Our Morning Offering – 28 August – St Augustine (354-430) – Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of Grace and Father
O God, the House of My Soul is Narrow By St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of Grace
O God, the Light of the heart, which sees Thee, The Life of the soul, which loves Thee, The Strength of the mind, which seeks Thee, May I ever continue to be steadfast in Thy love. Be the Joy of my heart, Take all of me to Thyself and abide therein. The house of my soul is, I confess, too narrow for Thee. Enlarge it, that Thou may enter. It is ruinous but do repair it. It has within it what must offend Thine Eyes, I confess and know it, But whose help shall I seek in cleansing it but Thine alone? To Thee, O God, I cry urgently. Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep me from false pride and sensuality, that they may not get dominion over me. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 28 August – St Augustine (354-430) – Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of Grace and Father – Readings: Sir 15:5, Ps 91:2, 2 Tim 4:1-8, Matt 5:13-19
You are the light of the world. A city seated on a mountain cannot be hid.
Matt 5:13-19
REFLECTION – This “day which the Lord has made” penetrates all things, contains all things and simultaneously embraces heaven, earth and the underworld! The light which is Christ is neither hindered by walls nor broken by the elements nor darkened by shadow. Yes, I say, the light of Christ is a day without night, a day without end, shining everywhere, extending everywhere, remaining everywhere. Christ is day, says the apostle Paul: “The night is advanced, the day is near”. The night is advanced, he says, it precedes the day. Understand by this that, as soon as the light of Christ appears, the darkness of the devil is dispersed and the night of sin does not follow, eternal splendor casts out the shadows of yesterday and halts the insinuating advance of evil.
Scripture attests that the day of Christ illumines heaven, earth and hell. It shines on the earth: "He was the true light" says saint John, "who enlightens everyone, coming into the world". It gives light in the underworld: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;" says the prophet, "upon those who lived in a land of gloom a light has shone". And in heaven this day remains, as David said: "His dynasty will continue forever, his throne like the sun before me".
Saint Maximus of Turin
PRAYER – Give heed to our humble prayers, Almighty God and through the intercession of blessed Augustine, Thy Confessor and Bishop, kindly grant Thy oft-given mercy to those upon whom Thou bestows great hope in Thy forgiveness. 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
Our Morning Offering – 27 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” and Feast of Our Lady Health of the Sick and Mary’s Day
Virgin Full of Goodness, Mother of Mercy By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor angelicus Doctor communis
Virgin full of goodness, Mother of mercy, I entrust to you my body and my soul, my thoughts and my actions, my life and my death. My Queen, come to my aid and deliver me from the snares of the devil. Obtain for me the grace of loving my Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, with a true and perfect love, and after Him, O Mary, of loving you with all my heart and above all things. Amen.
Our Morning Offering – 26 August – “Come Jesus, for My Feet are Soiled”
Come Jesus, for My Feet are Soiled By Origen of Alexandria (c 185-253)
Come Jesus, for my feet are soiled. Become once more, a Servant for my sake. Pour water into Your basin and come and wash my feet. I know these words of mine, presume too much and yet, I dread those frightening Words of Yours, “If I do not wash your feet, you can have no part in me!” Then wash my feet, so that I belong to You. Yet how can I dare to say, “Wash my feet?” Let Peter say so; he needed only to have his feet washed For he was clean through and through. I too have been washed once in Baptism and yet, I need that other cleansing that You spoke of, when You said: “I have another baptism to undergo;” Cleanse me Lord thoroughly, by Your saving Death. Amen
Origen Adamantius (c 185-253) Priest, Theologian, Exegist, Writer, Apologist, Father
One Minute Reflection – 26 August – St Zephyrinus, Martyr and Pope – Readings: Ps 73:20; 73:19; 73:23, Ps 73:1, Gal 3:16-22, Luke 17:11-19
Were not the ten made clean? But where are the nine? Has no one been found to return and give glory to God, except this foreigner?
Luke 17:11-19
REFLECTION – If people would do for God what they do for the world, my dear people, what a great number of Christians would go to Heaven! But if you, dear children, had to pass three or four hours praying in a church, as you pass them at a dance or in a cabaret, how heavily the time would press upon you! If you had to go to a great many different places in order to hear a sermon, as you go for your pastimes or to satisfy your avarice and greed, what pretexts there would be, and how many detours would be taken to avoid going at all. But nothing is too much trouble when done for the world.
