Category: ONE Minute REFLECTION

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 16 October – ‘What is that “wedding garment” then? …’ St Augustine

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One Minute Reflection – 16 October – Feast of the Purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Ephesians 4:23-28, Matthew 22:1-14 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Now the king went in to see the guests and he saw there a man who had not on a wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?‘” – Matthew 22:11-12

REFLECTION – “What is that “wedding garment” then? … The wedding garment” is such charity as this. “Although I speak with the tongues of men and of Angels and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal.” Tongues have come in alone and it is said to them, “Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment? “I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and although I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains and have not charity, I am nothing.”

See, these are the miracles of men who very often have not “the wedding garment.” “Although,” he says,” I have all these and have not Christ, I am nothing.” … If then I have not charity, although I bestow alms freely upon the poor, although I have come to the confession of Christ’s Name even unto blood and fire, these things may be done even through the love of glory and so are vain.
… For “the wedding garment” is taken in honour of the union, the union, that is, of the Bridegroom to the Bride. You know the Bridegroom – it is Christ. You know the Bride – it is the Church. Pay honour to the Bride, pay honour to the Bridegroom. If you pay due honour to them both, you will be their children. Therefore, in this make progress. Love the Lord and so learn to love yourselves, that when, by loving the Lord, you shall have loved yourselves, you may securely love your neighbour as yourselves. …So then, have faith with love. This is the “wedding garment!” … St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace.

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, unto all Thy servants, that they may remain continually in the enjoyment of soundness, both of mind and body and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, always a Virgin, may be delivered from present sadness and enter into the joy of Thine eternal gladness. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The HOLY GHOST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 15 October – ‘ …Then is celebrated the wedding of the Bridegroom with His bride, in the peace of a pure conscience.’

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One Minute Reflection – 15 October – St Teresa of Jesus of Avila OCD (1515-1582) Virgin and Doctor of the Church – 2 Corinthians 10:17-18; 11:1-2, Matthew 25:1-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.” – Matthew 25:6

REFLECTION – “The souls’ husband is the Holy Spirit, by His grace. When His interior inspiration calls the soul to repentance, then every enticement of vice is in vain. The pride that wants command, the greed and lust that consumes everything: this was the master that used to control and ravage the soul. Their very names have been removed from the repentant sinner’s mouth… When grace is poured into the soul and gives it light, God makes a covenant with sinners. He is reconciled with them… Then is celebrated the wedding of the Bridegroom with His bride, in the peace of a pure conscience.” – St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Doctor of the Church

PRAYER – Graciously hear us, O God, our Saviour that as we rejoice on the feast-day of blessed Teresa, Thy Virgin, we may be so nourished by the food of her heavenly teaching, as to learn how to serve Thee.T hrough the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the KING, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on DEATH, St PETER!, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 14 October – Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” – Matthew 16:16

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One Minute Reflection – 14 October – St Callistus I (c 218 – c 223) Confessor, Pope, Martyr – 1 Peter 5:1-4; 5:10-11, Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

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

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

PRAYER – O God, Who behold how we fail in our weakness, mercifully restore us to Thy love, through the examples of Thy Saints.Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on PRIESTS, the PRIESTHOOD and CONSECRATED LIFE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on WATCHING, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The REDEMPTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 13 October – ‘ …This Sacred Household is the Holy, Catholic Church …’

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One Minute Reflection – 13 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” and the Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima: The Sixth & Final Apparition – Sirach 31:8-11, Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Blessed are those servants whom the Master, on His return, shall find watching.” – Luke 12:37

REFLECTION – “Wishing to emphasise the special office of the servants, whom He has placed in charge of His people, the Lord says, ‘Who, do you think, is the faithful and wise steward, whom the Lord sets over His household, to give to them their measure of wheat at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his Master will find so doing when he comes.” Who is that Master, brethren? Without a doubt, it is Christ, Who says to His disciples: “You call me Teacher and Lord and you are right, for so I am” (Jn 13,13). What, too, is the Master’s Household? Doubtless it is the one which the Lord Himself ransomed… This Sacred Household is the Holy, Catholic Church, which is spread through the whole earth with abundant fertility and glories in the fact, that she has been redeemed by the Precious Blood of her Master. As He Himself says: “The Son of Man came, not to be served but to serve and to give His Life as a ransom for many” (Mk 10,45).

He is, too, the Good Shepherd ”Who laid down His Life for His sheep” (Jn 10,11)…As to who the steward is, who ought to be faithful, as well as wise, the Apostle Paul shows us, when, speaking of himself and his companions, he says: “This is how one should regard us, as the servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they should be found trustworthy” (1Cor 4,1-2).

Now, lest anyone of us should think that it is only the Apostles who have been made stewards…, the blessed Apostle Paul shows us that the Bishops also are stewards, when he says: “For a bishop, as God’s steward, must be blameless” (Tt 1,7)…We, therefore, who are the servants of the Master of the Household, we are the stewards of the Lord, we have received the measure of wheat to disburse to you.” – St Fulgentius of Ruspe (467-532) Bishop in North Africa (Homily 1, on the Lord’s servants) (trans. Breviary Common of Pastors).

PRAYER – From all perils of soul and body defend us, O Lord, we beseech Thee and by the intercession of blessed and gloriosus ever Virgin Mary, Mother of God,and all the Saints, graciously grant us, safety and peace that all adversities and errors being overcome, thy Church may serve Thee in security and freedom. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, MOTHER of GOD, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 11 October – Feast of the Divine Maternity – ‘ … This most prudent woman … ‘ St Bede

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One Minute Reflection – 11 October – Feast of the Divine Maternity – Ecclesiasticus 24:23-31, Luke 2:43-51 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them and His mother kept all these things in her heart.” – Luke 2:51

REFLECTION – “Consider the most prudent woman Mary, Mother of true Wisdom, as the pupil of her Son. For she learned from Him, not as from a child or man but, as from God. Yes, she dwelt in meditation on His words and actions. Nothing of what was said or done by Him, fell idly on her mind. As before, when she conceived the Word itself, in her womb, so now, does she hold within her, His ways and words, cherishing them, as it were, in her heart. That which she now beholds in the present, she waits to have revealed with greater clarity, in the future. This practice she followed as a rule and law through all her life.” – St Bede the Venerable (673-735) Father and Doctor of the Church (Exposition of the Gospel of Luke).

