FATHERS of the Church – Page 106

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One Minute Reflection – 15 July -‘… but not more than you love your God!’

Posted on July 15, 2019July 14, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 15 July – Monday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 10:34-11:1 and The Memorial of St Bonaventure (1221-1274) Doctor of the Church and Bl Anne-Marie Javouhey (1779-1851)

“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me…” … Matthew 10:37

REFLECTION – “It is to those who are on fire with love or, rather, those He wants to set on fire with this love, that our Saviour addresses these words. For our Saviour has not done away with but regulated, the love we owe to parents, spouse, children. He did not say: “Those who love them” but “Those who love them more than me”… Love your father but love the Lord even more, love him who brought you into the world but love yet more he who gave you being. It was your father who brought you into the world but it was not he who created you, since he did not know, when he bred you, who you would be or what you would become. It was your father who fed you but he is not the origin of the food that staunched your hunger. Finally, your father must die if you are to inherit his goods but you will share the inheritance God intends for you, while living with him eternally.

So love your father but not more than you love your God, love your mother but love still more the Church who has begotten you into eternal life… Indeed, if you owe such gratitude to those who begot you for mortality, what kind of love do you owe to those who begot you for eternity? Love your spouse, love your children as God does, to lead them to serve God together with you and then, when you are reunited, you will not be afraid of being separated. Your love for your family would indeed fall short if you did not lead them to God…

Take up your cross and follow the Lord. Your Saviour Himself, wholly God as He was in the flesh, clothed with your flesh, He, too, showed human feelings when He said – “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me,” (Mt 26:39)… The servant’s nature with which He clothed Himself for your sake caused His human voice, the voice of His flesh, to be heard. He took your voice so as to express your weakness and give you His strength… and to show you, whose will to prefer.”… St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church – Sermon 344, #2-3 matthew 10 37 whoever lovs father or mother - so love your father but not more - st augustine 15 july 2019.jpg

PRAYER – God our Father, we are Your children and You have set us aside to come home to You by the light of the way of Your divine Son. Grant we pray, that we may grow in faith and love daily, by the intercession of Saint Bonaventure and Blessed Anne-Marie Javouhey (1779-1851) and may be a light of love, to all around us, as they were. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen. st bonaventure pray for us 15 july 2019

bl anne-marie javouhey pray for us 15 july 2019

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Sunday Reflection – 14 July – The Sacrament that You Receive is Effected by the Words of Christ

Posted on July 14, 2019July 14, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Sunday Reflection – 14 July – Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Luke 10:25–37

The Sacrament that you Receive is Effected by the Words of Christ

Saint Ambrose (340-397)
Bishop and Great Latin Father & Doctor of the Church

An Excerpt from his Work, ‘On the Mysteries’

We see that grace can accomplish more than nature, yet so far, we have been considering instances, of what grace can do through a prophet’s blessing. If the blessing of a human being had powe,r even to change nature, what do we say of God’s action in the consecration itself, in which the very words of the Lord and Saviour are effective? If the words of Elijah had power even to bring down fire from heaven, will not the words of Christ have power to change the natures of the elements? You have read that in the creation of the whole world He spoke and they came to be; He commanded and they were created. If Christ could by speaking, create out of nothing what did not yet exist, can we say that His words are unable to change existing things, into something they previously were not? It is no lesser feat to create new natures for things than to change their existing natures.

What need is there for argumentation? Let us take what happened in the case of Christ Himself and construct the truth of this mystery, from the mystery of the incarnation. Did the birth of the Lord Jesus from Mary come about in the course of nature? If we look at nature we regularly find, that conception results from the union of man and women. It is clear then, that the conception by the Virgin was above and beyond the course of nature. And this body that we make present, is the body born of the Virgin. Why do you expect to find, in this case, that nature takes its ordinary course, in regard to the body of Christ, when the Lord Himself was born of the Virgin, in a manner above and beyond the order of nature? This is indeed the true flesh of Christ, which was crucified and buried. This is then in truth the Sacrament of His Flesh.

The Lord Jesus Himself declares – ‘This is my body.’ Before the blessing contained in these words, a different thing is named; after the consecration, a body is indicated. He Himself speaks of His blood. Before the consecration, something else is spoken of, after the consecration, blood is designated. And you say – “Amen,” that is: “It is true.” What the mouth utters, let the mind within acknowledge, what the Word says, let the heart ratify.

So the Church, in response to grace so great, exhorts her children, exhorts her neighbours, to hasten to these mysteries – neighbours, she says, come and eat, brethren, drink and be filled. In another passage the Holy Spirit has made clear to you what you are to eat, what you are to drink. Taste, the prophet says and see, that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who puts his trust in Him.

Christ is in that sacrament, for it is the body of Christ. It is, therefore, not bodily food but spiritual. Thus the Apostle too says, speaking of its symbol – Our fathers ate spiritual food and drank spiritual drink. For the body of God is spiritual; the body of Christ is that of a divine spirit, for Christ is a spirit. We read – The spirit before our face is Christ the Lord. And in the letter of Saint Peter we have this – Christ died for you. Finally, it is this food that gives strength to our hearts, this drink which gives joy to the heart of man, as the prophet has written. and you say amen that is it is true - st ambrose sun reflec - 14 july 2019.jpg

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Quote/s of the Day – 13 July – ‘Even the hairs of your head…’

Posted on July 13, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 13 July – Saturday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 10:24–33

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?
And not one of them will fall to the ground,
without your Father’s will.
But even the hairs of your head,
are all numbered.”

Matthew 10:29-30

“Do not say,
this happened by chance,
while this came to be of itself.”
In all that exists’
there is nothing disorderly,
nothing indefinite,
nothing without purpose,
nothing by chance …
How many hairs are on your head?
God will not forget one of them.
Do you see how nothing,
even the smallest thing,
escapes the gaze of God?”

Saint Basil the Great (329-379)
Father & Doctor of the Church

“We must offer ourselves to God,
like a clean, smooth canvas
and not worry ourselves,
about what God
may choose to paint on it
but at each moment,
feel only the stroke of His brush.”

Father Jean-Pierre de Caussade SJ (1675-1751)

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One Minute Reflection – 13 July – ‘I will acknowledge before my Father…’

Posted on July 13, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 13 July – Saturday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 10:24–33 and the Memorial of Blessed Carlos Rodriguez Santiago

“So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father, who is in heaven…”… Matthew 10:32 matthew 10 32 - so everyone who acknowledges me 13 july 2019.jpg

REFLECTION – “You can be a witness to Christ every day. You were tempted by the spirit of impurity but… you considered that chastity of spirit and body should not be soiled – you are a martyr or, in other words, a witness to Christ… You were tempted by the spirit of pride but, seeing the poor and needy, you were seized by tender compassion and preferred humility to arrogance – you are a witness to Christ. Better still – you have not given your witness in word alone but in deed as well.
What is the surest kind of witness? “Anyone who acknowledges that Jesus Christ came among us in the flesh” (cf. 1Jn 4,2) and who keeps the commands of the Gospel… How many there are each day of these hidden martyrs of Christ who confess the Lord Jesus! The apostle Paul knew that kind of martyrdom and witness of faith rendered to Christ, he who said: “Our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience” (2Cor 1,12). For how many people have made a confession of faith exteriorly but denied it interiorly!… So be faithful and courageous in interior persecutions so that you may also win the victory in exterior persecutions. There are “kings and rulers,” judges of formidable power, in the persecutions within, likewise. You have an example of these in the temptations undergone by our Lord (Mt 4,1ff.)”… St Ambrose (340-397) Father & Doctor of the Church -Sermon 20 on Psalm 118 what is the surest kind of witness - st ambrose - 13 july 2019.jpg

