Category: QUOTES on MEDITATION

Posted in GOOD RESOLUTIONS, OUR Cross, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 23 April – The Benefits derived from Meditations on the Cross and the Imitation of the Virtues of Christ Crucified

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Thought for the Day – 23 April – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

LII: … The Benefits derived from Meditations on the Cross
and the Imitation of the Virtues of Christ Crucified

“GREAT are the ADVANTAGES to be derived from meditating on the Cross, the first of which is, not only a detestation of past sins but also, the firm resolution to fight against our ever-present disorderly appetites which, Crucified our Saviour.
The second advantage is, the forgiveness of sins, obtained from Jesus Crucified and, a wholesome self-contempt which inspires us, forever to forsake offending Him and continually to love and serve Him with all our heart, in acknowledgment of that which He suffered for our sakes.

The third, is the unceasing labour with which we root out all depraved habits, however trivial they may appear.
The fourth consists in our ardent efforts to imitate our Divine Master, Who died, not only to expiate our sins but, to bequeath to us, the sublime example of a life of sanctity and perfection.

The following method of meditation will be highly serviceable, assuming, as I do, that you particularly wish to imitate the patience of your Saviour in carrying your crosses.
Consider well these several points:

What the Soul of Christ suffered for God.
What God did for the Soul of Jesus.
What the Soul of Jesus did, for itself and its Body.
What Jesus did for us.
What we ought to do for Jesus.

  1. Consider in the first place that the Soul of Jesus engulfed in the ocean of Divinity, contemplated that Infinite and Incomprehensible Being, before Whom, even the most exalted of creatures is utterly insignificant – contemplated, I say, in a state so debased as to suffer the vilest indignities of ungrateful man, without the least diminution of its essential glory and splendour.
    And from the depths of its suffering, the Soul of Christ adored its Sovereign Majesty, giving it myriad thanks and accepting all for its sake.
  2. Behold, on the other hand, what God bestowed on the Soul of Jesus – consider that the Divine Will decreed the scourgings, spittle, blasphemies, buffetings, crown of thorns, for love of us and the crucifixion which were meted out to Jesus, the Only and Beloved Son of God.
    See with what delight God, knowing the admirable end to which it was all directed, beheld His Divine Son, loaded with infamy and overwhelmed with affliction.
  3. Contemplate next, the Soul of Jesus and observe with what alacrity it submitted itself to the Will of God, either because of the immensity of its Divine Perfection, or the Infinity of Divine Favour bestowed upon it.
    Who can describe the ardent affection of this Soul for crosses?
    This was a Soul which sought, even new ways of suffering,and failing in this, abandoned itself and the innocent Body to the mercy of miscreants and the powers of Hell.
  4. Turn, then, your eyes to Jesus, Who, from the midst of His Agony, addresses you in this affectionate manner:
    “See to what depths of misery I am reduced by thy ungovernable will, which refuses the least constraint in compliance with mine.
    Behold the horrible pains I endure, with no other purpose than to teach thee a lesson of patience.
    And let me persuade you, by all these sufferings, to accept with resignation, this cross I here present and those which I shall send in the future.
    Surrender your reputation to calumny and your body to the fury of the persecutors whom I shall choose for your trial, however vile and inhuman they may be.
    Oh, that you didst know what delight your patience and resignation afford me!
    But then, how can you be ignorant of it, when you behold these wounds received to purchase for you, those virtues with which I would adorn your soul, more dear to me, than life itself?
    If I have suffered this debasement for you, can you not bear a light affliction, in order to lessen My Agony to some degree?
    Can you refuse to heal those Wounds, I have received, through your impatience, Wounds more cruel to me than physical anguish    ?”
  5. Consider who it is who speaks thus to you – consider that it is Jesus Christ, the King of Glory, true God and true Man.
    Consider too, the magnitude of His torments and humiliations, greater than that deserved by the most vicious of criminals. Be
    astonished to behold Him in the midst of these agonies, not only firm and resolute but even replenished with joy, as if the day of His Passion was a day of triumph.
    Just as a few drops of water sprinkled upon a flame, only adds a fresh intensity to its glow, so did His torments, embraced in a charity which made the burden seem light, serve to augment his joy and desire of suffering still greater affliction.
    Moreover, reflect that throughout His entire life, He was motivated, not by compulsion or self-interest but rather, by pure love alone that you may learn from Him, the manner of practicing patience.
    Endeavour, therefore, to attain a perfect knowledge of what He demands of you and consider His delight at your practice of patience. Then form an ardent desire of carrying this cross and heavier ones, not only with patience but with joy, that you may more exactly imitate Christ Crucified and render yourself more acceptable to Him!

Picture to yourself all the torments and indignities of His Passion and amazed at His constancy, blush at your own weakness.
Look upon your sufferings as merely imaginative, when compared to His and regard your patience as not even the faintest anticipation of His.
Dread nothing so much as an unwillingness to suffer for your Saviour, rejecting such unwillingness as a suggestion from Hell.

Consider Jesus on the Cross as you would a devout book, worthy of your unceasing study and, by which you may learn the practice of the most heroic virtues.
This is the book which may truly be called the “Book of Life” [Apocalypse, III, 5], which, at once enlightens the mind by its doctrines and inflames the will by its examples.
The world is full of books but were it possible for man to read them all, he would never be so well instructed, to hate vice and embrace virtue, as by contemplating a Crucified God!

But remember that there are those who spend hours lamenting the Passion of our Lord and admiring His patience and yet, on the first occasion, betray as great an impatience, in suffering, as if they had never thought of the Cross.
Such men are like untried soldiers, who, in their barracks breathe nothing but conquest but on the first appearance of the enemy, beat
a hasty and inglorious retreat!
What is more despicable after considering, admiring and extolling the virtues of our Redeemer, than to forget them all, in an instant, when an opportunity of practicing them presents itself!”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

Posted in QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The PASSION, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 22 April – Meditation on the Sufferings of Christ (Part Three)

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Thought for the Day – 22 April – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

LI: … Meditation on the Sufferings of Christ
(Part Three)

“Moreover, as this Divine Saviour loved mankind to an ineffable degree, such an ardent and tender love must have caused Him much sorrow for the sins which would tear men from Him.
For He knew that no-one could sin mortally, without destroying that sanctifying grace which is the bond between Himself and the just.
And this separation would cause Jesus greater anguish of soul than dislocated limbs caused His body.
For the soul, altogether spiritual and immeasurably superior to the body, is much more delicately attuned to pain.
But of all the afflictions of our blessed Saviour, the most grievous, doubtless, was the sight of the damned, incapable of repentance, who must inevitably be banished, from His presence, for all eternity.

