Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 10 March – Friday of the Second Week in Lent – Hebrews 11:33-39, Luke 6:17-23. – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“The just cried and the Lord heard them and delivered them out of all their troubles.” Psalm 33:18
“And He, lifting up His eyes on His disciples, said: Blessed are you poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God.” Luke 6:20
POVERTY AMID RICHES St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritas
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of God” and if so, woe be to the rich in spirit, for theirs must be the bitterness of hell! By rich in spirit, I mean him, whose riches engross his mind, or whose mind is buried in his riches. He is poor in spirit, whose heart is not filled with the love of riches, whose mind is not set upon them. …
Whatever riches and all other transitory things you may possess, you must keep your heart free from the slightest affection for them. Your heart may be surrounded by riches; however, riches must never master your heart! … And this, my child, is what your heart should be – open only to Heaven, impenetrable to riches and earthly treasures. If you have them, keep your heart from attaching itself to them; let it maintain a higher level and amidst riches be as though you had none, superior to them. Do not let that mind which is the likeness of God, cleave to mere earthly goods; let it always be raised above them, not sunk in them.
… Do not fix your longings on anything which you do not possess; do not let your heart rest in that which you have; do not grieve overmuch , at the losses which may happen to you – and then, you may reasonably believe, that although rich in fact, you are not so in affection but that you are poor in spirit and, therefore, blessed, for the Kingdom of Heaven is yours.” (Introduction to the Devout Life – PART III Containing counsels concerning the practice of virtue).
Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 7 March – Tuesday of the Second Week in Lent – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God.” Luke 6:20
“I was an hungred and you gave Me to eat, I was naked and ye clothed Me; come, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matthew 25:34-36
ALMSGIVING St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritas
“MY CHILD, OUR POSSESSIONS ARE NOT OURS – God has given them to us to cultivate, that we may make them fruitful and profitable in His Service and so doing, we shall please Him. And this we must do more earnestly than worldly men, for they look carefully after their property out of self-love and we must work for the love of God. Now self-love is a restless, anxious, over-eager love and so, the work done on its behalf is troubled, vexatious and unsatisfactory–whereas the love of God, is calm, peaceful and tranquil and so the work done for its sake, even in worldly things, is gentle, trustful and quiet. …
… Always dispose of a part of your means by giving them heartily to the poor – you impoverish yourself, by whatever you give away. It is true that God will restore it to you, not only in the next world, but in this, for nothing brings so much temporal prosperity as free almsgiving but meanwhile, you are sensibly poorer for what you give. Truly that is a holy and rich poverty which results from almsgiving.
… Love the poor and poverty, this love will make you truly poor, since, as Holy Scripture says, we become like to that we love. Love makes lovers equal. “Who is weak and I am not weak?” (2 Cor 11:29) says St Paul? He might have said, Who is poor and I am not poor? for it was love which made him like to those he loved and so, if you love the poor, you will indeed share their poverty and be poor like them.
And if you love the poor, seek them out, take pleasure in bringing them to your home and in going to theirs, talk freely with them and be ready to meet them, whether in Church or elsewhere. Let your tongue be poor with them in converse but let your hands be rich to distribute out of your abundance!” (Introduction to the Devout Life Part III – 15. How to exercise real Poverty, although actually Rich).
Thought for the Day – 31 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Outward Appearances
“Men of the world look at the outward appearance of things and are often satisfied with that. Many of them desire and long for physical beauty, wealth, high social status and honours. It does not matter to them if beneath this splendid facade, there are concealed, a mean and impoverish spirit, a corrupt and dishonest heart, an egotism indifferent to noble ideals and an astuteness intent on ousting potential rivals. All this is unimportant, as long as they are successful and can keep up appearances,
We tend to live for what others think and say about us, in other words, for external appearances. Is this you?”
Quote/s of the Day – 28 January – St Peter Nolasco OdeM (c 1182–c 1256) Confessor, Founder – 1 Corinthians 4:9-14, Luke 12:32-34 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Sell what you possess and give alms. Make for yourselves purses which do not grow old, a treasure unfailing in Heaven, where neither thief draws near, nor moth destroys.”
Luke 12:33
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again and out of joy, goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
Matthew 13:44
“It was Christ Who was present to all those to whom, from the beginning, God communicated His Speech and Word. If anyone, therefore, reads the Scriptures with attention, he will find in them, an expression of Christ and a foreshadowing of this new calling. For Christ is the Treasure which was hidden in the field, that is, in this world (Mt 13:38) – a Treasure hidden in the Scriptures, …” Thus it was, that the Lord explained the Scriptures to His disciples, after His Resurrection from the dead, proving to them, by their means, that “it was necessary the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory” (Lk 24:26). So, if anyone should likewise read the Scriptures that person will become a perfect disciple, “like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom things both new and old.” (Mt 13:52).
St Irenaeus of Lyons ((130-202) Bishop, Martyr, Father of the Church
“If you wish to be perfect, sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in Heaven.”
Matthew 19:21
“In saying this I am speaking the truth because I am relying on the words of Him ,Who is Truth: “If you wish to be perfect, sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in Heaven” Mt 19:21). Do not be cast down by these words, lest the same thing be said to you, as to the rich young man: “It will be difficult for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt 19:23). Still more, when you read this sentence, consider that death can snatch these possessions away from you that the aggression of someone powerful, can carry them away. At the end of the day, you will have seen no further than insignificant goods, in place of great wealth – these are no more than a treasure of coins, rather than treasures of grace. By their very nature, they perish, rather than remaining forever!”
