Category: MORNING Prayers

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 23 July – May We Confess Your Name to the End

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 23 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Thursday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time

May We Confess Your Name to the End
By St Cyprian of Carthage (200-258)
Bishop and Martyr
Father of the Church

Good God,
may we confess Your Name to the end.
May we emerge unmarked
and glorious from the traps
and darkness of this world.
As You have bound us together
by charity and peace
and as together
we have persevered under persecution,
so may we also rejoice together
in Your heavenly kingdom.
Amenmay we confess your name to the end - by st cyprian of carthae martyr father - 23 july 2020

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on TRUTH, QUOTES on VIRTUE, SAINT of the DAY, The RESURRECTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 July – “Mary – Recognise Me as I recognise you”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 22 July – Feast of St Mary of Magdala, Readings:  Song of Solomon 3:1-4 or 2 Corinthians 5:14-17, Psalm 63:2-6, 8-9, John 20:1-2, 11-18

Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?  Whom are you seeking?”   Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him and I will take him away.”  Jesus said to her, “Mary.”   She turned and said to him in Aramaic,“Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). … John 20:15-16john 2016 - jesus said to her mary 22 july 2020

REFLECTION – “When Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and did not find the Lord’s body, she thought it had been taken away and so informed the disciples.   After they came and saw the tomb, they too believed what Mary had told them.   The text then says:  The disciples went back home, and it adds:  but Mary wept and remained standing outside the tomb.

We should reflect on Mary’s attitude and the great love she felt for Christ;  for though the disciples had left the tomb, she remained.   She was still seeking the One she had not found and while she sought she wept;  burning with the fire of love, she longed for Him who she thought had been taken away.   And so it happened that the woman who stayed behind to seek Christ, was the only one to see Him.   For perseverance is essential to any good deed, as the voice of truth tells us:  Whoever perseveres to the end will be saved.

At first she sought but did not find but when she persevered, it happened that she found what she was looking for.   When our desires are not satisfied, they grow stronger and becoming stronger they take hold of their object.   Holy desires likewise grow with anticipation and if they do not grow they are not really desires.  Anyone who succeeds in attaining the truth has burned with such a great love.   As David says:   My soul has thirsted for the living God; when shall I come and appear before the face of God?   And so also in the Song of Songs the Church says:   I was wounded by love and again:  My soul is melted with love.

Woman, why are you weeping?   Whom do you seek?   She is asked why she is sorrowing so that her desire might be strengthened, for when she mentions whom she is seeking, her love is kindled all the more ardently.

Jesus says to her – Mary.   Jesus is not recognised when He calls her “woman,” so He calls her by name, as though He were saying: Recognise Me as I recognise you, for I do not know you as I know others, I know you as yourself.    And so Mary, once addressed by name, recognises who is speaking.   She immediately calls Him Rabboni, that is to say, teacher, because the One whom she sought outwardly, was the One who inwardly taught her to keep on searching.” … St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) Father and Doctor – (Hom. 25, 1-2, 4-5:PL 76, 1189-1193)and so it happened that the woman who stayed behind - st pope gregory 22 july 2020

PRAYER – Almighty, ever-living God, Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ made Mary of Magdala the first herald of Easter joy.   Grant that, following her example and helped by her prayers, we may, in this life, proclaim The living Christ and come to see Him reigning with You in glory.   Through our Lord Jesus Christ, in unity with the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever, amen.st-mary-of-magdala-pray-for-us-3-22-july-2017

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY, The RESURRECTION

Our Morning Offering – 22 July – “Dawn Rises”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 22 July – Feast of St Mary of Magdala

Aurora Surgit
“Dawn Rises”
Breviary Hymn

The golden dawn is breaking fast,
And Christ is risen from the tomb,
When, Mary, you arrive in haste
With spices to embalm Him dead.

With breathless speed you reach the spot,
To find an angel full of joy,
Who tells you that the One you seek
Has broken all the bonds of death.

But greater happiness is yours,
Reward of love’s fidelity,
As speaking to the gardener,
Behold! It is your smiling Lord.

You shared the Virgin Mother’s woe,
And watched beside the bitter Cross,
You were the first to hear the news
That Christ had risen from the dead.

O fairest flow’r of Magdala,
Aflame with deepest love for Christ,
Enkindle in our hearts that fire
Of charity that counts no cost.

Lord Jesus, grant us too the grace
To imitate such ardent love,
That we may Your great mercy sing
In joy with Magdalen above.
Amen.aurora sugit dawn rises - breviary hymn for the feat of st mary of magdala 22 july 2020

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, QUOTES on VIRTUE, SAINT of the DAY, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE

One Minute Reflection – 21 July – ‘Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven’ … Matthew 12:50

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 21 July – Tuesday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: Micah 7:14-15, 18-20, Psalm 85:2-8, Matthew 12:46-50 and the Memorial of St Lawrence of Brindisi OFM Cap (1559-1619) Doctor of the Church

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

REFLECTION – “His mother is the whole Church, since it is she, who, by God’s grace, gives birth to Christ’s members, that is to say, those who are faithful to Him.   Again, His mother is every holy soul who does the Father’s will and whose fruitful charity is made known in those, to whom she gives birth for Him, “until he has been formed in them” (cf Gal 4:19)…St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctorfor-whoever-does-the-will-of-my-father-matthew-12-50-his-mother-is-the-whole-church-st-augustine-24-july-2018 and 21 july 2020

PRAYER – Almighty Father, You made us Your children, You called us from all ages and You formed us by Holy Mother Church.   Grant, we pray, that by Your grace, we may be ever faithful to her and be guided by Your Holy Spirit of love.   O God may Your holy Saint Lawrence of Brindisi intercede for us that, being made imitators of the Lord’s Passion, we may merit to be co-heirs of His Kingdom.   Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever, amen.st lawrence of brindisi - pray for us - 21 july 2018

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 21 July – St Augustine’s Plea

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 21 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

