Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 7 March – Tuesday of the Second Week in Lent – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God.” Luke 6:20
“I was an hungred and you gave Me to eat, I was naked and ye clothed Me; come, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matthew 25:34-36
ALMSGIVING St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritas
“MY CHILD, OUR POSSESSIONS ARE NOT OURS – God has given them to us to cultivate, that we may make them fruitful and profitable in His Service and so doing, we shall please Him. And this we must do more earnestly than worldly men, for they look carefully after their property out of self-love and we must work for the love of God. Now self-love is a restless, anxious, over-eager love and so, the work done on its behalf is troubled, vexatious and unsatisfactory–whereas the love of God, is calm, peaceful and tranquil and so the work done for its sake, even in worldly things, is gentle, trustful and quiet. …
… Always dispose of a part of your means by giving them heartily to the poor – you impoverish yourself, by whatever you give away. It is true that God will restore it to you, not only in the next world, but in this, for nothing brings so much temporal prosperity as free almsgiving but meanwhile, you are sensibly poorer for what you give. Truly that is a holy and rich poverty which results from almsgiving.
… Love the poor and poverty, this love will make you truly poor, since, as Holy Scripture says, we become like to that we love. Love makes lovers equal. “Who is weak and I am not weak?” (2 Cor 11:29) says St Paul? He might have said, Who is poor and I am not poor? for it was love which made him like to those he loved and so, if you love the poor, you will indeed share their poverty and be poor like them.
And if you love the poor, seek them out, take pleasure in bringing them to your home and in going to theirs, talk freely with them and be ready to meet them, whether in Church or elsewhere. Let your tongue be poor with them in converse but let your hands be rich to distribute out of your abundance!” (Introduction to the Devout Life Part III – 15. How to exercise real Poverty, although actually Rich).
Thought for the Day – 9 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Love of Our Neighbour
“A few hundred yards from the centre of a big City, one often finds groups of hovels in which large numbers of families are living, herded together in poverty. There, in the wintertime, these poor people suffer from the cold and damp and, in hot areas, from the burning heat in summer. Often their hovels are badly roofed and protect from neither the cold nor the heat. They are hungry and have not even a loaf of bread to kill the pangs of their deprived bodies.
Not very far away, there are luxurious mansions and expensive villas and up and down the streets, drift splendidly upholstered cars, carrying men and women for whom the only thing in life that matters, is pleasure and comfort.
“Love your neighbour as yourself” the Gospel says. How far we still are from the realisation of this command! Men would need to go to these poor hovels to do the Spiritual Exercises. They would need to live in these places for at least a month. Many ideas would be changed and many hearts transformed if this were done. The slums, shacks, caves, shipping and even cardboard boxes and other hovels in which men have to live, bear sad testimony to the fact that the Gospel has not yet been understood by many and that Christian charity has still a long way to go.
Consider before God, if you are responsible, even in some small way, for this wretched state of affairs. Form the resolution of contributing, as far as possible, to the relief of so much want and suffering. Now is the time – Lent is nearly here!”
Thought for the Day – 23 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Rich
“A very rich man who was convinced that he was a good Christian, went to Confession one day. He discussed his doubts and worries about the passages in Sacred Scripture which have just been quoted (see Part One). The penance which he received from the Confessor, was that he should go and read and meditate in a certain city suburb. This area was full of cabins and shacks, where large numbers of poor, abandoned people were eking out an existence. He drove there in his large streamlined car. He stopped and began reading slowly. After a while, he became greatly affected and wept … He left his car and, as if driven by some irresistible force, began to distribute all the money which he had with him to those poor people. At last, he understood fully and without the need of any glossary, the command of Our Lord: “Give that which remains as alms and behold, all things are clean to you” (Lk 11:41). From that day, he was no longer a self-complacent Christian but a just and charitable rich man.
We can all learn a lot from this story. Even if we are not rich, we certainly have a little more than we need. Let us give it to the poor. They are the poor representations of Christ, our poor Saviour. We shall never be worthy members of the Mystical Body of Christ, if we do not see the image of Jesus Christ in the poor.”
Thought for the Day – 20 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Blessed are the Poor
“Those who are really poor should not be too disturbed. If they are resigned to their poverty and are not consumed by the desire for riches, the blessing of the Gospel is theirs. Let them remember that when Jesus became Man, in order to redeem us, He did not choose to be wealthy. He chose to be the poorest of men. Similarly, Our Blessed Lady, St Joseph and all the Saints, were free from all desire of worldly possessions, so that there was room in their hearts only for God, their supreme good. Let them remember too, for their cosolation that it is much easier for them to gain Heaven because they are not weighed down by worldly cares.
