QUOTES on LOVE – Page 16

LENT 2019, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES on LOVE, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 7 March – “For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?”…Luke 9:25

Posted on March 7, 2019March 7, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 7 March – Thursday after Ash Wednesday – Gospel: Luke 9:22-25 and the Memorial of Blessed Leonid Feodorov (1879-1935) Martyr

“For what does it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?”…Luke 9:25

REFLECTION – “For what does it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?”. (v. 25). This paradox contains the golden rule that God inscribed in the human nature created in Christ – the rule, that only love gives meaning and happiness to life. To spend one’s own talents, one’s energy and one’s time only to save, protect and fulfil oneself, in reality leads to losing oneself, i.e. to a sad and barren existence. Instead let us live for the Lord and base our life on love, as Jesus did – we will be able to savour authentic joy and our life will not be barren, it will be fruitful.”… Pope Francis – Angelus, 3 September 2017

PRAYER – Heavenly Father, Your great mercy, gave us Your Son! Surely nothing can be a greater proof to us of Your unending love and mercy to Your lowly creatures, we who are dust. Through Him, who died and rose for us, You have shown us the way of true mercy. Grant us this day that by the intercession of Blessed Leonid Feodorov, who gave himself without reserve, we may take up our crosses with Him, never leaving the love of His Sacred Heart, so that we may join Your holy saints in eternal life. Through Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen. bl leonid feodorov pray for us 7 march 2019

CONFESSION/PENANCE, LENT 2019, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE

Shrove Tuesday – 5 March – Ready?

Posted on March 5, 2019February 16, 2023 by AnaStpaul

Shrove Tuesday – 5 March – Ready?

The English term provides the best meaning for this period – “To shrive” meant to hear confessions. In the Anglo-Saxon “Ecclesiastical Institutes,” recorded by Theodulphus and translated by Abbot Aelfric about 1000, Shrovetide was described as follows:
“In the week immediately before Lent, everyone shall go to his confessor and confess his deeds and the confessor, shall so “shrive him,” as he then may hear by his deeds, what he is to do in the way of penance.”
To highlight the point and motivate the people, special plays or masques were performed which portrayed the passion of our Lord or final judgement. Clearly, this Shrovetide preparation for Lent, included the confessing of sin and the reception of absolution. As such, Lent then would become a time for penance and renewal of faith.

Who needs pancakes, we have far more important things to do! shrove tuesday - time for confession - 5 march 2019.jpg

Beginning of Lent: A Time of Penance, Purification and Conversion

We are at the beginning of Lent, a time of penance, purification and conversion. It is not an easy program but then Christianity is not an easy way of life. It is not enough just to be in the Church, letting the years roll by. In our life, in the life of Christians, our first conversion — that unique moment which each of us remembers, when we clearly understood everything the Lord was asking of us — is certainly very significant. But the later conversions are even more important and they are increasingly demanding. To facilitate the work of grace in these conversions, we need to keep our soul young, we have to call upon our Lord, know how to listen to Him and, having found out what has gone wrong, know how to ask His pardon.

“’If you call upon me, I will listen to you,’ we read in holy scripture. Isn’t it wonderful how God cares for us and is always ready to listen to us — waiting for man to speak? He hears us at all times but particularly now. Our heart is ready and we have made up our minds to purify ourselves. He hears us and will not disregard the petition of a ‘humble and contrite heart.’

The Lord listens to us. He wants to intervene and enter our lives to free us from evil and fill us with good. ‘I will rescue him and honour him,’ he says of man. So we must hope for glory. Here again we have the beginning of the interior movement that makes up our spiritual life. Hope of glory increases our faith and fosters our charity, the three theological virtues, godly virtues which make us like our Father God, have been set in motion.

What better way to begin Lent? Let’s renew our faith, hope and love. The spirit of penance and the desire for purification come from these virtues. Lent is not only an opportunity for increasing our external practices of self-denial. If we thought it were only that, we would miss the deep meaning it has in Christian living, for these external practices are — as I have said — the result of faith, hope and charity.”

Josemaria Escrivá (1902-1975)
Christ is Passing By No 57

Explaining “Shrove” – https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/02/13/the-meaning-of-shrove-tuesday-13-february-2018/ beginning lent - our heart is ready - st josemaria escriva - 5 march 2019.jpg

NOTES to Followers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on PRAYER, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, The WORD

Gratitude and Love to You!

Posted on March 1, 2019March 1, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Gratitude and Love to You!

“…Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and playing to the Lord in your hearts,
giving thanks always and for everything,
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.”

Ephesians 5:19-20

To Rosemary and Edward Vrscay

Your donations have poured
Grace and Blessings upon me and upon this Site.

Your Holy Mass will be celebrated on Thursday 7 March

“Would that I could exhaust myself,
in acts of thanksgiving and gratitude,
towards this Divine Heart,
for the great favour He shows us,
in deigning to accept our help,
to make Him known, loved and honoured;
He reserves infinite blessings for all those
who devote themselves to this work.”

St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)

LENT 2019, NOVENAS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE, The PASSION

Lenten Preparation Novena – Day Three – 27 February 2019 “Come Back to Me With all your Heart”

Posted on February 27, 2019February 26, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Lenten Preparation Novena – Day Three – 27 February 2019
“Come Back to Me With all your Heart”

Lent 2019 will begin on
Wednesday, 6 March
The Holy Triduum is
Thursday, 18 April, Good Friday, 19 April, Holy Saturday, 20 April
Easter Sunday – 21 April 2019

WE ARE WRETCHED CREATURES

We cannot dwell upon the conduct of the Jews, my dear people, without being struck with amazement. These very people had waited for God for four thousand years, they had prayed much because of the great desire they had to receive Him and yet when He came, He could not find a single person to give Him the poorest lodging. The all-powerful God was obliged to make His dwelling with the animals.

And yet, my dear people, I find in the conduct of the Jews, criminal as it was, not a subject for explanations but a theme for the condemnation of the conduct of the majority of Christians.

We can see that the Jews had formed an idea of their Redeemer which did not conform with the state of austerity in which He appeared. It seemed as if they could not persuade themselves that this could indeed be He who was to be their Saviour; St Paul tells us very clearly that if the Jews had recognised Him as God, they would never have put Him to death. There is, then, some small excuse for the Jews. But what excuse can we make, my dear brethren, for the coldness and the contempt which we show towards Jesus Christ?

