Our Morning Offering – 13 April – Easter Thursday and “The Month of the Resurrection”
O Lamb of God
By St Irenaeus (c130 – c202)
Bishop & Martyr,
Father of the Church
O Lamb of God,
who takes away the sin of the world,
look upon us
and have mercy upon us,
Thou who art Thyself,
both Victim and Priest,
Thyself, both Reward and Redeemer,
keep safe from all evil
those whom Thou hast redeemed,
O Saviour of the world!
Amen
Quote/s of the Day –9 April – Easter Sunday and “The Month of the Resurrection”
“O Death, where is your sting?
O Hell, where is your victory?
Christ is Risen and you are overthrown.
Christ is Risen and the demons are fallen.
Christ is Risen and the Angels rejoice.
Christ is Risen and Life reigns.
Christ is Risen and not one dead remains in the grave.
For Christ, being Risen from the dead,
is become the First Fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages.”
“For Christ is our Salvation.
For He is our Salvation,
Who was wounded for us
and fastened with nails to the Wood
and taken down from the Wood
and laid in the sepulchre.
But He rose from the sepulchre
and although His Wounds were healed,
the Scars remained.
For this He judged expedient for His Disciples
that He should keep His Scars,
to heal the wounds of their soul.”
“All I want to know is Christ
and the power flowing
from His Resurrection!”
Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 7April – Good Friday – The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to St John 18:1-40.19:1-42 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“HERE, THEN, ARE THE CAUSES of the death of Jesus Christ – the first is that He was Saviour, Holy and King; the second, that He wished to redeem those who acknowledge Him, which is what the word “Jews” means which Pilate had written on the standard of the Cross.
When God withdrew His people from slavery in Egypt to lead them to the Promised Land under the command of that great captain, Moses, a strange misfortune occurred. Small serpents came out from the earth and overran the desert where the poor Israelites were. Their bite, though apparently not very painful, was certainly very dangerous. It was so venomous that all those bitten would surely have died if, in His goodness and infinite Providence, God had not provided a remedy.
Moved by the sight of this pitiable misfortune, Moses spoke to God and asked for some remedy against it. The Lord commanded him to make a brass serpent and to place it on a tall pole, promising, that those bitten by the small serpents would be cured, by gazing upon it. Moses promptly did this, enjoining those bitten to cast their eyes on the brass serpent mounted on the pole.
Those who did so were immediately cured.
Those unwilling to gaze upon it died, for there was no other means of escaping death than that which was ordained by God Himself.
“Oh! How good was the God of Israel” [Ps. 72 (73):1], said a great Saint, “to provide Moses with such a remedy for his people’s cure!” – (Sermon for Good Friday, 25 March 1622).
“HE DIED, THEN.
But although He died for us and was lifted up on the Cross, those who refuse to look upon Him, will surely die, for there is no other redemption but in this Cross.
O God, how spiritually beneficial and profitable is a consideration of Thy Cross and Passion!
Can we contemplate our Saviour’s humility on the Cross without becoming humble and having some affection for humiliations?
Can we see His obedience without being obedient?
Certainly not! No-one has ever looked upon Our Lord Crucified and remained dead or sick.
On the other hand, all who have died have done so because they were unwilling to gaze upon Him, just as the Israelites died who were unwilling to gaze upon the serpent which Moses had raised upon the pole.” – ( Sermons of St Francis de Sales for Lent).
One Minute Reflection – 7 April – Good Friday – The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to St John 18:1-40.19:1-42 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“And bearing His own Cross, He went forth to the place which is called Calvary but in Hebrew Golgotha.” – John 19:17
REFLECTION – “The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwell in the land of gloom, a Light has shone” (Is 9:1), the Light of Redemption. When they saw that the tyrant, death, was wounded to death, this people came out from darkness to Light; from death they passed to Life.
The wood of the Cross bears Him Who made the universe. Undergoing death for my life, He Who bears the universe is fastened to the tree as one dead. He Who breathes Life into the dead, gives up the spirit on the tree. The Cross brings no shame to Him at all but, like a trophy, confirms His complete victory. Like a just Judge He is seated on the Throne of the Cross. The Crown of Thorns He wears on His brow, confirms His victory – “Take courage, I have conquered the world and the prince of this world, by taking away the sin of this world” (Jn 16:33; 1:29).
