Thought for the Day – 7 August – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)
CHARITY Meditations for a Month
The Lowliness of Charity “Charity is not puffed up”
One of the great dangers of prosperity is that it so often produces a fatal exaltation of self. We are flattered by others and we begin to think that we are persons of importance. Those around give way to us, listen to us when we speak, respect our opinion. From this, in our folly, we fancy ourselves distinguished and eminent and expect to be treated accordingly. This temper, if it exists in us, shows that we are very deficient in true charity, for charity is never puffed up with a high estimate of self.
How does charity prevent this self-conceited pride and arrogance? Humility seems to be the proper virtue by which it is to be met. Humility is, indeed more obviously its opposite but charity, is equally a remedy for pride and arrogance. For charity is an emptying-out of self to give place to God alone. True charity ignores self, despises self and is, therefore, quite incompatible with the temper which is nothing else than a magnifying of self and an ignoring of God. Which of the two tendencies is the stronger in my heart?
We are not likely to arrive at a true estimate of ourselves, unless others treat us as we deserve. How are we to know what our deserts may be? Our idea of our own deserts will be regulated by the degree of our charity. Those who esteem God the most and esteem themselves the least, consider themselves worthy only to be trampled underfoot and spat upon. How should I appreciate such treatment? Would my charity enable me to rejoice in it, as suitable indeed for one like myself?
Thought for the Day – 6 August – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)
CHARITY Meditations for a Month
The Reasonableness of Charity “Charity does not deal perversely”
Perversity generally results from an overwhelming self-love. We all dislike children who seem to take pleasure, in doing a thing, just because it is opposed to the wishes or orders of those set over them. Those who are perverse, may have clear motives set before them and may know that, a certain course of action is their duty and in their interest, yet, they set that course of action aside ,for some folly of their own. In their hearts, they perceive the folly more clearly and would see it to be folly, if they were not blinded by the deceptive mist of their own self-will. Is perversity an element which enters into my actions, from time to time?
Opposed to perversity, is docility in those who obey and reasonable conduct, in those who have to act for themselves. How we love the docile! Even if we are not docile ourselves, others are dear to us, if they can be easily guided. We also love reasonable men who take a common sense view of things and we renounce crotchety and misguided theories, invented by unreasonable people. Even in the natural order, such reasonable men win our regard and esteem. We esteem them even more, when they are influenced to it by the love of God.
Charity includes all possible reasonableness and docility. No-one can ever accuse charity of eccentric action, or of running counter to others, unnecessarily. On the contrary, its great aim is to yield to others and to carry out their will, as far as right reason will allow. Charity will relinquish what it thinks best, to please another, unless, serious harm seems likely to result therefrom. Such pliability and consideration for the opinion of others, is one of the marks of love of God, as opposed to the pertinacity and perversity resulting from self-will. Am I perverse or run counter to others unnecessarily?
Quote/s of the Day – 30 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – St Abdon and St Senen (Died c250) Martyrs – 2 Corinthians 6:4-10; Matthew 5:1-12 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in Heaven.”
Matthew 5:12
“I know a man in Christ— whether he was in or outside the body, I do not know, God knows— who was snatched up to the third heaven. . . and heard secret words, words which it is not granted to man to utter.”
2 Corinthians 12:2-4
“Our Lord Jesus Christ Has appeared to us from the bosom of the Father. He has come and drawn us out of the shadows And enlightened us with His joyful Light.
Day has dawned for humankind, Cast out the power of darkness. For us, a Light from His Light has arisen That has enlightened our darkened eyes.
Over the world He has made His glory arise And has lit up the deepest depths. Death is no more, darkness has ended, The gates of hell are shattered.
He has illumined every creature, All the shades from times long past. He has brought about salvation and given us Life; Next He will come in glory.
Our King is coming in His great glory: Let us light our lamps and go out to meet Him (Mt 25,6); Let us be glad in Him, as He has been glad in us And gives us gladness, with His glorious Light.
My friends, arise! make yourselves ready To give thanks to our Saviour King, Who will come in His glory and make us joyful With His joyous Light in the Kingdom.”
St Ephrem (306-373) Father of the Church (Hymn I on the Resurrection)
“You will begin to taste, even in this life, a foretaste of eternal life, for the principal beatitude of the soul in Heaven, is to be confirmed forever in the Will of the Father. Thus, it tastes the divine sweetness. But it will never taste it in Heaven, if it is not clothed with it on earth, where we are pilgrims and travellers. When it is clothed with it, it tastes God by grace in its troubles; its memory will be full of the Blood of the Lamb without blemish; its mind will be opened and contemplate the ineffable love that God has made known in the Wisdom of His Son and the love it finds, in the Holy Spirit’s goodness, casts out self-love and love for created things, to love only God. So do not be afraid … but suffer with joy, so as to conform yourself to the Will of God.””
