Category: QUOTES on SIN

Posted in "Follow Me", CONFESSION/PENANCE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on MORTIFICATION, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SIN

Thought for the Day – 24 September – The Sacrifices of Life

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

The Sacrifices of Life

“When we say that we must be prepared to make any sacrifice, even to die, rather than offend God and risk eternal damnation, we mean exactly what we say.
“If thy right eye is an occasion of sin to thee,” Jesus says in the Gospel, “pluck it out and cast it from thee; for it is better for thee that one of thy members should perish than that thy whole body should be thrown into hell. And if thy right hand is an occasion of sin to thee, cut it off and cast it from thee; for it is better for thee that one of thy members should be lost, than thy whole body shuld go into hell” (Mt 5:29-30).

We are prepared to do all this when there is a question of preserving mortal life; we are prepared to undergo an amputation in order to avoid death.
Are we prepared to do as much for eternal salvation?

Sometimes, when we wish to set ourselves free from the danger of sin, we must deprive ourselves of things that are dear to us; we must suppress our natural instincts and affections and we must impose on ourselves severe penances and bodily mortifications.
All this is demanded from us by Jesus in these words which seem hard and almost cruel but are none other than a just and necessary commandment.
In certain grave cases, heroism is necessary for all – now is the time of heroes!
Are we courageous for Christ and for eternal life with Him?”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/09/03/thought-for-the-day-3-september-the-sacrifices-of-life/

Posted in "Follow Me", MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on MORTAL SIN, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on The SOUL

Thought for the Day – 22 September – Word and Example

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

Word and Example

“We should give good example everywhere and in every way, at home and in the Church, in the company of those who are subordinate to us and of those who have authority over us, in speech and in dress, by moderation in our eating habits and in the furnishings of our house, by the pictures which we hang in our rooms and by the books and magazines which we read.
We should be particularly careful to keep, in safe custody, those books and journals which are necessary to us for purposes of study but could be an occasion of sin for others.

Our whole demeanour should radiate goodness.
Let us remember the words of St James: “He who causes a sinner to be brought back from his misguided way, will save his soul from death and, will cover a multitude of sins” (Is 5:20).
By saving the souls of others, we save our own!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/04/25/thought-for-the-day-25-april-word-and-example/

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, GOD ALONE!, JESUIT SJ, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE WORLD, STATIONS of the CROSS, The HOLY CROSS

Quote/s of the Day – 14 September – ‘The death of death is there and the life of life….’

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Quote/s of the Day – 14 September – Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

“How precious the gift of the Cross,
how splendid to contemplate!
In the Cross there is no mingling of good and evil,
as in the tree of paradise;
it is wholly beautiful to behold
and good to taste.
The fruit of this tree is not death but life,
not darkness but light.
This tree does not cast us out of paradise
but opens the way for our return.”

St Theodore the Studite (750–826)


“Let us then learn from the Cross of Jesus our proper way of living.
Should I say ‘living’ or, instead, ‘dying’?
Rather, both living and dying.
Dying to the world, living for God.
Dying to vices and living by the virtues.
Dying to the flesh, but liv­ing in the spirit.
Thus in the Cross of Christ, there is death
and in the Cross of Christ there is life.
The death of death is there and the life of life.
The death of sins is there and the life of the virtues.
The death of the flesh is there and the life of the spirit.”

St Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167)

“There is no better wood
for feeding the fire of God’s love
than the wood of the Cross.”

St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)

“We ought to glory in nothing
other than, the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ! …”

St Paul of the Cross CP (1604-1775)

A Prayer to Seek the Consolation of the Cross
By St Alphonsus Rodriguez SJ (1532-1617)

Jesus, love of my soul,
centre of my heart!
Why am I not more eager to endure pains
and tribulations for love of You,
when You, my God,
have suffered so many for me?
Come, then, every sort of trial in the world,
for this is my delight, to suffer for Jesus.
This is my joy, to follow my Saviour
and to find my consolation
with my Consoler on the Cross.
This is my happiness,
this my pleasure:
to live with Jesus,
to walk with Jesus,
to converse with Jesus,
to suffer with and for Him,
this is my treasure.
Amen

St Alphonsus Rodriguez SJ (1532-1617)

MORE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/09/14/quote-s-of-the-day-14-september-the-blessed-cross-of-christ/

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL

Thought for the Day – 13 September – Sin

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Thought for the Day – 13 September – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Sin

In that we prefer our own wayward whims to the law of God, sin is an abuse of liberty.
It is a revolt against right reason, the dictates of which, we refuse to obey.
It is an offence against our Creator and Redeemer, whose commandments we despise and whose redeeming grace, we reject by our actions.
It is moreover, an act of supreme folly, for it extinguishes, not only the supernatural splendour of grace but, also, the natural light of reason.
Through sin, man is brutalised and experiences in himself, as his first punishment, the confusion of his whole being.

In practice, the sinner denies God, Who has created and redeemed him.
He upsets the natural order of things and is violently separated from the source of all truth, beauty and goodness.   As a result, he experiences, in himself, the hell which he has constructed with his own hands – a hell of emptiness, disgust and remorse.
Unless the helping hand of God reaches out to rescue him from the abyss, all this is simply a bitter foretaste of eternal despair.
God, as St Augustine has written, has ordained from all eternity, that every dissolute soul will be it’s own punishment.
For the sinner, hell begins on this earth!   There can be no peace for the wicked.

