Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on REASON/INTELLECT, QUOTES on WISDOM, The GOOD SHEPHERD

Quote/s of the Day – 29 March – Hear and Obey

Quote/s of the Day – 29 March –Wednesday in Passion Week – Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-19, 25, John 10:22-38 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

My sheep hear My Voice;
I know them and they follow Me.

John 10:27

Peace in us is the result
of two kinds of necessary obedience,
the obedience to right reason
of the lower faculties
and the obedience of right reason
to God, our Creator.
“This is the peace which God
gives on earth to men of goodwill;
this is the most perfect wisdom,

St Augustine (356-430)
Father and Doctor of Grace

Do all through love,
nothing through constraint.
Love obedience more
than you fear disobedience.

(Letter to Madame de Chantal)

To find the Saviour
outside obedience’
is to lose Him altogether!

(Letters to Persons in Religion, VI, 22)

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

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Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 27 March – ‘… You heard the words of the Lord, saying, “Stretch forth your hand.” …’

One Minute Reflection – 27 March – Monday of Passion Week and the Feast of St John Damascene (675-749) Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church, Confessor, Priest, Monk, Theologian, Writer, Defender of Iconography, Polymath. – Wisdom 10:10-17, Luke 6:6-11 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

On another sabbath, he went into the synagogue and taught and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.” … Luke 6:6

REFLECTION – “Are you angry at me because I have healed the whole man on the Sabbath day?”   In this place He revivified,, with the salutary strength of good works, the hand which Adam stretched out to pluck the fruit of the forbidden tree.   The hand which had withered through a crime, was healed by good deeds.   Christ thereby rebuked the Jews who violated the precepts of the law with evil interpretations.   They thought that they should rest even from good works on the Sabbath, since the law prefigured in the present, the form of the future, in which indeed, the days of rest from evils, not from blessings, would come.

Then you heard the words of the Lord, saying, “Stretch forth your hand.”   That is the common and universal remedy.   You, who think that you have a healthy hand, beware lest it is withered by greed or by sacrilege.   Hold it out often.   Hold it out to the poor person who begs you.   Hold it out to help your neighbour, to give protection to a widow, to snatch from harm one whom you see subjected to unjust insult.   Hold it out to God for your sins.   The hand is stretched forth, then it is healed.   Jeroboam’s hand withered when he sacrificed to idols, then it stretched out when he entreated God.” …  St Ambrose (340-397)-  One of the 4 original Doctors of the Latin Church – Exposition on the Gospel of Luke, 5

PRAYER – Almighty, eternal God, Who to defend the honour paid to sacred images, filled blessed John with heavenly learning and wondrous strength of soul, grant that, by his intercession and example, we may imitate the virtues of those whose images we honour and may enjoy the help of their patronage. 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 DOCTORS of the Church, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, Quotes on SALVATION, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 26 March – … If anyone keep My word, he will never see death. John 8:51

Quote/s of the Day – 26 March – Passion Sunday – Hebrews 9:11-15, John 8:46-59 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

Amen, amen, I say to you,
if anyone keep My word,
he will never see death
.”

John 8:51

We must live a dying life
and we must die a living death
in the life of our Lord
.”
(The Spirit of St. François de Sales, XV, 6 )

Unhappy is death,
without the love of Christ;
unhappy is love,
without the Death of Christ
!”
(Treatise on the Love of God,
Book 12, Chapter 13)

We are dying,
little by little;
so, we are to make
our imperfections die
with us, day by day.

(Letters to Persons in the World I:5)

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, Hail MARY!, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, The ANNUNCIATION, The INCARNATION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 March –  ‘… By the word of an Angel …’

One Minute Reflection – 24 March – “The Month of the St Joseph” – Friday of the Fourth Week in Lent and the Feast of St Gabriel the Archangel – Daniel 9:21-26, Luke 1:26-38 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

Hail, full of grace!” – Luke 1:28

REFLECTION – “So the Lord now manifestly came to His own. Born by His own created order that He Himself bears, He by His obedience on the tree, renewed and reversed what was done by disobedience, in connection with a tree.

The power of that seduction, by which the virgin Eve, already betrothed to a man, had been wickedly seduced, was broken when the Angel in truth brought good tidings to the Virgin Mary, who already, by her betrothal belonged to a man. For as Eve was seduced by the word of an Angel to flee from God, having rebelled against His Word, so Mary by the word of an Angel, received the glad tidings that she would bear God, by obeying His Word.

The former was seduced to disobey God and so fell but the latter, was persuaded to obey God, so that the Virgin Mary might become the advocate of Eve.

As the human race was subjected to death through the act of a Virgin, so was it saved by a Virgin, was precisely balanced by the obedience of Another. Then indeed, the sin of the first formed man was amended by the chastisement of the First Begotten, the wisdom of the serpent was conquered by the simplicity of the Dove and the chains were broken, by which we were in bondage to death.” – St Irenaeus (130-202) Bishop of Lyons, Martyr, Father of the Church (Against Heresies, 5)

PRAYER – O God, Who, out of all the Angels, chose the Archangel Gabriel to announce the Mystery of Thy Incarnation, mercifully grant that we who keep his feast on earth, may have him as our patron in Heaven.Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, LENT 2023, LENTEN THOUGHTS, MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on the FAMILY, St JOSEPH, The HOLY FAMILY, THE HOLY FAMILY - FAMILIAE SANCTAE

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 20 March – ST JOSEPH, HEAD OF THE HOLY FAMILY

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 20 March – St Joseph, Feast transferred from Sunday 19 March – Monday of the Fourth Week in Lent – Ecclesiasticus 45:1-6, Matthew 1:18-21 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
who greatly delights in His commands
.”
Psalm 111:1

And she shall bring forth a son
and thou shalt call His Name Jesus …

Matthew 1:21

SAINT JOSEPH,
HEAD OF THE HOLY FAMILY
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

OH, WHAT A DIVINE UNION between our Lady and the glorious St Joseph!
A union which made that Good of eternal goods which is our Lord, belong to St Joseph, as he belonged to our Lady, (not by the nature that He had taken in the womb of our glorious Mistress, a nature that had been formed by the Holy Spirit of the most pure blood of our Lady) but, according to grace, which made him a partaker of all the goods of his dear Spouse and, which made him go on growing wonderfully in perfection and this was by his continual communication with our Lady, who possessed all virtues, in so high a degree, that no other pure creature can attain to it.
Still the glorious St Joseph was the one who approached nearest to it. …

