Category: QUOTES on MERCY

Posted in Corporal Works of Mercy, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on SPIRITUAL WORKS of MERCY

One Minute Reflection – 19 July – ‘Make friends for yourselves with the mammon of wickedness’

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And I say to you, make friends for yourselves with the mammon of wickedness, so that when you fail they may receive you into the everlasting dwellings.

Luke 16:1-9

REFLECTION – Brethren and friends, let us by no means be wicked stewards of God’s gift to us. If we are we will have to listen to Saint Peter saying: “Be ashamed, you who hold back what belongs to another, take as an example the justice of God and no one will be poor. While others suffer poverty, let us not labor to hoard and pile up money, for if we do, holy Amos will threaten us sharply in these words: “Hear this, you who say: ‘When will the new moon be over that we may sell; and the Sabbath, that we may open up our treasures?’”

Let us imitate the first and most important law of God, “who sends his rain on the just and on sinners and makes the sun shine on every person equally”. God opens up the earth, the springs, the streams and the woods to all who live in the world. He gives the air to the birds, the water to the fish, and the basic needs of life abundantly to all, without restriction or limitation or preference. These basic goods are common to all, provided by God generously and with nothing lacking. He has done this so that creatures of the same nature may receive equal gifts and that he may show us how rich is his kindness…So imitate this divine mercy.

He who has mercy on the poor, lends to God, it says. Who would not accept such a debtor, who will repay the loan in due time with interest? And again: By alms and faith sins are cleansed. Let us then be cleansed by showing mercy, let us wash away with the good herb the filth and defilements of our souls; and let us be made white, some as wool, some as snow, according to the proportion of our compassion.

St Gregory Nazianzen (Homily 14, on love for the poor)

PRAYER – My Lord Jesus Christ,
You have made this journey
to die for me, with love unutterable
and I have so many times unworthily abandoned You
but now I love You with my whole heart
and because I love You,
I repent sincerely for having ever offended You.
Pardon me, my God
and permit me to accompany You on this journey.
You go to die for love of me,
I wish also, my beloved Redeemer,
to die for love of Thee.
My Jesus, I will live
and die always united to You.”
Amen – By St Alphonsus Mary Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, QUOTES on MERCY

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 DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on MERCY

Our Morning Offering – 12 May – O Mary, Twic Mother of Mercy By St Jerome Emiliani

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Our Morning Offering – 12 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

O Mary, Twice Mother of Mercy
By St Jerome Emiliani (1486–1537)

O Mary,
thou art twice Mother of Mercy
because thou hast been made
Mother of our most merciful Saviour,
and, furthermore because,
thou hast given to us
so many signs
of thy maternal care and love.
Turn upon us, we beseech thee,
thy glance of compassion
and grant, that we may always
live free from sin,
which is the only impediment
to receiving the fruits
of the Divine Mercies.
Amen

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, Hail MARY!, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MAY - The Blessed Virgin MARY'S MONTH, QUOTES on CHASTITY, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on MEEKNESS, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on ZEAL, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The IMITATION of MARY, Thomas a Kempis, To JESUS through MARY

Thought for the Day – 11 May – VIRTUES and TASKS of a GOOD SERVANT of MARY

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Thought for the Day – 11 May – The Imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

Extracts from The Imitation
of the Blessed Virgin Mary
By Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)
Imprimatur 17 February 1947

Chapter III
VIRTUES AND TASKS OF
A GOOD SERVANT OF MARY

i. Do you always wish to do what is pleasing to Mary?
Be humble, patient, chaste, reserved in everything, full of mildness, an interior man, filled with zeal, little versed in exterior matters, recollected.
Read often, write often but most often, pray.
The service of Mary should seem, neither long nor laborious but, on the contrary always delightful, always full of happiness, always eager.
To serve with your heart and mind, such a mistress, is always a work pious and useful for salvation.
The most lowly offerings are acceptable to her, as equivalent to the most solemn, when they are proffered with love, with spontaneity and with devotion.
She knows how little we are able to give and she requires not the impossible from her children.
A merciful sovereign and queen of mildness, she is, above all, a mother. As a mother, she knows only how to be compassionate to the little and the poor, she who has given to the world, Mercy in Jesus.

ii. Learn then to call upon Jesus in everything and you will be aided, both in perils of the soul and of the body.
Have Jesus always in your heart, in happiness, and you will never be overcome by human distress.
Say the Hail Mary often – you will find joy and peace in it – no prayer is more beautiful than the Our Father – none is sweeter and gentler, than the Hail Mary.
Pray as the Angel prayed before Mary – work as a faithful servant works and you shall have, your crown and mansion in Heaven.
He who knows how to nourish his soul with prayer, he who knows how to pray with the sacred texts, will never know aridity in devotion.
Strive thus constantly, to honour the Names of Jesus and Mary in your heart and with your lips.

III. Wherever you may go, or wherever you may be, implore Jesus and call upon Mary.
Have, as a rule of life and, as a help in time ot need, this pious invocation –
“Guide, O my Lord, always guide my way in Thy presence.”
He who bears Jesus and Mary in his heart, always works well, always conducts himself well.
Sing these two Names, sing them in your heart, sing them with your lips, sing them with your hands.
Let your looks seek them, let your eyes implore them, let your arms embrace them, let your knees adore them.

iv. Prayer: O Mary, O Mother Full of Mercy,

O Mary, O Mother full of mercy,
receive close to thee,
thy servant wandering without consolation,
in the midst of his trials.
Look, O my Queen, look at my affliction
and open to me, thine heart full of consolation.
Here I am, praying and saying in my distress
that I shall not cease, nor leave thee,
until thou hast had pity on me.
I know, O Mother,
thine incomparable sweetness,
I know the maternal flame of thy noble heart,
I know the fullness of love which fils it
and that I may have full hope in thee.
I take refuge with thee too, O my Mother,
so that in joy as in sorrow,
I may receive thy watchful succour
and listen to thy maternal consolation.