If the contemplation of such suffering moves you to compassion for your dying Jesus, meditate further and you will find that His excessive suffering was not caused by your sins alone; for His Precious Blood was shed, not only to cleanse you from the sins you have committed, but to preserve you from those you might have committed were you unaided by Heaven.

It is a fact that you will never be without motives for taking part in the sufferings of Jesus Crucified.
Know, moreover, that human nature never was and never will be, subject to any affliction which was unknown to Him.
He suffered from injuries, reproaches, temptations, pains, loss of goods, voluntary austerities, more acutely, than those who groan under.
For, as this tender Saviour had a perfect comprehension of any affliction of mind or body to which we are prone, even to the least pain or headache.
He must certainly have been moved with great compassion for us.

Who, however, can express what He felt at the sight of His Blessed Mother’s pain and grief?
For she shared in all the pangs and outrages which attended His Passion and, with the same views and from the same motives.
And although her sufferings were infinitely short of His, they were excruciating beyond expression.
The awareness of our Lady’s agony redoubled the sorrows of Jesus and pierced His heart still deeper.
Hence it was that a certain devout soul compared the heart of Jesus to a burning furnace in which He voluntarily suffered from the ardent flames of Divine love.

And after all, what is the cause of such unspeakable agony?
Nothing but our sins – this is the answer.
Therefore, the greatest compassion and gratitude we can possibly show towards Him, Who has suffered so much for us, is to be truly sorry for our past offences, out of pure love for Him; to detest sin with all the fervour of our soul because it is displeasing to Him and to wage ceaseless war against our evil inclinations because, they are His greatest enemies.

Thus divesting ourselves of the old man and putting on the new, we adorn our souls with virtue, in which alone, their beauty consists.”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/04/20/thought-for-the-day-20-april-meditation-on-the-sufferings-of-christ-part-
PART TWO:

Posted in GOD is LOVE, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The PASSION, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 20 April – Meditation on the Sufferings of Christ (Part One)

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Thought for the Day – 20 April – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

LI: … Meditation on the Sufferings of Christ
(Part One)

“That which I previously prescribed concerning the method of praying and meditating on the sufferings of our Lord and Saviour, regarded only the petition of those things of which we stand in need – now, we are to proceed to the adoption of the proper sentiments from our considerations.
For instance, if you have chosen the Crucifixion and its attendant circumstances, as the subject of your Meditation, you may dwell on the following considerations.

Consider firstly, the arrival of Jesus on Mount Calvary.
His executioners rudely stripped Him, tearing the garments off which
adhered to the torn flesh of His lacerated body.
Consider next the fresh wounds made in His Sacred Head by the Crown of Thorns, removed and reset by his barbarous executioners.
Next,visualise Him nailed to the Cross with spikes, driven through the flesh and bone into the wood with a large hammer.
Consider that His hands, not reaching the places designed for them, were stretched so violently that all His bones were dislocated, enabling the onlookers to count His very bones [Psalm XXL:18].
Then think of the actual elevation of the Cross,and the weight of Christ’s body resting on nails which tore gaping wounds in His hands and feet, giving Him excruciating pain.

If, by these and similar considerations you wish to enkindle the flames of Divine love within your heart, try to attain, by meditation, a sublime knowledge of the Infinite Goodness of your Saviour, Who, for you, condescended to suffer so much.
For the more you advance in the knowledge of His love for you, the greater will be your love and affection for Him.
Being convinced of His extraordinary charity, you will naturally conceive a sincere sorrow for having, so often and so heinously, offended Him, Who offered Himself as a sacrifice for your offences.

Proceed then to make acts of hope, considering that this great God on the Cross, had no other plan than to extirpate sin from the world, to free you from the devil, to expiate your crimes, to reconcile you to His Father and to provide a resource for you in all your necessities.
But if, after contemplating His passion, you consider its effects, your sorrow will be turned into joy.
For observe that by Christ’s Death, the sins of humanity were blotted
out, the anger of a Sovereign Judge appeased, the powers of Hell
defeated, death itself vanquished and the places of the fallen Angels filed in Heaven.
And the joy arising from such reflections will be increased by thinking of the joy with which the Holy Trinity, the Blessed Virgin, the Church Militant and Triumphant received the glad, tidings of the Redemption of Mankind.”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES on MEDITATION, The COMMUNION of SAINTS, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 19 April – Meditation and Prayer through the Intercession of the Saints and the Angels

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Thought for the Day – 19 April – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

L: … Meditation and Prayer through the
Intercession of the Saints and the Angels

“The TWO following METHODS of obtaining the protection of the Saints and Angels, maybe of great assistance.

The first method is to address yourself to the eternal Father, laying before Him the hymns of Heavenly choirs, the labours, persecutions and torments suffered by the Saints on earth for love of Him.
Then, in recalling their fidelity and love, beseech Him to grant your petitions.

The second method is to invoke the Angels, those blessed spirits, earnestly desirous, not only of our earthly perfection but, of our greater Heavenly perfection.
Earnestly beseech them to assist you in subduing your evil inclinations and conquering the enemies of your salvation and beg a particular remembrance at the hour of death.

Sometimes think over the extraordinary graces God has granted to the Saints and Angels and rejoice as if they had been bestowed upon yourself.– rather, let your joy be even greater, for His having bestowed such favours upon them, rather than upon yourself, for such was His Will and you should bless and praise God in the accomplishment of His Divine Plan.

To facilitate the regularity and performance of this exercise, it would be well to assign the different days of the week to the different orders of the blessed.
On Sunday, implore the intercession of the nine Angelic choirs; on Monday, invoke Saint John the Baptist; on Tuesday, the Patriarchs and Prophets; on Wednesday, the Apostles; on Thursday, the Martyrs; on Friday, Bishops and Confessors; on Saturday, the Virgins and other Saints.
But let no day pass without imploring the assistance of Our Lady, the Queen of all the Saints, your Guardian Angel, the glorious Archangel Saint Michael, or any other Saint to whom you have any particular devotion.
Moreover, beseech daily the eternal Father, His Divine Son and the Blessed Virgin that you may be particularly under the protection of Saint Joseph, the worthy spouse of the most chaste of virgins.
Then addressing yourself to this loving protector, ask with great humility, to be received into his care.
For innumerable are the instances of assistance afforded to those who have called upon St Joseph in their spiritual or temporal necessities.
Particularly, has he aided them when they stood in need of Light from Heaven and direction in their prayers.

And if God shows so much regard for the other Saints who have loved and served Him here below, how much consideration and deference will He not show, for the person He so honoured, as to pay him filial homage and obedience?”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

Posted in GOD the FATHER, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on MEDITATION, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 17 April – A Method of Prayer Based on the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin

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Thought for the Day – 17 April – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

XLVIII: … A Method of Prayer Based on
the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin

“Besides the Methods of Meditation already mentioned, there is another which is addressed particularly to the Blessed Virgin Mother.
We firstly consider the eternal Father, then Jesus Christ Our Lord and finally, the Blessed Mother.

