Category: QUOTES on the CHURCH

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the CHURCH, St PETER!, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 19 May – ‘ … Do you see how God can let someone fall into sin? … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 19 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – St Pope Celestine V (1210-1296) – 1 Peter 5:1-4; 5:10-11 – Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Upon this rock I will build My Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven and, whatever you loose on earth, shall be loosed in Heaven.” … Matthew 16:18-19

REFLECTION – “Peter was to receive on deposit, the keys of the Church, or rather the keys of Heaven and, he should see himself entrusted with the numerous people. What did the Lord actually say to him? “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven” (Mt 16:19).
For Peter had a somewhat abrupt character; if he had been without sin what sort of forgiveness would the disciples have received from him? This is why Divine Grace allowed him to fall into a certain fault, in order that his own trial should make him benevolent towards others.
Do you see how God can let someone fall into sin; this Peter, the leader of the Apostles, the unshakable foundation, indestructible rock, first in the Church, impregnable harbour, unshakable tower — this same Peter, who had said to Christ: “Even though I should have to die with Thee, I will not deny Thee” (Mt 26:35), Peter who, by a divine revelation, had confessed the truth: “Thou are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Mt 16:16). …
But as I said, God arranged it in this way and allowed Peter to sin because He had it in mind, to confer numerous people upon him and He feared, that his roughness, joined to his impeccability, might make him unsympathetic towards his brothers.
He gave way to sin so that, remembering his own failure and the kindness of the Lord, he might testify to others, a grace of philanthropy in accord with the Divine design conceived by God. The fall had been permitted to the one who was going to see himself entrusted with the Church, the Pillar of the Church, the Harbour of the Faith; the fall had been permitted to Peter, the Doctor of the Universe, in order that, the forgiveness received, might remain the foundation of love for others.” – (Attr) St John Chrysostom (347-407) Bishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (On the Apostle Peter and the Prophet Elijah).

PRAYER – O God, Who raised blessed Peter Celestine to the lofty dignity of Supreme Pontiff and taught him to prefer self-abasement instead; mercifully grant that by his example, we may look upon all worldly things as naught and may be worthy to reap, in joy, the rewards promised to the humble.Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GUARDIAN ANGELS - Prayers etc, HYMNS, JESUIT SJ, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, MARIAN QUOTES, PRAYERS of PETITION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FREEDOM, QUOTES on HERESY, QUOTES on LOVE, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on TRUTH, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SACRED HEART QUOTES, The HOLY NAME of MARY

Quote/s of the Day – 13 May – St Robert Bellarmine

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Quote/s of the Day – 13 May – St Robert Bellarmine SJ (1542-1621) Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of the Church

“It is granted to few,
to recognise the true Church,
amidst the darkness,
of so many schisms and heresies
and, to fewer still,
so to love the Truth
which they have seen,
as to fly to it’s embrace!”

“A Pope who is a manifest heretic
automatically (per se),
ceases to be Pope and Head,
just as he ceases, automatically,
to be a Catholic and a Member of the Church.
Wherefore, he can be judged
and punished by the Church.
This is too, the teaching of all the ancient Fathers.”

“Charity is that, with which no man is lost
and without which, no man is saved.”

“Freedom of belief is pernicious,
it is nothing but the freedom
to be mistaken.”

“It seems unbelievable
that a man should perish
in whose favour Christ said to His Mother:
‘Behold thy son’,
provided that he has not turned a deaf ear
to the words, which Christ addressed to him:
‘Behold thy Mother!’”

“When we appeal to the throne of grace,
we do so through Mary,
honouring God by honouring His Mother,
imitating Him, by exalting her,
touching the most responsive chord
in the Sacred Heart of Christ,
with the sweet name of Mary!”

Custodes Hominum Psallimus Angelos
Praise We the Guardian Angels of Men
By St Robert Bellarmine SJ (1542-1621)
Archbishop of Capua, Theologian
Doctor of the Church

Angel-guardians of men,
spirits and powers we sing,
Whom our Father hath sent,
aids to our weakly frame,
Heavenly friends and guides,
help from on high to bring,
Lest we fail through the foeman’s wile.

He, the spoiler of souls,
Angel-traitor of old,
Cast in merited wrath
out of his honoured place,
Burns with envy and hate,
seeking their souls to gain
Whom God’s mercy invites to Heaven.

Therefore, come to our help,
watchful ward of our lives:
Turn aside from the land,
God to thy care confides
Sickness and woe of soul,
yea and what else of ill
Peace of heart to its folk denies.

Now to the Holy Three
praise evermore resound:
Under Whose Hand Divine
resteth the triple world
Governed in wondrous wise,
glory be Theirs and Might
While the ages unending run.
Amen

This Hymn by St Robert Bellarmine,was added to the Roman Breviary in 1608, by command of Pope Paul V. It is for Vespers in the Office for “the Holy Guardian Angels. Double of the second class,” 2 October..

St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621)
Doctor of the Church

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JESUIT SJ, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 13 May – The Lamp and the Lampstand

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One Minute Reflection – 13 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – St Robert Bellarmine SJ (1542-1621) Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of the Church – Wisdom 7:7-14 – Matthew 5:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But he who shall do and teach, he shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.” – Matthew 5:19

REFLECTION – “The Lamp on the lampstand is our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the Father’s true Light “Who enlightens everyone coming into the world” (Jn 1:9) in other words, the Father’s Wisdom and Word. Having accepted our flesh, He truly became and was called, the “Light of the world.” By our faith and devotion, He is honoured and exalted in the Church. In this way, He is made visible to all nations and shines out for “all the people in the house,” namely the whole world, as He said: “They do not light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand where it gives light to all in the house” (Mt 5:15).

As we have seen, Christ calls Himself a Lamp. God by nature, He became flesh according to the plan of salvation – a Light held within the flesh, as if in a vase… This is what David was thinking when he said: “Your Word is a Lamp to my feet and a Light for my path” (Ps 118:105). Since He causes the darkness of ignorance and the evil of men to vanish, my Saviour and my God, is called a Lamp in Scripture. And since He is the only one able to obliterate the darkness of ignorance and disperse the shadows of sin, He has become the way of salvation for all. He leads towards the Father, all those who, through understanding and virtue, walk with Him along the path of the commandments, as on a road of righteousness.

The Lampstand is Holy Church because the Word of God shines out through her preaching. This is how the beams of its Truth, can enlighten the whole world… On one condition, however, as long as it is not hidden under the letter of the Law. Anyone who clings to Scripture according to the letter only, is living according to the flesh; he is placing the Lamp under a bushel basket. But when, to the contrary, the Church is set on the lampstand, it enlightens everyone.” – St Maximus the Confessor (580-662) Abbot and Theologian, Father (Question 63 to Thalassius)

PRAYER – O God, Who endowed blessed Robert, Your Bishop and Doctor, with wondrous learning and virtue to repel the deceits of error and to defend the rights of the Apostolic See, grant, by his merits and intercession, that we may ever grow in love of truth and that the hearts of the erring may return to the unity of Your Church. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DOMINICAN OP, PAPAL MESSAGES, PAPAL PRAYERS, PAPAL SERMONS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE

Quote/s of the Day – 5 May – St Pius V (1504-1573)

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Quote/s of the Day – 5 May – St Pius V OP (1504-1573) Pope, Confessor

“All the evils of the world,
are due to lukewarm Catholics.”

