Category: ONE Minute REFLECTION

Posted in "Follow Me", AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 July – ‘ … This is the kind of love which renews us. … As I have loved you.’

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One Minute Reflection – 24 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – St Christina (3rd Century) Virgin Martyr – Ecclesiasticus Sir 44:25-27; 45:2-4; 45:6-9 – John 15:12-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” – John 15:12

REFLECTION – “This commandment He is giving them, is a new one, the Lord Jesus tells His disciples. Yet, was it not contained in the Old Law, where it is written: You shall love your neighbour as yourself? Why does the Lord call it new, when it is clearly so old? Or is the commandment new because it divests us of our former selves and clothes us with the new man? Love does indeed renew the man who hears, or rather obeys its command but only that love, which Jesus distinguished from a natural love, by the qualification – As I have loved you.

This is the kind of love which renews us. When we love as He loved us, we become new men, heirs of the New Covenant and singers of the new song. My brothers, this was the love which, even in bygone days, renewed the holy men, the Patriarchs and Prophets of old. In later times, it renewed the blessed Apostles and now, it is the turn of the Gentiles. From the entire human race throughout the world, this love gathers together into One Body, a new people, to be the Bride of God’s Only Son. She is the Bride of whom it is asked in the Song of Songs: Who is this who comes clothed in white? White indeed are her garments, for she has been made new and the source of her renewal, is none other, than this new commandment.

And so, all her members make each other’s welfare their common care. When one member suffers, all the members suffer with him and if one member is glorified, all the rest rejoice. They hear and obey the Lord’s Words: A new commandment I give you, that you love one another, not as men love one another for their own selfish ends, nor merely on account of their common humanity but because. they are all gods and sons of the Most High. They love one another as God loves them, so that they may be brothers of His only Son. He will lead them to the goal that alone will satisfy them, where all their desires will be fulfilled. For when God is all in all, there will be nothing left to desire.

This love is the gift of the Lord Who said: As I have loved you, you also must love one another. His object in loving us, then, was to enable us to love each other. By loving us Himself, our mighty Head has linked us all together, as members of His Own Body, bound to one another by the tender bond of love.” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop of Hippo, Great Western Father and Doctor of the Grace, (Excerpt from his Tractates on the Gospel of John, 65).

PRAYER – O God, Who among the other miracles of Thy power have bestowed the victory of martyrdom even upon the weaker sex, graciously grant that we, who commemorate the anniversary of the death of blessed Christina, Your Virgin and Martyr, may come to Thee by the path of her example.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, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The IMITATION of CHRIST, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

One Minute Reflection – 23 July – “I Am in the midst of you, as He Who serves.”

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One Minute Reflection – 23 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – St Apollonaris (1st Century) Bishop Martyr, Disciple of St Peter – 1 Peter 5:1-11 – Luke 22:24-30 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“For who is greater, he who sits at table or he who serves? Is not he who sits at table? But I Am in the midst of you, as He Who serves.” – Luke 22:27

REFLECTION – “Make no great account of who is for you or against you but mind and take care of this: that God be with you in everything you do. Have a good conscience and God shall well defend you, for nobody’s malice can hurt those who God wills to help.

If you know how to be silent and suffer, you shall, without doubt, see the help of the Lord. It is He Who knows the time and manner of your deliverance and, therefore, it is your part to resign yourself into His Hands. It belongs to God to help us and deliver us from all trouble.

Many a time it is of much advantage towards keeping us in greater humility that others know and rebuke our faults. When people humble themselves for their own faults, then they readily pacify others and easily satisfy those who are angry with them.” – The Imitation of Christ – Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380–1471) – Book 2 Ch 2.

PRAYER – O God, the rewarder of faithful souls, grant that we may obtain pardon through the prayers of blessed Apollinaris, Thy Martyr and Bishop, whose feast we are celebrating .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, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on BLASPHEMY, QUOTES on DESPAIR, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 July – ‘ … He spoke to her alone but, He was drawing all creation to His grace. …’

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One Minute Reflection – 22 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – St Mary Magdalene (1st Century) Penitent – Song 3:2-5; 8:6-7 – Luke 7:36-50 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” – Luke 7:50

REFLECTION – “A sinful woman has proclaimed to us that God’s Love has gone forth in search of sinners. For when He called her, Christ was inviting our whole race to His Love and, in her person, He was drawing all sinners to His forgiveness. He spoke to her alone but, He was drawing all creation to His grace. …

Who would not be struck by the Mercy of Christ, Who accepted an invitation to a Pharisee’s house, in order to save a sinner! For the sake of the woman, who hungered for forgiveness, He, Himself felt hunger for the table of Simon the Pharisee and all the while, under the guise of a meal of bread, He had prepared for the sinner, a meal of repentance! …

In order that you may have the same experience, reflect within yourself that your sin is great but that it is blasphemy against God and an injury to yourself, to despair of His forgiveness because your sin seems to you to be too great. He has promised to forgive your sins, however many they are; will you tell Him you cannot believe this and dispute with Him, saying that your sin is too great and He cannot heal your sickness? Stop at that point and cry out with the prophet: “Lord, I have sinned against you” (Ps 50:6). At once He will reply, “As for Me, I have overlooked your fault, you shall not die.” Glory to Him from us all, through all ages! Amen, Amen.” ~ An Anonymous Christian Syrian Writer of the 6th Century [ ACW} (From a collection of Sermons on the sinful woman, 1, 4.5.19.26.28).

PRAYER – May the prayers of blessed Mary Magdalen help us, O Lord, Who was moved by her prayers, her love and peniteance, that we too may learn true repentance and sorrow for our sins..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 AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 21 July – ‘Let them grow together until the harvest’

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One Minute Reflection – 21 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – St Praxedes, Virgin (Died 164) – 1 Corinthians 7:25-34 – 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 break our unity, under the pretext of not associating with the wicked. On 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, in the Church, amongst the good, without their participation in the Sacraments being harmful to the good, as 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 – Graciously hear us, O God our Saviour, that, as we rejoice in the festival of blessed Praxedes, thy Virgin, so may we be nourished by the food of her heavenly teaching, as to be enlightened by the fervour of her dedicated holiness. 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 "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 20 July – ‘ … Unless you hold out your hands to receive your portion, you will collapse along the way … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 20 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Pentecost VI – St Jerome Emiliani (1486–1537) Confessor, Founder of the Somascan Fathers (known as “The Fathers of the Orphans since 1534”) – Romans 6:3-11 – Mark 8:1-9 – Scripture search here: htps://www.drbo.org/

“If I send them away to their homes fasting, they will faint on the way,” – Mark 8:3

REFLECTION – “Lord Jesus, how well I know Thou hast no wish to allow these people here with me, to remain hungry but to feed them with the food Thou distributes and so, strengthened with Thy food, they will have no fear of collapsing from hunger. I know, too that Thou hast no wish to send us away hungry, either… As Thou hast said: Thou do not wish them to collapse on the way, meaning, to collapse in the byways of this life, before reaching the end of the road, before coming to the Father and understanding, that Thou hast come from the Father…