Observe the order that is kept in this holy family. …
Who can doubt that our Lady was greater than St Joseph and that she had more discretion and qualities proper for governing, than her spouse?
Yet the Angel does not address himself to her, for what is required to be done, whether it be going or coming, or anything else.
Does it not seem to you that the Angel commits a great indiscretion, in addressing himself rather, to St Joseph than to our Lady, who is the head of the house, carrying with her the Treasure of the Eternal Father?
Had she not reason to be offended at this proceeding and way of acting? Doubtless she might have said to her husband: “Why should I go into Egypt, since my Son has not revealed to me that I ought to do so, nor has the Angel spoken to me of it?” Now our Lady says nothing of this sort. She is not offended because the Angel addresses himself to St Joseph but she obey,s quite simply because she knows that God has so ordered it …”

O God! how beautiful it was to see the respect and reverence with which he treated both the Mother and the Son!
If he had wished to leave the Mother when he was not quite aware of the greatness of her dignity, into what admiration and profound abasement was he not afterwards plunged, when he saw himself so honoured that our Lord and our Lady became obedient to his will and did nothing but by his command?!
” (Sermons).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The HEART, The HOLY SCRIPTURES, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 15 March – “This people honours Me with their lips but their heart is far from Me.” – Matthew 15:8

One Minute Reflection – 15 March – “The Month of the St Joseph” – Wednesday of the Third Week in Lent – Exodus 20:12-24, Matthew 15:1-20 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

This people honours Me with their lips but their heart is far from Me.” – Matthew 15:8

REFLECTION – “We have the Ten Commandments which Moses gave… and everything recommended to us, by the reading of the holy books, of which this has been communicated by Isaiah : “Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes, cease to do evil, learn to do good. Make justice your aim, redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow. Come now, let us set things right, says the Lord.” (Is 1:16) … But we have, too, the law of God’s Word, the words of encouragement, not written on tablets of stone by the Finger of the Lord (Ex 24:12) but, on the human heart (2 Cor 3:3) … These two laws were used by the Word for the instruction of humanity, first by the mouth of Moses and then, by that of the Apostles…

However, we need a teacher to explain these holy words … He is the One who will teach us about the words of God. The school is our Church – our only Teacher is the Bridegroom, the goodwill of a good Father, original wisdom, holiness and knowledge. He is the expiation for our sins, Saint John says (1Jn 2:2) it is He Who heals our bodies and souls, our whole person; He, Jesus, is “the expiation for our sins and, not for our sins only but for those of the whole world. The way that we may be sure we know Him, is to keep His Commandments” (vv 2-3) … “Whoever claims to abide in Him ought to live just as He lived” (v.6).

We, who are pupils of this blessed instruction, are bringing the Church’s beautiful appearance to completion and running towards this kindly mother, like little children. Let us listen to the Word of God and give glory to the happy disposition which guides us by means of this Teacher and sanctifies us as God’s children. We will be citizens of Heaven, if we are pupils of this Teacher on earth. There above, we shall understand everything He has taught us concerning the Father.” – St Clement of Alexandria (c150-c215) Father of the Church, Theologian and Philosopher, Professor who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria. Among his pupils were Origen and Alexander of Jerusalem. (The Instructor ]Paedagogus] III 89, 94, 98-99).

PRAYER – From all perils of soul and body defend us, O Lord, we beseech Thee and by the intercession of the blessed and glorious ever Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of blessed Joseph, of thy blessed Apostles Peter and Paul and all the Saints, graciously grant us safety and peace that all adversities and errors being overcome, Thy Church may serve Thee in security and freedom. 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, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, GOD ALONE!, LENT 2023, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, Our MORNING Offering, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, The WILL of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 15 March – O Merciful God By St Thomas Aquinas

Our Morning Offering – 15 March – Wednesday of the Third Week in Lent

O Merciful God
By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor Angelicus
Doctor Communis

O merciful God,
grant that I may ever perfectly
do Thy Will in all things.
Let it be my ambition to work
only for Thy honour and glory.
Let me rejoice in nothing
but that which leads to Thee,
nor grieve for anything,
which leads away from Thee.
May all passing things be as nothing in my eyes
and may all which is Thine be dear to me
and Thou, my God, dear above them all.
May all joy be meaningless without Thee
and may I desire nothing apart from Thee.
May all labour and toil delight me, when it is for Thee.
Make me, O Lord, obedient without complaint,
poor without regret,
patient without murmur,
humble without pretence,
joyous without frivolity,
and truthful without disguise.
Amen

Posted in CONFESSION/PENANCE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SIN, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 1 March – Repentance, Penance, Sacrifice

Quote/s of the Day – 1 March – Ember Wednesday – 3 Kings. 19:3-8, Matthew 12:38-50 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgement
with this generation and condemn it, for they repented …”

Matthew 12:41

The sign of Jonah

Matthew 12:39

It was, too, to lead the Ninevites
to firm repentance and to convert them
to Him, Who would deliver them from death,
amazed as they were by the sign accomplished in Jonah …
In the same way, God permitted man
to be swallowed by that great monster,
the author of disobedience,
not so that he should altogether vanish away
and die but because God, had prepared beforehand,
the salvation fulfilled by His Word
by means of the “sign of Jonah.

St Irenaeus (130-208)
Bishop of Lyons, Martyr and Father

“… In the conceitedness of our souls,
without taking the least trouble
to obey the Lord’s Commandments,
we think ourselves worthy
to receive the same reward
as those who have resisted sin to the death!

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

To do penance is to bewail
the evil we have done
and to do no evil to bewail.

But He still follows behind us and counsels us,
that we have despised Him
but He still does not cease to call us.
We turn our backs on His face, so to speak,
when we reject His Words,
when we trample His Commandments underfoot
but He, Who sees that we reject Him,
still calls out to us by His Commandments
and waits for us by His patience,
stands behind us and calls us back
when we have turned away
.”