St Ambrose (340-397) Father and Doctor of the Church
One Minute Reflection – 28 January – St Peter Nolasco OdeM (c 1182–c 1256) Confessor, Founder – 1 Corinthians 4:9-14, Luke 12:32-34 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Sell what you possess and give alms. Make for yourselves purses which do not grow old, a treasure unfailing in Heaven, where neither thief draws near, nor moth destroys.” – Luke 12:33
REFLECTION – “You are a jailor of your wealth, not its owner, you who bury your gold in the ground (cf Mt 25:25); you are its slave and not its master. Christ said: “Where your treasure is there also your heart will be” so it is your heart you have buried. Rather, sell your gold and buy salvation; sell what is metal and acquire God’s Kingdom; sell the field and purchase for yourself eternal life!
In saying this I am speaking the truth because I am relying on the words of Him Who is Truth: “If you wish to be perfect, sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in Heaven” (Mt 19:21). Do not be cast down by these words, lest the same thing be said to you, as to the rich young man: “It will be difficult for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt 19:23). Still more, when you read this sentence, consider that death can snatch these possessions away from you that the aggression of someone powerful, can carry them away. At the end of the day, you will have seen no further than insignificant goods, in place of great wealth – these are no more than a treasure of coins, rather than treasures of grace. By their very nature, they perish, rather than remaining forever!” – St Ambrose (340-397) Bishop of Milan, Father and Doctor of the Church (Naboth the poor, 58).
PRAYER – O God, Thou Who, as an example of Thy love, divinely taught St Peter to enrich Thy Church with new offspring, a family of Religious devoted to the ransom of the faithful, grant by his intercession that we may be released from the slavery of sin and rejoice in lasting freedom in Heaven. 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).
Thought for the Day – 23 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Rich
“A very rich man who was convinced that he was a good Christian, went to Confession one day. He discussed his doubts and worries about the passages in Sacred Scripture which have just been quoted (see Part One). The penance which he received from the Confessor, was that he should go and read and meditate in a certain city suburb. This area was full of cabins and shacks, where large numbers of poor, abandoned people were eking out an existence. He drove there in his large streamlined car. He stopped and began reading slowly. After a while, he became greatly affected and wept … He left his car and, as if driven by some irresistible force, began to distribute all the money which he had with him to those poor people. At last, he understood fully and without the need of any glossary, the command of Our Lord: “Give that which remains as alms and behold, all things are clean to you” (Lk 11:41). From that day, he was no longer a self-complacent Christian but a just and charitable rich man.
We can all learn a lot from this story. Even if we are not rich, we certainly have a little more than we need. Let us give it to the poor. They are the poor representations of Christ, our poor Saviour. We shall never be worthy members of the Mystical Body of Christ, if we do not see the image of Jesus Christ in the poor.”
Thought for the Day – 20 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Blessed are the Poor
“Those who are really poor should not be too disturbed. If they are resigned to their poverty and are not consumed by the desire for riches, the blessing of the Gospel is theirs. Let them remember that when Jesus became Man, in order to redeem us, He did not choose to be wealthy. He chose to be the poorest of men. Similarly, Our Blessed Lady, St Joseph and all the Saints, were free from all desire of worldly possessions, so that there was room in their hearts only for God, their supreme good. Let them remember too, for their cosolation that it is much easier for them to gain Heaven because they are not weighed down by worldly cares.
Let us all love and aim at acquiring the true riches of the spirit, which are to be found now in the practice of virtue and later in Heaven.”
One Minute Reflection – 23 August – St Philip Benizi OSM (1233-1285) Confessor – 1 Corinthians. 4:9-14, Luke 12:32-34
“For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” – Luke 12:34
REFLECTION – “All this is what that treasure brings about. Either through almsgiving, it raises the heart of a man into Heaven, or through greed it buries it in the earth. That is why He said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” O man, send your treasure on, send it ahead into Heaven, or else your God-given soul will be buried in the earth! Gold comes from the depth of the earth — the soul, from the highest Heaven. Clearly it is better ,to carry the gold to where the soul resides, than to bury the soul, in the mine of the gold. That is why God orders those who will serve in His Army here below, to fight as men stripped of concern for riches and unencumbered by anything. To these He has granted the privilege of reigning in Heaven.” – St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, “Doctor of Homilies” Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 22)
PRAYER – O God, Who through St. Philip, Thy Confessor, gave us an outstanding example of humility, grant that Thy household may follow his example by scorning worldly prosperity and, ever seek the things of Heaven 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).
Thought for the Day – 6 August – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Almsgiving
“Even if it is not very great, wealth is a dangerous thing. It is a burden which hampers us spiritually, unless it is enriched by charity. Of itself, wealth is opposed to the spirit of the Gospel. In the Church of God, therefore, the only fitting role which rich men can assume, is to place their abundance at the service of charity and become the servants of the poor.
St Thomas Aquinas says that wealth can be an instrument of virtue and that, it is only in this sense that it can be called good. If it impedes the practice of virtue, then it is evil (Summa Contra Gentiles, 111:134). Let us make good use of our assets, therefore and give generously to those who are in need, without allowing our motives to become tainted with self-interest.
