Category: QUOTES on SUFFERING

Posted in "Follow Me", MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS

Thought for the Day – 23 March – Carrying our Cross 

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 23 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Carrying our Cross

“We also read in the Imitation of Christ: “No man has so heartfelt a sense of the Passion of Christ, as he whose lot it has been, to suffer like things.” (Imitation of Christ, Bk II, Ch 12)
If you carry your cross willingly, it will lead you to your longed for destination, where suffering ends and everlasting joy begins.
If you carry it unwillingly, the weight will become unbearable and you will have to bear it in any case!
If you fling away the cross which you are carrying, immediately, an even heavier one will be laid upon you!
Look upon them as wonderful consolations because, the sufferings of this life cannot be regarded as the measure of that glory which will be ours in Heaven … (Rom 8:18).
We are fortunate and greatly blessed, if we deserve to suffer a little, for the name of Jesus …
Only when we begin to die ourselves, can we begin to live in God.
Nothing is more acceptable to God and more helpful for us in this world, than to suffer willingly for love of Christ.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/01/20/thought-for-the-day-20-january-carrying-our-cross-the-royal-road/

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, LENT 2021, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, Thomas a Kempis

Day Thirty four of our Lenten Journey – 23 March – ‘Without labour there is no rest and without fighting, no victory.’

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Day Thirty four of our Lenten Journey – 23 March – Tuesday of Passion Week or the Fifth Week of Lent, Readings: Numbers 21:4-9, Psalms 102:2-3, 16-18, 19-21, John 8:21-30

Imitating Christ with Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

In You is the source of life
and in Your Light Lord, we see light
Psalm 35(36)

“When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realise that I AM” – John 8:28

CHRIST: WHAT are you saying, My child? Think of My suffering and that of the saints and cease complaining. You have not yet resisted to the shedding of blood. What you suffer is very little compared with the great things they suffered who were so strongly tempted, so severely troubled, so tried and tormented in many ways. Well may you remember, therefore, the very painful woes of others, that you may bear your own little ones the more easily. And if they do not seem so small to you, examine if perhaps your impatience is not the cause of their apparent greatness; and whether they are great or small, try to bear them all patiently. The better you dispose yourself to suffer, the more wisely you act and the greater is the reward promised you. Thus you will suffer more easily if your mind and habits are diligently trained to it.
Do not say: “I cannot bear this from such a man, nor should I suffer things of this kind, for he has done me a great wrong. He has accused me of many things of which I never thought. However, from someone else I will gladly suffer as much as I think I should.”
Such a thought is foolish, for it does not consider the virtue of patience or the One Who will reward it, but rather weighs the person and the offense committed. The man who will suffer only as much as seems good to him, who will accept suffering only from those from whom he is pleased to accept it, is not truly patient. For the truly patient man does not consider from whom the suffering comes, whether from a superior, an equal, or an inferior, whether from a good and holy person or from a perverse and unworthy one; but no matter how great an adversity befalls him, no matter how often it comes or from whom it comes, he accepts it gratefully from the hand of God and counts it a great gain. For with God nothing that is suffered for His sake, no matter how small, can pass without reward. Be prepared for the fight, then, if you wish to gain the victory.
Without struggle you cannot obtain the crown of patience and if you refuse to suffer, you are refusing the crown. But if you desire to be crowned, fight bravely and bear up patiently. Without labour there is no rest and without fighting, no victory.

DISCIPLE: O Lord, let that which seems naturally impossible to me become possible through Your grace. You know that I can suffer very little and that I am quickly discouraged when any small adversity arises. Let the torment of tribulation suffered for Your name be pleasant and desirable to me, since to suffer and be troubled for Your sake, is very beneficial for my soul.
(Book 3 Ch 19)

Posted in "Follow Me", DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 23 March – The Word of the Cross

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Quote/s of the Day – 23 March – Tuesday of Passion Week or the Fifth Week of Lent, Readings: Numbers 21:4-9, Psalms 102:2-3, 16-18, 19-21, John 8:21-30

“Are you able to drink the cup
that I am to drink?”

Matthew 20:22

“…And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

John 3:14-15

“The servant is not greater than his Master”

John 13:16

“He conquered death,
broke the gates of hell,
won for Himself a people
to be His co-heirs,
lifted flesh from corruption
up to the glory of eternity.”

“The Son of God is nailed to the Cross
but on the Cross,
God conquers human death.
Christ, the Son of God, dies
but all flesh is made alive in Christ.
The Son of God is in hell
but man is carried back to heaven.”

St Hilary of Poitiers (315-368)
Father & Doctor of the Church

The Word of the Cross
by Saint Paulinus of Nola (c 354-431)

Look on thy God, Christ hidden in our flesh.
A bitter word, the cross and bitter sight:
Hard rind without, to hold the heart of heaven.
Yet sweet it is, for God upon that tree
Did offer up His life upon that rood
My Life hung, that my life might stand in God.
Christ, what am I to give Thee for my life?
Unless take from Thy hands the cup they hold,
To cleanse me with the precious draught of death.
What shall I do? My body to be burned?
Make myself vile? The debt’s not paid out yet.
Whate’er I do, it is but I and Thou,
And still do I come short, still must Thou pay
My debts, O Christ, for debts Thyself hadst none.
What love may balance Thine? My Lord was found
In fashion like a slave, that so His slave
Might find himself in fashion like his Lord.
Think you the bargain’s hard, to have exchanged
The transient for the eternal, to have sold
Earth to buy Heaven? More dearly God bought me.

“How can you become a sharer,
in His glory (1 Pt 5:1)
if you will not consent,
to become a sharer,
in His humiliating death?”

St Simeon the New Theologian (949-1022)

“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)

“ … If you die with Him,
you shall also likewise
live with Him.
If you are His companion in punishment,
so shall you be in glory.”

