Quote/s of the Day – 18 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Feast of Our Lady of Expectation
“The Lord is near. Have no anxiety …”
Philippians 4:5-6
“Let your door stand open to receive Him, unlock your soul to Him, offer Him a welcome in your mind and then you will see the riches of simplicity, the treasures of peace, the joy of grace. Throw wide the gate of your heart, stand before the Sun of the Everlasting Light!”
St Ambrose (340-397) Father and Doctor of the Church
“He became small because you were small – understand how great He is and you will become great along with Him. This is how houses are built, how the solid walls of a building are raised. The stones brought to construct the building increase, you too, increase, understanding how great Christ is and how He, Who appeared to be small, is great, very great indeed! …”
St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church
“In adoring our Saviour’s birth, it is our origin we celebrate. Christ’s temporal generation is the source of the Christian people, the birth of His Mystical Body. All of us encounter in this Mystery, a new birth in Christ.”
St Pope Leo the Great (400-461) Father & Doctor of the Church
“If we would please this Divine Infant, we too must become children, simple and humble. We must carry to Him, flowers of virtue, of meekness, of mortification, of charity. We must clasp Him in the arms of our love.”
St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
Thought for the Day – 10 December – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) – Within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception
Holy Purity
“Since Mary excelled so much in this virtue and had so great a love for it, she will obtain for us from God, the grace necessary for us to preserve it, as long as we pray humbly to her, especially in times of temptation.
Let us remember, that at Baptism, we became members of the Mystical Body of Christ and temples of the Holy Spirit (Cf 1 Cor 6:15-20). We are obliged to avoid defiling this temple and making the Mystical Body of Christ a dwelling-place for the devil! It is not true to say, that this is an impossible fight. We know, from our own experience, that we can win. We have often battled with, or fled from occasions of sin. We have prayed and made sacrifices, in order to avoid sin and, with the help of God and the protection of the Blessed Virgin, we have won! After our victory, we have felt elated and have experienced that peace, which only God’s grace can bestow. If we have succeeded so many times, why cannot we do the same always? There is no need to be afraid. If we do all that we can, God’s grace will do the rest. “I can do all things in Him, Who strengthens me,” Phil 4:12) says St Paul. “God is faithful,” he writes elsewhere “and will not permit you to be tempted beyond your strength but, with the temptation, will also give you a way out, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Cor 10:13).
If we remain pure, we shall see God. We shall see Him in the work of His creation in this world and we shall see and enjoy Him forever in Heaven. “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God” (Mt 5:8).”
One Minute Reflection – 4 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – St Peter Chrysologus (c400-450) “Golden Words” Confessor, Father & Doctor of the Church – Romans 13:11-14 – Luke 21:25-33 – – – – – – – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” – Romans 13:14
REFLECTION – “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh and its desires, so that you may be clothed with the Life of Him, Whom you have put on in this Sacrament. You have all been clothed with Christ by your Baptism in Him. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor freeman, there is neither male nor female, you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Such is the power of this Sacrament: it is a Sacrament of new life which begins here and now, with the forgiveness of all past sins and will be brought to completion, in the resurrection of the dead. You have been buried with Christ by Baptism into death, in order that, as Christ has risen from the dead, you also may walk in newness of life.
You are walking now by faith, still on pilgrimage in a mortal body away from the Lord but He, to Whom your steps are directed, is Himself the sure and certain Way for you – Jesus Christ, Who, for our sake became man. For all who fear Him, He has stored up abundant happiness which He will reveal to those who hope in Him, bringing it to completion, when we have attained the reality which, even now, we possess, in hope.
This is the octave day of your new birth. Today is fulfilled in you, the sign of faith that was prefigured in the Old Testament by the circumcision of the flesh, on the eighth day after birth. When the Lord rose from the dead, He put off the mortality of the flesh; His Risen Body was still the same Body but it was no longer subject to death. By His Resurrection, He consecrated Sunday, or the Lord’s Day. Though the third after His Passion, this day is the eighth after the Sabbath and thus also, the first day of the week.
And so, your own hope of resurrection, though not yet realised, is sure and certain because you have received the Sacrament or sign of this reality and have been given the pledge of the Spirit. If, then, you have risen with Christ, seek the things which are above, where Christ is seated at the Right Hand of God. Set your hearts on heavenly things, not the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, your Life, appears, then you too will appear with Him in glory.” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (An excerpt from: Sermon 8 – On the Paschal Octave).
PRAYER – O God, Who willed to foreshow divinely that blessed Peter Chrysologus would be a great Doctor to rule and teach Thy Church, grant, we beseech Thee that we may be worthy to have him as our intercessor in Heaven, who on earth was a teacher of life. 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).