O God of Our Life
St Augustine (354-430)
Father & Doctor of the Church

God of our life,
there are days when the burdens we carry
chafe our shoulders and weigh us down,
when the road seems dreary and endless,
the skies grey and threatening,
when our lives have no music in them
and our hearts are lonely
and our souls have lost their courage.
Flood the path with light,
run our eyes to where the skies are full of promise,
tune our hearts to brave music,
give us the sense of comradeship
with heroes and saints of every age
and so quicken our spirits,
that we may be able to encourage, the souls of all
who journey with us on the road of life,
to Your honour and glory.
Ameno god of our life - st augustine - 7 jan 2020

Posted in I BELIEVE!, JESUIT SJ, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DOUBT, QUOTES on FAITH, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 20 July – ‘Every new doubt is for me, new reason to believe.’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 20 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Monday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year “A”, Readings:  Micah 6:1-4, 6-8, Psalm 50:5-6, 8-9, 16-17, 21, 23, Matthew 12:38-42and the Memorial of Blessed Luigi Novarese (1914-1984)

But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign but no sign will be given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah.”… Matthew 12:39matthew 12 39 -an evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign but no sign will be given to it except ...jonah 20 july 2020

REFLECTION – “Bad Christians lack faith and do not deny it but they claim to be excused, in that they have no reasons for believing. Because of this, there is nothing as common as this speech in the mouths of many people:  “If I had witnessed a miracle I should be a saint!”   “Evil and unfaithful generation!   It seeks a sign!” (Mt 12:39).  The wicked look for signs.
What is even more remarkable about this, is that, although they have seen many that take place daily before their eyes, that they are, so to speak, entirely surrounded, they never stop looking for more, like the scribes and Pharisees;  they would like to see them in heaven when they have seen them on earth.   But neither the dead raised up during the life of the Saviour, nor the eclipse of the sun at death, make them believers;  their envy becomes stronger, their hatred more malicious; each goes as far as raging, yet their unbelief is not healed by it.   It used to be like this regarding those who, living badly, wait for miracles in order to believe:  “They will not be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead” (Lk 16:31). …
All the difficulties that halt unbelievers, all the contradictions they encounter in the dogmas of faith, everything they find apparent contradiction, everything that seems new to them, surprising, contrary to common sense, contrary to reason, inconceivable, impossible, all their arguments, all their so-called demonstrations, all of this, far from shaking me, strengthens me even more, makes me immovable in my religion. …  Every new doubt is for me, new reason to believe.” … St Claude la Colombière SJ (1641-1682) – Apostle of the Sacred Heart of Jesus – Christian reflectionsjonah - all the difficulties that halt unbelievers - st claude 20 july 2020

PRAYER – “O Jesus, Son of God, You Who were silent in the presence of Your accusers, restrain my tongue until I find what should say and how to say it.   Show me the way and make me ready to follow it.   It is dangerous to delay, yet perilous to go forward.   Answer my petition and show me the way.   As the wounded go to the doctor in search of aid, so do I come to You. O Lord, give Your peace to my heart. “(St Bridget of Sweden).   Stay with us Lord and by the prayers of Your saints, grant us Your grace and Your love.   Blessed Luigi Novarese, intercede for us, as we strive to attain virtue, through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.bl luigi novarese pray for us 20 july 2020

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY, The SIGN of the CROSS

Our Morning Offering – 20 July – In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit By St Hilary

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 20 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Monday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time

In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
By St Hilary of Poitiers (315-368)
Father & Doctor of the Church

Father, keep us from vain strife of words.
Grant to us constant profession of the Truth!
Preserve us in a true and undefiled faith
so that we may hold fast to that
which we professed
when we were baptised
in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
that we may have You for our Father,
that we may abide in Your Son
and in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.
Amenin-the-name-of-the-father-son-and-holy-spirit-st-hilary-8-july-2019 and 20 july 2020

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SIN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 19 July -“Then the righteous will shine like the sun…” Matthew 13:43

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 19 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – The Sixteenth Sunday of the Year in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: Wisdom 12:13, 16-19, Psalm 86:5-6,9-10, 15-16, Romans 8:26-27, Matthew 13:24-43

“Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” … Matthew 13:43

REFLECTION – “When this, which is corruptible in us, clothes itself with incorruptibility and this, which is mortal, clothes itself in immortality” (1 Cor 15:54), then there will be perfect sweetness, perfect rejoicing, endless praise and love without fear. … And here below?   Do we not enjoy any kind of joy? … Certainly we find joy here below;  here we taste in hope of the life to come, a joy that will satisfy us completely in heaven.
However, the wheat has much to bear in the midst of the darnel.   The seed is mixed up with the straw and the lily grows among the thorns. … And indeed, what is it that was spoken to the Church?   “As a lily among thorns, so is my beloved among my maidens” (Sg 2:2).   It said, “Among my maidens” and not among foreigners.   O Lord, what are the consolations you give us?   What the comfort?   Or rather, what the alarm?   Are you calling your own maidens “thorns”?   By their behaviour they are thorns, He answers, but maidens through my sacraments. …
But where is the Christian to take refuge, then, if he is not to groan in the midst of false brethren?   Where is he to go?   What is he to do?   Is he to fly away to the desert?   Occasions for falling will follow him.  Will he who is doing so well, separate himself to the extent, of not putting up with a single one of his brothers?   What about him, then? Supposing nobody was able to put up with him before his conversion? … So if, under the pretext of making progress, he cannot bear with anyone else, by this very fact it is clear, he hasn’t progressed as yet.   Pay careful attention to these words:  “Bear with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph 4:2-3).   Isn’t there anything in you that another has to bear?” … St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace – Discourses on the Psalm, Ps 99, 8-9matthew 13_43 then the righteous will shine like the sun - st augustine 19 july 2020

PRAYER – Father and almighty God, You have given Your Son to redeem us with complete and absolute love and mercy.   He has taken our flesh and given Himself to us and extended endless mercy for all time.   He has taught us the path of love and mercy.   Grant, we pray, that our hearts may grieve and repent with true sorrow.   And may the prayers of His Mother and ours, the Most Holy and Pure Virgin, assist us to extend love and mercy to all.   We make our prayer through the merits of His saving love and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever, amen.MOST HOLY AND PURE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD PRAY FOR US 19 JULY 2020

Posted in DEVOTIO, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, HOLY COMMUNION, HYMNS, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 19 July – Sweet Sacrament, We Thee Adore

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 19 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – The Sixteenth Sunday of the Year in Ordinary Time

Sweet Sacrament, We Thee Adore

I see upon the Altar placed
The Victim of the greatest love.
Let all the earth below adore
and join the heavenly choirs above:
Sweet Sacrament, we Thee adore,
Oh! make us love Thee more and more.

