Category: LENT 2019

Posted in LENT 2019, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on PRAYER

Lenten Thoughts – 8 April – “Praying means …”

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Lenten Thoughts – 8 April – Monday of the Fifth week of Lent, Year C

“Praying means giving up your false security, no longer looking for arguments that will protect you if you get pushed into a corner and no longer setting our hope on a couple of lighter moments which your life might still offer.
To pray, means to stop expecting from God, the same small-mindedness, you discover in yourself.
To pray is to walk in the full Light of God and to say simply, without holding back, “I am human and You are God!”
At that moment, conversion occurs, the restoration for the true relationship.
A human being is not someone who once in a while makes a mistake and God is not someone who now and then forgives.
No!   Human beings are sinners and God is love.
The conversion experience makes this obvious with stunning simplicity and disarming clarity.”

Fr Henri Nouwen (1932-1996)to pray is to walk simply in the full Light of God and to say I am human and you ae God henri nouwen 8 april 2019.jpg

Posted in LENT 2019, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, The WORD

Lenten Reflection – 8 April – “The eyes of those who believe in Christ see light even amid the darkest night…” Pope Benedict

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Lenten Reflection – 8 April – Monday of the Fifth week of Lent, Year C

The Readings:
Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 or 13:41C-62;; Psalms 23:1-3A, 3B-4, 5, 6; John 8:12-20

“I am the light of the world;  he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”…John 8:12

Pope Benedict XVI

“The eyes of those who believe in Christ see light

even amid the darkest night…”

24 September 2011

“While all around us there may be darkness and gloom, yet we see a light. a small, tiny flame that is stronger than the seemingly powerful and invincible darkness.   Christ, risen from the dead, shines in this world and He does so most brightly in those places where, in human terms, everything is sombre and hopeless.   He has conquered death – He is alive – and faith in Him, like a small light, cuts through all that is dark and threatening.   To be sure, those who believe in Jesus do not lead lives of perpetual sunshine, as though they could be spared suffering and hardship but there is always a bright glimmer there, lighting up the path that leads to fullness of life (cf. Jn 10:10).   The eyes of those who believe in Christ see light even amid the darkest night and they already see the dawning of a new day.”the eyes of those who believe in christ - pope benedict 8 april 2019.jpg

Daily Meditation:

Help us to pass from our old life of sin
to our new life of grace.
This week we let the powerful Light of God’s love
shine into the deepest, darkest corners of our soul,
revealing the most unloving parts of our hearts,
and we ask forgiveness and holiness.

Perhaps we might make the Stations of the Cross
to stir our hearts more deeply with the sense of His love for us.

Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil,
for thou art with me
Psalm 23:4monday of the fifth week of lent john 812 8 april 2019.jpg

Closing Prayer:
Father of love,
I know that You are the source of all
that it good and graced in my life.
Help me to move from the life of sin
to which I so often cling,
into the new life of grace You offer me.
You know what I need to prepare for Your kingdom.
Bless me with those gifts.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2019, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 8 April – ‘I Am’ Your Salvaton

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 8 April – Monday of the Fifth week of Lent

‘I Am’ Your Salvaton
By St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor

For Your mercies’ sake,
O Lord my God,
tell me what You are to me.
Say to my soul:
“I Am your salvation.”
So speak, that I may hear, O Lord;
my heart is listening;
open it, that it may hear You,
and say to my soul:
“I Am your salvation.”
After hearing this word,
may I come in haste
to take hold of You.
Hide not Your face from me.
Let me see Your face even if I die,
lest I die with longing to see it.
The house of my soul
is too small to receive You,
let it be enlarged by You.
It is all in ruins;
do You repair it.
There are things in it,
I confess and I know,
that must offend Your sight.
But who shall cleanse it?
Or to what others
besides You shall I cry out?
From my secret sins
cleanse me, O Lord,
and from those of others,
spare Your servant.
Ameni am your salvation by st augustine - 8 april 2019

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2019, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The RESURRECTION

Lenten Thoughts – 7 April – “If you wish to arrive at the second part, do not despise the first”

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Lenten Thoughts – 7 April – The Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year C

“Great thing is the knowledge of the crucified Christ.   How many things are enclosed inside this treasure! Christ crucified!   Such is the hidden treasure of wisdom and science.   Do not be deceived, then, under the pretext of wisdom.   Gather before the covering and pray that it may be uncovered.   Foolish philosopher of this world, what you are looking for is worthless… What is the advantage of being thirsty, if you despise the source? …  And what is His precept but that we believe in Him and love each other? In whom?   In Christ crucified.   This is His commandment – that we believe in Christ crucified …  But where humility is, there is also majesty, where weakness is, there shall one find power, where death is, there shall be life as well.   If you wish to arrive at the second part, do not despise the first”

St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor
(Sermon 160, 3-4)this is his commandment that we believe - st augustine 7 april 2019 lenten thoughts.jpg

Posted in LENT 2019, The WORD

Lenten Reflection – 7 April – “Scapegoating violence”

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Lenten Reflection – 7 April – The Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year C, Gospel: John 8:1–11

The Readings:
Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalms 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6; Philippians 3: 8-14; John 8:1-11

And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you;
go and do not sin again.”…John 8:11

Bishop Robert Barron

JOHN 8:1-11

“Friends, our Gospel today tells about the woman that scribes and Pharisees caught in adultery.   Imagine where they were standing when they caught her in the very act.   The voyeurism and perversion of these men!   Then they come en masse, in the terrible enthusiasm of a mob and they present the case to Jesus.

Now, what does Jesus do in the face of this violent mob?   First, He writes on the ground. The mysterious writing might indicate the listing of the sins of each person in the group. As He said in another Gospel, “Remove the plank in your own eye, and then you can see more clearly the speck in your brother’s eye.”

And then He says, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to cast a stone at her.”   He forces them to turn their accusing glance inward, where it belongs.   Instead of projecting their violence outward on a scapegoat, they should honestly name and confront the dysfunction within themselves.

This story, like all the stories in the Gospels, is a foreshadowing of the great story toward which we are tending.   Jesus will be put to death by a mob bent on scapegoating violence.