Quote/s of the Day – 9 November – Dedication of The Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour
“Like the deer yearns for running streams, so my soul is yearning for Tbee, my God; my soul is thirsting for God, the living God.”
Psalm 41:2-3
“Zeal for Thy House hath consumed me.”
John 2:17
“Behold, thy mother” John 19:27
“His Mother is the entire Church because by God’s grace, she brings forth the members of Jesus Christ, that is to say, those who are faithful to Him. His Mother is also every holy soul who does the Will of His Father and whose fruitful charity is made manifest in those whom it brings forth for Him until He Himself is formed in them (Gal 4:19)…”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace
My Dear Jesus Return Thy Spouse to Apostolic Sanctity By St Jerome Emiliani (1486–1537)
Our sweet Father Lord Jesus Christ, because of Thine Infinite Goodness, we ask Thee to return Thy Spouse, the Church to tha state of sanctity as of the time of the Apostles. Hear us, O Lord because Thou art kind and merciful. In Thy bountiful compassion look upon us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy upon us. May the power of God the Father, the Wisdom of the Son and the Strength of the Holy Ghost and too, the glorious Virgin Mary, guide and protect us on the way to peace, love and prosperity. May the Angel Raphael, who always assisted Tobias, be with me in every place I stop and on every road I travel. My dear Jesus, my dear Jesus, my dear Jesus, my love and my God, I trust in Thee. Amen
St Jerome Emiliani (1486–1537)
“The Church alone, being the Bride of Christ and having all things in common with her Divine Spouse, is the depository of the Truth.”
Thought for the Day – 6 November – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Communion of Saints and the Souls in Purgatory
“The consoling Doctrine of the Communion of Saints, is the foundation of devotion towards the faithful departed. The universal Church, both on earth, in Purgatory and in Heaven, constitutes the Mystical Body of Christ, which is the channel of the Divine life of Jesus.
This life is not extinguished by death but only by mortal sin, which makes us like dead limbs separated from the vine which is Cbrist. The souls of those belonging to us who have died in the state of grace, therefore, are living members of the Mystical Body of Christ. Now, the different members of the human body, do not possess a separate life but are all co-ordinated and directed towards the good of the whole body. In the same way, all the members of the Mystical Body, whether they are exiles on earth, suffering souls in Purgatory, or blessed in Heaven, should help one another so as to promote the welfare of the whole.
The blessed in Heaven and the faithful departed certainly do this and we ought to do the same. We should preserve a bond of love and prayer between ourselves and our loved ones, who have departed from this life before us.”
Our Morning Offering – 6 Novemer – “The Month of The Holy Souls in Purgatory”
O DIVINE Heart of JESUS Pope Leo XIII Indulgence 100 Days, Once a day Raccolta 167 13 March 1901.
O DIVINE Heart of JESUS, grant, we beseech Thee, eternal rest to the souls in purgatory, the final grace to those who shall die today, true repentance to sinners, the light of the faith to pagans and Thy Blessing to me and mine. To Thee, O most compassionate Heart of JESUS! I commend all these souls and I offer to Thee, on their behalf, all Thy merits, together with the merits of Thy most Holy Mother and of all the Saints, Angels and all the Sacrifices of the Holy Mass, Communions, prayers and good works, which shall be accomplished today, throughout the Christian world. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 22 October – Wednesday is devoted to Saint Joseph who is known as the prince and most efficacious Patron of the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ. As the earthly Father of Jesus, he had a special role in protecting, providing for and instructing Jesus during His earthly life. Now that Christ is ascended into Heaven, St Joseph continues his fatherly guardianship of Christ’s Body, the Church. He is a very powerful friend and aid to all of us.
Hail, Holy Joseph, Hail! By Father Frederick W Faber CO (1814-1863)
Hail, holy Joseph, hail! Chaste spouse of Mary hail! Pure as the lily flow’r In Eden’s peaceful vale. Hail, holy Joseph, hail! Prince of the House of God! May His best graces be By thy sweet hands bestowed.
Hail, holy Joseph, hail! Comrade of Angels, hail! Cheer thou the hearts that faint, And guide the steps that fail. Hail, holy Joseph, hail! God’s choice wert thou alone! To thee the Word made flesh, Was subject as a Son. Hail, holy Joseph, hail! Teach us our flesh to tame And, Mary, keep the hearts That love thy husband’s name. Mother of Jesus! bless, And bless, ye Saints on high, All meek and simple souls That to Saint Joseph cry. Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 11 October – The Feast of the Divine Maternity
“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
“May the Blessed Virgin, unique in her merits, stand in the presence of her Creator interceding always in our favour. She will be radiant in the fullness of glory, she who brought forth, from her virginal womb, the King of glory.”
