Category: FATHERS of the Church

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY WEEK, LENT 2026, OUR Cross, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, Quote on SELF-ABANDONMENT, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on THANKSGIVING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE WORLD, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, St Francis de Sales, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 28 March – ‘… Cling to that which we believe. …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 28 March – Saturday in Passion Week – Jeremias18:18-23, John 12:10-36 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“He who loves his life, loses it
and he who hates his life
in this world,
keeps it unto life everlasting.
If anyone serves Me,
let him follow Me
and where I am,
there also shall My servant be.”

John 12:25-26

“For he who will save his life, will lose it
and he who will lose his life
for My sake, will find it. ”

Matthew 16:25

“Let us detach ourselves in spirit
from all that we see
and cling to that which we believe.
This is the Cross
which we must imprint
on all our daily actions and behaviour.”

St Peter Damian (1007-1072)
Bishop, Father and Doctor of the Church

O My God, I Thank Thee
An Act of Abandonment
to the Divine Will
By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

O my God, I thank Thee
and I praise Thee
for accomplishing Thy Holy and all-lovable Will
without any regard for mine.
With my whole heart,
in spite of my heart,
do I receive this cross I feared so much!
It is the cross of Thy choice,
the cross of Thy Love.
I venerate it;
nor for anything in the world
would I wish it had not come,
since Thou hast willed it.
I keep it with gratitude and with joy,
as I do everything which comes from Thy Hand
and I shall strive to carry it
without letting it drag,
with all the respect
and all the affection
which Thy works deserve.
Amen

“My soul, live henceforward
amid the scourges and the thorns
of thy Saviour and there,
as a nightingale in its bush, sing sweetly:
Live Jesus, Who didst die
that my soul might live!
Ah, Eternal Father!
What can the world return Thee
for the gift Thou hast made it of Thy only Son?
Alas! to redeem a thing so vile as I,
the Saviour delivered Himself to death
and, unhappy me!
I hesitate to surrender my nothingness to Him,
Who has given me everything!”“

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, Prayers to the SORROWFUL MOTHER, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

Our M orning Offering – 28 March – What Can I Say? By St Anselm

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 28 March – Saturday in Passion Week

What Can I Say?
By St Anselm (1033-1109)
Magnificent Doctor
Marian Doctor

My most merciful Lady,
what can I say about the fountains
which flowed from thy most pure eyes
when thou saw thy only Son before thee,
bound, beaten and suffering?
What do I know of the flood
which drenched thy matchless face,
when thou beheld thy Son,
thy Lord and thy God,
stretched on the Cross without guilt,
when the flesh of thy flesh
was cruelly butchered by wicked men?
How can I judge, what sobs,
troubled thy most pure breast,
when thou heard,
“Woman, behold thy son,”
and the disciple, “Behold, thy Mother,”
when thou received as a son,
the disciple, in place of the Master,
the servant, for the Lord?
Amen

From “The Prayers and Meditations of Saint Anselm with the Proslogion.”

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, INDULGENCES, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, MOTHER of GOD, PAPAL PRAYERS, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 27 March – “Behold, thy mother”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 27 March – Friday of Passion Week – The Feast of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady of Sorrows and – St John Damascene (675-749) Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church 

“Behold, thy mother”
John 19:27

“When this hour has passed,
when the sword of sorrow
has completely pierced her soul in labour (Lk 2:35),
then, no more will she
“remember the pain because a child
has been born into the world” –
the new Man Who renews the entire human race
and reigns forever over the whole world,
truly born, beyond all suffering, immortal,
the Firstborn from the Dead.
If the Virgin has thus brought
the salvation of us all into the world,
in her Son’s Passion, then she is, indeed,
the Mother of us all!”

Rupert of Deutz (c1075-1130)
Benedictine Monk, Theologian, Exegete and Writer

Hail Mary, Full of Sorrows!
A Short Prayer to the Most Holy Virgin
in her Desolation
By Pope Pius IX (1792-1878)
Papal Reign 1846-1878
(+102 Raccolta)

His Holiness Pope Pius IX, by a Decree of the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, of 23 December 1847, deigned to grant:

An Indulgence of 100 days to all the faithful, everytime they say, with contrite heart, the following prayer in honour of the most Holy Virgin in her desolation.

HAIL MARY,
full of sorrows!
the Crucified is with thee;
tearful art thou amongst women
and tearful is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of the Crucified,
grant tears to us crucifiers of thy Son,
now and at the hour
of our death.
Amen.

LATIN

Ave Maria,
doloribus plena,
Crucifixus tecum;
lacrymabilis te in mulieribus
et lacrymabilis Fructus ventris tui, Jesus.
Sancta Maria,
Mater Crucifixi,
lacrymas impertire nobis crucifixoribus Filii tui,
nunc et in hora mortis nostrae.
Amen.

