QUOTES on MERCY – Page 7

FATHERS of the Church, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on GRANDPARENTS, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on SANCTITY, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 27 August – St Caesarius of Arles (470-542)

Posted on August 27, 2019October 28, 2023 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 27 August – The Memorial of St Caesarius of Arles (470-542) Father of the Church

“What sort of people are we?
When God gives, we want to receive,
when He asks, we refuse to give?
When a poor man is hungry,
Christ is in need, as He said Himself:
“I was hungry and you gave me no food” (v. 42).
Take care not to despise the hardship of the poor,
if you would hope, without fear,
to have your sins forgiven…
What He receives on earth,
He returns in heaven!”

” For true charity, beloved brethren,
is the soul of the whole of Scripture,
the strength of prophecy,
the structure of knowledge,
the fruit of faith,
the wealth of the poor,
the life of the dying.
So keep it faithfully,
cherish it with all your heart
and all the strength of your soul.”

“I put you this question, dearly beloved –
what is it you want,
what is it you are looking for,
when you come to church?
What indeed if not mercy?
Show mercy on earth and you will receive mercy in heaven.
A poor man is begging from you
and you are begging from God,
he asks for a scrap, you ask for eternal life…
And so when you come to church
give whatever alms you can to the poor
in accordance with your means.”

“So hold fast to the sweet and salutary bond of love,
without which,
the rich are poor
and with which the poor are rich.
What do the rich possess if not charity? (…)
And since “God is love,” (1 Jn 4:8) as John the evangelist says,
what can the poor lack,
if they merit to possess God by means of charity? (…)
So love, dearest brethren
and hold fast to charity
without which no-one
will ever see God.”

Saint Caesarius of Arles (470-543)

JESUIT SJ, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on TRUTH, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 25 August – “The Narrow Door”

Posted on August 25, 2019August 24, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 25 August – 21st Sunday of the Year in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 13:22–30

“The Narrow Door”

“In the difficulties which are placed before me,
why should I not act like a donkey?
When one speaks ill of him – the donkey says nothing.
When he is mistreated – he says nothing.
When he is forgotten – he says nothing.
When no food is given him – he says nothing.
When he is made to advance – he says nothing.
When he is despised – he says nothing.
When he is overburdened – he says nothing.
The true servant of God must do likewise
and say with David:
“Before Thee I have become like a beast of burden.”

St Alphonsus Rodriguez SJ (1532-1617)

“All, can enter eternal life but for everyone,
the door is narrow. They are not privileged.
The path to the eternal life is open to all
but it is narrow because it’s demanding,
asks for commitment, abnegation
and the mortification of selfishness.”

“To pass through the narrow gate, means
we must commit ourselves to being small,
that is humble of heart like Jesus,
like Mary, His and our mother.”

“True friendship with Jesus
is expressed in how one lives,
in the goodness of one’s heart,
in one’s humility, kindness and mercy,
in one’s love for justice and truth,
in one’s sincere commitment
to peace and reconciliation.
This, we might say, is the ‘identity card’
that qualifies us as true ‘friends,’
it is the ‘passport’
that will let us enter eternal life.”

Pope Benedict XVI

Angelus, 26 August 2007

“The whole of our life
must pass through the narrow door
which is Christ.”

Pope Francis

Angelus, 25 August 2013

franciscan OFM, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Thought for the Day – 14 August – ‘Let us love our loving Father with all our hearts.’

Posted on August 14, 2019August 14, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 14 August – Memorial of Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe OFM Conv (1894 -1941) “Martyr of Charity”

Apostolic Zeal for the Salvation and Sanctification of Souls

An excerpt from the Letters of Saint Maximilian Kolbe

“The burning zeal for God’s glory that motivates you fills my heart with joy. It is sad for us to see in our own time that indifferentism in its many forms is spreading like an epidemic not only among the laity but also among religious. But God is worthy of glory beyond measure and, therefore, it is of absolute and supreme importance, to seek that glory with all the power of our feeble resources. Since we are mere creatures we can never return to Him all that is His due.

The most resplendent manifestation of God’s glory is the salvation of souls, whom Christ redeemed by shedding His blood. To work for the salvation and sanctification of as many souls as possible, therefore, is the preeminent purpose of the apostolic life. Let me, then, say a few words that may show the way toward achieving God’s glory and the sanctification of many souls.

God, who is all-knowing and all-wise, knows best what we should do to increase His glory. Through hHs representatives on earth, He continually reveals His will to us, thus it is obedience and obedience alone, that is the sure sign to us of the divine will. A superior may, it is true, make a mistake but it is impossible for us to be mistaken in obeying a superior’s command. The only exception to this rule is the case of a superior commanding something, that in even the slightest way, would contravene God’s law. Such a superior would not be conveying God’s will.

God alone is infinitely wise, holy, merciful, our Lord, Creator and Father; He is beginning and end, wisdom and power and love, He is all. Everything other than God, has value to the degree, that it is referred to Him, the maker of all and our own redeemer, the final end of all things. It is He who, declaring His adorable will to us through His representatives on earth, draws us to Himself and whose plan is, to draw others to Himself through us and to join us all to Himself in an ever-deepening love.

Look, then, at the high dignity that by God’s mercy belongs to our state in life. Obedience raises us beyond the limits of our littleness and puts us in harmony with God’s will. In boundless wisdom and care, His will guides us to act rightly. Holding fast to that will, which no creature can thwart, we are filled with unsurpassable strength.

Obedience is the one and the only way of wisdom and prudence, for us to offer glory to God . If there were another, Christ would certainly have shown it to us by word and example. Scripture, however, summed up His entire life at Nazareth in the words: He was subject to them, Scripture set obedience as the theme of the rest of His life, repeatedly declaring that He came into the world, to do His Father’s will.

Let us love our loving Father with all our hearts. Let our obedience increase that love, above all, when it requires us to surrender our own will. Jesus Christ crucified is our sublime guide toward growth in God’s love.

We will learn this lesson more quickly through the Immaculate Virgin, whom God has made the dispenser of His mercy. It is beyond all doubt, that Mary’s will represents to us, the will of God Himself. By dedicating ourselves to her, we become in her hands, instruments of God’s mercy even as she was such an instrument in God’s hands. We should let ourselves be guided and led by Mary and rest quiet and secure in her hands. She will watch out for us, provide for us, answer our needs of body and spirit, she will dissolve all our difficulties and worries.”