“Sell what you have and give alms,” said Christ, “Make for ourselves purses that do not grow old, a treasure unfailing in Heaven, where neither thief draws near nor moth destroys” (Lk 12:33). It is the possession of this kind of treasure, which will comfort us at the hour of death.”
Thought for the Day – 5 August – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Riches and Poverty
“We must face this unfortunate fact. One half of the world is living in luxury while the other half lives in squalor. Worse still, both the inanity and arrogance of the wealthy and the degradation and abjection of the destitute, extinguish the light of the Gospel and drown the voice of conscience.
Who is at fault? We must all share the blame, for nobody has ever fully implemented the Gospel teaching, which alone contains a complete solution for the problems of the human race. A great deal of want and misery would disappear, if all those whose assets exceed what they need for themselves, remembered that they are obliged to love their neighbour as themselves. They would then take heed of the precept: “Give that which remains as alms” (Lk 11:41), We should all examine ourselves rigidly on this point because, we could all do far more to help the needy, whom we do not love, unfortunately, as much as we love ourselves!”
Thursday of the Second week of Lent – 17 March – Our Lenten Journey with the Great Fathers – Jeremias 17:5-10, Luke 16:19-31
“Deign, O God, to rescue me; O Lord, make haste to help me … ” – Psalm 69:2
“There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously everyday. And at his gate lay a poor man, named Lazarus…”
Luke 16:19–20
“… A CERTAIN MAN, it is said, living in great wickedness, was rich and he experienced no ill fortune but all good things flowed to him as from a perennial fountain. For that nothing undesirable happened to him – no cause of trouble – none of the ills of human lif, is implied when it is said, that “he feasted sumptuously everyday.”
AND THAT HE LIVED wickedly is clear from the end allotted to him and even before his end, from the neglect which he displayed in the case of the poor man – for, that he felt pity neither for the poor man at his gate, nor for any other, he himself showed. …
BUT HE HAD NO FEELINGS, he was more severe and harsh than that judge who neither feared God nor regarded man. For the judge, although so cruel and stern, was moved by the perseverance of the widow to be gracious and listen to her petition but this man, could not even thus be induced to give aid to the poor man, notwithstanding that his petition was not like that of the widow but much easier and fairer. …
WHEN WE ARE URGED, we frequently feel annoyed but when we see those who need our help remaining in perfect silence and saying not a word and although always failing to gain their object, not bearing it hardly but. only appearing before us in silence, even though we are more unfeeling than the very stones, we are shamed and moved by such exceeding humility.
THERE IS ALSO another circumstance of not less weight, namely, that the very appearance of the poor man was pitiable, since he was emaciated by hunger and long sickness. Yet none of these things influenced that cruel man. …
STILL IT CAME TO PASS that a man living in wickedness and inhumanity enjoyed every kind of good fortune and a just and virtuous man lingered in the greatest ills. For that Lazarus was a just man is made plain, as in the other case, by his end and even before his end, by his patience and poverty. Do you not, indeed, seem to see these things present before our eyes?” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (Excerpt First Discourse on Luke 16:19-31)
Quote/s of the Day –17 March – Thursday of the Second week of Lent – Jeremias 17:5-10, Luke 16:19-31
“There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously everyday. And at his gate lay a poor man, named Lazarus…”
Luke 16:19–20
“… So then, you rich who have wisdom, apply yourselves to this business… Why let yourselves be transfixed by diamonds and emeralds, by houses that fire devours, time destroys, or earthquakes throw down? Aspire for nothing other than to dwell in the heavens and reign with God. A mere man, a beggar will gain you this kingdom!”
St Clement of Alexandria (150- 215) Father of the Church
“Give of your earthly goods and receive eternal ones; give earth and receive heaven!”
St Augustine (354-430)\ Father and Doctor of the Church
“Earthly riches are like the reed. Its roots are sunk in the swamp and its exterior, is fair to behold but inside, it is hollow. If a man leans on such a reed, it will snap off and pierce his soul.”
“Damned money! Alas! … Money is the ‘droppings of birds’ that blinded the eyes of Tobit.”
St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Evangelical Doctor
Thought for the Day – 25 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Rich
“Wealth is a gift from God. Therefore, it is good, like everything else which comes from God. Worldly wealth, as St Thomas Aquinas says, can be an instrument of virtue. But, it is good only insofar, as it leads to holiness. If it interferes with the practice of virtue, it is evil (Summa Contra Gentiles, Bk III, 134).
God created the wealth of the earth, not for a few but, for all mankind. All men have the right, therefore, to draw their means of subsistence from the earth. If any individual with large private possessions, however lawfully acquired, battles against this right to live, he commits a grave sin. This could happen either because a man is lacking in justice or in charity. Both justice and charity are commanded by God, however and, it matters very little, whether a man goes to Hell because he has offended against justice or because he has offended against charity. Hell is Hell, in either case!
Let us examine ourselves and see if we are lacking in either of the virtues. It is certain that there would not be so much misery and want in the world, if the Gospel teaching on the virtues of justice and charity had ever really triumphed.”