With regard to the eternal Father, there are two considerations.
The first is the singular affection He cherished, from all eternity for this most chaste Virgin whom He chose to be the Mother of His Divine Son.
The second is the eminent sanctity He was pleased to bestow upon her and the many virtues she practiced in her lifetime.
Meditating on the affection of the eternal Father for our Lady, you must begin by raising your mind above all created beings – look forward to the vast expanses of eternity, enter into the Heart of God and see, with what delight He viewed the person destined one day, to become the Mother of His Son; beseech Him, by that delight, to give you sufficient strength against your enemies, especially those who most grievously afflict you.

Contemplate, then, the virtues and heroic actions of this incomparable Virgin.
Make an offering of each or all of them to God, as they are of such efficacy, as to obtain for you, divine assistance in your particular necessities.

After this address yourself to Jesus, begging Him to be mindful of that loving Mother who, for nine months carried Him in her womb, and, from the moment of His birth, paid Him the most profound adoration.
For this was her acknowledgment that this Child was at once God and Man, her Creator and her Son.
With compassion she saw Him poorly accommodated in a humble stable, nourished Him with her pure milk, kissed and embraced Him a thousand times, with maternal fondness and throughout His Life and at His Death, suffered for Him beyond expression.
Present this picture to the Saviour that He may be compelled, as it were, by such powerful motives, to hear your prayers.

Appeal to the Blessed Virgin herself, reminding her of her commission ,from all eternity, to be the Mother of Mercy and the Refuge of sinners and that, after her Divine Son, you place your
greatest confidence in her intercession.
Present to her the fact, asserted by the learned and confirmed by miracles that no-one ever called upon her with a lively faith and love, was left unaided.

Finally, remind her of the sufferings of her Son for your salvation that she may obtain of Him, the grace necessary to make proper use of His sufferings for the greater glory of that loving Saviour!”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

Posted in QUOTES on MEDITATION, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 16 April – Another Method of Meditation 

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Thought for the Day – 16 April – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

XLVII: … Another Method of Meditation

“There is another method of prayer and meditation besides
the one to which we have referred.

In this latter method, having considered the poignant sufferings of your Saviour and His patient endurance of them, you proceed to two other considerations of equal importance.
The one, is the consideration of Christ’s Infinite merits and , the other, of that satisfaction and glory which the eternal Father received from His obedience – an obedience unto death, even the Death of the Cross.
You must represent these two considerations to the Divine Majesty, as two powerful means of obtaining the grace you seek.

This method is applicable, not only to all the Mysteries of Our Lord’s Passion but, to every exterior or interior act He performed in the course of His Passion.”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

Posted in QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on PATIENCE, The PASSION, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 15 April – On Meditation 

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Thought for the Day – 15 April – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

XLVI: … On Meditation

“When a considerable length of time [as a half-hour, hour, or an even longer period] is to be spent in prayer, it is advisable to make a meditation on some feature of our Saviour’s Life or Passion; the reflections naturally arising from such meditation, should then be applied to the particular virtue we are striving to attain.

If, for instance, you need patience, contemplate the Mystery of your Saviour Scourged at the Pillar.
Consider firstly, the blows and revilements hurled at Him by the soldiers as they brutally drag their innocent victim to the appointed place as ordered.
Secondly, consider Him stripped of His garments, exposed to the piercing cold.
Thirdly, picture those innocent hands, bound tightly to the pillar.
Fourthly, consider His Body, torn with whips until His Blood moistened the earth.
And finally, envision the frequency of the blows, creating new wounds, re-opening others on that Sacred Body.

Dwelling on these or similar details, calculated to inspire in yourself, a love of patience, you should try to feel within your very soul the inexpressible anguish so patiently borne by your Divine Master.
Then consider the excruciating agony of His spirit and the patience and mildness with which that agony was endured by Him, Who was ready to suffer even more for God’s glory and your welfare.

Behold, then, your Master, covered with Blood, desiring nothing more earnestly than your patient acceptance of affliction and, be assured, that He implores for you, the assistance of the Heavenly Father that you may bear, with resignation, not only the cross of the moment but the crosses to come.

Strengthen, therefore, by frequent acts, your resolution to suffer, with joy and, raising your mind to Heaven, give thanks to the Father of mercies, Who didst send His Only Son into this world to suffer indescribable torments and, to intercede for you in your necessities.

Conclude your meditation by beseeching Him to grant you the virtue of patience, through the merits and intercession of this beloved Son, in Whom He is well pleased.”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

Posted in QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on MEDITATION, The INCARNATION, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The PASSION, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 22 February – Of How Sensible Things Aid Us to Meditate on the Incarnate Word in the Mysteries of His Life and Passion (Part Two)

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Thought for the Day – 22 February – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

XXII: … Of How Sensible Things Aid Us
to Meditate on the Incarnate Word in the
Mysteries of His Life and Passion
(Part Two)

“The same may be said of other similar things.

+++ Let the taste of wine, or other liquid, remind you of your Lord’s vinegar and gall.

+++ If sweet perfumes refresh you, think of the ill odour of the dead bodies which were around Him on Calvary.

+++ While dressing, recollect that the Eternal Word clothed Himself with human flesh that He might clothe you with His Divinity.

+++ When undressing, remember Christ, Who was stripped of His garments, to be Scourged and Crucified for you.

+++ If you hear the shouts and cries of a multitude, think of those hateful words: “Away with Him, away with Him! crucify Him, crucify Him! ” which sounded in His Divine Ears.

+++ At each stroke of the clock, think of that deep sorrow and heaviness of heart which Jesus was pleased to endure in the Garden, as the foreboding and horror of His approaching Death and Passion began to fall upon Him; or imagine to yourself those heavy blows which nailed Him to the Cross.

+++ On any occasion of grief or sorrow which presents itself, whether your own or another’s, reflect that all these things are as nothing, compared to the inconceivable anguish which oppressed, pierced and mangled the Soul and Body of thy Lord!”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/02/21/thought-for-the-day-21-february-of-how-sensible-things-aid-us-to-meditate-on-the-incarnate-word-in-the-mysteries-of-his-life-and-passion-part-one/

Posted in CONFESSION/PENANCE, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LUST, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT - Fr Lorenzo Scupoli

Thought for the Day – 15 February – Of the Way to Resist the Sins of the Flesh (Part Two of Section II)

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Thought for the Day – 15 February – The Spiritual Combat (1589) – Dom Lorenzo Scupoli OSM (c1530-1610)

“None shall be crowned who has not fought well.” 2 Tim 2: 5

XIX: … Of the Way to Resist the Sins of the Flesh
(II) During the Temptation
(Part Two)

“Against evil thoughts, from whatever source arising, the remedies are as follows: (1) Occupation in the various duties proper to our state of life; (2) Prayer and meditation.

