Category: QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on MORALS, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL

Thought for the Day – 16 November – Evil Literature

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

Evil Literature

“As far back as 1886, Pope Leo XIII in his Encyclical, Pergrata Nobis, deplored the extent to which evil literature was perverting morals and insidiously attacking the Faith.
Elsewhere, he wrote: “Everyday we see new falsehood emerging with unbelievable audacity, both in large volumes and in pamphlets, periodicals and in newspapers of every kind” (AL 1883 p 262).
“The yellow press is like a poison which diffuses itself everywhere” (AL1893, p 340).
“The enemies of the Church employ it as the most powerful weapon with which to combat Her.
Their evil and disturbing publications are, unfortunately, restrained, neither by law, nor by public opinion” (AL 1882)
“We perceive, with the utmost sorrow, books and newspapers, which seem to have been compiled in order to sneer at virtue and exalt the vilest indecencies” (AL 1888 p 396).

The solemn warning of Leo XIII, has been repeated over and over again by his successors.
His Holiness, Pope Pius XII, went so far as to declare that today, the propagation of evil has been turned into an industry.
The unhealthy curiosity of a great many people, especially of the young, is exploited in order to sell indecent publications, which are devoid of any literary value.

In every bookstall are displayed, gaudy magazies which attrract the eye of the passer-by.
If he is already the victim of vicious habits, he is provided with a further incentive towards evil, or, if he is young and innocent, the dangerous disturbance which he experiences, may be the beginning of an ultimate surrender to his lower instincts.

Since it is obvious, therefore, that the printing press has become one of the most powerful means of diffusing good and evil among individuals and families, let us examine our own attitude towards it.
What kind of books and newspapers do we read?
Do we support good or evil literature?
Our reading, like our friends, shows what we are.
If we read worldly, frivolous, or even evil publications, we are injected, perhaps unconsciously, with a subtle spiritual poison.
The results may be disastrous!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, EUCHARISTIC, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, MARIAN QUOTES, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 16 November – St Gertrude the Great

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Quote/s of the Day – 16 November – The Memorial of St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302)

“Bodily and spiritual affliction
are the surest sign
of Divine predilection.”

“Gratitude for suffering
is a precious jewel
for our heavenly crown…
Man should always firmly believe,
that God sends just that trial
which is most beneficial for him.”

“Every time we look
at the Blessed Sacrament,
our place in Heaven
is raised forever.”

“Angels constantly guard
the clients of the Blessed Virgin
from the assaults of Hell.”

St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302)

MOR HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2017/11/16/quote-s-of-the-day-16-november-the-memorial-of-st-gertrude-the-great-1256-1302/

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on BAD CONVERSATION, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL

Thought for the Day – 15 November – Conversation with God and with Men

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Thought for the Day – 15 November – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Conversation with God and with Men

“Let us recall again the sentence in which The Imitation of Christ paraphrases an idea of Seneca (Epistulae morales ad Lucilinum, 7) “As often as I habe been amopngst men, I have returned less a man” (Bk 1 cj XX, v 2).
The writer goes onto explain what he means by this, “It is easier to keep silence altogether, than not to fall into excess in speaking. No man can safely speak but he who loves silence!” IIbid).

We have all experienced how true it is that when we are frequently in the company of others, we become easily absorbed in matters which are spiritually advantageous, neither to ourselves, nor to our neighbour.
If the people with whom we associate were holy, this would not happen.
It is always edifying to hold conversation with a Saint.
After such a conversation, we go away better Christians than we were beforehand.
“Nobody,” writes Tertullian, “is wiser, more faithful and nobler, than the Christian” (De Praescriptione Haereticorum, 3).

Unfortunately, Saints are rare, whereas evil men are common and idle and foolish men more common still.
“Walk with wise men and you will become wise but the companion of fools, will fare badly” (Prov 13:20).

This does not mean that we should all become hermits, for that is a lofty vocation to which only a few are called.
But, it remains true, that constant chatter with other men is both a waste of time and harmful.
So-called society life is dissipating and disedifying.

Converse with men, when it is necessary, when it is useful and when it is polite to do so.
At such times, let your speech be simple and good and your behaviour edifying.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in "Follow Me", MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on VIRTUE

Thought for the Day – 14 November – Good Example

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Thought for the Day – 14 November – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Good Example

“The Saints achieved a great deal by preaching and by conversation but, they achieved far more by good example.
The spiritual power of personality touched even the most hardened sinners.

