QUOTES on SANCTITY – Page 33

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN TITLES, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 25 August – May our Mother, take us to the path that leads to ‘Heaven’s Gate.’

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

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

“Strive to enter in by the narrow door.”

St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father & Doctor strive-to-enter-luke-13-24-whoever-would-enter-st-cyril-of-alex-31-oct-2018

This reply may seem perhaps to wander from the scope of the question. The man wanted to learn whether there would be few who are saved but He explained to him the way whereby he might be saved himself. He said, “Strive to enter in by the narrow door.” What do we answer to this objection? … It was a necessary and valuable thing to know how a man may obtain salvation. He is purposely silent to the useless question. He proceeds to speak of what was essential, namely, of the knowledge necessary for the performance of those duties by which people can enter the narrow door.
I now consider it my duty to mention why the door to life is narrow. Whoever would enter must first, before everything else, possess an upright and uncorrupted faith and then a spotless morality, in which there is no possibility of blame, according to the measure of human righteousness. One who has attained to this in mind and spiritual strength will enter easily by the narrow door and run along the narrow way.
“Wide is the door and broad the way that brings down many to destruction.” What are we to understand by its broadness? It means an unrestrained tendency toward carnal lust and a shameful and pleasure-loving life. It is luxurious feasts, parties, banquets and unrestricted inclinations to everything that is condemned by the law and displeasing to God. A stubborn mind will not bow to the yoke of the law. This life is cursed and relaxed in all carelessness. Thrusting from it the divine law and completely unmindful of the sacred commandments, wealth, vices, scorn, pride and the empty imagination of earthly pride spring from it. Those who would enter in by the narrow door must withdraw from all these things, be with Christ and keep the festival with Him.”

(Commentary on Luke, Homily 9)

May we call upon our Mother Mary as Ianua Caeli, Heaven’s Gate, to guide us in our daily choices and take us to the path that leads to ‘Heaven’s Gate.’ Amen ianua caeli heaven's gate pray for us mary - 25 aug 2019

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

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

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

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

“The Narrow Door”

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

St Alphonsus Rodriguez SJ (1532-1617)

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

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

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

Pope Benedict XVI

Angelus, 26 August 2007

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

Pope Francis

Angelus, 25 August 2013

FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 21 August – “..we are illuminated and made shining by the light…”

Posted on August 20, 2019August 20, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 21 August – Tuesday of the Twentieth week in Ordinary Time, Year C – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 19:23–30 and the Memorial of St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) “Doctor of Light”

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life...Matthew 19:29 and-everyone-who-has-left-matthew-19-29-21-aug-2018

REFLECTION – “Abraham became “the friend of God” (Jam 2,23) because he freely and generously followed the Word of God, his call. It was not due to any lack on His part that God’s Word gained Abraham’s friendship. He is perfect from the beginning; “Before Abraham was, I am” (Jn 5,58). But it was that He, who is good, might give Abraham eternal life… Likewise, in the beginning, it was not because He had any need of man that God formed Adam but that He might have someone on whom to bestow His blessings.

Still less was it because He needed our service that He commanded us to follow Him but to win salvation for us. For to follow our Saviour is to have a share in His salvation, just as following the light is to participate in the light. When we stand in the light it is not we who illumine the light and cause it to shine but we are illuminated and made shining by the light… God grants His blessings on those who serve Him because they are serving Him and on those who follow Him because they are following Him but He receives no blessing from them because He is perfect and without need.

If God asks for our service it is that He who is good and merciful might bestow His blessings on those who persevere in His service. Because, if God has no need of anything, yet we have need of communion with God. The glory of man is to persevere in the service of God. That is why our Lord said to His disciples: “You did not choose me, it was I who chose you” (Jn 15,16), thus indicating that… for having followed the Son of God they had been glorified by Him: “Father, I will that where I am they also may be, that they may see my glory” (Jn 17,24). … St Irenaeus of Lyons (c.130-c.208) Bishop, theologian and Martyr – Against the heresies, IV, 14,1 ; SC 100 when we stand in the light - st irenaeus 20 aug 2019.jpg

PRAYER – All-knowing God, let me be able to stand in Your presence with a good conscience. Help me to avoid anything that would sully my conscience and do all I can to remain united with You . You made St Bernard burn with zeal for Your house and gave him the grace to enkindle and enlighten others in Your Church. Grant that by his prayer, we may be filled with the same spirit and always live as children of the Light. Through Christ our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen. st bernard pray for us 2

CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The HOLY FACE

Quote/s of the Day – 19 August – St John Eudes

Posted on August 19, 2019August 19, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 19 August – The Memorial of St John Eudes Orat. (1601-1680) “Apostle of Two Hearts”

“A Christian has
a union with Jesus Christ –
more noble,
more intimate
and more perfect
than the members of a human body
have with their head!”

“The Christian life is a continuation
and completion of the life of Christ in us.
We should be so many Christs here on earth,
continuing His life and His works,
labouring and suffering in a holy
and divine manner in the spirit of Jesus.”

“Our wish, our object,
our chief preoccupation
must be to form Jesus in ourselves,
to make His spirit,
His devotion,
His affections,
His desires
and His disposition,
live and reign there.
All our religious exercises
should be directed to this end.
It is the work which God
has given us to do unceasingly. “

“Faith is a beam,
radiating from
the face of God.”

