FATHERS of the Church – Page 108

FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on FAITH, SAINT of the DAY, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

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

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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)

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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

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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

FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PRAYER, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 19 June – How to pray… St Romuald

Posted on June 19, 2019June 19, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 19 June – Wednesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of St Romuald (c 951-1027)

“Better to pray one psalm
with devotion and compunction,
than a hundred with distraction.”

“Sit in your cell as in paradise.
Put the whole world
behind you and forget it.
Watch your thoughts
like a good fisherman
watching for fish.”

St Romuald (c 951-1027)

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on HYPOCRISY, QUOTES on PRIDE, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 19 June

Posted on June 19, 2019June 19, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 19 June – Wednesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 6:1–6 and the Memorial of St Romuald (c 951-1027) and St Juliana Falconieri OSM (1270 – 1341)

“Beware of practising your piety before men, in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven..”... Matthew 6:1

REFLECTION – ”Vainglory can find a place, not only, in the splendour and pomp of worldly wealth but even in the sordid garment of sackcloth as well. It is then all the more dangerous, because it is a deception, under the pretence of service to God.
When one dazzles by immoderate adornment of the body and its raiment, or by the splendour of whatever else one may possess, by that very fact, one is easily shown to desire ostentatious display. This person deceives nobody by a crafty semblance of holiness. But if, through extraordinary squalor and shabbiness, one is attracting others’ attention to one’s manner of professing Christianity and if, one is doing this of choice and not merely enduring it through necessity, then one may determine by one’s other works whether one is doing it through an indifference toward needless adornment, or through ambition of some kind. Indeed, the Lord has forewarned us to beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing: “By their fruits you shall know them.”
Trials of one kind or another, that cause these people to lose the very advantages they have gained, through their dress or claimed to deny, what they sought to gain by it, will inevitably reveal, whether it is a case of a wolf under a sheep’s skin or a sheep under its own. But just as sheep ought not to change their skin even though wolves sometimes hide themselves beneath it, so a Christian ought not try to delight the eyes of others by needless adornment, just because pretenders very often assume that scanty garb, which necessity demands and assume it, for the purpose of deceiving those, who are less aware.” … St Augustine (354-430) (Sermon on the Mount, 2) matthew 6 1 - beware of practising yuor piety - vainglory can find a place - st augustine 19 june 2019.jpg

PRAYER – Lord God, in Your wisdom You created us. By Your providence You rule us. Penetrate our inmost being with Your holy light, so that we may shine only by our service and imitation of Your Son and never seek to shine by our own efforts. May we be mirrors of His meek and humble Heart. Grant that the prayers of St Romuald and St Juliana Falconieri may be help on our way. Through Christ our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.

st juliana falconieri pray for us - 19 june 2019.jpg

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

Thought for the Day – 18 June – ‘So love, dearest brethren…’

Posted on June 18, 2019June 18, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 18 June – Tuesday of the Eleventh week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 5:43–48

But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…

Matthew 5:44 matthew-5-44-but-i-say-to-you-love-your-enemies-4-aug-2018

“Love your enemies”

Saint Caesarius of Arles (470-543)
Monk and Bishop

Sermons addressed to the people, no. 23, 3; SC 243

In all these works of true and perfect charity I am telling you about, nothing is to be done with hand or foot – in other words, no-one can say they are incapable of them or too weak. (…) No-one can plausibly raise any kind of excuse against them, saying, that they are unable to put these counsels into practice. For you are not being told: “Fast more than you are able, stay awake all night more than you have the strength to do!” (…); no-one is obliging you to sell all your goods and give everything to the poor or to remain a virgin. (…) Let someone who can do all these things give thanks to God. And let someone who cannot, maintain true charity and they will possess everything in this. For love suffices, even without all those good works but those good works, without love, are wholly useless. That is why I am saying and repeating these things to you, dearest brethren, so that you may evermore fully understand, that no-one can claim, they are incapable of, carrying out God’s commandments.

