Quote/s of the Day – 29 April – Fifth Sunday of Eastertide and the Memorial of St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) Doctor of the Church
“Proclaim the Truth and do not be silent through fear.”
“Preach the Truth as if you had a million voices. It is silence that kills the world.”
“Nothing great is ever achieved, without much enduring.”
“All the way to heaven is heaven because Jesus said, “I am the way.”
“Strange that so much suffering is caused because of the misunderstandings of God’s true nature. God’s heart is more gentle than the Virgin’s first kiss upon the Christ. And God’s forgiveness to all, to any thought or act, is more certain than our own being.”
“Everything comes from love, all is ordained for the salvation of man, God does nothing without this goal in mind.”
“A soul cannot live without loving. It must have something to love, for it was created to love.”
“What is it you want to change? Your hair, your face, your body? Why? For God is in love with all those things and He might weep when they are gone!”
St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) Doctor of the Church
One Minute Reflection – 29 April – Fifth Sunday of Eastertide and the Memorial of St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) Doctor of the Church
And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’….Matthew 25:40
REFLECTION – “Charity is the sweet and holy bond which links the soul with its Creator: it binds God with man and man with God.”…. St Catherine of Siena
PRAYER – Almighty God, You made St Catherine of Siena, a contemplative lover of the Lord’s sufferings and an ardent servant of her neighbour and the Church. Grant that through her prayer, Your people may be united to Christ in His Mystery and true lovers of His sheep. May we live the commands He gave us and see His face in our neighbour. Through Jesus, our Lord, one God with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 29 April – Fifth Sunday of Eastertide
An Act of Confidence Before Holy Mass By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
My soul expand your heart.
Your Jesus can do You every good
and indeed, love you.
Hope for great things from Your Lord,
who, urged by love,
comes all love to You.
Yes, my dear Jesus, my hope,
I trust in Your goodness,
that in giving Yourself to me this morning,
You will enkindle in my poor heart,
the beautiful flame of Your pure love
and a real desire to please You,
so that, from this day forward,
I may never will anything
but what You will.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 29 April – St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) Doctor of the Church, Virgin, Stigmatist, Mystic, Scholastic Philosopher and Theologian, Writer, Reformer, Adviser, Mediator, Dominican Tertiary. St Catherine was born Caterina Benincasa on 25 March 1347 at Siena, Tuscany, Italy and died on 29 April 1380 in Rome, Italy of a mysterious and painful illness which manifested itself suddenly and was never diagnosed. Her body was buried in the Dominican church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome. The first funerary monument was erected in 1380 by Blessed Raymond of Capua, her Relics were re-enshrined in 1430 and again in 1466, at the High Altar of the Church. She was Canonised in July 1461 by Pope Pius II.
Patronages – against bodily ills, against fire, against miscarriages, against sexual temptation, against sickness, firefighters, nurses, nursing services, people ridiculed for their piety, joint patron of Europe with St Benedict of Nursia, St Gertrude of Sweden, Sts Cyril & Methodius and St Edith Stein,3 Diocese, Siena, Joint Patron of Italy, with St Francis of Assisi, of Varazze, Italy.
Caterina Benincasa was born in Siena on 25 March 1347, the last of 25 children of the wealthy wool-dyer Jacopo Benincasa and Lapa di Puccio dé Piacenti.
At the age of six, Catherine received her first vision, near the Church of San Domenico. From this moment onwards the child began to follow a path of devotion, taking the oath of chastity only a year later. After initial resistance from her family, eventually her father gave in and left Catherine to follow her inclinations. In 1363, at just 15 years of age, Catherine donned the black cloak of the Dominican Tertiary sisters. In 1367 she began working tirelessly to help the sick at the hospital of Santa Maria della Scala.As her fame spread throughout Christendom, during a visit to the city of Pisa, Catherine received the stigmata from a wooden cross hanging in the Church of Santa Cristina. Her many travels abroad to act as mediator for the Papacy included a trip to Avignon, where she urged Pope Gregory to bring the Papal Court back to Rome from its exile in France.