It is said of St Romuald, that everyone who visited him, experienced great interior happiness.
His appearance alone was enough to cheer them!
He was so detached from himself and from the things of the world and, so absorbed in God, that he was always smiling.

The Cure d’Ars, too, converted more people by the unseen impact of his personal holiness, than by the simple sermons which he delivered to the crowds gathered about him.

Unfortunately, quite the opposite influence is exerted by hardened sinners and by self-centred worldlings and, even greater damage is done by those who are immersed in soul-destroying sensuality.
The latter exhale the breath of death and the familiarity of their friendship, perverts and corrupts those, with whom they come in contact.

Examine your behaviour at home and in society, for it affects, not only your own spiritual welfare but, that of your neighbour as well.
Good example is the most effective sermon and it is a sermon, which all of us can and should deliver!

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the HIGH PRIEST, CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the KING, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, MARIAN PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on TRUTH, QUOTES on WORRY/ANXIETY, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The PASSION

Quote/s of the Day – 13 November – St Augustine

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Quote/s of the Day – 13 November – The Memorial of All Saints of the Augustinian Order and the Anniversary of the Birth of St Augustine (354-430)

“Man’s Maker was made man,
that He, Ruler of the stars,
might nurse at His mother’s breast,
that the Bread might hunger,
the Fountain thirst,
the Light sleep,
the Way be tired on its journey,
that the Truth might be accused of false witness,
the Teacher be beaten with whips,
the Foundation be suspended on wood,
that Strength might grow weak,
that the Healer might be wounded,
that Life might die.”

“Faith gives rise to prayer
and this prayer obtains
an increase of faith.”

“Pray as though everything
depended on God.
Work as though everything
depended on you.”

“Our pilgrimage on earth
cannot be exempt from trial.
We progress by means of trial.
No-one knows himself except through trial,
or receives a crown,
except after victory,
or strives,
except against an enemy or temptations.”

“Do you desire security?
Here you have it.
The Lord says to you, “I will never abandon you,
I will always be with you.”
If a good man made you such a promise,
you would trust him.
God makes it and do you doubt?
Do you seek a support, more sure
than the Word of God, which is infallible?
Surely, He has made the promise,
He has written it,
He has pledged His Word for it, it is most certain!”

“If you believe what you like in the Gospels
and reject what you don’t like,
it is not the Gospel you believe
but yourself.”

“Wherever you are on earth,
however long you remain on earth,
the Lord is near,
do not be anxious about anything!”

Gracious Lady, Mother and Virgin
By St Augustine (354-430)
Doctor of Grace

Gracious Lady,
you are a Mother and Virgin.
You are the Mother of the body and soul
of our Head and Redeemer.
You are also truly Mother
of all the members
of Christ’s Mystical Body.
For through your love,
you have co-operated
in the begetting of the faithful in the Church.
Unique among women,
you are Mother and Virgin,
Mother of Christ and Virgin of Christ.
You are the beauty and charm of earth, O Virgin.
You are forever, the image of the holy Church.
Through a woman came death,
through a woman came life,
yes, through you, O Mother of God.
Be with us through this life.
Amen

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

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN QUOTES, QUOTES on HERESY, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on TIME

Quote/s of the Day – 9 November – The Church

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Quote/s of the Day – 9 November – Feast Dedication of The Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour in the Lateran – Gospel: John 2:13-22

“Zeal for your house will consume me.”

John 2:17

“Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?
How then has it weeds?”

Matthew 13:27

“We … are under an obligation
to be the light of the world
by the modesty of our behaviour,
the fervour of our charity,
the innocence of our lives
and the example of our virtues.
Thus shall we be able
to raise the lowered prestige
of the Catholic Church
and, to build up again,
the ruins that others by their vices have caused.
Others, by their wickedness,
have branded the Catholic Faith
with a mark of shame,
we must strive,
with all our strength, to cleanse it
from its ignominy
and to restore it
to its pristine glory!”