Prayer should be made in the following manner:
When first conscious of the presence of these evil thoughts, or even of such as may betoken their approach, FLY for refuge at once to the Crucified, saying:
“My Jesus! my sweet Jesus! help me speedily that I may not fall into the hands of this enemy.”
And sometimes, embracing the Cross on which your Lord is extended and repeatedly kissing the wounds of His Sacred Feet, say lovingly:
“O beauteous Wounds! chaste Wounds! holy Wounds!
wound Thou now, this miserable impure heart of mine
and free it from all that offends Thee.”

At the moment when temptations to carnal pleasures assail you, I do not advise you to meditate upon certain points recommended in many books as remedies against these temptations, such as the vileness of this vice, its insatiable craving, the bitterness and loathing, the peril and ruin of estate, life, honour, etc which follow in its train.
This is not always a certain method of overcoming the temptation – for, if the mind repels these thoughts on the one hand, on the other, they afford an opportunity and expose us to the danger of taking pleasure in and consenting to, them.
Therefore, the true remedy in all these cases, is flight, not from these thoughts alone but from everything, however contrary to them, which may bring them before us.

Let your meditation, then, for this end, be on the Life and Passion of our Crucified Redeemer.
And, should the same thoughts again, intrude themselves against your will and molest you more than ever, as will very probably happen, be not discouraged on this account, nor leave your meditation but continue it, with all possible intensity, not even turning from it to repel such thoughts but giving yourself no more concern about them than if they, in no way, belonged to you.
There is no better method than this of resisting them, how incessant soever maybe their attacks.

You will then conclude your meditation with this or some similar Supplication:
“Deliver me, O my Creator and Redeemer,
from mine enemies, for the honour of Thy Passion
and of Thine unspeakable goodness.”

Suffer not your thoughts to recur again to the subject; for the bare recollection of it is not without danger!
Neither stay, at anytime, to reason with such temptations, to find out whether you have consented to them or not – for this is a device of the devil, who seeks, under the semblance of good, to disquiet you and make you distrustful and faint-hearted, or hopes, by entangling you in such discussions, to draw you into some sin.

Therefore, in this temptation, when the consent is not evident, it is sufficient that you briefly confess the whole to your Spiritual Father and then, rest satisfied with his opinion, without thinking of it further.
But be sure, faithfully to reveal every thought to him and, neither be restrained from so doing by shame or any other consideration.
For if, in dealing with all our enemies, we need the grace of humility to enable us to subdue them, in this case, more than in any other, we are bound to humble ourselves; this vice being almost always, the punishment of pride!”

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

PART ONE of I:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/02/12/thought-for-the-day-11-february-of-the-way-to-resist-the-sins-of-the-flesh-part-one/
PART TWO of I:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/02/13/thought-for-the-day-13-february-of-the-way-to-resist-the-sins-of-the-flesh-part-two/
PART ONE of II:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/02/14/thought-for-the-day-14-february-of-the-way-to-resist-the-sins-of-the-flesh-part-one-of-section-ii/

Posted in ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, GOOD RESOLUTIONS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD

Thought for the Day – 3 January – The Necessity of Meditation in Silence

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Thought for the Day – 3 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Necessity of Meditation in Silence

“With desolation all the land made desolate because, there is none that considereth in the heart” (Jer 12:11).

Very often the world is plunged in the desolation of evil because, there is nobody who will speak with God, in the silence of his heart and try to regulate his life according to His holy commandments.
It is in a particularly outstanding way today, that the heresies of actionism and externalism, dominate the great mass of mankind.
To act, to rush, to arrive … above all, to arrive!
But to arrive where?
In this frantic, frenzied and tumultuous race, which good people are often found competing, two very sure things are forgotten, namely, that we shall finally arrive at death and, that from death, we shall pass onto eternity.
The whole course of our lives, therefore, should be directed towards this end.
But, if we are to keep this end in view, prudent reflection is essential, especially meditation, made with the assistance of the Divine light, on the eternal truths.

Absorbed in the deafening din of the world around us, it is difficult to hear the Voice of God.
At least, for a little while each day, we must create, within ourselves, a zone of silence, in order to listen to His Voice.
Since God speaks readily in the silence of the heart, let us recollect ourselves before Him, in this quiet oasis.
At least a quarter of an hour of daily meditation is essential for the life of a Catholic.
This should be the diving-board for all the actions of day, if we wish these to be correct and productive of good.

It is very useful, moreover, to recall to mind frequently during the day, the resolutions which have been formed and to accompany these reflections, with short prayers, aspirations and acts of love for God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on PURITY of INTENTION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The HOLY MASS, The HOLY NAME, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 10 October – ‘ … Stay close to Him at all times …’

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One Minute Reflection – 10 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – St Francis Borgia SJ (1510-1572) Confessor, Priest of the Society of Jesus, – Ecclesiasticus 45:1-6, Matthew 19:27-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

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

REFLECTION – “We must follow Christ, cleaving to Him, nor should we forsake Him until we die. As Elisha said to his master: “ As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you ” (2 Kgs 2:2) … So, let us follow Christ and stay close to Him! “To be near God is my good” says the Psalmist (72:28). “ My soul clings fast to Thee; Thy right hand upholds me ” (Ps 62:9). And Saint Paul adds : “ Whoever is joined to the Lord becomes One Spirit with Him ” (1 Cor 6:17). Not just One Body but One Spirit. His whole body lives from the Spirit of Christ through the Body of Christ, we attain to the Spirit of Christ. Remain, therefore, by faith, in Christ’s Body and you will become One Spirit with Him. You are already united to His Body through faith, in vision, you will also be united to Him in spirit. Not that we shall see without a body when we are above but our bodies will be spiritual (1 Cor 15:44).

“Father,” Christ said : “I pray that they may all be one, as Thou, art in Me and I in Thee, that the world may believe” this is what union through faith is. And later He asks: “” this is union through vision.

This is how we are spiritually nourished by the Body of Christ – by having a pure faith in Him, by continually seeking the content of this faith in assiduous meditation and, in this way, discovering, with our minds, what it is we are looking for, by loving passionately, the object of our discovery and imitating, as far as possible, Him Whom we love and, even as we imitate Him, by staying close to Him at all times, so that we may come to everlasting union with Him.” – Guigo II “The Angelic” O.Cart. (Died c1188) The 9th Prior of Grande Chartreuse, from 1174 to 1180 (Meditation 10).