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

(Book II, Ch 12)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, LENT 2021, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The WILL of GOD, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Day Thirty three of our Lenten Journey – 21 March – Your life is our way

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Day Thirty three of our Lenten Journey – 21 March – Passion Sunday, Readings: Jeremiah 31:31-34, Psalms 51:3-4, 12-13, 14-15, Hebrews 5:7-9, John 12:20-33

Imitating Christ with Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

In You is the source of life
and in Your Light Lord, we see light
Psalm 35(36)

“If anyone serves me, he must follow me and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honour him.” – John 12:26

CHRIST: MY CHILD, I came down from heaven for your salvation and took upon Myself your miseries, not out of necessity but out of love, that you might learn to be patient and bear the sufferings of this life ,without complaint.
From the moment of My birth to My death on the Cross, suffering did not leave Me.
I suffered great want of temporal goods.
Often I heard many complaints against Me.
Disgrace and reviling I bore with patience.
For My blessings, I received ingratitude, for My miracles, blasphemies and for My teaching, scorn.

DISCIPLE: O Lord because You were patient in life, especially in fulfilling the design of the Father, it is fitting that I, a most miserable sinner, should live patiently according to Your will and, as long as You shall wish, bear the burden of this corruptible body, for the welfare of my soul.
For though this present life seems burdensome, yet by Your grace, it becomes meritorious and it is made brighter and more endurable, for the weak, by Your example and the pathways of the saints.
But it has also more consolation. than formerly. under the old law. when the gates of heaven were closed, when the way thereto. seemed darker than now and when. so few cared to seek the eternal kingdom.
The just, the elect, could not enter heaven before Your sufferings and sacred death had paid the debt.

Oh, what great thanks I owe You, Who have shown me and all the faithful. the good and right way to Your everlasting kingdom!
Your life is our way and in Your holy patience, we come nearer to You, Who are our crown.
Had You not gone before and taught us, who would have cared to follow?
Alas, how many would have remained far behind, had they not before their eyes, Your holy example!
Behold, even we who have heard of Your many miracles and teachings, are still lukewarm; what would happen if we did not have such light, by which to follow You?
(Book 3 Ch 18)

Posted in LENT 2021, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The LAST THINGS, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Day Twenty nine of our Lenten Journey – 17 March – Ought not all trials be borne for the sake of everlasting life? In truth, the loss or gain of God’s kingdom, is up to you

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Day Twenty nine of our Lenten Journey 17 March – Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Readings: Isaiah 49:8-15, Psalms 145:8-9,13-14, 17-18, John 5:17-30

Imitating Christ with Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

In You is the source of life
and in Your Light Lord, we see light
Psalm 35(36)

“ An hour is coming when all who are in the tombs, will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgement.” – John 5:28-29

CHRIST: MY CHILD, do not let the labours, which you have taken up, for My sake, break you and do not let troubles, from whatever source, cast you down but in everything, let My promise strengthen and console you. I am able to reward you beyond all means and measure.

You will not labour here long, nor will you always be oppressed by sorrows. Wait a little while and you will see a speedy end of evils. The hour will come when all labour and trouble shall be no more.
All that passes away with time is trivial.

What you do, do well. Work faithfully in My vineyard.
I will be your reward.
Write, read, sing, mourn, keep silence, pray and bear hardships like a man. Eternal life is worth all these and greater battles.
Peace will come on a day which is known to the Lord and then there shall be no day or night, as at present but perpetual light, infinite brightness, lasting peace and safe repose.
Then you will not say: “Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” nor will you cry: “Woe is me because my sojourn is prolonged.” For then death will be banished and there will be health unfailing.
There will be no anxiety then, but blessed joy and sweet noble companionship.

If you could see the everlasting crowns of the saints in heaven and the great glory wherein they now rejoice – they who were once considered contemptible in this world and, as it were, unworthy of life itself – you would certainly humble yourself at once, to the very earth and seek to be subject to all, rather than to command even one.
Nor would you desire the pleasant days of this life but rather, be glad to suffer for God, considering it your greatest gain, to be counted as nothing among men.

Oh, if these things appealed to you and penetrated deeply into your heart, how could you dare to complain even once?
Ought not all trials be borne for the sake of everlasting life?
In truth, the loss or gain of God’s kingdom, is up to you.

Lift up your countenance to heaven, then.
Behold Me, and with Me all My saints.
They had great trials in this life but now they rejoice.
They are consoled. Now they are safe and at rest. And they shall abide with Me for all eternity in the kingdom of My Father.
(Book 3 Ch 47)

Posted in CONFESSION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on MORTIFICATION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on SUFFERING

Thought for the Day – 13 March – Mortification and Penance

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

Mortification and Penance

“Our Lord reiterates many times, the command to do penance.
“Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mt 4:17).
He even insists on penance as a necessary condition for salvation.
“Unless you repent, you will all perish in the same manner” (Lk 13:3).
It is a stern command and it may even seem cruel to some.
Why does the infinitely good God, Who is our loving Father, wish us to impose penances and sufferings on ourselves?
The answer is simple.
God makes us suffer and do penance because He knows that it is necessary for our salvation.
It is because He loves us and desires our welfare.

Mortification and suffering are necessary for two reasons.
They are particularly necessary because, we are all sinners and must expiate our sins.
Secondly, they are necessary because, without penance and suffering, we become attached to the world and forget all about Heaven, which is our real home.
In His love for us, therefore, God commands us to do penance.

The Saints were gluttons for penance and mortifiation and went as far as imposing on themelves, sufferings which horrify us today.
What are we doing in the way of penance?
Let us remember the command of Jesus: “Unless you repent, you will all perish!” (Ibid).”

