MORNING Prayers – Page 131

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Lenten Reflection – 12 March – “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” – St Leo the Great

Posted on March 12, 2019March 12, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Lenten Reflection – 12 March – Tuesday of the First Week of Lent, C – Gospel Matthew 6:7–15 tuesday-of-the-first-week-of-lent-12 March 2019.jpg

“Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”

St Pope Leo the Great (400-461)

Father & Doctor of the Church

“Those who wish to receive the Paschal feast of the Lord in holiness of mind and body should strive, above all, to win that grace which contains the summit of virtues and “covers a multitude of sins” (1 Pt 4:8). So at the point of celebrating the greatest of all mysteries, that with which the blood of Jesus Christ wiped out our iniquities, let us first of all prepare the sacrifice of mercy.

Thus we shall return to those who have offended us what the goodness of God has granted us. May insults be cast into oblivion, wrongs ignore torture from now on and all offences be set free from fear of reprisal!… If someone should detain such prisoners… may he fully understand that he himself is a sinner and, so as to receive forgiveness, let him rejoice that he has found someone to forgive. In this way, when we say, according to the Lord’s teaching: “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors” (Mt 6:12), we shall have no doubt that we receive God’s pardon as we formulate our prayer.” matthew 6 9 forgive us our debts - st pope leo - thus we shall return to those 12 march 2019.jpg

Daily Meditation:
Help us grow in our desire for you.

We are learning the intimate connection
between the “discipline” we choose these days,
and the growth of our desire.
If our desire for our Lord is weak,
if it has to compete with so many other desires that choke it out,
then we need to re-form our desiring.
We want to be disciples –
those who love Jesus, are with Jesus in our desires,
and choose to follow Jesus.

In today’s lesson we learn the Lord’s Prayer again.
As children, we turn to our Loving Father in prayer.

“I shall know You,
You who know me.
Virtue of my soul,
go deep into it
and make it fit for You,
so that You may have it
and possess it,
without stain or wrinkle.”

St Augustine (354-430)

Father & Doctor of the Church

Closing Prayer:
Father of my soul,
Mother of my heart,
I know Your love for me is limitless beyond imagining.
You care for me as a loving parent.
Through my smallest Lenten sacrifices,
help me to become less selfish
and more aware of Your ways.
Fan the flame of my desire
to draw ever closer to You.
Guide me to seek Your love.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen

“Your faith will grow,
only in the measure,
that you give it away.”

Bishop Robert Barron

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One Minute Reflection – 12 March – Our identity

Posted on March 12, 2019March 11, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 12 March – Tuesday of the First Week of Lent, C – Gospel Matthew 6:7–15

“Pray then like this:
Our Father who art in heaven…”…Matthew 6:9

REFLECTION – “It’s good for us to sometimes examine our own consciences on this point. For me, is God my Father? Do I feel that He is my Father? And if I don’t feel that, let me ask the Holy Spirit to teach me to feel that way. And am I able to forget offences, to forgive, to let go of it and if not, let us ask the Father: ‘these people too are your children, they did something horrible to me … can you help me to forgive them’? Let us carry out this examination of our consciences and it will do us a lot of good, good, good. ‘Father’ and ‘our’: give us our identity as His children and give us a family to journey with during our lives.”…Pope Francis – Santa Marta, 16 June 2016.

PRAYER – Heavenly Father, we are Your children and we beg You, make us know this with all our being. May we be as little children in total trust and dependence on You. May we glory in resembling You, as children resemble their fathers on earth. For You are all goodness, love and truth – may we become all of these things as perfect copies of You. May the prayers of St Luigi Orione, who lived his life as a true copy of Your Son, bring us strength and commitment especially on our Lenten journey to the Resurrection of Your Son. Through Jesus our Lord and Saviour, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen. st luigi orione 12 march 2019 pray for us

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Our Morning Offering – 12 March – “The Our Father”

Posted on March 12, 2019March 11, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 12 March – Tuesday of the First Week of Lent, C – Gospel Matthew 6:7–15

“Pray then like this:”…Matthew 6:9

Our Father,
Who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done
on earth as it is heaven.
Give us this day
our daily bread
and forgive us
our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us
and lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
Amen

the our father - matthew 6 7-15 - lenten reflection 20 feb 2018

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Lenten Reflection – 11 March – “Come, you who are blessed by my Father”

Posted on March 11, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Lenten Reflection – 11 March – Monday of the First Week of Lent, Gospel: Matthew 25:31–46

“Come, you who are blessed by my Father”
Homily attributed to Saint Hippolytus of Rome (c 170-c 235)
Priest and Martyr

“Come, my Father’s blessed ones, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Come, you lovers of poor people and strangers. Come, you who fostered My love, for I am love… Look, My kingdom is ready, paradise stands open, My immortality is displayed in all its beauty. Come now, all of you, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

Then, astounded at so great a wonder – at being addressed as friends by Him whom the angelic hosts are unable clearly to behold – the righteous will reply, exclaiming: “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you? Master, when did we see You thirsty and give You a drink? When did we see You, whom we hold in awe, naked and clothe You? When did we see You, the immortal One, a stranger and welcome You? When did we see You, lover of our race, sick or in prison and come to visit You? You are the Eternal, without beginning like the Father, and co-eternal with the Spirit. You are the One who created all things from nothing, You are the King of angels, You make the depths tremble, You are clothed in light as in a robe (Ps 104[103]:2), You are our maker who fashioned us from the earth (Gn 2:7), You are the creator of the world invisible. The whole earth flies from Your presence (Rv 20:11). How could we possibly have received Your lordship, Your royal majesty, as our guest?”

Then will the King of Kings say to them in reply: “Inasmuch as you did this to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did it to me. Inasmuch as you received, clothed, fed and gave a drink to those members of mine (1Cor 12:12) about whom I have just spoken to you, that is, to the poor, you did it to me. So come, enter the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, enjoy forever the gifts of my heavenly Father and of the most holy and life-giving Spirit.” What tongue can describe those blessings? “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor human heart conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (1Cor 2:9).

Daily Meditation:
Bring us back to you.
We repeat our desire that God bring us home from our wandering.
We know that in the confusion that surrounds us and can fill us,
we need the gift of Wisdom.