(Thomas à Kempis, The Valley of Lilies,ChapterXIII)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, DOCTRINE, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD the FATHER, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SPIRITUAL WORKS of MERCY, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 2 May – St Athanasius

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Quote/s of the Day – 2 May – The Feast of St Athanasius (297-373) Confessor, Father & Doctor of the Church

“The likeness of Wisdom has been stamped
upon creatures, in order that the world
may recognise the Word, Who was its Maker
and, through the Word, come to know the Father. ”

“If we follow Christ closely we shall be allowed,
even on this earth,
to stand, as it were,
on the threshold of the heavenly Jerusalem
and enjoy the contemplation,
of that everlasting Feast,
like the blessed Apostles,
who, in following the Saviour as their leader,
showed and still show,
the way to obtain the same gift from God.
They said – See, we have left all things and followed Thee.
We too follow the Lord
and we keep His Feast
by deeds rather than by words.”

“You will not see anyone,
who is really striving
after his advancement,
who is not given to spiritual reading.
And as to him who neglects it,
the fact will soon be observed
by his progress.”

“Similarly, anyone who wishes
to understand the minds
of the sacred writers
must first cleanse his own life
and approach the Saints,
by imitating their deeds.”

“Let us remember the poor
and not forget kindness to strangers;
above all, let us love God
with all our soul
and might
and strength
and our neighbour
as ourselves.”

St Athanasius (297-373)
Father & Doctor of the Church

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on HOSPITALITY, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on POVERTY, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on the POOR, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 30 March – ‘ … You do not look at Him even when He faints with hunger …’

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One Minute Reflection – 30 March  – “The Month of Saint Joseph” – Monday in Holy Week – Isaias 50:5-10 – John 12:1-9 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“For the poor you have always with you but Me, you have not always.” – John 12:8

REFLECTION – “The Father did not spare Him for your sake and this, even though He was indeed His Son (Rom 8:32). And yet, you do not look at Him even when He faints with hunger and this too, when you have only to spend for your own food, which is His own! What could be worse than such a breach of law as this?! He was given up for you, slain for you; He lives in hunger for you. You have only to give that which belongs to Him and you, yourself, will get the gain and still, you do not give! What sort of stone is there in place of your heart, besides which these people are not more senseless and who, in spite of such great inducements, continue in this devilish hard-heartedness?

For He was not even satisfied with death and the Cross alone but also, assumed poverty, becoming a stranger and a beggar, naked and cast into prison, undergoing sickness (Mt 25:36) that so, at least, He might call upon you. If you wilt not requite Me, He says, as one Who suffered for your sake, show mercy upon Me for My poverty. And if you are not minded to pity Me for My poverty, at least be moved by My diseases, be softened by My imprisonment . And if, even these do not make you charitable, then for the easiness of the request, comply with Me. For it is no costly gift I ask but bread and lodging and words of comfort … Then I was bound for you, indeed I am so still, so that whether moved on grounds of the former or stirred by the latter, you might be minded to show Me some pity. I fasted for your sake and now, hunger for you; I thirsted when hanging on the Cross and now thirst in the poor, that just as by the former, so also by the latter I may draw you to Myself and make you charitable for your own salvation!..

Indeed, He says: “Whoever welcomes a child such as this, for My Sake, welcomes Me” (Mk 9:37) … For I am able indeed, to crown you even without all these things and yet, I would prefer to be your debtor, so that the crown may make you feel secure. That is why, although I am able to support Myself, yet, I come begging and stand at your door and stretch out My Hand, since My wish is to be supported by you. For I Love you exceedingly and desire to eat at your table!” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Bishop of Constantinople, Father & Doctor of the Church (Sermon 15 on the Letter to the Romans).

PRAYER – In Thy mercy, O Lord, may this hallowing fast enlighten the hearts of Thy faithful people and since Thou have given them the desire to serve Thee, lend a gracious ear to their prayers.Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, LENT 2026, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on SPIRITUAL WORKS of MERCY, Thomas Aquinas

Passion Saturday – 28 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas – How We Should Wash Each Others’ Feet

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Passion Saturday – 28 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

Passion Saturday
How We Should Wash Each Others’ Feet

“If I then, being your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; you too ough to wash one another’s feet”
John xiii. 14

Our Lord wishes His disciples to imitate His Example.
He says, therefore, If I, Who am the greater, being your Master and the Lord, have washed your feet, you too, all the more who are the lesser, who are disciples, slaves even, ought to wash each others’ feet.
“Whosoever will be the greater among you, let him be your minister . . . . Even as the Son of Man is not come to be ministered unto but to minister” (Matt xx. 26-28).

St Augustine says, every man ought to wash the feet of his fellowmen, either actually or in spirit.
And, it is by far the best and true beyond all controversy, that we should do it actually, lest Christians scorn to do what Christ did.
For when a man bends his body to the feet of a brother human, emotion is stirred in his very heart, or, if it be there already, it is strengthened.
If we cannot actually wash his feet, at least we can do it in spirit.
The washing of the feet signifies the washing away of stains.
You, therefore, wash the feet of your brother when, as far as lies in your power, you wash away his stains.

And this you may do in three ways:
(i) By forgiving the offences he has done to you. “Forgive one another, if any have a complaint against another: even as the Lord hath forgiven you, so do you also” (Coloss iii. 13).
(ii) By praying for the forgiveness of his sin, as St James bids us, “Pray for one another that you may be saved” (James v. 16).
This way of washing, like the first, is open to all the faithful.
(iii) The third way is for Prelates, who should wash, by forgiving sins through the authority of the Keys, according to the Gospel, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost; those whose sins you shall forgive , they are forgiven them” (John xx. 23).

We can also say that in this one act, Our Lord showed all the Works of Mercy.
He who gives bread to the hungry, washes their feet, as also does the man who harbours the harbourless, or he who clothes the naked.
“Communicating to the necessities of the saints” (Rom xii. 13).