Oh, yes, we do indeed truly believe that Jesus Christ came upon earth, that He provided the most convincing proofs of His divinity. Hence the reason for our hope. We rejoice and we have good reason to recognise Jesus Christ as our God, our Saviour and our Model. Here is the foundation of our faith.

But, tell me, with all this, what homage do we really pay Him? Do we do more for Him than if we did not believe all this? Tell me, dear brethren, does our conduct correspond at all to our beliefs? We are wretched creatures.

We are even more blameworthy than the Jews!

St John Marie Baptiste Vianney (1786-1859)

A Meditation for this ‘Prelude to Lent’

“He thought he was as sure of the blessing as if he had not sold the birthright.”
And then, when all is done and over and their souls sold to Satan, they never seem to understand that they have parted with their birthright. They think that they stand just where they did, before they followed the world, the flesh and the devil they take for granted that when they choose to become more decent, or more religious, they have all their privileges just as before. Like Samson, they propose to go out as at other times before and shake themselves. And like Esau, instead of repenting for the loss of the birthright, they come, as a matter of course, for the blessing. Esau went out to hunt for venison gaily and promptly brought it to his father. His spirits were high, his voice was cheerful. It did not strike him that God was angry with him for what had past years ago. He thought he was as sure of the blessing, as if he had not sold the birthright.

Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Lenten Preparation Novena
DAY THREE

Today Lord I choose life,
I choose Your love
and the challenge to live it
and share it,
I choose hope, even in moments of darkness,
I choose faith, accepting You as Lord and God,
I choose to let go of some part of my burdens,
day by day handing them over to You,
I choose to take hold of Your strength and power
ever more deeply in my life.
I choose repentance and reparation and suffering,
for all my sins
and those of all the world.
Forgive me my Lord!
May this truly be for me,
a time of new life, of change, challenge and growth.
May I come to Easter
with a heart open to dying with You
and rising to Your new life, day by day.
Help me to repent of my sins now
and make reparation throughout
this Lenten season and each day thereafter.
United with your Son,
who makes His way to Calvary,
I offer You my intentions
…………………………………………..
(Mention your special intention)
Amen lenten preparation novena day three - 27 feb 2019

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2019, NOVENAS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The WORD

Lenten Preparation Novena – Day Two – 26 February 2019 “Come Back to Me With all your Heart”

Posted on February 26, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Lenten Preparation Novena – Day Two – 26 February 2019
“Come Back to Me With all your Heart”

Lent 2019 will begin on
Wednesday, 6 March
The Holy Triduum is
Thursday, 18 April, Good Friday, 19 April, Holy Saturday, 20 April
Easter Sunday – 21 April 2019

And he sat down and called the twelve and he said to them,
“If any one would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”
Mark 9:35

Reflection:

“Answer those whom the marks of the Passion in Christ’s body plunge into uncertainty and who put the question: “Who is this king of glory?” (Ps 24[23]:8). Answer them that He is the Christ,“the mighty, the valiant” (ibid.) in everything He has done and continues to do…

Is He insignificant because He made Himself humble for your sake? Is He to be despised because, as a Good Shepherd laying down His life for His flock, He came in search of the lost sheep and, having found it, brought it back on the shoulders that bore the cross for its sake and, when He had carried it back to the life on high, set it down amongst the faithful flock who remained in the fold? (cf. Jn 10:11; Lk 15:4).

Do you despise Him because he lighted a lamp, His own flesh and swept His house in search of the lost coin, cleansing the world from sin, while losing the beauty of His royal likeness through His Passion? (Lk 15,8f.; Mk 12,16)…

Do you consider Him less great, because He girds Himself with a linen towel to wash His disciples’ feet, showing them, that the certain way to be exalted, is to humble oneself? (Jn 13:4f.). Do you hold a grievance against God because Christ humbles Himself, turning His mind to earth so as to raise up with Himself those who are bowed beneath the weight of sin? (Mt 11:28).

Do you accuse Him of having eaten with publicans and sinners… for their salvation? (Mt 9:10). How can you take to task a doctor who bends over the sufferings and wounds of the sick to bring them healing?”

St Gregory Nazianzen (330-390)

Father & Doctor of the Church

A Meditation for this ‘Prelude to Lent’

Do I despise the great gift of God’s Love?

“Is it not, I say, quite a common case for men and for women to neglect religion in their best days? They have been baptised, they have been taught their duty, they have been taught to pray, they know their Creed, their conscience has been enlightened, they have opportunity to come to Church. This is their birthright, the privileges of their birth of water and of the Spirit but they sell it, as Esau did. They are tempted by Satan, with some bribe of this world and they give up their birthright, in exchange for what is sure to perish and to make them perish with it. Esau was tempted by the mess of pottage which he saw in Jacob’s hands. Satan arrested the eyes of his lust and he gazed on the pottage, as Eve gazed on the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve sold their birthright for the fruit of a tree—that was their bargain. Esau sold his for a mess of lentils—that was his.

And men now-a-days often sell theirs, not indeed for any thing so simple as fruit or herb but for some evil gain or other, which at the time they think worth purchasing at any price, perhaps for the enjoyment of some particular sin, or more commonly for the indulgence of general carelessness and spiritual sloth, because they do not like a strict life and have no heart for God’s service. And thus, they are profane persons, for they despise the great gift of God.”

Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

“The world tells us to seek success, power and money.
God tells us to seek humility, service and love.”

Pope Francis

Lenten Preparation Novena
DAY TWO

Lord, during this Lenten Season,
nourish me with Your Word of life
and make me one
with You in love and prayer.

Fill my heart with Your love
and keep me faithful to the Gospel of Christ.
Give me the grace to rise above my human weakness.
Give me new life by Your Sacraments, especially the Mass.

Father, our source of life,
I reach out with joy to grasp Your hand;
let me walk more readily in Your ways.
Guide me in Your gentle mercy,
for left to myself, I cannot do Your Will.

Father of love, source of all blessings,
help me to pass from my old life of sin
to the new life of grace.

