Category: GOD is LOVE

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CHARITY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 3 August – The Finding of the Relics of St Stephen – ‘… The gift He brought was love …’

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One Minute Reflection – 3 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – The Finding of the Relics of St Stephen, Protomartyr: – Acts 6:8-10, 7:54-59; Matthew 23:34-39 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And falling on his knees, he cried with a loud voice, saying: Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” – Acts 7:59

REFLECTION – “Yesterday we celebrated the birth in time, of our eternal King; today we celebrate the triumphant death of a soldier… Our King, although He is most high, came for our sake, in great humility but He could not come empty-handed. He brought with Him, as it were, a great bonus for His soldiers which not only made them abundantly rich but also gave them, strength to fight and conquer. The gift He brought was love, which brings men into fellowship with the Godhead…

The love, then, that brought Christ down from Heaven to earth, lifted Stephen from earth to Heaven… And Stephen, so as to deserve to win the crown— which is what his name means—had love as his weapon and by it was everywhere victorious. Through love of God, he did not yield to the raging of his enemies and through love of his neighbour, he prayed for those who were stoning him. Through love, he accused those, who were in the wrong that they might be corrected. Through love, he prayed for those stoning him, to save them from punishment. Trusting in the strength of love, he overcame the cruel raging of Saul and so, won for himself, as a companion in men, the man who had been his persecutor on earth, This holy and untiring love, ardently desired to acquire as converts by his prayers, those whom he had been unable to convert by argument.

Now Paul rejoices with Stephen, with Stephen he enjoys the brightness of Christ; he exults with Stephen, he reigns with Stephen. There, where Stephen arose, the first, stoned under Paul’s very eyes, there too, Paul has risen with the help of Stephen’s prayers.” – St Fulgentius of Ruspe (c 462 – 533) Bishop in North Africa (Sermon 3, 1-3, 5-6).

PRAYER – Grant us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, to imitate what we celebrate, so that we may learn to love, even our enemies; because we keep the anniversary of the invention of Him, Who knew how to plead even for His persecutors with our Lord, Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who with |Thee. lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on TRUTH, The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 21 July – Holiness

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Thought for the Day – 21 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Holiness

“We need Saints to recall our wayward and corrupt society to the path of Truth, Justice and Charity.
We should pray to God to send us Saints who will reform the world by living the Gospel and making it live for others.
Above all, we should endeavour to become holy ourselves.
To achieve this, we do not have to put on sack-cloth, go into the desert, or shut ourselves up in a Monastery.
Each of us can become a saint in his own home and in whatever position God has allotted him.
All we have to do is obey God’s Will in everything, love Him above everything, love our neighbour as ourselves, avoid sin and aim at what is good.
We can and should, do all this with the help of God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/07/19/thought-for-the-day-19-july-holiness/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/29/thought-for-the-day-29-march-holiness/

Posted in CATECHESIS, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, GOD is LOVE, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HELL, Quotes on SALVATION, St Francis de Sales, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 July – Our choice – Heaven or Hell?

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One Minute Reflection – 8 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus” – St Elizabeth of Portugal TOSF (1271-1336) Widow, Queen –Proverbs 31:10-31, Matthew 13:44-52 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“So shall it be at the end of the world. The Angels shall go out and shall separate the wicked from among the just. And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” – Matthew 13:49-50

REFLECTION – “Consider the choice you make in this life will last forever in the next!
Consider too, that while both are open to receive you, according to your choice, yet God, Who is prepared to give the one by reason of His Justice, the other by reason of His Mercy, all the while desires, unspeakably that you should select Paradise. offering you countless graces on God’s part, countless assistance to attain to it.
Consider that Jesus Christ, enthroned in Heaven, looks down upon you in loving invitation – ‘O beloved one, come unto Me and joy forever in the eternal blessedness of My Love!’
Behold His Mother yearning over you with maternal tenderness, ‘Courage, my child, do not despise the Goodness of my Son, or my earnest prayers for thy salvation.‘ …

O Hell, I abhor thee now and forever; I abhor thy griefs and torments, thine endless misery, the unceasing blasphemies and maledictions which thou pourest out upon my God and turning to thee, O blessed Paradise, eternal glory, unfading happiness, I choose thee forever as my abode, thy glorious mansions, thy precious and abiding tabernacles.

O my God, I bless Thy Mercy which gives me the power to choose, O Jesus, Saviour, I accept Thine Eternal Love and praise Thee for the promise Thou hast given me, of a place prepared for me, in that blessed New Jerusalem, where I shall love and bless Thee forever. ” – St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritatis (Excerpt – ‘Introduction to the Devout Life’ 9th Meditation).

PRAYER – Most merciful God, Who among other admirable gifts, endowed blessed Queen Elizabeth with the special grace of calming the tumult of war; grant by her intercession that, after the peace for which we humbly pray, we may attain everlasting 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).

Posted in CATHOLIC TIME, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, GOD is LOVE, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 7 July – Your Blood, The Fire of Love!