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/25/thought-for-the-day-25-march-mortification-and-penance/

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 10 March – “I have come, not to abolish but to fulfil.” Matthew 5:17-19

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One Minute Reflection – 10 March – Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent, Readings: Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9, Psalms 147:12-13,15-16, 19-20, Matthew 5:17-19 and the Memorial of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, Armenia (Died 320)

“I have come, not to abolish but to fulfil.” … Matthew 5:17

REFLECTION – “In Him the promise made through the shadows of prophecy stands revealed, along with the full meaning of the precepts of the law. He is the one who teaches the truth of prophecy through His presence and makes obedience to the commandments possible, through grace.
In the preaching of the holy Gospel all should receive a strengthening of their faith. No-one should be ashamed of the Cross of Christ, through which the world has been redeemed.
No-one should fear to suffer for the sake of justice, no-one should lose confidence in the reward that has been promised. The way to rest is through toil, the way to life is through death. Christ has taken on Himself the whole weakness of our lowly human nature. If then we are steadfast in our faith in Him and in our love for Him, we win the victory that He has won, we receive what He has promised.
When it comes to obeying the commandments or enduring adversity, the words uttered by the Father should always echo in our ears – “This is my Son, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased, listen to Him.” … St Pope Leo the Great (400-461) – An excerpt from Sermo 51

PRAYER – Shed your clear light on our hearts, Lord, so that walking continually in the way of Your commandments, we may never be deceived or misled. May your Angels and the FortyHoly Martyrs of Sebaste, pray for us. May the Mother of Our God and our Mother, be at our side and guide our way. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen.

Posted in "Follow Me", GOD ALONE!, LENT 2021, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Day Twenty of our Lenten Journey – 8 March – ‘Suffer with Christ and for Christ if you wish to reign with Him.’

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Day Twenty of our Lenten Journey – 8 March – The Third Sunday of Lent, Readings: 2 Kings 5:1-15, Psalm 42:2-3; 43:3-4, Luke 4:24-30

Imitating Christ with Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

In You is the source of life
and in Your Light Lord, we see light
Psalm 35(36)

And they rose up and tdrove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff.– Luke 4:29

When Christ was in the world, He was despised by men.
In the hour of need He was forsaken by acquaintances and left by friends to the depths of scorn.
He was willing to suffer and to be despised. Do you dare to complain of anything?

He had enemies and defamers. Do you want everyone to be your friend, your benefactor?
How can your patience be rewarded if no adversity test it?
How can you be a friend of Christ if you are not willing to suffer any hardship?
Suffer with Christ and for Christ if you wish to reign with Him.

Had you but once entered into perfect communion with Jesus or tasted a little of His ardent love, you would care nothing at all for your own comfort or discomfort but would rejoice in the reproach you suffer.
For love of Him makes a man despise himself.

A man who is a lover of Jesus and of truth, a truly interior man who is free from uncontrolled affections, can turn to God at will and rise above himself to enjoy spiritual peace.
He who tastes life as it really is, not as men say or think it is, is indeed wise with the wisdom of God rather than of men.

He who learns to live the interior life and to take little account of outward things, does not seek special places or times to perform devout exercises.
A spiritual man quickly recollects himself because he has never wasted his attention upon externals.
No outside work, no business that cannot wait stands in his way. He adjusts himself to things as they happen.

He whose disposition is well ordered cares nothing about the strange, perverse behaviour of others, for a man is upset and distracted only in proportion as he engrosses himself in externals.
If all were well with you, therefore and, if you were purified from all sin, everything would tend to your good and be to your profit.
But because you are as yet neither entirely dead to self nor free from all earthly affection, there is much that often displeases and disturbs you.
Nothing so mars and defiles the heart of man as impure attachment to created things.

But if you refuse external consolation, you will be able to contemplate heavenly things and often to experience interior joy.
(Book 2 Ch 1)

Posted in "Follow Me", MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on ANGER, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 3 March – Steadfastness in Suffering

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

Steadfastness in Suffering

“When we feel depressed or when we are tempted to strike out angrily against human injustice and misunderstanding, there are two considerations which should help us to be patient.

  1. The first, is the reflection, that everything comes to us from God, or is at least permitted by Him.
    Why should we rebel against the will of God?
    Jesus was innocence itself yet He willed to suffer for love of us.
    Are we unwilling to suffer for love of Him?
  2. The second, is the realisation, that we are sinners who have offended God many times and deserve to be punished.
    It is necessary to accept patiently, all the sufferings which God sends us in expiation ofour sins.
    “We are receiving what our deeds deserved” (Lk 23:41).

Above all, we ought to resolve, never to give way to anger in word or deed when we are offended.
On these occasions, we should wait until we have calmed down and have asked God for peace of mind.
Before we do anything, we need time for reflection and prayer.
If we act in this way, we shall not have to be sorry afterwards.

Patience can help us to achieve anything and will eventually help us to gain Heaven.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/16/thought-for-the-day-16-june-steadfastness-in-suffering/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 3 March – ‘The proof of our love’

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Quote/s of the Day – 3 March – Wednesday of the Second week of Lent, Readings: Jeremiah 18:18-20,Psalms 31: 5-6, 14, 15-16, Matthew 20: 17-28

“Are you able to drink the cup
that I am to drink?”

Matthew 20:22

“Only let it be in the name of Jesus Christ,
that I may suffer together with Him!
I endure everything
because He Himself,
Who is perfect man, empowers me.”

St Ignatius of Antioch (c 35–107) Martyr

“Do not rejoice in the Cross only in times of peace,
preserve the same faith in times of persecution.
Do not be a friend to Jesus in times of peace alone,
only to become His enemy in times of war.
You are now receiving forgiveness for your sins
and the spiritual gifts lavishly bestowed by your King so,
when war breaks out, fight valiantly for your King.”