“O Lord, increase my sufferings
and my patience!”

“Following the example of our predecessors,
seeing that the Church Militant
which God has placed in our hands,
in these our times, is tossed this way and that
by so many heresies and,
is grievously troubled and afflicted by so many wars
and by the depraved morals of men,
we also raise our eyes, weeping but full of hope,
unto that same mountain,
whence every aid comes forth
and we encourage and admonish,
each member of Christ’s faithful
to do likewise in the Lord.”

St Pius V (1504-1573)

Posted in CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, Quote on SELF-ABANDONMENT, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 5 May – ‘ … Jesus is the Sun of Justice; He surpasses all the beauties of the earth …’

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One Minute Reflection – 5 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – St Pius V OP (1504-1573) – 1 Peter 5:1-4; 5:10-11 – Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” – Matthew 16:16

REFLECTION – “God presents Himself to us as an object of faith, especially in the person of Jesus Christ. He desires that we believe firmly that the Infant born of Mary, the Tradesman of Nazareth, the Master disputing with the Pharisees, the Man Who was Crucified on Calvary –,is truly His Son, His Equal and that, we adore Him as such. The great work, God has appointed to Himself in the economy of salvation, is to establish among men, faith in the Incarnate Word (cf. Jn 6:29). Nothing can take the place of this faith in Jesus Christ, true God, consubstantial with the Father, Whose Envoy He is. It is the synthesis of all our belief because, Christ is the synthesis of all Revelation! …

The life of the Church presupposes, in everything and in all things, the adoration of her Divine Spouse. In the face of the world which denies Him and disowns Him, she repeats unceasingly, with Saint Peter: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16). This penetrating vision of faith, which pierces the veil of the Humanity of Christ and pierces the depth of His Divinity, is wanting to many intellects. They see Jesus, they reach Him but, like the crowds of Galilee, they see only the externals, their approach is superficial and does not transform souls. For others, on the contrary, Jesus is transfigured; grace illuminates their faith in His Divinity. For them, Jesus is the Sun of Justice; He surpasses all the beauties of the earth and His vision delights their hearts so much, no other attraction can separate them from His Love. They can say with Saint Paul: “I am convinced, neither death, nor life… nor any other creature, will be able to separate me from the love which God shows us in Christ Jesus our Lord!” (Rm 8:38). .

Such faith truly fixes Jesus Christ in our hearts. It is not a simple adherence of the mind; it involves love, hope, the total consecration of oneself to Christ, to live His Life, participate in His Mysteries, imitate His Virtues.” – Abbot Columba Marmion OSB (1858-1923) a Benedictine Irish Monk and the 3rd Abbot of Maredsous Abbey in Belgium. He was one of the most popular and influential Catholic Authors of the 20th Century. His books are considered spiritual classics. (This excerpt from a compilation ‘To Live by Faith, Christ the Ideal of the Priest’).

PRAYER – O, God, Who graciously chose the blessed Pius as Supreme Pontiff, to crush the enemies of Your Church and to restore divine worship, grant that we may be guarded by his help and remain so steadfast in Your service, that, having overcome the snares of all enemies, we may enjoy a lasting peace. T hrough Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in Hail MARY!, LENT- 2025, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARY, MATER ECCLESIAE, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, The PASSION, The SACRED PASSION - Meditations for LENT, To JESUS through MARY

Lenten Meditations – 13 April – Jesus Commends His Disciples to His Holy Mother’s Care

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Lenten Meditations – 13 April – With Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900) Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“The Sacred Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ”
“Short Meditations for Lent”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

The Sixth Sunday in Lent
Jesus Commends His Disciples
to His Holy Mother’s Care

Read St.John xix:25-27

[25] Now there stood by the Cross of Jesus, His Mother, and His Mother’s sister, Mary of Cleophas and Mary Magdalen.
[26] When Jesus, therefore, had seen His Mother and the disciple whom He loved, He saith to His Mother: Woman, behold thy son. [27] After that, He saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own. [John 19:25-27]

+1. Our Divine Saviour did not depart from those He loved without providing them with a Mother, who should be their Consoler, their Protector, their Advocate with God.
In the person of St John, He entrusted them all to Mary’s care.
If He had simply been providing Mary with a home, He would first have addressed St John and commended to him, the pious task of sheltering the Mother of God. By speaking firstly to Mary, He showed that it was she, who was to shelter all those, who were desolate and in sorrow. St John was the representative of all who love Jesus, when Jesus said to Mary respecting him:
“ Woman, behold thy son.”

+2. This was the occasion when Our Lady, for a second time, became a mother.
The birth of her first-begotten Jesus, cost her no pains of travail; the birth of her spiritual children, the sinful sons of men, brought unspeakable anguish to her. The Queen of Heaven became the Queen of Dolors before she could earn the right, to exercise, a mother’s fostering care over each of us,.
How we ought to value the privilege of being her children, when it cost Mary such unspeakable suffering!

+3. When Jesus said to Mary: “Woman, behold thy son” He asked Our Lady to regard us with a mother’s love for His Sake.
Her love for Him was to be transferred to us, without, however, becoming one whit the lesser. She was to love us for Jesus’ Sake; to show her love for Him, by loving us.
With what perfect confidence can we go to Mary, who sees in each of us, in spite of our sins, the image of her Divine Son!
Hail Mary full of grace!

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARY, MATER ECCLESIAE, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 11 April – “Behold, thy mother” – John 19:27

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One Minute Reflection – 11 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Friday of Passion Week – St Leo I, the Great (c400-461) Pope, Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church – Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows – Judith 13:22, 25 – John 19:25-27–Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Behold, thy mother” – John 19:27

REFLECTION – “Woman, this is thy son. This is thy mother.” By what right is the disciple. whom Jesus loved, the son of the Lord’s mother? By what right is she his mother? By the fact that, without pain, she brought into the world the salvation of us all, when she gave birth in the flesh to the God-Man. But now, she is in labour, with great pain as she stands at the foot of the Cross!

At the hour of His Passion, the Lord Himself rightly compared the Apostles to a woman in childbirth, when He said: “When a woman is in labour she is in anguish because a child is born into the world” (cf Jn 16:21). How much more, then, might such a Son compare such a Mother, the Mother standing at the foot of His Cross, to a woman in labour? What am I saying? “Compare?” She is indeed truly a woman and truly a mother and, at this hour, she is truly experiencing the pains of childbirth. When her Son was born she did not experience the anguish of giving birth in pain as other women do; it is now that she is suffering, that she is crucified, that she experiences sorrow; like a woman in labour because her hour has come ( Jn 16:21; cf 13:1; 17:1). …

When this hour has passed, when the sword of sorrow has completely pierced her soul in labour (Lk 2:35), then, no more will she “remember the pain because a child has been born into the world” – the new Man Who renews the entire human race and reigns forever over the whole world, truly born, beyond all suffering, immortal, the Firstborn from the Dead. If the Virgin has thus brought the salvation of us all into the world, in her Son’s Passion, then she is, indeed, the Mother of us all!” – Rupert of Deutz (c1075-1130) Benedictine Monk, Theologian, Exegete and Writer – (Commentary on Saint Johns Gospel, 13).