What is more, people are not afraid of losing either God or their souls or Heaven. With what good reason did Jesus Christ, my dear people, say that the children of this world are more zealous in serving their master, the world, than the children of light are in serving theirs, who is God. To our shame, we must admit that people fear neither expense, nor even going into debt, when it is a matter of satisfying their pleasures, but if some poor person asks them for help, they have nothing at all. This is true of so many: they have everything for the world and nothing at all for God because to them, the world is everything and God is nothing.
St John Vianney
PRAYER – Look forgivingly on Thy flock, Eternal Shepherd, and keep it in thy constant protection, by the intercession of blessed Zephyrinus Thy Martyr and Sovereign Pontiff, whom Thou didst constitute Shepherd of the whole Church.Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 25 August – St Louis IX (1214-1270) Confessor, King of France
O God, We Love Thee Prayer inspired by St Louis’ Last Instructions to his Eldest Son, Philip (Perhaps Philip prayed thus)
O God, we love Thee. We wish to do nothing to displease Thee. If we have troubles, let us thank Thee. If we do not, we also humbly thank Thee. Let us pray diligently and be compassionate and generous to the poor. May we hold fast all that is good and all that is bad, discard. We thank Thee for friends, who help us bear our burdens and help us grow in holiness. Let us turn away from calumniators and slanderers and lend a willing ear to those who speak of God. Let us always do what is right and just for those we serve and promote peace among our neighbours. Let us be quick to defend our Faith. O Holy Lord, all Thy holy Saints, defend us from all evils. Grant us Thy grace to fulfil always, Thy Holy Will, so that Thou may be glorified and honoured and so we may be with Thee forever. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 25 August – St Louis IX (1214-1270) Confessor, King of France – Readings: Ps 36:30-31, Ps 36:1, Wis 10:10-14, Luke 19:12-26
I say to you that to everyone who has shall be given; but from him who does not have, even that which he has shall be taken away.
Luke 19:12-26
REFLECTION – What have we to offer God? Faith and love. That is where we find what God asks of us, as it is written: “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, and follow his ways exactly, to love and serve the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul”. These are the offerings and these the gifts we should make to the Lord. And if we are to offer him these gifts with all our heart, then first of all we must get to know him. We must have drunk of the knowledge of his goodness from the deep waters of his well.
People who deny that salvation lay within the power of our freedom should be ashamed on hearing these words! Would God ask something from us if we weren't capable of responding to God's demand and giving him what he owed? For there is God's gift but also our contribution. For example, it was well within that man's power that one gold coin should make ten or five more; but that the man should possess that gold coin with which to produce ten more in the first place belonged to God. Once he had given God the ten gold coins he had made, the man received a new sort of gift: not money this time, but the power and sovereignty over ten cities.
In the same way, God asked Abraham to make an offering of his son, Isaac, on the mountain he would show him. And Abraham, without hesitation, offered his only son: he laid him on the altar and drew out his knife to slay him. But at once a voice restrained him and a ram was given him to be sacrificed in his son's place. So you see: what we offer God depends on us; but this offering is asked of us so that, in making our gift, we might witness to our love for God and faith in him.
Origen (c.185-253)
PRAYER – O God, Who transported Thy blessed Confessor Louis from an earthly throne to the glory of the heavenly Kingdom, by his merits and intercession we beseech Thee, to make us of the company of the King of kings, Jesus Christ Thy Son. Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 24 August – St Bartholomew the Apostle and Martyr – Readings: Ps 138:17, Ps 138:1-2, 1 Cor. 12:27-31, Luke 6:12-19
At that time, Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when day broke, He summoned His disciples; and from these He chose twelve – whom He also named Apostles- Simon, whom He named Peter, and his brother Andrew; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alpheus, and Simon called the Zealot; Jude the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, who turned traitor.
Luke 6:12-19
REFLECTION – “Her foundations are upon the holy hills; the Lord loves the gates of Zion.” “You are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone”. Christ, the cornerstone, and the apostles and mighty prophets, the hills that bear the fabric of the city, constitute a sort of living structure. This living building now makes its voice resound in your hearts. God himself, a master builder, is working in you through my tongue so that you may be built up into its structure, like so many squared stones.
Note the shape of a stone that has been perfectly squared off: Christians should have similar qualities. In all their trials they never fall; though pushed and, after a fashion, knocked over, they do not fall; for whatever way a square stone is turned, it still stands erect. Be similar to those squared stones, and be thus prepared for every shock; whatever the force which may push you, it cannot make you lose balance.
