Category: QUOTES on VANITY

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on ENVY, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GREED, WEALTH, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, QUOTES on THE LIGHT of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, QUOTES on VANITY, QUOTES on WISDOM, The HOLY FACE

Quote/s of the Day – 27 May – St Bede the Venerable

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Quote/s of the Day – 27 May – The Feast of St Bede the Venerable (673-735) Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church

“Christ is the Morning Star,
Who, when the night of this world is past,
gives to His saints, the promise of the Light of Life
and opens everlasting day.”

“We abide in God
insofar as we do not sin.”

“All the ways of this world
are as fickle and unstable
as a sudden storm at sea.”

“If one of us has a conscience
polluted by the stain of avarice,
conceit, vain-glory, indignation,
irascibility, or envy and the other vices,
he has “a daughter badly troubled by a demon”
like the Canaanite woman.”

“Those who refuse to be humble cannot be saved.
They cannot say with the prophet:
See, God comes to my aid;
the Lord is the helper of my soul.
But anyone who makes himself humble,
like a little child,
is greater in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

“And I pray Thee, loving Jesus
that as Thou hast graciously given me
to drink in with delight,
the words of Thy knowledge,
so Thou wouldst mercifully grant me
to attain one day to Thee,
the Fountain of all Wisdom
and to appear forever before Thy Face.”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/05/27/quote-s-of-the-day-27-may-st-bede-the-venerable/

St Bede the Venerable (673-735)
Father and Doctor of the Church

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Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on FREE WILL, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on REASON/INTELLECT, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on TRUTH, QUOTES on VANITY, QUOTES on WISDOM, The HEART, The HOLY SPIRIT

Thought for the Day – 30 April – TRUE WISDOM

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Thought for the Day – 30 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

TRUE WISDOM

“According to Christian teaching, both knowledge and wisdom, properly understood, are gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Only the Light and Grace of the Holy Spirit, can enable us to comprehend the Truth which, in its plenitude, is God Himself and to appreciate the vanity of human things, as long as they are not ordained to their final end which is God and the everlasting life of happiness.

St Thomas Aquinas holds that human and earthly things are the proper object of science, insofar however, as they ought to be directed towards God.
“The man who has a correct approach to science, regards creatures as ordained to God, does not value them for more than they are worth and does not permit them to constitute the purpose of his life” (Summa Theologiae II-II q9 a4).
“All creatures are ordained to God and to His glory,” he writes elsewhere, “in that they manifest the Divine Goodness in themselves; they are, moreover, the means to everlasting happiness” (Quaestiones disputate, De Caritate q1 a7).

Nature maybe said to be a sacrament which enables us to gain experience of God (Summa Theologiae III q60 a2 ad1).
This is how knowledge becomes wisdom which is not content merely to have a proper estimation of human objects but, proceeds to penetrate, with the assistance of Revelation and of Grace, into the transcendent Mysteries of the Divinity.
Wisdom, moreover, guides the will and the heart, as well as the intellect.
It is practical, as well as speculative, for it directs our actions, as well as our thoughts towards God.
Like the Saints, we should be guided entirely by this true intellectual and practical wisdom.
“Grant me, O Lord, celestial wisdom,” we should pray with the Author of The Imitation of Christ, “that I may learn, above all things, to seek Tbee and to find Thee; above all things, to relish Thee and to love Thee and to understand, all other things, as they are, according to the order of Thy Wisdom!” (Bk III c27).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on REASON/INTELLECT, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on VANITY, QUOTES on WISDOM

Thought for the Day – 29 April – Knowledge and Learning

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Thought for the Day – 29 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Knowledge and Learning

“What is the purpose of our studies and our quest for knowledge?
It is interesting to read what St Bernard has to say on this subject.

“There are those who wish to learn for learning’s sake – these are simply curious and come to no serious conclusions.
There are those, moreover, who study in order to be better known – these are vain men.
Others acquire knowledge in order to sell it and to make money, or in order to gain honours – these are merchants of science and culture.
There are others, however, who cultivate science as an instrument to be used in the service of their neighbour – such men are motivated by charity.
There are also some, who study in order to sanctify themselves – and this is true WISDOM!” (Serm 35).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, MODESTY, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on VANITY, The ANNUNCIATION

Thought for the Day – 25 March – The Annunciation

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

The Annunciation

“Consider Mary’s reaction to the reverence and praise with which the Angel greets her.
Is she carried away by delight and exaltation at this solemn moment?
Nothing of the sort!
In her humility and modesty, she is disturbed by the Angel’s salutation and wonders what the reason is for it.
“She was troubled at his word and kept pondering what manner of greeting this might be” (Lk 1:29).