PRAYER – O Lord Jesus Christ, model of true humility and its reward, we beseech Thee, that as Thou made blessed Francis one of Thy glorious imitators, by his contempt for earthly honours, grant us to follow his example and to share in his 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).

Posted in FRANCISCAN OFM, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MEDITATION, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 17 May – St Paschal Baylon

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Quote/s of the Day – 17 May – The Memorial of St Paschal Baylon OFM (1540-1592) Confessor, “Seraph of the Eucharist,” “Saint of the Blessed Sacrament,” “Servant of the Blessed Sacrament.” Franciscan Lay Brother.

“Meditate well on this – Seek God above all things!
It is right for you to seek God,
before and above, everything else
because the Majesty of God
wishes you to receive what you ask for.
This will also make you more ready
to serve God and will enable you
to love Him more perfectly.”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/05/17/quote-s-of-the-day-17-may-st-paschal-baylon-2/

St Paschal Baylon (1540-1592)
“Seraph of the Eucharist”

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, CHRIST the LIGHT, CONSECRATION Prayers, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, Holy Name PRAYERS, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, MARIAN PRAYERS, NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, PURGATORY, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FRIENDSHIP, QUOTES on HERESY, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on STRENGTH, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on the POPE, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, QUOTES on WORRY/ANXIETY, SAINT of the DAY, ST FRANCIS de SALES, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The HOLY NAME, The PASSION

Quote/s of the Day – 29 January – St Francis de Sales

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Quote/s of the Day – 29 January – St Francis de Sales, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church

“The measure of love,
is to love without measure.”

“Since God often sends us His inspirations
by means of His Angels,
we ought frequently to offer Him,
our aspirations, through the same channel.
… Call on them and honour them frequently
and ask their help in all your affairs,
temporal, as well as spiritual.”

“Anxiety is the greatest evil
that can befall a soul, except sin.
God commands you to pray
but He forbids you to worry.”

“Friendships begun in this world
will be taken up again,
never to be broken off. ”

“Have patience with all things
but chiefly, have patience with yourself.
Do not lose courage
in considering your own imperfections
but instantly set about remedying them,
everyday begin the task anew.”

“Do not look forward
to the changes and chances
of this life in fear –
rather look to them with full hope that,
as they arise, God, whose you are,
will deliver you out of them.
He is your keeper.
He has kept you hitherto.
Do you but hold fast to His dear hand
and He will lead you safely through all things
and, when you cannot stand,
He will bear you in His arms.
Do not look forward to
what may happen tomorrow.
Our Father will either shield you from suffering,
or He will give you strength to bear it.”

“Thus we do not say that the Pope
cannot err in his private opinions,
as did John XXII;
or be altogether a heretic,
as perhaps Honorius was.
Now, when he, [the Pope],
is explicitly a heretic,
he falls ipso facto, from his dignity
and OUT of the Church! …”

“During the night
we must wait for the Light.”

Hail, Sweet Jesus!
Prayer to Christ
in His Passion and Death
By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of the Church

Hail, sweet Jesus!
Praise, honour and glory be to Thee, O Christ,
Who, of Thou own accord, embraced death,
and recommending Thyself to Thy heavenly Father,
bowing down Thy venerable Head,
did yield up Thy Spirit.
Truly thus giving up Thy life for Thy sheep,
Thou hast shown Thyself, to be the Good Shepherd.
Thou died, O Only-begotten Son of God.
Thou died, O my beloved Saviour,
that I might live forever.
O how great hope,
how great confidence have
I reposed in Thy Death and Thy Blood!
I glorify and praise Thy Holy Name,
acknowledging my infinite obligations to Thee.
O good Jesus,
by Thy bitter Death and Passion,
give me grace and pardon.
Give unto the faithful departed,
rest and life everlasting.
Amen.

Most Holy Mary,
Virgin Mother of God
Act of Consecration
By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Indulgence of 300 days, for each recitation
St Pius X, 17 November 1906

Most Holy Mary,
Virgin Mother of God,
I ………., most unworthy though I am to be thy servant,
yet touched by thy motherly care for me
and longing to serve thee,
do, in the presence of my Guardian Angel
and all the Court of Heaven,
choose thee this day to be my Queen,
my Advocate and my Mother
and I firmly purpose to serve thee evermore myself
and, to do what I can, that all may
render faithful service to thee.
Therefore, most devoted Mother,
through the Precious Blood thy Son poured out for me,
I beg thee and beseech thee,
deign to take me among thy clients
and receive me as thy servant forever.
Aid me in my every action
and beg for me the grace never,
by word or deed or thought,
to be displeasing in thy sight
and that of thy most holy Son.
Think of me, my dearest Mother
and desert me not at the hour of death.
Amen

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/01/29/quote-s-of-the-day-29-january-st-francis-de-sales/

Posted in EXTREME UNCTION, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on SIN

Thought for the Day – 9 January – DEATH

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

DEATH

“The greatest lesson in life springs from reflection on death.
Whoever does not learn, how to live, from death, will never learn anything from anybody!

We MUST DIE and we DIE ONLY ONCE.
This is a test which we shall never have a chance to repeat!
This thought should inspire in us a healthy fear of sin and an ardent desire to be more closely united with God and more faithful in the observance of His law.

As a special fruit of this mediation, let us form the resolution of asking for the last Sacraments at the hour of death, instead of waiting until our relatives are obliged to exhort us to receive them.
It is not a sentence but a gift, for which we ask.
It is the greatest gift which God’s mercy could grant us in that final and decisive moment of our lives .

There is another resolution which we ought to make.
We should live everyday as if it were our last but, we should work as tirelessly as if we never had to die!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/01/08/thought-for-the-day-8-january-death/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/01/09/thought-for-the-day-9-january-death/

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on PRAYER, Quotes on SALVATION

Thought for the Day – 3 January– Making a Good Meditation

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Thought for the Day – 3 January– Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Making a Good Meditation

“Alessandro Manzoni was once asked how he had managed to penetrate so deeply into the human mind.
Newman was asked how he had succeeded in discovering the law of universal gravity.
Manzoni’s reply was: “By thinking about it.”
Newman’s was: “By thinking intensely.”