When we realise, the gravity, stupidity and dire consequences of sin, it seems impossible, that a rational being, enlightened and enriched by divine grace, should continue to sin.
Nevertheless, sad experience teaches us that the lives of individuals, families and human society in general, are often distorted by this evil, which is the root of all other evils.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 13 September – ‘But only say the word …’

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Quote/s of the Day – 13 September – Readings: Timothy 2: 1-8; Psalm 28: 2, 7-9; Luke 7: 1-10

“Lord, … I am not worthy
to have you enter
under my roof…
but only say the word …”

Luke 7:6,7

‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’

Luke 18:13

“’You can make me clean.’”

Matthew 8:2

“Christ is the artist,
tenderly wiping away
all the grime of sin
that disfigures the human face
and restoring God’s image
to its full beauty.”

St Gregory of Nyssa (c 335–C 395)
Father of the Church

“What are you afraid of, you men of little faith?
That He will not pardon your sins?
But with His own hands He has nailed them to the cross.
That you are used to soft living
and your tastes are fastidious?
But He knows the clay of which we are made (Gn 2:7).
That a prolonged habit of sinning binds you like a chain?
But the Lord loosens the shackles of prisoners.
Or perhaps that angered by the enormity
and frequency of your sins,
He is slow to extend a helping hand?
But where sin abounded,
grace became superabundant (Rom 5,20).
Are you worried about clothing
and food and other bodily necessities
so that you hesitate to give up your possessions?
But He knows that you need all these things (Mt 6,32).
What more can you wish?
What else is there to hold you back
from the way of salvation? ”

St Bernard (1091-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor of the Church

“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.”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of Charit

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on SIN, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 6 September – Pride is Robbery!

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Thought for the Day – 6 September – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) (Apologies for the late post – the usual South African problem to blame – Power Cuts! 🙄)

Pride is Robbery!

“When we are proud, we steal from God!
Everything which we are and have, both in the natural and supernatural order, is a gift from God.
Therefore, when we claim the credit for ourselves, we take from Him that which really belongs to Him.
“What hast thou that thou hast not received.” asks St Paul. “And if thou has received it, why do thou boast as if thou had not received it?” (1 Cor 4:7).

Pride is a very grave sin, therefore.
According to Sacred Scripture, “pride is the reservoir of sin, a source which runs over with vice” (Ecclus 10:15).
“The beginning of pride,” says the same Book of Ecclsiasticus, “is man’s stubbornness in withdrawing his heart from his Maker” (10:14).
It is worth meditating on these words, for because of this sin “God sends unheard-of afflictions and brings men to utter ruin” (Ecclus 10:15).
As St Augustine points out, the first sin was one of pride and it changed an angel into a demon. (In Ps 18:15).

When we reflect on the matter, it becomes quite clear, that pride is the basis of every sin (Ibid).
When man disobeys the law of God, he prefers sin to God.
Sin, therefore, is always an act of rebellion against God.
It is as if we were to say to Him: “I prefer to obey my own caprice, rather than to obey Your will.”
In this sense, it is true to state, that every sin is founded on pride and involves a turning away from God.
But, when we turn away from our Creator and Redeemer, where are we to go?
“Lord,” let us say with St Peter, “to whom shall we go? Thou has the words of everlasting life …” (Jn 6:69).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on ANGER, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on ENVY, QUOTES on JEALOUSY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 6 September – JEALOUSY/ENVY!

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Quote/s of the Day – 7 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Readings: Colossians 1: 24 – 2: 3; Psalm 62: 6-7,9; Luke 6:6-11

JEALOUSY/ENVY!

“Stretch forth your hand.”

Luke 6:10

“While the withered hand was restored,
the withered minds of the onlookers were not.
… Are you debating what you will do?
Worship Him as God.
Worship the Wonder-worker.
Worship One who worked good things
on behalf of another.”

St Athansius (297-373)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“And I became their abomination
because there was no jealousy in me.
Because I continually did good
to every man
I was hated.
And they surrounded me
like mad dogs (Ps 22[21]:17)
those, who in stupidity,
attack their masters.
Because their mind is depraved
and their sense is perverted.”

Odes of Solomon
(Hebrew Christian text from
the beginning of the 2nd century)
No 28

“Jealousy has no limit;
it is an evil that continually endures
and a sin, without end.
The lies of jealousy
burn hotter in proportion
to the increasing success
of the person who is envied.”

St Cyprian of Carthage (c 200- c 258)
Bishop, Martyr, Father of the Church

“ It is ever thus,
the more you envy your brother,
the greater good you confer upon him.
God, who sees all,
takes the cause of the innocent in hand
and, irritated by the injury you inflict,
deigns to raise up him
whom you wish to lower
and will punish you
to the full extent of your crime.”

St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father & Doctor of the Church

“To harbour no envy,
no anger,
no resentment
against an offender
is still not to have charity for him.
It is possible, without any charity,
to avoid rendering evil for evil.
But to render, spontaneously, good for evil –
such belongs to a perfect spiritual love.”

St Maximus the Confessor (c 580-662)
Father of the Church

“The soul that loves Jesus Christ
does not envy the great ones of this world
but only those,
who are greater lovers of Jesus Christ.”