St Maximillian Kolbe, Pray for Us!

QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on SANCTITY, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 4 August – Where your treasure is….

Posted on August 4, 2019August 4, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 4 August – Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 12:13–21 and The Memorial of St John Vianney (1786-1859)

“But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” … Luke 12:20-21

“Someone who works frenziedly on Sundays, thinking he is going to earn more money or get more done, is making a mistake in his calculations! Can two or three dollars ever compensate for the harm he does himself by violating the law of God?
You imagine everything depends on your work but then an illness, an accident…! It takes so little: a storm, hail, frost…
Do not work for food that perishes but for that which dwells in eternal life. What will you gain by having worked on Sunday? You leave the land just as it is when you depart, you do not carry anything away.
Our first aim is to go to God, we are not on earth for anything but this!
My brethren, we should die on Sundays and come back to life again on Mondays.
Sunday belongs to God – it is His day, the Day of the Lord.
He made all the days of the week and could have kept them all.
He has given you six of them and has only held back the seventh for himself!”

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

St John Vianney (1786-1859)

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on MERCY, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 4 August – ‘You who have wealth, recognise who has given you the gifts you have received.’

Posted on August 4, 2019August 3, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 4 August – Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 12:13–21 and The Memorial of St John Vianney (1786-1859)

“But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” … Luke 12:20-21

REFLECTION – “What am I to do? I will pull down my barns and build larger ones.” Now why did that land bear so well, when it belonged to a man who would make no good use of its fertility? It was to show more clearly the forbearance of God, whose kindness extends even to such people as this. He “sends rain on both the just and the unjust, and makes the sun rise on the wicked and the good alike” (Mt 5:45)… These were God’s blessings towards this rich man – fruitful fields, a temperate climate, abundant sowing, oxen to do the work and everything needful to assure his prosperity. But what do we find in this man? A bitter disposition, hatred of other people, unwillingness to give. This is the return he made to his Benefactor.

He forgot that we all share the same nature, he felt no obligation to distribute his surplus to the needy, he paid no heed to those divine precepts: “Refuse n- one the good on which he has a claim” (Prv 3:27), “Let not kindness and fidelity leave you” (3:3), “Share your bread with the hungry” (Is 58:7). Every prophet, every wise man cried out to him these precepts, yet he turned a deaf ear. His barns were full to bursting point but still his miserly heart was not satisfied… Greed would not permit him to part with anything he possessed and yet, because he had so much, there was no place to store his latest harvest And so he was incapable of making a decision and could find no escape from his anxiety. “What am I to do?” he went on saying. Who would not pity a man so oppressed? His land yields him no profit but only sighs… he laments in the same way as the poor do. What am I to do? How can I find food and clothing?…

You who have wealth, recognise who has given you the gifts you have received. Consider yourself, who you are, what has been committed to your charge, from whom you have received it, why you have been preferred to most other people. You are the servant of the good God, a steward on behalf of your fellow servants… “What am I to do?” It would have been so easy to say – “I will feed the hungry, I will open my barns and call in all the poor… Let anyone who lacks bread come to me. You shall share, each according to need, in the good things God has given me, just as though you were drawing from a common well”. … St Basil the Great (329-379) Father and Doctor of the Church luke 12 2- but god said fool - you who have wealth - st basil the great 4 august 2019 no 2.jpg

PRAYER – O God, protector of those who hope in You, without Whom nothing has firm foundation, nothing is holy, bestow in abundance Your mercy upon us and grant that, with You as our ruler and guide, we may use the good things that pass, in such a way, as to hold fast even now to those that ever endure. Help us, by St John Vianney’s example and prayers, to win our brethren for Christ by our love and to share with them now and in eternal glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN QUOTES, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 30 July -From Golden Words and St Maria de Jesus

Posted on July 30, 2019July 30, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 30 July – The Memorial of St Peter Chrysologus “Golden Words” (c 400-450) Father & Doctor and St Maria de Jesus Sacramentado(1868-1959)

“A gentle maiden
having lodged
a God in her womb,
asks as its price,
peace for the world,
salvation for those who are lost
and life for the dead.”

“He is The Bread sown in the virgin,
leavened in the Flesh,
moulded in His Passion,
baked in the furnace of the Sepulchre,
placed in the Churches
and set upon the Altars,
which daily supplies Heavenly Food to the faithful.”

“For he who touches
the Body of Christ unworthily,
receives his damnation.”

“We exhort you, in every respect, honourable brother,
to heed obediently what has been written
by the Most Blessed Pope of the City of Rome;
for Blessed Peter, who lives and presides in his own see,
provides the truth of faith to those who seek it.”

“The poor stretch out the hand
but God receives what is offered.”

St Peter Chrysologus “Golden Words”
(c 400-450) Father & Doctor

“Those who are merciful
with the needy of the world
will not lack God’s mercy.”

“The weight of the cross
is burdensome
for those carrying it
but not, for those,
who embrace it.”

St Maria de Jesus Sacramentado (1868-1959)

CATHOLIC Quotes, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PRAYER, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 19 July – Pope Francis

Posted on July 19, 2019July 19, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 19 July – Friday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 12:1-8

“I desire mercy, not sacrifice” … Matthew 12:7

”If our heart is closed,
if our heart is made of stone,
then the stones will end up
in our hands and, then,
we will be ready
to throw them at someone.”

“Think of your own history when you pray
and there you will find much mercy.
This will also increase your awareness
that the Lord is ever mindful of you,
He never forgets you.
So it makes sense to ask Him,
to shed light on the smallest details of your life,
for He sees them all.”

Gaudete et Exsultate

“Christianity is not an ideal to follow,
a philosophy to adhere to,
or a moral to be applied
but is an encounter with Jesus Christ,
that makes us recognise,
in the flesh of brothers and sisters,
His very presence.”

June 2018

“So let me ask you:
Are there moments when you place yourself quietly i
n the Lord’s presence, when you calmly spend time
with Him, when you bask in His gaze?
Do you let His fire inflame your heart?
Unless you let Him warm you, more and more,
with His love and tenderness,
you will not catch fire.
How will you then be able to,
set the hearts of others on fire,
by your words and witness?”