How do we behave when we receive praise from our superiors or from our friends and acquaintances?
We are pleased and overcome perhaps by feelings of vanity.
We smile to ourselves and are convinced that we are of more consequence than we really are.
We even feel the need to reveal our thoughts to others and, thereby, seek further aggrandisement!
There is a world of difference between the simplicity and humility of the Blessed Virgin and our vain hunger for praise and honour.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CONFESSION/PENANCE, QUOTES on ANGER, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on KINDNESS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, QUOTES on VANITY

Thought for the Day – 17 March – Privation

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Thought for the Day – 17 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Privation

“Suffering and want can raise us to great moral heights.
A man who knows how to do without worldly things, shows his superiority over them.
A man who knows how to deny himself for the love of God and offers his suffering to Him, is raised to a higher plane of unity and friendship with God.
A man who strips himself of vanity, becomes humble.
A man who denies himself sleep and food, becomes temperate.
A man who refuses to give leeway to pride and anger, becomes patient and gentle.
A man who restrains his bodily appetites when they threaten to dominate him, purifies his soul and grows nearer to God.

When we cheerfully accept the sufferings and privations of this life from supernatural motives, we are preparing ourselves for the everlasting happiness of Heaven.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/18/thought-for-the-day-18-march-privation/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/18/thought-for-the-day-18-march-privation-2/

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CARMELITES, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT, LENT 2023, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on VANITY

Quote/s of the Day – 11 March – Lent

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Quote/s of the Day – 11 March – Saturday of the Second Week in Lent

“Do you wish your prayer
to fly toward God?
Make for it two wings –
fasting and almsgiving!”

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

“It is a matter of real sorrow
when God has given us strength
to break stronger fetters,
those of vanity and sin
that we neglect our own progress
and the attainment of such great blessings
because we will not detach ourselves from trifles.
Not only do we not advance, we fall back.
For it is well known, that on the spiritual road,
not to go on overcoming self, is to go backwards
and not to increase our gain, is to lose!”

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

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on GREED, WEALTH, QUOTES on MERIT, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on REPARATION, QUOTES on VANITY, QUOTES on WORK/LABOUR

Thought for the Day – 10 March – The Hidden Life of Jesus

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Thought for the Day – 10 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Hidden Life of Jesus

“There are many who complain that their work is degrading or heavy or unsatisfying.
This is an indication that they are working for themselves, rather than for God.

We should sanctify our work by prayer.
We should meditate on the example of Jesus and remeber that there are many sins for which we must make reparation.
If we offer our work to God, it will not only become meritorious but, much easier to bear.

To work purely for profit is avarice, to work for the good opinion and praise of others, is vanity and to work in order to pass the time – is a waste of time!
The perfect Christian approach, is to work in order to do our duty, to please God, to atone for our sins and to gain Heaven.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/10/thought-for-the-day-10-march-the-hidden-life-of-jesus/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/10/thought-for-the-day-10-march-the-hidden-life-of-jesus-2/

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on EDUCATION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on REASON/INTELLECT, QUOTES on VANITY

Thought for the Day – 8 March – Knowledge and Goodness

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

Knowledge and Goodness

“St Paul wrote: “Let no-one rate himself more than he ought but, let him rate himself according to moderation and according as God has apportioned to each one, the measure of faith” (Rom 12:31).
“Knowledge puffs up,” he said “but charity edifies” (1 Cor 8:11).

“The humble knowledge of oneself,” The Imitation of Christ tells us, “is a surer way to God, than deep researches after science. Knowledge is not to be blamed… but a good conscience and a virtuous life, are always to be preferred. But because many take more pains to be learned than to lead good lives, therefore, they often go astray” (Bk 2 ch 3).

So let us learn everything which our position in life requires of us and, as much besides as we are able.
But above all, let us learn to be good and holy.
If we fail in this, the rest is useless and dangerous!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/07/14/thought-for-the-day-14-july-knowledge-and-goodness/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/08/thought-for-the-day-8-march-knowledge-and-goodness/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, LENT 2023, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on MORTIFICATION, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on VANITY

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 24 February – THE THIRD CONDITION NECESSARY for fasting well,

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Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 24 February – Friday after Ash Wednesday, Feast of St Matthias, Apostle

“ Lord, Thou hast proved me
and known me:
Thou hast known my sitting down
and my rising up.”
Psalm 138:1-2

“Take My yoke upon you
and learn from Me,
for I Am meek and humble of heart
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For My yoke is easy and My burden light.”
Matthew 11:29-30

ON FASTING 3
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

“THE THIRD CONDITION NECESSARY for fasting well, is to look to God and to do everything to please Him, withdrawing within ourselves in imitation of a great Saint, St Gregory the Great, who, withdrew into a secret and out-of-the-way place, where he remained for some time without anyone knowing where he was, being content that the Lord and His Angels knew it.