Our Lord takes pity, then, so that none may collapse along the way… Just as He makes it rain on the just, as well as the unjust, (Mt 5:45) so He feeds the just as well as the unjust. Was it not thanks to the strength of the food that the holy Prophet Elijas, when he was collapsing on the way, was able to walk for forty days? (1 Kgs 19:8). It was an Angel who gave that food to him but, in your case, it is Christ Himself Who feeds you. If you preserve the food you have received in this way, then you will walk, not forty days and forty nights … but for forty years, from your departure from the borders of Egypt, to your arrival in the land of plenty, the land where milk and honey flow (Ex 3:8)…

And so, Christ shares out the foodstuffs and, there is no question, He wants to give it to all. He withholds it from no-one, for He provides for everyone. Nevertheless, when He breaks the loaves and gives them to the disciples, unless you hold out your hands to receive your portion, you will collapse along the way … This bread which Jesus breaks, is the Mystery of the Word of God: it increases as it is distributed. With only a few words, Jesus has provided abundant nourishment for all peoples. He has given us His Words as bread and, while we are tasting them, they increase in our mouths … Even as the crowds are eating, the pieces increase and become more numerous, to such an extent that, in the end, the leftovers are even more plentiful than the loaves that were shared.” – St Ambrose (340-397) Bishop of Milan, Father and Doctor of the Church (Commentary on the Gospel of Saint Luke VI, 73-88).

PRAYER – O God, the Father of mercies, by the merits and intercession of St Jerome, whom Thou willed to be the helper and father of orphans, grant that we may faithfully guard the spirit of adoption which makes us Thy sons both in name and reality.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, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on Love of Self, The HOLY GHOST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 18 July – ‘ … Let us love the one who is near us, so that we may be able to attain, the love of the One, Who is above us! …’

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One Minute Reflection – 18 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – St Camillus de Lellis MI (1550-1614) Confessor, Priest and Founder, “The Giant of Charity.” – 1 John 3:13-18 – John 15:12-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“This is My commandment that you love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love than this no man hath that a man lay down his life for his friends.” – John 15:12-13

REFLECTION – “We cannot truly love God without loving our neighbour, nor can we truly love our neighbour without loving God. This is why … the Holy Ghost was given a second time to the disciples. First He was given by the Lord while He was still dwelling on earth and later, while He was watching over us in Heaven (Jn 20:22; Acts 2). He was given to us on earth, that we may love our neighbours; from Heaven, that we may love God. Why first on earth and later from Heaven – except for the reason given us openly by John: “How can anyone, who does not love his brother, whom he sees love God Whom he does not see?”

So let us love our neighbours, my friends, let us love the one who is near us, so that we may be able to attain, the love of the One, Who is above us! Let our hearts reflect on what our neighbours hold up to God, so that we may be found completely worthy, to rejoice in God with them. Then shall we reach the happiness of the heavenly multitude, the happiness of which, we have received an assurance from the Holy Spirit. Let us move forward toward that goal, where we shall be happy without end, with all our love. There is the holy community of heavenly citizens, there is the sure and solemn observance, there untroubled rest, there the true peace which is no longer dependent on us but given to us through our Lord Jesus Christ (Jn 14:27).” – St Gregory the Great (540-604) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church (Excerpt Sermons on the Gospel No 30).

PRAYER – O God, Who endowed St Camillus with a special gift of charity for the help of souls struggling in their final agony, pour upon us, we beseech Thee, by his merits, the spirit of Thy love, so that at the hour of our death, we may be found worthy to overcome the enemy and attain the heavenly crown. 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, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on GREED, WEALTH, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on WEALTH/RICHES, The HOLY NAME, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 17 July –‘ … such a one is fettered in the toils of the world …’

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One Minute Reflection – 17 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – The Feast of The Humility of the Blessed Virgin Mary – St Alexius –1 Timothy 6:6-12 – Matthew 19:27-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And everyone who has left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for My Name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold and shall possess life everlasting.” – Matthew 19:29

REFLECTION – “There is a kind of wealth which is deadly to all – the loss of it, unwelcome. Which, when it makes the soul pure – that is, poor and bare – hears the Saviour speaking thus: “Come, follow Me.” For to the pure in heart, He now becomes the Way. But into the impure soul the grace of God finds no entrance because that soul is unclean which is rich in lusts and enthrall to many worldly posessions.

For whoever holds possessions, gold, silver and houses, as gifts of God, witnesses his thanksgiving to God by coming to the aid of the poor. He knows that he possesses them more for the sake of others than his own and is superior to the possession of them, not the slave of the things he possesses. He does not carry them about in his soul, nor bind and circumscribe his life within them but is ever labouring at some good and divine work.
Even should he be necessarily, at some time or other, deprived of them, he is able, with cheerful mind, to bear their removal equally with their abundance. This is someone who is blessed by the Lord and called “poor in spirit”a fitting heir of the Kingdom of Heaven (Mt 5:3)…

But someone who carries his riches around enclosed within his soul and, bears in his heart, instead of God’s Spirit, gold or land and is always acquiring possessions without end and is perpetually on the lookout for more, never looking up to Heaven, such a one is fettered in the toils of the world, being earth and destined to return to the earth (Gn 3:19). How can someone like that be able to desire the Kingdom of Heaven who, instead of a heart, carries land or metal and who is due to be surprised by death in the midst of his uncontrolled desires? For “where your heart is, there also will your treasure be” (Mt 6:21).” – St Clement of Alexandria (150-215) Father of the Church, Theologian (Sermon “What rich man can be saved?” )

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, maybe delivered from present sadness and enter into the joy of Thine eternal gladness.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 FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, MOTHER of GOD, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUEENSHIP of MARY, THE ASSUMPTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 16 July – “Blessed is the womb which bore Thee ” – Luke 11:27

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One Minute Reflection – 16 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – The Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel – Ecclesiasticus Sirach 24:23-31 – Luke 11:27-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

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

REFLECTION – “Hail, O favoured one, the Lord is with thee” (Lk 1:28). Could anything transcend the joy which is thine, O Virgin Mary? Could anything surpass this grace?… Truly, thou art “blessed among women” (Lk 1:42), for thou hast changed the condemnation of Eve into a blessing. Because of thee and through thee, Adam, who was hitherto cast down and condemned, received a blessing.

Truly, “thou art blessed among women” for through thee, the blessing of the Father came to mankind and reprieved them from the age-old sentence.
Truly, “thou art blessed among women” because through thee, thy ancestors found salvation. Thou were to give birth to the Saviour, Who would win for them, God’s salvation.

Truly, “thou art blessed among women” for without the seed of man thou bore the Fruit Who gives a blessing to the whole earth and frees it from being condemned to produce only thorns.

Truly, “thou art blessed among women” for although thou art a woman like any other woman, thou will, in actual fact, become the Mother of God. If the One to be born of thee is, in truth God Incarnate, thou rightly deserve to be called ‘she who gave birth to God’ inasmuch as thou truly do give birth to God.” – St Sophronius of Jerusalem (c560-638) Bishop, Father of the Church (Sermon for the Annunciation 2).