Help me to repent of my sins now and make reparation throughout
this Lenten season and each day thereafter.
United with Your Son,
who makes His way to Calvary,
I offer You my intentions
…………………………………………..
(Mention your special intention)

Prepare me for the glory of Your Kingdom.
I ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever.
Amen lenten prep novena day two - come back to me - 26 feb 2019.jpg

ArchAngels and Angels, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 24 February – Love your Enemies

Posted on February 24, 2019February 24, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 24 February – Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – Gospel: Luke 6:27–38

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.”…Luke 6:32

The Lord Himself reminds us: Whoever loves me will keep my commandments. And this is my commandments – that you love one another. So the man who does not love his neighbour does not obey God’s command. But one who does not obey His command, cannot love God. A man is blessed if he can love all men equally. Moreover, if he truly loves God, he must love his neighbour absolutely. Such a man cannot hoard his wealth. Rather, like God himself, he generously gives from his own resources to each man according to his needs.

Since he imitates God’s generosity, the only distinction he draws is the person’s need. He does not distinguish between a good man and a bad one, a just man and one who is unjust. Yet his own goodness of will makes him prefer the man who strives after virtue to the one who is depraved.

A charitable mind is not displayed simply in giving money, it is manifested still more by personal service as well as by the communication of God’s word to others. In fact, if a man’s service toward his brothers is genuine and if he really renounces worldly concerns, he is freed from selfish desires. For he now shares in God’s own knowledge and love. Since he does possess God’s love, he does not experience weariness as he follows the Lord his God. Rather, following the prophet Jeremiah, he withstands every type of reproach and hardship without even harbouring an evil thought toward any man.

For Jeremiah warns us: Do not say: “We are the Lord’s temple.” Neither should you say: “Faith alone in our Lord Jesus Christ can save me.” By itself, faith accomplishes nothing. For even the devils believe and shudder. No, faith must be joined to an active love of God which is expressed in good works. The charitable man is distinguished by sincere and long-suffering service to his fellow man, it also means using things aright.”

Saint Maximus the Confessor, Abbot (c 580–662)

May the Blessed Virgin, Mother of Perpetual Succour and the angels and saints, pray for us!

holy angels pray for us 24 feb 2019.jpg

QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, QUOTES on TRUTH, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 23 February – “Stand Fast!” – St Polycarp

Posted on February 23, 2019February 23, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 23 February – The Memorial of St Polycarp (c 69–c 155) Martyr and Apostolic Father of the Church

“Stand fast, therefore,
in this conduct
and follow the example of the Lord,
firm and unchangeable in faith,
lovers of the brotherhood,
loving each other,
united in truth,
helping each other
with the mildness of the Lord,
despising no man.”

St Polycarp, Letter to the Philippians

“Let us, therefore,
forsake the vanity
of the crowd and their
false teachings
and turn back
to the Word delivered to us
from the beginning.”

“Hear me declare
with boldness,
I am a Christian!”

St Polycarp (c 69–c 155) Martyr

and Apostolic Father of the Church

CATHOLIC Quotes, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SUFFERING, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 20 February – Bl Julia Rodzinska

Posted on February 20, 2019February 20, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 20 February – The Memorial of Blessed Julia Rodzinska OP (1899-1945) Martyr

“Kneeling on a wooden plank, straight,
with her head lifted up and eyes aimed
at the Infinite is our sister Julia.
She holds a rosary in her strong, shapely hands.
Her face is focused… She was very pious.
Her piety influenced others.
In her presence, one felt the need to pray.”

“She was outstanding
in her love of God
and the Church.”

“She performed works of mercy
where there was no mercy.”

“She reminded us frequently
that God guides everything.”

By a fellow inmate of the Concentration Camp
speaking of Blessed Julia Rodzinska, Martyr

PAPAL SERMONS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on ENVY, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on GOSSIP, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 18 February – “However, you killed at the beginning”

Posted on February 18, 2019February 18, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 18 February – Monday of the Sixth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, First Reading – Genesis 4:1-15

“Cain said to Abel his brother, “Let us go out to the field.” And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength; you shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” …Genesis 4:8-12

“Cain favoured instinct – he preferred to let this feeling stew inside him, festering and allowing it to grow. This sin, which he will later commit, which is couching behind the feeling, grows.

This, is how hostilities grow between you – they begin with something small – jealousy, envy and then this grows and I pull away from my brother, saying this person is not my brother, this one is an enemy, this one must be destroyed, driven away… and so people are destroyed -it is thus that animosity destroys families, populations, everything. It is that eating away at you, that being constantly obsessed with that person.

No!… there is no brother.
It is just me; there is no brotherhood – it is just me.
What happened at the beginning, can happen to all of us – it is a possibility. For this reason, it is a process which must be stopped immediately, at the beginning, at the first sign of bitterness. It must be stopped, because bitterness is not Christian – pain, yes, bitterness no.
Indeed, resentment is not Christian – pain yes, resentment no.
Instead, how much hostility and how many cracks exist and it ends in a war that kills.

However, you killed at the beginning. This is the process of blood and today the blood of many people in the world is crying to God from the ground.

And it is all connected – that blood has some connection, perhaps a small droplet of blood that I caused to ooze out with my envy and jealousy when I destroyed a brotherhood.”

Pope Francis – Santa Marta, 13 February 2017

It is not enough to simply “follow the rules” and stay out of trouble. If that is all we do then we are trying to achieve heaven by our own merits. God wants more from us than that. God invites us into a relationship of friends and family, a relationship of love. This type of relationship is a living, dynamic one. To love Christ and to want to be near Him is to be crucified with Him.

It means standing up for the Truth even when it is unpopular. It means finding time to pray. It means that we stay faithful to the teachings of Jesus. And it means that when we fail, we humbly confess our sins as we would apologise to a friend we have hurt, so that that relationship can be restored. It means that we must reflect Christ to the whole world, so that when people look at us they do not see us, they see Christ.

But in the end that is what it means to live for Christ and not for ourselves, to love for Christ and not for ourselves, to give of ourselves for Christ!

Blessed Fra Angelico, you gave your all for Christ, please Pray for Us!

DOCTORS of the Church, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 18 February – “Man believes with his heart…”

Posted on February 18, 2019February 18, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 18 February – Monday of the Sixth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Mark 8:11–13

And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said,
“Why does this generation seek a sign?…Mark 8:12-13

Happy is the man who has found wisdom.
Even more happy is the man who lives in wisdom,
for he perceives its abundance.
There are three ways for wisdom
or prudence to abound in you –
if you confess your sins,
if you give thanks and praise
and if your speech is edifying.
Man believes with his heart and so he is justified.
He confesses with his lips and so he is saved.
In the beginning of his speech,
the just man is his own accuser,
next he gives glory to God and thirdly,
if his wisdom extends that far,
he edifies his neighbour.

