heaven …”

Matthew 6:19-20

“Sell what you possess and give alms.
Make for yourselves purses which do not grow old,
a treasure unfailing in Heaven,
where neither thief draws near,
nor moth destroys.”

Luke 12:33

“Pray in the spirit and sentiment of love,
in which the royal Prophet said to Him,
‘Thou, O Lord, art my portion.’
Let others choose to themselves,
portions among creatures,
for my part, Thou art my portion,
Thou alone I have chosen
for my whole inheritance.”

St Augustine of Canterbury (Died c605)
“The Apostle to the English”

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow.
Learn as if you were to live forever.”

St Isidore of Seville (c 560-636)
Father & Doctor of the Church

“Man, my friends, was created
and placed upon this earth,
chiefly and exclusively,
in order to reach God;
the rest of creation helps him
reach that goal.”

St Anthony Mary Zaccaria (1502-1539)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, GOD ALONE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of PETITION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on VANITY, QUOTES on WATCHING, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE

Our Morning Offering – 29 July – Grant Me, My God By St Thomas Aquinas

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 29 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood”

Grant Me, My God
By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Angelic Doctor, Common Doctor

Make my heart watchful, O God,
so that no vain thoughts may distract it from Thee.
Make it noble,
so that it may never be seduced by any base affection.
Make it steadfast,
so that troubles may not dismay it.
Make it free,
so that it may not yield to the onslaughts of passion.
Grant me, my God,
the intelligence, to understand Thee,
the love, to seek Thee,
the wisdom, to find Thee,
words, to please Thee,
the perseverance, to wait faithfully for Thee
and, the hope of embracing Thee, at last.
Grant that I, a repentant sinner,
may bear Thy chastisements with resignation.
Poor pilgrim which I am,
may I draw on the treasury of Thine grace
and may I one day,
be eternally happy with Thee in Heavenly glory!
Amen.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MEEKNESS, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, St Francis de Sales

Quote/s of the Day – 28 July – ‘… He who humbles himself,shall be exalted.’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 28 July – Pentecost X – 1 Corinthians 12:2-11; Luke 18:9-14 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Everyone who exalts himself,
shall be humbled
and he who humbles himself,
shall be exalted.”

Luke 18:14

“The most perfect degree of humility
is to take pleasure in contempt and humiliations.
Contempt suffered patiently,
is worth more before God,
for love of Him, than
a thousand fastings and disciplines.”

“Let us not lower our eyes
without humiliating the heart , at the same time;
let others not think
we want the last place,
without truly desiring it!”

“Humility makes our lives,
acceptable to God,
meekness, makes us
acceptable to men.”

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

Posted in CHARITY - Fr Richard Clarke SJ, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on Love of Self, QUOTES on MERIT, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN

Thought for the Day – 25 July – The All-Importance of Charity

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 25 July – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

CHARITY
Meditations for a Month

The All-Importance of Charity

“If I have not charity, I am nothing.”
These are the words of Holy Scripture inspired by God Himself.
Unless we are united to God by the habit of supernatural charity, unless we love Him before all else, for His Own sake, with a supreme and unselfish love, we are not children of God but aliens.
Unless we do these things, we have no inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven, we can earn no merit before God and, all that we do, has no beauty in His Sight. All our actions, however noble and generous, do not really please Him, or deserve grace in this life ,or glory in the next.

Moreover, unless there is at least an initial element of charity in our actions, they will not help us in any way on the road to Heaven.
Acts of faith and hope, although they maybe performed by one who has not perfect charity, contain an unformed and rudimentary element of charity.
They are the germ or bud from which charity may afterwards spring and, in this way, they lead to charity. In themselves, faith and hope gain no merit, unless they are the actions of one who already has charity in his heart.

Even if we have the habit of charity and are in a state of grace, our actions are not meritorious before God, unless they are done from a motive of charity.
Charity must in some way influence faith and hope, if not with a present thought of God, yet, with the golden light of our love for Him lighting them up. Without this, they may count for nothing, or at most, merit only a natural reward. If I give money purely out of natural compassion and pity, I gain a temporal but not, an eternal reward.
How careful I must be to offer to God each act of charity to men!