PRAYER – O God, Who honoured the Order of Carmel with the special title of the most blessed Mary, ever Virgin, Thy Mother, graciously grant, that we, who this day honour her commemoration with solemn rites, defended by her care, may be found worthy to attain everlasting happiness.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 "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, In the PRESENCE of GOD, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on TRUTH, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, QUOTES on WATCHING, The HEART, The SECOND COMING, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 15 July – ‘ … Reach out towards Him at every moment! …’

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One Minute Reflection – 15 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – – – St Henry II (972-1024) Confessor, Holy Roman Emperor – Ecclesiasticus Sirach 31:8-11 – Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to Him at once, when He Comes and knocks.” – Luke 12:35-36

REFLECTION – “God is the Supreme Being, therefore, direct the thoughts of your mind to Him and do not think of anything else, except to watch for His Coming. Let the soul gather together its thoughts, dispersed by sin, as though it were gathering together children romping about! Let it take them back to the house of its body and there, wait for the Lord, at all times with fasting and love, until He Comes and gathers them up in truth…

If our hearts are not swollen with pride and, if we do not send our thoughts out to feed in the pastures on the mad weeds of sin and if, to the contrary, we lift up our minds and lead our thoughts into the Lord’s Presence with fervent wills, then, in His good Will, the Lord shall certainly Come to us and truly unite us to Himself …

So make haste to please the Lord, wait for Him in your heart without ceasing, seek Him in your thoughts, stir up your will and your love, to reach out towards Him at every moment! Then you will see how He Comes to you and makes His home within you.” – St Macarius of Egypt (c300-390) (Attrib) Monk, Father (Sermon 31).

PRAYER – O God, Who on this day took Henry, Thy Confessor, to the everlasting Kingdom from the throne of an earthly empire; we humbly beseech Thee, that as Thou enabled him, protected by the abundance of Thy grace, to overcome the temptations of the world, so grant that we, in emulation of him, may shun the allurements of this world and come to Thee with pure hearts.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, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ENEMIES, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, The UNFORGIVEABLE SIN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 13 July – Go first to be reconciled to thy brother … Matthew 5:24

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One Minute Reflection – 13 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” –Pentecost V – St Anacletus (c25-c89) 3rd Bishop of Rome and Martyr – 1 Petet 3:8-15; 5:10-11 – Matthew 5:20-24 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Leave there thy offering before the Altar and go first to be reconciled to thy brother and then, coming, thou shalt offer thy gift.” – Matthew 5:24

REFLECTION – “The measure with which you measure shall be measured out to you” (Mt 7:2). And the servant who, after having had all his debt forgiven him by his master, would not forgive his fellow-servant, is confined to prison. Because he was unwilling to forgive his fellow-servant, he lost the forgiveness which had been granted him by the Lord (Mt 18:23f). And these things Christ sets forth still more strongly in his precepts by the greater force of his censure. He says: “When you stand praying, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your transgressions” (Mk 11:25) …

For God commands us to be peacemakers and of one heart and of one mind, in His House. And such as He has made us by a second birth, so by a second birth He wishes to preserve us that we, who are the children of God, may abide in the peace of God and that we ,who have one spirit, may have one heart and mind. Thus God does not receive the sacrifice of a person who is in disagreement but commands him to go back from the Altar and first be reconciled to his brother that so God also, may be appeased by the prayers of the peacemaker. The greater sacrifice to God is our peace and fraternal concord and a people united in the unity of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.” – St Cyprian of Carthage (200-258) Bishop of Carthage, Martyr, Father of the Church (The Lord’s Prayer, 23).

PRAYER – Look forgivingly on thy flock, Eternal Shepherd, and keep it in thy constant protection, by the intercession of blessed Anacletus thy Martyr and Sovereign Pontiff, whom thou didst constitute Shepherd of the whole Church.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 WORD and WISDOM, franciscan OFM, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ENEMIES, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 12 July – “But I say to you, Love your enemies …” – Matthew 5:44

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One Minute Reflection – 12 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – St John Gualbert (c985-1073) Abbot – Ecclesiasticus Sirach 31:8-11 – Matthew 5:43-48 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But I say to you, Love your enemies …” – Matthew 5:44

REFLECTION – “Let us pay attention, all my brothers, to what the Lord says: “Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you,” for our Lord Jesus Christ, Whose footprints we must follow (cf 1 Pt 2:21), called His betrayer “friend” (Mt 26:50) and gave Himself willingly to those who crucified Him. Our friends, then, are all those who, unjustly afflict upon us, trials and ordeals, shame and inju­ries, sorrows and torments, martyrdom and death! We must love them greatly for we will possess eternal life because of what they bring upon us.” – St Francis of Assisi (c1181-1226) Founder of the Friars Minor (Earlier Rule, #22).

PRAYER – May the intercession of the blessed Abbot John commend us to Thee, O Lord, so that through his merits we may obtain that which we cannot accomplish by our own. 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).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 AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CATHOLIC Quotes, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 10 July – For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven, is My brother and My sister and My mother. – Matthew 12:50

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One Minute Reflection – 10 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – St Rufina and St Secunda of Rome (3rd Century) Virgin Martyrs – Proverbs 31:10-31 – Matthew 12:46-50 – – – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven, is My brother and My sister and My mother.” – Matthew 12:50

REFLECTION – “I beg you to listen to what the Lord had to say when He stretched out His hand towards His disciples: “Here are My mother and My brethren” and, “whoever does the will of My Father in heaven, is My brother and My sister and My mother.” Are we to take it from this that the Virgin Mary did not do the will of the Father, she who by faith believed, by faith conceived; she who was chosen to bring forth salvation on our behalf and who, was by Christ created that Christ in her, might be created? Indeed and indeed, she did the Father’s Will and it is a greater thing for Mary that she was Christ’s disciple, than that she was His Mother. It is a happier thing to be His disciple, than to be His Mother. Blessed then is Mary, who bore her Lord in her body, before she gave Him birth…

Mary is holy. Mary is blessed. Yet the Church is greater than she is. What reason do I bring? Mary is part of the Church. She is a holy member of the Church; she is THE holy member; she is the member above all member hut, she is still one member of the whole body… Brothers, listen very closely – you are members of Christ’s body and you are the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27). And this is how you are what He said: “Here are My mother and My brothers.” But how does this prove you are Christ’s mother? He goes on: “Whoever hears and whoever does the will of my heavenly Father, is My brother and My sister and My mother.” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 25 on Saint Matthew).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we, who know how courageously Thy holy Martyrs have confessed the faith, may experience their goodness as they intercede for us 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 "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on PEACE, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 7 July – Into whatever house you enter, first say: Peace be to this house … Luke 10:5 (‘… This greeting of peace did not dry up; …’)

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One Minute Reflection – 7 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Saint Cyril (827-869) and Saint Methodius (826-885) “Apostles to the Slavs,” Sibling Brother Bishops, Confessors – St Lawrence of Brindisi OFM Cap (1559-1619) Confessor, The “Franciscan Renaissance Man,” Priest – Hebrews 7:23-27 – Luke 10:1-9 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Into whatever house you enter, first say: Peace be to this house.
And, if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon him but if not, it shall return to you.” – Luke 10:5-7

REFLECTION – “As you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house,‘” (Lk 10:5) so that the Lord Himself might enter and remain there, as with Mary. … This greeting is the Mystery of Faith which shines forth in the world. Through it, enmity is stifled, war is ended and people acknowledge one another. The effect of that greeting was hidden by a veil in spite of the fact that it prefigures the Mystery of the Resurrection … when the light rises and dawn chases night away. From the moment Christ sent out His disciples, people began to give and receive this greeting, a source of healing and blessing. …

This greeting with its hidden power … is amply sufficient for us all. That is why Our Lord sent it out, together with His disciples, as forerunner, so that it might bring about peace and, carried by the voice of the Apostles whom He sent, prepare the way before them. It was sown in every dwelling … it entered into all who heard it, so as to separate and set apart, the children it recognised as its own. It remained in them but it denounced those who were alien to it, for they did not welcome it.