PRAYER – O God, Who, by the message of an Angel, willed to take flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant that we, Thy suppliants, who believe her to be truly the Mother of God, maybe assisted by her intercession with Thee.Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MIRACLES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 9 October – “When Jesus saw their faith” Matthew 9:1-8

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One Minute Reflection – 9 October – St John Leonardi (1541-1609) Confessor, Priest, Founder – 1 Corinthians 1:4-8, Matthew9:1-8 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Which is easier to say: Thy sins are forgiven thee, or to say: Arise, and walk?” – Matthew 9:5

REFLECTION – “And people there brought to him a paralytic.” Saint Matthew merely says that this paralytic was carried to Jesus. Other Evangelists describe, how he was let down through an opening in the roof and placed before the Lord, without expressing any particular request, leaving it to Him to assess the needs …

“When Jesus saw their faith,” the Gospel says, that is to say, the faith of those who had brought the man to Him. Consider how sometimes Christ pays no attention to the faith of the sick person – perhaps because, the latter is incapable of it, being unconscious or possessed with an evil spirit. However, in this case, this paralytic had great trust in Jesus, otherwise, would he have allowed them to let him down in front of Him? Christ responds to this trust with an extraordinary miracle. With the power of God, He forgives this man’s sins. Thus He showed, that He is equal to the Father, a truth He had already shown, when He said to the leper: “I will do it – be made clean” (Mt 8:3) … and when, with a word, He stilled the tempestuous sea (Mt 8:26), or when, as God, He had cast out the demons who recognised in Him their ruler and their judge (Mt 8:32). So here, He shows His adversaries, to their great astonishment, that He is equal to the Father

And once more, the Saviour shows here, how He turns away from anything spectacular or a source of vainglory. On all sides the crowd is pressing Him, yet, He is in no hurry to work a visible miracle by healing the external paralysis of this man …. He begins with an invisible miracle – by healing the man’s soul. This kind of healing, is far more beneficial for him and, outwardly speaking, less glorious for Christ.” – St John Chrysostom (345-407) Priest at Antioch then Bishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church – homilies on Saint Matthew’s Gospel, no. 29, 1.

PRAYER – O God, Who in a wondrous way graciously urged blessed John, Thy Confessor, to propagate Thy faith among the pagans and through him brought together a new religious family in Thy Church for the education of the faithful, grant Thy servants, so to profit by his teaching that we may reach everlasting rewards. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The LAST THINGS, The SECOND COMING, The SIN of PRESUMPTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 October – ‘ … the bad will always be mingled amongst the good in the Church …’

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One Minute Reflection – 8 October – St Bridget of Sweden (c 1303-1373) Widow – Timothy 5:3-10, Matthew 13:44-52 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

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

REFLECTION – “Our Lord was an example of incomparable patience. He bore with a “devil” among His disciples even to His Passion (Jn 6,70). He said: “Let them grow together until the harvest lest you uproot the wheat when you pull out the weeds” (cf. Mt 13,29f.). As a symbol of the Church, He preached that the net would bring back to shore, namely the end of the world, every kind of fish, both good and bad. And He made it known, in various other ways, whether openly or in parables, that there would always be a mixture of good and bad. But, nevertheless, He stresses, that we have to protect the Church’s discipline when He says: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother” (Mt 18,15)…

Yet today, we see people who think of nothing but stern commandments, who order that troublemakers be reproved, ‘not giving what is holy to the dogs,’ treating, like the publicans, ‘anyone who despises the Church, cutting off the scandalous member from the body‘ (Mt 7,6 ; 18,17 ; 5,30). Their stormy zeal so troubles the Church, that they pull out the weeds before their time and their blindness makes of them enemies, of the unity of Jesus Christ…

Take care not to let these presumptuous thoughts enter our hearts, trying to separate ourselves from sinners, so as not to be soiled by contact with them, wanting to form a band of pure and holy disciples. We will achieve nothing but breaking up our unity, under the pretext of not associating with the wicked. To the contrary, let us remember the parables of Scripture, their inspired words, their striking examples, where we are shown that, until the end of the world and the day of judgement, the bad will always be mingled amongst the good in the Church, without their participation in the Sacraments being harmful to the good, so long as these latter, have not played a part in their sins.” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (On Faith and Works – Excerpt ch 3-5)

PRAYER – O Lord, our God, Who through Thy Only-begotten Son revealed secrets to blessed Bridget, grant that through her kind intercession, we, Thy servants, may rejoice and be glad in the revelation of Thy eternal glory.Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, Hail MARY!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The ANNUNCIATION, The INCARNATION

One Minute Reflection – 7 October – ‘…As the human race was subjected to death through the act of a Virgin, so was it saved by a Virgin…’

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One Minute Reflection – 7 October – The Month and Feast of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Proverbs 8:22-24, 32-35, Luke 1:26-38 Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Hail, full of grace!” – Luke 1:28

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

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

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

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

PRAYER – O God, Whose Only-begotten Son, by His life, death and resurrection, has merited for us the grace of eternal salvation, grant, we beseech Thee, that, meditating on these Mysteries in the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may both imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on INNOCENCE, QUOTES on PURITY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 3 October – ‘ … Innocence and purity of mind … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 3 October – St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873 – 1897) – Isaias 66:12-14, Matthew 18:1-4 Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”… Matthew 18:3

REFLECTION – “Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Just as this child, whose example I show you, does not persist in anger, does not long remember injury suffered, is not enamoured inordinately by the sight of a beautiful woman, does not think one thing and say another, so you too, unless you have similar innocence and purity of mind, will not be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven! Or, it might be taken in another way: “Whosoever, therefore, humiliates himself like this child, is greater in the kingdom of heaven,” so as to imply that anyone, who imitates Me and humiliates himself following My example, so that he abases himself as much as I abased Myself in accepting the form of a servant, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” – St Jerome (343-420) Translator of Sacred Scripture into Latin (The Vulgate) One of the original four Doctors of the Latin Church, Father (Commentary on Matthew 3).

