Our Morning Offering – 24 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament”
To Thee, O Master Morning Offering By St Macarius the Wonder-Worker (Died 850)
To Thee, O Master, Who loves all mankind I hasten on rising from sleep. By Thy Mercy, I go out to do Thy Work and I make my prayer to Thee. Help me at all times and in all things. Deliver me from every evil thing of this world and from pursuit by the devil. Save me and bring me to Thy eternal Kingdom, For Thou art my Creator, Thou inspire all good thoughts in me. In Thee is all my hope and to Thee I give glory, now and forever. Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 22 April – The Solemnity of the Patronage of St Joseph Confessoris
“So, taking Christ’s genealogy from Joseph – a husband in chastity, he was father in the same way. … Are you saying that he did not conceive Jesus through the operation of nature? Well then, what the Holy Spirit operated, He did for them both. For Joseph was “a just man,” Matthew tells us (1:19). Both husband and wife were just. The Holy Spirit dwelt within their mutual justice and gave each of them, a Son!”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace
“How faithful in humility was the great Saint we are celebrating! That cannot be said in all its perfection, for, in spite of what he was, in what poverty and lowliness he lived, all the days of his life – a poverty and lowliness beneath which. he kept hidden and concealed, his great virtues and dignity! … Truly, I am free of doubt that the Angels came, beside themselves with admiration, rank upon rank, to behold and wonder at his humility, while he sheltered that dearest Child in the poor workshop where he worked at his employment, so as to feed the little Boy and the Mother entrusted to him.”
“Behold, the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep …” Matthew 1:20
“And what wisdom did he not have? For God gave him his most glorious Son to care for … the universal Prince of Heaven and earth … Nevertheless, you can see how low and humbled he was brought, more than can be said or imagined … he went to his own Country and Town of Bethlehem and none but he was turned away from all those inns … Notice how the Angel turns him about with both hands. He tells him he has to go to Egypt and he goes; he orders him to return and he returns. God wants him to be always poor … and he submits to it with love and, not only for a while, for he was poor his whole life long!”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church
“St Joseph is the Universal Patron of the Church. We, who are loved children of the Church should invoke his special intercession, therefore, for the triumph and expansion of the Kingdom of God upon earth. … If we are loyal sons of the Church, we should pray that She may triumph. We should ask for the special intercession of St Joseph, Her Heavenly Patron.”
“We shall come to the end of our lives too, perhaps sooner than we imagine. Let us ask the Holy Patriarch for the favour of a happy death. Let us ask him to ensure that Jesus and Mary will help us too, when we are leaving this world.”
Saint of the Day – 21 April – Saint Anastasius Sinaita (Died c700) Abbot, Exegesis, writer, a staunch Defender of the One True Faith in all its Truths. Born in Alexandria and died at his Monastery on Mount Sinai. Also known as – Anastasius the Sinaite, … of Sinai.
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Antioch, St Anastasius Sinaita, Abbot.”
Anastasius’ life, between the 7th and 8th Centuries, unfolded between Alexandria and Mount Sinai, where he led a community of Monks on the path to perfection.
His tireless pen gave rise to works of polemical and exegetical discourse, combating the heresies of the time with the wisdom of the patristic tradition.
Among his writings, his ‘Guide Against Monophysitism’ is highly esteemed, rich in quotations, which testify to his vast erudition. The ‘Commentary of the Hexameron’ of which only the last book has survived intact, offers an allegorical interpretation of Genesis from a Christological perspective.
The ‘Questions and Answers’ although not in their original form, offer a glimpse of his profound knowledge of Sacred Scripture and the Church Fathers.
Five surviving Sermons allow us to grasp his eloquence and pastoral fervour.
On 20 April, in the Emperor Basil’s Calendar, St Anastasius is mentioned who, overcome by the love of Christ, left the world and, having gone, firstly to Jerusalem, then retired to Mount Sinai, where he lived humbly until his death, after having guided many Hermit Monks on the path of virtue. This Eulogy is passed into the Martyrology of Constantinople on 21 April.
St Conrad of Parzham OFM Cap (1818-1894) Franciscan Religious Lay Friar, Devotee of Blessed Sacrament and Marian, Apostle of Charity, Miracle worker with the charism of prophecy. His heroic virtues and the miracles he performed won for him the distinction to be ranked among the Blessed by Pope Pius XI in 1930. Four years later, the same pope, approving additional miracles which had been performed, solemnly inscribed his name in the list of Saints. Biography: https://anastpaul.com/2018/04/21/saint-of-the-day-21-april-st-conrad-of-parzham-ofm-cap-1818-1894/
St Crotates of Nicomedia St Cyprian of Brescia St Felix of Alexandria St Fortunatus of Alexandria St Frodulphus St Isacius of Nicomedia St Maelrubba of Applecross
St Silvius of Alexandria St Simeon of Ctesiphon St Vitalis of Alexandria Bl Vitaliy Bayrak
Quote/s of the Day – 20 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament”– Easter II – Feroal Day – 1 Peter 2:21-25 – John 10:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“ I lay down My Life for My sheep.”