PRAYER – Come to help us in our weakness, God of mercy, forgive the sins of Your people and as nothing we can do is worthy in Your sight, save us through the intercession of the Mother of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Listen too to the prayers of a fellow pilgrim Blessed Carlos, who has, by his love for You and passion to proclaim Christ Your Son, reached his eternal destination with You. We make our prayer through Jesus with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen. bl-mother-of-our-lord-pray-for-us-27-oct-2018

bl carlos santiago pray for us 13 july 2019

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One Minute Reflection – 10 July – The Twelve

Posted on July 10, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 10 July – Wednesday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 10:1–7

The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee and John his brother; …Matthew 10:2

REFLECTION – “The order in which the apostles were divided and the distinction of each one were given by him who plumbs the depths of the heart. The first to be recorded is Simon called Peter (to distinguish him from the other Simon, who is called the Cananaean from the village of Cana in Galilee, where the Lord turned the water into wine). He also calls James the son of Zebedee because he is followed by another James, the son of Alphaeus. And he associates the apostles by pairs. He joins Peter and Andrew as brothers not so much in the flesh as in the spirit; James and John, who left behind their natural father and followed the true Father; Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the publican. The other Evangelists, in listing the names, put Matthew first and then Thomas, nor do they mention the name publican, lest in recalling his former way of life they seem to insult the Evangelist. But Matthew, as we said before, places himself after Thomas and calls himself a publican so that “where sin abounded, grace has abounded even more.”

Simon the Cananaean is the one whom another Evangelist calls the Zealot. In fact, Cana interpreted means “zeal.” Church history relates that the apostle Thaddaeus was sent to Edessa, Abgarum in the region of Osroene. The person whom Luke the Evangelist calls Jude the brother of James, elsewhere called Lebbaeus, which interpreted means “little heart,” is believed to have been referred to by three names. Simon Peter and the sons of Zebedee (called sons of thunder) were named for their strength of mind and great faith. Judas Iscariot took his name either from his hometown or from the tribe of Issachar. By a certain prophecy he was born in condemnation of himself, for Issachar interpreted means “reward,” as to signify the price of the traitor.” … St Jerome (343-420) – Father & Doctor of the Church (Commentary on Matthew, 1.) matthew 10 2 - the names of the 12 apostles are these - st jerome - 10 july 2019

PRAYER – Holy God and Almighty Father, we are the disciples of Your Son as we follow Him home to You, grant us we pray, the strength and love to imitate Him in all things and to daily, pick up our cross with joy and commitment. May the Blessed Virgin, be a constant protection and assistance in our times of struggle and may all your angels and saints and martyrs, pray for us, through our Lord Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, God for always and forever, amen. blessed virgin mary pray for us 17 jan 2019

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Our Morning Offering – 8 July – In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Posted on July 8, 2019November 10, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 8 July – Monday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C

In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
By St Hilary of Poitiers (315-368)
Father & Doctor of the Church

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 in the name of the father son and holy spirit - st hilary - 8 july 2019.jpg

FATHERS of the Church, SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 7 July – St Pantænus, Father of the Church (Died c 216)

Posted on July 7, 2019July 6, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 7 July – St Pantænus, Father of the Church (Died c 216) Theologian, Philosopher, Teacher, Confessor and Defender of the Faith, Writer and interpreter of the Bible, the Trinity, and Christology, Missionary. st pantaenus snip.JPG

This learned father and apostolic man, flourished in the second century. He was by birth a Sicilian, by profession a Stoic philosopher. His esteem for virtue led him into an acquaintance with the Christians and being charmed with the innocence and sanctity of their conversation, he opened his eyes to the truth. He studied the Holy Scriptures under the disciples of the apostles and his thirst after sacred learning, brought him to Alexandria, in Egypt, where the disciples of St Mark had instituted a school of the Christian doctrine.

Pantænus sought not to display his talents in that great mart of literature and commerce but this great progress in sacred learning, was after some time discovered and he was drawn out of that obscurity, in which his humility sought to bury itself. Being placed at the head of the Christian school some time before the year 179, by his learning and excellent manner of teaching, he raised its reputation above all the schools of the philosophers and the lessons which he taught and which were gathered from the flowers of the prophets and apostles, conveyed light and knowledge into the minds of all his hearers. This school was the earliest catechetical school and became influential in the development of Christian theology. A famous pupil was St Clement of Alexandria. Saint_Pantaenus

The Indians who traded at Alexandria entreated him to pay their country a visit, whereupon he forsook his school and went to preach the Gospel to the Eastern nations. St Pantænus found some seeds of the faith already sown in the Indies and a book of the Gospel of St Matthew in Hebrew, which St Bartholomew had carried thither. He brought it back with him to Alexandria, where he returned, after he had zealously employed some years in instructing the Indians in the faith.

St Pantænus continued to teach in private, till about the year 216, when he closed a noble and excellent life by a happy death.

Although no writings by Pantaenus are extant, his legacy is known by the influence of the Catechetical School on the development of Christian theology, in particular in the early debates on the interpretation of the Bible, the Trinity, and Christology. He was the main supporter of St Serapion, Bishop of Antioch (191–211) for acting against the influence of Gnosticism. st pantaenus.jpg

FATHERS of the Church, SAINT of the DAY

Memorials of the Saints – 7 July

Posted on July 7, 2019July 7, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St Alexander
St Angelelmus of Auxerre
St Antonino Fantosati
St Apollonius of Brescia
Bl Pope Benedict XI
Bl Bodard of Poitiers
St Bonitus of Monte Cassino
St Carissima of Rauzeille
St Eoaldus of Vienne
St Ethelburga of Faremoutier
Bl Francisco Polvorinos Gómez
St Hedda of Wessex
Bl Joseph Juge de Saint-Martin
Bl Juan Antonio Pérez Mayo
Bl Juan Pedro del Cotillo Fernández
Bl Justo González Lorente
St Maelruan
Bl Manuel Gutiérrez Martín
St Marcus Ji Tianxiang
Bl María del Consuelo Ramiñán Carracedo
Bl Maria Romero Meneses FMA (1902-1977)
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/07/07/saint-of-the-day-7-july-blessed-maria-romero-meneses-1902-1977/

Bl Marie-Gabrielle-Françoise-Suzanne de Gaillard de Lavaldène
St Medran
St Merryn
Bl Oddino Barrotti
St Odo of Urgell
St Odran
St Palladius of Ireland
St Pantaenus of Alexandria
St Pantænus, Father of the Church (Died c 216)
Bl Pascual Aláez Medina
Bl Peter To Rot (1912-1945) Martyr
About Bl Peter:
https://anastpaul.com/2017/07/07/saint-of-the-day-7-july-blessed-peter-to-rot/

St Prosper of Aquitaine
St Syrus of Genoa
St They
St Willibald of Eichstatt
—
Martyrs of Durres – 7 saints: Also known as – Martyrs of Dyrrachium/ Martyrs of Durazzo. A group of seven Italian Christians who fled Italy to escape the persecutions of emperor Hadrian. Arrived in Dyrrachium, Macedonia to find Saint Astius tied to a cross, covered in honey, laid in the sun and left to be tortured by biting and stinging insects. When they expressed sympathy for Astius, they were accused of being Christians, arrested, chained, weighted down, taken off shore and drowned. We know little more about each of them than their names – Germaus, Hesychius, Lucian, Papius, Peregrinus, Pompeius and Saturninus. T hey were born in Italy and were martyred at sea c117 off the coast of Dyrrachium (Durazzo), Macedonia (modern Durres, Albania).