PRAYER – O Lord, Who said: Unless you become as little children, you shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, grant us, we beseech Thee, so to follow the footsteps of blessed Thérèse the Virgin, in humility and simplicity of heart that we may obtain everlasting rewards.Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JESUIT SJ, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, ON the SAINTS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 2 October – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.” – Matthew 22:34-46

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One Minute Reflection – 2 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” and Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels – Ephesians 4:1-6, Matthew 22:34-46

“Master, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” … Matthew 22:36

REFLECTION – “O Lord, what is it that you require of Your servants? “Take my yoke upon you,” you say. And what sort of yoke is this? “My yoke is easy and my burden light.” Now who would not willingly bear a yoke that does not press down but gives strength; a burden that does not weigh heavily but refreshes? As You rightly added: “And you will find rest” (Mt 11:29). And what is this yoke of Yours that does not tire but gives rest? It is the first and greatest of the commandments: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.” What could be easier, better or more agreeable than to love the goodness, beauty and love that is most perfectly Yours, O Lord my God?

Do You not offer a reward to those who keep the com­mandments, which are “more desirable than a heap of gold and sweeter than honey from the comb?” (Ps 19[18]:11) So in every way You offer a very ample reward, as James the apostle says: “The Lord has prepared the crown of life for those who love him” (Jas 1:12) (…) And Paul quotes these words from Isaiah: “No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor has the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor 2:9).

That first and great commandment is not only profitable for the man who keeps it or for God who commands it – the other commandments of God also make perfect, him who obeys them, improves him, instructs him and makes him illustrious; in a word, they make him good and holy. If you understand this, realise that you have been created for the glory of God and for your own eternal salvation; this is your end, this is the object of your soul and the treasure of your heart. You will be blessed if you reach this goal but miserable if you are cut off from it.” – St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) Doctor of the Church (The Ascent of the Mind to God, 1).

PRAYER – O God, Who in Thy wondrous providence graciously send Thy Angels to watch over us, grant that we, who pray to Thee maybe ever under their protection and may rejoice in their unending companionship. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 1 October – “Blessed is the womb that bore Thee ” – Luke 11:27

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One Minute Reflection – 1 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary” and Mary’s Day – Ecclesiasticus 24:14-16, Luke 11:27-28 Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Blessed is the womb that bore Thee ” – Luke 11:27

REFLECTION – “Once indeed, God ejected the mortals and first parents of the human race from the paradise of Eden, when they had drunk deeply from the wine of disobedience and had become so affected by the hangover of sin, through the intoxication of that transgression, which led to the sleepiness of the mind’s eye. …

Then Adam and Eve, the founders of our race, exclaimed with a loud voice in great rejoicing: “Blessed are you, O daughter, who bore for us the penalties of the commands that had been broken. When you had gained a mortal body from us, you gave birth to a covering of immortality for us. You repaid us ,so that it might be well with us, since you received birth from our loins. From beyond the grave, you have called us back to our ancient seat: we closed paradise for ourselves but you made open the way of the Tree of Life. Through our actions, sadness came forth from happiness; through you, even more joyful things have returned, from sorrow. In what possible way could you be acceptable to death, O Immaculate one? You are the bridge of life and the ladder to Heaven: you are a boat over the sea of death, reaching to immortality.”

But the woman herself, as she did not shrink from the truth, said: “Into Your hands, my Son, I commend my spirit. Receive this soul which is dear to You, which You have preserved free from any sin. I hand over my body, not to the earth but to You. Take me to Yourself, that where You are, You, the Child of my womb, so there I also may be Your companion. I am hastening to You, Who have often come to me on this side of that long distance.”

When she had said this, she heard in reply: “Come to My rest, My blessed Mother: arise, come, My Beloved, most blessed among all women. Behold, the winter is ended. You are all fair, My Beloved and there is no spot of stain found in you: the odour of your ointments are more precious than all other aromas.” – St John Damascene (675-749) Father and Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from his Homily 9: On the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary).

PRAYER – Grant us, Thy servants, O Lord God, we beseech Thee, to enjoy lasting health of mind and body and ,by the intercession of glorious and blessed Mary, ever Virgin, may we be delivered from present sorrow and partake in the full of eternal happiness. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 30 September – You are the light of the world – Matthew 5:14

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One Minute Reflection – 30 September – The Memorial of St Jerome (347-419) Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church– – 2 Timothy 4:1-8, Matthew 5:13-19. – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/cgi-bin/s?q=ephesians+6%3A5-9&b=drl

“You are the light of the world. A city seated on a mountain cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel but upon a candlestick, that it may shine to all that are in the house.” – Matthew 5:14-15.

REFLECTION – “The Lord called His disciples, the salt of the earth because they seasoned with heavenly wisdom, the hearts of men, rendered insipid by the devil. Now He calls them the light of the world too because they have been enlightened by Him, the true and everlasting Light and have themselves become, a light in the darkness.

Since He is the Sun of Justice, He fittingly calls His disciples, the light of the world. The reason for this, is that through them, as through shining rays, He has poured out the Light of the knowledge of Himself, upon the entire world. For by manifesting the Light of Truth, they have dispelled the darkness of error from the hearts of men.

Moreover, we too have been enlightened by them. We have been made light out of darkness as the Apostle says: “For once you were darkness but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light.” He says another time: “For you are not sons of the night and of darkness but you are all sons of light and of the day.”

Saint John also rightly asserts in his letter: “God is Light and whoever abides in God is in the light just as God Himself is in the light.” Therefore because we rejoice in having been freed from the darkness of error, we should always walk in the light as children of light. This is why the Apostle says: “Among them you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life.”

If we fail to live in the light, we shall, to our condemnation and that of others, be veiling over and obscuring, by our infidelity, the light men so desperately need. As we know from Scripture, the man who received the talent should have made it produce a heavenly profit but instead, he preferred to hide it away rather than put it to work and was punished as he deserved.

Consequently, that brilliant Lamp which was lit for the sake of our salvation should always shine in us. For we have the lamp of the heavenly commandment and spiritual grace, to which David referred: “Your law is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Solomon also says this about it: “For the command of the law is a lamp.”