John 10:15
“He cries out, saying: See, I am with you all the days of this age. He is Himself the Shepherd, the High Priest, the Way and the Door and has become all things at once for us.”
St Athanasius (297-373) Father & Doctor of the Church
“With good reason Christ declares: I am the Good Shepherd, I seek out the lost sheep, the strayed I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal (Ez 34:16). I have seen the flock of mankind struck down by sickness; I have witnessed my lambs wander about where demons dwell; I have seen my flock ravaged by wolves. All this I have seen and have not witnessed it from on high. That is why I took hold of the withered hand, gripped by pain, as if by a wolf; I have unbound those whom fever had bound; I taught him to see, whose eyes had been shut from his mother’s womb; I brought Lazarus out from the tomb where he had lain for four days (Mk 3:5; 1:31; Jn 9; 11). For I am the Good Shepherd and the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.”
Basil of Seleucia (Died 448) Bishop of Seleucia
(Oratio 26)
“The measure of love, is to love without measure.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church
Quote/s of the Day – 19 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Easter II – 1 Peter 2:21-25 – John 10:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“I am the Good Shepherd, I know Mine and Mine know Me.”
John 10:14
“Come, then and search out Thy sheep, not through Thy servants or hired men but do it Thineself. Lift me up bodily and in the flesh, which is fallen in Adam. Lift me up, not from Sarah but from Mary, a Virgin, not only undefiled but a Virgin, whom grace had made inviolate, free of every stain of sin.”
St Ambrose (340-397) Father and Doctor of the Church
“Christ acts like a loving mother. To induce us to follow Him, He gives us Himself as an example and promises us a reward in His Kingdom.”
St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Evangelical Doctor
“Christ said that the shepherd enters through the gate and that He is Himself the Gate, as well as the Shepherd. Then, it is necessary, that He enter through Himself. By so doing, He reveals Himself and through Himself, He knows the Father. But we enter through Him because through Him. we find happiness.”
St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor Angelicus / Doctor Communis
One Minute Reflection – 19 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Easter II – 1 Peter 2:21-25 – John 10:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“I am the Good Shepherd and I know Mine and Mine know Me.”- John 10:14
REFLECTION – “I am the good shepherd. I know My Own—by which I mean, I love them—and My Own know Me. In plain words – those who love Me are willing to follow Me, for anyone who does not love the Truth, has not yet come to know it.
My dear brethren, you have heard the test we shepherds have to undergo. Turn now to consider, how these words of our Lord, imply a test for yourselves too. Ask yourselves whether you belong to His flock, whether you know Him, whether the Light of His Truth shines in your minds. I assure you that it is not by faith that you will come to know Him but, by love, not by mere conviction but, by action. John the Evangelist is my authority, for this statement. He tells us that anyone who claims to know God, without keeping His commandments, is a liar.
Consequently, the Lord immediately adds: ‘As the Father knows Me and I know the Father and I lay down My life for My sheep.‘ Clearly, He means that laying down His life for His sheep, gives evidence of His knowledge of the Father and the Father’s knowledge of Him. In other words, by the love with which He dies for His sheep, He shows, how greatly He loves His Father.
Again He says: ‘My sheep hear My voice and I know them; they follow Me,and I give them eternal life.’ Shortly before this He had declared – ‘If anyone enters the sheepfold through Me, he shall be saved, he shall go freely in and out and shall find good pasture.‘ He will enter into a life of faith; from faith, he will go out to vision, from belief to contemplation and will graze in the good pastures of everlasting life.
So our Lord’s sheep will finally reach their grazing ground, where all who follow Him in simplicity of heart, will feed on the green pastures of eternity. These pastures are the spiritual joys of Heaven. There, the elect look upon the Face of God with unclouded vision and feast at the banquet of life, forever more.
Beloved brothers, let us set out for these pastures ,where we shall keep joyful festival with so many of our fellow citizens. May the thought of their happiness urge us on! Let us stir up our hearts, rekindle our faith and long eagerly for what Heaven has in store for us. To love thus, is to be already on our way. No matter what obstacles we encounter, we must not allow them to turn us aside from the joy of that heavenly feast. Anyone who is determined to reach his destination, is not deterred by the roughness of the road which leads to it. Nor must we allow the charm of success to seduce us, or we shall be like a foolish traveller who is so distracted by the pleasant meadows through which he is passing that he forgets where he is going.” – St Gregory the Great (540-604) Bishop of Rome and Great Western Father and Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from his Sermon 14).