St John Eudes (1601-1680)

ON the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SANCTITY

Quote of the Day – 17 August – Become a Saint!

Posted on August 17, 2019August 17, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 17 August – Saturday of the Nineteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C

“Follow the saints,
because those who follow them
will become saints!”

Saint Pope Clement I (c 35-99)

DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, GOD is LOVE, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PRIESTS, the PRIESTHOOD and CONSECRATED LIFE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SIN

Quote of the Day – 16 August – “We are ever but beginning…”

Posted on August 16, 2019August 16, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 16 August – Friday of the Nineteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and The Memorial of St Stephen of Hungary (c 975- 1038)

“We are ever but beginning,
the most perfect Christian,
is to himself but a beginner,
a penitent prodigal
who has squandered God’s gifts
and comes to Him,
to be tried over again,
not as a son
but as a hired servant.”

Bl John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, GOD the FATHER, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The TRANSFIGURATION

Thought for the Day – 6 August – ‘..Today salvation has come to this house.’

Posted on August 6, 2019August 6, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 6 August – Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord – Today’s Gospel: Luke 9:28b-36

It is indeed good to be here, as you have said, Peter. It is good to be with Jesus and to remain here forever. What greater happiness or higher honour could we have than to be with God, to be made like Him and to live in His light?

Therefore, since each of us possesses God in his heart and is being transformed into His divine image, we also should cry out with joy:
It is good for us to be here – here where all things shine with divine radiance, where there is joy and gladness and exultation, where there is nothing in our hearts but peace, serenity and stillness, where God is seen.
For here, in our hearts, Christ takes up His abode together with the Father, saying as

He enters – Today salvation has come to this house.

With Christ, our hearts receive all the wealth of His eternal blessings and there where they are stored up for us in Him, we see reflected as in a mirror both the first fruits and the whole of the world to come.

St Anastasius of Sinai (630-701)

for-here-christ-takes-up-his-abode-transfiguration-homily-st-anastasius-of-sinai-6-aug-2018 and 2019

Fr James Kubicki SJ of the Apostleship of Prayer, shares his own personal experience as a pilgrim, journeying up Mt Tabor, the location traditionally identified with the Feast of the Transfiguration.

CATHOLIC Quotes, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

One Minute Reflection – 6 August – Listen to Him.”

Posted on August 6, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 6 August – Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord – Today’s Gospel: Luke 9:28-36

“This is my beloved Son. listen to him.”...Luke 9:35 this-is-my-beloved-son-listen-to-him-mark-9-7-6-aug-2018 AND 6 AUG 2019

REFLECTION – “Jesus is the Son-made-Servant, sent into the world to save us all through the Cross, fulfilling the plan of salvation. His full adherence to God’s will renders His humanity transparent to the glory of God, who is love. He is the fulfilment of revelation, that is why, beside Him appear transfigured, Moses and Elijah appear, they represent the Law and the Prophets, so as to signify that everything finishes and begins in Jesus. Their instructions for the disciples and for us, is this: “Listen to Him!”.
Listen to Jesus. He is the Saviour – follow Him.
To listen to Christ, in fact, entails taking up the logic of his Pascal Mystery, setting out on the journey with Him to make of oneself a gift of love to others, in docile obedience to the will of God, with an attitude of detachment from worldly things and of interior freedom. One must, in other words, be willing to “lose one’s very life” (cf. Mk 8:35), by giving it up so that all men might be saved, thus, we will meet in eternal happiness. The path to Jesus always leads us to happiness, don’t forget it!” … Pope Francis (Angelus, 1 March 2015) listen to jesus he is the saviour follow him pope francis 6 aug 2019 transfiguration.jpg

PRAYER – Father, at the Transfiguration in glory of Your only-begotten Son, You confirmed the mysteries of faith by the witness to Jesus of the prophets Moses and Elijah. You foreshadowed what we shall be when You bring our sonship to its perfection. Grant that by listening to the voice of Jesus, we may become heirs with Him, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, God forever and may Mary, our tender and caring Mother, help us to be bright rays of the saving light of her Son Jesus. Amen mary-beloved-mother-pray-for-us-all - 6 aug 2018 and 2019

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

St John Vianney (1786-1859)

CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, franciscan OFM, JESUIT SJ, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SANCTITY, SACRAMENTS, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 31 July – Where your treasure is…

Posted on July 31, 2019July 31, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 31 July – Wednesday of the Seventeenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 13:44-46 and The Memorial of St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field” … Matthew 13:44

