Category: CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM

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One Minute Reflection – 9 June – He who eats this Bread shall live forever.

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One Minute Reflection – 9 June – Within the Octave if Corpus Christi – Saints Primus and Felicianus (Died c304) Cinfessors, Brother Lay Martyrs – 1 Corinthians 23-29, John 6:56-59 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

This is the Bread that has come down from Heaven; not as your fathers ate the manna and died. He who eats this Bread shall live forever.” – John 6:59

REFLECTION – Christ is “the bread of life” for those who believe in Him: to believe in Christ is to eat the bread of life, to possess Christ within one, is to possess eternal life…
“I am the bread of life,” He says; “your fathers ate manna in the wilderness and they are dead” (Jn 6,48f). By this is to be understood ,spiritual death. Why are they dead? Because they believed in what they saw and did not understand what they could not see… Moses ate manna, Aaron ate it and many others, too, who pleased God and are not dead. Why are they not dead? Because they understood, in a spiritual fashion, they were spiritually hungry, they tasted the manna spiritually, so that they might be spiritually satisfied. “This is the bread that came down from heaven: whoever eats it will never die” (v.50).
This manna – that is to say, Christ, who Himself spoke like this…, was prefigured by the manna but was able to do more than manna could. For manna could not, of itself, prevent dying spiritually… But the righteous saw Christ in the manna, they believed in His coming and Christ, of whom manna was the symbol, grants to all who believe in Him that they should not spiritually die. Hence He says: “This is the bread come down from heaven; whoever eats it will never see death.” Here on earth, here now, before your eyes, your eyes of flesh: here is to be found the “bread from heaven” (v.51). The “bread of life” we spoke of a moment ago is now called “living bread.” Living bread because it contains, within itself, the life that abides and can deliver from spiritual death and bestow life. First He said: “Whoever eats it will never die” now he speaks clearly, concerning the life He gives: “Whoever eats this bread will live for ever” (v.58). Archbishop Baldwin of Canterbury (c 1125-1190) Cistercian – The Sacrament of the Altar II

PRAYER – Grant O Lord, we pray, that we may ever honour the festival of thy holy Martyrs, Primus and Felicianus and Thy truth of the Church of Saints. 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).

Sweet Heart of my JESUS, Make me love Thee ever more and more! – 300 Days Indulgence Once a day, Plenary Once a month – Blessed Pope Pius IX – 26 November 1876

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One Minute Reflection – 8 June – ‘ … An indelible remembrance of our Redemption. …’

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One Minute Reflection – 8 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Feast of Corpus Christi – 1 Corinthians 23-29, John 6:56-59 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood, abides in Me and I in him. ” – John 6:57

REFLECTION – “The heavenly sacrifice which Christ instituted is indeed the inheritance bequeathed to us through His new covenant. He left it to us on the night He was delivered up to be Crucified, as a token of His Presence. It is viaticum for our journey, food on our life’s path, until we come to it upon leaving this world. That is why our Lord said: “Unless you eat My Flesh and drink My Blood, you do not have life within you.” He wished His deeds of kindness to remain among us and the souls He redeemed, by His Precious Blood, always to be made holy in the image of His own Passion. This is why He commanded His faithful disciples, instituted as the first Priests of His Church, to celebrate these mysteries of eternal life, in perpetuity… Thus all the faithful would have before their eyes, day-by-day, a representation of Christ’s Passion. Taking Him in our hands, receiving Him in our mouths and hearts, we will hold fast to an indelible remembrance of our Redemption.

The bread should be made with the flour of innumerable grains of wheat mixed with water and finished off in the fire. Thus we shall find a close likeness of the Body of Christ in it for, as we know, He forms a single body with the multitude of humankind, brought to completion, by the fire of the Holy Spirit… In the same way, the wine of His Blood, is taken from many grapes – that is to say, the fruit of the vine he planted – is crushed beneath the press of His Cross, poured into the hearts of the faithful and ferments within them, by means of His own power. This is the Passover Sacrifice bringing salvation to all those set free from the bondage of Egypt and Pharaoh which is to say, the devil. Receive it in union with us, with all the eagerness of a pious heart.” – St Gaudentius of Brescia (Died 410) Bishop , Father, renowned Preacher, Theologian, Diplomatic Mediator (An Excerpt from a Paschal Homily no 68:30).

PRAYER – O God, Thou Who in this wondrous Sacrament have left us a memorial of Thy Passion, grant us, we beseech Thee, so to venerate the Sacred Mysteries of Thy Body and Blood that we may ever experience, within us, the effect of Thy Redemption.Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
All praise, honour and glory to the divine HEART of JESUS. – Indulgence 50 Days, Once a day. Raccolta 168 Pope Leo XIII, 14 June 1901.

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on JUDGING, QUOTES on TRUTH, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 7 June – The disciple is not above his Master … Luke 6:40

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One Minute Reflection – 7 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – 1 John 4:8-2, Luke 6:36-42 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“The disciple is not above his Master …” – Luke 6:40

REFLECTION – “The blessed disciples were to be the spiritual guides and teachers of the whole world. It had, therefore, to be clearly seen by all that they held fast to the True Faith. It was essential for them to be familiar with the Gospel way of life, skilled in every good work and to give teaching that was precise, salutary and scrupulously faithful to the Truth they themselves had long pondered, enlightened by the Divine Radiance. Otherwise, they would be blind leaders of the blind. Those imprisoned in the darkness of ignorance can never lead others in the same sorry state, to knowledge of the Truth. Should they try, both would fall headlong into the ditch of the passions.

To destroy the ostentatious passion of boastfulness and stop people from trying to win greater honour than their teachers, Christ declared: “The disciple is not above his teacher.” Even if some should advance so far as to equal their teachers in holiness, they ought to remain within the limits set by them and follow their example. Paul also taught this when he said: “Be imitators of me as I am of Christ,” (1Cor 11:1).

So then, if the Master does not judge, why are you judging? He came not to judge the world (Jn 12:47) but to take pity on it. What He is saying, then, is this: “If I do not pass judgment, neither must you, My disciple. You may be even more guilty of the faults of which you accuse another… Why do you look for the speck in your brother’s eye?” – St Cyril of Alexandria (380-444) Bishop, Father and Doctor of the Church (Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, 6).

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

Posted in CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 6 June – “Well done, good and faithful servant … Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”- Matthew 25:21

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One Minute Reflection – 6 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – St Norbert (c 1080-1134) Bishop, Confessor, Founder of the Premonstratensian or the Norbertine Canons and Sisters, “Defender of the Eucharist” and “Apostle of the Eucharist,”– Sirach 44:16-27; 45:3-20, Matthew 25:14-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Well done, good and faithful servant … Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”- Matthew 25:21

REFLECTION – “The Word of the Father, Only-begotten Son of God, Sun of Justice (Mal 3:20), is the great Merchant Who has brought us the price of our redemption. It is atruly precious exchange that we can never value sufficiently when a King, Son of the King most high, has become the Coin, the Gold has paid our dues, the Just Man is given for the sinner. Truly unmerited mercy, perfectly disinterested love, astonishing goodness…, it is a completely disproportionate purchase, in which the Son of God is delivered up for the servant, the Creator is put to death for the one He has created, the Lord is condemned for His slave.