PRAYER – Grant us, Thy servants, O Lord God, we beseech Thee, to enjoy lasting health of mind and body and by the intercession of glorious and blessed Mary, ever Virgin, may we be delivered from present sorrow and partake of the fullness of eternal happiness. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Our Morning Offering – 19 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Easter II
Prayer Before Holy Communion By St Anselm (1033-1109) Doctor of the Church
O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, Who according to the Will of the Father and with the co-operation of the Holy Ghost, has, by Thy Death. given Life to the world, I adore and revere this, Thy Holy Body and this, Thy Holy Blood which was given up and poured forth, for the many, unto remission of sins. O merciful Lord, I beg of Thee Mercy, that through the power of this Sacrament, Thou will make me one of that many. Through faith and love, make me feel the power of these Sacraments, so I may experience their saving power. Absolve and free from all sin and punishment of sin, Thy servants, Thy handmaidens, myself, all who confessed their sins to me, those whom I have promised, or am obliged, to pray for and so too, those who themselves hope or beg, to be helped, by my prayers to Thee. Make our Church rejoice in Thy constant protection and consolation. Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 18 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Saturday of the Blessed Virgin (Salve Sancta Parens – Eastertide ) – Sirach 24:9-12. – John 19:25-27 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Woman, behold thy son. … Behold thy mother”
John 19:26
“You are more to be valued than the entire creation, for from you alone the Creator received a share in the first-fruits of our humanity. His Flesh was made of your flesh, His Blood of your blood; God was nourished by your milk and your lips kissed the lips of God. … In His foreknowledge of your dignity, the God of all the world, has loved you and, in accordance with His Love for you, He predestined you and called you into being ”
St John Damascene (675-749) Father and Doctor of the Church
“Through a woman, [Eve] a curse fell upon the earth; through a woman, [Mary] there returned to the earth, a blessing!”
St Peter Damian (1007-1072) Bishop, Father and Doctor of the Church
“May the Blessed Virgin, unique in her merits, stand in the Presence of her Creator interceding always in our favour. She will be radiant in the fullness of glory, she who brought forth, from her virginal womb, the King of glory.”
St Amadeus of Lausanne (1108-1159)
“And thou, Immaculate Virgin Mary, my only joy, be thou my protectress and my consoler! Be ever my advocate with God that I may put into practice, my good resolutions.”
One Minute Reflection – 17 April –“The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – St Pope Anadletus (c25-c89) 3rd Bishop of Rome and Martyr – 1 Peter 5:1-4 – Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Upon this rock I will build My Church” – Matthew 16:18
REFLECTION – “Brothers, when it comes to fulfilling my duties as Bishop, I discover that I am weak and slack, weighed down by the weakness of my own condition, while at the same time, I want to act generously and courageously. However, I draw my strength from the untiring intercession of the Almighty and Eternal Priest, Who, like us but equal to the Father, lowered His divinity to the level of man and raised humankind to the level of God. The decisions He made, give me a just and holy joy. For, when He delegated many shepherds to care for His flock, He did not abandon watching over His beloved sheep. Thanks to that fundamental and eternal assistance, I in turn, have received the protection and support of the Apostle Peter, who also does not abandon his function. This solid foundation, on which the whole of the Church is built, never grows tired of carrying the whole weight, of the building which rests on it.
The firmness of faith, for which the first of the Apostles was praised, never fails. Just as everything which Peter professed in Christ remains, so that which Christ established in Peter, remains… The order willed by God’s Truth remains. Saint Peter perseveres in the solidity which he received; he has not abandoned the governance of the Church which was placed in his hands. That, my brothers, is what that profession of faith, inspired by God the Father, obtained in the heart of the Apostle. He received the solidity of a rock which no assault can shake. In the entire Church, Peter says everyday: “Thou art the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” – St Leo the Great (400-461) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon on the anniversary of his Consecration as Bishop).
PRAYER – Look forgivingly upon Thy flock, Eternal Shepherd and keep it in Thy constant protection, by the intercession of blessed Anciet Thy Martyr and Sovereign Pontiff, whom Thou didst constitute the Shepherd of the whole Church. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
One Minute Reflection – 16 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Ferial Day – Wednesday in the Second Week of Easter – 1 John 5:4-10; John 20:19-31 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“This is the day the Lord has made” – Psalm 117:24
REFLECTION – “This is the day the Lord has made” (Psalm 117:24). Call to mind what the world was like in the beginning: “Darkness covered the abyss while God’s Spirit swept over the waters. Then God said: ‘Let there be light’ and there was light. God then separated the light from the darkness. God called the light ‘day’ and the darkness he called ‘night’” (Gn 1:2) … “This is the day the Lord has made.” It is the day the Apostle Paul spoke of: “You were once darkness but now you are light in the Lord” (Eph 5:8)…
Is it not true to say that Thomas was a man, one of the disciples, one of the crowd so to speak? His brethren said to him: “We have seen the Lord.” But he said: “Unless I touch Him, unless I put my hand into His side, I shall not believe.” The Evangelists bring you the news and you do not believe it? The world believed but a disciple did not believe?… The day the Lord has made had not yet happened; darkness still covered the abyss, the depths of darkness of the human heart. Let Him come Who is the Sign of Day, let Him come and, without anger, let Him, Who brings healing patiently, gently say: “Come. Come, touch and believe. You declared that: ‘Unless I touch Him, unless I put my hand into His side, I shall not believe.’ Come, touch, put in your hand and do not be unbelieving but believe. I understand your wounds; it is for you I have kept my scars.”