St Amadeus of Lausanne (1108-1159)
“The prayers of Mary, have the force of command with Jesus Christ. Hence, it is impossible for the Son not to grant a grace for which the Mother asks.”
St Antoninus (1389-1459)
O Mary, Mother of God By St Ephrem (306-373) Father and Doctor of the Church
O Virgin most pure, wholly unspotted, O Mary, Mother of God, Queen of the universe, thou art above all the saints, the hope of the elect and the joy of all the blessed. It is thou who hast reconciled us with God; thou art the only refuge of sinners and the safe harbour of those who are shipwrecked; thou art the consolation of the world, the ransom of captives, the health of the weak, the joy of the afflicted and the salvation of all. We have recourse to thee and we beseech thee to have pity on us. Amen.
Thought for the Day – 8 September – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Mary, the Mother of God
“St Matthew (Cf Mt 12:46-50) and St Mark (Cf Mk 3:31-35), relate how Jesus was preaching one day in Galilee, surrounded by His Apostles and by a large crowd, when a man approached and said: “Behold, thy mother and thy brethren are standing outside, seeking thee.” “Who is my mother,” He answered, “and who are my brethren?” Then He extended His hand towards His disciples and said: “Behold, my mother and my brethren! For whoever does the will of my Father in Heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
These words were directed at us, not at Our Lady. Not only was she the Immaculate Mother of Jesus Christ but, she performed lovingly, on all occasions, the Will of the heavenly Father. She did His Will, in poverty and obedience, in exile and on Mount Calvary. Therefore, she was God’s Mother in the spiritual, as well as, in the physical sense of the word, insofar, as she was constantly united to Him by a bond of love and of conformity with His desires.
Christ’s words indicate, that Mary’s perfect and continuous acceptance of God’s Will, was even more pleasing to God, than the dignity of the Divine Motherhood.
We cannot equal her in dignity but, we can imitate her in this other respect. Jesus will look on us as His brothers and as worthy sons of Mary, if we carry out His Will in all things. It is not always easy to do this. It is not easy, when we are strongly tempted to commit sins of pride, anger or impurity. It is not easy, when we are overcome by sorrow or by sickness, when we are let down or misunderstood by others, when we are in want and, when we feel that we are collapsing beneath the weight of our cross. At times like these, we should pray for Mary’s spirit of complete acceptance of the Will of God.”
One Minute Reflection – 6 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – Our Lady’s Saturday – Ecclesiasticus 24:14-16 – Luke 11:27-28 – Scripture search here:
“Blessed is the womb that bore you ’” – Luke 11:27
REFLECTION – “By the Spirit, from the womb of the Virgin, was born our Head, the Son of Man and, by the same Spirit, in the waters of Baptism, we are reborn as His Body and as sons of God. And just as He was born without any sin, so we are reborn in the forgiveness of all our sins. As on the Cross, He bore the sum total of the whole Body’s sins in His own physical Body, so He gave His members the grace of rebirth, in order that no sin might be imputed to His Mystical Body. It is written: Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputes no sin. The blessed man of this text is undoubtedly Christ, Who forgives sins, insofar as God, is His Head. Insofar as this Man is the Head of the Body, no sin is forgiven Him. But, insofar as the Body that belongs to this Head, consists of many members, sin is not imputed to it.
Just as in Himself, it is He Who justifies Himself. He alone is both Saviour and saved. In His own Body on the Cross, He bore what He had washed from His Body by the waters of Baptism. Bringing salvation through wood and through water, He is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world which He took upon Himself. Himself a Priest, He offers Himself as Sacrifice to God and He Himself, is God. Thus, through His own Self, the Son is reconciled to Himself as God, as well as to the Father and to the Holy Ghost.” – Blessed Isaac of Stella O.Cist. (c 1100 – c 1170) Cistercian Monk, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher (An excerpt from his Sermon 42),
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, unto all Thy servants, that they may remain continually in the enjoyment of soundness, both of mind and body and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, always a Virgin, may be delivered from present sadness and enter into the joy of thine eternal gladness.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).