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Our Morning Offering – 7 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus” and “Friday Devotion The Passion”

Your Blood, The Fire of Love!
By St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)
Doctor of the Church

O sweet Jesus, my Love,
to strengthen my soul
and to rescue it from the weakness
into which it has fallen,
You have built a wall around it
and have mixed the mortar with Your Blood,
confirming my soul and uniting it
to the sweet will and charity of God!
Just as lime mixed with water
is placed between stones, to cement them together,
so You, O God, have placed between
Your creature and Yourself,
the Blood of Your Only-begotten Son,
cemented with the Divine lime
of the fire of ardent charity,
in such a way that there is no Blood
without fire, nor fire without Blood.
Your Blood was shed, O Christ, by the fire of love!
Amen

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on GRACE, SAINT of the DAY, St PETER!, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 3 July – Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

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One Minute Reflection – 3 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus” – St Leo II (611–683) Pope, Confessor – 1 Peter 5:1-4; 5:10-11, Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” – Matthew 16:16

REFLECTION – “Peter did not say “Thou are a Christ” or “a son of God” but “the Christ, the Son of God.” For there are many christs by grace, who have attained the rank of adoption [as sons] but [there is] only One Who is by nature the Son of God. Thus, using the definite article, he said, THE Christ, THE Son of God. And in calling Him, Son of the LIVING God, Peter indicates that Christ Himself is Life and that death has no authority over Him. And even if the flesh, for a short while, was weak and died, nevertheless, it rose again, since the Word, Who dwelled in it, could not be held under the bonds of death.” – St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Known as “The Pillar of Faith” Archbishop of Alexandria, Father and Doctor Incarnationis (Doctor of the Incarnation) (Fragment 190).

PRAYER – Look forgivingly on Thy flock, Eternal Shepherd and keep it in Thy constant protection, by the intercession of blessed Leo Thy Sovereign Pontiff, whom Thou didst constitute Shepherd of the whole Church. 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).

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, CATECHESIS, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, GOD is LOVE, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, St Francis de Sales, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 9 June – “He had made a memory of His wonderful works.”

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Quote/s of the Day – 9 June – Within the Octave if Corpus Christi – 1 Corinthians 23-29, John 6:56-59 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“The Eucharist is the Sacrament of Love.
It signifies Love,
It produces love.
The Eucharist is the consummation
of the whole spiritual life.”

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor angelicus/Doctor communis

“The Holy Eucharist
is the perfect Communion of Saints,
for it is the food common to Angels
and sainted souls in Paradise
and ourselves – it is the true Bread
of which all Christians participate.
The forgiveness of sins,
the Author of forgiveness being there, is confirmed;
the seed of our resurrection sown,
life everlasting bestowed. …
This very belief in the Most Holy Sacrament,
which, in truth, reality and substance,
contains the true and natural
Body of Our Lord,
is actually the abridgment of our Faith,
according to that of the Psalmist:
“He had made a memory of His wonderful works.”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

Posted in GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS

Thought for the Day – 7 June – The Promises Made to Those who Practise Devotion to the Sacred Heart

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Thought for the Day – 7 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Promises Made to Those Who Practise
Devotion to the Sacred Heart

“The promises made by Jesus to those who are truly devoted to His Sacred Heart, are a new proof of His Infinite Love and Mercy.
However, if anyone were to cultivate devotion to the Sacred Heart, merely to gain His benefits and to think more of his own spiritual and temporal advantage than of Jesus, he would display a niggardly spirit, quite unworthy of the Lord’s favour.

The worship of the Sacred Heart could degenerate into a kind of utilitarian egoism, undeserving of the name of devotion at all!
Pious practices, could become cold and formal and degenerate into sentimentality tinged with superstition.
There is nothing to prevent us asking the Sacred Heart for graces and favours which we need.
In fact, we should do so, for it is He Who has made these promises to us and is eager to fulfil them because He loves us.
But, we should be generous with Jesus in return for His Infinite Generosity towards us.
We should love Him because He is so worthy of our love.
Our love should be expressed, not only in prayers and outward forms but, in a deep personal transformation, which will make us more like Jesus.

True love transforms and unites two hearts.
Let us love Jesus and we shall live with Jesus, through Jesus and in Jesus.
His love will effect in us, the miracle which it produces in St Paul.
“To me to live is Christ!” (1 Phil 1:21).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/06/07/thought-for-the-day-7-june-the-promises-made-to-those-who-practise-devotion-to-the-sacred-heart/

Posted in CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 6 June – “Well done, good and faithful servant … Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”- Matthew 25:21

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One Minute Reflection – 6 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – St Norbert (c 1080-1134) Bishop, Confessor, Founder of the Premonstratensian or the Norbertine Canons and Sisters, “Defender of the Eucharist” and “Apostle of the Eucharist,”– Sirach 44:16-27; 45:3-20, Matthew 25:14-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Well done, good and faithful servant … Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”- Matthew 25:21

REFLECTION – “The Word of the Father, Only-begotten Son of God, Sun of Justice (Mal 3:20), is the great Merchant Who has brought us the price of our redemption. It is atruly precious exchange that we can never value sufficiently when a King, Son of the King most high, has become the Coin, the Gold has paid our dues, the Just Man is given for the sinner. Truly unmerited mercy, perfectly disinterested love, astonishing goodness…, it is a completely disproportionate purchase, in which the Son of God is delivered up for the servant, the Creator is put to death for the one He has created, the Lord is condemned for His slave.