Therefore, we must not hide this lamp of law and faith. Rather, we must set it up in the Church, as on a lampstand, for the salvation of many, so that we may enjoy the Light of Truth itself and all believers may be enlightened.” – St Chromatius of Aquileia (Died c 407) Bishop of Aquileia, Theologian, Exegete, Writer and friend of Saints Ambrose and Jerome, Defender of St John Chrysostom. (An excerpt from Treatise on the Gospel of Saint Matthew). St Chromatius’ life here: https://anastpaul.com/2020/12/02/saint-of-the-day-2-december-saint-chromatius-of-aquileia-died-c-407/

PRAYER – O God, Who graciously gave Thy Church, the blessed Jerome, Thy Confessor and peerless teacher, to explain the Holy Scriptures, grant, we beseech Thee, that, with the help of his merits and by Thy assistance, we may be able to put into practice, what he has taught us by his life and works.Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTRINE, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the POOR, The BEATITUDES, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 27 September – ‘ … Blessed is the poor man who, is like that Poor Man Who, although He was rich, became poor for our sake. …’

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One Minute Reflection – 27 September – Saints Cosmas and Damian (Died c 286 ) Martyrs – Wisdpm 5:16-20, Luke 6:17-23

“And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God.” – Luke 6:20

REFLECTION – “Let us see how St Luke encompassed the eight blessings in the four. We know that there are four Cardinal Virtues – Temperance, Justice, Prudence and Fortitude. One who is poor in spirit, is not greedy. One who weeps, is not proud but is submissive and tranquil. One who mourns, is humble. One who is just does not deny what he knows is given jointly to all for us. One who, is merciful – gives away his own goods. One who bestows his own goods, does not seek another’s, nor does he contrive a trap for his neighbour. These virtues are interwoven and interlinked, so that one, who has one, may be seen to have several and a single virtue, befits the Saints. Where virtue abounds, the reward too abounds…. Thus temperance has purity of heart and spirit, justice has compassion, patience has peace and endurance has gentleness.

“Blessed,” it says, “are the poor.” Not all the poor are blessed, for poverty is neutral. The poor can be either good or evil, unless, perhaps, the blessed pauper is to be understood as he whom the prophet described, saying, “A righteous poor man is better than a rich liar.” Blessed is the poor man who cried and whom the Lord heard. Blessed is the man poor in offence. Blessed is the man poor in vices. Blessed is the poor man, in whom the prince of this world finds nothing. Blessed is the poor man who, is like that Poor Man Who, although He was rich, became poor for our sake. Matthew fully revealed this when he said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” One poor in spirit is not puffed up, is not exalted in the mind of his own flesh. This Beatitude is first, when I have laid aside every sin and I have taken off all malice and I am content with simplicity, destitute of evils. All that remains is that I regulate my conduct. For what good does it do me to lack worldly goods, unless I am meek and gentle?

Although there are many charms of delights in riches, yet there are more incentives to practice virtues. Although virtue does not require assistance and the contribution of the poor person, is more commended, than the generosity of the rich, yet with the authority of the heavenly saying, He condemns, not those who have riches but those who do not know how to use them. The pauper is more praiseworthy who gives with eager compassion and is not restrained, by the bolts of looming scarcity. He thinks that he who has enough for nature, does not lack. So the rich person is the more guilty, who does not give thanks to God, for what he has received but vainly hides wealth given for the common use and conceals it, in buried treasures. Then the offence consists, not in the wealth but in the attitude.

Purify yourself with your tears. Wash yourselves with mourning. If you weep for yourself, another will not weep for you…. One who is a sinner weeps for himself and rebukes himself, that he may become righteous, for just people accuse themselves of sin. Let us pursue order because, it is written, “Set in order love in me.” I have laid down sin. I have tempered my conduct. I have wept for my transgressions. I begin to hunger. I hunger for righteousness. The sick, when he is seriously ill, does not hunger, because the pain of the illness excludes hunger. What is the hunger for righteousness? What is the bread of which it is said, “I have been young and am old and I have not seen the righteous man forsaken, nor his seed begging bread?” Surely, one who is hungry, seeks increase of strength. What greater increase of virtue is there, than the rule of righteousness?” – St Ambrose (340-397) Bishop of Milan, Father and Doctor of the Church( Exposition on the Gospel of Luke, 5).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thou, almighty God, that we who celebrate the anniversary of the death of Thy holy Martyrs, Cosmas and Damian, may by their intercession, be delivered from all the evils that threaten us. Through Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 25 September – ‘ … The rungs of humility and, discipline …’

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One Minute Reflection – 25 September – “The Month of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Cross” – Ephesians 3:13-21, Luke 14:1-11 – Seardh Scripture here: https://www.drbo.org/

“For everyone who exalts himself, shall be humbled and he who humbles himself, shall be exalted.” – Luke 14:11

REFLECTION – “The Scripture asserts that “everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.” If we want to attain to true humility and come quickly to the top of that heavenly ascent, to which we can only mount, by lowliness in this present life, we must ascend by good works.

We must erect the mystical ladder of Jacob, where Angels, ascending and descending, appeared to him. Ascent and descent means, that we go downward when we exalt ourselves and rise, when we are humbled. The ladder represents our life in this world, which our Lord erects to Heaven, when our heart is humbled. The sides of the ladder represent our soul and body, sides between which, God has placed several rungs of humility and, discipline, whereby we are to ascend if we would answer His call.”– St Benedict (480-547) Father of the Church (Rule of Benedict #7)

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, unto all Thy servants, that they may remain continually in the enjoyment of soundness, both of mind and body and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, always a Virgin, our sorrowful Mother, may be delivered from present sadnes, and enter into the joy of thine eternal gladness.Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Hail MARY!, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN Saturdays, MARIAN TITLES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The ANNUNCIATION, The INCARNATION, The NATIVITY of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 September – “Blessed is the womb that bore you” – Luke 11:27

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One Minute Reflection – 24 September – “The Month of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Cross” – Our Lady of Ransom – Sirach 24:14-16, Luke 11:27-28

“Blessed is the womb that bore you” – Luke 11:27

REFLECTION – “This woman will be the Mother of God, the door to Light, source of Life; she will reduce to oblivion the judgement that weighed on Eve. “The rich among the people seek the face” of this woman, “the kings of the nations shall pay her homage” they shall “ offer gifts”…, yet the glory of the Mother of God is an interior glory: the fruit of her womb.