This is what Cassian, that great Father of the spiritual life, teaches us so well in the book of his admirable Conferences. (Many Saints held it in such esteem that they never went to bed without reading a chapter from it to recollect their mind to God.)
He says: “What will it profit you to do what you are doing for the eyes of creatures? Nothing but vanity and complacency which are good for Hell alone. But if you keep your fast and do all your works to please God alone, you will labour for eternity, without delighting in yourself or caring whether you are seen by others or not, since what you do is not done for them, nor do you await your recompense from them. We must keep our fast with humility and truth and not with lying and hyocrisy – that is, we must fast for God and to please Him alone.” …

This is all I wish to tell you regarding fasting and what must be observed in order to fast well.
The first thing is that your fast should be entire and universal – that is that you should make all the members of your body and the powers of your soul fast – keeping your eyes lowered … mortifying the hearing and the tongue, so that you will no longer hear or speak of anything vain or useless; … the memory, in filling it with the remembrance of bitter and sorrowful things and avoiding joyous and gracious thoughts; keeping your will in check and your spirit at the foot of the Crucifix, with some holy and sorrowful thought.
If you do this, your fast will be universal, interior and exterior, for you will mortify both your body and your spirit.
The second condition is that you do not observe your fast or perform your works, for the eyes of others and the third, is that you do all your actions and consequently, your fasting, to please God alone, to Whom be honour and glory forever and ever. Amen.” – (Excerpt from the Sermon given for Ash Wednesday on 9 February 1622).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, LENT 2023, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on VANITY

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 23 February – THE SECOND CONDITION is never to fast through vanity but always through humility.

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Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 23 February – Ash Thursday

“Blessed is the man who feareth the Lord,
he shall delight exceedingly in His Commandments.”
Psalm 111:1

“But you, when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not be seen fasting by men …”
Matthew 6:17-18.

ON FASTING 2
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

“THE SECOND CONDITION is never to fast through vanity but always through humility. If our fast is not performed with humility, it will not be pleasing to God. All our ancient Fathers have declared it so but particularly, St Thomas, St Anbrose and the great St Augustine. St Paul, in the epistle which he wrote to the Corinthians (1 Cor 3) … declares the conditions necessary for disposing ourselves to fast well during Lent. He says this to us: “Lent is approaching. Prepare yourselves to fast with charity, for if your fast is performed without it, it will be vain and useless, since fasting, like all other good works, is not pleasing to God unless it is done in charity and through charity. When you disciopline yourself, when you say long prayers, if you have not charity, all that is nothing. Even though you should work miracles, if you have not charity, they will not profit you at all. Indeed, even if you should suffer martyrdom, without charity, your martyrdom is worth nothing and would not be meritorious in the eys of the Divine Master. For all works, small or great, however good they may be in themselves, are of no value and profit us nothing, if they are not done in charity and through charity,”

I say the same now – if your fast is without humility it is worth nothing and cannot be pleasing to the Lord! … Now, according to the Apostle, all that is done without charity is not pleasing to God, so I say, in the same way with this great Saint, that if you fast without humility, your fast is of no value. For if you have not humility you have not charity and if you are without charity, you are also without humility.
It is almost impossible to have charity without being humble and to be humble withou having charity. These two virtues have such an affinity with one another that the one can never be without the other!

But what is this fast through humility?
It is never to fast through vanity.
Now how can one fast through vanity?
… To fast through vanity is to fast through self-will, since this self-will is not without vanity or, at least, not without a temptation to vanity.
And what does it mean to fast through self-will.
It is to fast as one wishes and not as others wish – to fast in the manner which pleases us and not as we are ordered or counselled.

Let each one of us examine our consciences and we will find that all that comes from ourselves, from our own judgement, choice and election, is esteemed and loved far better, than that which comes from another!” – (Excerpt from the Sermon given
for Ash Wednesday on 9 February 1622).

Posted in "Follow Me", GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on GREED, WEALTH, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on VANITY, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 9 December – Our Desires

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Thought for the Day – 9 December – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Our Desires

“Our desires may be vain or culpable or meritorious.
It is useless to long for the impossible or to base our desires on motives contrary to Christian resignation.
Happiness cannot be found on earth, so it is futile to look for it here.
It is much better to suppress these vain desires and to convert them into a longing for God and for our own perfection.

Some desires are blameworthy, for they spring from an immoderate attachment to worldly things, such as wealth or honours or even sin.
These desires are always sinful and can be seriously so, when they are deliberately directed towards e3vil objects.

Finally, however, there are desires which are good and reasonable.
Even Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, prayed earnestly to His heavenly Father, to take away from Him, if possible, the bitter chalice of the Passion.
But He added immediatel, “Yet not my will but Thine be done” (Lk 22:42).
When He was hanging from the Cross on Calvary, feeling crushed beneath the weight of our sins and utterly abandoned, He cried out in an agony of yearning: “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Mt 27:46).
Nevertheless, He accepted with perfect self-surrender and obedience, all His sufferings, even His mysterious abandonment by His heavenly Father.

