Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD the FATHER, MARIAN TITLES, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 15 September – He was lost and has been found.

One Minute Reflection – 15 September – Twenty Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 15:1–32 and the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

 ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.’ ... Luke 15:6

luke 15 6 rejoice with me for I have found my sheep - 28 june 2019 sacred heart.jpg

REFLECTION – “Since man’s weakness is incapable of maintaining a firm step in this changing world, the good doctor shows you a remedy against going astray and the merciful judge does not withhold hope of forgiveness.   It is not without reason that Saint Luke put forward three parables in succession – the sheep who strayed and was found again;  the coin that was lost and found;  the son who died and came back to life.   This is so that this threefold remedy will urge us to take care of our wounds…  The weary sheep is brought back by the shepherd, the lost coin is found, the son turns back and returns to his father, repenting of his waywardness…

Let us rejoice, then, in that this sheep, which went astray in Adam, has been raised up again in Christ.   Christ’s shoulders are the arms of the cross, there it is that I have laid down my sins, on that gallows I have found my rest.   This “sheep” is one according to its nature but not in personality, since all form a single body composed of many in members.   That is why it is written:  “You are Christ’s body and individually parts of it,” (1Cor 12:27).   “The Son of Man has come to save what was lost” (Lk 19:10), that is to say everyone, since “just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life” (1Cor 15:22)…

Nor, is it irrelevant, that the woman rejoices to have found her coin – it is no small thing, this coin on which is portrayed the image of a prince.   In the same way, the good of the Church is the image of the King.   We are sheep, let us then pray the Lord to lead us to restful waters (Ps 22[23]:2).   We are sheep, let us ask for pasture.   We are the coin, let us keep our value.   We are sons, let us run to the Father.” … St Ambrose (340-397) – Bishop of Milan, Father & Doctor of the Church – On St Luke’s Gospel, 7, 207 (SC 52)christ's shoulders are the arms of the cross - st ambrose - good shepherd - luke 15 1-32 15 sept 2019.jpg

PRAYER – Look upon us Lord, creator and ruler of the whole world, grant us the grace to serve You with all our heart, that we may come to know, the power of Your forgiveness and love.   Our Father, when Jesus Your Son, was raised up on the Cross, it was Your will that Mary, His Mother, should stand there and suffer with Him in her heart.   Grant that in union with her, the Church may share in the passion of Christ and so be brought to the glory of His Resurrection.   Be our intercessor and our consolation, Our Lady of Sorrows! We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen.you-holy-mother-of-sorrows-smile-upon-us-and-pray-for-us-15-sept-2018.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 14 September – The Message of the Cross

Quote/s of the Day – 14 September – Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Gospel: John 3:13–17

The message of the cross
is foolishness to those
who are perishing
but to us,
who are being saved,
it is the power
of God…

1 Corinthians 1:181-corinthians-1-18-the message of the cross is foolishness - 26 april 2018.jpg

“We give glory to You, Lord,
who raised up Your Cross to span the jaws of death
like a bridge by which souls might pass
from the region of the dead to the land of the living. ..
You are incontestably alive.
Your murderers sowed Your living body in the earth
as farmers sow grain but it sprang up
and yielded an abundant harvest of men
raised from the dead.”

St Ephrem the Syrian (306-373) Father & Doctor of the Churchwe-give-glory-to-you-lord-st-ephrem-30-march-2018-good-friday

“The Cross is the hope of Christians,
the staff of the lame,
the comfort of the poor,
the destruction of all pride,
the victory over devils,
the guide of youth,
the pilot of mariners,
the refuge of those who are in danger,
the counsellor of the just,
the rest of the afflicted,
the physician of the sick,
the glory of Martyrs.”

St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father & Doctor of the Churchthe cross is the hope of christians - st john chrysostom 14 sept 2019.jpg

“Christ, who is your life, is hanging before you,
so that you may look at the Cross, as in a mirror.
There you will be able to know,
how mortal were your wounds,
that no medicine other than.
the Blood of the Son of God, could heal.
If you look closely, you will be able to realise,
how great your human dignity and your value are….
Nowhere other than looking at himself,
in the mirror of the Cross,
can man better understand how much he is worth”

St Anthony of Padua OFM (1195-1231) Doctor of the Churchchrist-who-is-your-life-st-anthony-of-padua-13-june-2018.jpg

“Apart from the cross
there is no other ladder
by which we may get to heaven.“

St Rose of Lima (1586-1617)apart-from-the-cross-st-rose-of-lima 23 aug 2017.jpg

We have always seen,
that those who were
closest to Christ our Lord,
were those with the greatest trials.
Let us look at what
His glorious Mother suffered
and the glorious apostles.
Take up the Cross of Jesus.
Help your Spouse to carry the burden
that weighs Him down
and pay no attention
to what they may say about you.
If you should happen to stumble
and fall like your Spouse,
do not withdraw from the Cross or abandon it.
No matter how great your trials may be,
you will see, that they are quite small,
in comparison to His.

Blessed Teresa Maria of the Cross OCD (1846–1910)take-up-the-cross-bl-teresa-maria-of-the-cross-23-april-2019

“One ounce of a Cross
is much better
than a ton of books
of prayer.”one-ounce-of-a-cross-bl-jacques-ghazir-haddad-26-june-2019.jpg

“Anyone who seeks heaven
but without suffering,
is like someone
who wants to buy goods,
without paying.”

Blessed Jacques Ghazir Haddad (1875-1954)anyone-who-seeks-heaven-bl-jacques-ghazir-haddad-26-june-2019.jpg

“…only the Cross of Christ
sheds light on the path of this life….
God is in the detached heart,
in the silence of prayer,
in the voluntary sacrifice to pain,
in the emptiness of the world and its creatures.
God is in the Cross and,
as long as we do not love the Cross,
we will not see Him, or feel Him….
If the world and men knew….
But they will not know,
they are very busy in their interests,
their hearts are very full of things
that are not God.”

St Rafael Arnáiz Barón (1911-1938)only in the cross of christ - st rafael arnaiz baron 26 april 2019 easter friday.jpg

“The life of each and every one of us has been written.
The crucifix is my autobiography.
The blood is the ink.
The nails the pen.
The skin the parchment.
On every line of that body, I can trace my life.
In the crown of thorns I can read my pride.In the hands that are dug with nails,
I can read avarice and greed.
In the flesh hanging from him like purple rags,
I can read my lust.
In feet that are fettered, I can find the times
that I ran away and would not let Him follow.
Any sin that you can think of is written there.”

Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)

More here:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/09/14/quote-s-of-the-day-14-september-feast-of-the-exaltation-of-the-holy-cross/the-life-of-each-and-every-one-of-us-ven-fulton-sheen-27-april-2019

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 13 September – Life to Me, means Christ and Death, is Gain – St John Chrysostom

Thought for the Day – 13 September – the Memorial of St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father & Doctor of the Church

Life to Me, means Christ
and Death, is Gain

Saint John Chrysostom

An excerpt from his Sermon, Before the Exile

“The waters have risen and severe storms are upon us but we do not fear drowning, for we stand firmly upon a rock.   Let the sea rage, it cannot break the rock.   Let the waves rise, they cannot sink the boat of Jesus.   What are we to fear?   Death?   Life to me means Christ, and death is gain.   Exile?   The earth and its fullness belong to the Lord.   The confiscation of goods?   We brought nothing into this world and we shall surely take nothing from it.   I have only contempt for the world’s threats, I find its blessings laughable.   I have no fear of poverty, no desire for wealth.   I am not afraid of death nor do I long to live, except for your good.   I concentrate, therefore, on the present situation and I urge you, my friends, to have confidence.the waters have risen but they cannot break the rock - st john chrysostom 13 sept 2019

Do you not hear the Lord saying – Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst?   Will He be absent, then, when so many people united in love are gathered together?   I have His promise; I am surely not going to rely on my own strength!   I have what He has written – that is my staff, my security, my peaceful harbour.   Let the world be in upheaval.   I hold to His promise and read His message, that is my protecting wall and garrison.   What message?   Know that I am with you always, until the end of the world!

If Christ is with me, whom shall I fear?   Though the waves and the sea and the anger of princes are roused against me, they are less to me than a spider’s web  . Indeed, unless you, my brothers, had detained me, I would have left this very day.   For I always say: Lord, Your will be done; not what this fellow or that would have me do but what You want me to do.   That is my strong tower, my immovable rock, my staff that never gives way.   If God wants something, let it be done!   If He wants me to stay here, I am grateful. But wherever He wants me to be, I am no less grateful.

Yet where I am, there you are too and where you are, I am.   For we are a single body and the body cannot be separated from the head nor the head from the body.   Distance separates u, but love unites us and death itself cannot divide us.   For though my body die, my soul will live and be mindful of my people.

You are my fellow citizens, my fathers, my brothers, my sons, my limbs, my body.   You are my light, sweeter to me than the visible light  . For what can the rays of the sun bestow on me that is comparable to your love?   The sun’s light is useful in my earthly life but your love is fashioning a crown for me in the life to come.

It is evident, then, that if they had not seen Him risen and had proof of His power, they would not have risked so much.”

We have NOTHING to fear!

St John Chrysostom, Pray for Us!st john chrysostom pray for us.3.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on MOTHERHOOD, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 13 September – Golden Mouth speaks

Quote/s of the Day – 13 September – the Memorial of St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father & Doctor of the Church

“Are we in poverty?   Let us give thanks.
Are we in sickness?   Let us give thanks.
Are we falsely accused?   Let us give thanks.
When we suffer affliction, let us give thanks.
This brings us near to God.
are-we-in-poverrty-st-john-chrysostom-giving-thanks-9-feb-2019

“What prayer, could be more true
before God the Father,
than that which the Son,
who is Truth,
uttered with His own lips?”what prayer could be more true - st john chrysostom his own lips 13 sept 2019

“You can call happy those who saw Him.
But, come to the altar and
you will see Him,
you will touch Him,
you will give to Him holy kisses,
you will wash Him with your tears,
you will carry Him within you
like Mary Most Holy.”you-can-call-happy-st-john-chrysostom-20-april-2018

“Since we are talking about the Body,
know that we, as many of us as partake of the Body,
as many as partake of that Blood,
we partake of something which is in no way different
or separate from that which is enthroned on high,
which is adored by the angels,
which is next to Uncorrupt Power.”sine we are talking about the body - st john chrysostom - corpus christi 3 june 2018.jpg

“Do you understand, then, how Christ
has united His bride to Himself
and what food He gives us all to eat?
By one and the same food,
we are both brought into being and nourished.
As a woman nourishes her child with her own blood and milk,
so does Christ unceasingly nourish
with His own blood those to whom
He himself has given life.’”do-you-understand-then-how-christ-has-united-his-bride-to-himself-st-john-chrysostom-22-april-2018-sunday-reflection1.jpg

” …It is ever thus; the more you envy your brother,
the greater good you confer upon him.
God, who sees all, takes the cause
of the innocent in hand and, irritated
by the injury you inflict,
deigns to raise up him whom you wish to lower
and will punish you to the full extent of your crime.
If God usually punishes those
who rejoice at the misfortunes of their enemies,
how much more will He punish those who,
excited by envy, seek to do an injury
to those who have never injured them?”

More here:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/09/13/quote-s-of-the-day-13-september-the-memorial-of-st-john-chrysostom-347-407-father-doctor-of-the-church/

St John Chrysostom (347-407)it-is-ever-thus-the-more-you-envy-your-brother-st-john-chrysostom-13-sept-2018.jpg

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 13 September – “Then you will see clearly”

One Minute Reflection – 13 September – Friday of the Twenty third week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 6:39–42 and the Memorial of St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father & Doctor of the Church

“Then you will see clearly” … Luke 6:42

REFLECTION –
“O Lord, drive away the darkness from our minds
with the light of Your wisdom,
so that enlightened in this way
we may serve You with renewed purity.
The beginning of the sun’s passage through the sky
marks the beginning of the working-day for us mortals,
we ask You, Lord, to prepare in our minds
a place where the day that knows no end may give its light.

Grant that we may have within us, this light,
the life of the resurrection,
and that nothing may take away our delight in You.
Mark us with the sign of that day that does not begin
with the movement and the course of the sun,
by keeping our minds fixed on You.

In your sacraments we welcome You every day
and receive You in our bodies.
Make us worthy to experience within us
the resurrection for which we hope.
Be the wings for our thoughts, O Lord,
Drawing us lightly to the heights
And bearing us up to our true home.