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The HOLY GHOST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 July – ‘ … Let us love the one who is near us, so that we may be able to attain, the love of the One, Who is above us! …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 24 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – St Christina of Bolsena (3rd Century) Virgin Martyr – Ecclesiasticus Sir 44:25-27; 45:2-4; 45:6-9; John 15:12-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“This is My commandment that you love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love than this no man hath that a man lay down his life for his friends.” – John 15:12-13

REFLECTION – “We cannot truly love God without loving our neighbour, nor can we truly love our neighbour without loving God. This is why … the Holy Ghost was given a second time to the disciples. First He was given by the Lord while He was still dwelling on earth and later, while He was watching over us in Heaven (Jn 20:22; Acts 2). He was given to us on earth, that we may love our neighbours; from Heaven, that we may love God. Why first on earth and later from Heaven – except for the reason given us openly by John: “How can anyone, who does not love his brother, whom he sees love God Whom he does not see?”

So let us love our neighbours, my friends, let us love the one who is near us, so that we may be able to attain, the love of the One, Who is above us! Let our hearts reflect on what our neighbours hold up to God, so that we may be found completely worthy, to rejoice in God with them. Then shall we reach the happiness of the heavenly multitude, the happiness of which, we have received an assurance from the Holy Spirit. Let us move forward toward that goal, where we shall be happy without end, with all our love. There is the holy community of heavenly citizens, there is the sure and solemn observance, there untroubled rest, there the true peace which is no longer dependent on us but given to us through our Lord Jesus Christ (Jn 14:27).” – St Gregory the Great (540-604) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church (Excerpt Sermons on the Gospel No 30).

PRAYER – O God, Who among the other miracles of Thy power have bestowed the victory of martyrdom even upon the weaker sex, graciously grant that we, who commemorate the anniversary of the death of blessed Christina, Your Virgin and Martyr, may come to Thee by the path of her example.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 CHARITY - Fr Richard Clarke SJ, GOD ALONE!, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, St PAUL!

Thought for the Day – 23 July – The Disinterestedness of Charity

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 23 July – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

CHARITY
Meditations for a Month

The Disinterestedness of Charity

Charity is a love of God for His Own sake.
In its perfection, it banishes self altogether.
It does not turn the mind to self or to that which self desires. It thinks only of God, His greatness and His goodness. It seeks to promote His honour and His glory, simply for the sake of promoting the honour and glory of One so infinitely worthy of our love and homage, quite independently of any reward or gain which is to accrue to ourselves thereby.
Is this the nature of my love of God?

Yet, if “charity begins at home” and we, necessarily as rational beings, seek that which is good for ourselves, how is this disinterested love possible?
It is possible because, those who possess it, find their highest and purest happiness in this forgetfulness of self. In their very neglect of the interests of self, they are actually procuring, for themselves, the greatest of all rewards — the joy which comes of loving and serving God, simply and solely, for His Own sake.

Do those who have this charity in their hearts seek, at the same time, the eternal blessedness of Heaven?
Some Saints (like Moses and Saint Paul), in an ecstasy of love, protested that they would willingly forfeit the prospect of their own eternal happiness, if by doing so, they could promote the glory and honour of God!
They did not mean thereby, to relinquish the hope of Heaven but, that their Heaven was formed in this highest love and any happiness, save this, was as nothing in their eyes.
The highest charity indeed, includes a longing after the Beatific Vision but this is secondary to the absorbing love of God simply for His Own sake and, as He alone is so, worthy of our love.

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, St Alphonsus de Liguori,

Our Morning Offering – 23 July – O God of Love,

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 23 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” –

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

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

Posted in CHARITY - Fr Richard Clarke SJ, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD

Thought for the Day – 22 July – Charity, a Supreme Love

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 22 July – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

CHARITY
Meditations for a Month

Charity, a Supreme Love

Charity does not exist within the soul of anyone who does not love God above all things. If some created being has the first place in our heart and God only the second, then, we are the enemies, not the friends of God. He must have all our heart or none!
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart and thy whole soul.”
If, any person or thing, hinders this supreme love for God, we must avoid it at any cost. If this is impossible, we must pray earnestly that we may never fall into the terrible misfortune of loving the creature more than the Creator, Who is God, blessed forever.