This greeting of peace did not dry up; it began in the Apostles and then sprang up in their brethren, revealing the Lord’s inexhaustible treasures. … Present in those who offered greetings in this way and in those who welcomed the greeting, this announcement of peace was neither diminished nor divided. It announced that the Father is near and is in everyone; it revealed that the Son’s mission is bound up with all, even if its object is to be with His Father. It will not cease to proclaim that images are now brought to completion and Truth will cast all shadows away at last.” – St Ephrem (306-373) Father and Doctor of the Church (Diatessaron 8: 3-4).

PRAYER – Look forgivingly on Thy flock, Eternal Shepherd and keep it in Thy constant protection, by the intercession of the blessed brothers, Cyril and Methodius, who, by the power of the Holy Ghost were moved to bring the light of the Gospel to a hostile and divided people. 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, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, St PAUL!, St PETER!, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 6 July – ‘ Thou shalt catch men … After the proof of thy humility … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 6 July – “The Solemnity Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Pentecost IV – The Octave Day of Sts Peter and Paul – Romans 8:18-23 – Luke 5:1-11 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“ And Jesus saith to Simon – Fear not, from henceforth. thou shalt catch men. ”– Luke 5:10

REFLECTION – “Peter threw himself humbly at Jesus’ feet. Recognising his Lord in Him, he said: “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man and am not worthy to stay with Thee. Depart from me, for I am only a man and Thou art the God-man; I am sinful and Thou art holy; I am a servant, Thou the Master. Let distance separate Thee from me, who am distanced from Thee by the weakness of my nature, the ugliness of my sins and the weakness of my strength..”

But the Lord comforted Peter by showing him the catch of fish which showed how he would become a fisher of men. “Do not be afraid,” He said to him, “Do not be frightened but believe and rejoice. For thou art destined for an even greater catch another kind of boat and another kind of net, will be given thee. Hitherto thou hast caught fish with thy nets but from now on, thou wilt catch men with thy words. The Word of God is like a fisherman’s bait. Just as the hook does not catch the fish until it has been taken by it, so the Word of God does not capture a man for eternal life unless this Word, has first of all, entered his thoughts. From now on, it is men thou wilt catch. ‘From now on’ – that is to say, after all that has taken place, after the proof of thy humility, thou wilt be responsible for catching men. For humility has the force of attraction and it is good to know how not to boast in one’s own power if one is to have authority over others.” – Ludolph of Saxony (1300-1377) Carthusian Monk, Theologian, Writer (The life of Jesus Christ 1 Ch 29:9-11)

PRAYER – O God, Who made this day holy by the Martyrdom of Your Apostles Peter and Paul, grant Thy Church to follow in all things, the teaching of those, from whom she first received the faith. 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, GOD ALONE!, INDULGENCES, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, SACRED HEART ASPIRATIONS, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 4 July – ‘ … Thou art our All … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 4 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Octave Day of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the First Friday of July – Within the Octave of Sts Peter and Paul – Ephesians 3:8-12, 14-19 – John 19:31-37 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But one of the soldiers, with a spear, opened His side and, immediately, there came forth, blood and water. ” – John 19:34

REFLECTION – “Brethren, let us pursue our calling – we are called by Life to the Source of Life and this Source is a source, not just of ‘living water’ (Jn 4:10) but of eternal life, Source of Light and illumination. Indeed, all things flow from it, wisdom, life and eternal light… O Lord, Thou are Thineself this Source Who always exists and is always to be desired and, at where it is always permitted and always necessary for us to draw. ‘Lord Jesus, give us this water always’ that it may also become within us, a spring of water \welling up to eternal life’ (Jn 4:15.14). It is true that I am asking Thee for a great deal, who could deny it? But Thou, O King of glory, know well how to give great things and Thou hast promised them. There is nothing greater than Thou art and, it is Thee Thyself Who give to us, it is Thee Who gave Thyself for us.

Therefore, it is Thee we are asking for … since we desire nothing other than Thee. Thou art our All, our Life, our Light and our Salvation, our Food and our Drink, our God. Breathe into our hearts, I beseech Thee, O our Jesus; with the breath of Thine Spirit, wound our souls with Thy Love that each of us may say in truth – “Show me Him Whom my soul loves” (Sg 3:3) for I have been wounded by Thy Love.

I desire these wounds to be in me, O Lord. Happy the soul who loves wounds in this way – the soul who seeks the Source, who drinks and who, nevertheless, never ceases to thirst even as it drinks, nor to draw continually by desire, nor to continue drinking in its thirst. Thus, it always seeks in loving, for in its wound, it finds healing.” – St Columban (543-615) Father of the Church, Monk, Missionary, Founder of many Monasteries (Spiritual Instructions No 13: 2-3).

PRAYER – God, Who hast consecrated this day to the Martyrdom of Thy Apostles Peter and Paul, give Thy Church a precept to follow them in all things. 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).

DIVINE Heart of JESUS, convert sinners, save the dying, set free the holy souls in Purgatory. Indulgence 300 Days Everytime – St Pius X, 11 September, 1907.

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 the CHURCH, QUOTES on WATCHING, St PETER!, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 3 July – “Upon this rock I will build My Church” – Matthew 16:18

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One Minute Reflection – 3 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – St Leo II (611–683) Pope, Confessor – Within the Octave of the Sacred Heart and the Feast of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus – 1 Peter 5:1-4; 5:10-11 – Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Upon this rock I will build My Church” – Matthew 16:18

REFLECTION – “Brothers, when it comes to fulfilling my duties as Bishop, I discover that I am weak and slack, weighed down by the weakness of my own condition, while at the same time, I want to act generously and courageously. However, I draw my strength from the untiring intercession of the Almighty and Eternal Priest, Who, like us but equal to the Father, lowered His divinity to the level of man and raised humankind to the level of God. The decisions He made, give me a just and holy joy. For, when He delegated many shepherds to care for His flock, He did not abandon watching over His beloved sheep. Thanks to that fundamental and eternal assistance, I in turn, have received the protection and support of the Apostle Peter, who also does not abandon his function. This solid foundation, on which the whole of the Church is built, never grows tired of carrying the whole weight, of the building which rests on it.

The firmness of faith, for which the first of the Apostles was praised, never fails. Just as everything which Peter professed in Christ remains, so that which Christ established in Peter, remains… The order willed by God’s Truth remains. Saint Peter perseveres in the solidity which he received; he has not abandoned the governance of the Church which was placed in his hands. That, my brothers, is what that profession of faith, inspired by God the Father, obtained in the heart of the Apostle. He received the solidity of a rock which no assault can shake. In the entire Church, Peter says everyday: “Thou art the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” – St Leo the Great (400-461) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon on the anniversary of his Consecration as Bishop).