The Saints followed the example of Jesus.
Their lives were as full of longing, as they were of suffering.
But just as they offered their sufferings to God with generous hearts, so they offered Him their desires as prayer of supplication.
The Prophet David, yearned for mercy and forgiveness and his longing was expressed for all times, in the Psalm, “Miserere.”
St Teresa longed to suffer and to die for the love of Jesus.
When St Paul was labouring and praying for the salvation of his fellowmen, he desires “to depart ad to be with Christ, a lot by far the better” (Cf Phil 1:23).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/04/21/thought-for-the-day-21-april-our-desires/

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, DYING / LAST WORDS, HOLY COMMUNION, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, MARIAN QUOTES, ON the SAINTS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on VANITY, The HOLY EUCHARIST, The HOLY NAME, The TRANSFIGURATION

Quote/s of the Day – 7 November – St Dominic and Friends OPs

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 7 November – The Feast of All Saints of the Order of Preacher

“These, my much loved ones,
are the bequests which I leave to you, as my sons –
have charity among yourselves,
hold fast to humility,
keep a willing poverty.”

“Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you
after my death and I shall help you then,
more effectively, than during my life.”

St Dominic OP (1170-1221)

“Eternal life flows
from this Sacrament
because God,
with all sweetness,
pours Himself out
upon the blessed.”

“Mary is the divine Page
on which God the Father
wrote the Word of God, His Son.
Let us draw near to her and read her!”

St Albert the Great OP (1200-1280)
Doctor of the Church

“At His Transfiguration
Christ showed His disciples,
the splendour of His Beauty,
to which He will shape and colour,
those who are His :
‘He will reform our lowness
configured to the Body of His Glory.”

“Charity is
the form,
mover,
mother
and root
of all
the virtues.”

“To love is to
will the good
of the other.”

“The greatest kindness
one can render
to any man
consists in leading him
from error to truth.”

St Thomas Aquinas OP (1225 – 1274)
Angelic Doctor of the Church

“The eternal God
asks a favour of His bride:
“Hold Me close to your heart,
close as locket or bracelet fits.”
No matter whether
we walk or stand still,
eat or drink,
we should at all times
wear the golden locket
“Jesus” upon our heart.”

Bl Henry Suso OP (1295-1366)

“Enrich your soul in the great goodness of God –
The Father is your Table,
the Son is your Food
and the Holy Spirit waits on you
and then makes His Dwelling in you.”

“Charity is the sweet and holy bond
which links the soul
with its Creator;
it binds God with man
and man with God.”

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

“Once humility is acquired,
charity will come to life
like a burning flame devouring
the corruption of vice
and filling the heart so full,
that there is no place for vanity.”

“A vain question deserves nothing
but silence.
So learn to be silent for a time;
you will edify your brethren
and silence will teach you,
to speak when the hour is come.”

St Vincent Ferrer OP (1350-1419)

St Dominic’s Blessing
By St Dominic de Guzman OP (1170-1221)

May God the Father,
who made us, bless us.
May God the Son,
send His healing among us.
May God the Holy Spirit,
move within us
and give us eyes to see with,
ears to hear with,
and hands, that Your work,
might be done.
May we walk and preach
the word of God to all.
May the angel of peace
watch over us
and lead us at last,
by God’s grace,
to the Kingdom.
Amen

Posted in DIVINE MERCY, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, Holy Name PRAYERS, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on THE LIGHT of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on VANITY, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, The HOLY NAME, The WILL of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 27 July – St Alphonsus’ Prayer for Five Graces

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Our Morning Offering – 27 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood”

Prayer for Five Graces
By St Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

Eternal Father, Thy Son has promised
that Thou would grant,
all the graces
we ask of Thee in His Name.
Trusting in this promise
and in the Name of and through the Merits
of Jesus Christ,
I ask of Thee five special graces:
First, I ask pardon, for all the offenses
I have committed,
for which I am sorry with all my heart
because I have offended Thine infinite goodness.
Second, I ask for Thy Divine Light,
which will enable me to see
the vanity of all things of this earth
and see also, Thy Infinite greatness and goodness.
Third, I ask for a share in Thy love,
so that I may detach myself from all creatures,
especially from myself and love only Thy Holy Will.
Fourth, grant me the grace to have confidence
in the Merits of Jesus Christ
and in the intercession of Mary.
Fifth, I ask for the grace of perseverance,
knowing that, whenever I call on Thee for assistance,
Thou will answer my call and come to my aid.
I fear only, that I will neglect to turn to Thee
in time of need
and thus bring myself to ruin.
Grant me the grace to pray always,
O Eternal Father,
in the Name of Our Lord Jesus.
Amen.

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on MERIT, QUOTES on VANITY, The LAST THINGS

Thought for the Day – 11 July – VANITY

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Thought for the Day – 11 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

VANITY

“Vanity destroys whatever is good in our actions and makes them useless in the sight of God.
It robs our good actions of all merit because they should be done only for the glory of God, whereas we are performing them for our own glory.
We want them to be seen by others so that we shall be honoured by men as noble and holy.