Jesus! dear Shepherd of the flock,
that crowds in love, about Thy feet,
Our voices yearn to praise Thee, Lord
and joyfully Thy presence greet:
Sweet Sacrament, we Thee adore,
Oh! make us love Thee more and more.

O Precious Blood of Jesus,
cleanse my soul from every stain!
Most pure Heart of Jesus, purify me!
Most humble Heart of Jesus,
teach me Thy humility!
Sweet Heart of Jesus,
communicate to me Thy gentleness and patience!
Most merciful Heart of Jesus,
have mercy on me!
Most loving Heart of Jesus,
inflame my heart with love of Thee!
AmenSweet sacrament we thee adore - 19 july 2020

Posted in CHRIST the KING, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN TITLES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 18 July – “In his name the Gentiles will hope” … Matthew 12:21

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 18 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Saturday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings:  Micah 2:1-5, Psalm 10:1-4, 7-8, 14, Matthew 12:14-21and the Feast of Our Lady of Good Deliverance

“In his name the Gentiles will hope” … Matthew 12:21

REFLECTION – “Who among us can know all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden in Christ and buried within the poverty of His flesh?   For, “for your sake he became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty, you might become rich” (2 Cor 8:9).   Since He came in order to assume our mortal condition and lay low death itself, He appeared as one who was poor.   But He who has promised us distant riches has by no means lost those, from which He is kept away.   “How great is his abundant goodness which he keeps in store for those who fear him, he satisfies those who hope in him” (cf. Ps 31[30]:20). …

So that we might be able to lay hold of it, He who is equal to the Father, having the nature of God, became like us by taking the nature of a servant and recreates us in God’s likeness.   Having become son of man, the only Son of God transforms numberless men into sons of God. And after having sustained His servants by His own visible nature of a servant, He sets them free to contemplate the nature of God.   For “we are God’s children; what we shall be has not yet been revealed.   We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he really is” (1 Jn 3:2).   For in what do these treasures of wisdom and knowledge and these divine riches consist?   In what is this abundant goodness?   All we know is, that it is this, that satisfies us.” … St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace – Sermon 194 ; PL 38, 1016matthew 12 21 - in his name the gentiles will hope - so that we might be able to lay hold of it, He who is equal - st augustine - 18 july 2020

PRAYER – Lord God, in Your wisdom You created us, by Your Providence, You rule us.   Penetrate our inmost being with Your holy light so that our way of life may always be one of faithful service and childlike trust in You.   Grant that by the intercession of Our Lady of Good Deliverance, we may always follow behind Your Son and grasp His hand, to lead us to You, Through Jesus Christ our Lord with the Holy Spirit, one God, forever, amen.our lady of good deliverance pray for us 18 july 2020

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN TITLES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 17 July – “I say to you, something greater than the temple is here …” … Matthew 12:6

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 17 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Friday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings:  Isaiah 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8, Responsorial psalm Isaiah 38:10-12, 16, Matthew 12:1-8 and the Feast of The Madonna of Humility

“I say to you, something greater than the temple is here …” … Matthew 12:6

REFLECTION – ““Christ also reminded them of another prophecy, so that they might learn, that all things that were spoken of previously, were accomplished in Him through the law, that the priests in the temple broke the sabbath without offence, clearly revealing that Jesus Himself was the temple.
In Him, salvation was given to the Gentiles, through the teaching of the apostles, while the people who were bound by the law, wandered about faithlessly, so that He Himself might be greater than the sabbath.
Evangelical faith lived in Christ, transcends the law.” … St Hilary of Poitiers (315-368) – Father and Doctor of the Divinity of Christ – On Matthew, 12mmatthew 12 8 something greater than the temple is here - evangelical faith lived in christ-st hilary 17 july 2020

PRAYER – Almighty God, to whom this world with all its goodness and beauty belongs, give us grace joyfully to begin this day in Your name and to fill it, with an active love for You and for our neighbour.   Grant us the grace to repent of our sins, to turn to the Cross of Your Son and to beg Him in His great love and suffering to forgive us again!   Mary, the Madonna of Humility, intercede for us in our weakness and help us become humble and look only at the face of Christ. Amenmadonna of humility pray for us 17 july 2020

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR

Our Morning Offering – 17 July – Prayer for the Gift of Prayer By St Alphonsus Liguori

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 17 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Friday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Prayer for the Gift of Prayer
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Doctor of the Church

O Incarnate Word,
You have given Your Blood and Your Life
to confer on our prayers that power by which,
according to Your promise,
they obtain for us all that we ask.
And we, O God,
are so careless of our salvation,
that we will not even ask You for the graces
that we must have, if we should be saved!
In prayer You have given us the key
of all Your Divine treasures
and we, rather than pray,
choose to remain in our misery.
Alas! O Lord, enlighten us,
and make us know the value of prayers,
offered in Your name and by Your merits,
in the eyes of Your Eternal Father.
Amenprayer for the gift of prayer - st alphonsus liguori 17 july 2020

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, GOD is LOVE, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, MARIAN TITLES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 16 July – ‘… Following Him!’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 16 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Thursday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: Isaiah 26:7-9, 12, 16-19, Psalm 102:13-21, Matthew 11:28-30 and the Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and of Blessed Ceslaus Odrowaz OP (c 1184– 1242) (Brother of St Hyacinth)

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart and you will find rest for yourselves…” … Matthew 11:29

REFLECTION – “Dearest sister in Jesus.   I, Catherine, servant of the servants of Jesus, write to you in His Precious Blood, wishing only that you feed yourself with God’s love and nourish yourself with it, as at a mother’s breast.   Nobody, in fact, can live without this milk!
Who possesses God’s love, finds so much joy that every bitterness transforms itself into sweetness and that every great weight becomes light.   One must not be astonished because living in charity you live in God – “God is love and he who abides in love, abides in God and God abides in him”(1 John 4:16)
Thus, living in God, you can have no bitterness because God is delight, gentleness and never-ending joy!
This is why God’s friends are always happy!   Even if we are sick, poor, grieved, troubled, persecuted, we are always joyful.
… We do not seek joy elsewhere than in Jesus and we avoid any glory which is not that of the Cross.
Embrace, then, Jesus crucified, raising to Him the eyes of your desire! Consider His burning love for you, which made Jesus pour out His blood from every part of His body!
Embrace Jesus crucified, loving and beloved and in Him you will find true life because He is God made man.   Let your heart and your soul burn with the fire of love drawn from Jesus on the Cross!
You must, then, become love, looking at God’s love who loved you so much not because He had any obligation towards you but out of pure gift, urged only by His ineffable love.
You will have no other desire than to follow Jesus!   As if you were drunken with Love, it will no longer matter whether you are alone or in company – do not think about many things but only about finding Jesus and following Him!
Run, Bartolomea, do not stay asleep, because time flies and does not wait one moment!
Dwell in God’s sweet love.
Sweet Jesus, Jesus love.” … St Catherine of Sienna (1347-1380) – Doctor of the Church – From the “Letters” (letter no. 165 to Bartolomea, wife of Salviato of Lucca).matthew 11 29 take my yoke - embrace then jesus crucified - st catherine of siena 16 july 2020

PRAYER – “Holy God, our Father, we turn to You in confidence as children and pray, give us meekness of heart, make us “poor in spirit” that we may recognise that we are not self-sufficient, that we are unable to build our lives on our own but need You, we need to encounter You, to listen to You, to speak to You.   Help us to understand that we need Your gift, Your wisdom, which is Jesus Himself, in order to do the Your will in our lives and thus to find rest in the hardships of our journey.”   Hear the prayers we request of the Mother of our Jesus Crucified and our Mother, Our Lady of Carmel, dear Lord and holy God, which we pray through Christ, our Light, in the Holy Spirit, one God for all eternity, amen. … Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, 7 December 2011our-lady-of-mount-carmel-pray-for-us.2 16 july 2019 and 2020 (1)

bl ceslaus odrowaz pray for us 16 july 2020

Posted in MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 16 July – “The Flower of Carmel” By St Simon Stock (1165-1265)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 16 July – The Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

“The Flower of Carmel”
By St Simon Stock (1165-1265)

This prayer, also known as the “Flos Carmeli” (“The Flower of Carmel”), was composed by St Simon Stock (1165-1265), a Carmelite, so-called because he and other members of his order lived atop Mount Carmel in the Holy Land.   St Simon Stock was visited by the Blessed Virgin Mary on 16 July 1251, at which time, she bestowed upon him a scapular, or habit, (commonly called “the Brown Scapular”), which became part of the liturgical clothing of the Carmelite order.

O most beautiful Flower of Mount Carmel,
fruitful vine, splendour of Heaven,
Blessed Mother of the Son of God,
Immaculate Virgin,
assist me in this my necessity.
O Star of the Sea,
help me and show me herein
that you are my Mother.
O Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Queen of Heaven and earth,
I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart,
to succour me in this my necessity.
There are none that can withstand your power.
O show me herein that you are my Mother.

O Mary, conceived without sin,
pray for us that have recourse to thee.
(Repeat three times)

Sweet Mother, I place this cause in your hands.
(Repeat three times)the-flower-of-carmel-by-st-simon-stopck-16-july-2019 and 2020

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on HYPOCRISY, QUOTES on IGNORANCE, QUOTES on PRIDE, QUOTES on PURITY of INTENTION, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 15 July – “You have revealed them to the childlike.” … Matthew 11:25

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 15 July – Monday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, YearA, Readings: Isaiah 10:5-7, 13-16, Psalm 94:5-10, 14-15, Matthew 11:25-27 and the Memorial of St Bonaventure OFM (1221-1274)

“You have revealed them to the childlike.” … Matthew 11:25

REFLECTION – “I give praise to you,” Jesus says, “because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned.”   What?   Is He glad at the loss of those who don’t believe in Him?   Certainly not.   How wonderful are God’s designs for people’s salvation!   When they turn away from the truth and refuse to accept it, God never forces them but lets them be.   Their wandering away stimulates them to find the path again.   Returning to their senses, they hastily seek out the grace of the call to faith they had rejected before.   As for those who had remained faithful, their devotion becomes even stronger like this.   So Christ is glad these things are revealed to some but saddened they are hidden from others.   This is made known when He weeps over the city (Lk 19:41).   Saint Paul writes in the same spirit:  “Thanks be to God!   You were once slaves of sin but you have become obedient from the heart” to the Gospel (Rom 6:17). …

Who are the wise Jesus is talking about here?   The scribes and the Pharisees.   He says this to hearten His disciples, by showing them of what privileges they have been accounted worthy.   Simple fishermen that they are, they have received the illumination that the wise and learned despised.   These latter are wise in name only, they think themselves wise but are false scholars.   That is why Christ did not say: “You have revealed them to the ignorant” but to “the childlike,” that is to say, simple, honest people. …   In this way, He teaches us to utterly renounce important things and seek out simplicity.   Saint Paul goes even further:   “If anyone considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool so as to become wise” (1Cor 3:18).” … St John Chrysostom (345-407) – Bishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church – Sermons on Saint Matthew’s Gospel, no.38, 1matthew 11 25 - you have revealed to the children-who are the wise - st john chrysostom 15 july 2020

PRAYER – Lord God, in Your wisdom You created us, by Your Providence, You rule us. Penetrate our inmost being with Your holy light so that our way of life may always be one of faithful service and childlike trust in You.   Grant that we may always follow behind Your Son and grasp His hand, to lead us to You.   May we grow in faith and love daily, by the intercession of Saint Bonaventure and may be a light of love, to all around us, as he was.   We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.st bonaventure seraphic doctor pray for us 15 july 2020

Posted in 7 GIFTS of the HOLY GHOST: Wisdom, Understanding, Prudence, Strength, Knowledge, Piety, Fear, DOCTORS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 15 July – St Bonaventure’s Prayer for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 15 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Monday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time and the Memorial of St Bonaventure OFM (1221-1274)

Prayer for the Gifts
of the Holy Spirit
By St Bonaventure (1221-1274)
Seraphic Doctor of the Church

We beg the all-merciful Father through You,
His only-begotten Son made man for our sake,
crucified and glorified for us,
to send upon us, from His treasure-house,
the Spirit of sevenfold grace,
Who rested upon You in all His fullness.