St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Do not live any longer in yourself
but let Jesus Christ live in you in such a way
that the virtue of this Divine Saviour may be resplendent
in all your actions, in order that all may see in you
a true portrait of the Crucified and sense,
the sweetest fragrance of the holy virtues of the Lord,
in interior and exterior modesty,
in patience,
in gentleness,
suffering,
charity,
humility
and in all others that follow.”

St Paul of the Cross (1604-1775)

“To labour and to suffer
for the One we love,
is the greatest proof of our love.”

St Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870)

Posted in "Follow Me", GOD ALONE!, LENT, LENTEN THOUGHTS, OUR Cross, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on WILL (Reasonable or Superior), The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 3 March – “Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” – Matthew 20:17-28

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One Minute Reflection – 3 March – Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent, Readings: Jeremiah 18:18-20,Psalms 31: 5-6, 14, 15-16, Matthew 20: 17-28

“You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” … the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” … Matthew 20:22,28

REFLECTION – “It is our task and, in our case, an obligation, to make of you the object of all our care, our zeal, our ministrations, by word and deed, by warnings, encouragement, admonitions and incitement, (…) so that, in this way, we might insert you into the rhythm of the divine will and face you towards the goal set before us – to give pleasure to God. …

He who is immortal, voluntarily shed His blood. He who created the host of angels, was
bound at the hands of soldiers and He who is to judge the living and the dead, was dragged to justice (cf. Acts 10:42; 2 Tm 4:1). Truth was exposed to false witnesses, was slandered, struck, covered with spittle, hung on the wood of the cross – the Lord of glory (cf. 1 Cor 2:8) endured every outrage and suffering without Himself needing these trials. How could this have happened to Him who, even as man, was without sin and who, to the contrary, snatched us away from the tyranny of the sin through which death came into the world and falsely took possession of our first father?

So there is nothing surprising about it, if we submit to even one of these trials since such is our condition … Therefore, we too have to be offended and tempted, afflicted by the cutting off of our wills. According to the interpretation of our Fathers, there is in this, a shedding of blood for this is what it means to be a monk. And we must gain the Kingdom of heaven in that way, by spending our lives in imitation of the Lord. … Apply yourselves zealously to your duties in the thought that by means of them, far from being slaves of men, you are serving God.” … St Theodore the Studite (759- 826) Monk at Constantinople – Catecheses 1

PRAYER – Protect Your family, Lord, trained as it is by the constant exercise of good works. Renew our spirit with the grace that teaches us how to imitate You, to suffer for You and with You, strengthen us with Your consoling presence and lead us, to the joys of heaven. May the intercession of our Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary keep us on the path of Your kingdom’s glory. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FRUITS of the SPIRIT, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The HEART, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The REDEMPTION, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 1 March – The Commandments and the Desires of Jesus Christ

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

The Commandments and the Desires of Jesus Christ

“Whoever has Jesus in his heart,” writes St Francis de Sales, “has Him also in his actions.”
If God really lives in us, He cannot be inactive but will work with us for our sanctification.
Our actions must be the actions of Jesus Christ.
Remember that the Gospel says, that a good tree will produce good fruit, while a bad tree will produce bad fruit (Cf Mt 7:17).
From the fruits which we produce, we can see clearly, if Jesus is working in us.
Holiness consists in accepting the will of God, whatever it is, whether it be sacrifice, sorrow or humiliation.
We must allow Jesus to act in us as He desires.
Not only must we conform to His holy will but, we must do so, with enthusiasm.
We must be obedient instruments of His grace, doing precisely what He wants us to do.
If He wishes us to suffer, we must be prepared to do so for Him, knowing that we are participating and, co-operating, in the work of His Redemption.
If He desires us to be happy, we should humbly accept happiness from His Hands.
Everything must be as Jesus wills.
We must transform ourselves into Him, like the white host which first is bread and through the act of consecration, becomes Jesus Christ!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/09/17/thought-for-the-day-17-september-the-commandments-and-the-desires-of-jesus-christ/

Posted in "Follow Me", LENT 2021, LENTEN THOUGHTS, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Day Eleven of our Lenten Journey – 27 February – He knows when and how to deliver you, therefore, place yourself in His hands …

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Day Eleven of our Lenten Journey – 27 February – Saturday of the First week of Lent, Readings: Deuteronomy 26:16-19, Psalms 119:1-2, 4-5,7-8, Matthew 5:43-48

Imitating Christ with Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

In You is the source of life
and in Your Light Lord, we see light
Psalm 35(36)

“But I say to you, love your enemies” – Matthew 5:44

BE NOT troubled about those who are with you or against you but take care, that God be with you in everything you do. Keep your conscience clear and God will protect you, for the malice of man cannot harm one whom God wishes to help. If you know how to suffer in silence, you will undoubtedly experience God’s help. He knows when and how to deliver you, therefore, place yourself in His hands, for it is a divine prerogative to help men and free them from all distress.

It is often good for us to have others know our faults and rebuke them, for it gives us greater humility. When a man humbles himself because of his faults, he easily placates those about him and readily appeases those who are angry with him.