You will rise to take your place in this building by a sincere Christian life, by faith, hope and love. The holy city is constructed of its own citizens; they are themselves the blocks that form this city, for these stones are living: "You also," says Scripture, "like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house," Why are the apostles and prophets the foundations? Because their authority is the support of our weakness. Through them we enter the kingdom of God: they proclaim it to us; and while we enter by their means, we enter also through Christ, who is himself its gate.
Saint Augustine
PRAYER – Almighty, eternal God, Who bestowed on us the devout and holy joy of this day to celebrate the Feast of Thy blessed Apostle Bartholomew, grant unto Thy Church, we beseech Thee, both to love what he believed and to preach what he taught. 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
Our Morning Offering – 24 August – St Bartholomew the Apostle and Martyr
Exsultet Orbis! Let the World Rejoice! Unknown Author
Now let the earth with joy resound, And Heaven the chant re-echo round; Nor Heaven nor earth too high can raise The great Apostles’ glorious praise.
O ye who, throned in glory dread, Shall judge the living and the dead, Lights of the world forever more! To you the suppliant prayer we pour.
Ye close the Sacred Gates on high. At your command apart they fly. O loose for us the guilty chain We strive to break and strive in vain.
Sickness and health your voice obey, At your command they go or stay. From sin’s disease our souls restore; In good confirm us more and more.
So when the world is at its end. And Christ to Judgment shall descend, May we be called, those joys to see Prepared from all eternity.
Praise to the Father, with the Son, And Holy Spirit, Three in One; As ever was in ages past And so shall be while ages last. Amen
(Roman Breviary for the Common of Apostles) An Office Hymn that was traditionally prescribed for Vespers and Lauds on the Feasts of Apostles and Evangelists outside Easter time. The Hymn is found as early as the tenth century in a hymnal of Moissac Abbey.
Our Morning Offering – 23 August – – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary”
Mary, I Beg You By St Anselm (1033-1109) Magnificent Doctor Marian Doctor
Mary, I beg you, by that grace through which the Lord is with you and you will to be with Him, let your mercy be with me. Let love for you always be with me, and the care for me be always with you. Let the cry of my need, as long as it persists, be with you, and the care of your goodness, as long as I need it, be with me. Let joy in your blessedness be always with me, and compassion for my wretchedness, where I need it, be with you. Amen.
One Minute Reflection – 23 August – St Philip Benizi OSM (1233-1285) Confessor – Readings: Ps 73:20; 73:19; 73:23, Ps 73:1, Gal 3:16-22, Luke 17:11-19
But Jesus answered and said, Were not the ten made clean? But where are the nine? Has no one been found to return and give glory to God, except this foreigner?
Luke 17:11-19
REFLECTION – Very dear brothers and lords in Christ, I Catherine, the slave of the servants of Jesus Christ, I write to you in his precious blood, with the desire to see you grateful for all the benefits that you have received from God, so that they can increase and nourish in you the source of divine love in your souls. Gratitude is very pleasant to God, and is very useful to us; But ingratitude displeases God a lot and does us great harm: Ingratitude dries up the springs of piety, and we invite God to no longer increase His graces and to deprive us of those he gave us. It is therefore necessary to apply oneself with great zeal to see the benefits of God, because by seeing them we will be grateful and by gratitude we will return glory and praise to his name.
And how will we show our gratitude and ingratitude? I'm going to tell you: we will show our ingratitude by offending the goodness of God and our neighbour, offering them in a thousand ways and by a thousand injustices, by not giving them what we are forced to return to them, that is, by not loving God over all things, and the neighbour as ourselves. Quite the opposite happens for the faithful man, grateful to his Creator; he does him justice by giving him what is due, that is the praise and the honour that God asks; He does it by loving Him above all things, and loving his neighbour as himself. He contemplates the humility of God to lower his pride; he widens his heart in charity, and he purifies himself of all defilement in the purity of Christ, in the abundance of his precious blood.
So I want my very dear brothers, that you are grateful for the graces that you have received from our creator, so that they may increase.