PRAYER – O God, in Whose Passion the sword, according to the prophecy of blessed Simeon, pierced through the soul of Mary, the glorious Virgin and Mother, mercifully grant that we, who reverently commemorate her piercing through and her suffering, may, by the interceding glorious merits of all the Saints faithfully standing by the Cross, obtain the abundant fruit of Thine Passion. Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, Meditations on ST JOSEPH, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, St JOSEPH

Thought for the Day – 31 March – St Joseph, Protector of the Faithful

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Thought for the Day – 31 March – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

“Short Meditations for March, St Joseph”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

31st Day — St Joseph, Protector of the Faithful

+I. When God bade St Joseph arise and take the Child and His Mother and fly into Egypt, He was committing unto him, under the guise of Jesus and Mary, the care of the Universal Church. As to Mary were entrusted all Christians in the words, “Woman, behold thy son”
so to St Joseph, in the Angel’s message. He was to be our guardian and protector. He was to keep us safe on the dangerous journey of life! he was to console us and care for us in darkness and sorrow, while we wait in this land of exile for the summons to our true home. Joseph, too, is to bring us safely into the promised land at last.
O holy St Joseph, be my friend and my protector and my keeper, amid all difficulties and dangers and temptations.

+2. St Joseph has care of the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, as he had care of the Mortal Body of Jesus. He has to watch over it and guard its temporal interests. He has to defend it against the bitter enemies who seek its destruction. How often he has driven them back!
How often, when all seemed lost, he has restored peace and prosperity, to the Church of God! No weapon aimed against it can harm it, for God has given to St Joseph, the privilege of keeping it ever safe.

+3. St Joseph is also the protector of all his clients. In their temporal affairs how trusty a friend, saving them in circumstances apparently hopeless!
In spiritual necessities how prompt to aid, how unfailing in resource! Oh, trust in St Joseph, wait patiently for him and he will obtain for thee the desires of thy heart

Posted in LENT- 2025, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The PASSION, The SACRED PASSION - Meditations for LENT

Lenten Meditations – 30 March – Jesus Before Pilate

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Lenten Meditations – 30 March – With Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900) Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“The Sacred Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ”
“Short Meditations for Lent”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

The Fourth Sunday in Lent
Jesus Before Pilate

Read St John xviii:28-40
(See below)

+I. Pilate was at first inclined to look with contempt on the charge brought against Christ of promoting Himself as the King of the Jews. But, he soon changed his mind. He was astonished at Our Lord’s silence and reserve. His calm dignity made a deep impression upon him.
How few there are, who imitate Christ in this! Our babbling tongues pour forth so many foolish and ill-considered words. Learn the dignity of timely silence from our Lord Jesus.

+2. Yet Jesus spoke when occasion required.
He said enough to Pilate to convince him, not only of His innocence but, of His claim to be King. Pilate was half-inclined to listen. He could not help recognising, to some degree, the Divine Beauty of the Son of God amid all His humiliations.
So the Catholic Church manifests herself to the world in a way which is sufficient to attract men of goodwill.
There are few who have not the chance of recognising her claims. Her beauty, even in her humiliations and amid the sins of men, shines forth, as did the beauty of her Divine Spouse.

+3. Pilate’s long experience, tells him plainly enough that the Jews are all mistaken and Christ is correct.
His practiced eye, detects the malice of the Jews,
their hatred of their Victim, their selfishness and unscrupulous cruelty. He longs to release Christ; he knows he ought to do so but, he fears the Jews, lest he be reported as favouring revolt.
Human fear overcomes his convictions and he has not the courage to set Jesus free.
How fatal is cowardice in things Divine!

John 18:28-40:
[28] Then they led Jesus from Caiphas to the governor’s hall. And it was morning and they went not into the hall, that they might not be defiled but that they might eat the pasch. [29] Pilate, therefore, went out to them and said: What accusation bring you against this man? [30] They answered and said to him: If He were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered Him to thee.
[31] Pilate, therefore, said to them: Take Him you and judge Him according to your law. The Jews, therefore, said to him: It is not lawful for us to put any man to death; [32] That the Word of Jesus might be fulfilled which He said, signifying what death He should die. [33] Pilate, therefore, went into the hall again and called Jesus and said to Him: Art Thou the King of the Jews? [34] Jesus answered: Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or have others told it thee of Me? [35] Pilate answered: Am I a Jew? Thy own nation and the chief priests, have delivered Thee to me, what hast Thou done?
[36] Jesus answered: My Kingdom is not of this world. If My Kingdom were of this world, My servants would certainly strive that I should not be delivered to the Jews but now, My Kingdom is not from hence. [37] Pilate, therefore, said to Him: Art Thou a King then? Jesus answered: Thou sayest that I am a King. For this was I born and for this came I into the world that I should give testimony to the truth. Everyone that is of the truth, heareth My Voice. [38] Pilate saith to Him: What is truth? And when he said this, he went out again to the Jews and saith to them: I find no cause in Him. [39] But you have a custom that I should release one unto you at the pasch, will you, therefore, that I release unto you the King of the Jews? [40] Then cried they all again, saying: Not this Man but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber. [John 18:28-40]

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 March – “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste.” – Luke 11:17

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One Minute Reflection – 23 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” – The Third Sunday in Lent – Ephesians 5:1-9 – Luke 11:14-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste.” – Luke 11:17

REFLECTION – “No-one can have God as his father, if he does not have the Church as his mother… The Lord warned us of this when He said: “Whoever is not with Me, is against Me and whoever does not gather together with Me, scatters.”  The person who breaks the peace and concord of Christ, acts against Christ; the person who gathers together, outside of the Church, scatters the Church of Christ.

The Lord said: “The Father and I are one.” (Jn 10:30) It is also written of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost: “These Three are One.” (1 Jn 5:7) From now on, who can believe, that the unity which has its origin in this Divine harmony which is linked with this heavenly Mystery, can be divided up in the Church … through conflicts of will? Whoever does not observe this unity, neither observes the law of God, nor faith, in the Father and the Son – he keeps neither life, nor salvation.

In the Gospel, this sacrament of unity, this bond of concord, in indissoluble cohesion, is shown us through the Lord’s Tunic. It could neither be divided nor torn but they drew lots, so as to know who would put on Christ (Jn 19:24) … It is the symbol of unity which comes from on high!” – St Cyprian of Carthage (c 200- c 258) Bishop and Martyr, Father of the Church (On the unity of the Church).