This, however, does not mean that we must have a stronger feeling of love for God than for some loved object upon earth. We cannot always control our feelings. We are creatures of sense and our senses and imagination have great power over us.
Nor does it mean that the love of God is to swallow up the love of created things. This is impossible.
Nor, again, does it mean, there must be no possible circumstances which we can imagine, wherein we could not promise to choose God, however violent the temptation might be.
It simply means that, as I am now and under the present circumstances, I would give up anything rather than mortally offend God.

This supreme love of God includes a conviction that God is our best friend and, therefore, He will never ask of us what is beyond our power. He will provide an escape from every temptation, however violent.
Hence, I will have no fear about the future. God will never ask of me what He does not give me strength to perform!

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, St Alphonsus de Liguori,, The HEART, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 22 July – Penitance

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 22 July – St Mary Magdalen (1st Century) Penitent – Song 3:2-5; 8:6-7, Luke 7:36-50.

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

Luke 7:38

“Remember not our former iniquities,
let Thy mercies speedily prevent us,
for we are become exceeding poor.
Help us, O God, our Saviour
and for the glory of Thy Name, O Lord,
deliver us and forgive us our sins,
for Thy Name’s sake.”

Psalm 78:8-9

“Let us then, my brethren, endure in hope.
Let us devote ourselves, side-by-side with our hoping,
so that the God of all the universe,
as He beholds our intention,
may cleanse us from all sins,
fill us with high hopes from what we have in hand
and grant us the change of heart which saves.
God has called you and you have your calling!”

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

“Prayer, appeases the anger of God;
He pardons the sinner
when he prays with humility.”

St Lawrence Justinian (1381-1455)

“We must be very sorry for faults
with a repentance which is strong,
constant, tranquil
but not troubled, unquiet or fainthearted.”

(Treatise on the Love of God, Book 9, Chapter 7).

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

In conclusion, let us say this prayer of St Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787):
“My soul, look at this Crucified Man …
see how the arms extend to embrace you,
how the head bows forward
to give you the kiss of peace.
See how His side is open to receive you.
What have you to say?
Such a good and loving God deserves to be loved.
O my Jesus!
Adorable Jesus!
O Love of my soul!
How can I ever forget Thee?
How can I ever love anything
apart from Thee!
O suffering Jesus,
may the memory of Thee ever remain
in my heart!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in CHARITY - Fr Richard Clarke SJ, GOD ALONE!, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FREEDOM, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on WILL (Reasonable or Superior)

Thought for the Day – 21 July – Charity, a Love of Choice

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 21 July – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

CHARITY
Meditations for a Month

Charity, a Love of Choice

Although God chooses out of the world, those on whom He sets His love and for whom, He destines the rich gifts of grace and glory, yet He never forces their will. He draws them to Himself with the cords of love,but, it is in their power to resist. All men choose deliberately, at some period of their lives, between the love of God and the love of self.
Our homage to God must be a voluntary homage and our love, must be a voluntary love. We must choose God in spite of the difficulties and objections which are raised by our lower nature.
Have I made this choice? Moreover, do I make it in all the details of my life?

It seems logical that every sane man should choose Him, Who contains all perfections, in an Infinite degree. rather than any of the miserable trifles which do not satisfy and will soon pass away.
Yet, how few there are who make a full and complete choice of God!
The Prophet complains (Jeremiah 2:13), “They have forsaken Me, the Fountain of living water and have digged themselves cisterns, broken cisterns which can hold no water.”
Do I not, alas, everyday, choose some passing indulgence, although I know I should please God more and earn His love, if I denied it to myself?