ST THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274)
Priest, Theologian, Dominican
Doctor Angelicus (Angelic Doctor)
Doctor Communis (Common Doctor)
Added by Pope Saint Pius V in 1568

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on VOCATIONS, The PASSION

Quote/s of the Day – 27 February – St Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin/Gabriel Possenti

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Quote/s of the Day – 27 February – St Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin/Gabriel Possenti CP (1838-1862) Confessor

“The Infinite Mercy of God
has been able to arrange all things sweetly
and today, the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows,
our Protectress and our Mother,
I have put on, with unutterable joy,
this holy religious Habit and taken the name
of Confrater Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows.”

(Letter to his Father,
From Morrovalle on
21 September 1856)

“What caution, in fact, does it not require,
to live as a good Christian in the world!”

(Letter to his Father,
From Morrovalle on
21 September 1856)

“Oh, be assured, he whom God
calls to the religious life
receives a very great favour,
a favour which is impossible to estimate
at its real value.”

“My sole merit lies in Thy Wounds”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/02/28/quote-s-of-the-day-28-february-st-gabriel-of-the-sorrowful-virgin-gabriel-possenti-cp-1838-1862/

St Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin
/Gabriel Possenti CP (1838-1862)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PRAYER

Quote/s of the Day – 18 Februaryr – Ash Wednesday – Prayer, Fasting and Mercy

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Quote/s of the Day – 18 Februaryr – Ash Wednesday

Prayer, Fasting and Mercy
St Peter Chrysologus (c400-450)
Bishop of Ravenna
“Doctor of Homilies”
Father and Doctor of the Church

“There are three things, my brethren, by which faith stands firm, devotion remains constant and virtue endures. They are prayer, fasting and mercy. Prayer knocks at the door, fasting obtains, mercy receives. Prayer, mercy and fasting: these three are one and they give life to each other.

Fasting is the soul of prayer, mercy is the lifeblood of fasting. Let no-one try to separate them; they cannot be separated. If you have only one of them, or not all together, you have nothing. So if you pray, fast; if you fast, show mercy; if you want your petition to be heard, hear the petition of others. If you do not close your ear to others you open God’s ear to yourself.

When you fast, see the fasting of others. If you want God to know that you are hungry, know that another is hungry. If you hope for mercy, show mercy. If you look for kindness, show kindness. If you want to receive, give. If you ask for yourself, that which you deny to others, your asking is a mockery.

Let this be the pattern for all men when they practice mercy – show mercy to others in the same way, with the same generosity, with the same promptness, as you wish others to show mercy to you.

Therefore, let prayer, mercy and fasting be one single plea to God on our behalf, one speech in our defence, a threefold united prayer in our favour.” – (An excerpt from his Sermon 43)

Posted in CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MODESTY, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on HOSPITALITY, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on TRUTH, The BEATITUDES, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 6 December – ‘ O God, grant that whatever good things I have,I may share generously with those who have not …’

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Quote/s of the Day – 6 December – Hebrews 13:7-17; Matthew 25:14-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“To one He gave five talents;
to another, two; to a third, one—
to each according to his ability. …”

Matthew 25:15

“And he who had received the five talents
went and traded with them,
and gained five more.

Matthew 25:16

“God is Good but He is also Just…
So do not underestimate God –
His love for men
should not become a pretext,
for negligence on our part.”

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

“For the man who is kindly,
modest, merciful and just,
will not keep his good works to himself
but will see to it
that these admirable fountains,
send out their streams,
for the good of others.
Again, the man who is clean of heart,
a peacemaker and ardent for truth,
will order his life, so as to contribute
to the common good.”

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

“Whatever He receives on earth,
He returns in Heaven.”

St Caesarius of Arles (470-543)

“O God, grant that whatever good things I have,
I may share generously with those who have not
and whatever good things, I do not have,
I may request humbly, from those who do.”

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor Angelicus

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on MERCY, The BEATITUDES

Thought for the Day – 26 November – The Blessedness of the Merciful

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Thought for the Day – 26 November – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Blessedness of the Merciful

“Let us remember that we have often made ourselves God’s enemies, by our sins.
We were often in need, when we were deprived of Divine grace.
On these occasions, God was merciful to us, for He granted us His forgiveness and His friendship.
These gifts of God, place an obligation on us, to behave in the same way to those who are in need, by assisting them willingly and generously and, to those who are unhappy, by consoling them as far as possible.

Let us remember, the great principle which Jesus Christ has given us.
“Even as you wish men to do to you, so also, do you unto them … Do good to those who hate you … Do not judge and you shall not be judged; do not condemn and you shall not be condemned. Forgive and you shall be forgiven, give and it shall be given to you …” (Cf Lk 6:30-38).
“With what judgement you judge, you shall be judged and with what measure you measure, it shall be measured to you” (Mt 7:1).
So it shall be on the day of death, when we shall appear before the Supreme Judge!

Let us be generous throughout life in giving help and consolation to others.
It is more blessed to give, than to receive, as the Gospel says.
By giving, we shall find a little happiness, even in this world and shall be certain that one day, the most merciful Judge will pardon and embrace us!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/12/03/thought-for-the-day-2-december-the-blessedness-of-the-merciful/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/11/26/thought-for-the-day-26-november-the-blessedness-of-the-merciful/

Posted in CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, INDULGENCES, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY, PURGATORY, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MERCY, The COMMUNION of SAINTS, The HOLY SOULS

Thought for the Day – 7 November – How We Can Help the Faithful Departed

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

How We Can Help the Faithful Departed

“We have a natural obligation to help the faithful departed, for they are our fellow-men.
Are we capable of watching another human being in agony, without feeling pity for him?
If there is some way in which we can help him, moreover, ought we not to do so?
The Holy Souls are in agony, however, they are on fire with the love of God, yet cannot be united to Him.
We have a means of helping them through our prayers and good works.

There is a further obligation on us, arising from our religion.
They have been redeemed, like ourselves, by the Blood of Christ and God has told us that the same degree of mercy, will one day be shown to us, which we have shown to others.
The time will come when we also shall find ourselves in Purgatory and shall be in need of prayer.
If we remember the dead now, they will be in a position, one day, to do the same for us.
Blessed are the merciful, Jesus says, for they will obtain mercy.