PRAYER – We beseech Thee, Almighty God, hear the prayers of the humble and stretch forth the right hand of Thine majesty to protect us. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in FEBRUARY - THE BLESSED TRINITY (Traditional), PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The RESURRECTION

Quote/s of the Day – 17 March – St Patrick

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Quote/s of the Day – 17 March – St Patrick (c386-461) “The Apostle of Ireland,” Bishop, Confessor

“The man of God, Patrick, was
marvellously favoured with heavenly visions
and revelations in prayer.
‘When,’ says his biographer, ‘he everyday,
in the Mass, sacrificed the Son to the Father,
or devoutly recited the Apocalypse of St John,
it was granted to him to see the heavens opened
and Jesus standing there,
surrounded by a multitude of Angels
and whilst he meditated on these great visions,
his soul was altogether lost in God.’
Three times in the week the Angel Victor,
visited and conversed with him,
filling his soul with celestial consolations.
The labours of the day, amongst men,
seem to have been less arduous
than those of the night with God.”
(The Life of St Patrick, Apostle of Ireland)

Prayer of St Patrick

I bind unto myself today
the power in the love of the Seraphim,
in the obedience of the Angels,
in the ministration of the Archangels,
in the hope of Resurrection unto reward,
in the prayers of the Patriarchs,
in the predictions of the Prophets,
in the preaching of the Apostles,
in the faith of the Confessors,
in the purity of the holy Virgins,
in the deeds of Righteous men.
Amen

St Patrick (c386-461)
“The Apostle of Ireland”

Posted in CHRIST the HIGH PRIEST, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on WATCHING, St PETER!, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 12 March – “Upon this rock I will build My Church”

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One Minute Reflection – 12 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” – St Gregory the Great (540-604), Pope, Confessor, Father & Doctor of the Church, “Father of the Fathers” – 1 Peter 5:1-4; 5:10-11; – Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Upon this rock I will build My Church” – Matthew 16:18

REFLECTION – “Brothers, when it comes to fulfilling my duties as Bishop, I discover that I am weak and slack, weighed down by the weakness of my own condition, while at the same time, I want to act generously and courageously. However, I draw my strength from the untiring intercession of the Almighty and Eternal Priest, Who, like us but equal to the Father, lowered His Divinity to the level of man and raised humankind to the level of God. The decisions He made, give me a just and holy joy. For, when He delegated many shepherds to care for His flock, He did not abandon watching over His beloved sheep. Thanks to that fundamental and eternal assistance, I in turn, have received the protection and support of the Apostle Peter, who also does not abandon his function. This solid foundation, on which the whole of the Church is built, never grows tired of carrying the whole weight, of the building which rests on it.

The firmness of faith, for which the first of the Apostles was praised, never fails. Just as everything which Peter professed in Christ remains, so that which Christ established in Peter, remains … The order willed by God’s Truth remains. Saint Peter perseveres in the solidity which he received; he has not abandoned the governance of the Church which was placed in his hands. That, my brothers, is what that profession of faith, inspired by God the Father, obtained in the heart of the Apostle. He received the solidity of a rock which no assault can shake. In the entire Church, Peter says everyday: “Thou art the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” – St Leo the Great (400-461) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon on the anniversary of his Consecration as Bishop).

PRAYER – O God, Who granted the rewards of everlasting happiness to the soul of Thy servant Gregory, mercifully grant that we, who are weighed down with the burden of our sins, may be raised up by his prayers to Thee. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in ASPIRATIONS and EJACULATIONS, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on WATCHING, St PAUL!, The HOLY FACE, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 4 March – Blessed are those servants, whom the Master, on His return, shall find watching.

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One Minute Reflection – 4 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” – Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus – St Casimir (1458-1484) Confessor, Prince – Ecclesiasticus
Sir 31:8-11 – Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Blessed are those servants, whom the Master, on His Return, shall find watching.” – Luke 12:37

REFLECTION – “Our Lord spoke these words, recorded by the Gospel, to clarify the function of the servants, He had set at the head of His people: “Who is the faithful and prudent Steward Whom the Master will put in charge of His servants, to distribute the food allowance, at the proper time? Blessed is that servant, whom his Master, on arrival, finds doing so”  Who is that Steward, my friends? Undoubtedly, it is Christ, Who said to His disciples: “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Master’ and rightly so, for indeed I Am” (Jn 13:13). And what is that Master’s Household? Surely the one which our Lord Himself Redeemed from the hands of the enemy and took to Himself. This Household is the Holy and Universal Church, spreading with remarkable fecundity throughout the world and priding itself on having been redeemed at the price of His Blood…

But who is the faithful and wise steward? The Apostle Paul shows us when he says – speaking of himself and his companions – “One should regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the Mysteries of God. Now, it is of course required of stewards that they be found trustworthy” (1 Cor 4:1-2). And lest any of you should think that only the Apostles became stewards or, lest some lazy and unfaithful servant should abandon the spiritual combat and fall asleep, the holy Apostle demonstrates that Bishops are just as much stewards, too: “As God’s steward” he says, “a Bishop must be irreproachable” (Tim 1:7).  Therefore, we are servants of the Householder, stewards of our Lord and, it is we, who have received the measure of wheat, to be distributed among you.” – St Fulgentius of Ruspe (c462-533) Bishop and Father of the Church (Sermon 1)

PRAYER – O Lord, we beseech Thee, mercifully hear our prayers; loose us from the chains of our sins and keep us from all adversity. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

An Aspiration to the Eternal Father
to be Frequently Recited During the Day …

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Holy Face of Jesus,
covered with blood, sweat, dust and spittle,
in reparation for our sins
and the sins of the whole world.

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on the CHURCH, St PETER!, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 22 February – St Peter, the Gatekeepr of Heaven

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Quote/s of the Day – 22 February – The Feast of the Chair of St Peter at Antioch –1 Peter 1:1-7; Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Matthew 16:16

“Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona
because flesh and blood
hath not revealed it to thee
but My Father Who is in Heaven.”

Matthew 16:17

“Upon this Rock I will build My Church”

Matthew 16:18

“God is One and Christ is One,
His Church is One,
His See is One,
founded by the Voice of the Lord on Peter.
No other Altar can be set up,
no other Priesthood instituted
apart from that One Altar and that One Priesthood.
Who so gathers elsewhere, scatters!”

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

“ O blessed gatekeeper of Heaven,
to whom were given the keys of entry to eternity! ”

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

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on the CHURCH, St PETER!, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 February – ‘ … What a foundation he had the good fortune to give to the Church! …’

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One Minute Reflection – 22 February – The Feast of the Chair of St Peter at Antioch –1 Peter 1:1-7; Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.” – Matthew 16:16

REFLECTION – “The Lord had asked: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” To be sure, His bodily appearance made known the Son of Man but, in putting this question, He led people to understand that, there was something else to be discerned, over and above what could be seen … The object of the question was, a mystery towards which the faith of the believer had to tend.

Peter’s confession was fully recompensed, as he deserved for having seen the Son of God within the Man. “Blessed” is he, indeed and praised, for having penetrated beyond merely human sight, not looking to that which comes of flesh and blood but, beholding the Son of God, revealed by His heavenly Father. He was accounted worthy to be the first, to recognise, what it was in Christ which was of God! What a foundation he had the good fortune to give to the Church, on the basis of his new name! He became the Rock worthy of building up the Church, so that it might break the laws of hell … and every prison-house of death. O blessed gatekeeper of Heaven, to whom were given the keys of entry to eternity! His judgement on earth, becomes authoritative, beforehand in Heaven, in such a way that, what has been bound or loosed on earth, becomes so also in Heaven.

Jesus also commands His disciples not to tell anyone He is the Christ, since others, namely the Law and the Prophets, must be the witnesses of His Spirit, while witness to the Resurrection belongs to the Apostles. And, just as the blessedness of those, who know Christ in the Spirit, was made known, so also, was made known, the danger of misunderstanding His humility and passion.” – St Hilary (315-368) Bishop of Poitiers, Father & Doctor of the Church (Commentary on St Matthew’s Gospel 16).