St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL

Thought for the Day – 1 September – The Problem of Evil

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

The Problem of Evil 

“In his second letter to the Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul speaks of the Anti-Christ, “the man of sin … the son of perdition, who opposes and is exalted above all that is called God…” “Already,” he says, “the mystery of iniquity is at work” (Cf 2 Thess 2:3-7).
From the beginning of the Church’s history until the present time, it has always been the same.

There always have been and always will be, men who do evil, not from human weakness but, from motives of malice, so diabolical as to present something of a mystery to us.
These can be called Anti-Christ because, they seem to be incarnations of the devil, the spirit of iniquity.
They delight in spreading error, in corrupting minds and, in persecuting the Church.
They are steeped in all kinds of baseness and nothing pleases them better, than to succeed in inducing the young and the innocent, to follow them in their sinful ways.
For this purpose, they employ all the advantages of modern technical progress has to offer – the press, the cinema, the radio and television.
In short, they use God’s gifts in their commercialisation of sin, in order to draw souls away from Him.

The realisation of this terrifying fact, provokes two questions.
(1) How can such evil be permitted by God, Who made man for Himself and redeemed him with the Blood of His only-begotten Son?
(2) What steps can we take to control this alarming and universal deluge of evil?

St Augustine answers the first question by pointing out, that the infinite and good God created us without any assistance from ourselves, but does not will to save us without our co-operatikon, since He has endowed us with the gift of liberty.
Moreover, He prefers to draw good from evil, rather than to prevent the evil itself.

We must answer the second question ourselves, remembering that we have a serious obligation to combat evil in ourselves and in our fellow-men.
What have we done up to now and what do wqe propose to do in the future?”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on SIN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 1 September – ‘O may Christ come into our house …’

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One Minute Reflection – 1 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary” – Readings: Colossians 1: 1-8; Psalms 52: 10, 11; Luke 4: 38-44

“And Simon’s mother-in-law was taken with a great fever and they besought him for her.”- Luke 4:38

REFLECTION – “Simon’s mother-in-law was lying on her bed with a fever.” O may Christ come into our house, enter and, with one word, heal the fever of our sins. Each of us is taken with fever. We have a fever every time we get angry; all our faults are just as much, a flaring up of fever. Let us ask the Apostles to pray to Jesus to come to us and take us by the hand for, as soon as He takes our hand, the fever will leave us.

He is the true, the great Physician, first amongst all physicians. Moses is a physician, Isaiah and all the saints are physicians but as for Jesus, He is the first amongst them all. He knows perfectly well, how to take our pulse and penetrate the mysteries of our sicknesses. He touches neither ear, nor face, nor any other part of the body but takes the hand …, namely our evil deeds. Firstly, He heals our deeds and then the fever vanishes.” – St Jerome (347-420) – Priest, Translator of Sacred Scripture, Father and Doctor of the Church – Homilies on Saint Mark’s Gospel, no. 2C ; PLS 2, 125 f., SC 494

PRAYER – God our Father, Your rule is a rule of love, Your providence is full of mercy for Your people. Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, Mother of the Word made flesh and His sorrowful Mother, grant the spirit of wisdom and understanding in Your Word, Your Son Jesus Christ. Grant that by the healing Word our repentant hearts may know our way to our eternal home and strive to attain eternal joy there with You. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.

Posted in CARMELITES, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, I BELIEVE!, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, MORNING Prayers, ORIGINAL SIN, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HUMAN DIGNITY, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on The SOUL, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The REDEMPTION

Our Morning Offering – 31 August – Heal Us Lord God

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Our Morning Offering – 31 August – “Month of the Immaculate Heart”

Heal Us Lord God
By St Albert of Trapani O.Carm. (c 1240-1307)

O my God,
You have created the human race
by Your wonderful power.
It is an act of Your clemency that has called us
to share Your glory and eternal life.
When the first sin condemned us to suffer death,
out of Your goodness,
You wished to redeem us
through the Blood of Your Son,
To unite us to Yourself
through our faith
and Your great mercy.
You have brought us back
from the shame of our sin,
You have veiled our dishonour
in the brightness of Your glory.
Look now and see that what You have created,
giving it subtle limbs and joints
and made beautiful through its immortal soul,
is now subject to the attack of Satan.
Be pleased Lord
to reconstitute Your work and heal it.
May Your power be glorified
and may the malice of the enemy be stunned.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on THE WORLD

Thought for the Day – 16 August – Renouncing All Things

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

Renouncing All Things

“If we want God to take possession of our souls, we must drive out every inordinate affection to earthly things.
It is not possible for God to dwell within us, if we are still attached to sin or preoccupied with worldly aims.

God should reign supreme in us and inspire all our desires and actions.
This can never happen if we retain an attachment to deliberate sin, even if it is not grave sin.
In the case of venial sin, it is not so much the sin which prevents God from ruling us absolutely, as the attachment to sin.

It is possible for anybody to fall through human weakness, “for the just man falls seven times and rises again” (Prov 24:16).
It is when we remain willingly in the state of sin, that we offend God and weaken our faith and charity.
At such times, it is as if Jesus were asleep within us, as He slept in the boat during the storm on the lake of Galilee, when the terrified Apostles cried out:   “Lord save us! We are perishing!” (Mt 8:25).
We must keep ourselves free from all trace of sin, if we wish to remain intimately united with God and to be governed only by Him!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on BAD CONVERSATION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TIME, The LAST THINGS

Thought for the Day – 13 August – Fundamental Facts – But tomorrow?