It is fitting that our very first “lesson” in our faith,
is the last judgement scene that Jesus paints for us.
We will be judged on whether we:
fed the hungry
welcomed the stranger
clothed the naked
comforted the sick
visited the imprisoned.
It is powerful to re-learn this wisdom –
Jesus identifies with each of these “least” cared for.

Who might we feed, welcome, clothe, comfort or visit this week?
As my heart might “resist” this mission,
I might beg to be brought back, with all my heart.

Praise to Jesus, our Saviour, by his death He has opened for us the way of salvation.
Let us ask Him:
Lord, guide Your people to walk in Your ways.

God of mercy, You gave us new life through baptism,
– make us grow day by day in Your likeness.
May our generosity today bring joy to those in need,
– in helping them may we find You.
Help us to do what is good, right and true in Your sight,
– and to seek You always with undivided hearts.
Forgive our sins against the unity of Your family,
– make us one in heart and spirit.

Closing Prayer:
Loving God,
You call us back to You with all of our hearts.
I feel Your call for me deep in my heart
and I know You want me back
as much as I want to return.
Please, Lord,
give me the wisdom to know how to return.
Make my journey back to You this Lent
one of grace, forgiveness and gentle love.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen. monday of the 1st week of lent 11 march 2019.jpg

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One Minute Reflection – 11 March – “For I was hungry…”

Posted on March 11, 2019March 11, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 11 March – Monday of the First Week of Lent, Gospel: Matthew 25:31–46

“‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’”... Matthew 25:34-36

REFLECTION – “Jesus will come at the end of time to judge all nations but He comes to us each day, in many ways and asks us to welcome Him. May the Virgin Mary help us to encounter Him and receive Him in His Word and in the Eucharist and at the same time in brothers and sisters who suffer from hunger, disease, oppression, injustice. May our hearts welcome Him in the present of our life, so that we may be welcomed by Him into the eternity of His Kingdom of light and peace.”…Pope Francis-Angelus, 26 November 2017

PRAYER – Turn our hearts back to You, God our Saviour, form us by Your heavenly teaching. Let Your Face shine in all we meet and our hearts and hands give to all. May we truly grow and profit by our Lenten observance and become of the blessed, who will inherit the kingdom prepared for us. Mary Virgin most pure and merciful, Mother pray for us. We make our prayer through Jesus our Lord with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen. blessed virgin mother mary - pray for us - 25 june 2018.jpg

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Our Morning Offering – 11 March – Lord Jesus, Think on Me

Posted on March 11, 2019March 10, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 11 March – Monday of the First Week of Lent

Lord Jesus, Think on Me
Bishop Synesius of Cyrene (373-430)
Bishop of Ptolemais

Lord Jesus, think on me,
and purge away my sins,
from earth-born passions set me free,
and make me pure within.

Lord Jesus, think on me,
with care and woe oppressed,
let me Thy loving servant be,
and taste Thy promised rest.

Lord Jesus, think on me,
amid the battle’s strife.
In all my pain and misery,
be Thou my health and life.

Lord Jesus, think on me,
nor let me go astray.
Through darkness and perplexity
point Thou the heavenly way. lord jesus think on me - bishop synecius - 11 march 2019 lenten breviary hymn.jpg

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One Minute Reflection – 10 March – “When I am weak, then am I strong.”

Posted on March 10, 2019March 10, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 10 March – The First Sunday of Lent

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit for forty days in the wilderness, tempted by the devil….Luke 4:1-2

REFLECTION – “The devil does not have only one weapon. He uses many different means to defeat human beings – now with bribery, now with boredom, now with greed he attacks, inflicting mental and physical wounds equally.
The kind of temptation varies with the different kinds of victim. Avarice is the test of the rich, loss of children that of parents and everyone is exposed to pain of mind or body. What a wealth of weapons is at the devil’s disposal!

It was for this reason that the Lord chose to have nothing to lose. He came to us in poverty so that the devil could find nothing to take away from Him. You see the truth of this when you hear the Lord himself saying:

“The prince of this world is come and has found nothing in me” [John 14:30]. The devil could only test Him with bodily pain but this too was useless because Christ despised bodily suffering.

Job was tested by his own goods, whereas Christ was tempted, during the experience of the wilderness, by the goods of all. In fact, the devil robbed Job of his riches and offered Christ the kingdom of the whole world. Job was tested by vexations, Christ by prizes. Job the faithful servant replied: “The Lord has given and the Lord has taken away” [Job 1:21] Christ, being conscious of His own divine nature, scorned the devil’s offering of what already belonged to Him.
So let us not be afraid of temptations. Rather, let us glory in them saying: “When I am weak, then am I strong.” [2 Cor. 12:10]….St Ambrose (339-397 AD) – Doctor of the Church Luke 4 1-2 jesus in the wilderness tempted - so let us not be afrai - st ambrose - 10 march 2019.jpg

PRAYER – Through our annual Lenten observance, Lord, deepen our understanding of the mystery of Christ and make it a reality in the conduct of our lives. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Lord’s Mother and ours, be ever our prayerful help. We make our prayer through our Lord, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen. blessed-virgin-holy-mother-mary-pray-for-us-14-oct-2018.jpg

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Our Morning Offering – 10 March – St Anselm – Prayer before Holy Communion

Posted on March 10, 2019April 21, 2023 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 10 March – The First Sunday of Lent

Prayer Before Holy Communion
By St Anselm (1033-1109)
Doctor of the Church

O Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of the living God,
Who according to the Will of the Father
and with the co-operation of the Holy Ghost,
has, by Thy Death. given life to the world,
I adore and revere thi, Thy Holy Body
and this, Thy Holy Blood
which was given up
and poured forth, for the many,
unto remission of sins.
O merciful Lord,
I beg of Thee mercy,
that through the power of this Sacrament,
Thou will make me one of that many.
Through faith and love, make me feel
the power of these Sacraments,
so I may experience their saving power.
Absolve and free from all sin
and punishment of sin, Thy servants,
Thy handmaidens, myself,
all who confessed their sins to me,
those whom I have promised,
or am obliged, to pray for
and so too, those who themselves hope
or beg, to be helped, by my prayers to Thee.
Make our Church rejoice
in Thy constant protection and consolation.
Amen

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Lenten Thoughts – 9 March – Do not leave Him alone

Posted on March 9, 2019March 9, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Lenten Thoughts – 9 March – Saturday after Ash Wednesday

“The enormity of the fact that Christ has, on our behalf, already taken the most extreme punishment upon Himself, should move us, not to leave Him isolated.
It should also inspire us to rejoice that another has taken our place in representing sin before God – for not to rejoice at that, would be a further enormity.
Instead of leaving Him alone, we should be moved to enter into His suffering for us, doing together with Him, what little we can do, to atone for the world’s sin!”