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritatis
“Let us not strive for the rewards of Heaven, valuable though they may be but live, so as to please the God of Heaven. If God were not in Heaven, all its beauty, riches and sweetness, would be dull rather than delightful. By faith, we know, God already dwells within us. But in Heaven, we will see God face-to-face. May we so live that one day, we will be in Heaven praising and praying eternally, before our Lord and Saviour!”
Quote/s of the Day – 26 July – St Anne, Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Grandmother of Jesus.
St Anne, through her constant prayer, received, the Mother of God and then, became the Grandmother of God!
“Let my prayer come like incense before Thee, O Lord.”
Psalm 140:2
“Exercise your soul! Use keeps metal brighter but disuse produces rust. … So “No-one lights a candle and puts it under a bushel but upon a candlestick that it may give light.” For of what use is wisdom, if it fails to make those who hear it wise?”
St Clement of Alexandria (c150-c215) Father of the Church
“God accepts our desires as though they were of great value. He longs ardently for us to desire to and love Him. He accepts our petitions for benefits, as though we were doing Him a favour. His joy in giving, is greater than ours in receiving. So let us not be apathetic in our asking, nor set too narrow bounds to our requests; nor ask for frivolous things unworthy of God’s greatness.”
St Gregory Nazianzen (330-390) Father & Doctor of the Church
“Arm yourself with prayer instead of a sword; be clothed with humility instead of fine raiment.”
St Dominic OP (1170-1221)
“In prayer, the soul cleanses itself from sin, charity is nourished, faith is strengthened, hope made secure; the spirit rejoices, the soul grows tender and the heart is purified, truth discovers itself, temptation is overcome, sadness takes to flight, the senses are renewed, failing virtue is made strong, tepidity disappears, the rust of sin is rubbed away. In it are brought forth, lively flashes of heavenly desires and in these fires, burns the flame of Divine love. Great are the excellences of prayer, great its privileges. The heavens open before it and unveil therein, their secrets and to it, are the ears of God ever attentive.”
A Golden Treatise of Mental Prayer Download the book, “A Golden Treatise of Mental Prayer”
St Peter of Alcantara (1499-1562)
“When you pray, let it be your intention to will God’s Will alone and not your own, as well in asking as in obtaining that is, pray because God Wills you to pray and desire to be heard, insofar and, no farther, than He Wills. Your intention, in short, should be to unite your will to the Will of God and not to draw His Will to yours. And this because, your will, being infected and ruined by self-love, often errs and knows not what to ask but the Divine Will, being always united to ineffable goodness, can never err.”
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!
Quote/s of the Day – 19 July – St Vincent de Paul CM (1581-1660) Confessor, “Holy Hero of Divine Charity”
Prayer for Vocations By St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)
O Lord, send good workers to Thy Church, but may they be good! Send good missionaries to work in Thy vineyard, labourers, O my God, such as they ought to be – utterly detached from themselves, their own comfort and worldly goods. Let them even be few in number, provided that they are good! O Lord, grant this grace to Thy Church. Amen
“If humble souls are contradicted, they remain calm; if they are calumniated, they suffer with patience; if they are little esteemed, neglected, or forgotten, they consider this their due; if they are weighed down with occupations, they perform them cheerfully.”
“We should honour God in His Saints and beseech Him to make us partakers of the graces He poured, so abundantly, upon them.”
“Humility is nothing but truth and pride is nothing but lies.”
“It is only for your love alone that the poor will forgive you the bread you give to them.”
Quote/s of the Day – 7 July – St Lawrence of Brindisi OFM Cap (1559-1619) Confessor, The “Franciscan Renaissance Man,” Priest
“All things are possible for him who believes, more for him who hopes, even more for him who loves.”
“Oh, if we were to consider this reality! In other words that God is truly present to us, when we speak to Him in prayer that He truly listens to our prayers, even if we pray only with our hearts and minds. And that ,not only is He present and hears us, indeed, He willingly and with the greatest of pleasure, wishes to grant our requests.”
One Minute Reflection – 7 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Saint Cyril (827-869) and Saint Methodius (826-885) “Apostles to the Slavs,” Sibling Brother Bishops, Confessors – Romans 6:19-23; Matthew 7:15-21 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“By their fruits you shall know them.”- Matthew 7:16
REFLECTION – “Do you believe in Christ? Do the works of Christ, so that your faith may live; love will animate your faith, deed will reveal it … If you say you abide in Christ, you ought to walk as He walked. But if you seek your own glory, envy the successful, slander the absent, take revenge on those who injure you, this Christ did not do. You profess to know God, yet reject Him by your deeds! … “Such a one honours Me with his lips but his heart is far from Me” (Is 29:13; Mt 15:8)…
You see then that right faith, will not make a man righteous, unless it is enlivened by love. Someone, who has no love, has no means of loving the Bride, Christ’s Church. But, on the other hand, deeds, however righteous, cannot make the heart righteous, without faith. Who would call a person righteous, who does not please God? But “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb 11:6). And God, cannot please the one, who is not pleasing to Him; for if God is pleasing to someone that person cannot displease God. Furthermore, if God is not pleasing to that person, neither is His Bride, the Church. How then can he be righteous, who loves neither God nor God’s Church, to whom is said: “The righteous love you”? (Sg 1,3 Vg.).