REFLECTION – “Christ is the treasure store of all grace for He is “filled with grace and truth” (Jn 1:14) and angels and humans receive from His fullness. He possesses the very source of fullness and, when He opens His hand, He fills all rational creatures with blessings. But this treasure store of graces, is concealed beneath the veil of the sacrament of the altar. Is it not true that “the Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field”? (Mt 13:44). And is not the field, in this case, the sacrament of the body of Christ, gathered in the fields? In this field we possess a hidden treasure because all kinds of graces are hidden there. “The man who discovered it went away in his joy, sold all he possessed and bought it” (Mt 13:44). Someone who knows the wealth of this sacrament willingly renounces all other activity, to freely give himself to participation and devotion towards this sacrament. He knows he will gain possession of eternal life according to the words of the Lord: “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” (Jn 6:55).
The treasure of all glory exists in Christ. All the glory, possessed by both angels and men, who are to be saved until the day of judgement, whether it be glory of body or glory of soul, is drawn from that store of treasure. For that store is He, the one whose treasures go to great depths and who set the incomprehensible limits of His glory. And so, He commands us to run to this treasure when He says: “Gather up treasure for yourselves in heaven” (Mt 6:20). This treasure is hidden beneath the veil of bread and wine that you might have the merit of faith.
So may the Lord be praised for His mercies since He represented His Body to us beforehand under the image of heavenly treasure!” … St Bonaventure (1221-1274) Doctor of the Church matthew 13 44 the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure - the treasure of all glory exists in christ st bonaventure 31 july 2019.jpg

PRAYER – Almighty God, grant that the example of Your saints may spur us on to perfection, so that we, who are celebrating the feast of St Ignatius, may follow him step-by-step in his way of life to reach You in heaven. Grant us the grace, by his intercession, to find our treasure in Your divine Son, through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God for always and forever, amen. st-ignatius loyola -pray-for-us-2-31-july-2017 2018 2019.jpg

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on EDUCATION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 26 July – The Parable of the Sower”

Posted on July 26, 2019July 26, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 26 July – Friday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 13:18–23 – “The Parable of the Sower”

“As for what was sown on good soil,
this is he who hears the word and understands it.
he indeed bears fruit and yields,
in one case a hundredfold,
in another sixty and in another thirty.”

Matthew 13:23

“Store up in your minds, the Lord’s words
which you receive, through your ears,
for the Word of the Lord, is the nourishment of the mind …
Be careful, that the seed received
through your ears,
remains in your heart.”

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

Forty Gospel Homilies

“Cultivate your vineyard together with Jesus.
To you the task of removing stones
and pulling up brambles.
To Jesus, that of sowing, planting,
cultivating and watering.
But even in your work, it is still He who acts.
Because, without Christ,
you could do nothing at all.”

St Pio of Pietralcina “Padre Pio” (1887-1968)

Letter 3: 579

CARMELITES, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SAINT of the DAY, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 24 July – ‘…whoever does the will of my Father in heaven…’

Posted on July 23, 2019July 23, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 24 July – Tuesday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 12:46-50 and the Memorial of St Bridget of Sweden (c 1303 – 1373)

“For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven,
is my brother and sister and mother.”

Matthew 12:50

“His mother is the whole Church,
since it is she, who, by God’s grace,
gives birth to Christ’s members,
that is to say, those who are faithful to Him.
Again, His mother is every holy soul,
who does the Father’s will
and whose fruitful charity
is made known in those,
to whom she gives birth for Him,
“until he has been formed in them”
(cf Gal 4:19).

St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor

“O Lord, make haste and illumine the night.
Say to my soul, that nothing happens,
without You permitting it
and that nothing of what You permit,
is without comfort.”

St Bridget of Sweden (c 1303 – 1373)

“It is a matter of real sorrow when God has given us strength to break stronger fetters, those of vanity and sin, that we neglect our own progress and the attainment of such great blessings, because we will not detach ourselves from trifles.
Not only do we not advance, we fall back.
For it is well known, that on the spiritual road, not to go on, overcoming self, is to go backwards and not to increase our gain, is to lose.
As wood can never be transformed into fire, if one necessary degree of heat is missing, so the soul, that has even one imperfection, can never be perfectly transformed in God.”

St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church

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

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

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

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

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

The Light Burden of the Law of Christ

Saint Jerome (347-420)

Priest, Translator of the Bible,

Father & Doctor of the Church

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

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

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

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

MORNING Prayers, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 17 July – ‘…the necessary condition…’

Posted on July 17, 2019July 17, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 17 July – Wednesday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, C – Today’s Gospel Matthew 11:25-27.

“You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, you have revealed them, to the childlike”…Matthew 11:25

REFLECTION – “Thus, children are in and of themselves, a treasure for humanity and also for the Church, for they constantly evoke that necessary condition for entering the Kingdom of God – that of not considering ourselves self-sufficient but in need of help, of love, of forgiveness.”…Pope Francis (General Audience, 18 March 2015) matthew 11 25 you have hidden these things - thus children are - pope francis 17 july 2019.jpg

PRAYER – Lord God, in Your wisdom You created us, by Your Providence, You rule us. Penetrate our inmost being with Your holy light so that our way of life may always be one of faithful service and childlike trust in You. Grant that we may always follow behind Your Son and grasp His hand, to lead us to You. Hear the prayers of St Alexius of Rome, who trusted completely in You alone in childlike simplicity. Through Jesus Christ our Lord with the Holy Spirit, one God, forever, amen. st alexius of rome pray for us 17 july 2019.jpg

CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, FRUITS of the SPIRIT, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 15 July – The wisdom of St Bonaventure

Posted on July 15, 2019July 15, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 15 July – Monday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 10:34-11,1 and The Memorial of St Bonaventure (1221-1274) Doctor of the Church

“Every creature
is a divine word
because it
proclaims God.”