St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604)
Father & Doctor of the Church

What are we doing?
If we really love the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
we should offer penance and sacrifices
in order to make reparation for our sins
and the sins of others
and, to propitiate this adorable Heart,
Which ardently desires to bestow
new favours upon us.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 25 February – ‘ … Then the Lord will guide you always …’

Quote/s of the Day – 25 February – The First Saturday of Lent – Isaias 58:9-14, Mark 6:47-56

Thus says the Lord God:
If you remove from your midst oppression,
false accusation
and malicious speech.
if you bestow your bread
on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
then light shall rise
for you in the darkness
and the gloom
shall become for you,like midday;
then the Lord will guide you always
and give you plenty,
even on the parched land.
He will renew your strength
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring whose water never fails.

Isaiah 58:9-11

“… If you hold back your foot
on the Sabbath from following
your own pursuits on My holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the Lord’s Holy Day honourable;
if you honour it,
by not following your ways,
seeking your own interests,
or speaking with malice –
then you shall delight in the Lord
…”

Isaiah 58:13-14

Take courage; it is I,
do not be afraid.
And He got into the boat with them
and the wind fell
.”

Mark 6:50-51

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on REPARATION, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on WORK/LABOUR

Thought for the Day – 3 February – WORK

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

WORK

“Since the fall of Adam. work is not only a pleasure but, a burden and an atonement too.
It is deceitful to hold forth the promise, of a paradise of workers, a possibility in which no intelligent person could be expected to believe.
The so-called social plan for workers, designed to create a paradise upon earth, produces only a system of regimentation, in which men cease to be free and become insignificant cogs of the all-powerful state mechanism.
We MUST oppose this degradingly materialistic conception of labour.
Work is a command of God, Who, after the sin of Adam, told him and his sons: “In the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread.” (Gen 3:19).

Let us accept from God this high responsibility of co-operation with Him, in His work of creation and redemption.
Let us accept it alike, when it is a pleasure and when it is a sacrifice.
Let us accept it with the cheerfulness of the Saints, or at least, with resignation.
Let us realise that by working, we purify our souls and atone for our sins.
We also make ourselves useful to our brothers on earth because, the work of our hands and of our minds, exercises a social function, especially on behalf of the abandoned classes.

It is an apostolate of expiation and redemption for large numbers of souls who are sunk in ignorance and sin.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/02/03/thought-for-the-day-3-february-work/

Posted in CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, SACRAMENTS

Thought for the Day – 1 February – Divine Worship, Charity and Justice

Thought for the Day – 1 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Divine Worship, Charity and Justice

Divine Worship:
We have a strict duty to honour and obey God.
I, the Lord, Am your God,” He tells us in the first commandment of the Decalogue.
You shall not have other gods besides me.
We are obliged, therefore, to worship God both internally and externally, since both soul and body are created by God.
Internal worship is especially necessary, for without it, external worship would be an empty formality.
It is useless to kneel before the Altar, to assist at Sacred Rites and to recite vocal prayers if, all the time, our minds are elsewhere and we are lacking in the love of God.
Spiritual adoration and prayer, are more important than the bowed head and the bended knee.

It would be a grave error, however, to imagine that internal adoration is sufficient and there is not need to assemble in the Church, to observe Feast days or to participate in Sacred Rites and receive the Sacraments, as the Church commands.
Everything should be subject to God.
The Church was founded by Christ and endowed by Him with the authority to lay down the exact manner in which we should pay homage to Almighty God.
She has the right to dictate the feasts and ceremonies in which we are obliged to participate.
Anyone who refused to obey the Church, is guilty of disobedience to God.
He who hears you hears me,” said Jesus Christ to His Apostles and through them to their successors “and he who rejeccts you, rejects me” (Lk 10:16).

How do we adore God?
Are we among those who pray with their lips and not from the heart?
Or do we believe that private devotion is quite sufficient and that there is no need to subject ourselves to all the laws of the Church?
Some laws we agree with, some we do not and choose to ignore.
In either case, we have gone astray and should be unable to gain God’s favour and cannot be regarded as members of His Church!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SIN, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 27 January – ‘… Why must you be salt? …’

One Minute Reflection – 27 January – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Bishop, Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church “Golden Mouthed.” – 2 Timothy 4:1-8, Matthew 5:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” – Matthew 5:13

REFLECTION – “It is as a matter of absolute necessity that He commands all this. Why must you be salt? Jesus says in effect: “You are accountable, not only for your own life but also, for that of the entire world. I am sending you not to one or two cities, nor to ten or twenty, nor even to one nation, as I sent the Prophets. Rather, I am sending you to the entire earth, across the seas, to the whole world, to a world fallen into an evil state.” For by saying, “You are the salt of the earth,” Jesus signifies, that all human nature itself has “lost its taste,” having become rotten through sin. For this reason, you see, He requires from His disciples, those character traits that are most necessary and useful for the benefit of all.” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor  (The Gospel of Matthew: Homily,15).

PRAYER – May heavenly grace, we beseech Thee, O Lord, prosper Thy Church, which Thou mercifully enlightened by the blessed virtues and teachings of glorious and blessed John Chrysostom, Thy Confessor and Bishop. 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 "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, OUR Cross, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE LIGHT of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on TRUST in GOD, QUOTES on TRUTH, The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY NAME, The WORD, THOMAS a KEMPIS

Quote/s of the Day – 24 January – ‘If you will be perfect …’

Quote/s of the Day – 24 January – St Timothy (1st Century) Disciple of St Paul, Bishop and Martyr – 1 Timothy 6:11-16, Luke 14:26-33.– Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

So likewise, everyone of you,
who does not renounce all
that he possesses,
cannot be My disciple.

Luke 14:33

He seems to demand of us
the most entire renunciation…
So, if we keep back for ourselves ,
any earthly goods or any perishable supplies,
our minds will remain sunk in them,
as though in mud.
Then, inevitably, our souls will become unable
to contemplate God and will be unmoved
by desire for the splendours of Heaven
and for the good things promised us.
We shall only be able to acquire those good things,
if we ask for them unceasingly,
with a burning desire that will, besides,
make easy the effort needed to gain them.”

A person who wishes
to become the Lord’s disciple
must repudiate a human obligation,
however honourable it may appear,
if it slows us, ever so slightly,
in giving the wholehearted obedience
we owe to God.