PRAYER – Look forgivingly on Thy flock, Eternal Shepherd and keep it in Thy constant protection, by the intercession of blessed Leo Thy 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 ADVENT, ADVENT REFLECTIONS, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, Quotes on SALVATION, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 2 July – “Behold the King is coming, let us hasten to meet our Saviour”

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One Minute Reflection – 2 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Song 2:8-14 – Luke 1:39-47 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” – Luke 1:43

REFLECTION – “Behold the King is coming, let us hasten to meet our Saviour” (Advent Liturgy). Solomon put it very well when he said: “As cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country” (Prv 25:25). He certainly brings good news who announces the coming of the Saviour, the reconciliation of the world and the good things of the world to come. “How welcome the feet of them who preach peace and bring good tidings!” (Is 52:7)…

Such messengers are waters of refreshment and a draught of saving wisdom to a soul athirst for God. For such a soul, the herald of the Coming and of the other Mysteries of the Saviour, draws and proffers water “with joy from the springs of the Saviour” (Is 12:3). And so, it seems to me, the soul is heard to reply to the messenger … in the words of Elisabeth. It has drunk of the same spirit as she has and says: “And whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed art thou who hast believed because those things shall be accomplished which were spoken to thee by the Lord.”

And really, brethren, we should go to meet the coming Christ with joy in our heart … “O my Saviour and my God! (Ps 42:5) what an honour that Thou should have saluted Thy servants. How much the greater that Thou shouldst have saved them? … Thou hast given us salvation! not only by greeting with the kiss of peace in Thine Incarnation, those Thou had previously saluted with words of peace but,more, by effecting their salvation through Thy death on the Cross.” Let us, therefore, rise up with joyful eagerness and hasten to welcome our Saviour. Let us adore Him and salute Him at a distance, crying out to Him: “Deliverance, Lord, deliverance! Lord, grant us the victory! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord” (Ps 117:25-26).” – Blessed Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot (2nd Sermon of Advent).

PRAYER – Bestow upon Thy servants, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the gift of heavenly grace that as the child-bearing of the Blessed Virgin marked the beginning of our salvation, so may the solemn Feast of her Visitation bring us an increase of peace.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, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on SUFFERING, REDEMPTIVE Suffering, St PAUL!, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 30 June – ‘I urge you, in the grace in which you are clothed, to press on in your race … ‘ St Ignatius of Antioch

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One Minute Reflection – 30 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” – The Commemoration of St Paul, Apostle and Martyr – Galatians 1:11-20 – Matthew 10:16-22 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Behold, I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves, therefore, be wise as serpents and simple as doves.” – Matthew 10:16

REFLECTION – “I urge you, in the grace in which you are clothed, to press on in your race and urge everyone to be saved. Assert your office with all the diligence of flesh and spirit. Give your attention to unity, for there is nothing better. Carry your brethren as the Lord also carries you. Patiently bear with them all in love, as indeed you do bear with them. Devote yourself to unceasing prayer. Ask for greater understanding than you have. Be watchful, possessing a wakeful spirit. Speak to each one individually concerning God’s way. “Bear the infirmities” (cf. Mt 8:17) of each as a perfect athlete. Where there is more toil, there is greater gain.

If you only love the good disciples, this wins you no advantage. Rather, subdue by meekness, the more annoying. Not every wound is cured by the same salve. Ease sharp pains with a hot compress. In everything “be wise as serpents” and always “harmless as doves”. You who are of flesh and spirit, humour those things visibly present before you but pray, too, that what is invisible may be manifested to you, so that you may lack nothing and may abound in every spiritual gift.

As pilots invoke the winds and tempest-tossed mariners, call for haven, this season invites you to return to God. Be temperate, as God’s athlete. The prize is incorruption and life eternal …. It is the part of a great athlete to suffer blows and to conquer. It is above all, for God’s sake, we ought to endure all things which He too, may endure for us. Become more zealous than you are. Consider the times. Look for Him Who is above all times, Who is timelss, invisible but made visible for our sakes – He Who, beyond the touch of our hands, beyond suffering, yet knew the Passion for our sakes and endured every suffering!” – St Ignatius of Antioch (c35-c108) Bishop Martyr, Apostolic Father of the Church [Letter to Saint Polycarp (69-155)]

PRAYER – O God, Who taught vast numbers of the Gentiles by the preaching of the blessed Apostle Paul, grant we beseech Thee that, by honouring his memory, we may enjoy the benefit of his patronal intercession. 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).

SACRED Heart of JESUS, I trust in Thee.
300 Days Indulgence Once a Day – Plenary, Once a month. Raccolta 175 – St Pius X, 19 August 1905 and 27 June 1906.

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One Minute Reflection – 29 June –Whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth … Matthew 16:19

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One Minute Reflection – 29 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles – Within the Octave of the Sacred Heart – Pentecost III – Acts 12:1-11 – Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in Heaven.” – Matthew 16:19

REFLECTION – “Bridegroom and Bride, that is Christ and the Church, are as one, be it in receiving confession or in bestowing absolution. All this makes clear why Christ had to tell each of us: “Go, show yourself to the priest” (Mt 8,4)… It follows that apart from Christ, the Church cannot grant forgiveness and that Christ has no will to forgive, apart from the Church. The Church’s authority to forgive extends only to the repentant, to those, that is, whom Christ has already touched; Christ, on His part, has no intention of regarding as forgiven, one who despises the Church.

Doubtless, Christ need accept no restraints to His power of Baptising, Consecrating the Eucharist, Ordaining Priests, forgiving sins and the like but, the humble and faithful Bridegroom, prefers to confer such blessings, with the co-operation of His Bride. “What God,” then, “has joined, let no man put asunder” (Mt 19,6). “I say this is a great mystery and refers to Christ and the Church” (Eph 5,32)… To remove the Head from the Body (Col 1,18) were to ruin the whole Christ, irreparably. Christ, apart from the Church, is no more the whole Christ, than the Church is complete, if separated from Christ. Head and Body go to make the whole and entire Christ.” – Bl Isaac of Stella (c 1100 – c 1170) Cistercian Monk, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher (Sermon 11, §11-814).

PRAYER – O God, Who made this day holy by the Martyrdom of Thy Apostles Peter and Paul, grant Thy Church to follow in all things the teaching of those from whom she first received the faith. 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).

ALL PRAISE, honour and glory to the Divine Heart of JESUS. Indulgenced– 50 Days, once a day. 168 Pope Leo XIII, 14 June 1901.

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM, QUOTES on PERSECUTION

One Minute Reflection – 28 June – And fear you not them who kill the body and are not able to kill the soul …”

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One Minute Reflection – 28 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – St Irenaeus (c130–c202) Bishop, Martyr, Father of the Church – 2 Timothy 3:14-17, 4:1-5; Matthew 10:28-33 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And fear you not them who kill the body and are not able to kill the soul …” – Matthew 10:28

REFLECTION – “They did not nail Polycarp but only tied him up. And so, he was bound, putting his arms behind his back, like a noble ram taken from a large flock for sacrifice, a burnt offering acceptable to and made ready for God. Then he gazed up to Heaven and said: “O Lord God Almighty, Father of Your beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, through Whom we have received knowledge of You, God of the angels and the powers and of all creation, God of the whole race of the righteous who live in Your sight: I bless You, for You have thought me worthy of this day and hour, to share the cup of Your Christ, as one of Your Martyrs, to rise again to eternal life in body and soul in the immortality of the Holy Ghost. May I be taken up today into Your Presence among Your Martyrs, as a rich and acceptable sacrifice, in the manner You have prepared and have revealed and have now brought to fulfillment, for You are the God of truth… And so also I praise You for all things; I bless and glorify you through our Eternal High Priest in Heaven (Heb 4,14), in Your beloved Child, Jesus Christ, through Whom be glory to You and to Him and to the Holy Ghost, now and for the ages to come. Amen.” – Letter of the Church of Smyrna concerning the Martyrdom of Saint Polycarp (69-155) [Especially appropriate today, as St Irenaeus was a Student and Disciple of St Polycarp.]