O woman, so worthy of love, thrice happy, “blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Daughter of David the king and Mother of God, King of the universe, masterpiece in whom the Creator rejoices…: you are to be nature’s full achievement. For you, life is not yours; you were not born for yourself alone but your life is to be God’s. You came into the world for Him, you will serve for the salvation of all people, fulfilling God’s design established from the beginning: the Incarnation of the Word and our own divinisation. Your whole desire is to feed on the words of God, to be strengthened by their sap, like “a green olive tree in the house of God,” “like a tree planted by running water,” you are the “tree of life” who “yielded its fruit in due season”…

He Who is Infinite, Limitless, came to dwell in your womb; God, the Child Jesus, was nourished by your milk. You are the ever virginal Doorway of God; your hands hold your God; your lap is a throne raised up above the Cherubim… You are the wedding chamber of the Spirit, the “city of the living God, gladdened by the runlets of the stream”, that is to say, the waves of the Spirit’s gifts. You are “all fair, the Beloved” of God.” – St John Damascene (675-749) Monk, Theologian, Father and Doctor of the Church (Homily on the Nativity of the Virgin, # 9 ; SC 80) [ ( Biblical references : Ps 44[45],13; 71[72],11.10; Mt 2,11; Lk 1,42; Is 62,5; Ps 51[52],10; 1,3; cf Gn 2,9, Rv 22,2; cf Ez 44,2; Ps 79[80],2; cf Sg 1,4; Ps 45[46],5; Sg 4,7]. Link to searchable Sacred Scripture here: https://www.drbo.org/

PRAYER – O God, Who for the deliverance of Christians from the power of the pagans, graciously willed to enrich Thy Church by a new religious offspring through the most glorious Mother of Thy Son; grant, we beseech Thee, that by the merits and intercession of her, whom we piously venerate, as the founder of so great a work, we may be delivered from all our sins and from the captivity of the devil. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, EXTREME UNCTION, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, SAINT of the DAY, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 September – ‘ … She did for the feet, what you refused to the Head. 

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One Minute Reflection – 23 September – “The Month of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Cross” and the Mermorial of St Pope Linus (c 10 – c 76) Successor to St Peter – Osee 14:2-10, Luke 7:36-50

“She began to bathe His feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed is feet and anointed them with ointment.” – Luke 7:38

REFLECTION – “With her hands of good works, she holds the feet of those who preach His Kingdom. She washes them with tears of charity, kisses them with praising lips and pours out the whole ointment of mercy, until He will turn her. This means that He will come back to her and say to Simon, to the Pharisees, to those who deny, to the nation of the Jews, “I came into your house. You gave me no water for my feet.”

When will He speak these words? He will speak them when He will come in the Majesty of His Father and separate the righteous from the unrighteous, like a shepherd who separates the sheep from the goats. He will say, “I was hungry and you did not give me to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger and you did not take me in.” This is equivalent to saying, “But this woman, while she was bathing my feet, anointing them and kissing them, did to the servants, what you did not do for the Master.” She did for the feet, what you refused to the Head. She expended upon the lowliest members, what you refused to your Creator. Then He will say to the Church, “Your sins, many as they are, are forgiven you because you have loved much.” – St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and “Doctor of Homilies” (Sermon 95).

PRAYER – Look forgivingly on Thy flock, Eternal Shepherd, and keep it in Thy constant protection, by the intercession of blessed Linus Thy Sovereign Pontiff, whom Thou didst constitute Shepherd of the whole Church. Through the same Jesus Christ, Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on PRIESTS, the PRIESTHOOD and CONSECRATED LIFE, QUOTES on the PRIESTHOOD, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 September – ‘ … But to those who are industrious, an even more lavish gift will be presented.’

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One Minute Reflection – 22 September – The Memorial of St Thomas of Villanueva OSA (1488-1555) Archbishop, Confessor – Sirach 44:16-27; 45:3-20, Matthew 25:14-23

“To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately …” – Matthew 25:15

REFLECTION – “The man who is the landowner is actually the Creator and Lord of all. The Word compares the time the landowner spends away from home, in the parable, to either the Ascension of Christ into Heaven, or, at any rate, to the unseen and invisible character of the Divine Nature. Now, one must conceive of the property of God, as those in each country and city who believe in Him. He calls His servants, those who according to the times, Christ crowns with the glory of the Priesthood. For the holy Paul writes, “No-one takes this honoUr upon himself; he must be called by God.”

He hands over [His property] to those who are under Him, to each giving a spiritual gift, so that he might have character and aptitude. We think that this distribution of the talents, is not supplied to the household servants in equal measure because, each is quite different from the other, in their understanding. Immediately they head out for their labours, He says, directly, indicating to us here, that apart from the procrastination of one, they are fit to carry out the work of God.

Surely those who are bound by fear and laziness will evolve into the worst evils. For he buried, Jesus says, the talent given to him in the earth. He kept the gift hidden, making it unprofitable for others and useless for himself. For that very reason, the talent is taken away from him and will be given to the one who is already rich. The Spirit has departed from such as these and the gift of the divine gifts. But to those who are industrious, an even more lavish gift will be presented.” – St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Archbishop of Alexandria, Father and Doctor of the Church (Fragment 283)

PRAYER – O God, Who endowed blessed Bishop Thomas with the virtue of special pity for the poor, we beseech Thee, through his intercession, generously to pour forth the riches of Thy mercy upon all those who pray to Thee. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 21 September – For I have come to call sinners, not the just.- Matthew 9:13

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One Minute Reflection – 21 September – “The Month of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Cross” – The Feast of St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, Martyr – Ezekiel 1:10-14, Matthew 9:9-13

“It is not the healthy who need a physician but they who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call sinners, not the just.”- Matthew 9:12-13

REFLECTION – “The Apostles, those who all as one and each in particular, possessed the Good News of God, went to the ends of the earth proclaiming the news of all the blessings God sends us and announcing Heaven’s peace towards men (Lk 2:14). Specifically, Matthew produced a written form of the gospel for the Hebrews in their own language, while Peter and Paul evangelised Rome and founded the Church there. After their deaths, Mark, who was Peter’s disciple and interpreter (1 Pt 5:13), also handed down Peter’s preaching to us in writing. Likewise, Luke, Paul’s companion, set down in a book, the Gospel preached by the latter. And then John, the disciple of the Lord, the one who leaned back on his breast (Jn 13:25), also published the Gospel during his stay at Ephesus.