St Robert Southwell SJ (1561-1595)
Priest and Martyr

“…The great movement of apostasy being organised in every country for the establishment of a One-World Church which shall have neither dogmas, nor hierarchy, neither discipline for the mind, nor curb for the passions and which, under the pretext of freedom and human dignity, would bring back to the world (if such a Church could overcome) the reign of legalised cunning and force and the oppression of the weak and of all those who toil and suffer. […] Indeed, the true friends of the people are neither revolutionaries, nor innovators – they are traditionalists.”

“Truly we are passing through disastrous times,
when we may well make our own,
the lamentation of the Prophet:
“There is no truth,and there is no mercy
and there is no knowledge of God in the land” (Hosea 4:1).
Yet in the midst of this tide of evil,
the Virgin Most Merciful rises before our eyes
like a rainbow, as the arbiter of peace
between God and man.”

St Pius X (1835-1914)

Posted in ACT of CONTRITION, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOMINICAN OP, I BELIEVE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL

Our Morning Offering – 3 November – Heal Us Lord God

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Our Morning Offering – 3 November – “Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory”

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

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

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on BAD CONVERSATION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL

Our Morning Offering – 29 October – O Lord, Have Mercy upon Me, a Sinner

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Our Morning Offering – 29 October

O Lord,
Have Mercy upon Me, a Sinner
By St Wulfstan (c 1008–1095)
Bishop of Worcester

O Lord,
have mercy upon me, a sinner.
Establish my heart in Your will.
Grant me true repentance for my sins,
give a right faith
and true charity,
patience in adversity
and moderation in prosperity.
Help me and all my friends and family,
all who ask for and trust in my prayers.
Show mercy to all who have done me good
and helped me to the knowledge of good
and grant everlasting forgiveness
to all who have spoken or thought
evil against me.
To You, my God and to all Your holy ones,
be praise and glory forever,
for all the benefits which You have granted me
and for all Your mercy,
shown to me, a sinner.
Amen

St Wulfstan’s life here:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/01/19/saint-of-the-day-19-january-saint-wulfstan-c-1008-1095/

Posted in CHRIST the KING, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on CREATION, QUOTES on EDUCATION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on WISDOM, SAINT of the DAY, The PASSION

Quote/s of the Day – 26 October – St Alfred the Great

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Quote/s of the Day – 26 October – The Memorial of St Alfred the Great (849-899) King

“For in prosperity,
a man is often puffed up with pride,
whereas tribulations chastens
and humbles him through suffering and sorrow.
In the midst of prosperity,
the mind is elated,
and in prosperity.
a man forgets himself.
In hardship, he is forced to reflect on himself,
even though he be unwilling.
In prosperity, a man often destroys
the good he has done.
Amidst difficulties,
he often repairs what he long since did
in the way of wickedness.”

“He seemed to me,
a very foolish man
and very wretched,
who will not increase
his understanding
while he is in the world
and ever with
and long to reach
that endless life,
where all shall be made clear.”

“The saddest thing about any man,
is that he be ignorant
and the most exciting thing.
is that he knows it!”

“Ah, what shall I be at fifty,
should nature keep me alive,
if I find the world so bitter
when I am but twenty-five?”

“One God, one law, one element,
And one far-off divine event,
To which the whole creation moves.”

St Alfred the Great (849-899)
King

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE, The LORD'S PRAYER

Thought for the Day – 25 October – “Lead Us Not Into Temptation”

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Thought for the Day – 25 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
“Lead Us Not Into Temptation”

“Life is a prolonged trial.
St Paul compares it to a stadium in which everyone must fight to win.
If anyone lays down his arms, he will be unable to conquer his passions or to achieve the palm of victory.
“One who enters a contest, is not crowned, unless he has competed according to the rules ” (2 Tim 2:5).

With the exception of the Blessed Virgin, every human being is obliged to battle against the temptations of the flesh.
Sometimes, these can be quite terrifying.
St Paul himself confessed that he felt another law in his members, warning against the law of his mind.
“Unhappy man that I am!” he exdclaimed in supplication to God to come to his assistance.
“Who will deliver me from the body of this death?” (Rom 7:24).

The false enchantment and the wickedness of the world, also threatens to ensnare us.
“We know that we are of God and the whole world is in the power of the evil one” (1 Jn 5:19).
It is easy to become absorbed in worldly affairs and to forget the all-important spiritual realities.