The spirit of wisdom,
enabling us to relish the fruit of the tree of life,
which is indeed Yourself.
The gift of understanding:
to enlighten our perceptions.
The gift of prudence,
enabling us to follow in Your footsteps.
The gift of strength:
to withstand our adversary’s onslaught.
The gift of knowledge,
to distinguish good from evil
by the light of Your holy teaching.
The gift of piety,
to clothe ourselves with charity and mercy.
The gift of fear,
to withdraw from all ill-doing
and live quietly in awe
of Your eternal majesty.

These are the things for which we petition.
Grant them for the honour of Your Holy Name,
to which, with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
be all honour and glory, thanksgiving, renown
and Lordship forever and ever.
Amenprayer-for-the-seven-gifts-of-the-holy-spirit-by-st-bonaventure-30-oct-2018-and 15 july 2020

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, FATHERS of the Church, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 14 July – ‘… The Grace of Repentance …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 14 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” = Tuesday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, Readings: Isaiah 7:1-9, Psalm 48:2-8, Matthew 11:20-24 and the Memorial of St Francisco Solanus y Jiménez OFM (1549 – 1610) Priest – “The Wonder Worker of the New World” and St Camillus de Lellis MI (1550-1614) “The Giant of Charity”

“But I tell you that it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgement for the land of Sodom than for you.”… Matthew 11:24

REFLECTION – “Let us fix our thoughts on the blood of Christ and reflect how precious that blood is in God’s eyes, inasmuch as its outpouring for our salvation, has opened the grace of repentance to all mankind.
For we have only to survey the generations of the past, to see, that in everyone of them, the Lord has offered the chance of repentance to any, who were willing to turn to Him.   When Noah preached repentance, those who gave heed to him were saved.   When, after Jonah had proclaimed destruction to the people of Niniveh, they repented of their sins and made atonement to God with prayers and supplications, they obtained their salvation, notwithstanding, that they were strangers and aliens to Him.

All those, who were ministers of the grace of God, have spoken, through the Holy Spirit, of repentance.
The very Lord of all, Himself has spoken of it and even with an oath – By my life, the Lord declares, it is not the sinner’s death that I desire, so much as his repentance and, he adds, this gracious pronouncement, Repent, O house of Israel and turn from your wickedness. Say to the children of my people, though your sins may stretch from earth to heaven and though they may be redder than scarlet and blacker than sackcloth, yet if you turn wholeheartedly to me and say ‘Father’, I will listen to you as I would to a people that was holy.

Thus, by His own almighty will, He has confirmed his desire that repentance should be open to everyone of His beloved.

Let us bow, then, to that sovereign and glorious will.   Let us entreat His mercy and goodness, casting ourselves upon His compassion and wasting no more energy in quarrels and a rivalry which only ends in death.” … St Pope Clement I (c 35-99) – From his Letter to the Corinthians (Chs 7, 4-8, 3; 8, 5-9, 1; 13, 1-4; 19, 2)matthew 11 24 but i tell you that it shall be more tolerable - let us bow then to that sovereign - st pope clement I 14 july 2020

PRAYER – God our Father, we are Your children and You have set us aside to come home to You by the light of the way of Your divine Son. Fill us with knowledge of our need to turn to You in sorrow and repentance, that we may one day attain our final home with You. Grant we pray, that by the intercession of Saints Francisco Solanus and Camillus de Lellis, we may too become lights announcing Your love to all around us. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.ST FRANCISCO SOLANO PRAY FOR US 14 JULY 2020

st camillus de lellis pray for us

 

Posted in JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 14 July – An Old Morning Prayer

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 14 July – “Month of the Precious Blood” – Tuesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

An Old Morning Prayer – Excerpt
From The Blossoms of the Cross — 1894
The Sisters of St Joseph

I rise In God’s strength,
In God’s power,
In the Agony of Christ,
In the Cross of Christ,
In Christ’s Precious Blood,
These will sustain me against my enemies,
visible and invisible.
I rise in the blessing of Christ
which my dearest Jesus left to the whole world.
Protect me, All-Holy Trinity,
God the Father, Who created me,
God, the Son, Who redeemed me in His Precious Blood,
God, the Holy Ghost, Who sanctified me in Holy Baptism.
God, the Father, I give myself to Thee!
God, the Son, I commend myself to Thee!
God, the Holy Ghost, teach me!
Mary, Mother of God, assist me!
All you Saints of God, pray for me!
All you Holy Angels, protect me!
The Cross of Christ preserve me!
Amenan old morning prayer excerpt 1834 14 july 2020

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES/PRAYERS on THE FAMILY, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 13 July – ‘Your love for your family would indeed fall short if you did not lead them to God…’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 13 July – “Month of the Precious Blood” – Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: Isaiah 1:10-17, Psalm 50:8-9, 16-17, 21, 23, Matthew 10:34–11:1 and the Memorial of Blessed Mariano de Jesus Euse Hoyos (1845-1926) Priest

“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me…” … Matthew 10:37

REFLECTION – “It is to those who are on fire with love or, rather, those He wants to set on fire with this love, that our Saviour addresses these words.   For our Saviour has not done away with but regulated, the love we owe to parents, spouse, children.   He did not say: “Those who love them” but “Those who love them more than me”…  Love your father but love the Lord even more, love him who brought you into the world but love yet more He who gave you being.   It was your father who brought you into the world but it was not he who created you, since he did not know, when he bred you, who you would be or what you would become.   It was your father who fed you but he is not the origin of the food that staunched your hunger.   Finally, your father must die if you are to inherit his goods but you will share the inheritance God intends for you, while living with Him eternally.

