Category: MARIAN QUOTES

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, JESUIT SJ, MARIAN QUOTES, SACRAMENTS, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 27 April – St Peter Canisius

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Quote/s of the Day – 27 April – St Peter Canisius SJ (1521-1597) Confessor, Doctor of the Church

“These ceremonies which are used
in the administration of the Sacraments,
each of which we receive,
as delivered and entrusted to us
through the hands of the fathers,
must especially be retained
and observed with great devotion.”

“At the mention of this name
[the Blessed Virgin Mary],
the Angels rejoice
and the devils tremble.
Through this invocation,
sinners obtain
grace and pardon.”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/04/27/quote-s-of-the-day-27-april-st-peter-canisius/

St Peter Canisius (1521-1397)
Doctor of the Church

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN QUOTES

Quote/s of the Day – 26 April – Feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel

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Quote/s of the Day – 26 April – Feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel

“Let not your heart be disturbed.
Do not fear that sickness,
nor any other sickness or anguish.
Am I not here, who is your Mother?
Are you not under my protection?
Am I not your health?
Are you not happily within my fold?
What else do you wish?
Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything!”

Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego
1531

“O, that the soul of Mary were in us,
to glorify the Lord!
That the spirit of Mary were in us,
to rejoice in God.
May the life of Blessed Mary
be ever present to our awareness.
In her, as in a mirror,
the form of virtue
and beauty of chastity, shine forth.
She was Virgin, not only in body
but in mind and spirit.
She never sullied the pure affection of her heart
by unworthy feelings.
She was humble of heart.
She was serious in her conversations.
She was prudent in her counsels.
She preferred to pray rather than to speak.
She united in her heart the prayers of the poor,
and avoided the uncertainty of worldly riches.
She was ever faithful to her daily duties,
reserved in her conversations
and always accustomed to recognise God
as the witness of her thoughts.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus!”

(On Virginity II 2.7)

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

“Mary, having merited to give flesh
to the Divine Word
and thus, supply the price
of our redemption
that we might be delivered
from eternal death, therefore,
she is more powerful
than all others,
to help us gain eternal life.”

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

“If you are in danger,
if your hearts are confused, turn to Mary;
she is our comfort, our help;
turn towards her
and you will be saved.”

St Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917)

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, FATHERS of the Church, FEBRUARY - THE BLESSED TRINITY (Traditional), GOD ALONE!, MARIAN QUOTES, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The INCARNATION, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY

Quote/s of the Day – 28 March – St Hesychius of Jerusalem

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Quote/s of the Day – 28 March – St Hesychius of Jerusalem (Died c450) Priest, Exegete, Father.

“Truly blessed is he who cleaves,
with his thought, to the Prayer of Jesus,
constantly calling to Him in his heart,
just as air cleaves to our bodies,
or the flame to the candle.”

“Scripture is perfect wisdom,
starting point and point of arrival,
to which our whole existence
should be adapted.”

“You have guarded the integrity
of the temple [of your body];
you have kept your tabernacle free from all sin,
so that the Father becomes your guest,
the Holy Ghost overshadows you
and the Only-begotten Son Incarnate
is born of you.”

St Hesychius of Jerusalem (Died c450)
Priest, Exegete, Father

Posted in FRANCISCAN OFM, MARIAN QUOTES, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, OUR Cross, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, ST FRANCIS de SALES, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 25 March – ‘… For love of Thy love …’

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Quote/s of the Day – 25 March – Monday in Holy Week

I Beg Thee, Lord
By St Francis of Assisi (c1181–1226)

I beg Thee, Lord,
let the fiery, gentle power
of Thy love
take possession of my soul
and snatch it away,
from everything under Heaven,
that I may die,
for love of Thy love,
as Thou saw fit, to die
for love of mine!
Amen

“Now it is that we are to show
an invincible courage towards our Saviour,
serving Him purely for the love of His will,
not only without pleasure
but amid this deluge of sorrows,
horrors, distresses and assaults,
as did his glorious Mother and St John,
upon the day of His Passion.
Amongst so many blasphemies,
sorrows and deadly distresses,
they remained constant in love …”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

Posted in FRANCISCAN OFM, I BELIEVE!, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on TRUTH, QUOTES on VIRTUE, QUOTES on WORK/LABOUR, ROSARY QUOTES, ROSARY QUOTES, ST FRANCIS de SALES

Quote/s of the Day – 20 February – Prayer

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Quote/s of the Day – 20 February – Tuesday of the First Week in Lent – Ferial Day – Isaias 55:6-11, Matthew 21:10-17 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Let my prayer come
like incense before Thee, O Lord”

Psalm 140:2

“In prayer, the soul cleanses itself from sin,
charity is nourished,
faith is strengthened,
hope made secure;
the spirit rejoices,
the soul grows tender
and the heart is purified,
truth discovers itself,
temptation is overcome,
sadness takes to flight,
the senses are renewed,
failing virtue is made strong,
tepidity disappears,
the rust of sin is rubbed away.
In it are brought forth,
lively flashes of heavenly desires
and in these fires,
burns the flame of Divine love.
Great are the excellences of prayer,
great its privileges.
The heavens open before it
and unveil therein, their secrets
and to it, are the ears of God ever attentive.”

A Golden Treatise of Mental Prayer
Download the book, “A Golden Treatise of Mental Prayer”

St Peter of Alcantara (1499-1562)

“Prayer is the beginning,
the progress and the complement
of all virtues.”

“Souls are won with the knees.”

St Charles Borromeo (1538-1584)

“The greatest method of praying
is to pray the Rosary.”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)

“Christian perfection consists in three things:
praying heroically,
working heroically
and suffering heroically.”

St Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870)

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, DOGMA, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN QUOTES, QUOTES on GRACE, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Quote/s of the Day – 11 February – Apparition of the Immaculate Conception

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Quote/s of the Day – 11 February – Apparition of the Immaculate Conception, the Blessed Virgin Mary at Lourdes

“I am the Immaculate Conception.”