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One Minute Reflection – 6 July – ‘then they will fast …’

Posted on July 6, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 6 July – Saturday of the Thirteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 9:14–17 – Marian Saturdays

And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them and then they will fast” ...Matthew 9:15

REFLECTION – “However, our mourning is right if we burn with desire to see Him. How happy they were who were able to enjoy His presence before His Passion, to question Him as they wished and listen to Him as necessary… As for us, we see the fulfilment of what He said: “The days are coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it” (Lk 17:22)…A little while and you will no longer see me and again a little while and you will see me” (Jn 16:19). But now this is the hour of which He said: “You will weep and mourn but the world will rejoice… But, He added, I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice and no one will take your joy away from you” (v.22). The hope thus given us by Him, who is faithful in His promises, never now leaves us, without a certain joy — until that overwhelming joy comes on the day when we will be like Him because we will see Him as he is (1Jn 3:2)… “When a woman is in labour, she has pain because her hour has come,” says the Lord, “but when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world”(Jn 16:21). This is the joy no-one can take away from us and with which we will be satisfied when we pass to eternal light from our present conception in faith. So let us fast and pray since we are still on the threshold of birth.“…St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor

PRAYER – Let our worship give You glory Lord, we ask You, in Your mercy, for the grace always to ponder in our hearts what we proclaim with our lips. For our salvation, You looked upon the lowliness of Mary, Your handmaid, raise us up to share with her, the fullness of redemption. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, in the unity of te Holy Spirit, one God for all eternity, amen. mary our hope handmaid of the lord - pray for us - 26 june 2018

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One Minute Reflection – 4 July – “Rise and walk”

Posted on July 4, 2019July 4, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 4 July – Thursday of the Thirteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 9:1–8

“Rise and walk”…Matthew 9:5

REFLECTION – “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will bring your mortal bodies to life also.” (Rom 8:11) Now it is a natural human body, then it will be a spiritual body. “Adam the first man, became a living soul, the last Adam has become a life-giving spirit.” (1 Cor 15:45) That is why He “will bring your mortal bodies to life… through His Spirit dwelling in you.”

Oh, what a happy Hallelujah we will sing then! What security! No more adversary, no more enemy, we won’t lose a single friend. Here below, we sing God’s praises in the midst of our worries, in heaven, we will sing them in perfect tranquillity. Here below, we sing them as people who have to die, in heaven, it will be in a life that never ends. Here below, in hope, in heaven, in the reality. Here below, we are travellers, then we shall be in our homeland. So let us begin singing already now, brothers, not in order to savour the rest but in order to alleviate our work. Let us sing like travellers. Sing but without ceasing to walk, sing to console yourself in the midst of fatigue… Sing and walk!

What does that mean, walk? Go forward, make progress in doing good… Go forward by walking towards the good, advance in faith and in the purity of your habits. Sing and walk! Don’t lose your way; don’t turn back, don’t stand still. Let us turn towards the Lord.”... St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor – Sermon 256 rise and walk matthew 9 5 - what does that mean walk - st augustine - 4 july 2019.jpg

PRAYER – Loving God and Father, we turn to You in praise and thanksgiving in good times, in trials and moments of sadness and happiness. May the prayers of Your angels and saints support our weak efforts, today especially we ask St Elizabeth of Portugal and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, to hear our pleas. By the great gift of Your love and mercy You dispel the darkness of sin and bring us to the true Light, Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.

st elizabeth of portugal - pray for us - 4 july 2018

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Thought for the Day – 3 July – ‘..The God he could not see’

Posted on July 3, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 3 July – Feast of St Thomas Apostle

“My Lord and My God”

Saint Pope Gregory the Great (540-604)
Bishop of Rome and Great Western Father and Doctor of the Church

An excerpt from his Homily 26

Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. He was the only disciple absent, on his return he heard what had happened but refused to believe it. The Lord came a second time, He offered His side for the disbelieving disciple to touch, held out His hands and, showing the scars of His wounds, healed the wound of his disbelief.

Dearly beloved, what do you see in these events? Do you really believe that it was by chance that this chosen disciple was absent, then came and heard, heard and doubted, doubted and touched, touched and believed? It was not by chance but in God’s providence. In a marvellous way, God’s mercy arranged, that the disbelieving disciple, in touching the wounds of his master’s body, should heal our wounds of disbelief. The disbelief of Thomas has done more for our faith than the faith of the other disciples. As he touches Christ and is won over to belief, every doubt is cast aside and our faith is strengthened. So the disciple who doubted, then felt Christ’s wounds, becomes a witness to the reality of the Resurrection.

Touching Christ, he cried out – My Lord and my God. Jesus said to him – Because you have seen me, Thomas, you have believed. Paul said: Faith is the guarantee of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. It is clear, then, that faith is the proof of what cannot be seen. What is seen gives knowledge, not faith. When Thomas saw and touched, why was he told – You have believed because you have seen me? Because what he saw and what he believed were different things. God cannot be seen by mortal man. Thomas saw a human being, whom he acknowledged to be God and said: -My Lord and my God. Seeing, he believed, looking at one who was true man, he cried out that this was God, the God he could not see.

What follows is reason for great joy – Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed. There is here a particular reference to ourselves, we hold in our hearts one we have not seen in the flesh. We are included in these words but only if we follow up our faith with good works. The true believer practices what he believes. But of those who pay only lip service to faith, Paul has this to say – They profess to know God but they deny him in their works. Therefore James says – Faith without works is dead.

St Thomas, Pray for Us!

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Quote/s of the Day – 3 July – Faith

Posted on July 3, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 3 July – Feast of St Thomas Apostle, Gospel John 20:24–29

“Faith is the guarantee
of things hoped for,
the evidence
of things unseen.”

Hebrews 11:1

“This was, therefore, a work of divine providence,
that the separation of the disciple,
would become a harbinger of increasing safety and surety.
For if Thomas had not been absent,
he would not have doubted
and, if he would not have doubted,
he would not have sought strangely
and, if he would not have sought,
he would not have felt
and, if he would not have felt,
he would not have been convinced
of the Lord and God
and, if he did not call Him Lord and God,
then neither would we have been taught
to hymn Him thus.
For Thomas, by not being present,
has led us towards the truth and later,
became more confirmed regarding the faith.”