In his Gospel,Matthew relates the genealogy of Christ as man: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham: now this is how the birth of Christ came about” (Mt 1:1, 18). Thus, this Gospel, presents Christ in human form, which is why it always represents Christ as being moved by sentiments of humility and remaining a man of gentleness … The Apostle Matthew knows none but One and the same God, Who promised Abraham that He would multiply his descendants like the stars in the sky (Gen 15:5) and, Who, through His Son, Jesus Christ, has called us from the worship of stones to knowledge of Him, (Mt 3:9) in such a way, that “those who were no people have become His people and she who was unloved has become beloved” (cf. Hos 2:25; Rom 9:25).” – St Irenaeus (130-202) Father of the Church, Bishop of Lyons, Theologian, Martyr (Against the heresies, III, 11,8 ; 9,1 – One of the first historical testimonies to the Evangelists).

PRAYER – We thank You, heavenly Father,
for the witness of Your Apostle
and Evangelist, Matthew,
to the Gospel of Your Son, our Saviour
and we pray, that, after his example,
we may with ready wills and hearts,
obey the calling of our Lord, to follow Him;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, St JOHN the BAPTIST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection –29 August – “Why was John allowed to die?”

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One Minute Reflection –29 August – The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist – Jeremias 1:17-19, Mark 6:17-29

“He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The girl in turn gave it to her mother.” – Mark 6:28

REFLECTION – “In what way, then, was this just man harmed by this demise, this violent death, these chains, this imprisonment? Who are those he did not set back on their feet — provided they had a penitent disposition — because of what he spoke because of what he suffered,because of what he still proclaims in our own day — the same message he preached, while he was living. Therefore, do not say: “Why was John allowed to die?” For what occurred was not a death, but a crown, not an end, but the beginning of a greater life. Learn to think and live like a Christian. You will not only remain unharmed by these events, but will reap the greatest benefits.” St John Chrysostom (347-407) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (On the Providence of God 22).

PRAYER – May the great festival of St John the Baptist, ThyPrecursor and Martyr, we beseech Thee, O Lord, assure for us the results of Thy saving help. Who lives and reign with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on PURITY of INTENTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 27 August – ‘ … Unless you have similar innocence and purity of mind … ‘ St Jerome

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One Minute Reflection – 27 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” and the celebration of St Joseph Calasantius (1557-1648) Spanish Confessor – Wisdom 10:10-14, Matthew 18:1-5

“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”… Matthew 18:3

REFLECTION – “We must seek for reasons for individual sayings and actions of the Lord. After the coin was found, after the tribute paid, what do the Apostles’ sudden questions mean? Why precisely “at that time” did the disciples come to Jesus saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Because they had seen that the same tax had been paid for both Peter and the Lord. From the equal price they inferred, that Peter may have been set over all the other Apostles, since Peter had been compared with the Lord in the paying of the tax. So they ask, who is greater in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus, seeing their thoughts and understanding the causes of their error, wants to heal their desire for glory, with a struggle for humility.”

He called a child to Him, to ask its age or to show the image of innocence. Or perhaps He actually set a child in their midst — He Himself, Who had not come to be served but to serve — to show them an example of humility.

Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Just as this child, whose example I show you, does not persist in anger, does not long remember injury suffered, is not enamoured inordinately by the sight of a beautiful woman, does not think one thing and say another, so you too, unless you have similar innocence and purity of mind, will not be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven! Or, it might be taken in another way: “Whosoever, therefore, humiliates himself like this child, is greater in the kingdom of heaven,” so as to imply that anyone, who imitates Me and humiliates himself following My example, so that he abases himself as much as I abased Myself in accepting the form of a servant, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” – St Jerome (343-420) Translator of Sacred Scripture into Latin (The Vulgate) One of the original four Doctors of the Latin Church, Father (Commentary on Matthew 3).

PRAYER – O God, Who through St Joseph, Thy Confessor, did graciously will to provide Thy Church with a new method for the training of youth, in the spirit of understanding and holiness grant, we beseech Thee, that, following his example and through his intercession, we may live and teach so as to acquire an everlasting reward. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on REASON/INTELLECT, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 26 August – ‘… It is no accident whether a person believes or not. …’ St John Chrysostom

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One Minute Reflection – 26 August – St Zephyrinus (Died 217) Martyr and Pope – 1 Pet 5:1-4; 5:10-11, Matthew 16:13-19

“Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee but My Father Who is in Heaven.” – Matthew 16:17

REFLECTION – “Faith in Me, He intimates here, is no ordinary thing or one that comes from human reason but [it] needs a revelation from above. And this He establishes throughout His discourses, showing, that this faith requires a noble sort of soul and one drawn on by God. The expression “that the Father gives Me” shows, that it is no accident whether a person believes or not. It shows, that belief is not the work of human reasoning but requires a revelation from on high and a mind devout enough to receive the revelation. “Whoever then,” our Lord says, “comes to Me, shall be saved,” meaning, they shall be greatly cared for. For to save such as these, I took up flesh and the form of a servant.” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (Homilies on the Gospel of John 45)”

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 (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on WEALTH/RICHES, SAINT of the DAY, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 August – ‘ … O man, send your treasure on, send it ahead into Heaven …’

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One Minute Reflection – 23 August – St Philip Benizi OSM (1233-1285) Confessor – 1 Corinthians. 4:9-14, Luke 12:32-34

“For where your treasure is,
there also will your heart be.” – Luke 12:34

REFLECTION – “All this is what that treasure brings about. Either through almsgiving, it raises the heart of a man into Heaven, or through greed it buries it in the earth. That is why He said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
O man, send your treasure on, send it ahead into Heaven, or else your God-given soul will be buried in the earth! Gold comes from the depth of the earth — the soul, from the highest Heaven. Clearly it is better ,to carry the gold to where the soul resides, than to bury the soul, in the mine of the gold. That is why God orders those who will serve in His Army here below, to fight as men stripped of concern for riches and unencumbered by anything. To these He has granted the privilege of reigning in Heaven.” – St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, “Doctor of Homilies” Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 22)

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 (Collect).

Posted in AUGUST - The Immaculate Heart of Mary, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The STATIONS of the CROSS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 August – “Behold, thy mother” – John 19:27

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One Minute Reflection – 22 August – Month and Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Octave Day of the Assumption) – Ecclesiasticus 24:23-31, John 19:25-27

“Behold, thy mother” – John 19:27

REFLECTION – “Woman, this is your son. This is your mother.” By what right is the disciple whom Jesus loved, the son of the Lord’s mother? By what right is she his mother? By the fact that, without pain, she brought into the world the salvation of us all, when she gave birth in the flesh to the God-man. But now she is in labour with great pain as she stands at the foot of the Cross.