That the Cross stands for victory, the stones themselves cry out (cf Lk 19:40), those stones of Calvary where Adam, our forefather, was buried, according to an old tradition held by our fathers. “Adam, where are you?” (Gn 3:9), Christ cries out again from the Cross. “I am seeking for you there and, that I might find you, I stretched out my Hands on the Cross. I turn my outstretched Hands to the Father in thanksgiving for having found you, then I turn them also to you to welcome you. I have not come to judge your sin but to save you out of My Love for humankind (cf Jn 3,17). I have not come to curse you for your disobedience but to bless you, by My obedience. I will shelter you with My Wings, you will find refuge in My shade; My Faithfulness will cover you with the shield of the Cross and you will no more fear the terror of the night (cf Ps 90:1-5) because you will know day without setting (Wsd 7:10). I will seek out your life, concealed in darkness and the shadow of death (Lk 1:79). I will take no rest until, humbled and having descended even to hell to search for you, I have led you back to Heaven.” – St Germanus of Constantinople (c 640-733) Bishop, Father (In Domini corporis supulturam ; PG 98, 251-260).
PRAYER – Deliver us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, from all evils, past, present and to come and by the intercession of the blessed and glorious ever Virgin Mary, Mother of God and of the Holy Apostles, Peter and Paul and of all the Saints, mercifully grant peace in our days, that through the assistance of Thy mercy we may be always free from sin and secure from all disturbance. 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.
Faithful Cross! above all other, One and only noble Tree!
None in foliage, none in blossom, None in fruit thy peer may be.
Sweetest wood and sweetest iron,
Sweetest weight is hung on thee. (Antiphons).
Quote of the Day –6 April – Maundy Thursday
“Born as a Son,
led forth as a Lamb,
sacrificed as a sheep,
buried as a man,
He rose from the dead as a God,
for He was by nature God and man.
He is all things –
He judges and so, He is Law.
He teaches and so, He is Wisdom.
He saves and so, He is Grace.
He begets and so, He is Father.
He is begotten,and so, He is Son.
He suffers and so, He is Sacrifice.
He is buried and so, He is Man.
He rises again and so, He is God.
This is Jesus Christ,
to Whom belongs glory for all ages.”
Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 6 April – Maundy Thursday – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“But could God not have provided the world
with a remedy, other than that of His Son’s Death? ”
St Francis de Sales
“BUT COULD GOD not have provided the world with a remedy, other than that of His Son’s Death? Certainly, He could have done so and by a thousand other means.
Could He not have pardoned human nature with absolute power and pure mercy, not invoking justice or the intervention of any creature? Doubtless He could and who would have dared to question or criticise Him? No-one, for He is Sovereign Master and can do all He wills.
Besides, if He had wanted some creature to undertake our redemption, would He not have created one of such excellence and dignity that, by its deeds or sufferings, it could have satisfied for all our sins?
Assuredly and He could have redeemed us in a thousand other ways than that of His Son’s death. But He did not will to do so, for what may have been sufficient for our salvation was not sufficient for His love and to show us how much He loved us, this Divine Son died the cruelest and most ignominious of deaths, that of the Cross! …”
“OH, HOW GREAT was the flame of love which burned in the Heart of our gentle Saviour, since at the height of His sufferings, at a time when the vehemence of His torments seemed to take from Him, even the power of praying for Himself, He succeeded, through the strength of His charity in forgetting Himself but not His creatures and with a strong and intelligible Voice uttered these words:
“Father, forgive them.”
With this prayer, He wanted to make us understand the love He bore us, undiminished by any suffering and to teach us how our heart should be toward our neighbour.” – (Sermons of St Francis de Sales for Lent).
One Minute Reflection – 5 April – St Vincent Ferrer (1350-1419) Confessor called the “Angel of the Apocalypse” and of “The Last Judgement” and the “Mouthpiece of God.”– “Spy” Wednesday in Holy Week – Isaias 53:1-12, Luke 22:1-71 and 23:1-53 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“But Jesus he delivered up to their will.” – Luke 23:25
REFLECTION – “Come, come, let us go up together to the Mount of Olives. Together let us meet Christ, Who is returning today from Bethany and going of His own accord to that Holy and Blessed Passion, to complete the Mystery of our Salvation. And so He comes, willingly taking the road to Jerusalem, He Who came down from the heights for us, to raise us who lie in the depths, to exaltation with Him, as the revealing Word says: “above all authority and rule and power and above every Name that is named” (Eph 1:21). He comes without display, without boast. For, as the prophet says, “He will not contend or shout out and no-one will hear His Voice” (Is 42:2). He is gentle and lowly and His entrance is humble…
Then, let us run with Him as He presses on, to His Passion. Let us imitate those who have gone out to meet Him, not scattering olive branches or garments or palms in His path but spreading ourselves before Him as best we can, with humility of soul and upright purpose. So may we welcome the Word as He comes (Jn 1:9); so may God, Who cannot be contained within any bounds, be contained within us.
For He is pleased to have shown us this gentleness, He Who is gentle and who “rides upon the setting sun” (Ps 56:12) which refers to our extreme lowliness. He is pleased to come and live with us and to raise us up or bring us back to Himself through the Word which unites to God.” – St Andrew of Crete (660-740) Bishop and Father (Homily for Palm Sunday).
