Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on MORALS, The BEATITUDES

Thought for the Day – 11 August – Divine Providence

Thought for the Day – 11 August – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Divine Providence

“How foolish it is for the sinner to exult and to sink into complacency.
For all he knows, he may already be abandoned by God because the measure of God’s mercy to him has been exhausted!

Those who are leading good lives may have to endure a great deal but, “blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted”and, “blessed are they who suffer persecution, for justrice’s sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Cf Mt 5:10).

Even in the moral order, Divine Providence stands out quite clearly, being infinitely good to the just and merciful to sinners but, severely condemning all sinfulness.
Let us meditate on the wonders of Providence and regulate our lives in accordance with its designs.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/19/thought-for-the-day-19-august-divine-providence/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/08/11/thought-for-the-day-august-duvine-providence/

Posted in "Follow Me", LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on ENEMIES, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MODESTY, QUOTES on MORALS, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE

Thought for the Day – 14 November – Good Example

Thought for the Day – 14 November – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Good Example

“The Holy Spirit tells us that God entrusts to everyone, the care of his neighbour (Ecclus 17:12).
Let your light shine before men,” says Jesus Christ, “in order that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in Heaven” (Mt 5:16).
St Paul echoes this counsel, when he warns us not to return evil for evil but to “provide good things, not only in the sight of God but also in the sight of all men” (Cf Rom 12:17).
In other words, we are obliged to edify our neighbour by our good example.

Good example is the most effective sermon and it is a sermon which all of us can and should deliver.
We ought to preach this sermon everywhere and at all times – in the Church and outside it, in our family circle and in society, with our superiors, equals and inferiors, when we are speaking and when we are silent, in our behaviour and in our appearance!

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/11/14/thought-for-the-day-14-november-good-example/

Posted in ABOUT Antonio Bacci, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on MORALS, QUOTES on MORTAL SIN, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on THE WORLD

Thought for the Day – 17 November – The Infiltration of the Cinema, Radio, Television [Internet]

Thought for the Day – 17 November – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Influence of the Cinema,
Radio, Television, [Internet]

“It is an unfortunate but undeniable fact, that man often employs new inventions and discoveries for evil, rather than for good purposes.
The gifts of God ought to bring us closer to Him but, too often, they become, through our own fault, the means of separating ourselves further from Him.
Everything is good and not only whatever God has created but also, whatever we, ourselves produce by a proper use of the facultis with which our Creator has endowed us.

Every creature of God is good,” says St Paul, “and nothing is to be rejected…” (1 Tim 4:4).
These words are still true of the countless inventions of our own era.
The cinema, radio, television, [internet], are essentially good because they are gifts which God has brought into being through the agency of human intelligence and perseverance.
But what use have we been making of them?
Take, for instance, the cinema.
It must be admitted that there are very few films today which are edifying or spiritually helpful.
Most are positively bad and dangerous, especially to certain branches of the community.
Moreover, as Pope Pius XI warned us, in his Encyclical, Vigilanti Cura, on this subject in 1936, many films, which would otherwise be quite harmless, are rendered dangerous because they are interspersed with various kinds of immorality.

Since the greatest evil for a Christian is the loss of God and this inevitably follows, the loss of grace and of the Faith, we must observe the following safeguards in our approach to the cinema:
(1)We must stay away from any film which might represent a proximate occasion of mortal sin;
(2) We must avoid films which are opposed to morals or to the Faith and must see that our families and dependents, do likewise
;
(3) We may attend films which are good or merely entertaining.
It is better, however, not to go to the cinema too regularly, for to do so, would be a waste of time and could expose us to unforeseen risks.
In any case, there are many other amusements, preferably open-air, which are much more beneficial to soul and body.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Note: We are definitely capable of updating the wise words of dear Cardinal Bacci to accommodate the current era and infiltration of the above evils into virtually every moment of our lives – on our phones and computers.