PRAYER – O God, Who when giving blessed Peter, Thine Apostle, the keys of the Heavenly Kingdom, bestowed on him the power of binding and loosing, grant that by the help of his intercession, we may be delivered from the bonds of our sins. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN

One Minute Reflection – 20 February – “Go you also into My Vineyard.” – Matthew 20:7

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One Minute Reflection – 20 February – “The Month of the Blessed Trinity” –Ferial Day – Septuagesima – 1 Corinthians 9,24-27.10; 1-5 – Matthew 20,1-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Go you also into My Vineyard.” – Matthew 20:7

REFLECTION – “The Kingdom of Heaven is said to be like a Householder who hired workmen to cultivate His vineyard. Who better can we take to be the Householder than our Creator, Who rules over those He created and governs His Elect in the world, in the same way as a master does those subject to him in his house? He has a Vineyard, which is to say, the universal Church which, has brought forth many Saints as so many branches, from righteous Abel, up to the last of the Elect, who will be born at the end of the world.

The Householder hired workmen to cultivate His Vineyard, in the morning and at the third, sixth, ninth and eleventh hours, since preachers do not cease to preach for the instruction of the faithful, from the beginning of this world, up to its end. The morning indeed was from Adam to the time of Noah, the third hour from the time of Noah to the time of Abraham, the sixth from the time of Abraham to the time of Moses, the ninth from the time of Moses to the coming of the Lord and the eleventh, is from the coming of the Lord to the end of the world. In this period, the holy Apostles, who received a full reward, even though they came late, have been sent as preachers.

At no time then, did the Lord cease sending His People workmen to instruct them, to cultivate His Vineyard, as it were? When He first cultivated His People through the Patriarch and later through the teachers of the law and then, through the Prophets and at last, through the Apostles, He laboured at the cultivation of His Vineyard, as if by His workmen. Everyone though, who has the right faith with good works, in whatever capacity or measure, is a workman in His Vineyard.” – St Gregory the Great (540-604) Pope, Father & Doctor of the Church (Sermons on the Gospel No 19).

PRAYER – From all perils of soul and body, defend us, O Lord, we beseech Thee and by the intercession of blessed and gloriosus ever Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of blessed Joseph, of Thy blessed Apostles Peter and Paul and all the Saints, graciously grant us safety and peace that all adversities and errors being overcome, Thy Church may serve Thee in security and freedom. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, MARIAN TITLES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The RESURRECTION, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 15 February – “I will utter things hidden, from the foundation of the world.” – Matthew 13:35

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One Minute Reflection – 15 February – “The Month of the Blessed Trinity” – Epiphany VI (Anticipated) – Feast of The Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners – 1 Thessalonians 1:2-10; – Matthew 13:31-35 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“I will utter things hidden, from the foundation of the world.” – Matthew 13:35

REFLECTION – “In one of the Psalms the Prophet says: “My soul pines for Thy salvation; I hope in Thy Word” (118:1) … Who is expressing this ardent desire if not “the chosen race, the royal priesthood, the people set apart for God” (1 Pt 2:9) each in their own day, in each one of those, who have lived, are living or will live, from humanity’s first beginning until the end of the world? … This is why our Lord Himself, says to His disciples: “Many Prophets and righteous men have wished to see that which you see.” It is their voice, then, we must recognise in this Psalm … Their longing has never come to an end in the Saints, nor does it end even now in “the Body of Christ, the Church” (Col 1:18) until “the Desired of all nations” comes (Hag 2:8) …

So, the beginning of the Church’s era, before the Virgin had given birth, comprised Saints who longed to see Christ’s coming in the flesh and, the period where we are now, following the Ascension, comprises other Saints who long to see the revealing of Christ to judge the living and the dead. From the beginning to the end of time, the Church’s longing has never lost its intensity, excepting only, when our Lord was alive on earth in the company of His disciples.” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop of Hippo, Father and Doctor of Grace (Discourses on the Psalms Ps 118 No 20).

PRAYER – O God most kind, Who as a salvation for sinners and a refuge for the miserable, didst will the Blessed Virgin Mary to be the Ever Virgin Mother of Thine only Son and the distributor of His graces; grant, we pray, that while celebrating the memory of this most loving Mother’s Heart, we may obtain for sinners, the grace of conversion and an abundance of heavenly gifts, for all the faithful. Through the same Christ our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God forever amen. (Collect).

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 13 February – ‘ … Is there not anything in you which another has to bear?’

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One Minute Reflection – 13 February – “The Month of the Blessed Trinity” – Ferial Day – Colossians 3:12-17 – Matthew 13:24-30 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

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

REFLECTION – “When that which is corruptible in us, clothes itself with incorruptibility and that which is mortal, clothes itself in immortality” (1 Cor 15:54), then there will be perfect sweetness, perfect rejoicing, endless praise and love without fear. … And here below? Do we not enjoy any kind of joy? … Certainly we find joy here below; here we taste in hope, of the life to come, a joy which will satisfy us completely in Heaven.

However, the wheat has much to bear in the midst of the darnel. The seed is mixed up with the straw and the lily grows among the thorns. … And indeed, what is it that was spoken to the Church? “As a lily among thorns, so is my beloved among my maidens” (Sg 2:2). It said, “Among my maidens” and not among foreigners. O Lord, what are the consolations Thou gives us? What the comfort? Or rather, what the alarm? Art Thou calling Thy own maidens “thorns”? By their behaviour, they are thorns, He answers but maidens through My Sacraments. …

But where is the Christian to take refuge then, if he is not to groan in the midst of false brethren? Where is he to go? What is he to do? Is he to fly away to the desert? Occasions for falling will follow him. Will he, who is doing so well, separate himself, to the extent, of not putting up with a single one of his confreres? What about him, then? Supposing nobody was able to put up with him, before his conversion? … So if, under the pretext of making progress, he cannot bear with anyone else, by this very fact, it is clear, he has not progressed as yet. Pay careful attention to these words – “Bear with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph 4:2-3). Is there not anything in you which another has to bear?” – St Augustine (354=430) Father & Doctor of Grace (Discourses on the Psalm Ps 99:8-9).

PRAYER – King of Heaven and earth, Lord God, rule over our hearts and bodies this day. Sanctify us and guide our every thought, word and deed according to the commandments of Thy law, so that now and forever, Thy grace may free and save us. Teach us Lord to walk in the ways of the Cross of Thy Son, our Saviour, longing for and rejoicing always in our heavenly home. Through the same Christ our Lord, with the Holy Ghost, God, forever, amen. (Collect)

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEBRUARY - THE BLESSED TRINITY (Traditional), IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN QUOTES, MOTHER of GOD, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY

Quote/s of the Day – 11 February – “I am the Immaculate Conception”

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Quote/s of the Day – 11 February – Apparition of the Immaculate Conception, the Blessed Virgin Mary at Lourdes

“I am the Immaculate Conception”

Our Lady to St Bernadette
at Lourdes on 25 March 1858

“Gracious Lady,
thou art a Mother and Virgin,
thou art the Mother
of the body and soul
of our Head and Redeemer,
thou art too, truly Mother
of all the members of Christ’s Mystical Body.
For through thy love,
thou hast co-operated
in the begetting of the faithful in the Church.
Unique among women,
thou art Mother and Virgin,
Mother of Christ and Virgin of Christ.
Thou art the beauty and charm of earth, O Virgin.
Thou art, forever, the image of the holy Church.
Through a woman came death,
through a woman came Life,
yes, through thee, O Mother of God.“

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

“You have guarded the integrity
of the temple [of your body];
you have kept your tabernacle free from all sin,
so that the Father becomes your guest,
the Holy Ghost overshadows you
and the Only-begotten Son Incarnate
is born of you.”