PRAYER – O God, Who graciously enlightened Thy Church by the virtues and preaching of blessed Vincent, Thy Confessor, grant that we, Thy servants, may be taught by his example and delivered from all harm by his intercession. 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).
Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 4 April – Tuesday in Holy Week
“There is no salvation except in this Cross”
St Francis de Sales
“MISERABLE PEOPLE, what do you mean by asking our dear Saviour and Master, to descend from this gibbet?
He will certainly not do so, for as St Paul says, He humbled Himself, obediently accepting even death, death on a Cross.
He mounted the Cross through obedience and died on it through obedience.
All those who are willing to be saved through the Cross, will find salvation there.
But those who desire to be saved without it, will perish miserably.
There is no salvation, except in this Cross.” – (Sermons of St Francis de Sales for Lent).
One Minute Reflection – 4 April – “The Month of the Resurrection” – Tuesday in Holy Week – Jeremias 11:18-20, Mark 14:1-72; 15:1-46 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“And some began to spit on Him and to cover His face and to buffet Him and to say unto Him – Prophesy and the servants struck Him with the palms of their hands.” – Mark 14:65
REFLECTION – “He received the spittings of insulters, Who with His spittle, had a little before, made eyes for a blind man.
And He, in Whose Name the devil and his angels are scorned, is now scourged by the devil’s servants, Himself suffering scourgings!
He was crowned with thorns, Who crowns Martyrs with eternal flowers.
He was smitten on the Face with palms, Who gives the true palms to those who overcome.
He was despoiled of His earthly garment, Who clothes others in the vesture of immortality.
He was fed with gall, Who gave heavenly food.
He was given to drink of vinegar, Who appointed the cup of salvation.
That guiltless, that just One—nay, He Who is Innocence itself and Justice itself—is counted among transgressors and Truth is oppressed with false witnesses.
He, Who shall judge, is judged and the Word of God is led silently to the slaughter.
And when, at the Cross, of the Lord the stars are confounded, the elements are disturbed, the earth quakes, night shuts out the day, the sun… He speaks not, nor is moved, nor declares His Majesty even in His very Passion itself.
Even to the end, all things are borne perseveringly and constantly, in order that in Christ, a full and perfect patience may be consummated.
And after all these things, He still receives His murderers, if they will be converted and come to Him.
And with a saving patience, He who is benignant to preserve, closes His Church to none.
Those adversaries…, if they repent of their sin, if they acknowledge the crime committed, He receives, not only to the pardon of their sin but to the reward of the Heavenly Kingdom.
What can be said, what more Patient, what more Merciful? Even he is made alive by Christ’s Blood, who has shed Christ’s Blood!
Such and so great is the Patience of Christ and had it not been such and so great, the Church would never have possessed Paul as an Apostle.
But if we also, beloved brethren, are in Christ.
If we put Him on, if He is the Way of our salvation, who follow Christ in the footsteps of salvation, let us walk by the example of Christ, as the Apostle John instructs us, saying, He who says, he abides in Christ, ought himself also, to walk even as He walked.
Peter also, upon whom by the Lord’s condescension the Church was founded, lays it down in his epistle and says:
CHRIST SUFFERED FOR US, leaving you an example, that you should follow His Steps, Who did no sin, neither was deceit found in His Mouth; Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, threatened not but gave Himself up to him that judged Him unjustly.” – St Cyprian of Carthage (200-258) Bishop of Carthage and Martyr, Father of the Church (On Patience, 7-9).
PRAYER – Almighty and eternal God, grant us so to celebrate the mysteries of our Lord’s Passion, that we may deserve to obtain forgiveness. 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).
Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 29 March – Wednesday in Passion Week
“He has become all ours,
to make us all His.”
St Francis de Sales
“Since Our Lord has so much loved us, that He has equally redeemed all, bedewed us with His Divine Blood and called us to Himself, without excluding anyone; since He has become all ours, to make us all His, giving us His Death and His Life to deliver us from eternal death and to procure us the joys of eternal life, that we may belong to Him in this mortal life and yet more perfectly, in the next.
What remains, what conclusion have we to draw, unless that living, we should no longer live for ourselves but for Jesus Christ, Who died for us; that is, we should Consecrate to Him, every moment of our life, referring to His glory our works, our thoughts and our affections?” – (Consoling Thoughts of St Francis de Sales).
Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 27 March – Monday of Passion Week
“THE SWEET JESUS was scourged, crowned, condemned, mocked and rejected as man, devoted, destined and dedicated to carry out and endure, the opprobriums and ignominies due in punishment to all sins and He served as a general sacrifice for sin, being made, as it were, an anathema, separated from and abandoned by His Eternal Father.
The Divine Saviour wished to die in the flames of love because of the Infinite Charity He bore towards us and, by the force and power of love, that is to say, He would die in love, by love, for love and of love.