So love your father but not more than you love your God, love your mother but love still more the Church who has begotten you into eternal life…  Indeed, if you owe such gratitude to those who begot you for mortality, what kind of love do you owe to those who begot you for eternity?   Love your spouse, love your children as God does, to lead them to serve God together with you and then, when you are reunited, you will not be afraid of being separated.   Your love for your family would indeed fall short if you did not lead them to God…matthew-10-37-whoever-lovs-father-or-mother-so-love-your-father-but-not-more-st-augustine-15-july-2019 and 13 july 2020

Take up your cross and follow the Lord.   Your Saviour Himself, wholly God as He was in the flesh, clothed with your flesh, He, too, showed human feelings when He said – “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me,” (Mt 26:39)…  The servant’s nature with which He clothed Himself for your sake, caused His human voice, the voice of His flesh, to be heard.   He took your voice so as to express your weakness and give you His strength… and to show you, whose will to prefer.”… St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church – Sermon 344, #2-3the servant's nature with which he clothed himself - st augustine 13 july 2020

PRAYER – God our Father, we are Your children and You have set us aside to come home to You by the light of the way of Your divine Son. Grant we pray, that we may grow in faith and love daily, by the intercession of Blessed Mariano de Jesus Euse Hoyos and may be a light of love, to all around us, as he was.   We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.bl mariano de jesus euse hoyos pray for us 13 july 2020

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 13 July – O God, Be With Us By St Benedict

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 13 July – “Month of the Precious Blood” – Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

O God, Be With Us
By St Benedict (c 480-547)

O God,
from Whom to be turned,
is to fall,
to Whom to be turned,
is to rise,
and in Whom to stand,
is to abide forever,
grant us in all our duties,
Your help,
in all our perplexities,
Your guidance,
in all our dangers,
Your protection,
and in all our sorrows,
Your peace,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Ameno god be with us by st benedict 13 july 2020

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 12 July – ‘… The Seed of the Divine Word’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 12 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – The Fifteenth Sunday of the Year in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: Isaiah 55:10-11, Psalm 65:10-14, Romans 8:18-23, Matthew 13:1-23

“As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it;  he indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”…Matthew 13:23

REFLECTION – “Indeed, you all know how land is cultivated.   First of all you pull out the weeds and throw away the stones, then you work the ground itself.   You do it again a second time, a third time and finally… you sow.   Oh, let it be like this in our souls!   First of all let us uproot the weeds, that is to say our evil thoughts; then take out the stones, in other words all our malice and obstinacy.   Finally, let us work our hearts with the plough of the Gospel and the ploughshare of the cross.   Let us break it by repentance, turn over the soil with almsgiving and with charity, prepare it for the seed of Our Lord… that it may joyfully receive the seed of the divine word and bring forth fruit, not just thirty but sixty and a hundredfold.”… St Caesarius of Arles (470-543) Monk & Bishop (Sermons to the people, no.6 passim ; SC 175)matthew13 23 - as for what was sown on the good soil-let us work our hearts with the plough of the gospel and the ploughshare of the cross - st caesarius 12 july 2020

PRAYER – A pure heart create for me O God, put a steadfast spirit within me! (Ps 50[51]) Lord God, bestow a full measure of Your grace to us.   Keep us within in the path of Your commandments, help us to work on the earth of our souls, rooting out the weeds and casting forth the stones of malice.   Grant that by the intercession of the Mother of Your Son and our Mother too, we may succeed in attaining sanctity. Through Christ, our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God, forever, amen.holy mother mary pray for us 16 jan 2019

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY COMMUNION, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 12 July – Prayer before Holy Mass By St John Chrysostom

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 12 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – The Fifteenth Sunday of the Year in Ordinary Time, Year A

Prayer before Holy Mass
By St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father and Doctor of the Church

O God, loose, remit and forgive
my sins against You.
Whether in word, or in deed, or in thought,
willingly or unwillingly,
knowingly or unknowingly, committed,
forgive them all,
for You are good and love mankind.
And through the prayers of Your most holy Mother,
of Your heavenly servants and holy powers
and of all the saints
who have found favour in Your sight,
enable me to receive, without condemnation
Your holy and immaculate Body
and Your Precious Blood,
to the healing of my soul and body
and to the driving away of all evil imaginations,
for Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
now and forever
and to ages of ages.
Amenprayer before holy mass by st john chrysostom 12 july 2020

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD is LOVE, INCORRUPTIBLES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 11 July – ‘… The most precious of His creatures’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 11 July – “Month of the Precious Blood” – Saturday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings:  Isaiah 6:1-8, Psalm 93:1-2, 5, Matthew 10:24-33 and the Memorial of St Benedict of Nursia OSB (c 480-547) Patron of Europe and Founder of Western Monasticism and St Olga Queen of Kiev (c 890-969)

“Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?   Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.   Even all the hairs of your head are counted.” … Matthew 10:29-30

REFLECTION – “If God shows such a solicitous care even for things of modest value (grass and flowers, for example), how can He forget you, that you are the most excellent of His creatures?   Why then did He create such beautiful things?   To manifest His wisdom and the greatness of His power, so that we might know all His glory.

Not only the heavens narrate the glory of God (Ps 18,2) but also the earth, as David points out, when he sang:   Praise the Lord, fruit trees and all cedars (Ps 148,9).   In fact, some creatures praise the Creator with their fruits, others with their greatness, still others with their beauty.

Another demonstration of the great wisdom and power of God resides in the fact that He adorns even the most vile objects of such beauty (what is, in fact, more vile than what exists today but tomorrow will no longer be?)   If, then, God has also given hay to what was not necessary at all (what good is it, in fact, it’s beauty?   To feed the fire?) how can He not give you what you need?   If the Lord has generously decorated the most vile thing of all and not for some purpose but only for beauty, much more He will honour you, the most precious of His creatures, in those things that are necessary to you. ” … St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father and Doctor of the Church – Commentary on the Gospel of St Matthew, 22.1matthew 10 29-30 are not two sparrows sold - if the Lord has decorated ...how much more He will honour you - st john chrysostom 11 july 2020

PRAYER – Loving Father, grant me to have a true fervour in Your service.   Let me never tire of following Your Son’s example and avoiding evil.   Teach me to reside in total peace in Your wisdom and power and thus to trust You above all.   Grant that by the intercession of St Benedict and St Olga, we may grow in holiness and attain our eternal home with You.   We ask this through our Lord, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.st-benedict-pray-for-us-11-july-2017-3

st olga of kiev pray for us 11 july 2020

Posted in Hail MARY!, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 11 July – Greeting our Mother Mary

