Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori – 8 December – The First Saturday of Advent
The Son of God was laden with all our sins
Consider the humble state which the Son of God freely chose to assume. He not only took upon Himself the form of a slave but also, the form of a sinful servant “in the likeness of sinful flesh.” Therefore, St Bernard writes, “He not only assumed the form of a servant but even that of a wicked servant.” And thus, in this way, He presented Himself to His Father, even from His birth, as a criminal and a debtor, guilty of all of our sins and, as such, was condemned to die as a malefactor, accursed on a cross.
Scripture All things came to be through him and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life and this life was the light of the human race
John 1:3-4
“Behold the man” the Eternal Father, seems to say to all of us, showing Jesus to us in the stable of Bethlehem. “This poor child whom you behold, laid in a manager for beasts and stretched on straw, is my beloved Son, who has come into the world to take upon Himself your sins and your sorrows – love Him because He is infinitely worthy of your love and you are under an infinite obligation to do so.”
O my innocent Redeemer, enlighten the minds of those who do not know You or who do not love You.
PRAYER
Good and gracious God,
I sincerely thank and praise You for loving me.
Your love is the joy of my life.
Lord, help me to love You and others totally.
Take away any malice or bitterness in my life.
Help me love as Your Son, Jesus, loved.
And to love Him as my Life!
Amen
ADVENT ACTION
Remember the Babe in the Manger, keep Him before your eyes and you will not be able to forget what our sins do.
Thought for the Day – 7 December – The Memorial of St Ambrose (c 340-397)- Father and Doctor of the Church
“Holy Bishop Ambrose – about whom I shall speak to you today – died in Milan in the night between 3 and 4 April 397. It was dawn on Holy Saturday. The day before, at about five o’clock in the afternoon, he had settled down to pray, lying on his bed with his arms wide open in the form of a cross. Thus, he took part in the solemn Easter Triduum, in the death and Resurrection of the Lord. “We saw his lips moving”, said Paulinus, the faithful deacon who wrote his Life at St Augustine’s suggestion, “but we could not hear his voice”. The situation suddenly became dramatic. Honoratus, Bishop of Vercelli, who was assisting Ambrose and was sleeping on the upper floor, was awoken by a voice saying again and again, “Get up quickly! Ambrose is dying…”. “Honoratus hurried downstairs”, Paulinus continues, “and offered the Saint the Body of the Lord. As soon as he had received and swallowed it, Ambrose gave up his spirit, taking the good Viaticum with him. His soul, thus refreshed by the virtue of that food, now enjoys the company of Angels” (Life, 47).
On that Holy Friday 397, the wide open arms of the dying Ambrose expressed his mystical participation in the death and Resurrection of the Lord. This was his last catechesis – in the silence of the words, he continued to speak with the witness of his life.
Like the Apostle John, Bishop Ambrose – who never tired of saying: “Omnia Christus est nobis! To us Christ is all!”– continues to be a genuine witness of the Lord. Let us thus conclude our Catechesis with his same words, full of love for Jesus: “Omnia Christus est nobis! If you have a wound to heal, He is the doctor; if you are parched by fever, He is the spring; if you are oppressed by injustice, He is justice; if you are in need of help, He is strength; if you fear death, He is life; if you desire Heaven, He is the way; if you are in the darkness, He is light…. Taste and see how good is the Lord, blessed is the man who hopes in Him!” (De Virginitate, 16, 99). Let us also hope in Christ. We shall thus be blessed and shall live in peace.”
Pope Benedict – Excerpt, General Audience, Catechesis on St Ambrose, 24 October 2007
Quote/s of the Day -– 7 December – The Memorial of St Ambrose (c 340-397)- Father and Doctor of the Church
Note: I am still unable to make images so these are taken from this site.
“Rise, you who were lying fast asleep… Rise and hurry to the Church: here is the Father, here is the Son, here is the Holy Spirit.”
“The Church of the Lord is built upon the rock of the apostles among so many dangers in the world; it therefore remains unmoved. The Church’s foundation is unshakeable and firm against assaults of the raging sea. Waves lash at the Church but do not shatter it. Although the elements of this world, constantly beat upon the Church with crashing sounds, the Church possesses the safest harbour of salvation for all in distress.”
“All the children of the Church are priests. At Baptism, they received the anointing that gives them a share in the priesthood. The sacrifice that they must offer to God is completely spiritual – it is themselves.”
“Let your door stand open to receive Him, unlock your soul to Him, offer Him a welcome in your mind and then you will see the riches of simplicity, the treasures of peace, the joy of grace. Throw wide the gate of your heart, stand before the sun of the everlasting light.”
“If it is “daily bread,” why do you take it once a year? . . . Take daily what is to profit you daily. Live in such a way that you may deserve to receive it daily. He who does not deserve to receive it daily, does not deserve to receive it once a year.”
“When we speak about WISDOM, we are speaking about CHRIST. When we speak about VIRTUE, we are speaking about CHRIST. When we speak about JUSTICE, we are speaking about CHRIST. When we speak about PEACE, we are speaking about CHRIST. When we speak about TRUTH, and LIFE and REDEMPTION, we are speaking about CHRIST.”
St Ambrose (c 340-397)- Father and Doctor of the Church
Our Morning Offering – 7 December – The Memorial of St Ambrose (c 340-397)- Father and Doctor of the Church
O Lord, Give me a Heart to Love You Prayer of St Ambrose (c 340-397) Father and Doctor of the Church
O Lord, who has mercy upon all,
take away from me my sins
and mercifully kindle in me
the fire of Your Holy Spirit.