By the grace of baptism we conceal within our bodies
the treasure of Your divine life…
Let us appreciate the great beauty that is ours
through the spiritual beauty that Your immortal will
arouses in our mortal nature…
May Your Resurrection, Jesus,
cause the spiritual man to grow in us (cf Eph 3:16)
and may the contemplation of Your mysteries
become the mirror in which we come to recognise you (1Cor 13:12).

Grant, Lord, that we may hasten to our true home,
and, like Moses on the mountain-top
seeing the promised Land, (Dt 34:1)
let us possess it even now through contemplation.”
Saint Ephrem (306-373)
Father & Doctor of the Churchluke 6 42 then you wil see clearly - o lord drive away the darkness - st ephrem 13 sept 2019.jpg

PRAYER – Lord God, strength of those who hope in You, by Your will, St John Chrysostom became renowned in the Church, for his astounding eloquence and his forbearance in persecution.   Grant that we may be enriched by his teaching and thus grow in sanctity, to follow the commandments You set forth in Your Word, Your Son who is our Saviour and Redeemer.  By the prayers of St John Chrysostom, may we attain the place You have prepared for us.   We make our prayer through Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, one God, forever amen.st-john-chrysostom-pray-for-us-13-sept-2018.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, SAINT of the DAY

Memorials of the Saints – 13 September

St John Chrysostom (347-407) “Golden Mouthed” Father & Doctor of the Church (Memorial)
Full biography here:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/09/13/saint-of-the-day-13-september-st-john-chrysostom-347-407-father-and-doctor-of-the-church-golden-mouthed/
AND – Listening to Pope Benedict XVI’s Catechesis,
General Audience, 19 September 2007
https://anastpaul.com/2018/09/13/saint-of-the-day-13-september-st-john-chrysostom-347-407-father-and-doctor-of-the-church-golden-mouthed-2/

Dedication of the Basilicas of Jerusalem: Commemoration of the dedications of the basilicas built on Mount Calvary and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

St Aigulf
St Amatus
St Amatus of Sion
St Barsenorius
Bl Claude Dumonet
St Columbinus of Lure
St Emiliano of Valence
St Evantius of Autun
St Gordian of Pontus
Bl Hedwig of Hreford
St Julian of Ankyra
St Ligorius
St Litorius of Tours
St Macrobius
St Marcellinus of Carthage
Bl María López de Rivas Martínez
St Maurilius of Angers (c 336 426)
St Nectarius of Autun

St Notburga (c 1265-1313)
St Philip of Rome
St Venerius of Tino

Martyrs of Ireland:
• Blessed Edward Stapleton
• Blessed Elizabeth Kearney
• Blessed James Saul
• Blessed Margaret of Cashel
• Blessed Richard Barry
• Blessed Richard Butler
• Blessed Theobald Stapleton
• Blessed Thomas Morrissey
• Blessed William Boyton

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War including the Martyrs of Pozo de Cantavieja – 11 beati:
• Blessed Bienvenido Villalón Acebrón
• Blessed Emilio Antequera Lupiáñez
• Blessed Florencio Arnáiz Cejudo
• Blessed Francisco Rodríguez Martínez
• Blessed Joaquín Gisbert Aguilera
• Blessed José Álvarez-Benavides de La Torre
• Blessed José Cano García
• Blessed José Román García González
• Blessed Juan Capel Segura
• Blessed Juan Ibáñez Martín
• Blessed Luis Eduardo López Gascón
• Blessed Manuel Alvarez y Alvarez
• Blessed Manuel Martínez Giménez
• Blessed Pío Navarro Moreno
• Blessed Ramiro Argüelles Hevia
• Blessed Sabino Ayastuy Errasti
• Blessed Teófilo Montes Calvo

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, franciscan OFM, Hail MARY!, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, POETRY, QUOTES of the SAINTS

Quote/s of the Day – 12 September – Mary’s Name

Quote/s of the Day – 12 September – Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary

“This most holy, sweet and worthy name
was eminently fitted
to so holy, sweet and worthy a virgin.
For Mary means a bitter sea, star of the sea,
the illuminated or illuminatrix.
Mary is interpreted Lady.
Mary is a bitter sea to the demons,
to men, she is the Star of the sea,
to the Angels, she is illuminatrix
and to all creatures she is Lady.”

St Bonaventure (1217-1274) Seraphic Doctorthis most holy sweet name = st bonaventure 12 sept 2019 no 2.jpg

“Mary means Star of the sea,
for as mariners are guided to port
by the ocean star,
so Christians attain to glory,
through Mary’s maternal intercession.”

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

Angelic Doctor
Common Doctor

mary means star of the sea - st thomas aquinas 12 sept 2019

“One cannot contemplate Mary
without being attracted by Christ
and one cannot look at Christ
without immediately perceiving
the presence of Mary.”

Pope Benedict XVIone-cannot-contemplate-mary-pope-benedict-open-house-conversations-with-st-louis-de-montfort-the-secret-of-mary-28-sept-2018.jpg

Mary’s Name

Rare perfume is a rough and reeking place,
A bell-like music breaking through the blare
Of strident streets, a dear remembered face
Appearing through the mind’s pondrous despair.

A foam of summer flowers fringing the drear
Immobile desert sea, a cherished voice
Calling in some long night of pain and fear
To make the heavy, heaving heart rejoice.
Such is the mystic wonder of her name
That is a shudder down Hell’s shaken halls,
And joy where angel-wings flit like white flames,
Where height to echoing height its glory calls.

Liam Bhophy

The Apostle – October 1962the most holy name of mary 12 sept 2019

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS

Our Morning Offering – 11 September – O Jesus, How Consoling!

Our Morning Offering – 11 September – Wednesday of the Twenty-third week in Ordinary Time, Year C

O Jesus, How Consoling!
By St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
Doctor of the Church

O Jesus,
how consoling You are
to those who invoke You!
What will You not be
to those who find You!
Only he who has felt it
can know
what it is
to languish in love
for Thee,
O Jesus!o jesus how consoling st bernard - 11 sept 2019.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SILENCE, SPEAKING of .....