Thought for the Day – 20 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Blessed are the Poor
“Detachment from riches implies, the obligation of using them, as a means of reaching eternal life and in accordance with the principles of justice and charity. This is a positive command of God, which nobody can ignore without falling into sin to a greater or lesser extent. But over and beyond this general rule, there is an evangelical counsel to which only the privileged few are called in their search for perfection. This evangelical counsel says to us: “If thou wilt be perfect, go, sell what thou hast and give to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven and come, follow me” (N 19:21; Mk 10:21; Lk 12:33, 18:22).
If we have received this great call to evangelical perfection, we must listen to it and follow Jesus promptly and generously. But even if our vocation does not lie in that direction, let us take care not to become too attached to the passing things of this world. Our hearts were not made for them but, for God alone!
Remember the striking words of St Paul: “Brethren, the time is short; it remains that those who have wives, be as if they had none and, those who weep, as though not weeping and those who rejoice, as though not rejoicing and those who buy, as though not possessing and those who use the world, as though not using it, for this world, as we see it, is passing away” (1 Cor 7:29-31).”
One Minute Reflection – 10 November – “Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – Readings: : Romans 16: 3-9, 16, 22-27; Psalm 145: 2-5, 10-11; Luke 16: 9-15
“I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”…Luke 16:9
REFLECTION – “A servant cannot serve two masters.” Not that there are two – there is only one Master – for even if there are some people who serve money, it has no inherent right to be a master; they, themselves, are the ones who assume the yoke of this slavery. In fact, money has no rightful authority but constitutes an unjust bondage. That is why Jesus says: “Make friends for yourselves with deceitful money” so that, by generosity to the poor, we will win the favour of angels and saints.
The steward is not blamed. By this we learn, that we are not masters but rather stewards of other people’s wealth. He was praised even though he was in the wrong because, in paying out to others in his master’s name, he won support for himself. And how rightly Jesus spoke of “deceitful wealth” because love of money so tempts our desires with its various seductions, that we consent to become its slaves. That is why He said: “If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours?”Riches are alien to us because, they exist outside of our nature; they are not born with us, they do not follow us in death. But Christ, to the contrary, belongs to us because He is Life… So do not let us become slaves of exterior goods because Christ is the only One we should acknowledge as our Lord.” –St Ambrose (340-397) Bishop of Milan and Father & Doctor of the Church -(Commentary on Saint Luke’s Gospel, 7, 244s ; SC 52)
PRAYER – Lord God, You built Your Church on the firm foundation of the Apostle Peter and You promised that the gates of hell would never overcome it. So too, may we trust in Your power, that by our faith we may receive the grace to withstand the enemy who will not prevail against us. May we always serve You in our brother and may your Holy Spirit grant us the grace of fortitude to withstand our temptations and thus gain eternal life, supported by the prayers of all the Angels, Saints and our Blessed Mother Mary. Through Christ, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God now and forever, amen.
One Minute Reflection – 16 August – “Month of the Immaculate Heart” – Readings: Judges 2: 11-19; Psalm 106: 34-7, 39-40, 43ab and 44; Matthew 19: 16-22
“If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven.” – Matthew 19:21
REFLECTION – “After his parents’ death … when Anthony was about eighteen or even twenty years old …) he went into the Church when it happened that the Gospel was being read,and he heard the Lord saying to the rich man: “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven.” It was as if the passage were read on his account. Immediately Antony went out from the Lord’s house and gave to the townspeople the possessions he had from his forebears. And selling all the rest that was portable, when he collected sufficient money, he donated it to the poor, keeping a few things for his sister.
But when, entering the Lord’s house once more, he heard in the Gospel the Lord saying, “Do not be anxious about tomorrow” (Mt 6:34), he could not remain any longer but going out he gave those remaining possessions also to the needy. Placing his sister in the charge of respected and trusted virgins, and giving her over to the convent for rearing, he devoted himself from then on to the discipline rather than the household, giving heed to himself and patiently training himself ….
He worked with his hands, though, having heard that “he who is idle, let him not eat” (2 Thess 3:10). And he spent what he made partly for bread and partly on those in need. He prayed constantly, since he learned that it is necessary to “pray unceasingly” (Lk 21:36) in private. For he paid such close attention to what was read that nothing from Scripture did he fail to take in, rather, he grasped everything and in him the memory took the place of books. … All those then, who were from his village and those good people with whom he associated, seeing him living thus, used to call him ‘God-loved‘, and some hailed him as ‘son‘, some as ‘brother‘.” – St Athanasius (297-373) Bishop of Alexandria, Father and Doctor of the Church – Life of Saint Anthony, the Father of Monks, 2-4
PRAYER – Lord God, You filled the Saints with strength and courage and gave them the knowledge of unity with You. Grant, we pray, that in imitation of them, we may defend the Catholic faith and renew all things in Christ, Your Son. Help us Holy Father, to follow the example of the Immaculate Heart of the Mother of Your Son and all Your Saints and finally inherit eternal life ,with Youts. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Thought for the Day – 28 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Rich
“Sacred Scripture has some very severe and terrible things to say to the rich. “Woe to you rich! for you are now having your comfort” (Lk 6:24). “Amen, I say to you, with difficulty will a rich man enter the kingdom of heaven. And further, I say to you, it is easier for a camel top pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 19:23-24, CF Mk 10:24-25, Lk 18:24-25). St James adds: “Come now, you rich, weep and howl over your miseries which will come upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are rusted and their rust will be a witness against you and will devour your flesh as fire does. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the labourers who reaped your fields, which have been kept back by you unjustly, cry out and their cry has entered into the ears of the Lord of Hosts. You have feasted upon earth and you have nourished your hearts on dissipation in the days of slaughter”(Js 5:1-5).