“In all your deeds and words,
you should look upon this Jesus, as your model.
Do so, whether you are walking
or keeping silence,
or speaking,
whether you are alone or with others.
He is perfect
and thus, you will be,
not only irreprehensible
but praiseworthy.”

“Christ has something in common with all creatures.
With the stone He shares existence,
with the plants He shares life,
with the animals He shares sensation
and with the angels He shares intelligence.
Thus all things are transformed in Christ
since in the fullness of His nature,
He embraces some part of every creature.”

“We must beg the Holy Spirit,
with ardent longing, to give us these fruits.
The Holy Spirit alone,
knows how to bring to light,
the sweetness hidden away
under the rugged exterior of the words of the Law.
We must go to the Holy Spirit for interior guidance.”

“Since happiness is nothing else
than the enjoyment of the Supreme Good
and the Supreme Good is above us,
no-one can enjoy happiness,
unless he rises above himself.”

“God might have created a more beautiful world,
He might have made heaven more glorious
but it was impossible for Him, to exalt a creature,
higher than Mary, in making her His Mother.”

St Bonaventure (1221-1274) Doctor of the Church

EUCHARISTIC Adoration, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 4 July – Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati

Posted on July 4, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 4 July – Thursday of the Thirteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati OP (1901-1925)

If someone who has worldly means
sees a brother in need
and refuses him compassion,
how can the love of God remain in him?
Children, let us love, not in word or speech
but in deed and truth…

1 John 3:17-18

“Everyone of you knows,
that the foundation of our religion is charity.
Without it, all our religion would crumble,
because we would not truly be Catholics,
as long as we did not carry out,
or rather shape our whole lives,
by the two commandments
in which the essence of the Catholic Faith lies –
to love God with all our strength
and to love our neighbour as ourselves.”

“I urge you,
with all the strength of my soul,
to approach the Eucharistic Table
as often as possible.
Feed on this Bread of the Angels,
from which you will draw,
the strength, to fight inner struggles.”

“Verso l’alto,”

“To the Heights”

Blessed Pier Giorgio’s famous motto, “Verso l’alto,” Italian for “To the heights,” meant reaching for God as well as the mountain peaks. His regular habit was to attend Mass before heading to the mountains and of visiting the Blessed Sacrament upon his return.
He loved the Eucharist.
He would often spend whole nights in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

“Jesus comes to me every morning
in Holy Communion, I repay Him,
in my very small way, by visiting the poor.
The house may be sordid
but I am going to Christ.”

“The end for which we are created
invites us, to walk a road.
that is surely sown with a lot of thorns
but it is not sad,
through even the sorrow,
it is illuminated by joy.”

“Jesus is with me.
I have nothing to fear.”

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925)

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

Quote of the Day – 1 July – The Blood of Christ

Posted on July 1, 2019July 1, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 1 July – Monday of the Thirteenth week in Ordinary Tim, Year C – July the Month of the Most Precious Blood

“The Blood of Christ
is His sacrifice
applied to us,
it enters the souls
of the redeemed,
it is the
inextinguishable
source of all heroism!”

St John XXIII (1881-1963)

DOCTORS of the Church, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The WORD

Quote of the Day – 30 June – Don’t look back

Posted on June 30, 2019June 30, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 30 June – Thirteenth Sunday of the Year in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 9:51–62

Another said,
“I will follow you, Lord
but let me first say farewell to those at my home.”
Jesus said to him,
“No-one who puts his hand to the plough
and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Luke 9:61-62

“You learn to speak by speaking,
to study by studying,
to run by running,
to work by working
and just so, you learn to love by loving.
All those who think to learn
in any other way
deceive themselves.”

“The Lord delights in every little step you take.”

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

“You cannot be half a saint.
You must be a whole saint or no saint at all.”

“Detach the heart from creatures
and you shall find God.”

St Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897)
Doctor of the Church

“Why don’t you give yourself to God
once and for all… really… NOW!”

St Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975)

“Holiness is heroism.”

Bishop Robert Barron

“If you aren’t changing your schedule
to follow Jesus,
you are not a disciple of Jesus.”

Father Mike Schmitz

"Follow Me", MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 30 June – “Follow me.”

Posted on June 30, 2019June 29, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 30 June – Thirteenth Sunday of the Year in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 9:51–62 and the Memorial of Gennaro Maria Sarnelli C.Ss.R. (1702–1743)

“Follow me.”…Luke 9:59

REFLECTION – “The Saviour preceded us on the path of poverty. All the possessions of heaven and earth belonged to Him. They presented for Him no danger, He could make use of them while keeping His heart completely free. But He knew that it is almost impossible for a human being to have possessions without subjecting ourselves to them and becoming a slave. That is why He gave up everything and so showed us by His example, even more than by His words, that only the one who possesses nothing possesses everything. His birth in a stable and His flight to Egypt already showed, that the Son of the Man had nowhere to rest His head. Whoever wants to follow Him must know that we have here below no permanent dwelling. The more deeply we become aware of it, the more ardently we shall aim towards our future dwelling and we shall exult in the thought, that we will find our home in heaven.”…St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross [Edith Stein] (1891-1942) Martyr – Meditation for the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross

PRAYER – Lord God, strength of those who hope in You. Support us in our prayer because we are weak and can do nothing without You. Help us as we follow Your Son, whose Light leads us home to You. Grant us always the help of Your grace and listen, we pray to the prayers of Blessed Gennaro Maria Sarnelli, who cries to You on our behalf. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, in unity with You and the Holy Spirit, one G always and for all eternity, amen. bl gennaro maria sarnelli pray for us 30 june 2019.jpg

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Thought for the Day – 25 June -Manifesting Christ by St Gregory of Nyssa

Posted on June 25, 2019June 25, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 25 June – Tuesday of the Twelfth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 7:6,12=14

Christ should be Manifest in our Whole Life

Saint Gregory of Nyssa (c 335–C 395)
Bishop and Father of the Church –
Brother of St Basil the Great (Father & Doctor)

An excerpt from his treatise On Christian Perfection

The life of the Christian has three distinguishing aspects – deeds, words and thought. Thought comes first, then words, since our words express openly the interior conclusions of the mind. Finally, after thoughts and words, comes action, for our deeds carry out what the mind has conceived. So when one of these results in our acting or speaking or thinking, we must make sure that all our thoughts, words and deeds are controlled by the divine ideal, the revelation of Christ. For then our thoughts, words and deeds will not fall short of the nobility of their implications.

What then must we do, we who have been found worthy of the name of Christ? Each of us must examine his thoughts, words and deeds, to see whether they are directed toward Christ or are turned away from Him. This examination is carried out in various ways. Our deeds or our thoughts or our words are not in harmony with Christ if they issue from passion. They then bear the mark of the enemy who smears the pearl of the heart with the slime of passion, dimming and even destroying the lustre of the precious stone.

On the other hand, if they are free from and untainted by every passionate inclination, they are directed toward Christ, the author and source of peace. He is like a pure, untainted stream. If you draw from Him the thoughts in your mind and the inclinations of your heart, you will show a likeness to Christ, your source and origin, as the gleaming water in a jar resembles the flowing water from which it was obtained.

For the purity of Christ and the purity that is manifest in our hearts are identical. Christ’s purity, however, is the fountainhead, ours has its source in Him and flows out of Him. Our life is stamped with the beauty of His thought. The inner and the outer man are harmonised in a kind of music. The mind of Christ is the controlling influence that inspires us to moderation and goodness in our behaviour. As I see it, Christian perfection consists in thiS – sharing the titles which express the meaning of Christ’s name, we bring out this meaning in our minds, our prayers and our way of life.

I am the Way and the Truth and the Life…John 14:8

MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on HUMAN DIGNITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TRUTH, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 18 June – ‘Love your enemies…’

Posted on June 18, 2019June 18, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 18 June – Tuesday of the Eleventh week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 5:43–48 and the Memorial of Blessed Osanna Andreasi OP (1449-1505)

“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”…Matthew 5:44 matthew-5-44-but-i-say-to-you-love-your-enemies-16-march-2019

REFLECTION – “You have often heard it said that we are living through a marvellous time, a time of great men… It is easy to understand why people long for a strong and capable leader to arise… This kind of neo-paganism [Nazism] believes all nature to be an emanation of the divine…; it admires a race that is nobler and purer than any other… From this comes the cult of race and blood, the cult of its own people’s heroes.

By starting out from so mistaken an idea, this view of things can lead to capital errors. It is tragic to see how much enthusiasm, how many efforts are placed at the service of such an erroneous and baseless ideal! However, we can learn from our enemy. We can learn from his deceitful philosophy how to purify and improve our own ideal, we can learn how to develop great love for this ideal, how to arouse immense enthusiasm and even a readiness to live and die for it, how to strengthen our hearts to incarnate it in ourselves and in others…

When we talk about the coming of the Kingdom and pray for its coming, we are not thinking of a discrimination according to race or blood but of the brotherhood of all, for all men are our brothers – not excluding even those who hate and attack us – in a close bond with the One, who causes the sun to rise on the good and the bad alike (Mt 5:45).”…Blessed Titus Brandsma (1881-1942) Martyr

PRAYER – Almighty God, to whom this world, with all it’s goodness and beauty belongs, give us grace joyfully, to begin this day for Christ Your Son, in Him and with Him and to fill it, with an active love for all Your children, even those who may not like or who do us harm. Help us to love as You do so that we may become like You. Blessed Osanna Andreasi, you who spread your charity far and wide, pray for us. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God, forever, amen. bl osanna andreasi pray for us 18 june 2019.jpg

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, PRAYERS for PRIESTS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 13 May – A Pastor’s Prayer to the Good Shepherd

Posted on May 13, 2019May 13, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 13 May – Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter, C – Gospel: John 10:1-10

A Pastor’s Prayer to the Good Shepherd

St John Damascene (675-749)

Monk, Theologian, Doctor of the Church

O Christ, my God, You stooped down to me, poor straying sheep, to take me on Your shoulders (Lk 15:5) and have set me down in green pastures (Ps 23[22]:2). You have quenched my thirst at the springs of true doctrine, through the mediation of Your pastors, whose shepherd You were, before entrusting to them Your flock… And now, O Lord, You have called me… to serve Your disciples, by what design of Your Providence I know not, only You know.