PRAYER – O God, Who enabled blessed Irenaeus, Thy Martyr and Bishop, to overcome heresy with true doctrine and to establish peace happily in the Church, grant, we beseech Thee that Thy people may be steadfast in holy religion and give us Thy peace in our times. 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).

MAY the HEART of JESUS be loved everywhere. INDULGENCE – 100 Days, Once a day – Pope Pius IX 23 September 1860.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, GOD ALONE!, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, ONE Minute REFLECTION, SACRED HEART QUOTES, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 27 June – ‘… This is the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price …’

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One Minute Reflection – 27 June – “The Month and the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Mother of Perpetual Succour – Within the Octave of St John the Baptist – Ephesians 3:8-12, 14-19 – John 19:31-37 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“… One of the soldiers opened His side with a lance and immediately there came forth blood and water. ” – John 19:34

REFLECTION – “Let us draw near to the Heart of our most sweet Lord Jesus and we shall be glad and rejoice in it. How good and how sweet it is to dwell in this Heart! This is the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price which we discover, O Jesus, when we dig in the field of Thy Body (cf Mt 13:44). Who, then, would cast aside this Pearl? Far from it! For It, I will give away all my goods and offer in exchange, all my concerns and affections. I will lay down all my cares in the Heart of Jesus, it is He Who will suffice for me and Who will, without fail, supply all I need to live on!

It is within this temple, this Holy of holies, this Ark of the Covenant, that I shall come to offer worship and praise to the Lord’s Name. “I have found a heart with which to pray to my God” said David (1 Ch 17:25). And I too have found the Heart of my Lord and King, my Brother and Friend. Shall I not pray to Him, then? Indeed I shall pray, for, I dare to say it – His Heart is all mine…

O Jesus, deign to receive and answer my prayer. Draw me wholly into Thine Heart. Although the deformity of my sins prevents me from entering in, yet, Thou can receive and purify me from my impurities since, through an incomprehensible Love, this Heart has expanded and opened wide. O most pure Jesus, wash me from my iniquities so that, purified by Thee, I may dwell in Thy Heart all the days of my life, to see and do Thy will. If Thine Side has been pierced, then it is so that our entrance there should be opened. If Thine Heart has been wounded, then it is so that, sheltered from outward distress, we can make our home within it. And, too, it is so that in this visible wound, we might see the invisible wound of Love.” – [Attrib] St Bonaventure (1221-1274) Franciscan, Doctor of the Church (editations on the Lord’s Passion 3).

PRAYER – God our Father, Thou opens the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven to those who are born again of water and the Holy Ghost. Increase the grace Thou hast given, so that the people who have been purified from all sin, may not forfeit the promised blessing of Thy love. Grant that we may ever keep Thy Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, before our eyes and do all in Him and through Him and for Him and may the prayers of our Mother of Perpetual Succour ever guide and bear us in her care! We make our pray through Christ, our Lord,who livest and reignest with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one God forever, amen. (Collect).

Ejaculation:  My Lady and my Mother, remember, I am thine;
protect and defend me as thy property and possession.

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, EUCHARISTIC ADORATION and Nocturnal, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SACRED HEART ASPIRATIONS, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY CROSS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 6 June – Could anything be of more intrinsic value? St Thomas Aquinas

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One Minute Reflection – 26 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Saint John and Saint Paul of Rome (Died c362) Martyrs – The Octave Day of Corpus Christi – 1 Corinthians 23-29 – John 6:56-59 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“He who eats this Bread shall live forever.” – John 6:59

REFLECTION – “Since it was the Will of God’s Only-Begotten Son that men should share in His Divinity, He assumed our nature in order that, by becoming Man. He might make men gods . Moreover, when He took our flesh. He dedicated the whole of its substance to our salvation. He offered His Body to God the Father, on the Altar of the Cross, as a sacrifice for our reconciliation. He shed His Blood for our ransom and purification, so that we might be redeemed, from our wretched state of bondage and cleansed from all sin. But to ensure that the memory of so great a gift would abide with us forever, He left His Body as food and His Blood as drink, for the faithful to consume in the form of bread and wine.

O precious and wonderful banquet which brings us salvation and contains all sweetness! Could anything be of more intrinsic value? Under the old law, it was the flesh of calves and goats, which was offered but here, Christ Himself, the True God, is set before us as our food! What could be more wonderful than this? No other Sacrament has greater healing power; through it, sins are purged away, virtues are increased and the soul is enriched with an abundance of every spiritual gift. It is offered in the Church for the living and the dead, so that what was instituted for the salvation of all, may be for the benefit of all. Yet, in the end, no-one can fully express the sweetness of this Sacrament, in which spiritual delight is tasted at its very source, and in which, we renew the memory, of that surpassing love for us, which Christ revealed in His Passion.

It was to impress the vastness of this Love, more firmly upon the hearts of the faithful, that our Lord instituted this Sacrament at the Last Supper. As He was on the point of leaving the world to go to the Father, after celebrating the Passover with His disciples, He left it as a perpetual memorial of His Passion. It was the fulfilment of ancient figures and the greatest of all His Miracles, while, for those who were to experience the sorrow of His departure, it was destined to be a unique and abiding consolation.” – St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Dominican Priest and Theologian, Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from On the Feast of the Body of Christ).

PRAYER – We beseech Thee, Almighty God that on this feast-day, we may have the double joy of celebrating blessed John and Paul, true brothers ,who obtained eternal glory through one Faith and one Martyrdom. 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).

O HEART of love, I place all my trust in Thee; for though I fear all things from my weakness, I hope all things from Thy mercies. – Ejaculation of Saint Margaret Mary – Indulgence 300 Days, Everytime – Raccolta 180 St Pius X, 3 June 1908.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on WEALTH/RICHES, SACRED HEART ASPIRATIONS, The BEATITUDES, The HOLY NAME, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 25 June – ‘ … such a one is fettered in the toils of the world …’

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One Minute Reflection – 25 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Within the Corpus Christi Octave – St William (1085-1142) Abbot – Ecclesiasticus 45:1-6 – Matthew 19:27-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And everyone who has left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for My Name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold and shall possess life everlasting.” – Matthew 19:29

REFLECTION – “There is a kind of wealth which is deadly to all – the loss of it, unwelcome. Which, when it makes the soul pure – that is, poor and bare – hears the Saviour speaking thus: “Come, follow Me.” For to the pure in heart, He now becomes the Way. But into the impure soul the grace of God finds no entrance because that soul is unclean which is rich in lusts and enthrall to many worldly posessions.