This is what He Himself says:
“No-one takes away My life but I lay it down of Myself, for I have power to lay it down and to take it up again” .—He was offered, says Isaias because He wished it.” – (Consoling Thoughts of St Francis de Sales).
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.”
“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)
One Minute Reflection – 26 March – Passion Sunday – Hebrews 9:11-15, John 8:46-59 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, he saw it and was glad.” – John 8:56
REFLECTION – “Since Abraham was a Prophet he saw the day of the Lord’s coming in the Spirit, as also the designs of His Passion, through which, both he and all those like him, who believed in God, would be saved. And he was seized with great joy. Thus, the Lord was not unknown to Abraham, since he longed to see His day… He longed to see His day, so that he, too, might clasp Christ to himself and having seen Him prophetically in the Spirit, he rejoiced.
That is why Simeon, who was of his descendants, fulfilled the Patriarch’s joy and said: “Now, Master, Thou may let Thy servant go in peace, according to Thy Word, for my eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou prepared in sight of all peoples”… And Elizabeth said : “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.” Abraham’s rejoicing descended, as it were, on those who were watching and who saw Christ and believed in Him. And this rejoicing returned to Abraham through his children.
So it was altogether fitting that our Lord bore witness to him when He said: “Your father, Abraham rejoiced to see My day,. he saw it and was glad.” Nor was it only with regard to Abraham that He said this but of all those who, from the beginning, had come to know God and prophesied of Christ’s coming. For they had received this revelation from the Son Himself that Son, Who, in these the last days, became visible and palpable and talked with men, so that He might raise up sons from Abraham out of stones and make his posterity to be like the stars of the heaven.” – St Irenaeus (c130-c202) Martyr, Father of the Church, Bishop of Lyons, Theologian (Against the heresies IV, 5-7).
PRAYER – Look graciously upon Thy household, Almighty God, we beseech Thee that by Thy grace, we may be governed in body and by Thy protection, safeguarded in mind. 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).
Quote/s of the Day – 25 March – The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Isaias 7:10-15, Luke 1:26-38 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“ By a woman,
came the flood of our ills
and by a woman too,
our blessings,
have their spring.”
Blessed Virgin Mary,
Receive Our Gratitude!
By St Augustine (354-430)
Father & Doctor of Grace
Blessed Virgin Mary,
who can worthily repay you
with praise and thanks
for having rescued a fallen world
by your generous consent!
Receive our gratitude
and by your prayers,
obtain the pardon of our sins.
Take our prayers into the Sanctuary of Heaven
and enable them to make our peace with God.
Holy Mary, help the miserable,
strengthen the discouraged,
comfort the sorrowful,
pray for your people,
plead for the clergy,
intercede for all women consecrated to God.
May all who venerate you
feel now your help and protection.
Be ready to help us when we pray
and bring back to us,
the answers to our prayers.
Make it your continual concern
to pray for the people of God,
for you were blessed by God
and were made worthy
to bear the Redeemer of the world,
Who lives and reigns forever.
Amen
“And Mary said,
‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be to me according to your word.’”
Luke 1:38
“The price of our salvation
is offered to you.
We shall be set free at once, if you consent.
In the eternal Word of God, we all came to be
and behold, we die.
In your brief response,
we are to be remade.
in order to be recalled to life.
… Answer quickly, O Virgin.
Reply in haste to the Angel,
or rather, through the Angel to the Lord.
Answer with a word,
receive the Word of God.
Speak your own word,
conceive the Divine Word.
Breathe a passing word,
embrace the Eternal Word!”
Quote/s of the Day – 13 March – Monday of the Third Week in Lent
“Are we going to neglect our own salvation?
Let us show great compassion
towards the poor
so as to be made worthy of possessing
good things to come for all eternity!”
“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!”
Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 11 March – Saturday of the Second Week in Lent – Genesis 27:6-40, Luke 15:11-32 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Lord, before I existed Thou
beheld me and called me by name …”
Jeremias 1:5
“I shall arise and shall go to my Father”
Luke 15:18
“REMEMBER the Heart of Our Lord saw your heart and loved you surely, from the Tree of the Cross. By this love, He obtained for you all the good things that you will ever have, including your resolutions.
Yes, we can say with Jeremias: “Lord, before I existed Thou
beheld me and called me by name” (cf. 1:5).
This is indeed so – His Divine Goodness has prepared, in His love and mercy, all the means, general and particular, for our salvation and consequently, our resolutions. Yes, without doubt. A woman with child prepares the cradle, the linen and swaddling clothes and even arranges a nurse for the child whom she hopes to bring forth, although it is not yet in the world.