On returning to Siena, Catherine founded the Monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli in the castle of Belcaro. With the death of Pope Gregory XI in 1378, his successor Urban VI had to face strong opposition from a number of cardinals who had elected a second Pope with the name of Clement VII, thereby provoking what would later come to be termed the Great Schism of the West. Pope Urban VI called on Catherine to act as mediator with princes, politicians and members of the Church, with a view to legitimising his election.
In 1380, at just 33, Catherine died and was buried in the Rome church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. In 1461 Pope Pius II proclaimed her saint and in 1866 Pius IX included her as one of the patron saints of Rome. In 1939, along with St Francis of Assisi, St Catherine of Siena was proclaimed patron saint of Italy by Pope Pius XII.
In 1970 Paul VI conferred the title of Doctor of the Universal Church on Catherine and in 1999 she was proclaimed co-patron saint of Europe by Pope John Paul II.
Catherine of Siena is one of the outstanding figures of medieval Catholicism, by the strong influence she has had in the history of the papacy. She is behind the return of the Pope from Avignon to Rome and then carried out many missions entrusted by the pope, something quite rare for a simple nun in the Middle Ages.
Her writings—and especially The Dialogue, her major work which includes a set of treatises she would have dictated during ecstasies—mark theological thought. She is one of the most influential writers in Catholicism, to the point that she is one of only four women to be declared a doctor of the Church. This recognition by the Church consecrates the importance of her writings.
St Catherine’s home now known as The Sanctuary of St Catherine is a major Pilgrimage Site in Siena. The architecture of this sanctuary dedicated to Saint Catherine isn’t entirely original but the atmosphere definitely is. As are many of the objects that belonged to the saint. The rooms have been altered a lot since 1461, when the house was bought by the city of Siena and transformed into a museum. The idea wasn’t faithful architectural conservation but rather preserving her honour and memory, hence the eclectic art collection celebrating her life and work. It’s a sensitive place, full of religious passion and historical references and well reflects the extraordinary life of this woman.
The Oratory of the Bedroom: this houses the small cubicle where Catherine rested and prayed and the stone where the saint would lay her head. This space is connected with the first phase of Catherine’s life, where she would withdraw from the world in contemplation. Images below.
Church of the Crucifix: The church is home to the wooden crucifix from which Saint Catherine received the stigmata, an event which took place in Pisa, where Catherine had gone in 1375 to persuade the Lords of the city to shun the anti-papal league. The stigmata remained visible only to the Saint for the rest of her life, miraculously appearing at the moment of her death.
Abbots of Cluny: A feast that recognizes the great and saintly early abbots of Cluny Abbey:
• Saint Aymardus of Cluny
• Saint Berno of Cluny
• Saint Hugh of Cluny
• Saint Mayeul
• Saint Odilo of Cluny
• Saint Odo of Cluny
• Saint Peter the Venerable
—
St Antonius Kim Song-u
St Ava of Denain
St Daniel of Gerona
St Dichu
St Endellion of Tregony
St Fiachan of Lismore
St Hugh of Cluny
St Gundebert of Gumber
St Joseph Benedict Cottolengo
St Paulinus of Brescia
St Peter Verona
Bl Robert Gruthuysen
St Senan of Wales
St Severus of Naples
St Theoger
St Torpes of Pisa
St Tychicus
St Wilfrid the Younger
—
Martyrs of Cirta: A group of clergy and laity martyred together in Cirta, Numidia (in modern Tunisia) in the persecutions of Valerian. They were – Agapius, Antonia, Emilian, Secundinus and Tertula, along with a woman and her twin children whose names have not come down to us.
Martyrs of Corfu: A gang of thieves who converted while in prison, brought to the faith by Saint Jason and Saint Sosipater who were had been imprisoned for evangelizing. When the gang announced their new faith, they were martyred together. They were – Euphrasius, Faustianus, Insischolus, Januarius, Mammius, Marsalius and Saturninus. They were boiled in oil and pitch in the 2nd century on the Island of Corcyra (modern Corfu, Greece.
Also known as:
• Martyrs of Corcyra
• Seven Holy Thieves
• Seven Holy Robbers
• Seven Robber Saints
Quote/s of the Day – 27 April – Friday of the Fourth Week of Eastertide
“Speaking of: Sin and Suffering”
“The dragon, sits by the side of the road, watching those who pass. Beware lest he devour you. We go to the Father of Souls but it is necessary, to pass by the dragon.”
St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387) Father & Doctor of the Church
“Only those who do not fight are never wounded.”
St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father & Doctor of the Church
“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)
“My key to heaven is that I loved Jesus in the night.”
Our Morning Offering – 27 April – Friday of the Fourth Week of Eastertide and the Feast of Our Lady of Montserrat (718)
O Most Blessed and Sweet Virgin Mary By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church
0 most blessed and sweet Virgin Mary,
Mother of God, filled with all tenderness,
Daughter of the most high King,
Lady of the Angels,
Mother of all the faithful,
On this day and all the days of my life,
I entrust to your merciful heart,
my body and my soul,
all my acts, thoughts, choices,
desires, words, deeds,
my entire life and death,
So that, with your assistance,
all may be ordered to the good
according to the will of your beloved Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 25 April – Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter and the Feast of St Mark the Evangelist
Speaking of: Being Catholic
“I would not believe in the Gospel, had not the authority of the Catholic Church already moved me.”
St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor
“In her voyage, across the ocean of this world, the Church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves of life’s different stresses. Our duty is not to abandon ship but to keep her on her course.”
St Boniface (672-754) Father & Martyr
“Jesus is with me. I have nothing to fear.”
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925)
“The Jesus of the Gospels is surely not convenient for us.”
“The Jesus who makes everything okay for everyone is a phantom, a dream, not a real figure…”
Pope Benedict XVI
“Catholicism is a matter of the body and the senses, as much as it is a matter of the mind, precisely because, the Word became flesh.”
“Easter is an earthquake, an explosion. If you see it as less than that, you’re not getting it.”
Bishop Robert Barron
“At some point, Jesus is going to call you out. That’s what He does.”
Our Morning Offering – 25 April – Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Easter Prayer By St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) Father & Doctor of the Church
It is only right,
with all the powers of our heart and mind,
to praise You Father
and Your Only-Begotten Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Dear Father,
by Your wondrous condescension
of Loving-Kindness toward us,
Your servants,
You gave up Your Son.
Dear Jesus, You paid the debt of Adam for us
to the Eternal Father
by Your Blood poured forth in Loving-Kindness.
You cleared away the darkness of sin
by Your magnificent and radiant Resurrection.
You broke the bonds of death
and rose from the grave as a Conqueror.
You reconciled Heaven and earth.
Our life had no hope of Eternal Happiness
before You redeemed us.
Your Resurrection has washed away our sins,
restored our innocence and brought us joy.
How inestimable is the tenderness of Your Love!
We pray You, Lord,
to preserve Your servants
in the peaceful enjoyment
of this Easter happiness.
We ask this through Jesus Christ Our Lord,
Who lives and reigns with God the Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
forever and ever.
Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 23 April – Monday of the Fourth Week of Eastertide
“Speaking of Love, Life & Virtue”
“He that is kind is free, though he is a slave; he that is evil is a slave, though he be a king.”
St Augustine (354-430) Doctor of Grace
“What we love we shall grow to resemble.”
St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) Mellifluous Doctor
“The creator of the heavens obeys a carpenter; the God of eternal glory listens to a poor virgin. Has anyone ever witnessed anything comparable to this? Let the philosopher no longer disdain from listening to the common labourer; the wise, to the simple; the educated, to the illiterate; a child of a prince, to a peasant.”
St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Evangelical Doctor
“Commitment is doing what you said you would do, after the feeling you said it in, has passed.”
St Camillus de Lellis (1550-1614)
“You cannot love a thing without wanting to fight for it.”
G K Chesterton (1874-1936)
“You can’t go back and change the beginning but you can start where you are and change the ending.”
C S Lewis (1898-1963)
“The whole point of life is to learn to be a gift.”
One Minute Reflection – 23 April – Monday of the Fourth Week of Eastertide and the Memorial of St George
Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit, making holiness perfect in the fear of God.…2 Corinthians 7:1
REFLECTION – “Saint George was a man who abandoned one army for another, he gave up the rank of tribune to enlist as a soldier for Christ. Eager to encounter the enemy, he first stripped away his worldly wealth by giving all he had to he poor. Then, free and unencumbered, bearing the shield of faith, he plunged into the thick of the battle, an ardent soldier for Christ. Clearly what he did, serves to teach us a valuable lesson, if we are afraid to strip ourselves of out worldly possessions, then we are unfit to make a strong defence of the faith. Dear brothers, let us not only admire the courage of this fighter in heaven’s army but follow his example. Let us be inspired to strive for the reward of heavenly glory. We must now cleanse ourselves, as Saint Paul tells us, from all defilement of body and spirit, so that one day we too may deserve to enter that temple of blessedness to which we now aspire.” – from a sermon by St Peter Damian (1007-1072) Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Almighty, everliving God, we confidently call You Father, as well as Lord. Renew Your Spirit in our hearts, make us ever more perfectly Your children. Grant that all who have received the grace of Baptism may strive to be worthy of their Christian calling and reject everything opposed to it. St George, in strength and love, you rejected false Gods, gave all you had to the poor and bravely went to your death in complete trust, please pray for us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 23 April – Monday of the Fourth Week of Eastertide
Act of Abandonment By St Francis De Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of Charity
O my God, I thank You
and I praise You
for accomplishing Your holy
and all-lovable will
without any regard for mine.
With my whole heart,
in spite of my heart,
do I receive this cross I feared so much!
It is the cross of Your choice,
the cross of Your love.
I venerate it;
nor for anything in the world
would I wish that it had not come,
since You willed it.
I keep it with gratitude and with joy,
as I do everything that comes from Your hand;
and I shall strive to carry it without letting it drag,
with all the respect
and all the affection which Your works deserve.
Amen
Sunday Reflection – 22 April – The Fourth Sunday of Easter – Good Shepherd/Vocations Sunday – Year B
“There flowed from His side water and blood. Beloved, do not pass over this mystery without thought; it has yet another hidden meaning, which I will explain to you. I said that water and blood symbolised Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. From these two sacraments the Church is born:- from baptism, the cleansing water that gives rebirth and renewal through the Holy Spirit and from the holy Eucharist.
Since the symbols of baptism and the Eucharist flowed from His side, it was from His side that Christ fashioned the Church, as He had fashioned Eve from the side of Adam. Moses gives a hint of this when he tells the story of the first man and makes him exclaim:- Bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh! As God then took a rib from Adam’s side to fashion a woman, so Christ has given us blood and water from His side to fashion the Church. God took the rib when Adam was in a deep sleep and in the same way Christ gave us the blood and the water after His own death.
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.’”
Our Morning Offering -22 April – The Fourth Sunday of Easter Year B
Give me Yourself, O My God By St Augustine (354-430) Doctor of Grace
Give me Yourself, O my God,
give Yourself to me.
Behold I love You
and if my love is too weak a thing,
grant me to love You more strongly.
I cannot measure my love
to know how much it falls short of being sufficient
but let my soul hasten to Your embrace
and never be turned away,
until it is hidden in the secret shelter
of Your presence.
This only do I know,
that it is not good for me
when You are not with me,
when You are only outside me.
I want You in my very self.
All the plenty in the world
which is not my God is utter want.
Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 21 April – Saturday of the Third Week of Eastertide, the Memorial of St Anselm (1033-1109) Doctor of the Church and of St Conrad of Parzham OFM Cap. (1818-1894)
“Remove grace and you have nothing whereby to be saved. Remove free will and you have nothing that could be saved.”
“God has promised pardon to him that repents but he has not promised repentance to him that sins.”
St Anselm (1033-1109) Doctor of the Church
Prayer of Adoration and Repentance/Night Prayer By St Conrad of Parzham (1818-1894)
I have come to spend a few moments with You, O Jesus and in spirit I prostrate myself in the dust before Your Holy Tabernacle to adore You, my Lord and God, in deepest humility. Once more, a day has come to its close, dear Jesus, another day which brings me nearer to the grave and my beloved heavenly home. Once more, O Jesus, my heart longs for You, the true Bread of Life, which contains all sweetness and relish. O my Jesus, mercifully grant me pardon for the faults and ingratitude of this day and come to me, to refresh my poor heart which longs for You. As the heart pants for the waters, as the parched earth longs for the dew of heaven, even so does my poor heart long for You, You Fount of Life. I love You, O Jesus, I hope in You, I love You and out of love for You, I regret sincerely all my sins. May Your peace and Your benediction be mine, now and always and for all eternity. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 21 April – Saturday of the Third Week of Eastertide and the Memorial of St Anselm (1033-1109) Doctor of the Church
Prayer for the Grace to Love God By St Anselm (1033-1109) Doctor of the Church
We love You, O God
and desire to love You more and more.
Grant that we may love You
as we wish to love You
and as we should love You.
O dearest Friend
who has loved us so deeply and redeemed us;
come and take Your place in our hearts.
Watch over our lips, our steps and our deeds
and we no longer fear for soul and body.
Yes, give us love, most precious of gifts,
which knows no enemies.
Give our hearts that pure love
borne of Your love for us,
that we may love others as You love us.
O most loving Father of Jesus Christ
from whom all love flows,
grant that our hearts, frozen in sin
and grown cold toward You,
may be warmed in the divine glow.
Help and bless us in Your Son.
O blessed Lord,
You have commanded us to love one another,
give us the grace that, as we have received
Your unmerited favours,
we may love all persons in You and for You.
We implore your clemency for all people
but particularly for our friends
whom You have given us.
Love them, Source of Love and instill in them
a thorough love of Yourself,
that they may seek, utter and do nothing
save what is pleasing to You.
Amen
St Anselm (of Canterbury) (1033-1109) Doctor of the Church (Optional Memorial)
Holy Infant of Good Health (Mexico)
—
St Abdechalas
St Anastasius I of Antioch
St Anastasius of Sinai
St Apollo of Nicomedia
St Apollonius the Apologist
St Arator of Alexandria
St Beuno Gasulsych
St Conrad of Parzham (1818-1894)
St Crotates of Nicomedia
St Cyprian of Brescia
St Felix of Alexandria
St Fortunatus of Alexandria
St Frodulphus
St Isacius of Nicomedia
Bl John Saziari
St Maelrubba of Applecross
St Roman Adame Rosales
St Silvius of Alexandria
St Simeon of Ctesiphon
St Vitalis of Alexandria
Bl Vitaliy Bayrak
Bl Wolbodó of Liège
Quote/s of the Day – 20 April – Friday of the Third Week of Eastertide – Today’s Gospel: John 6:52-59
“Speaking of: The Holy Eucharist”
“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.”
St John Chrysostom (347-407) Doctor of the Church
“The Blessed Eucharist is the perfect Sacrament of the Lord’s Passion, since It contains Christ Himself and his Passion.”
St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Angelic Doctor
“The last degree of love is when He gave Himself to us to be our Food; because He gave Himself to be united with us in every way.”
St Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444)
“Of all devotions, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the greatest after the sacraments, the one dearest to God and the one most helpful to us.”
St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
“Upon receiving Holy Communion, the Adorable Blood of Jesus Christ really flows in our veins and His Flesh is really blended with ours.”
St John Vianney (1786-1859)
“I urge you with all the strength of my soul to approach the Eucharistic Table as often as possible. Feed on this Bread of the Angels from which you will draw the strength to fight inner struggles.”
Thought for the Day – 18 April – Wednesday of the Third Week of Eastertide – Acts 8:1-8, Psalm 66:1-7, John 6:35-40
St John Chrysostom (347-407) – Sermon 45 on the Gospel of John – John 6:40
And I will raise him up at the last day. Why does He continually dwell upon the Resurrection? Is it that men may not judge of God’s providence by present things alone; that if they enjoy not results here, they become not on that account desponding but wait for the things that are to come and that they may not, because their sins are not punished for the present, despise Him, but look for another life.
Now those men gained nothing but let us take pains to gain by having the Resurrection continually sounded in our ears; and if we desire to be grasping, or to steal, or to do any wrong thing, let us straightway take into our thoughts that Day, let us picture to ourselves the Judgment-seat, for such reflections will check the evil impulse more strongly than any bit. Let us continually say to others and to ourselves, There is a resurrection, and a fearful tribunal awaits us.
If we see any man insolent and puffed up with the good things of his world, let us make the same remark to him and show him that all those things abide here: and if we observe another grieving and impatient, let us say the same to him and point out to him that his sorrows shall have an end; if we see one careless and dissipated, let us say the same charm over him and show that for his carelessness he must render account.
This saying is able more than any other remedy to heal our souls. For there is a Resurrection and that Resurrection is at our doors, not afar off, nor at a distance. For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come and will not tarry. Hebrews 10:37 And again, We must all appear before the judgement-seat of Christ 2 Corinthians 5:10; that is, both bad and good, the one to be shamed in sight of all, the other in sight of all to be made more glorious. For as they who judge here, punish the wicked and honour the good publicly, so too will it be there, that the one sort may have the greater shame and the other more conspicuous glory.
Let us picture these things to ourselves every day. If we are ever revolving them, no care for present things will be able to sting us. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18 Continually let us say to ourselves and to others, There is a Resurrection, and a Judgement and a scrutiny of our actions; and let as many as deem that there is such a thing as fate repeat this and they shall straightway be delivered from the rottenness of their malady; for if there is a Resurrection, and a Judgement, there is no fate, though they bring ten thousand arguments and choke themselves to prove it.
But I am ashamed to be teaching Christians concerning the Resurrection: for he that needs to learn that there is a Resurrection and who has not firmly persuaded himself that the affairs of this world go not on by fate and without design and as chance will have them, can be no Christian.
Wherefore, I exhort and beseech you, that we cleanse ourselves from all wickedness and do all in our power to obtain pardon and excuse in that Day….For a man cannot possibly live a pure life without believing in the Resurrection!
One Minute Reflection – 18 April – Wednesday of the Third Week of Eastertide – Acts 8:1-8, Psalm 66:1-7, John 6:35-40
Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise!...Psalm 66:1-3
REFLECTION – “My dear brothers and sons, fruit of the true faith and 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. If you desire to praise Him, then live what you express. Live good lives and you yourselves, will be His praise.”…St Augustine (354-430) Doctor of Grace
PRAYER – God and Father, we honour the yearly feast of Your Son’s Resurrection by celebrating it in the sacramental mystery. Give us likewise the grace, to rejoice at all times, with all the saints, until He comes in glory. Through our Lord Jesus, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Thought for the Day – – Tuesday of the Third Week of Eastertide – Today’s Gospel: John 6:30–35 & the Memorial of Bl Andrés Hibernón Real O.F.M. (1534-1602) ) ‘Apostle of Eucharistic Adoration’
Meditation on the Blessed Sacrament by St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) – Most Zealous Doctor
Meditation, wherever it is made,
pleases God.
But it seems that Jesus,
especially delights in prayer,
made before the Blessed Sacrament.
Did he not leave Himself for us
in this sacrament to be food for our spirit
and to be present for all who seek Him?
We cannot all make pilgrimages
to the places where Jesus lived
but the Lord who died for us
on the cross of Calvary
now dwells in person,
in the tabernacle – waiting.
We need not await a command
as we would of an earthly king,
to enter His presence –
He is waiting for us
to lay before Him our wants
and to seek His help.
So that we may taste
the sweetness of His presence,
it is good to empty ourselves
of earthly desires.
Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46: 10
What pleasure is found in spending
a long time before the altar
where the Lord dwells!
What heavenly sweetness the Lord
allows us to taste and enjoy!
What should we do in the presence of the Lord in the Eucharist?
We should stay there, not to enjoy
sweetness and consolation
but to give pleasure to God
by making acts of love, saying
O my God, I love
and desire nothing but You.
Grant that I may always love You;
then do with me and all I possess,
as You please.
These acts of love,
even when made without sensible delight,
please god greatly.
For good people often have to bear
with distractions and dryness in prayer.
As for distractions,
of these we must not make much account.
It is enough to drive them away
when they come.
Do not on this account leave off prayer.
Saint Francis de Sales said:
“If, in meditation, we do nothing but drive away distractions, our meditation would be of great profit.”
And as for dryness:
this is the greatest pain
for those given to prayer,
for we find ourselves without
any sensible desire of loving God.
Added to this, at times, is the fear
of being separated from God
because of our sins.
There is the feeling
of being in utter darkness
without any way of escape.
At such times let us unite our desolation
with that which Jesus suffered on the cross.
If we can say nothing else,
it is enough to say,
at least by an act of the will:
My God, I desire to love You. Have pity on me; Leave me not.
PRAYER of one in deep affliction.
My God, I love You tenderly though I feel You far away. I will seek You ceaselessly lest from You I stray. AMEN
Quotes of the Day – 15 April – The Third Sunday of Easter Year B
“Speaking of the Holy Mass”
“Recognise in this bread what hung on the cross and in this chalice what flowed from His side… whatever was in many and varied ways announced beforehand in the sacrifices of the Old Testament pertains to this one sacrifice which is revealed in the New Testament.”
St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor
“Jesus taught a new sacrifice which the Church received from the Apostles and offers throughout the whole world.”
St Irenaeus (130-202) Father of the Church
“All the good works in the world are not equal to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass because they are the works of men – but the Mass is the work of God. Martyrdom is nothing in comparison, for it is but the sacrifice of man to God – but the Mass is the sacrifice of God for man.”
St John Vianney (1786-1859)
“Many Christians take their time and have leisure enough in their social life (no hurry here). They are leisurely, too, in their professional activities, at table and recreation (no hurry here either). But isn’t it strange, how those same Christians. find themselves in such a rush and want to hurry the priest, in their anxiety to shorten the time devoted to the most holy sacrifice of the altar?“
Our Morning Offering – 13 April 2017 – Friday of the Second Week of Eastertide
O Lord My God St Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109) Doctor of the Church
O Lord my God.
Teach my heart this day
where and how to find You.
You have made me and re-made me,
and You have bestowed on me
all the good things I possess,
and still I do not know You.
I have not yet done
that for which I was made.
Teach me to seek You,
for I cannot seek You
unless You teach me,
or find You
unless You show yourself to me.
Let me seek You in my desire;
let me desire You in my seeking.
Let me find You by loving You;
let me love You when I find You.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 12 April – Thursday of the Second Week of Eastertide
You are the King of All St Albert the Great (1200-1280) Universal Doctor
We pray to You, O Lord,
who are the supreme Truth,
and all truth is from You.
We beseech You, O Lord,
who are the highest Wisdom,
and all the wise depend on You
for their wisdom.
You are the supreme Joy,
and all who are happy owe it to You.
You are the Light of minds,
and all receive their understanding from You.
We love, we love You above all.
We seek You, we follow You,
and we are ready to serve You.
We desire to dwell under Your power
for You are the King of all.
Amen.
Quote of the Day – 11 April – Wednesday of the Second Week of Eastertide
“To believe in God – for Christians, does not mean simply to believe that God exists, nor merely to believe that He is truth. It means to believe by loving, to believe by abandoning oneself to God completely, uniting and conforming oneself to Him.”
St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Doctor of the Church
Thought for the Day – 10 April – Tuesday of the Second Week of Eastertide
“As they were looking on, so we too, gaze on His wounds as He hangs. We see His blood as He dies. We see the price offered by the Redeemer, touch the scars of His Resurrection. He bows His head, as if to kiss you. His heart is made bare open, as it were, in love to you. His arms are extended that He may embrace you. His whole body is displayed for Your redemption. Ponder how great these things are. Let all this be rightly weighed in your mind: as He was once fixed to the Cross in every part of His body for you, so He may now be fixed in every part of your soul!”
For Your Mercy’s Sake By Saint Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor
For Your mercy’s sake, O Lord my God,
tell me what You are to me.
Say to my soul: “I am your salvation.”
So speak that I may hear, O Lord,
my heart is listening,
open it, that it may hear You,
and say to my soul: “I am your salvation.”
After hearing this word,
may I come in haste to take hold of You.
Hide not Your face from me.
Let me see Your face, even if I die,
lest I die with longing to see it.
The house of my soul
is too small to receive You;
let it be enlarged by You.
It is all in ruins,
do You repair it.
There are thing in it,
I confess and I know,
that must offend Your sight.
But who shall cleanse it?
Or to what others besides You, shall I cry out?
From my secret sins cleanse me, O Lord,
and from those of others, spare Your servant.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 9 April – Low Monday of Eastertide
St Augustine of Hippo – The Easter Alleluia
This excerpt on the Easter Alleluia from St Augustine is a wonderful explanation of the joy of the Easter Season. Just as Lent was a season of penance, so the fifty days of Easter is a season of praise and song, an anticipation for the age to come in heavenly glory.
“Our thoughts in this present life, should turn on the praise of God because it is in praising God, that we shall rejoice forever in the life to come and no one can be ready for the next life, unless he trains himself for it now.
So we praise God during our earthly life and at the same time we make our petitions to Him. Our praise is expressed with joy, our petitions with yearning. We have been promised something we do not yet possess and because the promise was made by one who keeps His word, we trust Him and are glad; but insofar as possession is delayed, we can only long and yearn for it. It is good for us to persevere in longing until we receive what was promised and yearning is over, then praise alone will remain.
Because there are these two periods of time – the one that now is, beset with the trials and troubles of this life and the other yet to come, a life of everlasting serenity and joy – we are given two liturgical seasons, one before Easter and the other after. The season before Easter signifies the troubles in which we live here and now, while the time after Easter which we are celebrating at present, signifies the happiness that will be ours in the future. What we commemorate before Easter is what we experience in this life; what we celebrate after Easter points to something we do not yet possess. This is why we keep the first season with fasting and prayer but now the fast is over and we devote the present season to praise. Such is the meaning of the Alleluia we sing.
Both these periods are represented and demonstrated for us in Christ our head. The Lord’s passion depicts for us our present life of trial – shows how we must suffer and be afflicted and finally die. The Lord’s resurrection and glorification show us the life that will be given to us in the future.
Now therefore, brethren, we urge you to praise God. That is what we are all telling each other when we say Alleluia. You say to your neighbour, “Praise the Lord!” and he says the same to you. We are all urging one another to praise the Lord and all thereby doing what each of us urges the other to do. But see that your praise comes from your whole being; in other words, see that you praise God, not with your lips and voices alone but with your minds, your lives and all your actions.
We are praising God now, assembled as we are here in church; but when we go on our various ways again, it seems as if we cease to praise God. But provided we do not cease to live a good life, we shall always be praising God. You cease to praise God only when you swerve from justice and from what is pleasing to God.
If you never turn aside from the good life, your tongue may be silent but your actions will cry aloud and God will perceive your intentions; for as our ears hear each other’s voices, so do God’s ears hear our thoughts.”
This excerpt on the Alleluia as the song of the Easter Season of praise comes from St. Augustine’s discourse on the Psalms (Ps. 148, 1-2: CCL 40, 2165-2166).
We are the Easter People and Alleluia is our Song!
The Oratory of the Bedroom: this houses the small cubicle where Catherine rested and prayed and the stone where the saint would lay her head. This space is connected with the first phase of Catherine’s life, where she would withdraw from the world in contemplation. Images below.
So we praise God during our earthly life and at the same time we make our petitions to Him. Our praise is expressed with joy, our petitions with yearning. We have been promised something we do not yet possess and because the promise was made by one who keeps His word, we trust Him and are glad; but insofar as possession is delayed, we can only long and yearn for it. It is good for us to persevere in longing until we receive what was promised and yearning is over, then praise alone will remain.
AnaStpaul 
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