Our Lord tells His Apostles, “You have not chosen Me but I have chosen you.” Therefore, God has chosen us, rather than us Him. He chose to give us grace and carried it through to the end, before we made the choice to prevent it. It was more His than ours. This is true of all vocations, great or small, when we have, through God’s mercy chosen Him, rather than yielded to natural inclination.
O my God, choose me ever and grant that I may ever choose Thee!

Posted in GOD ALONE!, HUMILITY-Fr Richard Clarke, QUOTES on ANGER, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL

Thought for the Day – 19 July –Humility under Failures

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 19 July – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

HUMILITY
Meditations for a Month

Humility under Failures

It may seem comparatively easy to be humble when we fail and are disappointed but, in fact, it is a very difficult task.
Failures wound our pride and wounded pride, is wont to resent the smart. Either anger, rage, or a desire for revenge on those who have caused our failure supervenes, or else, we are utterly cast down and dispirited and ready to give up all further effort.
Ask yourself how failures affect you.

Yet, even when they are not borne altogether as they should be, failures are very useful to the soul. Under their influence, we can scarcely keep from having a lower opinion of ourselves and learning the necessary lesson of endurance of that which we dislike. It yields, almost without any co-operation on our part, the peaceable fruit of justice, to those who are exercised thereby (Hebrews 12:11).
Although failure may bring out evil tendencies which are more powerful to us and of which we cannot help being conscious, yet the unconscious pride which success engenders, is far more dangerous to the soul.
Thank God, then, for your failures!

What would be our spirit under failure or apparent failure?
+++ We must not be cast down or dispirited but begin again cheerily.
+++ We must beware of blaming others who have caused or contributed to it.
+++ We must attribute it to our own defects or to the just judgement of God, punishing our sins in the past.
+++ We must thank God for it, offer it up to Him and beg that it may make us more humble.
+++ We must remember that, for those who love God, there is no failure!
All is success under the guise of failure, for, to those who love God, all things work together for good. Amen!

Posted in "Follow Me", LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 18 July – St Camillus de Lellis

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 18 July – St Camillus de Lellis MI (1550-1614) “The Giant of Charity,” Confessor, Priest and Founder the Order of the Ministers of the Sick, or simply as the “Camillians”

“Because, without doubt, within a few days,
I will go to another life,
given that I am most grave
because of my long infirmities …
it appears to me that I would fail in my duty,
if, before this life ends, I did not tell you,
with all simplicity and rectitude,
what I have heard and hear in myself,
about our holy Order, so that everyone
may walk with the rectitude and faithfulness
which God wants of us.
He asks us, that we do not bury
the very valuable talent which God has placed
in our hands, so that we may achieve holiness
in life and then, in eternal glory.
There is also another reason –
speaking in conscience and in truth,
one can almost say that this Foundation
was done in a miraculous way,
with a view to the glory of His Divine Majesty
and of such a great good for the souls
and bodies of our neighbours …”
~Letter from his deathbed~

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/07/18/quote-s-of-the-day-18-july-st-camillus-de-lellis/

St Camillus de Lellis MI (1550-1614)

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

One Minute Reflection – 18 July – ‘ … Such is the nature of charity. …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 18 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – St Camillus de Lellis MI (1550-1614) Confessor, Priest and Founder, “The Giant of Charity.” – 1 John 3:13-18, John 15:12-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“This is My commandment that you love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love than this no man hath that a man lay down his life for his friends.” – John 15:12-13

REFLECTION – “The more we are united to our neighbour, the more we are united to God. So that you may understand the meaning of this saying, I am going to give you an picture, taken from the Fathers – imagine a circle drawn on the ground that is to say, a line drawn into a round shape, with a compass, having a centre. We refer to the middle of the circle as being the exact centre. Now, give your attention to what I am saying. Imagine that this circle is the world, its centre is God and each radius represents different ways or kinds of lifestyle. When the saints, desiring to draw near to God, move towards the middle of the circle, then to the degree to which they penetrate further into its interior, they draw closer to each other, even as they draw closer to God. The closer they draw to God, the closer they draw to each other and the closer they draw to each other, the closer they draw to God.