Let us all love and aim at acquiring the true riches of the spirit, which are to be found now in the practice of virtue and later in Heaven.”
Quote/s of the Day – 13 January – Octave Day of Epiphany – Isaias 60:1-6, John 1:29-34 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Make ready then the vessel of your soul that you may become a son of God and an heir of God and joint-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17); if, indeed, you are preparing yourself that you may receive; if you are drawing near in faith that you may be made faithful; if of set purpose, you are putting off the old man!”
St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387) Father and Doctor of the Church
“Let us become like Christ, since Christ became like us. He assumed the worse, that He might give us the better; He became poor, that we through His poverty, might be rich.”
St Gregory of Nazianzen (330-390) Father and Doctor of the Church
“Ah Jesus, Sun of Justice, make me clothe myself with You, so that I may be able to live according to Your will. Make me, under Your guidance, preserve my robe of Baptismal innocence, white, holy and spotless and present it undefiled, before Your tribunal, so that I may wear it, for eternal life.”
St Gertrude the Great of Helfta (1256-1301)
“If we wish to make any progress in the service of God, we must begin everyday of our life, with new eagerness. We must keep ourselves, in the presence of God, as much as possible and have no other view or end, in all our actions but the divine honour.”
St Charles Borromeo (1538-1584)
“Anyone who takes life seriously in the Christian sense, will regard it as a difficult journey towards perfection and towards God. This journey will be, at the same time, painful and joyful. … It is our own loss if we sit down lazily on the side of the road, which should lead us to Heaven. It is even more disastrous, if we acknowledge defeat and lay down the spiritual weapons of prayer and renunciation, in order to surrender ourselves to sin or to indifference. Everyday we should say to ourselves, in the presence of God – A new life is beginning … in You, by Your grac and for You! Amen”
Quote/s of the Day – 22 September – The Memorial of St Thomas of Villanova OSA (1488-1555) Archbishop, Confessor
“Humility is the mother of many virtues because from it, obedience, fear, reverence, patience, modesty, meekness and peace are born. He who is humble easily obeys everyone, fears to offend anyone, is at peace with everyone, is kind with all.”
“What great profit you gain from God when you are generous! You give a coin and receive a kingdom; you give bread from wheat and receive the Bread of Life; you give a transitory good and receive an everlasting one. You will receive it back, a hundred times more than you offered.”
“If you want God to hear your prayers, hear the voice of the poor. If you wish God to anticipate your wants, provide for those of the need, without waiting for them to ask you. Especially, anticipate the needs of those, who are ashamed to beg. To make them ask for alms, is to make them buy it!”
“I am, notwithstanding, inexcusable, if I do not love Thee for Thou grant Thy love to all who desire or ask it. I cannot see without light – yet, if I shut my eyes in the midst of the noon-day light, the fault is in me, not in the sun.”
“Dismiss all anger and look into yourself a little. Remember that he, of whom, you are speaking, is your brother and as he is, in the way of salvation, God can make him a Saint, in spite of his present weakness.”
One Minute Reflection – 20 July – “The Memorial of St Jerome Emiliani (1486–1537) Confessor – Isaias 58:7-11, Matthew 19:13-21
“If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven.” – Matthew 19:21
REFLECTION – “After his parents’ death … when Anthony was about eighteen or even twenty years old …) he went into the Church when it happened that the Gospel was being read,and he heard the Lord saying to the rich man: “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven.” It was as if the passage were read on his account. Immediately Antony went out from the Lord’s house and gave to the townspeople the possessions he had from his forebears. And selling all the rest that was portable, when he collected sufficient money, he donated it to the poor, keeping a few things for his sister.
But when, entering the Lord’s house once more, he heard in the Gospel the Lord saying, “Do not be anxious about tomorrow” (Mt 6:34), he could not remain any longer but going out he gave those remaining possessions also to the needy. Placing his sister in the charge of respected and trusted virgins, and giving her over to the convent for rearing, he devoted himself from then on to the discipline rather than the household, giving heed to himself and patiently training himself ….