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

If you wish to enter into life,
keep My commandments.
If you will know the truth,
believe in Me.
If you will be perfect,
sell all.
If you will be My disciple,
deny yourself.
If you will possess the blessed life,
despise this present life.
If you will be exalted in Heaven,
humble yourself on earth.
If you wish to reign with Me,
carry the Cross with Me.
For only the servants of the Cross
find the life of blessedness
and of true Light.

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
The Imitation of Christ Chapter 56

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

St Anthony Mary Zaccaria (1502-1539)

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OUR Cross, QUOTES on ANGER, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on SLOTH, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY EUCHARIST, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 20 January – Blessed are you who are poor …

Quote/s of the Day – 20 January – St Fabian, Pope, and St Sebastian – Martyrs – Hebrews 11:33-39, Luke 6:17-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the Kingdom of God.

Luke 6:20

“If the poison of pride is swelling up in you,
turn to the Eucharist and that Bread,
Which is your God humbling and disguising Himself,
will teach you humility.

If the fever of selfish greed rages in you,
feed on this Bread and you will learn generosity.

If the cold wind of coveting withers you,
hasten to the Bread of Angels and charity
will come to blossom in your heart.

If you feel the itch of intemperance,
nourish yourself with the Flesh and Blood of Christ,
Who practiced heroic self-control during His earthly life
and you will become temperate.

If you are lazy and sluggish about spiritual things,
strengthen yourself with this heavenly Food
and you will grow fervent.

Lastly, if you feel scorched by the fever of impurity,
go to the banquet of the Angels
and the spotless Flesh of Christ,
will make you pure and chaste
.”

St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444)
Father and Doctor

For everyone who exalts himself,
shall be humbled and he
who humbles himself, shall be exalted.

Luke 14:11

We must erect the mystical ladder of Jacob,
where Angels, ascending and descending,
appeared to him.
Ascent and descent means,
that we go downward when we exalt ourselves
and rise, when we are humbled.
The ladder represents our life in this world,
which our Lord erects to Heaven,
when our heart is humbled.
The sides of the ladder represent our soul and body,
sides between which,
God has placed several rungs of humility and, discipline,
whereby we are to ascend
if we would answer His call.”

(Rule of Benedict #7)

St Benedict (480-547)
Father of the Church

“If you seek an example of humility,
look upon Him Who is Crucified,
although He was God, He chose to be judged
by Pontius Pilate and put to death. …
If you seek an example of obedience,
imitate Him Who was obedient to the Father
“even to death” (Phil 2:8).
“For just as through the disobedience
of one person, Adam,
the many were made sinners,
so through the obedience of One,
the many will be made righteous” (Rom 5:19). .
If you seek an example of contempt
for earthly things,
imitate Him Who is “King of kings
and Lord of lords” (1 Tm 6:15),
“in whom are hidden
all the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge” (Col 2:3).
On the Cross He was stripped naked,
ridiculed, spat upon, bruised,
crowned with thorns,
given to drink of vinegar and gall.

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

When he Canonised St Thomas,
John XXII declared that
“every article he wrote was a miracle!”
One might say that St Thomas Aquinas
was raised up by God, for he gathered together,
the whole of human knowledge up to his own time
and interpreted it in the new light of Christianity.
… In spite of his greatness, however,
Thomas of Aquin, was a very humble man.
There is a good deal of truth
in Pascal’s remark
that a little knowledge makes the mind proud
but real wisdom, makes it humble.
We cannot all imitate the knowledge
of St Thomas Aquinas but we should all
imitate his humility.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

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Quote/s of the Day – 16 January – “Do whatever He tells you.”

Quote/s of the Day – 16 January – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

Do whatever He tells you.

John 2:5

Not everyone who says to Me,
‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the Kingdom of Heaven
but only the one who does
the will of My Father in Heaven.”

Matthew 7:21

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

If we fail to live in the Light,
we shall, to our condemnation
and that of others,
be veiling over and obscuring,
by our infidelity,
the Light men so desperately need.
As we know from Scripture,
the man who received the talent
should have made it produce a heavenly profit
but instead, he preferred to hide it away
rather than put it to work
and was punished as he deserved.
Consequently, that brilliant Lamp
which was lit for the sake of our salvation
should always shine in us.
For we have the lamp
of the heavenly commandments
and spiritual grace,
to which David referred:
Your law is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.

St Chromatius of Aquileia (Died c 407)
Bishop of Aquileia,
Father of the Church

When he has begun to follow Me,
according to My teaching and precepts,
he will find many people contradicting him
and standing in his way,
many who not only deride but even persecute him.
Moreover, this is true,
not only of pagans who are outside the Church
but also of those, who seem to be in it visibly
but are outside of it because of the perversity of their deeds.
Although these glory,
in merely the title of Christian,
they continually persecute faithful Christians.

St Caesarius of Arles (470-543)

Posted in "Follow Me", DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Holy Family PRAYERS, MARIAN HYMNS, PAPAL PRAYERS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, The HOLY FAMILY, THE HOLY FAMILY - FAMILIAE SANCTAE

Quote/s of the Day – 8 January – The Holy Family –

Quote/s of the Day – 8 January – The Holy Family – Sunday within the Octave of Epiphany – Colossians 3:12-17, Luke 2:42-52 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

And He went down with them
and came to Nazareth
and was subject to them.

Luke 2:51

So, taking Christ’s genealogy from Joseph –
a husband in chastity,
he was father in the same way. …
Are you saying that he did not conceive Jesus
through the operation of nature?
Well then, what the Holy Spirit operated,
He did for them both.
For Joseph was “a just man,” Matthew tells us (1:19).
Both husband and wife were just.
The Holy Spirit dwelt within their mutual justice
and gave each of them, a Son!

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

(Marriage and concupiscence 1,11; Sermon 51)

God, to whom angels submit themselves
and who principalities and powers obey,
was subject to Mary
and not only to Mary
but Joseph atoo, for Mary’s sake [….].
God obeyed a human creature –
this is humility without precedent.
A human creature commands God;
it is sublime beyond measure!

St Bernard (1090-1153)
Father and Doctor of the Church

O Gente Felix
O House of Nazareth The Blest
By Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903)

O house of Nazareth the blest,
Fair hostess of the Lord,
The Church was nurtured at thy breast
And shared thy scanty hoard.