But, Lord, lighten the heavy burden of those sins of mine that have so gravely offended You, purify my mind and heart. Lead me by the right way (Ps 23[22]:3) as by a light enlightening me. Enable me to proclaim Your word boldly, may Your Spirit’s tongue of flame (Acts 2:3) give perfect freedom to my tongue and make me constantly attentive to Your presence.

Be a shepherd to me, O Lord and together with me, be the shepherd of Your sheep, that my heart may not cause me to swerve either to right or to left. Let Your good Spirit lead me in the right way, that my actions may be carried out, according to Your will – even to the end.”

Amen

a pastor's prayer to the good shepherd - st john damascene 13 may 2019.jpg

FATHERS of the Church, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, SAINT of the DAY, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST

Thought for the Day – 6 May – The Contest of Faith

Posted on May 6, 2019May 6, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 6 May – Monday of the Third week of Easter, Gospel: John 6:22–29 and the Memorial of St Francois Laval (1623-1708)

The Contest of Faith

Saint Cyprian of Carthage (200-258)
Bishop, Martyr, Father of the Church and Martyr

An excerpt from his Letter 58

Dear brothers, the commands of the Gospel are nothing else than God’s lessons, the foundations on which to build up hope, the supports for strengthening faith, the food that nourishes the heart. They are the rudder for keeping us on the right course, the protection that keeps our salvation secure. As they instruct the receptive minds of believers on earth, they lead safely to the kingdom of heaven.

As we do battle and fight, in the contest of faith, God, His angels and Christ Himself, watch us. How exalted is the glory, how great the joy of engaging in a contest with God presiding, of receiving a crown, with Christ as judge.

Dear brethren, let us arm ourselves with all our might, let us prepare ourselves for the struggle with uncorrupted minds, with a whole faith and with devoted courage.

The blessed Apostle teaches us how to arm and prepare ourselves – Put round you the belt of truth, put on the breastplate of righteousness, for shoes wear zeal for the Gospel of peace, take up the shield of faith to extinguish all the burning arrows of the evil one, take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.

Let us take this armour and defend ourselves with these spiritual defences from heaven, so that when the evil day comes we may be able to resist the threats of the devil and fight back against him.

Let us put on the breastplate of righteousness so that our breasts may be protected and kept safe from the arrows of the enemy. Let our feet be shod in the teaching of the Gospel and armoured so that when we begin to trample on the serpent and crush it, it will not be able to bite us or trip us up.

Let us with fortitude bear the shield of faith to protect us by extinguishing all the burning arrows that the enemy may launch against us.

Let us wear on our head the helmet of the Spirit, to defend our ears against the proclamations of death, to defend our eyes against the sight of accursed idols, to defend our foreheads so that God’s sign may be kept intact and to defend our mouths, so that our tongues may proclaim victoriously the name of Christ their Lord.

Let us arm our right hand with the sword of the Spirit so that it may courageously refuse the daily sacrifices and let the hand—mindful of the Eucharist—that took hold of the body of the Lord, embrace the Lord Himself and so gain from the Lord the future prize of a heavenly crown.

Dear brethren, have all this firmly fixed in your hearts. If the day of persecution finds us thinking on these things and meditating upon them, the soldier of Christ, trained by Christ’s commands and instructions, will not tremble at the thought of battle but will be ready to receive the crown of victory. Amen!

St Francois Laval, who have received the Crown, please pray for us!

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on WEALTH/RICHES, SPEAKING of .....

Quote/s of the Day – 6 May – Dangerous Affections

Posted on May 6, 2019May 6, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 6 May – Monday of the Third week of Easter, Gospel: John 6:22–29

Speaking of – Dangerous Affections – St Augustine

“Do not love the world
or the things of the world.
If anyone loves the world,
the love of the Father, is not in him.”

1 John 2:15

“The honours of this world,
what are they but puff
and emptiness
and peril of falling?”

“What do you possess
if you possess not God?”

“The love of worldly possessions
is a sort of bird line,
which entangles the soul
and prevents it flying to God.”

“This is the business of our life –
by labour and prayer,
to advance in the grace of God,
till we come to that height of perfection
in which, with clean hearts,
we may behold God.”

“Daily advance,
then, in this love,
both by praying
and by well-doing,
that through the help of Him
who enjoined it on you
and whose gift it is,
it may be nourished
and increased,
until, being perfected,
it render you perfect.”

“God does not
command impossibilities
but by commanding,
admonishes you do what you can
and to pray for what you cannot
and aids you,
that you may be able.”

“This very moment,
I may,
if I desire,
become the friend
of God.”

Saint Augustine (354-430)
Father & Doctor of the Church

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Marian Thoughts – “To Honour Mary” St Paul VI – 2 May 2019

Posted on May 2, 2019May 2, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Marian Thoughts – May, the Month of Mary – 2 May 2019

Apostolic Exhortation of St Pope Paul VI (1897-1978)
Marialis Cultus – 2 February 1974

To Honour Mary

Finally, insofar as it may be necessary, we would like to repeat that the ultimate purpose of devotion to the Blessed Virgin is to glorify God and to lead Christians, to commit themselves, to a life which is in absolute conformity with His will. When the children of the Church unite their voices, with the voice of the unknown woman, in the Gospel and glorify the Mother of Jesus, by saying to Him: “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that you sucked” (Lk. 11:27), they will be led to ponder the Divine Master’s serious reply: “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Lk. 11:28) While it is true, that this reply is, in itself, lively praise of Mary, as various Fathers of the Church interpreted it and the Second Vatican Council has confirmed, it is also an admonition to us, to live our lives in accordance with God’s commandments. It is also an echo of other words of the Saviour: “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Mt. 7:21); and again: “You are my friends if you do what I command you” (Jn. 15:14).