St Bernard (1090-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor

“We are born to love,
we live to love
and we will die
to love still more.”

St Joseph Cafasso (1811-1860)

DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, FRUITS of the SPIRIT, JESUIT SJ, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The HOLY GHOST

Quote/s of the Day – 15 February – St Claude & Blessed Michal

Posted on February 15, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 15 February – the Memorial of St Claude de la Colombiere (1641-1682) Apostle of the Sacred Heart and Blessed Michal Sopoćko (1888-1975) Apostle of Divine Mercy

“Lord, I am in this world to show Your mercy to others.
Other people will glorify You, by making visible the power of Your grace,
by their fidelity and constancy to You.
For my part I will glorify You,
by making known how good You are to sinners,
that Your mercy is boundless
and that no sinner, no matter how great his offences,
should have reason to despair of pardon.
If I have grievously offended You, My Redeemer,
let me not offend You even more,
by thinking that You are not kind enough to pardon me.”

“God is more honoured by a single Mass
than He could be by all the actions of angels
and men together, however fervent and heroic they might be.
Yet, how FEW hear Mass with the intention of giving God
this sublime honour!
How FEW think with joy on the glory a Mass gives to God.
How FEW rejoice to possess the means of honouring Him
as He deserves! . . .
If we only knew the treasure we hold in our hands!”

“When the Holy Spirit is in a soul,
He communicates Himself
in one way or another.
We can say,
that He makes virtue contagious
and turns a simple faithful
into an apostle!”

St Claude de la Colombiere (1641-1682)

“Prayer is necessary to receive the help of God,
as grain is needed to harvest … a humble and trustful prayer,
for what is necessary for salvation,
is never lost.
It is heard at least by the fact,
that it begs for the grace,
to abide in prayer.”

“The decisive factor in obtaining God’s Mercy is trust.
Trust is the expectation of someone’s help.
It does not constitute a separate virtue
but is an essential condition of the virtue of hope
and an integral part of the virtues of fortitude and generosity.
Because trust springs from faith,
it strengthens hope and love
and is, moreover, linked up, in one way or another,
with the moral virtues.
It may, therefore, be called the basis on which,
the theological virtues unite with the moral.
The moral virtues, originally natural,
become supernatural,
if we practice them with trust in God’s help.”

Blessed Michal Sopoćko (1888-1975)

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on LOVE, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 14 February – “Satisfying our Restless Hearts”

Posted on February 14, 2019February 14, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 14 February – The Memorial of St Valentine (176-273) Martyr

SATISFYING OUR RESTLESS HEARTS
by Fr Steve Grunow

“And what is this God? I asked the earth and it answered: ‘I am not God and all the things in the earth made the same confession.’ I asked the sea and the deeps and creeping things and they answered: ‘We are not your God, seek higher.’ I asked the winds that blow and the whole air with all that is in it and the wind answered: ‘ I am not God.’ I asked the heavens, the sun, the moon, the stars and they answered: ‘Neither are we God whom you seek.’ So I asked all those things that entice the senses: ‘Tell me then of this Mysterious One that I search for.’ And all cried out to me in one great voice: ‘God made us and God made you…’”

“So I set about to find God and found that I could not find Him until I embraced the mediator between God and man, Christ Jesus, who is all over all these things, who was calling me and saying: ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life…’”

These marvellous words belong to St Augustine….

St Augustine is one of the most renowned and influential saints of the Church, though his early life did not foreshadow such an identity and mission. He lived much of his young life in resistance to God’s will and purposes. Preoccupied with his body, he sought satisfaction in sex. Preoccupied with power, he sought to ingratiate himself with the mighty. Preoccupied with status, he sought self-promotion. Preoccupied with wealth, he tried to sell himself to a career.

And none of these things, for all their allure and all their promises, brought him satisfaction.

As a result, Augustine embraced the prevailing esoteric and arcane “spiritualities” of his day. He followed strange gods in an attempt to shake his alarming sense of dissatisfaction. This left him emptier and even more diminished.

But a reckoning came that changed Augustine forever.

“I found myself weeping in the bitter sorrow of my heart. And suddenly I heard a voice from a nearby house, a child’s voice, boy or girl I do not know – but it was sort of a sing song that repeated over and over again. ‘Take and read, take and read.’ Wiping away my tears I took this as a divine command and opened the scriptures and in silence read the passage on which my eyes first fell – ‘Not in rioting and drunkenness, not in debauchery and impurity, not in contention and envy but put on the Lord Jesus…’”

So this is what Augustine did- he discarded the skin of his old self and put on the Lord Jesus. And what God did with Augustine was remarkable. He became a leader in the Faith, as a teacher, priest and bishop. His writings have directed the mind and soul of the Church for centuries. His influence is with us still- in how we pray, how we worship, and in what we believe.

At the heart of the Gospel is the call to conversion in Christ. There is no moment in our life when this call does not beckon toward us. There is no time in our life we are exempt from the summons. Conversion is the substance of the work of the spiritual life. Conversion in Christ is our privileged spiritual way.

Like Augustine, so many of us fall into the illusion that something other than God can satisfy us or give our lives purpose and meaning. Like the young Augustine, we are captivated by self-deception that directs us away from the one who is absolutely necessary – Christ. In response to all the futility of our refusals, the wisdom of St Augustine rings true:

“You have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

St Augustine, Pray for Us!

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, JESUIT SJ, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 14 February – Falling in love

Posted on February 14, 2019February 14, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 14 February – The Memorial of St Valentine (176-273) Martyr

“You have made us
for Yourself, O Lord
and our heart is restless
until it rests in You.”

“God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.”

St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor

“Nothing is more practical
than finding God,
that is, than falling in love
in a quite absolute, final way.
What you are in love with,
what seizes your imagination
will affect everything.
It will decide what will
get you out of bed
in the mornings,
what you will do
with your evenings,
how you spend
your weekends,
what you read,
who you know,
what breaks your heart
and what amazes you
with joy and gratitude.
Fall in love, stay in love
and it will decide everything.”

Servant of God Fr Pedro Arrupe SJ (1907-1991)

(the 28th Superior General of the Society of Jesus)

QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on LOVE, SPEAKING of ....., Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 5 February – Speaking of “Conscience and Death”

Posted on February 5, 2019February 5, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 5 February

Speaking of “Conscience and Death”

Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)

“If you have a good conscience,
you would not greatly fear death.”