Hans Urs von Balthasar

“Light of the World”

instead-of-leaving-him-alone-hans-urs-sat after ash-wed 9 march 2019.jpg

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Lenten Reflection – 9 March – Where, then, is true freedom?

Posted on March 9, 2019March 9, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Lenten Reflection – 9 March – Saturday after Ash Wednesday “Come back to Me, with All your Heart” – Today’s Gospel : Luke 5:27-32 – The Calling of Matthew luke 5 28 leaving everything behind - calling of matthew - sat after ash wed lent 2019 9 march.jpg

“Leaving everything behind, the man got up and followed him” …Luke 5:28

Above the monastery some planes are cutting through the sky at tremendous speed. The noise of the engines frightens the birds, who take shelter in the cypresses of our cemetery. In front of the convent and crossing the land, is a tarred road along which lorries and carloads of tourists, for whom the sight of the monastery has no interest, run at all hours. One of the principal Spanish railways also runs through the fields of the monastery… People tell you that all this is freedom… But the man who reflects a little will see how deluded the world is in the midst of what he calls freedom…

Where, then, is true freedom? It is in the heart of one who loves nothing more than God. It is in the heart of one who is attached neither to spirit nor to matter but only to God. It is in that soul which is not subject to the “I” of egoism, which soars above its own thoughts, feelings, suffering and enjoyment. Freedom resides in the soul whose one reason for existence is God, whose life is God and nothing else but God.

The human spirit is small, impoverished, subject to a thousand changes of mood, ups and downs, depressions, disillusionments, etc and the body, to so much weakness. Freedom, then, is in God and the soul which truly, in soaring above everything, makes her abode in Him, can say that she enjoys freedom, to the extent that is possible for one still in the world to do so.”

Saint Raphael Arnaiz Baron (1911-1938)
Spanish Trappist monk

(Spiritual writings, 15/12/1936 (trans. ‘To know how to wait’, Mairin Mitchell)

Daily Meditation:
A Saturday of Lent
and more on “True Fasting.”
Each of the Saturdays of Lent are more upbeat and “lighter” in tone.
We are preparing for Sunday.

Our reading from Isaiah 58 continues,
as does our self-examination
regarding what true fasting is for us this Lent.

What patterns will I change?

Closing Prayer:

God, heavenly Father,
look upon me and hear my prayer
during this holy Season of Lent.
Help me to discipline my body
and be renewed in spirit.

Without You, I can do nothing.
By Your Holy Spirit, help me to know what is right
and to be eager to do Your will.
Teach me to find new life through penance.
Keep me from sin and help me to live by Your commandments.
God of love, bring me back to You.

Father, our source of life,
I reach out with joy to grasp Your hand,
guide and lead me in Your gentle mercy.

Let me be aware of
the many ways you reach out to help me today
and let me stand in awe of the power
that You use in such loving ways.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen

“Christ is the artist, tenderly wiping away
all the grime of sin that disfigures the human face
and restoring God’s image to its full beauty.”

St Gregory of Nyssa (c 335–C 395) Father of the Church

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One Minute Reflection – 9 March – “Leaving everything behind, the man got up and followed him”

Posted on March 9, 2019March 9, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 9 March – Saturday after Ash Wednesday
Today’s Gospel : Luke 5:27-32 – The Calling of Matthew

“Leaving everything behind, the man got up and followed him”...Luke 5:28

REFLECTION – “Th exploiter Levi, changes his ways and becomes Matthew, the Apostle and Evangelist, the bearer of the Good News. His entire life-story proclaims that God is for the wrongdoer, inviting him to change. Paul changed his ways, so did Augustine, so did Jerome. So can you! Ignatius the soldier, becomes Ignatius the saint, the founder of the Jesuits. What will you be? What will you do? For YOU are called too!”…Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil SDB

“Because the healing power of God, knows no infirmity that cannot be healed and this, must give us confidence and open our heart to the Lord, that He may come and heal us.”…Pope Francis – General Audience, 13 April 2016

PRAYER – Come my all-powerful, ever-living God, look with compassion on our frailty and for our protection, stretch out to us Your strong right hand. Grant that by the prayers of Mary, our Mother and all your angels and saints we may change our ways, leave everything behind, proclaim the glory of Your kingdom and come safely home to You. St Catherine of Bologna and St Frances of Rome, pray for us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen. st-frances-of-rome-pray-for-us - 9 march 2017.jpg

st catherine of bologna pray for us 9 march 2019

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Our Morning Offering – 9 March

Posted on March 9, 2019March 8, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 9 March – Saturday after Ash Wednesday and always a Marian Saturday

Traditional Lenten Prayer to Our Lady of Sorrows

O most holy Virgin,
Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ
by the overwhelming grief you experienced
when you witnessed the martyrdom,
the crucifixion
and death of your divine Son,
look upon me with eyes of compassion
and awaken in my heart,
a tender commiseration for those sufferings,
as well as a sincere detestation of my sins,
in order that being disengaged from all
undue affection for the passing joys of this earth,
I may sigh after the eternal Jerusalem
and that henceforward,
all my thoughts and all my actions,
may be directed towards
this one most desirable goal –
the honour, glory and love
of our divine Lord Jesus
and to you, the holy
and immaculate Mother of God.
Amen

In this prayer to Our Lady of Sorrows, we call to mind the pain endured both by Christ on the Cross and by Mary as she watched her Son being crucified. In reciting the prayer, we ask for the grace to join in that sorrow, so that we may awaken to what is truly important—not the passing joys of this life but the lasting joy of eternal life in Heaven. traditional lenten prayer to our lady of sorrows - 9 march 2019.jpg

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Friday after Ash Wednesday – 8 March “Then they will Fast”

Posted on March 8, 2019March 8, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Friday after Ash Wednesday – 8 March

“Come back to Me with all your Heart.”