So hold fast to the sweet and salutary bond of love, without which, the rich are poor and with which the poor are rich. What do the rich possess if not charity? (…) And since “God is love,” (1 Jn 4:8) as John the evangelist says, what can the poor lack, if they merit to possess God by means of charity? (…) So love, dearest brethren and hold fast to charity without which no-one will ever see God. matthew 5 44 - love your enemies - so hold fast to the sweet - st caesarius of arles 18 june 2019.jpg

“Prayer is an antidote against hatred.”

Pope Francis

19 February 2017

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS

Our Morning Offering – 18 June – ‘Be the King of my Heart!’

Posted on June 18, 2019June 17, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 18 June – Tuesday of the Eleventh week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Month of the Sacred Heart

May the Heart of Jesus
be the King of my Heart!
By St Francis De Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of Charity

May Your heart
dwell always in our hearts!
May Your blood
ever flow in the veins of our souls!
O sun of our hearts,
You give life to all things
by the rays of Your goodness!
I will not go,
until Your heart has strengthened me,
O Lord Jesus!

May the heart of Jesus
be the King of my heart!
Blessed be God.
Amen may the heart of jesus be the king of my heart - st francis de sales - 18 june 2019.jpg

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 17 June – ‘…Go with him for two miles.’

Posted on June 17, 2019June 17, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 17 June – Monday of the Eleventh week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel : Matthew 5:38–42 and the Memorial of Blessed Joseph-Marie Cassant OCSO (1878-1903)

“Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles.”… Matthew 5:41

REFLECTION – “Do you grasp the excellence of a Christian disposition? After you give your coat and your cloak, even if your enemy should wish to subject your naked body to hardships and labours, not even then, Jesus says, must you forbid him. For He would have us possess all things in common, both our bodies and our goods, as with them that are in need, so with them that insult us. For the latter response comes from a courageous spirit, the former from mercy. Because of this, Jesus said, “If any one shall compel you to go one mile, go with him two.” Again He leads you to higher ground and commands you to manifest the same type of aspiration. For if the lesser things He spoke of at the beginning receive such great blessings, consider what sort of reward awaits those who duly perform these and what they become even before we hear of receiving rewards. You are winning full freedom from unworthy passions in a human and passible body.” … Saint John Chrysostom (347-407) Bishop, Father & Doctor (The Gospel of Matthew: Homily 18)

PRAYER – King of heaven and earth, Lord God, rule over or hearts and bodies this day. Sanctify us and guide our every thought, word and deed according to the commandments of Your law, so that now and forever, Your grace may free and save us. Teach us Lord to walk in the ways of the Cross of Your Son, our Saviour, as Blessed Joseph-Marie Cassant so lovingly and willingly inspires us to do. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God, forever, amen. bl joseph marie cassant pray for us 17 june 2019.jpg

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

Saint of the Day – 11 June – St Barnabas, Apostle “Son of Encouragement”

Posted on June 11, 2019June 11, 2019 by AnaStpaul

https://anastpaul.com/2018/06/11/saint-of-the-day-11-june-st-barnabas-apostle-son-of-encouragement/

https://anastpaul.com/2017/06/11/saint-of-the-day-st-barnabas-the-apostle-11-june/

News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad and he exhorted them all, to remain faithful to the Lord, with steadfast purpose; for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a large company was added to the Lord...Acts 11:22-24

“While we cannot see God, there is something we can do, to open a way, for the eye of our understanding to come to Him. It is certain that we can see now in His servants, one whom we can in no way see in Himself. When we see them doing astonishing things, we can be sure that God dwells in their hearts… None of us can look directly at the rising sun by gazing at its orb. Our eyes are repelled as they strain to see its rays. But we look at mountains bathed in sunlight and see that it has risen. Because we cannot see the Sun of righteousness (Mal 3,20) Himself, let us see the mountains bathed in His brightness, I mean the holy apostles. They shine with virtues and gleam with miracles… The power of His divinity, is in itself, like the sun in the sky; in human beings it is like the sun shining on earth…”