General audience, 13 April 2016

Pope Francis

CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 18 July – The Light Burden of the Law of Christ…St Jerome

Posted on July 18, 2019July 18, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 18 July – Thursday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 11:28-30.

“Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”…Matthew 11:29-30

The Light Burden of the Law of Christ

Saint Jerome (347-420)

Priest, Translator of the Bible,

Father & Doctor of the Church

“Bear one another’s burdens and so you will fulfil the law of Christ.” Sin is a burden as the psalmist attests when he says: “My sins weigh heavy upon me.” But the Lord has carried this burden for us, teaching us, by His example what we ourselves should do. For it is He who bore the burden of our sins. He was stricken for our sake (cf Is 53:8) and invites those who are weighed down by the heavy burden of the Law and of their sins to carry the easy burden of virtue, saying: “My yoke is easy and my burden is light”(Mt 11:30).

Therefore, whoever holds out a hand to the person who begs for support, not despairing of a neighbour’s salvation, who weeps with those who weep, is weak with those who are weak and who regards other’s sins as though they were his own – such a one, fulfils through charity, the law of Christ. What is this law of Christ? “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another” (Jn 13:34). What is the law of the Son of God? “Love one another as I have loved you.” How has the Son of God loved us? No one has greater love than this, “to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”(Jn 15:13).

Someone who shows no clemency, who is not clothed with the bowels of mercy and tears, no matter what sort of student he is in spirituality, such a one does not fulfil the law of Christ.

Someone who comes to the assistance of the poor weighed down by the burden of destitution and makes friends with dishonest wealth (Lk 16:9), such a one shoulders the needs of his neighbour. This is the one to whom Jesus will say after the general resurrection: “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink” (Mt 25:34-35). but-the-lord-has-carried-this-burden-for-us-teaching-us-by-his-example-st-jerome-19-july-2018

MORNING Prayers, PAPAL DECREE, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on HUMAN DIGNITY, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PEACE, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 9 July – ‘Look for neither gain nor gratitude…’

Posted on July 9, 2019July 9, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 9 July – Tuesday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 9:32–38 and the Memorial of Saints St Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions

And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom…Matthew 9:35

REFLECTION – “The presence of the Christian faithful in human groups, should be inspired by that charity, with which God has loved us and with which, He wills, that we should love one another (cf. 1 Jn 4:11). Christian charity truly extends to all, without distinction of race, creed, or social condition – it looks for neither gain nor gratitude. For as God loved us with an unselfish love, so also the faithful should in their charity care for the human person himself, loving him with the same affection with which God sought out man. Just as Christ, then, went about all the towns and villages, curing every kind of disease and infirmity as a sign that the kingdom of God had come (cf. Matt. 9:35ff; Acts 10:38), so also the Church, through her children, is one with men of every condition but especially with the poor and the afflicted… She shares in their joys and sorrows, knows of their longings and problems, suffers with them in death’s anxieties. To those in quest of peace, she wishes to answer in fraternal dialogue, bearing them the peace and the light of the Gospel.
Let Christians labour and collaborate with others in rightly regulating the affairs of social and economic life. With special care, let them devote themselves to the education of children and young people… Furthermore, let them take part in the strivings of those peoples who, waging war on famine, ignorance and disease, are struggling to better their way of life and to secure peace in the world…
However, the Church has no desire at all to intrude itself into the government of the earthly city. It claims no other authority, than that of ministering to men, with the help of God.”…Vatican Council II – Decree on the missionary activity of the Church, “Ad Gentes” # 12

PRAYER – True Light of the world, Lord Jesus Christ, as You enlighten all men for their salvation, give us grace, we pray, to herald Your coming, by preparing Your ways of justice and of peace. Let us invoke Mary Most Holy, who welcomes under her mantle all the tired and worn-out people, so that through an enlightened faith, witnessed in life, we can offer relief, for so many, in need of help, of tenderness, of hope. And may the prayers of Your Martyrs St Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions, strengthen us on our journey. Who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen. mary most holy pray for us - 9 nov 2018.jpg

st augustine zhao rong martyrs of china pray for us 9 july 2019.jpg

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 17 June – ‘…Go with him for two miles.’

Posted on June 17, 2019June 17, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 17 June – Monday of the Eleventh week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel : Matthew 5:38–42 and the Memorial of Blessed Joseph-Marie Cassant OCSO (1878-1903)

“Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles.”… Matthew 5:41

REFLECTION – “Do you grasp the excellence of a Christian disposition? After you give your coat and your cloak, even if your enemy should wish to subject your naked body to hardships and labours, not even then, Jesus says, must you forbid him. For He would have us possess all things in common, both our bodies and our goods, as with them that are in need, so with them that insult us. For the latter response comes from a courageous spirit, the former from mercy. Because of this, Jesus said, “If any one shall compel you to go one mile, go with him two.” Again He leads you to higher ground and commands you to manifest the same type of aspiration. For if the lesser things He spoke of at the beginning receive such great blessings, consider what sort of reward awaits those who duly perform these and what they become even before we hear of receiving rewards. You are winning full freedom from unworthy passions in a human and passible body.” … Saint John Chrysostom (347-407) Bishop, Father & Doctor (The Gospel of Matthew: Homily 18)

PRAYER – King of heaven and earth, Lord God, rule over or hearts and bodies this day. Sanctify us and guide our every thought, word and deed according to the commandments of Your law, so that now and forever, Your grace may free and save us. Teach us Lord to walk in the ways of the Cross of Your Son, our Saviour, as Blessed Joseph-Marie Cassant so lovingly and willingly inspires us to do. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God, forever, amen. bl joseph marie cassant pray for us 17 june 2019.jpg

DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, EASTER, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PEACE, The HOLY GHOST, The PASSION, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 28 April – “Receive the Holy Spirit”

Posted on April 28, 2019April 28, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 28 April – Low Sunday the Octave Day of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday, Gospel: John 20:19–31

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. “...John 20:21-22

Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Bishop of Geneva and Doctor of the Church