Saint Catherine of Siena
PRAYER – O God, Who through St. Philip, Thy Confessor, gave us an outstanding example of humility, grant that Thy household may follow his example by scorning worldly prosperity and, ever seek the things of Heaven 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
Our Morning Offering – 22 August – Month and Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Octave Day of the Assumption)
O Immaculate Heart of Mary By St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302)
O Immaculate Heart of Mary, I have nothing in myself to offer thee which is worthy of thee but what thankgiving I ought I to pay thee, for all the favours which thou hast obtained for me from the Heart of Jesus! What reparation ought I to make thee for all my tepidity, in thy service! I desire to return thee love for love, the only good which I possess, is the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which thou, thyself hast given me. I offer thee this Treasure of Infinite Price, I cannot do more and thou dost not deserve less, at my hand but, receiving from me, this Gift most Precious in thy sight, be pleased, I beseech thee, to accept too, my poor heart, which I here offer to thee and I shall be forever blessed. Amen.
One Minute Reflection – 22 August – Month and Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Octave Day of the Assumption) – Readings: Heb 4:16, Ps 44:2, Sir 24:23-31, John 19:25-27
At that time, there were standing by the Cross of Jesus, His Mother, and His Mother’s sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalen. When Jesus, therefore, saw His Mother and the disciple standing by, whom He loved, He said to His Mother, Woman, behold your son. Then He said to the disciple, Behold, your mother. And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
John 19:25-27
REFLECTION – There are two martyrdom species: one manifest, the other secret; One visible, the other hidden; One in the flesh, the other in the heart. The martyrdom of the heart goes beyond the torments of the flesh.
So the glorious virgin triumphed in this kind of suffering, all the more glorious as it was closer when, attached to the adorable cross of the Lord's passion, she drew from the chalice, she drinks of His passion, watered in the torrent of pain, she could endure a pain forever unparalleled. She runs following Jesus not only with the smell of her perfumes, but in the abundance of her pain; Not only in the joy of consolations, but also in the overflow of suffering. Mother, she saw her son, the real Solomon, with the tiara of which she had crowned him and, herself crowned with a crown of affliction, she was following Him.
She was standing with the cross to consider the very soft head of her son, anoint of oil with her companions, struck with a reed and crowned with thorns. She saw the most beautiful of the children of men who no longer had neither radiance or beauty. She saw despised and restored to the last rank He who is exalted above all peoples. She saw the saint of saints crucified with the scoundrels and the impious. She saw the eyes of this sublime man lowering himself, and the head of the one who supports the universe to lean, tilted on his shoulders, the very serene face of God wither, and vanish the beauty of his face.
St Amadeus of Lausanne
PRAYER – Almighty, everlasting God, Who in the Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, prepared a dwelling place worthy of the Holy Spirit, graciously grant, that we, who are devoutly keeping the Feast of her Immaculate Heart, may be able to live according to Thy Heart.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
Our Morning Offering – 21 August – The Memorial of St Jane Frances de Chantal VHM (1572-1641)
Prayer of Abandonment By St Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)
O sovereign goodness of the sovereign Providence of my God! I abandon myself forever to Thy arms. Whether gentle or severe, lead me henceforth whither Thou will. I will not regard the way through which Thou will have me pass but keep my eyes fixed upon Thee, my God, who guides me. My soul finds no rest without the arms and the bosom of this heavenly Providence, my true Mother, my strength and my rampart. Therefore I resolve with Thy Divine assistance, 0 my Saviour, to follow Thy desires and Thy ordinances, without regarding or examining why Thou does this rather than that but I will blindly follow Thee, according to Thy Divine will, without seeking my own inclinations. Hence I am determined to leave all to Thee, taking no part therein, save by keeping myself in peace in Thy arms, desiring nothing, except as Thou incites me to desire, to will, to wish. I offer Thee this desire, 0 my God, beseeching Thee to bless it. I undertake all it includes, relying on Thy goodness, liberality and mercy, with entire confidence in Thee, distrust of myself, and knowledge of my infinite misery and infirmity. Amen.
One Minute Reflection – 21 August – The 11th Sunday after Pentecost and the Memorial of St Jane Frances de Chantal VHM (1572-1641) – Readings: Ps 118:75; 118:120, Ps 118:1, Prov 31:10-31, Matt 13:44-52
I know, O Lord, that Your ordinances are just, and in Your faithfulness You have afflicted me. Pierce my flesh with Your fear; I fear Your ordinances.
Ps 118:75; 118:120
REFLECTION – “He shall rule the world with justice and the peoples with his truth.” Which justice and which truth? He will gather to him his chosen ones; the others he will separate, for he will place the former at his right and the latter at his left. What will be more just, more true than that? Those who did not want to practice mercy before the judge came, will not expect mercy from the judge. Those who wanted to practice mercy, will be judged with mercy. For he will say to those whom he has placed at his right: “Come. You have my Father’s blessing! Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.” And he will attribute acts of mercy to them: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink” and all that follows.