Christ is the only way to the Father (cf. Jn. 14:4-11) and the ultimate example to whom the disciple must conform his own conduct (cf. Jn. 13:15), to the extent of sharing Christ’s sentiments (cf. Phil. 2:5), living His life and possessing His Spirit (cf. Gal. 2:20; Rom. 8:10-11). The Church has always taught this and nothing in pastoral activity should obscure this doctrine. But the Church, taught by the Holy Spirit and benefiting from centuries of experience, recognises, that devotion to the Blessed Virgin, subordinated to worship of the divine Saviour and in connection with it, also has a great pastoral effectiveness and constitutes, a force, for renewing Christian living.

It is easy to see the reason for this effectiveness. Mary’s many-sided mission to the People of God is a supernatural reality which operates and bears fruit within the body of the Church. One finds cause for joy, in considering, the different aspects of this mission and seeing how each of these aspects, with its individual effectiveness, is directed towards the same end, namely, producing in the children the spiritual characteristics of the first-born Son. The Virgin’s maternal intercession, her exemplary holiness and the divine grace which is in her, become, for the human race, a reason for divine hope.

Second Reading
The Little Office of Mary
Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday
================= the virgin's maternal intercession - st paul VI - marialis cultus 1974-2 may 2019.jpg

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One Minute Reflection – 29 April – “A ray of sunlight shining on a smudgy window”

Posted on April 29, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 29 April – Monday of the Second week of Easter, Year C, Gospel: John 3:1–8 and the Memorial of St Peter of Verona OP (1205–1252)

“…that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”...John 3:6

REFLECTION – “We read in Saint John – No one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. To be reborn in the Holy Spirit during this life is to become most like God in purity, without any mixture of imperfection. Accordingly, pure transformation can be effected – although not essentially – through the participation of union.

Here is an example that will provide a better understanding of this explanation. A ray of sunlight shining on a smudgy window, is unable to illumine that window completely and transform it into its own light. It could do this, if the window were cleaned and polished… The extent of illumination is not dependent on the ray of sunlight but on the window. If the window is totally clean and pure, the sunlight will so transform and illumine it, that to all appearances the window will be identical with the ray of sunlight and shine just as the sun’s ray. Although, obviously, the nature of the window is distinct from that of the sun’s ray, even if the two seem identical, we can assert, that the window is the ray or light of the sun by participation.

The soul on which the divine light of God’s being is ever shining, or better, in which it is ever dwelling by nature, is like this window. A soul makes room for God by wiping away all the smudges and smears of creatures, by uniting its will perfectly to God’s, for to love is to labour, to divest and deprive oneself for God, of all that is not God. When this is done, the soul will be illumined by and transformed in God.”…St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church

PRAYER – Almighty God and Father, grant that Your faithful people who were buried with Your Son in baptism, may by His Resurrection and intercession at Your right hand, obtain for us eternal life. Send Your Spirit upon Your adopted children and lead us in Your way. Grant that by the intercession of St Peter of Verona, our path may be straightened and glow with Your light. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen. st peter of verona pray for us 29 april 2019

QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY CROSS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 26 April – “… only the Cross of Christ”

Posted on April 26, 2019April 26, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 26 April – Friday of Easter week and the Memorial of St Rafael Arnáiz Barón OCSO (1911-1938)

“…only the Cross of Christ
sheds light on the path of this life….
God is in the detached heart,
in the silence of prayer,
in the voluntary sacrifice to pain,
in the emptiness of the world and its creatures.
God is in the Cross and,
as long as we do not love the Cross,
we will not see Him, or feel Him….
If the world and men knew….
But they will not know,
they are very busy in their interests,
their hearts are very full of things
that are not God.”

“How good God is, I thought!
There is peace everywhere
except in the human heart.
…God is so good to me that,
in the silence,
He speaks to my heart
and teaches me,
little by little,
sometimes in tears,
always with the cross,
to detach myself from creatures,
not to look for perfection
except in Him …”

St Rafael Arnáiz Barón (1911-1938)

The message of the cross
is foolishness to those
who are perishing
but to us,
who are being saved,
it is the power
of God…

1 Corinthians 1:18

More Quotes of St Rafael – https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/04/26/quote-s-of-the-day-26-april-thursday-of-the-fourth-week-of-eastertide-and-the-memorial-of-st-rafael-arnaiz-baron-1911-1938/ 1-corinthians-1-18-the message of the cross is foolishness - 26 april 2018.jpg

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Holy Week Thoughts – 17 April – Give Me everything

Posted on April 17, 2019April 17, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Holy Week Thoughts – 17 April – Wednesday of Holy Week

All belong to you and you belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God.