It is the humble man whom God protects and liberates; it is the humble whom He loves and consoles. To the humble, He turns and upon them bestows great grace, that after their humiliation, He may raise them up to glory. He reveals His secrets to the humble and with kind invitation, bids them come to Him. Thus, the humble man enjoys peace in the midst of many vexations because his trust is in God, not in the world. Hence, you must not think that you have made any progress until you look upon yourself as inferior to all others.
(Book 2 Ch 2)

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, Thomas a Kempis

Our Morning Offering – 26 February – Prayer for the Grace of Patient Suffering

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Our Morning Offering – 26 February – Friday of the First Week of Lent

Prayer for the Grace of Patient Suffering
By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

O Lord Jesus,
make possible to me by grace,
what is difficult by nature.
You know well how little I can bear
and how easily I am upset by a little adversity.
Therefore, I beseech You,
that hereafter, any trouble or adversity
may be loved and desired by me
for Your Name,
for it is very good and profitable
to my soul,
to suffer and be afflicted
for You.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, LENT 2021, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The PASSION, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 18 February – The Hour of Trial

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Thought for the Day – 18 February – A Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Hour of Trial

“Everybody, even a Saint, has his hour of trial.
God wants it this way. so that if we are victorious with the help of His grace, we can receive our reward.
“One who enters a contest is not crowned unless he has competed according to the rules” (Cf 2 Tim 2:5).
Even the Angels were put on trial and those haughty spirits who rebelled against God, were damned forever.

Our first parents were placed on trial and because they disobeyed God’s command, were deprived of their supernatural gifts and exiled from their earthly paradise.
Even Jesus willed to endure His hour of trial in the Garden of Gethsemane, before the Sanhedrin, before the judgement seat of Pilate and on Mount Calvary.
He desired to be tried in this way, in order to teach us how to be victorious.

Our trials are of various kinds, some of which recur frequently during our lives.
They may be physical, such as suffering, disease, disgrace or poverty.
They may be moral trials, which affect mainly the heart – the neglect of those whom we love, calumny, misunderstanding, or malice.
There are also spiritual trials, such as discouraging lapses into sin, or aridity of soul when it seems that the Heavenly Father has abandoned us as He abandoned Jesus in His last agony on the Cross.

How should we behave when we are tried?
Jesus showed us the way, when He took upon Himself, the sins of all mankind and His passion began in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Even before He ascended Mount Calvary and was nailed to the Cross, He experienced here all the agony and terror of His redemptive mission.
Prostrate with suffering, He prayed three times: “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; yet not as I will but as thou willest” (Cf Mt 26:39-42).
When we are tried, we should fervently repeat this prayer of complete resignation to the will of God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, LENT 2021, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Day Two of our Lenten Journey – 18 February – In the cross alone, is the hope of life

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Day Two of our Lenten Journey – 18 February – Thursday after Ash Wednesday, Readings: Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Psalms 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6, Luke 9:22-25

Imitating Christ with Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)

In Your Light Lord, we see light

“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me” – Luke 9:23

To many the word seems harsh; “Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus”… (Mt 16:24) Why do you fear then to take up the cross, the way that leads to the kingdom? In the cross you are saved, revived, protected. In the cross you are showered with sweetness from on high, your mind is strengthened, your spirit rejoiced. In the cross is virtue’s sum and perfect holiness. In the cross alone, is the hope of life eternal, the soul’s salvation. So take up your cross and follow Jesus and you will enter eternal life… For if you die with Him, you shall also likewise live with Him. If you are His companion in punishment, so shall you be in glory.

Everything is founded on the cross… There is no other way to life, nor to true inner peace… Walk where you will, seek what you will, you will find neither a loftier way above, nor a safer way below but only the way of the Holy Cross.

Plan as you will, arrange as you see fit; all you will ever find is suffering, you cannot help but bear and so you will always find the cross. You will either have bodily pain or mental and spiritual affliction. Now God will leave you, again your fellow will provoke you and what is more, you will often weigh heavy on yourself. There is neither remedy to free you, nor comfort to ease you… For God will have you learn to endure affliction with total submission to Himself and become more humble… You must endure with patience everywhere, if you would be at peace within and earn the lasting crown.
(Book II, Ch 12:1,2,3-4)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, LENT 2021, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 18 February – “The servant is not greater than his Master”

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Quote/s of the Day – 18 February – Thursday after Ash Wednesday, Readings: Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Psalms 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6, Luke 9:22-25

“The servant is not greater than his Master”

John 13:16

“Only let it be in the name of Jesus Christ,
that I may suffer together with Him!
I endure everything
because He Himself,
Who is perfect man, empowers me.”

St Ignatius of Antioch (c 35 – 107)

“Oh cherished cross!
Through thee my most bitter trials
are replete with graces!”

St Paul of the Cross (1604-1775)

“Humility, obedience, meekness
and love are the virtues
that shine through the Cross
and the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar.
O my Jesus, help me imitate you!”

“To labour and to suffer
for the One we love,
is the greatest proof of our love.”

St Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870)

“It is only through suffering
that we become holy.
And to become holy is our only purpose in life,
our only preparation for heaven.”

Bl Francis Xavier Seelos CSsR (1819-1867)

Posted in "Follow Me", GOD is LOVE, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, LENT 2021, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on TRUTH, SACRED HEART QUOTES, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS, SAINT of the DAY, The HEART, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The SIGN of the CROSS

One Minute Reflection – 18 February – ‘The world, mad, doesn’t listen.’ – Luke 9:22-25

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One Minute Reflection – 18 February – Thursday after Ash Wednesday, Readings Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Psalms 1:1-2, 3, 4, and 6, Luke 9:22-25 and the Memorial of St Theotinius (1082-1162) The First Saint of Portugal