In all the spreading lands of earth.
The wandering sun may see
No dearer spot, no ampler worth
Than erst was found in thee!

We know thy humble tenement
Was heaven’s hermitage:
Celestial heralds came and went
In endless embassage.

There, whatsoever Joseph asks
Christ hastens to fulfil;
While Mary loves the household tasks
That wait her joyous will.

There, Joseph toileth at her side
Her joys and griefs to share,
With thousand ties knit to his bride,
Of love and work and prayer.

Yet how their bosoms constant burn
And deeper ardours prove
In love of Christ, whose eyes return
Tokens of mutual love.

O then, in all the homes of earth,
Be Love the bond of life:
May it enthrone at every hearth
The peace that husheth strife.

All praise to thee, O Jesus,
Who parents dost obey;
Praise to the sovereign Father
And Paraclete for aye.
Amen.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FRANCISCAN OFM, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on PURITY of INTENTION, The HOLY FAMILY, THE HOLY FAMILY - FAMILIAE SANCTAE, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 January – “He was subject to them.” Luke 2:51

One Minute Reflection – 8 January – The Holy Family – Sunday within the Octave of Epiphany – Colossians 3:12-17, Luke 2:42-52 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

And He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was subject to them.” – Luke 2:51

REFLECTION –He was subject to them.” With these words let all pride dissolve, all rigidness crumble, all disobedience submit. “He was subject to them.” Who? In brief, He Who created all things from nothing; He Who, as Isaiah says, “has cupped in His Hand the waters of the sea and marked off the heavens with a span; Who has held in a measure the dust of the earth, weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance” (40:12). He Who, as Job says, “shakes the earth and the pillars beneath it tremble. He commands the sun and seals up the stars. He alone stretches out the heavens and treads upon the crests of the sea; He Who made the constellations; He does marvellous things beyond reckoning” (9:6-10)… This is He who, great and powerful though He be, was subject. And subject to whom? To a workman and a poor young maid.

O “First and Last”! (Apoc 1:17). O Leader of Angels, subject to men! The Creator of Heaven, subject to a workman; God of eternal glory, subject to a poor young maid! Has anyone ever seen anything like this? Has anyone heard such a thing before?

So no longer hesitate to obey or be submissive… Come down, come to Nazareth, be subject, obey perfectly: all Wisdom lies in this… This is what it means to be soberly wise. Simplicity that is pure, is “like the waters of Shiloah that flow silently” (Is 8:6). There are people of wisdom within religious orders but it is by means of simple men that God brought them there. God chose the foolish and weak, the lowly and ignorant to bring together those who were wise, powerful and of noble birth through them, “so that no human being might boast in itself” (cf 1 Cor 1:26-29) but in Him Who came down, Who came to Nazareth,and Who was subject!” – St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Franciscan, Doctor of the Church (Sermons for Sundays and Feasts of the Saints).

PRAYER – O Lord Jesus Christ, Thou Who while subject to Mary and Joseph, hallowed family life with virtues beyond description, grant us by their combined intercession, that, having been taught by the example of the Holy Family, we may attain unto their everlasting companionship. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the KING, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MORTIFICATION, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on the POOR, THE EPIPHANY of the LORD

Thought for the Day – 6 January – The Epiphany

Thought for the Day – 6 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Epiphany

The Magi gave Jesus material gifts too, as symbols of their complete dedication to Him.
They gave Him gold because He was a King, incense because He was God and myrrh because, He was Man.
We often say that we love God and wish to serve and obey Him in all things.
But when we see that this entails sacrifice, we forget our promises
.

We must ask ourselves if we are prepared to offer Jesus, gold, that is, to offer Him everything we possess, for the promotion of His glory, for the spread of His Kingdom and for the relief of His poor, to whom we ought always to see and love in them, Christ Himself.
We must examine ourselves thoroughly on this.
It is easy to find excuses for not giving to God and to His poor, in accordance with our means.

We should offer too, the incense of our adoration and unceasing prayer.
There can be no sanctity without prayer.
There can be no real Christians, without sanctity.

Finally, we must offer the myrrh of our mortification.
Mortification, as St Vincent de Paul has said, is the ABC of Christian perfection.
St Paul exhorts us to carry always, in ourselves, the mortification of Jesus.
If we are not mortified, we can never be holy and can never share the joy which the Magi experieced as they lay prostrate before the cradle of our Divine Redeemer.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/01/06/thought-for-the-day-6-january-2/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/01/06/thought-for-the-day-6-january-the-epiphany/

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Quote/s of the Day – 4 January – ‘ … The greater the suffering, the greater will be the reward. …’

Quote/s of the Day – 4 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus” – Octave of the Holy Innocents – Apocalypse 14:1-5 , Matthew 2:13-18 –Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

If the world hates you,
know that it has hated Me first.

John 15:18

He who raised Him from the dead
will raise us also” (2Cor 4,14),
if we do His Will and live by His Commands
and love what He loved…
Let us be imitators of His endurance
and, if we suffer for His sake,
let us glorify Him.
For He set us this example Himself
…”

St Polycarp (69-155)
Apostolic Father,
Bishop and Martyr

Fix your minds on the Passion
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Inflamed with love for us,
He came down from Heaven
to redeem us.
For our sake, He endured
every torment of body and soul
and shrank from no bodily pain.
He, Himself, gave us an example
of perfect patience and love.
We, then, are to be patient, in adversity!

The recollection of an injury,
is . . . a rusty arrow
and poison for the soul.

St Francis of Paola (1416-1507)

You will be consoled
according to the greatness
of your sorrow and affliction;
the greater the suffering,
the greater will be the reward.

St Maria Magdalena de’ Pazzi (1566-1607)

I think He intends to try you
like gold in the crucible,
so as to number you
amongst His most faithful servants.
Therefore, you must lovingly embrace
all occasions of suffering,
considering them
as precious tokens of His love.
To suffer in silence
and without complaint,
is what He asks of you.”

St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)
Apostle of the Sacred Heart

“Our Lord, Who saved the world,
through the Cross,
will only Work for the good of souls,
through the Cross.