“The glory of the good,
is in their consciences
and not, in the tongues of men.”

“Happy is the man
who renounces everything,
which may bring a stain or burden,
upon his conscience”

“He has great tranquillity of heart,
who cares neither for the praises,
nor the fault-finding of men.
He will easily be content and pacified,
whose conscience is pure.
You are not holier if you are praised,
nor the more worthless,
if you are found fault with.
What you are, that you are;
neither by word can you be made greater,
than what you are in the sight of God.”

“Love alone makes heavy burdens light
and bears in equal balance,
things pleasing and displeasing.
Love bears a heavy burden
and does not feel it
and love, makes bitter things,
tasteful and sweet.”

“Without labour there is no rest,
nor without fighting,
can the victory be won.”

“You shall rest sweetly,
if your heart condemns you not.”

DOCTORS of the Church, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

Thought for the Day – 28 January – The cross exemplifies every virtue

Posted on January 28, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 28 January – The Memorial of St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

The Cross Exemplifies every Virtue

Saint Thomas Aquinas
Priest and Doctor of the Church

An excerpt from a Conference

Why did the Son of God have to suffer for us? There was a great need and it can be considered in a twofold way – in the first place, as a remedy for sin and secondly, as an example of how to act.

It is a remedy, for, in the face of all the evils which we incur on account of our sins, we have found relief through the passion of Christ. Yet, it is no less an example, for the passion of Christ completely suffices to fashion our lives. Whoever wishes to live perfectly should do nothing but disdain what Christ disdained on the cross and desire what He desired, for the cross exemplifies every virtue.

If you seek the example of love: Greater love than this no man has, than to lay down his life for his friends. Such a man was Christ on the cross. And if He gave His life for us, then it should not be difficult to bear whatever hardships arise for His sake.

If you seek patience, you will find no better example than the cross. Great patience occurs in two ways – either when one patiently suffers much, or when one suffers things which one is able to avoid and yet does not avoid. Christ endured much on the cross and did so patiently, because when He suffered He did not threaten;,He was led like a sheep to the slaughter and He did not open His mouth. Therefore, Christ’s patience on the cross, was great. In patience let us run for the prize set before us, looking upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith who, for the joy set before Him, bore His cross and despised the shame.

If you seek an example of humility, look upon the crucified one, for God wished to be judged by Pontius Pilate and to die.

If you seek an example of obedience, follow Him who became obedient to the Father even unto death. For just as by the disobedience of one man, namely, Adam, many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one man, many were made righteous.

If you seek an example of despising earthly things, follow Him who is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Upon the cross He was stripped, mocked, spat upon, struck, crowned with thorns and given only vinegar and gall to drink.

Do not be attached, therefore, to clothing and riches because they divided my garments among themselves. Nor to honours, for He experienced harsh words and scourgings. Nor to greatness of rank, for weaving a crown of thorns, they placed it on my head. Nor to anything delightful, for in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

St Thomas Aquinas, Pray for Us!

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES/PRAYERS on THE FAMILY, SAINT of the DAY

Quote of the Day – 27 January – The Memorial of St Angela Merici (1474-1540)

Posted on January 27, 2019June 1, 2023 by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 27 January – The Memorial of St Angela Merici (1474-1540)

“Pray and get others to pray,
that God not abandon His Church
but reform it, as He pleases
and as He sees best for us
and more to His honour and glory.”

St Angela Merici (1474-1540)

More here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/01/27/quote-s-of-the-day-27-january-the-memorial-of-st-angela-merici-1474-1540/

DOCTORS of the Church, ON the SAINTS, PAPAL SERMONS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 24 January – “To Philotea – You and Me”

Posted on January 24, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 24 January – “To Philotea – You and Me”
The Memorial of St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church:
Doctor Caritatis (Doctor of Charity) ‘The Gentle Christ of Geneva’

Excerpt from Pope Benedict’s Catechesis on St Francis de Sales
Wednesday, 2 March 2011

To Philotea, the ideal person to whom he dedicated his Introduction to a Devout Life (1607), Francis de Sales addressed an invitation that might well have seemed revolutionary at the time. It is the invitation to belong completely to God, while living to the full, her presence in the world and the tasks proper to her state. “My intention is to teach those who are living in towns, in the conjugal state, at court” (Preface to The Introduction to a Devout Life).

The Document with which Pope Leo xiii, more than two centuries later, was to proclaim him a Doctor of the Church, would insist on this expansion of the call to perfection, to holiness.

It says: “[true piety] shone its light everywhere and gained entrance to the thrones of kings, the tents of generals, the courts of judges, custom houses, workshops and even the huts of herdsmen” (cf. Brief, Dives in Misericordia, 16 November 1877).

Thus came into being the appeal to lay people and the care for the consecration of temporal things and for the sanctification of daily life on which the Second Vatican Council and the spirituality of our time were to insist.

The ideal of a reconciled humanity was expressed in the harmony between prayer and action in the world, between the search for perfection and the secular condition, with the help of God’s grace that permeates the human being and, without destroying him, purifies him, raising him to divine heights.

St Francis de Sales, please Pray for Us!

DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN QUOTES, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 24 January – St Francis de Sales ‘The Gentle Christ of Geneva’

Posted on January 24, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 24 January – The Memorial of St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church: Doctor Caritatis (Doctor of Charity)

‘The Gentle Christ of Geneva’

“Man is the perfection of the Universe.
The spirit is the perfection of man.
Love is the perfection of the spirit and charity that of love.
Therefore, the love of God is the end, the perfection of the Universe.”

“We must fear God out of love,
not love Him out of fear.”

“In the royal galley of divine Love,
there is no galley slave –
all rowers are volunteers.”

“Nothing makes us
so prosperous
in this world,
as to give alms.”

“Perfection of life,
is the perfection of love.
For love, is the life of the soul.”

“Let us run to Mary
and, as her little children,
cast ourselves into her arms,
with a perfect confidence.”

“Consider all the past as nothing
and say, like David,
‘Now I begin to love my God.'”