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on MORALS, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL

Thought for the Day – 16 November – Evil Literature

Thought for the Day – 16 November – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Evil Literature

“As far back as 1886, Pope Leo XIII in his Encyclical, Pergrata Nobis, deplored the extent to which evil literature was perverting morals and insidiously attacking the Faith.
Elsewhere, he wrote: “Everyday we see new falsehood emerging with unbelievable audacity, both in large volumes and in pamphlets, periodicals and in newspapers of every kind” (AL 1883 p 262).
The yellow press is like a poison which diffuses itself everywhere” (AL1893, p 340).
The enemies of the Church employ it as the most powerful weapon with which to combat Her.
Their evil and disturbing publications are, unfortunately, restrained, neither by law, nor by public opinion
” (AL 1882)
We perceive, with the utmost sorrow, books and newspapers, which seem to have been compiled in order to sneer at virtue and exalt the vilest indecencies” (AL 1888 p 396).

The solemn warning of Leo XIII, has been repeated over and over again by his successors.
His Holiness, Pope Pius XII, went so far as to declare that today, the propagation of evil has been turned into an industry.
The unhealthy curiosity of a great many people, especially of the young, is exploited in order to sell indecent publications, which are devoid of any literary value.

In every bookstall are displayed, gaudy magazies which attrract the eye of the passer-by.
If he is already the victim of vicious habits, he is provided with a further incentive towards evil, or, if he is young and innocent, the dangerous disturbance which he experiences, may be the beginning of an ultimate surrender to his lower instincts.

Since it is obvious, therefore, that the printing press has become one of the most powerful means of diffusing good and evil among individuals and families, let us examine our own attitude towards it.
What kind of books and newspapers do we read?
Do we support good or evil literature?
Our reading, like our friends, shows what we are.
If we read worldly, frivolous, or even evil publications, we are injected, perhaps unconsciously, with a subtle spiritual poison.
The results may be disastrous!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in QUOTES "CARPE DIEM" - Seize the Day, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHILDREN, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on MORALS, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 9 October – 3 Saints

Quote/s of the Day – 9 October – The Memorial of St Louis Bertrand OP (1526-1581) “Apostle of South America”, St John Leonardi OMD (1541-1609), Founder of the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God and St John Henry Newman C.Orat (1801-1890)

“Do not be afraid any longer, little flock,
for your Father is pleased
to give you the kingdom.
Sell your belongings and give alms.
Provide money bags for yourselves
that do not wear out,
an inexhaustible treasure in heaven
that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.

Those who want to work
for moral reform in the world,
must seek the glory of God
before all else.
Because He is the source of all good,
they must wait for His help
and pray for it,
in this difficult and necessary undertaking
.”

Children should be entrusted
only to good and God-fearing teachers
.”

St John Leonardi (1541-1609)

MORE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/10/09/quote-s-of-the-day-9-october-st-louis-bertrand-op-st-john-leonardi-omd-st-john-henry-newman-c-orat/

Posted in GOD ALONE!, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MEDIOCRITY, QUOTES on MORALS, QUOTES on MORTIFICATION, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on TRUTH

Thought for the Day – 9 December – THE SALVATION OF SOULS

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

THE SALVATION OF SOULS

“If you still belong to the category of those who desire to be good and virtuous, remember that your obligations do not stop at this.
You are obliged to work as hard as possible, for the return of sinners to the fold and for the reawakening of the faith of the indifferent.

A man who really loves God, cannot remain inactive when he witnesses the desertion of so many of his fellow-men, the corruption of public and private morals and the continuous insults offered to the Creator of the human race.
ANYONE WHO REMAINS INACTIVE BECOMES AN ACCOMPLISH!

Everyone is obliged to do his best to prevent the spread of such errors and evils.
Do NOT make the excuse that there is very little which you can do.
Although the resources of those who are still faithful, may be individually insignificant, they become, when combined, an irresistible force.