“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me” – Luke 9:23

REFLECTION – “What joy to live in the Cross of Christ!
Who could complain of suffering?
Only the insensate man who does not adore the Passion of Christ, the Cross of Christ, the Heart of Christ, can in his own griefs, give way to despair… How good it is to live united with the Cross of Christ.
Christ Jesus… teach me that truth, which consists in rejoicing in scorn, injury, degradation; teach me to suffer with that humble, silent joy of the saints; teach me to be gentle towards those who don’t love me or who despise me; teach me that truth, which from the mound of Calvary You reveal to the whole world.
But I know: a very gentle voice within me explains it all; I feel something in me which comes from You and which I don’t know how to put into words; so much mystery is revealed that man cannot apprehend it.
I, Lord, in my way, do understand it.
It is love.
In that is everything.
I know it, Lord, nothing more is needed, nothing more, it is love!
Who shall describe the love of Christ?
Let men, creatures and all things, keep silent, so that we may hear in the stillness, the whisperings of love, meek, patient, immense, infinite, which from the Cross, Jesus offers us with His arms open.
The world, mad, doesn’t listen.” – St Raphael Arnaiz Baron (1911-1938) a Spanish Trappist Monk – Spiritual writings 07/04/1938

PRAYER – God of mercy, teach us to live as You have ordained. Help us to follow Your commandments with courage and steadfast devotion. Let our Saviour be our Master, help us to learn from Him, the ways of prayer in silence, the ways of love. Fill us with the fire of the Holy Spirit, that we may learn. Grant blessed Trinity, that by the prayers of St Theotonius, we may grow in holiness. Through Jesus our Lord, in unity with the Holy Spirit, one God forever. Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", ArchAngels and Angels, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on ANGELS, QUOTES on COWARDICE, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, SAINT of the DAY, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 31 January – St John Bosco

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Quote/s of the Day – 31 January – The Memorial of St John Bosco (1815-1888)

“Whatever you do,
think of the Glory of God
as your main goal.”

“Health is God’s great gift
and we must spend it,
entirely for Him.
Our eyes should see only for God,
our feet walk only for Him,
our hands labour for Him alone;
in short, our entire body
should serve God while we still have the time.
Then, when He shall take our health
and we shall near our last day,
our conscience will not reproach us
for having misused it.”

“Be good!
This will make your angel happy.
When sorrows and misfortunes,
physical or spiritual, afflict you,
turn to your Guardian Angel,
with strong trust
and he will help you.”

“The power of evil men, lives,
on the cowardice of the good!”

St John Bosco (1815-1888)

More here:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/01/31/quote-s-of-the-day-31-january-the-memorial-of-st-john-bosco-1815-1888/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The PASSION

Thought for the Day – 23 January – Why Should It Happen to Me?

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Thought for the Day – 23 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Why Should It Happen to Me?

“When Jesus had been scourged and crowned with thorns, He was forced to set out towrds the execution-ground on Calvary, carrying the heavy wooden Cross.
On the way, He met a Cyrenean named Simon, who was probably returning from his work in the fields outsdie the city.
The Jews had realised, that Jesus had lost so much blood, that He was unable to bear the weight any longer.
They felt no compassion for Him but they were anxious to save their victim for the final punishment.
With this in mind, they compelled Simon to carry Jesus’ Cross.
The Cyrenean could have said: “Why pick on me? I am tired and must get home …”
But his eyes met the tired gaze of Our Saviour.
He saw that He was covered with wounds and streaming blood.
Simon was deeply moved and willingly lifted the Cross which he carried to the place of execution (Cf Mt 27:32; Mk 15:21; Lk 23:26).

Picture Jesus, suffering and bleeding on the road to Calvary and Simon removing the Cross from the shoulders of Our Saviour and transferring it to his own.
How can we ever again rebel and complain, when we meet with inconvenience or sorrow?!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Part One here:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/22/thought-for-the-day-22-february-why-should-it-happen-to-me/

Posted in "Follow Me", DOMINICAN OP, GOD ALONE!, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY NAME, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 23 January – Blessed Henry Suso

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Quote/s of the Day – 23 January – “Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus” and The Memorial of Blessed Henry Suso OP (1295-1366)

“Faith in Jesus and in the power of His Holy Name
is the greatest spiritual force in the world today.
It is a source of joy and inspiration in our youth;
of strength in our manhood,
when only His Holy Name and His grace,
can enable us to overcome temptation;
of hope, consolation
and confidence at the hour of our death,
when more than ever before,
we realise, that the meaning of Jesus is
‘Lord, the Saviour.’
We should bow in reverence to His Name
and submission to His Holy Will.”

“Suffering is the ancient law of love;
there is no quest without pain;
there is no lover who is not also a martyr.”

“Remember, that you will derive strength
by reflecting, that the saints yearn
for you to join their ranks;
desire to see you fight bravely
and, that you behave like true knights
in your encounters with the same adversities
which they had to conquer.
That breath-taking joy is theirs
and your eternal reward
for having endured a few years of temporal pain.
Every drop of earthly bitterness
will be changed into an ocean
of heavenly sweetness!”

“I have often repented of having spoken.
I have never repented of silence.”

“Let each look to himself
and see what God wants of him
and attend to this,
leaving all else alone.”

Blessed Henry Suso (1295-1366)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, Thomas a Kempis

Thought for the Day – 20 January – Carrying our Cross

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

Carrying our Cross –

“There is only one way to become holy and to win Heaven.
This is the way of the Cross.
The Imitation of Christ contains some moving thoughts on the subject of the royal road of the Cross.
We shall summarise them here.

The words of Jesus seem hard to many: “Renounce yourself, take up your cross and follow Me.”
But, it would be much harder to hear on the last day those terrible words: “Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire.”
Those who listen now and accept the message of the Cross, need not be afraid of hearing this irrevocable sentence on that day.
Why avoid the way of the Cross if it is the only road which leads to Heaven?
In the Cross there is salvation; in the Cross there is protection from our enemies.
If we carry our cross with submission and love, we shall find peace of soul.
If we intertwine our cross with the Cross of Jesus, we shall obtain energy of mind, joy of spirit and perfect holiness.
If we die on the Cross with Jesus, we shall live with Him in eternal happiness.
If we are His companions in suffering, we shall also be with Him one day in glory (Rom 6:8).