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 11 July – Saturday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time and a Marian Saturday

A Morning Salutation to Mary
A Coptic Catholic Prayer

We greet you,
glorious Mother of the Light
O Blessed Mary,
from the rising of the sun
to its setting
praise is due to you,
O Mother of God.
You are the second heaven,
the bright unfading flower,
the ever-virgin mother.
For the Father chose you
and the Holy Spirit overshadowed you
and the Son humbled Himself
and took flesh from you.
Therefore, ask Him to give peace
to the world He has created
and to deliver it from every tribulation.
And we shall sing to Him a new song
and bless Him,
now and forever,
Amena-morning-salutation-to-mary-coptic-prayer-27-ocat-2018-sat-prayer-to-mary and 11 july 2020

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on VIOLENCE, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 10 July – ‘Citizens of Heaven.’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 10 July – “Month of the Precious Blood” – Friday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: Hosea 14:2-10, Psalm 51:3-4, 8-9, 12-14, 17, Matthew 10:16-23 and the Memorial of St Canute of Denmark (c 1042-1086) Martyr

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” … Matthew 10:16matthew 10 16 behold i send you out as sheep - 12 july 2019 and 10 july 2020

REFLECTION – “They live in the flesh but they are not governed by the desires of the flesh.   They pass their days upon earth, but they are citizens of heaven.   Obedient to the laws, they yet live on a level that transcends the law.   Christians love all men but all men persecute them.   Condemned because they are not understood, they are put to death but raised to life again.   They live in poverty but enrich many; they are totally destitute but possess an abundance of everything.  They suffer dishonour but that is their glory.   They are defamed but vindicated.   A blessing is their answer to abuse, deference their response to insult.   For the good they do they receive the punishment of malefactors but even then they, rejoice, as though receiving the gift of life.   They are attacked by the Jews as aliens, they are persecuted by the Greeks, yet no one can explain the reason for this hatred.

To speak in general terms, we may say that the Christian is to the world what the soul is to the body.   As the soul is present in every part of the body, while remaining distinct from it, so Christians are found in all the cities of the world but cannot be identified with the world.   As the visible body contains the invisible soul, so Christians are seen living in the world but their religious life remains unseen.   The body hates the soul and wars against it, not because of any injury the soul has done it but because of the restriction the soul places on its pleasures.  Similarly, the world hates the Christians, not because they have done it any wrong but because they are opposed to its enjoyments.

Christians love those who hate them just as the soul loves the body and all its members despite the body’s hatred.   It is by the soul, enclosed within the body, that the body is held together and, similarly, it is by the Christians, detained in the world as in a prison, that the world is held together.   The soul, though immortal, has a mortal dwelling place and Christians also live for a time amidst perishable things, while awaiting the freedom from change and decay that will be theirs in heaven.   As the soul benefits from the deprivation of food and drink, so Christians flourish under persecution.   Such is the Christian’s lofty and divinely appointed function, from which he is not permitted to excuse himself.” …  Ancient Christian writer – From a letter to Diognetus (Nn. 5-6; Funk, 397-401)matthew 10 16 as sheep amidst the wolves - they suffer dishonour but that is their glory - diogenes 10 july 2020

PRAYER – Father of all holiness, guide our hearts to You. Keep in the light of Your truth, all those You have freed from the darkness of unbelief.   May our lives be the source of enlightenment to others and our faith and love every remain strengthened by Your grace.   Listen to the prayers of Your saint and angels on our behalf, as we long for our eternal home.   St Canute, we beg for your prayers.    We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amenst canute of denmark pray for us 10 july 2020

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 10 July – My God, Do Not Abandon Me

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 10 July – “Month of the Precious Blood” – Friday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time

My God, Do Not Abandon Me
By St Arsenius the Deacon (Died c 450)

My God,
do not abandon me,
though I have done nothing good
in Your sight
but, because You are compassionate,
grant me the power
to make a start.
Amen

Saint Arsenius the Deacon, sometimes known as Arsenius of Scetis and Turah, Arsenius the Roman or Arsenius the Great, was a Roman imperial tutor who became an anchorite in Egypt, one of the most highly regarded of the Desert Fathers, whose teachings were greatly influential on the development of asceticism and the contemplative life.
His contemporaries so admired him as to surname him “the Great.”   His feast day is celebrated on 8 May.

my god do not abandon me - st arsenius 10 july 2020

Posted in ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on MISSION, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD, Uncategorized

One Minute Reflection – 9 July – ‘… Be holy Missionaries’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 9 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Thursday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: Hosea 11:1-4, 8-9, Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, Matthew 10:7-15 and the Memorial of Blessed Marija of Jesus Crucified Petković (1892-1966)

“And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” … Matthew 10:7

REFLECTION – “We Missionaries often wonder why the work of the conversion of the non-Christian world goes so slowly.   We usually give various reasons to explain this painful fact and in truth, the problem may be considered from many angles, some of which do not concern our responsibility.   But, for the part that does concern us and it is the main part, the problem has a very clear solution.   To save the world, God in His infinite wisdom wanted to have co-workers.   God does His part well – do the people called to help Him do their part equally well?
Let us work in such a way that the whole Church, all Christian people, led by their Bishops and clergy, truly feel the apostolic duty that is incumbent upon them to promote the propagation of the faith, with every means.   Let us work in such a way that that Missionaries, the most direct instruments for the conversion of souls, are saints and non-Christians will not be slow to be converted.
… You, Missionaries in active service in the field, are particularly concerned with your part of co-operation.   Therefore, I say to you, be holy Missionaries by following the footsteps of those great Missionaries who went before you and, for the part that concerns you, your apostolic duty will have been done to the full.   The souls the Lord, in His merciful designs, has entrusted to each one of you that you may lead them to salvation, will be saved and at the end of your days you will be able to say with the Divine Redeemer:  “(Father) I kept those you had given me true to you name.   I have watched over them and not one is lost” (Jn 17:12).” … Blessed Paolo Manna PIME (1872-1952) Superior General of the PIME Founder of the Pontifical Missionary Union – “Holiness is the Soul of Mission”matthew 10 7 and proclaim as you saying the kingdom of god is at hand - therefore, I say to you, be holy Missionaries - bl paolo manna 9 july 2020