If, therefore, neither faith without good works, nor good works without faith, suffice for a man’s righteousness, we, my brothers, who believe in Christ, should strive to ensure that our behaviour and desires are righteous. Let us raise up both our hearts and hands, to God that our whole being maybe righteous, our righteous faith being revealed in our righteous actions. So, we shall be lovers of the Bride, the Church and loved by the Bridegroom Jesus Christ our Lord, who is God, blessed forever!” – St Bernard (1091-1153) Cistercian, Father and Ddoctor of the Church (24th sermon on the Song of Songs).
PRAYER – Look forgivingly on Thy flock, Eternal Shepherd and keep it in Thy constant protection, by the intercession of the blessed brothers, Cyril and Methodius, who, by the power of the Holy Ghost were moved to bring the light of the Gospel to a hostile and divided people. 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).
Quote/s of the Day – 5 July–St Anthony Mary Zaccaria (1502-1539) Confessor, Priest, Founder of the Barnabits – The First Religious Order Named after St Paul The Apostle
“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.”
“God has made your neighbour the road to reach His Majesty.”
“Climb up as high as you can, for you owe Him much, much more!”
“Strive continuously to increase, that which you have begun in yourself and in others because, the heights of perfection are limitless.”
Quote/s of the Day – 29 June – Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles – Acts 12:1-11; Matthew 16:13-19 – – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:16
“… Now you must be, for a little time, made sorrowful in divers temptations. That the trial of your faith, (much more precious than gold which is tried by the fire) may be found unto praise and glory and honour at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”
1 Peter 1:6-7
“And all who wish to live piously in Christ Jesus, will suffer persecution.”
2 Timothy 3:12
“What is the surest kind of witness? “Anyone who acknowledges that Jesus Christ came among us in the flesh” (cf 1 Jn 4:2) and who keeps the commands of the Gospel… How many there are, each day, of these hidden martyrs of Christ who confess the Lord Jesus! … So be faithful and courageous in interior persecutions, so that you may also win the victory in exterior persecutions.”
St Ambrose (340-397) Father & Doctor of the Church
“It is an old custom with the servants of God, always to have some little prayers ready and to be darting them up to Heaven frequently during the day, lifting their minds to God out of the filth of this world. He who adopts this plan, will get great fruit, with little pains.”
St Philip Neri (1515-1595)
“He who most loves, will be most loved.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church
One Minute Reflection – 25 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – St William (1085-1142) Abbot – Ecclesiasticus 45:1-6; Matthew 19:27-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“… Shall receive a hundredfold and shall possess life everlasting.” – Matthew 19:29
REFLECTION – “The possessions which we have, are not our own: God has given them to us to cultivate and He wishes us to render them fruitful and profitable … Always deprive yourself, therefore, of some part of your means, giving them to the poor with a willing heart … It is true that God will return it to you, not only in the next world but also in this, for there is nothing which makes a person prosper, in temporal matters, so much, as almsgiving. But until such time as God shall repay it, you will always be impoverished to that extent. Oh! how holy and rich is the impoverishment which is caused by almsgiving.
Love the poor and poverty, for by this love you will become truly poor, since, as Scripture says: “We become like the things that we love” (cf Hos 9:10). Love makes those who love, equal to one another: “Who is weak and I am not weak?” says St Paul (2 Cor 11:29). He might have said: “Who is poor, with whom I am not poor?” For love made him become, such as those whom he loved. If, then, you love the poor, you will be truly participating in their poverty and poor like them. Now, if you love the poor, be often among them; be pleased to see them in your house and to visit them in theirs; associate willingly with them; be glad that they are near you in the Churches, in the streets and elsewhere. Be poor in speech with them, speaking to them as their equal but be rich in deed, giving them of your goods, as one who possesses more abundantly.
Will you do even more? … Become a servant of the poor; go to serve them … with your own hands … and at your own expense. This service has more glory in it than a throne!” – St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Bishop of Geneva and Doctor of the Church (Introduction to the devout life, Part three Ch 15).
PRAYER – O God, Who made Thy Saints an example and a help for our weakness, grant us, as we walk the path of salvation, so to venerate the virtues of the blessed Abbot William that we may obtain his intercession and follow in his footsteps. 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).
“JESUS, meek and humble of HEART, make my heart like unto Thine.” – 300 Days, EVERYTIME. (Unless otherwise stated, e.g., “once a day,” a partial Indulgence may be gained any number of times in succession.) St Pope Pius X, 15 September 1905.
Quote/s of the Day – 21 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – St Aloysius de Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591) Confessor
“There is no finer thing in this life, than to be faithful to the Lord. Nothing can be compared to this.”
“What is it to serve God and to go to Heaven? Nothing else but to love!”