He worked with his hands, though, having heard that “he who is idle, let him not eat” (2 Thess 3:10). And he spent what he made partly for bread and partly on those in need. He prayed constantly, since he learned that it is necessary to “pray unceasingly” (Lk 21:36) in private. For he paid such close attention to what was read that nothing from Scripture did he fail to take in, rather, he grasped everything and in him the memory took the place of books. … All those then, who were from his village and those good people with whom he associated, seeing him living thus, used to call him ‘God-loved‘, and some hailed him as ‘son‘, some as ‘brother‘.” – St Athanasius (297-373) Bishop of Alexandria, Father and Doctor of the Church – Life of Saint Anthony, the Father of Monks, 2-4
PRAYER – O God, the Father of mercies, by the merits and intercession of St Jerome, whom Thou willed to be the helper and father of orphans, grant that we may faithfully guard the spirit of adoption which makes us Thy sons both in name and reality.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).
Thought for the Day – 29 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Faith and Charity
“Our faith should be suffused by love of our neighbour , as well as, by the love of God. We should love our neighbour as ourselves. Does anybody really practise this fundamental Christian precept? Once again, let us contrast the magnificent mansions and places of entertainment of the rich, with the slums and hovels where thousands are living, in conditions which are not fit for rational human beings. Is this Christianity? Is this the teaching of the Gospel?
What would Jesus say about such aspects of modern life? It would seem, that the Gospel is still a closed book for many Christians.
Let us examine ourselves on this commandment, which is so generally ignored that the consequences are likely to be disastrous for everybody. Let us investigate how much responsibility we bear for this sad and dangerous state of affairs. Let us make appropriate resolutions, which will save us from the peril of God’s final and fearful condemnation – “Depart from me, accursed ones, into the everlasting fire… As long as you did not do it for one of these least ones, you did not do it for me!” (Cf Mt 25:41-46).”
Thursday of the Second week of Lent – 17 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – Jeremias 17:5-10, Luke 16:19-31
“Deign, O God, to rescue me; O Lord, make haste to help me … ” – Psalm 69:2
“There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously everyday. And at his gate lay a poor man, named Lazarus…”
Luke 16:19–20
“… A CERTAIN MAN, it is said, living in great wickedness, was rich and he experienced no ill fortune but all good things flowed to him as from a perennial fountain. For that nothing undesirable happened to him – no cause of trouble – none of the ills of human lif, is implied when it is said, that “he feasted sumptuously everyday.”
AND THAT HE LIVED wickedly is clear from the end allotted to him and even before his end, from the neglect which he displayed in the case of the poor man – for, that he felt pity neither for the poor man at his gate, nor for any other, he himself showed. …
BUT HE HAD NO FEELINGS, he was more severe and harsh than that judge who neither feared God nor regarded man. For the judge, although so cruel and stern, was moved by the perseverance of the widow to be gracious and listen to her petition but this man, could not even thus be induced to give aid to the poor man, notwithstanding that his petition was not like that of the widow but much easier and fairer. …
WHEN WE ARE URGED, we frequently feel annoyed but when we see those who need our help remaining in perfect silence and saying not a word and although always failing to gain their object, not bearing it hardly but. only appearing before us in silence, even though we are more unfeeling than the very stones, we are shamed and moved by such exceeding humility.
THERE IS ALSO another circumstance of not less weight, namely, that the very appearance of the poor man was pitiable, since he was emaciated by hunger and long sickness. Yet none of these things influenced that cruel man. …
STILL IT CAME TO PASS that a man living in wickedness and inhumanity enjoyed every kind of good fortune and a just and virtuous man lingered in the greatest ills. For that Lazarus was a just man is made plain, as in the other case, by his end and even before his end, by his patience and poverty. Do you not, indeed, seem to see these things present before our eyes?” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (Excerpt First Discourse on Luke 16:19-31)
One Minute Reflection –17 March – Thursday of the Second week of Lent – Jeremias 17:5-10, Luke 16:19-31
“And it came to pass that the poor man died and was borne away by the angels into Abraham’s bosom but the rich man also died and was buried in hell. And lifting up his eyes, being in torments, he saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom.” – Luke 16:22-23
REFLECTION – “Was that poor man welcomed by the Angels solely on account of his poverty? And the rich man, was he delivered up to torment by fault of his wealth alone? No. Let us clearly understand that it was humility that was honoured in the poor man and pride condemned in the rich.
This is the proof, briefly, that it was not his wealth but his pride for which the rich man deserved his punishment. So then, the poor man was carried into the bosom of Abraham, yet Scripture says of Abraham that he had much gold and silver and was rich on earth (Gn 13:2). If every rich man is sent into torment, how is it that Abraham could precede the poor man so as to welcome him into his bosom? It was because, in the midst of his wealth, Abraham was poor, humble, respectful and obedient to all God’s commands. He held his riches in so little esteem that, when God asked it of him, he consented to offer in sacrifice the son for whom these riches were destined (Gn 22:4).