St Madeleine Sophie Barat (1779-1865)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on THE LIGHT of CHRIST, The O ANTIPHONS, THOMAS a KEMPIS

Quote/s of the Day – 22 December – O King of All Nations

Quote/s of the Day – 22 December – Thursday of the Fourth Week of Advent – “The Month of the Divine Infant and the Immaculate Conception”

“O KING OF ALL NATIONS
and keystone of the Church
come and save man,
whom You formed from the dust!

The soul glorifies the Lord,
when it consecrates all its inner powers
on praising and serving God
and when, by its submission
to the Divine commands,
it proves that it never loses sight
of His Power and Majesty.
The spirit rejoices in God, its Saviour,
when it places all its joy
in the remembrance of its Creator,
from Whom it hopes for eternal salvation.

St Bede the Venerable (673-735)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Come, O come, for without Thee
there will be no happy day or hour
because Thou art my happiness
and without Thee, my table is empty.
I am wretched, as it were, imprisoned
and weighted down with fetters,
until Thou fill me with the Light of Thy Presence,
restore me to liberty
and show me a friendly countenance.

Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)

(Book 3 Ch 21:1,4-6)

Posted in "Follow Me", ARMOUR of CHRIST, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, QUOTES on the ANTI-christ, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The FLIGHT into EQYPT, The HOLY SCRIPTURES, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 2 December – St Chromatius of Aquileia

Quote/s of the Day – 2 December – The Memorial of St Chromatius of Aquileia (Died c 407) Bishop of Aquileia, Theologian, Exegete, Writer and friend of Saints Ambrose and Jerome, defender of Saint John Chrysostom.

Let us pray to the Lord with all our heart
and with all our faith, let us pray to Him
to deliver us from all enemy incursions,
from all fear of adversaries. …
The Lord will fight to defend you
and you will be silent.
It is He who fights,
it is He who wins the victory….
And so that He may condescend to do so,
we must pray as much as possible.
He Himself said, in fact,
through the mouth of the prophet –
Call on Me on the day of tribulation;
I will set you free and you will give Me glory.

However, in the allegorical or mystical sense,
this woman prefigured the Church,
which offered the full and entire devotion
of it’s faith to Christ …
There are twelve ounces to a pound
and this is the amount of perfume
the Church possesses, having received
the teaching of the twelve Apostles,
as if it were a precious perfume.
Indeed, what more precious
is there, than the Apostles’ teaching,
which contains both faith in Christ
and the glory of the Kingdom of Heaven?

“No man lights a candle
and puts it in a hidden place,
nor under a bushel but upon a candlestick,
that they who come in, may see the light.

Luke 11:33

If we fail to live in the Light,
we shall, to our condemnation
and that of others,
be veiling over and obscuring,
by our infidelity, the Light men so desperately need.
As we know from Scripture,
the man who received the talent
should have made it produce a heavenly profit
but instead, he preferred to hide it away
rather than put it to work
and was punished as he deserved.
Consequently, that brilliant Lamp
which was lit for the sake of our salvation
should always shine in us.
For we have the lamp
of the heavenly commandments
and spiritual grace, to which David referred:
Your law is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

St Chromatius of Aquileia (Died c 407)
Father of the Church

Posted in "Follow Me", ADVENT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, I BELIEVE!, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on MERIT, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on THE LIGHT of CHRIST, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The REDEMPTION, The SECOND COMING

One Minute Reflection – 1 December – ‘ … In fact, according to the merit and fervour of each one, …’

One Minute Reflection – 1 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception” – Romans 13:11-14, Luke 21:25-33 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

But when these things begin to come to pass, look up and lift up your heads because your redemption is at hand.” – Luke 21:28

REFLECTION – “We are waiting to celebrate Christ’s Birthday and, according to the Lord’s Promise, we will soon see Him. The Scripture demands from us that we rejoice, to the point of raising our spirit above itself and … leaping for joy at the coming of the Lord…For, even before His advent, the Lord comes to you. Before appearing to the whole world, He comes to visit you personally, He who said: “I will not leave you orphaned; I will come back to you” (Jn 14:18).

In fact, according to the merit and fervour of each one, there is a frequent and familiar advent of the Lord that, in this intermediary period, between his first and last coming, models us on one and prepares us to the other. The Lord comes to us now, so that His First Coming to us, may not be vain and that the last one, may not be that of wrath. Through His present coming, in fact, He works at reforming our pride, in the image of the humility of His first advent, to then remodel our humble body, in the image of the glorified body He will show us when He will return. This is why we should desire and fervently ask this personal coming – which gives us the grace of this first advent and promises us the glory of the last. …

The first was humble and hidden, the last will be resounding and magnificent; the one we are talking about is hidden but it is also magnificent. I say it is hidden, not because it is ignored by whom it concerns but because, it happens secretly in him. … He comes without being seen and He leaves without being noticed. His simple Presence is Light for the soul and for the spirit, by it you may see the invisible and get to know the unknown. This coming of the Lord puts the soul of whom, contemplates it, in a gentle and happy state of admiration. Then, from the inmost depths of man, the cry may burst out: “O Lord, who is like you!” (Ps 34:10). Those who have experienced it know, please God, that those who have not yet had this experience, may feel at least, the desire to !” – Blessed Guerric of Igny (c 1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot (2nd sermon for Advent, 2-4: PL 185, 15-17).

PRAYER – O God, Who, by the message of an Angel, willed to take flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant that we, Thy suppliants, who believe her to be truly the Mother of God, may be helped by her intercession with Thee. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", ADVENT, ADVENT QUOTES, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The HEART, The KINGDOM of GOD, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 27 November – The Kingdom of God is near. Luke 21:31

Quote/s of the Day – 27 November – The First Sunday of Advent –– Romans 13:11-14, Luke 21:25-33 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

Look at the fig tree and all the trees,
when they produce their fruit
you know that summer is near.
So too, when you see these things happening,
know that the Kingdom of God is near.

Luke 21:29-31

The Kingdom of Heaven
is like a treasure
hidden in a field;
he who finds it, hides it
and in his joy.
goes and sells all that he has
and buys that field.”

Matthew 13:44

The only true riches are those
that make us rich in virtue.
Therefore, if you want to be rich, beloved,
love true riches.
If you aspire to the heights of real honour,
strive to reach the Kingdom of Heaven.
If you value rank and renown,
hasten to be enrolled
in the heavenly court of the Angels.