Daily Meditation:
A Friday of Lent
and an introduction to “True Fasting.”
We are still in the first four days of Lent.
Today and tomorrow we read the 58th Chapter
of the book of the prophet Isaiah.
These powerful words have such a contemporary message.
True fasting will lead us to act justly and caring
for those who are most in need.

On every Friday of Lent we abstain from meat
as a sign of our common penance.
It represents our efforts to abstain from
– do without – so many other patterns
that get in the way of our happiness and wholeness.

“Then they will fast”

“Among the penitential practices that the Church suggests to us above all during this Lenten time is fasting. It consists in a special sobriety in the food we eat, while ensuring care for the needs of our body. This is a traditional form of penance, which has lost none of its significance and which we perhaps need to rediscover, above all in that part of the world and in the milieus where food not only abounds, but where we at times encounter illnesses due to overeating.

Obviously, penitential fasting is very different from therapeutic diets. But as it is, we can see in it a therapy for the soul. For when it is practised as a sign of conversion, it facilitates the interior effort to make oneself available to listening to God. To fast is to reaffirm for oneself what Jesus replied to Satan, when the latter tempted him at the end of forty days of fasting in the desert: “Not on bread alone is man to live but on every utterance that comes from the mouth of God.” (Mt 4:4) Today, especially in our well-to-do societies, it is difficult for us to understand the meaning of this word of the gospel. Instead of pacifying our needs, the consumer society creates ever new ones, even engendering disproportionate activism… Among other meanings, penitential fasting has precisely the aim of helping us to recover interiority.

The effort towards moderation in food also extends to other things that are not necessary and it greatly aids the life of the spirit. Sobriety, recollection and prayer go together. This principle can be appropriately applied to our use of the mass media. They are unquestionably useful but they must not become the “masters” over our life. In so many families, the television seems to replace rather than facilitate dialogue among the persons! A certain “fasting” in this area can be salutary, either so as to give more time to reflection and prayer or to cultivate human relations.”

St John Paul (1920-2005)

Closing Prayer:
Lord,
I know how much You love me.
It’s hard for me to feel it sometimes,
but I know Your love is always with me.

Help me to use Your love as a way
to persevere in my Lenten intentions.
I am weak but I know with Your help,
I can use these small sacrifices in my life to draw closer to You.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen

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One Minute Reflection – 8 March – Genuine Faith

Posted on March 8, 2019March 8, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 8 March – Friday after Ash Wednesday, Gospel: Matthew 9:14-15 and the Memorial of St John of God (1495-1550)

“Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”…Matthew 9:15 matthew 9 15 - can the wedding guests mourn.jpg

REFLECTION – “Genuine faith does not make a believer pretentious. Dialogue with God is not a business bargain. External observance of religion wins little favour with God, if it is combined with unfairness to the weak and indifference to the poor. Openness to the indigent is the door to true religion. The world itself changes for the better with the widening of human concern for the poor. Good works multiply on the face of the earth and everyone sees the glory of God in action.
The Gospel presents Jesus as refusing to absolutise ritual fasting. What He expects from His disciples, is that they remain faithful to the mission He is about to give them, even at great sacrifice. It will make evidently greater demands of them than mere ritual fasting. They should be prepared. Jesus is introducing a new set of values of immense worth, for which the old order of things must make way.”…Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil SDB

PRAYER – Lord God, bestow a full measure of Your grace upon us, who seek to make our lenten journey fruitful. Confirm us in Your service and help us to bear witness to You in the society in which we live by our lives, our fasting and prayer, our gift of self. Listen kindly we pray, to the prayers of St John of God who so avidly followed in the footsteps of our Saviour, Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name, with the Holy Spirit, we pray, one God forever, amen. st-john-of-god-pray-for-us-8 march 2019.jpg

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Lenten Thoughts – St Leo the Great – Purification of spirit through fasting and almsgiving

Posted on March 7, 2019March 7, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Lenten Thoughts – 7 March – Thursday after Ash Wednesday

Purification of spirit through fasting and almsgiving

Saint Pope Leo the Great (400-461)
Father & Doctor of the Church

An excerpt from his Sermo 6 de Quadragesima

Dear friends, at every moment the earth is full of the mercy of God and nature itself is a lesson for all the faithful, in the worship of God. The heavens, the sea and all that is in them, bear witness to the goodness and omnipotence of their Creator and the marvellous beauty of the elements, as they obey Him, demands from the intelligent creation, a fitting expression of its gratitude.

But with the return of that season marked out in a special way, by the mystery of our redemption and of the days that lead up to the paschal feast, we are summoned more urgentlyM to prepare ourselves by a purification of spirit.

The special note of the paschal feast is this – the whole Church rejoices in the forgiveness of sins. It rejoices in the forgiveness, not only of those who are then reborn in holy baptism but also of those, who are already numbered among God’s adopted children.

Initially, men are made new by the rebirth of baptism. Yet, there still is required a daily renewal to repair the shortcomings of our mortal nature and whatever degree of progress has been made, there is no-one, who should not be more advanced. All, must, therefore, strive to ensure that on the day of redemption, no-one may be found in the sins of his former life.

Dear friends, what the Christian should be doing at all times, should be done now with greater care and devotion, so that the Lenten fast enjoined by the apostles, may be fulfilled, not simply by abstinence from food but above all, by the renunciation of sin.

There is no more profitable practice as a companion to holy and spiritual fasting than that of almsgiving. This embraces under the single name of mercy, many excellent works of devotion, so that the good intentions of all the faithful, may be of equal value, even where their means are not. The love that we owe both God and man, is always free from any obstacle, that would prevent us from having a good intention. The angels sang – Glory to God in the highest and peace to his people on earth. The person who shows love and compassion to those in any kind of affliction, is blessed, not only with the virtue of good will but also, with the gift of peace.

The works of mercy are innumerable. Their very variety, brings this advantage to those who are true Christians, that in the matter of almsgiving, not only the rich and affluent but also those of average means and the poor, are able to play their part. Those who are unequal in their capacity to give, can be equal, in the love within their hearts.