Learn to be poor and needy, then, whether you possess something in this world or whether you do not possess anything. Because we find beggars full of pride and rich people who confess their sins. “God resists the proud” whether they are covered with silk or with rags but “he gives grace to the humble” (Jas 4:6) whether or not, they have possessions in this world. God looks at what is within, it is there He assesses, there He examines.” … Saint Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church (Discourses on the psalms, Ps 85 [86]; CCL 39, 1178)
PRAYER – Dear and Holy God, let us offer You all our daily struggles against sin and evil. Grant us the strength to resist all forms of idolatry, to seek only You and never to allow the material goods of this world to seduce us. Sustain us ever more with Your word and help us to find in it, the source of life. Grant that by the intercession of our Blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary, may defend us during our life on earth and protect us from evil. Grant this, through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 7 March – Monday of the First Week of Lent – Ezech 34:11-16, Matt hew 25:31-46 and the Memorial of St Thomas Aquinas OP (1225-1274) Doctor Angelicus and Doctor Communis
“Amen I say to you, as long as you did not do it for one of these least ones, you did not do it for Me.” – Matthew 25:45
REFLECTION – “Do you suppose that charity is not an obligation but voluntary? That it is not a law but merely a counsel? I should like it to be so, too and would gladly think so. But God’s left hand gives me cause for alarm, the place where He has set the goats to whom He addresses His reproaches, not because they stole, plundered, committed adultery or perpetrated other such faults but because, they did not honour Christ in the person of His poor!
If you are willing to listen to me, then, O servants of Christ, His brothers and co-heirs, I say ,that we should visit Christ while there is an opportunity, take care of Him and feed Him. We should clothe Christ and welcome Him. We should honour Him, not only at our table, like some; not only with ointments, like Mary Magdalene; not only with a sepulchre, like Joseph of Arimathea; nor with things which have to do with His burial, like Nicodemus… nor finally, with gold, incense and myrrh, like the Magi.
But, as the Lord of all “desires mercy and not sacrifice” (Mt 9,13) and as compassion is better than tens of thousands of fat rams, let us offer Him this mercy through the needy and those who are at present cast down to the ground. Let us do this, so that, when we depart hence, they may “welcome us into the eternal habitations” (Lk 16,9), in the same Christ our Lord, to whom be glory forever.” – St Gregory Nazianzen (330-390) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 14, on Love for the Poor, 27, 28, 39-40).
PRAYER – O God, our Saviour, direct our minds by Your heavenly teaching, so that the Lenten fast may profit us. And may the intercession of St Thomas Aquinas, Your humble servant, aid us in our need. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. R. Amen.
Thought for the Day – 5 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
IDLENESS
“Idleness is forbidden by God because work is His commandment. He had already told Adam and his successors: “In the sweat of your brow, you shall eat bread” (Gen 3:19).
St Paul warns us: “If any man will not work, neither let him eat” (2 Thess 3L10). This is a universal law which embraces people of all classes and circumstances. God commands everyone to work. Therefore, anybody who disobeys this law without reason, sins against God. Those who lead leisurely inactive lives should meditate seriously on this law of God. The fact that they possess large fortunes does not excuse them from this divine law. They must engage in some work, either menial or manual. It may be for themselves or it may be for their needy brothers who live in want or in illness and cannot fend for themselves. We are all brothers in Jesus. It is not right that one brother should live in poverty and wretchedness, while another idly enjoys a life of plenty and of pleasure.
Anyone who loves God is never idle, says St Jerome. The love of God works wonderful things, if it does not, it cannot be called love.”
Quote/s of the Day – 20 January – Hebrews 11:33-39; Luke 6:17-23
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”
Luke 6:20
“… Anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions, cannot be my disciple.”
Luke 14:33
“The Kingdom of Heaven, says the gospel, is like a mustard seed … Christ is the Kingdom of Heaven! Sown like a mustard seed in the garden of the Virgin’s womb, He grew up into the Tree of the Cross, whose branches, stretch across the world … Christ is the Kingdom because all the glory of His Kingdom, is within Him. Christ is a Man because all humanity is restored in Him. Christ is a Mustard Seed because the infinitude of divine greatness, is accommodated to the littleness of flesh and blood!”
St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) “Golden Words” Father & Doctor of the Church
“Keep a clear eye toward life’s end. Do not forget your purpose and destiny as God’s creature. What you are in His sight, is what you are and nothing more. Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take nothing that you have received… but only what you have given – a full heart enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage.”