So Our Lord, in His Goodness, is, as it were, pregnant with you,
wishing to bring you forth to salvation and make you His child, prepared upon the Tree of the Cross, everything you would need. He got ready your spiritual cradle, linen and swaddling clothes, your nurse and everything suitable for your happiness.
These are all the means, all the attractions and all the graces by which He guides you and wants to lead you to perfection.
My God, how deeply this truth should be fixed in our memory.
Is it possible that I have been loved and loved so tenderly, by my Saviour?
That He thought of me personally in all these little events by which He has drawn me to Himself?
How much then should we love, cherish and make good use of all this for our benefit!This is extremely kind. this loving Heart of my God thought of me, loved me and obtained for me a thousand means of salvation. This He did as though there was no other soul in the world He could think of!
The sun shines on one part of the earth, shining on it no less than if it shone nowhere else and, as if it shone upon it alone. In the
same way, Our Lord thought of and cared for all His loving children, in such a way, that He thought of each one of us. as though He had not thought of all the rest.
He loved me, says St Paul and gave Himself for me, (Galatians 2:20) as if He said: for myself alone, as though He had done nothing for the others.
Imprint this in your spirit, in order to cherish and nourish, with care, your firm resolution, so precious to the Heart of the Saviour.”– (Introduction to the Devout Life)
One Minute Reflection – 10 March – Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, Armenia (Died 320) – Friday of the Second Week in Lent – Hebrews 11:33-39, Luke 6:17-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“And He, lifting up His eyes on His disciples, said:
Blessed are you …” – Luke 6:20
REFLECTION – “Lord Jesus Christ, to teach us the summit of virtue, You ascended the mountain with Your disciples and taught them the Beatitudes and highest virtues, promising them the rewards applicable to each. Grant that my weakness may hear Your Voice, that I may apply myself, through their practice, to acquire the merit of the virtues, so that by Your Mercy, I may receive the promised reward. As I consider the payment, do not let me refuse the effort of the labour. Make my hope of eternal salvation, sweeten the bitterness of the cure, inflaming my soul with the splendour of Your work. Out of the wretched person I am, create one of the blessed; from the blessedness here below, lead me, by Your Grace, to the blessedness of the homeland.
Come, Lord Jesus Christ, in search of Your servant, seeking Your erring and exhausted sheep. Come, Spouse of the Church, in search of Your lost coin. Come, Father of mercies, welcome the prodigal son returning to You. Come, then, Lord, for You are the only One, able to call back the sheep that has strayed, to find the lost drachma, to reconcile the runaway son. Cone, that there may be salvation on earth and joy in Heaven! Turn me towards You and grant that I may carry out a true and perfect repentance, so that I may become an occasion for joy, among the Angels. Sweetest Jesus, I pray You, by the immensity of Your Love for me, a sinner, grant that I may love You alone, above all things, that I may be consoled by none but You, my sweetest God!” – Ludolph of Saxony (c1300-1378) Monk, Theologian, Writer, Dominican then a Carthusian (Prayers to Jesus Christ).
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we who know how courageously Thy holy Martyrs have confessed the faith, may experience their goodness as they intercede for us with Thee. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Quote/s of the Day – 7 March – The Memorial of St Thomas Aquinas OP (1225-1274) Confessor, Doctor
“The Cross is my sure salvation.
The Cross it is, which I worship evermore.
The Cross of our Lord is with me.
The Cross is my refuge.”
“O precious and wonderful banquet
which brings us salvation and contains all sweetness!
Could anything be of more intrinsic value?
Under the old law, it was the flesh of calves and goats
which was offered but here,
Christ Himself, the True God,
is set before us as our food!
What could be more wonderful than this?
No other Sacrament has greater healing power;
through it, sins are purged away,
virtues are increased and the soul is enriched
with an abundance of every spiritual gift.”
“Seek praises from God alone.”
Dear Jesus,
I know that every perfect gift
and especially that of chastity,
depends on the power of Thy Providence.
Without Thee, a mere creature can do nothing.
Therefore, I beg Thee, to defend, by Thy grace
the chastity and purity of my body and soul.
And if I have ever sensed or imagined anything
that could stain my chastity and purity,
blot it out, Supreme Lord of my powers
that I may advance with a pure heart
in Thy love and service,
offering myself
on the most pure altar of Thy Divinity,
all the days of my life.
Amen
Chosen lily of innocence,
pure St Thomas,
who kept chaste the Robe of Baptism
and became an angel in the flesh
after being girded by two Angels,
I implore thee to commend me to Jesus,
the Spotless Lamb
and to Mary,
the Queen of Virgins.
Gentle protector of my chastity,
ask them that I,
who wear the holy sign
of thy victory over the flesh,
may also share thy purity
and after imitating thee on earth,
may, at last, come to be crowned
with thee among the Angels.