St Hesychius of Jerusalem (Died c450)
Priest, Exegete, Father

NVIOLATA!
INVIOLATE!
Unknown Author
(11th Century)

Thou art inviolate, undefiled
and chaste, O Mary.
Thou has become the resplendent
Gate of Heaven,
O loving and dearest Mother of Christ,
Accept our devout acclamations
in praise of thee.
That our minds and bodies
may be pure,
Devoted hearts and lips
now implore thee.
Through thy sweet sounding prayers,
Gain us pardon forever.
O kind one, who alone
didst remain inviolate.
Amen

The Hymn Inviolata has been claimed by the Carmelite Order, as a Traditional Hymn originating within their ranks. The Hymn is also used by Dominican Friars in the chanting of Compline. Its origins trace to the 11th Century. It appears in Hymnals from 1860 to 1920.

O Purest of Creatures,
Sweet Mother, Sweet Maid
By Fr Frederick W Faber C.Orat. (1814-1863)

O Purest of creatures, sweet Mother, sweet maid,
The one spotless womb wherein Jesus was laid!
Dark night hath come down on us, Mother! and we
Look out for thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

Deep night hath come down on this rough-spoken world,
And the banners of darkness are boldly unfurled;
And the tempest-tossed Church,—
all her eyes are on thee;
They look to thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

He gazed on thy soul, it was spotless and fair,
For the empire of sin—it had never been there;
None ever had owned thee, dear Mother but He.
And He blest thy clear shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

Earth gave Him one lodging; t’was deep in thy breast,
And God found a home where the sinner finds rest;
His home and His hiding-place, both were in thee,
He was won by thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

Posted in CHRIST the JUDGE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on JUDGING, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 9 February – “Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?” – Matthew 13:27

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One Minute Reflection – 9 February – St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) “The Pillar of Faith” “Doctor of the Incarnation,” Bishop,Confessor, Father and Doctor, of the Church – Colossians 3:12-17 – Matthew 13,24-30 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?” – Matthew 13:27

REFLECTION – “It is not only sheep who abide in the Church, nor do only clean birds fly there to and fro. But amongst the grain other seed is sown, for “amidst the neat grain-fields, burrs and weeds and barren oats, lord it in the land” (Virgil’s Georgics). What is the farmhand to do? Root up the darnel? In that case the whole harvest is destroyed, along with it!

Everyday the farmer diligently drives away the birds, by making a noise or by frightening them with scarecrows … Nevertheless, he suffers from the raids of nimble roes or the wantonness of wild asses; on the one hand, rodents convey the grain to their underground barns, on the other, ants, in a moving column, ravage the crop. This is how things are! No-one who has land is free from care.

While the Householder slept, the enemy sowed tares; when the servants hastened to root them up, the Master prevented them, reserving for Himself the separation of wheat and chaff. … No-one, before the Day of Judgement, can take Christ’s winnowing fan in hand, no-one can pass judgement on another, whoever they might be.” – St Jerome (343-420) Priest, Translator of Sacred Scripture, Father & Doctor of the Church (The Dialogue against the Luciferians).

PRAYER – King of heaven and earth, Lord God, rule over our hearts and bodies this day. Sanctify us and guide our every thought, word and deed according to the commandments of Your law, so that now and forever, Your grace may free and save us. Teach us Lord to walk in the ways of the Cross of Your Son, our Saviour, longing for and rejoicing always in our heavenly home as St Cyril of Alexandria so lovingly and willingly inspires us to do. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God, forever, amen. (Collect)

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on WATCHING, St PAUL!, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 February – Blessed are those servants, whom the Master, on His return, shall find watching.

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One Minute Reflection – 8 February – “The Month of the Blessed Trinity” –St John of Matha (1160-1213) Confessor, Priest, Founder – Sirach 31:8-11; Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Blessed are those servants, whom the Master, on His return, shall find watching.” – Luke 12:37

REFLECTION – “Our Lord spoke these words, recorded by the Gospel, to clarify the function of the servants, He had set at the head of His people: “Who is the faithful and prudent Steward Whom the Master will put in charge of His servants, to distribute the food allowance, at the proper time? Blessed is that servant, whom his Master, on arrival, finds doing so” Who is that Steward, my friends? Undoubtedly, it is Christ, Who said to His disciples: “You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master’ and rightly so, for indeed I Am” (Jn 13:13). And what is that Master’s Household? Surely the one which our Lord Himself Redeemed from the hands of the enemy and took to Himself. This Household is the Holy and Universal Church, spreading with remarkable fecundity throughout the world and priding itself on having been redeemed at the price of His Blood…

But who is the faithful and wise steward? The Apostle Paul shows us when he says – speaking of himself and his companions – “One should regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the Mysteries of God. Now, it is of course required of stewards that they be found trustworthy” (1 Cor 4:1-2). And lest any of you should think that only the Apostles became stewards or, lest some lazy and unfaithful servant should abandon the spiritual combat and fall asleep, the holy Apostle demonstrates that Bishops are just as much stewards, too: “As God’s steward” he says, “a Bishop must be irreproachable” (Tim 1:7). Therefore, we are servants of the Householder, stewards of our Lord and, it is we, who have received the measure of wheat, to be distributed among you.” – St Fulgentius of Ruspe (c462-533) Bishop and Father of the Church (Sermon 1)

PRAYER – O God, Who graciously and by Divine means founded, through blessed John, the Order of the Most Holy Trinity to ransom captives from the hands of the Saracens, grant, we beseech Thee that through Thy help and the merits of his prayers, we may be freed body and soul from captivity. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CONFESSION/PENANCE, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on TIME, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 1 February – St Ignatius of Antioch

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Quote/s of the Day – 1 February – – St Ignatius of Antioch (c35 – c107) Martyr, Bishop of Antioch, Apostolic Father of the Church

“It is impossible for a man to be freed
from the habit of sin,
before he hates it, just as it is impossible
to receive forgiveness,
before confessing his trespasses.”

“Take heed, often, to come together,
to give thanks to God
and show forth His praise.
For when you assemble frequently,
in the same place,
the powers of Satan are destroyed
and the destruction at which he aims,
is prevented, by the unity of your faith.”

“A Christian is not his own master,
since all his time belongs to God.”

“I would rather die and come to Jesus Christ
than be king over the entire earth.
Him I seek, Who Died for us;
Him I love, Who Rose again because of us.”