Our Lady to St Bernadette
at Lourdes on 25 March 1858

This Virgin Mother
of the Only Begotten of God,
is called Mary,
worthy of God,
Immaculate of the Immaculate,
One of the One.”

Origen (c 185-253)

“Come, then and search out Thy sheep,
not through Thy servants or hired men
but do it Thineself.
Lift me up bodily and in the flesh,
which is fallen in Adam.
Lift me up, not from Sarah but from Mary,
a Virgin, not only undefiled
but a Virgin, whom grace had made inviolate,
free of every stain of sin.”

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

“He came down into the Virgin’s womb,
a womb unstained, unspotted,
hallowed by the touch of Divine unction.”

St Amadeus of Lausanne (1108-1159)

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the JUDGE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN Saturdays, MOTHER of GOD, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, Quotes on SALVATION, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 3 February –The ‘… Mother of God is our Mother! …’

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Quote/s of the Day – 3 February – Saturday of the Blessed Virgin (Salve Sancta Parens) – Sirach 24:14-16; Luke 11:27-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Blessed is the womb
which bore Thee ”

Luke 11:27

“Mary, having merited to give flesh
to the Divine Word
and thus, supply the price
of our redemption
that we might be delivered
from eternal death, therefore,
she is more powerful
than all others,
to help us gain eternal life.”

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

“The very fact
that God has elected her,
proves, that none was ever
holier than Mary;
if any stain had disfigured her soul,
if any other virgin
had been purer and holier,
God would have selected her
and rejected Mary.”

St Jacob of Sarug (c 451-521)

“This woman will be the Mother of God,
the door to light, source of life.
She will reduce to oblivion the judgement
that weighed on Eve.
Daughter of David the king and Mother of God,
King of the universe, masterpiece
in whom the Creator rejoices…
thou art to be nature’s full achievement.
For thou life is not thine,
thou were not born for thyself alone
but thou life is to be God’s.
thou came into the world for Him,
thou will serve for the salvation of all people,
fulfilling God’s design, established from the beginning …”

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

“For whoever does the will of my Father in Heaven,
he is my brother and sister and mother.”
“These words were directed at us, not at Our Lady.
Not only was she the Immaculate Mother of Jesus Christ
but, she performed lovingly, on all occasions,
the Will of the heavenly Father.
She did His Will, in poverty and obedience,
in exile and on Mount Calvary.
Therefore, she was God’s Mother in the spiritual,
as well as, in the physical sense of the word,
insofar, as she was constantly united to Him
by a bond of love and of conformity with His desires.
Christ’s words indicate, that Mary’s perfect
and continuous acceptance of God’s Will,
was even more pleasing to God,
than the dignity of the divine Motherhood.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Mother of Salvation,
Blessed Lady
By St Anselm (1033-1109)
Magnificent Doctor
Marian Doctor

Mother of Salvation,
Blessed Lady,
you are the Mother of Justification
and those who are justified;
the Mother of Reconciliation
and those who are reconciled;
the Mother of Salvation
and those who are saved.
What a blessed trust
and what a secure refuge!
The Mother of God is our Mother.
The Mother of the One
in Whom alone, we hope
and Whom alone, we fear,
is our Mother! …
The One Who partook of our nature
and by restoring us to life,
made us children of His Mother,
invites us by this grace, to proclaim
that we are His brothers and sisters.
Therefore, our Judge, is also our Brother.
The Saviour of the world, is our Brother.
Our God has become –
through Mary – our Brother!
Anen

Posted in FRANCISCAN OFM, MARIAN TITLES, MARTYRS, ROSARY QUOTES, SAINT of the DAY

EMBER SATURDAY. Christmas Novenas and Memorials of the Saints – 23 December

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Christmas Novena to the Divine Infant Jesus
By St Alphonsus
THE EIGHTH DAY:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/12/23/christmas-novena-to-the-divine-infant-jesus-by-st-alphonsus-day-eight-23-december/

The Monthly Novena to the
Miraculous Infant of Prague
The Eight Day

EMBER SATURDAY

Notre-Dame de Ardilliers de Saumur / Our Lady of Ardilliers, Saumur, Anjou, France (1454) – 23 December:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/12/23/notre-dame-de-ardilliers-de-saumur-our-lady-of-ardilliers-saumur-anjou-france-1454-and-memorials-of-the-saints-23-december/

St Besa of Egypt (5th Century) Abbot
Bl Bincema
St Dagobert II of Austrasia
Bl Epifanio Gómez Alvaro
St Frithbert of Hexham

Blessed Hartmann OSA (c 1090-1164) Bishop of Brixen, Italy and Friar of the Hermits of St Augustine, Reformer of the Clergy, Advisor and Confessor to the Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold I, Miracle-worker.
His Holy Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/12/23/saint-of-the-day-23-december-bl-essed-hartmann-osa-c-1090-1164-bishop/

Bl Herman of Scheda
Bl James Aymerich

St Ivo of Chartres (c1040-1115) Bishop of Chartres, France from 1090 until his death, Confessor, Reformer, Defender of the Faith, Lawyer, Canon Lawyer, Teacher and Theologian, Writer. The Roman Martyrology states: “In Chartres in France, Saint Ivo, Bishop, who re-established the Order of the Canons and did much work and wrote to promote harmony between the clergy and the civil powers and for the good of the Church.”
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/12/23/saint-of-the-day-23-december-saint-ivo-of-chartres-c-1040-1115/

St John Cirita
St John Stone
St Mardonius of Rome
St Mazota of Abernethy
St Migdonius of Rome

Blessed Nicolás Factor-Estaña OFM (1520-1583) Priest of the Order of Friars Minor, Painter, Preacher, Ascestic, Spiritual Director.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/12/23/saint-of-the-day-23-december-blessed-nicolas-factor-estana-ofm-1520-1583/

St Servulus (Died c 590) Layman, Beggar, paralysed by Palsy from birth. Saint Servulus was a perfect model of submission to the divine Will; it would be difficult to offer a more consoling example to persons afflicted by poverty, illnesses and the other miseries of life. It is Saint Gregory the Great who narrates for us his edifying story.
St Servulus’ Life of devotion:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/12/23/saint-of-the-day-23-december-saint-servulus-died-c-590/

Martyrs of Crete – 10 Saints: A group of ten Christians who died in the persecutions of Decius. They were – Agathopus • Basilides • Cleomenes • Eunician • Euporus • Evaristus • Gelasius • Saturninus • Theodulus • Zeticus They were martyred in 250 on the island of Crete.