More Quotes from this Master of Sanctity- https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/01/24/quote-s-of-the-day-24-january-the-memorial-of-st-francis-de-sales-1567-1622-doctor-of-the-church-doctor-caritatis-doctor-of-charity/

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

DOMINICAN OP, franciscan OFM, MARIAN QUOTES, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 23 January – The Memorial of St Ildephonsus (607-667), Blessed Henry Suso OP (1295-1366) and St Marianne Cope (1838-1918)

Posted on January 23, 2019January 23, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 23 January – The Memorial of St Ildephonsus (607-667), Blessed Henry Suso OP (1295-1366) and St Marianne Cope (1838-1918)

“Go to Mary and sing her praises
and you will be enlightened.
For it is through her,
that the true Light
shines on the sea of this life.”

St Ildephonsus (607-667)

“Suffering is the ancient law of love;
there is no quest without pain;
there is no lover,
who is not also a martyr.”

Blessed Henry Suso (1295-1366)

“Try to accept what God
is pleased to give you
no matter how bitter –
‘God wills it’,
is the thought
that will strengthen you
and help you over
the hard places
if we wish to be
true children of God.”

“Our dear
heavenly Mother Mary…
how little do our trials
and sorrows appear
when compared
to her bitter sufferings.”

St Marianne Cope (1838-1918)

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 January – Tuesday of the Second week in Ordinary Time, Gospel: Mark 2:23–28

Posted on January 22, 2019January 22, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 22 January – Tuesday of the Second week in Ordinary Time, Gospel: Mark 2:23–28 and the Memorial of St Vncent of Saragossa (Died 304) Martyr

“…so the Son of man is lord even of the sabbath.”...Mark 2:28

REFLECTION – “From the first, the law of the Sabbath conferred many and great benefits; for instance, it made the Jews gentle and humane towards those of their own household, it taught them God the Creator’s providence and wisdom… hen God gave the law for the Sabbath He said… that He would have them refrain from evil works only when he said: “You must do no work, except for what is necessary for life” (Ex 12:16 LXX). And in the temple, too, everything continued with more diligence than ever. Thus even by means of the very shadow, He was secretly opening the full light of truth (cf. Col 2:17).
Did Christ then do away with so highly profitable a thing? Far from it; He greatly enhanced it. For it was unnecessary… that we should learn from it, that God made all things or that we should be made kind by it, who are called to imitate God’s own love. For He says: “Be merciful, as your heavenly Father is merciful”(Lk 6:36). It was no longer necessary to fix a day of festival for those who are commanded to keep a feast all their life long. For: “Let us keep the feast,” Saint Paul writes, “not with old leaven, neither with leaven of malice and wickedness but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1Cor 5:8)… So now, why is any sabbath required for Christians who are always keeping the feast and whose conversation is in heaven? Yes, my brethren, let us celebrate that continual, heavenly sabbath.”…St John Chrysostom (c 345-407) Father & Doctor

PRAYER – True Light of the world, Lord Jesus Christ, as You enlighten all men for their salvation, give us the grace, we pray, to herald Your coming by preparing the ways of justice and of peace. We walk in faith and by Your Light as St Vincent, fearless of men to the end and trusting only in Your grace, inspires us to follow. Grant that his prayers may assist us on our path. Who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen. st vincent martyr pray for us 22 jan 2019.jpg

QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on LOVE, SAINT of the DAY

Quote of the Day – 18 January – The Memorial of Blessed Maria Teresa Fasce OSA (1881-1947)

Posted on January 18, 2019January 18, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 18 January – The Memorial of Blessed Maria Teresa Fasce OSA (1881-1947)

I love Him, even if it costs much,
I love Him, because, it is worth much,
I love Him, at all cost.

Blessed Maria Teresa Fasce (1881-1947)

PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

Thought for the Day – 12 January – St Aelred of Rievaulx OCSO (1110-1167)

Posted on January 12, 2019January 12, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 12 January – 6th day after Epiphany and The Memorial of St Aelred of Rievaulx OCSO (1110-1167)

“Charity may be
a very short word
but with its tremendous
meaning of pure love,
it sums up man’s
entire relation to God
and to his neighbour.”

St Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167)

Aelred of Rievaulx on Jesus Christ as the model of brotherly love and patience through His forgiveness of persecutors and enemies and His prayer from the cross
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

“The perfection of brotherly love lies in the love of one’s enemies. We can find no greater inspiration for this, than grateful remembrance of the wonderful patience of Christ. He who is more fair than all the sons of men, offered His fair face to be spat upon by sinful men; He allowed those eyes that rule the universe to be blindfolded by wicked men; He bared His back to the scourges; He submitted that head which strikes terror in principalities and powers, to the sharpness of the thorns; He gave Himself up to be mocked and reviled and, at the end, endured the cross, the nails, the lance, the gall, the vinegar, remaining always gentle, meek and full of peace.

In short, He was led like a sheep to the slaughter and like a lamb before the shearers, He kept silent and did not open His mouth.

Who could listen to that wonderful prayer, so full of warmth, of love, of unshakeable serenity – Father, forgive them – and hesitate to embrace his enemies with overflowing love? Father, He says, forgive them! Is any gentleness, any love, lacking in this prayer?

Yet He put into it something more. It was not enough to pray for them – He wanted also to make excuses for them. Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. They are great sinners, yes but they have little judgement; therefore, Father, forgive them. They are nailing me to the cross but they do not know who it is that they are nailing to the cross – if they had known, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory, therefore, Father, forgive them. They think it is a lawbreaker, an impostor claiming to be God, a seducer of the people. I have hidden my face from them and they do not recognise my glory, therefore, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.

If someone wishes to love himself he must not allow himself to be corrupted by indulging his sinful nature. If he wishes to resist the promptings of his sinful nature he must enlarge the whole horizon of his love to contemplate the loving gentleness of the humanity of the Lord. Further, if he wishes to savour the joy of brotherly love, with greater perfection and delight, he must extend even to his enemies the embrace of true love.

But if he wishes to prevent this fire of divine love from growing cold because of injuries received, let him keep the eyes of his soul always fixed on the serene patience of his beloved Lord and Saviour.”

This excerpt from the Mirror of Love by Saint Aelred of Rievaulx, abbot (Lib 3, 5: PL 195, 382) focuses on Christ as the supreme model of brotherly love, shown primarily in His love of persecutors and enemies. It is used in the Roman Catholic Office of Readings for Friday of the 1st week in Lent with the accompanying biblical reading taken from Exodus 12: 21-36.

St Aelred, Pray for Us!

DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, QUOTES for the NEW YEAR, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 1 January – New Year’s Day 2019

Posted on January 1, 2019January 1, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 1 January – New Year’s Day 2019

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,
the new creation has come.
The old has gone, the new is here!”

2 Corinthians 5:17

“Brothers, . . . I can only say,
that forgetting all that lies behind me
and straining forward to what lies in front of me
and I am racing towards the finishing-point,
to win the prize of God’s heavenly call
in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:13

May he give you what you desire
and make all your plans succeed.
Then we will shout for joy over your victory
and celebrate your triumph by praising our God.
May the LORD answer all your requests.

Psalm 20:4-5

“The bread you store up belongs to the hungry,
the cloak that lies in your chest belongs to the naked,
the gold you have hidden in the ground,
belongs to the poor.”

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

“Love God,
serve God;
everything is in that.”

St Clare of Assisi (1194-1253)

“Teach us to give and not to count the cost.”

“All for the greater glory of God.”

St Ignatius de Loyola (1491-1556)

“You must ask God to give you power
to fight against the sin of pride
which is your greatest enemy –
the root of all that is evil
and the failure of all that is good.
For God resists the proud.”

St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)

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

St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873-1897)- Doctor of the Church

“During this new year,
I resolve to begin a new life.
I do not know,
what will happen to me, during this year.
But I abandon myself entirely to You, my God.
And my aspirations and all my affections,
will be for You.
I feel so weak, dear Jesus
but with Your help,
I hope and resolve,
to live a different life,
that is, a life closer to You.”

“Father, do You know,
the latest idea that has come into my head?
It is to become a saint at all costs.
I made this resolution yesterday evening.
During my meditation I was thinking,
that one lives only once
and it is certain,
that one is going to die,
then one will have to answer to God.”

“Every time the clock strikes,
I will repeat three times –
‘My Jesus, mercy!”

St Gemma Galgani (1878-1903)

AND here are Quotes for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/01/01/quote-s-of-the-day-1-january-2018-the-solemnity-of-mary-mother-of-god-and-the-octave-day-of-the-nativity-of-our-lord/

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, SAINT of the DAY, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 27 December

Posted on December 27, 2018December 27, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 27 December – the Feast of St John the Apostle and Evangelist “The Disciple whom Jesus Loved” and the 3rd Octave Day and the Memorial of Blessed Sára Salkaházi (1899–1944) Martyr

Beloved:

What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life (for the life was made visible;

we have seen it and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was made visible to us.…

1 John 1:1-2

“Life itself was therefore revealed in the flesh.
In this way what was visible to the heart alone,
could become visible also to the eye
and so heal men’s hearts.
For the Word is visible to the heart alone,
while flesh is visible to bodily eyes as well.
We already possessed the means to see the flesh
but we had no means of seeing the Word.
The Word was made flesh so that we could see it,
to heal the part of us,
by which we could see the Word…”

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

“It is right and just, that someone, who was loved by Christ
more than any other, should be the object
of a very special love, by Christ’s friends,
all the more so, since John has shown such love for us that…
he has shared with us, the riches of eternal life, that he himself received.
Indeed, God gave him, the keys to wisdom and knowledge (cf Lk 11:52)…

John’s God-illumined mind, conceived the incomparable height of divine wisdom,
when he reclined on the Redeemer’s breast, during the holy Last Supper meal (Jn 13:25).
And because “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col 2:3)
are within the heart of Jesus, it is from there, that he drew
and from there, that he greatly enriched our wretchedness,
as people who are poor and generously distributed these goods,
taken from their source, for the salvation of the whole world.
And because this blessed John speaks about God
in a marvellous way, that cannot be compared to that of anyone else,
it is only right that the Greeks as well as the Latins
have given him the name of “Theologian”.
Mary is “Theotokos” because she has truly given birth to God;
John is “Theologos” because he saw in an indescribable way,
that the Word of God, was with the Father
before the beginning of time and was God (Jn 1:1)
and because, too, he spoke about this, with extraordinary depth.”

St Peter Damian (1007-1072) Doctor of the Church

“To love, even when it is difficult,
even when my heart has complaints,
when, I feel rejected!
Yes, this is what God wants!
I will try; I want to start – even if I would fail –
until I will be able to love.
The Lord God gives me grace
and I have to work with that grace!”

“I want to follow You wherever You take me,
freely, willingly, joyfully.
Break my will!
Let Your will reign in me!
I do not want to make my own plans.
Let Your will be done in me and through me.
No matter how hard it might be,
I want to love Your will!
I want to be one with You,
my Beloved, my Spouse.”

Blessed Sára Salkaházi (1899–1944) Martyr

Blessed Sára in her spiritual diary

ADVENT, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE, The CHRIST CHILD, The INCARNATION

Quote/s of the Day – 15 December – Saturday of the Second week of Advent

Posted on December 15, 2018December 15, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 15 December – Saturday of the Second week of Advent

“Into this world, this demented inn
in which there is absolutely no room for Him at all,
Christ comes uninvited.”

Thomas Merton OCSO (1915-1968)

“At this Christmas, when Christ comes,
will He find a warm heart?
Mark the season of Advent,
by loving and serving the others,
with God’s own love and concern.”

St Mother Teresa (1910-1997)

(Love: A Fruit Always in Season)

"Follow Me", CARMELITES, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, OUR Cross, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SAINT of the DAY, The HEART, The LAST THINGS

Quotes of the Day – 14 December – St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church

Posted on December 14, 2018November 24, 2022 by AnaStpaul

Quotes of the Day – 14 December – The Memorial of St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church

“If a man wishes to be sure of the road
he treads on, he must close his eyes
and walk in the dark.”

“The road is narrow.
He who wishes to travel it more easily
must cast off all things and use the cross as his cane.
In other words, he must be truly resolved
to suffer willingly for the love of God in all things.”

“Live in the world,
as if only God and your soul were in it,
then your heart will never be made captive,
by any earthly thing.”

“We must dig deeply in Christ.
He is like a rich mine
with many pockets containing treasures –
however deep we dig,
we will never find their end or their limit.
Indeed, in every pocket new seams of fresh riches
are discovered on all sides.”

“At the end of your life,
you will be judged by your love.”

“Now that I no longer desire all,
I have it all, without desire.”