O Christ, these are Your works, You Who descended from Heaven’s brightness into our hellish darkness, to bring light to our gloomy prison. You came down from the Right Hand of the Divine Majesty, into our human misery, to redeem the human race, You Who descended from the Father’s glory to death on the Cross, to triumph over death and its author. You are the only One and there is no other but You Who could have been drawn to redeem us through Your own goodness…

Let all the merchants of Teman (Bar 3:23) withdraw from this place… it is not they but Israel [Your] beloved that [You have] chosen, You Who hide these mysteries from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to those babes and humble servants of Yours (Lk 10:21)… O Lord, I willingly embrace this purchase since it concerns me! I remember all the things You have done, You Who desire that I should keep them alive… Therefore, I shall profit by this talent which you have loaned to me until Your return and will stand before You with great joy. O God, grant that I may then hear these sweet words: “Well done, good servant! Enter the joy of your Lord” (Mt 25:21).” – St Bernard O.Cist. (1091-1153) Cistercian Monk, known as the Last Father and the Mellifluous Doctor of the Church (Selected sermons, no 42: The Five Purchases).

PRAYER – To God, Who made blessed Norbert, Thy Confessor and Bishop, a brilliant preacher of Thy Word and through him, enriched Thy Church with a new religious family, grant, we beseech Thee, that by his prayerful intercession and Thy help, we may be able to do what he has taught us by his words and deeds. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CATECHESIS, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PURITY, SAINT of the DAY, The BEATITUDES, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 5 June – ‘We want to see God, we seek to see Him, we ardently desire to see Him. Who does not desire this?’ – St Augustine

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One Minute Reflection – 5 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – The Memorial of St Boniface (672-754) Martyr “The Apostle of Germany,” Confessor, Bishop – Ecclesiasticus 44:1-15. Matthew 5,1-12.– Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“They shall see God.” – Matthew 5:8

REFLECTION – “We want to see God, we seek to see Him, we ardently desire to see Him. Who does not desire this? But note what the Gospel says: “Blest are the pure of heart, they shall see God.” Do what is necessary in order to see Him! To compare it with something from material reality, how can you want to contemplate the rising sun if your eyes are sick? If your eyes are healthy that light will be a pleasure for you; if they are sick, it will be torture for you. You will surely not be allowed to see with an impure heart what one can only see with a pure heart. You will be moved away, put at a distance, you will not see!

How often did the Lord proclaim people to be ‘blest‘? What reasons for eternal happiness did He cite, what good works, what gifts, what merits and what rewards? No other! the beatitude says, “They shall see God.” This is what the others say: “How blest are the poor in spirit, the reign of God is theirs. Blest are the lowly; they shall inherit the land. Blest are the sorrowing; they shall be consoled. Blest are they who hunger and thirst for holiness; they shall have their fill. Blest are they who show mercy; mercy shall be theirs.” So none other asserts, “They shall see God.”

The vision of God is promised ONLY to people with a pure heart. This is not without a reason, since the eyes that allow us to see God are in the heart. Those are the eyes the Apostle Paul was talking about when he said: “May He enlighten your innermost vision” (Eph 1:18). So, at the present time because of their weakness, those eyes are enlightened by faith; later, because of their strength, they will be enlightened by vision… “Now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror; then we shall see face-to-face.” (1 Cor 13:12).” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 53).

PRAYER – O God, Who, through the zeal of blessed Boniface, Thy Martyr and Bishop, graciously called a multitude of people to the knowledge of Thine Name, mercifully grant that we, who keep his feast, may also enjoy his patronage.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).

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One Minute Reflection – 3 June –

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One Minute Reflection – 3 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Ember Saturday of Pentecost – Joel 2:28-32, Luke 4:38-44 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And when it was day, going out, He went into a desert place … ” – Luke 4:42

REFLECTION – “Lead me away, meanwhile, my Refuge and my Strength, into the heart of the desert as once Thou led Thy servant Moses; lead me where the bush burns, yet is not burnt away, where the holy soul which… is all aflame with the fullness of the fire of Thy Holy Spirit and, burning like the Seraphim, is not consumed but cleansed…

The soul attains to the holy place where none may stand or take another step, except he be bare-footed—having loosed the shoe-strings of all fleshly hindrances… This is the place where He, Who Is, Who cannot be seen as He Is, Is notwithstanding, heard to say, “I Am Who Am,” the place where, for the time, the soul must cover her face so that she does not see the Face of God and yet, in humble obedience must use her ears to hear what the Lord God will say concerning her.

Hide me then in the day of evil, O Lord, in the secret place of Thy tabernacle, in the hidden recesses of Thy Face, “far from the strife of tongues” (Ps 26:5; 30:21), for Thy yoke is easy and the burden Thou hast laid on me is light (Mt 11:30). And when Thou show me the difference between Thy service and the service of the world, gently and tenderly Thou asks me if it is not better to serve Thee, the living God, than to serve strange gods (Cf 2 Chron 12:8). And I, for my part, adore the hand that lays the load, I kiss the yoke and I embrace the burden and it is very sweet to me to sweat beneath its weight. For masters other than Thee, have long possessed me… I acknowledge Thy yoke and Thy light burden which lifts me up and does not crush me down. …” – William of St Thierry O.Cist (c1075 – c1148) Cistercian Monk, Mystic, Theologian, Writer (Meditations IV, 10-11).

PRAYER – Graciously pour into our minds, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the Holy Spirit, Whose wisdom created us and Whose providence governs us. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
All praise, honour and glory to the Divine Heart of JESUS. 50 Days Indulgence, Once a day, Raccolta, 168 Pope Leo XIII, 13 June 1901.

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One Minute Reflection – 2 June – ‘ … Each day He sees our lack of faith … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 2 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – The Feast of the Martyrs Saints Marcellinus and Peter the Exorcist (Martyred in 304) – Joel 2:23-24; 26-27, Luke 5:17-26 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply, “What are you thinking in your hearts?” – Luke 5:22

REFLECTION – “Thanks to the faith of others the cripple’s soul would be cured before his body. “Seeing their faith,” the Gospel says. Note here, my brethren, that God is not interested in what foolish people want and does not expect to find faith among the ignorant … among those who conduct themselves badly. On the other hand, He does not refuse to come to the help of others’ faith. Such faith is a gift of grace, at one with God’s will … In His Divine Goodness, Christ the Physician, strives to draw to salvation, even in spite of themselves, those affected by sickness of soul, those whom the burden of their sins and offences overwhelms, even to delirium. Yet, they do not want to submit.