JESUIT SJ, LENT 2019, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The WORD

Thursday after Ash Wednesday – 7 March -“Let him take up his cross daily and follow Me”

Posted on March 7, 2019March 7, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thursday after Ash Wednesday – 7 March

“Let him take up his cross daily and follow Me”

Lord, help us to see in Your Crucifixion and Resurrection an example of how to endure and seemingly to die in the agony and conflict of daily life, so that we may live more fully and creatively. You accepted patiently and humbly the rebuffs of human life, as well as the tortures of your Crucifixion and Passion. Help us to accept the pains and conflicts that come to us each day, as opportunities to grow as people and become more like You. Enable us to go through them patiently and bravely, trusting that You will support us. Make us realise that it is only by frequent deaths of ourselves and our self-centred desires, that we can come to live more fully,
for it is only, by dying with You, that we can rise with You.

Saint Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997)

(A Gift for God – prayers and meditations)

Daily Meditation:
The Journey Begins

God has revealed Himself in Christ. Let us praise His goodness and ask Him from our hearts:
Remember us, Lord, for we are Your children.

Teach us to enter more deeply into the mystery of the Church,
– that it may be more effective for ourselves and for the world as the sacrament of salvation.
Lover of mankind, inspire us to work for human progress,
– seeking to spread Your kingdom in all we do.
May our hearts thirst for Christ,
– the fountain of living water.
Forgive us our sins,
– and direct our steps into the ways of justice and sincerity.

Closing Prayer:
Lord,
Let everything I do this day and in this season of Lent
come from You, be inspired by You.

I long to be closer to You.
Help me to remember, that nothing is important in my life
unless it glorifies You in some way.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the day to day of my life and keep saying,
“Tomorrow, I will spend more time in prayer”
but now my longing meet Your love and I want to do it now.
Help me to rely on You for help.

Please, Lord, remind me that “perfection”
isn’t the crazy, “successful” way I try to live my life
but a perfection of my most authentic, real self.
My “perfection” might be holding my many flaws in my open hands,
asking You to help me accept them.

Make me whole Lord and help me to find You in the darkness of my life.
Let me reach out in this darkness and feel Your hand and love, there to guide me.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen. luke 9 23 thurs after ash wed - if any man will come after me - 7 march 2019.jpg

LENT 2019, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES on LOVE, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 7 March – “For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?”…Luke 9:25

Posted on March 7, 2019March 7, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 7 March – Thursday after Ash Wednesday – Gospel: Luke 9:22-25 and the Memorial of Blessed Leonid Feodorov (1879-1935) Martyr

“For what does it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?”…Luke 9:25

REFLECTION – “For what does it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?”. (v. 25). This paradox contains the golden rule that God inscribed in the human nature created in Christ – the rule, that only love gives meaning and happiness to life. To spend one’s own talents, one’s energy and one’s time only to save, protect and fulfil oneself, in reality leads to losing oneself, i.e. to a sad and barren existence. Instead let us live for the Lord and base our life on love, as Jesus did – we will be able to savour authentic joy and our life will not be barren, it will be fruitful.”… Pope Francis – Angelus, 3 September 2017

PRAYER – Heavenly Father, Your great mercy, gave us Your Son! Surely nothing can be a greater proof to us of Your unending love and mercy to Your lowly creatures, we who are dust. Through Him, who died and rose for us, You have shown us the way of true mercy. Grant us this day that by the intercession of Blessed Leonid Feodorov, who gave himself without reserve, we may take up our crosses with Him, never leaving the love of His Sacred Heart, so that we may join Your holy saints in eternal life. Through Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen. bl leonid feodorov pray for us 7 march 2019

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, LENT 2019, Our MORNING Offering, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH

Our Morning Offering – 7 March – Forgive my sins, O my God

Posted on March 7, 2019March 6, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 7 March – Thursday after Ash Wednesday

ACT OF CONTRITION

Forgive my sins, O my God,
forgive my sins –
the sins of youth,
the sins of age,
the sins of my soul
and the sins of my body,
the sins which, through frailty,
I have committed,
my deliberate and grievous sins,
the sins I know
and the sins I do not know,
the sins I have laboured so long
to hide from others,
that now they are hidden
from my own memory;
let me be absolved
from all these iniquities
and delivered from
the bond of all these evils,
by the Life, Passion and Death
of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Amen act of contrition - 7 march - thurs after ash wed 2019.jpg

LENT 2019, MORNING Prayers, PAPAL MESSAGES, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on PRAYER, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 6 March – Ash Wednesday

Posted on March 6, 2019March 6, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 6 March – Ash Wednesday

“Beware of practising your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.”…Mark 6:1

REFLECTION – “Fasting, that is, learning to change our attitude towards others and all of creation, turning away from the temptation to “devour” everything to satisfy our voracity and being ready to suffer for love, which can fill the emptiness of our hearts.
Prayer, which teaches us to abandon idolatry and the self-sufficiency of our ego and to acknowledge our need of the Lord and His mercy. Almsgiving, whereby we escape from the insanity of hoarding everything for ourselves in the illusory belief that we can secure a future that does not belong to us.

And thus to rediscover the joy of God’s plan for creation and for each of us, which is to love Him, our brothers and sisters and the entire world and to find in this love our true happiness.

Let us not allow this season of grace to pass in vain! Let us ask God to help us set out on a path of true conversion. Let us leave behind our selfishness and self-absorption and turn to Jesus’ Pasch. Let us stand beside our brothers and sisters in need, sharing our spiritual and material goods with them. In this way, by concretely welcoming Christ’s victory over sin and death into our lives, we will also radiate its transforming power to all of creation.”- Pope Francis’ 2019 Lenten Message

PRAYER – Remember Lord, Your solemn covenant, renewed and consecrated by the Blood of the Lamb, so that Your people may obtain forgiveness for their sins and a continued growth in grace. Support us Lord, as with this Lenten fast we begin our Christian warfare, so that in doing battle against the spirit of evil, we may be armed with the weapon of self-denial. Heavenly Father, help us to fast for the right reasons. Teach us to fast to curb illicit desires and to obtain closer union with You. Help us Lord, during this Lenten season to cleave to You alone and grow in sanctity and charity. Create in me a clean heart O Lord! Through our Lord Jesus Christ in unity with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen. o-that-today-ash-wednesday-6 march 2019 ash wed.jpg