St Francis of Assisi (c 1181-1226)
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:3
“This death … has already levelled his bow to strike me. Is it not prudent to prevent its stroke, by dying now to the world, that at my death, I may live to God?”
St Francis Borgia (1510-1572)
“Do not live any longer in yourself but let Jesus Christ live in you in such a way that the virtue of this Divine Saviour may be resplendent in all your actions, in order that all may see in you a true portrait of the Crucified and sense, the sweetest fragrance of the holy virtues of the Lord, in interior and exterior modesty, in patience, in gentleness, suffering, charity, humility and in all others that follow.”
St Paul of the Cross (1604-1775)
“It was God Who created the fruits of the earth and gave them to men. … Evil consists in the abuse of these goods, which, in themselves, are intended to be aids to perfection. It is necessary, therefore, to preserve the proper hierarchical order of all that is good. We must guard against riveting our ambitions on earthly objects, as if tbey were capable of constituting the goal of our lives. God has given us these things as possessions, not as ends in themselves. He has ordered us to be masters of the world, not it’s slaves. Detachment is essential but not a complete surrender of our possessions. The latter was never commanded but simply indicated, as an evangelical counsel of perfection. The observance of this counsel, however, is valueless, if it is not accompanied by detachment. Worldly possessions, such as money, are good servants but bad masters!”
One Minute Reflection – 20 January – Hebrews 11:33-39; Luke 6:17-23 and – The Memorial of St Pope Fabian (c 200 – c 250) Martyr and St Sebastian (Died c 288) Martyr
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” – Luke 6:20
REFLECTION – “Blessed,” He says, “are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:3). It would perhaps be doubtful what poor He was speaking of, if in saying “blessed are the poor ” He had added nothing which would explain the sort of poor and then, that poverty by itself, would appear sufficient to win the Kingdom of Heaven, which many suffer from, hard and heavy necessity. But when he says “blessed are the poor in spirit,” He shows that the Kingdom of Heaven must be assigned to those who are recommended by the humility of their spirit, rather than, by the smallness of their means.
Yet it cannot be doubted, that this possession of humility is more easily acquired by the poor than the rich: for submissiveness is the companion of those, who want, while loftiness of mind dwells with riches. Notwithstanding, even in many of the rich, is found that spirit which uses its abundance, not for the increasing of its pride but on works of kindness and counts that for the greatest gain, which it expends in the relief of others’ hardships. It is given to every kind and rank of men, to share in this virtue, because men may be equal in will, though unequal in fortune and it does not matter, how different they are in earthly means, who are found equal in spiritual possessions. Blessed, therefore, is poverty which is not possessed with a love of temporal things and does not seek to be increased with the riches of the world but is eager to amass heavenly possessions.” – St Leo the Great (400-461) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 95, PL 54, 461).
PRAYER – Shed Your clear light on our hearts, Lord, keep us in Your Way, that we too may stretch out our hands and love to those who come our way. May Your law be our light and Your love our only way. Hear the prayers of the Your Angels and Saints and the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Our Lord and our mother and lead us to eternal life. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord with the Holy Spirit, God now and forever, amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 25 December – The Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord, Jesus Christ
“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.”
John 1:1
“And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14
“On this day, on which the Lord of all came among servants, let the lords also bow down, to their servants lovingly.
On this day, when the rich One was made poor for our sake, let the rich man also make the poor man, a sharer at his table.
On this day, a gift came out to us without our asking for it, let us then give alms to those, who cry out and beg from us.
This Lord of natures, today was transformed, contrary to his nature; it is not too difficult for us also to overthrow our evil will.
Bound is the body by its nature, for it cannot grow larger or smaller but powerful is the will, for it may grow to all sizes.
Today the Deity imprinted itself on humanity, so that humanity might also be cut into the seal of Deity.”
St Ephrem (306-373) Father and Doctor
(Homily on Our Lord, 21)
“… Let us keep the Feast, not after the manner of a heathen festival but after a godly sort; not after the way of the world but in a fashion above the world; not as our own but as belonging to Him who is ours, or rather as our Master’s; not as of weakness but as of healing; not as of creation but of re-creation.”
St Gregory of Nazianzen (330-390) Father and Doctor of the Church
“Awake, mankind! For your sake God has become man. Awake, you who sleep, rise up from the dead and Christ will enlighten you. I tell you again, for your sake, God became man.”