From this you will understand that the same thing applies conversely, when we turn away from God to withdraw outside the circle – then it becomes obvious that, the more we withdraw from God, the more we withdraw from each other and, the more we withdraw from each other, the more we also withdraw from God.

Such is the nature of charity. To the extent that we stand outside and do not love God, to the same extent, each one of us stands apart, with regard to their neighbour. But, if we love God, then, insofar as we come closer to God, through our love for Him, we also participate in love of neighbour to the same extent. And insofar as we are united to our neighbour, we are equally so to God.” – St Dorotheus of Gaza (c505-c565) Abbot, Father of the Church (Instructions VI, 76-78).

PRAYER – O God, Who endowed St Camillus with a special gift of charity for the help of souls struggling in their final agony, pour upon us, we beseech Thee, by his merits, the spirit of Thy love, so that at the hour of our death, we may be found worthy to overcome the enemy and attain the heavenly crown. 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 BLESSED TRINITY PRAYERS, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, franciscan OFM, GOD ALONE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PEACE, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR

Our Morning Offering – 18 July – Prayer in Praise of God By St Francis of Assisi

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 18 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood”

Prayer in Praise of God
By St Francis of Assisi (c1181-1226)

Thou art Holy, Lord, the only God
and Thine Deeds art wonderful.
Thou art Strong.
Thou art Great.
Thou art the Most High.
Thou art Almighty.
Thou, Holy Father art King of Heaven and earth.
Thou art Three and One, Lord God, all Good.
Thou art Good, all Good, Supreme Good,
Lord God, Living and True.
Thou art Love. Thou art Wisdom.
Thou art Humility. Thou art Endurance.
Thou art Rest. Thou art Peace.
Thou art Joy and Gladness.
Thou art Justice and Moderation.
Thou art all our Riches and Thou art Suffice for us.
Thou art Beauty. Thou art Gentleness.
Thou art our Protector.
Thou art our Guardian and Defender.
Thou art our Courage.
Thou art our Haven and our Hope.
Thou art our Faith, our great Consolation.
Thou art our Eternal Life,
Great and Wonderful Lord, God Almighty,
Merciful Saviour.
Amen

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CHARITY - Fr Richard Clarke SJ, GOD ALONE!, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN

Thought for the Day – 15 July – Charity, a Love of Complacency

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 15 July – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

CHARITY
Meditations for a Month

Charity, a Love of Complacency

Charity is also a love, distinguished by the complacency or pleasure which it takes in the welfare of whomever is its object. Let us apply this to the supernatural charity which has God for its object.

Charity takes pleasure in thinking of God’s Infinite perfections. It rejoices in His unapproachable Majesty. The continual joy of the Angels in Heaven and of the Church on earth is:

Gloria in Excelsis Deo.
Charity rejoices in His Infinite holiness; Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth; in His Power, His Wisdom and His Eternity.
Does my heart rejoice in the thought of God’s Power and Glory and in my complete subjection to Him?

Charity also thinks with complacency of the homage paid to God by Angels and by men.
It thinks of the honour He derives from the holiness of the Saints, from the Immaculate purity of His Holy Mother, from the obedience of the Son of God to His Eternal Father and, from the Sacrifice on Calvary, whereby the world was made once more, the Kingdom of God and filled with tens of thousands of saints.
For all this, do I render thanks to God and rejoice in the glory He derives therefrom.
I thank Thee, O my God, that Thou hast on earth, so many faithful servants who give glory to Thy Name.

Charity, moreover, rejoices exceedingly in the honour done to God, whenever a sinner is reconciled to Him. The Angels rejoice over the sinner doing penance, not so much for his own sake, as because God’s Kingdom is thereby enlarged and His glory increased.
So, too, we ought to rejoice in the conversion of every sinner and all the more because we are sinners. As sinners, we can appreciate better, the injury done to God by sin and the honour He receives when sin is blotted out and the sinner is reconciled to Him.
Do I rejoice in the conversion of sinners and recognise that conversion has increased God’s Kingdom and His glory?