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Our Morning Offering – 6 March – Ash Wednesday 2019

Posted on March 6, 2019March 5, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 6 March – Ash Wednesday 2019

Draw me to Yourself, O Lord

(From a Prayer a Day for Lent – 1923)

Lord, Your Cross is high and uplifted;
I cannot mount it in my own strength.
You have promised:
“I, when I am lifted up from the earth,
I will draw all to Myself.”
Draw me, then,
from my sins to repentance,
from darkness to faith,
from the flesh to the spirit,
from coldness to ardent devotion,
from weak beginnings to a perfect end,
from smooth and easy paths,
if it be Your will,
to a higher and holier way,
from fear to love,
from earth to heaven,
from myself to You.
And as You have said:
“No man can come to Me,
except the Father, who sent Me, draw him,”
give unto me the Spirit
Whom the Father has sent in Your Name,
that in Him and through Him,
I being wholly changed,
may hasten to You
and go out no more forever.
Amen draw me to yourself o lord - 6 march 2019 ash wed.jpg

JESUIT SJ, LENT 2019, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on PRAYER, The WORD

Remember you are Dust and Unto Dust you shall return

Posted on March 6, 2019March 5, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Remember you are Dust and Unto Dust you shall return

Ash Wednesday 6 March 2019

Saint Peter Chrysologus (400-450)

Bishop of Ravenna, Father & Doctor of the Church

Sermon 8 ; CCL 24, 59 ; PL 52, 208

Exercises for Lent: Almsgiving, Prayer, Fasting

My dear brethren, today we set out on the great Lenten journey. So let us take our food and drink along in our boat, putting onto the chest the abundant mercy we shall need. For our fasting is a hungry one, our fasting is a thirsty one if it isn’t sustained by goodness and refreshed by mercy. Our fasting will be cold, our fasting will flag, if the fleece of almsgiving doesn’t clothe it, if the garment of compassion does not wrap it around.

Brethren, what spring is for the land, mercy is for fasting – the soft, spring winds cause all the buds on the plains to flower; the mercy of our fast causes all our seeds to grow until they blossom and bear fruit for the heavenly harvest. What oil is to the lamp, goodness is to our fast. As the oily fat sets the lamp alight and, in spite of so little to feed it, keeps it burning to our comfort all night long, so goodness makes our fasting shine – it casts its beams until it reaches the full brightness of self-restraint. What the sun is to the day, almsgiving is to our fast: the sun’s splendour increases the light of day, breaking through the dullness of the clouds; almsgiving together with fasting sanctifies its holiness and, thanks to the light of goodness, dispels from our desires anything that could petrify. In short, what the body is for the soul, generosity acts similarly for the fast: when the soul leaves the body it brings about death; if generosity abandons the fast, it is, its death. ash wed and good friday - days of fasting and abstinence

A very special day.

The ashes we use are the burnt palms from last year’s celebration of Passion Sunday.
We begin our Lenten journey aware of where we are going.
We want to enter into the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus for us more fully.
That is the purpose of our journey. It is why we mark our heads with His cross.
It is why we fast today and abstain from meat. from pam fronds to ashes

Our Lenten program is not an effort to save ourselves.
We have been saved by His sacrifice.
Our self-denial helps us, in the darkness that surrounds us,
to prepare ourselves to receive His light.
For this is a journey to the Easter font,
where we will renew the promises of our Baptism,
remembering that in dying with Him in the waters of Baptism,
we are re-born with Him to everlasting life.

This year’s journey begins today.

Yet even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning;

Rend your hearts, not your garments,
and return to the LORD, your God.
For gracious and merciful is he,
slow to anger, rich in kindness,
and relenting in punishment.
Joel 2:12-13 joel 2 12-13 ash wed yet even now - 6 march 2019.jpg

Closing Prayer:
Lord,
it feels like we are embarking
on a Lenten journey together, You and I.
Today, we are invited to let the Holy Spirit
purify our hearts and strengthen us in love.
That feels like what I am looking for –
or what You are looking for in me.
I want to remember how much I need You in my life
and how much my life needs redemption.
I want to remember it clearly and
in the background of my day, today and all through Lent.

On this special day, Ash Wednesday,
may my small sacrifices in fasting be a way to clear away
the clutter in my life to see You more clearly.
May my longing for meat and other food,
help me to focus my life today more outside myself.
Let me be aware of those,
who are in so much more suffering, than I am
and may I be aware of them,
as the brothers and sisters, You have placed in my life.

Lord, I know there is darkness within me and around me.
Bless these days with Your Word.
Let Your Light shine in the darkness.
Help me long for that shining Light
until we celebrate it at the Vigil, six weeks from now.

And most of all Lord,
help me to honour this day with the ashes on my forehead.
They help me remember where I have come from
and where I am going.
May I acknowledge to You my sins
and my deep need for Your loving forgiveness and grace.
I pray that this Lenten season will make me so much more aware
of how much I need Your love and care in my life.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen

“The Lord, who always goes before us, said this and did this (Jn 12:24). Whenever we experience the cross, He has already experienced it before us. We do not mount the cross to find Jesus. Instead it was He who, in His self-abasement, descended even to the cross, in order to find us, to dispel the darkness of evil within us and to bring us back to the light.”

Pope Francis

(at the Canonisation of Saints Francisco and Jacinta on 14 May 2017)

the-lord-who-always-goes-before-us-pope-francis-20-feb-2017-sts-francisco-and-jacinta.jpg

LENT 2019, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 5 March – Shrove Tuesday 2019

Posted on March 5, 2019March 5, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 5 March – Tuesday of the Eighth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Psalm 50:5-8 – Shrove Tuesday 2019

“Gather to me my faithful ones,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”
Psalm: 50:5

“The planting of Christ’s Cross in the heart,
is sharp and trying –
but the stately tree rears itself aloft
and has fair branches and rich fruit
and is good to look upon.”

Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Parochial Sermons, #iv,17

LENT 2019, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FAITH, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 5 March – Gospel:Mark 10:28–31

Posted on March 5, 2019March 5, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 5 March – Tuesday of the Eighth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Mark 10:28–31 – Shrove Tuesday 2019 and the Memorial of St John Joseph of the Cross OFM (1654-1734)

Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions and in the age to come, eternal life. But many that are first will be last and the last first.”…Mark 10:29-31 mark 10 29-31 truly i say to you there is no-one who has left -5 march 2019

REFLECTION – “All offerings to God are of great value, if they are made with a cheerful heart. The greatest of all such offerings are observing God’s commandments and showing kindness to the poor. Prayer itself, is like a great offering, when made in thankfulness.
Jesus highlights the blessing that radical renouncers, for the sake of the Gospel, will receive. What most people do not understand, when taking note of the ‘hundred-fold’ is the prediction of persecution that goes with it. When one is not ready for it, his renunciation is incomplete. ‘Persecution’ in this context, can also include the challenges of committed religious life, before which one is tempted to give up. But one should gather up courage and continue. Another danger, is to place oneself ahead of others even in renounced life, thus condemning oneself to the last position. But fortunately, the last too has hope to change roles.”…Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil SDB

“Sursum corda” – lift up your hearts, high above the tangled web of our concerns, desires, anxieties and thoughtlessness – “Lift up your hearts, your inner selves!” In both exclamations we are summoned, as it were, to a renewal of our Baptism: “Conversi ad Dominum” – we must distance ourselves ever anew from taking false paths, onto which we stray so often in our thoughts and actions. We must turn ever anew towards Him who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. We must be converted ever anew, turning with our whole life towards the Lord. And ever anew, we must allow our hearts to be withdrawn from the force of gravity, which pulls them down and inwardly we must raise them high, in truth and love. At this hour, let us thank the Lord, because through the power of His word and of the holy Sacraments, He points us in the right direction and draws our heart upwards.”…Pope Benedict 22 March 2008

PRAYER – Yes, Lord, make us Easter people, men and women of light, filled with the fire of Your love. Kindly listen to the prayers of the angels and saints on our behalf, as we start our Lenten journey. May You bless us through their prayers and grant us strength. Beloved Virgin Mother of God and our mother and St John Joseph of the Cross, pray for us, amen. yes-lord-make-us-easter-people-31-march-2018-holy-sat

st john joseph of the cross - pray for us - 5 march 2019

Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 5 March – Shrove Tuesday 2019

Posted on March 5, 2019March 4, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 5 March – Tuesday of the Eighth week in Ordinary Time, Year C – Shrove Tuesday 2019

The Grace of Thy Love
By Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

O My God,
strengthen me with Thy strength,
console me with Thy everlasting peace,
soothe me with the beauty of Thy countenance,
enlighten me with Thy uncreated holiness.
Bathe me in Thyself
and give me to drink,
as far as mortal man may ask,
of the rivers of grace
which flow from the Father and the Son,
the grace of Thy consubstantial,
co-eternal Love.
Amen the-grace-of-they-love-bl-john-henry-newman-21-feb-2018.jpg

ArchAngels and Angels, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on LOVE, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 24 February – Love your Enemies

Posted on February 24, 2019February 24, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 24 February – Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – Gospel: Luke 6:27–38

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.”…Luke 6:32

The Lord Himself reminds us: Whoever loves me will keep my commandments. And this is my commandments – that you love one another. So the man who does not love his neighbour does not obey God’s command. But one who does not obey His command, cannot love God. A man is blessed if he can love all men equally. Moreover, if he truly loves God, he must love his neighbour absolutely. Such a man cannot hoard his wealth. Rather, like God himself, he generously gives from his own resources to each man according to his needs.

Since he imitates God’s generosity, the only distinction he draws is the person’s need. He does not distinguish between a good man and a bad one, a just man and one who is unjust. Yet his own goodness of will makes him prefer the man who strives after virtue to the one who is depraved.

A charitable mind is not displayed simply in giving money, it is manifested still more by personal service as well as by the communication of God’s word to others. In fact, if a man’s service toward his brothers is genuine and if he really renounces worldly concerns, he is freed from selfish desires. For he now shares in God’s own knowledge and love. Since he does possess God’s love, he does not experience weariness as he follows the Lord his God. Rather, following the prophet Jeremiah, he withstands every type of reproach and hardship without even harbouring an evil thought toward any man.

For Jeremiah warns us: Do not say: “We are the Lord’s temple.” Neither should you say: “Faith alone in our Lord Jesus Christ can save me.” By itself, faith accomplishes nothing. For even the devils believe and shudder. No, faith must be joined to an active love of God which is expressed in good works. The charitable man is distinguished by sincere and long-suffering service to his fellow man, it also means using things aright.”

Saint Maximus the Confessor, Abbot (c 580–662)

May the Blessed Virgin, Mother of Perpetual Succour and the angels and saints, pray for us!

holy angels pray for us 24 feb 2019.jpg

MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SUNDAY REFLECTIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, Uncategorized

Sunday Reflection – 24 February -Your Intention at Holy Communion

Posted on February 24, 2019February 24, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Sunday Reflection – 24 February – Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

“When you go to Holy Communion, you must always have an intention and say, when you are on the point of receiving our Lord’s Body:

“O my good Father, who art in heaven,
I offer You, at this moment,
Thy dear Son, as He was taken down from the Cross
and laid in the arms of the Blessed Virgin
and offered by her to You, as a sacrifice for us.
I offer Him to You, by the hands of Mary
to obtain ‘such-and-such a grace – faith, charity, humilty….’

My children, mark this well – whenever I obtained a grace, I asked it in this way and it has never failed!”