St Augustine 354-430) Great Latin Father and Doctor of the Church
Thought for the Day – 19 December – Meditations withAntonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
A Christmas Novena IV The First Hours of the Childhood of Jesus Christ
“Enter in spirit into the stable at Bethlehem and humbly kneel before the Word of God made man. What do we find Jesus doing in these first moments of His mortal life. By a single act of His divine will, He could have instantly transformed the human race. But, He came to redeem men and preach to them before anything else, the virtues which they most needed – humility, indifference to worldly possessions and the acceptance of suffering. He taught them to endure suffering, neither rebelliously, nor even as a disagreeable necessity but, as a means of purification and sanctification. Before the time of Jesus Christ, suffering was dreaded and abhorred. He taught us to love it because it is the salt of the earth which saves us from corruption because, it detaches us from worldly things and because, it lifts our thoughts towards Heaven.
What then do we find Jesus doing in these first moments of His mortal life|? He is weeping and smiling by turns, as a newborn infant does. How can we understand the mystery behind these divine tears? Jesus does not weep because it is cold and damp, nor because He is uncomfortable on His bed of straw. He could have remedied these inconveniences, if He had so desired by a single act of His will. No, He weeps for us, for the human race, immersed in sin. He weeps and suffers, so that we also may learn to weep and suffer for our sins and to do penance for them. This is the explanation of the tears of the Divine Child. Let us learn to weep with Him and we shall be purified and comforted.”
One Minute Reflection – 16 August – “Month of the Immaculate Heart” – Readings: Judges 2: 11-19; Psalm 106: 34-7, 39-40, 43ab and 44; Matthew 19: 16-22
“If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven.” – Matthew 19:21
REFLECTION – “After his parents’ death … when Anthony was about eighteen or even twenty years old …) he went into the Church when it happened that the Gospel was being read,and he heard the Lord saying to the rich man: “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven.” It was as if the passage were read on his account. Immediately Antony went out from the Lord’s house and gave to the townspeople the possessions he had from his forebears. And selling all the rest that was portable, when he collected sufficient money, he donated it to the poor, keeping a few things for his sister.
But when, entering the Lord’s house once more, he heard in the Gospel the Lord saying, “Do not be anxious about tomorrow” (Mt 6:34), he could not remain any longer but going out he gave those remaining possessions also to the needy. Placing his sister in the charge of respected and trusted virgins, and giving her over to the convent for rearing, he devoted himself from then on to the discipline rather than the household, giving heed to himself and patiently training himself ….
He worked with his hands, though, having heard that “he who is idle, let him not eat” (2 Thess 3:10). And he spent what he made partly for bread and partly on those in need. He prayed constantly, since he learned that it is necessary to “pray unceasingly” (Lk 21:36) in private. For he paid such close attention to what was read that nothing from Scripture did he fail to take in, rather, he grasped everything and in him the memory took the place of books. … All those then, who were from his village and those good people with whom he associated, seeing him living thus, used to call him ‘God-loved‘, and some hailed him as ‘son‘, some as ‘brother‘.” – St Athanasius (297-373) Bishop of Alexandria, Father and Doctor of the Church – Life of Saint Anthony, the Father of Monks, 2-4
PRAYER – Lord God, You filled the Saints with strength and courage and gave them the knowledge of unity with You. Grant, we pray, that in imitation of them, we may defend the Catholic faith and renew all things in Christ, Your Son. Help us Holy Father, to follow the example of the Immaculate Heart of the Mother of Your Son and all Your Saints and finally inherit eternal life ,with Youts. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
One Minute Reflection – 19 April – Monday of the Third Week of Easter, Readings: First: Acts 6: 8-15, Psalm: Psalms 119: 23-24, 26-27, 29-30, Gospel: John 6: 22-29 and the Memorial of Bl Conrad of Ascoli OFM (1234-1289)
“This is the work of God, that you believe in him, whom he hath sent.” – John 6:29
REFLECTION – “The senses are full of curiosity – faith is content to know nothing, it… longs to pass its life motionless before the Tabernacle. The senses love riches and honour – faith holds them in horror… “Blessed are the poor” (Mt 5,3). She adores the poverty and lowliness with which Jesus covered His life, as though with a garment, that He never cast off… The senses take fright at that which they call danger, at all that might mean pain or death – but faith is afraid of nothing, it knows nothing can happen to it but what is the will of God: “I have counted every hair of your head” (Mt 10,30) and whatever God wishes, will always be for its good. “All that happens is for the good of my elect” (Rm 8,28). Thus in everything that may happen, sorrow or joy, health or sickness, life or death, it is content and fears nothing. The senses are anxious about the future and ask how we shall live tomorrow but faith feels no anxiety…
Thus faith illumines everything with a new light, different to the life of the senses, more brilliant, of another kind. Whoever lives by faith, has a soul full of new thoughts, new tastes, new impressions; new horizons open up, marvellous horizons, lit with a new light and with a divine beauty, surrounded with new truths of which the world is not aware. Thus, whoever believes, begins a new life opposed to that of the world, whose acts seem like madness. The world is in the darkness of night, the person of faith is in full light – this light-filled path on which we walk, is not manifest to others. It seems to them, that we want to walk like a madman, in emptiness.” – Blessed Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916) Hermit and Missionary in the Sahara – Retreat Notes, Nazareth, Nov. 1897
PRAYER – King of heaven and earth, Lord God, rule over our 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. Let us walk in Your ways and be your lights and thus, by our lives, help others to follow You. Grant that the prayers of our blessed Mother, the Mother of Jesus Your Son and Blessed Conrad of Ascoli, who always lived for You alone, may help us, as we work through each day to reach our heavenly home. Through Jesus the Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God now and forever, amen.