Finally, there is the devil, whom St Peter describes as wandering about “seeking someone to devour.” Resist him, he urges us, “steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same suffering befalls your brethren all over the world ” (Cf 1 Peter 5:9).

Faced as we are, with these three foes, we should implore God to help us by His grace.
Lead us not into temptation, O God but help us to conquer these enemies.
Without You, we can do nothing but with Your aid, all is possible.
Lead us not into temptation!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/10/24/thought-for-the-day-24-october-lead-us-not-into-temptation/

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 25 October – ‘Who were these, except people bent over themselves?’

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One Minute Reflection – 25 October – “Month of the Holy Rosary” – Readings: Romans 8: 12-17; Psalm 68: 2, 4, 6-7ab, 20-21; Luke 13: 10-17

“But the leader of the synagogue, indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath, said to the crowd in reply, “There are six days when work should be done. Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day.” – Luke 13:14

REFLECTION – “The whole human race, like this woman, was bent over and bowed down to the ground. Someone already understands these enemies. He cries out against them and says to God, “They have bowed my soul down.” The devil and his angels have bowed the souls of men and women down to the ground. He has bent them forward to be intent on temporary and earthly things and has stopped them from seeking the things that are above.

Since that is what the Lord says about the woman whom Satan had bound for eighteen years, it was now time for her to be released from her bondage on the sabbath day. Quite unjustly, they criticised Him for straightening her up. Who were these, except people bent over themselves? Since they quite failed to understand the very things God had commanded, they regarded them with earthbound hearts. They used to celebrate the sacrament of the sabbath in a literal, material manner and did not notice it’s spiritual meaning.” – St Augustine (354-430) Father, Doctor of Grace (Sermon 162)

PRAYER – Come to help us in our weakness, God of mercy, forgive the sins of Your people and as nothing we can do is worthy in Your sight, save us through the intercession of the Mother of our Lord, Jesus Christ. May the prayers of all your saints be offered to You on our behalf. We make our prayer through Jesus with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.

Posted in CARMELITES, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on BAD CONVERSATION, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HEART, The HOLY NAME, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 22 October – On Pilgrimage

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Quote/s of the Day – 22 October – On Pilgrimage

“Let Your Name, not mine, be praised.
Let Your Work, not mine, be magnified.
Let Your Holy Name be blessed
but let no human praise be given to me.
You are my glory.
You are the joy of my heart.
In You I will glory and rejoice
all the day and for myself
I will glory in nothing but my infirmities. … ”

Thomas `a Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)

The Imitation of Christ – Book 3 Chapter 40

“And like the little grain of mustard seed …
we should set it in the garden of our soul,
all weeds being pulled out
for the better feeding of our faith.
Then shall it grow and …
through the true belief of God’s word …
we shall be well able to command
a great mountain of tribulation
to void from the place
where it stood in our hearts,
whereas with a very feeble faith
and faint, we shall scarcely
be able to remove a little hillock.”

St Thomas More (1478-1535)

“Never listen to those,
who are speaking evil of another
and never say anything evil of anyone,
excepting of yourself
and when you take pleasure in doing this,
you will be advancing rapidly.”

St Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Doctor of the Church

“All our goodness is a loan;
God is the owner;
God works
and His work is God.”

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

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – – 8 October – ‘If it neglects the grace …’

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One Minute Reflection – – 8 October – “Month of the Holy Rosary” – Readings: Joel 1: 13-15; 2: 1-2; Psalm 9: 2-3, 6 & 8-9; Luke 11: 15-26

“When an unclean spirit goes out of someone, it roams through arid regions searching for rest but, finding none, it says, ‘I shall return to my home from which I came…” – Luke 11:24

REFLECTION – “The unclean spirit dwelt in us before we believed, before we came to Christ when our soul was still committing fornication against God and was with its lovers, the demons. Afterward it said, “I will return to my first husband,” and came to Christ, who “created” it from the beginning “in his image.” Necessarily the adulterous spirit gave up his place when it saw the legitimate husband.