St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father and Doctor

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One Minute Reflection – 3 July – “Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe!”.

Posted on July 3, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 3 July – Feast of St Thomas Apostle, Gospel John 20:24–29

Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”…John 20:28 john 20 28 my lord and my god feat of st thomas 3 july 2019.jpg

REFLECTION – “Put your finger into the marks of the nails”. You looked for Me when I wasn’t there, now take advantage of it. I understand your desire despite your silence. Before you tell Me them I already know your thoughts. I heard you speak and, even though unseen, I was beside you, beside your doubts. Without revealing Myself I made you wait, so as better to consider your eagerness. “Put your finger into the marks of the nails. Put your hand into my side, do not be unbelieving any longer, but believe.”
Then Thomas touched Him and all his mistrust fell away. Full of genuine faith and all the love owing to God, he cried out: “My Lord and my God!” And the Lord said to him – “You believe because you have seen me; happy are those who have not seen and yet believe!” Thomas took the news of the Resurrection to those who had not seen. Draw the whole earth to believe, not by its own sight but at your word. Go through peoples and cities far away. Teach them to carry the cross rather than weapons on their shoulders. Only proclaim me – they will believe and worship. They will demand no other proof. Tell them they are called by grace and, with your own eyes, behold their faith. Truly, blessed are those who did not see and yet believed!
This is the army the Lord raises, these are the children of the baptismal font, the works of grace, the fruit of the Spirit. They have followed Christ without having seen Him, they sought Him and believed. They recognised Him with the eyes of faith not those of the body. They have not put their finger into the mark of the nails but they have bound themselves to His cross and embraced His sufferings. They have not seen the Lord’s side but, by grace, they have become members of His body and have made His words their own: “Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe!”… Basil of Seleucia (Died c 468) Bishop – Sermon for the Resurrection, 1-4

PRAYER – Almighty Father,as we honour Thomas the Apostle, let us always experience the help of his prayers. May we have eternal life by believing in Jesus,
whom Thomas acknowledged as Lord, for He lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen st thomas pray for us 2.jpg

FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FEAR, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 2 July – “Why are you afraid…?”

Posted on July 2, 2019July 1, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 2 July – Tuesday of the Thirteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 8:23-37

“Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?”

Matthew 8:26

“Whoever has become a servant of the Lord, fears only his Master.
But whoever is without the fear of God,
is often afraid of his own shadow.
Fearfulness is the daughter of unbelief.
A proud soul is the slave of fear,
hoping in itself,
it comes to such a state,
that it is startled by a small noise
and is afraid of the dark.”

St John Climacus (579-649)

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY, St PAUL!, St PETER!, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 29 June – Their sound has gone out into all the earth!

Posted on June 29, 2019June 29, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 29 June – The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

“Their sound has gone out
into all the earth
and their words
to the ends of the world”

Psalm 19:5

“There must be general rejoicing, dearly beloved,
over this holy company whom God has appointed
for our example in patience and for our confirmation in faith.
But we must glory even more in the excellence of their fathers,
Peter and Paul, whom the grace of God has raised
to such a height among all the members of the Church
that He has set them like twin lights
of eyes in that Body whose head is Christ.”

“Saint Peter does not cease to preside over his See
and preserves an endless sharing, with the Sovereign Priest.
The firmness that he received from the Rock which is Christ,
he himself, having become the Rock,
transmits it equally to his successors.”

St Pope Leo the Great (400-461)

Doctor of the Church’s Unity

“And so it is with Rome, where the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, gave with their blood their final witness. The vocation of Rome is of apostolic origin and the ministry which it is our lot to exercise here, is a service for the benefit of the entire Church and of mankind. But it is an irreplaceable service, because it has pleased the Wisdom of God to place the Rome of Peter and Paul, so to speak, on the road that leads to the eternal City, by the fact that Wisdom chose to confide to Peter—who unifies in himself the College of Bishops—the keys of the kingdom of heaven.”

St Pope Paul VI (1897-1978)

Exhortation on Christian Joy, 1975

FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY, St PAUL!, St PETER!, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 29 June – ‘In Jesus’ hands the smallest stone becomes precious…’

Posted on June 29, 2019June 29, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 29 June – The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 16:13–19

“And I tell you, you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” …Matthew 16:18-19 on-this-rock-matthew-16-18.29 JUNE 2018 STS PETER AND PAULjpg.jpg

REFLECTION – “With us too, today, Jesus wants to continue building His Church, this house with solid foundations but where cracks are not lacking and which is in constant need of repair. Always. The Church always needs to be reformed, repaired. We certainly do not feel like rocks but only like small stones. However, no small stone is useless, indeed, in Jesus’ hands the smallest stone becomes precious, because He picks it up, gazes at it with great tenderness, fashions it with His Spirit and positions it in the right place that He had always had in mind and where it can be more useful to the whole structure.”…Pope Francis (Angelus, 27 August 2017) with us too today jesus wants to continue - pope francis 29 june 2019 sts peterandpaul.jpg

PRAYER – O God, who on the Solemnity of the Apostles Peter and Paul give us the noble and holy joy of this day, grant, we pray, that your Church may in all things follow the teaching of those through whom she received the beginnings of right religion.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen sts peter and paul pray for us - 18 nov 2018.jpg

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, St PAUL!, St PETER!, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul – 29 June

Posted on June 29, 2019June 28, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles and Martyrs – 29 June

Today the Church celebrates the feast day of Sts Peter & Paul. As early as the year 258, there is evidence of an already lengthy tradition of celebrating the solemnities of both Saint Peter and Saint Paul on the same day. Together, the two saints are the founders of the See of Rome, through their preaching, ministry and martyrdom there. St Peter is also celebrated on 22 February (feast of the Chair of Peter, emblematic of the world unity of the Church) on 1 August (Saint Peter in Chains), St Paul’s Conversion is celebrated on 25 January and both are once again celebrated on 18 November (feast of the dedication of the Basilicas of Peter and Paul – the two major Basilicas in Rome).

In a sermon in the year 395, St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church, said of Sts Peter and Paul:

“Both apostles share the same feast day, for these two were one and even though they suffered on different days, they were as one.

Peter went first and Paul followed.

And so we celebrate this day made holy for us, by the apostles’ blood. Let us embrace what they believed, their life, their labours, their sufferings, their preaching and their confession of faith.”

Peter (d. 64?) Saint Mark ends the first half of his Gospel with a triumphant climax. He has recorded doubt, misunderstanding and the opposition of many to Jesus. Now Peter makes his great confession of faith – “You are the Messiah” (Mark 8:29b). It was one of the many glorious moments in Peter’s life, beginning with the day he was called from his nets along the Sea of Galilee to become a fisher of men for Jesus.

The New Testament clearly shows Peter as the leader of the apostles, chosen by Jesus to have a special relationship with Him. With James and John he was privileged to witness the Transfiguration, the raising of a dead child to life and the agony in Gethsemane. His mother-in-law was cured by Jesus. He was sent with John to prepare for the last Passover before Jesus’ death. His name is first on every list of apostles.

And to Peter only did Jesus say, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:17b-19).

But the Gospels prove their own trustworthiness by the unflattering details they include about Peter. He clearly had no public relations person. It is a great comfort for ordinary mortals to know that Peter also has his human weakness, even in the presence of Jesus.