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Thought for the Day – 13 August – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Fundamental Facts – But tomorrow?

“Life is passing.
The days chase one another; time is flying.
Childhood has become a distant memory.
Perhaps youth and manhood have also passed and gone and we find ourselves on the threshold of old age.
All those days, months and years that have passed were gifts of God.
He gave them to us for our benefit and sanctification.
But what use have we made of them?
Have we laid up treasure for eternal life?
And, if we have not done so up to now, for what are we waiting?
Let us remember the old saying, that we should never put off till tomorrow, what we can do today.
Today there is still time to turn from sin, regain sanctifying grace and lead a life of Christian perfection.
But tomorrow?
What do we know about tomorrow?
Tomorrow is in the hands of the Lord and we do not know if the Lord will grant us further time to make amends!

Do not say, therefore, that you will change tomorrow, that tomorrow you will turn away from the path of sin and begin to lead a holy life.
For not alone does time pass but, it often betrays us!
Our Lord tells us that the judgement will come at a time when we least expect it.
The time that is gone will never return; the future is uncertain; there remains, only the present.
But the present is equally uncertain; it is something that passes and, every moment could be the last of our lives.
How many whom we have known, were taken away suddenly in the flower of their youth …
Is that not a warning to us?

Let us do good while we have time; let us gain merit now, for eternal life. Amen”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in "Follow Me", FATHERS of the Church, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on ANGER, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL

Quote/s of the Day – 13 August – St Maximus

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Quote/s of the Day – 13 August – The Memorial of St Maximus the Confessor (c 580-662) Father of the Church

“Food is not evil – but gluttony is.
Childbearing is not evil – but fornication is.
Money is not evil – but avarice is.
Glory is not evil – but vainglory is.
Indeed, there is no evil in existing things – but only in their misuse!”

“To harbour no envy, no anger,
no resentment against an offender,
is still not to have charity for him.
It is possible, without any charity,
to avoid rendering evil for evil.
But, to render, spontaneously, good for evil –
such belongs to a perfect spiritual love.”

“In conformity with
the philosophy of Christ,
let us make of our life,
a training for death.”

St Maximus the Confessor (c 580-662)
Father of the Church

MORE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/13/quote-s-of-the-day-13-august-st-maximus-the-confessor/

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on MEDIOCRITY, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, QUOTES on VIRTUE

Thought for the Day – 7 August – Spiritual Languor

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

Spiritual Languor

“Sometimes we become tired and sleepy.
The love of God no longer warms our hearts nor prompts us to perform good works.
We experience a kind of disgust for spiritual things and prayer becomes a burden.
We no longer feel any pleausre in speaking with God, for our souls have grown arid and cold.
We neglect our spiritual exercises and are careless about mediation and the Sacraments.
We go on living on the edge of the abyss and never consider the fact, that it is a very short step from spiritual inactivity to actual sin.

This kind of languor is not always sinful, however.
Sometimes God permits dryness of spirit to test our humility and to make us understand, that without Him, we are capable of nothing.
Saints, like St Theresa and St Francis de Sales, were tried by spiritual aridity.
In such cases, the only remedy is to be patient and humble and to trust in God.
We must ask God to let us die rather than be separated from Him and to restore to us, our former fervent love for Him.

Most often this languor and inertia is caused by our neglect of the means necessary to preserve our spiritual life.
We begin by omitting the prayers and penances which it is our duty to perform and by postponing Confession and Holy Communion.
Without frequent Confession, our sins increase like noxious weeds, which stifle the good grain.
Without Holy Communion, we lack the protection and grace of God.

Let us examine ourselves and make good resolutions.
Fervour of soul, the love of God and a strong and effective inclination to virtue, cannot be attributed purely to ourselves.
They are the result of God’s grace, for which we should pray without ceasing!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE

Thought for the Day – 2 August – The Awareness of the Presence of God

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Thought for the Day – 2 August – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Awareness of the Presence of God

“The presence of God, moreover, encourages us to do our best to acquire all the virtues.
When He is always before our eyes, we have no difficulty in recognising, that He is the supreme Truth, Beauty and Goodness.

Let us seek to please God, therefore, by obeying His commandments and inspirations.
If we wish to be worthy of His presence, let us seek to adorn our souls with His grace, which is ours for the asking.
Our awareness of God’s presence, should not be a passive state.
It should enliven our faith and increase our love for Him.

Do we realise how poor and sinful we are in the sight of God?
Let us ask Him to make us holy.
If we are troubled by temptations, let us ask Him for the strength to conquer them.
If we are worn out by suffering, let us ask Him to help and console us.
As St Alphonsus said: “He who does not acquire the love of God will scarcely persevere in the grace of God, for it is very difficult to renounce sin, merely through fear of chastisement.”