First Sermon for Pentecost

‘He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit” ‘
Lord Jesus Christ, once again grant that of us, too, there may be but “one heart and mind” (Acts 4:32) for then there will be “a great calm” (Mk 4:39). My dear listeners, I exhort you to good will and kindness to one another and peace with all. For were we to have charity among ourselves, we would have both peace and the Holy Spirit. Let us undertake to become devout and pray to God… since the apostles persevered in prayer… If we set ourselves to fervent prayer then the Holy Spirit will enter us and say: “Peace be with you! It is I; be not afraid” (cf. Mk 6:50)… And what ought we to ask God for, my brethren? For all that is for His honour and the salvation of your souls and, in a word, for the help of the Holy Spirit – “Send forth your Spirit and they will be created” (Ps 104[103]:30) – peace and tranquillity… mark 6 50 peace be with you it is i be not afraid - div mercy sun 28 april 2019.jpg

We are to ask for this peace so that the Spirit of peace may come down on us. We should give thanks to God, too, for all His blessings if we want Him to grant us those victories that are the beginning of peace. And to obtain the Holy Spirit we should give thanks to God the Father for having first of all sent Him upon our Head, Jesus Christ, who is our Lord and His Son… – for “from his fullness we have all received” (cf. Jn 1:16) – and for having sent Him upon His apostles that through their hands they might pass Him onto us. We should give thanks to the Son – as God, He sends the Spirit upon those who prepare themselves to receive Him. But, most especially, we should thank Him because, as man, He merited for us, the grace of receiving this divine Spirit…

And how has Jesus Christ merited the Holy Spirit’s coming? When “bowing his head, he gave up his spirit” (Jn 19:30), for, when He gave breathed His last and handed over His spirit to the Father, He merited the Father’s sending His Spirit upon His mystical body. he breathed on them john 20 22 - and to obtain the holy spirit - st francis de sales div mercy sun 28 april 2019.jpg

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY WEEK 2019, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MERCY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 26 March 2018 – St Bernard – “The liquid myrrh of mercy”

Posted on April 15, 2019April 14, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 26 March 2018 – Monday of Holy Week, Gospel: John 12:1–11

Mary brought in a pound of very costly ointment, pure nard and with it, anointed the feet of Jesus, wiping them with her hair; the house was filled with the scent of the ointment…John 12:3 john-12-3 mary ointments jesus feet.jpg

REFLECTION – “Anointing the feet of Christ with perfumed oil of compassion
I have already discussed two ointments with you – one of contrition, that takes account of numerous sins — it is symbolised by the perfumed oil with which the sinful woman anointed the feet of Lord: “the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil”, the other of devotion, that embodies numerous blessings… But there is another ointment, far excelling these two, to which I give the name, loving-kindness, because the elements that go into its making, are the needs of the poor, the anxieties of the oppressed, the worries of those who are sad, the sins of wrong-doers and finally, the manifold misfortunes of all people who endure affliction, even if they are our enemies. These elements may seem rather depressing but the ointment made from them, is more fragrant, than all other spices. It bears the power to heal, for “Blessed are the merciful, they will be shown mercy” (Mt 5:7)

A collection therefore of many miseries, on which the eye rests with loving-kindness, represents the ingredients from which the best ointments are made… Happy the soul that has been wise enough to enrich itself with an assortment of spices such as these, pouring upon them the oil of mercy and warming them with the fire of charity! Who, in your opinion, is “the good man who takes pity and lends” (Ps 112:5), who is compassionate, quick to render assistance, who believes that there is “more happiness in giving than in receiving” (Acts 20:35), who forgives easily but is not easily angered, who never seeks to be avenged and in all things takes thought for his neighbour’s needs as if they were his own?

Whoever you may be, if your soul is thus disposed, if you are saturated with the dew of mercy, overflowing with affectionate kindness, making yourself “all things to all people” (1 Co 9:22) yet considering your deeds, like a discarded flask, in order to be always ready to supply to others what they need, in a word, so dead to yourself, that you live only for others — if this be you, then you possess the third and best of all ointments. Your hands have dripped with liquid myrrh that is utterly enchanting (cf Sg 5:5). It will not run dry in times of stress nor evaporate in the heat of persecution but God will perpetually “remember all your oblations and find your holocaust acceptable.” (Ps 20:4)”...Saint Bernard (1091-1153) Doctor of the Church

PRAYER – Almighty God, grant that we who are constantly betrayed by our own weakness, may draw the breath of new life from the passion and death of Your only-begotten Son. May our hands to drip with the liquid myrrh of mercy to all our neighbours and may our hearts be ever open to forgiveness. Listen, we pray, to the prayers of Your Holy angels and Saints and grant that the Blessed Virgin may guide our steps in this vale of tears. Through our Lord and Saviour, who suffered and died for us, in unity with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen. bl virgin mother of sorrows pray for us 15 april 2019.jpg

PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MERCY, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 5 April – “A saint of the ordinary?”

Posted on April 5, 2019April 5, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 5 April – Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Year C and the Memorial of Blessed Mariano de la Mata Aparicio OSA (1905-1983)

Blessed Mariano has been called “a saint of the ordinary”, this giving, loving and holy man who spent all he had for his people. Is this ‘ordinary’, is this how ‘ordinary’ folk live, though we should be living thus. Is St Mother Teresa, who likewise, gave all, what we would call an ordinary saint . For the suffering sheep are the beloved of God, they are not ordinary, they are His most in need of the extraordinary love and charity of us, ‘the ordinary.’

I am reminded of the words of Fr Henri Nouwen (1932-1996):

“Visiting the sick, feeding the hungry, consoling the dying or sheltering the homeless, may not catch the public eye and are often perceived as irrelevant when put in the perspective of a possible nuclear holocaust. There are many voices that say: ‘These little acts of mercy are a waste of time when we consider the urgency of stopping the arms race, etc etc.” But the peacemaker knows that true peace is a divine gift that has nothing to do with statistics or measures of success and popularity. Peace is like life itself. It manifests itslef quietly and gently.
Who can say that a lost afternoon with a sick friend is in truth not much more than an interruption of ‘true’ peace work?
Who knows?
Jesus’ way is the humble way. He calls out to use – “Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart.'”

Blessed Mariano de la Mata Aparicio , Pray for Us!

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2019, LENTEN THOUGHTS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PRAYER

Lenten Thoughts – 26 March – Prayer knocks, fasting obtains, mercy receives – St Peter Chrysologus

Posted on March 26, 2019March 26, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Lenten Thoughts – 26 March – Tuesday of the Third week of Lent, Year C – Gospel: Matthew 18:21–35

St Peter Chrysologus (400-450)
Bishop of Ravenna, Father & Doctor of the Church

An excerpt from his Sermon 43

Prayer knocks, fasting obtains, mercy receives

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. fasting is the soul of prayer - st peter chryasologus 26 march 2019 tues3rdweeklent

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 what you deny to others, your asking is a mockery. if you want to receive give - st peter chrysologus 26 march 2019 tues3rdweeklent.jpg

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 want 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.

Let us use fasting to make up for what we have lost by despising others. Let us offer our souls in sacrifice by means of fasting. There is nothing more pleasing that we can offer to God, as the psalmist said in prophecy – A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit, God does not despise a bruised and humbled heart.

Offer your soul to God, make Him an oblation of your fasting, so that your soul may be a pure offering, a holy sacrifice, a living victim, remaining your own and at the same time made over to God. Whoever fails to give this to God will not be excused, for if you are to give Him yourself, you are never without the means of giving.

To make these acceptable, mercy must be added. Fasting bears no fruit unless it is watered by mercy. Fasting dries up when mercy dries up. Mercy is to fasting as rain is to the earth. However much you may cultivate your heart, clear the soil of your nature, root out vices, sow virtues, if you do not release the springs of mercy, your fasting will bear no fruit.

When you fast, if your mercy is thin your harvest will be thin, when you fast, what you pour out in mercy overflows into your barn. Therefore, do not lose by saving but gather in by scattering. Give to the poor and you give to yourself. You will not be allowed to keep what you have refused to give to others.

Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever.
Amen

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2019, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MERCY, SPEAKING of .....

Quote/s of the Day – 26 March – “Speaking of Charity”

Posted on March 26, 2019March 26, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 26 March – Tuesday of the Third week of Lent, Year C – Gospel: Matthew 18:21–35

“Speaking of Charity”

“The bread which you use
is the bread of the hungry;
the garment hanging in your wardrobe
is the garment of him who is naked;
the shoes you do NOT wear,
are the shoes of the one who is barefoot;
the acts of charity that you do NOT perform,
are so many INJUSTICES that you commit.”

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

“Give something, however small,
to the one in need.
For it is not small to one who has nothing.
Neither is it small to God,
if we have given what we could.”

St Gregory of Nazianzen (330-390) Father & Doctor of the Church

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

St Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167)

“If we look forward to receiving God’s mercy,
we can never fail to do good,
so long as we have the strength.
For if we share with the poor,
out of love for God,
whatever He has given to us,
we shall receive according to His promise,
a hundredfold in eternal happiness.
What a fine profit, what a blessed reward!
With outstretched arms He begs us
to turn toward Him, to weep for our sins
and to become the servants of love,
first for ourselves, then for our neighbours.
Just as water extinguishes a fire,
so love wipes away sin.”

St John of God (1495-1550)

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

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

“Help me, O Lord, …
that my eyes may be merciful,
so that I will never be suspicious
or judge by appearances
but always look for what is beautiful
in my neighbours’ souls
and be of help to them…
That my ears may be merciful,
so that I will be attentive to my neighbours’ needs
and not indifferent to their pains and complaints.…
That my tongue may be merciful,
so that I will never speak badly of others
but have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all.…
That my hands may be merciful and full of good deeds.…
That my feet may be merciful,
so that I will hasten to help my neighbour,
despite my own fatigue and weariness.…
That my heart may be merciful,
so that I myself will share
in all the sufferings of my neighbour.”

St Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938)

(Extract from Divine Mercy in My Soul, Diary of St Maria Faustina Kowalska, 163)
This prayer was used by Pope Francis for the Year of Mercy 2015 to be universally prayed by the Church.

FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2019, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on MERCY, The WORD

Lenten Reflection – 26 March

Posted on March 26, 2019March 26, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Lenten Reflection – 26 March – Tuesday of the Third week of Lent, Year C – Gospel: Daniel 3:25, 34-43, Psalm 25:4-9, Matthew 18:21-35 TUESDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK 26 march 2019.jpg

Daily Meditation:
Do not let us be put to shame,
but deal with us in Your kindness and great mercy.

Azariah asks God to remember His mercies.
He places his complete trust in God.
These days, we place our lives in God’s hands,
and we let God forgive us.

The challenge of the Gospel is to forgive
as we have been forgiven.
How often we are so very much harder on others
than our God is on us!
An important Lenten examination of conscience.

“So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”
Matthew 18:35

“Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?” …Matthew 18:33

“What is human mercy like? It makes you concerned for the hardship of the poor. What is divine mercy like? It forgives sinners…

In this world God is cold and hungry in all the poor, as He Himself said (Mt 25:40)… What sort of people are we? When God gives, we want to receive, when He asks, we refuse to give? When a poor man is hungry, Christ is in need, as He said Himself: “I was hungry and you gave me no food” (v. 42). Take care not to despise the hardship of the poor, if you would hope, without fear, to have your sins forgiven…

What He receives on earth He returns in heaven.

I put you this question, dearly beloved – what is it you want, what is it you are looking for, when you come to church? What indeed if not mercy? Show mercy on earth and you will receive mercy in heaven. A poor man is begging from you and you are begging from God, he asks for a scrap, you ask for eternal life… And so when you come to church give whatever alms you can to the poor in accordance with your means.”

St Caesarius of Arles (470-543)

Sermon 25

matthew 18 35 should you not have pitty - what sort of people are we - st caesarius of arles 26 march 2019.jpg

Closing Prayer:
God of infinite love,
I thank You for this reminder of Your love
and Your call that we be more patient,
gentle and compassionate with others.
Here in the middle of Lent,
I turn to You to beg for Your help.
Please soften my heart.
Help me to let go of judging others.
I ask You this, through Christ our Lord.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen

QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on SANCTITY, SAINT of the DAY

Quote of the Day – 20 March – Keep death before your eyes

Posted on March 20, 2019March 20, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 20 March – Wednesday of the Second week of Lent, Year C and the Memorial of St Martin of Braga (c 520–580)

“An old man said,
the man
that every hour
has death before his eyes,
will conquer
meanness of soul.”

St Martin of Braga (c 520–580)

About St Martin of Braga – https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/03/20/saint-of-the-day-20-march-st-martin-of-braga-c-520-580/ an old man said, the man that every hour st martin of braga 20 march 2019.jpg

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2019, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on MERCY, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 15 March – Go and be reconciled with your brother.

Posted on March 15, 2019March 15, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 15 March – Friday of the First week of Lent, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 5:20–26 and The Memorial of St Clement Mary Hofbauer C.Ss.R.(1751-1820)

“If you are bringing your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and first go and be reconciled with your brother. Then come and offer your gift.”…Matthew 5:23–24

REFLECTION – “Christ gave His life for you and do you hold a grudge against your fellow servant? How then can you approach the table of peace? Your Master did not refuse to undergo every kind of suffering for you and will you not even forgo your anger?… He has offered me an outrageous insult, you say. He has wronged me times without number, he has endangered my life. Well, what is that? He has not yet crucified you as the Jewish elders crucified the Lord.

If you refuse to forgive your neighbour’s offence your heavenly Father will not forgive your sins either (Mt 6:15). What does your conscience say when you repeat the words: “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name…,” and the rest? Christ went so far as to offer His blood for the salvation of those who shed it. What could you do that would equal that? If you refuse to forgive your enemy you harm not him but yourself… You earn for yourself eternal punishment on the Day of Judgement.

Listen to the Lord’s words: “If you are bringing your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and first go and be reconciled with your brother. Then come and offer your gift.” What do you mean? Am I really to leave my gift, my offering there? Yes, He says, because this sacrifice is offered in order that you may live in peace with your brother… For the Son of Man has come into the world to reconcile humanity with its Father. As Paul says: “Now God has reconciled everything to himself” (Col 1:20) “putting enmity to death through the cross” (Eph 2:16)…. St John Chrysostom (347-407)

PRAYER – All-merciful Father, help me to be ever open to Your love and mercy, running to You in all my needs and in all my fears. Allow me too, to run to the confessional when I have sinned, to ask for and receive forgiveness and love. Through Your mercy and forgiveness, teach me too to forgive and open my heart to kindness, reconciliation and care for my brother. Grant that the prayers of St Clement Mary Hofbauer, may assist us all in living holy lives according to Your Commandments and the laws of the Church. Amen st-clement-mary-hofbauer-pray-for-us-15-march-2018-no-2.jpg

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“She reminded us frequently
that God guides everything.”

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

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

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

Posted on February 15, 2019 by AnaStpaul

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

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

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

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

St Claude de la Colombiere (1641-1682)

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

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

Blessed Michal Sopoćko (1888-1975)

DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on MERCY, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 15 February – Help Me, O Lord that I may be Merciful

Posted on February 15, 2019February 15, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 15 February – The Memorial of Blessed Michał Sopoćko (1888-1975) Apostle of Divine Mercy

Help Me, O Lord that I may be Merciful
St Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938)

“Help me, O Lord, …
that my eyes may be merciful,
so that I will never be suspicious
or judge by appearances
but always look for what is beautiful
in my neighbours’ souls
and be of help to them…
That my ears may be merciful,
so that I will be attentive to my neighbours’ needs
and not indifferent to their pains and complaints.…
That my tongue may be merciful,
so that I will never speak badly of others
but have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all.…
That my hands may be merciful and full of good deeds.…
That my feet may be merciful,
so that I will hasten to help my neighbour,
despite my own fatigue and weariness.…
That my heart may be merciful,
so that I myself will share
in all the sufferings of my neighbour.”

(Extract from Divine Mercy in My Soul, Diary of St Maria Faustina Kowalska, 163)
This prayer was used by Pope Francis for the Year of Mercy 2015 to be universally prayed by the Church. help me o lord that I may be merciful st faustina - 15 feb 2019.jpg

GOD the FATHER, ON the SAINTS, PAPAL SERMONS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 4 February – We are called to serve.

Posted on February 4, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 4 February – The Memorial of St John de Britto SJ (1647-1693) Martyr

We are called to serve.

Excerpt from the
EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION IN HONOUR OF ST JOHN DE BRITTO

HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II
Madras
Wednesday, 5 February 1986

“Let the peoples praise you, O God,
let all the peoples praise you” .

Saint John de Britto, whom we are remembering in today’s liturgical celebration, was born in Lisbon in 1647. After entering the Society of Jesus he followed the footsteps of Saint Francis Xavier to India where he chose to work for the humble and needy in what was then called the Madurai Mission. His patient labours, selfless zeal and genuine love for the poor, won for him their confidence. Like Jesus he was “a sign of contradiction” and his success created jealousy and opposition. As a result, John de Britto died a martyr on 4 February 1693, bearing witness to Christ.

…Saint John de Britto’s life faithfully reflected the life of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for it was a life of service unto death. Today it challenges all of us to continue with fresh vigour the Church’s role of loving service to humanity. The immense and tender love of Jesus Christ for the poor and the downtrodden, for sinners and the suffering, remains a challenge for every Christian. Christ’s unrelenting stand for truth is a compelling example. Above all, the generosity shown in His suffering and death, as the culmination of His service to humanity and the supreme act of Redemption, is the example for us. We are called to serve.

There can be no authentic Christian life without an effective love of our fellow human beings. At the closing of the Vatican Council Pope Paul VI affirmed that ” if… in the face of every man, especially when this face is made transparent by his tears and suffering, we can and must, recognise the face of Christ … and in the face of Christ, we can and must, recognise, the face of our heavenly Father, … then our humanism becomes a Christianity and our Christianity becomes theocentric. And thus we can also say – to know God, it is necessary, to know man.”

Today we live at a time of history when peace and harmony between nations and races is constantly threatened. Division and hatred, fear and frustration – these are among the counter-values of our day. The message of love in Christ Jesus in urgently needed. Hence, the Church’s task of proclaiming the Gospel and of being at the service of society is supremely relevant in India today. This task requires the active collaboration of all sectors of the ecclesial community, especially the laity.

…Through the testimony of your lives, through your words and deeds, the word of God is made known to the minds and hearts of others who seek Him, so that “they also may obtain salvation in Christ Jesus with its eternal glory” – that “they may obtain salvation”!

Brothers and sisters, if we die with Christ, we shall live also with Him, “if we endure, we shall also reign with him” .