Because you are unjust, will the Judge not be just? Because you sometimes lie, will Truth not be truthful? If you want to meet a merciful judge, be merciful before he comes. Forgive if someone has offended you; give away the possessions of which you have an abundance. Give what you have received from him: “Name something you have that you have not received.”These are the sacrifices that are very pleasing to God: mercy, humility, gratitude, peace, charity. If that is what we bring in sacrifice, we will await with assurance the coming of the Judge, of him who “shall rule the world with justice and the peoples with his truth.”
Saint Augustine
PRAYER – Almighty and merciful God, Who endowed St Jane Frances, burning with love of Thee, with a wondrous strength of spirit through all the paths of life, in the way of perfection and willed through her, to ennoble Thy Church, by a new religious family, grant by her merits and prayers, that we who are aware of our weakness, may trust firmly in Thy power and, by the assistance of divine grace, overcome all obstacles in our way. 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
Our Morning Offering – 20 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” and the Memorial of St Bernard (1090-1153) Confessor, “The Bard of Mary”
To Thee We Cry, O Queen of Mercy! By St Bernard (1090-1153) Mellifluous Doctor of the Church
To thee we cry, O Queen of Mercy! Return, that we may behold thee, dispensing favours, bestowing remedies, giving strength. Ah, tender Mother! Tell thy All-powerful Son that we have no more wine. We are thirsty after the wine of His Love, of that marvellous wine, which fills souls with a holy inebriation, inflames them and gives them the strength to despise the things of this world and to seek, with ardour, Heavenly goods. Amen.
One Minute Reflection – 20August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” and the Memorial of St Bernard (1090-1153) Confessor – Readings: Sir 15:5, Ps 91:2, Ecclus 39:6-14, Matt 5:13-19
Do not think that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
Matt 5:13-19
REFLECTION – “I have come not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it”… Indeed, at that time, by his own power and in his own person, the Lord fulfilled all the mysteries the law foretold concerning himself. All prophecies were fulfilled by his passion. When, as holy David predicted, a sponge full of vinegar was offered him on the cross, he accepted it and said: “It is fulfilled”; and bowing his head, he gave up his spirit.
Now as well as carrying out himself all that had been prophesied, he also gave us commandments to carry out. Of old the easier commandments laid down by the law were not observed, but we, by grace and the power of the cross, are expected to observe more difficult ones.
Epiphanius of Benevento (5th-6th centuries)
PRAYER – O God, Who gave to Thy people, blessed Bernard, as a minister of salvation, grant, we beseech Thee, that we, who cherished him on earth as a teacher of life, may be found worthy to have him as an intercessor in Heaven.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
Our Morning Offering – 19August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” and the Memorial of St John Eudes (1601-1680) Confessor, “The Apostle of Two Hearts.”
To the Two Loving Hearts By St John Eudes (1601-1680)
O Jesus, only Son of God, only Son of Mary, I offer You the most loving Heart of Your divine Mother which is more precious and pleasing to You than all hearts.
O Mary, Mother of Jesus, I offer you the most adorable Heart of your well-beloved Son, who is the life and love and joy of your Heart.
Blessed be the Most Loving Heart and Sweet Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the most glorious Virgin Mary, His Mother, in eternity and forever. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 19 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” and the Memorial of St John Eudes (1601-1680) Confessor, “The Apostle of Two Hearts”– Readings: Ps 36:30-31, Ps 36:1, Sir 31:8-11, Luke 12:35-40
The mouth of the just man tells of wisdom, and his tongue utters what is right. The law of his God is in his heart.
Ps 36:30-31
REFLECTION – How blessed, how happy are those servants, “whom the lord when he comes shall find watching!” Blessed watch, in which they watch for God the Creator of the universe, who fills all things and surpasses all!
Would that me also, wretched though I be, yet his poor servant, he might deign so to arouse from the sleep of idleness, so to kindle with that fire of divine love, that the flame of his love, the longing of his so great charity, would mount above the stars, and the divine fire would ever burn within me!
Would that I were of such deserving, that my lamp might ever burn by night in the temple of my Lord, that to all entering the house of my God it might give light. Lord, grant me, I pray you in the name of Jesus Christ your Son, my God, that love which knows no fall, so that my lamp may feel the kindling touch and know no quenching, may burn for me and for others may give light.