In putting out his hand this disciple is able to bring his faith to full completion. Indeed, what is faith’s completion? Not to believe that Christ is only Man, not even to believe that Christ is only God but to believe that He is Man and God … And so, the disciple whom the Saviour granted to touch His Bodily members and scars, cried out: “My Lord and my God.” He touched the Man, he recognised the God! He touched the Flesh, he turned towards the Word, for “the Word became Flesh and made His dwelling amongst us” (Jn 1:14). The Word permitted His Flesh to be hung on the wood … the Word permitted His Flesh to be placed in the tomb. The Word raised up His Flesh, showed it to the disciples, offered it to their touch. They touched, they cried out: “My Lord and my God!
This is the day the Lord has made!” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 258).
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, unto all Thy servants that they may remain continually in the enjoyment of soundness, both of mind and body and, by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, always a Virgin, may be delivered from present sadness and enter into the joy of Thine eternal gladness. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Quote/s of the Day – 15 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Wednesday after the Octave of Easter – Ferial Day – 1 John 5:4 -10 – John 20:19-31– Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Who is he who overcomes the world? but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”
1 John 5:5
“He wants you to become a living force for all mankind, lights shining in the world. You are to be radiant lights as you stand beside Christ, the Great Light, bathed in the glory of Him who is the Light of Heaven.”
St Gregory Nazianzen (330-390) Father & Doctor of the Church
“The very prince of the universe, is man; the crowning point of man, is his heart; of the heart, is love and the perfection of love, is charity. That is why the love of God is the goal, the crowning point, the be-all and end-all of the universe.”
(Treatise on the Love of God, Book 10, Chapter 1)
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of Charity
“If we live good lives, hoping for a Heavenly reward and guided by the action of the Holy Spirit, dwelling within us, we shall possess this spiritual joy. Once we possess it, it will be erased, neither by temptation, nor by suffering, nor by persecution, as long as our faith remains firm and steadfast. The sincere Christian accepts pleasure and pain with equal readiness because he places everything in God’s Hands. … We must try, at least, to achieve that spirit of complete resignation to God’s Will which is always rewarded by peace of soul!”
Our Morning Offering – 14 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament”
Complete Us, O Lord Jesus Christ, For the Glory of Thy Holy Name. By St Anselm (1033-1109) Magnificent and Marian Doctor of the Church
O Lord Jesus Christ, our Redemption and our Salvation, we praise Thee and give Thee thanks. Although we are unworthy of Thy benefits and cannot offer to Thee, the devotion Thou deserves, let Thy loving-kindness complete, whatever our weakness attempts. Before Thee, O Lord, we lay all our desires and whatever our heart rightly wishes, it is because of Thy gifts. Help us to love Thee as Thou commands. Do not let Thy gifts be unfruitful. Complete what Thou hast begun, give what Thou hast made us desire, convert our lukewarmness into fervent love of Thee, for the glory of Thy Holy Name. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 13 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – St Hermenegild (Died 585) Martyr, Confessor – Wisdom 5:1-5; Luke 14:26-33 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“If anyone comes to Me, without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” – Luke 14:26
REFLECTION – “On another occasion, the Lord says, “Whoever comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, and wife and children and brothers and sisters and even his own soul, cannot be my disciple.” As a rule, this is more upsetting to the mind of new Christians, who are eager to begin at once, to live in accordance with the precepts of Christ. To those who do not fully grasp its meaning, it would seem contradictory …. He has condescended to call His disciples to the eternal Kingdom. He also called them brothers. In the Kingdom these relationships are transcended because, “there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither male nor female, neither slave nor freeman but Christ, is all things and in all.” The Lord says, “For in the resurrection, they will neither be married nor marry but will be as the Angels of God in Heaven.”
Whoever wishes to prepare himself now, for the life of that Kingdom, must not hate people but those earthly relationships, through which the present life is sustained, the temporary life that begins at birth and ends with death. Whoever does not hate this necessity, does not yet love that other life, in which there will be no condition of birth and death, the condition which makes marriages natural on earth.” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop, Father, Doctor of Grace (Sermon on the Mount,15).
PRAYER – O God, Who didst teach Thy blessed Martyr Hermenegild to choose a heavenly, rather than an earthly crown, grant, we beseech Thee, that we, like him, may so pass through temporal things that we finally miss not those which are eternal. Through esus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Quote/s of the Day – 12 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Low Sunday, The Octave Day of Easter – 1 John 5:4-10, John 20. 19-31 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“ Blessed are they who have not seen and have believed.”
John 20:29
“He asks for our faith and offers us salvation. What He offers us, is so precious that what He asks of us, is as nothing!”
St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of Grace
“I shall reflect the image of God in that I feed on love; grow certain on faith and hope; strengthen myself, on the virtue of patience; grow tranquil by humility; grow beautiful by chastity; am sober by abstention; am made happy by tranquillity and am ready for death, by practising hospitality.”