“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 ”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/27/quote-s-of-the-day-27-march-st-john-damascene-2/

St John Damascene (675-749)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN TITLES, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, SAINT of the DAY, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The SEVEN PASSION Feasts

Friday in Passion Week –  FAST & ABSTINENCE, The Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin, St John Damascene and the Saints for 27 March

Posted on by AnaStpaul

PASSION FRIDAY –  FAST & ABSTINENCE,

Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows
THE FEAST DAY OF THE SEVEN DOLORS IS TRADITIONALLY THE FRIDAY OF PASSION WEEK, WHICH IS THE FRIDAY BEFORE GOOD FRIDAY, OR ON 15 SEPTEMBER.
Our Sorrowful Mother:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/09/15/saint-of-the-day-15-september-our-sorrowful-mother-mary-the-seven-sorrows/
AND:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/09/15/memorial-of-our-lady-of-sorrows-15-september/
AND HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/09/15/memorial-of-our-lady-of-sorrows-15-september-2/

St John Damascene (675-749) Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church, Priest, Monk, Theologian, Writer, Defender of Iconography, Poet, a Polymath whose fields of interest and contribution included law, theology, philosophy, music, Marian devotee. Also known as Doctor of Christian Art.
Feast moved in 1969 to 4 December.
The Great St John Damascene:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/12/04/saint-of-the-day-4-december-st-john-damascene-675-749-father-doctor-of-the-church/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/27/saint-of-the-day-27-march-saint-john-damascene-675-749-confessor-father-doctor-of-the-church/

St Aimone (Died 853) Bishop of Halberstadt in Germany, a learned Scholarly Monk, Theologian, Spiritual Writer, Teacher, Aimone became a passionate disciple of the teachings of St Alcuin, whom he sought to emulate in his writings.
A Most Worthy Imitator:
https://anastpaul.com/2025/03/27/saint-of-the-day-27-march-staimone-osb-died-853-bishop-of-halberstadt/

St Amphilochius of Illyria
St Alexander of Drizipara
St Alexander of Pannonia
St Alkeld the Martyr
St Amator the Hermit

St Augusta (Died 5th Century) Virgin Martyr of Treviso
Her Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/27/saint-of-the-day-27-march-saint-augusta-of-treviso-died-5th-century-virgin-martyr/

St Claudio Gallo
St Cronidas of Illyria
St Ensfrid of Cologne
Bl Frowin of Engelberg
St Gelasius of Armagh

St John (c305-394) Hermit of Lycopolis , Spiritual Advisor, Miracle-worker, graced with the gifts of prophecy and seeing into the hearts of men. John was known and admired by the great Saints of his time, including Saint Jerome, Saint Augustine, Saint Cassian and others.
His Holy Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/27/saint-of-the-day-27-march-st-john-of-lycopolis-c305-394-hermit/

St Matthew of Beauvais
St Macedo of Illyria

Blessed Pellegrino OFM (Died 1233) Lay Brother of the First Order of St Francis of Assisi.
Blessed Pellegrino’s life:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/27/saint-of-the-day-27-march-blessed-pellegrino-of-falerone-ofm-died-1233-lay-brother/
St Philetus
St Romulus the Abbot

St Romulus (8th Century) Abbot

St Rupert (c660–710) Bishop and Abbot in Salzburg, Apostle to Bavaria and Austria.
The Life of Holy St Rupert:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/03/27/saint-of-the-day-st-rupert-of-salzburg-c-660-710/

St Suairlech of Fore
St Theoprepius

Martyrs of Bardiaboch: A group of Christians who were arrested, tortured and executed together for their faith during the persecutions of Persian King Shapur II. Martyrs. – Abibus, Helias, Lazarus, Mares, Maruthas, Narses, Sabas, Sembeeth and Zanitas. 27 March 326 at Bardiaboch, Persia.

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, In the PRESENCE of GOD, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SIN, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 26 March – ‘Forgiven … Because she has loved much …’ Luke 7:47

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 26 March – Thursday in Passion Week –Ferial Day – Daniel 3:25, 34-45 – Luke 7:36-50 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“She began to bathe His feet with her tears
and wiped them with the hair of her head
and kissed His feet
and anointed them with ointment.”

Luke 7:38

“Wherefore I say to you,
her sins, many as they are,
shall be forgiven her
because she has loved much.
But he, to whom little is forgiven,
loves little.”

Luke 7:47

“A servant of the Lord
stands bodily before men
but mentally,
he is knocking at the Gates of Heaven.
with prayer.”

St John Climacus (c 525-606)
Father of the Church

“For, just as water extinguishes a fire,
just so, does charity blot out our sins.”

St John of God (1495-1550)

“ I shall spend every moment loving.
One who loves, does not notice her trials;
or perhaps, more accurately,
she is able to love them.
I shall do everything for Heaven, my true home.
There, I shall find my Mother,
in all the splendour of her glory.
I shall delight with her
in the joy of Jesus Himself,
in perfect safety.”

St Bernadette Soubirous (1844-1879)

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JESUIT SJ, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on LUST, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 24 March – “The world … hates Me … John 7:7

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 24 March – Tuesday of Passion Week – Daniel 14:27-42 – John 7:1-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“The world … hates Me
because I bear witness concerning it,
that its works are evil.”

John 7:7

“… THE WORLD HATES Christians,
so why give your love to it,
instead of following Christ,
Who Loves you and has Redeemed you?
A man cannot love the Father
and love the world at the same time.
All that the world offers is the lust of the flesh,
the lust of the eyes and earthly ambition.
The world and its allurements will pass away
but the man who has done the will of God
shall live forever.
Our part, my dear brothers,
is to be single-minded, firm in faith
and steadfast in courage, ready for God’s will, whatever it may be. Banish the fear of death
and think of the eternal life which follows it.
That will show people that we really live our faith.”

St Cyprian of Carthage (200-258)
Bishop of Carthage, Martyr
Father of the Church

(An excerpt from On Man’s Mortality).

“God takes special care
to detach from the passing pleasures of this world,
those whom He Loves with special predilection,
by sending them desires after heavenly bliss
and, by the sorrows and bitterness
of the present life.”