O my brethren, if only we wanted to, if only we all wanted to perceive our soul’s paralysis in all its depth! Then we would see that it is lying on a stretcher of sins, deprived of strength. Christ’s action within us, would be a source of light and we would understand that each day He sees our lack of faith, harmful as it is, that He draws us towards healing remedies and sharply presses our rebellious wills. “My son” He says, “your sins are forgiven you.” – St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 50 ; PL 52, 339).

PRAYER – O God, Who made thy blessed Martyrs, Marcellinus and Peter the Exorcist, glorious by their remarkable confession of Thy glory; grant, by their intercession and example, that Thy charity may continually increase in our hearts. 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).
SACRED Heart of JESUS, I trust in Thee.
300 Days Indulgence Once a Day – Plenary, Once a month. Raccolta 175 – St Pius X, 19 August 1905 and 27 June 1906.

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, Hail MARY!, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, QUEENSHIP of MARY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 31 May – ‘ … This woman, alone of her kind, chosen by the world’s Creator … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 31 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Queenship of Mary – Eccli 24:5; 14:7; 14:9-11; 24:30-31, Luke 1:26-33 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Hail, full of grace!”– Luke 1:28

REFLECTION – “The degeneration caused by sin had obscured the beauty of our original nobility. But when the mother of supreme Beauty is born, our nature finds its purity once more and sees itself moulded according to the perfect model, worthy of God (Gn 1:26)… We had all preferred the world below to that above. There no longer remained any hope of salvation. The state of our nature cried aloud to Heaven to come to the rescue… Then, at last, in His good pleasure, the world’s Divine Artificer determined to make a new world appear, a different world full of harmony and youth.

Now, was it not fitting, that a most pure virgin without stain, should place herself at the service of this mysterious plan, first of all?… And where was this virgin to be found if not in this woman, alone of her kind, chosen by the world’s Creator before all generations? Yes, she indeed is Mother of God, divinely named Mary, whose womb gave birth to God Incarnate and whom, He Himself, had supernaturally prepared as His temple…

In this way, then, the design of the Redeemer of our race was to bring about a birth and, as it were, a new creation to replace the one that went before. Therefore, just as in Paradise He had taken a little clay, out of the pure and spotless earth, to fashion the first Adam (Gn 2:7), so, at the moment of bringing about His own Incarnation, He made use of another earth, so to speak, namely this pure and immaculate Virgin, chosen from among all other beings He had created. It is in her that He, Adam’s Creator, has remade us in our very substance and become a new Adam (1 Cor 15:45) that the old might be saved by the new and eternal.” – St Andrew of Crete (660-740) Bishop, Father (Sermon 1 for the Nativity of the Mother of God).

PRAYER – Grant we beseech Thee, O Lord, that we who keep the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Queen, safe under her protection, may be worthy to have peace now and glory, in the future. 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).Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOMINICAN OP, QUOTES on TRUTH, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The HOLY GHOST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 30 May – ‘ … The Holy Ghost is the Doorkeeper… because all Truth. understood and expressed, comes from Him…’

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One Minute Reflection – 30 May – “Pentecost Tuesday – Acts 8:14-17, John 10:1-10 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“I am the Door. By Me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved and he shall go in and go out and shall find pastures.” – John 10:9

REFLECTION – “I am the Door of the sheep” our Lord says He is the Door of the sheepfold. Now what is this sheepfold, the pen into which Christ is the Door? It is the Father’s Heart, into which and of which, Christ, Who has unsealed and opened for us, the Heart hitherto closed to humankind, is indeed our most lovable Door. All the Saints are gathered inside this fold. The Shepherd is the eternal Word; the Door, the humanity of Christ – by the sheep in this house, we understand human souls. But Angels, too, belong to the sheepfold… the Holy Ghost is the Doorkeeper… because all Truth, understood and expressed, comes from Him…

O with what love and goodness He opens the Door of the Father’s Heart to us and grants us access, unceasingly, to the hidden treasure, the inmost dwelling places and all the wealth, of this house! No-one could imagine or comprehend, how welcoming God is, always ready to receive, yes, longing and thirsting to do so and how He precedes us at every moment and each hour… O my children, how obstinately deaf we remain, to this loving invitation… so often we refuse Him our acceptance of this invitation! How many of the Holy Ghost’s summons and appeals are repulsed; we refuse them on the grounds of all kinds of things here below. So often we want something else and not the place God where wants us!” – Fr Johnnes Tauler OP (c1300-1361) Dominican Friar, renowned Preacher and Theologian , leaving us more than 80 sermons. (Sermon 27, 3rd for Pentecost).

PRAYER – Let the power of the Holy Ghost be present within us, O Lord, graciously to cleanse our hearts and to guard us from all harm. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the same Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, 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 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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One Minute Reflection – 26 May – – ‘Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning …’ Luke 12:35

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One Minute Reflection – 26 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary” and the Memorial of St Philip Neri (1515-1595) Confessor – Wisdom 7:7-14, Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.” – Luke 12:35-36

REFLECTION – “God, the Word, stirs up the lazy and arouses the sleeper. For indeed, someone who comes knocking at the door is always wanting to come in. But it depends on us, if He does not always enter or always remain.,, May your door be open to Him who comes; open your soul, enlarge your spiritual capacities, that you may discover the riches of simplicity, the treasures of peace and sweetness of grace. Expand your heart; run to meet the Sun of that Eternal Light that “enlightens everyone” (Jn 1,9). It is certain, that this true Light shines for all but, if anyone shuts their windows, then they themselves, shut themselves off from this Eternal Light.

So even Christ remains outside, if you shut the door of your soul. It is true, that He could enter but He does not want to use force, He does not put those who refuse under pressure. Descended from the Virgin, born from her womb, He shines throughout the universe to give light to all. Those who long to receive the light, that shines with an everlasting brightness, open up to Him. No night comes to intervene. Indeed, the sun we see each day, gives way to night’s darkness but the Sun of Justice (Mal 3,20) knows no setting, for Wisdom is not overcome by evil.” – St Ambrose (340-397) Bishop of Milan and Father and Doctor of the Church (12th Sermon on Psalm 118).