Quote/s of the Day – 28 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – The Feast of St Augustine (354-430) Bishop, Confessor, Father and Doctor of Grace
“Behold, thy mother” John 19:27
“His Mother is the entire Church because by God’s grace, she brings forth the members of Jesus Christ, that is to say, those who are faithful to Him. His Mother is also every holy soul who does the Will of His Father and whose fruitful charity is made manifest in those whom it brings forth for Him until He Himself is formed in them (Gal 4:19)…”
“Be you then also ready, for at what hour you think not, the Son of man will come.” Luke 12:40
“The more unsure the day of our death is, the more painful are the trials of life and the more too, we should fast and pray since, to all intents and purposes, tomorrow we die. Even now, the hope we thus put in the One Who is faithful to His promise, will not leave us without some joy, until we are filled with overwhelming joy on the day when “we shall be like Him because we shall see Him as He is” (1Jn 3:2), when “no-one shall take our joy away from us”
“Give of your earthly goods and receive eternal ones; give earth and receive Heaven!”
“Judge your own conscience. Demand an account from it. Dig deep and rend it apart. Discover all the evil thoughts and intentions of the day … and punish yourself for them!” (Expos in Ps 4 n 8).
“To arrive at the knowledge of the Truth, there are many paths – the first is humility, the second is humility and the third is humility!”
“Humility is a very strange entity. The moment we think we have it, we have already lost it!”
Late Have I Loved Thee! By St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace
Late have I loved Thee, Beauty ever ancient and ever new, late have I loved Thee! Lo, Thou were within but I outside, seeking there for Thee and upon the shapely things Thou hast made I rushed headlong – I, misshapen. Thou wast with me but I was tnot with Thee. They held me back far from Thee, those things which would have no being, were they not in Thee. Thou called, shouted, broke through my deafness. Thou flared, blazed, banished my blindness. Thou lavished Thy fragrance, I gasped and now I pant for Thee. I tasted Thee and now I hunger and thirst. Thou touched me and I burned for Thy peace. Amen
“May we listen too, to the Voice of the Lord which, from on high, exhorts and consoles us. … For He has heard our groaning, He has seen our sighs, He has sounded the desires of our hearts for “the one thing we ask” (v.4). Thanks to Christ’s intercession, He has favourably received our one prayer, our one request. And while we are completing our pilgrimage in this world, even as the road is a long one, He will not refuse what He has promised. He says to us: “Hope in the Lord.” He Who has promised is all powerful, He is trustworthy, He is faithful. … Therefore, do not let yourself be troubled.”
One Minute Reflection – 6 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – The Transfiguration of Our Lord – 2 Peter 1:16-19 – Matthew 17:1-9 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“His Face shone like the sunand His garments became white as snow.” – Matthew 17:2
REFLECTION – “The Lord displays His glory before chosen witnesses and makes illustrious that bodily shape which He shared with others, with such splendour that His Countenance shone like the sun and His garments became as white as snow. In this Transfiguration, the chief object was to remove the scandal of the Cross from the hearts of the disciples and, to prevent their faith being disturbed, at the humiliation of His voluntary Passion, by revealing the excellence of His hidden dignity. But, with no less foresight, the foundation was laid, of the hope of holy Church, that the whole Body of Christ, might realise, with what a change it was to be endowed and that the members, might promise themselves, a share in that honour which had shone forth in their Head.
But to confirm the Apostles and to lead them onto all knowledge, still further, instruction was conveyed by this miracle. For Moses and Elias, that is, the law and the prophets, appeared talking with the Lord, so that, in the presence of these five men, might most truly be fulfilled, what was said – In two or three witnesses every word stands. What more stable, what more steadfast, than the Word, in the proclamation of which, the trumpet of the Old and of the New Testaments, sounds forth and the records of ancient witnesses, agree with the teaching of the Gospel? For the pages of both Covenants corroborate each other and He, Whom, under the veil of Mysteries, the types that went before, had promised, is displayed clearly and manifestly by the splendour of His present glory.
The Apostle Peter, therefore, being stirred by the revelation of these Mysteries, despising things worldly and scorning things earthly, was carried away by a certain excess of mind, to the desire of things eternal and, being filled with rapture at the whole vision, longed to make his abode with Jesus, in the place where he was gladdened by the sight of His glory. And so also he says: Lord, it is good for us to be here: if Thou wilt, let us set up here, three tents, one for Thee and one for Moses and one for Elias. But to this proposal the Lord made no reply, signifying that what he asked was not indeed wicked, but irregular, since the world could not be saved, except by Christ’s Death and by the Lord’s example in this, the faithful were called upon to believe that, although there ought not to be any doubt about the promises of happiness, yet, we should understand that, amid the trials of this life, we must ask for power to endure, rather than for glory.” – St Leo the Great (400-461) Pope, Father and Doctor (Sermon on the Transfiguration – excerpt).
PRAYER – O God, Who in the glorious Transfiguration of Thy Only-begotten Son strengthened the Mysteries of faith, by the testimony of the fathers and, by the Voice coming down in a shining cloud, miraculously betokened the complete adoption of Thy children, mercifully grant that we, be made co-heirs with that King of glory and sharers in that same 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).