PRAYER – “Lord, You have called us to the apostolate with the witness of our life and the proclamation of the Gospel, may we contribute to the coming of Your Kingdom in the nations to which you send us.  Lord, You wish us to be Missionaries in communion with the Churches that have given us the faith and richness of Christian life, keep us united to our bishops and to the people they guide, that together we may carry out the mission You have entrusted to us in their name. Lord, You wanted our parents and benefactors, through their generosity and sacrifices, to participate in our apostolic life, may they share the reward You have prepared for those who work for the coming of Your Kingdom throughout the world.   Merciful Lord, during their earthly life You assigned our deceased brethren the task of spreading Your Word, may they receive the reward for their apostolate in the glory of heaven.   AMEN” … (From the Manual of PIME MIssionaries) And Lord, may the prayers of Your holy men and women, today we call on Bl Marija of Jesus Crucified Petković, who proclaimed Your Kingdom by her life, be every heard for our intercession.

bl marija of jesus crucified petkovic pray for us 9 july 2020

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 9 July – May I Be United With You, Good Jesus

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 9 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Thursday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time

May I Be United With You, Good Jesus
By St Peter Canisius (1521-1597)
Doctor of the Church

Let my eyes take their sleep
but may my heart always
keep watch for You.
May Your right hand bless Your servants
who love You.
May I be united with the praise
that flows from You, Lord Jesus,
to all your saints;
united with the gratitude
drawn from Your heart, good Jesus,
that causes Your saints to thank You;
united with Your passion, good Jesus,
by which You took away our guilt;
united with the divine longing
that You had on earth, for our salvation;
united with every prayer
that welled from Your divine Heart, good Jesus
and flowed into the hearts of Your saints.
Amenmay i be united with you good jesus by st peter canisius 9 july 2020

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 July – Twelve

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 8 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Wednesday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings: Hosea 10:1-3, 7-8, 12, Psalm 105:2-7, Matthew 10:1-7

The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother … …Matthew 10:2

REFLECTION – “The order in which the Apostles were divided and the distinction of each one were given by Him Who plumbs the depths of the heart.   The first to be recorded is Simon called Peter (to distinguish him from the other Simon, who is called the Cananaean from the village of Cana in Galilee, where the Lord turned the water into wine). He also calls James, the son of Zebedee because he is followed by another James, the son of Alphaeus.   And He associates the apostles by pairs.   He joins Peter and Andrew as brothers not so much in the flesh as in the spirit;  James and John, who left behind their natural father and followed the true Father;  Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the publican.   The other Evangelists, in listing the names, put Matthew first and then Thomas, nor do they mention the name publican, lest in recalling his former way of life they seem to insult the Evangelist.   But Matthew, as we said before, places himself after Thomas and calls himself a publican so that “where sin abounded, grace has abounded even more.”

Simon the Cananaean is the one whom another Evangelist calls the Zealot.   In fact, Cana interpreted means “zeal.”   Church history relates that the apostle Thaddaeus was sent to Edessa, Abgarum in the region of Osroene.   The person whom Luke the Evangelist calls Jude the brother of James, elsewhere called Lebbaeus, which interpreted means “little heart,” is believed to have been referred to by three names. Simon Peter and the sons of Zebedee (called sons of thunder) were named for their strength of mind and great faith.   Judas Iscariot took his name either from his hometown, or from the tribe of Issachar.   By a certain prophecy he was born in condemnation of himself, for Issachar interpreted means “reward,” as to signify the price of the traitor.” … St Jerome (343-420) – Father & Doctor of the Church (Commentary on Matthew, 1.)matthew-10-2-the-names-of-the-12-apostles-are-these-st-jerome-10-july-2019 and 8 july 2020

PRAYER – Holy God and Almighty Father, we are the disciples of Your Son as we follow Him home to You, grant us we pray, the strength and love to imitate Him in all things and to daily, pick up our cross with joy and commitment.   May the Blessed Virgin, be a constant protection and assistance in our times of struggle and may all your angels and saints and martyrs, pray for us, through our Lord Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, God for always and forever, amen.blessed virgin mother pray for us 26 may 2020

Posted in INDULGENCES, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 8 July – By the Merit of the Precious Blood of Jesus – Indulgenced Act of Oblation to Our Father

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 8 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Wednesday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time

By the Merit of the
Precious Blood of Jesus
By Servant of God Pope Pius VII (1742-1823)
Papacy from 1800 to 1823
Indulgenced Act of Oblation to Our Father

Eternal Father!
I offer Thee the merit
of the Precious Blood of Jesus,
Thy well-beloved Son,
my Saviour and my God,
for all my wants,
spiritual and temporal,
in aid of the Holy Souls in Purgatory
and chiefly for those
who most loved this Precious Blood,
the price of our redemption
and who were most devout
to the sorrows and pains
of most Holy Mary,
our dear Mother.

Glory be to the Blood of Jesus,
now and forever
and throughout all ages.
Amen.

Indulgence of 300 days, each time this prayed is offered
22 September 1817 with a Plenary Indulgence, once a month,
under the usual conditions.

In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI approved and granted it the Nihal Obstat – (nothing stands against), the process towards Canonising Pope Pius VII and he was granted the title Servant of God.
In late 2018, the Bishop of Savona announced that the cause for Pius VII would continue following the completion of initial preparation and investigation.   The Bishop named a new Postulator and a Diocesan tribunal began work into the cause.    The first Postulator for the cause, was Father Giovanni Farris (2007-18) and the current Postulator since 2018, is Father Giovanni Margara.

Note of Interest:  On 15 August 1811 – the Feast of the Assumption – it is recorded that the Pope celebrated Mass and was said to have entered a trance and began to levitate in a manner that drew him to the altar.   This particular episode aroused great wonder and awe among attendants, which included the French soldiers guarding him, who were awestruck at what had occurred and left records of it.

by the merit of the precious blood of jesus indulgenced act of oblation to the father - 8 july 2020