Take away from me the heart of stone
and give me a heart of flesh,
a heart to love and adore You,
a heart to delight in You,
to follow and enjoy You,
for Christ’s sake.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 7 December – St Ambrose (c 340-397) – Father and Doctor of the Church
Today the Catholic Church celebrates the memory of St Ambrose, the brilliant Bishop of Milan who influenced St Augustine’s conversion and was named a Doctor of the Church.
Like Augustine himself, the older Ambrose (born around 340) was a highly educated man who sought to harmonise Greek and Roman intellectual culture with the Catholic faith. Trained as a lawyer, he eventually became the governor of Milan. He manifested his intellectual gifts in defence of Christian doctrine even before his baptism.
While Ambrose was serving as the governor of Milan, a bishop named Auxentius was leading the diocese. Although he was an excellent public speaker with a forceful personality, Auxentius also followed the heresy of Arius, which denied the divinity of Christ. Although the Council of Nicaea had reasserted the traditional teaching on Jesus’ deity, many educated members of the Church – including, at one time, a majority of the world’s bishops – looked to Arianism as a more sophisticated and cosmopolitan version of Christianity. Bishop Auxentius became notorious for forcing clergy throughout the region to accept Arian creeds.
At the time of Auxentius’ death, Ambrose had not yet even been baptised. But his deep understanding and love of the traditional faith were already clear to the faithful of Milan. They considered him the most logical choice to succeed Auxentius, even though he was still just a catechumen. With the help of Emperor Valentinan, who ruled the Western Roman Empire at the time, a mob of Milanese Catholics virtually forced Ambrose to become their bishop against his own will. Eight days after his baptism, Ambrose received episcopal consecration on 7 December 374. The date would eventually become his liturgical feast.
St Ambrose consecrated as Bishop
Bishop Ambrose did not disappoint those who had clamoured for his appointment and consecration. He began his ministry by giving everything he owned to the poor and to the Church. He looked to the writings of Greek theologians like St Basil for help in explaining the Church’s traditional teachings to the people during times of doctrinal confusion.
Like the fathers of the Eastern Church, Ambrose drew from the intellectual reserves of pre-Christian philosophy and literature to make the faith more comprehensible to his hearers. This harmony of faith with other sources of knowledge served to attract, among others, the young professor Aurelius Augustinus – a man Ambrose taught and baptised, whom history knows as St Augustine of Hippo.
St Augustine and St Ambrose
Ambrose himself lived simply, wrote prolifically and celebrated Mass each day. He found time to counsel an amazing range of public officials, pagan inquirers, confused Catholics and penitent sinners. The people of Milan never regretted their insistence that the reluctant civil servant should lead the local church. His popularity, in fact, served to keep at bay those who would have preferred to force him from the diocese, including the Western Empress Justina and a group of her advisers, who sought to rid the West of adherence to the Nicene Creed. Ambrose heroically refused her attempts to impose heretical bishops in Italy, along with her efforts to seize churches in the name of Arianism.
Ambrose also displayed remarkable courage when he publicly denied communion to the Emperor Theodosius, who had ordered the massacre of 7,000 citizens in Thessalonica. The chastened emperor took Ambrose’s rebuke to heart, publicly repenting of the massacre and doing penance for the murders.
“Nor was there afterwards a day on which he did not grieve for his mistake,” Ambrose himself noted when he spoke at the emperor’s funeral. The rebuke spurred a profound change in Emperor Theodosius. He reconciled himself with the Church and the bishop, who attended to the emperor on his deathbed.
St. Ambrose died in 397. His 23 years of diligent service had turned a deeply troubled diocese into an exemplary outpost for the faith. His writings remained an important point of reference for the Church, well into the medieval era and beyond.
At the Catholic Church’s Fifth Ecumenical Council – which took place at Constantinople in 553, and remains a source of authoritative teaching for both Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians – the assembled bishops named Ambrose, along with this protege St Augustine, as being among the foremost “holy fathers” of the Church, whose teaching all bishops should “in every way follow.”
St Agatho of Alexandria
St Anianas of Chartres
St Antonius of Siya
St Athenodoros of Mesopotamia
St Buithe of Monasterboice
St Burgundofara
St Charles Garnier
St Diuma
St Geretrannus of Bayeux
Bl Humbert of Clairvaux
St John the Silent
St Martin of Saujon
St Mary Joseph Rosello
St Nilus of Stolbensk
St Polycarp of Antioch
St Sabinus of Spoleto
St Servus the Martyr
St Theodore of Antioch
St Urban of Teano
St Victor of Piacenza
Saint of the Day – 4 December – St John Damascene (675-749) Confessor, Father & Doctor of the Church – Priest, Monk, Theologian, Writer, Defender of Iconography, Poet, a Polymath whose fields of interest and contribution included law, theology, philosophy, music, Marian devotee. Also known as – Johannes Damascenus, John Chrysorrhoas (“golden-stream”), John of Damascus. Born in c 675 at Damascus, Syria and died in 749 of natural causes. Patronages – pharmacists, artists, theologians and theology students.
While the Churches of Rome and Constantinople were still united during St John’s life, the Byzantine Emperor Leo III radically separated from the ancient tradition of the Church, declaringthat the veneration of Sacred Imagery was a form of idolatry.
Saint John was born in the late 7th Century and is the most remarkable of the Greek writers of his time. His father was a Civil Authority who was Christian amid the Saracens of Damascus, whose caliph made him his minister. This enlightened man found, in the public square one day, amid a group of sad Christian captives, a Priest of Italian origin who had been condemned to slavery, he ransomed him and assigned him to his young son to be his tutor. Young John made extraordinary progress in grammar, dialectic, mathematics, music, poetry, astronomy but, above all, in theology, the discipline imparting knowledge of God. John became famous for his encyclopedic intellect and theological method, later a source of inspiration to Saint Thomas Aquinas.