When we appear before the judgement seat of God in order to account for the way in which we have spent our lives, He will count as done to Himself, whatever we have done to the poor, hungry and ill-clad.
Only if we have been merciful towards them, will He receive us into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Otherwise, He will send us away, accursed, for all eternity.
Now the Souls in Purgatory are more unfortunate than those who are poor, hungry and homeless in this world.
They hunger for God, they are full of regret for the sins which they have committed and they languish far from the eternal home, to which they belong.

Finally, we have a duty in justice, to help their souls.
Some of them are our parents, brothers, sisters, friends and benefactors.
Perhaps they are suffering now because they loved us too much because they wished to make money for us or because, they were led astray by our bad example!
It is not only charity, therefore but justice, which obliges us to pray for them.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, DOCTRINE, DOMINICAN OP, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY, PRAYERS for the SOULS, PURGATORY, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the POOR, REDEMPTIVE Suffering, St Francis de Sales, The HOLY SOULS

Quote/s of the Day – 3 November – The Holy Souls in Purgatory

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Quote/s of the Day – 3 November – “The Month of The Holy Souls in Purgatory” and the Feast of the Holy Souls in Purgatory

The Doctrine of Purgatory
by Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Bishop of Geneva
Doctor of Charity of the Church

From “The Catholic Controversy“
(originally published by Burns and Oates, London 1886)
Translated by Rev Henry Benedict Mackey OSB (19th Century)
English Canon of the Isle of Wight

https://www.goodcatholicbooks.org/francis/catholic-controversy/purgatory.html

Prayer for the Holy Souls in Purgatory
By St Ignatius of Antioch (c 35-c 108)
Apostolic Father of the Church

Receive in tranquility and peace,
O Lord, the souls of Thy servants,
who have departed this present life
to come to Thee.
Grant them rest and place them
in the habitations of Light,
the abodes of blessed spirits.
Give them the life that will not age,
good things that will not pass away,
delights that have no end,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

“ … Yet only grant me repentance here below
That I may make reparation for my sins, …
That these tears may extinguish the blazing furnace
With its burning flames. …

And, instead of acting like the merciless,
Set merciful compassion within me,
That, by showing mercy to the poor,
I may obtain Your mercy.”

St Nerses Chnorhali (1102-1173)
Armenian Bishop

“The more one longs for a thing,
the more painful does deprivation of it become.
And because, after this life,
the desire for God, the Supreme Good,
is intense in the souls of the just –
(because this impetus toward Him,
is not hampered by the weight of the body
and that time of enjoyment,
of the Perfect Good, would have come)
had there been no obstacle.
The soul suffers enormously,
from the delay.”

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Angelic Doctor

“If, during life, we have been kind
to the suffering Souls in Purgatory,
God will ensure that help be not denied us,
after death.”

St Paul of the Cross (1694-1775)

“The Holy Souls must sometimes think, reproachfully,
how little their friends on earth do
to aid them in their present sufferings.
Among many other methods of aiding them,
I can offer up for them
all the pains of mind and body
which God sends me, asking God
to accept them in alleviation
of the sufferings of the holy souls.
This will help me to be patient
and to suffer willingly and,
when my time comes, I shall find
that patient suffering for others,
will shorten my time of banishment from God,
in the fires of Purgatory.”

Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Posted in CATECHESIS, Corporal Works of Mercy, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY, PURGATORY, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on SPIRITUAL WORKS of MERCY, St Alphonsus de Liguori,, St Francis de Sales, The HOLY SOULS

Quote/s of the Day – 2 November – the Holy Souls in Purgatory

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Quote/s of the Day – 2 November – “The Month of The Holy Souls in Purgatory” and the Feast of the Holy Souls in Purgatory

“A person may say,
I am not much concerned
how long I stay in purgatory,
provided I may come to eternal life.
Let no-one reason thus!
Purgatory fire will be more dreadful
than whatever torments can be seen, imagined
or endured in this world.
He who is now afraid to put his finger into the fire,
does he not fear,
lest he be then all buried in torments, for a very long time?”

St Caesarius of Arles (470-543)
Bishop, Father of the Church

“To assist the Souls in Purgatory,
is to perform the most excellent of the Works of Mercy,
or rather, it is to practice, in a most sublime manner,
all the Works of Mercy together –
it is to visit the sick;
it is to give drink to thos who thirst, for the vision of God;
it is to feed the hungry, to ransom prisoners,
to clothe the naked, to procure, the hospitality
of the heavenly Jerusalem for poor exiles;
it is to comfort the afflicted, to instruct the ignorant —
in fine, to practice all the Works of Mercy in one!”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

“It is said that souls who, in this life,
have but little longing for Heaven
are punished in Purgatory
with a peculiar pain, called the pain of languor.
This surely is only just because,
to have but little longing for Heaven
is to set little value on the happiness
of that eternal Kingdom which our Lord opened to us,
by His Death. Remember then,
frequently to think of, and long for Heaven.
Say to God that your life seems an endless span,
so great is your desire to go to Him,
to see Him face-to-face and, to love Him.
Say to Him, over and over again,
Lord, as long as I live on this earth,
I am in danger of forsaking Thee and of losing Thy Love.”

“How pleasing to Him it will be,
if you sometimes forget yourself
and speak to Him of His own glory;
of the miseries of others,
especially those who mourn in sorrow;
of the souls in purgatory,
His spouses, who long to behold Him in Heaven
and, of poor sinners,
who live deprived of His grace.”

St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on MERCY, The HOLY NAME of MARY

Quote/s of the Day – 24 September – Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes / Our Lady of Mercy / Our Lady of Ransom

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Quote/s of the Day – 24 September – Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes / Our Lady of Mercy / Our Lady of Ransom

“Mary, Mother of Grace,
it becomes you to be mindful of us,
as you stand near Him who granted you
all graces, for you are the Mother of God
and our Queen.
Help us for the sake of the King,
the Lord God and Master,
Who was born of you.”