Christ received us and our house has been “cleansed” from its former sins. It has been “furnished” with the furnishing of the Sacraments of the faithful, that they who have been initiated know. This house does not deserve to have Christ as its resident immediately, unless its life and conduct are so holy, pure and incapable of being defiled, that it deserves to be the “temple of God.” It should not still be a house but a temple in which God dwells. If it neglects the grace that was received and entangles itself in secular affairs, immediately, that unclean spirit returns and claims the vacant house for itself. “It brings with it seven other spirits more wicked,” so that it may not be able again to be expelled “and the last state of that kind of person is worse than the first.” It would be more tolerable that the soul would not have returned to its first husband once it became a prostitute, than having gone back after confession to her husband, to have become an adulteress again. There is no “fellowship,” as the Apostle says, “between the temple of God and idols,” no “agreement between Christ and Belial.” – Origen of Alexandria (c 185-253) Priest, Theologian, Exegist, Writer, Apologist, Father (Homilies on Exodus, 8)

PRAYER – Lord God and Father, who entrusted the earth to men and each to the other, grant us the grace this day, to see Your Face. Grant us the grace to work faithfully for Your glory, for the salvation of our souls through the light of faith and by the grace which You have given us. We beg the grace of Your love and mercy and the light of love You send with Your Holy Spirit. May the prayers of Mary our Holy Mother, keep us ever in her guiding care. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen.

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 2 October – Our Guardian Angels

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

Our Guardian Angels

“The realisation that our Guardian Angel is always close at hand, should be a warning to us.
It should prevent us from doing anything displeasing to God.
Would we venture to do anything unbecoming in the presence of our Father or Mother, or of anyone for whom we have any regard?
Definitely not and still less, should we dare to perform an evil action in the presence of our Angel, to whom we owe such gratitude and in the presence of God, our Creator, Lord and Redeemer, Who could, at any moment, snap the thread which binds us to life and plunge us into eternity.

Furthermore, when pride convinces us that we are of some importance, let us turn to our Angel and pray for the virtue of humility.
When we begin to seethe with anger and long to utter words which are harsh and injurious, let us ask our Angel to pray on our behalf, for the gift of Christian gentleness.
When the devil fills our minds with impure images and thoughts, let us ask our Angel to beseech God to give us the Christian fortitude to resist temptation and to imitate his angelic purity.

Finally, when tepidity is sapping the vigour of our interior life, let us pray to our Guardian Angel in the hope of obtaining a share in his intimate union with God.

Let us pray the Guardian Angel prayer or at least say:
“My Guardian Angel enlighten me.
My Guardian Angel help me.
My Guardian Angel, protect me.”
Amen.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/10/02/thought-for-the-day-2-october-our-guardian-angels/

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on FRIENDSHIP, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on TIME, The HEART

Quote/s of the Day – 30 September – St Jerome

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Quote/s of the Day – 30 September – The Memorial of St Jerome (347-419) Father and Doctor, “The Man of the Bible”

“The face is the mirror
of the mind
and eyes,
without speaking,
confess the secrets,
of the heart.”

“It is not enough
for us to restrain
from doing evil,
unless,
we shall also
do good.

“Catch, then,
O catch the transient hour!
Improve each moment as it flies!”

“The friendship that can cease,
has never been real.”

“True friendship
ought never to conceal
what it thinks.”

St Jerome (347-420)
Father & Doctor of the Church

MORE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/09/30/quote-s-of-the-day-30-september-st-jerome/

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, DOCTORS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, HOLY SPIRIT, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on the ANTI-christ, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL

Quote/s of the Day – 29 September – St Michael

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Quote/s of the Day – 29 September – Feast of the Dedication of St Michael the Archangel

“Michael is the
Breath of the Redeemer’s Spirit,
Who at the end of the World,
will combat and destroy the antichrist,
as he did Lucifer in the beginning.”

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor Angelicus
Doctor Communis

“Among the Angels in Heaven
none surpasses St Michael in Glory …”

“St Michael has the honourable office
of presenting to Jesus Christ the Judge,
all the souls that depart out of this world
in the grace of God.”

St Alphonsus Maria De Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

Posted in "Follow Me", DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The HEART, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 16 September – ‘Love and do what you will …’

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Quote/s of the Day – 16 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary ” – Readings:Timothy 4: 12-16; Psalm 111: 7-10; Luke 7: 36-50

“Many sins are forgiven her
because she has loved much.”