“Pray without ceasing
on behalf of other men…
For cannot he who falls
rise again?”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/02/01/quote-s-of-the-day-1-february-st-ignatius-of-antioch-2/

St Ignatius of Antioch (c35–c107)
Bishop, Martyr, Apostolic Father

Posted in Meditations on the HIDDEN LIFE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS

Thought for the Day – 30 January – Meditation 6: The Occupation of the Heart of Jesus in the Hidden Life

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Thought for the Day – 30 January – Meditations on the Hidden Life: From the 1906 Edition of The Heart of Jesus of Nazareth; it has the Imprimatur of Bishop John Baptist Butt, Diocese of Southwark, England, 5 February 1890. Author’s name known simply as Author of “The Voice of the Sacred Heart.” 
(We return to Fr Clarke for February with his Meditations on The Great Truths.)

Meditation 6:
The Occupation of the Heart of Jesus in the Hidden Life

We are not at present going to study. in detail. the holy occupations of the Heart of our Lord, reserving such study for future consideration in separate meditations.
We shall find that it affords much assistance, in familiarising us, with the character of the Sacred Heart, its love, its sufferings and its desires. It will enable us also to recognise how full of merit, how conducive to God’s glory and, how helpful to the world at large, is a hidden life, provided it be modelled on the Hidden Life of Jesus.

The exterior life of Nazareth was, as we know, made up of the most ordinary works, the most commonplace actions. During those long years, we find nothing apparently, in due proportion, to the sublime Mission which brought Him down from Heaven.
Yet, He was all the while negotiating the great affair of our Redemption, as truly as when we come to regard Him hanging on the Cross.
Let us penetrate into His Heart and we shall see that it was secretly consumed with Love in the Presence of the Majesty of God, His Father and, since true love is ever active, with what energy must not the Divine Flame have burnt, within that living Furnace of Charity?

It was from this inexhaustible source of Love that His every act emanated and, these have merited the redemption of ten thousand worlds and are pleading, our cause in Heaven. at this moment!

Behold ~ the first great Master of the Divine Apostleship. Behold ~ in Jesus of Nazareth, the first Apostle of Prayer! This was the occupation of His Sacred Heart.
He loved, He adored, He repaired, He prayed, He immolated Himself for the Father’s glory, for the salvation of the universe.
He traced out the Divine plan of His Church, according to the eternal design He had seen in the bosom of the Father and, as each stratagem of His enemy for the defeat of that plan and the overthrow of His Church passed before Him, He devised the infallible means by which the evil influence should be counteracted and, the cause of good, should triumph.

Of what importance was it that the Hands of Jesus did but plane wood in a carpenter’s shop whilst His Heart was thus incessantly and divinely occupied? Could there really be monotony in such a Life as this? Whatever may have been its exterior, the interior of that Life was the most sublime which can be imagined.

Sublime also is the hidden life of those who have learnt to imitate Him, whose hearts, like His, are wholly occupied, as far as they can be in this life, with the interests of God and of souls; a life indeed which the wise ones of this world despise – which materialists scorn as useless. But in the great day of revelation, they will be forced to exclaim: “We fools esteemed their life madness and their end without honour; behold how they are numbered among the children of God and their lot is among the Saints.”

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, ONE Minute REFLECTION, OUR Cross, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HOLY CROSS, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The REDEMPTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 21 January – ‘ … Keep going, persevere, bear and accept this delay and you have carried His Cross!’ … – (Matthew 25:10)

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One Minute Reflection – 21 January – “The Month of the Holy Name of Jesus and the Holy Family” – St Agnes (c 291- c 304) Virgin and Martyr – Ecclesiasticus 51:1-8, 12; Matthew 25:1-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“ … The Bridegroom came and they, who were ready, went in with Him … ” – Matthew 25:10

REFLECTION – “In this world, which is to say, in the Church, wholly following Christ, He says to all of us: “Whoever wishes to come after Me must deny himself.” This command is not being directed to virgins but not married women, to widows but not wives, to Monks but not husbands, to Priests but not laity. It is the whole Church, the whole Body of Christ with all its members, differentiated and divided according to their proper functions which is, to follow Christ. May she wholly follow Him, she who is one alone, the dove, the bride (Sg 6:9); may she follow Him, she who has been redeemed and endowed with the Blood of her Bridegroom. Virginal purity has its place here; the continence of widows has its place here; wedded chastity has its place here…

These members who have their place here should follow Christ, each according to their category, each according to their status, each after its fashion. Let them deny themselves, that is to say, let them not rely on themselves. Let them carry their cross that is to say, bear, for Christ’s sake in the world, all that the world inflicts on them. May they love Him, He, the Only One, Who never deceives or is deceived, the Only One ,Who is not mistaken. May they love Him because, what He promises is true. Yet because, He does not give it to us now, our faith falters. Keep going, persevere, bear and accept this delay and you have carried His Cross!” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (Sermon 96:9)

PRAYER – Almighty, eternal God, Thou Who choose the weak things of the world to confound the strong, mercifully grant that we, who are celebrating the feast of blessed Agnes, Thy Virgin and Martyr, may reap the benefit ofher patronal intercession with Thee. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HERESY, QUOTES on REASON/INTELLECT, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE WORLD, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 17 January – St Anthony Abbot

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Quote/s of the Day – 17 January – St Anthony Abbot (251-356)

“Do not have a single thing to do
with schismatics and absolutely
nothing with heretics …”

“Men are often incorrectly called intelligent.
Intelligent men are not those who are erudite
in the sayings and books of the wise men of old
but those, who have an intelligent soul
and can discriminate between good and evil.
They avoid what is sinful and harms the soul
and, with deep gratitude to God,
they resolutely adhere, by dint of practice,
to what is good and benefits the soul.
These men alone, should truly,
be called intelligent.”

“Whoever has not experienced temptation
cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Without temptations, no-one can be saved!”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/01/17/quote-s-of-the-day-17-january-st-anthony-abbot-3/

St Anthony Abbot (251-356)

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on the CHURCH, THE EPIPHANY of the LORD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 10 January – Thy Light is Come!”

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One Minute Reflection – 10 January – “The Month of the Holy Name of Jesus and the Holy Family” – Within the Octave– Isaias 60:1-6; Matthew 2:1-12 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Arise, be enlightened,Jerusalem, for thy Light is Come!” – Isaias 60:1

REFLECTION – “Arise, be enlightened Jerusalem, for thy Light is Come!” (Is 60:1). Blessed is the Light Who has “come in the Name of the Lord.” “The Lord is God and has shone upon us” (Ps 117:26-27). In virtue of it this day too, you are sanctified by the enlightening of the Church. Thanks be to Thee, true Light, Thou Who “enlighten every man coming into this world” (Jn 1:9), Thou Who, for this very purpose, hast Come into this world as a Man. Jerusalem has been enlightened, our mother (Gal 4:26), mother of all those who have deserved to be enlightened, so that she now shines upon all who are in the world. Thanks be to Thee, true Light, Thou Who hast become a Lamp to enlighten Jerusalem and to make God’s Word “a Lamp for my feet” (Ps 117:105) … For not only has the Church been enlightened: it has been “raised aloft on a candlestick” one all of gold (Mt 5:15; Ex 25:31) . The city sits on the mountain of mountains (cf Mt 5:14) … so that its Gospel may shine out far and wide, as far and as wide as the world’s empire spreads.