“My confidence is placed in God, Who does not need our help for accomplishing His designs. Our part, is to pray that we may be worthy of becoming His instruments.”
One Minute Reflection – 21 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – St Aloysius de Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591) Confessor – Ecclesiasticus 31:8-11, Matthew 22:29-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“On these two commandments dependeth the whole law and the prophets.” – Matthew 22:40
REFLECTION – “God does not ask many things of you, for charity alone fulfills the whole Law. But that love is double – love of God and love of the neighbour… When God tells you to love your neighbour, He does not tell you to love him with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. Rather, He tells you to love your neighbour as yourself. Thus, love God with all that you are because He is greater than you are; love your neighbour as yourself because he is what you are…
Thus, our love has three objects. But why are there only two commandments? I will tell you – God did not consider it necessary to commit you to loving yourself, since there is no-one who does not love himself. But many people lose themselves because they love themselves in a bad way. By telling you to love God, with all that you are, God gave you a rule according to which you must love yourself. Without doubt, you want to love yourself? So love God with all that you are. For it is in Him that you will find yourself and avoid losing yourself in yourself… Therefore, the rule according to which you must love yourself is given to you – love the One Who is greater than you and you will love yourself!” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace of the Church (Sermon on the Letter of St James).
PRAYER – O God, bestower of heavenly gifts, Who in the angelic youth Aloysius joined wondrous innocence of life to an equally wondrous love of penance; grant, by his merits and prayers, that we who have not followed him in his innocence may imitate him in his penance. 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).
DIVINE Heart of JESUS, convert sinners, save the dying, set free the holy souls in Purgatory. Indulgence 300 Days Everytime – St Pius X, 11 September, 1907
Quote/s of the Day – 19 June – 2 Corinthians 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
“It is some great thing, some exceedingly great thing that this oil signifies. … “If I speak with the tongue of mortals and of angels but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” This is charity. It is “that way above the rest,” which is, with good reason, signified by the oil. For oil swims above all liquids. If you keep the usual order, it will be uppermost, if you change the order, it will be uppermost. “Charity never fails!”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace
“Give me grace, to amend my life and to have an eye to mine end, without grudge of death, which, to them, who die in You, good Lord, is the gate of a wealthy life.”
St Thomas More (1478-1535) Martyr
“Love consists, not in feeling great things but, in having great detachment and in suffering for the Beloved.”
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor Mysticus
“To love our neighbour, in charity, is to love God, in man.”
(Treatise on the Love of God Book 10 Chapter 11)
“We should always love our neighbour, as in the breast of Christ”
(The Spirit of St François de Sales II, 1)
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church
One Minute Reflection – 4 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – St Francis Caracciolo CRM (1563-1608) Confessor –Within the Corpus Christi Octave – 1 Corinthians 23-29; John 6:56-59.– Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“For as often as you shall eat this Bread and drink the Cup, you proclaim the Death of the Lord, until He comes.” – 1 Corinthians 11:26
REFLECTION – “In our offering of the Holy Sacrifice we fulfil the Command of our Saviour, as recorded by the Apostle Paul: The Lord Jesus, on the night in which He was betrayed, took bread and after He had given thanks, broke it and said: This is My Body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me. The same way, after the supper, He took the Cup saying: This Cup is the New Covenant in My Blood. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me. For as often as you eat this Bread and drink this Cup, you shall proclaim the Death of the Lord until He comes.
This Sacrifice is offered, then, to proclaim the Lord’s Death; it is offered in remembrance of Him, Who laid down His Life for our sake. As He says: Greater love than this no man has, that he lay down his life for his friends. Because Christ died for us out of love, we ask, when we make remembrance of His Death, at the time of Sacrifice that we too may be granted love through the coming of the Holy Ghost. We pray, that by the Love which Christ had for us, when He braved the Cross, we may receive the grace of the Spirit and be crucified to the world and the world to us. The Death Christ died, He died to sin, once for all but the Life He lives, He lives to God. Let us imitate our Lord’s Death and also live a new life. Strengthened with the gift of His Love, let us die to sin and live for God.
For God’s Love has been poured out in our hearts, through the Holy Spirit, Who has been given to us. Indeed our sharing in the Lord’s Body and Blood, when we eat His Bread and drink His Cup, teaches us, that we should die to the world and that we should keep our life hidden with Christ in God, crucifying our flesh with its vices and evil desires.
That is why all the faithful who love God and their neighbour, truly drink the Cup of the Lord’s Love even though, they may not drink the cup of His Bodily Suffering. And becoming inebriated from it, they put to death, whatever in their nature is rooted in earth. They clothe themselves with the Lord Jesus Christ and do not indulge fleshly desires. They do not fix their gaze on visible things but contemplate things, which the eye cannot see. Thus they drink the Lord’s Cup by preserving the holy bond of love – without it, even if a man should deliver his body to be burned, he gains nothing. But the gift of love enables us to become, in reality, what we celebrate as Mystery in the Sacrifice.” – St Fulgentius of Ruspe (c462 – 533) Bishop, Father (An excerpt from Against Fabianus).