St Athanasius (297-373)
Father & Doctor of the Church

“She was called Mary
that is, star of the sea,
in the foreseeing purpose of God,
that she might declare by her name,
that which she manifests
more clearly in reality.”
… For those who sail upon the sea
of the present age and call on her
with complete faith, she rescues
from the breath of the storm
and the raging of the winds
and brings them, rejoicing with her,
to the shore of their happy country.”

St Amadeus of Lausanne (1110-1159)

“The name of Mary istruly a tower of strength
which saves sinners from punishment
and defends the just
from the assaults of hell.”

St Lawrence Justinian (1381-1455)

A Prayer to Our Lady of Mercy
Our Lady of Czestochowa!

O Mary our dear Lady of Jasna Gora,
look graciously upon thy children
in this troubled and sinful world.
Embrace us all in thy loving
and Motherly protection.

Protect our youth from godless way;
assist our dear ones, who have grown old,
to prepare for their journey home;
shield our defenceless unborn
from the horrors of abortion
and be our strength against all sin.

Spare our children from all hatred,
discrimination and war.
Fill our hearts, our homes
and our world, with the peace
and love which comes only from thy Son
Whom thou embraces so tenderly.

O Queen and Mother,
be our comfort and strength!
Through thy Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord!
Amen

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of PETITION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on MERCY

Our Morning Offering – 24 September – Supplication to Our Lady of Ransom

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Our Morning Offering – 24 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – The Feast of Our Lady of Ransom

Supplication to Our Lady of Ransom
To Obtain the Favour of her Patronage until Death.
Unknown Author

Sweet Mother! turn those gentle eyes
Of pity down upon me;
Oh! hear thy suppliant’s tearful cries,
My humble prayer, do not despise,
Star of the pathless sea!

In dark temptation’s dreary hour,
To thee, bright Queen, we flee;
Oh! then exert a mother’s power,
When storms are rough and tempests lower;
Star of the raging sea!

Through all my joys and cares, sweet Maid,
May I still look on thee,
Who bore the Price our ransom paid,
And ne’er the suppliant’s cry hath stayed;
Star of the azure sea!

And when my last expiring sigh,
My soul from earth shall free,
Do thou, bright Queen of Saints, stand by
And bear it up to God on high,
Star of the boundless sea!

Say the Hail Mary three times
followed by
the Hail Holy Queen

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PURITY of INTENTION, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on the POOR

Thought for the Day – 22 September – ALMSGIVING

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

ALMSGIVING

“We must be detached from the goods of this world because they are corruptible and cause us to forget God.
Even if we have been placed in easy circumstances, let us be poor in spirit.
We can be poor in spirit by giving alms from motives of Christian charity.
We need the mercy of God and Our Lord has told us that He will be merciful only to those who show mercy to others.

We need God’s forgiveness for all our sins and the Holy Spirit assures us that our iniquities are redeemed by almsgiving.
“Redeem thou thy sins with alms and thy iniquities, with works of mercy to the poor” (Dan 4:24).
Almsgiving is a means of our personal sanctification!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MERCY

Thought for the Day – 20 September – Charitable Works

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Thought for the Day – 20 September – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Charitable Works

“When Jesus was asked, what was the first commandment, He replied: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul and with thy whole mind and with thy whole strength. This is the first commandment. And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than this” (Mk 12:30-31).
As St Augustine says, the love of God and the love of neighbour are two branches of the same tree, the tree of charity.
“If anyone says, ‘I love God’ and hates his brother,” St John warns us, “he is a liar” (1 Jn 4:20).

We must prove our love for God by showing charity towards our neighbour.
All men are our brothers in Jesus Christ, Who has redeemed us by His Precious Blood.
Our Lord has said that He will regard as done for Himself, anything which we do for the least of our brethren (Mt 25:10).

Like the Saints, we should see Jesus Himself living in the poor and the suffering.
The Saints gave Him everything they had, not only their possessions but also their toil and their love.

Think how much those missionaries do who leave everything in order to go to foreign lands and win souls for Christ.
Think of the charitable work of the sisters and nurses in the hospitals, asylums and orphanages.
What are we doing?”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, In the PRESENCE of GOD, JESUIT SJ, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on SPIRITUAL WORKS of MERCY, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 5 September – Well done, good and faithful servant … Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” – Matthew 25:21

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One Minute Reflection – 5 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – St Lawrence Justinian (1381-1455) Bishop and Patriarch of Venice, Confessor – Ecclesiasticus 44:16-27; 45:3-20 – Matthew 25:14-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“His Lord said to him: Well done, good and faithful servant because thou has been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many thing. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” – Matthew 25:21

REFLECTION – “I have no idea what to write you from these parts [India and Sri Lanka] except this – the consolations bestowed by our Lord God, to those who go among the pagans, to convert them to the Faith of Christ, are so great that, if there is any joy to be had in this life, it is surely this! I have often heard it said, to someone going about amongst these Christians: “Lord, do not give me so many consolations in this life! Yet since, in Thy infinite goodness and pity, Thou are giving them me, take me into Thine holy glory! For indeed, there is such great suffering in living without seeing Thee, after Thou has shown Thyself to Thy creature, in this way!” Ah! If only those who look for knowledge in study, took as much trouble in looking for the consolations of the apostolate, as they give day and night to the pursuit of knowledge! If only those joys, which the scholar seeks in what he is learning, he were to seek in making his neighbour feel, what he is in need of – to know and serve God, how much more consoled he would find himself to be and better prepared, to give an account of himself, when Christ returns and asks him: “Give me an account of your stewardship” …

I will end, asking our Lord God … to bring us together in His holy glory. And to obtain this blessing, let us take as our intercessors and advocates, all the holy souls of the region, where I now am. … I beg all these holy souls to obtain for us from our Lord God, for as long as we remain separated, the grace of feeling His holy will in the depth of our souls and of fulfilling it perfectly.” – St Francis Xavier (1506-1552) Jesuit missionary (Letter of 15/01/1544).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God that the venerable feast of Thy blessed Confessor and Bishop, may increase our devotion and promote our salvation. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on MERCY

Quote/s of the Day – 2 September – St Stephen, King of Hungary

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Quote/s of the Day – 2 September – St Stephen, King of Hungary (c975- 1038) Confessor

“Do not look forward in fear
to the changes of life,
rather, look to them
with full hope that, as they arise,
God, Whose very Own you are,
will lead you safely through all things
and, when you cannot stand it,
God will carry you in His Arms.”