Saint Columbanus
PRAYER – O God, Who wondrously enkindled St John, Thy Confessor, to promote the religious veneration of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and through him, willed to found new religious families in the Church, grant, we beseech Thee that we may honour his holy merits and may learn from the example of his virtues. 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.
Our Morning Offering – 18 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” and the Memorial of St Macarius the Wonder-Worker (Died 850)
To Thee, O Master Morning Offering By St Macarius the Wonder-Worker (Died 850)
To Thee, O Master, who loves all mankind I hasten on rising from sleep. By Thy mercy, I go out to do Thy work and I make my prayer to Thee. Help me at all times and in all things. Deliver me from every evil thing of this world and from pursuit by the devil. Save me and bring me to Thy eternal Kingdom, For Thou art my Creator, Thou inspire all good thoughts in me. In Thee is all my hope and to Thee I give glory, now and forever. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 18 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – Within the Octave of the Assumption – Readings: Ps 69:2-3, Ps 69:4, 2 Cor. 3:4-9, Luke 10:23-37
‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I, on my way back, will repay you.’
Luke 10:23-37
REFLECTION – As God created man to his own image and likeness, so did he appoint for man a love after the image and resemblance of the love which is due to His own divinity. He said: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart; this is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” Why do we love God? “The cause for which we love God,” says S. Bernard, “is God Himself;” as though he had said: we love God because He is the most sovereign and infinite goodness.And why do we love ourselves in charity? Surely because we are the image and likeness of God; and whereas all men are endowed with the same dignity, we love them also as ourselves, that is, as being holy and living images of the divinity.
For it is on that account that He makes no difficulty about calling Himself our father and us His children; it is on that account that we are capable of being united to His divine essence by the fruition of His sovereign goodness and felicity; it is on that account that we receive His grace, that our spirits are associated to His most Holy Spirit and made, after a fashion, a participant of His divine nature. And therefore the same charity which produces the acts of the love of God produces at the same time those of the love of our neighbour. And even as Jacob saw that one same ladder which touched heaven and earth serving the angels both for descending and ascending, so we know that one same charity extends itself to both the love of God and our neighbour.
Saint Francis de Sales
PRAYER – O Lord, we beseech Thee, forgive the transgressions of Thy servant, and, forasmuch as by our own deeds we cannot please Thee, may we find safety through the prayers of, the Mother of Thy Son and our Lord. 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
You also must be ready, because at an hour that you do not expect, the Son of Man is coming.
Luke 12:35-40
REFLECTION – My beloved, that a person should do the will of God is what constitutes prayer. That is how prayer seems to me to excel. Above all, be eager for prayer and do not weary in it, as it is written that our Lord said: “Pray and do not weary.” You should be eager in wakefulness and remove far from yourself drowsiness and sleep; you should be watchful both by day and by night and not be disheartened.
Now I shall show you the different occasions for prayer. There is petition, thanksgiving, and praise. In petition one asks for mercy for one's sins, in thanksgiving you give thanks to your Father who is in heaven, while in praise you praise Him for his works. At a time when you are in trouble, offer up petition, and when you are well supplied with good things, you should give thanks to the Giver, and when your mind rejoices, offer up praise.
Make all these prayers of yours with discernment to God. See how David was always saying: “I have risen to give thanks to you for your judgments, O Just One.”. And in another psalm he said: “Praise the Lord in heaven, praise him in the heights”. Again he says: “I will bless the Lord at all times, and at all times his praises are in my mouth”. Do not pray using only one kind of prayer, but all separately according to circumstance.
I am convinced, my beloved, that everything people ask for with diligence, God will grant them.But he takes no pleasure in the person who offers up prayer in mockery. As it is written: “This is required of the person who prays, offering up prayer: that he turn over and inspect his offering well, lest some blemish be found on it; only then should he offer it” , so that your offering does not remain on earth. What is this offering if not prayer? Of all offerings pure prayer is the best.
Aphrahat (?-c.345)monk and Bishop near Mosul
PRAYER – Father of might and power, every good and perfect gift comes to us from You. Implant in our hearts the love of Your Name and Your creatures. Increase our zeal for Your service by following behind Your Son with determination and joy. Nourish in us what good and tend it with watchful care. Grant that the prayers and caring love of the Blessed Virgin, our Mother, may help us to follow Jesus our Saviour unreservedly and thus attain eternal life. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord in the union of the Holy Spirit, one God for all eternity, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 17 August – “Month of the Immaculate Heart”
Jesus, Joy of Loving Hearts By St Bernard (1090-1153) Mellifluous Doctor of the Church and the last Father of the Church
Jesus, joy of loving hearts, You Fount of life, You Light of men, from the best bliss that earth imparts we turn unfilled to You again. We taste You, O You living Bread, and long to feast upon You still. We drink of You, the Fountainhead, and thirst our souls from You to fill. O Jesus, ever with us stay, make all our moments calm and bright; chase the dark night of sin away, shed o’er the world Your holy light. Amen, Amen
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples: Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I say to you, many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and they have not seen it; and to hear what you hear, and they have not heard it.