St Pope Gregory III (Died 741)

How long are we going to put off
obeying Christ, Who calls us
into His Heavenly Kingdom?
Are WE NOT going to purify ourselves?
WILL we NOT resolve to forsake
our customary way of life
to follow the Gospel radically?…
We claim to want the Kingdom of God
yet, without bothering,
to concern ourselves,
with the means of obtaining it?!
What is more, in the conceitedness
of our souls, without taking the least trouble
to obey the Lord’s Commandments,
we think ourselves worthy
to receive the same reward,
as those who have resisted sin,
to the death!

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

The soul must grow and expand
so as to be capable of God.
And its largeness is its love,
as the Apostle says,
“widen yourselves in love”
(2 Cor 6:13).
It grows and extends spiritually,
not in substance but in virtue.
The greatness of each soul is judged
by the measure of love that it has-
he who has great love, is great-
he who has little love is little,
while he who has no love at all –
is nothing!

St Bernard (1090-1153)
Father & Mellifluous Doctor of the Church

Where is the heart that loves?
On the thing it loves.
Therefore, where our love is,
there our heart is held captive.
It cannot leave it;
it cannot be lifted higher,
it cannot go either to the right or the left;
see, it is fixed.
Where the miser’s treasure is,
there is his heart
and where our heart is,
there is our treasure.

St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MODESTY, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on REPARATION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on THE LIGHT of CHRIST, QUOTES on WATCHING, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The LAST THINGS, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 25 November – “Consider now the Way of Light … St Barnabas

One Minute Reflection – 25 November – St Catherine of Alexandria (Died c 305) Virgin Martyr – Sirach 51:1-8; 5:12, Matthew 25:1-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” – Matthew 25:13

REFLECTION – “Consider now the Way of Light – any man who is bent on reaching his appointed goal, must be very careful in all he does. Now these are the directions that have been given to us for this journey,- love your Creator, reverence your Maker; give glory to Him Who redeemed you when you were dead; be single-minded but rich in spiritual treasure; avoid those who travel down death’s highway; hate whatever is displeasing to God; detest all hypocritical pretence; do not abandon God’s commandments. Do not put on airs but be modest in whatever you do; claim no credit for yourself. Plot no evil against your neighbour and do not give pride an entrance into your heart.

Love your neighbour more than your own life. Do not kill an unborn child through abortion, nor destroy it after birth. Do not refrain from chastising son or daughter,but bring them up from childhood in the fear of the Lord. Do not set your heart on what belongs to your neighbour and do not give in to greed. Do not associate with the arrogant but cultivate those who are humble and virtuous.

Accept as a blessing whatever comes your way, in the knowledge, that nothing ever happens without God’s concurrence. Avoid duplicity in thought or in word, for such deception is a deadly snare. Share with your neighbor whatever you have and do not say of anything, this is mine. If you both share an imperishable treasure, how much more must you share what is perishable. Do not be hasty in speech – the mouth is a deadly snare. For your soul’s good, make every effort to live chastely. Do not hold out your hand for what you can get, only to withdraw it when it comes to giving. Cherish as the apple of your eye anyone who speaks to you of the word of the Lord.

Night and day you will bear in mind the hour of judgement; everyday you will seek out the company of God’s faithful, either by preaching the word, earnestly exhorting them, ever considering how you can save souls, by your eloquence, or else by working with your hands, to make reparation for your past sins.

Never hesitate to give and when you do give, never grumble; then you will know the One Who will repay you. Preserve the traditions you have received, adding nothing and taking nothing away. The evildoer will ever be hateful to you. Be fair in your judgments. Never stir dissension but act as peacemaker and reconcile the quarrelsome. Confess your sins and do not begin to pray with a guilty conscience. Such the,n is the Way of Light.” – An excerpt from The Letter of Saint Barnabas (Chapter 19).

PRAYER – O God, Who gave the law to Moses on Sinai’s height and through Thy holy Angels, miraculously placed there, the body of blessed Catherine, Thy Virgin and Martyr, grant, we beseech Thee that by her merits and intercession, we may reach that towering eminence which is Christ our Lord. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on FREE WILL, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on REASON/INTELLECT, The BEATITUDES

Thought for the Day – 24 November – The Blessedness of Those who Hunger and Thirst for Justice

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

The Blessedness of Those
who Hunger and Thirst for Justice

We must also be just towards ourselves.
God has established a hierarchy of faculties in human nature.
There are the lower faculties, which are often moved to action by our passions and above these, there is right reason, which ought to govern all else through the will.
According to St Thomas Aquinas, the rule of right reason within us, should be comparable to that of God in the universe. (De Regimine I, 12).
It is fitting,” he says elsewhere, “that everything in man, should be subject to reason” (Summa Theologiae I-II, q 100, a 2 ad 1).
St Augustine observes that, as the lower faculties should obey the intellect, so the intellect should be subject to God and should fulfil His Holy Law (Cf De Serm. Domini in Monte, Bk 1, c 2).

In this way, there exists in us, absolute justice, which is the harmony of perfection.
If the passions, however, rebel and dethrone reason or, if reason revolts against God, there follows the degradation of human nature, the triumph of sin, remorse and spiritual ruin!

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/12/01/thought-for-the-day-1-december-2/

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES on ENEMIES, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The BEATITUDES

Thought for the Day – 22 November – The Blessedness of the Poor

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

The Blessedness of the Poor

“Learn from me,” said Jesus when He proposed Himself to us, as our model, “for I am meek and humble of heart and You will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden light” (Mt 11:30).
By your patience,” He said on another occasion, “you will win your souls” (Lk 21:19).
Love your enemies,” He said too, “do good to those who hate you and pray for those who persecute and calymuniate you, so that you may be children of your Father in Heaven, Who makes His sun to rise on the good and the evil and sends rain on the just and the unjust” (Mt 5:44).

If we obey this lofty teaching, we shall have peace of soul.
We shall not be easily annoyed but shall rather, regret the misdeeds and unhappiness, of those who unjustly offend us.
Moreover, we shall be able to persuade our fellowmen to follow the path of virtue.
This is why the Psalmist says that “the meek shall possess the land, they shall delight in abounding peace” (Ps 36:11).
Blessed are the meek,” Jesus repeats in the Sermon on the Mount, “for they shall possess the earth” (Mt 5:4).