“Be merciful to all
who are suffering violence,
keeping always in your heart
the example of the Lord
who said:
‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/09/02/quote-s-of-the-day-2-september-st-stephen-king-of-hungary/

St Stephen of Hungary (c975- 1038)

Posted in CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MODESTY, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on MERCY

Quote/s of the Day – 25 August – “Whatever He receives on earth, He returns in Heaven.”

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Quote/s of the Day – 25 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – St Louis IX (1214-1270) King and Confessor – Wisdom 10:10-14 – Luke 19:12-26 –Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And he who had received the five talents
went and traded with them,
and gained five more.

Matthew 25:16

“And he said to him:
Well done, thou good servant …”

Luke 19:17

“God is Good but He is also Just…
So do not underestimate God –
His love for men
should not become a pretext,
for negligence on our part.”

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

“For the man who is kindly,
modest, merciful and just,
will not keep his good works to himself
but will see to it
that these admirable fountains,
send out their streams,
for the good of others.
Again, the man who is clean of heart,
a peacemaker and ardent for truth,
will order his life, so as to contribute
to the common good.”

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

“Whatever He receives on earth,
He returns in Heaven.”

St Caesarius of Arles (470-543)

Posted in AUGUST - The Immaculate Heart of Mary, DOCTORS of the Church, HYMNS, IMMACULATE HEART PRAYERS, IMMACULATE HEART PRAYERS, IMMACULATE HEART Quotes, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on MERCY, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, The FIVE FIRST Saturdays, THE FIVE FIRST SATURDAYS DEVOTION

Our Morning Offering – 2 August – O Mother Blest By St Alphonsus

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Our Morning Offering – 2 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – The Feastday of St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor

O Mother Blest
By St Alphonsus Maira Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor of the Church
Trans. Fr Edmund Vaughn C.SS.R. (1827 – 1908 )

O Mother blest, whom God bestows
On sinners and on just,
What joy, what hope thou givest those
Who in thy mercy trust.
Thou are clement, thou are chaste,
Mary thou art fair,
Of all mothers, sweetest best,
none with thee compare.

O heavenly Mother, mistress sweet!
it never yet was told
that suppliant sinner left thy feet,
unpitied, unconsoloed.
Thou are clement, thou are chaste, …

O Mother, pitiful and mild,
Cease not to pray for me;
For I do love thee as a child,
And sigh for love of thee.
Thou art clement, thou art chaste, …

Most powerful Mother, all men know
Thy Son denies thee nought;
Thou askest, wishest it and lo!
His power thy will hath wrought.
Thou art clement, thou art chaste, …

O Mother blest, for me obtain,
Ungrateful though I be,
To love that God who first could deign
To show such love for me.
Thou art clement, thou art chaste,
Mary, thou art fair.
Of all mothers, sweetest, best,
None with thee compare.

Posted in "Follow Me", 7 GIFTS of the HOLY GHOST: Wisdom, Understanding, Prudence, Strength, Knowledge, Piety, Fear, CHRIST the LIGHT, GOD ALONE!, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on MISSION, The HOLY GHOST

Our Morning Offering – 25 July – The Christopher Prayer, Make us true Christ-Bearers

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Our Morning Offering – 25 July – The Feastday of St James the Greater, Apostle, Christ-Bearer and Martyr and St Christopher, Christ-Bearer, Martyr

The Christopher Prayer,
Make Us True Christ-Bearers
Anonymous

Father, grant that we may be,
bearers of Christ Jesus, Thy Son.
Allow us to fill, the world around us,
with Thy Light.
Strengthen us, by Thy Holy Ghost,
to carry out our mission of living and following
the path of Jesus, our Lord.
Help us to understand that by Thy grace
our gifts are Thy blessings,
to be shared with others.
Fill us with Thy Spirit of love
to give glory to Thee in loving all
and preaching by our love.
Nourish in us the desire to go forth
as the bearers of Thy Son
fearless and gentle,
loving and merciful.
Make us true Christ-Bearers,
that in seeing us,
only He is visible.
Amen.

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on MERCY

Our Morning Offering – 21 May – St Jerome Emiliani’s O Mary, Twice Mother of Mercy

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Our Morning Offering – 21 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

O Mary, Twice Mother of Mercy
By St Jerome Emiliani (1486–1537)

O Mary,
thou art twice Mother of Mercy
because thou hast been made
Mother of our most merciful Saviour,
and, furthermore because,
thou hast given to us
so many signs
of thy maternal care and love.
Turn upon us, we beseech thee,
thy glance of compassion
and grant, that we may always
live free from sin,
which is the only impediment
to receiving the fruits
of the Divine Mercies.
Amen.

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, QUOTES on MEEKNESS, QUOTES on MERCY, The IMITATION of MARY

Thought for the Day – 11 May – VIRTUES and TASKS of a GOOD SERVANT of MARY

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Thought for the Day – 11 May – The Imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

Extracts from The Imitation
of the Blessed Virgin Mary
By Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)
Imprimatur 17 February 1947

Chapter III
VIRTUES AND TASKS OF
A GOOD SERVANT OF MARY

i. Do you always wish to do what is pleasing to Mary?
Be humble, patient, chaste, reserved in everything, full of mildness, an interior man, filled with zeal, little versed in exterior matters, recollected.
Read often, write often but most often, pray.
The service of Mary should seem, neither long nor laborious but, on the contrary always delightful, always full of happiness, always eager.
To serve with your heart and mind, such a mistress, is always a work pious and useful for salvation.
The most lowly offerings are acceptable to her, as equivalent to the most solemn, when they are proffered with love, with spontaneity and with devotion.
She knows how little we are able to give and she requires not the impossible from her children.
A merciful sovereign and queen of mildness, she is, above all, a mother. As a mother, she knows only how to be compassionate to the little and the poor, she who has given to the world, Mercy in Jesus.

ii. Learn then to call upon Jesus in everything and you will be aided, both in perils of the soul and of the body.
Have Jesus always in your heart, in happiness, and you will never be overcome by human distress.
Say the Hail Mary often – you will find joy and peace in it – no prayer is more beautiful than the Our Father – none is sweeter and gentler, than the Hail Mary.
Pray as the Angel prayed before Mary – work as a faithful servant works and you shall have, your crown and mansion in Heaven.
He who knows how to nourish his soul with prayer, he who knows how to pray with the sacred texts, will never know aridity in devotion.
Strive thus constantly, to honour the Names of Jesus and Mary in your heart and with your lips.

III. Wherever you may go, or wherever you may be, implore Jesus and call upon Mary.
Have, as a rule of life and, as a help in time ot need, this pious invocation –
“Guide, O my Lord, always guide my way in Thy presence.”
He who bears Jesus and Mary in his heart, always works well, always conducts himself well.
Sing these two Names, sing them in your heart, sing them with your lips, sing them with your hands.
Let your looks seek them, let your eyes implore them, let your arms embrace them, let your knees adore them.

iv. Prayer: O Mary, O Mother Full of Mercy,

O Mary, O Mother full of mercy,
receive close to thee,
thy servant wandering without consolation,
in the midst of his trials.
Look, O my Queen, look at my affliction
and open to me, thine heart full of consolation.
Here I am, praying and saying in my distress
that I shall not cease, nor leave thee,
until thou hast had pity on me.
I know, O Mother,
thine incomparable sweetness,
I know the maternal flame of thy noble heart,
I know the fullness of love which fils it
and that I may have full hope in thee.
I take refuge with thee too, O my Mother,
so that in joy as in sorrow,
I may receive thy watchful succour
and listen to thy maternal consolation.

(Thomas à Kempis, The Valley of Lilies,ChapterXIII)

Posted in "Follow Me", CARMELITES, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on Love of Self, QUOTES on MERCY, St PAUL!, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 23 March – ‘ Become servants in love …’

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Quote/s of the Day – 23 March – The Third Sunday in Lent – Ephesians 5:1-9; Luke 11:14-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/ –

“Be imitators of God, as very dear children
and walk in love, as Christ also loved us
and delivered Himself up for us …”

St Paul … Ephesians 5:1-2

“If we kept before ourselves,
the Mercy of God,
we would never be deficient in doing good,
while strength was in us.
For, when we give to the poor,
out of the love of God,
that which what He Himself has given us,
His Promise is that, we shall receive
a hundredfold in eternal happiness.
That indeed, is a fortunate
and happy way of gaining a profit!
Who will not give, whatever he has,
to this best of Merchants!
He administers our business Himself
and begs us, with outstretched arms,
to turn to Him and weep for our sins
and become servants in love,
first for ourselves and then for our neighbour.”

St John of God (1495-1550)

“Where there is no love,
it is for you to bring love.”

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

“ I shall spend every moment loving.
One who loves, does not notice her trials;
or perhaps, more accurately,
she is able to love them.
I shall do everything for Heaven, my true home.
There, I shall find my Mother,
in all the splendour of her glory.
I shall delight with her
in the joy of Jesus Himself,
in perfect safety.”

St Bernadette Soubirous (1844-1879)

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, Quote on SELF-ABANDONMENT, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on ENEMIES, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GREED, WEALTH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on MORTIFICATION, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on POVERTY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the POOR, QUOTES on WEALTH/RICHES, QUOTES on WISDOM, QUOTES on WORK/LABOUR, REDEMPTIVE Suffering, The HEART, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day –20 March – ‘ … Give earth and receive Heaven! …’

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Quote/s of the Day –20 March – Ferial Day – Thursday in the Second Week in Lent – Jeremias 17:5-10 – Luke 16:19-31 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“There was a rich man,
who was clothed in purple
and fine linen
and who feasted sumptuously everyday.
And at his gate lay a poor man,
named Lazarus…”

Luke 16:19–20

“Amen I say to you,
as long as you did NOT do it
for one of these least ones,
you did NOT do it for Me.”

Matthew 25:45

“Give of your earthly goods
and receive eternal ones;
give earth and receive Heaven!”

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

“What is a man’s treasure
but the heaping up of profits
and the fruit of his toil?
For, whatever a man sows,
this too will he reap and each man’s gain,
matches his toil and where delight
and enjoyment are found,
there the heart’s desire is attached.
Now, there are many kinds of wealth
and a variety of grounds for rejoicing –
every man’s treasure is that, which he desires.
If it is based on earthly ambitions,
its acquisition makes men not blessed but wretched.
… By distributing what might be superfluous
to support the poor, they are amassing
imperishable riches, so that what they have
discreetly given, cannot be subject to loss.
They have properly placed those riches,
where their heart is – it is a most blessed thing,
to work to increase such riches,
rather than to fear that they may pass away.”

St Pope Leo the Great (400-461)
ather and Doctor of the Church

“If thou wouldst see well, pluck out thine eyes and be blind;
if thou wouldst hear well, be deaf
and if thou wouldst speak well, become dumb;
if thou wouldst advance, stand still
and advance with thy mind;
if thou wouldst work well, cut off thy hands
and work with thy heart;
if thou wouldst love much, hate thyself;
if thou wouldst live well, mortify thyself;
if thou wouldst gain much and be rich,
first lose all and become poor
and if thou wouldst enjoy peace, afflict thyself
and be ever in fear and suspect thine own self;
if thou wouldst be exalted and have great honour,
humble and abase thyself;
if thou wouldst be held in great reverence, despise thyself
and do reverence to him who reviles thee;
if thou wouldst that it should be well with thee,
suffer all evil things and if thou wouldst be blessed,
desire that all should speak ill of thee
and if thou wouldst have true and eternal rest,
then toil and suffer and desire to have every temporal affliction.
O what great wisdom it is to know how to do
and to work out these things.”