These passages are not concerned with the rich as such, for men like Abraham, Job and St Louis, the King of France, were wealthy. They are directed against those who have become absorbed in their wealth (Mk 10:24) and have grown deaf to the rightful promptings of justice and charity.
Nevertheless, it is not only the wealthy and unjust who should reflect seriously on these stern words but also, those who have more than they need in life and are never moved by compassion for their less fortunate fellowmen. Can we be counted amongst these?”
Quote/s of the Day – 28 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Readings: Exodus 34: 29-35; Psalms 99: 5, 6, 7, 9; Matthew 13: 44-46
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again and out of joy, goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
Matthew 13:44
“For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”
Matthew 6:21
“But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is he, who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:20-21
“Lay not up for yourselves, treasures on earth … but lay up for yourselves, treasures in heaven”
Matthew 6:19,20
“You are a jailor of your wealth, not its owner, you who bury your gold in the ground (cf Mt 25,25); you are its slave and not its master. Christ said: “Where your treasure is, there also your heart will be” so it is your heart you have buried. Rather, sell your gold and buy salvation; sell what is metal and acquire God’s Kingdom; sell the field and purchase for yourself, eternal life. In saying this I am speaking the truth because I am relying on the words of Him who is Truth: “If you wish to be perfect, sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven” (Mt 19,21). Do not be cast down by these words lest the same thing be said to you, as to the rich young man: “It will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (v.23). Still more, when you read this sentence, consider that death can snatch these possessions away from you, that the aggression of someone powerful can carry them away.”
St Ambrose (340-397) Bishop of Milan, Father and Doctor of the Church
“Where is the heart that loves? On the thing it loves. Therefore, where our love is, there our heart is held captive. It cannot leave it; it cannot be lifted higher, it cannot go either to the right or the left; see, it is fixed. Where the miser’s treasure is, there is his heart and where our heart is, there is our treasure.”
Thought for the Day – 28 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Blessed are the Poor
“Blessed are the rich.” This, is the judgement of the world. But Jesus says: “Blessed are you poor” (Lk 6:20). Whom are we to believe? Naturally, we must believe Jesus. A certain amount of confusion could arise, however, in our understanding of this maxim. It becomes clear from the context of St Luke and still clearer in the words of St Matthew, who writes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Mt 5:3). It is necessary, therefore, as St Jerome and others have commented, to be poor in our detachment from our possessions.
If a poor man longs for riches and envies and hates the wealthy because of their possessions, he is NOT poor in spirit. So he cannot receive the blessing of which Our Lord spoke. In the same way, a rich man may be attached to his great wealth. Perhaps he aims at nothing else but to increase it and, because he is thinking of it all the time, neglects his duty to God and to his neighbour. Above all, love of riches may causes him to be lacking in justice and charity. The behaviour of such a man is contrary to the law of God! Meditate carefully on this point and do not neglect to make, whatever resolutions, seem necessary.”
One Minute Reflection – 19 April – Monday of the Third Week of Easter, Readings: First: Acts 6: 8-15, Psalm: Psalms 119: 23-24, 26-27, 29-30, Gospel: John 6: 22-29 and the Memorial of Bl Conrad of Ascoli OFM (1234-1289)
“This is the work of God, that you believe in him, whom he hath sent.” – John 6:29
REFLECTION – “The senses are full of curiosity – faith is content to know nothing, it… longs to pass its life motionless before the Tabernacle. The senses love riches and honour – faith holds them in horror… “Blessed are the poor” (Mt 5,3). She adores the poverty and lowliness with which Jesus covered His life, as though with a garment, that He never cast off… The senses take fright at that which they call danger, at all that might mean pain or death – but faith is afraid of nothing, it knows nothing can happen to it but what is the will of God: “I have counted every hair of your head” (Mt 10,30) and whatever God wishes, will always be for its good. “All that happens is for the good of my elect” (Rm 8,28). Thus in everything that may happen, sorrow or joy, health or sickness, life or death, it is content and fears nothing. The senses are anxious about the future and ask how we shall live tomorrow but faith feels no anxiety…
Thus faith illumines everything with a new light, different to the life of the senses, more brilliant, of another kind. Whoever lives by faith, has a soul full of new thoughts, new tastes, new impressions; new horizons open up, marvellous horizons, lit with a new light and with a divine beauty, surrounded with new truths of which the world is not aware. Thus, whoever believes, begins a new life opposed to that of the world, whose acts seem like madness. The world is in the darkness of night, the person of faith is in full light – this light-filled path on which we walk, is not manifest to others. It seems to them, that we want to walk like a madman, in emptiness.” – Blessed Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916) Hermit and Missionary in the Sahara – Retreat Notes, Nazareth, Nov. 1897
PRAYER – King of heaven and earth, Lord God, rule over our hearts and bodies this day. Sanctify us and guide our every thought, word and deed, according to the commandments of Your law, so that now and forever, Your grace may free and save us. Let us walk in Your ways and be your lights and thus, by our lives, help others to follow You. Grant that the prayers of our blessed Mother, the Mother of Jesus Your Son and Blessed Conrad of Ascoli, who always lived for You alone, may help us, as we work through each day to reach our heavenly home. Through Jesus the Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God now and forever, amen.