Remember that you have three invincible weapons – prayer, mortification and sacrifice.
These are the weapons which can and should be employed in order to convert the world and to establuish the Kingdom of God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MEDIOCRITY, QUOTES on MORALS, QUOTES on MORTIFICATION, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on TRUTH

Thought for the Day – 9 December – THE SALVATION OF SOULS

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

THE SALVATION OF SOULS

“If you still belong to the category of those who desire to be good and virtuous, remember that your obligations do not stop at this.
You are obliged to work as hard as possible, for the return of sinners to the fold and for the reawakening of the faith of the indifferent.

A man who really loves God, cannot remain inactive when he witnesses the desertion of so many of his fellow-men, the corruption of public and private morals and the continuous insults offered to the Creator of the human race.
ANYONE WHO REMAINS INACTIVE BECOMES AN ACCOMPLISH!

Everyone is obliged to do his best to prevent the spread of such errors and evils.
Do NOT make the excuse that there is very little which you can do.
Although the resources of those who are still faithful, may be individually insignificant, they become, when combined, an irresistible force.

Remember that you have three invincible weaponsprayer, mortification and sacrifice.
These are the weapons which can and should be employed in order to convert the world and to establuish the Kingdom of God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on MORALS, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY MASS

One Minute Reflection – 27 October – ‘The doctrine of Christ is fittingly called leaven because the bread is Christ.’ – Luke 13:20-21

One Minute Reflection – 27 October – Tuesday of the Twenty-eighth week in Ordinary Time, Readings: Ephesians 5:21-33,Psalms 128:1-23,4-5Luke 13:18-21 and the Memorial of St Emeline of Boulancourt (c 1115-c 1178)

Again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?
It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened.”
… Luke 13:20-21

REFLECTION – “There are three measures – of the flesh, of the soul and of the spirit. This is truer of the spirit in which we all live. The woman, who prefigures the church, mixes with them the virtue of spiritual doctrine, until the whole hidden inner person of the heart is leavened and the heavenly bread arises to grace.

The doctrine of Christ is fittingly called leaven because the bread is Christ. The apostle said, “For we, being many, are one bread, one body.” Leavening happens, when the flesh does not lust against the Spirit, nor the Spirit against the flesh. We mortify the deeds of the flesh and, the soul, aware that through the breath of God, it has received the breath of life, shuns the earthly germs of worldly needs.” – St Ambrose (340-397) (Exposition of the Gospel of Luke, 7)

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 the ways of justice and of peace. Help us Lord, that we may sprout and bear fruit, fitting to grow and be a home of comfort to our neighbour. By the prayers of St Emeline of Boulancourt, may we too be beacons of Your Light and of the glory of Your Kingdom. Through Jesus our Lord, Who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on MORALS, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 7 February – Religion and Action

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

Religion and Action

John 14 6 i am the way -the Christian religion is moe than - bacci 7 feb2020

“Jesus says in the Gospel:  “I am the way and the truth and the life” (Jn 14:6).
The world was lost in the darkness of error and in the entanglement of vice.
Jesus came to point out the only path which leads to truth and to virtue.
But He was not satisfied merely to show the way and to preach the truth.
There were philosophers who had spoken eloquently and taught wisely on the subject of truth and the virtues.
Nobody, however, was able to give men the strength to follow their precepts.
Many could have repeated the words of the poet:  “Video meliora proboque deteriora sequor;  “I see what it is better to do but I do what is worse” (Ovid, Metamorphoses, VII, 20-21).
Jesus, on the other hand, not only taught the way and the truth but by His grace, gave men a spark of the divine life which was in Him.
The Christian religion is more than a system of doctrines to be firmly held.
It is more than a system of private and public worship of God and veneration of His Saints, more than a mere collection of rites to be observed.
It should also be a way of life in full conformity with the moral precepts given by Jesus Christ.
He is declared to be not only the way and the truth but our very life, in the sense, that He transfuses into us, His own divine life, by means of His grace, with which we must co-operate generously, if we wish to be true Christians.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci