Our Morning Offering – 18 January
Daily Prayer “Grant me Grace”
By St Thomas Aquinas
(1225-1274) Doctor of the Church
Grant me grace,
O merciful God,
to desire ardently
all that is pleasing to You,
to examine it prudently,
to acknowledge it truthfully,
and to accomplish it perfectly,
for the praise and glory of Your name.
Amen
Novena to St Francis de Sales
Day Three – 17 January
“I desire very little and what I do desire I desire very little; I have hardly any desires but if I were to begin my life all over again I would want to have none at all … Ask for nothing, refuse nothing; we must simply abandon ourselves into the hands of Providence, without nourishing any other desire but to do whatever God wills. St Paul practised this act of absolute abandonment at the very moment of his conversion. When he was deprived of his sight, he immediately said, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” [cf. Act 22:10] From that moment on he put himself completely at God’s disposal. All our perfection consists precisely in the practical application of this principle. ” (St Francis de Sales Spiritual Treatises XXI, O. VI, pp. 383-384)
O blessed Francis de Sales,
who on earth did excel in a life of virtue,
especially in the love of God and neighbour,
I earnestly ask you to take me under your compassionate care and protection.
Obtain for me conversion of mind and heart.
Grant that all people, especially …………………….
(names of those whom you wish to include)
may experience the depth of God’s redeeming and healing love.
Teach me to fix my eyes on the things of heaven even as I walk each day
with my feet planted firmly on the earth.
Help me, through the practice of virtue and the pursuit of devotion,
to avoid anything that would otherwise cause me to stumble
in my attempt to follow Christ and to be an instrument of the Holy Spirit.
Encouraged by your prayers and example,
help me to live fully my sacred dignity
with the hope of experiencing my sacred destiny: eternal life with God.
Receive also this particular need or concern that I now lift up in prayer.
………………………………………. (mention your particular need).
O God, for the salvation of all, You desired that St Francis de Sales—
preacher, missionary, confessor, bishop and founder—
should befriend many along the road to salvation.
Mercifully grant that we,
infused with the humility and gentleness of his charity,
guided by his wisdom and sharing in his spirit may experience eternal life.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen
St Francis de Sales, pray for us.
Thought for the Day – 17 January – The Memorial of St Anthony Abbot (251-356)
In an age that smiles and jeers at the notion of devils and angels, a person known for having power over evil spirits must at least make us pause. And in a day when people speak of life as a “rat race,” one who devotes a whole life to solitude and prayer points to an essential of the Christian life in all ages. Anthony’s hermit life reminds us of the absoluteness of our break with sin and the totality of our commitment to Christ. Even in God’s good world, there is another world whose false values constantly tempt us.
“Let us not then be ashamed
to confess the Crucified.
BE THE CROSS OUR SEAL,
made with boldness by our fingers,
on our brow and in everything,
over the bread we eat and the cups we drink,
in our comings in and goings out,
before our sleep,
when we lie down
and when we awake,
when we are in the way
and when we are still.
Great is that preservative,
it is without price,
for the poor’s sake,
without toil,
for the sick,
since also its’ grace is from God.
It is the Sign of the faithful
and the dread of evils –
for He has triumphed over them in it,
having made a shew of them openly –
for when they see the Cross,
they are reminded of the Crucified;
they are afraid of Him,
Who hath bruised the head of the dragon.
Despise not the Seal
because of the freeness of the Gift
but for this,
rather honour thy Benefactor!”
“The Sign of the Cross
is the most terrible weapon
against the devil.
Thus the Church wishes not only,
that we have it continually
in front of our minds,
to recall to us
just what our souls are worth
and what they cost Jesus Christ
but also that we should make it
at every juncture ourselves:
when we go to bed,
when we awaken during the night,
when we get up,
when we begin any action,
and, above all,
when we are tempted.”
“The illusions of this world soon vanish,
especially if a man arms himself with
the Sign of the Cross.
The devils tremble
at the Sign of the Cross of our Lord,
by which He triumphed over
and disarmed them.”
“The days are coming when men will go mad;
and, when they meet a man who has kept his senses,
they will rise up against him, saying,
“You are mad, because you are not like us.”
“I saw the snares that the enemy
spreads out over the world
and I said groaning,
“What can get through from such snares?”
Then I heard a voice saying to me, “Humility.”
“Reject pride and consider everyone
more righteous than yourself.”
St Anthony told his monks:
For the presence, either of the good or evil,
by the help of God, can easily be distinguished.
The vision of the holy ones, is not fraught with distraction:
‘For they will not strive, nor cry,
nor shall anyone hear their voice’ (Matthew 12:19; Isaiah 42:2).
But it comes quietly and gently.
that an immediate joy, gladness and courage, arise in the soul.
For the Lord, who is our joy, is with them
and the power of God the Father.
Our Morning Offering – 17 January
Morning Prayer
By St Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) Doctor of the Church “Doctor of Prayer”
Lord, grant that I may always
allow myself
to be guided by You,
always follow Your plans,
and perfectly accomplish
Your Holy Will.
Grant that in all things,
great and small,
today and all the days of my life,
I may do whatever You require of me.
Help me respond
to the slightest prompting of Your Grace,
so that I may be Your trustworthy
instrument for Your honour.
May Your Will be done in time
and in eternity by me,
in me
and through me.
Amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 16 January – The memorial of St Joseph Vaz (1651-1711) Apostle of Sri Lanka – “Speaking of Charity”
“Help one another
with the generosity
of the Lord
and despise no one.
When you have
the opportunity
to do good,
do not let it go by.”
“No one has ever been accused
for not providing ornaments
…Do not, therefore, adorn the church
and ignore your afflicted brother,
for he is the most precious temple of all.”
“Beauty grows in you to the extent that love grows
because charity itself is the soul’s beauty.”
“You cannot attain to charity except through humility.”
“It is by the path of love, which is charity,
that God draws near to man and man to God.
But where charity is not found,
God cannot dwell.
If, then, we possess charity,
we possess God, for “God is Charity”
“If you want God to hear your prayers,
hear the voice of the poor.
If you wish God to anticipate your wants,
provide those of the needy without waiting
for them to ask you.
Especially anticipate the needs of those
who are ashamed to beg.
To make them ask for alms is to make them buy it.”
“No man discovers anything big
if he does not make himself small.”
“Show me your hands.
Do they have scars from giving?
Show me your feet.
Are they wounded in service?
Show me your heart.
Have you left a place for divine love?”
Novena to St Francis de Sales
Day One – 15 January
There is no clock, no matter how good it may be, that doesn’t need resetting and rewinding twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. In addition, at least once a year it must be taken apart to remove the dirt clogging it, straighten out bent parts and repair those worn out. In like manner, every morning and evening a person who really takes care of his heart must rewind it for God’s service by means of certain practices of piety. At least once a year he must take it apart and examine every piece in detail; that is, every affection and passion, in order to repair whatever defects there may be. (INT. Part 5, Ch. 1; O. III, p. 340)
O blessed Francis de Sales,
who on earth did excel in a life of virtue,
especially in the love of God and neighbour,
I earnestly ask you to take me
under your compassionate care and protection.
Obtain for me conversion of mind and heart.
Grant that all people,
especially ……………………..
(names of those whom you wish to include)
may experience the depth of God’s redeeming and healing love.
Teach me to fix my eyes on the things of heaven
even as I walk each day with my feet planted firmly on the earth.
Help me, through the practice of virtue and the pursuit of devotion,
to avoid anything that would otherwise cause me to stumble
in my attempt to follow Christ
and to be an instrument of the Holy Spirit.
Encouraged by your prayers and example,
help me to live fully my sacred dignity
with the hope of experiencing my sacred destiny:
eternal life with God.
Receive also this particular need or concern
that I now lift up in prayer………………………………
(mention your particular need).
O God, for the salvation of all,
you desired that St Francis de Sales,
preacher, missionary, confessor, bishop and founder,
should befriend many along the road to salvation.
Mercifully grant that we,
infused with the humility and gentleness of his charity,
guided by his wisdom and sharing in his spirit
may experience eternal life.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
St Francis de Sales, pray for us.
Quote/s of the Day – 15 January – The Feast of Our Lady of Banneux – “Speaking of Mary”
“That one woman is both mother and virgin,
not in spirit only but even in body.
In spirit she is mother, not of our Head,
who is our Saviour Himself—of whom all,
even she herself, are rightly called children of the Bridegroom—
but plainly she is the mother of us, who are His members
because by love, she has co-operated, so that the faithful,
who are the members of that Head, might be born in the Church.
In body, indeed, she is the Mother of that very Head”
“Seek refuge in Mary because she is the city of refuge.
We know that Moses set up three cities of refuge
for anyone who inadvertently killed his neighbour.
Now the Lord has established a Refuge of Mercy, Mary,
even for those who deliberately commit evil.
Mary provides shelter and strength for the sinner.”
”Let not that man presume to look for mercy from God,
who offends His Holy Mother!”
“Just as there is not one among all the Blessed
who loves God as Mary does, so there is no one,
after God, who loves us as much as this most loving Mother does.
Furthermore, if we heaped together
all the love that mothers have for their children,
all the love of husbands and wives,
all the love of all the angels and Saints for their clients,
it could never equal Mary’s love for even a single soul.”
“Only after the Last Judgment will Mary get any rest;
from now until then, she is much too busy with her children.”
“To serve the Queen of Heaven, is already to reign there
and to live under her commands, is more than to govern.”
”To desire grace, without recourse to the Virgin Mother,
is to desire to fly without wings!”
“I come to alleviate sufferings….
I am the Virgin of the Poor…..
I am the Mother of the Saviour,
the Mother of God.
Pray very much.”
One Minute Reflection – 15 January – The Feast of Our Lady of Banneux
“Rejoice, O highly favoured daughter,! The Lord is with you.”…Luke 1:28
REFLECTION – ” All others had a Redeemer Who delivered them from sin with which they were already defiled but that the most Blessed Virgin had a Redeemer Who, because He was her Son, preserved her from ever being defiled by it. “…St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, grant me the grace to have Mary as my constant intercessor. In all difficulties, let me call on her aid, for she is Your beloved Daughter and our Blessed Mother. Holy Mother of Banneux, Pray for us, amen!
Our Morning Offering – 14 January – 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
Prayer before Mass
By St Ambrose (340-397) Father & Doctor of the Church
Lord Jesus Christ,
We approach Your banquet table
as saints and sinners
and dare not rely on our own worth,
but only on Your goodness and mercy.
Gracious God of majesty and awe,
We seek Your protection,
We look for Your healing.
We appeal to You, the fountain of all mercy.
Lord Jesus Christ, eternal king,
crucified for us, look upon us with mercy
and hear our prayer, for we trust in You.
Merciful Father, purify us in body and soul
and make us worthy to taste the Holy of Holies.
May Your body and blood,
which we intend to receive,
unworthy as we are,
be for us the remission of our sins,
the washing away of our guilt,
the end of our evil thoughts
and the rebirth of our better instincts.
May it incite us to do the works pleasing to You
and profitable to our health in body and soul
and may it deliver us from evil. Amen
Thought for the Day – 13 January – The Memorial of St Hilary of Poitiers (315-368) Father & Doctor of the Church
It was in reading the Holy Scriptures that St Hilary discovered the greatness of God and the sublimity of the Church and Christian teachings. The Scriptures is not just a revered book to be placed on our shelves in a place of honour it is to be read, to be studied and reflected upon. It leads not only to faith and holiness of life but also to the Kingdom of God itself. So we learn that Christ said His coming would bring not peace but a sword (see Matthew 10:34). The Gospels offer no support for us if we fantasise about a sunlit holiness that knows no problems. Christ did not escape at the last moment, though He did live happily ever after—after a life of controversy, problems, pain and frustration. Hilary, like all saints, simply had more of the same.
All-powerful God, as Saint Hilary defended the divinity of Christ Your Son, give us a deeper understanding of this mystery and help us to profess it in all truth.
St Hilary of Poitiers Pray for us!
Quote/s of the Day – 13 January – The Memorial of St Hilary of Poitiers (315-368) Father & Doctor of the Church
“The privilege of our Church is such that
it is never stronger
than when it is attacked,
never better known
than when it is accused,
never more powerful
than when it appears forsaken.”
(Treatise on the Trinity)
“The Church is the Ship
outside which
it is impossible to understand
the Divine Word,
for Jesus spoke from the boat
to the people gathered
on the shore.”
“No matter how sinful
one may have been,
if he has devotion to Mary,
it is impossible that he be lost.”
“I am well aware,
almighty God and Father,
that in my life,
I owe you a most particular duty.
It is to make my every thought
and word speak of You.”
“It is the Father from whom everything
that exists has been formed.
He is in Christ and through Christ
the source of all things.
Moreover, His being is in Himself
and He does not derive
what He is from anywhere else,
but possesses what He is
from Himself and in Himself.
He is infinite because He Himself
is not in anything
and all things are within Him,
He is always outside of space
because He is not restricted;
He is always before time
because time comes from Him….
But, God is also present everywhere
and is present in His entirety wherever He is.
Thus, He transcends the realm of understanding,
outside of whom nothing exists
and of whom eternal being is always characteristic.
This is the true nature of the mystery of God;
this is the name
of the impenetrable nature in the Father.”
(Treatise on the Trinity)
One Minute Reflection – 13 January – The Memorial of St Hilary of Poitiers (315-368) Father & Doctor of the Church
Then he said, ‘In truth I tell you, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven…Matthew 18:3
REFLECTION – “Little children follow and obey their father. They love their mother. They know nothing of covetousness, ill-will, bad temper, arrogance and lying. This state of mind opens the road to heaven. To imitate our Lord’s own humility, we must return to the simplicity of God’s little ones. – St Hilary
PRAYER – Give us the grace, almighty God, to become as innocent and obedient to You as little children. Teach us neither to question, nor fear, for it is our total trust of You that we will reach our heavenly home. Grant that the intercession of St Hilary we may achieve such innocence, through Christ our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 13 January – The Memorial of St Hilary of Poitiers (315-368) Father & Doctor of the Church
O Holy Trinity!
For Perseverance In the One True Faith
By St Hilary of Poitiers
Father, keep us from vain strife of words.
Grant to us constant profession of the Truth!
Preserve us in a true and undefiled faith
so that we may hold fast to that
which we professed when we were baptised
in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
that we may have You for our Father,
that we may abide in Your Son
and in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 13 January – St Hilary of Poitiers (315-368) Father & Doctor of the Church, Bishop, Confessor, Writer, Philosopher, Theologian, Preacher, Defender of the Faith. He was sometimes referred to as the “Hammer of the Arians” and the “Athanasius of the West.” His name comes from the Latin word for happy or cheerful. St Hilary was born in 315 at Poitiers, France and he died in 368 of natural causes. Patronages – against rheumatism, against snakes, against snake bites, backward children, children learning to walk, mothers, the sick/the infirm, 4 Cities.
Hilary was born to pagan parents of Poitiers, France, in 315. After training in the classics and philosophy, Hilary married. He and his wife had one daughter, Afra. All who knew Hilary said he was a friendly, charitable, gentle man. Hilary’s studies led him to read Scripture. He became convinced that there was only one God, whose Son became man and died and rose to save all people. This led him to be baptised along with his wife and daughter.
This gentle and courteous man, became a staunch defender of the divinity of Christ. He was devoted to writing some of the greatest theology on the Trinity and was, like his Master, in being labeled a “disturber of the peace.” In a very troubled period in the Church, his holiness was lived out in both scholarship and controversy.
The people of Poitiers chose Hilary to be their bishop in 353. As Bishop, he was soon taken up with battling what became the scourge of the fourth century, Arianism, which denied the divinity of Christ.
The heresy spread rapidly. Saint Jerome said “The world groaned and marvelled to find that it was Arian.” When Emperor Constantius ordered all the bishops of the West to sign a condemnation of Athanasius, the great defender of the faith in the East, Hilary refused and was banished from France to far off Phrygia. There, too, his pastoral solicitude led him to work tirelessly for the re-establishment of the Church’s unity, based on the correct faith, as formulated by the Council of Nicea. To this end, he began writing his most important and most famous dogmatic work: “De Trinitatae” (On the Trinity). Eventually he was called the “Athanasius of the West” and the “Hammer of the Arians.”
Fearing Hilary’s arguments, Arian’s followers begged the emperor to send Hilary home. The emperor, believing Hilary was also undermining his authority, recalled him. Hilary’s writings show that he could be fierce in defending the faith but in dealing with the bishops who had given in to the Arian heresy, he was charitable. He showed them their errors and helped them to defend their faith. Though the emperor called Hilary “disturber of the peace,” Saints Jerome and Augustine praised him as “teacher of the churches.”
During the last years of his life, he wrote “Treatises on the Psalms,” a commentary on 58 psalms, interpreted according to the principle highlighted in the introduction to the work: “There is no doubt that all the things said in the Psalms must be understood according to the Gospel proclamation, so that, independently of the voice with which the prophetic spirit has spoken, everything refers to the knowledge of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, incarnation, passion and kingdom and the glory and power of our resurrection” (“Instructio Psalmorum” 5).
In all of the Psalms, he sees this transparency of Christ’s mystery and of His body, which is the Church. On various occasions, Hilary met with St Martin, the future bishop of Tours who founded a monastery near Poitiers, which still exists today.
Hilary died in 367. His feast day is celebrated today throughout the universal Church. In 1851, Blessed Pius IX proclaimed him a doctor of the Church.
Quote/s of the Day – Speaking of Prayer
“Virtues are formed by prayer.
Prayer preserves temperance.
Prayer suppresses anger.
Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy.
Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit
and raises man to Heaven.”
“When we pray,
the voice of the heart
must be heard
more than proceedings
from the mouth.”
“We do not have to talk very much
in order to pray well.
We know that God is there,
in His holy tabernacle;
let us open our hearts to Him;
let us rejoice in His Presence –
this is the best prayer.”
“Without Prayer nothing good is done.
God’s works are done with our hands joined
and on our knees.
Even when we run,
we must remain spiritually
kneeling before Him.”
“You go to pray;
to become a bonfire,
a living flame,
giving light and heat.”
“You don’t know how to pray?
Put yourself in the presence of God
and as soon as you have said,
‘Lord, I don’t know how to pray!’
you can be sure you have already begun.”
Quote/s of the Day – 11 January – Speaking of Worry
“Let not your hearts be troubled;
believe in God, believe also in me.
In my Father’s house are many rooms;
if it were not so, would I have told you
that I go to prepare a place for you?
And when I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again and will take you to myself,
that where I am you may be also.
And you know the way where I am going.”
“Where there is charity and wisdom,
there is neither fear nor ignorance.
Where there is patience and humility,
there is neither anger nor vexation.
Where there is poverty and joy,
there is neither greed nor avarice.
Where there is peace and meditation,
there is neither anxiety nor doubt.”
“I will not mistrust Him, Meg,
although I shall feel myself weakening
and on the verge of being overcome with fear.
I shall remember how St Peter, at a blast of wind began to sink
because of his lack of faith and I shall do as he did:
call upon Christ and pray to Him for help.
And then, I trust He shall place His holy hand on me
and in the stormy seas, hold me up from drowning.”
“It will be quite enough to receive the evils
that come upon us from time to time,
without anticipating them by the imagination.”
“Hold your eyes on God
and leave the doing to Him.
That is all the doing you have to worry about.”
“Lay all your cares about the future
trustingly in God’s Hands and let yourself
be guided by the Lord just like a little child.”
“Humble yourselves therefore,
under the mighty hand of God,
so that he may exalt you in due time.
Cast all your anxiety on him
because he cares for you.”
“Do not worry about anything
but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
One Minute Reflection – 11 January
Enough then, of worrying about tomorrow. Let tomorrow take care of itself. Today has troubles enough of its own….Matthew 6:34
REFLECTION – “Let us strive to make the present moment beautiful!”…St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church
“Let us especially regret the smallest amount of time that we waste or fail to use in loving God.”..St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Lord God, help me to remember that yesterday is gone forever and tomorrow may never come. Let me live in the present and strive to do Your will. Let me abandon myself to Your divine guidance and Your providence in all things. Amen
Announcement of Novenas:
ST FRANCIS de SALES – begins 15 January
ST PAUL – begins 16 January
ST JOHN BOSCO – begins 22 January
to ST FRANCIS de SALES CO OM OFM Cap (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church – begins 15 January. St Francis de Sales is the Patron of Devotion so if there’s a Saint who might know what a Devout Heart is, it’s going to be him. St Alphonsus Liguori said that the most useful practice of a Novena is to make up our minds at the beginning of the Novena to correct some fault we have been accustomed to commit. Let us ask St Francis de Sales to stir our hearts toward greater devotion and love for God.
to ST PAUL – begins 16 January – We pray in honour of the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul on 25 January. St Paul is the MOST NEGLECTED IN PRAYER by Catholics – come on folks let us pray for zeal, for courage, for perseverence, for strength, for LOVE of God and neighbour, in fact we can pray to ST PAUL FOR ALL our needs!
to ST JOHN BOSCO “Don Bosco” (1815-1888) “Father and Teacher of the Youth” – He was a follower of the spirituality and philosophy of Saint Francis de Sales, Bosco was an ardent Marian devotee of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title Mary Help of Christians. He later dedicated his works to De Sales when he founded the Salesians of Don Bosco – begins 22 January. St John Bosco is the Patron of Christian apprentices, editors, publishers, schoolchildren, young people, magicians, juvenile delinquents. Choose ALL young people or your own children. Or simply Pray the 9 days for your own growth in love of our Mother, the Help of Christians or our own growth in faith and sanctity.
One Minute Reflection – 10 January – The Month of the Most Holy Name
And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it…John 14:13-14
REFLECTION – The Holy Name of Jesus is, first of all, an all-powerful prayer. Our Lord Himself solemnly promises, that whatever we ask the Father in His Name, we shall receive. God never fails to keep His word. Each time we say “Jesus,” it is an act of perfect love, for, we offer to God, the infinite love of Jesus………….St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Lord God, grant me the courage to confess my faith in the Name above all names and proclaim each moment the Holy Name of Your Son, thus giving You honour and glory. Jesus Name above all Names, be my standard and my beacon! Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 9 January – “Speaking of Conversion”
“Do not have Jesus Christ on your lips
and the world in your heart.”
“We recognise a tree by its fruit
and we ought to be able to recognise
a Christian by his action.
The fruit of faith should be evident in our lives,
for being a Christian is more than making
sound professions of faith.
It should reveal itself in practical and visible ways.
Indeed it is better to keep quiet about our beliefs
and live them out,
than to talk eloquently about what we believe
but fail to live by it.”
“It is not that I want merely
to be called a Christian
but to actually BE ONE.
Yes, If I prove to be one,
then I can have the name!”
“Wherever the bishop shall appear,
there let the multitude also be;
even as, wherever Jesus Christ is,
there is the Catholic Church.”
“God loves each of us
as if there were
only one of us.”
“Without the Way, there is no going,
Without the Truth, there is no knowing,
Without the Life, there is no living.”
“Belief is a wise wager.
Granted that faith cannot be proved,
what harm will come to you if you gamble
on its truth and it proves false?
If you gain, you gain all;
if you lose, you lose nothing.
Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists.“
“The Catholic Church is the only thing
which saves a man from the degrading slavery
of being a child of his age”
“To become a Catholic is
not to leave off thinking
but to learn how to think.”
“Holiness cannot be bought.
Neither can it be earned by human strength.
No, “the simple holiness of all Christians,
ours – the kind we are called to every day,
can only be attained with the help
of four essential elements:
courage, hope, grace and conversion.”
Quote/s of the Day – 8 January – The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
“Dearly Beloved, each word and deed of Our Saviour Jesus Christ
is for us a lesson in virtue and piety.
For this end also did He assumed our nature,
so that every man and every woman,
contemplating as in a picture the practice of all virtue and piety,
might strive with all their hearts to imitate His example.
For this He bore our body, so that as far as we could,
we might repeat within us, the manner of His life.
And so, therefore, when you hear mention of some word or deed of His,
take care not to receive it simply as something that incidentally happened
but raise your mind upwards towards the sublimity of what He is teaching
and strive to see what has been mystically handed down to us”
“Today let us do honour to Christ’s baptism
and celebrate this feast in holiness.
Be cleansed entirely and continue to be cleansed.
Nothing gives such pleasure to God as the conversion and salvation of men,
for whom His every word and every revelation exist.
He wants you to become a living force for all mankind, lights shining in the world.
You are to be radiant lights as you stand beside Christ, the great light,
bathed in the glory of Him who is the light of heaven.
You are to enjoy more and more, the pure and dazzling light of the Trinity,
as now you have received – though not in its fullness – a ray of its splendour,
proceeding from the one God, in Christ Jesus our Lord,
to whom be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen”
“O Lord, wishing to fulfill all things
that You ordained before the ages,
You received the servants of Your mystery,
from among the Angels, Gabriel,
from among Men, the Virgin,
from among the Heavens, the Star
and from among the Waters, the Jordan,
in which You washed away the sin of the world,
O our Saviour, glory to You.”
Quote/s of the Day – 7 January – The Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ
“If we approach with faith,
we too will see Jesus….;
for the Eucharistic table
takes the place of the crib.
Here the Body of the Lord is present,
wrapped not in swaddling clothes
but in the rays of the Holy Spirit.”
“Truth, by which the world is held together,
has sprung from the earth,
in order to be carried in a woman’s arms.”
“Today the Magi gaze in deep wonder at what they see:
heaven on earth,
earth in heaven,
man in God,
God in man,
one whom the whole universe cannot contain
now enclosed in a tiny body.
As they look, they believe and do not question,
as their symbolic gifts bear witness:
incense for God,
gold for a king,
myrrh for one who is to die.”
“What are you doing, O Magi?
Do you adore a little Babe, in a wretched hovel,
wrapped in miserable rags?
Can this Child be truly God? …
Are you become foolish, O Wise Men …
Yes, these Wise Men have become fools
that they may be wise!”
“It is no magic formula He brings
because He knows that the salvation
He offers must pass through human hearts.
What does He first do?
He laughs and cries and sleeps defenceless,
as a baby, though He is God incarnate.
And He does this,
so that we may fall in love with Him,
so that we may learn to take Him in our arms….”
“As you kneel at the feet of the child Jesus
on the day of His Epiphany
and see Him a king bearing none
of the outward signs of royalty,
you can tell Him:
“Lord, take away my pride;
crush my self-love,
my desire to affirm myself
and impose myself on others.
Make the foundation of my personality
my identification with you.”
“As pilgrims of faith, the Wise Men themselves
became stars shining in the firmament of history
and they show us the way.
The saints are God’s true constellations,
which light up the nights of this world,
serving as our guides.
Saint Paul, in his Letter to the Philippians,
told his faithful that they must shine like stars in the world.”
One Minute Reflection – 7 January – The Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ
…..and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage... Matthew 2:11
REFLECTION – “For by gold the power of a king is signified, by frankincense the honour of God, by myrrh the burial of the body and accordingly they offer Him, gold as King, frankincense as God, myrrh as Man.”…St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father & Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Lord, God, teach us to see the living presence of Your Divine Son in the Eucharist. Make our faith so vivid that we will gladly come to encounter Jesus in every Mass. May we follow in faith and trust, Your bright Light, which shines forever on our paths. Holy Christ Child, intercede for us, amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 3 January – The Most Holy Name of Jesus
“Are you troubled?
Think but of Jesus – speak but the name of Jesus,
the clouds disperse
and peace descends anew from heaven.
Have you fallen into sin? So that you fear death?
..invoke the name of Jesus
and you will soon feel life returning.
No obduracy of the soul, no weakness,
no coldness of heart can resist this holy name –
there is no heart which will not soften
and open in tears at this holy name.”
“The Name of Jesus is the glory of preachers
because the shining splendour of that Name
causes His word to be proclaimed and heard.
And how do you think such an immense,
sudden and dazzling light of faith came into the world,
if not because Jesus was preached?
Was it not through the brilliance
and sweet savour of this Name
that God called us into His marvelous light?”
Thought for the Day – 2 January – The Memorial of St Basil the Great (329-379) and St Gregory of Nazianzen (330-390) Fathers & Doctors of the Church – On Friendship “We seemed to be two bodies with a single spirit.”
St Gregory of Nazianzen
On 2 January the Roman Catholic Church honours the memory of two friends from an area of what is now Turkey that was called Cappadocia. These men began their friendship while away at school and later became bishops who were the backbone of Catholic Orthodoxy during a period of doctrinal struggle and confusion. Gregory presided over the 2nd ecumenical council, held at Constantinople, whose great achievement was the completion of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed that the Catholic Church recites each Sunday and the definition of the divinity of the Holy Spirit. These Cappadocian Fathers, both Fathers and Doctors of the Church, proved to be some of the most influential Christian teachers of all time, honoured by both East and West, Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic. Gregory here shares some memories of their friendship.
“Basil and I were both in Athens. We had come, like streams of a river, from the same source in our native land, had separated from each other in pursuit of learning and were now united again as if by plan, for God so arranged it.
I was not alone at that time in my regard for my friend, the great Basil. I knew his irreproachable conduct and the maturity and wisdom of his conversation. I sought to persuade others, to whom he was less well known, to have the same regard for him. Many fell immediately under his spell, for they had already heard of him by reputation and hearsay.
What was the outcome? Almost alone of those who had come to Athens to study he was exempted from the customary ceremonies of initiation for he was held in higher honour than his status as a first-year student seemed to warrant.
Such was the prelude to our friendship, the kindling of that flame that was to bind us together. In this way we began to feel affection for each other. When, in the course of time, we acknowledged our friendship and recognised that our ambition was a life of true wisdom, we became everything to each other: we shared the same lodging, the same table, the same desires the same goal. Our love for each other grew daily warmer and deeper.
The same hope inspired us – the pursuit of learning. This is an ambition especially subject to envy. Yet between us there was no envy. On the contrary, we made capital out of our rivalry. Our rivalry consisted, not in seeking the first place for oneself but in yielding it to the other, for we each looked on the other’s success as his own.
We seemed to be two bodies with a single spirit. Though we cannot believe those who claim that everything is contained in everything, yet you must believe that in our case each of us was in the other and with the other.
Our single object and ambition was virtue and a life of hope in the blessings that are to come; we wanted to withdraw from this world before we departed from it. With this end in view we ordered our lives and all our actions. We followed the guidance of God’s law and spurred each other on to virtue. If it is not too boastful to say, we found in each other a standard and rule for discerning right from wrong.
Different men have different names, which they owe to their parents or to themselves, that is, to their own pursuits and achievements. But our great pursuit, the great name we wanted, was to be Christians, to be called Christians.”
Learning of these two great Doctors of the Church, St Basil the Great and St Gregory of Nazianzen and their lifelong friendship, their collaboration, most especially against the battle against Arianism, cannot help but call to our minds a similar and immensely brilliant collaboration and personal friendship, which yielded endless fruit for the life of the Church.
Sts Basil and Gregory Pray for us! St John Paul, Pray for us! Beloved Papa Benedict continue to keep us all in your prayers. Pray that our friendships may be as Godly as yours was!
Quote/s of the Day – 2 January – The Memorial of St Basil the Great (329-379) and St Gregory of Nazianzen (330-390) Fathers & Doctors of the Church
“The bread which you use
is the bread of the hungry;
the garment hanging in your wardrobe
is the garment of him who is naked;
the shoes you do NOT wear,
are the shoes of the one who is barefoot;
the acts of charity that you do NOT perform,
are so many INJUSTICES that you commit.”
“A tree is known by its fruit;
a man by his deeds.
A good deed is never lost;
he who sows courtesy reaps friendship
and he who plants kindness gathers love.”
“Give something, however small,
to the one in need.
For it is not small to one who has nothing.
Neither is it small to God,
if we have given what we could.”
“If anyone does not believe that Holy Mary
is the Mother of God,
such a one is a stranger
to the Godhead.”
“God accepts our desires as though
they were of great value.
He longs ardently for us
to desire to and love Him.
He accepts our petitions for benefits,
as though we were doing Him a favour.
His joy in giving,
is greater than ours in receiving.
So let us not be apathetic in our asking,
nor set too narrow bounds to our requests;
nor ask for frivolous things
unworthy of God’s greatness.”
One Minute Reflection – 2 January – The Memorial of St Basil the Great (329-379) and St Gregory of Nazianzen (330-390) Fathers & Doctors of the Church
Two are better than one: they get a good wage for their toil.
If the one falls, the other will help the fallen one.
But woe to the solitary person!
If that one should fall, there is no other to help…Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
REFLECTION – “Different men have different names, which they owe to their parents or to themselves, that is, to their own pursuits and achievements. But our great pursuit, the great name we wanted, was to be Christians, to be called Christians.”…St Gregory of Nazianzen (330-390) (from his writings on his friendship with St Basil).
PRAYER – God our Father, You enriched Your Church and gave examples for us to follow in the life and teachings of Sts Basil and Gregory. Grant that, learning Your truth with humility, we may practise it in faith and love. Sts Basil and Gregory, pray for our beloved Church, pray for all Catholic Christians, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 2 January – The Memorial of St Basil the Great (329-379) and St Gregory of Nazianzen (330-390)
Prayer of St Basil the Great (329-379)
O Lord our God,
we beseech You,
and ask for the gifts we need.
Steer the ship of our life to Yourself,
the quiet harbour of all storm-stressed souls.
Show us the course which we are to take.
Renew in us the spirit of docility.
Let Your Spirit curb our fickleness;
guide and strengthen us to perform
what is for our own good,
to keep your commandments
and ever to rejoice in Your glorious
and vivifying presence.
Yours is the glory and praise for all eternity.
Amen
Saint/s of the Day – 2 January – St Basil the Great (329-379) and St Gregory of Nazianzen (330-390) Fathers and Doctors of the Church – two bodies one spirit!
St Basil was born in 329 at Caesarea, Asia Minor (modern Turkey) and he died on 1 January 379 at Caesarea, Asia Minor (modern Turkey) of natural causes. He is known as the Father of Eastern Monasticism, was a Monk, Bishop, Confessor, Theologian, Reformer, Apostle of Charity, Lawyer, Teacher, Writer and Doctor of the Church. Patronages – Russia, Cappadocia, Hospital administrators, Reformers, Monks, Education, Exorcism, Liturgists.
St Gregory was born in 330 at Arianzus, Cappadocia, Asia Minor and he died on 25 January 390 of natural causes. He is known as “The Theologian” was a Monk, Bishop, Confessor, Theologian (because of his outstanding teaching and eloquence), Orator, Rhetorician, Philosopher, Writer, Poet, Reformer and Doctor of the Church. Patronages – • for harvests• poets.
St Basil the Great, was born of a noble Christian family at Caesarea in Cappadocia in 330. His was a pious family – his mother, father and four of his nine siblings were canonised, including Saint Gregory of Nyssa. He was the Grandson of Saint Macrina the Elder. As a youth Basil was noted for organising famine relief and for working in the kitchens himself, quite unusual for a young noble. He studied in Constantinople and Athens with his friend Saint Gregory Nazianus. He then ran a school of oratory and law in Caesarea. Basil was so successful, so sought after as a speaker, that he was tempted by pride. His life changed radically after he encountered Eustathius of Sebaste, a charismatic bishop and ascetic. Abandoning his legal and teaching career, Basil devoted his life to God. A letter described his spiritual awakening:
“I had wasted much time on follies and spent nearly all of my youth in vain labors, and devotion to the teachings of a wisdom that God had made foolish. Suddenly, I awoke as out of a deep sleep. I beheld the wonderful light of the Gospel truth and I recognised the nothingness of the wisdom of the princes of this world.”
He sold all that he had, gave away the money and became a priest and monk together with his best friend St Gregory of Nazianzen.
He founded monasteries and drew up rules for monks living in the desert; he is considered as key to the founding of eastern monasticism as Saint Benedict of Nursia was to the west. He became the Bishop and Archbishop of Caesarea. Conducted Mass and preached to the crowds twice each day. He fought Arianism and assisted St Gregory at the council of Constantinople, which completed the Nicene Creed. He is considered a Father of the Church and is one of the original four Doctors of the Eastern Church.
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St Gregory of Nazianzen was the best friend of St Basil the Great. After studying together in Athens, they returned to their native Cappadocia (now Eastern Turkey) to serve the Lord. It was during the time of the Arian heresy which contested the full divinity of Christ and orthodox bishops were sorely needed who could teach the true doctrine of the Church with clarity and depth. Gregory, who admirably met these requirements, was made the bishop of the small town of Nazianzen but later was elevated to the highest ecclesiastical see after Rome, becoming the Patriarch of Constantinople. As such, he presided over the First Ecumenical Council of Constantinople in 381 which completed the creed that we commonly call the Nicene Creed, recited in Sunday worship by Catholics and Orthodox Christians.
St Gregory’s teaching was so profound and accurate that he is one of the few teachers in the history of the Church known as “the theologian.”
Basil and Gregory were defining figures as the early Church which sought to figure out just how to describe Jesus as fully human and fully divine. They helped the Church articulate this mystery and refute persistent strains of thought that would emphasise one aspect of Jesus’ nature over another. Both were largely responsible for safeguarding the faith that has guided the Church for thousands of years. Their doctrinal contributions are codified in the Nicene Creed we recite at Mass.
Both Basil and Gregory were declared doctors of the Church, a title given to 36 saints who are known for elucidating the faith by their words or example. Their relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica, and their images are captured in stained glass windows there.
Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, friends and scholars who defended the faith, pray for us!
AnaStpaul 
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