Now, in our meditations, we must reveal ourselves to ourselves, which is a very difficult thing to do.
It is, nevertheless, supremely important because its purpose, is not literary or scientific but, is the eternal salvation of our souls!
The attaining of such a purpose, demands serious application on our part, as well as, earnest prayer that God will guide us, so that we may lead lives which will be in union with Him and directed towards their eternal goal, the enjoyment of the Beatific Vision of God!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/01/03/thought-for-the-day-3-january-making-a-good-meditation/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/01/03/thought-for-the-day-3-january-making-a-good-meditation-2/

Posted in ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SILENCE

Thought for the Day – 2 January – The Necessity of Meditation in Silence

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

The Necessity of Meditation in Silence

“There are various ways of meditating.
Each one should choose whichever suits his own character and disposition.
It will always be necessary for him, at the outset, however, to place himself in the presence of God, asking Him for light and strength. Then, to reflect on certain truths, in an effort to apply them to his own particular circumstances and needs and finally, to make the necessary resolutions and beseech God to bless them and make them fruitful.

It is very useful, moreover, to recall to mind frequently, during the rest of the day, the resolutions which have been formed and to accompany these reflections, with short prayers, aspirations and acts of love for God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/01/02/thought-for-the-day-2-january-the-necessity-of-meditation-in-silence/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/01/02/thought-for-the-day-2-january-the-necessity-of-meditation-in-silence-2/

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on BAD CONVERSATION, QUOTES on GOSSIP, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on SOLITUDE, QUOTES on THE WORLD, THOMAS a KEMPIS

Thought for the Day – 30 November – Recollection

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Thought for the Day – 30 November – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Recollection

“There is a perfect picture of the spiritual and recollected man in The Imitation of Christ.

“The man of interior life soon recollects himself because he never wholly pours forth himself upon exterior things.
Exterior labour is no prejudice to him, nor any employment necessary for the time but, as things happen, so he accommodates himself to them.
He who is well disposed and orderly in his interior, is not concerned about the strange and perverse doings of ment,” (Bk II c 1:7).

The Imitation of Christ also conta\ins the following passage on the love of solitude.

“Seek a convenient time to attend to thyself and reflect often upon the benefits of God to thee.
Let curiosities alone.
Read such matters as may produce compunction, rather than give occupation.
If you withdraw from superfluous talking and idle visitings and from hearing new things and rumours, you will find time sufficient and proper, to spend in good meditations.
The greatest Saints shunned the company of men when they could and chose rather to live unto God in secret.
*As often as I have been amongst men, said one, I have returned less a man. (*Ana says – St Albert the Great).
This we too often experience when we talk often.” (Bk I c 20, 1-2).

“The cell continually dwelt in, grows sweet” the same chapter continues “but, ill-guarded, it begets weariness” (Bk I c 20, 5).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/12/03/thought-for-the-day-3-december-recollection/

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, QUOTES on THE WORLD

Thought for the Day – 18 February – Interior Silence

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Thought for the Day – 18 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Interior Silence

“God speaks readily when our souls are silent.
He cannot be heard in the noise of the world.
But we do not have to abandon our normal way of life in order to find a little interior recollection.
It is enough to pause for a moment and remember God’s presence.
Once we have formed the habit of doing this, it becomes quite easy, at anytime and in any place.
We may be walking along the street, or in the middle of our work.
We may be in a room full of people chatting together.
Wherever we are, we shall be able to pause and raise our minds to God.
If we acquire this habit, we can lead peaceful lives, on a completely supernatural level.“

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Part One Here:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/18/thought-for-the-day-18-february-interior-silence/

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on MORTAL SIN, QUOTES on SIN, The LAST THINGS

Thought for the Day – 12 January – HELL 1

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Thought for the Day – 12 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

HELL 1

“In whatever you do, remember your last days and you will never sin.” (Eccl 7:36)

“The meditation considered, by the masters of the spiritual life, to be the most useful for rousing the soul from sin, or from a state of torpor, is that on the last things, in other words, on what will happen to us at the end of life.
Amongst these last things, hell is the most terrifying.
Yet, if the mercy of God did not sustain us, we could fall into hell at any moment.
St John Chrysostom meditated on hell everyday.
All the Saints have found in this meditation, the first steps on the way to perfection.
Remember, that a single mortal sin, would merit hell for us!
In that moment, the sinner could have been already hurled into the abyss of torments.
Let us imagine, that we are there …. and, that the goodness and mercy of God has released us from those everlasting, all-devouring flames.   If this should happen, all the sacrifices, which virtue demands, would seem so easy and pleasant.
How ready we should be to do anything, sooner than return to that chasm of eternal sorrow!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on MORTIFICATION, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on SOLITUDE, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on TRUTH, QUOTES on VIRTUE, SAINT of the DAY

Quote of the Day – 8 January – St Apollinaris the Apologist

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Quote of the Day – 8 January – The Third Day within the Octave of Epiphany and the Memorial of St Apollinaris the Apologist (Died 2nd Century)

“Although we acknowledge virtue
to be the richest treasure of the soul of man,
we take little pains about it;
passionately seek
the things of this world,
are cast down and broken,
under every adversity
and curb and restrain our passions
only by halves!”

“We, therefore, grossly deceive ourselves,
in not allotting more time,
to the study of divine truths.
It is not enough barely to believe them
and let our thoughts,
now and then, glance upon them.
That knowledge, which shows us Heaven,
will not bring us to the possession of it
and will deserve punishments,
not rewards, if it remain slight,
weak and superficial.
By serious and frequent meditation,
it must be concocted, digested
and turned into the nourishment
of our affections,
before it can be powerful
and operative enough,
to change them
and produce the necessary fruit in our lives.
For this, all the Saints, affected solitude
and retreats from the noise and hurry of the world,
as much as their circumstances allowed them.”

St Apollinaris the Apologist (Died 2nd Century)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on PRAYER, Quotes on SALVATION

Thought for the Day – 3 January – Making a Good Meditation

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Thought for the Day – 3 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Making a Good Meditation

“Some people claim, that they cannot concentrate for any great length of time on meditation.
In their case, it is very helpful to combine mental and vocal prayer.
Short aspirations and expressions of love for God and of an ardent desire for holiness, can restore the atmosphere of recollection, making the intellect more attentive, the heart more fervent and the entire spiritual exercise, more profitable.

When our minds wander or grow drowsy, we must pull ourselves together by placing ourselves once more in God’s presence and beginning to converse with Him, in a humble and loving fashion.
We must remember how much we need Him and how anxious He is to inspire and help us.
We are so poor and weak – He is infinitely powerful and strong.
We are lost in darkness – He is the Light which illumines every man who is travelling through this world.

St Therese of the Child Jesus always held, that anybody who was careful to spend at least ten minutes, everyday, in devout meditation, was certain of salvation!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/01/03/thought-for-the-day-3-january-making-a-good-meditation/

Posted in CONFESSION/PENANCE, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, NOVENAS, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY MASS, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE

Quote/s of the Day – 5 October – Bl Francis Xavier Seelos

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Quote/s of the Day – 5 October – The Memorial of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos CSsR (1819-1867)

“It is only through suffering
that we become holy.
And to become holy is our only purpose in life,
our only preparation for heaven.”