Posted in GOD ALONE!, MARIAN QUOTES, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on VIRTUE

Quote/s of the Day – 22 December – St Frances Xavier Cabrini

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Quote/s of the Day – 22 December – St Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917)

“I will go anywhere and do anything,
in order to communicate the love of Jesus
to those who do not know Him,
or have forgotten Him.”

“A single act of humility is worth more
than the proud exhibition of any virtue.”

“If you are in danger,
if your hearts are confused, turn to Mary;
she is our comfort, our help;
turn towards her
and you will be saved.”

St Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917)

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Hail MARY!, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, MOTHER of GOD, ORIGINAL SIN, QUOTES on PURITY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Quote/s of the Day – 15 December – Octave of the Immaculate Conception

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Quote/s of the Day – 15 December – Octave of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God – Proverbs 8:22-35, Luke 1:26-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Hail, full of grace!”
Luke 1:28

“Thou alone and Thy Mother,
are in all things fair,
there is no flaw in Thee
and no stain in Thy Mother.”

St Ephrem (306-373)
Father and Doctor of the Church

O Pure and Immaculate Blessed Virgin
By St Ephrem (306-373)
Father and Doctor of the Church

O Pure and Immaculate
and likewise Blessed Virgin,
who art the sinless Mother of thy Son,
the mighty Lord of the universe,
thou who art inviolate and altogether holy,
the hope of the hopeless and sinful,
we sing thy praises.
We bless thee, as full of every grace,
thou who didst bear the God-Man:
we bow low before thee;
we invoke thee and implore thine aid.
Rescue us, O holy and inviolate Virgin,
from every necessity that presses upon us
and from all the temptations of the devil.
Be our intercessor and advocate
at the hour of death and judgement,
deliver us from the fire
that is not extinguished
and from the outer darkness;
make us worthy of the glory of thy Son,
O dearest and most clement Virgin Mother.
Thou indeed art our only hope most sure
and sacred in God’s sight,
to Whom be honour and glory
and majesty and dominion
forever and ever,
world without end.
Amen

St Ephrem of Syria (306-373)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“The very fact
that God has elected her,
proves, that none was ever
holier than Mary;
if any stain had disfigured her soul,
if any other virgin
had been purer and holier,
God would have selected her
and rejected Mary.”

St Jacob of Sarug (c 451-521)
Bishop, Theologian, Poet, Writer

“He Who is Infinite, Limitless,
came to dwell in your womb;
God, the Child Jesus,
was nourished by your milk.
You are the ever virginal
Doorway of God;
your hands hold your God;
your lap is a throne raised up above the Cherubim…
You are the wedding chamber of the Spirit,
the “city of the living God,
gladdened by the runlets of the stream”
that is to say, the waves of the Spirit’s gifts.
You are “all fair, the Beloved” of God.”

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

“Free from the concupiscence which has disturbed
our human nature, she was like a snow-white lily,
sparkling in the sunlight.
Her mortal life was a continuous ascent
towards the highest peak of holiness.
… her daily correspondence with God’s gifts
was as remarkable as her dignity.
… The most chaste Virgin Mary,
is a model for our imitation.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, Hail MARY!, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, ORIGINAL SIN, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, Quotes on SALVATION, The ANNUNCIATION, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The INCARNATION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection –15 December – ‘ … So Mary, by the word of an Angel …’

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One Minute Reflection –15 December – Octave of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God – Proverbs 8:22-35, Luke 1:26-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Hail, full of grace!” – Luke 1:28

REFLECTION – “So the Lord now manifestly came to His own. Born by His own created order that He Himself bears, He by His obedience on the tree, renewed and reversed what was done by disobedience, in connection with a tree.

The power of that seduction, by which the virgin Eve, already betrothed to a man, had been wickedly seduced, was broken when the Angel in truth brought good tidings to the Virgin Mary, who already, by her betrothal belonged to a man. For as Eve was seduced by the word of an Angel to flee from God, having rebelled against His Word, so Mary, by the word of an Angel, received the glad tidings that she would bear God, by obeying His Word.

The former was seduced to disobey God and so fell but the latter, was persuaded to obey God, so that the Virgin Mary might become the advocate of Eve.

As the human race was subjected to death through the act of a Virgin, so was it saved by a Virgin, was precisely balanced by the obedience of Another. Then indeed, the sin of the first formed man was amended by the chastisement of the First Begotten, the wisdom of the serpent was conquered by the simplicity of the Dove and the chains were broken, by which we were in bondage to death.” – St Irenaeus (130-202) Bishop of Lyons, Martyr, Father of the Church (Against Heresies, 5)

PRAYER – O God, Who by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin, prepared a worthy dwelling for Thy Son, and Who, by Thy Son’s death, foreseen by You, preserved her from all taint, grant, we beseech Thee through her intercession that we too may come to Thee unstained by sin. 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 CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, FATHERS of the Church, GOOD FRIDAY, HOLY WEEK, HYMNS, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN QUOTES, MOTHER of GOD, POETRY, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The ANNUNCIATION, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY CROSS, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The PASSION

Quote/s of the Day – 14 December – St Venantius Fortunatus

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Quote/s of the Day – 14 December – Within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary – The Feast of St Venantius Fortunatus (c530 – c609) Bishop, Poet, Hymnist, Writer. Another “Golden Words.”

“O Mother blest!
And chosen Shrine
wherein the Architect Divine,
Whose Hand contains the earth and sky
vouchsafed in hidden guise to lie;
Blest in the message Gabriel brought;
blest in the work, the Spirit wrought;
Most blest, to bring to human birth,
the long desired of all the earth!”

“See the destined day arise!
See a willing Sacrifice!
Jesus, to redeem our loss,
hangs upon the shameful Cross;
Jesus, Who but Thee could bear
wrath so great and justice fair?
Every pang and bitter throe,
finishing Thine life of woe?”

“Hail, O Altar, Hail, O Victim,
For the glory of Thy Passion,
By which Life endured death
And by death, restored life!”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/12/14/quote-s-of-the-day-14-december-st-venantius-fortunatus/

St Venantius Fortunatus (c530 – c609)

Posted in MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Quote/s of the Day – 12 December – Our Lady of Guadalupe

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Quote/s of the Day – 12 December – The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

“Know, know for sure,
my dearest, littlest
and youngest son
that I am the perfect
and ever Virgin Holy Mary,
Mother of the God of Truth,
through Whom everything lives,
the Lord of all things near us,
the Lord of Heaven and earth.”

“I want, very much, to have a little house
built here for me, in which I will show Him,
I will exalt Him and make Him manifest.
I will give Him to the people
in all my personal love,
in my compassion,
in my help, in my protection
because, I am truly your merciful Mother,
yours and all the people who live
united in this land and of all the other people
of different ancestries, my lovers,
who love me, those who seek me,
those who trust in me.”

“Let not your heart be disturbed.
Do not fear that sickness,
nor any other sickness or anguish.
Am I not here, who is your Mother?
Are you not under my protection?
Am I not your health?
Are you not happily within my fold?
What else do you wish?
Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything!”

Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego
1531

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the HIGH PRIEST, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on PURITY, The ANNUNCIATION, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 12 December – ‘… Mary is the new tree of life …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 12 December – Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent, Within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Proverbs 8:22-35; Luke 1:26-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women” – Luke 1:28

REFLECTION – “Son of God, grant me your own admirable Gift that I may celebrate the wondrous beauty of Thy beloved Mother! The Virgin gave birth to a Son while preserving her virginity; she suckled Him Who gives nourishment to the peoples; in her immaculate breast, she bore Him Who carries the whole world in His Hands. She is Virgin and Mother, what will she not be hereafter? Holy in body, all beautiful in soul, pure of mind, upright in intelligence, perfect in feeling, chaste and faithful, pure of heart and filled with virtue.

May the hearts of virgins rejoice in Mary, since of her was born the One Who set humankind free from dreadful slavery. May the old Adam, wounded by the serpent, rejoice in Mary; it is Mary who gives Adam a posterity which allows Him to crush the accursed serpent and Who cures him of his mortal wound (Gen 3:15). Let Priests rejoice in the blessed Virgin; she has brought the High Priest into the world, Who gave Himself as a victim, putting an end to the sacrifices of the Old Covenant. … Let the Prophets rejoice in Mary, since in her were fulfilled their visions, in her were realised their prophecies, in her were confirmed their oracles. Let all the Patriarchs rejoice in Mary, since she received the blessing promised to them, she, who, in her Son, has brought them to completion. …

Mary is the new tree of life who, instead of the bitter fruit picked by Eve, gives to mankind that sweet fruit on which the whole world is fed!” – St Ephrem (306-373) Deacon in Syria, Father and Doctor of the Church (Marian Hymn).

PRAYER – O God, Who by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin, prepared a worthy dwelling for Thy Son and Who, by Thy Son’s death, foreseen by Thee, preserved her from all taint, grant, we beseech Thee, through her intercession that we too may come to Thee unstained by sin.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 DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, QUOTES on PURITY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Thought for the Day – 10 December – HOLY PURITY

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 10 December – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

HOLY PURITY

“Most Pure Virgin, Immaculate Mother of God, thou sees how many dangers and snares surround my soul.
Thou sees how weak I am and how much I need thy help.
Assist me, I beseech thee when I am tempted.
Gran, I cry unto thee, that I may die in the state of grace, rather than fall into sin. Amen”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/05/21/thought-for-the-day-21-may-holy-purity/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/05/21/thought-for-the-day-21-may-holy-purity-3/

Posted in "Follow Me", ADVENT QUOTES, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CONFESSION/PENANCE, DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN QUOTES, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SIN, ST FRANCIS de SALES, The HEART, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 10 December – Preparing for the Lord

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 10 December – The Second Sunday of Advent

“For this is He of Whom it is written:
Behold. I send My Angel before My face,
who shall prepare Thy way before Thee.”

Matthew 11:10

“For everyone who exalts himself,
will be humbled and he
who humbles himself,
will be exalted.”

Luke 14:11

“We must erect the mystical ladder of Jacob,
where Angels, ascending and descending,
appeared to him.
Ascent and descent means,
that we go downward when we exalt ourselves
and rise, when we are humbled.
The ladder represents our life in this world,
which our Lord erects to Heaven,
when our heart is humbled.
The sides of the ladder represent our soul and body,
sides between which,
God has placed several rungs of humility and, discipline,
whereby we are to ascend
if we would answer His call.”

(Rule of Benedict #7)

St Benedict (480-547)
Father of the Church

“There is no road to Heaven
but that of innocence or penance.”

St Cajetan (1480-1547)

“Worldly love aims at pleasing everyone
and saddening no-one.
Many call this politeness!
but, it is simply
self-praise and flattery!”

St Anthony Mary Zaccaria (1502-1539)

“What better penance
can a heart do
which commits faults,
than to submit
to a continual abnegation
of self-will?”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of the Church

“Let us be humble like Mary.
Let us make God’s glory,
rather than our own satisfaction,
the object of our actions.
Only one thing should count with us
and that is, the testimony
of a good conscience before God.
Everything else is passing and futile.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, GOD ALONE!, MARIAN QUOTES, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on STRENGTH, The DIVINE INFANT, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The REDEMPTION, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 9 December – ‘Of her was born Jesus …’

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Quote/s of the Day – 9 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conceptio of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Saturday of the First Week of Advent Within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God

“And Jacob begot Joseph,
the husband of Mary
and of her was born Jesus,
Who is called Christ.”

Matthew 1:16

“Mary, having merited to give flesh
to the Divine Word
and thus, supply the price
of our redemption
that we might be delivered
from eternal death, therefore,
she is more powerful
than all others,
to help us gain eternal life.”

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

“The One Who is the Wisdom of the Father,
put His arms around her neck,
the One Who is the strength,
which gives movement to everything,
sat in her arms.
He, Who is the rest of souls, (Mt 11:29)
rested on her motherly breast.
… Filled with the Holy Spirit,
she held Him close to her heart …
She never had enough
of seeing Him or of hearing Him …
Thus Mary, grew evermore in love
and her mind was unceasingly attached,
to Divine contemplation.”

St Amadeus of Lausanne (1108-1159)

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOGMA, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, MOTHER of GOD, ORIGINAL SIN, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Thought for the Day – 8 December – THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 8 December – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

“Let us read the first chapter of St Luke’s Gospel in order to try and understand, as far as possible, the Immaculate Conception and the sublime holiness of Mary.
“The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David and the virgin’s name was Mary. And when the angel had come to her, he said, ‘Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women’” (Lk 1:26-28).
The Blessed Virgin was troubled when she heard these words but the Angel reassured her.
He told her that she had found favour with God and added, that she would become the Mother of God, for the Word would become flesh in her womb through the power of the Holy Spirit, in such a manner that in her nature, the privileges of virginity and of the divine motherhood, would be miraculously united.
Mary then gave her assent to the will of God and, her ‘fiat’ placed her on a pedestal, high above all the generations of humanity and all the choirs of the angelic kingdom.

It is on this passage of the Gospel, that the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady, chiefly depends.
She was full of grace and the supremely beloved of God.
How then could she have been subject to the rule of sin which we inherited from Adam?
If her soul had been stained with sin at the first moment of her conception, she would not have enjoyed the special favour of God and the plenitude of grace.
She was, moreover, predestined to become the Mother of God.
Was it possible that the divine Word, Who was to become her Son, could have permitted her soul to have been sullied, even for a single instant, by sin, which deprives us of grace and makes us enemies of God?
It was on good grounds, therefore, that the Church defined, that from the first moment of her conception, Mary was free from all taint of sin, by a singular privilege conferred on her by God and through the merits of her divine Son, Jesus Christ.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, FATHERS of the Church, FRANCISCAN OFM, GOD ALONE!, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MOTHER of GOD, QUOTES on CHASTITY, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, ST FRANCIS de SALES, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Quote/s of the Day – 8 December – Feast of the Immaculate Conception

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Quote/s of the Day – 8 December – Feast of the Immaculate Conception and “The Month of the Divine Infant and the Immaculate Conception”

“O daughter of King David
and Mother of God,
the universal King.
O Divine and living object
whose beauty has charmed God the Creator;
your whole soul is completely open
to God’s action and attentive to God alone.
… Your womb will be the abode
of the One whom no place can contain.
Your milk will provide nourishment for God,
in the little Infant Jesus.
Your hands will carry God
and your knees will serve
as a throne for Him
that is more noble
than the throne of the Cherubim.
… You are the temple of the Holy Spirit,
the City of the living God,
made joyous by abundant flowers,
the sacred flowers of Divine grace.
You are all-beautiful
and very close to God,
above the Cherubim
and higher than the Seraphim,
right near God Himself!
Amen”

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

“The Blessed Virgin was chosen
to be the Mother of God
and, therefore, it is not to be doubted,
but that God fitted her for it
by His graces.”

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor Angelicus / Doctor Communis

“It is an axiom in Theology
that when a person is chosen by God
for any state, he receives,
not only the dispositions necessary for it
but, even the gifts which he needs
to sustain that state with decorum.”
(Speaking on the subject of the
Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God).

St Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444)

“She saw herself raised to the highest dignity
that ever was or will be, for although
it should please God to create anew many worlds,
He could never make a pure creature be greater
than the Mother of God.

Our Lady humbled herself
and acknowledged herself
unworthy of being raised
to the high dignity of Mother of God, therefore,
she was made to be His Mother,
for she had no sooner uttered the protestation of her littleness,
than, having abandoned herself to Him,
by an act of incomparable charity,
she became the Mother of the Most High,
Who is the Saviour of our souls!”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of Charity

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/12/08/quote-s-of-the-day-8-december-rhe-immaculate-conception/

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, DOGMA, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, Hail MARY!, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The INCARNATION, The NATIVITY of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 December – Blessed art thou among women … St John Damascene

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One Minute Reflection – 8 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Feast of the Immaculate Conception – Proverbs 8:22-35, Luke 1:26-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women” – Luke 1:28

REFLECTION – “Today the Creator of all things, the Word Who is God, has composed a new work sprung from the Father’s heart, to be written, as by a pen by the Spirit, Who is God’s tongue. … Most holy daughter of Joachim and Anne! you who have evaded the attention of the Principalities and Powers and the “flaming arrows of the Evil One” (Col 1:16; Eph 6:16), you dwelt within the bridal chamber of the Spirit and were preserved undefiled, so that you might become the bride of God and God’s Mother by nature. … God’s beloved daughter, the credit of your parents, generation after generation calls you Blessed, as you yourself so truthfully affirmed (Lk 1:48). Worthy daughter of God, our human nature’s beauty, restoration of Eve our first mother! For with your birth, she who fell was raised. … For if, through the first Eve, “death entered the world” (Wis 2:24; Rom 5:12) because she put herself at the service of the serpent, yet Mary, who made herself servant of the Divine Will, deceived the deceiving serpent and brought immortality into the world.

You are more to be valued than the entire creation, for from you alone the Creator received a share in the first-fruits of our humanity. His Flesh was made of your flesh, His Blood of your blood; God was nourished by your milk and your lips kissed the lips of God. … In His foreknowledge of your dignity, the God of all the world, has loved you and, in accordance with His love for you, He predestined you and called you into being “in the final time” (1 Pt 1:20; Heb 1:2) … So let wise Solomon shut his mouth and say no more: “Nothing is new under the sun” (Eccl 1:9).” – St John Damascene (675-749) Father and Doctor of the Church (Homily for the Nativity of the Virgin, 7, 10 – “See, I make all things new” (Apoc 21:5).

PRAYER – O God, Who by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin, prepared a worthy dwelling for Thy Son, and Who, by Thy Son’s death, foreseen by Thee, preserved her from all taint, grant, we beseech Thee, through her intercession that we too, may come to Thee, unstained by sin. T 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", ADVENT QUOTES, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, MARIAN QUOTES, OUR Cross, QUOTES on CHASTITY, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ENEMIES, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PURITY, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on SLOTH, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on the POOR, QUOTES on WATCHING, SAINT of the DAY, The HEART, The HOLY CROSS, The SECOND COMING

Quote/s of the Day – 7 December – St Ambrose

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Quote/s of the Day – 7 December – St Ambrose (340-397) – Confessor, Bishop, Father and Doctor of the Church

“O, that the soul of Mary were in us,
to glorify the Lord!
That the spirit of Mary were in us,
to rejoice in God.
May the life of Blessed Mary
be ever present to our awareness.
In her, as in a mirror,
the form of virtue
and beauty of chastity, shine forth.
She was Virgin, not only in body
but in mind and spirit.
She never sullied the pure affection of her heart
by unworthy feelings.
She was humble of heart.
She was serious in her conversations.
She was prudent in her counsels.
She preferred to pray rather than to speak.
She united in her heart the prayers of the poor,
and avoided the uncertainty of worldly riches.
She was ever faithful to her daily duties,
reserved in her conversations
and always accustomed to recognise God
as the witness of her thoughts.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus!”

(On Virginity II 2.7)

“Watch, therefore because you know not
the day, nor the hour.”
Matthew 25:13

“ In the hours of the night, think always on Christ
and hope for His coming at every moment. …
Christ enters at the open door.
He will not fail to do so, for He has promised to enter.
Embrace Him, Whom you have sought.
Approach Him and be illumined.
Hold Him and ask Him not to go away quickly.
Beg Him not to depart.
For “His Word runs swiftly” (Ps 147:15)
and will not be held by the slothful
or negligent soul.
Let your soul run to His call and follow closely, t
he sound of His heavenly Voice,
for His passing is swift. …”

“Open wide your door to the One who comes.
Open your soul,
throw open the depths of your heart
to see the riches of simplicity,
the treasures of peace,
the sweetness of grace.
Open your heart
and run to meet
the Sun of Eternal Light
Who illuminates all men.”

“No-one heals himself
by wounding another.”

“Our own evil inclinations
are far more dangerous,
than any external enemies. ”

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

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/12/07/quote-s-of-the-day-7-december-st-ambrose-3/

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

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, JESUIT SJ, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, MARTYRS, SAINT of the DAY, St Louis-Marie Grignion de MONTFORT

Vigil of the Immaculate Conception, Virgen del Castillo / Virgin of the Castle, Spain (1642) St Ambrose and the Saints for 7 December

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A Day of Fasting and Abstinence, for the Holy Day tomorrow

Vigil of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
– 7 December:
On this Vigil day, Catholics stand in the remains of the night as the dawn makes its appearance. This resplendent dawn is that Singular Conception, the Immaculate Conception, who ushers in the Light of Christ.
A day of Fast and Abstinence following the Rubrics of Pope Pius X for the Universal Calendar of the Church.

“It is through the most Blessed Virgin Mary, that Jesus Christ came into the world and, it is also through her, that He will reign in the world.” – St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)

Virgen del Castillo, Inmaculada Concepción / Virgin of the Castle, Yecla, Spain (1642) – 7 and 8 December:

St Ambrose (c 340-397) – Confessor, Bishop, Father and Doctor of the Church, Theologian, Apostle of Charity, Writer, Musician, Preacher, Reformer and Protector – all-in-all a brilliant, charismatic, vibrant man.
https://anastpaul.com/2018/12/07/saint-of-the-day-7-december-st-ambrose-c-340-397-father-and-doctor-of-the-church-2/
And More:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/12/07/more-on-todays-saint-st-ambrose-c340-397-father-and-doctor-of-the-church/

St Agatho of Alexandria
St Anianas of Chartres
St Athenodoros of Mesopotamia
St Buithe of Monasterboice

St Burgundofara / more commonly known as Fara (c 595-c 643) Nun, Abbess, Founder of the famous Evoriacum Monastery, near Paris in France, which after her death was renamed in her honour, Faremoutiers Abbey (Fara’s Monastery).
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/12/07/saint-of-the-day-7-december-st-burgundofara-c-595-c-643-virgin/

St Charles Garnier SJ (1606-1649) Priest Martyr, Missionary. Charles Garnier was Canonised on 29 June 1930 by Pope Pius XI with the seven other Canadian Martyrs (also known as the North American Martyrs).
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/12/07/saint-of-the-day-7-december-st-charles-garnier-sj-1606-1649/

St Diuma
St Geretrannus of Bayeux
Bl Humbert of Clairvaux
St Martin of Saujon

St Maria Giuseppa Rosello FdM (1811-1880) Religious sister and Founder of the Daughters of Our Lady of Mercy. She was Canonised in 1949 by Pope Pius XII.
About St Maria Giuseppa:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/12/07/saint-of-the-day-7-december-st-maria-giuseppa-rosello-fdm-1811-1880/

St Nilus of Stolbensk

St Sabinus of Spoleto (Died c 303) Bishop of Assisi, Martyr, Miracle-worker.
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/12/07/saint-of-the-day-7-december-saint-sabinus-of-spoleto-died-c-303/

St Servus the Martyr
St Theodore of Antioch
St Urbanus of Teano (Died circa late 4th Century) Confessor, Bishop of Teano
St Victor of Piacenza

Posted in ADVENT QUOTES, CHRIST the KING, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, MARIAN QUOTES, MOTHER of GOD, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The DIVINE INFANT, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The NATIVITY of JESUS, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 5 December – The Divine Infancy

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Quote/s of the Day – 5 December – The First Week of Advent – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

“The night is far advanced;
the day is at hand.”

Romans 13:12

“And the Lord God shall give unto Him
the throne of David, His father
and He shall reign in the house of Jacob forever.
And of His Kingdom there shall be no end.”
Luke 1:32-33

“During this present life, Christ rules in the Church.
By faith and love, He dwells
in the hearts of His elect and guides them,
by His unceasing care, toward their heavenly reward.
In the life to come, when their period of exile on earth is ended,
He will exercise His Kingship,
by leading the faithful to their heavenly country.
There, forever inspired by the vision of His Presence,
their one delight will be to praise and glorify Him.”

The Venerable St Bede (673-735)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Listen! the reason He is called Saviour
is because, for all those
to whom He is united,
He gains salvation.
Now salvation means,
to be delivered from all ills and,
at the same time,
to find all blessings forever –
Life instead of death,
Light in place of darkness
and, instead of the slavery
of the passions and unworthy deeds,
the complete freedom granted
to all those, who are united to Christ,
Saviour of all beings.
Thus they will possess,
without being able to lose it,
all joy, all happiness, all blessedness …
that that none can ever know,
or conceive, or see,
if not sincerely and ardently
attached to Christ.”

St Symeon the New Theologian (c 949-1022)

“Taking up the newborn Emmanuel,
Mary beheld a Light incomparably fairer
than the sun and saw a Fire
that water cannot quench.
She received, in the covering of flesh
Whom she had borne,
the Light Who enlightens all things
and she was worthy,
to carry in her arms,
the Word Who carries the universe!”

St Amadeus of Lausanne (1108-1159)
Bishop, Cistercian Monk

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, MARIAN PRAYERS, MISSIONS, MISSIONARIES, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, PRAYERS for PRIESTS, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRIESTS, all CLERGY, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on PRIESTS, the PRIESTHOOD and CONSECRATED LIFE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on STRENGTH, QUOTES on VIRTUE, ROSARY QUOTES, ROSARY QUOTES, The HEART

Quote/s of the Day – 4 November – St Charles Borromeo

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Quote/s of the Day – 4 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – Saint Charles Borromeo (1538-1584) He is known as the “Father of the Clergy” – Some of his Patronages – Bishops, Priests, Seminarians • Catechists • Catechumens • Spiritual Director s • Spiritual leaders.

“Prayer is the beginning,
the progress and the complement
of all virtues.”

“Souls are won with the knees.”

“The Rosary is the most divine of devotions.”

“Just as Christ came into this world only once,
clothed in our flesh, He is also ready
to come again, at any moment,
to dwell spiritually in our hearts
with the profusion of His graces,
as long as we do not resist Him!”

“We are all weak, I confess
but the Lord God has given us means with which,
if we wish, we can be strengthened with ease.”

O Holy Mother of God
A Prayer for our Priests
to the Most Blessed Virgin
By St Charles Borromeo (1538-1584)

O Holy Mother of God,
pray for the Priests
thy Son has chosen to serve His Church.
Help them by thy intercession,
to be holy,
zealous and chaste.
Make them models of virtue,
in the service of God’s people.
Help them to be prayerful in meditations,
effective in preaching
and enthusiastic in the daily offering
of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Help them to administer
the Sacraments with joy,
O Holy Mother of God.
Amen.

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/11/04/quote-s-of-the-day-4-november-st-charles-borromeo-2/

St Charles Borromeo (1538-1584)

Posted in Hail MARY!, MARIAN Antiphons, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DEATH, ROSARY QUOTES

Thought for the Day – 31 October – “Pray for Us … at the Hour of Our Death”

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Thought for the Day – 31 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
“Pray for Us … at the Hour of Our Death”

“We have come to the end of this month, which we have dedicated to Mary and her blessed Rosary.
Let us remember, however, that apart from this Month of October, we should dedicate our whole lives to her, up to our final moment of death.
We are always in need of Mary’s patronage and intercession with God.
Let us always have recourse to her, therefore, especially in danger and in suffering but, most especially, at the decisive moment of death, for this is the moment on which eternity depends.
This day will arrive sooner or later but, it will certainly come, “at an hour that you do not expect” (Lk 12:40).

In the second part of the Hail Mary, the Church places on our lips, these words of supplication: “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.”
How many times we have recited this prayer?!
But do we ever think of death?
Let us remember that a mediation on death is the most valuable lesson in life.
One day, we shall find ourselves face-to-face with God, drawing our last breath on earth.
It may be on a sick bed, it may be in the middle of a street – we do not know.
It may be after a long illness at the end of which we are comforted by the Holy Sacraments and blessed by a Priest, or it may be quite unexpected.
But, it is certain that death will come.
Let us aim, therefore, at being always prepared, so that it may not come when we have no good works to offer and when our hearts are full of ourselves and of worldly interests.
Like Mary, let us lead lives of holiness and we shall be sure to die holy deaths.
Let us beseech our heavenly Mother to be by our side at that final moment to sustain us in the conflict and to consign our souls to her divine Son, Jesus. Amen.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Hail MARY!, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, POETRY, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on MORTIFICATION, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SANCTITY, ROSARY QUOTES, ROSARY QUOTES

Quote/s of the Day – 31 October – Goodbye October

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Quote/s of the Day – 31 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – Goodbye October

“Be constant in secret prayers
which God, Who indeed sees in secret,
rewards in the open.
Hold fast to this exercise
of a most excellent way of life.
that you may find hidden treasure
in the day of need.”

St Basil the Great (329-379)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“… [I] resolved to recite a Rosary
for anyone who caused me trouble.
Then I heard the Voice
from the Tabernacle say,
‘Your prayers for those
who mortify you,
are very pleasing to Me.
In exchange, I am ready
to grant you many graces.‘”

St Serafino of Montegranaro (1540-1604)

TOP 10 Practical Guide to Holiness

  1. Go to Mass with deepest devotion.
  2. Spend a half hour to reflect upon your main failing
    and make resolutions to avoid it.
  3. Do daily spiritual reading for at least 15 minutes,
    if a half hour is not possible.
  4. Say the Rosary everyday.
  5. Also daily, if at all possible, visit the Blessed Sacrament
    and toward evening, meditate on the Passion of Christ for a half hour.
  6. Conclude the day with evening prayer
    and an examination of conscience over all the faults & sins of the day.
  7. Every month make a review of the month in confession.
  8. Choose a special Patron every month
    and imitate that Patron in some special virtue.
  9. Precede every great feast with a novena, that is, nine days of devotion.
  10. Try to begin and end every activity with a “Hail Mary.”

Bl Francis Xavier Seelos (1819-1867)

My Oldest Friend
By John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

My oldest friend, mine from the hour
When first I drew my breath,
My faithful friend, that shall be mine,
Unfailing, till my death….

Mine when I stand before the Judge,
And mine, if spared to stay
Within the golden furnace, till
My sin is burn’d away.

And mine, O Brother of my soul,
When my release shall come,
Thy gentle arms shall lift me then,

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, Hail MARY!, MARIAN QUOTES, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TEMPTATION

Thought for the Day – 27 October – “Hail Mary … Holy Mary”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 27 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
“Hail Mary … Holy Mary”

“The Angel’s greeting was later completed by the salavation of St Elizabeth.
As soon as Elizabeth saw the Blessed Virgin coming to visit her, she cried out in humble veneratin: “Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb!” (Lk 1:42).

In the first part of the Hail Mary, then, we pay her the words of the Gospel, the highest tributes ever accorded to any human creature, proclaiming her to be full of grace, blessed among women and Mother of the Redeemer.
The second part, which was later added by the Church,  (composed and proposed by St Peter Canisius 1521-1597) Doctor of the Church), is a heartfelt supplication addressed to Mary as the Mother of God and our Mother.
“Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen.”
It would be hard to find a more touching plea.
We ask our heavenly Mother to intercede for us now – because we have such great need of her assistance in this vale of tears and temptations.
May she be always by our side, to shelter us beneath her mantle!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/10/26/thought-for-the-day-25-october-hail-mary/

Posted in GOD ALONE!, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on THE WORLD, ROSARY QUOTES, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The LORD'S PRAYER

Thought for the Day – 25 October – “Lead Us Not Into Temptation”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 25 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
“Lead Us Not Into Temptation”

“Life is a prolonged trial.
St Paul compares it to a stadium in which everyone must fight to win.
If anyone lays down his arms, he will be unable to conquer his passions or to achieve the palm of victory.
“One who enters a contest, is not crowned, unless he has competed according to the rules ” (2 Tim 2:5).

With the exception of the Blessed Virgin, every human being is obliged to battle against the temptations of the flesh.
Sometimes, these can be quite terrifying.
St Paul himself confessed that he felt another law in his members, warning against the law of his mind.
“Unhappy man that I am!” he exdclaimed in supplication to God to come to his assistance.
“Who will deliver me from the body of this death?” (Rom 7:24).

The false enchantment and the wickedness of the world, also threatens to ensnare us.
“We know that we are of God and the whole world is in the power of the evil one” (1 Jn 5:19).
It is easy to become absorbed in worldly affairs and to forget the all-important spiritual realities.

Finally, there is the devil, whom St Peter describes as wandering about “seeking someone to devour.” Resist him, he urges us, “steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same suffering befalls your brethren all over the world ” (Cf 1 Peter 5:9).

Faced as we are, with these three foes, we should implore God to help us by His grace.
Lead us not into temptation, O God but help us to conquer these enemies.
Without You, we can do nothing but with Your aid, all is possible.
Lead us not into temptation!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/10/24/thought-for-the-day-24-october-lead-us-not-into-temptation/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on PRAYER, ROSARY QUOTES, ROSARY QUOTES, The LORD'S PRAYER

Thought for the Day – 24 October – “As We Also Forgive Our Debtors”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 24 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
“As We Also Forgive Our Debtors”

“If thou art offering thy gift at the altar,” Jesus tells us “and thou remember that thy brother has anything against thee, leave thy gift before the altar and go first to be reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift” (Mt 5:23-24).
Prayer is futile, therefore, unless we have first forgiven our enemies!

“Learn from me,” Jesus said when He proposed Himself as a model to be imitated, “for I am meek and humble of heart.”
Then He added, “you will find rest for your souls” (Cf Mt 11:29).
The foundation of our hatred, anger and resentment, is always our wounded pride.
We need Christlike gentleness and humility, if we are to forgive sincerely and generously.
Only when we have this gentleness and humility, moreover, shall we find joy in forgiving and only then, shall we have peace.
As long as there is room in our hearts for pride and hatred, we can never enjoy peace of soul!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/10/23/thought-for-the-day-23-october-as-we-also-forgive-our-debtors/

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, INGRATITUDE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, ROSARY QUOTES, ROSARY QUOTES, The LORD'S PRAYER, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION

Thought for the Day – 23 October – “Forgive Us Our Debts”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 23 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

“Month of the Holy Rosary”
“Forgive Us Our Debts”

“Finally, we owe God a great deal on account of our sins.
Unfortunately, our only return for God’s continual favours, has been negligence, ingratitude and sin!
How many failings we have been guilty of throughout our lives?
Since it is an offence against God, Who is infinitely good and amiable, even venial sin cannot properly be atoned for by the merits of all the Angels and of all the Saints of Heaven.
Therefore, it was necessary for the Son of God, made Man, to offer Himself as a Victim of Expiation, on our behalf.

Remembering His infinite merits, we should humbly ask God – ‘forgive us our debts.‘ that is, our many sins and failings and, whatever punishment is owing to us, for every sin demands some expiation, either in this life or in the next!

Meanwhile, we should accept, with resignation, all the sufferings which God sends us in reparation for our sins and, we should promise never to offend Him again.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/10/22/thought-for-the-day-22-october-forgive-us-our-debts/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/10/23/thought-for-the-day-23-october-forgive-us-our-debts/