Acts 6: 8-15 8 And Stephen, full of grace and fortitude, did great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Now there arosesome of that which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and of the Cyrenians and of the Alexandrians and of them that were of Cilicia and Asia, disputing with Stephen. 0 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit that spoke. 11 Then they suborned men to say, they had heard him speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God. 12 And they stirred up the people, and the ancients and the scribes and running together, they took him and brought him to the council. 13 And they set up false witnesses, who said: This man ceaseth not to speak words against the holy place and the law. 14 For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place and shall change the traditions which Moses delivered unto us. 15 And all that sat in the council, looking on him, saw his face as if it had been the face of an angel.
Gospel: John 6: 22-29 22 The next day, the multitude that stood on the other side of the sea, saw that there was no other ship there but one and that Jesus had not entered into the ship with his disciples but, that his disciples were gone away alone. 23 But other ships came in from Tiberias, nigh unto the place where they had eaten the bread, the Lord giving thanks. 24 When herefore he multitude saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they took shipping and came to Capharnaum, seeking for Jesus. 25 And when they had found him, on the other side of the sea, they said to him: Rabbi, when camest thou hither? 26 Jesus answered them and said: Amen, amen I say to you, you seek me, not because you have seen miracles but because you did eat of the loaves and were filled. 27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth but for that which endures unto life everlasting, which the Son of man will give you. For him hath God, the Father, sealed. 28 They said, therefore, unto him: What shall we do, that we may work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said to them: This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he hath sent.
Thought for the Day – 4 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Riches and Poverty
“There is a striking contrast between the luxurious living of wealthy people who waste their money on pleasure and amusement and the abject poverty of those who are without food, clothing and shelter. This is in complete contradiction of the Gospel message which has proclaimed that we are all brothers.
Extravagance is always self-centred, whereas Christianity, is the creed of love. Sumptuous living cannot be justified by an appeal to the right to own property, for, it is a shameless betrayal of the Gospel spirit of fraternl charity. When St Thomas Aquinas is defending the right to private property, he adds at once: “In regard to the use of it, however, a man should not regard material goods as belonging entirely to himself but … should be ready to share them with others in their necessity” (Summa Theologiae, II-II, 1 66, a 2). If such maxims, which derive their inspiration from the Gospel, were put into practice, there would be neither excessive wealth, nor excessive poverty, in the world today.
It is true, that there would still be poverty but, destitution would disappear.
Poverty is good, in that it makes us detached from worldly things and helps us to think more about the next life. But, destitution is really a social crime, for it is the result of human egoism and can breed hatred and spiritual degradation.
“Poverty,” writes Péguy, “is decent. It does not dress in rags … It’s dwelling is tidy, healthy and affords a welcome. It can have a change of linen once a week. It is not emaciated nor hungry… It is not good for anyone to live in easy circumstances; on the contrary, it is much better always to feel the goad of necessity…” (La guerre et la paix, p 338).
It was, in this sense, that Jesus blessed the poor and condemned the rich. He is referring to the poor man who has enough to supply his needs, is detached from worldly possessions, uses his poverty to assist him in his journey towards Heaven and, is happy or, at any rate, content. But He condemns the rich man who squanders his wealth on selfish amusement and is deaf to the entreaties of those in need.
After twenty centuries of Christianity, the violent contrast still exists in modern society. If we have any reason to reproach ourselves, let us try now, to make up for our deficiencies.