Reflect: What is “scapegoating violence” and where do you see it in our culture? Have you ever been involved in this type of violence yourself?”john 8 11 - he forces them to turn their accusing glance inwards - bishop robert barron 7 april 2019.jpg

Daily Meditation:
Inspired by His love, guided by His example,
change our selfishness into self-giving.
Today we celebrate the Third Scrutiny,
as we journey to the font with those preparing for Baptism.
We are in our last week before Holy Week.
It seems that there is so much left to do,
to ask for, to be open to, to surrender, to change.
Jesus assures us that He is the “resurrection and the life,”
that if we place our faith in Him, we will “never die.”
“I am troubled now. Yet what should I say?
‘Father, save me from this hour’?
But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.
Father, glorify your name.”

Today we beg for the graces we need and desire this week.
We ask for courage in the journey ahead.

Indeed I count everything as loss
because of the surpassing worth
of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
Philippians 3:8the fifth sunday of lent 7 april 2019

Closing Prayer:
Father,
it’s so hard to love the world sometimes
and to love it the way Jesus did seems impossible.
Help me to be inspired by His love and
guided by His example.
Most of all, I want to accept that I can’t do it alone,
and that trying is an arrogance of self-centredness.
I need You, dear God, to give me support in this journey.
Show me how to unlock my heart
so that I am less selfish.
Let me be less fearful of the pain and darkness
that will be transformed by You into Easter joy.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen

Posted in LENT 2019, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 7 April – He has suffered for all

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 7 April – The Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year C, Gospel: John 8:1–11

And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go and do not sin again.”…John 8:11

REFLECTION – “The Gospel shows us sinners who accuse another sinner in Jesus’ presence.   Bending over to write on the ground, Jesus seems to be absent. He breaks His silence only twice – the first time to gather accusers and accused together into their shared culpability; the second time, to give voice to His forgiveness, since no-one is left, to condemn another. In the light of Jesus; silent suffering for all of us, every accusation has to fall silent, for “God has locked everyone up in the same disobedience,” not to punish them (as the accusers wanted) but “the he might have mercy on all” (Rom 11:32).   That no-one can condemn the woman, follows from Jesus’ second rather than first statement. He has suffered for all, in order to gain heaven’s forgiveness for all and for that reason, no-one, can accuse anyone else in God’s presence.”…Cardinal Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905-1988)john 8 11 - neither do i condemn you - he has suffered for all - hans urs von balthasar 7 april 2019

PRAYER – Give us good God, a heart of flesh, that we might resemble the heart of Your love.   For truly following the steps of Your divine Son, we would make peace in the world and give glory to Your kingdom.   Help us Lord, to see with Your eyes and hear with Your ears, that the Word may dwell in us all and bring mercy to all.  May the immaculate heart of Mary, our Mother dwell in us and help us to reach our eternal home.   We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord, with You and the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.mary mother of god pray for us - 27 july 2018

Posted in LENT 2019, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The SIGN of the CROSS

Lenten Thoughts – 6 April – THE BELOVED CROSSES

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Lenten Thoughts – 6 April – Saturday of the Fourth week of Lent, Year C

THE BELOVED CROSSES
“Not for a day, not for a week, not for a year but all our lives.”
St John Vianney (1786-1859)

The saints, my dear brethren, all loved the Cross and found in it their strength and their consolation.

But, you will say to me, is it necessary, then, always to have something to suffer? …. Now sickness or poverty, or again scandal or calumny, or possibly loss of money or an infirmity?

Have you been calumniated, my friends?   Have you been loaded with insults?   Have you been wronged?   So much the better!   That is a good sign, do not worry, you are on the road that leads to Heaven.   Do you know when you ought to be really upset? I do not know if you understand it but it should be precisely for the opposite reason — when you have nothing to endure, when everyone esteems and respects you.   Then you should feel envious of those who have the happiness of passing their lives in suffering, or contempt, or poverty.

Are you forgetting, then, that at your Baptism you accepted the Cross, which you must never abandon until death and that it is the key that you will use to open the door of Heaven?   Are you forgetting the words of our Saviour: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Not for a day, not for a week, not for a year but all our lives.   The saints had a great fear of passing any time without suffering, for they looked upon it as time lost.

According to St Teresa, man is only in this world to suffer and when he ceases to suffer, he should cease to live. St John of the Cross asks God, with tears, to give him the grace to suffer more as a reward for all his labours.

What should we conclude, my dear children, from all that?

Just this – Let us make a resolution to have a great respect for all the crosses, which are blessed and which represent to us in a small way all that our God Suffered for us.   Let us recall that from the Cross flow all the graces that are bestowed upon us and that as a consequence, a cross which is blessed is a source of blessings, that we should often make the Sign of the Cross on ourselves and always with great respect and, finally, that our houses should never remain without this symbol of salvation.

“Everything is a reminder of the Cross.
We ourselves are made in the shape of a cross.”

Fill your children, my dear brethren, with the greatest respect for the Cross and always have a blessed cross on yourselves, it will protect you against the Devil, from the vengeance of Heaven and from all danger.   This is what I desire for you.everything is a reminder of the cross - st jon vianney 2018.jpg

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2019, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

Lenten Reflection – 6 April – “No one laid hands on him” Origen

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Lenten Reflection – 6 April – Saturday of the Fourth week of Lent, Year C

The Readings:  Jeremiah 11:18-20; Psalm 7:2-3,9BC-10, 11-12; John 7:40-53

Daily Meditation:
Apart from You we can do nothing.

The conflict around Jesus grows.
And all the while, we are turning to God for mercy.
What Jesus went through is for me,
that I might have mercy and the gift of everlasting life.

We call upon the Lord for help, for strength, for trust.

My shield is with God,
who saves the upright in heart.
Psalm 7:10john 7 44 and 7 41 - satfourthweeklent 6 april 2019.jpg

“No one laid hands on him”...John 7:44

Origen (c 185-253)
Father, Priest and Theologian

In Christ we encounter such human characteristics that they have nothing to distinguish them from the weakness common to us mortals.   At the same time, we encounter characteristics so divine, that they can only be appropriate to the sovereign and ineffable divine nature.   Too small to comprehend this, the human mind is so dumbfounded, that it does not know what to take its stand on, nor which path to follow.   Is it aware of God in Christ?   Yet it sees Him die.   Does it take Him to be a man?   But see Him coming back from the dead with the prize of His victory, having destroyed the reign of death.   In the same way our contemplation needs to be practised with such reverence and fear that, in the same Jesus, it considers the truth of the two natures, avoiding attributing to the divine essence those things that are nor worthy of it or do not belong to it but also avoiding seeing only an illusory appearance in historical events.