During the 720s, the upstart theologian began publicly opposing the Emperor’s command against Sacred Images in a series of writings. The heart of his argument was twofold – firstly, that Christians did not actually worship images but rather, through them they worshipped God and honoured the memory of the Saints. Secondly, he asserted that by taking an incarnate physical form, Christ had given warrant to the Church’s depiction of Him in images.
By 730, the young public official’s persistent defence of Christian artwork had made him a permanent enemy of the emperor, who had a letter forged in John’s name offering to betray the Muslim government of Damascus. The ruling caliph of the city, taken in by the forgery, is said to have cut off John’s hand. The saint’s sole surviving biography states that the Virgin Mary acted to restore it miraculously. John eventually managed to convince the Muslim ruler of his innocence, before making the decision to become a monk and later a priest.
Although a number of imperially-convened synods condemned John’s advocacy of Christian iconography, the Roman church always regarded his position as a defence of apostolic tradition. Years after the priest and monk died, the Seventh Ecumenical Council vindicated his orthodoxy and ensured the permanent place of holy images in both Eastern and Western Christian piety.
St John Damascene’s other notable achievements include the “Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith,” a work in which he systematised the earlier Greek Fathers’ thinking about theological truths in light of philosophy. The work exerted a profound influence on St Thomas Aquinas and subsequent scholastic theologians. Centuries later, St John’s sermons on the Virgin Mary’s bodily assumption into heaven were cited in Pope Pius XII’s dogmatic definition on the subject.
The saint also contributed as an author and editor, to some of the liturgical hymns and poetry that Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholics still use in their celebrations of the liturgy.
“Show me the icons that you venerate, that I may be able to understand your faith.” – Saint John of Damascus.
Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori 3 December – Monday of the First Week of Advent
Fullness of Grace
Behold the happy time is come which was called the designated time: “When the designated time had come, God sent his Son…to deliver from the law those who were subjected to it” (Gal 4:4). It is called the fullness of time because of the fullness of grace which the Son of God came to communicate to [us] by the redemption of the world.
THE INCARNATION, BIRTH AND INFANCY OF JESUS CHRIST Scripture Brothers [and sisters]: May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we have for you, so as to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. [Amen.] Finally, brothers [and sisters], we earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that, as you received from us how you should conduct yourselves to please God—and as you are conducting yourselves—you do so even more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus...1 Thessalonians 3:12—4:2
PRAYER
Lord, it is my hope that I may always be in “your will
and way.”
Sometimes I am selfish with my time and my own desires.
Today, help me sort out things in my life.
I need to make You the first priority in my life
and not the things that really do not matter.
Assist me in conducting myself in ways that are most pleasing to You.
Lord, it is my desire to live more for You this day.
Amen.
ADVENT ACTION
Advent is a time to practice patience. Today, be patient with yourself and those around you. Spiritual growth is tender, it is holy ground. There is simply no greater investment.
Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori
2 December – The First Sunday of Advent
Day 1
The Redeeming Plan
“Consider how God allowed 4,000 years to pass after the sin of Adam before He sent His Son on earth to redeem the world. And in the meantime, what fatal darkness reigned on the earth! The true God was not known or adored, except in one small corner of the world. Idolatry reigned everywhere; devils and beasts and stones were adored as gods.…If Jesus Christ had come into the world immediately after the Fall of Adam, the greatness of this favour would have been but slightly appreciated. Let us, therefore, thank the goodness of God for having sent us into the world, after, the great work of redemption was accomplished.”St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Doctor of the Church
THE INCARNATION, BIRTH AND INFANCY OF JESUS CHRIST Scripture The days are coming—oracle of the LORD—when I will fulfil the promise made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days, at that time, I will make a just shoot spring up for David; he shall do what is right and just in the land. In those days Judah shall be saved and Jerusalem shall dwell safely; this is the name they shall call her: “The LORD our justice.”…Jeremiah 33:14–16
PRAYER
Creator and creating God, You give me such a delightful and wholesome gift in a new beginning. Pride, rebellion and temptation called to me and I pulled away from You. These identical issues continue to cause sin in the lives of Your people.
Rather than true confession, like the first Adam, I seek
to blame others for the troubles in my life.
Forgive me of my sins.
Allow me to begin this Advent sojourn, by restoring me to a fresh start and new beginning with and in You. Amen.
ADVENT ACTION
Whatever is at the centre of your life will be the source of your security, peace, wisdom, and power. Decide today to make Jesus the centre and source of everything in your life.
St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Doctor of the Church
Quote of the Day – 30 November – The Feast of St Andrew, Apostle of Christ
“We have found the Messiah”… Andrew’s words reveal a soul waiting with the utmost longing for the coming of the Messiah, looking forward to His appearing from heaven, rejoicing when He does appear and hastening to announce so great an event to others. To support one another in the things of the spirit is the true sign of good will between brothers, of loving kinship and sincere affection.”
One Minute Reflection – 30 November – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 4:18–22 – The Feast of St Andrew, Apostle of Christ
And he said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”...Matthew 4:19
REFLECTION – “And they left their nets and followed him.” And yet John (the Evangelist) says that they were called in a different way. From this it is evident that this was a second call. One may conclude this from several evidences. For there it is said that they came to Him when “John had not yet been thrown into prison” but here it says, after he was in confinement. And there Andrew calls Peter but here Jesus calls both. On the one hand, John says, “Jesus saw Simon coming and said, ‘You are Simon, the Son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas, which is translated Peter.’” On the other hand, Matthew says that he was already called by that name, for he says, “Seeing Simon who was called Peter.” In the other instance, Andrew is seen coming into His house and hearing many things. But here, having heard one brief call, they both followed immediately.