O God, Thou Who give Light to all nations, of Thee we will sing: “Behold, the Lord will Come and enlighten the eyes of His servants” (cf Jude 14). Behold, Thou hast Come, my Light: “Enlighten my eyes, that I may never fall asleep in death” (Ps 12:4) … Thou hast Come, O Light of the faithful and behold, Thou hast granted us today, to rejoice at the enlightening of faith, that is, of our Lamp. Grant us too, to rejoice always at the enlightening of the darkness which remains in us …

This is the way in which you should advance, O faithful soul, in order that you may cast off the darkness of this world and arrive at your home country of eternal brightness, where “your darkness will be like midday” (Is 58:10) and “night will be lit up like day” (Ps 138:12). Then indeed, then “you will see and be radiant, your heart will thrill and rejoice” (Is 60;5), when the whole earth is filled with the majesty of unbounded Light and “His glory is seen in you” (Is 60:2) … “Come and let us walk in the Light of the Lord!” (Is 2:5); as “children of Light” let us walk “from brightness to brightness, as led by the Lord” (2 Cor 3:18).” – Blessed Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot (3rd Sermon for Epiphany).

PRAYER – O God, Thou Who by the guidance of a star this day revealed Thy Only-begotten Son to the Gentiles, mercifully grant that we, who know Thee now by faith, may come to behold Thee in glory. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The DIVINE INFANT, THE EPIPHANY of the LORD, The HOLY INFANCY

Thought for the Day – 6 January – “The Epiphany”

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Thought for the Day – 6 January – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations for Christmastide –
“The Holy Infancy”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

“The Epiphany”

+1. The Sun of Justice Who rose on Christmas morn did not shine on the Jews only. The Light Who shone upon the rejoicing earth was a Light Who was to enlighten the Gentiles as well as to be the glory of the people of Israel. The Feast of the Epiphany was the declaration of the
world-wide dominion of the new-born King. It
proclaimed that the kingdoms of this world were
to be the Kingdoms of the Lord and of His Christ.
Rejoice with the Infant King in His universal Sovereignty , and pray that His Kingdom may speedily be acknowledged by all His subjects.

+2. Those who came to visit Jesus on the Epiphany were three Kings. They came as the representatives of all earthly monarchies. They came to do homage and to adore the universal King of the whole earth. What a shadow of a shade is all temporal dominion, compared with the dominion of Jesus! What unlimited homage we all owe Him! How we should rejoice to acknowledge Him our King and Lord, by our loyal obedience to Him!

+3. This festival is especially the festival of converts. Our ancestors were once pagans until the Vicar of Christ sent to our beloved country, the apostle who proclaimed to us the Faith of Christ This Faith in many lands, has faded now and mockery sits on Juda’s throne.
Alas, to think that those who had the inheritance of the
Faith have lost it
How can I ever be grateful enough for the Light Who shines on me!

Posted in ADVENT REFLECTIONS, Meditations for ADVENT, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE

Thought for the Day – 6 December – The Golden Thread

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Thought for the Day – 6 December – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Meditations for Advent
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

The Golden Thread

+1. All through the long ages which elapsed from the promise to the Coming of the Redeemer, a Golden Thread of Light from Heaven ran across their darkness.
In the chosen people of Israel, there ever prevailed a strong conviction of the Coming of a Saviour, Who was to deliver His people from all sin and evil. It was handed down from generation to generation and was, again and again, renewed by the inspired declarations of the Prophets of Israel. Thus God, in His Mercy, never leaves Himself without a witness, to reveal to men of goodwill, the message of hope.

+2. So through all the centuries which have passed since the Coming of Our Lord, the Catholic Church has been the Golden Thread of Light amid the darkness of heresy and heathendom.
What a bright and glorious Thread! What a contrast to all around! How it has, through God’s Mercy , enlightened my life! How can I ever thank God sufficiently for, led by its Divine Light, I am travelling on in peace and safety to the heavenly Jerusalem!

+3. So too, there runs through the life of all those who are to attain at last to the eternal happiness of Heaven, a Golden Thread which never wholly disappears, even though their steps may wander far from the right path.
Sometimes, it is kindness to the poor; sometimes, devotion to the holy souls; very often it is a reverence to the holy Mother of God which thus runs through the whole of life.
In my life God has interwoven some such thread. Do I follow it with grateful perseverance?

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on the CHURCH, St PETER!, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 November – “Upon this rock I will build My Church” – Matthew 16:18

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One Minute Reflection – 23 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – St Clement I – Papacy (c88–c101) Pope Martyr, Apostolic Father. – Philippians 3:17-21; 4:1-3; Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Upon this rock I will build My Church” – Matthew 16:18

REFLECTION – “Brothers, when it comes to fulfilling my duties as Bishop, I discover that I am weak and slack, weighed down by the weakness of my own condition, while at the same time, I want to act generously and courageously. However, I draw my strength from the untiring intercession of the almighty and eternal Priest, Who, like us but equal to the Father, lowered His Divinity to the level of man and raised humankind to the level of God. The decisions He made, give me a just and holy joy. For, when He delegated many shepherds to care for His flock, He did not abandon watching over His beloved sheep. Thanks to that fundamental and eternal assistance, I in turn, have received the protection and support of the Apostle Peter, who also does not abandon his function. This solid foundation, on which the whole of the Church is built, never grows tired of carrying the whole weight, of the building which rests on it.

The firmness of faith, for which the first of the Apostles was praised, never fails. Just as everything which Peter professed in Christ remains, so that which Christ established in Peter, remains … The order willed by God’s Truth remains. Saint Peter perseveres in the solidity which he received; he has not abandoned the governance of the Church which was placed in his hands. That, my brothers, is what that profession of faith, inspired by God the Father, obtained in the heart of the Apostle. He received the solidity of a rock which no assault can shake. In the entire Church, Peter says everyday: “Thou art the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” – St Leo the Great (400-461) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon on the anniversary of his Consecration as Bishop).

PRAYER – Look forgivingly on Thy flock, Eternal Shepherd and keep it in Thy constant protection, by the intercession of blessed Clement Thy Martyr and Sovereign Pontiff, whom Thou didst constitute Shepherd of the whole Church. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, QUOTES on the CHURCH, St PAUL!, St PETER!

Quote/s of the Day – 18 November – Feast of the Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul

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Quote/s of the Day – 18 November – Feast of the Dedication of the Basilicas ofSts Peter and Paul

“The sepulchres of those,
who have served Christ Crucified,
surpass the palaces of kings,
not so much in the greatness and beauty of the buildings (although in this too, they go beyond them)
as in another thing of more importance,
namely, in the multitude of those who,
with devotion and joy, repair to them.
For the emperor himself, who is clothed in purple,
goes to the sepulchres of the Saints
and kisses them and, humbly prostrate on the ground, beseeches the same Saints to pray to God for him
and he, who wears a royal crown upon his head,
holds it, as a great favour of God
that a tent-maker and a fisherman
and these dead, should be his protectors and defenders
and this he begs with great earnestness.”

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

“We do not build Churches to Martyrs as to gods
but memories as to men, departed this life,
whose souls live with God.
Nor do we erect Altars to sacrifice on them
to the Martyr but to the God
of the Martyr and our God.”

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