PRAYER – O God, Who raised blessed Philip, Thy Confessor, to the glory of Thy Saints, graciously grant that we, who rejoice in his Feast, may profit by the example of his virtues.Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The ASCENSION of the LORD, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 25 May – ‘ … Brother, since Christ your Treasure was lifted up to Heaven today, may your heart also be there …’

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One Minute Reflection – 25 May – The Octave Day of the Ascension and the Memorial of St Gregory VII (1015-1085) Confessor and Pope – Acts 1:1-11, Mark 16:14-20 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And the Lord Jesus, after He spoke to them, was taken up into Heaven and took His seat at the Right Hand of God.” – Mark 16:19

REFLECTION – “Father, all those Thou gave Me, I would have in My company where I Am, to see this glory of Mine.” (Jn 17:24) Happy are they who now have, as their Advocate before God, their Judge in person; happy are they, who have interceding for them, the One Whom we must adore, equally with the Father, to Whom He Himself addresses this prayer. The Father cannot refuse to grant this desire which His Lips expressed (Ps 21:3), for He is united with Him in His Will, in His Power, since He is One and the Same God… “All those Thou gave Me I would have in My company where I Am.” What assurance for those who have faith, what confidence for the believers! … The saints, whose “youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Ps 103:5) “soar as with eagles’ wings.” (Isa 40:31) …

On that day, Christ “was lifted up before the eyes of the disciples in a cloud which took him from their sight.” (Acts 1:9) … He strove to draw their hearts to follow Him, by making Himself loved by them and He promised them, through the example of His Body that their body could be lifted up in the same way… Today, Christ in truth “mounted a cherub and flew, borne on the wings of the wind,” (Ps 18:11) which is to say, He goes beyond the power of the Angels. And yet, in His condescendence before your weakness, “as an eagle… hovering over its brood,” He wants to “receive you and to bear you up on His pinions.” (Deut 32:11) … Some people fly with Christ by means of contemplation; for you, let it at least be through love!

Brother, since Christ your Treasure was lifted up to Heaven today, may your heart also be there (Mt 6:21). Your origin is from there and that is where you will find your inheritance (Ps 16:6); from there, you are awaiting the Saviour (Phil 3:20).” – Blessed Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot (Sermon for the Ascension).

PRAYER – O God, the strength of those who trust in Thee, Who fortified blessed Gregory, Thy Confessor and Pontiff, with the virtue of firmness to protect the freedom of the Church, grant us, by his example and intercession, bravely to overcome all evil. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on REASON/INTELLECT, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 May – ‘ … Belief is not the work of human reasoning but requires a revelation from on high …’ St John Chrysostom

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One Minute Reflection – 24 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary” and the Feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians/Auxilium Christianorum – Within the Octave of the Ascension – Acts 1:1-11, Mark 16:14-20 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“He who believes and is baptised, shall be saved ...” – Mark 16:16

REFLECTION – “When He says, “All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me,” He touches on their unbelief, showing, that whoever does not believe in Him transgresses the Will of the Father. He covertly shows, that unbelievers are not only at variance with Him but also, with the Father. For if this is [the Son’s] Will and if this is the reason He came, that is, that He might save the entire world, then those who do not believe transgress His Will.

When, therefore, He says, the Father guides someone, there is nothing that hinders that person from coming to [Jesus]. And Paul says, that [the Son] delivers them up to the Father. Now, just as the Father, when He gives, does not take from Himself, so neither does the Son take from Himself when He gives up. The Son is said to give up to the Father because we are brought to the Father by Him. And at the same time, we read that it was the Father “by whom you were called to the fellowship of His Son,” that is, by the Will of the Father.

Faith in Me, He intimates here, is no ordinary thing or one that comes from human reason but [it] needs a revelation from above. And this He establishes throughout His discourses, showing, that this faith requires a noble sort of soul and one drawn on by God. The expression “that the Father gives Me” shows, that it is no accident whether a person believes or not. It shows, that belief is not the work of human reasoning but requires a revelation from on high and a mind devout enough to receive the revelation. “Whoever then,” our Lord says, “comes to Me, shall be saved,” meaning they shall be greatly cared for. For to save such as these, I took up flesh and the form of a servant.” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (Homilies on the Gospel of John 45)

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, unto all Thy servants, that they may remain continually in the enjoyment of soundness, both of mind and body and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, always a Virgin and our help in all our needs, may be delivered from present sadness and enter into the joy of thine eternal gladness. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on MISSION, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, The ASCENSION of the LORD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 May – ‘ … He asks for our faith and offers us salvation. …’

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One Minute Reflection – 23 May – Within the Octave of Ascension – The Memorial of St John Baptiste de Rossi (1698-1764) Priest, Confessor – Acts 1:1-11, Mark 16:14-20 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Go ye into the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” – Mark 16:15

REFLECTION – “You have heard what the Lord said to His disciples after the Resurrection. He sent them out to preach the Gospel and they did so. Listen: “Through all the earth their voice resounds and to the ends of the world, their message” (Ps 18[19],5). Step by step, the Gospel has reached even to us and the ends of the earth. In a few words, the Lord addressing Himself to His disciples, set out what we are to do and what we have to hope for. Just as you have heard, He said: “Whoever believes and is Baptised will be saved.” He asks for our faith and offers us salvation. What He offers us is so precious, that what He asks of us is as nothing.

“The children of men take refuge in the shadow of Thy wings, O my God… from Thy delightful stream, Thou give them to drink, for with Thee is the fountain of life” (Ps 35[36],8f.). Jesus Christ is the Fountain of Life. Before the Fountain of Life came to us, we had only a human salvation like that of the beasts, of which the psalm speaks: “Man and beast you save, O Lord” (Ps 35[36],7). But now the Fountain of Life has come even to us, the Fountain of Life died for our sakes. Will He refuse us, His Life, Who, for our sakes, gave His Death? He is Salvation and this Salvation is not worthless, like the other one. Why? Because it does not pass away. The Lord has come. He died but he killed death. In Himself, He brought an end to death. He assumed it and He killed it. Where is death now, then? Look for it in Christ and it is no longer there. It used to be there but there it died. O life, Death of death! Take heart – it will also die in us! What was fulfilled in the Head will also be fulfilled in the members and death will die in us, too.” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop of Hippo and Father and Doctor of the Church (Excerpt from Sermon 233 ).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that as we do believe Thine Only-Begotten Son our Saviour to have this day Ascended into the Heavens, so we may also, in heart and mind thither ascend and with Him, continually dwell. And may the merits and intercession of Thy Confessor, John Baptiste de Rossi, be an aid on our journey. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, SACRAMENTS, The ASCENSION of the LORD, The HEART, The LAST THINGS, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The SECOND COMING, The SEVEN LAST WORDS of CHRIST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 May – ‘… And so, our Redeemer’s Visible Presence has passed into the Sacraments. …’

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One Minute Reflection – 22 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Within the Octave of Ascension – Acts 1:1-11, Mark 16:14-20 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And the Lord Jesus, after He spoke to them, was taken up into Heaven and took His seat at the Right Hand of God.” – Mark 16:19

REFLECTION – “And so, while at Easter it was the Lord’s Resurrection which was the cause of our joy, our present rejoicing is due to His Ascension into Heaven. With all due solemnity, we are commemorating that day on which our poor human nature was carried up in Christ, above all the Hosts of Heaven, above all the ranks of Angels, beyond those Heavenly Powers, to the very Throne of God the Father.

It is upon this ordered structure of Divine acts, that we have been firmly established, so that the grace of God may show itself still more marvellous when, in spite of the withdrawal from our sight of everything that is rightly felt to command our reverence, faith does not fail, hope is not shaken, charity does not grow cold. It was in order that we might be capable of such blessedness that on the fortieth day after His Resurrection, after He had made careful provision for everything concerning the preaching of the Gospel and the Mysteries of the New Covenant, our Lord Jesus Christ was taken up to Heaven before the eyes of His Disciples and so, His Bodily Presence among them, came to an end.

From that time onward, He was to remain at the Father’s Right Hand, until the completion of the period, ordained by God, for the Church’s children to increase and multiply, after which, in the same Body with which He ascended, He will come again to judge the living and the dead. And so, our Redeemer’s Visible Presence has passed into the Sacraments. Our faith is nobler and stronger because, empirical sight has been replaced by a reliable teaching, whose authority is accepted by believing hearts, enlightened from on high.” – St Leo the Great (400-461) Pope , Great Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 74).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that as we do believe Thine Only-Begotten Son, our Saviour, to have this day, ascended into the Heavens, so we may also, in heart and mind, thither ascend and with Him continually dwell.Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in 7 GIFTS of the HOLY GHOST: Wisdom, Understanding, Prudence, Strength, Knowledge, Piety, Fear, CATECHESIS, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PENTECOST, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The HOLY GHOST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 21 May – “And you shall give testimony of Me …” – John 15:27

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One Minute Reflection – 21 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – SUNDAY within the OCTAVE of ASCENSION – 1 Peter 4:7-11, John 15:26-27; 16:1-4. – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And you shall give testimony of Me …” – John 15:27

REFLECTION – “Everything has been accomplished which remained to be done on earth but it still remained necessary that we should “share and participate in the Divine nature” of the Word (2 Pt 1:4) – that is, that we should put away our life and be utterly transformed and launched on a new way of holy living… For I think, it is true to say that, while Christ was still present in bodily form among those who believed in Him, He was revealed to them as One Who conferred every good gift but since the time and the need were now calling Him to be carried up to His Father in Heaven, it was necessary for Him to be present through the Spirit, with those who worshipped Him and to “dwell in our hearts through faith” (Eph 3:17).

It is easy to prove, from the Old and New Testaments, that the Spirit changes the character of those, among whom He comes to dwell and transforms their life. The holy man Samuel, when speaking to Saul, said: “The Spirit of the Lord will come mightily upon you and you will be turned into another man” (1 Sam 10:6). Saint Paul said: “We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into the same likeness from one degree of glory to another and this comes from the Lord, the Spirit; for the Lord is the Spirit” (2 Cor 3:8).

You can see, then, that the Spirit re-creates, so to speak, in a new pattern, those among whom He is seen to dwell. He readily replaces their desire to think earthly thoughts, with the desire to fix their gaze only on the things of Heaven; He changes their unmanly cowardice, into the spirit of courage. We can certainly see that the disciples experienced this: the Spirit became their armour, so that they did not yield to the attacks of their persecutors but held fast to the love of Christ. And so the truth of our Saviour’s words can be seen: “It is to your advantage that I go away to Heaven” (Jn 16:7). For that was the time for the descent of the Spirit.” – St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Bishop, Father and Doctor of the Church (Commentary on Saint John’s Gospel, 10).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, unto all Thy servants, that they may remain continually in the enjoyment of soundness, both of mind and body and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, always a Virgin, may be delivered from present sadness and enter into the joy of Thine eternal gladness. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CATECHESIS, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on THANKSGIVING, The TEN COMMANDMENTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection –20 May – ‘… How can we be called “cursed if you dishonour your father” (Dt 27:16) yet fervent, if we abandon him?!

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One Minute Reflection –20 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Memorial of St Bernadine of Siena OFM (1380-1444) “Apostle of the Most Holy Name of Jesus” Confessor – Ecclesiasticus 31:8-11, Matthew 19:27-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And everyone who has left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My Name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold and shall possess life everlasting.” – Matthew 19:29

REFLECTION – “In almost every passage of Scripture, the spiritual meaning plays an important part. But in this passage especially, we must look for spiritual depth within the thread of its meaning. … How is it that He Himself can say: “Peace I leave with you, My own peace I give you” (Jn 14:27) if He has come to divide fathers from their sons, sons from their fathers, breaking their relationship? How can we be called “cursed if you dishonour your father” (Dt 27:16) yet fervent, if we abandon him?!

If we understand that religion comes first and filial devotion second, then we will understand, this question to be clarified – for we have to pass onto the human, after the Divine. For if we have duties towards our parents, how much more to the Father of our parents, to Whom we owe thanksgiving for our parents? … He does not say, then that we must give up those we love but that, we must prefer God before all else. Besides, do we not find in another book: “Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Mt 10:37). What is forbidden is not to love your parents but to prefer them to God. For our blood relations are among God’s blessings and no-one is to love the good things they have received, more than the God Who conserves the blessings He has given!” – St Ambrose (340-397) Father and Doctor of the Church (Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, 7)

PRAYER – O Lord Jesus, Who bestowed on blessed Bernardine, T Thy Confessor, an unusual love for Thine Holy Name, we beseech Thee, by his merits and intercession, graciously pour upon us the spirit of Thy love. Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the CHURCH, St PETER!, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 19 May – Upon this rock I will build My Church …

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

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

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

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

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The ASCENSION of the LORD, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 18 May – ‘ … Brother, since Christ your Treasure was lifted up to Heaven today, may your heart also be there …’

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One Minute Reflection – 18 May – The Ascension of the Lord – Acts 1:1-11, Mark 16:14-20 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And the Lord Jesus, after He spoke to them, was taken up into Heaven and took His seat at the Right Hand of God.” – Mark 16:19

REFLECTION – “Father, all those Thou gave Me, I would have in My company where I Am, to see this glory of Mine.” (Jn 17:24) Happy are they who now have, as their Advocate before God, their Judge in person; happy are they, who have interceding for them, the One Whom we must adore, equally with the Father, to Whom He Himself addresses this prayer. The Father cannot refuse to grant this desire which His Lips expressed (Ps 21:3), for He is united with Him in His Will, in His Power, since He is One and the Same God… “All those Thou gave Me I would have in My company where I Am.” What assurance for those who have faith, what confidence for the believers! … The saints, whose “youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Ps 103:5) “soar as with eagles’ wings.” (Isa 40:31) …

On that day, Christ “was lifted up before the eyes of the disciples in a cloud which took him from their sight.” (Acts 1:9) … He strove to draw their hearts to follow Him, by making Himself loved by them and He promised them, through the example of His Body that their body could be lifted up in the same way… Today, Christ in truth “mounted a cherub and flew, borne on the wings of the wind,” (Ps 18:11) which is to say, He goes beyond the power of the Angels. And yet, in His condescendence before your weakness, “as an eagle… hovering over its brood,” He wants to “receive you and to bear you up on His pinions.” (Deut 32:11) … Some people fly with Christ by means of contemplation; for you, let it at least be through love!

Brother, since Christ your Treasure was lifted up to Heaven today, may your heart also be there (Mt 6:21). Your origin is from there and that is where you will find your inheritance (Ps 16:6); from there, you are awaiting the Saviour (Phil 3:20).” – Blessed Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot (Sermon for the Ascension).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that as we do believe Thine Only-Begotten Son, our Saviour to have this day ascended into the heavens, so we may also in heart and mind, ascend and with Him continually dwell. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on PEACE, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 17 May – May your door be open to Him Who comes …

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One Minute Reflection – 17 May – The Vigil of Ascension and the Memorial of St Paschal Baylon OFM (1540-1592) Confessor – Sirach 31:8-11, Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.” – Luke 12:35-36

REFLECTION – “God, the Word, stirs up the lazy and arouses the sleeper. For indeed, someone who comes knocking at the door is always wanting to come in. But it depends on us, if He does not always enter, or always remain. May your door be open to Him Who comes; open your soul, enlarge your spiritual capacities, that you may discover the riches of simplicity, the treasures of peace and sweetness of grace. Expand your heart; run to meet the Sun of that Eternal Light that “enlightens everyone” (Jn 1,9). It is certain that this true Light shines for all but, if anyone shuts their windows, then they themselves shut themselves off from this Eternal Light.

So, even Christ remains outside, if you shut the door of your soul. It is true that He could enter but He does not want to use force, He does not put those who refuse under pressure. Descended from the Virgin, born from her womb, He shines throughout the universe to give Light to all. Those who long to receive the Light, which shines with an everlasting brightness, open up to Him. No night comes to intervene. Indeed, the sun we see each day gives way to night’s darkness but the Sun of Justice (Mal 3,20) knows no setting for Wisdom is not overcome by evil.” – St Ambrose (340-397) Bishop of Milan and Father and Doctor of the Church – 12th Sermon on Psalm 118

PRAYER – O God, Who endowed blessed Paschal, Your Confessor, with a wondrous love for the Sacred Mysteries of Your Body and Blood, mercifully grant that we may be found worthy to share in the same spiritual abundance, which he received in this Divine Banquet. Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, 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 WILL (Reasonable or Superior), QUOTES on WISDOM, The HEART, The HOLY GHOST

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 AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 30 April – ‘ … This “little while” seems long to us …’ St Augustine

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One Minute Reflection – 30 April – EASTER III – St Catherine of Siena OP (1347-1380) Virgin – 1 Peter 2:11-19, John 16:16-22 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“A little while and you shall not see Me and again, a little while and you shall see Me …” – John 16:17

REFLECTION – “The Lord said: “A little while and you shall not see Me and again a little while and you shall see Me” (Jn 16:16). What He calls ‘a little while’ is the whole extent of our present time, of which John the Evangelist says in his Epistle: “This is the last hour” (1Jn 2:18). This promise is addressed… to the whole Church just as is this other promise: “Behold, I Am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world” (Mt 28:20). The Lord will not delay to fulfill His promises – yet a little while and we shall see Him again and shall no longer have anything to ask of Him, no question to put to Him because, we shall no longer have anything to wish for, or seek.

This “little while” seems long to us because it is still in process of taking place. But when it has come to an end, then we shall feel how short it was. So let our joy differ from that of the world, of which it is said that: “The world will rejoice.” In the birth pangs of this longing, let us not be without joy. Yet, as the Apostle Paul says: “Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction” (Rom 12:12). For the woman giving birth – to whom the Lord compares us – takes far more joy in the child she is about to bring into the world,than she feels sorrow at her own suffering.” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop, Father and Doctor of Grace (Sermons on Saint John’s Gospel No 101).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, O Almighty God, that we which do keep the birthday of Thy blessed Virgin Catherine and do year by year renew her memorial with solemn gladness in Thy presence, may likewise be conformed to the pattern of her saintly walk with Thee. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, St Louis-Marie Grignion de MONTFORT, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 29 April – “Abide in Me and I in you.” – John 15:4

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One Minute Reflection – 29 April – “The Month of the Resurrection” – St Peter Martyr/ of Verona OP (1205–1252) Martyr, Priest – 2 Timothy 2:8-10; 3:10-12, John 15:1-7 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Abide in Me and I in you.” – John 15:4

REFLECTION – “ [Jesus] is our only Master, who must teach us; our only Lord, on Whom we must depend; our only Head, to Whom alone we should belong; our only Model, Whom we should imitate; our only Physician, Who must heal us; our only Shepherd, Who must feed us; our only Way, Who must lead us; our only Truth, Whom we must believe; our only Life, Who must be our life and our sole sufficiency in all things that in Him, we may have all in All. Except the Name of Jesus, there is no other name given under Heaven, whereby we must be saved and apart from Jesus Christ,

God has given us no other foundation of our salvation, our perfection and our glory: “for other foundation no man can lay but that which is laid; which is Christ Jesus” (1 Cor 3:11). Every house which is not built upon this firm Rock, is founded on the shifting sands and will inevitably fall, sooner or later. Every soul who is not united with Christ, as a branch to the stem of the vine, will fall off, wither and become fit only for the fire. If we are in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ in us, we need not fear damnation; neither Angels in Heaven, nor men on earth, neither demons in hell, nor any other creature, can harm us because they cannot separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (cf. Rm 8:38-39).” – St Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716) Priest, Renowned Preacher, Founder of Religious Communities [Treatise on the true devotion to the Blessed Virgin (Article one; First Truth)]

PRAYER – Grant us grace, we beseech Thee, O Almighty God, to follow with zeal, conformable thereto after the pattern of that great example of faith, Thy blessed Martyr Peter, who, for the spreading of the same faith, did so run as to obtain the Palm of Martyrdom. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CARMELITES, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on PRAYER, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on VOCATIONS, The HEART, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 28 April – ‘ … He wants to do nothing without us. …’

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One Minute Reflection – 28 April – St Paul of the Cross (1604-1775) Confessor, Founder – 1 Corinthians 1:17-25, Luke 10:1-9 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Pray ye, therefore, the Lord of the harvest that He send labourers into His harvest. ” – Luke 10:2

REFLECTION – “One day I was pondering over what I could do to save souls – a phrase from the Gospel showed me a clear light: Jesus said to His disciples, pointing to the fields of ripe corn, “Look up and see the fields ripe for harvest” (Jn 4:35) and a little later, “The harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few; so ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers.” How mysterious it is! Is not Jesus all-powerful? Do not creatures belong to Him, Who made them? Why then does Jesus say: “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers …”? Why? …

Ah! Jesus has so incomprehensible a love for us that He wants us to have a share with Him in the salvation of souls. He wants to do nothing without us. The Creator of the Universe waits for the prayers of a poor little soul to save other souls, redeemed like itself at the price of all His Blood.

Our vocation, yours and mine, is not to go harvesting in the fields of ripe corn. Jesus does not say to us: “Lower your eyes, look at the fields and go and reap them,” our mission is still loftier. Here are Jesus’ words: “Lift up your eyes and see…. ” See how, in My Heaven, there are places empty; it is for you to fill them … each one of you is My Moses praying on the mountain (Ex 17:8) ask Me for labourers and I shall send them, I await only a prayer, a sigh from your heart!” – St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873-1897) Carmelite, (Letter 135).

PRAYER – Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst gift Thine holy servant Paul, with great love that he might preach the Mystery of Thy Cross and hast been pleased that through him, a new family should grow up in Thy Church, grant unto us at his prayers that upon earth, we may so call Thy sufferings to mind, as worthily to gain the fruit thereof in Heaven. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 27 April – You are the light of the world.” – Matthew 5:14

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One Minute Reflection – 27 April – “The Month of the Resurrection” – St Peter Canisius (1521-1597) Confessor, Doctor of the Church – 2 Timothy 4:1-8, Matthew 5:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“You are the light of the world.” – Matthew 5:14

REFLECTION – “In his epistle, Saint John rightly states: ‘God is Light‘ and “whoever remains in God” is “in the Light, just as God Himself is in the Light” (1 Jn 1:5,7; 3:24). Because we have had the good fortune to be freed from the darkness of error, we should always “walk in the Light” like “children of the Light” (Eph 5:8)… And so the Apostle Paul says: “Among them you shine as Lights in the world, holding fast the Word of Life” (Phil 2:15-16). But if we do not do this, it will be clear that we are, so to speak, covering up and shading this essential Light by our lack of faith…

Therefore, that shining Light which has been lit, for our salvation must always shine in us. For we possess the lamp of the heavenly commandments and of the spirit of grace, of which David said: “Thy law is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps 118:105)… We must not, then, hide this lamp of the law and of faith but should always set it up on the Church, as on a lampstand, for the salvation of many. In this way, we too may enjoy the Light of Truth itself and all who believe. may be enlightened.” – St Chromatius of Aquilaea (Died c407) Bishop, Father of the Church (Homilies on Saint Matthew’s Gospel No 5).

PRAYER – O God, Who didst give strength and learning to blessed Peter Thy Confessor for the defence of the Catholic Faith, mercifully grant that by his example and teaching, the erring may be saved and the faithful remain constant, in the confession of Truth. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on STRENGTH, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

Quote/s of the Day – 26 April – Our Lady of Good Counsel

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Quote/s of the Day – 26 April – Feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel

This prayer to our Lady of Good Counsel, like many other Marian prayers, asks for Our Blessed Mother’s help in obtaining our salvation.
Note the reference to our earthly existence as being a “vale of tears,”
an expression we find too in the Salve Regina, the Hail Holy Queen.

Prayer to Our Mother of Good Counsel

Most Glorious Virgin
chosen by the Eternal Counsel
to be the Mother
of the Eternal Word made flesh,
thou, who art the Treasurer of Divine Graces
and the Advocate of Sinners,
I, thy most unworthy servant,
have recourse to thee;
be thou pleased to be my Guide
and Counsellor in this vale of tears.
Obtain for me,
through the Most Precious Blood
of thy Divine Son,
the forgiveness of my sins,
the salvation of my soul
and the means necessary to obtain it.
In like manner,
obtain for Holy Mother the Church,
victory over her enemies
and the spread of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ
upon the whole earth.
Amen

Pope Paul II sent two Bishops to investigate the image of Our Lady of Good Counsel and the numerous miracles that took place, following its appearance at this Church (by one account 171 alone in the period from 27 April to 14 August 1467)!

The fresco is still there to this day, having survived earthquakes over the Centuries and even aerial bombardment during World War II which destroyed much of the Church.

Many Popes have been great champions of Our Lady of Good Counsel
and her image. Pope Paul II first approved devotion to her. Popes Urban VIII and Pius IX made visits to the Church in Genazzano to honour her.
In 1753 Pope Benedict XIV established the Pious Union of Our Lady of Good Counsel which has included, among its members, the Popes Pius VIII, Pius IX, Leo XIII and Pius XII,the last, who placed his Papacy under her maternal care. He later composed this prayer to Our Lady of Good Counsel which can be used as a novena:

O Mother of Good Counsel
By Pope Pius XII (1876-1958)

O Holy Virgin, to whose feet we are led
by our anxious uncertainty in our search for
and attainment of, what is true and good,
invoking thee by the sweet title of Mother of Good Counsel,
we beseech thee to come to our assistance,
when, along the road of this life,
the darkness of error and of evil
conspire towards our ruin,
by leading our minds and our hearts astray.
O Seat of Wisdom and Star of the Sea,
enlighten the doubtful and the erring
that they, be not seduced,
by the false appearances of good;
render them steadfast in the face of the hostile
and corrupting influences, of passion and of sin.
O Mother of Good Counsel,
obtain for us from thy Divine Son,
a great love of virtue and,
in the hour of uncertainty and trial,
the strength to embrace the way
which leads to our salvation.
If thy hand sustains us,
we shall walk unmolested,
along the path indicated to us,
by the Life and Words of Jesus, our Redeemer
and, having followed freely and securely,
even in the midst of this world’s strife,
the Sun of Truth and Justice,
under thy maternal Star,
we shall come to the enjoyment of full
and eternal peace, with thee,
in the Haven of Salvation.
Amen

It is also worth noting, especially in these uncertain times for the Church as for the world (and in many ways, the two may be said to be linked together!) that Our Blessed Mother is ready, willing and more than able,
to help us i“in the midst of this world’s strife.”
We need only to approach her for assistance, in drawing closer to Jesus with fervent, humble prayer and devotion.

Keep in mind too, regarding the line in the first of our prayers above about our Church’s “victory over her enemies” that, in 1571, St Pius V credited Our Lady of Good Counsel with having assisted the Holy League of forces from Catholic maritime states, to defeat the Muslim Ottoman Empire in the famous Battle of Lepanto. This was a decisive victory which kept Italy from being overrun by the Muslims. Let us also pray to Mary for help, as Pope Pius V did, in the midst of our own battles! Amen.

Our Lady of Genazzano (1467) / Our Lady of Good Counsel (Memorial) – 26 April:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/26/our-lady-of-genazzano-1467-our-lady-of-good-counsel-and-memorials-of-the-saints-26-april/

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, I BELIEVE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, ON the SAINTS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 25 April – Gospel Reading

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

Gospel Reading

“Finally, we should practice what we learn in the Gospel.
If this were not the result of our reading, our efforts would be worth very little.
When reading, we should apply to our lives the spirit and the precepts of Jesus.
This was the practice of the Saints, whose lives were a continual implementation of the Gospel message.
So, St Aloysius and others, understood and applied to their own lives, the maxim: “Blessed are pure of heart.”
St Francis and his followers, applied another maxim: “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”
St Francis de Sales applied to himself, in a special way, the words: “Blessed are the meek.”
As a result, he was noted for his gentleness of character, this man, known as “The Gentleman Saint” and “The Gentle Christ of Geneva!”

We should read the Gospel everyday.
It should be for us, a school of practical spirituality, esspecially adapted to the needs of our own soul, which will finally lead us to sanctity.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/24/thought-for-the-day-24-april-gospel-reading/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/07/21/thought-for-the-day-21-july-gospel-reading/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day –23 April – The Good Shepherd

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Quote/s of the Day –23 April –The Second Sunday after Easter – 1 Peter 2:21-25, John 10:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Those who are My sheep
hear My Voice
and follow Me”

John 10:27

“I am like the sick sheep which strays
from the rest of the flock.
Unless the Good Shepherd
takes me on His shoulders
and carries me back to His fold,
my steps will falter
and, in the very effort of rising,
my feet will give way!”

St Jerome (343-420)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“With good reason Christ declares:
I am the Good Shepherd,
I seek out the lost sheep,
the strayed I will bring back,
the injured I will bind up,
the sick I will heal (Ez 34:16).
I have seen the flock of mankind
struck down by sickness;
I have witnessed my lambs
wander about where demons dwell;
I have seen my flock ravaged by wolves.
All this I have seen
and have not witnessed it from on high.
That is why I took hold of the withered hand,
gripped by pain, as if by a wolf;
I have unbound those whom fever had bound;
I taught him to see,
whose eyes had been shut from his mother’s womb;
I brought Lazarus out from the tomb
where he had lain for four days (Mk 3:5; 1:31; Jn 9; 11).
For I am the Good Shepherd
and the good shepherd lays down His life for His sheep.”

Basil of Seleucia (Died 448)
Bishop of Seleucia, Writer
Oratio 26

“Christ said that the shepherd
enters through the gate
and that He is Himself the Gate,
as well as the Shepherd.
Then, it is necessary,
that He enter through Himself.
By so doing, He reveals Himself
and through Himself, He knows the Father.
But we enter through Him
because through Him. we find happiness.”

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

“Those with pride
are not Christ’s sheep
but the devil’s goats!”

St Vincent Ferrer (1350-1419)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, QUOTES on TRUTH, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 April – “I am the Good Shepherd and I know Mine and Mine know Me.”- John 10:14

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One Minute Reflection – 23 April – “The Month of the Resurrection” –The Second Sunday after Easter and the Memorial of St George (Died c 303) Martyr – 1 Peter 2:21-25, John 10:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“I am the Good Shepherd and I know Mine and Mine know Me.”- John 10:14

REFLECTION – “I am the good shepherd. I know My Own—by which I mean, I love them—and My Own know Me. In plain words – those who love Me are willing to follow Me, for anyone who does not love the Truth, has not yet come to know it.

My dear brethren, you have heard the test we shepherds have to undergo. Turn now to consider, how these words of our Lord, imply a test for yourselves also. Ask yourselves whether you belong to His flock, whether you know Him, whether the Light of His Truth shines in your minds. I assure you that it is not by faith that you will come to know Him but, by love, not by mere conviction but, by action. John the Evangelist is my authority, for this statement. He tells us that anyone who claims to know God, without keeping His commandments, is a liar.

Consequently, the Lord immediately adds: ‘As the Father knows Me and I know the Father and I lay down My life for My sheep.‘ Clearly, He means that laying down His life for His sheep, gives evidence of His knowledge of the Father and the Father’s knowledge of Him. In other words, by the love with which He dies for His sheep, He shows, how greatly He loves His Father.

Again He says: ‘My sheep hear My voice and I know them; they follow Me,and I give them eternal life.’ Shortly before this He had declared – ‘If anyone enters the sheepfold through Me, he shall be saved, he shall go freely in and out and shall find good pasture.‘ He will enter into a life of faith; from faith, he will go out to vision, from belief to contemplation and will graze in the good pastures of everlasting life.

So our Lord’s sheep will finally reach their grazing ground, where all who follow Him in simplicity of heart, will feed on the green pastures of eternity. These pastures are the spiritual joys of Heaven. There, the elect look upon the Face of God with unclouded vision and feast at the banquet of life, forever more.

Beloved brothers, let us set out for these pastures ,where we shall keep joyful festival with so many of our fellow citizens. May the thought of their happiness urge us on! Let us stir up our hearts, rekindle our faith and long eagerly for what Heaven has in store for us. To love thus, is to be already on our way. No matter what obstacles we encounter, we must not allow them to turn us aside from the joy of that heavenly feast. Anyone who is determined to reach his destination, is not deterred by the roughness of the road that leads to it. Nor must we allow the charm of success to seduce us, or we shall be like a foolish traveller who is so distracted by the pleasant meadows through which he is passing that he forgets where he is going.” – St Gregory the Great (540-604) Bishop of Rome and Great Western Father and Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from his Sermon 14).

PRAYER – O God, Who dost gladden us through the worthy deeds and prayers of thy blessed Martyr George, mercifully grant that all they, who seek Thy mercy through him, may effectually obtain the gift of Thy grace. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, QUOTES on the CHURCH, St PAUL!, St PETER!, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 April – “Upon this rock I will build my church” – Matthew 16:18

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One Minute Reflection – 22 April – St Pope Soter (Died c174) Martyr and St Pope Caius I (Died 296) Martyr – 1 Peter 5:1-4; 5:10-11, Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Upon this rock I will build my church” – Matthew 16:18

REFLECTION – “Though the earth and all who dwell in it quake, I have set firm its pillars” (Ps 74:40). All the Apostles are pillars of the earth but, at their head, the two whose feast we are celebrating. They are the two pillars who support the Church with their teaching, their prayer and the example of their steadfastness. The Lord himself strengthened these pillars. For at first they were weak, completely incapable of supporting either themselves or others. And in this the Lord’s great design appears – if they had always been strong, people could have thought their strength came from themselves. That is why the Lord wanted to show ,what they were capable of before strengthening them, so that all might know their strength came from God… Peter was thrown to the ground by the voice of a mere servant… and the other pillar was very weak too: “I was once a blasphemer and persecutor and an arrogant man” (1Tm 1:13)…

Hence, we ought to praise these Saints with all our heart – our fathers who bore such trials for the Lord’s sake and who persevered with such determination. It is nothing to persevere in joy, happiness and peace. But this is what is great: to be stoned, scourged, struck for Christ (2Cor 11:25) and in all this, to persevere with Christ. With Paul, it is a great thing to be cursed and to bless, to be persecuted and to endure, to be slandered and to console, to be like the world’s rubbish and to draw glory from it (1Cor 4:12-13)…, And what shall we say of Peter?,, Even if he had undergone nothing for Christ, it would be sufficient to celebrate him today, in that he was crucified for Him… He well knew where He Whom he loved, He Whom he longed for was… his cross has been his road to heaven.” – St Aelred of Rielvaux (1110-1167) Cistercian Monk (Sermon 18, for the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul PL 195, 298).

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