St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)

“We must make our way towards eternity,
never regarding what men think of us,
or of our actions,
studying only to please God.”

St Francis Borgia (1510-1572)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOMINICAN OP, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2026, OUR Cross, Quote on SELF-ABANDONMENT, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, Quotes Self-Oblation, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The PASSION

Quote/s of the Day – 23 March– ‘… By the Cross, we put on Christ …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 23 March – Monday in Passion Week

“Let us walk becomingly, as in the day,
not in revelry and drunkenness,
not in debauchery and wantonness,
not in strife and jealousy.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Romans 13:13-14

“By the Cross, death was slain
and Adam was restored to life.
The Cross is the glory of all the Apostles,
the Crown of the Martyrs,
the Sanctification of the Saints.
By the Cross, we put on Christ
and cast aside our former self.
By the Cross we, the sheep of Christ,
have been gathered into one flock,
destined for the Sheepfold of Heaven.”

St Theodore the Studite (759-826)
Abbot, Confessor, Father of the Church

“He who findeth his life, shall lose it
and he, who shall lose his life for Me,
shall find it. ”
Matthew 10:39

“My dear child, accept this cross from God and bear it –
it will turn into a truly lovable cross,
if you would hand these trials over to God,
accept them from Him with true abandonment
and thank God for them:
“My soul magnifies the Lord”
in everything (cf Lk 1:46).
Whether God takes or gives, the Son of Man
must be raised up on the Cross …
Dear child, leave all that behind;
rather, give your attention to true abandonment …
and think about accepting to bear
the cross of temptation, rather than going
in search of spiritual sweetness …
Our Lord has said: “If anyone wishes to come after Me,
let him take up his cross and follow Me” (Lk 9:23).”

Fr JohannesTauler OP (c1300-1361)
Dominican Priest and Friar,
renowned Preacher and Theologian

“… How can anyone put on Jesus Christ
and imitate His example,
if he does not study this Jesus,
Who must inspire and perfect our faith?
He must run the race to which he is challenged,
the glorious race in which,
he overcomes the enemy of the human family
and follows the Way of the Cross.
Under the lordly banner of that Cross,
he will attain eternal life.”

St Vincent Strambi CP (1745-1824)

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, PRAYERS of PETITION, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on the POOR

Quote/s of the Day – 21 March – St Benedict

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 21 March – St Benedict OSB (c 480-547) Abbot, Patron of Europe and Founder of Western Monasticism.

“The poor and pilgrims
are to be received with all care and hospitality,
for it is in them, Christ is received.”

“He should know that whoever undertakes
the government of souls must prepare himself
to account for them.”

Almighty God, Give Me …
A Prayer of Petition
By St Benedict (c 480-547)

Almighty God,
give me wisdom to perceive Thee,
intelligence to understand Thee,
diligence to seek Thee,
patience to wait for Thee,
eyes to behold Thee,
a heart to meditate upon Thee
and life to proclaim Thee
through the power of the Spirit
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2025/03/21/quote-s-of-the-day-21-march-st-benedict-4/

St Benedict (c 480-547)

Posted in "Follow Me", CARMELITES, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The PASSION

Quote/s of the Day – 20 March – Life for those who die.

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 20 March – The Lenten FEAST of the MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD of JESUS is a Feast for the Fridays of Lent

“Carry me, O Christ,
on Thy Cross
which is salvation to the wanderer,
rest for the wearied
and, in which alone,
is Life for those who die.”

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

“Embrace, then, Jesus Crucified,
raising to Him the eyes of your desire!
Consider His burning love for you
which made Jesus pour out His Blood
from every part of His Body!
Embrace Jesus Crucified,
loving and beloved and in Him,
you will find true life because He is God made Man.
Let your heart and your soul burn
with the fire of love drawn from Jesus on the Cross!
… You will have no other desire than to follow Jesus!
Run, … do not stay asleep
because time flies and does not wait one moment!
Dwell in God’s sweet love!”

St Catherine of Sienna (1347-1380)

“O souls!
Seek a refuge, like pure doves,
in the shadow of the Crucifix.
There, mourn the Passion
of your Divine Spouse
and drawing from your hearts,
flames of love and rivers of tears,
make of them a precious balm
with which to anoint
the Wounds of your Saviour.”

St Paul of the Cross CP (1694-1775)

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, PRAYERS & NOVENA to St Joseph, PRAYERS TO St Joseph, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on POVERTY, QUOTES on WISDOM, St Francis de Sales, St JOSEPH

Quote/s of the Day – 19 March – Glorious St Joseph!

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 19 March – The Month and Feast of St Joseph

“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 Ghost 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

Glorious St Joseph!
Prayer for the Intercession
of St Joseph in All Our Needs
By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

Glorious St Joseph, Spouse of Mary,
grant us thy paternal protection,
we beseech thee, by the Heart of Jesus Christ.
O thou, whose power extends
to all our necessities
and can render possible for us,
the most impossible things.
Open thy fatherly eyes
to the needs of thy children.
In the trouble and distress
which afflicts us,
we confidently have recourse to thee.
Deign to take under thy charitable charge
this important and difficult matter,
cause of our worries.
Make its happy outcome
be for God’s glory
and for the good of His devoted servants.
Amen

Posted in 7 GIFTS of the HOLY GHOST: Wisdom, Understanding, Prudence, Strength, Knowledge, Piety, Fear, CHRIST the LIGHT, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, I BELIEVE!, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY GHOST, The SIGN of the CROSS

Quote/s of the Day – 18 March – The Memorial of St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387) Bishop of Jerusalem, Confessor Father & Doctor of the Church

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 18 March – The Memorial of St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387) Bishop of Jerusalem, Confessor Father & Doctor of the Church

“Your accumulated offences
do not surpass the multitude of God’s mercies!
Your wounds do not surpass
the great Physician’s skill!”

Let us not then be ashamed
to confess the Crucified!

“BE THE CROSS OUR SEAL,
made with boldness by our fingers,
on our brow and in everything,
over the bread we eat and the cups we drink,
in our comings in and goings out,
before our sleep,
when we lie down
and when we awake,
when we are in the way
and when we are still.

Great is that preservative,
it is without price,
for the poor’s sake,
without toil,
for the sick,
since also its’ grace is from God.

It is the Sign of the faithful
and the dread of evils –
for He has triumphed over them in it,
having made a shew of them openly –
for when they see the Cross,
they are reminded of the Crucified;
they are afraid of Him,
Who hath bruised the head of the dragon.

Despise not the Seal
because of the freeness of the Gift
but for this,
rather honour thy Benefactor!”

“And Jesus, seeing their faith,
said to the paralytic,
Take courage, son,
your sins are forgiven you.”
Matthew 9:2

“Perhaps, your own faith is feeble.
Nevertheless, the Lord, Who is Love
will stoop down to you,
provided only that you are penitent
and can say sincerely,
from the depths of your soul:
“Lord, I believe.
Help Thou mine unbelief,”
(Mark 9:23)……”

“The Spirit comes gently
and makes Himself known
by His Fragrance.
He is not felt as a burden,
for God is light, very light.
Rays of light and knowledge
stream before Him
as the Spirit approaches.
The Spirit comes with the tenderness
of a true friend – to save,
to heal, to teach, to counsel, to strengthen
and to console.”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2025/03/18/quote-s-of-the-day-18-march-st-cyril-of-jerusalem-4/

St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387)
Father & Doctor of the Church

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Holy Name PRAYERS, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on MORALS, QUOTES on PRAYER, The HOLY NAME of MARY

Our Morning Offering – 18 March – In Thy Name By St ohn Chrysostom

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 18 Marchr – Wednesday of the 4th Week of Lent

In Thy Name
By St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Oh Almighty God,
Who hast given us grace
at this time, with one accord,
to make our common
supplications unto Thee
and hast promised that,
when two or three are gathered together
in Thy Name,
Thou wilt grant their requests,
fulfil now, O Lord,
the desires and petitions of Thy servants,
as may be most expedient for them;
granting us, in this world,
knowledge of Thy Truth
and in the world to come,
life everlasting.
Amen

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on PRAYER, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 15 March – ‘… you will collapse along the way…’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 15 March – Laetare Sunday / The Fourth Sunday in Lent

“When, therefore, Jesus had lifted up His eyes
and seen, that a very great crowd
had come to Him, He said to Philip,
“Whence shall we buy bread
that these may eat?”
John 6:5

“AND SO CHRIST shares the foodstuffs and,
there is no question, He wants to give it to all.
He withholds it from no-one,
for He provides for everyone.
Nevertheless, when He breaks the loaves
and gives them to the disciples,
unless you hold out your hands
to receive your portion,
you will collapse along the way…”

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

“… Every man is both debtor and creditor…
A beggar asks you for alms but you, too,
are God’s beggar, for when we pray
we are all beggars of God.
We stand – or rather, prostrate ourselves –
at our Father’s door (cf Lk 11:5);
we beseech Him with groans,
anxious to receive a grace from Him
and this grace is God Himself!
What does the beggar ask of you?
Bread. And what is it that you are asking of God
but Christ, Who said:
“I am the Living Bread come down from Heaven”
(Jn 6:51).”

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

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CONFESSION/PENANCE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2026, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL

Quote/s of the Day – 14 March – From NOW on …

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 14 March – Saturday of the 3rd Week in Lent – Ferial Day – Daniel 13:1-9,15-17,19-30,33-62 – John 8:1-11

“Go and from now on,
sin no more”

John 8:11

“The Lord did condemn, therefore
but He condemned the sin, not the sinner…
Let them be careful, then, those who love
the goodness in the Lord
but who fear His truthfulness …
The Lord is gracious, t
he Lord is slow to anger,
the Lord is merciful BUT the Lord is also JUST
and the Lord is abounding in TRUTH (Ps 85:15).
… This, then, is the meaning of the words
He addresses to this woman,
“Neither do I condemn you but, having been
made secure concerning the past,
be on your guard in the future.
I, for My part, will not condemn you,
I have blotted out what you have done;
keep what I have commanded
that you may gain what I have promised!”

“You do not know
when your last day may come.
You are an ingrate!
Why not use the day, today,
that God has given you
to repent?”

“The sky and the earth and the waters
and the things which are in them, the fishes
and the birds and the trees are not evil.
All these are good;
it is evil men who make this evil world.”

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

“Our God, … being good and merciful,
wants us to confess [our sins] in this world,
so that we may not be ashamed
because of them in the next.
So if we confess them then,
He, on His part,
shows Himself to be merciful;
if we acknowledge them,
then He forgives … ”

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

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, The GOOD SHEPherd Prayers, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The SEVEN PASSION Feasts, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 13 March – The Feast of the Five Holy Wounds

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 13 March – The Feast of the Five Holy Wounds

“By the Cross, death was slain
and Adam was restored to life.
The Cross is the glory of all the Apostles,
the Crown of the Martyrs,
the Sanctification of the Saints.
By the Cross, we put on Christ
and cast aside our former self.
By the Cross we, the sheep of Christ,
have been gathered into one flock,
destined for the Sheepfold of Heaven.”

St Theodore the Studite (759-826)

“If you cannot soar up as high as Christ
sitting on His Throne,
behold Him hanging on His Cross.
Rest in Christ’s Passion
and live willingly in His Holy Wounds.
You will gain marvellous strength
and comfort in adversities.
You will not care that men despise you!”

Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)

“Ah! what is all that I do and suffer,
compared with what my Jesus did
and suffered for my sake?
O, that I might, for His honour,
be torn with scourges and pierced with nails
and expire on the Cross for Him!”

St Andrew Avellino (1521–1608)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, ORIGINAL SIN, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY

Quote/s of the Day – 12 March – St Gregory the Great (540-604)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 12 March – St Gregory the Great (540-604), Pope, Confessor, Father & Doctor of the Church, “Father of the Fathers”

“And immediately he saw
and followed Him, glorifying God.”
Luke 18:43

“We must understand the miracles
of our Lord and Saviour, dearly beloved,
so as to believe that they have been truly effected
and that their meaning, nevertheless, still signifies something else too.
We do not know the historical identity of the blind man
but we do know whom he mystically denotes.
The blind man is the human race.
In our first parents it was driven from the joys of paradise and ignorant of the brightness of the Divine Light,
it suffered the darkness of its condemnation.
But yet, it is enlightened by the presence of its Redeemer,
to see already, the joys of inward light,
by desire and to direct the footsteps of its good works,
in the way of Life.”

“Friend, how did you come in here
without a wedding garment?”
Matthew 22:12

“But you, my friends, since you have already
come into the house of the marriage feast,
our holy Church, as a result of God’s generosity,
be careful lest, when the King enters,
He finds fault with some aspect
of your heart’s clothing!”
… He may have faith but he does not have love.
We are correct when we say
that love is the wedding garment
because this, is what our Creator Himself possessed,
when He came to the marriage feast,
to join the Church to Himself.
Only God’s Love brought it about,
that His Only-Begotten Son,
united the hearts of His chosen, to Himself.”

“The branches of this mysterious tree
are the holy preachers of the Gospel,
of whom the Psalmist indicates the reach:
“Their report goes forth through all the earth,
their message, to the ends of the world”
(Ps 19:5; cf Rom 10:18).
The birds rest on these branches
while the souls of the just,
who have been raised above earth’s attractions
on the wings of holiness,
find, in the words of these preachers of the Gospel,
the consolation they need in the sorrows
and difficulties of this life.”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2025/03/12/quote-s-of-the-day-12-march-st-gregory-the-great-3/

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

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, PAPAL PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 12 March – Lucis Creator Optime, O Blest Creator of the Light By St Gregory the Great

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 12 March – The Third Sunday in Lent and the Memorial of St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) – Father & Doctor

Lucis Creator Optime
O Blest Creator of the Light
By St Gregory the Great (540-604)
Pope, Father & Doctor
“Father of the Fathers”

O blest Creator of the light,
Who mak’st the day with radiance bright,
And o’er the forming world did’st call
The Light from Chaos First of all.

Whose wisdom join’d in meet array
The morn and eve and nam’d them day;
Night comes with all its darkling fears;
Regard Thy people’s pray’rs and tears.

Lest, sunk in sin and whelm’d with strife,
They lose the gift of endless life;
While thinking but the thoughts of time,
They weave new chains of woe and crime.

But grant them grace that they may strain
The heav’nly gate and prize to gain;
Each harmful lure, aside to cast,
And purge away each error past.

O Father, that we ask be done,
Through Jesus Christ, Thine only Son;
Who, with the Holy Ghost and Thee,
Shall live and reign eternally.
Amen

This hymn is used for Vespers (II) on Sundays throughout the year in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Breviary.
Trans John M Neale (1818-1866), 1851.
Tune: “Lucis Creator Optime” Gregorian Chant, Mode VIII, traditional.

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, Quote on SELF-ABANDONMENT, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on REASON/INTELLECT, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on WILL (Reasonable or Superior), Quotes Self-Oblation, SELF-DISTRUST, St Francis de Sales, The HEART, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 11 March – From the heart

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 11 March – Wednesday of the Third Week in Lent – Exodus 20:12-24, Matthew 15:1-20

“But the things which proceed
out of the mouth,
come from the heart
and it is they which defile a man.”

Matthew 15:18

“Our hearts were made for Thee, O God
And restless must they be
Until, O God, this grace accord,
Until they rest in Thee!”

St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Govern my heart O Lord,
lest it drift into useless and disordered thoughts.
Do not permit me to become excessively preoccupied
with anything at all, even matters and concerns
which are useful and good in themselves.
Temper the affections of my soul,
so that I may neither love, nor hate
anything, in a way which exceeds due proportions.
Let me neither rejoice, nor be saddened,
beyond the measure which is fitting and rational.”

St Albert the Great (1200-1280)
Universal Doctor of the Church

“Do not fix your longings on anything
which you do not possess;
do not let your heart rest in that which you have;
do not grieve overmuch,
at the losses which may happen to you –
and then, you may reasonably believe
that although rich in fact,
you are not so in affection
but that you are poor in spirit
and, therefore, blessed,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is yours.”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

“Be brave and try to detach your heart
from worldly things.
Do your utmost to banish darkness
from your mind and come to understand
what true, selfless piety is.
Through confession, endeavour
to purify your heart of anything
which may still taint it.
Enliven your faith which is essential
to understand and achieve piety.”

St John Bosco (1815-1888)

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on KINDNESS

Quote/s of the Day – 10 March – 70 Times 7

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 5 March – Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent

“If your brother sins, rebuke him
and if he repents, forgive him.
And if he wrongs you seven times
in one day and returns to you
seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’
you should forgive him.”

Luke 17:3-4

“To the extent that you pray, with all your soul,
for the person who slanders you,
God will make the truth known
to those who have been scandalised
by the slander.”

St Maximus the Confessor (c 580–662)

“See to it that you refrain from harsh words.
But if you do speak them,
do not be ashamed to apply the remedy
from the same lips, which inflicted the wounds.”

“The recollection of an injury,
is . . . a rusty arrow
and poison for the soul.”

St Francis of Paola OM (1416-1507)

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, In the PRESENCE of GOD, Quote on SELF-ABANDONMENT, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on the FAMILY, Quotes Self-Oblation

Quote/s of the Day – 9 March – St Gregory of Nyssa, St Frances of Rome, St Dominic Savio

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 9 March – St Gregory of Nyssa (c335–c395) Bishop, Father of the Church – St Frances of Rome (1384-1440) Widow – St Dominic Savio (1842-1857)

“As no darkness can be seen
by anyone surrounded by light,
so, no trivialities can capture,
the attention of anyone,
who has his eyes on Christ.”

St Gregory of Nyssa (c335–c395)
Father of the Church

“It is most laudable, in a married woman,
to be devout but, she must never forget
that she is a home-keeper.
And sometimes, she must
leave God at the Altar
to find Him in her household affairs.”

St Frances of Rome (1384-1440)

“Nothing seems tiresome or painful
when you are working
for a Master Who pays well;
Who rewards, even a cup of cold water,
given for love of Him.”

St Dominic Savio (1842-1857)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHILDREN, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIMPLICITY, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, St Francis de Sales

Quote/s of the Day – 6 March – ‘… A HATRED for nothing but SIN…’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 6 March – Friday of the Second Week in Lent and the Feast of the Holy Shroud – Ecclesiasticus
Sir ach51:1-8; 51:12 – Matthew 21:33-46.– Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“He will bring those evil men
to an evil end”

Matthew 21:41

“Little children follow and obey their father.
They love their mother.
They know nothing of covetousness,
ill-will, bad temper, arrogance and lying.
This state of mind opens the road to Heaven.
To imitate our Lord’s own humility,
we must return to the simplicity
of God’s little ones.”

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

“Let us then depart, let us depart from Egypt,
let us approach Our Lord,
let us make provision of good works;
let the feet of our affections be bare,
let us clothe ourselves with innocence,
let us not be satisfied with crying for mercy,
let us go forth from Egypt, let us delay no longer.
The hour is come to arise from sleep,
since we know that He receives sinners;
the Angels await our repentance,
the Saints pray for it!”

St Francis de Sales 91567-1622)
Doctor of the Church

“There is a golden rule which we should always remember
as it will be helpful to us in fighting temptation
and in resisting discouragement.
It is simply this:
As long as we implore God’s grace
and do all we can and ought, in order to withstand
the onslaught of temptation, God will do the rest!
If God, nevertheless, allows us to fall,
this will be in order to humble us
and to make us understand,
more clearly that we can do nothing without Him.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, franciscan OFM, GOD ALONE!, LENT 2026, Of BEGGARS, the POOR, against POVERTY, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GREED, WEALTH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the POOR, The HEART, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 5 March – ‘ … Give earth and receive Heaven! …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 5 March – Ferial Day – Thursday of the Second Week in Lent – Jeremias 17:5-10 – Luke 16:19-31 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“There was a rich man,
who was clothed in purple
and fine linen
and who feasted sumptuously everyday.
And at his gate lay a poor man,
named Lazarus…”

Luke 16:19–20

“Amen I say to you,
as long as you did NOT do it
for one of these least ones,
you did NOT do it for Me.”

Matthew 25:45

“Give of your earthly goods
and receive eternal ones;
give earth and receive Heaven!”

St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“What is a man’s treasure
but the heaping up of profits
and the fruit of his toil?
For, whatever a man sows,
this too will he reap and each man’s gain,
matches his toil and where delight
and enjoyment are found,
there the heart’s desire is attached.
Now, there are many kinds of wealth
and a variety of grounds for rejoicing –
every man’s treasure is that, which he desires.
If it is based on earthly ambitions,
its acquisition makes men not blessed but wretched.
… By distributing what might be superfluous
to support the poor, they are amassing
imperishable riches, so that what they have
discreetly given, cannot be subject to loss.
They have properly placed those riches,
where their heart is – it is a most blessed thing,
to work to increase such riches,
rather than to fear that they may pass away.”

St Pope Leo the Great (400-461)
ather and Doctor of the Church

“If thou wouldst see well, pluck out thine eyes and be blind;
if thou wouldst hear well, be deaf
and if thou wouldst speak well, become dumb;
if thou wouldst advance, stand still
and advance with thy mind;
if thou wouldst work well, cut off thy hands
and work with thy heart;
if thou wouldst love much, hate thyself;
if thou wouldst live well, mortify thyself;
if thou wouldst gain much and be rich,
first lose all and become poor
and if thou wouldst enjoy peace, afflict thyself
and be ever in fear and suspect thine own self;
if thou wouldst be exalted and have great honour,
humble and abase thyself;
if thou wouldst be held in great reverence, despise thyself
and do reverence to him who reviles thee;
if thou wouldst that it should be well with thee,
suffer all evil things and if thou wouldst be blessed,
desire that all should speak ill of thee
and if thou wouldst have true and eternal rest,
then toil and suffer and desire to have every temporal affliction.
O what great wisdom it is to know how to do
and to work out these things.”

Blessed Giles of Assisi (c1190-1262)

Posted in CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, Holy Name PRAYERS, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of PETITION, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on STRENGTH, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

Our Morning Offering – 3 March – Merciful Jesus! Stretch Forth Thy Hand of Mercy

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 3 March – Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent –

Merciful Jesus!
Stretch Forth Thy Hand of Mercy
(Excerpt – Prayer in a Time of Anguish)
By St Jerome (347-419)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Merciful Jesus!
Thou art my strength, my refuge and my deliverer;
in Thee I have believed and hoped;
in Thee have I loved.
Call me now, I beseech Thee and I will answer.
Stretch forth Thy Hand of mercy, to the work of Thy Hands
and let me not perish, whom Thou hast redeemed
with Thy Precious Blood.
It is now time for dust to return to dust
and my spirit to Thee Who gavest it.
Open then, Lord, the Gate of Life and receive me.
Receive me most merciful Lord,
according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies,
Who receivedst the thief on the cross
and now prepare my soul for hearing
the same promise of mercy which he did.
I am ill, O Lord and Thee my Physician.
Heal me then, my God and I shall be healed,
let me not be confounded, for I put my trust in Thee.
In Thee have I hoped – let me not be cast off forever!
… Deal not with me, according to what I deserve,
nor chastise me, according to my iniquities
but help me, O God, my Saviour
and for the glory of Thy Name deliver me.
Now, at this hour, show mercy to me
and whenever I depart, receive me
into the number of Thy family that I, may be one of those,
who are to praise Thee forever.
Amen

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2026, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on PURITY

Our Morning Offering – 2 March – Lord Jesus, Think on Me By St Synesius

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 2 March – Monday of the Second Week of Lent

Lord Jesus, Think on Me
By St Synesius of Cyrene (375-430)
Bishop of Ptolemais, Father

Lord Jesus, think on me
and purge away my sin,
from earth-born passions set me free,
and make me pure within.
Lord Jesus, think on me,
With care and woe oppressed,
let me Thy loving servant be
and taste Thy promised rest.
Lord Jesus, think on me,
nor let me go astray,
through darkness and perplexity
point Thou the heav’nly way.
Lord Jesus, think on me,
that, when the flood is past,
I may eternal brightness see
and share Thy joy at last.
Amen

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on HUMILITY

Quote of the Day – 28 February – If you wish to reach high, then begin at the lowest level.

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 28 February – Ember Saturday

“If you wish to reach high, then begin at the lowest level.
If you are trying to construct some mighty edifice in height,
you will begin with the lowest foundation.
This is humility.
However great the mass of the building
you may wish to design or erect,
the taller the building is to be,
the deeper you will dig the foundation.
The building in the course of its erection,
rises up high but he who digs its foundation,
must first go down very low.
So then, you see even a building is low
before it is high and the tower is raised,
only after humiliation.”

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

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2026, The PASSION, Thomas Aquinas

Thursday of the First Week of Lent – 26 February – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas – It was fitting that Christ should be Crucified with the Thieves

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thursday of the First Week of Lent – 26 February – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

Thursday of the First Week of Lent
It was fitting that Christ
should be Crucified with the Thieves

Christ was Crucified between the thieves because such was the will of the Jews and also because, this was part of God’s Design.
But the reasons why this was appointed, were not the same in each of these cases.

  1. As far as the Jews were concerned, Our Lord was Crucified with the thieves on either side to encourage the suspicion that He too was a criminal.
    But it transpired otherwise!
    The thieves themselves have left not a trace in the remembrance of man, while His Cross is everywhere held in honour. Kings lying their crowns aside, have embroidered the Cross on their Royal robes. They have placed it on their crowns; on their armiur. It has its place on the very Altars. Everywhere, throughout the world, we behold the splendour of the Cross.

In God’s Plan, Christ was Crucified with the thieves in order, for our sakes, He became accursed of the Cross, so, for our salvation, He is Cucified like an evil Man amongst evil men.

  1. The Pope, St Leo the Great, says that the thieves were crucified, one on either side of Our Lord, so that, in the very appearance of the scene of His Suffering, there might be set forth that distinction which should be made in the judgement of each one of us.
    St Augustine has the same thought. “The Cross itself,” he says, “was a tribunal. In the centre was the Judge. To the one side a man who believed and was set free, to the other side, a scoffer and he was condemned.”
    Already there was made clear the final fate of the living and the dead, the one class placed at His Right, the other on His Left.
  2. According to St Hilary, the two thieves, placed to right and to left, typify that the whole of mankind is called to the mystery of Our Lord’s Passion. And, since division of things, according to right and left is made with reference to believers and those who will not believe, one of the two, placed on the right, is saved by justifying faith.
  3. As St Bede says, the thieves who were crucified with Our Lord, represent those who, for the faith and to confess Christ, undergo the agony of martyrdom or the severe discipline of a more perfect life.
    Those who do this for the sake of eternal glory are typified by the thief on the Right Hand.
    Those whose motive is the admiration of whoever beholds them, imitate the spirit and the act of the thief on the Left Hand.

As Christ owed no debt in payment for which a man must die but submitted to death of His Own Will, in order to overcome death, so also, He had not done anything on account of which He deserved to be put with the thieves.
But of His Own Will, He chose to be reckoned among the wicked that by His Power, He might destroy wickedness itself.
Which is why St John Chrysostom says, to convert the thief on the cross and to turn him to Paradise, was as great a miracle as the earthquake!

ST THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274)
Priest, Theologian, Dominican
Doctor Angelicus (Angelic Doctor)
Doctor Communis (Common Doctor)
Added by Pope Saint Pius V in 1568

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL

Our Morning Offering – 26 February – To Thee, O Master

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 26 February – Thursday of the First Week of Lent – Ferial Day

To Thee, O Master
Morning Offering
By St Macarius the Wonder-Worker (Died 850)

To Thee, O Master,
Who loves all mankind
I hasten Mn 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

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CONFESSION/PENANCE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SACRED HEART QUOTES, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 25 February – Repent

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 25 February –– Ember Wednesday – 3 Kings 19:3-8; Matthew 12:38-50 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“The sign of Jonah”

Matthew 12:39

“It was, too, to lead the Ninevites
to firm repentance and to convert them
to Him, Who would deliver them from death,
amazed as they were by the sign accomplished in Jonah …
In the same way, God permitted man
to be swallowed by that great monster,
the author of disobedience,
not so that he should altogether vanish away
and die but because God, had prepared beforehand,
the salvation fulfilled by His Word
by means of the “sign of Jonah.”

St Irenaeus (130-208)
Bishop of Lyons, Martyr and Father

“To do penance is to bewail
the evil we have done
and to do no evil to bewail.”

“But He still follows behind us and counsels us,
although we have despised Him,
He still does not cease to call us.
We turn our backs on His face, so to speak,
when we reject His Words,
when we trample His Commandments underfoot
but He, Who sees that we reject Him,
still calls out to us by His Commandments
and waits for us by His patience,
stands behind us and calls us back
when we have turned away.”

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

“What are we doing?
If we really love the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
we should offer penance and sacrifices
in order to make reparation for our sins
and the sins of others
and, to propitiate this adorable Heart,
Which ardently desires to bestow
new favours upon us.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, LENT 2026, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS

Our Morning Offering – 25 February – Ex More Docti Mystico, The Fast, As Taught by Holy Lore

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 25 February – “Wednesday of The First Week of Lent

Ex More Docti Mystico
The Fast, As Taught by Holy Lore
By St Gregory the Great (540-604)
Pope, Father, Doctor of the Church
Trans. John Mason Neale

The fast, as taught by holy lore,
We keep in solemn course once more.
The fast to all men known and bound
In forty days of yearly round.

The law and seers that were of old
In divers ways this Lent foretold,
Which Christ, all seasons’ King and Guide,
In after ages sanctified.

More sparing, therefore, let us make
The words we speak, the good we take,
Our sleep and mirth – and closer barred
Be every sense in holy guard.

Avoid the evil thoughts that roll
Like water o’er the heedless soul;
Nor let the foe occasion find
Our souls in slavery to bind.

In prayer together let us fall,
And cry for mercy, one and all,
And weep before the Judge’s Feet,
And His avenging wrath entreat.

The grace have we offended sore,
By sins, O God, which we deplore;
But pour upon us, from on high,
O pardoning One, Thy clemency.

Remember Thou, though frail we be,
That yet Thine handiwork are we;
Nor let the honour of Thy Name
Be by another put to shame.

Forgive the sin that we have wrought;
Increase the good that we have sought
That we at length, our wanderings o’er,
May please Thee here and evermore.

Grant, O Thou Blessed Trinity,
Grant, O Essential Unity,
That this our fast of forty days
May work our profit and Thy praise.

There are twelve translations of this lovely Lenten Hymn.
This one by L M Neale
Liturgical Use: Matins Hymn on Sundays
and week-days during Lent.

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The BEATITUDES, The HEART, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 24 February – Feast of St Matthias “Thou has Chosen”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 24 February – Feast of St Matthias, Apostle – Acts 1:15-26, Matthew 11:25-30 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And praying, they said:
Thou, Lord, Who knows the hearts of all men,
show which of these two Thou hast chosen,
to take the place of this ministry and apostleship,
from which Judas hath, by transgression, fallen …”

Acts 1:24-25

“You did not choose Me
but I chose you…”

John 15:16

“That is amazing grace!
For what were we before Christ had chosen us
besides being wicked and lost?
What then has He chosen in those who are not good?
You cannot say, I am chosen because I believed.
For if you believed in Him,
you had already chosen Him.
Nor can you say, before I believed I did good works
and, therefore, was chosen.
For what good work is there
before faith when the Apostle says,
“Whatever is not of faith is sin?”
What is there for us to say, then
but that we were wicked and were chosen,
that by the grace of having been chosen,
we might become good?”

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

“Day by day follow God’s path,
keeping Him closely attached to you by His promise.
In fact, He Himself said, through the mediation of His Apostles,
to all those who seek His will and His testimonies
that He would be with them
until the end of the world (Mt 28:20)
where paths and footsteps
will be unknown (cf Ps 76:20),
as the divine David said in his songs.
Yet, in an invisible way,
He is present to the eyes of the mind,
making Himself seen by those
who have a pure heart
and conversing with them.
So pursue your path …. ”

St Theodore the Studite (759-826)
Abbot, Confessor, Father of the Church