O Christ, these are Your works, You Who descended from Heaven’s brightness into our hellish darkness, to bring light to our gloomy prison. You came down from the Right Hand of the Divine Majesty, into our human misery, to redeem the human race, You Who descended from the Father’s glory to death on the Cross, to triumph over death and its author. You are the only One and there is no other but You Who could have been drawn to redeem us through Your own goodness…

Let all the merchants of Teman (Bar 3:23) withdraw from this place… it is not they but Israel [Your] beloved that [You have] chosen, You Who hide these mysteries from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to those babes and humble servants of Yours (Lk 10:21)… O Lord, I willingly embrace this purchase since it concerns me! I remember all the things You have done, You Who desire that I should keep them alive… Therefore, I shall profit by this talent which you have loaned to me until Your return and will stand before You with great joy. O God, grant that I may then hear these sweet words: “Well done, good servant! Enter the joy of your Lord” (Mt 25:21).” – St Bernard O.Cist. (1091-1153) Cistercian Monk, known as the Last Father and the Mellifluous Doctor of the Church (Selected sermons, no 42: The Five Purchases).

PRAYER – To God, Who made blessed Norbert, Thy Confessor and Bishop, a brilliant preacher of Thy Word and through him, enriched Thy Church with a new religious family, grant, we beseech Thee, that by his prayerful intercession and Thy help, we may be able to do what he has taught us by his words and deeds. 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).

Posted in GOD is LOVE, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The NATIVITY of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The PASSION

Thought for the Day – 3 June – The Love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Revealed in the Gospel

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Thought for the Day – 3 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Revealed in the Gospel

“If we meditate on the pages of the Gospel, we shall find that they are vibrant with the infinite love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Let us, in imagination, enter the cave of Bethlehem and kneel before the crib where the Divine Infant is lying.
Darkness is all around, darkness over the earth, darkness in the minds and hearts of the majority of men.
But, now, the heavens open and from the brightness the voices of angels ring out, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace among men of goodwill.”
Who is this infant?
He is the Eternal Word, the substantial image of God, Who, for love of us, has been made man.
He is the Infinite One Who has willed to unite Himself with the finite, in order to lift us towards Himself.
This little heart is throbbing like that of any baby but, in this throb, is expressed the love of the God-Man.
It is a profound mystery, that God should have loved man so much, that He became a tiny infant.
Yet, He did this so that we might love Him more easily and in order to show us His own immeasurable love.
There is about this Infant, a fascination, at once human and divine, which compels us to love Him, even as Mary, Joseph and the simple shepherds loved Him.
He is asking us for love, adoration and complete surrender.
Can we refuse Him?

Now let us take ourselves in imagination to Calvary and kneel at the foot of the Cross.
The heart which began to beat with the sacred love in the manger at Bethlehem, has given everything for us, has poured forth it’s precious blood for our salvation and, has bestowed on us, as a final gift, the Blessed Mother of God.
Now, this heart is consumed with love for us and ceases to beat only when it has give us everything.
“It is consummated” (Jn 19:30).
At Bethlehem we have experienced a joyful ecstasy of love.
Here, at the foot of the Cross, we should experience a deep sorrow, which will cause us to weep for our sins and to transform our lives after the model of Jesus Christ.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, SACRED HEART ASPIRATIONS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS

Thought for the Day – 2 June – The Necessity of Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

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Thought for the Day – 2 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Necessity of Devotion
to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

“O my Jesus, Thou Who art Love itself, enkindle in my heart the Divine Fire which consumed and transformed the Saints.
Amen.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/02/thought-for-the-day-1-june-the-necessity-of-devotion-to-the-sacred-heart-of-jesus/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/06/02/thought-for-the-day-2-june-the-necessity-of-devotion-to-the-sacred-heart-of-jesus/

Posted in GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD

Quote/s of the Day –30 May – St Joan of Arc

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Quote/s of the Day – 30 May – The Memorial of St Joan of Arc (1412-1431) “The Maid of Orléans” Holy Virgin

“Go forward bravely.
Fear nothing.
Trust in God – all will be well.”

“All battles are first won
or lost,
in the mind!”

“It is better to be alone with God.
His Friendship will not fail me,
nor His Counsel,
nor His Love.
In His Strength, I will dare
and dare and dare,
until I die.”

LOTS MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/05/30/quote-s-of-the-day-30-may-st-joan-of-arc/

St Joan of Arc (1412-1431)

Posted in BLESSED TRINITY PRAYERS, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, GOD is LOVE, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day –30 April – Prayers by St Catherine of Siena

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Quote/s of the Day –30 April – Prayers by St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)

O God of Truth and Love

O omnipotent Father,
God of truth,
God of love
permit me to enter into
the cell of self-knowledge.
I admit, that of myself,
I am nothing
but that all being
and goodness in me
comes solely from You.
Show me my faults,
that I may detest them,
and thus I shall flee from self-love
and find myself clothed again
in the nuptial robe of divine charity,
which I must have,
in order to be admitted
to the nuptials of life eternal.
Amen

Holy Trinity, Holy Love

Holy Spirit, come into my heart;
draw it to Thee by Thy power,
O my God,
and grant me charity with filial fear.
Preserve me,
O beautiful love,
from every evil thought,
warm me,
inflame me with Thy dear love
and every pain will seem light to me.
My Father,
my sweet Lord,
help me in all my actions.
Jesus, love, Jesus, love.
Amen.