For whoever holds possessions, gold, silver and houses, as gifts of God, witnesses his thanksgiving to God by coming to the aid of the poor. He knows that he possesses them more for the sake of others than his own and is superior to the possession of them, not the slave of the things he possesses. He does not carry them about in his soul, nor bind and circumscribe his life within them but is ever labouring at some good and divine work.
Even should he be necessarily, at some time or other, deprived of them, he is able, with cheerful mind, to bear their removal equally with their abundance. This is someone who is blessed by the Lord and called “poor in spirit”a fitting heir of the Kingdom of Heaven (Mt 5:3)…

But someone who carries his riches around enclosed within his soul and, bears in his heart, instead of God’s Spirit, gold or land and is always acquiring possessions without end and is perpetually on the lookout for more, never looking up to Heaven, such a one is fettered in the toils of the world, being earth and destined to return to the earth (Gn 3:19). How can someone like that be able to desire the Kingdom of Heaven who, instead of a heart, carries land or metal and who is due to be surprised by death in the midst of his uncontrolled desires? For “where your heart is, there also will your treasure be” (Mt 6:21).” – St Clement of Alexandria (150-215) Father of the Church, Theologian (Sermon “What rich man can be saved?” )

PRAYER – O God, Who made Thy Saints an example and a help for our weakness, grant us, as we walk the path of salvation, so to venerate the virtues of the blessed Abbot William that we may obtain his intercession and follow in his footsteps. 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).

“JESUS, meek and humble of HEART, make my heart like unto Thine.” – 300 Days, EVERYTIME. (Unless otherwise stated, e.g., “once a day,” a partial Indulgence may be gained any number of times in succession.) St Pope Pius X, 15 September 1905.

Posted in BAPTISM, CHRIST the LIGHT, CONFESSION/PENANCE, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, SACRED HEART ASPIRATIONS, St JOHN the BAPTIST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 June – What … shall this child be?

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One Minute Reflection – 24 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus”– Within the Corpus Christi Octave – The Nativity of St John the Baptist – Isaias 49:1-3, 5-7 – Luke 1:57-68 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“ What … shall this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him.” – Luke 1:66

REFLECTION – “Rightly then, did the birth of this child make many rejoice then and does make many rejoice today – born in the old age of his parents, he was to preach the grace of rebirth to an aging world. Rightly does the Church solemnly venerate this birth which is wonderfully brought about by grace and, at which nature wonders.

To me certainly, the birth of the world’s Lamp (Jn 5:35) brings fresh joy, for it enabled me to recognise the true Light shining in the darkness but not mastered by the darkness, (Jn1:5.9). His birth brings me a joy utterly unspeakable, for so many outstanding benefits accrue to the world through it.
He is the first to give the Church instruction, to initiate it by penance, to prepare it by Baptism. When it is prepared, he delivers it to Christ and unites it with Him, (Jn 3:29). He both trains it to live temperately and, by his own death, gives it the strength to die with fortitude. In all these ways, he prepares a perfect people for the Lord. (Lk 1:17).” – Bl Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot (Sermon 1 for Saint John the Baptist).

PRAYER – O God, Who made this a day most worthy of our celebration because of blessed John; grant Thy people the grace of spiritual joys and direct the minds of all the faithful into the path of eternal salvation. T hrough Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Sweet Heart of my JESUS, Make me love Thee ever more and more!
INDULGENCE – 300 Days. i. Partial, Every time ii. Plenary, once a month. Pope Pius IX, 26 November 1876 Raccolta 162

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 23 June –Leave there thy offering before the Altar and go first to be reconciled to thy brother

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One Minute Reflection – 23 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Within the Corpus Christi – The Vigil of the Nativity of St John the Baptist or St John’s Eve – – 1 Peter 3:8-15 – Matthew 5:20-24 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Leave there thy offering before the Altar and go first to be reconciled to thy brother and then, coming, thou shalt offer thy gift.” – Matthew 5:24

REFLECTION – “The measure with which you measure shall be measured out to you” (Mt 7:2). And the servant who, after having had all his debt forgiven him by his master, would not forgive his fellow-servant, is confined to prison. Because he was unwilling to forgive his fellow-servant, he lost the forgiveness which had been granted him by the Lord (Mt 18:23f). And these things Christ sets forth still more strongly in his precepts by the greater force of his censure. He says: “When you stand praying, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your transgressions” (Mk 11:25) …

For God commands us to be peacemakers and of one heart and of one mind, in His House. And such as He has made us by a second birth, so by a second birth He wishes to preserve us that we, who are the children of God, may abide in the peace of God and that we ,who have one spirit, may have one heart and mind. Thus God does not receive the sacrifice of a person who is in disagreement but commands him to go back from the Altar and first be reconciled to his brother that so God also, may be appeased by the prayers of the peacemaker. The greater sacrifice to God is our peace and fraternal concord and a people united in the unity of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.” – St Cyprian of Carthage (200-258) Bishop of Carthage, Martyr, Father of the Church (The Lord’s Prayer, 23).

PRAYER – O God, Thou Who hast prepared good things as yet unseen for those who love Thee, pour a burning love into our hearts, so that we, loving Thee, in and above all things, may obtain Thy promises which surpass all desire. 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).

EUCHARISTIC Heart of JESUS, have mercy on us.
INDULGENCE: 300 Days. TQ Toties Quoties = any number of times.
St Pius X, 26 July 1907; 26 December 1907 – Raccolta 176.

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on MISSION, SACRED HEART ASPIRATIONS, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 June – Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city …’ Luke 14:21

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One Minute Reflection – 22 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” – The Solemnity of Corpus Christi and Within the Corpus Christi Octave – St Paulinus of Nola (c 354-431) Bishop, Confessor, Father of the Church –1 John 3:13-18 – Luke 14:16-24 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“The servant went and reported this to his Master. Then the Master of the house was angry and commanded His servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city and bring in here, the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame…” – Luke 14:21

REFLECTION – “He turned to the Gentiles from the careless scorn of the rich. He invites both good and evil to enter, in order to strengthen the good and change the disposition of the wicked for the better. The saying that was read today is fulfilled, “Then wolves and lambs will feed together.” He summons the poor, the maimed and the blind. By this, He shows us, either that handicaps do not exclude us from the Kingdom of Heaven that the Lord’s mercy forgives the weakness of sinners. Whoever glories in the Lord, glories as one redeemed from reproach, not by works but by faith.

He sends them into the highways because Wisdom sings aloud in passages. He sends them to the streets because He sent them to sinners, so that they should come from the broad paths, to the narrow way which leads to life. He sends them to the highways and hedges . They, who are not busied with any desires for present things, hurry to the future on the path of goodwill. Like a hedge, which separates the wild from the cultivated and wards off the attacks of wild beasts, they can distinguish between good and evil and extend a rampart of faith against the temptations of spiritual wickedness.” – St Ambrose (340-397) Bishop of Milan, Father and Doctor of the Church (Exposition on the Gospel of Luke, 7).

PRAYER – O God, Who promised to those who forsake all things in this world for Thee, a hundred-fold reward in the world to come and life everlasting, mercifully grant that, following closely in the footsteps of the holy Bishop, Paulinus, we may look upon earthly things as nought and long only for those of Heaven. Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

MAY the Heart of JESUS in the most Blessed Sacrament be praised, adored and loved with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the Tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time. Amen. Indulgence 100 Days, Once a day. Raccolta 161 Pope Pius IX, 29 February 1868.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, JESUIT SJ, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on Love of Self, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on SANCTITY, SACRED HEART ASPIRATIONS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 21 June – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.” 

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One Minute Reflection – 21 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Within the Cor[us Christi Octave –St Aloysius de Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591) Confessor – Ecclesiasticus 31:8-11 – Matthew 22:29-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“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, bestower of heavenly gifts, Who in the angelic youth Aloysius joined wondrous innocence of life to an equally wondrous love of penance; grant, by his merits and prayers, that we who have not followed him in his innocence may imitate him in his penance. 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).

OUR Lady of the Sacred Heart, Pray for Us! – Indulgence 100 Days. Everytime – Raccolta 174 St Pius X, 9 July 1904.

Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, SACRED HEART ASPIRATIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 20 June – The “bread of life” …

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One Minute Reflection – 20 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Within the Corpus Christi Octave – St Pope Silverius (Died 538) Martyr – 1 Corinthians 23-29 – John 6:56-59 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“This is the Bread which has come down from Heaven; not as your fathers ate the manna and died. He who eats this Bread shall live forever.” – John 6:59

REFLECTION – Christ is “the bread of life” for those who believe in Him: to believe in Christ is to eat the bread of life, to possess Christ within one, is to possess eternal life…
“I am the bread of life,” He says; “your fathers ate manna in the wilderness and they are dead” (Jn 6,48f). By this is to be understood spiritual death. Why are they dead? Because they believed in what they saw and did not understand what they could not see… Moses ate manna, Aaron ate it and many others, too, who pleased God and are not dead. Why are they not dead? Because they understood, in a spiritual fashion, they were spiritually hungry, they tasted the manna spiritually, so that they might be spiritually satisfied. “This is the bread that came down from heaven: whoever eats it will never die” (v.50).
This manna – that is to say, Christ, who Himself spoke like this…, was prefigured by the manna but was able to do more than manna could. For manna could not, of itself, prevent dying spiritually… But the righteous saw Christ in the manna, they believed in His coming and Christ, of whom manna was the symbol, grants to all who believe in Him that they should not spiritually die. Hence He says: “This is the bread come down from heaven; whoever eats it will never see death.” Here on earth, here now, before your eyes, your eyes of flesh: here is to be found the “bread from heaven” (v.51). The “bread of life” we spoke of a moment ago is now called “living bread.” Living bread because it contains, within itself, the life that abides and can deliver from spiritual death and bestow life. First He said: “Whoever eats it will never die” now he speaks clearly, concerning the life He gives: “Whoever eats this bread will live for ever” (v.58). Archbishop Baldwin of Canterbury (c 1125-1190) Cistercian – The Sacrament of the Altar II

PRAYER – Look forgivingly on Thy flock, Eternal Shepherd and keep it in Thy constant protection, by the intercession of blessed Sylverius 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).

ALL PRAISE, honour and glory to the Divine Heart of JESUS. Indulgenced– 50 Days, once a day. 168 Pope Leo XIII, 14 June 1901.

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 19 June – ‘ …Christ the Lord, for Whom we should ceaselessly hunger! …’St Columban

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One Minute Reflection – 19 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Corpus Christi – 1 Corinthians 11:23-29. – John 6:56-59 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“For My Flesh is food indeed and My Blood is drink indeed.” – John 6:56

REFLECTION – “Beloved brethren, quench your thirst at the waters of that Divine Spring we want to tell you about – quench it but do not extinguish it; drink but do not become satisfied. The Living Spring, the Source of Life, calls us and says: “Let anyone who thirsts come to Me and drink” (Jn 7:37). Understand what it is you are drinking. Let the Prophet tell you and let the Source Itself tell you: “Listen to the word of the Lord, they have forsaken Me the Source of Living Water” (Jer 2:13). So the Lord our God Himself, Jesus Christ, is He Who is that Source of Life and that is why He invites us to come to Him so that we might drink Him. Whoever loves Him, drinks Him; whoever feeds on the Word of God, drinks Him. … Drink, therefore, from this Source that others have forsaken!

That we might eat of this Bread and drink from this Spring … He refers to Himself as “the Living Bread which gives life to the world” (cf Jn 6:51) which we are to eat. … See from where this Spring flows! see from where this Bread comes down! For one and the same person is both Bread and Spring, the Only-begotten Son, our God, Christ the Lord, for Whom we should ceaselessly hunger!

It is our love which gives Him as food to us, our desire which makes us eat Him and when we have been satisfied, we desire Him still. Let us go to Him as to a fountain and drink of Him in our overflowing love, let us drink Him always with ever-new desire, finding our joy in the sweetness of His Love. The Lord is gentle and good. We eat and drink Him without ceasing to hunger and thirst for Him, for we cannot exhaust this Food and Drink. We eat of this Bread yet do not run out of it; we drink at this Spring, yet it does not run dry. This Bread is eternal; this Stream flows without end!” – St Columban (543-615) Father of the Church, Monk, Irish Missionary, Abbot, Writer, Reformer, Teacher, Miracle-worker, Founder of numerous Nonateries. (Spiritual instructions 12, 2, 3).

PRAYER – O God, Thou Who in this wondrous Sacrament has left us a memorial of Thy Passion, grant us, we beseech Thee, so to venerate the Sacred Mysteries of Thine Body and Blood that we may ever experience within ourselves, the effect of Thy redemption. Who lives and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

EUCHARISTIC Heart of JESUS, model of the priestly heart, have mercy on us.
COR JESU Eucharisticum, cordis sacerdotalis exemplar, miserere nobis. – Indulgence 300 Days, Everytime – Raccolta 177St Pius X, 11 Sept

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on TRUTH, SACRED HEART ASPIRATIONS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 18 June – ‘ … I have lit the light of your torch but it is up to you to see it is kept burning … ‘

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One Minute Reflection – 18 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” – St Ephrem (306-373)
Father & Doctor of the Church, “The Harp of the Holy Ghost!” – Timothy 4:1-8 – Matthew 5:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel but upon a candlestick that it may shine to all in the house.” – Matthew 5:15

REFLECTION – “Men do not light a candle and put it under a bushel …” Through these words, Jesus again encourages His disciples to lead an irreproachable life, by advising them to watch over themselves constantly because, they are placed in the sight of all humankind, like athletes in a stadium, who are seen by the whole world (1 Cor 4:9).

He told them: “Do not say to yourselves: ‘Now we can stay here quietly sitting, we are hidden in a little corner of the world,’ for you will be visible to all humankind, like a City on top of a mountain (Mt 5:14), like a light in the house which has been placed on the lamp stand … I have lit the light of your torch but it is up to you to see it is kept burning, not just to your personal advantage but also, in the interest of all who will see it and who, through it, will be led to the Truth. The worst wickedness would not put a shadow over your light, if you live with the vigilance of those who are called to bring the whole world to good. So, let your life correspond to the holiness of your mission, so that God’s grace may be proclaimed everywhere.” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father and Doctor of the Church (Homilies on St Matthew’s Gospel No 15).

PRAYERS – O God, Who willed to enlighten Thy Church by the wondrous learning and glorious merits of the life of blessed Ephrem, Thy Confessor and Doctor, we humbly pray Thee that, by his pleading, Thou will shield her with Thy lasting power, against the snares of error and evil. 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).

MAY the Heart of JESUS in the most Blessed Sacrament be praised, adored and loved with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the Tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time. Amen. Indulgence 100 Days, Once a day. Raccolta 161 Blessed Pius IX, 29 February 1868.