PRAYER – Almighty, eternal God, Thou Who have given Thy servants, in the confession of the true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity and in the power of that Majesty, to adore its unity, grant, we beseech Thee, that in the firmness of this faith, we may ever be protected from all harm. And may the example and intercession of Thy Confessor, St Francis Caracciolo ever assist us on our journey to our eternal home. 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).
MAY the HEART of JESUS be loved everywhere.100 Days, Indulgence Once a day – Bl Pope Pius IX 23 September 1860
Quote/s of the Day – 3 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” –
“The Eucharist is the Sacrament of Love. It signifies Love, It produces love. The Eucharist is the consummation of the whole spiritual life.”
St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor angelicus/Doctor communis
“The Holy Eucharist is the perfect Communion of Saints, for it is the food common to Angels and sainted souls in Paradise and ourselves – it is the true Bread of which all Christians participate. The forgiveness of sins, the Author of forgiveness being there, is confirmed; the seed of our resurrection sown, life everlasting bestowed. … This very belief in the Most Holy Sacrament, which, in truth, reality and substance, contains the true and natural Body of Our Lord, is actually the abridgment of our Faith, according to that of the Psalmist: “He had made a memory of His wonderful works.”
One Minute Reflection – 16 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament”– Ferial Day – 1 Peter 2:21-25; John 10:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“I am the Good Shepherd, I know My Own and My Own know Me.”- John 10:14
REFLECTION – “O Jesus, Good Shepherd, a Shepherd who is truly good, Shepherd full of loving kindness and gentleness, the cry of a poor and wretched shepherd rises up to Thee: a weak and clumsy shepherd, an unprofitable shepherd (cf. Lk 17:10) and yet, in spite of all, a shepherd of Thyine flock. Yes, Good Shepherd, the cry of this shepherd who is far from being good rises up to Thee. He cries to Thee, uneasy for himself, uneasy for Thine flock … Thou knows my heart, Lord, Thou knows my wish is to spend entirely, for those Thou has entrusted to me ,all Thou has given to Thy servant …, and more than anything, to spend myself for them without counting the cost (2 Cor 12:15)…
Even Thou Thyself, did not disdain to spend Thyself for them. Therefore, teach me, Lord, even me Thy servant, teach me through Thine Holy Ghost, how to expend myself for them … By Thine inexpressible grace, grant me, Lord, to bear their weaknesses with patience, to sympathise with kindness, to help them with discretion. May Thine Spirit’s instruction teach me to console the afflicted, strengthen the fearful, raise up those who fall, to be weak with the weak, to share the shame of those who stumble, to make myself all things to all, to gain them all (2 Cor 11:29; 1 Cor 9:19.22). Put true words on my lips, words which are upright and just, so that they may grow in faith, hope and love, in chastity and humility, in patience and obedience, fervour of spirit and purity of heart. Since it is Thou Who has given them this blind guide (Mt 15:14), this ignorant teacher, this incapable leader, teach him, whom Thou has installed as their professor, guide the one, Thou has commanded to guide others.” – St Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167) Cistercian Monk (The Prayer of a shepherd 1,7)
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, unto all Thy servants that they may remain continually in the enjoyment of soundness, both of mind and body and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, always a Virgin, may be delivered from present sadness and enter into the joy of Thine eternal gladness. Through the 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).
Our Morning Offering – 16 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament”
Guide Me Lord By St Albert the Great (1200-1280) Doctor of the Church
O Lord Jesus Christ, Who seeks those who stray and receives them when returning, make me approach Thee through the frequent hearing of Thy Word, lest I sin against my neighbour, by the blindness of human judgement, through the austerity of false justice, through comparing his inferior status, through too much trust in my merits or through ignorance of the Divine Judgement. Guide me to search diligently, each corner of my conscience, lest the flesh dominate the spirit! Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 15 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Ferial Day – 1 Peter 2:21-25; John 10:11-16– Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“I am the Good Shepherd, I know My Own and My Own know Me.”
John 10:14
“He cries out, saying: See, I am with you all the days of this age. He is Himself the Shepherd, the High Priest, the Way and the Door and has become all things at once for us.”
St Athanasius (297-373) Father & Doctor of the Church
“So Saul was led to Ananias – the ravaging wolf is led to the sheep. But the Shepherd, Who guides everything from Heaven above, reassures him… “Do not fear, I will show him what he will have to suffer, for My Name’s sake” (Acts 9:16). What wonder is this! The wolf is led, a captive, to the sheep… The Lamb who died for the sheep, teaches it not to be afraid any more!”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of the Church
“With good reason Christ declares: I am the Good Shepherd, I seek out the lost sheep, the strayed I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal (Ez 34:16). I have seen the flock of mankind struck down by sickness; I have witnessed my lambs wander about where demons dwell; I have seen my flock ravaged by wolves. All this I have seen and have not witnessed it from on high. That is why I took hold of the withered hand, gripped by pain, as if by a wolf; I have unbound those whom fever had bound; I taught him to see, whose eyes had been shut from his mother’s womb; I brought Lazarus out from the tomb where he had lain for four days (Mk 3:5; 1:31; Jn 9; 11). For I am the Good Shepherd and the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.”
Basil of Seleucia (Died 448) Bishop of Seleucia
(Oratio 26)
“The measure of love, is to love without measure.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church
One Minute Reflection – 30 March – Holy Saturday – The Lord’s Vigil Mass of Easter, Blessing of the Fire, Prophecies, Blessing of the Font, First Mass of Easter – Matthew 28:1-7 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“And the Angel answering, said to the women: Fear not you, for I know that you seek Jesus Who was Crucified, He is not here, for He is risen, as He said.” – Matthew 28:5-6
REFLECTION – “When the third day dawned of the Lord’s Sacred repose in the tomb … Christ, the “power and Wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:24), with the author of death lying prostrate, conquered even death itself and opened to us access to eternity, when He raised Himself from the dead by His Divine Power in order to make known to us the paths of Life.
Then there was a great earthquake, for an Angel of the Lord came down from Heaven, with raiment like snow and his countenance like lightening. He appeared attractive to the devout and severe to the wicked – for he terrified the soldiers and comforted the timid women, to whom the Lord Himself first appeared after rising because, their intense devotion, so merited. Then He was seen by Peter, then by the disciples going to Emmaus, then by all the Apostles except Thomas. Later He presented Himself to be touched by Thomas, who proclaimed his faith: “My Lord and my God.” And thus, during forty days, He appeared in many ways to His disciples, both eating and drinking with them.
He enlightened our faith with proofs and lifted up our hope with promises, so as finally, to enkindle our love with gifts from Heaven!” … St Bonaventure (1217-1274) Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – O God, Who dost illuminate this most holy night by the glory of the Lord’s Resurrection, preserve in the new children of Thy family, the spirit of adoption which Thou hast given, that renewed in body and mind, they may render to Thee a pure service. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Quote/s of the Day – 7 March – St Thomas Aquinas OP (1225-1274) Confessor, Doctor
“We are like children, who stand in need of masters, to enlighten us and direct us and God has provided for this, by appointing His Angels, to be our teachers and guides.”
“To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanations is possible.”
“Love takes up, where knowledge leaves off.”
“If the highest aim of a Captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in Port, forever!”
“If then, you are looking for the way by which you should go, take Christ, for He, Himself, is the Way.”
“Happiness is secured through virtue; it is a good attained by man’s own will.”
Grant Me Grace, O Merciful God Prayer of St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor Angelicus & Doctor Communis which he was accustomed to recite everyday before the image of Christ.
Grant me grace, O merciful God, to desire ardently all that is pleasing to Thee, to examine it prudently, to acknowledge it truthfully and to accomplish it perfectly, for the praise and glory of Thy Name. Amen
Our Lenten Journey with the Angels and the Saints – 1 March – Friday of the Second Week in Lent and the Feast of the Holy Shroud – – Genesis 37:6-22; Matthew 21:33-46.– Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.” Psalm 102:10
“They seized Him, threw Him out of the vineyard and killed Him.” Matthew 21:39
The Mystery of God’s Vineyard Faith, Love, Obedience, Penance …
St Bernard O.Cist. (1090-1153) Father and Doctor of the Church
“Brethren, if we understand the Lord’s Vineyard to be the Church … it seems to me that we here encounter a significant prerogative. Note,, in a special way, how the Church extended her boundaries all over the world …
By this I understand that company of believers, who were described as “of one heart and soul.” (Acts 4:32) … For during the persecution it had not been so uprooted that it could not be elsewhere replanted and leased “to other tenants, who will deliver the produce … when the season arrives.” No indeed, it did not perish, it changed in a new location; it even increased and spread further afield under the blessing of the Lord. So, brethren, lift up your eyes round about and see if “the mountains were not covered with its shade, the cedars of God with its branches; if its tendrils did not extend to the sea and its offshoots all the way to the river” (Ps 79:11-12).
No wonder this, for it is God’s building, God’s farm (1 Cor 3:9). He waters it, he propagates it, prunes and cleanses it that it may bear even more fruit. When did He ever deprive, of His care and labour that which His right Hand planted? (Ps 79:15). There can be no question of neglect, where the Apostles are the branches, the Lord is the Vine and His Father is the Vinedresser (Jn 15:1-5). Planted in faith, its roots are grounded in love, dug in with the hoe of discipline, fertilised with penitential tears, watered with the words of preachers and so, it abounds with the wine which inspires joy, rather than debauchery, wine full of the pleasure which is never licentious. This is the wine which gladdens the heart (Ps 103:15) … Be consoled, daughter of Sion! Yours is to wonder at the Mystery, rather than bewail the harm — let your heart be expanded to gather together, the fullness of the pagans!” — (Extract from Sermon 30 on the Song of Songs)
Quote/s of the Day – 29 February – Thursday in the Second Week of Lent – Jeremias 17:5-10, Luke 16:19-31 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“The poor man died and was carried by the Angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham, far off and Lazarus in his bosom. …”
Luke 16:22-23
“… So then, you rich who have wisdom, apply yourselves to this business… Why let yourselves be transfixed by diamonds and emeralds, by houses that fire devours, time destroys, or earthquakes throw down? Aspire for nothing other than to dwell in the heavens and reign with God. A mere man, a beggar will gain you this Kingdom!”