Christ – Shepherd, Prophet and Priest – has sealed our hearts with His call just as He touched the hearts of the apostles, the hearts of Saint Thomas, Saint Francis Xavier and Saint John de Britto. May they intercede for the Church in India, for this beloved country and its people!

We will be happy if we remain faithful. For He, Christ, is faithful – “He remains faithful for He cannot deny Himself” .

Brothers and sisters, you are called to be living witnesses to Christ, living witnesses to God’s word, living witnesses to the saving message of love and mercy that Christ revealed to the world. Amen.

St John de Britto, Pray for Us!

DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN QUOTES, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 13 January

Posted on January 13, 2019January 13, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 13 January – The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the Memorial of St Hilary of Poitiers (315-368) Father & Doctor of the Church and Blessed Francesco Maria Greco (1857-1931)

“O Lord, wishing to fulfil all things
that You ordained before the ages,
You received the servants of Your mystery,
from among the Angels, Gabriel,
from among Men, the Virgin,
from among the Heavens, the Star
and from among the Waters, the Jordan,
in which You washed away the sin of the world,
O our Saviour, glory to You.”

St John Damascene (675-749) Doctor of the Church

“God only knows how to be love
and He only knows how to be Father.
And the one who loves is not envious
and one who is Father is so totally.
This name does not permit compromises,
as if God were only father in some aspects
and not in others.”

“The privilege of our Church is such that
it is never stronger
than when it is attacked,
never better known
than when it is accused,
never more powerful
than when it appears forsaken.”
(Treatise on the Trinity)

“The Church is the Ship
outside which
it is impossible to understand
the Divine Word,
for Jesus spoke from the boat
to the people gathered
on the shore.”

“No matter how sinful
one may have been,
if he has devotion to Mary,
it is impossible that he be lost.”

St Hilary of Poitiers (315-368) Father & Doctor of the Church

“In solitude,
in the presence
of the Blessed Sacrament,
I learned the love of Jesus
and the power of this love.”

Blessed Francesco Maria Greco (1857-1931)

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

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

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

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

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

St Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

St Aelred, Pray for Us!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Be mindful of favours,
unmindful of wrongs.”

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

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on MERCY, SAINT of the DAY, SPEAKING of .....

Quote/s of the Day – 17 November – The Memorial of St Elizabeth of Hungary – Apostle of Charity (1207-1231) – Speaking of: Charity/Mercy

Posted on November 17, 2018November 17, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 17 November – The Memorial of St Elizabeth of Hungary – Apostle of Charity (1207-1231)
Speaking of: Charity/Mercy

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

St Irenaeus (130-202) Father of the Church

“Mercy imitates God and disappoints Satan.”

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

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

“Compassion, my dear Brother,
is preferable to cleanliness.
Reflect that with a little soap,
I can easily clean my bed covers
but even with a torrent of tears,
I would never wash from my soul,
the stain, that my harshness toward
the unfortunate would create.”

St Martin de Porres (1579-1639)

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

St John Vianney (1786-1859)

“Any friend of the poor, is a friend of God.”

Blessed John Sullivan SJ (1861-1933)

JESUIT SJ, MORNING Prayers, PAPAL SERMONS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 5 November – Feast of All Saints and Blesseds of the Society of Jesus

Posted on November 5, 2018November 5, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 5 November – Feast of All Saints and Blesseds of the Jesuits

“If our church is not marked by caring for the poor,
the oppressed, the hungry, we are guilty of heresy.”

“Be generous to the poor orphans and those in need.
The man to whom our Lord has been liberal
ought not to be stingy.
We shall one day find in Heaven as much rest and joy
as we ourselves have dispensed in this life.”

St Ignatius Loyola SJ (1491-1556)

“Take care, take care, never to close your heart to anyone!”

St Peter Faber (1506-1546)

“To do the will of God,
man must despise his own –
the more he dies to himself,
the more he will live to God.”

St Peter Claver SJ (1581-1654)

“God gave Himself to you:
give yourself to God.”

St Robert Southwell SJ (1561-1595)

“Any friend of the poor, is a friend of God.”

“Take life in instalments.
This one day now.
At least let this be a good day.
Be always beginning.”

Blessed John Sullivan SJ (1861-1933)

“I hold that every poor man,
every vagrant, every beggar,
is Christ carrying His cross.
And as Christ, we must love and help him.”

“Christ roams through our streets
in the person of so many
of the suffering poor, sick and dispossessed
and people thrown out of their miserable slums.
Christ huddled under bridges,
in the person of so many children
who lack someone to call father,
who have been deprived for many years,
without a mother’s kiss on their foreheads…
Christ is without a home!
Shouldn’t we want to give Him one,
those of us who have the joy of a comfortable home,
plenty of good food,
the means to educate
and assure the future of our children?”

St Alberto Hurtado SJ (1901-1952)

” To serve Christ is to love this concrete Church
and to serve her with generosity
and with the spirit of obedience.”

“Ask for the grace of shame;
the shame that comes from the constant dialogue of mercy with Him;
the shame that makes us blush before Jesus Christ;
the shame that puts us in tune with the heart of Christ who is made sin for me;
the shame that harmonises our heart in tears and accompanies us in the daily following of “my Lord”.

Pope Francis SJ – 31 July 2013 on the Feast of St Ignatius

JESUIT SJ, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MERCY, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 5 November – Today’s Gospel: Luke 14:12–14 – “Invite the poor…”

Posted on November 5, 2018November 5, 2018 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 5 November – Today’s Gospel: Luke 14:12–14 – Monday of the Thirty-first week in Ordinary Time, Year B and the Memorial of All Jesuit Saints and Blesseds

“invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind…..You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”…Luke 14:13-14b

REFLECTION – “This means choosing gratuitousness rather than self-seeking and calculating to obtain a reward, seeking interest and trying to increase your wealth. Indeed, the poor, the simple, those who ‘don’t count’, can never reciprocate an invitation to a meal. In this way Jesus shows His preference for the poor and the excluded, who are the privileged in the Kingdom of God and He launches the fundamental message of the Gospel which is to serve others out of love for God.