Luke 7:42

“Whatever you do, do from the heart,
as for the Lord and not for others,
knowing that you will receive
from the Lord
the due payment of the inheritance;
be slaves of the Lord Christ.”

Colossians 3:23-24

“Without love,
there is only faith,
which the devil has.”

“Once for all, then,
a short precept is given you –
Love and do what you will,
whether you hold your peace,
through love, hold your peace;
whether you cry out,
through love cry out;
whether you correct,
through love correct;
whether you spare,
through love do you spare.
Let the root of love be within,
of this root, can nothing spring
but what is good.”

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

“You are rewarded,
not according to your work,
or your time
but according to the measure
of your love.”

St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)
Doctor of the Church

I Will Love and Follow You
By Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)

Oh my Lord,
Let my heart expand in Your love.
Let me learn to know
how sweet it is, to serve You,
how joyful it is, to praise You
and to be absorbed in Your love.
Oh, I am possessed by love
and rise above myself
because of the great fervour I feel,
through Your infinite goodness.
I will sing the canticle of love to You
and I will follow You, my Beloved,
wherever You go
and may my soul never weary of praising you,
rejoicing in Your love.
I will love You more than myself
and myself, only for Your sake.
I will love all others in You
and for you,
as Your law of love commands.
Amen

(Book 3 Ch 5:6)

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

Thought for the Day – 13 September – Sin

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

Sin

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

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

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

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

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

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

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

JEALOUSY/ENVY!

“Stretch forth your hand.”

Luke 6:10

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted in DOCTRINE, I BELIEVE!, MARIAN QUOTES, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 3 September – St Pius X and St Gregory the Great

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Quote/s of the Day – 3 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary”

“Truly we are passing through disastrous times,
when we may well make our own,
the lamentation of the Prophet:
“There is no truth,and there is no mercy
and there is no knowledge of God in the land” (Hosea 4:1).
Yet in the midst of this tide of evil,
the Virgin Most Merciful rises before our eyes
like a rainbow, as the arbiter of peace
between God and man.”

“…The great movement of apostasy being organised in every country for the establishment of a One-World Church which shall have neither dogmas, nor hierarchy, neither discipline for the mind, nor curb for the passions and which, under the pretext of freedom and human dignity, would bring back to the world (if such a Church could overcome) the reign of legalised cunning and force and the oppression of the weak and of all those who toil and suffer. […] Indeed, the true friends of the people are neither revolutionaries, nor innovators – they are traditionalists.”

“I accept with sincere belief,
the doctrine of faith
as handed down to us
from the Apostles,
by the orthodox Fathers,
always in the same sense
and with the same interpretation.”

St Pope Pius X (1835-1914)

MORE HERE;
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/21/quote-s-of-the-day-21-august-st-pope-pius-x/

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

SOME QUOTES HERE

Quote/s of the Day – 3 September – St Pope Gregory the Great!

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

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

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

The Problem of Evil 

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

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

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

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

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

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

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

Our Morning Offering – 31 August – Heal Us Lord God

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted in "Follow Me", GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD

Thought for the Day – 3 August – Depending Always on Jesus

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

Depending Always on Jesus

“When we abandon ourselves to Jesus, we must do so cheerfully, as well as trustingly.
St Basil calls the devil, the angel of sadness.
The evil spirit is, in fact, sad, for this is the lot of one who has lost God forever.
He wishes, moreover, to communicate that sadness to us also when he has drawn us into sin.

We should be happy in the Lord, as St Paul exhorts.
Joy is the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
He who possesses Jesus and His grace, is touched by that holy joy which radiates from Him.
The Saints were joyful in persecution and in martyrdom, as the Apostles were before the Sanhedrin because, “they had been counted worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus” (Acts 5:41).
It is related of St Romuald that in spite of great austerities, he was always smiling, so that he communicated happiness to those who saw him.

Let us, therefore, rely always on Jesus; let us remain close to Him and the path to Heaven will seem smooth, in spite of the many obstacles which we are sure to encounter.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/06/27/thought-for-the-day-27-june-depending-always-on-
jesus/
PART TWO HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/01/30/thought-for-the-day-30-january-depending-always-on-jesus/

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

Thought for the Day – 26 July – The Eucharistic Life

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

The Eucharistic Life

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

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

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

May the Most Blessed Sacrament be forever praised and adored!