Quote/s of the Day – 10 September – Speaking of “Silence”

Quote/s of the Day – 10 September – Tuesday of the Twenty third week in Ordinary Time, Year C

Speaking of “Silence”

“Silence is God’s first language.”

Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Doctor of the Churchsilence is god's first language st john of the cross 10 sept 2019.jpg

“Jesus is waiting for you in the chapel.
Go and find Him.”

St Jeanne Jugan (1792 – 1879)jesus-is-waiting-for-you-in-the-chapel-st-jeanne-jugan-19-june-2018

“God speaks in the silence of the heart and we listen.
And then we speak to God from the fullness of our heart and God listens.

And this listening and this speaking, is what prayer is meant to be.”

St Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997)god speaks in the silence - st mother teresa - 5 sept 2018.jpg

“Friends, do not be afraid of silence or stillness.
Listen to God.
Adore Him in the Eucharist.”

Pope Benedict XVIfriends, do not be afraid - pope benedict - 18 june 2018.jpg

“Silence is a great magnifier.”

Father Mike Schmitzsilence is a great magnifier fr mike schmitz 10 sept 2019.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on SIN, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 9 September – “Stretch forth your hand” – St Ambrose

One Minute Reflection – 9 September – Monday of the Twenty-third week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 6:6-11 and the Memorial of St Peter Claver SJ (1581-1654) “slave of the slaves” and Blessed Frédéric Ozanam (1813–1853) “Servant to the Poor”

“On another sabbath, he went into the synagogue and taught and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.” … Luke 6:6luke 6 6 there was a man thre whose right hand was withred - 9 sept 2019.jpg

REFLECTION – “Are you angry at me because I have healed the whole man on the sabbath day?”   In this place he revivified, with the salutary strength of good works, the hand which Adam stretched out to pluck the fruit of the forbidden tree.   The hand which had withered through a crime, was healed by good deeds.   Christ thereby rebuked the Jews who violated the precepts of the law with evil interpretations.   They thought that they should rest even from good works on the sabbath, since the law prefigured in the present, the form of the future, in which indeed the days of rest from evils, not from blessings, would come.

Then you heard the words of the Lord, saying, “Stretch forth your hand.”   That is the common and universal remedy.   You, who think that you have a healthy hand, beware lest it is withered by greed or by sacrilege.   Hold it out often.   Hold it out to the poor person who begs you.   Hold it out to help your neighbour, to give protection to a widow, to snatch from harm one whom you see subjected to unjust insult.   Hold it out to God for your sins.   The hand is stretched forth, then it is healed.   Jeroboam’s hand withered when he sacrificed to idols, then it stretched out when he entreated God” …  St Ambrose (340-397)-  One of the 4 original Doctors of the Latin Church – Exposition on the Gospel of Luke, 5luke 6 6 there was a man with a withered hand - you think you have a healthy hand st ambrose 9 sept 2019.jpg

PRAYER – God of mercy and love, You offer all peoples the dignity of sharing in your life. Rule over our hearts and bodies this day.   Sanctify us and guide our every thought, word and deed, my our hands be held out to our neighbour in imitation of Your love and mercy.   By the example and prayers of St Peter Claver and Bl Frederic Ozanam, strengthen us to overcome all racial hatreds and to love each other as brothers and sisters.  We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever amen.

st-peter-claver-pray-for-us 9 sept 2017

bl frederic ozanam pray for us 9 sept 2019

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HOLY CROSS, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 8 September – ‘The heavenly trumpet of Christ urges the soldier to battle..’ St Augustine

Thought for the Day – 8 September – Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Luke 14:25–33

“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”… Luke 14:26

Saint Augustine comments on this verse from the Gospel proclaimed during today’s Mass:

“The Lord gives the signal for us to stand guard in camp and to build the tower from which we may recognise and ward off the enemy of our eternal life.   The heavenly trumpet of Christ urges the soldier to battle and his mother holds him back.

What does she say or what argument does she give?   Perhaps is it those ten months when you lay in her womb and the pangs of birth and the burden of rearing you?   You must kill this with the sword of salvation.   You must destroy this in your mother that you may find her in life eternal.   Remember, you must hate this in her if you love her, if you are a recruit of Christ and have laid the foundations of the tower.   Passers-by may not say, “This man began to build and was not able to finish.”   That is earthly affection.   It still has the ring of the “old man.”   Christian warfare invites us to destroy this earthly affection both in ourselves and in our relatives.   Of course, no one should be ungrateful to his parents or mock the list of their services to him, since by them he was brought into this life, cherished and fed.   A man should always pay his family duty but let these things keep their place where higher duties do not call.

Mother church is also the mother of your mother.   She conceived you both, in Christ. Know that, her Spouse took human flesh, that you might not be attached to fleshly things. Know that, all the things for which your mother scolds you were undertaken by the eternal Word, that you might not be subject to the weakness of flesh.   Ponder his humiliations, scourging and death, even the death of the cross.”   (Letter 243)

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have mercy on me a sinner!

Amenthe jesus prayer say it 1000 times per day 8 sept 2019

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRAMENTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 8 September – My Lord, I am Unworthy!

Our Morning Offering – 8 September – Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

My Lord, I am Unworthy!
Prayer before Holy Communion
By St Bonaventure (1217-1274)
Doctor of the Church

My Lord,
Who are You
and who am I,
that I should dare to take You
into my body and soul?
A thousand years
of penance and tears
would not be sufficient
to make me worthy
to receive so royal a Sacrament
even once!
How much more am I unworthy of it,
who fall into sin daily,
I, the incorrigible,
who approach You so often
without due preparation!
Nevertheless, Your mercy
infinitely surpasses my unworthiness.
Therefore, I make bold
to receive this Sacrament,
trusting in Your love.
Amenmy lord i am unworthy prayer before holy comm by st bonaventure 8 sept 2019.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY GHOST

Our Morning Offering – 6 September – Holy Spirit, Fire of Love

Our Morning Offering – 6 September – Friday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time, Year C

Holy Spirit, Fire of Love
By St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231)
Doctor of the Church

Holy Spirit,
fire of love,
come rest over each of us,
make our tongue ready
to confess our sins,
that in revealing everything
and concealing nothing,
we may attain heavenly life
to sing eternal praise
with the angels.
With your help,
You who live
and reign through all ages.
Amenholy spirit fire of love - by st anthony of padua -6 sept 2019.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY CROSS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 3 September – St Gregory, Bl Brigida

Quote/s of the Day – 3 September – The Memorial of Saint Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) “Father of the Fathers” and Blessed Brigida of Jesus Morello (1610-1679)

“Holy Scripture presents a kind of mirror
to the eyes of the mind,
so that our inner face may be seen in it.
There we learn our own ugliness, there our own beauty.
And there too we discover the progress we are making
and how far we are from perfection.”holy-scripture-presents-st-pope-gregory-3-sept-2018one min r and 2019 - quotes

“When we attend to the needs of those in want,
we give them what is theirs, not ours.
More than performing works of mercy,
we are paying a debt of justice.”