Quote/s of the Day – 4 October – The Memorial of St Francis of Assisi (c 1181–1226)
“Sanctify yourself and you will sanctify society.”
“Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you, nothing that you have received— only what you have given – a full heart, enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage.”
“Let us give alms because these cleanse our souls from the stains of sin. Men lose all the material things they leave behind them in this world but they carry with them the reward of their charity and the alms they give. For these they will receive from the Lord the reward and recompense they deserve.”
“Your God is of your flesh, He lives in your nearest neighbour, in every man.”
“O you sons of men, how long will you be dull of heart? … Behold – daily He humbles Himself as when from heaven’s royal throne He came down into the womb of the Virgin. Daily, He Himself, comes to us with like humility; daily He descends from the bosom of the Father, upon the altar, in the hands of the priest.”
Quote/s of the Day – 30 August – The Memorial of St Jeanne Jugan /Mary of the Cross (1792 – 1879)
“Little, very little, be very little before God.”
“He is so good … love God very much. All for Him, do everything through love.”
“My little ones, never forget that the poor are Our Lord; in caring for the poor say to yourself: This is for my Jesus – what a great grace!”
“We were grafted into the Cross.”
“Eternal Father, open your gates today to the most miserable of your children but one who greatly longs to see You. O Mary, my dear Mother, come to me. You know that I love you and I long to see You.”
Quote/s of the Day – 21 August – The Memorial of St Pope Pius X (1835-1914) (Pontiff 1903-1914)
“Is it permitted for Catholics to be present at, or to take part in, conventions, gatherings, meetings, or societies of non-Catholics which aim to associate together under a single agreement everyone who, in any way, lays claim to the name of Christian? IN THE NEGATIVE! … It is clear, therefore, why this Apostolic See has never allowed its subjects, to take part in the assemblies of non-Catholics.”
“The Church alone, being the Bride of Christ and having all things in common with her Divine Spouse, is the depository of the truth.”
“There is one way in which the unity of Christians may be fostered and that is, by furthering the return to the one true Church of Christ for those who are separated from Her.”
“The daily Adoration or visit to the Blessed Sacrament, is the practice which is the fountainhead of all devotional works.”
“The ROSARY is the most beautiful and the most rich in graces of all prayer. It is the prayer that touches most, the Heart of the Mother of God… and if you wish peace to reign in your homes, recite the FAMILY ROSARY.”
“If there were one million families praying the Rosary every day, the entire world would be saved.”
“I was born poor, I have lived poor, I wish to die poor.”
Thought for the Day – 11 August – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Riches and Poverty
“There is a striking contrast between the luxurious living of wealthy people who waste their money on pleasure and amusement and the abject poverty of those who are without food, clothing and shelter.
This is in complete contradiction of the Gospel message which has proclaimed that we are all brothers.
Extravagance is always self-centred, whereas Christianity, is the creed of love.
Sumptuous living cannot be justified by an appeal to the right to own property, for, it is a shameless betrayal of the Gospel spirit of fraternl charity.
When St Thomas Aquinas is defending the right to private property, he adds at once: “In regard to the use of it, however, a man should not regard material goods as belonging entirely to himself but … should be ready to share them with others in their necessity” (Summa Theologiae, II-II, 1 66, a 2).
If such maxims, which derive their inspiration from the Gospel, were put into practice, there would be neither excessive wealth, nor excessive poverty, in the world today.
It is true, that there would still be poverty but, destitution would disappear.
Poverty is good, in that it makes us detached from worldly things and helps us to think more about the next life.
But, destitution is really a social crime, for it is the result of human egoism and can breed hatred and spiritual degradation.
“Poverty,” writes Péguy, “is decent. It does not dress in rags … It’s dwelling is tidy, healthy and affords a welcome. It can have a change of linen once a week. It is not emaciated nor hungry… It is not good for anyone to live in easy circumstances; on the contrary, it is much better always to feel the goad of necessity …” (La guerre et la paix, p 338).
It was, in this sense, that Jesus blessed the poor and condemned the rich.
He is referring to the poor man who has enough to supply his needs, is detached from worldly possessions, uses his poverty to assist him in his journey towards Heaven and, is happy or, at any rate, content.
But He condemns the rich man who squanders his wealth on selfish amusement and is deaf to the entreaties of those in need.
After twenty centuries of Christianity, the violent contrast still exists in modern society.
If we have any reason to reproach ourselves, let us try now, to make up for our deficiencies.
AnaStpaul 
You must be logged in to post a comment.