Blessed Giles of Assisi (c1190-1262)

Posted in CHRIST the JUDGE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on the POOR, The LAST THINGS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 10 March – ‘Do you suppose that charity is not an obligation but voluntary?’

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One Minute Reflection – 10 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” –Monday of the First Week in Lent – The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, Armenia (Died 320) – Ezechiel 34:11-16 – Matthew 25:31-46 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Amen I say to you, as long as you did not do it for one of these least ones, you did not do it for Me.” – Matthew 25:45

REFLECTION – “Do you suppose that charity is not an obligation but voluntary? That it is not a law but merely a counsel? I should like it to be so too and would gladly think so. But God’s left hand gives me cause for alarm, the place where He has set the goats to whom He addresses His reproaches, not because they stole, plundered, committed adultery or perpetrated other such faults but because, they did not honour Christ in the person of His poor!

If you are willing to listen to me, then, O servants of Christ, His brothers and co-heirs, I say, we should visit Christ while there is an opportunity, take care of Him and feed Him. We should clothe Christ and welcome Him. We should honour Him, not only at our table, like some; not only with ointments, like Mary Magdalene; not only with a sepulchre, like Joseph of Arimathea; nor with things which have to do with His burial, like Nicodemus … nor finally, with gold, incense and myrrh, like the Magi.

But, as the Lord of all “desires mercy and not sacrifice” (Mt 9:13) and as compassion is better than tens of thousands of fat rams, let us offer Him this mercy through the needy and those who are at present cast down to the ground. Let us do this, so that, when we depart hence, they may “welcome us into the eternal habitations” (Lk 16:9), in the same Christ our Lord, to whom be glory forever.” – St Gregory Nazianzen (330-390) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 14, on Love for the Poor, 27, 28, 39-40).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we who know how courageously Thy holy Martyrs have confessed the faith, may experience their goodness as they intercede for us with Thee. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, LENT, LENT- 2025, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on REPENTANCE

Our Morning Offering – 9 March – Ex More Docti Mystico, The Fast, As Taught by Holy Lore

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Our Morning Offering – 9 March – The First Sunday of Lent

Ex More Docti Mystico
The Fast, As Taught by Holy Lore
By St Gregory the Great (540-604)
Pope, Father, Doctor of the Church
Trans. John Mason Neale

The fast, as taught by holy lore,
We keep in solemn course once more.
The fast to all men known and bound
In forty days of yearly round.

The law and seers that were of old
In divers ways this Lent foretold,
Which Christ, all seasons’ King and Guide,
In after ages sanctified.

More sparing, therefore, let us make
The words we speak, the good we take,
Our sleep and mirth – and closer barred
Be every sense in holy guard.

Avoid the evil thoughts that roll
Like water o’er the heedless soul;
Nor let the foe occasion find
Our souls in slavery to bind.

In prayer together let us fall,
And cry for mercy, one and all,
And weep before the Judge’s Feet,
And His avenging wrath entreat.

The grace have we offended sore,
By sins, O God, which we deplore;
But pour upon us, from on high,
O pardoning One, Thy clemency.

Remember Thou, though frail we be,
That yet Thine handiwork are we;
Nor let the honour of Thy Name
Be by another put to shame.

Forgive the sin that we have wrought;
Increase the good that we have sought
That we at length, our wanderings o’er,
May please Thee here and evermore.

Grant, O Thou Blessed Trinity,
Grant, O Essential Unity,
That this our fast of forty days
May work our profit and Thy praise.

There are twelve translations of this lovely Lenten Hymn.
This one by L M Neale
Liturgical Use: Matins Hymn on Sundays
and week-days during Lent.

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MODESTY, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PURITY of INTENTION, QUOTES on TRUTH, QUOTES on WATCHING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 7 March – Salt and Light – Matthew 5:13, 14

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One Minute Reflection – 7 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” –First Friday – Feast of the Crown of Thorns – St Thomas Aquinas OP (1225-1274) Confessor, Doctor – Wisdom 7:7-14 – Matthew 5:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Jesus said to His disciples: “You are the salt of the earth.
… You are the light of the world.” – Matthew 5:13, 14

REFLECTION – “You are the salt of the earth. It is not for your own sake, He says but for the world’s sake that the word is entrusted to you. I am not sending you into two cities only or ten or twenty, not to a single nation, as I sent the Prophets of old but, across land and sea, to the whole world. And that world is in a miserable state. For when He says: You are the salt of the earth, He is indicating that, all mankind had lost its savour and had been corrupted by sin. Therefore, He requires of these men, those virtues which are especially useful and even necessary, if they are to bear the burdens of many. For the man who is kindly, modest, merciful and just, will not keep his good works to himself but, will see to it that, these admirable fountains, send out their streams, for the good of others. Again, the man who is clean of heart, a peacemaker and ardent for truth, will order his life so, as to contribute to the common good. …

Then He passes onto a more exalted comparison – You are the light of the world. Once again, “of the world,” not of one nation or twenty cities but of the whole world. The light He means, is an intelligible light, far superior to the rays of the sun we see, just as the salt is a spiritual salt. First salt, then light, so that you may learn how profitable sharp words may be and how useful, serious doctrine. Such teaching holds in check and prevents, dissipation, it leads to virtue and sharpens the mind’s eye.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do men light a lamp and put it under a basket.  Here again, He is urging them to a careful manner of life and teaching them, to be watchful, for they live under the eyes of all and have the whole world for the arena of their struggles.” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from his Homily on Matthew).

PRAYER – O God, Who enlightened Thy Church with the wondrous learning of blessed Thomas, Thy Confessor and enriched her through his holy life, grant us, we beseech Thee, both to understand what he taught and by following his example, to do what he did. 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).