If we live in the presence of God and contemplate Him, we shall be moved to love Him more and more.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/08/thought-for-the-day-8-august-the-awareness-of-the-presence-of-god/

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PURGATORY, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on MORTAL SIN, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on VIRTUE

Thought for the Day – 31 July – Little Things

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Thought for the Day – 31 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Little Things

“Just as there are ordinary acts of virtue, so there are very ordinary sins.
But it would be rash to regard acts of deception, vanity and impatience, as insignificant.
Every deliberate sin is an offence against God our highest good and our Redeemer.

How can God be indifferent to these ungrateful violations of His law?
After all, even as He has assured us, that a cup of cold water given in His Name to a thirsty man, will have its reward (Cf Mt 10:42), so He has assured us, that not even the slightest trace of sin can enter into eternal glory!
We shall not be condemned to Hell for venial sins alone but, we shall suffer a decline in grace and shall be obliged to expiate our sins, either in this life, or in Purgatory.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/14/thought-for-the-day-14-august-little-things/

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, HOLY COMMUNION, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on VIRTUE, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Thought for the Day – 26 July – The Eucharistic Life

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Thought for the Day – 26 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Eucharistic Life

The Eucharistic life, which is the life of union with Jesus, especially by means of daily Communion, transforms us and makes us holy.
It preserves and increases in us, the grace which is the supernatural life of the soul.
The Eucharist, of itself, does not bestow grace because it is a Sacrament of the living.
It is our food and food is not given to the dead but to the living.
For this reason, we should receive Holy Communionb free from the stain of sin.
The Eucharist, moreover, remits venial sins, strengthens us in our resolutions and increases our charity.
Venial sin is a sickness of the soul.
Just as natural food banishes listlessness and vulnerability to disease, our Eucharistic nourishment has the same effect on our spiritual life.

It is because the Blessed Eucharist increases our love for Jesus, that it weakens our evil inclinations.
The Eucharist and sin are mutually exclusive of one another because, the Eucharist is Jesus and sin is the devil.
Our Eucharistic food, moreover, produces in our souls, a spiritual consolation which is a foretaste of the happiness of Heaven.

Let us listen to Jesus living within us.
He will enable us to forget our worldly cares and will raise us to a higher plane where, by God’s infinite goodness, we shall continue to grow in virtue.

May the Most Blessed Sacrament be forever praised and adored!

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/07/05/thought-for-the-day-5-july-the-eucharistic-life/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ORIGINAL SIN, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on SIN, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 26 July – The Leaven of Life

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Quote/s of the Day – 26 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Readings: Exodus 32: 15-24, 30-34; Psalms 106: 19-20, 21-22, 23; Matthew 13: 31-3

The Leaven of Life

“Just as the Father who has life sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so the man who feeds on me
will have life because of me.”

John 6:57

“An inborn imperfection in our human dough
was removed, thanks to the leaven
that comes from His perfect body…
To complete what was missing,
in these human bodies of ours,
He gave something of Himself,
just as He gives Himself to be eaten …”

St Ephrem (306-373)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Those who have been tricked into taking poison,
offset its harmful effect, by another drug.
The remedy, moreover,
just like the poison,
has to enter the system,
so that its remedial effect
may thereby spread through the whole body.
Similarly, having tasted the poison,
that is the fruit,
that dissolved our nature,
we were necessarily, in need of something, to reunite it.
Such a remedy had to enter into us,
so that it might, by its counteraction,
undo the harm the body had already encountered from the poison.
And what is this remedy?
Nothing else than the body
that proved itself superior to death
and became the source of our life.”

St Greogory of Nyssa (c 335– c 395)
Father of the Church

“The doctrine of Christ
is fittingly called leaven
because, the bread is Christ.”

St Anbrose (340-397)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“ … For He did not only give His Body but,
just as our flesh, drawn from the earth,
had lost its life and died through sin,
so He has introduced, so to speak,
another substance like a leaven,
this is His Body, the Body
sharing the same nature as ours but free from sin
and abounding in life.
And He has given it to all of us,
so that, fed with the banquet of this new food …
we might enter immortal life.”

St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father ad Doctor of the Church

“Dust, so to speak,
had forcibly entered humanity’s eye;
earth had entered it,
had injured the eye
and it could not see the light.
… That physician made a salve for you.
And because He came, in such a way,
that by His flesh,
He might extinguish the faults of the flesh
and by His death He might kill death … ”

St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on SIN, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY GHOST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 26 July – ‘… It draws all the dough to itself … ‘

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 26 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Readings: Exodus 32: 15-24, 30-34; Psalms 106: 19-20, 21-22, 23; Matthew 13: 31-35 and the Memorial of Saints Anne and Joachim – Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Grandparents of Jesus

“Until the whole was leavened” – Matthew 13:33

REFLECTION – “If someone kneads bread without mixing leaven into it, they may well apply themselves to the task, knead and work at it, the dough will not rise and cannot be used as food. But when leaven has been mixed in, it draws all the dough to itself and makes it all rise, as in the parable the Lord applied to the Kingdom… It is the same with meat – no matter how much care you take, if you neglect to put in salt to preserve it,… it will smell badly and become inedible
In the same sort of way, imagine the whole of humanity as meat or dough and that the divine nature of the Holy Spirit is salt and leaven from another world. If the heavenly leaven of the Spirit and good salt of the divine nature… are not added to our lowly human nature and mixed into it, the soul will never lose its bad odour of sin and will not rise by losing the heaviness and impurities of the “leaven of wickedness” (1Cor 5,7)…