One Minute Reflection – 24 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – St Christina (3rd Century) Virgin Martyr – Ecclesiasticus Sir 44:25-27; 45:2-4; 45:6-9 – John 15:12-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” – John 15:12
REFLECTION – “This commandment He is giving them, is a new one, the Lord Jesus tells His disciples. Yet, was it not contained in the Old Law, where it is written: You shall love your neighbour as yourself? Why does the Lord call it new, when it is clearly so old? Or is the commandment new because it divests us of our former selves and clothes us with the new man? Love does indeed renew the man who hears, or rather obeys its command but only that love, which Jesus distinguished from a natural love, by the qualification – As I have loved you.
This is the kind of love which renews us. When we love as He loved us, we become new men, heirs of the New Covenant and singers of the new song. My brothers, this was the love which, even in bygone days, renewed the holy men, the Patriarchs and Prophets of old. In later times, it renewed the blessed Apostles and now, it is the turn of the Gentiles. From the entire human race throughout the world, this love gathers together into One Body, a new people, to be the Bride of God’s Only Son. She is the Bride of whom it is asked in the Song of Songs: Who is this who comes clothed in white? White indeed are her garments, for she has been made new and the source of her renewal, is none other, than this new commandment.
And so, all her members make each other’s welfare their common care. When one member suffers, all the members suffer with him and if one member is glorified, all the rest rejoice. They hear and obey the Lord’s Words: A new commandment I give you, that you love one another, not as men love one another for their own selfish ends, nor merely on account of their common humanity but because. they are all gods and sons of the Most High. They love one another as God loves them, so that they may be brothers of His only Son. He will lead them to the goal that alone will satisfy them, where all their desires will be fulfilled. For when God is all in all, there will be nothing left to desire.
This love is the gift of the Lord Who said: As I have loved you, you also must love one another. His object in loving us, then, was to enable us to love each other. By loving us Himself, our mighty Head has linked us all together, as members of His Own Body, bound to one another by the tender bond of love.” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop of Hippo, Great Western Father and Doctor of the Grace, (Excerpt from his Tractates on the Gospel of John, 65).
PRAYER – O God, Who among the other miracles of Thy power have bestowed the victory of martyrdom even upon the weaker sex, graciously grant that we, who commemorate the anniversary of the death of blessed Christina, Your Virgin and Martyr, may come to Thee by the path of her example.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).
One Minute Reflection – 21 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – St Praxedes, Virgin (Died 164) – 1 Corinthians 7:25-34 – Matthew 13:44-52 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“So shall it be at the end of the world. The Angels shall go out and shall separate the wicked from among the just. And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” – Matthew 13:49-50
REFLECTION – “Our Lord was an example of incomparable patience. He bore with a “devil” among His disciples even to His Passion (Jn 6,70). He said: “Let them grow together until the harvest lest you uproot the wheat when you pull out the weeds” (cf. Mt 13,29f.). As a symbol of the Church, He preached that the net would bring back to shore, namely the end of the world, every kind of fish, both good and bad. And He made it known, in various other ways, whether openly or in parables, that there would always be a mixture of good and bad. But, nevertheless, He stresses, that we have to protect the Church’s discipline when He says: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother” (Mt 18,15)…
Yet today, we see people who think of nothing but stern commandments, who order that troublemakers be reproved, ‘not giving what is holy to the dogs,’ treating, like the publicans, ‘anyone who despises the Church, cutting off the scandalous member from the body‘ (Mt 7:6 ; 18:17 ; 5:30). Their stormy zeal so troubles the Church, that they pull out the weeds before their time and their blindness makes of them enemies, of the unity of Jesus Christ…
Take care not to let these presumptuous thoughts enter our hearts, trying to separate ourselves from sinners, so as not to be soiled by contact with them, wanting to form a band of pure and holy disciples. We will achieve nothing but break our unity, under the pretext of not associating with the wicked. On the contrary, let us remember the parables of Scripture, their inspired words, their striking examples, where we are shown that, until the end of the world and the Day of Judgement, the bad will always be mingled, in the Church, amongst the good, without their participation in the Sacraments being harmful to the good, as long as these latter, have not played a part in their sins.” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (On Faith and Works – Excerpt ch 3-5)
PRAYER – Graciously hear us, O God our Saviour, that, as we rejoice in the festival of blessed Praxedes, thy Virgin, so may we be nourished by the food of her heavenly teaching, as to be enlightened by the fervour of her dedicated holiness. 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).