ACW – Ancient Christian Writer Incomplete Work on Matthew (Homily 40)
“True piety admits no other rule than that, whatsoever things have been faithfully received from our fathers, the same are to be faithfully consigned to our children and that, it is our duty, not to lead religion whither we would but rather, to follow religion whither it leads and that, it is the part of Christian modesty and gravity, not to hand down our own beliefs or observances to those who come after us but, to preserve and keep what we have received, from those who went before us.”
St Vincent of Lérins (Died c445) Author of the ‘Commonitorium.’
“We should also have great confidence in the continual assistance which God offers us in the temptations, troubles and trials of life. When pain torments us, when humiliations are difficult to bear, when all is dark. we fear each moment and we feel abandoned, let us trust in Him, Who is the Way, the Truth and Life. He says to us, as He said to Peter floundering in the waves: “O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt?” (Mt 14:31). He is always ready to console and comfort. He is always there waiting for our call. We are not alone!”
One Minute Reflection – 12 April – “The Month of the Resurrection” – Low Sunday, The Octave Day of Easter – 1 John 5:4-10, John 20. 19-31 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“We have seen the Lord.” – John 20:25
REFLECTION – “While hiding in a house, the Apostles see Christ; He entered, all the doors being shut. But Thomas, who was absent at that time… shuts his ears and wants to open his eyes … He bursts out with his incredulity, hoping, in this way, his desire will be answered. “My doubts are not going to disappear until I see Him,” he says. “I shall put my finger in the marks of the nails and embrace this Lord of mine Whom I long for so much. Let Him reproach my lack of faith but let Him satisfy me with sight of Him. For now, I am unbelieving but, when I see Him, I shall believe. I shall believe when I clasp Him in my arms and gaze on Him. I wish to see the holes in those Hands which have healed the hands of Adam’s wrongdoing. I wish to see the Side which cast out death from mankind’s side. I wish, be my own witness, to see the Lord and another’s testimony is not enough for me. Your tales aggravate my impatience. The joyful news you bring does nothing but stir up my turmoil. I shall not be cured of this sickness, unless I touch its medicine with my own hands.”
The Lord appeared again and dispelled both the sadness and the doubt of His disciple. What am I saying? He did not dispel his doubts, He fulfilled his expectation! He entered, all the doors being shut!” – Basil of Seleucia (Died c468) Archbishop (Sermon for the Resurrection).
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we, who have celebrated the Paschal Feast, may, by Thy bounty, retain its fruits in our daily habits and behaviour. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Our Morning Offering – 12 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – The Octave Day of Easter or Low Sunday
“Victimae Paschali Laudes” The Easter Sequence By Father Wipo of Burgundy (c995– c1050) (Attrib)
Christians, to the Paschal Victim Offer your thankful praises!
A Lamb the sheep redeems, Christ, Who only is sinless, Reconciles sinners to the Father.
Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous. The Prince of Life, Who died, reigns immortal.
Speak, Mary, declaring What you saw, wayfaring. “The tomb of Christ, Who is living, the glory of Jesus’ Resurrection”
“Bright Angels attesting, The shroud and napkin resting. ” “Yes, Christ my Hope is arisen; To Galilee He goes before you. ”
Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining. Have mercy, Victor King, ever reigning! Amen. Alleluia!
Before the Gospel is proclaimed, the ancient Sequence “Victimae Paschali Laudes” of Easter Sunday is read or sung. The Sequence (Sequentia) is the Liturgical Hymn of the Mass which occurs on four Feasts:– Easter, Pentecost, Corpus Christi and Our Lady of Sorrows. This sequence, “Victimae Paschali Laudes” is attributed to Wipo of Burgundy (c995– c1050) who was a Priest, Poet and Historian, the Chaplain of the Holy Roman Emperor Conrad II during the 11th Century and possibly the Tutor of his son Emperor Henry III.
Quote of the Day – 3 April – Good Friday – The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ
GOOD FRIDAY The Word of the Cross (Christ,What am I to Give Thee for my life?)
St Paulinus of Nola (c 354-431) Father of the Church
“Look on thy God, Christ hidden in our flesh. A bitter word, the Cross and bitter sight – Hard rind without, to hold the Heart of Heaven. Yet, sweet it is, for God upon that tree Did offer up His Life upon that rood – My Life hung, that my Life might stand in God. Christ, what am I to give Thee for my life? Unless, take from Thy Hands, the cup they hold, To cleanse me with the precious draught of death. What shall I do? My body to be burned? Make myself vile? The debt is not paid out yet. Whate’er I do, it is but I and Thou, And still do I come short, still must Thou pay My debts, O Christ, for debts Thyself had’st none. What love may balance Thine? My Lord was found In fashion like a slave that so His slave Might find himself in fashion like his Lord. Think you the bargain’s hard, to have exchanged The transient for the eternal, to have sold, Earth to buy Heaven? More dearly God bought me!”
A Prayer of the Passion By St Melito of Sardis (Died 180) Bishop of Sardis, Apologist, Father
Lord Jesus Christ, Thou were bound as a ram, Thou were shorn like a lamb, Thou were led to the slaughter like a sheep, Thou bore the wood of the Cross on Thy shoulders, Thou were led up the hill of Calvary, Thou were displayed naked on the Cross, Thou were nailed to the bitter Cross by three spikes, Thou delivered Thy last Seven Words from the Cross Thou died on the Cross, with a shout of victory, Thou were buried in noble Joseph’s rock-hewn tomb, By Thy boundless suffering on our behalf, fix our eyes unceasingly on Thy broken Body and the Blood which poured from Thine Hands, Feet and Side. By the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass which each day renews Thy Sacrifice of the Cross on our Altars, apply the merits of the Cross to all humanity and, especially to those, who worship it daily and who offer themselves back to Thee, our great High Priest and perpetual Intercessor, before the Eternal Throne of God. Thou livest and reigns, throughout all the ages of ages. Amen
“Be imitators of God, as very dear children and walk in love, as Christ also Loved us and delivered Himself up for us …”
St Paul … Ephesians 5:1-2
“But I say to you, Love your enemies …”
Matthew 5:44
“But the wise took oil in their vessels”
Matthew 25:4
“The wise ones’ lamps were burning, from the oil inside them, from the assurance of their consciences, from their inner boast, from their deepest charity.”
St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of Grace
“Father, forgive them.” With this prayer, He wanted to make us understand the Love He bore us, undiminished by any suffering and to teach us how our heart should be toward our neighbour.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritas
“He Loves you as though He had no-one else to love but you alone. You, too, should love Him alone and all others for His Sake. Of Him you may say and, indeed, you should say: My Beloved to me and I to Him (Cant, 2:16). My God has given Himself all to me and I give myself all to Him; He has chosen me for His beloved and I choose Him, above all others, for my only Love.”
“How to Pray at All Times” By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
The Month of April is dedicated both to devotion to the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ and to the Holy Eucharist – the proof of the promise of the love of God and of ETERNAL LIFE.
“My brethren, when was it that the Lord made Himself recognised? — When He broke the bread. — So, we ourselves are convinced, too, that when we break the bread, we recognise the Lord. — If He had not wanted to be recognised until that moment, it was for our sakes, we, who were not to see Him in the flesh but who were yet to eat Him in the flesh. ” – St Augustine (354-430) Father, Doctor of Grace
“I am the Resurrection and the Life, he who believes in Me, although he be dead, shall live.”
John 11:25
“I am the Living Bread Who came down from Heaven. If any man eat of this Bread, he shall live forever and the Bread that I will give, is My Flesh, for the Life of the world.”
John 6:51-52
“For His Body, has been given to you under the appearance of bread and His Blood, under the appearance of wine, so that, when you have partaken of the Body and Blood of Christ, you might be One Body and One Blood with Him. So shall we become Christ-bearers [“Christophers”]. His Body and Blood are diffused through all our members – see, then, how we become participants in the Divine Nature!”
St Cyril of Jerusalem (c 313-386) Father and Doctor of theChurch
Quote/s of the Day – 1 April – Spy Wednesday in Holy Week – Isaias 53:1-12, Luke 22:39-71; 23:1-53
“Jesus remember me”
Luke 23:42
“Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” John 20:29
“Blessed, therefore, is everyone who believes the message of the holy Apostles who, as Saint Luke says, were eyewitnesses of Christ’s actions and “ministers of the word” (Lk 1,2).”
St Cyril of Alexandria (380-444) Father and Doctor of the Church
“… He effected a wonderful exchange with us, through mutual sharing – we gave Him the power to die, He will give us the power to Live!”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace
“Because it is not by raising a dead man, commanding the sea and wind, or casting out demons that He is able to change the thief’s sinful soul but, by being Crucified, pinned down by nails, covered with insults, spitting, mockery and torture, so that you might see the two sides of His Sovereign Power. He shook all creation, split the rocks (Mt 27:51) and drew to Himself the brigand’s soul, hard as stone, to cover it with honour…”
St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father & Doctor of the Church
Our Morning Offering – 1 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Spy Wednesday in Holy Week – Isaias 53:1-12 – Luke 22:39-71; 23:1-53 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“But Jesus he delivered up to their will.” – Luke 23:25
REFLECTION – “Come, come, let us go up together to the Mount of Olives. Together let us meet Christ, Who is returning today from Bethany and going, of His own accord, to that Holy and Blessed Passion, to complete the Mystery of our Salvation. And so He comes, willingly taking the road to Jerusalem, He Who came down from the heights for us, to raise us who lie in the depths, to exaltation with Him, as the revealing Word says: “above all authority and rule and power and above every Name that is named” (Eph 1:21). He comes without display, without boast. For, as the Prophet says, “He will not contend or shout out and no-one will hear His Voice” (Is 42:2). He is gentle and lowly and His entrance is humble…
Then, let us run with Him as He presses on, to His Passion. Let us imitate those who have gone out to meet Him, not scattering olive branches or garments or palms in His path but spreading ourselves before Him as best we can, with humility of soul and upright purpose. So may we welcome the Word as He comes (Jn 1:9); so may God, Who cannot be contained within any bounds, be contained within us.
For He is pleased to have shown us this gentleness, He Who is gentle and Who “rides upon the setting sun” (Ps 56:12) which refers to our extreme lowliness. He is pleased to come and live with us and to raise us up, or bring us back to Himself through the Word which unites to God.” – St Andrew of Crete (660-740) Bishop and Father (Homily for Palm Sunday).
PRAYER – O God, Who to drive far from us, the power of the enemy, didst will that Thy Son should suffer for us on the gibbet of the Cross, grant us Thy servants, that we may obtain the grace of the resurrection. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Our Morning Offering – 1 April – “Spy” Wednesday in Holy Week
In Thine Hour of Holy Sadness By St Bernard (1090-1153) Father & Doctor of the Church
In Thine hour of holy sadness could I share with Thee, what gladness should Thine Cross to me be showing. Gladness past all thought of knowing, bowed beneath Thine Cross to die! Blessed Jesus, thanks I render that in bitter death, so tender, Thou now hear Thy supplicant calling, Save me Lord! and keep from falling, from Thee, when my hour is nigh. Amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 30 March – Tuesday of Holy Week – Jeremias 11:18-20 – Mark 14:32-72; 15, 1-46– – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Before the cock crows twice, thou shalt thrice deny Me. And he began to weep …”
Mark 14:72
“The first time Peter denied, he did not weep because the Lord had not looked at him. He denied a second time and did not weep because the Lord still did not look at him. He denied a third time; Jesus looked at him and he wept very bitterly (Lk 22:62). … Teach us what use your tears were to you. But you taught it without delay for, having fallen before you wept, your tears caused you to be chosen to guide others, you who, to begin with, did not know how to guide yourself!”
St Ambrose (340-397) Father & Doctor
“ I am very certain, it was our Lord’s Holy Look which pierced his heart and opened his eyes, to make him recognise his sin (Lk 22:61)… From that time on, he never stopped weeping, above all when he heard the cock crow at night and in the morning… In this way, from being a great sinner, he became a great Saint!”
“A person who is conscious of his misery, can certainly have great confidence in God. In fact, he cannot have true confidence in Him, without this consciousness of his misery. This knowledge and acknowledgement of our misery, leads us to the Presence of God.”
One Minute Reflection – 31 March – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Tuesday of Holy Week – Jeremias 11:18-20 – Mark 14:32-72; 15:1-46– Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“ I know not this man of whom you speak. And immediately the cock crew again. And Peter remembered the word that Jesus had said unto him: Before the cock crows twice, thou shalt thrice deny me. And he began to weep.” – Mark 14:71-72
REFLECTION – “The first time Peter denied, he did not weep because the Lord had not looked at him. He denied a second time and did not weep because the Lord still did not look at him. He denied a third time; Jesus looked at him and he wept very bitterly (Lk 22:62). Look at us, Lord Jesus, so that we might know how to weep for our sins. This shows us that even the fall of the Saints may be useful to us. Peter’s denial has done me no wrong, on the contrary, I have gained from his repentance – I have learned to be beware of faithless companions. …
So Peter wept and wept bitterly; he wept so fiercely he washed away his offence with his tears. And you, too, if you would win pardon, wipe out your guilt with tears. At that very moment, in that same hour, Christ will look at you. If some kind of fall happens to you, then He, the ever-present Witness of your intimate life, looks at you to call you back and cause you to confess your lapse. Then do as Peter did, who thrice said: “Lord, Thou knowest I love Thee” (Jn 21:15). He denied three times and three times he also confessed. But he denied by night; he confessed in broad daylight!
All this has been written, to make us understand, that no-one should be puffed up. If Peter fell for having said: “Though all may have their faith in Thee shaken, mine will never be” (Mt 26:33), who is there to count on himself? … From whence then, Peter, shall I call you to mind, to teach me your thoughts as you wept? From Heaven where you have already taken your place among the choirs of Angels, or from the grave? For that death, from which the Lord was raised, did not reject you in your turn. Teach us what use your tears were to you. But you taught it without delay, for having fallen before you wept, your tears caused you to be chosen to guide others, you who, to begin with, did not know how to guide yourself!” – St Ambrose (340-397) Bishop of Milan, Father and Doctor of the Church – Commentary on St Luke’s Gospel, 10,89f.
PRAYER – Almighty and eternal God, grant us so to celebrate thy mysteries of our Lord’s Passion, that we may deserve to obtain forgiveness. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
One Minute Reflection – 30 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” – Monday in Holy Week – Isaias 50:5-10 – John 12:1-9 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“For the poor you have always with you but Me, you have not always.” – John 12:8
REFLECTION – “The Father did not spare Him for your sake and this, even though He was indeed His Son (Rom 8:32). And yet, you do not look at Him even when He faints with hunger and this too, when you have only to spend for your own food, which is His own! What could be worse than such a breach of law as this?! He was given up for you, slain for you; He lives in hunger for you. You have only to give that which belongs to Him and you, yourself, will get the gain and still, you do not give! What sort of stone is there in place of your heart, besides which these people are not more senseless and who, in spite of such great inducements, continue in this devilish hard-heartedness?
For He was not even satisfied with death and the Cross alone but also, assumed poverty, becoming a stranger and a beggar, naked and cast into prison, undergoing sickness (Mt 25:36) that so, at least, He might call upon you. If you wilt not requite Me, He says, as one Who suffered for your sake, show mercy upon Me for My poverty. And if you are not minded to pity Me for My poverty, at least be moved by My diseases, be softened by My imprisonment . And if, even these do not make you charitable, then for the easiness of the request, comply with Me. For it is no costly gift I ask but bread and lodging and words of comfort … Then I was bound for you, indeed I am so still, so that whether moved on grounds of the former or stirred by the latter, you might be minded to show Me some pity. I fasted for your sake and now, hunger for you; I thirsted when hanging on the Cross and now thirst in the poor, that just as by the former, so also by the latter I may draw you to Myself and make you charitable for your own salvation!..
Indeed, He says: “Whoever welcomes a child such as this, for My Sake, welcomes Me” (Mk 9:37) … For I am able indeed, to crown you even without all these things and yet, I would prefer to be your debtor, so that the crown may make you feel secure. That is why, although I am able to support Myself, yet, I come begging and stand at your door and stretch out My Hand, since My wish is to be supported by you. For I Love you exceedingly and desire to eat at your table!” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Bishop of Constantinople, Father & Doctor of the Church (Sermon 15 on the Letter to the Romans).
PRAYER – In Thy mercy, O Lord, may this hallowing fast enlighten the hearts of Thy faithful people and since Thou have given them the desire to serve Thee, lend a gracious ear to their prayers.Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Our Morning Offering – 30 March – Monday in Holy Week
Sing, My Tongue, The Saviour’s Glory By St Venantius Fortunatus (c530 – c609) Bishop, Father of the Church Trans. Fr Edward Caswell CO (1814-1878)
Sing, my tongue, the Saviour’s glory; Tell His triumph far and wide; Tell aloud the famous story Of His Body Crucified; How upon the Cross a Victim, Vanquishing in death, He Died.
Thus did Christ to perfect manhood In our mortal flesh attain: Then of His free choice He goeth To a death of bitter pain; And as a Lamb, upon the altar Of the Cross, for us is slain.
Lo, with gall His thirst He quenches! See the thorns upon His Brow! Nails His tender Flesh are rending! See, His Side is open’d now! Whence, to cleanse the whole creation, Streams of Blood and Water flow.
Faithful Cross, O Tree all beauteous! Tree all peerless and Divine! Not a grove on earth can shew us Such a flower and leaf as thine. Sweet the nails and sweet the wood, Laden with so sweet a load!
Lofty Tree, bend down thy branches, To embrace thy Sacred load; Oh, relax the native tension Of that all too rigid wood; Gently, gently bear the Members Of thy dying King and God.
Tree, which solely wast found worthy The world’s great Victim to sustain; Harbour from the raging tempest! Ark, which sav’d the world again! Tree, with sacred Blood anointed Of the Lamb for sinners slain.
Blessing, honour everlasting, To the immortal Deity; To the Father, Son, and Spirit, Equal praises ever be: Glory through the earth and Heaven To Trinity in Unity.
This Hymn is used for Passiontide and on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (14 Sept) in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Breviary. This is the original text as it appears in the Lyra Catholica (1849). Part I is used for Matins and Part II is used for Lauds. Tune (Church Hymns): “St Lawrence”
Quote/s of the Day – 29 March – Holy Week, Palm Sunday – Philippians 2:5-11, Matthew 26:36-75; 27:1-60 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Behold the hour is at hand and the Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of sinners.” Matthew 26:45
“Because of sin, O innocent One, You were set before the criminal’s judgement seat; When Thou return in the Father’s glory Do not judge me together with him. Thou have put on crimson, Set the scarlet cloak over Thee As a dishonour and an affront, As Pontius Pilate’s soldiers thought it to be.”
St Nerses Chnorhali (1102-1173) Armenian Bishop
(Jesus, Only Son of the Father 708-724)
“Lord Jesus, whether Thy Face be glorious or humiliated, we always see wisdom shining in It. On Thy Face shines the refulgence of Eternal Light (Wis 7:26). O Lord, may Thy Light, the Light of Thy Face (Ps 4:7), always shine upon us, in sorrow as in happiness… Thou art joy and salvation for all, both when Thou ride on a donkey and when Thou hang from a Cross!”
Blessed Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot
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