At the hour of His Passion, the Lord Himself rightly compared the Apostles to a woman in childbirth, when He said: “When a woman is in labour she is in anguish because a child is born into the world” (cf. Jn 16:21). How much more, then, might such a Son compare such a Mother, the Mother standing at the foot of His Cross, to a woman in labour? What am I saying? “Compare?” She is indeed truly a woman and truly a mother and, at this hour, she is truly experiencing the pains of childbirth. When her Son was born she did not experience the anguish of giving birth in pain as other women do; it is now that she is suffering, that she is crucified, that she experiences sorrow like a woman in labour because her hour has come ( Jn 16:21; cf.13:1; 17:1). …

When this hour has passed, when the sword of sorrow has completely pierced her soul in labour (Lk 2:35), then, no more shall she “remember the pain because a child has been born into the world” – the new Man who renews the entire human race and reigns forever over the whole world, truly born, beyond all suffering, immortal, the firstborn from the dead. If the Virgin has thus brought the salvation of us all into the world, in her Son’s Passion, then she is indeed the Mother of us all!” – Rupert of Deutz (c 1075-1130) Benedictine Monk, Theologian, Exegete and Writer – Commentary on Saint Johns Gospel, 13 ; PL 169, 789.

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 esus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the PHYSICIAN, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 21 August – St Augustine – ‘Your health is Christ!’ Mark 7:33

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One Minute Reflection – 21 August – The 11th Sunday after Pentecost and the Memorial of St Jane Frances de Chantal VHM (1572-1641) – 1 Corinthians 15:1-10, Mark 7:31-37

“And taking him from the multitude apart, He put His fingers into his ears and spitting, he touched his tongue.” – Mark 7:33

REFLECTION – “The Lord heals all your ills” (Ps 102:3). Never fear, all your ills will healed. You say they are big ones but the Doctor is even greater. For an all-powerful Doctor there is no such thing as an incurable sickness. Simply let yourself be cared for, do not push away His hand, He knows what to do. Do not be happy only when He acts with gentleness but bear with it, too, when He prunes. Accept the unpleasantness of the cure, by thinking of the healing it will bring you.
Notice all those things, brethren, that people put up with in their physical ills, so as to prolong their lives a few days… You, at least, are not suffering for an uncertain result – He, who has promised you, your health, cannot be mistaken. Why is it that doctors are sometimes mistaken? Because they have not created the body they are treating. But God has made your body, God has made your soul. He knows how to re-create what He has created;, He knows how to re-fashion what He has formed. You have only to abandon yourself into His Doctor’s hands… Endure His hands, then, O soul that “blesses him and forgets not all his benefits – he heals all your ills” (P2 102[103]:2-3).
He Who had made you never to become sick, if you would keep His precepts, will He not heal you? He Who made the Angels and, in re-creating you, will make you equal to the Angels – will He not heal you? He Who made Heaven and earth, will He not heal you, after having made you, in His image? (Gn 1:26) He will heal you but you must consent to be healed. He heals every sickness perfectly but He does not heal it, in spite of Himself … Your health is Christ!” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of the Church – Sermon on the Psalms, Ps 102[103]: 5-6; PL 37, 1319

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 (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on SIN, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 20 August – The least in the Kingdom of Heaven – Matthew 5:19

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One Minute Reflection – 20August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” and the Memorial of St Bernard (1090-1153) Confessor – Ecclesiasticus 39:6-14, Matthew 5:13-19

“Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so, will be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments, will be called greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” – Matthew 5:19

REFLECTION – “For what reason then does He call some of these commandments “least,” although they are so magnificent and lofty? Jesus spoke this way because He was about to introduce His own teaching, as a new law . As He humbles Himself and speaks of Himself with great modesty, so He refers to His own teaching in the same manner. In this way, Jesus teaches us to practice humility in everything. And besides, since some suspected His teaching to be a new departure, He temporarily taught it in a more reserved way.

But when you hear “least in the Kingdom of Heaven,” you are to think of nothing but hell and punishment. For it was His practice to speak, not only of the joy the Kingdom brings but also, of the time of the resurrection and the fearful event of the Second Coming.

Think of one who calls a brother a fool. That one, transgresses only one commandment, maybe even the slightest one and falls into hell. Compare that one with another, who breaks all the commandments and instigates others to break them too. Do both have the same relationship to the Kingdom? This is not the argument Jesus is making. Rather, He means, that one who transgresses only one of the commands will, on the final day, be the least—that is, cast out—and last and will fall into hell!” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Homily 16).

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 (Collect).

Posted in JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRAYERS for PRIESTS, QUOTES on PRIESTS, the PRIESTHOOD and CONSECRATED LIFE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on WATCHING, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 19 August– ‘ …This Sacred Household is the Holy, Catholic Church …’

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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”– Sirach 31:8-11, Luke 12:35-40

“Blessed are those servants whom the Master, on His return, shall find watching.” – Luke 12:37

REFLECTION – “Wishing to emphasize the special office of the servants, whom He has placed in charge of His people, the Lord says, ‘Who, do you think, is the faithful and wise steward, whom the Lord sets over His household, to give to them their measure of wheat at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his Master will find so doing when he comes.” Who is that Master, brethren? Without a doubt, it is Christ, Who says to His disciples: “You call me Teacher and Lord and you are right, for so I am” (Jn 13,13). What, too, is the Master’s Household? Doubtless it is the one which the Lord Himself ransomed… This Sacred Household is the Holy, Catholic Church, which is spread through the whole earth with abundant fertility and glories in the fact, that she has been redeemed by the Precious Blood of her Master. As He Himself says: “The Son of Man came, not to be served but to serve and to give His Life as a ransom for many” (Mk 10,45).

He is, too, the Good Shepherd ”Who laid down His Life for His sheep” (Jn 10,11)…As to who the steward is, who ought to be faithful as well as wise, the Apostle Paul shows us, when, speaking of himself and his companions, he says: “This is how one should regard us, as the servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they should be found trustworthy” (1Cor 4,1-2).