One Minute Reflection – 29 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles – Within the Octave of the Sacred Heart – Pentecost III – Acts 12:1-11 – Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in Heaven.” – Matthew 16:19
REFLECTION – “Bridegroom and Bride, that is Christ and the Church, are as one, be it in receiving confession or in bestowing absolution. All this makes clear why Christ had to tell each of us: “Go, show yourself to the priest” (Mt 8,4)… It follows that apart from Christ, the Church cannot grant forgiveness and that Christ has no will to forgive, apart from the Church. The Church’s authority to forgive extends only to the repentant, to those, that is, whom Christ has already touched; Christ, on His part, has no intention of regarding as forgiven, one who despises the Church.
Doubtless, Christ need accept no restraints to His power of Baptising, Consecrating the Eucharist, Ordaining Priests, forgiving sins and the like but, the humble and faithful Bridegroom, prefers to confer such blessings, with the co-operation of His Bride. “What God,” then, “has joined, let no man put asunder” (Mt 19,6). “I say this is a great mystery and refers to Christ and the Church” (Eph 5,32)… To remove the Head from the Body (Col 1,18) were to ruin the whole Christ, irreparably. Christ, apart from the Church, is no more the whole Christ, than the Church is complete, if separated from Christ. Head and Body go to make the whole and entire Christ.” – Bl Isaac of Stella (c 1100 – c 1170) Cistercian Monk, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher (Sermon 11, §11-814).
PRAYER – O God, Who made this day holy by the Martyrdom of Thy Apostles Peter and Paul, grant Thy Church to follow in all things the teaching of those from whom she first received the faith. 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).
ALL PRAISE, honour and glory to the Divine Heart of JESUS.Indulgenced– 50 Days, once a day. 168 Pope Leo XIII, 14 June 1901.
Quote/s of the Day – 28 June – St Irenaeus (c130–c202) Bishop, Martyr, Father of the Church
“As long as anyone has the means of doing good to his neighbour and does not do so, he shall be reckoned a stranger to the Love of the Lord.”
“For, as Scripture says, “The first living creature was like a lion,” (Rev 4:7) symbolising His effectual working, His leadership and Royal Power; “the second was like a calf,” signifying His Sacrificial and Priestly order but, “the third had, as it were, the face as of a man,” – an evident description of His coming as a human being; “the fourth was like a flying eagle,” pointing out the gift of the Spirit hovering with its wings over the Church. And, therefore, the Gospels of Mark, Luke, Matthew and John are in accord with these living things, among which Christ Jesus is seated. …”
“For our flesh feeds on the Lord’s Body and Blood and is His member. So Saint Paul writes: “We are members of His Body, of His Flesh and of His Bones” (Eph 5:30; Gn 2:23). He is not speaking about some spiritual and invisible man… he is speaking of the anatomy of a real man, consisting of flesh, nerves and bones. It is this that is nourished by His Chalice, the Chalice of His Blood and gains growth from the Bread which is His Body… ”
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).
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!
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
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).
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
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!
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).
Quote/s of the Day – 17 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Ferial Day – Philippians 4:4-7; John 1:19-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“The Lord is near. Have no anxiety …”
Philippians 4:5-6
“In adoring our Saviour’s birth, it is our origin we celebrate. Christ’s temporal generation is, the source of the Christian people, the birth of His Mystical Body. All of us encounter in this Mystery, a new birth in Christ.”
St Pope Leo the Great (400-461) Father & Doctor of the Church
“May He, Who is the Track of the runners and the Reward of the winners, lead and guide you along it – He, Christ Jesus!”
Blessed Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot
Quote/s of the Day – 8 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Feast of the Immaculate Conception
“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women”
Luke 1:28
“Thou alone and Thy Mother, are in all things fair, there is no flaw in Thee and no stain in Thy Mother.”
St Ephrem (306-373) Father & Doctor of the Church
“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
“O Mother blest! And chosen Shrine wherein the Architect Divine, Whose Hand contains the earth and sky vouchsafed in hidden guise to lie; Blest in the message Gabriel brought; blest in the work, the Spirit wrought; Most blest, to bring to human birth, the long desired of all the earth!”
St Venantius Fortunatus (c530 – c609) Bishop, Poet, Theologian, Father
“Let all the children of the Catholic Church, who are so very dear to us, hear these words of ours. With a still more ardent zeal for piety, religion and love, let them continue to venerate, invoke and pray, to the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, conceived without original sin. Let them fly with utter confidence to this most sweet Mother of mercy and grace in all dangers, difficulties, needs, doubts and fears. Under her guidance, under her patronage, under her kindness and protection, nothing is to be feared; nothing is hopeless. Because, while bearing toward us, a truly motherly affection and having in her care, the work of our salvation, she is solicitous about the whole human race. And since, she has been appointed by God, to be the Queen of Heaven and Earth and is exalted above all the Choirs of Angels and Saints and, even stands at the Right Hand, of her only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, she presents our petitions in a most efficacious manner. What she asks, she obtains. Her pleas can never be unheard!”