St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604)
Father & Doctor of the Church
“Father of the Fathers”

More quotes from St Gregory:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/09/03/quote-s-of-the-day-3-september-the-memorial-of-st-pope-gregory-the-great-540-604-father-doctor-of-the-church-father-of-the-fathers/

when we attend to the needs of those in want - st gregory the great 3 sept 2019

“Let the Crucifix we wear be our mirror,
so that we may conform our life to that of Jesus,
our guide and model!”let the crucifix we wear be our mirror - bl brigida of jesus 3 sept 3019

“Confidence, Confidence!
A large heart! God is a Father
and He will never abandon us!”

Blessed Brigida of Jesus Morello (1610-1679)confidence confidence a large heart god is father - 3 sept 2019 bl brigida of jesus

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 3 September – St Gregory the Great – Acclaim To The Suffering Christ

Our Morning Offering – 3 September – Tuesday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) – Father & Doctor of the Church

Acclaim To The Suffering Christ
By St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604)
Father & Doctor of the Church

O Lord, You received affronts
without number from Your blasphemers,
yet each day You free captive souls
from the grip of the ancient enemy.

You did not avert Your face
from the spittle of perfidy,
yet You wash souls in saving waters.

You accepted Your scourging without murmur,
yet through Your meditation
You deliver us from endless chastisements.

You endured ill-treatment of all kinds,
yet You want to give us a share
in the choirs of angels in glory everlasting.

You did not refuse to be crowned with thorns,
yet You save us from the wounds of sin.

In your thirst You accepted the bitterness of gall,
yet You prepare Yourself to fill us with eternal delights.

You kept silence under the derisive homage
rendered You by Your executioners,
yet You petition the Father for us
although You are his equal in Divinity.

You came to taste death,
yet You were the Life
and had come to bring it to the dead.
Amenacclaim to the suffering christ by st pope gregory the great 3 sept 2019 his memorial

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, SAINT of the DAY

Memorials of the Saints – 3 September

St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) – Father & Doctor of the Church (Memorial)

All about this Great Holy Father:  https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/09/03/saint-of-the-day-3-september-st-pope-gregory-the-great-540-604-father-doctor-of-the-church/

And Pope Benedict’s Catechesis on St Gregory:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/09/03/saint-of-the-day-3-september-st-pope-gregory-the-great-540-604-father-doctor-of-the-church-father-of-the-fathers/

St Aigulphus of Lérins
St Ambrose of Sens
St Ammon of Heraclea
Bl Andrew Dotti
St Auxanus
St Balin
St Basilissa of Nicomedia
Bl Brigida of Jesus Morello (1610-1679)
St Chariton
St Chrodegang of Séez
St Frugentius the Martyr
Bl Guala of Brescia
St Hereswitha
Bl Herman of Heidelberg
St Macanisius
St Mansuetus of Toul
St Marinus (Died c 366)
St Martiniano of Como
St Natalis of Casale
St Phoebe
St Regulus of Rheims
St Remaclus
St Sandila of Cordoba

Martyrs of Aquileia – 4 saints: Four young women, variously sisters and cousins, who were born to the nobility, the daughters of the pagans Valentinianus of Aquileia and Valentius of Aquileia. Each woman converted and made private vows, dedicating themselves to God. They were arrested, tortured and martyred by order of Valentius for becoming a Christian. We know little else but their names – Dorothy, Erasma, Euphemia and Thecla. They were martyred by beheaded in the 1st century in Aquileia, Italy and their bodies were thrown into a nearby river.

Martyrs of Nagasaki – 6 beati: A group of priests and clerics, native and foreign, murdered together in the anti-Christian persecutions in Japan. They were scalded in boiling water and then burned alive on 3 September 1632 in Nishizaka, Nagasaki, Japan and Beatified on 7 May 1867 by Pope Pius IX.

• Anthony Ishida
• Bartolomé Gutiérrez Rodríguez
• Francisco Terrero de Ortega Pérez
• Gabriel Tarazona Rodríguez
• Jerome of the Cross de Torres
• Vicente Simões de Carvalho

Martyrs of Seoul – 6 saints: A group of Christian lay people martyred together in the persecutions in Korea. They were beheaded on 3 September 1839 at the Small West Gate, Seoul, South Korea and Canonised on 6 May 1984 by Pope John Paul II.
• Agnes Kim Hyo-Ch’u
• Barbara Kwon Hui
• Barbara Yi Chong-hui
• Ioannes Pak Hu-jae
• Maria Pak K’Un-agi
• Maria Yi Yon-hui

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Andrea Calle González
• Blessed Concepción Pérez Giral
• Blessed Dolores Úrsula Caro Martín
• Blessed Joaquim Balcells Bosch
• Blessed Pius Salvans Corominas

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The SIGN of the CROSS

Our Morning Offering – 2 September – Prayer to our Lady of Sorrows

Our Morning Offering – 2 September – Monday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time, Year C ‘Month of Our Lady of Sorrows’

Prayer to our Lady of Sorrows
By St Bonaventure (1217-1274) Doctor of the Church

O most holy Virgin,
Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by the overwhelming grief you experienced
when you witnessed the martyrdom,
the crucifixion
and the death, of your divine Son,
look upon me with eyes of compassion
and awaken in my heart a tender
commiseration for those sufferings,
as well as a sincere detestation
of my sins, in order that,
being disengaged from all undue affection
for the passing joys of this earth,
I may sigh after the eternal Jerusalem
and that henceforward all my thoughts
and all my actions may be directed
towards this one most desirable object,
the honour, glory and love
to our divine Lord Jesus,
and to the you,
the Holy and Immaculate
Mother of God.
Amenprayer-to-our-lady-of-sorrows-st-bonaventure-1-sept-2018.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SUNDAY REFLECTIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Sunday Reflection – 1 September – This Body

Sunday Reflection – 1 September – Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

“When you see (the Most Blessed Sacrament) exposed, say to yourself –
‘Thanks to this Body, I am no longer dust and ashes, I am no more a captive but a freeman, hence, I hope to obtain heaven and the good things that are there in store for me… eternal life, the heritage of the angels, companionship with Christ; death has not destroyed this Body which was pierced by nails and scourged . . . this is that Body which was once covered with blood, pierced by a lance, from which issued saving fountains upon the world, one of blood and the other of water. . . This Body He gave to us to keep and eat, as a mark of His intense love’.”

St John Chrysostom (347 to 407)
Father & Doctor

this bodty he gave to us - st john chrysostom 1 sept 2019.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 30 August – “That way above the rest”

One Minute Reflection – 30 August – Friday of the Twenty-first week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 25:1–13 and the Memorial of Blessed Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster OSB (1880-1954)

“The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.” … Matthew 25:3-4

REFLECTION – “It is some great thing, some exceedingly great thing, that this oil signifies.   Do you think it might be charity?   If we try out this hypothesis, we hazard no precipitate judgement.   I will tell you why charity seems to be signified by the oil.   The apostle says, “I will show you a still more excellent way.”   “If I speak with the tongue of mortals and of angels but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”  This is charity.   It is “that way above the rest,” which is with good reason signified by the oil.   For oil swims above all liquids.   Pour in water and pour in oil upon it, the oil will swim above.   If you keep the usual order, it will be uppermost, if you change the order, it will be uppermost.   “Charity never fails.”St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor – Sermon 93matthew 25 3-4 the foolish ones took no oil - it is some great thing that this oil signifies - st augustine - 30 aug 2019.jpg

PRAYER – God our Saviour, through the grace of Baptism you made us children of light. Hear our prayer, that we may always walk in that light and work for truth, love and charity, as Your witnesses before men.   Dispel from our hearts the darkness of sin and keep us ever watchful for the true light, Christ Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, God forever.   Blessed Alfredo Schuster, you lived a life of total charity ever watchful to the needs of your neighbour, please pray for us, amen.bl alfredo schuster pray for us 30 aug 2019

Posted in 7 GIFTS of the HOLY GHOST: Wisdom, Understanding, Prudence, Strength, Knowledge, Piety, Fear, DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 30 August – Send Us Your Sevenfold Grace

Our Morning Offering – 30 August – Friday of the Twenty-first week in Ordinary Time, Year C

Send Us Your Sevenfold Grace
By St Bonaventure (1217-1274)
Doctor of the Church

Send upon us, O God,
the Spirit of sevenfold grace –
the spirit of wisdom,
enabling us to relish the fruit of the tree of life,
which is indeed Yourself;
the gift of understanding,
to enlighten our perceptions;
the gift of strength,
to withstand our adversary’s onslaught;
the gift of knowledge,
to distinguish good from evil
by the light of Your holy teaching;
the gift of piety,
to clothe ourselves with charity and mercy;
the gift of fear,
to withdraw from all ill-doing
and live quietly in awe of your eternal majesty.
These are the things for which we ask.
Grant them for the honour of Your Holy Name,
to which, with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
be all honour and glory,
thanksgiving, renown
and lordship forever and ever.
Amensend us your sevenfold grace - st bonaventure - 30 aug 2019.jpg

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on MUSIC/SINGING, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, St JOHN the BAPTIST

Thought for the Day – 29 August – St Bede -Precursor of Christ in Birth and Death

Thought for the Day – 29 August – The Beheading of St John the Baptist

Precursor of Christ in Birth and Death

Saint Bede (673-735)
Priest, Father and Doctor of the Church

An excerpt from Homily 23

As forerunner of our Lord’s birth, preaching and death, the blessed John showed in his struggle, a goodness worthy of the sight of heaven.   In the words of Scripture:  Though in the sight of men he suffered torments, his hope is full of immortality.   We justly commemorate the day of his birth with a joyful celebration, a day which he himself made festive for us through his suffering and which he adorned with the crimson splendour of his own blood.   We do rightly revere his memory with joyful hearts, for he stamped with the seal of martyrdom, the testimony, which he delivered, on behalf of our Lord.

There is no doubt that blessed John suffered imprisonment and chains as a witness to our Redeemer, whose forerunner he was and gave his life for Him.   His persecutor had demanded, not that he should deny Christ but only, that he should keep silent about the truth.   Nevertheless, he died for Christ.   Does Christ not say – I am the truth? Therefore, because John shed his blood for the truth, he surely died for Christ.

Through his birth, preaching and baptising, he bore witness to the coming birth, preaching and baptism of Christ and by his own suffering, he showed, that Christ also would suffer.

Such was the quality and strength of the man who accepted the end of this present life by shedding his blood after the long imprisonment.   He preached the freedom of heavenly peace, yet was thrown into irons by ungodly men, he was locked away in the darkness of prison, though he came bearing witness to the Light of life and deserved to be called a bright and shining lamp by that Light itself, which is Christ.  John was baptised in his own blood, though he had been privileged to baptise the Redeemer of the world, to hear the voice of the Father above him and to see the grace of the Holy Spirit descending upon him.   But to endure temporal agonies for the sake of the truth was not a heavy burden for such men as John, rather it was easily borne and even desirable, for he knew eternal joy would be his reward.he preached the freedom of heavenly peace - st john the baptist - by st bede 29 aug 2019.jpg

Since death was ever near at hand through the inescapable necessity of nature, such men considered it a blessing to embrace it and thus gain the reward of eternal life by acknowledging Christ’s name.   Hence the apostle Paul rightly says:  You have been granted the privilege, not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for his sake.   He tells us why it is Christ’s gift that his chosen ones should suffer for Him:  The sufferings of this present time, are not worthy, to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us.

St John the Baptist, Pray for us!st john the baptist - pray for us - 24 june 2018.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, St JOHN the BAPTIST, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 29 August – Whatever He wants I want

Quote/s of the Day – 29 August – The Beheading of St John the Baptist and the Memorial of Blessed Sancja Szymkowiak CMBB (1910-1942)

“O great and admirable mystery!
He must increase but I must decrease, said John,
said the voice which personified all the voices
that had gone before announcing
the Father’s Word Incarnate in His Christ….
But He is said to grow in us, when we grow in Him.
To him, then, who draws near to Christ,
to him who makes progress in the contemplation of wisdom,
words are of little use, of necessity they tend to fail altogether.
Thus, the ministry of the voice falls short,
in proportion as the soul progresses towards the Word,
it is thus, that Christ must increase and John decrease.
The same is indicated by the beheading of John
and the exaltation of Christ upon the Cross,
as it had already been shown by their birthdays –
for, from the birth of John the days begin to shorten
and from the birth of Our Lord they begin to grow longer.”

St Augustine (354-420)
Father & Doctorthus-the-ministry-of-the-voice-falls-short-st-augustine -28 ayg 2019.jpg

“God’s will is my will.
Whatever He wants I want.”

Blessed Sancja Szymkowiak (1910-1942)

Blessed Sancja’s personal mottogod's will is my will - bl sancj szymkowiak 29 aug 2019.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 29 August – Do, What I Cannot.

Our Morning Offering – 29 August – The Beheading of St John the Baptist

Do, What I Cannot
By St Anselm (1033-1109) Doctor of the Church

Lord, my heart is before You.
I try
but by myself,
I can do nothing.
Do, what I cannot.
Admit me
to the inner room
of Your love.
I ask.
I seek.
I knock.
You have made me ask,
make me receive.
You have enabled me to see,
enable me to find.
You have taught me to knock,
open to my knock.
Amendo what i cannot st anselm - 29 aug 2019.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, GOD the FATHER, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the day – 28 August – O Eternal Truth, True Love and Beloved Eternity

Thought for the day – 28 August – The Memorial of St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of Grace

O Eternal Truth, True Love and Beloved Eternity

Saint Augustine of Hippo
Bishop and Great Western Father of the Church

An excerpt from his treatise, The Confessions

Urged to reflect upon myself, I entered under Your guidance into the inmost depth of my soul.   I was able to do so, because You were my helper.  On entering into myself I saw, as it were with the eye of the soul, what was beyond the eye of the soul, beyond my spirit: Your immutable light.   It was not the ordinary light perceptible to all flesh, nor was it merely something of greater magnitude but still essentially akin, shining more clearly and diffusing itself everywhere by its intensity.   No it was something entirely distinct, something altogether different from all these things and it did not rest above my mind as oil on the surface of water, nor was it above me as Heaven is above the Earth.   This light was above me because it has made me, I was below it because I was created by it.   He who has come to know the truth knows this light.

O Eternal truth, true love and beloved eternity.   You are my God.   To You do I sigh day and night.   When I first came to know You, You drew me to Yourself, so that I might see that there were things for me to see but that I myself was not yet ready to see them. Meanwhile, You overcame the weakness of my vision, sending forth most strongly, the beams of Your light, and I trembled at once with love and dread.   I learned that I was in a region unlike Yours and far distant from You and I thought I heard Your voice from on high:  “I am the food of grown men, grow then and you will feed on Me.   Nor will you change me into yourself like bodily food but you will be changed into Me.”

I sought a way to gain the strength which I needed to enjoy You.   But I did not find it until I embraced the mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who is above all, God blessed for ever.   He was calling me and saying – I am the way of truth, I am the life.   He was offering the food which I lacked the strength to take, the food He had mingled with our flesh.   For the Word became flesh, that Your wisdom, by which You created all things, might provide milk for us children.

Late have I loved You, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved You! You were within me but I was outside and it was there that I searched for You. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which You created.   You were with me but I was not with You.    Created things kept me from You, yet if they had not been in You they would not have been at all.   You called, You shouted and You broke through my deafness.   You flashed, You shone and You dispelled my blindness.   You breathed Your fragrance on me, I drew in breath and now I pant for You.   I have tasted You, now I hunger and thirst for more.   You touched me and I burned for Your peace.

St Augustine, Pray for Us!st augustine pray for us - 27 oct 2018

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on ANGELS, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The HOLY SOULS, The SIGN of the CROSS

Quote/s of the Day – 28 August – Wonderful Augustine

Quote/s of the Day – 28 August – The Memorial of St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of Grace

“God in his omnipotence
could not give more,
in His wisdom –
He knew not how to give more,
in His riches: –
He had not more to give,
than the EUCHARIST!”god in his omnipotence in his wisdom in his riches - st augustine - the eucharist - 28 aug 2019.jpg

“I will suggest a means whereby
you can praise God all day long, if you wish.
Whatever you do,
do it well
and you have praised God.”i will suggest a means whereby you can - 28 aug 2019 - st augustine.jpg

“One of the holiest works,
one of the best exercises of piety
which we can practice in this world,
is to offer sacrifices,
alms
and prayer
for the dead.”one of the holiest works - prayers for the dead - st augustine - 28 aug 2019.jpg

“It was pride,
that changed angels
into devils;
it is humility
that makes men
as angels.”

it was pride - st augustine - 20 june 2018

“He need not fear anything
nor be ashamed of anything,
who bears the
Sign of the Cross
on his brow.”

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

More here:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/08/28/quote-s-of-the-day-28-august-the-memorial-of-st-augustine-354-430-father-and-doctor-of-grace/he need not fear anything nor - st augustine ash wed 6 march 2019

Posted in CONFESSION/PENANCE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on HYPOCRISY, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 28 August – Flee to Him by Confessing

One Minute Reflection – 28 August – Wednesday of the Twenty-first week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 23:27–32 and The Memorial of St Augustine of Hippo (354-430) – Doctor of Grace

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful but within they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.” … Matthew 23:27woe to you scribes and pharisees - whitewashed tombs - matthew 23 27 - 28 aug 2019.jpg

REFLECTION – “You are before God.   Question your heart, see what you have done and what you have been yearning for there—your salvation or the windy praise of men.   Look within, for a person cannot judge one whom he cannot see.   If we are assuring our heart, let us assure it in His presence.
“Because if our heart thinks badly”—that is, if it accuses us within, because we aren’t acting with the spirit with which we should be acting —“God is greater than our heart, and he knows all things” (v.20).
You hide your heart from man – hide it from God if you can.   How will you hide it from Him to whom it was said by a certain sinner in fear and confession:  “Where shall 1 go from your spirit, and where shed!  I flee from your face?”…  For where does God not exist? “If,” he said, “I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to hell, you are present” (Ps 139[138]:7-8).   Where will you go?   Where will you flee?   Do you want to hear some advice?   If you want to flee from Him, flee to Him.   Flee to Him by Confessing, not from Him by hiding, for you cannot hide but you can Confess.   Tell Him. “You are my refuge” (Ps 32[31]:7) and let there be nursed in you the love that alone leads to life.”…St Augustine (354-430) – Doctor of Graceyou hide your heart from man - hide it from god if you can - st augustine 28 aug 2019

PRAYER – Renew in Your Church, we pray , O Lord, the spirit with which You endowed Your Bishop Saint Augustine, that, filled with the same spirit, we may thirst for You, the sole fount of true wisdom and seek You, the author of heavenly love. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. St Augustine, pray for us! Amenst augustine pray for us 28 aug 2019.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN Saturdays, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 28 August – Go on, O Lord and Act

Our Morning Offering – 28 August – Wednesday of the Twenty-first week in Ordinary Time, Year C and The Memorial of St Augustine of Hippo (354-430) – Doctor of Grace and one of the original Four Fathers & Doctors of the Latin Church

Go on, O Lord and Act
By St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace

Go on, O Lord and act,
stir us up and call us back,
inflame us and draw us to Thee,
stir us up and grow sweet to us,
let us now love Thee,
let us run to Thee.
Are there not many men …
who, out of a deeper pit of darkness..
return to Thee–who draw near to Thee
and are illuminated by that light
which gives those
who receive it power from Thee
to become Thy sons?
Amengo on Lord and act - stir us up and call us back - st augustine - mem of simpliacinus 18 jan 2019.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, JESUIT SJ, SAINT of the DAY

Memorials of the Saints – 28 August

St Augustine of Hippo (354-430) – Doctor of Grace and one of the original Four Fathers & Doctors of the Latin Church(Memorial)
Wonderful St Augustine here:   https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/08/28/saint-of-the-day-28-august-st-augustine-354-430-doctor-of-grace-and-one-of-the-original-four-fathers-doctors-of-the-latin-church/

StAdelindis of Buchau
St Agnes of Cologne
St Alexander of Constantinople
St Ambrose of Saintes
Bl Angelo da Pesche d’Isernia
St Anthes of Salerno
Bl Charles-Arnold Hanus
St Edmund Arrowsmith SJ (1585 – 1628) Martyr
About St Edmund:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/08/28/saint-of-the-day-28-august-st-edmund-arrowsmith-s-j-1585-1628-martyr/

St Facundinus of Taino
St Felix of Venosa
St Fortunatus of Salerno
St Gaius of Salerno
St Gorman of Schleswig
Bl Henry Webley
St Hermes of Rome
Bl Hugh More
Bl James Claxton
St Januarius of Venosa
St Joaquina Vedruna de Mas
St Julian of Auvergne
St Moses the Black
St Pelagius of Istria
St Restitutus of Carthage
St Rumwold the Prince
St Septiminus of Venosa
St Vicinius/of Sarsina (Died 330)
St Vivian of Saintes
Bl William Dean

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
Martyrs of Griñon – 10 beati
Martyrs of Tarragona – 6 beati
• Blessed Agustín Bermejo Miranda
• Blessed Alejandro Iñiguez De Heredia Alzola
• Blessed Andrés Merino Báscones
• Blessed Antonio Solá Garriga
• Blessed Arturo Ros Montalt
• Blessed Aurelio da Vinalesa
• Blessed Celestino Ruiz Alegre
• Blessed Cesáreo España Ortiz
• Blessed Eladi Peres Bori
• Blessed Evencio Castellanos López
• Blessed Francisco López Navarette
• Blessed Germán Arribas y Arribas
• Blessed Graciliano Ortega Narganes
• Blessed Isidre Fábregas Gils
• Blessed Jaume Tarragó Iglesias
• Blessed Javier Pradas Vidal
• Blessed Joan Tomás Gibert
• Blessed Joaquim Oliveras Puljarás
• Blessed José Gorastazu Labayen
• Blessed Josep Camprubí Corrubí
• Blessed Juan Bautista Faubel Cano
• Blessed Lázaro Ruiz Peral
• Blessed Manoel José Sousa de Sousa
• Blessed Modest Godo Buscato
• Blessed Modest Pamplona Falguera
• Blessed Nicolás Rueda Barriocanal
• Blessed Serviliano Solá Jiménez
• Blessed Teodoro Pérez Gómez

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 27 August – Late Have I Loved You

Our Morning Offering – 27 August – Tuesday of the Twenty-first week in Ordinary Time, Year C and The Memorial of St Monica (322-387)

Late Have I Loved You
By St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor

Late have I loved You,
Beauty so ancient and so new,
late have I loved You!
Lo, you were within,
but I outside, seeking there for You
and upon the shapely things You have made
I rushed headlong – I, misshapen.
You were with me but I was not with You.
They held me back far from You,
those things which would have no being,
were they not in You.
You called, shouted, broke through my deafness.
You flared, blazed, banished my blindness.
You lavished Your fragrance, I gasped
and now I pant for You.
I tasted You and now I hunger and thirst;
You touched me and I burned for Your peace.late have i loved you 27 august 2019 st monica's feast day.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 26 August – Give me Strength, O Lord

Our Morning Offering – 26 August – Monday of the Twenty-first week in Ordinary Time

Give me Strength, O Lord
By St Ephrem of Syria (306-373) Father & Doctor of the Church

Lord Jesus Christ,
King of kings,
You have power over life and death.
You know even things that are uncertain and obscure,
and our very thoughts and feelings are not hidden from You.
Cleanse me from my secret faults,
for I have done wrong and You saw it.
You know how weak I am,
both in soul and in body.
Give me strength, O Lord,
in my frailty and sustain me in my sufferings.
Grant me a prudent judgement, dear Lord,
and let me always be mindful of Your blessings.
Let me retain until the end, Your grace
that has protected me till now.
Amengive me strength o lord - by st ephrem - 26 august 2019.jpg