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

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

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CREATION, QUOTES on EDUCATION, QUOTES on NATURE - GOD'S CREATION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, QUOTES on TRUTH

Thought for the Day – 14 July – Knowledge and Goodness

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Thought for the Day – 14 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Knowledge and Goodness

“Joseph DeMaistre’s views on the relationship between knowledge and goodness may seem a little extreme but, they are nothing but the truth.
“If the guardianship of education is not restored to the Church and if knowledge is not everywhere subordinated to goodness, the evils which await us will be incalculable. Science will brutalise us. Because of it, men will become more savage than the barbarians!”

We do not wish to speak slightingly of knowledge.
It is a gift from God, Who has given us our intellects to know the truth.
But truth, like every created thing, comes from God and should lead us back to God.
It is the same with knowledge.
If we investigate the secrets of nature and do not make of them a ladder, which helps us to climb towards our Creator, we turn the natural order upside down and inevitably fall backwards.
We can gain, by our labours, a mastery over the hidden forces of nature.
If we do not use them to benefit humanity but to destroy those of our brothers whom we call our enemies, we are worse than Cain.
Science which does not serve goodness, is worse than barbarism.
The latter has very few instruments of destruction at its disposal.
When science rebels against idealism, however and makes itself absolute, it can destroy all that we have inherited of beauty and goodness throughout the centuries.

Science is too easily glorified today.
But knowledge, for the sake of knowledge, does not lead us to God and is very often stupidity or worse.
It can be an instrument of evil and of physical and spiritual destruction!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in "Follow Me", MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on ATHEISM, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on THE WORLD

Thought for the Day – 7 July – The Salvation of Souls

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

The Salvation of Souls

“We have only to look around us to realise the sad state of the greater part of human society.
Men may be divided into three principal categories – the evil, the indifferent and the good.
The evil are very numerous.
The Holy Spirit tells us that the number of fools is infinite (Eccles 1:15).
Now, the greatest and most real folly, is sin because, sin offends God, our supreme good, our Creator and Redeemer and because, it endangers the salvation of the soul.
Nevertheless, countless sins are committed.
There is an immense number of people who commit sin not merely through human frailty but who have abandoned God absolutely by denying or insulting Him and by striving to eradicate Him from the consciousness of their fellow-men.
Their God is themselves!

The second group is that of the indifferent, those for whom God, religion and the supernatural are quite unimportant.
They are content to lead materialistic lives without any thought of eternity.
It is enough for them to be able to live, make money and to enjoy themselves.
Nothing else matters.
Their God is the world and its goods!
The number of such people is increasing at an alarming rate.

Lastly, there are the good people who desire to become more and more perfect.
Unfortunately, there are very few of these now and one would like to see them displaying greater generosity and enthusiasm for the salvation of those around them.

To which group do you belong?
Perhaps you have not yet made up your mind completely to dedicate yourself to the pursuit of sanctity?
Perhaps you are still wavering between the alternatives of good and evil?
Anyone who remains inactive, becomes an accomplish!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, INDULGENCES, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, MARIAN PRAYERS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PAPAL PRAYERS, PARTIAL Indulgence, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 25 June – ‘ … Every thought that takes our hope away, follows on from a lack of faith …’

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One Minute Reflection – 25 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Readings: Genesis 17: 1, 9-10, 15-22,Psalms 128: 1-2, 3, 4-5, Matthew 8: 1-4

“‘You can make me clean.’” – Matthew 8:2

REFLECTION – “You must never fail to trust in God nor despair of His mercy; I should not like you to doubt or despair of improving. For even if the devil were able to throw you down from the heights of virtue, to the depths of wickedness, how much more can God recall you, to the summit of goodness. And not just bring you back, to the state you were in before your fall but He can make you much happier than you seemed to be before. Do not lose heart, I beg you and do not close your eyes to the hope of good, for fear that what happens to people who do not love God, should happen to you. For it is not the great number of one’s sins that leads the soul to despair but, disdain for God. As the Wise man says: “It is the characteristic of the impious to despair of salvation and hold it in contempt, since they have fallen into the pit of sin” (cf. Prv 18,3 Vg).