St Pope Gregory the Great (c 540-604), Father & Doctor of the Church

(Homilies on the Gospel, no 30)

when-he-came-and-saw-acts-11-22-24-when-we-see-them-doing-st-pope-gregory-the-great-11-june-2018-st-barnabas.jpg

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, MARY, MATER ECCLESIAE, PAPAL ENCYLICALS, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

The Second Official Memorial of this new feast day, the first Monday after Pentecost – Mary Mater Ecclesiae – Mary , Mother of the Church – 10 June 2019

Posted on June 10, 2019June 10, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Mary Mater Ecclesiae – Mary , Mother of the Church – 10 June 2019

Vatican Decree here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/03/04/pope-francis-institutes-new-celebration-of-mary-mother-of-the-church/

“As a caring guide to the emerging Church,
Mary had already begun her mission
in the Upper Room, praying with the Apostles,
while awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit.”

Cardinal Robert Sarah

Congregation of Divine Worship
and the Discipline of the Sacraments,
11 February 2018, the memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lourdes.
DECREE ON THE CELEBRATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY,
MOTHER OF THE CHURCH IN THE GENERAL ROMAN CALENDAR

as-a-caring-guide-to-the-emerging-church-cardinal-sarah-21-may-2018.jpg

“…She is clearly the Mother
of his members;
that is, of ourselves,
because she cooperated
by her charity,
so that faithful Christians,
members of the Head,
might be born in the Church.
As for the body,
she is the Mother of its Head…
Mary gave birth to our Head;
the Church gave birth to you.
Indeed, the Church also,
is both virgin and mother,
mother, because of her
womb of charity,
virgin, because of the integrity
of her faith and piety.”

St Augustine (354-430) Doctor of Grace

“Who, more than Mary, could be, a star of hope for us?
With her “yes”, she opened the door of our world,
to God Himself; she became the living Ark of the Covenant,
in whom God took flesh, became one of us
and pitched His tent among us.”

Spe Salvi 49 – Pope Benedict XVI

Prayer to Mary, Mother of the Church and Mother of our Faith
By our Holy Father, Pope Francis

Mother, help our faith!
Open our ears to hear God’s word
and to recognise His voice and call.
Awaken in us a desire, to follow in His footsteps,
to go forth from our own land
and to receive His promise.
Help us to be touched by His love,
that we may touch Him in faith.
Help us to entrust ourselves fully to Him
and to believe in His love,
especially at times of trial,
beneath the shadow of the cross,
when our faith is called to mature.
Sow in our faith the joy of the Risen One.
Remind us that those who believe are never alone.
Teach us to see all things with the eyes of Jesus,
that He may be light for our path.
And may this light of faith,
always increase in us,
until the dawn of that undying day,
which is Christ Himself, your Son, our Lord!
Amen

Prayer to Mary at the conclusion of the Encyclical Lumen Fidei (29 June 2013)
Image of Mary – Our Lady of the Column in St Peter’s Basilica

St Augustine(354-430)
The Image of the Holy Church

Gracious Lady,
you are a mother and virgin,
you are the mother
of the body and soul
of our Head and Redeemer,
you are also truly mother
of all the members of Christ’s Mystical Body.
For through your love,
you have co-operated
in the begetting of the faithful in the Church.
Unique among women,
you are mother and virgin,
mother of Christ and virgin of Christ.
You are the beauty and charm of earth, O Virgin.
You are, forever, the image of the holy Church.
Through a woman came death,
through a woman came life,
yes, through you, O Mother of God. the image of the holy church - st augustine - 10 june 2019 - mary mater ecclesiae mother of the church.jpg

DOCTORS of the Church, DOGMA, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY GHOST

Blessed Solemnity of Pentecost! – 9 June

Posted on June 9, 2019 by AnaStpaul

May we all be filled with the Holy Spirit!

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the heart of Your servant and enkindle in us the fire of Your gifts! Be with us, in us and lead us to the light, amen.

“…We have only to say “yes” to let Him take us there.“

St John Vianney (1786-1859)

“If the damned were asked – Why are you in Hell? they would answer: ‘For having resisted the Holy Spirit.’
And if the saints were asked – Why are you in Heaven? they would answer: ‘For having listened to the Holy Spirit.’
When good thoughts come into our minds, it is the Holy Spirit who is visiting us.
The Holy Spirit is a power.
The Holy Spirit …. sustained the martyrs. Without the Holy Spirit, the martyrs would have fallen like the leaves from the trees. When the fires were lighted under them, the Holy Spirit extinguished the heat of the fire by the heat of divine love.
The good God, in sending us the Holy Spirit, has treated us like a great king who should send his minister to guide one of his subjects, saying, “You will accompany this man everywhere and you will bring him back to me safe and sound.”
How beautiful it is, my children, to be accompanied by the Holy Spirit!
He is indeed a good Guide; and to think that there are some who will not follow Him!
The Holy Spirit is like a man with a carriage and horse, who should want to take us to Pans. We should only have to say “yes,” and to get into it. It is indeed an easy matter to say “yes”!… Well, the Holy Spirit wants to take us to Heaven, we have only to say “yes,” and to let Him take us there.“

“O Divine Spirit, draw us to the highest heaven
where Jesus lives forever, interceding for us.
Come, fill our hearts with Your fire,
show us the way to the Lord, that we may find Him
shining with beauty and love.
Amen”

“Accordingly, in the Church,
one God is preached,
one God who is above all things
and through all things and in all things.
God is above all things as Father,
for He is principle and source;
He is through all things through the Word;
and He is in all things in the Holy Spirit.”

St Athanasius (c295-373)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Pentecost post here:

https://anastpaul.com/2018/05/20/the-solemnity-of-pentecost-20-may/

BREVIARY Prayers, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, NOVENAS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY GHOST

Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit – Day Nine – 8 June

Posted on June 8, 2019June 8, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Novena to the Holy Spirit – Day Nine – 8 June

“I believe in the Holy Spirit”

The Church, a communion living in the faith of the apostles
which she transmits, is the place where we know the Holy Spirit:
– in the Scriptures He inspired;
– in the Tradition, to which the Church Fathers are always timely witnesses;
– in the Church’s Magisterium, which He assists;
– in the sacramental liturgy, through its words and symbols,
in which the Holy Spirit puts us into communion with Christ;
– in prayer, wherein He intercedes for us;
– in the charisms and ministries, by which the Church is built up;
– in the signs of apostolic and missionary life;
– in the witness of saints, through whom
He manifests His holiness
and continues the work of salvation.

Catechism of the Catholic Church
Section Two – Article 8 “I believe in the Holy Spirit” #688

++++++++++++++++++++

“We receive the Spirit of truth
so that we can know the things of God.
In order to grasp this,
consider how useless the faculties of the human body would becom,
if they were denied their exercise.
Our eyes cannot fulfil their task without light, either natural or artificial,
our ears cannot react without sound vibrations
and in the absence of any odour, our nostrils are ignorant of their function.
Not that these senses would lose their own nature, if they were not used. rather, they demand objects of experience in order to function.
It is the same with the human soul.
Unless it absorbs the gift of the Spirit through faith,
the mind has the ability to know God
but lacks the light necessary for that knowledge.”

St Hilary of Poitiers (315-368)
Father & Doctor of the Church

we receive the spirit of truth so that we can know the things of god - st hilary of poitiers 8 june 2019.jpg

For the Traditional Novena, here with the Act of Consecration: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/pentecost-novena-to-the-holy-spirit-for-the-seven-gifts-day-one-11-may-2018/

Begin by reciting the following prayer…

O Holy Spirit, Divine Consoler!
I adore You as my True God.
I offer You my whole heart
and I render You heartfelt thanks
for all the benefits You have bestowed upon the world.
You are the author of all supernatural gifts
and enriched the Blessed Virgin Mary,
the Mother of God,
with all favours,
I ask You to visit me by Your grace and Your love,
and grant me the favour
I so earnestly seek…
…………………………………. State your request here…
O Holy Spirit,
spirit of truth, come into our hearts.

Let us Pray:

O Lord, Holy Spirit,
grant me sight to see the wondrous promise of divine love,
insight to see my own weakness,
delight in Your divine presence in my soul
which You have made Your temple, through sanctifying grace.
I pray, O Holy Spirit,
that I may be not doubting;
that I be spared the pain of being alone
without trust or hope in Christ,
that my prayer may always be “My Lord and my God!”
I pray that I may acquire a sense of retreat
to prayer and recollection at various times in my daily life,
for prayer is the bond that joins us to Christ.
I pray that I may be aware of the physical needs of the poor
and that I may share what I can with them
in the charitable works of the Church.
I pray, O Holy Spirit,
that You will, in Your mercy
grant me the favour, I have sought in this novena.

Come, O Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of Your faithful,
and kindle in them the fire of Your love.

Amen day-nine-pentecost-novena-19-may-2018-somehow-i-made-two

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY GHOST

Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit – Day Six – 5 June

Posted on June 5, 2019June 5, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Novena to the Holy Spirit – Day Six – 5 June

“Remember, then, that you received a spiritual seal,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of knowledge and reverence,
the spirit of holy fear.
Keep safe what you received.
God the Father sealed you,
Christ the Lord strengthened you
and sent the Spirit into your hearts
as the pledge of what is to come.”

St Ambrose (340-397)
Father & Doctor of the Church

Remember then that you received a spiritual seal - st ambrose - 5 june 2019.jpg

For the Traditional Novena, here with the Act of Consecration: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/pentecost-novena-to-the-holy-spirit-for-the-seven-gifts-day-one-11-may-2018/

Begin by reciting the following prayer…

O Holy Spirit, Divine Consoler!
I adore You as my True God.
I offer You my whole heart,
and I render You heartfelt thanks
for all the benefits You have bestowed upon the world.
You are the author of all supernatural gifts
and enriched the Blessed Virgin Mary,
the Mother of God,
with all favours,
I ask You to visit me by Your grace and Your love,
and grant me the favour
I so earnestly seek…
…………………………………. State your request here…
O Holy Spirit,
spirit of truth, come into our hearts.

Let us Pray:

O Father in Heaven,
I beg You to send the Holy Spirit.
May Your Holy Spirit remind me
when I am apt to forget Your law.
Your love, Your promises.
May Your Holy Spirit strengthen my memory
to recall frequently Your sanctity,
omniscience, wisdom and goodness,
faithfulness and love.
May Your Holy Spirit encourage me,
when I am slothful,
strengthen me,
when I am weak,
enlighten me,
when I no longer can help myself.
Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit,
that I may do what is holy.
Stir me, that I may love what is holy.
Strengthen me, that I may preserve what is holy.
Protect me, Holy Spirit,
that I may never lose what is holy
and grant me the favour,
I so earnestly seek in this novena…

Come, O Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of Your faithful,
and kindle in them the fire of Your love.
Amen

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY GHOST

Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit – Day Four – 3 June

Posted on June 3, 2019June 3, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Novena to the Holy Spirit – Day Four – 3 June

“O Holy Spirit, descend plentifully into my heart.

Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling

and scatter there Your cheerful beams.”

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

o holy spirit descend plentifully - st augustine - 3 june 2019.jpg

For the Traditional Novena, here with the Act of Consecration: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/pentecost-novena-to-the-holy-spirit-for-the-seven-gifts-day-one-11-may-2018/

DAY FOUR
Begin by reciting the following prayer…

O Holy Spirit, Divine Consoler!
I adore You as my True God.
I offer You my whole heart
and I render You heartfelt thanks
for all the benefits You have bestowed upon the world.
You are the author of all supernatural gifts
and enriched the Blessed Virgin Mary,
the Mother of God,
with all favours,
I ask You to visit me by Your grace and Your love
and grant me the favour
I so earnestly seek…
…………………………………. State your request here…
O Holy Spirit,
spirit of truth, come into our hearts.

Let us Pray:

O God,
Who today, by the light of the Holy Spirit
did instruct the hearts of the faithful,
give us, by the light of the same Holy Spirit,
a love for what is right and just
and a constant enjoyment of His comforts.
Pray Holy Spirit,
that I may strive to learn more of my faith;
that I may ever be conscious
that reason, in all its human magnificence,
is capable of grasping but a glimpse of the reality that is God.
Pray that I may accept as the motto of my life:

“All for the greater glory of God”

and grant me the favour I so earnestly seek in this novena…

Come, O Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of Your faithful,
and kindle in them
the fire of Your love.
Amen

BREVIARY Prayers, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE, SPEAKING of ....., The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 24 May – Speaking of Love…

Posted on May 24, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 24 May – Friday of the Fifth Week of Eastertide: Today’s Gospel John 15:12-17

Speaking of Love…

“This is my commandment,
that you love one another,
as I have loved you…

John 15:12

“What is the mark of love for your neighbour?
Not to seek what is for your own benefit
but what is for the benefit of the one loved,
both in body and in soul.”

St Basil the Great (329-379)

Father & Doctor of the Church

“Since love grows within you,
so beauty grows.
For love is the beauty of the soul.”

“God is always trying to give good things to us
but our hands are too full to receive them!”

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

“Nothing is sweeter than love,
nothing stronger or higher or wider;
nothing is more pleasant, nothing fuller
and nothing better in heaven or on earth,
for love is born of God
and cannot rest except in God,
Who is above all created things.”

Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471) – Imitation of Christ

“Love knows no limit
to its endurance,
no end to its trust,
no fading of its hope,
it can outlast anything.
Love still stands,
when all else has fallen.”

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Matthew 8:26

St John Climacus (579-649)

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Psalm 19:5

St Pope Leo the Great (400-461)

Doctor of the Church’s Unity

St Pope Paul VI (1897-1978)

Exhortation on Christian Joy, 1975

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

“Our Father for Priests”

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St Justin Martyr (100-165)

Father of the Church and Martyr

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

Pope Leo XIII

St Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)

St Mother Teresa (1910-1997)

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Defender of the divine Motherhood of the Virgin Mary

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

Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for Us!

St Cyril of Alexandria, Pray for Us!

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

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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)

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

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St Maximus of Turin (? – c 420)

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The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness

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

St John the Baptist, Pray for Us!

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Our prayer is communal

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

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

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St Romuald (c 951-1027)

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“Love your enemies”

Saint Caesarius of Arles (470-543) Monk and Bishop

“Prayer is an antidote against hatred.”

Pope Francis

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Mary Mater Ecclesiae – Mary , Mother of the Church – 10 June 2019

St Augustine (354-430) Doctor of Grace

Spe Salvi 49 – Pope Benedict XVI

Prayer to Mary, Mother of the Church and Mother of our Faith By our Holy Father, Pope Francis

St Augustine(354-430) The Image of the Holy Church

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May we all be filled with the Holy Spirit!

“…We have only to say “yes” to let Him take us there.“

St John Vianney (1786-1859)

St Athanasius (c295-373) Father and Doctor of the Church

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“I believe in the Holy Spirit”

Catechism of the Catholic Church Section Two – Article 8 “I believe in the Holy Spirit” #688

St Hilary of Poitiers (315-368) Father & Doctor of the Church

Let us Pray:

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Novena to the Holy Spirit – Day Six – 5 June

St Ambrose (340-397) Father & Doctor of the Church

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“O Holy Spirit, descend plentifully into my heart.

Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Saint Caesarius of Arles (470-543)
Monk and Bishop

Prayer to Mary, Mother of the Church and Mother of our Faith
By our Holy Father, Pope Francis

St Augustine(354-430)
The Image of the Holy Church

St Athanasius (c295-373)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Catechism of the Catholic Church
Section Two – Article 8 “I believe in the Holy Spirit” #688

St Hilary of Poitiers (315-368)
Father & Doctor of the Church

St Ambrose (340-397)
Father & Doctor of the Church

DAY FOUR
Begin by reciting the following prayer…