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

DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, PAPAL SERMONS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 7 December – The Memorial of St Ambrose (c 340-397)- Father and Doctor of the Church

Posted on December 7, 2018December 7, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 7 December – The Memorial of St Ambrose (c 340-397)- Father and Doctor of the Church

“Holy Bishop Ambrose – about whom I shall speak to you today – died in Milan in the night between 3 and 4 April 397. It was dawn on Holy Saturday. The day before, at about five o’clock in the afternoon, he had settled down to pray, lying on his bed with his arms wide open in the form of a cross. Thus, he took part in the solemn Easter Triduum, in the death and Resurrection of the Lord. “We saw his lips moving”, said Paulinus, the faithful deacon who wrote his Life at St Augustine’s suggestion, “but we could not hear his voice”. The situation suddenly became dramatic. Honoratus, Bishop of Vercelli, who was assisting Ambrose and was sleeping on the upper floor, was awoken by a voice saying again and again, “Get up quickly! Ambrose is dying…”. “Honoratus hurried downstairs”, Paulinus continues, “and offered the Saint the Body of the Lord. As soon as he had received and swallowed it, Ambrose gave up his spirit, taking the good Viaticum with him. His soul, thus refreshed by the virtue of that food, now enjoys the company of Angels” (Life, 47).

On that Holy Friday 397, the wide open arms of the dying Ambrose expressed his mystical participation in the death and Resurrection of the Lord. This was his last catechesis – in the silence of the words, he continued to speak with the witness of his life.

Like the Apostle John, Bishop Ambrose – who never tired of saying: “Omnia Christus est nobis! To us Christ is all!” – continues to be a genuine witness of the Lord. Let us thus conclude our Catechesis with his same words, full of love for Jesus: “Omnia Christus est nobis! If you have a wound to heal, He is the doctor; if you are parched by fever, He is the spring; if you are oppressed by injustice, He is justice; if you are in need of help, He is strength; if you fear death, He is life; if you desire Heaven, He is the way; if you are in the darkness, He is light…. Taste and see how good is the Lord, blessed is the man who hopes in Him!” (De Virginitate, 16, 99). Let us also hope in Christ. We shall thus be blessed and shall live in peace.”

Pope Benedict – Excerpt, General Audience, Catechesis on St Ambrose, 24 October 2007

St Ambrose, Pray for us!

MARIAN QUOTES, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on WORK/LABOUR, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Quote/s of the Day – 3 December – The Memorial of St Francis Xavier SJ (1506-1552)

Posted on December 3, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 3 December – The Memorial of St Francis Xavier SJ (1506-1552)

“It is impossible
to find a saint
who did not take
the “two P’s” seriously –
Prayer and Penance.”

“I am in a country
where all the niceties of life are lacking.
But I am filled with many inner consolations.
Indeed, I run the risk of crying my eyes out
because of my tears of joy!”

“It is not the actual physical exertion
that counts towards a one’s progress,
nor the nature of the task but by the
spirit of faith with which it is undertaken.”

“When trying to evangelise,
no tool is more effective,
than that of personal witness.
…People can argue with points of doctrine
but no-one can argue,
with a personal testimony!”

“Prayer is powerful!
It fills the earth with mercy,
it makes the Divine clemency
pass from generation to generation,
right along the course of the centuries.
wonderful works have been achieved.
through prayer.”

“If you are in danger,
if your hearts are confused,
turn to Mary!”

St Francis Xavier SJ (1506-1552)

QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ANGER, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 23 November – The memorial of St Columban (543-615)

Posted on November 23, 2018November 23, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 23 November – The memorial of St Columban (543-615)

“We, indeed, are,
as I have said,
chained to the
Chair of Saint Peter.”

“Be gentle to the weak,
firm to the stubborn,
steadfast to the proud,
humble to the lowly.”

“Be helpful,
when you are,
at the bottom of the ladder
and be the lowest,
when you are in authority.”

“Be slow to anger,
swift to learn,
slow also to speak,
as St James says,
equally swift to hear.”

“Be respectful to the worthy,
merciful to the poor.”

“Be mindful of favours,
unmindful of wrongs.”

Excerpts from a “Letter to a Young Disciple”
by St Columban (543-615)

QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, SAINT of the DAY, Uncategorized

Quote of the Day – 13 November – The Memorial of St Agostina Livia Pietrantoni S.D.C. (1864-1894)

Posted on November 13, 2018November 13, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 13 November – The Memorial of St Agostina Livia Pietrantoni S.D.C. (1864-1894)

“All, is too little for the Lord.”

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To Rosemary and Edward Vrscay

Your Holy Mass will be celebrated on Thursday 7 March

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St John Marie Baptiste Vianney (1786-1859)

Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

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St Gregory Nazianzen (330-390)

Father & Doctor of the Church

Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Pope Francis

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May the Blessed Virgin, Mother of Perpetual Succour and the angels and saints, pray for us!

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St Polycarp (c 69–c 155) Martyr

and Apostolic Father of the Church

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Blessed Fra Angelico, you gave your all for Christ, please Pray for Us!

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St Bernard (1090-1153) Mellifluous Doctor

St Joseph Cafasso (1811-1860)

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Blessed Michal Sopoćko (1888-1975)

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St Augustine, Pray for Us!

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St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor

Servant of God Fr Pedro Arrupe SJ (1907-1991)

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Speaking of “Conscience and Death”

Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)

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The Cross Exemplifies every Virtue

St Thomas Aquinas, Pray for Us!

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St Angela Merici (1474-1540)

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St Francis de Sales, please Pray for Us!

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

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St Ildephonsus (607-667)

Blessed Henry Suso (1295-1366)

St Marianne Cope (1838-1918)

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Blessed Maria Teresa Fasce (1881-1947)

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St Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167)

St Aelred, Pray for Us!

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2 Corinthians 5:17

Philippians 3:13

Psalm 20:4-5

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

St Clare of Assisi (1194-1253)

St Ignatius de Loyola (1491-1556)

St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)

St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873-1897)- Doctor of the Church

St Gemma Galgani (1878-1903)

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1 John 1:1-2

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

St Peter Damian (1007-1072) Doctor of the Church

Blessed Sára Salkaházi (1899–1944) Martyr

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Thomas Merton OCSO (1915-1968)

St Mother Teresa (1910-1997)

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

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St Ambrose, Pray for us!

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St Francis Xavier SJ (1506-1552)

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Excerpts from a “Letter to a Young Disciple” by St Columban (543-615)

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St Bernard (1090-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor

Excerpts from a “Letter to a Young Disciple”
by St Columban (543-615)