St Clement of Alexandria (150- 215) Father of the Church
“All of 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 people, as well as for the rich, for all those who do us harm, as much as for those, who do us good.”
Quote/s of the Day – 24 February – Ember Saturday – Feast of St Matthias, Apostle – Acts 1:15-26, Matthew 11:25-30 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I Am meek and humble of heart and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden light.”
Matthew 11:29-30
“I shall reflect the image of God in that I feed on love; grow certain on faith and hope; strengthen myself, on the virtue of patience; grow tranquil by humility; grow beautiful by chastity; am sober by abstention; am made happy by tranquillity and am ready for death, by practising hospitality.”
ACW – Ancient Christian Writer Incomplete Work on Matthew (Homily 40)
“If you wish to reach high, then begin at the lowest level. If you are trying to construct some mighty edifice in height, you will begin with the lowest foundation. This is humility. However great the mass of the building you may wish to design or erect, the taller the building is to be, the deeper you will dig the foundation. The building in the course of its erection, rises up high but he who digs its foundation, must first go down very low. So then, you see even a building is low before it is high and the tower is raised, only after humiliation.”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace
“True humility consists in persuading and convincing oneself that without God, we are insignificant and despicable and, in accepting to be treated as such!”
Quote/s of the Day – 22 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” – St Vincent of Saragossa (Died 304) Protomartyr of Spain and St Anastasius the Persian (Died 628) Martyr – Wisdom 3:1-8; Luke 21:9-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“And you shall be hated by all men, for My Name’s sake.”
Luke 21:17
“The fruits of the earth are not brought to perfection immediately but by time, rain and care. Similarly, the fruits of men ripen through ascetic practice, study, time, perseverance, self-control and patience.”
St Anthony Abbot (251-356)
“Rejoice and be happy! Persevere to the end and prefer to die rather than abandon the post, to which God has called you!”
St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) Doctor of the Church
“Love consists, not in feeling great things but, in having great detachment and in suffering for the Beloved.”
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor Mysticus
“Now, you must always persevere in firmly placing all your trust in our Lord, in the troublesome business you have in hand. It will give you a fine opportunity of laying a good foundation of submission to God’s will and peace of soul.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritatis
Excerpt from the Prayer to the Five Wounds of Jesus By St Clare of Assisi (1194-1253)
I pray Thee, O most gentle Jesus, that having redeemed me by Baptism from original sin, so now, by Thy Precious Blood, which is offered and received, throughout the world, deliver me from all evils, past, present and to come. And by Thy most bitter Death, give me a lively faith, a firm hope and perfect charity, so that I may love Thee with all my heart and all my soul and all my strength. Make me firm and steadfast in good works and grant me perseverance in Thy service, so that I may be able to please Thee always. Amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 18 January – Feast of the Chair of the Apostle, St Peter at Rome – 1 Peter 1:1-7, Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:16
“Upon this rock I will build My Church”
Matthew 16:18
“I decided to consult the Chair of Peter, where that faith is found exalted by the lips of an Apostle; I now come to ask for nourishment for my soul there, where once I received the garment of Christ. I follow no leader save Christ, so I enter into communion with Your beatitude, that is, with the Chair of Peter, for this, I know, is the rock upon which the Church is built.” (cf Le lettere I, 15, 1-2)
St Jerome (343-420) Father & Doctor od rhw Church
“He gave way to sin so that, remembering his own failure and the kindness of the Lord, he might testify to others, a grace of philanthropy in accord with the divine design conceived by God. The fall had been permitted to the one who was going to see himself entrusted with the Church, the Pillar of the Church, the Harbour of the Faith; the fall had been permitted to Peter, the Doctor of the Universe, in order that, the forgiveness received, might remain the foundation of love for others.”
St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father and Doctor of the Church
“Nothing escaped the Wisdom and Power of Christ, the elements of nature lay at His service, spirits obeyed Him, Angels served Him. … And yet, out of all the world, Peter alone was chosen to stand at the head, for the calling of all the peoples and the oversight of all the Apostles and Fathers of the Church.”