TOP 10 Practical Guide to Holiness

  1. Go to Mass with deepest devotion.
  2. Spend a half hour to reflect upon your main failing
    and make resolutions to avoid it.
  3. Do daily spiritual reading for at least 15 minutes,
    if a half hour is not possible.
  4. Say the rosary every day.
  5. Also daily, if at all possible, visit the Blessed Sacrament
    and toward evening, meditate on the Passion of Christ for a half hour.
  6. Conclude the day with evening prayer
    and an examination of conscience over all the faults & sins of the day.
  7. Every month make a review of the month in confession.
  8. Choose a special patron every month
    and imitate that patron in some special virtue.
  9. Precede every great feast with a novena, that is, nine days of devotion.
  10. Try to begin and end every activity with a “Hail Mary.”

Bl Francis Xavier Seelos (1819-1867)

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, ROSARY QUOTES, ROSARY QUOTES, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE

Thought for the Day – 1 October – The Month of the Holy Rosary

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The Month of the Holy Rosary

“One of the main advantages of the Rosary is that it enables us to unite with our vocal prayer, meditation on the principal Mysteries of our faith.
During each decade we should meditate briefly on one of these Mysteries.
In this way, our faith will be enlivened and we shall be roused to imitate, in our lives, the example of Jesus and Mary.

The Rosary is composed of the Church’s most beautiful prayers – the Our Father, which Jesus Himself taught us to say when addressiug our heavenly Father and the Hail Mary, which consists of the Angel’s greeting to the Blessed Virgin when he came to announce to her, that she was to be the Mother of God, of the inspired words of St Elizabeth on the occasion of the Visitation and of the moving plea for mercy, both now and at the hour of our death, which the Church places upon the lips of her sinful children (composed and proposed by St Peter Canisius 1521-1597) Doctor of the Church).
Each decade concludes with the short hymn of praise in honour of the Blessed Trinity: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, amen.
This prayer, expresses the two principal Mysteries of our faith, namely, the Unity and Trinity of God and, in an indirect fashion, the Incarnation of the Second Divine Person.

If we think of all this when we are fervently reciting the Holy Rosary, it will prove to be a treasury of grace.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/10/01/thought-for-the-day-1-october-the-month-of-the-holy-rosary/

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The HEART

Thought for the Day – 23 September – The Necessity of Meditation

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Thought for the Day – 23 September – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Necessity of Meditation

“With desolation is all the land made desolate because, there is none that considereth in the heart” (Jer 12:11).
Very often the world is plunged in the desolation of evil because there is nobody who will speak with God in the silence of his heart and try to regulate his life according to His holy commandments.
It is in a particularly outstanding way today, that the heresies of actionism and externalism dominate the great mass of mankind.
To act, to rush, to arrive … above all, to arrive!
But to arrive where?
In this frantic, frenzied and tumultuous race, in which good people are often found competing, two very sure things are forgotten, namely, that we shall finally arrive at death and, that from death we shall pass on to eternity.
The whole course of our lives, therefore, should be directed toward this end.
But, if we are to keep this end in view, prudent reflection is essential, especially meditation, made with the assistance of the Divine Light, on the eternal truth.

Absorbed in the deafening din of the world around us, it is difficult to hear the voice of God.
At least, for a little while each day, we must create within ourselves, a zone of silence, in order to listen to His voice.
Since God speaks readily in the silence of the heart, let us recollect ourselves before Him, in this quiet oasis.
At least a quarter of an hour of daily meditation is essential for the life of a Christian.
This should be the jumping-off board for all the actions of day, if we wish these to be correct and productive of good.

It is very useful, moreover, to recall to mind frequently during the day, the resolutions which have been formed and to accompany these reflections, with short prayers, aspirations and acts of love for God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on WILL (Reasonable or Superior), The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 23 September – Who is this

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Quote/s of the Day – 23 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary” – Readings: Haggai 1: 1-8; Psalm 149: 1b-6a and 9b; Luke 9: 7-9

“… Who is this about whom
I hear such things?”
And he sought to see him.”

Luke 9:9

“Prayer is the wing,
wherewith the soul flies to heaven
and meditation,
the eye,
wherewith we see God.”

St Ambrose (340-397)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Faith is to believe
what you do not see;
the reward of this faith,
is to see what you believe.”

“A person can do other things against his will
but belief is possible,
only in one who is willing.”

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

“To one who has faith,
no explanation is necessary.
To one without faith,
no explanation is possible.”

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor of the Church

“He who wishes for anything but Christ,
does not know what he wishes;
he who asks for anything but Christ,
does not know what he is asking;
he who works and not for Christ,
does not know what he is doing.”

St Philip Neri (1515-1595)

“Only one thing is necessary:
Jesus Christ!
Think unceasingly of Him. ”

St John Gabriel Perboyre CM (1802-1840)
Martyr for Christ

“Only God fills the soul and fills it wholly.
Let scientists go on asking – Where is God?
He is where those clever ones,
arrogant in their knowledge, cannot reach.”

St Raphael Arnaiz Baron (1911-1938)

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on MEDIOCRITY, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, QUOTES on VIRTUE

Thought for the Day – 7 August – Spiritual Languor

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

Spiritual Languor

“Sometimes we become tired and sleepy.
The love of God no longer warms our hearts nor prompts us to perform good works.
We experience a kind of disgust for spiritual things and prayer becomes a burden.
We no longer feel any pleausre in speaking with God, for our souls have grown arid and cold.
We neglect our spiritual exercises and are careless about mediation and the Sacraments.
We go on living on the edge of the abyss and never consider the fact, that it is a very short step from spiritual inactivity to actual sin.

This kind of languor is not always sinful, however.
Sometimes God permits dryness of spirit to test our humility and to make us understand, that without Him, we are capable of nothing.
Saints, like St Theresa and St Francis de Sales, were tried by spiritual aridity.
In such cases, the only remedy is to be patient and humble and to trust in God.
We must ask God to let us die rather than be separated from Him and to restore to us, our former fervent love for Him.

Most often this languor and inertia is caused by our neglect of the means necessary to preserve our spiritual life.
We begin by omitting the prayers and penances which it is our duty to perform and by postponing Confession and Holy Communion.
Without frequent Confession, our sins increase like noxious weeds, which stifle the good grain.
Without Holy Communion, we lack the protection and grace of God.

Let us examine ourselves and make good resolutions.
Fervour of soul, the love of God and a strong and effective inclination to virtue, cannot be attributed purely to ourselves.
They are the result of God’s grace, for which we should pray without ceasing!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE

Thought for the Day – 18 July – Intimacy with Jesus

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Thought for the Day – 18 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Intimacy with Jesus

“The union of love which should exist between Jesus and ourselves, is modelled on the mysterious union between Jesus and His Heavenly Father.