In truth, causing such things as these to be heard by human ears, trying to express them in words considerably surpasses our ability, talent and language.   I even think it surpasses the capability of the apostles.   More still, the explanation of this mystery probably transcends the entire order of angelic powers.

but see him coming back from the dead - 6 april 2019 - origen.jpg

Closing Prayer:
Lord,
what You ask of my life seems so right.
It is how I want to live,
following Your Son, Jesus, so closely.
And yet I fail so often to stay on that path.
I cannot do it alone, loving Lord.
I need Your help and guidance.
I need to remember Your love for me
and I want to remember
how very much I need You in my life.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, LENT 2019, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on FAITH, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 6 April – Others said, “This is the Christ.” 

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One Minute Reflection – 6 April – Saturday of the Fourth week of Lent, Year C, Gospel: John 7:40–53

Others said, “This is the Christ.”   But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee?...John 7:41others said this is the christ john 7 41 - 6 april 2019.jpg

REFLECTION – “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him:  ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’   That is the one thing we must not say.   A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else He would be the Devil of Hell.   You must make your choice.   Either this man was and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse.   You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God but let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher.   He has not left that open to us.   He did not intend to.”…Prof C S Lewisi am trying here - c s lewis john 7 41 6 april 2019 no 2.jpg

PRAYER – In Your gentle mercy Lord, guide our wayward hearts, for we know that left to ourselves, we cannot do Your will.   Almighty God, turn our hearts to Yourself, so that we, seeking the one thing necessary, may worship You in spirit and in truth.   We give You thanks for our faith, increase our faith O our God!   May the prayers of all your saints and the Virgin Mary, Queen of All Saints, obtain the gift of humility and fidelity for us and for every believer, so that our prayer may always be genuine and pleasing to the Lord. Through Christ our Lord and Redeemer, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.virin mary queen of all saints no 2 pray for us 6 april 2019.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, LENT 2019, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 6 April – Prayer to the Sorrowful Mother

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Our Morning Offering – 6 April – Saturday of the Fourth week of Lent, Year C
‘Marian Saturdays’

Prayer to the Sorrowful Mother
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Doctor of the Church

My sorrowful Mother,
by the merit of that grief
which you felt at seeing your beloved Jesus
led to death,
obtain for me the grace to bear with patience,
those crosses which God sends me.
I will be fortunate if I also shall know
hot to accompany you with my cross until death.
You and Jesus,
both innocent,
have borne a heavy cross
and shall I,
a sinner who has merited hell,
refuse mine?
Immaculate Virgin,
I hope you will help me
to bear my crosses with patience.
Amenprayer to the sorrowful mother by st alphonsus liguori 6 april 2019.jpg

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2019, LENTEN THOUGHTS, POETRY, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on REPENTANCE

Lenten Thoughts – 5 April ‘ But You God”

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Lenten Thoughts – 5 April – Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Year C

And now, my heavy laden soul,
what will you do?
You call with your lips and voice to
God most high,
God, who cares only for deeds and
is not taken in by words.
You, my soul, with a heart always turned toward Egypt,
how can I describe you?

Am I
a Sodom, to be punished likewise with destruction,
or the prosecutor of Ninevah, who was struck dumb?

Am I
more cowardly and barbarous than the
queen of the south,
lower than Canaan,
more stubborn than Amalek,
incurable as the city of idols,
a relic left behind from the rebellion of Israel,
a reminder of the broken covenant of Judah,
more reproachable than Tyre,
more shunned than Zidon,
more immoral than Galilee,
more unpardonable than faithless Capernaum,
maligned like Korazin,
slandered like Bethsaida?

Or am I
immodest as Ephraim as he prayed,
or a dove, whose gentleness seems due to
feeblemindedness and not to inner calm,
or an evil serpent born of lion’s cubs,
or the serpent’s egg filled with decay,
or like the last blow against Jerusalem?

Or am I
in the words of our Lord
and the sayings of the prophets,
an abandoned tabernacle about to collapse,
the unlatched doors of the stronghold,
my speaking edifice stained again,
having given up my rightful inheritance,
my home built by God,
as Moses, David and Jeremiah prophesied?
My thinking body now consumed by disease,
afflicted with carping counsel, rehabilitated by the law,
anointed with the clay of mildness,
incapable of finding my own salvation,
torn away from the maker’s hand,
expelled as just punishment
by order of the Almighty, to an unholy place,
rejected, exiled, greatly shunned, nothing spared,
having buried my gift in the ground,
like the one chastised in the Gospel by
losing his inheritance.

But You, God,
Lord of souls and all flesh,
in the words of one divinely graced,
You are long-suffering and abounding in mercy.
In the voice of blessed Jonah,
grant that I finish to Your delight
this book of prayers, now begun.
And having sown these words with tears
and set forth on this journey toward the dwellings You have prepared,
may I return joyfully in the time of harvest
with the bounty of atonement,
with sheaves of goodness and the fruits of delight.

St Gregory of Narek (950-1003) – Fathe & Doctor of the Churchbut-you-god-st-gregory-of-narek-27-feb-2018.jpg

“If you elevate yourself,
God distances Himself from you.
If you humble yourself,
He leans towards you.”

St Augustine (354-430)if you elevate yourself - st augustine - 5 april 2019.jpg

Posted in DOMINICAN OP, LENT 2019, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE, SAINT of the DAY

Quote of the Day – 5 April – “Humility”

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Quote of the Day – 5 April – Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Year C and the Memorial of St Vincent Ferrer OP (1350-1419)

“Once humility is acquired,
charity will come to life,
like a burning flame,
devouring the corruption of vice
and filling the heart so full,
that there is no place for vanity.”…

St Vincent Ferrer (1350-1419)once humility is acquired - st vincent ferrer - 5 april 2019.jpg

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, LENT 2019, PAPAL ENCYLICALS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The WORD

Lenten Reflection – 5 April – “Love…more powerful than sin.”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Lenten Reflection – 5 April – Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Year C

The Readings:
Wisdom 2:1A, 12-22; Psalm 34:17-18, 19-20, 21 and 23; John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

St Pope John Paul (1920-2005)

Encyclical « Dives in Misericordia » # 8

“You know me and you know where I come from?
But I have not come of my own accord;
he who sent me is true and him you do not know.”…John 7:28

The Paschal Mystery is Christ at the summit of the revelation of the inscrutable mystery of God.   It is precisely then that the words pronounced in the Upper Room are completely fulfilled:  “He who has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn 14:9).   In fact, Christ, whom the Father “did not spare” (Rm 8:32) for the sake of man and who in His passion and in the torment of the cross did not obtain human mercy, has revealed in His resurrection, the fullness of the love that the Father has for Him and, in Him, for all people. “He is not God of the dead, but of the living” (Mk 12:27).