Your Blood, The Fire of Love!

O sweet Jesus, my Love,
to strengthen my soul
and to rescue it from the weakness
into which it has fallen,
You have built a wall around it
and have mixed the mortar with Your Blood,
confirming my soul and uniting it
to the sweet will and charity of God!
Just as lime mixed with water
is placed between stones, to cement them together,
so You, O God, have placed between
Your creature and Yourself,
the Blood of Your Only-begotten Son,
cemented with the Divine lime
of the fire of ardent charity,
in such a way that there is no Blood
without fire, nor fire without Blood.
Your Blood was shed, O Christ, by the fire of love!
Amen

Constant Prayer
to the Precious Blood of Jesus

Precious Blood,
Ocean of Divine Mercy,
Flow upon us!
Precious Blood,
Most Pure Offering,
Procure us every grace!
Precious Blood,
Hope and Refuge of sinners,
Atone for us!
Precious Blood,
Delight of holy souls,
Draw us!
Amen

QUOTES:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/04/30/quote-s-of-the-day-30-april-st-catherine-of-siena/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/29/quote-s-of-the-day-29-april-st-catherine-of-siena/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/04/29/quote-s-of-the-day-29-april-fifth-sunday-of-eastertide-and-the-memorial-of-st-catherine-of-siena-1347-1380-doctor-of-the-church/

St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, QUOTES on TRUTH, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 April – “I am the Good Shepherd and I know Mine and Mine know Me.”- John 10:14

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One Minute Reflection – 23 April – “The Month of the Resurrection” –The Second Sunday after Easter and the Memorial of St George (Died c 303) Martyr – 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 also. 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 that 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 – O God, Who dost gladden us through the worthy deeds and prayers of thy blessed Martyr George, mercifully grant that all they, who seek Thy mercy through him, may effectually obtain the gift of Thy grace. 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).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, QUOTES on DOUBT, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on TIME, The HOLY CROSS, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 18 April – Embrace, then, Jesus Crucified …

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Quote/s of the Day – 18 April – “The Month of the Resurrection” – Tuesday in the Second Week of Easter – 1 John 5:4-10, John 20. 19-31 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“My Lord and my God.”

John 20:28

“Are you able to drink the cup
that I am to drink?”

Matthew 20:22

“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)
Doctor of the Church

“Alas, how the faith of Jesus’ Apostles
is shaken after His Crucifixion!
Assembled in a room with closed doors,
they are filled with fear.
Then Jesus enters, stands in their midst
and greets them: ‘Peace be with you.’ …
Without the presence of our Saviour,
they felt timid and lacked strength.
Such is the case when one is without God.
They were afraid.
Like a ship tossed in a storm without a pilot,
such was this poor boat.
Our Lord appears to His disciples
to bring relief to their fear.”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

Posted in Act of SPIRITUAL COMMUNION, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, HOLY COMMUNION, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The HEART, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day –14 April – I Am with you all days …

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Quote/s of the Day –14 April – Easter Friday – 1 Peter 3:18-22, Matthew 28:16-20 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And behold, I Am with you all days,
even to the consummation of the world.”

Matthew 28:20

“Never separate yourself from the Church.
No institution has the power of the Church.
The Church is your hope.
The Church is your salvation.
The Church is your refuge.”

St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Act of Spiritual Communion
By St Bernard O. Cist (1090-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor of the Church

As I cannot this day enjoy the happiness
of assisting at the Holy Mysteries, O my God,
I transport myself in spirit to the foot of Your Altar.
I unite with the Church, which, by the hands of the Priest,
offers You, Your adorable Son in the Holy Sacrifice.
I offer myself with Him, by Him and in His Name.
I adore, I praise and thank You,
imploring Your mercy,
invoking Your assistance
and presenting to You,
the homage I owe You as my Creator
and the love due to You, as my Saviour.

Apply to my soul, I beseech You, O Merciful Jesus,
Your infinite merits;
apply them also to those
for whom I particularly wish to pray.
I desire to communicate spiritually,
that Your Blood, may purify,
Your Flesh, strengthen
and Your Spirit, sanctify me.
May I never forget that You,
my divine Redeemer,
died for me.
May I die to all that is not You,
that hereafter, I may live eternally with You.
Amen.

“No tongue is able to declare
the greatness of the love
which Jesus bears to every soul
and, therefore, this Spouse,
when He would leave this earth,
in order that His absence
might not cause us to forget Him,
left us, as a memorial,
this Blessed Sacrament,
in which He Himself remained;
for He would not,
that there should be any other pledge
to keep alive, our remembrance of Him,
than He Himself!”

St Peter of Alcantara (1499-1562)

“My dear souls, let us recognise, I pray you,
Christ’s infinite charity towards us
in the institution of this Sacrament of the Eucharist.
In order that our love be a spiritual love,
He wills a new heart, a new love, a new spirit for us.
It is not with a carnal heart but with a spiritual one,
that Christ has loved us with a gratuitous love,
a supreme and most ardent love,
by way of pure grace and charity.
Ah! One needs to love Him back
with one’s whole, whole, whole,
living, living, living
and true, true, true heart!”

St Lawrence of Brindisi(1559-1619)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD

Quote/s of the Day –13 April – Faith and Love

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Quote/s of the Day –13 April – Easter Thursday

“ … Have perfect faith
and love for Jesus Christ.
These are the beginning
and the end of life –
faith the beginning, love the end.
When these two are found together,
there is God and everything else
concerning right living follows from them. …”

“Nothing is hidden from the Lord
but even our secrets are close to Him.
Let us then, do everything,
in the knowledge that He is dwelling within us
that we may be His temples
and He ,God within us.”

St Ignatius of Antioch (c35–c107)
Bishop, Martyr, Apostolic Father

“If we follow Christ closely we shall be allowed,
even on this earth,
to stand, as it were,
on the threshold of the heavenly Jerusalem
and enjoy the contemplation,
of that everlasting feast,
like the blessed Apostles,
who, in following the Saviour as their leader,
showed and still show,
the way to obtain the same gift from God.
They said – See, we have left all things and followed You.
We too follow the Lord
and we keep His feast
by deeds rather than by words.”

St Athanasius (297-373)
Father & Doctor of the Church

“Is it possible that I have been loved
and loved so tenderly, by my Saviour?
That He thought of me personally
in all these little events by which
He has drawn me to Himself?
How much then should we love,
cherish and make good use of all this
for our benefit!
This is extremely kind.
this loving Heart of my God thought of me,
loved me and obtained for me
a thousand means of salvation.
This He did as though there was no other soul
in the world He could think of!”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

Posted in CATECHESIS, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, HOLY WEEK, Quotes on SALVATION, The REDEMPTION

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 6 April – Maundy Thursday, “Father, forgive them”

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Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 6 April – Maundy Thursday – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But could God not have provided the world
with a remedy, other than that of His Son’s Death? ”
St Francis de Sales

MAUNDY THURSDAY
“Father, forgive them”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

“BUT COULD GOD not have provided the world with a remedy, other than that of His Son’s Death? Certainly, He could have done so and by a thousand other means.
Could He not have pardoned human nature with absolute power and pure mercy, not invoking justice or the intervention of any creature? Doubtless He could and who would have dared to question or criticise Him? No-one, for He is Sovereign Master and can do all He wills.
Besides, if He had wanted some creature to undertake our redemption, would He not have created one of such excellence and dignity that, by its deeds or sufferings, it could have satisfied for all our sins?
Assuredly and He could have redeemed us in a thousand other ways than that of His Son’s death. But He did not will to do so, for what may have been sufficient for our salvation was not sufficient for His love and to show us how much He loved us, this Divine Son died the cruelest and most ignominious of deaths, that of the Cross! …”

“OH, HOW GREAT was the flame of love which burned in the Heart of our gentle Saviour, since at the height of His sufferings, at a time when the vehemence of His torments seemed to take from Him, even the power of praying for Himself, He succeeded, through the strength of His charity in forgetting Himself but not His creatures and with a strong and intelligible Voice uttered these words:
“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.” – (Sermons of St Francis de Sales for Lent).

Posted in CATECHESIS, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, LENT 2023, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, Quotes on SALVATION, St Francis de Sales, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 29 March – WEDNESDAY IN PASSION WEEK – “He has become all ours, to make us all His.”

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Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 29 March – Wednesday in Passion Week

“He has become all ours,
to make us all His.”
St Francis de Sales

WEDNESDAY IN PASSION WEEK
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

“Since Our Lord has so much loved us, that He has equally redeemed all, bedewed us with His Divine Blood and called us to Himself, without excluding anyone; since He has become all ours, to make us all His, giving us His Death and His Life to deliver us from eternal death and to procure us the joys of eternal life, that we may belong to Him in this mortal life and yet more perfectly, in the next.

What remains, what conclusion have we to draw, unless that living, we should no longer live for ourselves but for Jesus Christ, Who died for us; that is, we should Consecrate to Him, every moment of our life, referring to His glory our works, our thoughts and our affections?” – (Consoling Thoughts of St Francis de Sales).

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, OUR Cross, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, St PAUL!, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Quote/s of the Day – 28 March – ‘… He gives all for all and has all in all, …’

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Quote/s of the Day – 28 March – Tuesday in Passion Week and the Memorial of St John of Capistrano OFM (1386-1456) Confessor – Wisdom 10:10-14, Luke 9:1-6 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Take nothing for your journey,
neither staff, nor bag,
nor bread, nor money;
neither have two tunics.”

Luke 9:3

“Pursue justice, godliness,
faith, charity, patience, mildness.
Fight the good fight of the faith,
lay hold on the life eternal,
to which you have been called …”

1 Timothy 6:11-12

“The love of Jesus is noble and generous,
it spurs us on to do great things
and excites us to desire always,
that which is most perfect.
Love will tend upwards
and is not to be detained by things beneath.
Love will be at liberty
and free from all worldly affections…
for love proceeds from God
and cannot rest but in God,
above all things created.
The lover flies, runs and rejoices,
he is free and not held.
He gives all for all and has all in all,
because he rests in One Sovereign Good above all,
from Whom all good flows and proceeds.”

Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)
(Book III, Chapter V, 3-4)

“Entrust yourself entirely to God.
He is a Father
and a most loving Father at that,
Who would rather let Heaven
and earth collapse,
than abandon anyone
who trusted in Him.”

St Paul of the Cross (1604-1775)

“Crosses, contempt,
sorrows and afflictions,
are the real treasures
of the lovers of Jesus Christ Crucified.”

St Margaret Mary Alacoque
(1647-1690)

ST JOHN OF CAPISTRANO QUOTES:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/28/quote-s-of-the-day-28-march-st-john-of-capistrano/

Posted in "Follow Me", DOCTORS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, LENT 2023, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on VOCATIONS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The PASSION

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 28 March – TUESDAY IN PASSION WEEK –“Arrows of Love”

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Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 28 March

“Arrows of Love”
St Francis de Sales

TUESDAY IN PASSION WEEK
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

“HE WISHED, even after His death, to have His side opened, that we might see the thoughts of His Heart, which were all thoughts of love and that we might go to Him with confidence, in order to hide ourselves in His side and to receive, from Him, an abundance of graces and benedictions.

In this manner, from the first moment of His life until the present hour, has the kind Jesus been continually drawing arrows, if we may so speak, from the quiver of His love, with which to wound the souls of His lovers, showing them clearly, that they can never love Him nearly as much as He deserves.

My God, could He show more love to sinners than to become a perfect holocaust for their sins?
Ah! if we could see the Heart of Jesus, such as it is, we should die of love for Him, since we are mortal, as He died of love of us, while He was mortal and as He would die again, if He were not now immortal.
Nothing has as much power to wound a loving heart, as to see another heart wounded for love of it.” – (Consoling Thoughts of St Francis de Sales).

Posted in CATECHESIS, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, LENT 2023, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on TRUTH

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 27 March – MONDAY IN PASSION WEEK – “In love, by love, for love and of love”

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Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 27 March – Monday of Passion Week

“In love, by love, for love and of love”
St Francis de Sales

MONDAY IN PASSION WEEK
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

“THE SWEET JESUS was scourged, crowned, condemned, mocked and rejected as man, devoted, destined and dedicated to carry out and endure, the opprobriums and ignominies due in punishment to all sins and He served as a general sacrifice for sin, being made, as it were, an anathema, separated from and abandoned by His Eternal Father.

The Divine Saviour wished to die in the flames of love because of the Infinite Charity He bore towards us and, by the force and power of love, that is to say, He would die in love, by love, for love and of love.
This is what He Himself says:
“No-one takes away My life but I lay it down of Myself, for I have power to lay it down and to take it up again” .—He was offered, says Isaias because He wished it.” – (Consoling Thoughts of St Francis de Sales).

Posted in GOD is LOVE, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OUR Cross, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The FOUR CARDINAL VIRTUES: JUSTICE, PRUDENCE, TEMPERANCE, FORTITUDE, The HOLY CROSS

Thought for the Day – 26 March – THE CRUCIFIX

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Thought for the Day – 26 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

THE CRUCIFIX

“Let us weep for our sins and increase in love for our Divine Redeemer.
When we are oppressed by the weight of our own cross, we shall look at the Crucifix and find comfort.
When we are tempted, we shall grasp the Crucifix and turn away with horror from thoughts of sin and ingratitude.

The Crucifix will teach us, as it taught the Saints, the lesson of charity towards God and towards our neighbour.
It will teach us to hate sin and to love virtue.
If we cherish it during life, it will be our consolation to kiss the Crucifix at the moment of death.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/04/thought-for-the-day-4-august-the-crucifix/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/09/25/thought-for-the-day-25-september-the-crucifix/

Posted in CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 22 March – St Catherine of Genoa

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Quote/s of the Day – 22 March – Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Lent and the Memorial of St Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510)

“We must not wish anything other
than what happens from moment to moment,
all the while, however, exercising ourselves in goodness.”

“And when I hear it said,
that God is good and He will pardon us
and then see, that men cease not from evil-doing,
oh, how it grieves me!
The Infinite Goodness
with which God communicates with us,
sinners as we are,
should constantly make us love and serve Him better
but we, on the contrary,
instead of seeing in His Goodness
an obligation to please Him,
convert it into an excuse for sin,
which will, of a certainty,
lead in the end,
to our deeper condemnation.”

“I see clearly with the interior eye,
that the sweet God loves, with a pure love,
the creature that He has created
and has a HATRED for nothing but SIN,
which is more opposed to Him,
than can be thought or imagined.”

St Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510)

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, GOD is LOVE, LENT 2023, LENTEN THOUGHTS, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 17 March – Feast of the Five Holy Wounds – ETERNAL LOVE

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Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 17 March – Feast of the Five Holy Wounds – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/– – – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But He was wounded for our iniquities,
He was bruised for our sins;
… and by His stripes we are healed.”
Isaias 53:5

“He Himself bore our sins in His Body
on the Cross, so that we might die to sin
and live to righteousness,
for by His wounds you were healed.”
1 Peter 2:24

ETERNAL LOVE
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

“Consider the eternal love which God had borne you – for even before our blessed Lord Jesus Christ became man and suffered on the Cross for you, His Divine Majesty foresaw you in His Sovereign Goodness and loved you exceedingly.

When did He begin to love you?
When He began to be God.
And when was His beginning?
Never, for He has always been, without beginning and without end – wherefore, He has always loved you and from eternity prepared the favours and graces which He has bestowed upon you.
And by His prophet He says (and He speaks to you, as much as to any), “I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore, I have drawn thee, taking pity on thee” (Jer 31: 3).

Amongst other things, then, He thought to lead you to resolve on
serving Him.” – (Introduction to the Devout Life).”

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, LENT 2023, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The HEART, The WORD

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 15 March – OUR HEART

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Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 15 March – Wednesday of the Third Week in Lent
– Exodus 20:12-24, Matthew 15:1-20 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“I have loved you with an everlasting love.”
Jeremias 31:3

“This people honours Me with their lips
but their heart is far from Me.”
Matthew 15:8

OUR HEART
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

“HOW IS YOUR HEART TOWARDS GOD HIMSELF?
Do you take delight in thinking about Him?
Does such remembrance leave an agreeable sweetness behind it? “I remembered God and I was delighted,” said David.
Does your heart feel an inclination to love God and a particular satisfaction in dwelling on this love?
Does your heart love to reflect on God’s immensity, goodness and sweetness?
If remembrance of God comes to you amid worldly affairs and vanities, do you willingly receive it and does it take possession of you heart?
Does it seem to you that your heart turns that way and, as it were, runs out to meet God? … It is the same with souls that really love God. No matter how busy they are, when remembrance of God comes to them, they lose almost the very thoughts of all other things because of the joy that this dear remembrance has returned.
This is a very good sign.” (Introduction to the Devout Life, Part 5, Chapter 4)

“Imitate little children who with one hand hold fast to their father, while with the other, they gather strawberries or blackberries from the hedges.
So too if you gather and handle the goods of this world with one hand, you must always hold fast with the other to your Heavenly Father’s Hand and turn toward Him, from time to time, to see if your actions or occupations, are pleasing to Him.” – (Introduction to the Devout Life, Part 3, Chapter 10)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, LENT 2023, LENTEN THOUGHTS, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 13 March – TRUE AND LIVING DEVOTION

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Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 13 March – Monday of the Third Week in Lent – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“O Lord, deal with us,
not according to our sins,
nor requite us according to our iniquities.”
Psalm 102:10

“Hear, O God, my prayer,
and despise not my supplication.
Be attentive to me and hear me.
I am grieved in my exercise
and am troubled,”
Psalm 54:2-3

TRUE AND LIVING DEVOTION
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

“ONE MAN SETS GREAT VALUE on fasting and believes himself to be leading a very devout life, as long as he fasts rigorously, although, the while, his heart is full of bitterness — and while he will not moisten his lips with wine, perhaps not even with water, in his great abstinence, he does not scruple to steep them in his neighbour’s blood, through slander and detraction.

Another man reckons himself as devout because he repeats many prayers dai­ly, although. at the same time. he does not refrain from all man­ner of angry, irritating, conceited or insulting speeches among his family and neighbours.
This man freely opens his purse in almsgiving but closes his heart to all gentle and forgiving feelings towards those who are opposed to him, while that one is ready enough to forgive his enemies but will never pay his rightful debts, save under pressure.

Meanwhile, all these people are conventionally called religious but, nevertheless, they are in no true sense really devout. …

But, in fact, all true and living devotion presupposes the love of God — and indeed, it is neither more, nor less, than a very real love of God, … And forasmuch as devotion consists in a high degree of real love, it not only makes us ready, active and diligent, in following all God’s Com­mands but, it also excites us to be ready and loving, in performing as many good works as possible … Devotion is simply a spiritual activity and liveliness, by means of which, Divine Love works in us.” – ( Intro­duc­tion to the Devout Life, Chapter 1: What true devotion is.)

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, LENT 2023, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, Quotes on SALVATION, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS, The PASSION, The WORD

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 11 March – THE LOVING HEART OF GOD

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Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 11 March – Saturday of the Second Week in Lent – Genesis 27:6-40, Luke 15:11-32 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Lord, before I existed Thou
beheld me and called me by name …”
Jeremias 1:5

“I shall arise and shall go to my Father”
Luke 15:18

THE LOVING HEART OF GOD
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

“REMEMBER the Heart of Our Lord saw your heart and loved you surely, from the Tree of the Cross. By this love, He obtained for you all the good things that you will ever have, including your resolutions.
Yes, we can say with Jeremias: “Lord, before I existed Thou
beheld me and called me by name” (cf. 1:5).

This is indeed so – His Divine Goodness has prepared, in His love and mercy, all the means, general and particular, for our salvation and consequently, our resolutions. Yes, without doubt. A woman with child prepares the cradle, the linen and swaddling clothes and even arranges a nurse for the child whom she hopes to bring forth, although it is not yet in the world.
So Our Lord, in His Goodness, is, as it were, pregnant with you,
wishing to bring you forth to salvation and make you His child, prepared upon the Tree of the Cross, everything you would need. He got ready your spiritual cradle, linen and swaddling clothes, your nurse and everything suitable for your happiness.

These are all the means, all the attractions and all the graces by which He guides you and wants to lead you to perfection.
My God, how deeply this truth should be fixed in our memory.
Is it possible that I have been loved and loved so tenderly, by my Saviour?
That He thought of me personally in all these little events by which He has drawn me to Himself?
How much then should we love, cherish and make good use of all this for our benefit!This is extremely kind. this loving Heart of my God thought of me, loved me and obtained for me a thousand means of salvation. This He did as though there was no other soul in the world He could think of!

The sun shines on one part of the earth, shining on it no less than if it shone nowhere else and, as if it shone upon it alone. In the
same way, Our Lord thought of and cared for all His loving children, in such a way, that He thought of each one of us. as though He had not thought of all the rest.
He loved me, says St Paul and gave Himself for me, (Galatians 2:20) as if He said: for myself alone, as though He had done nothing for the others.
Imprint this in your spirit, in order to cherish and nourish, with care, your firm resolution, so precious to the Heart of the Saviour.”– (Introduction to the Devout Life)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on WORK/LABOUR, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 6 March – Our Precious Pearl

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One Minute Reflection – 6 March – “The Month of the St Joseph” – Sts Perpetua and Felicity (Died c203) Martyrs – Ecclesiasticus Sirach 51:13-17, Matthew 13:44-52 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he finds a single pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.” – Matthew 13:45-46

REFLECTION – “For the man who loves God it is sufficient to please the One he loves; and, there is no greater recompense to be sought, than the loving itself. For love is from God, by the very fact, that God Himself is love. The good and chaste soul is so happy to be filled with Him that it desires to take delight in nothing else. For what the Lord says is very true: – ‘Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.’

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.

But those who enjoy the things that are above and eternal, rather than earthly and perishable, possess an incorruptible, hidden store, of which the prophet speaks: ‘Our treasure and salvation have come, wisdom and instruction and piety, from the Lord: these are the treasures of justice.’ Through these, with the help of God’s grace, even earthly possessions are transformed into heavenly blessings. It is a fact that many people use the wealth, which is either rightfully left to them or otherwise, acquired, as a tool of devotion. 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) Bishop of Rome and Great Western Father and Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from Sermon 92).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord our God, that we may venerate with unceasing devotion Thy holy Martyrs Perpetua and Felicitas and, although we cannot pay them the honour that is their due, may we at least present to them, our humble homage. 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).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, LENT 2023, LENTEN THOUGHTS, OUR Cross, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on THE WORLD, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The LAMB of GOD, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 5 March – ETERNAL HAPPINESS

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Lenten Journey with St Francis de Sales – 5 March – The Second Sunday in Lent – Thessalonians 4:1-7, Matthew 17:1-9 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Lord, it is good for us to be here …”
Matthew 17:4

“I know a man in Christ—
whether he was in or outside the body,
I do not know, God knows—
who was snatched up to the third heaven. . .
and heard secret words,
words which it is not granted to man to utter.”
2 Corinthians 12:2-4

ETERNAL HAPPINESS
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

“REJOICE AND BE HAPPY! Persevere to the end and prefer to die, rather than abandon the post to which God has called you!

But embrace the Cross with patience and hide in God’s breast, with your troubles; fix your eyes on the Lamb immolated for your sake and always be content with what God gives you and destines for you. We must act like this because we are sure that God is calling us and has chosen for us ,what will make us the most pleasing in His sight . Thus, you will go from Light to Light and the pains endured, for the sake of Jesus Crucified, will be delightful to you, whereas the pleasures and consolations of the world, will become bitter.

You will begin to taste, even in this life, a foretaste of eternal life, for the principal beatitude of the soul in Heaven, is to be confirmed forever in the Will of the Father. Thus, it tastes the divine sweetness. But it will never taste it in Heaven, if it is not clothed with it on earth, where we are pilgrims and travellers. When it is clothed with it, it tastes God by grace in its troubles; its memory will be full of the Blood of the Lamb without blemish; its mind will be opened and contemplate the ineffable love that God has made known in the Wisdom of His Son and the love it finds, in the Holy Spirit’s goodness, casts out self-love and love for created things, to love only God.

So do not be afraid … but suffer with joy, so as to conform yourself to the Will of God.” – (Sermon for the Second Sunday of Lent, 20 February 1622).

Posted in "Follow Me", GOD is LOVE, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The LAST THINGS, The SECOND COMING

Thought for the Day – 30 January – The Most Terrifying Passage in the Gospel

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 30 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Most Terrifying Passage
in the Gospel

“Why should the Eternal Judge punish or reward us in accordance with our own deeds of charity and of mercy towards our unfortunate fellowmen?
Simply because Christianity consists mainly of charity, since God Himself is charity.
“God is love and he who abides in love, abides in God and God in him” (1 Jn 4:16).
When charity is genuine, being the love of God above all things and of our neighbour as ourselves, it is “the bond of perfection” (Col 3:14) and “bears with all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor 13:7).

True love, in the Christian sense, presupposes faith, hope and all other virtues, whereas faith without charity is, as St Paul says, as futile as “a tinkling cymbal” (1 Cor 13:1).
Even the devils have faith but their faith will not save them.
“He who does not love,” St John tells us, “abides in death” (1 Jn 3:14).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/11/24/thought-for-the-day-24-november/