He generously gave up all things, yet he can ask in childish self-regard, “What are we going to get for all this?” (see Matthew 19:27). He receives the full force of Christ’s anger when he objects to the idea of a suffering Messiah –“Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” (Matthew 16:23b).

Peter is willing to accept Jesus’ doctrine of forgiveness but suggests a limit of seven times. He walks on the water in faith but sinks in doubt. He refuses to let Jesus wash his feet, then wants his whole body cleansed. He swears at the Last Supper that he will never deny Jesus and then swears to a servant maid that he has never known the man . He loyally resists the first attempt to arrest Jesus by cutting off Malchus’ ear but in the end, he runs away with the others. In the depth of his sorrow, Jesus looks on him and forgives him and he goes out and sheds bitter tears. The Risen Jesus told Peter to feed his lambs and his sheep (John 21:15-17).

Paul (d. 64?) If the most well-known preacher today suddenly began preaching that your country should adopt Marxism and not rely on the democracy, the angry reaction would help us understand Paul’s life when he started preaching that Christ alone can save us. He had been the most pharisaic of Pharisees, the most legalistic of Mosaic lawyers. Now he suddenly appears to other Jews as a heretical welcomer of Gentiles, a traitor and apostate.

st paul - wow Hl. Paulus - ANTONY VAN DYCK 2.jpg — St Paul – Antony van Dyck

Paul’s central conviction was simple and absolute – Only God can save humanity. No human effort—even the most scrupulous observance of law—can create a human good which we can bring to God, as reparation for sin and payment for grace. To be saved from itself, from sin, from the devil and from death, humanity must open itself completely to the saving power of Jesus.

Paul never lost his love for his Jewish family, though he carried on a lifelong debate with them about the uselessness of the Law without Christ. He reminded the Gentiles that they were grafted on the parent stock of the Jews, who were still God’s chosen people, the children of the promise.

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS for PRIESTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PRIESTS, the PRIESTHOOD and CONSECRATED LIFE, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS

Thoughts for the Day – 28 June = Pray for our Priests!

Posted on June 28, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thoughts for the Day – 28 June – Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests

St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604)
Father & Doctor

(Forty Gospel Homilies, 17)

“We must all of us strive zealously to make known to the church both the dreadfulness of the coming judgement and the kingdom of heaven’s delight. Those who are not in a position to address a large assembly, should instruct individuals, offering instruction in personal talks, they should try to serve those around them through simple encouragement.

You who are pastors, consider that you are pasturing God’s flock. We often see a block of salt put out for animals to lick for their well-being. Priests, among their people, should be like blocks of salt. They should counsel everyone in their flocks, in such a way, that all those with whom they come in contact may be seasoned with eternal life, as if they had been sprinkled with salt. We who preach, are not the salt of the earth, unless we season the hearts of those, who listen to us. We are really preaching to others, if we ourselves do what we say, if we are pierced with God’s love, if, since we cannot avoid sin, our tears wash away the stains on our life, that come with each new day. We truly feel remorse, when we take to heart, the lives of our forebears in the faith, so that we are diminished in our own eyes. Then do we truly feel remorse, when we attentively examine God’s teachings and adopt for our own use, what those we revere themselves used for theirs.

And while we are moved to remorse on our own account, let us also take responsibility for the lives of those entrusted to our care. Our own bitter compunction should not divert us from concern for our neighbour. What good to love and strive to do good for our neighbour and abandon ourselves? We must realise that our passion for justice in the face of another’s evil, must never cause us to lose the virtue of gentleness.

Priests must not be quick-tempered or rash, they must, instead, be temperate and thoughtful. We must support those we challenge and challenge those we support. If we neglect this, our work will lack either courage or gentleness. What shall we call the human soul but the food of the Lord? It is created, to become nothing less, than Christ’s body and to bring about growth in the eternal church.

We priests are to season this food. Cease to pray, cease to teach and the salt loses its taste.”
++++++++++++++++++++
Excerpt
Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

OPENING OF THE YEAR FOR PRIESTS
ON THE 150th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH
OF SAINT JOHN MARY VIANNEY
the holy Curé of Ars (1786-1859) Patron of Priests

HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI

Saint Peter’s Basilica
Friday, 19 June 2009

“To be “in” Jesus Christ is already to be seated in heaven. The very core of Christianity is expressed in the heart of Jesus; in Christ the revolutionary “newness” of the Gospel is completely revealed and given to us – the Love that saves us and even now makes us live in the eternity of God. As the Evangelist John writes: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (3:16). God’s heart calls to our hearts, inviting us to come out of ourselves, to forsake our human certainties, to trust in Him and, by following His example, to make ourselves a gift of unbounded love.

While it is true that Jesus’ invitation to “abide in my love” (cf. Jn 15:9) is addressed to all the baptised, on this feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the day of prayer for the sanctification of priests, this invitation resounds all the more powerfully for us priests. It does so in a special way this evening, at the solemn inauguration of the Year for Priests which I have proclaimed to mark the 150th anniversary of the death of the saintly Curé of Ars. A lovely and touching saying of his, quoted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, comes immediately to mind: “the priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus” (n. 1589). How can we fail to be moved when we recall that the gift of our priestly ministry flows directly from this heart? How can we forget that we priests were consecrated to serve, humbly yet authoritatively, the common priesthood of the faithful? Ours is an mission which is indispensable for the Church and for the world, a mission which calls for complete fidelity to Christ and constant union with Him. To abide in His love entails constantly striving for holiness, as did Saint John Mary Vianney.

…To be completely enthralled by Christ! This was the goal of the entire life of Saint Paul, … this was the goal of the entire ministry of the Curé of Ars, whom we shall invoke in particular during this Year for Priests – may it also be the primary goal for each and every one of us. Certainly, to be ministers at the service of the Gospel, study and careful, ongoing pastoral and theological formation are useful and necessary but even more necessary is that “knowledge of love” which can only be learned in a “heart to heart” encounter with Christ . For it is He who calls us to break the bread of His love, to forgive sins and to guide the flock in His name. And, for that reason, we must never step back from the source of love which is His Heart, pierced on the Cross.” the priesthood is the love - st john vianney - 28 june 2019 sacred heart
++++++++++++++++++++

“Our Father for Priests”

Our Father who art in heaven,
Give us priests according to Your Heart.
That Thy name be hallowed,
Give us priests according to Your Heart.
That Thy kingdom come,
Give us priests according to Your Heart.
That Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,
Give us priests according to Your Heart.
To give us each day the Bread of life,
Give us priests according to Your Heart.
To forgive us our trespasses,
Give us priests according to Your Heart.
That we be not led into temptation,
Give us priests according to Your Heart.
And deliver us
And all of Your priests from evil. Amen.
(Anonymous)

Issued by the Congregation for the Clergy (vatican.va)

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS

Quote/s of the Day – 28 June – The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Posted on June 28, 2019June 28, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 28 June – Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests

“We, Christians,
are the true Israel which springs from Christ,
for we are carved out of His Heart,
as from a Rock!”

St Justin Martyr (100-165)

Father of the Church and Martyr

“If the Jewish High priest carried the names
of the twelve tribes of Israel
written on his shoulders and on his breast,
how much more Christ, our High Priest,
carries our names
written on His Heart”

St John of Avila (1500-1569)
Doctor of the Church

“When the Church,
in the days immediately succeeding her institution,
was oppressed beneath the yoke of the Caesars,
a young Emperor saw in the heavens across,
which became at once the happy omen
and cause of the glorious victory,
that soon followed.
And now, to-day, behold,
another blessed and heavenly token
is offered to our sight-
the most Sacred Heart of Jesus,
with a cross rising from it and shining forth
with dazzling splendour amidst flames of love.
In that Sacred Heart
all our hopes should be placed
and from it,
the salvation of men
is to be confidently besought.
…. there is in the Sacred Heart
a symbol and a sensible image
of the infinite love of Jesus Christ
which moves us to love one another…”

Pope Leo XIII

ANNUM SACRUM (Holy Year)
ENCYCLICAL OF POPE LEO XIII
ON CONSECRATION TO
THE SACRED HEART
25 MAY 1899

” I wish to serve the Sacred Heart of Jesus, today and always.
I want my devotion to His Heart
to be the measure of all my spiritual progress.
I desire to do everything in intimate union
with the Sacred Heart of Jesus
in the Blessed Sacrament.”

St Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)

“By blood, I am Albanian.
By citizenship, an Indian.
By Faith, I am a Catholic Nun.
As to my calling,
I belong to the World.
As to my heart,
I belong entirely to
the Heart of Jesus.”

“Do not let the past disturb you –
just leave everything in
the Sacred Heart
and being again
with joy!”

St Mother Teresa (1910-1997)

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, FATHERS of the Church, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SAINT of the DAY

Solemnity of The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus/World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests and Memorials of the Saints – 28 June 2019

Posted on June 28, 2019June 27, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Solemnity of The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus *2019
World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests *2019
Excerpt from ENCYCLICAL of Pope Pius XII
HAURIETIS AQUAS – on DEVOTION TO The SACRED HEART
15 May 1956

Blessed and Holy Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and The World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests – 8 June

St Irenaeus of Lyons (c 130 – c 202) (Memorial)
Biography:

Saint of the Day – 28 June – St Irenaeus of Lyons (c 135 – c 202) Father of the Church

Bl Almus of Balmerino
St Argymirus of Córdoba
St Attilio of Trino
St Austell of Cornwall
St Benignus of Utrecht
St Crummine
Bl Damian of Campania
St Egilo
St Heimrad
St Lupercio
St Papias the Martyr
St Pope Paul I
St Theodichildis
St Vincenza Gerosa (1784–1847)
—
Martyrs of Africa – 27 saints: 27 Christians martyred together. The only details about them to survive are the names – Afesius, Alexander, Amfamon, Apollonius, Arion, Capitolinus, Capitulinus, Crescens, Dionusius, Dioscorus, Elafa, Eunuchus, Fabian, Felix, Fisocius, Gurdinus, Hinus, Meleus, Nica, Nisia, Pannus, Panubrius, Plebrius, Pleosus, Theoma, Tubonus and Venustus. Unknown location in Africa, date unknown.

Martyrs of Alexandria – 8 saints: A group of spiritual students of Origen who were martyred together in the persecutions of emperor Septimius Severus – Heraclides, Heron, Marcella, Plutarch, Potamiaena the Elder, Rhais, Serenus and Serenus. They were burned to death c.206 in Alexandria, Egypt.

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Thought for the Day – 27 June – Hail, O Mary, Mother of God

Posted on June 27, 2019June 27, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 27 June – Thursday of the Twelfth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and The Memorial of St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father and Doctor

Defender of the divine Motherhood of the Virgin Mary

Saint Cyril of Alexandria (376-444)
Bishop, Father and Doctor

An excerpt from his Letter 1

That anyone could doubt the right of the holy Virgin to be called the mother of God fills me with astonishment. Surely she must be the Mother of God if our Lord Jesus Christ is God and she gave birth to him! Our Lord’s disciples may not have used those exact words but they delivered to us the belief those words enshrine and this has also been taught us, by the holy fathers.

In the third book of his work on the holy and consubstantial Trinity, our father Athanasius, of glorious memory, several times refers to the holy Virgin as “Mother of God.” I cannot resist quoting his own words: “As I have often told you, the distinctive mark of holy Scripture is that it was written to make a twofold declaration concerning our Saviour – namely, that He is and has always been God, since He is the Word, Radiance and Wisdom of the Fatherand that for our sake,, in these latter days, He took flesh from the Virgin Mary, Mother of God and became man.”

Again further on he says: “There have been many holy men, free from all sin. Jeremiah was sanctified in his mother’s womb and John while still in the womb leaped for joy at the voice of Mary, the Mother of God.” Athanasius is a man we can trust, one who deserves our complete confidence, for he taught nothing contrary to the sacred books.

The divinely inspired Scriptures affirm that the Word of God was made flesh, that is to say, He was united to a human body endowed with a rational soul. He undertook to help the descendants of Abraham, fashioning a body for Himself from a woman and sharing our flesh and blood, to enable us to see in Him not only God but also, by reason of this union, a man like ourselves.

It is held, therefore, that there are in Emmanuel two entities, divinity and humanity. Yet our Lord Jesus Christ is nonetheless one, the one true Son, both God and man, not a deified man on the same footing as those who share the divine nature by grace but true God, who for our sake, appeared in human form. We are assured of this by Saint Paul’s declaration: When the fullness of time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law and to enable us to be adopted as sons.

Hail, O Mary, Mother of God
By St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father & Doctor of the Church

Hail, Mother and Virgin,
eternal Temple of the Godhead,
Venerable Treasure of Creation,
crown of virginity,
support of the true faith,
on which the Church is founded, throughout the world.
Mother of God,
who contained the infinite God
under your heart,
whom no space can contain.
Through you, the most Holy Trinity, is revealed,
adored and glorified,
demons are vanquished,
Satan cast down from heaven into hell
and our fallen nature again assumed into heaven.
Through you, the human race,
held captive in the bonds of idolatry,
arrives at the knowledge of Truth.
What more shall I say of you?
Hail, through whom kings rule,
through whom the Only-Begotten Son of God
has become the Star of Light
to those sitting in darkness
and in the shadow of death.
Amen hail-o-mary-mother-of-god-st-cyril-of-alex-10-may-2019 (1)

Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for Us!

St Cyril of Alexandria, Pray for Us!

CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN QUOTES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on MARRIAGE, MARRIED LOVE, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The HOLY GHOST

Quote/s of the Day – 27 June – St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father and Doctor

Posted on June 27, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 27 June – Thursday of the Twelfth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and The Memorial of St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father and Doctor

“He who receives Communion
is made holy and divinised in soul and body
in the same way that water, set over a fire, becomes boiling…
Communion works like yeast that has been mixed into dough
so that it leavens the whole mass;
…Just as by melting two candles together,
you get one piece of wax,
so, I think, one who receives the Flesh and Blood of Jesus
is fused together with Him by this Communion
and the soul finds that he is in Christ and Christ is in him.”

“We have passed over the waves of this present life like a sea,
with its commotion and insane bustle.
We have eaten spiritual manna,
the bread that came down from heaven giving life to the world.”

“If the touch alone of His sacred flesh,
restores life to a corrupting body,
what profit shall we not discover,
in His life-giving Eucharist,
when we make of it our food?
It will wholly transform into its own property,
which is immortality, those who participate in it.”

“Our Saviour went to the wedding feast
to make holy the origins of human life.”

“From Christ and in Christ,
we have been reborn through the Spirit,
in order to bear the fruit of life,
not the fruit of our old, sinful life
but the fruit of a new life founded upon
our faith in Him and our love for Him.
Like branches growing from a vine,
we now draw our life from Christ
and we cling to His holy commandment,
in order to preserve this life.”

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

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

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour,Mother of God of Gietrzwald, Poland and Memorials of the Saints – 27 June

Posted on June 27, 2019June 26, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Lady of Perpetual Succour

Mother of God of Gietrzwald, Poland

Details of the above two Marian Feasts here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/06/27/saints-memorials-and-feast-days-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary-27-june/

St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father and Doctor of the Church (Optional Memorial)
Biography: https://anastpaul.com/2018/06/27/saint-of-the-day-27-june-st-cyril-of-alexandria-376-444-father-and-doctor-of-the-church/
and

Saint of the Day – 27 June – St Cyril of Alexandria – Doctor & Father of the Church – “The Pillar of Faith” & “Seal of all the Fathers” – Doctor Incarnationis (Doctor of the Incarnation) Added by Pope Leo XIII in 1883

St Adeodato of Naples
St Aedh McLugack
St Anectus of Caesarea
St Arialdus of Milan
St Arianell of Wales
Bl Benvenutus of Gubbio
St Brogan
St Crescens of Galatia
St Crescentius of Mainz
Bl Daniel of Schönau
Bl Davanzato of Poggibonsi
St Desideratus of Gourdon
St Dimman
St Felix of Rome
St Ferdinand of Aragon
St Gudene of Carthage
St Joanna the Myrrhbearer
St John of Chinon
St Ladislaus I – (c 1040-1095)
St Sampson of Constantinople
St Spinella of Rome
St Tôma Toán
St Zoilus of Cordoba
—
Martyrs Killed Under Communist Regimes in Eastern Europe: Among the thousands of Christians murdered by various Communist regimes in their hatred of the faith, there were 25 members of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and Russian Byzantine Catholic Church, priests, bishops, sisters and lay people, whose stories are sufficiently well documented that we know they were murdered specifically for their faith in eastern Europe and whose Causes for Canonization were opened. Their Causes were combined and they were beatified together. They have separate memorials but are remembered together today. They are –
• Andrii Ischak • Hryhorii Khomyshyn • Hryhorii Lakota • Ivan Sleziuk • Ivan Ziatyk • Klymentii Sheptytskyi • Leonid Feodorov • Levkadia Harasymiv • Mykola Konrad • Mykola Tsehelskyi • Mykolai Charnetskyi • Mykyta Budka • Oleksa Zarytskyi • Ol’Ha Bida • Ol’Ha Matskiv • Petro Verhun • Roman Lysko • Stepan Baranyk • Symeon Lukach • Vasyl Vsevolod Velychkovskyi • Volodomyr Bairak • Volodymyr Ivanovych Pryima • Yakym Senkivsky • Yosafat Kotsylovskyi • Zenon Kovalyk

Beatified – 27 June 2001 by Pope John Paul II in Ukraine

CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 25 June -Manifesting Christ by St Gregory of Nyssa

Posted on June 25, 2019June 25, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 25 June – Tuesday of the Twelfth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 7:6,12=14

Christ should be Manifest in our Whole Life

Saint Gregory of Nyssa (c 335–C 395)
Bishop and Father of the Church –
Brother of St Basil the Great (Father & Doctor)

An excerpt from his treatise On Christian Perfection

The life of the Christian has three distinguishing aspects – deeds, words and thought. Thought comes first, then words, since our words express openly the interior conclusions of the mind. Finally, after thoughts and words, comes action, for our deeds carry out what the mind has conceived. So when one of these results in our acting or speaking or thinking, we must make sure that all our thoughts, words and deeds are controlled by the divine ideal, the revelation of Christ. For then our thoughts, words and deeds will not fall short of the nobility of their implications.

What then must we do, we who have been found worthy of the name of Christ? Each of us must examine his thoughts, words and deeds, to see whether they are directed toward Christ or are turned away from Him. This examination is carried out in various ways. Our deeds or our thoughts or our words are not in harmony with Christ if they issue from passion. They then bear the mark of the enemy who smears the pearl of the heart with the slime of passion, dimming and even destroying the lustre of the precious stone.

On the other hand, if they are free from and untainted by every passionate inclination, they are directed toward Christ, the author and source of peace. He is like a pure, untainted stream. If you draw from Him the thoughts in your mind and the inclinations of your heart, you will show a likeness to Christ, your source and origin, as the gleaming water in a jar resembles the flowing water from which it was obtained.

For the purity of Christ and the purity that is manifest in our hearts are identical. Christ’s purity, however, is the fountainhead, ours has its source in Him and flows out of Him. Our life is stamped with the beauty of His thought. The inner and the outer man are harmonised in a kind of music. The mind of Christ is the controlling influence that inspires us to moderation and goodness in our behaviour. As I see it, Christian perfection consists in thiS – sharing the titles which express the meaning of Christ’s name, we bring out this meaning in our minds, our prayers and our way of life.

I am the Way and the Truth and the Life…John 14:8

CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Quote of the Day – 25 June – The endless day

Posted on June 25, 2019June 25, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 25 June – Tuesday of the Twelfth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of St Maximus of Turin (? – c 420)

“The light of Christ
is an endless day
that knows no night.”

St Maximus of Turin (? – c 420)

FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, St JOHN the BAPTIST

Thought for the Day- 24 June – The tongue is loosened because a voice is born.

Posted on June 24, 2019June 24, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day- 24 June – The Solemnity of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist Year C, Gospel: Luke 1:57–66

The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness

Saint Augustine (354-430)
Bishop and Great Western Father and Doctor of the Church

An excerpt from his Sermon 293

The Church observes the birth of John as a hallowed event. We have no such commemoration for any other fathers but it is significant, that we celebrate the birthdays of John and of Jesus. This day cannot be passed by. And even if my explanation does not match the dignity of the feast, you may still meditate on it with great depth and profit.

John is born of a woman too old for childbirth, Christ was born of a youthful virgin. The news of John’s birth was met with incredulity and his father was struck dumb. Christ’s birth was believed and He was conceived through faith.

Such is the topic, as I have presented it, for our inquiry and discussion. But as I said before, if I lack either the time or the ability to study the implications of so profound a mystery, He who speaks within you, even when I am not here, will teach you better, it is He whom you contemplate with devotion, whom you have welcomed into your hearts, whose temples you have become.

John, then, appears as the boundary between the two testaments, the old and the new. That he is a sort of boundary the Lord himself bears witness, when He speaks of the law and the prophets up until John the Baptist. Thus He represents times past and is the herald of the new era to come. As a representative of the past, he is born of aged parents, as herald of the new, he is declared to be a prophet while still in his mother’s womb. For when yet unborn, he leapt in his mother’s womb at the arrival of blessed Mary. In that womb, he had already been designated a prophet, even before he was born, it was revealed that he was to be Christ’s precursor, before they ever saw one another. These are divine happenings, going beyond the limits of our human frailty. Eventually he is born, he receives his name, his father’s tongue is loosened. See how these events reflect reality.

Zechariah is silent and loses his voice until John, the precursor of the Lord, is born and restores his voice. The silence of Zechariah is nothing but the age of prophecy lying hidden, obscured, as it were and concealed before the preaching of Christ. At John’s arrival, it becomes clear, when the one who was being prophesied is about to come. The release of Zechariah’s voice at the birth of John is a parallel to the rending of the veil at Christ’s crucifixion. If John were announcing his own coming, Zechariah’s lips would not have been opened. The tongue is loosened because a voice is born. For when John was preaching the Lord’s coming he was asked – Who are you? And he replied – I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. The voice is John but the Lord in the beginning was the Word. John was a voice that lasted only for a time, Christ, the Word in the beginning, is eternal.

St John the Baptist, Pray for Us!

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

Our Morning Offering – 21 June – Steer the Ship of my Life, Lord

Posted on June 21, 2019June 20, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 21 June – Friday Eleventh week in Ordinary Time, Year C

Steer the Ship of my Life, Lord
By St Basil the Great (329-379)

Steer the ship of my life, Lord,
to Your quiet harbour,
where I can be safe from
the storms of sin and conflict.
Show me the course I should take.
Renew in me the gift of discernment,
so that I can see the right direction
in which I should go.
And give me the strength
and the courage to choose the right course,
even when the sea is rough
and the waves are high,
knowing that through enduring
hardship and danger in Your name
we shall find comfort and peace.
Amen steer-the-ship-of-my-life-lord-st-basil-11-june-2018-no-2-jpg.jpg

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FATHERS of the Church, GOD the FATHER, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PRAYER, The LORD'S PRAYER, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 20 June – Part One “Treatise on the Lord’s Prayer” St Cyprian of Carthage (c 200- c 258)

Posted on June 20, 2019June 20, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 20 June – Thursday Eleventh Week of Ord Time Year C – Today’s Gospel Matthew 6:7-15 – Part One “Treatise on the Lord’s Prayer” St Cyprian of Carthage (c 200- c 258)

Our prayer is communal

Saint Cyprian of Carthage (c 200-258)
Bishop, Father of the Church and Martyr

An excerpt from his Treatise On the Lord’s Prayer

Above all, he who preaches peace and unity, did not want us to pray by ourselves in private or for ourselves alone. We do not say “My Father, who art in heaven,” nor “Give me this day my daily bread.” It is not for himself alone, that each person asks to be forgiven, not to be led into temptation or to be delivered from evil. Rather, we pray in public as a community and not for one individual but for all. For the people of God are all one.

God is then the teacher of harmony, peace and unity and desires each of us to pray for all men, even as he bore all men in Himself alone. The three young men shut up in the furnace of fire observed this rule of prayer. United in the bond of the Spirit, they uttered together the same prayer. The witness of holy Scripture describes this incident for us, so that we might imitate them in our prayer. Then all three began to sing in unison, blessing God. Even though Christ had not yet taught them to pray, nevertheless, they spoke as with one voice.

It is for this reason, that their prayer was persuasive and efficacious. For their simple and spiritual prayer of peace merited the presence of the Lord . So too, after the ascension we find the apostles and the disciples praying together in this way. Scripture relates – They all joined together in continuous prayer, with the women including Mary, the mother of Jesus and his brothers. They all joined together in continuous prayer. The urgency and the unity of their prayer declares that God, who fashions a bond of unity among those who live in His home, will admit into His divine home, for all eternity, only those who pray in unity.

My dear friends, the Lord’s Prayer contains many great mysteries of our faith. In these few words there is great spiritual strength, for this summary of divine teaching contains all of our prayers and petitions. And so, the Lord commands us, Pray then like this: Our Father, who art in heaven.

We are new men, we have been reborn and restored to God by His grace. We have already begun to be His sons and we can say “Father.” John reminds us of this – He came to His own home and His own people did not receive Him. But to all who received Him, who believe in His name, He gave the power to become children of God. Profess your belief that you are sons of God by giving thanks. Call upon God who is your Father in heaven.

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FATHERS of the Church, GOD the FATHER, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PRAYER, The WORD

Quote of the Day – 20 June – ‘…let Him hear the prayer of Christ ringing in His ears!’

Posted on June 20, 2019June 20, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 20 June – Thursday Eleventh Week of Ord Time Year C – Today’s Gospel Matthew 6:7-15

“So, my brothers, let us pray as God our master has taught us.
To ask the Father in words His Son has given us,
to let Him hear the prayer of Christ ringing in His ears,
is to make our prayer one of friendship, a family prayer.
Let the Father recognise the words of His Son.
Let the Son who lives in our hearts, be also on our lips.
We have Him as an Advocate for sinners, before the Father,
when we ask for forgiveness for ours sins,
let us use the words given by our Advocate.
He tells us –
Whatever you ask the Father in my name, He will give you.
What more effective prayer could we then make,
in the name of Christ, than in the words of His own prayer?”

Saint Cyprian of Carthage (c 200- c 258)
Bishop, Father of the Church and Martyr

An excerpt from his “On the Lord’s Prayer”

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PRAYER, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 20 June – Prayer is a petition for what God gives

Posted on June 20, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 20 June – Thursday Eleventh Week of Ord Time Year C – Today’s Gospel Matthew 6:7-15

“Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”…Matthew 6:7

REFLECTION – Prayer is a petition for what God gives – “The Lord’s prayer, as I have said, contains a petition for each of these things. First, it speaks of the Father, His name and His kingdom. Second, it shows us that the person who prays, is by grace the Son of this Father. It asks that those in heaven and those on earth may be united in one will. It tells us to ask for our daily bread. It lays down that people should be reconciled with one another and it unites our nature with itself when we forgive and are forgiven, for then it is not split asunder by differences of will and purpose. It teaches us to pray against entering into temptation, since this is the law of sin. And it exhorts us to ask for deliverance from the evil one.

For the author and giver of divine blessings could not but be our teacher as well, providing the words of this prayer, as precepts of life, for those disciples who believe in Him and follow the way He taught in the flesh. Through these words, He has revealed the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:3) that exist in Him as pure form. And in all who offer this prayer, He kindles the desire to enjoy such treasures.

It is for this reason, I think, that Scripture calls this teaching “prayer”, since it contains petitions for the gifts that God gives to us by grace. Our divinely inspired Fathers have explained prayer in a similar way, saying that prayer is petition for that which God naturally gives us, in the manner that is appropriate.”…St Maximus the Confessor (c 580-662) Monk and Theologian – Interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer (Philokalia, Volume Two) matthew 6 7 your father knows before you ask - for the author and giver of - st maximus the confessor on the lord's prayer 20 june 2019

PRAYER – Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us,
And lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
Amen the Lord's Prayer - matthew 6 9-13 - 20 june 2019

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