In His resurrection Christ has revealed the God of merciful love, precisely because He accepted the cross as the way to the resurrection.   And, it is for this reason, that, when we recall the cross of Christ, His passion and death, our faith and hope are centred on the Risen One – on that Christ who “on the evening of that day, the first day of the week, . . .stood among them” in the upper Room, “where the disciples were, …breathed on them, and said to them:  ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.   If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained’ ” (Jn 20:19).

Here is the Son of God, who in His resurrection, experienced in a radical way, mercy shown to Himself, that is to say the love of the Father which is more powerful than death.   And it is also the same Christ, the Son of God, who… reveals Himself as the inexhaustible source of mercy, of the same love… more powerful than sin.and it is also the same christ - st john paul - encyclical frifourtheweeklent 5 april 2019.jpg

Daily Meditation:
May we reach out with joy to grasp Your hand.

We keep acknowledging that God is the source of our life.
We realise that we have been seeking other sources of life.
We recognise our weakness and turn to God for help.
Though our hearts are being opened up to their depths,
though we cry out to God for help, we are not discouraged.

The Lord is near to broken hearts.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted,
and saves the crushed in spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous
but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
Psalm 34:18-19

Closing Prayer:
Loving God of forgiveness,
I come before You humbled and sad
in the face of my own repeated failings.
I hold out my hands as a petitioner would,
asking for mercy.
It is then that I feel You reach out and take my hand
in Your loving grasp.
Thank You for the love You pour out on me so lavishly.
Help me to follow more closely
in the path You have set for me,
the path of Your Son.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amenjohn 7 28 you know me - fridayfourtheweeklent 5 april 2019

Posted in JESUIT SJ, LENT 2019, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 5 April – “You know me?”

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One Minute Reflection – 5 April – Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Year C, Gospel: John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30 and celebrating St Vincent Ferrer and Blessed Mariano de la Mata

“You know me and you know where I come from?   But I have not come of my own accord;  he who sent me is true and him you do not know.”…John 7:28

REFLECTION – “The crowds are surprised to see Jesus teaching in public, despite the death threats and so wonder if He could indeed be the Messiah.   The crucial question here is, whether or not one perceives Jesus as having been sent by God.   The answer to this question determines whether one is on the right track or engaged in only superficial reflection.   God, in Jesus, continues to come to us in various disguises and forms. If we decide in advance how He must come, then there is the danger that we too might continue to miss Him.   The way to be able to find Him in all things and all things in Him, is to be open and receptive and let God be God.   It is to open our eyes, ear and every fibre of our being to the revelation that He will make and to be prepared for that revelation, in the most unexpected persons, places and events!”…Fr Errol Fernandes SJjohn 7 28 you know me - god in jesus continues to come - gods word 5 april 2019.jpg

PRAYER – Loving God and Father, open our eyes and ears and our hearts.   Help us to recognise the Light of Christ in the world around us.   Too often we are hard of heart and closed up in our ‘rites’ – He is there but He is not only there and we are blind.   May the prayers of the saints and angels help us to be open to Him.   Mary, the Mother He gave us, pray for us.   Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God for all eternity, amen.mother mary pray for us - 5 oct 2018.jpg

st-vincent-ferrer-pray-for-us-5-april-2018.jpg

Posted in LENT 2019, LENTEN THOUGHTS, The WORD

Lenten Thoughts – 4 April – I Am With You

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Lenten Thoughts – 4 April – Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Year C

I Am With You
By Fr John Woolley 1928-2008
A Missionary of God’s Word

“For the sake of My sheep
I surrender My life”
John 10:15

My child, let it be your privilege, each day, to dwell upon My sacrifice – made for the whole world.

In My suffering love upon the Cross, you see a continuing process….the unrequited love which pursues My children – yearning for the slightest response and profoundly grateful, when one of those children surrenders his or her life to Me.

On the Cross, you see My heart of love crushed, for the moment, by the force of evil which darkens this universe.   Then you see the bursting forth again of love’s power … In my Father’s victory, this power, in its submission and its patience, can change permanently, any human situation.

Although you are conscious of being unworthy of that love, be sure that the pain of rejections is made so much less by even the simplest, imperfect dependence upon Myself.

Here, at the Cross, give Me your heart, anew, everyday!john 10 15 for the sake of my sheep - here at the cross give me your heart i am with you 4 april 2019.jpg

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

A departure for me – Fr John Woolley was an Anglican Minister in Chester, England.   His most famous work “I Am With You” is widely regarded and is filled with his reflections which he called “heart whispers from God.”

Posted in LENT 2019, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on HYPOCRISY, The WORD

Lenten Reflection – 4 April – Fertile excuses and evasions

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Lenten Reflection – 4 April – Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Year C

The Readings:
Exodus 32:7-14; Psalms 106:19-20, 21-22, 23; John 5:31-47

“…you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe him whom he has sent.”...John 5:38THURSDAYFOURTHERWEEKLENT - 4 APRIL 2018 JOHN 5 38.jpg

Fertile excuses and evasions
Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Next I observe that a civilised age is more exposed to subtle sins than a rude age.   Why? For this simple reason- because it is more fertile in excuses and evasions.   It can defend error and hence, can blind the eyes of those who have not very careful consciences.   It can make error plausible, it can make vice look like virtue.   It dignifies sin by fine names;  it calls avarice proper care of one’s family, or industry, it calls pride independence, it calls ambition greatness of mind;  resentment it calls proper spirit and sense of honour and so on.

…What all of us want more than anything else, what this age wants, is that its intellect and its will should be under a law.   At present it is lawless, its will is its own law, its own reason is the standard of all truth  . It does not bow to authority, it does not submit to the law of faith.   It is wise in its own eyes and it relies on its own resources.   And you, as living in the world, are in danger of being seduced by it and being a partner in its sin and so coming in, at the end, for its punishment.this-age-dignifies-sin-bljhnewman 10 march 2017.jpg

Daily Meditation:
Lead us to the joy of Easter.
We are still aware of our patterns.
We still are realigning our priorities.
We are still trying to simplify
and trying to eat in solidarity with others.
Most of all, we are still asking for a change of heart.

They made a calf in Horeb
and worshipped a molten image.
They exchanged the glory of God
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
Psalm 106:19-20

Closing Prayer:
Merciful Father, Loving Mother,
I know that the tiny sacrifices I make this Lent
can never serve as a real penance in my life.
But help me to make my whole life
one of following Your Son.
Listening to Him, seeking Him.
I am filled with Your love.
Let Your love shine out from within me
and guide my life in this sacred journey
toward the Easter joy You offer me.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen

Posted in LENT 2019, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 4 April – “A veil hid Him from their eyes”

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One Minute Reflection – 4 April – Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Year C, Gospel:  John 5:31–47 and the Memorial of St Isidore (c 560-636) Father & Doctor of the Church

“If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote of me.”…John 5:46

REFLECTION – “Moses face had become radiant while he conversed with the Lord. Aaron and the other Israelites saw (it)… and were afraid to come near him… When Moses had finished speaking with them, he would again put the veil over his face” (cf. Ex 34:29f.).   The radiance lighting up Moses’ face was Christ shining within him but He was hidden from the eyes of the Hebrews who did not see him… The Old Testament as a whole is shown to us, veiled like Moses, the symbol of all prophecy.   Underneath this veil, displayed by the lips of the prophets, Christ appears, a judge in majesty, seated on his throne of glory…

If Moses was veiled, what other prophet could have uncovered his face?   All veiled their speech in imitation of him.   They simultaneously heralded and veiled, they put forth their message and, at the same time, covered it with a veil… Because Jesus shone out in their books, a veil hid Him from their eyes, a veil that makes known to all the world how the words of Holy Scripture contain a hidden meaning…

Our Lord lifted this veil when He expounded His mysteries to the whole of creation.   By His coming, the Son of God uncovered Moses’ face, the incomprehensible words, that up to then had been veiled.   The new covenant has come to interpret the old, now, at last, the world is able to grasp those words that nothing covers any longer.   The Lord, our Sun, has arisen over the world and illumined every living being, mysteries and enigmas are at last made clear.   The veil that used to cover those books has been removed and the world beholds the Son of God with uncovered face.”…St Jacob of Sarug (c 451-521) Syrian Bishop and Monkthe new covenant has come to interpret the old john 5 46 thurs4thweeklent 4 april 2019.jpg

PRAYER – Father almighty, grant us Your good grace to trust completely in the Word made Flesh whom You sent to lead us to our heavenly home and save us from our evil ways.   As we proceed by penance and prayer, grant us now perseverance in listening to Him and learning from Him.   May the prayers of St Isidore, assist us on our journey.   We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God with You, now and forever, amen.st-isidore-pray-for-us-4-april-2018.jpg

Posted in LENT 2019, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 4 April – The Promise

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Our Morning Offering – 4 April – Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Year C

The Promise
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

And lastly, O my dear Lord,
though I am so very weak
that I am not fit to ask You
for suffering as a gift
and have not strength to do so,
at least I will beg of You,
grace to meet suffering well,
when You, in Your love and wisdom,
brings it upon me,
knowing that in this way,
I shall gain the promise,
both of this life and of the next.
Amenthe promise - bl john henry newman 4 april 2019.jpg

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, LENT 2019, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SANCTITY, THOMAS a KEMPIS

Lenten Thoughts – 3 April – O Fountain of Everlasting Love

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Lenten Thoughts – 3 April – Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Imitation of Christ, by Thomas á Kempis (1380-1471): Book 3, Chapter 10

That it is sweet to despise the world and to serve God.

Now, will I speak again, O Lord and will not be silent, I will say in the hearing of my God and my King Who is on high:  Oh, how great is the abundance of Your sweetness, O Lord, which You have hidden for those that fear You!

But what are You, for those who love You?   What, to those who serve You with their whole heart?   Unspeakable indeed, is the sweetness of Your contemplation, which You bestow on those who love You.   In this most of all, have You shown me the sweetness of Your love, that when I had no being, You did make me and when I was straying far from You, You brought me back again, that I might serve You and You have commanded me to serve You.

O Fountain of everlasting love, what shall I say of You?   How can I forget You, Who have vouchsafed to remember me even after I was corrupted and lost?

Beyond all hope, You show mercy to Your servant and beyond all desert, have You manifested Your grace and friendship.   What return shall I make to You for this favour? For it is granted to all who forsake these things, to renounce the world and to assume the monastic life  . Is it much that I should serve You, Whom the whole creation is bound to serve?   It ought not to seem much to me to serve You but this does rather appear great and wonderful to me, that You vouchsafe to receive one so wretched and unworthy as Your servant.   It is a great honour, a great glory, to serve You and to despise all things for You for they who willingly subject themselves to Your holy service, shall have great grace.   They shall experience the most sweet consolation of the Holy Spirit, Who for the love of You, have cast aside all carnal delight.o fountain of everlasting love - thomas a kempis 3 april 2019.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2019, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The LAMB of GOD, The LAST THINGS, The PASSION, The RESURRECTION

Lenten Reflection – 3 April – “The dead will hear his voice”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Lenten Reflection – 3 April – Wednesday of the Fourth week of Lent, Year C

The Readings:
Isaiah 49:8-15; Psalms 145:8-9, 13CD-14, 17-18; John 5:17-30

Do not marvel at this for the hour is coming, when all who are in the tombs, will hear his voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgement.…John 5:28-29wed of the fourth week lent - john 528-29 3 april 2019.jpg

Daily Meditation:
Grant us Your forgiveness.

We know that this whole journey is about our reconciliation.
We know that God wants to forgive us.
We know we are preparing to renew our Baptismal promises,
and “refuse to be mastered by sin.”
Today we hear the invitation and ask more earnestly.

In the marvellous discourse that follows His sign of healing,
Jesus says, “I am not seeking my own will but the will of him who sent me.”
I am filled with a sense of sorrow and gratitude,
as I see what He did for me.

I tell you for certain that everyone who hears my message
and has faith in the one who sent me has eternal life
and will never be condemned.
They have already gone from death to life.
John 5:24

“The dead will hear his voice”  – “Lazarus, come forth” (Jn 11:43)

Saint Peter Chrysologus (400-450) Father & Doctor of the Church

Our Lord had raised Jairus’s daughter but while the body was still warm and death was only halfway through its work (Mt 9:18f.)… He also raised the widow’s only son but by halting the stretcher and forestalling the tomb… before the dead man had fallen completely under the law of death (Lk 7:11f.).   But the whole event that takes place with regard to Lazarus is unique.. Lazarus, in whom all death’s power had been completed and in whom, equally, a complete image of the resurrection shone out… Christ, indeed, returned as Lord on the third day; Lazarus, as servant, was called back to life on the fourth day…

The Lord said and repeated to His disciples:  “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes and they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified” (Mt 20:18f.).   And when He said this, He saw them growing uncertain, sad, comfortless.   He knew they had to be crushed by the weight of His Passion until nothing of their own life, their own faith, their own light would remain within them but, to the contrary, their hearts would be darkened with the almost total darkness of their lack of faith.   That is the reason why He let Lazarus’s death continue for four days… From this follows what our Lord said to His disciples:  “Lazarus has died.   And I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe” (vv.14-15).   Therefore Lazarus’s death was necessary so that the disciples’ faith might rise from the tomb along with Lazarus.

“That I was not there.”   Now was there anywhere where Christ was not?… My brethren, Christ as God was there but Christ the man was not.   Christ God was there when Lazarus was dying but now Christ man was going to the dead man because Christ our Lord was going enter into death:  “It is there, in death, in the tomb, in hell, that all the power of death is to be crushed through me and my death.”he knew they had to be crushed - st peter chrysologus 3 april 2019.jpg

Closing Prayer:
Loving and merciful God,
I am so aware of my sins and weaknesses.
But as painfully aware of my faults as I am,
Let me also remember Your tender love,
Your gentle and limitless forgiveness.
I come before You filled with pain and guilt
but look into Your eyes and see the forgiving love of my Father,
I so long for in my life.
Help me to forgive the same way.
Teach me to love as You love.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

Posted in GOD the FATHER, LENT 2019, MORNING Prayers, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 3 April – “Father”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 3 April – Wednesday of the Fourth week of Lent, Year C, Gospel: John 5:17–30

Jesus answered them, “My Father is working still and I am working.” This was why the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but also called God his Father...John 5:17-18

REFLECTION – “Father – with this word I express my certainty that someone is there who hears me, who never leaves me alone, who is always present.   I express my certainty that God, despite the infinite difference between Him and me, is such that I can speak to Him, may even address Him familiarly as “thou” (German du).
His greatness does not overwhelm me, does not reject me as insignificant and unimportant.   Certainly I am subject to Him as a child is subject to his father, yet there is such a fundamental similarity and likeness between Him and me, yes, I am so important to Him, I belong so closely to Him, that I can rightly address Him as “Father”.
My being born is not a mistake, then but a grace.   It is good to live even though I do not always perceive it.   I am wanted. not a child of chance or necessity but of choice and freedom.
Therefore, I shall also have a purpose in life, there will always be a meaning for me, a task designed just for me, there is a conception of me that I can seek and find and fulfil. When the school of life becomes unbearably hard, when I would like to cry out as Job did, as the psalmist did – then I can transform this cry into the word “Father” and the cry will gradually become a word, a reminder to trust, because from the Father’s perspective it is clear that my distress, yes, my agony, is part of the greater love for which I give thanks.”…Pope Benedict XVIjohn 5 17 - jesus answered my father is working - father with this word pope benedict 3 april 2019

PRAYER – Almighty God and Father!   We give You thanks for cleansing our hearts and strengthening us in love through the Holy Spirit.   May we always be grateful for all the goodness You have shown us and may we bear our trials with patience.   You gave us Your only Son, in His life You have shown us the way of love, teach us to follow His steps in the great and small events of our life.   Move us always to hear the cries of our brothers.   May the prayers of all the angels and saints and the guiding hand of our Mother, the Mother of Christ, grant us strength.   Through Jesus our Lord, in the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.mater dei ora pro nobis mary pray for us 3 april 2019.jpg

Posted in LENT 2019, Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 3 April – Jesu, be You my Life!

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Our Morning Offering – 3 April – Wednesday of the Fourth week of Lent, Year C

Jesu, be You my Life!
Msgr Robert Hugh Benson (1871-1914)

I cannot live alone another hour,
Jesu, be You my Life!
I have not power to strive,
be You my Power
In every strife!
I can do nothing
– hope, nor love, nor fear.
But only fail and fall.
Be You my soul and self,
O Jesu dear.
My God and all!
Amenjesu-be-you-my-life-msgr-robert-hugh-benson-maundy-thurs-29-march-2018.jpg

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, LENT 2019, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, THOMAS a KEMPIS

Lenten Thoughts – 2 April – “If you wish…” Thomas à Kempis

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Lenten Thoughts – 2 April – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Year C

On the Fervent Amendment of our Whole Life

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

“When a certain anxious person, who often times wavered between hope and fear, once overcome with sadness, threw himself upon the ground in prayer, before one of the altars in the Church and thinking these things in his mind, said “Oh, if I only knew how to persevere,” that very instant he heard within him, this heavenly answer: “And if thou did know this, what would thou do? Do now what you would do and thou shall be perfectly secure.” And immediately being consoled and comforted, he committed himself to the Divine Will and his anxious thoughts ceased. He no longer wished for curious things, searching to find out what would happen to him but studied rather to learn what was the acceptable and perfect will of God for the beginning and the perfection of every good work.”

“If you wish to enter into life, keep My commandments.
If you will know the truth, believe in Me.
If you will be perfect, sell all.
If you will be My disciple, deny yourself.
If you will possess the blessed life, despise this present life.
If you will be exalted in heaven, humble yourself on earth.
If you wish to reign with Me, carry the Cross with Me.
For only the servants of the Cross find the life of blessedness and of true light.”if-you-wish-to-enter-into-life-imitation-chapeter-56-12-feb-2018.jpg

“MY CHILD, the more you depart from yourself,
the more you will be able to enter into Me.
As the giving up of exterior things, brings interior peace,
so the forsaking of self, unites you to God.
I will have you learn perfect surrender to My will,
without contradiction or complaint.”

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
The Imitation of Christmy child the more you depart from yourself- thomas a kempis - 2 april 2019.jpg

Posted in LENT 2019, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on TRUTH, The WORD, THOMAS a KEMPIS

Lenten Reflection – 2 April – For Me!

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Lenten Reflection – 2 April – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Year C

The Readings:
Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12; Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9; John 5:1-16

“Without the Way, there is no going,
Without the Truth, there is no knowing,
Without the Life, there is no living.”

“Follow Me. I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Without the Way, there is no going.
Without the Truth, there is no knowing.
Without the Life, there is no living.
I am the Way which you must follow,
the Truth which you must believe,
the Life for which you must hope.
I am the inviolable Way,
the infallible Truth,
the unending Life.
I am the Way that is straight,
the supreme Truth,
the Life that is true,
the blessed, the uncreated Life.
If you abide in My Way you shall know the Truth
and the Truth shall make you free
and you shall attain life everlasting.”

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
The Imitation of Christ

follow-me-the-imitation-of-christ-for-lent-12-feb-2018.jpg

Daily Meditation:
Our embrace leads to praise.

This is second part of Lent.
We begin to feel the power of the Fourth Gospel.
The “forces” that are opposed in the gospel
have everything to do with the forces at work in my heart.
He is clearly about to embrace His passage – His passover – from death to life.
This paschal mystery is what we are preparing to celebrate.

As we grow in love and compassion for what Jesus is facing for us,
we ask to be prepared to embrace His way, His path,
the pattern of His dying and rising.
We ask that we would be prepared to proclaim this gift to others, with great joy

“It was because Jesus did things such as this on the Sabbath that they began to persecute him.” …John 5:16
For me!

Closing Prayer:
Joyful praise in Lent?
I’m not sure I always feel that.
I ask you to help me prepare to understand
and embrace the paschal mystery in my life.
I don’t always see the beauty and mystery of this season
and often I run from the pain.
Help me to see how Your saving grace
and Your loving touch in my life
can fill me with joyful praise of the salvation
You have sent to me.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amenlent tues of the fourth week john 5 16 it was because 2 april 2019.jpg

Posted in LENT 2019, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 2 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 2 April – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Year C and the Memorial of St Francis of Paola O.M. (1416-1507) and St Pedro Calungsod (1654–1672) Martyr

So the Jews said to the man who was cured, “It is the sabbath, it is not lawful for you to carry your pallet.”  But he answered them, “The man who healed me said to me, ‘Take up your pallet, and walk.’ ”...John 5:10-11

REFLECTION – “Christian hypocrites, like these, only interested in their formalities.   It was a Sabbath?   No, you cannot do miracles on the Sabbath, the grace of God cannot work on Sabbath days.   They close the door to the grace of God.   We have so many in the Church, we have many!   It is another sin.   The first, those who have the sin of sloth, are not able to go forward with their apostolic zeal, because they have decided to stand firm in themselves, in their sorrows, their resentments, in all of that.   Such as these are not capable of bringing salvation because they close the door to salvation.”…Pope Francis – Santa Marta 1 April 2014john 5 10-11 - it is not lawful to carry your pallet - christian hyprocrites - pope francis - 2 april 2019.jpg

PRAYER – God, our Father almighty, You gave us Christ Your Son to be our Bread of life and the message of truth, justice and love.   May we live His lessons in every fibre of our being and thus pass from death to life.   May the prayers of your Holy angel, saints and martyrs, St Francis of Paola and St Pedro Calungsod, be an inspiration and a balm in our trials.   Through Jesus our Lord with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.st francis of paola pray for us 2 april 2019

st pedro calungsod pray for us 2 april 2019

Posted in DOMINICAN OP, LENT 2019, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST

Lenten Thoughts – 1 April – Coming nigh to God

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Lenten Thoughts – 1 April – Monday of the Fourth week of Lent, Year C

Act of self-abandonment
Coming nigh to God

This is an anonymous prayer, inspired by St Augustine – taken from “Providence” – God’s loving care for man and the need for confidence in Almighty God” by Fr Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange OP (1877-1964)

O my God, I leave myself entirely in Your hands.
Turn and turn again, this mass of clay, as a vessel that is fashioned in the potter’s hand (Jer 18:6).
give it a shape, then break it if You will –
it is Yours, it as nothing to say.
Enough for me that it serves all Your designs
and that nothing resists Your good pleasure,
for which I was made.
Ask, command.
What would You have me to do?
What would You have me not to do?
Lifted up, cast down, in persecution,
in consolation, in suffering,
intent upon Your work,
good for nothing,
I can do no more than repeat
with Your holy Mother –
“Be it done unto me according to Your word” (Luke 1:38).
Give me that love which is beyond all loves,
the love of the Cross –
not those heroic crosses with a glory that might foster self-love
but those ordinary crosses
which we bear with so much distaste –
those daily crosses with which our life is strewn
and which at every moment
we encounter on our way through life –
contradictions,
neglect,
failures,
opposition,
false judgements,
the coldness or impulsiveness of some,
the rebuffs or contempt of others,
bodily infirmities,
spiritual darkness,
silence and interior dryness.
Only then, will You know that I love You,
even though I neither know
nor feel it myself
and that is enough for me!

And, may we:

“Be holy by living out your commitment with joy.”

Pope Francisbe holy by living out your commitment with joy - pope francis 1 april 2019.jpg

Posted in CHRIST the KING, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2019, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY CROSS, The LAMB of GOD, The PASSION, The RESURRECTION

Quote/s of the Day – 1 April – St Melito Bishop of Sardis (Died c 180)

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Quote/s of the Day – 1 April – Monday of the Fourth week of Lent, Year C – Saint Melito Bishop of Sardis (Died c 180) Early Church Father

Prayer in Praise of Christ

Born as a son,
led forth as a lamb,
sacrificed as a sheep,
buried as a man,
He rose from the dead as a God,
for He was by nature God and man.

He is all things:
He judges and so He is Law,
He teaches and so He is Wisdom,
He saves and so He is Grace,
He begets and so He is Father,
He is begotten and so He is Son,
He suffers and so He is Sacrifice,
He is buried and so He is man,
He rises again and so He is God.
This is Jesus Christ,
to whom belongs glory for all ages.born as a son led forth as a lamb no 2 st melito 1 april 2019.jpg

“The Lord, though He was God, became man.   He suffered for the sake of whose who suffer, He was bound for those in bonds, condemned for the guilty, buried for those who lie in the grave but He rose from the dead and cried aloud:  “Who will contend with me?  Let him confront me.”   I have freed the condemned, brought the dead back to life, raised men from their graves.   Who has anything to say against me?   I, He said, am the Christ,  I have destroyed death, triumphed over the enemy, trampled hell underfoot, bound the strong one and taken men up to the heights of heaven.   I am the Christ.   Come, then, all you nations of men, receive forgiveness for the sins that defile you.   I am your forgiveness.   I am the Passover that brings salvation.   I am the lamb who was immolated for you.   I am your Ransom, your Life, your Resurrection, your Light, I am your Salvation and your King.   I will bring you to the heights of heaven.   With my own right hand I will raise you up and I will show you the eternal Father.”

– from a letter by Saint Melito of Sardis

St Melito Bishop of Sardis (Died c 180)

Early Church Fatheri am the lamb who was immolated for you - st melito 1 april 2019.jpg

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2019, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FREEDOM, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The WORD

Lenten Reflection – 1 April – “Go, your son will live.”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Lenten Reflection – 1 April – Monday of the Fourth week of Lent, Year C

The Readings:
Isaiah 65:17-21; Psalms 30:2 and 4, 5-6, 11-12A and 13B; John 4:43-54john 4 50 go your son will live mon fourthweek lent 1 april 2019.jpg

“Go, your son will live.”…John 4:50

Saint Anastasius II of Antioch (550-609)
Monk, then Patriarch of Antioch from 549-570 and from 593-599

Sermon 5, on the Resurrection of Christ, (trans. cf breviary, Office of the Dead)

“To this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living” (Rm 14:9).   But “God is not God of the dead, but of the living” (Lk 20:38). Consequently, the dead over whom He who lives has power are no longer dead but alive. Life has power over them so that they may live without any further fear of death just as “Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again” (Rm 6:9).   Raised up and freed from corruption they shall see death no more.   They will share in the Resurrection of Christ just as He shared in their death.   For no other reason did He descend to earth, whose bars are barriers to eternity, except to “shatter the doors of bronze and cut in two the bars of iron” (Ps 107[106]:16).   He came to lead our lives away from corruption to Himself and gave us freedom in place of slavery.

If the work of this arrangement of providence does not seem to be finished yet, for men still die and their bodies rot in the grave, this should in no way undermine our faith.   In advance of all the good things already mentioned we have even now received a pledge through Christ our first fruits.   Through Him, we attain the highest heaven and take our places with Him who carried us up to the heights with Himself.   That is what Saint Paul says somewhere:  “he raised us up with him and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:6).he came to lead our lives away from corruption st anastasius of antioch 1 april 2019.jpg

Daily Meditation:
You give us new life.
We now begin the second part of Lent.
The Gospel according to John will be our guide.
Before we enter into the controversy and the sense of being in a court room,
we have a wonderful story of a healing.
In this gospel, the acts of power that Jesus works
are the “signs” that help us see who He is.

We are reminded that He is the one, who will give us new life.

Lo, I am about to create
new heavens and a new earth.
Isaiah 65:17 The First Reading

Closing Prayer:
God who created me,
You offer me new life through Your Son
and through the gift of Your sacraments.
While I see new life all around me,
I don’t always recognise the new life You offer me.
Help me to grow this Lent in an awareness
of the gifts You place in my life
and in a greater appreciation for Your care.
Give me the courage to ask for help.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

Posted in LENT 2019, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 1 April – The rest is in God’s hands!

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 1 April – Monday of the Fourth week of Lent, Year C, Gospel: John 4:43–54

So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine.   And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill...John 4:46

REFLECTION – “The mention of Cana and a summary of the first miracle of turning water into wine, anticipates another miracle.   The healing in this miracle, however, is done at a distance.   Though the people will base their faith in Him, merely on signs and wonders, Jesus invites them to realise that these are not what will motivate Him to act. He will act only in accordance with the will of God.   Human expectation cannot determine His action.
Sickness and brokenness are very much visible in our world today and most are in need of some form of repair or consolation.   At times, doctors are not able to diagnose an illness and at other times, when they are and perform a complicated procedure, ask the patient and family members to pray and have faith!   There is only so much that they and the doctors can do, the rest is in God’s hands.”…Fr Errol Fernandes SJand at capernum there was an official wose son was sick john 4 46 1 april 2019 gods word.jpg

PRAYER – Teach us Holy Father to do Your will!   Grant us Your guiding hand and Your grace, that we may trust You in all things.   Strengthen us by Your grace and give us a heart willing to live by the love of Your Son, who so loved the world that He gave Himself up to death for our sake.   For if we love as He loved, nothing will lead us from You.  Grant that the prayers of our most loving and merciful Mother, may intercede in our necessities.   We make our prayer through the Christ, our Lord, one God with You and the Holy Spirit, now and for all eternity, amen.loving and merciful mother ora pro nobis 1 april 2019.jpg

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT 2019, LENTEN THOUGHTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on TRUTH, The LAST THINGS, The WORD

Lenten Thoughts – 31 March – Christ the Way

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Lenten Thoughts – 31 March – “Laetare” Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year C

Christ is the Way to the Light, the Truth and the Life

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

An excerpt from his Treatise on John

The Lord tells us – I am the light of the world, he who follows Me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.   In these few words He gives a command and makes a promise.   Let us do what He commands so that we may not blush to covet what He promises and to hear Him say on the day of judgement:  “I laid down certain conditions for obtaining my promises.   Have you fulfilled them?”   If you say: “What did you command, Lord our God?” He will tell you: “I commanded you to follow Me. You asked for advice on how to enter into life.   What life, if not the life about which it is written:  With you is the fountain of life?”

Let us do now what He commands.   Let us follow in the footsteps of the Lord.  Let us throw off the chains that prevent us from following Him.   Who can throw off these shackles without the aid of the one addressed in these words – You have broken my chains?   Another psalm says of Him: -The Lord frees those in chains, the Lord raises up the downcast.

Those who have been freed and raised up follow the light.   The light they follow speaks to them – I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness.   The Lord gives light to the blind.   Brethren, that light shines on us now, for we have had our eyes anointed with the eye-salve of faith.   His saliva was mixed with earth to anoint the man born blind.   We are of Adam’s stock, blind from our birth, we need Him to give us light.   He mixed saliva with earth and so it was prophesied:  Truth has sprung up from the earth  . He himself has said:  I am the way, the truth and the life.

We shall be in possession of the truth when we see Him face to face.   This is His promise to us.   Who would dare to hope for something that God in His goodness did not choose to promise or bestow?

We shall see face to face. The Apostle says: Now I know in part, now obscurely through a mirror, but then face to face.   John the apostle says in one of his letters -Dearly beloved, we are now children of God and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be.   We know that when He is revealed we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.   This is a great promise.

If you love me, follow me.   “I do love you,” you protest, “but how do I follow you?”   If the Lord your God said to you:  “I am the truth and the life,” in your desire for truth, in your love for life, you would certainly ask Him to show you the way to reach them.   You would say to yourself: “Truth is a great reality, life is a great reality; if only it were possible for my soul to find them!”i am the way the truth and the life jon 14 8 31 march 2019 laetare sunday.jpg