Amen
MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/07/quotes-of-the-day-7-march-st-thomas-aquinas/
Quote/s of the Day – 5 March – The Second Sunday in Lent
– Thessalonians 4:1-7, Matthew 17:1-9 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Lord, it is good for us to be here”
“And a cloud overshadowed them
and a Voice came out of the cloud,
“This is My beloved Son; listen to Him.”
“Eternal life flows
from this Sacrament
because God,
with all sweetness,
pours Himself out
upon the blessed.”
“At His Transfiguration
Christ showed His disciples,
the splendour of His Beauty,
to which He will shape and colour,
those who are His :
‘He will reform our lowness
configured to the Body of His Glory.”
“Aspire to God with short
but frequent outpourings of the heart,
admire His bounty,
invoke His aid,
cast yourself in spirit at the foot of His Cross,
adore His goodness,
treat with Him of your salvation,
give Him your whole soul –
a thousand times in the day.”
One Minute Reflection – 3 March – “The Month of the St Joseph” – Ember Friday, First Week of Lent – Ezekiel 18:20-28, John 5:1-15 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Now a certain man was there who had been thirty-eight years
under his infirmity. When Jesus saw him lying there
and knew that he had been in this state a long time, He said to him: Do you wish to be made whole?” – John 5:5-6
REFLECTION – “Christ’s Miracles are symbols of the different events of our eternal salvation, … this pool is the symbol of the precious gift the Lord’s Word gives us. To explain – this water is the Jewish people; the five porticos are the Law which Moses wrote in five books. And so, this pool was surrounded by five porticos, like the people enclosed by the Law. The water which was stirred and troubled, is the Saviour’s Passion in this people’s midst. Whoever went down into this water was healed – but only one person so as to express unity. Those, who were unable to bear anyone speaking to them about the Passion, are the proud – they do not wish to go down and are not healed. “What!” says that arrogant man: “Believe a God to be Incarnate! that a God was Born of a woman that a God has been Crucified, Scourged, covered with Wounds ,that He Died and has been Buried?! No, I would never believe in these Humiliations of a God, they are unworthy of Him.”
Let your heart speak here, rather than your head. The Humiliations of a God seem unworthy to the arrogant and that is why they are very far from a cure. So protect yourself from this pride. If you desire your healing, accept to go down. There would be something to be worried about, if someone said to you that Christ had undergone some sort of change, in becoming Incarnate. But no, … your God remains what He Is, have no fear; He does not perish and He prevents you yourselves from perishing. Yes, He remains what He Is; He Is born of a woman but according to the flesh … it is as Man that He has been Seized, Bound, Scourged, Mocked and finally Crucified and put to Death. Why be afraid? The Word of the Lord remains forever. Anyone who refuses these humiliations of a God, does not wish to be cured of the mortal swelling of his pride.
By His Incarnation, our Lord Jesus Christ has, therefore, restored hope to our flesh. He assumed the fruits of this earth which are only too well known and common – Birth and Death. Birth and death – here indeed are goods that the earth possesses in abundance! But in them were found, neither resurrection nor eternal life. He found here the unfortunate fruits of this unfruitful earth and gave us, in exchange, the possessions of His Heavenly Kingdom!” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (Sermon 124).
PRAYER – From all perils of soul and body defend us, O Lord, we beseech Thee and by the intercession of blessed and gloriosus 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).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).
Our Morning Offering – 3 March – Ember Friday in the First Week of Lent
Rescue Me, Most Merciful God
By Father Martin von Cochem OSFC (c 1630-1712)
Most merciful God,
remember at how great a price
Thou didst purchase me
and how much Thou didst suffer for me.
For the sake of that inestimable price,
do not permit me to be lost,
rescue me,
number me amongst the sheep
of Thy fold.
With them, I will then
praise and magnify Thy loving kindness,
to all eternity.
Amen
Fr Martin von Cochem was a German Capuchin theologian, preacher and prolific ascetic writer. Father Martin’s works embrace a great variety of subjects: a huge volume of apologetics against Protestantism, the life of Christ, lives of the Saints, edifying narratives, the setting forth of certain points in Christian asceticism, forms of prayer, methods to be followed for the worthy reception of the sacraments, etc.
The prayer above is from the renowned “The Four Last Things.”
Thought for the Day – 2 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“We should appreciate how necessary it is to pray with special fervour and perseverance, in times of great temptation and suffering.
If we neglect to do so when temptation assails us, we shall be on our own and shall certainly fall.
When we encounter suffering and everything seems to be crumbling around us, let us remember that God sees us and pities us.
Let us turn to Him. Who alone is able and eager to help us in our misfortunes.
When we pray, our tears are precious in His sight.
God’s love for us is infinite.
If we have recourse to Him, He will certainly answer us in the manner which He knows is best for us.
He has promised this, “If he cries out to me, I will hear him, for I am compassionate” (Ex 22:26).”
PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/15/thought-for-the-day-15-march-prayer-as-a-necessary-means-of-salvation/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/02/thought-for-the-day-2-march-prayer-as-a-necessary-means-of-salvation/
One Minute Reflection – 1 March – Ember Wednesday – 3 Kings. 19:3-8, Matthew 12:38-50 –The Memorial of St David (c 542-c 601) Bishop, Confessor – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“The sign of Jonah” – Matthew 12:39
REFLECTION – “You were conducted by the hand to the holy pool of Sacred Baptism, just as Christ was conveyed from the Cross to the sepulchre close at hand [in this Church of the Holy Sepulchre]. Each person was asked if he believed in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. You made the confession that brings salvation and submerged yourselves three times in the water and emerged, by this symbolic gesture, you were secretly re-enacting the burial of Christ, three days in the tomb. For just as our Saviour spent three days and nights in the bosom of the earth, so you, upon first emerging, were representing Christ… You saw nothing when immersed – as if it were night but you emerged – as if to the light of day. In one and the same action, you died and were born, the water of salvation became both tomb and mother for you…
What a strange and astonishing situation! We did not really die, we were not really buried, we did not really hang from a cross and rise again. Our imitation was symbolic but our salvation a reality! Christ truly hung from a Cross, was truly buried and truly rose again. All this He did gratuitously for us, so that we might share His sufferings by imitating them and gain salvation in actuality. What transcendent kindness! Christ endured nails in His innocent Hands and Feet and suffered pain and by letting me participate in the pain, without anguish or sweat, He freely bestows salvation on me! …
We know well that not merely does Baptism cleanse sins and bestow on us the gift of the Holy Spirit – it is also the sign of Christ’s suffering. This is why, as we heard just now, Paul cried out: “Are you unaware that we, who were Baptised into Christ Jesus, were Baptised into His Death? We were indeed buried with Him through Baptism into death”… So, in order that we may realise that Christ endured all His sufferings for us and our salvation IN actuality and not in symbolism and that, we share in His pains, Paul cried out the literal truth: “If we have grown into union with Him through a death like His, we shall also be united with Him in the resurrection,” (Rom 6,3-5). – St Cyril of Jerusalem (313-350) Bishop of Jerusalem, Father and Doctor of the Church (Catechesis no.20/2nd Mystagogy) .
PRAYER – We beseech Thee, O Lord, look graciously upon the fervour of Thy people, who mortify themselves in the flesh through abstinence that they may be refreshed in spirit, by the fruit of these good works and the intercession of Thy blessed Confessor, David. 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).
One Minute Reflection – 31 January – St John Bosco “Don Bosco” SDB (1815-1888) Priest, Confessor, Founder. – Philippians 4:4-9 , Matthew 18:1-5 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“And whoever receives one such little child for My sake, receives Me.” – Matthew 18:5
REFLECTION – “Scripture calls all of us “children” and, when we begin to follow Christ, we receive the name of “little children” (Mt 18:3; Jn 21:5)… So Who is our Instructor and Tutor, the Tutor we have when we are small? He is called Jesus. He calls Himself “Shepherd” by Name, referring to Himself as “the Good Shepherd” (Jn 10:11). He makes a comparison between shepherds guiding their sheep and Himself, the Tutor who guides small children, the Shepherd full of concern for the lambs which, in their simplicity, He compares with the sheep. “They will all be one flock,” He says, “because there will be One Shepherd” (Jn 10:16). Therefore, our Tutor is, of course, the Word of God because He leads us to salvation. As He clearly declared through the mouth of the prophet Hosea: “I am your Teacher” (5:2 LXX).
As for His instruction, that is, the religious formation by which He teaches us how to serve God, forming us in the knowledge of the truth and leading us straight to Heaven… Pilots guide their ships with the intention of bringing their passengers safely to harbour; in the same way, our Tutor, in the care He bears towards us, points God’s children towards the way of life leading to salvation… Thus, He, Who leads us is our holy God, Jesus, God’s Word, all humanity’s guide! God Himself leads us in His love for us… The Holy Spirit said of Him during the Exodus: “He found him in the wilderness, a wasteland of howling desert. He shielded him and cared for him, guarding him as the apple of His eye. As an eagle incites its nestlings forth by hovering over its brood, so He spreads His wings to receive him and bore him up on His pinions. The Lord alone was his Leader” (Dt 32:10-12).” – St Clement of Alexandria (c 150-c 215) Theologian and Philosopher, Professor who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria, Father of the Church (Pedagogue, I, 53-56).
PRAYER – O God, Who in Thy Confessor, blessed John, raised up a father and teacher of youth and willed that through him, with the help of the Virgin Mary, new religious families should bloom in the Church, grant, we beseech Thee, that , inflamed by the same fire of love, we may seek to win souls and to serve Thee alone. 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).