Luke 10:23-37
REFLECTION – Come then, Lord, “save me and I shall be saved” (Jer 17:14). Come and “smile upon us and we shall find deliverance”. We have waited for you, “be our stronghold, our deliverer in time of trouble” (Is 33:2). In this fashion did the prophets and holy men, with great desire and longing, run to greet the Christ who was to come, hoping if possible to see with their eyes what they foresaw in their hearts. Hence the words of the Lord to his disciples: “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see; I tell you there have been many prophets and holy men who longed to see what you see and never saw it, to hear what you hear and never heard it.” Abraham, our father, “was full of joy to see the day” of Christ. “He saw it” — but in the lower regions — “and rejoiced”.
In that day the coldness and hardness of our hearts will be greatly punished—I mean, if we do not look forward with joy of spirit to the anniversary of Christ’s birth which, we are promised, we shall, God willing, see very soon. In fact Holy Scripture seems to insist we have such joy so that our spirit, lifted out of itself, may run to meet the arrival of Christ in transports of joy, and, straining forward impatient of delay, may strive to pierce the future even now.
Blessed Guerric of Igny
PRAYER – Lord God, You filled the Saints with strength and courage and gave them the knowledge of unity with You. Grant, we pray, that in imitation of them, we may defend the Catholic faith and renew all things in Christ, Your Son. Help us Holy Father, to follow the example of the Immaculate Heart of the Mother of Your Son and all Your Saints and finally inherit eternal life, with You. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 16 August – “Month of the Immaculate Heart”
Mary, our Queen and Mother of Mercy By St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Evangelical Doctor of the Church
Mary, our Queen, Holy Mother of God, we beg you to hear our prayer. Make our hearts overflow with Divine grace and resplendent with heavenly wisdom. Render them strong with your might and rich in virtue. Pour down upon us the gift of mercy so that we may obtain the pardon of our sins. Help us to live in such a way as to merit the glory and bliss of heaven. May this be granted us, by your Son Jesus Who has exalted you above the Angels, has crowned you as Queen, and has seated you with Himself forever, on his refulgent throne. Amen.
One Minute Reflection – 15 August – Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven, Readings: Apoc 12:1, Ps 97:1, Judith 13:22-25; 13:15; 13:10, Luke 1:41-50
“For behold, henceforth, all generations shall call me blessed.”
Luke 1:48
REFLECTION – If Saint Mary Magdalene – who had been a sinner and from whom the Lord had cast out seven demons – merited to be glorified by him to the extent that her praise abides forever among the assembly of the saints, who can measure the extent to which “the upright rejoice and dance for joy in the presence of the Lord” with regard to holy Mary, who knew not man? If the apostle Peter – who was not only unable to watch for one hour with Christ but who even went so far as to deny him – afterwards won such favor that the keys of the Kingdom of heaven were entrusted to him, of what praises is holy Mary not worthy, who bore the king of angels himself in her womb, he whom the heavens cannot contain? If Saul, who “breathed murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord” was the object of such mercy that he was “caught up to the third heaven, whether in the body or out of the body”, it is not surprising that the holy Mother of God – who stayed beside her son through all the trials he endured from his cradle onwards – should have been lifted up to heaven, even in her body, and exalted high above the choirs of angels.
If there is “joy in heaven before the angels over one sinner who repents”, who can tell what joyful and lovely praises rise up before God concerning holy Mary who never sinned? Indeed, if those who “once were darkness” and have now become “light in the Lord” “will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father”, who is able to tell “the eternal weight of glory” of holy Mary, who came into the world “like dawn arising, beautiful as the moon, resplendent as the sun” and of whom was born “the true light which enlightens everyone coming into the world”? Moreover, since our Lord said: “Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am there will my servant also be”, where do we think his mother must be who served him with such eagerness and fidelity? If she followed him and obeyed him even to death, no one can wonder that now, more than anyone else, she “follows the Lamb wherever he goes.”
PRAYER – God our Father, You crowned the Blessed Virgin Mary on the day of her Assumption with a glory beyond compare. You had looked on her lowliness and had made her the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, Your only-begotten Son. Grant that by her prayers, we may be saved by the mystery of Your redemption and share with her in the glory of eternal life. We make our prayer through Christ Your Son, our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God now and for all eternity, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 15 August – The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Prayer in Honour of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary By Pope Pius XII (1876-1958)
O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God and Mother of men, we believe with all the fervour of our faith, in thy triumphal Assumption, both body and soul, into Heaven, where thou art acclaimed as Queen by all the Choirs of Angels and all the legions of the Saints. And we unite with them to praise and bless the Lord, who has exalted thee above all other pure creatures and to offer thee the tribute of our devotion and our love. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 14 August – “Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary”
O Immaculate Heart of Mary, Heart of Love and Mercy
O Most Blessed Mother, heart of love, heart of mercy, ever listening, caring, consoling, hear our prayer. As your children, we implore your intercession with Jesus your Son. Receive with understanding and compassion the petitions we place before you today, especially those so deep in our heart. We are comforted in knowing your heart is ever open to those who ask for your prayer. We trust to your gentle care and intercession, those whom we love and those who are sick or lonely or hurting. Help all of us, Holy Mother, to bear our burdens in this life until we may share eternal life and peace with God forever. Amen
At that time, as Jesus was speaking to the multitudes, a certain woman from the crowd lifted up her voice and said to Him, Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts that nursed You. But He said, Rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.
Luke 11:27-28
REFLECTION – May Christ help you, dearest brethren, always to welcome with an eager and thirsting heart the reading of God’s word; then your faithful obedience will fill you with spiritual joy. But if you wish Holy Scripture to bring you sweetness and the divine precepts to profit you as much as they should, then relax from your material preoccupations for a few hours. Read God’s words over again in your house, dedicate yourselves entirely to his mercy. Thus you will succeed in realizing within yourself what is written of the man who is blessed: “meditating on the Law of the Lord day and night” and “Happy are they who observe his decrees, who seek him with all their heart”.
Merchants don’t seek to make a profit on one single product but on several. Cultivators seek a better return by sowing different kinds of seed. You who look for spiritual gains don’t be satisfied just with listening to the sacred texts in church. Read them at home. When days are short, profit by the long evenings. Thus you will be able to gather spiritual grain into your heart’s storehouse and lay out in the treasure house of your souls the precious pearls of Scripture.
Saint Caesarius of Arles
PRAYER – God almighty Father, grant that we may be instruments of welcome and of that love with which Jesus, Your Son, embraces the littlest ones. May we be a society of love and of holy parenting of all children, especially those most in need. Holy Mother, teach us and guide us in prayer and love of God and neighbour. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
One Minute Reflection – 13 August – “Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – Readings: Ps 67:6 67:7 67:36, Ps 67:2, 1 Cor. 15:1-10, Mark 7:31-37
And last of all, as by one born out of due time, He was seen also by me. For I am the least of the Apostles, and am not worthy to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace in me has not been fruitless.
1 Cor. 15:1-10
REFLECTION – The sun’s light as seen by our bodily eyes proclaims the spiritual sun, the “Sun of Justice”. This was truly the gentlest of suns to have arisen on those who, at that time, had the happiness of being his disciples and of seeing him with their own eyes while he was sharing man’s life as though he were an ordinary man. And yet, by nature, he was also truly God, which was why he was capable of restoring sight to the blind, of making the lame to walk and the deaf to hear; he cleansed lepers and, with a word, brought back the dead to life.
And now, too, there is truly nothing sweeter that to fix our spiritual eyes on him so as to contemplate and picture to ourselves his inexpressible, divine beauty. There is nothing sweeter than to be enlightened and made beautiful by this participation and communion in the light, to have one’s heart softened, one’s soul sanctified, and to be filled with a holy joy all the days of this present life. Truly, this Sun of justice is, for those who gaze at it, the transmitter of joy according to the prophecy of David: “The just rejoice and exult before God; they are glad and rejoice!” And again: “Exult you just in the Lord; praise from the upright is fitting!
Saint Gregory of Agrigente (Commentary on Ecclesiastes )
PRAYER – Almighty Father, let Your light so penetrate our hearts and minds, that walking by Your commandments, we may always follow You, our teacher and our guide. Grant that the prayers of St Radegunde may continue to strengthen us. Through Jesus our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
AnaStpaul 
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