When they earlier had seen that John was in prison and that Jesus was withdrawing, it would not have been unnatural for them to return again to their own craft, fishing, having followed Him at the beginning and then later having left Him to fish.
Accordingly, you now see, that Jesus finds them actively fishing. But He neither resisted them at first, when they desired to withdraw from Him, nor having withdrawn themselves, did He let them go altogether. He gave way when they moved aside from Him and came again to win them back. This, after all, is exactly what fishing is all about.”… St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father & Doctor – (The Gospel of Matthew, Homily 14)
PRAYER – Lord, in Your kindness hear our petitions. You called Andrew the apostle, to preach the Gospel and guide Your Church in faith. May he always be our friend in Your presence to help us with his prayers. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 27 November – The Memorial of St Leonard of Port Maurice OFM (1676-1751)
“What graces, gifts and virtues the Holy Mass calls down!”
“I believe that were it not for the Holy Mass, as this moment, the world would be in the abyss, unable to bear up under the mighty load of its iniquities. Mass is the potent prop that hold the world on its base.”
“If the Lord, at the moment of my death, reproves me for being too kind to sinners, I will answer, ‘My dear Jesus, if it is a fault to be too kind to sinners, it is a fault I learned from You, for You never scolded anyone who came to You seeking mercy.'”
“If you practice the holy exercise of Spiritual Communion, a good many times each day, within a month, you will see yourself completely changed.”
St Leonard of Port Maurice OFM (1676-1751)
Act of Spiritual Communion By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Doctor of the Church
My Jesus, I believe that You art present in the Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire You in my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least, spiritually, into my heart. As though You were already there, I embrace You and unite myself wholly to You, permit not, that I should ever, be separated from You. Amen
Thought for the Day – 26 November – Advent is nearly here!
Advent—that period of great anticipatory joy—is a time of preparation for the celebration of Christ’s arrival in Bethlehem as a helpless infant. In the Western liturgy, Advent begins four Sundays prior to December 25—the Sunday closest to 30 November, which is the feast of Saint Andrew, one of Jesus’ first disciples.
The annual commemoration of Christ’s birth begins the Christmas cycle of the liturgical year—a cycle that runs from Christmas day to the Baptism of the Lord. In keeping with the unfolding of the message of the liturgical year, I hope to post from the first Sunday of Advent through twelve days of the Christmas cycle, or until 6 January, daily Scripture and Prayer with St Alphonsus Liguori, in place of (usually) the One Minute Reflection.
The four weeks of Advent are often thought of as symbolising the four different ways Christ comes into the world:
(1) upon His birth as a helpless infant;
(2) upon His arrival in the hearts of believers;
(3) upon His death;
(4) upon His arrival on Judgement Day.
Because Christmas falls on a different day of the week each year, the fourth week of Advent is never really finished; it is abruptly, joyously and solemnly abrogated by the annual coming again of Christ at Christmas. Christ’s Second Coming will also one day abruptly interrupt our sojourn here on Earth.
Each “day” begins with the words of Saint Alphonsus Liguori. Following that quotation, is an excerpt from Scripture that is related in some way. Next is a prayer, also built on the ideas from the two preceding passages. Finally, an Advent or Christmas “action” suggests ways in which to apply the messages to one’s daily life.
I hope you will join St Alphonsus as we journey to Bethlehem and may the Holy Alphonsus, Pray for us all!
One Minute Reflection – 26 November – Today’s Gospel: Luke 21:1-4 – Monday of the Thirty Fourth Week in Ordinary Time, Year B
He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury and he saw a poor widow, put in two copper coins. And he said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them, for they all contributed out of their abundance but she out of her poverty, put in all the living that she had.”…Luke 21:1-4
REFLECTION – “However, in the mystical sense, the woman who placed two small coins in the treasury, is not to be forgotten. Great indeed is that woman who was worthy to be preferred before everyone else according to the divine judgement! Might it not be she who has drawn the two Testaments out of her faith for the help of all humankind? Therefore, no one has done more than she and no one has been able to equal the greatness of her gift, since she joined faith to mercy. And you, too, whoever you are…, do not hesitate to bring to the treasury, two coins, full of faith and grace.”…St Ambrose (340-397) Father & Doctor
“In a certain sense the Church is a widow somewhat, because she is waiting for her Bridegroom to return… Of course, she has her Spouse in the Eucharist, in the Word of God, in the poor but she is waiting for Him to return. This woman wasn’t important, no one knew her. Nothing. She did not shine of her own light.
Likewise, the great virtue of the Church is not shining of her own light but rather reflecting the light that comes from her Spouse. Especially since over the centuries, when the Church wanted to have her own light, she was wrong. The Church receives light from there, from the Lord and all the services we do in the Church, help her to receive that light. When a service is lacking this light, it’s not good because it causes the Church to become rich, or powerful, or to seek power, or to lose her way, as has happened so many times in history, it happens in our life when we want to have another light – our own light, which is not really that of the Lord. When the Church is humble and poor and even when the Church confesses her misfortunes — we all have them — the Church is faithful.
Let us pray to this widow who is surely in heaven that she may teach us to be like the Church, renouncing all we have and keeping nothing for ourselves but instead giving all for the Lord and for our neighbour. Always humble and without boasting of having our own light but “always seeking the light which comes from the Lord.”…Pope Francis (Santa Marta, 24 November 2014)
PRAYER – God our Father, You give us a share in the one bread and the one cup and make us one in Christ. Help us to live as Your children and by our lives to bring Your salvation and joy to all the world. May the Holy Spirit fill us with all His gifts and virtues so that we may await the coming of Your Son, guided by His Light and may Mary, the blessed Virgin, accompany us, guarding and giving us her prayerful help. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
Quote/s of the Day 25 November – The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
“Hers was the happiness of first bearing in her womb Him whom she would obey as her master.”
St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church
“The kingdom of God, in the words of our Lord and Saviour, does not come for all to see; nor shall they say: Behold, here it is, or behold, there it is; but the kingdom of God is within us, for the word of God is very near, in our mouth and in our heart. Thus it is clear that he who prays for the coming of God’s kingdom, prays rightly to have it within himself, that there it might grow and bear fruit and become perfect. For God reigns in each of his holy ones. Anyone who is holy obeys the spiritual laws of God, who dwells in Him as in a well-ordered city. The Father is present in the perfect soul and with Him Christ reigns, according to the words: We shall come to him and make our home with him.”
“The kingdom of God cannot exist alongside the reign of sin. Therefore, if we wish God to reign in us, in no way should sin reign in our mortal body; rather we should mortify our members which are upon the earth and bear fruit in the Spirit. There should be in us a kind of spiritual paradise where God may walk and be our sole ruler with His Christ. In us the Lord will sit at the right hand of that spiritual power which we wish to receive. And He will sit there until all His enemies, who are within u,. become His footstool and every principality, power and virtue in us is cast out.”
Origen (c185-253) Father of the Church
“The Word of God, as consubstantial with the Father, has all things in common with Him and, therefore, has necessarily supreme and absolute dominion, over all things created.”
St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father & Doctor of the Church
Quote of the Day – 22 November – The Memorial of St Cecilia (died 3rd Century) Virgin Martyr – Patron of Musicians
Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the faithful!…Psalm 149:1
Let us sing to the Lord, a song of love!
“Sing to the Lord a new song, His praise is in the assembly of the saints. We are urged to sing a new song to the Lord, as new men who have learned a new song. A song is a thing of joy, more profoundly, it is a thing of love. Anyone, therefore, who has learned to love the new life has learned to sing a new song and the new song reminds us of our new life. The new man, the new song, the new covenant, all belong to the one kingdom of God and so the new man will sing a new song and will belong to the new covenant.
There is not one who does not love something, but the question is, what to love. The psalms do not tell us not to love but to choose the object of our love. But how can we choose unless we are first chosen? We cannot love unless someone has loved us first. Listen to the apostle John: We love Him, because He first loved us. The source of man’s love for God can only be found in the fact that God loved him first. He has given us Himself as the object of our love and He has also given us its source. What this source is you may learn more clearly from the apostle Paul who tells us: The love of God has been poured into our hearts. This love is not something we generate ourselves, it comes to us through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Since we have such an assurance, then, let us love God with the love He has given us. As John tells us more fully. God is love and whoever dwells in love dwells in God and God in him. It is not enough to say, Love is from God. Which of us would dare to pronounce the words of Scripture – God is love? He alone could say it who knew what it was to have God dwelling within him. God offers us a short route to the possession of Himself. He cries out – Love me and you will have me, for you would be unable to love me if you did not possess me already.
My dear brothers and sons, fruit of the true faith, holy seed of heaven, all you who have been born again in Christ and whose life is from above, listen to me, or rather, listen to the Holy Spirit saying through me: Sing to the Lord a new song. Look, you tell me, I am singing. Yes indeed, you are singing, you are singing clearly, I can hear you. But make sure that your life does not contradict your words. Sing with your voices, your hearts, your lips and your lives – Sing to the Lord a new song!
Now it is your unquestioned desire to sing of Him whom you love but you ask me how to sing His praises. You have heard the words – Sing to the Lord a new song and you wish to know what praises to sing. The answer is – His praise is in the assembly of the saints, it is in the singers themselves . lf you desire to praise Him, then live what you express. Live good lives and you yourselves, will be His praise.”
From a sermon by Saint Augustine (354-430), Father & Doctor – (Sermo 34.1-3, 5-6; CCL 41, 424-426) …Vatican.va
Reparation for outrages against the Most Blessed Sacrament
St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Doctor of the Church
Meditate the following text written by Saint Alphonsus Maria and translated by Norman J. Muckermann, CSsR. It is astonishingly relevant to the need for reparation, when one considers the current proliferation of so many outrages against the Most Blessed Sacrament.
The Sorrowful Heart of Jesus
It is impossible for us to appreciate how greatly afflicted the Heart of Jesus was for love of us and at the same time not be filled with pity for Him. . . . The principal sorrow affecting the Heart of Jesus was not so much knowing the torments and insults His enemies were preparing for Him. Rather, it was seeing how ready we would be to reject His immense love.
Desecrations of the Sacred Host
Jesus distinctly saw all the sins which we would commit even after His sufferings, even after His bitter and ignominious death on the cross. He foresaw, too, the insults which sinners would offer His Sacred Heart which He would leave on earth in the Most Holy Sacrament as proof of His love. These insults are almost too horrible to mention: people trampling the sacred hosts underfoot, throwing them into gutters or piles of refuse and even using them to worship the devil himself!
The Pledge of His Love
Even the knowledge that these and other defamations would happen did not prevent Jesus from giving us this great pledge of His love, the Holy Eucharist. Jesus has an infinite hatred for sin, yet it seems that His great love for us even overcomes this bitterness. Because of His love, He allows these sacrileges to happen in order not to deprive us of this Divine Food. Should not this alone suffice to make us love a Heart that has loved us so much?
Jesus Forsaken on the Altar
What more could Jesus do to deserve our love? Is our ingratitude so great that we will still leave Jesus forsaken on the altar, as so many are wont to do? Rather, should we not unite ourselves to those few who gather to praise Him and acknowledge His divine presence? Should we not melt with love, as do the candles which adorn the altars where the Holy Sacrament is preserved? There the Sacred Heart remains burning with love for us. Shall we not in turn burn with love for Jesus?”
Quote/s of the Day – 17 November – The Memorial of St Elizabeth of Hungary – Apostle of Charity (1207-1231) Speaking of: Charity/Mercy
As long as anyone has the means of doing good to his neighbours and does not do so, he shall be reckoned a stranger to the love of the Lord.
St Irenaeus (130-202) Father of the Church
“Mercy imitates God and disappoints Satan.”
“No one has ever been accused for not providing ornaments but for those who neglect their neighbour, a hell awaits with an inextinguishable fire and torment in the company of the demons. Do not, therefore, adorn the church and ignore your afflicted brother, for he is the most precious temple of all.”
St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father & Doctor of the Church
“Compassion, my dear Brother, is preferable to cleanliness. Reflect that with a little soap, I can easily clean my bed covers but even with a torrent of tears, I would never wash from my soul, the stain, that my harshness toward the unfortunate would create.”
St Martin de Porres (1579-1639)
“All our religion is but a false religion and all our virtues are mere illusions and we ourselves are only hypocrites in the sight of God, if we have not that universal charity for everyone – for the good and for the bad, for the poor and for the rich and for all those who do us harm, as much as those who do us good.”
One Minute Reflection – 17 November – Today’s Gospel: Luke 18:1–8 – Saturday of the Thirty Second week in Ordinary Time, Year B and The Memorial of St Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231)
“When the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?”...Luke 18:8
REFLECTION – “What more powerful incentive to prayer could be proposed to us than the parable of the unjust judge? An unprincipled man, without fear of God or regard for other people, that judge nevertheless ended by granting the widow’s petition. No kindly sentiment moved him to do so; he was rather worn down by her pestering. Now if a man can grant a request even when it is odious to him to be asked, how can we be refused by the one who urges us to ask? Having persuaded us, therefore, by a comparison of opposites that “we ought always to pray and never lose heart,” the Lord goes on to put the question: “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, do you think he will find faith on earth?”
Where there is no faith, there is no prayer. Who would pray for something he did not believe in? So when the blessed Apostle exhorts us to pray he begins by declaring: “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But to show that faith is the source of prayer and the stream will not flow if its springs are dried up, he continues: “But how can people call on him in whom they do not believe?” (Rom 10:13-14). We must believe, then, in order to pray and we must ask God, that the faith enabling us to pray, may not fail. Faith gives rise to prayer and this prayer obtains, an increase of faith.”…St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor – Sermon 115, 1 ; PL 38, 655
PRAYER – Holy Father, grant us a strong Faith! Poor Your graces into our hearts that we may believe with all our hearts, minds and souls and that in believing, we may constantly raise our entire being to You in prayer and supplication, in prayer and adoration, in prayer and love. May the intercession of St Elizabeth of Hungary, a woman of deep prayer from her youth, strengthen our perseverance. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever, amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 15 November – The Memorial of St Albert the Great (1200-1 280) Doctor Universalis (“Universal Doctor”)
Known as Doctor Universalis (“Universal Doctor”) for the extraordinary depth of his knowledge and learning, Albertus Magnus wrote extensively on numerous subjects. Here are some words of wisdom from a variety of his writings.
“Anyone who receives this Sacrament, with the devotion of sincere faith, will never taste death.”
“The greater and more persistent, your confidence in God, the more abundantly you will receive, all that you ask.”
“I have never gone out, to mingle with the world, without losing something of myself.”
“The surest and quickest way to attain perfection, is to strive, for purity of heart. Once the obstacles have been removed, God finds a clear path and does wonders, both in and through the soul.”
“Above all, one should accept everything, in general and individually, in oneself or in others, agreeable or disagreeable, with a prompt and confident spirit, as coming from the hand of His infallible Providence or the order He has arranged.”
On Cleaving to God
“Mary is the Divine Page on which the Father wrote the Word of God, His Son.”
St Albert the Great (1200-1280) Doctor of the Church
Our Morning Offering – 15 November – The Memorial of St Albert the Great (1200-1280) Doctor of the Church
Guide me Lord By St Albert
O Lord Jesus Christ,
Who seeks those who stray
and receives them when returning,
make me approach You
through the frequent hearing of Your Word,
lest I sin against my neighbour
by the blindness of human judgement,
through the austerity of false justice,
through comparing his inferior status,
through too much trust in my merits
or through ignorance of the Divine Judgement.
Guide me to search diligently,
each corner of my conscience,
lest the flesh dominate the spirit.
Amen
One Minute Reflection – 14 November – Today’s Gospel: Luke 17:11–19 -Wednesday of the Thirty Second week in Ordinary Time, Year B and the Memorial of St Laurence O’Toole (1128 – 1180)
“Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?”…Luke 17:17
REFLECTION – “In our own day we see many people at prayer but, unfortunately, we see none of them turning back to give thanks to God… “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine?” As I think you will remember, it was in these words that our Saviour complained about the lack of gratitude of the other nine lepers. We read that they knew well how to make “supplications, prayers, petitions” since they lifted up their voices, crying out: “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” But they lacked the fourth thing required by the apostle Paul: “thanksgiving” (1Tm 2:1) for they did not turn back nor give thanks to God.
We see still more in our own day people who implore God for what they lack but a mere handful who seem to be grateful for the blessings they have received. There is no harm in imploring Him but what causes God not to grant our prayers, is His finding us lacking in gratitude. After all, perhaps it is even an act of mercy on His part to hold back from the ungrateful what they are asking for, so that they may not be judged all the more rigorously, on account of their ingratitude… For it is sometimes out of mercy that God holds back His mercy…
So you see that not all those who are healed of the leprosy of this world, I mean their manifest complaints, profit by their healing. Indeed, many are secretly afflicted with an ulcer worse than leprosy, all the more dangerous in that it is more interior. That is why it was right that the Saviour of the world should ask where the other nine lepers were, since sinners avoid healing. So, too, after his sin, God questioned the first man: “Where are you?” (Gn 3:9).”… St Bernard (1091-1153) Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – You Lord, Holy Father, never forget Your solemn covenant and grant us new life each day. We though in our hearts of stone do forget and cease to thank and bless You. Make our hearts turn in gratitude, for all we are and have is by Your grace and we are as nothing without You. May our minds, hearts and souls sing with love and thanks to You, Lord our God. Grant us new hearts by the prayers of Your Saint Laurence O’Toole and all the saints in heaven, who always lived with grateful hearts, praising You always. We ask this this through Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
One Minute Reflection – 13 November – Today’s Gospel: Luke 17:7–10 – Tuesday of the Thirty Second week in Ordinary Time, Year B and the Memorial of St Stanislaus Kostka SJ (1550-1568) & St Agostina Livia Pietrantoni S.D.C. (1864-1894)
“So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants, we have only done what was our duty.’ ”…Luke 17:10
REFLECTION – “You do not say to your servant, “Sit down” but require more service from him and do not thank him. The Lord also, does not allow only one work or labour for you, because so long as we live, we must always work. Know that you are a servant overwhelmed by very much obedience. You must not set yourself first, because you are called a son of God. Grace must be acknowledged but nature not overlooked. Do not boast of yourself if you have served well, as you should have done. The sun obeys, the moon complies and the angels serve. Let us not require praise for ourselves, nor prevent the judgement of God and anticipate the sentence of the Judge but reserve it, for its own time and Judge. ”…Saint Ambrose (340-397) Father & Doctor of the Church (Exposition of the Gospel of Luke, 8)
PRAYER– Holy Father, I beg Your grace to achieve sanctity. Grant me the wisdom to follow Your Son, the fortitude to persevere in all trails and to be Your servant to all Your children but most of all Holy Father, grant me Your grace to obtain eternal life. Precious youths, St Stanislaus and St Agostina, please pray for us all , amen.
One Minute Reflection – 12 November – Today’s Gospel: Luke 17:1-6 – Monday of the Thirty-second week in Ordinary Time, Year B and The Memorial of St Josaphat (1584-1623) Martyr
“Temptations to sin are sure to come but woe to the person through whom they occur! It would be better for him, if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea, than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin…” Luke 17:1-2
REFLECTION – “The accompanying discussion that immediately follows these opening remarks and speaks of our pardoning our brothers and sisters in case they ever sin against us, leads us to the idea that these were the offences meant. What are these offences? They are, I suppose, mean and annoying actions, fits of anger whether on good grounds or without justification, insults, slander and other stumbling blocks similar to these. He says that these temptations must come. Is this then because God, who governs all, forces people to their commission of sin? Away with the thought! Nothing that is evil comes from Him. He is the fountain of all virtue. Why then must this happen? They clearly happen because of our infirmity, for all of us stumble in many things, as it is written. Nevertheless, He says, that there will be woe to the person who lays the stumbling blocks in the way. He does not leave indifference in these things without rebuke but restrains it by fear of punishment. He still commands us to bear with patience those who cause sins to happen.”…St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) – Father & Doctor – Commentary on Luke, “Homilies 113-116”
PRAYER – O Lord our God, grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love and to be only good influences to our neighbour. That by our love, our brothers in faith may be one . St Josaphat you fought and struggled to unite the Church and by your efforts achieved the crown of martyrdom, please pray for our world, for a one united faith. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 11 November – Today’s Gospel: Mark 12:38–44 – Thirty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B and The Memorial of St Martin of Tours (c 316-397)
“For they all contributed out of their abundance but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living.”…Mark 12:44
REFLECTION – “Now if someone is wondering what the cost is, here is their answer – he who offers a Kingdom in heaven has no need of earthly coin. No one can offer God anything except what already belongs to Him since all that exists is His. And yet God does not give away so great a thing without a price being placed on it, He does not give it to someone who doesn’t value it. For indeed, nobody gives away something they hold dear without placing some kind of value on it. From now on, then, if God has no need of your goods neither does He have to give you this great thing if you refuse to love Him, all He requires is love, without which nothing constrains His giving. Love, then, and you will receive the Kingdom, love and you will possess it… Love God more than yourself and already you begin to have what it is you desire to possess fully in heaven.”…St Anselm (1033-1109) Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Lord God, Your Son has shown us the way. As we follow in His steps, may we never wander from the path that leads to life. Renew the wonders of Your grace in our hearts so that neither death nor life may separate us from Your love. Holy Father, as You were glorified by the life and death of St Martin, grant that by his prayers, we may receive strength to always give You our hearts, minds and selves. Through our Lord, Jesus Christ, with You in union with the Holy Spirit, one God for all eternity, amen.
Thought for the Day – 10 November – Christian, Remember Your Dignity by St Pope Leo the Great
Today we celebrate the feast day of Pope Saint Leo the Great (c 400-461). St Leo is referred to by many names, including “Doctor of Doctrine” and “Doctor of Unity of the Church.” He is the first pope to be referred to by the title “Great” and the first pope made Doctor of the Church. His writings, unifying doctrine and peacemaking, continue to inspire and instruct us today in the ways of the faith. Below, an excerpt from a homily, encouraging Christians to take heed of the joy of Christ and exhorts them to live in freedom and dignity of the Incarnation!
Christian, Remember Your Dignity!
Dearly beloved, today our Saviour is born, let us rejoice. Sadness should have no place on the birthday of life. The fear of death has been swallowed up; life brings us joy with the promise of eternal happiness.
No one is shut out from this joy, all share the same reason for rejoicing. Our Lord, victor over sin and death, finding no man free from sin, came to free us all. Let the saint rejoice as he sees the palm of victory at hand. Let the sinner be glad as he receives the offer of forgiveness. Let the pagan take courage as he is summoned to life.
In the fullness of time, chosen in the unfathomable depths of God’s wisdom, the Son of God took for Himself our common humanity in order to reconcile it with its creator. He came to overthrow the devil, the origin of death, in that very nature by which He had overthrown mankind.
And so at the birth of our Lord the angels sing in joy – Glory to God in the highest and they proclaim peace to men of good will as they see the heavenly Jerusalem being built from all the nations of the world. When the angels on high are so exultant at this marvellous work of God’s goodness, what joy should it not bring to the lowly hearts of men?
Beloved, let us give thanks to God the Father, through His Son, in the Holy Spirit, because in His great love for us He took pity on us and when we were dead in our sins He brought us to life with Christ, so that in Him we might be a new creation. Let us throw off our old nature and all its ways and, as we have come to birth in Christ, let us renounce the works of the flesh.
Christian, remember your dignity and now that you share in God’s own nature, do not return by sin to your former base condition Bear in mind who is your head and of whose body you are a member. Do not forget that you have been rescued from the power of darkness and brought into the light of God’s kingdom.
Through the sacrament of baptism you have become a temple of the Holy Spirit. Do not drive away so great a guest by evil conduct and become again a slave to the devil, for your liberty was bought by the blood of Christ.
Quote/s of the Day – 10 November – The Memorial of St Pope Leo the Great (c 400-461) Doctor of the Church and St Andrew Avellino CR (1521 – 1608)
“By Baptism we are made flesh of the Crucified.”
“The cross of Christ is the true ground and chief cause of Christian hope.”
“Let no one be ashamed of the cross by which Christ has redeemed the world. None of us must be afraid to suffer for the sake of justice or doubt the fulfilment of the promises, for it is through toil that we come to rest and through death that we pass to life.”
“Our sharing in the Body and Blood of Christ has no other purpose than to transform us into that which we receive.”
“He that sees another in error and endeavours not to correct it, testifies himself to be in error.”
“The birthday of the Lord is the birthday of peace.”
“Beyond our grasp, He chose to come within our grasp. Existing before time began, He began to exist at a moment in time.”
St Pope Leo the Great (c 400-461) Doctor of the Church
“One cannot separate the most Holy Eucharist from the Passion of Jesus.”
Our Morning Offering – 10 November – Saturday of the Thirty First Week in Ordinary Time, Year B
Mary, Mother of Grace By St Athanasius (297-373) Father & Doctor of the Church
It becomes you to be mindful of us,
as you stand near Him
who granted you all graces,
for you are the Mother of God
and our Queen.
Help us for the sake of the King,
the Lord God and Master
who was born of you.
For this reason,
you are called full of grace.
Remember us, most holy Virgin,
and bestow on us gifts
from the riches of your graces,
Virgin full of graces.
Amen
St Pope Leo the Great (c 400 – 461) Father & Doctor of the Church (Memorial) – Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said that Leo’s papacy “…was undoubtedly one of the most important in the Church’s history.”
St Aedh Mac Bricc
St Andrew Avellino (1521 – 1608) Theatine Priest
St Anianus the Deacon
St Baudolino
St Demetrius of Antioch
St Elaeth the King
St Eustosius of Antioch
St Grellen
St Guerembaldus
St Hadelin of Sees
Bl Joaquín Piña Piazuelo
St John of Ratzenburg
St Joseph the Martyr
St Justus of Canterbury
St Leo of Melun
St Monitor of Orleans
St Narses of Subagord
St Nonnus of Heliopolis
St Orestes of Cappadocia
St Probus of Ravenna
St Theoctiste of Lesbos
St Tryphaena of Iconium
St Tryphosa of Iconium
—
Martyred Sisters Adorers – 23 beati: 23 nuns, all members of the Sisters Adorers, Handmaids of Charity and of the Blessed Sacrament who were martyred together in the Spanish Civil War.
• Blessed Aurea González
• Blessed Belarmina Pérez Martínez
• Blessed Cecilia Iglesias del Campo
• Blessed Concepción Vázquez Areas
• Blessed Dionisia Rodríguez De Anta
• Blessed Emilia Echevarría Fernández
• Blessed Felipa Gutierrez Garay
• Blessed Francisca Pérez de Labeaga García
• Blessed Josepa Boix Rieras
• Blessed Lucía González García
• Blessed Luisa Pérez Adriá
• Blessed Magdalena Pérez
• Blessed Manuela Arriola Uranda
• Blessed María Dolores Hernández San Torcuato
• Blessed María Dolores Monzón Rosales
• Blessed María García Ferreiro
• Blessed Maria Mercè Tuñi Ustech
• Blessed María Zenona Aranzábal de Barrutia
• Blessed Prima de Ipiña Malzárraga
• Blessed Purificación Martínez Vera
• Blessed Rosa López Brochier
• Blessed Sinforosa Díaz Fernández
• Blessed Teresa Vives Missé
They were martyred on 10 November 1936 in Madrid, Spain and Beatified on 28 October 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI.
Martyrs of Agde – 3 saints: A group of Christians who were tortured and martyred together in the persecutions of Diocletian. The only about them to survive are the names – Florentia, Modestus and Tiberius. Martyred c 303 in Agde, France.
AnaStpaul 
You must be logged in to post a comment.