Our Prayers to the Saints – 29 January – St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Bishop, Confessor – Doctor of the Church: Doctor Caritatis (Doctor of Charity) “The Gentle Christ of Geneva” and the “Gentleman Saint.”
O Glorious St Francis
Prayer to St Francis de Sales
O Glorious St Francis,
model of the interior life
and full of zeal for the salvation of souls!
Obtain for me the grace
to employ all my faculties,
not for my own sanctification alone
but for that of my neighbour too
that continually spreading abroad,
the sweet odour of Jesus Christ,
by my words and works,
I may attain, with thee, the blessedness
promised to the merciful:
“Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy”
and that I may one day have a share
in the glory which thou dost enjoy
in Paradise with the Angels and Saints,
where those who edify
and instruct to justice,
shall shine as stars
for all eternity (Dan 12:3).
Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 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/
“If we approach with faith,
we too will see Jesus…
for the Eucharistic table
takes the place of the crib.
Here, the Body of the Lord is present,
wrapped, not in swaddling clothes
but in the rays of the Holy Spirit.”
“When you are before the Altar where Christ reposes,
you ought no longer to think
that you are amongst men
but believe that there are troops of Angels
and Archangels, standing with you
and trembling with respect
before the Sovereign Master of Heaven and earth.
Therefore, when you are in Church,
be there in silence,
fear and veneration!”
“God defers hearing our prayers,
not because He rejects them
but, because He wishes to contrive
to draw us to Himself.
Do not cease praying
until you are heard!”
“He errs who believes
that he can overcome his sensual propensities
and preserve chastity, by his own efforts.
God’s mercy must extinguish nature’s ardour.
Have recourse to the intercession
of the Immaculate Virgin
and rest assured, you will obtain this mercy.”
“Never separate yourself from the Church.
No institution has the power of the Church.
The Church is your hope.
The Church is your salvation.
The Church is your refuge.”
MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/01/27/quote-s-of-the-day-27-january-st-john-chrysostom/
Our Morning Offering – 26 January – – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus”
Complete Us, O Lord Jesus Christ,
For the Glory of Thy Holy Name
By St Anselm (1033-1109)
Magnificent and Marian
Doctor of the Church
O Lord Jesus Christ,
our Redemption and our Salvation,
we praise Thee and give Thee thanks.
Although we are unworthy of Thy benefits
and cannot offer to Thee,
the devotion Thou deserves,
let Thy loving-kindness complete,
whatever our weakness attempts.
Before Thee, O Lord,
we lay all our desires
and whatever our heart rightly wishes,
it is because of Thy gifts.
Help us to love Thee as Thou commands.
Do not let Thy gifts be unfruitful.
Complete what Thou hast begun,
give what Thou hast made us desire,
convert our lukewarmness
into fervent love of Thee,
for the glory of Thy Holy Name.
Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 16 January – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Do whatever He tells you.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
Our Morning Offering – 14 January – Mary’s Day
Mother of Salvation,
Blessed Lady
By St Anselm (1033-1109)
Magnificent Doctor
Marian Doctor
Mother of Salvation,
Blessed Lady,
you are the Mother of Justification
and those who are justified;
the Mother of Reconciliation
and those who are reconciled;
the Mother of Salvation
and those who are saved.
What a blessed trust
and what a secure refuge!
The Mother of God is our Mother.
The Mother of the One
in Whom alone, we hope
and Whom alone, we fear,
is our Mother! …
The One Who partook of our nature
and by restoring us to life,
made us children of His Mother,
invites us by this grace, to proclaim
that we are His brothers and sisters.
Therefore, our Judge, is also our Brother.
The Saviour of the world, is our Brother.
Our God has become –
through Mary – our Brother!
Anen
Thought for the Day – 11 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“St Catherine of Siena believed that loyalty to the Church and devotion to the Blessed Virgin, were two pledges of salvation.
In one of her letters she wrote that “he will not die forever, who serves the Church faithfully.”
Elsewhere she said that “out of reverence for the Word, the Divine Goodness has granted Our Lady, the privilege that any man, good or sinful, who pays her due honour, will not be taken captive by the devil.”
Consequently, we need not be inordinately afraid of death, or of the final judgement, if we love the Church, obey her commandments and work generously for her triumph in the universe and, if we show a filial devotion to the Blessed Virgin, pray to her and imitate her in virtue, as far as possible,
It will be profitable for us to think about death and the last judgement (Cf Ecclus 7:36).
It will moderate our impatience in tribulations and our inordinate pleasure in consolations.
It will be a stimulus to perseverance in good actions.”
PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/07/24/thought-for-the-day-24-july-the-particular-and-general-judgements/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/01/11/thought-for-the-day-11-january-the-particular-and-general-judgements/
AnaStpaul 
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