Today, Jesus gives voice to those who are voiceless and to each one of us, He addresses an urgent appeal, to open our hearts and to make our own, the sufferings and anxieties of the poor, the hungry, the marginalised, the refugees, those who are defeated by life, those who are rejected by society and by the arrogance of the strong.”…Pope Francis – Angelus, 28 August 2016

“He himself had wanted to be born in poverty, to welcome the poor into His company, to serve the poor and put Himself in the place of the poor, to the point of saying that the good and evil we do to the poor, will be held by Him to have been done to His own divine person (Mt 25:40). What more tender love could He have shown the poor! And what sort of love could we be showing Him, I ask you, if we don’t love what He loved? So much so, that loving the poor, is to love Him as He would wish and imitating Him, is to serve Him rightly and honour Him as we ought…”…St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) – Extract from a report concerning the state of the work, 11/07/1657

PRAYER – Lord God, teach us humility, to give and not to count ever the cost to ourselves, to take the lowest part and the back seat – teach us Lord, to strive and not to seek for glory, save for that of Your Kingdom. Let us see Your Face, His Face, He our Teacher, our Saviour in the face of all those in most need. May all those great Jesuit Saints standing before that Face, pray for us! We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who we beg, have mercy on us all, who seek rewards for our own sakes, amen. all you jesuit saints and blesseds pray for us - 5 nov 2018

DOMINICAN OP, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PRAYER, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 3 November – The Memorial of St Martin de Porres (1579-1639)

Posted on November 3, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 3 November – The Memorial of St Martin de Porres (1579-1639)

“Everything,
even sweeping,
scraping vegetables,
weeding a garden
and waiting on the sick,
could be a prayer,
if it were offered to God.”

St Martin de Porres (1579-1639)

CONFESSION/PENANCE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, MORNING Prayers, PAPAL SERMONS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on MERCY, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 29 October – The Memorial of St Gaetano Errico (1791-1860)

Posted on October 29, 2018 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 29 October – The Memorial of St Gaetano Errico (1791-1860), Founder of the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Day by day, city to city, village to village, among both the poorest and those of high esteem, he saw the hunger each possessed to know that sin was forgiven, that God’s mercy was infinite and that they were loved. Countless souls found a merciful listener, the embodiment of God’s promise of peace and renewal, in Fr Gaetano, in the Confessional.

“The priest, Gaetano Errico, dedicated himself to this sacrament with diligence, assiduity and patience, never refusing it nor counting the cost. He thus entered among the group of other extraordinary priests who tirelessly made the confessional a place to dispense God’s mercy, helping men to rediscover themselves, to fight against sin and make progress in the spiritual life.

The street and the confessional were the two particular places of Gaetano Errico’s pastoral work. The street was the place that permitted him to offer his customary invitation: “God loves you, when shall we meet?” and in the confession he made their encounter with the mercy of the heavenly Father possible. How many wounded souls did he heal in this way! How many people did he help to be reconciled with God through the sacrament of forgiveness!

In this way St. Gaetano Errico became an expert in the “science” of forgiveness, and concerned himself with teaching it to his missionaries: “God, who does not wish the death of the sinner, is always more merciful than his ministers; so be as merciful as you can and you will find mercy with God!”

Pope Benedict XVI, Homily at Canonisation Mass, October 2008

He found his own encouragement on his knees in prayer . . . indeed it was prayer and the hours he spent in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament that strengthened and renewed him and kept the fire of his love for God ever burning.

Let us rediscover the great grace of the Confessional and the immense joy of Eucharistic Adoration for ourselves!

	AnaStpaul on Thought for the Day –19 Decemb…
	hughie1 on Thought for the Day –19 Decemb…
	Two churches on Saint of the Day – 2 April – S…
	AnaStpaul on Thought for the Day – 10 Decem…
	AnaStpaul on Within the Octave, Casa de Lor…

Saint Caesarius of Arles (470-543)

Share this:

“The Narrow Door”

St Alphonsus Rodriguez SJ (1532-1617)

Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Francis

Share this:

Apostolic Zeal for the Salvation and Sanctification of Souls

An excerpt from the Letters of Saint Maximilian Kolbe

St Maximillian Kolbe, Pray for Us!

Share this:

St John Vianney (1786-1859)

Share this:

Share this:

St Peter Chrysologus “Golden Words” (c 400-450) Father & Doctor

St Maria de Jesus Sacramentado (1868-1959)

Share this:

Pope Francis

Share this:

The Light Burden of the Law of Christ

Saint Jerome (347-420)

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Bishop of Geneva and Doctor of the Church

Share this:

Share this:

Blessed Mariano de la Mata Aparicio , Pray for Us!

Share this:

St Peter Chrysologus (400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father & Doctor of the Church

Prayer knocks, fasting obtains, mercy receives

Share this:

“Speaking of Charity”

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

St Gregory of Nazianzen (330-390) Father & Doctor of the Church

St Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167)

St John of God (1495-1550)

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

St Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938)

Share this:

St Caesarius of Arles (470-543)

Share this:

St Martin of Braga (c 520–580)

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

St Claude de la Colombiere (1641-1682)

Blessed Michal Sopoćko (1888-1975)

Share this:

Share this:

We are called to serve.

St John de Britto, Pray for Us!

Share this:

St John Damascene (675-749) Doctor of the Church

St Hilary of Poitiers (315-368) Father & Doctor of the Church

Blessed Francesco Maria Greco (1857-1931)

Share this:

St Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167)

St Aelred, Pray for Us!

Share this:

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

Share this:

St Irenaeus (130-202) Father of the Church

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

St Martin de Porres (1579-1639)

St John Vianney (1786-1859)

Blessed John Sullivan SJ (1861-1933)

Share this:

St Ignatius Loyola SJ (1491-1556)

St Peter Faber (1506-1546)

St Peter Claver SJ (1581-1654)

St Robert Southwell SJ (1561-1595)

Blessed John Sullivan SJ (1861-1933)

St Alberto Hurtado SJ (1901-1952)

Pope Francis SJ – 31 July 2013 on the Feast of St Ignatius

Share this:

Share this:

St Martin de Porres (1579-1639)

Share this:

St Gaetano Errico, Pray for Us!

St Peter Chrysologus “Golden Words”
(c 400-450) Father & Doctor

Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Bishop of Geneva and Doctor of the Church

St Peter Chrysologus (400-450)
Bishop of Ravenna, Father & Doctor of the Church

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