(1) This intimacy between ourselves and Jesus should be, first of all, in the mind.
Our thoughts will be good when we think like God and with the mind of Jesus, “Who is the true light that enlightens every man who comes into the world” (Jn 1:9).
If we stray away from that light, darkness overwhelms us, even as it pervaded the earth during the agony of Jesus Christ.
Our intelligence is a ray of light which comes from God, we should take care not to allow this ray to be separated from its divine source.
This heavenly ray always shone on the faces of the saints because they were clean of heart and close to God.
That is how we should all be.

(2) In the second place, we should be united intimately with Jesus in our sentiments.
“Have this mind in you which was also in Jesus Christ” (Phil 2:5) says St Paul.
Our love must not be abstract or partial but must be all-absorbing.
Jesus calls us friends and friendship unites two hearts as one.
We must give ourselves completely to Jesus without reserving anything for ourselves.
True holiness is found when God and man are united like two faithful constant friends.

(3) In the third place, there must be intimacy in action.
It is not possible for a man who truly loves God to do anything which would offend Him.
Jesus compares the love which we should have for Him with the love which He has for His Heavenly Father, so we should model our lives continuously on the life of Jesus.
Jesus must work in us, as He did in St Paul and all the Saints.

St Francis de Sales writes, that Jesus should always be in our minds, in our hearts, in our eyes and on our tongue.
We should be living images of Jesus and we must, therefore, live and act for Him, with Him and in Him.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, FRUITS of the SPIRIT, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on THE WORLD, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 5 July – St Anthony Mary Zaccaria

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Quote/s of the Day – 5 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – the Memorial of St Anthony Mary Zaccaria CRSP (1502-1539)

“In His mercy, God has chosen us,
unworthy as we are,
out of the world,
to serve Him and thus, to advance in goodness
and to bear the greatest possible
fruit of love in patience.”

“If you want to pray well,
first detach yourself from things of the world,
purify yourself from your passions,
which deprive your soul of your trust in God,
then prepare yourself for prayer through meditation.”

“ True spiritual life consists in this:
that man keep his eyes on God all the time,
long for nothing but for God,
keep nothing in mind but God,
begin every single action,in God’s name
and direct it to Him.”

St Anthony Mary Zaccaria (1502-1539)

MORE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/07/05/quote-s-of-the-day-5-july-st-anthony-mary-zaccaria-2/

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day -15 May – ‘Ask the Father anything in my name …’ Let us pray

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Quote/s of the Day – 15 May – “Mary’s Month” – Readings: Acts 18: 23-28, Psalms 47: 2-3, 8-9, 10, John 16: 23-28

“Amen, amen I say to you,
if you ask the Father anything in my name,
he will give it you.”

John 16:27

“Prayer is the wing,
wherewith the soul flies to heaven
and meditation,
the eye,
wherewith we see God.”

St Ambrose (340-397)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“ Lift up and stretch out your hands,
not to heaven but to the poor…
if you lift up your hands in prayer
without sharing with the poor,
it is worth nothing.”

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

“A servant of the Lord
stands bodily before men
but mentally,
he is knocking at the gates of heaven.
with prayer.”

“Ask with tears,
seek with obedience,
knock with patience.”

St John Climacus (c 525-606)
Father of the Church

Prayer for the Gift of Prayer
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

O Incarnate Word,
You have given Your Blood and Your Life
to confer on our prayers that power by which,
according to Your promise,
they obtain for us all that we ask.
And we, O God,
are so careless of our salvation,
that we will not even ask You for the graces
that we must have, if we should be saved!
In prayer You have given us the key
of all Your Divine treasures;
and we, rather than pray,
choose to remain in our misery.
Alas! O Lord, enlighten us,
and make us know the value of prayers,
offered in Your name and by Your merits,
in the eyes of Your Eternal Father.
Amen

“My children, your heart is small
but prayer expands it
and makes it able to love God.
Prayer is a foretaste of heaven,
an outflowing of paradise.
It never leaves us without sweetness.
It is honey, which descends into the soul
and sweetens everything.
Sorrows melt in a prayer,
that is well prayed,
like snow in the sun.”

St John-Marie Baptiste Vianney (1786-1859)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on MEDIOCRITY, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 24 April – Gospel Reading

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Thought for the Day – 24 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Gospel Reading

“The Gospel is the books of books, for it contains, not the words of men but the words of God.
In the beginning, the Word of God was made man ad became the life-giving Word during His earthly life.
Thus we have the written Word in the Sacred Scriptures.
When we read the Gospel, we should imagine that Jesus is there before us, so that we can hear the Words from His divine lips and feel the breath of His life and the fire of His love.

“In heaven” says St Augustine, “Jesus continues to speak to us on earth through His Gospel.”
His Words are the bright stars which should gude men – often wandering in the darkness of error or engulfed in the abyss of sin – through the way of virtue and goodness towards Heaven.

The more one penetrates the Gospel, the more one gets to know Jesus Christ.
St Augustine writes that the Gospel is another way, which Jesus has chosen, of remaining among us.
The same holy Doctor does not hesitate to say, that “he who scorns even of these sacred words, would be no less guilty, than if he let the Blessed Eucharist fall on the ground through negligence.”

When we read the sacred pages, we begin to understand the infinite goodness of Jesus.
We see Him whimper and suffer in the manger at Bethlehem; we see Him humbly working as a poor labourer in the workshop in Nazareth; we see Him pardon Magdalene and the penitent adulteress; we see Him restore life to the dead, sight to the blind and health to all kinds of sick people; in the supper room, we see Him give us Himself, under the veil of the Blessed Eucharist, at the very moment when He was forgotten, denied and betrayed; we see Him in the Praetorium before Pilate, where He was scourged for our sins; we see Him on Calvary dying on a cross for us, forgiving His crucifiers and promising Heaven to the penitent thief and, finally, we see Him rising from the dead and ascending gloriously into Heaven, where He went to prepare a place for us, should we persevere as His faithful followers, “I go to prepare a place for you” (Jn 14:2).

The Saints often read and meditated on the Gospel.
It provided spiritual food for their souls.
In the life os St Philip Neri, we read, that during his last years, he read nothing but the Gospels, especially the Gospel of St John, which treats profoundly of the love of God.

Do you read the Gospels?
With what dispositions and with what results do you read it?
In modern times, unfortunately, very few read it at all.
That is why so many stray so far from the spirit of Jesus and why, they often display a material form of piety, insipid and useless, in the practice of the Catholic life!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci