One Minute Reflection – 10 October – “Month of the Most Holy Rosary” – Saturday of the Twenty SeventhWeek in Ordinary Time, Readings:Galatians 3: 22-29, Psalms 105: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, Luke 11: 27-28 and the Memorial of St Paulinus of York (c 584-644) and St Francis Borgia SJ (1510-1572)
“While he was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, ‘Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.’” – Luke 11:27
REFLECTION – “Mary was more blessed in accepting the faith of Christ than in conceiving the flesh of Christ. To someone who said, “Blessed is the womb that bore you,” he replied, “Rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.”
Finally, for his brothers, his relatives according to the flesh who did not believe in him, of what advantage was that relationship? Even her maternal relationship would have done Mary no good, unless she had borne Christ more happily in her heart, than in her flesh.” – St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of Grace – Holy Virginity, 3/
PRAYER – Almighty God and Father, you sent St Paulinus and St Francis Borgia to be Your witnesses and to bring Your Church to the pagans for the salvation of souls. Sustain us by their prayers that by our lives we may lead all to You through Holy Mother Church. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever, amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 5 October – the Memorial of Blessed Raymond of Capua OP (c 1330-1399) “The Second Founder,” Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos CSsR (1819-1867), Blessed Bartholomew Longo (1841-1926) “Apostle of the Holy Rosary”
“My brothers, keep away from the beast of boasting and concern for one’s reputation, for these destroy and weaken, every good work.”
Bl Raymond of Capua (c 1330-1399)
“It is only through suffering that we become holy. And to become holy is our only purpose in life, our only preparation for heaven.”
TOP 10 Practical Guide to Holiness
Go to Mass with deepest devotion.
Spend a half hour to reflect upon your main failing and make resolutions to avoid it.
Do daily spiritual reading for at least 15 minutes, if a half hour is not possible.
Say the rosary every day.
Also daily, if at all possible, visit the Blessed Sacrament and toward evening, meditate on the Passion of Christ for a half hour.
Conclude the day with evening prayer and an examination of conscience over all the faults & sins of the day.
Every month make a review of the month in confession.
Choose a special patron every month and imitate that patron in some special virtue.
Precede every great feast with a novena, that is, nine days of devotion.
Try to begin and end every activity with a “Hail Mary.”
Bl Francis Xavier Seelos CSsR (1819-1867)
“The Rosary could very well be called, the poem of human redemption.”
“The Rosary is the prayer dearest to Mary, most loved by the Saints, most frequently used by Christian peoples, most honoured by God with astounding wonders, most enriched with great promises, by the Virgin.”
Bl Bartholomew Longo (1841-1926) “Apostle of the Holy Rosary
Quote/s of the Day – 1 October – Thursday of the Twenty Sixth week in Ordinary Time, Readings: Job 19:21-27, Psalms 27:7-8, 8-9, 13-14, Luke 10:1-12 and The Memorial of St Romanos the Melodios (c 490-c 556) and St Thérèse of the Child Jesus/Lisieux OCD (1873 – 1897) Doctor of the Church
“We implore You, O All-Holy, Long-Suffering Life and Restoration, Source of goodness, look down from heaven and visit all those who ever trust in You; rescue our life, Lord, from all constraint and affliction, and, in the faith of truth, guide us all. At the prayers of the Immaculate Mother of God and Virgin, Save your world and those in the world and spare us all, You who, for us, became man without change, only Lover of mankind.”
St Romanos the Melodios (c 490-c 556) (On the Life of Christ, Feast of the Presentation of the Lord)
“Our vocation, yours and mine, is not to go harvesting in the fields of ripe corn, Jesus does not say to us; “Lower your eyes, look at the fields and go and reap them,” our mission is still loftier. Here are Jesus’ words: “Lift up your eyes and see….” See how in My Heaven there are places empty, it is for you to fill them! … each one of you is my Moses praying on the mountain (Ex 17:8f), ask Me for labourers and I shall send them, I await only a prayer, a sigh from your heart!”
“Prayer is an aspiration of the heart. It is a simple glance directed to Heaven. It is a cry of gratitude and love in the midst of trial as well as joy.”
“She is more mother than Queen.”
“It is not Death that will come to fetch me, it is the good God. Death is no phantom, no horrible specter, as presented in pictures. In the catechism it is stated, that death is the separation of soul and body, that is all! Well, I am not afraid of a separation which will unite me to the good God forever.”
“Let us go forward in peace, our eyes upon heaven. the only one goal of our labours.”
Quote/s of the Day – 17 September – The Memorial of St Robert Bellarmine SJ (1542-1621) Doctor of the Church
“The school of Christ is the school of love. In the last day, when the general examination takes place … Love will be the whole syllabus.”
“What is easier, sweeter, more pleasant, than to love goodness, beauty and love, the fullness of which, YOU ARE, O Lord, my God?”
“It is granted to few, to recognise the true Church, amidst the darkness, of so many schisms and heresies and, to fewer still, so to love the Truth which they have seen, as to fly to it’s embrace!”
“Charity is that, with which no man is lost and without which, no man is saved.”
“It seems unbelievable that a man should perish in whose favour Christ said to His Mother: ‘Behold thy son’, provided that he has not turned a deaf ear to the words, which Christ addressed to him: ‘Behold thy Mother.’”
St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) Doctor of the Church
Quote/s of the Day – 15 September – The Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows and of St Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510)
‘By the cross of our salvation Mary stood in desolation While the Saviour hung above All her human powers failing, Sorrow’s sword, at last prevailing, Stabs and breaks her heart of love… Virgin Mary, full of sorrow, From your love I ask to borrow Love enough to share your pain. Make my heart to burn with fire, Make Christ’s love my own desire, Who for love of me was slain.’
Stabat Mater
“The spear which opened His side passed through the soul of the Virgin, which could not be torn from the heart of Jesus.”
St Bernard (1090-1153) Mellifluous Doctor of the Church
“Whoever you are, who love the Mother of God, take note and reflect with all your innermost feelings, upon her, who wept for the Only-Begotten as He died… The grief she felt in the Passion of her son, goes beyond all understanding.”
St Amadeus of Lausanne (1108-1159)
“Near the cross stood His mother, speechless; living she died; dying she lived.”
“Any time spent before the Eucharistic presence, be it long or short, is the best-spent time of our lives.”
“We must not wish anything other than what happens from moment to moment, all the while, however, exercising ourselves in goodness.”
“And when I hear it said, that God is good and He will pardon us and then see, that men cease not from evil-doing, oh, how it grieves me! The infinite goodness with which God communicates with us, sinners as we are, should constantly make us love and serve Him better but we, on the contrary, instead of seeing in His goodness an obligation to please Him, convert it into an excuse for sin, which will, of a certainty, lead in the end, to our deeper condemnation.”
“The one sole thing, in myself, in which I glory, is that I see in myself, nothing, in which I can glory.”
“Oh, what peril attaches to sin, wilfully committed! For it is so difficult for man to bring himself to penance and without penitence, guilt remains and will ever remain, so long as man retains unchanged, the will to sin, or is intent upon committing it.”
“I see clearly with the interior eye, that the sweet God loves, with a pure love, the creature that He has created and has a HATRED for nothing but SIN, which is more opposed to Him, than can be thought or imagined.”
“Near the cross of Jesus, there stood his mother…” … John 19:25
REFLECTION – “Mary, the mother of the Lord, stood by her Son’s cross. No-one has taught me this but the holy Evangelist John. Others have related how the earth was shaken at the Lord’s passion, the sky was covered with darkness, the sun withdrew itself and how the thief was, after a faithful confession, received into paradise. John tells us what the others have not told, how the Lord, while fixed on the cross called to His mother. He thought it was more important that, victorious over His sufferings, Jesus gave her the offices of piety, than that He gave her a heavenly kingdom. For, if it is the mark of religion to grant pardon to the thief, it is a mark of much greater piety, that a mother is honoured with such affection by her Son. “Behold,” He says, “your son.” “Behold your mother.” Christ testified from the cross and divided the offices of piety, between the mother and the disciple.
Nor was Mary below what was becoming of the mother of Christ. When the Apostles fled, she stood at the cross and with pious eyes beheld her Son’s wounds. For she did not look to the death of her offspring but to the salvation of the world. Or perhaps, because that “royal hall” knew that the redemption of the world would be through the death of her Son, she thought that by her death, she also might add something to that universal gift. But Jesus did not need a helper for the redemption of all, who saved all without a helper. This is why He says, “I am counted among those who go down to the pit. I am like those who have no help.” He received indeed the affection of His mother but sought not another’s help. Imitate her, holy mothers, who in her only dearly beloved Son, set forth so great an example of maternal virtue. For neither have you sweeter children, nor did the Virgin seek the consolation of being able, to bear another son.” … St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father and Doctor of the Church – Letter 63
PRAYER – Our Father, when Jesus Your Son, was raised up on the Cross, it was Your will that Mary, His Mother, should stand there and suffer with Him in her heart. Grant that in union with her, the Church may share in the passion of Christ and so be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Be our intercessor and our consolation, Our Lady of Sorrows, amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 12 September – The Most Holy Name of Mary
“The name of Mary is the key to the gates of Heaven.”
St Ephrem (306-373) Father and Doctor of the Church
“Your name, O Mary, is a precious ointment, which breathes forth the odour of Divine grace. Let this ointment of salvation enter the inmost recesses of our souls.”
St Ambrose (340-397) Father and Doctor
“Your name, O Mother of God, is filled with Divine graces and blessings.”
St Methodius of Sicily (c 788-c 847)
“O great, O gentle, O most lovable Mary, thy Holy Name cannot be spoken without inflaming the heart. To those who love thee, it is unspeakable consolation and joy even to think of thee; thou art a sweet memory to those who honour thee.”
“In dangers, in doubts, in difficulties, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Let not her name depart from your lips, never suffer it to leave your heart. And that you may obtain the assistance of her prayer, neglect not to walk in her footsteps. With her for guide, you shall never go astray; while invoking her, you shall never lose heart; so long as she is in your mind, you are safe from deception; while she holds your hand, you cannot fall; under her protection you have nothing to fear; if she walks before you, you shall not grow weary; if she shows you favour, you shall reach the goal.”
“If the hurricanes of temptation rise against you, or you are running upon the rocks of trouble, look to the star – call on Mary!”
St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) Mellifluous Doctor of the Church
“She was called Mary, that is, star of the sea, in the foreseeing purpose of God, that she might declare by her name, that which she manifests more clearly in reality. (…) … For those who sail upon the sea of the present age and call on her with complete faith, she rescues from the breath of the storm and the raging of the winds and brings them, rejoicing with her, to the shore of their happy country.”
St Amadeus of Lausanne O.Cist (1110-1159)
“Glorious indeed and admirable is thy name, O Mary; for those who pronounce it at death need not fear all the powers of hell. Men do not fear a powerful hostile army as much as the powers of hell, feal the name and protection of Mary.”
St Bonaventure (1217-1274) Seraphic Doctor
“When I pronounce the name of Mary, I feel myself inflamed with such love and joy, that between the tears and happiness with which I pronounce this beautiful name, I feel as though my heart might leave my breast. For this sweet name is like a honeycomb dissolving in the innermost recesses of my soul.”
Quote/s of the Day – The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
“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)
“She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley.”
St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor
“Today the Virgin is born, tended and formed and prepared for her role as Mother of God, who is the universal King of the ages. … Therefore, let all creation sing and dance and unite to make worthy contribution to the celebration of this day. … Let everything, mundane things and those above, join in festive celebration. Today this created world is raised to the dignity of a holy place for Him who made all things. The creature is newly prepared to be a divine dwelling place for the Creator.”
St Andrew of Crete (650-740) Bishop
Happy birthday, dearest Mother! Sing our youthful hearts today, And the birds and flowers seem joining In our merry roundelay. How the angels must be singing Round thy white, resplendent throne, While the saints in their holy rapture Claim thee as their very own. But, dear Mother, deign to listen As thy children here on earth Offer unto thee their greetings, Though they be of little worth, Save that love is pulsing through them From thy little ones sincere, Who are hoping they may meet thee On some birthday, Mother dear.
Brother Cyril Robert
Mary Immaculate: God’s Mother and Mine. Marist Press, 1946
One Minute Reflection – 8 September – Feast of The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Readings: Micah 5:1-4a or Romans 8:28-30, Psalms 13:6, 6, Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23
Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son … Matthew 1:23
REFLECTION – “She was called Mary, that is, star of the sea, in the foreseeing purpose of God, that she might declare by her name, that which she manifests more clearly in reality. (…)
Robed in beauty, robed equally in strength, she has girded herself, ready to curb with a single gesture the extraordinary tumults of the sea (Ps 92:1,4). For those who sail upon the sea of the present age and call on her with complete faith, she rescues from the breath of the storm and the raging of the winds and brings them, rejoicing with her, to the shore of their happy country. One cannot tell, beloved, how often some would have struck hard rocks, about to suffer shipwreck, some fall on foul sandbanks to return no more (…) did not the star of the sea, Mary ever virgin, stand in the way with her mighty aid and when now the rudder was broken, the deck shattered and they were without human aid, bring them, by her heavenly leading, to the haven of inner peace. Therefore, rejoicing in new triumphs in the new rescue of the boat, in the new additions of peoples, she manifests her joy in the Lord (…)
Indeed, glowing and and conspicuous with this twofold love on the one hand, she is most ardently fixed on God to whom she clings and she is one spirit with him (cf. 1 Cor 6:17); on the other, she gently comforts and attracts the hearts of the elect and shares with them excellent gifts coming from the generosity of her Son.” … St Amadeus of Lausanne O.Cist (1110-1159) Bishop – Homily VIII in praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary
PRAYER – Lord God, the day of our salvation dawned when the Blessed Virgin gave birth to Your Son. As we celebrate her nativity, grant us Your grace and Your peace. Through Christ, our Lord, Your Son in union with the Holy Spirit. Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 4 September – The Feast of Our Lady of Consolation
“O sinner, be not discouraged but have recourse to Mary, in all your necessities. Call her to your assistance, for such is the divine Will that she should help in every kind of necessity.”
St Basil the Great (329-379) Father and Doctor of the Church
“O Mary, I have not doubt that whenever we run to you, we shall obtain all that we desire. Let those then who have no hope, hope in you!”
“In dangers, in doubts, in difficulties, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Let not her name depart from your lips, never suffer it to leave your heart. And that you may obtain the assistance of her prayer, neglect not to walk in her footsteps. With her for guide, you shall never go astray; while invoking her, you shall never lose heart; so long as she is in your mind, you are safe from deception; while she holds your hand, you cannot fall; under her protection you have nothing to fear; if she walks before you, you shall not grow weary; if she shows you favour, you shall reach the goal.”
St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) Mellifluous Doctor of the Church
“Has anyone ever come away from Mary, troubled or saddened or ignorant of the heavenly Mysteries? Who has not returned to everyday life gladdened and joyful because a request has been granted by the Mother of God?”
St Amadeus of Lausanne (1110-1159)
“Mary means Star of the sea, for as mariners are guided to port by the ocean star, so Christians attain to glory, through Mary’s maternal intercession.”
St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor Angelicus Doctor Communis
“Let us run to Mary and, as her little children, cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritatis
”It seems unbelievable, that a man should perish, in whose favour Christ said to His Mother: ‘Behold thy son’, provided, that he has not turned a deaf ear to the words, which Christ addressed to him: ‘Behold thy Mother.’”
St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) Doctor of the Church
“For God, having given her power over His only-begotten and natural Son, also gave her power over His adopted children – not only in what concerns their body – which would be of little account – but also in what concerns their soul.”
St Louis Marie de Montfort (1673-1716)
”To desire grace without recourse to the Virgin Mother is to desire to fly without wings.”
Quote/s of the Day – 30 August – The Memorial of St Jeanne Jugan /Mary of the Cross (1792 – 1879)
“Little, very little, be very little before God.”
“He is so good … love God very much. All for Him, do everything through love.”
“My little ones, never forget that the poor are Our Lord; in caring for the poor say to yourself: This is for my Jesus – what a great grace!”
“We were grafted into the Cross.”
“Eternal Father, open your gates today to the most miserable of your children but one who greatly longs to see You. O Mary, my dear Mother, come to me. You know that I love you and I long to see You.”
Quote/s of the Day – 27 August – The Memorial of St Amadeus of Lausanne OCist (1110—1159) Bishop (I am unsure of whether he is a Saint or a Blessed as there seems to be disagreement about the final confirmation of his cultus. Whichever, he is a Saint of God!)
“O how marvellous are His wounds by which the wounds of the world were healed! How victorious His wounds, by which He slew death and stung hell!”
“Your Son appeared to us as an abundance of food when grievous famine threatened, as a spring of living water, to a life in distress and fainting from thirst in the heat.”
“He came from Him, from whom He did not depart, going forth from Him, with whom He stayed, so that without intermission, He was wholly in eternity, wholly in time, wholly was He found in the Father when wholly in the Virgin, wholly in His own majesty and in His Father’s, at the time when He was wholly in our humanity. ”
“He himself is your son, O Mary, He Himself rose from the dead on the third day and with your flesh ascended above all the heavens that He might fill all things. Therefore, O blessed lady, you have your joy, the object of your desire and the crown of your head have been granted you. He has brought to you the sovereignty of heaven through His glory, the kingdom of the world though His mercy, the subjugation of hell through His power. All things with their diverse feelings respond to your great and unspeakable glory – angels by honour, mortals by love, demons by terror. For you are venerated in heaven, loved in the world, feared in hell.”
“Has anyone ever come away from Mary, troubled or saddened or ignorant of the heavenly Mysteries? Who has not returned to everyday life gladdened and joyful because a request has been granted by the Mother of God?”
Quote/s of the Day – 23 August – Twenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time and the Memorial of St Rose of Lima (1586-1617)
“My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
2 Corinthians 12:7-9
“The thief on the cross certainly did not receive the Kingdom of Heaven as a reward for his virtues but as a grace and a mercy from God. He can serve as an authentic witness that our salvation is given to us only by God’s mercy and grace. All the holy masters knew this and unanimously taught that perfection in holiness can be achieved only through humility.”
St John Cassian (c 360- c 435)
“Christ shall minister to us and show us His radiant Face and His glorious Body with all the marks of faithfulness and love therein impressed. And we shall see all the glorious bodies clothed with all the many tokens of love won in the service of God since the beginning of the world… And our living hearts shall flame with burning love for God and all His saints…”
Bl Jan van Ruusbroec (1293-1381) Canon Regular, “Doctor Divinus Ecstaticus,” Mystic, Spiritual Writer – The seven steps of the ladder of spiritual love
“There is no sinner in the world, however much at enmity with God, who cannot recover God’s grace, by recourse to Mary and by asking her assistance.”
St Bridget of Sweden (c 1303 – 1373)
Prayer of Blessed Paolo Giustiniani
“Lord, I dare not say to You: “Show me the light that I may believe in Your Light” but it is enough for me, that You make me see my darkness … Bring me back to myself. In my misery I have distanced myself not only from You but from myself, becoming a stranger to myself. Make me know my darkness, that then I may look at the light. Yes, I tell You and repeat to You incessantly, Show me to myself, so that I may know my sins.”
Blessed Paolo Giustiniani (1476-1528)
“Give me grace to amend my life and to have an eye to mine end, without grudge of death, which to them that die in You, good Lord, is the gate of a wealthy life.”
St Thomas More (1478-1535) Martyr
“Our Lord and Saviour lifted up His voice and said with incomparable majesty: “Let all men know that grace comes after tribulation. Let them know that without the burden of afflictions, it is impossible to reach the height of grace. Let them know, that the gifts of grace increase, as the struggles increase. Let men take care not to stray and be deceived. This is the only true stairway to paradise and without the cross, they can find no road to climb to heaven.”
Thought for the Day – 22 August – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth
“When the Virgin Mary was borne into Heaven, soul and body, by the Angels, she was received with great rejoicing by the entire company of the blessed. A halo of light surrounded her, as her Divine Son, Jesus Christ, placed her on His right hand and proclaimed her Queen of Heaven and Earth. It was fitting that this supreme dignity should have been accorded her, for she was the beloved daughter of the Eternal Father, the Immaculate spouse of the Holy Spirit and the Mother of God, the Word made man and the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.
Mary is Queen of the Angels because, even though she is inferior to them, by reason of her human nature, she is superior to them, by reason of her dignity as Mother of God. What Angel could say to the Incarnate Word: “You are my son?” What Angel could command Him, as she could, in her role of Mother?
Mary has yet another claim to her title which no Angel could ever have. She participated in the Passion of her Son Jesus,offering herself along with Him, as a victim of expiation. She made a contribution, in the supernatural order of the Redemption, which neither Angel nor Saint, could have made. With Jesus, through Jesus and in Jesus, she is the co-redemptrix of the human race. Let us bow low before such greatness and join with the choirs of the blessed, in paying homage to her.”
Quotes of the Day – 22 August – The Memorial of the Queenship of Mary
“Every Saint belongs to the court of the Queen of All Saints.”
St John Eudes (1501-1680)
“Let all the children of the Catholic Church, who are so very dear to us, hear these words of ours. With a still more ardent zeal for piety, religion and love, let them continue to venerate, invoke and pray to the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, conceived without original sin. Let them fly with utter confidence to this most sweet Mother of mercy and grace in all dangers, difficulties, needs, doubts and fears. Under her guidance, under her patronage, under her kindness and protection, nothing is to be feared; nothing is hopeless. Because, while bearing toward us a truly motherly affection and having in her care, the work of our salvation, she is solicitous about the whole human race. And since, she has been appointed by God, to be the Queen of heaven and earth and is exalted above all the choirs of angels and saints and, even stands at the right hand, of her only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, she presents our petitions in a most efficacious manner. What she asks, she obtains. Her pleas can never be unheard!”
Bl Pius IX (1792-1878)
Ineffabilis Deus (which proclaimed the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December 1854)
“To serve the Queen of Heaven is already to reign there and to live under her commands, is more than to govern.”
St John Vianney (1786-1859)
“She is more Mother than Queen.”
St Therese of the Child Jesus (1873-1897) Doctor of the Church
“With the certainty of faith, we know that Jesus Christ is king in the full, literal and absolute sense of the word; for He is true God and man. This does not, however, prevent Mary from sharing His royal prerogatives, though in a limited and analogous manner; for she was the Mother of Christ and Christ is God and she shared in the work of the divine Redeemer, in His struggles against enemies and in the triumph He won over them all. From this union with Christ the King she assuredly obtains so eminent a status that she stands high above all created things and upon this same union with Christ is based that royal privilege, enabling her to distribute the treasures of the kingdom of the divine Redeemer.”
Venerable Pope Pius XII (1876-1958)
Excerpted from Ad Caeli Reginam
“Mary … as the Mother of our Lord, comes nearer to Him than any angel, nearer even than the Seraphim who surround Him and cry continuall, “Holy Holy Holy” … The Blessed Mother of God has hosts of angels who do her service and she is their Queen.”
“Her Son will deny her nothing that she asks and herein lies her power. While she defends the Church, neither height nor depth, neither men nor evil spirits, neither great monarchs, nor craft of man, nor popular violence, can avail to harm us; for human life is short but Mary reigns above, a Queen forever.”
Quote/s of the Day – 20 August – The Memorial of St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) Mellifluous Docotr, “Doctor of Light”
“In every lodging, at every corner, have reverence for thy Angel. Do not dare to do in his presence what you would not dare to do, if I were there. Or do you doubt that he is present whom you do not behold? What if you should hear him? What if you should touch him? What if you should scent him? Remember, that the presence of something is not proved only by the sight of things.”
” It is true that the creature loves less because she is less. But if she loves with her whole being, nothing is lacking, where everything is given.”
“There are those who seek knowledge for the sake of knowledge; that is Curiosity. There are those who seek knowledge to be known by others; that is Vanity. There are those who seek knowledge in order to serve; that is Love.”
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”
“A saint is not someone, who never sins, but one who sins less and less frequently and gets up more and more quickly.”
“Just as Mary surpassed in grace all others on earth, so also in heaven is her glory unique. If eye has not seen or ear heard or the human heart conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9), who can express what He has prepared for the woman who gave Him birth and who loved Him, as everyone knows, more than anyone else?”
“Rest is in Him alone. Man knows no peace in the world but he has no disturbance when he is with God.”
Jesu Dulcis Memori
Jesus, the very thought of Thee with sweetness fills my breast, But sweeter far Thy face to see and in Thy presence rest.
Nor voice can sing nor heart can frame, Nor can the memory find a sweeter sound than Jesus’ name, O Saviour of mankind.
O hope of every contrite heart, O joy of all the meek to those who fall, how kind Thou art, how good to those who seek!
But what to those who find? Ah this nor tongue nor pen can show, the love of Jesus, what it is none but His loved ones know.
Jesus our only joy be Thou as Thou our prize wilt be. Jesus, be Thou our glory now and through eternity. Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 19 August – The Memorial of St John Eudes Orat. (1601-1680) “Apostle of Two Hearts”
“I ask you to consider, that our Lord Jesus Christ is your true head and that you are a member of His body. He belongs to you as the head belongs to the body. All that is His is yours – breath, heart, body, soul and all His faculties. All of these you must use, as if they belonged to you, so that in serving Him, you may give Him praise, love and glory.”
“A man is no true Christian if he has no devotion to the Mother of Jesus Christ.
“Every Saint belongs to the Court of the Queen of All Saints.”
Quote/s of the Day – 15 August – Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven
“It was fitting that she, who had kept her virginity in childbirth, should keep her own body free from all corruption even after death. It was fitting that she, who had carried the Creator as a child at her breast, should dwell in the divine tabernacles… it was fitting that God’s Mother should possess what belongs to her Son and that she should be honoured by every creature as the Mother and the Handmaid of God.”
St John Damascene (675-749)
Father and Doctor of the Church
“As the most glorious Mother of Christ, our Saviour and our God and the giver of life and immortality, has been endowed with life by Him, she has received an eternal incorruptibility of the body together with Him who has raised her up from the tomb and has taken her up to Himself in a way known only to Him.”
St Modestus of Jerusalem (Died 630)
“And with regard to ourselves, how deservedly do we keep the Feast of the Assumption with all solemnity. What reasons for rejoicing, what motives for exultation have we on this most beautiful day! The presence of Mary illumines the entire world so that even the holy city above has now a more dazzling splendour from the light of this virginal Lamp. With good reason, thanksgiving and the voice of praise, resound today throughout the courts of Heaven… let us not complain, for here we do not have a lasting city but we seek one that is to come, the same which the blessed Mary entered today.”
St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor
One Minute Reflection – 15 August – Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven, Readings: Revelation 11:19; 12:1-6, 10, Psalms 45: 10, 11, 12, 16, 1 Corinthians 15:20-27, Luke 1:39-56
My soul glorifies the Lord … Luke 1:46
REFLECTION – “He himself is your son, O Mary, He Himself rose from the dead on the third day and with your flesh ascended above all the heavens that He might fill all things. Therefore, O blessed lady, you have your joy, the object of your desire and the crown of your head have been granted you. He has brought to you the sovereignty of heaven through His glory, the kingdom of the world though His mercy, the subjugation of hell through His power. All things with their diverse feelings respond to your great and unspeakable glory – angels by honour, mortals by love, demons by terror. For you are venerated in heaven, loved in the world, feared in hell.
Rejoice, therefore and be glad, for He who receives you has arisen, your glory, lifting up your head. You rejoiced at His conception, you were afflicted at His passion. Rejoice again in His resurrection and your joy no-one will take from you. Christ, rising from the dead, dies no more; death will have no more dominion over Him.
The Spirit calls you, God says to you: “Arise, hasten, my love, my dove, my fair one and come. For the winter is past, the rain has departed and gone, the flowers have appeared on our earth. The time for pruning has come” (Sg 2:10-12). … Then the censer, following the incense and lifted up by the hand of the Lord, mounts to the throne of God. It goes up attended by a train of angelic spirits calling out on high and saying: “Who is this who comes up through the desert like a column of smoke from the odour of myrrh and incense and all the powders of perfume?” (Sg 3:6). … St Amadeus of Lausanne (1108-1159) Cistercian Monk, then Bishop – Homilies in praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary VI, SC 72
PRAYER – My soul glorifies the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour!
For He has blessed me lavishly
and makes me ready to respond.
He shatters my little world
and lets me be poor before Him.
He takes from me all my plans
and gives me more than I can hope for or ask.
He gives me opportunities
and the ability to become free
and to burst through my boundaries.
He gives the strength to be doing,
to build on Him alone,
for He shows Himself
as the ever greater One in my life.
He has made known to me this!
It is in my being servant that it becomes possible.
For God’s kingdom to break through
here and now.
Amen
A Magnificat Translated from the German by Olga Warnke of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Quote/s of the Day – 14 August – The Memorial of Blessed St Maximillian Kolbe OFM Conv (1894 -1941)
“If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so, for one reason: HOLY COMMUNION.”
“Let us remember, that love lives through sacrifice and is nourished by giving. Without sacrifice, there is no love.”
“When we dedicate ourselves to Mary, we become instruments in her hands, just as she is an instrument in God’s hands. Let us then be guided by her, for she will provide for the needs of body and soul and overcome all difficulties and anxieties.”
“Jesus honoured her before all ages and will honour her for all ages. No-one comes to Him, nor even near Him, no-one is saved or sanctified, if he too will not honour her. This is the lot of Angels and of men.”
“Modern times are dominated by Satan and will be more so in the future. The conflict with hell cannot be engaged by men, even the most clever. The Immaculata alone, has from God, the promise of victory over Satan. However, assumed into Heaven, the Mother of God now requires our co-operation. She seeks souls, who will consecrate themselves entirely to her, who will become in her hands effective instruments for the defeat of Satan and the spreading of God’s kingdom upon earth.”
Quote/s of the Day – 7 August – The Memorial of St Albert of Trapani O.Carm. (c 1240-1307) and St Cajetan (1480-1547)
Heal us Lord God Prayer of St Albert of Trapani O.Carm. (c 1240-1307)
O my God,
You have created the human race
by Your wonderful power.
It is an act of Your clemency that has called us
to share Your glory and eternal life.
When the first sin condemned us to suffer death,
out of Your goodness,
You wished to redeem us
through the blood of Your Son,
To unite us to You through our faith
and Your great mercy.
You have brought us back
from the shame of our sin,
You have veiled our dishonour
in the brightness of Your glory.
Look now and see that what You have created,
giving it subtle limbs and joints
and made beautiful through its immortal soul,
is now subject to the attack of Satan.
Be pleased Lord
to reconstitute Your work and heal it.
May Your power be glorified
and may the malice of the enemy be stunned.
Amen
St Albert of Trapani (c 1240-1307)
“My desire is not my way but Your way.”
“I am a sinner and do not think much of myself; I have recourse to the greatest servants of the Lord, that they may pray for me to the blessed Christ and His Mother. But do not forget, that all the saints cannot endear you to Christ as much as you can yourself. It is entirely up to you!”
“May all praise and thanks be continually given to the Most Holy and Most August Sacrament.”
“We may seek graces but shall never find them without the intercession of Mary.”
Quote/s of the Day – 5 August – “Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – Wednesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time and the Memorial of the Dedication of Mary Major
“Mary was placed by God in the centre of history and we can say, that everything was made through her and with her and in her.”
St Bernard (1090-1153) Doctor of the Church
“Mary is the divine Page on which God the Father wrote the Word of God, His Son. Let us draw near to her and read her!”
St Albert the Great (1200-1280) Doctor of the Church
“The single richest treasure in the Vatican is the Rosary.”
Bl Pope Pius IX (1792-1878)
“All to Jesus through Mary, all to Mary for Jesus.”
St Marcellin Champagnat (1789-1840)
“No matter how enormous our sins may be, no matter how irresistible our carnal instincts may seem, no matter how hopelessly we may have plunged into the depths of evil, it is enough for us to raise our eyes in confidence towards Mary. … Like a merciful Mother, she will obtain for us from God, forgiveness and the strength to return to the path of penitence and of peace. … Let us turn to her with trust and humility and she will certainly assist us.”
Quote/s of the Day – 4 August – The Memorial of St John Marie Baptiste Vianney (1786-1859)
“The Holy Spirit leads us along, as a mother leads her two year old child by the hand, as a sighted person leads a blind one. We should say each morning: “Oh my God, send me Your Holy Spirit who will make me understand what I am and what you are …” A soul who possesses the Holy Spirit enjoys an exquisite taste in prayer, it never loses the holy presence of God.”
“There is one thing everyone can do, whether they find it hard to meditate or not and that is to make up their mind in the morning, to cultivate some particular virtue during the day, to practice the interior Presence of God and to live their life in union with Him.”
“The sign of the cross is the most terrible weapon against the devil. Thus the Church wishes not only, that we have it continually in front of our minds, to recall to us just what our souls are worth and what they cost Jesus Christ but also that we should make it at every juncture ourselves: when we go to bed, when we awaken during the night, when we get up, when we begin any action, and, above all, when we are tempted.”
“To serve the Queen of Heaven is already to reign there and to live under her commands, is more than to govern.”
“What does Jesus Christ do in the Eucharist?
It is God, who, as our Saviour, offers Himself each day for us to His Father’s justice.
If you are in difficulties and sorrows, He will comfort and relieve you. If you are sick, He will either cure you or give you strength to suffer, so as to merit Heaven. If the devil, the world and the flesh are making war upon you, He will give you the weapons with which to fight, to resist and to win the victory. If you are poor, he will enrich you with all sorts of riches for time and for eternity. Let us open the door of His Sacred and Adorable Heart and be wrapped about for an instant, by the flames of His love and we shall see, what a God who loves us, can do. O my God, who shall be able to comprehend?”
“We should consider those moments spent before the Blessed Sacrament as the happiest of our lives.”
“We do not have to talk very much to pray well,” we know that God is there in His Holy Tabernacle. Let us open our hearts to Him, let us rejoice in His Sacred Presence. This is the best prayer.”
“When we cannot go to the church, let us turn towards the tabernacle; no wall can shut us out from the good God.”
“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)
Historically, devotion to Mary Most Holy in the form of her Immaculate Heart first occurs in the thirteenth century with St Mechtilde, St Gertrude, St Bernardine of Siena and others. In the seventeenth century, St Francis de Sales was an exponent of this devotion. But it was St John Eudes the great apostle of the Immaculate Heart (1601-1680), who gave the decisive impulse to the practice.
In the same century, the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus came back to light through St Margaret Mary Alacoque and her confessor, St Claude de La Colombiere. As the devotion to the Sacred Heart spread, so did the devotion to the Immaculate Heart. Both St Margaret Mary and St Claude, were deeply dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as well.
Beginning with Pope Pius VI, several popes incrementally spread the devotion but in 1944 Pope Pius XII extended it to the whole Church, fixing the Feast Celebration on 22 August. Today, the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is celebrated on the Saturday following the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is movable, always observed on a Friday, nineteen days after Pentecost Sunday.
The Physical Heart, Symbol of the Spiritual Heart
The Fathers of the Church consider that when, from the Cross, Our Lord Jesus made the Blessed Lady, the mother of St John and thus He appointed her the mother of all men.
Thus, Mary’s heart is the physical symbol of her boundless love for God and humankind. But Our Lady’s physical heart is also the symbol of her spiritual heart. Thus, in the Immaculate Heart of Mary we also honour her inner life, her virtues, her perfect purity, her boundless humility, her affections and her sorrow.
Poignant in Catholic tradition is the representation of Mary’s heart pierced by a sword, symbol of her immense sorrow at witnessing and willing her Son’s passion and death for the salvation of our souls.
Fatima and the Immaculate Heart of Mary
–The Five First Saturdays Devotion
In the second apparition of Fatima, Our Lady showed the seers, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta, her heart encircled by thorns. Later, on 10 December 1925, in a private apparition to Sister Lucia, she asked for the devotion of reparation of the Five First Saturdays.
The Blessed Mother appeared alongside the Child Jesus who stood over a luminous cloud. Our Lady rested one hand on the Child’s shoulder while she held on the other hand a heart pierced with thorns.
The Child said,
“Have pity on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother which is covered with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment with no-one to extract them with an act of reparation.
I want My Church to…put the devotion to this Immaculate Heart beside the devotion to My Sacred Heart.”
“Look, my daughter, My Heart surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce me at every moment with blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, make sure to console me and announce that all those who for five months, on the first Saturdays, go to Confession, receive Communion, say five decades of the Rosary and keep me company for 15 minutes meditating on the Mysteries of the Rosary, with the purpose of making reparation to Me, I promise to assist them at the hour of death with all the graces necessary for the salvation of their souls.”
Our Lady assured Lúcia: “My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God.” Thus, if we devote ourselves to her Immaculate Heart, Mary will lead us to her Son, Jesus Christ and we will be on the way to Heaven.
Our Lady of Fatima
“…Let us continue Immaculate Mary’s mission. All is included in it. May [we].. follow her example and be the handmaid of the Lord in everything, everywhere and always.”
Quote/s of the Day – 23 July – the Memorial of St John Cassian (c 360- c 435), St Bridget of Sweden (c 1303 – 1373)
“Whoever has achieved love has God within himself and his intellect is always with God.”
“No structure of virtue can possibly be raised in our soul unless, first, the foundations of true humility are laid in our heart.”
“The thief on the cross certainly did not receive the Kingdom of Heaven as a reward for his virtues but as a grace and a mercy from God. He can serve as an authentic witness that our salvation is given to us only by God’s mercy and grace. All the holy masters knew this and unanimously taught that perfection in holiness can be achieved only through humility.”
St John Cassian (c 360- c 435)
“O Lord, make haste and illumine the night. Say to my soul that nothing happens without You permitting it and that nothing of what You permit, is without comfort.”
“There is no sinner in the world, however much at enmity with God, who cannot recover God’s grace, by recourse to Mary and by asking her assistance.”
Quote/s of the Day – 16 July – The Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
“Speaking of Mary”
“In her, God spun a garment with which to save us.”
St Ephrem (306-373) Father & Doctor
“A gentle maiden having lodged a God in her womb, asks as it’s price, peace for the world, salvation for those who are lost and life for the dead.”
St Peter Chrysologus “Golden Words”
(c 400-450) Father & Doctor
“No-one will ever be, the servant of the Son without serving the Mother.”
St Ildephonsus (607-670)
“If the hurricanes of temptation rise against you, or you are running upon the rocks of trouble, look to the star – call on Mary!”
St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor
“What shall we say, brethren? Is she not our mother? Certainly, brethren, she is in truth our mother. Through her we are born, not to the world but to God.”
St Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167)
“Mary is the most sweet bait, chosen, prepared and ordained by God, to catch the hearts of men.”
St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)
Doctor of the Church
“Just as there is not one among all the Blessed who loves God as Mary does, so there is no-one, after God, who loves us as much as this most loving Mother does. Furthermore, if we heaped together all the love that mothers have for their children, all the love of husbands and wives, all the love of all the angels and Saints for their clients, it could never equal Mary’s love for even a single soul.”
St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Doctor of the Church
(The Glories of Mary)
“Only after the Last Judgment will Mary get any rest; from now until then, she is much too busy with her children.”
“To serve the Queen of Heaven, is already to reign there and to live under her commands, is more than to govern.”
St John Marie Baptiste Vianney (1786-1859)
”To desire grace, without recourse to the Virgin Mother, is to desire to fly without wings!”
Ven Servant of God Pope Pius XII (1876-1958)
“Always stay close to this Heavenly Mother, because she is the sea to be crossed to reach the shores of Eternal Splendour.”
St Padre Pio (1887-1968)
“Honouring Mary, no matter how sacred, is only the door leading to Jesus. Mary is the means, Jesus is the end. Mary is the road, Jesus is the destination.”
Quote/s of the Day – 15 July – The Memorial of St Bonaventure (1221-1274) Doctor of the Church
“Bonaventure so united holiness and theological knowledge that he rose to the heights of mysticism, while remaining a very active preacher and teacher, one beloved by all who met him. To know him was to love him; to read him is still for us today to meet a true Franciscan and a gentleman.”
“If you learn everything, except Christ, you learn nothing. If you learn nothing, except Christ, you learn everything.”
“When we pray, the voice of the heart must be heard, more than the proceedings, from the mouth.”
“Men do not fear a powerful hostile army, as the powers of hell, fear the name and protection of Mary.”
“If you do not know your own dignity and condition, you cannot value anything at its proper worth.”
“In everything, whether it is a thing sensed, or a thing known, God Himself is hidden within.”
St Bonaventure (1221-1274)
Seraphic Doctor of the Church
Thought for the Day – 20 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“All Generations Shall Call Me Blessed”
‘A Jewish girl, poor in this world’s goods but rich in virtue, arrived after a long and difficult journey at a village in the hills of Judea, called Hebron. There, she paid a visit to her cousin, Elizabeth. When Elizabeth saw the girl, she was immediately enlightened by the Holy Spirit with the knowledge, that her visitor, was the Mother of God. “How have I deserved,” she cried out, “that the mother of my Lord, should come to me?” (Lk 1:43). At these words, Mary looked up towards Heaven and gave spontaneous expression to a hymn of humble acknowledgement to God, Who had “regarded the lowliness of His Handmaid” (Lk 1:48). Then she made a solemn prophecy, which would surely have assured the cynical intellectuals and nobles of the land but, which history has wonderfully fulfilled. “Behold” she said, “all generations shall call me blessed” (ibid). We can testify today, that this miracle came to pass. All the nations have paid reverence to the Jewish girl, who became the Mother of God and our Mother, the Queen of Heaven and earth, the comforter of the afflicted, the conqueror of Satan and the invincible Guardian of the Church. From the engravings in the Catacombs, to the celestial Madonnas of the Angelico, from the rudimentary sculpture of Roman art, to the prayerful statues on the pinnacles of more modern Cathedrals, the image of Mary has shone as a beacon of hope for all generations. Men bow before her and ask for light, for comfort and for pardon. “If anyone follows Mary,” says St Bernard, “he will not lose his way; if anyone pray to her, he will not despair; if anyone thinks of her, he will not sin; if anyone reaches out to her, he will not fall; if anyone places himself under her protection, he need have no fear; if anyone places himself under her leadership, he will never give up; if anyone pays homage to her, he is certain reach his destination safely”(Homil Missus est 2:17).”
Quote/s of the Day – 20 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
“I want My Church to…put the devotion to this Immaculate Heart beside the devotion to My Sacred Heart.”
Jesus to Lúcia of Fatima
“Look, my Daughter,” Our Lady said to Lúcia on 10 December 1925, “at my heart, surrounded with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce me. “
Our Lady assured Lúcia: “My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God.” Thus, if we devote ourselves to her Immaculate Heart, Mary will lead us to her Son, Jesus Christ and we will be on the way to Heaven.
Our Lady of Fatima
“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)
“Do you not know, that not only is Jesus, resting and dwelling continually in the Heart of Mary but that He is, Himself the Heart of Mary … “
St John Eudes
Apostle of the Two Holy Hearts
“If you put all the love, of all the mothers into one heart, it still would not equal the love of the Heart of Mary for her children.”
St Louis de Montfort (1673-1716)
“…Let us continue Immaculate Mary’s mission. All is included in it. May [we].. follow her example and be the handmaid of the Lord in everything, everywhere and always.”
Quote/s of the Day – 9 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Tuesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time, Year A and the Memorial of St Ephrem of Syria (306-373) Father & Doctor of the Church
“We give glory to You, Lord, who raised up Your Cross to span the jaws of death like a bridge by which souls might pass from the region of the dead to the land of the living. .. You are incontestably alive. Your murderers sowed Your living body in the earth as farmers sow grain but it sprang up and yielded an abundant harvest of men raised from the dead.”
“Jesus, who feared nothing, experienced fear and asked to be freed from death – although He knew it was impossible. How much more, must we persevere in prayer before temptation assails us – so that we may be freed when the test has come!”
“She bore within herself, as a child, Him by whom the world was filled. He descended to become the model that would renew Adam’s ancient image.”
“You gave us so many gifts on the day of Your birth, a treasure chest of spiritual medicines for the sick. spiritual light for the blind, the cup of salvation for the thirsty, the bread of life for the hungry.”
“We have had Your treasure hidden within us, ever since we received baptismal grace, it grows ever richer at Your sacramental table.”
“Mary’s titles are numberless… she is the palace in which the mighty King of kings abode, yet He did not cast her out when He came, because it was from her that He took flesh and was born. She is the new heaven in which dwelt the King of kings, in her, Christ arose and from her, rose up to enlighten creation, formed and fashioned in His image. She is the stock of the vine that bore the grape, she yielded a fruit greater than nature and He, although other than her in His nature, ripened in colour on being born of her. She is the spring from which living waters sprang up for the thirsty and all those who drank them, yielded fruit a hundredfold.”
St Ephrem (306-373)
Father and Doctor of the Church
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