St John Vianney (1786-1859)

DOMINICAN OP, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 24 February – Grant me, O my God

Posted on February 24, 2019February 24, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 24 February – Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Grant me, O my God
By St Vincent Ferrer OP (1350-1419)

Good Jesus,
let me be penetrated with love
to the very marrow of my bones,
with fear and respect toward You;
let me burn with zeal for Your honour,
so that I may resent terribly all the outrages
committed against You, especially those
of which I myself have been guilty.
Grant further, O my God,
that I may adore
and acknowledge You humbly, as my Creator
and that, penetrated with gratitude
for all Your benefits,
I may never cease to render You thanks.
Grant that I may bless You in all things,
praise and glorify You
with a heart full of joy and gladness
and that, obeying You with docility
in every respect, I may one day,
despite my ingratitude and unworthiness,
be seated at Your table
together with Your Holy Angels and Apostles
to enjoy ineffable delights.
Amen good-jesus-let-me-be-penetrated-with-love-st-vincent-ferrer no 2 -24 feb-2019.jpg

MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, Our MORNING Offering, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 23 February – O Sweet Mother of God

Posted on February 23, 2019February 23, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 23 February – Saturday of the Sixth week in Ordinary Time, Year C – Marian Saturdays

O Sweet Mother of God
By St Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938)

O sweet Mother of God,
I model my life on You.
You are for me the bright dawn.
In You I lose myself, enraptured.
O Mother, Immaculate Virgin,
In You, the divine ray is reflected,
Midst storms, ‘tis You
who teach me to love the Lord,
O my shield and defense from the foe.
Amen

(Diary 1232) o sweet mother of god - st faustina 23 feb 2019.jpg

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

Thought for the Day – 22 February – St Pope Leo the Great “The Chair of Peter”

Posted on February 22, 2019February 22, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 22 February – The Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter

Pope Saint Leo the Great (400-461)
Bishop of Rome and Great Latin Father & Doctor of the Church

An excerpt from Sermo 4

Out of the whole world one man, Peter, is chosen to preside at the calling of all nations and to be set over all the apostles and all the fathers of the Church. Though, there are, in God’s people many shepherds, Peter is thus appointed, to rule in his own person, those whom Christ also rules as the original ruler. Beloved, how great and wonderful is this sharing of His power that God in His goodness has given to this man. Whatever Christ has willed to be shared in common, by Peter and the other leaders of the Church, it is only through Peter, that He has given to others, what He has not refused to bestow on them.

The Lord now asks the apostles as a whole, what men think of him. As long as they are recounting the uncertainty born of human ignorance, their reply is always the same.

But when He presses the disciples to say what they think themselves, the first to confess his faith in the Lord, is the one who is first in rank, among the apostles.

Peter says: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus replies: Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona, for flesh and blood has not revealed it to you, but my Father who is in heaven. You are blessed, he means, because my Father has taught you. You have not been deceived by earthly opinion but have been enlightened by inspiration from heaven. It was not flesh and blood that pointed Me out to you but the one whose only-begotten Son I am.

He continues: And I say to you. In other words, as my Father has revealed to you my godhead, so I in my turn make known to you, your pre-eminence. You are Peter: though I am the inviolable rock, the cornerstone that makes both one, the foundation apart from which no one can lay any other, yet you also are a rock, for you are given solidity by my strength, so that which is my very own because of my power is common between us through your participation.

And upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. On this strong foundation, He says, I will build an everlasting temple. The great height of my Church, which is to penetrate the heavens, shall rise on the firm foundation of this faith.

The gates of hell shall not silence this confession of faith; the chains of death shall not bind it. Its words are the words of life. As they lift up to heaven those who profess them, so they send down to hell those who contradict them.

Blessed Peter is therefore told – To you I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth is also bound in heaven. Whatever you lose on earth shall be loosed also in heaven.

The authority vested in this power passed also to the other apostles and the institution, established by this decree, has been continued in all the leaders of the Church. But, it is not without good reason, that what is bestowed on all, is entrusted to one. For Peter, received it separately, in trust, because he is the prototype, set before all the rulers of the Church.

Saint Pope Peter
Apostle and Martyr
Pray for us!

DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY

One Minute Reflection – 22 February – The Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter

Posted on February 22, 2019February 21, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 22 February – The Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter

“And I tell you, you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it..”…Matthew 16:18 matthew 16 18 and i tell you you are peter and on this rock 22 feb 2019.jpg

REFLECTION – “You are Peter and on this rock I shall build my Church.” He was given this name of ‘Peter’ because he was the first to set the foundations of the faith among the nations and because he is, the indestructible rock on which rests, the judgement seat and the whole edifice, belonging to Christ Jesus. It was on account of his faithfulness that he was called Peter, whereas our Lord receives the same name on account of His power according to Saint Paul’s words: “They drank from a spiritual rock that followed them and that rock was the Christ” (1Cor 10:4). Yes, the apostle chosen to be His co-worker, merited to share, the same name as Christ. They built the same building together – Peter does the planting, the Lord gives the increase and it is the Lord, too, who sends those, who will do the watering (cf. 1 Cor 3:6f.).
As you know, my beloved, it was following on from his own failure, when our Saviour suffered, that blessed Peter was raised up. It was after he had denied the Lord that he became the first next to him. Rendered more faithful when he wept over the faith he had betrayed, he received a still greater grace than the one he had lost. To him Christ confided His flock, so that he might guide it like a good shepherd and he who had been so weak, would now become the support of all. He who had fallen when questioned about his faith, must now establish the others, on the unshakeable foundations of faith. Hence he is called the foundation stone of the piety of the Churches.”…St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church

PRAYER – Holy Father, send Your Divine Enlightener into the hearts of all Your faithful, filling us with the strength to fulfil our mission as the followers of the Chair of St Peter. And most of all, we pray Lord Holy God to inspire and light the way of our Holy Father, Francis. Sustain and guide him, keep him in health and strength, to lead Your people by the Light of the Way and the Truth. Holy Father, have mercy on us, Holy Spirit guide and lead us, Lord Jesus Christ be our intercessor and teacher, amen. st peter pray for us 22 feb 2019.jpg

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St Pope Leo the Great (400-461)

Father & Doctor of the Church

St Augustine (354-430)

Father & Doctor of the Church

Bishop Robert Barron

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Hans Urs von Balthasar

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St Gregory of Nyssa (c 335–C 395) Father of the Church

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“Come back to Me with all your Heart.”

St John Paul (1920-2005)

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Purification of spirit through fasting and almsgiving

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Saint Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997)

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Saint Peter Chrysologus (400-450)

Pope Francis

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Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

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May the Blessed Virgin, Mother of Perpetual Succour and the angels and saints, pray for us!

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St John Vianney (1786-1859)

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Saint Pope Peter Apostle and Martyr Pray for us!

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Saint Pope Peter
Apostle and Martyr
Pray for us!