Now, lest anyone of us should think that it is only the Apostles who have been made stewards…, the blessed Apostle Paul shows us that the Bishops also are stewards, when he says: “For a bishop, as God’s steward, must be blameless” (Tt 1,7)…We, therefore, who are the servants of the Master of the Household, we are the stewards of the Lord, we have received the measure of wheat to disburse to you.” – St Fulgentius of Ruspe (467-532) Bishop in North Africa (Homily 1, on the Lord’s servants) (trans. Breviary Common of Pastors).

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. ThroughJesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Hail MARY!, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, MOTHER of GOD, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The ANNUNCIATION, THE ASSUMPTION, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The INCARNATION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 18 August – ‘… Masterpiece in whom the Creator rejoices… ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 18 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – Within the Octave of the Assumption – Judith 13:22-25; 13:15; 13:10, Luke 1:41-50

“Most blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.” – Luke 1:42

REFLECTION – “This woman will be the Mother of God, the door to light, source of life. She will reduce to oblivion the judgement that weighed on Eve. “The rich among the people seek the face” of this woman, “the kings of the nations shall pay her homage”, they shall “offer gifts”…, yet the glory of the Mother of God is an interior glory: the fruit of her womb.

O woman, so worthy of love, thrice happy, “blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.” Daughter of David the king and Mother of God, King of the universe, masterpiece in whom the Creator rejoices… thou art to be nature’s full achievement. For thou life is not thine, thou were not born for thyself alone but thou life is to be God’s. thou came into the world for Him, thou will serve for the salvation of all people, fulfilling God’s design, established from the beginning: the Incarnation of the Word and our own divinisation. Thy whole desire is to feed on the words of God, to be strengthened by their sap, like “a green olive tree in the house of God,” “like a tree planted by running water” thou ary the “tree of life” who “yielded its fruit in due season”…

He who is infinite, limitless, came to dwell in thy womb; God, the child Jesus, was nourished by thy milk. Thou art the ever-virginal doorway of God; thou hands hold thy God; thou lap is a throne raised up above the cherubim… Thou art the wedding chamber of the Spirit, the “city of the living God, gladdened by the runlets of the stream” that is to say, the waves of the Spirit’s gifts. Thou art “all fair, the Beloved” of God.” – St John Damascene (675-749) Monk, Theologian, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon on the Nativity of the Virgin 9 ).

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 (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on WISDOM, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The HEART, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 17 August – ‘But, it depends on us, if He does not always enter or always remain.’ – St Ambrose

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One Minute Reflection – 17 August – St Hyacinth OP (1185-1257) ) Confessor – Sirach 31:8-11, Luke 12:35-40

“Let your loins be girt about and your lamps burning and you yourselves ,like men waiting for their master’s return from the wedding; so that when he comes and knocks, they may straightaway open to him. Blessed are those servants whom the master, on his return, shall find watching.” – Luke 12:35-37

REFLECTION – “God, the Word, stirs up the lazy and arouses the sleeper. For indeed, someone who comes knocking at the door is always wanting to come in. But, it depends on us, if He does not always enter or always remain. May your door be open to Him Who comes; open your soul, enlarge your spiritual capacities, that you may discover the riches of simplicity, the treasures of peace and sweetness of grace. Expand your heart, run to meet the Sun of that Eternal Light that “enlightens everyone” (Jn 1,9). It is certain, that this true Light shines for all but, if anyone shuts their windows, then they themselves shut themselves off from this Eternal Light.

So even Christ remains outside, if you shut the door of your soul. It is true that He could enter but He does not want to use force, He does not put those who refuse under pressure. Descended from the Virgin, born from her womb, He shines throughout the universe to give light to all. Those who long to receive the Light, that shines with an everlasting brightness, open up to Him. No night comes to intervene. Indeed, the sun we see each day gives way to night’s darkness but the Sun of justice (Mal 3,20) knows no setting, for Wisdom is not overcome by evil.” – St Ambrose (340-397) Bishop of Milan and Father and Doctor of the Church – (12th Sermon on Psalm 118).

PRAYER – O God, Who gladden us with the annual feast of blessed Hyacinth, Thy Confessor, mercifully grant that, while honouring the anniversary of his death, we may also imitate his deeds. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in "Follow Me", MARIAN REFLECTIONS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, St PAUL!, THE ASSUMPTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 15 August – ‘ … She “follows the Lamb wherever he goes.”’ – St Aelred

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One Minute Reflection – 15 August – The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Judith 13:22-25; 15:10, 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 favour 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.” – St Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167) – Cistercian Monk – 2nd sermon for the Assumption

PRAYER – Almighty, everlasting God, Who took up, body and soul, the Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of Thy Son, into heavenly glory, grant, we beseech Thee, that, always devoting ourselves to heavenly things, we may be found worthy to share in her glory. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the JUDGE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on PRIDE, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 14 August – ‘ … Never place yourself above anyone, not even great sinners. …’ St Basil the Great

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One Minute Reflection – 14 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – The 10th Sunday after Pentecost – 1 Cor.inthians 12:2-11, Luke 18:9-14

“I tell you, this man went back to his home, justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled but he who humbles himself, will be exalted” – Luke 18:14

REFLECTION – “The stern Pharisee, who in his overweening pride, not only boasted of himself but also discredited the tax collector, in the Presence of God, made his justice void by being guilty of pride. Instead of the Pharisee, the tax collector went down justified because he had given glory to God, the Holy One. He did not dare lift his eyes but sought only to plead for mercy. He accused himself by his posture, by striking his breast and by entertaining no other motive, except propitiation.

Be on your guard, therefore and bear in min, this example of severe loss, sustained through arrogance. The one guilty of insolent behaviour suffered the loss of his justice and forfeited his reward, by his bold self-reliance. He was judged inferior to a humble man and a sinner because, in his self-exaltation, he did not await the judgement of God but pronounced it himself.

Never place yourself above anyone, not even great sinners. Humility often saves a sinner, who has committed many terrible transgressions!” – St Basil the Great (329-379) Bishop of Caesarea, Father and Doctor of the Church (On Humility)

PRAYER – O God, Thou manifest Thy power, particularly in forbearance and pity, show us Thy mercy again and again, so that hastening toward Thy promises, we may become partakers of the blessings 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 (Collect).