What is meant by this promise?
Tyrants, persecutions and evil-doers, have passed away and are remembered with bitterness and execration.

But the Saints still hold sway over the world and dominate the minds and hearts of millions, winning universal love and veneration.
We should imitate the gentleness which can give such peace and exert such influence!

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/11/28/thought-for-the-day-28-november-the-blessedness-of-the-poor/

Posted in CONSECRATION Prayers, GOD ALONE!, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PURITY, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, The HEART

Our Morning Offering – 16 November – O Heart of Jesus! By St Gertrude the Great

Our Morning Offering – 16 November – St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302) Virgin, Benedictine Religious, Mystic, Theologian, Writer.

O Heart of Jesus!
By St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302)

Sanctity of the Heart of Jesus,
consecrate my heart;
Providence of the Heart of Jesus,
watch over my heart;
Unchangeableness of the Heart of Jesus,
strengthen my heart;
Purity of the Heart of Jesus,
purify my heart;
Obedience of the Heart of Jesus,
subjugate my heart;
Amiability of the Heart of Jesus,
make Thyself known to my heart;
Divine attractions of the Heart of Jesus,
captivate my heart;
Riches of the Heart of Jesus,
do ye suffice for my heart;
Floods of grace and blessing
which flow from the Heart of Jesus,
inundate my heart.
O Heart of Jesus! be Thou my joy,
my peace, my repose in this world
and in the next.
O Heart of Jesus! adored in Heaven,
Invoked on earth, feared in hell,
Reign over all hearts,
Reign throughout all ages,
Reign forever in celestial glory.
Amen

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 "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DIVINE MERCY, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 14 November – Our Beloved Good Shepherd

Quote/s of the Day – 14 November – St Josaphat Kuncewicz OSBM (1584-1623) Confessor, Archbishop, Martyr – Hebrews
5:1-6, John 10:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

I Am the Good Shepherd
and I know mine
and mine know me.

John 10:14

Those who are my sheep
hear my voice
and follow me”

John 10:27

He cries out, saying:
See, I am with you all the days of this age.
He is Himself the shepherd,
the high priest,
the way and the door,
and has become all things at once for us
.”

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

The mark of Christ’s sheep
is their willingness to hear and obey,
just as disobedience
is the mark of those who are not His.
We take the word ‘hear’
to imply obedience
to what has been said
.”

St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444)
Father and Doctor of the Church

With good reason Christ declares:
I am the Good Shepherd,
I seek out the lost sheep,
the strayed I will bring back,
the injured I will bind up,
the sick I will heal (Ez 34:16).
I have seen the flock of mankind
struck down by sickness;
I have witnessed my lambs
wander about where demons dwell;
I have seen my flock ravaged by wolves.
All this I have seen
and have not witnessed it from on high.
That is why I took hold of the withered hand,
gripped by pain, as if by a wolf;
I have unbound those whom fever had bound;
I taught him to see,
whose eyes had been shut from his mother’s womb;
I brought Lazarus out from the tomb
where he had lain for four days (Mk 3:5; 1:31; Jn 9; 11).
For I am the Good Shepherd
and the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.

Basil of Seleucia (Died 448)
Bishop of Seleucia, Writer
Oratio 26

O Lord, Show Thy Mercy to Me
By St Jerome (347-419)
Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church

O Lord, show Thy mercy to me
and gladden my heart.
I am like the man
on the way to Jericho,
who was overtaken by robbers,
wounded and left for dead.
O Good Samaritan,
come to my aid.
I am like the sheep which went astray.
O Good Shepherd,
seek me out and bring me home,
in accord with Thy will.
Let me dwell in Thy house
all the days of my life
and praise Thee,
forever and ever
with those who are there.
Amen.

No matter how grave
and how numerous our sins may be,
let us remember that the Mercy of God is Infinite.
Let us remember that He is waiting for us,
as his father waited for the prodigal son and,
that He is following us like a shepherd
who is searching for his lost sheep.
He allowed us to fall,
in order to humble us
and help us to realise
that we are incapable
of doing anything good by ourselves.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, SAINT of the DAY, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 14 November – Do you listen attentively to the Voice of the Good Shepherd and obey His Word?

One Minute Reflection – 14 November – St Josaphat Kuncewicz OSBM (1584-1623) Confessor, Archbishop, Martyr – Hebrews 5:1-6, John 10:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

I am the good shepherd and I know mine and mine know me.”- John 10:14

REFLECTION – “He shows in what manner a shepherd may be proved good and, He teaches that, he must be prepared to give up his life, fighting in defence of his sheep, which was fulfilled in Christ. For man has departed from the love of God and fallen into sin and because of this was, I say, excluded from the divine abode of paradise. And when he was weakened by that disaster, he yielded to the devil tempting him to sin and death, following that sin, he became the prey of fierce and ravenous wolves. But after Christ was announced as the True Shepherd of all men, He laid down His life for us (1 John 3:16), fighting for us against that pack of inhuman beasts. He bore the Cross for us that by His own death, He might destroy death. He was condemned for us that He might deliver all of us, from the sentence of punishment: the tyranny of sin being overthrown by our faith: fastening to the Cross, the decree that stood against us, as it is written (Colossians 2:14).

Therefore, as the father of sin had, as it were, shut up the sheep in hell, giving them to death to feed on, as it is written in the Psalms (Ps. Xlviii.16), He died for us, as truly Good and truly our Shepherd, so that the dark shadow of death is driven away, He might join us to the company of the blessed in Heaven and, in exchange for abodes, which lie far in the depths of the pit … grants us mansions in His Father’s House above. Because of this, He says to us in another place: Fear not, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you a Kingdom (Luke 12:32). Do you listen attentively to the Voice of the Good Shepherd and obey His Word? – ” – St Cyril of Alexander (376-444) Known as “The Pillar of Faith” Archbishop of Alexandria, Father and Doctor of the Church. (Commentary on the Good Shepherd).

PRAYER – Arouse in Thy Church, O Lord, the spirit with which blessed Josaphat, Thy Martyr and Bishop, was filled, when he laid down his life for his flock; so that, by his intercession, we, also moved and strengthened by the same spirit, may not fear to lay down our lives for our brethren. 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).