Acts 6: 8-15 8 And Stephen, full of grace and fortitude, did great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Now there arosesome of that which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and of the Cyrenians and of the Alexandrians and of them that were of Cilicia and Asia, disputing with Stephen. 0 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit that spoke. 11 Then they suborned men to say, they had heard him speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God. 12 And they stirred up the people, and the ancients and the scribes and running together, they took him and brought him to the council. 13 And they set up false witnesses, who said: This man ceaseth not to speak words against the holy place and the law. 14 For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place and shall change the traditions which Moses delivered unto us. 15 And all that sat in the council, looking on him, saw his face as if it had been the face of an angel.
Gospel: John 6: 22-29 22 The next day, the multitude that stood on the other side of the sea, saw that there was no other ship there but one and that Jesus had not entered into the ship with his disciples but, that his disciples were gone away alone. 23 But other ships came in from Tiberias, nigh unto the place where they had eaten the bread, the Lord giving thanks. 24 When herefore he multitude saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they took shipping and came to Capharnaum, seeking for Jesus. 25 And when they had found him, on the other side of the sea, they said to him: Rabbi, when camest thou hither? 26 Jesus answered them and said: Amen, amen I say to you, you seek me, not because you have seen miracles but because you did eat of the loaves and were filled. 27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth but for that which endures unto life everlasting, which the Son of man will give you. For him hath God, the Father, sealed. 28 They said, therefore, unto him: What shall we do, that we may work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said to them: This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he hath sent.
Quote/s of the Day 24 March – Wednesday of Passion or the Fifth Week of Lent, Readings: Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95, Daniel 3:52, 53, 54,55, 56, John 8:31-42
“If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.”
John 8:31-32
“The good man, though a slave, is free; the wicked, though he reigns, is a slave and not the slave of a single man but, what is worse, the slave of as many masters, as he has vices.”
St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of Grace
“He came to lead our lives away from corruption, to Himself and gave us freedom, in place of slavery.”
St Anastasius II of Antioch (550-609)
“Earthly riches are like the reed. Its roots are sunk in the swamp and its exterior, is fair to behold but inside, it is hollow. If a man leans on such a reed, it will snap off and pierce his soul.”
St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Evangelical Doctor
Thought for the Day – 5 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Month of the Holy Rosary” The Third Joyful Mystery The Birth of Jesus
“When God became man in order to instruct and redeem the lost and erring human race, the gesture would have been deprived of it’s real significance if He had chosen to be born in a palace, surrounded by the splendour of worldly glory and wealth.
It would have been meaningless, not only for God but also, for us, if He had abandoned the imperishable glory of Heaven and the infinite wealth of everlasting happiness, in order to assume the kind of earthly grandeur which, in His eyes is but a vanishing cloud. What we needed, was to learn the way of humility and of detachment from worldly things, which can so easily lead us to forget the supernatural. We needed someone to come and sanctify suffering, which purifies and elevates the soul. We needed someone to appease divine justice on our behalf and to teach us, that the way of the cross, is the only one which can lead to Heaven. This was why the Eternal Word of God became a poor and lowly infant, choosing a stable, rather than a palace and the little village of Bethlehem in Judea, in preference to the imperial city of Rome. He wished His extreme poverty and deprivation, to be His first lesson to mankind.”
Quote/s of the Day – 16 September – The Memorial of Sts Cornelius & Cyprian
“The world is going mad in mutual extermination and murder, considered as a crime, when committed individually, becomes a virtue, when it is committed by large numbers. It is the multiplication of the frenzy, that assures impunity to the assassins.”
“You cannot have God for your Father if you do not have the Church for your mother.”
“There is one God and one Christ and one Church and one Chair founded on Peter, by the word of the Lord. It is not possible to set up another altar or for there to be another priesthood besides that one altar and that one priesthood. Whoever has gathered elsewhere, is scattering!”
“Their property held them in chains… chains which shackled their courage and choked their faith and hampered their judgement and throttled their soul… If they stored up their treasure in heaven, they would not now have an enemy and a thief within their own household… They think of themselves as owners, whereas it is they rather, who are owned – enslaved as they are to their own property, they are not the masters of their money but it’s slaves!”
“We have solemnly renounced the world and therefore, whilst we continue in it, we should behave like strangers and pilgrims.”
“He [Christ], protects their faith and gives strength to believers, in proportion to the TRUST, that each man, who receives that strength, is willing to place in Him.”
“The wretched bodies of the condemned shall simmer and blaze in those living fires.”
St Cyprian of Carthage (c 200- c 258) Bishop and Martyr, Father of the Church
One Minute Reflection – 16 September – Wednesday of the Twenty Fourth week in Ordinary Time, Readings: 1 Corinthians 12:31–13:13, Psalms 33:2-3, 4-5, 12 and 22, Luke 7:31-35 and the Memorial of Sts Cornelius & Cyprian
“To what shall I compare the people of this generation?” … Luke 7:31
REFLECTION – “The apostle Paul says that there are some, who have no knowledge of God (1 Co 15:34). My opinion is that all those who lack knowledge of God, are those, who refuse to turn to Him. I am certain, that they refuse because they imagine this kindly disposed God, to be harsh and severe, this merciful God to be callous and inflexible, this lovable God to be cruel and oppressive. So it is, that wickedness plays false to itself, setting up for itself an image that does not represent God as He truly is.
What are you afraid of, you men of little faith? That He will not pardon your sins? But with His own hands He has nailed them to the cross. That you are used to soft living and your tastes are fastidious? But He knows the clay of which we are made (Gn 2:7). That a prolonged habit of sinning binds you like a chain? But the Lord loosens the shackles of prisoners. Or perhaps that angered by the enormity and frequency of your sins, He is slow to extend a helping hand? But where sin abounded, grace became superabundant (Rom 5,20). Are you worried about clothing and food and other bodily necessities so that you hesitate to give up your possessions? But He knows that you need all these things (Mt 6,32). What more can you wish? What else is there to hold you back from the way of salvation? This is what I say – you do not know God, yet you will not believe our words. I should like you to believe those whom experience has taught.” … St Bernard (1091-1153) Mellifluous Doctor of the Church – Commentary on the Song of Songs, Sermon 38
PRAYER – Look upon us Lord, Creator and Ruler of the whole world, give us the grace to serve You with all our hearts, to take up our cross and follow You, that we may come to know the power of Your love and the forgiveness which You give and You teach. Grant that by the intercession of Sts Cornelius and Cyprian, we may attain the glory of Your kingdom and see You face to face. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
“… Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” … Matthew 19:28
REFLECTION – “In gift-giving it is not the gift itself, that God praises and approves but the will and sincerity of the giver. He excuses and holds more acceptable, the one who gave less but gave it with more perfect sincerity, than the one who gave more, from a fuller store but with less pure affection. Thus, from what is written about the gifts of the wealthy and from the two mites which the widow in the treasury sent for the poor, it is clear that the same also happens to those who leave everything that they possess, for the love of God, so as to follow undistractedly the Christ of God. They will do everything according to His word.
The one who leaves the greater wealth is not more acceptable than the one who leaves the lesser. This is especially so if he leaves the lesser with his whole heart. What Peter left, along with his brother Andrew, was small and of no value but when they both heard, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men, immediately they left their nets and followed him.” Yet they were not valued lightly by God, who knew that they had done this with great love. God knew that even if they had been endowed with much wealth they would still not have been distracted by it, nor would their desire to follow Jesus have been thwarted by it ….
Those who follow the Saviour, therefore, will sit on the twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel and will receive this power in the resurrection of the dead. For this is the regeneration, a new birth, when the new heaven and the new earth are established for those who renew themselves and a New Testament with it’s chalice is given.” … Origen (c 185-253) – Commentary on Matthew, 15
PRAYER – Father of might and power, every good and perfect gift comes to us from You. Implant in our hearts the love of Your name and Your creatures. Increase our zeal for Your service by following behind Your Son with determination and joy. Nourish in us what good and tend it with watchful care. Grant that the prayers and caring love of the Blessed Virgin, our Mother, may help us to follow Jesus our Saviour unreservedly and thus attain eternal life. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord in the union of the Holy Spirit, one God for all eternity, amen.
Thought for the Day – 24 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
What the Holy Spirit Requires of Us
“What does the Holy Spirit desire of us?
He wishes to transform us and to make us holy and for this, He wants our co-operation.
We should give our co-operation generously, in the manner of the first Christians.
These were in close contact with the college of the Apostles and tried hard to put their teaching into practice.
In the early days of Christianity, every house was like a church.
This should still be the case today.
We should be bound together spiritually under the influence of the Holy Spirit and under the guidance of the teaching authority of the Church.
We should practice the Church’s teaching and try to diffuse it among others.
The early Christians also persevered in prayer and in daily participation in the Sacrament of the Altar.
There can be no spiritual life without prayer because, it comes from God.
The Holy Spirit speaks to those who humbly and earnestly invoke Him.
Our best prayers, are those, which we say when we receive Holy Communion, however.
Then we have Jesus Himself within us, with all His graces.
If we receive Holy Communion with the proper dispositions, we can acquire the spirit of charity towards God and our neighbour, which is the sum total of Christianity.
We can make ourselves holy and can ask for the ability to co-operate in the sanctification of others.
A further characteristic of the early Christians, was, that they possessed everything in common.
W are accustomed to call this attitude of common ownership, an evangelical counsel, rather than a command.
It is the spontaneous outcome of that true and efficacious charity which flows from the Holy Spirit and makes all men brothers.
There is no strict obligation on us to give away everything which we possess, for the benefit of our neighbour. But, we have a real obligation to help our neighbour as far as lies in our power, when we see that he is in need.
Otherwise, we cannot say that we love our neighbour as ourselves and, therefore, cannot claim to be genuine Christians. “He who does not love abides in death,” wrote St John (1 Jn 3:14).
“He who has the goods of this world,” he continues “and sees his brother in need and closes his heart to him, how does the love of God abide in him? My dear children, let us not love in word, neither with the tongue but, in deed and in truth” (1 Jn 3:17-18).
It is worth our while to reflect on these tremendous words and to act according to their sense.
In modern society, there is excessive luxury, on one side and excessive poverty, on the other.
Christianity in it’s truest sense, therefore, is not being practised.
How do we behave in this matter?”
Quote/s of the Day – 13 June – The Memorial of St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Evangelical Doctor of the Church
“Damned money! Alas! … Money is the ‘droppings of birds’ that blinded the eyes of Tobit.”
“Christ, who is your life, is hanging before you, so that you may look at the Cross, as in a mirror. There you will be able to know, how mortal were your wounds, that no medicine other, than the Blood of the Son of God, could heal. If you look closely, you will be able to realise, how great your human dignity and your value are…. Nowhere other than looking at himself, in the mirror of the Cross, can man better understand how much he is worth”
(Sermones Dominicales et Festivi III, pp. 213-214)
“The devil is afraid of us when we pray and make sacrifices. He is also afraid when we are humble and good. He is especially afraid when we love Jesus very much. He runs away when we make the Sign of the Cross.”
“The spirit of humility is sweeter than honey and those, who nourish themselves with this honey produce sweet fruit.”
The Praises of Mary “Assumption” Poem by Saint Anthony
O how wondrous is the dignity of the glorious Virgin! She merited to become the mother of Him who is the strength and beauty of the angels and the grandeur of all the saints.
Mary was the seat of our sanctification, that is to say, the dwelling place of the Son who sacrificed Himself for us.
“And I shall glorify the place where my feet have stood.” The feet of the Saviour signify His human nature. The place where the feet of the Saviour stood was the Blessed Mary, who gave Him His human nature.
Today the Lord glorifies that place, since He has exalted Mary above the choirs of the angels. That is to say, the Blessed Virgin, who was the dwelling of the Saviour, has been assumed bodily into heaven.
St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231)
Evangelical Doctor of the Church
Thought for the Day – 21 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Our Desires
“Most people are always longing for something.
Those who are poor yearn to be rich.
Those who are in bad health and are not resigned, are longing to be cured.
Those who have plenty of money and good health but misuse these gifts to satisfy their lower urges, in the hope of finding happiness, find instead, only emptiness and remorse.
Those who covet honours and fame, are restless when they see their colleagues succeeding , while they, themselves, remain on the bottom rung of the ladder.
On the other hand, those who reach the summit of their profession and believe that they have fulfilled their purpose in life, soon discover, that the easy chair in which they hoped to settle down, is padded with thorns!
The glory which they have won, is an empty thing, the object of the envy or of the contempt of others.
So, we are all yearning and sighing and cannot find peace.
Our hearts cannot be at rest in this world.
“Here we have no permanent city,” says St Paul “But we seek for the city that is to come.” (Heb 13:14).
St Augustine, has summed up the reason for our continual longing, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord and our heart is restless, until it rests in You” (Confessions 1, 1:1).”
Thought for the Day – 26 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Blessed are the Poor
“Blessed are the rich.” This, is the judgement of the world. But Jesus says: “Blessed are you poor” (Lk 6:20). Whom are we to believe? Naturally, we must believe Jesus. A certain amount of confusion could arise, however, in our understanding of this maxim. It becomes clear from the context of St Luke and still clearer in the words of St Matthew, who writes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Mt 5:3). It is necessary, therefore, as St Jerome and others have commented, to be poor in our detachment from our possessions.
If a poor man longs for riches and envies and hates the wealthy because of their possessions, he is NOT poor in spirit. Therefore, he cannot receive the blessing of which Our Lord spoke. In the same way, a rich man may be attached to his great wealth. Perhaps, he aims at nothing else but to increase it and, because he is thinking of it all the time, neglects his duty to God and to his neighbour. Above all, love of riches may causes him to be lacking in justice and charity. The behaviour of such a man is contrary to the law of God. Meditate carefully on this point and do not neglect to make, whatever resolutions, seem necessary.”
Quote/s of the Day – 21 January – Tuesday of the Second week in Ordinary Time, Year A and the Memorial of St Agnes (c 291- c 304) – Virgin Martyr
Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” They said to him, “We can.”
Matthew 20:28
“You may stain your sword with my blood but you will never profane my body that I have consecrated to Christ.”
St Agnes (c 291- c 304) Virgin and Martyr
“The tyrant dies and his rule is over, the martyr dies and his rule begins.”
Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)
The Journals of Kierkegaard
“Deceitful are the ephemeral pleasures and joys of this world. Our supreme comfort in this life, is to die to the world that we may live with Jesus crucified. Let others seek gold and other earthly treasures. I already possess the immortal treasure of holy poverty on the Cross of Jesus crucified. The angelic virtue, growing like a pure, fragrant lily in the hidden beauteous garden of the cloister, adorns the forehead with heavenly tints, for it has roots in the Cross of Jesus crucified. A third crown completes my oblation, it is the seal of glory, whereby the obedient, spotless Lamb gained victory. Obedience is the secure science of living with Jesus crucified. With this triple treasure, I can hope to pass beyond the fleeting confines of mortal man, by living poor on this earth and rich in heaven, united with Jesus crucified.”
Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro (1891-1927)
Priest and Martyr
“One doesn’t suffer when one suffers for Christ.”
Bl Jerzy Popiełuszko (1947-1984) Priest and Martyr
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