If a soul only relies on its own strength and thinks itself able to achieve complete success of itself, without the help of the Holy Spirit, it is greatly deceived. It is not made for the dwelling places of Heaven nor made for the Kingdom… If sinful man does not draw near to God, does not renounce the world, does not await in hope and patience a good that is foreign to its own nature, namely, the strength of the Holy Spirit; if the Lord does not instil His own divine life from on high into that soul, that person will never taste the true life… On the other hand, if he has received the Spirit’s grace, if he does not turn away from it, if he does not offend Him by his negligence and wrongdoing, if, after persevering a long time like this in the fight, he does not “grieve the Spirit” (Eph 4,30), he will have the happiness of winning eternal life.” – Attri to St Macarius of Egypt (c 300-390) Monk

PRAYER – True light of the world, Lord Jesus Christ, as You enlighten all men for their salvation, give us grace, we pray, to herald Your coming by preparing the ways of justice and of peace. Help us Lord, that we may sprout and bear fruit, fitting to grow and be a home of comfort to our neighbour. By the prayers of Sts Anne and Joachim, may we too be beacons of Your Light and of the glory of Your Kingdom. Through Jesus our Lord, Who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.

Posted in CONFESSION/PENANCE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PAPAL ENCYLICALS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 July – “Until the harvest” – – Matthew 13:30

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One Minute Reflection – 24 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Readings: Exodus 24: 3-8; Psalms 50: 1b-2, 5-6, 14-15; Matthew 13: 24-30

“Suffer both to grow until the harvest” – – Matthew 13:30

REFLECTION – “Nor must one imagine that the Body of the Church, just because it bears the name of Christ, is made up during the days of its earthly pilgrimage, only of members conspicuous for their holiness, or, that it consists only of those whom God has predestined to eternal happiness. It is owing to the Saviour’s infinite mercy, that place is allowed in His Mystical Body here below, for those whom, of old, He did not exclude from the banquet (cf. Mt 9:11). For not every sin, however grave it may be, is such as of its own nature to sever a man from the Body of the Church, as does schism or heresy or apostasy. Men may lose charity and divine grace through sin, thus becoming incapable of supernatural merit and yet, not be deprived of all life, if they hold fast to faith and Christian hope and if, illumined from above, they are spurred on, by the interior promptings of the Holy Spirit to salutary fear and are moved to prayer and penance for their sins.

Let everyone then abhor sin, which defiles the mystical members of our Redeemer but,, if anyone unhappily falls and his obstinacy has not made him unworthy of communion with the faithful, let him be received with great love and let eager charity see in him a weak member of Jesus Christ. For, as the Bishop of Hippo remarks –
“it is better to be cured within the Church’s community than to be cut off from its Body as incurable members. As long as a member still forms part of the Body, there is no reason to despair of its cure; once it has been cut off, it can be neither cured nor healed.’”- Venerable Pius XII (1876-1958) – Pope from 1939 to 1958 – Encyclical – Mystici Corporis Christi, 1943

PRAYER – All-powerful and ever-living God, splendour of true light and never-ending day, chase away the night of sin and fill our minds with the glory of Your coming. Take away our heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh, help us in our battle with sin and the devil. By our prayers, Your holy sacraments and the strength of the Holy Spirit, may we be ever vigilant of the evil one. Hear the prayers of our Queen and Mother, the Blessed Virgin of Mercy on our behalf dear Lord. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.

Posted in "Follow Me", MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on THE WORLD

Thought for the Day – 20 July– The Surest Way to Avoid Sin

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 20 July– Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Surest Way to Avoid Sin

“The surest way of never offending God, is to love Him.
If we love God sincerely, it will be impossible for us to offend Him.
“Love,” says St Paul, “is the fulfilment of the Law,” (Rom 13:10) and charity “is the bond of perfection” (Col 3:14).
If all our actions are inspired by the love of God, it will not matter how insignificant they are, for they will be pleasing to Him and will gain merit for ourselves.
Then it will be impossible for us to sin.

If most of our actions, on the other hand, are dictated by an inordinate attachment to creatures and to ourselves, they will certainly not lead us to God.
Our hearts need love and cannot live without it.
But whom shall we love if we do not love God, Who is our Creator and Redeemer?
We shall find love or a moment in beauty, in goodness and in pleasure but, it will soon pass away and leave us with empty hearts.
God is our highest good and only He can fully satisfy our hearts.
But He wishes us to belong completely to Himself.

Our hearts are too tiny to be divided between God and creatures.
We must belong entirely to God.
If we love Him sincerely, all created things will form a ladder, which will help us to ascent to Him.
Let us love God and remain united to Him in all our actions.
Then sin will never find it’s way into our souls.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SIN, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 20 July – “Do whatever he tells you.”

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Quote/s of the Day – 20 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Readings: Exodus 14: 21 – 15: 1; Exodus 15: 8-9, 10 and 12, 17; Matthew 12: 46-50

“Whosoever shall do the will of my Father, …
he is my brother and sister and mother.”

Matthew 12:50

“Do whatever he tells you.”

John 2:5

“You are my friends,
if you do the things
that I command you.”

John 15:14

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

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

“Neither do I condemn you
but, having been made secure
concerning the past,
be on your guard in the future.
I, for My part, will not condemn you,
I have blotted out what you have done;
keep what I have commanded,
that you may gain
what I have promised.”

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

“We must note, therefore,
that he that does things pleasing to God,
serves Christ but he that follows his own wishes,
is a follower, rather of himself and not of God.”

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

Posted in CONFESSION/PENANCE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD

Thought for the Day – 19 JuLy – Falling into Sin

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Thought for the Day – 19 JuLy – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Falling into Sin

“When we realise that we have fallen, what should we do about it?
We must avoid two extremes and opposing kinds of reaction – hardness of heart and an excessive anxiety, which may lead to discouragement and loss of confidence in God’s infinite mercy.

Above all, we must avoid hardness of heart and that accompanying state of indifference which causes us to become immersed in sin.
Let us hope that we shall never foolishly boost: “I have sinned and what has befallen me? for the Lord bides His time.
Of forgiveness, be not over-confident, adding sin upon sin ” (Ecclus 5:4-5).
When we see that we have fallen into sin, let us cry out at once, like the prodigal son: “ I will get up and go to my Father” (Lk 15:19).
How unfortunate I am, if I have lost the friendship of God!
But God is an infinitely merciful Father and I must throw myself into His arms and implore His forgiveness.
When we have sinned, a good Confession will give us God’s forgiveness and peace of soul.
Let us go to Him humbly and penitently, trusting that He will give us the kiss of peace.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/09/03/thought-for-the-day-3-september-falling-into-sin/

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on HYPOCRISY, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on VIRTUE, SAINT of the DAY, The HEART

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

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Quote/s of the Day – 15 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” and the Memorial of St Bonaventure OFM (1221-1274) Seraphic Doctor of the Church

“As “pride is the beginning of all sin,” (Eccl. 10:15)
so humility is the foundation of all virtue.
Learn to be really humble and not,
as the hypocrite, humble merely in appearance.”

“Run with eager desire
to this Source of Life and Light,
all you who are vowed
to God’s service.”

St Bonaventure’s Sermon of 4 October 1255

“When we pray,
the voice of the heart
must be heard ,
more than that proceeding
from the mouth.”

“Have Mercy on Me, O Lady

Have mercy on me, O Lady,
for thou art called the Mother of Mercy.
And according to thy mercy,
cleanse me from all my iniquities.
Pour forth thy grace upon me
and withdraw not from me
thine accustomed clemency.
For I will confess my sins to thee
and I will accuse myself of all my crimes before thee.
Reconcile me to the Fruit of thy womb:
and make peace for me with Him,
Who has created me.
Amen.”

The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St Bonaventure

“Mary seeks for those
who approach her devoutly and with reverence,
for such she loves, nourishes,
and adopts as her children. ”

MORE HERE:

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

AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/07/15/quote-s-of-the-day-15-july-the-wisdom-of-st-bonaventure/

St Bonaventure (1221-1274) Seraphic Doctor of the Church

Posted in QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on VIRTUE, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 14 July – St Camillus de Lellis

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 14 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – and the Memorial of Saint Camillus de Lellis MI (1550-1614) “The Giant of Charity”

“Brother, if you commit a sin and take pleasure in it,
the pleasure passes but the sin remains.
But if you do something virtuous,
even though you are tired,
the tiredness passes but the virtue remains.”

“The poor and the sick
are the Heart of God.
In serving them,
we serve Jesus Christ.”

“Commitment is doing
what you said you would do,
after the feeling you said it in, has passed.”

MORE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/07/14/quote-s-of-the-day-14-july-sts-francisco-solano-and-camillus-de-lellis/

St Camillus de Lellis MI (1550-1614)

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, QUOTES on BLASPHEMY, QUOTES on DESPAIR, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on MORTAL SIN, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, The UNFORGIVEABLE SIN

Thought for the Day – 13 July – The Mercy of God

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Thought for the Day – 13 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Mercy of God

“Remember, that if God’s mercy is infinite, so also is His justice.

When we realise that we have fallen into serious sin, we should not give way to despair as Judas did but, should turn to Jesus trustingly and contritely, saying with the Psalmist, “My refuge and my fortess, my stonghold, my deliverer, my shield, in whom I trust” (Ps 143:2).
We shall certainly be forgiven.

It would be the highest form of ingratitude and even blasphemous, to abuse God;s goodness and mercy.
Let our repentance be sincere and effective.
In return for the infinite goodness of God, let us give Him our love, limited indeed but willing and constant.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/04/19/thought-for-the-day-19-april-the-mercy-of-god/

Posted in CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, FATHERS of the Church, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY, PURGATORY, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 13 July – Repent!

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Quote/s of the Day – 13 July – “Month of the Precious Blood” – Readings: Exodus 2: 1-15a; Psalms 69: 3, 14, 30-31, 33-34; Matthew 11: 20-24

“Jesus began to reproach the towns
where most of his mighty deeds had been done,
for their failure to repent.”

Matthew 11:20

“Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.
Rend your hearts, not your garments
and return to the LORD, your God.
For gracious and merciful is he,
slow to anger,
rich in kindness
and relenting in punishment.”

Joel 2:12-13

“Let us fix our thoughts on the Blood of Christ
and reflect how Precious that Blood is, in God’s eyes,
inasmuch, as its outpouring for our salvation,
has opened the grace of repentance to all mankind.”

St Pope Clement I (c 35-99)

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

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

“For this all-powerful Physician,
nothing is incurable.
He heals without charge!
With one word, He restores to health!
I would have despaired of my wound were it not,
that I placed my trust in the Almighty.”

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

“ … Yet only grant me repentance here below
That I may make reparation for my sins, …
That these tears may extinguish the blazing furnace
With its burning flames. …

And, instead of acting like the merciless,
Set merciful compassion within me,
That, by showing mercy to the poor,
I may obtain Your mercy.”

St Nerses Chnorhali (1102-1173)
Armenian Bishop

“ It is better to atone for sin now and to cut away vices,
than to keep them for purgation in the hereafter.
In truth, we deceive ourselves
by our ill-advised love of the flesh.
What will that fire feed upon but our sins?
The more we spare ourselves now
and the more we satisfy the flesh,
the harder will the reckoning be
and the more we keep for the burning.”

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 13 July – “Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness.”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 13 July – “Month of the Precious Blood” – Readings: Exodus 2: 1-15a; Psalms 69: 3, 14, 30-31, 33-34; Matthew 11: 20-24

“Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, for their failure to repent.” – Matthew 11:20

REFLECTION – “Let us cry out with David; let us hear him weep and let us shed tears with him. Let us see how he rises up again and let us rejoice with him: “Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness.” (Ps 51:3)

Let us place before the eyes of our soul a man who is seriously injured, almost on the point of breathing his last breathe and who is lying naked in the dust. In his desire to see a doctor arrive, he is moaning and begging the person who understands his condition, to have pity. Now sin is a wound to the soul. You who are this wounded person, learn that your Doctor is within you and show Him the wounds of your sins. May He, to whom every secret thought is known, hear the moaning of your heart. May your tears move Him and, if you have to seek Him with some insistence, let deep sighs rise up to Him from the bottom of your heart. May your pain come to Him and may you also be told, like David: “The Lord… has forgiven your sin.” (2 Sam 12:13)…

“Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness.” The people who belittle their fault because they do not know this great tenderness, only draw a little tenderness to themselves. As for me, I fell far, I sinned with full knowledge. But You, Almighty Doctor, correct those who scorn You; You teach those who do not know their fault and You forgive those who admit it to You.” – St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) Father and Doctor of the Church – Presentation on the seven penitential Psalms

PRAYER – God our Father, we are Your children and You have set us aside to come home to You by the light of the way of Your divine Son. Fill us with knowledge of our need to turn to You in sorrow and repentance, that we may one day attain our final home with You. Grant we pray, that by the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, we may too become lights announcing Your Glory and our great need for repentance. and penance. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on SIN, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 12 July – ‘ … Hold your hand out to God, for your sins.’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 12 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Readings: Exodus 1: 8-14, 22; Psalms 124: 1b-3, 4-6, 7-8; Matthew 10: 34 – 11: 1

“And whoever gives only
a cup of cold water to
one of these little ones to drink ,
… he shall not lose his reward.”

Matthew 10:42

“You, who think that you have a healthy hand,
beware lest it is withered by greed or by sacrilege.
Hold it out often.
Hold it out to the poor person who begs you.
Hold it out to help your neighbour,
to give protection to a widow,
to snatch from harm
one whom you see subjected to unjust insult.
Hold it out to God for your sins.”

St Ambrose (340-397)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“ Lift up and stretch out your hands,
not to heaven but to the poor…
if you lift up your hands in prayer
without sharing with the poor,
it is worth nothing.”

“… Let us be afraid, my beloved,
lest we also see the poor
and pass them by,
lest instead of Lazarus,
there be many
to accuse us hereafter.”

St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“For just as water extinguishes a fire,
just so does charity blot out our sins.”

St John of God (1495-1550)

“We must speak to them
with our hands, by giving,
before we try to speak to them
with our lips.”

St Peter Claver (1581-1654)
“Slave of the slaves”

“I am now completely convinced,
that when one does a deed of charity,
one need not worry about
where the money will come from,
it will always come!”

Blessed Frédéric Ozanam (1813–1853)
“Servant to the Poor”

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SIN, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 10 July – “The very hairs of your head are numbered.” Matthew 10:30

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Quote/s of the Day – 10 July – “Month of the Precious Blood” – Readings: enesis 49: 29-32; 50: 15-26a; Psalm 105: 1-2, 3-4, 6-7; Matthew 10: 24-33

“The very hairs of your head are numbered.”

Matthew 10:30

“I see clearly with the interior eye,
that the sweet God loves, with a pure love,
the creature that He has created
and has a HATRED for nothing but SIN,
which is more opposed to Him,
than can be thought or imagined.”

St Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510)

“Every moment comes to us,
pregnant with a command from God,
only to pass on and plunge into eternity,
there to remain forever,
what we have made of it!”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

“Oh! My God,
how much Your Hand was upon me
and yet how little I was aware of it!
How good You are! How good You are!
How You protected me!
How you covered me with Your wings,
when I did not even believe in Your existence!”

Bl Charles of Jesus de Foucauld (1858-1916)

“Let us go forward in peace,
our eyes upon heaven,
the only one goal of our labours.”

St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873-1897)
Doctor of the Church