St Pope Leo the Great (400-461) Father and Doctor of the Church
One Minute Reflection – 17 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” – St Anthony Abbot (251-356) – Ecclesiasticus 45:1-6; Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” – Luke 12:40
REFLECTION – “These words mean – you are to be awake and vigilant because you do not know the hour when the Lord will come from the wedding … Because, as soon as some feeling of pride, self-satisfaction or self-will enters a man, the Enemy is there, cutting the precious bag, of all his good works from him. Oh, children! How many people like these, will you see, who have done great works … and thus gained great renown … but, presumption has stripped them of all … They will be placed after the poor and simple fellows, whom no-one values because of their outward appearance and work. Because they humbly take a lowly place, these latter, will be set above the others … So keep watch with vigilant soul and you will see the pure Truth with open eyes …
“Let your loins be girt about and your lamps alight.” Here there are three points to notice. First – the loins are to be girded like someone firmly bound with a rope, so as to be led, against his will … Second – you are to carry lighted lamps in your hands which is to say, works of love. Your hands should never stop doing the true, ardent work of charity … Third – you should wait for the Lord when He returns from the wedding … “The Lord will set them over all His goods; He will gird Himself and will serve them.” This wedding from which the Lord comes, takes place in the most interior part of the soul, in its depths, where the noble image is found. O what intimate contact the soul has with God and God with it, in this depth and what a marvellous work God does there! What rejoicing and joy He finds there! It surpasses all feeling and thought and yet, man knows nothing and feels nothing of it.” – Fr Johannes Tauler OP (c1300-1361) Dominican Priest and Friar, renowned Preacher and Theologian (Sermon 77 for the Feast of a Confessor).
PRAYER – May the intercession of the Blessed Abbot Anthony, commend us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, so that what we do not deserve by any merits of our own, we may obtain by his patronage. Through tJesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Quote/s of the Day – 8 January – Advice for 2024 from St John of the Cross
“What we need most, in order to make progress, is to be silent before this great God with our appetite and with our tongue, for the language He best hears is silent love.”
“Contemplation is nothing else but a secret, peaceful and loving infusion of God which, if admitted, will set the soul on fire with the Spirit of love.”
“Take God for your spouse and friend and walk with Him continually and you will not sin and will learn to love and, the things you must do, will work out prosperously for you.”
“The endurance of darkness is the preparation for great light!”
“Strive to preserve your heart in peace; let no event of this world, disturb it.”
Lord God, Lift Me Up By St John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Lord God, my Beloved, if Thou art still mindful of my sins and wilt not grant my petitions, let Thy will be done, for this is my main desire. Show Thy goodness and mercy and Thou shalt be known for them. If Thou art waiting for me to do good works and upon their performance, Thou wilt grant my petitions, cause them to be accomplished in me, O Lord! Send also, the punishment for my sins, which is acceptable to Thee. For how will I raise myself up to Thee, born and bred as I am, in misery, unless Thou, O Lord, wilt lift me up with the Hand which made me?! Amen
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Mystical Doctor of the Church
One Minute Reflection – 8 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family”– Within the Octave of The Epiphany –Isaias 60:1-6; Matthew 2:1-12 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Falling down they adored Him” – Matthew 2:11
REFLECTION – “God’s intention was not only to come down to earth but to become known there; not only to be born but to be recognised. In fact, it is with this recognition in mind that we hold this celebration of the Epiphany, the great day of His manifestation. For it was today that the Magi came from the East in search of the Sun of Justice at its rising (Mal 3:20), He of Whom we read: “Behold a Man Whose name is the Orient,” (Zec 6:12 Vul.). Today they have adored the Virgin’s newborn Child, following the guidance of a New Star. What great cause for joy do we not find here, my brethren, as also in those words of the Apostle Paul: “The kindness and generous love of God our Saviour have appeared,” (Tit 3:4)…
What is this you are doing, you Magi? What is this you are doing? Are you adoring an Infant at the breast in a wretched hovel, wrapped in miserable rags? Can a Child such as this really be God? Yet, “The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in Heaven.” (Ps 11:4) while you are looking for Him in a common stable, held in His Mother’s arms! Whatever are you doing? Why are you offering Him gold? Could such a One as this be King? Where, then, is His Royal Court, His Throne, His crowd of courtiers? Can a stable be a palace, a crib a throne, Mary and Joseph members of His Court? How on earth could wise men be so foolish as to adore a Baby, as contemptible by reason of His age, as for the poverty of His Family?
Mad? Yes, they have become so in order to be wise. The Holy Spirit has taught them already what the Apostle Paul would later proclaim: “Whoever would be wise, let him become a fool. For since the world, in all its wisdom, did not come to know God in His Wisdom, it has pleased God to save those who believe, through the foolishness of the Gospel we proclaim, (Cf 1 Cor 1:21)… And so, they prostrate themselves before this poor Child; they do Him homage as to a King; they adore Him as a God. He Who outwardly guided them by a Star, has cast His Light into the interior of their hearts!” – St Bernard (1091-1153) Cistercian Monk, Father and Doctor of the Church (1st Sermon for the Epiphany).
PRAYER – O God, Thou Who by the guidance of a star this day revealed Thy Only-begotten Son to the Gentiles; mercifully grant that we, who know Thee now by faith, may come to behold Thee in glory. 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).
AnaStpaul 
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