Therefore, every thought that takes our hope away, follows on from a lack of faith – like a heavy stone around our neck, it forces us to be always looking downwards to the earth and doesn’t allow us to raise our eyes to the Lord. But those with a brave heart and enlightened mind, know how to release their necks from this horrid weight. “Behold, as the eyes of servants are on the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a maid are on the hands of her mistress, so our eyes are on the Lord our God till he have pity on us” (Ps 123,2).” – St Rabanus Maurus (776-856), Benedictine Abbot and Bishop, Theologian, Poet, Writer – Three books dedicated to Bonosus, Bk 3, 4 ; PL 112, 1306

PRAYER – Almighty, ever-living God, we make our prayer to You at morning, noon and evening. Dispel from our hearts, the darkness of sin and bring us to the true light, Christ Your Son. Grant that through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may deny ourselves and love You above all things. Through Jesus, our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever, amen.
OUR Lady of the Sacred Heart, Pray for Us! – Indulgence 100 Days. Everytime – Raccolta 174 St Pius X, 9 July 1904.

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on ENEMIES, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on JUDGING, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 14 June – ‘the charity, which the good Christian should have for everyone …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 14 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Readings: Second Corinthians 6: 1-10, 98: 1, 2b, 3ab, 3cd-4, Matthew 5: 38-42

“But I say to you not to resist evil
but if one strike thee on thy right cheek,
turn to him also the other.“

Matthew 5:39

“Judge not and you will not be judged;
condemn not and you will not be condemned;
forgive and you will be forgiven;
give and it will be given to you,
good measure, pressed down,
shaken together, running over,
will be put into your lap.
For the measure you give,
will be the measure you get back.“

Luke 6:37-38

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

St Jerome (347-420)
Father & Doctor of the Church

“If you do not close your ear to others,
you open God’s ear to yourself.”

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

“You must be reconciled with your enemies,
speak to them as if they had never done you
anything but good all your life,
keeping nothing in your heart but the charity,
which the good Christian should have for everyone,
so that we can all appear with confidence
before the tribunal of God.”

St John Vianney (1786-1859)

Posted in MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MAY - The Blessed Virgin MARY'S MONTH, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHASTITY, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The FOUR CARDINAL VIRTUES: JUSTICE, PRUDENCE, TEMPERANCE, FORTITUDE

Thought for the Day – 6 May – The Virginal Purity of Mary

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Thought for the Day – 6 May – “Mary’s Month” Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Virginal Purity of Mary

“Purity is the most beautiful of virtues.
It is a virtue which is admired by God and by men, even by the most corrupt.
It is often said, that it makes us like the angels but in fact, looking at it in a particular way, it makes us superior to the angels.
Since they have no bodies, the angels cannot sin against purity, while we have to fight many battles and overcome many temptations, in order to preserve our chastity.
Jesus had a very special love for this virtue.
He chose to be born of a virgin and, He showed a particular affection for St John, who was a dedicated celibate.
On one occasion, He placed His Hands on the head of a little child and said: “Unless you turn and become like little children, you will not enter into the kingdom of Heaven “(Mt:18.3)

Unfortunately, the virtue of purity is as fragile as it is beautiful.
It can be lost in a single moment of weakness.
We must love ths virtue as Mary loved it.
We must be prepared to make any sacrifice, even the most heroic, rather than lose it.
Worldly charm and beauty attract us and the devil works hard to control our imagination and our affections.
On account of the disturbance of original sin, the flesh is like a terrible weight retarding our spiritual advancement.
Sometimes it seems as if it is irresistibly drawing us towards the abyss of impurity.
But we need not be dragged down, if we are prepared to fly from the occasions of sin and to pray to God and to our heavenly Mother for her intercession.
We must always act at once, for there is no time to dally.
It is fatal to remain inactive and to allow temptation to make its way into our soul.
This kind of battle, said St Francis de Sales, is won only by soldiers who flee.
We must fly from the occasions of sin, no matter what sacrifice this entails.
Jesus has warned us, that it is better to enter Heaven without a hand or a foot, than to be cast into hell.

We know the remedies – instant flight, heroic sacrifice and constant prayer.
We can leave the rest to the grace of God and to the maternal protection of Mary.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/05/06/thought-for-the-day-6-may-the-virginal-purity-of-mary