Everything depends on our dying on the Cross with Jesus.
There is no other way to life and to true interior peace but the way of the Holy Cross and of daily mortification (Imitation of Christ, Bk II ch 12).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on CHASTITY, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The HEART, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 18 January – The Spiritual Power of Fasting

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Quote/s of the Day – 18 January – Monday of the Second week in Ordinary Time, Year A – Readings: Hebrews 5:1-10,Psalms 110:1, 2, 3, 4, Mark 2:18-22

The Spiritual Power of Fasting

“The days will come,
when the bridegroom is taken away from them
and then they will fast in that day.”

Mark 2:20

“… Now is the time in this life of suffering,
when we journey apart from Him.
… So let us fast and pray now
because, we are in the days of childbirth!”

“Fasting cleanses the soul,
raises the mind,
subjects one’s flesh to the spirit,
renders the heart contrite and humble,
scatters the clouds of concupiscence,
quenches the fire of lust
and kindles the true light of chastity.
Enter again into yourself!”

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

“Let us offer our souls in sacrifice
by means of fasting.
There is nothing more pleasing
that we can offer to God,
as the psalmist said in prophecy –
A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit,
God does not despise
a bruised and humbled heart.”

St Peter Chrysologus (400-450)
Bishop of Ravenna,
Father & Doctor of the Church

“Let my fasting be based on temperance,
my soul in a state of grace,
my intention solely to please God,
then my efforts will ring true,
fit to enlarge my store of charity.”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Bishop of Geneva OFM, Cap.
Doctor Caritatis

Posted in QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD

Thought for the Day – 8 January – Entrusting Ourselves to God

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Thought for the Day – 8 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Entrusting Ourselves to God

“Sometimes the cross seems too heavy.
Physical or moral sufferings may give rise to a feeling of rebellion, or temptations may grow so strong that I feel overwhelmed and unable to experiece the supernatural influence of God’s grace.

At such times, I should remember the words of Jesus: “Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden light” (Mt 11:28).

If I leave myself entirely in God’s hands, my cross will become lighter.
My worries and woes, will be easier to bear and, I shall not be excessively elated by worldly pleasures.

All the Saints had perfect TRUST in God.
Therefore, they were always content.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Part One of ‘Entrusting Ourselves to God’ here:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/07/16/thought-for-the-day-16-july-entrusting-ourselves-to-god/

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES for the NEW YEAR, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 4 January – Accepting the Will of God

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Thought for the Day – 4 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Accepting the Will of God

“The Saints were always calm and peaceful because, they accepted everything from God and offered everything to Him.
They thanked God for pleasure and for success; they thanked Him with equal sincerity for suffering and for injuries.

“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).
Since we are in God’s hands, we are in good hands.
If it pleases God to send troubles to us, this is a sign that they are good for us.
If it pleases Him to humiliate us, it is a sign that we need to be humbled.
If He causes us to suffer, it is a sign, that we need to be purified from our sins and made more worthy of Him.
In suffering and in joy, may His Holy Will be done!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Part One of Accepting the Will of God here:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/07/13/thought-for-the-day-13-july-accepting-the-will-of-god/

“God wishes to test you,
like gold in the furnace.
The dross is consumed by the fire
but the pure gold remains
and its value increases.
It is in this manner,
that God acts with His good servant,
who puts his hope in Him
and remains unshaken in times of distress.
God raises him up and, in return for the things,
he has left, out of love for God,
He repays him a hundredfold in this life
and with eternal life hereafter.
If then you remain constant in faith,
in the face of trial,
the Lord will give you peace and rest,
for a time in this world,
and forever in the next.”

St Jerome Emiliani (1486–1537)

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, I BELIEVE!, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The HOLY NAME, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 3 January – The Power of the Most Holy Name of Jesus

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Quote/s of the Day – 3 January – Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus

“Faith in Jesus and in the power of His Holy Name
is the greatest spiritual force in the world today.
It is a source of joy and inspiration in our youth;
of strength in our manhood,
when only His Holy Name and His grace,
can enable us to overcome temptation;
of hope, consolation
and confidence at the hour of our death,
when more than ever before,
we realise, that the meaning of Jesus is
‘Lord, the Saviour.’
We should bow in reverence to His Name
and submission to His Holy Will.”

Bl Henry Suso (1290-1365)

“Was it not through the brilliance
and sweet savour of this Name,
that God called us into
His marvelous light?”

St Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444)

“If thou are bound down by sickness,
if sorrows weary thee,
if thou are trembling with fear,
invoke the name of Jesus.”

St Lawrence Justinian (1381-1456)

More here:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/01/03/quote-s-of-the-day-3-january-the-feast-of-the-most-holy-name-of-jesus/

Posted in "Follow Me", CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 28 December – “The servant is not greater than his lord”

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One Minute Reflection – 28 December – The Feast of the Holy Innocents – The Fourth Day of the Christmas Octave, Readings: 1 John 1:5-2:2, Psalm 124:2-5, 7-8, Matthew 2:13-18

When Herod realised that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity, two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi. – Matthew 2:16

REFLECTION – “The Apostle John said: “Whoever says he abides in Christ, ought to walk even as Christ walked” (1 Jn 2:6). Moreover, the blessed Apostle Paul exhorts and teaches us, saying: “We are God’s children but if children, then heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him that we may also be glorified together” (Rm 8:16f.) … Let us, beloved brethren, imitate righteous Abel, who initiated martyrdom, he being the first to be slain for righteousness’s sake (Gn 4:8) …; let us imitate the three children Ananias, Azarias and Misael, who … overcame the king by the power of faith (Dn 3) … What of the prophets whom the Holy Spirit quickened to a foreknowledge of future events? What of the Apostles whom the Lord chose? Since these righteous men were slain for righteousness’ sake, have they not taught us also to die?