Pope Pius IX (1792-1878) Ineffabilis Deus (which proclaimed the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December 1854)
One Minute Reflection – 29 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – The Vigil of St Andrew Apostle –Romans 13:11-14, Luke 21:25-33 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” – Romans 13:14
REFLECTION – “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh and its desires, so that you may be clothed with the Life of Him, Whom you have put on in this Sacrament. You have all been clothed with Christ by your Baptism in Him. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor freeman, there is neither male nor female, you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Such is the power of this Sacrament: it is a Sacrament of new life which begins here and now, with the forgiveness of all past sins and will be brought to completion, in the resurrection of the dead. You have been buried with Christ by Baptism into death, in order that, as Christ has risen from the dead, you also may walk in newness of life.
You are walking now by faith, still on pilgrimage in a mortal body away from the Lord but He, to Whom your steps are directed, is Himself the sure and certain Way for you – Jesus Christ, Who, for our sake became man. For all who fear Him, He has stored up abundant happiness which He will reveal to those who hope in Him, bringing it to completion, when we have attained the reality which, even now, we possess, in hope.
This is the octave day of your new birth. Today is fulfilled in you, the sign of faith that was prefigured in the Old Testament by the circumcision of the flesh, on the eighth day after birth. When the Lord rose from the dead, He put off the mortality of the flesh; His Risen Body was still the same Body but it was no longer subject to death. By His Resurrection, He consecrated Sunday, or the Lord’s Day. Though the third after His Passion, this day is the eighth after the Sabbath and thus also, the first day of the week.
And so, your own hope of resurrection, though not yet realised, is sure and certain because you have received the Sacrament or sign of this reality and have been given the pledge of the Spirit. If, then, you have risen with Christ, seek the things which are above, where Christ is seated at the Right Hand of God. Set your hearts on heavenly things, not the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, your Life, appears, then you too will appear with Him in glory.” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (An excerpt from: Sermon 8 – On the Paschal Octave).
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, unto all Thy servants that they may remain continually in the enjoyment of soundness, both of mind and body and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, always a Virgin, may be delivered from present sadness and enter into the joy of Thine eternal gladness.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).
One Minute Reflection – 17 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – St Gregory Thaumaturgus (c 213-c 270) “the Wonder-Worker,” Bishop, Confessor – 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 – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God that the venerable feast of Thy blessed Gregory Confessor and Bishop may increase our devotion and promote our salvation. 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).
Quote/s of the Day – 26 October – Vigil of Saints Simon and Jude (Anticipation) – 1 Corinthians 4:9-14, John 15:1-7 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”
John 15:4
“If, because of your preaching, men lay aside enmities, forgive injuries, avoid occasions of sin and scandals and reform their conduct, you may say that the seed has fallen on good ground. But to God alone, give all the glory and acknowledge yourselves, ever unprofitable servants.”
St Louis Bertrand (1526-1581)
“[Jesus] is our only Master, Who must teach us; our only Lord, on Whom we must depend; our only Head, to Whom alone we should belong; our only Model, Whom we should imitate; our only Physician, Who must heal us; our only Shepherd, Who must feed us; our only Way, Who must lead us; our only Truth, Whom we must believe; our only Life, Who must be our life and our sole sufficiency in all things that, in Him, we may have all in All. Except the Name of Jesus, there is no other name given under Heaven, whereby we must be saved and apart from Jesus Christ, God has given us no other foundation of our salvation, our perfection and our glory! ”
St Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)
“For the branch,” says St Augustine, “there can be no half-measures. Either it remains united with the vine, or it is thrown into the fire.” The same holds true for each one of us. We must choose, either close union with Jesus, or separation and spiritual death. We must decide between a life of fervour in Christ, or a life of tepidity and sin.”
Quote/s of the Day – 16 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – The Feast of Saint Corneliu, Pope & Martyr and Saint Cyprian, Bishop & Martyr
“It is written, ‘God is not mocked.’ (Gal vi: 7) Indeed, God cannot be mocked, nor circumvented, nor deluded by any man’s astute deceit. … Let each of you, then, I beg you, brethren, confess his fault while the sinner is yet in this world, while Confession is still possible, while the satisfaction and remission granted by the Priests, is still acceptable to God!”
“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!”
“She did not leave the temple, serving with fastings and prayers, night and day.” Luke 2:37
“If, in holy Scripture, Christ is the true Sun and the true Day, there is no hour when Christians should not adore God frequently and constantly, so that we, who are in Christ, that is, in the true Sun and true Day, should be persevering, throughout the whole day, in our petitions and prayer. And when, in the course of time, the revolving night returns, there can be no harm from the nocturnal shades, for those who pray because, to the sons of Light (1 Thes 5:5), even in the night, there is day! For when is he without light who has Light in his heart? Or when does he not have sun and day to whom Christ is Sun and Day?”
“Why then do we pray for the Kingdom of Heaven to come, if this earthly bondage pleases us? WHAT IS THE POINT of praying so often for its early arrival, if we would rather serve the devil here than reign with Christ!?”
Quote/s of the Day – 14 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – Exaltation of the Holy Cross
“The Cross gives Light to the whole universe; it casts out darkness and gathers nations together in charity, into One Church, One Faith, One Baptism…”
St Ephrem (306-373) Father & Doctor of the Church
“As they were looking on, so we too gaze on His Wounds as He hangs. We see His Blood as He dies. We see the price offered by the Redeemer, touch the scars of His Resurrection.
He bows His Head, as if to kiss you. His Heart is made bare, open, as it were, in love to you. His arms are extended that He may embrace you. His whole body is displayed for your redemption.
Ponder how great these things are. Let all this be rightly weighed in your mind, as He was once fixed to the Cross in every part of His Body for you, so He may now be fixed in every part of your soul!”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace
“The Kingdom of Heaven, says the Gospel, is like a mustard seed … Christ is the Kingdom of Heaven! Sown like a mustard seed in the garden of the Virgin’s womb, He grew up into the Tree of the Cross, whose branches, stretch across the world … Christ is the Kingdom because all the glory of His Kingdom, is within Him. Christ is a Man because all humanity is restored in Him. Christ is a Mustard Seed because the infinitude of Divine greatness, is accommodated to the littleness of flesh and blood!”
St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) “Golden Words” Father & Doctor of the Church
“No-one, however weak, is denied a share in the victory of the Cross. No-one is beyond the help of the prayer of Christ.”
St Pope Leo the Great (c400-461) Father and Doctor of the Church
“The Cross is my sure salvation. The Cross it is, I worship evermore. The Cross of our Lord is with me. The Cross is my refuge.” [Indulgence of 300 days]
St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor Angelicus / Doctor Communis
“Consider Jesus on the Cross as you would a devout book, worthy of your unceasing study and, by which you may learn the practice of the most heroic virtues. This is the book which may truly be called the “Book of Life” [Apocalypse, III, 5], which, at once enlightens the mind by its doctrines and inflames the will by its examples. The world is full of books but were it possible for man to read them all, he would never be so well instructed, to hate vice and embrace virtue, as by contemplating a Crucified God!”
One Minute Reflection – 26 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – St Pope Zephyrinus (Died 217) Martyr and Our Lady of Czestochowa, Queen of Poland – 1 Peter 5:1-4; 5:10-11; Matthew 16:13-19 – – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in Heaven.” – Matthew 16:19
REFLECTION – “Bridegroom and Bride, that is, Christ and the Church, are as one, be it in receiving Confession or in bestowing Absolution. All this makes clear why Christ had to tell each of us: “Go, show yourself to the priest” (Mt 8:4) … It follows that apart from Christ, the Church cannot grant forgiveness and that Christ has no will to forgive, apart from the Church. The Church’s authority to forgive extends only to the repentant, to those, that is, whom Christ has already touched; Christ, on His part, has no intention of regarding, as forgiven, one who despises the Church!
Doubtless, Christ need accept no restraints to His power of Baptising, Consecrating the Eucharist, Ordaining Priests, forgiving sins and the like but, the humble and faithful Bridegroom, prefers to confer such blessings, with the co-operation of His Bride. “What God,” then, “has joined, let no man put asunder” (Mt 19:6). “I say this is a great Mystery and refers to Christ and the Church” (Eph 5:32) … To remove the Head from the Body (Col 1:18) were to ruin the whole Christ, irreparably. Christ, apart from the Church, is no more the whole Christ, than the Church is complete, if separated from Christ. Head and Body go to make the whole and entire Christ.” – Bl Isaac of Stella (c 1100 – c 1170) Cistercian Monk, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher (Sermon 11, §11-814).
PRAYER – Grant us, Thy servants, O Lord God, we beseech Thee, to enjoy lasting health of mind and body and, by the intercession of the glorious and blessed Mary, ever Virgin, may we be delivered from present sorrow and partake to the full of eternal happiness.ThroughJesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
AnaStpaul 
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