…1 Corinthians 3:22-23

The thousands of people, events, ideas and plans that occupy my inner life must become all one in the One and Only Name, Jesus.

I know that I have to move from speaking about Jesus to letting Him speak within me, from thinking about Jesus to letting Him think within me, from acting for and with Jesus, to letting Him act through me.

I know that the only way for me to see the world, is to see it through His eyes.

Everything has to become very simple, very unified, very focused. It is no longer a question of being up-to-date and well-informed.

At this moment in history, my own, as well as that of the world, I have to go to the very centre of being – the centre where time touches eternty, where earth and heaven meet, where God’s Word becomes human flesh, where death and immortality embrace.

There is really no longer a question of options.

With an unmistakable clarity, I have heard a voice saying:

“Give Me everything and I will give you everything.”

Fr Henri Nouwen (1932-1996)

My Lord, I Offer You Myself
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

My Lord,
I offer You myself in turn,
as a sacrifice of thanksgiving.
You have died for me,
And I in turn make myself over to You.
I am not my own.
You have bought me:
I will, by my own act and deed,
complete the purchase.
My wish is to be separated
from everything of this world;
To cleanse myself simply from sin;
To put away from me even what is innocent,
If used for its own sake
and not for Yours.
I put away reputation and honour
and influence and power,
For my praise and strength,
shall be in You.
Enable me to carry out what I profess
Amen

CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 April – “I am the Light of the world”

Posted on April 8, 2019April 8, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 8 April – Monday of the Fifth week of Lent, Year C, Gospel: John 8:12–20

“I am the light of the world, he who follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”...John 8:12

REFLECTION – “It would seem to me that the Lord’s words: “I am the light of the world” are clear enough for those with eyes that enable them to have a share in that light. But those who only have bodily eyes are astonished to hear it said by our Lord Jesus Christ – “I am the light of the world.” There may even be those who say: “Would Christ be the sun that determines the day by its rising and setting?”… No, Christ is not that. The Lord is not the created sun but Him by whom the sun was created. For “all things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be” (Jn 1:3). Therefore, He is the light who created the light we see. Let us love this light, understand it, desire it, that led by it we may in due course attain it and may live in it so as never to die…

So you see, my brethren, you see, if you have eyes that see spiritual things, what kind of light this is of which the Lord says: “Whoever follows me does not walk in darkness.” Follow that sun and let us see whether or not you walk in darkness. Behold how He arises and comes towards you. Following His course He makes His way westwards but you on your part, must walk towards the rising sun, the Christ.”…St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church

PRAYER – Lord God, Your abounding grace has enriched us with every blessing. Transform us from our sinful condition to newness of life and prepare us for the glory of Your kingdom. Open our eyes to see by the light of Your Son, who always walks with us. Let us lift our eyes to Him, for even now He is preparing for us a place, in His Father’s house .Listen, we pray, to the prayers of all the angels and saints, who petition on our behalf and may our Mother Mary, keep ever close to our path. Through Christ, our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for always and forever, amen. mater misericordiae mother of merct pray for us 8 april 2019.jpg

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“Strive to enter in by the narrow door.”

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“The Narrow Door”

St Alphonsus Rodriguez SJ (1532-1617)

Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Francis

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St John Eudes (1601-1680)

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Saint Pope Clement I (c 35-99)

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Bl John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

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St Anastasius of Sinai (630-701)

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St John Vianney (1786-1859)

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Matthew 13:23

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

St Pio of Pietralcina “Padre Pio” (1887-1968)

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Matthew 12:50

St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor

St Bridget of Sweden (c 1303 – 1373)

St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church

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The Light Burden of the Law of Christ

Saint Jerome (347-420)

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St Bonaventure (1221-1274) Doctor of the Church

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1 John 3:17-18

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925)

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St John XXIII (1881-1963)

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Luke 9:61-62

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

St Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897) Doctor of the Church

St Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975)

Bishop Robert Barron

Father Mike Schmitz

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Christ should be Manifest in our Whole Life

Saint Gregory of Nyssa (c 335–C 395) Bishop and Father of the Church – Brother of St Basil the Great (Father & Doctor)

I am the Way and the Truth and the Life…John 14:8

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A Pastor’s Prayer to the Good Shepherd

St John Damascene (675-749)

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The Contest of Faith

Saint Cyprian of Carthage (200-258) Bishop, Martyr, Father of the Church and Martyr

St Francois Laval, who have received the Crown, please pray for us!

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Speaking of – Dangerous Affections – St Augustine

1 John 2:15

Saint Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church

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Apostolic Exhortation of St Pope Paul VI (1897-1978) Marialis Cultus – 2 February 1974

To Honour Mary

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St Rafael Arnáiz Barón (1911-1938)

1 Corinthians 1:18

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Fr Henri Nouwen (1932-1996)

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

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

St Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897)
Doctor of the Church

Saint Gregory of Nyssa (c 335–C 395)
Bishop and Father of the Church –
Brother of St Basil the Great (Father & Doctor)

Saint Cyprian of Carthage (200-258)
Bishop, Martyr, Father of the Church and Martyr

Saint Augustine (354-430)
Father & Doctor of the Church

Apostolic Exhortation of St Pope Paul VI (1897-1978)
Marialis Cultus – 2 February 1974