The nativity of Christ at once witnessed the martyrdom of infants, so that they who were two years old and under were slain for His name’s sake. An age, not yet fitted for the battle, appeared fit for the crown. That it might be manifest that they who are slain for Christ’s sake are innocent, innocent infancy was put to death for His name’s sake … How grave is the case of a Christian, if he, a servant, is unwilling to suffer when his Master first suffered! … The Son of God suffered that He might make us sons of God and the son of man will not suffer that he may continue to be a son of God! … The Maker and Lord of the world also warns us, saying: “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me before you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own but because you are not of the world but I have chosen you out of the world … remember the word that I said to you: “The servant is not greater than his lord” (Jn 15:18-20).” – St Cyprian of Carthage (c.200-258) Martyr, Bishop of Carthage, Father of the Church – Letter 55

PRAYER – We praise You, O God, we acclaim You as Lord, the white-robed army of martyrs praise You. (from the Te Deum).

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TEMPTATION

Thought for the Day – 26 December – St Stephen, the First Martyr

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

St Stephen, the First Martyr

“Among the original seven Deacons nominated by the Apostles, there was one name Stephen, who was outstanding for his sanctity and extraordinary spiritual gifts.
Being enlightened by God, this young man dared to rebuke the Jews in public for their hardness of heart and openly defended the doctrine of Christ, Whom he proclaimed to be the Saviour and Redeemer of the world.
One day when he was threatened by his foes, Stephen raised his eyes trustfully towards Heaven and said: “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
The Jews could no longer restrain their fury and proceeded to drag the young man outside the city.
There they left their garments in the care of a youth named Saul, while they savagely stoned Stephen to death.
Stricken to his knees by the force of the missiles, the saintly young disciple continued to look towards Heaven.
“Lord Jesus,” he cried, “receive my spirit.”
Before he breathed his last, he forgave his enemies in the manner of his divine Master.
“Lord,” he prayed, “do not lay this sin against them.”
And with these words he fell asleep (Cf Acts 7:51-60; 8:1-2).

Let us admire and imitate the courage of this Martyr.
We may never be called on, to endure a martyrdom of blood on behalf of our faith but, we shall almost certainly be obliged to undergo the martyrdom of the assault of the passions on our purity of soul, or of severe physical or mental suffering…
If we accept these trials from God with perfect resignation and love, they will certainly prove as valuable to us, as real martyrdom.
If we endure them with the courage and fortitude of St Stephen, we shall be rewarded as he was, by seeing Jesus standing at the right hand of God and offering us the palm of victory!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in "Follow Me", ADVENT REFLECTIONS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The DIVINE INFANT, The HEART, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The REDEMPTION, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 23 December – What Jesus Wants From Us

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 23 December – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

What Jesus Wants From Us

“Let us contemplate Jesus lying on a rough pallet of straw in the manger.
When we see Him looking at us, let us ask ourselves what it is that He requires of us.
In fact, He wants many things from us.
First of all, He wants us to weep for our sins and to promise, never to fall again, as long as we have the assistance of His grace, for which we should pray continually.
For this, He has become man and has entered into the world.
For this He will work miracles, preach His doctrine and shed His Precious Blood on the Cross.
All this He will do to redeem us from sin and to win Heaven for us.

If we return to the path of sin, we destroy the divine work of redemption, inasfar as it applies to ourselves.
We make Christ’s passion, death and resurrection useless in our case.
We brush aside the chain of favours with which His love has girdled us – the Gospel, the Sacraments and the Church, our good mother who is always at our side to instruct and direct us, to rescue us from peril and, to distribute to us, the gifts of her divine Founder.
When we sin, we commit an act of base ingratitude to Jesus and accomplish our own eternal ruin.

The Infant Jesus longs for us to give our hearts to Him.
Since He has given us His own, why should we be unwilling to give ours to Him?
Who or what can we love, if we do not love Jesus?
Nothing else is capable of giving us peace of soul and resignation in suffering.
Jesus alone can bestow these gifts on us, as long as we love and follow Him and abandon ourselves completely to His Holy Will.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in ADVENT REFLECTIONS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The DIVINE INFANT, The NATIVITY of JESUS

Thought for the Day – 20 December – The Swaddling Clothes of the Divine Infant

Posted on by AnaStpaul

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

The Swaddling Clothes of the Divine Infant

“Mary, like other mothers in those days, wrapped the Infant Jesus in swaddling clothes.
The Divine Child quietly offered this new humiliation to His heavenly Father.
He saw prefigured in these bands, the ropes with which He would be bound in the garden of Gethsemane, even after He had given sinful humanity, His celestial teaching, example and miracles and finally, His own Body inthe Sacrament of the Eucharist.
He saw in them too, the chains with which He would be secured to the pillar, in order to be scourged in the Praetorium of Pilate among the jeers and insults of the onlookers.
He saw in them, finally, the cords with which, after having been condemned to the ignominious death of the Cross, He would be tied, while being led to the place of execution on Mount Calvary.
Filled with infinite love for stricken humanity, the Heart of the Divine Infant offered all this, in advance, to His Father in heaven.

Are we making any effort to return such great love?
Like Jesus, we are often obliged to endure, both physical and moral anguish.
Have we the resignation to offer it all to Jesus, or do we squander our opportunities in useless complaining or in acts of impatience and rebellion?
We shall have to go on suffering anyway but, in the latter case, we may have to suffer even more and shall lose all merit in the sight of God.

Let us kneel down before the Holy Infant wrapped in His swaddling clothes and, let us promise to endure everything for His sake and in reparation for our sins.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci