Category: CHRISTMASTIDE!

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRISTMAS Quotes, CHRISTMASTIDE!, QUOTES on THANKSGIVING, The NATIVITY of JESUS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 25 December – And the Word became Flesh – DEO GRATIAS! 

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Quote/s of the Day – 25 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” –

“With hearts truly grateful,
Come, all ye faithful,
To Jesus, to Jesus in Bethlehem;
See Christ your Saviour,
Heaven’s greatest favour.
Let us hasten to adore Him;
Our God and King.”

DEO GRATIAS! 

“And the Word became Flesh
and dwelt among us,
full of Grace and Truth;
we have beheld His Glory,
Glory as of the Only Son from the Father.”

John 1:14

“Now this Word, Who was in God,
this Word, Who was God,
through Whom, all things were made
and without Whom, nothing was made,
in Whom, is Life – He has Come down to us.
What were we? Did we deserve Him to Come to us?
No, we were unworthy of His having compassion on us
but He was Worthy of taking pity on us.”

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

“Our Saviour, dearly beloved,
is born today;
let us rejoice!
It is not right to be sad today,
the natal day of Life –
He Who has dispelled the fear of mortality
and brought us to the joy of promised eternity.
Let no man be cut off from a share in this rejoicing.
The cause of our joy is common to every man
because, our Lord, the destroyer of sin and death,
Who finds none guiltless, Comes to free all.
Let the holy exult, he draws near his palm;
let the sinner rejoice, he is invited to pardon;
let the Gentile be quickened, he is called to Life!”

St Pope Leo the Great (400-461)
Father & Doctor of the Unity of the Church

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRISTMAS Quotes, CHRISTMASTIDE!, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The INCARNATION, The NATIVITY of JESUS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 25 December – ‘ … Let us then run to Bethlehem, the Town of the Good News! … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 25 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Nativity of Our Lord, Christmas Day! – Titus 2:11-15; Luke 2:1-14 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“… For today in the City of David, a Saviour has been born to you, Who is Christ the Lord.” – Luke 2:11

REFLECTION – “Brethren, now we have been told about the miracle, let us turn aside to see this unusual sight, as Moses did (Ex 3:3) – in Mary, the burning bush is not consumed, the Virgin gives birth to the Light, without defilement … Let us then run to Bethlehem, the Town of the Good News! If we are real shepherds, staying awake on our watch, then it is to us that the voice of the Angels is addressed, announcing a great joy … “Glory to God in the highest for peace is coming down to earth!”  There, where, only yesterday, there was nothing but misfortune, battlefields and exile, now earth receives peace for today “Truth shall spring out of the earth and justice shall look down from heaven” (Ps 84:12). Behold the fruit earth gives to humankind, in reward for the goodwill reigning among men (Lk 2:14). God is joined to man, to raise man to the stature of God.

At this news, my brethren, let us go to Bethlehem to behold … the mystery of the crib, a child wrapped in swaddling clothes rests in a manger. A Virgin, after giving birth, His undefiled Mother, embraces her Son. Let us repeat the words of the Prophet along with the shepherds: “As we have heard, so we have seen in the city of our God.” (Ps 47:9)

But why does our Lord seek shelter in this cave at Bethlehem? Why is He sleeping in a manger? Why does He participate in Israel’s census?  My brethren, He who brings liberty to the world, comes to be born into our slavery to death. He is born in this cave to reveal Himself to us, who are immersed in darkness and the shadow of death. He rests in a manger because, He is the One Who makes grass grow for the cattle (Ps 103:14). He is the Bread of Life, Who feeds us with a spiritual food that we too might live in the Spirit… What more joyful Feast is there than that of today? Christ, the Sun of Justice (Mal 3:20), comes to illumine our night. What had fallen, is raised up again, what was overcome, is now set free… what was dead is restored to life… Let us all sing today with one voice over all the earth: “Death came through one man, Adam, today salvation has come through One Man (cf Rom 5:17)” … St Gregory of Nyssa (c 335–c 395) Bishop, Father of the Church (Sermon on the Nativity).

PRAYER – O God, Who have brightened this most holy night with the splendour of the true Light, grant, we beseech Thee that we may know in Heaven the joy of that light which we have known mystically on earth. 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 CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, CHRISTMASTIDE!, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, FATHERS of the Church, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The DIVINE INFANT, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The NATIVITY of JESUS

Our Morning Offering – 25 December – Its Christmas Day! – A Solis Ortus Cardine – Afar from Where the Sun Doth Rise

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Our Morning Offering – 25 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Our Saviour and Redeemer – Its Christmas Day!

Afar from Where the Sun Doth Rise
A Solis Ortus Cardine
By Coelius Sedulius (Died c450)
Trans Msgr Ronald A Knox (1888-1957)

Afar from where the sun doth rise
To lands beneath the western skies,
Homage to Christ our King we pay,
Born of a Virgin’s womb this day

Blessed Creator, Thou didst take__
A servant’s likeness for our sake,
And didst in flesh our flesh restore
To bid Thy creature live once more.

Chaste was the womb where Thou didst dwell,
Of heavenly grace the hidden cell;
Nor might the blessed Maid proclaim
Whence her dread Guest in secret came.

Down from on high God came to rest__
His glory in a sinless breast;
Obedience at His word believed,
And virgin innocence conceived.

Ere long, that holy child she bore
By Gabriel’s message named before,
Whom yet unborn, with eager pride,
The swift forerunner prophesied.

Fast doth He sleep, where straw doth spread,
A humble manger for His bed.
A Mother’s milk that strength renewed,
Which gives the birds of heaven their food.

Glory to God, the angels cry;
Earth hears the echo from on high;
Mankind’s true Shepherd and it’s Lord
By shepherd hearts is first adored.

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRISTMAS Quotes, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, MARIAN QUOTES, The DIVINE INFANT, The HOLY NAME, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR

Quote/s of the Day – 24 December – Emmanuel!

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Quote/s of the Day – 24 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Vigil of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ

“… Let us keep the Feast,
not after the manner of a heathen festival
but after a Godly sort;
not after the way of the world
but in a fashion above the world;
not as our own
but as belonging to Him
Who is ours,
or rather as our Master’s;
not as of weakness
but as of healing;
not as of creation
but of re-creation.”

St Gregory of Nazianzen (330-390)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Taking up the newborn Emmanuel,
Mary beheld a Light incomparably fairer
than the sun and saw a Fire
that water cannot quench.
She received, in the covering of flesh
Whom she had borne,
the Light Who enlightens all things
and she was worthy,
to carry in her arms,
the Word Who carries the universe!” ”

St Amadeus of Lausanne (1108-1159)
Bishop, Cistercian Monk

(Homilies in praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary IV SC 72)

“She shall bring forth a Son
and thou shall call His Name Jesus;
for He shall save His people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:21

“This great Name is compared to oil by the Holy Spirit:
“Thy Name is oil poured out” (Sg 1,3).
Why? Because, as Saint Bernard explains,
just as oil is both light, food and medicine,
so the Name of Jesus, is light for our minds,
food for our hearts, medicine for our souls.
Light for our minds – it was the brilliance
of this Name which enabled the world
to pass from the shadows of idolatry, to the Light of Faith.
… Food for our hearts … And medicine for our souls …
No-one who is tempted, will fall, if he calls on Jesus
and, for as long as he calls,
he will persevere and be saved (cf Ps 17:4).”

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

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The SECOND COMING

Our Morning Offering – 24 December – Magnis Prophetæ Vocibus, With Mighty Voice the Prophets Cry

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Our Morning Offering – 24 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Vigil of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Magnis Prophetæ Vocibus
With Mighty Voice the Prophets Cry
Unknown Author

With mighty voice the prophets cry
that Christ the Lord is drawing nigh;
rejoicing, they foresee the grace
by which He saves us and redeems.

And so our morning sun shines forth,
our hearts ablaze with radiant joy;
we hear the faithful voice resound,
precursor of God’s glorious gift.

At that first Advent, Christ our God
came forth not to condemn the world,
but came to cleanse our gaping wound,
to seek and save what had been lost.

Christ’s Second Coming warns us all
that He is standing at the gates,
to give to saints their glorious crowns
and open wide the heav’nly realm.

Eternal light is now foretold,
the saving star is shining forth,
its radiant splendour summons us
and calls us to the heav’nly court.

Christ Jesus, Thou alone we seek
to see Thee face-to-face as God;
may this unending vision be
an everlasting hymn of praise.
Amen.

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES on FEAR, The LAMB of GOD, The SECOND COMING

Our Morning Offering – 23 December – Hark, a Herald Voice Is Sounding

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Our Morning Offering – 23 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

Hark, a Herald Voice Is Sounding
Vox Clare
Unknown Author – 5th or 6th Century
Trans: Fr Edward Caswall C.Orat. (1814-1878)

Hark! A herald voice is sounding!
“Christ is near,” we hear it say.
Cast away the works of darkness,
all you children of the day!”

2 See, the Lamb, so long expected,
Comes with pardon down from Heav’n.
Let us haste, with tears of sorrow,
one and all, to be forgiv’n.

3 So, when next He Comes in glory
and the world is wrapped in fear,
He will shield us with His mercy
and with words of love draw near.

4 Honour, glory, might, dominion
to the Father and the Son
with the everlasting Spirit
while eternal ages run!
Amen

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, HYMNS, The DIVINE INFANT, The SECOND COMING

Our Morning Offering – 20 December – “Christ is Near!”

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Our Morning Offering – 20 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

“Christ is Near!”
Vox clara ecce intonas
Hear the Herald Voice Resounding
Unknown Sixth Century
Trans. Fr Edward Caswell C.Orat. (1814-1878)

Hear the herald voice resounding:
“Christ is near!” it seems to say,
“Cast away the dreams of darkness,
Welcome Christ, the Light of day!”

Wakened by this solemn warning,
Let the earthbound soul arise;
Christ her Sun, all sloth dispelling,
Shines upon the morning skies.

See the Lamb so long expected,
Comes with pardon down from Heav’n;
Hasten now, with tears of sorrow,
One and all to be forgiv’n.

So when next He comes with glory,
Shrouding all the earth in fear,
May He then as our Defender
On the clouds of heav’n appear.

Honour, glory, virtue, merit,
To the Father and the Son,
With the co-eternal Spirit,
While eternal ages run.
Amen!

Posted in ADVENT, ADVENT PRAYERS, CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 9 December – Creator Alme Siderum – Creator of the Starry Frame

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Our Morning Offering – 9 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Resumed Mass of Sunday

Creator Alme Siderum
Creator of the Starry Frame
7th Century Advent Hymn

Creator of the starry frame;
Eternal Light of all who live;
Jesu, Redeemer of mankind,
An ear to Thy poor suppliants give.

When man was sunk in sin and death,
Lost in the depth of Satan’s snare,
Love brought Thee down to cure our ills,
By taking of those ills a share.

Thou for the sake of guilty men,
Causing Thine own pure blood to flow,
Didst issue from Thy Virgin-shrine,
And to the Cross a Victim go.

So great the glory of Thy might,
If we but chance Thy Name to sound,
At once all Heaven and Hell unite
In bending low with awe profound.

Great Judge of all, in that last day,
When friends shall fail and foes combine,
Be present then with us, we pray,
To guard us with Thy arm divine.

To God the Father and the Son,
All praise and power and glory be,
With Thee, O holy Comforter,
Henceforth through all eternity.

Also known as Advent Hymn, this translation of the Latin hymn Creator Alme Siderum (Pope Urban VIII’s 1632 revision of the 7th Century Hymn Conditor alme siderum) was first published in Fr Edward Caswall’s Lyra Catholica,

Posted in ADVENT, ADVENT PRAYERS, CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, CHRISTMASTIDE!, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, PRAYERS to the DIVINE INFANT JESUS, The DIVINE INFANT, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR

Our Morning Offering – 7 December – A Great and Mighty Wonder

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Our Morning Offering – 7 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Vigil of the Immaculate Conception

A Great and Mighty Wonder
By St Germanus (c640-c 733)
Father of the Church

A great and mighty wonder,
a glorious mystery,
a Virgin bears an Infant
who veils His Deity.
Refrain:
Proclaim the Saviour’s birth,
“To God on high be glory
and peace to all the earth!”
The Word becomes incarnate
and yet remains on high,
and Cherubim sing anthems
to shepherds from the sky. … [Refrain]
While thus they sing your monarch,
those bright angelic bands,
rejoice, O vales and mountains
and oceans, clap your hands. [Refrain]
Since all, He comes to ransom,
by all, be He adored,
the Infant born in Bethl’em,
the Saviour and the Lord. [Refrain]
All idols then shall perish
and Satan’s lying cease,
and Christ shall raise His sceptre,
decreeing endless peace. [Refrain]

St Germanus was one of the Greek hymnwriters and one of the grandest among the defenders of the Icons. He was born at Constantinople of a patrician family, was Ordained there and became subsequently, Bishop of Cyzicus. He was present at the Synod of Constantinople in 712, which restored the Monothelite heresy but, in after years, he condemned it.
He was made Archbishop of Constantinople in 715. In 730 he was driven from the See, not without blows, for refusing to yield to the Iconoclastic Emperor, Leo the Isaurian. He died shortly afterwards in exile at a good old age.
His Life below:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/05/12/saint-of-the-day-12-may-saint-germanus-of-constantinople-c-640-733/

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 4 December – Dear Saviour, Haste! Venez divin Messie

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Our Morning Offering – 4 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

Dear Saviour, Haste!
Venez divin Messie
By Abbé Simon-Joseph Pellegrin (1663-1745)

Dear Saviour, haste!
Come, come to earth.
Dispel the night
and show Thy Face
And bid us hail
the Dawn of grace.
O come, Divine Messias,
The world in silence waits the day
When hope shall sing its triumph,
And sadness flee away.
Amen

This is the Refrain from a beautiful Advent Hymn by Abbé Simon-Joseph Pellegrin, a French Cluniac Monk, Poet, Composer and Playwright.

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH

Our Morning Offering – 1 December – O Come, O come, Emmanuel

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Our Morning Offering – 1 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The First Sunday of Advent

O Come, O come, Emmanuel

O Come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!

O come, Thou Wisdom, from on high
And order all things far and nigh,
To us the path of knowledge show
And teach us in her ways to go.
Refrain

O come, o come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times did give the law,
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Refrain

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse’s stem,
From ev’ry foe deliver them
That trust Thy mighty power to save
And give them vict’ry o’er the grave.
Refrain

O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heav’nly home,
Make safe the way that leads on high,
That we no more have cause to sigh.
Refrain

O come, Thou Dayspring from on high
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh.
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadow put to flight.
Refrain

O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid every strife and quarrel cease
And fill the world with heaven’s peace.
Refrain

The favourite O Come, O Come Emmanuel carol was originally written in Latin text in the 12th Century. The author of the words and composer to the music of O Come, O Come Emmanuel is unknown. It is, however, believed that the melody was of French origin and added to the text a hundred years later. The Latin was translated into English by John Mason Neale in 1851.

Posted in CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, CHRISTMAS Quotes, CHRISTMASTIDE!, HYMNS, QUOTES on ALMS, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 28 September – Good King Wenceslaus

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Quote/s of the Day – 28 September – St Wenceslaus (907-935) Duke of Bohemia, Martyr.

Good King Wenceslaus

Good King Wenceslaus looked out,
on the Feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about,
deep and crisp and even;
Brightly shone the moon that night, t
ho’ the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight,
gath’ring winter fuel.

“Hither, page and stand by me,
if thou know’st it, telling,
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?”
“Sire, he lives a good league hence,
underneath the mountain;
Right against the forest fence,
by Saint Agnes’ fountain.”

“Bring me flesh and bring me wine,
bring me pine logs hither,
Thou and I will see him dine,
when we bear them thither.”
Page and Monarch, forth they went,
forth they went together;
Through the rude wind’s wild lament
and the bitter weather.

“Sire, the night is darker now
and the wind blow stronger;
Fails my heart, I know not how,
I can go no longer.”
“Mark my footsteps, my good page.
Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shalt find the winter’s rage,
freeze thy blood less coldly.”

In his master’s steps he trod,
where the snow lay dinted;
Heat was in the very sod
which the Saint had printed.
Therefore, Christian men, be sure,
wealth or rank possessing,
Ye who now will bless the poor,
shall yourselves find blessing.

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRISTMAS Quotes, CHRISTMASTIDE!, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN QUOTES, MOTHER of GOD, QUOTES for CHRIST, St Louis-Marie Grignion de MONTFORT, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The INCARNATION, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The NATIVITY of JESUS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 16 July – ‘O Mother blest! And chosen Shrine ….’

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Quote/s of the Day – 16 July – The Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel – Ecclesiasticus Sirach 24:23; Luke 11:27-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Blessed is the womb
which bore Thee ”

Luke 11:27

“O Mother blest!
And chosen Shrine
wherein the Architect Divine,
Whose Hand contains the earth and sky
vouchsafed in hidden guise to lie;
Blest in the message Gabriel brought;
blest in the work, the Spirit wrought;
Most blest, to bring to human birth,
the long desired of all the earth!”

St Venantius Fortunatus (c530–c609)

“Taking up the newborn Emmanuel,
Mary beheld a Light incomparably fairer
than the sun and saw a Fire,
which water cannot quench.
She received, in the covering of Flesh
Whom she had borne,
the Light, Who enlightens all things
and she was worthy,,
to carry in her arms,
the Word, Who carries the universe!”

St Amadeus of Lausanne (1108-1159)
Bishop, Cistercian Monk

“The Blessed Virgin was chosen
to be the Mother of God
and, therefore, it is not to be doubted,
but that God fitted her for it
by His graces.”

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

“It is through the most Blessed Virgin Mary
that Jesus Christ came into the world
and, it is also through her
that He will reign in the world.”

St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)

Posted in CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, HOLY WEEK, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, Our MORNING Offering, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 10 March – God of Mercy and Compassion

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Our Morning Offering – 10 March – Laetare Sunday / The Fourth Sunday in Lent

God of Mercy and Compassion
By Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736)
Composer

God of mercy and compassion,
Look with pity upon me,
Father, let me call Thee Father,
‘Tis Thy child returns to Thee.

Refrain:
Jesus, Lord, I ask for mercy.
Let me not implore in vain,
All my sins, I now detest them,
Never will I sin again.

By my sins I have deserved
Death and endless misery,
Hell with all its pains and torments,
And for all eternity.
(Refrain)

By my sins I have abandoned
Right and claim to heav’n above.
Where the Saints rejoice forever
In a boundless sea of love.
(Refrain)

See our Saviour, bleeding, dying,
On the cross of Calvary;
To that Cross my sins have nail’d Him,
Yet He bleeds and dies for me.
(Refrain)

Posted in CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, GOD ALONE!, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, QUOTES for the NEW YEAR, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, QUOTES on WISDOM, REDEMPTIVE Suffering, The HOLY NAME

Quote/s of the Day – 1 January – “His Name was called Jesus”

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Quote/s of the Day – 1 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” – The Octave Day of the Nativity and the Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord – Titus 2:11-15, Luke 2:21 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“His Name was called Jesus”

Luke 2:21

“Born as a Son,
led forth as a Lamb,
sacrificed as a sheep,
buried as a man,
He rose from the dead as a God,
for He was by nature God and man.

He is all things –
He judges and so, He is Law.
He teaches and so, He is Wisdom.
He saves and so, He is Grace.
He begets and so, He is Father.
He is begotten,and so, He is Son.
He suffers and so, He is Sacrifice.
He is buried and so, He is Man.
He rises again and so, He is God.
This is Jesus Christ,
to Whom belongs glory for all ages.”

St Melito of Sardis (Died c180)
Bishop, Early Church Father

“If we would God discern
The world we must despise,
His love and hate must learn,
See all things with His eyes.
And we must self forgo
If God we would attain,
His grace must in us grow
And ease us from all pain.
So shall we sing His praise
And be at one with Him,
In peace our voices raise
In the celestial hymn,
That with quadruple harmony
And all mellifluous melody,
In Heaven resounds eternally.”

Blessed Jan van Ruusbroec (1293-1381)

Mary of Christmas
Unknown Author

I know not how, dear Lady love,
To offer you my praise,
I cannot fashion as I wish
The words that I would raise.
You stand afar, celestial Queen,
The stars are in your crown,
They spangle at each gesture’s path
And dust upon your gown.
Perhaps I might recall the night
You knelt beside the crib,
The night when doors and casements shut
And left a mountain’s rib,
Alone, exposed, to hoard you close
Beside the new-born Child
And seek in Joseph’s kindly eyes
For something worldly-mild.
To counteract such mundane chill
I hereby set my heart,
Dim mirror of an Infant’s warmth,
Its flaming but a part,
A small, sad part of Endless Love
That came on Christmas day
To show a mother wonder-bright
To guide us on our way.
Amen.

Posted in CARMELITES, CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The DIVINE INFANT

Our Morning Offering – 31 December – O Jesus, Dear Holy Child By St Thérèse of the Child Jesus

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Our Morning Offering – 31 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” –Sunday Within the Octave of Christmas

O Jesus, Dear Holy Child
By St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873 – 1897)

O Jesus,
dear Holy Child,
my only treasure,
I abandon myself to Thy every whim.
I seek no other joy
than that of calling forth Thy sweet Smile.
Vouchsafe to me, the graces and the virtues
of Thy Holy Childhood,
so that, on the day of my birth into Heaven,
the Angels and Saints
may recognise in Thy Spouse,
Thérèse of the Child Jesus.
Amen

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, CHRISTMAS Quotes, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on PEACE, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The DIVINE INFANT, The HEART

Quote/s of the Day – 30 December – Our only Light – Deo Gratias!

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 30 December – The Sixth Day Within the Octave of the Nativity of our Lord

“With hearts truly grateful,
Come, all ye faithful,
To Jesus, to Jesus in Bethlehem;
See Christ your Saviour,
Heaven’s greatest favour.
Let us hasten to adore Him;
Our God and King.”

DEO GRATIAS! 

“Open wide your door to the One who comes.
Open your soul,
throw open the depths of your heart
to see the riches of simplicity,
the treasures of peace,
the sweetness of grace.
Open your heart
and run to meet
the Sun of Eternal Light
Who illuminates all men.”

St Ambrose (340-397)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Listen! the reason He is called Saviour
is because, for all those
to whom He is united,
He gains salvation.
Now salvation means,
to be delivered from all ills and,
at the same time,
to find all blessings forever –
Life instead of death,
Light in place of darkness
and, instead of the slavery
of the passions and unworthy deeds,
the complete freedom granted
to all those, who are united to Christ,
Saviour of all beings.
Thus they will possess,
without being able to lose it,
all joy, all happiness, all blessedness …
that that none can ever know,
or conceive, or see,
if not sincerely and ardently
attached to Christ.”

St Symeon the New Theologian (c 949-1022)

“Taking up the newborn Emmanuel,
Mary beheld a Light incomparably fairer
than the sun and saw a Fire
that water cannot quench.
She received, in the covering of flesh
Whom she had borne,
the Light Who enlightens all things
and she was worthy,
to carry in her arms,
the Word Who carries the universe!” ”

St Amadeus of Lausanne (1108-1159)
Bishop, Cistercian Monk

(Homilies in praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary IV SC 72)

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRISTMAS Quotes, franciscan OFM, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The NATIVITY of JESUS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 30 December – Saint Francis and the first Christmas Crib at Greccio in 1223

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One Minute Reflection – 30 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Sixth Day Within the Octave of the Nativity of our Lord – Titus 3:4-7, Luke 2:15-20 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And they came with haste and they found, Mary and Joseph and the Infant lying in the manger. ” – Luke 2:16

REFLECTION – “About two weeks before Christmas, Francis said: … “I wish to call to mind, the Child Who was born at Bethlehem and all the sufferings He endured, from His childhood … I wish to see Him with the eyes of my flesh, just as He was, laid in a manger and sleeping on the hay between an ox and an ass”…

The joyful day arrived … The Friars from several Convents thereabouts were gathered together. In festive spirit the people round about, both men and women, all according to their means, made torches and candles ready with which to illuminate the night which saw the bright star arise, to light up all the ages!
When he arrived the Saint saw that all was ready and rejoiced greatly. A manger and some straw had been brought; an ass and an ox had been led along. Truly, simplicity held the place of honour there; it was the triumph of poverty and best lesson in humility. Greccio had become a new Bethlehem! Night had been rendered as bright as day and as delightful for the animals, as for the people. Crowds had hastened along and this re-enactment of the Mystery re-animated their joy. The woods resounded with songs and the mountains threw back their echoes. The brethren sang the Lord’s praises and the whole night was spent in rejoicing. The Saint passed the night watch standing before the crib, broken with compassion, filled with inexpressible happiness. Finally, Mass was celebrated on the manger as on an Altar and the Priest experienced fervour of a kind he had never felt before.

Francis had put on his Dalmatic, for he was a Deacon and he sang the Gospel with resonant voice … Then he preached to the people, finding words as sweet as honey, to speak of the birth of the poor King and the little Town of Bethlehem.” – Servant of God Thomas of Celano OFM (c1185-1260) Biographer of Saint Francis and Saint Clare (The First Life of Saint Francis, #84-86).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God that the new birth, in the flesh, of Thine Only-begotten Son, may deliver us, whom the bondage of old keeps under the yoke of sin. 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 CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, POETRY, The DIVINE INFANT

Our Morning Offering – 30 December – Afar from Where the Sun Doth Rise – A Solis Ortus Cardine

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Our Morning Offering – 30 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” –The Sixth Day Within the Christmas Octave

Afar from Where the Sun Doth Rise
A Solis Ortus Cardine
By Coelius Sedulius (Died c 450)
Trans Msgr Ronald A Knox (1888-1957)

Afar from where the sun doth rise
To lands beneath the western skies,
Homage to Christ our King we pay,
Born of a Virgin’s womb this day

Blessed Creator, Thou didst take__
A servant’s likeness for our sake,
And didst in flesh our flesh restore
To bid Thy creature live once more.

Chaste was the womb where Thou didst dwell,
Of heavenly grace the hidden cell;
Nor might the blessed Maid proclaim
Whence her dread Guest in secret came.

Down from on high God came to rest__
His glory in a sinless breast;
Obedience at His word believed,
And virgin innocence conceived.

Ere long, that holy child she bore
By Gabriel’s message named before,
Whom yet unborn, with eager pride,
The swift forerunner prophesied.

Fast doth He sleep, where straw doth spread,
A humble manger for His bed.
A Mother’s milk that strength renewed,
Which gives the birds of heaven their food.

Glory to God, the angels cry;
Earth hears the echo from on high;
Mankind’s true Shepherd and it’s Lord
By shepherd hearts is first adored.

Posted in CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, HYMNS, The DIVINE INFANT

Our Morning Offering – 26 December – Sleep, Holy Babe

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Our Morning Offering – 26 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Within the Octave

Sleep, Holy Babe
By Fr Edward Caswell C.Orat. (1814-1878)

Sleep, holy Babe, Upon Thy Mother’s breast!
Great Lord of earth and sea and sky,
How sweet it is to see Thee lie
In such a place of rest!

Sleep, holy Babe, Thy Angels watch around,
All bending low with folded wings
Before th’incarnate King of kings
In rev’rent awe profound!

Sleep, holy Babe, While I with Mary gaze
In joy upon that Face awhile,
Upon the loving Infant smile
Which there divinely plays.

Sleep, holy Babe,
And take Thy brief repose;
Too quickly wilt Thy slumbers break
And Thou to lengthened pains awake,
That death alone shall close.
Amen

Posted in CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, NOTES to Followers

My Wish for you All – a most Holy and Blessed Christmas!

Posted on by AnaStpaul

My Wish for you All
– a most Holy
and Blessed Christmas!

With hearts truly grateful,
Come, all ye faithful,
To Jesus, to Jesus in Bethlehem;
See Christ your Saviour,
Heaven’s greatest favour.
Let us hasten to adore Him;
Our God and King!

May the Holy Family of Bethlehem
fill your hearts with joy, peace and love!
And my Love and Prayers for you and yours.

My sincere thanksgiving
for those most generous and loving Benefactors,
who, in their generosity, have constantly contributed
to the upkeep of this site.
For those who, in the midst of their manifold duties
during this very busy time, have still found time
to send Christmas donations and prayers.
May the Divine Infant, His Immaculate Mother and Holy St Joseph,
Bless you all.
Ana

Deo Gratias!

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The HEART, The NATIVITY of JESUS

Thought for the Day – 25 December – The Feast of the Nativity

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

The Feast of the Nativity

“The first people to pay homage to Jesus Christ, are not men of exalted rank but humble shepherds.
They come to offer their poor gifts but, above all else, they offer Him their simple and innocent hearts.

We also should approach the manger with humility and simplicity.
Foremost among the gifts which we offer, should be the renunciation of sin, a firm resolution to resist our lower inclinations and a great love for Him, Who has loved us so much.
There are no more pleasing gifts which we could offer Jesus Christ on His Birthday.
Let us go now to Him!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/12/25/thought-for-the-day-25-december-the-feast-of-the-nativity/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/12/25/thought-for-the-day-25-december-the-feast-of-the-nativity-2/

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, CHRISTMAS Quotes, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, GOD ALONE!, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The DIVINE INFANT, The INCARNATION, The NATIVITY of JESUS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 25 December – Come let us adore Him!

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Quote/s of the Day – 25 December – The Nativity of Our Lord, Christmas Day!

“In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was with God
and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by Him
and without Him, was made nothing
which was made.
In Him was Life and the Life
was the Light of men.
And the Light shines in darkness
and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

John 1:1-5

V. The Word was made flesh.
R. And dwelt among us.
V. Christ hath manifested Himself to us.
R. Come let us adore Him!

“Let all your desires then,
be directed toward Him,
the Infinite One,
the Giver of all Good.”

Bl Jacopone da Todi (1230-1306)

Nativity Song
By Blessed Jacopone da Todi OFM (1230-1306)
(Today is the Feast Day of Blessed Jacopone)

The beautiful Mother is bending
Low where her Baby lies
Helpless and frail, for her tending
But she knows the glorious eyes.

The Mother smiles and rejoices,
While the Baby laughs in the hay,
She listens to heavenly voices:
“This Child shall be King some day.”

O dear little Child in the manger,
Let me make merry with Thee,
O King, in my hour of danger,
Wilt Thou be strong for me?

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, CHRISTMASTIDE!, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE

Our Morning Offering – 25 December –Adeste Fidelis, O Come, All Ye Faithful!

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Our Morning Offering – 25 December – The Nativity of Our Lord, Christmas Day!

Adeste Fidelis
O Come, All Ye Faithful!
By John Francis Wade (c1711-1786)
Composer, Hymnist, Professor of Music at the Douay Seminary

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!
Come and behold Him, born the King of Angels!
Refrain:
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord!

God of God, Light of Light,
Lo, He abhors not the virgin’s womb;
Very God, begotten, not created.
[Refrain]

Sing, Choirs of Angels; sing in exultation;
sing, all ye citizens of heav’n above!
Glory to God, all glory in the highest!
[Refrain]

Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be all glory giv’n!
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!
[Refrain]

John Francis Wade (1711 or 1712-1786) is now generally recognised as both Author and Composer of the hymn “Adeste fideles,” originally written in Latin in four stanzas.
The earliest manuscript signed by Wade is dated about 1743. By the early 19th Century, however, four additional stanzas had been added by other writers.
A Roman Catholic, Wade apparently moved to France because of discrimination against Roman Catholics in 18th Century England—especially so. after the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745.
He taught music at an English college in Douay and hand copied and sold Chant music for use in the Chapels of wealthy families. Wade’s copied manuscripts were published as Cantus Diversi pro Dominicis et Festis per annum (1751)

The Translator is Father Frederick Oakeley (1802-1880), ex Anglican minister, in 1845, he became a Catholic and a Priest and Canon of the Diocese of Westminister.
His publications are numerous, and some of them have considerable value.

Posted in ADVENT, ADVENT PRAYERS, CHRISTMASTIDE!, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

The St Andrew’s Christmas Novena- The Christmas Anticipation Prayer

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The St Andrew’s Christmas Novena
The Christmas Anticipation Prayer

The Novena is not actually addressed to Saint Andrew but to God Himself, asking Him to grant our request in honour of the birth of His Son at Christmas. You can say the prayer all 15 times, all at once; or divide up the recitation as necessary (perhaps five times at each meal). We say ours after the Family Rosary each day, with each member saying it a number of times to total 15.

Prayed as a family, the Saint Andrew Christmas Novena is a very good way to help focus the attention of your family and children on the Advent season. nd the reason for the festivities to come.

Pray 15 Times each day, until Christmas Day

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment,
in which the Son of God was born,
of the most pure Virgin Mary,
at midnight, in Bethlehem,
in the piercing cold.
In that hour vouchsafe,
I beseech Thee, O my God,
to hear my prayer and grant my desires,
…………………
[here mention your request]
through the merits of Our Saviour, Jesus Christ
and of His Blessed Mother.
Amen

Posted in ADVENT, CHRISTMASTIDE!, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN QUOTES, MOTHER of GOD, QUOTES on DOUBT, Quotes on SALVATION, The ANNUNCIATION, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The NATIVITY of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 11 October – Feast of the Divine Maternity

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Quote/s of the Day – 11 October – Feast of the Divine Maternity

“That anyone could doubt the right
of the holy Virgin
to be called the Mother of God,
fills me with astonishment.
Surely she must be the Mother of God,
if our Lord Jesus Christ is God
and she gave birth to Him!”

St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444)
Father and Doctor of the Church

The God Whom Earth and Sea and Sky
For Mary, The Mother of God
For the Annunciation, Advent and Christmas
By St Venantius Fortunatus (c 530 – c 609)

The God whom earth and sea and sky
Adore and praise and magnify,
Whose might they claim, whose love they tell,
In Mary’s body comes to dwell.

O Mother blest! the chosen shrine
Wherein the Architect Divine,
Whose Hand contains the earth and sky,
Has come in human form to lie.

Blest in the message Gabriel brought,
Blest in the work the Spirit wrought,
Most blest, to bring to human birth
The long desired of all the earth.

O Lord, the Virgin-born, to You
Eternal praise and laud are due,
Whom with the Father we adore
And Spirit blest for evermore.

“Having confidence in you,
O Mother of God, I shall be saved.
Being under you protection,
I shall fear nothing.
With your help,
I shall give battle to my enemies
and put them to flight,
for devotion to you,
is an arm of Salvation.”

St John Damascene (676-749)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“And some seed fell on good ground”
Luke 8:8

“Rejoice, O Mary, House of the Lord,
earth trodden by the Footsteps of God…
Rejoice, O Paradise
more happy than the Garden of Eden,
where every virtue has been seeded
and where the Tree of Life has grown.”

St Theodore the Studite (750-826)
Father, Abbot, Theologian, Writer

(Sermon 2 for the Nativity of Mary)

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, ROSARY QUOTES, The NATIVITY of JESUS

Thought for the Day – 5 October – The Third Joyful Mystery, The Birth of Jesus

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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

“Like the simple shepherds, let us prostrate ourselves with faith and with love before the Manger.
Let us offer, as our gifts, our good resolutions; let us offer our hearts and ask God to change them and make them entirely His forever.

Quite suddenly, the darkness of the night and the wretchedness of the cave was illuminated by a bright light from Heaven.
While men were unaware of, or indifferent to, the miraculous event which had taken place, bands of Angels descended from Heaven and sang: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace among men of goodwill” (Lk 2:13-14).
Joseph bent over the Divine Infant and silently adored Him, while the Blessed Virgin knelt at His Feet in loving contemplation.

Let us too, learn to adore and love Him, as His Mother and Foster-Father did.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/10/05/thought-for-the-day-5-october-the-third-joyful-mystery-the-birth-of-jesus/

Posted in CHRIST the KING, CHRISTMASTIDE!, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Holy Family PRAYERS, HYMNS, POETRY, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on VIRTUE, QUOTES on WEALTH/RICHES, The DIVINE INFANT, The HOLY FAMILY, THE HOLY FAMILY - FAMILIAE SANCTAE, The HOLY GHOST, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The NATIVITY of JESUS

Quote/s of the Day – 6 September – Seek the Kingdom

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Quote/s of the Day – 6 September – Feria Day – Galatians 5:16-24, Matthew 6:24-33 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But seek first the Kingdom of God
and His righteousness and all these things
shall be added to you.”

Matthew 6:33

“And the Lord God shall give unto Him
the throne of David, His father
and He shall reign in the house of Jacob forever.
And of His Kingdom there shall be no end.”
Luke 1:32-33

“During this present life, Christ rules in the Church.
By faith and love, He dwells
in the hearts of His elect and guides them,
by His unceasing care, toward their heavenly reward.
In the life to come, when their period of exile on earth is ended,
He will exercise His Kingship,
by leading the faithful to their heavenly country.
There, forever inspired by the vision of His Presence,
their one delight will be to praise and glorify Him.”

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

“The only true riches are those
that make us rich in virtue.
Therefore, if you want to be rich, beloved,
love true riches.
If you aspire to the heights of real honour,
strive to reach the Kingdom of Heaven.
If you value rank and renown,
hasten to be enrolled
in the heavenly court of the Angels.”

St Pope Gregory III (Died 741)

Adveniat Regnum Tuum!
Thy Kingdom Come!
By Katharine Tynan (1861-1931)

Thy Kingdom come ! Yea, bid it come!
But when Thy Kingdom first began
On earth, Thy Kingdom was a home,
A Child, a woman and a man.

The Child was in the midst thereof,
O, Blessed Jesus, holiest One!
The Centre and the Fount of Love
Mary and Joseph’s little Son.

Wherever on the earth shall be
A child, a woman and a man,
Imaging that sweet trinity
Wherewith Thy Kingdom first began,

Establish there Thy kingdom! Yea,
And o’er that trinity of love
Send down, as in Thy appointed day,
The brooding Spirit of Thy Dove!

Katharine Tynan (1861-1931) was an Irish born Poet and Writer and a friend of the Jesuit Poet, Fr Gerard Manley Hopkins. She contributed to many periodicals and magazines such as the Jesuit published Studies, the Dominican published Irish Rosary, Irish Monthly, Hibernia and Dublin University Review, besides her own private publications.
After her marriage, the addition of her husband’s name, “Hinkson” is often appended to her publications.

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, Our MORNING Offering, The DIVINE INFANT

Our Morning Offering – 31 December – Mary of Christmas

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Our Morning Offering – 31 December – The Seventh Day of the Octave of Christmas – “The Month of the Divine Infant and the Immaculate Conception”

Mary of Christmas
Unknown Author

I know not how, dear Lady love,
To offer you my praise,
I cannot fashion as I wish
The words that I would raise.
You stand afar, celestial Queen,
The stars are in your crown,
They spangle at each gesture’s path
And dust upon your gown.
Perhaps I might recall the night
You knelt beside the crib,
The night when doors and casements shut
And left a mountain’s rib,
Alone, exposed, to hoard you close
Beside the new-born Child
And seek in Joseph’s kindly eyes
For something worldly-mild.
To counteract such mundane chill
I hereby set my heart,
Dim mirror of an Infant’s warmth,
Its flaming but a part,
A small, sad part of Endless Love
That came on Christmas day
To show a mother wonder-bright
To guide us on our way.
Amen.

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRISTMASTIDE!, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The DIVINE INFANT, The NATIVITY of JESUS

Quote/s of the Day – 30 December – ‘ … The Light Who enlightens all things .. ‘

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Quote/s of the Day – 30 December –The Sixth Day of the Octave of Christma – “The Month of the Divine Infant and the Immaculate Conception”

“… Let us keep the Feast,
not after the manner of a heathen festival
but after a Godly sort;
not after the way of the world
but in a fashion above the world;
not as our own
but as belonging to Him
Who is ours,
or rather as our Master’s;
not as of weakness
but as of healing;
not as of creation
but of re-creation.”

St Gregory of Nazianzen (330-390)
Archbishop of Constantinople
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Awake, mankind!
For your sake God has become man.
Awake, you who sleep,
rise up from the dead
and Christ will enlighten you.
I tell you again,
for your sake,
God became man.”

St Augustine 354-430)
Great Latin Father
and Doctor of the Church

“Taking up the newborn Emmanuel,
Mary beheld a Light incomparably fairer
than the sun and saw a Fire
that water cannot quench.
She received, in the covering of flesh
Whom she had borne,
the Light Who enlightens all things
and she was worthy,
to carry in her arms,
the Word Who carries the universe!” ”

St Amadeus of Lausanne (1108-1159)
Bishop, Cistercian Monk

(Homilies in praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary, IV, SC 72)