If our actions have been motivated by self-interest, rather than by the desire for the glory of God, we shall hear, at the judgement seat of God the terrible condemnation:
“You have received your reward” (Cf Mt 6:2).

If we have sought our own satisfaction instead of God’s glory during our lifetime, we shall not receive an everlasting reward!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/07/10/thought-for-the-day-10-july-vanity/

Posted in DOMINICAN OP, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on VANITY, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 5 April – St Vincent Ferrer

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Quote/s of the Day – 5 April – Tuesday in Passion Week – and the Memorial of St Vincent Ferrer OP (1350-1419)

“Whatever you do,
think NOT of yourself
but OF God.”

“Once humility is acquired,
charity will come to life
like a burning flame devouring
the corruption of vice
and filling the heart so full,
that there is no place for vanity.”…

“A vain question deserves nothing
but silence.
So learn to be silent for a time;
you will edify your brethren
and silence will teach you,
to speak when the hour is come.”

St Vincent Ferrer (1350-1419)

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on VANITY, ROSARY QUOTES, The ANNUNCIATION

Thought for the Day – 3 October – The First Joyful Mystery – The Annunciation

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

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
The First Joyful Mystery
The Annunciation

“Consider now Mary’s reaction to the reverence and praise with which the Angel greets her.
Is she carried away by delight and exaltation at this solemn moment?
Nothing of the sort!
In her humility and modesty, she is disturbed by the Angel’s salutation and wonders what the reason is for it.
“She was troubled at his word and kept pondering what manner of greeting this might be” (Lk 1:29).

How do we behave when we receive praise from our superiors or from our friends and acquaintances?
We are pleased and overcome perhaps by feelings of vanity.
We smile to ourselves and are convinced that we are of more consequence than we really are.
We even feel the need to reveal our thoughts to others and, thereby, seek further aggrandisement!
There is a world of difference between the simplicity and humility of the Blessed Virgin and our vain hunger for praise and honour.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/10/03/thought-for-the-day-2-october-the-first-joyful-mystery-the-annunciation/

PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/10/03/thought-for-the-day-3-october-the-first-joyful-mystery-the-annunciation/

Posted in "Follow Me", MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on VANITY

Thought for the Day – 29 April – Pride

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Thought for the Day – 29 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Pride

“Just as humility is the most difficult of the virtues to acquire, pride is the most common of the vices.
We are all conceited and take pride in things, which do not belong to us but to God!
One would imagine, that it would be easy to understand that we are nothing without God but, in practice, it is the other way round.
It is not only prominent personalities, noted scientists and men of letters but also the most ordinary men, who believe, that they are unique and superior to their fellows.

Other vices follow pride.
There is a presumption which leads us to believe that we are more important than we really are and attempt things which are beyond the power which God has given us.

There is ambition ,which drives us to make an immoderate quest for honours and responsibilities, our main goal in life, as if our hearts could be satisfied by these things, rather than by God and by our own sanctification.

There is empty vanity, the futile but burning desire to be praised and esteemed, as if our merits (if we have any) were anything else but a gift from God, which we have been able to develop only by His assistance and grace.

Let us examine ourselves in this regard and we shall find many distortions in our own personality.
We shall discover many vain notions, which we ought to dispel and many selfish detractions from God’s glory of which we are and have been, guity.
“Take away pride,” said St Augustine “and what are men but men?”
Remove the mask of arrogance and affectation and who will find, that even those men, who regard themselves as outstanding personalities, are very insignificant creatures after all.
Let us keep constantly in our mind the words of Jesus: “Amen, amen I say to you, the servant is not greater than his lord; neither is the apostle greater than he that sent him” (John 13:16).”
We can learn a great deal from a meditation on this subject.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/04/20/thought-for-the-day-20-april-pride/

Posted in GOD ALONE!, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on EDUCATION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, QUOTES on TRUST in GOD, QUOTES on VANITY, QUOTES on WISDOM, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 7 April – St John Baptiste de La Salle

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Quote/s of the Day – 7 April – Easter Wednesday and The Memorial of St John Baptiste de La Salle (1651-1719), Priest, Founder of La Salle Schools and of the Brothers of the Christian Schools or FSC

“Let your chief study
be the Sacred Scriptures,
that it may be
the guiding rule of your life.”

“Throw yourself
into God’s arms.
He will carry you
when the road is rough.”

“Learning without piety,
produces a proud device;
piety without learning,
produces a useless one.”

St John Baptiste de La Salle (1651-1719)

MORE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/04/07/quote-s-of-the-day-7-april-easter-saturday-and-the-memorial-of-st-john-baptiste-de-la-salle-1651-1719/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/04/07/quote-of-the-day-7-april-be-driven-by-the-love-of-god/

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on MORTIFICATION, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on TIME, QUOTES on VANITY

Thought for the Day – 20 March – The Shortness of Time

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

The Shortness of Time

“When we are dying, we shall think with sorrow of our past life.
Then we shall fully understand the fleeting nature of time and the vanity of worldly things.
The world, with its empty grandeur and hollow or sinful pleasures, will seem like a cloud, which passes, or, like a curtain, which is drawn to reveal the entrance to eternity.
Our only comfort will be the number of hours which we have given to prayer and mortification, to charitable work for our poor brothers in Christ and, to apostolic labours.
All the rest, will have passed away, never to return.
But the good which we have done, will remain as our supreme consolation in that final hour.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/01/05/thought-for-the-day-5-january-the-shortness-of-time/

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on CHASTITY, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on ENVY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GOSSIP, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on HUMAN DIGNITY, QUOTES on HYPOCRISY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on VANITY, QUOTES on VIOLENCE, SAINT of the DAY, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 18 October – ‘… Let us always reflect the image of God …’ Matthew 22:15-21

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One Minute Reflection – 18 October – Twenty Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Readings: Isaiah 45:1, 4-6, Psalms 96:1, 3, 4-5,7-8, 9-10, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5, Matthew 22:15-21 and the Feast of St Luke the Evangelist

And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore, render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God, the things that are God’s.” – Matthew 22:20-21

REFLECTION – In an ancient work known as the Incomplete Work on Matthew, an anonymous Ancient Christian Writer (ACW) offers the following insight on these verses from today’s Gospel:
“The image of God is not depicted on gold but is imaged in humanity. The coin of Caesar is gold; that of God, humanity. Caesar is seen in his currency; God, however, is known through human beings. And so give your wealth to Caesar but reserve for God the sole innocence of your conscience, where God is beheld. For the hand of Caesar has crafted an image by likenesses and lives each year by renewable decree. However, the divine hand of God has shown His image in ten points.

What ten points? From five carnal ones and five spiritual ones through which we see and understand what things are useful under God’s image. So let us always reflect the image of God in these ways:

I do not swell up with the arrogance of pride;
nor do I droop with the blush of anger;
nor do I succumb to the passion of avarice;
nor do I surrender myself to the ravishes of gluttony;
nor do I infect myself with the duplicity of hypocrisy;
nor do I contaminate myself with the filth of rioting;
nor do I grow flippant with the pretension of conceit;
nor do I grow enamoured of the burden of heavy drinking;
nor do I alienate by the dissension of mutual admiration;
nor do I infect others with the biting of detraction;
nor do I grow conceited with the vanity of gossip.

Rather, instead,

I will reflect the image of God in that I feed on love;
grow certain on faith and hope;
strengthen myself on the virtue of patience;
grow tranquil by humility;
grow beautiful by chastity;
am sober by abstention;
am made happy by tranquillity
and am ready for death, by practicing hospitality.

It is with such inscriptions that God imprints His coins with an impression made neither by hammer nor by chisel but has formed them, with His primary divine intention. For Caesar required his image on every coin but God has chosen man, whom He has created, to reflect His glory.” (Incomplete Work on Matthew, «Homily 40»)

PRAYER – Lord God, You chose St Luke to reveal the mystery of Your love in his preaching and his writings. Grant, we pray, that we may grow in love for the Holy Face of Christ, His words and His directions, revealed to us in the Gospels, in the example of your saints. Today, on his feast, we especially look to St Luke, to guide, teach and pray for us. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, one God with You, forever and ever, amen.

Posted in ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HYPOCRISY, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on SCANDAL, QUOTES on VANITY, QUOTES on ZEAL, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection- 14 October – The bitter zeal of hypocrisy and pride

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One Minute Reflection- 14 October – Wednesday of the Twenty-eighth week in Ordinary Time, Readings: Galatians 5:18-25, Psalms 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6, Luke 11:42-46 and the Memorial of St Fortunatus of Todi (Died 537) Bishop

“Woe to you Pharisees! for you love the best seat in the synagogues and salutations in the market places.”…Luke 11:43

REFLECTION – “Forms of zeal, taking the appearance of good, are to be met with. There is, for example, the zeal of the Pharisee, strict observers of the outward law. This bitter zeal (…) has its source, not in the love of God and of our neighbour but in pride. Those who are tainted with it are filled with inordinate esteem for their own perfections; they do not conceive of any other ideal than their own; they want to bend everyone to their own way of seeing and doing; hence arise dissensions. This zeal tends to hatred.

See with what acrimony the Pharisees, moved by this zeal, pursue the Lord Jesus, putting insidious questions to Him, setting snares to entrap Him, seeking not to know the truth but to find Christ in fault. See how they press Him, how they try to induce Him to condemn the woman taken in adultery: “Now Moses in the Law commanded us to stone such a one. But what sayest Thou?” (Jn 8:5). (…) See, too, how they reproach Him for healing on the Sabbath day (Lk 6:7); how they complain of the disciples for rubbing the ears of corn in their hands on the day of rest (Mt 12:2); how they are scandalized at seeing the Divine Master sit down at dinner with the sinners and publicans (Mt 9:2). These are so many manifestation of this bitter zeal into which hypocrisy so often enters.” – Blessed Columba Marmion OSB (1858-1923) Abbot – Good Zeal (Christ the Ideal of the Monk

PRAYER – Heavenly Father, grant that I may believe what I have learned, never presuming to know better than the teachings of Holy Mother Church and that I may put into practice what I believe. Let my commitment be like unto the Bishop, St Fortunatus of Todi, who lived Your Word with joy and great zeal for faith in Christ, Your Son, God with You and the Holy Spirit, amen.

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, MARIAN TITLES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HYPOCRISY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on VANITY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 13 October – ‘Only God fills the soul and fills it wholly.’

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One Minute Reflection – 13 October – Tuesday of the Twenty-eighth week in Ordinary Time, Readings: Galatians 5:1-6, Psalms 119:41, 43,44, 45, 47, 48, Luke 11:37-41 and the 103rd Anniversary of the Last Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima

And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish but inside you are full of extortion and wickedness.”…Luke 11:39

REFLECTION – “If the world that seeks my God were to know, if those learned men who seek for God in science and endless discussion were to know, if people did but know where to find God, how many wars would be prevented, what peace there would be in the world, how many souls would be saved! Unreasoning and stupid that you look for God where He is not! Listen and be filled with awe – God is in our hearts, I know it. God lives in the human heart when this heart lives withdrawn from all that is not Him, when this heart heeds God’s knock at it’s door (Rv 3,20) and, sweeping and cleaning all its rooms, makes itself ready to welcome Him who alone truly satisfies.

How sweet it is to live like this, with God in the heart. What sublime peace to find oneself filled with God!… What little trouble it is, rather it should be said, there is no trouble in doing what He wishes, since we love His will and even pain and suffering are His peace, since we suffer for love. Only God fills the soul and fills it wholly. Let scientists go on asking – Where is God? He is where those clever ones, arrogant in their knowledge, cannot reach.” … Saint Raphael Arnaiz Baron (1911-1938) – Spanish Trappist monk (Spiritual writings)

PRAYER – Lord God, open our hearts to Your Grace, that we may be filled with Your light and overflow with gratitude for Your merciful love. May we love and adore and worship You in return. Although we are sinners, our hearts long to thank You in total trust and humble thankfulness. Grant that by the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Fatima, our Mother, we may grow in holiness. Through Your only Son, our Saviour and Redeemer, with the Holy Spirit, God, forever, amen.

Posted in GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FREE WILL, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on MORTAL SIN, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on VANITY, QUOTES on VIRTUE

Thought for the Day – 28 August – The Sons of God

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Thought for the Day – 28 August – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Sons of God

“In the beginning of his Gospel, St John speaks of the eternal nature of the Son of God, the Word through Whom all things were created and Who became man to enlighten and redeem the world, which was wallowing in ignorance and sin.
Unfortunately, he adds, instead of welcoming Him, the world rejected Him but, he goes on to say that “to as many as received him, he gave the power of becoming the sons of God” (Cf. John 1:1-12).
These words are a summary of the history of Christianity and, indeed, of the human race, for Jesus Christ was to be a “sign that shall be contradicted” (Lk 2:34).
On our side, there have always been the children of the world, those who ignore or openly combat Christ; on the other, the children of God,the thousands who acknowledge Christ as the Hope of salvation and the Light of the world and adore and love Him as God.

To which side do I belong?
Perhaps I am convinced that I have never attacked or rejected Christ.
But, in effect, I did so every time I committed a deliberate sin, for I put my own caprice before His will.
God’s grace in me was weakened by venial sin, or extinguished altogether by mortal sin.
As a result, I cased to be a child of God and became a child of Satan.
In losing Jesus, I forfeited all real happiness in this world AND in the next!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HYPOCRISY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on PURITY of INTENTION, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on VANITY, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 25 August – “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. ” Matthew 23:23

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One Minute Reflection – 25 August – Tuesday of the Twenty First week in Ordinary Time, Readings: 2 Thessalonians 2: 1-3a, 14-17, Psalms 96: 10, 11-12,13, Matthew 23: 23-26 – The Memorials of Sts Louis IX, (1214-1270) King of France, St Thomas de Cantelupe of Hereford (c 1218–1282) and St Joseph Calasanz (1557-1648) Founder

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cumin and have neglected the weightier things of the law – judgement and mercy and fidelity. [But] these you should have done, without neglecting the others…” … Matthew 23:23

REFLECTION – “Not only among the Jews but among ourselves as well, we find people sinning in these ways. They are swallowing camels. People of this type frequently show off their religion even in the smallest of things. They are rightly called hypocrites for wanting to exploit their religiosity before men but being unwilling to undertake that very faith, which God Himself has justified.
Therefore, the imitators of the scribes and Pharisees must be dislodged and sent away from us, lest a woe, touches us, in the same way it touches them.
The scribes could be described as those who valued nothing found in the Scriptures, except its plain sense interpreted legalistically.
Meanwhile, they condemn those who look into the very depths of God Himself.
Mint and dill and cumin are only spices for food but are not themselves, substantial food. What substantive food would mean in conversion, would be that which is necessary for the justification of our souls—faith and love—unlike these legalisms, which are more like condiments and flavourings. It is as if, a meal might be thought to consist, more of condiments and flavourings than the food itself.
The seriousness of judgement is neglected, while great attention is given to minor matters.
Spiritual exercises which in and of themselves are hardly justice, are spoken of as justice and compassion and faith.
It is lacking in justice to treat these small parts as the whole.
When we do not offer to God the observance of all that is necessary for worship, we fail altogether.” … Origen (c 185-253) – Priest, Theologian, Father – Commentary on Matthew, 19

PRAYER – Dear Lord, help me to teach others about You by my example as well as my words. Grant that I may spread Your truth and Your light wherever I go. St Louis and St Joseph of Calasanz, you are examples of the way to true faith and love, assist us by your prayers, in living the true way of life in this world to attain our true home in heaven. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen.

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, HYMNS, I BELIEVE!, MARIAN QUOTES, ON the SAINTS, POETRY, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUEENSHIP of MARY, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TRUST in GOD, QUOTES on VANITY, QUOTES on WISDOM, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 20 August – St Bernard

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Quote/s of the Day – 20 August – The Memorial of St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) Mellifluous Docotr, “Doctor of Light”

“In every lodging, at every corner,
have reverence for thy Angel.
Do not dare to do in his presence
what you would not dare to do, if I were there.
Or do you doubt that he is present
whom you do not behold?
What if you should hear him?
What if you should touch him?
What if you should scent him?
Remember, that the presence of something
is not proved only by the sight of things.”

” It is true that the creature loves less
because she is less.
But if she loves with her whole being,
nothing is lacking,
where everything is given.”

“There are those who seek knowledge
for the sake of knowledge;
that is Curiosity.
There are those who seek knowledge
to be known by others;
that is Vanity.
There are those who seek knowledge
in order to serve;
that is Love.”

“The road to hell
is paved
with good intentions.”

“A saint is not someone, who never sins,
but one who sins less and less frequently
and gets up more and more quickly.”

“Just as Mary surpassed in grace all others on earth,
so also in heaven is her glory unique.
If eye has not seen or ear heard or the human heart conceived
what God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9),
who can express what He has prepared
for the woman who gave Him birth
and who loved Him,
as everyone knows, more than anyone else?”

“Rest is in Him alone.
Man knows no peace in the world
but he has no disturbance
when he is with God.”

Jesu Dulcis Memori

Jesus, the very thought of Thee
with sweetness fills my breast,
But sweeter far Thy face to see
and in Thy presence rest.

Nor voice can sing nor heart can frame,
Nor can the memory find
a sweeter sound than Jesus’ name,
O Saviour of mankind.

O hope of every contrite heart,
O joy of all the meek
to those who fall, how kind Thou art,
how good to those who seek!

But what to those who find?
Ah this nor tongue nor pen can show,
the love of Jesus, what it is none
but His loved ones know.

Jesus our only joy be Thou
as Thou our prize wilt be.
Jesus, be Thou our glory now
and through eternity.
Amen

More here:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/08/20/quote-s-of-the-day-21-august-st-bernard/

St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on VANITY, The LAST THINGS

Thought for the Day – 10 July – Vanity

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Thought for the Day – 10 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Vanity

vanity- bacci 10 july 2020

“God was perfectly happy in Himself from all eternity and did not need any creature to add to His glory.
Nevertheless, in order to diffuse His Power and Goodness, He created our world in which is reflected the harmony of His Divine Essence.
Even as all things have their origin in Him, they have Him, as their final end.
He is the eternal harbour towards which all created things flow, even as the rivers roll continually onwards until they reach the peace of the sea.
In this vast world of solar systems rotating in the firmament,of mineral and vegetable wealth and of animal creation, you are only a very tiny being, who has received everything from God.
Nevertheless, you are often convinced, that you are important.
You glory in your talents, as if they belonged to you and were not a gift which God has given to you.

Vanity is a form of theft.
God has given us everything, including life itself and, we act as if His gifts were our rightful possession.
We boast about them, show them off in the company of others and, are delighted when we receive praise or respect.
Let us imagine that we are dying and shall soon be alone in the presence of God.
At that supreme moment, what will earthly glory matter to us?
Of what account will be human flattery and transitory success?
When we are alone before God, nothing will matter except humlity and the merits which we have gained.
These will make us worthy of God’s friendship and of a heavenly reward.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci